Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT and ROH.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
WWE breast cancer campaign, Russell remembered, Interviews with Rosemary/McIntyre/Gargano/Stephanie/Bayley, Flair public appearance set, Cesaro injury shirt, Cena at DWTS, November Network collections, WWE convention appearances, Mickie honored, next KFC commercial star, EVOLVE plays off rumors, WWE signs top MYC name, more Global Wars matches, Raw audience, Raven/Bagwell change lawsuit, more Fashion Files coming, and Questions on NXT commercial breaks, Rock/Rousey vs. HHH/Stephanie, Khali's whereabouts, Reigns turning on Dean & Seth, and Enzo's booking
WWE is teaming with Susan G. Komen for a big campaign. I expect that to get a lot of promotion on WWE TV.
Lance Russell passed away at the age of 91 after suffering a bad fall this past weekend. He was a major part of the Memphis wrestling scene.
- Jerry Lawler, Dave Brown, Jim Cornette, William Regal, the NWA, Paul Heyman, David Lagana, Blue Meanie, OVW, Mick Foley, Bruce Prichard, Bill Apter, Scott Fishman, Doug Gilbert, Scotty Riggs, Road Dogg, Bob Ryder, Tommy Dreamer, Jim Ross, WWE, and others remembered his passing.
Rosemary was part of a podcast with Lance Storm and Don Callis. I hope we're in for great things from her in the future.
Ric Flair has booked a convention appearance in Atlanta on November 18 in what could be his first public event since his hospital stay. We're very lucky he's going to be back in good spirits.
Cesaro has a new T-shirt based on his No Mercy injury. That's HILARIOUS. Well done.
John Cena was at Dancing with the Stars. I expect more WWE names to be there in the weeks to come if Nikki keeps advancing.
Ric Flair, AJ Styles, Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, and Tribute to the Troops will all have WWE Network collections in November. I hope WWE doesn't go overboard with Montreal Screwjob references for the 20th anniversary.
Pete Dunne will be at MCM London Comic Con along with a lot of WWE artifacts being on display. That's pretty cool.
Drew McIntyre talked in Miami. He's really driven to succeed in WWE.
Johnny Gargano discussed WWE 2K18. I'm glad he and Ciampa have made it to the stage they're at.
Mickie James will be inducted into the Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame on October 14. I'm glad she's able to be a wrestler and a recording artist at the same time.
Stephanie McMahon discussed Ronda Rousey coming to WWE. I expect we'll see it.
Kurt Angle filmed a commercial for KFC. That should be fun.
Bayley discussed potentially turning heel and more. I'd be open to Nia turning face and Bayley turning heel to change things up. And it's sad some "fans" make incredibly rude comments. There's a difference between "you suck" and really sexist comments. It says more about the people making those comments than the performers, honestly.
EVOLVE released an odd video to play off speculation regarding the loss of their deal with Flosports.
Shayna Baszler has signed with WWE and begun training at the WWE Performance Center. No real surprise there. I hope she does well.
ROH and New Japan have announced new matches for Global Wars:
- October 12: Cody/Marty Scurll vs. YOSHI-HASHI/Toru Yano; Hangman Page vs. KUSHIDA; Rhett Titus/Will Ferrara vs. LSG/Shaheem Ali
- October 14: Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith, Jr, and Lance Archer vs. Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI, and Toru Yano
- October 15: Kenny Omega vs. Flip Gordon
Raw drew 2.77 million viewers Monday, a drop from last week and not a stellar number by any means.
Raven and Buff Bagwell have withdrawn some of the class action lawsuit against WWE. The class action lawsuit will only apply to individuals under a WWE booking contract between January 1,1999 and January 1, 2004. A conference call on the case is coming on Friday.
Breezango have filmed material for a "Pulp Fiction" edition of The Fashion Files. I assume we'll see that at HIAC. It's a shame we got Ziggler's terrible entrances and Jinder's awful promos instead of those two these past few weeks.
Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Big Cass, and Alexa Bliss will be at Ringsidefest on October 29 in New York City. That's a pretty big event for WWE each year.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It also gives them an easy opportunity to edit things if there's part of the match they want to skip.
1. It also gives them an easy opportunity to edit things if there's part of the match they want to skip.
2. That would definitely be a really big night for WWE. There's a lot of history involved with everyone.
3. I can't say I'm disappointed by that decision. I don't think Khali would be able to work a regular schedule.
4. I think fans would boo that booking. It's honestly probably not worth trying to win over the beachball crowd that's going to turn on pretty much anyone WWE pushes just to "stick it to Vince" and because it's not cool for "smarks" to admit they like WWE.
