NXT UK talents are seemingly no longer able to work Fight Club Pro, which is owned by Trent Seven. I hope the new contracts are making up for the loss of opportunities.
NXT UK's contract changes seem to be on a per-talent basis, with top names being signed to the more exclusive, higher-paying deals, while other talents don't get as much money but retain the ability to work a greater number of promotions.
Top NXT UK talents can no longer compete with ROH, NJPW, or WOS talents, as those companies are seen as important competition to WWE. Impact is believed to be unaffected by this, which tells you what level they are considered at this point.
Impact's LAX and Rascalz are being discussed to work in AAA due to their connection with Konnan. That could definitely build up their resumes, and explains why the Rascalz are suddenly being featured in Impact.
NJPW is looking to run more in Europe going forward, but the current goal is to get TV deals in the area first.
Cuervo, the wrestler injured by a brick to the head in Mexico, is expected to be out of action for a year. That's a really rough situation.
All Elite Wrestling is expected to be announced in January, which makes sense given how top talent involved are going to be finishing their ROH commitments in December.
Silas Young being at Raw was due to his son wanting to attend, rather than him being expected to sign with WWE. ROH has offered him a long-term deal to stay.
Stephen Amell revealed he fractured his left hip at All In. He absolutely went out of his way to impress in that match.
Raw is expected to tape the December 24 show after the live December 17 show. That's INSANE. The December 25 Smackdown Live will be taped after the live December 18 show, which is also going to be a long night. I imagine Main Event and 205 Live will have "Best of 2018" shows that week, and potentially the following week, given the length of those tapings.
Kairi Sane missed the most recent NXT taping due to her illness. Hopefully she bounces back soon. I wouldn't be surprised to see her join Raw or Smackdown Live in 2019.
Big Show was working through a strained hamstring.
Hurricane Helms will be a WWE Performance Center guest coach this coming week, in addition to being a producer at live events. That can really be a solid future for him if/when he's ready to stop wrestling.
ROH's December 15 TV taping is notably advertising Cody, the Young Bucks, SoCal Uncensored, Hangman Page, and Silas Young, so they are all at least working that show if they're leaving at the end of the year.
- Zack Sabre, Jr. will also be on that show.
MLW Fusion will be live on December 14, and there are plans for additional live broadcasts in 2019. MLW's relationship with BeIN has really grown quickly.
WWE Network's latest Hidden Gem is Dusty Rhodes and Junkyard Dog vs. Ted DiBiase and Matt Borne from Mid-South Wrestling in 1983.
Nia Jax spoke to Yahoo about body shaming.
NFL's Earl Mitchell will represent Connor's Cure in an upcoming charity game.
Braun Strowman is set to appear on Raw. We'll see how they handle him for TLC.
John Cena will receive Sports Illustrated's Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. That's really awesome.
Jim Cornette's graphic novel will release August 6.
OVW's December 14 Christmas Chaos event will air on Fite.TV. Abyss vs. Hurricane Helms is the main event.
Vader's former high school made a mural of him. That's really cool. I hope a WWE Hall of Fame induction is next.
NXT UK talent will work Destiny Wrestling's January 20 event. I would think the promotion being based in Canada rather than the UK affected that decision.
Tribute to the Troops will take place on December 4 in Fort Hood, Texas.
Tommy Dreamer was at Smackdown Live this week. He's got connections all over the business.
CHIKARA founder Mike Quackenbush was a guest coach at the WWE Performance Center this week.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It wasn't even so much that things were bad, other than the Drake Maverick stuff. It's just that in a three hour show, there was hardly anything fresh or compelling. Most of the matches were just "there" and most of the segments were uninspired.
2. As was said, it would take WWE getting regular big pay days to run international shows. They definitely could re-evaluate how many PPVs they do a year going forward, because the current strategy isn't excelling.
Nothing to add to 3.
4. Because they have a lot of content from months back they want to hurry up and get through. Things should go to a normal schedule after Takeover: Blackpool.
5. I could see there being an angle where she steps in the ring, but they specifically hired her as a referee.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, November 30, 2018
More NXT UK contract details, Impact names in AAA?, NJPW Europe plans, Mexico injury update, when to expect AEW news, Silas update, Amell reveals wrestling injury, WWE set for double tapings, top NXT name misses taping, Show update, WWEPC guest coaches, ROH talent update, MLW airing live shows, new Hidden Gem, Nia interview, NFL name promoting Connor's Cure, Braun TV update, Cena up for major award, Cornette novel update, another OVW PPV, Vader honored, TTTT location set, SDL guest, and Questions on Raw's quality, WWE doing more international specials, NXT UK's delay, and Kennadi in the ring
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Interviews with Punk/Toni/Natalya, HoFer pitches comeback, podcast notes, Braun surgery, WWE's Giving Tuesday, X-Division name to MLW, Impact joint live event set, why Impact pulled LAX, Kidd profiled, Bryan fires back, 205 Live names robbed, Alexa on road to comeback, Raw audience, WWE at Gamers' Awards, WK13 PPV and Cage of Death streaming plans, and Questions on Vince silencing the media, who should have beat Brock and when, whether 205 Live is a step up from NXT, and turning Ronda
C.M. Punk discussed wrestling in an MMA interview:
- It's believed he's still under UFC contract so another company doesn't pick him up and make money off him fighting. I don't anticipate him fighting again.
- Punk's second opponent was definitely lackadaisical. He could have had a more dominant win.
- Very insightful stuff about the state of wrestling.
- I don't expect Punk back in wrestling unless there's just some amazing offer he can't turn down.
- Punk talking about tying up loose ends is likely a reference to the Cabana legal situation.
Jesse Ventura pitched appearing at WrestleMania. He's obviously in pretty good shape, but I don't think WWE will be interested in his services given his reputation.
Ric Flair is on Stone Cold's latest podcast.
Ricky Steamboat is on Chris Jericho's latest podcast.
Braun Strowman has successfully undergone elbow surgery.
WWE worked with March of Dimes for Giving Tuesday.
DJZ will debut for MLW on December 13 and December 14. He hasn't worked Impact in a while, so hopefully he gets regular work there.
Impact and WrestlePro will have a joint live event on January 25 in New York. Impact is advertising Moose, Eli Drake, Rich Swann, Kongo Kong, KM, Fallah Bahh, Homicide, and Scarlett Bordeaux. It's interesting to see Kongo on there since he hasn't been on TV much, and Homicide was only brought in shortly.
Impact pulled LAX from EVOLVE due to them being booked to work with NXT talent. It wouldn't look good for Impact's tag team champions to lose to a low-level "developmental" team, even if that team is the EVOLVE Tag Team Champions.
Tyson Kidd was profiled in Kingston.
Daniel Bryan responded to AJ Styles' shot at his schedule. Again, are we supposed to boo a man putting his health first?
Cedric Alexander and Lince Dorado had their car broken into at Smackdown Live. That's awful.
Alexa Bliss is at the WWE Performance Center training to return to the ring. Glad to see she's on the road to recovery.
Raw drew 2.37 million viewers Monday night, notably down from the previous week and one of the lowest marks they've ever reached.
WWE is nominated for the Gamers' Choice Awards on CBS, with WWE 2K19 being considered for Fan Favorite Sport Game and Xavier Woods in the running for Fan Favorite Celebrity Gamer.
Toni Storm spoke to SPORTbible. She can be an important part of WWE's women's divisions for years to come.
Natalya spoke to Maria Shriver about her father's passing.
WrestleKingdom 13 will be live on Fite.TV worldwide in addition to New Japan World. It will be interesting to see if this becomes more of a regular occurrence.
CZW Cage of Death 20 will air live on Highspots Wrestling Network. A new champion will be declared in the main event as Ricky Shane Page faces Mance Warner in a Cage of Death match.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Vince would definitely rather people find out what he wants them to know when he wants them to know it.
2. I'm thinking Braun should have won at Summerslam 2017 and then taken the rematch the next month. Joe's approaching 40, so I'm less sold on that idea.
3. I definitely think it would be a step back. 205 Live is mostly where talents go when WWE doesn't think they can meaningfully contribute to Raw or Smackdown Live. Gargano is definitely valuable enough to be on one of the more prominent shows.
4. The more prominently the talent is featured post-NXT, the more quickly and heavily they'll be compensated for the move.
5. I don't think they'll rush Ronda turning heel, if that's the goal. I think it's more likely we see Ronda vs. Shayna after WM35, with Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen penciled in for either Summerslam or Survivor Series 2019. A lot of the plan will depend on the progress of Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- It's believed he's still under UFC contract so another company doesn't pick him up and make money off him fighting. I don't anticipate him fighting again.
- Punk's second opponent was definitely lackadaisical. He could have had a more dominant win.
- Very insightful stuff about the state of wrestling.
- I don't expect Punk back in wrestling unless there's just some amazing offer he can't turn down.
- Punk talking about tying up loose ends is likely a reference to the Cabana legal situation.
Jesse Ventura pitched appearing at WrestleMania. He's obviously in pretty good shape, but I don't think WWE will be interested in his services given his reputation.
Ric Flair is on Stone Cold's latest podcast.
Ricky Steamboat is on Chris Jericho's latest podcast.
Braun Strowman has successfully undergone elbow surgery.
WWE worked with March of Dimes for Giving Tuesday.
DJZ will debut for MLW on December 13 and December 14. He hasn't worked Impact in a while, so hopefully he gets regular work there.
Impact and WrestlePro will have a joint live event on January 25 in New York. Impact is advertising Moose, Eli Drake, Rich Swann, Kongo Kong, KM, Fallah Bahh, Homicide, and Scarlett Bordeaux. It's interesting to see Kongo on there since he hasn't been on TV much, and Homicide was only brought in shortly.
Impact pulled LAX from EVOLVE due to them being booked to work with NXT talent. It wouldn't look good for Impact's tag team champions to lose to a low-level "developmental" team, even if that team is the EVOLVE Tag Team Champions.
Tyson Kidd was profiled in Kingston.
Daniel Bryan responded to AJ Styles' shot at his schedule. Again, are we supposed to boo a man putting his health first?
Cedric Alexander and Lince Dorado had their car broken into at Smackdown Live. That's awful.
Alexa Bliss is at the WWE Performance Center training to return to the ring. Glad to see she's on the road to recovery.
Raw drew 2.37 million viewers Monday night, notably down from the previous week and one of the lowest marks they've ever reached.
WWE is nominated for the Gamers' Choice Awards on CBS, with WWE 2K19 being considered for Fan Favorite Sport Game and Xavier Woods in the running for Fan Favorite Celebrity Gamer.
Toni Storm spoke to SPORTbible. She can be an important part of WWE's women's divisions for years to come.
Natalya spoke to Maria Shriver about her father's passing.
WrestleKingdom 13 will be live on Fite.TV worldwide in addition to New Japan World. It will be interesting to see if this becomes more of a regular occurrence.
CZW Cage of Death 20 will air live on Highspots Wrestling Network. A new champion will be declared in the main event as Ricky Shane Page faces Mance Warner in a Cage of Death match.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Vince would definitely rather people find out what he wants them to know when he wants them to know it.
2. I'm thinking Braun should have won at Summerslam 2017 and then taken the rematch the next month. Joe's approaching 40, so I'm less sold on that idea.
3. I definitely think it would be a step back. 205 Live is mostly where talents go when WWE doesn't think they can meaningfully contribute to Raw or Smackdown Live. Gargano is definitely valuable enough to be on one of the more prominent shows.
4. The more prominently the talent is featured post-NXT, the more quickly and heavily they'll be compensated for the move.
5. I don't think they'll rush Ronda turning heel, if that's the goal. I think it's more likely we see Ronda vs. Shayna after WM35, with Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen penciled in for either Summerslam or Survivor Series 2019. A lot of the plan will depend on the progress of Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir.
More wrestling tomorrow.
205 Live, NXT, and ROH Reax - 11/28/18
Read on for my thoughts on last night's 205 Live, NXT, and ROH.
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Assorted WWE press, Interviews with Natalya/Rey, new WWE live events, new Final Battle competitor, Impact sought former ECW champion, NXT talent in EVOLVE matches, Impact pulls names from EVOLVE, Impact audience, Raw notes, ROH name at Raw, new WWE merch, top NXT name sick, Dunne on UK changes, Mercury charges dropped, and Questions on Brock vs. Bryan compared to the NWA, Shane's condition, a WWE female getting a manager, stopping Suplex City, and inheriting the Stunner
WALTER's WWE signing was covered by Newsweek. I find it a little odd it got coverage there, but good for WALTER, I guess?
Natalya discussed women headlining WrestleMania 35. It is absolutely a strong possibility.
Raw's January 11 live event in South Carolina got press, likely due to John Cena being added to the show.
WWE has announced the following live events:
- Smackdown Live on January 13 in Ohio
- Raw on January 19 in Texas
- Smackdown Live on January 20 in Nebraska
-- Notably, Daniel Bryan is advertised for the January 20 show, but not the January 13 show.
Kelly Klein has been added to the WOH Championship match at Final Battle.
Impact was interested in using Masato Tanaka for their January events, but he will not be in the United States at that time. That would have been a good payoff for Eli Drake's feud with "hardcore" names. Tanaka is 45 but still wrestles full-time in Japan.
EVOLVE announced the following matches featuring NXT and Impact talent*:
-- For the December 15 event in New York:
- Kassius Ohno vs. Darby Allin
- Fabian Aichner vs. Austin Theory
- Street Profits vs. LAX* vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff
-- For the December 16 event in New York:
- Street Profits and Darby Allin vs. LAX* and Austin Theory
- Kassius Ohno vs. Anthony Henry
- LAX was pulled from these dates by Impact a few hours after the matches were announced. Impact has not provided a reason as of this writing, but I expect it's because LAX was booked to work with NXT talents.
Impact Wrestling drew 124,000 viewers on Thanksgiving, beating three of the previous four weeks in the new timeslot. I'm very surprised a show with so little in-ring action did so well on a major holiday. Obviously the turkey suit is more over than I realized!
Dean Ambrose and Braun Strowman's Raw segments were taped beforehand, as neither man was in town. Braun of course was in the hospital in Alabama.
Raw's women's division segment's "fan" who asked a question was part of the show. She came to ringside right before the segment.
Silas Young was at Raw, which is especially notable with his ROH contract coming due in a few weeks. I'm curious how him leaving would change ROH plans. Sadly I think it would mean more focus on Bully Ray, since he's almost certainly staying for the foreseeable future.
WWE and Foot Locker have ugly Christmas sweaters.
Kairi Sane is dealing with an illness. Hopefully she doesn't miss much time.
Dolph Ziggler hosted MTV's "The Challenge: Final Reckoning" reunion Tuesday night.
Rey Mysterio is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
Pete Dunne commented on NXT UK changing the British wrestling scene. Obviously the WWE connection is working very well for him.
Joey Mercury is no longer facing charges in Florida, as the district attorney found the cases not suitable for prosecution. As we saw with the big concussion case, sometimes the justice system is as big of a work as wrestling. I'm glad he didn't face time for crimes he didn't commit.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That's a pretty good comparison. I do think things would be a little different it someone else was holding the Universal Championship, but with Brock at the top, I definitely see that metaphor.
2. Shane's turning 49 in January and he was never a full-time wrestler in the traditional sense, so it's not surprising he's having the issues he's having. It's telling WWE is still relying on him to take bumps and have big matches. But, no, since he isn't a full-time talent, he's not on the Wellness Policy.
3. I mean we got James Ellsworth. Other than that, it would be a matter of the right situation coming along. Specifically, I could see Heyman working with Ronda Rousey. They'd definitely save him for someone major.
4. Vince probably likes how dominant it makes Brock look, and the spot is definitely over, so I don't see it changing unless someone gets really, really hurt in a way that's attributable to Brock.
5. While we could certainly see someone else use the stunner at some point, I don't think it's a good idea to try to make someone "the next Stone Cold" that transparently. Austin didn't become a star by copying what someone in the '70s did.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Natalya discussed women headlining WrestleMania 35. It is absolutely a strong possibility.
Raw's January 11 live event in South Carolina got press, likely due to John Cena being added to the show.
WWE has announced the following live events:
- Smackdown Live on January 13 in Ohio
- Raw on January 19 in Texas
- Smackdown Live on January 20 in Nebraska
-- Notably, Daniel Bryan is advertised for the January 20 show, but not the January 13 show.
Kelly Klein has been added to the WOH Championship match at Final Battle.
Impact was interested in using Masato Tanaka for their January events, but he will not be in the United States at that time. That would have been a good payoff for Eli Drake's feud with "hardcore" names. Tanaka is 45 but still wrestles full-time in Japan.
