LionDen
03-16-2015, 01:31 PM
Over the last few days, the pro-wrestling themed "Squared Circle" bar and restaurant owned by former WWE and TNA performer Lisa Marie Varon and her husband Lee Varon has received quite a bit of attention.
For one, footage of Lee tackling and holding down someone who brought a gun into the eatery made TMZ and the local media.
However, all that attention also brought a slew of social media outrage from Lisa Marie, who publicly had stated she had gone from Chicago to California to assist with her ill mother but has since outted on Twitter that she left due to an alleged relationship between her husband and one of the restaurant's bartenders....a bartender that Lisa Marie contends was fired and no longer works there, but was seen on the video that popped up on TMZ this week.
Since then, Lisa Marie has announced she and her husband are closing the restaurant, placing the blame on the bartender, while Lee Varon has denied anything of the sort.
The story was picked up today by Chicago.com.
Will Squared Circle Tap Out? Future in Question After Video Uncovers Surprise
https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Sonkd-5cOBeNigR0FbUuD7W8HE0=/46x0:755x532/800x600/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45883256/1507925_317396815114083_7643957538257310302_n.0.0. jpg
No closing date provided in social media barrage by former WWE diva who moved to California.
The future of the The Squared Circle — the wrestling-themed bar that received a burst of popularity from this violent video footage — is in question. Owner Lisa Marie Varon said she's closing the bar, making the announcement in a social media vent fest.
Varon's relationship with her husband, Lee Varon, complicates that bar's future. Lee is the bar's manager and owner of the bar's building. He's also star of the video, subduing the gunman. The couple began divorce proceedings in July, he said, and unless they receive a sale offer that blows them away, the bar will continue operations. Albeit there will be an expanded focus to other sports beyond wrestling. He says that many tried to capitalize on the situation when Lisa Marie Varon went public with her intentions.
"We got a lot of offers asking if we are selling the business," Lee Varon said. "Unfortunately, a lot of these people were sharks who saw blood in the water."
The reason for Lisa's reaction? It appears the video footage uncovered more marital strife for the Varons. The bar first opened two years ago to the day and this week gained national notoriety from the aforementioned viral video footage of Lee Varon taking down an allegedly armed man in the establishment. But on Thursday, Lisa Marie Varon said via social media that she's selling the bar and spending more time in California, where she moved a couple months ago. She's immediately pulled her support of the bar saying that her WWE pals will no longer make appearances.
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he Squared Circle
Sports Bar · 5,024 Likes
· March 11 at 2:52pm ·
I will take a backseat frm TheSQDcircle for awhile. Didn’t know that the bartender that was having a fling w my husband still works for me
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These sort of comments "come in waves," Lee Varon said, adding he wasn't surprised by the reaction. He claims he's communicated with his wife since the Twitter binge. While he didn't talk too much about the dynamics of his marriage, he went out of his way to praise the bar's staff, saying that this week they were dealing with both the aftermath of a gunman in their kitchen and the prospect of the bar closing.
"The staff's been as busy as they've ever been and business continues to be fantastic," Varon said.
Lisa Marie Varon was known in WWE circles as "Victoria" and her fans, though disappointed about the possible shutter, have supported her. She's been deluged by interview requests, and didn't respond yet to calls, but posted that she'll eventually make a statement via Twitter. Meanwhile she's not exactly advocating Squared Circle customers to patronize the bar.
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The Squared Circle
Sports Bar · 5,024 Likes
· March 11 at 5:44pm ·
Be sure to thank Liz on your way out Thesqdcircle . She’s the reason I moved to California and why we are selling the restaurant. Yayyyyy!
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While her Lee Varon praised his wife's impact on the bar's popularity — interacting with fans and having her WWE friends make appearances — he said the bar can continue without her. They continue to draw crowds for WWE events, including pay per views.
As for the video? Lee Varon was amused by the public's responses. "It's my 15 seconds of fame," he said. "I think it's a fun story because there's an obvious size mismatch. As much as it could be a scary situation, it really wasn't...all publicity is good publicity. All publicity was good publicity."