5. Raw's loss is 205's gain. WWE knows Enzo is over, and they want to make the most of that while still trying to send him a lesson for who he is when he's not on TV. It's an odd predicament.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 10/3/17
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
NXT debut set, Enzo gets Twitter heat, discounted WWE tickets, Brock-Sheamus footage, Russell update, more Global Wars matches, WWE-India tour update, Global Wars on ROH website, TLC match set, post-Raw dark match, and Questions on USA cutting back Raw, audience members hitting the ring, and Piper Niven in WWE
Kairi Sane will make her NXT debut on this week's episode. I hope she's able to transition to that environment well.
Corey Graves' brother got involved in a heated Twitter back-and-forth between Corey and Enzo. Enzo taking a shot at Corey's premature retirement rubbed some people the wrong way. If it gets people booing him and watching 205 Live, it was effective.
WWE is offering discounted tickets to an upcoming Raw through Travelzoo. They're having to hustle to fill buildings sometimes.
WWE posted footage of Brock Lesnar vs. Sheamus. I wish that would have been broadcast.
Lance Russell was hospitalized for a broken hip this weekend. Sadly, he passed away Monday. More on his life and career in tomorrow's news post as many in the business remember him.
Will Ospreay vs. Punishment Martinez and Christopher Daniels vs. Hiromi Takahashi have been booked for Global Wars on October 12 in New York.
Jinder Mahal will join Raw on WWE's live events in India on December 7 and December 8. I don't know how much to read into Raw getting that loop instead of Smackdown; it could have been planned way before the shakeup that led to Mahal becoming champion.
ROH will air Global Wars: Chicago as an Internet PPV, and the shows in Pittsburgh and Columbus will be streamed live for Ringside Members. I'm glad they're featuring such a big show that way. These will be some of the biggest shows for ROH all year.
Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James for the Raw Women's Championship is official for TLC. I think Asuka vs. Alexa at WM34 is a good plan. Raw can build both up on the way to that event. It's important WWE doesn't rush that; they can only do Asuka's first title match one time.
Finn Balor beat Bray Wyatt after Raw. Hopefully they'll finish their feud at TLC.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Until/unless USA thinks something will do better in that timeslot than a third hour of Raw, we're probably going to continue to see things the way they are now.
2. "Don't jump into the ring if you don't want your ass kicked/want to attend future WWE events."
3. Once an audience member gets that close to a wrestler, it's absolutely appropriate for someone to defend themselves. It's basically trespassing.
4. Hopefully they find out what exactly went wrong and go from there. It could be specific security names need to be replaced.
5. I definitely think they can use Piper in that way. She was impressive in the MYC. I hope WWE picks her up.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Corey Graves' brother got involved in a heated Twitter back-and-forth between Corey and Enzo. Enzo taking a shot at Corey's premature retirement rubbed some people the wrong way. If it gets people booing him and watching 205 Live, it was effective.
WWE is offering discounted tickets to an upcoming Raw through Travelzoo. They're having to hustle to fill buildings sometimes.
WWE posted footage of Brock Lesnar vs. Sheamus. I wish that would have been broadcast.
Lance Russell was hospitalized for a broken hip this weekend. Sadly, he passed away Monday. More on his life and career in tomorrow's news post as many in the business remember him.
Will Ospreay vs. Punishment Martinez and Christopher Daniels vs. Hiromi Takahashi have been booked for Global Wars on October 12 in New York.
Jinder Mahal will join Raw on WWE's live events in India on December 7 and December 8. I don't know how much to read into Raw getting that loop instead of Smackdown; it could have been planned way before the shakeup that led to Mahal becoming champion.
ROH will air Global Wars: Chicago as an Internet PPV, and the shows in Pittsburgh and Columbus will be streamed live for Ringside Members. I'm glad they're featuring such a big show that way. These will be some of the biggest shows for ROH all year.
Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James for the Raw Women's Championship is official for TLC. I think Asuka vs. Alexa at WM34 is a good plan. Raw can build both up on the way to that event. It's important WWE doesn't rush that; they can only do Asuka's first title match one time.
Finn Balor beat Bray Wyatt after Raw. Hopefully they'll finish their feud at TLC.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Until/unless USA thinks something will do better in that timeslot than a third hour of Raw, we're probably going to continue to see things the way they are now.
2. "Don't jump into the ring if you don't want your ass kicked/want to attend future WWE events."
3. Once an audience member gets that close to a wrestler, it's absolutely appropriate for someone to defend themselves. It's basically trespassing.
4. Hopefully they find out what exactly went wrong and go from there. It could be specific security names need to be replaced.
5. I definitely think they can use Piper in that way. She was impressive in the MYC. I hope WWE picks her up.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, October 2, 2017
WWE-related merch news, WWE injury update, and how WWE should change their booking
Nike is making a Balor Club sneaker. That looks pretty good!
