Raw Thoughts- 1/31/11

Read on for my thoughts on the first show after the WWE Royal Rumble!

Rumble updates and red herrings, Hall of Fame questions, Abyss' 2x4, Daniels return?, HBK at Mania, WWE signs Lucha star

As you know by now, Booker T. made an appearance at the Royal Rumble. Christian was also brought in, and didn't have his arm in a sling. Not sure why they didn't use him, unless they just did that to pull one over on the dirt sheets. He could also have not been ready for a full return, so they kept him off the show. Hacksaw Jim Duggan was expected to be there, but also wasn't used. He was in Boston already for another booking.

There was a rumor that Booker T. could have been used in some kind of announcing position, either at the Rumble or afterward. Some have joked about a reunion of Black Snow and Chett Lemon (Booker and Nash from calling a MEM-ran Impact). I don't think we'll see it, as amusing as it'd be for a while. I don't think that WWE's ever rehashed a TNA gimmick. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Next up, my take on PWInsider.com's questions!

WWE Royal Rumble thoughts- 1/30/11

Read on for my thoughts on the WWE Royal Rumble!

WWE Royal Rumble Preview

Here's my quick analysis for how I'd book the Royal Rumble:

Elimination matches, The Undertaker at WM16, TNA's priorities, Rumble surprises, Vickie in the Hall of Fame

Let's get right into the little news there is for Saturday.

First, PWInsider.com has some questions as always. Someone wants to know why Survivor Series 2002 didn't feature any elimination tag team matches. They didn't do as many of those kinds of matches then, and instead did the first-ever Elimination Chamber that night.

The Undertaker wasn't at WrestleMania 2000 because of a groin injury and torn pectoral muscle. Nothing really to add there.

Someone wants to know how long TNA has been around. That could have easily been Googled or found on Wikipedia. About 8 1/2 years. They also talk about how they only mention one non-former WWE wrestler in their press releases (AJ Styles). They're likely looking to appeal to former fans who aren't familiar with their product. It would be nice if they included Samoa Joe at the least, seeing that he's fairly important to TNA. They did mention the Knockouts and X-Division if that counts for anything.

After the break, who could be in the Royal Rumble?

Smackdown Thoughts- 1/28/11

Tonight is the "go home" show for one of the biggest wrestling events of the year. WWE has its final chance to hype the upcoming Royal Rumble tonight, and they're doing it in a big way. The main event features the reunion of Edge and Randy Orton as they face off against their Championship match opponents, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz.

Here are my thoughts on the show as it happens:

DVD news, Against All Odds correction, Nexus and Corre combined?, Kong vs. Kim, WWE and its history, more Hall of Famers, Scott Hall update, Booker T. returning?, Osborne's organs donated, Superstars and Impact ratings, Stone Cold back in WWE, WWE executive to leave

TNA's Mick Foley DVD will be out 4/19.

Kazarian will defend his X-Division Title in a 4-way match at Against All Odds, facing the winners of the 3 triple threat matches on Impact. I incorrectly stated otherwise in my thoughts on Impact last night.

WWE has DVDs in the works on their "Biggest Knuckleheads", "The WrestleMania Story" and what is billed as the final DX DVD. Mark that first one under "things you wouldn't see during the Attitude Era". That's pretty goofy. But if it sells, it sells.

PWInsider.com has more questions up. The first question (sort of) asks about Nexus and the Corre being under the same leadership. The whole point of The ex-Nexus members being in The Corre is that they didn't agree with Punk's leadership. So no, they're not working together unless we're in for a swerve.

Secondly, someone wants to know if the former Awesome Kong will face Gail Kim in WWE. If they're on the same brand and on opposite sides of the face/heel coin, it's pretty much certain. Just don't expect them to mention that they feuded in TNA. Although, if they didn't mention TNA, they could still say that they have a past that's transcended into WWE.

The next question is about WWE ignoring what its past wrestlers have done. For my response to that, and much more news, read on...

