Oh boy, more drama with The Hardy’s and GFW. My favorite story of the day. Programming update, I rendered and uploaded the wrong file so Brand Banter will be slightly late this week.
GFW Done Negotiating – Reby Sky is ranting again, accusing Jeff Jarrett of living off of Kurt Angle’s money; which is funny considering how much money Jeff Jarrett has made in his career. No, I won’t be quoting Reby Sky any further. The woman is honestly unhinged and has become the LaVar Ball of pro wrestling. She’s just talking about nonsense and insulting people. Ed Nordhalm was on a conference call today and revealed that not only is there no deal on the table, but that he’s done negotiating with the Hardy’s.
On if Matt’s investment in The Broken Angle allows him some legality in owning the gimmick;
No. The company spent millions of dollars producing television last year, including all of the shows that incorporate the various aspects of the ‘Broken Brilliance.’ I don’t know whether Jeff and Matt had some out-of-pocket expenses that they might have had on the volcano and the like, but that would not change, in any way, shape, or form, what their contracts say about who owns the IP. If they had some out-of-pocket expenses, they certainly never brought them to my attention. To suggest that they somehow funded the show is absurd.
Why the deal broke down in the first place;
What prevented it from completion is that we’ve never come to terms. I have made numerous efforts, going back to February and the time of the cease and desist letter [to Ring of Honor for advertising the ‘Broken’ Hardys for their 15th Anniversary pay per view] to make an arrangement with Matt Hardy to use the gimmick. Every time we have those conversations, they sort of start warm then end up not coming to fruition due to an inability to come to an agreement as to what basis I would confer those rates on him.
On if they’ll renegotiate with The Hardy’s again;
I’ve stopped thinking about this. We have a show to put on, and a company and a brand. We’ve got things on our plate that are more important than sorting out the “Broken Brilliance.” I made a genuine effort to resolve something to benefit the Hardys as a goodwill gesture to Matt. It didn’t reach a conclusion and we’re moving on. We’re not going back to it, I’m not interested in opening a new dialogue, I’m not interested in opening another conversation about it. We made our best effort, it didn’t happen, and I’m not going to negotiate all over again.
On if Matt Hardy was ‘low balled’ in contract discussions;
The reality is I couldn’t afford to go another $100,000 at that particular time, and I had to say no. I have no misapprehension; if WWE wants to take a guy away from me, I can’t really compete. I thought I had a deal with Matt, I reached as hard as I could. The part of the story that says we offered Jeff a big deal and Matt a little deal is utter bullsh–. We brought Matt and Jeff almost equal to each other, and offered them a full, all-in contract at a multiple of what he had been making under his old contract. He was there, as far as I knew, right up to the three or four days before he decided not to stay and he tried to get an extra $100,000. I don’t think that makes him look bad; I think that makes him look like a guy who, at his age, has to do the best for his family as he can. But I couldn’t afford another $100,000.
Shield Reunion Update – Sportskeeda is reporting that Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins will continue their Shield reunion heading into Summerslam at least. The two are currently scheduled to face Cesaro and Sheamus (The Bar) for the WWE RAW Tag Team Titles. Originally the two were booked for a triple threat with The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship. The Bar would of faced off with several other teams for the tag titles in a multi-team match.
Kurt Angle’s ex-girlfriend Speaks Out – Rhaka Khan, real name Trenesha Biggers, has lashed out about Kurt Angle over the last few days. The issues stems from their previous relationship seven years prior that ended due to assault claims. Biggers claimed Kurt Angle assaulted her, while Angle denied this. The judge cited lack of physical marks, and the fact that Biggers continued to live with Angle for over a week after the alleged incident. I won’t be posting the entire grouping of tweets, but WrestleZone has compiled a good number, which you can read HERE. She’s continuing her tirade as we speak, with no real purpose.
Is Patron Still Suspended? – Alberto El Patron is still being investigated by GFW following the dismissal of charges against him. Ed Nordhalm said that GFW is still conducting an internal investigation into the matter and won’t bring Patron back until they’ve cleared him. I’ve been told that part of the reason this may be going on is due to GFW’s desire to move on from Patron already. While that’s speculation, it’s not known if GFW is at ease having Patron anymore due to how frequently he and his girlfriend are in the headlines.
Quick Hits – ESPN’s ‘Nature Boy’ will debut Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. Cody Rhodes is launching his own brand of wine. SmackDown was down 10,000 viewers from the week before. Paige shoots down rumors that she had an arrest warrant out for her.