Raw and Smackdown performers are still working on the same live events. I suppose travel had already been set for talents and they didn't want people to have to change things at the last minute.
At a WWE live event in Florida:
- Zack Ryder and Jey Uso beat Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. No Jimmy on either live event loop.
- Sin Cara beat Viktor. No Konnor on either live event loop.
- PTP reunited to beat Bo Dallas and Heath Slater.
-- So, live events are in an odd transitional phase right now. It's interesting they didn't do the Usos vs. Anderson/Gallows, and Ryder/Sin Cara vs. The Ascension. Jimmy and Konnor might have needed time off or something, but that's pure speculation on my part since neither of them worked this show or the other set of live events.
JBL will interview Booker T. on the WWE Network after Raw. I wouldn't have minded Booker as GM in Foley's place.
A "Three Faces of Foley" collection and a collection focusing on the Intercontinental Championship at Summerslam are coming to the WWE Network tomorrow.
WWE live events announced for September are branded as either Raw or Smackdown shows, so the draft will be in effect for all newly-booked live events. It's possible everything that's already had tickets sold for it based on advertised lineups will stay as it was before the brand split.
- The brand split will take effect for live events by the September 5 Raw at the latest. So, we could still see people working dark matches for the other brand for a few weeks.
- John Cena is being advertised for Raw-brand events in Manila on September 9 and Beijing on September 10. Those will likely be his last Raw appearances for now. Whether he's insane enough to travel back to the U.S. for the September 11 Battleground show is unknown at the moment. I wouldn't put it past him.
James Ellsworth, the man destroyed by Braun Strowman on Raw, talked to WWE.com. I think a "Colin Delaney" style gimmick of pet jobber who keeps taking matches just to get beat up would be fun.
Sasha Banks will defend the WWE Women's Championship against Charlotte at Summerslam. I expect Sasha vs. Nia will follow the end of that feud.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. So much to unpack here:
a. SMW lasted four years and primarily ran places like high school gyms. They occasionally had a big show draw 1,000 or more, but the majority of shows didn't hit that mark. "He booked good stories and wrestling" is subjective, and the attendance numbers suggest that's a minority appearance. Creative teams either did the same or better without him around.
b. I don't see how the booking vs. writing argument changes anything. If anything, that makes Cornette more to blame for his poor track record of actually drawing money in the business. He doesn't have anyone to blame when it was him making all the decisions.
c. If you don't think Cornette is thin-skinned, read his Twitter page or listen to one of his zillion rants about... well... anything. He wanted to kill Russo over differences of opinion regarding pro wrestling. That's how seriously he takes things. He has an uncontrollable temper that's cost him jobs (and rightfully so).
2. I guess she figured while everyone else was trying to catch a payday from WWE, she would, too.
3. I imagine we'll see her in the ring more at some point, but I don't see her becoming a regular wrestler in the near future. Until WWE thinks there's a good angle for her to get in the ring, I suspect she'll just do her current duties.
4. I think the focus should have been on Ambrose that night. The following Smackdown set up the next stage of things.
5. No. Generally it's fine to have a non-wrestling segment on a PPV to break things up. A good show is like a roller coaster. In order to get from one peak to another, there has to be some down time. It also helps to have variety. Certainly some people want to see an ROH-style show where every match goes all out, but it can be a draining experience for people who aren't diehard fans.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
WWE live event notes including brand split notes, new Legends with JBL Monday, new Network collections, Raw jobber talks, new title match at Summerslam, and Questions on Cornette's alleged booking prowess, the latest money grab lawsuit, Lana wrestling, the ending to Battleground, and Orton returning in the Highlight Reel
Saturday, July 30, 2016
NXT live event notes, Interview with Patterson, historical venue closing, TNA audience, Cena to take time off, and Questions on indie names keeping their names, Brock's failure, Enzo and Cass' catchphrases, and Brock dream matches
Mojo Rawley, Carmella, Nia Jax, and Finn Balor all worked NXT live events this weekend. I'm sure they'll all start working WWE live events soon; this is something of a farewell tour.
Pat Patterson talked about his autobiography and his life:
- Good read from one of the most important people in wrestling history.
- I'm sure the Rumble was a hard sell. It's a nightmare to book that many people and important spots.
- Patterson went to back for some important talents who didn't fit Vince's notion of a star. I hope HHH does that in the years to come.
- Interesting idea giving the Rumble winner a trophy. It's similar to the Andre trophy, but I think it could work.
- I really don't know if Ziggler can be a franchise player without a serious character makeover. He's been the same guy doing the same thing for years now, and it's only gotten him so far.
Hara Arena, the Dayton, Ohio home for many wrestling and other events, is closing its doors after an August 27 comic book/toy event. They held a lot of events in the late '90s, but I suppose time passed it by.
TNA's audience Thursday was 350,000 viewers. There was no replay this week. I don't see them having a huge boost in viewership (i.e. into the 500,000 and up range) anytime soon; there's only so much they can do to get buzz for a product a lot of people have abandoned.
John Cena's FOX reality show has been renewed for a second season, so he's expected to take time off in order to serve as executive producer/on-screen talent for the show. Smackdown's really going to be out a top name with him out of the picture for several months again. They've got a long road ahead of them building up people at his level.
At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Nick Miller walked to the back with a limp after TM-61 lost to the Authors of Pain. Whether he'll miss any matches remains to be seen.
- Tom Castor was used as a referee. With one NXT ref joining the main roster, he could be the replacement.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Punk and MVP were the last of the previous era to get to keep their pre-WWE names. I guess the mold they broke was reset so Joe could break it again.
2. With Brock failing the test the same day as his fight, it would suggest the substance he was using was taken that day. I definitely think making part-timers exempt from the Wellness Policy sends a bad message and opens the door to questions of their level of being "clean."
3. If you have ta ask what a Certified G is, you ain't one. HOW YOU DOIN'. It means "certified gangster" as in the real deal, badass, etc. While apparently there's certification involved, it's not something that can be taught. I suppose sawft came about as a take on Enzo's Jersey accent.
4. It's tough to say. Different people like different things. Lesnar/Joe would involve more submission spots, while Lesnar/Lashley would be a collision of all-out dominant hosses. Both could be amazing if done right.
5. WWE doesn't test Brock, so they wouldn't know from that. They apparently don't care that much either way since they're not punishing him in any matter.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Pat Patterson talked about his autobiography and his life:
- Good read from one of the most important people in wrestling history.
- I'm sure the Rumble was a hard sell. It's a nightmare to book that many people and important spots.
- Patterson went to back for some important talents who didn't fit Vince's notion of a star. I hope HHH does that in the years to come.
- Interesting idea giving the Rumble winner a trophy. It's similar to the Andre trophy, but I think it could work.
- I really don't know if Ziggler can be a franchise player without a serious character makeover. He's been the same guy doing the same thing for years now, and it's only gotten him so far.
Hara Arena, the Dayton, Ohio home for many wrestling and other events, is closing its doors after an August 27 comic book/toy event. They held a lot of events in the late '90s, but I suppose time passed it by.
TNA's audience Thursday was 350,000 viewers. There was no replay this week. I don't see them having a huge boost in viewership (i.e. into the 500,000 and up range) anytime soon; there's only so much they can do to get buzz for a product a lot of people have abandoned.
John Cena's FOX reality show has been renewed for a second season, so he's expected to take time off in order to serve as executive producer/on-screen talent for the show. Smackdown's really going to be out a top name with him out of the picture for several months again. They've got a long road ahead of them building up people at his level.
At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Nick Miller walked to the back with a limp after TM-61 lost to the Authors of Pain. Whether he'll miss any matches remains to be seen.
- Tom Castor was used as a referee. With one NXT ref joining the main roster, he could be the replacement.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Punk and MVP were the last of the previous era to get to keep their pre-WWE names. I guess the mold they broke was reset so Joe could break it again.
2. With Brock failing the test the same day as his fight, it would suggest the substance he was using was taken that day. I definitely think making part-timers exempt from the Wellness Policy sends a bad message and opens the door to questions of their level of being "clean."
3. If you have ta ask what a Certified G is, you ain't one. HOW YOU DOIN'. It means "certified gangster" as in the real deal, badass, etc. While apparently there's certification involved, it's not something that can be taught. I suppose sawft came about as a take on Enzo's Jersey accent.
4. It's tough to say. Different people like different things. Lesnar/Joe would involve more submission spots, while Lesnar/Lashley would be a collision of all-out dominant hosses. Both could be amazing if done right.
5. WWE doesn't test Brock, so they wouldn't know from that. They apparently don't care that much either way since they're not punishing him in any matter.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, July 29, 2016
NXT signing finishing international dates, TNA's next tapings set, TNA owners miss tapings, WWE invests in streaming website, ex-ECW name expected back in WWE, more CWC names offered contracts, WWE signs amateur name, possible Dreamer-WWE update, more Cody in ROH?, Liger working ROH, NXT releases, where Big Show is, and Questions on WWE sabotaging Roman, revamping the U.S.+IC Titles, the lack of selling in wrestling, why Bayley's still working NXT, and an annual draft lottery
Tommy End is finishing up his current commitments on August 13 en route to joining the WWE Performance Center. I look forward to seeing how the German does in NXT and (potentially) beyond.
TNA has extended its next set of tapings following the move of Bound For Glory to October 2. They'll now have talent in Orlando from August 11 though August 17. They won't need to tape in September, instead picking up after BFG.
Dixie Carter was on vacation during the last set of TNA tapings, filming all her segments on the first day before taking off. Billy Corgan was absent due to musical commitments. That'd be similar to Vince and Stephanie McMahon missing more than a month's worth of shows, though of course TNA tapes a good number of episodes in a few days while WWE runs weekly. Presumably things went smoothly enough without the owners present at the shows.
WWE has purchased a stake in Flo Sports, a streaming service for amateur wrestling, gymnastics, MMA, and more. That's very interesting. I assume this is part of a bigger plan of some sort.
Stevie Richards is expected back in WWE in some fashion, but nothing has been signed as of this writing. He could be valuable in and out of the ring for some time to come.
WWE has offered contracts to Zack Sabre, Jr., TJ Perkins, and Noam Dar for the cruiserweight division. There have been quite a few talented names in the CWC who should be scouted for WWE and NXT. TJP and ZSJ are among them; we'll get a better idea of how good Dar is when next week's show airs.
WWE has signed Max Wessel, an amateur wrestler with a judo background. Hopefully he adapts to WWE well.
House of Hardcore has announced shows for September and October, which would seem to cast doubt on Tommy Dreamer returning to WWE. I think WWE would be willing to work something out with him given his brief run last year.
Cody Rhodes is expected to work with ROH beyond Final Battle. I wouldn't necessarily expect him to be signed as a regular, but I imagine he'd come in and work as long as he has interesting opponents and such. He's definitely a good pickup for the company.
Jushin Liger will work a September 24 live event for ROH. I'm glad he's still going as a wrestler, and taking bookings pretty much as he wants to.
NXT has released the following names:
- Josh Woods, a former MMA competitor with an amateur wrestling background. He recently appeared on NXT TV in a loss to No Way Jose.
- ZZ Loupe, of Tough Enough and Breaking Ground fame.
- Tom Kingdon, who was a former champion bodybuilder. He had never worked NXT TV.
-- No "big" releases, just perhaps opening some space for a new class of more qualified and/or motivated recruits.
Big Show is in China promoting WWE. That's a big emerging market for the company, so it's good to use someone like Show in that capacity.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. You forgot the fact the Illuminati controls both UFC and WWE, and Brock's positive test was due to chemtrails. Seriously though, there's no evidence for any of those claims. At least none THEY want you to know about.
1. You forgot the fact the Illuminati controls both UFC and WWE, and Brock's positive test was due to chemtrails. Seriously though, there's no evidence for any of those claims. At least none THEY want you to know about.
2. I don't like either of those ideas. The titles should be for the midcarders; contendership to a top title should be a separate accomplishment. With as many "WWE Network special events" there will be, each brand should have important titles to be defended/feuded for.
