-- Main Event:
- Rhyno vs. Titus:
Nice to see some new matchups on this show. It was smart to draft some lower-card names as well.
Clash of the hosses.
I'm liking this one. Rhyno's an old pro.
Titus has become a pretty solid worker after being AWFUL in his early days.
Good to see Rhyno still contributing. He's still got enough gas in the tank to be part of the show.
Not bad! Kind of a surprising win (I expected a Gore), but good for what it was.
- Gulak/Nese vs. Metalik/Dorado:
I like all these guys, but oh my God can we keep the cruisers to Raw and 205 Live so we don't run through every single match so quickly.
Fine so far. Nothing out of the ordinary.
In another timeline, Metalik and Dorado would be the Lucha Dragons or something, working Raw or Smackdown instead of a cruiser show. They do work together well.
Classic heel moves.
I like Gulak's ground game.
Good teamwork by both sides.
I'm always impressed with the agility in this division. 205 Live has made me less of a detractor of the cruiserweight style.
That ending sequence was a lot of fun! The key is keeping these matches fairly early on the card instead of making the whole show an exhibition of flashiness.
Table for 3 featuring Kurt Angle, Edge, and Christian will air after Raw. That should be a lot of fun.
The Hardys finished their non-WWE commitments this weekend. I assume they'll work Raw live events regularly going forward, although I don't anticipate them being full-time names for long after that many years of bumps. Enjoy them while they're still working.
Davey Richards missed an indie show due to a family issue. I wish him and his family well. He's been on quite the roll in Impact since returning.
Bray Wyatt gave a rundown of his career. I'm very curious to see what they pull out in House of Horrors after that crazy spectacle at Mania.
Stephanie McMahon was part of a women in business panel in the UAE. I expect she'll be a big public face for WWE for years (decades?) to come.
Batista is getting a Network collection as his new movie releases. I'd like to see him have a big Mania match before retiring, but I can see why he'd want to call it a career.
Chris Jericho's debuting Fozzy's new album. He's already got one foot out the door, but after all the work he's put in for WWE in this last run as well as the decades he put into the business before that, he's earned the right to pursue other ventures.
Naomi discussed returning from injury and more:
- I hope she's able to have success after her injuries. She's earned a push after all the work she's put in.
- She really lucked out in being able to work Mania.
- Sometimes WWE has plans for people that interfere with their personal relationships. They're WWE performers first and foremost. It's harsh, but that's pretty much the reality.
- Charlotte is definitely very talented.
WWE is producing a new studio show exclusively for the Middle East that will begin airing this coming week. There are plans for a similar venture in Latin America. These are great moves to reach those audiences.
At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Wesley Blake has a new gimmick. He was wearing a leather jacket and drinking beer. I'd like to see him succeed; he just has to get all the pieces together. He also ended up teaming with Steve Cutler.
- MaryKate (formerly Andrea) was in Lana's corner, so she could be joining Lana on the main roster in her new gimmick.
- Sawyer Fulton returned following an injury, attacking one of WWE's Chinese recruits. As far as I know, he's not coming back to SAnitY.
- Buddy Murphy teamed with Jeet Rama, who seemingly could be part of Jinder Mahal's new stable at some point. The Singh brothers weren't part of this show, however.
At an ROH live event in Minnesota, a team called The Carnies lost to Cheeseburger and Will Ferrara. It looks like they're a pretty new pair in the business.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's not as glamorous of a life as some expect.
Nothing to add to 2.
3. Yes, and Angelo Poffo was both men's father.
4. I don't think I've ever seen anything confirming it one way or another, nor do I know what level of interest WWE has/would have.
5. Currently it's yet another project that hasn't fully gotten off the ground. If you're not WWE, it's hard to make a big splash in the current U.S. wrestling scene.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Main Event Reax - 4/29/17, new Table for 3 coming, Hardys finish non-WWE shows, Davey misses show, Interviews with Bray/Naomi, Stephanie on big panel, Batista collection, Y2J's album dropping soon, WWE show for Middle East, NXT+ROH live event notes, and Questions on the expenses of being a WWE superstar, relatives in wrestling, the Continental wrestling library, and the UWF
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Another WotW match, WWE puts over tryout, more vintage Network content, Interviews with Nikki/Karl Anderson, insane WWE PPV name, Brock title defense set, Reby shoots down WWE buying Broken rights, Impact audience, Ember hurt, NXT+ROH live event notes, and Questions on Ziggler on FOX, hanging on to the ropes, the original GLOW coming to Netflix, and Corgan's wrestling future
Will Ospreay vs. Jay White is official for War of the Worlds on May 12. I'm curious how that one will turn out. It could easily just be White taking a lot of fancy moves from Ospreay (for **** from Meltzer).
WWE covered their Middle Eastern tryouts. As always, they've got quite the list of prospects there.
Primetime Wrestling episodes from 1988 and 1989 are being added to WWE Network. So, that's their focus right now.
Nikki Bella talked to Redbook Magazine. There hasn't been any report of when we'll see her in the ring again, but I expect she and Cena will get married first.
Karl Anderson talked to USA Today:
- WWE's tag team division has some pretty good teams. I like the variety on display. New Day moving to Smackdown was good because they had done all they could do in the Raw scene.
- Man. The Club have really missed out by not having an AJ or Balor. It's like having a guitar player and bass player but no lead signer. They're good, but not being utilized in the right roles by just being a duo.
- Considering WWE probably made decisions on the shakeup the day of the shows, there wasn't much to tell anyone!
- It's good for Anderson to have a partner with a lot of WWE experience. It helps him fit in better.
- I understand keeping the Hardys thing a secret until the day of so it didn't leak out, as well as because they were technically ROH employees the night before.
WWE has renamed Raw's July 7 PPV "Great Balls of Fire." Brock Lesnar will defend the Universal Championship that night on a show that was previously Bad Blood. That song reference is older than the vast majority of the roster and audience. Heck, it's probably older than a lot of their parents! I really hope they change it, but the fact the name made it this far seems to indicate they've made up their minds. They've already made a logo and hype package, so they could very well see it through. I'm normally not too far on the "WWE is out of touch" bandwagon, but this one's a big head-scratcher. I can KIND OF understand not wanting to promote a show with blood in the title, but there were much better options in their library. Why not Great American Bash (or even just The Bash) since they're so close to July 4??
Reby Hardy shot down the rumor of WWE buying the rights to the Broken gimmick from Anthem/Impact. Supposedly that was/is in the works, but who knows anymore.
Impact Wrestling this week drew 255,000 viewers, significantly down from previous weeks. It's too soon to say this is a big indictment against the new regime's approach, but it's definitely not an endorsement.
Ember Moon was recently spotted wearing a sling. There were reports of her being hurt at the latest NXT taping, but nothing official as far as the extent of it and how long she'll miss. I hope she isn't out of action long.
Tye Dillinger worked NXT live events this weekend, main eventing against Bobby Roode. I expect he'll be part of Smackdown shows pretty soon.
At an ROH show in Wisconsin:
- Stacy Shadows beat Sierra in a match taped for YouTube. Both are freelancers.
- The Romantic Touch lost to Hangman Page. Rhett Titus hasn't used that gimmick in quite a while.
- Jarrod Jaxx lost to Will Ferrara in what I'm guessing was something of a tryout for Jaxx. He's local to the area.
- War Machine dressed as Dalton Castle's Boys in a comedy match.
- Delirious unsuccessfully challenged for the TV Championship.
- The Addiction dressed as Legion of Doom
- Silas Young beat Jay Lethal in the main event, which is quite a surprise. I'm fine with Silas getting that rub, though.
- Comedy and flips in a sold-out 750-seat venue. That's the state of ROH without NJPW involved.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Basically he wouldn't be able to do them without WWE signing off on it, and WWE appearances have to come first.
2. Yeah, it's pretty much a case of once you've seen so many wrestling matches, all those little things end up being predictable.
3. I would think if the series is a hit, they'll consider licensing those old episodes.
4. If the right opportunity comes up, I think he'll look into it. It took him a while to end up officially coming on board with Impact; he's not going to rush back into things just to do it.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE covered their Middle Eastern tryouts. As always, they've got quite the list of prospects there.
Primetime Wrestling episodes from 1988 and 1989 are being added to WWE Network. So, that's their focus right now.
Nikki Bella talked to Redbook Magazine. There hasn't been any report of when we'll see her in the ring again, but I expect she and Cena will get married first.
Karl Anderson talked to USA Today:
- WWE's tag team division has some pretty good teams. I like the variety on display. New Day moving to Smackdown was good because they had done all they could do in the Raw scene.
- Man. The Club have really missed out by not having an AJ or Balor. It's like having a guitar player and bass player but no lead signer. They're good, but not being utilized in the right roles by just being a duo.
- Considering WWE probably made decisions on the shakeup the day of the shows, there wasn't much to tell anyone!
- It's good for Anderson to have a partner with a lot of WWE experience. It helps him fit in better.
- I understand keeping the Hardys thing a secret until the day of so it didn't leak out, as well as because they were technically ROH employees the night before.
WWE has renamed Raw's July 7 PPV "Great Balls of Fire." Brock Lesnar will defend the Universal Championship that night on a show that was previously Bad Blood. That song reference is older than the vast majority of the roster and audience. Heck, it's probably older than a lot of their parents! I really hope they change it, but the fact the name made it this far seems to indicate they've made up their minds. They've already made a logo and hype package, so they could very well see it through. I'm normally not too far on the "WWE is out of touch" bandwagon, but this one's a big head-scratcher. I can KIND OF understand not wanting to promote a show with blood in the title, but there were much better options in their library. Why not Great American Bash (or even just The Bash) since they're so close to July 4??
Reby Hardy shot down the rumor of WWE buying the rights to the Broken gimmick from Anthem/Impact. Supposedly that was/is in the works, but who knows anymore.
Impact Wrestling this week drew 255,000 viewers, significantly down from previous weeks. It's too soon to say this is a big indictment against the new regime's approach, but it's definitely not an endorsement.
Ember Moon was recently spotted wearing a sling. There were reports of her being hurt at the latest NXT taping, but nothing official as far as the extent of it and how long she'll miss. I hope she isn't out of action long.
Tye Dillinger worked NXT live events this weekend, main eventing against Bobby Roode. I expect he'll be part of Smackdown shows pretty soon.
At an ROH show in Wisconsin:
- Stacy Shadows beat Sierra in a match taped for YouTube. Both are freelancers.
- The Romantic Touch lost to Hangman Page. Rhett Titus hasn't used that gimmick in quite a while.
- Jarrod Jaxx lost to Will Ferrara in what I'm guessing was something of a tryout for Jaxx. He's local to the area.
- War Machine dressed as Dalton Castle's Boys in a comedy match.
- Delirious unsuccessfully challenged for the TV Championship.
- The Addiction dressed as Legion of Doom
- Silas Young beat Jay Lethal in the main event, which is quite a surprise. I'm fine with Silas getting that rub, though.
- Comedy and flips in a sold-out 750-seat venue. That's the state of ROH without NJPW involved.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Basically he wouldn't be able to do them without WWE signing off on it, and WWE appearances have to come first.
2. Yeah, it's pretty much a case of once you've seen so many wrestling matches, all those little things end up being predictable.
3. I would think if the series is a hit, they'll consider licensing those old episodes.
4. If the right opportunity comes up, I think he'll look into it. It took him a while to end up officially coming on board with Impact; he's not going to rush back into things just to do it.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Y2J-Fozzy notes, Smackdown airing in Southeast Asia, Interview with Miz, Bollywood Boyz renamed, Impact preview, Impact backstage update, Impact from India?, more on upcoming Impact tour, who wasn't at Impact this past week, NXT releases, Vince biopic script pitches, even more WotW matches announced, Rock profiled, Ryder return update, WoS tapings postponed, and Questions on Kevin Kelly's status, Khali in the Hall, live events on the Network, and two-out-of-three fall matches
Chris Jericho's Fozzy has tour dates set for most of May and some shows in June. We'll see what happens as far his WWE status outside of those shows; he currently isn't advertised for any WWE shows past Monday's Raw.
Smackdown will air in the Philippines beginning this week, thanks to a new WWE deal. That's good. WWE will want to expand there in the years to come.
The Miz talked to promote his WWE movie being out on DVD. Cool to see so many WWE names in it.
The Bollywood Boyz are now going by Sunil Singh (Gurv) and Samir Singh (Harv). They're getting a pretty big opportunity in making it through the NXT/205 Live level so quickly.
Advertised for next week's Impact Wrestling:
- Christina Von Eerie vs. Sienna for the GFW Women's Championship
- Eddie Edwards vs. Matt Sydal
- Alberto El Patron vs. Magnus for the GFW Championship
-- I expect Impact is going to merge the GFW titles with their own titles at Slammiversary, but in the meantime they're making use of them on TV.
The Impact issues between the Jarretts and Bob Ryder have been settled. Hopefully everyone works together going forward.
Impact will tape in India on May 30 and 31. These could be shows on the road to Slammiversary or just One Night Only content. We'll see. It will be good to have a change of venue at any rate.
Impact is expected to tour the U.S. east coast when they go on the road for live events. They have plans to eventually do shows in Canada in the UK, but they'll do some shows stateside first to test the waters.
Eddie Kingston, MJ Jenkins, and Aiden O'Shea were not at Impact's most recent tapings, so they might be totally out of the picture going forward. I expected Jenkins was just a special guest anyway. I'm a little more surprised about Kingston, since he had tried out for WWE before signing to Impact.
NXT has released Chris Atkins and Theophilus Agbi. Agbi had never been on TV, nor do I recall him being on live events. Atkins hadn't really done much. I assume NXT is somewhat cleaning house for some new signings. It happens in sports when people just aren't working out for whatever reason and management wants to take chances on some fresh names instead.
The Vince McMahon biopic script has been passed around. PWInsider has a big piece on it that has to be read to believed. That sounds absolutely INSANE. No way would WWE greenlight that in the PG/family-friendly era, but it's really interesting to see what the pitches have been. I expect we'll get something a lot tamer with Vince looking like the big hero, which should be pretty fun in of itself.
More matches have been announced for War of the Worlds week:
- May 7:
-- Cody Rhodes vs. Will Ospreay
-- Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI vs. Matt Taven and Vinny Marseglia
- May 10:
-- War Machine vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jay Lethal
-- KUSHIDA vs. Silas Young
- May 12:
-- The Young Bucks vs. Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI
-- Bully Ray and The Briscoes vs. Roppongi Vice and Hirooki Goto
--- ROH shows are definitely much bigger/more stacked when NJPW is involved.
The Rock was profiled by National Review. Cool to see him be so successful after so much hard work.
Zack Ryder is back in the ring training to return. I'm curious to see what him coming back will mean for Mojo. The two of them could have an interesting feud if they wanted to turn Zack heel for some reason.
World of Sport TV tapings have been postponed due to logistical issues. No word on new dates at this time. We'll see what that means for the potential revived UK TV show/promotion.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Kelly still does commentary in ROH when it doesn't conflict with NJPW commitments.
2. I think so. WWE is really big in India and they're trying to expand there even further, as you see with the sudden push of Jinder and the Singh brothers. The Singhs went from being "not ready for 205 Live" to being part of a WWE Title feud. That's pretty impressive.
Nothing to add to 3. Weird that there's so much interest in him lately.
4. I don't think they're going to put full live events on the Network anytime soon, but I could see them doing some kind of special with moments from live events like they did with the "after the show" DVD.
5. I'm betting a lot of NWA matches were over in two straight falls.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown will air in the Philippines beginning this week, thanks to a new WWE deal. That's good. WWE will want to expand there in the years to come.
The Miz talked to promote his WWE movie being out on DVD. Cool to see so many WWE names in it.
The Bollywood Boyz are now going by Sunil Singh (Gurv) and Samir Singh (Harv). They're getting a pretty big opportunity in making it through the NXT/205 Live level so quickly.
Advertised for next week's Impact Wrestling:
- Christina Von Eerie vs. Sienna for the GFW Women's Championship
- Eddie Edwards vs. Matt Sydal
- Alberto El Patron vs. Magnus for the GFW Championship
-- I expect Impact is going to merge the GFW titles with their own titles at Slammiversary, but in the meantime they're making use of them on TV.
The Impact issues between the Jarretts and Bob Ryder have been settled. Hopefully everyone works together going forward.
Impact will tape in India on May 30 and 31. These could be shows on the road to Slammiversary or just One Night Only content. We'll see. It will be good to have a change of venue at any rate.
Impact is expected to tour the U.S. east coast when they go on the road for live events. They have plans to eventually do shows in Canada in the UK, but they'll do some shows stateside first to test the waters.
Eddie Kingston, MJ Jenkins, and Aiden O'Shea were not at Impact's most recent tapings, so they might be totally out of the picture going forward. I expected Jenkins was just a special guest anyway. I'm a little more surprised about Kingston, since he had tried out for WWE before signing to Impact.
