Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson will do their podcast live in Las Vegas the night before Elimination Chamber. Their podcast is pretty over!
WWE Network has removed the "Tribute to the Troops" and "Colorful Characters" collections. I assume that means viewership was low for them.
Candice LeRae tweeted after her NXT live event debut. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for her and Gargano.
Reby Hardy celebrated getting ownership of the Broken Universe.
Booker T. discussed having issues with Corey Graves leading to Booker being pulled from the Raw announce team. I never got the impression Corey was actually antagonizing Booker beyond a kayfabe role on commentary. I would watch the hell out of them recreating Booker's grocery store fight in a Starbucks, though.
- Booker is looking to launch a Twitch channel soon. That's the new thing.
Jinder Mahal gloated about Rob Gronkowski's Super Bowl fate. I love it. I hope they face off at Mania.
Big E recognized a Philadelphia Eagles player's New Day merchandise. That's also great.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think there's some level of being entertained by engaging the trolls, and some of the people who follow the drama also find it amusing. That's pretty much my takeaway.
2. If Rock wanted to do something for Raw 25, I'm sure WWE would love to have had him. I don't think it's any kind of knock on the company; he's just really busy and wants to focus on other things right now.
3. Ziggler getting an opportunity to headline Wrestlemania was a pretty big deal, so he came back to try to win the Rumble. Presumably he'll be back regularly when "fans are ready to appreciate it."
4. Whoever wins the Chamber match can say they beat John Cena to make it to Wrestlemania. I assume there's something else planned for The Balor Club that night. If Finn was in the Chamber match, they likely wouldn't do any kind of six-man tag or anything that night. Stay tuned.
5. Currently he's set to have a role in NXT, likely in a backstage capacity. I wouldn't be surprised to see him become an important part of the infrastructure there, and potentially a key figure as Triple H continues to shape the future of the company as a whole. As for Borash leaving Impact, I imagine WWE made him one heck of an offer that the company wasn't willing to match in their current cost-cutting state.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, February 5, 2018
Live Prichard podcast, Network collections removed, Candice on NXT live event debut, Reby on Broken IP, Booker vs. Corey?, WWE names tweet on Super Bowl, and Questions on journalists responding to critics on Twitter, Rock's absence from WWE, Ziggler in the Rumble, Cena vs. Balor booking, and Borash's future
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Main Event Reax - 2/3/18, Woken Matt gets Broken trademarks, AJPW entering streaming game, NXT preview, Network's Flashback Friday, Conor on Rousey-WWE, Interview with Bischoff+Prichard+JBL, Chamber qualifier set for Raw, Seth fires back at injury report, Borash backstage at NXT, names set for WWE tryout, ROH promotes streaming service, WWE hits big Twitter milestone, WWE Super Bowl behind-the-scenes, NXT live event note, and Questions on Charly Caruso, Renee on commentary, not pushing Braun, Kevin Kelly in Impact, Brock's WWE future and more Molly Holly
-- Main Event:
- Bayley vs. Deville:
- Bayley's got to keep her eyes on the other Absolution members here.
I'm enjoying Sonya's style.
Solid work so far.
Bayley's experience is showing with being able to counter Sonya's offense.
I'm liking this!
This is kind of a lumberjack match in a way, huh?
Not a bad ending! Good to see something different on this show. As much as I love Hawkins, it's good to have some other workers compete here.
- TJP/Ariya/Gallagher vs. Metalik/Lince/Kalisto:
I think I could never watch another cruiser match and be OK with that. I'd much rather see some of the people from both brands we don't see wrestle on TV much.
I do like teaming the lucha guys up.
Lots of smooth work from the faces.
Nice offense.
Fine ending sequence.
- No Hawkins:
Oh come on! Hawkins = Ratings! We want to see The Streak!
Matt Hardy now has ownership for "Broken Matt," "Brother Nero," "Broken Brilliance," and "Vanguard-1" after Anthem legally signed those trademarks over. I'm glad that fight is over.
All Japan Pro Wrestling is launching their own subscription streaming service on March 3. The cost is around $8.00 a month. I hope that's a success for them.
NXT this week will feature Adam Cole vs. Killian Dain and The Undisputed Era's Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. defending the NXT Tag Team Championship against Eric Young and Alexander Wolfe of SAnitY. That should be good!
WWE Network's "Flashback Friday" this week will focus on WWE weddings. Oh boy! There will also be a special called "WWE's Crazy Stupid Love Show" hosted by Renee Young. Should be interesting.
Conor McGregor talked about Ronda Rousey's WWE debut. I hope we see him there at some point.
Eric Bischoff, Bruce Prichard, and JBL spoke with Sam Roberts. Hopefully that's three future Hall of Famers talking there.
Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt in an Elimination Chamber qualification match is set for Raw. I think we know which one of those names is getting a bigger spot at Wrestlemania.
Seth Rollins fired back at reports of him working hurt. Some reports say he is, and some say he isn't. I guess we'll see if it becomes an issue.
Jeremy Borash and Corey Graves were backstage at NXT's tapings this week. That's pretty quick turnaround for Borash.
EVOLVE's Austin Theory and Jarek 1:20 will be part of the next WWE Performance Center tryout on February 8, along with former UFC fighter Matt Van Buren. Independent wrestlers Alexia Nicole and Nickolaus Barnes have also been confirmed. I'm sure there will be plenty more, too.
ROH announced details for their streaming service. It's going to be tough to be the same price as the WWE Network, but that's more a sign of WWE being able to afford to offer so much so cheaply.
WWE celebrated hitting 10 million Twitter followers. That's impressive! They really push that aspect of the company.
WWE showed behind-the-scenes footage from their 1999 Super Bowl commercial. That was classic. I loved it, and it looked like a lot of fun to make. I'm curious what a 2018 version would look like.
Candace LeRae worked her first NXT live event on February 3, teaming with Johnny Gargano to defeat Andrade Almas and Zelina Vega in the main event. That was Vega's first live event match for the brand, too. We'll see if she ends up in action more.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Give her the belt, brother. Charlymania's running wild, dude. I do think WWE has had some pretty good signings in the interviewer/analyst/whatever we're calling it role in the past few years. There was a feeling for a long time that they could just give any pretty girl a microphone and they're a ring announcer/interviewer. I'm glad they have some knowledgeable hires now.
2. Honestly, she's probably best at the role she has right now. She's shown herself to be pretty invaluable with all they've given her, and she should focus on those duties. I would like to see WWE training some female commentators, though, and referees for that matter.
3. I really wish they would have pulled the trigger on Braun beating Brock one-on-one. I know they really want Roman to have a big coronation at WM34, and that makes sense, but I think they missed an opportunity to elevate Strowman. Heck, they could have built to a triple threat at Mania that Roman could have walked away from as champion. I know people often fault them for not having long-term plans, but sometimes they need to be flexible with those plans when someone catches fire.
4. I'd expect them to promote from within if possible as a money-saving move. It'd also be a lot easier to schedule
5. Yes, but it's expected he'll be staying in WWE in some capacity. He might do more in UFC, but I doubt he'll leave wrestling behind entirely given the great deal he's got.
6. I expect she's going to focus on her training work in Minnesota. Other than appearing for something like "Table for 3" or a Hall of Fame induction, I don't see her doing much with WWE unless they need her again for Rumble 2019.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Bayley vs. Deville:
- Bayley's got to keep her eyes on the other Absolution members here.
I'm enjoying Sonya's style.
Solid work so far.
Bayley's experience is showing with being able to counter Sonya's offense.
I'm liking this!
This is kind of a lumberjack match in a way, huh?
Not a bad ending! Good to see something different on this show. As much as I love Hawkins, it's good to have some other workers compete here.
- TJP/Ariya/Gallagher vs. Metalik/Lince/Kalisto:
I think I could never watch another cruiser match and be OK with that. I'd much rather see some of the people from both brands we don't see wrestle on TV much.
I do like teaming the lucha guys up.
Lots of smooth work from the faces.
Nice offense.
Fine ending sequence.
- No Hawkins:
Oh come on! Hawkins = Ratings! We want to see The Streak!
Matt Hardy now has ownership for "Broken Matt," "Brother Nero," "Broken Brilliance," and "Vanguard-1" after Anthem legally signed those trademarks over. I'm glad that fight is over.
All Japan Pro Wrestling is launching their own subscription streaming service on March 3. The cost is around $8.00 a month. I hope that's a success for them.
NXT this week will feature Adam Cole vs. Killian Dain and The Undisputed Era's Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. defending the NXT Tag Team Championship against Eric Young and Alexander Wolfe of SAnitY. That should be good!
WWE Network's "Flashback Friday" this week will focus on WWE weddings. Oh boy! There will also be a special called "WWE's Crazy Stupid Love Show" hosted by Renee Young. Should be interesting.
Conor McGregor talked about Ronda Rousey's WWE debut. I hope we see him there at some point.
Eric Bischoff, Bruce Prichard, and JBL spoke with Sam Roberts. Hopefully that's three future Hall of Famers talking there.
Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt in an Elimination Chamber qualification match is set for Raw. I think we know which one of those names is getting a bigger spot at Wrestlemania.
Seth Rollins fired back at reports of him working hurt. Some reports say he is, and some say he isn't. I guess we'll see if it becomes an issue.
Jeremy Borash and Corey Graves were backstage at NXT's tapings this week. That's pretty quick turnaround for Borash.
