Keith Lee is still advertised for an ROH event on February 3, so he could work that final date before joining WWNLive.
War Machine are still advertised for ROH events in February. To the best of my knowledge, they're still working without contracts and could be scouting offers from NJPW and WWE. A big point will be whether they'll be able to work as a team going forward.
WWE Network added a WWE 24 documentary about last year's Wrestlemania. For whatever it's worth, they're referring to it as "Wrestlemania Dallas." They've downplayed the numeral the past few years.
John Cena and AJ Styles have been announced as competing in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match on February 12. I expect them to be joined by Bray, Luke, Corbin, and Miz. They don't have a ton of options there.
Sin Cara, R-Truth, the Shining Stars, Apollo Crews, Kalisto, Natalya, and Naomi were all at Alberto El Patron and Paige's post-Rumble party. This wasn't an official WWE event or anything. I'm very interested to see if there will be any fallout for them attending.
Edge, Christian, and Tommy Dreamer are planning Season 2 of their WWE Network show. It was certainly a ride. How wild is it we did see Punk compete in UFC and Angle is going into the HoF despite their jokes about each?
Stone Cold responded to Kevin Owens pulling out a Stunner in his match. I think the point was Owens was attempting to do someone else's move but it wasn't as effective as THE Stone Cold Stunner perfected by Steve. At least Austin didn't throw a fit about someone "taking his move."
NXT has new dates from March 2 through March 4 in Ohio.
WWE will have Raw in the new Nassau Coliseum in New York on April 10.
Kenny Omega continued to make references to WWE opponents. He's doing a really good job building hype for himself. It's expected he'll stay with NJPW, but maybe for 2018 he'll be willing to make the jump.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's a trust factor. If WWE knows someone like Cena will pretty much do what they want/need him to without needing every little thing scripted out, they'll let him go do his thing. If someone's not as proven as a top speaker, WWE plans things out pretty minutely for them.
2. I don't think so. I don't expect them to be best friends as much as Alexa is giving Mickie a chance to get back into the spotlight. I wouldn't assume it will go as long as the never ending JeriKO angle.
3. Indies know they can make money from Kurt wrestling and Kurt wants to keep wrestling, so he's let himself be booked by them. WWE will be more conscious of what they do - I don't see any way he does more than a few big matches if he gets into the ring at all.
4. Because the Royal Rumble is for a shot at headlining Wrestlemania. People fight that much harder to save themselves during what to many is their only chance to get into the title picture.
5. The story is the feud gets so heated it's more than just a match with a winner and loser; it's a big fight that spills out all over the place.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
ROH contract updates, new Wrestlemania doc, Elimination Chamber preview, WWE names at Alberto/Paige party, E&C S2 in the works, Austin on Owens' stunner, new NXT and WWE dates, Omega on Rumble, and Questions on talents having creative freedom, the Bliss-James dynamic, Kurt working the indies, saving yourself in the Rumble, and matches spilling outside
Monday, January 30, 2017
Former WCW/TNA name getting surgery, UK dark match before Takeover, NXT preview, Interview with HHH, WWE accounts hacked, Flair passes the torch to Cena, Sasha signing attendance, Conor at WM33?, Hardys on tour again, and Questions on insiders betting on WWE events, Heyman's advocacy, why WWE trusts Cena, Snuka's legacy, and the WWE-Trump connection
Daffney is undergoing neck fusion surgery this week to deal with pain from her wrestling career. I hope that leaves her in a more comfortable place as she continues moving into life after wrestling.
UK tournament competitor Wolfgang defeated Aaron Solo in a dark match before Takeover. I wouldn't be surprised to see UK names work NXT TV for a bit while WWE works out plans for a weekly series across the pond. It's going to take some time to get that all situated.
Wednesday's NXT will feature:
- No Way Jose vs. Elias Samson
- Ember Moon vs. Aliyah
- Tyler Bate vs. Oney Lorcan
-- So, Bate was pulled from a UK booking in order to compete on a special episode of NXT.
Triple H talked after Takeover. He's proud of his baby!
WWE social media accounts were hacked this weekend. Thankfully it didn't have a big adverse affect on things; that situation could have ended up a LOT worse if the hackers were more nefarious.
Ric Flair was at Royal Rumble to honor John Cena. He was originally set to strap Cena's 16th championship around his waist in front of the live crowd during the broadcast, but a decision was made to put the segment on WWE's social media accounts instead. I think that could have backfired live, although most fans seem to have come around on Cena.
Sasha Banks' signing before the Royal Rumble drew more than 1,500 fans. I can see those fans being upset at how she was booked at the show, although I think it made sense for the dominant heel to beat the injured former champ. The goal was to get sympathy for Sasha while establishing how destructive Nia can be.
Conor McGregor recently stated he's in negotiations to appear at Wrestlemania. As always, take what he's saying with a grain of salt. I'd like to see it, though.
The Hardys competed at another indie promotion in North Carolina as they continue their quest for gold all over the world. Footage will air on an upcoming episode of Impact Wrestling.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There definitely seems to be inside knowledge slipping out and affecting betting odds. I know Vince isn't a big fan of leaks, so he probably wouldn't take too kindly to finding out who it is.
2. Heyman keeps kayfabe during appearances booked/broadcast by WWE. I suppose in order to keep hype up for what he's involved in - if more people watch a show because of him, it means WWE will keep paying for his services!
3. His promo skills and how he presents himself as the face of the company definitely made him matter more than just being able to put on good matches. Both work in his favor, as the company can count on him to do what they want him to do.
4. Certainly the whole thing is very murky, and Snuka wasn't cleared of those charges. The public perception is still to a degree of him as a murderer regardless of what did and didn't go down in court.
5. As a company, they haven't endorsed Trump or (surprisingly) even mentioned him since his political aspirations began in earnest. To them, there's still that line of separation between their executives' personal political beliefs and the company itself/its programming taking a stance on political issues. They don't want to alienate Trump voters nor Trump detractors, so they're officially staying neutral.
More wrestling tomorrow.
UK tournament competitor Wolfgang defeated Aaron Solo in a dark match before Takeover. I wouldn't be surprised to see UK names work NXT TV for a bit while WWE works out plans for a weekly series across the pond. It's going to take some time to get that all situated.
Wednesday's NXT will feature:
- No Way Jose vs. Elias Samson
- Ember Moon vs. Aliyah
- Tyler Bate vs. Oney Lorcan
-- So, Bate was pulled from a UK booking in order to compete on a special episode of NXT.
Triple H talked after Takeover. He's proud of his baby!
WWE social media accounts were hacked this weekend. Thankfully it didn't have a big adverse affect on things; that situation could have ended up a LOT worse if the hackers were more nefarious.
Ric Flair was at Royal Rumble to honor John Cena. He was originally set to strap Cena's 16th championship around his waist in front of the live crowd during the broadcast, but a decision was made to put the segment on WWE's social media accounts instead. I think that could have backfired live, although most fans seem to have come around on Cena.
Sasha Banks' signing before the Royal Rumble drew more than 1,500 fans. I can see those fans being upset at how she was booked at the show, although I think it made sense for the dominant heel to beat the injured former champ. The goal was to get sympathy for Sasha while establishing how destructive Nia can be.
Conor McGregor recently stated he's in negotiations to appear at Wrestlemania. As always, take what he's saying with a grain of salt. I'd like to see it, though.
The Hardys competed at another indie promotion in North Carolina as they continue their quest for gold all over the world. Footage will air on an upcoming episode of Impact Wrestling.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There definitely seems to be inside knowledge slipping out and affecting betting odds. I know Vince isn't a big fan of leaks, so he probably wouldn't take too kindly to finding out who it is.
2. Heyman keeps kayfabe during appearances booked/broadcast by WWE. I suppose in order to keep hype up for what he's involved in - if more people watch a show because of him, it means WWE will keep paying for his services!
3. His promo skills and how he presents himself as the face of the company definitely made him matter more than just being able to put on good matches. Both work in his favor, as the company can count on him to do what they want him to do.
4. Certainly the whole thing is very murky, and Snuka wasn't cleared of those charges. The public perception is still to a degree of him as a murderer regardless of what did and didn't go down in court.
5. As a company, they haven't endorsed Trump or (surprisingly) even mentioned him since his political aspirations began in earnest. To them, there's still that line of separation between their executives' personal political beliefs and the company itself/its programming taking a stance on political issues. They don't want to alienate Trump voters nor Trump detractors, so they're officially staying neutral.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Hardys' quest continues, HHH honors another non-wrestling champion, Takeover attendance note and guests, more Foley footage, Angle on HoF, and Questions on HHH's conference call, Ohno in the Rumble, WWE's booking of heels, ICW on the Network, Heyman managing someone else, and Punk vs. Joe again
TNA taped a Hardys match in Maryland as they challenged for tag team gold at an indie event. Footage will air on a future edition of Impact Wrestling.
Triple H presented tennis star Serena Williams with her own WWE Championship. I'd watch her compete in WWE; it'd be a pretty interesting experience.
Takeover had some additional tickets released once production had been set up; the stage must not have taken up as much room as they were anticipating. Hopefully that boosted attendance a bit.
"Holy Foley" footage is being taped this weekend, so it looks like season two is a go. I expect the long-term goal is for Noelle to have a regular on-screen role in WWE, even if it's not as a wrestler.
Shawn Michaels was backstage at Takeover. Not altogether surprising.
EVOLVE's Matt Riddle was at Takeover, but not shown on-screen. I don't expect WWE to use him given his stance on marijuana use. He's got a lot of buzz; if he could adapt to the WWE environment, he might do well for himself.
Kurt Angle talked about the Hall of Fame again. Cena and Austin both sound like good picks to induct him; I wouldn't expect Taker to do it.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Yeah, I didn't see it that way at all. They've got a good relationship and Johnson asked him a valid question. It wasn't any kind of "gotcha" or heated exchange.
2. I think Samoa Joe's going to get the honor of working the Rumble since he's already done a full tour of NXT. It makes sense to have Ohno go through the NXT level and be a big name there for a while before being called up. With Joe leaving and Shinsuke likely following in a few months, they're going to need someone like Kassius around at the top of the card.
3. They can't have but so many people be the vicious heel who tries to put people on the shelf, I suppose. With so much TV to do every week, they have to have a lot of talking segments and such with the main roster people, so Neville's "short promo then go beat people the hell up" thing doesn't work as well.
4. ICW is expected to join some other indie/international promotions as VOD content on the WWE Network at some point, likely in a $14.99 a month tier.
5. Oh, wow. That would have been weird. There needs to be a REALLY good reason to put him with someone other than Brock.
6. I don't really see it unless Punk opens up his own promotion and works against Joe. Never say never as far as them facing off in WWE, but it doesn't look likely anytime soon.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Triple H presented tennis star Serena Williams with her own WWE Championship. I'd watch her compete in WWE; it'd be a pretty interesting experience.
Takeover had some additional tickets released once production had been set up; the stage must not have taken up as much room as they were anticipating. Hopefully that boosted attendance a bit.
"Holy Foley" footage is being taped this weekend, so it looks like season two is a go. I expect the long-term goal is for Noelle to have a regular on-screen role in WWE, even if it's not as a wrestler.
Shawn Michaels was backstage at Takeover. Not altogether surprising.
EVOLVE's Matt Riddle was at Takeover, but not shown on-screen. I don't expect WWE to use him given his stance on marijuana use. He's got a lot of buzz; if he could adapt to the WWE environment, he might do well for himself.
Kurt Angle talked about the Hall of Fame again. Cena and Austin both sound like good picks to induct him; I wouldn't expect Taker to do it.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Yeah, I didn't see it that way at all. They've got a good relationship and Johnson asked him a valid question. It wasn't any kind of "gotcha" or heated exchange.
2. I think Samoa Joe's going to get the honor of working the Rumble since he's already done a full tour of NXT. It makes sense to have Ohno go through the NXT level and be a big name there for a while before being called up. With Joe leaving and Shinsuke likely following in a few months, they're going to need someone like Kassius around at the top of the card.
3. They can't have but so many people be the vicious heel who tries to put people on the shelf, I suppose. With so much TV to do every week, they have to have a lot of talking segments and such with the main roster people, so Neville's "short promo then go beat people the hell up" thing doesn't work as well.
4. ICW is expected to join some other indie/international promotions as VOD content on the WWE Network at some point, likely in a $14.99 a month tier.
5. Oh, wow. That would have been weird. There needs to be a REALLY good reason to put him with someone other than Brock.
6. I don't really see it unless Punk opens up his own promotion and works against Joe. Never say never as far as them facing off in WWE, but it doesn't look likely anytime soon.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Main Event Reax - 1/27/17, Angle-WWE notes, Rey rumors start, Interviews with Charlotte+Sasha/AJ, match moved to Kickoff, Omega on his future, LU on the move?, new WCW podcast coming, Ryback book out, TE name leaves WWE, Impact audience, WWE UK names working update, Nikki gets role on TD, and Questions on HHH conference calls on the Network, Broken Matt, calling up Joe, how the brand split works with writing teams, and Plan B for live TV
-- Main Event:
- Kendrick vs. Dorado:
Glad to have Brian as the veteran presence here.
Nice action so far.
Dorado's flashy, but I wonder if he can get further than that.
I like Kendrick's style.
Nice story being told here.
Dorado's just all flips all the time.
NICE counter to the SSP.
Good ending.
- Fox vs. Dana:
I like Dana. I wish we got to see her more.
Solid action so far. Alicia's good for working with just about everyone.
Pretty good work from both of them.
Alicia's been indispensable.
I like the story that's being told here.
This is good!
Good match overall! Nice to see Alicia get the win.
Kurt Angle has no-sold rumors of him being in the Royal Rumble. There's been no word of him having gone through medical testing or anything, so if he is booked, they've kept it very well hidden.
Rey Mysterio's LU contract has expired, according to Konnan. If that's true, he could make a surprise appearance in the Rumble or otherwise work with WWE. I'm not so sure they'd be willing to use him for more than a few big matches given his history of injuries and Wellness violations, but I wouldn't rule out one last run.
Charlotte and Sasha Banks discussed the women's division:
- HIAC was very big for them.
- Weird that we thought Paige was going to be a much bigger deal than she's ended up being. The injuries and outside-of-the-ring issues have piled up.
- Oh, yeah, there were definitely some less-than-stellar female hires for quite a while. Some ended up really improving their games, though.
- I'm glad they dropped the Divas name.
- Sasha's put her body through a lot. It's worrying at times.
- I wouldn't rule out a female entrant in the Rumble. I wish it was Kharma again, but it doesn't look like that's happening.
Smackdown's six-woman tag match has been moved to a two-hour Kickoff show before the Rumble. It's going to be a long night in San Antonio. I'm sure everyone involved will deliver, though.
Kenny Omega is set to negotiate a new deal with NJPW. Anything's possible until he actually signs a new deal with them, but for now it definitely looks like he's staying there.
LU could be shifting to Netflix. At least that would mean the names there will get to work again.
Tony Schiavone is launching a new weekly podcast looking back at Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW in detail. That could be pretty cool.
Ryback has released a book about succeeding. He's not just a wrestler anymore; he's expanding into being a brand.
Tough Enough's Mada Abdelhamid has asked for and received his WWE release. He hadn't gained much traction in NXT, so I can see why he wanted to cut his losses as it were.
The Genesis edition of Impact Wrestling drew 307,000 viewers, basically in line with last week. This was a pretty big show with two huge gimmick matches. It's a shame it didn't do better.
WWE is allowing Trent Seven, Mark Andrews, and Pete Dunne to be part of PROGRESS' show on Sunday, so WWE and PROGRESS are on good terms. Tyler Bate is not booked on that show, so he could be set for the Rumble. That would be pretty interesting.
Kurt Angle has been pulled out of Wrestlecon 2017 due to his WWE HoF induction.
Nikki Bella has been named as an executive producer of "Total Divas." So I guess that means that show's going to continue, and we're going to see Nikki involved in more angles on Smackdown. Oh, joy.
AJ Styles talked before the Rumble:
- Talk about a really big debut year.
- I've loved AJ vs. Cena. Sadly, anything other than AJ winning clean after 3 AAs is seen as a "burial."
- I really hope Al Roker doesn't run-in during the match with Cena. I would pop for him showing up on Smackdown, though.
- AJ vs. Joe in WWE would be pretty cool.
- I bet we're going through the same "what's Kenny Omega going to do next?" thing a year from now.
- AJ's stuff being stolen was bullshit.
- I hope AJ's got some good years left in him.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That would be a surprising step, considering HHH openly talks to people who report on the inner workings of the business. I don't see WWE wanting to promote "the dirtsheets" like that. If it does happen, it's not happening anytime soon.
2. Oh it's been a lot of fun, and it's definitely over. I wonder how much of a shelf life it has, but everyone involved has definitely put a lot into reinventing themselves and taking things to a new direction.