Goldust's return plan, groups in TNA, Autobiographies I'd like to see, a third "They"?, Lockdown down location, Johnny Heidman passes, Flair returns, Jake Roberts interview, Hogan update, an odd Rumble Return?, Nitro DVD confimed, WWE Trademark issue, another JR-WWE appearance

We start today's news with an interview with Goldust. He's targeting June for a return date from his shoulder injury. He pitched a big feud with Cody as something left on his "to do" list in wrestling. He wants to come back strong this year, and work a full year in 2012. That could be his last run. I really like the idea of him putting his half-brother over in his last big feud. Put Goldust on Smackdown at some point, and I think that could work out well.

Today brings more questions on PWInsider.com. The first one's just a rant about Eric Bischoff and not even a question. Suffice to say that the IWC thinks he's more hype than substance. I don't know enough about his WCW days to say for sure. All I hear is negative opinions on the internet about his time there, years after the fact, so I don't have any "first-hand knowledge" of following things then.

Another questioner talks about how someone always seems to be "coming" in TNA lately with both iterations of "They". TNA got a nice ratings pop after the reveal of Immortal, so they're trying to recreate that with this new group. Any tease of something new in TNA draws interest.

More questions and news after the break.

Superstars and Impact Thoughts- 1/27/11

Here's my thoughts for this week's editions of Superstars and Impact:

Reks vs. Barreta was the usual solid work you see from both of these men. They're both people to watch and definitely have potential to move up the card.

Ryder and Primo as a regular tag team? Hey, if it means they'll get more attention and draw more money for the company, go for it. It certainly gives them a purpose. Heck of a tag team match as always from these four.

Tyson Kidd is tailor-made to be a heel. Superstars features good wrestling, plain and simple, and this match showed what that's all about. I really wish more attention was paid to this show, and that maybe it was treated as its own brand (or at least given a Championship or something so it doesn't just feel like filler matches).



After the break, my thoughts on TNA Impact.

Flair update, Legend to retire, pay bonuses, Nexus vs. The Corre, WWE giving talent to TNA, Alex Riley question, TNA courting NFL star, more on WWE's stock, ex-developmental talent passes away, WWE news on PPVs, Diva Search returning, new DVDs in the works

Ric Flair is expected to return to TNA's European tour tomorrow for a show in Scotland. Today is a day off for the tour.

Update: Part of the reason he's been brought back is because of the injuries to AJ Styles and Alex Shelley, and Kurt Angle having to leave the tour early. Suffice to say that a lot of talents are not happy that he's being given another chance here. Some talents wanted him sent home for the rest of the tour or even fired. He's even said to have been borrowing money from other talents to pay his bar tabs despite telling them that the drinks were on him. Younger talents are starting to rebel, saying that the veterans are more of a financial burden than gain and that the younger talents do all the work. I think this unease is only going to get worse in times to come.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts will finally hang up the boots after a 35-year wrestling career on Saturday. His final match will be at Wrestlereunion 5 against former WWE Superstar and his protégé,  Kizarny. Roberts is 55.

Next up, my take on PWInsider.com's questions of the day.

WWE Roster cuts coming?, Former ECW star returns to WWE, HHH, Jim Duggan, and Ricky Steamboat interviews; Sunny in the Hall of Fame?, TNA's new UK deal, JR's scouting plans for 2011, more WWE stock news, Martha Hart lawsuit update, Ric Flair vs. TNA management, Raw rating, Smackdown dark match, more on Lesnar-WWE rumors

The first news story of today is from an interview with former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas, in which he shares his theory that the 40-man Royal Rumble means that roster cuts will be coming soon for WWE. It wouldn't surprise me, but I'm not excited about the possibility.

Former ECW wrestler Little Guido, known as Nunzio in WWE, refereed the dark match before Raw last night in Michigan. He could very well be hired in that role soon.

Next up, interesting words from Triple H.

NXT Thoughts- 1/25/11

Tonight's NXT starts with the Rookies in the ring, which is a rarity. What kind of shenanigans will we have on this week's show? Let's see.

Bret Hart and JR updates, Samoa Joe talks TNA, Edge retiring in 2012?, ex-Nexus member updates, McMahon buying soccer team?, more on WWE stock, Styles-Dundee, Smackdown ratings, Raw dark match

The first news story of the day is an interview with Bret Hart. He mentions that he would be happy to induct long-time rival Shawn Michaels into the WWE Hall of Fame this April if asked by WWE. Michaels has said in the past that he would like to be inducted by Hart, who would be able to tell about both sides of HBK's life. I personally would love to see this happen. It would bring both men's careers and their backstage history to a respectful close. The two of them keep in touch now, which would be unfathomable years ago.

