Brock plans in flux, top ROH team on the market, Bullet Club merch expands in U.S., Impact name returning soon, WWE Indian show clarification, another potential WWE biopic, Shirai-WWE update, Kidd gets new role for WWE, French commentators return to WWE, NOAH team set for Slammiversary, Interview with Mordecai, another Cena live event, Kelly-NJPW update, Impact hype, Impact-LU-AAA note, Rock praises WWE signing, more on '97 DVD, new Mae Classic competitor, former Impact name debuts for NXT, and Questions on Kidd's in-ring future, WWE's female referees, ROH on UK TV, and Raw dropping back to two hours

Brock Lesnar was tentatively planned to defend the Universal Championship against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor on the road to Wrestlemania 34, but things have really changed for Summerslam season. It's entirely possible he loses the championship at either GBOF or Summerslam. 

War Machine are free agents. They're continuing to take bookings for NJPW, but their futures are somewhat up in the air beyond that. They could certainly contribute to NXT in a few months if ROH doesn't lock them into a deal. 

Bullet Club merchandise will be available in more Hot Topic stores a few weeks from now, as well as the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Cody also having individual shirts nationwide. The faction getting over at that level is very impressive; their popularity transcends the promotions they work for as no other ROH or NJPW talents have that kind of reach in the U.S.

Grado will be returning to Impact Wrestling soon, as his work visa issues have been taken care of and he's under a new contract. 

WWE's new Indian studio show will be replacing a two-hour version of Raw in its timeslot. So, this isn't a case of WWE getting a new deal in the market.

WWE is considering a Mae Young movie project to really establish her place in wrestling history. This would fit with the branding of their women's tournament.

Io Shirai will be taking time off due to a neck injury, delaying her expected WWE signing and debut for a few months. Hopefully she'll be able to recover and make a big splash later this year. She and Kairi Hojo could essentially take over for Asuka in NXT so the current champion can finally move to the main roster.

Tyson Kidd will now be working as a producer on the main roster. It's good to see him doing something important considering he's been under contract for quite some time without being used following his injury two years ago.

- Kidd was at both Raw and Smackdown this past week to observe and prepare himself for his new full-time role. I'm glad he's jumping into it.

Jess Brassard will join Raymond Rougeau for WWE Network's French commentary. The pair did announcing for the company in the mid-'90s when WWE had a French show for Quebec and France. That's pretty cool.

NOAH's Naomichi Marufuji and Taiji Ishimori will also compete for Impact's tag team championship at Slammiversary. Good to see Impact's working agreements paying dividends for their big anniversary.

Jeff Jarrett appeared on the Welcome to Connecticut podcast as further promotion for Impact's return to live events.

The former Mordecai/Kevin Thorn discussed his work in WWE:

- I thought he had a lot of talent and the gimmicks had a lot of potential.

- I'd like to see more characters in WWE, but it looks like HHH wants to move from sports entertainment back to wrestling.

- I can see Vince really getting behind a holier-than-thou heel.

- Man, I'm going to miss some of the smoke and mirrors stuff, although Taker's character had gotten really stale.

- I can see why Vince didn't want to use Fertig after he gave the company a black eye.

- I don't see WWE bringing him back at 40, but they've surprised me with picking up veterans before.

WWE is now selling Shinsuke Nakamura replica jackets. Those are pretty cool.

John Cena will be working a Smackdown live event on July 31. I wonder if we'll see any further free agents in the coming months.

Cody talked to Busted Open on SiriusXM before the big NJPW show. He's really become an important player in wrestling the last few months.

Kevin Kelly will be working NJPW's Californian shows in a backstage capacity. Should NJPW continue to expand in the States, I can see further ROH (and Impact?) names joining the promotion in different roles. 

Joseph Park "crashed" an Impact conference call to try to get Scott Steiner to call off their Slammiversary match. That's AMAZING. They're clearly having a lot of fun with this. 

Impact booked Drago and Hijo Del Fantasma through AAA rather than through Lucha Underground. There's no working agreement between Impact and LU at this time, and Hijo Del Fantasma won't be able to work as King Cuerno on Impact TV due to LU owning the rights to that character. It will be interesting to see if AAA names try to build a future with Impact given LU's unknown status for a Season 4.

Triple H put over Raw, NXT, and Smackdown all being headlined by big women's matches this week. I definitely expect further growth for women in WWE in the years to come given initiatives like the Mae Young Classic and the signing of established female performers for NXT.

The Rock put over Thea Trinidad's WWE signing. Impact's going to look like they dropped the ball on her if she ends up doing well for herself. 

WWE's Dawn of Attitude DVD will feature 19 matches from 1997. WWE has gotten a LOT of mileage out of the Monday Night War era, but apparently people continue to want more!

Dakota Kai, formerly Evie from New Zealand, is officially part of the Mae Young Classic. She's been part of the WWEPC since January.

The former Gunner debuted for NXT in a loss to No Way Jose in Florida. He's currently wrestling under his real name of Chad Lail. I'm curious how he'll do in NXT. Kai also made her live event debut on this show as part of a six-woman tag.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I expect he's done as a wrestler, moving into working full-time as a producer. There's no indication WWE's looking to clear him to return to the ring.

2. Kennadi is being hired specifically as a referee, like Drake Weurtz before her.

3. Hopefully having good attendance for their upcoming UK tour will help them in that endeavor.

4. It will depend on what NBCU's goals are and how their other shows are doing come renewal time. They'd rather have three hours of Raw do what they're doing now than two hours of Raw and an hour of something else not do as well.

Nothing to add to 5.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Impact Wrestling Reax - 6/29/17

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

Interview with Moose, Bram update, assorted WWE press, Smackdown visitor, Kidd-WWE update, Anthem picks up GFW, new NXT pre-show, more Y2J coming, Smackdown audience, Cena on more Raw events, Brock working Smackdown live event, and Questions on Rollins' feuds, ROH growing, Impact pushing GFW, and Steiner's HoF criticisms

Moose promoted Slammiversary:
- Jarrett has a knack for getting people from outside of the Impact bubble. That's a good strength to have.

- Oh yeah, they definitely don't want a repeat of the Pacman Jones situation where he couldn't do anything physical because the NFL didn't want him getting hurt. That was bad.

- I hope Gronk realizes there's a world of difference between the occasional celebrity match and being a wrestler full-time.

- Dixie's lack of wrestling expertise was definitely a problem. She tried to surround herself with people who knew what they were doing, but it ended up pulling her all over the place.

- I'd love to see Impact work with other companies more, but there's always the problem of "my wrestler has to look better than your wrestler."

Bram gave a health update from an Italian hospital.  He's really been out of the picture for Impact. Maybe the two sides will get back on track for the road to BFG.

Bayley was on Steve Austin's podcast recently, Charlotte joined Edge & Christian on their show, and Baron Corbin was a guest on "Talk is Jericho." I'm glad WWE's letting their talent appear in those kinds of contexts; they used to have a tighter leash on what talents can say and where.

Tyson Kidd was backstage at Smackdown, the first WWE event he's attended since his injury two years ago. He'll be returning to "Total Divas," so he and WWE are working together again. That's great news. I'm glad the cold war between the two sides might be thawing.

The former Victoria was at Smackdown, too. I'd like to see her get picked up in a backstage role if she's interested. She still takes bookings as a wrestler, but I don't think WWE would use her as a regular at 46.

Rusev was backstage at Smackdown, but not used. With Jinder, Owens, and Corbin getting pushes, he's kind of stuck as a heel. As a face, he'd have to compete with Cena, Orton, Shinsuke, AJ, Harper, and Sami Zayn. Rusev and Rowan would make a good monster tag team if they want to go that route.

Anthem Media has officially acquired GFW, appointing Jeff Jarrett as part of its board of managers and equity owner. Basically GFW is going to officially merge with Impact at Slammiversary with the titles being combined under the Impact name. I expect Impact will do whatever live events GFW would have been doing, paired with other companies or just under the Impact name with former GFW talents folded into their roster.

NXT is getting a weekly pre-show with interviews, news, etc. That's pretty cool. Cathy Kelley has really made herself valuable as a face of WWE.

Chris Jericho, Hideo Itami, and Asuka were all part of Raw's live event in Singapore. Itami beat Jericho, and Asuka teamed with Sasha Banks & Bayley to beat Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, & Emma.

- Jericho will also work WWE's Australian tour from September 14 through September 16. I'm sure he'll find his way back on WWE TV sooner rather than later.

Smackdown drew 2.60 million viewers Tuesday, right in line with the previous week's number and a big leap from the show before MITB.

John Cena is set for Raw live events on August 12 and August 13. He's going to be all over the place as a free agent!

Brock Lesnar vs. Baron Corbin (!) for the WWE Universal Championship is set for Smackdown's July 29 show, WWE's last event at the Joe Louis Arena. Baron working for Raw's top title on a Smackdown show is pretty big, but I wouldn't really read anything into it beyond having a big final attraction for that venue.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Bray targeted Seth, so they're feuding for now, but Rollins could turn his sights back on Joe or someone else after GBOF/Summerslam.

