Matt Hardy announced he is officially a free agent, thanking WWE for his time there.
- WWE released a statement on Hardy's contract expiring, paying tribute to his years of work for the company.
- Matt has been announced for a signing at this weekend's The Big Event in New York. Wow, they worked fast on that one!
The Great Muta is no longer part of Spring Break IV due to a breakdown in negotiations. Muta had been booked in December, but his business matters were then taken over by Sonny Onoo. Onoo wanted to change the previous arrangement, and things fell apart from there. That's unfortunate for fans who were originally going to see Muta but will no longer be able to.
All Japan Pro Wrestling general manager Jun Akiyama will be a WWE Performance Center guest coach in May. He will also meet with Triple H while there, as the two have done multiple times previously. This will understandably cause further speculation about a Japanese performance center and a possible NXT Japan, with Akiyama potentially involved. It certainly sets the stage for some major changes in the region.
The Usos are on New Day's latest podcast. The team will return next week.
"Dark Side of the Ring" is expected to debut its second season at the end of the month. There will be ten episodes, with two of them being a two-part special.
WrestleMania 36 sold out, then WWE opened up additional seats. That's the right approach.
Rob Schamberger has begun a daily WrestleMania vlog.
Renee Young is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast. I'm glad WWE isn't retaliating against her for her husband's career moves.
ROH's Women's Championship tournament has added Tasha Steelz. I hope they've got some bigger names lined up, because this is starting to feel like they're mostly using names who are easily available.
"Beyond The Mat" is now available on Netflix.
NBA's Tacko Fall visited at Smackdown. He'd be a natural attraction in wrestling.
The Undertaker's Twitch appearances were put together by G-Fuel energy drinks. 2020 is SURREAL.
Money In The Bank is set for May 10 in Maryland. It's a little surprising they're putting it together on that short of notice.
ROH's 18th anniversary show will be headlined by Rush vs. Mark Haskins for Rush's ROH World Championship. The winner will face Flip Gordon for the title at Supercard of Honor. That would be a big win for Flip!
The Bella Twins have been added to AXXESS.
NXT has announced live events for:
- Georgia on April 17
- Tennessee on April 18
- North Carolina on April 19
Drew McIntyre spoke before Raw.
Mark Wahlberg commented on The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles. This is what was referenced on Raw.
Lita, Gail Kim, and Christy Hemme are crowdfunding a wrestling-related series pilot through Kickstarter. Chavo Guerrero, Jimmy Jacobs, Alisha Edwards, and David Sahadi are also involved. "Kayfabe" is inspired by real events and is set to feature in-ring action. That has potential to be interesting.
Elimination Chamber has added:
- Street Profits vs. Seth Rollins and Murphy for the Raw Tag Team Championship
- AJ Styles vs. Aleister Black in a no disqualification match
After Raw, Drew McIntyre challenged Randy Orton. Erick Rowan answered the challenge, and Drew defeated him. Randy Orton didn't appear.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
- WWE released a statement on Hardy's contract expiring, paying tribute to his years of work for the company.
- Matt has been announced for a signing at this weekend's The Big Event in New York. Wow, they worked fast on that one!
The Great Muta is no longer part of Spring Break IV due to a breakdown in negotiations. Muta had been booked in December, but his business matters were then taken over by Sonny Onoo. Onoo wanted to change the previous arrangement, and things fell apart from there. That's unfortunate for fans who were originally going to see Muta but will no longer be able to.
All Japan Pro Wrestling general manager Jun Akiyama will be a WWE Performance Center guest coach in May. He will also meet with Triple H while there, as the two have done multiple times previously. This will understandably cause further speculation about a Japanese performance center and a possible NXT Japan, with Akiyama potentially involved. It certainly sets the stage for some major changes in the region.
The Usos are on New Day's latest podcast. The team will return next week.
"Dark Side of the Ring" is expected to debut its second season at the end of the month. There will be ten episodes, with two of them being a two-part special.
WrestleMania 36 sold out, then WWE opened up additional seats. That's the right approach.
Rob Schamberger has begun a daily WrestleMania vlog.
Renee Young is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast. I'm glad WWE isn't retaliating against her for her husband's career moves.