EVOLVE announced the following matches featuring NXT and Impact talent*:
-- For the December 15 event in New York:
- Kassius Ohno vs. Darby Allin
- Fabian Aichner vs. Austin Theory
- Street Profits vs. LAX* vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff
-- For the December 16 event in New York:
- Street Profits and Darby Allin vs. LAX* and Austin Theory
- Kassius Ohno vs. Anthony Henry
- LAX was pulled from these dates by Impact a few hours after the matches were announced. Impact has not provided a reason as of this writing, but I expect it's because LAX was booked to work with NXT talents.
Impact Wrestling drew 124,000 viewers on Thanksgiving, beating three of the previous four weeks in the new timeslot. I'm very surprised a show with so little in-ring action did so well on a major holiday. Obviously the turkey suit is more over than I realized!
Dean Ambrose and Braun Strowman's Raw segments were taped beforehand, as neither man was in town. Braun of course was in the hospital in Alabama.
Raw's women's division segment's "fan" who asked a question was part of the show. She came to ringside right before the segment.
Silas Young was at Raw, which is especially notable with his ROH contract coming due in a few weeks. I'm curious how him leaving would change ROH plans. Sadly I think it would mean more focus on Bully Ray, since he's almost certainly staying for the foreseeable future.
WWE and Foot Locker have ugly Christmas sweaters.
Kairi Sane is dealing with an illness. Hopefully she doesn't miss much time.
Dolph Ziggler hosted MTV's "The Challenge: Final Reckoning" reunion Tuesday night.
Rey Mysterio is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
Pete Dunne commented on NXT UK changing the British wrestling scene. Obviously the WWE connection is working very well for him.
Joey Mercury is no longer facing charges in Florida, as the district attorney found the cases not suitable for prosecution. As we saw with the big concussion case, sometimes the justice system is as big of a work as wrestling. I'm glad he didn't face time for crimes he didn't commit.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That's a pretty good comparison. I do think things would be a little different it someone else was holding the Universal Championship, but with Brock at the top, I definitely see that metaphor.
2. Shane's turning 49 in January and he was never a full-time wrestler in the traditional sense, so it's not surprising he's having the issues he's having. It's telling WWE is still relying on him to take bumps and have big matches. But, no, since he isn't a full-time talent, he's not on the Wellness Policy.
3. I mean we got James Ellsworth. Other than that, it would be a matter of the right situation coming along. Specifically, I could see Heyman working with Ronda Rousey. They'd definitely save him for someone major.
4. Vince probably likes how dominant it makes Brock look, and the spot is definitely over, so I don't see it changing unless someone gets really, really hurt in a way that's attributable to Brock.
5. While we could certainly see someone else use the stunner at some point, I don't think it's a good idea to try to make someone "the next Stone Cold" that transparently. Austin didn't become a star by copying what someone in the '70s did.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown Live and Mixed Match Challenge Reax - 11/27/18
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown Live and Mixed Match Challenge.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Podcast notes, top indie name injured, former WWE Champion back on the road, NXT tryout set, Total Bellas return date, new ROH digital series, Cage of Death notes, NXT UK talents signed to new deals, Ladder War at Final Battle, NXT UK Takeover sells out, Amazing Red on failed WWE tryout, top European name to NXT UK, WWE signing this weekend, Braun's MMC replacement, post-Raw dark match, and Questions on WWE PPV revenue post-Network, Sky having a WWE channel, why SDL got squashed, who isn't at TV tapings, why Bryan turned heel before Survivor Series, and Carmella being paired with Truth
Rey Mysterio is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
Jeff Jarrett is on Lanny Poffo's latest podcast.
MJF has a fractured elbow, so he'll miss Cage of Death as well as MLW's next TV tapings. He's on a roll, so I hope he's able to bounce back come 2019.
Bray Wyatt was backstage at Raw after his surprise Starrcade return. He'd be a good replacement if Braun can't work TLC.
NXT will have a tryout in Florida the week of December 15. A new class of recruits will begin at the WWE Performance Center in January.
Total Bellas' fourth season will debut January 20.
ROH has debuted a new digital series from the team behind the NWA's "Ten Pounds of Gold."
CZW Cage of Death will stream live, but it is currently unknown where.
- CZW will be doing a Toys for Tots drive at the event, which is a pretty hilarious juxtaposition.
- Atsushi Onita and Matt Tremont vs. DJ Hyde and Masada has been announced for the show. Tremont was looking to leave CZW, but is returning for this event.
NXT UK talents are signing contracts for more exclusivity with the brand in return for an increase in pay. This has led to a number of them being pulled from independent bookings as WWE looks to make the project more of a regularly-running ordeal. The end goal for the project is likely akin to NXT "U.S." where it's self-sustaining and provides a full-time home for all its contracted talents.
- NXT UK names can still compete for a number of prominent promotions in the area as long as the matches aren't broadcast. Specifically, they can compete for PROGRESS, ICW, wXw, Fight Club Pro, Attack! Pro Wrestling, OTT Wrestling, and Futureshock.
Final Battle has added a Ladder War for the ROH Tag Team Championship. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky will defend against The Briscoes and The Young Bucks. This could be the last ROH bout for the Bucks and Kazarian, as none of them have signed new deals as of this writing. It makes sense for them to complete their tenures in such spectacular fashion.
NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool has officially sold out. That's a mouthful, but good to see it's a success.
Amazing Red discussed a failed WWE tryout. Things would have gone very different for him if he went to WWE.
NXT UK has signed WALTER. He will be able to compete on his currently announced independent appearances, and it's possible he'll be able to do work outside NXT UK once he's officially signed. He wasn't able to work a final PWG appearance in December, however, due to WWE nixing the idea. WALTER has a big reputation and his been on WWE's radar for a while. I hope he can be a breakout star for them.
Bray Wyatt and Asuka will sign at Wintercon in New York this weekend.
Braun Strowman is being replaced by Curt Hawkins in the Mixed Match Challenge. Hawkins could end his losing streak and get the 30th spot in the Royal Rumble! Who says WWE never gives new names opportunities?
After Raw, the team of Ronda Rousey/Bayley/Sasha Banks/Ember Moon/Natalya defeated the team of Nia Jax/Tamina/Riott Squad when Ronda tapped Liv Morgan out.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1.a. Yes, WWE has combined PPV revenue with Network revenue on their financial releases, so only they know for sure. That said, there are still people buying PPVs the traditional way so content providers continue to offer them and WWE's willing to keep making money from them.
1.b. If it's something that makes sense for both sides, I could see them pursuing it BUT considering NXT UK didn't get on Sky, I don't know if it's a big option.
2. It's expected this is going to lead to Shane McMahon turning heel. Yes, an entire major PPV in 2018 was booked in part to set up an angle with a McMahon.
3. With a few exceptions, yes, since plans could always change and there might be extras needed to separate a big brawl or something. I want to say there are a few names at any given time they don't fly out (other than the notable part-timers and injured names), but in those cases, those names are so non-essential they're not even on the weekend live events.
4. Since they were already doing a surprise WWE Title change, they threw in the surprise heel turn, too, so people would be talking even more about the angle.
5. It's definitely a good use for her, and a pretty natural one given her pre-WWE background.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Jeff Jarrett is on Lanny Poffo's latest podcast.
MJF has a fractured elbow, so he'll miss Cage of Death as well as MLW's next TV tapings. He's on a roll, so I hope he's able to bounce back come 2019.
Bray Wyatt was backstage at Raw after his surprise Starrcade return. He'd be a good replacement if Braun can't work TLC.
NXT will have a tryout in Florida the week of December 15. A new class of recruits will begin at the WWE Performance Center in January.
Total Bellas' fourth season will debut January 20.
ROH has debuted a new digital series from the team behind the NWA's "Ten Pounds of Gold."
CZW Cage of Death will stream live, but it is currently unknown where.
- CZW will be doing a Toys for Tots drive at the event, which is a pretty hilarious juxtaposition.
- Atsushi Onita and Matt Tremont vs. DJ Hyde and Masada has been announced for the show. Tremont was looking to leave CZW, but is returning for this event.
NXT UK talents are signing contracts for more exclusivity with the brand in return for an increase in pay. This has led to a number of them being pulled from independent bookings as WWE looks to make the project more of a regularly-running ordeal. The end goal for the project is likely akin to NXT "U.S." where it's self-sustaining and provides a full-time home for all its contracted talents.
- NXT UK names can still compete for a number of prominent promotions in the area as long as the matches aren't broadcast. Specifically, they can compete for PROGRESS, ICW, wXw, Fight Club Pro, Attack! Pro Wrestling, OTT Wrestling, and Futureshock.
Final Battle has added a Ladder War for the ROH Tag Team Championship. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky will defend against The Briscoes and The Young Bucks. This could be the last ROH bout for the Bucks and Kazarian, as none of them have signed new deals as of this writing. It makes sense for them to complete their tenures in such spectacular fashion.
NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool has officially sold out. That's a mouthful, but good to see it's a success.
Amazing Red discussed a failed WWE tryout. Things would have gone very different for him if he went to WWE.
NXT UK has signed WALTER. He will be able to compete on his currently announced independent appearances, and it's possible he'll be able to do work outside NXT UK once he's officially signed. He wasn't able to work a final PWG appearance in December, however, due to WWE nixing the idea. WALTER has a big reputation and his been on WWE's radar for a while. I hope he can be a breakout star for them.
Bray Wyatt and Asuka will sign at Wintercon in New York this weekend.
Braun Strowman is being replaced by Curt Hawkins in the Mixed Match Challenge. Hawkins could end his losing streak and get the 30th spot in the Royal Rumble! Who says WWE never gives new names opportunities?
After Raw, the team of Ronda Rousey/Bayley/Sasha Banks/Ember Moon/Natalya defeated the team of Nia Jax/Tamina/Riott Squad when Ronda tapped Liv Morgan out.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1.a. Yes, WWE has combined PPV revenue with Network revenue on their financial releases, so only they know for sure. That said, there are still people buying PPVs the traditional way so content providers continue to offer them and WWE's willing to keep making money from them.
1.b. If it's something that makes sense for both sides, I could see them pursuing it BUT considering NXT UK didn't get on Sky, I don't know if it's a big option.
2. It's expected this is going to lead to Shane McMahon turning heel. Yes, an entire major PPV in 2018 was booked in part to set up an angle with a McMahon.
3. With a few exceptions, yes, since plans could always change and there might be extras needed to separate a big brawl or something. I want to say there are a few names at any given time they don't fly out (other than the notable part-timers and injured names), but in those cases, those names are so non-essential they're not even on the weekend live events.
4. Since they were already doing a surprise WWE Title change, they threw in the surprise heel turn, too, so people would be talking even more about the angle.
5. It's definitely a good use for her, and a pretty natural one given her pre-WWE background.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, November 26, 2018
St. Louis name passes, Interviews with Sonya/Nick Hogan, indie film gets trailer, and Questions on Impact airing on an NBCU channel, conference call rules, wrestling on holidays, WWE not reacting to rebellious fans, and Miz's previous face run
St. Louis era announcer/promoted Larry Matysik passed away this weekend at 72.
Sonya Deville spoke to Sky Sports. I'm glad she's not being ostracized for her sexual orientation, and I'm glad she's not just being used as "that lesbian wrestler."
Nick Hogan talked about his dad's wrestling career continuing. As long as people keep buying Hulkster merchandise, he's going to keep popping up brother.
Indie film "The Marks" got a trailer. This is how WWE views most indie wrestling.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I would be quite surprised to see SyFy pick up Impact, but that could definitely turn things around for the former TNA.
2. If I'm not mistaken, that person has made a habit of that and sees that WWE keeps answering those additional questions, so the behavior continues.
3. This is a repeat. I would understand if they had to wrestle on those days. Being in WWE is so valuable to them they're willing to deal with some level of inconvenience.
4. WWE could be thinking that if they make it clear they're not going to give in to those reactions, the fans will stop acting counter to the way they want. But, because now they do often try to appease those fans, I don't think that message will be received.
5. Yes, they intended Miz to be a babyface then. It was kind of an awkward combination.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sonya Deville spoke to Sky Sports. I'm glad she's not being ostracized for her sexual orientation, and I'm glad she's not just being used as "that lesbian wrestler."
Nick Hogan talked about his dad's wrestling career continuing. As long as people keep buying Hulkster merchandise, he's going to keep popping up brother.
Indie film "The Marks" got a trailer. This is how WWE views most indie wrestling.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I would be quite surprised to see SyFy pick up Impact, but that could definitely turn things around for the former TNA.
2. If I'm not mistaken, that person has made a habit of that and sees that WWE keeps answering those additional questions, so the behavior continues.
3. This is a repeat. I would understand if they had to wrestle on those days. Being in WWE is so valuable to them they're willing to deal with some level of inconvenience.
4. WWE could be thinking that if they make it clear they're not going to give in to those reactions, the fans will stop acting counter to the way they want. But, because now they do often try to appease those fans, I don't think that message will be received.
5. Yes, they intended Miz to be a babyface then. It was kind of an awkward combination.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Main Event and Starrcade Reax - 11/25/18
Read on for my thoughts on this week's Main Event and Starrcade.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Best of Takeover DVD coming, new Final Battle match, Miz looks back and forward, Big Show updates WWE contract status, first NXT UK Takeover set, Reigns at football game, Fenix hurt, Starrcade special lineup, Cena wraps up filming, Duggan out of ICU, former ECW Champion returning to U.S., and Questions on wrestling documentaries, international wrestling before the Internet, why WWE still makes DVDs, using Roman's illness in the Seth/Dean feud, and how Drake was used at Survivor Series
A Best of Takeover 2018 is in the works, currently scheduled to come out in March. There's plenty of great content to use there.
Final Battle has added Marty Scurll vs. Christopher Daniels, where the winner gets Marty Scurll's ROH World Championship opportunity from winning Survival of the Fittest. That could be a great swan song for Daniels there.
The Miz teased becoming WWE Champion again. WrestleMania is coming!
Big Show updated his WWE status with TMZ Sports. I expect he'll be kind of off-and-on as a wrestler in the next few years, but he'll definitely remain part of things for a while.
NXT UK's first Takeover is set for January 12 in Blackpool, so I assume the Network series will be caught up by then.
Roman Reigns was at Georgia Tech's latest football game.
Rey Fenix suffered a groin injury that will keep him out of action the rest of the year.
Tonight's Starrcade WWE Network special will feature:
- AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe in a steel cage
- Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ember Moon, and Dana Brooke vs. Nia Jax, Tamina, Alicia Fox, and Mickie James
- Elias performing with Ric Flair
- MizTV with Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Mysterio
John Cena has finished filming with Jackie Chan. His next focus is promoting Bumblebee.
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan has been released from the hospital. Glad to see it.
Masato Tanaka is booked for a pair of U.S. matches for the first time since WrestleMania 30 weekend. He's wrestling in Ohio on December 28 and in New Jersey on December 29.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'll defer to his answer here, as he is far more qualified than I to answer that.
2. I didn't really have the option to follow international wrestling in a small rural town.
3. There's still something of a market for DVDs. Obviously it's not what it used to be, but there are people who watch content that way.
4. It comes across as a cheap way to get people to boo Dean and cheer Seth. If WWE feels they can't get that feud over without mentioning Roman's real-life battle, that's a big problem.
5. I get what they were going for as far as him being afraid of Big Show, but AOP vs. The Bar could have been a hell of a bout if it wasn't for that and Enzo's interruption. You'd think AOP would be right up WWE's alley to push as serious monsters, but it hasn't worked out that way. We'll see how long Lars will be safe from those kinds of shenanigans.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Final Battle has added Marty Scurll vs. Christopher Daniels, where the winner gets Marty Scurll's ROH World Championship opportunity from winning Survival of the Fittest. That could be a great swan song for Daniels there.
The Miz teased becoming WWE Champion again. WrestleMania is coming!
Big Show updated his WWE status with TMZ Sports. I expect he'll be kind of off-and-on as a wrestler in the next few years, but he'll definitely remain part of things for a while.
NXT UK's first Takeover is set for January 12 in Blackpool, so I assume the Network series will be caught up by then.
Roman Reigns was at Georgia Tech's latest football game.
Rey Fenix suffered a groin injury that will keep him out of action the rest of the year.
Tonight's Starrcade WWE Network special will feature:
- AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe in a steel cage
- Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ember Moon, and Dana Brooke vs. Nia Jax, Tamina, Alicia Fox, and Mickie James
- Elias performing with Ric Flair
- MizTV with Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Mysterio
John Cena has finished filming with Jackie Chan. His next focus is promoting Bumblebee.
