WrestleMania's currently planned top matches are:
- Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, scheduled to be the main event of the show
- The Fiend vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship
- Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler for the Raw Women's Championship
- Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women's Championship
- The Undertaker is being discussed for the show
-- I like the fresh matchups for the women's championships, and hope they establish Rhea and Baszler.
Roman Reigns and Shayna Baszler were the initially planned Royal Rumble winners. Vince McMahon changed his mind on both counts. I can't say I expected him to push Reigns aside so easily, but the move was made to even more firmly establish Drew. I'm all for WWE strapping the rocket to talent like Drew.
- Aleister Black was also considered as a Royal Rumble winner. That would have been really big!
Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair was considered for WrestleMania, but Rousey isn't expected to wrestle at that show.
Edge turned down a major AEW deal to return to WWE in a prominent fashion. He is not signed to a full-time deal.
Sasha Banks is said to be injured, hence her not competing lately. There are frequent teases for her to wrestle Lacey Evans, so it seems like she's expected to be cleared soon.
Mickie James worked as a producer at Royal Rumble. It's possible she's still injured or WWE is just letting her work that role until her deal expires.
AJ Styles separated his shoulder at Royal Rumble. The hope is he'll be able to work WrestleMania.
Royal Rumble was a legitimate sellout of 36,000 fans. Very impressive!
DDT's president is now president of NOAH as well. The former NOAH president has been moved to an executive officer role and the vice president will remain the same.
- NOAH was sold because profitability was not improving. The now former owners determined being full-time wrestling promoters was not a role they were strong in.
- DDT's streaming service will now feature a number of top live NOAH events, and NOAH talents will appear on some DDT events.
Worlds Collide drew 3,500 fans, which isn't a major attendance number for a Takeover-style show, especially one close to a major Royal Rumble.
Jordan Devlin is expected to appear on NXT, 205 Live, and NXT UK as cruiserweight champion.
CMLL's Mr. Niebla tribute show drew almost 16,000 fans, which is very impressive.
Konnan responded to Psicosis II after their recent scuffle, indicating he didn't fight back because of his heart issues and his worries that the fight would include multiple other participants. Konnan claimed he wanted to even the odds with friends from the locker room and that Psicosis II is being banned from other promotions because of the incident. Psicosis II on the other hand claims that he's getting other offers as a result of the incident due to the perception AAA isn't using him effectively.
La Parka's gimmick will eventually be taken over by his son in all likelihood.
NJPW's New Beginnings USA tour drew more than 850 fans for a sellout in Florida, more than 550 fans in Tennessee and a sellout of more than 625 fans in North Carolina. Those aren't major numbers, but maybe they can draw larger crowds in bigger venues in the future.
ROH is in the process of getting Australia's Adam Brooks a visa. He should be in soon.
Rich Swann's injury was a broken tibia and dislocated ankle.
AEW's UK PPV home has been dropped. They're looking at other options there. Revolution will be available on FITE. They have a pretty decent PPV buying audience in the UK so this will affect things notably.
Brodie Lee is likely coming to AEW in February or March. His no-compete clause is up February 12. The Dark Order would be a natural fit for the former Luke Harper.
Brandi Rhodes missed Chris Jericho's cruise due to her passport being stolen.
Madison Square Garden isn't expected to have non-WWE wrestling shows any time soon. WWE's TV tapings didn't sell very well, and this was seen as a sign that wrestling as a whole won't draw. AAA's show there was also unimpressive.
Dynamite this week drew 4,800 fans. That's respectable.
WWE is drastically cutting live events for Raw and Smackdown due to poor attendance. This will cut back on a money-losing part of the company, though that also means talents who work those shows get paid less and have less practice. We'll see how the change shakes out and how long it lasts.
Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson reportedly made scenes at Rocky Johnson's funeral. Vince was upset at how long the service went and both men were said to have given inappropriate speeches. That's shameful.
Mandy Rose has signed a five-year WWE contract. Otis will be thrilled!
Killer Kross is finishing up his MLW commitments and has worked his final AAW show. He's expected to join NXT soon.
Poppy will perform at Takeover:Portland. That's pretty cool.
Jazzy Gabert is interested in doing entertainment projects outside of wrestling. She left NXT UK in order to free her schedule.
Fit Finlay will soon get shoulder replacement surgery. A lifetime of bumps can take its toll, sadly. It would be great to see him in the WWE Hall of Fame soon.
Jerry Lawler has been asked to do a seminar in WWE. I'm surprised he hasn't done so before now.
Ronda Rousey indicated she wanted to work with Rhea Ripley on the latest "After The Bell". I'd love to see it. She also indicated she would be open to making occasional live event appearances on her own schedule. I'm curious how that would work.
MVP's WWE return was sparked by a conversation with Paul Heyman. On "After The Bell" he indicated he would like to work in a behind-the-scenes role at some point, but that might not be in WWE.
Hulk Hogan is being planned for Super Showdown. Creative plans are still being developed for that show.
WWE Network is adding "Top 10" YouTube episodes.
"Fighting With My Family" is now available on Hulu.
Goldberg was on this week's "The Goldbergs."
Van Hammer's court date is February 26.
WWE has trademarked the names Dana Brooke and Viktor.
Chyna will be the subject of an authorized documentary. "The Joanie Laurer Story" has begun production.
Bayley spoke to SportBible about wanting to face Lita. That's an interesting idea.
Charlotte Flair appeared on FS1's NASCAR Race Hub.
Dynamite drew 828,000 viewers this week.
NXT drew 712,000 viewers this week, about what they usually do.
WWE co-presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson have departed the company effective immediately. The press release indicates Vince McMahon and the pair had differing visions of the company's future and that's what led to the split. Both had served for more than ten years. That's a major shift of the executive team, and should say something about who is and isn't "safe" from being removed from power if their ideas cross with Vince's.
- WWE board member Frank A. Riddick III has been named interim Chief Financial Officer while the company looks for a regular CFO and chief revenue officer.
- WWE stock dropped by more than 20% in after-hours trading. I hope Vince made the right move there, because investors are worried.
Former CMLL world champion Maximo recently suffered a heart attack.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
Nothing to add to 1.
2. I also see it as part of the show and keeping things as surprises.
3. There are a lot of people making those comparisons, for sure. Just as ECW was a product and style that represented its time, AEW is doing something similar.
4. Wrestling needs more fun characters like him.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, January 31, 2020
WM36 match plans, original Rumble winners, more on Edge-WWE, Sasha update, injured WWE name works as producer, AJ injury update, Rumble attendance note, more on NOAH's new ownership, Worlds Collide attendance, cruiserweight title update, CMLL tribute show attendance, Konnan altercation update, La Parka gimmick note, NJPW U.S. attendance notes, ROH Australian name update, Swann injury update, AEW loses UK PPV home, Harper's next move, why Brandi has missed AEW TV, Dynamite attendance, WWE sharply cutting live events, Vince and Patterson funeral antics, WWE name signs new deal, Kross update, Takeover concert, more on NXT UK departure, WWE producer getting surgery, WWE HoFer asked to teach, Ronda-WWE updates, more on MVP's return, legend set for Saudi show, assorted wrestling content notes, Van Hammer court date set, WWE trademarks names, Chyna documentary coming, Bayley's dream match, Dynamite+NXT ratings, top WWE execs out, top CMLL name has heart attack, and Questions on royalties for deceased wrestlers, disputing accurate reports, AEW as the new ECW, and Chilly Willy
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Wrestlers trademark names, Crockett Cup main event, Bellas announce pregnancies, assorted wrestling press, Impact titleholder has new deal, more TNA show names, Impact preview, new ROH match, Backstage audience, Riddle discusses Brock, NXT dark matches, MVP update, and Questions on women's importance in WWE, trademarking birth names, finishers needing to be impactful, Jason Jordan's status, and the WrestleMania sign
Shawn Spears has trademarked the name "The Reaper." Interesting. I wonder if that's for him or for someone else.
Lance Archer has trademarked that ring name. It's possible that's him preparing for the possibility of signing somewhere other than NJPW.
Crockett Cup will be headlined by Marty Scurll vs. Nick Aldis for Aldis' NWA Championship. If Scurll loses, he must refund everyone's tickets for the event. That's a big stipulation, but it comes across as a foolish one because surely at least some fans will be rooting for the heel to win so they can attend for free. It also makes it seem likely Scurll will win rather than NWA refunding so much money.
Both Bella Twins have announced pregnancies. So while it was already unlikely they'd return to wrestle, this further puts that possibility on hold.
Drew McIntyre will be on "WWE Chronicle" following Takeover:Tampa. He's got a very big opportunity at Wrestlemania.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. If they're getting pops at the level of men and selling merchandise at the level of men, I don't see why they shouldn't be praised at the level of men.
2. WWE trademarks the names so they have the exclusive use of those names for their merchandise, etc. When their WWE contracts end, if they go elsewhere, they can use their real names.
3. It can be argued that once a talent is worn down enough, it doesn't take a particularly big move to finish them off. It does make sense to close out with something impressive, though. And, yes, in this day and age it can be difficult to come up with something unique and powerful to end a match when there are so many other big moves being thrown around.
4. I'm under the impression he still works as a producer, like his dad. It looks like father and son are both retired unless there comes a point where Jason is medically cleared.
5. Not really. The WrestleMania sign is over, brother. It can be overdone, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Lance Archer has trademarked that ring name. It's possible that's him preparing for the possibility of signing somewhere other than NJPW.
Crockett Cup will be headlined by Marty Scurll vs. Nick Aldis for Aldis' NWA Championship. If Scurll loses, he must refund everyone's tickets for the event. That's a big stipulation, but it comes across as a foolish one because surely at least some fans will be rooting for the heel to win so they can attend for free. It also makes it seem likely Scurll will win rather than NWA refunding so much money.
Both Bella Twins have announced pregnancies. So while it was already unlikely they'd return to wrestle, this further puts that possibility on hold.
Drew McIntyre will be on "WWE Chronicle" following Takeover:Tampa. He's got a very big opportunity at Wrestlemania.
Edge's WWE return has a commemorative plaque. He's already making merchandise royalties!
Smackdown's Alyse Ashton has updated her social media profiles to reflect her WWE name.
WrestleCon has announced Bandido vs. Shingo Takagi. Wrestlemania weekend provides a lot of unique match opportunities.
MLB's Milwaukee Brewers will have a WWE Night on July 25.
AEW's YouTube channel is adding roster theme songs.
Big Show appeared on NFL Network's Super Bowl Live with a Special Olympics athlete.
Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins appeared in a WWE 24 bonus clip.
Championship Wrestling from Florida's former home, The Sportatorium in Tampa, is being repurposed for business use. It's been vacant for four years.
Ace Austin has signed a multi-year deal with Impact. He's really become someone entertaining there.
WrestleCon's TNA event has added Amazing Red and Disco Inferno. It will be good to see Red again. Can we get Don West, too?
Impact's February tapings will feature a meet and greet with Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary for fans who donate to a food drive. That's awesome!
Impact's next episode has announced:
- Rosemary vs. Suzie
- TJP vs. El Hijo del Vikingo
- Daga and Dr. Wagner, Jr. vs. Jake Crist and Dave Crist
Ivan Koloff musical "Rockquiem For A Wrestler" will have a second staged reading on May 3 in New York.
Raw has announced a Texas episode for March 23. They're unable to use their normal Dallas arena due to an NBA game, so they're running in Fort Worth.
ROH's February 28 HonorClub event has added Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry vs. Bandido and Flamita vs. Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams vs. Vincent and Bateman
Shorty G gave a signed WWE Championship to a sick Minnesota child.
WWE Backstage drew 97,000 viewers this week.
Matt Riddle commented on still wanting to face Brock Lesnar. He's driven, for better or worse!
Before NXT:
- Kacy Catanzaro defeated Jessi Kamea
- Joaquin Wilde defeated Chase Parker
MVP indicated Raw was his final WWE match, which contradicts previous reports of him having more matches lined up. Glad he got to have that moment before ending his career, at any rate.
Championship Wrestling from Florida's former home, The Sportatorium in Tampa, is being repurposed for business use. It's been vacant for four years.
Ace Austin has signed a multi-year deal with Impact. He's really become someone entertaining there.
WrestleCon's TNA event has added Amazing Red and Disco Inferno. It will be good to see Red again. Can we get Don West, too?
Impact's February tapings will feature a meet and greet with Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary for fans who donate to a food drive. That's awesome!
Impact's next episode has announced:
- Rosemary vs. Suzie
- TJP vs. El Hijo del Vikingo
- Daga and Dr. Wagner, Jr. vs. Jake Crist and Dave Crist
Ivan Koloff musical "Rockquiem For A Wrestler" will have a second staged reading on May 3 in New York.
Raw has announced a Texas episode for March 23. They're unable to use their normal Dallas arena due to an NBA game, so they're running in Fort Worth.
ROH's February 28 HonorClub event has added Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry vs. Bandido and Flamita vs. Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams vs. Vincent and Bateman
Shorty G gave a signed WWE Championship to a sick Minnesota child.
WWE Backstage drew 97,000 viewers this week.
Matt Riddle commented on still wanting to face Brock Lesnar. He's driven, for better or worse!
Before NXT:
- Kacy Catanzaro defeated Jessi Kamea
- Joaquin Wilde defeated Chase Parker
MVP indicated Raw was his final WWE match, which contradicts previous reports of him having more matches lined up. Glad he got to have that moment before ending his career, at any rate.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. If they're getting pops at the level of men and selling merchandise at the level of men, I don't see why they shouldn't be praised at the level of men.
2. WWE trademarks the names so they have the exclusive use of those names for their merchandise, etc. When their WWE contracts end, if they go elsewhere, they can use their real names.
3. It can be argued that once a talent is worn down enough, it doesn't take a particularly big move to finish them off. It does make sense to close out with something impressive, though. And, yes, in this day and age it can be difficult to come up with something unique and powerful to end a match when there are so many other big moves being thrown around.
4. I'm under the impression he still works as a producer, like his dad. It looks like father and son are both retired unless there comes a point where Jason is medically cleared.
5. Not really. The WrestleMania sign is over, brother. It can be overdone, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
WWE Japan dates, Booker in the ring, WCW name arrested, ROH doing big sale, NJPW injuries, top name set for NXT, assorted wrestling press, WWE signs Indian stars, Andrade update, Raw commentary update, bonus AEW match, more TNA show names, Impact name at Royal Rumble, Raw audience, Joe update, Rumble confrontation, Japanese company bought, Interviews with Aldis/Oliver, MLW hits another milestone, MLW possibly adding title, and Questions on Brock's Rumble performance, criticism of minor things, NXT's women's depth, and Vic Joseph's future
Raw will tour Japan on July 2 through July 4. Shinsuke Nakamura is also advertised for the tour for obvious reasons.
Booker T. will compete on Reality of Wrestling's February 8 show. If The Revival don't face Harlem Heat in WWE, it's possible the two teams meet there at some point.
WCW's Van Hammer has been pulled from WrestleCon following being charged with multiple crimes, namely felony hit and run with failure to stop in a crash involving others and serious bodily injuries, DUI with injuries to another person and leaving the scene of an injury clash. These charges came after he allegedly hit a boy riding a bicycle and left the scene. the boy is in stable condition. Van Hammer was incarcerated with bail set at $125,000. Those are incredibly serious charges stemming from a dangerous incident, and it should be a long time before anyone even considers booking him again.
Free Enterprise will include a merchandise liquidation sale. Sadly Don West isn't involved, but it's a good opportunity to get rid of a lot of unsold items.
Kota Ibushi has been diagnosed with Mallory-Weiss Syndrome, a tear in the mucous membrane. He is expected to recover in time for NJPW's February 9 event. Ibushi is really putting his body through a lot.
Charlotte Flair is scheduled for NXT this week, which of course could mean she's challenging for their women's championship at WrestleMania. That's an interesting wrinkle, and honestly a good chance to elevate that title.
John Cena will be in a Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra.
ROH released footage of Marty Scurll's NJPW appearance. I hope we see more crossover on the road to Supercard; ROH and NJPW's U.S. shows could both use the hype.
WWE announced the signings of three Indian superstars:
- Gurvinder Singh, cricket player and actor who trained under Great Khali
- Sukwinder Grewal, basketball player who trained under Great Khali
- Laxmi Kant Rajpoot, javelin thrower and taekwondo practitioner.
