NXT+WWE live event notes, Interview with Angle, and Questions on watching TNA in 2016, Shane facing Taker, Cena at WM32, NXT at Mania, and Bryan in the HoF

Some NXT live event notes from Florida:
- Mojo Rawley won a singles match. Zack Ryder was not on hand. I think Mojo works better in a team, but he'll need to work singles matches at times on the main roster, too, so this was good.

- Tough Enough's Josh Woods teamed with Noah Kekoa in a win over Blake and Murphy. B&M losing to a team that's not been on TV is surprising.

- Rich Swann teamed with Tucker Knight in a loss to The Revival. That could be an interesting team given the size/power difference.

- Chris Girard wrestled Sawyer Fulton to a no-contest when Girard was busted upon hard-way trying to leap over the top rope. Hopefully he's OK. He was impressive in his first NXT TV match.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

ROH PPV notes, more between ROH and NJPW, more on TNA seeking investors, Former ECW Champion opening wrestling school, former Diva married, ROH dark match, and Questions on BalorxBayley, Ricochet in ROH, Nakamura's future, using social media to get over, and Puder getting destroyed in the Rumble

ROH was very happy with the 14th anniversary PPV. There was definitely a lot of fast-paced action.

- The show was a legitimate sellout. At least someone in ROH knows how to sell things.

More ROH names are expected to sign with NJPW. The working agreement between the two sides means ROH can still use those names when in-between NJPW bookings, without paying them the amount they'd have to pay for a full-time ROH contract. It also lets NJPW restock their roster after the big departures. That's great for everyone... as long as ROH and NJPW are on good terms.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Superstars Reax - 2/26/16, NXT live event notes, Shane training for the ring, WWE coming back to Japan, Interviews with Shane/Bennett, Smackdown audience, TNA TV home coming to new platform, TNA tag star has surgery, former announcer on the Network, Bryan at AXXESS, top names for March 14 Raw, TNA looking for investors, TNA DVDs of two top alumni, and Questions on Shane coming back as an executive, what Titus is missing out on, AJ vs. Jericho, Gary Hart, and live events

Superstars:
Summer Rae becoming a wrestler again is out of nowhere, but I'm glad we're seeing it. Not a bad promo.

- Summer vs. Alicia:
Summer's solid in the ring. I wish we had seen her more.

Summer's a good character. I like her psychology here.

Nice work from both wrestlers.

I liked that match alright. I hope we see more from Summer. And Emma, too, while they're at it.

- Ryder vs. Stardust:
Stardust is a lot of fun. I hope he doesn't transition into something less interesting.

This is pretty good so far. I love seeing some of the undercard names in action in longer matches than they'd get on Raw or Smackdown.

I liked Ryder trying to make the most of his Broski Boots.

I liked that well enough. I kind of want to see Ryder team with Mojo a time or two on Superstars to see how that goes for them.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

ROH 14th Anniversary Reax

Read on for my thoughts on last night's ROH PPV.

TNA's next tapings, another WWE site update, Interviews with Woods/Styles, more matches for ROH taping, big present for Nakamura, Khali injured?, Impact and NXT previews, Bryan appearance set, another date for Shane, Former ROH Champ vs. former TNA/IWGP Champ at WWE's MSG show, and Questions on Shane returning leading to a big change, the next step for NJPW talents to WWE, WWE opening up to the wrestling press, HHH screwing Vince at Mania, and ROH attendance

TNA's next tapings are planned for March 12 through 15 in Orlando. They'll tape Impact Wrestling and One Night Only shows then. I assume Jeff Hardy will be back for those events.

WWE has updated WWE Shop to fit the look of the rest of their website.

Xavier Woods was interviewed by a Spanish outlet. El Nuevo Dia? 

ROH has announced the following additional matches for their next TV taping:
- The Young Bucks vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi/Michael Elgin
- reDRagon vs. Kazuchika Okada/Gedo
- RPG Vice challenge for the ROH Tag Team Championship
- Silas Young vs. Dalton Castle in a Fight Without Honor
- Jay Lethal vs. Hirooki Goto

ROH and NJPW are pretty tight. I can't really blame either side for wanting to share assets, though. Especially with the high-profile NJPW departures.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

ROH and Smackdown Reax - 2/25/16

Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's ROH and Smackdown.

Update on WWE advertising, Shane McMahon 101, Nakamura makes recommendation for Cruiserweight Series, ROH-Japan note, Goto's opponent for ROH PPV, Crockett charity for veterans, Lockdown audience, HoF ring-Pawn Stars update, Reigns off some live events, another Brock date, and Questions on HHH's legacy, the importance of the ECW brand, calling Bayley up, faces winning on live events, and action figures

Advertising for the May 23 Raw has been changed to calling the show "WWE Raw." For a few weeks, it had been listed as "Monday Night Raw vs. WWE," which could be an indicator of future plans for a brand split. Creative direction can always change before then, but there have been rumblings of splitting the roster again.

WWE released a video on Shane McMahon's history in the company, which makes sense considering how long he's been gone. There are fans who aren't familiar with his Attitude Era work, or even his later stints involving the rebooted DX and Legacy.

Shinsuke Nakamura told a Japanese news outlet he's recommended Kota Ibushi for WWE's Global Cruiserweight Series. I fully expect WWE to reach out to international talents more in the years to come as they expand to other countries with live events and the Network. The GCS is part of that.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

NXT and Main Event Reax - 2/24/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT and Main Event.

