Update on the Wilpon Florida promotion

[Steveweiser]

UPDATE ON THE PROPOSED FLORIDA PROJECT
by Dave Scherer @ 6:43 PM on 8/24/2010

We heard from a few sources today that the proposed Milton Wilpon project in Florida, which was supposed to start as soon as September, has been pushed back to January 2011, at the earliest. Suffice it to say, people involved on the wrestling end are starting to question the legitimacy of the entire project. We will report more on this story as soon as we hear it.

[biafra]

The whole thing seemed too good to be true. All of a sudden a new company with a super rich backer comes in during a down period for wrestling and offers all the wrestlers great benefits?

That, and the fact that it just seemed to consist of nothing but unsubstantiated rumors makes me inclined to call bs until I see different.

[ani]

Wouldn't be shocked. I've NEVER heard of a Milton Wilpon.

[Alex Shelley]

[strykerdarksilence]

Didn't Cornette say the whole thing sounded a lot like a bs rumour he'd heard a lot in recent years?

[hajimenoippo]

midth reborn?

[romafan87]

Aug 24, 2010 21:01:01 GMT -5 hajimenoippo said:

midth reborn?

Who did the midth turn out to be after all? I think it was Heidenreich but I forget.

[lovingway]

Aug 24, 2010 21:17:11 GMT -5 @romafan87 said:

Aug 24, 2010 21:01:01 GMT -5 hajimenoippo said:

midth reborn?

Who did the midth turn out to be after all? I think it was Heidenreich but I forget.

I believe it was never revealed

[Lair of the Shadow MaDaBa]

I'm pretty sure Midth drove the Hummer.

[TripleMerc]

Aug 24, 2010 21:01:01 GMT -5 hajimenoippo said:

midth reborn?

HAHAHA oh jesus. Just when I'd forgotten about the Midth.

[Deleted]

;D Some kid on the internet said two days ago:

A promotion headed by Milton Wilpon, a senior member of the Wilpon Family (several of whose members are the majority owners of the New York Mets) is said to be opening offices in September, 2010.

Wilpon, the Fort Lee, New Jersey based investor who has bought into many huge businesses through Sterling Equities (which is reportedly not involved in the wrestling project) has made sure most business has been conducted after people are asked to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements.

However, WrestleZone has exclusively learned the following regarding the promotion:

The roster is said to include Sean Waltman, Scott Steiner, Shane Douglas, Larry Zbyszko, and Vader. Yes, Vader.

The reason for Vader is because Jim Ross recently blogged how Vader's son should be considered a major find for the future, so Vader was approached about signing alongside his son. No word on if Vader's son signed yet.

The promotion has intentionally put out false information as to where their first television tapings will take place in order to keep people from knowing their business plans.

The promotion has told several people they would like to launch with a reality show on aging wrestlers, and then morph into a full fledged pro wrestling league.

The promotion is planning on trying to sign Bryan Danielson and several non-contracted Ring of Honor stars. No word on if they have been officially approached yet.

The promotion is thought to have regional television based on Wilpon's connections, but that is unconfirmed.

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported the promotion is to be headed up by Sean Davis, an independent wrestler based in Florida, who had a connection with the group that approached Wilpon. Meltzer also reported Paul Heyman has been approached, but there is no chance for the group to get him without significant funding or a major television deal, as even TNA has been attempting to land the former ECW owner and Smackdown Head Writer, and Heyman has yet to sign or agree to return to pro wrestling.

While there are several other reports floating around, several of them appear to be intentionally-placed misinformation by people within the promotion. No word on an official launch date. We will continue to monitor this breaking story as it develops.

["Playboy" Don Douglas]

Aug 24, 2010 20:50:43 GMT -5 @strykerdarksilence said:

Didn't Cornette say the whole thing sounded a lot like a bs rumour he'd heard a lot in recent years?

Yeah, he pointed out that there have been plenty of groups starting up or rumored to be starting up that claimed to have a multi-millionaire backer that never did. Hell, even the GWF out of Dallas had claimed they had a multimillionaire from Nigeria backing the promotion and it was going to truly be global. Instead, they never had such backing, and they were pretty much limited to Dallas, though they had much more success than most of those groups.

[SHAKEMASTER TV9 is Don Knotts]

TNAngry is going to have to seek another place of employment now.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

- Here is the latest on the new promotion out of Florida that Milton Wilpon/Peter Karoftis/Sean Davis are working on. The promotion has been named Worldwide Wrestling Promotion, and while it was planed for a fall launch, it has been pushed back to January of 2011. An email was sent out to talent this morning, explaining the delay. Davis wrote to the talent that the financing side of the company had told the wrestling side the following…

"Our original time table is not at all feasible. While we were all committed to launching in October we know now that has become an impossible goal. Our new goal is to start operations in the first part of the new year however we do not as of today have a firm date. That unfortunately means that contracts will have to be changed to a new starting date."

In the email, Davis states that he financial side feels that the delay is needed, and that he "fought this decision KICKING AND SCREAMING (literally)".he also stated that the move had to be made, because if it wasn't, the company would not move forward. Davis goes onto explain that WWP's attorneys will draw up contract addendums, and that if they didn't wish to sign them, he understood.

"You will still be welcome to come back to work for us in the future once we are up and running in the early part of the new year. For those of you that sign the contract addendums you will be receiving extra shares of company stock and the addendums will also spell out our full health and benefits plan that will be made available to you."

Davis also discussed that they have been through a lot already, and that there were forces out there that were trying to stop them…

"[These forces are] doing whatever they can to sabotage everything we are trying to do and doing everything in their power to make sure that this company will never launch. I can promise you though that no matter how many hurdles we have to jump over that there are people here dedicated to doing everything they can to make sure this company WILL launch and we will be a long time player in this industry."

Davis stated that WWP was not simply launching "a new independent promotion or something that is going to be on the long list of fly by night wrestling companies that have come and gone." He then went on to explain that they plan on "becoming over the next decade the premiere wrestling company in the world" but that "obviously does not happen overnight."

Davis promised to share details on several deals that the company had completed over the next few weeks. The promotion has also reached out to Paul Heyman
and Jerry Jarrett.

Credit: Pwinsider.com

[Deleted]

Can't say that I'm surprised. I'll almost guarantee that once 2011 rolls around they'll push the start date into the Spring(if this thing is at all legit)

[mcmahonfan85]

Worldwide Wrestling Promotion just might be the lamest name i've ever heard of for a wrestling company

[Paul]

This has "money mark" written all over it.

[Mozenrath]

It's probably fake, but if it's real, better to not rush it I guess.

[Baixo Astral]

I may have been approached by this promotion for an as yet undisclosed role for an unconfirmed sum of something, but I am unaware of any approach, and couldn't disclose any information ifthere had been any approach.

Please go about your business.

[Chainsaw]

It'll probably turn out to be a wash, but I can see the reason for the delay. Launching a major promotion out of the blue in 4 months is a stretch. It also wouldn't surprise me if we never see it. This whole "we put out misinformation to throw people off our tracks for our business plan" is really fishy.