Sin Cara was featured in a Texas mural. Awkward acknowledgement that he's not actually from Mexico City.
Edge, Christian, Beth Phoenix, and Tommy Dreamer did a giant Q&A on the latest Edge and Christian podcast.
John Cena was all over the Today Show Thursday.
Daniel Bryan was on WWE's Wal3ooha in the Middle East.
Paul Heyman promoted his meet and greet during Mania weekend. That should be memorable!
Triple H did a conference call to promote Takeover: New Orleans. Here are highlights.
- I think people are rushing to have more women's titles. I think that could make things a little too crowded on the belt front.
- Wow. Kind of crazy to see a WWE executive putting over other companies' events.
- Interesting idea regarding more Takeover specials. They could do some in smaller venues in-between the major shows.
- There are only so many stories/angles to do. There's inevitably going to be some overlap.
WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger underwent emergency open heart surgery. Thankfully, he's in stable condition afterward.
Greatest Royal Rumble ticket sales have been pushed back to April 13. They were initially set for March 31. Fans will only have two weeks to purchase them.
Nia Jax discussed her current angle and more. The women have a lot of spots on the Mania card this year.
Roman Reigns was profiled in Louisiana. He's driven to be a lightning rod for WWE.
Wrestlemania VII coming to Los Angeles was covered. The initial plans for the event were quite ambitious.
Jeff Jarrett will be part of a "Table for 3" episode. I'm curious who will be with him.They could either put him with people like Joe and AJ or Sting and Angle or some pre-Impact associates.
Kalisto was profiled by Cricket Wireless. I love the idea he wears a mask pretty much 24/7.
AJ Styles discussed his injury and more. He and Shinsuke are getting a REALLY big opportunity.
An Andre the Giant collection is coming to WWE Network Monday. Good timing with the HBO documentary. Also scheduled are a look at top Wrestlemania matches of the modern era and a collection devoted to Finn Balor. Advertised for May are a collection for Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco, as well as one for Mickie James. I kind of miss The Stooges.
MLW's TV show was confirmed by beIN Sports.
Impact Wrestling drew 399,000 viewers Thursday night, their biggest number since Final Deletion on July 5, 2016. The company was understandably pleased. That's a very impressive milestone for them.
Wrestlemania 34 is scheduled to begin with Kickoff at 5 p.m. EST, with the main show beginning at 7 p.m. EST and going through midnight. It's going to be a REALLY long night.
At Raw's March 30 live event in Massachusetts:
- Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy brawled after Bray cut a promo on Matt. Matt tried to get Bray to join him before they began fighting. I'm curious what their future holds.
- Brock Lesnar won a triple threat with Kane and Braun Strowman. So either the story of Brock having worked his last live event on his contract was wrong or they worked something out for him to an additional date. Either way, he's probably done at WM34.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They've made use of the one foot rule since then. I'm surprised they never did anything with Zack Gowen in that capacity. Theoretically he'd never be eliminated!
2. I see why they want him to focus on physical therapy so he can hopefully return sooner. I imagine that much travel wouldn't be advisable at any rate.
3. Curt has definitely teased it on Twitter! I was honestly hoping he'd challenge Goldberg given the streak angle. I'd like to see Hawkins get some kind of nod on the show after that many losses, but I think Elias is more likely to be Braun's partner, since he's been much more visible than Mr. Main Event.
4. I've basically accepted the notion that the top wrestler isn't necessarily who I personally think should be pushed. It's a lot to do with where someone is and at what time, as success generally is.
5. ROH has definitely featured the women on-screen more than they used to, even if it's just showing highlights. Hopefully once a champion is crowned, we'll see her in action more.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Sin Cara featured, E&C podcast note, a LOT of Mania week hype, HHH conference call, celebrity HoFer hospitalized, Greatest Rumble sale date pushed back, Jarrett on Table for 3, Kalisto profiled, new WWE Network collections, Impact audience, Raw live event notes, and Questions on HBK's famous Rumble elimination, Ambrose being pulled, Hawkins teaming with Braun, who should be a top wrestler, and WOH on TV
Friday, March 30, 2018
Assorted wrestling hype, WWE coming to Croatian TV, Cabana's podcast returns, PWG moving from longtime home, how Rusev entered U.S. Title match, Louisiana commission updates, NJPW heading to the UK, NXT name honors retiring Japanese star, more on MLW contracts, Olympian courted by WWE, top LU name a free agent, Smackdown angle dropped, WWE seeking new hire, musical guest at WWE's South African tour, AXXESS seeking volunteers, USA airing Mania week content, more Woken merch, notable AXXESS guests, Andre premiere guests, and Questions on Corey and Nigel returning, how to have Hulk return, Haku's toughness, and GCW on the Network
Triple H promoted Ciampa vs. Gargano on NBC Sports. It's been an awesome feud.
Ronda Rousey had a sit-down interview on ESPN.
WWE will air in Croatia for the first time ever, with one-hour versions of Raw and Smackdown on broadcast TV with Croatian commentary. The episodes will also be on the channel's video-on-demand app.
Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast has returned with road stories from Japan.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is moving from their longtime venue as the American Legion Hall has been sold, and no more events will be held once the building has new owners. Their last event there will be May 25. It's expected they'll run a lot of shows in the Globe Theater going forward, but other venues will likely also see PWG events going forward.
Hulk Hogan spoke to TMZ about returning to WWE. It seems we're pretty close to him being back in some fashion, but he and WWE are likely playing down things so it would/will be a surprise if/when he does pop back up.
Rusev was "promoted" to the U.S. Title match at Wrestlemania due to his merchandise sales. That's awesome. He's earned the spot.
Louisiana's wrestling commission will allow WWE and ROH to do piledrivers and other moves that smaller promotions are exempt from doing. Exceptions will be made prior to an event if wrestlers are believed to have enough training, ability, and experience to safely do the moves. Hopefully most performers will be able to do what they normally do.
NJPW will run the UK on June 30 and July 1 for "Strong Style Evolved UK" in conjunction with Revolution Pro's promoter. Both venues use around 2,500 seats.
Kairi Sane taped a message to honor Stardom's retiring general manager. That's pretty cool.
MLW talents will be able to work Impact or NJPW when they aren't working tapings, but not WWE.
Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder is being recruited by WWE and UFC, but has stated he intends to continue focusing on amateur wrestling. He could certainly be a big deal with his credentials.
Jeff Cobb is now a free agent, finishing up his Lucha Underground duties as Matanza. It will be interesting to see where he ends up next. His LU work really put him on the map for potentially bigger bookings.
- Impact has reportedly offered him a two-year deal. That would be big for them.
Smackdown's Top 10 angle has likely been shelved. I hope there's not more where that came from.
WWE is seeking a new director of communications in charge of promoting the company, WWE Network, WWE Studios, WWE Music Brand, and talents. That's a big role.
A South African hip hop artist will be at WWE's live events there on April 20 and 21.
WWE is seeking volunteers for AXXESS. That's a big opportunity!
USA Network's "Wrestlemania Week" will feature a Wrestlemania's Greatest Moments special on Thursday, a WWE Hall of Fame special on Saturday, and the second hour of WM34's Kickoff show on Sunday. I'm a little surprised they're not showing NXT on Wednesday this time, but that doesn't directly promote WM34.
David Otunga helped his niece get a heart transplant. Glad to see that.
Chrissy Teigen won't attend Wrestlemania due to her pregnancy. I'd love to see her on WWE TV at some point, though. She can be pretty funny.
WWE is selling a "mower of lawn" shirt for Woken Matt Hardy. Wow. Just... wow.
Notable names set for Wrestlemania AXXESS: Samoa Joe, the Dudley Boyz, Big Cass, Bray Wyatt, the Authors of Pain, Pete Dunne, Kevin Nash, the Bella Twins, Jeff Jarrett, Kane, Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Trish Stratus, Lita, Jason Jordan, Aleister Black, and DDP.
At the Andre the Giant documentary premiere: Triple H, Big Show, Hulk Hogan, Rey Mysterio, Jimmy Hart, Mark Henry, boxer Gennady Golovkin, Cary Elwes from "The Princess Bride," and NFL Network's Scott Hanson.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Basically it would be a matter of Corey really pushing to get back in the ring, and getting approvals from top professionals as Bryan did. I don't know if he'd want to give up his current role in order to wrestle more, as he's gotten a lot further as an announcer than he did as a wrestler.
2. I think Nigel has moved on from his in-ring days.
3. I like the idea of, say, Shane McMahon or Kurt Angle or someone bringing him back to apologize for what he did, etc. Then, once that's all been aired out, someone like Curt Hawkins can come down and tell Hogan to stop hogging the spotlight, leading to Hulk delivering his greatest hits. Or have him team with Braun against The Miztourage?
4. I'm sure some of them have grown in the retellings over the years, but he's definitely highly regarded as a tough man.
5. As always, it's a matter of how much demand WWE thinks there is for the content compared to other vintage content.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Ronda Rousey had a sit-down interview on ESPN.
WWE will air in Croatia for the first time ever, with one-hour versions of Raw and Smackdown on broadcast TV with Croatian commentary. The episodes will also be on the channel's video-on-demand app.
Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast has returned with road stories from Japan.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is moving from their longtime venue as the American Legion Hall has been sold, and no more events will be held once the building has new owners. Their last event there will be May 25. It's expected they'll run a lot of shows in the Globe Theater going forward, but other venues will likely also see PWG events going forward.
Hulk Hogan spoke to TMZ about returning to WWE. It seems we're pretty close to him being back in some fashion, but he and WWE are likely playing down things so it would/will be a surprise if/when he does pop back up.
Rusev was "promoted" to the U.S. Title match at Wrestlemania due to his merchandise sales. That's awesome. He's earned the spot.
Louisiana's wrestling commission will allow WWE and ROH to do piledrivers and other moves that smaller promotions are exempt from doing. Exceptions will be made prior to an event if wrestlers are believed to have enough training, ability, and experience to safely do the moves. Hopefully most performers will be able to do what they normally do.
NJPW will run the UK on June 30 and July 1 for "Strong Style Evolved UK" in conjunction with Revolution Pro's promoter. Both venues use around 2,500 seats.
Kairi Sane taped a message to honor Stardom's retiring general manager. That's pretty cool.
MLW talents will be able to work Impact or NJPW when they aren't working tapings, but not WWE.
Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder is being recruited by WWE and UFC, but has stated he intends to continue focusing on amateur wrestling. He could certainly be a big deal with his credentials.
Jeff Cobb is now a free agent, finishing up his Lucha Underground duties as Matanza. It will be interesting to see where he ends up next. His LU work really put him on the map for potentially bigger bookings.
- Impact has reportedly offered him a two-year deal. That would be big for them.
Smackdown's Top 10 angle has likely been shelved. I hope there's not more where that came from.
WWE is seeking a new director of communications in charge of promoting the company, WWE Network, WWE Studios, WWE Music Brand, and talents. That's a big role.
A South African hip hop artist will be at WWE's live events there on April 20 and 21.
WWE is seeking volunteers for AXXESS. That's a big opportunity!
USA Network's "Wrestlemania Week" will feature a Wrestlemania's Greatest Moments special on Thursday, a WWE Hall of Fame special on Saturday, and the second hour of WM34's Kickoff show on Sunday. I'm a little surprised they're not showing NXT on Wednesday this time, but that doesn't directly promote WM34.
David Otunga helped his niece get a heart transplant. Glad to see that.
Chrissy Teigen won't attend Wrestlemania due to her pregnancy. I'd love to see her on WWE TV at some point, though. She can be pretty funny.
WWE is selling a "mower of lawn" shirt for Woken Matt Hardy. Wow. Just... wow.
Notable names set for Wrestlemania AXXESS: Samoa Joe, the Dudley Boyz, Big Cass, Bray Wyatt, the Authors of Pain, Pete Dunne, Kevin Nash, the Bella Twins, Jeff Jarrett, Kane, Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Trish Stratus, Lita, Jason Jordan, Aleister Black, and DDP.
At the Andre the Giant documentary premiere: Triple H, Big Show, Hulk Hogan, Rey Mysterio, Jimmy Hart, Mark Henry, boxer Gennady Golovkin, Cary Elwes from "The Princess Bride," and NFL Network's Scott Hanson.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Basically it would be a matter of Corey really pushing to get back in the ring, and getting approvals from top professionals as Bryan did. I don't know if he'd want to give up his current role in order to wrestle more, as he's gotten a lot further as an announcer than he did as a wrestler.
2. I think Nigel has moved on from his in-ring days.
3. I like the idea of, say, Shane McMahon or Kurt Angle or someone bringing him back to apologize for what he did, etc. Then, once that's all been aired out, someone like Curt Hawkins can come down and tell Hogan to stop hogging the spotlight, leading to Hulk delivering his greatest hits. Or have him team with Braun against The Miztourage?
4. I'm sure some of them have grown in the retellings over the years, but he's definitely highly regarded as a tough man.
5. As always, it's a matter of how much demand WWE thinks there is for the content compared to other vintage content.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Vader update, Interviews with HHH+Mauro/Lana/Sonjay/Alberto/HHH+Stephanie, Sting working for WWE during Mania weekend, Impact sets press conference, Impact updates website, Impact World Title in title vs. title match, Smackdown audience, concussion lawsuit dismissed, and Questions on Brock assaulting Roman, Sable's absence from WWE, and Ronda's role in the women's revolution
Vader commented on the aftermath of his heart surgery. It's sad to see a legend hurt like this.
Triple H and Mauro Ranallo discussed NXT, 205 Live, and more. It will be interesting to see how the brands progress in the years to come.
Lana discussed Rusev Day and more. She has officially joined the Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal.
Sting will be part of WWE's Wrestlemania weekend activities, necessitating a change in his Wrestlecon schedule. I'm curious if that means he's going to induct Goldberg into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Impact Wrestling is holding a press conference on April 7 to promote Redemption. That's a smart way to make use of Mania weekend.
Impact has updated their merchandise website.
Austin Aries is defending the Impact World Championship in a title vs. title match for Seattle's DEFY Wrestling. I can see how some think it devalues Impact's title to be at the level of local promotions' titles, but it also gets Impact more buzz to tour their world champion.
