Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Monday, August 10, 2020
NJPW tries virtual fan interaction, Fozzy plays large crowd during COVID, Battlegrounds additions, WWE artist loses family member and gets local press, and Questions on Raw Underground, Shane boosting ratings, Sammy's chair shot, Lumis missing Takeover, and blood in AEW
NJPW tested out virtual cheering at their August 9 event, where fans could use their smartphones to select crowd noises. That's definitely a unique move!
Chris Jericho's Fozzy played at a large motorcycle rally, which got press during the pandemic. The event was at 35 percent capacity with masks given out and temperatures taken, but was still a very large crowd. That was a bold move. I hope it doesn't have bad consequences.
Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella are in WWE 2K Battlegrounds.
WWE artist Rob Schamberger lost a cousin to COVID-19 and was unable to do a funeral. Very sad to hear that.
- Schamberger got local press.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Time will tell. It's definitely a change from the normal look and feel of a WWE program, which is what fans kept asking for.
2. I really doubt any one person or concept is a long-term answer to fix ratings, but he can certainly help.
3. I guess he was thinking Matt would be prepared for it, and that it made sense in the moment during a hardcore brawl.
4. It will depend on what their plan is. I trust they have a reason.
5. Dave has valid points all the way around. It's a delicate balance. I worry it's just a matter of time before we see blood in Raw Underground.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Chris Jericho's Fozzy played at a large motorcycle rally, which got press during the pandemic. The event was at 35 percent capacity with masks given out and temperatures taken, but was still a very large crowd. That was a bold move. I hope it doesn't have bad consequences.
Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella are in WWE 2K Battlegrounds.
WWE artist Rob Schamberger lost a cousin to COVID-19 and was unable to do a funeral. Very sad to hear that.
- Schamberger got local press.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Time will tell. It's definitely a change from the normal look and feel of a WWE program, which is what fans kept asking for.
2. I really doubt any one person or concept is a long-term answer to fix ratings, but he can certainly help.
3. I guess he was thinking Matt would be prepared for it, and that it made sense in the moment during a hardcore brawl.
4. It will depend on what their plan is. I trust they have a reason.
5. Dave has valid points all the way around. It's a delicate balance. I worry it's just a matter of time before we see blood in Raw Underground.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Remembering Kamala
Kamala passed away recently at the age of 70.
WWE.com posted in memory of him.
Kamala was remembered on social media by the following, among others:
- AEW
- Bobby Cruise
- Bret Hart
- Caprice Coleman
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Chris Hero
- Court Bauer
- Cousin Sal
- David Marquez
- Elijah Burke
- Frankie Kazarian
- Goldberg
- Impact
- The Iron Sheik
- Jim Ross
- Matt Hardy
WWE.com posted in memory of him.
Kamala was remembered on social media by the following, among others:
- AEW
- Bobby Cruise
- Bret Hart
- Caprice Coleman
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Chris Hero
- Court Bauer
- Cousin Sal
- David Marquez
- Elijah Burke
- Frankie Kazarian
- Goldberg
- Impact
- The Iron Sheik
- Jim Ross
- Matt Hardy
- Michael Hayes
- Missy Hyatt
- The Stro
- Taz
- Tommy Dreamer
- William Regal
Kamala's passing follows testing positive for COVID-19, believed to be during a recent hospital visit during dialysis.
PWInsider covered his career, with Mike Johnson providing a separate remembrance as well.
ROH remembered Kamala, and posted a video of him at Supercard of Honor IV.
- Missy Hyatt
- The Stro
- Taz
- Tommy Dreamer
- William Regal
Kamala's passing follows testing positive for COVID-19, believed to be during a recent hospital visit during dialysis.
PWInsider covered his career, with Mike Johnson providing a separate remembrance as well.
ROH remembered Kamala, and posted a video of him at Supercard of Honor IV.
Kamala's family created a fundraiser for his funeral expenses.
WWE Network has added a lot of classic Kamala content, as has WWE's YouTube page.
Booker T. discussed Kamala on his podcast.
The Ringer gave his passing coverage.
More wrestling coming up.
Booker T. discussed Kamala on his podcast.
The Ringer gave his passing coverage.
More wrestling coming up.
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Timeline episodes, assorted wrestling content notes, Sydal update, Hendry making music videos for fans, coronavirus-related wrestling updates, Interviews with Hendrix/Homicide/McIntyre/Big E/Cena/McAfee, MVP contract update, Impact pitches AEW match, Smackdown audience, Twitch brawl between Raw stars, WWEPC milestone, Dynamite match update, AEW-TNT plan update, and Questions on Impact's TV history, Moxley as NJPW US Champion, NWA's future, and wrestlers with no music
WWE Timeline episodes have been announced as follows:
- Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart on August 12
- John Cena vs. AJ Styles on August 19
- Randy Orton vs. Christian on August 26
- The series will chronicle each respective feud.
