The second half of Wrestlemania Kickoff, airing on USA Network, drew 1.32 million viewers. That's not bad. Hopefully it led to more people watching WM32.
WWE Network is nominated for Webby Awards for Best Online Film and Video Sports Channel and Network, as well as Best Streaming App. WWE as a whole was named an honoree for Overall Social Presence, and Xavier Woods' "Up Up Down Down" channel is an honoree in the gaming category. That's all good news for WWE!
Pop rock band Hundred Handed will be part of next week's Raw. The lead vocalist is Dr. Phil's son. I can't say I ever saw a Dr. Phil/WWE connection happening, but it could be pretty fun.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Kickoff TV audience, WWE nominated for Webbys, musical act on Monday's Raw, Stephanie Q&A, more on Network subscriber numbers, top matches set for ROH in San Antonio, Nikki update, more on Shaq vs. Show, EVOLVE shifting its focus, more EVOLVE shows coming, Stokely-EVOLVE update, Impact and Total Divas audiences, and Questions on the Andre battle royal, WWE not booking surprises, the WM32 main event, Shane's punches, and Reigns appealing to kids
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Update on Divas' Champ returning, where's Carmella, the future of Los Matadores, more on Brie retiring, looking at WWE's stock drop, more on the end of Divas, why Zayn didn't compete on Raw, Bullet Clubbers at Raw, new Network collections, WWE lessens effect of contrarian Raw crowd, former TNA name arrested, Raw audience, EVOLVE draws big numbers in Dallas, how Foley made WWN's show, upcoming wrestling books, Summerslam sells out, interviews on Dudleys DVD, and Questions on adding a title to NXT, the road to WM32, Shane vs. Taker, and explaining New Day
Maryse is back with WWE as a regular. It's unknown if she'll return to the ring, but she certainly looks to be in good enough shape to do so.
There's no word on whether Carmella will join Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady on the main roster. She wasn't with them on Raw. While she's a great addition to their act, I think it might be for the best for her to continue to improve as a wrestler in NXT.
Primo and Epico are returning to those ring names after being Los Matadores. It's unknown what this means for El Torito, although it would be hilarious to put him in the GCS.
Brie Bella's retirement will be a focus of next season's "Total Divas." WWE didn't mention her last match on Raw, but they did more or less confirm the news on WWE.com.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
Titus O'Neill will be eligible to return at next week's TV tapings. I assume he'll hang out in undercard matches on Main Event and Superstars for now.
- Titus is advertised for a WWE/USA Network sweepstakes at Universal Orlando, so things must be relatively amicable with his return.
Variety looked at the notable drop of WWE stock following the announcement of a slight decline in paying U.S. subscribers to the Network. I think international growth should more than make up for that; a lot of shareholders probably cashed out following the biggest show of the year since "it can only go downhill from there."
NPR covered the transition from the Divas division back to the women's division. WWE really wants to be known as a progressive, family-friendly (and female-friendly) company after the years of raunchy storylines.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I don't think the show is long enough for another title, and, really, the point is to use title matches as a draw for the bigger events. I'm OK with that philosophy. If they did add another championship, I'd suggest a Florida Heavyweight Championship to be contested for exclusively during live events there. The championship would ideally signal who's getting ready for that "next step" of NXT TV and the bigger tours; people like Balor and Joe wouldn't compete for it. Instead, it'd be for people like Andrade, Girard, and Swann to tour the area and build some momentum.
There's no word on whether Carmella will join Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady on the main roster. She wasn't with them on Raw. While she's a great addition to their act, I think it might be for the best for her to continue to improve as a wrestler in NXT.
Primo and Epico are returning to those ring names after being Los Matadores. It's unknown what this means for El Torito, although it would be hilarious to put him in the GCS.
Brie Bella's retirement will be a focus of next season's "Total Divas." WWE didn't mention her last match on Raw, but they did more or less confirm the news on WWE.com.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
Titus O'Neill will be eligible to return at next week's TV tapings. I assume he'll hang out in undercard matches on Main Event and Superstars for now.
