Kid Kash basically buried C.M. Punk while challenging him to an MMA bout. Punk has said he would have done MMA at a lower level, but took the UFC bout because of the amount of money they offered him. I can't say I blame him for taking the payday. As for Punk being handed everything, I wouldn't say that at all given the battles he had with management along the way. There was a pretty real chance he wouldn't have made it through OVW if Heyman didn't go to bat for him.
WWE Studios has promoted Stephanie Denton as Vice President of International and Acquisitions. She had been a consultant there for years.
Tim Wiese was profiled ahead of his WWE debut. He's getting something of a late start at 34, but hopefully he does pretty well for himself.
Davey Richards has indicated 2017 will be his last year as a wrestler, addressing his status. That's interesting, since he'll only be 34. But it was never his goal to be WWE Champion or anything. He's just an adrenaline junkie and wrestling has been his way to perform. I'm sure he'll be fine post-wrestling given his work ethic. It will be really interesting to see what this means for Eddie Edwards given how they're linked as a team. Especially if TNA isn't an option for him going forward.
WWE has announced a live weekly cruiserweight series will follow Smackdown on the WWE Network beginning November 29. Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves will call the action, and HoHo Lun and the Bollywood Boyz have been announced as joining Brian Kendrick, TJ Perkins, Rich Swann, Noam Dar, Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik, (Akira) Tozawa, and Jack Gallagher for the show. I expect Tony Nese, Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari, Sin Cara, and others will be part of things as well. This is a big undertaking for the company, and opens up more spots for talented smaller performers. I'm sure ROH, EVOLVE, and X-Division names are taking note of this announcement with an eye toward their futures. Maybe some LU names as well?
WWE announced Paul Heyman as "suffering bruised ribs" after Raw to play off the spear from Goldberg. Brock's not going to be happy about that.
The Undertaker will appear on the November 15 Smackdown as part of the celebration for the 900th episode of the show. That's a really big move. I'm curious if it's a reaction to Smackdown's ratings. Either way, that'd be the perfect place to set up something big for the Rumble in Texas or a big showdown with Cena at WM33. I'd pop if he does something with James Ellsworth, personally.
Smackdown's audience this week was 2.19 million, another disappointing number. The boost from going live on a new night seems to have dissipated. I'm sure Cena's absence is partially responsible.
Brock Lesnar will face Rusev on December 3 in Mexico City. I wish they'd put that on the WWE Network. That match would be a war if they didn't book it as destruction by the WWE 2K17 cover star.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's possible... POSSIBLE... they do have something up their sleeves. They'll still be on Challenge until the end of the year, and say something new will be announced soon. We'll find out soon enough.
2. It's not really my place to judge her on that; it doesn't really have anything to do with her as a wrestling executive.
3. I'm going with Taker, HHH, Lesnar, Cena, Orton, Y2J, Show, Kane, Henry, Goldust, R-Truth (as the Godfather/Rikishi kind of pick), presumably Ziggler, Miz, Rhyno, Natalya, and Nikki Bella. We'll see about others.
4. If anything this shows WWE doesn't book on the fly, since they've kept Brock as a heel for months even when he's in front of a crowd that cheers him. As for booking a year in advance, good luck! They've got a LOT of shows each month. Injuries happen, unexpected names catch on or falter, etc.. When they only had four two-hour Raws and one PPV each month, it wasn't as tough, but now it's a very difficult task.
5. They want the spotlight on Charlotte, so Sasha's the rival who comes up short. If they end up on different shows at some point, we could see a bigger push for The Boss.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Kid Kash buries Punk, new WWE Studios exec, German WWE hire profiled, TNA star planning retirement, WWE announces weekly cruiserweight show, Heyman update, Taker returning soon, Smackdown audience, Brock's opponent in Mexico, and Questions on TNA losing its UK deal, future WWE HoFers, WWE booking then vs. now, and Sasha losing again
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
TNA loses UK TV deal, Eva Marie free to return, more on Shield comic, Spirit Squad WWE update, ACH not re-signing with ROH, female wrestler backstage at Smackdown, Raw+Smackdown dark matches, Goldberg plays off slip, Raw audience, TNA announces wrestling school, WWE drops trademark claims, TLC main event set, and Questions on Brock being heel in Minnesota, four-hour PPVs, long wrestling shows, WWE historians, and FloSlam's price
TNA content will no longer be airing on Challenge TV in the UK come January 2017. TNA's deal with Challenge is one of their major sources of revenue, so this could end up being a BIG blow to TNA unless they somehow have something better lined up. Challenge airs Impact Wrestling, Xplosion, and PPVs as well as a number of seasons of British Bootcamp. It won't be easy to replace them at all. Whether this is related to TNA not scheduling a tour in the market for the first year since 2008 is unknown.
