WWE stockholders in Oklahoma are suing over WWE executives allegedly breaching their duties by diverting resources to fund the XFL, and WWE allegedly not conducting proper oversight of Vince McMahon's transactions. The lawsuit asks for access to internal documents regarding the relationship between WWE and Alpha Entertainment. That could really be noteworthy. The last thing WWE or XFL needs right now is stockholders casting doubt about the viability of either endeavor.
New Day's latest podcast discussed the group's initial heel turn and how it came about. Xavier Woods again staked his career on the heel turn working.
The Young Bucks' autobiography is set for a September 29 release. That's awesome.
WWE Encyclopedia's third edition is also scheduled to come out September 29.
"Wrestling With Pixels," covering wrestling video games, is set to come out in early 2020.
A Buddy Rogers biography is being worked on. That could be memorable.
Bill Alfonso is working on an autobiography. I haven't seen that name in a while.
Arn Anderson is coming to AEW as Cody's "coach" and "advisor" for 2020. All win-loss records are being reset for the new year.
"Total Divas" season nine is coming to WWE Network Friday.
Kalisto and Lince Dorado are on Isaiah Scott's latest podcast.
Final Battle 2019 will be shown on ROH's YouTube channel January 1. I like that idea to potentially get people talking about ROH again. Realistically I don't expect many people to order it off FITE or HonorClub at this time.
ROH's January 11 HonorClub event has added The Briscoes vs. Tracy Williams and Mark Haskins vs. Jeff Cobb and Dan Maff. Interesting mix.
Vince McMahon arrived at Raw shortly before it went on air. Triple H and Kevin Dunn weren't at the taping. In their absence, Paul Heyman was in charge of the show, with WWE's VP of Global Television Production taking over Dunn's duties. It's very rare for Dunn to miss a taping. John Laurinaitis was in charge of rehearsals.
For my take on yesterday's PWinsider.com questions:
1. I don't think it's a matter of him pushing things as much as there being a more consistent direction for certain stars now that there's a stable hierarchy. Also, Dana Brooke just signed a new deal, so that's probably part of why she's being featured.
2. Yeah I wouldn't think so, given the comparative buzz for NXT and AEW. They have the audience to tour live every week. Impact doesn't right now.
3. I think that's a pretty fair assessment. Losing access to AEW and top NJPW talent within such a short timeframe really hurt the company, and the majority of talents who could theoretically debut there are being signed to better deals elsewhere. It's only going to get more competitive from here for ROH.
4. The two sides have completely parted ways.
5. There was a report that NXT is doing full rehearsals of TV matches now, which wouldn't surprise me, given the importance of camera angles and such. I very much doubt there's much improvisation in the in-ring product.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
WWE facing lawsuit over XFL, New Day podcast note, upcoming books, WWE HoFer getting regular AEW role, Total Divas coming to Network, Interview with Lince/Kalisto, Final Battle free stream, new HonorClub match, top execs miss Raw, and Questions on more Smackdown women focus, Impact's audience on another channel, ROH declining since Supercard, NJPW-AXS, and how much freedom NXT TV matches have
Monday, December 30, 2019
Kayfabe alive at WWE live event, special NXT this week, Rex remembered, Reigns-Corbin stipulation, top WWE name hurt, more 24/7 title switches, and Questions on AXS dropping NJPW, NXT during Mania week, Andrade winning the title, and Braun at a convention
The Revival made a young fan cry at a WWE live event. Lucha House Party made up for it. Classic!
NXT this week will feature the Year End Awards, top Takeover matches, and the announcement of Dusty Classic competitors. I assume that means no fresh matches. AEW should benefit from the "off" week from the brand.
Moondog Rex was remembered in South Carolina. Good piece.
WWE is advertising "Loser Eats Dog Food" matches between Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin on live events beginning January 4. Well that's certainly something unique! I still want to see a dog collar match.
Randy Orton was reportedly injured at a live event this weekend, as the referee stopped his match with AJ Styles and he was helped to the back after how he landed on his knee. That really sounds rough. I hope he's able to recover for WrestleMania.
R-Truth and the Singh Brothers added more 24/7 Championship reigns Saturday and Sunday:
- On Saturday, R-Truth lost the title to Samir Singh before retaining it.
- On Sunday, R-Truth lost the title to Sunil Singh, who then lost the title to Samir Singh, who then lost the title back to R-Truth. The 7/11 I-85 Television Title is a very fought-after championship!
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I haven't kept track of it in the slightest.
2. NJPW was actually doing well for AXS, but Anthem wanted to prioritize the wrestling company they own. I see what they're thinking there, but I can't help but wonder if they sabotaged themselves by cutting such a popular program. It is worth noting AXS dropped a lot of production staff when Anthem came aboard, since they already had people doing that work. Those who were cut were responsible for handling NJPW footage. I don't think there were ever any plans to have the current staff produce Impact and NJPW.
3. There has not been an announcement regarding NXT's location that week. It's possible a decision hasn't been made yet. It's also possible that week is just a hype show before Takeover.
4. No. They did a rematch the next night with Andrade retaining.
5. WWE is willing to have their talent appear at outside conventions for the right price and the right conditions (i.e. no AEW talent at the same place).
More wrestling tomorrow.
NXT this week will feature the Year End Awards, top Takeover matches, and the announcement of Dusty Classic competitors. I assume that means no fresh matches. AEW should benefit from the "off" week from the brand.
Moondog Rex was remembered in South Carolina. Good piece.
WWE is advertising "Loser Eats Dog Food" matches between Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin on live events beginning January 4. Well that's certainly something unique! I still want to see a dog collar match.
Randy Orton was reportedly injured at a live event this weekend, as the referee stopped his match with AJ Styles and he was helped to the back after how he landed on his knee. That really sounds rough. I hope he's able to recover for WrestleMania.
R-Truth and the Singh Brothers added more 24/7 Championship reigns Saturday and Sunday:
- On Saturday, R-Truth lost the title to Samir Singh before retaining it.
- On Sunday, R-Truth lost the title to Sunil Singh, who then lost the title to Samir Singh, who then lost the title back to R-Truth. The 7/11 I-85 Television Title is a very fought-after championship!
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I haven't kept track of it in the slightest.
2. NJPW was actually doing well for AXS, but Anthem wanted to prioritize the wrestling company they own. I see what they're thinking there, but I can't help but wonder if they sabotaged themselves by cutting such a popular program. It is worth noting AXS dropped a lot of production staff when Anthem came aboard, since they already had people doing that work. Those who were cut were responsible for handling NJPW footage. I don't think there were ever any plans to have the current staff produce Impact and NJPW.
3. There has not been an announcement regarding NXT's location that week. It's possible a decision hasn't been made yet. It's also possible that week is just a hype show before Takeover.
4. No. They did a rematch the next night with Andrade retaining.
5. WWE is willing to have their talent appear at outside conventions for the right price and the right conditions (i.e. no AEW talent at the same place).
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, December 29, 2019
MLW titleholder signs new deal, Dynamite matches, FNSD audience, AEW stipulation set for WK14, more 24/7 title changes, another job for former Sin Cara, Dusty trademark refused, AEW uploads Cody/Darby I, more video game press, Sports Illustrated's top wrestlers, and Questions on the importance of angles, NJPW U.S. crossover, NWA turning a profit, and HHH's influence in EVOLVE
MLW Middleweight Champion Myron Reed has signed a new long-term deal. He has an opportunity to build a name for himself there.
Dynamite has added:
- Jon Moxley vs. Trent?
- Sammy Guevara vs. Dustin Rhodes
Smackdown drew 2.43 million viewers this week, basically identical to last week.
Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 14 has officially added a stipulation where Tanahashi can challenge for the AEW World Championship if he wins. Very interested to see how that will play out. I expect either Jericho will win or the title match will take place in NJPW.
The 24/7 Championship changed hands four times at Raw's December 27 live event in Pennsylvania:
- Samir Singh scored a pinfall in a handicap match with Sunil Singh against R-Truth
- Announcer Mike Rome pinned Samir to win the title for the first time.
- Sunil Singh then pinned Rome to take the title for himself.
- R-Truth won the title for the 27th time after pinning Sunil. This win ties him with Raven's number of reigns for the Hardcore Championship, which also had a 24/7 rule for a time.
Cinta de Oro (formerly Sin Cara) is now English Premier League's Wolverhampton Wanderers' director of International Development. Interesting post-WWE role for him.
Cody's trademark for Dusty Rhodes was refused due to similarities with the Dustin Rhodes trademarked owned by Dustin. What will likely happen is Cody will get permission from Dustin to trademark the name.
AEW's YouTube uploaded Cody vs. Darby Allin to promote their upcoming rematch. Smart move.
Kenny Omega, Xavier Woods, and Excalibur discussed their top ten video games of 2019.
Sports Illustrated named their top ten wrestlers of 2019. It's an eclectic mix, for sure.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I also think this is a mischaracterization of the argument, which was that the stories of why people are facing off and who those people are matters more than the actual quality of the matches in drawing viewers. That's definitely true for Hollywood. There are plenty of movies with big stars and big properties attached that aren't critically successful, but they keep getting made because there's a ready audience for them. There are also occasions where movies have big budgets, big name actors, and awesome scripts/directions/etc, but a lot of great movies aren't seen because they don't draw a casual audience in. The audience that follows the movie (promotion, match) the second it's announced is already paying attention; movie studios (promotions) need to get others outside that group interested to be largely successful.
2.a. So, there will still be a small amount of NJPW/ROH crossover, but not to the level we saw before G1 Supercard. Notably there are plans to have a number of NJPW names on the as-yet-unannounced WrestleMania weekend show, but it won't be another joint show in the sense of last year's show.
2.b. I don't expect NJPW to pair with anyone else at this time, as their current goal is to run a set number of dates in the U.S. on their own, and it looks like they've already put a lot of planning into that. In some ways they've had to plan their 2020 schedule earlier than usual, as the Olympics will take up a lot of their usual Japanese venues this summer. Obviously a lot of people want an AEW/NJPW crossover, but NJPW wants to focus on their own brand right now.
3. I expect they're looking for profitable distribution deals as they continue to build up an audience.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. Obviously Triple H is very busy with other endeavors, so he's not hands-on. I expect Sapolsky's relationship with Triple H is similar to HHH's with Vince in the sense that EVOLVE is Gabe's project but HHH is kept in the know about talents and plans for when they could become part of NXT. And of course HHH sends some NXT names there to get extra experience and help EVOLVE draw.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Dynamite has added:
- Jon Moxley vs. Trent?
- Sammy Guevara vs. Dustin Rhodes
Smackdown drew 2.43 million viewers this week, basically identical to last week.
Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 14 has officially added a stipulation where Tanahashi can challenge for the AEW World Championship if he wins. Very interested to see how that will play out. I expect either Jericho will win or the title match will take place in NJPW.
The 24/7 Championship changed hands four times at Raw's December 27 live event in Pennsylvania:
- Samir Singh scored a pinfall in a handicap match with Sunil Singh against R-Truth
- Announcer Mike Rome pinned Samir to win the title for the first time.
- Sunil Singh then pinned Rome to take the title for himself.
- R-Truth won the title for the 27th time after pinning Sunil. This win ties him with Raven's number of reigns for the Hardcore Championship, which also had a 24/7 rule for a time.
Cinta de Oro (formerly Sin Cara) is now English Premier League's Wolverhampton Wanderers' director of International Development. Interesting post-WWE role for him.
Cody's trademark for Dusty Rhodes was refused due to similarities with the Dustin Rhodes trademarked owned by Dustin. What will likely happen is Cody will get permission from Dustin to trademark the name.
AEW's YouTube uploaded Cody vs. Darby Allin to promote their upcoming rematch. Smart move.
Kenny Omega, Xavier Woods, and Excalibur discussed their top ten video games of 2019.
Sports Illustrated named their top ten wrestlers of 2019. It's an eclectic mix, for sure.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I also think this is a mischaracterization of the argument, which was that the stories of why people are facing off and who those people are matters more than the actual quality of the matches in drawing viewers. That's definitely true for Hollywood. There are plenty of movies with big stars and big properties attached that aren't critically successful, but they keep getting made because there's a ready audience for them. There are also occasions where movies have big budgets, big name actors, and awesome scripts/directions/etc, but a lot of great movies aren't seen because they don't draw a casual audience in. The audience that follows the movie (promotion, match) the second it's announced is already paying attention; movie studios (promotions) need to get others outside that group interested to be largely successful.
2.a. So, there will still be a small amount of NJPW/ROH crossover, but not to the level we saw before G1 Supercard. Notably there are plans to have a number of NJPW names on the as-yet-unannounced WrestleMania weekend show, but it won't be another joint show in the sense of last year's show.
2.b. I don't expect NJPW to pair with anyone else at this time, as their current goal is to run a set number of dates in the U.S. on their own, and it looks like they've already put a lot of planning into that. In some ways they've had to plan their 2020 schedule earlier than usual, as the Olympics will take up a lot of their usual Japanese venues this summer. Obviously a lot of people want an AEW/NJPW crossover, but NJPW wants to focus on their own brand right now.
3. I expect they're looking for profitable distribution deals as they continue to build up an audience.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. Obviously Triple H is very busy with other endeavors, so he's not hands-on. I expect Sapolsky's relationship with Triple H is similar to HHH's with Vince in the sense that EVOLVE is Gabe's project but HHH is kept in the know about talents and plans for when they could become part of NXT. And of course HHH sends some NXT names there to get extra experience and help EVOLVE draw.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Taz on AEW commentary, Interview with Xavier, NJPW off AXS, NXT viewership, new Network series coming, WWE Day Of coming soon, AEW changes title match, RVD set for Middle Eastern event, Smackdown dark match, Billy Gunn competing on AEW Dark, AEW names working Defy, Washington State wrestling paperwork, and Questions on XFL tickets, WWE responding to AEW in NJ, Alexa's podcast, and Andrade's title win
Taz will appear on Dynamite this week, substituting for Tony Schiavone on commentary, as Schiavone has a college football game to call. I wouldn't mind him joining the Raw commentary team, but I would think this booking shoots down whatever chance there was of that.
Xavier Woods discussed his favorite NES games.
NJPW and AXS have parted ways. NJPW confirmed there are currently no plans for any U.S. broadcasts in 2020. That's obviously a big blow to NJPW as they do more shows here, and, honestly could end up hurting AXS more than helping Impact and WOW on the channel. I don't see why they'd willingly turn away a passionate wrestling audience at a time when they're trying to build passionate wrestling audiences! NJPW would have been an obvious vehicle to show commercials, promos, graphics, etc. to promote other wrestling shows.
NXT drew 831,000 viewers Christmas night, which is surprisingly right what they usually do when it's not a holiday. The obvious question is how many people who would normally watch Dynamite watched NXT unopposed, and how much that boosted things.
WWE Network is debuting "Break It Down," which will feature superstars discussing big matches and moments. The first episode is January 5. That sounds like WWE Untold, but I guess this will have videoed interviews.
"WWE Day Of" focusing on TLC will air after Raw.
Kris Statlander won't compete on Dynamite this week due to a previously agreed to indie booking, which AEW is allowing her to fulfill. Instead, Riho will defend the AEW Women's Championship in a four-way match with Nyla Rose, Britt Baker, and Hikaru Shida. Statlander will face the winner on January 8. Apparently AEW wasn't aware of the previous booking. Yeah this was a screw-up. I hope AEW learns from what happened here so they don't end up in a similar situation. They did a good move to make up for it, though.
Rob Van Dam is set for Qatar Pro Wrestling's February 21 show.
Dash Wilder returned to the ring before Friday Night Smackdown, as The Revival defeated Kalisto and Gran Metalik. Wilder was held off Thursday's live event for unspecified reasons.
AEW's January 7 Dark has added Billy Gunn and Austin Gunn vs. Ortiz and Santana. That's a cool opportunity for the father and son duo.
AEW's Luchasaurus, Marko Stunt, Cima, T-Hawk, and Lindaman are set for Defy Wrestling's January 31 event.
The Washington State Archives uncovered a lot of wrestling-related paperwork.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It would definitely indicate ticket sales aren't what they were hoping. The league is expected to need a LOT of money to get through the next few years, but the hope is that eventually content providers will pay big rights fees to keep it airing.
2. Honestly that would be very short-sighted of WWE. Hopefully they don't run bigger venues at a loss (?) just to stick it to AEW.
3. Basically they're testing her out to host the next official WWE podcast. It's a way for each side to see how it could theoretically go.
4. It's possible this is part of something bigger they have planned for the weeks and months ahead. It's also possible they just wanted to do something special for Madison Square Garden given the decades of WWE history there.
5. I'm under the impression WWE always has cameras at live events in case something newsworthy happens. I would expect we'll at least see the ending on Raw to show why Andrade is now the champion (and theoretically sell the point that live events are worth going to because titles can indeed change hands there).
More wrestling tomorrow.
Xavier Woods discussed his favorite NES games.
NJPW and AXS have parted ways. NJPW confirmed there are currently no plans for any U.S. broadcasts in 2020. That's obviously a big blow to NJPW as they do more shows here, and, honestly could end up hurting AXS more than helping Impact and WOW on the channel. I don't see why they'd willingly turn away a passionate wrestling audience at a time when they're trying to build passionate wrestling audiences! NJPW would have been an obvious vehicle to show commercials, promos, graphics, etc. to promote other wrestling shows.
