Covering Independent Wrestling, Classics and other stuff the widest variety of pro wrestling anywhere is what WP&P does best
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Mat Memory- World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) - 01-07-1984
Gordy & Roberts vs Von Erichs
Jimmy Garvin vs Chris Adams.
Jose Lothario vs Blackie Gordman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW45DFeltfo
Jimmy Garvin vs Chris Adams.
Jose Lothario vs Blackie Gordman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW45DFeltfo
NASSAU COLISEUM IN LONG ISLAND, A LONGTIME WWE STAPLE, SHUTTING DOWN
Bloomberg.com is reporting that the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island will be shuttered indefinitely. Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov’s Onexim Sports and Entertainment, which operates the arena under a lease from Nassau County, is currently seeking investors to take over operations of the and pick up the remaining debt on the building, according to their report. Their report indicates there are $100 million in loans on the property.
WWE has been run the venue for decades, dating back to the early 1970s when the Coliseum opened. The first episode of Saturday Night's Main Event was taped in the venue and the second Wrestlemania had it's New York portion featuring Mr. T boxing Roddy Piper hosted there. The venue also hosted a number of PPVs over the years, including Summerslam 2002 which saw Shawn Michaels return to the ring against HHH, Brock Lesnar win his first WWE championship and was one of the best top to bottom WWE shows ever. The Coliseum also hosted Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987 and 1988 including JCP's first-ever PPV, the Bunkhouse Stampede in January 1987. JCP last ran the venue in April 1988.
The Coliseum was shut down in 2015 with WWE running a farewell Raw taping that saw Vince McMahon pay tribute to the venue. It was remodeled and reopened in 2017 with WWE returning for TV tapings and live events. They last ran the venue in July 2019.
WWE has been run the venue for decades, dating back to the early 1970s when the Coliseum opened. The first episode of Saturday Night's Main Event was taped in the venue and the second Wrestlemania had it's New York portion featuring Mr. T boxing Roddy Piper hosted there. The venue also hosted a number of PPVs over the years, including Summerslam 2002 which saw Shawn Michaels return to the ring against HHH, Brock Lesnar win his first WWE championship and was one of the best top to bottom WWE shows ever. The Coliseum also hosted Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987 and 1988 including JCP's first-ever PPV, the Bunkhouse Stampede in January 1987. JCP last ran the venue in April 1988.
The Coliseum was shut down in 2015 with WWE running a farewell Raw taping that saw Vince McMahon pay tribute to the venue. It was remodeled and reopened in 2017 with WWE returning for TV tapings and live events. They last ran the venue in July 2019.
ECPW Adrenaline: Legends Edition (June 2020, Part 1)
On This Episode of ECPW Adrenaline,
- Robbie E vs Nunzio
- Crazy Ivan / Spike Dudley Fatal Four Way match
- Timothy Theory & Ken Canada w/ Mr. B.I.G & General Romero vs Tito Santana & Lou Nova
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hihEQJExDCo
- Robbie E vs Nunzio
- Crazy Ivan / Spike Dudley Fatal Four Way match
- Timothy Theory & Ken Canada w/ Mr. B.I.G & General Romero vs Tito Santana & Lou Nova
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hihEQJExDCo
Mat Memory- Championship Wrestling From Florida (Featuring Dusty Rhodes & Wahoo McDaniel) (August 9th, 1978)
Broadcast Date - August 12th, 1978
Mike Graham & Steve Keirn Interview
Killer Karl Kox vs Terry Gibbs
Dusty Rhodes Interview
Highlights of Dusty Rhodes vs The Spoiler (8-2-78)
Interview with Wahoo McDaniel
Highlights of Rhodes/McDaniel vs Kox/Duncum (8-8-78)
Highlights of Graham/Keirn vs Sato/Saito (8-8-78)
Mr. Sato & Mr. Saito vs Tiger Conway Jr. & Steve Brody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGukPqwmpbw
Mike Graham & Steve Keirn Interview
Killer Karl Kox vs Terry Gibbs
Dusty Rhodes Interview
Highlights of Dusty Rhodes vs The Spoiler (8-2-78)
Interview with Wahoo McDaniel
Highlights of Rhodes/McDaniel vs Kox/Duncum (8-8-78)
Highlights of Graham/Keirn vs Sato/Saito (8-8-78)
Mr. Sato & Mr. Saito vs Tiger Conway Jr. & Steve Brody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGukPqwmpbw
Kamille and Nick Aldis on NWA & NWA Powerrr | What's Causin Aldis 004
Episode 004 of What's Causin Aldis feature a nearly hour in-depth discussion between Nick Aldis and Kamille Kamille debuted with the National Wrestling Alliance at NWA 70 as the Insurance Policy to help counter Brandi Rhodes in Nick Aldis vs. Cody Rhodes 2.
