Vince Russo talked to Kurt Angle on his amusingly named podcast, The Swerve. Here are highlights:
- We all know Hulk's all about what's best for the Hulkster, jack. Sting and Angle needed to step aside and let Hogan and Easy E run the ship (into an iceberg).
- Russo might be considered one of those critics Vince McMahon doesn't listen to.
Paul Heyman's client BROCK LESNAR is officially being advertised for WrestleMania 31 and the Raw after. Could that Raw be his last night in the company?
Chris Jericho has been added to WWE live events in Canada, on Jan. 31, Feb. 1, and Feb. 28. Whether he's coming back for a real run or just a few dates is up in the air at this point.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
WWE will be showing Slammys-related content on the Network of the 2014 edition set for Monday night.
Harley Race is being interviewed for the WWE Network. Will there be an NWA special like there was for ECW?
John Cena responded to Vince's podcast. I'm really ready for some new top names.
Stephanie McMahon talked about brand-building. Pretty solid advice.
SeekingAlpha put out an analysis on why WWE Network will eventually succeed. I think it probably will. WWE's just got to figure some things out about it (and give people more content they want to see).
WWE responded to an arrest warrant being issued for Heath Slater for an alleged altercation from 2011. I'll let the legal system handle that one.
Jeremy Borash interviewed Dixie Carter about the future of TNA. Here's a summary:
- I do think the product has been pretty good in the latter half of 2014 as far as focusing on good wrestling, and less focus on the older names who have done the same thing for years. I really hope that continues in 2015.
- I wouldn't say TNA "deserved" more than a two-hour show given sluggish ratings. If they were pulling in two million people a week and turning people away at live events, maybe I'd agree.
- I'll be unpleasantly surprised to see King Mo, Rampage, and/or Tito back in TNA in 2015. I don't think they've really added anything to the product.
- I really wonder what the future of TNA is on a notably lower-tier network.
- I hope this is a fresh start for them, but I have my doubts. They need to continue to make some real changes and be their own identity.
- The "name" talents should be used to spotlight the emerging talent, then either be repurposed or cast aside. I can watch Team 3D, Dreamer, etc. in their prime on the WWE Network (for $9.99 a month). I can't say that about Homicide, Samoa Joe, Low Ki, etc..
- I think Angle's still got a few meaningful big matches in him if TNA knows what they're doing. He shouldn't be the focal point of the show, though.
- I'm willing to give Dixie the benefit of the doubt as far as there being more under the hood than we've seen from the move to Destination America. Going into more international markets is definitely a plus.
- I'm not inherently excited for the Indian/UK names, but I'm willing to see what they've got.
- I hope we're not just in for yet another ECW reunion at the NYC shows. It's time for that horse to be put out to pasture for the most part.
- I'm interested to see what announcements are coming up in the next few days.
Raw's audience Monday night was 3.88 million viewers, a pretty sizable drop from the previous week. I think the show was good, but if people were expecting big changes really quickly and Sting on TV every week, I can see why they were disappointed.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Probably. They clearly like him.
2. That's some fresh thinking, but that's also a pretty heavy workload if they're working two matches. Even if it's just the top ten contenders instead of winners of previous matches, what if there's more than one person on the winning side? I guess they could compete with each other for the spot at TLC? I like the idea, but it needs some tooling and/or clarification.
3. I think pretty much everyone knew the end was coming, just maybe not how soon. I think they were still in panic mode trying for that Hail Mary pass that would save the promotion. It wouldn't surprise me if there was a lot of disbelief in such a big company actually going out of business due to the whole "reality distortion field" thing backstage, but I doubt anyone thought it was due for a big upswing.
4. You should find that scenario unlikely, because it's not what happened. It was a long process that led to him walking out, then he got the papers from WWE of a termination of contract. He wasn't going to stay in that environment any longer, even for a retirement tour. As was said, he's not a mark. It wasn't about the money anymore. It was about his health.
5. Punk wanted to get out of wrestling, period, for the sake of his health. He was making good money in WWE. I don't know if he'd really go take more bumps and risk his health further given what he was going through.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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