2. ROH is content to be the niche promotion for people who want an alternative to WWE. If they do want to become major players, they'd have to throw a lot of money at the endeavor and compete with what other companies can offer in terms of exposure and opportunities.

3. Impact wanted to use producers who were also active wrestlers, and have talents who use Impact as their home base instead of, say, the UK scene. Jarrett has a lot of connections to talents he trusts due to GFW, and he's smart to take advantage of that.

4. I strongly doubt it. There's never been anything to indicate GFW was going to get a bigger push than Impact. Once their titles are unified with Impact's, I expect the GFW brand will more or less fade away. They just wanted to get the most out of that brand on the road to Slammiversary instead of throwing its legacy away.

5. Well, considering Scott's in neither, I don't think he's sparing Impact from the criticism he threw at WWE. I would like to see a physical WWE Hall of Fame at some point, but I think it's still a big honor to be considered part of that elite group.

More wrestling tomorrow.

NXT and ROH Reax - 6/28/17

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

Raw notes, MMA celebrity and Orlando mayor in Impact, Interview with Rollins, new WWE commentator, new WWE merch, Sheamus set for WWE Studios project, World Class coming to Network soon, WWE promoting GBOF, Cornette-Russo update, Raw audience, and Questions on Rusev's whereabouts, Corbin's cash-in, Vince "hating NXT," Maryse's wrestling credentials, and the Titus Brand

The L.A. Times covered the Lakers-themed MizTV segment in a pretty negative light. That whole situation was a pretty big mess. The sooner we put it in the past, the better.

Christy Hemme, Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, Eve Torres, Lilian Garcia, Sharmell, and Nick Mondo all visited at Raw. WWE always gets a lot of visitors in L.A.

Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt is official for Great Balls of Fire, with Seth accepting Bray's challenge after Raw went off the air. I'm sure they'll deliver like they always do.

King Mo will be in Lashley's corner at Slammiversary. I wouldn't be shocked to see more attempted MMA crossovers down the line.

Seth Rollins talked about The Shield and more. I think things might have cooled off for The Shield vs. Finn and The Club. WWE would really have to reset Karl and Luke given their lackluster run so far; they haven't come across as a dominant force at the Shield's level.

WWE has signed Raymond Rougeau to do French announcing on WWE Network broadcasts beginning with GBOF. Expanding to other languages will be key for growing international audiences.

WWE will have a line of 3:16 shirts for various cities in line with the Suplex City shirts. They should do the same for RKO Outta _________.

Sheamus will be part of a WWE Studios film directed by Transformers' Josh Duhamel. They were backstage together at Raw.

WWE Network is looking to upload a significant amount of World Class Championship Wrestling footage this summer. So, that's their next classic promotion to focus on.

WWE is uploading full Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe matches to YouTube to promote Great Balls of Fire. ROH should do something similar for their former world champion. On that note, Joe could end GBOF with his resume listing him as top champion for WWE, Impact, ROH, and NXT. That's amazing.

Orlando's mayor has declared July 5 "Impact Wrestling Day" in the city, and he'll be part of the company's TV taping that day. This is part of Impact celebrating 15 years in existence, as much of that history has been taped in Orlando.

Jim Cornette has indicated he'll dial back his rhetoric on Vince Russo after being served with an order of protection. I hope that's true, because the whole affair has been exhausting to follow.

Raw drew 2.98 million viewers Monday, which isn't a huge drop from the previous week. The post-GBOF show will really be important for its fallout of Brock-Joe and Roman-Strowman.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Jinder, Baron, and Owens getting pushes has seemingly put him to the side for now. I'd be down for him coming back and wrecking Breezango, since they're tracking a mystery right now.

2. My tentative idea is Cena beating Jinder at the Rumble and Corbin taking the historic 17th title win right away from him. That would make a much bigger splash than screwing AJ. Heck, AJ could win the Rumble and challenge Corbin at Mania if they really wanted to give Styles a rub.

3. Maybe NXT really isn't that much of a success if they're not becoming stars on the main roster, since it's supposed to be developmental instead of HHH's Dirtsheet Approved Super Indie. Surely if these talents are so amazing, filling the roster with them and "just letting them go out there and show how good they are" these past few years would mean an increase in ratings instead of the opposite? If anything, Vince has bent over backward to appease the "smark" audience with green-lighting so many big expenses for HHH's vision.

4. Probably the latter. She's just an addition to Miz's act now; he's where the focus is.

5. I think it's just the latest iteration of the idea of the boisterous manager trying to get himself all the attention and glory.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 6/27/17

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.

Assorted WWE+Impact press, Interviews with DDP/Cody, Arn training session, Mae Young commentator and schedule set, LU names working Slammiversary, Revival in action again, what happened after Raw, and Questions on Brock's affect on WWE ratings, Roman the tweener, Kassius taking Tye's NXT spot, booking Joe vs. Brock, and Bryan getting back in the ring

WWE put out a video for Eid, a Muslim holiday. That's a great outreach to the expanding Middle Eastern audience.

DDP discussed wrestling's appeal in the South. Big sporting events in general do pretty well in the country.

There was a "Los Angeles 3:16" shirt available at Raw last night. Stone Cold was in attendance, but did not appear before the live crowd.

Arn Anderson will be doing a training seminar in Ohio in July. That's a great opportunity given his connections to WWE.

Lita will be joining Jim Ross to call the Mae Young Classic. That's awesome. I'm glad a woman is in a prominent position for the women's tournament. Hopefully female referees will also be part of the endeavor.

- The Mae Young Classic will debut four episodes on August 28, four more episodes on September 4, and close with live finals after Smackdown on September 12. There will be no episode of 205 Live that week, as the tournament will tape from the site of Smackdown. This will be a really big stage for a number of women, and I wholly expect WWE to pick up some new signings from the big endeavor.

- A Bracketology special will debut immediately after Summerslam. That's a bold choice considering how much other wrestling will be on the Network that weekend.

LAX will defend the Impact Tag Team Championship against three international teams at Slammiversary. The first team will be LU stars Drago & Hijo del Fantasma.

Jeff and Karen Jarrett got press for appearing at a baseball game to promote Impact live events.

Adweek put Stephanie McMahon over for her rebranding efforts in WWE. We're definitely seeing her become more prominent in the business world.

Cody responded to Daniel Bryan's suggestion of an ROH Title match and more in an interview:
- Cody vs. Bryan would definitely be a big draw by non-WWE standards given their WWE exposure.

- Wow. Cody's a tough guy to go throw that many grueling matches.

- ROH has their work cut out for them following Cody's title reign. I'm thinking Kazarian would be a good choice to consider, unless they want to really stretch things out and have Dalton beat him in 2018.

- ROH does have some great matches when everything aligns. They're hit and miss, though.

- Omega and Okada are two of the biggest stars in wrestling.

- Man, imagine Cody returning to WWE in 2019ish and ending Goldust's career.

- I love Dusty wanting Cody to get over on his own.

- Fans will turn on NJPW if/when it gets more popular in the U.S. in favor of something else that's not mainstream.

Kevin Owens' DVD has a new trailer. He's already a big player there.

Pete Gas promoted his book. I'm an unironic MSP mark.

WWE is doing a promotion with Combos. I like them being able to reach out to brands like that.

The Revival returned to action on this week's Main Event. I look forward to seeing more of them.

Seth Rollins beat Bray Wyatt after Raw. I expect good work from them at GBOF.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Dave always seems to indicate pushing the NXT guys and featuring good wrestling is the answer to getting the audience back up, which would seem to be easier if you don't have guys like Brock and HHH all over the show. Churn from so much WWE content available each week is the biggest factor in ratings going down.

2. They're doing what they did with Cena. He's a face to his fans and a heel to the marks who boo him to be contrarian.

3. They're in similar roles, but I think Kassius is being used more prominently.

4. I just hope it's a hell of a match. I don't think 38-year-old Samoa Joe is the long-term answer. If you're going to roll the dice, do it with Braun. Also, can you imagine the backlash of Joe "being buried" by that DQ ending if it was suggested by Vince?

5. Bryan has seemingly worked himself into thinking WWE's doctor has it wrong, the test used wasn't legitimate, etc. He cares enough about the crowd reaction, having a critically acclaimed match, etc. to put his long-term health in jeopardy. It's a scary thing.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Raw Reax - 6/26/17

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

Impact injury, Raw down under, Becky Q&A, Owens gets special merch, Sasha at awards show, Impact promotes live events, Smackdown live event notes, and Questions on Mauro coming to NXT, Jarrett vs. Reby, Cornette vs. Russo, and courting the contrarian audience

Bram was recently injured, and will be missing time. His momentum has completely stalled in the Anthem era.

Raw will tour Australia and New Zealand from September 13 through September 16. I hope they do something good there.

Becky Lynch promoted a Smackdown live event in Texas.

Kevin Owens got special merchandise for Smackdown's Canadian tour. That's good news.

Sasha Banks was a guest at the BET Awards. That's a good honor for her.

Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, and Jeremy Borash were at Bellator's PPV in New York City before appearing at a minor league baseball game to promote Impact's upcoming live events in the area.

Mojo Rawley & Sin Cara worked as a team at Sunday's Smackdown live event as well. No Zack Ryder yet.

