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

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas Eve, Everyone! ...

and, since we all know I'm probably too lazy to create another post, Merry Christmas (in advance)!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

WWE® LIVE COMES TO SAUDI ARABIA

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec 15, 2013 -- WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced that it will bring WWE LIVE™ to The Green Halls Stadium, Prince Faisal bin Fahad Olympic Games Complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the first time ever with three shows from Thursday, February 13 through Saturday, February 15, 2014. Tickets will go on sale Monday, December 16, 2013 at 12:00pm KSA.

Fans attending WWE LIVE™ will be able to see their favorite Superstars, including current World Heavyweight Champion John Cena™, WWE Champion Randy Orton™, Daniel Bryan™, Mark Henry™, Ryback™, Kofi Kingston™ and many more.**

WWE currently has a strong TV presence in Saudi Arabia with its flagship weekly shows, WWE Raw® and WWE SmackDown®. WWE Raw is broadcasted on MBC and the Abu Dhabi Sports Channel and WWE SmackDown can be seen on Orbit Showtime Network.

“Holding three live events in Saudi Arabia for the first time is a testament to the growing demand for WWE’s brand in this region,” said Gerrit Meier, Executive Vice President, International, WWE. “We are very excited to be returning to the Middle East with events in a debut market after successful shows in Abu Dhabi and Qatar earlier this year.”

The event also represents a significant milestone for FLASH Entertainment headquartered in Abu Dhabi who, alongside their local Saudi partners Time Events, has worked with WWE to bring WWE LIVE™ events to the Middle East.

“As the region’s premier event organization we are delighted to be partnering with WWE and Time Events on this historic event,” said John Lickrish, CEO of FLASH Entertainment. “WWE is one of the most popular brands in the world, and we are all hugely excited to be bringing it to the people of Saudi Arabia.”

"TIME Events is all about making a difference and adding to life. We would like to thank FLASH Entertainment and WWE for giving us the opportunity to work side-by-side in bringing WWE to Saudi Arabia for the very first time,” said Ahmed Mashhadi, Managing Director of Time Events. “It plans to be a memorable occasion and one that will be enjoyed by WWE fans across Saudi Arabia.”

Tickets for the three shows will go on sale Monday, December 16, 2013 at 12:00pm KSA time and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae.

** Talent line-up subject to change

About WWE

WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), 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, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.

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

About Flash

Based in Abu Dhabi, FLASH Entertainment is the region’s premier live events company, with a proven track record in delivering world-class events from movie premieres and classical shows to international sports events and megastar music concerts. FLASH offers comprehensive event management solutions from concepts and designs through to coordinating every stage of production. The company is committed to providing the region with diverse entertainment programmes, grass roots creativity and stimulating the local economy and events’ industry.

In just 4 years, FLASH has diversified its business portfolio developing entertainment that has seen close to two million fans through the doors. Partnering with leading international sports and entertainment organizations such as Live Nation, Cream and UFC, the company is well on its way to achieve its mission of growing from the region’s premier live events company, to a globally recognized peerless entertainment organization. FLASH owns a 10% stake in UFC and manages a multi-million-dirham portfolio of assets including the du Arena and du Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

About Time Events

TIME Events is an events development company that is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, aimed in developing localized event content, giving different target segments in Saudi and the Middle East an entertaining, rich and memorable experience outside their homes. Other than events development TIME Events is also aimed to host global event content in the region such as WWE."

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 press 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, December 3, 2013

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING 7 CONFERENCE CALL HIGHLIGHTS

Pre-fight Media Call Featuring Ray Sefo, Georgi Karakhanyan, Lance Palmer, Elvis Mutapcic, Jesse Taylor, Nick Newell and Sabah Fadai

An audio recording of the entire call can be heard here.

