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.
GFW has announced the cards for its March 2 and 3 shows in the UK. No TNA names are booked. I had hopes for the company earlier on, but currently it seems to be stumbling along as far as momentum goes. Until they get a TV deal for the content they taped some time ago, the project is kind of stalled. That said, GFW has been running shows every so often, and will probably have another Grand Slam tour in the summer. They're still kicking for now as an indie.
Rob Van Dam took part in the most recent YouShoot:
- I'm sure there are people who'd love to throw down with RVD, as well.
- Some of RVD's work is really good from a psychology perspective, but there have certainly been some spotfests in his career, too.
- I think RVD could have been more in his career if he wasn't in a "baked" state of mind where everything's cool and yadda yadda. He came across as content to be an IC level guy.
- The story of the "420" leg drop was really funny. I remember hearing that story on commentary.
Mick Foley has announced his annual charity raffle for Wrestlemania. That's always a hit.
ROH has changed its TV Championship match for this weekend's PPV: New champion Tomohiro Ishii will defend in a triple threat against Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish. Ishii's original opponent, Hirooki Goto, will have a new opponent TBD. It will be interesting to see whom Goto ends up facing.
WWE has renamed their May 22 PPV Extreme Rules. It was previously Payback. No word on why things got changed.
- WWE later added a PPV on May 1 with the Payback name, so it looks like they're running another big show then. Extreme Rules could be the show where they warm up feuds from WM32 and Payback, adding a stipulation.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
GFW has announced the cards for its March 2 and 3 shows in the UK. No TNA names are booked. I had hopes for the company earlier on, but currently it seems to be stumbling along as far as momentum goes. Until they get a TV deal for the content they taped some time ago, the project is kind of stalled. That said, GFW has been running shows every so often, and will probably have another Grand Slam tour in the summer. They're still kicking for now as an indie.
Rob Van Dam took part in the most recent YouShoot:
- I'm sure there are people who'd love to throw down with RVD, as well.
- Some of RVD's work is really good from a psychology perspective, but there have certainly been some spotfests in his career, too.
- I think RVD could have been more in his career if he wasn't in a "baked" state of mind where everything's cool and yadda yadda. He came across as content to be an IC level guy.
- The story of the "420" leg drop was really funny. I remember hearing that story on commentary.
Mick Foley has announced his annual charity raffle for Wrestlemania. That's always a hit.
ROH has changed its TV Championship match for this weekend's PPV: New champion Tomohiro Ishii will defend in a triple threat against Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish. Ishii's original opponent, Hirooki Goto, will have a new opponent TBD. It will be interesting to see whom Goto ends up facing.
WWE has renamed their May 22 PPV Extreme Rules. It was previously Payback. No word on why things got changed.
- WWE later added a PPV on May 1 with the Payback name, so it looks like they're running another big show then. Extreme Rules could be the show where they warm up feuds from WM32 and Payback, adding a stipulation.
Raw's audience Monday was 3.88 million. Shane McMahon brought some curious viewers back into the fold for WM32 season.
NXT ran an angle of Enzo Amore being attacked by The Revival. I'm waiting for the inevitable drone footage of wrestling angles.
Roman Reigns made use of a blood packet in the attack during Raw. I'm surprised they used blood given their family-friendly focus. I really, REALLY don't see blading making a comeback. They might do this kind of thing here and there, though.
- WWE did an angle of Reigns getting surgery for a "shattered nose" following Triple H's attack. Hey, they needed to add heat to their WM32 match. That's one way to do it.
Brock Lesnar is advertised for the March 14 Raw. That's not good news for Dean Ambrose.
WWE has awarded more scholarships to Full Sail students. The relationship with the Orlando university continues to thrive.
WWE has been talking about bringing back the brand extension, essentially splitting the roster into two groups for TV purposes. I think that could be valuable for giving people some spotlight who would normally be stuck on Superstars or Main Event. Plus, we could see some names brought up from NXT as part of the endeavor. I'd REALLY like to see some of the talented undercard/midcard names get more of a chance to develop on the main TV shows. I think it's worth a shot. They can always end it at Survivor Series if it doesn't work out.
