Superstars:
- Swagger vs. Mahal:
I imagine Swagger's glad someone's lower than him on the Raw pecking order now.
The U-S-A chant is one of the cheapest reaction-getters in wrestling.
Mahal's a solid hand, but I'm not upset he's at this level. Someone has to be, and I don't expect anyone thinks he's ever getting a push.
That was good for the time it had. Jinder got paid, which should be his goal in coming back.
- Golden Truth vs. Axel/Bo:
Well, that Outcasts breakup tease didn't last long. Not that I'm upset. They're fun together and I don't really see much to push as singles stars.
Silliness going on here, as expected. This match is pretty much to warm the crowd up. THEY'RE HAVIN FUN MAGGLE AH LOVE IT.
Pretty basic action, but that's OK. This isn't a big grudge match or anything.
That was fine enough.
Dual-branded live events continued this weekend for WWE. Raw and Smackdown will begin separate tours soon enough; these travel loops were booked some time ago, and it would have been a big hassle to change them.
- The Darren Young/Titus O'Neil feud continued as they lost a triple threat title match to The Miz. I wouldn't assume this means they're in the U.S. Title picture on Raw anytime soon, but that's a possibility. With Balor injured, Rusev might need a different opponent from Roman. Reigns might be in the Universal Title match at Clash of Champions.
Rich Swann is still working NXT live events for now. I assume the cruiserweights will be featured on Raw live events after the division debuts.
Nikki Glencross wrestled as Nikki Cross this weekend, so she might see a name change before appearing on NXT TV again.
Bull James, formerly Bull Dempsey, was backstage at Field of Honor. He's from the area, so I wouldn't read anything into it at this point. I don't know if ROH would want to use him given their style.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I was unaware talents were given a grace period. That changes things! Talents REALLY need to be on the ball with their prescription paperwork. They only have themselves to blame at this point if things don't get taken care of, because they know they'll be suspended if their prescriptions aren't on file.
2. I think people read "Ibushi will be at Takeover" and assumed that meant he'd be wrestling or part of an angle or something. That was speculated, but all that was ever known/reported was him appearing. WWE never advertised him being part of the show or anything, so the people who got their hopes up can't really blame WWE or the dirtsheets. As far as I know, he won't be part of NXT TV in the near future.
3. Because that would hurt MUCH more than just going through a table. I'm not sure how they explain it in kayfabe beyond someone being so angry they're tearing out the monitors. It's also a pretty cool visual.
4.a. A good wrestling promotion needs top names, mid-level names, and undercard names. It also needs good workers who are essentially jobbers at each of those levels. Not everyone can get a push. Sometimes the main roster needs a performer or team to fill out a certain division, and they call people up from NXT to add to the ranks. And sometimes a performer or team has picked up all they can learn at the NXT level (Adam Rose, Tyler Breeze), so they go to the main roster in order to continue their growth. I don't know where this misguided notion that everyone called up is in for a big push came from, but it really doesn't make sense when you break it down.
b. It shouldn't, in most cases. I would think someone with that many years in the business understands the company needs people who work with the people getting pushes in order for those talents to get to the next level, both as far as being over and being more polished in the ring. There are a good number of people who serve this role in NXT, too.
5. Thunder is notably missing from the archives. I wonder if they'd ever be willing to put shows from, say, EVOLVE or PROGRESS or somewhere up on the Network.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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