Shinsuke Nakamura was back on the road for Smackdown in the state of Washington, losing to Jinder Mahal in a WWE Championship match.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Well, Mauro's not going to be working with JBL or any of the other main roster commentators anytime soon for whatever that's worth. He's going to be doing commentary for NXT and pretty much any other endeavors that come his way. I'm sure calling his own schedule is a big plus regardless of the JBL situation.

2. It's not like it takes much to get Reby started.

3. There's a BIG difference between appearing on a podcast together and getting in a fight with someone.

4. Given Cornette's history of statements about wanting to harm/kill Russo, I don't blame Vince for finally taking action.

5. To get clicks, basically. The "Vince is killing the business despite HHH's signings being pushed" thing draws the wrestling hipster audience.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Main Event Reax - 6/24/17, ECW brand-Network update, more MSG shows on Network, Dunne defending UK title on indie show, part-timers added to live events, Bryan teases ROH return, Smackdown live event note, and Questions on ZSJ-WWE, the iCloud hacks, another Impact game, Sonjay as X-Division champion, and WWE paying for travel costs

-- Main Event:
- Rhyno vs. Kalisto:
Well hey this one's a different matchup.

I'm liking how the two styles interact here.

It only takes one big forearm to cut off a DIVE. Glad more wrestlers realize this.

I like Rhyno using his power. I've always enjoyed his ring work.

If this was 2001, Kalisto would have already jobbed to the Man-Beast.

Kalisto has the former ECW Champion off his game here.

Impressive showing by Kalisto.

Hey, Kalisto can win a match!

- Metalik vs. Nese:
Oh goddamnit it's this match again.

Nese uses his power and Gran uses his agility. The work's good, but there's nothing really new to add to things.

Nice work so far. 

I like that Nese can pull from different skills he's got.

I am enjoying this, as much as I complain about seeing the same people do the same things. 205 Live names work hard!

I like Nese avoiding the Metalik Driver because that would surely end him. Selling is key!

That German to the turnbuckles scares me every time. Jesus what a bump.

Nice ending!

WWE's ECW brand episodes will begin being featured the Network on July 10, with more episodes coming later in the summer. That show's really unfairly written off - it provided a place for new talent to get their start and older talent to get a new coat of paint.

More MSG shows have hit the WWE Network, this time from 1977. WWE Network is a gold mine for wrestling fans of many styles and many eras.

Pete Dunne will defend the UK Championship at an ICW show on July 29. Noam Dar will also be working the show. ICW and PROGRESS are really going to benefit from the WWE association.

Brock Lesnar will be working a Smackdown live event on July 29, WWE's final show in the Joe Louis Arena before the venue's demolition. It's possible Raw stars are also on that show. Good to see the arena get a big sendoff from WWE.

Chris Jericho will work Raw's June 28 show in Singapore as well as the loop's dates in Japan. He's not currently scheduled for anything other than that stretch of international live events. I believe this was just something that worked out well for both sides.

Daniel Bryan teased returning to ROH in 2018. If he wasn't such a big deal with Total Bellas and the like, I'd support WWE dropping him just so we don't have to listen to any more "I want to get back in the ring against doctors' orders" stuff.

At a Smackdown live event in British Columbia:
- Seth Rollins replaced Shinsuke Nakamura on the show, with the stated reason being Shinsuke couldn't get into Canada. I'm glad they were able to have a suitable replacement, but that's a notable blunder by WWE.

- Mojo Rawley, Sin Cara, & American Alpha beat Erick Rowan, Epico, & The Ascension. Weird they didn't have Ryder and Primo involved there.

- Charlotte worked the show, playing a heel against Natalya due to the whole "being in Canada" thing.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. He has other things he wants to accomplish as an independent name. I guess he's enjoying the freedom of calling his own shots. It's possible that changes down the line, though.

2. They are entitled to their privacy. There needs to be more focus on changing the behavior of those who don't respect their privacy and commit these hacks. What wrestlers do in their lives off-screen is none of our business unless they choose to make it public.

3. That's a big financial endeavor, and I don't expect anyone to chomp at the bit to make a game for a promotion with their relative lack of reach.

4. I don't see it being a long-term reign, but we'll see. They can certainly put it right back on Low Ki on July 2.

5. It's almost like stories and personalities are more important than athleticism! But I am glad they're making money from two tapings.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Interviews with TK/Mauro, lots of WWE Network content, Slammiversary teases, Impact audience, Justin Roberts audiobook, Mad Dog biography coming soon, Corgan gets NWA trademarks, ROH dark match, and Questions on Batista back in WWE, Bryan's contract, a WWE off-season using developmental, changing the Chamber, and the MSP

TK O'Ryan talked before Best in the World:
- That was one of THE WORST injuries I've ever seen. I mean holy SHIT.

- The big spots that are commonplace now are dangerous and often do go unnoticed due to their frequency.

- Oh God that recovery sounds horrible.

WWE Network has added two MSG cards from the early 1980s to the Old School section. It won't be long before the '90s are considered old school!

Lashley has asked his Wrestlemania 23 cornerman Donald Trump to reprise his role at Slammiversary. That's really clever.

Impact Wrestling drew 342,000 viewers Thursday. The change in venue seems to have helped interest in the product; it's worth trying for another "on-the-road" taping in a few months amid the live events coming back.

Justin Roberts' autobiography is now out in audio format. He got some free press from the JBL-Mauro story, since he recounts some incidents with Bradshaw in his book.

WWE Hall of Famer Mad Dog Vachon is the subject of a biography due out in September. That should be a good read.

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens will be on Ride Along this week after Raw. That could be AMAZING. I'm very glad Y2J is taking people under his wing like that.

WWE Network is celebrating John Cena's 15-year anniversary in the company later this week with programming focused on the 16-time world champion.

A Piper's Pit collection is coming to WWE Network last night. That's worth $9.99 in of itself!

Mauro Ranallo discussed staying in WWE for the NXT brand:
- This is really big press for WWE. Mauro has appeal outside of the wrestling world.

- I'm surprised AP commented on the rumors of Mauro's departure without acknowledging Mauro officially refuting the rumors. It's definitely a complicated situation with conflicting stories of what went down and how major it was.

Slammiversary will air in the UK on Spike Monday July 3. That's better than one of their biggest shows of the year not airing there at all.

Jeff Jarrett teased a really special guest for Slammiversary. That should be interesting. We'll see what he has cooked up. I wouldn't assume it's a big debuting wrestler or anything; it could just be a special appearance to hype Impact for the local crowd that's supported the company for so long.

Billy Corgan now officially has the rights to the NWA trademarks after a legal transfer. I'm glad that's all settled; I'm curious to see what the former Impact exec will do with the brand. I expect it will be something primarily utilizing the company's history, but I imagine a lot of options are on the table.

Before Best in the World, Flip Gordon, LSG, & Shaheem Ali beat Cheeseburger & The Tempura Boyz after Will Ferrara distracted Cheeseburger. This led to Cheeseburger challenging his former partner to a match. Ferrara responded by slapping Cheeseburger and heading backstage. So, they're officially feuding now after something of a shaky build on TV.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. To be fair Guardians was a pretty big gamble. People thought Scott Pilgrim vs. the World would be a hit, too. I'm sure WWE would love to use Batista again, but I don't think he wants to do anything with Creative again. I think he could have one last Mania run like Rock and Goldberg before him, but we're not there yet.

2. Well, it was a talent contract and he's still being used as a talent (as opposed to working commentary or backstage). He's still under contract for another year and change, and I expect him to get back in the ring once he's legally no longer part of WWE.

3. And why would Raw and Smackdown viewers tune in for an entire show of unknowns? Ratings would drop for the "training camp" months. That's the last thing WWE wants. I do want to see more names get time off when they need it, but it should be on a more nuanced basis.

4. It was also so big they often had to remove potential ground-level seats to make use of it. It was time to retire the old structure.

5. I wanted to see them back on WWE TV SO BAD for Shane's Mania feuds, or even the almost-feud with Brock. But for whatever reason that didn't happen.

More wrestling coming up.

Best in the World Reax

Read on for my thoughts on last night's ROH PPV.

MITB injury, AAA moves big show, Spanish commentary for NJPW, top name to WWEPC soon, new WWE show in India, new Mae Young competitors, Bully profiled, Orton gets movie role, Shibata update, Mauro back in WWE, NXT live event notes, and Questions on Dusty's passing affecting NXT, WWF video tapes, the Elks Lodge in NYC, and future Takeover specials

Kevin Owens injured his leg at Money in the Bank, needing help to get backstage after the match ended. However, he has continued wrestling since then. Kevin's a tough guy after so many years of bumps.

AAA seems to be moving the date of Triplemania so as not to be on PPV opposite the big Mayweather/McGregor bout. So, it could end up being on Monday, August 27.

Willie Urbina will be doing Spanish commentary for AXS TV's NJPW shows. It's impressive they're now getting another language for those broadcasts. NJPW's Western expansion will be an important story going forward.

Kairi Hojo will be training at the WWEPC beginning next week. She's considered a big signing for the women's division, so there's a lot of hype surrounding how she'll do in WWE.