3. I think there's a ready-made storyline of Bryan calling up Joe (as a face) to deal with Miz, and of course Joe has a past with AJ. They just have to make sure they don't water down Joe's character as a face.
4. There are separate writing teams, but they still need Vince's seal of approval. The people between Vince and the writing teams pitch the scripts to Vince knowing what he won't like, will fight, etc. and try to stand up for what they think it worth battling him on.
5. It would depend on how out of it Goldberg was. If they thought Heyman, etc. could carry him through it, they might have ad libbed. But if something was really badly wrong with Goldberg, they would have had doctors check him out during commercial break.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Kendrick vs. Dorado:
Glad to have Brian as the veteran presence here.
Nice action so far.
Dorado's flashy, but I wonder if he can get further than that.
I like Kendrick's style.
Nice story being told here.
Dorado's just all flips all the time.
NICE counter to the SSP.
Good ending.
- Fox vs. Dana:
I like Dana. I wish we got to see her more.
Solid action so far. Alicia's good for working with just about everyone.
Pretty good work from both of them.
Alicia's been indispensable.
I like the story that's being told here.
This is good!
Good match overall! Nice to see Alicia get the win.
Kurt Angle has no-sold rumors of him being in the Royal Rumble. There's been no word of him having gone through medical testing or anything, so if he is booked, they've kept it very well hidden.
Rey Mysterio's LU contract has expired, according to Konnan. If that's true, he could make a surprise appearance in the Rumble or otherwise work with WWE. I'm not so sure they'd be willing to use him for more than a few big matches given his history of injuries and Wellness violations, but I wouldn't rule out one last run.
Charlotte and Sasha Banks discussed the women's division:
- HIAC was very big for them.
- Weird that we thought Paige was going to be a much bigger deal than she's ended up being. The injuries and outside-of-the-ring issues have piled up.
- Oh, yeah, there were definitely some less-than-stellar female hires for quite a while. Some ended up really improving their games, though.
- I'm glad they dropped the Divas name.
- Sasha's put her body through a lot. It's worrying at times.
- I wouldn't rule out a female entrant in the Rumble. I wish it was Kharma again, but it doesn't look like that's happening.
Smackdown's six-woman tag match has been moved to a two-hour Kickoff show before the Rumble. It's going to be a long night in San Antonio. I'm sure everyone involved will deliver, though.
Kenny Omega is set to negotiate a new deal with NJPW. Anything's possible until he actually signs a new deal with them, but for now it definitely looks like he's staying there.
LU could be shifting to Netflix. At least that would mean the names there will get to work again.
Tony Schiavone is launching a new weekly podcast looking back at Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW in detail. That could be pretty cool.
Ryback has released a book about succeeding. He's not just a wrestler anymore; he's expanding into being a brand.
Tough Enough's Mada Abdelhamid has asked for and received his WWE release. He hadn't gained much traction in NXT, so I can see why he wanted to cut his losses as it were.
The Genesis edition of Impact Wrestling drew 307,000 viewers, basically in line with last week. This was a pretty big show with two huge gimmick matches. It's a shame it didn't do better.
WWE is allowing Trent Seven, Mark Andrews, and Pete Dunne to be part of PROGRESS' show on Sunday, so WWE and PROGRESS are on good terms. Tyler Bate is not booked on that show, so he could be set for the Rumble. That would be pretty interesting.
Kurt Angle has been pulled out of Wrestlecon 2017 due to his WWE HoF induction.
Nikki Bella has been named as an executive producer of "Total Divas." So I guess that means that show's going to continue, and we're going to see Nikki involved in more angles on Smackdown. Oh, joy.
AJ Styles talked before the Rumble:
- Talk about a really big debut year.
- I've loved AJ vs. Cena. Sadly, anything other than AJ winning clean after 3 AAs is seen as a "burial."
- I really hope Al Roker doesn't run-in during the match with Cena. I would pop for him showing up on Smackdown, though.
- AJ vs. Joe in WWE would be pretty cool.
- I bet we're going through the same "what's Kenny Omega going to do next?" thing a year from now.
- AJ's stuff being stolen was bullshit.
- I hope AJ's got some good years left in him.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That would be a surprising step, considering HHH openly talks to people who report on the inner workings of the business. I don't see WWE wanting to promote "the dirtsheets" like that. If it does happen, it's not happening anytime soon.
2. Oh it's been a lot of fun, and it's definitely over. I wonder how much of a shelf life it has, but everyone involved has definitely put a lot into reinventing themselves and taking things to a new direction.
3. I think there's a ready-made storyline of Bryan calling up Joe (as a face) to deal with Miz, and of course Joe has a past with AJ. They just have to make sure they don't water down Joe's character as a face.
4. There are separate writing teams, but they still need Vince's seal of approval. The people between Vince and the writing teams pitch the scripts to Vince knowing what he won't like, will fight, etc. and try to stand up for what they think it worth battling him on.
5. It would depend on how out of it Goldberg was. If they thought Heyman, etc. could carry him through it, they might have ad libbed. But if something was really badly wrong with Goldberg, they would have had doctors check him out during commercial break.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, January 27, 2017
Rumble 2018 set, Brock-MSG note, HHH conference call, and Questions on Joe coming to the main roster, wrestling back on TBS/TNT, following NJPW, and the Orton situation
Royal Rumble 2018 will be in Philadelphia on January 28. The show will be preceded by a Takeover special and followed by Raw and Smackdown. The Rumble is now being bid on like Summerslam and Wrestlemania. I think Survivor Series could end up in the same boat; WWE wants each of its Big Four shows to anchor four straight nights of action.
- WWE put out a press release touting the news.
Brock Lesnar will be part of a March 12 show in Madison Square Garden that's otherwise a Smackdown-brand event. I guess he's "pulling an Undertaker" and showing up where he wants when he wants.
Triple H did a conference call before Takeover:
- The international shows did shake things up, but I don't think it was to any detriment.
- A weekly UK show could be a pretty big deal.
- It's a tough situation with contracts these days. WWE wants the exclusive rights to their talents' likenesses in the media once they have a regular TV show in place.
- Having an infrastructure ready in the UK will be key.
- We'll see more tournaments going forward.
- Ultimately that Raw exposure is more important than 205 Live. It's important to think of the people who don't watch the Network.
- I see Shinsuke hitting the main roster the week after WM33.
- Whoa. The shakeup of Network rosters could be interesting. It could certainly keep things fresh.
- OH yeah. The UK thing could be a really big deal if they're planning live events. Wow. That could eventually happen in other countries, too. BIG endeavor for WWE.
- Interesting thoughts about other UK promotions as far as heel/babyface dynamics.
- Damn. I expected Meltzer to ask about Japan or five-star matches. I'm not shocked he asked a third question, though.
- HHH kind of dancing around the "Riddle likes weed" thing.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It definitely looks like it! I'd like to see him in the Rumble, then Foley and Shane/Bryan try to court him to their perspective show. You see which authority figure isn't included in that. At any rate, they could do a pretty good angle of Joe choosing which show he wants to be on. How wild would it be to see Joe vs. AJ at WM33?
2. They probably have bigger concerns right now. They might consider it, but that would probably be in the hands of whomever runs the channels rather than those high up in the AT&T hierarchy. We'll see what happens if they shake things up at that level.
3. I wouldn't say it's "easy" to navigate things without knowing Japanese, but it's doable via Google Translate on the site. Hopefully they continue to branch out in English. They will have English commentary on major events going forward, so hopefully the site follows.
4. Orton deserves some privacy and the right to say "no" to being photographed. When he's Randy Orton the private citizen rather than Randy Orton the guy giving RKOs, he should be able to go about his day without being harassed.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- WWE put out a press release touting the news.
Brock Lesnar will be part of a March 12 show in Madison Square Garden that's otherwise a Smackdown-brand event. I guess he's "pulling an Undertaker" and showing up where he wants when he wants.
Triple H did a conference call before Takeover:
- The international shows did shake things up, but I don't think it was to any detriment.
- A weekly UK show could be a pretty big deal.
- It's a tough situation with contracts these days. WWE wants the exclusive rights to their talents' likenesses in the media once they have a regular TV show in place.
- Having an infrastructure ready in the UK will be key.
- We'll see more tournaments going forward.
- Ultimately that Raw exposure is more important than 205 Live. It's important to think of the people who don't watch the Network.
- I see Shinsuke hitting the main roster the week after WM33.
- Whoa. The shakeup of Network rosters could be interesting. It could certainly keep things fresh.
- OH yeah. The UK thing could be a really big deal if they're planning live events. Wow. That could eventually happen in other countries, too. BIG endeavor for WWE.
- Interesting thoughts about other UK promotions as far as heel/babyface dynamics.
- Damn. I expected Meltzer to ask about Japan or five-star matches. I'm not shocked he asked a third question, though.
- HHH kind of dancing around the "Riddle likes weed" thing.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It definitely looks like it! I'd like to see him in the Rumble, then Foley and Shane/Bryan try to court him to their perspective show. You see which authority figure isn't included in that. At any rate, they could do a pretty good angle of Joe choosing which show he wants to be on. How wild would it be to see Joe vs. AJ at WM33?
2. They probably have bigger concerns right now. They might consider it, but that would probably be in the hands of whomever runs the channels rather than those high up in the AT&T hierarchy. We'll see what happens if they shake things up at that level.
3. I wouldn't say it's "easy" to navigate things without knowing Japanese, but it's doable via Google Translate on the site. Hopefully they continue to branch out in English. They will have English commentary on major events going forward, so hopefully the site follows.
4. Orton deserves some privacy and the right to say "no" to being photographed. When he's Randy Orton the private citizen rather than Randy Orton the guy giving RKOs, he should be able to go about his day without being harassed.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Rumble surprises update, Smackdown dark match, Balor injury update, Interview with Batista, ROH BITW set, Ottman update, another Kickoff guest, wrestlers at NHL wrestling night, Smackdown audience, Mercury update, AJ vs. Today continues, tribute to Moore, potential Mania guests and main roster callups, Omega announcement soon, LU update, new TNA roster member, Road Dogg gaining influence, and Questions on honoring Snuka, Vince's support of Roman, WWE and anniversaries, calling Vince Dad, and letting Cole call the matches
The NXT roster will be backstage at Royal Rumble, so expect at least one entrant from that brand to work the signature match.
Before Smackdown, American Alpha beat Breezango. I'd like the brand to get a match on Main Event here and there, as some people aren't getting a lot of TV time.
Finn Balor will get a checkup this week with the possibility of being cleared to the ring. So, WWE is considering having him return during the Royal Rumble if he gets the OK. Balor vs. Owens or Balor vs. Styles would be great for Wrestlemania, although I get the feeling we're in for at least one big title change Sunday.
Batista talked about his last WWE run:
- I enjoy watching Batista.
- Fans were already turning on Bryan's push, so they probably would have complained about another Batista/Bryan match, too.
- The Shield broke up because they had beaten everyone. Batista was leaving, and HHH wasn't going to be a regular competitor, so they needed a new top heel.
- Batista getting back in the ring could have been pretty interesting. I would have liked to have seen him put a Shield member over one-on-one.
- Batista vs. Orton with HHH as the referee or whatever would have been a pretty tiring angle with all the Evolution references.
- Vince NEVER wants to change his mind. That's why no one wants to stand up to him.
ROH Best in the World 2017 will be on June 23 in Massachusetts, followed by a TV taping the next night. It will be interesting to see what they push then, with the possible departure of Adam Cole.
Tugboat is still hospitalized in Florida. I wish him a speedy recovery.
Peter Rosenberg will be part of Sunday's Kickoff show. It's good to have him and Sam Roberts around.
Ricky Steamboat, Christian, and Tommy Dreamer were part of a wrestling-themed night for the NHL's Florida Panthers earlier this week.
Smackdown drew 2.56 million viewers, down from the previous week. We'll see if they get a Rumble bump.
The former Joey Mercury will be the head trainer for a new school in Georgia. He is no longer employed by WWE. I think I completely missed him being let go; I was under the impression he was pretty well liked in his role. I hope he does good things in his new gig.
WWE is continuing to get press from AJ Styles being snubbed on "The Today Show." AJ vs. Al Roker at Wrestlemania is a sure way to break more records.
WWE paid tribute to Mary Tyler Moore. I was unaware they'd worked together.
Samoa Joe and Shane McMahon could be in action at Wrestlemania. Both make sense! We could be in for some pretty interesting matches as far as those two go.
- Joe is expected to join the main roster soon. I could see him making a splash in the Rumble. He could fit right in as an important name.
Kenny Omega is expected to announce his future this coming week. The belief is he'll be staying in NJPW. Smart of him to get so much attention for himself to try to get the best deal he can get.
LU's hiatus will continue indefinitely, as it's unknown when LU will return to the air on El Rey. It could be off the air through the summer. I wouldn't think that'd be good for keeping its fan base and trying to get Season 4 off the ground.
Kongo Kong will join the TNA roster as a regular at the next set of tapings. Good to see some fresh names in the mix.
Road Dogg has gotten a promotion backstage. He is now involved in the Smackdown writing process at a higher level. Him being close with Triple H fuels those "HHH is taking over Smackdown" rumors. It's still Vince's show to change whatever he wants to change.
Shinsuke Nakamura could also head to the main roster soon. I could see him being the big "week after Wrestlemania" callup, although that makes me wonder who will take his place as NXT Champ. Roode?
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. A little. It's a dicey situation, since they want to honor his legacy. It's worth noting he was never actually convicted of anything, and thus legally was not guilty. So, they can point to that when choosing to celebrate his accomplishments.
2. Because he's determined to make Roman a bankable babyface star like Cena before him. Vince is nothing if not headstrong.
3. They probably thought "30th anniversary" sounded better than "30th edition" or whatever, so they just went with that, regardless of whether it's the real 30th anniversary. We live an an era where anything can be "true" if you keep saying it.
4. That's a good question, actually. It could be because they've heard everyone else call him Vince so much they just go with that.
5. He didn't have to worry about what's trending worldwide or having "entertaining banter" or anything. It was refreshing.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Before Smackdown, American Alpha beat Breezango. I'd like the brand to get a match on Main Event here and there, as some people aren't getting a lot of TV time.
Finn Balor will get a checkup this week with the possibility of being cleared to the ring. So, WWE is considering having him return during the Royal Rumble if he gets the OK. Balor vs. Owens or Balor vs. Styles would be great for Wrestlemania, although I get the feeling we're in for at least one big title change Sunday.
Batista talked about his last WWE run:
- I enjoy watching Batista.
- Fans were already turning on Bryan's push, so they probably would have complained about another Batista/Bryan match, too.
- The Shield broke up because they had beaten everyone. Batista was leaving, and HHH wasn't going to be a regular competitor, so they needed a new top heel.
- Batista getting back in the ring could have been pretty interesting. I would have liked to have seen him put a Shield member over one-on-one.
- Batista vs. Orton with HHH as the referee or whatever would have been a pretty tiring angle with all the Evolution references.
- Vince NEVER wants to change his mind. That's why no one wants to stand up to him.
ROH Best in the World 2017 will be on June 23 in Massachusetts, followed by a TV taping the next night. It will be interesting to see what they push then, with the possible departure of Adam Cole.
Tugboat is still hospitalized in Florida. I wish him a speedy recovery.
Peter Rosenberg will be part of Sunday's Kickoff show. It's good to have him and Sam Roberts around.
Ricky Steamboat, Christian, and Tommy Dreamer were part of a wrestling-themed night for the NHL's Florida Panthers earlier this week.
Smackdown drew 2.56 million viewers, down from the previous week. We'll see if they get a Rumble bump.
The former Joey Mercury will be the head trainer for a new school in Georgia. He is no longer employed by WWE. I think I completely missed him being let go; I was under the impression he was pretty well liked in his role. I hope he does good things in his new gig.
WWE is continuing to get press from AJ Styles being snubbed on "The Today Show." AJ vs. Al Roker at Wrestlemania is a sure way to break more records.
WWE paid tribute to Mary Tyler Moore. I was unaware they'd worked together.
Samoa Joe and Shane McMahon could be in action at Wrestlemania. Both make sense! We could be in for some pretty interesting matches as far as those two go.
- Joe is expected to join the main roster soon. I could see him making a splash in the Rumble. He could fit right in as an important name.
Kenny Omega is expected to announce his future this coming week. The belief is he'll be staying in NJPW. Smart of him to get so much attention for himself to try to get the best deal he can get.
LU's hiatus will continue indefinitely, as it's unknown when LU will return to the air on El Rey. It could be off the air through the summer. I wouldn't think that'd be good for keeping its fan base and trying to get Season 4 off the ground.
Kongo Kong will join the TNA roster as a regular at the next set of tapings. Good to see some fresh names in the mix.