3. You're preaching to the choir! It's much worse outside WWE, but it's starting to spread there, too. It's killing believability.
4. She's still owed a rematch for the NXT Women's Championship, which she'll receive during Summerslam weekend. If Asuka retains, presumably Bayley will finally join the main roster on a regular basis.
5. Almost definitely. I expect they'll want to shake things up around this time next year.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Main Event Reax - 7/27/16 and ROH Reax - 7/28/16
Read on for my thoughts on Wednesday's Main Event and Thursday's ROH.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Post-Smackdown dark match, ROH action figures available, another confirmed WWE return, superstars contacted to return to WWE, Smackdown audience, Interview with Kane, and Questions on Lashley in WWE, Snuka suing WWE, drafting Seth before Dean, Vince running Smackdown, and people who won't go into the HoF anytime soon
After Smackdown ended, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose beat Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt. I wouldn't expect mixed-brand dark matches to be a permanent thing.
ROH's first action figures are now available through the Wrestling Superstore. So, you can now have a Kevin Steen action figure AND a Kevin Owens action figure.
Jinder Mahal will soon be returning to Raw after signing a new deal. I was hoping he'd be paired with Heath Slater on Smackdown, but maybe we'll get him as the fourth Outcast. He's almost definitely just there to fill space and take losses, but it's better for it to be him in that role than someone with a bigger following.
- WWE has also contacted Melina, MVP, Carlito, and Tommy Dreamer about returning. Stevie Richards is being considered for a WWE return as well. It would all be a matter of how they'd be uses and if they're worth any potential drama/ego in the case of the first three names.
Smackdown's audience Tuesday was 2.74 million. That's in line with what they were doing in January upon coming to USA Network. Hopefully numbers are strong going forward and they're able to build the roster well.
Kane talked to a local magazine:
- The idea of Kane the character selling insurance and running for office is amazing. WWE needs to make some vignettes of that.
- Kane reading classic English literature in-character sounds amazing, too.
- There's a lot of political stuff there that's beyond the scope of a wrestling blog.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I know currently Lashley still wants to do MMA. He couldn't do that working in WWE - he doesn't have the pull Lesnar does.
1. I know currently Lashley still wants to do MMA. He couldn't do that working in WWE - he doesn't have the pull Lesnar does.
2. The lawsuit's been brought about on his behalf. The argument would be he's unable to stand trial because of the injuries sustained due to working for WWE.
3. Ummm. Ambrose was defending the title later that night. Stephanie was betting on Rollins winning and bringing the title to Raw.
4. I would imagine so. He trusts his instincts with live TV more than others' and would want control over as much as possible.
5. I see very little chance of them being inducted while the lawsuit is ongoing. After that, it's possible WWE reconciles with some of them if the two sides really want an induction to happen.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Brock back on WWE TV, WWE champ on podcast, McMahons in WWE 2K17, Interviews with Miz/Nero, Raw audience, Booker T. student to WWE?, two big Field of Honor matches, WWE team signs new deals, why Brock won't be suspended by WWE, former IC Champion returning, and Questions on directors of talent relations, why specific NXT names were chosen, Brock shooting in the ring, Vince survivng forever, and splitting dating wrestlers
Brock Lesnar will appear on Monday's Raw. So, who gets F5'd to send a message to Orton? Y2J would make sense; Brock could be upset at Jericho for speaking on his behalf at Battleground.
- Brock's also advertised for the August 15 Raw, the go-home show for Summerslam.
Dean Ambrose will be on Stone Cold's podcast following Raw. Hopefully next time they do a Smackdown talent on a show it airs on Tuesday; they need to make that night matter as much as Monday.
Vince, Shane, and Stephanie McMahon will all be playable characters in WWE 2K17. I actually kind of miss Linda being the occasional part of things. Also, you know there are some really angry gamers out there who will beat up Stephanie's character a LOT.
The Miz promoted Smackdown Live for Sports Illustrated. We did get an amazing promo on Miz's underdog story during a U.S. Title feud with MVP. Miz was really on a hot streak for a while.
Raw's audience Monday was 3.34 million for the post-Battleground, start of a new era show. Where things go from here audience-wise will be interesting.
Booker T. has indicated his student Marcellus Black has been signed by WWE. Presumably he'll begin work at the Performance Center shortly. There are more spots open in WWE due to the brand split, and more young wrestlers are getting opportunities in developmental.
ROH has announced two more big matches for Field of Honor:
- ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal vs. Adam Cole vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito.
- ROH Television Championship: Bobby Fish vs. EVIL (formerly Takaaki Watanabe)
- ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal vs. Adam Cole vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito.
- ROH Television Championship: Bobby Fish vs. EVIL (formerly Takaaki Watanabe)
The Dudley Boyz have signed new contracts with WWE. Apparently their previous contract was a one-year deal set to expire right after Summerslam. So, they'll be sticking around on Raw and WWE Network in-ring shows for at least another year.
Brock Lesnar will not be punished by WWE for his failed USADA tests because part-time performers are exempt from the Wellness Policy. That's really not the best message to send, and opens up questions about other wrestlers who only perform occasionally.
Shelton Benjamin will be returning to Smackdown soon. It's a shame so much of his career hasn't been seen by most WWE fans. Hopefully he has another good run in him.
Brother Nero talked about his future in wrestling:
- At some point it's destructive to keep cheering for someone who does so much damage to himself. I hope he's able to end his career on his own terms instead of it being cut short due to an accident of some kind.
- The Gathering is REALLY intense.
- I can only imagine what's next for the Hardys in their on-screen feud.
- Nero's ideal ending to his career is quintessentially him.
- This read is as entertaining as it is scary. Wrestling's one of few places someone like him isn't dismissed as crazy in some manner.
- "Juggalo Superhero" REALLY needs to be a gimmick somewhere.
- This is one of the craziest wrestling stories I've ever read.
- Nero's really put his body through the ringer.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Laurinaitis definitely "played it safe" with his hirings of people with certain builds and looks or who already had a family connection to the business. Vince probably liked that he didn't rock the boat much as far as signing smaller talents with indie backgrounds. As far as the brand split, it was talked about for right after WM32. That was the reason Shane was fighting to take control of Raw specifically; Stephanie or someone would be in charge of Smackdown.
1. Laurinaitis definitely "played it safe" with his hirings of people with certain builds and looks or who already had a family connection to the business. Vince probably liked that he didn't rock the boat much as far as signing smaller talents with indie backgrounds. As far as the brand split, it was talked about for right after WM32. That was the reason Shane was fighting to take control of Raw specifically; Stephanie or someone would be in charge of Smackdown.
2. Shane and Daniel needed to boost their tag team division, so they brought up Mojo to reform the Hype Bros on their show. They also need a women's division, so they picked up Alexa and Carmella to round that out.
3. It didn't happen, but I don't doubt Brock could do it if he wanted to. I think they'd pretty much have to fire Brock if he did something like that. That would be extremely unprofessional.
4. I wouldn't rule out Vince living on as a computer program or robot or something and ruling WWE for generations to come. He's definitely still got a lot of energy at 70.
5. It's certainly possible that was a deciding factor.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Concert coming to Summerslam week, more WWE in South America, Mattel announcement, Interview with Brisco, NXT names on main roster note, DBD14 main event, Field of Honor eight-man tag, LU tapings update, correspondent moved to Smackdown, Stephanie profiled, Wrestling Superstar Virgil at Battleground, pre-shows available outside the Network, new top title for Raw, and Questions on each brand having tag and women's titles, the King of Hardcore, promos being scripted, NXT callups being surprising, and WWE signing names to kill TNA
WWE has announced a Summerslam week concert with Flo Rida and Jason DeRulo. Proceeds will benefit Connor's Cure. I like the idea of making WWE more of a pop culture destination. They need to expand the casual audience and turn people who watch out of curiosity into regular viewers. For whatever it's worth, that sounds like a Stephanie/HHH idea that got OK'd by Vince. So, he's letting them do more to make their mark on what is expected to one day be their company.
WWE has announced an October 7 show in Peru and an October 8 show in Ecuador to follow its recently announced Chilean event. I hope they can revive interest in their brand in Latin America; business there isn't stellar.
Mattel is creating retro-style action figures in the vein of Hasbro's old line. I love the level of creativity they've used with the brand.
Gerald Brisco talked about being a stooge and more. Great read as a look down memory lane. If the brand extension was done in 1999, he and Patterson would be the GMs and it would be potentially amazing.
A number of drafted/called up NXT superstars are still listed for NXT live events. I suspect some names will stick around through Summerslam weekend, and we'll see most of them on NXT TV in the next few weeks due to what's already been taped.
Jay Lethal will face Adam Cole for the ROH World Championship at DBD14. That has potential to be quite good if they don't get too obsessed with showing off spots. They've got some good heat built for it. Maybe they finally crown a new champion?
The August 27 Field of Honor show will feature Bullet Club's Young Bucks/Hangman Page/Yujiro Takahashi vs. Motor City Machine Guns/Lio Rush/ACH. I wonder how many other Clubbers will end up NXT/WWE bound.
Lucha Underground hopes to film a fourth season around November, but
nothing is confirmed. This despite all the talk of them being so over
budget and the like. It's true the show has a niche audience despite all the money spent, but it sounds like it will continue.
Renee Young will be part of Smackdown going forward. Whether she was intentionally paired with Ambrose is unkown.
Stephanie McMahon was honored as an executive under the age of 40. Just imagine how she'll change things in her next 30 years.
Virgil was backstage at Battleground. I'd be fine with WWE hiring Virgil just to make appearances backstage selling things to superstars and interviewers.
Raw and Smackdown's pre-shows will begin airing on digital platforms other than the WWE Network. I'd think people who have the Network are already plenty familiar with what's happening on Raw or Smackdown, so it's probably good to reach a bigger audience.
WWE will declare its first Universal Champion at Summerslam. This is Raw's answer to Smackdown getting the WWE Championship. Seth Rollins and THE BIG Do.. umm The Demon Finn Balor will compete for the title. Roman's not in the title picture at this point. It'll be really interesting to see what he does at Summerslam if he doesn't end up involved in that match or a No. 1 Contenders match.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. If both brands' titles are booked to matter equally, I'm fine with each brand having a women's champion, tag team champions, and world champion. I'd call the second women's title the world women's championship, though. Keep the Diva name on mothballs. Having said that, I'd also be OK with some champions being able to work alternating brands (the WWE, women's and tag team champions), especially while building up two women's divisions and two tag divisions. Having some former female superstars return and signing some main roster-ready women would really alleviate the process, but that will take time.
1. If both brands' titles are booked to matter equally, I'm fine with each brand having a women's champion, tag team champions, and world champion. I'd call the second women's title the world women's championship, though. Keep the Diva name on mothballs. Having said that, I'd also be OK with some champions being able to work alternating brands (the WWE, women's and tag team champions), especially while building up two women's divisions and two tag divisions. Having some former female superstars return and signing some main roster-ready women would really alleviate the process, but that will take time.
2. That's tough! I think a number of other names should be thrown in for consideration, namely Sabu, Abdullah the Butcher, and Bruiser Brody. I'm sure there are plenty of other old-school names I'm leaving out. Funk and Foley should get recognition for pure longevity and general insanity, though.
3. Vince is very controlling over what the product looks and sounds like. He's convinced Cesaro's not going to get over past a certain point, partially due to him being Swiss. So, he has writers try to get the characters over the way Vince thinks they will/should get over. Remember Vince killed the territories and beat Billionaire Ted. He's not going to let Twitter overrule his instincts.
4. Alexa and Carmella were the only names from NXT that surprised me. Mojo made sense in that Smackdown needs tag teams and NXT wasn't really using him on TV much. NXT's women's division was dealt quite the blow losing Nia, Alexa, Carmella, and Bayley. Other than Asuka, those were the most featured women on NXT TV.