Vince-Raw note, more on Titus' suspension, Raw press, WM32 sponsor, GFW-UK update, Interview with RVD, WM32 charity raffle, change to title match at ROH PPV, WWE changes PPV schedule, Raw audience, NXT runs tag team attack angle, more on Reigns bleeding on Raw, another date for Brock, more between WWE and Full Sail, brand extension returning?, Tweet Shane-O-Mac, Taker update, and Questions on Kickoff shows, pairing Nia with Tamina, fans taking responsibility for wrestler injuries, pushing Neville, and Michelle McCool's success

Vince McMahon "dropped an F-bomb" during his promo with Shane. Catching things like that before they air is why live TV is on a tape delay. WWE could have been fined if that wasn't censored.

Batista commented on WWE suspending Titus O'Neil. I hope this doesn't lead to more heat on Titus. I assume we won't be seeing Batista at Wrestlemania based on his feelings here.

WWE got some local press for the Michigan football coach being at Raw.

WWE has announced Snickers as sponsoring Wrestlemania 32. Since they need something for the Divas not in the title match to do, how about a Snickers Divas Battle Royal? I'd prefer it to be the Vickie Guerrero Invitational in Texas, but the name's kind of arbitrary.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

TNA Lockdown Reax

Read on for my thoughts on last night's special episode of Impact Wrestling.

More on Nakamura to WWE, Cena updates, more on HoF ring on Pawn Stars, Reigns profiled, more NXT live events set, new WWE HoFer, more on WWE's next MSG show, Interview with Sheamus, Cena note, WWE runs angle on Facebook before Raw, top matches set for WM32, and Questions on how WWE using Paige, Bryan's future, Cena at WM32, and Vince punishing Titus

WWE officially announced Shinsuke Nakamura's signing during a press conference in Japan. He'll be headed to NXT. At this point, it's unknown whether he'll get a name change like Balor, Itami, and Asuka before him. Either way, it should be exciting to see what he does.

- WWE put out a press release on the signing. That should be an indication of how big of a signing this is. They don't do that for many stars. It's interesting to see he won't start actually training until late March. I know he's headed back to Japan before he starts with the company, but I didn't expect him to be gone that long.

John Cena is intensely rehabilitating his injury in an attempt to be cleared for Wrestlemania. I admire his tenacity, but I think the wise thing to do might be to keep Cena on the shelf for his own good. If the doctors say he can't be back until July, he's really pushing it to come back for a show at the beginning of April. He's playing a dangerous game here. 

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Raw Reax - 2/22/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.

TNA Lockdown preview

Read on for my suggestions for booking tonight's special edition of Impact Wrestling.

Sandow gets time off, a real wrestling event engagement, Interview with Charlotte, OVW profiled, Cena teasing big WM32 match, promo cut from Smackdown, NXT live event notes, Nakamura officially signs with WWE, and Questions on Rock vs. Taker, the new WWE.com, booking Styles, and Vince's feelings about Bryan

Damien Sandow has taken some time off from WWE due to a death in his family. I wish him the best. Presumably we'll see him back shortly. I expect he'll be in the Andre battle royal again at WM32.

Former TNA wrestler Joey Ryan proposed to his girlfriend in the ring during a wrestling event. Despite the fact she's a wrestler, too, this marks a legitimate engagement. That's pretty cool! Do they get married in the ring, too?

Charlotte talked about her road to WWE. I'm glad Laurinaitis sparked her wanting to come to WWE. She's been a really good wrestler.

Former WWE and TNA developmental territory OVW was profiled. I like the Shakespeare comparisons. I don't think many people would make those.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

WWE Fastlane Reax

Read on for my thoughts on last night's WWE special event.

Australian team coming to WWE, son of HOFer cut by NFL, Interviews with Kofi/Bray, WWE interviews CHIKARA head, ROH-NJPW news, former ROH Champion signs to NJPW, WWE/NXT promotion, NXT live event note, and Questions on Goldberg vs. Flair, Lawler turning heel, another 40-man Rumble, RKOs outta nowhere, and Rick Steiner

TMDK, a duo of Australian talents who've achieved success in Japanese promotion NOAH, are headed to NXT after finishing up in Japan next month. They were offered deals in the middle of 2015, but one member of the team got injured. Now, though, Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls are working a "goodbye" tour en route to heading to the States. Both men are 30 with more than 500 matches worth of experience. I like those stats. I hope they have great futures in WWE. I can't help but want an Australian faction of Murphy, Haste, Nicholls, Emma, Peyton Royce, and Billie Kay. If the team of Blake and Murphy doesn't work out, they can pair Blake with Alexa and Murphy with either Emma, Royce, or Kay.

James Laurinaitis, son of Road Warrior Animal and nephew of WWE executive John Laurinaitis, was recently cut from his NFL team. Naturally this is leading to speculation of him trying his hand at pro wrestling. It's too early to assume that will be the case, but it's certainly an option if he doesn't get picked up by another team.

Kofi Kingston talked ahead of a live event. I can't wait to see New Day on the Cutting Edge Peep Show.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

WWE Fastlane preview

Read on for my suggestions on booking tonight's WWE special event.

