WWE has added special VIP "Ringsider" tickets for its TV tapings, where fans get a ticket facing the hard camera, a special-edition chair like at PPVs, a signed photo of a WWE talent, and some small pieces of merchandise. It will be interesting to see what happens if those fans are distracting to the viewer and WWE tries to move them or make them change clothes.
WWE is asking fans what kind of DVD releases they want in 2016. Shane McMahon and the best of Superstars and NXT would be great. Shane basically dropped off the map when he left WWE, and people want to see him again.
The May 22 episode of Impact Wrestling could be a three-hour Destination X event. It seems a little early in the year for that.
Update: Destination X will air in June. Plans for the May 22 episode have yet to have been unveiled.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
GFW released a video showing other performers who will be working for the promotion. They've got a pretty good lineup there. I hope GFW does good things. They've got TV tapings and a pretty good slew of live events booked. It could be a solid destination for talents. I'm particularly curious about what this means for the former Brodus Clay, who is currently working for TNA. Is he leaving to go work GFW?
The audience for Friday's live Impact was 358,000 in its regular timeslot, and 105,000 for the immediate replay. That's a pretty notable drop from the previous week, and for a live show with two notable returns and some important storylines. They've got their work cut out for them to improve their numbers.
WWE will have a special Elimination Chamber event on May 31, exclusively for Network subscribers. I think that's pretty clever, although I think we'll end up with a lot of rematches from Payback (some of which are rematches from Extreme Rules). We'll see how it turns out in a few months.
Update: Elimination Chamber had been retired as an event due to a lack of venues that can handle the rigging necessary to hold the structure above the ring. The venue in Corpus Christi is able to be used for the event. WWE has another live event set that day, but I suspect it will be postponed so the names working that show can be used on the PPV. The show is being broadcast exclusively on the Network to get people to subscribe, particularly the people who still watch PPV by traditional means. Growing the Network is a top priority for them, so they're going all out.
Daniel Bryan was originally booked for Payback and the following Raw. It's possible he'll be on hand when they determine the new IC Champion. The obvious way to go is to have Neville vs. Barrett and Sheamus vs. Ziggler become tournament matches to declare a new champion the next night on Raw. Otherwise those matches don't really stand out because we've seen them face off quite a bit now.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They just had Bryan drop the title on Raw. It's not like they went months and months without addressing it. They wanted to see what Bryan's status was before making him drop it. I think Sheamus, Neville, BNB, and Ziggler will be in the running for it. Maybe WWE could make a tournament out of those Payback matches, with the finals on the next week's Raw?
2. I agree with their assessment here. Honestly, I think a lot of fans were going to boo Reigns regardless. But having Bryan return only to lose didn't help Reigns in the least.
3. Heyman officiating a wedding or something would be pretty entertaining. I don't know how that would work from a religious standpoint, but I imagine there'd be a market for his vocal talents if he wanted to go that route.
4. I don't think there's anything that can match Brock ending The Streak. That had been built up for more than two decades. As for Cena vs. Rusev, I don't see any reason for Rusev to win the title back two months after losing it. I think Lana should throw in a white flag or something to turn face without Rusev having to actually give up to Cena. With Rollins as champion, Rusev is going for the number two heel spot at best. Probably number three behind Big Show. There's only so much they can do with him. Besides, if Cena drops the U.S. Title, where does he go from there? His open challenge won't mean as much without the title attached, and he'll almost certainly move into the WWE Title picture. I'd much rather have him in the midcard working with talented rising stars than feuding with The Authority again. Cena being away from the main event scene is what people have been wanting for years now. Now that we're getting it, it's still not good enough for some people. I can see why WWE doesn't cater to hardcore fans exclusively.
5. I can see that criticism. It's definitely not quite the same. I think a lot of people disliked Hogan's character in TNA, even as a face, for that reason.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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