Hart says that he's "in limbo" in regards to his WWE future and isn't expecting to be part of WrestleMania,  but that could change at any time. He also talks about the serious effects of concussions following the one that ended his career in 2000.

After the break, Samoa Joe says why he isn't in the TNA World Title picture.

Raw Thoughts- 1/24/11

It's 6 nights from the Royal Rumble. Tonight's Raw will feature the WWE Champion taking on the World Heavyweight Champion. Also, Natalya defends her Divas' Title against Melina.

Sid Vicious arrested, The identity of They, Beautiful People return, who inducts Undertaker?, WWE's stock, Hogan/Bischoff pay cuts?, HHH at the Rumble, Khali shooting footage, Sean Waltman interview, Flair and Hogan in WWE game update

Former WWE and WCW World Champion Sid Vicious was arrested for drug possession after being pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt. Officers then discovered a bag with 18 grams of marijuana. Vicious also didn't have his license. He was released on $1000 bail.

The first question of the day, copied from PWInsider, asks about the identity of the new "they" in TNA, and is pretty much a spoiler, so if you don't want to know who it looks like it's going to be based on spoilers, don't read after the bump.

Is Trent Baretta a future champion?, Rock vs. Mankind, 6-man tag title, Cena turning heel, Sarita's contract, Khali shooting update, Angle pulls himself from TNA tour

Not too much in the way of news today, but there are still some stories worth sharing. And, of course, more questions from PWInsider. We start off with one about Trent Baretta, asking if he's good enough to be in the US or Intercontinental Title picture. I think he has a pretty good upside, and at 23 he's still learning and improving in FCW. I wouldn't put him at that level YET, but he's certainly starting to get attention and move up the card.

Buck Woodward says that he should be taken off of TV and come back later with a new name. I really hope he answered that before the Drew McIntyre storyline started, because now he's being made into a sympathetic babyface the crowd is getting behind. Not to mention that his unique style and offense is getting him over as well (since WWE isn't crowded with X-Division guys). So, if he doesn't get destroyed in his feud with McIntyre and discarded, he should be kept under the same name and gimmick for the time being. He should get some promo time to further this feud as well. Long story short, he still has a way to go to be in the running for a title, but I think he's on his way barring any mishaps.

More questions and news after the break.

Undertaker appearance, Edge at the Rumble, Family Triple Threat, WWF vs. WCW vs. ECW match, Taker at Mania, Sheamus, Gillberg interviews, Guerrero appears in FCW, Venis-Hardy again, another shoot, WWE stock drops, Impact and Superstars ratings, Former WCW star in ROH, Nitro DVD in the works, another Gut Check, Khali's bodyguard involved in shooting

Pretty big news to start the day I think. The Undertaker will make an appearance at WrestleMania AXXESS in Atlanta. Get the speculation train going...

More questions today. Remember, these are sent to PWInsider.com. I just give my own answers to them. I have no affiliation with them. The first asks about Edge's 2010 Rumble return. Pretty cool how they were able to keep that mostly secret.

Next, we get one of those fantasy booking questions involving different families having triple threat matches. Would I rather see Dusty vs. Goldust vs. Cody Rhodes, Stu vs. Owen vs. Bret Hart, Bob vs. Bob Jr. vs. Randy Orton, or Mike vs. Ted vs. Ted DiBiase, Jr.? The only one that's possible in 2011 is the one with the Rhdoes family. I don't think we'll see it, but it's an option. It's also the only match where I've seen all 3 men wrestle. So even when they were all alive and in their prime, I wouldn't be able to tell you. The Rhodes family did team together once in FCW, for the record.

More questions and news after the break.

Smackdown Thoughts- 1/21/11

Tonight we see the aftermath of the attack on Big Show by Wade Barrett's new faction. In fact, they're starting the show!

 After the bump, my thoughts on the show:

Linda running again?, more WWE All-Stars names, Taz opens dojo, Ric Flair merchandise update, TNA tapings corrections, new TNA contract, Lenny Lane interview, Piledrivers banned, Rumble winners, Cena vs. Orton, update on Nash and Jericho, Jeff Hardy legal update, more on Mason Ryan

Linda McMahon as said that "it's an option" that she'll run for Connecticut's other seat in 2012. She's not doing anything WWE-related as of now, and it doesn't look like she will any time soon.