AEW's music creator spoke to Chris Van Vliet.
Chris Jericho appeared in The Wheelblocks' "Aces High."
Lucha legend Cassandro has signed with Masked Republic.
The Rock and John Cena are joining DC's FanDome virtual convention.
Corey Graves hosted World of Tanks' Summerslam event.
Matt Sydal intends to return to ROH when the company starts up again. He was scheduled to be part of their Past vs. Present event. Sydal is on the next ROHStrong podcast.
Shane Taylor is spotlighted on this weekend's ROH TV.
ROH is considering a paranormal show.
Guerrillas of Destiny appeared on The Bouncers' most recent web show.
Joe Hendry is making music videos for those who buy his ROH shirt. That's a great idea to keep making content and getting his name out there during the pandemic.
Warrior Wrestling in Illinois held an outdoor event on a football field. I could see more places doing that during COVID restrictions.
Australia's World Series Wrestling has canceled its November tour that is usually built around bringing in international stars.
Taeler Hendrix spoke to Hannibal about her career.
Homicide spoke to Slam Wrestling.
MVP has signed with WWE for multiple years. Very glad to hear that!
Drew McIntyre spoke to Comicbook.com about Summerslam and more.
Big E spoke to Sports Illustrated about his singles run and more. Good to see him put Kofi over so much.
WWE has released Raw Underground T-shirts. I fully expect clickbait articles five years from now to ask if anyone remembers Raw Underground.
Ruby Riott had Mark Andrews on her web series.
Scott D'Amore pitched The North vs. FTR in Impact and AEW. That honestly feels a little desperate. Dynamite is a much bigger stage for that match. FTR showing up in Impact feels like a downgrade given the respective prominence of the two companies, and I say that as someone who really enjoys Impact.
Emergence is set to feature Eddie Edwards title defenses both nights.
Smackdown drew 1.96 million viewers.
John Cena discussed Raw Underground with Newsweek. It can definitely be a way for talents to do something different.
NJPW's G1 Climax 30 will run from September 18 to October 18.
Bianca Belair and Zelina Vega brawled on Vega's Twitch channel. This feels like another way to try to capture a younger audience. I can't really fault them there.
The WWE Performance Center has now hosted more Smackdowns than any other venue. For a long time, there was a joke that Vince would rather have a half-full arena of fans cheering the faces and booing the heels than a sold-out crowd that reacted in ways he didn't approve of, so maybe this was where things were headed anyway!
Pat McAfee appeared on ESPN's "Get Up" to discuss Takeover 30.
Dynamite's Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy match now has The Inner Circle and Best Friends banned from ringside. Interesting!
Cody confirmed AEW Dark is still coming to TV.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I have no idea how he got that number, as even if you count every episode of Impact, Xplosion, and the weekly NWA:TNA PPVs, it doesn't come close to that number.
2. I'm under the impression AEW would have to approve him wrestling in the U.S., and I'm not sure they'd be willing to do that. So it could be a significant amount of time before we see a U.S. Title defense if they don't vacate the title. I'm curious if NJPW is worried about backlash if they do strip him of the title.
3. Possibly. I would think the travel might be a bit complicated.
4. Losing David Lagana and having COVID hit really put things on hold. A number of contracts have expired without renewal already and it doesn't look like the pandemic is ending soon, so it's too soon to look at the company's future.
5. Music is there to clue the fans in to who's about to appear. It makes sense to save talents without music for very special occasions.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart on August 12
- John Cena vs. AJ Styles on August 19
- Randy Orton vs. Christian on August 26
- The series will chronicle each respective feud.
AEW's music creator spoke to Chris Van Vliet.
Chris Jericho appeared in The Wheelblocks' "Aces High."
Lucha legend Cassandro has signed with Masked Republic.
The Rock and John Cena are joining DC's FanDome virtual convention.
Corey Graves hosted World of Tanks' Summerslam event.
Matt Sydal intends to return to ROH when the company starts up again. He was scheduled to be part of their Past vs. Present event. Sydal is on the next ROHStrong podcast.
Shane Taylor is spotlighted on this weekend's ROH TV.
ROH is considering a paranormal show.
Guerrillas of Destiny appeared on The Bouncers' most recent web show.
Joe Hendry is making music videos for those who buy his ROH shirt. That's a great idea to keep making content and getting his name out there during the pandemic.