Superstars Reax - 2/19/16, ROH-NJPW notes, NXT live event notes, future ROH matches, NXT guest, Interviews with Apollo/Jake, more on WWE.com redesign, NXT team gets new moniker, WWE looks at Bischoff rebooting WCW in 2001, WM33/WM34 location update, March to WM card notes, NXT TV preview, Smackdown audience, key TNA producer re-signs, more on Steiner vs. TNA, and Questions on Haas/Benjamin in NXT, mistreating Raquel, Ranallo, The Funk in MSG, and pushing Kalisto

Superstars:
- Fox vs. Natalya:
Fun fact. These two have wrestled one-on-one on Raw, ECW, Smackdown, Saturday Morning Slam, Main Event, and Superstars 16 times before this match. That's not even including all the times they've worked singles matches on live events. By contrast, The Rock and Stone Cold wrestled on TV and PPV one-on-one a total of 10 times. It is worth noting WWE has a lot more TV to fill now. Four of those shows mentioned didn't even exist when Rock and Austin had their last match against each other.

This isn't bad so far. I like both wrestlers. I just think I've seen them both quite a bit, and they need new "dance partners."

That was good enough to fill some time.

- Fandango vs. Swagger:
I'm liking this one. Fandango is a solid undercard worker. If WWE wasn't so crowded with talented people, he'd stand out more (see the former Derrick Bateman and Drew McIntyre in TNA if you don't believe me).

Nice work by both men.

I'd love if Main Event and Superstars had their own "brand" like ECW or the final season of NXT. Take some writers from the main roster and have them build stories on these shows. Instead of a TV Championship, there could be a Network Championship defended exclusively on ME and Superstars. It could be a lot of fun for people who normally have little character development.

Nice match overall.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Big relaunch to WWE.com, NXT names at March to Wrestlemania, WWE DVDs coming to new market, Interviews with Corgan/Galloway, next TNA tapings in the works, TD and TNA audience, Sunny health update, TNN-era ECW on the Network, NXT live event notes, and Questions on Brock missing Bryan's retirement, Orton going AWOL, Hansen-WWF, and the importance of production values in 2016

WWE gave their website a big redesign. Their digital sector is a big focal point going forward, and expanding that into more markets will be key. Monetizing their huge online/social media reach is going to be a boon in future years.

Sami Zayn, Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, Scott Dawson, and Dash Wilder are all scheduled for WWE's March to Wrestlemania event. Whether they'll appear on the Network broadcast is unknown, but it's cool they'll be part of the show. I think Zayn, Enzo, and Cass could be main roster bound shortly after WM32. We'll see about Dash and Dawson. My gut says they'll stay in NXT for now considering they're fairly new as a team down there, but WWE has surprised me in that regard before (Kevin Owens and Becky Lynch come to mind).

WWE will begin distributing Spanish-language DVDs in Spain later this year. If they can make good money from DVDs internationally, that's great! DVD and Blu-Ray sales in the States aren't doing so well.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

ROH and Smackdown Reax - 2/18/16

Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's ROH and Smackdown.

ROH:

- Rush vs. Kincaid:

We're already in 500 moves a minute mode. It's a mess so far.

Kincaid can do some really insane moves, and he's definitely showing off those strengths here. I can appreciate him making the most of his opportunity.

Rush winning was underwhelming. He looked OK, but definitely nothing as special as Jason was. I hope ROH gives Kincaid another look. If they don't, TNA or someone else should.

I feel like Prince Nana has dirt on someone in ROH management. I don't know why else they'd keep using him. He's not really advancing anything meaningful. 

- Silas/Bruiser vs. Ferrara/Coleman:

Silas is a lot of fun.

Ferrara's starting to impress me.

Silas and Bruiser make a good team. I'm glad ROH has them.

Silas is getting too aerial for my tastes here. ROH already has plenty of flippy guys; he should stick to being an old-school heel.

Coleman's got some impressive fire here.

I liked the suicide dive spot. It's nice to see it almost backfire for once.

I continue to enjoy Silas vs. Dalton. I just wonder how much more they can get out of it.

Whitmer and Silas have got to be the two best characters ROH has. Then again, a lot of the people here don't really have characters.

Whitmer's just an evil man. I like it.

I hate the "no one cares what you have to say" line. It's like saying viewers should have changed the channel.

Page vs. Whitmer kind of came out of nowhere. I'm not too crazy about it.

- M. Briscoe vs. Hughes:

I wish there was more meaning to these matches, building to the PPVs. Have Elgin on commentary at least.

Not bad I guess. I'm not a big Briscoes fan.

- Sydal/ACH vs. Bucks:

Four of the flippiest guys who have ever flipped!

The Bucks definitely do really impressive things and team together well. I'm starting to "get" their style of wrestling: just throw everything out there to give people their money's worth. I can respect that.

This is just crazy. I feel like I'm watching Cirque du Soleil instead of a wrestling match.

OK, superkicking the basketball was REALLY funny.

The Bucks can be really entertaining at times. They're often obnoxious, but sometimes they do crack me up.

This reminds me of one of those Moon Bounce things where everyone just jumps around.

The Bucks are really impressive; I'll give them that.

Four flips out of five. Good show of that style. 

Smackdown:
Starting a show with Kevin Owens is always good for me.

- Ziggler/Dragons vs. Del Rio/Sheamus/Rusev:
The Lucha Dragons have some pretty exciting tag team antics. I like that WWE has some workers like them, but also some other styles in the tag team division.

Really good match so far.

I enjoy the members of LoN as a group and individually. They're pretty accomplished in the WWE style.

Nice match overall.

Owens vs. Ziggler doesn't have much heat to it, but it should be a good match.

- Tamina vs. Sasha:
I like the heeling by Naomina here.