5. It's definitely more of a case of HHH seeing talented veterans who were contractually available and willing to come to NXT than any kind of TNA burial. Nor is it a NJPW/ROH/LU burial when WWE signs names who recently worked there. They're just out to get the best talent possible for their own shows.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Battleground age note, Backlund gets big nod, WWE press, new Network collection, Gotch update, CWC name signed?, and Questions on booking the Shield triple threat, expertise, TE competitior working NXT, WWE names being employees, and Bret's criticisms
Not a single person who wrestled at Battleground was 40 or over. The last time that happened at a WWE PPV was Battleground 2015. It's expected some veterans will come back to the roster and change that statistic, plus we'll presumably see Kane, Big Show, Y2J, etc. in action on future PPVs, but it's an impressive statistic to see WWE is making use of a younger, fresher roster in a lot of cases.
Bob Backlund was inducted into the Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame. As he should be!
WWE names appeared at San Diego Comic-Con to promote the Scooby Doo movie and Mattel action figures.
WWE Network has added a Randy Orton collection ahead of a DVD release in the fall.
Simon Gotch has been pulled from TV this week following his backstage altercation with Sin Cara. He appeared on-camera at Battleground, as did Sin Cara in a different locker room.
Mexican news sites are reporting Lince Dorado has signed a deal with WWE, however the tweets referenced in the post have since been deleted. Time will tell whether he ends up in NXT or WWE; I would imagine he hasn't had enough time to pass through medical tests yet.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Exactly that, with no GM interference because the focus needs to be on the wrestlers. WWE made the right move to put Smackdown over and reward/protect the two guys who weren't suspended.
1. Exactly that, with no GM interference because the focus needs to be on the wrestlers. WWE made the right move to put Smackdown over and reward/protect the two guys who weren't suspended.
2. They've got the years of experience covering the business that would lend itself to smart perspectives that change people's minds. That hardly makes them (or anyone) perfect, but they often have at least an inkling of what they're talking about.
3. At this point, guys like Clark need experience more than anything. That was his first official televised match! He's still working out his look and whether he's heel or face on live events; it makes more sense to use him to get over someone who's in a more important role than having him beat a former world champion right out of the gate.
4. There are a lot of factors that would qualify them as employees. I'm really not sure why they're still listed as independent contracts beyond no one challenging that status successfully. WWE's got a pretty good racket going.
5. I don't really see a lot of Bret's criticisms in general. He needs a new hobby that actually makes him happy; it's clear he's not happy in the wrestling world unless the spotlight's on him.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE Battleground Reax
Read on for my thoughts on last night's WWE special event.
- Kickoff:
- Battleground:
Wow, they're jumping right into the women's match. I'm worried that means they have a disappointing partner in mind and want to get it out of the way.
That's a really good reaction for someone who's never appeared on the main roster before. She's definitely earned it.
It is kind of weird Sasha and Bayley are on the same page, but I'm glad the former NXT Women's champion has been called up.
- Sasha/Bayley vs. Charlotte/Dana:
Charlotte and Dana already treating their opponents as a threat. That's good.
So, does Bayley's popularity challenge Sasha's? I worry one could overshadow the other. They're both great, though.
Bayley's fired up and I can't blame her.
Bayley vs. Dana could be fun given their styles and personalities.
I'm glad Sasha didn't kick out of Natural Selection.
I'm excited for Sasha vs. Charlotte at Summerslam. I really hope they don't kick that to the side in order to Charlotte vs. Stephanie.
I really want Bayley and Sasha as a team, but I also think Smackdown needs the boost.
I had to look up that Bonecrusher reference, but otherwise I enjoyed the promo.
- New Day vs. Wyatts:
I like a good mastadon mauling every once in a while.
I really hope Big E's got a bright future in WWE. He's got size, strength, technical ability, and speed in addition to promo skills. He could absolutely be an important singles player.
See, Kofi's big dive there made sense to take out Rowan. It wasn't showy for the sake of it.
Good domination by the family.
Xavier FINALLY escaping Bray's spell like a house of fire.
Big E's really going to hurt himself on that spear through the ropes spot.
That was pretty good. I hope we see good things from Bray on Smackdown. Bray vs. Dean for the title could be fun.
- Rusev vs. Ryder:
Ryder deserves a Woo-Woo-Woo-S-A chant for that outfit.
Ryder's a solid veteran to have around. I'm curious to see if Curt Hawkins ends up working with him again.
I like the story of Zack giving it all against the wall of humanity that is the super-athlete Rusev.
ROUGH RYDER OUT OF NOWHERE!!
And a really brutal bicycle kick to the back of the head.
GREAT ending to give Zack just a little hope before being Matchka'd by the champ.
Rusev's just like "who is this goof?" He might not be HYPE, but he could probably break Mojo in half.
I like Rollins justifying his actions and viewpoints. Funny closing remark.
I would have loved Ambrose vs. Foley in their primes.
- Zayn vs. Owens:
Fighting right out of the gate, as they should be.
Zayn's getting pretty acrobatic for someone in a heated feud. I don't think they need to try to do a UFC bout, but it strains believability of this being a fight between two people hating each other when Zayn's running up the ropes on a wristlock.
Owens is a believable hard-hitter.
Zayn damn near killed himself on that springboard moonsault.
Either the "botched" moonsault wasn't a botch or they're calling a masterful improv with the crossface story. Is Zayn going to be the new Jeff Hardy as far as crazy acrobatic acts of destruction?
Thank you Taz for inventing the idea of moves on the apron. One of his many innovations. Seriously, though, that was scary. I was much more concerned for them following the bump than I was excited they pulled off a cool move.
Both men are going to be sore as hell after this one. This is a brutal match.
And now we're getting into "big spots with lots of kickouts" territory.
That was a good ending. No one actually kicked out of the other man's finisher, but they both gave it their all.
- Becky vs. Natalya:
I like the fired-up action early. Both women are good wrestlers.
Natalya going after Becky's leg is an obvious strategy, but an effective one. Also, it makes sense for this one to have a more measured pace after the 100 mph ending to Zayn vs. Owens.
Submission-based stories are a little bit of a lost art at a time when so many submission artists just use holds as more spots, switching between several in rapid fashion just to show off (rather than it actually looking like they're trying to make someone give up).
Poor Becky. :'( At least Natalya looks credible again.
Bryan firing up Ambrose was good. I'm glad we have him cutting promos again. That said, him saying he didn't worry about Rollins and Reigns kind of threw them under a bus. They were/are certainly worthy of being worried about.
- Miz vs. Young:
Backlund's as fired up as ever.
I'm a little surprised WWE let Young advertise a campaign on his tights.
OH MY GOD THEY'RE WEARING EYES WIDE SHUT MASKS. I really don't think whoever approved that has seen that movie...
Young's definitely got a solid technical background.
I would watch a Maryse/Backlund comedy match. I'm not even kidding.
Don't sell Miz short as a wrestler in the technical sense.
Fine action so far.
I would watch the hell out of Miz vs. Backlund. It'd be a nice sequel to Miz vs. Lawler.
That was a good ending to save face for Young not winning the title.
I wish we had 2003 John Cena cutting a promo alongside Enzo and Cass. That would be AMAZING.
Enzo gets a little too far into bathroom humor at times, but other than that, he was fire on the mic.
Cass is great on the mic, too.
- Cena/Enzo/Cass vs. Club:
AJ needs to embrace soccer mom chants like Sheamus embraced "you look stupid."
I'm never really crazy about a spot that takes out your partner. Throwing AJ onto The Club and Enzo was odd in that sense.
This is good so far. Cena's letting the younger guys shine quite a bit.
OH MY GOD WHAT A BOOT FROM ANDERSON. That took some real timing to prevent Enzo from tagging in.
Nice AA to Pele spot.
Good spots with Cena and AJ inadvertently hitting their partners.
I'm not a fan of overly-choreographed spots, but sometimes elaborate sequences of everyone hitting each other are quite impressive.
They've really got something with Enzo. He's got more personality than at least two-thirds of the ROH roster and all of the X-Division.
I was a little disappointed with Cena beating AJ, but it took a big AA to do it (after AJ had already taken one). I definitely think AJ can rebound from that on the road to Summerslam. It only took him one night to get over the loss at WM32.
- Highlight Reel:
Orton as a pandering face is so weird.
I'm glad Jericho keeps bringing new things to his character instead of just trying to cash in on his catchphrases and getting things to trend on Twitter.
I thought that was a burial of Fandango, but it was a reference to Y2J's old Mania fight. Funny.
The Viperville line was cheesy, but goofy Orton is growing on me.
So they did go there. They might as well, since they threw Reigns under a bus for his drug test.
WWE needs a Chris Jericho "stupid idiot" shirt. He's fun in this ridiculous role.
That wasn't bad. Hopefully Orton has a less one-dimensional character now.
I really hope the GMs/commissioners don't get involved here unless it adds to the match.
- Ambrose vs. Rollins vs. THE BIG DOG ROMAN REIGNS HHHOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAHHH:
Rollins is in something of a difficult position considering he's outnumbered by the babyfaces,
I'm liking the action so far. The hard-hitting Reigns provides some nice contrast to the smaller, quicker guys.
I like this being more of a fight than a wrestling match.
I liked Reigns going to spear both and that sequence. Everyone's giving it their all.
Good callback to the Shield's signature spot.
And another good callback to Rollins turning on both men.
I'd much rather see the superplex/Falcon Arrow be something someone else uses to end a match instead of someone kicking out of it. It's a big, impressive move.
Roman's certainly improving.
I would have been so OK with Rollins winning with the Pedigree. That was a great setup.
Very good ending. Everyone did good work there, and Reigns has officially served his sentence.
More wrestling coming up.
- Kickoff:
Ryder's just a genuinely likeable guy. He's not trying to be a character designed to be liked; he's just an authentic, fun personality. I'm glad he hasn't gotten frustrated enough to pull a Cody Rhodes yet.
I really don't see Nia working as a face, but she's good enough to debut in the match as Sasha's partner. She works a more methodical pace, though, which wouldn't necessarily mesh with the others in the match.
Interesting they teased Lita getting back in the ring. That's not the first time that hint's been dropped. Maybe at WM33?
It looks like Cesaro's post-draft promo got him a position he wanted to a degree. Standing up and asking for a bigger role is generally respected if you haven't been entirely pegged as a low/mid card name (Cody).
I really think Cesaro's setting himself up as the guy they'll pay lip service to but not actually give too much of a push to. They're right that he's got a niche audience that will keep watching him/talking about him no matter what they do with him.
I share Bryan's hope that the in-ring talents will be the focus of the shows, not the GMs and Commissioners.
Terry Funk in a behind-the-scenes role for WWE would be big. Today's talents could use notes in raising hell.
I'm totally good with Bryan and Foley each wanting both shows to improve instead of just "I want to beat the other guy's show." There's no need for two retired wrestlers to take up screen time feuding. As cool as Bryan vs. Foley would have been in their prime, it's just not something that should be attempted now.
I loved Darren training while Miz was getting pampered. A simple showcase of how the two of them differ.
- Usos vs. Breezango:
Breezango are getting smoother as a team. While I imagine they'd both rather be higher up on the card, they should seize this opportunity for all it's worth.
I liked the superkick sequence leading to Fandango going for a pin.
Nice sequence with Breeze breaking up the Doomsday Device attempt.
Clunky dives spot. I hope tonight isn't too heavy on flashy spots. Certainly you need some of those, but they're often done for the sake of a cool moment instead of adding to a story of competition.
Kind of a clever ending. I'm glad Breezango scored a win.
- Usos vs. Breezango:
Breezango are getting smoother as a team. While I imagine they'd both rather be higher up on the card, they should seize this opportunity for all it's worth.
I liked the superkick sequence leading to Fandango going for a pin.
Nice sequence with Breeze breaking up the Doomsday Device attempt.