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan has been released from the hospital. Glad to see it.
Masato Tanaka is booked for a pair of U.S. matches for the first time since WrestleMania 30 weekend. He's wrestling in Ohio on December 28 and in New Jersey on December 29.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'll defer to his answer here, as he is far more qualified than I to answer that.
2. I didn't really have the option to follow international wrestling in a small rural town.
3. There's still something of a market for DVDs. Obviously it's not what it used to be, but there are people who watch content that way.
4. It comes across as a cheap way to get people to boo Dean and cheer Seth. If WWE feels they can't get that feud over without mentioning Roman's real-life battle, that's a big problem.
5. I get what they were going for as far as him being afraid of Big Show, but AOP vs. The Bar could have been a hell of a bout if it wasn't for that and Enzo's interruption. You'd think AOP would be right up WWE's alley to push as serious monsters, but it hasn't worked out that way. We'll see how long Lars will be safe from those kinds of shenanigans.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Cornette launches YouTube, Lynch-McGregor exchange, Dolph press, Truth music video, Impact champions working EVOLVE, two Raw matches set, and Questions on WWE being live for Christmas, JR's injury, WM35 week venues, EC3 being called up, and Star Wars characters wrestling in Japan
Jim Cornette has launched an official YouTube channel for anyone who wants to hear the same twenty-year-old stories about Vince Russo and Kevin Dunn and about his time working for various places that have fired him.
Becky Lynch fired back at Conor McGregor comparisons, leading to tweets between her and Conor: Tweet 1 Tweet 2 WWE absolutely has a major star on their hands.
Dolph Ziggler was discussed in a pair of Yahoo! Sports videos: Video 1 Video 2 I was going to say I don't picture the 38-year-old Ziggler in UFC, but if they need an attraction, it's a possibility. I don't expect him to have the same level of interest as Punk did, though.
R-Truth has released a music video for a recent single.
Impact's World Tag Team Champions, LAX, are debuting for EVOLVE on December 15 and December 16. That's getting people talking, given NXT's Street Profits being EVOLVE's tag team champions. Those two teams facing off would be newsworthy.
Announced for Raw:
- AOP vs. Bobby Roode and Chad Gable for the Raw Tag Team Championship
- Elias vs. Lashley
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Honestly as much as WWE wrestlers are on the road, them being home for Christmas would definitely be appreciated. I don't know how much of an effect it will have on the audience one way or another for it to be live vs. taped, but I question how much it would be worth it to have them on the road on such an important date.
2. I was under the impression he was leaving an OU game, but either way, he slipped and hit concrete face-first.
3. I expect WWE to "play things safe" on that note.
4. I would have been surprised to see EC3 called up then, since it doesn't feel like he's had a lot of momentum in NXT.
5. Basically it flew under the radar because there was no Internet and it was on the other side of the world. There would definitely be repercussions if it happened today, given Disney's reach.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Becky Lynch fired back at Conor McGregor comparisons, leading to tweets between her and Conor: Tweet 1 Tweet 2 WWE absolutely has a major star on their hands.
Dolph Ziggler was discussed in a pair of Yahoo! Sports videos: Video 1 Video 2 I was going to say I don't picture the 38-year-old Ziggler in UFC, but if they need an attraction, it's a possibility. I don't expect him to have the same level of interest as Punk did, though.
R-Truth has released a music video for a recent single.
Impact's World Tag Team Champions, LAX, are debuting for EVOLVE on December 15 and December 16. That's getting people talking, given NXT's Street Profits being EVOLVE's tag team champions. Those two teams facing off would be newsworthy.
Announced for Raw:
- AOP vs. Bobby Roode and Chad Gable for the Raw Tag Team Championship
- Elias vs. Lashley
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Honestly as much as WWE wrestlers are on the road, them being home for Christmas would definitely be appreciated. I don't know how much of an effect it will have on the audience one way or another for it to be live vs. taped, but I question how much it would be worth it to have them on the road on such an important date.
2. I was under the impression he was leaving an OU game, but either way, he slipped and hit concrete face-first.
3. I expect WWE to "play things safe" on that note.
4. I would have been surprised to see EC3 called up then, since it doesn't feel like he's had a lot of momentum in NXT.
5. Basically it flew under the radar because there was no Internet and it was on the other side of the world. There would definitely be repercussions if it happened today, given Disney's reach.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, November 23, 2018
New Starrcade match, WM35 plans, more on Braun surgery, Raw star hurt, more on Enzo-WWE, Lars plans, All In 2 plans, more on AEW, Elite's future, AXS-NJPW commentary update, Survivor Series weekend attendance notes, Puerto Rican star fractures skull, Japanese name in altercation, Ellsworth accused of sending nude photo to minor, Owen documentary coming, former Sandow on NBC show, Cody surgery update, Impact talking to other channels, Aries at Impact tapings, Impact returning to Mexico, new WWEPC expected soon, NXT UK special plans, XFL TV note, Tribute taping set, how WWE will change with FOX deal, another expected NXT hire, new WWEPC coach, Vince company facing trademark battle, Becky advertised for SDL tour, Titus cameoing on SDL live event, and HoFer hospitalized
Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka has been added to tomorrow night's Starrcade event.
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins is currently the plan for WrestleMania 35, and it's expected to play off the Roman Reigns situation. That match could be good, but I'm wary of them pushing Reigns' condition to that degree. I think fans will turn on that level of acknowledgement, too.
Braun Strowman's surgery is related to bone spurs in his elbow. It was decided to have him do the procedure now so he'll be ready for the Royal Rumble. While WWE wants him to compete at TLC, he might not be cleared by then. We could see Braun quickly destroy Corbin to protect his elbow.
Ronda Rousey is set to face Charlotte Flair once her storyline with Nia Jax wraps up. Then, Ronda vs. Becky Lynch is scheduled for WrestleMania. Both feuds could really be great.
Dolph Ziggler recently had a foot injury, but should be back soon. I'm interested where things go with him next.
Enzo Amore's Survivor Series stunt was likely to promote a concert the next day.
Lars Sullivan is expected to get a big push when he debuts on Raw or Smackdown Live. It's unknown which show he will join.
All In 2 is currently being considered for a holiday weekend in Nevada in the second quarter of 2019. Easter, Cinco de Mayo, and Memorial Day would be the biggest possibilities there.
All Elite Wrestling is a project of Tony Khan, the son of the owner of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and English soccer club Fulham FC.
- A number of WWE names are interested in joining the project.
Kenny Omega and the rest of The Elite are looking to remain with NJPW, but no deals have been signed.
AXS will now use New Japan World's commentary for NJPW events rather than their own team.
Takeover:WarGames drew around 11,000 fans, which beat both Raw (8,800) and Smackdown Live (8,000) that followed Survivor Series. That's the first time a Takeover special has had bigger attendance than a Raw for the same week.
Puerto Rico's Cuervo suffered a fractured skull due to a brick being thrown at his head in a casket match in Mexico. Cuervo was caught unaware and ended up in intensive care. It is currently unknown if he will be able to wrestle again. That's really, really problematic.
- The State of Mexico Box y Lucha commission suspended the wrestler who threw the brick. The commission did not have a representative at the event, and there was no ambulance at the venue. Hopefully this leads to some big reforms.
- Two benefit shows were set for the arena where the incident happened in order to raise money for Cuervo's hospital costs.
Japan's Chigusa Nagayo got in an altercation with a man who was holding his wife on the ground in a parking garage. She broke a finger in the process.
James Ellsworth has been accused of sending a nude photo of himself to a 16-year-old girl. His attorney has called the accusation baseless. As always, he is innocent until proven guilty, but this could have effects on him being utilized going forward.
An Owen Hart documentary is in the works by a UK company. Martha Hart, Bret Hart, and Natalya have all been interviewed for the film.
The former Damien Sandow will be part of NBC's "Midnight, Texas." He's using his former wrestling name Aron Stevens as an actor. I'm glad he's successful.
Cody is expected to miss six weeks after his knee surgery in January. It's good he won't miss long.
Impact has discussed moving its TV show to WGN America, TruTV, and SyFy. It's believed they can keep their show on Pop early into 2019 while they plan their next moves. SyFy being in the mix suggests WWE no longer has exclusivity with NBC Universal.
Austin Aries visited at one of Impact's Nevada tapings, as he lives in the area. There are no plans for him to return at this time.
Impact is set to tape TV in Mexico in January. I'm curious how that will go this time.
WWE is expected to announce a Performance Center coming to the UK. That could definitely be a big move, allowing access to European talent as well.
NXT UK is expected to have multiple Takeover specials in 2019. I'm curious how those will do.
XFL is expected to be part of NBC's sports lineup in some fashion. We're still a good way away from that happening, but it's interesting such a major player is on-board with the league.
Tribute to the Troops will be taped at December 4's Smackdown Live taping in Texas. No word on when it will air.
Raw and Smackdown Live are expected to have separate production teams under the FOX deal. Part of this is due to more live events being aired on WWE Network. It will be interesting to see what that will entail.
Samuel Shaw is expected to join NXT in January. I'm curious how he'll do after his Impact run. I definitely don't expect him to do his gimmick from his time there...
Australian wrestler Hartley Jackson is joining the WWE Performance Center as a coach. He recently retired from Zero-One.
Alpha Entertainment, Vince McMahon's company in charge of the XFL, is facing opposition to trademarking its logo because Adidas feels it's too similar to their own logo.
Becky Lynch is advertised for Smackdown Live's live event tour beginning December 26, so they currently expect her back by then. As always, things can change between now and then.
Titus O'Neil is advertised for Smackdown Live's December 30 event in Florida, since he lives in the area. I'd assume this is just a one-time appearance for that brand.
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan spent Thanksgiving in intensive care for an unknown medical issue. I hope he recovers soon.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins is currently the plan for WrestleMania 35, and it's expected to play off the Roman Reigns situation. That match could be good, but I'm wary of them pushing Reigns' condition to that degree. I think fans will turn on that level of acknowledgement, too.
Braun Strowman's surgery is related to bone spurs in his elbow. It was decided to have him do the procedure now so he'll be ready for the Royal Rumble. While WWE wants him to compete at TLC, he might not be cleared by then. We could see Braun quickly destroy Corbin to protect his elbow.
Ronda Rousey is set to face Charlotte Flair once her storyline with Nia Jax wraps up. Then, Ronda vs. Becky Lynch is scheduled for WrestleMania. Both feuds could really be great.
Dolph Ziggler recently had a foot injury, but should be back soon. I'm interested where things go with him next.
Enzo Amore's Survivor Series stunt was likely to promote a concert the next day.
Lars Sullivan is expected to get a big push when he debuts on Raw or Smackdown Live. It's unknown which show he will join.
All In 2 is currently being considered for a holiday weekend in Nevada in the second quarter of 2019. Easter, Cinco de Mayo, and Memorial Day would be the biggest possibilities there.
All Elite Wrestling is a project of Tony Khan, the son of the owner of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and English soccer club Fulham FC.
- A number of WWE names are interested in joining the project.
Kenny Omega and the rest of The Elite are looking to remain with NJPW, but no deals have been signed.
AXS will now use New Japan World's commentary for NJPW events rather than their own team.
Takeover:WarGames drew around 11,000 fans, which beat both Raw (8,800) and Smackdown Live (8,000) that followed Survivor Series. That's the first time a Takeover special has had bigger attendance than a Raw for the same week.
Puerto Rico's Cuervo suffered a fractured skull due to a brick being thrown at his head in a casket match in Mexico. Cuervo was caught unaware and ended up in intensive care. It is currently unknown if he will be able to wrestle again. That's really, really problematic.
- The State of Mexico Box y Lucha commission suspended the wrestler who threw the brick. The commission did not have a representative at the event, and there was no ambulance at the venue. Hopefully this leads to some big reforms.
- Two benefit shows were set for the arena where the incident happened in order to raise money for Cuervo's hospital costs.
Japan's Chigusa Nagayo got in an altercation with a man who was holding his wife on the ground in a parking garage. She broke a finger in the process.
James Ellsworth has been accused of sending a nude photo of himself to a 16-year-old girl. His attorney has called the accusation baseless. As always, he is innocent until proven guilty, but this could have effects on him being utilized going forward.
An Owen Hart documentary is in the works by a UK company. Martha Hart, Bret Hart, and Natalya have all been interviewed for the film.
The former Damien Sandow will be part of NBC's "Midnight, Texas." He's using his former wrestling name Aron Stevens as an actor. I'm glad he's successful.
Cody is expected to miss six weeks after his knee surgery in January. It's good he won't miss long.
Impact has discussed moving its TV show to WGN America, TruTV, and SyFy. It's believed they can keep their show on Pop early into 2019 while they plan their next moves. SyFy being in the mix suggests WWE no longer has exclusivity with NBC Universal.
Austin Aries visited at one of Impact's Nevada tapings, as he lives in the area. There are no plans for him to return at this time.
Impact is set to tape TV in Mexico in January. I'm curious how that will go this time.
WWE is expected to announce a Performance Center coming to the UK. That could definitely be a big move, allowing access to European talent as well.
NXT UK is expected to have multiple Takeover specials in 2019. I'm curious how those will do.
XFL is expected to be part of NBC's sports lineup in some fashion. We're still a good way away from that happening, but it's interesting such a major player is on-board with the league.
Tribute to the Troops will be taped at December 4's Smackdown Live taping in Texas. No word on when it will air.
Raw and Smackdown Live are expected to have separate production teams under the FOX deal. Part of this is due to more live events being aired on WWE Network. It will be interesting to see what that will entail.
Samuel Shaw is expected to join NXT in January. I'm curious how he'll do after his Impact run. I definitely don't expect him to do his gimmick from his time there...
Australian wrestler Hartley Jackson is joining the WWE Performance Center as a coach. He recently retired from Zero-One.
Alpha Entertainment, Vince McMahon's company in charge of the XFL, is facing opposition to trademarking its logo because Adidas feels it's too similar to their own logo.
Becky Lynch is advertised for Smackdown Live's live event tour beginning December 26, so they currently expect her back by then. As always, things can change between now and then.
Titus O'Neil is advertised for Smackdown Live's December 30 event in Florida, since he lives in the area. I'd assume this is just a one-time appearance for that brand.
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan spent Thanksgiving in intensive care for an unknown medical issue. I hope he recovers soon.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, November 22, 2018
SDL dark match, SDL guests, Becky endorsement, Interview with Jake, WWE co-president to speak, new WWE MSG match, Elite promotion in the works?, WK13 AXS plans, WWE TV history, Starrcade segment set, new Final Battle match, SDL audience, more Hidden Gems, Cena set for more shows, and Questions on not saving big first-time matches for WM35, PPVs profits vs. the Network, the state of Bullet Club, heat on Nia, and pushing McIntyre
After Smackdown Live, Daniel Bryan retained the WWE Championship against The Miz after a disqualification loss. Interesting AJ wasn't used at all at the taping.
Cryme Tyme was backstage at Smackdown Live. I wouldn't assume they're returning. I wish we could see them in Impact.
MMA reporter Ariel Helwani put over Becky Lynch. WWE could really have a big star on their hands.
Jake "The Snake" Roberts was on The Joe Rogan Experience.
WWE co-president George Barrios will be part of the 46th annual UBS Global Media and Communications Conference. I expect we'll see more of him and Michelle Wilson going forward.
WWE's Madison Square Garden event on December 26 has added John Cena and Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. That could really be good.
The Elite are believed to be behind trademarks coming from a company called "All Elite Wrestling," which has filed to trademark the company name in addition to "AEW," "Double or Northing," "All Out," and "Tuesday Night Dynamite." The company is listed as being based out of the venue for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, suggesting that organization's owner is financing the endeavor. It definitely appears this is related to a second All In, which could lead to a regularly running promotion and series. That could drastically change the wrestling landscape.
WrestleKingdom 13 will air as a two-hour special on AXS TV January 4, featuring Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and Chris Jericho vs. Testuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Kevin Kelly and Don Callis will be on commentary. There will be more WK13 content on January 11 and January 18. AXS continues to increase its coverage of NJPW.
WWE ran through a number of TV introductions from years past. That was pretty cool.
Starrcade will feature Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Mysterio on MizTV. That will be interesting.
Final Battle has added Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon in an "I Quit" match. I fully expect Bully to say "I Quit" early only to beat Flip up after the match and stand tall yet again. He's going to get as much time in the spotlight as he can.