NFL players Mohamed Sanu Sr. and Juli Jones represented Ric Flair at a game this weekend. That's awesome.
Cesaro worked this weekend's Raw live events after needing medical help following No Mercy. I don't remember ever hearing of someone hitting something so hard their teeth moved up into their gums by several milliliters before this. That's brutal.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com question:
Each show should have a different feel and direction. For instance, Raw and Smackdown shouldn't try to be like NXT. I'd like to see each "brand" more or less treated like a separate promotion in that sense, with as little shared backstage personnel as possible to truly allow things to develop independently. Of course, trades need to still happen every so often, and you can still have them share big PPVs, but I'd like to see things differentiate to the level that WWF, WCW, and ECW did years ago. That way, when someone switches shows, there's a bigger question of how they'll adapt. Plus, if someone is a fan of the way WWE currently does things but not NXT (or vice versa) they can watch their chosen product without everything feeling pretty much the same.
More wrestling tomorrow.
NFL players Mohamed Sanu Sr. and Juli Jones represented Ric Flair at a game this weekend. That's awesome.
Cesaro worked this weekend's Raw live events after needing medical help following No Mercy. I don't remember ever hearing of someone hitting something so hard their teeth moved up into their gums by several milliliters before this. That's brutal.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com question:
Each show should have a different feel and direction. For instance, Raw and Smackdown shouldn't try to be like NXT. I'd like to see each "brand" more or less treated like a separate promotion in that sense, with as little shared backstage personnel as possible to truly allow things to develop independently. Of course, trades need to still happen every so often, and you can still have them share big PPVs, but I'd like to see things differentiate to the level that WWF, WCW, and ECW did years ago. That way, when someone switches shows, there's a bigger question of how they'll adapt. Plus, if someone is a fan of the way WWE currently does things but not NXT (or vice versa) they can watch their chosen product without everything feeling pretty much the same.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Main Event Reax - 9/30/17, legendary announcer hospitalized, Global Wars updates, Titus looking to move lawsuit, top actor to play Vince?, live event notes, and Questions on the MYC on DVD, how far in advance WWE plans tours, first wrestling show, what to see live, front row seats, The Funker's latest comeback, and PWG's status
-- Main Event:
- Rhyno vs. Wilder:
Nice enough start.
I like Wilder focusing on the arm.
Fine work between these two.
Ahhhh I was hoping to see a GORE. I wonder if Roman's finisher being a spear means Rhyno can't hit that anymore.
Good overall.
- Metalik/Dorado vs. Gulak/Nese:
This is someone's favorite match.
Since this will go the same way it always does, let's just say Gran and Lince have really great athleticism and are fun to watch while Nese is a great all-round worker and I like what Gulak brings to things as a character and in the ring.
I mean, this is going well and all. Everyone does what they do well.
Pretty fun for what it was.
Memphis announcer Lance Russell was recently hospitalized following a fall, His daughter had just passed away the day before. Very tragic weekend for that family.
ROH and New Japan have announced a lot of details for Global Wars:
- Minoru Suzuki, Will Ospreay, and Toru Yano have been announced for all four shows.
- On October 12, The Kingdom will face The Elite
- Also on October 12, War Machine and Mark Briscoe will face Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith, Jr., and Lance Archer
- On October 13, Cody, Kenny Omega, and Marty Scurll will face Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI, and Toru Yano.
- Also on October 13, Silas Young will face Minoru Suzuki.
- On October 14, Cody will defend the ROH World Championship against KUSHIDA
- Also on October 14, The Elite will face The Best Friends and Flip Gordon
-- Interestingly, neither Jay Briscoe nor Bully Ray are advertised for the tour. So, their angle is taking a break from those events.
Titus O'Neil is looking to get a lawsuit against him related to WWE Swerved moved from California to either Titus' home state of Florida or Virginia, where the relevant filming took place. A cameraman from that show is suing for $1.2 million for an unsafe working environment, battery, assault, willful misconduct, negligence, gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotion distress in relation to an incident filmed for the show, where the cameraman alleges Titus attacked him to the point where he could do no longer work after Titus took an electrical shock from Paige. Hopefully this is reason enough to stop cruel "prank" shows.
The Vince McMahon biopic could see Bradley Cooper playing Vince, as an offer has been made to Cooper's representatives for him to play the role. The belief is that attaching a big name actor to the product would get it made quicker. This project has the potential to be really memorable. If Cooper can pull off the strut and voice, it could really be a lot of fun.
On a Raw live event in Manitoba:
- Elias worked with Dash Wilder due to Scott Dawson's injury. The pair did a cover of an Alice in Chains song, which was interrupted by Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews to lead to a tag team match that Titus and Apollo won.