EVOLVE's Austin Theory and Jarek 1:20 will be part of the next WWE Performance Center tryout on February 8, along with former UFC fighter Matt Van Buren. Independent wrestlers Alexia Nicole and Nickolaus Barnes have also been confirmed. I'm sure there will be plenty more, too.
ROH announced details for their streaming service. It's going to be tough to be the same price as the WWE Network, but that's more a sign of WWE being able to afford to offer so much so cheaply.
WWE celebrated hitting 10 million Twitter followers. That's impressive! They really push that aspect of the company.
WWE showed behind-the-scenes footage from their 1999 Super Bowl commercial. That was classic. I loved it, and it looked like a lot of fun to make. I'm curious what a 2018 version would look like.
Candace LeRae worked her first NXT live event on February 3, teaming with Johnny Gargano to defeat Andrade Almas and Zelina Vega in the main event. That was Vega's first live event match for the brand, too. We'll see if she ends up in action more.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Give her the belt, brother. Charlymania's running wild, dude. I do think WWE has had some pretty good signings in the interviewer/analyst/whatever we're calling it role in the past few years. There was a feeling for a long time that they could just give any pretty girl a microphone and they're a ring announcer/interviewer. I'm glad they have some knowledgeable hires now.
2. Honestly, she's probably best at the role she has right now. She's shown herself to be pretty invaluable with all they've given her, and she should focus on those duties. I would like to see WWE training some female commentators, though, and referees for that matter.
3. I really wish they would have pulled the trigger on Braun beating Brock one-on-one. I know they really want Roman to have a big coronation at WM34, and that makes sense, but I think they missed an opportunity to elevate Strowman. Heck, they could have built to a triple threat at Mania that Roman could have walked away from as champion. I know people often fault them for not having long-term plans, but sometimes they need to be flexible with those plans when someone catches fire.
4. I'd expect them to promote from within if possible as a money-saving move. It'd also be a lot easier to schedule
5. Yes, but it's expected he'll be staying in WWE in some capacity. He might do more in UFC, but I doubt he'll leave wrestling behind entirely given the great deal he's got.
6. I expect she's going to focus on her training work in Minnesota. Other than appearing for something like "Table for 3" or a Hall of Fame induction, I don't see her doing much with WWE unless they need her again for Rumble 2019.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Dusty Classic returning, Rumble backstage confrontation, Interviews with D-Von/Gargano/Impact execs, more Rousey hype, Impact departures, GWN on new platform, more on Impact debut, Impact pairing with another indie, more on WWE Network vault content, Tim Storm update, SCOH XII main event, update on 205 Live live events, Impact audience, and Questions on the new Impact, upcoming Impact contracts, LU names working Impact, and replacing Borash on commentary
The Dusty Tag Team Classic will take place on upcoming episodes of NXT. That will be good to build some new teams.
Mark Henry and Jerry Lawler had a confrontation at Royal Rumble because Henry's friend Peter Rosenberg thought Lawler had animosity toward him and buried him on camera. Interesting.
D-Von Dudley discussed going into the WWE Hall of Fame and more. It's cool to see the team honored like that.
Johnny Gargano is on the most recent Edge and Christian podcast. Johnny could be going places after his big performance in Philadelphia.
Ronda Rousey's rival Laila Ali wished Rousey well in WWE. TMZ is getting WWE a lot of publicity for Ronda's signing.
Ed Nordholm, Don Callis, and Scott D'Amore talked in the UK:
- I mean, there weren't a ton of options to be in a top position in Impact, but D'Amore does have a good deal of experience in management.
- I wonder who else was considered to bring in.
- I definitely appreciate them looking at a long-term solution for the company.
- Callis is taking a big risk trying to make something spark with Impact, but I'm glad someone's looking to help.
- I liked the Grand Championship as it was, but hopefully it's going to be unified with another championship given how small the roster is.
- I'm interested to see what Impact looks like in 2019. The running joke is that they reboot themselves at least once a year these days.
- I mean, it's cool that someone's work in Impact got them on WWE's radar. I think that speaks well to what Impact did with some talents.
- Oh yes, I've definitely noticed people not using their Impact names on Twitter. They made the right decision letting talents use names they can be known as outside of the company.
- It can be argued that a lot of fans these days know that such-and-such talent coming to NXT used to be so-and-so elsewhere, so there's no use pretending they have a different name now. It ultimately depends on what name will be best for them years into their run.
- I'm definitely willing to give the new names a chance. I just love some of the names who aren't going to be on Impact TV much longer.
- There aren't any plans to do shows outside of North America anytime soon, but that's definitely going to be key to looking like a major player again at some point.
- Impact's got their work cut out for them in the UK given WWE's signings from the area and the new Five Star Wrestling show. That's a lot of talent that's presumably off the table for them.