- TNA responded to the situation by claiming the deal is ending because UK fans want to watch the show closer to the U.S. air date, and that there will be an announcement on that end soon. Time will tell. If they end up airing the show on their website or YouTube or something rather than getting another big contract to put it on the air in the UK, it's going to mean some serious lost revenue. These next few months are going to be critical for TNA as far as righting the ship.
Eva Marie has completed filming her movie role, and is now eligible to return to Smackdown. She isn't currently booked for Survivor Series, but it's conceivable she pops back up right after that event.
WWE's upcoming Seth Rollins-themed comic book was profiled. I'm glad he's being featured there instead of, say, Cena, Reigns, or Orton. I do want to see a Brothers of Destruction and/or Wyatts comic, though.
The Spirit Squad have not officially been signed to WWE as of this writing, and are continuing to take bookings on the independent scene. They're smart to strike while the iron's hot.
ACH will be finishing his deal with ROH at the end of the year. While the two sides could continue to work together on a per-date basis, he will not be signing a new exclusive contract like the one he's under now. It's possible he tries to join NXT or the cruiserweight division, as there has been WWE interest in him in the past.
Deonna Purrazzo was backstage at Smackdown, but not used. She's been doing pretty well for herself getting bookings with ROH, NXT, and TNA in the past year. I wouldn't be surprised to see her officially join one of those rosters in 2017 if the opportunity presents itself.
After Raw, Seth Rollins beat Kevin Owens by DQ due to interference by Chris Jericho. I'm curious what the next Universal Championship match will be given how HIAC went.
Goldberg acknowledged slipping in the ring during Raw. I don't expect a technical classic between him and Brock, but it should be an entertaining show nonetheless.
Raw's audience Monday was 2.60 million viewers for the Halloween show. That's one of their lowest audiences ever, and for a post-PPV show. I assume the holiday was a lot of the reason, though.
Al Snow's wrestling academy has been designated the Global Development Center for TNA. That's a good move given Snow's wealth of knowledge. Obviously the company has much bigger issues right now, but that doesn't mean they can't make smart moves for the future.
WWE has abandoned plans to trademark the names of Tony Nese and Drew Gulak, as neither man is officially under a WWE contract. They'll still likely be used going forward, but WWE isn't seeking the rights to their ring names at this time.
Apollo Crews beat Viktor before Smackdown. Konnor didn't have a match at the taping. Probably nothing to read into that, but it's something to note.
AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose in a TLC match for the WWE Championship will headline next month's Smackdown PPV. That should be pretty wild. I wonder who else will be in gimmick matches that night.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Well, they're trying to sell Brock as the heel for Survivor Series, so that's what we ended up with. I suppose WWE thought it was OK to lose that battle if they win the "war" of getting the audience to buy into Brock as a heel when they're not in Minnesota.
1. Well, they're trying to sell Brock as the heel for Survivor Series, so that's what we ended up with. I suppose WWE thought it was OK to lose that battle if they win the "war" of getting the audience to buy into Brock as a heel when they're not in Minnesota.
2. It could easily be too much of a good thing, especially with a long Takeover special the night before, a Kickoff show, AND Raw and Smackdown the following nights. No matter how much of a WWE fan you are, that's a lot to sit through in a short timeframe. Overexposure is the biggest problem WWE has right now.
3. It depends on the brand/how big the roster is. B-shows and weekly NXT being an hour is fine.
4. They have a pretty knowledgeable staff who can help out with that kind of thing, but I'm sure there are times they need more brainpower than just who's on hand.
