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Thank You, Axl Rotten (And R.I.P.)

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Highest Grossing WrestleMania(R) Ever

STAMFORD, Conn., Apr 25, 2013 -- WWE(R) today announced that WrestleMania 29, held Sunday, April 7 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, grossed an excess of $72 million, the highest grossing event in WWE history. In addition, WrestleMania 29 will once again exceed 1 million global pay-per-view buys and attracted a sold out crowd of 80,676 fans from all 50 states and 34 countries at MetLife Stadium.

New Orleans, Louisiana will be the site of next year's WrestleMania, which will take place Sunday, April 6, 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Ticket information will be announced later this year.

About WWE

WWE, a publicly traded company, is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 150 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Miami, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television and pay-per-view programming distribution agreements; the need for continually developing creative and entertaining programming; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent McMahon; the conditions of the markets in which we compete and acceptance of the Company's brands, media and merchandise within those markets; our exposure to bad debt risk; uncertainties relating to regulatory and litigation matters; risks resulting from the highly competitive nature of our markets; uncertainties associated with international markets; the importance of protecting our intellectual property and complying with the intellectual property rights of others; risks associated with producing and travelling to and from our large live events, both domestically and internationally; the risk of accidents or injuries during our physically demanding events; risks relating to our film business; risks relating to increasing content production for distribution on various platforms, including the potential creation of a WWE network; risks relating to our computer systems and online operations; risks relating to the large number of shares of common stock controlled by members of the McMahon family and the possibility of the sale of their stock by the McMahons or the perception of the possibility of such sales; the relatively small public float of our stock; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends, general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant.

SOURCE: WWE

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

My Name Is Ric Gillespie, And I Approve This Message ...

TRANSGENDER FIGHTER FALLON FOX TO MAKE HER NATIONAL TELEVISION DEBUT ON AXS TV

Championship Fighting Alliance 11 to Air LIVE on AXS TV

(April 16, 2013) -- AXS TV will broadcast “AXS TV Fights: Championship Fighting Alliance 11” LIVE Friday, May 24 at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT from the Bank United Center in Miami, Florida. The event will mark the national television debut of transgender fighter Fallon Fox as she meets Allanna Jones in the semi-finals of the CFA Women’s Featherweight Tournament. Additionally, veteran heavyweights Valentin Overeem and Mike Kyle will collide in the main event of the evening.

Fox’s recent reveal that she had gender reassignment surgery has made headlines and created heated discussions throughout the sports community from organizations, writers and athletes. AXS TV’s Inside MMA has reported on the topic in depth, including one-on-one interviews with Fox and UFC champion Ronda Rousey.

Fallon Fox: http://youtu.be/8ZFQNM9tc18

Ronda Rousey discusses Fox, claiming the fighter has an advantage: http://youtu.be/F9XU4QOqVbQ

“Fallon Fox's story transcends the MMA community and has led to spirited debate on the topic of transgender athletes involvement in professional sports. AXS TV is proud to provide her and all the CFA fighters the opportunity to compete in front of a national television audience,” said Andrew Simon, CEO AXS TV Fights.

Four additional bouts will round out the televised card: Luis Palomino vs. Robert Washington, Alexis Vila vs. Czar Sklavos, Mike King vs. Oscar Delgado, and Sean Soriano vs. Elvin Brito for the CFA Interim Featherweight Title.

About AXS TV Fights

AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. "The Voice" Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in depth fighter coverage and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from Legacy Fighting Championship, Resurrection Fighting Alliance, Lion Fight Muay Thai, Titan Fighting Championship, Xtreme Fighting Championships, Maximum Fighting Championship, Championship Fighting Alliance and BAMMA every Friday night, at 7PM PT/10PM ET.

AXS TV Fights can be found online at www.axs.tv, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/axstvfights and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/axstvfights.

SOURCE: AXS TV Fights

Friday, April 12, 2013

Op-Ed: Fox And Friends?

I wanted to mention how disappointed I am in the likes of Joe Rogan, Matt Mitrione, Ronda Rousey, and War Machine, concerning their views on transgender fighter Fallon Fox.

I don't presume to have all the answers, but, as far as this subject, the International Olympic Committee seems to have done a good job of steering society in the right direction.

Athletic commissions in California and Florida don't seem to have an issue with Fox fighting women.

Neither do I and neither should you.

Rather than question Fox's motives, or the status of her mental health, I applaud her for her ability to persevere in the face of narrow-minded and sensationalistic viewpoints.

I tend to ramble and get long winded, but I'm going to try and keep this simple.

I'm no expert on American history, so I won't even bother with how it wasn't all that long ago that some people owned slaves and women weren't allowed to vote. I'll stick with what I definitely do know.

As recently as 1999, with many states and cable companies having banned "ultimate fighting," we nearly lost mixed-martial-arts to political pressures, and only a couple of years ago, Dana White said that women would never fight in the UFC.

In the above-referenced New York Post article, Rousey was quoted as saying, "What if she (Fox) became UFC champion and we had a transgender women’s champion? It’s a very socially difficult situation."

How quickly some of us seem to forget.

Maybe we'll never all be friends, but I sure hope some of us can better learn how to open our minds and employ a little sensitivity.

Speaking of - Fallon Fox on Twitter.