NXT has released Chris Atkins and Theophilus Agbi. Agbi had never been on TV, nor do I recall him being on live events. Atkins hadn't really done much. I assume NXT is somewhat cleaning house for some new signings. It happens in sports when people just aren't working out for whatever reason and management wants to take chances on some fresh names instead.
The Vince McMahon biopic script has been passed around. PWInsider has a big piece on it that has to be read to believed. That sounds absolutely INSANE. No way would WWE greenlight that in the PG/family-friendly era, but it's really interesting to see what the pitches have been. I expect we'll get something a lot tamer with Vince looking like the big hero, which should be pretty fun in of itself.
More matches have been announced for War of the Worlds week:
- May 7:
-- Cody Rhodes vs. Will Ospreay
-- Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI vs. Matt Taven and Vinny Marseglia
- May 10:
-- War Machine vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jay Lethal
-- KUSHIDA vs. Silas Young
- May 12:
-- The Young Bucks vs. Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI
-- Bully Ray and The Briscoes vs. Roppongi Vice and Hirooki Goto
--- ROH shows are definitely much bigger/more stacked when NJPW is involved.
The Rock was profiled by National Review. Cool to see him be so successful after so much hard work.
Zack Ryder is back in the ring training to return. I'm curious to see what him coming back will mean for Mojo. The two of them could have an interesting feud if they wanted to turn Zack heel for some reason.
World of Sport TV tapings have been postponed due to logistical issues. No word on new dates at this time. We'll see what that means for the potential revived UK TV show/promotion.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Kelly still does commentary in ROH when it doesn't conflict with NJPW commitments.
2. I think so. WWE is really big in India and they're trying to expand there even further, as you see with the sudden push of Jinder and the Singh brothers. The Singhs went from being "not ready for 205 Live" to being part of a WWE Title feud. That's pretty impressive.
Nothing to add to 3. Weird that there's so much interest in him lately.
4. I don't think they're going to put full live events on the Network anytime soon, but I could see them doing some kind of special with moments from live events like they did with the "after the show" DVD.
5. I'm betting a lot of NWA matches were over in two straight falls.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Impact name pulled from international tour, Backlash matches official, Smackdown name to miss next week's show, another WWE digital award, NXT release rumorkiller, Smackdown audience, WWE DVD ideas, new WWE trademarks, Shibata update, Elite sign big merch deal, ROH TV heading to more markets, Edwards injury update, Y2J-WWE update, more on JR book, WWE honors HoFer, new NXT team name, and Questions on Impact pushing Mathews, the out-of-control JBL story, putting matches on Kickoff, concerts at Mania, the new Impact heads, and Y2J's abilities
Bram has been pulled from Pro Wrestling NOAH due to a photo he posted to promote working an upcoming tour there. NOAH's chairman made a public apology and Bram apologized to him. NOAH will hold workshops on appropriate behavior when representing the promotion. Kasma Sakamoto will team with Robbie E on the dates instead. I know the photo probably doesn't seem like a big deal to American audiences, especially younger fans, but some companies take their image very seriously and don't want their employees representing them in a poor light on social media. It's something to keep in mind when putting something out for a large public audience.
Set for Backlash:
- Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship
- The Usos vs. Breezango for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship
-- So, people wanting to see new names be pushed, WWE's doing just that.
Baron Corbin has been "suspended" for a week due to actions against Sami Zayn on Talking Smack. I assume those two will face off at Backlash, which should be pretty good.
WWE won a Webby Award for the people's voice in sports on social media. Reaching digital audiences is a big priority for them going forward; fans aren't as TV-centric as they were 15 years ago.
Tough Enough winner Josh Bredl remains under his NXT contract despite reports to the contrary. He works there as Bronson Mathews. Don't know how that one got started.
Smackdown drew 2.49 million viewers, down a bit from the previous week. The Mania boost is over as casual fans go back to whatever they do for the rest of the year.
WWE is soliciting ideas for DVDs. Nothing too out of the usual.
WWE has applied to trademark Big Cass and Jack Gallagher. WWE has more or less dropped "Colin Cassady" as the name for Enzo's partner.
Katsuyori Shibata will have another brain surgery in May. Man, I really hope he turns out OK and really gives some thought to his next moves in the business.
The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega have signed deals with Hot Topic to have Bullet Club, etc. related T-shirts on sale there. So, the gimmick has become a pretty big deal for some parts of the U.S. fan base. I just wonder how much longer it can go without burning out.
Sinclair Broadcasting is in the process of buying a media company available in 14 markets. So, ROH should be available in those homes by the third quarter of the year. That's pretty good for them.
Eddie Edwards isn't expected to miss much time. His surgery was just for lingering knee issues. That's good news.
Chris Jericho will finish this WWE run on May 1. He had been advertised for dates in June, but it looks like he's going to take a longer hiatus than that. We'll see what happens once his Fozzy tour wraps up.
Vince McMahon and Stone Cold did some work on the Jim Ross autobiography. I'm really looking forward to that.
WWE presented a Hall of Fame plaque at Rikidozan's grave this week. A lot of Japanese celebrities attended. Really cool to see WWE honor him.
NXT's Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford are now working as the Street Prophets. We'll see what that means, I guess. Angelo was spinning his tires, so maybe this is what he needed.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They definitely know about the reactions he get. They're building Mathews up as a heel you really want to see get his ass kicked. It's expected to pay off at Slammiversary, presumably with Josh actually leaving the announce table.
2. Nope! Now Meltzer is saying WWE basically paid Mauro off to deny the JBL story in order to avoid a big news outlet doing a big piece about WWE. Oh, and that Mauro isn't actually done with WWE but maybe he is but who knows. We'll see if a mainstream news source actually gets to the bottom of it or if this was just something else blown out of proportion by sensationalist media outlets.
3. It makes sense to have a big concert or something to split up that many hours of wrestling, like the Super Bowl does. Also, putting matches on the Kickoff show gets more people to watch that; just having a few interviews there doesn't really get as many viewers. No complaints there.
4. a. I see why they wanted to move from some expensive talents who didn't want to sign exclusive deals to some fresh names and returns. It's not like ratings are that different with the Hardys gone.
b. They made the right call with Bully Ray, who was probably asking for a much bigger role than he deserves.
c. The goal is to have Alberto as a sympathetic figure trying to get back what was taken from him, presumably at Slammiversary.
d. I agree with there being too many non-wrestlers getting TV time, although I see why they want to get the most out of Josh as he's one of the most over heels in the business.
5. I'm constantly praising Chris; it's amazing how he's still delivering at such a high level in 2017.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Set for Backlash:
- Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship
- The Usos vs. Breezango for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship
-- So, people wanting to see new names be pushed, WWE's doing just that.
Baron Corbin has been "suspended" for a week due to actions against Sami Zayn on Talking Smack. I assume those two will face off at Backlash, which should be pretty good.
WWE won a Webby Award for the people's voice in sports on social media. Reaching digital audiences is a big priority for them going forward; fans aren't as TV-centric as they were 15 years ago.
Tough Enough winner Josh Bredl remains under his NXT contract despite reports to the contrary. He works there as Bronson Mathews. Don't know how that one got started.
Smackdown drew 2.49 million viewers, down a bit from the previous week. The Mania boost is over as casual fans go back to whatever they do for the rest of the year.
WWE is soliciting ideas for DVDs. Nothing too out of the usual.
WWE has applied to trademark Big Cass and Jack Gallagher. WWE has more or less dropped "Colin Cassady" as the name for Enzo's partner.
Katsuyori Shibata will have another brain surgery in May. Man, I really hope he turns out OK and really gives some thought to his next moves in the business.
The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega have signed deals with Hot Topic to have Bullet Club, etc. related T-shirts on sale there. So, the gimmick has become a pretty big deal for some parts of the U.S. fan base. I just wonder how much longer it can go without burning out.
Sinclair Broadcasting is in the process of buying a media company available in 14 markets. So, ROH should be available in those homes by the third quarter of the year. That's pretty good for them.
Eddie Edwards isn't expected to miss much time. His surgery was just for lingering knee issues. That's good news.
Chris Jericho will finish this WWE run on May 1. He had been advertised for dates in June, but it looks like he's going to take a longer hiatus than that. We'll see what happens once his Fozzy tour wraps up.
Vince McMahon and Stone Cold did some work on the Jim Ross autobiography. I'm really looking forward to that.
WWE presented a Hall of Fame plaque at Rikidozan's grave this week. A lot of Japanese celebrities attended. Really cool to see WWE honor him.
NXT's Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford are now working as the Street Prophets. We'll see what that means, I guess. Angelo was spinning his tires, so maybe this is what he needed.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They definitely know about the reactions he get. They're building Mathews up as a heel you really want to see get his ass kicked. It's expected to pay off at Slammiversary, presumably with Josh actually leaving the announce table.
2. Nope! Now Meltzer is saying WWE basically paid Mauro off to deny the JBL story in order to avoid a big news outlet doing a big piece about WWE. Oh, and that Mauro isn't actually done with WWE but maybe he is but who knows. We'll see if a mainstream news source actually gets to the bottom of it or if this was just something else blown out of proportion by sensationalist media outlets.
3. It makes sense to have a big concert or something to split up that many hours of wrestling, like the Super Bowl does. Also, putting matches on the Kickoff show gets more people to watch that; just having a few interviews there doesn't really get as many viewers. No complaints there.
4. a. I see why they wanted to move from some expensive talents who didn't want to sign exclusive deals to some fresh names and returns. It's not like ratings are that different with the Hardys gone.
b. They made the right call with Bully Ray, who was probably asking for a much bigger role than he deserves.
c. The goal is to have Alberto as a sympathetic figure trying to get back what was taken from him, presumably at Slammiversary.
d. I agree with there being too many non-wrestlers getting TV time, although I see why they want to get the most out of Josh as he's one of the most over heels in the business.
5. I'm constantly praising Chris; it's amazing how he's still delivering at such a high level in 2017.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
WWE wins web award, more WotW matches set, JR book cover revealed, former TNA Champion injured, Steve-Impact update, WWE courting recent ROH departures, Vince movie coming, Raw audience, NXT departure, Jarretts battle with longtime employee, UK guests on NXT UK tour, and Questions on most watched Network shows, booking Roman vs. Braun, the heel/face revolving door, Jeff's Wellness violations, and where Rock was during WM33
WWE won a Shorty Award for Best YouTube Presence. That's good. They're doing their best to be on the cusp of digital trends as the younger audience heads there. Part of why ratings aren't what they used to be is due to a generation that's more comfortable watching things online rather than via expensive cable/satellite services.
More War of the Worlds matches have been announced:
- On May 7, The Elite will face The Addiction and Hiroshi Tanahashi, while Hirooki Goto will face Shane Taylor.
- At the May 12 PPV, The Young Bucks will face Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI.
Jim Ross revealed the cover of his autobiography. He will record the audio version of the book, which should be AMAZING. They should bundle it with a black hat and some BBQ sauce.
Eddie Edwards was injured at the most recent Impact Wrestling tapings and will require knee surgery. He has already been pulled from at least one indie show. I hope he's able to make Slammiversary, as he's really worked hard for the company since getting a good push.
Crazzy Steve had asked for his release from Impact, reportedly due to interest from WWE. The two sides had an amicable split. He's taking independent bookings for a limited period of time.
WWE is now waiting 90 days from a talent leaving another promotion before entering negotiations with them in a likely effort to avoid being accused of contract tampering. Lio Rush, Donovan Dijak, and Kyle O'Reilly join Steve as names WWE is reportedly interested in after a "cooling off" period following leaving ROH.
Vince McMahon will be the subject of a Sony TriStar/WWE Studios biopic called Pandemonium. OH. MY. GOD. That has the potential to be AMAZING. I'd watch the hell out of a movie based on the Mr. McMahon character. This will probably just be something putting him over, but could still have some great Vince moments.
Raw drew 3.01 million viewers Monday, a drop of more than 300,000 viewers from last week. The Wrestlemania honeymoon period is pretty much officially over. I expect things will pretty much return to pre-WM33 numbers now, as there's always an audience that doesn't stick with it after checking in to see what's going on in WWE. It's a lot of commitment to watch that many hours each week.
Andrea D'Marco has left NXT. I wasn't crazy about her work; I hope she finds something she's a better fit for.
Jeff and Karen Jarrett had a verbal altercation with executive Bob Ryder at Sunday's Impact Wrestling taping, leading to Ryder leaving the taping before finishing out his duties as a producer. Initially, Ryder was believed to have departed the company, but he remains employed there. Notably, Ryder has been on board since the company was founded and had a lot of sympathy backstage following the incidents. Hopefully all sides come together for the better of the company.
Neville, Jack Gallagher, Trent Seven, Wolfgang, Pete Dunne, and Tyson Bone have all been booked for NXT's UK tour this June. Smart moves. Those names mean more to that market than they would working in the States instead at that time.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They don't release specific numbers, but it often circulates in the dirtsheets what the Top 20 viewed shows are each week. It's generally pretty much the latest original content added as well as recent PPVs. Nothing too surprising as far as that goes.
2. Generally the way to do it is one man wins but it takes a Herculean effort to do so. Followup is key to make sure they both stay strong. I think they can do something where Roman wins but they're both stretchered out or something. Of course, that won't please the most vocal Reigns critics, but honestly pretty much nothing will.
3. Big Show is the one most people point to, which isn't that surprising considering he's been in WWE more than 20 years. That's a lot of feuds to be part of. Anyone would get stale after that many appearances and need something fresh.
4. I think they're probably OK on that front. The Hardys have turned things around in their personal lives following their marriages and children. Hopefully that remains the case for the foreseeable future.
5. Rock's a busy guy! He might have been working on the Paige movie at that point and wanted to remain stationed in Hollywood.
More wrestling tomorrow.
More War of the Worlds matches have been announced:
- On May 7, The Elite will face The Addiction and Hiroshi Tanahashi, while Hirooki Goto will face Shane Taylor.
- At the May 12 PPV, The Young Bucks will face Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI.
Jim Ross revealed the cover of his autobiography. He will record the audio version of the book, which should be AMAZING. They should bundle it with a black hat and some BBQ sauce.
Eddie Edwards was injured at the most recent Impact Wrestling tapings and will require knee surgery. He has already been pulled from at least one indie show. I hope he's able to make Slammiversary, as he's really worked hard for the company since getting a good push.
Crazzy Steve had asked for his release from Impact, reportedly due to interest from WWE. The two sides had an amicable split. He's taking independent bookings for a limited period of time.
WWE is now waiting 90 days from a talent leaving another promotion before entering negotiations with them in a likely effort to avoid being accused of contract tampering. Lio Rush, Donovan Dijak, and Kyle O'Reilly join Steve as names WWE is reportedly interested in after a "cooling off" period following leaving ROH.
Vince McMahon will be the subject of a Sony TriStar/WWE Studios biopic called Pandemonium. OH. MY. GOD. That has the potential to be AMAZING. I'd watch the hell out of a movie based on the Mr. McMahon character. This will probably just be something putting him over, but could still have some great Vince moments.
Raw drew 3.01 million viewers Monday, a drop of more than 300,000 viewers from last week. The Wrestlemania honeymoon period is pretty much officially over. I expect things will pretty much return to pre-WM33 numbers now, as there's always an audience that doesn't stick with it after checking in to see what's going on in WWE. It's a lot of commitment to watch that many hours each week.
Andrea D'Marco has left NXT. I wasn't crazy about her work; I hope she finds something she's a better fit for.
Jeff and Karen Jarrett had a verbal altercation with executive Bob Ryder at Sunday's Impact Wrestling taping, leading to Ryder leaving the taping before finishing out his duties as a producer. Initially, Ryder was believed to have departed the company, but he remains employed there. Notably, Ryder has been on board since the company was founded and had a lot of sympathy backstage following the incidents. Hopefully all sides come together for the better of the company.
Neville, Jack Gallagher, Trent Seven, Wolfgang, Pete Dunne, and Tyson Bone have all been booked for NXT's UK tour this June. Smart moves. Those names mean more to that market than they would working in the States instead at that time.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They don't release specific numbers, but it often circulates in the dirtsheets what the Top 20 viewed shows are each week. It's generally pretty much the latest original content added as well as recent PPVs. Nothing too surprising as far as that goes.
2. Generally the way to do it is one man wins but it takes a Herculean effort to do so. Followup is key to make sure they both stay strong. I think they can do something where Roman wins but they're both stretchered out or something. Of course, that won't please the most vocal Reigns critics, but honestly pretty much nothing will.
3. Big Show is the one most people point to, which isn't that surprising considering he's been in WWE more than 20 years. That's a lot of feuds to be part of. Anyone would get stale after that many appearances and need something fresh.
4. I think they're probably OK on that front. The Hardys have turned things around in their personal lives following their marriages and children. Hopefully that remains the case for the foreseeable future.
5. Rock's a busy guy! He might have been working on the Paige movie at that point and wanted to remain stationed in Hollywood.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 4/25/17
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Kickoff panel set, Roman takes time off, Interview with Breeze, WWE tryouts in UAE, more on WWE unseen matches DVD, Shaq on WM33 match not happening, lots of ROH matches set, ROH PPV sells out, ROH TV taping set, and Questions on pushing Jinder, Show vs. the ring, David Flair, the Shield reuniting, and Cena eating people alive on the mic
Sam Roberts will join Jerry Lawler and Renee Young on the Kickoff panel ahead of Payback. Raw Talk will follow the show. JR would be a good addition to those shows, but I imagine they have other/bigger plans for him.