-- Those first two guys are massive. We'll see if they can be molded into assets in the ring.
Andrade's suspension was officially confirmed Tuesday, taking place beginning on that date.
Byron Saxton is officially back on the Raw announce team full-time. WWE clearly likes have three people there at once.
AEW released a bonus dark match with Kip Sabian vs. Michael Nakazawa. AEW had a lot of fun with Bash at the Beach.
Scott Steiner and Petey Williams have been added to the TNA WrestleCon event. Impact could use some Scott Steiner promos. Maybe drop some of the spooky Knockout stuff to make room? Or maybe Steiner could cut promos on them???
WWE Ride Along Friday will feature the pairs of Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross and Corey Graves and Carmella.
The Fiend's championship has a new replica for sale. This version is not handcrafted. Edge's Rated R Superstar championship replicas are also again available.
Taya Valkyrie attended Royal Rumble to support John Morrison. She is signed to Impact through the end of 2020, so this wasn't any kind of sign of her looking to sign with WWE.
Raw drew 2.40 million viewers this week, basically what the show did last week. Impeachment hearings presumably hampered what should have been a major episode.
Samoa Joe got a concussion during Raw. It's unknown how long he will miss, but hopefully he's not out long.
Roman Reigns and King Corbin were at Super Bowl Opening Night.
Brock Lesnar and Matt Riddle had a confrontation before Royal Rumble, with Lesnar pulling Riddle aside and telling the NXT star to stop referencing working with Brock because Lesnar said the two of them will never work together. The encounter wasn't heated or lengthy, and there was no retaliation against Riddle as far as his booking in the Rumble match went. I really wonder how Riddle will be able to navigate Raw or Smackdown someday given his divisive attitude. I understand pitching big things for yourself, grabbing the brass ring, etc., but it clearly rubbed Lesnar the wrong way and I doubt he's the only one.
- The WWE Performance Center had a class Tuesday on media training that mentioned talents not calling out performers outside of NXT without those talents being aware. We'll see if Riddle stops or changes course as a result or if he uses it as further fuel to try to set something up with the WWE Champion.
Kevin Owens will be on "WWE Break it Down" Sunday.
Sheamus will drive the Daytona 500 pace car. The FOX relationship gives ample opportunity for crossover.
Pro Wrestling NOAH is now owned by the same company as DDT. That could present some interesting opportunities.
Yuji Nagata hurt his neck at NJPW's January 27 event. We'll see if he misses upcoming U.S. dates.
Nick Aldis spoke to Chris Van Vliet about joining NWA and more.
Jon Moxley has been announced for a WrestleCon appearance.
NFL player George Kittle tributed Pentagon, Jr. recently. That's really cool.
Mick Foley will do a one man show near WrestleMania on April 1.
Mark Henry will be at Stand Alone Wrestling in New Jersey on March 21.
Roman Reigns spoke to the Los Angeles Times about Kobe Bryant's passing.
MLW Fusion's most recent episode was their most watched to date. That would seem to bode well for MLW content appearing on other outlets.
MLW is considering a six-man tag team championship. That's becoming more of a regular thing in the US it seems.
Jordan Oliver got local press. He's already got quite a buzz at 20.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Thirteen people is half the roster? Being eliminated from the Rumble by someone as dominant as Brock is hardly a burial. I enjoyed him having a dominant streak; it was a nice change from what the Rumble usually is and people will be talking about it for years.
2. Social media is great at giving people a voice to criticize every little detail. It feels like now as a culture that's the expected mode of consumption of a product. At this point it actively takes away from my enjoyment of a product to follow the response to it, because there is such an obsession with pointing out minor flaws and a negativity bias.
3. Even deeper! Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley were notable by their absences, though both had logical reasons to not be there.
4. It's unknown what's next for him, but he's still in WWE. He did get a very big opportunity at a very young age, so hopefully it will come around again when he's more seasoned.
5 isn't a question.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Booker T. will compete on Reality of Wrestling's February 8 show. If The Revival don't face Harlem Heat in WWE, it's possible the two teams meet there at some point.
WCW's Van Hammer has been pulled from WrestleCon following being charged with multiple crimes, namely felony hit and run with failure to stop in a crash involving others and serious bodily injuries, DUI with injuries to another person and leaving the scene of an injury clash. These charges came after he allegedly hit a boy riding a bicycle and left the scene. the boy is in stable condition. Van Hammer was incarcerated with bail set at $125,000. Those are incredibly serious charges stemming from a dangerous incident, and it should be a long time before anyone even considers booking him again.
Free Enterprise will include a merchandise liquidation sale. Sadly Don West isn't involved, but it's a good opportunity to get rid of a lot of unsold items.
Kota Ibushi has been diagnosed with Mallory-Weiss Syndrome, a tear in the mucous membrane. He is expected to recover in time for NJPW's February 9 event. Ibushi is really putting his body through a lot.
Charlotte Flair is scheduled for NXT this week, which of course could mean she's challenging for their women's championship at WrestleMania. That's an interesting wrinkle, and honestly a good chance to elevate that title.
John Cena will be in a Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra.
ROH released footage of Marty Scurll's NJPW appearance. I hope we see more crossover on the road to Supercard; ROH and NJPW's U.S. shows could both use the hype.
WWE announced the signings of three Indian superstars:
- Gurvinder Singh, cricket player and actor who trained under Great Khali
- Sukwinder Grewal, basketball player who trained under Great Khali
- Laxmi Kant Rajpoot, javelin thrower and taekwondo practitioner.
-- Those first two guys are massive. We'll see if they can be molded into assets in the ring.
Andrade's suspension was officially confirmed Tuesday, taking place beginning on that date.
Byron Saxton is officially back on the Raw announce team full-time. WWE clearly likes have three people there at once.
AEW released a bonus dark match with Kip Sabian vs. Michael Nakazawa. AEW had a lot of fun with Bash at the Beach.
Scott Steiner and Petey Williams have been added to the TNA WrestleCon event. Impact could use some Scott Steiner promos. Maybe drop some of the spooky Knockout stuff to make room? Or maybe Steiner could cut promos on them???
WWE Ride Along Friday will feature the pairs of Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross and Corey Graves and Carmella.
The Fiend's championship has a new replica for sale. This version is not handcrafted. Edge's Rated R Superstar championship replicas are also again available.
Taya Valkyrie attended Royal Rumble to support John Morrison. She is signed to Impact through the end of 2020, so this wasn't any kind of sign of her looking to sign with WWE.
Raw drew 2.40 million viewers this week, basically what the show did last week. Impeachment hearings presumably hampered what should have been a major episode.
Samoa Joe got a concussion during Raw. It's unknown how long he will miss, but hopefully he's not out long.
Roman Reigns and King Corbin were at Super Bowl Opening Night.
Brock Lesnar and Matt Riddle had a confrontation before Royal Rumble, with Lesnar pulling Riddle aside and telling the NXT star to stop referencing working with Brock because Lesnar said the two of them will never work together. The encounter wasn't heated or lengthy, and there was no retaliation against Riddle as far as his booking in the Rumble match went. I really wonder how Riddle will be able to navigate Raw or Smackdown someday given his divisive attitude. I understand pitching big things for yourself, grabbing the brass ring, etc., but it clearly rubbed Lesnar the wrong way and I doubt he's the only one.
- The WWE Performance Center had a class Tuesday on media training that mentioned talents not calling out performers outside of NXT without those talents being aware. We'll see if Riddle stops or changes course as a result or if he uses it as further fuel to try to set something up with the WWE Champion.
Kevin Owens will be on "WWE Break it Down" Sunday.
Sheamus will drive the Daytona 500 pace car. The FOX relationship gives ample opportunity for crossover.
Pro Wrestling NOAH is now owned by the same company as DDT. That could present some interesting opportunities.
Yuji Nagata hurt his neck at NJPW's January 27 event. We'll see if he misses upcoming U.S. dates.
Nick Aldis spoke to Chris Van Vliet about joining NWA and more.
Jon Moxley has been announced for a WrestleCon appearance.
NFL player George Kittle tributed Pentagon, Jr. recently. That's really cool.
Mick Foley will do a one man show near WrestleMania on April 1.
Mark Henry will be at Stand Alone Wrestling in New Jersey on March 21.
Roman Reigns spoke to the Los Angeles Times about Kobe Bryant's passing.
MLW Fusion's most recent episode was their most watched to date. That would seem to bode well for MLW content appearing on other outlets.
MLW is considering a six-man tag team championship. That's becoming more of a regular thing in the US it seems.
Jordan Oliver got local press. He's already got quite a buzz at 20.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Thirteen people is half the roster? Being eliminated from the Rumble by someone as dominant as Brock is hardly a burial. I enjoyed him having a dominant streak; it was a nice change from what the Rumble usually is and people will be talking about it for years.
2. Social media is great at giving people a voice to criticize every little detail. It feels like now as a culture that's the expected mode of consumption of a product. At this point it actively takes away from my enjoyment of a product to follow the response to it, because there is such an obsession with pointing out minor flaws and a negativity bias.
3. Even deeper! Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley were notable by their absences, though both had logical reasons to not be there.
4. It's unknown what's next for him, but he's still in WWE. He did get a very big opportunity at a very young age, so hopefully it will come around again when he's more seasoned.
5 isn't a question.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Edge Network content coming, more Rumble notes, WWE digital show returning, WWE Saudi show name confirmed, new Network series coming, WWE injuries, ROH name on WWE show, Interviews with Paige/McIntyre, more TNA show names, Mauro update, AEW name at Rumble, Scurll crashes NJPW show, WWE titleholder suspended, MVP update, former WWE broadcaster comes to NWA, NJPW injury, NJPW live event note, and Questions on WWE+AEW spouse support, WWE overusing squashes, Rusev leaving WWE, Taker going into the HoF, and surprise Rumble eliminations
Edge will have a WWE Network documentary regarding his return.
Royal Rumble also had Kane, Big Show, Xavier Woods, Rhea Ripley, Ruby Riott, Nia Jax, and Ember Moon backstage. Wow Shotzi made in that match before Rhea did??? At least they didn't hurt the champion with a meaningless Rumble run, and I also like the idea that the Rumble competitors could challenge for Rhea's title.
- NFL's Adrian Peterson was also at the show.
Sasha Banks was set for Royal Rumble, but ultimately Kelly Kelly took her role. I hope that means they're protecting Sasha by not having her lose.
John Morrison and The Miz are bringing back "Dirt Sheet." Content was filmed for it this weekend. I'm all for that!
WWE's next Saudi Arabian event will again be Super Showdown. That's a very generic name, but it's likely intentional to not draw attention to where the show it being held.
WWE Network will add a "Ruthless Aggression" series covering that era.
AJ Styles injured his arm during Royal Rumble due to his landing from Edge's spear.
Bully Ray is set for WWE's "The Bump" this week. Can't say I expected that given him currently working in ROH. We'll see if this means anything regarding changing companies.
Paige is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
Impact's "TNA" WrestleCon event has added Chris Sabin and Chris Harris. I like them doing something unique for the show.
Drew McIntyre talked after Royal Rumble. It was a really cool moment and well-deserved.
- The Rock congratulated Drew for the win. That's awesome.
WWE wanted Melina and Victoria for Royal Rumble. It's unknown why neither were booked.
Mauro Ranallo didn't work Worlds Collide due to calling boxing for Showtime.
Sammy Guevara was outside Royal Rumble doing a take on DX's invasion of WCW. Very cringe.
Samoa Joe's Raw injury was legitimate. There's no word on an update at this time.
WWE released another angle of Edge's return. There was criticism of the camerawork at the event.
Marty Scurll appeared at NJPW's January 27 event to challenge Jay White at Supercard of Honor. I'm glad to see the ROH-NJPW relationship becoming more prominent.
Andrade has been suspended for thirty days due to a Wellness violation, hence the Raw angle. It's notable he's still United States Champion. He's fortunate WWE is willing to continue his push when he returns.
MVP is expected to work more WWE events, but hasn't signed a full deal. I wonder if that means Super ShowDown and/or WrestleMania.
Sean Mooney has joined NWA. That's good! He fits right in there.
NJPW's Karl Fredericks injured his shoulder at a recent event. He will miss the rest of the U.S. tour.
NJPW's January 27 event had limited concessions due to unforeseen issues with the caterer.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think AEW's fine with Baker appearing to support Cole on days when there aren't AEW events, even if she's on WWE cameras. I'd think if Renee was shown on-screen in AEW or NJPW, WWE would be pretty upset. She probably has more of an onus to let her bosses know where she'll be.
2. Not at all! I like WWE building their meaningful talents. It can be overdone, but I don't think we're there yet. It also depends on the talent. Rowan squashing talents to re-establish himself is good for now. AJ Styles squashing people would seem like something of a waste since he's already pretty well set as a prominent name.
3. It's possible, whenever his deal comes up, but as far as I know he's happy with his current role and has no plans to leave. As always it will depend on what other options he has.
4. I have a feeling he wants to be 100% done as a wrestler/character before he goes into the Hall of Fame. I don't see a need to rush at any rate.
5. It does happen a lot! The men's Rumble in particular felt very fresh this year.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Royal Rumble also had Kane, Big Show, Xavier Woods, Rhea Ripley, Ruby Riott, Nia Jax, and Ember Moon backstage. Wow Shotzi made in that match before Rhea did??? At least they didn't hurt the champion with a meaningless Rumble run, and I also like the idea that the Rumble competitors could challenge for Rhea's title.
- NFL's Adrian Peterson was also at the show.
Sasha Banks was set for Royal Rumble, but ultimately Kelly Kelly took her role. I hope that means they're protecting Sasha by not having her lose.
John Morrison and The Miz are bringing back "Dirt Sheet." Content was filmed for it this weekend. I'm all for that!
WWE's next Saudi Arabian event will again be Super Showdown. That's a very generic name, but it's likely intentional to not draw attention to where the show it being held.
WWE Network will add a "Ruthless Aggression" series covering that era.
AJ Styles injured his arm during Royal Rumble due to his landing from Edge's spear.
Bully Ray is set for WWE's "The Bump" this week. Can't say I expected that given him currently working in ROH. We'll see if this means anything regarding changing companies.
Paige is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
Impact's "TNA" WrestleCon event has added Chris Sabin and Chris Harris. I like them doing something unique for the show.
Drew McIntyre talked after Royal Rumble. It was a really cool moment and well-deserved.
- The Rock congratulated Drew for the win. That's awesome.
WWE wanted Melina and Victoria for Royal Rumble. It's unknown why neither were booked.
Mauro Ranallo didn't work Worlds Collide due to calling boxing for Showtime.
Sammy Guevara was outside Royal Rumble doing a take on DX's invasion of WCW. Very cringe.
Samoa Joe's Raw injury was legitimate. There's no word on an update at this time.
WWE released another angle of Edge's return. There was criticism of the camerawork at the event.
Marty Scurll appeared at NJPW's January 27 event to challenge Jay White at Supercard of Honor. I'm glad to see the ROH-NJPW relationship becoming more prominent.
Andrade has been suspended for thirty days due to a Wellness violation, hence the Raw angle. It's notable he's still United States Champion. He's fortunate WWE is willing to continue his push when he returns.
MVP is expected to work more WWE events, but hasn't signed a full deal. I wonder if that means Super ShowDown and/or WrestleMania.
Sean Mooney has joined NWA. That's good! He fits right in there.
NJPW's Karl Fredericks injured his shoulder at a recent event. He will miss the rest of the U.S. tour.
NJPW's January 27 event had limited concessions due to unforeseen issues with the caterer.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think AEW's fine with Baker appearing to support Cole on days when there aren't AEW events, even if she's on WWE cameras. I'd think if Renee was shown on-screen in AEW or NJPW, WWE would be pretty upset. She probably has more of an onus to let her bosses know where she'll be.
2. Not at all! I like WWE building their meaningful talents. It can be overdone, but I don't think we're there yet. It also depends on the talent. Rowan squashing talents to re-establish himself is good for now. AJ Styles squashing people would seem like something of a waste since he's already pretty well set as a prominent name.
3. It's possible, whenever his deal comes up, but as far as I know he's happy with his current role and has no plans to leave. As always it will depend on what other options he has.
4. I have a feeling he wants to be 100% done as a wrestler/character before he goes into the Hall of Fame. I don't see a need to rush at any rate.
