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.

At Thursday's NXT live event:
- Dana Brooke did not accompany Emma, nor was she at the show in any other capacity. I somehow missed this, but she was injured around the end of 2015/beginning of 2016. Hopefully she's back to form before too much longer.

- Adrienne Reese was part of the meet and great with a cast on her arm. She was lauded for her pre-WWE work, so hopefully she gets to show what she can do on NXT TV before too much longer.

- Finn Balor and Bayley did an homage to "Dirty Dancing" at the end of the show. They've copied each other's entrances/dress at shows recently. This is a pretty fun story. I wouldn't mind seeing them paired on the main roster at some point.

Shane McMahon is training for his return with Muay Thai expert Phil Nurse, responsible for working with UFC's Georges St-Pierre. Shane O'MMAc? Shane vs. Taker could be a lot of fun, although I'm still expecting a switch for someone else taking on The Deadman.

WWE will return to Japan on July 1 and 2. I have a feeling we might see the Balor Club in action those nights. Maybe Nakamura as well?

Shane Mcmahon discussed his Wrestlemania return on YES Network. It's great to see him again.

Smackdown's audience Thursday was 2.40 million, down a bit from the previous week. That's surprising, considering the big bump Monday.

Pop is coming to AT&T Uverse this week, so fans with that platform can now watch Impact Wrestling live. I'm not sure how that will actually translate as far as ratings and such, but it opens the door for more people to see the show as it airs.

Davey Richards recently underwent knee surgery. There is no official word on how long he'll be out.  I wouldn't be surprised to see another title vacancy. I think they could easily have The Decay challenge Eddie to compete on his own, only for Beer Money to say THEY should be in the running for the titles, leading to Decay vs. Beer Money for the titles. Or they could do a tournament involving teams like Godderz/Drake, Young/Bram, Shera/Odarg, etc. We'll likely get an update on things at the upcoming TV tapings.

Mike Bennett talked about his advocacy for LGBTQ+ issues, and wrestling's large following in the gay community. Normally a wrestler's political stances aren't a concern of mine, but being interviewed by the Huffington Post is pretty big for him.

Former WWE announcer Sean Mooney recently filmed material for the WWE Network. That's pretty cool!

Daniel Bryan will be part of the VIP portion of AXXESS. I suspect he'll be a part of a LOT of WWE signings going forward.

Shane McMahon, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, and Triple H are all advertised for the March 14 Raw. It sure is Wrestlemania season!

TNA is seeking outside investors to partner with. Dixie Carter has had a number of meetings on this front, including one at Pop HQ. This could be pretty big. Obviously TNA wants to survive and even thrive. Getting someone to invest in the company can help do that if they have the same vision for the company.

- TNA is talking both with global media companies and investment firms in planning out its next stages.

- TNA executives have spent time both in Los Angeles and New York City for these talks.

- TNA is looking to grow in a big way in the years to come. Obviously that's easier said than done, but they need to try to make some moves. Before anyone asks, I don't see this leading to Jeff Jarrett or WWE buying the company. At least, that's not what these talks are about. It sounds like they're looking outside the wrestling world. They could be looking for something like ROH has with Sinclair, which has been good for both those parties. This will be something to really follow in the weeks and months to come, as it could be a real game-changer for TNA's future.

TNA has released a 4-disc set on the history of AJ Styles in their promotion. I can't say I blame them for striking while the iron's hot to monetize their content. There are fans who aren't familiar with his work before WWE who might check it out after Googling "AJ Styles DVD" or something of the sort.

TNA also released a Hulk Hogan DVD that was delayed when his PR crisis went down. They had already made the DVD, so they want a return on their inverment.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I wouldn't jump to conclusions about him joining the fold as an executive again. There's a difference between making some TV appearances during Wrestlemania season and returning to the corporate grind. At this point, we're not even sure he'll be around by Summerslam. Right now, I'd look at his return as boosting the on-screen product before WM32.

2. Titus is missing getting paid for working 60 days worth of live events and TV shows. There are no longer big bonuses brought in from the high price ordering a PPV brings, but he'd still get paid more for being booked.

3. I see Jericho as something of a tweener. He could turn full-on heel, but right now he's still more or less a face. As for AJ, he is absolutely still a babyface. I don't see that changing anytime in the near future, "what" chants or no.

4. He was definitely great! Being a manager is sadly kind of a lost art in 2016.

5. Mike has a real passion for the business. That's pretty amazing.

More wrestling tomorrow.