WWE is getting a weekly Hindi-language recap show in India. That should be good news for growing business in the country.

Indian wrestler Kavita Devi will be part of the Mae Young Classic. KD was trained by Great Khali and had a WWE tryout in April.

- WWE has also announced Tessa Blanchard, Abbey Laith, the WWEPC's Taynara Conti (Taynara Melo), and STARDOM's Jazzy Gabert (Alpha Female) for the tournament. I'm surprised they haven't signed Tessa yet; that could change after this event.

Bully Ray was profiled. He's been able to have a really long TV career.

Randy Orton will star in a movie directed and written by Seth Green, so he'll be missing time on Smackdown to do that. WWE definitely needs guys like Owens, Zayn, and Jinder to succeed for when Cena and Orton aren't around.

Katsuyori Shibata is undergoing procedures to improve his vision following his recent brain injury. Shibata has had a number of surgeries on his eyes. Things aren't looking good for him returning to the ring. I hope he has a fulfilling life ahead of him outside of taking bumps.

Mauro Ranallo is returning to WWE to call NXT starting immediately. It seems he was never released from his contract, and the two sides have negotiated something that allows him to return to the booth. He'll continue to call what he's already been announced for, and it wouldn't shock me if he stays as a guest commentator for NXT while doing outside ventures. This is a big deal for both sides, and I'm glad to see him back in the fold. Great news and a nice surprise.

At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Fabian Aichner debuted as part of NXT, losing to Adrian Jaoude
- Tian Bing lost to Kassius Ohno
- Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler teamed again, losing to Heavy Machinery
- The former Axel Dieter Jr. worked as Marcel Barthel in a loss to Roderick Strong
- Taynara Conti teamed with Sonya Deville in a loss to Lacey Evans and Ruby Riot. I assume Conti will go out in the first round of the Mae Young Classic and they're just polishing her up to lose then.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
Nothing to add to 1.

2. I definitely feel that criticism. Some of it is certainly due to losing Dusty, but it also seems like there's a shift from creating sports entertainers to showcasing wrestlers already known from their work elsewhere.

3. Things have really grown for WWE since those days as far as doing more frequent shows.

4. They're wrestling for the LORD now. Jesus is the only champion they need!

5. It looks like the plan for the rest of 2017 is to  tie Takeover specials to WWE's Big Four PPVs. Chicago was a special case.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Impact Wrestling Reax - 6/22/17

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

Injured WWE names working out, Slammiversary hype, NXT rename, Stephanie appearance, ROH+NXT matches set, Interview with Silas, Smackdown audience, NJPW event showing live in Canada, another former WWE show on the Network, WWE DVD+book release dates, another Slammiversary guest, Rusev back in the ring, Russo seeks legal protection from Cornette, and Questions on booking Brock vs. Joe, giving Jinder a long run, why Roman's challenging the champ, and Stone Cold's podcast

Darren Young and Tommaso Ciampa have undergone checkups regarding progress toward getting back in the ring. I think Ciampa can really go on a tear in NXT. I'd like to see Darren get a fresh set of eyes when he recovers, as well. I wouldn't mind him getting a "reboot" and/or a stint in NXT; he's only 33.

James Storm promoted Slammiversary:
- I do like Jarrett and Dutch bringing a consistent direction to things. No matter how good the crew is, someone needs to be steering the ship!

- Interesting thoughts regarding wrestlers not coming up with their own gimmicks, etc.

- Oh, yeah. Doing shows in locations other than Orlando is going to be key for Impact's growth.

- Storm vs. EC3 should be something else. They hopefully won't be cutesy like Cody and Lethal in the bullrope match.

- I'm excited for that strap match!

- While James Storm is undoubtedly deserving given his tenure, I'd like to see someone like Mike Tenay or Jeremy Borash get the nod at some point. Maybe they can make it a habit to induct a wrestler and a backstage contributor each year?

The former Kimber Lee/Kimberly Frankele has been renamed Abbey Laith in NXT. Not a great last name. I hope she does well, though. WWE's still growing a solid women's division for years to come.

Stephanie McMahon was part of a speech in France. She's getting a lot of mileage as a brand ambassador.

Kris Wolf & Sumie Sakai vs. Deonna Purrazzo & Mandy Leon will be the dark match at Best in the World. ROH continues to build its women's division.

Jay Lethal will challenge for the TV Championship as part of Saturday's ROH taping. He'll face the winner of KUSHIDA vs. Scurll the night before.

Silas Young gave an interview to promote ROH. I enjoy his work there.

Smackdown drew 2.60 million viewers Tuesday, a jump of more than 500,000 from the week before. I think it's safe to say the Ellsworth angle played into that surge. Brilliant move to get heat.

Joseph Park promoted Slammiversary. Here are highlights from the interview:
- Park and his brother have really given a lot to Impact, and that's continuing behind-the-scenes.

- I'm VERY interested to see what Impact will look like three years into the Anthem regime. Right now they're in a clear rebuilding period as far as getting things started back up.

- It's going to be tough to get a lot of those lapsed fans back.

- It is cool for Abyss and Park to have worked with so many important players. He better watch out for Scott Steiner, though.

- I think AJ will leave behind a pretty big legacy once he retires. Some of that will depend on how much he'll be known to future generations. If his Impact work isn't seen by the WWE audience, he'll mainly be known for the last few years of his career.

- Abyss really took some crazy bumps. He's lucky his brother's a lawyer instead of someone who does bumps on thumbtacks.

- I can see Park and Abyss contributing in the ring for a while in a Kane/Big Show/Mark Henry role working with the younger talents.

- Park has really added depth to his body of work. A lot of fun stuff from him.

- Scott is absolutely amazing on the mic. He stands out from all the boring sameness.

- I hope big things are in the works for Steve.

- It's tough to beat Mike Tenay and Don West as the voices of Impact.

- Yes, Abyss/Park belongs in the Impact Hall someday for all his work. No question at all.

- Impact has definitely given some people a platform to do some great work.

- Jarrett returning to the ring should be something that really matters. Save it for a big moment like BFG or next year's Slammiversary. He should be treated as the Triple H of the company as far as stepping into the ring on special occasions, but mostly guiding things from behind the scenes.

Fight Network will show NJPW's U.S. debut live as well. This could be a real launching pad for the company in the States.

WWE's ECW brand will be coming to WWE Network beginning this month. Glad to see that content coming to the service. The show was often underrated due to the backlash against rebooting the name.

Kevin Owens' DVD will feature footage from PWG, ROH, and CZW. So, WWE paid some licensing fees for the content in order to give a more complete experience of his career. Good to see!

New Day's book will release on October 31, so expect to see plenty of them on Smackdown in the coming months.

Alberto El Patron's brother El Hijo del Dos Caras will also be at Slammiversary. He worked in NXT as Memo Montenegro and could easily work the TV tapings after the big PPV.

Bobby Roode vs. Roderick Strong for the NXT Championship will be taped Friday. I'm curious how everything will shake out for Takeover.

Rusev is advertised as returning to the ring on this weekend's Smackdown live events. I hope he's in for good things.

Vince Russo has filed an order of protection against Jim Cornette, with Cornette being ordered to stay away from Russo and his wife. Given all the threats Cornette has made, I don't blame Russo in the least. There's "cutting a promo" on a TV show, and then there's seeking out a fight against a former coworker in another state.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. But wouldn't Strowman winning at Summerslam put the title on a full-timer and a fresh name?  Joe's only a year younger than Brock and has been world champion before. The complaints about "logic" are very one-sided.

2. But wait. If Jinder is champion that long, who's he going to beat? If he beats Sami, Nakamura, and AJ, fans will complain about that, too. I can see Jinder holding the title until the Rumble, where Cena wins and Corbin cashes in. That could be interesting.

3. That could be pretty interesting down the line. I think they'd have to give Bo a new first name, though. It's hard to take him seriously with that one.

4. Roman retired Taker at Wrestlemania and ran Strowman off for a few weeks. It was clearly explained in the promo, but when someone has an axe to grind about Creative, it turns out the actual logic of WWE TV doesn't matter at all to Dave and his readers.

5. First off, Ambrose buried Ambrose. He came off as unmotivated. I know that podcast rubbed some people the wrong way because Dean took some shots at Creative, but it was probably too costly to use Austin instead of just working with people already in-house like Graves and JBL.

More wrestling tomorrow.

NXT and ROH Reax - 6/21/17

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

Former IC Champ back to WWE?, WWE TV hype, WWE names up for TCA, Minneapolis wrestling profiled, HHH on UK content, who else was at Smackdown, lucha legend at Slammiversary, Raw audience, Interview with Bryan, MSG cards on Network, and Questions on fixing 2017 wrestling, creative vs. talent, suspending disbelief, Joe/Brock predictions, and not pushing Harper

WWE is reportedly in talks with Shelton Benjamin regarding a return. He's a talented wrestler to have on hand.

Brock Lesnar will be on next week's Raw. Brock vs. Joe has been good so far.

John Cena, the Bella Twins, Sasha Banks, and "Total Bellas" have all been nominated for Teen Choice Awards. Nice to see Sasha in the mix.

Minneapolis wrestling in the 1980s is the subject of a photo exhibit. That's pretty awesome.