- Titus is advertised for a WWE/USA Network sweepstakes at Universal Orlando, so things must be relatively amicable with his return.
Variety looked at the notable drop of WWE stock following the announcement of a slight decline in paying U.S. subscribers to the Network. I think international growth should more than make up for that; a lot of shareholders probably cashed out following the biggest show of the year since "it can only go downhill from there."
NPR covered the transition from the Divas division back to the women's division. WWE really wants to be known as a progressive, family-friendly (and female-friendly) company after the years of raunchy storylines.
The Rock put over his Wrestlemania appearance. I wonder what role he'll have on the show next year; I highly expect him to be part of the show in his home state.
Sami Zayn being "unable to compete" on Raw was just a storyline to set up Cesaro's return. He's fine. I can't wait to see those two mix it up again.
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows were backstage at Raw, but haven't yet made their WWE debuts. As much else as was going on that night, I think they made the right call in saving them for later. We didn't even see Triple H, Paul Heyman, or Dean Ambrose. I fully expect them to appear before Payback unless they're going to be used for a big angle there (like The Shield debuting at Survivor Series a few years ago). WWE didn't sign them just to keep them on the bench.
WWE Network has added collections showcasing DX and Swerved Season 1. I think collections are a good concept to continue growing the Network. The venture will continue to evolve in the months and years to come.
WWE adjusted the audio of the crowd at Raw for TV. I'm all for that. There's a line between voicing your opinion and negatively affecting the quality of the TV product for the people who are watching for the workers, not the crowd. I doubt this will affect the people wanting to get themselves over, but it does lessen their detrimental impact outside of the arena.
Former TNA wrestler Crimson was arrested and charged with domestic assault after police responded to a call of a man headbutting his wife. That's a very unfortunate story. There were times when he looked like he had a lot of potential to become a big name in wrestling; I expect this will further hamper whatever momentum he had from his TNA run. Interestingly, I can't find any record of him working a match since September.
The post-Wrestlemania Raw drew 4.09 million viewers, a sizable boost from previous weeks. They likely would have gotten even more viewers if they weren't going against the NCAA Championship basketball game.
EVOLVE 58 had close to 1,200 fans, EVOLVE 59 had more than 1,500 fans, and the WWN Supershow drew around 1,200 fans. Those are the biggest attendances in the EVOLVE's history.
Mick Foley got permission from Vince McMahon to skip the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in order to attend WWN's tribute to Terry Funk. That was a pretty big moment for both men.
A Roddy Piper book written by his son and daughter will be published in October. I hope he's WWE's next statue.
Former WCW wrestler Lady Blossom will be releasing a book soon. She helped create the Stone Cold persona for Steve Austin, including that name.
Summerslam in August has sold out. I expect the following Raw and preceding NXT show to do very well, too.
WWE's soon-to-be-released Dudley Boys DVD features interviews with Spike Dudley, Tommy Dreamer, Taz, and Sign Guy Dudley.
WWE adjusted the audio of the crowd at Raw for TV. I'm all for that. There's a line between voicing your opinion and negatively affecting the quality of the TV product for the people who are watching for the workers, not the crowd. I doubt this will affect the people wanting to get themselves over, but it does lessen their detrimental impact outside of the arena.
Former TNA wrestler Crimson was arrested and charged with domestic assault after police responded to a call of a man headbutting his wife. That's a very unfortunate story. There were times when he looked like he had a lot of potential to become a big name in wrestling; I expect this will further hamper whatever momentum he had from his TNA run. Interestingly, I can't find any record of him working a match since September.
The post-Wrestlemania Raw drew 4.09 million viewers, a sizable boost from previous weeks. They likely would have gotten even more viewers if they weren't going against the NCAA Championship basketball game.
EVOLVE 58 had close to 1,200 fans, EVOLVE 59 had more than 1,500 fans, and the WWN Supershow drew around 1,200 fans. Those are the biggest attendances in the EVOLVE's history.
