Raw's 25th anniversary will feature matches from the venue of the very first Raw in addition to the Barclays Center. That's really cool.
- Talents from Smackdown will appear at the combined tapings, as well as legends such as The Undertaker, Kevin Nash, and Shawn Michaels. This will be Taker's first WWE TV appearance since WM33, so we'll likely see him confirm his future in regard to joining the WWE Hall of Fame and/or wrestling during WM34 weekend.
- WWE put out a press release announcing the big event.
- Local advertising confirms Bret Hart, Ric Flair, and Mick Foley would also be appearing. Now THERE'S a Table for 3 I'd love to see.
WWE posted some superstar Halloween costumes before Raw. The Singh costume had me rolling, and Drew Gulak's was something else. I don't think I'll ever be able to unsee that.
Johnny Gargano vs. Fabian Aichner and Nikki Cross vs. Taynara Conti are set for this week's NXT in addition to the main event between SAnitY and the Authors of Pain. That should be a good show!
William Regal weighed in on the Lio Rush controversy. He's been in the business longer than Lio's been alive. I hope Rush takes advice from the respected veterans in the locker room. It's likely he'll have to speak to management after this most visible instance of locker room heat. I hope he learns his lesson and can move forward; he's been given a very big opportunity at a very young age.
Roman Reigns will not be on WWE's European tour, as he continues to recover from his illness. Survivor Series is one of WWE's biggest events of the year, so they naturally want Roman available for that show.
Ric Flair discussed his struggles with alcohol. I really hope he's recovering well from that.
Big Cass will be appearing at an NFL game on November 2. I assume that could be to promote Raw's 25th anniversary.
Breezango and friends put together The Fashion Police Project. I love when WWE just lets the talents goof off like this.
Arn Anderson discussed WarGames. With Starrcade coming up, it feels like we're in 1997 or something.
ROH is doing a live event called ROH Elite on November 11 in Florida. The following matches have been set:
- The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) vs. Dalton Castle, Jay Lethal, and Kenny King
- The Motor City Machine Guns vs. TK O'Ryan and Vinny Marseglia for the ROH Tag Team Championship
- Shane Taylor vs. Punishment Martinez
Bray Wyatt was backstage at Raw after being cleared to return to action. I'm interested to see what's next for him and Abigail after his brief absence.
NXT announced new live events in the Southeast in December.
Summer Rae commented on her WWE release. Her next steps will be interesting; I wouldn't think she'd be in big demand as a wrestler.
Rockstar Spud has been released from Impact Wrestling. He hadn't been used since May, and there weren't any plans to use him Ottawa, so this isn't a big surprise. I think he'd be able to fit into WWE in some capacity, especially if the UK brand gets up and running as a regular touring attraction.
Survivor Series' male elimination match is set to be Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and Roman Reigns against Randy Orton, Shane McMahon, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Bobby Roode. No word on a potential replacement for Roman if he isn't cleared by then. That does sound like a pretty good clash, but I'm curious what role Kane will play in things.
Fight Network is relaunching Live Audio Wrestling. John Pollock has left the network and Jason Agnew will no longer be hosting the show. It will be interesting to see what changes are made.
205 Live will feature Gran Metalik vs. Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari vs. Mustafa Ali. It's very much the "throw a bunch of athletes together" show. That often seems to happen with cruiserweight divisions.
Rusev worked as a face against a heel Tye Dillinger at a Smackdown live event in North Carolina Monday night. That's worth a try. Both men could use a fresh direction.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. People are willing to do more dangerous/physical spots to get over how "real" a feud is. I don't know if it's worth it, but they're generally not thinking long-term.
2. WWE needs to continue to groom commentators as they do wrestlers, referees, etc. I'm fine with using him in that role.
3. I give them a pass for commercials for the reason mentioned. And Shane let Raw book AJ to lower their guard for the big siege! This was explicitly explained.
4. They built Kane as a monster so it means something when someone does beat him. With Brock as a part-timer, Henry retired, and Show injured, Kane's stepping in to be a top opponent. Seth, Dean, and Balor have long careers ahead of them. They'll be fine. Styles should be good, too, given how strong of a worker he is.
5. Raw was caught by surprise, and probably expected Smackdown to have security measures in place Raw didn't have. Sometimes it's smart to wait to get everything in order before retaliating.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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