5. It does happen a lot! The men's Rumble in particular felt very fresh this year.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, January 27, 2020
Assorted wrestling notes, Harlem heat update, Interviews with Joe/Punk/Nyla, Rock and Hogan debated, NXT name injured, Cody lashing set, Rumble guests, Kross update, AEW gets big ad, Rhino hosting seminar, top ROH names sign new deals, former ROH champion returning, ROH matches set, Raw commentary change, Edge's status, and Questions on NXT's women's title, Dunne changing tactics, and AEW's content
Xavier Woods was at the NHL All-Star game, and took part in a gaming challenge.
Booker T. teased wrestling The Revival. I'm ready for it to be decided one way or another at this point. If they're going to do it, make it meaningful.
Samoa Joe spoke before Royal Rumble:
- Joe's at his best as an ass-kicker, whether the fans are behind his actions or not.
- I honestly half-expected him to be aligned with Roman and/or The Usos. "Joey Uso" the cousin of Jimmy and Jey would be right up WWE's alley.
CBC discussed The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan from a cultural perspective. That's interesting!
The Rock was at Oprah's 2020 Vision event.
C.M. Punk turned down facing Logan Paul. I guess his MMA career's been embarrassing enough already.
Io Shirai is expected to miss around two months due to an unspecified knee injury. That's unfortunate. I'd love to see her doing something bigger in 2020.
Cody will be lashed by MJF on the February 5 Dynamite. That could be a big segment.
Undertaker, Shane McMahon, Dominick Guerrero, and Ric Flair were at Royal Rumble. I'm curious if any of those names will compete in Saudi Arabia.
Killer Kross is pulling out of upcoming dates, which could mean a Takeover:Portland appearance. That works for me.
Tommaso Ciampa will be involved in a Florida charity for children on Valentine's Day.
AEW has an ad in the Super Bowl's official program. That's really big!
Nyla Rose was profiled in The Daily Beast. It's a pretty big piece.
Former WWE security head Jimmy Noonan has written a fictional wrestling book called "Getting Color."
Combate Americas will do an AXS show on February 28 with a Mexico vs. USA show.
Rhino is doing a March 1 seminar in Ontario.
The Briscoes have signed new ROH contracts. Hopefully they got a big pay boost given their importance there.
Former ROH Champion Xavier is booked for Past vs. Present. He has been challenged by Jay Lethal on the card. that's definitely a name that hasn't been seen in a while!
- Alex Shelley and Delirious have also been added to that event.
- It sounds like Necro Butcher and Alison Danger won't be in action then, just appearing.
ROH's February 28 Tennessee HonorClub event has added Angelina Love vs. Nicole Savoy
ROH's February 29 Missouri HonorClub event has added:
- Marty Scurll, Brody King, and Flip Gordon vs. The Briscoes and Slex
- Vincent and Bateman vs. 2 Guys 1 Tag
- Alex Shelley vs. Dan Maff
Free Enterprise has added:
- Session Moth Martina vs. Sumie Sakai
- Alex Zayne vs. Andrew Everett
Raw is replacing Vic Joseph with Tom Phillips on commentary. Joseph is still with WWE. I hope they get a combination they're happy with soon.
Edge's WWE return will be for more than one match. He isn't expected to work a full-time schedule, or even compete weekly, but he is set to be an active competitor. Edge briefly spoke to AEW but ultimately chose to return to WWE. That's a very good get for WWE and I hope they maximize it.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. At this point I have nothing to confirm any truth to the stories, which is why I haven't reported them and other credible sites haven't either.
2. Well the point wasn't to make it "just another title" so, no, it's still just for women for the time being. I think they went the wrong direction, though: they could have done "men's championship" and "women's championship," though that presumably would prevent them from doing a Tessa Blanchard situation (which I don't think they want to do anyway).
3. I suppose some of it could be him being a babyface now, but it also keeps things fresh. He can definitely do a lot more than being "the finger snapping guy."
4. Oh yeah, completely. They want to be an alternative to "PG family-friendly WWE".
5. It's another move to get that hipster crowd that's "too cool" to watch the mainstream product. It's making them money, so it's working for now.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Booker T. teased wrestling The Revival. I'm ready for it to be decided one way or another at this point. If they're going to do it, make it meaningful.
Samoa Joe spoke before Royal Rumble:
- Joe's at his best as an ass-kicker, whether the fans are behind his actions or not.
- I honestly half-expected him to be aligned with Roman and/or The Usos. "Joey Uso" the cousin of Jimmy and Jey would be right up WWE's alley.
CBC discussed The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan from a cultural perspective. That's interesting!
The Rock was at Oprah's 2020 Vision event.
C.M. Punk turned down facing Logan Paul. I guess his MMA career's been embarrassing enough already.
Io Shirai is expected to miss around two months due to an unspecified knee injury. That's unfortunate. I'd love to see her doing something bigger in 2020.
Cody will be lashed by MJF on the February 5 Dynamite. That could be a big segment.
Undertaker, Shane McMahon, Dominick Guerrero, and Ric Flair were at Royal Rumble. I'm curious if any of those names will compete in Saudi Arabia.
Killer Kross is pulling out of upcoming dates, which could mean a Takeover:Portland appearance. That works for me.
Tommaso Ciampa will be involved in a Florida charity for children on Valentine's Day.
AEW has an ad in the Super Bowl's official program. That's really big!
Nyla Rose was profiled in The Daily Beast. It's a pretty big piece.
Former WWE security head Jimmy Noonan has written a fictional wrestling book called "Getting Color."
Combate Americas will do an AXS show on February 28 with a Mexico vs. USA show.
Rhino is doing a March 1 seminar in Ontario.
The Briscoes have signed new ROH contracts. Hopefully they got a big pay boost given their importance there.
Former ROH Champion Xavier is booked for Past vs. Present. He has been challenged by Jay Lethal on the card. that's definitely a name that hasn't been seen in a while!
- Alex Shelley and Delirious have also been added to that event.
- It sounds like Necro Butcher and Alison Danger won't be in action then, just appearing.
ROH's February 28 Tennessee HonorClub event has added Angelina Love vs. Nicole Savoy
ROH's February 29 Missouri HonorClub event has added:
- Marty Scurll, Brody King, and Flip Gordon vs. The Briscoes and Slex
- Vincent and Bateman vs. 2 Guys 1 Tag
- Alex Shelley vs. Dan Maff
Free Enterprise has added:
- Session Moth Martina vs. Sumie Sakai
- Alex Zayne vs. Andrew Everett
Raw is replacing Vic Joseph with Tom Phillips on commentary. Joseph is still with WWE. I hope they get a combination they're happy with soon.
Edge's WWE return will be for more than one match. He isn't expected to work a full-time schedule, or even compete weekly, but he is set to be an active competitor. Edge briefly spoke to AEW but ultimately chose to return to WWE. That's a very good get for WWE and I hope they maximize it.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. At this point I have nothing to confirm any truth to the stories, which is why I haven't reported them and other credible sites haven't either.
2. Well the point wasn't to make it "just another title" so, no, it's still just for women for the time being. I think they went the wrong direction, though: they could have done "men's championship" and "women's championship," though that presumably would prevent them from doing a Tessa Blanchard situation (which I don't think they want to do anyway).
3. I suppose some of it could be him being a babyface now, but it also keeps things fresh. He can definitely do a lot more than being "the finger snapping guy."
4. Oh yeah, completely. They want to be an alternative to "PG family-friendly WWE".
5. It's another move to get that hipster crowd that's "too cool" to watch the mainstream product. It's making them money, so it's working for now.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Rumble airing in Australian theaters, Raw live event set, Smackdown audience, Interviews with Walter/Arquette, HHH and HBK Talk after Worlds Collide, and Questions on WWE inducting matches into the HOF, Sting vs. Taker, Punk returning, and MLW doing a barbed wire match
Royal Rumble will air in Australian movie theaters.
Raw has announced an April 18 live event in Georgia.
Friday Night Smackdown drew 2.47 million viewers this week. Not a huge drop from last week.
Walter promoted Worlds Collide with ESPN. I definitely want to see him face Raw and Smackdown names at some point.
David Arquette talked wrestling at Sundance Film Festival.
After Worlds Collide, Triple H and Shawn Michaels did an interview, recapped here:
- I'm definitely good with more in the line of this event to shake things up for everyone.
- Ha. I'm curious how much NXT involvement we'll see in the Rumbles.
- Sounds like we could have a surprise at Portland as far as the top title match.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I could see it happening. I think I'd rather them induct rivalries/feuds rather than specific matches, though. If not Savage vs. Steamboat, Hogan vs. Andre would make sense.
2. There's a very small chance of it happening at WrestleMania, and not a great chance of it happening anywhere else. It's all up to whether Sting will be medically cleared for such an endeavor.
3. There is no indication that he's preparing for a wrestling return. Any preparation to get back in the ring would follow a signed contract to do so, which would come at a pretty steep price.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. Either the athletic commission didn't know, didn't care, or doesn't regulate wrestling.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Raw has announced an April 18 live event in Georgia.
Friday Night Smackdown drew 2.47 million viewers this week. Not a huge drop from last week.
Walter promoted Worlds Collide with ESPN. I definitely want to see him face Raw and Smackdown names at some point.
David Arquette talked wrestling at Sundance Film Festival.
After Worlds Collide, Triple H and Shawn Michaels did an interview, recapped here:
- I'm definitely good with more in the line of this event to shake things up for everyone.
- Ha. I'm curious how much NXT involvement we'll see in the Rumbles.
- Sounds like we could have a surprise at Portland as far as the top title match.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I could see it happening. I think I'd rather them induct rivalries/feuds rather than specific matches, though. If not Savage vs. Steamboat, Hogan vs. Andre would make sense.
2. There's a very small chance of it happening at WrestleMania, and not a great chance of it happening anywhere else. It's all up to whether Sting will be medically cleared for such an endeavor.
3. There is no indication that he's preparing for a wrestling return. Any preparation to get back in the ring would follow a signed contract to do so, which would come at a pretty steep price.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. Either the athletic commission didn't know, didn't care, or doesn't regulate wrestling.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
GWF reunion show set, assorted WWE press, NXT UK name emergency surgery, Cage injury update, NJPW adds names to WrestleCon, Bryan has ecofriendly shirt, another Supercard name, TNA event's first names, Impact preview, Raw match set, WWEPC guest coach, AEW NJ show tickets update, CZW alum passes, Smackdown dark matches, NWA announces next PPV, and Questions on Harlem Heat vs. Revival, NXT changing its women's championship, and Rocky's book
The Global Wrestling Federation will have a reunion show on May 3 in Texas. Advertised are Killer Tim Brooks, Chaz Taylor, Alex Porteau, Rod Price, Steve Dane, Johnny Mantel, Gary Young, James Beard, Stevie Rey, and Action Jackson.
Drew McIntyre is on Jerry Lawler's latest podcast.
NXT UK's Jordan Devlin had emergency dental surgery for a broken tooth, then returned to the ring for that night's live event. That's intense!
Brian Cage announced surgery for a torn biceps. He will determine his future after he recovers. I hope he's able to make a big splash when he's 100%.
NJPW's WrestleCon Lion's Break event has added Zack Sabre, Jr. and El Desperado.
Nikki Cross discussed working with Alexa Bliss, NXT UK, and more.
Carmella promoted Royal Rumble in interviews with Sporting News, The Wrap, and Newsweek.
Daniel Bryan has a new ecofriendly T-shirt made of recycled plastic bottles and organic cotton. A tree will be planted for every shirt sold. That's great!
Nick Aldis has been announced for Supercard of Honor. Cool. Maybe we'll see some other NWA crossover, too.
Impact's WrestleCon event has announced Ken Anderson and D'Lo Brown representing Aces and Eights. I love it!
Impact this week has announced:
- Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards in the first of their best-of-five series
- Josh Alexander vs. Hijo del Vikingo
- Jordynne Grace vs. Madison Rayne vs. Keira Hogan in a number one contenders match for the Knockouts Championship
- Dez and Wentz vs. Pagano and Murder Clown
- Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Daga vs. Reno Scum
Raw has announced Lana vs. Liv Morgan. Bobby Lashley and Rusev are banned from ringside.
Drew McIntyre spoke to Miami Herald to promote Royal Rumble.
Kofi Kingston and Big E did a signing at a Cricket Wireless before Royal Rumble.
Lacey Evans promoted Royal Rumble with BT Sport.
Brian Fury worked as a WWE Performance Center guest coach this past week.
Keith Lee got local press for winning the North American Championship.
Dynamite's March 25 taping in New Jersey has sold more than 10,000 tickets. That's incredibly impressive; they keep doing big things.
NBC's "The Good Place" featured references to The Rock, Stone Cold, and Triple H this week.
CZW/GCW alumnus Justice Pain passed away recently.
Before Smackdown, Mustafa Ali defeated Apollo Crews.
NWA Crockett Cup has been announced for April in Georgia. There's no word on exactly when and where, thought it won't be at the location of Power.
After Smackdown, The Fiend retained the Universal Championship over Daniel Bryan.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It doesn't seem to be imminent, likely due to The Revival's contracts ending soon.
2. It does sound confusing. I'm all for presenting the women prominently but it seems like if the goal is to make the division less marginalized they would do the same for the cruiserweight and tag team championships? It's a mess. I could understand doing a NXT Men's and NXT Women's Championship more than this.
3. I don't have anything to add here. I just hope the book makes print and everyone gets what they're owed.
4. I don't know who brought it up, but Triple H would have to approve it and I would think Vince would, too. It's possible this changes the design of the championship, too, after all.
5. Prichard was definitely brought back to be an intermediary between Vince and other voices in the company. Not sure why that was disputed.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Drew McIntyre is on Jerry Lawler's latest podcast.
NXT UK's Jordan Devlin had emergency dental surgery for a broken tooth, then returned to the ring for that night's live event. That's intense!
Brian Cage announced surgery for a torn biceps. He will determine his future after he recovers. I hope he's able to make a big splash when he's 100%.
NJPW's WrestleCon Lion's Break event has added Zack Sabre, Jr. and El Desperado.
Nikki Cross discussed working with Alexa Bliss, NXT UK, and more.
Carmella promoted Royal Rumble in interviews with Sporting News, The Wrap, and Newsweek.
Daniel Bryan has a new ecofriendly T-shirt made of recycled plastic bottles and organic cotton. A tree will be planted for every shirt sold. That's great!
Nick Aldis has been announced for Supercard of Honor. Cool. Maybe we'll see some other NWA crossover, too.
Impact's WrestleCon event has announced Ken Anderson and D'Lo Brown representing Aces and Eights. I love it!
Impact this week has announced:
- Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards in the first of their best-of-five series
- Josh Alexander vs. Hijo del Vikingo
- Jordynne Grace vs. Madison Rayne vs. Keira Hogan in a number one contenders match for the Knockouts Championship
- Dez and Wentz vs. Pagano and Murder Clown
- Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Daga vs. Reno Scum
Raw has announced Lana vs. Liv Morgan. Bobby Lashley and Rusev are banned from ringside.
Drew McIntyre spoke to Miami Herald to promote Royal Rumble.
Kofi Kingston and Big E did a signing at a Cricket Wireless before Royal Rumble.
Lacey Evans promoted Royal Rumble with BT Sport.
Brian Fury worked as a WWE Performance Center guest coach this past week.
Keith Lee got local press for winning the North American Championship.
Dynamite's March 25 taping in New Jersey has sold more than 10,000 tickets. That's incredibly impressive; they keep doing big things.
NBC's "The Good Place" featured references to The Rock, Stone Cold, and Triple H this week.
CZW/GCW alumnus Justice Pain passed away recently.
Before Smackdown, Mustafa Ali defeated Apollo Crews.
NWA Crockett Cup has been announced for April in Georgia. There's no word on exactly when and where, thought it won't be at the location of Power.
After Smackdown, The Fiend retained the Universal Championship over Daniel Bryan.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It doesn't seem to be imminent, likely due to The Revival's contracts ending soon.
2. It does sound confusing. I'm all for presenting the women prominently but it seems like if the goal is to make the division less marginalized they would do the same for the cruiserweight and tag team championships? It's a mess. I could understand doing a NXT Men's and NXT Women's Championship more than this.
3. I don't have anything to add here. I just hope the book makes print and everyone gets what they're owed.
4. I don't know who brought it up, but Triple H would have to approve it and I would think Vince would, too. It's possible this changes the design of the championship, too, after all.