Roman Reigns was not on this weekend's live events following his brother's passing. I hope he's comfortable getting back in the ring on a regular basis soon.
Tyler Breeze talked before Smackdown:
- I mean, yeah, any reaction is better than fans leaving their seats. I'm not crazy about this "it doesn't matter if I'm getting boos and cheers" mentality, but I think it's here to stay.
- Mike Dalton was definitely stalling. There's some big competition to break into the main roster of WWE, and being a competent wrestler just isn't enough.
- Not everyone can have a featured role on WWE TV. I don't know why people think this is just a WWE thing; it happens in sports teams, too.
William Regal talked to ESPN about scouting for WWE in the United Arab Emirates:
- Sounds like a pretty big endeavor. We could see a number of signings come out of that week.
- Wow. Seventeen countries? Someone really did some legwork.
- Really cool to hear all of what Regal has done behind-the-scenes.
- Triple H is continuing to put his stamp on WWE.
-- WWE put out a press release for the venture.
WWE is putting together an unseen matches DVD featuring matches from 1986 to 1995. This will be a lot of stuff that hasn't yet been added to the Network (which has prioritized other areas of the vast WWE video archive).
Shaquille O'Neal gave his side of why the WM33 match didn't happen. Shaq losing to someone who has won world championships, etc. makes sense. Shaq winning would be like Show getting the better of Shaq in a basketball game. A six-man tag would have taken some pressure off the older wrestler and non-wrestler, but wouldn't have been the same level of a spectacle.
ROH has announced the top two matches for their War of the Worlds PPV, featuring TV spoilers:
- Christopher Daniels vs. Cody vs. the winner of a yet-to-air match of Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page vs. Silas Young vs. Jay White for the ROH World Championship. That's really sloppy and convoluted. Time to replace Delirious as booker, because that's a mess.
- Marty Scurll vs. Matt Sydal for the TV Championship. Somewhat surprised to see Sydal back, but ROH could use the name value and it's not like WWE's going to pick him up after the substance issues.
The War of the Worlds PPV has sold out. I wish they had a separate name for the tour vs. the PPV so there's less confusion.
Jay Lethal vs. KUSHIDA is set for ROH's May 7 event. Lethal's going to be an important player going forward.
Bully Ray and The Briscoes vs. BUSHI, EVIL, and SANADA has been set for the May 10 stop on the War of the Worlds tour.
Cody vs. Frankie Kazarian is set for ROH's May 12 TV taping. That should be pretty good.
ROH has set a TV taping in North Carolina on July 29. See your favorite future NXT stars in action!
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Jinder and the Singhs have been given the ball; I'm pulling for them to show they can run with it because those chances don't come by often. I wouldn't mind seeing Jeet Rama and/or Kishan Raftar as part of the act as well if those names are TV ready.
2. The ring just can't handle the force of the World's Largest Athlete being superplexed! If it didn't break, people would be complaining about WWE being inconsistent and "needing a continuity editor" and all that. I'm fine with how it came off. It probably should be the last time they do it before Show retires, though.
3. He hasn't wrestled since 2009 as far as I know. No idea what he does these days, but he's not in the business anymore.
4. Oh I definitely think we'll see them all team up at some point. I don't necessarily see a long reunion run, but it's just a matter of time before they're working six-man tags.
5. Cena can kill when they let him. He was more handcuffed than Rock was in their feud because WWE wanted to make sure they were kid-friendly and didn't turn away sponsors and all that, but he can land some good blows when he "shoots."
More wrestling tomorrow.
Roman Reigns was not on this weekend's live events following his brother's passing. I hope he's comfortable getting back in the ring on a regular basis soon.
Tyler Breeze talked before Smackdown:
- I mean, yeah, any reaction is better than fans leaving their seats. I'm not crazy about this "it doesn't matter if I'm getting boos and cheers" mentality, but I think it's here to stay.
- Mike Dalton was definitely stalling. There's some big competition to break into the main roster of WWE, and being a competent wrestler just isn't enough.
- Not everyone can have a featured role on WWE TV. I don't know why people think this is just a WWE thing; it happens in sports teams, too.
William Regal talked to ESPN about scouting for WWE in the United Arab Emirates:
- Sounds like a pretty big endeavor. We could see a number of signings come out of that week.
- Wow. Seventeen countries? Someone really did some legwork.
- Really cool to hear all of what Regal has done behind-the-scenes.
- Triple H is continuing to put his stamp on WWE.
-- WWE put out a press release for the venture.
WWE is putting together an unseen matches DVD featuring matches from 1986 to 1995. This will be a lot of stuff that hasn't yet been added to the Network (which has prioritized other areas of the vast WWE video archive).
Shaquille O'Neal gave his side of why the WM33 match didn't happen. Shaq losing to someone who has won world championships, etc. makes sense. Shaq winning would be like Show getting the better of Shaq in a basketball game. A six-man tag would have taken some pressure off the older wrestler and non-wrestler, but wouldn't have been the same level of a spectacle.
ROH has announced the top two matches for their War of the Worlds PPV, featuring TV spoilers:
- Christopher Daniels vs. Cody vs. the winner of a yet-to-air match of Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page vs. Silas Young vs. Jay White for the ROH World Championship. That's really sloppy and convoluted. Time to replace Delirious as booker, because that's a mess.
- Marty Scurll vs. Matt Sydal for the TV Championship. Somewhat surprised to see Sydal back, but ROH could use the name value and it's not like WWE's going to pick him up after the substance issues.
The War of the Worlds PPV has sold out. I wish they had a separate name for the tour vs. the PPV so there's less confusion.
Jay Lethal vs. KUSHIDA is set for ROH's May 7 event. Lethal's going to be an important player going forward.
Bully Ray and The Briscoes vs. BUSHI, EVIL, and SANADA has been set for the May 10 stop on the War of the Worlds tour.
Cody vs. Frankie Kazarian is set for ROH's May 12 TV taping. That should be pretty good.
ROH has set a TV taping in North Carolina on July 29. See your favorite future NXT stars in action!
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Jinder and the Singhs have been given the ball; I'm pulling for them to show they can run with it because those chances don't come by often. I wouldn't mind seeing Jeet Rama and/or Kishan Raftar as part of the act as well if those names are TV ready.
2. The ring just can't handle the force of the World's Largest Athlete being superplexed! If it didn't break, people would be complaining about WWE being inconsistent and "needing a continuity editor" and all that. I'm fine with how it came off. It probably should be the last time they do it before Show retires, though.
3. He hasn't wrestled since 2009 as far as I know. No idea what he does these days, but he's not in the business anymore.
4. Oh I definitely think we'll see them all team up at some point. I don't necessarily see a long reunion run, but it's just a matter of time before they're working six-man tags.
5. Cena can kill when they let him. He was more handcuffed than Rock was in their feud because WWE wanted to make sure they were kid-friendly and didn't turn away sponsors and all that, but he can land some good blows when he "shoots."
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, April 24, 2017
WWE-ROH-HOH situation update, HOH guests, WWE departure, WWE trademarks classic team name, WWE team rebranded, big ROH/NJPW tag set, and Questions on dirtsheet wars, ECW in the WWE HoF, WWE's stance on the Benoit biopic, Vader still wrestling, and pushing Jinder
The Hardys negotiated to appear at House of Hardcore, as WWE was going to pull them following the duo signing deals there. Vince McMahon and Triple H eventually relented after Dreamer reached out to the company. WWE understandably didn't want Matt and/or Jeff to be seriously hurt at the event. Thankfully, they weren't.
ROH COO Joe Koff personally signed off on the Young Bucks working HOH in the Hardys' place, but one member of the team took ill and the team decided not to fly in for the event. Dreamer was very upset at initially being unable to deliver the Hardys as advertised, then not being able to get a big surprise in the Bucks. Vince and HHH really bailed him out. I hope WWE and HOH can work together in the future as far as talents appearing for NXT or whatever.
Christian, Blue Meanie, and Joel Gertner were backstage at House of Hardcore this weekend. Christian and Dreamer go pretty far back.
Tajiri has left WWE for Japan. Although he had recovered from January's knee injury and was cleared to return to the ring, WWE felt it was risky for the 46-year-old to go back to competing on 205 Live. He had spent some time as a coach in NXT, but apparently decided he'd rather wrestle in Japan than take that kind of role. Tajiri indicated there were no regrets for his brief WWE return.
WWE has trademarked Hardy Boyz. "Boyz" was like the coolest thing in 1999 or so. Both men have kids of their own now, though, so it's a little weird for them to still be "boys."
The Bollywood Boyz will now be known as the Singh brothers. It's possible there's at least one other addition to the new stable, as Jeet Rama of NXT had the Singhs in his corner for a dark match before the recent taping.
Bullet Club's Young Bucks, Cody, and Hangman Page will face CHAOS' Roppongi Vice, Will Ospreay, and Hirooki Goto at the May 10 War of the Worlds show. It will be interesting to see what the heels will be doing on the PPV and TV.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. For those who are wondering, the other party here is Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet. Ryan's side of the story is that he'll post a story, send the press release to PWInsider, and they'll post the same story without crediting him. What I expect is happening is the two sides have some of the same sources and get the info from those sources at about the same time, then post what they get from those sources shortly thereafter. I would think anyone talking to dirtsheets wants that info to get out publicly as widely as possible, so they're telling anyone who will spread their message. I think there's also something of a generational gap where Ryan's a little more quick to publicly air grievances on Twitter rather than reach out privately to try to resolve what could easily be a misunderstanding about his reporting.
2. It could be that they're saving some of the ECW names for a Mania weekend in the Northeast. The HoF is now an occasion they're trying to draw a crowd with, and Bam Bam going in in Philly would mean more than him going in in Miami.
3. I think WWE's aware if they give the project any attention, it's only going to give it a wider audience. Unless there's a really big libelous claim made, I expect they don't want to get into a costly and long legal battle.
4. He just worked a pair of six-man tag matches to honor Tatsumi Fujinami. It was a special occasion. I don't think he's going to take bumps regularly in his condition.
5. I'm willing to give it a chance. It looks like Jinder's going to have a faction helping him out, and he'll likely be elevated even in a loss. I'd much rather WWE try something new than have another young talent meandering in Jobberland.
More wrestling tomorrow.
ROH COO Joe Koff personally signed off on the Young Bucks working HOH in the Hardys' place, but one member of the team took ill and the team decided not to fly in for the event. Dreamer was very upset at initially being unable to deliver the Hardys as advertised, then not being able to get a big surprise in the Bucks. Vince and HHH really bailed him out. I hope WWE and HOH can work together in the future as far as talents appearing for NXT or whatever.
Christian, Blue Meanie, and Joel Gertner were backstage at House of Hardcore this weekend. Christian and Dreamer go pretty far back.
Tajiri has left WWE for Japan. Although he had recovered from January's knee injury and was cleared to return to the ring, WWE felt it was risky for the 46-year-old to go back to competing on 205 Live. He had spent some time as a coach in NXT, but apparently decided he'd rather wrestle in Japan than take that kind of role. Tajiri indicated there were no regrets for his brief WWE return.
WWE has trademarked Hardy Boyz. "Boyz" was like the coolest thing in 1999 or so. Both men have kids of their own now, though, so it's a little weird for them to still be "boys."
The Bollywood Boyz will now be known as the Singh brothers. It's possible there's at least one other addition to the new stable, as Jeet Rama of NXT had the Singhs in his corner for a dark match before the recent taping.
Bullet Club's Young Bucks, Cody, and Hangman Page will face CHAOS' Roppongi Vice, Will Ospreay, and Hirooki Goto at the May 10 War of the Worlds show. It will be interesting to see what the heels will be doing on the PPV and TV.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. For those who are wondering, the other party here is Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet. Ryan's side of the story is that he'll post a story, send the press release to PWInsider, and they'll post the same story without crediting him. What I expect is happening is the two sides have some of the same sources and get the info from those sources at about the same time, then post what they get from those sources shortly thereafter. I would think anyone talking to dirtsheets wants that info to get out publicly as widely as possible, so they're telling anyone who will spread their message. I think there's also something of a generational gap where Ryan's a little more quick to publicly air grievances on Twitter rather than reach out privately to try to resolve what could easily be a misunderstanding about his reporting.
2. It could be that they're saving some of the ECW names for a Mania weekend in the Northeast. The HoF is now an occasion they're trying to draw a crowd with, and Bam Bam going in in Philly would mean more than him going in in Miami.
3. I think WWE's aware if they give the project any attention, it's only going to give it a wider audience. Unless there's a really big libelous claim made, I expect they don't want to get into a costly and long legal battle.
4. He just worked a pair of six-man tag matches to honor Tatsumi Fujinami. It was a special occasion. I don't think he's going to take bumps regularly in his condition.
5. I'm willing to give it a chance. It looks like Jinder's going to have a faction helping him out, and he'll likely be elevated even in a loss. I'd much rather WWE try something new than have another young talent meandering in Jobberland.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Mauro splits from WWE, odd Table for 3, Wilder update, Mooney on Network special, big gimmick match on Raw, WWE and ROH work with HOH, and Questions on working one side of the ring, Eva Marie's status, and ECW taking shots
Mauro Ranallo has officially left WWE. Newsweek discussed the situation, including remarks by Mauro and JBL. The speculation is that there was an agreement where Mauro agreed not to say anything negative about JBL in his departure. It's starting to look like everything's been blown out of proportion. I don't know if Meltzer is intentionally "working" people with his reporting or if he's just the conduit through which people in a business built on charlatanry spread stories beneficial to themselves and detrimental to others. Either way, his credibility on these kinds of stories is suspect.
AJ Styles, Shawn Michaels, and Kevin Nash are on a new Table for 3 after Raw. That's a pretty interesting combination. I wonder what Nash thinks of AJ as a believable top star.
Dash Wilder is back in the gym after having his jaw wired shut. The Revival have some serious grit. I want to see more of their tough mentality and fewer flippy models.
Sean Mooney filmed something about unseen matches for WWE Network. There are mountains of tapes of matches in the WWE archive that haven't been uploaded yet. It will take years to get through however much of the video library they're going to digitize for the service.
Braun Strowman vs. Kalisto in a Dumpster match is set for Raw. Oh, man. I don't think this is going to end well for the former Lucha Dragon. I've really loved the dominance of Strowman.
WWE allowed the Hardys to wrestle at the April 22 House of Hardcore event, although they didn't go as "extreme" as they might would have before signing to WWE. Tommy Dreamer said HOH owes WWE a favor, so we'll see what comes from that. I'm glad they were able to work something out. To be clear, WWE could have barred the Hardys from appearing at all after signing with them. Matt and Jeff could have easily been working a WWE live event instead.
- Dreamer also tried to get the Young Bucks on the show through a deal with ROH, but was unable to do so. Dreamer said he owed ROH a favor as well.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
Nothing to add to 1.
2. Almost certainly so they can face the cameras during the pinfall. That's a big part of televised wrestling - making sure the audience can see your facial expressions and such.
3. They're still technically together, but each side has different priorities going forward so they're just letting the clock run out. Eva will go the modeling/acting route and WWE will move on without her.
4. It's the old "I'd much rather be wrestling for (rival wrestling company the fan base hates)!" trope. Pretty reliable way to get heat from the really smarky crowd. See also "I'm going to go wrestle for super-cool indie company" from Punk's "pipebomb" promo to get a pop from the same crowd.
5. Special shows are special for a reason. Mike went all out for a topic very close to his heart.
More wrestling tomorrow.
AJ Styles, Shawn Michaels, and Kevin Nash are on a new Table for 3 after Raw. That's a pretty interesting combination. I wonder what Nash thinks of AJ as a believable top star.
Dash Wilder is back in the gym after having his jaw wired shut. The Revival have some serious grit. I want to see more of their tough mentality and fewer flippy models.
Sean Mooney filmed something about unseen matches for WWE Network. There are mountains of tapes of matches in the WWE archive that haven't been uploaded yet. It will take years to get through however much of the video library they're going to digitize for the service.
Braun Strowman vs. Kalisto in a Dumpster match is set for Raw. Oh, man. I don't think this is going to end well for the former Lucha Dragon. I've really loved the dominance of Strowman.
WWE allowed the Hardys to wrestle at the April 22 House of Hardcore event, although they didn't go as "extreme" as they might would have before signing to WWE. Tommy Dreamer said HOH owes WWE a favor, so we'll see what comes from that. I'm glad they were able to work something out. To be clear, WWE could have barred the Hardys from appearing at all after signing with them. Matt and Jeff could have easily been working a WWE live event instead.
- Dreamer also tried to get the Young Bucks on the show through a deal with ROH, but was unable to do so. Dreamer said he owed ROH a favor as well.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
Nothing to add to 1.
