Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown Live and 205 Live.
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Podcast notes, Melina responds to Evolution pitch, Interviews with Foley/Mercedes/Batista/Cass, more All In notes, more vintage Network content, upcoming collections, and a Question on what the key All In players should do next
Lanny Poffo spoke about the Randy Savage-Stephanie McMahon rumors and more on the debut edition of his new podcast. Those rumors are going to last forever, it seems.
Zack Ryder is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
Melina responded to Naomi wanting to wrestle her. It doesn't look like it's in the works.
Mick Foley promoted his tour in Canada. He's still getting paid for that HIAC bump 20 years later!
Mercedes Martinez discussed returning for this year's Mae Young Classic. I'm interested in what the future holds for names WWE brings in for these events but doesn't sign.
Batista discussed leaving WWE for Hollywood. I'm curious if he'd do something at GRR 2019 if he doesn't get to work WM35.
More All In notes:
- The show is now available on New Japan World. Some of NJPW management was at the show.
- Cody's NWA World Championship win makes him and Dusty Rhodes the only father/son duo to have held the championship. The Rock congratulated Cody for his success. It was an awesome accomplishment.
- FITE TV was the no. 1 sports app this past weekend due to revenue from the event. That's really impressive.
- Jim Ross was also at the show. I don't remember the last time a non-WWE show had this much buzz in the U.S.
- Nick Aldis discussed having Jeff Jarrett in his corner. I'm glad everything worked out for those involved. That's a classy move.
- Marty Scurll didn't appear at the closing celebration because he took the blame for his match going longer than expected. The show was originally going to conclude with a lot of confetti for the celebration, but that had to be dropped from the broadcast due to time. Instead, it happened for the live crowd.
WWWF All-Star Wrestling has 50 hours of content added to WWE Network. I expect more on the way.
WWE Network's October collections will feature Austin vs. McMahon - Part 3 and Ted DiBiase, Sr.
The former Big Cass discussed leaving WWE and reteaming with the former Enzo Amore. I'm glad he understands why Vince made the call he made. As for Enzo/Real1, he doesn't have plans to get back in the ring, so it doesn't look like that team will reunite.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com question:
1. I don't have much to add here. Those names have shown they can be very successful outside of WWE, and can likely continue to do so. As we saw at All In, they can also provide other wrestlers with opportunities to make money in front of big crowds outside of WWE. That's powerful, and could absolutely be worth continuing. WWE could likely offer them a lot of money, a lot of work, and a lot of new opponents, but whether that's worth giving up the unique position they have now is going to be up to them. I don't think it's out of the question to think a lot of wrestlers want them to help create a viable scene outside the WWE system so there are ample opportunities for high-level work in the business.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Zack Ryder is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
Melina responded to Naomi wanting to wrestle her. It doesn't look like it's in the works.
Mick Foley promoted his tour in Canada. He's still getting paid for that HIAC bump 20 years later!
Mercedes Martinez discussed returning for this year's Mae Young Classic. I'm interested in what the future holds for names WWE brings in for these events but doesn't sign.
Batista discussed leaving WWE for Hollywood. I'm curious if he'd do something at GRR 2019 if he doesn't get to work WM35.
More All In notes:
- The show is now available on New Japan World. Some of NJPW management was at the show.
- Cody's NWA World Championship win makes him and Dusty Rhodes the only father/son duo to have held the championship. The Rock congratulated Cody for his success. It was an awesome accomplishment.
- FITE TV was the no. 1 sports app this past weekend due to revenue from the event. That's really impressive.
- Jim Ross was also at the show. I don't remember the last time a non-WWE show had this much buzz in the U.S.
- Nick Aldis discussed having Jeff Jarrett in his corner. I'm glad everything worked out for those involved. That's a classy move.
- Marty Scurll didn't appear at the closing celebration because he took the blame for his match going longer than expected. The show was originally going to conclude with a lot of confetti for the celebration, but that had to be dropped from the broadcast due to time. Instead, it happened for the live crowd.
WWWF All-Star Wrestling has 50 hours of content added to WWE Network. I expect more on the way.
WWE Network's October collections will feature Austin vs. McMahon - Part 3 and Ted DiBiase, Sr.
The former Big Cass discussed leaving WWE and reteaming with the former Enzo Amore. I'm glad he understands why Vince made the call he made. As for Enzo/Real1, he doesn't have plans to get back in the ring, so it doesn't look like that team will reunite.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com question:
1. I don't have much to add here. Those names have shown they can be very successful outside of WWE, and can likely continue to do so. As we saw at All In, they can also provide other wrestlers with opportunities to make money in front of big crowds outside of WWE. That's powerful, and could absolutely be worth continuing. WWE could likely offer them a lot of money, a lot of work, and a lot of new opponents, but whether that's worth giving up the unique position they have now is going to be up to them. I don't think it's out of the question to think a lot of wrestlers want them to help create a viable scene outside the WWE system so there are ample opportunities for high-level work in the business.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, September 3, 2018
Another Evolution match teased, former WWE name arrested, All In notes, and Questions on which WWE women get pushed, Bray's future, why Joe is different from coward heels, X-Pac Heat, and men getting opportunities in wrestling
Naomi challenged Melina for WWE Evolution. That could be very interesting. She did recently return to the ring...