LAS VEGAS (Dec. 3, 2013) - World Series of Fighting hosted a media conference call on Tuesday with "World Series of Fighting 7: Karakhanyan vs. Palmer" headliners Georgi Karakhanyan (22-3-1) and Lance Palmer (7-0), as well as main-card competitors Elvis Mutapcic (13-2), Jesse Taylor (26-9), Nick Newell (10-0) and Sabah Fadai (7-2). Joining the fighters on the call was WSOF President Ray Sefo.

World Series of Fighting 7 will take place this Saturday on Dec. 7 at the PNE Agrodome in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Karakhanyan and Palmer headline the NBCSN-televised card, competing for the inaugural World Series of Fighting featherweight title. The live telecast starts at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is preceded by undercard fights streaming live on World Series of Fighting's official website, www.wsof.com, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

The following are highlights from the conference call:

RAY SEFO: "These are exciting times for World Series of Fighting. We are looking to be in every household around the world by the end of 2015. I'm really looking forward to this show and it's a stacked card. Guys like Jesse Taylor and Nick Newell and Elvis Mutapcic are the future stars of this sport. I think it's a pretty exciting time for all these guys."

What can we expect internationally in 2014? Can we expect more fights in Canada?

"Yes, absolutely. We just signed a deal with Australia and New Zealand, they are going to do like six shows. Canada will be about the same thing. Of course they won't all be on the mother ship, meaning they won't all be on NBC. I believe those that aren't would be streamed live."

GEORGI KARAKHANYAN: "I know Lance (Palmer) comes from a good wrestling background and trains with a good team. But at the end of the day it's an MMA fight and so once that door's locks it doesn't matter. It's not a wrestling match. I'm looking to go out there and finish. I like to fight, and I don't mind getting punched in the face. And I don't mind punching him back. I'm just looking to go out there and put on an exciting fight for the Canadian fans. And I'm going for a finish.

"I think I've just learned how to win fights and how to break my opponents. I used to look to go into a fight and finish right away and if I didn't then I would get discouraged. But I've learned from it. I'm in the gym every day unless I'm over-trained or sick. I'm always trying to learn and work on my weaknesses. I'm just learning how to perform under the bright lights once that door locks and all the people are watching."

LANCE PALMER: "It's been a pretty crazy past month and everything's happened pretty quick with the signing last month with the World Series of Fighting also with the world title fight. For me I was in between contracts with another promotion and I had a good couple of calls with the WSOF guys. And things just progressed from there and next thing you know Rick Glenn had to pull out of his fight and they gave me the opportunity for me to step in there on four weeks' notice. So it's been exciting and a fun process so far leading up to this point."

ELVIS MUTAPCIC:

Did you experience any negative feedback based on the controversy following your WSOF 5 fight cancellation vs. Jesse Taylor:

"I got 99 percent positive feedback. There were some people that were questioning if I took something and there's always going to be that. Like I said I was really upset that it happened. We get a chance to make a living doing what we love and that night it gotten taken away. If it wasn't for the World Series being such a great company, me and Jesse would have been out a paycheck. So I just want to thank World Series for that. So I'm just happy that I get to go in there and take care of what we should have finished three months ago.

"I'm really familiar with Jesse. He's a very good wrestler and very well-rounded. I think he's the best fighter that I've faced out there, which I truly think he is. I expect him to be very aggressive and to come forward and I expect a dog fight to the finish."

JESSE TAYLOR: "I just want to get in there and I want to fight. I know it's going to be a good one and I want to have some fun. I'm ready. Me and Elvis are going to put on a great show in Canada. Thank you, Ray Sefo, for everything you've done. I'm hungry and I'm ready."

NICK NEWELL:

On fighting in Fadai's hometown of Vancouver:

"That doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter where we fight. It's another fight and another opponent. It sounds like (Fadai) has got the right mindset. Whatever. It's just another fight and I'm going to go out there and give my best and put on an entertaining fight.