5. Prichard was definitely brought back to be an intermediary between Vince and other voices in the company. Not sure why that was disputed.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday Night Smackdown Reax - 1/24/20
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Friday Night Smackdown.
Main Event and 205 Live Reax - 1/24/20
Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's Main Event and 205 Live.
Friday, January 24, 2020
NJPW name off U.S. tour, ROH name signs new deal, NXT gets on viral trend, NXT title name change, Rumble hype, assorted wrestling press, Interview with Riley, WWC name passes, ATB note, another past ROH name at Supercard, more Free Enterprise matches, AAA name in MLW title match, more potential Rumble names, ROH looking at international hire, Backstage audience, Smackdown preview, Raw match, Dynamite+NXT ratings, Swann update, and Questions on the greatest WWE PPV, Foley's role in helping HHH, WWE not pushing Taz, what will headline Mania, and WWE names at XFL
Kota Ibushi is missing NJPW's U.S. tour due to the flu. That sucks, as I'm sure he was someone fans really looked forward to seeing.
PJ Black has signed a multi-year deal to stay in ROH. I'm curious what other promotions made him offers. I hope can do good things there.
NXT's announce team remembered Mr. Peanut. 2020 is a crazy, crazy time.
NXT's women's championship will no longer be referred to as the NXT Women's Championship, dropping the gender-specific designation in favor of just calling the title the NXT Championship. I see what they're going for, but that can quickly get confusing.
- Becky Lynch commented on the change, which she had advocated on WWE Backstage. It's very much a discussion worth having.
King Corbin promoted Royal Rumble:
- YESS Corbin doesn't need cheap cliche tactics to be an effective heel. MJF in particular comes across as very clearly playing the role of professional wrestling villain.
- I think Roman hatred has died down a bit as his push hasn't been as strong. If he gets another WrestleMania main event, i can see it picking up again.
Seth Rollins promoted Royal Rumble.
Titus O'Neil and Mojo Rawley worked with the NFL at Special Olympics Florida. No 24/7 Title changes unfortunately.
Alex Riley spoke to Chris Van Vliet about John Cena and more. The Cena-Riley story has become an urban legend at this point.
Hercules Ayala passed away at 69 due to heart issues. PWInsider.com remembered his career.
Dolph Ziggler and R-Truth spoke on After The Bell.
Tito Santana has a book signing in New Jersey Monday.
Carmella discussed her character and more.
Elijah Burke helped homeless people in Florida. Glad to see him doing so.
Amazing Red will compete at Supercard of Honor. Good on ROH for expanding their roster.
Free Enterprise has added:
- Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry vs. Vincent and Bateman
- Alex Shelley vs. Mark Haskins
- Brody King vs. Rey Horus
AAA's Arez will challenge MLW's Middleweight Champion at MLW's February 1 TV taping.
Nia Jax and Ruby Riott are booked for Royal Rumble weekend, so either or both could enter that match. It will be fresh to see them again.
ROH is looking to hire Australia's Adam Brooks.
WWE Backstage drew 111,000 viewers this week.
Smackdown has added:
- Roman Reigns and the Usos vs. King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robret Roode
- Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan having a contract signing for Royal Rumble. This could be much more fun than the usual signing given Bray's shenanigans.
Raw is advertising Seth Rollins, AOP, and Buddy Murphy vs. Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and the Viking Raiders. This could be a planned dark match.
Dynamite drew 871,000 viewers this week for a taped show. They didn't drop a huge amount from Bash at the Beach.
NXT drew 769,000 viewers this week, a decent improvement from last week.
Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, The Miz, and Maryse are advertised for Carpool Karaoka's third season.
The Miz gave wrestling advice on E! News. It's not every day a Hall of Fame level talent offers guidance like that.
Rich Swann has undergone ankle surgery. There is currently no timetable for his in-ring return. I'm curious what Impact will do with him out.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That show definitely merits a lot of praise for the reasons mentioned.
2. Mick Foley is constantly praised for his role in getting Triple H, Randy Orton, and others to higher levels. That might have been his greatest strength as a performer.
3. About all I can think of is WWE not seeing the same level of potential in him, likely due to his size and background. There could have easily been a feeling of one thing working in ECW but WWE being a very different environment.
4. We'll see if Brock Lesnar's match ends the show, since it could be a quick affair if it involves another non-regular competitor. I'd think The Fiend vs. Roman Reigns would be the other likely option.
5. I think there's a concerted effort to keep the parties separate right now. They don't want XFL to be seen as another Vince McMahon novelty league of "rasslin meets football."
More wrestling tomorrow.
PJ Black has signed a multi-year deal to stay in ROH. I'm curious what other promotions made him offers. I hope can do good things there.
NXT's announce team remembered Mr. Peanut. 2020 is a crazy, crazy time.
NXT's women's championship will no longer be referred to as the NXT Women's Championship, dropping the gender-specific designation in favor of just calling the title the NXT Championship. I see what they're going for, but that can quickly get confusing.
- Becky Lynch commented on the change, which she had advocated on WWE Backstage. It's very much a discussion worth having.
King Corbin promoted Royal Rumble:
- YESS Corbin doesn't need cheap cliche tactics to be an effective heel. MJF in particular comes across as very clearly playing the role of professional wrestling villain.
- I think Roman hatred has died down a bit as his push hasn't been as strong. If he gets another WrestleMania main event, i can see it picking up again.
Seth Rollins promoted Royal Rumble.
Titus O'Neil and Mojo Rawley worked with the NFL at Special Olympics Florida. No 24/7 Title changes unfortunately.
Alex Riley spoke to Chris Van Vliet about John Cena and more. The Cena-Riley story has become an urban legend at this point.
Hercules Ayala passed away at 69 due to heart issues. PWInsider.com remembered his career.
Dolph Ziggler and R-Truth spoke on After The Bell.
Tito Santana has a book signing in New Jersey Monday.
Carmella discussed her character and more.
Elijah Burke helped homeless people in Florida. Glad to see him doing so.
Amazing Red will compete at Supercard of Honor. Good on ROH for expanding their roster.
Free Enterprise has added:
- Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry vs. Vincent and Bateman
- Alex Shelley vs. Mark Haskins
- Brody King vs. Rey Horus
AAA's Arez will challenge MLW's Middleweight Champion at MLW's February 1 TV taping.
Nia Jax and Ruby Riott are booked for Royal Rumble weekend, so either or both could enter that match. It will be fresh to see them again.
ROH is looking to hire Australia's Adam Brooks.
WWE Backstage drew 111,000 viewers this week.
Smackdown has added:
- Roman Reigns and the Usos vs. King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robret Roode
- Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan having a contract signing for Royal Rumble. This could be much more fun than the usual signing given Bray's shenanigans.
Raw is advertising Seth Rollins, AOP, and Buddy Murphy vs. Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and the Viking Raiders. This could be a planned dark match.
Dynamite drew 871,000 viewers this week for a taped show. They didn't drop a huge amount from Bash at the Beach.
NXT drew 769,000 viewers this week, a decent improvement from last week.
Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, The Miz, and Maryse are advertised for Carpool Karaoka's third season.
The Miz gave wrestling advice on E! News. It's not every day a Hall of Fame level talent offers guidance like that.
Rich Swann has undergone ankle surgery. There is currently no timetable for his in-ring return. I'm curious what Impact will do with him out.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That show definitely merits a lot of praise for the reasons mentioned.
2. Mick Foley is constantly praised for his role in getting Triple H, Randy Orton, and others to higher levels. That might have been his greatest strength as a performer.
3. About all I can think of is WWE not seeing the same level of potential in him, likely due to his size and background. There could have easily been a feeling of one thing working in ECW but WWE being a very different environment.
4. We'll see if Brock Lesnar's match ends the show, since it could be a quick affair if it involves another non-regular competitor. I'd think The Fiend vs. Roman Reigns would be the other likely option.
5. I think there's a concerted effort to keep the parties separate right now. They don't want XFL to be seen as another Vince McMahon novelty league of "rasslin meets football."
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Interview with Strong, Keith Lee responds to Punk, Dynamite cruise update, more Rumble entrants, WWE Watch Along guests, another likely Rumble return, Von Erich movie on the way?, Lawler wins another title, AEW looking to sign NJPW name, Raw audience, Trish to be honored, NXT dark matches, Impact returns to Twitch, and Questions on Brock's WM36 opponent, NXT headlining WM36, WWE's roster size, and social media's effect on wrestling
Roderick Strong spoke to Sports Illustrated before NXT. As for a Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen match, it really doesn't seem to be in the cards anytime soon. Marina and Jessicka aren't really doing much at this point.
Keith Lee responded to C.M. Punk endorsing him to win Royal Rumble. It would be very big for NXT if Lee did that, but it feels like a long shot.
Chris Jericho's 2021 cruise will feature Dynamite live. I'm honestly surprised that didn't happen this year. That should be pretty big.
WWE has launched a Twitch channel. This will feature Kickoff shows and The Bump as well as other content.
Big E and Kofi Kingston have announced themselves as being in the Royal Rumble, while Natalya will be in the women's edition.
Royal Rumble's Watch Along will feature Xavier Woods, Johnny Gargano, Rhea Ripley, Mustache Mountain, WWE Now Chinese correspondent Nina Wu, and Todd Pettengill. The latter is a pretty cool surprise. Smosh Games crewmembers will join the event, too.
Keith Lee responded to C.M. Punk endorsing him to win Royal Rumble. It would be very big for NXT if Lee did that, but it feels like a long shot.
Chris Jericho's 2021 cruise will feature Dynamite live. I'm honestly surprised that didn't happen this year. That should be pretty big.
WWE has launched a Twitch channel. This will feature Kickoff shows and The Bump as well as other content.
Big E and Kofi Kingston have announced themselves as being in the Royal Rumble, while Natalya will be in the women's edition.
Royal Rumble's Watch Along will feature Xavier Woods, Johnny Gargano, Rhea Ripley, Mustache Mountain, WWE Now Chinese correspondent Nina Wu, and Todd Pettengill. The latter is a pretty cool surprise. Smosh Games crewmembers will join the event, too.
Naomi is scheduled for Royal Rumble weekend. She's expected to return to the Smackdown brand soon. I'll be glad to see her back.
A Von Erich family feature film is believed to be in the works. That could definitely be a compelling story.
Jerry Lawler won Championship Wrestling from Arkansas' Heavyweight Championship in a recent title vs. career match. His legendary wrestling career continues to add accolades!
Ruby Riott was on Mark Andrews' latest podcast. I don't expect her to return for Royal Rumble.
AEW is negotiating to sign NJPW's Lance Archer, who is currently working as a freelancer. I'm curious how he would fit in if he joins.
Raw drew 2.38 million viewers this week, in line with what they did two weeks ago without NCAA football competition.
Trish Stratus will receive the Lou Thesz Award at the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame, making her the first female honoree. That's a significant honor!
Trish Stratus will receive the Lou Thesz Award at the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame, making her the first female honoree. That's a significant honor!
Before NXT:
- Mustache Mountain defeated Brendan Vink and Kona Reeves
- Cameron Grimes defeated Babatunde
Impact's Twitch channel has been reinstated. We'll see if they make any content changes to stay on the platform.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think it can be done, but I wouldn't assume it will happen. I expect Brock will face another "attraction" like Cain Velazquez rather than someone currently on the roster, unless in some crazy twist of fate he faces The Fiend.
2. Low, since there will be a Takeover the night before. Even if there wasn't, I think Brock's match would headline.
3. Brock can win and challenge for the Universal Championship. I'm under the impression the winners can challenge for their division's top title on Raw, Smackdown, or NXT. That said, I could see Brock winning and holding the Universal Title match hostage. That could setup someone like Drew McIntyre (or, let's be honest, Tyson Fury or Cain Velazquez) stepping up and accuse Brock and Heyman of ducking him.
4. I do think WWE can do a better job of cycling talents in and out, and honestly they probably could drop a number of people who aren't on TV and won't be anytime soon. Notably Dana Brooke has been used more on Smackdown lately.
5. Depending on how it's used and by whom, it can be a great benefit or a great hindrance.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Impact's Twitch channel has been reinstated. We'll see if they make any content changes to stay on the platform.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think it can be done, but I wouldn't assume it will happen. I expect Brock will face another "attraction" like Cain Velazquez rather than someone currently on the roster, unless in some crazy twist of fate he faces The Fiend.
2. Low, since there will be a Takeover the night before. Even if there wasn't, I think Brock's match would headline.
3. Brock can win and challenge for the Universal Championship. I'm under the impression the winners can challenge for their division's top title on Raw, Smackdown, or NXT. That said, I could see Brock winning and holding the Universal Title match hostage. That could setup someone like Drew McIntyre (or, let's be honest, Tyson Fury or Cain Velazquez) stepping up and accuse Brock and Heyman of ducking him.
4. I do think WWE can do a better job of cycling talents in and out, and honestly they probably could drop a number of people who aren't on TV and won't be anytime soon. Notably Dana Brooke has been used more on Smackdown lately.
5. Depending on how it's used and by whom, it can be a great benefit or a great hindrance.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Bloodsport adds match, Backstage on the road, new Rumble match, indie doing TV pilot, new Worlds Collide match, Interviews with Bryan/Braun/Ryback/Walter/Lilian, IIconics helping with Australia fire, another WWE UK deal, Bucks autobiography update, bubbly on Jericho cruise, Dreamer at AEW party, Rock begins Netflix show, comedian at Mania?, Jericho booked for WrestleCon, ROH name re-signs, another ROH name in NWA, lucha legend in Disney series?, WWE hiring big exec, Asuka at shooting site, and Questions on WWE heeling the Astros, Heyman if ECW stuck around, AEW's new TV deal, and MLW working with ICM
Bloodsport III has added Minoru Suzuki vs. Chris Dickinson. That's an intriguing event concept.
WWE Backstage will be in Florida next week to play off the Super Bowl. This will be the first episode in front of a live audience. I'm curious how that will pay off for the show.
Royal Rumble has added Andrade vs. Humberto Carrillo for the United States Championship.
Beyond Wrestling will film a network pilot on March 1. The company is indicating interest from distribution partners and investors. That could really get things moving for the group!
WWE Worlds Collide has added Kay Lee Ray vs. Mia Yim in a non-title match on its 30-minute Kickoff event.
Daniel Bryan spoke before Royal Rumble:
- I miss the planet's champion!
- Wow that hair segment sounds chaotic.
- I appreciate what they're going for with the red light, but I think it hinders the experience.
- More people need to care about their character story as much as Bray cares about his.
- Bryan being the opposite of who he was going into WrestleMania 30 was GREAT.
- I like the idea for recycled T-shirts. Again, that would have been awesome for his eco character.
Braun Strowman spoke before Smackdown. Good press.
Ryback is on Stone Cold's latest podcast.
Billie Kay is auctioning a ring-worn T-shirt and IIconics action figures to benefit Australian fire relief. That's great!
WWE has announced a UK TV deal to broadcast truncated versions of Raw and Smackdown, as well as NXT UK in its entirety. In addition, "Total Divas" and "Miz & Mrs" will be available on streaming services.
The Young Bucks autobiography will be subtitled "Killing the Business from Backyards to the Big Leagues." Very entertaining.
Chris Jericho's cruise rooms each contained a bottle of his new wine. The power of memes is real.
Tommy Dreamer will be part of an AEW Revolution watch party in New York.
The Rock has begun filming "Red Notice" for Netflix. I would assume that rules out a Royal Rumble appearance, which seemed unlikely anyway.
Walter discussed not moving to the US, Survivor Series, and more. He was pretty blunt!
Titus O'Neil was named South Tampa's 2020 Citizen of the Year. Very good to see him honored liked that.
Lilian Garcia spoke to Chris Van Vliet. I'd like to see WWE put her in their Hall of Fame.
Gabriel Iglesias is advertised for WrestleMania and the night after. It's unknown what he'll be doing there.
Chris Jericho will be at WrestleCon's convention Saturday. That's a pretty big get!
Josh Woods has signed a new ROH deal.
ROH's Dan Maff has been entered into NWA's Television Championship tournament. He will face Zicky in the first round at Hard Times.
Marty Scurll will be at Hard Times.
Blue Demon, Jr. is set to star in a Disney Channel series. Can't say I expected to write that!
WWE is hiring a vice president of operations. This person would directly support Vince McMahon. I hope they know what they're getting into!
Asuka was at the site of a recent mall shooting, but was unharmed. Scary situation.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I fully expect it.