Two more surprises on the roster for WWE All-Stars. The Ultimate Warrior, who was thoroughly berated on a DVD by WWE (but has a special licensing deal with THQ), and TNA's Hulk Hogan! It's possible that Hogan had a deal with them before he signed with TNA last year, though. Maybe THQ has some kind of independent control from WWE in who gets on the roster.

Taz opened his dojo/"finishing school" today to help groom trained wrestlers to "be noticed" by WWE and TNA. I'm very interested to see who comes out of this school to be signed by the major companies. Former WWE Creative member  and current ROH producer Dave Lagana puts over Taz and his school here.

Much more news and opinion after the bump!

Superstars and Impact thoughts - 1/20/11

We start tonight's Superstars with JTG vs. Chavo Guerrero. I assume at this point we're done with the "Chavo and a partner face the tag champs" story. Maybe the pay-off was supposed to be McIntyre's post-match attack? It just seems like they dropped it out of the blue. But on the bright side, we haven't seen the Eagle or Hornswoggle in a while either so I'm ok with dropping storylines. It's not like Chavo's story was going anywhere anyway...

Not much to say about the 2nd and 3rd match. They were good, and we got to see people who we normally don't see show off some good wrestling. I wonder what these guys would be doing if it wasn't for Superstars? It seemed like everyone was working particularly hard tonight.

Read on for my thoughts on the main event, and all of Impact.

JR news, WrestleMania celebrity confirmed, Kong question, Sheamus' "de-push", Tough Enough and NXT, Cena's workrate, "Cold Blood" solved?, TNA's tapings, Low-Ki/Kaval interview, Raw ratings, Jeff Hardy update

Jim Ross was the special referee for the dark match main event of the Smackdown taping last night. It was in his home state of Oklahoma.

Bob Barker will be at this year's WrestleMania in Atlanta. It is unknown how he will be used. I'm hoping for at least one backstage interview from him.

Here's a link to today's PWInsider.com questions. We start off with a proposal for the former Awesome Kong. Should she be on Tough Enough as a rookie to destroy the competition and have a big debut when she wins? I don't think that's the direction they're going for with Tough Enough. The original show featured virtual unknowns training to be wrestlers with little experience. It was a bit like NXT but I don't think these people were developmental wrestlers. The point of the show is to find that "diamond in the rough" who they can train to be a good wrestler. Kong's an established wrestler; there's no reason for her to be on Tough Enough.

Next up, a question about Sheamus' "de-push".

Adamle, Linda McMahon, and Tara updates, working under Vince McMahon, Kane's origins, Old WWF Titles, Shotgun Saturday Night/Heat DVDs?, Young stars vs. older stars, WWE video game news, MMA star to wrestle, Smackdown rating and dark match, Trademark news

Former WWE announcer and Raw GM Mike Adamle intends to fight his recent DUI charge. His lawyer says that he demonstrated his sobriety and passed a breathalyzer test, and that Adamle was not intoxicated or
otherwise unable to operate a vehicle legally. I hope this gets cleared up soon. I really don't want to spend too much space on this kind of thing.

Former WWE Creative team member and current ROH Producer Dave Lagana has an article about his time working under Vince McMahon at this link. Pretty interesting, though brief, read.

PWInsider.com has questions as always. First up, someone wants to know why the book that was written about Kane's backstory years back never became a movie. Apparently it didn't sell very well. Also WWE has yet to do a movie on one of its wrestlers. They were thinking of doing one on The Undertaker though. I don't know how far that got. I think it'd be pretty interesting though.

More questions and news after the break.

NXT Thoughts- 1/18/11

Here it is, the wackiest show of the week. Love it or hate it, tonight we have another episode of NXT.

We start tonight with the Know Your Pro Challenge. This was entertaining last season, so we'll see how it goes this time. Wait, it's undergone a name change for Season 4...

My thoughts after the break...