The former Joey Mercury was arrested this weekend. He was involved in putting All In together, but police discovered him sleeping outside of a local hotel and discovered he had an outstanding warrant in Florida, so he was taken into custody. That's really unfortunate, given how he was going to be an important part of putting All In together. I hope everything's settled soon.
All In notes:
- The show had serious timing issues due to Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon Jr. and Marty Scurll vs. Kazuchika Okada both going significantly over their allotted times. The main event had to be rushed so PPV providers wouldn't cut them off the satellite feed. Hopefully issues are ironed out for whatever's next for the All In crew.
- Chris Jericho took a private plane to his Fozzy concert after his surprise appearance. That was big, and I'm sure it wasn't cheap.
- The show was FITE TV's most successful wrestling PPV ever. No surprise there. This was a very big show.
- Tommy Dreamer helped put the show together.
- ROH staff handled production.
- Visitors included Scott Hall, Raven, Sean Waltman, Rich Swann, David Arquette, Macauley Culkin, and John Mayer. That's how big the event was.
- Christopher Daniels put over Stephen Amell's dedication to training. Amell absolutely put the work in for that match.
- Goldust put over his brother's big win. It was awesome to see it finally come through.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Alexa is pushed so much because she's an effective heel who does great appearances for the company, and it makes sense for her to have a number of face challengers. Carmella's pretty much already out of the picture.
2. That's interesting, because I think he works best as part of a group given his character. I'm not going to complain if they put him and Harper back together, since I don't really see either of them getting much traction separately. I guess he could try to tame Braun, as well.
3. Joe's presented as an unstable and dangerous badass rather than someone who needs every cheap advantage in the book to be able to be a top name.
4. "X-Pac Heat" comes from someone who had seen Sean Waltman in so many places and so many roles that he couldn't invest in Waltman as a character anymore. He just wanted Waltman off his screen. For comparison, see how I react to Bully Ray appearances. I'm sure some people do want the IIconics to go away. I also preferred them in NXT, but I see the idea of having them basically mirror each other and do the mean girl thing.
5. Don't worry, the Saudi government will finally give this often-neglected part of society some prominence in November. The march for male wrestler equality goes on!
More wrestling tomorrow.
The former Joey Mercury was arrested this weekend. He was involved in putting All In together, but police discovered him sleeping outside of a local hotel and discovered he had an outstanding warrant in Florida, so he was taken into custody. That's really unfortunate, given how he was going to be an important part of putting All In together. I hope everything's settled soon.
All In notes:
- The show had serious timing issues due to Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon Jr. and Marty Scurll vs. Kazuchika Okada both going significantly over their allotted times. The main event had to be rushed so PPV providers wouldn't cut them off the satellite feed. Hopefully issues are ironed out for whatever's next for the All In crew.
- Chris Jericho took a private plane to his Fozzy concert after his surprise appearance. That was big, and I'm sure it wasn't cheap.
- The show was FITE TV's most successful wrestling PPV ever. No surprise there. This was a very big show.
- Tommy Dreamer helped put the show together.
- ROH staff handled production.
- Visitors included Scott Hall, Raven, Sean Waltman, Rich Swann, David Arquette, Macauley Culkin, and John Mayer. That's how big the event was.
- Christopher Daniels put over Stephen Amell's dedication to training. Amell absolutely put the work in for that match.
- Goldust put over his brother's big win. It was awesome to see it finally come through.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Alexa is pushed so much because she's an effective heel who does great appearances for the company, and it makes sense for her to have a number of face challengers. Carmella's pretty much already out of the picture.
2. That's interesting, because I think he works best as part of a group given his character. I'm not going to complain if they put him and Harper back together, since I don't really see either of them getting much traction separately. I guess he could try to tame Braun, as well.
3. Joe's presented as an unstable and dangerous badass rather than someone who needs every cheap advantage in the book to be able to be a top name.
4. "X-Pac Heat" comes from someone who had seen Sean Waltman in so many places and so many roles that he couldn't invest in Waltman as a character anymore. He just wanted Waltman off his screen. For comparison, see how I react to Bully Ray appearances. I'm sure some people do want the IIconics to go away. I also preferred them in NXT, but I see the idea of having them basically mirror each other and do the mean girl thing.