Sasha's a really good performer. I know that's stating the obvious, but... damn. I'm glad the current crop of Divas is generally coming up pretty ready for things. I definitely remember when that wasn't the case.

I like the story of Sasha being too proud to ask for help. She is the boss, after all.

Part of me wants the Divas tag match winners to automatically get into the title picture for WM32. Or at least there should be a hint that someone backstage in power is really keeping an eye on what's going on with the Divas matches with an eye on the title match at WM32.

The Ayatollah of Nostalgia Pops-ollah!

I wasn't too crazy about the Jericho/Miz segment. It makes sense to do a triple threat at Fastlane, but the stuff between Y2J and Miz has been pretty lame. If we do get Ambrose vs. Jericho at WM32, Dean should go hard on Chris like Punk did.

- Miz vs. Y2J:
This is a pretty good match. Jericho's one of the best there is, and Miz is a solid worker in his own right.

That was mostly a good match. It definitely didn't make Miz look like a contender for a potential triple threat, but it showed Jericho is a credible opponent for Styles (and for Ambrose or whomever he faces at WM32).

So, was AJ just hanging out backstage that whole time while Jericho and Miz had their catfight?

If AJ doesn't punk Jericho out here, he'll look like a wuss instead of a potential future champion.

That was OK. I was hoping Styles would try to make him tap out.

I look forward to Reigns/Ambrose vs. the Dudleys. That could be a war.

I wish there was at least the insinuation of the Dudleys helping out their old ECW buddy.

I like the idea of New Day being the 2016 answer to Edge and Christian. There are certainly parallels. I love E&C, but New Day should absolutely be getting heat on the two retired guys.

- Charlotte vs. Natalya:
Natalya's still quite the valuable performer.

Solid work so far.

That was pretty good!

Nice heeling from the champ.

That was an OK post-match. I REALLY hope they're not thinking of giving Brie a final run with the title. I can live with her being in a title match at WM32, but it's time to move on to talents like Charlotte, Sasha, and Becky.

Dusta Rhymes vs. Bo Rida when?

Can we please get a Golden Truth/Outcasts feud? That could be pretty fun.

- Reigns/Ambrose vs. Dudleys:
The Dudleys make pretty good heels. Not top singles star heels for WWE in 2016 like some think, but they're good at what they do.

This is a good match so far. Bubba and D-Von are solid veterans, and a great addition to the WWE roster.

Great work here. I'm glad to see the Dudleys kick it up a notch.

OH SHIT HERE COMES THE PAIN!!

It's fun to have things turn into insane brawls like this here and there.

Brock just shows up and starts wrecking people. I like that.

Fastlane's going to be a lot of fun.

I'd think HHH wouldn't want anything to do with Brock given their previous wars.

More wrestling coming up.

Spike Dudley note, Bret Hart gets press, ROH PPV sells out, matches set for ROH PPV and TV, Lockdown lineup, announcer misses Smackdown, Interview with EC3, former IC Champion finishing up?, Raw audience, work out like Ryder, and Questions on tuning out of Raw, Brock/Taker vs. Wyatts, the ECW death toll, Kliq membership, and Vince's feelings toward Bryan

Spike Dudley has someone impersonating him to take independent bookings. Spike is retired, and isn't taking any bookings. I would have loved to have seen him make a cameo during the Wyatts vs. ECW feud late last year. If he didn't come back for that, I don't know why he'd come back for anything else.

Bret Hart's battle with prostate cancer was covered by the NY Daily News. No real update on his progress after successful surgery. Hopefully that's a good thing.

ROH's 14th anniversary PPV has sold out. The show is next weekend, and features a number of top NJPW talents.

- Officially added to the PPV:
-- Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Fish for the TV Championship. 
-- BJ Whitmer vs. Adam Page

Both additions make sense.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

NXT and Main Event Reax - 2/17/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT and Main Event.

CAC honorees announced, ROH announces more tour dates, stars and a former WWE wrestler at Raw, GMA covers Bryan retirement, former Divas champ to retire soon, Interview with Cesaro, EVOLVE-NXT note, WWE employment hits milestone, Cruiserweight tournament coming to WWE Network, Brock-ESPN note, Henry update, New Fastlane match, Slammy charity raffle, more on Rotten passing away, and Questions on testing for HGH, Bryan suing doctors, Rhyno disappearing, WCW getting back on TV in 2001, and Taker's WM32 opponent

This year, the Cauliflower Alley Club will honor Trish Stratus, Paul Orndorff, Arn Anderson, Ken Patera, the team of Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell, and Lance Russell. That's quite the dignified list!

ROH has announced the first three dates for its Conquest tour: April 23, April 30, and June 12. This tour comes before and after the War of the Worlds events. 

ESPN personality Michelle Beadle was backstage at Raw. She mended fences with the McMahon family over the Floyd Mayweather issue. It's good to be on friendly terms with people who can promote you to a larger audience.

WWE filmed a vignette between Gerard Butler and The Miz to promote Butler's newest movie. I'm surprised that didn't make air on Raw.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Impact Wrestling Reax - 2/16/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Impact Wrestling.

TNA does a good job of catching viewers up at the start of the show. I look forward to seeing what they've got this week.

I really expected Lockdown to be the last show from the UK. It's usually in March. Could they be getting EC3's rematch out of the way in order to set up Galloway going for the title in the UK?

