Vince McMahon was backstage watching Takeover:Dallas, and Stephanie was shown in the crowd. I imagine they didn't want Triple H out there getting a face reaction before Wrestlemania, so he stayed backstage. Another big success for NXT. They sold out an arena that fits roughly 10,000 people.
TNA Lockdown in San Antonio in 2013 (when they were on Spike, featuring the Dudley Boyz, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, and Sting) only drew about 7,200 in their most-attended U.S. show ever.
WWE filmed a Table for 3 episode with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard. OH BOY. I bet that one was fun.
WWE, via their official Hall of Fame guide, announced a Legacy Award for Lou Thesz, Pat O'Connor, George Hackenschmidt, Ed "Stranger" Lewis, Sailor Art Thomas, Mildred Burke and Frank Gotch. I'm very glad they did that to honor the legends of years gone by who have passed away. I hope more of those are coming in future years.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
Samoa Joe needed six stitches after Takeover. The NXT Universe in Dallas was none too happy with his match being paused on several occasions due to that cut. Obviously "it ain't ballet" and people get hurt, but they don't want to risk any infections or blood-borne diseases.
Eric Young teased something huge in the works for him. If he still wants to wrestle regularly (as opposed to wrestling at times while still pursuing reality shows), I'd love to see him make it to WWE alongside Roode.
WWE's website speculated on Bobby Roode appearing at Takeover. He was at WWE's hotel in Dallas before the show, so it's safe to say the two sides are trying to work something out. Roode and Young are both decorated and versatile veterans. They should be priorities for WWE to sign. As for Ibushi, I'm not really familiar with him, but he's certainly worth a tryout/shot in the GCS.
Roman Reigns vs. Triple H is listed on Wrestlemania merchandize as a No DQ match, so that will likely come into play on the WM32 broadcast. They've got their work cut out for them competing with Shane vs. Taker and Brock vs. Ambrose in the hardcore department. No matter how good the match is, they've got a real uphill battle against the other contests and the crowd.
New Day vs. the League of Nations isn't listed as a title match internally, which suggests that stipulation will be dropped. That's a head-scratcher given how the title match aspect was pushed. I hope New Day gets a surprise partner. Godfather? Michael Hayes?
The Iron Sheik was at Takeover. I hope he's doing OK these days.
After Asuka defeated Bayley for the NXT Women's Championship, noted Bayley superfan Izzy tried to run into the ring. Her parents stopped her and the family left. Bayley has a real connection with the crowd; she should do quite well on the main roster.
NXT will be part of a UK music festival from June 10 through June 12, before touring the UK and Ireland from June 13 through June 17. Finn Balor, Bayley, Baron Corbin, and Shinsuke Nakamura are all advertised, which would seem to suggest they will all be staying put in NXT for the time being. This will be NXT's debut in Balor's home country of Ireland.
- It will be interesting to see what effects, if any, NXT's forays into this market have on TNA's popularity there; the UK and India are strong areas for TNA.
- Notably, none of these shows is advertised as a Takeover special. I think that timeframe would be perfect for Balor to drop the NXT Title and join his former NJPW running mates on the main roster.
Drew Galloway and Johnny Gargano lost their EVOLVE Tag Team Championship, leading to Galloway attacking Gargano after the match. Whether the current TNA Champion will remain part of EVOLVE remains to be seen; they're having to work around his TNA commitments as things stand now.
Stardust cut a promo at AXXESS teasing a return of Cody Rhodes in the event Stardust doesn't win at Wrestlemania. I enjoy Stardust, but I would be open to him trying something different. It's not like he can't return to the character later.
- TNA's product is still fantastic. They still have some really talented performers. But the high-profile talent losses are taking their toll.
- WWE picking up Styles, Nakamura, Gallows, and Anderson at one time was a HUGE move for the industry. Blockbuster signing on their part.
- I definitely think AJ going back to TNA to work with some of the same people would get old quickly. AJ vs. Matt, Drew, Lashley, and EC3 would all be worth checking out, but other than that, it's pretty much all been done for Styles.
- I think the mentality in a match should be to get everyone involved over (unless it's a squash match or what have you). It's definitely a case where collaborating makes magic happen for everyone. I'm coming around to the "win, lose, or draw, give them a show" mentality, but I don't think wrestling promotions need to totally drop the notion of heels vs. faces.
Sasha Banks talked about the Divas' Championship possibly being retired in favor of bringing back the Women's Championship. I'd absolutely be in favor of it if WWE's going to move away from the Divas branding.
Hulk Hogan is advertising a Wrestlemania party in Florida, so don't expect him at the event itself. I expect WWE will continue to keep its distance from him for some time.
Some notes from ROH's second Supercard of Honor show:
- Local talents Shane Taylor and Keith Lee beat Shaheem Ali and Ken Phoenix
- Colt Cabana got a surprise rollup win on Jay Lethal to set up a future ROH Title match. I'm fine with that. I also want to see Dijak get a title shot down the line.
- Stokely Hathaway was at this show alongside Moose. Moose will team with Okada at some point.
WWE has officially signed Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa for NXT. That's great! Both men are talented, and both have been solid additions to the brand. I hope their futures are bright.
Randy Orton stated at the red carpet of the Hall of Fame that he's still at least three months away from returning to the ring. That's unfortunate. I'm missing seeing some RKOs.
Mick Foley and Sabu appeared at the WWN Supershow honoring Terry Funk. Foley had previously said he was going to attend the WWE Hall of Fame that night.
- Stokely Hathaway was also at this show, managing TJP.
- Johnny Gargano will face Drew Galloway at EVOLVE 61 on May 7, so both men are still working there for now.
Sting officially announced his retirement as part of his Hall of Fame induction. As much as I enjoy the Stinger, this was probably the best move for him health-wise. He had an amazing career, and finally got a match at Wrestlemania as well as a WWE Championship match. I hope he has a great next stage of his career.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think it will happen eventually. They generally only induct one female competitor a year, so I wouldn't bank on it being 2017. Hopefully Victoria, Sable, and Ivory are in the running, too.
1. I think it will happen eventually. They generally only induct one female competitor a year, so I wouldn't bank on it being 2017. Hopefully Victoria, Sable, and Ivory are in the running, too.
2. Shelton is working regularly in Japan. Unless it's a money issue, I'm very surprised we haven't see him in TNA or back in WWE/NXT.
3. That band fits the act perfectly.
4. WWE did a good amount of fleshing out the Divas feud on Main Event and Superstars.
5. The AXXESS content was live, but the matches were taped before Raw. There was talk of doing Smackdown live once they came to USA, but ultimately they didn't go in that direction. I think it might be more of a headache than it's worth.
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