Mick Foley got permission from Vince McMahon to skip the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in order to attend WWN's tribute to Terry Funk. That was a pretty big moment for both men.
A Roddy Piper book written by his son and daughter will be published in October. I hope he's WWE's next statue.
Former WCW wrestler Lady Blossom will be releasing a book soon. She helped create the Stone Cold persona for Steve Austin, including that name.
Summerslam in August has sold out. I expect the following Raw and preceding NXT show to do very well, too.
WWE's soon-to-be-released Dudley Boys DVD features interviews with Spike Dudley, Tommy Dreamer, Taz, and Sign Guy Dudley.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I don't think the show is long enough for another title, and, really, the point is to use title matches as a draw for the bigger events. I'm OK with that philosophy. If they did add another championship, I'd suggest a Florida Heavyweight Championship to be contested for exclusively during live events there. The championship would ideally signal who's getting ready for that "next step" of NXT TV and the bigger tours; people like Balor and Joe wouldn't compete for it. Instead, it'd be for people like Andrade, Girard, and Swann to tour the area and build some momentum.
2 and 3 are pretty much the same question. I think the issue is more about certain fans being jaded from having watched wrestling for so long and seeing so much wrestling content in a week. It's harder to impress fans in an era with so much access to past and present footage of many different promotions.
4. Maybe Vince was so confident in Taker winning he didn't care? Or he was caught up in the moment and didn't think that part through?
5. Hilarious, not booty, and one of the best parts of the show in years. But, yes, it would be more descriptive to describe them as incredibly positive and fun-loving. Personally, I'd take the easy way out and just show them a video.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Stephanie on ending the Divas division, Goldberg on WM32 rumors, new champions celebrate, Shane's status after HIAC, Taker's homecoming, more on Women's Championship plans, LU name and former Divas' Champ at WM32, Shaq vs. Show, ROH attendance, Cabana-ROH update, Supercard visitors, ROH names hurt, WM32 exit for Brie, more talent scouting in Dallas, big WWE conference call, and Questions on the HoF, rebooking the road to WM32, hot tags, Owens vs. Zayn, and changing Smackdown's announce team
Stephanie McMahon discussed rebranding what is now the WWE women's division. I'm pleasantly shocked they've dropped the "Divas" name entirely outside of the E! show. That's a big statement from Stephanie and Triple H.
- It's worth noting Stephanie also referred to NXT as WWE's third brand (rather than it just being "developmental"). Big things are afoot in WWE these days as they recruit talent they wouldn't have considered in the past.
Goldberg confirmed on Twitter there were never any plans for him to work Wrestlemania. I kind of like that he kept us in suspense in this "everyone needs to know everything right now" society.
Zack Ryder got his wish of holding his Intercontinental Championship with Scott Hall/Razor Ramon. That's a really cool moment.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
Raw Reax - 4/4/16
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.
I kind of wish Shane was still in the hospital bed to sell that hellacious match, but at least he's beaten up.
I kind of wish Shane was still in the hospital bed to sell that hellacious match, but at least he's beaten up.
I like Vince blaming the fans for encouraging Shane's dangerous behavior. He's got a point.
That was kind of a weak reason to give up control of Raw for the night. Especially after all Vince went through to stop Shane.
Good promo to get New Day back on track. They could use a win after WM32.
- Kofi/Big E vs. Barrett/Sheamus:
New Day are a lot of fun inside and outside the ring.
So much for that "'smart' crowds only try to get themselves over when the action sucks/it's acts they don't like in the ring" theory. It was a pretty booty theory to begin with.
Nice ending to give New Day the rebound.
Time to kick those "Barrett's leaving soon" rumors up a notch, it looks like.
Oh, NOW we get the LoN/Wyatts feud? Bray really picks his spots.
So Vince just gives up his flagship show for the night? That's pretty out of character for him.
I'm very glad we're seeing more of Summer Rae after she was on the shelf so long.