Smackdown Live drew 2.15 million viewers, pretty much in line with what they had been doing previously. Last week had a big increase due to the Becky Lynch situation as well as the big title match. It is notable the show didn't get a boost from Survivor Series, although given how the brand was treated, that can't be a surprise.
WWE Network's latest gems are from Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in 1983, which lead into the very first Starrcade event.
John Cena has been added to Smackdown Live's December 29 live event in Pennsylvania, as well as Raw live events on January 4 in Georgia, January 5 and January 6 in Florida, and a Raw TV taping January 7 in Florida. I expect he'll announce he's entering the 2019 Royal Rumble on that Raw.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Survivor Series is one of the biggest shows of the year, so I'm not upset those two matches were there. I think we'll still get Ronda Rousey in a fresh match at WrestleMania, and maybe they'll move Brock to Smackdown Live for the new FOX deal? That could make things interesting.
2. Yes, since many more people are watching the shows and they don't have to share that money with PPV providers.
3. We'll see how strong the Bullet Club name is without The Elite attached to it, and we'll see how much The Elite can make on their own. Right now The Elite are still selling Bullet Club merch, so it's not quite time to make that comparison.
4. Considering they're making an angle out of it now and it seems to have gotten her more over as a heel and Becky more over as a face, it might have inadvertently worked in her favor! But yes, accidents happen.
5. I think they'll get behind him as a prominent name. With Roman out, they're shuffling the deck and I think he benefits from that. Although I think he was probably in for bigger things at some point regardless.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Cryme Tyme was backstage at Smackdown Live. I wouldn't assume they're returning. I wish we could see them in Impact.
MMA reporter Ariel Helwani put over Becky Lynch. WWE could really have a big star on their hands.
Jake "The Snake" Roberts was on The Joe Rogan Experience.
WWE co-president George Barrios will be part of the 46th annual UBS Global Media and Communications Conference. I expect we'll see more of him and Michelle Wilson going forward.
WWE's Madison Square Garden event on December 26 has added John Cena and Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. That could really be good.
The Elite are believed to be behind trademarks coming from a company called "All Elite Wrestling," which has filed to trademark the company name in addition to "AEW," "Double or Northing," "All Out," and "Tuesday Night Dynamite." The company is listed as being based out of the venue for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, suggesting that organization's owner is financing the endeavor. It definitely appears this is related to a second All In, which could lead to a regularly running promotion and series. That could drastically change the wrestling landscape.
WrestleKingdom 13 will air as a two-hour special on AXS TV January 4, featuring Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and Chris Jericho vs. Testuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Kevin Kelly and Don Callis will be on commentary. There will be more WK13 content on January 11 and January 18. AXS continues to increase its coverage of NJPW.
WWE ran through a number of TV introductions from years past. That was pretty cool.
Starrcade will feature Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Mysterio on MizTV. That will be interesting.
Final Battle has added Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon in an "I Quit" match. I fully expect Bully to say "I Quit" early only to beat Flip up after the match and stand tall yet again. He's going to get as much time in the spotlight as he can.
Smackdown Live drew 2.15 million viewers, pretty much in line with what they had been doing previously. Last week had a big increase due to the Becky Lynch situation as well as the big title match. It is notable the show didn't get a boost from Survivor Series, although given how the brand was treated, that can't be a surprise.
WWE Network's latest gems are from Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in 1983, which lead into the very first Starrcade event.
John Cena has been added to Smackdown Live's December 29 live event in Pennsylvania, as well as Raw live events on January 4 in Georgia, January 5 and January 6 in Florida, and a Raw TV taping January 7 in Florida. I expect he'll announce he's entering the 2019 Royal Rumble on that Raw.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Survivor Series is one of the biggest shows of the year, so I'm not upset those two matches were there. I think we'll still get Ronda Rousey in a fresh match at WrestleMania, and maybe they'll move Brock to Smackdown Live for the new FOX deal? That could make things interesting.
2. Yes, since many more people are watching the shows and they don't have to share that money with PPV providers.
3. We'll see how strong the Bullet Club name is without The Elite attached to it, and we'll see how much The Elite can make on their own. Right now The Elite are still selling Bullet Club merch, so it's not quite time to make that comparison.
4. Considering they're making an angle out of it now and it seems to have gotten her more over as a heel and Becky more over as a face, it might have inadvertently worked in her favor! But yes, accidents happen.
5. I think they'll get behind him as a prominent name. With Roman out, they're shuffling the deck and I think he benefits from that. Although I think he was probably in for bigger things at some point regardless.
More wrestling tomorrow.
205 Live, NXT, and ROH Reax - 11/21/18
Read on for my thoughts on last night's 205 Live, NXT, and ROH.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Brock's UFC bout on hold, why Braun got hurt, Enzo followup, Raw guest, E&C Network return date, Cena on year-end tour, ROH Christmas drives, NXT courting former ROH name, top Memphis venue to be saved, Impact champion vs. ROH champion note, new Final Battle match, ROH names sign deals, Raw audience, and Questions on Brock dropping muscle, Miz turning face, and AJ/Bryan booking
Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Cormier in UFC as on hold, at the least, as Cormier considers retirement. It's unknown if UFC has a backup plan for Brock, or if there are other fights he'd be interested in. Presumably this means WWE will be a more likely option for him going forward.
- Paul Heyman discussed his client potentially going to UFC.
Braun Strowman's TV injury is a cover for him to have minor elbow surgery. He is still expected to compete at TLC. Hopefully he's able to be part of WrestleMania season without issue.
Enzo Amore's photograph was given to Staples Center security for Raw to ensure he didn't return to the venue. I can only imagine where he goes from here.
Nick Hogan was at Raw.
Edge and Christian's WWE Network show will begin its second season after the November 26 Raw.
John Cena is advertised for the following WWE live events:
- December 26 for Raw in Madison Square Garden
- December 27 for Smackdown Live in New York
- December 28 for Smackdown Live in Maryland
- December 30 for Smackdown Live in Florida
-- These shows follow the release of his latest movie.
ROH is hosting a Toys for Tots drive at Final Battle. That's really great.
John Cena was discussed on The Bob and Tom Show, where Gotham's Drew Powell was a guest.
WWE is close to signing ACH for NXT. ACH has recently worked MLW, and spent six years in ROH. ROH spoke with him about returning there, but ultimately the two sides didn't come to an agreement.
Memphis' Mid-South Coliseum is being targeted for reactivation, reuse, or redevelopment by the city after years of talk of the venue being renovated or demolished. We'll see what this means for the venue's future, wrestling-related and otherwise.
Johnny Impact vs. Jay Lethal in a champion vs. champion match is still in the concept stage, as neither company has made any plans regarding it. I really hope they spoke with their respective companies before agreeing to a match featuring those assets.
Zack Sabre, Jr. will debut for ROH at Final Battle, facing Jonathan Gresham. ZSJ could definitely be a fun addition there.
Jeff Cobb has signed a contract with ROH, and The Boys have signed new deals there, too.
Raw drew 2.49 million viewers following Survivor Series. The NFL game that night drew 16.61 million viewers, cutting into what could have been a bigger boost from the show.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It definitely benefits Brock to be smaller stepping into the Octagon, since he's presumably not planning to win via suplexes and F5s (as amazing as that would be). There's a world of difference between the shape a functional fighter is in compared to one looking tough and performing a fight.
2. I absolutely think we're in for The Miz as a babyface going up against Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan as heels.
3. They had two weeks between Crown Jewel and Survivor Series, so that probably played into things. With the whole Saudi Arabia situation with Bryan, WWE really had to scramble to put something together. And, of course, Bryan and AJ aren't nearly as important as Brock to WWE. Smackdown Live as a whole is very clearly the "B" show to the company.
4. Heels are taking advantage of his repeated failure to guard himself down there.
5. What they said, plus being able to go ahead and pull the trigger on Daniel Bryan turning heel. With AJ as champion, Bryan could only do so much as a face.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Paul Heyman discussed his client potentially going to UFC.
Braun Strowman's TV injury is a cover for him to have minor elbow surgery. He is still expected to compete at TLC. Hopefully he's able to be part of WrestleMania season without issue.
Enzo Amore's photograph was given to Staples Center security for Raw to ensure he didn't return to the venue. I can only imagine where he goes from here.
Nick Hogan was at Raw.
Edge and Christian's WWE Network show will begin its second season after the November 26 Raw.
John Cena is advertised for the following WWE live events:
- December 26 for Raw in Madison Square Garden
- December 27 for Smackdown Live in New York
- December 28 for Smackdown Live in Maryland
- December 30 for Smackdown Live in Florida
-- These shows follow the release of his latest movie.
ROH is hosting a Toys for Tots drive at Final Battle. That's really great.
John Cena was discussed on The Bob and Tom Show, where Gotham's Drew Powell was a guest.
WWE is close to signing ACH for NXT. ACH has recently worked MLW, and spent six years in ROH. ROH spoke with him about returning there, but ultimately the two sides didn't come to an agreement.
Memphis' Mid-South Coliseum is being targeted for reactivation, reuse, or redevelopment by the city after years of talk of the venue being renovated or demolished. We'll see what this means for the venue's future, wrestling-related and otherwise.
Johnny Impact vs. Jay Lethal in a champion vs. champion match is still in the concept stage, as neither company has made any plans regarding it. I really hope they spoke with their respective companies before agreeing to a match featuring those assets.
Zack Sabre, Jr. will debut for ROH at Final Battle, facing Jonathan Gresham. ZSJ could definitely be a fun addition there.
Jeff Cobb has signed a contract with ROH, and The Boys have signed new deals there, too.
Raw drew 2.49 million viewers following Survivor Series. The NFL game that night drew 16.61 million viewers, cutting into what could have been a bigger boost from the show.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It definitely benefits Brock to be smaller stepping into the Octagon, since he's presumably not planning to win via suplexes and F5s (as amazing as that would be). There's a world of difference between the shape a functional fighter is in compared to one looking tough and performing a fight.
2. I absolutely think we're in for The Miz as a babyface going up against Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan as heels.
3. They had two weeks between Crown Jewel and Survivor Series, so that probably played into things. With the whole Saudi Arabia situation with Bryan, WWE really had to scramble to put something together. And, of course, Bryan and AJ aren't nearly as important as Brock to WWE. Smackdown Live as a whole is very clearly the "B" show to the company.
4. Heels are taking advantage of his repeated failure to guard himself down there.
5. What they said, plus being able to go ahead and pull the trigger on Daniel Bryan turning heel. With AJ as champion, Bryan could only do so much as a face.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown Live and Mixed Match Challenge Reax - 11/20/18
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown Live and Mixed Match Challenge.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
More Survivor Series notes, WWE injury update, E! show pre-empted, Survivor Series 2019 location, Rey trademarks new ring name, Arquette press release, Staples Center donates in Roman's honor, and Questions on staying hydrated, who could have been world champion in Hulk's day, Becky 3:16, putting the Mania main event on the line at Survivor Series, and making Alexa GM while he recovers
Stone Cold put over Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair from Survivor Series.
Kalisto's "injury" at Survivor Series was just a way to put Gran Metalik in the match so all three members of Lucha House Party could compete. It looks like LHP is staying on Raw, for better or worse.
Tito Ortiz, Ric Flair, Mark Henry, Candice Michelle, Darren Young, Lilian Garcia, and Falling In Reverse's Ronnie Radke were backstage at Survivor Series.
- Dean Ambrose and Becky Lynch were also backstage, but not used on camera.
"Total Divas" will be pre-empted this week due to Thanksgiving.
Survivor Series week events in 2019 will be in Illinois, from Smackdown Live on November 22 through Raw on November 25. Hopefully SDL does better next year when they're on FOX?
- WWE put out an official press release.
Rey Mysterio has trademarked the term "Principe Mysterio," which is expected to be his son's ring name. That will probably work better globally than "El Hijo del Rey Mysterio."
Stephanie McMahon worked with Girl Up at Survivor Series.
David Arquette commented on this weekend's death match. It sounds like he's making sure anyone outside the wrestling bubble who saw the footage knew this was not a normal wrestling event, and there are promotions for them to see that are more in line with a traditional wrestling experience.
Survivor Series week's venue donated $10,000 to fight childhood cancer on behalf of Roman Reigns.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They definitely make sure to be as physically prepared as possible when they prepare to step in the ring.
2. Given how Brock Lesnar is booked, who's to say things would be that different?
3. It can definitely be a pivotal moment for her. As always, followup will be key. With Charlotte turning heel, they might treat Becky as a face going forward and build to a WrestleMania match with Ronda. They could really have something special on their hands if they make the right moves.
4. That sounds great in theory but I like there being some flexibility with the Mania main event in case something gets unexpectedly hot and deserves that spot. I will say there are times when rivals work together for a common cause in real life (World War II's alliance between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. comes to mind), but obviously that bond's a LOT deeper than a brand many people have hardly spent much time on.
5. They could definitely do that if they wanted to, although I agree it would suggest she's in a similar position as Paige as far as returning to the ring.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Kalisto's "injury" at Survivor Series was just a way to put Gran Metalik in the match so all three members of Lucha House Party could compete. It looks like LHP is staying on Raw, for better or worse.
Tito Ortiz, Ric Flair, Mark Henry, Candice Michelle, Darren Young, Lilian Garcia, and Falling In Reverse's Ronnie Radke were backstage at Survivor Series.
- Dean Ambrose and Becky Lynch were also backstage, but not used on camera.
"Total Divas" will be pre-empted this week due to Thanksgiving.
Survivor Series week events in 2019 will be in Illinois, from Smackdown Live on November 22 through Raw on November 25. Hopefully SDL does better next year when they're on FOX?
- WWE put out an official press release.
Rey Mysterio has trademarked the term "Principe Mysterio," which is expected to be his son's ring name. That will probably work better globally than "El Hijo del Rey Mysterio."
Stephanie McMahon worked with Girl Up at Survivor Series.
David Arquette commented on this weekend's death match. It sounds like he's making sure anyone outside the wrestling bubble who saw the footage knew this was not a normal wrestling event, and there are promotions for them to see that are more in line with a traditional wrestling experience.
Survivor Series week's venue donated $10,000 to fight childhood cancer on behalf of Roman Reigns.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They definitely make sure to be as physically prepared as possible when they prepare to step in the ring.
2. Given how Brock Lesnar is booked, who's to say things would be that different?
3. It can definitely be a pivotal moment for her. As always, followup will be key. With Charlotte turning heel, they might treat Becky as a face going forward and build to a WrestleMania match with Ronda. They could really have something special on their hands if they make the right moves.
4. That sounds great in theory but I like there being some flexibility with the Mania main event in case something gets unexpectedly hot and deserves that spot. I will say there are times when rivals work together for a common cause in real life (World War II's alliance between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. comes to mind), but obviously that bond's a LOT deeper than a brand many people have hardly spent much time on.
5. They could definitely do that if they wanted to, although I agree it would suggest she's in a similar position as Paige as far as returning to the ring.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, November 19, 2018
Assorted WWE/Survivor Series weekend notes, Hogan on Dream's homage, Interview with Show, Enzo responsible for fan injury, and Questions on Cody's future, Brock vs. AJ at WM35, how to get to Becky vs. Ronda without Lynch losing, the other Reigns, and Omega vs. Okada breaking the scale
David Arquette, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., and Nita Strauss were at WarGames.
Hulk Hogan responded to Velveteen Dream's latest homage.
The Undertaker left Los Angeles before Survivor Series, so he won't be on WWE TV this week. I'm sure we'll see him again during WrestleMania season.
A Boston MLB player wore his team's custom WWE Championship.
Big Show did a long interview with Busted Open.
A number of WWE stars visited volunteers and victims from the local fire.
Mattel had a signing with Alexa Bliss, Zack Ryder, and Curt Hawkins before Survivor Series. Ryder and Hawkins should thank Alexa, because they definitely got more fans in the door with her there.
Rikishi and O'Shea Jackson were at Survivor Series. Becky Lynch was backstage.
The former Enzo Amore's Survivor Series interruption saw a female fan get hurt when security removed him. She was taken out on a stretcher by EMTs and returned with an ice pack on her arm. I hope she didn't get hurt in the publicity stunt. Real1 or whatever he calls himself now would probably be best served being as far away from WWE as possible, since I doubt this endeared him to his former company to where they'd want to bring him back.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It looks like he's going to be a free agent, working with NJPW a lot and putting together All In 2 and beyond.
2. I don't see it happening unless they want Brock to retain at Mania. I'd be very surprised to see Vince put AJ over Brock, especially at that stage.
3. Becky could voluntarily vacate her championship to challenge Ronda, saying she can have it back anytime she wants it.
4. Unless WWE was going to push Roman as related to Luther, they probably would have kept him as Leakee or gone with something else entirely.