Triple H put over WWE's UK endeavors on the air there. He's got a lot of projects to shape WWE's future.

Rusev was at Smackdown, but not used. The Kanellises were also figured into things at one point, but the fallout from Sunday's event took precedent.

Alberto El Patron's father Dos Caras will be in Alberto's corner at Slammiversary. El Patron winning the world title and celebrating with his dad could be a nice babyface moment to close the show.

Raw drew 3.1 million viewers Monday, a really nice jump from previous weeks. That's good news given the struggles the show has had at crossing the three million mark.

Daniel Bryan talked to Sports Illustrated:
- Guys like Bryan, Ambrose, and the Hardys would wrestle in front of 30 people if the bills are taken care of.

- Punk's left his wrestling life behind. He's onto other things.

- Miz definitely works really hard. Just because he doesn't do 450 splashes, he shouldn't be thrown under a bus.

- Oh yeah, WWE just did the shakeup randomly it felt like. I guess Shane and Stephanie traded those names?

- I hope Strong does well for himself. Let's not jump to how he'll do on the main roster. Let him build momentum in NXT first.

Set for next week's Smackdown:
- MITB ladder match: Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Tamina vs. Natalya
- The Usos vs. Hype Bros
- Naomi vs. Lana for the Smackdown Women's Championship
- Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn
-- That ladder match can be really big for WWE.

WWE Network has added classic Madison Square Garden cards to their Old School section. There's a lot of footage to be put up from the pre-Raw era.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm worried at the focus on "this is awesome" chants and star ratings, and the rush to make things like "what works on the indies." Getting over is about more than having a GIF-worthy, retweetable moment. The audience that reads dirtsheets is going to be talking about the product every week no matter what. Why focus on that small niche at the expense of the much larger audience who's never heard of ROH? I'd push for companies to have strong characters and stories. Make sure the match gets the story across. Listen to the live audience rather than what the dirtsheets think. Honestly, I'd probably cut back on the actual wrestling a bit because so much of it is just filler. get us to care WHY they're wrestling instead of just putting matches out there on the basis "they'll get over on their ring work." HHH was part of the Attitude Era, so I don't know why he doesn't "get" what works in that regard. Austin vs. Vince was more over than Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho for important reasons.

2. Good creative can cover for less-than-great talent. Look how over Dean Ambrose was in the Shield vs. as wacky comedy guy. They showcased him better the first time.

3. The term "suspension of disbelief" applies here. Just because the audience knows something, that doesn't mean the people on screen/in the ring do. Most people get this by the Dora the Explorer age, but for some reason some fans have to make sure everyone knows THEY aren't fooled.

4. Joe has a good showing, Brock keeps the belt, IWC complains, life goes on.

5. Orton, Nakamura, Styles, and Sami are also being featured as babyfaces. If they push Harper, one of them will move to the sidelines and fans will complain about how THEY'RE booked. That's good for sites like PWInsider marketing to those angsty hipsters.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 6/20/17

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.

Assorted WWE press, Flair book pushed back, TLC official, Cena and Brock set for more dates, Interviews with Becky/Finn/Sasha/Bryan, MMA name in Mae Classic?, more Broken teasing, WWE visitor, Impact drops backstage personnel, NXT to the West Coast, new WWE position, Raw dark match, Charlotte update, more Impact TV problems in the UK, and Questions on saving something for GBOF, Bayley's character, heels clearing Brock/Joe, attacking Enzo/Cass, and Gage-CZW

Seth Rollins' ESPN appearance was to begin WWE 2K18's hype campaign. Rollins is the centerpiece of the marketing this time, along with Kurt Angle.

The Ric and Charlotte Flair book Second Nature will release September 19, pushed back two months from its originally set launch date. Charlotte's getting every chance to be a major player, and not just "for a woman."

WWE TLC will be a Raw-brand event on October 22 in Minnesota. I'm not crazy about contrived gimmick PPVs, especially with Survivor Series the next month. If anything, TLC should be the rematches from the big November PPV.

John Cena will be at Battleground on July 23. I wholly expect him to be an important presence in WWE this summer, although I wonder what they'll do with him because I don't expect him to be champion again this year. Braun and Joe are pretty interesting opponents for him. I hope neither would be thrown under the bus against the franchise of WWE.

- Cena has been announced for Smackdown TV on July 11, July 18, and July 25 as well as a July 15 Raw live event and Summerslam. He will absolutely be hitting the ground running it looks like.

-- Cena could be replacing Roman Reigns from July 14-16 on Raw live events. I assume Roman's getting some time off unless they're putting him on some Smackdown shows for some reason.

Becky Lynch discussed the Mae Young Classic and more. I'm also excited to see how Baszler will do. She'll definitely add a different dimension to things.

Matt Hardy teased the BROKEN gimmick again. He's smart to keep stoking it, but there's no guarantee it will come to pass.

Finn Balor talked in Singapore as part of WWE's press there.

Lance Storm was backstage at a WWE live event this weekend. His training school is pretty well-regarded.

Sasha Banks promoted a Raw show in the Philippines.

Al Snow, Pat Kenney, and Shane Helms are all leaving Impact as the company cuts back on the number of producers in a financial move. None had been used since April, although Kenney and Snow had pretty solid tenures in the company and Helms had received great reviews since joining Impact in 2015. Abyss and Sonjay Dutt have been pulling double duty by picking up producer duties, so Impact saw less need for the three veteran workers. I'll definitely miss Snow and Helms as on-air characters, although Snow hadn't been on the show in a while. I would have been all for Helms winning the X-Division Title at one point to work with the younger names, but I have some faith in the new regime given how they've recently booked Low Ki and Sonjay as characters instead of just throwing multi-man match after multi-man match at us. We'll see how that holds up.

- Shane Helms and Al Snow tweeted after the news went public.

NXT will run multiple shows in California in August.The brand will be hitting both coasts pretty close to each other.

WWE has created a new position for live event vignettes and promos, so it looks like that will be more of a priority in the future.

Dean Ambrose beat The Miz in a non-title match after Raw. Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel helped their new friend out, but Dean still stood tall at the end of the night. That's a good sign for Dean; they could have had Roman or Seth close the taping instead.

Charlotte returned to live events Monday night. I wouldn't read anything into that, though, since she was on the road for MITB and the next night's Smackdown.

Spike in the UK had issues showing Impact's latest One Night Only show. Things are off to a bumpy start in some ways there; I hope the issues are sorted out soon.

Brock Lesnar has been added to Raw on July 31 and August 14. I'm curious what he'll be doing at Summerslam. Ditto for Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns. The Universal Title picture has gotten interesting.

Daniel Bryan talked about MITB, Cena, and more:
- Sounds like Ellsworth's win got the desired heel reaction.

- AJ's taken some really wild bumps.

- Bryan's a straight-shooter, for better or worse.

- Lana's got a lot of work to do to reach the level of most wWE women. She's still starting out; that's to be expected.

- I hope we get to see something special for Smackdown in exchange for Cena being a free agent, but I won't hold my breath.

- Harper's definitely really good, but it's going to be an uphill battle making him stand out from being Bray's former teammate.

- I also want to see American Alpha more. They're in a tough spot with New Day and Breezango there.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They've got a show to sell in a few weeks. They're not going to give everything away on Raw. Otherwise there's not a lot left for Great Balls of Fire. No complaints at all on my end.

2. Bayley the hugger and hero to six-year-olds doesn't want to use a violent weapon because she's a pure-of-heart babyface. Although this looks to be changing as HHH gains power, WWE's marketing to the Disney audience, not edgy millennials.

3. If Brock and Joe don't get out of the ring, the other wrestlers can't have their matches. So, it's in their interest to get those two out of there so others can settle their own grudges.

4. WWE intentionally had The Revival "get caught on camera" after the attack to set up them being the ones attacking Enzo and Cass. I would have been fine with that direction, but they went for a swerve. We'll see if the hipsters like them not being "predictable" or if they'll complain about this, too. I have a hunch it will be the latter. It always has been in the past.

5. He got booked for some shows in Jersey, but no CZW return at this point.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Raw Reax - 6/19/17

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

Interviews with Jinder/Natalya, and Questions on Jinder's reign, why Ambrose is where he is in WWE, Mania in the UK, and reuniting The Shield

Jinder Mahal gave an interview before MITB, translated into English here:
- I'm glad people like Drew and Jinder are back in WWE. Drew in particular has really stepped it up.

- It's like people are ignoring his heel work against The Great Khali.

- I LOVED 3MB, damn it! Why is everyone so down on them??? They weren't there to be The Shield. They were there to be a fun act.

Natalya also talked before MITB:
- Natalya has done a LOT of press for WWE in her tenure.

- Awesome that former WWE names and indie names were excited for women getting that stage.

- They definitely went pretty hard in the match.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm going to mostly hold off on evaluating whether Jinder's top guy material until he's had time to get really comfortable in the role. It took some time for Cena, Orton, Edge, etc. to really show what they were made of at the main event level. I've enjoyed things so far, though, and am glad to see something new at the top of the card.