Road Dogg has gotten a promotion backstage. He is now involved in the Smackdown writing process at a higher level. Him being close with Triple H fuels those "HHH is taking over Smackdown" rumors. It's still Vince's show to change whatever he wants to change.
Shinsuke Nakamura could also head to the main roster soon. I could see him being the big "week after Wrestlemania" callup, although that makes me wonder who will take his place as NXT Champ. Roode?
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. A little. It's a dicey situation, since they want to honor his legacy. It's worth noting he was never actually convicted of anything, and thus legally was not guilty. So, they can point to that when choosing to celebrate his accomplishments.
2. Because he's determined to make Roman a bankable babyface star like Cena before him. Vince is nothing if not headstrong.
3. They probably thought "30th anniversary" sounded better than "30th edition" or whatever, so they just went with that, regardless of whether it's the real 30th anniversary. We live an an era where anything can be "true" if you keep saying it.
4. That's a good question, actually. It could be because they've heard everyone else call him Vince so much they just go with that.
5. He didn't have to worry about what's trending worldwide or having "entertaining banter" or anything. It was refreshing.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Interviews with Mickie/Alexa, Lawler replaced at convention, Mysterio's son wrestling, Cena hosting again, Naomi's back, Reigns press, Brock's live event opponent set, Angle on HoF, Impact preview, Jarrett+Dutch-TNA updates, Mania VIPs, Raw audience, next Mania statue, Q4 earnings update, Goldberg on bleeding on Raw, and Questions on Bayley's poem, Orton burying a fan, Saxton replacing Cole, Angle returning to the ring, and Cena vs. Corbin
Mickie James talked about returning and more:
- I'm glad Mickie has gotten to be more than "Diva who wears bikinis."
- I LOVED the Mickie/Trish angle. They all killed it.
- I'd definitely like to see Magnus come to NXT. It's not like GFW's taking off.
- They made the right call using her again. She can still deliver.
- Whoa. Flat-out acknowledging the relationship with Cena. I thought that was kind of hush-hush.
- There were stories of Mickie cheating on Kenny with John Cena, but I stay away from that kind of thing. I hope Cena, Mickie, and Nikki can all get along on Smackdown. I assume Kenny's not part of WWE anymore.
Alexa Bliss promoted a show in her home state:
- She's been great.
- I'm very glad she overcame her issues. That sounds tough.
- Great to see Alexa headline in a cage match.
Jerry Lawler is unable to make a convention appearance March 4, so he's being replaced by Corey Graves. I assume he's been booked by WWE for something else that date.
Rey Mysterio's son is beginning training as a wrestler. WHOA. Doesn't seem like that long ago he was involved in the angle with Eddie. I wish the younger (but taller) Mysterio well.
John Cena will host the Kids' Choice Awards on March 11. He's all over the place!
Naomi has returned to the ring after an ankle injury. It will be good to see someone else involved in the women's angles; we've gotten plenty of Nikki Bella.
Roman Reigns was on ESPN's First Take ahead of the Royal Rumble. I'm interested to see what his road to Wrestlemania looks like.
Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show is official for WWE's February 17 show. I enjoyed seeing Show go to Suplex City last time.
Kurt Angle blogged about going into the WWE Hall of Fame. I'm glad to see it happen.
- Angle has not signed to WWE as a wrestler at this time. He is booked for two non-WWE dates: on February 12 against Alberto El Patron and March 3 against Cody.
On Thursday's "Genesis" edition of Impact Wrestling:
- Eddie Edwards vs. Lashley in a 30-minute iron man match for the TNA World Championship
- Rosemary vs. Jade in a Monster's Ball match for the Knockouts Championship
- DJ Z vs. Trevor Lee vs. Andrew Everett vs. Caleb Konley vs. Marshe Rockett for the X-Division Championship
Dutch Mantel has officially joined TNA Creative. That's great! He's got an excellent mind for the business.
Jeff Jarrett is back in TNA in an official capacity, but there's no word on what his job title is. I hope he can help them rebound.
Kurt Angle and Edge will be part of this year's Wrestlemania VIP signings. Cool to see Edge in the picture. It makes me think Christian will go into the Hall and join him there.
Raw drew 3.29 million for a show with Brock and Goldberg. We'll see what kid of boost they get from the Rumble next week, and if they can retain it.
Ric Flair will be the next Wrestlemania statue. Expect that to tie into Charlotte's push at the event.
WWE will report their Q4 2016 earnings on February 9.
Goldberg responded to busting himself open on Raw. At least he didn't break through a limo window again.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I liked the poem. It turned the insult from Charlotte back around in the champion's face.
2. I HATE this mentality. Orton actually took a picture with a different fan in the gym, but that fan didn't hassle him while Orton was working out. Orton has a busy life and took the time he had to work out so he can be in top shape in order to wrestle. He is under no obligation to take pictures with fans or otherwise interact with them, especially when he's with family or otherwise in a hurry/taking personal time.
3. At some point, it's possible. I don't expect Cole to be out of that role anytime soon, though. It could be some time before anyone replaces him, and they have a number of potential replacements.
4. It's possible we see him have a few big matches like Sting or Goldberg. I don't see him doing a full-time schedule, though, given how many bumps he's taken in his career.
5. Corbin looked fine in holding his own against the top guy. If he wasn't involved, people would be upset at no new names getting the spotlight, him being "buried" and all that, so it's not really worth arguing with some people who are never going to be satisfied.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- I'm glad Mickie has gotten to be more than "Diva who wears bikinis."
- I LOVED the Mickie/Trish angle. They all killed it.
- I'd definitely like to see Magnus come to NXT. It's not like GFW's taking off.
- They made the right call using her again. She can still deliver.
- Whoa. Flat-out acknowledging the relationship with Cena. I thought that was kind of hush-hush.
- There were stories of Mickie cheating on Kenny with John Cena, but I stay away from that kind of thing. I hope Cena, Mickie, and Nikki can all get along on Smackdown. I assume Kenny's not part of WWE anymore.
Alexa Bliss promoted a show in her home state:
- She's been great.
- I'm very glad she overcame her issues. That sounds tough.
- Great to see Alexa headline in a cage match.
Jerry Lawler is unable to make a convention appearance March 4, so he's being replaced by Corey Graves. I assume he's been booked by WWE for something else that date.
Rey Mysterio's son is beginning training as a wrestler. WHOA. Doesn't seem like that long ago he was involved in the angle with Eddie. I wish the younger (but taller) Mysterio well.
John Cena will host the Kids' Choice Awards on March 11. He's all over the place!
Naomi has returned to the ring after an ankle injury. It will be good to see someone else involved in the women's angles; we've gotten plenty of Nikki Bella.
Roman Reigns was on ESPN's First Take ahead of the Royal Rumble. I'm interested to see what his road to Wrestlemania looks like.
Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show is official for WWE's February 17 show. I enjoyed seeing Show go to Suplex City last time.
Kurt Angle blogged about going into the WWE Hall of Fame. I'm glad to see it happen.
- Angle has not signed to WWE as a wrestler at this time. He is booked for two non-WWE dates: on February 12 against Alberto El Patron and March 3 against Cody.
On Thursday's "Genesis" edition of Impact Wrestling:
- Eddie Edwards vs. Lashley in a 30-minute iron man match for the TNA World Championship
- Rosemary vs. Jade in a Monster's Ball match for the Knockouts Championship
- DJ Z vs. Trevor Lee vs. Andrew Everett vs. Caleb Konley vs. Marshe Rockett for the X-Division Championship
Dutch Mantel has officially joined TNA Creative. That's great! He's got an excellent mind for the business.
Jeff Jarrett is back in TNA in an official capacity, but there's no word on what his job title is. I hope he can help them rebound.
Kurt Angle and Edge will be part of this year's Wrestlemania VIP signings. Cool to see Edge in the picture. It makes me think Christian will go into the Hall and join him there.
Raw drew 3.29 million for a show with Brock and Goldberg. We'll see what kid of boost they get from the Rumble next week, and if they can retain it.
Ric Flair will be the next Wrestlemania statue. Expect that to tie into Charlotte's push at the event.
WWE will report their Q4 2016 earnings on February 9.
Goldberg responded to busting himself open on Raw. At least he didn't break through a limo window again.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I liked the poem. It turned the insult from Charlotte back around in the champion's face.
2. I HATE this mentality. Orton actually took a picture with a different fan in the gym, but that fan didn't hassle him while Orton was working out. Orton has a busy life and took the time he had to work out so he can be in top shape in order to wrestle. He is under no obligation to take pictures with fans or otherwise interact with them, especially when he's with family or otherwise in a hurry/taking personal time.
3. At some point, it's possible. I don't expect Cole to be out of that role anytime soon, though. It could be some time before anyone replaces him, and they have a number of potential replacements.
4. It's possible we see him have a few big matches like Sting or Goldberg. I don't see him doing a full-time schedule, though, given how many bumps he's taken in his career.
5. Corbin looked fine in holding his own against the top guy. If he wasn't involved, people would be upset at no new names getting the spotlight, him being "buried" and all that, so it's not really worth arguing with some people who are never going to be satisfied.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 1/24/17
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
NXT preview, Future of Honor match, NXT taping outside Full Sail, Interview with Xavier, UK names pulled from another show, Cena teaches fitness, Lawler contract note, Paige update, what happened after Raw, and Questions on removing Vince from power, not fining/suspending Nia, traveling to WM33, PG restrictions, and the WWE monster look
On this week's NXT:
- Eric Young vs. Chris Atkins
- No Way Jose vs. Kona Reeves
- Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan
- Aliyah vs. Mandy Rose
ROH's Future of Honor bout this week is Mike Orlando vs. Sonny Kiss. The 2017 Top Prospect Tournament is coming soon, so the company is scouting for that. They have a pretty low bar with Lio Rush winning it last year.
NXT will tape at the University of Central Florida on February 22, and the brand will have a show in Miami on February 24. I'm curious to see if they'll start doing more frequent NXT tapings outside of Full Sail, since they can draw a gate that way.
Xavier Woods talked about New Day and more:
- New Day benefited from WWE pettiness. Demolition being part of a lawsuit against WWE worked in the favor of Xavier, Kofi, and Big E.
- I'm glad they didn't try to force New Day as faces initially. They were so much more fun as heels.
- New Day definitely has some great chemistry.
- I wouldn't mind Kofi and Big E getting big singles pushes in 2017 if they team does split up. They definitely benefit from working together, though.
Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, and Pete Dunne have been pulled from a London show this weekend due to WWE commitments, which is leading to speculation they're set for Royal Rumble weekend in some fashion. I wouldn't expect them to be in the Rumble match itself, but they could be in the crowd at Takeover or something.
- Seven and Dunne appeared on a Rev Pro show on Saturday distributed online, so WWE and Rev Pro could be working on a relationship. Rev Pro hosted a qualifying match for the CWC.
John Cena led an invitation-only fitness class at a Tapout center in New York after hosting "Today." Big Mainstream John furthering the WWE-Tapout connection.
Jerry Lawler's new WWE deal is for a year. I expect he'll stick around pretty much as long as he wants to.
Paige has begun physical therapy. She's expected back this summer, barring another Wellness violation or some other mishap.
After Raw was a staredown with Brock, Goldberg, and Undertaker. No physicality.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think it would take something at the level of Vince being in a coma or otherwise being unable to complete his duties. It's not happening anytime soon.
2. Given how often things get out of control in WWE, I imagine authority figures just shrug and roll their eyes at this point.
3. Have all your legal paperwork in order, be careful with your valuable possessions, all that kind of stuff.
4. I would think they'd get edgier with Roman and all their characters if they went TV-14 or what have you, but I don't see them going that direction anytime in the near future.
5. It just goes with the look of the unhinged monster.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Eric Young vs. Chris Atkins
- No Way Jose vs. Kona Reeves
- Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan
- Aliyah vs. Mandy Rose
ROH's Future of Honor bout this week is Mike Orlando vs. Sonny Kiss. The 2017 Top Prospect Tournament is coming soon, so the company is scouting for that. They have a pretty low bar with Lio Rush winning it last year.
NXT will tape at the University of Central Florida on February 22, and the brand will have a show in Miami on February 24. I'm curious to see if they'll start doing more frequent NXT tapings outside of Full Sail, since they can draw a gate that way.
Xavier Woods talked about New Day and more:
- New Day benefited from WWE pettiness. Demolition being part of a lawsuit against WWE worked in the favor of Xavier, Kofi, and Big E.
- I'm glad they didn't try to force New Day as faces initially. They were so much more fun as heels.
- New Day definitely has some great chemistry.
- I wouldn't mind Kofi and Big E getting big singles pushes in 2017 if they team does split up. They definitely benefit from working together, though.
Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, and Pete Dunne have been pulled from a London show this weekend due to WWE commitments, which is leading to speculation they're set for Royal Rumble weekend in some fashion. I wouldn't expect them to be in the Rumble match itself, but they could be in the crowd at Takeover or something.
- Seven and Dunne appeared on a Rev Pro show on Saturday distributed online, so WWE and Rev Pro could be working on a relationship. Rev Pro hosted a qualifying match for the CWC.
John Cena led an invitation-only fitness class at a Tapout center in New York after hosting "Today." Big Mainstream John furthering the WWE-Tapout connection.
Jerry Lawler's new WWE deal is for a year. I expect he'll stick around pretty much as long as he wants to.
Paige has begun physical therapy. She's expected back this summer, barring another Wellness violation or some other mishap.
After Raw was a staredown with Brock, Goldberg, and Undertaker. No physicality.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think it would take something at the level of Vince being in a coma or otherwise being unable to complete his duties. It's not happening anytime soon.
2. Given how often things get out of control in WWE, I imagine authority figures just shrug and roll their eyes at this point.
3. Have all your legal paperwork in order, be careful with your valuable possessions, all that kind of stuff.
4. I would think they'd get edgier with Roman and all their characters if they went TV-14 or what have you, but I don't see them going that direction anytime in the near future.
5. It just goes with the look of the unhinged monster.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Rumble collection launched, Hardys teleport to Mexico, three luchadores leave AAA, Mickie note, Interview with Lawler, upcoming WWE books, and Questions on the WWE power structure, WWE's Floslam investment, coming out from under the ring, Bayley interrupting Charlotte, and Strowman vs. Corbin
WWE Network has added a "Subscriber's Choice" Royal Rumble match collection, featuring the signature match from 1992, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2016. I'm curious to see how the 2017 edition of the match will hold up.
The Hardys competed in Mexico's CRASH promotion for their tag team championship. TNA captured footage from this for upcoming programming. It says something when your tag division is so uncompetitive your champions have to start going to other promotions for credible challengers.
AAA stars Pentagon Jr., Daga, and Garza Jr. have all announced they are "going independent" from the company. Daga was seemingly already done with LU, but "Pentagon Dark" is one of their top stars. It's currently unknown how a potential Season 4 of LU will be affected by this. Pentagon Jr. is now going by Penta El Cero Miedo outside of LU. He could easily be on WWE's radar if he can get out of his LU deal. With that promotion not set to tape until late 2017, I can see him and other LY names considering their options.
Mickie James hasn't worked any Smackdown live events yet; Alexa Bliss teamed with Carmella in losses to Becky Lynch and Naomi this weekend. No La Luchadora on hand, either, but James Ellsworth was in the heel corner.
Jerry Lawler talked about his TV return and more. I definitely think he'd rather be a character than a commentator.
WWE will release the first paperback of its BOOM! Studios comic series on August 7.
WWE has released cover art for its upcoming book of top 10 lists.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1.What is with this "Kevin Dunn runs WWE" meme? Dunn is just in charge of production, and Vince oversees him. It's still very much Vince's company, but Triple H and Stephanie have more freedom to experiment.
2. The WWE Network is a bigger priority. It wouldn't surprise me if their goal is to eventually buy Floslam and get the rights to what's shown there, and the investment was just an early step in that.
3. What if they watch the live feed on an iPad or something? Heck, it's 2017!
4. In kayfabe? I assume Bayley let her have enough rope to hang herself/wanted to hear all she had to say, etc.
5. Could be good! If WWE builds both men a good deal in the years to come, that could be something worth watching when they're on the same brand. They shouldn't rush to do it.
More wrestling tomorrow.
The Hardys competed in Mexico's CRASH promotion for their tag team championship. TNA captured footage from this for upcoming programming. It says something when your tag division is so uncompetitive your champions have to start going to other promotions for credible challengers.
AAA stars Pentagon Jr., Daga, and Garza Jr. have all announced they are "going independent" from the company. Daga was seemingly already done with LU, but "Pentagon Dark" is one of their top stars. It's currently unknown how a potential Season 4 of LU will be affected by this. Pentagon Jr. is now going by Penta El Cero Miedo outside of LU. He could easily be on WWE's radar if he can get out of his LU deal. With that promotion not set to tape until late 2017, I can see him and other LY names considering their options.