2. Almost certainly so they can face the cameras during the pinfall. That's a big part of televised wrestling - making sure the audience can see your facial expressions and such.
3. They're still technically together, but each side has different priorities going forward so they're just letting the clock run out. Eva will go the modeling/acting route and WWE will move on without her.
4. It's the old "I'd much rather be wrestling for (rival wrestling company the fan base hates)!" trope. Pretty reliable way to get heat from the really smarky crowd. See also "I'm going to go wrestle for super-cool indie company" from Punk's "pipebomb" promo to get a pop from the same crowd.
5. Special shows are special for a reason. Mike went all out for a topic very close to his heart.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Main Event Reax - 4/21/17, Impact departure, top NJPW names booked for WotW, NXT+Raw live event notes, Vader in a bad way in Japan, Interviews with Mojo/Punk, Impact audience, Matt Hardy doesn't wrestle as advertised, and Questions on Tye holding gold and someone who should have been world champ
-- Main Event:
- Curtis vs. Titus:
Fine work to open things up.
I like these two.
Titus is straightfoward, but effective with his offense, while Axel always works hard.
Pretty good work.
I enjoyed that ending.
- Ariya/Nese vs. Lince/Metalik:
Fine work to start things off.
I'm enjoying this so far for a fairly meaningless match. To be clear, it's OK for WWE to have some "exhibition" matches because they have so much TV time to fill. ROH, not so much.
I'm glad WWE picked Metalik up. He's got some great agility.
I like Nese bringing something different to the match.
This is pretty good!
WOW. Nice handspring stunner.
Not bad, but the ending was kind of a letdown. Ariya could use a better finisher.
Crazzy Steve has finished up with Impact Wrestling. That's a real shame. I think Decay added something pretty different to the show. I assume Abyss will go back to wearing the mask and being "the monster," and I'd like to think Jarrett, Mantel, and Prichard will make good use of him in that role considering their previous time together. Could we see Joseph Park return, too? As for Steve, I hope we haven't seen the last of him. NXT and ROH would both be interesting options. The latter particularly needs some more interesting personalities.
Kenny Omega and Hiroshi Tanahashi have been added to the War of the Worlds. Those are two of the biggest non-WWE stars in the world, and for good reason. It will be nice to see them again.
The Sandman recently had surgery for a hernia. He followed that up by working a street fight at House of Hardcore. THAT'S hardcore.
Some NXT live event notes from Florida:
- Wesley Blake teamed with Steve Cutler.
- Tino Sabbatelli worked a singles match, losing to No Way Jose. Tino had been teaming with Riddick Moss.
- Buddy Murphy teamed with Kassius Ohno and Roderick Strong, defeating Eric Young, Killian Dain, and Alexander Wolfe. So it looks like potential new teamings for both Blake and Murphy.
- Rich Swann beat Noam Dar.
- Lana worked her new dancing gimmick, with Mary Kate (the former Andrea/Rosie Lottalove) as her manager in a win over Ruby Riot. So we're in for something new from Lana on Smackdown. Fine by me.
Vader collapsed in the ring during a match in Japan, but insists it wasn't related to his heart condition. I really hope he gets to give a big HoF speech next year after reports of being in poor health. There are few men more deserving of the honor than Big Van.
Mojo Rawley talked to Fox Sports:
- More press from Gronk working Mania. How much mainstream press did Aries vs. Neville get?
- Ryder has been a great "soldier" for the company.
- Mojo's got his work cut out for him proving he's worth getting that win over Braun Strowman.
- I'd watch Gronk vs. Jinder. Or Gronk and the Hype Bros vs. Jinder and whatever they're renaming the Bollywood Boyz.
- Oh, yeah. I expected maybe ten draft moves total. I see why they went the route they went, though. There are fresh faces all over the place.
Impact Wrestling drew 320,000 viewers for a live-ish episode with some notable returns and Lashley vs. James Storm for the World Title. That's a small jump from last week, but not what I expected.
C.M. Punk promoted a convention appearance. I bet he's going to get roasted over that UFC loss.
Matt Hardy appeared at House of Hardcore and cut a promo but didn't wrestle as advertised. The implication was WWE was behind that. It's possible they didn't want someone they just signed doing a crazy street fight and getting injured.
Curt Hawkins worked Raw live events this weekend, but the rest of the roster was what it was before the shakeup. Nothing against Hawkins, but I don't see anyone protesting he wasn't on Smackdown's show with the rest of the people who've been drafted to Mondays.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
Nothing to really add to 1, 3, or 4.
2. I could see him holding gold as a tag team guy, since his biggest strength is making others look good. Pair him with someone who could use a solid veteran at his side and they might be onto something. I think there are some interesting options on that end, namely Erick Rowan, James Ellsworth, Luke Harper, Rusev, and Sami Zayn. He could mold with any of those names to make something work. That's a good quality to have.
5. There's no competing with that answer. In the modern era, I'd go with Nexus-era Wade Barrett.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Curtis vs. Titus:
Fine work to open things up.
I like these two.
Titus is straightfoward, but effective with his offense, while Axel always works hard.
Pretty good work.
I enjoyed that ending.
- Ariya/Nese vs. Lince/Metalik:
Fine work to start things off.
I'm enjoying this so far for a fairly meaningless match. To be clear, it's OK for WWE to have some "exhibition" matches because they have so much TV time to fill. ROH, not so much.
I'm glad WWE picked Metalik up. He's got some great agility.
I like Nese bringing something different to the match.
This is pretty good!
WOW. Nice handspring stunner.
Not bad, but the ending was kind of a letdown. Ariya could use a better finisher.
Crazzy Steve has finished up with Impact Wrestling. That's a real shame. I think Decay added something pretty different to the show. I assume Abyss will go back to wearing the mask and being "the monster," and I'd like to think Jarrett, Mantel, and Prichard will make good use of him in that role considering their previous time together. Could we see Joseph Park return, too? As for Steve, I hope we haven't seen the last of him. NXT and ROH would both be interesting options. The latter particularly needs some more interesting personalities.
Kenny Omega and Hiroshi Tanahashi have been added to the War of the Worlds. Those are two of the biggest non-WWE stars in the world, and for good reason. It will be nice to see them again.
The Sandman recently had surgery for a hernia. He followed that up by working a street fight at House of Hardcore. THAT'S hardcore.
Some NXT live event notes from Florida:
- Wesley Blake teamed with Steve Cutler.
- Tino Sabbatelli worked a singles match, losing to No Way Jose. Tino had been teaming with Riddick Moss.
- Buddy Murphy teamed with Kassius Ohno and Roderick Strong, defeating Eric Young, Killian Dain, and Alexander Wolfe. So it looks like potential new teamings for both Blake and Murphy.
- Rich Swann beat Noam Dar.
- Lana worked her new dancing gimmick, with Mary Kate (the former Andrea/Rosie Lottalove) as her manager in a win over Ruby Riot. So we're in for something new from Lana on Smackdown. Fine by me.
Vader collapsed in the ring during a match in Japan, but insists it wasn't related to his heart condition. I really hope he gets to give a big HoF speech next year after reports of being in poor health. There are few men more deserving of the honor than Big Van.
Mojo Rawley talked to Fox Sports:
- More press from Gronk working Mania. How much mainstream press did Aries vs. Neville get?
- Ryder has been a great "soldier" for the company.
- Mojo's got his work cut out for him proving he's worth getting that win over Braun Strowman.
- I'd watch Gronk vs. Jinder. Or Gronk and the Hype Bros vs. Jinder and whatever they're renaming the Bollywood Boyz.
- Oh, yeah. I expected maybe ten draft moves total. I see why they went the route they went, though. There are fresh faces all over the place.
Impact Wrestling drew 320,000 viewers for a live-ish episode with some notable returns and Lashley vs. James Storm for the World Title. That's a small jump from last week, but not what I expected.
C.M. Punk promoted a convention appearance. I bet he's going to get roasted over that UFC loss.
Matt Hardy appeared at House of Hardcore and cut a promo but didn't wrestle as advertised. The implication was WWE was behind that. It's possible they didn't want someone they just signed doing a crazy street fight and getting injured.
Curt Hawkins worked Raw live events this weekend, but the rest of the roster was what it was before the shakeup. Nothing against Hawkins, but I don't see anyone protesting he wasn't on Smackdown's show with the rest of the people who've been drafted to Mondays.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
Nothing to really add to 1, 3, or 4.
2. I could see him holding gold as a tag team guy, since his biggest strength is making others look good. Pair him with someone who could use a solid veteran at his side and they might be onto something. I think there are some interesting options on that end, namely Erick Rowan, James Ellsworth, Luke Harper, Rusev, and Sami Zayn. He could mold with any of those names to make something work. That's a good quality to have.
5. There's no competing with that answer. In the modern era, I'd go with Nexus-era Wade Barrett.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, April 21, 2017
NJPW name forced to retire?, top joshi name hurt, former WWE tag champ retiring?, LU talent notes, ROH announcer signs new deal, potential new Impact names, superstar shakeup update, Hardys to be re-broken soon?, Goldberg contract note, new WWE PPV dates, Laurinaitis note, Khali student in women's tournament?, Interviews with AJ Lee/Cornette/Gotch, new Indian WWE exec, another wrestling series coming?, more NJPW names booked for WotW, WWE+Impact press, Questions on not firing JBL, Bray's place on the card, Kidd's future, ROH's online service, and wrestling in Yankee Stadium
Katsuyori Shibata remains hospitalized after being injured earlier this month. There's speculation he won't be able to return to the ring after surgery. I really hope this is a wake-up call on the culture of going to extreme lengths to get a "***** match" at the risk of permanent body damage. At some point, it's not worth the long-term consequences.
Kairi Hojo went to the emergency room after a match last week, but was cleared to get back in the ring. WWE's taking a big risk signing someone who already has a history of concussions at a young age. I hope she's able to adapt to the company and be a success without putting her health in jeopardy.
Charlie Haas recently underwent neck surgery, and there's speculation the 45-year-old will retire as a result. I hope he knows the right time to get out of taking dangerous bumps.
LU talents who have left AAA will still be able to appear on Season 4 as long as they don't go to another televised promotion. There's talk of LU talents appearing on Impact, but things seem like a mess as far as what the promotion's future is. If Season 4 doesn't get off the ground, hopefully the top names won't be locked into contracts for a promotion that's not operational.
Ian Riccaboni has signed a new ROH contract to be their top announcer. That was pretty much inevitable. I'm curious if we'll see a more permanent color commentator announced soon, although what they do now is a nice change of pace from the overloaded announce teams in other promotions.
Impact is reportedly interested in Matt Sydal, Flip Gordon, and the former El Torito. I really don't want to see more of Torito vs. Swoggle. I'm starting to think the new regime is getting TOO ambitious.
WWE live event rosters should reflect the superstar shakeup after this weekend.
WWE is reportedly seeking an agreement with Anthem to use the Broken gimmick for the Hardys. Hopefully that's all settled soon and everyone can move on.
Goldberg still has a merchandise deal in place with WWE. They might as well keep that up if he's not going to wrestle anywhere else.
WWE has set PPV events for September 24 in California, October 8 in Michigan, and October 22 in Minnesota. So far it hasn't been as much overkill as I was expecting.
James Laurinaitis is not expected to head to wrestling after his NFL retirement. That would have definitely been an interesting situation.
One of Great Khali's students, Kavita Dalal, could be part of WWE's upcoming women's tournament. It's worth a shot!
Mick Foley's hip surgery was successful. I hope that means greatly reduced pain for the Hall of Famer. After all he's given the business, he should be able to enjoy the aftermath of all those years of taking bumps.
WWE is releasing a 17-disc (!!!) box set of its 2016 PPVs in Austrailia.
AJ Lee promoted her book on Adam Carolla's podcast. It's a pretty heavy read.
Finn Balor's UK-exclusive DVD is out this week. I expect big things for him if he can stay healthy.
WWE has named a new Indian general manager. That's an important market, and it wouldn't shock me if Jinder's new push and faction are efforts to grow business with that fan base.
Jim Cornette talked about Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and more. Here are some highlights. Pretty much the same old, same old.
Women of Wrestling has signed a deal with MGM television to produce a series in the vein of Lucha Underground. We'll see how successful that can be. I hope their ceiling is higher than LU - it's still something of a blip on the wrestling radar.
Gedo, BUSHI, and SANADA have been booked for War of the Worlds. This will be BUSHI's U.S. debut. Gedo was a shoo-in for the tour.
Ed Nordholm, Jeff Jarrett, and Moose promoted the Impact/AAA partnership. It's a pretty big endeavor for the two brands.
The former Simon Gotch talked about leaving WWE:
- This is probably bigger press than he ever got while in WWE
- This was the first I had seen of it not being a mutual agreement. The impression had been he asked for a release and WWE gave it to him.
- I am glad he's not dwelling on not being part of WWE anymore.
- I loved the Vaudevillains gimmick and wish they did a lot more with it.
- It's a shame the duo didn't work out like it could have. It was fun in NXT.
- I don't really expect a push for Aiden, but we'll see.
- At some point pretty much every talent needs to do something new and fresh.
- Glad to see him not bury the company and blame them for everything.
- Yeah, some of these dirtsheet reports are ridiculous.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. HAHA JBL'S GOTTA JOB FOR LIFE MAGGLE!! Unless there's a LOT of bad press outside of the normal wrestling bubble, he's staying put. It would take some pressure from outside the company forcing WWE's hand for them to take action.
2. There's always some story like this going around. Of course everyone thinks they should be THE top name, get a bigger push, get paid more, etc. It's like pretty much any other line of work.
3. It definitely doesn't look like WWE's going to use him anymore. I assume he's more or less waiting his deal out. It's possible he doesn't want to "rock the boat" too much lest WWE retaliate by punishing Natalya in some way. It's possible he tries to get back in the ring when free from WWE if he thinks it's worth the risk.
4. I was under the impression ASN was pretty much dead in the water. Either way, ROH's online service isn't something Sinclair's putting together.
5. I've never heard of it happening. There are plenty of other venues in the area to run, so I don't think it's a priority.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Kairi Hojo went to the emergency room after a match last week, but was cleared to get back in the ring. WWE's taking a big risk signing someone who already has a history of concussions at a young age. I hope she's able to adapt to the company and be a success without putting her health in jeopardy.
Charlie Haas recently underwent neck surgery, and there's speculation the 45-year-old will retire as a result. I hope he knows the right time to get out of taking dangerous bumps.
LU talents who have left AAA will still be able to appear on Season 4 as long as they don't go to another televised promotion. There's talk of LU talents appearing on Impact, but things seem like a mess as far as what the promotion's future is. If Season 4 doesn't get off the ground, hopefully the top names won't be locked into contracts for a promotion that's not operational.
Ian Riccaboni has signed a new ROH contract to be their top announcer. That was pretty much inevitable. I'm curious if we'll see a more permanent color commentator announced soon, although what they do now is a nice change of pace from the overloaded announce teams in other promotions.
Impact is reportedly interested in Matt Sydal, Flip Gordon, and the former El Torito. I really don't want to see more of Torito vs. Swoggle. I'm starting to think the new regime is getting TOO ambitious.
WWE live event rosters should reflect the superstar shakeup after this weekend.
WWE is reportedly seeking an agreement with Anthem to use the Broken gimmick for the Hardys. Hopefully that's all settled soon and everyone can move on.
Goldberg still has a merchandise deal in place with WWE. They might as well keep that up if he's not going to wrestle anywhere else.
WWE has set PPV events for September 24 in California, October 8 in Michigan, and October 22 in Minnesota. So far it hasn't been as much overkill as I was expecting.
James Laurinaitis is not expected to head to wrestling after his NFL retirement. That would have definitely been an interesting situation.
One of Great Khali's students, Kavita Dalal, could be part of WWE's upcoming women's tournament. It's worth a shot!
Mick Foley's hip surgery was successful. I hope that means greatly reduced pain for the Hall of Famer. After all he's given the business, he should be able to enjoy the aftermath of all those years of taking bumps.
WWE is releasing a 17-disc (!!!) box set of its 2016 PPVs in Austrailia.
AJ Lee promoted her book on Adam Carolla's podcast. It's a pretty heavy read.
Finn Balor's UK-exclusive DVD is out this week. I expect big things for him if he can stay healthy.
WWE has named a new Indian general manager. That's an important market, and it wouldn't shock me if Jinder's new push and faction are efforts to grow business with that fan base.
Jim Cornette talked about Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and more. Here are some highlights. Pretty much the same old, same old.
Women of Wrestling has signed a deal with MGM television to produce a series in the vein of Lucha Underground. We'll see how successful that can be. I hope their ceiling is higher than LU - it's still something of a blip on the wrestling radar.
Gedo, BUSHI, and SANADA have been booked for War of the Worlds. This will be BUSHI's U.S. debut. Gedo was a shoo-in for the tour.
Ed Nordholm, Jeff Jarrett, and Moose promoted the Impact/AAA partnership. It's a pretty big endeavor for the two brands.
The former Simon Gotch talked about leaving WWE:
- This is probably bigger press than he ever got while in WWE
- This was the first I had seen of it not being a mutual agreement. The impression had been he asked for a release and WWE gave it to him.
