205 Live getting a general manager had been discussed for months, with Summer Rae having been an option for the role before her release. I'm thinking Rockstar Spud will end up taking that title, but we'll see. Perhaps Nia Jax is an option?
The United States Championship tournament was ended early in order for the two Rumble matches to get more time Sunday. I can't say that's a bad idea.
Jason Jordan's injury is back related. We'll see if he ends up remaining tag team champion past the Rumble.
Jimmy Fallon was going to be part of some backstage segments on Raw 25, but arrived too late to film them. The show had plenty of fluff without him.
Alberto El Patron is expected to return to AAA in addition to his Impact work. That's good for AAA.
Johnny Mundo/Impact will continue working with AAA after teasing he wasn't going to make a scheduled title match.
AXS TV is expected to air NJPW's March California show live. That should be really big for them.
Batista, Ronda Rousey, and Bas Rutten will be inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Arnold Classic. That's big for all three of them.
Alberto El Patron is looking to put on more earthquake benefit shows in Mexico. That's great news!
Lashley is reportedly getting an early release from his Impact contract, which was set to go through May. It's likely he's gotten a big offer to leave for WWE or NJPW. I'm curious how he'll do.
Abyss will be scouting talent in California this weekend on behalf of Impact. I expect he'll be an important part of the new regime.
WWE Network is offering three months for $1.99 total to former subscribers in order to have big subscriber numbers for the day after Wrestlemania. They're really struggling to increase fan interest for the service. This is desperate!
Hulk Hogan had legitimate talks about joining Bullet Club, but it was reportedly a combination of him asking for too much money and the feeling he'd return to WWE as soon as he could that stopped it from happening. NJPW will have to decide what any exposure from using Hulk would be worth, because he's only going to go there if it greatly benefits himself.
Andrade "Cien" Almas did press in Mexico to promote Takeover, pushing that he'd like other stars from there to join NXT. That could be good for the Network gaining subscribers there.
Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose will sign autographs at March's Autorama show in Michigan.
Royal Rumble 2018 will be shown live in the theater in Malaysia. That's a pretty cool alternative to PPV.
Eddie Edwards did a conference call before Thursday's Impact:
- He will not need surgery from his recent injury. His vision has almost recovered. That's good to hear, because that injury sounds BRUTAL.
- We'll see more of his wife Alisha.
- Eddie intends to stay with Impact.
- He has no plans to work behind-the-scenes for Impact anytime soon.
Ronda Rousey indicated she's about to be locked up with filming a movie in Canada, so she won't be able to work Royal Rumble. This could be a big work WWE's using TMZ for, which would be a nice surprise. I still think we'll see her at Wrestlemania.
NPR looked at how 25 years of Raw have affected WWE. It will be really interesting to see what the show's future will be, either on TV or elsewhere.
Alexa Bliss discussed the women's revolution. I think we're some time away from women headlining Wrestlemania. Even with Ronda Rousey and/or Trish Stratus involved, I don't know if they'd get that nod above Brock, Triple H, Angle, Shane, etc.
Natalya discussed Raw 25 and more, really putting over Trish Stratus.
WWE 24 focusing on Wrestlemania 33 will debut after Royal Rumble. That's pretty cool.
Philadelphia nicknamed the streets leading to the venue for Sunday's show as "Royal Way" and "Rumble Road." That's pretty cool.
Rich Swann has had all charges against him dropped due to insufficient evidence. He should be reinstated to WWE shortly as a result. That's great news for the young superstar.
WWE is hiring:
-- I actually don't think I knew WWE had an office in Singapore.
Samoa Joe will join Sam Roberts and Charly Caruso on the pre-show panel for Takeover:Philadelphia. I'm glad he'll be able to be part of the weekend in some form.
Kairi Sane returned to the ring after a two month absence, pinning Lacey Evans during an NXT live event in New York.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Oh, wow. I didn't know that about Finkel. That would have been good. I personally would have popped for Damien Demento asking for a rematch with Taker, but I might have been the only one.
1. Oh, wow. I didn't know that about Finkel. That would have been good. I personally would have popped for Damien Demento asking for a rematch with Taker, but I might have been the only one.
Nothing to add to 2.
3. Only if Neville really wants to return. I don't really see anything changing on that front. Honestly, who would want to come back to 205 Live in its current state? Neville could almost certainly do better outside of WWE.
4. The odds are really against it. As much as fans will miss him, I doubt his coworkers or management want to bring him back. If he does return to WWE, it will be down the road. I expect it's more likely he'll move into making music or get a reality show or something.
5. I expect we're a long way away from Nancy even being an option to enter the Hall of Fame. I think Sullivan has a decent chance at some point, though. He's not as tied to the Benoit story.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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