More Ospreay in ROH, Metalik-WWE update, long-time WWE veterans moving into ambassador roles, big WWE post-Thanksgiving show?, huge WWE tryout, TNA future speculation, Hardys movie coming?, more WOH matches coming, upcoming ROH matches, New York passes strong new wrestling rules, Ibushi returning to NXT, more Dusty Classic teams announced, Paige recovery update, WWE heading back to Saudi Arabia, NXT live event notes, and Questions on Cody using new ring names, trademark rules, Action Bronson, and Rollins being reckless

Will Ospreay is going to join Marty Scurll as a regular for ROH once everything is cleared from a visa standpoint. Both men start with the promotion in November when ROH heads to the UK. Ospreay remains under contract to NJPW; he's just being booked to work ROH when not doing tours for that promotion.

Gran Metalik is booked in Mexico through the end of October. He doesn't want to move until he finishes his bookings there, as he would like to return to Mexico at some point. That's a good attitude.

Big Show and Mark Henry are being moved into more "ambassador" like roles, meaning they'll be wrestling less. Show is still expected to face Shaquille O'Neal at WM33, and could still wrestle somewhat regularly in 2017, but he isn't expected to wrestle through the end of 2018. Henry signed a three-year deal in 2013, and there's been no word of him getting a new contract, so it's somewhat up in the air how much longer he'll be officially considered a wrestler.

WWE is looking to do a dual-branded show the night after Thanksgiving. Whether that's just a live event or if it will be turned into a Network special is unknown. That's the week following Survivor Series.

WWE is currently in the midst of a large tryout session featuring such names as:
- Eddie Kingston, who has 14 years of experience and more than 650 matches to his name. Kingston is a regular for CHIKARA and HOH.

- Former UFC competitor turned independent wrestler Shayna Beszler. 

- Kimber Lee, who has five years of experience. She's best known for her work in CHIKARA.

- Su Yung, who has eight years of experience and worked briefly as Sonia in FCW. A lot has changed since those days on both ends.

- Heidi Lovelace, who has five years of experience and is another known commodity on the indie scene.

- Cedric Rougeau, son of The Mountie.

- Joseph Fatu, son of Tama/The Tonga Kid. I'm starting to think WWE has some kind of contract to sign a number of Samoans every so often. The Anao'i family is on track to produce enough wrestlers to have its own Royal Rumble.

- Nicole Savoy, who also has five years of experience. 

- Jeff Parker and Matt Lee, who perform as 3.0. The duo have 14 years of experience individually and worked with The Revival on NXT TV earlier in the year.

- Former Buffalo Bills player Corey Knox

- Ariel Monroe, who recently lost to Nia Jax on Raw.

- Jessica James, who has ten years of experience and has worked with ROH on a number of occasions in their women's division.

-- They've got quite the class there. It's good to see them looking to fill the ranks of the women's divisions. 

--- WWE also announced a European tryout in November and an Australian tryout in December. They're going all out with trying to pick up good talent.

Should WWE purchase TNA, they would likely shutter the company ASAP due to the debt it has accrued. WWE would take possession of the video library and likely bring in some names who are under contract there, but there'd be no real reason to continue the brand when they can just use the roster to add to Raw, Smackdown, and NXT. I wouldn't expect any kind of invasion angle, especially considering the audience TNA has compared to WWE. TNA's following is closer to NXT's than to Raw or Smackdown.

There's an idea to do a long movie featuring the Hardy Boys, presumably in the vein of Final Deletion. As much as I'm enjoying their characters and angles, I think that could be overkill. TNA needs to try to get other things to catch fire instead of milking that to the point of no return.

Should Billy Corgan buy TNA, the plan is to fully rebrand it as Impact Wrestling. That's probably the best move. The product has changed since the TNA heyday, and that would symbolize a new direction. 

Should Aroluxe Marketing gain control of TNA, they'd cut back to just a few sets of TV tapings a year in order to save costs. That strategy has its pros and cons, as we saw with the World Title Series days. Talent working a lot of matches on back-to-back days over the course of a week or more would be pretty grueling.

Taeler Hendrix vs. Sumie Sakai is set for this weekend's ROH TV taping. I assume that will just be for YouTube.

Adam Cole vs. Silas Young is set for ROH's October 22 live event. Good to see Silas acknowledged in that way.

ROH will tape a TV episode consisting of WOH matches at the October 29 taping. ODB is booked for that date.

ROH has plans for an eventual women's championship, but we won't see it in the immediate future.

Bobby Cruise discussed ASE VIII. 

Billy Corgan discussed TNA's future on ESPN Radio Thursday:

- Corgan doesn't believe Vince is buying TNA at this moment. WWE would have to buy Corgan out in order to have full control of the company.

- Everyone involved wants BFG to happen this weekend, but the funding needs to be there. Billy doesn't want to do a deal where the parties involved are in the same position in a few months, fighting for funding and ownership of the company.

-- The stakes are really high going into this next set of TV tapings.

New York State has updated its rules regarding the regulation of pro wrestling. They take effect in January:

- Promotions must put up $20,000 for a license in order to be an official promoter, meaning they can't run under another promotion's banner. This could make it really costly for smaller companies.

- Events must also have an ambulance with at least one paramedic. A great idea, but expensive for smaller promotions.

- Performers can no longer verbally abuse or threaten the crowd. Laaaaaame.

- An 11 p.m. curfew has been set for shows. WWE might not be affected by this (or are willing to pay a fine), but smaller shows have to be done by then.  This means shows running long will have main events cut short. That's also ridiculous.

- Table spots are unofficially banned. The State Commission just became the biggest heels in the business.

- The athletic commission recently tried to stop an intergender match for being against state law, but no such rule exists and the match was continued. Damn right it was. This is AMERICA. USA. USA. USA.

-- Some promotion (HOH?) needs to do a Right to Censor kind of angle playing off all these dumb rules. Talk about some great heat. Unfortunately, the faces have their work cut out for them in coming out ahead on this issue.

Kota Ibushi will team with Hideo Itami in the Dusty Classic. That should be AWESOME. I'm glad Kota's still appearing in NXT.

- Other teams announced for the Dusty Classic:

-- The Revival

-- Andrade "Cien" Almas/Cedric Alexander

-- Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa (#DIY)

-- Bobby Roode/Tye Dillinger

-- Tino Sabbatelli/Riddick Moss

Paige is preparing for neck surgery. I hope she comes back and delivers at a high level. She's been in a rut for a while.

WWE is not believed to be in current conversations to buy TNA. It's entirely possible WWE will wait things out and try to get things at the right time for the right price. So, it looks like things are going to continue for TNA for the time being, with Dixie Carter, Billy Corgan, and Aroluxe (among others?) scrambling for control of the rights and finances.

Dixie Carter tweeted in relation to recent news stories about TNA. The Bound For Glory broadcast is going to be really monumental one way or another.

Smackdown will tour Saudi Arabia on November 3 and 4 before a big WWE tour in Europe. They keep busy on the road.

Bianca Blair made her first in-ring appearance for NXT recently, losing to Aliyah at a live event.

Elias Samson returned to the ring at an NXT live event recently, teaming with Sawyer Fulton and Alexander Wolfe in a main event loss to Tye Dillinger and TM-61. 

Bin Wang did not work the recent NXT live event despite being advertised. He didn't appear at all. No word on went on there.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:

1. I would think WWE could pursue legal actions if he deliberately tried to play off a name they hold the rights to. If he legally changed his name to Cody Rhodes, he'd be in the clear, but is it really worth it if he's not planning on wrestling long-term?

2. That probably has something to do with it. No need to potentially set themselves up for a lawsuit.

3. WWE has a lot of matches to book, and a lot of wrestlers to keep strong, so they do that thing a lot.

4. Getting high with RVD and Sabu and discussing Ancient Aliens sounds AMAZING.

5. I don't think Rollins is intentionally reckless. He just does a lot of moves that have higher chances of hurting someone because that's what gets over with the modern "smark" audience in an age when everyone knows wrestling is fake.

More wrestling tomorrow.

ROH and Impact Wrestling Reax - 9/29/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's ROH and Impact Wrestling.

Post-Smackdown dark match, Chinese name debuting for NXT, international cruiserweight updates, Rollins set for Los Angeles, new No Mercy match, more on Corgan-TNA, Bryan continues to push for doc release, Smackdown audience, and Questions on the post-Mania reboot, praising Miz, why TJP wasn't on the first Raw, WWE at the Emmys, and Nia vs. Tamina

After Smackdown, Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler beat The Miz and Bray Wyatt. So, Cena didn't have a match at the taping. That's something of a surprise.

Bin Wang will be working NXT live events this weekend. I expect we'll see a number of Chinese names on live events in the months to come, then NXT TV and hopefully beyond.