Clunky dives spot. I hope tonight isn't too heavy on flashy spots. Certainly you need some of those, but they're often done for the sake of a cool moment instead of adding to a story of competition.
Kind of a clever ending. I'm glad Breezango scored a win.
- Battleground:
Wow, they're jumping right into the women's match. I'm worried that means they have a disappointing partner in mind and want to get it out of the way.
That's a really good reaction for someone who's never appeared on the main roster before. She's definitely earned it.
It is kind of weird Sasha and Bayley are on the same page, but I'm glad the former NXT Women's champion has been called up.
- Sasha/Bayley vs. Charlotte/Dana:
Charlotte and Dana already treating their opponents as a threat. That's good.
So, does Bayley's popularity challenge Sasha's? I worry one could overshadow the other. They're both great, though.
Bayley's fired up and I can't blame her.
Bayley vs. Dana could be fun given their styles and personalities.
I'm glad Sasha didn't kick out of Natural Selection.
I'm excited for Sasha vs. Charlotte at Summerslam. I really hope they don't kick that to the side in order to Charlotte vs. Stephanie.
I really want Bayley and Sasha as a team, but I also think Smackdown needs the boost.
I had to look up that Bonecrusher reference, but otherwise I enjoyed the promo.
- New Day vs. Wyatts:
I like a good mastadon mauling every once in a while.
I really hope Big E's got a bright future in WWE. He's got size, strength, technical ability, and speed in addition to promo skills. He could absolutely be an important singles player.
See, Kofi's big dive there made sense to take out Rowan. It wasn't showy for the sake of it.
Good domination by the family.
Xavier FINALLY escaping Bray's spell like a house of fire.
Big E's really going to hurt himself on that spear through the ropes spot.
That was pretty good. I hope we see good things from Bray on Smackdown. Bray vs. Dean for the title could be fun.
- Rusev vs. Ryder:
Ryder deserves a Woo-Woo-Woo-S-A chant for that outfit.
Ryder's a solid veteran to have around. I'm curious to see if Curt Hawkins ends up working with him again.
I like the story of Zack giving it all against the wall of humanity that is the super-athlete Rusev.
ROUGH RYDER OUT OF NOWHERE!!
And a really brutal bicycle kick to the back of the head.
GREAT ending to give Zack just a little hope before being Matchka'd by the champ.
Rusev's just like "who is this goof?" He might not be HYPE, but he could probably break Mojo in half.
I like Rollins justifying his actions and viewpoints. Funny closing remark.
I would have loved Ambrose vs. Foley in their primes.
- Zayn vs. Owens:
Fighting right out of the gate, as they should be.
Zayn's getting pretty acrobatic for someone in a heated feud. I don't think they need to try to do a UFC bout, but it strains believability of this being a fight between two people hating each other when Zayn's running up the ropes on a wristlock.
Owens is a believable hard-hitter.
Zayn damn near killed himself on that springboard moonsault.
Either the "botched" moonsault wasn't a botch or they're calling a masterful improv with the crossface story. Is Zayn going to be the new Jeff Hardy as far as crazy acrobatic acts of destruction?
Thank you Taz for inventing the idea of moves on the apron. One of his many innovations. Seriously, though, that was scary. I was much more concerned for them following the bump than I was excited they pulled off a cool move.
Both men are going to be sore as hell after this one. This is a brutal match.
And now we're getting into "big spots with lots of kickouts" territory.
That was a good ending. No one actually kicked out of the other man's finisher, but they both gave it their all.
- Becky vs. Natalya:
I like the fired-up action early. Both women are good wrestlers.
Natalya going after Becky's leg is an obvious strategy, but an effective one. Also, it makes sense for this one to have a more measured pace after the 100 mph ending to Zayn vs. Owens.
Submission-based stories are a little bit of a lost art at a time when so many submission artists just use holds as more spots, switching between several in rapid fashion just to show off (rather than it actually looking like they're trying to make someone give up).
Poor Becky. :'( At least Natalya looks credible again.
Bryan firing up Ambrose was good. I'm glad we have him cutting promos again. That said, him saying he didn't worry about Rollins and Reigns kind of threw them under a bus. They were/are certainly worthy of being worried about.
- Miz vs. Young:
Backlund's as fired up as ever.
I'm a little surprised WWE let Young advertise a campaign on his tights.
OH MY GOD THEY'RE WEARING EYES WIDE SHUT MASKS. I really don't think whoever approved that has seen that movie...
Young's definitely got a solid technical background.
I would watch a Maryse/Backlund comedy match. I'm not even kidding.
Don't sell Miz short as a wrestler in the technical sense.
Fine action so far.
I would watch the hell out of Miz vs. Backlund. It'd be a nice sequel to Miz vs. Lawler.
That was a good ending to save face for Young not winning the title.
I wish we had 2003 John Cena cutting a promo alongside Enzo and Cass. That would be AMAZING.
Enzo gets a little too far into bathroom humor at times, but other than that, he was fire on the mic.
Cass is great on the mic, too.
- Cena/Enzo/Cass vs. Club:
AJ needs to embrace soccer mom chants like Sheamus embraced "you look stupid."
I'm never really crazy about a spot that takes out your partner. Throwing AJ onto The Club and Enzo was odd in that sense.
This is good so far. Cena's letting the younger guys shine quite a bit.
OH MY GOD WHAT A BOOT FROM ANDERSON. That took some real timing to prevent Enzo from tagging in.
Nice AA to Pele spot.
Good spots with Cena and AJ inadvertently hitting their partners.
I'm not a fan of overly-choreographed spots, but sometimes elaborate sequences of everyone hitting each other are quite impressive.
They've really got something with Enzo. He's got more personality than at least two-thirds of the ROH roster and all of the X-Division.
I was a little disappointed with Cena beating AJ, but it took a big AA to do it (after AJ had already taken one). I definitely think AJ can rebound from that on the road to Summerslam. It only took him one night to get over the loss at WM32.
- Highlight Reel:
Orton as a pandering face is so weird.
I'm glad Jericho keeps bringing new things to his character instead of just trying to cash in on his catchphrases and getting things to trend on Twitter.
I thought that was a burial of Fandango, but it was a reference to Y2J's old Mania fight. Funny.
The Viperville line was cheesy, but goofy Orton is growing on me.
So they did go there. They might as well, since they threw Reigns under a bus for his drug test.
WWE needs a Chris Jericho "stupid idiot" shirt. He's fun in this ridiculous role.
That wasn't bad. Hopefully Orton has a less one-dimensional character now.
I really hope the GMs/commissioners don't get involved here unless it adds to the match.
- Ambrose vs. Rollins vs. THE BIG DOG ROMAN REIGNS HHHOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAHHH:
Rollins is in something of a difficult position considering he's outnumbered by the babyfaces,
I'm liking the action so far. The hard-hitting Reigns provides some nice contrast to the smaller, quicker guys.
I like this being more of a fight than a wrestling match.
I liked Reigns going to spear both and that sequence. Everyone's giving it their all.
Good callback to the Shield's signature spot.
And another good callback to Rollins turning on both men.
I'd much rather see the superplex/Falcon Arrow be something someone else uses to end a match instead of someone kicking out of it. It's a big, impressive move.
Roman's certainly improving.
I would have been so OK with Rollins winning with the Pedigree. That was a great setup.
Very good ending. Everyone did good work there, and Reigns has officially served his sentence.
More wrestling coming up.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Smackdown pre-show coming, WWE+NXT live event notes, new role for Lita, Miz promotes WWE, WWE execs sells stock, Rock promotes promo contest, Steph Q&A, and Questions on WWE signing CWC names, streamers in ROH, where Tamina is, protecting Orton vs. Brock, beating up John Cena, and wrestlers' previous identities
Superstars:
- Summer vs. Alicia:
Two of my favorite "soldiers" in the women's division. I think both are underappreciated.
Fun so far.
Disappointing ending. That could have been better with more time. It'd also be good if Summer had a finisher that could win matches.
- Usos vs. Dudleys:
Nice basic wrestling to start off. Save the dives and superkicks for when things heat up.
Good double-teaming from the brothers. The Samoan brothers I mean.
I love how the Dudleys work the crowd and the refs. That's missing in wrestling sometimes as everyone wants to do the cool spots they planned out in advance instead of feeling out the crowd, etc.
I'm going to miss Bubba insulting Samoans now that the Usos are on the other brand.
That was an enjoyable ending to a pretty solid match.
**********NEWS BEGINS AFTER THIS LINE************
Smackdown will be getting its own WWE Network pre-show starting this week. I hope they keep pushing the potential second "A" show.
This weekend's WWE live events featured talents from both brands together. The draft takes effect starting on Monday's Raw, and I expect live events to be brand-exclusive come a week from now.
At a WWE live event in Delaware:
- Darren Young and Zack Ryder beat The Ascension. No Bob Backlund.
- The Shining Stars beat Jack Swagger and Sin Cara. That explains why Gotch wasn't on the road; he would have been on this loop.
- Roman Reigns returned to spear Seth Rollins after Rollins lost to Ambrose in the main event. I'm a little surprised they didn't have him work off some ring rust by actually competing.
- Darren Young and Zack Ryder beat The Ascension. No Bob Backlund.
- The Shining Stars beat Jack Swagger and Sin Cara. That explains why Gotch wasn't on the road; he would have been on this loop.
- Roman Reigns returned to spear Seth Rollins after Rollins lost to Ambrose in the main event. I'm a little surprised they didn't have him work off some ring rust by actually competing.
-- Reigns returned to the ring at a later live event, beating Kevin Owens in the main event.
-- Reigns commented on his return. That was his first tweet since addressing his suspension; it was probably wise to stay low after that.
Lita is moving from being a producer/agent for WWE to an on-screen role as a panelist on WWE Network's Raw and Smackdown pre-shows. It will be good to have at least one female face on those panels. That's important for getting more women to connect to the product. I'm sure that's a big goal for HHH and Stephanie.
At an NXT show in Florida:
- Ho Ho Lun made something of a surprise appearance in a loss to Rich Swann. This could be a prelude to Lun joining the Performance Center.
- Dory Funk also made a surprise appearance to address the crowd.
- Patrick Clark's nose was busted by Hideo Itami. I'm excited to see Itami back kicking people in the face, although obviously he needs to be careful.
The Miz was at the Washington Nationals Park to promote WWE. It pays to be awesome.
Kevin Dunn sold more than 50,000 shares of WWE stock, earning more than a million dollars in the process. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon each sold more than 5,500 shares. I wouldn't expect that to really change anyone's place as powerful people in the company, but it's worth noting anyway.
The Rock released a video promoting his upcoming promo competition, which will feature Kurt Angle as a judge. Remember Taz was using amateur wrestling skills in a pro wrestling ring before Kurt Angle was. Also Taz has a radio show if you haven't heard. I don't think wrestling journalists ever mention that, or what he's up to these days.
Stephanie McMahon did a Q&A to promote her memoir, including talking about working with Vince during draft night.
At a later NXT show in Florida, Adrian Jaoude teamed with Chris Atkins in a loss to the Authors of Pain. Jaoude is competing on the Brazilian Olympic wrestling team this year.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. No, but there are a number of talents who are expected to be offered contracts if they pass medical testing. Kota Ibushi, Gran Metalik, Cedric Alexander, Akira Tozawa, and Tajiri have all been reported as being in that category. There could be some other names who are signed at the NXT level. The cruiserweight division is back, and that opens up some doors for the talents involved.
1. No, but there are a number of talents who are expected to be offered contracts if they pass medical testing. Kota Ibushi, Gran Metalik, Cedric Alexander, Akira Tozawa, and Tajiri have all been reported as being in that category. There could be some other names who are signed at the NXT level. The cruiserweight division is back, and that opens up some doors for the talents involved.
2. They really should make and sell ROH-branded streamers.
3. She's still around, just on the injured list. It's worth noting she's eligible to be drafted to either brand when she returns.