Sonjay Dutt did a teleconference for Impact. There's little coverage of these conferences these days.
Alberto El Patron talked in Canada. Could that be one of his last non-WWE interviews?
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were on ESPN's First Take: Video 1 Video 2 It's notable Vince really isn't in the picture as much for media appearances now.
Smackdown drew 2.58 million viewers Tuesday, notably down from last week's big Daniel Bryan announcement. We'll see what effect he has on the audience once he's back in action.
WWE's original concussion lawsuit has been completely dismissed due to lack of evidence WWE deliberately misled performers about the effects of concussions. A similar lawsuit involving wrestlers being independent contractors rather than employees is still ongoing. At least WWE has finally survived the original claims.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think it made Heyman and Brock look devious for setting the whole thing up to damage to Roman.
2. Rollins is busy with his own title hunt, and Roman's the one who called Brock out in the first place.
3. I think Sable has deliberately moved onto being a wife and mother. As much as I think she belongs in the Hall of Fame, she seems to have really distanced herself from her performing days.
4. As was alluded to, that would basically put UFC over at WWE's expense.
5. I can't say I expected that to be a question!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Triple H and Mauro Ranallo discussed NXT, 205 Live, and more. It will be interesting to see how the brands progress in the years to come.
Lana discussed Rusev Day and more. She has officially joined the Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal.
Sting will be part of WWE's Wrestlemania weekend activities, necessitating a change in his Wrestlecon schedule. I'm curious if that means he's going to induct Goldberg into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Impact Wrestling is holding a press conference on April 7 to promote Redemption. That's a smart way to make use of Mania weekend.
Impact has updated their merchandise website.
Austin Aries is defending the Impact World Championship in a title vs. title match for Seattle's DEFY Wrestling. I can see how some think it devalues Impact's title to be at the level of local promotions' titles, but it also gets Impact more buzz to tour their world champion.
Sonjay Dutt did a teleconference for Impact. There's little coverage of these conferences these days.
Alberto El Patron talked in Canada. Could that be one of his last non-WWE interviews?
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were on ESPN's First Take: Video 1 Video 2 It's notable Vince really isn't in the picture as much for media appearances now.
Smackdown drew 2.58 million viewers Tuesday, notably down from last week's big Daniel Bryan announcement. We'll see what effect he has on the audience once he's back in action.
WWE's original concussion lawsuit has been completely dismissed due to lack of evidence WWE deliberately misled performers about the effects of concussions. A similar lawsuit involving wrestlers being independent contractors rather than employees is still ongoing. At least WWE has finally survived the original claims.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think it made Heyman and Brock look devious for setting the whole thing up to damage to Roman.
2. Rollins is busy with his own title hunt, and Roman's the one who called Brock out in the first place.
3. I think Sable has deliberately moved onto being a wife and mother. As much as I think she belongs in the Hall of Fame, she seems to have really distanced herself from her performing days.
4. As was alluded to, that would basically put UFC over at WWE's expense.
5. I can't say I expected that to be a question!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
LU trademarks new character name, WWE looks to stop bootleg Mania merch, NXT to UK/France/Belgium, Flair gifts custom suits, new WWE cooking show, Impact execs at NJPW show, Impact visitors, Impact teams with CWFH, Impact podcast drops, more ROH names at Y2J cruise, Interviews with Koff/Nia/AJ/Ronda, ROH trio gets shirt, more on Asuka opponent, Jarrett's inductor, defending Moolah, new Bryan shirt, more WCW content on Network, Pro Wrestling HOF announces inductees, Shane update, Raw audience, Generico selling merch, ECW legend opens PWT shop, another Cena role, why Charlotte missed Smackdown, and Questions on beating down Bryan, taking WWE too seriously, HHH and Stephanie not firing Angle, when hardcore fans will turn on Bryan this time, and taking time off before Mania
LU has trademarked "Octagon" as a character name, which may or may not be related to the original AAA star to use that name.
WWE is trying to stop unlicensed merchandise from being sold Wrestlemania weekend. It's an uphill battle at times.
NXT is running the UK's Download Festival again in June. They're already advertising Ricochet for events. That's cool.
- NXT is also coming to France and Belgium for the first time ever. The brand continues to expand! As they do more international work, the new North American Championship will be important for the tour that remains in the United States.
Ric Flair is getting The Rock and Jamie Foxx custom suits from his new collection. I'm glad he's getting this opportunities.
WWE has trademarked the name "Talking Snack" for an upcoming cooking series, which could also have fitness/exercise components. That could be an interesting concept!
Impact executives Don Callis and Scott D'Amore attended NJPW's Strong Style Evolved in California.
The former Ezekiel Jackson/Big Ryck and Katie Lea Burchill/Winter were visiting at Impact's California events. Ezekiel seems to have retired, but Winter is still active. I wouldn't mind her returning to Impact at all.
Impact's California events made use of Championship Wrestling from Hollywood staff and equipment. Good to see the two sides working together.
Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt have debuted a "Talking Impact" podcast. They will be doing live podcasts each night over Wrestlecon weekend.
Chris Jericho has added Deonna Purrazzo, Flip Gordon, Kenny King, and Cheeseburger to his October cruise. This is a pretty nice show for ROH.
Joe Koff talked before Supercard of Honor:
- ROH has certainly changed for the better in the last few years.
- I'm pleasantly surprised to see this year's SCOH so far outselling one with the Hardys fresh off their Impact run.
- The Bucks and the Bullet Club in general have really taken the wrestling world by storm. They know what they're doing.
- I think the Briscoes like the freedom they have outside of WWE, and their ability to do outside work. ROH has really benefited from that. Lethal gets to be one of the most important people in ROH. He wouldn't necessarily get to shine as much in WWE.
- ROH is certainly growing, and they've been in the game a good while now. That foundation has really served them well.
- NJPW getting hot has absolutely helped ROH a good deal. I wouldn't assume ROH would totally tank without NJPW, though.
- The story has been Aries and ROH worked something out rather than Impact "giving him permission to appear." Aries isn't under an exclusive Impact deal.
- I think WWE would be willing to license ROH footage if they thought it would lead to more WWE Network subscribers.
- ROH drawing 10,000 seems farfetched now, but I wouldn't completely rule it out!
SoCal Uncensored now has a shirt with ROH. Good to see them getting a spotlight.
Asuka's Raw opponent was Brittany Rae Steding. I can't find any of her previous work.
Jeff Jarrett will be inducted into the Hall of Fame by Road Dogg. The two have a long history on-screen and off.
Fabulous Moolah's former associates put out a press release defending her. The allegations against her have swirled for years, but more or less flew under the radar for a while until the battle royal name announcement.
Daniel Bryan has a new T-shirt to coincide with his return to the ring. This can be big for WWE.
WCW Saturday Night will come to WWE Network next week to continue showcasing the company's history there.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame will induct Dan Severn, Owen Hart, Booker T., Bruiser Brody, Ben Askren, and Koji Miyamoto between July 26 and July 28. That's a nice mix of names.
Nia Jax discussed Wrestlemania in Europe. She's in for a big spotlight that night. I hope she has a good run.
Shane McMahon checked in from the hospital. He's insane for working Wrestlemania after that, but I can't say I'm surprised. I hope he gets to lay low for a while afterward.
Raw drew 3.37 million viewers, slightly above last week.
El Generico is selling merchandise on Pro Wrestling Tees from March 30 through April 9. I assume the proceeds go to his orphanage in Mexico. He's really capitalizing on Sami Zayn being fired!
- Shane Douglas has also got merchandise available from PWTs.
John Cena will voice a character in an upcoming animated movie. Is he going to call Taker out there, too?
AJ Styles discussed Shinsuke Nakamura and more. Both men have a big opportunity to make their mark in WWE with this angle.
Ronda Rousey was on ESPN's Golic and Wingo, as well as Get Up! to promote Wrestlemania.
Charlotte Flair underwent oral surgery recently due to an infection. She was held off from competing at this weekend's live events as well as Tuesday's Smackdown taping to recover. She was backstage at Smackdown, however, and is advertised as returning to action on next week's Mixed Match Challenge, so she's still on to work Wrestlemania.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Basically they planned it to get heat on Sami and Kevin and show Bryan is back all the way to the point where he can take bumps like that and still work Mania. It definitely got people talking about that match.
2. The point is that most of the people watching don't care about perceived inconsistencies, who's getting "pushed" and "buried," whether a match is ***1/2 or ***3/4, etc. WWE generally books with that in mind.
3. That could come into play after Mania. I suppose HHH and Stephanie aren't so upset with his work as to go through the process of replacing him, especially this close to their biggest show of the year!
4. Hardcore fans will turn on Bryan (again) like they've turned on everyone else, but he MIGHT be able to make it a few months into his comeback before they do.
5. I think it would be a tough sell to willingly give up live event revenue and the merchandise sales that go with those shows, etc. I absolutely see what you're saying, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE is trying to stop unlicensed merchandise from being sold Wrestlemania weekend. It's an uphill battle at times.
NXT is running the UK's Download Festival again in June. They're already advertising Ricochet for events. That's cool.
- NXT is also coming to France and Belgium for the first time ever. The brand continues to expand! As they do more international work, the new North American Championship will be important for the tour that remains in the United States.
Ric Flair is getting The Rock and Jamie Foxx custom suits from his new collection. I'm glad he's getting this opportunities.
WWE has trademarked the name "Talking Snack" for an upcoming cooking series, which could also have fitness/exercise components. That could be an interesting concept!
Impact executives Don Callis and Scott D'Amore attended NJPW's Strong Style Evolved in California.
The former Ezekiel Jackson/Big Ryck and Katie Lea Burchill/Winter were visiting at Impact's California events. Ezekiel seems to have retired, but Winter is still active. I wouldn't mind her returning to Impact at all.
Impact's California events made use of Championship Wrestling from Hollywood staff and equipment. Good to see the two sides working together.
Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt have debuted a "Talking Impact" podcast. They will be doing live podcasts each night over Wrestlecon weekend.
Chris Jericho has added Deonna Purrazzo, Flip Gordon, Kenny King, and Cheeseburger to his October cruise. This is a pretty nice show for ROH.
Joe Koff talked before Supercard of Honor:
- ROH has certainly changed for the better in the last few years.
- I'm pleasantly surprised to see this year's SCOH so far outselling one with the Hardys fresh off their Impact run.
- The Bucks and the Bullet Club in general have really taken the wrestling world by storm. They know what they're doing.
- I think the Briscoes like the freedom they have outside of WWE, and their ability to do outside work. ROH has really benefited from that. Lethal gets to be one of the most important people in ROH. He wouldn't necessarily get to shine as much in WWE.
- ROH is certainly growing, and they've been in the game a good while now. That foundation has really served them well.
- NJPW getting hot has absolutely helped ROH a good deal. I wouldn't assume ROH would totally tank without NJPW, though.
- The story has been Aries and ROH worked something out rather than Impact "giving him permission to appear." Aries isn't under an exclusive Impact deal.
- I think WWE would be willing to license ROH footage if they thought it would lead to more WWE Network subscribers.
- ROH drawing 10,000 seems farfetched now, but I wouldn't completely rule it out!
SoCal Uncensored now has a shirt with ROH. Good to see them getting a spotlight.
Asuka's Raw opponent was Brittany Rae Steding. I can't find any of her previous work.
Jeff Jarrett will be inducted into the Hall of Fame by Road Dogg. The two have a long history on-screen and off.
Fabulous Moolah's former associates put out a press release defending her. The allegations against her have swirled for years, but more or less flew under the radar for a while until the battle royal name announcement.
Daniel Bryan has a new T-shirt to coincide with his return to the ring. This can be big for WWE.
WCW Saturday Night will come to WWE Network next week to continue showcasing the company's history there.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame will induct Dan Severn, Owen Hart, Booker T., Bruiser Brody, Ben Askren, and Koji Miyamoto between July 26 and July 28. That's a nice mix of names.
Nia Jax discussed Wrestlemania in Europe. She's in for a big spotlight that night. I hope she has a good run.
Shane McMahon checked in from the hospital. He's insane for working Wrestlemania after that, but I can't say I'm surprised. I hope he gets to lay low for a while afterward.
Raw drew 3.37 million viewers, slightly above last week.
El Generico is selling merchandise on Pro Wrestling Tees from March 30 through April 9. I assume the proceeds go to his orphanage in Mexico. He's really capitalizing on Sami Zayn being fired!
- Shane Douglas has also got merchandise available from PWTs.
John Cena will voice a character in an upcoming animated movie. Is he going to call Taker out there, too?
AJ Styles discussed Shinsuke Nakamura and more. Both men have a big opportunity to make their mark in WWE with this angle.
Ronda Rousey was on ESPN's Golic and Wingo, as well as Get Up! to promote Wrestlemania.
Charlotte Flair underwent oral surgery recently due to an infection. She was held off from competing at this weekend's live events as well as Tuesday's Smackdown taping to recover. She was backstage at Smackdown, however, and is advertised as returning to action on next week's Mixed Match Challenge, so she's still on to work Wrestlemania.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Basically they planned it to get heat on Sami and Kevin and show Bryan is back all the way to the point where he can take bumps like that and still work Mania. It definitely got people talking about that match.
2. The point is that most of the people watching don't care about perceived inconsistencies, who's getting "pushed" and "buried," whether a match is ***1/2 or ***3/4, etc. WWE generally books with that in mind.
3. That could come into play after Mania. I suppose HHH and Stephanie aren't so upset with his work as to go through the process of replacing him, especially this close to their biggest show of the year!
4. Hardcore fans will turn on Bryan (again) like they've turned on everyone else, but he MIGHT be able to make it a few months into his comeback before they do.
5. I think it would be a tough sell to willingly give up live event revenue and the merchandise sales that go with those shows, etc. I absolutely see what you're saying, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown, MMC, and 205 Live Reax - 3/27/18
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown, MMC, and 205 Live.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
JR moves podcast, Swann misses advertised dates, former NXT name injured, recent HoFer trains at WWEPC, Interviews with Henry/Mahal, MMC duo on Ride Along, YouTube personality promotes Rusev Day, top matches set for Greatest Rumble, MLW's big TV deal, Jeff Hardy update, big WWE charity auction, Miz welcomed to Cleveland, Vader surgery, Shane needs surgery, Ambrose pulled from signings, Heyman signs big production deal, Generico resurfaces (!), and Questions on Braun's partner, WWE spoiling surprises, Demon Balor at Mania, WWE travel arrangements, and why the wrestling media gets buried
Jim Ross is moving his podcast to Westwood One, with new weekly episodes debuting in early April. I hope that's a good new home for him.