Noam Dar and Gran Metalik are continuing to finish up dates from outside WWE. The international names WWE signed have to relocate to the U.S. before working regularly given WWE's schedule, so it's going to take some time before the division is firing on all cylinders.

Seth Rollins will be on Raw Monday despite his rib issues. He's been on both ends of some scary spots these past few months.

Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt has been added to No Mercy. Presumably it will actually go on this time.

Billy Corgan has stated he's seeking to purchase majority ownership, which presumably could leave Aroluxe Marketing, etc. owning stakes with Billy becoming the new head of the company.

- Corgan has spoken with Pop TV's president about Corgan's plans for the company. Corgan says Pop's president and the TNA talent are on-board with his vision for the future.

Daniel Bryan continues to push for WWE to release the produced documentary about his road to WM32. I'm not sure why they're not using it.

Smackdown's audience this week was 2.34 million viewers, a decent boost from the previous week. It does seem like their audience is low when Raw's is.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think to some degree it makes sense to "reboot" things at Mania and the night after, but some feuds should have rematches at further PPVs and the like. I also don't like the rigid rules about NXT callups presented here. The draft show works best in the summer after all the Mania rematches and stuff are out of the way.

2. Miz is based. He's done a lot of great work over the years, and it's good to see him get a bigger role (and more recognition) after the brand split.

3. I can see the argument he should have been ringside, but I also like the argument they didn't throw away his Raw debut by having him do commentary or something. Instead, he got a showcase match the next week. The first episode was just about establishing his challenger.

4. They are, and they'd love to win recognition at that level.

5. I can see it happening. Tamina has to be cleared to return to the ring and be on the same brand as Nia first.

More wrestling tomorrow.

NXT and Main Event Reax - 9/28/16

Read on for my take on last night's NXT and Main Event.

Two title matches for Raw, Harper return update, Cesaro on his Clash dive, Dixie trying to sell TNA, TNA situation coming to a head, replacement on ASE8, new ASE8 matches, Kofi stitched up, Summer Rae update, TLC set, update on EVOLVE names working Raw, Sapolsky on WWE's indie shift, Raw audience, NXT return coming, and Questions on Ambrose's title reign ending, ZSJ's side, Corbin's promos, the future of MITB, and WWE's response to Brock's failure

WWE has booked two title matches for Raw: TJ Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick and Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks. I look forward to both. They also booked Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson, which I'm not looking forward to at all. Maybe Owens and Jericho destroy them? I'd watch that.

Luke Harper is expected to be drafted to Raw. That's interesting. We'll see what he can do there, and if he ends up getting any kind of reboot.

Cesaro posted this after his disastrous dive at Clash of Champions. DEAD. I wish he was that funny on TV.

Dixie Carter has been in contact with WWE in regard to selling her stake in TNA. While Billy Corgan and Aroluxe Marketing are still jockeying for position with their minority stakes in order to keep the company going through the upcoming PPV and TV tapings (and hopefully beyond), the option is there for WWE to buy TNA and close its doors. If that happens, they'll acquire the tape library and have the option to choose among the contracted roster to join Raw, Smackdown, and NXT.

- TNA talents are scheduled for TV tapings this week, but that's dependent on financing. It's entirely possible Dixie gives up more of her stake to Aroluxe and/or Corgan in lieu of money in order to keep things going. Either way, something will be coming to a head to a big degree in the next few days as we head into BFG.

KUSHIDA will be replacing Lio Rush at Friday's ROH PPV, teaming with Jay White and ACH against The Briscoes and Toru Yano in a tournament match for the Six Man Tag Team Championship. Rush was booked for a European tour before the PPV lineup was finalized, and will be unable to do the ROH date.

- Also added to ASE VIII:
-- Hangman Page vs. Kyle O'Reilly
-- ANX vs. War Machine vs. Dalton Castle/Colt Cabana vs. the Pretty Boy Killers to get a future shot at the ROH Tag Team Championship.
-- Silas Young vs. EVIL vs. Will Ferrara in an Internet-exclusive match.

--- They've got a pretty full lineup.

Kofi Kingston needed eight stitches after his bout on Raw.

Summer Rae is in China promoting WWE. That's a good use for her while she recovers.

TLC on December 4 will be a Smackdown PPV. That could be pretty fun.

WWE has not signed Drew Gulak, not Tony Nese. Both men will be booked for further appearances, but they remain part of EVOLVE. So, they get the best of both worlds. I'm just glad we get to see both of them on Raw. WWE is interested in using Gulak in the WWEPC given his work at WWNLive seminars. He'd be good as a guest coach. They'd be crazy to shelf him from the ring at only 29. He's really good.

Gabe Sapolsky discussed WWE embracing the indies:
- ROH isn't really the same as it was with Sapolsky in charge, but they've found success.

- Doing something different from what the main competitor is doing is key. Why do a smaller version of WWE when people already have a lot of WWE content to watch?

- It's good to see guys like Zack Sabre Jr. taking wrestling in a different direction from the stereotypical indie flips. There's nothing "sports-like" about obviously choreographed spots.

- The perfect storm metaphor is apt. A lot of things are coming together to influence WWE's change of direction.

- I wish Slater would have appeared at EVOLVE to continue his angle. Even if it was just a WWE.com segment between Slater and Gabe. It could have been pretty funny.

Raw drew 2.48 million against the first U.S. presidential debate's more than 80 million viewers. While the usual liars are doing their "record low ratings" shtick, they actually did worse for a Christmas Raw before the Attitude Era. Still, that's a really bad number. The three-hour era is really taking its toll on the audience.

Elias Samson is returning to action at the next NXT live event. I'm curious where he'll fit into things once he's back on TV.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think the interview was more indicative of who Ambrose is when he's not in-character/cutting a promo. AJ was a hot act after beating Cena, so him winning the title was a good move regardless of the podcast.

2. Generally his style doesn't require him to be big. I think he'd be fine as a cruiserweight-level guy. If WWE wanted to use him higher than that, bulking up would certainly help in that regard. I don't get the feeling he'd care about being in WWE main events, though. He seems pretty chill.

3. Corbin can be hit-or-miss with his delivery at times. I'd rather see him work on that rather than going with the easy way out. Keep Heyman with Brock.

4. I don't think so. I think they'll make MITB a dual-branded PPV and either have two MITB matches or one match with people from both brands.

5. It was WWE's way of saying "well, he didn't take steroids with us! He hasn't been here in months." And part of Brock not being tested is him being a part-timer. Apparently people who only work one match every so often aren't tested, since the policy is designed for people who are on the road every week.

More wrestling promo.

Smackdown Reax - 9/27/16

Read on for my take on last night's Smackdown.

Names on injured list at Clash and Raw, Raw getting new home in Germany, Bruno done doing public signings, UK farewells for WWE signings, NXT to Vegas, new WWE producer?, WWE+TNA alums open wrestling school, Balor recovery update, and Questions on memechanting, not catching people who dive, LED overload, and oddly-shaped rings

Emma was backstage at Clash of Champions. Paige and Luke Harper were not. It's possible neither Paige nor Harper have been cleared to return to the ring, in which case there wasn't much reason for them to be at that show.

- All three were backstage at Raw. While Paige was drafted to Raw, the other two are free agents. Emma has been working as a guest referee on Raw-branded live events.

WWE Raw in Germany is moving to the channel Pro7 Maxx, which currently airs Smackdown. Pro7 Maxx will advertise WWE's tour there in November. This sounds like a good move to keep Raw on the air there.

- WWE put out a press release on the new deal. It'll take effect in April. 

Bruno Sammartino will make his final public signing appearance on November 19. It'd be fitting if Ivan Koloff started doing appearances there in his place.

Tommaso Ciampa, Jack Gallagher, and Tommy End were all given send-offs at the most recent PROGRESS Wrestling show. It was Ciampa's last non-WWE commitment. He and Gallagher are appearing as part of the cruiserweight division, while End is headed to the WWEPC/NXT. I look forward to their next chapters in WWE.

NXT will run Las Vegas on December 17. They've got some big dates coming up before the end of 2016.

D-Von Dudley got a tryout as a WWE producer at Clash of Champions and Raw. That could be a good role for him that doesn't involve taking bumps. 

Mr. Anderson/Kennedy and Shawn Daivari are opening a wrestling school in Minnesota, accepting students beginning on November 1. Kurt Angle and Colt Cabana have endorsed the pair and their acumen as trainers. That's an interesting combination, but certainly both have quite a bit of experience to pass on.

Finn Balor received a stem cell transplant on the road to his recovery. I hope that means good things for his recovery.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I always assume fans are being "le ironiccccccc lel" with things like that, because they're so smart and know the jobber's not going to win. HAHA THEY'RE HAVIN FUN MAGGLE, etc. I do love Bo, though.