4 is a repeat. Brock and Orton are going to do everything they can to make sure both men can get back to wrestling after the match is over. Brock's going to go hard, but both men are trained professionals and can work something out to protect Orton to a degree.
5. I'll give them credit for the AWESOME "You Can't See Knee" Seth Rollins shirt, but I'm a little surprised they didn't capitalize on that shirt idea, unless they knew The Club was splitting in the draft and didn't bother with it.
6. That's an interesting theory. Some also say Sami Zayn looks like El Generico would look without his mask, but Zayn speaks English way too well to be him.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Gargano's last stands at EVOLVE set, Sin Cara teaser, Raw to Chile, Rollins press, pre-order Booty O's, TNA audience, Battleground Kickoff match, new logos for Raw and Smackdown, WWE star off live events, and Questions on ECW fans booing Rey, touring WWE HQ, WWE's restaurant, ROH doing Final Deletion, and TNA producing FD
Johnny Gargano will finish up with EVOLVE at their September 11 show. He's definitely shown he's worthy of a regular NXT spot.
Sin Cara posted a video teasing a new start on Raw. I hope he has success there.
WWE is headed to Chile for a Raw-branded show on October 6. I wonder if the CWC's Alejandro Saez will be used in any fashion? I'm curious if he has any future with WWE.
Seth Rollins' wrestling school in Iowa was profiled.
Booty O's are available exclusively at FYE. That's one of the greatest pieces of wrestling merchandise I've ever seen. The Shockmaster action figure is in that same high tier.
Impact Wrestling drew 362,000 viewers in its new Thursday timeslot, and 48,000 in its replay airing. That's a promising start in their new (old) night. Hopefully they stay in the 350k and up range going forward.
The Usos vs. Breezango has been set for the Battleground Kickoff show. I wholly expect that to go in favor of the Samoan brothers, but it'd be good if WWE started to rebuild its tag team division. When you only have half your teams on the show, there's more incentive to make each one matter.
WWE unveiled new logos for Raw and Smackdown Live. I really like Smackdown's. Raw's I'm not as crazy about, but I'm glad they're distinct from each other. They've got a chance to make each show stand out; I hope they take it.
Simon Gotch is not on WWE's live events this weekend. It's believed this is punishment for the backstage fight with Sin Cara. Aiden English and Sin Cara are working (separate) live events, but Gotch is notably absent. We'll see if this extends to Tuesday's Smackdown.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I know in 2006 Rey had "refused to join the ECW brand" when offered a spot by Heyman, so that might have had something to do with it. Other than that, "smart" fans are pretty fickle. They might have turned on him after his WWE success.
1. I know in 2006 Rey had "refused to join the ECW brand" when offered a spot by Heyman, so that might have had something to do with it. Other than that, "smart" fans are pretty fickle. They might have turned on him after his WWE success.
2. By getting a job there, I suppose. Other than that, they really don't do tours. I'm under the impression it's pretty much a standard office building anyway.
3. I'd be interested in seeing another WWE-style restaurant aimed at a younger audience (generally speaking) with Shane-O-Mac & Cheese and Junkyard (Hot) Dogs and all that.
4. I really want to see that now. If anyone could pull it off, they could. Or Corino and Whitmer at Kevin Sullivan's dungeon or something.
5. It was all filmed on location with a small crew headed by Jeremy Borash.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, July 22, 2016
Reigns free to return, Strong says goodbye to ROH, Nikki training for comeback soon, Coach on big WWE lawsuit, Gargano-NXT update, names returning to WWE, BFG date change, Booty-O's cereal coming, NXT live event notes, and Questions on Charlotte's reign compared to Nikki's, booing Reigns being the cool thing to do, TNA running nightclubs, Hogan '93 vs. Rock '13, and Johnston in the HoF
Roman Reigns has been cleared to return to the ring for WWE. I REALLY hope he thinks about his family and young fans and this is his only Wellness violation. He's got a big stage to influence a lot of people. That comes with heavy responsibilities.
ROH posted video of Roderick Strong's farewell speech. He's speculated to be WWE-bound, although nothing's official in that regard and it's unknown if he'd bypass NXT.
Nikki Bella has been cleared to return to the ring, and will soon begin training at the WWEPC. She should definitely return on Smackdown if that show's going to have its own women's championship division. Theoretically they can build to Charlotte vs. Nikki at some point after both women do well on their respective brands.
Jonathan Coachman buried the new anti-WWE lawsuit. PREACH!! I hope the judge gets their shovel out for this lawsuit, too. It's a lot of people trying to work one more payday from the business.
Johnny Gargano will be a full-time NXT talent, finishing up with EVOLVE. He and Ciampa are starting to make a groove for themselves there, and will hopefully eventually make one for themselves on the main roster.
Curt Hawkins and Rhyno have been confirmed as returning to WWE to fill out their roster in the New Era. Both are expected to head to Smackdown. Hawkins is still pretty young and can contribute a lot in working with newer/younger talents. I wholly expect him to be at the Outcasts' level, but WWE needs people who can be used to highlight others. Rhyno's more of a surprise given his political aspirations. At 40, I expect he's looking to make as much money as he can while he's still in condition to take bumps. It's not like he can't run in 2020 or later; he has a limited time frame to make a living as a full-time wrestler.
- Jinder Mahal could be joining the pair in heading back to WWE. He's another pretty young performer who could contribute as a player in the low/midcard.
Bound For Glory is now tentatively scheduled for October 2 to avoid conflict with WWE PPVs. TNA would likely extend the scheduled August TV tapings in order to have enough episodes of Impact in the can to build to that show. No official announcement has been set for the show's date.
WWE announced an actual Booty-O's cereal at San Diego Comic Con. NEW. DAY ROCKS! NEW. DAY ROCKS! NEW. DAY ROCKS! This almost makes up for no WWE ice cream bars. Almost.
At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Niko Bogojevic made his NXT debut. He's a former amateur wrestler who has worked indies in Colorado.
- Patrick Clark worked heel and wore different entire from his recent NXT TV appearance.
- Danielle Kamela gave an interview. She's a former NFL cheerleader and NBA dancer, trained to wrestle by Rikishi. She had auditioned for Tough Enough before being signed for NXT.
- Buddy Murphy has new music as he continues to transition into being a singles wrestler.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. WWE will claim "they've always been at war with Eastasia" whenever it suits their purposes, and switch things up when the other viewpoint matches their current story. It's part of the work.
1. WWE will claim "they've always been at war with Eastasia" whenever it suits their purposes, and switch things up when the other viewpoint matches their current story. It's part of the work.
2.
I'm glad people are finally seeing this. The worst marks are the ones who think they're smarks. They're just getting worked by someone else, parroting beliefs of people criticizing whatever the new mainstream thing is. They're turning on Ambrose now that he's getting a push, which they did for Rollins, Bryan, and Punk when they got pushed. There was a time when Rapper Cena, Legend Killer Orton, and "OI'LL FIGHT 'EM" Sheamus were darlings to that crowd, but once they were pushed to a main event level, it was time to move to the new midcard talent.
3. The big question is what the production setup would be in that scenario. They've got things pretty much the way they want them with the Impact Zone as far as things being set up for TV and PPV tapings. Plus, Shotgun Saturday Night era WWF was a lot more popular than current TNA. They don't want to end up playing to smaller crowds than what they have now. I agree they need to get out of Orlando more if they want to grow, but there are a lot of logistics and finances involved in making that happen.
4. Rock was champion for two months and put Cena over in a big way at Mania. The Hulkster's reign put him over at Mania to end the biggest show of the year with the same old, same old. As was said, Rock coming back was a big draw for casuals (which was the goal).
5. Johnston has deserved the honor for years! He's shaped the on-screen product a lot more than a good number of wrestlers. Plus, he would get his own theme for the induction!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Main Event Reax - 7/20/16 and ROH Reax - 7/21/16
Read on for my thoughts on Wednesday's Main Event and Thursday's ROH TV.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
New WWE announce teams, draft fallout, ROH tryout set, Ryback contract update, Nikki to get answers soon, Cena on Brock's test, NXT referee to Raw, Smackdown audience, more on Brock, Bayley-main roster update, WWE interested in multiple CWC competitors, ROH Title match in Japan, Angle hoping for WWE return next year, Ospreay-U.S. bookings update, Jeff Hardy-TNA update, another NXT signing?, and Questions on reliable sources, paths to NXT, Dixie's judgment, GFW's status, and hopes for the brand split
WWE has changed the announce teams for Raw and Smackdown:
- Raw will now feature Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton.
- Smackdown will now feature Mauro Ranallo, JBL, and David Otunga.
- Superstars will now feature Tom Phillips and Corey Graves. MEME MAGIC LIVES ON.
- Main Event will now feature Tom Phillips and David Otunga.
- Raw will now feature Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton.
- Smackdown will now feature Mauro Ranallo, JBL, and David Otunga.
- Superstars will now feature Tom Phillips and Corey Graves. MEME MAGIC LIVES ON.
- Main Event will now feature Tom Phillips and David Otunga.
-- NXT is expected to remain being called by Tom Phillips and Corey Graves, although no official announcement has been made on that front.
-- So, FINALLY, the New Era will see the commentary departure of the senior citizen Jerry Lawler, who first called the product in 1992. I have a lot of respect for Lawler's accomplishments, but this has been a long time coming. I'm glad they finally, finally, FINALLY got some people they can trust on commentary to replace him. It's not much of a New Era with the same old guy calling things.
-- I'm very glad Corey Graves is getting Lawler's opportunity. He's been doing a phenomenal job as a commentator and has a fresh voice for it.
-- Lawler will join Booker T. on pre-shows and Kickoff panels. So, we'll still have to see him fairly often, but this is a big improvement.
Erick Rowan posted some crazy teaser on Twitter. I love stuff like this. Wrestling needs more interesting characters.
ROH has set a tryout/seminar for October 8 and 9. I really hope we're on the verge of seeing a fresh approach to talent and booking. They need some more variety on the roster.
Ryback gave an update on his WWE contract status. Interesting they might be paying him to not wrestle for another three months. That's how much money WWE has at their disposal. There's no real update on what he's doing after the contract ends; I'm surprised there hasn't been any news of TNA being interested.
Nikki Bella is scheduled for an MRI this week to determine her in-ring future. There's very little chance of her being cleared in time to team with Sasha Banks. As far as I know, Brie's remaining retired. Nia Jax as a face would be an interesting change of pace it for some reason they're really not using Bayley, but it wouldn't really make sense because Sasha wouldn't have known Nia was heading to the same brand as she until the draft actually happened.
John Cena briefly discussed Brock Lesnar's USADA test failure on SportsCenter. WWE's intentionally keeping pretty quiet on the matter.
NXT referee Shawn Bennett has been called up to Raw. Each brand will have its own exclusive referees, which makes sense.
Smackdown's audience was 3.17 million for the draft edition of the show. That's a BIG boost from anything they've seen on USA previously. I hope that bodes well for the show's future.
Brock Lesnar was originally planned as the first draft pick by Raw. Presumably the fallout from the failed drug tests caused his demotion. Hopefully Undertaker or Angle or someone becomes a Smackdown part-timer to balance things out. I don't see Triple H taking on that role; it wouldn't make sense for him to be on Shane's show.
Bayley is expected to join the main roster by September at the latest, which would allow her to wrap things up in NXT. There are going to be some really disappointed fans if she's not Sasha's partner at Battleground. The only other name I can think of that would make sense would be former Team B.A.D. member Tamina returning from injury.
WWE is reportedly interested in offering contracts to Kota Ibushi, Gran Metalik, Cedric Alexander, and Akira Tozawa following their performances in the CWC. Tajiri is also a possibility. I'd be surprised if there aren't other names under consideration given how impressive the CWC field is.
Jay Lethal is set to defend the ROH Championship against Satoshi Kojima in Japan on August 14. I mean, you know, if he's successful in his title defenses until then.