5. It's worth noting they have plans to get streaming rights for additional promotions. It's definitely steep for what they offer now. They've got an uphill battle competing with big corporations like WWE and NJPW, who can afford to offer a lot of content cheap.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Billy Corgan-TNA court notes, 10/31/16
Billy Corgan's injunction against TNA management has been turned down
by the State of Tennessee, and his temporary restraining order has been
dissolved. TNA management is now able to go back to making decisions
without his approval.
Corgan's lawsuit against the company continues, as does the situation regarding his $1.8 million loan to Dixie Carter.
Corgan's injunction was shot down because he couldn't prove TNA's defense is without merit. So, the case will continue.
Corgan's agreement regarding voting on Dixie Carter's behalf and removing TNA management was struck down as not being in accordance with Tennessee law, and thus unenforceable.
The case regarding TNA being "insolvent" will continue. Since Corgan got involved in the company due to its financial difficulties, the normal standards of insolvency might not apply.
Billy Corgan remains president of TNA as of this writing, although one would think that won't last long.
Fight Network will continue to invest funds into TNA. It's expected they'll take over majority ownership.
Once Corgan's loan is settled, he will no longer be able to convert that money into an ownership stake in TNA. I would expect him to exit the picture once that's taken care of.
Additional legal proceedings from Corgan could be coming.
Should Billy Corgan leave, additional departures could follow given their relationship to him.
Billy Corgan reacted to the ruling. This is definitely not over; Corgan just didn't get a deciding KO punch out of the gate.
The case received local press in Tennessee.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Corgan's lawsuit against the company continues, as does the situation regarding his $1.8 million loan to Dixie Carter.
Corgan's injunction was shot down because he couldn't prove TNA's defense is without merit. So, the case will continue.
Corgan's agreement regarding voting on Dixie Carter's behalf and removing TNA management was struck down as not being in accordance with Tennessee law, and thus unenforceable.
The case regarding TNA being "insolvent" will continue. Since Corgan got involved in the company due to its financial difficulties, the normal standards of insolvency might not apply.
Billy Corgan remains president of TNA as of this writing, although one would think that won't last long.
Fight Network will continue to invest funds into TNA. It's expected they'll take over majority ownership.
Once Corgan's loan is settled, he will no longer be able to convert that money into an ownership stake in TNA. I would expect him to exit the picture once that's taken care of.
Additional legal proceedings from Corgan could be coming.
Should Billy Corgan leave, additional departures could follow given their relationship to him.
Billy Corgan reacted to the ruling. This is definitely not over; Corgan just didn't get a deciding KO punch out of the gate.
The case received local press in Tennessee.
More wrestling tomorrow.
NXT preview, first ROH taping of 2017 set, Interviews with Sasha/Charlotte, Aries needs surgery, kayfabe ROH suspension, new WWE trademarks, Nikki note, Maria about to call it a career, and Questions on not pushing Axel, overusing chops, Droz, and JoJo
Set for Wednesday's NXT:
- The Revival vs. #DIY in the Dusty Classic
- Sanity vs. TJ Perkins/Kota Ibushi in the Dusty Classic
- Liv Morgan vs. Peyton Royce
- Elias Samson vs. Nathan Cruz
-- I've actually missed The Drifter a bit, so hopefully he continues to improve once he gets back into the swing of things.
ROH's first TV taping of 2017 will be on January 14 in Atlanta. It will be really interesting to see what the main event scene looks like then.
Sasha Banks talked before Hell in a Cell at RingsideFest.
- Here's another Sasha interview with Sports Illustrated.
Charlotte Flair tweeted about her HIAC win. I can't say I wasn't surprised to see her beat Sasha.
Austin Aries received a large orbital fracture in a recent bout with Shinsuke Nakamura, and will require surgery this week. He will not be able to compete for the remainder of 2016. That was an absolutely BRUTAL looking injury. I hope he's able to be back for WM33 season; his work has been impressive as always.
BJ Whitmer has been kayfabe suspended for 30 days by ROH. Whitmer has been a pretty great heel. I hope this doesn't derail the push for Punishment Martinez.