The mystery around Kamille has grown since that day as she never spoke on NWA Powerrr until Episode 21 on Super Powerrr. In this long-form discussion, Nick Aldis dives into Kamille's background in the LFL (Legends Football League), where she got her wrestling training, the phone call from the National Wrestling Alliance, evolving her execution of Kamille, the match at Crockett Cup vs. Marty Scurll, the decision to cut her first promo and the first match she had on NWA Super Powerr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3Z4FAPOTjM
The mystery around Kamille has grown since that day as she never spoke on NWA Powerrr until Episode 21 on Super Powerrr. In this long-form discussion, Nick Aldis dives into Kamille's background in the LFL (Legends Football League), where she got her wrestling training, the phone call from the National Wrestling Alliance, evolving her execution of Kamille, the match at Crockett Cup vs. Marty Scurll, the decision to cut her first promo and the first match she had on NWA Super Powerr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3Z4FAPOTjM
Former WWE Star Is A Confidential Witness In Lawsuit Against The Company
A former WWE wrestler is now a confidential witness against the company.
WrestleNomics released documents from an amended class action lawsuit against the company that were filed last week on June 8th claiming that WWE misrepresented their dealings with Saudi Arabia. The document stated that the wrestler worked for the company from 2012 to April of 2020 and participated in the Crown Jewel event last October.
Following Crown Jewel, WWE talent and crew were delayed in the country for a day before finally flying back to the U.S. The delay caused most of the SmackDown crew to miss that week's Friday Night SmackDown On FOX, resulting in NXT stars being used on the show. At the time, former WWE Spanish commentator Hugo Savinovich said that WWE was owed millions of dollars for two of the shows that the company held in Saudi Arabia. According to Savinovich, Vince McMahon retaliated by cutting off the Crown Jewel live TV feed in the country. Savinovich said that The Crown Prince was so upset over McMahon's move that he ordered the WWE talent to be taken off of the plane right before the flight was scheduled to take off.
WWE denied that the flight issues had anything with Saudi Arabia owing them money, and said that the feed issues were "entirely unrelated" to anything regarding a payment. Vince McMahon later held a meeting with talent and said that the delay out of Saudi Arabia was due to mechanical issues with the plane.
In the lawsuit, the former wrestler, identified as CW-2, said that he asked a stewardess on the flight about the delay, and was told that "it seems someone doesn't want us to leave the country." He added that the pilot sounded "distressed" when he told the passengers that the flight was unable to depart.
The wrestler allegedly asked WWE Senior Director of Talent Relations Mark Carrano about what was happening. Carano reportedly told him that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and McMahon had gotten into an argument over money due from the June 7, 2019 Super ShowDown event.
Several wrestlers were released in April that had worked Crown Jewel, including Rusev, Erick Rowan, Cain Velasquez, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, Curtis Axel, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder.
