Asuka is now the longest reigning champion of any kind in WWE since 1988. She's been NXT Women's Champion for more than 500 days. That's a really big accomplishment that may very well stand unbroken for a substantial period of time.
- Goldberg put Asuka over. That's really cool. I'm glad he's back in the WWE family.
NXT alumni are expected to make appearances during Takeover: Brooklyn, further cementing the event as something of a Wrestlemania for the brand. It's really been built into something special in the past few years.
AAA Triplemania will air live on Mexican TV following the conclusion of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor event. It's likely only the main event of Triplemania will be broadcast after the boxing bout, as the shows are going on at the same time. While getting national TV clearance is really big, AAA could have planned things better so as to not be up against such a major attraction.
LU will run a live event on October 9 in Tokyo the night before the AAA World Cup in the same market. The brand is active despite the TV show's future still coming together.
Awesome Kong/Kharma will return for GLOW on Netflix. I'm glad some wrestlers are getting work on the project.
ROH's War of the Worlds show for October 15 has already sold their highest ever attendance in Chicago. Their crossover events are doing well, which is why ROH does so many of them.
GFW's event with The Crash on September 2 might be a One Night Only taping. I like GFW collaborating with other promotions like that.
GFW has signed Knockouts Keira Hogan and Hania the Howling Huntress. With Gail retiring and Angelina leaving, I see why they're adding new names to the division.
Daniel Bryan is undergoing therapy to return to the ring. If WWE doctors won't clear him, he'll likely try to wrestle in NJPW and/or ROH once his contract expires next summer. I hope he's making the right decision there. His return would definitely be big for NJPW and ROH.
Ronda Rousey and Jessamyn Duke are training with Brian Kendrick, so it looks like the goal is to have them wrestle in WWE. I'd assume Rousey would be saved for a Brock-type schedule and a big WM34 match if her wrestling is a viable option. Rousey & Angle vs. HHH & Stephanie would be big if Rock isn't available; I'd rather her tap Stephanie out than an active wrestler.
Scott Dawson is expected to be out until December. I hope The Revival can have a healthy run come 2018.
Many MYC competitors are returning for the September 12 finale, as there could be other matches on the card that night. That'd be good to showcase some names they're looking to sign as regulars.
Summerslam will be coming to Blu-Ray on a limited release to see how much demand there is for the format. Not everyone has moved to streaming just yet.
Darren Young has been cleared to return to the ring. It's unknown if Bob Backlund will work with him again. I'd rather see Darren utilized in NXT than filling space on Raw or Smackdown. Either way, it's going to be tough to stand out in such a talented field.
Gail Kim discussed retirement and more:
- Gail has definitely pushed for women's wrestling to be more of a focus. She was a key force in getting the Knockouts division of the ground.
- Sienna who? The division is all about Gail vs. Taryn now. Shocking return doesn't cover it.
- I'm glad Gail will get to go out on a high note. Not everyone gets that.
- Gail's given plenty to the business and accomplished a lot. This is pretty much a victory lap.
- Gail vs. Kong was legendary. One of the highlights of GFW history.
- I don't think it's a stretch to say the Knockouts division was doing a lot of what WWE/NXT are doing now for a time. They had some really talented names.
- Gail, Kong, and Taryn beat the holy hell out of each other. It was wild.
- Vince wanted the women to be eye candy, and had the company hire fitness models instead of wrestlers. HHH replacing John Laurinaitis changed that approach.
- I think the idea was for the women's matches to be a comedown from more serious male matches. Like, after two guys beat each other up with weapons, do a women's match that doesn't have a lot going on so the fans can get some downtime before another epic clash.
- If we don't get Gail vs. Kong, I'm OK with Gail vs. Taryn. Both feuds were amazing and I'm glad we get one final round of Gail and Taryn at the least.
GFW has further community outreach events planned for this week. That's all cool. I hope it gets more people in the door and supporting the company.
Low Ki talked Destination X and more:
- Ki has definitely a big journey in and out of all these different promotions.
- I never really pictured Low Ki with LAX, but he fits the theme. Ki doesn't really play off his Puerto Rican heritage.