EC3's a great promo guy. I'm really invested in what he's doing. I think they should have saved his rematch and Lockdown for the final week from the UK, but maybe they have something up their sleeves.

EC3 vs. Tyrus could have been a big feud in of itself with the former Brodus Clay having a title shot in his back pocket. Maybe Matt wins at Lockdown, but EC3 wins Tyrus' shot at the gold to set up another match for later?

Tyrus is a convincing monster. I think each company needs some of those. Imagine a big hoss gunning for the gold in ROH? Moose's momentum has stalled too much for that to seem viable right now.

I liked that segment to set up the main event.

EY's getting a little on the tryhard side here.

Storm vs. EY should be pretty good!

- Storm vs. EY:

I enjoy how TNA matches often turn into brawls. That's missing at times in WWE and ROH.

That was fun to set up a big match at Lockdown. I think Falls Count Anywhere would be more enjoyable than a cage match on a night full of cage matches.

The Impact Zone had some wild brawls spill out into the crowd. It's a lot of fun sometimes.

Galloway could KO Matt tonight and cash in his briefcase. Maybe with EC3's help! That'd be smart thinking on his part.

Carter going it alone is valiant, but dumb. 

I love that the fight's still going on. If I was Eli Drake, I'd keep a close eye on this situation.

Bennett hasn't even competed for the KOTM Title yet. It's too soon to treat him like a World Title contender; he hasn't proven himself.

They're really forcing the Miracle nickname. This is getting "$9.99" bad.

- Bennett vs. Mandrews:

This isn't bad, although I don't know if it's a step up from what Bennett was doing in ROH.

I liked that alright. Hitting the Tower of London was clever.

Galloway vs. Bennett next week? Lockdown needs to be stacked.

So-so Decay segment. They're lukewarm to me so far.

Bennett vs. Galloway should be interesting. I think both men have a big year ahead of them.

ODARG IS KILLER SPELLED BACKWARDS MIKE! I miss Don West...

EC3 choosing Spud over Galloway would be asinine. Drew just beat Kurt Angle.

Why couldn't they have hyped EC3's rematch as far in advance as Angle vs. Lashley? Plus, we've got Angle vs. Roode to get through first.

- Wolves vs. Decay:

I actually like a crazy hardcore match here and there.

Funny that we're seeing tables here given the Dudleys' angle in WWE right now.

Fun crazy brawl so far.

I'm liking the wild "plunder match."

Nice spot with the barbed-wire board.

God a Conchairto is scary to see in 2016.

That spot with the tacks could have been really gruesome. Let's not get CZW here.

It was good to see The Wolves in a different environment in this match. Obviously they can do quick, technical wrestling, but sometimes variety is good.

I hope EC3 has an ace up his sleeve. He's going to need it.

- Kim/Rayne vs. Jade/Marti Bell:

Gail's got her work cut out for her with Taryn and Kong gone.

That was OK for a brief contest.

The Knockouts Lethal Lockdown should be interesting, although I wonder how polished it will be. I suspect we're getting these brawls with interference to cover for inexperience in the ring.

I was wondering when we'd see Shera again.

They didn't waste any time in getting to Odarg's first appearance on the show! 

Fun conclusion to the EY/Bram vs. Beer Money stuff. We're getting TWO Lethal Lockdowns next week!? It's going to be gimmick match city.

- Drake/Godderz vs. Shera/Odarg:

I feel like we're missing a few chapters from this. Who even hired Odarg? I think he should have gotten a week's worth of anticipation for his appearance, at least.

Odarg and Shera winning would be nuts. Drake and Godderz have futures as heels. I wouldn't mind seeing them go for the tag team titles.

That was... OK, I guess? I had fairly low expectations going in; this belonged on TNA's version of Main Event or Superstars, Xplosion.

That post-match was OK. They're really rushing things for next week's big show.

- M. Hardy/Tyrus vs. EC3:

I like the heels trying to pick EC3 apart. It puts Carter in a sympathetic position without turning his character into a pandering babyface.

Good stuff between EC3 and Spud. TNA's telling a really good story with EC3 turning a new leaf.

Good work by the mastadon Tyrus in cutting off the faces.

NICE ending. This was laid out well. It's about the story you tell, not the cool moves you can do.

I'm really excited for EC3 vs. Matt next week.

Good ending to the show. The work between EC3 and Spud has been a highlight of the last few years of TNA.

More wrestling coming up.

Interviews with Charlotte/Cesaro, Cena update, top name to miss ROH/NJPW shows, more on ROH in Japan, new WWE award, new Fastlane matches, Big Show podcast notes, what happened after Raw, and Questions on wrestlers getting past security, bullying Saxton, Bryan retiring, and NXT acts translating to the main roster

Charlotte was interviewed in Germany. She's growing on me as a heel; she plays that role well.

Cesaro talked in Dubai ahead of WWE's shows there in April. I hope he's healthy enough to be back in the ring by then.

There's speculation of John Cena trying to get back in the ring for WWE for WM32, continued by this tweet. If anyone can beat doctors' expectations, it's him. I'd love to see Cena vs. Taker in Dallas, but WWE should definitely have some backup plans.

Adam Cole will not make this weekend's ROH/NJPW shows due to a personal situation. He's one of ROH's best wrestlers, so hopefully everything turns out OK.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Raw Reax - 2/15/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.