A Former WWE Wrestler Confirms He and Other Wrestlers Were Detained in Saudi Arabia Following the October 31, 2019 Crown Jewel Event as Part of a Dispute Between the Crown Prince and Defendant McMahon
216. A former wrestler for the WWE, who performed for the Company as a wrestler from 2012 to April 2020 and who participated in the October 31, 2019 Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia, confirms the substance (of media reports about the flight issues). CW-2 (the witness) explained that following the Crown Jewel October 31, 2019 event, he along with other WWE personnel were scheduled to leave the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (where the event was held) and head to a private airport to take a charter plane to Buffalo, New York for the SmackDown event which was scheduled for the next night. CW-2 stated that while his group was waiting to depart, Defendant McMahon, other WWE executives, and big-name talent such as Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan boarded different flights than the rest of the group and took off, appearing to be "in a hurry."
217. CW-2 recalled that he was initially told the charter flight he was scheduled to leave on was delayed because the plane needed to be pulled around, and once they boarded, they were removed from the airplane after 20-30 minutes. CW-2 explained that he spoke with a stewardess on the flight about the delay, who told him that "it seems someone doesn't want us to leave the country." CW-2 further explained that the pilot sounded "distressed" when he informed the passengers that the flight was unable to take off. CW-2 recalled that then they were told that it was because of mechanical issues, but he recalled seeing a "ton" of guards wearing black "militia" attire and wearing guns that were blocking their exit and "staring at the wrestlers."
218. CW-2 became aware that something was wrong and explained that a number of the other personnel were referring to the event as a "hostage" situation." CW-2 explained that he asked the Senior Director of Talent Relations, Mark Carrano, about what was going on and that Carrano told him that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and McMahon had gotten into an argument over late payments in connection with the June 7, 2019 Super ShowDown event. Carrano also informed CW-2 that McMahon had cut the live feed for the Crown Jewel event and that this had made the Crown Prince "very mad."
219. CW-2 advised the he and other WWE personnel looked into the prospect of booking flights on their own at a different airport for early the next morning. After a few hours, CW-2 explained, he and about 10-12 other wrestlers, cameramen, and agents were put on another flight to Buffalo. CW-2 further noted that at this point he wondered why, if other planes were available, that they did not get everyone out of Saudi Arabia.
220. CW-2 also heard that while on the plane, other wrestlers communicated back home that the military police were holding the wrestlers, and that McMahon didn't air the first 30 minutes of the pay-per-view, and that as retaliation the Prince was holding them.
221. CW-2 recalled a number of wives being very concerned on social media and then when wrestlers returned home there were a lot of messages expressing how grateful they were to be home. CW-2 stated that after he returned, the WWE put out a letter that attempted to remove all blame from the company and that, in his opinion, many wrestlers were scared of speaking out due to the limited job opportunities in the industry and the WWE's comparatively high salaries. CW-2 explained that many spoke on the condition of anonymity to journalists and the WWE denounced these stories as "conspiracies" and "laughable." Nevertheless, after the event, CW-2 said that he and a co-worker partner went straight to Talent Relations and said they would not go back to Saudi Arabia. CW-2 noted that other wrestlers tried to do the same, but the WWE "abused" their "power" and threatened the future trajectory of their careers if they did not go.
WrestleNomics released documents from an amended class action lawsuit against the company that were filed last week on June 8th claiming that WWE misrepresented their dealings with Saudi Arabia. The document stated that the wrestler worked for the company from 2012 to April of 2020 and participated in the Crown Jewel event last October.
Following Crown Jewel, WWE talent and crew were delayed in the country for a day before finally flying back to the U.S. The delay caused most of the SmackDown crew to miss that week's Friday Night SmackDown On FOX, resulting in NXT stars being used on the show. At the time, former WWE Spanish commentator Hugo Savinovich said that WWE was owed millions of dollars for two of the shows that the company held in Saudi Arabia. According to Savinovich, Vince McMahon retaliated by cutting off the Crown Jewel live TV feed in the country. Savinovich said that The Crown Prince was so upset over McMahon's move that he ordered the WWE talent to be taken off of the plane right before the flight was scheduled to take off.
