Main Event:
I was amused by the ending of the opening 10-man tag. All in all it was a pretty solid encounter.
I'm glad there was a post-match interview, even if it didn't really advance much.
Fine Divas match. I've seen worse, for sure! Alicia's something of an unsung hero I think. I don't see much reason to push her, but she does good work.
I liked Barrett's promo well enough, if for no other reason than being ready for my own spring break!
I liked them pushing the NXT event. Good work!
I wasn't too crazy about Darren vs. Titus 2. It felt like it was missing just a little something. It seems like they'll both be spinning tires for a while, since neither's currently being positioned as too big of a deal. Could this not have waited until after WrestleMania?
I'm really liking the new Sin Cara. Pretty good match with Sandow, who is unfortunately pretty much back to where he was before winning MITB. WWE has so many young talents they could push into big roles, but they keep going back to the same names.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
The dark match for Smackdown saw The Miz beat Fandango via figure-four leg lock. No Rusev squash?
WWE is currently not doing any advertisement or sponsorships on the Network, so the space between shows has been taken up by promos for other Network shows, videos from the WWE YouTube and some original clips.
WWE isn't charging people for the free trial as people have claimed. They were just putting hold charges on credit cards to make sure they were valid before returning the funds. Apparently that's not unusual.
International users previously able to obtain the WWE Network are unable to do so. The launch has already been chaotic. Imagine how crazy things would be if they launched in more than just the U.S.!
WWE didn't turn previously-shot standard definition into HD. In other words, WCW and ECW footage are still in SD. Would it have been cost-efficient to touch up such old footage?
A number of news outlets covered the hiccups of the WWE Network launch. I suspect this is just a temporary thing.
Brock Lesnar responding to The Undertaker and The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family are both set for Monday's Raw. Maybe the latter will do something to assuage those upset with Punk not being there. Bad News Barrett could have a field day with the Punk situation next week!
Mick Foley mentioned turning down an appearance on the Raw pre-show. There are also some new shots at Al Snow up, which is more amusing.
Batista has been firing back at his detractors on Twitter. He's not shy about his opinions. That's for sure!
Mark Henry is teasing some big announcements. I wonder what the rest of his career holds for him. I'd like to think he's got one more big run in him.
Jake Roberts gave an update on his surgery. Watch out, Dean Ambrose!
Dixie Carter talked about TNA. Sadly it wasn't in character. Still a very good read. NASCAR is almost exclusively the domain of older white people. I think the stories have been better post-Hogan and Bischoff, though not everyone agrees.
TNA posted footage of the Wolves winning the Tag Team Titles. It does seem odd they didn't save that for TV. I wonder what the thought process was there.
New TNA signing Extreme Tiger will be getting a new name in the company. Maybe they'll bring back Sangriento!?
Hulk Hogan plugged the WWE Network and WrestleMania on "Today". That's what they hired him for!
Jim Ross was interviewed. I'd love to hear him call Brock vs. Taker as well!
Triple H talked about NXT ahead of their big special. I'm glad the company is really behind the brand and Haitch is committed to keeping it from being too much like what we already see from WWE. The storytelling vs. big moves line of thinking is a dead horse here, but I think it still holds true. All in all, great to hear what HHH feels about the brand.
LeBron James bought WWE Title replicas for his teammates. That's great!
Randy Orton will replace C.M. Punk at an upcoming WizardWorld event Punk was advertised for. That makes sense with him as WWE Champion, though I imagine fans would have rather had Bryan or The Shield.
Kane made a few wrestling-related comments during an appearance on Fox Business Network. They knew not to crack any Isaac Yankem jokes.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I could see there being an effect along the lines of fans being able to watch just about anything they want wrestling-wise, so they need a specific reason to watch TNA (in other words, what can they get there they can't get anywhere else?). Right now, the Network doesn't have everything it will have, but it'll be pretty simple to access a lot of nostalgia content. TNA's gotten rid of most of the people just there on name value, but would people rather watch Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, etc. in nostalgic content than in what they're in now? That goes for current WWE stars, too. I personally wonder what effect NXT's PPV will have on the Impact it's going up against.
