Backstage Frustration Over 3-Hour SmackDown Format, NBA Star Wanted In Royal Rumble, WWE Stock Takes Big Hit, The Rock

– Following the release of WWE parent company TKO Group’s earnings report for the fourth quarter and full year of 2024, Wall Street responded with disappointment. After closing at $159.55, TKO’s stock dipped as much as $8 in after-hours trading. When the market opened this morning, shares were priced at $153.59, but the decline continued, dropping to $146.70—more than $12 below the opening price.

– According to Wrestle Votes’ Backstage Pass, there are several behind-the-scenes in WWE that strongly dislike the three-hour format for SmackDown every Friday night on the USA Network. The general consensus is that the quality of the show has suffered in the last few months because of this.

– WWE has been holding a marathon live stream of The Rock’s “most electrifying matches” on their WWE Vault YouTube channel all day on Thursday. As noted, “The Final Boss” will return again after his appearance on last week’s SmackDown, when he turns up at WWE Elimination Chamber: Toronto on Saturday to get the answer from Cody Rhodes regarding his desire for Cody to “give him his soul.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSaCz3VX1Us

– NBA star Tyrese Haliburton spoke during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show about how he wanted to compete in the Men’s Royal Rumble match at the WWE Royal Rumble 2025 premium live event earlier this year in Indianapolis, IN.

“I wanted to be in the Rumble,” he said. “Me and Triple H talked about it. He was like, ‘A lot of people are asking if you’re going to be in the Rumble. I just laughed in their face.’ ‘What the f**k?’ I think he was a little scared about me doing it in the middle of the [NBA] season. Remember when Brunson got in there and pushed himself up with the broken hand and Triple H kind of had a heart attack?”

(H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above Tyrese Haliburton quote.)