2. The impression I have is that ECW would have become similar to early ROH as far as talents used and the style involved, though presumably there would have still been some amount of "hardcore" content. I'd think as long as Heyman continued to be able to do things his way he'd continue to be involved.
3. It does feel like TNT is giving them a LOT really early. I could understand a two year deal, but that's a very big sign of approval for a league that young. AEW should be ecstatic and so should talents who could be on their radar. That said, Dynamite has greatly exceeded TNT's expectations of 500,000 viewers a week, and that's with some significant competition from NXT.
4. I expect it's going to be a one-hour show largely like Dark. They really want to avoid going against Raw, Smackdown, and sports.
5. I'm under the impression they're going to keep Fusion on BT Sports, but hope to also have it air elsewhere. There could also be a new show on another channel.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE Backstage will be in Florida next week to play off the Super Bowl. This will be the first episode in front of a live audience. I'm curious how that will pay off for the show.
Royal Rumble has added Andrade vs. Humberto Carrillo for the United States Championship.
Beyond Wrestling will film a network pilot on March 1. The company is indicating interest from distribution partners and investors. That could really get things moving for the group!
WWE Worlds Collide has added Kay Lee Ray vs. Mia Yim in a non-title match on its 30-minute Kickoff event.
Daniel Bryan spoke before Royal Rumble:
- I miss the planet's champion!
- Wow that hair segment sounds chaotic.
- I appreciate what they're going for with the red light, but I think it hinders the experience.
- More people need to care about their character story as much as Bray cares about his.
- Bryan being the opposite of who he was going into WrestleMania 30 was GREAT.
- I like the idea for recycled T-shirts. Again, that would have been awesome for his eco character.
Braun Strowman spoke before Smackdown. Good press.
Ryback is on Stone Cold's latest podcast.
Billie Kay is auctioning a ring-worn T-shirt and IIconics action figures to benefit Australian fire relief. That's great!
WWE has announced a UK TV deal to broadcast truncated versions of Raw and Smackdown, as well as NXT UK in its entirety. In addition, "Total Divas" and "Miz & Mrs" will be available on streaming services.
The Young Bucks autobiography will be subtitled "Killing the Business from Backyards to the Big Leagues." Very entertaining.
Chris Jericho's cruise rooms each contained a bottle of his new wine. The power of memes is real.
Tommy Dreamer will be part of an AEW Revolution watch party in New York.
The Rock has begun filming "Red Notice" for Netflix. I would assume that rules out a Royal Rumble appearance, which seemed unlikely anyway.
Walter discussed not moving to the US, Survivor Series, and more. He was pretty blunt!
Titus O'Neil was named South Tampa's 2020 Citizen of the Year. Very good to see him honored liked that.
Lilian Garcia spoke to Chris Van Vliet. I'd like to see WWE put her in their Hall of Fame.
Gabriel Iglesias is advertised for WrestleMania and the night after. It's unknown what he'll be doing there.
Chris Jericho will be at WrestleCon's convention Saturday. That's a pretty big get!
Josh Woods has signed a new ROH deal.
ROH's Dan Maff has been entered into NWA's Television Championship tournament. He will face Zicky in the first round at Hard Times.
Marty Scurll will be at Hard Times.
Blue Demon, Jr. is set to star in a Disney Channel series. Can't say I expected to write that!
WWE is hiring a vice president of operations. This person would directly support Vince McMahon. I hope they know what they're getting into!
Asuka was at the site of a recent mall shooting, but was unharmed. Scary situation.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I fully expect it.
2. The impression I have is that ECW would have become similar to early ROH as far as talents used and the style involved, though presumably there would have still been some amount of "hardcore" content. I'd think as long as Heyman continued to be able to do things his way he'd continue to be involved.
3. It does feel like TNT is giving them a LOT really early. I could understand a two year deal, but that's a very big sign of approval for a league that young. AEW should be ecstatic and so should talents who could be on their radar. That said, Dynamite has greatly exceeded TNT's expectations of 500,000 viewers a week, and that's with some significant competition from NXT.
4. I expect it's going to be a one-hour show largely like Dark. They really want to avoid going against Raw, Smackdown, and sports.
5. I'm under the impression they're going to keep Fusion on BT Sports, but hope to also have it air elsewhere. There could also be a new show on another channel.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Rock on father's passing, Jeff Hardy court update, NXT UK signing, Rumble name updates, Impact match announced, more AEW content on FITE, former WWE trainer at live event, new ROH shows and matches, more Mania weekend names, another Dynamite set, assorted wrestling press, NXT tours, CZW PPVs available, Interview with PCO, new Impact shows, Impact Plus adds more episodes, new WWE trademarks, Jericho announces another cruise, new Dynamite matches, and Questions on Saudi backup plans, Destroyers everywhere, Hager not wrestling, AEW online content, and Graves' opinions
The Rock discussed his father's passing from a blood clot. Very sad to hear that happened.
Jeff Hardy's next court appearance is April 6. I would be a little surprised to see him on WWE TV before then.
NXT UK has signed Aoife Valkyrie, who worked their most recent tapings. We'll see how she does there.
Kane is scheduled to be at Royal Rumble. It's unknown if he'll be in the match itself, though that would make sense given his history there.
- Shannon Moore could also be on that show, as he's been pulled from some independent bookings due to a WWE commitment.
Impact has announced Moose vs. Rhino vs. Taurus this week.
AEW Dark has been added to FITE's AEW Plus package. Past episodes are available as well as live airings of upcoming shows. That's good to see.
Dr. Tom Prichard was at Smackdown's Tennessee live event this weekend. Cool to see.
ROH has announced its 18th anniversary PPV for March 13 in Nevada. That's pretty close to Supercard, so we'll see how the schedule plays out.
ROH has announced "Past vs. Present" on March 14 in Nevada, featuring current ROH names taking on names who have worked there previously. Matt Sydal, Homicide, Necro Butcher, Doug Williams, and Allison Danger are all advertised. That's a unique attraction with names we don't see frequently, which ROH could benefit from right now.
Alex Shelley and The Great Muta have been added to Joey Janela's Spring Break WrestleMania weekend.
Davey Boy Smith, Jr. and Jeff Cobb have been added to Bloodsport III.
Dynamite's March 18 episode is set for New York. The venue has hosted Raw, Smackdown, Nitro, and a WWF In Your House PPV.
King Corbin got press in Kansas for supporting the local NFL team during a Tennessee live event.
Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Tommaso Ciampa are set for signings this weekend to promote Royal Rumble.
NXT has announced live events for:
- March 5 and March 6 in Ohio
- March 7 in Michigan
- March 27 in Tennessee
- March 28 and March 29 Indianapolis
John Morrison appeared on Nathan Barnatt's YouTube show.
CZW's first three PPV episodes are now available:
- CZW Bloodiest Wars with DJ Hyde and Masada vs. Matt Tremont and Atsushi Onita and Mance Warner vs. Ricky Shane Page in Cage of Death
- CZW Girlz Destruction with Hania vs. Athena and Mercedes Martinez vs. Allie
- CZW Today's Stars with The Young Bucks vs. Jake Crist and Dave Crist and Team Tremendous vs. Alex Reynolds and John Silver
PCO spoke to ET Canada. Glad to see him getting ROH press.
Free Enterprise has added:
- Slex vs. Flip Gordon in Slex's ROH debut
- A battle royal to earn a ROH World Championship match
- The Briscoes vs. Bandido and Flamita
ROH's February 28 HonorClub event in Tennessee has added:
- PCO vs. Dragon Lee for the ROH Championship
- The Briscoes vs. Jeff Cobb and Dan Maff
- Marty Scurll vs. Slex
- Rush and Kenny King vs. Brody King and Flip Gordon
ROH's February 29 HonorClub event in Missouri has added:
- PCO vs. Rush vs. Mark Haskins for the ROH Championship. If Dragon Lee wins the title in Tennessee, Lee, Rush, Haskins, and Dak Draper will have a four corner survival match for the ROH Championship
- Dragon Lee vs. Dak Draper for the Television Championship
- Bandido, Flamita, and Rey Horus vs. Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, and Jeff Cobb for the Six-Man Tag Team Championship
Impact has announced March 6 and March 7 events in Georgia. At this point it's unknown where they will air, as Twitch still has their account suspended.
Impact Plus has begun adding Impact episodes from 2008.
WWE has filed trademarks for the names Trish Stratus, Ever-Rise, Chase Parker, Matt Martel, Epico, and Primo. Ever-Rise is the former 3.0.
Chris Jericho has announced another cruise for February 1 through February 5, 2021. Wow. He didn't waste any time!
Dynamite has added MJF vs. Joey Janela and Britt Baker vs. Priscilla Kelly.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I fully expect they have a backup travel plan this time. As huge of an investment as the show is, they're going to do their best to make sure everything goes as scheduled.
2. It has definitely become a trendy move to have someone kick out of! Presumably if it stops getting a good reaction people will move on to something else, but now it's pretty much expected every card will have a lot of dives, destroyers, and apron bumps throughout the night.
3. I'm starting to think his Bellator contract prevents him from wrestling, since he hasn't competed anywhere since August. I'd love to be wrong on that, because otherwise it seems like a big expense with little payoff.
4. AEW absolutely expands their storylines in online videos. Most things seem to be explained on Dynamite, but not in as in-depth of a fashion.
5. There's a fine line between Corey Graves the character hosting a podcast and Corey Graves the real person with real opinions. I get the feeling he switches back and forth between the two to "spice things up" or what have you.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Jeff Hardy's next court appearance is April 6. I would be a little surprised to see him on WWE TV before then.
NXT UK has signed Aoife Valkyrie, who worked their most recent tapings. We'll see how she does there.
Kane is scheduled to be at Royal Rumble. It's unknown if he'll be in the match itself, though that would make sense given his history there.
- Shannon Moore could also be on that show, as he's been pulled from some independent bookings due to a WWE commitment.
Impact has announced Moose vs. Rhino vs. Taurus this week.
AEW Dark has been added to FITE's AEW Plus package. Past episodes are available as well as live airings of upcoming shows. That's good to see.
Dr. Tom Prichard was at Smackdown's Tennessee live event this weekend. Cool to see.
ROH has announced its 18th anniversary PPV for March 13 in Nevada. That's pretty close to Supercard, so we'll see how the schedule plays out.
ROH has announced "Past vs. Present" on March 14 in Nevada, featuring current ROH names taking on names who have worked there previously. Matt Sydal, Homicide, Necro Butcher, Doug Williams, and Allison Danger are all advertised. That's a unique attraction with names we don't see frequently, which ROH could benefit from right now.
Alex Shelley and The Great Muta have been added to Joey Janela's Spring Break WrestleMania weekend.
Davey Boy Smith, Jr. and Jeff Cobb have been added to Bloodsport III.
Dynamite's March 18 episode is set for New York. The venue has hosted Raw, Smackdown, Nitro, and a WWF In Your House PPV.
King Corbin got press in Kansas for supporting the local NFL team during a Tennessee live event.
Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Tommaso Ciampa are set for signings this weekend to promote Royal Rumble.
NXT has announced live events for:
- March 5 and March 6 in Ohio
- March 7 in Michigan
- March 27 in Tennessee
- March 28 and March 29 Indianapolis
John Morrison appeared on Nathan Barnatt's YouTube show.
CZW's first three PPV episodes are now available:
- CZW Bloodiest Wars with DJ Hyde and Masada vs. Matt Tremont and Atsushi Onita and Mance Warner vs. Ricky Shane Page in Cage of Death
- CZW Girlz Destruction with Hania vs. Athena and Mercedes Martinez vs. Allie
- CZW Today's Stars with The Young Bucks vs. Jake Crist and Dave Crist and Team Tremendous vs. Alex Reynolds and John Silver
PCO spoke to ET Canada. Glad to see him getting ROH press.
Free Enterprise has added:
- Slex vs. Flip Gordon in Slex's ROH debut
- A battle royal to earn a ROH World Championship match
- The Briscoes vs. Bandido and Flamita
ROH's February 28 HonorClub event in Tennessee has added:
- PCO vs. Dragon Lee for the ROH Championship
- The Briscoes vs. Jeff Cobb and Dan Maff
- Marty Scurll vs. Slex
- Rush and Kenny King vs. Brody King and Flip Gordon
ROH's February 29 HonorClub event in Missouri has added:
- PCO vs. Rush vs. Mark Haskins for the ROH Championship. If Dragon Lee wins the title in Tennessee, Lee, Rush, Haskins, and Dak Draper will have a four corner survival match for the ROH Championship
- Dragon Lee vs. Dak Draper for the Television Championship
- Bandido, Flamita, and Rey Horus vs. Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, and Jeff Cobb for the Six-Man Tag Team Championship
Impact has announced March 6 and March 7 events in Georgia. At this point it's unknown where they will air, as Twitch still has their account suspended.
Impact Plus has begun adding Impact episodes from 2008.
WWE has filed trademarks for the names Trish Stratus, Ever-Rise, Chase Parker, Matt Martel, Epico, and Primo. Ever-Rise is the former 3.0.
Chris Jericho has announced another cruise for February 1 through February 5, 2021. Wow. He didn't waste any time!
Dynamite has added MJF vs. Joey Janela and Britt Baker vs. Priscilla Kelly.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I fully expect they have a backup travel plan this time. As huge of an investment as the show is, they're going to do their best to make sure everything goes as scheduled.
2. It has definitely become a trendy move to have someone kick out of! Presumably if it stops getting a good reaction people will move on to something else, but now it's pretty much expected every card will have a lot of dives, destroyers, and apron bumps throughout the night.
3. I'm starting to think his Bellator contract prevents him from wrestling, since he hasn't competed anywhere since August. I'd love to be wrong on that, because otherwise it seems like a big expense with little payoff.
4. AEW absolutely expands their storylines in online videos. Most things seem to be explained on Dynamite, but not in as in-depth of a fashion.
5. There's a fine line between Corey Graves the character hosting a podcast and Corey Graves the real person with real opinions. I get the feeling he switches back and forth between the two to "spice things up" or what have you.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, January 20, 2020
WWE names at UFC, Kane appears at live event, Interviews with Angle/Flair, Impact-Mexico update, NXT UK departure, more Johnson passing coverage, 24/7 Title changes, and Questions on Liv's future, a WWE-AEW joint shot, an NXT UK name winning the cruiserweight title, and HHH-Paige
Batista, Titus O'Neil, and Tyson Fury were at UFC 246.
Kane appeared at a WWE live event in Tennessee. This was where Kane is mayor.
Kurt Angle spoke to Cultaholic about transitioning to a backstage role and more.
Impact announced plans to return to Mexico in April.
Jazzy Gabert has left NXT UK following her contract expiring. We'll see where she ends up next. AEW would make sense if they think they have enough room for her.
- Gabert wasn't medically cleared to compete at the most recent NXT UK taping following a car accident. She was set to face Killer Kelly.
Ric Flair discussed his career with BT Sport.
NPR covered Rocky Johnson's passing.
At WWE live events on January 17, January 18, and January 19, Mojo Rawley lost the 24/7 Championship to R-Truth before winning it back. WWE has not currently acknowledged these six title changes.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I don't see her being a centerpiece of the division in the same way Charlotte or Becky are as wrestlers, but I could see her being an important character.
2. I REALLY don't see that happening anytime soon, as WWE has no desire to help their competition.
Nothing to add to 3.
4. It's possible an NXT UK star wins the championship, though Garza hasn't been champion long, so I would think elevating him would be more of a priority. I would be very surprised to see the title move off 205 Live.
5. I appreciate him taking responsibility and apologizing publicly and privately. No excuses or blame, just ownership. It's refreshing.
More wrestling coming up.
Kane appeared at a WWE live event in Tennessee. This was where Kane is mayor.
Kurt Angle spoke to Cultaholic about transitioning to a backstage role and more.
Impact announced plans to return to Mexico in April.
Jazzy Gabert has left NXT UK following her contract expiring. We'll see where she ends up next. AEW would make sense if they think they have enough room for her.
- Gabert wasn't medically cleared to compete at the most recent NXT UK taping following a car accident. She was set to face Killer Kelly.
Ric Flair discussed his career with BT Sport.
NPR covered Rocky Johnson's passing.
At WWE live events on January 17, January 18, and January 19, Mojo Rawley lost the 24/7 Championship to R-Truth before winning it back. WWE has not currently acknowledged these six title changes.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I don't see her being a centerpiece of the division in the same way Charlotte or Becky are as wrestlers, but I could see her being an important character.