Miz vs. MVP, Heenan update, Phoenix vs. Kong?, HHH in creative, Why 2/3 is big for TNA, Wade Barrett's group, Morley's new website, change to the Royal Rumble, C.M. Punk-fan incident, AJ Styles and Mike Adamle updates, NC Impact tapings, Lockdown update, Shelley injured, Raw dark match

Here's today's news, starting with PWInsider.com's questions:

The first question is about Eric Bischoff, and I don't know enough about the issues involved to comment. Sorry. 

Question #2 asks about comparing the WWE runs of MVP and The Miz. I can definitely see how MVP's seemingly out-of-nowhere face turn (and the big losing streak that accompanied it) cut his legs out from under him. I never really thought to compare the two, though the questioner has a point that people were skeptical about both of them when they first came to WWE and thought they were being pushed too far too soon. MVP grew on me faster than Miz did, and I'm also confused as to why he was so misused. Some of it stems from MVP joking about the person giving him a urine test. That's what led to the losing streak if I remember correctly.

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan is still recovering in Florida. No real news update there.

Next up, my thoughts on how big a Kong-Phoenix match at WrestleMania would be.

Raw Thoughts- 1/17/11

Tonight's Raw is 13 days from the Royal Rumble. The main event will be John Cena vs. C.M. Punk.

Here are my thoughts on the show as it happens:

Bret Hart in WCW, a Goldust DVD?, active Hall of Famers, Knockouts' pay, Venis-Hardy... again, Cena not at Supershow

And here's the news for Sunday:

First up, questions from PWInsider.com. The first one's about Bret Hart making millions of dollars for WCW. The exact figure isn't known apparently, but suffice to say it's pretty much agreed that they spent a whole lot of money for him and didn't use him very well.

Next, someone asks if we'll ever see a Goldust DVD. I think that'd be a great idea! Maybe have one DVD on Dustin Rhodes (in WCW and the like) and another on his run as Goldust. So yeah, I think that will happen at some point down the line.

Someone asks about wrestlers remaining active after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. If you consider Ric Flair active, he'd apply. I don't know how often Jimmy Snuka wrestles. Steamboat, Hogan, and Mae Young have all wrestled post-induction as well.

The next story is about the pay of TNA Knockouts vs. their male competitors.

Rock vs. Taker?, Sheamus' look, Douglas Williams, Who should be big in 2011?, Jarrett interview, Hardy-Venis update

Here's today's look at what little news there was yesterday. Tonight I'll do today's news. PWinsider.com's questions from yesterday are the first order of business.

Someone asks about a theoretical Rock-Undertaker match at WrestleMania, and if Rock should end the streak if that were to go down. It almost certainly won't, but if it did, I think Undertaker has earned the right to be undefeated at WrestleMania. I think that'd be an awesome match but I don't see it happening.

Next up, my thoughts on King Sheamus' robe-thing...

John Cena update, Who will win the Rumble?, Kenny Dykstra, The decline of Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler in the ring, Brock Lesnar and X-Division rumor-busters, Slammiversary location, Bischoff on wrestling fans, Miz vs. Edge?, Impact and Superstars ratings

John Cena is back on Raw's house show circuit, meaning that his injury issues are likely behind him.

Next we look at the PWInsider.com questions of the day. First up, who's likely to win the Royal Rumble?

Smackdown Thoughts- 1/14/11

Tonight's show will feature Big Show vs. Wade Barrett, and Dolph Ziggler on the Cutting Edge. Let's get into my thoughts of the show as it happens:

Val Venis shoots, Lacey Von Erich,Jackson Andrews,Bret Hart, Desmond Wolfe and HHH updates, TNA event canceled, Generation Me signs new contracts, TNA ending X-Division?, World Title match announced for Rumble

I feel that I have to address this for the sake of getting all of the important news. Sean Morley, formerly WWE wrestler Val Venis, has posted a video of him ranting about Matt Hardy and his "clan" of friends in wrestling (the Hardys, Gregory Helms, and Shannon Moore) not having any talent. While driving down the road no less. I'm not going to start going into pro wrestling grudges here, because that would take forever. Here's a link to the video if anyone's interested: (from an article at PWInsider.com) For what it's worth, Morley has been talking about Hardy on Twitter as well.

After the break, a brief look at PWInsider's questions of the day.

Superstars and Impact Thoughts- 1/13/11

It's Thursday again, so I've got 3 hours of wrestling to cover. Starting with WWE Superstars.