Mickie James hasn't worked any Smackdown live events yet; Alexa Bliss teamed with Carmella in losses to Becky Lynch and Naomi this weekend. No La Luchadora on hand, either, but James Ellsworth was in the heel corner.
Jerry Lawler talked about his TV return and more. I definitely think he'd rather be a character than a commentator.
WWE will release the first paperback of its BOOM! Studios comic series on August 7.
WWE has released cover art for its upcoming book of top 10 lists.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1.What is with this "Kevin Dunn runs WWE" meme? Dunn is just in charge of production, and Vince oversees him. It's still very much Vince's company, but Triple H and Stephanie have more freedom to experiment.
2. The WWE Network is a bigger priority. It wouldn't surprise me if their goal is to eventually buy Floslam and get the rights to what's shown there, and the investment was just an early step in that.
3. What if they watch the live feed on an iPad or something? Heck, it's 2017!
4. In kayfabe? I assume Bayley let her have enough rope to hang herself/wanted to hear all she had to say, etc.
5. Could be good! If WWE builds both men a good deal in the years to come, that could be something worth watching when they're on the same brand. They shouldn't rush to do it.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Interview with JR, Alberto/Paige Rumble party, remembering Snuka, Chinese names at WWEPC, and Questions on WWE going after trademark infractions, rebooking Goldberg/Brock, UK names being pulled, Spike showing UK wrestling, and TNA assets
Jim Ross talked about Angle joining the HoF and more:
- JR basically chastised people still trying to prove Snuka as a murderer while his family is grieving. Really, we're never going to know what happened there and they can't really "bring anyone to justice" or whatever, so it's probably time for everyone to move on. I'm sure that's not an easy process, but it could be a necessary one.
- I hope Angle does remain sober and keeps his head in the game to have a great sendoff to his wrestling career.
- Of course a lot of us want to see Angle compete in a few big WWE matches, but it's not like he hasn't had an amazing career already.
- The Rumble's got to be a nightmare to put together. I love the match, but it's once a year for a reason.
Alberto El Patron and Paige are hosing a Royal Rumble party in San Antonio. They will be joined by WWE stars after the big event. I'm curious to see who will show up there, and if there will be any heat from WWE for them appearing with them. Also, of course, how soon a fight will break out.
Tamina gave an update about remembering her father's legacy. Snuka has a lot of relatives in the business; they could have quite the turnout.
WWE's Chinese signings worked out at the performance center. It's kind of a slow news day.... I hope a number of them pan out for the company.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. WWE might not be aware of it. But if they become aware of it, they could take action if they feel going to court, etc. is worth it for a movie not a lot of people saw.
2. I've mostly liked the Brock/Goldberg angle. I do think they could have done something to tie it into Brock vs. Shane, though, because that's totally been dropped.
3. I think we're in for an eventual removal of UK tournament names from rival promotions to WWE and their partners, and it's possible that leads to the names in the tournament becoming the roster to a UK-exclusive Network series.
4. I don't think Spike wants to get back into the wrestling game. Even if they do, I wouldn't think there'd be a big market for a UK-only series.
5. Stomper = RATINGS. I assume they got everything, like how WWE still has stuff from WCW sets in their warehouse.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- JR basically chastised people still trying to prove Snuka as a murderer while his family is grieving. Really, we're never going to know what happened there and they can't really "bring anyone to justice" or whatever, so it's probably time for everyone to move on. I'm sure that's not an easy process, but it could be a necessary one.
- I hope Angle does remain sober and keeps his head in the game to have a great sendoff to his wrestling career.
- Of course a lot of us want to see Angle compete in a few big WWE matches, but it's not like he hasn't had an amazing career already.
- The Rumble's got to be a nightmare to put together. I love the match, but it's once a year for a reason.
Alberto El Patron and Paige are hosing a Royal Rumble party in San Antonio. They will be joined by WWE stars after the big event. I'm curious to see who will show up there, and if there will be any heat from WWE for them appearing with them. Also, of course, how soon a fight will break out.
Tamina gave an update about remembering her father's legacy. Snuka has a lot of relatives in the business; they could have quite the turnout.
WWE's Chinese signings worked out at the performance center. It's kind of a slow news day.... I hope a number of them pan out for the company.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. WWE might not be aware of it. But if they become aware of it, they could take action if they feel going to court, etc. is worth it for a movie not a lot of people saw.
2. I've mostly liked the Brock/Goldberg angle. I do think they could have done something to tie it into Brock vs. Shane, though, because that's totally been dropped.
3. I think we're in for an eventual removal of UK tournament names from rival promotions to WWE and their partners, and it's possible that leads to the names in the tournament becoming the roster to a UK-exclusive Network series.
4. I don't think Spike wants to get back into the wrestling game. Even if they do, I wouldn't think there'd be a big market for a UK-only series.
5. Stomper = RATINGS. I assume they got everything, like how WWE still has stuff from WCW sets in their warehouse.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Main Event Reax - 1/20/17, WWE pulls more UK names, AJ Lee book signing set, Interview with HBK, more Snuka on the Network, Impact audience, and Questions on Cody's trademark situation, Taker vs. Braun, WWE pulling talents, explaining Race for the Case, and Nigel's WWE future
-- Main Event:
- Alicia vs. Dana:
I have a feeling they might have stretched this one out a bit. Did they tape the other match first?
Fine straightforward action here.
I hope Dana gets to do more going forward. She's just kind of hanging around right now.
Not bad overall.
Fine as a filler match, which is pretty much the point of this show.
- Darren vs. Epico:
It's kind of weird watching this knowing Young gets injured during it. Couldn't they have taped another match before Smackdown or something?
Nice back-and-forth to start.
Ehhhhhhhh.
I'd actually watch Darren and Backlund vs. Epico and Primo.
Not bad for what it was before the injury. I hope Darren isn't out long, and that people appreciate the effort he puts in.
WWE has pulled Pete Dunne, Mark Andrews, and Trent Seven from a Q&A podcast appearance set for next week. Talents who worked the UK tournament can't appear on shows that will appear online outside of dark segments. So, promoters will either use them for the live crowd only or stop using them altogether. The UK names took a big risk with the WWE deals, but it could end up paying off pretty well for them.
The former AJ Lee's book will be released on April 4. A book signing has been announced in New Jersey for April 6. Glad she's headed back home to where she started.
Shawn Michaels talked about a hypothetical return match and more:
- I expect someone will take Sweet Chin Music at the Rumble. Jericho?
- I'm a LITTLE surprised there's never been a talk of him getting back in the ring. Even just a testing of the waters. That said, he got to go out on top. I can't blame him for ending it when he did.
- Wrestling is DEFINITELY more than just being a "good wrestler" in the ring.
- Cool to see younger wrestlers getting to work with the legend.
- Shawn has found fulfillment outside of wrestling, so I see why the itch isn't there.
-- Samoa Joe responded to HBK's praise. That would be one hell of a match with Shawn's selling.
WWE Network has added a Jimmy Snuka collection. So, they are remembering his legacy.
Impact Wrestling drew 310,000 viewers Thursday night. That's something of a rebound from previous weeks, which is a good.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I would expect WWE would be able to come after him if he tried to wrestle as "Cody Roads" or something, since it's clear he'd be trying to play off something they own. It's the same reason you can't market something like "Koka Cola" or "Eyephones" or what have you.
2. It could be setting up a match at WM33 or another occasion. Or it could just mean they'll interact in the Rumble. Or it could be pushed aside and more or less ignored.
3. I also wish they would have given people a grace period for dates they'd already booked, but ultimately WWE is completely within their rights to not have their contracted talents work on other streaming platforms. It looks like we're in for some big moves in the UK/indie scene in the months to come as far as who will get rights to show what promotions, and where talents end up being signed.
4. It's a complicated match! Generally that's not a good thing. I guess it came from having to write SO much TV at once that they got burned out and just made a clustermess match to set up future matches.
5. Not a bad idea. I expect he'll be part of the UK series if/when it gets off the ground, which makes sense. I don't know if he could/should do that and NXT, but it's certainly worth looking at.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Alicia vs. Dana:
I have a feeling they might have stretched this one out a bit. Did they tape the other match first?
Fine straightforward action here.
I hope Dana gets to do more going forward. She's just kind of hanging around right now.
Not bad overall.
Fine as a filler match, which is pretty much the point of this show.
- Darren vs. Epico:
It's kind of weird watching this knowing Young gets injured during it. Couldn't they have taped another match before Smackdown or something?
Nice back-and-forth to start.
Ehhhhhhhh.
I'd actually watch Darren and Backlund vs. Epico and Primo.
Not bad for what it was before the injury. I hope Darren isn't out long, and that people appreciate the effort he puts in.
WWE has pulled Pete Dunne, Mark Andrews, and Trent Seven from a Q&A podcast appearance set for next week. Talents who worked the UK tournament can't appear on shows that will appear online outside of dark segments. So, promoters will either use them for the live crowd only or stop using them altogether. The UK names took a big risk with the WWE deals, but it could end up paying off pretty well for them.
The former AJ Lee's book will be released on April 4. A book signing has been announced in New Jersey for April 6. Glad she's headed back home to where she started.
Shawn Michaels talked about a hypothetical return match and more:
- I expect someone will take Sweet Chin Music at the Rumble. Jericho?
- I'm a LITTLE surprised there's never been a talk of him getting back in the ring. Even just a testing of the waters. That said, he got to go out on top. I can't blame him for ending it when he did.
- Wrestling is DEFINITELY more than just being a "good wrestler" in the ring.
- Cool to see younger wrestlers getting to work with the legend.
- Shawn has found fulfillment outside of wrestling, so I see why the itch isn't there.
-- Samoa Joe responded to HBK's praise. That would be one hell of a match with Shawn's selling.
WWE Network has added a Jimmy Snuka collection. So, they are remembering his legacy.
Impact Wrestling drew 310,000 viewers Thursday night. That's something of a rebound from previous weeks, which is a good.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I would expect WWE would be able to come after him if he tried to wrestle as "Cody Roads" or something, since it's clear he'd be trying to play off something they own. It's the same reason you can't market something like "Koka Cola" or "Eyephones" or what have you.
2. It could be setting up a match at WM33 or another occasion. Or it could just mean they'll interact in the Rumble. Or it could be pushed aside and more or less ignored.
3. I also wish they would have given people a grace period for dates they'd already booked, but ultimately WWE is completely within their rights to not have their contracted talents work on other streaming platforms. It looks like we're in for some big moves in the UK/indie scene in the months to come as far as who will get rights to show what promotions, and where talents end up being signed.
4. It's a complicated match! Generally that's not a good thing. I guess it came from having to write SO much TV at once that they got burned out and just made a clustermess match to set up future matches.
5. Not a bad idea. I expect he'll be part of the UK series if/when it gets off the ground, which makes sense. I don't know if he could/should do that and NXT, but it's certainly worth looking at.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, January 20, 2017
UK indies to WWE Network, WWE pulls UK names from shows, Hardys-TNA update, Jarrett-TNA update, Smackdown after WM33 sells out, NXT name cleared, Smackdown audience, AJ robbed, ROH names sign new deals, rising ROH star WWE bound?, Keith Lee update, Bucks vs. Hardys official, Omega reference removed from WWE.com, NXT live event notes, and Questions on Mae wrestling at 100, the effects of the brand split, and more drafting
WWE Network will soon feature content from Scotland's Insane Championship Wrestling, as WWE has signed a multiple-year deal to show programming from the promotion. The expectation is ICW's weekly Fight Club show will soon air on demand on the Network. Other top events from the promotion could soon follow. This is expected to be part of a new pay tier of WWE Network. This is a groundbreaking move by WWE, and means a big change in wrestling as a whole.
- UK's PROGRESS Wrestling is expected to follow at some point, as the two sides are in talks. PROGRESS is working with WWNLive during WM33 weekend, and a PROGRESS vs. EVOLVE event could take place, streamed on Floslam. PROGRESS signing on to be part of the WWE Network means they wouldn't be able to air any more shows on Floslam.
- It's entirely possible Tyler Bate defends the UK Championship in select indie promotions while WWE works out plans for a weekly UK series of their own.
- Ireland's Over the Top Wrestling could be in the mix, too, as their promoter was in attendance the first night of the UK title tournament. However, there has been no confirmation of a deal being discussed.
Matt and Jeff Hardy are expected to remain in TNA, but could still end up working ROH on the side. With Anthem owning the network ROH airs on in Canada, it's more likely TNA would approve the team appearing there.
Jeff Jarrett is expected to join TNA in an important position before the next tapings in early March. It will be interesting to see what changes he makes. I think it's entirely possible we see Dutch Mantel return as part of Creative if/when Jarrett returns as an executive of some kind. As noted, Jeff will not be abandoning GFW, regardless of what happens with his status in TNA.
The April 4 Smackdown has sold out. This will be the first edition of that show to follow WM33.
Hideo Itami has been cleared to return to the ring, so we could see him at the next NXT taping. I hope he makes a splash in 2017; he's had a number of setbacks now.
UK Championship Tournament competitors will be unable to appear on content streamed on rival services to the WWE Network (Floslam, for instance). So, they'll be able to work for WWE and other promotions that sign deals to be part of the WWE Network, but they can't appear for promotions airing elsewhere. That move will definitely have ripple effects for wrestlers there.
- Pete Dunne and Joseph Conners have been pulled from appearing on UK-based broadcasts they had already been booked for due to their new WWE contracts. I hope for their sake they still get a lot of work/pay out of this.
Smackdown drew 2.65 million viewers, a good boost from last week. That's good news for a show headlined by a women's cage match instead of, say, John Cena, Randy Orton, etc.
AJ Styles had money and possessions stolen during Monday's Smackdown live event. Very sorry to hear that. I'd like to think the person or people responsible really needed the money and they get to a place where they don't need to take from others in order to make ends meet.
Hangman Page and Bobby Cruise have signed new ROH contracts. I hope page has a breakout year in 2017.
Donovan Dijak isn't booked for ROH past their February TV taping. It's believed WWE is interested in him; he would seem to be a no-brainer for them to pursue. WWE is shying away from offering ROH names contracts until they are 60 days removed from being part of ROH in order to avoid accusations of contract tampering.
Keith Lee could work a few more dates with ROH in order to finish up the angle his team has with The Briscoes. I'm very curious to see how ROH uses Shane Taylor without him.
The Hardys will face the Young Bucks at ROH's April 1 live event. It's currently unknown whether the Hardys will be able to appear on ROH TV or the Bucks will appear on Impact Wrestling; this could just be for the live crowd.
Seth Rollins mentioned Kenny Omega as a potential Royal Rumble surprise in a WWE.com feature; the feature was edited shortly thereafter to exclude those references.
At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Lana defeated Kimberly Frankele, formerly Kimber Lee. Lana worked as a face. I'm curious to see if they'll book Lana that way on the main roster at some point. I'm glad she's getting work in the ring at any rate.
- Aleister Black is back using that name after being Tommy End on recent UK shows.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
Nothing to add to 1.
2. I assume it would have just been a clustermess that allowed Mae to pin Stephanie after the rest of the women interfered on her behalf. I wouldn't have expected her to take any serious bumps.
3. One thing we haven't gotten to factor in much yet is debuts. In the first brand split, John Cena spent three years climbing up the ladder on Smackdown before moving to Raw and having a whole new slate of opponents. He didn't have to worry about being overshadowed as much by people they were pushing on Raw, notably Batista and Orton. When we finally did get Cena vs. Batista and Cena vs. Orton, it meant something because they had all had success and never faced off before. Similarly, now we're getting to see some people get more screen time than they would have otherwise. Alexa Bliss doesn't have to compete with Charlotte and Nia for the top heel spot, for instance.
4. What we got was pretty good. No complaints.
5. Each summer, they should have a few people switch sides. Once the Mania rematches are done, they can move people around and set things up for Summerslam. For instance, I'd move either Charlotte or Sasha to Smackdown given how much they've fought already. That way, one of them will have a whole new batch of opponents and those opponents will all have an established, talented act to do fresh things with. Additionally, names who are just kind of lost in the shuffle could get another chance to break out on the other show.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- UK's PROGRESS Wrestling is expected to follow at some point, as the two sides are in talks. PROGRESS is working with WWNLive during WM33 weekend, and a PROGRESS vs. EVOLVE event could take place, streamed on Floslam. PROGRESS signing on to be part of the WWE Network means they wouldn't be able to air any more shows on Floslam.
- It's entirely possible Tyler Bate defends the UK Championship in select indie promotions while WWE works out plans for a weekly UK series of their own.
- Ireland's Over the Top Wrestling could be in the mix, too, as their promoter was in attendance the first night of the UK title tournament. However, there has been no confirmation of a deal being discussed.