- I am glad he's not dwelling on not being part of WWE anymore.
- I loved the Vaudevillains gimmick and wish they did a lot more with it.
- It's a shame the duo didn't work out like it could have. It was fun in NXT.
- I don't really expect a push for Aiden, but we'll see.
- At some point pretty much every talent needs to do something new and fresh.
- Glad to see him not bury the company and blame them for everything.
- Yeah, some of these dirtsheet reports are ridiculous.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. HAHA JBL'S GOTTA JOB FOR LIFE MAGGLE!! Unless there's a LOT of bad press outside of the normal wrestling bubble, he's staying put. It would take some pressure from outside the company forcing WWE's hand for them to take action.
2. There's always some story like this going around. Of course everyone thinks they should be THE top name, get a bigger push, get paid more, etc. It's like pretty much any other line of work.
3. It definitely doesn't look like WWE's going to use him anymore. I assume he's more or less waiting his deal out. It's possible he doesn't want to "rock the boat" too much lest WWE retaliate by punishing Natalya in some way. It's possible he tries to get back in the ring when free from WWE if he thinks it's worth the risk.
4. I was under the impression ASN was pretty much dead in the water. Either way, ROH's online service isn't something Sinclair's putting together.
5. I've never heard of it happening. There are plenty of other venues in the area to run, so I don't think it's a priority.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
More NJPW names for War of the Worlds, WWE targets CTE plaintiffs, Smackdown+NXT dark matches, Smackdown audience, another indie name at Impact, NXT name changes, WWE looking to hire, and Questions on the timing of the superstar shakeup, Brock moving to Smackdown, Nia vs. Charlotte, more Network specials, and returning WWE women
Hirooki Goto and EVIL have been booked for the upcoming War of the Worlds tour. ROH and NJPW are smart to release a few names at a time instead of the whole lineup at once.
WWE has filed a motion to dismiss the remainder of the lawsuit brought forth by the Vito and Evan Singleton, including many refutations of their claims. It's a shame WWE is having to spend so much money on meritless lawsuits.
Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Dolph Ziggler after Smackdown. It's cool that Shinsuke gets that spot instead of, say, Orton. That's a good sign WWE likes and trusts him in important roles.
Smackdown drew 2.55 million viewers Tuesday night, a loss of more than 500,000 (!) from the superstar shakeup. Seemingly a lot of people expected bigger things to happen after WM33. It happens every year...
Jax Dane has been booked for at least some of this week's Impact Wrestling tapings. He was pulled from some independent appearances in order to work the events. This is a big opportunity for him.
NXT's Daria Berenato is now Sonya Deville and Macey Estrella is now Lacey Evans. The just-completed taping featured a lot of female faces, likely something of a tryout/preview ahead of the women's tournament.
Before this week's NXT taping:
- Jeet Rama had the Bollywood Boyz in his corner as he defeated Maxx Stardom. It looks like Jeet could be joining Jinder Mahal's new faction on Smackdown. I could see Kishan Raftar being part of it, too.
- Hideo Itami defeated Kona Reeves.
WWE is seeking a producer for live events as well as some production assistants. It's interesting they're seeking someone outside to be an agent, as the best people for the job have got to already be in the wrestling business.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I would have saved it until June or so as a boost for summer, but I see why they wanted to capitalize on the post-Mania hype with the timing. No real complaints on my end as far as when they did it.
1. I would have saved it until June or so as a boost for summer, but I see why they wanted to capitalize on the post-Mania hype with the timing. No real complaints on my end as far as when they did it.
2. You know, I wouldn't have minded that all that much as far as the Raw side. Brock vs. Orton could have been good, too. However, I also really want to see Brock vs. Braun, Brock vs. Angle, and Brock vs. Roman on the Raw side.
Not much to add to 3's answer.
4. I'm surprised they haven't done more live events on the Network, actually, but it looks like they've moved away from Beast in the East kinds of things. I suppose with the increase in the number of PPVs, 205 Live, and the UK events they feel like they have enough on that front.
5. I could see Eve in particular working the WWE Network women's tournament in the Brian Kendrick/Tajiri role, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Kelly end up back in a WWE ring at some point, too.
More wrestling.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
WWE press, Dash on injury, WWE back on the air in Philippines, former Impact World Champion working ROH, Alberto cancels indie bookings, Rosey passes away, Jeff Hardy-Europe update, Impact pays former production company, Dixie-Impact note, Impact/AAA relationship expands in big ways, Impact injury, Raw audience, and Questions on life being unfair, Dean moving to Raw, 205 Live getting Takeover specials, why the shakeup happened, and the effects of other promotions buying into the Network
Luke Harper promoted Smackdown. He's got a good start as a singles babyface. I think he can do pretty well overall.
Dash Wilder discussed his jaw injury. That's how top guys addresses that kind of situation.
WWE has a new TV home in the Philippines starting April 30. Good to see that situation resolved.
Ken Anderson will work ROH's April 28 show against Marty Scurll for the TV Championship. I assume that's just a one-time thing to put Scurll over in Anderson's home state. It'd be an odd move to sign him as a regular after the end of his Impact run, but I would understand it from the standpoint of using a veteran to work with the less-experienced names.
Alberto El Patron canceled some independent bookings in the Northeast this weekend as a result of signing a regular contract with Impact Wrestling. Impact will use him on this week's tapings and now has say over his bookings outside of the company. I expect Alberto to be an important part of things going forward, and be a centerpiece when they start putting together live events.
The former Rosey of 3-Minute Warning passed away at the age of 47. Rosey is the older brother of Roman Reigns. That's a shame. I always enjoyed his work.
Jeff Hardy will be able to work WWE's European tour. His criminal record had prevented that while he was part of Impact.
Impact Wrestling agreed to pay their former production company more than $336,000 as a result of breaching their contract. That's a combination of the balance they owed and interest. So, the case is now closed. I see why Impact wanted to end a lengthy and expensive process in order to focus on their business going forward.
Dixie Carter is still listed as part of Impact's board of managers, which is believed to be something of a figurehead role as she's not part of any decisions at the TV tapings.
Impact's World Championship will be defended at AAA's Triplemania on August 26. That's one of the company's biggest shows. Good news for both sides. Impact could use the promotion as they continue to try to rebound as a more worldwide group.
- AAA names will be part of Slammiversary as well. That will definitely make the show seem like a bigger deal.
- AAA and Impact will help each other expand their television homes into other countries. That's great! Both of them want to become more international and have access to more stars. This has important potential.
- AAA and Impact are set to have co-branded live tours this fall. I like seeing both of them benefit each other in such a way.
Adam Thornstowe of Reno SCUM suffered a torn bicep and underwent surgery. That's unfortunate given how the team just hit a bigger stage after signing with Impact.
Raw drew 3.35 viewers Monday night. Not bad, really.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That's pretty much the way of the world. It's much less likely someone well-connected to important people will face discipline compared to someone who's not as close with those who make the decisions.
2. Really? WWE wanted to switch the U.S. Title with the IC Title and felt Dean should be on Raw. He got moved for the same reasons Bray, Owens, and all the others got moved. They're WWE employees first and foremost and WWE's going to use them the way WWE thinks is the best way to use them. Not everything's about "heat" and "burials."
3. Ehhh. I don't know if the roster's big enough for that kind of thing. We already see them plenty on Raw, 205 Live, and Main Event.
4. I guess Vince declared it was time to change things, so things changed! Sometimes bosses do that. As for the sports-like thing, that sounds like a headache. I personally prefer WWE being more of a spectacle or action movie. Save that rankings shit for NJPW or something.
5. I definitely think we'll see some promotions become "affiliated with" WWE but not owned by them as they expand. I expect more of what we're seeing with WWE's deal with EVOLVE and how the UK Championship has been used. It's entirely possible it will lead to fewer options for wrestling fans if WWE declares they don't want their affiliates doing certain things (blood, profanity). I worry what it will mean for some talents who aren't in the WWE mold. In other words, we could see more Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn and less Jon Moxley and El Generico. I'm split on that, and I think a lot of fans are, too.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Dash Wilder discussed his jaw injury. That's how top guys addresses that kind of situation.
WWE has a new TV home in the Philippines starting April 30. Good to see that situation resolved.
Ken Anderson will work ROH's April 28 show against Marty Scurll for the TV Championship. I assume that's just a one-time thing to put Scurll over in Anderson's home state. It'd be an odd move to sign him as a regular after the end of his Impact run, but I would understand it from the standpoint of using a veteran to work with the less-experienced names.
Alberto El Patron canceled some independent bookings in the Northeast this weekend as a result of signing a regular contract with Impact Wrestling. Impact will use him on this week's tapings and now has say over his bookings outside of the company. I expect Alberto to be an important part of things going forward, and be a centerpiece when they start putting together live events.
The former Rosey of 3-Minute Warning passed away at the age of 47. Rosey is the older brother of Roman Reigns. That's a shame. I always enjoyed his work.
Jeff Hardy will be able to work WWE's European tour. His criminal record had prevented that while he was part of Impact.
Impact Wrestling agreed to pay their former production company more than $336,000 as a result of breaching their contract. That's a combination of the balance they owed and interest. So, the case is now closed. I see why Impact wanted to end a lengthy and expensive process in order to focus on their business going forward.
Dixie Carter is still listed as part of Impact's board of managers, which is believed to be something of a figurehead role as she's not part of any decisions at the TV tapings.
Impact's World Championship will be defended at AAA's Triplemania on August 26. That's one of the company's biggest shows. Good news for both sides. Impact could use the promotion as they continue to try to rebound as a more worldwide group.
- AAA names will be part of Slammiversary as well. That will definitely make the show seem like a bigger deal.
- AAA and Impact will help each other expand their television homes into other countries. That's great! Both of them want to become more international and have access to more stars. This has important potential.
- AAA and Impact are set to have co-branded live tours this fall. I like seeing both of them benefit each other in such a way.
Adam Thornstowe of Reno SCUM suffered a torn bicep and underwent surgery. That's unfortunate given how the team just hit a bigger stage after signing with Impact.
Raw drew 3.35 viewers Monday night. Not bad, really.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That's pretty much the way of the world. It's much less likely someone well-connected to important people will face discipline compared to someone who's not as close with those who make the decisions.
2. Really? WWE wanted to switch the U.S. Title with the IC Title and felt Dean should be on Raw. He got moved for the same reasons Bray, Owens, and all the others got moved. They're WWE employees first and foremost and WWE's going to use them the way WWE thinks is the best way to use them. Not everything's about "heat" and "burials."
3. Ehhh. I don't know if the roster's big enough for that kind of thing. We already see them plenty on Raw, 205 Live, and Main Event.
4. I guess Vince declared it was time to change things, so things changed! Sometimes bosses do that. As for the sports-like thing, that sounds like a headache. I personally prefer WWE being more of a spectacle or action movie. Save that rankings shit for NJPW or something.
5. I definitely think we'll see some promotions become "affiliated with" WWE but not owned by them as they expand. I expect more of what we're seeing with WWE's deal with EVOLVE and how the UK Championship has been used. It's entirely possible it will lead to fewer options for wrestling fans if WWE declares they don't want their affiliates doing certain things (blood, profanity). I worry what it will mean for some talents who aren't in the WWE mold. In other words, we could see more Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn and less Jon Moxley and El Generico. I'm split on that, and I think a lot of fans are, too.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 4/18/17
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
More vintage content, NXT trainer at EVOLVE, Interview with Angle, NXT farewells, Lashley working WOS, Impact airing south of Mexico?, Mauro's post-WWE goals, Drew's ICW farewell, WWE loses TV a deal, AJ Lee appears, Raw name injured, NJPW names set for War of the Worlds, former WWE name training at 3D Academy, Smackdown live event notes, and Questions on Bray taking the title to Raw, HHH's say in NXT, AJ not going after the WWE Title, saying goodbye to Taker, and Angle's choices as GM
Prime Time Wrestling episodes from 1987 and 1988 are being added to WWE Network. I'm under the impression there are tens of thousands of hours of classic content they can still upload. It will just be a matter of how much demand there is to view it.
NXT's Norman Smiley will be a guest trainer at EVOLVE's May 20 seminar. I'm sure he'll pass along any names that impress him.
Kurt Angle talked about his WWE career. I'm very glad he's "home" in WWE and in a positive place mentally/emotionally.
WWE posted NXT farewell videos for Shinsuke Nakamura, Tye Dillinger, and The Revival. I'm glad they're all getting to show what they can do in front of a bigger audience.
Lashley will be part of the World of Sport taping next month. WOS is set to tape a ten-episode first season to test the waters in July. This could be an important foothold for Anthem/Impact in the UK.
Jeff Jarrett is meeting with networks in Central and South America on behalf of Impact Wrestling. Getting distribution deals is going to be a key factor in increasing revenue. It doesn't matter what talents they utilize if they can't get networks to pay to show their content.
Mauro Ranallo intends to commentate for pro wrestling again in the future. Glad to hear it. Impact or ROH should be keeping their ears to the ground as far as he's concerned. He'll be free from WWE come August.
Drew McIntyre said goodbye to Insane Championship Wrestling this weekend. He would surely still be eligible to appear there if WWE books him to, as ICW will be headed to the Network sooner rather than later.
WWE will no longer be airing on FOX channels in the Philippines. I hope something changes on that front soon for the sake of wrestling fans there.
AJ Lee appeared on Conan O'Brien's Twitch account playing The Witcher 3. I really wonder what she's going to do professionally now that her book's done. I'm under the impression she's staying retired from wrestling.
Dash Wilder suffered a fractured jaw at an NXT live event and will miss around eight weeks of action. Hopefully WWE runs video packages of The Revival's work in NXT to build to their return. It's going to be tricky keeping up momentum with Dash hurt.
Tetsuya Naito and KUSHIDA have been announced for the War of the Worlds tour in May. These are usually some of ROH's most successful events due to the NJPW presence.
Billy Gunn has begun teaching at Team 3D Academy in Florida. There's a lot of experience from a number of prominent companies with Bully, D-Von, and Billy involved there.
The superstar shakeup was in effect for a Smackdown live event Monday night. Also, Breezango worked as faces alongside Mojo Rawley to beat Jinder Mahal and The Ascension, so that could potentially be something that plays out on TV. Breeze and Fandango could be a pretty entertaining duo if used in that way, but I expect they'll continue being heels so New Day can work against them.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's possible WWE hasn't figured that out yet! They might just kind of whistle and hope nobody brings up the title potentially going to Raw.
2. Vince mostly lets HHH do his thing, but I'm sure he picks a few talents he'd like to see more of here and there.
3. Bray beat him to the punch. So, AJ's going for the U.S. Title for now. If (when) Orton beats Bray, I expect AJ will try to get the title again.
4. Nope. Taker already said goodbye at Mania. It's Roman's yard now. I applaud that; it's time to focus on the names who are going to be carrying the torch going forward.
5. I DIED. Somehow Kalisto managed to SNEEEEEEEEAAAKKK across the Raw border, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
NXT's Norman Smiley will be a guest trainer at EVOLVE's May 20 seminar. I'm sure he'll pass along any names that impress him.
Kurt Angle talked about his WWE career. I'm very glad he's "home" in WWE and in a positive place mentally/emotionally.
WWE posted NXT farewell videos for Shinsuke Nakamura, Tye Dillinger, and The Revival. I'm glad they're all getting to show what they can do in front of a bigger audience.
Lashley will be part of the World of Sport taping next month. WOS is set to tape a ten-episode first season to test the waters in July. This could be an important foothold for Anthem/Impact in the UK.
Jeff Jarrett is meeting with networks in Central and South America on behalf of Impact Wrestling. Getting distribution deals is going to be a key factor in increasing revenue. It doesn't matter what talents they utilize if they can't get networks to pay to show their content.
Mauro Ranallo intends to commentate for pro wrestling again in the future. Glad to hear it. Impact or ROH should be keeping their ears to the ground as far as he's concerned. He'll be free from WWE come August.
Drew McIntyre said goodbye to Insane Championship Wrestling this weekend. He would surely still be eligible to appear there if WWE books him to, as ICW will be headed to the Network sooner rather than later.
WWE will no longer be airing on FOX channels in the Philippines. I hope something changes on that front soon for the sake of wrestling fans there.
AJ Lee appeared on Conan O'Brien's Twitch account playing The Witcher 3. I really wonder what she's going to do professionally now that her book's done. I'm under the impression she's staying retired from wrestling.
Dash Wilder suffered a fractured jaw at an NXT live event and will miss around eight weeks of action. Hopefully WWE runs video packages of The Revival's work in NXT to build to their return. It's going to be tricky keeping up momentum with Dash hurt.
Tetsuya Naito and KUSHIDA have been announced for the War of the Worlds tour in May. These are usually some of ROH's most successful events due to the NJPW presence.
Billy Gunn has begun teaching at Team 3D Academy in Florida. There's a lot of experience from a number of prominent companies with Bully, D-Von, and Billy involved there.