WWE denied that the flight issues had anything with Saudi Arabia owing them money, and said that the feed issues were "entirely unrelated" to anything regarding a payment. Vince McMahon later held a meeting with talent and said that the delay out of Saudi Arabia was due to mechanical issues with the plane.
In the lawsuit, the former wrestler, identified as CW-2, said that he asked a stewardess on the flight about the delay, and was told that "it seems someone doesn't want us to leave the country." He added that the pilot sounded "distressed" when he told the passengers that the flight was unable to depart.
The wrestler allegedly asked WWE Senior Director of Talent Relations Mark Carrano about what was happening. Carano reportedly told him that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and McMahon had gotten into an argument over money due from the June 7, 2019 Super ShowDown event.
Several wrestlers were released in April that had worked Crown Jewel, including Rusev, Erick Rowan, Cain Velasquez, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, Curtis Axel, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder.
A Former WWE Wrestler Confirms He and Other Wrestlers Were Detained in Saudi Arabia Following the October 31, 2019 Crown Jewel Event as Part of a Dispute Between the Crown Prince and Defendant McMahon
216. A former wrestler for the WWE, who performed for the Company as a wrestler from 2012 to April 2020 and who participated in the October 31, 2019 Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia, confirms the substance (of media reports about the flight issues). CW-2 (the witness) explained that following the Crown Jewel October 31, 2019 event, he along with other WWE personnel were scheduled to leave the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (where the event was held) and head to a private airport to take a charter plane to Buffalo, New York for the SmackDown event which was scheduled for the next night. CW-2 stated that while his group was waiting to depart, Defendant McMahon, other WWE executives, and big-name talent such as Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan boarded different flights than the rest of the group and took off, appearing to be "in a hurry."
217. CW-2 recalled that he was initially told the charter flight he was scheduled to leave on was delayed because the plane needed to be pulled around, and once they boarded, they were removed from the airplane after 20-30 minutes. CW-2 explained that he spoke with a stewardess on the flight about the delay, who told him that "it seems someone doesn't want us to leave the country." CW-2 further explained that the pilot sounded "distressed" when he informed the passengers that the flight was unable to take off. CW-2 recalled that then they were told that it was because of mechanical issues, but he recalled seeing a "ton" of guards wearing black "militia" attire and wearing guns that were blocking their exit and "staring at the wrestlers."
218. CW-2 became aware that something was wrong and explained that a number of the other personnel were referring to the event as a "hostage" situation." CW-2 explained that he asked the Senior Director of Talent Relations, Mark Carrano, about what was going on and that Carrano told him that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and McMahon had gotten into an argument over late payments in connection with the June 7, 2019 Super ShowDown event. Carrano also informed CW-2 that McMahon had cut the live feed for the Crown Jewel event and that this had made the Crown Prince "very mad."
219. CW-2 advised the he and other WWE personnel looked into the prospect of booking flights on their own at a different airport for early the next morning. After a few hours, CW-2 explained, he and about 10-12 other wrestlers, cameramen, and agents were put on another flight to Buffalo. CW-2 further noted that at this point he wondered why, if other planes were available, that they did not get everyone out of Saudi Arabia.
220. CW-2 also heard that while on the plane, other wrestlers communicated back home that the military police were holding the wrestlers, and that McMahon didn't air the first 30 minutes of the pay-per-view, and that as retaliation the Prince was holding them.
221. CW-2 recalled a number of wives being very concerned on social media and then when wrestlers returned home there were a lot of messages expressing how grateful they were to be home. CW-2 stated that after he returned, the WWE put out a letter that attempted to remove all blame from the company and that, in his opinion, many wrestlers were scared of speaking out due to the limited job opportunities in the industry and the WWE's comparatively high salaries. CW-2 explained that many spoke on the condition of anonymity to journalists and the WWE denounced these stories as "conspiracies" and "laughable." Nevertheless, after the event, CW-2 said that he and a co-worker partner went straight to Talent Relations and said they would not go back to Saudi Arabia. CW-2 noted that other wrestlers tried to do the same, but the WWE "abused" their "power" and threatened the future trajectory of their careers if they did not go.