NXT drew 831,000 viewers Christmas night, which is surprisingly right what they usually do when it's not a holiday. The obvious question is how many people who would normally watch Dynamite watched NXT unopposed, and how much that boosted things.
WWE Network is debuting "Break It Down," which will feature superstars discussing big matches and moments. The first episode is January 5. That sounds like WWE Untold, but I guess this will have videoed interviews.
"WWE Day Of" focusing on TLC will air after Raw.
Kris Statlander won't compete on Dynamite this week due to a previously agreed to indie booking, which AEW is allowing her to fulfill. Instead, Riho will defend the AEW Women's Championship in a four-way match with Nyla Rose, Britt Baker, and Hikaru Shida. Statlander will face the winner on January 8. Apparently AEW wasn't aware of the previous booking. Yeah this was a screw-up. I hope AEW learns from what happened here so they don't end up in a similar situation. They did a good move to make up for it, though.
Rob Van Dam is set for Qatar Pro Wrestling's February 21 show.
Dash Wilder returned to the ring before Friday Night Smackdown, as The Revival defeated Kalisto and Gran Metalik. Wilder was held off Thursday's live event for unspecified reasons.
AEW's January 7 Dark has added Billy Gunn and Austin Gunn vs. Ortiz and Santana. That's a cool opportunity for the father and son duo.
AEW's Luchasaurus, Marko Stunt, Cima, T-Hawk, and Lindaman are set for Defy Wrestling's January 31 event.
The Washington State Archives uncovered a lot of wrestling-related paperwork.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It would definitely indicate ticket sales aren't what they were hoping. The league is expected to need a LOT of money to get through the next few years, but the hope is that eventually content providers will pay big rights fees to keep it airing.
2. Honestly that would be very short-sighted of WWE. Hopefully they don't run bigger venues at a loss (?) just to stick it to AEW.
3. Basically they're testing her out to host the next official WWE podcast. It's a way for each side to see how it could theoretically go.
4. It's possible this is part of something bigger they have planned for the weeks and months ahead. It's also possible they just wanted to do something special for Madison Square Garden given the decades of WWE history there.
5. I'm under the impression WWE always has cameras at live events in case something newsworthy happens. I would expect we'll at least see the ending on Raw to show why Andrade is now the champion (and theoretically sell the point that live events are worth going to because titles can indeed change hands there).
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday Night Smackdown Reax - 12/27/19
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Friday Night Smackdown.
Friday, December 27, 2019
After The Bell notes, ROH January matches, Xavier on IGN, ROH attendance note, more on Stardom's WK14 match, NJPW name teases AEW match, more on Stardom retirement, RetroMania commentators, more on ROH-NEW, ROH talent updates, top AEW name hurt, AEW planning California debut, WWE title changes in MSG, WWE names out of action, Backstage audience, and Questions on Edge returning, Jarrett-WWE, Don West's whereabouts, and MSG's importance to WWE
Notes from this week's After The Bell:
- Shawn Michaels is working at the WWE Performance Center full-time, and taking on a bigger role running NXT UK.
- Michaels didn't intend to remain in the business after his retirement, but the energy in NXT drew him back in.
- Triple H discussed wanting wrestling to be "less individualistic" in the sense of one top name being the spotlight as in past decades.
- Triple H discussed the UK wrestling scene seeing promotions go out of business after NXT UK came on the scene, saying a lot of those companies were low-paying with unsafe rings and didn't care about talent. That's going to get people talking!
- Tommaso Ciampa has become a producer for EVOLVE. Wow. That's cool as hell.
ROH has announced:
- For the January 11 HonorClub event in Georgia:
-- Dragon Lee vs. Andrew Everett for the ROH Television Championship
-- Jonathan Gresham vs. Josh Woods
-- Angelina Love and Mandy Leon vs. Sumie Sakai and Nicole Savoy
-- Marty Scurll, Brody King, and Flip Gordon vs. Bandido/Flamita/Rey Horus
- For the January 12 HonorClub event in North Carolina:
-- Marty Scurll, PCO, and Brody King vs. La Faccion Ingobernable of Rush, Dragon Lee, and Kenny King for the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship. Scurll's been booked for non-ROH dates after this, so right now he's a free agent. This would definitely be a logical way to end his run.
-- Flip Gordon vs. Flamita
-- Bandido vs. Alex Zayne in Zayne's ROH debut
-- Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams vs. Vincent and Bateman. Notably Tracy was another talent listed as having his contract end at the end of 2019, so the two sides are at least doing this date.
-- Additionally, Danhausen will be part of both events.
Xavier Woods played Mortal Kombat 11 for Google Stadia on IGN.
ROH averaged 1,082 fans in attendance in 2019, the third-most successful year in company history. That was greatly helped by the Madison Square Garden show, as without it, the average was only 707. It's very telling that even with the overwhelming success of Supercard, it wasn't their most successful year ever.
Stardom's WK14 match came about due to Bushiroad's president pushing for it. There was strong backlash to this due to the feeling men's wrestling and women's wrestling have very different audiences in Japan. Due to this, it's expected crossover will be rare between Stardom and NJPW.
- There was also backlash to Giulia getting such a big opportunity so soon after joining the company. Fans and other Stardom workers were critical of the spot. I hope things smooth over as Stardom prepares for a new chapter.
Hiroshi Tanahashi teased challenging for the AEW World Championship. That would really get people talking, but I don't expect to see it, since NJPW wants to grow their own U.S. business. It just made sense for Tanahashi to tease contendership should he beat the champion
Stardom's Kagetsu's retirement was partially due to Hazuki's retirement. Both women had lost power in the company and were going to further be out of power under the new regime. Kagetsu used to be the head trainer and locker room leader before she was voted out of the role due to fining people when they were late and similar tactics. I enjoy the work of both women, but if them being ousted means growth for Stardom and greater unity, I think the company will rebound fine.
RetroMania will have Colt Cabana and Ian Riccaboni as commentators. That's interesting given Ian's ROH duties.
ROH and NEW essentially have a working agreement now as far as ROH talents being able to work NEW events. Flip Gordon and TK O'Ryan were booked for events through ROH, with Marty Scurll being booked as a free agent.
- O'Ryan intends to stay in ROH should he be able to wrestle again after his ongoing concussion issues.
Matt Jackson suffered a stinger on the December 18 Dynamite, but is still expected for the January 1 show.
AEW is looking to run California in May. I'm surprised they haven't announced anything in the West Coast before now.
Andrade won the United States Championship at Raw's Madison Square Garden live event. Can't say I expected that! We'll see how long he holds it.
R-Truth lost the 24/7 Championship at Madison Square Garden in a handicap match with The Singh Brothers. Samir Singh pinned him to win the title, then lost the title himself to Sunil, who then lost the title back to Truth.
Rusev wasn't at Raw's Madison Square Garden event. Ricochet replaced him to beat Lashley. The story was Lana had a restraining order against Rusev that barred him from appearing.
Dash Wilder didn't compete at Smackdown's December 26 event. Curtis Axel replaced him in a loss to Big E and Xavier Woods. This match was for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship.
WWE Backstage drew 153,000 viewers this week, a significant boost from last week. That's impressive.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Edge speared Elias at Summerslam, so he was at least cleared to do that. That led to speculation we would see him do more, and I believe at one point Edge said he could do another match. Nothing has come of it, though, and it's possible WWE doctors made it clear he wouldn't be able to wrestle again.
1. Edge speared Elias at Summerslam, so he was at least cleared to do that. That led to speculation we would see him do more, and I believe at one point Edge said he could do another match. Nothing has come of it, though, and it's possible WWE doctors made it clear he wouldn't be able to wrestle again.
2. That would have been pretty cool.
3. I believe he's working at WWE headquarters in Connecticut now. I wonder how he would be as Smackdown's executive director if Prichard doesn't work out.
4. At one point he was working with a hockey team. It doesn't look like he's involved in wrestling in a regular role, as fun as he is.
5. WWE, particularly Vince, treats Madison Square Garden as a special venue given the history the company has there in decades past. This was part of that. It could also have been a way to get attention ahead of the U.S. Title change.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Interviews with Arquette/Bayley/Adam Cole, Firefly Christmas, Stardom WK14 dark match, Dynamite coming to NYC area, NXT star social angle, new Dynamite match, Zayn hits charity goal, another Stardom retirement coming, and Questions on Christmas gifts for Vince, HHH, Tony Khan, ROH, and Punk
David Arquette spoke to TMZ Sports about upcoming matches.
WWE did a Firefly Fun House "Yule Log" stream. Yeah I think everyone gets a little loopy ideas-wise at the end of the year.
Stardom's Wrestle Kingdom 14 dark match will be Mayu Iwatani and Arisa Hoshiki vs. Hana Kimura and Guilia. Those are definitely top names to showcase.
Dynamite's March 25 event will be in New Jersey. They can seat more than 14,000 people there, so AEW is aiming very big for their first show in the market.
NXT's Malcolm Bivens "hacked into" The Bump. I'm surprised we haven't seen more from him and Robert Stone.
Dynamite has added Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks vs. Pac and the Lucha Brothers. That's a great match to get back on the map after a week off and a less-than-beloved angle to conclude the last Dynamite.
Sami Zayn reached $50,000 raised for his Syrian charity, achieving his goal. That's great!
Bayley promoted Friday's Smackdown. Sounds like she's REALLY glad to be rid of the ponytail.
Adam Cole was honored by CBS Sports as their wrestler of the year. Very cool to see.
Stardom's Kagetsu announced retiring on January 26, announcing the promotion was in good hands to continue without her. She will produce a February 24 show as a farewell ceremony. That's another surprise, as I figured she'd be poised to do bigger things under the new ownership. I wish her the best with whatever she does next.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I love this idea for a question!
1.a. A team that he feels can competently implement a successful vision to attract a large, mainstream wrestling audience for decades to come. That includes the people in charge of talent recruitment, talent development, and creative. I'm frankly shocked that he's let Triple H have such leeway in signings that clearly don't fit Vince's vision of superstar, and I would think Vince would look in that direction to wonder why ratings aren't what they were before Triple H got a blank check to sign and develop so many wrestlers.
1.b. A large-scale vision of Raw, Smackdown, and NXT (and its related projects), where each brand can be distinct and each brand can draw a large audience. I question how successful 205 Live and NXT UK have been, specifically, given the investments in them. I think in his role it's critical to have a true developmental pipeline to Raw and Smackdown in addition to side projects that appeal to different audiences. I'd also give him some more parameters and benchmarks to meet within a certain budget, as right now he can essentially do whatever he wants with his brands, and I don't know if that mindset will translate when he has to answer to USA, FOX, stockholders, etc.
1.c. Someone or a team or someones outside of The Elite bubble who will look at the product and roster and ask for justifications for the EVP's decisions. For instance, before expanding the roster, with a few key exceptions like Marty Scurll, there need to be discussions of how they fit into things. It feels like they have a lot more talents than they need.
1.d. Honestly I think the best Christmas gift I could give for a number of companies would be working agreements. Impact and ROH could benefit from access to the other's rosters on "off" dates. Heck, joint shows could be something worth looking at, too. I don't follow NWA and MLW, but I'd think they could also be boosted with such a deal.
1.e. and 1.f. both sound good.
1.g. Something tells me he'd be interested in some sort of creative role. The obvious idea would be for him to work with Paul Heyman on Raw, but while we're playing fantasy booking, maybe he could be part of something that works for Smackdown? They could use a visionary.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE did a Firefly Fun House "Yule Log" stream. Yeah I think everyone gets a little loopy ideas-wise at the end of the year.
Stardom's Wrestle Kingdom 14 dark match will be Mayu Iwatani and Arisa Hoshiki vs. Hana Kimura and Guilia. Those are definitely top names to showcase.
Dynamite's March 25 event will be in New Jersey. They can seat more than 14,000 people there, so AEW is aiming very big for their first show in the market.
NXT's Malcolm Bivens "hacked into" The Bump. I'm surprised we haven't seen more from him and Robert Stone.
Dynamite has added Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks vs. Pac and the Lucha Brothers. That's a great match to get back on the map after a week off and a less-than-beloved angle to conclude the last Dynamite.
Sami Zayn reached $50,000 raised for his Syrian charity, achieving his goal. That's great!
Bayley promoted Friday's Smackdown. Sounds like she's REALLY glad to be rid of the ponytail.
Adam Cole was honored by CBS Sports as their wrestler of the year. Very cool to see.
Stardom's Kagetsu announced retiring on January 26, announcing the promotion was in good hands to continue without her. She will produce a February 24 show as a farewell ceremony. That's another surprise, as I figured she'd be poised to do bigger things under the new ownership. I wish her the best with whatever she does next.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I love this idea for a question!
1.a. A team that he feels can competently implement a successful vision to attract a large, mainstream wrestling audience for decades to come. That includes the people in charge of talent recruitment, talent development, and creative. I'm frankly shocked that he's let Triple H have such leeway in signings that clearly don't fit Vince's vision of superstar, and I would think Vince would look in that direction to wonder why ratings aren't what they were before Triple H got a blank check to sign and develop so many wrestlers.
1.b. A large-scale vision of Raw, Smackdown, and NXT (and its related projects), where each brand can be distinct and each brand can draw a large audience. I question how successful 205 Live and NXT UK have been, specifically, given the investments in them. I think in his role it's critical to have a true developmental pipeline to Raw and Smackdown in addition to side projects that appeal to different audiences. I'd also give him some more parameters and benchmarks to meet within a certain budget, as right now he can essentially do whatever he wants with his brands, and I don't know if that mindset will translate when he has to answer to USA, FOX, stockholders, etc.
1.c. Someone or a team or someones outside of The Elite bubble who will look at the product and roster and ask for justifications for the EVP's decisions. For instance, before expanding the roster, with a few key exceptions like Marty Scurll, there need to be discussions of how they fit into things. It feels like they have a lot more talents than they need.
1.d. Honestly I think the best Christmas gift I could give for a number of companies would be working agreements. Impact and ROH could benefit from access to the other's rosters on "off" dates. Heck, joint shows could be something worth looking at, too. I don't follow NWA and MLW, but I'd think they could also be boosted with such a deal.
1.e. and 1.f. both sound good.
1.g. Something tells me he'd be interested in some sort of creative role. The obvious idea would be for him to work with Paul Heyman on Raw, but while we're playing fantasy booking, maybe he could be part of something that works for Smackdown? They could use a visionary.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
NJPW names sign new deals, Stardom match set for Tokyo Dome, ATB guests, WWE Network counting down best matches, Bayley endorses NXT star, new Impact match, Impact signs referee, WWE name testing for podcast, Raw audience, Interview with Kofi, Raw cameos, Evil Uno's favorite games of 2019, and Questions on Satin backlash, NXT beating Raw, what AEW failing would mean, and Liger's future
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Yuji Nagata have signed new deals with NJPW. I expect Hiroshi will continue to be a prominent worker there.
Stardom will have a dark match before Wrestle Kingdom 14's first night. That's big! I'm curious how it will be received.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels will be on "After The Bell" this week.
WWE Network is counting down the best ten matches of 2019 Monday night.
Bayley endorsed NXT's Candice LeRae. Candice would definitely make sense as a new Raw or Smackdown roster member after Royal Rumble or WrestleMania.
Impact's January 10 Twitch event has added Rhino vs. Shera.
Impact has signed former EVOLVE referee Brandon Tolle.
Alexa Bliss is recording a podcast pilot for WWE soon. I expect she'll be pretty good in that role.
Raw drew 1.84 million viewers this week, the second lowest mark in the show's history. WWE is seeing some serious audience erosion.
Kofi Kingston spoke about Big E's future. I also hope E becomes world champion.
Raw's opponents for Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy were graduates of Seth Rollins' wrestling academy.
Evil Uno covered his top 10 video games of 2019. Interesting choices!
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Satin is very defensive of his work and his viewpoints, to the point of lashing out at others in his field who make criticisms. He's divisive, to say the least.
2. Some of that depends on whether it's because of Raw dropping, NXT gaining, or a combination of the two. If NXT grows to two million viewers and stays there, it would really speak to the viability of that style and those talents. If Raw continues to decline, it calls into question whether their approach and their talents are what fans want to see. I do wonder how much Vince would want to change Raw and Smackdown even if NXT grows to that level, since one argument has been that that brand attracts a different audience that wants different things, so why make seven hours a week like NXT instead of giving the Raw and Smackdown audiences what they want while keeping NXT as its own thing? Either way, we seem to be a long way from the brands being close in the ratings.
3. Different "hardcore" fans want different things, and since AEW has a number of different styles on display, certain parts of the audience can like some segments and dislike others. For example, some fans want more in the vein of the Lights Out matches with fewer quirky "indie" gimmicks. Other fans like the quirky gimmicks and don't want to see the "blood and guts." Still others want the company to be more like NJPW or the NWA or something else entirely. That said, AEW is making a concerted effort to appeal to the vocal part of wrestling fandom that has felt shut out by WWE, so if AEW does bend over backward to win that audience and the audience tunes out, it's going to make people question whether that was a wise long-term approach.
