Eric Bischoff buried TNA in an interview:
- The lawsuit is for pay allegedly owed to himself and Garett. Basically Garett was to be paid a lot of money even when they stopped using him because he was still under guaranteed contract.
- I definitely get the feeling Bischoff only came into TNA because of Hulk. Getting his son a payday probably helped, too.
- AJ, Joe, and Roode are absolutely great players for WWE to have. I'd love to see Eric Young follow in their footsteps. Of course, Austin Aries fits into that category, too.
- I wonder whose idea it was for Garett to wrestle? I wouldn't be shocked if it was Russo idea given his other family angles.
- Honestly, Bischoff was a really good on-air character for WWE (and TNA to some degree). A really solid heel. I can see how they wouldn't want a 61-year-old former WCW executive on TV in 2016, though.
- I appreciate Bischoff not just wanting to cash in on WCW nostalgia. It would be interesting for him to be involved in the cruiserweight division given WCW's work in that area. I don't know if fans would want him in that role, though.
- Bischoff's legacy in the business is often undersold by people with grudges against him. He absolutely belongs in the WWE HoF and should be considered a really important person in the modern history of the business.
Paul Heyman has signed a new contract with WWE. He had been working on his own projects since Wrestlemania. Heyman's consistently been one of the most engaging performers in wrestling, period.
- This would seem to indicate WWE wasn't behind Heyman trying to recruit Will Ospreay for EVOLVE. There was talk of WWE being very interested in Ospreay, but they won't be able to sign him as long as he's under contract to NJPW.
Nikki Bella isn't expected to return to the ring full-time following her neck surgeries. We'll have a better idea of what her future holds as she continues training at the WWEPC.
Survivor Series has sold out. That's a good sign three months in advance. I hope the single-brand PPVs sell well, too.
William Regal was indeed scouting talent in the UK recently, notably at a PROGRESS show. I've been impressed with the UK names in the CWC. I hope we see more of ZSJ and Gallagher in particular.
Ric Flair is no longer under contract to WWE. I think they've probably gotten all they can out of his association with Charlotte, although him working alongside The Boss to turn the tables on his daughter is a natural angle and would hopefully get a good pop for Sasha. I expect Summerslam to be a big occasion for the women's champion and her challenger given that market's familiarity with NXT.
Bray Wyatt's injury on Smackdown was either a sprained ankle or a bad cramp. Either way, he isn't expected to miss time from the ring. He could be a big player for Smackdown going forward, so I hope he doesn't miss that chance due to injury.
Paige's injuries are shoulder and back related. She will remain out of the ring for some time longer as she heals up. She could absolutely a big player in the women's division going forward.
John Cena, AJ Styles, Erick Rowan, and Apollo Crews are advertised for WWE's tour of Australia next week, so they will likely miss the next episode of Smackdown. WWE should tape backstage promos from at least Cena and Styles before Raw to insert on the show.
John Cena was on Late Night with Stephen Colbert. I like the idea of him transitioning into an ambassador who doesn't necessarily wrestle full-time. He's getting into that Jericho territory.
- Here's another clip of Cena there. AJ's got his work cut out for him replacing Cena as the top guy in the company.
Bret Hart did the usual Bret Hart thing in an interview with Forbes. I always get the feeling he wakes up and curses the sun because Earth revolves around it instead of him.
CMLL's Dragon Lee will work ROH's All-Star Extravaganza VIII weekend on September 30 (PPV) and October 1 (TV taping). The interaction between ROH, CMLL, and NJPW continues.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's not like they had to try to get on Cornette's nerves. In some sense it can be argued that while OVW talent Damaja had heat with Doug Basham, WWE talent Danny Basham was Doug's brother. It's like how Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Terminator, but later Kindergarten Cop. A different head of creative felt he was needed in a different role. Either way, OVW had a pretty small audience, so it wasn't a problem to change continuity.
2. As was said, WWE wanted OVW to be a developmental promotion as far as developing talents for the main roster. Just because Cornette thought a certain talent should get a lot of TV time, WWE often felt other talents should get that TV time because they were being groomed as eventually getting TV time for WWE. They needed to get experience while they were in OVW.
3. I don't think he would have been as successful with just being a great wrestler. WWE prefers sports entertainment, which is a large part of why Cornette's services are no longer being used there.
4. I didn't watch, so I can't really say. Obviously Cornette and Heyman have very different ideas for which characters should be featured on a wrestling show.
5. I suppose in one sense the measure of success would be who drew more money and prepared more people for successful wrestling careers. It's tough to compare apples-to-apples.
6. Johnny was definitely pegged as being a future star for the company. The Spirit Squad definitely made their mark in WWE for the time they were there, working with legends in big matches and drawing a good deal of money. It's just a shame there wasn't followup for more of the talented names involved.
7. No. It's something of a shame I missed the territory days. I would have been in the area to see a good deal of SMW and NWA cards.
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