Stephanie McMahon discussed rebranding what is now the WWE women's division. I'm pleasantly shocked they've dropped the "Divas" name entirely outside of the E! show. That's a big statement from Stephanie and Triple H.
- It's worth noting Stephanie also referred to NXT as WWE's third brand (rather than it just being "developmental"). Big things are afoot in WWE these days as they recruit talent they wouldn't have considered in the past.
Goldberg confirmed on Twitter there were never any plans for him to work Wrestlemania. I kind of like that he kept us in suspense in this "everyone needs to know everything right now" society.
Zack Ryder got his wish of holding his Intercontinental Championship with Scott Hall/Razor Ramon. That's a really cool moment.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
Roman Reigns' father, Sika of the Wild Samoans, was in attendance to celebrate his son's title win. It was a big night for Samoans.
Shane McMahon had no signs of injury following Hell in a Cell. The stretcher was part of the show. He could have been hurt REALLY badly diving off that structure. I'm glad he's OK. That could have been his last big match; it will be interesting to see what his future holds.
The Undertaker had a lot of friends and family backstage at Wrestlemania, leading to speculation regarding his future. Right now I'd just chalk it up to that night possibly being his last match of that magnitude in his home state. We'll get a better idea of his future once 2017 comes around and the road to WM33 begins.
The WWE Women's Championship was originally planned to be revealed on the Raw after Wrestlemania, and there was back-and-forth over who would be the first champion. I think WM32 worked just fine as the stage for the division's change.
Lucha Underground ring announcer Melissa Santos was backstage at Wrestlemania, leading to speculation of WWE planning to sign her. I don't know what her arrangement with LU is; most wrestlers are locked into long-term exclusive deals, so it could be a while before she's even able to entertain the notion of joining WWE.
Maryse was backstage at Wrestlemania. I'm surprised to see her back; her exit wasn't exactly amicable.
Shaquille O'Neal made a challenge to Big Show following Wrestlemania 32. I think that'd be an ideal attraction for WM33; Shaq played for Orlando and Miami during his NBA career.
ROH drew a little more than 1,400 fans to each Supercard of Honor event, selling out both nights. That's a pretty good showing.
Colt Cabana is expected to work with ROH regularly going forward. I think that would be great for both sides.
The former Bull Dempsey was at Supercard of Honor. I'd be more than happy to see him get some more experience under his belt by working ROH. We'll see what they think about that idea.
Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Tommy Dreamer, and Kevin Sullivan were all visiting at Supercard of Honor.
Will Ferrara was banged up after Supercard, but isn't expected to miss any time.
Kyle O'Reilly suffered an injury to his right eye during Supercard of Honor, possibly a scratched cornea. I hope he doesn't have to miss much time. He's pretty impressive.
There was plenty of chatter on social media by WWE personnel about Brie Bella retiring at Wrestlemania 32. That might be as close to an official announcement as we get for now.
NXT/WWE executive Canyon Ceman was at EVOLVE/WWNLive events during WM32 weekend scouting talent. It will be interesting to see who gets picked up for the GCS, and potentially NXT itself down the line.
WWE did a big conference call following Wrestlemania 32:
- Good jump in Network subscribers. They're making progress in getting to where they want to be with that endeavor.
- I wonder why 20-30% of people don't end up becoming regular subscribers. Are some of them gaming the "free month" system?
- Good growth in international WWE subscribers, too. I hope that number continues to climb.
- China is intended to be a REALLY big market, along with other major non-U.S. markets. WWE wants to really grow their international revenue in the years to come.
- I think traditional PPVs will continue to exist for a while, especially in markets that are still getting used to the Network (or just now getting in their language). It's a lengthy process to move other markets from that way of getting WWE content over to the Network.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. While of course there's more to the world than wrestling, I don't know if they should put people with such a tenable connection to the business in the WWE Hall of Fame. By all means, WWE can give her an award. I just think it was the wrong venue for the occasion.
1. While of course there's more to the world than wrestling, I don't know if they should put people with such a tenable connection to the business in the WWE Hall of Fame. By all means, WWE can give her an award. I just think it was the wrong venue for the occasion.
2. I do think they could have done HHH vs. Reigns in a grudge match, since there was more to their feud than the WWE Title. That said, I think they made the right calls at Fastlane and Roadblock.
3. I would like to see the partner who makes the hot tag sell a little more unless they're coming back with one last burst of energy for the kill.
4. The big crazy ladder match was much more fun with Owens and Zayn involved. They made the right call there.
5. I think the idea is to get Saxton more experience in calling things on the big stage in the hopes of passing the torch to a degree. Lawler's definitely cast better as a heel, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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