4. The expectation I have is that he's done as a wrestler, but can continue to work in other capacities, kind of like an ambassador. I expect him to continue to appear in some role, especially as NJPW expands in the U.S.
5. I'm not even remotely qualified to answer this!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Stardom will have a dark match before Wrestle Kingdom 14's first night. That's big! I'm curious how it will be received.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels will be on "After The Bell" this week.
WWE Network is counting down the best ten matches of 2019 Monday night.
Bayley endorsed NXT's Candice LeRae. Candice would definitely make sense as a new Raw or Smackdown roster member after Royal Rumble or WrestleMania.
Impact's January 10 Twitch event has added Rhino vs. Shera.
Impact has signed former EVOLVE referee Brandon Tolle.
Alexa Bliss is recording a podcast pilot for WWE soon. I expect she'll be pretty good in that role.
Raw drew 1.84 million viewers this week, the second lowest mark in the show's history. WWE is seeing some serious audience erosion.
Kofi Kingston spoke about Big E's future. I also hope E becomes world champion.
Raw's opponents for Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy were graduates of Seth Rollins' wrestling academy.
Evil Uno covered his top 10 video games of 2019. Interesting choices!
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Satin is very defensive of his work and his viewpoints, to the point of lashing out at others in his field who make criticisms. He's divisive, to say the least.
2. Some of that depends on whether it's because of Raw dropping, NXT gaining, or a combination of the two. If NXT grows to two million viewers and stays there, it would really speak to the viability of that style and those talents. If Raw continues to decline, it calls into question whether their approach and their talents are what fans want to see. I do wonder how much Vince would want to change Raw and Smackdown even if NXT grows to that level, since one argument has been that that brand attracts a different audience that wants different things, so why make seven hours a week like NXT instead of giving the Raw and Smackdown audiences what they want while keeping NXT as its own thing? Either way, we seem to be a long way from the brands being close in the ratings.
3. Different "hardcore" fans want different things, and since AEW has a number of different styles on display, certain parts of the audience can like some segments and dislike others. For example, some fans want more in the vein of the Lights Out matches with fewer quirky "indie" gimmicks. Other fans like the quirky gimmicks and don't want to see the "blood and guts." Still others want the company to be more like NJPW or the NWA or something else entirely. That said, AEW is making a concerted effort to appeal to the vocal part of wrestling fandom that has felt shut out by WWE, so if AEW does bend over backward to win that audience and the audience tunes out, it's going to make people question whether that was a wise long-term approach.
4. The expectation I have is that he's done as a wrestler, but can continue to work in other capacities, kind of like an ambassador. I expect him to continue to appear in some role, especially as NJPW expands in the U.S.
5. I'm not even remotely qualified to answer this!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
EVOLVE-NXT updates, MLW signs interviewer, FS1 showing more WWE content tonight, AEW stars likely on TNT, wrestling poker game airing, Christmas videos, Impact matches announced, ROH interviewer gets T-shirt, Young Bucks social media update, Interviews with Kofi/Kane, Stone Cold in rap video, Bray showcases new figure, new Dynamite match set, top CMLL name passes, WWE celebrity guest, and Questions on the Bucks leaving Twitter, Tony stunning Spears, and Jimmy Uso being cleared
Roderick Strong has been added to EVOLVE's January 3-5 tryout.
EVOLVE has booked shows for January 17 and January 18 in Florida, and March 1 in Massachusetts. The first two events will have NXT vs. EVOLVE matches and meet and greets. The March 1 event will be with Beyond Wrestling.
- Rhea Ripley, Cameron Grimes, and Dominik Dijakovic will do meet-and-greets at the January 18 show. Dijakovic will also be at the January 17 show.
MLW has signed Alicia Atout to a multi-year deal. Glad to see that.
FS1 is showing WrestleMania's Legendary Moments and this past Friday's Smackdown before Backstage tonight. That's not a bad idea to try to boost Backstage's audience.
AEW wrestlers will likely appear on TNT during Christmas content. That's a good idea to try to get fans to watch next week.
A wrestling poker game will air on CBS Sports Network tonight. Fred Ottman, Chavo Guerrero, PJ Black, and Pat Tanaka will all appear.
Diamond Dallas Page and Jake Roberts did a Christmas video.
Impact's January 10 Twitch event has added:
- The North vs. The Rascalz' Trey and Dez
- Rob Van Dam vs. Eddie Edwards
ROH's Quinn McKay has her own T-shirt now. We're in a weird place if she's that much more over than some of the wrestlers there.
Matt Jackson discussed the Young Bucks leaving Twitter. I can't say I blame anyone for limiting the amount of time they spend on social media. I am curious how it will affect their fan base, which has shown itself to be very digital-minded.
Kofi Kingston looked back on 2019.
Stone Cold appeared in Bad Bunny's latest music video. That's great.
Bray Wyatt showcased The Fiend's new Funko Pop! figure on Firefly Fun House.
Impact put together a Christmas video.
Dynamite on January 8 has added Cody and Dustin Rhodes vs. the Lucha Bros.
CMLL's Mr. Niebla passed away at 46 years old after a blood infection. He's a former world champion there. That's really, really sad to hear.
Kane discussed working with Daniel Bryan and more.
Maria Menounos will be on Backstage tonight.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Let's just say the timing was pretty bad to take a sabbatical given the appearance of it looking like they're ducking criticism for a very poorly-received angle. It's very possible they wanted to use the holiday week to focus on other things regardless, and it should be noted they're still on Instagram. We'll see if anyone in AEW reacts to the backlash given their previous usage of social media to build the company and the heavily-pushed narrative that they're going to listen to fans "unlike that other company." This is a big test for them, since while they have received a lot of criticism during their careers, this time it's coming from their core followers.
2. That's hardly exclusive to AEW fans, but, yes, we are seeing it from the diehard AEW fans pretty regularly. As for EVPs leaving Twitter after pushing social media so hard and listening to that audience, it's a fair point to say they need to be on the site to gauge fan responses. I'm sure other AEW-linked accounts are also getting a lot of negative tweets after that angle, so they don't have to log on to their own accounts to see what's being said, but it does seem like they had put themselves in a corner of interacting personally with so many social media users when they were being praised. We'll see how this plays out on Dynamite and social media. They're courting an often very critical audience, and if that group turns on them, it's going to be very hard to be as successful as they have been thus far.
3. One thing I will give Tony: he isn't putting himself all over Dynamite and/or regularly appearing in front of the crowd, which one would expect if AEW was primarily a vehicle for him to have fun with his friends. It sounds like this was an unplanned angle he was convinced to be part of. And, again, as successful as year one was for AEW, he's earned the celebration.
4. I don't blame Spears for trying something new rather than fading away into a producer role or what have you. We'll see how prominently he's used going forward. I definitely didn't read this angle as a "burial."
5. I could see WWE reversing course and using the Usos again soon if they think everyone involved is on a good path.
More wrestling tomorrow.
EVOLVE has booked shows for January 17 and January 18 in Florida, and March 1 in Massachusetts. The first two events will have NXT vs. EVOLVE matches and meet and greets. The March 1 event will be with Beyond Wrestling.
- Rhea Ripley, Cameron Grimes, and Dominik Dijakovic will do meet-and-greets at the January 18 show. Dijakovic will also be at the January 17 show.
MLW has signed Alicia Atout to a multi-year deal. Glad to see that.
FS1 is showing WrestleMania's Legendary Moments and this past Friday's Smackdown before Backstage tonight. That's not a bad idea to try to boost Backstage's audience.
AEW wrestlers will likely appear on TNT during Christmas content. That's a good idea to try to get fans to watch next week.
A wrestling poker game will air on CBS Sports Network tonight. Fred Ottman, Chavo Guerrero, PJ Black, and Pat Tanaka will all appear.
Diamond Dallas Page and Jake Roberts did a Christmas video.
Impact's January 10 Twitch event has added:
- The North vs. The Rascalz' Trey and Dez
- Rob Van Dam vs. Eddie Edwards
ROH's Quinn McKay has her own T-shirt now. We're in a weird place if she's that much more over than some of the wrestlers there.
Matt Jackson discussed the Young Bucks leaving Twitter. I can't say I blame anyone for limiting the amount of time they spend on social media. I am curious how it will affect their fan base, which has shown itself to be very digital-minded.
Kofi Kingston looked back on 2019.
Stone Cold appeared in Bad Bunny's latest music video. That's great.
Bray Wyatt showcased The Fiend's new Funko Pop! figure on Firefly Fun House.
Impact put together a Christmas video.
Dynamite on January 8 has added Cody and Dustin Rhodes vs. the Lucha Bros.
CMLL's Mr. Niebla passed away at 46 years old after a blood infection. He's a former world champion there. That's really, really sad to hear.
Kane discussed working with Daniel Bryan and more.
Maria Menounos will be on Backstage tonight.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Let's just say the timing was pretty bad to take a sabbatical given the appearance of it looking like they're ducking criticism for a very poorly-received angle. It's very possible they wanted to use the holiday week to focus on other things regardless, and it should be noted they're still on Instagram. We'll see if anyone in AEW reacts to the backlash given their previous usage of social media to build the company and the heavily-pushed narrative that they're going to listen to fans "unlike that other company." This is a big test for them, since while they have received a lot of criticism during their careers, this time it's coming from their core followers.
2. That's hardly exclusive to AEW fans, but, yes, we are seeing it from the diehard AEW fans pretty regularly. As for EVPs leaving Twitter after pushing social media so hard and listening to that audience, it's a fair point to say they need to be on the site to gauge fan responses. I'm sure other AEW-linked accounts are also getting a lot of negative tweets after that angle, so they don't have to log on to their own accounts to see what's being said, but it does seem like they had put themselves in a corner of interacting personally with so many social media users when they were being praised. We'll see how this plays out on Dynamite and social media. They're courting an often very critical audience, and if that group turns on them, it's going to be very hard to be as successful as they have been thus far.
3. One thing I will give Tony: he isn't putting himself all over Dynamite and/or regularly appearing in front of the crowd, which one would expect if AEW was primarily a vehicle for him to have fun with his friends. It sounds like this was an unplanned angle he was convinced to be part of. And, again, as successful as year one was for AEW, he's earned the celebration.
4. I don't blame Spears for trying something new rather than fading away into a producer role or what have you. We'll see how prominently he's used going forward. I definitely didn't read this angle as a "burial."
5. I could see WWE reversing course and using the Usos again soon if they think everyone involved is on a good path.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, December 23, 2019
Network marathons, NXT star has rap song, Fandango surgery, HoFer missing Jericho cruise, PWG lineup change, Interview with Cody, Nyla working elsewhere during suspension, another ROH name in NEW, Goulet profiled, and Questions on XFL's chances of success, the end game of the Women's Evolution, Dynamite's expected audience, and reporters working on Backstage
WWE Network is doing marathons this week:
- Monday is featuring marathons for WWE Untold and Table for 3
- Tuesday is featuring marathons for WWE Chronicle and WWE 24
- Wednesday is featuring marathons for WWE The Bump and WWE Ride Along
- Thursday is featuring marathons for 2019 NXT UK Takeovers
- Friday is featuring marathons for 2019 NXT Takeovers
- Saturday and Sunday are both featuring marathons for WWE PPVs
Isaiah Scott and Monteasy released a rap song.
Fandango disclosed underdoing surgery for a torn tendon. He could miss significant time.
Kevin Nash will miss Chris Jericho's cruise due to signing onto a movie.
Rey Fenix missed a PWG event due to his flight from Mexico being delayed. David Starr worked in his place.
Cody spoke in Germany, responding to Roman Reigns' characterization of the company. He handled that well.
Nyla Rose is competing in Japan's Marvelous during her AEW "suspension." That's clever. Glad she's getting work.
TK O'Ryan appeared at an NEW event, saying he'll wrestle there in 2020. He's currently recovering from multiple concussions. Notably TK is believed to be done with ROH at the end of the year.
Rene Goulet was remembered.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm not interested in football but if fans want it, sure.
2. I could see it being somewhat successful if certain parties need content for streaming networks and the like.
3. I think it ends when it's no longer a special accomplishment for women to do something like headline a PPV or have a significant gimmick match. In other words, when it's considered as normal as men doing the same thing. As for WWE potentially changing course from pushing women in prominent roles, I don't see that occurring anytime soon. The only way I expect that is if Triple H and/or Stephanie McMahon lose their positions or someone overrules their ideas, which really doesn't seem likely.
4. Not much to add other than AEW currently being considered a bargain when you consider the audience they're drawing for the amount TNT is paying for the show in contrast to the big rights fees for WWE content that isn't drawing proportionally more than Dynamite.
5. I don't know Satin personally and I don't know what he was offered, but it does call into question how objective he can be, since theoretically a story could come along that, if he reports on it, would jeopardize this position. That puts him in a difficult position as a reporter. That said, if his ultimate goal is to be a WWE personality rather than a top reporter, this helps in that regard and it makes sense for him to take the job.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Monday is featuring marathons for WWE Untold and Table for 3
- Tuesday is featuring marathons for WWE Chronicle and WWE 24
- Wednesday is featuring marathons for WWE The Bump and WWE Ride Along
- Thursday is featuring marathons for 2019 NXT UK Takeovers
- Friday is featuring marathons for 2019 NXT Takeovers
- Saturday and Sunday are both featuring marathons for WWE PPVs
Isaiah Scott and Monteasy released a rap song.
Fandango disclosed underdoing surgery for a torn tendon. He could miss significant time.
Kevin Nash will miss Chris Jericho's cruise due to signing onto a movie.
Rey Fenix missed a PWG event due to his flight from Mexico being delayed. David Starr worked in his place.
Cody spoke in Germany, responding to Roman Reigns' characterization of the company. He handled that well.
Nyla Rose is competing in Japan's Marvelous during her AEW "suspension." That's clever. Glad she's getting work.
TK O'Ryan appeared at an NEW event, saying he'll wrestle there in 2020. He's currently recovering from multiple concussions. Notably TK is believed to be done with ROH at the end of the year.
Rene Goulet was remembered.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm not interested in football but if fans want it, sure.
2. I could see it being somewhat successful if certain parties need content for streaming networks and the like.
3. I think it ends when it's no longer a special accomplishment for women to do something like headline a PPV or have a significant gimmick match. In other words, when it's considered as normal as men doing the same thing. As for WWE potentially changing course from pushing women in prominent roles, I don't see that occurring anytime soon. The only way I expect that is if Triple H and/or Stephanie McMahon lose their positions or someone overrules their ideas, which really doesn't seem likely.
4. Not much to add other than AEW currently being considered a bargain when you consider the audience they're drawing for the amount TNT is paying for the show in contrast to the big rights fees for WWE content that isn't drawing proportionally more than Dynamite.
5. I don't know Satin personally and I don't know what he was offered, but it does call into question how objective he can be, since theoretically a story could come along that, if he reports on it, would jeopardize this position. That puts him in a difficult position as a reporter. That said, if his ultimate goal is to be a WWE personality rather than a top reporter, this helps in that regard and it makes sense for him to take the job.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Interviews with Sonya/Rhea/Kofi, Bollywood star gets WWE title, Impact staff member pulled from MLW, MLW departures, FNSD audience, new Table for 3 Monday, Ride Along in the works, WWE selling "authentic" titles, PWG name finishes up before WWE, NJPW injuries, Khan comments on stunner, and Questions on the next indie gimmick to break out, Bucks leaving Twitter, ROH's 2020, and entrance music
Sonya Deville spoke to Fox News about making it to WWE.
Rhea Ripley spoke to Sports Illustrated. She had a really big moment this week, and I don't think it will be her last.
Bollywood's Salman Khan got his own custom WWE Championship. Yeah I think we've reached a point where these are meaningless.
Impact's Dave Sahadi is no longer working MLW after signing back with Impact. MLW had been under the impression he was going to be allowed to work both places.
MLW's Ricky Martinez and Barrington Hughes have left the company. Hughes asked for his release, but there are conflicting reports about whether Ricky's departure was voluntary.
Smackdown this week drew 2.41 million viewers, getting a bit of a boost from TLC.
Kofi Kingston spoke to Newsweek about his new contract and more.
"Table for 3" after Raw will feature Mark Henry, D'Lo Brown, and The Godfather discussing The Nation of Domination.
Corey Graves and Carmella filmed an episode of "WWE Ride Along" this week.
WWE is selling "TV authentic" versions of the WWE and Universal Championships.
Jake Atlas has worked his final PWG event. He's expected to join WWE soon.
NJPW's SANADA and Yujiro Takahashi missed the most recent event due to injuries.
Tony Khan defended his stunner to Shawn Spears. As long as it doesn't become a regular thing, I'm not really as critical of it as many seem to be.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It looks like Danhausen's going to be in ROH again for whatever that's worth. I don't have a qualified opinion on the others.
2. I wouldn't assume it's permanent. They are learning the double-edged sword of the platform, though. We'll see if a company that seems to really be pushing appealing to the social media crowd makes adjustments based on how that angle was received.
3. Wow there's no way I'm topping that one.
4. Let's just say things are going to be tougher for them with NXT, AEW, and NJPW competing for the same talent and audience.