5. They're certainly in the running as game-changing, scale-breaking matches.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Hulk Hogan responded to Velveteen Dream's latest homage.
The Undertaker left Los Angeles before Survivor Series, so he won't be on WWE TV this week. I'm sure we'll see him again during WrestleMania season.
A Boston MLB player wore his team's custom WWE Championship.
Big Show did a long interview with Busted Open.
A number of WWE stars visited volunteers and victims from the local fire.
Mattel had a signing with Alexa Bliss, Zack Ryder, and Curt Hawkins before Survivor Series. Ryder and Hawkins should thank Alexa, because they definitely got more fans in the door with her there.
Rikishi and O'Shea Jackson were at Survivor Series. Becky Lynch was backstage.
The former Enzo Amore's Survivor Series interruption saw a female fan get hurt when security removed him. She was taken out on a stretcher by EMTs and returned with an ice pack on her arm. I hope she didn't get hurt in the publicity stunt. Real1 or whatever he calls himself now would probably be best served being as far away from WWE as possible, since I doubt this endeared him to his former company to where they'd want to bring him back.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It looks like he's going to be a free agent, working with NJPW a lot and putting together All In 2 and beyond.
2. I don't see it happening unless they want Brock to retain at Mania. I'd be very surprised to see Vince put AJ over Brock, especially at that stage.
3. Becky could voluntarily vacate her championship to challenge Ronda, saying she can have it back anytime she wants it.
4. Unless WWE was going to push Roman as related to Luther, they probably would have kept him as Leakee or gone with something else entirely.
5. They're certainly in the running as game-changing, scale-breaking matches.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Survivor Series Reax
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw and Smackdown Live brand WWE Network special event.
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Japanese name working CZW, Marko and Arquette injured, LA Confidential guests, Henry to be honored, Lethal signs new deal, ROH seeking new talents, Interviews with Show, Riddle does charity, JR injured, Flair joins PWTees, WarGames notes, HHH conference call, and Questions on a WWE theme park, a Rey cartoon, Arquette in a death match, and the AWA Tag Classic
Japan's Atsushi Onita will work CZW's Cage of Death XX on December 9. No opponent has been announced.
Marko Stunt suffered a broken shin while taking a Canadian Destroyer off a stage through a door, as he hit his leg on some nearby stools. That sounds incredibly dangerous and painful.
- Stunt needed surgery for a broken tibia.
David Arquette's match with Nick Gage this weekend didn't end as planned as Arquette tried to get out of the match due to a deep cut in his neck from a light tube. He returned to the ring, only to be hit again with a light tube. This caused him to attack Gage legitimately, but Gage quickly tossed him down and pinned him. Arquette got right up and headed to the hospital later that night, with Gage cutting a promo about not agreeing to do a "death match" if you're not prepared to take that level of punishment. Arquette was a last-minute replacement for the injured Joey Ryan. I respect Arquette getting back in the ring at 47 to prove himself to fans but we're at a point where I worry for his safety if he keeps doing stuff like this.
- Arquette received several stitches from the light tube spot.
Hollywood's Luke Perry, WWE's Sheamus, Matt Riddle, and Kassius Ohno, and CZW's Nick Mondo were at L.A. Confidential Friday night.
Mark Henry will be honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club on May 1. It's good to see him get accolades.
Jay Lethal has signed a new ROH contract. His current deal was set to end at the conclusion of 2018. So, both competitors in the Final Battle main event were potentially leaving shortly thereafter. yikes. Lethal is an institution in ROH. He'll be an important part of the company's plans going forward.
ROH is looking to sign new talents. They'll need to rebuild the roster if a number of prominent names leave. The Young Bucks, The Addiction, Silas Young, and Hangman Page are all under deals expiring at the end of 2018.
Big Show discussed Becky Lynch's injury.
- Show also promoted WrestleMania on Yahoo! Sports and FOX News. He had good advice for today's talents.
Matt Riddle worked with the Special Olympics and Boys and Girls Club of America before Takeover.
Jim Ross fell face-first on concrete following a football game. I really hope he's as well as can be expected. That looks BAD.
Ric Flair has joined Pro Wrestling Tees.
Takeover: WarGames saw fans given LED bracelets that lit up certain colors to match up with other production aspects. I hope that was worth the expense. It was definitely a pretty cool experience.
Bobby Fish was helped out of WarGames by WWE officials. Undisputed Era got a standing ovation after the main event. All eight men went through a lot in that match.
Triple H did a press conference after WarGames, covered here:
- It definitely would have been a mistake not to have Riddle at the event in some capacity.
- I'm glad they're experimenting with things at the NXT level. Some of them will add to Raw or Smackdown Live. Others, I'm not so sure of.
- We'll see what the next few weeks of TV look like.
- I'm glad Fish and Dunne are OK.
- I keep waiting for NXT UK to become a success.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I can't say I've ever heard of that being something that was considered. It's an interesting idea, though.
2. A lot of ideas only make it to a certain point, unfortunately.
3. He wants to prove himself in the wrestling business after the backlash to him winning the WCW Championship as an actor. That and he's goofier than a pet coon.
4. AWA was winding down at that point. This was something of a last-ditch effort to stay relevant. You see how that ended up.
5. Just goes to show how long Lynn was wrestling!
6. AWA was outdated and dwindling in the Rock and Wrestling Era.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Marko Stunt suffered a broken shin while taking a Canadian Destroyer off a stage through a door, as he hit his leg on some nearby stools. That sounds incredibly dangerous and painful.
- Stunt needed surgery for a broken tibia.
David Arquette's match with Nick Gage this weekend didn't end as planned as Arquette tried to get out of the match due to a deep cut in his neck from a light tube. He returned to the ring, only to be hit again with a light tube. This caused him to attack Gage legitimately, but Gage quickly tossed him down and pinned him. Arquette got right up and headed to the hospital later that night, with Gage cutting a promo about not agreeing to do a "death match" if you're not prepared to take that level of punishment. Arquette was a last-minute replacement for the injured Joey Ryan. I respect Arquette getting back in the ring at 47 to prove himself to fans but we're at a point where I worry for his safety if he keeps doing stuff like this.
- Arquette received several stitches from the light tube spot.
Hollywood's Luke Perry, WWE's Sheamus, Matt Riddle, and Kassius Ohno, and CZW's Nick Mondo were at L.A. Confidential Friday night.
Mark Henry will be honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club on May 1. It's good to see him get accolades.
Jay Lethal has signed a new ROH contract. His current deal was set to end at the conclusion of 2018. So, both competitors in the Final Battle main event were potentially leaving shortly thereafter. yikes. Lethal is an institution in ROH. He'll be an important part of the company's plans going forward.
ROH is looking to sign new talents. They'll need to rebuild the roster if a number of prominent names leave. The Young Bucks, The Addiction, Silas Young, and Hangman Page are all under deals expiring at the end of 2018.
Big Show discussed Becky Lynch's injury.
- Show also promoted WrestleMania on Yahoo! Sports and FOX News. He had good advice for today's talents.
Matt Riddle worked with the Special Olympics and Boys and Girls Club of America before Takeover.
Jim Ross fell face-first on concrete following a football game. I really hope he's as well as can be expected. That looks BAD.
Ric Flair has joined Pro Wrestling Tees.
Takeover: WarGames saw fans given LED bracelets that lit up certain colors to match up with other production aspects. I hope that was worth the expense. It was definitely a pretty cool experience.
Bobby Fish was helped out of WarGames by WWE officials. Undisputed Era got a standing ovation after the main event. All eight men went through a lot in that match.
Triple H did a press conference after WarGames, covered here:
- It definitely would have been a mistake not to have Riddle at the event in some capacity.
- I'm glad they're experimenting with things at the NXT level. Some of them will add to Raw or Smackdown Live. Others, I'm not so sure of.
- We'll see what the next few weeks of TV look like.
- I'm glad Fish and Dunne are OK.
- I keep waiting for NXT UK to become a success.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I can't say I've ever heard of that being something that was considered. It's an interesting idea, though.
2. A lot of ideas only make it to a certain point, unfortunately.
3. He wants to prove himself in the wrestling business after the backlash to him winning the WCW Championship as an actor. That and he's goofier than a pet coon.
4. AWA was winding down at that point. This was something of a last-ditch effort to stay relevant. You see how that ended up.
5. Just goes to show how long Lynn was wrestling!
6. AWA was outdated and dwindling in the Rock and Wrestling Era.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Main Event and Ring Warriors Reax - 11/17/18
Read on for my thoughts on this weekend's Main Event and Ring Warriors.
Survivor Series preview
Read on for my ideas for booking tonight's Raw and Smackdown Live brand WWE Network special event.
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Assorted WWE notes, ROH name in Impact dark match, Impact talent updates, Punk on WWE chants, top Final Battle matches official, Cody confirms final ROH match, new ROH dates, former X-Division Champion leaves Impact, MLW using former Impact star, MLW YouTube en Espanol, Ryan confirms surgery, top MLW name finishing up, WWE in Mexico City update, Impact audience, Brothers of Destruction signing, Starrcade special on WWE Network, Japanese legend at Impact WM35 weekend event, and Questions on top indie promotions, an all-elimination match Survivor Series, missing WWE Network libraries, and another Cruiserweight Classic
The Survivor Series Kickoff show will be available in VR.
WWE's German tryout featured local Special Olympics athletes.
Impact's latest One Night Only show did not feature a match involving Chris Sabin due to Sabin's ROH contract preventing him from being featured on an Impact broadcast. Sabin teamed with Petey Williams and Tyson Dux to defeat all three members of oVe.
The OGz and King were not used at Impact's Nevada tapings, as they are not signed to contracts. It's possible they're used again later, however.
C.M. Punk discussed WWE fans chanting for him and more. I expect the chants will keep going as long as it's still hypothetically possible he makes an appearance in WWE. I don't see that happening anytime in the near future, but stranger things have happened.
Added to Final Battle:
- Jay Lethal vs. Cody for the ROH World Championship. This feels kind of out of nowhere in the current storylines, but they want to make the most of Cody while he's still working there.
- Jeff Cobb vs. Hangman Page for the ROH Television Championship
-- Cody confirmed this will be his last ROH match. ROH is going to really take a hit from this and other likely departures in December.
ROH has announced a TV taping for February 9 in Florida before an Honorclub event on February 10 in Florida.
ROH's 17th anniversary PPV and the following night's TV taping are set for March 15 and March 16 at Sam's Town Live in Nevada. It's notable they're returning to the smaller venue there after recently doing bigger attendance in Nevada.
Trevor Lee has finished his commitments with Impact Wrestling with the Nevada TV tapings, and is expected to join NXT in January. Lee's Impact contract runs through December 31, but there are no more tapings scheduled between now and then. I can't say I blame him for heading to NXT and banking on a longer-term future there rather than continuing to grind in Impact and other promotions.
Carmella did a signing at a Walmart before Takeover:WarGames.
Paige has launched a makeup line.
MLW is picking up former Impact star Andrew Everett as a regular beginning with their December tapings. Good to see him getting regular work.
MLW is working on a Spanish YouTube channel as they look to expand their Latin audience. Rush will be a featured talent going forward, so they could really draw the lucha crowd.
Joey Ryan has confirmed he will be undergoing surgery for his torn pectoral muscle. I hope he doesn't miss long.
Shane Strickland will be finishing up with MLW on their December 13 and December 14 TV taping. It's expected he will be joining NXT in the same timeframe as Trevor Lee. This move had been suspected since summer, so MLW has had time to prepare. Strickland also works as Killshot in Lucha Underground.
WWE's December 1 Mexico City live event will feature Raw and Smackdown Live stars.
Impact Wrestling drew 101,000 viewers. Next week's episode is on Thanksgiving, so we'll see what the audience looks like the rest of the year.
The Undertaker and Kane will have a meet and greet in Virginia on April 13 to raise money for a five-year-old with pediatric liver cancer. Both men will be in character. That's a little weird given their characters and the situation, but it's a really cool moment.
Starrcade on November 25 will have a one-hour live WWE Network special. I'm curious which matches and segments will air on the show.
The Great Muta will appear at House of Glory's WrestleMania 35 weekend event, Culture Clash 19. Impact is airing this event on Twitch that night.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm not qualified to answer that one, as almost all the promotions on my radar fall into one of those two categories.
Nothing to add to 2.
3. I'd be very surprised to see them skip having the Universal Champion and WWE Champion in more prominent matches. It's special to see champion vs. champion matches on top of the elimination bouts.
4. Memphis is probably the most notable outlier now that Puerto Rico's been picked up.
5. The primary goal of the Cruiserweight and Mae Young Classics are to test the waters on signing certain names. They already have a lot of talents under 205 pounds they're balancing how to effectively utilize, so I don't see any reason to look to recruit more. I think we're more likely to see something like an "Independent Classic" exclusively featuring talent not under WWE contract.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE's German tryout featured local Special Olympics athletes.
Impact's latest One Night Only show did not feature a match involving Chris Sabin due to Sabin's ROH contract preventing him from being featured on an Impact broadcast. Sabin teamed with Petey Williams and Tyson Dux to defeat all three members of oVe.
The OGz and King were not used at Impact's Nevada tapings, as they are not signed to contracts. It's possible they're used again later, however.
C.M. Punk discussed WWE fans chanting for him and more. I expect the chants will keep going as long as it's still hypothetically possible he makes an appearance in WWE. I don't see that happening anytime in the near future, but stranger things have happened.
Added to Final Battle:
- Jay Lethal vs. Cody for the ROH World Championship. This feels kind of out of nowhere in the current storylines, but they want to make the most of Cody while he's still working there.
- Jeff Cobb vs. Hangman Page for the ROH Television Championship
-- Cody confirmed this will be his last ROH match. ROH is going to really take a hit from this and other likely departures in December.
ROH has announced a TV taping for February 9 in Florida before an Honorclub event on February 10 in Florida.
ROH's 17th anniversary PPV and the following night's TV taping are set for March 15 and March 16 at Sam's Town Live in Nevada. It's notable they're returning to the smaller venue there after recently doing bigger attendance in Nevada.
Trevor Lee has finished his commitments with Impact Wrestling with the Nevada TV tapings, and is expected to join NXT in January. Lee's Impact contract runs through December 31, but there are no more tapings scheduled between now and then. I can't say I blame him for heading to NXT and banking on a longer-term future there rather than continuing to grind in Impact and other promotions.
Carmella did a signing at a Walmart before Takeover:WarGames.
Paige has launched a makeup line.
MLW is picking up former Impact star Andrew Everett as a regular beginning with their December tapings. Good to see him getting regular work.
MLW is working on a Spanish YouTube channel as they look to expand their Latin audience. Rush will be a featured talent going forward, so they could really draw the lucha crowd.
Joey Ryan has confirmed he will be undergoing surgery for his torn pectoral muscle. I hope he doesn't miss long.
Shane Strickland will be finishing up with MLW on their December 13 and December 14 TV taping. It's expected he will be joining NXT in the same timeframe as Trevor Lee. This move had been suspected since summer, so MLW has had time to prepare. Strickland also works as Killshot in Lucha Underground.
WWE's December 1 Mexico City live event will feature Raw and Smackdown Live stars.
Impact Wrestling drew 101,000 viewers. Next week's episode is on Thanksgiving, so we'll see what the audience looks like the rest of the year.
The Undertaker and Kane will have a meet and greet in Virginia on April 13 to raise money for a five-year-old with pediatric liver cancer. Both men will be in character. That's a little weird given their characters and the situation, but it's a really cool moment.
Starrcade on November 25 will have a one-hour live WWE Network special. I'm curious which matches and segments will air on the show.
The Great Muta will appear at House of Glory's WrestleMania 35 weekend event, Culture Clash 19. Impact is airing this event on Twitch that night.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm not qualified to answer that one, as almost all the promotions on my radar fall into one of those two categories.
Nothing to add to 2.
3. I'd be very surprised to see them skip having the Universal Champion and WWE Champion in more prominent matches. It's special to see champion vs. champion matches on top of the elimination bouts.
4. Memphis is probably the most notable outlier now that Puerto Rico's been picked up.
5. The primary goal of the Cruiserweight and Mae Young Classics are to test the waters on signing certain names. They already have a lot of talents under 205 pounds they're balancing how to effectively utilize, so I don't see any reason to look to recruit more. I think we're more likely to see something like an "Independent Classic" exclusively featuring talent not under WWE contract.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Takeover: WarGames preview
Read on for my ideas for booking tonight's NXT brand WWE Network special.