- Previous UK tours were very successful for Impact. As in, more successful than their U.S. tours by far.
- GWN isn't a bad idea at all.
- The Impact tape library was a big part of why Anthem bought the company.
- It's going to be tricky balancing Twitch, the GWN, and traditional PPV.
Scott D'Amore also did a solo interview in the UK:
- I'm also glad D'Amore took a jump and stepped up to plot a new course for Impact. They need people who care about the company's future right now.
- It is pretty cool to see people making their own road in the business without being tied to one company.
- Hopefully Impact will be able to use talents regularly without them being tied up internationally.
- I'm VERY glad they dropped the Broken Universe fight. It was really hurting everyone.
- Impact worked a decade or so ago by being an alternative to what WWE was doing at the time. They took smaller wrestlers, women wrestlers, and tag teams seriously when WWE really didn't. WWE has since changed those problems, so it's going to be tough to come up with a way to stand out now.
- Of course, later Impact gave Joe and AJ odd gimmicks and moved the focus away from their strengths.
- Impact definitely benefits from having veterans around.
- Another article linked has Alberto saying he's going to retire in Impact. That's funny after the recent word of him talking about a final WWE run.
Mario Bokara, Ava Storie, and Idris Ibraham are no longer part of Impact, with the new regime focusing on other workers. Idris was last used in July, while Ava and Bokara were last used in August, so none of the departures are a surprise.
Global Wrestling Network is now available on Xbox One. We don't hear that much about the service compared to what's being added to WWE Network, but it's still chugging along.
Brian Cage looks to be working as The Machine in Impact Wrestling based on the initial vignette on him.
Impact will be working with Big Time Wrestling in California for two shows on March 23 and 24.
WWE Network will upload 38 Coliseum video tapes on Monday. It's amazing to think of when you could only watch about two hours of wrestling at a time.
Tim Storm teased retirement after losing the NWA World Championship and his chance at a rematch. We'll see where this leads.
Kenny Omega vs. Cody is set for Supercard of Honor XII. That's the first time the two will have a singles match. It's a very newsworthy match considering each man's status in Bullet Club.
205 Live could still have live events down the line, but there won't be any in February was were initially planned.
Impact Wrestling drew 319,000 viewers for the first show of the newest regime. The audience has improved compared to August through December, so maybe things are turning around for them.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I do think Johnson sold the new Impact a little short, since they are putting together live events. He's correct that they're basically where they were before the Fox Sports Net deal as far as brand presence and such go. Whether you love the company or hate it, 2017 was a tough year for them as far as their standing in the wrestling industry. It's going to take a lot of work to change that, and it's FAR too soon to compare them to their Spike days or even their Destination America days. I wish them well, however.
2. I think they're making some good moves to get things on track. The first step is transitioning out the talents who were working their last tapings and rebuilding from that. We're going to see some new and returning faces in the coming months and some changes in places that are stale. I'm very glad they put Konley and Lee in the tag team division, for instance. We've seen the same talents do the same thing for months in both the X and tag team divisions, and that's a nice change of pace.
3. Alberto and Eli will be interesting. WWE bringing Alberto back would be something of a surprise considering how he left both times and the fact Paige is back. I'm curious what Eli's options are inside and outside the company now that he's no longer champion.
4. LU is willing to let them work Impact when they're not needed for LU duties. So, Impact will have to keep LU's schedule in mind.
5. Right? Looking at who they've got currently working there, Gail Kim is an interesting name to be at the announce desk. Tyrus would be a possibility if he wasn't brought back as a wrestler.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Mark Henry and Jerry Lawler had a confrontation at Royal Rumble because Henry's friend Peter Rosenberg thought Lawler had animosity toward him and buried him on camera. Interesting.
D-Von Dudley discussed going into the WWE Hall of Fame and more. It's cool to see the team honored like that.
Johnny Gargano is on the most recent Edge and Christian podcast. Johnny could be going places after his big performance in Philadelphia.
Ronda Rousey's rival Laila Ali wished Rousey well in WWE. TMZ is getting WWE a lot of publicity for Ronda's signing.
Ed Nordholm, Don Callis, and Scott D'Amore talked in the UK:
- I mean, there weren't a ton of options to be in a top position in Impact, but D'Amore does have a good deal of experience in management.
- I wonder who else was considered to bring in.
- I definitely appreciate them looking at a long-term solution for the company.
- Callis is taking a big risk trying to make something spark with Impact, but I'm glad someone's looking to help.
- I liked the Grand Championship as it was, but hopefully it's going to be unified with another championship given how small the roster is.
- I'm interested to see what Impact looks like in 2019. The running joke is that they reboot themselves at least once a year these days.