This Never Ending Saga Continues As... JARRETT VS. ANTHEM HEARING THIS FRIDAY IN NASHVILLE
There will be a pre-trial conference in the Jeff Jarrett and Global Wrestling Entertainment (Which is basically, Just Jeff Jarrett) lawsuit against Anthem Wrestling, the parent company of Impact Wrestling this Friday 6/19 in advance of their scheduled trial on 6/30.
As part of the conference, Chief Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr. will have to rule on a number of recent motions, determining whether certain material will be fair game during the jury trial. Among the things Judge Crenshaw will have to make determinations on are the following:
*Jarrett's side has filed a motion requesting that court prevent Anthem from "from offering evidence, by introduction, reference, documents, declaration, deposition testimony, or live testimony, of any information related to Mr. Jarrett’s conduct while intoxicated resulting from his alcoholism." In that filing, it was noted that Jarrett was suspended (and later terminated) by Ed Nordholm due to personal issues stemming from his battle with alcoholism and that Jarrett is recovering from that battle. Jarrett's side noted in a 6/5 filing that they do not wish to prevent mentions of Jarrett's suspension/termination from Impact or "any general, non-specific reference to Mr. Jarrett’s battle with alcoholism" but that anything beyond that during the trial is "is unnecessary and unwarranted" as his alleged conduct and statements are "not relevant; are highly prejudicial; and seek to introduce hearsay outside any exception." It appear Jarrett's side is arguing that when it comes to the issues at hand - the Jeff Jarrett trademark and the issues surrounding the ownership/use of the GFW Amped! content - his alleged behavior at the time has no bearing on the facts at hand.
*Anthem has filed a motion seeking to exclude an expert report of Glen Perdue. Purdue is, based on a Google search, the managing member of Kraft Analytics, LLC, which focuses upon valuation, forensic and transaction advisory services in Nashville, TN. The motion was sealed so there is no further details as to Anthem's reasoning.
*Anthem also filed a motion to exclude "Evidence of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp.'s Corporate Structure and Financial Condition." Noting that Anthem Sports was dismissed as a defendant, Anthem Wrestling argued in their motion, "While Anthem Sports is Anthem Wrestling’s parent entity, the two are completely separate business entities that do not share assets. Any evidence of Anthem Sports’ financials could prejudice the jury against Anthem Wrestling by leading them to believe that Anthem Wrestling has assets that it does not have and would not be able to use to pay any potential award to Plaintiffs. Finally, any such evidence would confuse a jury and waste time. The details of the relationship between Anthem Wrestling and its non-party parent and the parent’s financial condition are neither relevant nor helpful to the jury’s analysis of the substantive issues. Complicated financial and structural evidence will serve only to confuse the jury unnecessarily and waste time during trial."
*Anthem also filed a motion asking the court to "Exclude Spreadsheets Not Created in the Normal Course of Business", noting that discovery came across spreadsheet documents created by Ed Nordholm. In the motion, Anthem argued, "These documents are all copies and/or drafts of a spreadsheet created by Edward Nordholm, who testified the spreadsheet was not kept in the ordinary course of Anthem Wrestling’s business and, because the data in the spreadsheet was likely provided by Plaintiff Jeffrey Jarrett without documentary evidence to support the data, as such, the spreadsheets are inherently untrustworthy. Therefore, the spreadsheets are hearsay and the Court should exclude them from the evidence at trial."