- It's smart to use LAX to try to get the younger names over by working with the veterans. That's clever.
- GFW will be working in Mexico. I'm sure they'd love to work in other countries, too.
- It will be interesting to see what's next for LAX with no Alberto around.
- Low Ki's going to leave behind an interesting legacy given how much he's jumped around.
Samoa Joe talked to USA Today:
- I like Joe's look and style. Of course, as I'm sure he'll point out, Taz had a towel before Joe did.
- Hahahahahah I assume Joe orders a whole bunch of towels at once.
- Joe's really good. He has a lot of skills to bring to the table.
- I'm glad Joe's getting to be a big deal on Raw. WWE passed on him years ago.
- I expect we'll see some current NXT names at Summerslam next year. Asuka, for instance.
WWE got press from the New York Yankees' Todd Fraser & Tommy Kahnle, as well as for attending a local children's hospital.
Terry Funk discussed Ric Flair and more:
- I hope Funk and Flair are still up to wrestling at 80.
- Yes, there were a lot of conflicting reports about Ric. I tried to be as accurate as possible.
- Flair has probably held more than 20 world titles. He's just credited with 16.
- The Nature Boy is one of a kind.
- I hope Ric recovers fully. It sounds like he's going through a lot.
Seth Rollins, Sasha Banks, & Sam Roberts had an event on Broadway.
New York Post profiled Samoa Joe:
- I absolutely think Joe still looked like a beast at GBOF.
- It's crazy seeing people like Joe and Nakamura being top names in WWE.
- Joe got an opportunity few others get. WWE was willing to have him work NXT among other promotions. That was big.
- I hope indie fans are watching WWE to support the people who performed in front of them for so many years.
- We're definitely seeing a lot of good wrestling these days.WWE is picking up people who already have a lot of work under their belts, and it shows.
- I hope Braun knocks it out of the park.
- Bruiser Brody was something else.
Booker T. was profiled. WWE needs to book a mayor vs. mayor match if Booker and Kane both win.
GFW debuted new championship designs at Destination X. I'm glad they emphasized blue over that really bright green.
The Hardys & Jason Jordan vs. The Miz, Bo Dallas, & Curtis Axel has been added to Summerslam's Kickoff show. That's fine. There's a LOT going on that night.
Shelton Benjamin has signed a new WWE contract. It's currently unknown which brand he'll be assigned to. He can be an asset on any show. I'm glad we'll be seeing him again.
D'Angelo Dinero has left GFW. I wish he would have gotten further as a wrestler. Oh, well. I hope he does good things wherever he goes next.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I wouldn't expect them to get the kind of creative freedom they got working with Billy Corgan and Jeremy Borash, who really "got" the vision the Hardys had. I'm sure they'll do some fun shenanigans, but I'm skeptical they can match what they did elsewhere. I definitely don't see WWE letting them work other wrestling promotions and having the footage air on WWE TV.
1. I wouldn't expect them to get the kind of creative freedom they got working with Billy Corgan and Jeremy Borash, who really "got" the vision the Hardys had. I'm sure they'll do some fun shenanigans, but I'm skeptical they can match what they did elsewhere. I definitely don't see WWE letting them work other wrestling promotions and having the footage air on WWE TV.
2. It's MUCH easier said than done to get that many new sponsors. It took years to rebrand into the PG direction. That wouldn't change overnight if they decided to do a 180 and go back to being TV-14. As for budget cuts, a lot of the expenses came from doing so much live content for the Network and signing so many talents for endeavors that aren't drawing new subscribers. That has nothing to do with going PG. Blaming Vince for 205 Live and the UK brand is asinine.
3. WWE is adding new content pretty much every day, but I can see why people want something fresh instead of vintage content. I think WWE is taking a big look at the Network after subscriber numbers came in much lower than expected, as they should. They've made some big and costly moves that haven't paid off.
4. That would be really cool, but I think WWE wants to push the Tapout brand instead of someone else's project.
5. Basically if he is retired, they're letting whatever time is left on his contract expire. He's earned that downside pay.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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