2. While some of it goes to him being used more as Mick Foley/Mankind than Cactus Jack as far as comedy vs. someone you can take seriously, I definitely see the criticism that he's working like he couldn't care less whether he was WWE Champion at Wrestlemania or working in front of 30 people in a gym. While, say, Seth Rollins has shown he wants to take the ball and run with it, Dean's just kind of content where he is. So, WWE's fine with having him be the Jannetty of The Shield while Seth and Roman move on to bigger things.

Nothing to add to 3.

4. Yeah, I'd test the waters with one of the brand-only PPVs before committing to something as big as Mania (or even Summerslam or Survivor Series). It's a really big endeavor to run a show in a different time zone from most of the base audience.

5. They should only do it if there's a really good reason to do it (i.e. a good story that will put them together). They can do some special matches with them as partners, but actually having The Shield be The Shield should be a really big deal given the path of destruction they went on the first time. The Shield taking down Lesnar would be a good story, but the execution might be tricky if the end sees Roman holding the title at Seth and Dean's expense.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Money in the Bank Reax

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown-brand WWE Network special.

NXT announces big title match, Interviews with Orton/Otunga, WWE debuts and return this week, big WWE tryout profiled, and Questions on WWE movies on the Network, Sister Abigail, WWE's dress code, and Impact+ROH for the troops

Asuka vs. Nikki Cross in a Last Woman Standing match for the NXT Women's Championship will be taped for the June 28 episode. That should be amazing. NXT tapes again on June 23.

Randy Orton talked to promote MITB. It's weird to see him now being the one putting over the young main eventers.

Mike Bennett and Maria are expected to debut on WWE TV this week, and Rusev is expected to return on Smackdown. Bennett's an IC Title level guy and not really particularly exciting, but he's a veteran who can wrestle well enough so I can see why WWE's using the duo. As for Rusev, I hope he does well. I'm interested to see how he will or won't interact with Lana on the brand.

WWE promoted a large tryout they recently had. As expected, they got an impressive list of talent with a big variety of backgrounds. Crazzy Steve, Cody Deaner, Odinson, and Raphael King were among those attending. I hope Steve makes it after leaving Impact.

David Otunga talked to Muscle & Fitness about his upcoming movie and more. It sounds like he's going to to be pretty occupied for a while before coming to the Raw announce booth.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Generally the rights to those go to the distributors for DVDs, etc. It's possible WWE feels it would cut into the profits of DVDs if they're available on the Network. They're not making huge money for the company as it is.

2. WWE kayfabe holds that she's dead, so unless Bray "brings her back" or something, it doesn't look like we'll see anyone playing her. Nikki Cross would make a good Abigail, but she's already establishing herself as part of SAnitY.

3. Another reminder WWE sees its superstars as billboards/products and they'll wear what Vince wants 'em to wear DAMMIT!

4. That would be AFN's call.

Nothing to add to 5.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Money in the Bank preview

Read on for my ideas for booking tonight's Smackdown-brand WWE Network special.

Main Event Reax - 6/16/17, ROH giving out DVDs, Impact preview, international Mae Young Classic names announced, Impact+NOAH tryout, early Impact episodes online, MITB Kickoff match, business owner challenges WWE in the ring, Brock set for another show, more Southpaw coming, Impact audience, Bryan back on WWE TV, Rollins announcement coming, Raw live event notes, and Questions on UK indies on the Network, Zandig, Bane in WWE, and ECW bumps

-- Main Event:
- Hawkins vs. Axel:
I wouldn't mind Axel winning with the Perfectplex right there. It's not like this match means anything.

Fine basic stuff here.

Pretty much filling time here.

Hawkins trying to chew some scenery.

Axel is a pretty impressive athlete, and Hawkins is a good hand.

Fine enough.

- Ariya vs. Metalik:
Well that was rude, Ariya!!

Good feeling out early.

Gran does some really wild bouncing and jumping.

This is basically just showing what Metalik can do and Ariya playing the foil.

Solid enough here.

I like the agility from Gran.

Surprising ending! Fine while it lasted.

ROH will give 500 fans the new Young Bucks DVD at their next TV taping. That would seem to suggest ticket sales are slow a week away.  

On next week's Impact Wrestling:
- Alberto El Patron & James Storm vs. Lashley & Ethan Carter III
- Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Suicide vs. Trevor Lee vs. Braxton Sutter
- KM vs. Mahabali Shera
- Rosemary & Allie vs. Sienna & Laurel Van Ness

WWE has officially announced Mexico's Princesa Sugehit, New Zealand's Toni Storm, Sarah Logan, and Lacey Evans for the Mae Young Classic. Interestingly, Sugehit is currently working CMLL.

Impact Wrestling and NOAH are doing a tryout in Canada on July 7 and 8, with one attendee getting a developmental contract at Impact and another working NOAH. We could see more of this kind of thing given Jeff Jarrett's connection to Scott D'Amore and his wrestling school.

Impact Wrestling is posting some of their earliest episodes on YouTube to promote Fight Network's app. A big part of Anthem buying the company was getting access to 15 years worth of content.

Hype Bros vs. the Colons has been added to the Kickoff show for Money in the Bank. So, it looks like Zack and Mojo will remain a team for the time being.


A UK business owner has challenged WWE to settle a trademark dispute in the ring. That's amazing! WWE would only get him more business and encourage imitators if they responded in a "sports entertainment" manner but I'd love to see Vince cut a promo on him and send some wrestlers to beat him up. "YOU WANNA PLAY, PAL!?"

Brock Lesnar is set for the August 28 Raw in Tennessee. As much as I generally like seeing Brock, I don't think I'd be upset if he called it a career at WM34.

New Southpaw Regional Wrestling episodes are on the way, as WWE was filming material for them recently. Those were pretty amazing. I hope they have more fun coming with this batch of footage.

Impact drew 327,000 viewers Thursday. The Indian tapings are doing well, audience-wise.

Daniel Bryan will appear on Smackdown Tuesday. I hope they do something important with Jinder or someone to make the non-wrestler's presence meaningful.

WWE is teasing Seth Rollins will make a major announcement on SportsCenter before Raw. I have a feeling it will be something to do with WWE 2K18 debuting a trailer during Raw, but it could be totally unrelated.

At a Raw live event in Ontario:
- R-Truth teamed with Kalisto to beat Goldust and Titus O'Neil, which is kind of an odd combination on both sides. I wouldn't assume either pair will be together on TV.
- Apollo Crews worked as a face to beat Elias Samson. The Titus Brand was not together on this show.
- Neville beat Akira Tozawa, so Akira's next in line for the title.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. An announcement should be coming soon, perhaps at the next big conference call. I'm under the impression WWE's still figuring out all it's all going to work.

2. It doesn't look like he's doing much wrestling at all these days.

3. Given how that film was received and how small his role was, I can't say I fault them in hindsight.

4. Absolutely insane stuff.

Nothing to add to 5, other than I also wondered if the name came from the cartoon.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Cena angle confimed, Steph honored, WWE teaser, WWE seeking Mania host feedback, special Slammiversary announce team, Smackdown names taking time off, no Raw live events next weekend, Interview with Lana, NJPW U.S. show notes, ROH taping matches announced, Bucks getting ROH DVD, WWE announces TV tapings, Jarrett hitting the pavement for Impact, Impact seeking international names soon, Impact employee returns, another Impact live event note, and Questions on stripping Brock of the title, no Field of Honor, Brock returning to UFC, Impact working with other companies, and WM35's host city

John Cena has been confirmed as a "free agent" between Raw and Smackdown. I really hope they don't make him Raw-exclusive. I'm concerned they'll fall back into the old habit of making Raw the "A" show no matter what.

Stephanie McMahon will be honored as a sports humanitarian of the year by ESPN. That's definitely an important honor for her as she looks to establish WWE as a philanthropic leader.

WWE is teasing something for Monday, believed to be WWE 2K18-related. I look forward to seeing what they have planned.

WWE is seeking feedback on potential future Wrestlemania hosts, including London and Toronto. I would be VERY surprised to see them do a show of that size in a place with such a time difference from the U.S. I wouldn't rule out a lesser event coming live from the UK, but I really don't see it happening with Mania anytime in the foreseeable future.

ESPN alum Robert Flores and Don West will be calling Slammiversary. That's a good move, since Matthews and Borash are involved elsewhere on the show. Interesting that Pope's not at the table that night, but it's cool to have those guests.

Randy Orton and AJ Styles have next weekend off from live events. That would seem to suggest Jinder will retain at MITB, but plans can always change.

Raw will not have live events next weekend ahead of a big trip to Singapore and Japan. That's a good move.

Lana talked to promote MITB:

- I hope she has a good in-ring career head of her. She could really write a new chapter for herself if she can hang as a wrestler.

- Lana has definitely put in a lot of work ahead of getting in the ring.

- I'm very interested to see what she does as a wrestler, and what the future holds between her character and Rusev's.

- She put in some really intense work for ballet.

NJPW's live July 1 special will be broadcast on AXS TV commercial-free. That will be a really big night for NJPW.