Friday, November 16, 2018
Planned WM35 main event, why Bryan turned, Impact name back in AAA, AXS commentator finishing up, Cody eyes further NJPW dates, Naito profiled in Japan, top ROH team offered new deals, Impact TV update, more on Alexa's injuries, why Harper's in a cast, new Cena endorsement, new MLW signing, MLW name finishing up, MLW TV pre-empted, WWE signs top producer, WWEPC YouTube channel, new WWE merch, Ronda Q&A, and Questions on two NXT UK episodes a week, how wrestlers react to false stories, what the Mania party being canceled means, why Nia gets so much backlash, and WWE censoring blood
WrestleMania's current planned main event is Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch. That could be really big for a lot of reasons.
Daniel Bryan pushed to turn heel. Vince McMahon made the call to make that move at the same time as the WWE Championship win for maximum shock value. Smackdown Live really needed some shaking up, so at least they're making an effort to make things more interesting.
Taya Valkyrie has returned to AAA after leaving on bad terms. Never say never in the wrestling business!
Josh Barnett is finishing up with AXS, so NJPW TV will have a new announce team for 2019.
Cody is looking to work NJPW more in 2019, so that should tell you something about his situation going forward. If The Elite make NJPW their primary destination, that really affects ROH negatively given that company's reliance on those names.
Tetsuya Naito is being profiled by a top Japanese TV network this week. That's pretty cool.
The Addiction have been offered new ROH contracts. It will be interesting to see what they do going forward given their current angle. I could see Daniels in particular moving into a behind-the-scenes role, but obviously he's still doing great things at 48.
Impact is expected to stay on Pop into January, but a new long-term deal hasn't been signed. It could be a case of Pop allowing them to stay on the air while they find a new home; we'll see.
Alexa Bliss is recovering from a number of recent concussions. That's concerning. I hope she's able to get back in the ring regularly soon.
Harper underwent wrist surgery, so that's why he's in a cast.
John Cena is in commercials for Skyy Blue vodka. That's a little surprising given his popularity with children.
Ace Romero has signed with MLW.
Brody King has finished his MLW commitments. We'll see where he heads next.
MLW Fusion was exclusively on YouTube this week due to beIN Sports having more prominent content to show in its place. It will air next week along with that week's episode.
WWE has hired producer Giancarlo Dittamo, best known in the wrestling world for his work with Joey Janela. I hope that means a fresh look being utilized for WWE in the years to come.
The WWE Performance Center has launched a YouTube channel with NXT content. They've created a series called Arrival documenting new talents joining the center.
WWE showed Mattel 3D scanning NXT stars.
Ronda Rousey is getting a Funko Pop figure. I'm sure that will sell well.
- Ronda answered questions after the European tour.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They taped a lot of content for the brand to get their talents work, so they're trying to put it out there in a way that allows them to stay in line with their other shows.
2. Major wrestling journalists have built up a lot of sources in the business due to years of doing reporting those sources trust. There's enough rapport there for a lot of those in the business to reach out to clarify, add their version of things, etc. So when something outlandish comes out attributed to a credible journalist, those talents are willing to double-check. Obviously there are always going to be inaccurate reports and hearsay from certain outlets. Hopefully most talents realize it's a waste of time to try to work with those groups.
3. WWE is going to make every possible effort to run WrestleMania as planned. They have a LOT of money riding on that week being a success.
4. Nia is a magnet for online fan heat due to perceptions she's gotten much further much more quickly than more talented wrestlers because of her family connections and her size. I'm sure being a woman doesn't help. With John Cena barely around and Roman off due to a serious illness, Nia hitting Becky makes her the new top IWC heel, while cementing Becky as the new top IWC babyface. We'll see how long fans go before turning on Becky. I'm guessing around Summerslam.
5. They don't want to show blood on their family-friendly variety show! Turning footage black-and-white lessens blood's impact, I guess.
Nothing to add to 6.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Daniel Bryan pushed to turn heel. Vince McMahon made the call to make that move at the same time as the WWE Championship win for maximum shock value. Smackdown Live really needed some shaking up, so at least they're making an effort to make things more interesting.
Taya Valkyrie has returned to AAA after leaving on bad terms. Never say never in the wrestling business!
Josh Barnett is finishing up with AXS, so NJPW TV will have a new announce team for 2019.
Cody is looking to work NJPW more in 2019, so that should tell you something about his situation going forward. If The Elite make NJPW their primary destination, that really affects ROH negatively given that company's reliance on those names.
Tetsuya Naito is being profiled by a top Japanese TV network this week. That's pretty cool.
The Addiction have been offered new ROH contracts. It will be interesting to see what they do going forward given their current angle. I could see Daniels in particular moving into a behind-the-scenes role, but obviously he's still doing great things at 48.
Impact is expected to stay on Pop into January, but a new long-term deal hasn't been signed. It could be a case of Pop allowing them to stay on the air while they find a new home; we'll see.
Alexa Bliss is recovering from a number of recent concussions. That's concerning. I hope she's able to get back in the ring regularly soon.
Harper underwent wrist surgery, so that's why he's in a cast.
John Cena is in commercials for Skyy Blue vodka. That's a little surprising given his popularity with children.
Ace Romero has signed with MLW.
Brody King has finished his MLW commitments. We'll see where he heads next.
MLW Fusion was exclusively on YouTube this week due to beIN Sports having more prominent content to show in its place. It will air next week along with that week's episode.
WWE has hired producer Giancarlo Dittamo, best known in the wrestling world for his work with Joey Janela. I hope that means a fresh look being utilized for WWE in the years to come.
The WWE Performance Center has launched a YouTube channel with NXT content. They've created a series called Arrival documenting new talents joining the center.
WWE showed Mattel 3D scanning NXT stars.
Ronda Rousey is getting a Funko Pop figure. I'm sure that will sell well.
- Ronda answered questions after the European tour.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They taped a lot of content for the brand to get their talents work, so they're trying to put it out there in a way that allows them to stay in line with their other shows.
2. Major wrestling journalists have built up a lot of sources in the business due to years of doing reporting those sources trust. There's enough rapport there for a lot of those in the business to reach out to clarify, add their version of things, etc. So when something outlandish comes out attributed to a credible journalist, those talents are willing to double-check. Obviously there are always going to be inaccurate reports and hearsay from certain outlets. Hopefully most talents realize it's a waste of time to try to work with those groups.
3. WWE is going to make every possible effort to run WrestleMania as planned. They have a LOT of money riding on that week being a success.
4. Nia is a magnet for online fan heat due to perceptions she's gotten much further much more quickly than more talented wrestlers because of her family connections and her size. I'm sure being a woman doesn't help. With John Cena barely around and Roman off due to a serious illness, Nia hitting Becky makes her the new top IWC heel, while cementing Becky as the new top IWC babyface. We'll see how long fans go before turning on Becky. I'm guessing around Summerslam.
5. They don't want to show blood on their family-friendly variety show! Turning footage black-and-white lessens blood's impact, I guess.
Nothing to add to 6.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
UFC name on WWE future, podcast guests, new Paige movie trailer, Paige movie coming sooner, WWE stars reopen PWT stores, Flair on Table for 3, Becky injury banter, Punk appears, NXT match at German tryout, Final Battle grudge match, Jarrett-Anthem lawsuit court date, HHH conference call, action figure battle, WWE stars work with Toys for Tots, SDL audience, Mania party canceled, and Questions on the Saudi-WWE relationship, alternate Universal Title booking, Brock losing at Survivor Series, Linda getting heat for the WWE-Saudi connection, and Castle's ROH status
UFC's Paige VanZant discussed a potential WWE future. At 24, she's still got plenty of time to make a mark in fighting before coming to WWE.
Kevin Kelly is on Chris Jericho's latest podcast.
Dr. Tom Prichard is on Stone Cold's latest podcast.
"Fighting With My Family" got a new trailer. WWE definitely needs to have Florence Pugh on Smackdown Live at some point.
- The movie will now release on February 8. It was previously scheduled to hit cinemas on March 1.
Kevin Steen and El Generico will have ProWrestlingTees merchandise from November 20 through November 26, including new exclusive designs. It's good to see WWE letting those two work with the company.
Ric Flair, Harley Race, and "Cowboy" Bob Orton filmed "Table For 3" Tuesday night. There was speculation Flair would be on Smackdown Live.
Nia Jax commented on injuring Becky Lynch Monday night. She's becoming the new Samoan heat magnet.
- Ronda also cut a social media promo on Becky. She's probably about to be in for some serious online reactions, too.
- Becky responded to Nia and Ronda, basically destroying the latter. Becky vs. Ronda is a big match waiting to happen. It being delayed to be built up at a later time might actually be a blessing.
C.M. Punk was on a WGN news special.
Fabian Aichner vs. Marcel Barthel took place at WWE's Germany tryout. That's a good idea for the recruits to see in person.
Matt Taven vs. Dalton Castle for Taven's "real world championship" is official for Final Battle. I expect we're in for "title vs. title" at Supercard between Taven and Lethal.
The Jeff Jarrett-Anthem lawsuit has been given a June 2020 court date. Both sides better believe their claims are ironclad if this is going to drag out for nineteen months before a trial.
Triple H did a conference call before Takeover:WarGames, recapped here:
- NXT is definitely stacked. Riddle vs. Ohno being moved to TV is something of a surprise.
- Hahaha HHH basically admitted the goal is to get talents to bypass indies/non-WWE promotions. You'd think that'd be more alarming to journalists, but some of them are very enamored with HHH's vision.
- It will be very interesting to see what happens with certain talents staying on/returning to NXT rather than going to Raw or Smackdown Live. It's concerning HHH turned the feeder system into what's essentially its own promotion competing with the WWE vision and style, since that wasn't what he was hired for. I think NXT is a great product, but it's definitely not in line with what Raw and Smackdown Live were built on. It's no wonder Creative can't use talents effectively when they've been trained for something so different.
- Honestly yeah with a WarGames match and a best-of-three falls match, just doing four matches works.
- NXT UK basically just exists to exist, rather than filling a demand. It's insane WWE is doing business like this. I worry about the future of the company as this mentality continues.
- I'm VERY glad someone asked about the financial end.
- UE has four very talented individuals, but I don't know at what level they'll succeed post-NXT. Certainly they could be pushed on Raw or Smackdown Live, but that doesn't mean there will be interest from the mainstream fans.
Kurt Angle's action figure wrestled Matt Hardy's action figure with Stone Cold's action figure as the special referee. I miss V1 Matt.
Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins are working with Toys for Tots ahead of Christmas. Hawkins will probably be at 250 straight losses by the time that drive ends.
Smackdown Live drew 2.31 million viewers Tuesday night, a pretty notable increase. Becky Lynch's injury and the change with Daniel Bryan probably helped get interest.
WWE canceled their WrestleMania on-sale party due to weather concerns.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. My understanding is the Saudis ask for certain prominent names to work the shows, but that's the extent of their influence. I don't expect Takeover to run there, but we could see some NXT names on shows if WWE thinks those talents will get over there. At some point, NXT: Saudi Arabia or NXT Middle East is a possibility, but that's more of a case of WWE developing something from the ground up for the market using local talent.
2. I expect Roman would have pinned Braun. Brock likely would have ended up in the WrestleMania picture somehow, and we could have seen Braun vs. Brock at Survivor Series as well.
3. You lost Vince at "long match." I expect it's just a matter of how much they protect Bryan rather than him getting the win. A motivated Brock having a long match with AJ or Bryan could really be something, but I'm not holding my breath.
4. I don't expect her to get any real blowback, since she has distanced herself from the company.
5. He's back in action, but still showing some effects of the injury. There's no word on him leaving ROH. If he did leave while hurt, I'd be very surprised to see NXT pick him up until he's 100% issue free.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Kevin Kelly is on Chris Jericho's latest podcast.
Dr. Tom Prichard is on Stone Cold's latest podcast.
"Fighting With My Family" got a new trailer. WWE definitely needs to have Florence Pugh on Smackdown Live at some point.
- The movie will now release on February 8. It was previously scheduled to hit cinemas on March 1.
Kevin Steen and El Generico will have ProWrestlingTees merchandise from November 20 through November 26, including new exclusive designs. It's good to see WWE letting those two work with the company.
Ric Flair, Harley Race, and "Cowboy" Bob Orton filmed "Table For 3" Tuesday night. There was speculation Flair would be on Smackdown Live.
Nia Jax commented on injuring Becky Lynch Monday night. She's becoming the new Samoan heat magnet.
- Ronda also cut a social media promo on Becky. She's probably about to be in for some serious online reactions, too.
- Becky responded to Nia and Ronda, basically destroying the latter. Becky vs. Ronda is a big match waiting to happen. It being delayed to be built up at a later time might actually be a blessing.
C.M. Punk was on a WGN news special.
Fabian Aichner vs. Marcel Barthel took place at WWE's Germany tryout. That's a good idea for the recruits to see in person.
Matt Taven vs. Dalton Castle for Taven's "real world championship" is official for Final Battle. I expect we're in for "title vs. title" at Supercard between Taven and Lethal.
The Jeff Jarrett-Anthem lawsuit has been given a June 2020 court date. Both sides better believe their claims are ironclad if this is going to drag out for nineteen months before a trial.
Triple H did a conference call before Takeover:WarGames, recapped here:
- NXT is definitely stacked. Riddle vs. Ohno being moved to TV is something of a surprise.
- Hahaha HHH basically admitted the goal is to get talents to bypass indies/non-WWE promotions. You'd think that'd be more alarming to journalists, but some of them are very enamored with HHH's vision.
- It will be very interesting to see what happens with certain talents staying on/returning to NXT rather than going to Raw or Smackdown Live. It's concerning HHH turned the feeder system into what's essentially its own promotion competing with the WWE vision and style, since that wasn't what he was hired for. I think NXT is a great product, but it's definitely not in line with what Raw and Smackdown Live were built on. It's no wonder Creative can't use talents effectively when they've been trained for something so different.
- Honestly yeah with a WarGames match and a best-of-three falls match, just doing four matches works.
- NXT UK basically just exists to exist, rather than filling a demand. It's insane WWE is doing business like this. I worry about the future of the company as this mentality continues.
- I'm VERY glad someone asked about the financial end.
- UE has four very talented individuals, but I don't know at what level they'll succeed post-NXT. Certainly they could be pushed on Raw or Smackdown Live, but that doesn't mean there will be interest from the mainstream fans.
Kurt Angle's action figure wrestled Matt Hardy's action figure with Stone Cold's action figure as the special referee. I miss V1 Matt.
Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins are working with Toys for Tots ahead of Christmas. Hawkins will probably be at 250 straight losses by the time that drive ends.
Smackdown Live drew 2.31 million viewers Tuesday night, a pretty notable increase. Becky Lynch's injury and the change with Daniel Bryan probably helped get interest.
WWE canceled their WrestleMania on-sale party due to weather concerns.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. My understanding is the Saudis ask for certain prominent names to work the shows, but that's the extent of their influence. I don't expect Takeover to run there, but we could see some NXT names on shows if WWE thinks those talents will get over there. At some point, NXT: Saudi Arabia or NXT Middle East is a possibility, but that's more of a case of WWE developing something from the ground up for the market using local talent.
2. I expect Roman would have pinned Braun. Brock likely would have ended up in the WrestleMania picture somehow, and we could have seen Braun vs. Brock at Survivor Series as well.
3. You lost Vince at "long match." I expect it's just a matter of how much they protect Bryan rather than him getting the win. A motivated Brock having a long match with AJ or Bryan could really be something, but I'm not holding my breath.
4. I don't expect her to get any real blowback, since she has distanced herself from the company.
5. He's back in action, but still showing some effects of the injury. There's no word on him leaving ROH. If he did leave while hurt, I'd be very surprised to see NXT pick him up until he's 100% issue free.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Top execs miss SDL, SDL name cleared, Raw audience, more on AJ's loss, and Questions on timekeeper duties, WWE taking shots with Crown Jewel, making Survivor Series meaningful, Renee's reaction to Dean's turn, and Ronda's kryptonite
Vince McMahon and Triple H were not at Smackdown Live, leaving Michael Hayes and Kevin Dunn in charge. Triple H is of course recovering from surgery. I wouldn't assume any creative moves were done because they weren't present.
Zelina Vega has been cleared to return to action.
Raw drew 2.45 million viewers Monday, very close to last week's episode.
AJ Styles' WWE Championship loss was possibly a way for him to not have to lose to Brock Lesnar again. We'll see how Daniel Bryan fares at Survivor Series and beyond; it's certainly a new direction for Smackdown Live.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm under the impression the "timekeeper" just rings the bell when the referee tells them to.