5. I'm not even remotely qualified to answer this one. I love Undertaker, Stone Cold, and C.M. Punk's themes though.
More wrestling coming up.
Rhea Ripley spoke to Sports Illustrated. She had a really big moment this week, and I don't think it will be her last.
Bollywood's Salman Khan got his own custom WWE Championship. Yeah I think we've reached a point where these are meaningless.
Impact's Dave Sahadi is no longer working MLW after signing back with Impact. MLW had been under the impression he was going to be allowed to work both places.
MLW's Ricky Martinez and Barrington Hughes have left the company. Hughes asked for his release, but there are conflicting reports about whether Ricky's departure was voluntary.
Smackdown this week drew 2.41 million viewers, getting a bit of a boost from TLC.
Kofi Kingston spoke to Newsweek about his new contract and more.
"Table for 3" after Raw will feature Mark Henry, D'Lo Brown, and The Godfather discussing The Nation of Domination.
Corey Graves and Carmella filmed an episode of "WWE Ride Along" this week.
WWE is selling "TV authentic" versions of the WWE and Universal Championships.
Jake Atlas has worked his final PWG event. He's expected to join WWE soon.
NJPW's SANADA and Yujiro Takahashi missed the most recent event due to injuries.
Tony Khan defended his stunner to Shawn Spears. As long as it doesn't become a regular thing, I'm not really as critical of it as many seem to be.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It looks like Danhausen's going to be in ROH again for whatever that's worth. I don't have a qualified opinion on the others.
2. I wouldn't assume it's permanent. They are learning the double-edged sword of the platform, though. We'll see if a company that seems to really be pushing appealing to the social media crowd makes adjustments based on how that angle was received.
3. Wow there's no way I'm topping that one.
4. Let's just say things are going to be tougher for them with NXT, AEW, and NJPW competing for the same talent and audience.
5. I'm not even remotely qualified to answer this one. I love Undertaker, Stone Cold, and C.M. Punk's themes though.
More wrestling coming up.
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Interviews with Austin/Rhea/Dana, MLW debut set, ROH roster updates, ROH title defense set, Supercard plan update, assorted wrestling press, big AEW sellout, new Impact event set, NWA sellout, another Scurll booking, Smackdown backstage names, NXT tapes in 205 Live's place, MSG ticket sale, Regal event set, NJPW titleholder at Dynamite, free NJPW stream, Cornette suing over T-shirt, XFL confusion?, Riley in-ring return set, Smackdown taping set, and Smackdown dark match
Stone Cold discussed what WWE is missing in 2019. Both sides made good points there. I think Raw in particular is improving in the spontaneity/unpredictability department, but progress can still be made.
MLW announced Erick Stevens will debut January 11.
Flamita's ROH contract is for multiple years. He's got an opportunity to build himself there.
Shane Taylor and ROH are still in negotations for him to remain. His contract ends at the end of the year.
Rey Horus is set to be used more in ROH. Good to see fresh names there.
ROH's January 11 and January 12 events will feature former Impact star Andrew Everett. He's local to the area, so I wouldn't assume that means he's signed.
- Nicole Savoy and Master & Machine will compete on those shows as well
Dragon Lee will defend the ROH Television Championship at ROH's January 11 event.
ROH is looking at using Crowbar more going forward.
ROH is interested in using Bullet Club members going into Supercard. The Guerrillas of Destiny are likely candidates. So Supercard could feature some NJPW names. I wouldn't assume it will be a joint show like 2019's event was, though.
Rhea Ripley spoke to PWInsider after becoming NXT Women's Champion.
WWE Network showcased some Star Wars related content. Smart.
AEW Revolution sold out within an hour. While that's very, very impressive, we're definitely at a point now where I can't help but think a significant number of those tickets won't be resold. I'm sure there will still be a sizable crowd, though.
Impact has added a January 11 Twitch event in Texas called Arlington Brawl. This is the day before Hard to Kill.
- Notably MLW has a show in the same market that evening. Impact has disallowed David Sahadi from working the latter show. That sucks.
NWA Hard Times has sold out.
Marty Scurll and Flip Gordon are booked for NEW's January 25 event. Whatever Scurll's more permanent moves are for 2020, he's taking some independent dates while he can.
Shane McMahon and Paige were backstage at Smackdown. Maybe they were in charge of Secret Santa?
205 Live didn't have a new episode this week because NXT taped a few matches for the Christmas episode. There won't be a 205 Live episode next week either, but I don't know if that means more NXT content being taped.
- NXT taped the following:
-- Isaiah Scott vs. Jack Gallagher
-- Dominik Dijakovic vs. Bronson Reed
-- Keith Lee and Lio Rush vs. Damian Priest and Tony Nese
WWE's December 26 Madison Square Garden Show has a 25% off sale. That's a pretty significant discount.
Dana Brooke spoke to Sports Illustrated:
- A five-year deal is big for anyone. That's a significant commitment.
- Unsurprisingly she's preparing for life after being Dana Brooke. That's wise.
WWE 2K20 released its Wasteland Warriors expansion.
WWE's KFC integration was covered. It's a pretty interesting situation.
William Regal is set for a spoken word show in the UK January 11. That's a natural fit for him.
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville got press before Smackdown related to their food show. They've made a niche for themselves with that content.
NJPW United States Champion Lance Archer was backstage at Dynamite this week. He's local to the area. I would think NJPW has him under an exclusive deal as far as that company's concerned.
NJPW's December 20 event is a free upload on New Japan World. Good way to get people hooked before Wrestle Kingdom.
Jim Cornette is suing a T-shirt maker for making an expletive shirt with his likeness. He could have a point there, but people are going to interpret it as him being soft. It would be pretty amusing if he ended up owning and selling the design himself.
The XFL could have some competition as the former Lingerie Football League is rebranding itself as the Extreme Football League. We'll see if any lawsuits result.
The former Alex Riley is booked for a WrestleMania week show from Generation Championship Wrestling. Other than a match in March, it looks like his first wrestling booking since April 2016. We'll see if it's just a one-time thing or if he gets more work.
Smackdown will tape in New York again on March 2.
Before Smackdown, Lince Dorado defeated Drew Gulak.
MLW announced Erick Stevens will debut January 11.
Flamita's ROH contract is for multiple years. He's got an opportunity to build himself there.
Shane Taylor and ROH are still in negotations for him to remain. His contract ends at the end of the year.
Rey Horus is set to be used more in ROH. Good to see fresh names there.
ROH's January 11 and January 12 events will feature former Impact star Andrew Everett. He's local to the area, so I wouldn't assume that means he's signed.
- Nicole Savoy and Master & Machine will compete on those shows as well
Dragon Lee will defend the ROH Television Championship at ROH's January 11 event.
ROH is looking at using Crowbar more going forward.
ROH is interested in using Bullet Club members going into Supercard. The Guerrillas of Destiny are likely candidates. So Supercard could feature some NJPW names. I wouldn't assume it will be a joint show like 2019's event was, though.
Rhea Ripley spoke to PWInsider after becoming NXT Women's Champion.
WWE Network showcased some Star Wars related content. Smart.
AEW Revolution sold out within an hour. While that's very, very impressive, we're definitely at a point now where I can't help but think a significant number of those tickets won't be resold. I'm sure there will still be a sizable crowd, though.
Impact has added a January 11 Twitch event in Texas called Arlington Brawl. This is the day before Hard to Kill.
- Notably MLW has a show in the same market that evening. Impact has disallowed David Sahadi from working the latter show. That sucks.
NWA Hard Times has sold out.
Marty Scurll and Flip Gordon are booked for NEW's January 25 event. Whatever Scurll's more permanent moves are for 2020, he's taking some independent dates while he can.
Shane McMahon and Paige were backstage at Smackdown. Maybe they were in charge of Secret Santa?
205 Live didn't have a new episode this week because NXT taped a few matches for the Christmas episode. There won't be a 205 Live episode next week either, but I don't know if that means more NXT content being taped.
- NXT taped the following:
-- Isaiah Scott vs. Jack Gallagher
-- Dominik Dijakovic vs. Bronson Reed
-- Keith Lee and Lio Rush vs. Damian Priest and Tony Nese
WWE's December 26 Madison Square Garden Show has a 25% off sale. That's a pretty significant discount.
Dana Brooke spoke to Sports Illustrated:
- A five-year deal is big for anyone. That's a significant commitment.
- Unsurprisingly she's preparing for life after being Dana Brooke. That's wise.
WWE 2K20 released its Wasteland Warriors expansion.
WWE's KFC integration was covered. It's a pretty interesting situation.
William Regal is set for a spoken word show in the UK January 11. That's a natural fit for him.
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville got press before Smackdown related to their food show. They've made a niche for themselves with that content.
NJPW United States Champion Lance Archer was backstage at Dynamite this week. He's local to the area. I would think NJPW has him under an exclusive deal as far as that company's concerned.
NJPW's December 20 event is a free upload on New Japan World. Good way to get people hooked before Wrestle Kingdom.
Jim Cornette is suing a T-shirt maker for making an expletive shirt with his likeness. He could have a point there, but people are going to interpret it as him being soft. It would be pretty amusing if he ended up owning and selling the design himself.
The XFL could have some competition as the former Lingerie Football League is rebranding itself as the Extreme Football League. We'll see if any lawsuits result.
The former Alex Riley is booked for a WrestleMania week show from Generation Championship Wrestling. Other than a match in March, it looks like his first wrestling booking since April 2016. We'll see if it's just a one-time thing or if he gets more work.
Smackdown will tape in New York again on March 2.
Before Smackdown, Lince Dorado defeated Drew Gulak.
Friday Night Smackdown Reax - 12/20/19
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Friday Night Smackdown.
Friday, December 20, 2019
Kane on podcast, Ripley honored, Edge movie role, Impact hits social media milestone, AEW women's title match set, NJPW return result, NJPW stipulation update, 205 star welcomes child, Impact alum set for MMA, NXT+Dynamite+WWE 24 audiences, NXT back on the air in Europe, Roman wrestling NYE, Kross booked for TV taping, TLC attendance, ROH attendance, Vincent update, Colt's plans, Sin Cara name change update, lucha name out of the hospital, another AAA success, Dragon Lee updates, WK14 start time note, WK14 promotion, lucha update, Walter-wXw update, more on AEW names working MLW, Rhodes plans AEW school, AEW-WrestleCon note, AEW audience, Cain's next WWE date, Revival plans, Catanzaro update, and a Raw segment set
Kane spoke on WWE's "After The Bell" podcast, indicating he wants to have another Brothers of Destruction tag team match. I wouldn't be shocked to see it in Saudi Arabia at some point.
Rhea Ripley got the customary Triple H picture after winning the NXT Women's Championship. She's going places.
Edge is set for an indie movie called "Money Plane" with Kelsey Grammer, Thomas Jane, and Denise Richards. Interesting cast!
Impact has passed three million YouTube subscribers. They streamed Destination X 2012 as a thank you.
Dynamite's December 1 episode has added Riho vs. Kris Statlander for the AEW Women's Championship. I don't think I'd object to a title change there if Kris can be a regular. I like Riho but she's an absentee champion.
NJPW's Hiromu Takahashi returned to the ring yesterday, teaming with BUSHI in a loss to Will Ospreay and Robbie Eagles. A little surprising that he lost in his return, but the story is that he had ring rust from the long injury. Makes sense. This event sold out with nearly 1,700 fans.
NJPW's Texas Death Match between Lance Archer and Jon Moxley will only be won via a ten-count knockout or a submission. In other words, no disqualifications. That could really be a spectacle.
Sunil Singh's wife recently gave birth. Cool moment for the former 24/7 Champion.
Former Impact star Apolo's MMA debut is set for Combate Americas' January 25 Puerto Rico show.
NXT drew 795,000 viewers this week, a slight growth from last week. Given the coverage of impeachment proceedings, that's got to be considered a strong number.
Dynamite drew 683,000 viewers this week, notably down from last week. Considering the show had Chris Jericho in action in a match advertised two weeks in advance, that's not a great sign. With the show off next week, there could be some tough weeks to start off 2020. That said, I wouldn't read too much into this unless it becomes a trend of pulling less than 700,000.
Becky Lynch's WWE 24 special drew 420,000 viewers.
NXT is back to airing in France for the first time since 2014. It will air every Saturday. Good to see the show grow internationally.
Roman Reigns will compete on Fox's New Year's Eve special. That's a clever idea.
Killer Kross is booked for MLW's February 1 TV taping. Glad he's getting to show what he can do again.
WWE TLC drew 8,500 fans, which isn't an amazing number for the market.
Final Battle drew 1,000 fans, a sellout for the tickets they put on sale. That's not bad at all for ROH these days. That said, they drew 1,200 fans in the same venue for Best in the World, and that's low for what Final Battle usually draws.
Vincent's ROH stable is expected to expand. I'm curious how that will work.
Colt Cabana is looking to do more NJPW dates as they expand their U.S. touring. That makes sense.
Sin Cara might not be able to be Cinta de Oro in Mexico, as the original Cinta's ex-girlfriend is claiming legal rights to that ring name. We'll see if/how that changes things for him there.
La Parka is out of the hospital. Very good to hear.
TripleMania Regia broke AAA's record for one-day merchandise sales. That's very impressive with the company's long history.
Ryu Lee isn't expected to wrestle in AAA again after signing with NJPW. He's interested in working AAA more, but would need NJPW's permission, and that isn't likely to come given their relationship with CMLL.
Wrestle Kingdom 14 will start an hour earlier each night with the addition of the latest matches. It's going to be a big two-day stretch for NJPW fans.
Kazuchika Okada is appearing on a morning talk show to promote WK14. Cool to see.
Mexico's Tijuana lucha commissioner has been replaced. It appears the regulations he was pushing for have left with him.
Walter is no longer head of wXw's training school due to his WWE commitments. Avalanche is replacing him.
AEW approved OWE's Strong Hearts working in MLW. Glad the two sides are working together.
Final Battle Fallout drew 350 fans. That's very low for that market.
Rush and Dragon Lee missed Final Battle Fallout due to Lee getting married.
Dustin Rhodes wants to run an AEW wrestling academy in Texas. That's certainly a good goal.
WrestleCon will feature AEW talents, but not in wrestling roles. AEW doesn't want to be seen as piggybacking WrestleMania weekend. That presumably makes an NJPW and/or ROH event that weekend a more viable option.
Dynamite drew 3,100 fans this week, AEW's lowest audience by a significant margin. It's fair to wonder if the product is cooling off.
Cain Velasquez is booked for Royal Rumble. I'm skeptical on that direction if he needs surgery.
The Revival's WWE contracts end in a few months. Dash Wilder's tripping spot on Smackdown was intentional, as the current plan is to change the team's direction in case they look to leave. I'm curious how strong of an option AEW looks now compared to when they first wanted out of their deals.
NXT's Kacy Catanzaro is still under contract. It looks like she's still considering her future in the ring.
Raw has added Bobby Lashley and Lana getting married. They're moving pretty fast!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Rhea Ripley got the customary Triple H picture after winning the NXT Women's Championship. She's going places.
Edge is set for an indie movie called "Money Plane" with Kelsey Grammer, Thomas Jane, and Denise Richards. Interesting cast!
Impact has passed three million YouTube subscribers. They streamed Destination X 2012 as a thank you.
Dynamite's December 1 episode has added Riho vs. Kris Statlander for the AEW Women's Championship. I don't think I'd object to a title change there if Kris can be a regular. I like Riho but she's an absentee champion.
NJPW's Hiromu Takahashi returned to the ring yesterday, teaming with BUSHI in a loss to Will Ospreay and Robbie Eagles. A little surprising that he lost in his return, but the story is that he had ring rust from the long injury. Makes sense. This event sold out with nearly 1,700 fans.
NJPW's Texas Death Match between Lance Archer and Jon Moxley will only be won via a ten-count knockout or a submission. In other words, no disqualifications. That could really be a spectacle.
Sunil Singh's wife recently gave birth. Cool moment for the former 24/7 Champion.
Former Impact star Apolo's MMA debut is set for Combate Americas' January 25 Puerto Rico show.
NXT drew 795,000 viewers this week, a slight growth from last week. Given the coverage of impeachment proceedings, that's got to be considered a strong number.
Dynamite drew 683,000 viewers this week, notably down from last week. Considering the show had Chris Jericho in action in a match advertised two weeks in advance, that's not a great sign. With the show off next week, there could be some tough weeks to start off 2020. That said, I wouldn't read too much into this unless it becomes a trend of pulling less than 700,000.
Becky Lynch's WWE 24 special drew 420,000 viewers.
NXT is back to airing in France for the first time since 2014. It will air every Saturday. Good to see the show grow internationally.
Roman Reigns will compete on Fox's New Year's Eve special. That's a clever idea.
Killer Kross is booked for MLW's February 1 TV taping. Glad he's getting to show what he can do again.
WWE TLC drew 8,500 fans, which isn't an amazing number for the market.
Final Battle drew 1,000 fans, a sellout for the tickets they put on sale. That's not bad at all for ROH these days. That said, they drew 1,200 fans in the same venue for Best in the World, and that's low for what Final Battle usually draws.
Vincent's ROH stable is expected to expand. I'm curious how that will work.