WWE has applied for trademarks for the names TJ Perkins, Bobby Roode, Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, Rich Swann, Noam Dar, Cedric Alexander, and Carmella. I wouldn't assume Gulak and Nese would be unable to use those names outside WWE; this is just WWE licensing the names for video games, merchandise, etc.
Becky Lynch and Naomi won a handicap match against Natalya, Carmella, and Alexa Bliss at a live event this weekend. Nikki Bella wasn't on the show, presumably because she was part of some promotional work alongside John Cena or something.
Maria Kanellis has indicated she'll be leaving wrestling soon (which seems to indicate summer 2017 or so rather than, say, next month). That's not surprising given her pursuits outside the ring. It will be interesting to see what that will mean for The Miracle.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Simply put, because they want to feature Ellsworth but want Axel to remain a job guy. It's worth noting they've already given Axel a number of pushes. As for Sandow, TNA's pushing him now with mixed results. He certainly benefited from the characterization he had in WWE, as his current role is fairly bland so far.
Not really much to add to 2. He played his role quite well.
3. It meant something when Flair did it because it was more or less protected. Certain moves are still protected in some promotions (the Tombstone in WWE), but a lot of times bookers pretty much let talents do anything, spots-wise.
4. I don't think there's much he can do for them job-wise in the shape he's in, but he's still being taken care of. JR caught up with him in 2014 for FOX Sports.
5. They figured they'd try her out for something that would get her screen time since she was part of "Total Divas" and things evolved from there. Good for her for earning a spot beyond being part of the reality shows.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- The Revival vs. #DIY in the Dusty Classic
- Sanity vs. TJ Perkins/Kota Ibushi in the Dusty Classic
- Liv Morgan vs. Peyton Royce
- Elias Samson vs. Nathan Cruz
-- I've actually missed The Drifter a bit, so hopefully he continues to improve once he gets back into the swing of things.
ROH's first TV taping of 2017 will be on January 14 in Atlanta. It will be really interesting to see what the main event scene looks like then.
Sasha Banks talked before Hell in a Cell at RingsideFest.
- Here's another Sasha interview with Sports Illustrated.
Charlotte Flair tweeted about her HIAC win. I can't say I wasn't surprised to see her beat Sasha.
Austin Aries received a large orbital fracture in a recent bout with Shinsuke Nakamura, and will require surgery this week. He will not be able to compete for the remainder of 2016. That was an absolutely BRUTAL looking injury. I hope he's able to be back for WM33 season; his work has been impressive as always.
BJ Whitmer has been kayfabe suspended for 30 days by ROH. Whitmer has been a pretty great heel. I hope this doesn't derail the push for Punishment Martinez.
WWE has applied for trademarks for the names TJ Perkins, Bobby Roode, Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, Rich Swann, Noam Dar, Cedric Alexander, and Carmella. I wouldn't assume Gulak and Nese would be unable to use those names outside WWE; this is just WWE licensing the names for video games, merchandise, etc.
Becky Lynch and Naomi won a handicap match against Natalya, Carmella, and Alexa Bliss at a live event this weekend. Nikki Bella wasn't on the show, presumably because she was part of some promotional work alongside John Cena or something.
Maria Kanellis has indicated she'll be leaving wrestling soon (which seems to indicate summer 2017 or so rather than, say, next month). That's not surprising given her pursuits outside the ring. It will be interesting to see what that will mean for The Miracle.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Simply put, because they want to feature Ellsworth but want Axel to remain a job guy. It's worth noting they've already given Axel a number of pushes. As for Sandow, TNA's pushing him now with mixed results. He certainly benefited from the characterization he had in WWE, as his current role is fairly bland so far.
Not really much to add to 2. He played his role quite well.
3. It meant something when Flair did it because it was more or less protected. Certain moves are still protected in some promotions (the Tombstone in WWE), but a lot of times bookers pretty much let talents do anything, spots-wise.
4. I don't think there's much he can do for them job-wise in the shape he's in, but he's still being taken care of. JR caught up with him in 2014 for FOX Sports.
5. They figured they'd try her out for something that would get her screen time since she was part of "Total Divas" and things evolved from there. Good for her for earning a spot beyond being part of the reality shows.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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