2. WWE's more or less trying to run with the "meme" of the crowd being out to entertain themselves. LISTEN TO THIS CROWD MAGGLE HAHA AH LOVE IT. I think it's a byproduct of appealing to the "smart" fans with some of their signings and the shift of style toward what we see in NXT.

3. I also think this hurts believability, but nowadays it's all about doing cool dives to the outside of the ring, so it's seen as a necessary evil.

4. I agree, but WWE wants to advertise everywhere. I expect the barricade to become a wall of screens with ads next. Then an LED announce table, then next thing you know Michael Cole is an LED.

5. I would think that would be awkward to run at odd angles. I'm all for a Mobius Strip ring, though.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Raw Reax - 9/26/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.

WWE and ROH live event notes, Bella press, Sydal misses NJPW dates, Mega Man team acknowledges TJP's shoutout, and Questions on blaming Owens for ratings drops, misusing Apollo, pushing Bo, Max Moon, and pushing Naomi

Emma once again worked as a special referee for a women's tag match at a live event this weekend. Maybe she'll be Charlotte's next challenger? I could get behind that, although Emma is generally better as a heel.

Mark Henry beat Epico this weekend at a live event. Primo wasn't in action. I would be surprised if they had Henry come in for the weekend just for live events.

The Bella Twins are on the cover of the most recent Muscle & Fitness magazine. That's great for them as promotion for "Total Bellas." WWE has connections with M&F as a promotional vehicle, so we'll continue to see regular appearances by WWE names there.

ROH will return to Atlanta on January 14.

A number of local Georgia wrestlers worked the recent ROH show there, either competing or as security or members of The Cabinet's entourage. That could lead to them getting more formal ROH tryouts.

Punisher Martinez (or whatever they're going to call him now) beat Will Ferrara in Georgia, so presumably that's the continuation of this weekend's ROH TV angle (airing on Comet Wednesday).

Matt Sydal missed the most recent NJPW tour due to passport issues. We'll see if he gets that sorted out in time for future events in Japan.

The official Mega Man account shouted out T.J. Perkins for his new entrance. It was really cool. Smart of them to put him over for the homage instead of pulling a PBR and ripping him for it.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That would be short-sighted. Football season returning, fall TV season returning, and so much WWE content in a week wearing fans out all share some blame here. The presidential debate will hurt Raw's rating, too. I definitely wouldn't blame Owens for it. All those things are out of his control, and tough for anyone in WWE to combat (including Creative and Management).

2. He should have developed more in NXT before coming up to the main roster. They called him up just to have another big "night after Mania" debut, and their lack of planning showed. The assumption that he'd get over just because of his pre-WWE audience and athleticism was a flawed one, and they need to move away from assuming indie/international cred will fly with the audience at large. Apollo's talented, but they need to be able to turn that into something more than his impressive offense.

3. That's just what happens when you BO LIEEEEEEEEEVE! Seemingly it's a case where they wanted to push Bo regardless and didn't let that stop them.

4. Max Moon, who was Konnan in costume at first, but Paul Diamond in the ring. Those were the days...

5. If she keeps doing what Management tells her to do and impressing in those roles, her chances are good of getting more TV time. If they think she's the best choice to push as champion based on that (and would rather focus on her than the more recent NXT callups), she'll get the title.

More wrestling tomorrow.

WWE Clash of Champions Reax

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw special event.

- Kickoff:
- Sasha/Dana:
Good work from Sasha. They could totally have Dana turn face tonight.

- Sheamus promo:
More "winning matches against a tough opponent" "brass ring" "glass ceiling" shit.

I'll be glad when both men move on to feuds based on more than who can win the most matches.

- Zayn promo:

I wish he had more of a character than "guy who wants to beat Kevin Owens." It's stunting his growth.

Zayn being world champion within a year isn't a stretch at all.

- Nia vs. Alicia:
I like Alicia coming out of the gate with all she's got. How else is she going to be able to stop the dominant beast?

Nia just killing her here. It's like a rhinoceros vs. a gazelle (or something).

WE GOT OURSELVES A FLYIN FOX MAGGLE AH LOVE IT. 

Good for what it was. I'm sure they could have a pretty solid match as equals if WWE booked them that way.

- Clash of Champions:
- New Day promo:
Pretty funny other than the "farting" stuff. The fact these guys got Booty-O's and a Who shirt over is testament to how they good they are.

- New Day vs. Club:
The bald guys making a statement early. They should. They really need to get on the map here.

I say these two things a lot, but I love the "isolate one member of the team" tactic and I hope Big E has a bright future as a singles star at some point. The brand split should mean E has a better chance at winning gold by himself.

Anderson and Gallows are definitely a solid team. They just don't have that special something, especially without someone leading them.

NICE spinebuster spot.

Of course, Gallows using a chokeslam is a callback to him briefly being fake Kane.

Solid thrashing of the former NJPW duo. I'd mark out if Anderson and Gallows become Owens' heavies or something to reboot them as people we should take as real threats.

- TJP promo:
I'm already a little underwhelmed with babyface Perkins. He can be really unlikable with his

- TJP vs. Kendrick:
HOLY SHIT TJP'S ENTRANCE. That's pretty cool.

Good start with the back-and-forth mat wrestling.

I'm liking the story of Kendrick using every tactic he can think of to combat TJP's athleticism and agility.

I'm really liking the submissions.

Some of these spots are unnecessarily dangerous for the point of innovation.

NICE of Kendrick to capitalize on the missed splash into the Captain's Hook.

And there's our first underwhelming finisher kickout of the night.

That was pretty good, since it wasn't just a bunch of flying and flashy MOVES.

- Post-match:
Based Kendrick, although how am I supposed to believe a headbutt will keep TJP down after he survived that whole match?

- Cesaro promo:
Not bad. I'd like to see him get something more to sink his teeth into than wins and losses, though.

- Cesaro vs. Sheamus: 
I like both men, but at some point we've seen them face off so much, it's hard to get into it. That leads to a bunch of innovative spots done primarily to be different from past matches.

I love a good fight.

Swiss One Nine! I wonder if there's any heat for using a move of a guy who didn't leave on good terms and works for a rival promotion.

Sheamus working on the back is a good strategy.

OH MY GOD that Razor's Edge into a backbreaker. I mean, DAMN.

Some good counters going on here.

FUCK CESARO WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?

"One competitor nearly killed himself on the outside? Time to chant THIS IS AWESOME!"

Cesaro had the perfect out to losing to that Brogue Kick.

At some point it's time to go home. Cesaro could have easily won with that Neautralizer. Noth men are tough and really talented, and they're still bringing great action, but it sets a really high bar.

Big move after big move. Crazy tenacity.

Oh, no. They're going to have to do more matches between each other? Just give them both a title match!

- Bayley/Charlotte:
That was OK. I wish Bayley was more "I'm going to be champion" and less "I'm happy to be here this is my dream."

- Zayn vs. Y2J:
Heel Jericho has been so much fun. I'm glad he's slowing things down after the wild match between Cesaro and Sheamus.

I love a methodical beatdown with trash talk.

When every match has crazy flying to the outside, it's no longer a highspot. It's just a spot. It's not as impressive as it should be because we see so many so often.

Nice to avoid the Helluva Kick instead of kicking out of it.

I love a story with submissions and counters.

Wow. CODEBREAKER OUT OF NOWHERE!! I would expect Jericho to move into the title picture due to that win.

- Steph/Foley/Owens:
Mostly good segment. Owens threw some pretty good shade at Rollins. I just hope the authority figures don't overshadow the competitors. 

- Charlotte vs. Sasha vs. Bayley:
The triple dropkick spot was a little cutesy. Other than that, I've liked the action so far.

Bayley hitting a Twist of Fate in the ropes doesn't bode well if she wants to avoid being DELETED.

Clever sequence with the knees to the midsection in the corner.

Chekhov's Gun says Dana needs to get revenge on Sasha for attacking her on the outside to keep the title on Charlotte.

I loved the double moonsault spot.

I'm really liking the rapid-fire finisher attempts and covers.

Good spot with Sasha kicking Dana away to try to win via Banks Statement.

I would have bought the inside cradle winning it. That would have been clever.

WHOA! Charlotte taking out both her top challengers. Who in the world is next? Dana?

- Roman vs. Rusev:
I love a brawl between powerhouses.

Rusev telling the crowd it's about him when they were focused on chanting for/against Roman was great.

This is an out-and-out fight, like it should be.

I liked the kick to counter the Superman punch. 

NICE distraction from Lana.

REALLY nice counter of the Accolade into a close pinfall. That was a really good moment.

This is some awesome back-and-forth.

That was a really solid encounter.

- Rollins/Steph/Foley:

Fine to continue the build to the main event.