Colt Cabana is looking to do more NJPW dates as they expand their U.S. touring. That makes sense.
Sin Cara might not be able to be Cinta de Oro in Mexico, as the original Cinta's ex-girlfriend is claiming legal rights to that ring name. We'll see if/how that changes things for him there.
La Parka is out of the hospital. Very good to hear.
TripleMania Regia broke AAA's record for one-day merchandise sales. That's very impressive with the company's long history.
Ryu Lee isn't expected to wrestle in AAA again after signing with NJPW. He's interested in working AAA more, but would need NJPW's permission, and that isn't likely to come given their relationship with CMLL.
Wrestle Kingdom 14 will start an hour earlier each night with the addition of the latest matches. It's going to be a big two-day stretch for NJPW fans.
Kazuchika Okada is appearing on a morning talk show to promote WK14. Cool to see.
Mexico's Tijuana lucha commissioner has been replaced. It appears the regulations he was pushing for have left with him.
Walter is no longer head of wXw's training school due to his WWE commitments. Avalanche is replacing him.
AEW approved OWE's Strong Hearts working in MLW. Glad the two sides are working together.
Final Battle Fallout drew 350 fans. That's very low for that market.
Rush and Dragon Lee missed Final Battle Fallout due to Lee getting married.
Dustin Rhodes wants to run an AEW wrestling academy in Texas. That's certainly a good goal.
WrestleCon will feature AEW talents, but not in wrestling roles. AEW doesn't want to be seen as piggybacking WrestleMania weekend. That presumably makes an NJPW and/or ROH event that weekend a more viable option.
Dynamite drew 3,100 fans this week, AEW's lowest audience by a significant margin. It's fair to wonder if the product is cooling off.
Cain Velasquez is booked for Royal Rumble. I'm skeptical on that direction if he needs surgery.
The Revival's WWE contracts end in a few months. Dash Wilder's tripping spot on Smackdown was intentional, as the current plan is to change the team's direction in case they look to leave. I'm curious how strong of an option AEW looks now compared to when they first wanted out of their deals.
NXT's Kacy Catanzaro is still under contract. It looks like she's still considering her future in the ring.
Raw has added Bobby Lashley and Lana getting married. They're moving pretty fast!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Japanese legend in Olympic ceremony, Mauro T-shirt, more AAA-MLW, Raw match set, Interviews with Tito/Keith/Stephanie/Rey/Cody/JR, AEW signing, AEW podcast in the works, Impact PPV matches, Backstage audience, Impact star granted release, Uso DUI update, recent ROH name at AEW, Cody responds to NWA PPV name, Steiner vs. Cage set, AEW's first announced 2020 match, NXT dark matches, Khan hits a stunner and other off-air notes, and Questions on WWE talents going to AEW, death matches, not pushing McIntyre, and a lack of storytelling in wrestling
The Great Muta will be in 2020 Olympics as a torchbearer, just as Kazuchika Okada will be. Very cool to see.
Mauro Ranallo has an official WWE T-shirt. We're in strange times.
AAA's Aerostar, Drago, Puma King, and Taurus are booked for MLW's January 11 event.
Raw has added Randy Orton and The Viking Raiders vs. The OC. That could really be good.
Tito Santana discussed his book and more on "Wrestling With History." Here are highlights.
AEW had a signing before Dynamite with Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, Private Party, and Kris Statlander.
AEW is getting a podcast in 2020, hosted by Tony Schiavone. Interesting move. We'll see how much demand there is for that content. I'd think there wouldn't be but so much to talk about and it would overlap with Chris Jericho's work.
Hard To Kill has officially added Ken Shamrock vs. Madman Fulton and Moose vs. Rhino.
Keith Lee spoke to New York Post before NXT. I'm very glad he made it in WWE, and I hope bigger things are coming.
Stephanie McMahon spoke in the UK. She was very much in PR mode there.
WWE Backstage drew 95,000 viewers this week. The show's kind of meandering, ratings-wise.
Killer Kross and Impact have officially parted ways, allowing Kross to pursue work elsewhere. This has been something Kross has been working toward for months. I'm curious what got the company to finally let him out of his deal.
- Kross released a teaser video after the news broke.
Jimmy Uso has been declared not guilty for his July 25 DUI. He had refused to take a breathalyzer test without a lawyer present. I'm glad he's been cleared, and I hope things improve for him going forward.
Colt Cabana worked AEW Dark as a commentator. I'm all for him appearing there more regularly.
Rey Mysterio discussed Dominik wrestling. I'm curious how his in-ring career will be handles.
Cody responded to NWA naming their next PPV "Hard Times." Glad he's viewing it positively.
Cody had a long interview in the UK:
- AEW would definitely get joked at the expense of "Royal Flush."
- I fully expect more markets for AEW events in 2020.
- I like the thought process of PPV locations. It's something they've put real thought into.
- It's a VERY interesting balancing act to be booker and talent.
- It's amazing that they have such a long-term game plan.
- I honestly think a lot of people are happy for both parties hitting certain ratings milestones.
- I would love to see Brodie in AEW.
- Haha pretty obviously hinting about Marty's future.
- I loved the Cody/Sandow feud. I definitely think Cody could have been a top champion off MITB.
Jim Ross is on the latest Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast.
WrestleCon's Ethan Page's Body Guy Extravaganza will be headlined by Scott Steiner vs. Brian Cage in a "Three Stages of Hell" match. The first fall will be a live debate, the second fall will be a pose off, and the third fall, if needed, will be a match with Ethan Page as the referee. That's amazing.
Dynamite's January 1 episode will feature Cody vs. Darby Allin. I like how this has been built.
Before NXT (these matches might air next week):
- Candice LaRae defeated Taynara
- Bianca Belair defeated Santana Garrett
After Dynamite, Shawn Spears competed in the main event of AEW Dark. He was the victim of a number of stunners as babyfaces had a beer bash. AEW owner Tony Khan concluded 2019 by hitting a stunner of his own on Spears. The show was in Texas on Steve Austin's birthday, and this was a fun way to celebrate that. Honestly with how 2019 has gone for AEW, I'm fine with Khan having a moment like that in front of the live crowd.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That's very talent-specific. If I was a younger, low-level star whose career was mostly doing dark matches and live events and that didn't look to be changing (say, a Tyler Breeze or Bo Dallas), it would be worth serious consideration to take my career to another level. If I was a former U.S. or Intercontinental Champion who gets regular TV time, that's a more difficult sell.
2. So I like some craziness here and there but not a match that's just two people beating the hell out of each other with every dangerous thing they can find. That feels sadistic. There's an art to making weapon use matter.
3. Certainly they can on a larger scale than they could see his previous work in that style.
4. It's possible Vince still sees him as the talent he was during his previous WWE run, which limits Vince's desire to push him. That's all I can think of other than the Scottish accent.
5. Honestly it's significantly easier to throw two people out there cold to do impressive athletic displays than build a character-driven feud, and a lot of fans and workers feel that it's wasting time to have obviously fake issues between talents who are going to cooperate to do a lot of stunts. For the record, I think AEW integrates its characters and angles together well. It's just that most of the characters aren't really fleshed out.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Mauro Ranallo has an official WWE T-shirt. We're in strange times.
AAA's Aerostar, Drago, Puma King, and Taurus are booked for MLW's January 11 event.
Raw has added Randy Orton and The Viking Raiders vs. The OC. That could really be good.
Tito Santana discussed his book and more on "Wrestling With History." Here are highlights.
AEW had a signing before Dynamite with Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, Private Party, and Kris Statlander.
AEW is getting a podcast in 2020, hosted by Tony Schiavone. Interesting move. We'll see how much demand there is for that content. I'd think there wouldn't be but so much to talk about and it would overlap with Chris Jericho's work.
Hard To Kill has officially added Ken Shamrock vs. Madman Fulton and Moose vs. Rhino.
Keith Lee spoke to New York Post before NXT. I'm very glad he made it in WWE, and I hope bigger things are coming.
Stephanie McMahon spoke in the UK. She was very much in PR mode there.
WWE Backstage drew 95,000 viewers this week. The show's kind of meandering, ratings-wise.
Killer Kross and Impact have officially parted ways, allowing Kross to pursue work elsewhere. This has been something Kross has been working toward for months. I'm curious what got the company to finally let him out of his deal.
- Kross released a teaser video after the news broke.
Jimmy Uso has been declared not guilty for his July 25 DUI. He had refused to take a breathalyzer test without a lawyer present. I'm glad he's been cleared, and I hope things improve for him going forward.
Colt Cabana worked AEW Dark as a commentator. I'm all for him appearing there more regularly.
Rey Mysterio discussed Dominik wrestling. I'm curious how his in-ring career will be handles.
Cody responded to NWA naming their next PPV "Hard Times." Glad he's viewing it positively.
Cody had a long interview in the UK:
- AEW would definitely get joked at the expense of "Royal Flush."
- I fully expect more markets for AEW events in 2020.
- I like the thought process of PPV locations. It's something they've put real thought into.
- It's a VERY interesting balancing act to be booker and talent.
- It's amazing that they have such a long-term game plan.
- I honestly think a lot of people are happy for both parties hitting certain ratings milestones.
- I would love to see Brodie in AEW.
- Haha pretty obviously hinting about Marty's future.
- I loved the Cody/Sandow feud. I definitely think Cody could have been a top champion off MITB.
Jim Ross is on the latest Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast.
WrestleCon's Ethan Page's Body Guy Extravaganza will be headlined by Scott Steiner vs. Brian Cage in a "Three Stages of Hell" match. The first fall will be a live debate, the second fall will be a pose off, and the third fall, if needed, will be a match with Ethan Page as the referee. That's amazing.
Dynamite's January 1 episode will feature Cody vs. Darby Allin. I like how this has been built.
Before NXT (these matches might air next week):
- Candice LaRae defeated Taynara
- Bianca Belair defeated Santana Garrett
After Dynamite, Shawn Spears competed in the main event of AEW Dark. He was the victim of a number of stunners as babyfaces had a beer bash. AEW owner Tony Khan concluded 2019 by hitting a stunner of his own on Spears. The show was in Texas on Steve Austin's birthday, and this was a fun way to celebrate that. Honestly with how 2019 has gone for AEW, I'm fine with Khan having a moment like that in front of the live crowd.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That's very talent-specific. If I was a younger, low-level star whose career was mostly doing dark matches and live events and that didn't look to be changing (say, a Tyler Breeze or Bo Dallas), it would be worth serious consideration to take my career to another level. If I was a former U.S. or Intercontinental Champion who gets regular TV time, that's a more difficult sell.
2. So I like some craziness here and there but not a match that's just two people beating the hell out of each other with every dangerous thing they can find. That feels sadistic. There's an art to making weapon use matter.
3. Certainly they can on a larger scale than they could see his previous work in that style.
4. It's possible Vince still sees him as the talent he was during his previous WWE run, which limits Vince's desire to push him. That's all I can think of other than the Scottish accent.
5. Honestly it's significantly easier to throw two people out there cold to do impressive athletic displays than build a character-driven feud, and a lot of fans and workers feel that it's wasting time to have obviously fake issues between talents who are going to cooperate to do a lot of stunts. For the record, I think AEW integrates its characters and angles together well. It's just that most of the characters aren't really fleshed out.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Kairi updates, more TLC notes, Sin Cara's new name and post-WWE update, Impact+AAA joint shows coming, Impact announcer signs new deal, holiday videos, WWE planning next podcast, top NJPW star in Olympics, Interview with Bayley, Raw audience, NXT special on YouTube, Smothers dealing with cancer, more WWE names sign long deals, and Questions on contrasting The Fiend and The Demon, Lashley's attraction to Lana, Austin coming along in 2019, AEW matches looking choreographed, and Bryan in the Rumble match
Kairi Sane is being kept out of the ring after TLC due to concussion concerns. She is no longer scheduled to wrestle at the final live events of the year despite assuring others she feels fine. The December 26 Madison Square Garden show now has Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka in a steel cage match. I hope Kairi comes out of this well.
TLC's KFC "fans" were local independent wrestlers. That was a silly but fun segment.
Sin Cara is now wrestling as Cinta de Oro, a name used with permission from the late previous star's family. He is telling promoters he doesn't have a no-compete clause from his WWE release and is currently available to be booked.
WWE Creative team member Chris DeJoseph was at TLC.
Impact and AAA are running Mexico together on January 17 and January 18. These will presumably be TV tapings following up Hard to Kill.
Impact has signed Josh Mathews to a new deal. His position there is pretty secure.
WWE released their annual holiday video. Pheeeeeew. That was bad.
WWE is planning another podcast, which is expected to have a female lead. Hmmm... Alexa Bliss? Renee Young?
NJPW's Kazuchika Okada will be an Olympic torch runner. That's really cool! Glad to see the country support him.
Bayley promoted Friday Night Smackdown. Glad to see her feeling revitalized.
Diamond Dallas Page made a Christmas video. Wow. A lot of work went into that.
Raw drew 2.06 million viewers for the night after TLC, down from the previous week. As much as I like Paul Heyman's direction, if this continues through WrestleMania season, it's time to reconsider his position.
NXT's Prime Target special for Shayna Baszler vs. Rhea Ripley has been uploaded to YouTube. Not a bad move to theoretically get people to watch more similar content on WWE Network.
Tracy Smothers is dealing with lymphoma cancer. That's sad to hear. Wishing him the best.
New Day's other members have also signed five-year deals with WWE, reportedly as a group with Kofi with all three men getting identical terms. That's very interesting considering each man's tenure. Hopefully this means bigger things for the two men who haven't been WWE Champion, although I think they should have different roles than Kofi has had.
The Street Profits have signed multi-year WWE deals. Glad to see it. I hope they can make some momentum.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. As we saw at TLC, Bray and The Fiend are two different entities, so why wouldn't they both be able to act independently of each other? Even if that weren't the case, the story is that Bray's so warped and twisted he can switch at any time. Finn, in contrast, is relatively sane and has to be in a really deep, dark place to let that side of him take over (or in Saudi Arabia).
2. Because Lashley's a force of destruction and turned on by a dangerous woman. And, a lot of people would put up with a lot of issues to be with a woman who looks like Lana.
3. I could see him building something for himself outside of WWE and WWE giving him more leeway as a result. If he was as fired up as he was when did come along, I think he'd be pretty successful. Honestly the bigger question is how he would stand out in a world of routine Canadian Destroyers, suicide dives, and apron bumps.
4. Oh absolutely. That's the case for a lot of wrestling now. The mindset is since everyone knows it's fake anyway, you might as well take every possible advantage to plan things out perfectly, as is done in other scripted media (movies, TV). It's all about the spectacle and the stunts.
5. Daniel Bryan the character should be so focused on The Fiend that, unless the Rumble takes place after his title match, it's not even on his mind to enter. This isn't just about the title; it's personal. Now, if The Fiend escapes with the title and Bryan is determined to pull a Becky Lynch, that can work to set up a WrestleMania rematch.
More wrestling tomorrow.
TLC's KFC "fans" were local independent wrestlers. That was a silly but fun segment.
Sin Cara is now wrestling as Cinta de Oro, a name used with permission from the late previous star's family. He is telling promoters he doesn't have a no-compete clause from his WWE release and is currently available to be booked.
WWE Creative team member Chris DeJoseph was at TLC.
Impact and AAA are running Mexico together on January 17 and January 18. These will presumably be TV tapings following up Hard to Kill.
Impact has signed Josh Mathews to a new deal. His position there is pretty secure.
WWE released their annual holiday video. Pheeeeeew. That was bad.
WWE is planning another podcast, which is expected to have a female lead. Hmmm... Alexa Bliss? Renee Young?
NJPW's Kazuchika Okada will be an Olympic torch runner. That's really cool! Glad to see the country support him.
Bayley promoted Friday Night Smackdown. Glad to see her feeling revitalized.
Diamond Dallas Page made a Christmas video. Wow. A lot of work went into that.
Raw drew 2.06 million viewers for the night after TLC, down from the previous week. As much as I like Paul Heyman's direction, if this continues through WrestleMania season, it's time to reconsider his position.
NXT's Prime Target special for Shayna Baszler vs. Rhea Ripley has been uploaded to YouTube. Not a bad move to theoretically get people to watch more similar content on WWE Network.
Tracy Smothers is dealing with lymphoma cancer. That's sad to hear. Wishing him the best.
New Day's other members have also signed five-year deals with WWE, reportedly as a group with Kofi with all three men getting identical terms. That's very interesting considering each man's tenure. Hopefully this means bigger things for the two men who haven't been WWE Champion, although I think they should have different roles than Kofi has had.
The Street Profits have signed multi-year WWE deals. Glad to see it. I hope they can make some momentum.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. As we saw at TLC, Bray and The Fiend are two different entities, so why wouldn't they both be able to act independently of each other? Even if that weren't the case, the story is that Bray's so warped and twisted he can switch at any time. Finn, in contrast, is relatively sane and has to be in a really deep, dark place to let that side of him take over (or in Saudi Arabia).
2. Because Lashley's a force of destruction and turned on by a dangerous woman. And, a lot of people would put up with a lot of issues to be with a woman who looks like Lana.