The superstar shakeup was in effect for a Smackdown live event Monday night. Also, Breezango worked as faces alongside Mojo Rawley to beat Jinder Mahal and The Ascension, so that could potentially be something that plays out on TV. Breeze and Fandango could be a pretty entertaining duo if used in that way, but I expect they'll continue being heels so New Day can work against them.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's possible WWE hasn't figured that out yet! They might just kind of whistle and hope nobody brings up the title potentially going to Raw.
2. Vince mostly lets HHH do his thing, but I'm sure he picks a few talents he'd like to see more of here and there.
3. Bray beat him to the punch. So, AJ's going for the U.S. Title for now. If (when) Orton beats Bray, I expect AJ will try to get the title again.
4. Nope. Taker already said goodbye at Mania. It's Roman's yard now. I applaud that; it's time to focus on the names who are going to be carrying the torch going forward.
5. I DIED. Somehow Kalisto managed to SNEEEEEEEEAAAKKK across the Raw border, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Shelton return set, Justin Roberts interview, and Questions on if Angle worked ECW, New Day hosting WM33, Kofi's injury, Finn's concussion, and hype for NXT stars
Shelton Benjamin will return to the ring on April 21. There has been no word on WWE signing him as they were set to do before discovering he needed surgery.
Justin Roberts talked about JBL and his book:
- There's definitely a mentality of not speaking ill of certain names in hopes of making money in WWE again.
- As Roberts has said, firing one person isn't going to change much considering the behavior is sanctioned by WWE brass.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'd like to think Angle would have still done pretty well for himself given his talents. Some people got over in the ECW environment but weren't necessarily a good fit for WWE, but I don't think Angle would have fallen into that category. I wouldn't have been surprised if he ended up in WCW along with Guerrero, Benoit, Jericho, Saturn, and Malenko, actually. That could have hurt him in Vince's eyes as WCW was much more of "the enemy" than ECW was. Overall, I think he would have still been world champion in WWE if he was molded into what we ultimately saw.
2. They were hosts because they had pretty much done everything they could do in the tag team division. I think they could have still have been hosts if they were in a similar situation on Smackdown and were over for their "sports entertainment" qualities there as well.
3. It does look like he's legitimately out of action a little while longer. WWE could hold off on using New Day on Smackdown until he's 100%.
4. The match ended up being pretty quick. He was out of there quickly enough to be treated.
5. It's a case of the people who have already seen those names are already excited for them. Now it's up to main roster creative to get everyone else on board. Shinsuke plays a lot of mind games, which you'll likely get to see more of when he gets in the ring on Smackdown. His "aura" or whatever is a lot of what makes him work, although he's one hell of a talented wrestler outside of that.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Justin Roberts talked about JBL and his book:
- There's definitely a mentality of not speaking ill of certain names in hopes of making money in WWE again.
- As Roberts has said, firing one person isn't going to change much considering the behavior is sanctioned by WWE brass.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'd like to think Angle would have still done pretty well for himself given his talents. Some people got over in the ECW environment but weren't necessarily a good fit for WWE, but I don't think Angle would have fallen into that category. I wouldn't have been surprised if he ended up in WCW along with Guerrero, Benoit, Jericho, Saturn, and Malenko, actually. That could have hurt him in Vince's eyes as WCW was much more of "the enemy" than ECW was. Overall, I think he would have still been world champion in WWE if he was molded into what we ultimately saw.
2. They were hosts because they had pretty much done everything they could do in the tag team division. I think they could have still have been hosts if they were in a similar situation on Smackdown and were over for their "sports entertainment" qualities there as well.
3. It does look like he's legitimately out of action a little while longer. WWE could hold off on using New Day on Smackdown until he's 100%.
4. The match ended up being pretty quick. He was out of there quickly enough to be treated.
5. It's a case of the people who have already seen those names are already excited for them. Now it's up to main roster creative to get everyone else on board. Shinsuke plays a lot of mind games, which you'll likely get to see more of when he gets in the ring on Smackdown. His "aura" or whatever is a lot of what makes him work, although he's one hell of a talented wrestler outside of that.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Live Impact Thursday night, new WWE Network content, WWE/NXT live event notes, Mauro announcing outside dates, and Questions on why JBL is still in WWE, WWE changing announcers, a women's MITB, WWE buying Fight Network, and Sabu returning to WWE
Impact Wrestling will have a live-ish edition this week headlined by Lashley vs. James Storm for their world championship. I expect more new names arriving at this week's tapings.
After Raw, WWE Network will feature a new Ride Along with the pairings of Jack Gallagher/Brian Kendrick and Rich Swann/TJ Perkins.
The Dudleys will be the subject of a Beyond the Ring documentary this Friday. I wonder how many people watch Bully/Bubba on WWE Network compared to in ROH.
A WWE live event coming in June got local press. Hopefully that boosts attendance.
The Revival had a babyface moment at an NXT live event this weekend before saying goodbye to the brand. They leave behind quite a legacy there.
- The Revival, Tye Dillinger, and Shinsuke Nakamura all said goodbye at the end of an event Saturday night.
Mauro Ranallo has returned to announcing MMA and will be announcing a boxing event April 22. He's able to take outside assignments as part of his WWE deal, although I don't think that would extend to domestic wrestling promotions (Impact, ROH). It is good that he's back to work. I hope his career goes well from here on out; it's a real shame things didn't work out for him in WWE.
Smackdown's live events this weekend featured talents sent to Raw as part of the superstar shakeup. I'm guessing all the itineraries were already booked a while ago and they didn't want to change so many plans last-minute.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. WWE brass probably doesn't think badly of anything he's done, sadly. Unless there's a public outcry that gets a lot of negative mainstream press toward WWE, he's got a job for life and a Hall of Fame nod waiting for him.
2. Mauro's not coming back, so they're moving on. WWE has employed JBL for a LONG time; they know full well what his history is and they're not going to be alarmed by anything at this point.
3. Let's start with a one-on-one women's ladder match and go from there. I don't want them to (further) overexpose the MITB gimmick.
4. Not great. That'd be a really big investment and I wouldn't think they'd go through with anything like that. They'd rather have networks paying them to show Raw, Smackdown, etc. rather than buying distributors.
5. Not unless he buys a ticket! I'd be very, very surprised to see him wrestle for WWE again at 52.
More wrestling tomorrow.
After Raw, WWE Network will feature a new Ride Along with the pairings of Jack Gallagher/Brian Kendrick and Rich Swann/TJ Perkins.
The Dudleys will be the subject of a Beyond the Ring documentary this Friday. I wonder how many people watch Bully/Bubba on WWE Network compared to in ROH.
A WWE live event coming in June got local press. Hopefully that boosts attendance.
The Revival had a babyface moment at an NXT live event this weekend before saying goodbye to the brand. They leave behind quite a legacy there.
- The Revival, Tye Dillinger, and Shinsuke Nakamura all said goodbye at the end of an event Saturday night.
Mauro Ranallo has returned to announcing MMA and will be announcing a boxing event April 22. He's able to take outside assignments as part of his WWE deal, although I don't think that would extend to domestic wrestling promotions (Impact, ROH). It is good that he's back to work. I hope his career goes well from here on out; it's a real shame things didn't work out for him in WWE.
Smackdown's live events this weekend featured talents sent to Raw as part of the superstar shakeup. I'm guessing all the itineraries were already booked a while ago and they didn't want to change so many plans last-minute.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. WWE brass probably doesn't think badly of anything he's done, sadly. Unless there's a public outcry that gets a lot of negative mainstream press toward WWE, he's got a job for life and a Hall of Fame nod waiting for him.
2. Mauro's not coming back, so they're moving on. WWE has employed JBL for a LONG time; they know full well what his history is and they're not going to be alarmed by anything at this point.
3. Let's start with a one-on-one women's ladder match and go from there. I don't want them to (further) overexpose the MITB gimmick.
4. Not great. That'd be a really big investment and I wouldn't think they'd go through with anything like that. They'd rather have networks paying them to show Raw, Smackdown, etc. rather than buying distributors.
5. Not unless he buys a ticket! I'd be very, very surprised to see him wrestle for WWE again at 52.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Main Event Reax - 4/14/17, WWE Q1 numbers coming, Raw commentary substitute, upcoming ROH matches, ROH Network in the works, Interviews with McIntyre/Bliss/Gas/Charlotte, Raw live event notes, Owens DVD trailer, Impact audience, and Questions on Harper disappearing, a match for non-fans, what closed WM33, Rollins' status, and Punk returning
-- Main Event:
- Big Cass vs. Titus:
I like a good big man match.
Hahahaha Titus just kicking Enzo out of spite.
The action here's not bad at all.
Fine work here.
- Metalik/Dorado vs. Gulak/Nese:
I'm starting to feel like I've seen every 205 Live matchup already. Between Raw, their own show, and Main Event, it's starting to wear thin.
Way too much flippy bullshit in wrestling these days.
That was a really good rana counter on the outside.
Fine enough work so far. It's just an odd mix of a really flippy team against people doing more realistic wrestling.
Glad that ended when it did and the finale wasn't too flashy. It gets old after a while.
WWE will announce its 2017 first quarter earnings on May 4. The fact they're announcing details before the market opens suggests they have news that will benefit their stock. Mania did pretty well for them.
Booker T. will be doing announcing on Raw while David Otunga is off filming a movie. I hope he brings back his fave five for the brief stint.
ROH's May 10 show will feature Christopher Daniels vs. Matt Taven. Whoa. Talk about a really shallow world title scene. I assume NJPW names will be in the spotlight that night.
ROH is developing an online service in the vein of WWE Network. We'll see how that turns out. There are reportedly still talks going on of WWE licensing ROH footage for WWE Network. That could be a big move for ROH, and another questionable and expensive move by WWE as they continue to try to attract "smart" fans.
ROH has announced the following cards:
-- April 28 in Wisconsin:
- The Addiction vs. The Young Bucks
- Silas Young vs. Jay Lethal
- Bully Ray and the Briscoes vs. Dalton Castle and War Machine
- Marty Scurll vs. Delirious
- Adam Cole vs. Jay White
- Beer City Bruiser vs. Shane Taylor vs. Punishment Martinez vs. Cheeseburger
- MCMG vs. Matt Taven/Vinny Marseglia
-- April 29 in Minnesota:
- The Addiction vs. The Young Bucks
- War Machine vs. The Rebellion
- The Briscoes vs. MCMG
- Matt Taven vs. Adam Cole
- Bully Ray vs. Silas Young
- Jay Lethal vs. Beer City Bruiser
- Jay White vs. Punishment Martinez
-- Adam Cole really seems to be slipping down the card, so maybe he is quietly working his final shows before heading to NXT.
Drew McIntyre talked about returning to NXT to WWE.com. As you might expect, no mention of Impact Wrestling but plugs for EVOLVE and ICW.
Alexa Bliss discussed moving to Raw. Great to see so many new, fresh names on Raw and Smackdown.
The Hardys returned to WWE live events this weekend, the first time the duo had worked together on a WWE live event since late 2008.
Pete Gas promoted his new book Friday. It kind of got lost in the hype around Justin Roberts' and AJ Lee's books.
Charlotte Flair talked about heading to Smackdown. I hope we see new things from her character.
Kevin Owens' upcoming DVD got a trailer. He's had one hell of a career.
Impact Wrestling drew 302,000 viewers, pretty much even with the previous week. They put together a pretty big main event for that show. We'll see how Lashley vs. James Storm draws next week.
The superstar shakeup hasn't affected live events yet, as Jinder Mahal, Charlotte, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens all worked a Raw show. Mahal replaced Finn Balor to beat Curtis Axel. I hope Finn doesn't miss much time after all that work for a big comeback.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's difficult to feature so many talents consistently. With the decision to move Bray to Raw, it will be really interesting to see what they do with Luke. I wouldn't think they'd turn him or Randy against each other, so we might just be in for Luke vs. Rowan for a little while. Or I guess they could do a triple threat feud for the WWE Title among Randy, Luke, and Rowan.
2. I can't complain about either of those. The Rock vs. Stone Cold at Wrestlemania 17 is a good one, too, as far as showing a big story that's not about MOVES. More recently, I think Owens vs. Jericho was quite the story at Mania.
3. Reigns vs. Taker made sense to close the show since it was a bigger moment than either world title match. Their match went longer than both world title matches together.
4. He has some superhuman healing capabilities.
5. There has been no movement on either side for Punk to return to wrestling. He's still trying to make it in MMA.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Big Cass vs. Titus:
I like a good big man match.
Hahahaha Titus just kicking Enzo out of spite.
The action here's not bad at all.
Fine work here.
- Metalik/Dorado vs. Gulak/Nese:
I'm starting to feel like I've seen every 205 Live matchup already. Between Raw, their own show, and Main Event, it's starting to wear thin.
Way too much flippy bullshit in wrestling these days.
That was a really good rana counter on the outside.
Fine enough work so far. It's just an odd mix of a really flippy team against people doing more realistic wrestling.
Glad that ended when it did and the finale wasn't too flashy. It gets old after a while.
WWE will announce its 2017 first quarter earnings on May 4. The fact they're announcing details before the market opens suggests they have news that will benefit their stock. Mania did pretty well for them.
Booker T. will be doing announcing on Raw while David Otunga is off filming a movie. I hope he brings back his fave five for the brief stint.
ROH's May 10 show will feature Christopher Daniels vs. Matt Taven. Whoa. Talk about a really shallow world title scene. I assume NJPW names will be in the spotlight that night.
ROH is developing an online service in the vein of WWE Network. We'll see how that turns out. There are reportedly still talks going on of WWE licensing ROH footage for WWE Network. That could be a big move for ROH, and another questionable and expensive move by WWE as they continue to try to attract "smart" fans.
ROH has announced the following cards:
-- April 28 in Wisconsin:
- The Addiction vs. The Young Bucks
- Silas Young vs. Jay Lethal
- Bully Ray and the Briscoes vs. Dalton Castle and War Machine
- Marty Scurll vs. Delirious
- Adam Cole vs. Jay White
- Beer City Bruiser vs. Shane Taylor vs. Punishment Martinez vs. Cheeseburger
- MCMG vs. Matt Taven/Vinny Marseglia
-- April 29 in Minnesota:
- The Addiction vs. The Young Bucks
- War Machine vs. The Rebellion
- The Briscoes vs. MCMG
- Matt Taven vs. Adam Cole
- Bully Ray vs. Silas Young
- Jay Lethal vs. Beer City Bruiser
- Jay White vs. Punishment Martinez
-- Adam Cole really seems to be slipping down the card, so maybe he is quietly working his final shows before heading to NXT.
Drew McIntyre talked about returning to NXT to WWE.com. As you might expect, no mention of Impact Wrestling but plugs for EVOLVE and ICW.
Alexa Bliss discussed moving to Raw. Great to see so many new, fresh names on Raw and Smackdown.
The Hardys returned to WWE live events this weekend, the first time the duo had worked together on a WWE live event since late 2008.
Pete Gas promoted his new book Friday. It kind of got lost in the hype around Justin Roberts' and AJ Lee's books.
Charlotte Flair talked about heading to Smackdown. I hope we see new things from her character.
Kevin Owens' upcoming DVD got a trailer. He's had one hell of a career.
Impact Wrestling drew 302,000 viewers, pretty much even with the previous week. They put together a pretty big main event for that show. We'll see how Lashley vs. James Storm draws next week.
The superstar shakeup hasn't affected live events yet, as Jinder Mahal, Charlotte, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens all worked a Raw show. Mahal replaced Finn Balor to beat Curtis Axel. I hope Finn doesn't miss much time after all that work for a big comeback.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's difficult to feature so many talents consistently. With the decision to move Bray to Raw, it will be really interesting to see what they do with Luke. I wouldn't think they'd turn him or Randy against each other, so we might just be in for Luke vs. Rowan for a little while. Or I guess they could do a triple threat feud for the WWE Title among Randy, Luke, and Rowan.
2. I can't complain about either of those. The Rock vs. Stone Cold at Wrestlemania 17 is a good one, too, as far as showing a big story that's not about MOVES. More recently, I think Owens vs. Jericho was quite the story at Mania.
3. Reigns vs. Taker made sense to close the show since it was a bigger moment than either world title match. Their match went longer than both world title matches together.
4. He has some superhuman healing capabilities.
5. There has been no movement on either side for Punk to return to wrestling. He's still trying to make it in MMA.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, April 14, 2017
2nd generation star working NOAH, Impact making roster plans for next tapings, Interviews with Mojo/Mooney/Flair/AJ Lee, Otunga filming movie role, JBL story gets further press, more TNT on the Network, NXT goodbyes begin, and Questions on WWE taking action regarding JBL, D-Von's whereabouts, not turning Reigns heel, and Cena going Hollywood
Cody Hall has begun work at Pro Wrestling NOAH. He had been working NJPW, but it looks as though he's moved. This theoretically means he can work Impact as part of their working agreement with the Japanese promotion.
Impact is expected to feature more new names at their next tapings. They're really bulking the roster up after all the departures. That's good.