Rich Swann did not appear for House of Hardcore this weekend, as he had been booked for. Swann had previously announced he was pulling out of all wrestling appearances. I wish him and his family well going forward.
Bull James has pulled himself from upcoming bookings after a rupture to his foot. He hopes to return after April.
Ricky Morton was recently a guest trainer at the WWE Performance Center. He's got a lot of experience to pass on; the WWEPC has really excelled at providing resources for their trainees.
Mark Henry spoke on retirement. I wouldn't be against him being a GM or something, but there'd be the expectation of him eventually facing someone when the focus needs to be on the active workers.
Jinder Mahal is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss filmed an episode of WWE Ride Along. That sounds AMAZING.
A YouTube personality promoted Rusev Day. Stuff like this is why older generations rail against millennials and Generation Z. I appreciate the Rusev fandom, but dancing in someone's store without their permission and disrupting traffic is a little much.
Set for the Greatest Royal Rumble in addition to the Rumble match itself:
- John Cena vs. Triple H
- The Miz vs. Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship
- The Bar vs. the Hardy Boyz for the Raw Tag Team Championship
-- WOWWWWWW this show is going to really be massive.
- John Cena vs. Triple H
- The Miz vs. Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship
- The Bar vs. the Hardy Boyz for the Raw Tag Team Championship
-- WOWWWWWW this show is going to really be massive.
Major League Wrestling has signed a multi-year deal with BeIn Sport USA to provide a weekly wrestling series as well as additional content. MLW: Fusion debuts on April 20 and the promotion will be getting rights fees for their programming. This is certainly an important source of growth for the company.
- The show will air in at least the United States and Canada, first coming on Fridays at 8 p.m. EST and replaying at 11 p.m.Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini will be the hosts, with Court Bauer, Mister Saint Laurent, Alex Greenfield, and Robert Karpele on creative, Bruce Prichard, MVP, Low Ki, and Jimmy Havoc as producers, and Nelson Sweglar acting as an executive producer and Charlie Bruzesse also involved.
- MLW has begun signing talents to deals that put MLW tapings as top priorities but don't prevent other bookings when they don't conflict with those dates. All in all, they're really getting something big going.
Jeff Hardy was backstage at Raw. I'm curious to see if he and/or Bray end up being part of Wrestlemania or if they're being saved for the night after.
WWE is running a charity auction with some pretty notable opportunities including:
- meeting Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon backstage at Summerslam
- touring WWE headquarters with a legend
- VIP tickets to WWE's "big four" events
- tickets to every WWE pay-per-view in 2018, plus Royal Rumble 2019 and Wrestlemania 35.
- touring the WWE Performance Center with Matt Bloom
- working as a backstage interviewer on either Raw or Smackdown
- a private WWE promo class
- a music session with Elias
- various photo shoots and live event meet and greets
- meeting Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon backstage at Summerslam
- touring WWE headquarters with a legend
- VIP tickets to WWE's "big four" events
- tickets to every WWE pay-per-view in 2018, plus Royal Rumble 2019 and Wrestlemania 35.
- touring the WWE Performance Center with Matt Bloom
- working as a backstage interviewer on either Raw or Smackdown
- a private WWE promo class
- a music session with Elias
- various photo shoots and live event meet and greets
The Miz got a special welcome at the site of Raw. That's pretty amazing in its own way.
Vader underwent open heart surgery. He's really going through some tough times.
Shane McMahon has been hospitalized due to a severe infection, and will require surgery. That's a really unfortunate turn of events. I hope Shane O'Mac is back on his feet soon. I assume we're in for a triple threat at WM34 now with Bryan, Owens, and Zayn. Who would have predicted that three weeks ago?
Dean Ambrose has been pulled from all upcoming signing appearances for unknown reasons. It's speculated this is a result of his triceps injury. I wish him the best as he recovers.
Paul Heyman is set to produce and star in a talk show being pitched to networks and digital platforms after WM34. This is part of a greater deal Heyman's production company has signed with a studio to develop and produce unscripted content. It's entirely possible he will leave WWE alongside Brock following WM34 in order to focus on these outside projects.
El Generico tweeted for the first time since Sami Zayn appeared in WWE, following Zayn being fired by Daniel Bryan. A persistent rumor in the wrestling business says that Zayn and Generico are the same person, which would (hypothetically) mean Zayn is teasing returning under that name after being fired.
Dean Ambrose has been pulled from all upcoming signing appearances for unknown reasons. It's speculated this is a result of his triceps injury. I wish him the best as he recovers.
Paul Heyman is set to produce and star in a talk show being pitched to networks and digital platforms after WM34. This is part of a greater deal Heyman's production company has signed with a studio to develop and produce unscripted content. It's entirely possible he will leave WWE alongside Brock following WM34 in order to focus on these outside projects.
El Generico tweeted for the first time since Sami Zayn appeared in WWE, following Zayn being fired by Daniel Bryan. A persistent rumor in the wrestling business says that Zayn and Generico are the same person, which would (hypothetically) mean Zayn is teasing returning under that name after being fired.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That would be pretty cool, but I think they could get more from Cass than that. Elias is a fine choice in my book. Kane would be interesting, but I think they should use someone coming up the ranks instead of the 50-year-old running for political office. And I say that with the utmost respect for Kane and what he's accomplished.
2. I absolutely think it's smart to build buzz for things in other outlets to get outside attention. I also like the idea of building up returns and such with video packages so it's a big deal when they happen.
3. I think it would be something of a waste of the Demon. Save that side of Balor for when he really needs a big edge in a top feud.
Nothing to add to 4. WWE devotes a lot to that side of things.
5. Honestly, journalists in general don't get much respect! But specifically for wrestling, some sites make things up, make things look like bigger deals than they are, or only report one side of a story. For instance, when a backstage incident happens between two wrestlers and the story that hits websites makes one wrestler look like the hero/badass - it's obvious which side of that story is talking to the media and which side isn't. Some journalists are so close to their sources that they, inadvertently or otherwise, present things in a light that favors their source. Of course, there's also the old mentality of "protecting the business" from outsiders who've never taken a bump.
More wrestling tomorrow.
1. That would be pretty cool, but I think they could get more from Cass than that. Elias is a fine choice in my book. Kane would be interesting, but I think they should use someone coming up the ranks instead of the 50-year-old running for political office. And I say that with the utmost respect for Kane and what he's accomplished.
2. I absolutely think it's smart to build buzz for things in other outlets to get outside attention. I also like the idea of building up returns and such with video packages so it's a big deal when they happen.
3. I think it would be something of a waste of the Demon. Save that side of Balor for when he really needs a big edge in a top feud.
Nothing to add to 4. WWE devotes a lot to that side of things.
5. Honestly, journalists in general don't get much respect! But specifically for wrestling, some sites make things up, make things look like bigger deals than they are, or only report one side of a story. For instance, when a backstage incident happens between two wrestlers and the story that hits websites makes one wrestler look like the hero/badass - it's obvious which side of that story is talking to the media and which side isn't. Some journalists are so close to their sources that they, inadvertently or otherwise, present things in a light that favors their source. Of course, there's also the old mentality of "protecting the business" from outsiders who've never taken a bump.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, March 26, 2018
Interviews with Tyson/Double J, Owens/Zayn angle footage, Steph awarded, WM34 store signings, Goldberg's inductor, alligator predicts WM34, Rey-NJPW update, big NJPW U.S. return set, and Questions on WWE running in Saudi Arabia, redeeming Hulk, and Roman vs. cops
Mike Tyson discussed Ronda Rousey and WWE at the Kids' Choice Awards, of all things.
WWE posted video of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn invading a Smackdown live event this weekend. Travel had already been booked with them working this weekend's shows, so it made sense to have them do something at the events.
Jeff Jarrett discussed going into the WWE Hall of Fame:
- I keep saying I'd love to see Jeff work behind-the-scenes in WWE.
- I'm interested to see what the future holds for him.
- I expect Road Dogg will induct him, but it could also be AJ Styles given their relationship in "other wrestling companies" and "a certain club in Japan."
- Jarrett had some great feuds with Sting and Angle. The Double J, Double M A angle is one of my favorites of all time.
Stephanie McMahon got an award for Connor's Cure. Big Show and Dana Warrior were also in attendance. Stephanie is going to be an increasingly important presence in WWE, on camera and off.
Rusev (April 5 at 1:00 p.m.) and Elias (April 6 at 11:00 a.m.) will be signing at the Wrestlemania superstore.
Paul Heyman will induct Goldberg into the WWE Hall of Fame. That's an interesting choice, but I'm looking forward to it.
An alligator "predicted" Wrestlemania winners. It's nice to see ZZ make a cameo in the WM34 hype.
Rey Mysterio appeared at Strong Style Evolved, giving his word that he will compete for NJPW once he recovers from his injury. Will Ospreay and Marty Scurll were teased as opponents. Um, why not both??
NJPW will run San Francisco on July 7 for "Fighting Spirit Unleashed."
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Basically WWE isn't going to jeopardize such a big financial opportunity by forcing the issue. I think to some degree WWE hopes running there will lead to more acceptance of Western culture and they can do something with the women on future shows, but for now they're making so much money that they're willing to alter the product for the local market.
2. WELL BROTHER LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING JACK ALL THE HULKAMANIACS NEED TO KNOW THAT THE HULKSTER IS SORRY DUDE! Personally, I think he needs to come back and get his initial "welcome back" pop before taking off his glasses, boa, etc, and delivering a message more or less "as Terry." He needs to tell the crowd (and fans at home) he did things he's not proud of, and he needs to apologize for those things. He needs to be humble and he needs to do things that give back to the business, potentially focusing on issues primarily affecting those affected by his words and actions. WWE needs to make sure he lives up to that end of things if he's going to be part of the company again. It can't just be about what's best for Hulk's bottom line. Either that or blame everything on Mr. America.
3 and 4. I think the angle as a whole was risky given the issues involving police officers these past few years. That's a pretty contentious situation to dive into given strong opinions on both sides. WWE could have been seen as either promoting police brutality of an unarmed civilian or promoting attacking police officers, either of which would get them "the wrong kind of heat" with some fans.
4. I think it was seen as going too far to make Roman look sympathetic, i.e. "forcing the crowd to like him." So, there was backlash.
5. The political climate about police relations was very different then, and fans were already behind Austin rather than the angle being used to get sympathy on him.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE posted video of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn invading a Smackdown live event this weekend. Travel had already been booked with them working this weekend's shows, so it made sense to have them do something at the events.
Jeff Jarrett discussed going into the WWE Hall of Fame:
- I keep saying I'd love to see Jeff work behind-the-scenes in WWE.
- I'm interested to see what the future holds for him.
- I expect Road Dogg will induct him, but it could also be AJ Styles given their relationship in "other wrestling companies" and "a certain club in Japan."
- Jarrett had some great feuds with Sting and Angle. The Double J, Double M A angle is one of my favorites of all time.
Stephanie McMahon got an award for Connor's Cure. Big Show and Dana Warrior were also in attendance. Stephanie is going to be an increasingly important presence in WWE, on camera and off.
Rusev (April 5 at 1:00 p.m.) and Elias (April 6 at 11:00 a.m.) will be signing at the Wrestlemania superstore.
Paul Heyman will induct Goldberg into the WWE Hall of Fame. That's an interesting choice, but I'm looking forward to it.
An alligator "predicted" Wrestlemania winners. It's nice to see ZZ make a cameo in the WM34 hype.
Rey Mysterio appeared at Strong Style Evolved, giving his word that he will compete for NJPW once he recovers from his injury. Will Ospreay and Marty Scurll were teased as opponents. Um, why not both??
NJPW will run San Francisco on July 7 for "Fighting Spirit Unleashed."
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Basically WWE isn't going to jeopardize such a big financial opportunity by forcing the issue. I think to some degree WWE hopes running there will lead to more acceptance of Western culture and they can do something with the women on future shows, but for now they're making so much money that they're willing to alter the product for the local market.
2. WELL BROTHER LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING JACK ALL THE HULKAMANIACS NEED TO KNOW THAT THE HULKSTER IS SORRY DUDE! Personally, I think he needs to come back and get his initial "welcome back" pop before taking off his glasses, boa, etc, and delivering a message more or less "as Terry." He needs to tell the crowd (and fans at home) he did things he's not proud of, and he needs to apologize for those things. He needs to be humble and he needs to do things that give back to the business, potentially focusing on issues primarily affecting those affected by his words and actions. WWE needs to make sure he lives up to that end of things if he's going to be part of the company again. It can't just be about what's best for Hulk's bottom line. Either that or blame everything on Mr. America.
3 and 4. I think the angle as a whole was risky given the issues involving police officers these past few years. That's a pretty contentious situation to dive into given strong opinions on both sides. WWE could have been seen as either promoting police brutality of an unarmed civilian or promoting attacking police officers, either of which would get them "the wrong kind of heat" with some fans.
4. I think it was seen as going too far to make Roman look sympathetic, i.e. "forcing the crowd to like him." So, there was backlash.
5. The political climate about police relations was very different then, and fans were already behind Austin rather than the angle being used to get sympathy on him.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Main Event Reax - 3/24/18, next WWE Photo Shoot, next Network Flashback Friday, Interviews with Rousey/Alexa/Titus/Big E, NWA title match promo, WWE involvement in WM34 city, ROH app hits beta phase, ROH TV taping announced, new ROH matches for 4/15 show, Bray post-DELETION, Takeover VIPs, former Darren Young meets Bret, Owens/Zayn update, NXT live event notes, and Questions on hiring Heyman as a booker, covering wrestling taking enjoyment out of it, Henry's HoF inductor, Dreamer's HOH role, and the toughest person in wrestling
-- Main Event:
- Hawkins vs. Slater:
It's The Hawk! Mr. Main Event is here!!!