3. I could see him building something for himself outside of WWE and WWE giving him more leeway as a result. If he was as fired up as he was when did come along, I think he'd be pretty successful. Honestly the bigger question is how he would stand out in a world of routine Canadian Destroyers, suicide dives, and apron bumps.
4. Oh absolutely. That's the case for a lot of wrestling now. The mindset is since everyone knows it's fake anyway, you might as well take every possible advantage to plan things out perfectly, as is done in other scripted media (movies, TV). It's all about the spectacle and the stunts.
5. Daniel Bryan the character should be so focused on The Fiend that, unless the Rumble takes place after his title match, it's not even on his mind to enter. This isn't just about the title; it's personal. Now, if The Fiend escapes with the title and Bryan is determined to pull a Becky Lynch, that can work to set up a WrestleMania rematch.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Former WWE Champion re-signs, Network adds episodes, WWE HoFer responds to Revival, Interviews with Bellas, WK14 on FITE, Primo defends Wellness failure, AEW ticket milestone, Scurll-NWA update, NXT and Dynamite make big plays, more Dynamites set, WWE Africa update, NBA team holding WWE Night, special Seth merchandise, Taz leaving radio home, top execs miss TLC, Black update, and Questions on WWE's value vs. Sinclair's, Taker's influences, Waltman in the Hall, trademarking ring names, and AEW's focus on big moves
Kofi Kingston has signed with WWE for another five years. I'm curious what that time will hold for him. He's accomplished quite a bit already.
WWE Confidential added 14 episodes to WWE Network, bringing the series up to August 9, 2003.
Stevie Ray responded to The Revival's TLC challenge. I'd totally watch that.
The Bella Twins discussed their WWE careers and more.
Wrestle Kingdom 14 will be available on FITE.TV, as well as the next night's New Year's Dash. That's big!
WWE's Primo announced he failed the company's Wellness test because he was in Puerto Rico when WWE tried to test him. Yeah that sounds like a pretty valid reason to not be able to get tested.
AEW has sold more than 100,000 live event tickets. That's very impressive for a company that new.
Marty Scurll will appear on NWA Powerrr tonight, as he was interviewed by Dave Marquez following After The Fire. It will be very interesting to see what his next moves are. Villain Enterprises are still ROH's Six-Man Tag Team Champions.
NXT this week will be commercial-free. They're really looking to prevent people from changing channels. WWE has a very deep war chest where they can take short-term hits like this in order to try to make the brand a long-term success.
- Finn Balor vs. Adam Cole for the NXT Championship will begin the show. This is a very important episode!
- This has been announced as the final Full Sail event of 2019.
Dynamite will come from Georgia on February 19 and Missouri on February 26. The former episode will be at the home of NBA's Atlanta Hawks.
NXT will have a Toys for Tots drive at Wednesday's event, specifically for wrestling action figures. That's great!
Dynamite this week will start with Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. the Lucha Bros. AEW noted it will be commercial-free, just as Cole vs. Balor will be. Both sides are bringing their A-game for the last live episodes of the year.
WWE will have a dedicated African channel as part of an extended TV deal in the region. That's pretty great.
NBA's Detroit Pistons are holding a WWE Night on February 20.
Seth Rollins got another "Iowa's Own" shirt before the recent WWE Supershow there.
Taz announced leaving his CBS Radio show after this week. His own show will continue.
Vince McMahon and Triple H were not at TLC, though Vince approved everything before the show aired. Paul Heyman handled everything on the Raw end, while Bruce Prichard handled all of Smackdown's matches and segments.
Aleister Black was not injured at TLC. There was speculation he had a broken nose.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's kind of a deceptive comparison as far as ROH is concerned, since that company gets such a small piece of Sinclair's resources. But it does explain why WWE didn't want to go to court over Supercard running Madison Square Garden.
2. Yes, it sounds like Taker just pays homage to Spoiler with Old School.
3. That was definitely an odd move given the other options and they blatantly retconned "Syxx" as the fourth member of the group, but Waltman's obviously part of the group's history and he's close with the people making the decision, so he's being included. There are better choices for which members to honor, but this is the direction they're taking.
4. It varies by the individual. Obviously Brodie Lee for Luke Harper is because he wants to use that name after WWE. It seems like Andrade wanted to protect himself from CMLL using the La Sombra name and that led to Charlotte making her own "just in case" trademarked ring name.
5. It absolutely feels like AEW is building itself on impressive, flashy moves, particularly in the tag team division. Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks would likely argue that's what made them stars in the first place, and that it provides contrast with the stereotypical WWE match formula. It will be VERY interesting to see how long that style can be sustainable, as one would think at some point certain moves will lose their specialness much as the DDT, superkick, and clothesline have. I think we're already seeing it with the shooting star press and moonsault, for instance.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE Confidential added 14 episodes to WWE Network, bringing the series up to August 9, 2003.
Stevie Ray responded to The Revival's TLC challenge. I'd totally watch that.
The Bella Twins discussed their WWE careers and more.
Wrestle Kingdom 14 will be available on FITE.TV, as well as the next night's New Year's Dash. That's big!
WWE's Primo announced he failed the company's Wellness test because he was in Puerto Rico when WWE tried to test him. Yeah that sounds like a pretty valid reason to not be able to get tested.
AEW has sold more than 100,000 live event tickets. That's very impressive for a company that new.
Marty Scurll will appear on NWA Powerrr tonight, as he was interviewed by Dave Marquez following After The Fire. It will be very interesting to see what his next moves are. Villain Enterprises are still ROH's Six-Man Tag Team Champions.
NXT this week will be commercial-free. They're really looking to prevent people from changing channels. WWE has a very deep war chest where they can take short-term hits like this in order to try to make the brand a long-term success.
- Finn Balor vs. Adam Cole for the NXT Championship will begin the show. This is a very important episode!
- This has been announced as the final Full Sail event of 2019.
Dynamite will come from Georgia on February 19 and Missouri on February 26. The former episode will be at the home of NBA's Atlanta Hawks.
NXT will have a Toys for Tots drive at Wednesday's event, specifically for wrestling action figures. That's great!
Dynamite this week will start with Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. the Lucha Bros. AEW noted it will be commercial-free, just as Cole vs. Balor will be. Both sides are bringing their A-game for the last live episodes of the year.
WWE will have a dedicated African channel as part of an extended TV deal in the region. That's pretty great.
NBA's Detroit Pistons are holding a WWE Night on February 20.
Seth Rollins got another "Iowa's Own" shirt before the recent WWE Supershow there.
Taz announced leaving his CBS Radio show after this week. His own show will continue.
Vince McMahon and Triple H were not at TLC, though Vince approved everything before the show aired. Paul Heyman handled everything on the Raw end, while Bruce Prichard handled all of Smackdown's matches and segments.
Aleister Black was not injured at TLC. There was speculation he had a broken nose.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's kind of a deceptive comparison as far as ROH is concerned, since that company gets such a small piece of Sinclair's resources. But it does explain why WWE didn't want to go to court over Supercard running Madison Square Garden.
2. Yes, it sounds like Taker just pays homage to Spoiler with Old School.
3. That was definitely an odd move given the other options and they blatantly retconned "Syxx" as the fourth member of the group, but Waltman's obviously part of the group's history and he's close with the people making the decision, so he's being included. There are better choices for which members to honor, but this is the direction they're taking.
4. It varies by the individual. Obviously Brodie Lee for Luke Harper is because he wants to use that name after WWE. It seems like Andrade wanted to protect himself from CMLL using the La Sombra name and that led to Charlotte making her own "just in case" trademarked ring name.
5. It absolutely feels like AEW is building itself on impressive, flashy moves, particularly in the tag team division. Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks would likely argue that's what made them stars in the first place, and that it provides contrast with the stereotypical WWE match formula. It will be VERY interesting to see how long that style can be sustainable, as one would think at some point certain moves will lose their specialness much as the DDT, superkick, and clothesline have. I think we're already seeing it with the shooting star press and moonsault, for instance.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Heyman responds to former UFC Champ, assorted wrestling press, Moondog passes, Eaton appreciation night draws a lot of names, Cara-AAA update, former ROH Champion getting surgery, Final Battle note, Interview with Terry Funk, latest Graves Twitter battle, and Questions on the best part of AEW, how to be a WWE host city, AEW"s lack of focus, Backstage breaking return news, and AOP sacrificing their car
Paul Heyman responded to Daniel Cormier's WWE interest. Might as well sign him too.
Lacey Evans appeared at the 2019 Hollywood Christmas Parade.
Sonya Deville spoke to E! News' "Daily Pop" about coming out.
Moondog Rex passed away at 69 years old recently.
Steve Austin, The Revival, Road Warrior Animal, Teddy Long, The Rock 'N' Roll Express, The Steiner Brothers, Nikita Koloff, Raven, and Enzo Amore sent video messages to Bobby Eaton's appreciation night in Tennessee. That's awesome.
- That card included:
-- Brian Logan winning a battle royal
-- The Barbarian losing to Jax Dane via countout
-- Bobby Fulton teaming with Brad Thomas, Ryan Dookie and Shane Williams to beat beau James, Bill Dundee, George South, and Stan Lee. Tracy Smothers was in the first team's corner.
Sin Cara used his WWE name and likeness at his AAA appearance without WWE approval. I doubt WWE will be pleased at that.
Matt Taven is undergoing ankle surgery, which explains the Vincent angle at Final Battle. Vincent suffered a broken finger in their match.
PCO and Destro drove Final Battle's hearse from Quebec to Maryland for the event. That's insane.
Terry Funk discussed his health and more. Glad to see he'll be at Wrestlecon.
Corey Graves jokingly compared Vic Joseph and Samoa Joe to Michael Cole and Taz. Taz, who wasn't even tagged in the post, responded within an hour, taking offense at the comparison. All these years later and he's still protective of his reputation.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Probably the sheer variety of styles on display. It doesn't feel like everything has to fit a mold set by someone in a board meeting. There are a lot of passionate individuals doing what they do best. I like the pioneer spirit of the talents doing their own thing to the best of their abilities.
2. Any town has to convince WWE that WWE will make a lot of money there and that the city will roll out the red carpet to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible for as many people as possible to come there for a week and open their wallets!
3. I'd like to see AEW consistently build a certain number of core talents. It's worrying that this early in the promotion's run we're already seeing seemingly important talents (Riho in particular comes to mind) forgotten about. It feels like the roster has a lot of guests coming in and out but only a few main players. As much as I've loved seeing so many people get opportunities at this stage for the first time, I expect a lot of people are overwhelmed by the sheer number of people they're being asked to keep up with.
4. In theory Backstage is the show for breaking news and commentary for those fans who want to know things before the majority of fans see them happen on Raw, Smackdown, etc. That said, I absolutely think it makes sense to put Raw and Smackdown as the most important things in WWE. Bigger than the Network. Bigger than PPVs other than a select few. TV is where their money is made and they need to build the business around that.
5. Nope. The Authors suckered him in. It was probably a rental anyway. You really think some car dealer's going to want to deal with Akam and Rezar?
More wrestling tomorrow.
Lacey Evans appeared at the 2019 Hollywood Christmas Parade.
Sonya Deville spoke to E! News' "Daily Pop" about coming out.
Moondog Rex passed away at 69 years old recently.
Steve Austin, The Revival, Road Warrior Animal, Teddy Long, The Rock 'N' Roll Express, The Steiner Brothers, Nikita Koloff, Raven, and Enzo Amore sent video messages to Bobby Eaton's appreciation night in Tennessee. That's awesome.
- That card included:
-- Brian Logan winning a battle royal
-- The Barbarian losing to Jax Dane via countout
-- Bobby Fulton teaming with Brad Thomas, Ryan Dookie and Shane Williams to beat beau James, Bill Dundee, George South, and Stan Lee. Tracy Smothers was in the first team's corner.
Sin Cara used his WWE name and likeness at his AAA appearance without WWE approval. I doubt WWE will be pleased at that.
Matt Taven is undergoing ankle surgery, which explains the Vincent angle at Final Battle. Vincent suffered a broken finger in their match.
PCO and Destro drove Final Battle's hearse from Quebec to Maryland for the event. That's insane.
Terry Funk discussed his health and more. Glad to see he'll be at Wrestlecon.
Corey Graves jokingly compared Vic Joseph and Samoa Joe to Michael Cole and Taz. Taz, who wasn't even tagged in the post, responded within an hour, taking offense at the comparison. All these years later and he's still protective of his reputation.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Probably the sheer variety of styles on display. It doesn't feel like everything has to fit a mold set by someone in a board meeting. There are a lot of passionate individuals doing what they do best. I like the pioneer spirit of the talents doing their own thing to the best of their abilities.
2. Any town has to convince WWE that WWE will make a lot of money there and that the city will roll out the red carpet to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible for as many people as possible to come there for a week and open their wallets!
3. I'd like to see AEW consistently build a certain number of core talents. It's worrying that this early in the promotion's run we're already seeing seemingly important talents (Riho in particular comes to mind) forgotten about. It feels like the roster has a lot of guests coming in and out but only a few main players. As much as I've loved seeing so many people get opportunities at this stage for the first time, I expect a lot of people are overwhelmed by the sheer number of people they're being asked to keep up with.
4. In theory Backstage is the show for breaking news and commentary for those fans who want to know things before the majority of fans see them happen on Raw, Smackdown, etc. That said, I absolutely think it makes sense to put Raw and Smackdown as the most important things in WWE. Bigger than the Network. Bigger than PPVs other than a select few. TV is where their money is made and they need to build the business around that.
5. Nope. The Authors suckered him in. It was probably a rental anyway. You really think some car dealer's going to want to deal with Akam and Rezar?
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Alberto fight viewers, assorted wrestling press, FNSD audience, ROH name finishes up, WWE producer hospitalized, WWE live event updates, NWA results, surprise Scurll move, Backstage guest, Dynamite match added, Taylor says goodbye to ROH, Cornette future note, recent WWE name appears for AAA, Future of Honor results, and Questions on Joey Ryan in AEW, Colt leaving ROH, Cornette intentionally being fired, where old WWF names are, and Warrior interviews
Alberto El Patron vs. Tito Ortiz drew 3.1 million viewers in Mexico. Combate Americas events usually draw 1.6 million, so that's very impressive. Notably the show is not believed to have done well on pay-per-view in the U.S.
Billy Corgan and Dave Lagana promoted Into The Fire on Sam Roberts' podcast, while Brian Hebner promoted it on Sean Mooney's podcast.
TLC's Watchalong is advertising Matt Hardy, Dana Brooke, Drake Maverick, Shelton Benjamin, D-Von Dudley, Shorty G, Paul Ellering, Mansoor, Rachael Evers, and the NBA's Jeff Teague.
- WWE Now before the show will have King Corbin and Buddy Murphy.
WWE Network's free tier launch got press from Yahoo! Finance.
Friday Night Smackdown drew 2.34 million viewers this week.
Colt Cabana finished with ROH at Final Battle. The two sides had agreed to part ways back in September. It sounds like a case of him choosing NJPW and NWA over remaining in ROH, where he wasn't under contract. I don't blame at all if he's able to get more regular bookings elsewhere.
Shane Helms recently went to the ER for a kidney stone. Glad he's OK.
Lacey Evans spoke about her "Military Makeover" experience.
WWE's January live events are being called the New Year's Revolution tour. Haven't seen that name used in a while.
WWE is running more Supershow live events in January and February. That should help some with attendance.
Smackdown will tour the UK from May 3 through May 8, concluding with a live Smackdown in London.
Raw will tour Germany on May 13 and May 14, followed by Spain on May 15 and France on May 16.
At NWA Into The Fire:
- Another PPV was set for January 24. That's a very quick turnaround!!!
- NWA will declare a new Television Champion at their January PPV.
- ODB made a surprise appearance to team with Allyson Kay in a win over Melina and Marti Belle.
- Colt Cabana lost the NWA National Championship to Aron Stevens, formerly Damien Sandow. This was a triple threat match that also involved Ricky Starks.
- Marty Scurll confronted Nick Aldis after Aldis retained the NWA World Championship. Notably Scurll is advertised for tonight's ROH event while NWA also has a TV taping tonight. I would be surprised if he doesn't do Final Battle Fallout before returning for Monday's NWA taping. I expect he's just doing a few NWA shots before moving elsewhere (potentially with friends). It's definitely quite the surprise to see him appear here!
Jim Ross supported Piper Niven after the revelation she has Bell's Palsy.
Alexa Bliss is set for the next WWE Backstage. We'll see if that helps ratings.
Awesome Kong will compete on Dynamite this week. I'm a little surprised she hasn't done so before now, but it made sense to introduce others in the division first.
Shane Taylor thanked fans for his ROH run, which is coming to an end at the end of December. He's advertised for tonight's event, but doesn't have an announced match.
Jim Cornette indicated he's retired from pro wrestling commentary. Realistically I don't think anyone was going to hire him any time soon.
The former Sin Cara appeared at AAA's December 14 event, saving Pagano from a heel beatdown and telling fans he'll see them in 2020. I'm a little surprised he was able to appear at all so soon after his release, since he presumably isn't allowed to wrestle there until March.
