TNA content will no longer be airing on Challenge TV in the UK come January 2017. TNA's deal with Challenge is one of their major sources of revenue, so this could end up being a BIG blow to TNA unless they somehow have something better lined up. Challenge airs Impact Wrestling, Xplosion, and PPVs as well as a number of seasons of British Bootcamp. It won't be easy to replace them at all. Whether this is related to TNA not scheduling a tour in the market for the first year since 2008 is unknown.
- TNA responded to the situation by claiming the deal is ending because UK fans want to watch the show closer to the U.S. air date, and that there will be an announcement on that end soon. Time will tell. If they end up airing the show on their website or YouTube or something rather than getting another big contract to put it on the air in the UK, it's going to mean some serious lost revenue. These next few months are going to be critical for TNA as far as righting the ship.
Eva Marie has completed filming her movie role, and is now eligible to return to Smackdown. She isn't currently booked for Survivor Series, but it's conceivable she pops back up right after that event.
WWE's upcoming Seth Rollins-themed comic book was profiled. I'm glad he's being featured there instead of, say, Cena, Reigns, or Orton. I do want to see a Brothers of Destruction and/or Wyatts comic, though.
The Spirit Squad have not officially been signed to WWE as of this writing, and are continuing to take bookings on the independent scene. They're smart to strike while the iron's hot.
ACH will be finishing his deal with ROH at the end of the year. While the two sides could continue to work together on a per-date basis, he will not be signing a new exclusive contract like the one he's under now. It's possible he tries to join NXT or the cruiserweight division, as there has been WWE interest in him in the past.
Deonna Purrazzo was backstage at Smackdown, but not used. She's been doing pretty well for herself getting bookings with ROH, NXT, and TNA in the past year. I wouldn't be surprised to see her officially join one of those rosters in 2017 if the opportunity presents itself.
After Raw, Seth Rollins beat Kevin Owens by DQ due to interference by Chris Jericho. I'm curious what the next Universal Championship match will be given how HIAC went.
Goldberg acknowledged slipping in the ring during Raw. I don't expect a technical classic between him and Brock, but it should be an entertaining show nonetheless.
Raw's audience Monday was 2.60 million viewers for the Halloween show. That's one of their lowest audiences ever, and for a post-PPV show. I assume the holiday was a lot of the reason, though.
Al Snow's wrestling academy has been designated the Global Development Center for TNA. That's a good move given Snow's wealth of knowledge. Obviously the company has much bigger issues right now, but that doesn't mean they can't make smart moves for the future.
WWE has abandoned plans to trademark the names of Tony Nese and Drew Gulak, as neither man is officially under a WWE contract. They'll still likely be used going forward, but WWE isn't seeking the rights to their ring names at this time.
Apollo Crews beat Viktor before Smackdown. Konnor didn't have a match at the taping. Probably nothing to read into that, but it's something to note.
AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose in a TLC match for the WWE Championship will headline next month's Smackdown PPV. That should be pretty wild. I wonder who else will be in gimmick matches that night.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Well, they're trying to sell Brock as the heel for Survivor Series, so that's what we ended up with. I suppose WWE thought it was OK to lose that battle if they win the "war" of getting the audience to buy into Brock as a heel when they're not in Minnesota.
1. Well, they're trying to sell Brock as the heel for Survivor Series, so that's what we ended up with. I suppose WWE thought it was OK to lose that battle if they win the "war" of getting the audience to buy into Brock as a heel when they're not in Minnesota.
2. It could easily be too much of a good thing, especially with a long Takeover special the night before, a Kickoff show, AND Raw and Smackdown the following nights. No matter how much of a WWE fan you are, that's a lot to sit through in a short timeframe. Overexposure is the biggest problem WWE has right now.
3. It depends on the brand/how big the roster is. B-shows and weekly NXT being an hour is fine.
4. They have a pretty knowledgeable staff who can help out with that kind of thing, but I'm sure there are times they need more brainpower than just who's on hand.
5. It's worth noting they have plans to get streaming rights for additional promotions. It's definitely steep for what they offer now. They've got an uphill battle competing with big corporations like WWE and NJPW, who can afford to offer a lot of content cheap.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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