I love that Curt has made the most of his huge losing streak. This is gold.
Hawkins is pretty technically sound.
Hawkins is at least giving it his all now that he can't win via DQ.
Not bad! I want to say that's 0-186 as of Monday. I don't know if he'll be able to hit 200 at Mania unless he has some particularly bad luck on live events and loses more than once per show. It happens sometimes. He'll lose one match and then challenge someone for a second match. I don't think he's lost three matches in one night yet, though.
- Ariya/Nese/TJP vs. Lucha Party:
Good enough start.
Wow. Pretty impressive triple team move.
Not bad for the time it had.
Kofi Kingston will be on "WWE Photo Shoot" after Raw.
WWE Network's Flashback Friday this week will focus on April Fool's Weekend. Understandably, "Swerved" will have several episodes shown.
Ronda Rousey promoted WWE. I'm curious to see how her transition to the company goes.
Alexa Bliss promoted Wrestlemania in Canada:
- There's a great story to tell in the ring between her and Nia.
- Alexa has really achieved as a heel.
- I saw Blake and Murphy being champions as getting them a lot of screen time and practice since there was no expectation of them being suddenly called up. I am surprised they fell off the map as much as they did. I guess WWE already has enough teams there as the designated jobbers.
- Just a matter of time before Ember joins Raw or Smackdown. It could happen right after Mania.
- It's hard to not like Alexa. She's so good at being a brazen heel.
Titus O'Neil was profiled in South Carolina. It's a powerful story.
NWA released a promo before Nick Aldis vs. Tommy Dreamer. The build of Aldis and his reign continues.
Big E promoted New Day and more. They're grabbing the brass ring as far as coming up with ideas for merchandise and the like.
A New Orleans brass band played WWE theme songs to promote Wrestlemania. That's clever.
WWE is doing a career panel event for veterans in New Orleans. They're big on local charity events.
ROH's upcoming app is in beta testing. Good to see them working on that.
ROH has announced a TV taping in Virginia on June 30.
ROH's April 15 show has added the following:
- Cody vs. Matt Taven in a First Blood match
- Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham
Bray Wyatt commented on being DELETED. I'm interested in his next stage.
- Bray and Matt Hardy had a brawl at Raw's March 24 live event. Bray attacked Goldust after Goldust beat Curt Hawkins, leading to Matt Hardy coming out and facing him. I'd think they'll save any big change in his character for Raw.
Takeover: New Orleans has VIP packages available.
The former Darren Young met Bret Hart. I haven't seen any matches he's worked since leaving WWE; he seems to be focusing on some community work. He is booked for CHIKARA's King of Trios from August 31 through September 2, however.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn "invaded" Smackdown's March 24 live event, coming through the crowd to take a microphone and cut a promo. They weren't in action, however. I'm curious who will reinstate them after they attacked their bosses! You wouldn't think many employers would take kindly to that.
At NXT's March 24 live event:
- The Iconic Duo accompanied Christopher (Donovan) Dijak in his loss to Oney Lorcan. That could be an interesting pairing.
- Taynara Conti had her first live event since January, teaming with Aliyah and Vanessa Borne in a loss to Dakota Kai, Jessie Elaban, and Rhea Ripley. Adrian Jaoude was in Aliyah, Borne, and Conti's corner.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Impact approached him in 2009 to try to make something happen, but he wanted more control than they were willing to give him. I don't know if he'd be interested in doing something that takes that kind of dedication in 2018 when he can instead work on his own projects and do a part-time WWE schedule.
2. Sometimes. I do think focusing on the critiquing of things takes some enjoyment out of it, particularly as some focus on every. little. detail. I deliberately keep some distance to where wrestling isn't my full-time passion, because one can get sucked into that world and the evaluating of every aspect of it.
3. Considering Hand didn't make an appearance at the Mae Young Classic, named after his mom, I don't see him inducting Henry. He's been pretty absent from the wrestling business for a second-generation superstar with such a lineage.
4. Dreamer books the show, as well. He's very much the force that brings the show together.
5. Haku/Meng is pretty much the go-to answer there. He's a legend in that regard.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Hawkins vs. Slater:
It's The Hawk! Mr. Main Event is here!!!
I love that Curt has made the most of his huge losing streak. This is gold.
Hawkins is pretty technically sound.
Hawkins is at least giving it his all now that he can't win via DQ.
Not bad! I want to say that's 0-186 as of Monday. I don't know if he'll be able to hit 200 at Mania unless he has some particularly bad luck on live events and loses more than once per show. It happens sometimes. He'll lose one match and then challenge someone for a second match. I don't think he's lost three matches in one night yet, though.
- Ariya/Nese/TJP vs. Lucha Party:
Good enough start.
Wow. Pretty impressive triple team move.
Not bad for the time it had.
Kofi Kingston will be on "WWE Photo Shoot" after Raw.
WWE Network's Flashback Friday this week will focus on April Fool's Weekend. Understandably, "Swerved" will have several episodes shown.
Ronda Rousey promoted WWE. I'm curious to see how her transition to the company goes.
Alexa Bliss promoted Wrestlemania in Canada:
- There's a great story to tell in the ring between her and Nia.
- Alexa has really achieved as a heel.
- I saw Blake and Murphy being champions as getting them a lot of screen time and practice since there was no expectation of them being suddenly called up. I am surprised they fell off the map as much as they did. I guess WWE already has enough teams there as the designated jobbers.
- Just a matter of time before Ember joins Raw or Smackdown. It could happen right after Mania.
- It's hard to not like Alexa. She's so good at being a brazen heel.
Titus O'Neil was profiled in South Carolina. It's a powerful story.
NWA released a promo before Nick Aldis vs. Tommy Dreamer. The build of Aldis and his reign continues.
Big E promoted New Day and more. They're grabbing the brass ring as far as coming up with ideas for merchandise and the like.
A New Orleans brass band played WWE theme songs to promote Wrestlemania. That's clever.
WWE is doing a career panel event for veterans in New Orleans. They're big on local charity events.
ROH's upcoming app is in beta testing. Good to see them working on that.
ROH has announced a TV taping in Virginia on June 30.
ROH's April 15 show has added the following:
- Cody vs. Matt Taven in a First Blood match
- Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham
Bray Wyatt commented on being DELETED. I'm interested in his next stage.
- Bray and Matt Hardy had a brawl at Raw's March 24 live event. Bray attacked Goldust after Goldust beat Curt Hawkins, leading to Matt Hardy coming out and facing him. I'd think they'll save any big change in his character for Raw.
Takeover: New Orleans has VIP packages available.
The former Darren Young met Bret Hart. I haven't seen any matches he's worked since leaving WWE; he seems to be focusing on some community work. He is booked for CHIKARA's King of Trios from August 31 through September 2, however.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn "invaded" Smackdown's March 24 live event, coming through the crowd to take a microphone and cut a promo. They weren't in action, however. I'm curious who will reinstate them after they attacked their bosses! You wouldn't think many employers would take kindly to that.
At NXT's March 24 live event:
- The Iconic Duo accompanied Christopher (Donovan) Dijak in his loss to Oney Lorcan. That could be an interesting pairing.
- Taynara Conti had her first live event since January, teaming with Aliyah and Vanessa Borne in a loss to Dakota Kai, Jessie Elaban, and Rhea Ripley. Adrian Jaoude was in Aliyah, Borne, and Conti's corner.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Impact approached him in 2009 to try to make something happen, but he wanted more control than they were willing to give him. I don't know if he'd be interested in doing something that takes that kind of dedication in 2018 when he can instead work on his own projects and do a part-time WWE schedule.
2. Sometimes. I do think focusing on the critiquing of things takes some enjoyment out of it, particularly as some focus on every. little. detail. I deliberately keep some distance to where wrestling isn't my full-time passion, because one can get sucked into that world and the evaluating of every aspect of it.
3. Considering Hand didn't make an appearance at the Mae Young Classic, named after his mom, I don't see him inducting Henry. He's been pretty absent from the wrestling business for a second-generation superstar with such a lineage.
4. Dreamer books the show, as well. He's very much the force that brings the show together.
5. Haku/Meng is pretty much the go-to answer there. He's a legend in that regard.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Impact going big at Wrestlecon, AJ back on the road, Greatest Rumble airing live in another country, top LU names working All In, big ROH sale, ROH books stipulation match regarding World Title, Strong Style Evolved hype, Interviews with Bellas/Bryan doctor/Cena/Alexa/HHH/JBL, MLW TV and talent updates, Impact running UK event, guest WM34 ring announcer, Ultimate Deletion aftermath, more WM34 merch, Impact audience, and Questions on WWE training XFL commentators, what Paige's retirement does and doesn't mean, and Hogan's potential comeback
Impact plans to stream 12 hours of live programming a day from Wrestlecon during WM weekend, likely a lot of interviews and the like.
AJ Styles is set to work this weekend's Smackdown live events in eight-man tag action, teaming with New Day against Rusev Day, Chad Gable, and Shelton Benjamin. So they're being cautious as he continues to rehabilitate on the road to Wrestlemania.
The Greatest Royal Rumble will also air live in Australia on Main Event.
Penta El 0M and Rey Fenix will be part of All In. So, top names from ROH, NJPW, and now LU are set for the show.
ROH is doing a big "Spring cleaning" sale with older DVDs.
ROH's April 15 main event will be a Defy Or Deny match with Dalton Castle vs. Marty Scurll vs. Punishment Martinez vs. Beer City Bruiser. The match will be held under elimination rules. If Castle wins, the last name eliminated won't be able to challenge for the World Championship as long as he holds the championship. However, if one of the other three men wins, they will receive a future World Championship match. That's a pretty interesting idea.
AXS TV is doing a contest for signed Strong Style Evolved merchandise. That show will be a big one for NJPW and AXS.
Kazuchika Okada promoted Strong Style Evolved on Nacion ESPN.
The Bella Twins were on Steve Harvey's show to promote Wrestlemania: Video 1 Video 2 I'm curious if they'll be on the show in any way.
Major League Wrestling is expected to announce a TV deal with beIN Sports USA, which is available in a lot of markets through cable, satellite, IPTV, and streaming services.
- MLW has an agreement to use AAA and LU talent. We'll see if that plays out on the new TV series.
Impact will return to the UK on September 9 as part of a greater convention. Hopefully that's a big show for them; running more international dates is a definite goal of theirs.
Daniel Bryan's return was covered by Newsweek, who interviewed one of the neurosurgeons who cleared the former WWE Champion. Hopefully Bryan has a long and fruitful career ahead of him.
John Cena was recently on "Ellen." I think it was more to promote his new movie than Wrestlemania.
Alexa Bliss promoted a live event in Ottawa. Part of why she's getting such a push is because they can count on her to do so many media appearances.
Lilian Garcia will be the guest ring announcer for Wrestlemania's women's battle royal. Good choice.
Molly Holly will induct Ivory into the WWE Hall of Fame. I think it's only a matter of time before Molly goes in, too.
Impact vs. LU will feature Allie vs. Taya Valkyrie. Obviously there's some overlap between the two promotions' rosters.
WWE posted some aftermath of Ultimate Deletion. I hope they've got something new and fresh in mind for Bray, and I say that as someone who's loved that character.
Triple H discussed Brock Lesnar's future and more. I mean, I didn't expect him to say "yes, our Wrestlemania main eventer is leaving soon."
Wrestlemania 34 will have decorated sugar skulls for sale. That seems like kind of an odd fit for this time of year, but WWE will sell pretty much anything.
JBL discussed Daniel Bryan's return. I'm cautiously optimistic, as Bryan's going to really be under a microscope for any injuries that pop up.
Impact drew 362,000 viewers Thursday night for the Feast or Fired reveal. This show was EC3's final taped appearance for the company. We'll see how that affects the audience going forward.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. For now it's just an appearance on NXT's Kickoff panel. Vince mostly stays out of NXT decisions. It's possible McAfee ends up being part of the XFL, but right now he's focused on his podcast and similar endeavors. We're still pretty far from the league launching, so I don't know if they're at the stage of planning commentators and the like.
1. For now it's just an appearance on NXT's Kickoff panel. Vince mostly stays out of NXT decisions. It's possible McAfee ends up being part of the XFL, but right now he's focused on his podcast and similar endeavors. We're still pretty far from the league launching, so I don't know if they're at the stage of planning commentators and the like.
2. She's not going to announce a retirement any time soon, as she's still going to be part of things with Absolution and there's going to be promotion of the movie about her. That said, there are no plans for her to return to the ring after her injury.
3. That said, some promotions do pay for ads on the website. It's certainly not the same as paying for coverage or positive coverage, but it's there.
4. There's a decent chance he appears at Mania and/or the Greatest Rumble. I think it's more likely he'll be back as an ambassador or something who occasionally appears, but there's speculation he'll replace Shane and Bryan as the one running Smackdown. At any rate, the two sides are in discussions for him to return.
5. WWE is usually pretty clever with their wording in situations like this. WWE confirmed there were talks, but kind of tempered expectations by saying they were just about Hogan learning from his past mistakes and that he hasn't signed a deal of any kind. It's entirely possible Hulk just comes back as an ambassador of sorts, if he even comes back at all.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, March 23, 2018
Universal Title plans, 5 Star Wrestling shuts down, Brock contract note, more Alberto in AAA?, Rey-Crash update, more NJPW in Hot Topic, Dreamer injured?, ROH tops attendance record, upcoming ROH main event, Konnan update, WM34 weekend documentaries coming, more dual-branded live events?, WWE:UK contracts signed and renewed, WWE recruiting Mexican stars, Mauro documentary, NXT Champion tours Mexico, Raw match set, NXT interviewer gone, Batista-WWE note, Owens/Zayn angle update, possible WWE Title feud after Mania, Interviews with Austin+Bret/Matt Hardy/HHH/Ryder/Edge, injured WWE names set for UK tour, MLW TV series coming, ex-NFL star on Takeover Kickoff, Greatest Rumble on UK TV, Hogan talking to WWE, WWE scouting college football players, SRW honored, Booty-O's get endorsement, and Questions on WWE clearing Paige, Bryan's WWE future, Heat on WWE Network, ROH HQ, and WWE music
Samoa Joe is expected to face Roman Reigns after Wrestlemania for the Universal Championship. That's definitely a big way for him to return!