- I mean, it's cool that someone's work in Impact got them on WWE's radar. I think that speaks well to what Impact did with some talents.
- Oh yes, I've definitely noticed people not using their Impact names on Twitter. They made the right decision letting talents use names they can be known as outside of the company.
- It can be argued that a lot of fans these days know that such-and-such talent coming to NXT used to be so-and-so elsewhere, so there's no use pretending they have a different name now. It ultimately depends on what name will be best for them years into their run.
- I'm definitely willing to give the new names a chance. I just love some of the names who aren't going to be on Impact TV much longer.
- There aren't any plans to do shows outside of North America anytime soon, but that's definitely going to be key to looking like a major player again at some point.
- Impact's got their work cut out for them in the UK given WWE's signings from the area and the new Five Star Wrestling show. That's a lot of talent that's presumably off the table for them.
- Previous UK tours were very successful for Impact. As in, more successful than their U.S. tours by far.
- GWN isn't a bad idea at all.
- The Impact tape library was a big part of why Anthem bought the company.
- It's going to be tricky balancing Twitch, the GWN, and traditional PPV.
Scott D'Amore also did a solo interview in the UK:
- I'm also glad D'Amore took a jump and stepped up to plot a new course for Impact. They need people who care about the company's future right now.
- It is pretty cool to see people making their own road in the business without being tied to one company.
- Hopefully Impact will be able to use talents regularly without them being tied up internationally.
- I'm VERY glad they dropped the Broken Universe fight. It was really hurting everyone.
- Impact worked a decade or so ago by being an alternative to what WWE was doing at the time. They took smaller wrestlers, women wrestlers, and tag teams seriously when WWE really didn't. WWE has since changed those problems, so it's going to be tough to come up with a way to stand out now.
- Of course, later Impact gave Joe and AJ odd gimmicks and moved the focus away from their strengths.
- Impact definitely benefits from having veterans around.
- Another article linked has Alberto saying he's going to retire in Impact. That's funny after the recent word of him talking about a final WWE run.
Mario Bokara, Ava Storie, and Idris Ibraham are no longer part of Impact, with the new regime focusing on other workers. Idris was last used in July, while Ava and Bokara were last used in August, so none of the departures are a surprise.
Global Wrestling Network is now available on Xbox One. We don't hear that much about the service compared to what's being added to WWE Network, but it's still chugging along.
Brian Cage looks to be working as The Machine in Impact Wrestling based on the initial vignette on him.
Impact will be working with Big Time Wrestling in California for two shows on March 23 and 24.
WWE Network will upload 38 Coliseum video tapes on Monday. It's amazing to think of when you could only watch about two hours of wrestling at a time.
Tim Storm teased retirement after losing the NWA World Championship and his chance at a rematch. We'll see where this leads.
Kenny Omega vs. Cody is set for Supercard of Honor XII. That's the first time the two will have a singles match. It's a very newsworthy match considering each man's status in Bullet Club.
205 Live could still have live events down the line, but there won't be any in February was were initially planned.
Impact Wrestling drew 319,000 viewers for the first show of the newest regime. The audience has improved compared to August through December, so maybe things are turning around for them.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I do think Johnson sold the new Impact a little short, since they are putting together live events. He's correct that they're basically where they were before the Fox Sports Net deal as far as brand presence and such go. Whether you love the company or hate it, 2017 was a tough year for them as far as their standing in the wrestling industry. It's going to take a lot of work to change that, and it's FAR too soon to compare them to their Spike days or even their Destination America days. I wish them well, however.
2. I think they're making some good moves to get things on track. The first step is transitioning out the talents who were working their last tapings and rebuilding from that. We're going to see some new and returning faces in the coming months and some changes in places that are stale. I'm very glad they put Konley and Lee in the tag team division, for instance. We've seen the same talents do the same thing for months in both the X and tag team divisions, and that's a nice change of pace.
3. Alberto and Eli will be interesting. WWE bringing Alberto back would be something of a surprise considering how he left both times and the fact Paige is back. I'm curious what Eli's options are inside and outside the company now that he's no longer champion.
4. LU is willing to let them work Impact when they're not needed for LU duties. So, Impact will have to keep LU's schedule in mind.