Stardust confronts Amell, WWE live event notes, NJPW notes, Punk update, even more ECW on the Network, Bubba Ray on nostalgia chants, why Knockout left TNA, and Questions on celebrity guests, heat on Miz, dropping Sunny from the HoF, Taker at WM32, and NJPW on AXS

Stardust challenged Stephen Amell to a singles match during Dallas Comic Con. Amell's Slammy is being auctioned off to charity, which is very generous. That would certainly be a mainstream attraction for WM32. WWE is always looking for positive outside press like this. As for how to book this so Stardust doesn't lose clean to a non-wrestler: have The Ascension in his corner, with Golden Truth ringside for Amell. The Ascension can try to slip Stardust the Slammy for use as a weapon, only for it to be intercepted by Amell's friends. Stardust yells at his underlings for letting this happen, which gives the faces an opening to give the award to Amell. A brawl goes down at ringside to distract the referee, and Amell gets the win after KOing Stardust. A heel move, yes, but it saves the former tag team and IC champion some credibility while still giving the feel-good moment of the Hollywood star beating the bully.

At a WWE live event in Fresno:

- NXT's Baron Corbin won a triple threat match featuring Fandango and Viktor. That's a REALLY odd combination. Unless Konnor was hurt, I would have paired Fandango with Corbin against the tag team. Corbin would be more protected in that match. I wouldn't be surprised to see Corbin get a big callup this summer or so (to feud with Cena, naturally). He's got good size, and you know how important that is to the higher-ups.

- Becky/Sasha/Natalya beat Naomi/Tamina/Cameron. Surprised to see Cameron there. She's been making NXT appearances recently, and I kind of expected her to stay there for the time being.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Superstars Reax - 2/13/16, NXT live event notes, HoFer to Dallas, WM33 update, assorted WWE press, Chyna makes up for no-show, Angle in a differenrt HOF, Angle vs. Rey, Stardust vs. Arrow update, Nikki hits the gym, Diva delivers, and Questions on TNA signing Styles, EC3 as a face, TE names using insider terms, booking Reigns, and deciding HoFers

Superstars:
- Sandow/Fandango vs. Ascension:
I really want Sandango to be a thing. They need comedy vignettes about ballroom dancing vs. the tango, Sandow reading Plato vs. Fandango reading comic books... there's a lot of fun to be had there.

This is going well enough. I think the Ascension has improved from their squash match days.

Sandow is really underutilized. Using him in NXT would be better than not using him at all.

That was pretty good overall.

- Stardust vs. Ryder:
I'm liking this so far. Some solid work on display. Hopefully Stardust becomes as fluid and dependable as his brother.

WHOA. Ryder got a win on the main roster. Didn't see that coming.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Interview with Striker, Bryan content on Network, former NFL player at WWEPC, Cena appearing for NASCAR, War of the Worlds update, Knockout assaulted?, more Network content coming, WWE going back to UAE, Steph hacked, TNA Champ vs. Twitter, guest at WWE live event, Smackdown audience, WWE nominated for awards, and Questions on Owens vs. Cole, recent WWE turns, Rumble surprises, AJ vs. Jericho, superfans, and TNA trying to sign Styles

Matt Striker talked about Lucha Underground and more. Here are some highlights:
- LU is definitely sports entertainment. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

- I saw some "highlights" of Yoshi's commentary. It was amazing in the way Season 3 of NXT was. Or Heel Don West. It is worth noting he's not well-versed in English, and that was going to make things more difficult.

- There are a lot of spelling mistakes in this recap...

- There's definitely the "hipster" crowd that swarms to LU and other less-mainstream products. These are the people who "hijack" shows with unrelated chants. It's awful.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Sunny hospitalized, assorted WWE press, Interviews with Austin/Backlund, Breeze True Long Island Story, more on Bryan retiring, MSG looks at WM1, important commentator passes, HoFer to get DVD, new ROH PPV matches, NJPW notes, Bret Hart update, and Questions on one last Bryan match, Callihan/Hero in NXT, Tod Gordon, Cody Rhodes' split personality, debuting Balor at WM32, and Brock beating Taker

Sunny was recently hospitalized due to pancreatitis, and has undergone an endoscopy. She previously had a bout with the disease as a result of alcohol abuse. That's very unfortunate. I really hope she gets her life back together after a string of arrests in the past few years.

GMA covered Daniel Bryan retiring, while New York's Fox affiliate covered Titus O'Neil being suspended.

Stone Cold talked about Bryan's retirement, WM32, and more. I hope we at least see a stunner in Dallas. Miz is my pick to take it.

Bob Backlund talked about working with Vince, Sr. and more. Backlund's always wide open.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

WWE Q4 2015 Reax

Read on for details and thoughts on WWE's financial information from Q4 2015.

ROH and Smackdown Reax - 2/11/16

Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's ROH and Smackdown.

Bryan on SportsCenter notes, Titus suspended, more on Bryan retirement, ROH ticket issues, Punk undergoing surgery, more matches for ROH PPV, Vince supporting Bret, WWE live event note, Total Divas audience, more ECW on the Network, Bloom on upcoming NXT tryouts, and Questions on using WCW talent in 2001 vs. using NXT talent, Kalisto as the next Rey, too many Styleses in WWE, a surprise Rumble winner, and ROH going live

Some notes on Daniel Bryan's SportsCenter appearance:
- Bryan having a lesion on his brain causing seizures is a really scary thing. They absolutely made the right call in shelving him.

- It will be interesting to see what's next for Bryan. I definitely think WWE's going to raise awareness about concussions after this.