"I'm more worried about Fadai right now and the threat he poses to me. I'm really just concentrated on this fight right now more than anything else. When it comes to the title you have to beat everybody if you think you're the best. In due time I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get there and fight whoever I have to fight. There are no easy fights in the World Series of Fighting.

"I feel like I'm being looked at more for my skill now than for having one hand. People are always going to say, 'Look at that guy, I can't believe it.' It's a part of who I am. If I go to the movies someone will say, 'Look at the guy with one hand going to the movies.' It's always going to be like that. There will be people who have negative things to say but I grew up with it and have a pretty thick skin. I'm a fighter at the end of the day and a pretty good one and that's why I'm in the World Series of Fighting: because of what I've accomplished and not because of the way I was born."

SABAH FADAI: "It's going to be great to fight in my backyard of Vancouver in front of all my fans.

"I'm often asked, 'How do you prepare for a guy with one arm?' You really don't. You can't bring in somebody and tie off their arm. It just doesn't work that way. I think Nick (Newell) is a tough guy. I'm not going to take anything away from him. I think he uses one arm as an advantage. Like I've said before, I'm going to go out there to hurt him. It's our job to fight and that's what I'm going to do. Especially coming into my town, it's just not going to happen."

NBCSN-TELEVISED MAIN CARD
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Lance Palmer - for inaugural WSOF featherweight title
Elvis Mutapcic vs. Jesse Taylor - middleweight tournament semifinal
Sabah Fadai vs. Nick Newell
Dwayne Lewis vs. Kalib Starnes

WSOF.COM-STREAMED PRELIMINARY CARD
Shawn Albrecht vs. Gabriel Solorio
Michael Hill vs. Richard Arsenault
Matt Baker vs. David Perron
Dan Ring vs. Myles Merola
Micah Brakefield vs. Brendan Kornberger

ABOUT WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

World Series of Fighting is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible matchups between elite fighters from around the globe. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow World Series of Fighting on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.

ABOUT NBC SPORTS NETWORK

NBC Sports Network, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 80 million homes, the network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France and the 34th America's Cup, and beginning in 2013, the Premier League and Formula One. In addition, NBC Sports Network features college football, college basketball, college hockey, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Action Sports Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, The Crossover, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk and The Dan Patrick Show. NBC Sports Network is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

SOURCE: World Series of Fighting

Monday, December 2, 2013

MIESHA TATE TO JOIN INVICTA FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 7 ANNOUNCE TEAM AS GUEST ANALYST THIS SATURDAY, DEC. 7, LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW

Michael Schiavello To Call Play-By-Play Alongside Color Analyst “King” Mo Lawal For Stacked Card Featuring Three World Title Fights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctq_x9bY-is&feature=youtu.be

KANSAS CITY, MO. (Dec. 2, 2013) – Women’s MMA superstar Miesha Tate will join the announce team as guest analyst for this Saturday’s Invicta Fighting Championships 7, airing live on pay-per-view from Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Mo.

Tate will call the nine-bout event featuring three world championship fights alongside play-by-play announcer Michael Schiavello and color analyst and Invicta veteran “King” Mo Lawal. Schiavello, a long-time broadcaster, will call his first Invicta PPV telecast.

Tate, a former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion, will face UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champ Ronda Rousey in a long-awaited rematch at UFC 168 later this month.

Invicta Fight Championships 7 is being distributed in North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via IN Demand, DISH, Avail-TVN in the United States, as well as Bell TV, Shaw PPV, SaskTel, TELUS, and MTS in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $14.95. In addition, viewers worldwide may purchase the show at www.invictafc.com and the Invicta Fighting Championship’s Facebook page.

Invicta is also offering a FREE one-hour live viewing in North America, starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, available via all aforementioned PPV carriers and The Fight Network in Canada. Viewers worldwide may also watch the free bouts, featuring Sarah D' Alelio (7-4) vs. Tonya Evinger (11-6) at bantamweight and Munah Holland (5-2) vs. Nina Arsanoff (5-4) at flyweight, via www.invictafc.com and Invicta Fighting Championship’s Facebook.