Kurt Angle is keeping his wrestling schedule clear in 2017, and not taking any new wrestling bookings in 2016, in the hopes a WWE return is set in time for WM33 season. Kurt vs. Brock or Kurt vs. Taker would be exciting matchups. Maybe we'll see those at WM34 after HHH beats him at next year's event.
ROH and EVOLVE are both seeking to use Will Ospreay in the U.S. He's under contract with NJPW through April 2018, but could work either promotion in the U.S. WWE (and I'm assuming TNA) would be unable to use him while he's under that deal, however.
Jeff Hardy is under TNA contract until February, so Final Deletion is hardly the end of Brother Nero there. While he's definitely interested in returning to WWE at some point, there's a lot of time before he'd be available. A return in time for/right after WM33 would certainly be possible if WWE wants him.
WWE is interested in officially signing Deonna Purrazzo, who's appeared on NXT TV a number of times as something of an extra in the women's division. She's also taken dates with TNA and ROH, so they might want to pick her up before one of those companies does.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There's nothing to say they can't be both! Obviously if Helwani got info from someone inside UFC, that person was a mole. And since the info was reliable, that source is also reliable.
1. There's nothing to say they can't be both! Obviously if Helwani got info from someone inside UFC, that person was a mole. And since the info was reliable, that source is also reliable.
2. It depends on the talent. If someone's an impressive athlete right out of college or someone with family connections (or both), they might do well to go right into a WWE tryout. If someone's trying to make a name for themselves as being in the mold of Aries, Zayn, etc., there are paths to take to reach their spot in WWE. Ultimately it should be important that a push is a subjective thing. Wrestling is a job. Between eight years as an IC-level guy and 12 years busting it on the indies/internationally scraping by in the hopes of being a future WWE Champion (after a year or more in NXT), you've got to do what brings in the most money. And who's to say WWE won't have enough indie/international guys after a while and want more people with a different background? There are only so many spots for people doing flips and dives.
3. That question had absolutely nothing to do with Vince Russo. And really, considering Joe was pushed as a top guy in TNA before NXT was even a thing, I don't see how him going somewhere else has any bearing on her being "clueless about wrestling." If anything, it shows there was a time when she was more in touch with using the type of stars we're now seeing in NXT in WWE.
4. They do pretty regular live event tours. They're definitely not making a splash at the level of, say, ROH or TNA, but they do run shows.
5. There were plans for a brand split following WM32 going into that show. They just pushed it back a few months. We'll see if the brands develop separate identities as the months go on.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
More on Cruiserweights returning, two matches announced for Impact, Raw audience, next earning report set, Brock flagged in second UFC test, backstage altercation at Smackdown, Cody's ROH debut set, NXT draft notes, and Questions on WWE's missed talent opportunities, the brand extension succeeding, WWE talents working outside the company, TV vs. live events, and Smackdown expanding to three hours
WWE is reportedly interested in signing a number of names from the CWC to work their Cruiserweight division full-time. These names will need to pass medical testing en route to signing full-time WWE deals, and no performers have been officially signed yet. I expect in addition to names brought to the division, more names will be signed to NXT as future members of the division. This really opens a lot of doors for talents previously thought to be too small for WWE. The ongoing CWC is expected to conclude with the crowning of the new Cruiserweight Champion, who will then report to the main roster.
CWC competitors Johnny Gargano, Zack Sabre, Jr., Noam Dar, and TJ Perkins were profiled. I can easily see ZSJ and Perkins being signed, with the younger Dar heading to NXT.
TNA has announced EC3 vs. Eli Drake and Drew Galloway vs. Bram in BFG Playoff matches this week on Impact. I'm curious to see who faces Lashley at the PPV and what the Hardys do if they're not in the title picture.
Raw's audience Monday was 3.13 million for a show featuring the big reveal of the new GMs as well as a WWE Championship match between two top rivals. Both were promoted in advance. Are fans just too burned out with so much wrestling content available to care at this point?
WWE's Q2 2016 earnings report will be released on July 28. I'm curious to see what new news that will bring.
Brock Lesnar has tested positive for a banned substance on a second USADA test taken within 12 hours of his UFC bout. It remains to be seen whether WWE will take action. This definitely doesn't paint their star attraction in a positive light, and how they handle the situation will send a big message to the roster and the world one way or another.
- A Los Angeles Times reporter tweeted that Lesnar tested positive for clomiphene, which adjusts testosterone levels and is banned under the WWE Wellness Policy. WWE better have a solid Plan B in place for Summerslam. Taker?
Simon Gotch and Sin Cara got into a legitimate fight backstage before Smackdown. That's very unfortunate. I hope HR sits down with them and works things out in a more constructive way.
Cody Rhodes will make his debut with ROH at Final Battle. The fact he's the centerpiece of the poster and they're announcing it more than four months in advance is a good sign they plan on making him an important part of the company right out of the gate. This also gives him time to check off whatever talents he won't be able to work with while under ROH contract, namely those in TNA and EVOLVE.
WWE gave out pro-Bayley signs before Smackdown, which seems to indicate she was set to be drafted and/or appear as part of the segment with Sasha facing Charlotte and Dana. Not having Bayley as Sasha's partner would be a massive oversight. The NXT women's division really lost some prominent acts in the draft, and Bayley coming up would mean they have a lot of work to do to build it back up. Nonetheless, she's beyond ready for that stage.
Some in NXT expected No Way Jose to be drafted instead of Mojo Rawley. Rawley makes a lot more sense given his experience. Jose's just getting started in NXT. They should make sure he's got more legs as a character than Adam Rose did before calling him up.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I have the feeling Vince doesn't really keep track of TNA enough to care much. Unless one of those names is contractually available and is brought to his attention by someone, I imagine he's got other things on his mind. Now, are there people under him who wish those names were in WWE? I'm sure. We'll see if any of them end up on the WWE radar in the years to come. I think EC3 has the best chance because he's been away for a while and has really changed since the Derrick Bateman days.
1. I have the feeling Vince doesn't really keep track of TNA enough to care much. Unless one of those names is contractually available and is brought to his attention by someone, I imagine he's got other things on his mind. Now, are there people under him who wish those names were in WWE? I'm sure. We'll see if any of them end up on the WWE radar in the years to come. I think EC3 has the best chance because he's been away for a while and has really changed since the Derrick Bateman days.
2. Each show needs to feel different. Raw and Nitro is a good metaphor in the sense they had distinct styles and performers. Marvel and DC works, too, in the sense of different creative teams, different looks, and different philosophies.
3. That was back when WWE wasn't as obsessed with being the main game in town.
4. They bring different things to the table. TV has bigger happenings, but is more tightly controlled. The talents have more fun and freedom at live events although they're very by-the-numbers.
5. I'm sure the end goal is for original WWE content to be on TV and the Network 24/7/365 with expanded versions of Main Event, Superstars, Smackdown, Velocity, Heat, Jakked, Metal, and Shotgun Saturday Night (as well as a revived WCW brand with Nitro, Thunder, and the works), but for right now it's just two hours for Smackdown.
More wrestling coming up.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
The night ECW was invaded by XPW, Brock testing update, Shark Boy vest possibly stolen, WWE team splits, WWE facing another big lawsuit, WWE press, and Questions on body types in wrestling, the fan vitriol toward Roman, bars ordering PPVs, Luger not getting pushed, and greatest athletes in WWE history
WWE released a video about the XPW invasion of ECW. Those were some wild days.
The New York State Athletic Commission will not suspend Lesnar as a pro wrestler for his failed test in UFC. Don't believe everything you read in the dirtsheets. As long as he passes tests the day of the event, they'll allow him to compete.
Shark Boy lost a wrestling vest at a recent indie event, believing it to be stolen. It's unfortunate someone took something like that. I miss Stone Cold Shark Boy SO MUCH. I hope whomever stole this gets a Chummer OOOHHH SHHHEELLL YYYYYEEEEAAAAAHHHHH.
The Lucha Dragons have officially split ahead of tonight's draft, which would seem to mean they'll end up on separate shows. I'm curious to see how they do long-term apart from each other.
Another large class action lawsuit related to the dangers of CTE has been filed against WWE. The following wrestlers (among others) are listed as clients:
- Road Warrior Animal, the brother of current WWE executive John Laurinaitis.
- Jimmy Snuka, through his guardian Carole Snuka
- Paul Orndorff
- Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Sr.
- Adam Bomb
- Ahmed Johnson
- Kamala
- Earl and Dave Hebner
- King Kong Bundy
- Sabu
- Demolition
- Jim Powers
- The Natrual Butch Reed
- Jazz
- Sylvain Grenier
- Shane Douglas
- Muhammad Hassan
- Henry O. Godwin
- Mark Jindrak
- A representative for the estate of Axl Rotten
- Heidenreich
- Mantaur
- Slick
- One Man Gang
- Rodney Mack
- "Outlaw" Ron Bass
-- Unshockingly, it's a lot of people who haven't been used by WWE in years. This would perhaps explain why some of these names aren't in the WWE Hall of Fame. I'm curious to see how far this goes, and if it ends up being another cash grab.
-- WWE buried the lawsuit. Their attorney's pretty persistent at trying to work another payday for his clients. How did he even find some of those people!?
Big Show will head to the Philippines next week to promote WWE's September 9 show there.
Cesaro talked ahead of the draft. I can see him doing well in a less-crowded field on one show or the other.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think to some degree they're two separate issues. They need a variety of body types and styles, from Vader and Dusty Rhodes to Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan to Big Show and Mark Henry. It definitely looks like WWE's moving toward acceptance of smaller performers, given the surprise announcement of a cruiserweight division. That will open up a lot of doors for a lot of people. I think WWE's doing better with character development, especially compared to ROH. That doesn't mean they can't do more, though. People are certainly more developed as personalities when they "graduate" from NXT, but that only means so much if we don't get to see them outside of the ring on the main roster. Promos and vignettes are important to selling us on characters.
2. It's all a matter of whether they like or dislike a talent. If Bryan had been suspended, he'd get a LOT more sympy than Roman.
3. I doubt anyone's going to report a bar showing the Network. Theoretically it's about the same as someone bringing over friends to watch an event.
4. Luger wasn't ready, brother. For whatever reason, he never cracked into a higher echelon in WWF or WCW.
5. I'm more upset at Bruno being left out. And what about Andre? Anyway, for the other part, I've got to throw a nod at Shelton Benjamin. All those names were good, too.
More wrestling tomorrow.
The New York State Athletic Commission will not suspend Lesnar as a pro wrestler for his failed test in UFC. Don't believe everything you read in the dirtsheets. As long as he passes tests the day of the event, they'll allow him to compete.
Shark Boy lost a wrestling vest at a recent indie event, believing it to be stolen. It's unfortunate someone took something like that. I miss Stone Cold Shark Boy SO MUCH. I hope whomever stole this gets a Chummer OOOHHH SHHHEELLL YYYYYEEEEAAAAAHHHHH.
The Lucha Dragons have officially split ahead of tonight's draft, which would seem to mean they'll end up on separate shows. I'm curious to see how they do long-term apart from each other.
Another large class action lawsuit related to the dangers of CTE has been filed against WWE. The following wrestlers (among others) are listed as clients:
- Road Warrior Animal, the brother of current WWE executive John Laurinaitis.
- Jimmy Snuka, through his guardian Carole Snuka
- Paul Orndorff
- Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Sr.
- Adam Bomb
- Ahmed Johnson
- Kamala
- Earl and Dave Hebner
- King Kong Bundy
- Sabu
- Demolition
- Jim Powers
- The Natrual Butch Reed
- Jazz
- Sylvain Grenier
- Shane Douglas
- Muhammad Hassan
- Henry O. Godwin
- Mark Jindrak
- A representative for the estate of Axl Rotten
- Heidenreich
- Mantaur
- Slick
- One Man Gang
- Rodney Mack
- "Outlaw" Ron Bass
-- Unshockingly, it's a lot of people who haven't been used by WWE in years. This would perhaps explain why some of these names aren't in the WWE Hall of Fame. I'm curious to see how far this goes, and if it ends up being another cash grab.