Anthem also filed a motion asking that "Hearsay Testimony and Documentary Evidence of Consumer Confusion" be excluded from the jury, arguing "certain deposition testimony of Plaintiff Jeffrey Jarrett and social media and website records produced by Plaintiffs within their sixth production (which includes documents with bates numbers GFE-0000674 through GFE-001133) in so far as they contain hearsay regarding consumer confusion." Anthem is arguing that statements Jarrett made during a deposition about fans asking him if he's left GFW since he exited Impact and fans being confused online about the relationship between GFW and Impact fall under heresay and shouldn't be brought up before the jury.
*Anthem also requested that the court rule that they are excluding "any Testimony of an Oral Agreement by Plaintiffs' that is Inconsistent with Their Discovery Responses." The motion noted, "For the first time during summary judgment briefing, Plaintiffs admit that Anthem Wrestling had an implied license to use the Amped Content at issue but states that the license was contingent upon the merger closing. This alleged agreement making the use of the Amped Materials contingent on a successful merger is not in either of the written agreements identified in Plaintiffs’ discovery responses. Pursuant to the Federal Rules of Case Civil Procedure, Plaintiffs should not be allowed to present or rely on new testimonial evidence regarding this alleged agreement because of their failure to identify this evidence during discovery or through supplementary discovery responses. Plaintiffs’ failure is not justified or harmless, and Anthem Wrestling will be greatly disadvantaged if Plaintiffs are allowed to present this new testimonial evidence for the first time at trial." Basically, they want the court to rule that if Jarrett/GWE said "A" during the discovery process, they cannot now say "B" during the trial.
The two sides have gone back and forth with responses to the motions, including some that were sealed. It will be up to the Judge to decide what is fair game or not before the jury over the course of the trial.
The two sides also filed a joint proposed pre-trial order on 6/12, listing the issues at hand and what each side will be seeking to prove before a jury. Interestingly, that document included the following - "The sale and marketing of the Amped Content was not successful and turned less than $10,000 in profit." It also noted that bad press was a factor leading to Jarrett's exit from the company.
The two sides are also working out jury instructions and how social distancing and safety measures to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 (witnesses wearing masks during testimony, etc.) Based on statements and filings with the court, Jeff Jarrett, Ed Nordholm, Scott D'Amore and Josh Mathews are all slated to testify over the course of the trial.
There are expected to be in the area of ten witnesses with the trial lasting at least five business days...unless the two sides opt to come to a settlement before the that.
Credit to Mike Johnson at PWInsider for this.
As part of the conference, Chief Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr. will have to rule on a number of recent motions, determining whether certain material will be fair game during the jury trial. Among the things Judge Crenshaw will have to make determinations on are the following:
*Jarrett's side has filed a motion requesting that court prevent Anthem from "from offering evidence, by introduction, reference, documents, declaration, deposition testimony, or live testimony, of any information related to Mr. Jarrett’s conduct while intoxicated resulting from his alcoholism." In that filing, it was noted that Jarrett was suspended (and later terminated) by Ed Nordholm due to personal issues stemming from his battle with alcoholism and that Jarrett is recovering from that battle. Jarrett's side noted in a 6/5 filing that they do not wish to prevent mentions of Jarrett's suspension/termination from Impact or "any general, non-specific reference to Mr. Jarrett’s battle with alcoholism" but that anything beyond that during the trial is "is unnecessary and unwarranted" as his alleged conduct and statements are "not relevant; are highly prejudicial; and seek to introduce hearsay outside any exception." It appear Jarrett's side is arguing that when it comes to the issues at hand - the Jeff Jarrett trademark and the issues surrounding the ownership/use of the GFW Amped! content - his alleged behavior at the time has no bearing on the facts at hand.
*Anthem has filed a motion seeking to exclude an expert report of Glen Perdue. Purdue is, based on a Google search, the managing member of Kraft Analytics, LLC, which focuses upon valuation, forensic and transaction advisory services in Nashville, TN. The motion was sealed so there is no further details as to Anthem's reasoning.