2. I don't think so. I think it was more that they wanted a big international-themed event on the big international show. It's not like Punk and ROH the only ones to ever say that.
3. I'd definitely like to see it be for something more important than bragging rights between Shane and Stephanie. For instance, the winning brand could pick someone from the losing team to join their roster. Now THAT would be big.
4. I mean it's not like two people in a relationship always agree/get along! I definitely think they could make it part of the storyline after Survivor Series, though. They just have to be careful with how much they use a non-wrestler in an angle.
5. She might be. Shayna Baszler is another possibility as WrestleMania season approaches.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Zelina Vega has been cleared to return to action.
Raw drew 2.45 million viewers Monday, very close to last week's episode.
AJ Styles' WWE Championship loss was possibly a way for him to not have to lose to Brock Lesnar again. We'll see how Daniel Bryan fares at Survivor Series and beyond; it's certainly a new direction for Smackdown Live.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm under the impression the "timekeeper" just rings the bell when the referee tells them to.
2. I don't think so. I think it was more that they wanted a big international-themed event on the big international show. It's not like Punk and ROH the only ones to ever say that.
3. I'd definitely like to see it be for something more important than bragging rights between Shane and Stephanie. For instance, the winning brand could pick someone from the losing team to join their roster. Now THAT would be big.
4. I mean it's not like two people in a relationship always agree/get along! I definitely think they could make it part of the storyline after Survivor Series, though. They just have to be careful with how much they use a non-wrestler in an angle.
5. She might be. Shayna Baszler is another possibility as WrestleMania season approaches.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown Live and Mixed Match Challenge Reax - 11/13/18
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown Live and Mixed Match Challenge.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
WWE name makes PCA best dressed list, Bellas vs. Kardashians?, podcast notes, WWE names working ICW, Regal shows neck status, WM34's economic impact, WWE Night on WM35 eve, Harper in a cast, WWE stars visit veterans, MMC prize announced, Cody update, MLW sets records, MLW TV home gets footage, MLW guests, MLW tryout in the works, HoFer on SDL?, and Questions on Ronda's WM35 main event opponent, Roman's contract status while out, using Roman's health in an angle, getting the title off Ronda without her losing, and Alexa's Survivor Series status
Cathy Kelley made the Best Dressed list at the People's Choice Awards.
The Bella Twins challenged the Kardashians to a wrestling match.
Mojo Rawley is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
WWE names will work ICW's December 2 event as Noam Dar, Wolfgang, and BT Gunn face British Strong Style.
- Killian Dain appeared on their November 11 show, defeating Mikey Whiplash. He's already being farmed out instead of appearing on Smackdown Live. I hope we see more of SAnitY going forward. They're really enjoyable.
William Regal showed an X-ray of his neck after his wrestling career. OOUUUUCCCHHHH.
WWE put over WrestleMania 34's economic impact for New Orleans.
MLB's New York Mets will hold a WWE Night the night before WrestleMania.
Harper was recently seen in a cast, so he's dealing with an injury of some sort. That would explain why WWE hasn't used him on TV after Rowan's injury.
Titus Worldwide and Mickie James visited veterans before Raw. I've lost track of whether TWW is still a thing, but they're all being used for appearances regardless.
Mixed Match Challenge's winners will enter No. 30 in their respective Royal Rumbles, as well as receiving a vacation anywhere in the world. I like tying the event into Rumble hype.
Cody updated his injury status, confirming he'll compete at Final Battle and WrestleKingdom. We'll see what the early part of 2019 looks like for him after visiting with doctors again.
Shawn Michaels and Nita Strauss are on Edge and Christian's podcast on its new home at Westwood One.
MLW's Thursday TV taping was the best show in company history as far as attendance, live event gate, and merchandise sales. They're certainly making a name for themselves.
MLW's TV station had a team at the most recent TV taping, getting material to show in a number of ways. UFC's Julianna Pena was also at the taping.
MLW is working on having a tryout soon.
Ric Flair is believed to be appearing on Smackdown Live tonight, presumably as part of the Survivor Series build. I'd love to see him interact with Becky Lynch, personally.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Shayna and Charlotte seem to be the two most logical picks, with one of the two winning the Royal Rumble for the opportunity.
2. He will absolutely continue to be paid his downside guarantee, as well as royalties from merchandise, etc. It's way too early to talk about retirement, but I think he'd have to wait out the remainder of his contract before working somewhere else.
3. To some degree they've already done it with the Rollins/Ambrose feud. I wouldn't be shocked to see them play it up more if they want to add more heat to things.
4. It will all depend on what they have going on at the time, but there are certainly plausible scenarios where she'd lose the championship without being pinned or submitted. Honestly they could have Stephanie McMahon strip her of the title or something to continue their feud.
5. They don't want to risk her getting hurt worse at Survivor Series, so she's not wrestling there. This way she can still be featured in a big way.
More wrestling tomorrow.
The Bella Twins challenged the Kardashians to a wrestling match.
Mojo Rawley is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
WWE names will work ICW's December 2 event as Noam Dar, Wolfgang, and BT Gunn face British Strong Style.
- Killian Dain appeared on their November 11 show, defeating Mikey Whiplash. He's already being farmed out instead of appearing on Smackdown Live. I hope we see more of SAnitY going forward. They're really enjoyable.
William Regal showed an X-ray of his neck after his wrestling career. OOUUUUCCCHHHH.
WWE put over WrestleMania 34's economic impact for New Orleans.
MLB's New York Mets will hold a WWE Night the night before WrestleMania.
Harper was recently seen in a cast, so he's dealing with an injury of some sort. That would explain why WWE hasn't used him on TV after Rowan's injury.
Titus Worldwide and Mickie James visited veterans before Raw. I've lost track of whether TWW is still a thing, but they're all being used for appearances regardless.
Mixed Match Challenge's winners will enter No. 30 in their respective Royal Rumbles, as well as receiving a vacation anywhere in the world. I like tying the event into Rumble hype.
Cody updated his injury status, confirming he'll compete at Final Battle and WrestleKingdom. We'll see what the early part of 2019 looks like for him after visiting with doctors again.
Shawn Michaels and Nita Strauss are on Edge and Christian's podcast on its new home at Westwood One.
MLW's Thursday TV taping was the best show in company history as far as attendance, live event gate, and merchandise sales. They're certainly making a name for themselves.
MLW's TV station had a team at the most recent TV taping, getting material to show in a number of ways. UFC's Julianna Pena was also at the taping.
MLW is working on having a tryout soon.
Ric Flair is believed to be appearing on Smackdown Live tonight, presumably as part of the Survivor Series build. I'd love to see him interact with Becky Lynch, personally.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Shayna and Charlotte seem to be the two most logical picks, with one of the two winning the Royal Rumble for the opportunity.
2. He will absolutely continue to be paid his downside guarantee, as well as royalties from merchandise, etc. It's way too early to talk about retirement, but I think he'd have to wait out the remainder of his contract before working somewhere else.
3. To some degree they've already done it with the Rollins/Ambrose feud. I wouldn't be shocked to see them play it up more if they want to add more heat to things.
4. It will all depend on what they have going on at the time, but there are certainly plausible scenarios where she'd lose the championship without being pinned or submitted. Honestly they could have Stephanie McMahon strip her of the title or something to continue their feud.
5. They don't want to risk her getting hurt worse at Survivor Series, so she's not wrestling there. This way she can still be featured in a big way.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, November 12, 2018
Live Schiavone podcast, Interviews with Arquette/Matt Hardy, and a Question on booking Brock
Tony Schiavone did a live "What Happened When" podcast in North Carolina.
David Arquette spoke to TMZ Sports about his wrestling work.
Matt Hardy had a Q&A during his racing appearance.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com question:
1.a. This was basically one long question, so I'll treat it as such. I'd love to see Brock work like he has in the past. He was a lot more fun to watch before Suplex City, but they've got something that works to make him look like an indestructible beast (incarnate).
1.b. I definitely think WWE could book Brock's matches in a way that he wins but his opponents still look strong. The key is the followup, i.e. the talent losing needs to mean more three months after the match than they meant going into it. There's definitely a problem where some talents are "S tier" and even if an "A tier" talent hangs with them/beats them, they go right back to working with more "A tier" talent and those matches are about as even as they would have been previously. I think one of the big problems in WWE now is the concern with everyone outside that "S tier" has to go 50-50 with others in their tier and have strong matches at the expense of someone really going over. In other words, strong wrestling is increasingly seen as the end in of itself rather than building talents up as stars.
More wrestling tomorrow.
David Arquette spoke to TMZ Sports about his wrestling work.
Matt Hardy had a Q&A during his racing appearance.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com question:
1.a. This was basically one long question, so I'll treat it as such. I'd love to see Brock work like he has in the past. He was a lot more fun to watch before Suplex City, but they've got something that works to make him look like an indestructible beast (incarnate).
1.b. I definitely think WWE could book Brock's matches in a way that he wins but his opponents still look strong. The key is the followup, i.e. the talent losing needs to mean more three months after the match than they meant going into it. There's definitely a problem where some talents are "S tier" and even if an "A tier" talent hangs with them/beats them, they go right back to working with more "A tier" talent and those matches are about as even as they would have been previously. I think one of the big problems in WWE now is the concern with everyone outside that "S tier" has to go 50-50 with others in their tier and have strong matches at the expense of someone really going over. In other words, strong wrestling is increasingly seen as the end in of itself rather than building talents up as stars.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Main Event and Ring Warriors Reax - 11/10/18
Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's Main Event and Ring Warriors.
Sunday, November 11, 2018
WWE Network content updates, Cody hurt, Ronda as executive producer, the history of British wrestling, and Questions on the logistics on NJPW stars in ROH, The Elite getting creative control in WWE, Creative pitching ideas from other media, ROH's creative structure, and whether we'll see Roman in WWE soon
WWE Ride Along after Raw will feature The Riott Squad as well as Edge and Christian. E&C should be entertaining.
WWE Marquee Matches this week will feature:
- Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels from Survivor Series 2007 on Tuesday
- The Rock and John Cena vs. The Miz and R-Truth from Survivor Series 2011 on Thursday. It's wild to remember how over Miz and Truth were as top names then.
- Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles from Survivor Series 2017 on Friday
WWE Chronicle with Dean Ambrose debuts Saturday.
AJ Styles will be on WWE 365 after Survivor Series.
Cody has pulled out of Global Wars Toronto due to a knee issue. He will undergo an MRI this week to diagnose what happened. We'll see if he's able to fulfill his remaining ROH commitments before his deal ends to conclude 2018.
Ronda Rousey will be the executive producer for an upcoming CW show. That sounds pretty fascinating actually.
Finn Balor and Alexa Bliss visited Rome's soccer club before Raw's live event there.
The BBC covered the history of British wrestling. It's good to see wrestling thriving there.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. As valuable as NJPW stars are to ROH, I think it's more of a case of NJPW telling them what they can and can't do with their talent booking-wise and ROH goes off that.
2.a. There is absolutely a dollar amount that would get those talents to WWE, and, as valuable as they are, they can get some concessions other talents wouldn't get as far as their gimmicks and what they do. I don't even really think they dislike WWE as much as they like making the money they're making now without having to compromise their vision.
2.b. As for ROH becoming major competition to WWE, that's more in Sinclair's hands than on the shoulders of any particular talent, although certainly names like the Young Bucks make a big difference. WWE is more concerned with keeping NJPW from being at their league given the success of that company in multiple markets.
3. Yes, talents and writers pull things from other media. As was mentioned, Vince probably doesn't "get" most of the references, and will probably want to put his own spin on them, so the people bringing up the idea need to sell their vision.
4. Delirious is in charge, but the others contribute. The former wrestlers work as producers, helping put the matches together in a way that gets the talent over and elevates their work. Or in Bully's case, keeps himself in the spotlight at their expense.
5. Outside of occasional convention appearances and such, I don't think we'll see Roman much. Joe Anoa'i will take precedence over Roman Reigns, as should be the case.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE Marquee Matches this week will feature:
- Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels from Survivor Series 2007 on Tuesday
- The Rock and John Cena vs. The Miz and R-Truth from Survivor Series 2011 on Thursday. It's wild to remember how over Miz and Truth were as top names then.
- Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles from Survivor Series 2017 on Friday
WWE Chronicle with Dean Ambrose debuts Saturday.
AJ Styles will be on WWE 365 after Survivor Series.
Cody has pulled out of Global Wars Toronto due to a knee issue. He will undergo an MRI this week to diagnose what happened. We'll see if he's able to fulfill his remaining ROH commitments before his deal ends to conclude 2018.
Ronda Rousey will be the executive producer for an upcoming CW show. That sounds pretty fascinating actually.
Finn Balor and Alexa Bliss visited Rome's soccer club before Raw's live event there.
The BBC covered the history of British wrestling. It's good to see wrestling thriving there.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. As valuable as NJPW stars are to ROH, I think it's more of a case of NJPW telling them what they can and can't do with their talent booking-wise and ROH goes off that.
2.a. There is absolutely a dollar amount that would get those talents to WWE, and, as valuable as they are, they can get some concessions other talents wouldn't get as far as their gimmicks and what they do. I don't even really think they dislike WWE as much as they like making the money they're making now without having to compromise their vision.
2.b. As for ROH becoming major competition to WWE, that's more in Sinclair's hands than on the shoulders of any particular talent, although certainly names like the Young Bucks make a big difference. WWE is more concerned with keeping NJPW from being at their league given the success of that company in multiple markets.
3. Yes, talents and writers pull things from other media. As was mentioned, Vince probably doesn't "get" most of the references, and will probably want to put his own spin on them, so the people bringing up the idea need to sell their vision.
4. Delirious is in charge, but the others contribute. The former wrestlers work as producers, helping put the matches together in a way that gets the talent over and elevates their work. Or in Bully's case, keeps himself in the spotlight at their expense.
5. Outside of occasional convention appearances and such, I don't think we'll see Roman much. Joe Anoa'i will take precedence over Roman Reigns, as should be the case.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Top indie name injured, WWE karaoke, WWE digital awards, Ambrose on Network series, Impact audience, NXT live event note, and Questions on changing Impact management, the Aries-Johnny Impact angle, talents criticizing Evolution booking, who would return for an ECW reboot, and Batman in WWWF
Joey Ryan has torn a pectoral muscle, making his in-ring future questionable. I hope he doesn't miss much time.
WWE's Carpool Karaoke episode has hit Apple TV.
Mixed Match Challenge and Xavier Woods picked up awards from Cynopsis.
Dean Ambrose will be featured on WWE Chronicle.
Impact Wrestling drew 129,000 viewers Thursday night, so fans are starting to migrate to the new timeslot.
Xia Li returned to NXT live events for the first time in a month, losing to Chelsea Green on November 9 in Florida.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. While I certainly don't think you can entirely blame Callis and the other names put in place at the beginning of 2018, the audience has definitely dropped from last year, with notable declines leading into the timeslot change. If it was Dixie, Bischoff, Hogan, Russo, etc. or Vince and Kevin Dunn in charge with those declines, fans and journalists would be calling for their heads. All that said, a lot of wrestling shows have declined this year, as have a lot of non-wrestling shows, as fans have found more compelling options in sports, cable news, etc. Additionally, Impact's relevance and talent roster have been dropping for years since they left Spike. Even in the best scenario, that wasn't going to be turned around in a year.
2. Impact deliberately did a "worked shoot" angle between Aries and Johnny, presumably to try to get people talking as the product's relevance was stalled (to say the least) and Aries' contract came to a close. Again, if it was someone like Russo doing that, fans would be in an uproar.
3. Let's just say I doubt WWE is changing any plans based on those tweets. At least not for the better. The last thing they want is their own talent critiquing the show!
4. The (re)reboot would more likely be "in the style of" the original ECW rather than focused on people who wrestled there, but they could supplement the new roster with names like Rhyno, Tommy Dreamer, Stevie Richards, Little Guido, 2 Cold Scorpio, Super Crazy, and Tajiri (if Tajiri would be willing to leave Japan).
5. Since the Internet didn't exist then and neither DC nor WWE were the major force they are now, WWE was able to slip things by.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE's Carpool Karaoke episode has hit Apple TV.
Mixed Match Challenge and Xavier Woods picked up awards from Cynopsis.
Dean Ambrose will be featured on WWE Chronicle.
Impact Wrestling drew 129,000 viewers Thursday night, so fans are starting to migrate to the new timeslot.
