This past weekend's live events featured Sami Zayn beating Tyson Kidd, and Los Matadores beating The Ascension. I'm glad Zayn and The Ascension are getting more experience working main roster names. I'd like for all three to be brought up by the end of Mania season.
Update: Also on live events this weekend, Adrian Neville beat Tyler Breeze to retain the NXT Championship, while Xavier Woods was once more alongside Big E and Kofi Kingston (as faces). I think Neville and Breeze would still benefit from more time in NXT, but it's great for them to be getting their feet wet on a higher stage.
Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze are scheduled for the next few weeks of TV, while NXT Champion Adrian Neville is set for appearances into October. It will be interesting to see how that plays out, and how long those three talents will stay in developmental if they get over well.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
TNA is filming a series called TNA Legends featuring older content. Jeremy Borash is the host. They're doing anything to get something on TV at this point.
This week's tapings of Impact Wrestling are the final currently scheduled U.S. dates for TNA. They will tape several months' worth of TV across four days, leading to the UK tapings in January. TNA has absolutely zero live events planned domestically at this time. They're not dead yet, but there are definitely some very serious financial issues right now.
Update: TNA could put together some recap clip shows if they don't tape enough material to fill time until the January tapings. I don't anticipate those during great ratings. At the rate things are going, they might be doing "Best of TNA" shows as a final sendoff.
A lot of TNA's live production crew is finishing up this week. So, even if they're on the air in the U.S. in 2015, they're going to need some new hands putting those shows together. I wonder if they could use workers from the UK for those tapings while they try to get a new crew together here? Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if we're looking at the last few months of TNA. The bad news keeps piling up.
TNA and Bully Ray are believed to be working on terms for Bully to finish his current tag team storyline, ending at Bound For Glory. It would be pretty embarrassing if TNA put Team 3D in the Hall of Fame with only Devon there. I don't know how much it's worth to pay Bully to work those last few dates instead of subbing in someone like Tommy Dreamer or Brother Runt. It wouldn't be the same, but TNA doesn't exactly have a lot of money to be throwing around right now.
TNA should be able to book Jeff Hardy in Japan despite his criminal record (which has kept him out of UK dates before). With Richards' injury, Bully's contract and Hardy's legal past, it'll be something of a miracle if they finish the tag team title series.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I would also like something along those lines, but of course WWE's going to spin things toward the narrative they want to tell and the superstars they want to promote.
2. I do think TNA's in panic mode to a degree and, in part due to not knowing their TV status beyond December, has less of a long-term plan for things. That said, I do think they have some narratives going (Bully's quest to put Dixie through a table lasted a while, and they had/have the storylines of EY and Lashley taking on various opponents). I think any long-term planning of that time has to be some credit to Bruce Prichard, although Aces and Eights was Bischoff's idea. There were plenty of times during the Hogan/Bischoff era where I was dreading watching the show each week and hoping they'd get canceled. That's not the case anymore.
3. Ambrose and Reigns are two very different performers and characters. Ambrose is more of the workrate guy while Reigns fits the top star mold WWE's had with guys like Cena and Orton. I don't think there's anything really wrong with either guy, and it's seemingly rare that someone who becomes a mainstay of the company is seen as "ready for it" until they're actually there (Cena, Orton and Edge immediately come to mind here). I think all three former members of The Shield will be successful, but WWE's not going to completely turn away from the established guys and part-timers any time soon.
4. I'm sure there's an element of "Management doesn't want a talent to get past a certain level" and pushing certain acts as main eventers whom Management wants as main eventers (and, by extension, pushing certain guys as jobbers they want to be as jobbers). It's a shame.
5. As much as I'd love to see Kurt vs. Brock again, I don't think it would end well for Kurt. There are legitimate concerns with his health, to the point where it's no guarantee he'd be able to wrestle in WWE. I think Angle vs. Rusev is an obvious choice if Kurt returns, as it wouldn't put as much pressure on Kurt as a big match with Brock would. Kurt's had a number of issues inside and outside of wrestling, and WWE has to be careful with that.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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