Mojo Rawley addressed WWE's interest in Rob Gronkowski on TMZ Sports. So there's some outside publicity for the connection.
David Otunga will not be part of Raw's announce team for six weeks as he's been cast in a movie role. I wouldn't be surprised to see a certain Oklahoman take his place for those shows.
New York Post covered JBL's alleged bullying. The story has also picked up some steam local to WWE headquarters. Hopefully WWE is pressured into acting soon.
More Tuesday Night Titans episodes should be heading to WWE Network soon.
Sean Mooney discussed his announcing career. It was cool to see him pop up on the Edge & Christian Show.
Ric Flair talked about John Cena hitting 16 World Title runs and more:
- Sadly no mention of the amazing Southpaw Regional Wrestling "Ric Flair impersonator."
- I wholly expected Triple H to hit 17 World Titles by now. I'm not complaining at seeing new faces in the title picture, though. HHH contributes a lot without stepping in the ring.
- Oh yeah, Charlotte will probably hit his record between Raw and Smackdown title reigns. I expect plenty of them in the coming year.
- Plenty of ducked clotheslines. That's not nearly as unbearable as all the superkicks and dives in wrestling, though.
- I think Lethal knows he won't get as far in WWE as he will in ROH. He'd easily be overshadowed by talents at even the NXT level. He's a good talent, but there are a lot better workers out there.
- Seth's work ethic is really, really high. Perhaps dangerously so.
AJ Lee talked to CBS Sports:
- AJ is really tough to have succeeded the way she did.
- I do miss AJ in WWE, but I don't fault her for leaving.
- We had to see a big Bellas comeback. Can we at least get a big AJ run to make up for it?
- I mean, holy shit. That upbringing.
- Punk got sonned SO hard in UFC.
- AJ was really brave to put a lot of that out there.
Tye Dillinger, The Revival, and Shinsuke Nakamura all had moments saying goodbye to NXT at a live event in Georgia Thursday night. We'll see them transition to main roster live events in the weeks and months to come.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Unless it really grows into a situation where they feel like they HAVE to act, I wouldn't be surprised if they kind of just hope it blows over. JBL's pretty well protected; he's not someone they're going to drop unless there's considerable pressure to do so.
2. The Dudleys were set to sign for WWE for another year after Summerslam 2016, with Bubba/Bully turning on D-Von to get a push and D-Von eventually doing what he's doing now, but Bubba wasn't going to get the kind of push he wanted to get, so he elected to go elsewhere. D-Von worked a few farewell dates with him on the indies before taking his current role.
3. People basically said the same things about Cena and he ended up being a big draw. Vince is staying the course with Reigns instead of trying to win over an audience that's notoriously hard to please. It's not like they're going to run out and buy enough Reigns merchandise to compensate losing all those Little Jimmys.
4. I think some of it was Rock really separating from WWE to the point of being billed as Dwayne Johnson with no reference to his WWE moniker. A 2008 issue of Men's Journal went as far as to say The Rock is Dead. So, yeah, it was a little more than "I do movies now." And yes, Cena still works in WWE. He's not leaving it behind at this point.
Nothing to add to 5, other than they do seem to get that one a lot.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Impact is expected to feature more new names at their next tapings. They're really bulking the roster up after all the departures. That's good.
Mojo Rawley addressed WWE's interest in Rob Gronkowski on TMZ Sports. So there's some outside publicity for the connection.
David Otunga will not be part of Raw's announce team for six weeks as he's been cast in a movie role. I wouldn't be surprised to see a certain Oklahoman take his place for those shows.
New York Post covered JBL's alleged bullying. The story has also picked up some steam local to WWE headquarters. Hopefully WWE is pressured into acting soon.
More Tuesday Night Titans episodes should be heading to WWE Network soon.
Sean Mooney discussed his announcing career. It was cool to see him pop up on the Edge & Christian Show.
Ric Flair talked about John Cena hitting 16 World Title runs and more:
- Sadly no mention of the amazing Southpaw Regional Wrestling "Ric Flair impersonator."
- I wholly expected Triple H to hit 17 World Titles by now. I'm not complaining at seeing new faces in the title picture, though. HHH contributes a lot without stepping in the ring.
- Oh yeah, Charlotte will probably hit his record between Raw and Smackdown title reigns. I expect plenty of them in the coming year.
- Plenty of ducked clotheslines. That's not nearly as unbearable as all the superkicks and dives in wrestling, though.
- I think Lethal knows he won't get as far in WWE as he will in ROH. He'd easily be overshadowed by talents at even the NXT level. He's a good talent, but there are a lot better workers out there.
- Seth's work ethic is really, really high. Perhaps dangerously so.
AJ Lee talked to CBS Sports:
- AJ is really tough to have succeeded the way she did.
- I do miss AJ in WWE, but I don't fault her for leaving.
- We had to see a big Bellas comeback. Can we at least get a big AJ run to make up for it?
- I mean, holy shit. That upbringing.
- Punk got sonned SO hard in UFC.
- AJ was really brave to put a lot of that out there.
Tye Dillinger, The Revival, and Shinsuke Nakamura all had moments saying goodbye to NXT at a live event in Georgia Thursday night. We'll see them transition to main roster live events in the weeks and months to come.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Unless it really grows into a situation where they feel like they HAVE to act, I wouldn't be surprised if they kind of just hope it blows over. JBL's pretty well protected; he's not someone they're going to drop unless there's considerable pressure to do so.
2. The Dudleys were set to sign for WWE for another year after Summerslam 2016, with Bubba/Bully turning on D-Von to get a push and D-Von eventually doing what he's doing now, but Bubba wasn't going to get the kind of push he wanted to get, so he elected to go elsewhere. D-Von worked a few farewell dates with him on the indies before taking his current role.
3. People basically said the same things about Cena and he ended up being a big draw. Vince is staying the course with Reigns instead of trying to win over an audience that's notoriously hard to please. It's not like they're going to run out and buy enough Reigns merchandise to compensate losing all those Little Jimmys.
4. I think some of it was Rock really separating from WWE to the point of being billed as Dwayne Johnson with no reference to his WWE moniker. A 2008 issue of Men's Journal went as far as to say The Rock is Dead. So, yeah, it was a little more than "I do movies now." And yes, Cena still works in WWE. He's not leaving it behind at this point.
Nothing to add to 5, other than they do seem to get that one a lot.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
More classic content on the Network, NXT book out, Smackdown delayed next week in Canada, Network gift cards in more carriers, Smackdown audience, new NXT theme, and Questions on the new NXT titles, taking Taker's role backstage, Kassius' look, Roman beating Taker, and WM33 booking
More Prime Time Wrestling is being added to WWE Network. I wonder what the viewership is like for content that old.
WWE's NXT book has been released, putting over HHH's transformation of WWE developmental.
Smackdown won't air live in Canada next week, as an NHL playoffs game will air in its place. The show will air the following night at 7:30 p.m. instead.
WWE Network gift cards are now available at 7-Eleven and Dollar General. WWE is making it ridiculously easy to access their product. I think most fans just don't feel the need to get THAT much wrestling content every month after three hours of Raw and two of Smackdown each week.
Smackdown drew 3.11 million viewers Tuesday night, beating the post-WM33 show and getting the show its largest audience since going live each week. That's an impressive milestone. We'll see what the shakeup means for each show.
NXT debuted a new theme song. Super edgy and underground for the target audience of rebellious manchildren.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I don't think anyone's going to look at a title with WWE logos all over it and think it's the X-Division Championship. Impact has more pressing issues to deal with.
2. I don't think anyone's going to step into that kind of role. The company's mostly moved on from those days, the recent JBL situation notwithstanding.
3. Kassius has earned a reputation of being such a talented performer he can afford to not have an impressive physique. HHH doesn't seem to worry about appealing to the casual fan that much, especially at the NXT level. I don't think it will be a big issue if Ohno can deliver what they ask of him as a wrestler.
4. It absolutely was the right move, as Roman's going to be a big player going forward while Taker is unlikely to wrestle again. Taker took quite a beating in the match, so he went out strong.
5. My only major complaint was Orton beating Bray despite all the mind games. I wasn't thrilled with Dean retaining the IC Title, either, but it made sense after the Superstar Shakeup. I do wish Luke Harper and Braun Strowman were used in bigger roles, but overall it was quite a good show.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE's NXT book has been released, putting over HHH's transformation of WWE developmental.
Smackdown won't air live in Canada next week, as an NHL playoffs game will air in its place. The show will air the following night at 7:30 p.m. instead.
WWE Network gift cards are now available at 7-Eleven and Dollar General. WWE is making it ridiculously easy to access their product. I think most fans just don't feel the need to get THAT much wrestling content every month after three hours of Raw and two of Smackdown each week.
Smackdown drew 3.11 million viewers Tuesday night, beating the post-WM33 show and getting the show its largest audience since going live each week. That's an impressive milestone. We'll see what the shakeup means for each show.
NXT debuted a new theme song. Super edgy and underground for the target audience of rebellious manchildren.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I don't think anyone's going to look at a title with WWE logos all over it and think it's the X-Division Championship. Impact has more pressing issues to deal with.
2. I don't think anyone's going to step into that kind of role. The company's mostly moved on from those days, the recent JBL situation notwithstanding.
3. Kassius has earned a reputation of being such a talented performer he can afford to not have an impressive physique. HHH doesn't seem to worry about appealing to the casual fan that much, especially at the NXT level. I don't think it will be a big issue if Ohno can deliver what they ask of him as a wrestler.
4. It absolutely was the right move, as Roman's going to be a big player going forward while Taker is unlikely to wrestle again. Taker took quite a beating in the match, so he went out strong.
5. My only major complaint was Orton beating Bray despite all the mind games. I wasn't thrilled with Dean retaining the IC Title, either, but it made sense after the Superstar Shakeup. I do wish Luke Harper and Braun Strowman were used in bigger roles, but overall it was quite a good show.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Announcers switch shows, Raw attendance note, NXT name working Raw UK shows, Impact hits big YouTube milestone, another team coming to Impact soon?, choosing Lashley's next challenger, Impact press, new team debuts in ROH, ROH sued over replica titles, Kane mayoral run official, Gotch post-WWE bout set, Superstar Shakeup Part 2, Finn hurt on Raw, and Questions on Angle's first wrestlng matches, WWE stars having insurance, AJ toning down the highspots, butt-based maneuvers, and superfans attending a lot of shows
WWE has announced Byron Saxton and David Otunga will be switching announce teams. Otunga will join Michael Cole and Corey Graves on Raw, while Byron Saxton will work with Tom Phillips and JBL on Smackdown. So, unsurprisingly, JBL will remain employed for at least the time being. I don't expect any big culture changes in WWE unless the Mauro story or Justin Roberts' book get a lot more press.
Monday's Raw was a legitimate sellout. The Nassau Coliseum has been good to WWE for a long time.
Aleister Black, formerly Tommy End, will be working Raw's European live events in May. That's pretty cool. WWE's a lot less rigid about the brand extension lately, with the crossover of UK names and such.
Impact Wrestling has hit 900 million YouTube views. That's really impressive! Their TV ratings aren't the whole story in an increasingly digital world.
Impact tried to get Monsta Mack and Dan Maff to be part of LAX in January, but those two had previous commitments. It's possible the company still uses them at some point.
Impact is asking fans who should challenge Lashley next for the World Championship, with EC3, Matt Morgan, and James Storm being the three options. I expect Alberto El Patron will go for the title at Slammiversary.
Laurel Van Ness got press at Vice Sports. I'm interested to see what the future holds for her.
Allie and Braxton Sutter promoted Impact in Toronto, which is the site of Anthem's headquarters. I expect the brand to get live events in Canada once that kicks off in a bigger way.
(ROH spoiler) Kenny and Mikey of the Spirit Squad debuted at the last TV taping, working that gimmick. They were originally going to appear at the same time as Bully Ray, but the Hardys became available for a brief run and were used instead. I wouldn't have expected that, but I'm all for some variety in the company and the tag team division.
ROH is a defendant in a lawsuit regarding replica championships. One merchandise company is suing the other regarding the use of ROH replica championships, and ROH is being targeted because they allegedly don't own the designs of those physical championships. Not a good situation for ROH to not be in control of their championship designs.
Kane has officially announced running for mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. That would be an AMAZING comedy segment.
- Kane gave an interview shortly afterward. Here are some highlights. I would watch the hell out of Kane vs. Donald Trump at WM34. You talk about a draw!
The former Simon Gotch will be wrestling in the UK come July. So he could be headed to that market regularly once his no-compete clause expires. I could see Impact and ROH being interested. We'll see.
Smackdown picked up the following names as part of the Superstar Shakeup:
- Kevin Owens
- Sami Zayn
- Epico
- Primo
- Jinder Mahal
- Tamina
- Charlotte Flair
- Sin Cara
- Rusev and Lana
- New Day
-- So, both sides saw some names moved into fresh environments. We'll see what it will mean for everyone involved.
Finn Balor suffered a concussion on Raw. I hope he isn't put right back on the shelf. I'd like to see him become an important player going forward.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. The first matches I can find of his were in WWE's developmental program in Massachusetts (World Wrestling Alliance), predating the NWA battle royal by a few months.
2. And thank goodness they do! That's one thing that makes the indies so rough. Quality health care is "a privilege" instead of a right in the U.S..
3. A little of all the above. That's fine. He's made it to the big leagues (Maggle). He doesn't need to do as many flips to be a top guy.
4. Take a few of them if you think they're not worth selling. They're definitely more believable as offense than some of the stuff shown on the indies.
5. Some fans are able to attend a good number of shows that are fairly close by.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday's Raw was a legitimate sellout. The Nassau Coliseum has been good to WWE for a long time.
Aleister Black, formerly Tommy End, will be working Raw's European live events in May. That's pretty cool. WWE's a lot less rigid about the brand extension lately, with the crossover of UK names and such.
Impact Wrestling has hit 900 million YouTube views. That's really impressive! Their TV ratings aren't the whole story in an increasingly digital world.
Impact tried to get Monsta Mack and Dan Maff to be part of LAX in January, but those two had previous commitments. It's possible the company still uses them at some point.
Impact is asking fans who should challenge Lashley next for the World Championship, with EC3, Matt Morgan, and James Storm being the three options. I expect Alberto El Patron will go for the title at Slammiversary.
Laurel Van Ness got press at Vice Sports. I'm interested to see what the future holds for her.
Allie and Braxton Sutter promoted Impact in Toronto, which is the site of Anthem's headquarters. I expect the brand to get live events in Canada once that kicks off in a bigger way.
(ROH spoiler) Kenny and Mikey of the Spirit Squad debuted at the last TV taping, working that gimmick. They were originally going to appear at the same time as Bully Ray, but the Hardys became available for a brief run and were used instead. I wouldn't have expected that, but I'm all for some variety in the company and the tag team division.
ROH is a defendant in a lawsuit regarding replica championships. One merchandise company is suing the other regarding the use of ROH replica championships, and ROH is being targeted because they allegedly don't own the designs of those physical championships. Not a good situation for ROH to not be in control of their championship designs.
Kane has officially announced running for mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. That would be an AMAZING comedy segment.
- Kane gave an interview shortly afterward. Here are some highlights. I would watch the hell out of Kane vs. Donald Trump at WM34. You talk about a draw!
The former Simon Gotch will be wrestling in the UK come July. So he could be headed to that market regularly once his no-compete clause expires. I could see Impact and ROH being interested. We'll see.
Smackdown picked up the following names as part of the Superstar Shakeup:
- Kevin Owens
- Sami Zayn
- Epico
- Primo
- Jinder Mahal
- Tamina
- Charlotte Flair
- Sin Cara
- Rusev and Lana
- New Day
-- So, both sides saw some names moved into fresh environments. We'll see what it will mean for everyone involved.
Finn Balor suffered a concussion on Raw. I hope he isn't put right back on the shelf. I'd like to see him become an important player going forward.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. The first matches I can find of his were in WWE's developmental program in Massachusetts (World Wrestling Alliance), predating the NWA battle royal by a few months.
2. And thank goodness they do! That's one thing that makes the indies so rough. Quality health care is "a privilege" instead of a right in the U.S..
3. A little of all the above. That's fine. He's made it to the big leagues (Maggle). He doesn't need to do as many flips to be a top guy.
4. Take a few of them if you think they're not worth selling. They're definitely more believable as offense than some of the stuff shown on the indies.
5. Some fans are able to attend a good number of shows that are fairly close by.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 4/11/17
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
ROH goes "uncensored," new WWE correspondent, Alberto vs. WWE press, Drew's NXT deal note, ROH name done and heading to NXT?, WWE shows live in Japan with native commentary, top NJPW name injured, Impact PPV this week, Impact touring update, Kofi to miss time, Bray vs. Orton updates, WWE sues movie pirates, special WWE shirt for Raw, Heyman on Taker jumping from WCW, Superstar Shakeup Part 1, new Team 3D facility opens, Paige return update, Payback matches set, Angle DVD release date, WWE-Universal contest, and Questions on how cool it is to boo Roman, nuclear heat for Reigns, Vader in the HoF, and Nakamura's ceiling
ROH's April 28 event in Wisconsin is now an "uncensored" event of "non-sanctioned matches," which is a gimmicky way of saying they'll add a little hardcore to the usual bullshit spotfests. I miss when stipulation matches were used to pay off big feuds instead of just being arbitrarily added to matches and events in advance.
