— WWE has released the first batch of financial data for the first quater of 2009 and one of the most telling items is the early buyrate for the 2009 Royal Rumble. While last year’s Royal Rumble did approximately 575,000 buys, this year’s show was down almost 23% with 445,000 buys. Even more alarming is that 40% of those buys came from outside of the United States, where WWE receives less of a cut from the Pay-Per-View revenue. With WrestleMania only 3 weeks away and WWE’s television ratings sliding the past few weeks, WWE appears to have an uphill battle ahead to ensure this year’s WrestleMania is a financial success. For more on WWE’s Q1 2009 Key Performance Indicators, visit Corporate.WWE.com.
— From the “Where are they now?” files, Indiana’s Journal & Courier has an article about former WWE superstar Marty Jannetty. The article features a video of Jannetty wrestling in front of 129 fans last weekend. For more, visit JCOnline.com.
— Variety.com reports that Stone Cold Steve Austin has joined the cast of Sylvester Stallone’s film “The Expendables”, an action film about a team of mercenaries who attempt to overthrow a South American dictator. Stallone is directing the film, will also co-star Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Forest Whitaker and feature a cameo from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
** BATISTA Returning Sooner Than Expected, WWE Title Holder RETIRING Soon [>]