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Friday, August 17, 2018

More on new SAnitY look, Kidd launches fitness brand, Summerslam press, Show close to being cleared, more on Sin Cara surgery, Y2J tweets on wrestling future, more Hidden Gems, more Neidhart memories, One Night Only card, Cass signing full-time deal, lucha documentary on Netflix, ROH TV matches, another NJPW name at DBD TV, more Supercard milestones, NJPW planning international TV deals, ROH company looking to buy regional sports networks, Impact taping notes, Rey pulls out of show due to WWE signing, Matt Hardy's next steps, Jason Jordan plans, another SDL injury, WWE exec unloads stocks, Brisco honored, WWE planning Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen soon, expected WWE signing likely off, Elias concert canceled, NXT live event notes, AJ breaks a record, WWEPC seeking help, and Questions on Shane's WWE role, giving Dixie and Impact credit for featuring women before WWE, and how WM35 Takeover will be affected by Supercard

Killian Dain addressed his new look, which had people speculating Management had ordered him to change his attire.

Tyson Kidd has launched a fitness brand. I'm glad he's found something to strive for post-retirement.

In Summerslam promotional appearances:
- Kevin Owens and Big E did a signing with the Amazon Treasure Truck
- The Bar signed "Making The Mania" at a Barnes & Noble.

Big Show discussed returning to the ring soon. He has been out long enough to be somewhat fresh again. It's all in how they intend to use him. One would think a part time schedule would be ideal.

Sin Cara's surgery was due to getting scar tissue removed. He has begun physical therapy.

Chris Jericho tweeted about his future. He could absolutely be a difference maker for NJPW's future U.S. shows. If anyone can convince WWE to bring him back despite working for a competitor on their "home turf," it's Jericho.

WWE Network has added more hidden gems:
- Samoa Joe vs. Tommy Dreamer from UPW in 2001. It's interesting to see UPW content on WWE Network.
- Roman Reigns (as Leakee) vs. Corey Graves from FCW in 2011
- Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker from WWE in Finland in 2003

Ric Flair discussed Jim Neidhart on Jim Ross' latest podcast.

Natalya wrote a column about her father. I think her own legacy rivals his now.

One Night Only: Night of The Dummies on August 25 in New York will feature:
- Eddie Edwards vs. Eli Drake
- Moose vs. KM
- LAX vs. Z&E
- Alisha Edwards vs. Rebel
- Homicide, Fallah Bahh, and Dick Justice in action along with local talents

Ronda Rousey spoke to ESPN. The original thought was she signed a deal through WrestleMania 35 with the option to extend it yearly. I hope (and WWE hopes) she's part of things for some time coming.

The former Big Cass is signing a full-time deal with Championship Wrestling League in Michigan at the end of September. So, he'll be working regularly post-WWE.

Becky Lynch talked about her journey to Summerslam. Becky has the "curse" of being a great utility player who can work with just about anyone, so WWE doesn't feel the need to push her.

Official Summerslam content has been added to Twitter and Instagram. WWE's all over those platforms.

A Spanish-language lucha libre documentary series called Nuestra Lucha Libre was added to Netflix.

ROH has announced the following matches for August 25's TV taping in Pennsylvania:
- Marty Scurll vs. Shane Helms
- Kenny King vs. Adam Page
- Vinny Marseglia and TK O'Ryan vs. Coast 2 Coast
- Best Friends vs. The Boys
- Sumie Sakai vs. Tasha Steelz

EVIL has been added to ROH's September 29 TV taping. I expect a good-sized NJPW presence there.

G1 Supercard has the largest non-WWE ticket revenue of any United States event ever. It was also the most early sellout for Madison Square Garden ever. This and All In are going to be milestones in wrestling history.

NJPW is beginning talks to have international TV deals, including in French. That can be key to continuing their global expansion and revenue.

ROH's parent company is looking to purchase regional Fox Sports Networks, the pre-Spike home for Impact. A lot of other parties are in the running as well, but that could really expand ROH's profile.

Impact's most recent TV tapings were poorly attended, which isn't a huge surprise given they were the fourth and fifth Impact events in the same venue in a month. We'll see what changes they make going forward given that.

Rey Mysterio has officially joined WWE, as he has pulled from an independent show in order to rest up for debuting there. His last scheduled non-WWE appearance is the night after All In, so he won't be returning to NJPW or The Crash. Obviously this is a big move for WWE that will cut NJPW's U.S. momentum.

Matt Hardy is officially off all future dates, and it's expected the Deleters of Worlds are done as a team. He's going to be training to be a producer in case he's not cleared to get back in the ring. A decision on his wrestling future will come after he treats his various injuries.

- Jason Jordan is also looking into becoming a producer as he continues to experience issues with his neck. I hope he's not having to retire this early.

Tye Dillinger was recently injured and pulled from the ring. There's no word on when he'll return to the ring. Obviously he's rarely in action on TV, but he was regularly working live events.

WWE co-president George Barrios recently sold nearly a million dollars in stock. He still owns roughly $48 million in WWE stock, so this shouldn't be taken as any major change for him.

Gerald Brisco was awarded the "Outstanding American" award from The Cauliflower Alley Club. That's really cool.

WWE is working toward having their "four horsewomen" of Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch face the MMA four horsewomen of Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir at Survivor Series. So, yes, I was completely wrong when I suggested we probably wouldn't see that match for a while. It's a big risk to take.

WWE is being reimbursed for all legal fees in getting attorney Konstantine Kyros sanctioned. That could total more than $175,000. That's great, and I hope Kyros is out of the picture now.

Garza Jr., who has been discussed as a potential WWE signing, is injured and isn't expected to wrestle for the rest of the year. As such, he's likely not signing with WWE at this time.

Elias' August 18 concert has been canceled, likely due to low ticket sales.

At NXT's August 16 live event in Massachusetts:
- Oney Lorcan returned to the ring to team with Danny Burch in a loss to War Raiders
- Deonna Purrazzo debuted in a loss to Bianca Belair
- NXT UK's Zack Gibson lost to Lars Sullivan ahead of challenging Pete Dunne in a match being taped before Takeover

AJ Styles is now the longest-reigning WWE Champion in Smackdown Live history. That's pretty significant.

Summerslam Kickoff will be available in 3D virtual reality. That's insane.

WWE is seeking a production assistant for the WWE Performance Center. You'd think Full Sail would be perfect for getting someone for that.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I've heard of him giving advice to talents from a production standpoint when he's booked for TV, but he doesn't have any official contracted behind-the-scenes duties. That doesn't look to be changing anytime soon. I'd think if the two sides wanted it to happen, it would have happened by now.

Nothing to add to 2.

3. If people are going to blame Dixie for the people she had on her creative team doing things they didn't like, they should also give her credit when people on her creative team did things they did like. If people are going to blame Dixie for allowing the hiring of wrestlers who shouldn't have been on TV, they should praise her for allowing the hiring of wrestlers who brought ratings and change. And if people are going to give Cornette credit for being the guy who got in touch with the guys who saved ROH, they also need to blame him for outdated booking and unprofessional managing that held that and other companies back. At any rate, yes, Impact took the women's wrestling ball and ran with it when WWE was focused on telling former models to make sure they don't outshine the men.

4. An interesting idea, but more people will be in town Saturday night than Friday night.

5. Without rehashing how THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE, if 80,000 people are going to attend WrestleMania 35 and only 15,000 are going to attend G1 Supercard, there are plenty of fans to sell out Takeover and whatever else will be going on that Saturday.

More wrestling tomorrow.

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