5 Star Wrestling has shut down. There were plans for them to finish their advertised dates, but ultimately it was decided to go ahead and end the promotion. The group had been running big arenas with top international names, so it had to be quite expensive.
- Preston City Wrestling is honoring tickets bought for the promotion's canceled events at their own April 8 show. Brilliant business move to try to gain some of that audience on a more permanent basis.
Brock Lesnar does not have any more live events scheduled on his contract, which concludes at either Wrestlemania or the Raw after. There hasn't been any word of him signing a new deal.
Alberto El Patron is in talks to work additional AAA dates. WWE is still an option as well, but he can't sign anything with them until his Impact deal expires next month.
Rey Mysterio is expected to have at least one more match for The Crash, even if he signs with WWE. He currently holds a championship there.
Hot Topic is now carrying Tetsuya Naito and Will Ospreay merchandise, expanding their NJPW line.
Tommy Dreamer will undergo an MRI after taking a table bump where the table didn't break. He's taken a LOT of punishment, and still keeps going.
ROH's attendance for the first three months of 2018 averaged at more than 1,250 fans, the best first quarter in company history. The previous record was 1,000 fans in 2015. They're doing quite well.
ROH's April 14 show in Ohio will be headlined by Dalton Castle vs. Marty Scurll vs. Punishment Martinez vs. Beer City Bruiser. That's a very interesting combination!
Konnan may need an additional surgery after an infection during his hip replacement. I hope he's able to move around well again soon.
WWE is planning on taping three documentaries during WM34 weekend, one on the event itself, one on Ronda Rousey, and one on The Undertaker. Production is going to be incredibly busy in New Orleans.
WWE is considering further dual-branded live events on an occasional basis in major markets. That could be a good move.
WWE has re-signed a number of their UK talents and picked up Zack Gibson. There are still plans to eventually run a regular touring brand there.
- Joe Coffey is rumored to have signed on for the WWE UK brand, too.
WWE is looking at signing Garza Jr. and Ultimo Ninja of Mexico. Garza Jr. had worked for Impact when Jeff Jarrett was back in charge.
Mauro Ranallo is the subject of an upcoming Showtime documentary. I'm so glad he's back in WWE.
Andrade "Cien" Almas recently did another Mexican media tour for WWE. The company is definitely looking to build their fan base in Mexico and Latin America.
John Cena vs. Kane is official for Raw as the latest step to likely build to Cena facing Undertaker.
Christy St. Cloud is no longer interviewing in NXT, as her contract expired and was not renewed. Cathy Kelley is seemingly taking her place. Cathy has been pretty versatile in the company.
Batista turned down going into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, as he intends to compete there again at some point. I definitely wouldn't mind him appearing more.
WWE has trademarked the names Bobby Roode, Brian Kendrick, and TJ Perkins. So it looks like they're back to trademarking pre-WWE names for the time someone's under WWE contract.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have been moved to WWE.com's alumni section, and their announced Wrestlemania match is no longer listed on that website. I'm interested to see how this will all play out.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler is advertised for Smackdown's June 3 live event in Texas, so that could be the WWE Championship feud after WM34. That sounds awful. Why can't that be for the U.S. Title while Orton, Roode, and Jinder face off for the top title?
Steve Austin and Bret Hart are on Edge and Christian's latest podcast. That's a pretty big meeting.
Matt Hardy discussed Ultimate Deletion on TMZ Sports. This is really getting overexposed.
Samoa Joe, Jason Jordan, and Alicia Fox are advertised for Raw's mid-May tour of the UK and Ireland, so it looks like they're all expected back before too much longer.
- The WWE UK talent set for the tour are Pete Dunne, Tucker, Jordan Devlin, Mark Andrews on the Raw shows for UK Championship matches and Mustache Mountain, Wolfgang, James Drake, Sam Gradwell, Dan Maloney, Joseph Conners, Tyson T-Bone, and Saxon Huxley on the Smackdown events in six-man tag team action. So, Tyler Bate is likely to be cleared before those events as well.
Major League Wrestling is expected to announce a television deal soon, with wrestlers taking part in photo shoots for the series. "MLW Fusion" has been trademarked, so that's likely going to be the show's name. That can definitely be a game-changer for the company.
Former NFL star Pat McAfee will join Takeover:New Orleans' Kickoff panel. It will be interesting to see if he becomes more of a regular contributer like Sam Roberts or Pete Rosenberg.
The Greatest Royal Rumble will air live in the UK on Sky Sports Box Office.
Hulk Hogan is in talks to return to WWE. The company released a statement to the media that the discussions are "about how he can help others learn from his mistakes," so it's possible they're seeking him for an ambassador role of sorts.
Triple H promoted his Wrestlemania match:
- I can't think of the last time someone had their first match in front of a crowd so large as the one we'll see at WM35.
- Having HHH and Angle there to lead the match is a good move given the relative inexperience of their partners.
- HHH and Stephanie have quite a lot on their plates with training on top of their executive roles as well as their roles as parents.
- Wrestlemania weekend is really stacked.
- Of course, Wrestlemania has matches from Raw and Smackdown, so there's a much bigger roster to pull from to fill the card. Quite a bit of the NXT roster is still at the live event stage.
- Interesting thoughts about NXT's new championship.
- NXT's influence on the main roster can't be understated. We're looking at a very different collection of wrestlers than we saw a few years ago.
WWE went a talent scout to Penn State University's football program. It's unlikely this was for the XFL, as that project is still in the early going.
Southpaw Regional Wrestling got awards at the Cynopsis Short Form Video Festival & Conference. I'm a little surprised we haven't heard of a third season coming along.
Lance Bass promoted Booty-O's. Good to see New Day getting over outside the wrestling bubble.
Zack Ryder was on Funko's latest podcast. Ryder is often WWE's go-to toy promoter.
Triple H promoted the Greatest Royal Rumble. I'm curious if they'll make it an annual event or if they'll do something different in Saudi Arabia in future years.
Edge discussed inducting the Dudley Boyz into the WWE Hall of Fame and more.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. The two situations aren't really related. Unless Paige gets a lot of outside doctors to clear her, as happened with Bryan, I wouldn't expect WWE to OK her returning to the ring. They might check Paige out again down the line, but they're certainly not going to change course just because of Bryan's situation.
1. The two situations aren't really related. Unless Paige gets a lot of outside doctors to clear her, as happened with Bryan, I wouldn't expect WWE to OK her returning to the ring. They might check Paige out again down the line, but they're certainly not going to change course just because of Bryan's situation.
2. He was deliberately cleared in time for Smackdown, since they need to know which direction to go for Wrestlemania.
3. Long story short, they're going to keep a pretty close eye on him, health-wise. He'll have pretty regular tests to make sure he's still able to wrestle.
4. I think they'll finish Thunder first. Heat could follow before too much longer.
5. They're part of Sinclair's headquarters near Baltimore.
6. This is part of why Cyndi belongs in the Hall of Fame. She should have been one of the first celebrities chosen.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, March 22, 2018
HoFer gets hip replaced, new charity promotion, Interviews with Cena/Booker/Prichard/Goldberg/Henry/Bryan/Charlotte, Christian signing set, more WWE merch, another SCOH title match, Greatest Rumble's HoF announce team, Impact vs. LU main event, Smackdown audience, Rey updates, and Questions on Angle bossing his bosses around, body-shaming Nia, unwarranted HoFers, and advertising people who aren't on the card
The Rock's father, WWE Hall of Famer "Soulman" Rocky Johnson underwent a hip replacement.
The former Crowbar has launched a charity promotion to benefit New Jersey. Rescue Mania's goal is to run family-friendly events in the style of the 1980s and 1990s. Their first event will be held this weekend to help local fire departments.
John Cena spoke to TMZ about Daniel Bryan returning to the ring. Bryan being cleared is getting a lot of press.
Booker T. promoted Wrestlemania 34, where he sadly won't be facing Corey Graves. They could do such a great hokey fight like Booker vs. Stone Cold in the grocery store.
Bruce Prichard discussed Wrestlemania 34:
- Interesting thoughts on WWE's handling of Roman.
- AJ vs. Shinsuke is going to be interesting for the mainstream WWE audience.
- They definitely have had great women wrestlers in the past, then they shifted to bikini contests and the like.
- There was also a rise in female athletes in other places, a push for more women inclusion in entertainment, etc. To some degree that preceded the hiring and pushing of women for their athleticism instead of their looks.
- OK, there's a BIG difference from the backlash of, say, John Cena's Undertaker promo, and honoring someone with all the accusations that have been thrown Moolah's way. It's not even close.
Goldberg's ABC role was profiled in Washington Post. That's certainly pretty big.
Christian is doing a signing at Awesome Con in Washington, DC, this weekend. He definitely reeks of awesomeness!
Mark Henry discussed his Hall of Fame induction. He is absolutely worthy of the honor.
WWE now has official shaker cups. WWE will put logos on just about everything.
SoCal Uncensored vs. The Kingdom for the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship is official for Supercard of Honor. That's been built pretty well. I'm curious how long The Addiction will be champs.
The Greatest Royal Rumble event will air on WWE Network, as was expected. I don't think it's a stretch to say this show is at least at the same level of, say, Survivor Series, if not Summerslam or Royal Rumble. WWE is going all out to make this show as big as it can possibly be.
- Jerry Lawler has confirmed he and Jim Ross will be doing commentary for the event, and it will air live on Saudi Arabian TV. This is a very significant project for the company.
Impact vs. LU will be headlined by Austin Aries and Fenix vs. Alberto El Patron and Pentagon Jr. This show is really becoming more prominent.
Daniel Bryan discussed his in-ring return, the Greatest Royal Rumble, and more. Notably, he disputed the report of his contract ending September 23 as has been reported. Instead, Bryan says his contract ends on September 1.
Charlotte Flair promoted Ronda Rousey coming to WWE. They could have definitely faced off at Wrestlemania if WWE hadn't have revisited the Stephanie feud.
Smackdown drew 2.89 million viewers Tuesday night, the biggest audience since the Tuesday after Wrestlemania 33. One would think if more people knew about Bryan being cleared earlier, that number would have been higher. As it stands, it's a nice boost for the show.
Rey Mysterio will soon be evaluated by WWE doctors en route to potentially signing a contract. I don't expect them to sign him while he's recovering from the biceps injury.
- Rey has been pulled from Strong Style Evolved. Jushin Liger will now face Will Ospreay. The show will be a huge deal without Rey, but it's a shame he had to pull out due to his injury.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Triple H and Stephanie could almost definitely pull out if they wanted to, but they're not the type to duck a fight.
2. They're setting her up to have a title match at Wrestlemania against a close friend of hers. It wouldn't shock me if Nia suggested some of those lines herself to benefit the angle given how close she and Alexa are. I see where people are coming from, but in this case I think it can work. Especially if Nia wins the title.
3. I don't know him well enough to make that call.
4. Firstly, some of those celebrities belong there. Pete Rose, William Perry, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump, Mr. T, and Kid Rock have all contributed enough to be honored there. As for names I'm not as sold on, maybe the Blackjacks?
5. Honestly, as much as they change plans for TV, there's no guarantee anyone will appear as advertised! But, yes, they're covered legally.
More wrestling tomorrow.
The former Crowbar has launched a charity promotion to benefit New Jersey. Rescue Mania's goal is to run family-friendly events in the style of the 1980s and 1990s. Their first event will be held this weekend to help local fire departments.
John Cena spoke to TMZ about Daniel Bryan returning to the ring. Bryan being cleared is getting a lot of press.
Booker T. promoted Wrestlemania 34, where he sadly won't be facing Corey Graves. They could do such a great hokey fight like Booker vs. Stone Cold in the grocery store.
Bruce Prichard discussed Wrestlemania 34:
- Interesting thoughts on WWE's handling of Roman.
- AJ vs. Shinsuke is going to be interesting for the mainstream WWE audience.
- They definitely have had great women wrestlers in the past, then they shifted to bikini contests and the like.
- There was also a rise in female athletes in other places, a push for more women inclusion in entertainment, etc. To some degree that preceded the hiring and pushing of women for their athleticism instead of their looks.
- OK, there's a BIG difference from the backlash of, say, John Cena's Undertaker promo, and honoring someone with all the accusations that have been thrown Moolah's way. It's not even close.
Goldberg's ABC role was profiled in Washington Post. That's certainly pretty big.
Christian is doing a signing at Awesome Con in Washington, DC, this weekend. He definitely reeks of awesomeness!
Mark Henry discussed his Hall of Fame induction. He is absolutely worthy of the honor.
WWE now has official shaker cups. WWE will put logos on just about everything.
SoCal Uncensored vs. The Kingdom for the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship is official for Supercard of Honor. That's been built pretty well. I'm curious how long The Addiction will be champs.
The Greatest Royal Rumble event will air on WWE Network, as was expected. I don't think it's a stretch to say this show is at least at the same level of, say, Survivor Series, if not Summerslam or Royal Rumble. WWE is going all out to make this show as big as it can possibly be.
- Jerry Lawler has confirmed he and Jim Ross will be doing commentary for the event, and it will air live on Saudi Arabian TV. This is a very significant project for the company.
Impact vs. LU will be headlined by Austin Aries and Fenix vs. Alberto El Patron and Pentagon Jr. This show is really becoming more prominent.
Daniel Bryan discussed his in-ring return, the Greatest Royal Rumble, and more. Notably, he disputed the report of his contract ending September 23 as has been reported. Instead, Bryan says his contract ends on September 1.
Charlotte Flair promoted Ronda Rousey coming to WWE. They could have definitely faced off at Wrestlemania if WWE hadn't have revisited the Stephanie feud.
Smackdown drew 2.89 million viewers Tuesday night, the biggest audience since the Tuesday after Wrestlemania 33. One would think if more people knew about Bryan being cleared earlier, that number would have been higher. As it stands, it's a nice boost for the show.
Rey Mysterio will soon be evaluated by WWE doctors en route to potentially signing a contract. I don't expect them to sign him while he's recovering from the biceps injury.