Warrior Wrestling in Illinois held an outdoor event on a football field. I could see more places doing that during COVID restrictions.
Australia's World Series Wrestling has canceled its November tour that is usually built around bringing in international stars.
Taeler Hendrix spoke to Hannibal about her career.
Homicide spoke to Slam Wrestling.
MVP has signed with WWE for multiple years. Very glad to hear that!
Drew McIntyre spoke to Comicbook.com about Summerslam and more.
Big E spoke to Sports Illustrated about his singles run and more. Good to see him put Kofi over so much.
WWE has released Raw Underground T-shirts. I fully expect clickbait articles five years from now to ask if anyone remembers Raw Underground.
Ruby Riott had Mark Andrews on her web series.
Scott D'Amore pitched The North vs. FTR in Impact and AEW. That honestly feels a little desperate. Dynamite is a much bigger stage for that match. FTR showing up in Impact feels like a downgrade given the respective prominence of the two companies, and I say that as someone who really enjoys Impact.
Emergence is set to feature Eddie Edwards title defenses both nights.
Smackdown drew 1.96 million viewers.
John Cena discussed Raw Underground with Newsweek. It can definitely be a way for talents to do something different.
NJPW's G1 Climax 30 will run from September 18 to October 18.
Bianca Belair and Zelina Vega brawled on Vega's Twitch channel. This feels like another way to try to capture a younger audience. I can't really fault them there.
The WWE Performance Center has now hosted more Smackdowns than any other venue. For a long time, there was a joke that Vince would rather have a half-full arena of fans cheering the faces and booing the heels than a sold-out crowd that reacted in ways he didn't approve of, so maybe this was where things were headed anyway!
Pat McAfee appeared on ESPN's "Get Up" to discuss Takeover 30.
Dynamite's Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy match now has The Inner Circle and Best Friends banned from ringside. Interesting!
Cody confirmed AEW Dark is still coming to TV.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I have no idea how he got that number, as even if you count every episode of Impact, Xplosion, and the weekly NWA:TNA PPVs, it doesn't come close to that number.
2. I'm under the impression AEW would have to approve him wrestling in the U.S., and I'm not sure they'd be willing to do that. So it could be a significant amount of time before we see a U.S. Title defense if they don't vacate the title. I'm curious if NJPW is worried about backlash if they do strip him of the title.
3. Possibly. I would think the travel might be a bit complicated.
4. Losing David Lagana and having COVID hit really put things on hold. A number of contracts have expired without renewal already and it doesn't look like the pandemic is ending soon, so it's too soon to look at the company's future.
5. Music is there to clue the fans in to who's about to appear. It makes sense to save talents without music for very special occasions.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, August 8, 2020
XFL updates, more on new WWE president, international wrestling updates, NJPW looking to open own venue, wrestling content updates, indie planning 25th anniversary, WWE TV changes, WWEPC training update, WWE draft update, NXT signing, Vickie update, Interview with Kai, WWE trademark, Excalibur update, Dark lineup, TNT president out, WWE taping update, AEW Heels backlash, Raw/Smackdown/NXT women's battle royal set, and Questions on wrestling Khans, Rock's XFL purchase, Cassidy getting over, rebooting the Dark Order, and AEW adding a trios title
XFL is being planned to return in February.
WWE's new president and chief revenue officer has been signed to a five-year contract, which includes more than 338,500 shares of WWE stock. Nick Khan was the force behind WWE's latest U.S. TV deals for Raw, Smackdown, and NXT, and he already has strong relationships with USA Network, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon. He sounds very qualified to work on WWE's business end.
Mexico City will resume empty arena events very soon in an effort to get wrestlers paid during the pandemic. That's a swift and major change.
- CMLL secretly taped content during the ban for streaming on Capital 21 and TV deals.
UK's Equity union has issued a statement of standards they're encouraging promotions to follow. PROGRESS and EVE have announced they will abide by those ideas.
NJPW is looking to build their own 3,000-seat venue down the line. Very interesting idea!
Korakuen Hall is now allowing events at 40 percent capacity. Glad to see that.
Stardom is using Mimi Shimoda, who worked for All Japan Women in the early '90s.
- Hanan, 15, is returning to the company soon after taking time off to focus on school. Bushiroad is looking to move away from using female wrestlers that young, but is making exceptions for talent who already have history in the company. I'm curious how that move will be received by existing fans and the audience they're trying to attract.
Mick Foley and Stu Bennett (Wade Barrett) were part of the Adrian Street documentary.
Northeast Wrestling is planning a 25th anniversary show. Rey Mysterio and Sid Vicious are set to appear.