- Bryan's remarks about remembering the experience of seeing him wrestle were really touching.

WWE has released a T-shirt for Francesca. New Day is OVER. They've got a hit on their hands.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

NXT and Main Event Reax - 2/10/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT and Main Event.

New Fastlane matches, More Bryan fallout, WWE back in NZ, Bull update, light Smackdown this week, next Stone Cold podcast set, Brock update, Raw audience, and Questions on cutting back on PPVs, Vince getting back in the ring, Heyman managing a woman, how AJ's been booked, and WWE being sold

Added to Fastlane on Raw:

- WWE Divas' Championship: Charlotte vs. Brie Bella

- Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks vs. Naomi and Tamina.

I really hope that sets up Charlotte vs. Becky vs. Sasha for WM32. That'd be a perfect climax to the Divas' Revolution angle. On that note, I wonder how far off we are from another new Diva from NXT, and which Diva it will be. Bayley's the obvious choice, but they might have an idea for someone like Nia Jax or Dana Brooke that leads to them being called up before she is.

Add C.M. Punk and Samoa Joe to those reflecting on the end of Daniel Bryan's career. Those three really changed wrestling following their ROH tenures.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Impact Wrestling Reax - 2/9/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Impact Wrestling.

Super Bowl champs to get WWE belt, NXT preview, more schools for Khali, ROH improves its look, WM32 contest, former ROH tag champ signs full-time deal, ECW legend works as ROH agent, another ROH-NJPW match official for anniversary show, top NJPW name to work more ROH shows, Bryan retirement and its fallout, CHIKARA owner working at NXT, WWE encouraging costumes, what happened after Raw, and Questions on using an injured Rollins, WWE vs. Punk's fight, why the end of the year is slow for WWE, an off-season, and NXT being at Raw's level

WWE Champion Triple H congratulated the Denver Broncos on winning the Super Bowl. That's a pretty sweet belt, and it's smart for WWE to play off the big event.

On the next edition of NXT:
- NXT Women's Championship: Bayley vs. Carmella
- Baron Corbin vs. Johnny Gargano
- Hype Bros in action
- Cameron vs. Alexa Bliss
- Elias Samson vs. Jessy Sorensen

Normally I'm pretty optimistic about NXT, but I'm not so sure about this week. Carmella, Cameron, and Alexa are still pretty rough as wrestlers. Elias is on the green side himself.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Raw Reax - 2/8/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.

Issues with top AAA talents, WWE live event notes including Brock match, Balor correction, Bryan note, and Questions on WWE signing Kong/Kharma, the lack of PPV bonuses, WCW and TNA on the Network, and hazing

There are issues between AAA and some of its most prominent talents regarding pay, particularly in regard to their use on Lucha Undergound. While some talents are considering leaving for greener pastures, they're hesitant to leave AAA in fear of missing out on bookings for LU. If I'm HHH, I'm keeping an eye on this situation to see if there are any talents who might want to come to NXT/WWE. Ditto for TNA Managament. They might be able to get some talents who would otherwise not consider coming to the U.S.

At a live event this weekend, a fan got physical with Stardust and was dragged out of the arena. Yeah, don't do that...

Also on a live event this weekend, the Primetime Players once more worked separate matches. Darren Young took a loss to Goldust, which is interesting since they're both faces on the main roster. Are we in for a D-Young heel turn? It could be interesting, but I don't see it leading to a big push. And you KNOW he'd be putting Titus over plenty of times.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Superstars Reax - 2/6/16, more ECW content on the Network, released name on NXT tenure, new WWE trademark, Styles submission note, NXT Champion injured, top NXT act works main roster, WWE name back from injury, and Questions on Cornette vs. LU and wrestling books

Superstars:
- Henry/Swagger vs. Ascension:
I still like watching Mark Henry. The roster needs some strong guys.

I hope The Ascension gets a reboot at some point; they're better than the role they were put in upon coming to the main roster.

Good little match.

- Ryder vs. Stardust:
Well, this is a bizarre start to things.

These guys are solid undercard performers. I hope we see at least another midcard title reign for Stardust/Cody at some point.

This is a pretty good match so far.

Nice work overall.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

New WWE announcing hire, NXT live event notes, ROH press, match announced for next week's Smackdown, NXT releases, Balor Club trademark opposed, Otunga appearance, former KO Champion released by TNA, Smackdown audience, update on former WCW name's surgery, Joey Ryan to YouShoot, and Questions on Axl Rotten and a celebrity HoFer

WWE has hired announcer Cathy Kelley. She has made appearances as an interviewer for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, and has been a guest on Afterbuzz TV to discuss wrestling. Exactly what role they plan to use her in is unknown, but it's great to see someone with a knowledge of the business picked up as a voice for the product.

Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano lost to Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson in a title match on NXT's live event in Memphis. Neither have been signed full-time, but they're obviously more or less regulars at this point. 

ROH had Jay Lethal and ODB do local media promotion ahead of this weekend's TV taping. They will also have a Q&A session with the Young Bucks before the show. I usually rag on those two, but I respect the hell out of how hard they hustle. They're incredibly athletic and have been quite successful.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Nakamura contract news, AJ to hit the road for WWE, WM32 promotion, ROH-NJPW dates announced, Sunny autiobiography released, ECW original passes, and Questions on Tammy Sytch's adult film, Strowman at WM32, Mulligan's health, and WWE/Jetsons

Shinsuke Nakamura has been offered a three-year deal with WWE, pending medical testing and the like. I'm excited to see how he'll do.