- Rey has been pulled from Strong Style Evolved. Jushin Liger will now face Will Ospreay. The show will be a huge deal without Rey, but it's a shame he had to pull out due to his injury.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Triple H and Stephanie could almost definitely pull out if they wanted to, but they're not the type to duck a fight.
2. They're setting her up to have a title match at Wrestlemania against a close friend of hers. It wouldn't shock me if Nia suggested some of those lines herself to benefit the angle given how close she and Alexa are. I see where people are coming from, but in this case I think it can work. Especially if Nia wins the title.
3. I don't know him well enough to make that call.
4. Firstly, some of those celebrities belong there. Pete Rose, William Perry, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump, Mr. T, and Kid Rock have all contributed enough to be honored there. As for names I'm not as sold on, maybe the Blackjacks?
5. Honestly, as much as they change plans for TV, there's no guarantee anyone will appear as advertised! But, yes, they're covered legally.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Dark Raw segment online, Interviews with Leilani Kai/Rousey/Ivory, Ultimate Deletion notes, Raw name cleared, Raw cameos, Raw live event in the UK, Bryan cleared by WWE (!), Raw audience, AJ injury update, venue gets praise, title match official for WM34, and Questions on Mania going long, splitting Mania across two nights, cruisers missing Raw, Mania's cruiser match, and Shane taking bumps
The Ronda Rousey segment live from Raw was put online. It wasn't a good night for Titus Worldwide.
Madusa discussed the Fabulous Moolah controversy with Leilani Kai on Madusa's podcast. I wouldn't be against the match being called the Alundra Blayze battle royal, although ideally it would honor a star from even further back. Mildred Burke perhaps?
#UltimateDeletion was the top worldwide Twitter trend during that match, as well as in some major cities. It certainly got people talking.
- Reby Hardy filmed and edited quite a bit of Ultimate Deletion, which isn't a big surprise.
- Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt were backstage at Raw. That makes sense, as they were on the road the preceding weekend.
- The match is not on the Hulu version of the show. That's interesting.
- Reby posted a behind-the-scenes video.
Ronda Rousey promoted Wrestlemania on Fox News. Hopefully that gets people outside the WWE bubble interested in seeing her.
Big Cass is reportedly cleared to return to the ring. It's a good time to make a splash as WWE starts their "new year" after Mania.
Raw's U.S. marshals were local wrestlers Kristopher Haiden, Brad Sanders, and Ricky Starks. They were part of a great angle.
Raw is running England on August 29. Asuka is on the ad, but I wouldn't assume that means she'll be on the brand after WM34.
Daniel Bryan has been cleared to wrestle by WWE. WWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW. I definitely didn't see that one coming. That could change a lot of things for the wrestling business, as he was widely expected to leave the company this summer. That could still happen, but he could also go back to being an important player on Raw or Smackdown.
- Bryan sought out a number of top doctors to test him in the hopes of getting WWE's decision reversed, in addition to undergoing a number of important treatments.
- Triple H commented on Bryan's return. I wonder if we'll see those two face off again at some point.
Raw drew 3.33 million viewers this week, almost even with last week. Ultimate Deletion didn't prevent the usual dropoff in the third hour. I'm curious how much more they can get out of the Broken/Woken stuff, as its novelty is definitely wearing off.
AJ Styles is expected to compete at Wrestlemania despite his recent injury. The WWE Championship match with Shinsuke Nakamura is still on.
WWE putting over the Mid-South Coliseum got press in Memphis. The venue's reputation in wrestling is pretty high.
Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax for the Raw Women's Championship is official for Wrestlemania 34. I'm excited to see that.
Ivory discussed going into the WWE Hall of Fame and more.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. WWE wants to give people long, epic events. I personally agree a longer match isn't necessarily a better match, but people kept saying they wanted WWE to focus more on the wrestling side of things, so WWE is giving them plenty of in-ring action on the shows.
1. WWE wants to give people long, epic events. I personally agree a longer match isn't necessarily a better match, but people kept saying they wanted WWE to focus more on the wrestling side of things, so WWE is giving them plenty of in-ring action on the shows.
2. Neville and Aries were fighting for the championship of a WWE Network only series. Kickoff was the appropriate place for them. But I do like the idea of Mania being a two-day event. One day could be for Smackdown and the other could be for Raw. That way you have an NXT show, a Smackdown show, and a Raw show on consecutive days.
3. It is a good move from the standpoint the cruisers were often just on the show for the sake of putting them on the show. The matches were generally short and meaningless. Raw can do that just fine without the cruiserweights! Unless Drake Maverick is going to do something story-related on Raw to promote the division or someone's cutting a major promo, I don't see any need to use the cruisers there.
4. As was said in 2, the match is for a title that's exclusive to WWE Network. Put it on the Kickoff show to warm the crowd up for the more prominent stuff. I don't dislike the idea of having something to start things off as people are still filing in.
5. I always kind of saw it as Shane proving that he doesn't just have a TV spot because of his last name. He seems to take after his dad in the sense he wouldn't have his employees put their bodies on the line without putting himself in their shoes as well. Wrestlers have more respect for people willing to take a bump.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown, MMC, and 205 Live Reax - 3/20/18
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown, MMC, and 205 Live.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Greatest Rumble gets even greater, Thunder hits WWE Network, WWE vs. GLOW taped, Interviews with Mandy Rose/Y2J/Taz/Cornette, Best in the World '18 booked, Dudley inductors, latest HoFer official, top WWE name hurt, Impact vs. LU tag match, Rey-WWE note, Raw return advertised, injured star at Raw, SCOH tag title match set, Elias on the Network, what happened live during Ultimate Deletion, and Questions on Asuka's streak, the Cena/Taker build, Bryan's WM34 role, and Vince's limo explosion
The Greatest Royal Rumble will have seven title matches, with every male championship from Raw, Smackdown, and 205 Live on the line. This is going to be one of WWE's biggest events of the year.
WCW Thunder episodes from January 1998 through September 1999 have been uploaded to WWE Network. It's unknown when the second half of the series' run will be put up on the service.
The WWE vs. GLOW episode of "Drop The Mic" has been taped. That should be pretty interesting.
Mandy Rose is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
ROH Best in the World 2018 will be June 29 in Maryland. That will be a big night for ROH's home base.
Chris Jericho discussed a few wrestling topics in a recent interview. Chris has definitely done a great job keeping people guessing.
Edge and Christian will induct the Dudley Boyz into the WWE Hall of Fame. I was hoping someone from ECW would get the honor, but their WWF tag team rivals are certainly worthy.
Mark Henry has been confirmed for the WWE Hall of Fame, further cementing his in-ring retirement. Like D-Von Dudley, he's moved into a behind-the-scenes role for the company.
AJ Styles is dealing with an unspecified injury. Randy Orton replaced him in teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura at Smackdown live events this weekend. More as Styles is examined by WWE doctors.
Impact vs. LU will feature LAX's Ortiz and Santana vs. Killshot and Da Mack. That's shaping up to be a notable card.
Jeff Hardy is at the WWE Performance Center training for his in-ring return. We'll see what the future holds for him on that front as well as with his DWI arrest. It could be dicey bringing him back before his court date.
WWE is still pursuing Rey Mysterio, so his Aro Lucha deal doesn't prevent him from working there.
Samoa Joe and Big Cass were backstage at Raw, leading to speculation of the two of them being close to returning. Both could pop up right after WM34 and make a big splash. That's if neither man wins the Andre battle royal.
- Joe is advertised for the May 7 Raw, facing Roman Reigns. So they're already making plans for him.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jay Lethal vs. The Briscoes for the ROH World Tag Team Championship is official for Supercard of Honor. Wow! That's big.
Elias has a WWE Network project in the works, as WWE cameras were with him this weekend. I look forward to that.
Taz discussed working with Michael Cole on his latest radio show.
Jim Cornette discussed the Fabulous Moolah controversy.
Ronda Rousey did a live promo at Raw. Dana Brooke interrupted and Ronda took her out. I'm surprised that wasn't on TV. They had time for Titus/Apollo vs. Revival but not her?
While Ultimate Deletion was airing, Braun Strowman beat Elias live. I was wondering how they'd handle that.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Well, they're not wrong! Either way, she hasn't been pinned or made to submit.
2. The story seems to be Cena vs. Taker being thrown together at the last minute just because Cena couldn't get into either major title match, which is crazy because it's a meeting between two of the most significant superstars of the past 30 years at the biggest event of the year. If I wasn't familiar with their legacies, it would come across as Cena challenging a guy who's about to turn 53 and might as well be retired. They've also played up the narrative of Taker potentially being too old and beaten down to be a threat, which further no-sells his legacy. If Cena wins, he beats a washed-up guy who didn't want to fight. If he loses, he can't even beat a guy who retired last year because he couldn't cut it. Hardly a dream match.
3. That's doable. He could also just be the special enforcer who makes the call "if" the ref is taken out.
4. Glad I'm not the only one who caught that. I guess everyone wants to be like the soon-to-be longest reigning Intercontinental Champion ever.
5. I THINK they explained it as Vince setting things up to make it look like he was in an explosion. You know, like they do in movies and the like. Or maybe the Vince we've seen since then is a body double WWE is using to fool everyone after the real one's death?
More wresting tomorrow.
WCW Thunder episodes from January 1998 through September 1999 have been uploaded to WWE Network. It's unknown when the second half of the series' run will be put up on the service.
The WWE vs. GLOW episode of "Drop The Mic" has been taped. That should be pretty interesting.
Mandy Rose is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
ROH Best in the World 2018 will be June 29 in Maryland. That will be a big night for ROH's home base.
Chris Jericho discussed a few wrestling topics in a recent interview. Chris has definitely done a great job keeping people guessing.
Edge and Christian will induct the Dudley Boyz into the WWE Hall of Fame. I was hoping someone from ECW would get the honor, but their WWF tag team rivals are certainly worthy.
Mark Henry has been confirmed for the WWE Hall of Fame, further cementing his in-ring retirement. Like D-Von Dudley, he's moved into a behind-the-scenes role for the company.
AJ Styles is dealing with an unspecified injury. Randy Orton replaced him in teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura at Smackdown live events this weekend. More as Styles is examined by WWE doctors.
Impact vs. LU will feature LAX's Ortiz and Santana vs. Killshot and Da Mack. That's shaping up to be a notable card.
Jeff Hardy is at the WWE Performance Center training for his in-ring return. We'll see what the future holds for him on that front as well as with his DWI arrest. It could be dicey bringing him back before his court date.
WWE is still pursuing Rey Mysterio, so his Aro Lucha deal doesn't prevent him from working there.
Samoa Joe and Big Cass were backstage at Raw, leading to speculation of the two of them being close to returning. Both could pop up right after WM34 and make a big splash. That's if neither man wins the Andre battle royal.
- Joe is advertised for the May 7 Raw, facing Roman Reigns. So they're already making plans for him.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jay Lethal vs. The Briscoes for the ROH World Tag Team Championship is official for Supercard of Honor. Wow! That's big.
Elias has a WWE Network project in the works, as WWE cameras were with him this weekend. I look forward to that.
Taz discussed working with Michael Cole on his latest radio show.
Jim Cornette discussed the Fabulous Moolah controversy.
Ronda Rousey did a live promo at Raw. Dana Brooke interrupted and Ronda took her out. I'm surprised that wasn't on TV. They had time for Titus/Apollo vs. Revival but not her?
While Ultimate Deletion was airing, Braun Strowman beat Elias live. I was wondering how they'd handle that.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Well, they're not wrong! Either way, she hasn't been pinned or made to submit.
2. The story seems to be Cena vs. Taker being thrown together at the last minute just because Cena couldn't get into either major title match, which is crazy because it's a meeting between two of the most significant superstars of the past 30 years at the biggest event of the year. If I wasn't familiar with their legacies, it would come across as Cena challenging a guy who's about to turn 53 and might as well be retired. They've also played up the narrative of Taker potentially being too old and beaten down to be a threat, which further no-sells his legacy. If Cena wins, he beats a washed-up guy who didn't want to fight. If he loses, he can't even beat a guy who retired last year because he couldn't cut it. Hardly a dream match.
3. That's doable. He could also just be the special enforcer who makes the call "if" the ref is taken out.
4. Glad I'm not the only one who caught that. I guess everyone wants to be like the soon-to-be longest reigning Intercontinental Champion ever.
5. I THINK they explained it as Vince setting things up to make it look like he was in an explosion. You know, like they do in movies and the like. Or maybe the Vince we've seen since then is a body double WWE is using to fool everyone after the real one's death?
More wresting tomorrow.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Rey invests in Aro Lucha, Aro Lucha seeking fan investment, Interviews with Hillbilly Jim/Bayley/Usos/Bryan, assorted WWE press, and Questions on WWE storylines
Rey Mysterio is now co-owner of Aro Lucha, and fans will be able to buy stock shares of the company. It will be very interesting to see what having Rey on board means for the company and for Rey's future. As for fan investments, it's a novel way to get the company off the ground. We'll see how it goes.
- Additionally, more tapings are set for May or June, with live events being booked, too. They're giving the idea a good run.
Hillbilly Jim discussed wanting Hulk Hogan to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame. I don't expect that to happen, but it's a good gesture.
Bayley spoke before Raw. I would be fine with Bayley joining up with Elias, but I think he's about to turn face and team with Braun. Bayley might should turn heel.
The Usos promoted Wrestlemania 34:
- They should absolutely be on the main card this time.
- The heel turn was very refreshing. They do a good job in their roles.
- Waffle House is THE BOMB. It's not healthy, but it's SO good.
Titus O'Neil worked with the U.S. Tennis Association to help local kids in Florida.
Matt Hardy used VIP ticket holders in a video promoting Ultimate Deletion. That's clever!
WWE cross-promoted with a golf event. Coach really hit the ground running in WWE. Glad to see it.
Daniel Bryan talked in the United Arab Emirates:
- 227 matches in 365 days is quite a bit.
- I have no idea what they're thinking with Bryan at Mania if he can't take a bump. I do think they realize he's probably going to go out and wrestle later this year after leaving WWE.
- I really like Shane's reinforcing management style.