- Rollins vs. Owens:

I like Owens trying to avoid Rollins, with Rollins trying to get an aggressive start.

Rollins has a lot of flash and athleticism. He's easy to cheer for those reasons.

Owens going after the knee - and gloating about doing so - is great.

More awesome methodical beating down with trash talking. 

WWE really needs to do an angle where an authority figure fines someone for destroying an announce table. That's got to cost the company money, right?

Vince would run out there and attack both of them if they went through with a package piledriver.

OOOUUUUCCCCCCHHHH that gutbuster.

I almost DIED at Suck It. For once in a wrestling match it actually made sense. 

Lots of frogs doing splashes tonight.

Funny spot leading to a Pedigree. Owens is Attitude Era approved with HHH and Jericho at his side.

NICE counter of the Powerbomb into a Pedigree.

I'd love to see Zayn come out to counter Jericho, but I guess he left or something.

Good ending.

More wrestling coming up.

Superstars Reax - 9/24/16, NXT and WWE live event notes, Gargano update, Interviews with Rikishi/Angle, new Table for 3 coming, Regal teaches seminar, WWE-ESPN update, Brock-Orton II result, and Questions on Sunny's arrest, Nikki remaining full-time, Eddie Gilbert in WCW or WWF, why some talents don't make it, and Eric Young's future

- Superstars:
- Darren vs. Axel: It'd be good to have a pep talk from Backlund before the match or something to get the character over. Even if it's 30 seconds, and Axel has a 15-to-30 second promo himself about how he's going to embarrass Darren in front of the old man. Sell who these people are and why we should care.

I like Axel showing Ruthless Aggression.

Fine match so far. Axel trying to make the most of his moment here.

Good back-and-forth.

I love the chicken wing being sold as an important submission.

- Jinder/Titus vs. G. Truth:
I would have liked to have seen a vignette of why Jinder and Titus are teaming. 

Fine tag team action so far.

Goldust and Truth can still get it done in 2016.

Good enough match.

Cedric Alexander is working NXT live events this weekend. I expect at some point the cruiserweights will work Raw live events. Some names still have some outside commitments to finish up before they can tour with WWE.

Karl Anderson worked a singles match this weekend, losing to Neville with Luke Gallows in his corner. I wouldn't assume this means anything about Gallows' status, but it's interesting they didn't have them in a tag match.

Johnny Gargano worked his final indie appearance in Cleveland this weekend. He's had a long run outside of WWE. I hope he's successful in the next stage of his career.

Rikishi discussed the Usos turning heel and more:
- It's definitely good to see a change of pace with the Usos. They're talented guys, but it was time for something different from them.

- I don't like the "everyone's there to steal the show" mentality. Do your role well, but not every match needs to try to be four stars or higher. Some people are there to have a comedown match or something different on the card.

- Roman definitely works really hard to try to be the guy WWE wants him to be. He's improved significantly.

After Raw, WWE Network will have a Table for 3 episode featuring Kane, Mark Henry, and Big Show. That should be pretty interesting given all their longevity.

Kurt Angle discussed his past problems with drugs and addiction. It's a sad tale. I hope he's able to remain sober going forward and not put himself through so much physical pain.

William Regal did a seminar at Brian Fury's wrestling school. He's got a lot to teach. I hope the trainees there were enriched by his knowledge.

ESPN's weekly WWE segment has been moved to Thursdays on Sportscenter.

Brock Lesnar defeated Randy Orton in Chicago in a "Suplex City Death Match," more or less a street fight. Lesnar won with an F5.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I really hope she gets things turned around. It's very sad to see the state she's in in 2016 after leaving such a big mark on the business.

2. That seems to be the case! Hopefully she's able to keep going regularly after her surgery. I expect she'll make the most of her run, and only throw in the towel if she has to.

3. Sadly, a lot of times a talent "making it" or not making it is due to issues other than how good the talent is.

4. All of what they said in their answer.

5. He hasn't appeared YET. Try to stay on this side of sanity.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Clash of Champions preview

Read on for my ideas on booking tonight's Raw special event.

Interview with Chris Harris, more top UK names for ROH, WOH continuing to grow, ROH office name leaving, El Santo honored, GFW title defended, Dorado-WWE update, catching up with Kozlov, Regal works indie show as GM, and Questions on HHH stealing Cedric's thunder, The Shield reuniting, and Cedric in ROH vs. WWE

Chris Harris/Braden Walker discussed his career and future in the business:
- I hope with his health issues and the like he's got steady income outside of wrestling. There are more important things in life than performing for the crowd.

- Early TNA has something of a special place in my heart, with the whole "before it was a big deal" factor and all.

- Storm vs. Harris was quite the feud. It's a shame Harris fell off the map after that.

- I can see the argument of Storm really being underutilized.

- Hindsight bias coming into play as far as his jump to WWE.

- Braden Walker was such a flop. He did have a backstage segment or two, but not much to show why we should care. He was just "wrestler guy from place looking to win matches." Somehow that's en vogue now, but they at least get hype packages instead of just showing up backstage.

Will Ospreay is set for all three nights of ROH's November UK tour. I'm sure they'd like to use him more than that.

ROH plans on using Marty Scurll beyond the UK tour. So, presumably he'll end being a regular.

ROH also plans to focus on the Women of Honor division more. That part of the company is growing and could lead to contracts for some talented people who haven't been picked up by NXT/TNA.

ROH's Jeff Jones (formerly Judge Jeff Jones of ECW) has left the company after five years. He had been handling travel and social media there among other duties. Kevin Kelly's taking over many of his duties, since Kelly's now a full-time guy.

Google celebrated El Santo's 99th birthday, which is REALLY cool. I'd like to see him honored in the WWE Hall of Fame via their legacy award.

GFW champion Nick Aldis (Magnus) defended the championship for CWE in Canada. I like the initial idea of GFW being kind of an alliance between smaller promotions.

Lince Dorado has indeed signed a WWE deal. Like others in the cruiserweight division, he'll be working NXT and the main roster.

WWE caught up with Vladimir Kozlov. Sounds like he's doing pretty well for himself. I kind of miss him, honestly.

TNA's audience this week was 377,000, their highest viewership since the move to Thursdays. They're not fading away and classifying themselves as obsolete just yet, thank goodness.

William Regal was the surprise guest general manager at a Chaotic Wrestling in Massachusetts. He was there scouting talent on behalf of WWE. I'm a little surprised WWE was OK with that, but it could mean good things for both sides if the promotion is seen as a training ground for future WWE stars.

For my take on yesterday's PWinsider.com questions:
1. Yeah, that one's a stretch, since HHH did sign him.

2 and 3. I'd definitely like to see The Shield vs. The Club at Survivor Series, which could also involve Rusev, Owens, Cena, and another babyface (Zayn? Cesaro? Y2J?). The opportunity's there if they want to do it. Also, Ambrose is getting his rematch on Smackdown, so that plot point will be resolved by then.

Nothing to add to 4.

5. I think he was a lot more motivated to join WWE. ROH was in a tough position where they didn't want to push someone too hard who was pretty openly trying to go to WWE. So they featured him here and there in case he did re-sign, but didn't really get behind him.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Former Knockouts Champion to GLOW series, Henry on 20 years (!) in WWE, AJ on her memoir, Galloway to miss BFG?, Cody on coming to TNA and Questions on BOLA on DVD, Paul London in the CWC, WWE's new ringposts, why TJP wasn't on Raw, and Robocop in WCW

Kia Stevens, formerly Awesome Kong and Kharma, will be part of NETFLIX's GLOW series. That should be pretty interesting.

Mark Henry discussed the 20th anniversary of his first WWE match:
- That's a REALLY big milestone. He should go from the Hall of Pain to the Hall of Fame in 2017 or 2018 (unless they want to wait until Mania's in Texas again).

- He's got a lot of great things to pass on to the current generation.

- The business has really changed for the better as far as backstage demeanor. Veterans' behavior toward new talents was embarrassing.

- He's dead on about psychology, listening more, etc., although it's not like today's stars haven't heard that a lot. They just ignore it because they're getting "this is awesome" chants, four-plus star ratings, etc. That says more about fans and critics than the wrestlers, unfortunately.

- Henry should absolutely be a coach or producer when he retires.

- Also dead on about not just resting on your laurels because you made it to WWE, won the title, etc. Always try to make it even further.

AJ (Lee) Brooks discussed writing her book. It should be a really interesting read. I look forward to seeing what she reveals.

Drew Galloway will miss a few weeks of ring time, presumably taking him out of his Grand Championship match at Bound For Glory. I'm curious who ends up taking his place there. I'd like for it to be Cody, but I don't think that would make a lot of sense. So, how about they postpone the match and have Rex face Bram, James Storm, Al Snow, or Tyrus?