ROH's Women's Championship tournament has added Tasha Steelz. I hope they've got some bigger names lined up, because this is starting to feel like they're mostly using names who are easily available.
"Beyond The Mat" is now available on Netflix.
NBA's Tacko Fall visited at Smackdown. He'd be a natural attraction in wrestling.
The Undertaker's Twitch appearances were put together by G-Fuel energy drinks. 2020 is SURREAL.
Money In The Bank is set for May 10 in Maryland. It's a little surprising they're putting it together on that short of notice.
ROH's 18th anniversary show will be headlined by Rush vs. Mark Haskins for Rush's ROH World Championship. The winner will face Flip Gordon for the title at Supercard of Honor. That would be a big win for Flip!
The Bella Twins have been added to AXXESS.
NXT has announced live events for:
- Georgia on April 17
- Tennessee on April 18
- North Carolina on April 19
Drew McIntyre spoke before Raw.
Mark Wahlberg commented on The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles. This is what was referenced on Raw.
Lita, Gail Kim, and Christy Hemme are crowdfunding a wrestling-related series pilot through Kickstarter. Chavo Guerrero, Jimmy Jacobs, Alisha Edwards, and David Sahadi are also involved. "Kayfabe" is inspired by real events and is set to feature in-ring action. That has potential to be interesting.
Elimination Chamber has added:
- Street Profits vs. Seth Rollins and Murphy for the Raw Tag Team Championship
- AJ Styles vs. Aleister Black in a no disqualification match
After Raw, Drew McIntyre challenged Randy Orton. Erick Rowan answered the challenge, and Drew defeated him. Randy Orton didn't appear.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I initially felt that way, but that episode is their debut in New Jersey. They have the potential to draw their biggest crowd ever that night, and this helps achieve that. For that matter, the name draws them positive attention from their fans, too. I'm tentatively for it if there are the right teams involved.
2. It doesn't feel like there's a greater goal beyond presenting Brock as an attraction in the vein of The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak. WWE has tried to pass the torch several times (while still protecting Brock), but the results haven't been what they'd hoped for.
3. Vince McMahon knows people following news sites are going to pay attention to the product all year. He's trying to get the people who don't watch regularly, and potentially haven't watched in years. He's banking on star power from the past as part of that goal. In his mind, and in the minds of a lot of others, a show featuring Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, and Goldberg IS a WrestleMania-level event.
4. I completely, 100% agree. It was way out of place in 2020, and I'm frankly surprised it made air.
5. MJF is very, very fortunate that Cody in particular is in his corner to spotlight him. AEW has made it a project to present him as a top heel, and his work has caught on. I just worry he's going to peak and won't be able to survive once that level of protective booking and cheap heat wears off. Frankly I think building him for Jon Moxley for the AEW Championship is a recipe for the likely crash and burn to be a sudden one; it says a lot about AEW's lack of depth that that's even an option. At some point having him and Wardlow as a tag team is an option, but for now I think I'd have him make the diamond ring essentially a midcard title and defend it.
More wrestling tomorrow.
2. It doesn't feel like there's a greater goal beyond presenting Brock as an attraction in the vein of The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak. WWE has tried to pass the torch several times (while still protecting Brock), but the results haven't been what they'd hoped for.
3. Vince McMahon knows people following news sites are going to pay attention to the product all year. He's trying to get the people who don't watch regularly, and potentially haven't watched in years. He's banking on star power from the past as part of that goal. In his mind, and in the minds of a lot of others, a show featuring Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, and Goldberg IS a WrestleMania-level event.
4. I completely, 100% agree. It was way out of place in 2020, and I'm frankly surprised it made air.
5. MJF is very, very fortunate that Cody in particular is in his corner to spotlight him. AEW has made it a project to present him as a top heel, and his work has caught on. I just worry he's going to peak and won't be able to survive once that level of protective booking and cheap heat wears off. Frankly I think building him for Jon Moxley for the AEW Championship is a recipe for the likely crash and burn to be a sudden one; it says a lot about AEW's lack of depth that that's even an option. At some point having him and Wardlow as a tag team is an option, but for now I think I'd have him make the diamond ring essentially a midcard title and defend it.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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