2. I REALLY don't see that happening anytime soon, as WWE has no desire to help their competition.
Nothing to add to 3.
4. It's possible an NXT UK star wins the championship, though Garza hasn't been champion long, so I would think elevating him would be more of a priority. I would be very surprised to see the title move off 205 Live.
5. I appreciate him taking responsibility and apologizing publicly and privately. No excuses or blame, just ownership. It's refreshing.
More wrestling coming up.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
MLW-AAA note, WWE app updated, next Network additions, Smackdown audience, Interviews with Cody/Gerald Brisco/Cain/Charlotte, WWE names get merch, WWE stars' podcast debuts, potential NXT team, another NJPW name at Supercard, Backstage guest, WWE title name change, new WWE producer, Harts on DSOTR, another WrestleCon show name, Konnan gets in physical confrontation in Mexico, EVOLVE and live event notes, and Questions on the Konnan altercation, the Rumble winner, Sasha not wrestling, and WWE's archives
Konnan is booked for MLW's February 1 event.
WWE's Android app was just updated to fix recent bugs.
WWE Network is adding more episodes of Prime Time Wrestling this week. More on this in tomorrow's news post.
Smackdown drew 2.58 million viewers Friday night, up a little from last week.
Cody and Gerald Brisco are on Busted Open Radio's latest podcast.
Cain Velasquez discussed the possibility of Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier coming to WWE. I mean, Brock Lesnar's going to need more WWE Title match opponents!
Shorty G has his first singles merchandise on WWE Shop.
- The Broserweights have a T-shirt on WWE Shop, which would seem to suggest they're going to continue as a team.
EC3 and Drake Maverick debuted their Magic City Live podcast, featuring a Braun Strowman promo. I do like that pair theoretically having an avenue to showcase their skills.
NXT is testing the idea of a Mike Kanellis/Tony Nese tag team, so we could see them on TV as a duo at some point.
Taiji Ishimori has been added to Supercard of Honor XIV. I'm glad to see some guests at that event. ROH could use a boost from outside names.
Becky Lynch will be on WWE Backstage this week.
NXT UK's top championship is now the NXT UK Championship, rather than the WWE UK Championship. That makes sense.
Charlotte Flair discussed Kairi Sane's TLC injury. Or rather commented on how the match went on regardless.
Sylvain Grenier has been hired as a WWE producer.
Martha Hart and other Owen Hart Foundation members will be part of "Dark Side of the Ring" in season two. That's bound to spark some controversy.
Amazing Red has been added to WrestleCon's SuperShow.
Konnan and Psicosis II got into a confrontation at Impact's January 17 taping. There was heat between the two parties for Konnan not booking him to be part of AAA TV, with Konnan indicating that if Psicosis II was worthy of such a spot, he'd be in demand from other wrestling companies. This was Psicosis II continuing the issue in public. Konnan refused to engage and the two were separated.
At EVOLVE 144:
- NXT's Denzel Dejournette lost to Joe Gacy
- NXT's Brendan Vink defeated Stephen Wolf
- NXT's Rik Bugez defeated Anthony Greene
- NXT's Joaquin Wilde defeated Leon Ruff
- NXT's Mansoor defeated AR Fox
- NXT's Dexter Lumis lost to Josh Briggs in an EVOLVE Championship match
At Smackdown's January 18 live event in Tennessee:
- Heavy Machinery worked their first live event since December 12, defeating The Revival
- Mustafa Ali worked his first live event since December 14, defeating Drew Gulak. This was Gulak's first live event since December 8.
- The Usos worked their first live event since July 21, teaming with Roman Reigns to defeat King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode. This was Roode's first live event since November 16.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Psicosis II's face was blurred because he usually wrestles under a mask. Konnan definitely tweeted about him, as Luchablog archived.
Nothing to add to 2.
3. It would not shock me at all to see Brock win. If not him, I expect it will be Cain Velasquez or Tyson Fury winning to set up a WrestleMania match. I don't expect it to be a regular member of the roster, although I would be pleasantly surprised if it was someone like McIntyre.
4. I'm guessing they want to protect her and make her matches matter.
5. There's also a site in New York containing a lot of old footage.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE's Android app was just updated to fix recent bugs.
WWE Network is adding more episodes of Prime Time Wrestling this week. More on this in tomorrow's news post.
Smackdown drew 2.58 million viewers Friday night, up a little from last week.
Cody and Gerald Brisco are on Busted Open Radio's latest podcast.
Cain Velasquez discussed the possibility of Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier coming to WWE. I mean, Brock Lesnar's going to need more WWE Title match opponents!
Shorty G has his first singles merchandise on WWE Shop.
- The Broserweights have a T-shirt on WWE Shop, which would seem to suggest they're going to continue as a team.
EC3 and Drake Maverick debuted their Magic City Live podcast, featuring a Braun Strowman promo. I do like that pair theoretically having an avenue to showcase their skills.
NXT is testing the idea of a Mike Kanellis/Tony Nese tag team, so we could see them on TV as a duo at some point.
Taiji Ishimori has been added to Supercard of Honor XIV. I'm glad to see some guests at that event. ROH could use a boost from outside names.
Becky Lynch will be on WWE Backstage this week.
NXT UK's top championship is now the NXT UK Championship, rather than the WWE UK Championship. That makes sense.
Charlotte Flair discussed Kairi Sane's TLC injury. Or rather commented on how the match went on regardless.
Sylvain Grenier has been hired as a WWE producer.
Martha Hart and other Owen Hart Foundation members will be part of "Dark Side of the Ring" in season two. That's bound to spark some controversy.
Amazing Red has been added to WrestleCon's SuperShow.
Konnan and Psicosis II got into a confrontation at Impact's January 17 taping. There was heat between the two parties for Konnan not booking him to be part of AAA TV, with Konnan indicating that if Psicosis II was worthy of such a spot, he'd be in demand from other wrestling companies. This was Psicosis II continuing the issue in public. Konnan refused to engage and the two were separated.
At EVOLVE 144:
- NXT's Denzel Dejournette lost to Joe Gacy
- NXT's Brendan Vink defeated Stephen Wolf
- NXT's Rik Bugez defeated Anthony Greene
- NXT's Joaquin Wilde defeated Leon Ruff
- NXT's Mansoor defeated AR Fox
- NXT's Dexter Lumis lost to Josh Briggs in an EVOLVE Championship match
At Smackdown's January 18 live event in Tennessee:
- Heavy Machinery worked their first live event since December 12, defeating The Revival
- Mustafa Ali worked his first live event since December 14, defeating Drew Gulak. This was Gulak's first live event since December 8.
- The Usos worked their first live event since July 21, teaming with Roman Reigns to defeat King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode. This was Roode's first live event since November 16.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Psicosis II's face was blurred because he usually wrestles under a mask. Konnan definitely tweeted about him, as Luchablog archived.
Nothing to add to 2.
3. It would not shock me at all to see Brock win. If not him, I expect it will be Cain Velasquez or Tyson Fury winning to set up a WrestleMania match. I don't expect it to be a regular member of the roster, although I would be pleasantly surprised if it was someone like McIntyre.
4. I'm guessing they want to protect her and make her matches matter.
5. There's also a site in New York containing a lot of old footage.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Tessa responds to controversy, Qatar event to stream live, WWE trademarks team name, Johnson honored, Interviews with Cain/AJ/Aichner+Barthel/Charlotte+Andrade/Elias/Kane, assorted wrestling press, MLW planning big event, MLW injury, AAA names working MLW, possible Rumble returns, Free Enterprise main event, ROH team splits, WOH tryout, another NJPW show on FITE, another NJPW name at SCOH, WWE name signs new deal, Flair note, live event and dark match notes, and Questions on Billy Gunn using that name, Gunn as a singles star, AEW's tributes, and the busy WrestleMania weekend
Tessa Blanchard released a brief statement refuting allegations of using a racial slur years back. I strongly doubt multiple people made up incidents just to defame her. We'll see if anything more comes of this.
- Allysin Kay responded to the statement, reasserting that the incident in question happened.
Qatar Pro Wrestling's SuperSlam 2 will air live on FITE. Matt Striker and Joe Dombrowski will be the announce team.
WWE has trademarked the team name Harlem Heat. There continues to be speculation of that duo wrestling there. That could be an attraction for the next Saudi event if not WrestleMania.
Booker T. discussed Rocky Johnson on his latest podcast.
Cain Velasquez spoke to Cultaholic about Royal Rumble and more. I'm surprised WWE passed on using him when he was previously interested.
Goldberg was on the most recent episode of "The Goldbergs."
Batista will be grand marshal for a January 25 Tampa festival.
R-Truth is on Jerry Lawler's latest podcast.
MLW is working on a major Hawaii event.
MLW's Zeda Zhang is injured.
MLW's February 1 event will have AAA involvement in addition to LA Park and El Hijo del LA Park.
Jinder Mahal and Velveteen Dream are scheduled to be at Royal Rumble weekend. That does not confirm either man will be in action, but both are available if they are medically cleared to return.
The Rock paid tribute to his late father. Powerful message.
AJ Styles looked back on his WWE debut. He called Impact "a little place in Orlando." That's cold!
Imperium's Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel promoted NXT UK.
Charlotte Flair and Andrade were interviewed by TalkSport and Cultaholic. I'm glad there's no rush to put them together on-screen.
Elias did local press before Smackdown.
Kane spoke before Smackdown.
Free Enterprise will be headlined by PCO and Marty Scurll vs. Rush and Nick Aldis, meaning the ROH World Champion and NWA World Champion are in the same match.
ROH's Coast 2 Coast team has apparently split up. It was probably time for a change for both.
ROH has announced a Women of Honor tryout combine for March 27 and March 28. At least one participant will get a developmental contract. Delirious, Jonathan Gresham, Will Ferrara, Angelina Love, and Sumie Sakai will all be on hand. I'm glad to see them taking growing that division seriously. My mind is blown that they're not using their Stardom connection, but hopefully that changes with Marty Scurll in charge.
NJPW's February 9 event will air on FITE. The show will feature Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenta for both of Naito's championships, as well as Jon Moxley defending the United States Championship against Minoru Suzuki.
Kenta is set for Supercard of Honor, his first ROH appearance since 2009. That show's profile continues to grow.
Nikki Bella will appear on Nickelodeon's "The Substitute" on January 31.
Kalisto has signed a new multi-year WWE contract. That's a little surprising given how little he's used. Hopefully things change for him.
Ric Flair will participate on Chris Jericho's cruise, but not for the entirety of the trip.
The Fiend has a new bobblehead. I imagine he's getting quite a bit of merchandise royalties these days.
WWE made a video tribute to Rocky Johnson.
At EVOLVE 143:
- NXT's Rik Bugez lost to Joe Gacy
- NXT's Indi Hartwell defeated Brandi Lauren
- NXT's Denzel Dejournette lost to Adrian Alanis
- NXT's Santana Garett defeated Avery Taylor. Avery was offered an EVOLVE contract, but Brandi Lauren ripped it up.
- NXT's Dexter Lumis defeated Curt Stallion
- NXT's Brendan Vink defeated AR Fox, then chokeslammed Bobby Flaco before leaving when The Skulk entered the ring.
Before Smackdown, Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak.
After Smackdown, The Fiend beat Daniel Bryan to retain the Universal Championship.
At NXT's January 17 Florida live event:
- Jaxson Ryker competed for the first time since December 14, beating Cal Bloom
- Mike Kanellis debuted in NXT, teaming with Tony Nese to defeat Mohammed Fahim and Nick Ogarelli. This was Kanellis' first match since September 24. It was Nese's first live event since September 29.
- Chelsea Green worked her first live event since December 6, defeating Kayden Carter.
- Kacy Catanzaro worked her first live event since July 19, defeating Vanessa Borne.
At Raw's January 17 Louisiana live event:
- Cedric Alexander worked his first live event since November 29, losing to Drew McIntyre
- Kairi Sane worked for the first time since TLC, teaming with Asuka and Sarah Logan in a loss to Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Natalya. This was Logan's first live event since December 6.
- Liv Morgan worked her first match since July 16, teaming with Rusev in a win over Bobby Lashley and Lana. This was Lana's first match since WrestleMania.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Looks like WWE didn't anticipate an AEW popping up and using him with that name. WWE is almost always on the ball with that kind of thing.
2. It just seemed like they always put him in tag teams. Once you become known for a certain role and being good at it, it's hard to change.
3. There are definitely a number of opportunities to do something similar in other markets to potentially increase attendance. They should revisit the concept.
4. It certainly provides a lot of variety and gives a lot of fans opportunities to see niche events. Ultimately it's only too much if the events aren't profitable.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Allysin Kay responded to the statement, reasserting that the incident in question happened.
Qatar Pro Wrestling's SuperSlam 2 will air live on FITE. Matt Striker and Joe Dombrowski will be the announce team.
WWE has trademarked the team name Harlem Heat. There continues to be speculation of that duo wrestling there. That could be an attraction for the next Saudi event if not WrestleMania.
Booker T. discussed Rocky Johnson on his latest podcast.
Cain Velasquez spoke to Cultaholic about Royal Rumble and more. I'm surprised WWE passed on using him when he was previously interested.
Goldberg was on the most recent episode of "The Goldbergs."
Batista will be grand marshal for a January 25 Tampa festival.
R-Truth is on Jerry Lawler's latest podcast.
MLW is working on a major Hawaii event.
MLW's Zeda Zhang is injured.
MLW's February 1 event will have AAA involvement in addition to LA Park and El Hijo del LA Park.
Jinder Mahal and Velveteen Dream are scheduled to be at Royal Rumble weekend. That does not confirm either man will be in action, but both are available if they are medically cleared to return.
The Rock paid tribute to his late father. Powerful message.
AJ Styles looked back on his WWE debut. He called Impact "a little place in Orlando." That's cold!
Imperium's Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel promoted NXT UK.
Charlotte Flair and Andrade were interviewed by TalkSport and Cultaholic. I'm glad there's no rush to put them together on-screen.
Elias did local press before Smackdown.
Kane spoke before Smackdown.
Free Enterprise will be headlined by PCO and Marty Scurll vs. Rush and Nick Aldis, meaning the ROH World Champion and NWA World Champion are in the same match.
ROH's Coast 2 Coast team has apparently split up. It was probably time for a change for both.
ROH has announced a Women of Honor tryout combine for March 27 and March 28. At least one participant will get a developmental contract. Delirious, Jonathan Gresham, Will Ferrara, Angelina Love, and Sumie Sakai will all be on hand. I'm glad to see them taking growing that division seriously. My mind is blown that they're not using their Stardom connection, but hopefully that changes with Marty Scurll in charge.
NJPW's February 9 event will air on FITE. The show will feature Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenta for both of Naito's championships, as well as Jon Moxley defending the United States Championship against Minoru Suzuki.
Kenta is set for Supercard of Honor, his first ROH appearance since 2009. That show's profile continues to grow.
Nikki Bella will appear on Nickelodeon's "The Substitute" on January 31.
Kalisto has signed a new multi-year WWE contract. That's a little surprising given how little he's used. Hopefully things change for him.
Ric Flair will participate on Chris Jericho's cruise, but not for the entirety of the trip.
The Fiend has a new bobblehead. I imagine he's getting quite a bit of merchandise royalties these days.
WWE made a video tribute to Rocky Johnson.
At EVOLVE 143:
- NXT's Rik Bugez lost to Joe Gacy
- NXT's Indi Hartwell defeated Brandi Lauren
- NXT's Denzel Dejournette lost to Adrian Alanis
- NXT's Santana Garett defeated Avery Taylor. Avery was offered an EVOLVE contract, but Brandi Lauren ripped it up.
- NXT's Dexter Lumis defeated Curt Stallion
- NXT's Brendan Vink defeated AR Fox, then chokeslammed Bobby Flaco before leaving when The Skulk entered the ring.
Before Smackdown, Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak.
After Smackdown, The Fiend beat Daniel Bryan to retain the Universal Championship.
At NXT's January 17 Florida live event:
- Jaxson Ryker competed for the first time since December 14, beating Cal Bloom
- Mike Kanellis debuted in NXT, teaming with Tony Nese to defeat Mohammed Fahim and Nick Ogarelli. This was Kanellis' first match since September 24. It was Nese's first live event since September 29.
- Chelsea Green worked her first live event since December 6, defeating Kayden Carter.