At ROH's Future of Honor event, done in conjunction with Maryland Championship Wrestling:
- Dak Draper defeated Kekoa
- Kenny King was in Amy Rose's corner as she lost to Trish Adora
- The Soldiers of Savagery defeated Sledge and Victor Benjamin
- Flip Gordon defeated Eli Isom
- Shane Taylor defeated Rayo after the latter won a battle royal. This could well be Taylor's last ROH match
- Brian Johnson won a four way match over Caprice Coleman, Dante Caballero, and Joe Keys
- The Bouncers teamed with Ken Dixon to defeat Primal Fear
- Rhett Titus retained the MCW Heavyweight Championship over Jonathan Gresham. This is particularly interesting since it's believed Rhett is done with ROH at the end of the year. Obviously he can still continue to wrestle in MCW afterward.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Ryan wanted to continue to be in charge of his own schedule/outside dates and not have to worry about potentially changing who he was for TNT. AEW and NXT were both interested.
2. Yes. Colt and ROH agreed to part ways back in September, with him finishing his duties at Final Battle.
3. I don't think so. As best as I can tell he genuinely enjoyed his time in NWA and wanted to continue there.
4. Darling's last match that I can find was in 2011, so, yeah, he's done. Crowbar is booked for Final Battle Fallout tonight, as crazy as that sounds.
5. Warrior was very much the guy he was in wrestling when he wasn't in the ring. The same energy that made him a wrestling star made him tough to be around.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Billy Corgan and Dave Lagana promoted Into The Fire on Sam Roberts' podcast, while Brian Hebner promoted it on Sean Mooney's podcast.
TLC's Watchalong is advertising Matt Hardy, Dana Brooke, Drake Maverick, Shelton Benjamin, D-Von Dudley, Shorty G, Paul Ellering, Mansoor, Rachael Evers, and the NBA's Jeff Teague.
- WWE Now before the show will have King Corbin and Buddy Murphy.
WWE Network's free tier launch got press from Yahoo! Finance.
Friday Night Smackdown drew 2.34 million viewers this week.
Colt Cabana finished with ROH at Final Battle. The two sides had agreed to part ways back in September. It sounds like a case of him choosing NJPW and NWA over remaining in ROH, where he wasn't under contract. I don't blame at all if he's able to get more regular bookings elsewhere.
Shane Helms recently went to the ER for a kidney stone. Glad he's OK.
Lacey Evans spoke about her "Military Makeover" experience.
WWE's January live events are being called the New Year's Revolution tour. Haven't seen that name used in a while.
WWE is running more Supershow live events in January and February. That should help some with attendance.
Smackdown will tour the UK from May 3 through May 8, concluding with a live Smackdown in London.
Raw will tour Germany on May 13 and May 14, followed by Spain on May 15 and France on May 16.
At NWA Into The Fire:
- Another PPV was set for January 24. That's a very quick turnaround!!!
- NWA will declare a new Television Champion at their January PPV.
- ODB made a surprise appearance to team with Allyson Kay in a win over Melina and Marti Belle.
- Colt Cabana lost the NWA National Championship to Aron Stevens, formerly Damien Sandow. This was a triple threat match that also involved Ricky Starks.
- Marty Scurll confronted Nick Aldis after Aldis retained the NWA World Championship. Notably Scurll is advertised for tonight's ROH event while NWA also has a TV taping tonight. I would be surprised if he doesn't do Final Battle Fallout before returning for Monday's NWA taping. I expect he's just doing a few NWA shots before moving elsewhere (potentially with friends). It's definitely quite the surprise to see him appear here!
Jim Ross supported Piper Niven after the revelation she has Bell's Palsy.
Alexa Bliss is set for the next WWE Backstage. We'll see if that helps ratings.
Awesome Kong will compete on Dynamite this week. I'm a little surprised she hasn't done so before now, but it made sense to introduce others in the division first.
Shane Taylor thanked fans for his ROH run, which is coming to an end at the end of December. He's advertised for tonight's event, but doesn't have an announced match.
Jim Cornette indicated he's retired from pro wrestling commentary. Realistically I don't think anyone was going to hire him any time soon.
The former Sin Cara appeared at AAA's December 14 event, saving Pagano from a heel beatdown and telling fans he'll see them in 2020. I'm a little surprised he was able to appear at all so soon after his release, since he presumably isn't allowed to wrestle there until March.
At ROH's Future of Honor event, done in conjunction with Maryland Championship Wrestling:
- Dak Draper defeated Kekoa
- Kenny King was in Amy Rose's corner as she lost to Trish Adora
- The Soldiers of Savagery defeated Sledge and Victor Benjamin
- Flip Gordon defeated Eli Isom
- Shane Taylor defeated Rayo after the latter won a battle royal. This could well be Taylor's last ROH match
- Brian Johnson won a four way match over Caprice Coleman, Dante Caballero, and Joe Keys
- The Bouncers teamed with Ken Dixon to defeat Primal Fear
- Rhett Titus retained the MCW Heavyweight Championship over Jonathan Gresham. This is particularly interesting since it's believed Rhett is done with ROH at the end of the year. Obviously he can still continue to wrestle in MCW afterward.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Ryan wanted to continue to be in charge of his own schedule/outside dates and not have to worry about potentially changing who he was for TNT. AEW and NXT were both interested.
2. Yes. Colt and ROH agreed to part ways back in September, with him finishing his duties at Final Battle.
3. I don't think so. As best as I can tell he genuinely enjoyed his time in NWA and wanted to continue there.
4. Darling's last match that I can find was in 2011, so, yeah, he's done. Crowbar is booked for Final Battle Fallout tonight, as crazy as that sounds.
5. Warrior was very much the guy he was in wrestling when he wasn't in the ring. The same energy that made him a wrestling star made him tough to be around.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Main Event Reax - 12/13/19, NXT UK star battling disease, Network adding more episodes, assorted wrestling press, RetroMania adding indie name, AJ Lee comments on return, WWE's latest social media expansion, TNT executives at AEW show, NXT injury, WWE PPV match adds stipulation, new Dynamite matches, WWE content in UK streaming package, ROH name looking for bookings, NXT live event notes, and Smackdown's dark match
-- Main Event:
- Jose vs. EY:
Silly, as expected.
Can't help but think it's time for something new from Jose.
Not bad.
- Ricochet vs. Cedric:
This could be nice.
Haha I liked the dueling handstand spots.
I like the story here.
Good work!
NXT UK's Piper Niven announced battling Bell's Palsy. That's awful. I hope it doesn't hold her back. It does sound like she's taking it in stride.
WWE Network is adding more "WWE Confidential" episodes Monday.
Kofi Kingston and Big E appeared at a Minnesota NBA game, saving the mascot from a beatdown. That's amazing.
RetroMania is doing an IndieMania contest that will result in an unsigned wrestler being added to the game. That's very clever.
AJ Lee shot down appearing on WWE Backstage or otherwise returning to wrestling.
Sheamus has a new T-shirt. That's a really good design, though it doesn't refer to him in any way. Regardless, I'm curious what he does when he returns. I kind of want to see him join or feud with the international coalition of Sami, Shinsuke, and Cesaro.
Titus O'Neil promoted a Tampa charity event.
WWE has debuted a TikTok account. I swear there's a new social media thing every six months.
TNT executives were at Dynamite this week. The show has consistently outperformed their expectations.
Fandango injured his elbow on NXT. It's unknown if he'll miss any time.
Final Battle was promoted on local billboards. Glad to see Sinclair invest in them there.
ROH stars visited a local children's hospital before Final Battle. Glad to see it.
Shane Taylor promoted Final Battle. Man, he's a trooper given the very public reports of ROH not renewing his deal. I hope other companies are paying attention.
TLC's Smackdown Tag Team Championship match is now a ladder match. Should be good, though of course it's another case of a gimmick being added to a match more or less for the sake of having one instead of a feud setting up a big blowoff.
Dynamite has added:
- Cody and Darby Allin vs. The Butcher and The Blade
- Lucha Bros vs. Kenny Omega and Hangman Page
- Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander is a number one contender's match for the AEW Women's Championship.
WWE content will be included in BT Sports' upcoming streaming service.
Cheeseburger is seeking outside bookings. I wouldn't assume that means he's leaving ROH.
At NXT's December 13 Florida live event:
- Mohamed Fahim worked his first live event since November 9, losing to Brendan Vink.
- Shane Thorne worked his first live event since October 25, losing to Kushida
Finn Balor worked his first live event since October 20 Friday night, defeating Keith Lee.
Before Friday Night Smackdown, Kalisto defeated Drew Gulak.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Jose vs. EY:
Silly, as expected.
Can't help but think it's time for something new from Jose.
Not bad.
- Ricochet vs. Cedric:
This could be nice.
Haha I liked the dueling handstand spots.
I like the story here.
Good work!
NXT UK's Piper Niven announced battling Bell's Palsy. That's awful. I hope it doesn't hold her back. It does sound like she's taking it in stride.
WWE Network is adding more "WWE Confidential" episodes Monday.
Kofi Kingston and Big E appeared at a Minnesota NBA game, saving the mascot from a beatdown. That's amazing.
RetroMania is doing an IndieMania contest that will result in an unsigned wrestler being added to the game. That's very clever.
AJ Lee shot down appearing on WWE Backstage or otherwise returning to wrestling.
Sheamus has a new T-shirt. That's a really good design, though it doesn't refer to him in any way. Regardless, I'm curious what he does when he returns. I kind of want to see him join or feud with the international coalition of Sami, Shinsuke, and Cesaro.
Titus O'Neil promoted a Tampa charity event.
WWE has debuted a TikTok account. I swear there's a new social media thing every six months.
TNT executives were at Dynamite this week. The show has consistently outperformed their expectations.
Fandango injured his elbow on NXT. It's unknown if he'll miss any time.
Final Battle was promoted on local billboards. Glad to see Sinclair invest in them there.
ROH stars visited a local children's hospital before Final Battle. Glad to see it.
Shane Taylor promoted Final Battle. Man, he's a trooper given the very public reports of ROH not renewing his deal. I hope other companies are paying attention.
TLC's Smackdown Tag Team Championship match is now a ladder match. Should be good, though of course it's another case of a gimmick being added to a match more or less for the sake of having one instead of a feud setting up a big blowoff.
Dynamite has added:
- Cody and Darby Allin vs. The Butcher and The Blade
- Lucha Bros vs. Kenny Omega and Hangman Page
- Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander is a number one contender's match for the AEW Women's Championship.
WWE content will be included in BT Sports' upcoming streaming service.
Cheeseburger is seeking outside bookings. I wouldn't assume that means he's leaving ROH.
At NXT's December 13 Florida live event:
- Mohamed Fahim worked his first live event since November 9, losing to Brendan Vink.
- Shane Thorne worked his first live event since October 25, losing to Kushida
Finn Balor worked his first live event since October 20 Friday night, defeating Keith Lee.
Before Friday Night Smackdown, Kalisto defeated Drew Gulak.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday Night Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 12/13/19
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Friday Night Smackdown and 205 Live.
Friday, December 13, 2019
Dynamite followup, special WWE podcast coming, WWE jobs open, assorted wrestling press, top AEW name works while very sick, Jericho getting more responsibilities, Teddy Hart in another wrestling crowd, WWE hire behind role, NXT Christmas update, NXT alum back at the WWEPC, another WWE24 airing next week, Tribute to the Troops broadcast note, Interview with Lana, Morrison at WWEPC, WWEPC guest coach, NXT star responds to fan chants, Dynamite/NXT/WWE 24 audiences, live event notes, CMLL interested in reconciling, new Dynamite match, CMLL robbery, Flamita Mexico update, NJPW U.S. tour note, legend set for regular MLW TV role, ROH scouting Australian star, new ROH interviewer, AEW signs another team, Dynamite attendance, Harper+Oney contract notes, more WWE releases expected, and Questions on WWE seating, AEW-C2E2, and Terri Runnels in the WWE HoF
Darby Allin indicated he helped Cody on Dynamite in order to get a rematch against him after their previous draw. I like that booking.
"After The Bell" will have New Year's special episode answering audience questions. That should be an experience.
WWE is hiring warehouse associates and apparel designers. It's unknown if the second category is related to the ACH situation.
Heavy Machinery were at the NBA's Wisconsin basketball game.
Nick Jackson worked Dynamite with a bad flu. I can't say enough about the Bucks' work ethic, in and out of the ring.
Chris Jericho is taking on a support role in AEW as far as assisting younger talents. Very, very good to see.
Teddy Hart was at Dynamite. Vintage Teddy! I'm curious what the future holds for him.
AEW had a ring mic stolen Wednesday night. That's unfortunate.
WWE Creative hire Chris DeJoseph has officially begun his new job there.
NXT will air on December 25 but will not be live. It will be VERY interesting to see how they do with no AEW competition.
Kacy Catanzaro was at the WWE Performance Center recently, so it's possible she's considering returning to NXT. I'd love to see it.
WWE 24: Becky Lynch will air after NXT on WWE Network Wednesday night. I'm curious how that will affect ratings that night.
"Tribute to the Troops" is not currently set to air on USA Network. The obvious move is to put it on WWE Network at some point, but there's no set timetable for that. Very interesting that it isn't set for any broadcast.
Lana discussed getting death threats over her current WWE angle. Wow. That's intense.
John Morrison filmed content at the WWE Performance Center ahead of his return. The Royal Rumble would be a good time to spotlight him.
Former WWE/WCW star David Taylor was a WWE Performance Center guest coach recently. Good to see.
Chelsea Green responded to fans referring to her fiancee. I don't see it stopping anytime soon, since she's not really doing anything prominent right now. Though even if she was, that audience wants to show they're clever for knowing whom she's engaged to.
David Arquette's upcoming documentary was covered by The Wrap.
Dynamite drew 778,000 viewers Wednesday night, down a little from last week.
NXT drew 778,000 viewers Wednesday night as well, also down.
WWE 24, focusing on the first Takeover: Brooklyn, drew 367,000 viewers.
"The Hundreds" is offering WWE designs. Cool to see.
Elias worked his first WWE live event since July 15 Thursday night, defeating Dolph Ziggler. Interesting booking decision, as both men are heels.
At NXT's December 12 Florida live event:
- Travis Banks worked his first live event since August 17, defeating Rinku Singh.
- Joaquin Wilde worked his first live event since June 14, losing to Raul Mendoza.
At NXT's December 12 California live event:
- Adam Cole worked his first live event since August 24, teaming with Kyle O'Reilly in a loss to Keith Lee and Matt Riddle. This was O'Reilly's first live event since October 20.
CMLL is looking to use Rush, Dragon Lee, and Bestia del Ring again, but those names have made big moves since leaving that company and don't feel the need to return.
Dynamite has added Dr. Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander. Wow, Statlander's being featured more than their champion!
CMLL had a robbery at their main venue this week, with the thieves taking the ticket revenue from Monday's event. The loss was just past $12,000 in U.S. money. That's bad to see.
Flamita has been pulled from AAA bookings due to missing TripleMania Regia. He was expected to jump to CMLL, but he wants to work AAA.
NJPW's upcoming U.S. tour will be concurrent with their New Beginning tour in Japan, so the company's top names likely won't be in the U.S.
MLW will feature Kevin Von Erich on TV a lot going forward. That's an interesting direction.
Marty Scurll is expected to finish with ROH this weekend, as he's making outside bookings. Can't say I'm surprised; I hope he can do big things elsewhere.
ROH is looking at Australia's Slex. Presumably he could be a unique attraction at a time when they really need something to put them on the map.
ROH has added Brian Zane as an interviewer.
AEW has signed Alex Reynolds and John Silver. That would explain their angle with the Dark Order.
Dynamite drew 4,700 fans this week. Not bad at all.
Luke Harper's contract was set to expire at the end of March, so the release doesn't really change much when the no-compete clause is factored in.
Oney Lorcan had stopped working in WWE after asking for his release, so his contract was being frozen before the two sides worked out a new deal.
WWE is expected to make more releases. Mike Kanellis would make sense after he publicly asked out of his deal. We'll see if anyone else is let go.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I concur here. Being outside the first few rows on the floor can make it difficult to see what's happening. Having no one in your direct sightline is preferable!
2 is a repeat.
3. A lot of AEW talents were already set to be there, and there's already a crowd, so everything fit together.
4. Definitely a chance but nothing to indicate that's coming anytime soon. I imagine others are higher on the priority list.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
"After The Bell" will have New Year's special episode answering audience questions. That should be an experience.
WWE is hiring warehouse associates and apparel designers. It's unknown if the second category is related to the ACH situation.
Heavy Machinery were at the NBA's Wisconsin basketball game.
Nick Jackson worked Dynamite with a bad flu. I can't say enough about the Bucks' work ethic, in and out of the ring.
Chris Jericho is taking on a support role in AEW as far as assisting younger talents. Very, very good to see.
Teddy Hart was at Dynamite. Vintage Teddy! I'm curious what the future holds for him.
AEW had a ring mic stolen Wednesday night. That's unfortunate.
WWE Creative hire Chris DeJoseph has officially begun his new job there.
NXT will air on December 25 but will not be live. It will be VERY interesting to see how they do with no AEW competition.
Kacy Catanzaro was at the WWE Performance Center recently, so it's possible she's considering returning to NXT. I'd love to see it.