Cody tweeted about arriving in TNA. He'll likely team with Brandi against Mike and Maria Bennett.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1.They have to wait some time in order to release them on DVD due to rights issues with using talents contracted to other promotions.

2. WWE only brought in a few veteran talents for the CWC at any rate. I think Kendrick made more of his shot than London would have.

3. Someone hasn't been watching, because they still use that spot. I like the LEDs.

4. The debut episode was all about naming a top contender, so those names got the spotlight instead of him.

Nothing to add to 5.

6. Robocop belongs in the WWE Hall of Fame, with Vanguard-1 inducting him. Also, they need to put him in the next WWE 2K game.

More wrestling tomorrow.

ROH and Impact Wrestling Reax - 9/22/16

Read on for my thoughts on this week's ROH and Impact Wrestling.

Former WWE tag team champion dealing with health issues, E&C Show Season 2 update, WWE.com catching up with former wrestlers, even more ECW on the Network, Bryan pushes for release of bear documentary, Smackdown audience, TNA promotes debuting talent, another match set for BFG, Dudleys updates, new promotion coming to TV?, more on Corgan's TNA future, more on Cody-ROH, WWE interested in top TNA name, Tamina update, another female talent hurt, and Questions on AJ beating Dean with a low blow, WCW surviving on the Network, having two authority figures per brand, colored titles, and WWE bringing back recently cut talents

Former WWE star Rico is reportedly dealing with a variety of ailments, from severe concussions to heart problems to a collapsed lung. That's absolutely awful news. I wish him the best, and hope he gets the help he needs.

There are plans for a second season of the Edge and Christian Show, but episodes have not been written yet. The show had its great moments when taking the piss out of things that would be taboo to discuss on WWE TV.

WWE.com is turning their "Where Are They Now?" feature into an episodic video series. The first episode will feature Vladimir Kozlov.

WWE Network has continued to add ECW TV episodes from 1993. 

Daniel Bryan is pushing for WWE to release a documentary they produced about him being set to wrestle a bear at Wrestlemania 32. That sounds AMAZING, even if it was just a guy in a costume. There's actually history of men wrestling (trained) bears. Someone needs to get on this. Namely, TNA  via Broken Matt.

Smackdown's audience was 2.29 million this week, the lowest viewership since going live. That's really a shame considering the great Miz/Ziggler and Ambrose/Cena matches. Hopefully Ambrose vs. Styles for the title next week boosts numbers.

TNA teased a debut ahead of Impact Wrestling. It's going to be really interesting if Cody ends up appearing in TNA and ROH in the span of a few months. He isn't expected to sign a full-time deal with either promotion, or anyone else.

TNA announced the return of the Bound For Gold battle royal for this year's event. Last year's match had some fun surprises, so I hope that continues this year.

NJPW is looking to continue expanding beyond Japan, which would likely mean more international names getting contracts. That could end up having a big effect on ROH, and possibly NXT/WWE as well. NJPW has already signed a number of top ROH-level names who've made that their home promotion. 

D-Von Dudley could be set to become an agent for WWE, with Bully Ray working the indie scene as a singles competitor. The duo are still set to run their wrestling school in Florida. Bully has teased coming to TNA, but there's no word on any interest from them.

David McLane, who produced GLOW, is getting back into the wrestling business. He's working with Los Angeles Lakers President Jennie Buss to create a TV series called Women of Wrestling, with actresses trained to be wrestlers. The pair are still seeking a distribution deal for the project, which they want to have live events as well as weekly national TV. It will be interesting to see if something like that can work in 2016. With the GLOW series coming to Netflix, there's possibly a market for the idea.

Billy Corgan is seen as the most likely buyer for TNA, but a deal hasn't gone through yet and other parties are at the table. 

Cody Runnels is expected to work with Adam Cole in ROH once he starts at Final Battle, and is expected to just use his first name to avoid any copyright issue with WWE. I'm curious what this will mean for Cole as ROH Champion.

WWE is interested in Matt Hardy once his TNA contract ends in spring. He and Brother Nero would both be available early next year if TNA doesn't lock them up. I would think Matt would want to call his own shots and work his own schedule, but I wouldn't rule out seeing him there. 

Tamina is still expected to be months away from returning. There hasn't been any word of her working out at the WWEPC or being close to being cleared. 

Summer Rae is out with a neck injury, and has also had back and elbow issues. No word on how long she'll miss. I think she's been underutilized as a character and as a wrestler.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm pleasantly surprised at Dave's answer there. I agree on all points. It concluded the story about low blows and firmly established AJ as a jerkass heel who's good enough to beat Cena clean AND become WWE Champion. People looking to complain will always find a reason to do so and this is no different.

2. The only way I would see that happening is if they taped a lot of Nitros/Thunders/whatever at once and they never aired opposite televised WWE programming. The costs of doing frequent tapings on top of Raw and Smackdown would be unreal, as well as the headaches of producing that much content and booking that many venues.  Even then, the roster would probably be scarce because they weren't going to buy out some of the bigger contracts (Goldberg, Steiner, nWo). Why keep that brand running when you can use the remaining WCW assets to boost Raw and Smackdown? In other words, unless it was going to be something like NXT with its own production team, bookers, etc., I don't see them going through all that effort.

3. It definitely seems like the purpose is to have McMahons on TV as well as two other prominent non-wrestlers. In theory, though, the commissioners can overrule the GMs and even replace them if they want to. That could play out at some point. 

4. I think it's definitely possible they'd continue the theme of colored championships at the top level. It's not a bad idea. I'm just glad they kept the names of the United States and Intercontinental Championships instead of Raw ________ Champion and Smackdown ________ Champion. It would have made sense to have the same name for each brand's title, but the current title names have a lot of prestige and lineage.

5. Cody asked for his release and looks to be doing something of a greatest hits/farewell tour before trying to make it as an actor. So, he's out. Sandow's now working as Aron Rex full-time in TNA, so that's not happening. The Big Guy didn't want to accept WWE's offer, Del Rio's winding down his wrestling career and wants to work more or less part-time in Mexico, and I think the former Wade Barrett wants to go into acting. As for other names, there haven't been any further indications of other released names coming back into the fold. 

More wrestling tomorrow.

NXT and Main Event Reax - 9/21/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT and Main Event.

Another Raw cruiserweight, Orton is back, WWE moving channels in Germany?, WWE women return updates, Raw audience, title match official for No Mercy, and Questions on Foley as GM, AJ as champ until WM33, Ambrose's lackluster title run, Kane vs. Bray, and non-exclusive NXT talents

WWE announced Lince Dorado as part of the cruiserweight division in an article published Friday. He hadn't been in any of the video packages promoting the division, nor was he on Raw. He did work the most recent NXT taping, but there have been a number of CWC cameos there lately. We'll see what the future holds for him.

Randy Orton is back to working regularly. I would expect him to wrestle at No Mercy if nothing changes.

WWE's German TV home is not renewing its contract to show Raw and Smackdown once that deal ends in March, despite the shows' success on their network. WWE is expected to get a new deal in the country shortly. Hopefully WWE secures a TV spot shortly.

Paige and Emma were backstage at Raw. Emma has been cleared to return to the ring for more than a month. I'd like to see Emma be the one pulling the strings for Nia Jax, looking to destroy people who took Emma for granted. I definitely want to see Emma used more regardless.

Tamina gave an update on her return. I'm interested to see where she fits into things now that they have Nia Jax. Hopefully she gets something of a reboot, since her character hasn't really done much in a while. Pairing her with the Usos works for me.

Raw drew 2.68 million this week against an NFL game drawing 12 million, and the season premieres of a lot of network shows. I'll be surprised if we don't see more of HHH and potentially some crazy shenanigans like McMahon Millions going forward.

Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. the Usos for the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship is set for No Mercy. That should be good; the story setting it up has been pretty compelling.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. He's not Eric Bischoff, nor is he the Commissioner Foley of 2000. He's just kind of there to make matches and get out of the way. Stephanie's more of the dominant heel in his place. I like him OK because he doesn't get too much in the way of the wrestlers.

2. That could be great if it's booked well. Someone from Raw could win the match and come over to challenge him. Or even Samoa Joe or someone else from NXT. It'd be quite the gamble, but would definitely show there's a new era.

3. I think that definitely was a watershed moment. Ambrose was way too laid-back for someone who was supposed to be seen as the top guy in the company. He just didn't seem as driven as he did when was in The Shield. Rollins is hitting it out of the park and Reigns is giving it his all. Ambrose is just kind of "yeah I'm the champ now I guess. It's whatever" and his character has really gone downhill since the feuds with Lesnar and Y2J. Moving the belt to a more motivated AJ was the right move.

4. It was a match Bray wasn't prepared for, and Orton interfered. I like Bray, too, but they protected him in defeat. Ideally, Bray will get revenge on Kane at some point. Kane just kind of showed up, won, and disappeared. Bray vs. Dean works, too.