- Kacy Catanzaro worked her first live event since July 19, defeating Vanessa Borne.
At Raw's January 17 Louisiana live event:
- Cedric Alexander worked his first live event since November 29, losing to Drew McIntyre
- Kairi Sane worked for the first time since TLC, teaming with Asuka and Sarah Logan in a loss to Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Natalya. This was Logan's first live event since December 6.
- Liv Morgan worked her first match since July 16, teaming with Rusev in a win over Bobby Lashley and Lana. This was Lana's first match since WrestleMania.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Looks like WWE didn't anticipate an AEW popping up and using him with that name. WWE is almost always on the ball with that kind of thing.
2. It just seemed like they always put him in tag teams. Once you become known for a certain role and being good at it, it's hard to change.
3. There are definitely a number of opportunities to do something similar in other markets to potentially increase attendance. They should revisit the concept.
4. It certainly provides a lot of variety and gives a lot of fans opportunities to see niche events. Ultimately it's only too much if the events aren't profitable.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Main Event and 205 Live Reax - 1/17/20
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Main Event and 205 Live.
Friday Night Smackdown Reax - 1/17/20
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Friday Night Smackdown.
Friday, January 17, 2020
More on AEW-TNT deal, more Qatar names, WWE financial release set, assorted wrestling notes, AEW signs new commentator, Scurll NWA date set, Impact Twitch suspended, Undertaker update, WWE BT Sport matches, Paige in-ring update, Dynamite+NXT audiences, TNA return official, attendance notes, ROH looking to use another NJPW name, Funk appearance set, Shelley booking, MLW breaks record, ROH booking structure update, Shamrock family emergency, Khan takes on more AEW duties, Kross update, more on Big Show's return, and update on Kacy-NXT
TNT President Kevin Reilly spoke to Variety and The Wrap about AEW's new deal:
- TNT strongly believes in building AEW, which bodes very well for its future.
- It sounds like Dark will expand and change a bit when going to TNT. I'm curious what will and won't be allowed on the channel.
Qatar Pro Wrestling has added Brian Cage, PJ Black, Rich Swann, and Caprice Coleman to SuperSlam 2. An Impact vs. ROH match would be interesting!
WWE will announce its latest financial results on February 6.
John Cena discussed his famous jean shorts with James Corden.
Taz has signed with AEW for a multi-year deal. He will do commentary for AEW's new show, but there is still expected to be a rotating list of announcers for the project.
Titus O'Neil and the Florida Aquarium raised more than $50,000 for Australian wildlife. He continues to do great things!
Marty Scurll is set for NWA's January 26 TV taping. The crossover continues.
Impact's Twitch channel was suspended following Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes' recent segment. Impact is working on returning to the platform, as they have a content deal in place with Twitch. I can see why Twitch wasn't pleased with that segment! Hopefully something's worked out soon.
The Undertaker was at the WWE Performance Center recently, giving advice to wrestlers who appeared on this week's NXT. I'd love to see him be more of a regular there.
Rocky Johnson's death got mainstream coverage, with B. Brian Blair commenting on the Hall of Famer's recent illness. Very sad to hear what he was going through.
At WWE's BT Sport presentation:
- Charlotte Flair defeated Nikki Cross
- Sheamus defeated Andrade in Sheamus' first match since April
- Ilja Dragunov and Moustache Mountain defeated Gallus
UNICEF is teaming with WWE for a grant contest.
Stephanie McMahon discussed WWE's new UK TV deal and women's wrestling on BBC Radio 1.
Paige spoke on Good Morning Britain, suggesting an in-ring return is possible. The Internet's going to run with that one!
Dynamite drew 940,000 viewers this week, another strong number. It looks like they're hitting a stride again.
NXT drew 700,000 viewers this week, which isn't a terrible number by any means but is certainly trailing AEW.
Impact has officially announced a "TNA" show as part of WrestleCon. This will air live on FITE. That's a really fun idea, and worth looking at making an annual part of that weekend.
WWE's UK TV move got press in The Sun and Express.
AEW's TNT deal is for $175 million, and has an option to go through 2024 for an even bigger yearly price. Amazing doesn't even cover it; that's unprecedented for a company that new.
- There will continue to be a split in advertising revenue under the new deal.
AEW is looking to continue to do an Internet show under the new agreement.
Takeover Blackpool II was a legitimate sellout of 2,500 fans.
CMLL has banned tecnicos (faces) and rudos (heels) from being photographed together based on the old school kayfabe philosophy. That seems silly in this day and age, but maybe that's the right move for that audience.
Stardom has announced a women's only event on May 6, with female production crew and staff and only open to female fans. This is part of the strategy to attract a greater female audience. The show will be followed by a regular event only open to male fans.
Will Ospreay is being approached to work Supercard of Honor. That would obviously be another attention-getting move for that show.
Terry Funk and JJ Dillion are set to host Cauliflower Alley Club's April 29 banquet. Funk has been making sparse appearances, so that's a good sign.
Alex Shelley is set for wXw's March 7 event. Good to see him getting to have such a tour.
MLW's January 11 event drew the company's merchandise record due in no small part to the Von Erichs. That's great!
Delirious remains ROH's head producer, so he'll be formatting Marty Scurll's ideas for broadcasting. Delirious was said to be relieved that he has fewer responsibilities under the new structure.
- Scurll's new role will make him the point person for relationships with NJPW, NWA, and other companies, including making attempts to work with AEW. That's a very interesting possibility given how AEW has signed away so many ROH names in front of and behind the camera.
Marty Scurll was set to be Dark Order's leader. Very glad that didn't happen.
ROH's Georgia event sold out with 700 fans. Its North Carolina event drew 500 fans. They can pretty much only go up from there, right?
Ken Shamrock's father was recently moved to hospice care. I wish his family the best.
Tony Khan has taken bigger control over AEW booking, with more long-term planning involved. It's working out so I hope for AEW's sake he continues.
Bash at the Beach drew 3,900 fans.
Killer Kross is expected to go to WWE. I'm curious how he'd fit in there. I look forward to seeing him again.
Big Show's WWE return is expected to be temporary rather than leading to something larger.
Kacy Catanzaro has returned to the WWE Performance Center. She is still under her original contract. Very glad she's back at it.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- TNT strongly believes in building AEW, which bodes very well for its future.
- It sounds like Dark will expand and change a bit when going to TNT. I'm curious what will and won't be allowed on the channel.
Qatar Pro Wrestling has added Brian Cage, PJ Black, Rich Swann, and Caprice Coleman to SuperSlam 2. An Impact vs. ROH match would be interesting!
WWE will announce its latest financial results on February 6.
John Cena discussed his famous jean shorts with James Corden.
Taz has signed with AEW for a multi-year deal. He will do commentary for AEW's new show, but there is still expected to be a rotating list of announcers for the project.
Titus O'Neil and the Florida Aquarium raised more than $50,000 for Australian wildlife. He continues to do great things!
Marty Scurll is set for NWA's January 26 TV taping. The crossover continues.
Impact's Twitch channel was suspended following Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes' recent segment. Impact is working on returning to the platform, as they have a content deal in place with Twitch. I can see why Twitch wasn't pleased with that segment! Hopefully something's worked out soon.
The Undertaker was at the WWE Performance Center recently, giving advice to wrestlers who appeared on this week's NXT. I'd love to see him be more of a regular there.
Rocky Johnson's death got mainstream coverage, with B. Brian Blair commenting on the Hall of Famer's recent illness. Very sad to hear what he was going through.
At WWE's BT Sport presentation:
- Charlotte Flair defeated Nikki Cross
- Sheamus defeated Andrade in Sheamus' first match since April
- Ilja Dragunov and Moustache Mountain defeated Gallus
UNICEF is teaming with WWE for a grant contest.
Stephanie McMahon discussed WWE's new UK TV deal and women's wrestling on BBC Radio 1.
Paige spoke on Good Morning Britain, suggesting an in-ring return is possible. The Internet's going to run with that one!
Dynamite drew 940,000 viewers this week, another strong number. It looks like they're hitting a stride again.
NXT drew 700,000 viewers this week, which isn't a terrible number by any means but is certainly trailing AEW.
Impact has officially announced a "TNA" show as part of WrestleCon. This will air live on FITE. That's a really fun idea, and worth looking at making an annual part of that weekend.
WWE's UK TV move got press in The Sun and Express.
AEW's TNT deal is for $175 million, and has an option to go through 2024 for an even bigger yearly price. Amazing doesn't even cover it; that's unprecedented for a company that new.
- There will continue to be a split in advertising revenue under the new deal.
AEW is looking to continue to do an Internet show under the new agreement.
Takeover Blackpool II was a legitimate sellout of 2,500 fans.
CMLL has banned tecnicos (faces) and rudos (heels) from being photographed together based on the old school kayfabe philosophy. That seems silly in this day and age, but maybe that's the right move for that audience.
Stardom has announced a women's only event on May 6, with female production crew and staff and only open to female fans. This is part of the strategy to attract a greater female audience. The show will be followed by a regular event only open to male fans.
Will Ospreay is being approached to work Supercard of Honor. That would obviously be another attention-getting move for that show.
Terry Funk and JJ Dillion are set to host Cauliflower Alley Club's April 29 banquet. Funk has been making sparse appearances, so that's a good sign.
Alex Shelley is set for wXw's March 7 event. Good to see him getting to have such a tour.
MLW's January 11 event drew the company's merchandise record due in no small part to the Von Erichs. That's great!
Delirious remains ROH's head producer, so he'll be formatting Marty Scurll's ideas for broadcasting. Delirious was said to be relieved that he has fewer responsibilities under the new structure.
- Scurll's new role will make him the point person for relationships with NJPW, NWA, and other companies, including making attempts to work with AEW. That's a very interesting possibility given how AEW has signed away so many ROH names in front of and behind the camera.
Marty Scurll was set to be Dark Order's leader. Very glad that didn't happen.
ROH's Georgia event sold out with 700 fans. Its North Carolina event drew 500 fans. They can pretty much only go up from there, right?
Ken Shamrock's father was recently moved to hospice care. I wish his family the best.
Tony Khan has taken bigger control over AEW booking, with more long-term planning involved. It's working out so I hope for AEW's sake he continues.
Bash at the Beach drew 3,900 fans.
Killer Kross is expected to go to WWE. I'm curious how he'd fit in there. I look forward to seeing him again.
Big Show's WWE return is expected to be temporary rather than leading to something larger.
Kacy Catanzaro has returned to the WWE Performance Center. She is still under her original contract. Very glad she's back at it.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
FNSD additions, Paige updates, UK home promotes WWE, AEW renewed through 2023, DX in MSG, more NJPW names set for WM36 weekend, WWEPC signing gets press, Interviews with Becky/HHH/Green/Sheamus, Stephanie series update, why AEW name missed Dynamite, Johnson honored before NXT, top name set for Rumble, LuFisto on medical issues, JoMo Chronicle set, NXT dark match, and Questions on declines in wrestling interest, an adult product, a lack of wrestling stories, live reactions, and a big WWE UK show
Friday Night Smackdown has added Kane appearing and Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans. WWE is teasing Kane will enter Royal Rumble given his history in that match.
Paige was not on WWE Backstage due to doing promotional work for WWE in the UK. Cain Velasquez, Kurt Angle, Sheamus, Ric Flair, Charlotte Flair, and Andrade were also in the UK recently to promote WWE.
BT Sport is promoting WWE's move to their channel. Maybe The Fiend would have been more appropriate in 2020?
Dynamite has been renewed through 2023(!) by TNT. That's a massive, massive sign of approval for AEW and its continued existence, and should make them an even more attractive option for wrestlers and fans.
AEW will get a second series as part of its new deal. More on this in tomorrow's news post. That's also a big boost for a promotion that continues to excel beyond even lofty expectations.
WWE's Madison Square Garden return is advertising a DX reunion of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, and X-Pac.
Will Ospreay has been added to Supercard of Honor. This show's starting to feel meaningful.
Triple H apologized for his recent Paige joke. I'm glad he reached out; it seemed to have caught her off guard.
WWE Performance Center signing AJ Francis got press from NJ.com and The South Florida Sun Sentinel due to his NFL past in those areas. I wish him the best!
Becky Lynch spoke to Sports Illustrated.
Triple H discussed his Wikipedia page and more. That was a pretty good look at his career.
WWE's "Fight Like A Girl" series will launch April 6 with ten episodes. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, The Bella Twins (seemingly separately), Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Paige, Nia Jax, Natalya, and Sonya Deville will all take part.
Chelsea Green spoke before NXT. I'm interested to see how her pairing with Stone will work.
Awesome Kong missed Dynamite due to an unspecified illness. I hope we get to see her back soon.
Rocky Johnson was honored with a ten-bell salute before NXT.
Cain Velasquez confirmed being part of Royal Rumble. So it would seem another match with Brock Lesnar could be coming. I hope that draws the interest and money WWE is hoping for, because there are a lot of fans who won't be happy with it.
Sheamus talked about his injuries causing him to consider retirement and more. I'm very glad he's stull around.
WrestleCon's Super Show has added Zack Sabre, Jr. They're building up a pretty good card.
LuFisto discussed her medical history. We'll see if anyone picks her up.
John Morrison's "WWE Chronicle" will air after When Worlds Collide. I'm curious how his return came about.
Before NXT, Cameron Grimes defeated Danny Burch.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's not nearly as special to see wrestling as it used to be. It's easier than ever to watch wrestling content from around the world, so there's no impetus to watch live or go see it when it comes to town. It will be back on TV or nearby soon enough. Or, of course, YouTube, the WWE Network, etc.
2. In theory. I don't know if it's as big as it was in the past, though.
3. Honestly I think a lot of it is the pressure to deliver weekly ratings. If something didn't work out so well in viewership in week one, its time will be cut in week two and so on. Things do seem to be better in that regard with Paul Heyman and Bruce Prichard getting to tell consistent stories. As for AEW, it feels like they want to do everything all at once, though I think there are some things they are consistently building.
4. I think a lot of wrestling in 2020 is made for that kind of quick "OMG" reaction instead of having the patience to build things, since smartphones and other entertainment options are so easily accessible if someone doesn't stay hooked.
5. WWE is only doing the Saudi show because they're getting tens of millions of dollars to do so. If the UK writes a big "cheque," they'll get the same treatment.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Paige was not on WWE Backstage due to doing promotional work for WWE in the UK. Cain Velasquez, Kurt Angle, Sheamus, Ric Flair, Charlotte Flair, and Andrade were also in the UK recently to promote WWE.
BT Sport is promoting WWE's move to their channel. Maybe The Fiend would have been more appropriate in 2020?
Dynamite has been renewed through 2023(!) by TNT. That's a massive, massive sign of approval for AEW and its continued existence, and should make them an even more attractive option for wrestlers and fans.
AEW will get a second series as part of its new deal. More on this in tomorrow's news post. That's also a big boost for a promotion that continues to excel beyond even lofty expectations.
WWE's Madison Square Garden return is advertising a DX reunion of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, and X-Pac.
Will Ospreay has been added to Supercard of Honor. This show's starting to feel meaningful.
Triple H apologized for his recent Paige joke. I'm glad he reached out; it seemed to have caught her off guard.
WWE Performance Center signing AJ Francis got press from NJ.com and The South Florida Sun Sentinel due to his NFL past in those areas. I wish him the best!
Becky Lynch spoke to Sports Illustrated.
Triple H discussed his Wikipedia page and more. That was a pretty good look at his career.
WWE's "Fight Like A Girl" series will launch April 6 with ten episodes. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, The Bella Twins (seemingly separately), Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Paige, Nia Jax, Natalya, and Sonya Deville will all take part.
Chelsea Green spoke before NXT. I'm interested to see how her pairing with Stone will work.
Awesome Kong missed Dynamite due to an unspecified illness. I hope we get to see her back soon.
Rocky Johnson was honored with a ten-bell salute before NXT.
Cain Velasquez confirmed being part of Royal Rumble. So it would seem another match with Brock Lesnar could be coming. I hope that draws the interest and money WWE is hoping for, because there are a lot of fans who won't be happy with it.
Sheamus talked about his injuries causing him to consider retirement and more. I'm very glad he's stull around.
WrestleCon's Super Show has added Zack Sabre, Jr. They're building up a pretty good card.
LuFisto discussed her medical history. We'll see if anyone picks her up.
John Morrison's "WWE Chronicle" will air after When Worlds Collide. I'm curious how his return came about.