WWE 24: Becky Lynch will air after NXT on WWE Network Wednesday night. I'm curious how that will affect ratings that night.
"Tribute to the Troops" is not currently set to air on USA Network. The obvious move is to put it on WWE Network at some point, but there's no set timetable for that. Very interesting that it isn't set for any broadcast.
Lana discussed getting death threats over her current WWE angle. Wow. That's intense.
John Morrison filmed content at the WWE Performance Center ahead of his return. The Royal Rumble would be a good time to spotlight him.
Former WWE/WCW star David Taylor was a WWE Performance Center guest coach recently. Good to see.
Chelsea Green responded to fans referring to her fiancee. I don't see it stopping anytime soon, since she's not really doing anything prominent right now. Though even if she was, that audience wants to show they're clever for knowing whom she's engaged to.
David Arquette's upcoming documentary was covered by The Wrap.
Dynamite drew 778,000 viewers Wednesday night, down a little from last week.
NXT drew 778,000 viewers Wednesday night as well, also down.
WWE 24, focusing on the first Takeover: Brooklyn, drew 367,000 viewers.
"The Hundreds" is offering WWE designs. Cool to see.
Elias worked his first WWE live event since July 15 Thursday night, defeating Dolph Ziggler. Interesting booking decision, as both men are heels.
At NXT's December 12 Florida live event:
- Travis Banks worked his first live event since August 17, defeating Rinku Singh.
- Joaquin Wilde worked his first live event since June 14, losing to Raul Mendoza.
At NXT's December 12 California live event:
- Adam Cole worked his first live event since August 24, teaming with Kyle O'Reilly in a loss to Keith Lee and Matt Riddle. This was O'Reilly's first live event since October 20.
CMLL is looking to use Rush, Dragon Lee, and Bestia del Ring again, but those names have made big moves since leaving that company and don't feel the need to return.
Dynamite has added Dr. Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander. Wow, Statlander's being featured more than their champion!
CMLL had a robbery at their main venue this week, with the thieves taking the ticket revenue from Monday's event. The loss was just past $12,000 in U.S. money. That's bad to see.
Flamita has been pulled from AAA bookings due to missing TripleMania Regia. He was expected to jump to CMLL, but he wants to work AAA.
NJPW's upcoming U.S. tour will be concurrent with their New Beginning tour in Japan, so the company's top names likely won't be in the U.S.
MLW will feature Kevin Von Erich on TV a lot going forward. That's an interesting direction.
Marty Scurll is expected to finish with ROH this weekend, as he's making outside bookings. Can't say I'm surprised; I hope he can do big things elsewhere.
ROH is looking at Australia's Slex. Presumably he could be a unique attraction at a time when they really need something to put them on the map.
ROH has added Brian Zane as an interviewer.
AEW has signed Alex Reynolds and John Silver. That would explain their angle with the Dark Order.
Dynamite drew 4,700 fans this week. Not bad at all.
Luke Harper's contract was set to expire at the end of March, so the release doesn't really change much when the no-compete clause is factored in.
Oney Lorcan had stopped working in WWE after asking for his release, so his contract was being frozen before the two sides worked out a new deal.
WWE is expected to make more releases. Mike Kanellis would make sense after he publicly asked out of his deal. We'll see if anyone else is let go.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I concur here. Being outside the first few rows on the floor can make it difficult to see what's happening. Having no one in your direct sightline is preferable!
2 is a repeat.
3. A lot of AEW talents were already set to be there, and there's already a crowd, so everything fit together.
4. Definitely a chance but nothing to indicate that's coming anytime soon. I imagine others are higher on the priority list.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, December 12, 2019
WWE charity check, next Miz & Mrs debut, new Impact PPV matches, Interviews with Dakota/PnP/Aldis, Brandi set for keynote speech, WWE TV gets high social marks, Backstage audience, WWE guests on VH1, MLW backstage hire, AEW guest commentator, AEW TV issues, NXT special coming, NXT injuries, NXT cameos, NXT guests, NXT dark matches, and Questions on wrestling production values, lack of TLC hype, animals in AEW, criminal WWE angles, and NJPW at Mania weekend
WWE presented its $400,000 Connor's Cure check at the Jimmy V Classic.
"Miz & Mrs" second season will begin January 29 following NXT.
Hard to Kill has added:
- Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin
- Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage
-- Both of those sound great.
Dakota Kai spoke to TVInsider, Bleacher/Report, and Sports Illustrated before NXT. I'm glad we're seeing something fresh from her.
Brandi Rhodes will deliver the keynote speech at the National Association of Television Program Executives' January 21 event. Tony Schiavone will also be there for a Q&A. That's a big opportunity for AEW to sell itself.
Raw and Smackdown were among Nielsen's Top 10 most social shows, by number of interactions. Raw was second, Smackdown on FOX was third, and Smackdown on USA was sixth. So it does look like the FOX move has increased interest in Smackdown to a degree.
WWE Backstage drew 127,000 viewers this week. It looks like the Punk effect has worn off.
New Day, the Usos, and Naomi will be on VH1's "Wild 'N Out" in the upcoming season.
MLW has hired Matt Ryan for various behind-the-scenes duties. He had previously worked for ROH.
Vickie Guerrero did guest commentary on AEW Dark this week. Cool to see a variety of names there.
Proud 'n' Powerful spoke to Chris Van Vliet. WWE really made a play for them.
TNT on Spectrum had a technical issue that affected Dynamite's broadcast for nearly an hour.
Nick Aldis promoted NWA on VOC Nation's "In the Room." Here are highlights. They're an interesting case study at a time when there's so much other content available to wrestling fans.
NXT will have a Prime Target special on Shayna Baszler vs. Rhea Ripley that will air Tuesday night on WWE Network. Pretty cool.
Dakota Kai got staples after her brawl with Mia Yim. Travis Banks was also busted open at NXT.
Breezango's valets on NXT were SHINE's Brandi Lauren and Avery Taylor.
Mick Foley and Noelle Foley were at NXT.
Before NXT:
- Roderick Strong defeated Austin Theory
- Shane Thorne defeated Sean Maluta
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Having a top notch production team that's aware of key moments to capture can absolutely be an asset to a televised product like wrestling. In theory Impact, AEW, etc. can define their own vision for how the product is captured as a contrast to WWE. They almost have to given the really high production values (and really high production budget to match) WWE has at its disposal.
2. WWE has found that most Network subscriptions are the weekend of the show, so they're not rushing to announce matches. I do wonder what that will mean for the live crowd deciding whether or not to buy tickets, though. WWE seems to continue to have the mindset that being a WWE PPV is the draw itself rather than what's on the card.
3. It's something to consider given how those instances went. I haven't heard of any outside criticism, but there was definitely internal backlash after what happened with Pharaoh and the fireworks. We'll see if this is the end of animals being used there.
4. WWE will say that the actions of Rusev, Lana, and Lashley the characters on WWE TC differ from the actions of Rich Swann, Enzo Amore, etc. the actual people accused of things. I don't even think they addressed the Swann and Enzo incidents on TV.
5. NJPW is in a very interesting position there if they run a show without ROH on the same weekend in the same market. We'll see if that happens or if they skip the weekend entirely. I don't really expect a combined Supercard at this rate.
More wrestling tomorrow.
"Miz & Mrs" second season will begin January 29 following NXT.
Hard to Kill has added:
- Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin
- Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage
-- Both of those sound great.
Dakota Kai spoke to TVInsider, Bleacher/Report, and Sports Illustrated before NXT. I'm glad we're seeing something fresh from her.
Brandi Rhodes will deliver the keynote speech at the National Association of Television Program Executives' January 21 event. Tony Schiavone will also be there for a Q&A. That's a big opportunity for AEW to sell itself.
Raw and Smackdown were among Nielsen's Top 10 most social shows, by number of interactions. Raw was second, Smackdown on FOX was third, and Smackdown on USA was sixth. So it does look like the FOX move has increased interest in Smackdown to a degree.
WWE Backstage drew 127,000 viewers this week. It looks like the Punk effect has worn off.
New Day, the Usos, and Naomi will be on VH1's "Wild 'N Out" in the upcoming season.
MLW has hired Matt Ryan for various behind-the-scenes duties. He had previously worked for ROH.
Vickie Guerrero did guest commentary on AEW Dark this week. Cool to see a variety of names there.
Proud 'n' Powerful spoke to Chris Van Vliet. WWE really made a play for them.
TNT on Spectrum had a technical issue that affected Dynamite's broadcast for nearly an hour.
Nick Aldis promoted NWA on VOC Nation's "In the Room." Here are highlights. They're an interesting case study at a time when there's so much other content available to wrestling fans.
NXT will have a Prime Target special on Shayna Baszler vs. Rhea Ripley that will air Tuesday night on WWE Network. Pretty cool.
Dakota Kai got staples after her brawl with Mia Yim. Travis Banks was also busted open at NXT.
Breezango's valets on NXT were SHINE's Brandi Lauren and Avery Taylor.
Mick Foley and Noelle Foley were at NXT.
Before NXT:
- Roderick Strong defeated Austin Theory
- Shane Thorne defeated Sean Maluta
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Having a top notch production team that's aware of key moments to capture can absolutely be an asset to a televised product like wrestling. In theory Impact, AEW, etc. can define their own vision for how the product is captured as a contrast to WWE. They almost have to given the really high production values (and really high production budget to match) WWE has at its disposal.
2. WWE has found that most Network subscriptions are the weekend of the show, so they're not rushing to announce matches. I do wonder what that will mean for the live crowd deciding whether or not to buy tickets, though. WWE seems to continue to have the mindset that being a WWE PPV is the draw itself rather than what's on the card.
3. It's something to consider given how those instances went. I haven't heard of any outside criticism, but there was definitely internal backlash after what happened with Pharaoh and the fireworks. We'll see if this is the end of animals being used there.
4. WWE will say that the actions of Rusev, Lana, and Lashley the characters on WWE TC differ from the actions of Rich Swann, Enzo Amore, etc. the actual people accused of things. I don't even think they addressed the Swann and Enzo incidents on TV.
5. NJPW is in a very interesting position there if they run a show without ROH on the same weekend in the same market. We'll see if that happens or if they skip the weekend entirely. I don't really expect a combined Supercard at this rate.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Assorted wrestling press, Interviews with Ronda/MJF/Arquette/Renee, another person thanks Harper, more on AEW audio problems, AEW set for convention, MLW postpones Illinois return, AWA reunion set, two Wellness suspensions, WWE injury, Raw audience, After The Bell guests, Tyrus sued, Tokyo Sports awards, Dynamite segment set, AEW staff adds responsibility, international hall of fame coming, TLC adds title match, and Questions on Harper heading to AEW, AEW having too large of a roster, Arn as AEW's Regal, and NWA's responsibilities with Cornette
Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey both made Twitter's list of Top 10 most followed female athletes. I'm a bit surprised to see Becky over Ronda there, though she's made good use of the platform.
Ronda Rousey discussed potentially returning to WWE with People.com. Good to see her endorse the current female wrestlers.
Maria Menounos, Sean Waltman, and Sonya Deville did a "secret project" at Rikishi's training school. We'll see what that entails.
Dominik Dijakovic thanked Luke Harper for their Worlds Collide match. That's classy. Glad to see it.
Asuka appeared on Gochi Gang, eating eel.
Dynamite's audio issues this past week were on TNT's end.
AEW will be part of the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, which will be held February 27 through February 29.
MJF was interviewed in his hometown. Good piece.
MLW has postponed its February 29 Illinois date to April 18. "MLW Intimidation Games" will be a Fusion taping.
Baron von Raschke and other AWA stars are attending an event to celebrate Curtis Multerer's "Job Man" memoir.
WWE suspended Robert Roode and Primo for violating the Wellness policy. Each man will be punished for 30 days. Of course, Primo has not competed for WWE since February so this will hardly affect his booking.
Seth Rollins broke a finger on a live event this past weekend but he's expected to be cleared for TLC.
Raw drew 2.15 million viewers Monday night, another disappointing number. WWE TV is struggling these days.
"After The Bell" will feature Charlotte Flair, Paige, and the Street Profits.
WWE and CareerBuilder are doing a WrestleMania contest. That's great!
David Arquette discussed his wrestling return. I'm disappointed we haven't seen him in AEW or Impact.
The former Brodus Clay/Tyrus has been sued by his former FOX News coworker for sexual harassment. Tyrus intends to pursue defamation charges. I expect this could get worse before it gets better.
Renee Young spoke to TVInsider about WWE Backstage.
Tokyo Sports announced their annual awards:
- MVP: Kazuchika Okada of NJPW
- Best Bout: Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA from NJPW King of Pro Wrestling
- Best Tag Team: Suwama and Shuji Ishikawa of AJPW
- Outstanding Performance: Kento Miyahara of AJPW
- Technique: Kota Ibushi of NJPW
- Rookie: Strong Machine J of Dragon Gate
- Woman: Mayu Iwatani of Stardom
MJF will respond to Cody's challenge on Dynamite. I hardly think he'll say yes.
AEW's Aubrey Edwards is also working as a project coordinator.
An International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is set to be built in New York, with annual induction events. That's certainly a major undertaking! I hope it benefits the business as a whole.
TLC has added the Viking Raiders making an open challenge for the Raw Tag Team Championship. Surely Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows will consider answering?
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Once his no-compete clause is over, no. They can however prevent him from using the name Luke Harper, since they own it.
2. It does feel like they're trying to use too many characters at once. Some of that is by design, though, as they want to cycle the key talents in and out to avoid them being burned out. Honestly it looks like they're going to continue introducing new talents in the weeks and months ahead rather than focus on the key names.
3. That would definitely make sense as his full-time home, although of course he can do special occasions like Survivor Series.
4. That would be great! It's worth looking at. Dustin Rhodes is also a good choice there when he's done as a wrestler.
5. Yes, they knew who he was and the kinds of comments he makes on a regular basis, as they'd had to edit other comments before the one on his final episode and apologize for something else he had tweeted. Thankfully it won't be a problem for them going forward, but you never know when someone else won't learn from history.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Ronda Rousey discussed potentially returning to WWE with People.com. Good to see her endorse the current female wrestlers.
Maria Menounos, Sean Waltman, and Sonya Deville did a "secret project" at Rikishi's training school. We'll see what that entails.
Dominik Dijakovic thanked Luke Harper for their Worlds Collide match. That's classy. Glad to see it.
Asuka appeared on Gochi Gang, eating eel.
Dynamite's audio issues this past week were on TNT's end.
AEW will be part of the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, which will be held February 27 through February 29.
MJF was interviewed in his hometown. Good piece.
MLW has postponed its February 29 Illinois date to April 18. "MLW Intimidation Games" will be a Fusion taping.
Baron von Raschke and other AWA stars are attending an event to celebrate Curtis Multerer's "Job Man" memoir.
WWE suspended Robert Roode and Primo for violating the Wellness policy. Each man will be punished for 30 days. Of course, Primo has not competed for WWE since February so this will hardly affect his booking.
Seth Rollins broke a finger on a live event this past weekend but he's expected to be cleared for TLC.
Raw drew 2.15 million viewers Monday night, another disappointing number. WWE TV is struggling these days.
"After The Bell" will feature Charlotte Flair, Paige, and the Street Profits.
WWE and CareerBuilder are doing a WrestleMania contest. That's great!
David Arquette discussed his wrestling return. I'm disappointed we haven't seen him in AEW or Impact.
The former Brodus Clay/Tyrus has been sued by his former FOX News coworker for sexual harassment. Tyrus intends to pursue defamation charges. I expect this could get worse before it gets better.
Renee Young spoke to TVInsider about WWE Backstage.
Tokyo Sports announced their annual awards:
- MVP: Kazuchika Okada of NJPW
- Best Bout: Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA from NJPW King of Pro Wrestling
- Best Tag Team: Suwama and Shuji Ishikawa of AJPW
- Outstanding Performance: Kento Miyahara of AJPW
- Technique: Kota Ibushi of NJPW
- Rookie: Strong Machine J of Dragon Gate
- Woman: Mayu Iwatani of Stardom
MJF will respond to Cody's challenge on Dynamite. I hardly think he'll say yes.
AEW's Aubrey Edwards is also working as a project coordinator.
An International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is set to be built in New York, with annual induction events. That's certainly a major undertaking! I hope it benefits the business as a whole.
TLC has added the Viking Raiders making an open challenge for the Raw Tag Team Championship. Surely Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows will consider answering?
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Once his no-compete clause is over, no. They can however prevent him from using the name Luke Harper, since they own it.
2. It does feel like they're trying to use too many characters at once. Some of that is by design, though, as they want to cycle the key talents in and out to avoid them being burned out. Honestly it looks like they're going to continue introducing new talents in the weeks and months ahead rather than focus on the key names.
3. That would definitely make sense as his full-time home, although of course he can do special occasions like Survivor Series.
4. That would be great! It's worth looking at. Dustin Rhodes is also a good choice there when he's done as a wrestler.
5. Yes, they knew who he was and the kinds of comments he makes on a regular basis, as they'd had to edit other comments before the one on his final episode and apologize for something else he had tweeted. Thankfully it won't be a problem for them going forward, but you never know when someone else won't learn from history.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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