Kaitlyn was scheduled to appear at last night's NXT tapings. I really hope they did a segment between her and one or more of the up-and-coming Divas. It'll be interesting to see how they stack up to the current Champion.
Speaking of Divas, WWE is holding auditions for new Divas in California. They could also look to Chicago, New York, and Florida. No experience necessary. Hopefully this means they're looking to reignite the division.
Christy Hemme was featured in Maxim. I imagine more than a few people who read that will then go on to look at her Playboy spread.
The Rock is advertised for WWE Extreme Rules, which is pretty big because I and a lot of others assumed that he was done after WrestleMania. I'm guessing Cena wins the title at Mania then wins Round 3 at Extreme Rules to settle the score. Should be exciting. Or they could start the build to Rock vs. Lesnar there. Either way, I think this will lead to something interesting post-Mania.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
Eric Young is expected to make some appearances for TNA next month. It will be interesting to see how they use him going forward. I'm guessing just some more goofy comedy segments/matches.
TNA has upgraded their entranceway and video screens for live events. Cool.
The mother of Nikita Koloff has passed away. Condolences to the legend.
Harley Race will be hosting a seminar for aspiring wrestlers. The details are scarce, though. Hopefully he'll be passing on some valuable tips. He had a hand in training the current Ted DiBiase and Michael McGillicutty. Both guys have shown some fire in the ring.
The former Trent Barreta was interviewed about wrestling in his hometown. TNA should sign him and put him in the X-Division. Talented guy. It is a shame that Management didn't give him much of a chance.
Stone Cold Steve Austin made a couple of wrestling-related remarks in an interview. Cena doesn't do anywhere near the amount of cool stuff Austin did. It's a shame that his character's so dull.
R-Truth returned to the ring in the Middle East, defeating David Otunga. I know, I know, Otunga loses again. I have no problems with it. R-Truth's a talented guy and it's nice for him to get some momentum when he's returning.
Taryn Terrell was a guest ring card girl at Bellator. It's smart of Spike to try to connect the audiences of TNA and Bellator and hopefully make some cross-over fans.
Santino Marella hopes to return to the ring soon. No word on if he'll be able to do so.
Apparently WWE NXT could be back on U.S. TV soon. I've heard very good things about the show and the talent on it, so I hope that's the case. I'd give it full coverage if it makes it to a readily-accessible national T channel (i.e. not in syndication).
There's speculation that after last night's loss, King Mo will be coming to TNA shortly. It'll be interesting to see how he fares in the wrestling world. There was a tease at one point that he'd be teaming with Kenny King.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's not that easy! Stone Cold has to actually want to come back to the ring. I do think he'd want to be one of if not the single biggest parts of the show, and Rock and Lesnar are already getting that level of attention. So no, I don't see it happening. It'd be great, though. Maybe next year?
2. No, but I imagine it doesn't help. NXT's Kenneth Cameron was released after alcohol-related criminal charges, though.
Nothing to add to 3. I haven't seen nearly enough WWE documentaries to judge!
4. Like they said, it was just a cameo like Brooklyn Brawler at TLC. I don't think he'll be back full-time, though he obviously still has fans.
5. It's simple: they get paid to cover wrestling! They just happen to not like a lot of things about it.
More wrestling tomorrow. Our Blue Echo podcast will be up later in the day!
Friday, February 22, 2013
Another NXT guest, WWE scouts Divas, TNA Knockout in Maxim, Rock staying with WWE longer, EY update, Race hosting seminar, Interviews with TRENT?/Stone Cold, injured star returns to the ring, Knockout at Bellator, Marella update, NXT back on TV?, King Mo to TNA soon?, and Questions on Austin vs. Punk, firing for DUIs, Dreamer, and complaining
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Chuck, I'm sure you've heard the news on Jack Swagger. When I first heard the smaller details of the arrest, I didn't think much of it, as it's happened many times to others without a scratch. However, reading about it more with the drug allegations and him going to court, it's more serious than I had thought.
ReplyDeleteThere are rumors now that he may be replaced in his WHC match against Del Rio at Wrestlemania. I'm not sure if you've heard of them, but here is a credible source... http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2013/0222/560586/backstage-talk-on-jack-swagger-and-wrestlemania-29/
If so, that is completely devastating to the guy. It's clear WWE is behind him (if you read that link, it's even more clear), so that is unfortunate for him. I know there were some naysayers who were against him being a top contender and being booked to win that Chamber match, so this puts even more stones in the fire. What is your take on this?
There are only a few sources that I'll put a lot of trust in, and until one of them confirms that story (which may very well be true), I'm not going to jump to conclusions. I haven't seen anything about him going to court from them, though he was found with marijuana and the DUI stemmed from that. So far all they've done is pull him from Smackdown live events. He's still scheduled for Raw.
ReplyDeleteSwagger definitely shot himself in the foot. As I mentioned on the podcast, he really put himself and others at risk by driving erratically. I can certainly see people in the company wanting to change direction now and I can't really blame them. It doesn't look good for the company to have one of its focal points in a situation like this.
I'd be more than ok with them going with Del Rio vs. Henry and Swagger having to prove himself to the company by being set back a bit. I'm very high on Swagger the performer (mic skills notwithstanding) but I think it's risky to let this go "unpunished".
There's an alternative, though: they could have him travel with someone who will make sure he stays away from those things, as well as "taking him under his (or her) wing". I think they do need to send some kind of message to the locker room at any rate that this isn't acceptable and changes need to be made. Maybe take a cut of his Mania payday, too?