Click here (http://chicago.eater.com/2015/3/13/8205791/squared-circle-future-social-media-meltdown) for original article.
For one, footage of Lee tackling and holding down someone who brought a gun into the eatery made TMZ and the local media.
However, all that attention also brought a slew of social media outrage from Lisa Marie, who publicly had stated she had gone from Chicago to California to assist with her ill mother but has since outted on Twitter that she left due to an alleged relationship between her husband and one of the restaurant's bartenders....a bartender that Lisa Marie contends was fired and no longer works there, but was seen on the video that popped up on TMZ this week.
Since then, Lisa Marie has announced she and her husband are closing the restaurant, placing the blame on the bartender, while Lee Varon has denied anything of the sort.
The story was picked up today by Chicago.com.
Will Squared Circle Tap Out? Future in Question After Video Uncovers Surprise
https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Sonkd-5cOBeNigR0FbUuD7W8HE0=/46x0:755x532/800x600/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45883256/1507925_317396815114083_7643957538257310302_n.0.0. jpg
No closing date provided in social media barrage by former WWE diva who moved to California.
The future of the The Squared Circle — the wrestling-themed bar that received a burst of popularity from this violent video footage — is in question. Owner Lisa Marie Varon said she's closing the bar, making the announcement in a social media vent fest.
Varon's relationship with her husband, Lee Varon, complicates that bar's future. Lee is the bar's manager and owner of the bar's building. He's also star of the video, subduing the gunman. The couple began divorce proceedings in July, he said, and unless they receive a sale offer that blows them away, the bar will continue operations. Albeit there will be an expanded focus to other sports beyond wrestling. He says that many tried to capitalize on the situation when Lisa Marie Varon went public with her intentions.
"We got a lot of offers asking if we are selling the business," Lee Varon said. "Unfortunately, a lot of these people were sharks who saw blood in the water."
The reason for Lisa's reaction? It appears the video footage uncovered more marital strife for the Varons. The bar first opened two years ago to the day and this week gained national notoriety from the aforementioned viral video footage of Lee Varon taking down an allegedly armed man in the establishment. But on Thursday, Lisa Marie Varon said via social media that she's selling the bar and spending more time in California, where she moved a couple months ago. She's immediately pulled her support of the bar saying that her WWE pals will no longer make appearances.
-----
he Squared Circle
Sports Bar · 5,024 Likes
· March 11 at 2:52pm ·
I will take a backseat frm TheSQDcircle for awhile. Didn’t know that the bartender that was having a fling w my husband still works for me
-----
These sort of comments "come in waves," Lee Varon said, adding he wasn't surprised by the reaction. He claims he's communicated with his wife since the Twitter binge. While he didn't talk too much about the dynamics of his marriage, he went out of his way to praise the bar's staff, saying that this week they were dealing with both the aftermath of a gunman in their kitchen and the prospect of the bar closing.
"The staff's been as busy as they've ever been and business continues to be fantastic," Varon said.
Lisa Marie Varon was known in WWE circles as "Victoria" and her fans, though disappointed about the possible shutter, have supported her. She's been deluged by interview requests, and didn't respond yet to calls, but posted that she'll eventually make a statement via Twitter. Meanwhile she's not exactly advocating Squared Circle customers to patronize the bar.
-----
The Squared Circle
Sports Bar · 5,024 Likes
· March 11 at 5:44pm ·
Be sure to thank Liz on your way out Thesqdcircle . She’s the reason I moved to California and why we are selling the restaurant. Yayyyyy!
-----
While her Lee Varon praised his wife's impact on the bar's popularity — interacting with fans and having her WWE friends make appearances — he said the bar can continue without her. They continue to draw crowds for WWE events, including pay per views.
As for the video? Lee Varon was amused by the public's responses. "It's my 15 seconds of fame," he said. "I think it's a fun story because there's an obvious size mismatch. As much as it could be a scary situation, it really wasn't...all publicity is good publicity. All publicity was good publicity."
Click here (http://chicago.eater.com/2015/3/13/8205791/squared-circle-future-social-media-meltdown) for original article.