5. Right? Looking at who they've got currently working there, Gail Kim is an interesting name to be at the announce desk. Tyrus would be a possibility if he wasn't brought back as a wrestler.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, February 2, 2018
More on Rousey-WWE, more on Vince-XFL plans, Rumble notes, WWE women's documentary in the works, Chamber lineup plans, who's replacing Borash, WWE HoFer wrestling in Japan, UK contract notes, WM35 city set, more on Lashley's future, more WWE injuries, podcast notes, Impact-WrestlePro Twitch air date, Smackdown live event set, Interviews with Jimmy Hart/Bar/Adamle/Sutter+Allie, ECW original on Instagram, WWE UK stickers, upcoming WWE Creative book, WWE name appearing for ICW, Aldis NWA World Tour, Total Divas press, WWE 24 deleted scene, and Questions on current WWE injuries, Impact's longest-tenured employee, Cole's commentary, talents on Impact TV long after they leave, and Lashley's future
Ronda Rousey has reportedly signed a multi-year deal in WWE. She could end up facing Stephanie McMahon in a tag team match with Triple H and either The Rock or Kurt Angle. I'm much less interested in that than Rousey vs. Charlotte. I've seen more than enough HHH/Stephanie angles at this point.
Rousey coming to WWE is very much a Stephanie McMahon project to get a top female star in the mix.
Vince McMahon doesn't intend to have outside investors in the XFL. That's not really a shock given how Vince usually wants so much control of things.
Asuka's Royal Rumble win got some press in Japan from outlets that don't normally follow wrestling. That's good enough news.
Adam Cole was considered for Bobby Roode's open challenge at Royal Rumble. That could have been cool, although losing a Kickoff match wouldn't have been great for him.
WWE is doing a documentary on women's wrestling featuring a lot of the women who appeared in the Royal Rumble.
Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan will likely be in the men's Elimination Chamber match if they're cleared. Both are having issues right now.
The women's Elimination Chamber will likely feature Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose. I like that group.
Kevin Sullivan (not the wrestler, nor the author, but the producer) has been doing more video work for Impact. So that's probably who's taking over Borash's responsibilities.
Bob Backlund will be wrestling in Japan in April. He's still going at 68!
A number of Five Star Wrestling stars are under contract for the potential World of Sport reboot, which may or may not be coming back later this year. We'll see how that plays out.
Wrestlemania 35 will be in New York on April 7, 2019. That's one of their favorite markets.
Lashley is expected to join WWE soon, with speculation he'll face Brock Lesnar after WM34. Of course, that means Brock would be sticking around. That should be big!
WWE official Scott Armstrong is out of action due to an elbow surgery. I hope he recovers soon.
Oney Lorcan is out of action due to unspecified injuries. He shouldn't miss long. I've wanted to see him on 205 Live for quite a while.
Terri Runnels' latest podcast discussed appearing on Raw 25. She wanted a bigger role, and joined others in criticizing so many names being booked just to appear for the crowd.
Ken Anderson is on X-Pac's latest podcast. He discussed his Impact work and more.
Impact's WrestlePro event will air February 9 on Twitch. Good to see them getting content on the service.
Smackdown will run a show in New Jersey on March 24.
Jimmy Hart promoted Wrestlemania 34 in Louisiana. I'm surprised we didn't see him at Raw 25.
Tajiri has joined Instagram. Cool to see that.
WWE is releasing a sticker collection for the UK. Pretty cool.
Chris Jericho is on Stone Cold's latest podcast. Austin is making his podcast more family-friendly in order to get more advertisements. Hopefully that's a good move for him.
The Bar talked in the UK. They've really got something that works well.
Mike Adamle discussed the effects of his NFL career on "The Today Show": Clip 1 Clip 2 It's sad to hear how things are for his mental state.
A future WWE book is tracing the creative path to Wrestlemania 34. It should be released in August. That should be a pretty cool read.
Drew McIntyre will go into ICW's Hall of Fame on February 12. I'm glad WWE's letting him appear there as he recovers.
Braxton Sutter and Allie did a conference call before Impact.
Nick Aldis will tour the world, defending the NWA World Championship more than 20 times across 60 days. That's pretty impressive from the rebooted company. Aldis is going to get a lot of work through the tour, and the NWA is going to get a good deal of exposure.
ROH has announced additional matches:
- Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor on February 9
- The Young Bucks vs. Kazarian and Scorpio Sky on February 10
- Coast 2 Coast vs. The Dawgs on February 10
Lana tried to break a world record promoting "Total Divas." That would have been a great way to commemorate Rusev Day.
The Undertaker discussed pain relief in a deleted scene from the Wrestlemania 33 "WWE 24" special. Man, he's had it rough. I really hope this is his last year. At some point, it's not worth it.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Um, they can both be working hurt. I don't think Jordan's injury is back related, though.
2. Ryder was one of the people who put the original idea for the company together. He has pretty deep roots there, too.
3. OH MY! VINTAGE COLE! Vince very much sees Cole as the model commentator for 2018. If anything, we're going to see more people in that vein as long as Vince is in charge.
4. They made the most of those talents while they were there. I suppose it beats paying people to stay under contract for a few months and not wrestle when they're just biding their time to work elsewhere. WWE has the resources to do that, but Impact doesn't.
5. I wouldn't be shocked to see him pop up on Raw right after WM34.
More wrestling coming up.