-- WWE buried the lawsuit. Their attorney's pretty persistent at trying to work another payday for his clients. How did he even find some of those people!?
Big Show will head to the Philippines next week to promote WWE's September 9 show there.
Cesaro talked ahead of the draft. I can see him doing well in a less-crowded field on one show or the other.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think to some degree they're two separate issues. They need a variety of body types and styles, from Vader and Dusty Rhodes to Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan to Big Show and Mark Henry. It definitely looks like WWE's moving toward acceptance of smaller performers, given the surprise announcement of a cruiserweight division. That will open up a lot of doors for a lot of people. I think WWE's doing better with character development, especially compared to ROH. That doesn't mean they can't do more, though. People are certainly more developed as personalities when they "graduate" from NXT, but that only means so much if we don't get to see them outside of the ring on the main roster. Promos and vignettes are important to selling us on characters.
2. It's all a matter of whether they like or dislike a talent. If Bryan had been suspended, he'd get a LOT more sympy than Roman.
3. I doubt anyone's going to report a bar showing the Network. Theoretically it's about the same as someone bringing over friends to watch an event.
4. Luger wasn't ready, brother. For whatever reason, he never cracked into a higher echelon in WWF or WCW.
5. I'm more upset at Bruno being left out. And what about Andre? Anyway, for the other part, I've got to throw a nod at Shelton Benjamin. All those names were good, too.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, July 18, 2016
WWE live event note, Sasha partner update, female WWE superstar close to returning, ROH team and woman of honor miss TV taping, ROH visitor, ROH international business updates, TNA name returns (kind of), more on BFG 2016, TNA's move advertised, Reigns update, draft rules, who's exempt from the draft, and Questions on Brock vs. Orton, heels cheating, commissioners vs. GMs, WWE talk shows, and WWE playing off Brock's possibly failure
Bob Backlund was on the road with Darren Young this weekend at live events. There was a long time where that wasn't the case despite them being together on TV vignettes, but hopefully the two are linked at the hip now.
- Heath Slater was busted open during his match with Titus O'Neill, causing it to be stopped. Eighteen sutures? Damn.
Sasha Banks has confirmed she will not be teaming with Bayley at Battleground. I wouldn't think it'd be Nikki Bella, but that'd be a big move in its own right.
Naomi indicated she'll be returning soon. That would fit in with the previous story. I don't know how much interest there is in more Team B.A.D., but we'll see how Naomi fits into things if there are two separate women's divisions. They're going to need everyone firing on all cylinders to make that work.
Kevin Kelly is now working full-time with ROH as something like the head of talent relations underneath booker Delirious. That's a step in their growth as a corporate wrestling entity.
- Kelly is heading up plans to launch an ROH app, an ROH Roku channel, and a relaunching of the ROH website. Those are all moves in the right direction to promote the company's product.
Silas Young and the Beer City Bruiser were unable to make ROH's TV taping in Philadelphia due to their flight never taking off. ROH still has plans for them to face the Briscoes, and there's no heat on them as the flight issues were on the airline's end. They're a really enjoyable act; it's a shame we won't see them on TV for a while.
- Mandy Leon also missed the TV taping due to an undisclosed illness. Hopefully she's back to form soon.
- Jimmy Jacobs was in town visiting.
- The taping was sold out. ROH is on an upswing business-wise. The alliance with NJPW is definitely helping there.
ROH's tour of the UK are ROH-exclusive, as opposed to being in partnership with a UK promotion. That's a good sign for their appeal in the market.
ROH is planning another Japanese tour with NJPW for 2017.
TNA brought back the Suicide character at the most recent tapings, portrayed by Jonathan Gresham. He only worked a One Night Only show, so we may or may not see a regular return of the gimmick. They want to sell Suicide merchandise since they own the character and aren't doing anything with it. They might as well give it a whirl.
TNA is looking to lock in BFG for September in Universal Studios. I know TNA plans on doing live events outside Orlando at some point, but that's likely contingent on getting more funding. Right now they're staying a TV/PPV product.
Pop TV is advertising Impact's move to Thursdays on other cable networks. I hope that boosts their numbers. At least there are no rumors of them being canceled anytime soon.
Roman Reigns is set to return to the road next weekend. He will miss the draft show itself, but is still eligible to be drafted to Raw or Smackdown.
WWE laid down the rules for the draft:
- I wish they'd say why Raw gets the first pick. Was there a coin flip? Did Vince decide? Who made these rules, anyway?
- Splitting the roster 3:2 is clever, and makes a lot of sense. Things would be quite imbalanced if they didn't have that rule.
- The rule with tag teams makes sense. It'll be very interesting to see if any team gets split, and what the result of that split would be. The original draft split the Dudleys, which was moderately successful.
- I'm very interested to see who gets picked from NXT. I expect each show will get one female superstar (Bayley, Nia), one tag team (the Hype Bros, American Alpha), and one main eventer (Balor, Aries). So much for NXT getting "gutted." They'll survive without those names.
-- As for names involved and not involved in the draft:
- AJ is separate from the pair of Anderson and Gallows.
- "Demon Kane" being listed makes me think Corporate Kane will be the Raw GM. Shane drafting Demon Kane to Smackdown would be really funny in that case, although I suspect his long-time rival would make him pay for it.
- The Wyatts being potentially separated is surprising. They already tried that once.
- I'm glad managers are drafted with the people they manage. It'd be potentially silly to put Lana or Maryse on the opposite show.
-- The following names are exempt:
- Billie Kay, who presumably is not officially part of the main roster but could be picked as an NXT pick
- Emma, due to her injury.
- Nikki Bella, due to her status being up in the air because of injury.
- Paul Heyman
- Rosa Mendes, due to being on maternity leave. I wouldn't be surprised if they just keep her employed as long as Hornswoggle without her actually doing anything. It's good to have friends in high places.
- Ryback, whose contract expires by the end of the month.
- Tamina, who's also recovering from injury.
- Triple H, who's currently on the sidelines as a wrestler but will almost certainly pop up in some form at some point.
- Tyson Kidd, who remains on the injured list.
- Undertaker, who's currently inactive as a wrestler and will presumably pop back up into things for WM33 season if he wants to take bumps again.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Both men are talented professionals. If anyone can make that match work, it's Orton. He's been working for 16 years.
2. He has a point there to some degree. A manipulative heel is more fun and effective than a heel who just gives up because they're not good enough to win clean. It's a case-by-case thing, though. Cheating to get an edge just because you're a jerk is a good heel move.
3. It sounds like the commissioners are the big picture people while GMs do the day-to-day operation of the brand. The commissioners can theoretically replace the GMs if they do poorly at their job, but can also give them enough leeway to do things their way. We'll see how it plays out.
4. Dean upsetting Stephanie on his show had some negative repercussions.
5. That's not a bad idea at all from a storyline perspective. I've personally had my fill of Brock vs. Taker and want them both to move on, but it's a creative way to make something from the situation.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Heath Slater was busted open during his match with Titus O'Neill, causing it to be stopped. Eighteen sutures? Damn.
Sasha Banks has confirmed she will not be teaming with Bayley at Battleground. I wouldn't think it'd be Nikki Bella, but that'd be a big move in its own right.
Naomi indicated she'll be returning soon. That would fit in with the previous story. I don't know how much interest there is in more Team B.A.D., but we'll see how Naomi fits into things if there are two separate women's divisions. They're going to need everyone firing on all cylinders to make that work.
Kevin Kelly is now working full-time with ROH as something like the head of talent relations underneath booker Delirious. That's a step in their growth as a corporate wrestling entity.
- Kelly is heading up plans to launch an ROH app, an ROH Roku channel, and a relaunching of the ROH website. Those are all moves in the right direction to promote the company's product.
Silas Young and the Beer City Bruiser were unable to make ROH's TV taping in Philadelphia due to their flight never taking off. ROH still has plans for them to face the Briscoes, and there's no heat on them as the flight issues were on the airline's end. They're a really enjoyable act; it's a shame we won't see them on TV for a while.
- Mandy Leon also missed the TV taping due to an undisclosed illness. Hopefully she's back to form soon.
- Jimmy Jacobs was in town visiting.
- The taping was sold out. ROH is on an upswing business-wise. The alliance with NJPW is definitely helping there.
ROH's tour of the UK are ROH-exclusive, as opposed to being in partnership with a UK promotion. That's a good sign for their appeal in the market.
ROH is planning another Japanese tour with NJPW for 2017.
TNA brought back the Suicide character at the most recent tapings, portrayed by Jonathan Gresham. He only worked a One Night Only show, so we may or may not see a regular return of the gimmick. They want to sell Suicide merchandise since they own the character and aren't doing anything with it. They might as well give it a whirl.
TNA is looking to lock in BFG for September in Universal Studios. I know TNA plans on doing live events outside Orlando at some point, but that's likely contingent on getting more funding. Right now they're staying a TV/PPV product.
Pop TV is advertising Impact's move to Thursdays on other cable networks. I hope that boosts their numbers. At least there are no rumors of them being canceled anytime soon.
Roman Reigns is set to return to the road next weekend. He will miss the draft show itself, but is still eligible to be drafted to Raw or Smackdown.
WWE laid down the rules for the draft:
- I wish they'd say why Raw gets the first pick. Was there a coin flip? Did Vince decide? Who made these rules, anyway?
- Splitting the roster 3:2 is clever, and makes a lot of sense. Things would be quite imbalanced if they didn't have that rule.
- The rule with tag teams makes sense. It'll be very interesting to see if any team gets split, and what the result of that split would be. The original draft split the Dudleys, which was moderately successful.
- I'm very interested to see who gets picked from NXT. I expect each show will get one female superstar (Bayley, Nia), one tag team (the Hype Bros, American Alpha), and one main eventer (Balor, Aries). So much for NXT getting "gutted." They'll survive without those names.
-- As for names involved and not involved in the draft:
- AJ is separate from the pair of Anderson and Gallows.
- "Demon Kane" being listed makes me think Corporate Kane will be the Raw GM. Shane drafting Demon Kane to Smackdown would be really funny in that case, although I suspect his long-time rival would make him pay for it.
- The Wyatts being potentially separated is surprising. They already tried that once.
- I'm glad managers are drafted with the people they manage. It'd be potentially silly to put Lana or Maryse on the opposite show.
-- The following names are exempt:
- Billie Kay, who presumably is not officially part of the main roster but could be picked as an NXT pick
- Emma, due to her injury.
- Nikki Bella, due to her status being up in the air because of injury.
- Paul Heyman
- Rosa Mendes, due to being on maternity leave. I wouldn't be surprised if they just keep her employed as long as Hornswoggle without her actually doing anything. It's good to have friends in high places.
- Ryback, whose contract expires by the end of the month.
- Tamina, who's also recovering from injury.
- Triple H, who's currently on the sidelines as a wrestler but will almost certainly pop up in some form at some point.
- Tyson Kidd, who remains on the injured list.
- Undertaker, who's currently inactive as a wrestler and will presumably pop back up into things for WM33 season if he wants to take bumps again.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Both men are talented professionals. If anyone can make that match work, it's Orton. He's been working for 16 years.
2. He has a point there to some degree. A manipulative heel is more fun and effective than a heel who just gives up because they're not good enough to win clean. It's a case-by-case thing, though. Cheating to get an edge just because you're a jerk is a good heel move.
3. It sounds like the commissioners are the big picture people while GMs do the day-to-day operation of the brand. The commissioners can theoretically replace the GMs if they do poorly at their job, but can also give them enough leeway to do things their way. We'll see how it plays out.
4. Dean upsetting Stephanie on his show had some negative repercussions.
5. That's not a bad idea at all from a storyline perspective. I've personally had my fill of Brock vs. Taker and want them both to move on, but it's a creative way to make something from the situation.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Superstars Reax - 7/16/16, Brock testing update, Interviews with Dijak/Daniels/Cole/Kazarian, WWE-MSG notes, and Questions on Severn in ROH, travel expenses on the indies, Okada in TNA, Fishbone at WM11, and first wrestling books
Superstars:
- Summer vs. Becky:
OK, that was a pretty funny opening segment. Summer's a valuable player at her place in the division.