Announced for ROH's June 24 TV taping:

- Kelly Klein vs. Karen Q vs. Deonna Purrazzo

- Mandy Leon vs. Jenny Rose

- Jay White challenging for the TV Championship

- Bully Ray & The Briscoes vs. Hangman Page & The Young Bucks for the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship (should Bully & The Briscoes retain at BITW)

- Motor City Machine Guns vs. War Machine (so MCMG will stay together even if Seek and Destroy disbands)

- Matt Taven vs. CMLL's Ultimo Guerrero

ROH is releasing a two-DVD special for the Young Bucks. Those two guys are definitely doing really well for themselves outside of WWE.

ROH officials will be attending NJPW's upcoming California shows. I'm really interested to see what the ROH/NJPW relationship will look like as NJPW expands into the U.S.

WWE will tape Raw in Tennessee on August 28 and Smackdown in Arkansas on August 29.

Jeff Jarrett is holding meetings in California on behalf of Impact. Impact's TV deal with POP expires at the end of the year, so he could be planning the next move there.

Impact is looking to bring NOAH's Taiji Ishomuri in for Slammiversary week in addition to Naomichi Marufuji. 

Impact is also looking to have AAA talent work with LAX. That could be a good use of the relationship with that company.

Impact has brought back former WCW and Impact employee Ross Forman as head of media relations. They're restocking the back office after the big losses at the tail end of Dixie's tenure.

Impact has confirmed a live event in Connecticut on August 6, making a three-date loop for their roster. This tour will be important for planning their next steps on the live event front.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Considering Brock has destroyed Vince McMahon himself in the past, I don't think anyone's eager to try to take the title from him in such a manner. It could also be "part of his contract" that he's immune to the 30-day rule. Or maybe Angle just doesn't care to enforce it as Raw GM, as is his prerogative.

2. ROH will be doing War of the Worlds UK around that time, so I think they've made up for missing that show.

3. I don't think we'll see it after the drug test failures. I assume he's done with MMA after getting that last (tainted) dominant victory and going out like a conqueror.

4. It looks like they're going to test the waters with Impact-only shows before involving other companies. They do have bigger plans for live events down the road, but it's going to take a while for it to all roll out.

5. I'm sure they've taken bids and the like. I know Minneapolis was on the short list for WM33, so they and Philadelphia could both be options. There's a lot of time between now and WM34, so it's pretty much all up in the air.

More wrestling tomorrow. 

Impact Wrestling Reax - 6/15/17

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

WWE announcing change, WWE back to China, new podcast, Show at E3, NOAH name working Slammiversary?, Interview with Zayn, WWE DVD release date set, another Impact live event announced, names from the past at Slammiversary, new BITW matches, Mae Young competitors set, Smackdown audience, MITB guests, Buck has travel trouble, Corgan-NWA status update, former Nexus member injured, Angle possibly wrestling at Summerslam, more Fozzy for Jericho, Ryder cleared, and Questions on the prophet Elias, non-English announcers, WWE releases, Dolph's booking, and Bayley's booking

Vic Joseph has officially replaced Tom Phillips as 205 Live's play-by-play announcer.

China will host a Smackdown live event on September 17. That's another milestone for WWE in the country. It's a big frontier for them.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and Sean Mooney will soon host a podcast centered on the 1980s and 1990s of WWF. That could be cool.

Big Show was part of a video game panel at E3. He's tweeted about playing Destiny a number of times when he was given time off to train.

Impact is trying to get NOAH's Naomichi Marufuji to work Slammiversary and/or the following TV tapings. Marufuji has been announced for a U.S. indie date in that time frame, so there's a chance he'll be working Impact as well while he's in the country.

Sami Zayn talked to Fox Sports:
-  NXT has given people very unrealistic expectations. Being a top prospect in developmental means you're ready for a spot on the already loaded main roster. There are few people who should be shot to the top just because they're called up; it's just the next step of your career like graduating college just sets you up for a chance to work your way up the ladder at a job as opposed to going in and immediately being an important player.

- Oh yeah, doing dives in front of 300 people to try to get ****+ from Meltzer is leaving a lot of people battered.

- Sami does some AMAZING athletic things.

- You ABSOLUTELY need to be able to do more than just impressive moves. You need to be able to use them in the right proportions and at the right times. That's lost on a lot of wrestlers.

- I hope the women's MITB is solid and they don't try too hard with crazy bumps to prove a point.

WWE's Unreleased 1985-1986 DVD will hit stores September 5. I assume this will be part of a series.

Buff Bagwell has announced a retirement tour concluding in May 2018, at which time he'll be 48. I hope everyone involved gets everything they want out of those last matches.

Impact Wrestling has announced another New York live event on August 4, with another show possibly being announced August 6 in the area. I hope those shows do well for the promotion. They need to build positive momentum.

Don West will be at Slammiversary weekend. At least someone in wrestling still knows how to sell. To the best of my knowledge, West isn't back in Impact in a full-time role or official capacity.

- Impact is also considering having Mike Tenay at the show. That would be great. I'd love to see him be inducted into their Hall of Fame after all his years of work for them.

Added to Best in the World:
- KUSHIDA vs. Marty Scurll for the ROH TV Championship
- The Rebellion vs. Search & Destroy. The losing faction must disband.

The following WWEPC names have been confirmed for the Mae Young Classic next month:
- Zhao Xia from China
- MaryKate
- Bianca Blair
- Danielle Kamela from Canada
- Julia Ho from Canada
- Kimberly Frankele
- Lacey Evans
- Victoria Gonzalez, daughter of Rudy Boy Gonzalez
- Sarah Logan, formerly Crazy Mary Dobson and recently Sarah Bridges
- Taynara Melo from Brazil

Smackdown drew 2.07 million viewers Tuesday, following Raw with a notable drop from the previous week. Not good news at all for WWE. We'll see if they do anything to "hit the panic button" at MITB and the week after. I hope they don't throw

Cowboy Bob Orton was recently the subject of an erroneous report regarding him passing away. Thankfully that's not the case, and he will be joining Ric Flair, Larry Hennig, Baron Von Raschke, and Greg Gagne in a segment at MITB. I assume they'll be part of the Randy Orton-Jinder Mahal feud. That could be pretty cool with them kind of passing the torch to Randy in his hometown.

Nick Jackson recently had some belongings stolen on the road and needed to get a new passport in order to return to the U.S. and work the upcoming House of Hardcore tour of Australia. He and Matt have some serious hustle. I hope everything goes well for them in their globe-trotting.

Billy Corgan has not officially taken over NWA yet due to the issues with trademarks. The deal for him to take charge isn't dead, but in something of a holding pattern while the legal issues are sorted out.

The former Justin Gabriel has had to cancel all upcoming wrestling dates due to a bad injury from base jumping, including a broken leg and broken finger. I hope he recovers and is more careful in the future, as this follows breaking both ankles last year.

Triple H vs. Kurt Angle could be coming at Summerslam as the culmination of the big mystery angle. I figured they'd save that for Mania, but I'm guessing they're going to try to boost things in the summer while they can. I'm sure that will still be solid, but man is it old news in 2017. Angle vs. Strowman could be cool as hell if Braun's not working Lesnar that not.

Fozzy has announced a tour in October and November, so Chris Jericho could remain off WWE TV to focus on those endeavors for the rest of the year. We'll see; there's certainly the opportunity to do Owens/Y2J again at Summerslam to make it as big of a show as it can be.

Zack Ryder has been cleared to wrestle again. I wouldn't think the Hype Bros can get very far as a face team against New Day, American Alpha, and Breezango, so we might be in for the two sides feuding. I don't know how fans would take Ryder as a heel if they go that route.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I really doubt that's what they were going for there. I don't think they put that much thought into Elias' songs.

2. I'm under the impression they aren't as tightly controlled for the reason mentioned. It's busy enough for the English crew!

3. I don't think so, at least not for the reason of ratings being down. I'm sure there will be a big roster change at some point because there always is every so often, but there's nothing to suggest it's coming just around the corner.

4. For fuck's sake! It's predictable when Dolph loses because he always loses, but it's also predictable for him to get a win when he needs a win? That's absurd.

5. WWE wants to push Alexa as the top heel of the division, and show that she belongs in the title picture. So she beat a credible former champion. I really don't understand why that's so complicated. I honestly think people like Dave and the readers of these sites put a lot more thought into and care a lot more about wins and losses than anyone working in the business and the majority of fans.

More wrestling tomorrow.

NXT and ROH Reax - 6/14/17

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

Interview with Hawkins, another WWE name cleared to return, Paige return update, Mauro's next step, Raw audience, Smackdown dark match, and Questions on not pushing American Alpha, Low Ki's gimmick in 2017, Heyman working with Nakamura, music acts at Mania, and not paying attention to match stipulations

Curt Hawkins talked about working with Edge and more. It will be interesting to see where his career goes from here. If Jinder can become WWE Champion, he's got a chance, too!

Braun Strowman has been cleared to return to the ring, so his surgery wasn't major. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see him do a run-in during Brock vs. Joe unless they're going to do yet another Strowman/Joe clash. 

Paige could be cleared to return to WWE soon after getting some X-rays. I can only imagine how that would play out given the issues between the two sides. I expect her to get plenty of colorful chants at first, but hopefully she can put together some solid work and get people talking about her for the right reasons.