Matt and Jeff Hardy are expected to remain in TNA, but could still end up working ROH on the side. With Anthem owning the network ROH airs on in Canada, it's more likely TNA would approve the team appearing there.
Jeff Jarrett is expected to join TNA in an important position before the next tapings in early March. It will be interesting to see what changes he makes. I think it's entirely possible we see Dutch Mantel return as part of Creative if/when Jarrett returns as an executive of some kind. As noted, Jeff will not be abandoning GFW, regardless of what happens with his status in TNA.
The April 4 Smackdown has sold out. This will be the first edition of that show to follow WM33.
Hideo Itami has been cleared to return to the ring, so we could see him at the next NXT taping. I hope he makes a splash in 2017; he's had a number of setbacks now.
UK Championship Tournament competitors will be unable to appear on content streamed on rival services to the WWE Network (Floslam, for instance). So, they'll be able to work for WWE and other promotions that sign deals to be part of the WWE Network, but they can't appear for promotions airing elsewhere. That move will definitely have ripple effects for wrestlers there.
- Pete Dunne and Joseph Conners have been pulled from appearing on UK-based broadcasts they had already been booked for due to their new WWE contracts. I hope for their sake they still get a lot of work/pay out of this.
Smackdown drew 2.65 million viewers, a good boost from last week. That's good news for a show headlined by a women's cage match instead of, say, John Cena, Randy Orton, etc.
AJ Styles had money and possessions stolen during Monday's Smackdown live event. Very sorry to hear that. I'd like to think the person or people responsible really needed the money and they get to a place where they don't need to take from others in order to make ends meet.
Hangman Page and Bobby Cruise have signed new ROH contracts. I hope page has a breakout year in 2017.
Donovan Dijak isn't booked for ROH past their February TV taping. It's believed WWE is interested in him; he would seem to be a no-brainer for them to pursue. WWE is shying away from offering ROH names contracts until they are 60 days removed from being part of ROH in order to avoid accusations of contract tampering.
Keith Lee could work a few more dates with ROH in order to finish up the angle his team has with The Briscoes. I'm very curious to see how ROH uses Shane Taylor without him.
The Hardys will face the Young Bucks at ROH's April 1 live event. It's currently unknown whether the Hardys will be able to appear on ROH TV or the Bucks will appear on Impact Wrestling; this could just be for the live crowd.
Seth Rollins mentioned Kenny Omega as a potential Royal Rumble surprise in a WWE.com feature; the feature was edited shortly thereafter to exclude those references.
At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Lana defeated Kimberly Frankele, formerly Kimber Lee. Lana worked as a face. I'm curious to see if they'll book Lana that way on the main roster at some point. I'm glad she's getting work in the ring at any rate.
- Aleister Black is back using that name after being Tommy End on recent UK shows.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
Nothing to add to 1.
2. I assume it would have just been a clustermess that allowed Mae to pin Stephanie after the rest of the women interfered on her behalf. I wouldn't have expected her to take any serious bumps.
3. One thing we haven't gotten to factor in much yet is debuts. In the first brand split, John Cena spent three years climbing up the ladder on Smackdown before moving to Raw and having a whole new slate of opponents. He didn't have to worry about being overshadowed as much by people they were pushing on Raw, notably Batista and Orton. When we finally did get Cena vs. Batista and Cena vs. Orton, it meant something because they had all had success and never faced off before. Similarly, now we're getting to see some people get more screen time than they would have otherwise. Alexa Bliss doesn't have to compete with Charlotte and Nia for the top heel spot, for instance.
4. What we got was pretty good. No complaints.
5. Each summer, they should have a few people switch sides. Once the Mania rematches are done, they can move people around and set things up for Summerslam. For instance, I'd move either Charlotte or Sasha to Smackdown given how much they've fought already. That way, one of them will have a whole new batch of opponents and those opponents will all have an established, talented act to do fresh things with. Additionally, names who are just kind of lost in the shuffle could get another chance to break out on the other show.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Knockout done, another Brock date, Orton fan confrontation, women's tournament update, Omega on his future, Raw audience, Darren injury update, Bucks accept Hardy challenge, NJPW+CMLL stars at ROH event, upcoming ROH matches, WWE measuring UK interest, Philly wants more WWE events, Regal on Ohno's return, more WWE Funko, Angle on WWE talks, and Questions on frequent rematches, old NXT episodes, Cesaro's tape, Seth teaming with Roman, and WWE booking
Marti Bell's TNA contract has expired. TNA hadn't used her for some time, going as far as to book her for a Colorado promotion during one set of tapings because they didn't have plans for her. I assume there's a chance WWE uses her for the upcoming women's tournament, but I don't think she'd get any special consideration just for having worked in TNA.
Brock Lesnar is now set for a March 10 live event in New York. He's booked for quite a bit in the weeks and months ahead.
Randy Orton had a confrontation with a fan at a gym when said fan tried to get a picture with Orton during a workout. The fan took a picture of Orton anyway. I can definitely see why a busy Orton didn't want to stop a workout in order to take a picture with a fan; famous people need space and time for themselves, too.
Triple H confirmed a WWE women's tournament is in the works for this summer. The idea is to do an invitational, a bit like the CWC. It's mainly a matter of getting the timing right.
Kenny Omega talked about his current status:
- I like him having some time off after such a major event. It makes his next appearance all the more meaningful.
- Is the allure of being IWGP Champion enough to keep him in NJPW? Of course that's a mark consideration, but it's still a pretty big milestone.
- He can really make waves if he jumps to WWE/NXT. Theoretically he could go to TNA, but I don't really know why he would.
Raw drew 3.27 million Monday, a nice jump as we head toward Royal Rumble.
Darren Young was injured while taping Main Event. Young's quite the soldier for WWE, so I hope he recovers soon.
The Young Bucks have accepted the Hardys' challenge for a tag team title match. It's expected they'll compete at Supercard of Honor XI on April 1. No idea what that means for the Hardys' future in TNA. It's possible that match will just happen for the live crowd and TNA would still have the rights to use them for TV, etc.
Jushin "Thunder" Liger, YOSHI-HASHI, Volador Jr., and Dragon Lee are all booked for Supercard of Honor XI. I expect more NJPW/CMLL names will be announced for ROH events to come, especially the upcoming anniversary show.
Superkliq/Cody vs. Jay Lethal/Bobby Fish/Briscoes has been booked for ROH's February 11 TV taping. It looks like Bobby Fish could be headed into the ROH Title picture. It will be interesting to see if he gets a big push in O'Reilly's absence.
Set for ROH's February 12 show:
- The Kingdom vs. three opponents chosen by the fans.
- Marty Scurll vs. Lio Rush in a Proving Ground match. Fans will vote on whether the match will be two-out-of-three falls, a submission match, or a European-style rounds contest.
- Adam Cole/Hangman Page vs. Jay Lethal/Bobby Fish, with fans determining whether it's a tables match, a no DQ match, or a falls count anywhere match.
- Cody vs. Dalton Castle
WWE is gauging interest from the recent UK tournament in a number of areas:
- Favorite matches and performers from the tournament
- Potential ticket prices for future UK live events
- What UK independent promotions fans watch. Interestingly, TNA was included, too, but not ROH, even though ROH recently ran shows there and TNA is no longer on TV in the area.
- A potential weekly UK show
-- So, WWE is really keeping an eye on that market and looking at what moves to make as far as whom to sign and how much of a potential fan base/revenue stream exists there.
Philadelphia still wants a future Wrestlemania or other major event. WM34 was originally pitched to be in the Northeast, but New Orleans made a big play to bring the event there instead.
William Regal discussed Kassius Ohno coming back to NXT. I hope Ohno is able to make a big impact in WWE; he has quite the reputation to live up to.
Funko will release Pop figures of Shawn Michaels and Kane. Those are great.
Kurt Angle talked about going into the WWE HoF:
- Stone Cold inducting him would be great. Bob Backlund or Bruno Sammartino would also work.
- I loved Olympic Hero Kurt and the "you suck" chants. Some of the most fun I've had a wrestling fan.
- Yes, I imagine a lot of WWE fans wonder where Kurt's been these past 10 years, if they've been watching long enough to remember him at all. Even at its height, TNA didn't reach a lot of WWE viewers.
- Interesting he hasn't spoken to Vince. No way Vince didn't sign off on Kurt going into the Hall.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. With the brand split, each show has a lot fewer names to work with. So, they stretch out things that work for as long as possible. Otherwise, they'd run through all potential feuds pretty quickly.
2. I imagine they just haven't gotten around to it yet. Other shows have higher priority because they assume more people want to see older episodes of Smackdown than NXT or classic content from promotions from the past.
3. I don't know if he's still recovering or what, but, yes, it helps with injuries.
4. They were friends, then enemies, then put that all behind them in order to work against common threats. I expect they'll remain on the same side for now, with Rollins going against HHH at WM33 as a face. I don't see them turning Roman, so they'll probably continue being allies for the foreseeable future.
5. Vince is going to book the way Vince wants to book as long as he continues to get good enough results to keep his TV deals, etc. Even if USA Network or someone steps in, it will probably be seen as a case of the IWC favorites not getting over as well as guys like Cena rather than creative being at fault. Even if creative does get the blame, it will probably be the newer writers or someone on the chopping block rather than Vince and the people in his inner circle. Vince, like a lot of people, doesn't like to be "wrong" and will spin things to where it's someone else who's to blame.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Brock Lesnar is now set for a March 10 live event in New York. He's booked for quite a bit in the weeks and months ahead.
Randy Orton had a confrontation with a fan at a gym when said fan tried to get a picture with Orton during a workout. The fan took a picture of Orton anyway. I can definitely see why a busy Orton didn't want to stop a workout in order to take a picture with a fan; famous people need space and time for themselves, too.
Triple H confirmed a WWE women's tournament is in the works for this summer. The idea is to do an invitational, a bit like the CWC. It's mainly a matter of getting the timing right.
Kenny Omega talked about his current status:
- I like him having some time off after such a major event. It makes his next appearance all the more meaningful.
- Is the allure of being IWGP Champion enough to keep him in NJPW? Of course that's a mark consideration, but it's still a pretty big milestone.
- He can really make waves if he jumps to WWE/NXT. Theoretically he could go to TNA, but I don't really know why he would.
Raw drew 3.27 million Monday, a nice jump as we head toward Royal Rumble.
Darren Young was injured while taping Main Event. Young's quite the soldier for WWE, so I hope he recovers soon.
The Young Bucks have accepted the Hardys' challenge for a tag team title match. It's expected they'll compete at Supercard of Honor XI on April 1. No idea what that means for the Hardys' future in TNA. It's possible that match will just happen for the live crowd and TNA would still have the rights to use them for TV, etc.
Jushin "Thunder" Liger, YOSHI-HASHI, Volador Jr., and Dragon Lee are all booked for Supercard of Honor XI. I expect more NJPW/CMLL names will be announced for ROH events to come, especially the upcoming anniversary show.
Superkliq/Cody vs. Jay Lethal/Bobby Fish/Briscoes has been booked for ROH's February 11 TV taping. It looks like Bobby Fish could be headed into the ROH Title picture. It will be interesting to see if he gets a big push in O'Reilly's absence.
Set for ROH's February 12 show:
- The Kingdom vs. three opponents chosen by the fans.
- Marty Scurll vs. Lio Rush in a Proving Ground match. Fans will vote on whether the match will be two-out-of-three falls, a submission match, or a European-style rounds contest.
- Adam Cole/Hangman Page vs. Jay Lethal/Bobby Fish, with fans determining whether it's a tables match, a no DQ match, or a falls count anywhere match.
- Cody vs. Dalton Castle
WWE is gauging interest from the recent UK tournament in a number of areas:
- Favorite matches and performers from the tournament
- Potential ticket prices for future UK live events
- What UK independent promotions fans watch. Interestingly, TNA was included, too, but not ROH, even though ROH recently ran shows there and TNA is no longer on TV in the area.
- A potential weekly UK show
-- So, WWE is really keeping an eye on that market and looking at what moves to make as far as whom to sign and how much of a potential fan base/revenue stream exists there.
Philadelphia still wants a future Wrestlemania or other major event. WM34 was originally pitched to be in the Northeast, but New Orleans made a big play to bring the event there instead.
William Regal discussed Kassius Ohno coming back to NXT. I hope Ohno is able to make a big impact in WWE; he has quite the reputation to live up to.
Funko will release Pop figures of Shawn Michaels and Kane. Those are great.
Kurt Angle talked about going into the WWE HoF:
- Stone Cold inducting him would be great. Bob Backlund or Bruno Sammartino would also work.
- I loved Olympic Hero Kurt and the "you suck" chants. Some of the most fun I've had a wrestling fan.
- Yes, I imagine a lot of WWE fans wonder where Kurt's been these past 10 years, if they've been watching long enough to remember him at all. Even at its height, TNA didn't reach a lot of WWE viewers.
- Interesting he hasn't spoken to Vince. No way Vince didn't sign off on Kurt going into the Hall.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. With the brand split, each show has a lot fewer names to work with. So, they stretch out things that work for as long as possible. Otherwise, they'd run through all potential feuds pretty quickly.
2. I imagine they just haven't gotten around to it yet. Other shows have higher priority because they assume more people want to see older episodes of Smackdown than NXT or classic content from promotions from the past.
3. I don't know if he's still recovering or what, but, yes, it helps with injuries.
4. They were friends, then enemies, then put that all behind them in order to work against common threats. I expect they'll remain on the same side for now, with Rollins going against HHH at WM33 as a face. I don't see them turning Roman, so they'll probably continue being allies for the foreseeable future.
5. Vince is going to book the way Vince wants to book as long as he continues to get good enough results to keep his TV deals, etc. Even if USA Network or someone steps in, it will probably be seen as a case of the IWC favorites not getting over as well as guys like Cena rather than creative being at fault. Even if creative does get the blame, it will probably be the newer writers or someone on the chopping block rather than Vince and the people in his inner circle. Vince, like a lot of people, doesn't like to be "wrong" and will spin things to where it's someone else who's to blame.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
More Angle-HoF notes, WWE animated movie out, another WWE event set, NJPW English commentary set, big day for The Fink, Tajiri out hurt, Elimination Chamber main event set up, more Lawler at the Rumble, and Questions on Show-Strowman, Reigns as Universal Champion, consistency in angles, more titles, and Eva Marie's future
Kurt Angle's WWE Hall of Fame video has been released. Oh, it's true!
- Dixie Carter put over Angle's induction. It's kind of awkward seeing a TNA executive promoting WWE honoring him, but it's a classy gesture to do so without trying to turn it into a plug for his TNA work or anything of the sort.
WWE Studios' "Surf's Up 2" is now out on DVD. The Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena, Vince McMahon, and Paige all provide voices in the project. Paige's role was downplayed, as one might expect. She's still employed by WWE, but there has been no note of her returning to the ring.
WWE will run a show in New York on March 26.
NJPW's English commentary team will be Kevin Kelly and Don "Cyrus" Callis going forward. Their first show together will be February 4.
Howard Finkel celebrated 40 years (!) as a ring announcer. He's a legend.
Tajiri injured his right knee during an NXT taping, and has not been cleared to return to the ring. That's unfortunate timing given his recent return to WWE. I hope he's back kicking and misting people soon.
The WWE Championship will be defended inside Elimination Chamber during Smackdown's February 12 Network special. I'm thinking Cena vs. AJ vs. Bray vs. Orton vs. Corbin vs. Kane. Smackdown has its work cut out for it filling a card with that many people locked up in the top match. I'm guessing we're in for tag team and women's chamber matches, too.
Royal Rumble will be called by Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, and Corey Graves. Lawler will also be on the Rumble Kickoff show. So, King isn't done as an announcer or analyst. It's possible WWE continues to use him in that role on the other Big Four events; he's definitely not going away.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Show's winding down his career. He should elevate the new monster rather than be used to halt his rise. If they do bring in Show to battle Braun, Braun needs to make an example of him.
2. I think we're in for Jericho vs. Owens in some form at WM33, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Reigns as Universal Champion again. Time will tell if Finn's ready for a big comeback in the Rumble.
3. Countouts and the pace of them are at the ref's discretion. Other than that, I'm sure at least some of the writers know there are problems in that area, but things change so much at the last minute and they have so much to write that the result can be frustrating for critics.
4. Dear God no. The rosters aren't big enough for more belts.
5. No word on her being released or anything, but it could certainly be a case of both sides evaluating how much they want/need the other.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Dixie Carter put over Angle's induction. It's kind of awkward seeing a TNA executive promoting WWE honoring him, but it's a classy gesture to do so without trying to turn it into a plug for his TNA work or anything of the sort.
WWE Studios' "Surf's Up 2" is now out on DVD. The Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena, Vince McMahon, and Paige all provide voices in the project. Paige's role was downplayed, as one might expect. She's still employed by WWE, but there has been no note of her returning to the ring.