*Anthem also filed a motion to exclude "Evidence of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp.'s Corporate Structure and Financial Condition." Noting that Anthem Sports was dismissed as a defendant, Anthem Wrestling argued in their motion, "While Anthem Sports is Anthem Wrestling’s parent entity, the two are completely separate business entities that do not share assets. Any evidence of Anthem Sports’ financials could prejudice the jury against Anthem Wrestling by leading them to believe that Anthem Wrestling has assets that it does not have and would not be able to use to pay any potential award to Plaintiffs. Finally, any such evidence would confuse a jury and waste time. The details of the relationship between Anthem Wrestling and its non-party parent and the parent’s financial condition are neither relevant nor helpful to the jury’s analysis of the substantive issues. Complicated financial and structural evidence will serve only to confuse the jury unnecessarily and waste time during trial."
*Anthem also filed a motion asking the court to "Exclude Spreadsheets Not Created in the Normal Course of Business", noting that discovery came across spreadsheet documents created by Ed Nordholm. In the motion, Anthem argued, "These documents are all copies and/or drafts of a spreadsheet created by Edward Nordholm, who testified the spreadsheet was not kept in the ordinary course of Anthem Wrestling’s business and, because the data in the spreadsheet was likely provided by Plaintiff Jeffrey Jarrett without documentary evidence to support the data, as such, the spreadsheets are inherently untrustworthy. Therefore, the spreadsheets are hearsay and the Court should exclude them from the evidence at trial."
Anthem also filed a motion asking that "Hearsay Testimony and Documentary Evidence of Consumer Confusion" be excluded from the jury, arguing "certain deposition testimony of Plaintiff Jeffrey Jarrett and social media and website records produced by Plaintiffs within their sixth production (which includes documents with bates numbers GFE-0000674 through GFE-001133) in so far as they contain hearsay regarding consumer confusion." Anthem is arguing that statements Jarrett made during a deposition about fans asking him if he's left GFW since he exited Impact and fans being confused online about the relationship between GFW and Impact fall under heresay and shouldn't be brought up before the jury.
*Anthem also requested that the court rule that they are excluding "any Testimony of an Oral Agreement by Plaintiffs' that is Inconsistent with Their Discovery Responses." The motion noted, "For the first time during summary judgment briefing, Plaintiffs admit that Anthem Wrestling had an implied license to use the Amped Content at issue but states that the license was contingent upon the merger closing. This alleged agreement making the use of the Amped Materials contingent on a successful merger is not in either of the written agreements identified in Plaintiffs’ discovery responses. Pursuant to the Federal Rules of Case Civil Procedure, Plaintiffs should not be allowed to present or rely on new testimonial evidence regarding this alleged agreement because of their failure to identify this evidence during discovery or through supplementary discovery responses. Plaintiffs’ failure is not justified or harmless, and Anthem Wrestling will be greatly disadvantaged if Plaintiffs are allowed to present this new testimonial evidence for the first time at trial." Basically, they want the court to rule that if Jarrett/GWE said "A" during the discovery process, they cannot now say "B" during the trial.
The two sides have gone back and forth with responses to the motions, including some that were sealed. It will be up to the Judge to decide what is fair game or not before the jury over the course of the trial.
The two sides also filed a joint proposed pre-trial order on 6/12, listing the issues at hand and what each side will be seeking to prove before a jury. Interestingly, that document included the following - "The sale and marketing of the Amped Content was not successful and turned less than $10,000 in profit." It also noted that bad press was a factor leading to Jarrett's exit from the company.
The two sides are also working out jury instructions and how social distancing and safety measures to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 (witnesses wearing masks during testimony, etc.) Based on statements and filings with the court, Jeff Jarrett, Ed Nordholm, Scott D'Amore and Josh Mathews are all slated to testify over the course of the trial.
There are expected to be in the area of ten witnesses with the trial lasting at least five business days...unless the two sides opt to come to a settlement before the that.
Credit to Mike Johnson at PWInsider for this.
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