Mauro Ranallo has been signed by Bellator, so he'll be calling MMA on a regular basis soon. That should shut down the talk of him potentially returning to WWE. I wish him luck doing something he loves to do.

Raw drew 2.54 million viewers, dropping 450,000 viewers despite Brock Lesnar starting the show. That audience is lower than what they drew on Memorial Day. Alarm bells have got to be going off after that number. It's entirely possible they start putting John Cena on the show on a somewhat regular basis to try to combat the low viewership.

Randy Orton defeated Jinder Mahal by disqualification after Smackdown, with the Singhs saving the Modern Day Maharaja from a clean loss.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. New Day happened. They're not going to be able to be the top face team with those guys around, and WWE is shaking things up with giving Breezango a shot at the number two spot there. As great as Jordan and Gable are, they don't have as much storyline potential as the whole Fashion Files thing. Main roster WWE is still booked as being a sports entertainment variety show, and that can mean people who previously got over by what they do in the ring get pushed aside. You'd think, though, if today's audience wanted to see pure athleticism instead of soap operas as much as that narrative is pushed, all the NXT talents would be over on the main roster pretty much right out of the gate based on their previous reputations. It definitely feels like the booking now is "you already know these wrestlers from where they used to work so let's just have them do wrestling matches because that's what everyone says they want." That mindset doesn't seem to line up with what we're seeing from ratings.

2. Low Ki wants to be a badass Agent 47 from Hitman cosplayer and he's not going to work Impact unless they push him as importantly as he thinks he should be booked.

3. I hope we never see another "make X indie darling a Paul Heyman client" pitch. It's getting really old. That said, I do think they need to show more of why he's a rockstar other than "it's the Japanese sensation you all love from NXT!" Assuming the main roster fan base/viewing audience is already marking out for wrestlers from other promotions and NXT isn't really working.

4. I can only imagine what things would be like if WWE booked Wrestlemania like BOLA or something where the whole point is "good matches." Vince wants it to be sports entertainment with mainstream appeal. That's what broke WWF out from the pack of rasslin' territories. That means musicians and celebrities involved.

5. WWE clearly said one team would only win by both members going over the top, which is why NO ONE TRIED TO ESCAPE THROUGH THE DOOR THE WHOLE MATCH. WWE apparently has to pull a Big Cass and spell everything out for some people.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 6/13/17

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.

NJPW U.S. lineups set, Network show returning, another NXT tour, Hardys still after Broken Brilliance, Impact honoring Orlando, ROH+CMLL names set for WOTW UK, WCCW trademarks for Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame?, possible Cena plans, WWE name cleared from injury, and Question on limiting the number of WWE PPVs

NJPW has announced the full lineups for their U.S. debut shows on July 1 and July 2. A significant number of U.S.-based/ROH names are booked on the events.

WWE Network will debut a second season of Storytime in July. Good times.

NXT will have live events in Wisconsin on July 27 and July 28 before heading to Minnesota on July 29. They're running the old AWA stomping grounds.

The Hardys continue to indicate interest in doing their Broken characters in WWE. That could definitely be a lot of fun, and there will be a good reaction from a sizeable part of the audience familiar with their previous work in that universe if they get to go all out with it.

Impact Wrestling will honor the victims of last year's Orlando nightclub shooting when they return to the area. Impact has run many shows in the area in their 15-year history.

ROH has announced The Addiction, the Young Bucks, Jay Lethal, and the Briscoes will join CMLL's Atlantis, Rey Bucanero, Ultimo Guerrero, and Mistico II at their War of the Worlds UK shows in August. NJPW and RevPro will also be part of the tour. Interesting they didn't mention Bully Ray, sine he's working alongside the Briscoes as the current six-man tag team champions. I wouldn't really read into that, though, since the shows are two months away.

The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame has applied to trademark World Class Championship Wrestling and its logo. WWE owns the video library, but abandoned the trademark in 2003. We'll see what becomes of the situation.

WWE is reportedly considering having John Cena as a "free agent" between Raw and Smackdown, presumably with the idea his Smackdown contract "expired" and he's able to appear on either show.  I assume that could be a response to Raw's audience dropping. WWE's got a LOT of work to do in getting those numbers up. I honestly question if it's just a matter of millennials not watching TV like older fans do.

Dash Wilder has been cleared to return, as he was involved with the Brock Lesnar/Samoa Joe brawl on Raw. Hopefully we see The Revival make their way to a Hardys feud before too much longer. That could really be something, especially if Scott and Dash drive them Broken.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com question:
- WWE has really put themselves in a tough spot with giving away SO MUCH content not getting a big enough return on their investment. It seems like no matter what ideas they have to get back those "lapsed" fans who don't watch Raw and Smackdown as they air, those fans just aren't going to subscribe to the Network. I think it's fair to say it can be hard to keep track of everything happening in WWE with so many hours of TV, PPVs, etc. going on each month. It's a really big commitment. I'd like to see them drop to one PPV a month with a few matches each from Raw and Smackdown for the sake of not having so much "filler," because no matter how great the matches are, three hours of wrestling in one sitting is a marathon. Seemingly the only people who want to watch that much wrestling that often are the people who chant "we are awesome" and do the wave.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Raw Reax - 6/12/17

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

WWE press, ROH PPV additions, WWE UK injury avoided, and Questions on Cornette vs. Russo

Finn Balor has been promoting WWE in the Far East ahead of the company touring there.

Officially added to ROH Best in the World:
- Young Bucks vs. War Machine for the ROH Tag Team Championship
- Bully Ray & The Briscoes vs. Dalton Castle & The Boys for the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship
- Hangman Page vs. Frankie Kazarian in a strap match
-- That last one could really be something. Hopefully Dalton gets a good showing, too.

Mark Andrews underwent a CT scan after a match in the UK, showing nothing further than bruising. So, he dodged an injury. I expect the former X-Division name will be important in the U.S. and UK going forward.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Russo's probably more aware of what's real than a lot of his critics since he was actually present when a lot of the issues between himself and Cornette first came about. As we saw on "Table for 3," sometimes Corny works a self-serving narrative that borders on the paranoid.

2. Russo was referring to Cornette's idea of how to book Funk in the WWF in 1998, which Russo saw as an outdated territory idea.

3. Here's Russo's documentation for that.

4. Which one constantly talks about how fake everything in wrestling is and which one wants things to go back to the good ol' days? Russo got a fluke title win and dropped the title the next week because he's not a wrestler. Cornette is willing to actually fight someone with a baseball bat because of pro wrestling. That's some serious markery.

5. Could have been intentional. Who knows.

6. Oh, yeah, and I'm sure Corny does the same thing. Both of them are trying to get audiences.

7. Cornette has actually threatened to kill Vince Russo. Impact had to lawyer up because of it. If anyone should be upset here, it's Russo. As for relevancy, I think Russo and Cornette both make plays to remain in the spotlight with their antics and statements. And it keeps working!

More wrestling tomorrow.

Impact-NFL press release, Ruby update, another NXT match, UK Title angle, Dalton signs new contract, another "Total Divas" cast change, title match set for Raw, WWE live event notes, and Questions on Dalton's future, Alberto-Paige, Adam Cole's next move, burying HHH post-Curtain Call, and Flair jumping back to WCW

Impact Wrestling issued an official press release on NFL's DeAngelo Williams working Slammiversary. The company has gotten some pretty decent press from the announcement, which was the goal. I assume this is just a one-time thing to get attention for the PPV. It's fine by me; they can only get so much business without reaching outside the wrestling bubble. They need to get some eyeballs from "normies," too.

Ruby Riot received stitches after being busted open in a match with Asuka. I hope Ruby's got a good future in WWE.

Kassius Ohno vs. Aleister Black is advertised for this week's NXT. That sounds AMAZING.

NXT ran an angle between Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews before their UK Title match. I like this kind of thing. Too much of wrestling is "we're going to have a match and I'm going to win that title because I'm the better wrestler."

Dalton Castle has signed a new contract with ROH. That's great news for ROH. As much as I'd love to see him move on to another promotion, maybe he'll get to really shine there as a valuable performer.

Renee Young will not be returning to "Total Divas" this season. I wouldn't read anything into that beyond there being a cast change. She's still very much a part of things in WWE.

The Hardys will get their rematch with Sheamus and Cesaro on Raw. I hope the Europeans don't have a criminally short reign. The Hardys will be plenty over without the titles.

Charlotte remains off Smackdown live events as part of work for a USA Network movie special. She will still be part of Money in the Bank.

Emma has returned to action on Raw live events as a heel. So, hopefully she'll be back on TV soon. Notably she'll have to compete with Alexa and Nia as heels, so she's got something of a ceiling there.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Hopefully they'll start using him more prominently going forward.

2. The reality show continues!

3. That would definitely be the night to do it! Hopefully some other former ROH names will be joining him in NXT and WWE sooner rather than later. They could conceivably make use of Kyle O'Reilly, Donovan Dijak, Lio Rush (205 Live), and Mike Bennett.

4. As was said, it wasn't just KOTR but everything that could have come from winning that. Thankfully he rebounded after that.

5. That's one of the great things about WWF having a high-level competitor with deep pockets.

More wrestling tomorrow.