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.