It looks like they're keeping the streak of "filler matches with random superstars" alive as we start with JTG and Chris Masters against Chavo Guerrero and Curt Hawkins. The wrestling on this show is usually solid, but at theh end of the day a lot of it is meaningless in the grand scheme of WWE.

Read on for more Superstars thoughts, and a look at this week's TNA Impact.

Mike Adamle update, Desmond Wolfe update, Kaval's release, Kong in WWE, Matt Hardy's rants, Lex Luger the producer, ROH's plans going forward, Percy Watson update, Kaval interview, TNA changes PPVs, HHH interview, Impact in NC

Here's a story I missed yesterday: Former WWE announcer and Raw GM Mike Adamle was recently charged with a DUI. Drinking and driving is BAD.

On to today's stories. Whatever is preventing Desmond Wolfe from returning to wrestling hasn't been resolved yet. He's not scheduled to be on TNA's UK tour either. It is unknown why exactly he hasn't been featured lately.

Next up, PWInsider.com's questions, starting with one about Kaval.

NXT Thoughts- 1/11/11

No good deed goes unpunished. I waited for hours to get to see a replay of NXT, and we start things off with T-shirts in a giant slingshot. Oh boy. Well, here goes nothing. My review of the 2nd NXT of 2011.

Jeff Hardy update, Cena wrestles, Superstars update, TNA's World Title, other Hall of Famers, past Rumble winners, HBK update, Cena fined, Richards leaves TNA, Jesse Neal and Desmond WolfeTNA updates, New rule on hiring WWE talent, Raw rating, Lesnar staying with UFC, TNA tryouts, Tough Enough casting continues, ROH off of HDNet

Note: Tonight's  NXT column has been delayed until I catch a replay of the show due to temporary problems with my internet connection.

Today's first news story is that Jeff Hardy will be working this week's Impact tapings. It's possible that they'll "wrap up" his storylines here before his sentencing on the 20th.

John Cena wrestled in a tag team match as advertised after Raw went off the air, showing no signs of injury. Any updates on his condition will be noted here.

WWE Superstars will now be shown in more markets in the United States, due to WGN America being picked up by more places with Time Warner Cable. This includes New York City. Again, always good for a show to get more TV exposure.

After the break, I look at PWInsider.com questions.

Raw Thoughts- 1/10/11

We start tonight's Raw with a Nexus beatdown of a different kind, as Michael McGillicutty has to be "initiated' into the new group. I'm not sure I like this. I guess Punk's never heard that "even evil has standards". But I guess the point is to get him over as a cruel, brutal leader as effectively as possible. It just seems kind of self-defeating for them to beat each other up. We'll see where this goes as the night goes on...

HHH as a heel, Barrett's finisher, a Diva Rumble?, DX DVD, FCW talent not being called up, ex-Knockout to retire, AJ Styles injury update, WWE TV deal, Karen Jarrett back in TNA, DiBiase interview, HHH's movie, Smackdown Rating

Today's news starts with PWInsider.com's questions. Someone wants to know if Triple H won't return to take on Sheamus because he allegedly said that he wants to be a heel again. It'd be insane for him to return and not face the guy who took him out for over 8 months. I don't see them turning Sheamus face, so I don't see him turning heel for that. I'd be kind of surprised if they turned Triple H heel in the near future, because it seems like he's reached the level of "the fans respect him so much that they'll cheer him anyway" like The Undertaker or Shawn Michaels. I could be wrong though. There aren't many faces on Raw that he could go up against either. I'm not so sure I want to see him face Orton or Cena again, and John Morrison I don't think is quite there yet.

Since Barrett is facing Big Show now, will we see him get a new finisher given his difficulty hitting Wasteland on Mark Henry?

TNA talking to another Jersey Shore cast member, Khali update, Snitsky interview, More leaving WWE?, DiBiase's push, Tamina, lawsuit update, Zack Gowen interview, pre-Genesis notes, Styles's injury

The first story for this PPV Sunday is one that I'm sure die-hard TNA fans (or wrestling fans in general) won't be too thrilled about. Former Jersey Shore castmembr Angelina is in talks to join TNA and wrestle in the Knockouts Division. You can bet that fans will jump all over this one, especially if she's paid anywhere near as much as J-Woww made ($15,000 for one appearance, when a solid number of workers there make less than $1000 per show). If she's a good worker and can get mainstream press for TNA I'd consider it, BUT I know that it probably won't go over well for the locker room. Tread carefully, TNA.