In Saturday’s main event, Invicta FC flyweight (125 pounds) champion Barb Honchak (8-2) will defend her title against three-time “Fight of the Night” winner Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (6-3-1). In the co-feature, Invicta FC strawweight (115 pounds) champion Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza (9-2) will defend her belt against undefeated Brazilian superstar Claudia Gadelha (11-0). In a third world title fight, the inaugural Invicta FC bantamweight (135 pounds) world championship title will be on the line, featuring knockout artist Lauren Murphy (7-0) against unbeaten rising star Miriam Nakamoto (2-0, 1 NC).

For additional information please visit www.IntegratedSportsnet.com or www.invictafc.com.

About Invicta Fighting Championships: Invicta is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts 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 match-ups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport. For more information about Invicta or its events and fighters visit www.invictafc.com or follow on Twitter @InvictaFights.

About Integrated Sports Media: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson and Roy Nelson, in addition to World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Gennady Golovkin, Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports Media has distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com or follow on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

Source: Brener Zwikel & Associates

Roots Of Fight Honors Combat Sports Icon “Judo” Gene LeBell With Short Film And Event Specific Shirt

Vancouver, BC (December 2nd, 2013) – Roots of Fight celebrates martial arts icon “Judo” Gene LeBell with the release of a short film and accompanying t-shirt, on the anniversary of what is considered the first televised Mixed Martial Arts contest in history, when he faced former middleweight boxer Milo Savage in Salt Lake City, Utah on December 2, 1963.

Responding to a challenge by boxer Jim Beck in Rogue magazine, where he called judo “a complete fraud” and offered $1,000 to any judoka that could defeat a boxer, Gene LeBell agreed to face handpicked Milo Savage in the very first Judo vs. Boxing competition.

“That’s the guy that stepped in and did MMA before there was ever MMA,” said veteran MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy.

In the fourth round of a five-round bout, LeBell used a traditional harai goshi throw to get Savage to the ground, where he proceeded to take the boxer’s back and choke him to sleep in front of an upset hometown crowd.

“People started throwing chairs and pillows,” said “Judo” Gene. “And in Salt Lake City, that’s the way of saying ‘Oh, you put on a great show. We love you.’”

LeBell vs Savage Photo Tee
Vintage dyed & washed T for super soft hand feel with specialty print.

To accompany the event-based shirt which depicts the Judo vs. Boxing match-up, Roots of Fight has released a short film featuring rare footage of LeBell vs. Savage, with commentary from “Judo” Gene protégé’ and UFC champion Ronda Rousey, her mother, the first American World Judo Champion Dr. Ann Maria DeMars, former two-division UFC champion BJ Penn, and more.

The short film can be found below:

Roots of Fight - Gene LeBell vs Savage featuring Ronda Rousey from Roots of Fight on Vimeo.


For more information on Roots of Fight, visit www.rootsoffight.com.

About Roots of Fight

Roots Of Fight pays tribute to the rich history and tradition of martial arts from regions around the globe and connects the history and images of iconic fighters like Muhammad Ali® Bruce Lee™ Helio Gracie and Mike Tyson with the contemporary global scale of mixed martial arts. Roots Of Fight tells an authentic story that reflects a genuine place and time and weaves the true stories of icons from the past with those of the present - paying homage to the roots, regional influence and diversity of each discipline. The “Sweet Science”, “Jun Fan Gung Fu”, “Gracie Jiu Jitsu”, “Jeet Kune Do” along with “Muay Thai” and Krav Maga – legends about these fighting systems and others are explored by Roots Of Fight.

To see and feel Roots of Fight products for yourself,
visit our friends at the Las Vegas Fight Shop, located at:

3663 S. Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: 702-366-0502
www.lvfightshop.com

Source: Jack Taylor PR