Rousey coming to WWE is very much a Stephanie McMahon project to get a top female star in the mix.
Vince McMahon doesn't intend to have outside investors in the XFL. That's not really a shock given how Vince usually wants so much control of things.
Asuka's Royal Rumble win got some press in Japan from outlets that don't normally follow wrestling. That's good enough news.
Adam Cole was considered for Bobby Roode's open challenge at Royal Rumble. That could have been cool, although losing a Kickoff match wouldn't have been great for him.
WWE is doing a documentary on women's wrestling featuring a lot of the women who appeared in the Royal Rumble.
Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan will likely be in the men's Elimination Chamber match if they're cleared. Both are having issues right now.
The women's Elimination Chamber will likely feature Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose. I like that group.
Kevin Sullivan (not the wrestler, nor the author, but the producer) has been doing more video work for Impact. So that's probably who's taking over Borash's responsibilities.
Bob Backlund will be wrestling in Japan in April. He's still going at 68!
A number of Five Star Wrestling stars are under contract for the potential World of Sport reboot, which may or may not be coming back later this year. We'll see how that plays out.
Wrestlemania 35 will be in New York on April 7, 2019. That's one of their favorite markets.
Lashley is expected to join WWE soon, with speculation he'll face Brock Lesnar after WM34. Of course, that means Brock would be sticking around. That should be big!
WWE official Scott Armstrong is out of action due to an elbow surgery. I hope he recovers soon.
Oney Lorcan is out of action due to unspecified injuries. He shouldn't miss long. I've wanted to see him on 205 Live for quite a while.
Terri Runnels' latest podcast discussed appearing on Raw 25. She wanted a bigger role, and joined others in criticizing so many names being booked just to appear for the crowd.
Ken Anderson is on X-Pac's latest podcast. He discussed his Impact work and more.
Impact's WrestlePro event will air February 9 on Twitch. Good to see them getting content on the service.
Smackdown will run a show in New Jersey on March 24.
Jimmy Hart promoted Wrestlemania 34 in Louisiana. I'm surprised we didn't see him at Raw 25.
Tajiri has joined Instagram. Cool to see that.
WWE is releasing a sticker collection for the UK. Pretty cool.
Chris Jericho is on Stone Cold's latest podcast. Austin is making his podcast more family-friendly in order to get more advertisements. Hopefully that's a good move for him.
The Bar talked in the UK. They've really got something that works well.
Mike Adamle discussed the effects of his NFL career on "The Today Show": Clip 1 Clip 2 It's sad to hear how things are for his mental state.
A future WWE book is tracing the creative path to Wrestlemania 34. It should be released in August. That should be a pretty cool read.
Drew McIntyre will go into ICW's Hall of Fame on February 12. I'm glad WWE's letting him appear there as he recovers.
Braxton Sutter and Allie did a conference call before Impact.
Nick Aldis will tour the world, defending the NWA World Championship more than 20 times across 60 days. That's pretty impressive from the rebooted company. Aldis is going to get a lot of work through the tour, and the NWA is going to get a good deal of exposure.
ROH has announced additional matches:
- Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor on February 9
- The Young Bucks vs. Kazarian and Scorpio Sky on February 10
- Coast 2 Coast vs. The Dawgs on February 10
Lana tried to break a world record promoting "Total Divas." That would have been a great way to commemorate Rusev Day.
The Undertaker discussed pain relief in a deleted scene from the Wrestlemania 33 "WWE 24" special. Man, he's had it rough. I really hope this is his last year. At some point, it's not worth it.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Um, they can both be working hurt. I don't think Jordan's injury is back related, though.
2. Ryder was one of the people who put the original idea for the company together. He has pretty deep roots there, too.
3. OH MY! VINTAGE COLE! Vince very much sees Cole as the model commentator for 2018. If anything, we're going to see more people in that vein as long as Vince is in charge.
4. They made the most of those talents while they were there. I suppose it beats paying people to stay under contract for a few months and not wrestle when they're just biding their time to work elsewhere. WWE has the resources to do that, but Impact doesn't.
5. I wouldn't be shocked to see him pop up on Raw right after WM34.
More wrestling coming up.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Impact reunion in WWE, more on Spud coming to WWE, Interviews with Ellsworth/Impact execs/Natalya, WWE injury, see Terry Funk's office, status of LAW revival, new Impact faction, Impact taping at another indie show, Brock and Cena set for live event, WWE Network vintage footage notes, Raw name on vacation, more ROH matches set, Smackdown audience, another ROH show announced, Total Divas hype, another Ride Along trio set, and a Smackdown ticket deal
King Maxel Hardy met with the former Rockstar Spud at 205 Live in an Impact reunion. I mean, Maxel's under 205 pounds. Maybe Drake is recruiting?
