Superstars Reax - 7/1/16, NXT live event notes, ROH name's contract up, Interviews with Brock+Hacksaw, Lawler reinstated after charges dropped, new WWE collections, NJPW name at August ROH shows, new ROH Philly match, and Questions on UFC banning reporters, Mauro's WWE deal, Booker's whereabouts, and the DDT

Superstars:

- Golden Truth vs. Ascension:

Sometimes random undercard matches are pretty fun.

Golden Truth is a pretty enjoyable team in the ring.

I wonder if The Ascension will be drafted to Main Event or Superstars. 

That was fine for a filler opening match. I wonder how much thought was given to these names facing off before moving on to booking Smackdown. 

- Corbin vs. Swagger:

I really hope Corbin doesn't become the third member of The Ascension, push-wise.

I like Corbin's ruthless style.

Corbin's power's always impressive.

Good ankle lock spot. 

That was pretty nice overall.

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At an NXT live event in Florida:
- Charly Arnolt co-hosted the show. She might be able to keep that name in WWE.

- Billie Kay lost to Ember Moon, so Kay hasn't officially left NXT entirely despite appearing on Smackdown. My guess is Billie was just used to put Dana over because the taping was in Florida. 

- Mojo Rawley lost to Austin Aries. Mojo's in kind of an odd place as far as sometimes being a singles competitor and sometimes being in a team. If WWE's going to have tag team champions on both main roster brands, the Hype Bros would be an obvious choice as an act to be used there.

Silas Young is no longer under ROH contract. However, the two sides are working on a new deal. Silas is one of the best parts of ROH; he provides a much-needed foil to the young flyers. His feud with Dalton Castle was one of the best things in wrestling. I REALLY hope he sticks around. 

Speaking of Real Men, Brock Lesnar doesn't care how his UFC fight affects him in WWE. I admire him not being a mark for himself or having accomplishments in the fictional world of wrestling. It's refreshing to have someone who is secure enough in his position to not have to rely on the whims of Vince and Stephanie. They'd "bury" him on TV at their own peril.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan talked on ESPN radio. That's appropriate for July 4 weekend.

Jerry Lawler has been reinstated to WWE after charges related to his domestic issue were dropped and expunged from his and his fiancee's records. He'll likely step right back into commentary duty on Smackdown. I expect if Corey Graves is added to that announce team, he'll replace Saxton (who would be Raw-exclusive). I don't see WWE doing Smackdown without a veteran WWE-style announcer. 

WWE Network has added collections focusing on cruiserweights and colorful characters. The latter includes a lot of memorable character vignettes. Those are missing in today's wrestling. At least genuinely entertaining ones are a lot of the time. 

NJPW's Toru Yano will be part of ROH Death Before Dishonor on August 19, and the following day's TV taping. Yano's something of a cult favorite.

Adam Page vs. Dalton Castle has been added to ROH's July 16 Philadelphia show. Castle and about nine boys should beat all of ROH's Bullet Club to blow off that angle.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Not a wrestling question BUT loudmouth bullies are often insecure and lash out at others as a way to make up for that. Combine that with a controlling personality type and you have a recipe for pettiness and volatility. There are obvious parallels to a certain other major business mogul who's been battling the press lately, but that's neither here nor there. 

- In White's defense, though, it's natural for a big promoter and business leader to want to control the talking points about their product. He's not obligated to provide reporters access to his fighters. 

2. Scott Stanford had has a regular role as a sports anchor in New York. It's not unheard of for someone to be able to have outside work, especially if that outside work "brought them to the dance" in the first place.

3. HE ON DAT RAW PRE-SHOW DAWG AWWWW SHUCKY DUCKY QUACK QUACK. I guess if you only watch Raw and Smackdown and don't watch PPV Kickoff shows, he's easier to miss.

4. If you're a fan of his, it's almost definitely worth reading about his life in his own words.

5. Roberts' DDT was sold as a big deal. That's the difference between a protected finisher and a fairly mundane spot. That's also why Undertaker's Tombstone means more than when random indie geeks use it for a 2 count before moving on to more flips.

More wrestling tomorrow.