WWE will run a show in New York on March 26.
NJPW's English commentary team will be Kevin Kelly and Don "Cyrus" Callis going forward. Their first show together will be February 4.
Howard Finkel celebrated 40 years (!) as a ring announcer. He's a legend.
Tajiri injured his right knee during an NXT taping, and has not been cleared to return to the ring. That's unfortunate timing given his recent return to WWE. I hope he's back kicking and misting people soon.
The WWE Championship will be defended inside Elimination Chamber during Smackdown's February 12 Network special. I'm thinking Cena vs. AJ vs. Bray vs. Orton vs. Corbin vs. Kane. Smackdown has its work cut out for it filling a card with that many people locked up in the top match. I'm guessing we're in for tag team and women's chamber matches, too.
Royal Rumble will be called by Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, and Corey Graves. Lawler will also be on the Rumble Kickoff show. So, King isn't done as an announcer or analyst. It's possible WWE continues to use him in that role on the other Big Four events; he's definitely not going away.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Show's winding down his career. He should elevate the new monster rather than be used to halt his rise. If they do bring in Show to battle Braun, Braun needs to make an example of him.
2. I think we're in for Jericho vs. Owens in some form at WM33, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Reigns as Universal Champion again. Time will tell if Finn's ready for a big comeback in the Rumble.
3. Countouts and the pace of them are at the ref's discretion. Other than that, I'm sure at least some of the writers know there are problems in that area, but things change so much at the last minute and they have so much to write that the result can be frustrating for critics.
4. Dear God no. The rosters aren't big enough for more belts.
5. No word on her being released or anything, but it could certainly be a case of both sides evaluating how much they want/need the other.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 1/17/16
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
TNA fire sale, Snuka note, former NXT guest at Smackdown, wrestling school profiled, former tag champ visits live event, potential ROH title match set, vote on NXT awards, Angle in WWE Hall, new Rumble entrants, Hardys want more titles, and Questions on Taker vs. Cena, the UFC lawsuit, Corbin losing to Cena, fly-on-the-wall interviews, and Riddle-WWE
Don West promoted TNA's liquidation sale. They've got a lot of unsold merchandise featuring people who are no longer part of the company, so they're doing everything they can to move that out.
Jimmy Snuka's passing was not mentioned during Sunday's live events. As has been pointed out, they were in a difficult position regarding how to remember the Hall of Famer given the legal controversy he had been involved in.
Leva Bates/Blue Pants was backstage at last week's Smackdown. It's definitely possible she'll be involved in the upcoming women's tournament, but that's some time away now.
Ken Anderson and Shawn Daivari's wrestling school was profiled. Good to see Molly Holly involved; I hope she's in the WWE HoF sometime in the years to come.
Ted DiBiase, Jr. visited at a WWE live event this weekend. I don't expect him to get back into the ring anytime soon, but he must still have friends in the business.
Adam Cole vs. Dalton Castle is set for ROH's April 1 show in Florida during WM33 weekend. I'm glad Castle's getting that kind of opportunity.
NXT's year-end awards are now being voted for on Twitter. The winners will be announced during the Takeover:San Antonio preshow on January 28.
Kurt Angle has been announced for the WWE Hall of Fame. That's a great surprise. I'm glad he's back in the WWE family, even if it's just for a nod like that. Naturally, this starts the speculation of him getting back in the ring for at least one more match. If WWE's not going to do Taker vs. Cena for some reason, Angle could face either of those men at WM33. Styles and Orton are also intriguing options. I know people want him to be used to elevate someone new, but WWE history suggests that's probably not happening. He should definitely be part of Smackdown given how many big part-timers are already set for Raw.
- Angle talked to ESPN about the news. It will be very interesting to see what opponent(s) WWE would put him with. Rollins vs. Angle could be quite the wild ride; both men go all out.
- Angle got a lot of praise for the HoF announcement:
-- Jim Ross
-- Triple H
-- Tyson Kidd
-- Becky Lynch
-- Buddy Murphy
-- Bruce Prichard
-- Roderick Strong
-- Charles Robinson
-- Vickie Guerrero
-- Taz
-- Samoa Joe
Sheamus and Cesaro have entered the Royal Rumble. I'd like to see Sheamus in the world title hunt again, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon.
Matt and Jeff Hardy have announced plans to win tag team titles outside of TNA. We could actually see the TNA Tag Team Champions face the ROH Tag Team Champions in 2017.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Looks like it's time to move the goalpost to WM34. They could have Taker go into the HoF and have one last match vs. Cena in New Orleans that week.
2. I didn't look into it at all beyond where WWE is connected. I guess we'll find out as it makes its way through court; I won't be covering it unless WWE does end up being a part of it.
3. Cena got a "tune-up" match after being off TV for months and Corbin held his own against the future Hall of Famer. Baron should be fine if the followup is good. The opportunity is there to have him take the IC Title from Ambrose. Of course, the trick there will be not devaluing Dean while still elevating the newer star.
4. Honestly I find it weird when they DO look at the camera during those interviews, since they're talking to each other instead of the audience. Unless they're specifically addressing the audience or another wrestler, the current way of doing it is fine.
5. WWE is keeping its distance from a known marijuana user; they're still pretty conservative in that regard.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Jimmy Snuka's passing was not mentioned during Sunday's live events. As has been pointed out, they were in a difficult position regarding how to remember the Hall of Famer given the legal controversy he had been involved in.
Leva Bates/Blue Pants was backstage at last week's Smackdown. It's definitely possible she'll be involved in the upcoming women's tournament, but that's some time away now.
Ken Anderson and Shawn Daivari's wrestling school was profiled. Good to see Molly Holly involved; I hope she's in the WWE HoF sometime in the years to come.
Ted DiBiase, Jr. visited at a WWE live event this weekend. I don't expect him to get back into the ring anytime soon, but he must still have friends in the business.
Adam Cole vs. Dalton Castle is set for ROH's April 1 show in Florida during WM33 weekend. I'm glad Castle's getting that kind of opportunity.
NXT's year-end awards are now being voted for on Twitter. The winners will be announced during the Takeover:San Antonio preshow on January 28.
Kurt Angle has been announced for the WWE Hall of Fame. That's a great surprise. I'm glad he's back in the WWE family, even if it's just for a nod like that. Naturally, this starts the speculation of him getting back in the ring for at least one more match. If WWE's not going to do Taker vs. Cena for some reason, Angle could face either of those men at WM33. Styles and Orton are also intriguing options. I know people want him to be used to elevate someone new, but WWE history suggests that's probably not happening. He should definitely be part of Smackdown given how many big part-timers are already set for Raw.
- Angle talked to ESPN about the news. It will be very interesting to see what opponent(s) WWE would put him with. Rollins vs. Angle could be quite the wild ride; both men go all out.
- Angle got a lot of praise for the HoF announcement:
-- Jim Ross
-- Triple H
-- Tyson Kidd
-- Becky Lynch
-- Buddy Murphy
-- Bruce Prichard
-- Roderick Strong
-- Charles Robinson
-- Vickie Guerrero
-- Taz
-- Samoa Joe
Sheamus and Cesaro have entered the Royal Rumble. I'd like to see Sheamus in the world title hunt again, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon.
Matt and Jeff Hardy have announced plans to win tag team titles outside of TNA. We could actually see the TNA Tag Team Champions face the ROH Tag Team Champions in 2017.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Looks like it's time to move the goalpost to WM34. They could have Taker go into the HoF and have one last match vs. Cena in New Orleans that week.
2. I didn't look into it at all beyond where WWE is connected. I guess we'll find out as it makes its way through court; I won't be covering it unless WWE does end up being a part of it.
3. Cena got a "tune-up" match after being off TV for months and Corbin held his own against the future Hall of Famer. Baron should be fine if the followup is good. The opportunity is there to have him take the IC Title from Ambrose. Of course, the trick there will be not devaluing Dean while still elevating the newer star.
4. Honestly I find it weird when they DO look at the camera during those interviews, since they're talking to each other instead of the audience. Unless they're specifically addressing the audience or another wrestler, the current way of doing it is fine.
5. WWE is keeping its distance from a known marijuana user; they're still pretty conservative in that regard.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, January 16, 2017
UK tournament fallout, WWE names at PROGRESS, Interview with Karl, Show's transformation continues, ROH tag name signs with WWNLive, and Questions on Shinsuke/Joe at WM33, Lana dropping her accent, this year's Rumble winner, finisher spam, and why Raw beats Smackdown in the ratings
Triple H and William Regal talked at the UK tournament:
- I think it will still be a while before a main roster PPV hits the UK. It doesn't seem to be in the works.
- Unless Regal's confident in his ability to deliver a quality match, he should stay behind-the-scenes. He's more valuable backstage than spending time preparing to get in the ring one more time.
-- HHH and Regal had a full press conference after the tournament ended.
Finn Balor and Tommy End were at a PROGRESS event Sunday. I'm looking forward to seeing how End fares in NXT/WWE.
Karl Anderson discussed his rise to WWE. He's definitely put in a lot of work.
Big Show's weight loss was profiled. Show looks incredible! He's slimmed down quite a bit.
Keith Lee of the Pretty Boy Killers has signed with WWNLive. Shane Taylor recently signed with ROH, so that team has now split. It will be interesting to follow this and see who ends up being more successful in the long run.
WWE's first UK Champion is Tyler Bate, who defeated Peter Dunne in the finals of the tournament. It remains to be seen what the future holds for that title, as no "UK brand" or weekly TV show have been announced at the time of this writing.
Michael Cole tweeted about the UK tournament. If they do get a regular UK series, I wonder who will end up doing commentary for it alongside Nigel.
Triple H put over Tyler Bate and hinted at more from the UK. That's a big market for WWE. I expect they'll get more attention as time goes on.
Big Show competed on Raw live events this weekend in ten-man tag action. He's been used in a somewhat limited capacity as he prepares for the final leg of his career.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. NO. Time for Shinsuke and Joe to get new opponents. I think rather than jumping right to an NXT match at Wrestlemania, they should start having an NXT match here and there on single-brand PPVs during months when there's not a Takeover special. The important thing will be using those matches to add to PPVs without diluting the brand for Takeover specials. In other words, not overexposing people like Shinsuke and Joe by having them wrestle on those shows.
2. That was probably from "Total Divas," which is kind of its own kayfabe. On Raw, she's Lana. On Total Divas, she's the highly edited version of CJ Perry they want to present on that show.
3. Taker. Jericho's a good second option, though.
4. Nowadays there've been so many big finisher kickouts it's seen as a "burial" when Kevin Owens went down to two AAs, a super AA, and an STF against Cena. It started as an easy way to show one person was tough for kicking out of a finisher. Now it shows they're not "really" tough if they can't kick out of at least two. I feel the pain.
5. It's worth noting Raw has Goldberg, Brock, HHH, and Undertaker (?), so it's easier for Little Jimmy and the soccer moms to see it as the "A" show. The dirtsheet-reading audience is only a fraction of the total fan base, and the ratings reflect that. Smackdown has its work cut out for it in regularly beating Raw when the big guest stars always head to Monday nights.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- I think it will still be a while before a main roster PPV hits the UK. It doesn't seem to be in the works.
- Unless Regal's confident in his ability to deliver a quality match, he should stay behind-the-scenes. He's more valuable backstage than spending time preparing to get in the ring one more time.
-- HHH and Regal had a full press conference after the tournament ended.
Finn Balor and Tommy End were at a PROGRESS event Sunday. I'm looking forward to seeing how End fares in NXT/WWE.
Karl Anderson discussed his rise to WWE. He's definitely put in a lot of work.
Big Show's weight loss was profiled. Show looks incredible! He's slimmed down quite a bit.
Keith Lee of the Pretty Boy Killers has signed with WWNLive. Shane Taylor recently signed with ROH, so that team has now split. It will be interesting to follow this and see who ends up being more successful in the long run.
WWE's first UK Champion is Tyler Bate, who defeated Peter Dunne in the finals of the tournament. It remains to be seen what the future holds for that title, as no "UK brand" or weekly TV show have been announced at the time of this writing.
Michael Cole tweeted about the UK tournament. If they do get a regular UK series, I wonder who will end up doing commentary for it alongside Nigel.
Triple H put over Tyler Bate and hinted at more from the UK. That's a big market for WWE. I expect they'll get more attention as time goes on.
Big Show competed on Raw live events this weekend in ten-man tag action. He's been used in a somewhat limited capacity as he prepares for the final leg of his career.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. NO. Time for Shinsuke and Joe to get new opponents. I think rather than jumping right to an NXT match at Wrestlemania, they should start having an NXT match here and there on single-brand PPVs during months when there's not a Takeover special. The important thing will be using those matches to add to PPVs without diluting the brand for Takeover specials. In other words, not overexposing people like Shinsuke and Joe by having them wrestle on those shows.
2. That was probably from "Total Divas," which is kind of its own kayfabe. On Raw, she's Lana. On Total Divas, she's the highly edited version of CJ Perry they want to present on that show.
3. Taker. Jericho's a good second option, though.
4. Nowadays there've been so many big finisher kickouts it's seen as a "burial" when Kevin Owens went down to two AAs, a super AA, and an STF against Cena. It started as an easy way to show one person was tough for kicking out of a finisher. Now it shows they're not "really" tough if they can't kick out of at least two. I feel the pain.
5. It's worth noting Raw has Goldberg, Brock, HHH, and Undertaker (?), so it's easier for Little Jimmy and the soccer moms to see it as the "A" show. The dirtsheet-reading audience is only a fraction of the total fan base, and the ratings reflect that. Smackdown has its work cut out for it in regularly beating Raw when the big guest stars always head to Monday nights.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Jimmy Snuka passes at age 73
WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Snuka passed away Sunday after a long battle with stomach cancer. My deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and fans at this time.
PWInsider looked at his career and life, striking a nice balance of celebrating his accomplishments while acknowledging the controversies.
Many names acknowledged Snuka's passing:
- Tamina
- The Rock
- Jim Ross
- Mick Foley
- Nia Jax
- Bubba Ray Dudley
- Roman Reigns
- Stephanie McMahon
- Goldust
- Tommy Dreamer
- Vickie Guerrero
- Curtis Axel
- Jake Roberts
- Taz
- Virgil
- Michael P.S. Hayes
- Blue Meanie
- Hulk Hogan
- William Regal
- Ric Flair
- Randy Orton
- Charlotte Flair
- Chris Jericho
- Scott Hall
- Triple H
- Bret Hart
- Jimmy Jacobs
- Lex Luger
- Dawn Marie
- Byron Saxton
- Al Snow
- Lilian Garcia
- Disco Inferno
- Konnan
More wrestling coming up.
PWInsider looked at his career and life, striking a nice balance of celebrating his accomplishments while acknowledging the controversies.
Many names acknowledged Snuka's passing:
- Tamina
- The Rock
- Jim Ross
- Mick Foley
- Nia Jax
- Bubba Ray Dudley
- Roman Reigns
- Stephanie McMahon
- Goldust
- Tommy Dreamer
- Vickie Guerrero
- Curtis Axel
- Jake Roberts
- Taz
- Virgil
- Michael P.S. Hayes
- Blue Meanie
- Hulk Hogan
- William Regal
- Ric Flair
- Randy Orton
- Charlotte Flair
- Chris Jericho
- Scott Hall
- Triple H
- Bret Hart
- Jimmy Jacobs
- Lex Luger
- Dawn Marie
- Byron Saxton
- Al Snow
- Lilian Garcia
- Disco Inferno
- Konnan
More wrestling coming up.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
XFL updates, UK tournament notes including injury, Andrews on leaving TNA, ROH matches and dates set, FOH match, Lawler talk show on Smackdown, NXT live event notes, and Questions on Cody working multiple promotions, Tenay and West's TNA future, Cornette and the Midnight Express in the HoF, why WWE makes movies, and Aron Rex's new gimmick
The XFL Hall of Fame was on display Saturday, and the "30 for 30" special was screened at that location. The ESPN documentary will air on TV on February 2.
The UK tournament was moved up a few months due to the recent World of Sport pilot there. There's a lot of activity in that scene lately. It looks like the original plan was to do the women's tournament around this time and the UK tournament later in 2017. Instead, the women's tournament has been postponed.
Finlay and Scott Armstrong are working production on WWE's UK tournament.
Mark Andrews discussed leaving TNA to compete in WWE's UK tournament:
- I can't say I blame him for trying something new. TNA's still spinning its tires. He has an opportunity to do bigger things with this tournament.
- Regal has been invaluable behind-the-scenes for WWE.
- The UK scene has definitely seen a lot of growth in the past few years. The CWC helped it gain exposure, too.
Adam Cole vs. Bobby Fish has been announced for ROH's March 4 show in New York.