Xia Li returned to NXT live events for the first time in a month, losing to Chelsea Green on November 9 in Florida.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. While I certainly don't think you can entirely blame Callis and the other names put in place at the beginning of 2018, the audience has definitely dropped from last year, with notable declines leading into the timeslot change. If it was Dixie, Bischoff, Hogan, Russo, etc. or Vince and Kevin Dunn in charge with those declines, fans and journalists would be calling for their heads. All that said, a lot of wrestling shows have declined this year, as have a lot of non-wrestling shows, as fans have found more compelling options in sports, cable news, etc. Additionally, Impact's relevance and talent roster have been dropping for years since they left Spike. Even in the best scenario, that wasn't going to be turned around in a year.
2. Impact deliberately did a "worked shoot" angle between Aries and Johnny, presumably to try to get people talking as the product's relevance was stalled (to say the least) and Aries' contract came to a close. Again, if it was someone like Russo doing that, fans would be in an uproar.
3. Let's just say I doubt WWE is changing any plans based on those tweets. At least not for the better. The last thing they want is their own talent critiquing the show!
4. The (re)reboot would more likely be "in the style of" the original ECW rather than focused on people who wrestled there, but they could supplement the new roster with names like Rhyno, Tommy Dreamer, Stevie Richards, Little Guido, 2 Cold Scorpio, Super Crazy, and Tajiri (if Tajiri would be willing to leave Japan).
5. Since the Internet didn't exist then and neither DC nor WWE were the major force they are now, WWE was able to slip things by.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, November 9, 2018
Impact matches for next week, WWE appearances, Punk becomes MMA commentator, more on Brock's WWE deal, AAA gets Facebook show, ECW alum leaves AAA, JR off AXS, LU TV home personnel change, WOS tour downgrades, Impact-Pop update, Raw overrun dropped, more on WWE German tryout, Stephanie on WWE's goals, WCW star at WWE Germany, Neville back on Twitter, WM35 ticket event set, Sinclair discusses ROH, MSG match change, ROH dark match, Hawkins anniversary, Rollins talks, Matt Hardy appearance, New Day meets Nitro Circus star, Memphis NBA team acknowledges wrestling, Cross-SDL update, and Questions on Impact changing content with the timeslot, WWE airing/changing live events, Tegan, and the Nia/Tamina pairing
Brian Cage vs. Sami Callihan for the X-Division Championship has been announced for Impact's November 11 taping. I like the change of pace in the division.
- Johnny Impact vs. Matt Sydal will take place on next week's show. That could really be something.
Asuka will sign at Wintercon in New York on December 1.
C.M. Punk has joined Cage Fury Fighting Championships as a commentator, beginning with their December 14 event on UFC Fight Pass. That might be the best career move for him if he's staying in MMA.
Brock Lesnar's latest WWE deal goes through WrestleMania. He is able to compete in UFC under this contract, and they're looking to have him face Daniel Cormier on March 2.
AAA now has a weekly two-hour show on Facebook Live, featuring a tournament concluding on December 19. Hopefully that's something successful for them.
Juventud Guerrera has left AAA due to wanting to be pushed more.
Jim Ross will not be on AXS after December 31, as WWE has prevented him from signing a new deal there. However, his WWE deal expires March 31, and he's expected to leave them to sign back with AXS. WWE more or less paid him a lot of money to not work anywhere else, as they haven't use him much.
Lucha Underground's status for a fifth season is up in the air as El Rey has named a new VP of programming.
WOS has canceled their January 20 live event and moved their January 27 live event to a significantly smaller venue. There has been no announcement of a second season.
Impact is looking for a new U.S. TV home. They've got their work cut out for them getting someone to give them their fifth different TV station.
Roman Reigns is set for ACE Comic Con in Arizona from January 11 to January 13. I hope things go well for him there.
Raw will no longer go past 11 p.m., presumably to get more people to watch the final quarter hour. So, USA Network is taking some action addressing declining viewership.
WWE's German television partner taped some content at the recent tryouts. Good move.
- Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel helped coach at the tryouts.
Stephanie McMahon discussed WWE's future. Being in Disney's level is a BIIIIIIGGGGG stretch, but it's definitely something to aspire toward.
WCW's Alex Wright met Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins in Germany. Now that's someone who needs to cameo on House Hardy.
The former Neville has returned to Twitter as PAC. I hope he rebuilds his reputation there after so long away from the ring.
A WrestleMania 35 on-sale party for November 15 has been announced. Big Show, Paige, Sami Zayn, Jimmy Hart, Mojo Rawley, Apollo, and Alicia Fox have all been announced.
-- The show will also feature the following matches:
- Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno
- Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins vs. The Singh Brothers (will the streak finally end?????)
- Rhea Ripley vs. Kacy Catanzaro
ROH's COO commented on Sinclair Broadcasting's CEO assessing the company during a recent conference call.
Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin has been announced for Raw's December 26 live event in Madison Square Garden. Corbin is replacing Dolph Ziggler and/or Drew McIntyre in the original plan.
Before Global Wars Buffalo, Cheeseburger/Ryan Nova/Eli Isom defeated Anthony Greene/Brad Johnson/Brad Hollister in what could have been something of a tryout for the latter three names.
Curt Hawkins marked two years since his last victory in WWE. I'm very glad he's making the most of the situation. I hope he sells a lot of T-shirts. That design needs another row of tallies and then some.
Seth Rollins was interviewed in Italy. If only Santino Marella was there.
Matt Hardy will drive the car of pace for the Can-Am 500 on Sunday.
Nitro Circus' Ryan Williams met with New Day before a Smackdown Live event in the UK.
Memphis' NBA team unveiled new jerseys tributing wrestling in the city.
Nikki Cross is not on Smackdown Live's European tour, so it doesn't look like she's joining the show full-time.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. The show is already TV-14, and I believe it always has been. As was stated, they already have some pretty edgy content (see the Eddie Edwards/Sami Callihan feud). I suppose they could try ratcheting things up further for the later hour, but it's going to be a tall order changing Pop's mind for 2019 this late in the process. They did crown a new world champion recently, so they are at least trying a new direction on that front.
2. Well, I don't think making the live events look low-budget is a good move, so they'll have to be careful about that. I think it's worth having some different producers at the helm to experiment what look works for something that stands out from WWE TV without looking second-rate. It'd be interesting to do shows without the "hard camera" directly facing the ring from the other side of the arena, for instance.
3. Really no major update on a comeback. She's rehabilitating but has not been back at the WWE Performance Center yet to the best of my knowledge.
4. I'd be willing to have them do something as the first tag champions across both (all?) brands.
5. They also don't want to undercut TV by making those shows more important than what airs on USA Network and FOX. TV is much more important to WWE's bottom line than ROH's. WWE definitely needs to make live events feel like they're not just inferior versions of what you see on TV. They should focus on what can be done without the restrictions of the TV format. Adding more VIP meet-and-greet content is a start.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Johnny Impact vs. Matt Sydal will take place on next week's show. That could really be something.
Asuka will sign at Wintercon in New York on December 1.
C.M. Punk has joined Cage Fury Fighting Championships as a commentator, beginning with their December 14 event on UFC Fight Pass. That might be the best career move for him if he's staying in MMA.
Brock Lesnar's latest WWE deal goes through WrestleMania. He is able to compete in UFC under this contract, and they're looking to have him face Daniel Cormier on March 2.
AAA now has a weekly two-hour show on Facebook Live, featuring a tournament concluding on December 19. Hopefully that's something successful for them.
Juventud Guerrera has left AAA due to wanting to be pushed more.
Jim Ross will not be on AXS after December 31, as WWE has prevented him from signing a new deal there. However, his WWE deal expires March 31, and he's expected to leave them to sign back with AXS. WWE more or less paid him a lot of money to not work anywhere else, as they haven't use him much.
Lucha Underground's status for a fifth season is up in the air as El Rey has named a new VP of programming.
WOS has canceled their January 20 live event and moved their January 27 live event to a significantly smaller venue. There has been no announcement of a second season.
Impact is looking for a new U.S. TV home. They've got their work cut out for them getting someone to give them their fifth different TV station.
Roman Reigns is set for ACE Comic Con in Arizona from January 11 to January 13. I hope things go well for him there.
Raw will no longer go past 11 p.m., presumably to get more people to watch the final quarter hour. So, USA Network is taking some action addressing declining viewership.
WWE's German television partner taped some content at the recent tryouts. Good move.
- Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel helped coach at the tryouts.
Stephanie McMahon discussed WWE's future. Being in Disney's level is a BIIIIIIGGGGG stretch, but it's definitely something to aspire toward.
WCW's Alex Wright met Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins in Germany. Now that's someone who needs to cameo on House Hardy.
The former Neville has returned to Twitter as PAC. I hope he rebuilds his reputation there after so long away from the ring.
A WrestleMania 35 on-sale party for November 15 has been announced. Big Show, Paige, Sami Zayn, Jimmy Hart, Mojo Rawley, Apollo, and Alicia Fox have all been announced.
-- The show will also feature the following matches:
- Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno
- Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins vs. The Singh Brothers (will the streak finally end?????)
- Rhea Ripley vs. Kacy Catanzaro
ROH's COO commented on Sinclair Broadcasting's CEO assessing the company during a recent conference call.
Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin has been announced for Raw's December 26 live event in Madison Square Garden. Corbin is replacing Dolph Ziggler and/or Drew McIntyre in the original plan.
Before Global Wars Buffalo, Cheeseburger/Ryan Nova/Eli Isom defeated Anthony Greene/Brad Johnson/Brad Hollister in what could have been something of a tryout for the latter three names.
Curt Hawkins marked two years since his last victory in WWE. I'm very glad he's making the most of the situation. I hope he sells a lot of T-shirts. That design needs another row of tallies and then some.
Seth Rollins was interviewed in Italy. If only Santino Marella was there.
Matt Hardy will drive the car of pace for the Can-Am 500 on Sunday.
Nitro Circus' Ryan Williams met with New Day before a Smackdown Live event in the UK.
Memphis' NBA team unveiled new jerseys tributing wrestling in the city.
Nikki Cross is not on Smackdown Live's European tour, so it doesn't look like she's joining the show full-time.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. The show is already TV-14, and I believe it always has been. As was stated, they already have some pretty edgy content (see the Eddie Edwards/Sami Callihan feud). I suppose they could try ratcheting things up further for the later hour, but it's going to be a tall order changing Pop's mind for 2019 this late in the process. They did crown a new world champion recently, so they are at least trying a new direction on that front.
2. Well, I don't think making the live events look low-budget is a good move, so they'll have to be careful about that. I think it's worth having some different producers at the helm to experiment what look works for something that stands out from WWE TV without looking second-rate. It'd be interesting to do shows without the "hard camera" directly facing the ring from the other side of the arena, for instance.
3. Really no major update on a comeback. She's rehabilitating but has not been back at the WWE Performance Center yet to the best of my knowledge.
4. I'd be willing to have them do something as the first tag champions across both (all?) brands.
5. They also don't want to undercut TV by making those shows more important than what airs on USA Network and FOX. TV is much more important to WWE's bottom line than ROH's. WWE definitely needs to make live events feel like they're not just inferior versions of what you see on TV. They should focus on what can be done without the restrictions of the TV format. Adding more VIP meet-and-greet content is a start.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Texas name passes, WWE UK antibullying program, Global Wars notes, Interviews with Miz/Ronda, new WWE merch, why Vega missed SDL, TLC match changed, SDL audience, Raw live event notes, WWE German return set, AJ milestone, Rush ROH debut set, and Questions on AJ beating Brock, Shango's curse, Ronda wearing makeup, talents getting heat for skipping Saudi Arabia, and Heyman working with Russo
WWE reported the passing of Jose Lothario, who trained Shawn Michaels.
- Michael Hayes also noted his passing.
WWE has partnered with the NSPCC on an anti-bullying initiative in the UK. It's great to see that as a goal WWE is working toward.
- Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Trent Seven were at the launch of the campaign.
Tenille Dashwood is going meet and greet events before each Global Wars event.
The Miz spoke to Glasgow Live.
WWE is selling cardboard standees of Ronda Rousey, Kurt Angle, Elias, The Miz, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode, Becky Lynch, Asuka, Carmella, and Mandy Rose.
Zelina Vega has been kept out of the ring due to concussion symptoms. I'm glad WWE's keeping tabs on her health.
Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin is now being advertised for TLC, with Corbin replacing McIntyre. As always, until it's announced on TV (and even then), I'd take the lineup with a grain of salt.
Smackdown Live drew 2.09 million viewers Tuesday, very close to what they drew the week before.
At Raw's November 7 live event in Germany:
- Elias, Tamina, and the Riott Squad had a singalong.
- Curt Hawkins lost in an eight-man tag teaming with The Ascension and Mojo Rawley against The B-Team, No Way Jose, and Tyler Breeze. Hawkins then lost singles matches to Zack Ryder and Titus O'Neil to extend the streak to 0-226. I don't think this is any kind of "burial" or anything as much as kind of a rib based on him losing so often.
WWE will return to Germany from May 15 through May 18.
AJ Styles has now held the WWE Championship for an entire year. I'm sure someone out there still thinks he's being "buried," though.
Ronda Rousey answered questions from Europe.
Global Wars has added:
- Matt Taven vs. BUSHI in Massachusetts November 8
- Dalton Castle vs. TK O'Ryan in New York November 9
CMLL's Rush will work the ROH TV taping after Final Battle.
At Global Wars Lewiston, power went out twice in the building. This led to a streaming issue during the Young Bucks vs. Bully Ray and Silas Young. Thankfully things were worked out for the remainder of the show to be streamed.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I don't expect to see it.
2. If not a direct reference, it was certainly in line with the gimmick.
3. I was thinking Black Swan, but either way it would be a big departure from the other female wrestlers if she didn't wear makeup, so I'm not against things continuing as they are.
4. There might be a different level of heat, and I definitely think there would be more in the way of retaliation from the company. WWE needs Cena and Bryan more than Cena and Bryan need WWE. That's not true for other workers.
5. Their paths haven't crossed professionally. Heyman, like Cornette, has butted heads with a lot of people who have wanted to do something differently than he wanted to, and would probably feel the same way about Russo if that happened.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Michael Hayes also noted his passing.
WWE has partnered with the NSPCC on an anti-bullying initiative in the UK. It's great to see that as a goal WWE is working toward.
- Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Trent Seven were at the launch of the campaign.
Tenille Dashwood is going meet and greet events before each Global Wars event.
The Miz spoke to Glasgow Live.
WWE is selling cardboard standees of Ronda Rousey, Kurt Angle, Elias, The Miz, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode, Becky Lynch, Asuka, Carmella, and Mandy Rose.
Zelina Vega has been kept out of the ring due to concussion symptoms. I'm glad WWE's keeping tabs on her health.
Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin is now being advertised for TLC, with Corbin replacing McIntyre. As always, until it's announced on TV (and even then), I'd take the lineup with a grain of salt.
Smackdown Live drew 2.09 million viewers Tuesday, very close to what they drew the week before.
At Raw's November 7 live event in Germany:
- Elias, Tamina, and the Riott Squad had a singalong.
- Curt Hawkins lost in an eight-man tag teaming with The Ascension and Mojo Rawley against The B-Team, No Way Jose, and Tyler Breeze. Hawkins then lost singles matches to Zack Ryder and Titus O'Neil to extend the streak to 0-226. I don't think this is any kind of "burial" or anything as much as kind of a rib based on him losing so often.
WWE will return to Germany from May 15 through May 18.
AJ Styles has now held the WWE Championship for an entire year. I'm sure someone out there still thinks he's being "buried," though.
Ronda Rousey answered questions from Europe.
Global Wars has added:
- Matt Taven vs. BUSHI in Massachusetts November 8
- Dalton Castle vs. TK O'Ryan in New York November 9
CMLL's Rush will work the ROH TV taping after Final Battle.
At Global Wars Lewiston, power went out twice in the building. This led to a streaming issue during the Young Bucks vs. Bully Ray and Silas Young. Thankfully things were worked out for the remainder of the show to be streamed.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I don't expect to see it.
2. If not a direct reference, it was certainly in line with the gimmick.
3. I was thinking Black Swan, but either way it would be a big departure from the other female wrestlers if she didn't wear makeup, so I'm not against things continuing as they are.
4. There might be a different level of heat, and I definitely think there would be more in the way of retaliation from the company. WWE needs Cena and Bryan more than Cena and Bryan need WWE. That's not true for other workers.
5. Their paths haven't crossed professionally. Heyman, like Cornette, has butted heads with a lot of people who have wanted to do something differently than he wanted to, and would probably feel the same way about Russo if that happened.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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