- ROH has set The Addiction vs. Young Bucks and Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young for the event. Same old, same old.
WWE has signed correspondent Christy St. Olson from AfterbuzzTV. She is already starting in Orlando. WWE is really stacking up on interviewers/correspondents.
Alberto El Patron's recent WWE rant was picked up by The Sun and The Mirror. Vince McMahon actually contacted him to return to WWE before his Impact debut. I really don't think it would have been a wise move to bring him back given his outside-the-ring reputation lately.
Drew McIntyre has a one-year deal for NXT. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see him head to the main roster after WM34.
Lio Rush was recently backstage at Raw, as WWE is interested in bringing him in for NXT. He finished with ROH at this weekend's TV taping. I'd rather not see him in NXT. There's only so much room for flippy guys. WWE really needs to curtail the trend of so many smaller agile guys. They have their place, but the wrestling business is at a saturation point of them.
Raw and Smackdown are now available in Japan live with Japanese commentary. That's a really good move as WWE continues to make strides in Asia.
NJPW's Katsuyori Shibata underwent emergency surgery after his bout with Kazuchika Okada this weekend. Is a "five-star match" worth being headbutted so hard you go to the hospital? This mentality really needs to stop.
Impact will debut the Victory Road One Night Only PPV this Friday, which is more or less a live event as far as continuity goes.
Impact is planning to tour the U.S. east coast this summer. It will be good for them to get back on the road as they try to rebuild the company.
Kofi Kingston is set to miss a few weeks of action following the storyline attack from The Revival during their Raw debut. I'm excited for Wilder and Dawson on the main roster.
- Kofi wasn't at Raw to sell the attack.
WWE has put together a survey seeking feedback for the House of Horrors match between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. Sounds like they're still putting the idea together. It will look pretty bad for Bray if he can't beat Orton in a match he gets to make the rules for!!
WWE is suing a number of Internet users for illegally downloading WWE Studios' Eliminators featuring Bad News Barrett. WWE doesn't make a ton of money from those releases, and the movies being distributed online only cuts further into their revenue.
Bray Wyatt's rematch with Randy Orton is set for Raw's Payback PPV. Orton will still be part of Smackdown after that event, and I wouldn't be surprised if the WWE Title stays there, too.
WWE sold a special T-shirt for returning to the Nassau Coliseum. It's had a lot of history for WWE.
Paul Heyman discussed The Undertaker leaving WCW for WWF. Talk about a pivotal moment in modern wrestling history.
The following talents moved to Raw as the first half of the Superstar Shakeup:
- Apollo Crews
- The Miz and Maryse
- Dean Ambrose
- Curt Hawkins
- Bray Wyatt
- Kalisto
- Heath Slater
- Rhyno
- Alexa Bliss
- Mickie James
- (Elias Samson wandered around in the crowd for a while, so presumably he's there, too.)
-- That's more "shaking up" than I expected! We'll see what Raw gets in exchange. I would probably have put money on AJ Styles switching shows, and Aiden English would have made a good deal of sense. I'm especially interested to see what this will mean for the IC and U.S. Championships.
Bully Ray has officially opened a new Team 3D training facility in Connecticut. Bully, Tommy Dreamer, and Velvet Sky were all on hand to enroll students. Holy shit! Velvet Sky is training wrestlers???? Certainly she could teach them more than I can, but I don't think she's at that level yet. Although with Tommy Dreamer involved, maybe she'll be alright. I assume Bully will mainly operate out of the Florida branch; I'm not sure what D-Von's status is given his role as a WWE producer.
Paige is scheduled to be cleared to return to the ring this summer following neck surgery. I'll be quite surprised if she ends up getting back in a WWE ring, but I felt about the same way regarding AJ Lee after C.M. Punk retired and she did end up wrestling a little while longer.
Neville vs. Austin Aries is official for Payback. I'm sure they'll have another great back.
Kurt Angle's WWE DVD will release on August 1. It's a shame they won't have access to a lot of his Impact matches, but maybe we'll see him face Samoa Joe again soon.
WWE is running a contest to go to Universal Studios with Enzo Amore and Big Cass. That could be a lot of fun.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. A lot of people booing Reigns are definitely in their adolescent rebellion stage. They're really sticking it to THE MAN by paying hundreds of dollars to go to WWE shows and reacting to Reigns more than cruiserweight matches and a main event featuring Owens, Joe, Rollins, and Balor.
2. That would have been AMAZING to kick off Raw after WM33. Start with a GONG then reveal it's Roman in the ring. I like the idea of him staying something of a face while still drawing boos from the super cool antihero rebels spending hundreds of dollars to attend a show they supposedly hate. Roman might never have a ***** match, but Vince will laugh all the way to the bank. I just hope HHH doesn't ruin the WWE way of doing things by trying to turn the promotion into ROH.
3. He's very talented!
4. It could have been that they didn't want to highlight the shape Vader is in now, which is pretty tragic. It will really be sad if they wait until he's gone to give him a big honor.
5.We know Shinsuke can get over with the uberfans who can name every time Meltzer gave him more than ****, but he's got his work cut out for him being a big star. I think he can be a world champion, but I'm not ready to say much more than that without seeing what he can do in WWE's way of doing things. At some point, the hipsters are going to turn on him like they've done every other Internet favorite. Will the larger WWE audience accept him enough for him to be a hit without them behind him?
More wrestling tomorrow.
- ROH has set The Addiction vs. Young Bucks and Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young for the event. Same old, same old.
WWE has signed correspondent Christy St. Olson from AfterbuzzTV. She is already starting in Orlando. WWE is really stacking up on interviewers/correspondents.
Alberto El Patron's recent WWE rant was picked up by The Sun and The Mirror. Vince McMahon actually contacted him to return to WWE before his Impact debut. I really don't think it would have been a wise move to bring him back given his outside-the-ring reputation lately.
Drew McIntyre has a one-year deal for NXT. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see him head to the main roster after WM34.
Lio Rush was recently backstage at Raw, as WWE is interested in bringing him in for NXT. He finished with ROH at this weekend's TV taping. I'd rather not see him in NXT. There's only so much room for flippy guys. WWE really needs to curtail the trend of so many smaller agile guys. They have their place, but the wrestling business is at a saturation point of them.
Raw and Smackdown are now available in Japan live with Japanese commentary. That's a really good move as WWE continues to make strides in Asia.
NJPW's Katsuyori Shibata underwent emergency surgery after his bout with Kazuchika Okada this weekend. Is a "five-star match" worth being headbutted so hard you go to the hospital? This mentality really needs to stop.
Impact will debut the Victory Road One Night Only PPV this Friday, which is more or less a live event as far as continuity goes.
Impact is planning to tour the U.S. east coast this summer. It will be good for them to get back on the road as they try to rebuild the company.
Kofi Kingston is set to miss a few weeks of action following the storyline attack from The Revival during their Raw debut. I'm excited for Wilder and Dawson on the main roster.
- Kofi wasn't at Raw to sell the attack.
WWE has put together a survey seeking feedback for the House of Horrors match between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. Sounds like they're still putting the idea together. It will look pretty bad for Bray if he can't beat Orton in a match he gets to make the rules for!!
WWE is suing a number of Internet users for illegally downloading WWE Studios' Eliminators featuring Bad News Barrett. WWE doesn't make a ton of money from those releases, and the movies being distributed online only cuts further into their revenue.
Bray Wyatt's rematch with Randy Orton is set for Raw's Payback PPV. Orton will still be part of Smackdown after that event, and I wouldn't be surprised if the WWE Title stays there, too.
WWE sold a special T-shirt for returning to the Nassau Coliseum. It's had a lot of history for WWE.
Paul Heyman discussed The Undertaker leaving WCW for WWF. Talk about a pivotal moment in modern wrestling history.
The following talents moved to Raw as the first half of the Superstar Shakeup:
- Apollo Crews
- The Miz and Maryse
- Dean Ambrose
- Curt Hawkins
- Bray Wyatt
- Kalisto
- Heath Slater
- Rhyno
- Alexa Bliss
- Mickie James
- (Elias Samson wandered around in the crowd for a while, so presumably he's there, too.)
-- That's more "shaking up" than I expected! We'll see what Raw gets in exchange. I would probably have put money on AJ Styles switching shows, and Aiden English would have made a good deal of sense. I'm especially interested to see what this will mean for the IC and U.S. Championships.
Bully Ray has officially opened a new Team 3D training facility in Connecticut. Bully, Tommy Dreamer, and Velvet Sky were all on hand to enroll students. Holy shit! Velvet Sky is training wrestlers???? Certainly she could teach them more than I can, but I don't think she's at that level yet. Although with Tommy Dreamer involved, maybe she'll be alright. I assume Bully will mainly operate out of the Florida branch; I'm not sure what D-Von's status is given his role as a WWE producer.
Paige is scheduled to be cleared to return to the ring this summer following neck surgery. I'll be quite surprised if she ends up getting back in a WWE ring, but I felt about the same way regarding AJ Lee after C.M. Punk retired and she did end up wrestling a little while longer.
Neville vs. Austin Aries is official for Payback. I'm sure they'll have another great back.
Kurt Angle's WWE DVD will release on August 1. It's a shame they won't have access to a lot of his Impact matches, but maybe we'll see him face Samoa Joe again soon.
WWE is running a contest to go to Universal Studios with Enzo Amore and Big Cass. That could be a lot of fun.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. A lot of people booing Reigns are definitely in their adolescent rebellion stage. They're really sticking it to THE MAN by paying hundreds of dollars to go to WWE shows and reacting to Reigns more than cruiserweight matches and a main event featuring Owens, Joe, Rollins, and Balor.
2. That would have been AMAZING to kick off Raw after WM33. Start with a GONG then reveal it's Roman in the ring. I like the idea of him staying something of a face while still drawing boos from the super cool antihero rebels spending hundreds of dollars to attend a show they supposedly hate. Roman might never have a ***** match, but Vince will laugh all the way to the bank. I just hope HHH doesn't ruin the WWE way of doing things by trying to turn the promotion into ROH.
3. He's very talented!
4. It could have been that they didn't want to highlight the shape Vader is in now, which is pretty tragic. It will really be sad if they wait until he's gone to give him a big honor.
5.We know Shinsuke can get over with the uberfans who can name every time Meltzer gave him more than ****, but he's got his work cut out for him being a big star. I think he can be a world champion, but I'm not ready to say much more than that without seeing what he can do in WWE's way of doing things. At some point, the hipsters are going to turn on him like they've done every other Internet favorite. Will the larger WWE audience accept him enough for him to be a hit without them behind him?
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Superstar shakeup note, Interviews with ROH head/Kane, Canada finally gets Network VOD, and Questions on AJ vs. Nakamura, Konnan's legacy, Finn's future, Nakamura's WWE debut, Ziggler's status, and Bray's future
The Superstar shakeup will continue on Smackdown. We could be in for a number of important changes from the looks of things.
Joe Koff discussed many ROH topics:
- The Hardys and WM33 weekend REALLY made a difference for SCOH attendance. They've got their work cut out for them drawing big crowds when they can't rely on people from other promotions.
- Crazy that some of those matches got great reviews. Not shocking, though.
- Ummmmmm.... yes, a lot of people were there because Mania was there, too. Other than Bucks/Hardys, the show was blown out of the water by WWE and NXT's offerings.
- Where does ROH go next with no Hardys and potentially no Adam Cole? They can only rely so much on international stars.
- It absolutely was a story that WWE was talking with ROH. Some stretched what was there, but there's more to it than "WWE wanted some content for a Kevin Owens DVD."
- I'm glad Daniels got such a big nod.
- "Yeah we're the place to do flippy moves. Meltzer loves us."
- Bully's in ROH because WWE and Impact wouldn't push him. The Hardys were just there to get some dates before heading back to WWE.
- ROH needs some more veterans working with some of the incredibly green, rough performers in the company.
- Daniels could be a big player behind-the-scenes.
- Whoa. Koff pretty much burying people for leaving for better pastures. I hope WWE picks up some of the talents ROH has lost lately.
- ROH flopped on DA. I don't know if anyone else will take a chance on it unless Meltzer buys a TV network.
WWE Network in Canada is now offering on-demand content as well. WWE really screwed their fans up north with the deal they made there.
Kane gave another interview in the Middle East. From Corporate Kane to Casual Kane and soon Candidate Kane!
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Dave's idea sounds like a great way to crash ratings. WWE isn't ROH and they shouldn't try to recreate the business model of a niche promotion. WWE needs to focus on drawing a big crowd rather than trying to get a match rated *****(*) by Meltzer. AJ and Nakamura aren't mainstream stars at the level of Cena or Orton, and they're probably not going to be even with a push all year. I like both of them and want them both to be pushed, but WWE already caters to the vocal minority way too much (to the detriment of ratings). I'd like them to be important players but not THE important players.
2. An important figure behind-the-scenes of the Mexican scene in the past and today.
3. Kind of funny to see Dave criticize the fans he's more or less helped cultivate (see question 1). I think Reigns vs. Brock can be saved for WM34. Finn vs. Brock is an idea for before then. They really want to coronate Roman, so we're pretty much stuck with him beating Brock for the title at WM34. The hipsters can throw beachballs all they want; Vince isn't going to let HHH turn the product into ROH just yet.
4. a. Showing up to do weird things is pretty much what Shinsuke does. It's kind of a mind game thing. I guess it's like if Taker showed up and dimmed the lights or something like that. We'll see what comes of it; it's possible Miz heads to Raw and we don't end up seeing that feud anyway.
b. Ziggler should have lost the career match and taken some time off. It doesn't matter which show they put him on or whom they put him up against; he's still the same guy he's been for years. He works hard, but at some point it's time to completely go back to the drawing board.
5. I'm guessing he's going to be involved in the WWE Title picture some more, and then maybe he'll face Nakamura? They're not going to forget about him.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Joe Koff discussed many ROH topics:
- The Hardys and WM33 weekend REALLY made a difference for SCOH attendance. They've got their work cut out for them drawing big crowds when they can't rely on people from other promotions.
- Crazy that some of those matches got great reviews. Not shocking, though.
- Ummmmmm.... yes, a lot of people were there because Mania was there, too. Other than Bucks/Hardys, the show was blown out of the water by WWE and NXT's offerings.
- Where does ROH go next with no Hardys and potentially no Adam Cole? They can only rely so much on international stars.
- It absolutely was a story that WWE was talking with ROH. Some stretched what was there, but there's more to it than "WWE wanted some content for a Kevin Owens DVD."
- I'm glad Daniels got such a big nod.
- "Yeah we're the place to do flippy moves. Meltzer loves us."
- Bully's in ROH because WWE and Impact wouldn't push him. The Hardys were just there to get some dates before heading back to WWE.
- ROH needs some more veterans working with some of the incredibly green, rough performers in the company.
- Daniels could be a big player behind-the-scenes.
- Whoa. Koff pretty much burying people for leaving for better pastures. I hope WWE picks up some of the talents ROH has lost lately.
- ROH flopped on DA. I don't know if anyone else will take a chance on it unless Meltzer buys a TV network.
WWE Network in Canada is now offering on-demand content as well. WWE really screwed their fans up north with the deal they made there.
Kane gave another interview in the Middle East. From Corporate Kane to Casual Kane and soon Candidate Kane!
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Dave's idea sounds like a great way to crash ratings. WWE isn't ROH and they shouldn't try to recreate the business model of a niche promotion. WWE needs to focus on drawing a big crowd rather than trying to get a match rated *****(*) by Meltzer. AJ and Nakamura aren't mainstream stars at the level of Cena or Orton, and they're probably not going to be even with a push all year. I like both of them and want them both to be pushed, but WWE already caters to the vocal minority way too much (to the detriment of ratings). I'd like them to be important players but not THE important players.
2. An important figure behind-the-scenes of the Mexican scene in the past and today.
3. Kind of funny to see Dave criticize the fans he's more or less helped cultivate (see question 1). I think Reigns vs. Brock can be saved for WM34. Finn vs. Brock is an idea for before then. They really want to coronate Roman, so we're pretty much stuck with him beating Brock for the title at WM34. The hipsters can throw beachballs all they want; Vince isn't going to let HHH turn the product into ROH just yet.
4. a. Showing up to do weird things is pretty much what Shinsuke does. It's kind of a mind game thing. I guess it's like if Taker showed up and dimmed the lights or something like that. We'll see what comes of it; it's possible Miz heads to Raw and we don't end up seeing that feud anyway.
b. Ziggler should have lost the career match and taken some time off. It doesn't matter which show they put him on or whom they put him up against; he's still the same guy he's been for years. He works hard, but at some point it's time to completely go back to the drawing board.
5. I'm guessing he's going to be involved in the WWE Title picture some more, and then maybe he'll face Nakamura? They're not going to forget about him.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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