- Sasha vs. Summer:
That was OK for the time it had. It was pretty much just to give Sasha some momentum again.
So, did Crews just happen to be backstage already or did Shane call him and tell him to come to Raw? Either way, I'm surprised to see him. He's good, but I think he could use more WWE experience before making as big of a splash as he's capable of.
- Crews vs. Breeze:
Really impressive work from Apollo. We know he can have great squash matches; I just hope he has the promo skills and longer match abilities, too.
Short and sweet Reigns promo. He can be the champion WWE needs if they don't script awful verbiage for him.
I'd be fine with Jericho being Reigns' first big defense. He needs to stack up some credible wins, and Jericho can probably help him reach a higher level in the ring.
Three cool potential opponents for Reigns. I'd like to see all those matchups.
I like Sami, but it's way too early in his main roster tenure for him to challenge for the WWE Title. That would be setting the fans up to complain; pretty much anything is a step down from that.
Jericho's the only one of these four who won at Wrestlemania. I think he has the biggest claim at the title shot.
Good enough promo, though I'm still a little surprised to see Baron called up. NXT's going to need a new big heel.
- Corbin vs. Ziggler:
Fine work from Baron so far. I think he can do pretty well for himself; he certainly has tools to succeed.
Dolph's always a good workhorse to have around.
I'm fine with that ending setting up (an) additional match(es). This is a good first feud to acclimate the Lone Wolf.
Good promo from the new champ.
Miz is great at getting under people's skin.
- Ryder vs. Miz:
Good action to start us off. I can't help but wonder if Zack's NXT partner is waiting in the wings.
Pretty good so far.
I hope the angle with Zack's dad didn't encourage fans to try to attack wrestlers. Sadly, we've seen that a fair amount in the past year or so.
That was fine for a surprise return and title change. I don't like the "jumping the rail" aspect due to fans wanting to do that more lately, but this could be an interesting direction for Miz.
Nice promo from Owens. He's motivated.
Wow. I like the Vaudevillains OK, but I think they're still missing something as an act. They wouldn't have been my first choice to be called up from that division. I have a feeling we're in for two sets of tag team titles in a brand extension, and they're stacking the roster for that future.
It's a shame that even when the fans do get a segment putting over women's wrestling, they have to disrupt it with chanting before an NXT alumna and leader of the push for that can put the division over.
This is an odd segment, with Charlotte putting the division over and herself over. It's kind of a face segment, but not entirely.
A little surprised to see them going back to Charlotte vs. Natalya, but I guess they're setting the stage for Bret to make a big comeback.
I hope AJ makes it further than that other WCW/TNA alum who lost at a Wrestlemania, then lost a WWE Title match against a member of The Shield.
WOW. "Two guys from Puerto Rico" is a really boring gimmick. At least they'll be doing something different, although I wouldn't mind them being shipped to NXT to replace the Vaudevillains.
- Usos vs. Dudleys:
Looks like this one's Texas Tornado style.
The Dudleys work better as heels, I think.
I love the Dudleys sticking it to the crowd chanting for tables.
This was more the Usos losing than the Dudleys winning.
Not a bad Zayn promo. He's not really known for being amazing on the mic.
Good angle for Owens to get revenge.
Wow. The Dudleys were out there for a while, huh?
YYYYEEESSSSSSS!! It was definitely time for Enzo and Cass to arrive in WWE. They're a lot of fun.
Wow. No Carmella? I think she's a good addition to the act as a valet, but still has a lot of work to do as a wrestler.
Enzo eating these two up on the mic. I REALLY hope WWE doesn't split the team in order to put Cass over at Enzo's expense. They're a team for a reason.
OH FUCK VACANT'S GOING TO TAKE THE WWE TITLE BACK. Talk about a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
I kind of want to see Ryder and Emma vs. Miz and Maryse at Payback.
Oh, no... another unrelated guest star. I think he's pretty fitting for WWE, though. It could end up being funny.