I'm not exactly thrilled with that news, so I might be more harsh in looking at the rest of today's news. Should be interesting...

TNA Genesis thoughts- 1/9/11

This is my first coverage of a PPV here. Our first event of the year is TNA Genesis. I'm reading a recap of it from PWInsider.com, as I do for most PPVs. It's rare that I'll find a PPV worth ordering these days, mainly because I can only afford so many a year. The last WWE PPV I ordered was WrestleMania 26, and the last TNA PPV I ordered was all the way back to Destination X in 2007. Wow. Maybe TNA will make me regret that decision tonight. Let's see what went down.

Does HBK wrestle in 2011?, HHH/Taker updates, the Wellness Policy, another ECW PPV?, Del Rio and Barrett, TNA in the UK, WWE lawsuit update, why WWE Universe was shut down, Cena update

We start today's news with PWInsider's questions, and these first two are big.

Do you think that Shawn Michaels will wrestle in 2011?
I really doubt it.

When do Triple H and The Undertaker return?

TNA Genesis preview

Tonight I have another first for this blog: a preview of a pay-per-view. For these, I look at what I think should happen at the event. In other words, what I would book if I was in charge of the creative team for that show. Tonight, I look at the card for TNA Genesis.

Smackdown Thoughts- 1/7/11

Tonight we've got a Last Man Standing match, a 2 out of 3 Falls match, and a Raw superstar making the move to Friday nights. Let's get right to it!

Cena still on for Raw?, latest WWE lawsuit in trouble, Will Kim leave WWE?, Should Morrison win the Rumble?, Strange wrestling venue, Ross or Funk?, Impact and Superstars ratings

The first news story of the day is that John Cena is still scheduled to compete in a dark match after Raw on Monday. The card is always subject to change, and he's not working this weekend's house shows, so don't be surprised if this one changes.

Read on for why the fan lawsuit against WWE, Triple H, and The Rock could be in serious trouble.

Bryan interview, Cena vs. RVD, Jericho update, Benoit on DVDs, Hardy worked shoot, Bischoff interview, Matt Hardy, Bully Ray interviews, Cena off house shows

The first news story on WrestlingDB.com today was an interview with Daniel Bryan. There were two points that were new to me: He was the one who decided to drop his famed "Cattle Mutilation" finisher from his pre-WWE days in favor of the LeBell Lock. He says that he wouldn't be able to do it to some of the bigger guys on the roster, and that the TV audience doesn't get to see his opponent's face (and expressions) when that move is being done. That's a smart, clever decision. It's possible that he could pull out the move when he thinks that there are a lot of indy wrestling fans in attendance.

He's also asked about the Cruiserweight division possibly making a comeback.

Thoughts on Superstars and Impact- 1/6/11

I usually don't have too much to say about Superstars, while Impact always has some things I feel that I need to comment on. Remember, I don't comment on everything on the show. We'll see how that plays out this week in my first blog post on the two shows.

Matt Hardy interview, Raw ratings, more on Tough Enough, NXT wreslter works dark match, fan sues WWE, Hall of Famer diagnosed with cancer

We begin today by looking at an interview from Matt Hardy. He's getting ready for a "full-time return" to wrestling. His schedule will be reduced from how it was in WWE. He doesn't mention whether or not this means a run in TNA is in the works, though he does say that he'll "have a lot of cool surprises" in the beginning of the year. TNA's got to be considered a good possibility at this point.

He brings up how there's much less creative freedom in wrestling today, and that agents can overbook or overthink a match. He mentions promos as being especially choreographed. I would definitely like to see some (if not most) wrestlers get more leeway and freedom, but to be fair there are some people who benefit greatly from being scripted. Kazarian for instance either has a really bad script or no script at all and it shows.

Hardy also mentioned how he liked the freedom of TNA Reaction. Some people did well with it, and others just repeated the same points and rambled.