Summer just can't get one over on Becky, can she?
Becky bringing a lot of offense here.
Good stuff overall.
- Zayn vs. Axel:
I hope the Social Outcasts don't get split in the draft unless it's moving to a new incarnation.
When you lose as much as Axel does, you have to celebrate the small things.
Sami's about to essentially beat three guys.
If you like Zayn's athleticism, there are some more impressive names in NXT and the CWC who will likely be on the main roster in the years to come.
That was fun.
***********************NEWS BEGINS BELOW THIS LINE*************************
Brock Lesnar responded to being flagged by the USADA before his recent UFC fight. Hopefully for his reputation and future, it was a false positive and he's able to get back to taking people to Suplex City soon.
A number of ROH stars were interviewed before their TV taping in Philadelphia:
Donovan Dijak (twice) I'm glad he's getting a higher profile. I wish we saw more of him.
Christopher Daniels The line about ROH looking less like stage stunts than WWE was more hilarious than the line about being gone from ROH for a brief hiatus. They definitely have some solid technical wrestlers, but they also have a lot of spotmonkey circus performers.
Adam Cole I think he's got a good shot at being the next ROH Champion.
Frankie Kazarian He's grown a good deal as a performer since pairing up with Daniels.
At WWE's live event in Madison Square Garden:
- Neville lost to Chris Jericho fresh off a return to injury. I wonder if they'll feud on TV to play off the former NXT Champion being injured in a match with Y2J.
- Mark Henry teamed with Jack Swagger to beat Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas. It was reported for quite some time Henry didn't have much time left as a wrestler following WM32, but clearly he's still there for the time being. I know he hasn't signed a new deal since the three-year contract in 2013, so things are winding down if not over just yet.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Jim Cornette loves people with legitimate sports backgrounds and talents with high levels of technical ability. That fits right into his vision of wrestling.
2. If the star's big enough and doing a lot of shows on the road, they either get enough pay to deal with that or they ask for that to be paid for as part of coming in. That's the pull of being a veteran with name power.
3. Because, bro, no one wants to see some Chinaman in an American wrestlin' promotion. Quote Vince Russo from when he was a WCW writer:
So instead Okattah was given a gimmick ta play off tha Green Hornet movie that was goin on about that time. That's why TNA's ratins was highah when Russo was in charge, bro. No one wants to see that Korean lucha libre shit in the USA.
4. That's our Vince!
5. Definitely Sunny's book. It's a wholesome tale for everyone in the family to enjoy. Foley's books are certainly accessibly-written; they encouraged me to write more in a sense.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Summer vs. Becky:
OK, that was a pretty funny opening segment. Summer's a valuable player at her place in the division.
Summer just can't get one over on Becky, can she?
Becky bringing a lot of offense here.
Good stuff overall.
- Zayn vs. Axel:
I hope the Social Outcasts don't get split in the draft unless it's moving to a new incarnation.
When you lose as much as Axel does, you have to celebrate the small things.
Sami's about to essentially beat three guys.
If you like Zayn's athleticism, there are some more impressive names in NXT and the CWC who will likely be on the main roster in the years to come.
That was fun.
***********************NEWS BEGINS BELOW THIS LINE*************************
Brock Lesnar responded to being flagged by the USADA before his recent UFC fight. Hopefully for his reputation and future, it was a false positive and he's able to get back to taking people to Suplex City soon.
A number of ROH stars were interviewed before their TV taping in Philadelphia:
Donovan Dijak (twice) I'm glad he's getting a higher profile. I wish we saw more of him.
Christopher Daniels The line about ROH looking less like stage stunts than WWE was more hilarious than the line about being gone from ROH for a brief hiatus. They definitely have some solid technical wrestlers, but they also have a lot of spotmonkey circus performers.
Adam Cole I think he's got a good shot at being the next ROH Champion.
Frankie Kazarian He's grown a good deal as a performer since pairing up with Daniels.
At WWE's live event in Madison Square Garden:
- Neville lost to Chris Jericho fresh off a return to injury. I wonder if they'll feud on TV to play off the former NXT Champion being injured in a match with Y2J.
- Mark Henry teamed with Jack Swagger to beat Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas. It was reported for quite some time Henry didn't have much time left as a wrestler following WM32, but clearly he's still there for the time being. I know he hasn't signed a new deal since the three-year contract in 2013, so things are winding down if not over just yet.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Jim Cornette loves people with legitimate sports backgrounds and talents with high levels of technical ability. That fits right into his vision of wrestling.
2. If the star's big enough and doing a lot of shows on the road, they either get enough pay to deal with that or they ask for that to be paid for as part of coming in. That's the pull of being a veteran with name power.
3. Because, bro, no one wants to see some Chinaman in an American wrestlin' promotion. Quote Vince Russo from when he was a WCW writer:
"I'm going to tell you something right now that you will absolutely not agree with, but I've been a wrestling fan my whole life and I will live and die by this. It's hard enough, believe me, I write this shit, it is hard enough to get somebody over. You will never ever, ever, ever, ever see the Japanese wrestlers or the Mexican wrestlers over in American mainstream wrestling. I'm an American. If I'm watching wrestling here in America, I don't give a shit about a Japanese guy. I don't give a shit about a Mexican guy. I'm from America, and that's what I want to see."
So instead Okattah was given a gimmick ta play off tha Green Hornet movie that was goin on about that time. That's why TNA's ratins was highah when Russo was in charge, bro. No one wants to see that Korean lucha libre shit in the USA.
4. That's our Vince!
5. Definitely Sunny's book. It's a wholesome tale for everyone in the family to enjoy. Foley's books are certainly accessibly-written; they encouraged me to write more in a sense.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
TNA's next tapings set, ROH has signing+photo session, potential second-tier Network perks, Summerslam weekend meet-and-greets, WWE legal buries the indies and Cody Rhodes, NXT and WWE live event notes, WWE moves around DVDs, Smackdown audience, Brock flagged for UFC test, and Questions on NXT ring names, Sasha's partner, AJ Lee's WWE status, Brock vs. Lashley, and Bryan's future
TNA's next set of tapings are scheduled from August 11 to August 14, with the August 11 show being live-ish. The plan is for the shows taped then to complete the build to September's BFG PPV. I'm very interested to see how TNA's top names fit into things for that show.
Before ROH's TV taping in Philadelphia, there was a signing/photo session with Jay Lethal, Bobby Fish, Colt Cabana, Dalton Castle, and Taeler Hendrix. That's pretty cool.
WWE is looking at a higher tier of the WWE Network, a "WWE Network Plus" if you will. The following are being considered as benefits for this service:
- The ability to download content to watch offline.
- The ability to buy merchandise before its available to the public.
- Travel package discounts
- The ability to vote for WWE Hall of Fame inductees.
- Discounted subscription bundles, possibly one year for $99.99 or six months for $49.99
- A discount to Hulu Plus or a combined WWE Network/Hulk Plus plan that would provide earlier access to Raw, Smackdown, and Main Event.
- One free month of service after every 12 consecutive months of paid service
- An ad-free WWE.com.
-- Those are some really serious perks. I look forward to the next evolution of the Network.
WWE is setting up meet-and-greets with talents during Summerslam weekend. The Barclays Center is going to be quite the destination in that time frame.
WWE has sent cease-and-desist notices to independent promotions and wrestling conventions who have made use of WWE-owned photographs in the advertising material for formerly-contracted talents at their events. Just because you can get it on the Internet, that doesn't mean it's "yours" to use. And no, fair use doesn't cover this. This could be quite the blow to smaller outlets who don't have the resources to take high-quality photos of talents ahead of them appearing for their events. WWE's well within their rights to protect their intellectual property, but I think this could easily do the business more harm than good.
At an NXT live event in Indianapolis:
- Wesley Blake was using the gimmick/catchphrase "Beautiful Blonde Blake" in a loss to Andrade "Cien" Almas. I think Blake can do well for pretty himself as a singles star, at least at the level of a Tyler Breeze.
- Bobby Roode worked as a heel, saying he's "Glorious." He can definitely be a great heel. Robert/Heel Bobby Roode was one of my favorite runs of a character in TNA history.
Scotty 2 Hotty is on the road this week at NXT live events following his recent work as a guest coach at the WWEPC. I would not be shocked at all to see him come back as an enhancement talent after the brand extension. If he can still go and is over, that's perfectly fine. He wouldn't be coming back to headline Wrestlemania; he'd be there to elevate the New Era guys.
WWE's planned ECW DVD this November is being replaced with a Randy Orton DVD. I assume they'll release the ECW DVD later.
Smackdown's rating Thursday was 2.07 million. They definitely want to knock that number out of the water when the show switches nights.
Brock Lesnar has been notified of a potential anti-doping policy violation as per being tested ahead of his UFC fight. As of this point of time, neither UFC nor WWE have imposed any sanctions as the test result will need to be confirmed. This is a potential big deal for everyone involved. If he did fail for a banned substance, WWE's going to need to pull something big out for Summerslam. I'd definitely have HHH and Taker on standby for top matches in case Brock can't work the big match with Orton.
Cody Rhodes alluded to being unable to use that name outside of WWE. The company trademarked that ring name in 2007 and still has it legally registered. I would assume he could legally change his last name to Rhodes and be in the clear, but I don't know if he and his wife would be willing to go through with all that.
Mick Foley was at NXT's live event in Kentucky. I wonder how Foley in his prime would have fared in NXT.
At WWE's live event in Connecticut, Mark Henry teamed with Zack Ryder to beat Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. Henry's also booked for this weekend's MSG show, which is expected to be his last as an active wrestler.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. That's pretty much it. Triple H is willing and able to make deals where people keep their established names, because the NXT audience already knows a lot of them under their previous names. That said, some people still get name changes despite being known elsewhere (TMDK). I guess it depends on how important that ring name is to the performer and to HHH/WWE.
1. That's pretty much it. Triple H is willing and able to make deals where people keep their established names, because the NXT audience already knows a lot of them under their previous names. That said, some people still get name changes despite being known elsewhere (TMDK). I guess it depends on how important that ring name is to the performer and to HHH/WWE.
2. Bayley would absolutely be a great choice. While Nikki's totally worthy of such a spot, this is a great chance to bring up the popular NXT star. Of course, she'd still be able to work NXT through Summerslam weekend to finish things up/have one last big match.
3. You know, I never really thought of that. She's on the alumni section of WWE's website, but she isn't selling any T-shirts or anything with her likeness beyond 8x10s so maybe they have been paying her to not wrestle all this time. They want her legally obligated to wrestle for them if she un-retires anytime soon, which doesn't seem likely. Imagine having so much money and spite you pay someone to have a relationship with someone your doctor is suing and to write a book that will probably bury you.
4. AJ's just shy of 30. I'd be hard-pressed to say she'll never wrestle again, given how much of a fan she is. I wouldn't rule out a WWE return years down the line when things have settled on both sides, but that's not in the cards anytime soon. I could see her pulling a Cody Rhodes and going around working dream opponents while she's still able to take bumps.
5. That's definitely a dream match for me given how Lashley's been booked in TNA. I know there were "Black Lesnar" and "Choc Lesnar" references during Lashley's previous WWE run, so it's crossed other people's minds, too. If WWE treats Lashley as being a dominant force, it could do well. I don't see it happening anytime in the near future given their respective contract statuses, but I can't say I expected to see AJ Styles vs. John Cena happening as a big match, either.
6. I believe commentary would fall under his performer contract; I don't think they signed him to a new kind of deal after he retired. I'm under the impression he's signed for a good while to come. I definitely think he's trying to latch onto something other than competing in the ring, but who knows what will be the case when his contract is up. I hope he thinks about what's best for Brie and his future family if he does get the urge to bump again.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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