Bobby Cruise's ROH deal was expired. It's still possible he'll work there going forward, but he's no longer an exclusive name there.
ROH/NJPW will run a show on May 10 in Michigan. The War of the Worlds show is taking shape.
- War of the Worlds will also hit Pennsylvania on May 14.
ROH has released Clutch Adams vs. Cauliflower Chase Brown as a Future of Honor bout.
Jerry Lawler will host The King's Court on Smackdown this week from Memphis. That could be interesting. I'm open to him finally having a fresh role in the company; let's see what he's still got in that capacity.
Danny Burch was treated for his head laceration at the UK tournament. It will be good for Burch to get back in the WWE system if they have a UK series.
At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Babatunde made his singles match debut, beating Chris Atkins.
- Kimber Lee (as Kimberly Frankele) and Heidi Lovelace (as Dori Prange) debuted in a loss to Liv Morgan and Aliyah. The new signings used their birth names, but will probably get "WWE names" soon.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Cody's a free agent and can work just about anywhere. That said, he didn't work the recent TNA tapings. As far as I know, he's done with them for the time being. Unless an opportunity comes up to wrestle someone/do something he really wants to do there, I suspect he's going to focus on places like ROH and NJPW.
2. That will depend on how much the new regime feels West and Tenay are worth/how much influence Jeff Jarrett will have on things going forward. We'll have a better idea of what "the new TNA" will look like during the March tapings.
3. It's always possible if they're all on good terms/someone makes the pitch for it to happen. I think there are valid concerns of what Jim Cornette would do with a live mic, so WWE might not be excited about the idea of associating with such a vocal critic.
4. All that and they want to be "more than a rasslin' company." They aspire to be more like Disney in that regard.
5. Apparently that was his idea for what Damien Sandow was going to be before WWE turned it into the Intellectual Savior of the Masses.
More wrestling tomorrow.
The UK tournament was moved up a few months due to the recent World of Sport pilot there. There's a lot of activity in that scene lately. It looks like the original plan was to do the women's tournament around this time and the UK tournament later in 2017. Instead, the women's tournament has been postponed.
Finlay and Scott Armstrong are working production on WWE's UK tournament.
Mark Andrews discussed leaving TNA to compete in WWE's UK tournament:
- I can't say I blame him for trying something new. TNA's still spinning its tires. He has an opportunity to do bigger things with this tournament.
- Regal has been invaluable behind-the-scenes for WWE.
- The UK scene has definitely seen a lot of growth in the past few years. The CWC helped it gain exposure, too.
Adam Cole vs. Bobby Fish has been announced for ROH's March 4 show in New York.
Bobby Cruise's ROH deal was expired. It's still possible he'll work there going forward, but he's no longer an exclusive name there.
ROH/NJPW will run a show on May 10 in Michigan. The War of the Worlds show is taking shape.
- War of the Worlds will also hit Pennsylvania on May 14.
ROH has released Clutch Adams vs. Cauliflower Chase Brown as a Future of Honor bout.
Jerry Lawler will host The King's Court on Smackdown this week from Memphis. That could be interesting. I'm open to him finally having a fresh role in the company; let's see what he's still got in that capacity.
Danny Burch was treated for his head laceration at the UK tournament. It will be good for Burch to get back in the WWE system if they have a UK series.
At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Babatunde made his singles match debut, beating Chris Atkins.
- Kimber Lee (as Kimberly Frankele) and Heidi Lovelace (as Dori Prange) debuted in a loss to Liv Morgan and Aliyah. The new signings used their birth names, but will probably get "WWE names" soon.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Cody's a free agent and can work just about anywhere. That said, he didn't work the recent TNA tapings. As far as I know, he's done with them for the time being. Unless an opportunity comes up to wrestle someone/do something he really wants to do there, I suspect he's going to focus on places like ROH and NJPW.
2. That will depend on how much the new regime feels West and Tenay are worth/how much influence Jeff Jarrett will have on things going forward. We'll have a better idea of what "the new TNA" will look like during the March tapings.
3. It's always possible if they're all on good terms/someone makes the pitch for it to happen. I think there are valid concerns of what Jim Cornette would do with a live mic, so WWE might not be excited about the idea of associating with such a vocal critic.
4. All that and they want to be "more than a rasslin' company." They aspire to be more like Disney in that regard.
5. Apparently that was his idea for what Damien Sandow was going to be before WWE turned it into the Intellectual Savior of the Masses.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Sandman surgery, NXT live event notes, more NJPW in English, comedy wrestling film in the works, wrong Impact episode shown, Aron Rex note, War of the Worlds '17 in the works, more Brock dates, Vince on his success and stepping away, Don West back in TNA, Ottman health update, Impact audience, TNA creative notes, TNA moving HQ?, HHH on Kenny and the UK, and Questions on Cena teasing Omega, WWE saving Sunny, Asian names in WWE, EC3 post-Aunt Dee, and Drew's future
The Sandman's knee replacement surgery was successful. I hope his health is good for 2017 and beyond, and that he doesn't have to keep taking bumps to pay the bills.
At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Vic Joseph debuted as the host of the event.
- Lana defeated Macey Evans. No Rusev.
- Jack Gallagher beat Kona Reeves, while Ariya Daivari/Mustafa Ali lost to Montez Ford/Angelo Dawkins, so cruiserweights are facing non-cruiserweights. That's interesting. I'm OK with it, since the number of cruiser vs. cruiser matches they can do is pretty limited.
- Akira Tozawa beat Tony Nese. Lots of cruisers on this show.
- Kassius Ohno did a run-in, but wasn't in a match.
NJPW will have live English commentary for a lot of its major events between February and August. That's another big move for them as they look to expand their U.S. audience.
A comedy wrestling film is in the works featuring Kurt Angle, Mickie James, Tommy Dreamer, John Morrison, Ken Anderson, Jay Lethal, Joey Ryan, Candice LeRae, Chavo Guerrero, Kevin Kelly, Magnus, Gunner, Dalton Castle, The Briscoes, and The Addiction, who have a hand in the story of it. I'm curious how Mickie will be involved after signing with WWE. We'll see.
Fight Network and TNA's UK app initially aired the wrong episode of Impact Wrestling this week. TNA is the gift that keeps on giving sometimes.
- The digital episode sent to FN was corrupted, so they aired a repeat. A new copy was then sent and ran. The copy sent to Pop worked fine. Good ol' TNA. Hopefully they check things better before sending them out now.
Aron Rex's current character was an idea he had before the Intellectual Savior of the Masses. So, it's possible part of why he continues wrestling is in order to play a role he didn't get a chance to play in WWE.
ROH/NJPW's War of the Worlds tour is set for early May. An Ontario date has been booked for May 7, and more announcements are sure to follow.
Brock Lesnar is now advertised for every Raw between Monday's show and February 27, the go-home show for Fast Lane. The only Raw he won't be on is the February 13 show, due to being unable to compete in Nevada as a result of his UFC suspension. Brock is not currently advertised for Fast Lane, but I'd be surprised if he's not part of the show in some fashion.
- Brock has also been booked for the March 6 Raw on the road to WM33.
Vince McMahon talked about retirement and more:
- Vince isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Others are going to gain responsibilities behind the scenes and make their own mark on things (NXT, UK tournament, etc.), but Vince isn't stepping away or anything.
- Vince's work ethic is unbelievable. It can be argued he "should" slow down at 71, but he's going to fight tooth-and-nail to keep going as hard as he can for as long as he can.
- I'm sure Vince wants to keep expanding. Wrestlemania on the moon? Hell, he'll put Wrestlemania in another galaxy if he can.
- I mean, WWE existed for some time before Vince Jr. took over. He's taken it pretty far, but there was a lot of work already undertaken to get it to where it was when he bought it.
- Vince definitely had balls to make the changes he made to how things worked before his rise, taking talents from other promotions and such.
- See, Vince didn't try to do the same thing everyone else was doing, only better. He turned his company into something very different from what the others in the business presented.
- Vince not looking back, etc. is part of why he's able to make so many decisions and move the product so much.
- Ha. You know Vince enjoys being himself on TV, but he wants to control his baby movre.
- It's probably a good thing not to say who he thinks will be a top star at WM34, because some fans will turn on that person just for spite.
Don West is back in TNA for a big ShopTNA sale. OH MY GOOOOODDDDDD I've missed him. I assume a lot of this is to get rid of a lot of old merchandise still hanging out in the warehouse. Still great to see him back. He was a lot of fun in his roles.
- West coming back was a Jarrett suggestion.
Fred Ottman's wife gave a health update on the legend. I hope he recovers soon.
Impact Wrestling drew 277,000 viewers Thursday night. Soft numbers for the show under the Anthem banner.
A number of TNA storylines for this set of tapings were already in place before Billy Corgan departed. Any big creative changes could happen before the March tapings, but they wanted to get through these shows as seamlessly as possible.
TNA is looking to move all its staff into one location, as they're currently split between two buildings in two different parts of Nashville. It's possible all of those TNA employees will end up at Anthem HQ in Toronto.
Dixie Carter was not involved with anything at the TNA tapings this week. She's purely in an office job for Anthem now rather than having a direct role with how TNA runs.
Triple H commented on Kenny Omega and the UK tournament. Nothing really definitive; he can't say a lot about a talent still under contract with another promotion.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It gets people talking about Cena and WWE, too! Might as well get some traffic to his own Instagram as much as people are talking about the situation.
2. Nope! That's definitely not something they want to get involved in. It could lead to negative press.
3. That happens sometimes when spelling out a non-English language name in English.
4. I don't think having the last name Carter will affect him in any way. He hasn't really been connected to Dixie on-screen in a while, so he shouldn't really
5. He can't have legally signed with WWE while still under TNA contract, so that was unlikely to have been his announcement. The jury's out on his future; he hasn't re-signed with TNA yet.
More wrestling tomorrow.
At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Vic Joseph debuted as the host of the event.
- Lana defeated Macey Evans. No Rusev.
- Jack Gallagher beat Kona Reeves, while Ariya Daivari/Mustafa Ali lost to Montez Ford/Angelo Dawkins, so cruiserweights are facing non-cruiserweights. That's interesting. I'm OK with it, since the number of cruiser vs. cruiser matches they can do is pretty limited.
- Akira Tozawa beat Tony Nese. Lots of cruisers on this show.
- Kassius Ohno did a run-in, but wasn't in a match.
NJPW will have live English commentary for a lot of its major events between February and August. That's another big move for them as they look to expand their U.S. audience.
A comedy wrestling film is in the works featuring Kurt Angle, Mickie James, Tommy Dreamer, John Morrison, Ken Anderson, Jay Lethal, Joey Ryan, Candice LeRae, Chavo Guerrero, Kevin Kelly, Magnus, Gunner, Dalton Castle, The Briscoes, and The Addiction, who have a hand in the story of it. I'm curious how Mickie will be involved after signing with WWE. We'll see.
Fight Network and TNA's UK app initially aired the wrong episode of Impact Wrestling this week. TNA is the gift that keeps on giving sometimes.
- The digital episode sent to FN was corrupted, so they aired a repeat. A new copy was then sent and ran. The copy sent to Pop worked fine. Good ol' TNA. Hopefully they check things better before sending them out now.
Aron Rex's current character was an idea he had before the Intellectual Savior of the Masses. So, it's possible part of why he continues wrestling is in order to play a role he didn't get a chance to play in WWE.
ROH/NJPW's War of the Worlds tour is set for early May. An Ontario date has been booked for May 7, and more announcements are sure to follow.
Brock Lesnar is now advertised for every Raw between Monday's show and February 27, the go-home show for Fast Lane. The only Raw he won't be on is the February 13 show, due to being unable to compete in Nevada as a result of his UFC suspension. Brock is not currently advertised for Fast Lane, but I'd be surprised if he's not part of the show in some fashion.
- Brock has also been booked for the March 6 Raw on the road to WM33.
Vince McMahon talked about retirement and more:
- Vince isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Others are going to gain responsibilities behind the scenes and make their own mark on things (NXT, UK tournament, etc.), but Vince isn't stepping away or anything.
- Vince's work ethic is unbelievable. It can be argued he "should" slow down at 71, but he's going to fight tooth-and-nail to keep going as hard as he can for as long as he can.
- I'm sure Vince wants to keep expanding. Wrestlemania on the moon? Hell, he'll put Wrestlemania in another galaxy if he can.
- I mean, WWE existed for some time before Vince Jr. took over. He's taken it pretty far, but there was a lot of work already undertaken to get it to where it was when he bought it.
- Vince definitely had balls to make the changes he made to how things worked before his rise, taking talents from other promotions and such.
- See, Vince didn't try to do the same thing everyone else was doing, only better. He turned his company into something very different from what the others in the business presented.
- Vince not looking back, etc. is part of why he's able to make so many decisions and move the product so much.
- Ha. You know Vince enjoys being himself on TV, but he wants to control his baby movre.
- It's probably a good thing not to say who he thinks will be a top star at WM34, because some fans will turn on that person just for spite.
Don West is back in TNA for a big ShopTNA sale. OH MY GOOOOODDDDDD I've missed him. I assume a lot of this is to get rid of a lot of old merchandise still hanging out in the warehouse. Still great to see him back. He was a lot of fun in his roles.
- West coming back was a Jarrett suggestion.
Fred Ottman's wife gave a health update on the legend. I hope he recovers soon.
Impact Wrestling drew 277,000 viewers Thursday night. Soft numbers for the show under the Anthem banner.
A number of TNA storylines for this set of tapings were already in place before Billy Corgan departed. Any big creative changes could happen before the March tapings, but they wanted to get through these shows as seamlessly as possible.
TNA is looking to move all its staff into one location, as they're currently split between two buildings in two different parts of Nashville. It's possible all of those TNA employees will end up at Anthem HQ in Toronto.
Dixie Carter was not involved with anything at the TNA tapings this week. She's purely in an office job for Anthem now rather than having a direct role with how TNA runs.
Triple H commented on Kenny Omega and the UK tournament. Nothing really definitive; he can't say a lot about a talent still under contract with another promotion.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It gets people talking about Cena and WWE, too! Might as well get some traffic to his own Instagram as much as people are talking about the situation.
2. Nope! That's definitely not something they want to get involved in. It could lead to negative press.
3. That happens sometimes when spelling out a non-English language name in English.
4. I don't think having the last name Carter will affect him in any way. He hasn't really been connected to Dixie on-screen in a while, so he shouldn't really
5. He can't have legally signed with WWE while still under TNA contract, so that was unlikely to have been his announcement. The jury's out on his future; he hasn't re-signed with TNA yet.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, January 13, 2017
More Foley on the Network, HBK note, Shockmaster in the hospital, Saturn seeking aid, download Network content, NXT preview, UK tournament talk, NXT women's title match official, Corino joins WWEPC, and Questions on the XFL HoF, Finn getting a rematch, booking Taker vs. Cena, Krissy Vaine, and a Japan Championship
More Holy Foley episodes will be uploaded after Royal Rumble. This is the second half of the season. There hasn't been a confirmation of Season 2; they'll likely wait until they've seen how many people watch these episodes.
Shawn Michaels is booked for Royal Rumble, almost certainly in a non-wrestling role. He would make a good special referee or enforcer for something. Cass vs. Rusev?
Typhoon/Tugboat/Shockmaster Fred Ottman has been hospitalized for an unspecified reason. I wish him the best and a speedy recovery.
Perry Saturn is seeking financial assistance to avoid homelessness. I hope Saturn can find a long-term, healthy solution for turning that situation around.
WWE Network is working to make content available to download. That will be a big improvement for the service.
Wednesday's NXT will feature:
- NXT Championship contract signing
- Roderick Strong vs. Steve Cutler
- Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan
- Nikki Cross vs. Kennadi Brink
Pete Dunne talked about the upcoming UK title tournament. It should be a big moment for Dunne and the other competitors. It could lead to a regular big platform for quite a few people who haven't been seen by a large audience yet.
Asuka will defend the NXT Women's Championship in a Fatal 4 Way against Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and Nikki Cross at Takeover: San Antonio. That should be a treat. We could be in for a new champion.
Steve Corino has officially begun coaching at the WWE Performance Center. That's a good move for the recent ROH commentator. He'll really be missed in ROH.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think it's just a temporary attraction rather than something like the WWE Hall of Fame. I don't even think WWE's involved with it.
Nothing to add 2.
3. He should be automatically due for a rematch, but that doesn't mean he'd be in for one at Wrestlemania. Winning the Rumble would guarantee him a spot at the top of the card of the most important show of the year. Plus, he could challenge for the WWE Title on Smackdown if he wanted to. Either way, it doesn't look like Balor will be back in time to be in the Rumble.
4. If it's Taker's last match, they could have him pass the torch and go out on his shield and all that. It will depend on what makes sense for the months/years after WM33.