5. A lot of CWC people are just working one match at a time. Aries did work a match outside of NXT two weeks ago, so it looks like he's able to take outside bookings.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Smackdown Reax - 9/20/16

Read of my for thoughts on last night's Smackdown.

Raw Reax - 9/19/16

Read on for take on last night's Raw.

Shibata back on the shelf, TNA on signing Brandi, Elite with their own cereal, backlash to Post article, WWE sponsoring local race, AJ Lee book cover, new matches for Clash of Champions, and Questions on six-sided rings, a circular ring, WWE advertising Orton for Backlash, why WWE doesn't do big factions, and who runs WWE Creative

Katsuyori Shibata was able to compete against Bobby Fish recently in NJPW, but has been pulled from the remainder of the tour. There's no indication of how much time he'll miss. Shibata's a soldier, but he's human and has limits. I hope this isn't a big setback for him.

TNA put out a press release on signing Brandi Rhodes. I'm interested to see how she does there and what this potentially means for Cody.

The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega are selling "Superkix" cereal to play off New Day. That's actually really funny.

The recent New York Post article on TNA is believed to have vastly overestimated the value of TNA. The company reportedly owes many talents and vendors money, and its revenue streams aren't what they used to be.

- Additionally, there's no evidence of WWE or Sinclair Broadcasting making bids to buy the company. While WWE would love the video library, they haven't made any attempt to purchase the company at this time.

WWE is sponsoring the upcoming Spartan Standalone race in Stamford, Connecticut. It's good for them to recruit athletes like that.

AJ Lee revealed the cover for her upcoming biography. That should be pretty interesting given her WWE tenure and how it ended.

Added to Clash of Champions:
- Sheamus vs. Cesaro in the finals of the Best of Seven series
- Roman Reigns vs. Rusev for the United States Championship
- TJ Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Championship
- Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox (Kickoff show)
-- Bayley has been added to Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks to make a triple threat for the Raw Women's Championship

-- I would expect The Shining Stars vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass to be added, too.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. NORMALLY WHEN YOU STEP IN THE RING YOU GOT FOUR NINETY DEGREE ANGLES, BUT THIS RING'S A GENETIC *FREAK* AND IT AIN'T NORMAL. SEE IT'S GOT SIX SIDES WITH SIXTY DEGREE ANGLES. SIX SIXTY MINUS FOUR NINETY MEANS YOU GOTTA HUNDRED SEVENTY PERCENT CHANCE OF GETTIN HURT. THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE AND THEY SPELL DISASTER FOR YOU.

It definitely takes some getting used to. Apparently its construction makes the surface harder to bump on, too.

2. I'm not really sure how that would work, since the ropes need to be taut in order for people to run them. It doesn't sound feasible.

3. I think they were really, REALLY hoping he'd end up being cleared and they wouldn't have to go with Plan B. So, yeah, I think they'd still have waited until the last minute to pull him in case he ended up being able to compete.

4. I guess because they saw what happened with the nWo, with its  membership inflating out of control. It's hard to book a big group well, since some members end up becoming the jobbers. The argument is it hurts the value of the group if it includes some top-flight names and a lot of people who are just there because Creative didn't have any other ideas for them.

5. She was just moved to a different area of the company. It's more of a move left or right than down.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Former NXT name working ROH, WWE live event note, Funk speech, Sunny hospitalized, Raw date set, and Questions on TJP winning the CWC, TNA's future, Punk taking a spot in UFC, how cruisers will be used on Raw, and praising Slater

Bull James, formerly Bull Dempsey, worked a live event for ROH this weekend. He competed in the Honor Rumble, but was ultimately unsuccessful. The indication is this isn't a one-time thing. He's an interesting addition; I think he'll add some good variety to what's on display there currently.

Karl Anderson lost to Cesaro in singles matches at live events this weekend. I wouldn't read anything into it, but it's something to note.

Terry Funk's speech from the recent HOH show is now online. Get well soon, Funker.

Sunny has been hospitalized due to problems with her pancreas. Hopefully she makes a full recovery.

Raw will come to Little Rock, Arkansas on January 16 for the road to the Royal Rumble.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. All four men in the semis are talented, but only TJP and Metalik are under contract. So, it had to be one of them. Metalik's still working out of Mexico for now and TJP speaks English, so I see why they went with Perkins as the face of the division.

2. In one way, things are in good shape because a number of parties are interested in securing the company. We could be on the verge of a new era for the company... if WWE doesn't swoop in just to add a bunch of content to the Network.

3. I'd definitely be upset if I was one of the undercard fighters pushed aside in favor of Punk, but business is business. Punk's future will depend on how much money he drew for UFC with his appearance.

4. The CWC was its own thing. Now people on that show are being incorporated into Raw. I think there will be some touches of what made the CWC work, but it's just another cog in the WWE machine now. Commentators are going to need to put over what Vince tells them to put over instead of just calling action. They're not on their own show now, so they won't get the kind of time they would there unless their story's important in the grand scheme of Raw. Expecting 20+ minutes of CWC on Raw each week just isn't happening.

5. Heath Slater has been incredibly entertaining. His delivery combined with the situations they've put him in have almost always been hilarious. He's made the most of everything he's been given, from 3MB to Slater Gator to the Outcasts to this. Being a good worker doesn't always mean doing "five star" matches. Slater has his role and he executes it really well.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Superstars Reax - 9/17/16, WWE+NXT live event notes, WWE and ROH bidding for TNA?, Legends with JBL coming, Funk update, and Questions on Punk fighting again, Summer Rae, Turner talking WCW, and the 2300 Arena

- Superstars:
- Strowman vs. Cara:
I like Cara trying everything he can to beat the dominant monster.

Strowman just manhandling him here.

It makes sense for Cara to try some crazy flips to do damage to the beast. He's not going to beat him any other way.

Good ending.

- Darren/Neville vs. Titus/Axel:
Interesting pairings here. Bo still works with Axel on live events, but they're not working together here. Bo's been doing singles work on Raw.

Good work between Axel and Young. They can straight-up wrestle pretty well.

This is a pretty fun combination of styles.

NICE move by Titus to block the Asai moonsault. That's why you need to be careful when doing fancy shit.

Good work by the heels isolating Neville.

Titus is a lot of fun here.

That was a really solid ending sequence.

Emma worked as a special referee on a Raw live event this weekend, so she's at least cleared to do that. We could see her back on TV as soon as Monday.

Bob Backlund was on the road with Darren Young at Raw live events this weekend.

The New York Post talked to Billy Corgan about trying to buy TNA:
- He's got a pretty quick timetable to want to buy the company.

- WWE and Sinclair making bids is huge. A lot of this will depend on whether Dixie's more interested in money or in seeing TNA continue. I would assume WWE would just shutter it and take the tape library and whatever talent they want. I'm not as sure what ROH would do. It's definitely early in the game, but it looks like things are about to get really serious regarding TNA's future.

- Fight Network having a stake is a new development. No one's reported that until now. That might make it even more complicated for one party to get all the rights.

- How much is Corgan willing to spend reviving TNA? That's going to be a key factor.

Legends with JBL featuring Kevin Nash and Scott Hall will air after Raw Monday. That should be a lot of fun.

Terry Funk was unable to work the most recent HOH event due to health issues. I wish him a speedy and full recovery.

Rich Swann worked NXT live events this weekend. Whether he'll start working Raw events remains to be seen. Things are a little fuzzy as far as how cruiserweights will be implemented.

Randy Orton returned to the ring in a more regular fashion this weekend, working with Bray Wyatt one-on-one. So, it looks like we could see those two compete at No Mercy.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. If he made them enough money, they could give him another chance on UFC Superstars or UFC Main Event or whatever they have. Fight Night? Yeah, Fight Night.

2. I'm not really sure what that means, but it's telling we haven't seen her lately. She's talented, but they're obviously not utilizing her. Personally, I'd like to see her moved to Smackdown to be Breezango's manager (and wrestle, too).

3. I don't think so. He very briefly mentioned it in his autobiography, but nothing in-depth. I assume he's moved on from all that.

Nothing to add to 4.

5. What about bingo!?

More wrestling tomorrow.

WWE comic note, Rock in WWE movie, Interviews with TJP/Gallagher/Dar, Patterson documentary, Dusty Classic returns, WWE ring announcer to wrestle for TNA, TNA audience, NXT live event notes, and Questions on Vince supporting AJ, WWE dropping Colter, Andre jobbing to Warrior, the UWN, and Bray's future

The first issue of WWE's comic book will focus on Seth Rollins' decision to turn on The Shield. This could be a pretty interesting venture.

The Rock and his production company are working with WWE Studios for an upcoming movie. Pre-production has begun, and Rock is set to star in the movie. That's a really big get for WWE.