- Styles vs. Y2J vs. Owens vs. Cesaro:
Cesaro in a No. 1 Contenders' match works for me! Glad to see the suave Swissman in action again.
Wow. I like the Vaudevillains OK, but I think they're still missing something as an act. They wouldn't have been my first choice to be called up from that division. I have a feeling we're in for two sets of tag team titles in a brand extension, and they're stacking the roster for that future.
It's a shame that even when the fans do get a segment putting over women's wrestling, they have to disrupt it with chanting before an NXT alumna and leader of the push for that can put the division over.
This is an odd segment, with Charlotte putting the division over and herself over. It's kind of a face segment, but not entirely.
A little surprised to see them going back to Charlotte vs. Natalya, but I guess they're setting the stage for Bret to make a big comeback.
I hope AJ makes it further than that other WCW/TNA alum who lost at a Wrestlemania, then lost a WWE Title match against a member of The Shield.
WOW. "Two guys from Puerto Rico" is a really boring gimmick. At least they'll be doing something different, although I wouldn't mind them being shipped to NXT to replace the Vaudevillains.
- Usos vs. Dudleys:
Looks like this one's Texas Tornado style.
The Dudleys work better as heels, I think.
I love the Dudleys sticking it to the crowd chanting for tables.
This was more the Usos losing than the Dudleys winning.
Not a bad Zayn promo. He's not really known for being amazing on the mic.
Good angle for Owens to get revenge.
Wow. The Dudleys were out there for a while, huh?
YYYYEEESSSSSSS!! It was definitely time for Enzo and Cass to arrive in WWE. They're a lot of fun.
Wow. No Carmella? I think she's a good addition to the act as a valet, but still has a lot of work to do as a wrestler.
Enzo eating these two up on the mic. I REALLY hope WWE doesn't split the team in order to put Cass over at Enzo's expense. They're a team for a reason.
OH FUCK VACANT'S GOING TO TAKE THE WWE TITLE BACK. Talk about a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
I kind of want to see Ryder and Emma vs. Miz and Maryse at Payback.
Oh, no... another unrelated guest star. I think he's pretty fitting for WWE, though. It could end up being funny.
- Styles vs. Y2J vs. Owens vs. Cesaro:
Cesaro in a No. 1 Contenders' match works for me! Glad to see the suave Swissman in action again.
AJ Styles, Kevin Steen, and Claudio Castagnoli in the main event of the Raw after Wrestlemania, competing to challenge for the WWE Championship. That's amazing. We could have easily ended up with Big Show vs. Kane vs. Snitsky vs. Khali or something, the way things were headed a few years ago.
Owens teasing Cesaro's swing was great.
I think the Tower of Doom is pretty overused, but I'm glad to see Cesaro's strength in action.
I would have been fine with Owens vs. Reigns at Payback.
I'm not really sure why, but I'm not a huge fan of the Giant Swing. It's about as silly to me as the old criss-cross spot.
I love submission wrestling.
Well, that makes up for the loss at WM32. I have a feeling Jericho will end up in the title match before it's all said and done. I have mixed feelings about that.
More wrestling coming up.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Neville status update, Vince on HoF, Interviews with Terri Runnels/Bryan, Takeover dark match on this week's NXT, new entrant in GCS, Undertaker meets famous fan, Bryan tributes Brie, delays at WM32, WM32 breaks records, and Questions on Ambrose the MVP, outside talents keeping their names, the debut of the Balor Club, Reigns 2016 as Cena 2006, and Velvet in WWE
Neville stated in an interview he will not require surgery for his recent fracture. While there's no timetable for a return at this time, that's presumably good news on the recovery front. Hopefully we see him in plenty of future Wrestlemanias to make up for missing WM32.
Vince McMahon commented on the WWE Hall of Fame. I don't know whose idea the Legacy Awards was, but I applaud it wholeheartedly.
Wednesday's NXT will feature the Apollo Crews/Elias Samson match taped before Takeover in Dallas. I'm glad we'll see that match after all.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
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