- Sami needs a moment like Bryan did with the Yes! movement - a gimmick that takes him beyond just being a good athlete who works hard.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think that was supposed to make things more "real" because they broke the fourth wall of Shane just being a Smackdown guy. So obviously what was happening between Vince and Roman was "real," too!
2. Elias was desperate to escape, I guess.
3. She decided she wanted to reunite with the woman who brought her back to WWE (after her NXT appearance), and someone who's a top champion. If you can't beat them, join them!
4. Shane tried to fire them a few months ago, but they won their match to stay in the company. Bryan's the one working on their side.
5. Shane is looking more and more like the heel in this scenario, turning power-hungry. A lot of the roster could think Shane put himself in that situation in the first place.
6. Basically it was a possible goodbye in case he didn't come back for one last match, which it now looks like he'll do. Heck, maybe he comes back next year, too! I'm fine with Cena beating the guy who's ready to focus on being a father and husband.
7. Everyone gets jaded eventually it seems like. I've been there.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Additionally, more tapings are set for May or June, with live events being booked, too. They're giving the idea a good run.
Hillbilly Jim discussed wanting Hulk Hogan to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame. I don't expect that to happen, but it's a good gesture.
Bayley spoke before Raw. I would be fine with Bayley joining up with Elias, but I think he's about to turn face and team with Braun. Bayley might should turn heel.
The Usos promoted Wrestlemania 34:
- They should absolutely be on the main card this time.
- The heel turn was very refreshing. They do a good job in their roles.
- Waffle House is THE BOMB. It's not healthy, but it's SO good.
Titus O'Neil worked with the U.S. Tennis Association to help local kids in Florida.
Matt Hardy used VIP ticket holders in a video promoting Ultimate Deletion. That's clever!
WWE cross-promoted with a golf event. Coach really hit the ground running in WWE. Glad to see it.
Daniel Bryan talked in the United Arab Emirates:
- 227 matches in 365 days is quite a bit.
- I have no idea what they're thinking with Bryan at Mania if he can't take a bump. I do think they realize he's probably going to go out and wrestle later this year after leaving WWE.
- I really like Shane's reinforcing management style.
- Sami needs a moment like Bryan did with the Yes! movement - a gimmick that takes him beyond just being a good athlete who works hard.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think that was supposed to make things more "real" because they broke the fourth wall of Shane just being a Smackdown guy. So obviously what was happening between Vince and Roman was "real," too!
2. Elias was desperate to escape, I guess.
3. She decided she wanted to reunite with the woman who brought her back to WWE (after her NXT appearance), and someone who's a top champion. If you can't beat them, join them!
4. Shane tried to fire them a few months ago, but they won their match to stay in the company. Bryan's the one working on their side.
5. Shane is looking more and more like the heel in this scenario, turning power-hungry. A lot of the roster could think Shane put himself in that situation in the first place.
6. Basically it was a possible goodbye in case he didn't come back for one last match, which it now looks like he'll do. Heck, maybe he comes back next year, too! I'm fine with Cena beating the guy who's ready to focus on being a father and husband.
7. Everyone gets jaded eventually it seems like. I've been there.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Main Event Reax - 3/17/18, next Flashback Friday theme, Interviews with Elias/Aiden/Goldberg/Grable/Bayley, MSG and NXT live event notes, Deletion preview, and Questions on multi-person WM34 matches, HoF announcements, Cena the bully, and Magnus/Aldis in WWE
-- Main Event:
- Goldust vs. Hawkins:
Hawkins' count is at 0-184 going into this one.
Good start.
Goldust can still have fun matches. I guess we're ignoring the Cena thing now.
I hope Goldust sticks around behind-the-scenes (again) when his in-ring days are over. He's got his work down to a science.
Pretty good for what it was.
- Itami/Tozawa vs. Gallagher/TJP:
This makes me miss Kendrick working with Jack. I love TJP, though.
I love Gallagher's grappling prowess.
I like the contrast between Jack and Akira.
Do NOT try to out-kick Hideo.
I like the action here!
I liked that finishing sequence. We could be seeing the first cruiser tag champs here.
WWE Network's "Flashback Friday" theme this week will be "WCW's Lasting Legacy," featuring episodes of Nitro, two Clash of the Champions events, and a Sting documentary.
Elias spoke to Guitar World:
- They definitely need to get him in studio at some point. If Jillian Hall can have a CD, I don't see why he can't!
- Elias getting sponsorships would be pretty great.
- Elias definitely played up being a drifter!
- Elias has been able to use his outside-the-ring talent to become more of an overall presence.
- Keep an eye on Elias going forward.
Aiden English promoted a Smackdown live event. One would think he could play up the Guerrero connection if he ever got a face push.
Goldberg talked to Busted Open. We've come a long way from Gillberg and Goldberg leaving after WMXX.
Brock Lesnar met with the New York Knicks' Enes Kanter at WWE's Madison Square Garden show. Did Vince get a look at that guy?? He could definitely be a project for the company.
Fabulous Moolah's longtime associate Joyce Grable defended the WWE Hall of Famer against accusations that led to Moolah's name being dropped from Wrestlemania's battle royal.
Bayley spoke about the women's evolution and more. I'd be OK with a women's tag title if it was one set across Raw and Smackdown. Otherwise it kind of dilutes things.
Woken Matt Hardy prepared for Ultimate Deletion with George Washington, the giraffe. I swear people are going to watch this 20 years from now and wonder what the heck we were watching.
At WWE's March 16 Madison Square Garden event:
- Mandy Rose's family was in attendance.
- Sonya Deville replaced Bayley as Elias' partner, losing to John Cena and Nikki Bella. So, any Bayley heel turn is still a little ways off.
At NXT's March 17 live event in Florida:
- Xia Li had what looks to be her first match since the Mae Young Classic, beating Reina Gonzalez.
- No Way Jose replaced the injured Tyler Bate as Trent Seven's partner in a loss to TM-61.
- War Machine has debuted. On this show they attacked TM-61 after their win. Poor TM-61! They can't get any momentum going.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm not as sure we'll see Owens vs. Zayn vs. Shane. Surely Shane can get a partner and make it a tag match? I think the others make sense as triple threats unless they want to add, say, Rusev to the U.S. Title picture (fingers crossed) so he's not stuck in the Andre battle royal.
2. Goldberg was announced early to sell tickets. The Hall of Fame is ultimately another attraction for fans in the area.
3. Cena can definitely be a cocky instigator. It's probably more natural for him to do that kind of character given his background with the rap battles and such. And sometimes it does make sense for him to be the one calling people out and trying to make something happen.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. He had been available for quite some time and they never made a move to get him, so seemingly not.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Goldust vs. Hawkins:
Hawkins' count is at 0-184 going into this one.
Good start.
Goldust can still have fun matches. I guess we're ignoring the Cena thing now.
I hope Goldust sticks around behind-the-scenes (again) when his in-ring days are over. He's got his work down to a science.
Pretty good for what it was.
- Itami/Tozawa vs. Gallagher/TJP:
This makes me miss Kendrick working with Jack. I love TJP, though.
I love Gallagher's grappling prowess.
I like the contrast between Jack and Akira.
Do NOT try to out-kick Hideo.
I like the action here!
I liked that finishing sequence. We could be seeing the first cruiser tag champs here.
WWE Network's "Flashback Friday" theme this week will be "WCW's Lasting Legacy," featuring episodes of Nitro, two Clash of the Champions events, and a Sting documentary.
Elias spoke to Guitar World:
- They definitely need to get him in studio at some point. If Jillian Hall can have a CD, I don't see why he can't!
- Elias getting sponsorships would be pretty great.
- Elias definitely played up being a drifter!
- Elias has been able to use his outside-the-ring talent to become more of an overall presence.
- Keep an eye on Elias going forward.
Aiden English promoted a Smackdown live event. One would think he could play up the Guerrero connection if he ever got a face push.
Goldberg talked to Busted Open. We've come a long way from Gillberg and Goldberg leaving after WMXX.
Brock Lesnar met with the New York Knicks' Enes Kanter at WWE's Madison Square Garden show. Did Vince get a look at that guy?? He could definitely be a project for the company.
Fabulous Moolah's longtime associate Joyce Grable defended the WWE Hall of Famer against accusations that led to Moolah's name being dropped from Wrestlemania's battle royal.
Bayley spoke about the women's evolution and more. I'd be OK with a women's tag title if it was one set across Raw and Smackdown. Otherwise it kind of dilutes things.
Woken Matt Hardy prepared for Ultimate Deletion with George Washington, the giraffe. I swear people are going to watch this 20 years from now and wonder what the heck we were watching.
At WWE's March 16 Madison Square Garden event:
- Mandy Rose's family was in attendance.
- Sonya Deville replaced Bayley as Elias' partner, losing to John Cena and Nikki Bella. So, any Bayley heel turn is still a little ways off.
At NXT's March 17 live event in Florida:
- Xia Li had what looks to be her first match since the Mae Young Classic, beating Reina Gonzalez.
- No Way Jose replaced the injured Tyler Bate as Trent Seven's partner in a loss to TM-61.
- War Machine has debuted. On this show they attacked TM-61 after their win. Poor TM-61! They can't get any momentum going.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm not as sure we'll see Owens vs. Zayn vs. Shane. Surely Shane can get a partner and make it a tag match? I think the others make sense as triple threats unless they want to add, say, Rusev to the U.S. Title picture (fingers crossed) so he's not stuck in the Andre battle royal.
2. Goldberg was announced early to sell tickets. The Hall of Fame is ultimately another attraction for fans in the area.
3. Cena can definitely be a cocky instigator. It's probably more natural for him to do that kind of character given his background with the rap battles and such. And sometimes it does make sense for him to be the one calling people out and trying to make something happen.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. He had been available for quite some time and they never made a move to get him, so seemingly not.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Interviews with Callihan/JR/Balor+Finlay+Lynch/Rousey/Harper/Y2J+Sonnen, assorted wrestling press, Impact alumni reunion, NXT duo gets new gimmick, Nakamura book release date, Ambrose appearances canceled, AJPW service launches, WM35 press conference notes, Rusev seeking celebrity opponent, Ultimate Deletion preview, more on women's battle royal, Impact audience, Raw heading to Europe for Halloween, new WWE 24 coming, Hardy DVD preview, Bate confirms injury, WWE-MSG notes, NXT live event note, and Questions on Taz returning to WWE, favorite refs and commentators, the tiered WWE Network, and Gargano's future
Sami Callihan is on Chris Jericho's latest podcast, discussing Impact, LU, and more. I think he's pretty safe at Impact after the big number the match/segment with Edwards drew.
Johnny Mundo is in Netflix's "Boone the Bounty Hunter." He's getting quite a few roles outside of wrestling.
Impact alumni met up in Tennessee. Of course, Impact's headquarters are now in Ottawa and old staffers have been let go.
WWE presented Irish boxer Mick Conlan a Universal Championship replica at Madison Square Garden. That's a pretty awesome St. Patrick's Day gift.
Jim Ross is on Edge and Christian's latest podcast, discussing his previous role in WWE talent relations and more.
Natalya interviewed Finn Balor, Finlay, and Becky Lynch about Ireland before St. Patrick's Day.
The Iconic Duo debuted a new segment. This could be a tryout of sorts for a Raw or Smackdown gimmick. I definitely preferred their previous looks/work, but if this gets their careers moving to the next stage, I'm fine with it.
Shinsuke Nakamura's English autobiography will release on August 7. He could very well be WWE Champion then.
Dean Ambrose's World of Wheels signing appearances have been canceled for unknown reasons. He recently went back to Alabama to get an update on his triceps tear.
Finn Balor has opened a clothing line, PE&K. That will be interesting.
Ronda Rousey spoke to Sky Sports. She has a BIG opportunity ahead of her.
Sasha Banks is doing a signing Monday before Raw at a local Cricket Wireless.
Harper discussed the Bludgeon Brothers gimmick's origin and more. I'm begging for them to face the Authors of Pain in a few months.
All Japan's streaming service launches Monday with live events and more.
Notes from the Wrestlemania 35 press conference:
- Some New York Giants players were present.
- An XFL video was shown among WWE promotional videos.
- Ronda was announced as competing at WM35. No surprise there.
- New Day tossed out pancakes to close the event. That had to throw some people off.
- WWE posted the whole press conference online.
WWE put out an official WM35 press release. They're continuing to leave the number of the event out of the logo, reportedly so the show "doesn't sound old." We're now at a point where people wrestling at the show weren't alive when the first one take place.
Ronda Rousey is managing a boxer. She's got a lot going on!
Rusev is seeking a celebrity opponent at Wrestlemania 34. Stephen Amell, Macaulay Culkin, and Pitch Perfect's Skylar Astin all responded. There could be something fun to come out of all this.
Matt Hardy invited the WWE Universe to the Hardy Compound. I can only imagine what they came up with for Monday's match.
WWE is not currently planning on renaming the Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal after another talent following Fabulous Moolah's name being dropped from the promotion.
Impact Wrestling drew a respectable 350,000 viewers Thursday night. The show seems to have mostly recovered from its slump in the second half of 2017.
Raw is set for Sweden on October 31, the first time the brand will be in the country.
"WWE 24" after Raw will focus on women at the Royal Rumble, including Ronda Rousey.
WWE abandoned their Samoa Joe trademark, so Joe will keep ownership of the name. That's good for Joe if he ever ends up wrestling outside of WWE.
Chris Jericho and Chael Sonnen discussed Ronda Rousey in WWE. Ronda could really be a gamechanger.
The upcoming Hardys DVD got an official trailer. They've become incredibly successful.
Tyler Bate confirmed his injury and removal from the Dusty Classic. I hope Bate has a big future ahead of him in WWE.
Ronda Rousey will be part of WWE's Madison Square Garden return on July 7.
AJ Styles was part of an injury angle at Madison Square Garden, with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn attacking him before his scheduled tag team match. The match turned into Nakamura vs. Zayn, and AJ saved Shinsuke from a post-match attack from the duo.
EC3 defeated Trent Seven at NXT's March 16 live event in Florida. EC3 will be part of NXT TV very soon.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'd absolutely expect Taz to go into the Hall of Fame at some point, and wouldn't be completely surprised if he ended up working with them in some manner at some point, but I definitely think his priority now is his radio work.