TJ Perkins discussed his big CWC win:

- He definitely got some impressive opportunities at a young age.

- They all really went hard in the CWC matches. I'm not shocked he's got battle scars.

- Pretty good press from him overall.

Jack Gallagher was profiled. I'm very glad he was signed. He stands out from the pack in a great way.

WWE has put out a Pat Patterson documentary to push his autobiography. I question whether dropping a 52-minute documentary with no hype is the right move, but I'm glad he's getting a spotlight.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Classic returned at this week's NXT taping. There will be 16 teams, and it will conclude at Takeover: Toronto. The following matches have been announced:

- The Authors of Pain vs. The Bollywood Boyz

- The Revival vs. Andrade Cien Almas/Cedric Alexander

- TM61 vs. Riddick Moss/Tino Sabbatelli

- Bobby Roode/Tye Dillinger vs. Sawyer Fulton/Alexander Wolfe

-- Good to see some new faces in the mix to see how they do as teams. It would be good to have some new regular teams emerge from the tournament.

Brandi Rhodes, formerly WWE announcer Eden Stiles, has signed a deal to wrestle for TNA. Whether she'll be a regular part of the division or if she's just coming in for an angle or two remains to be seen. I know Cody wants to do himself and Brandi vs. the Bennetts, but Cody hasn't officially set up a deal to perform there.

Noam Dar talked about his CWC experience and more:

- Sabre's quite the talent. I really hope we haven't seen the last of him in WWE.

- I'm not surprised Gallagher's good with ties given his gimmick. He's a treasure.

- I was DYING listening to him talk about working with Khali. Funny shit. Reminded me of Vince's AOL chat about Yokozuna competing in the light heavyweight division.

TNA's audience this week bounced back to 366,000.

At an NXT live event in Florida:

- Kishan Raftar beat Patrick Clark, so Raftar's working more live matches.

- The teaming of Angelo Dawkins and Kenneth Crawford continued. They lost to the Authors of Pain.

- Andrade Almas worked as a heel, losing to Cedric Alexander in Alexander's NXT live event debut. Almas as a heel is worth pursuing, since he's best known for his work as a rudo in Mexico.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm also pleasantly surprised Vince let a 39-year-old with a Southern accent come in and win the top title. I imagine to some degree he's preparing for a changing of the guard to the type of people HHH wants to push, since Hunter's the one signing contracts now.

2. I'm also a big Colter fan. It's a shame that run was cut short, as he was one of the most entertaining speakers in all of wrestling in the past 15 years or more.

3. The joke's on Andre, since that probably only made Warrior look strong.

4. It's a great idea of enough promotions get on-board. If enough smaller entities worked together, they could all benefit.

5. It took two former World Champions to beat him at Backlash, in a match he wasn't prepared for. I think he can rebound.

More wrestling tomorrow.

More on Shibata's injury, NJPW wants top ROH team, LU airing in Japan, Cole-ROH update, Shelton return timeline, more NXT dates planned including possible Takeover, Shield reunion?, NCAA champ going to WWE?, change in TNA marketing team, Interviews with Gas/Bray/Dux, EVOLVE ref works CWC, another Classic series in the works?, WWE performer returning soon?, Corgan shoots down TNA rumor, new WWE building, and Questions on Vince passing the torch, Summerslam's ending, Punk's UFC entrance, Tony Atlas, and Gargano's future

Katsuyori Shibata's injury is expected to keep him out of the ring for some time, so his rematch with Bobby Fish is off for now. Hopefully this doesn't derail his career. He was really impressive this week on ROH TV.

NJPW is interested in signing reDRagon. That's significant given how frequently they both work ROH. Kyle O'Reilly seems poised to be ROH Champion soon. Both men are pretty talented athletes, so I can see why NJPW would be interested. I'd be surprised if WWE/NXT isn't looking their way, too.

LU has begun airing in Japan via Samurai! TV. That's a good milestone for them, and presumably gives them a better chance of getting a Season 4.

Adam Cole's ROH contract was set to end at the end of the year, but due to missing time from injuries, his deal could run through the end of April. WWE is interested in signing him once his deal expires, but nothing's set in stone at this point. He could definitely be a player there with his years of experience and innate charisma.

Shelton Benjamin is expected to miss about six months due to his recent shoulder surgery. Whether he'll still be used on Smackdown is unknown; WWE might shift gears by then.

There's talk of doing a Takeover show in MSG before the end of the year. That might be hard to pull off, timing-wise, with another Takeover set in November. They also want to run Boston.

With Rollins, Ambrose, and Reigns all working as faces, there's talk of them working together at Survivor Series. That could be pretty cool. How about Rollins/Ambrose/Reigns/Cena/Zayn vs. HHH/Owens/AJ/Club?

Nick Gwiazdowski, two-time NCAA heavyweight champion, was at Backlash. He's on WWE's radar, but will likely do the 2020 Olympics before getting a deal.

Eric Barnes, the last member of TNA's marketing department, is no longer a full-time employee there. He remains on board as a consultant. I would assume his roles are now being taken up by other employees.

Pete Gas discussed his WWE work past and present:
- It's not the Posse's fault they got over! I understand wanting them to respect the business and all, but getting overly physical just to "teach them a lesson" is going too far.

- I appreciate MSP wanting to get better.

- I wanted a MSP run-in during Shane vs. Taker SO BAD.

EVOLVE referee DA Brewer worked the dark match at the final CWC show, so it's possible he does NXT work going forward.

WWE is considering doing a CWC-esque series in early 2017, possibly focusing on unsigned women's competitors. It's not a bad idea to scout more credible women for NXT and the main roster. Santana Garrett, Tessa Blanchard, and Deonna Purrazzo have all impressed in their NXT appearances; I'm surprised none of them have been signed.

Emma is expected back soon. She's scheduled to be on the road for WWE this coming week. I hope she comes back to do good things. She's been something of a sleeper hit.

Bray Wyatt gave a pair of interviews about his heroes in wrestling and his family background. I'm really glad he got this character instead of Husky Harris or Duke Rotundo.

Billy Corgan responded to reports of him "lining up investors" to try to buy TNA. He's definitely wealthy enough to purchase the company himself. Certain reporters need to better check their sources following this and the "Paige quit but she didn't really quit and then she unquit" fiasco.

Tyson Dux discussed how the CWC was set up and more. I'm very surprised they let the wrestlers do so many head/neck bumps. Also, I'd like to see Dux join the main roster as a good hand to work with newer/younger talents. He had a really solid showing.

WWE purchased a building where they had been tenants for years following a bankruptcy proceeding. I hope they make good use of it.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Ha! Vince is going to hang on as long as he can. He's stubborn and has a strong will.

2. They wanted it to look like Brock went off-script and "went into business for himself." The goal was to get people talking. They succeeded, but I don't know if it was worth it.

3. You can watch his whole fight TWICE in the time it takes to listen to that song. Let that sink in for a second.

4. I REALLY want to see Atlas manage the Usos now. AHUH HUH HUH HUH UH HUH HUH HUH.

5. I believe he's just finishing out bookings he had already agreed to before signing his full-time NXT deal.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Impact Wrestling Reax - 9/15/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Impact Wrestling.

Main Event - 9/14/16 and ROH - 9/15/16 Reax

Read on for my thoughts on the most recent Main Event and ROH.

NXT and CWC Reax - 9/14/16

Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT and CWC.

Shibata injured, Interview with Bryan, Paige updates, NXT signing working ROH show, Rollins school student passes away while training, Raw heading to Philly, former WWE name at Smackdown, title match set for No Mercy, Smackdown audience, Knockout leaves TNA, CWC dark match, and Questions on Punk's MMA future, Eva Marie's future, Corbin the bully, quality of shows after the brand split, and Lesnar's suspension bringing hype to Summerslam

Katsuyori Shibata is out with a cervical spine injury. He worked the most recent ROH TV taping; it remains to be seen if this affects any plans they might have had for him.

Daniel Bryan gave an interview about (not) returning to the ring and more:
- I wonder how much of not clearing Bryan had to do with him not wanting to slow down a style with so many suicide dives and diving headbutts. Of course, either way, the test showing a lesion on his brain would have grounded him.

- It's got to be tough thinking you can still wrestle but being benched. Wrestling on the indies with no WWE doctors and little pay just isn't a smart move.

- They better have a good payoff for the Bryan-Miz angle. I'm hoping Bryan signs Samoa Joe to decimate Miz. Roderick Strong's an interesting possibility, too. I think he'd fit right into the role Bryan had before the Yes Movement. That'd be the perfect foil for Miz.