- Brock Lesnar retained the Universal Championship against Sheamus. Brock ended up hitting F5's on both members of The Bar.
Mike Kanellis is back on the road for Smackdown, losing to Sami Zayn and Sin Cara this weekend. Maria was not with him. So, if we do see him on TV going forward, I expect it will be solo as far as his wife goes.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I don't know how much of an audience that would have, and the goal was to get people to subscribe to the award-winning WWE Network where you can get all that and more for just $9.99 a month.
2. Wow! That's impressive. I'm not all that surprised, though. That's why they're where they are in the world.
3. A 1998 episode of WWF Superstars featuring Edge spearing someone. That caught my eye when my dad was flipping channels, and I started watching things pretty regularly after that.
4. Ideally something just so off-the-wall I have to see it in person to believe it. Kaiju Big Battel, for instance.
5. A few years ago when Smackdown had a Christmas special in November in Charlotte, NC.
6. I just tracked the match down, and WOW. All due respect to his accomplishments, but I think it's time for Terry to stay on the ranch. That wasn't pretty from anyone involved.
7. It's way too soon to say that. It's still a pretty big cult phenomenon.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Rhyno vs. Wilder:
Nice enough start.
I like Wilder focusing on the arm.
Fine work between these two.
Ahhhh I was hoping to see a GORE. I wonder if Roman's finisher being a spear means Rhyno can't hit that anymore.
Good overall.
- Metalik/Dorado vs. Gulak/Nese:
This is someone's favorite match.
Since this will go the same way it always does, let's just say Gran and Lince have really great athleticism and are fun to watch while Nese is a great all-round worker and I like what Gulak brings to things as a character and in the ring.
I mean, this is going well and all. Everyone does what they do well.
Pretty fun for what it was.
Memphis announcer Lance Russell was recently hospitalized following a fall, His daughter had just passed away the day before. Very tragic weekend for that family.
ROH and New Japan have announced a lot of details for Global Wars:
- Minoru Suzuki, Will Ospreay, and Toru Yano have been announced for all four shows.
- On October 12, The Kingdom will face The Elite
- Also on October 12, War Machine and Mark Briscoe will face Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith, Jr., and Lance Archer
- On October 13, Cody, Kenny Omega, and Marty Scurll will face Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI, and Toru Yano.
- Also on October 13, Silas Young will face Minoru Suzuki.
- On October 14, Cody will defend the ROH World Championship against KUSHIDA
- Also on October 14, The Elite will face The Best Friends and Flip Gordon
-- Interestingly, neither Jay Briscoe nor Bully Ray are advertised for the tour. So, their angle is taking a break from those events.
Titus O'Neil is looking to get a lawsuit against him related to WWE Swerved moved from California to either Titus' home state of Florida or Virginia, where the relevant filming took place. A cameraman from that show is suing for $1.2 million for an unsafe working environment, battery, assault, willful misconduct, negligence, gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotion distress in relation to an incident filmed for the show, where the cameraman alleges Titus attacked him to the point where he could do no longer work after Titus took an electrical shock from Paige. Hopefully this is reason enough to stop cruel "prank" shows.
The Vince McMahon biopic could see Bradley Cooper playing Vince, as an offer has been made to Cooper's representatives for him to play the role. The belief is that attaching a big name actor to the product would get it made quicker. This project has the potential to be really memorable. If Cooper can pull off the strut and voice, it could really be a lot of fun.
On a Raw live event in Manitoba:
- Elias worked with Dash Wilder due to Scott Dawson's injury. The pair did a cover of an Alice in Chains song, which was interrupted by Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews to lead to a tag team match that Titus and Apollo won.
- Brock Lesnar retained the Universal Championship against Sheamus. Brock ended up hitting F5's on both members of The Bar.
Mike Kanellis is back on the road for Smackdown, losing to Sami Zayn and Sin Cara this weekend. Maria was not with him. So, if we do see him on TV going forward, I expect it will be solo as far as his wife goes.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I don't know how much of an audience that would have, and the goal was to get people to subscribe to the award-winning WWE Network where you can get all that and more for just $9.99 a month.
2. Wow! That's impressive. I'm not all that surprised, though. That's why they're where they are in the world.
3. A 1998 episode of WWF Superstars featuring Edge spearing someone. That caught my eye when my dad was flipping channels, and I started watching things pretty regularly after that.
4. Ideally something just so off-the-wall I have to see it in person to believe it. Kaiju Big Battel, for instance.
5. A few years ago when Smackdown had a Christmas special in November in Charlotte, NC.
6. I just tracked the match down, and WOW. All due respect to his accomplishments, but I think it's time for Terry to stay on the ranch. That wasn't pretty from anyone involved.
7. It's way too soon to say that. It's still a pretty big cult phenomenon.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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