2. I wouldn't mind adding Mike Chioda and Nick Patrick to the conversation.
3. I've got to give Mike Tenay a nod there.
4. Indeed! He's had quite the legacy in the business.
5. I believe they still plan on doing it at some point. The WWE Network has really stalled after they've spent a lot of money on projects that didn't increase subscriber numbers. They seem to not be sure what direction to take it next.
6. I'd be more surprised if he stayed at the NXT level past tying up loose ends with Ciampa. He'd definitely be a big boost for 205 Live.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Johnny Mundo is in Netflix's "Boone the Bounty Hunter." He's getting quite a few roles outside of wrestling.
Impact alumni met up in Tennessee. Of course, Impact's headquarters are now in Ottawa and old staffers have been let go.
WWE presented Irish boxer Mick Conlan a Universal Championship replica at Madison Square Garden. That's a pretty awesome St. Patrick's Day gift.
Jim Ross is on Edge and Christian's latest podcast, discussing his previous role in WWE talent relations and more.
Natalya interviewed Finn Balor, Finlay, and Becky Lynch about Ireland before St. Patrick's Day.
The Iconic Duo debuted a new segment. This could be a tryout of sorts for a Raw or Smackdown gimmick. I definitely preferred their previous looks/work, but if this gets their careers moving to the next stage, I'm fine with it.
Shinsuke Nakamura's English autobiography will release on August 7. He could very well be WWE Champion then.
Dean Ambrose's World of Wheels signing appearances have been canceled for unknown reasons. He recently went back to Alabama to get an update on his triceps tear.
Finn Balor has opened a clothing line, PE&K. That will be interesting.
Ronda Rousey spoke to Sky Sports. She has a BIG opportunity ahead of her.
Sasha Banks is doing a signing Monday before Raw at a local Cricket Wireless.
Harper discussed the Bludgeon Brothers gimmick's origin and more. I'm begging for them to face the Authors of Pain in a few months.
All Japan's streaming service launches Monday with live events and more.
Notes from the Wrestlemania 35 press conference:
- Some New York Giants players were present.
- An XFL video was shown among WWE promotional videos.
- Ronda was announced as competing at WM35. No surprise there.
- New Day tossed out pancakes to close the event. That had to throw some people off.
- WWE posted the whole press conference online.
WWE put out an official WM35 press release. They're continuing to leave the number of the event out of the logo, reportedly so the show "doesn't sound old." We're now at a point where people wrestling at the show weren't alive when the first one take place.
Ronda Rousey is managing a boxer. She's got a lot going on!
Rusev is seeking a celebrity opponent at Wrestlemania 34. Stephen Amell, Macaulay Culkin, and Pitch Perfect's Skylar Astin all responded. There could be something fun to come out of all this.
Matt Hardy invited the WWE Universe to the Hardy Compound. I can only imagine what they came up with for Monday's match.
WWE is not currently planning on renaming the Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal after another talent following Fabulous Moolah's name being dropped from the promotion.
Impact Wrestling drew a respectable 350,000 viewers Thursday night. The show seems to have mostly recovered from its slump in the second half of 2017.
Raw is set for Sweden on October 31, the first time the brand will be in the country.
"WWE 24" after Raw will focus on women at the Royal Rumble, including Ronda Rousey.
WWE abandoned their Samoa Joe trademark, so Joe will keep ownership of the name. That's good for Joe if he ever ends up wrestling outside of WWE.
Chris Jericho and Chael Sonnen discussed Ronda Rousey in WWE. Ronda could really be a gamechanger.
The upcoming Hardys DVD got an official trailer. They've become incredibly successful.
Tyler Bate confirmed his injury and removal from the Dusty Classic. I hope Bate has a big future ahead of him in WWE.
Ronda Rousey will be part of WWE's Madison Square Garden return on July 7.
AJ Styles was part of an injury angle at Madison Square Garden, with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn attacking him before his scheduled tag team match. The match turned into Nakamura vs. Zayn, and AJ saved Shinsuke from a post-match attack from the duo.
EC3 defeated Trent Seven at NXT's March 16 live event in Florida. EC3 will be part of NXT TV very soon.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'd absolutely expect Taz to go into the Hall of Fame at some point, and wouldn't be completely surprised if he ended up working with them in some manner at some point, but I definitely think his priority now is his radio work.
2. I wouldn't mind adding Mike Chioda and Nick Patrick to the conversation.
3. I've got to give Mike Tenay a nod there.
4. Indeed! He's had quite the legacy in the business.
5. I believe they still plan on doing it at some point. The WWE Network has really stalled after they've spent a lot of money on projects that didn't increase subscriber numbers. They seem to not be sure what direction to take it next.
6. I'd be more surprised if he stayed at the NXT level past tying up loose ends with Ciampa. He'd definitely be a big boost for 205 Live.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, March 16, 2018
Wrestling attendance notes, NJPW planning big U.S. event, Rey injury update, Strong Style Evolved expands, Steamboat wrestles, WWE names working Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican WWE tryout, Cena-Nick updates, Smackdown live events rescheduled, Interview with Jarrett, WWE trademarking former indie star name, new SCOH match set, Moolah dropped from WM34 match after backlash, WM35 venue official, and Questions on Asuka's brand, the women's Chamber match, and Edge/Matt/Lita
Fast Lane was a legitimate sellout of just more than 12,000 fans. That's good news for a Smackdown-only show.
NJPW is planning a U.S. return in July, with San Francisco, Long Beach, and Las Vegas being the markets discussed. The goal is to run a much larger venue for the event. That could be a very big milestone for a company that's already making moves.
Supercard of Honor has now passed 5,000 tickets sold.
ROH's anniversary show and the following taping were legitimate sellouts. They had never sold that venue out two nights in a row before. They're doing well!
Rey Mysterio has pulled out of The Crash's March 16 event due to his injury. He expects to miss about a month, which puts his big NJPW match in jeopardy.
NJPW is going a small show at their California show before Strong Style Evolved, with three matches in addition to a contract signing, press conference, and autograph signings.
Ricky Steamboat had a match recently at 65. That's pretty cool.
Primo and Epico will work Carlos Colon's WWC promotion in Puerto Rico during Easter week, with WWE's approval. They haven't appeared on WWE TV since June 2017, but had appeared on Smackdown live events pretty regularly.
Puerto Rico's El Cuervo recently tried out for WWE. We'll see if anything comes of that.
John Cena won't be part of "Blue's Clues" on Nickelodeon. His "audition" was just a sketch. That could have been a lot of fun.
Smackdown's scheduled Canadian live events on April 28 and April 29 have been moved to August 25 and August 26 due to the Greatest Royal Rumble.
Jeff Jarrett did an interview on the WWE Hall of Fame, Impact, and more. Here are highlights. I'd really like to see Jarrett work inside the WWE system in some way. He's got so much relevant experience. I also appreciate Jeff's diplomatic response about Impact's future. Very classy.
WWE is trademarking Samoa Joe. I 100% assume he'll be able to use that name if he ends up leaving WWE.
John Cena's new Nickelodeon game show has a preview episode on the channel's app.
Kota Ibushi vs. Hangman Page is official for Supercard of Honor. That should be pretty memorable. I'm glad we're seeing more of Ibushi in the U.S.
Fabulous Moolah's name has been dropped from what is now the "Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal" after an online uproar led to Snickers contacting the company about the issue. Moolah has been accused of quite a few terrible things from her earlier years in the business. WWE understandably doesn't want a controversial association upsetting a sponsor and potentially overshadowing the event.
Wrestlemania 35 will return to New York/New Jersey at the site of Wrestlemania 29. That's another big milestone for the area.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I assume she'll finish up her feud with Alexa and move to Smackdown full-time.
2. I thought the match was incredible and loved how it was laid out. I always see situations like that as having just enough to kick out of one big finisher but that next big move being just one too many.
3. In the long run, Matt played himself and ended up making Edge a much bigger deal. Fans' support for Matt faded pretty quickly once he actually came back to WWE. I was very sympathetic to Matt at first, but going public with the issue and pushing it to the degree he did backfired on him. A similar situation was starting to happen with the Broken fight with Anthem. People were getting tired of hearing about it.
4. As said previously, if WWE has the idea for the gimmick, they'll pay for it. If it's something the talent is doing by themselves, it's on them.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
NJPW is planning a U.S. return in July, with San Francisco, Long Beach, and Las Vegas being the markets discussed. The goal is to run a much larger venue for the event. That could be a very big milestone for a company that's already making moves.
Supercard of Honor has now passed 5,000 tickets sold.
ROH's anniversary show and the following taping were legitimate sellouts. They had never sold that venue out two nights in a row before. They're doing well!
Rey Mysterio has pulled out of The Crash's March 16 event due to his injury. He expects to miss about a month, which puts his big NJPW match in jeopardy.
NJPW is going a small show at their California show before Strong Style Evolved, with three matches in addition to a contract signing, press conference, and autograph signings.
Ricky Steamboat had a match recently at 65. That's pretty cool.
Primo and Epico will work Carlos Colon's WWC promotion in Puerto Rico during Easter week, with WWE's approval. They haven't appeared on WWE TV since June 2017, but had appeared on Smackdown live events pretty regularly.
Puerto Rico's El Cuervo recently tried out for WWE. We'll see if anything comes of that.
John Cena won't be part of "Blue's Clues" on Nickelodeon. His "audition" was just a sketch. That could have been a lot of fun.
Smackdown's scheduled Canadian live events on April 28 and April 29 have been moved to August 25 and August 26 due to the Greatest Royal Rumble.
Jeff Jarrett did an interview on the WWE Hall of Fame, Impact, and more. Here are highlights. I'd really like to see Jarrett work inside the WWE system in some way. He's got so much relevant experience. I also appreciate Jeff's diplomatic response about Impact's future. Very classy.
WWE is trademarking Samoa Joe. I 100% assume he'll be able to use that name if he ends up leaving WWE.
John Cena's new Nickelodeon game show has a preview episode on the channel's app.
Kota Ibushi vs. Hangman Page is official for Supercard of Honor. That should be pretty memorable. I'm glad we're seeing more of Ibushi in the U.S.
Fabulous Moolah's name has been dropped from what is now the "Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal" after an online uproar led to Snickers contacting the company about the issue. Moolah has been accused of quite a few terrible things from her earlier years in the business. WWE understandably doesn't want a controversial association upsetting a sponsor and potentially overshadowing the event.
Wrestlemania 35 will return to New York/New Jersey at the site of Wrestlemania 29. That's another big milestone for the area.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I assume she'll finish up her feud with Alexa and move to Smackdown full-time.
2. I thought the match was incredible and loved how it was laid out. I always see situations like that as having just enough to kick out of one big finisher but that next big move being just one too many.
3. In the long run, Matt played himself and ended up making Edge a much bigger deal. Fans' support for Matt faded pretty quickly once he actually came back to WWE. I was very sympathetic to Matt at first, but going public with the issue and pushing it to the degree he did backfired on him. A similar situation was starting to happen with the Broken fight with Anthem. People were getting tired of hearing about it.
4. As said previously, if WWE has the idea for the gimmick, they'll pay for it. If it's something the talent is doing by themselves, it's on them.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Interviews with Allie/Cage/Breeze/Graves, MMC voting begins, GWN to Amazon Fire, classic content on Amazon Prime, why Ronda missed Raw, Jeff Hardy injury update, Mania special in the works, Impact vs. LU grudge match set, NJPW vs. ROH bout for SCOH, Smackdown audience, and Questions on WWE getting fans to turn on Brock, how frequently to use big names, Flair's number of title reigns, Jarrett mentioning Impact during HOF speech, and Stephanie not changing WWE's portrayal of women sooner
Allie and Brian Cage were interviewed in Canada before Impact's Twitch event. Ontario is a good second home for Impact in addition to Universal Studios.
Tyler Breeze promoted Wrestlemania. I love Breezango, but I think the tag title match should be Usos vs. New Day vs. Bludgeon Brothers. Breezango wouldn't really fit into that.
Corey Graves discussed his musical references on commentary and more. His references are much more timely than JBL's. It's good to have a younger voice on commentary.
Mixed Match Challenge has begun taking votes for the second chance team, who will enter the semifinals to face Bobby Roode and Charlotte. I'm curious to see which pairing returns.
The Global Wrestling Network is now on Amazon Fire. The service continues to expand.
Amazon Prime now features a number of 1980s video releases for streaming, as well as some USWA footage.
Ronda Rousey was not at Raw because she was traveling to a training session to prepare for Wrestlemania. She has been working out in Connecticut lately ahead of the match.
Jeff Hardy has completed physical therapy, opening the door for him to start training in the ring again. Certainly him appearing right after WM34 would be a big moment.
A "Wrestlemania's Greatest Moments" special is being put together for USA Network and WWE Network. It will be interesting to see which moments they focus on.
Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards in an "I Quit" match is set for Impact Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground. That's a great idea to capitalize on the noteworthy incident between the two sides.
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Punishment Martinez is official for Supercard of Honor. The show will be pretty packed with stars from both ROH and NJPW.
Smackdown drew 2.77 million viewers Tuesday night, getting a big boost from Fast Lane. That's good news as they build to Wrestlemania.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They're definitely building Brock as someone who's just phoning in his final contracted appearances. It's clever.
1. They're definitely building Brock as someone who's just phoning in his final contracted appearances. It's clever.
2. I completely agree that saving big names for special appearances makes those appearances more special. I also see that WWE has an insane amount of screen time to fill every week, and they want to make that time meaningful.
3. Some of those older reigns are disputed (and have been before WWE started keeping track of them) because they weren't sanctioned by the NWA or what have you. But yes, wrestling companies take creative liberties with pretty much everything.
4. Basically I expect him to mention "other wrestling promotions" *wink, wink* where he worked with today's stars but I don't think he's going to focus on Impact to the point of putting it over. He has a lot of family history to discuss and the story of coming back "home" to WWE. He's not going to make the night about the company that no longer employs him.
5. The direction had already been set to present women in the way they were presented then. Stephanie was there as Vince's liaison and didn't have the pull she has now as a top executive poised to inherit the company.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)