Referees in the Hall of Fame, Kong in WWE, Ted DiBiase, Samoa Joe in WWE, WM27, AJ and Naomi, Del Rio on Raw explained, Tough Enough trainers, Stern personality vs. WWE, Khali returning, House show change, Tiffany update, Smackdown rating, JR at Rumble, Jeff Hardy update, reality star to TNA?

We start today's news with a look at Jim Ross's latest blog, and then it's straight into PWInsider.com's  questions of the day before we delve into other news. Remember that I go in chronological order of stories as they appear on WrestlingDB.com, so it's a crapshoot as to whether we do questions at the beginning or not.

Someone asked if a referee will ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He says that they should and I agree. Earl Hebner and "Dangerous" Danny Davis would be in my version of the HoF (in other words, if I had exclusive say on who went in), though honestly I never would have thought to include them if it wasn't asked.

JR isn't 100% sure that Awesome Kong has signed with WWE, but praises the potential hire. Kong has pretty much confirmed that she's signed there on Twitter, re-tweeting congratulatory messages on the matter. He thinks that she'll be a nice fit in the company because she's so unique. He thinks that her name will change (so WWE can copyright it and she can keep the name Awesome Kong for herself), but doesn't think she should wrestle men. Here's where we kind of disagree.

NXT Thoughts- 1/4/11

This is interesting. The winner of NXT will team with their pro to challenge for the WWE Tag Team Titles. At this point I don't know for sure who would be the best tag team of those options.

Thankfully the Pros' battle royal was short. Not because it was a bad match, because it certainly wasn't. I just think that the show should focus on the Rookies and how they're improving in the ring and on the mic.

I like the new pairing of Saxton and Ziggler. Hopefully that means that Novak's the one going home tonight. Ziggler was mostly right in his criticisms of him. I'll get into it more when I rank the 6 wrestlers at the end of the blog.

Raw Thoughts- 1/3/11

Here's my first "TV show thoughts" column. I generally only comment on things that I either really like or really dislike, so as to not weigh down the blog with "such and such match was ok" or "there's not much to say about such and such". Miz vs. Morrison was a PPV worthy WWE Title match. Kudos to both men. These two are REALLY close to making at as consistent main eventers. That glass ceiling is really showing some serious cracks for them, and I'm glad WWE is giving them the chance to shine. I also have my fingers crossed that they aren't just being set up as fodder for a Triple H, John Cena, or Sheamus.

Tough Enough and WWE Network updates, Martha Hart lawsuit update, ratings for Impact/Reaction/Superstars, Raw dark match

Tough Enough will debut on USA Network the night after WrestleMania 27, at 8 p.m. on Mondays before Raw. A total of twelve men and women will compete for a one-year WWE contract. Part of the idea here is to draw in a new audience with the reality show approach. I'm intrigued. I wonder how different it will be from the original Tough Enough? Hopefully they won't all be in a house together and partying or whatever. It should be about their journey to make it in WWE. I don't care who they date, how much they drink, or anything else along those lines. It's not on MTV this time, so I think we'll see some interesting changes.

Why WWE signed Gail back, Teddy Hart, Umaga-TMZ, NXT returning, Kong update, Arquette in rehab

With yesterday's news, we start off with more PWInsider questions. Rephrased and answered by me. Here is the original article.

Why hasn't WWE pushed Gail Kim after all the fuss of getting her after her TNA contract expired?
Here's our first "conspiracy theory" answer of the new year.

Edge/Christian at Mania?, Hernandez-Morgan, Top Divas' matches, Hogan's health, Booker T. update, Jillian Hall and Tiffany interviews , Vince's new contract, Hogan's mother passes

Okay, here's how it goes from here on out most days. See what news stories on Wrestlingdb.com and talk about them. First up yesterday was questions on PWInsider.com. Paraphrased here, then my answers. Note: these aren't the answers PWInsider has. This is my take on all of them.

Will we see Edge vs. Christian for the World Title?

Intro

So here's my first blog post. It will take a couple of days to get some of the specifics down on how the blog will look, and I'm always open to suggestions on what would make it look better. I've never blogged outside of MySpace or Facebook, so if I'm missing something very obvious here that would be an improvement, comment here or on one of my future blogs on what you'd like to see.

Now, from that let's get to a little bit about what I'll be covering here. Obviously, I'll be rambling on about wrestling, but what exactly does that entail?