- On this note, the Raw taping after Extreme Rules is being titled "Monday Night Raw vs. WWE." Interesting...
Shane McMahon has returned to Twitter, continuing his WWE angle. Him staying out of the spotlight and off social media has made his absence mean a lot more. We've barely seen him anywhere post-WWE.
The Undertaker is set for Monday's Raw. I expect him to fight back against Vince making him a pawn in his war with Shane, unless they're calling back to when Vince was the Higher Power. Either Taker will end up on Shane's side, or he'll demand to fight a substitute. Right?
NXT ran an angle of Enzo Amore being attacked by The Revival. I'm waiting for the inevitable drone footage of wrestling angles.
Roman Reigns made use of a blood packet in the attack during Raw. I'm surprised they used blood given their family-friendly focus. I really, REALLY don't see blading making a comeback. They might do this kind of thing here and there, though.
- WWE did an angle of Reigns getting surgery for a "shattered nose" following Triple H's attack. Hey, they needed to add heat to their WM32 match. That's one way to do it.
Brock Lesnar is advertised for the March 14 Raw. That's not good news for Dean Ambrose.
WWE has awarded more scholarships to Full Sail students. The relationship with the Orlando university continues to thrive.
WWE has been talking about bringing back the brand extension, essentially splitting the roster into two groups for TV purposes. I think that could be valuable for giving people some spotlight who would normally be stuck on Superstars or Main Event. Plus, we could see some names brought up from NXT as part of the endeavor. I'd REALLY like to see some of the talented undercard/midcard names get more of a chance to develop on the main TV shows. I think it's worth a shot. They can always end it at Survivor Series if it doesn't work out.
- On this note, the Raw taping after Extreme Rules is being titled "Monday Night Raw vs. WWE." Interesting...
Shane McMahon has returned to Twitter, continuing his WWE angle. Him staying out of the spotlight and off social media has made his absence mean a lot more. We've barely seen him anywhere post-WWE.
The Undertaker is set for Monday's Raw. I expect him to fight back against Vince making him a pawn in his war with Shane, unless they're calling back to when Vince was the Higher Power. Either Taker will end up on Shane's side, or he'll demand to fight a substitute. Right?
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Since Dave didn't really answer the question: it was a high-energy match to start the night in a big way with a babyface win. It makes sense to have an important-ish match on the Kickoff show to draw fans in. If they'll watch Kickoff, they're more likely to order the rest of the show. It's the same principle behind showing the first 30 minutes of gameplay to entice people to get the full game. In hindsight, the main card could have used a longer match like that considering they ran a little short on time even with a bonus match.
1. Since Dave didn't really answer the question: it was a high-energy match to start the night in a big way with a babyface win. It makes sense to have an important-ish match on the Kickoff show to draw fans in. If they'll watch Kickoff, they're more likely to order the rest of the show. It's the same principle behind showing the first 30 minutes of gameplay to entice people to get the full game. In hindsight, the main card could have used a longer match like that considering they ran a little short on time even with a bonus match.
2. Nia and Tamina are too similar. I don't think them teaming would be very interesting. I'd rather see someone like Charlotte hire Nia as backup, or even Naomi bringing her in to replace Tamina. I'd prefer Nia either on her own or with a noticeably smaller wrestler.
3. It's six of one and a half-dozen of the other. Wrestlers put their health at risk to entertain people, while people want to be entertained by wrestlers in physical combat. It's a cycle that perpetuates itself because both sides want/need the other for it to continue.
4. Well, considering he IS small with a thick accent, I can see why he's seen that way. Neville's a talented performer, but he doesn't have the strong promo skills/character necessary to be a top act. I could see him in the mix for the U.S. and IC Championships, but it would take a lot more effort to make him a believable main eventer than someone like Chris Jericho or Seth Rollins, who both showed they have more up their sleeves than flashy moves. Having a manager talk for him would help, but in the end he has to show he can handle that aspect of things if he wants to move up the card.
5. I concur. Like Charlotte is a great wrestler who happens to be Ric Flair's daughter, Michelle McCool showed she could be a really solid wrestler and character. It didn't happen overnight, but she definitely earned her place. I'm sure her relationship helped her success, but it was hardly the only reason she made it to the top of the division.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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