Impact is drawing around 160,000 viewers weekly on AXS.
Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa are doing a virtual seminar for Tokai University.
Rey Mysterio is staying in WWE. He's close to signing a multi-year deal. AEW made a significant offer, but WWE's contract is for more dates than theirs was. That's going to be significant for both Mysterios and for WWE.
WWE TV this week featured extensive changes due to press coverage of low ratings and the recent WWE conference call featuring questions about them. Shane McMahon's return was a response to these low ratings. I'm starting to think RETRIBUTION and Raw Underground are metaphors for how WWE is run...
WWE developmental talent will resume training this week at a Florida warehouse. Talent will be tested for COVID once a week and only two people will be in the ring at any one time.
WWE's draft has been moved around repeatedly due to ratings. At one point the plan was to hold a draft in August, but it was decided to wait until after Summerslam and Payback.
NXT has signed EVOLVE's Anthony Greene.
Vickie Guerrero has officially signed with AEW. I'm curious if there's a role for her behind-the-scenes.
Dakota Kai spoke to Alicia Atout.
Cricket Wireless and WWE are teaming for "What the Hell's on Your Cell." That pun is too silly to not point out.
WWE has trademarked Raw Underground. The filing was August 3. Make of that what you will as far as how sudden of an idea this was.
Excalibur is returning to Dynamite on August 26.
The Rock's company is clear to purchase XFL after an agreement with unsecured creditors.
Dark has announced:
- Rachael Ellering vs. Penelope Ford
- Private Party vs. Brian Pillman, Jr. and Griff Garrison
- Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian vs. The Butcher and The Blade
- Shawn Spears vs. Alex Chamberlain
- Rey Fenix vs. Lee Johnson
- Kip Sabian vs. Michael Stevens
- Jurassic Express vs. Pineapple Pete, Aaron Solow, and Corey Hollis
- Billy and Austin Gunn vs. Shawn Dean and M'Badu
- The Hybrid 2 vs. The Natural Nightmares
TNT president Kevin Reilly is leaving WarnerMedia, along with other executives, as part of a big change at the media company. Reilly was directly responsible for getting AEW content on TNT and Bleacher Report, as well as their recent multi-year contract. AEW is losing a very, very important ally with this move.
Smackdown and Raw are set to return to live episodes with the August 21 episode. I don't know if that's a response to dropping ratings. If it is, I don't expect it to make a huge difference, but it could certainly give a bit of the boost.
Pro Wrestling WAVE and Oz Academy canceled events after a WAVE star tested positive for COVID-19.
Brandi Rhodes quit Twitter after backlash regarding AEW Heels. I'm disappointed in the response, but not surprised in the least.
Smackdown has announced a tri-branded women's battle royal to determine Bayley's Summerslam opponent. That puts fresh talent in action on Smackdown and theoretically means a fresh face in the Smackdown women's title picture.
1. No, but that would be a perfect wrestling angle.
2. They want to establish a spring football league. I believe the long-term goal is to sell once it reaches a certain level of prominence and has broadcast rights in place.
Nothing to add to 3.
4. In hindsight, maybe not as much as initially. While everyone else is trying to be faster and flashier, he's deliberately making every move count. As a result, he stands out from most current wrestlers and fans are responding to that. I can't say I expected him this high up on the card by any stretch, but I can see why it's working.
5. Personally I think they're best suited as a not particularly serious threat of fairly interchangeable names (except for Brodie and Colt), but if need be, yes, someone could come in and announce that anyone underperforming is cut. A reboot in their look would also be good given the video game-themed gimmick.
6. That would make a lot of sense for when AEW Dark launches on TV. A women's tag title is also something they could add down the line.
More wrestling tomorrow.
2. They want to establish a spring football league. I believe the long-term goal is to sell once it reaches a certain level of prominence and has broadcast rights in place.
Nothing to add to 3.
4. In hindsight, maybe not as much as initially. While everyone else is trying to be faster and flashier, he's deliberately making every move count. As a result, he stands out from most current wrestlers and fans are responding to that. I can't say I expected him this high up on the card by any stretch, but I can see why it's working.
5. Personally I think they're best suited as a not particularly serious threat of fairly interchangeable names (except for Brodie and Colt), but if need be, yes, someone could come in and announce that anyone underperforming is cut. A reboot in their look would also be good given the video game-themed gimmick.
6. That would make a lot of sense for when AEW Dark launches on TV. A women's tag title is also something they could add down the line.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Main Event and 205 Live Reax - 8/7/20
Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's Main Event and 205 Live.
Friday Night Smackdown Reax - 8/7/20
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Friday Night Smackdown.
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