2. Certainly TNA and (especially) WWE have a big head start on Jarrett, but that's not to say he couldn't one day compete with either or both. Getting a national TV deal and signing away "Jeff Jarrett guys" from TNA would certainly be a big potential hit to his former company, ESPECIALLY if they lose their Spike deal. I think TNA is making changes people have asked for (pushing new stars, dropping some older ones, getting rid of Hogan and Bischoff), so hopefully that helps them out. If Jarrett can do a better job as #2 company instead of TNA, I welcome him trying. WWE has a HUGE advantage and I don't see him being able to take their place any time in the near future, but I don't think TNA's safe.
Nothing to add to 3. That's not my area of expertise!
4. That could potentially be pretty cool, I think, since theoretically he could be there at ANY time. I don't think he should be in a ladder match, though, and I don't see a reason for him to be champion, but it's a cool storyline idea.
5. I can definitely see Angle going for one last run in WWE, especially as a part-timer. I don't know if TNA would be willing to pony up enough money to keep him in their current cost-cutting state, but if there's anyone they'd shell out money for, I think it'd be him.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Main Event Reax - 2/27/14, Smackdown dark match, various WWE Network notes, big things set for next week's Raw, HoFer not on Raw pre-show, #shotsfired on Batista's Twitter, what's next for Henry?, Roberts update, Interviews with Dixie/JR/HHH/Kane, footage of TNA title switch, new TNA signing getting name change, another WWE nod from LeBron, Punk replacement and Questions on the WWE Network affecting TNA, Double J challenging TNA, Brock holding MITB and Angle going to WWE
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Yeah, I definitely felt like the Young/O'Neil matchup was missing something. With the show averaging less than one million viewers each week, I don't understand how it goes from the pay-per-view before WrestleMania to a low-end show like Main Event. My best guess here is that since Titus seems to be the one they want to push and since they don't want Young to be seen as the next "JTG," they wanted to give Young a bit of a "consolation prize" by claiming to get the better of Titus. They may show this match next week on SmackDown to refer to the matchup being "one win each," to build the feud a bit and then probably have Titus win the rubber match. My question remains in that why have this match on Main Event and why have it be so short and poorly marketed? I understand it's WrestleMania season, but they did make this match a pay-per-view matchup previously.
ReplyDeleteDon't look now, but it seems a bit that this "feud" is looking a decent amount like the early stages of the JTG/Shad feud. Notice how Shad got the better of JTG early, but JTG ended up pulling out a victory a few weeks later. I have no idea what the future holds for both, but I just find it a coincidence. I, like you, have also changed my opinion a bit in that Titus being the "Shad" of the former team in that he gets a push early, but fizzles out and Darren being the "JTG" in that he get outdone early but is the member who remains with the company in a lower-card role may be a bit presumptuous to call. I'll be interested to see what amounts for the two from here.
The match being put on Main Event is an example of where Titus and Darren are on the totem pole in relation to everything else in Mania season. It's definitely better than being stuck on Superstars, but obviously not a top placement.
ReplyDeleteI think if the feud wasn't part of Mania and WWE Network season, it'd be more important. They've got to take a backseat to Hogan, Taker, etc. now. It's not hard for me to see why Punk and others are so frustrated: the people putting their bodies on the line for most of the year are basically used as placeholders until the "real big stars" WWE wants to get behind are available. It feels like WWE sees some performers as the rental cars you get when your car's in the shop. I think this is understandable to some degree (sports teams have backup quarterbacks and such), but there's definitely discontent with hard workers being brushed aside for nostalgia acts, celebrities, comedy characters, etc.
It's definitely an odd time to split the team unless they have a plan for them at Mania. I could see Titus putting Darren away ahead of challenging Big E for the IC Title in New Orleans.
The JTG/Shad comparison to me was a case of them seeing one performer as having skills to be move up the card (Shad/Titus) before they might lose faith or direction in that performer while the other is seen as a good worker to keep around, but not really to utilize (JTG/Darren). I think WWE needs some people in the role of reliable undercard worker, and inevitably SOMEONE will get the shaft, but I'd like to see them shake things up creatively. Fans definitely want something different in 2014 from the approach WWE's been taking for quite a while.
As for Darren and Titus specifically, I think unless there's a plan in place for them, there wasn't much reason to split them. I know Batista and Titus go back, so his return might be what sparked WWE to see what they've got with him.