5. She's married to Konnor. The Ascension getting her as a valet like Sunny for LOD 2000 would have been interesting, but I don't see it happening.
6. They might have a full-on Asian championship. At any rate, I think we'll see it in 2018 or so; WWE definitely wants to make a big splash in that market. I think it will be like the UK tournament rather than using names already featured on WWE/NXT.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Shawn Michaels is booked for Royal Rumble, almost certainly in a non-wrestling role. He would make a good special referee or enforcer for something. Cass vs. Rusev?
Typhoon/Tugboat/Shockmaster Fred Ottman has been hospitalized for an unspecified reason. I wish him the best and a speedy recovery.
Perry Saturn is seeking financial assistance to avoid homelessness. I hope Saturn can find a long-term, healthy solution for turning that situation around.
WWE Network is working to make content available to download. That will be a big improvement for the service.
Wednesday's NXT will feature:
- NXT Championship contract signing
- Roderick Strong vs. Steve Cutler
- Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan
- Nikki Cross vs. Kennadi Brink
Pete Dunne talked about the upcoming UK title tournament. It should be a big moment for Dunne and the other competitors. It could lead to a regular big platform for quite a few people who haven't been seen by a large audience yet.
Asuka will defend the NXT Women's Championship in a Fatal 4 Way against Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and Nikki Cross at Takeover: San Antonio. That should be a treat. We could be in for a new champion.
Steve Corino has officially begun coaching at the WWE Performance Center. That's a good move for the recent ROH commentator. He'll really be missed in ROH.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think it's just a temporary attraction rather than something like the WWE Hall of Fame. I don't even think WWE's involved with it.
Nothing to add 2.
3. He should be automatically due for a rematch, but that doesn't mean he'd be in for one at Wrestlemania. Winning the Rumble would guarantee him a spot at the top of the card of the most important show of the year. Plus, he could challenge for the WWE Title on Smackdown if he wanted to. Either way, it doesn't look like Balor will be back in time to be in the Rumble.
4. If it's Taker's last match, they could have him pass the torch and go out on his shield and all that. It will depend on what makes sense for the months/years after WM33.
5. She's married to Konnor. The Ascension getting her as a valet like Sunny for LOD 2000 would have been interesting, but I don't see it happening.
6. They might have a full-on Asian championship. At any rate, I think we'll see it in 2018 or so; WWE definitely wants to make a big splash in that market. I think it will be like the UK tournament rather than using names already featured on WWE/NXT.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Main Event and Impact Wrestling Reax - 1/12/17
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Main Event and Impact Wrestling.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Interview with the Hammer, ROH drops O'Reilly, Ziggler in the Rumble, another lawsuit with WWE, TNA music turnaround, Smackdown audience, Goldberg date official, CMLL TV update, NJPW firing shots?, more WWE titles, WWE drops MSG date, NXT surgery, Raw after Mania DVD, Questions on NXT running bigger venues, Taker's Mania future, and Anthem dropping the TNA name
Greg Valentine discussed wrestling then vs. now and more:
- I'd love for more wrestlers to counter the constant running/jumping/diving we see in wrestling matches these days.
- Believability is definitely not there in a lot of matches now. I think some "spot" matches are OK, but that style is getting pretty played out. I'm definitely glad WWE's cruiserweight division has more to it than high-flying.
- The pace definitely needs to be quicker now than 30 years ago. People have seen so much already and can just as easily play Angry Birds or something if they're not engaged.
- Orton and the Wyatts have been consistently good as a unit. I don't see it as a long-term thing, but it's been a good change of pace for both sides so far.
- There's definitely a LOT of wrestling available in 2017. But WWE's business model is to put out a lot of content for NBCU and for the Network, so I don't see them cutting back anytime soon.
- A common criticism of many wrestlers today is them not looking like they can make it in a real fight. I see where those detractors are coming from.
Kyle O'Reilly is no longer listed on the ROH website, more or less confirming his exit from the promotion. Matt Sydal and Steve Corino are still listed, interestingly enough. Kyle could end up re-signing with ROH, but it looks increasingly likely he's headed somewhere else. I wouldn't think WWE would debut him in the Royal Rumble, but maybe he could make a surprise appearance at Takeover the night before?
Dolph Ziggler has been officially entered into the Royal Rumble. I'm sure he'll last a good while - he's a reliable workhorse like that. I strongly doubt he'll actually win.
WWE is mentioned in a lawsuit against UFC regarding the Brock Lesnar doping scandal. While they aren't currently named as defendants, the lawsuit lists them as part of the enterprise allegedly allowing MMA fighters to compete while using banned substances. So, there's a possibility they'll be added to the lawsuit if the plaintiffs can link them to the Lesnar doping incident. WWE notably doesn't test Lesnar under the Wellness policy due to him being a part-time performer.
TNA is now again using music composed during the Blly Corgan regime, so an agreement must have been reached allowing them to do so. Corgan's composer reportedly offered TNA the songs she made for free.
Smackdown drew 2.53 million viewers this week, a drop from last week. Given they announced a number of important matches the previous week, including Cena's return to televised competition, that's got to be seen as something of a disappointment.
Goldberg has been officially announced for WWE Fast Lane. Goldberg vs. Rusev or Goldberg vs. Braun would work for that night, but they'd have to be careful in not throwing a current star under a bus just to elevate Goldberg ahead of what could be his final match at WM33. Not that I expect that would stop WWE from giving us another Goldberg squash that night!
CMLL's U.S. television deal is ending soon, with no word on a new one being signed. The Latin market seems to have fallen off in the last few years.
NJPW's owner recently said the July shows in California are retaliation for WWE signing AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, and the Club. I hope there's more to it than that, because that's a very petty reason and I don't see an NJPW/WWE war ending well for NJPW.
WWE has long-term plans for an Asian Championship and a Latin American Championship, with tournaments in a similar manner as the upcoming UK deal. That's a huge level of expansion for the company. I would think if talents do well in those areas they'll get a chance to join the main WWE/NXT system. Also, I'd think there'd be a chance to expand the UK Title into a European Title or also have one of those. This is a potential game-changer for wrestling worldwide.
WWE canceled their March 18 show in Madison Square Garden due to the venue getting a different event that night. This was a personal favor for MSG; WWE goes WAAAAAY back with them.
Shane Thorne is undergoing knee surgery, so he at least will be out of action for a while. I hope TM-61 ends up doing well.
WWE is going to release a DVD centered on Raws after Wrestlemania. Oh that should be fun with all the twats taking over the show every year.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That's a really huge place for what NXT usually draws. Maybe for a Takeover special, but not for a regular live event.
2. It will all depend on whether he thinks he can deliver another top Mania match after this year. He's made it quite a few more Manias than people expected from him.
Nothing to add to 3 or 4.
5. They're definitely focusing on the Impact Wrestling name now, even more than they already were. It might be too little, too late, but they're giving things a chance under a new regime.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- I'd love for more wrestlers to counter the constant running/jumping/diving we see in wrestling matches these days.
- Believability is definitely not there in a lot of matches now. I think some "spot" matches are OK, but that style is getting pretty played out. I'm definitely glad WWE's cruiserweight division has more to it than high-flying.
- The pace definitely needs to be quicker now than 30 years ago. People have seen so much already and can just as easily play Angry Birds or something if they're not engaged.
- Orton and the Wyatts have been consistently good as a unit. I don't see it as a long-term thing, but it's been a good change of pace for both sides so far.
- There's definitely a LOT of wrestling available in 2017. But WWE's business model is to put out a lot of content for NBCU and for the Network, so I don't see them cutting back anytime soon.
- A common criticism of many wrestlers today is them not looking like they can make it in a real fight. I see where those detractors are coming from.
Kyle O'Reilly is no longer listed on the ROH website, more or less confirming his exit from the promotion. Matt Sydal and Steve Corino are still listed, interestingly enough. Kyle could end up re-signing with ROH, but it looks increasingly likely he's headed somewhere else. I wouldn't think WWE would debut him in the Royal Rumble, but maybe he could make a surprise appearance at Takeover the night before?
Dolph Ziggler has been officially entered into the Royal Rumble. I'm sure he'll last a good while - he's a reliable workhorse like that. I strongly doubt he'll actually win.
WWE is mentioned in a lawsuit against UFC regarding the Brock Lesnar doping scandal. While they aren't currently named as defendants, the lawsuit lists them as part of the enterprise allegedly allowing MMA fighters to compete while using banned substances. So, there's a possibility they'll be added to the lawsuit if the plaintiffs can link them to the Lesnar doping incident. WWE notably doesn't test Lesnar under the Wellness policy due to him being a part-time performer.
TNA is now again using music composed during the Blly Corgan regime, so an agreement must have been reached allowing them to do so. Corgan's composer reportedly offered TNA the songs she made for free.
Smackdown drew 2.53 million viewers this week, a drop from last week. Given they announced a number of important matches the previous week, including Cena's return to televised competition, that's got to be seen as something of a disappointment.
Goldberg has been officially announced for WWE Fast Lane. Goldberg vs. Rusev or Goldberg vs. Braun would work for that night, but they'd have to be careful in not throwing a current star under a bus just to elevate Goldberg ahead of what could be his final match at WM33. Not that I expect that would stop WWE from giving us another Goldberg squash that night!
CMLL's U.S. television deal is ending soon, with no word on a new one being signed. The Latin market seems to have fallen off in the last few years.
NJPW's owner recently said the July shows in California are retaliation for WWE signing AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, and the Club. I hope there's more to it than that, because that's a very petty reason and I don't see an NJPW/WWE war ending well for NJPW.
WWE has long-term plans for an Asian Championship and a Latin American Championship, with tournaments in a similar manner as the upcoming UK deal. That's a huge level of expansion for the company. I would think if talents do well in those areas they'll get a chance to join the main WWE/NXT system. Also, I'd think there'd be a chance to expand the UK Title into a European Title or also have one of those. This is a potential game-changer for wrestling worldwide.
WWE canceled their March 18 show in Madison Square Garden due to the venue getting a different event that night. This was a personal favor for MSG; WWE goes WAAAAAY back with them.
Shane Thorne is undergoing knee surgery, so he at least will be out of action for a while. I hope TM-61 ends up doing well.
WWE is going to release a DVD centered on Raws after Wrestlemania. Oh that should be fun with all the twats taking over the show every year.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That's a really huge place for what NXT usually draws. Maybe for a Takeover special, but not for a regular live event.
2. It will all depend on whether he thinks he can deliver another top Mania match after this year. He's made it quite a few more Manias than people expected from him.
Nothing to add to 3 or 4.
5. They're definitely focusing on the Impact Wrestling name now, even more than they already were. It might be too little, too late, but they're giving things a chance under a new regime.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Bring It To The Table update, Cena appearance, WM34 hype, 90s WWF star passes, Cena gets another big film role, Raw audience, new announcer for NXT, Vince update, Kyle-ROH update, UK ring announcer set, and Questions on Heyman turning on Brock, Nikki vs. Natalya, vintage hardcore titles, TNA losing its Challenge deal, and Asuka vs. Del Rey
WWE's Bring It To The Table so far only has the one episode - nothing further has been produced as of now. Maybe they could do it once a month or so? There are only so many topics they can go into.
John Cena was on "Today" - Big Mainstream John could probably do pretty well outside of WWE if he wanted to; WWE should keep that in mind while they've still got him as a wrestler.
WM34 got an official press release.
1990s WWF wrestler Timothy Well of Well Dunn has passed away at the age of 55 following complications from kidney failure. PWInsider covered his career with video references. Best wishes to his friends, family, and fans following his passing.
John Cena has been cast as the lead role in a film due out shortly after WM34. So, at some point he'll be missing time in order to do work on that. I don't know how much longer Cena is contracted as a wrestler, but it's going to be interesting when that deal comes up and he has to decide how much more he wants to compete in the ring.
Raw drew 2.91 million viewers against a massive college football championship game drawing more than 24 million viewers. It looks like have Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at least partially offset some of the loss.
WWE has hired HOH announcer Vic Travagliante for an unspecified NXT role. He will now be known as Vic Joseph, which is much easier to spell and pronounce. I hope he has a bright future there.
Stephanie McMahon, Roman Reigns, Triple H, Charlotte, and The Undertaker spoke at the WM34 press conference. It will be really interesting to see how The Deadman fits into that picture. I half-expect him to retire this year. Maybe he announces a final farewell for WM34 going along with a HoF nod? His future's always somewhat up in the air.
- Vince McMahon was on crutches at the press conference due to a recent surgery. At least he didn't get hurt AT the Rumble this year.
Kyle O'Reilly is taking time off from ROH as he evaluates his future options. He will not be part of this weekend's TV tapings; Bobby Fish will take his spot teaming with Jay Lethal against Adam Cole and Cody. A month ago, he was ROH Champion. Now, he might be headed somewhere else (WWE, NJPW, or FloSlam). That's pretty significant. He hasn't even been on TV as champion. Wherever he goes will have some interesting implications for ROH and for the business as a whole.
WWE has announced London producer/presenter Andy Shephard as the ring announcer for the UK title tournament. If they've got UK referees and ring crew, they're pretty much all set to launch a series there if they want.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There'd have to be a REALLY good reason for Paul to turn on Brock and join Braun. I would think Paul would know he's got a big meal ticket with the WWE 2K17 cover star. Plus, Brock's not going to want to cut promos. It COULD work, but it could be tricky to pull off. Other than that, I like it on paper (screen).
2. To promote E! shows and to fill time. That's pretty much it. I don't think there's any big plan, unless they're building Nikki up to take the title from Alexa at WM33. I know. I'm worried, too.
3. I'm under the impression they were more or less "hardcore" titles without a lot of the crazy weapon use.
4. It's definitely it's a big stretch to think they'd willingly drop of their top revenue sources. Make of that what you will. I don't anticipate the app making them the same kind of money the TV deal did, at any rate.
5. That could definitely be done! I don't know if Amato has the kind of name value they'd want, but I'd like to think they could build her up enough to be someone they could draw with.
More wrestling tomorrow.
John Cena was on "Today" - Big Mainstream John could probably do pretty well outside of WWE if he wanted to; WWE should keep that in mind while they've still got him as a wrestler.
WM34 got an official press release.
1990s WWF wrestler Timothy Well of Well Dunn has passed away at the age of 55 following complications from kidney failure. PWInsider covered his career with video references. Best wishes to his friends, family, and fans following his passing.
John Cena has been cast as the lead role in a film due out shortly after WM34. So, at some point he'll be missing time in order to do work on that. I don't know how much longer Cena is contracted as a wrestler, but it's going to be interesting when that deal comes up and he has to decide how much more he wants to compete in the ring.
Raw drew 2.91 million viewers against a massive college football championship game drawing more than 24 million viewers. It looks like have Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at least partially offset some of the loss.
WWE has hired HOH announcer Vic Travagliante for an unspecified NXT role. He will now be known as Vic Joseph, which is much easier to spell and pronounce. I hope he has a bright future there.
Stephanie McMahon, Roman Reigns, Triple H, Charlotte, and The Undertaker spoke at the WM34 press conference. It will be really interesting to see how The Deadman fits into that picture. I half-expect him to retire this year. Maybe he announces a final farewell for WM34 going along with a HoF nod? His future's always somewhat up in the air.
- Vince McMahon was on crutches at the press conference due to a recent surgery. At least he didn't get hurt AT the Rumble this year.
Kyle O'Reilly is taking time off from ROH as he evaluates his future options. He will not be part of this weekend's TV tapings; Bobby Fish will take his spot teaming with Jay Lethal against Adam Cole and Cody. A month ago, he was ROH Champion. Now, he might be headed somewhere else (WWE, NJPW, or FloSlam). That's pretty significant. He hasn't even been on TV as champion. Wherever he goes will have some interesting implications for ROH and for the business as a whole.
WWE has announced London producer/presenter Andy Shephard as the ring announcer for the UK title tournament. If they've got UK referees and ring crew, they're pretty much all set to launch a series there if they want.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There'd have to be a REALLY good reason for Paul to turn on Brock and join Braun. I would think Paul would know he's got a big meal ticket with the WWE 2K17 cover star. Plus, Brock's not going to want to cut promos. It COULD work, but it could be tricky to pull off. Other than that, I like it on paper (screen).
2. To promote E! shows and to fill time. That's pretty much it. I don't think there's any big plan, unless they're building Nikki up to take the title from Alexa at WM33. I know. I'm worried, too.
3. I'm under the impression they were more or less "hardcore" titles without a lot of the crazy weapon use.
4. It's definitely it's a big stretch to think they'd willingly drop of their top revenue sources. Make of that what you will. I don't anticipate the app making them the same kind of money the TV deal did, at any rate.
5. That could definitely be done! I don't know if Amato has the kind of name value they'd want, but I'd like to think they could build her up enough to be someone they could draw with.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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