Monday, April 1, 2013

WOMEN’S MMA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER TO STREAM LIVE ON INVICTAFC.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 5 FROM AMERISTAR CASINO HOTEL KANSAS CITY

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (April 1, 2013) –The highly-anticipated, 13-bout Invicta Fighting Championships women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world championship doubleheader event will stream live in its entirety on InvictaFC.com from Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City on Friday, April 5.

The live stream, provided by Ustream, will begin at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST with the five-bout preliminary card and can be purchased on InvictaFC.com for $9.95 with all major credit cards.

Returning to the Invicta FC booth to call the action cageside will be the trio of veteran MMA voice Mauro Ranallo, light heavyweight superstar “King Mo” Lawal and women’s sensation Julie Kedzie.

“This is, without a doubt, the most stacked Invicta Fighting Championships card yet, so we are excited to be able to once again deliver all of the world-class action to a global audience, live online,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp.

In the main event, reigning Invicta FC World Atomweight (105 pounds) Champion Jessica Penne (10-1) of Huntington Beach, Calif. will defend her crown against superstar Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (10-3) of Albuquerque, N.M. and, in the co-main event, and first-ever Invicta FC world flyweight (125 pounds) championship fight, submission ace Vanessa Porto (15-5) of Sao Paulo, Brazil will square off with red-hot star Barb Honchak (7-2) of Bettendorf, Iowa.

Pound-for-pound great and devastating KO artist Cris Cyborg (10-1, 1 NC) of Curitiba, Brazil will make her highly-anticipated Invicta FC debut against rising star Fiona Muxlow (6-2) of Townsville, Queensland Australia in a featherweight (145 pounds) matchup.

Flyweight superstar Zoila Frausto Gurgel (12-2) of Cincinnati, Ohio will also make her Invicta FC debut in another featured bout against submission expert Jennifer Maia (6-2) of Curitiba, Parana Brazil.

In other action on the eight-bout main card, bantamweight (135 pounds) superstar Sarah Kaufman (15-2) of Victoria, BC Canada will go to war with Invicta FC 3 and Invicta FC 4 winner Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (5-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif.

Undefeated KO artist Lauren Taylor (5-0) of Anchorage, Alaska will battle hard-hitting! Kaitlin Young (7-7-1) of St. Louis Park, Minn. at bantamweight.

“Rowdy” Bec Hyatt (4-2) of Brisbane, Australia will look to return to the win column against undefeated sensation and Invicta FC newcomer Jasminka Cive (5-0) of Graz, Austria in a strawweight (115 pounds) meeting.

Hard-hitting kickboxing stylist Julia “The Jewel” Budd (4-2) of Port Moody, BC Canada will square off with upstart Mollie Estes (1-1) of Kansas City in a featherweight contest.

The Invicta FC preliminary card will be highlighted by a bantamweight tilt between two undefeated prospects in powerhouse Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke (2-0) of Richmond, Ky. and Muay Thai stylist Miriam Nakamoto (1-0) of Dublin, Calif.

Katja Kankaanpaa (7-0-1) of Seinajoki, Finland will square off with fellow undefeated rising star Juliana Carnerio Lima (5-0) of Belo Horizonte, Brazil at strawweight in what will mark both fighters’ Invicta FC debuts.

Alex Chambers (3-1) of St. Ives New South Wales, Australia will meet unbeaten Jodie Esquibel (3-0) of Albuquerque, N.M. at atomweight.

Fresh off of her professional debut victory in the Invicta FC cage, top-flight prospect Rose Namajunas (1-0) of St. Paul, Minn. will face off with fellow undefeated upstart Kathina Catron (2-0) of Tehlequa, Okla. at strawweight.

Cassie Rodish (4-3) of Des Moines, Iowa will face Simona Soukupova (3-2) of London, England in an atomweight contest.

Tickets for Invicta FC 5, priced from $25, are on sale online at TicketFly.com.

About Invicta Fighting Championships:

Invicta Fighting Championships (www.invictafc.com) is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.

About Ameristar Kansas City

Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City is owned and operated by a wholly owned subsidiary of Ameristar Casinos, Inc. (NASDAQ-GS: ASCA), and is a premier property characterized by a state-of-the-art casino floor and outstanding dining, lodging and entertainment options. The property features the largest casino and the most games in the Kansas City area, as well as one of the largest poker rooms in the Midwest. Ameristar offers nine diverse dining venues -- The Horizon Buffet, The Falcon Bakery, Pearl’s Oyster Bar, Great Plains Cattle Co., Amerisports Brew Pub, Casino Deli, Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque, Burger King and Sbarro The Italian Eatery, as well as the Star Club, a private players’ lounge. Entertainment amenities include the Star Pavilion, featuring national headliners; Depot #9, with popular regional and local acts; the Regal Cinema’s Kansas City 18 Theater; Hi-Vi video arcade; and Kids Quest, a supervised child-care facility. The property also includes a 184-room hotel. The property was awarded “Favorite Casino” for the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association’s 2012 Visitor Choice Awards. Best Casino in 2012 Ingram’s Magazine “Best of Business Awards;” in the 2003, 2005, 2007 – 2009, 2011 Kansas City Magazine’s “Best of Kansas City” readers’ poll and 2011 Best Casino in Home in the Northland Magazine’s readers’ poll. Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City also was awarded Best Steakhouse, Best Buffet, Best Live Poker and Best Tournaments in the 2012 Casino Player Magazine’s “Best of Gaming” awards.

SOURCE: Witz End Communications, Inc.