- Dixie Carter put over WWE signing Drake.
James Ellsworth is on the most recent "Talk is Jericho." I miss him.
Epico recently underwent shoulder surgery. The Colons haven't been on TV since July, but had been working Smackdown live events pretty regularly. The team has really struggled to get momentum in recent years, but maybe things come together for them when Epico returns.
Terry Funk showed off his office. Pretty cool.
Live Audio Wrestling's return on Impact's Twitch channel has been postponed indefinitely if not dropped entirely with Jeremy Borash's departure. We'll see if it ends up coming back in a different form.
Impact will see a new faction in the months to come, featuring the former Hakim Zane and former Tony Cage. I'm interested to see how they do. I really hope they're not Foreign Heel Group Number 577.
Impact will be taping Eddie Edwards' appearance in Rockstar Pro Wrestling.
Impact executives discussed the recent departures:
- Borash will not be easily replaced. Yes, someone will get a chance to step up, but no one with the experience and expertise in the company that he has.
- Impact does have some solid new and returning stars. They're giving 2018 their best shot. It's just a tough road ahead of them.
- EC3 got out of his contract a little early to go to WWE, but it was expected he was going to do so eventually.
- Lashley is now a free agent. We'll see what that means shortly.
Brock Lesnar and John Cena are set for Raw's March 3 live event in Illinois. That will be a big date for them.
WWE Network will likely add WCW Saturday Night episodes to the service in April. They're getting quite the variety of vintage content up.
- WWE Network is currently adding more episodes of World Class.
Curtis Axel is taking a vacation. It's unknown if he'll miss any time from the ring.
ROH has announced The Briscoes vs. Best Friends and Hangman Page vs. Christopher Daniels for their February 10 TV taping. Punishment Martinez vs. Flip Gordon will take place the night before at a live event.
Smackdown drew 2.51 million viewers this week, slightly down from last Tuesday.
ROH has announced a Florida show for April 27.
Natalya and Lana promoted "Total Divas" in New York.
The Balor Club will be together on Ride Along in the third season. Imagine if this show existed in the Southpaw Regional Wrestling days.
Natalya gave an interview on Ronda Rousey coming into WWE and more. I'd love a Ronda story on "Total Divas." Also, a Hart reality show would be absolutely insane.
Tuesday's Smackdown has a two-for-one ticket offer. That's not a great sign for attendance.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Dixie Carter put over WWE signing Drake.
James Ellsworth is on the most recent "Talk is Jericho." I miss him.
Epico recently underwent shoulder surgery. The Colons haven't been on TV since July, but had been working Smackdown live events pretty regularly. The team has really struggled to get momentum in recent years, but maybe things come together for them when Epico returns.
Terry Funk showed off his office. Pretty cool.
Live Audio Wrestling's return on Impact's Twitch channel has been postponed indefinitely if not dropped entirely with Jeremy Borash's departure. We'll see if it ends up coming back in a different form.
Impact will see a new faction in the months to come, featuring the former Hakim Zane and former Tony Cage. I'm interested to see how they do. I really hope they're not Foreign Heel Group Number 577.
Impact will be taping Eddie Edwards' appearance in Rockstar Pro Wrestling.
Impact executives discussed the recent departures:
- Borash will not be easily replaced. Yes, someone will get a chance to step up, but no one with the experience and expertise in the company that he has.
- Impact does have some solid new and returning stars. They're giving 2018 their best shot. It's just a tough road ahead of them.
- EC3 got out of his contract a little early to go to WWE, but it was expected he was going to do so eventually.
- Lashley is now a free agent. We'll see what that means shortly.
Brock Lesnar and John Cena are set for Raw's March 3 live event in Illinois. That will be a big date for them.
WWE Network will likely add WCW Saturday Night episodes to the service in April. They're getting quite the variety of vintage content up.
- WWE Network is currently adding more episodes of World Class.
Curtis Axel is taking a vacation. It's unknown if he'll miss any time from the ring.
ROH has announced The Briscoes vs. Best Friends and Hangman Page vs. Christopher Daniels for their February 10 TV taping. Punishment Martinez vs. Flip Gordon will take place the night before at a live event.
Smackdown drew 2.51 million viewers this week, slightly down from last Tuesday.
ROH has announced a Florida show for April 27.
Natalya and Lana promoted "Total Divas" in New York.
The Balor Club will be together on Ride Along in the third season. Imagine if this show existed in the Southpaw Regional Wrestling days.
Natalya gave an interview on Ronda Rousey coming into WWE and more. I'd love a Ronda story on "Total Divas." Also, a Hart reality show would be absolutely insane.
Tuesday's Smackdown has a two-for-one ticket offer. That's not a great sign for attendance.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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