AJ Styles will begin working live events for WWE this weekend after finishing his contracted dates outside the promotion. It's pretty telling how in-demand he was that he had dates booked so far in advance.

WWE is testing interest in discounts for live events and action figures, sometimes in conjunction.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

ROH and Smackdown Reax - 2/4/16

Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's ROH and Smackdown.

Recently hurt WWE name cleared to return, Brock appearance set, more on Patterson book, more on recent TNA worker to NJPW, MSG honors Bret, matches for next ROH TV taping, TNA and Total Divas audiences, more on Nakamura in the U.S., Interview with Gunn, part of Raw cut from Hulu, Cesaro set for live events, and Questions on the WM32 Divas' Title match, young ROH talents, Goldberg at WM32, the next NXT Champion, and using talents with heat

Alberto Del Rio has been cleared to return to the ring, as he was in a match on Smackdown. Hopefully other names who are on the shelf get good news soon.

Brock Lesnar will be on next week's Smackdown, presumably targeting the Wyatt Family. It wouldn't be a good move for the Wyatts long-term, but imagine Brock facing them in a gauntlet match at WM32.

Pat Patterson's autobiography will be available in August under the title "Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE." I think that title puts him in something of a box: he's much more than his sexuality. I wish they would have focused on how important he's been behind-the-scenes beyond that aspect of who he is.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

NXT and Main Event Reax - 2/3/16

Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's NXT and Main Event.

Next TNA ONO PPV set, Network adds new feature, LU TV notes, no LU live events in Dallas, Cena update, another big NJPW name for ROH PPV, Raw audience, Nakamura preparing to head to WWEPC, Nike suing WWE, and Questions on Network podcasts, the use of NXT callups, Vince changing things, Rock's return, and royalties from the Network

TNA's next One Night Only PPV will air on March 4. TNA taped footage for ONO shows in the UK. It's another one of the random thrown-together shows that doesn't advance storylines, so there's no real reason to cover it in-depth.

WWE Network has added a section called "Collections" that will group together footage like the McMahon/Austin feud, Black History Month content, etc. That's a great idea!

Lucha Underground began airing season 1 in Canada this past weekend, so it will be some time before they "catch up" with what's airing on El Rey. LU is being treated as any other TV show sold for syndication, which makes sense. They don't want to throw away 39 hours of taped TV from Season 1 in favor of starting a show after characters have already been developed and storylines advanced.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Impact Wrestling Reax - 2/2/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Impact Wrestling.

Davey/Dillinger/Del Rio injury updates, more on LU Season 3, HoFer battling cancer, more on NJPW names to WWE, recent TNA name NJPW-bound, E&C show update, rumored Divas' Title match for Fastlane, WWE-MSG notes, WM32 promotion, details on Smackdown before WM32, Russo on 1998 WWF, Smackdown main events, and Questions on splitting up PTP, Brock at WM32, AJ's WWE deal vs. Joe's, pushing Breeze, and HHH as champion

Davey Richards is looking at getting surgery following a knee injury in the UK. There is no official diagnosis of his injury or how long he'll miss. I'd hate for TNA to have to vacate the tag team titles again.

Lucha Underground Season 3 will premiere in early 2017. I think it's pretty telling they've already ordered a third season as the second one is just starting. Will LU become competition for ROH, and later TNA? It's not that out of reach at this point, ratings-wise.

Bret Hart revealed he's fighting prostate cancer. That's really sad news. I hope he gets good news following surgery.

Update: WWE released a statement supporting the Hitman. I wish Bret the best in his fight.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.

Raw Reax - 2/1/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.

WWE+NXT live event notes, NXT name works main roster, LoN injury updates, Bret Hart on rap song, Rock on Raw appearance, more LU on the way, Angle and X-Division star dodge injury, TNA signing official, former WWE/TNA exec works TNA UK tour, Nakamura-WWE update, Stephanie on GMA, TNA name injured, and Questions on the next MITB winner, booking AJ, refs preventing interference, and Charlotte

Here are results from NXT's live event in Florida this weekend:

- It's interesting to see who got to work this show while others went on tour. Some of them don't usually get the opportunity to work live events.

- I didn't follow FCW very closely, but it seems like NXT has a LOT more female competitors. Thankfully, fewer were hired for their looks than in the FCW days.

- I wonder when some of these names will show up on the weekly show. Obviously there are only so many spaces on a 60-minute broadcast (and some of that goes to ads, even on the Network).

Some notes from this weekend's main roster WWE live events:

- Fandango worked as a heel, losing to Darren Young before demanding another match. He then lost to Jack Swagger.

- The Hype Bros (Zack Ryder and NXT's Mojo Rawley) beat Los Matadores. Interesting there were two NXT live event tours going on, but Mojo worked the main roster. It's a fairly safe bet the Hype Bros will be the next "NXT team" called up considering the number of main roster shows they've teamed on. WWE could have just had Goldust or someone team with El Torito to beat Diego and Fernando, so I don't think it's just a case of there being so many injuries.

- The team of Damien Sandow and R-Truth beat Heath Slater and Curtis Axel. Whether that was just a random pairing or a potential tandem for TV remains to be seen. It certainly looked like WWE was pairing Goldust with Truth last week on TV.

- Neither Sheamus nor Del Rio worked live events, so they're being kept out of the ring for the time being. The number of injuries right now is unreal.

Everything else from yesterday is after the break.