Paige is set to return to the road for WWE beginning with Raw. So, it doesn't look as though she'll try to get out of her contract in order to join Alberto in his future endeavors. I'm curious to see how she'll fit into things when she comes back. As a face, she'd have to compete with Bayley and Sasha. As a heel, she'd have to compete with Charlotte and Nia. I'd probably put her as a heel and turn Dana face after Brooke stands up to the Raw Women's Champion.

- Paige posted about failing her Wellness test and her WWE future. Unsurprisingly, those who indicated she was set to quit WWE are still holding onto that story. Now it's "she quit, but unquit." When reputations are at stake, it's tough to admit you jumped the gun. There's something really wrong when a talent has to travel 200 miles to take a drug test. The system has some flaws.

Crazy Mary Dobson is working an ROH live event this weekend before joining the WWEPC. I imagine that date was booked sometime in the past and WWE is allowing her to finish up her commitments before she becomes part of NXT.

A student has passed away following a cardiac arrest at Seth Rollins' training school. That's frightening, and could have real implications for the school. Sounds like he might have overexerted himself.

Raw will tape in Philadelphia on December 12. They get Smackdown and Raw within three months of each other? That's pretty cool.

Snitsky was backstage at Smackdown. He lives in the area. I wouldn't mind him coming back to fill space on the roster. 

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss is official for No Mercy. I look forward to seeing what Bliss does at this stage.

Smackdown drew 2.66 million this week, making it the most-watched show on cable Tuesday night. The show's performance since going live has been really impressive. The show matters now more than it did pre-brand split. The only question is if losing guys like Cena, Ambrose, and Orton hurt Raw.

Rebel's TNA contract has expired. She is expected to remain wrestling for OVW. Considering she hadn't wrestled for TNA since March, and Christy Hemme had already left, it was probably the right move for both sides.

Before the CWC finals, The Bollywood Boyz beat Sean Maluta and Martin Stone (Danny Burch). It wouldn't surprise me to see the Gihras and Maluta join NXT on a regular basis. NXT needs more tag teams, and Maluta obviously has the family connection.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's likely we've seen the last of Punk in UFC, unless he pulled in a massive amount of money for his fight through attendance, PPV buys, and merchandise. He's really got his work cut out for him in MMA, but if he wants to keep fighting, I'm sure there's a promotion that will book him due to his name value.

2. You personally might not, but I'm sure a lot of people want to see her get beaten up by one of Smackdown's babyface women. It's not all about "good" matches. It's about heat. 

3. That's kind of the point of his character. He's bullying a smaller person instead of challenging someone like Cena or Orton. It makes him look like a coward for ducking them.

4. Yes! Both have had their positive additions with showcasing talents via promos and squashes. Plus, we're not seeing guys like Owens and Ambrose twice a week, so they're not becoming stale as quickly. That's good for the performers and the angles. 

5. I guess it added to things in a  "controversy creates cash" sense. His suspension definitely got people talking about the show and about him in general.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Ryback changing his name, Interview with The Big Guy, CWC bonus match, Smackdown hype, former goalie starts at WWEPC, Orton back in action (kind of), Senor Benjamin found, WWE pet toys, injured name at Raw, two World Champs meet, empty arena match on Impact, new title match at BFG, Raw audience, ROH UK matches set, Raw name moves to Smackdown, and Questions on Sasha's promo skills, WWE showing CZW footage, NXT canceling Canada shows, Foley's look, and Goldberg returning

The Big Guy, formerly Ryback, is looking to legally change his name to Ryback Allen Reeves. This would allow him to use the name Ryback for his post-WWE endeavors.

- The Big Guy talked to Sports Illustrated:
-- Punk presumably saw Ryback as green and unsafe. Perhaps even reckless. Considering TBG had fewer than 250 matches to his name at that point (a lot of which were tag matches or squash matches), it's not an unfair assessment to think he wasn't ready to be in PPV main events.

-- WWE did NOT want to respond to anything on Punk's podcast, period. The last thing they wanted to do was give it more attention by acknowledging it. If they reacted to the Ryback remarks, it would open them up to have to talk about the other things he discussed. Other than the potentially libelous accusations against Dr. Amann, they pretty much stayed clear of his claims.

-- WWE didn't want him acknowledging someone involved in a lawsuit with their doctor, who had left sometime before. That makes sense. They also didn't want Ryback trying to draw too much attention for a Kickoff match. He was there to warm the crowd up with a babyface win before the people WWE did want to focus on competed. That level of order to the show is what separates WWE from the indies.

-- Protecting a talent with booking is much easier said than done when there are so many other people on the card they're also trying to potentially protect.

-- Losing to Mark Henry definitely didn't do Ryback any favors. 

-- They definitely had lightning in a bottle with Ryback in 2012, but I don't know if him going over Punk would have been a good move.

-- Some of WWE's writing is definitely atrocious, but I think too much blame goes to the PG rating. If you need profanity and the kinds of insults that would lose sponsors in order to be an effective heel, that says a lot about your talent level on the mic.

-- I think Ryback wanted the money and push from facing Goldberg, but if he ended up having to make Bill look strong, he probably wouldn't have been as excited about the opportunity.

WWE released a CWC bonus match with Tony Nese and Drew Gulak vs. Lince Dorado and Kenneth Johnson. I think an argument can be made for Nese, Gulak, and Dorado joining Smackdown's midcard. There are a number of other CWC names who would also fit in there or NXT.

Daniel Bryan threw out the first pitch at a recent Phillies game in order to promote Smackdown. You'd think he'd have important business to do as GM that day.

Former German goalkeeper Tim Weise has reported to the WWE Performance Center. A soccer player gimmick would have fit right in during the early '90s. I'm very interested to see how he transitions to being a wrestler.

Randy Orton worked in a limited fashion at Monday's Smackdown live event, teaming with John Cena to beat Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan. That was his first "actual" match since Summerslam.

Matt Hardy has found and rescued Senor Benjamin. I'm a little disappointed they didn't give him more of a makeover. Also, where the heck is Bram?

WWE now has pet toys through Petmate. Interestingly, the Divas branding is still on some of these items. I'm guessing they were planned before the dropping of that moniker for female superstars

Emma was backstage at Raw. There's been no update on her returning to the ring, but maybe this is a good sign things are starting to move toward that. She had some pretty great work in NXT, but was injured before being able to contribute much upon her main roster return. I would imagine she'll be on Raw to work with Dana Brooke again, but they could drop that angle and do something different entirely. Either way, I hope she's able to return soon.

WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens and ROH World Champion Adam Cole met up. I wonder what WWE thinks of Owens posing with someone under contract somewhere else. Hopefully Cole joins guys like Owens, Zayn, Styles, and Joe in WWE when he's able to. He's been "ready" for that level for a long time.

Braxton Sutter vs. Rockstar Spud in an empty arena match will take place on this week's Impact Wrestling. That's pretty much the attendance of One Night Only tapings.

Decay will defend their TNA Tag Team Championship against the Hardys at BFG. I assume that won't be any kind of Final Deletion spectacle. 

Raw drew 2.69 million viewers against the return of Monday Night Football. MNF drew nearly 13 million for their 6:55 game, and more than 10 million for their 10:12 p.m. game. That's the lowest audience since Raw expanded to three hours. WWE's got to be panicking. I hope that doesn't mean we're in for something crazy like HHH as champion or a bunch of segments centered around non-wrestlers.  

ROH has announced the following matches for their UK tour in November:

- November 18: Briscoes/Kyle O'Reilly vs. Adam Cole/Young Bucks

- November 19: Alex Shelley vs. Jay Lethal

- November 20: Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll

Jack Swagger has been moved from Raw to Smackdown effective on the most recent Smackdown episode. The storyline is his Raw contract expired after Monday's episode and he signed with Smackdown Tuesday morning. It looks like he'll be in angle with Baron Corbin based on last night's show.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I can see it being a case of it being more difficult to remember a bunch of scripted lines rather than speaking fairly  straightforwardly in NXT. She has charisma when she gets to wing it more.

2. I REALLY don't see WWE wanting to show footage of that kind of wrestling given their policy on blood and the focus on family-friendly content. For better or worse, he's not Jon Moxley anymore. He's WWE's Lunatic Fringe™ (Maggle!) I think the Asylum match is probably as hardcore as they'll let him be.

3. I guess it's like not wanting someone to fill up on bread in a restaurant before the big meal arrives. There was excitement for the live events, and I think that will only grow for Takeover. This way, they don't "burn out the market" by doing shows that close together with the same talents.

4. I mean, this is a guy who was once Mankind, Dude Love, and Cactus Jack in the same night. There's no telling what he'll do next! 

5. I'm OK with him coming back to pop a big buyrate/increase in subscription numbers and going into the Hall of Fame. I wouldn't want it to be more than a few big matches, though, and I definitely don't want to see him destroy someone's credibility. 

More wrestling tomorrow.