I actually think it's a good idea in general to pair younger stars with more experienced people on the road. Not just to monitor behavior, but to pass on tips.
And while I'm typing, Darren Young is going to be out for a while. I know I've taken some issue with him in the past, but he was a hard worker who wanted to succeed. I think he was doing a pretty good job in his role and growing more comfortable. He wasn't one of my absolute favorites, but I really respected his hustle ("fire") and drive. I legitimately wish him a speedy recovery and good career. It's definitely a shame to have both he and Tyson Kidd out for an extended amount of time as both were doing good things in the undercard and I think both have futures.
I definitely think they'll push Titus as a singles star now. They might be kind of "testing the waters" with him at the moment and not be ready to give him a big push (which is smart. I don't want him to bite off more than he can chew). I might be inclined to have him team with JTG for a while since he's still coming along in the ring. That said, he's been impressive as a power guy in longer outings. I've definitely seen worse big men and he seems motivated. I wouldn't push him to the moon, but he's earned a shot to show what he's got.
Some of the suggestions you mentioned about Swagger and the his punishment make sense. The "designated driver" to pair him with and docking his 'Mania pay make sense. There should definitely be some form of discipline to set a standard and just because he's receiving a push doesn't mean he can get away with breaking the law.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I also agree it's too early to come to a logical punishment until all of the facts are set out there. One thing going for Swagger is that I don't believe he's violated any of the WWE's policies before and hasn't had any major brushes with the law previously. It's interesting to see what will happen. One thing is for sure though, and that's that Swagger definitely didn't do himself a favor here.
As you know, I've been a fan of Young's for a while, so it's tough to hear about his injury. I knew he was injured, but the previous report indicated him being out for about another month, so it's tough to hear. One positive about the situation is that he's still young (below 30, at 29). Then again, with how fickle WWE can be with pushes, it can really have a negative effect on PTP and Young, regardless. We'll see what happens after his return.
I think it does open the door for other tag teams to make more of an impact now that Young is hurt and Rhodes Scholars have disbanded. Though it weakens the tag team division, I think it bodes well for the other teams. In the near future (probably even in the next month) I could see Tensai/Clay taking the titles from Hell No, with a feud seeming inevitable with those two.
I think the WWE has really done well with Hell No, and they've both done well in their roles. I understand if they disbanded with the team really reaching a plateau in terms of entertaining and having the titles for a while, but it's just at a tough time with so many other teams disbanding.
With Titus, it's hard for me to guage how he will be booked. Putting aside my criticisms on him, I honestly don't know where his role will be with Young's injury. I could see them pushing him into a possible I.C. or U.S. Title match in the near future, then again, I could see him being a mainstay on Superstars as a low/midcard wrestler. The tag team angle with a JTG would make sense until he gets more experience, but the hang-up there would be how JTG has been held back for so long.
I will say this...he's come a long way. I still don't think he's consistent and natural with his promos/backstage bits and think he needs some work in the ring, but he definitely is better as a heel. If WWE finds a good storyline for him and keeps him as a heel, I could see him possibly being a midcard guy on the main roster.
One thing working against him (other than what I've mentioned) would be all of the up-and-coming stars that have came on strong and all of the other veteran talent on the roster. Sandow, Cesaro, all three Shield members, Bo Dallas (though I'm not a fan, he seems to be in high regard) and possibly Fandango (tentatively) seem to be examples along with a few others. One thing is for sure, and that's that it will be interesting to see what will happen.
You make a good point about not punishing him until all the facts are out there.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of factors at play with Young returning: what Titus is doing at the time, how crowded the roster is, who else has been called up and how well they're doing, and Management's general view on him. It wouldn't shock me in the least if he's back working NXT for a while while they figure out what to do with him. There are some talented undercard guys stuck there and on Superstars/SMS. Honestly it might be good for him to get a little more tuning on the mic and in the ring before he comes back. There are a lot of people backstage/in NXT he could work with to impress Management. Hopefully his hard work will pay off as he seems like he really has the drive to be a big contributor. He just gets lost in the shuffle and isn't huge in the personality department (though he was improving there).
There's potential for them to do some new things with the tag team division. I see Hell No splitting and feuding, and they might put Rhodes Scholars back together. I don't know how "ready" some of the NXT stars are if they want to bring up some new teams. I know they've experimented with some pairings down there.
I think doing Kane vs. Bryan is worth them breaking up IF they use it to help make Bryan a credible main event force. I think Bryan is continuing to grow as a character and a wrestler and if they play their cards right they might really have something there.
I don't see them putting Titus with JTG (that would mean they actually thought of JTG for once). I just think they'd play off of each other fairly well. As long as Cesaro and Barrett are the champions, I don't see him going for either title. So, it looks like he'll stick to the undercard for a while. Which is fine, because he can use some fine-tuning and experience.
Titus to me seems like he's really into his character and like he's a natural extension of himself. The whistle is a great addition, though of course it's been done before (Bill Alfonso). I think he could do well as the arrogant football player, though Cesaro and Barrett have him beaten by a sizable margin.
There's definitely competition out there. It'll be very interesting to see how he fares. They might still be iffy on Dallas and Fandango. Fandango might end up just being a low-level comedy heel, sadly. I don't really know what they're thinking there unless they're trying to do something like they did with Santino. I can actually see that working. Curtis is talented from what I've seen.