Before NXT, Cameron Grimes defeated Danny Burch.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's not nearly as special to see wrestling as it used to be. It's easier than ever to watch wrestling content from around the world, so there's no impetus to watch live or go see it when it comes to town. It will be back on TV or nearby soon enough. Or, of course, YouTube, the WWE Network, etc.
2. In theory. I don't know if it's as big as it was in the past, though.
3. Honestly I think a lot of it is the pressure to deliver weekly ratings. If something didn't work out so well in viewership in week one, its time will be cut in week two and so on. Things do seem to be better in that regard with Paul Heyman and Bruce Prichard getting to tell consistent stories. As for AEW, it feels like they want to do everything all at once, though I think there are some things they are consistently building.
4. I think a lot of wrestling in 2020 is made for that kind of quick "OMG" reaction instead of having the patience to build things, since smartphones and other entertainment options are so easily accessible if someone doesn't stay hooked.
5. WWE is only doing the Saudi show because they're getting tens of millions of dollars to do so. If the UK writes a big "cheque," they'll get the same treatment.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson passes away at 75
Read on for reports and reactions for the Hall of Famer's passing.
Bash at the Beach Reax - 1/15/20
Read on for my thoughts on last night's special edition of Dynamite.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Moxley set for Bloodsport, WWE hiring creative coordinator, Interviews with Khan/Bellas/HHH/David Benoit/Truth, Nyla helping wildfire relief, new WWE trademarks, MLW signs representation deal, new WrestleCon event names, WWE 24 special coming, NXT previews Shelley debut, EVOLVE doing discounted tryout, Miz hosting USA series, Raw ausience, WWEPC signings, HHH makes risque Paige joke, Cena appearance set, Slaughter accused of falsifying military past, new NWA PPV match, WWE name signs long-term deal, another NJPW name working ROH, NJPW event at WrestleCon, and Questions on evaluating Joey Mercury, declaring Rumble entrants, why WWE signed EC3, and The Fiend changing people
Jon Moxley vs. Josh Barnett is set for GCW's Bloodsport III during WrestleMania weekend.
WWE is hiring a creative services talent coordinator for the WWE Performance Center. This person will be a liaison between WWE headquarters and NXT signings.
Tony Khan discussed AEW and more on The Dan Le Batard Show.
Nyla Rose is selling a new shirt to benefit Australian wildfire relief.
WWE has filed trademarks for the names Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Bobby Lashley, Mojo Rawley, AOP, Lio Rush, the Usos, and Kayden Carter.
MLW has signed a representation deal with ICM Partners. The goal is to expand MLW's television and streaming rights as well as create additional content. That could definitely lead to bigger things for the promotion.
- Deadline covered the announcement.
WrestleCon's Super Show has added Bandido and Shingo Takagi.
"WWE 24" focusing on WrestleMania 35 will air after Royal Rumble.
NXT uploaded a video with Nigel McGuinness, Kasaius Ohno, Roderick Strong, Johnny Gargano, Cesaro, and Jeremy Borash discussing Alex Shelley working in NXT. That's pretty cool. Glad he's getting such a welcome.
The Bella Twins are on Kevin Hart's web series.
EVOLVE is doing 50% off its January 17 seminar/tryout. Adam Cole will be on hand. That's a BIG opportunity for talents in the business.
The Miz will host USA Network's "Cannonball" reality series. WWE and NBCU are still very close.
Raw drew 2.03 million viewers this week. The NCAA championship football game drew 25 million viewers, drawing away part of the usual Raw audience. It's rough times for WWE retaining its audience.
The WWE Performance Center has announced the signings of:
- Mercedes Martinez
- Emily Andzulis, who won "The Titan Games." She has a background in Brazilian jiu jitsu and Taekwondo.
- Anthony Francis, who played defensive tackle for three different NFL teams
- Jake Atlas
- Sidney Bateman, who was part of Cirque du Soleil
- Zechariah Smith, who played basketball for Morgan State University
Triple H got heat for suggesting Paige has children she doesn't know about. Paige responded. That might have flown in a DX promo, but not from a top executive.
John Cena is set for The Late Late Show with James Corden Thursday.
Sgt. Slaughter was investigated for allegedly fictionalizing being in the Marines. Yikes! The key part of this is whether Slaughter was trying to remain in character. I can absolutely see how the situation would rub people the wrong way.
Triple H discussed Tyson Fury potentially returning to WWE. It looks like the next Saudi show might be out of the question given the timing of his next fight. We'll see how that affects things.
David Benoit spoke to Chris Van Vliet. I really don't expect him to get far as a wrestler using his father's name. Honestly his best bet might be working under a mask to build up experience before it's even an option.
NWA Hard Times has added Nick Aldis vs. Flip Gordon. It's unclear if this is a world title match. There's definitely an NWA/ROH relationship again, which is a positive for both sides.
R-Truth spoke to Sam Roberts about the 24/7 7/11 I-85 European TV Championship and more. He's had some really amazing longevity.
Elias has signed a multi-year contract extension. Ehh. He could probably use something fresh to do in that time.
NJPW's El Phantasmo has been added to Supercard of Honor. He is also part of Bullet Club. I'm curious what that group will do there.
NJPW will have a Lion's Break event as part of WrestleCon's Super Show. Hiroshi Tanahashi will join young lions on the card. That's a good way to have NJPW be part of the weekend without fighting for space with everyone else.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I did enjoy his work and think he had a pretty solid career. I can see how he would be controversial outside the ring.
2. Someone (the WWE board? Vince?) has to approve all the entrance spots, even in kayfabe. Brock's definitely in a position to demand whatever he wants, though.
3. Triple H signed him because of his Impact work. Vince seemingly doesn't see much in him in his second run in the company. Hopefully Bruce Prichard or someone will give him another look and get behind him.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. I don't think any of that was planned out in advance. I expected Demon Finn to come for revenge, for instance, and I truly think Seth was intended to stay babyface before fans turned on him for his online antics. It has worked out well, though!
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE is hiring a creative services talent coordinator for the WWE Performance Center. This person will be a liaison between WWE headquarters and NXT signings.
Tony Khan discussed AEW and more on The Dan Le Batard Show.
Nyla Rose is selling a new shirt to benefit Australian wildfire relief.
WWE has filed trademarks for the names Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Bobby Lashley, Mojo Rawley, AOP, Lio Rush, the Usos, and Kayden Carter.
MLW has signed a representation deal with ICM Partners. The goal is to expand MLW's television and streaming rights as well as create additional content. That could definitely lead to bigger things for the promotion.
- Deadline covered the announcement.
WrestleCon's Super Show has added Bandido and Shingo Takagi.
"WWE 24" focusing on WrestleMania 35 will air after Royal Rumble.
NXT uploaded a video with Nigel McGuinness, Kasaius Ohno, Roderick Strong, Johnny Gargano, Cesaro, and Jeremy Borash discussing Alex Shelley working in NXT. That's pretty cool. Glad he's getting such a welcome.
The Bella Twins are on Kevin Hart's web series.
EVOLVE is doing 50% off its January 17 seminar/tryout. Adam Cole will be on hand. That's a BIG opportunity for talents in the business.
The Miz will host USA Network's "Cannonball" reality series. WWE and NBCU are still very close.
Raw drew 2.03 million viewers this week. The NCAA championship football game drew 25 million viewers, drawing away part of the usual Raw audience. It's rough times for WWE retaining its audience.
The WWE Performance Center has announced the signings of:
- Mercedes Martinez
- Emily Andzulis, who won "The Titan Games." She has a background in Brazilian jiu jitsu and Taekwondo.
- Anthony Francis, who played defensive tackle for three different NFL teams
- Jake Atlas
- Sidney Bateman, who was part of Cirque du Soleil
- Zechariah Smith, who played basketball for Morgan State University
Triple H got heat for suggesting Paige has children she doesn't know about. Paige responded. That might have flown in a DX promo, but not from a top executive.
John Cena is set for The Late Late Show with James Corden Thursday.
Sgt. Slaughter was investigated for allegedly fictionalizing being in the Marines. Yikes! The key part of this is whether Slaughter was trying to remain in character. I can absolutely see how the situation would rub people the wrong way.
Triple H discussed Tyson Fury potentially returning to WWE. It looks like the next Saudi show might be out of the question given the timing of his next fight. We'll see how that affects things.
David Benoit spoke to Chris Van Vliet. I really don't expect him to get far as a wrestler using his father's name. Honestly his best bet might be working under a mask to build up experience before it's even an option.
NWA Hard Times has added Nick Aldis vs. Flip Gordon. It's unclear if this is a world title match. There's definitely an NWA/ROH relationship again, which is a positive for both sides.
R-Truth spoke to Sam Roberts about the 24/7 7/11 I-85 European TV Championship and more. He's had some really amazing longevity.
Elias has signed a multi-year contract extension. Ehh. He could probably use something fresh to do in that time.
NJPW's El Phantasmo has been added to Supercard of Honor. He is also part of Bullet Club. I'm curious what that group will do there.
NJPW will have a Lion's Break event as part of WrestleCon's Super Show. Hiroshi Tanahashi will join young lions on the card. That's a good way to have NJPW be part of the weekend without fighting for space with everyone else.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I did enjoy his work and think he had a pretty solid career. I can see how he would be controversial outside the ring.
2. Someone (the WWE board? Vince?) has to approve all the entrance spots, even in kayfabe. Brock's definitely in a position to demand whatever he wants, though.
3. Triple H signed him because of his Impact work. Vince seemingly doesn't see much in him in his second run in the company. Hopefully Bruce Prichard or someone will give him another look and get behind him.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. I don't think any of that was planned out in advance. I expected Demon Finn to come for revenge, for instance, and I truly think Seth was intended to stay babyface before fans turned on him for his online antics. It has worked out well, though!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Former Impact Champion's deal expires, new WWEPC signing, Austin homage, Recent Raw name talks, Interview with DDP, New Day podcast note, WWE team files trademark, AEW name finishes MLW deal, Austin's next guest, new Batista role, Rock video package, former NJPW champion at Supercard, WWE town name change, Teddy Hart-MLW update, more La Parka coverage, WWE MSG update, Impact hospitalization, legend begins cancer treatment, FNSD match set, and Questions on NXT mocking Tony Khan, Khan putting himself over, Tessa's controversy, and looking down on wrestling fans
Brian Cage's Impact contract has expired. Reports of him signing elsewhere seem to be premature at this time, though he does have offers from multiple parties. He can be a valuable player anywhere.
NXT has reportedly signed "The Titan Games" winner Emily Andzulis, with her set to join the WWE Performance Center by the end of January. I hope to see what she can do.
Stone Cold was homaged with an NFL Kansas City endgame celebration. That's pretty cool.
Recent Raw wrestler Will Allday discussed the experience.
Diamond Dallas Page is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
New Day's latest podcast discussed the "ringpostitis" angle with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Yeah that wasn't really a high mark in WWE storytelling.
The Revival have trademarked the name "Shatter Machine" for use as a tag team name, so we could be seeing that team on Dynamite at some point.
MJF has finished with MLW. He will now focus on AEW full-time. This was just a matter of him completing his MLW contract. He has a big platform to succeed on Wednesday nights.
Bret Hart has taped an episode of Stone Cold's podcast. That could be interesting.
Batista has joined Apple TV's "See" for its second season. Cool to see him getting roles other than big bodyguard.
The Rock narrated a college football package for LSU.
NJPW's Jay White has been announced for Supercard of Honor. The Bullet Club are expected to be featured prominently at that event, which is a good boost for ROH on a crowded weekend.
Corbin, Kentucky officially changed its name to "Baron Corbin, Kentucky" for the day of January 12, after WWE did a campaign to encourage it. That's hilarious.
Teddy Hart is claiming he will return to MLW soon, which MLW is denying. The saga continues.
La Parka's passing was covered by the Los Angeles Times.
WWE's March 22 Madison Square Garden event is advertising Seth Rollins and AOP vs. Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and Rey Mysterio. That would seem to indicate Big Show's return is only for TV and/or will be short-lived.
Ethan Page was hospitalized for food poisoning after Hard To Kill.
Bobby Fulton has begun throat cancer treatment. I wish him the best in a difficult battle.
Smackdown has announced Roman Reigns vs. Robert Roode in a tables match.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Absolutely. WWE is so shook by AEW that they hired an otherwise unknown person and put him on TV for no reason other than he looks like Tony Khan. Vince McMahon personally made this move because he knows AEW will soon surpass NXT, Smackdown, Raw, 205 Live, NXT UK, and Main Event. Combined. And the name? Robert Stone? Very obviously a play on Tony Khan with no relation to the real person's name or past gimmicks. Glad someone else is seeing right through it.
2. Oh yeah it really felt like Tony was patting himself on the back there.
3. I really don't think multiple women in multiple companies decided to make up stories about Tessa to derail her career out of jealousy or whatever other narrative is being thrown around. As world champion, Tessa is representative of Impact and both sides should want to put their best foot forward. Tessa should make a full apology for the person she was in the past to these people, and make it clear she takes her role as an important female figure in the wrestling world seriously. No one expects her to be perfect, but she should show she has changed and will continue to be a better role model.
4. Let's just say there's some serious competition for the number one spot.
5. There are certain forms of entertainment that have been stigmatized as being for certain ages and demographics, and when someone is not in one of those ages or demographics, they are ridiculed for enjoying them. It kind of strikes me as a superiority complex thing, really.
More wrestling tomorrow.
NXT has reportedly signed "The Titan Games" winner Emily Andzulis, with her set to join the WWE Performance Center by the end of January. I hope to see what she can do.
Stone Cold was homaged with an NFL Kansas City endgame celebration. That's pretty cool.
Recent Raw wrestler Will Allday discussed the experience.
Diamond Dallas Page is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
New Day's latest podcast discussed the "ringpostitis" angle with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Yeah that wasn't really a high mark in WWE storytelling.
The Revival have trademarked the name "Shatter Machine" for use as a tag team name, so we could be seeing that team on Dynamite at some point.
MJF has finished with MLW. He will now focus on AEW full-time. This was just a matter of him completing his MLW contract. He has a big platform to succeed on Wednesday nights.
Bret Hart has taped an episode of Stone Cold's podcast. That could be interesting.
Batista has joined Apple TV's "See" for its second season. Cool to see him getting roles other than big bodyguard.
The Rock narrated a college football package for LSU.
NJPW's Jay White has been announced for Supercard of Honor. The Bullet Club are expected to be featured prominently at that event, which is a good boost for ROH on a crowded weekend.
Corbin, Kentucky officially changed its name to "Baron Corbin, Kentucky" for the day of January 12, after WWE did a campaign to encourage it. That's hilarious.
Teddy Hart is claiming he will return to MLW soon, which MLW is denying. The saga continues.
La Parka's passing was covered by the Los Angeles Times.
WWE's March 22 Madison Square Garden event is advertising Seth Rollins and AOP vs. Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and Rey Mysterio. That would seem to indicate Big Show's return is only for TV and/or will be short-lived.
Ethan Page was hospitalized for food poisoning after Hard To Kill.
Bobby Fulton has begun throat cancer treatment. I wish him the best in a difficult battle.
Smackdown has announced Roman Reigns vs. Robert Roode in a tables match.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Absolutely. WWE is so shook by AEW that they hired an otherwise unknown person and put him on TV for no reason other than he looks like Tony Khan. Vince McMahon personally made this move because he knows AEW will soon surpass NXT, Smackdown, Raw, 205 Live, NXT UK, and Main Event. Combined. And the name? Robert Stone? Very obviously a play on Tony Khan with no relation to the real person's name or past gimmicks. Glad someone else is seeing right through it.
2. Oh yeah it really felt like Tony was patting himself on the back there.
3. I really don't think multiple women in multiple companies decided to make up stories about Tessa to derail her career out of jealousy or whatever other narrative is being thrown around. As world champion, Tessa is representative of Impact and both sides should want to put their best foot forward. Tessa should make a full apology for the person she was in the past to these people, and make it clear she takes her role as an important female figure in the wrestling world seriously. No one expects her to be perfect, but she should show she has changed and will continue to be a better role model.
4. Let's just say there's some serious competition for the number one spot.
5. There are certain forms of entertainment that have been stigmatized as being for certain ages and demographics, and when someone is not in one of those ages or demographics, they are ridiculed for enjoying them. It kind of strikes me as a superiority complex thing, really.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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