5. Don't worry, the Saudi government will finally give this often-neglected part of society some prominence in November. The march for male wrestler equality goes on!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Network content updates, Punk on signing, new WWE trademark, WWE star launches YouTube series, Interviews with Tonga/Xia Brookside/Lana, Heyman vs. NFL team, WWE charity merch, new Cena move, Callihan almost gets promotion kicked out, Bryan praises All In, WOS on tour, CZW alumnus passes, what happened after All In, and Questions on Trump buying Raw, the NWA in 2018 and Doinks
A new "Story Time" will follow Raw this week. Jim Cornette will be part of this episode in an appearance likely filmed some time back.
C.M. Punk commented on his pre-All In autograph signing. He absolutely left a big impression on the wrestling business, helping set the stage for some of the people we see getting chances in WWE today.
Stephanie McMahon and the Hardys have WWE Network collections coming Monday.
WWE has trademarked "Work Horse Open Challenge." It will be interesting to see what that will apply to.
Aiden English has launched a YouTube show focusing on whiskey and bourbon. That's an interesting direction, but at least he's doing something to get attention outside of his WWE screen time.
Tonga Kid discussed Haku fighting Brutus Beefcake backstage. Haku is considered the biggest badass in wrestling history.
Xia Brookside discussed the Mae Young Classic. She's getting big opportunities at a young age, but she does have some experience on her side.
Paul Heyman called out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for using a similar catchphrase. Of course, there was a song called Eat Sleep Rave Repeat before Heyman used his phrase. Not that I expect Heyman to acknowledge where he got an idea!
WWE has new Connor's Cure merchandise.
Lana promoted Evolution and more. Mixed Match Challenge was a lot of fun. It was nice to see something outside the usual WWE formula. I don't expect her to face Stephanie at Evolution. I think Zelina is much more likely.
John Cena debuted a new finisher in China. Pretty funny stuff.
Sami Callihan caused a scene at a Chicago indie show, as he used some of the venue's musical equipment in a spot that led to venue management getting on the mic and telling him to stop damaging the chairs. The venue then sent security after Callihan to remove him from the venue. Sami assumed this was part of the show, and got confrontational with the guards until one threatened to shoot him. The promotion almost got kicked out of the building as a result. I don't blame the venue for being upset at the damage. Undoubtedly Sami will take the incident and run with it.
Daniel Bryan praised All In. That's bold, but it's good to see him acknowledge the amazing success of a non-WWE show drawing more than 10,000 fans in the U.S. for the first time since 1999.
UK'S WOS Wrestling has announced a tour in January and February, confirming the project will continue. That will definitely have implications for NXT UK running and the talent they keep under contract, as WWE doesn't want their contracted names jumping to that project.
Former CZW wrestler Nate Hatred recently passed away.
After All In, Cody and the Young Bucks came back to the ring with their families. Cody indicated there's "more to come," which will of course lead to speculation of another such event. It will be very interesting to see what talents will be available for a followup. WWE is definitely going to make every effort to pick up key names from the card, which I can't blame them for. If certain stars can draw 10,000 fans, WWE's going to want them on hand to draw those crowds under their banner.
For my questions on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Basically a significant number of stockholders thought it was a legitimate move and sold their shares in a panic, so WWE changed course within a week. Make your own jokes there.
Nothing to add to 2.
3. Why would Cody book himself to lose on a PPV he put together?? Corgan would similarly be nuts to have done that, given the attention All In got and Cody gets compared to Aldis.
4. It has new owners, a video series, and there's the angle of Cody winning the title his father held in front of more than 10,000 people.
5. Of course there are a lot of fake Doinks out there, too, but Apollo at least played the character on WWE TV.
More wrestling tomorrow.
C.M. Punk commented on his pre-All In autograph signing. He absolutely left a big impression on the wrestling business, helping set the stage for some of the people we see getting chances in WWE today.
Stephanie McMahon and the Hardys have WWE Network collections coming Monday.
WWE has trademarked "Work Horse Open Challenge." It will be interesting to see what that will apply to.
Aiden English has launched a YouTube show focusing on whiskey and bourbon. That's an interesting direction, but at least he's doing something to get attention outside of his WWE screen time.
Tonga Kid discussed Haku fighting Brutus Beefcake backstage. Haku is considered the biggest badass in wrestling history.
Xia Brookside discussed the Mae Young Classic. She's getting big opportunities at a young age, but she does have some experience on her side.
Paul Heyman called out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for using a similar catchphrase. Of course, there was a song called Eat Sleep Rave Repeat before Heyman used his phrase. Not that I expect Heyman to acknowledge where he got an idea!
WWE has new Connor's Cure merchandise.
Lana promoted Evolution and more. Mixed Match Challenge was a lot of fun. It was nice to see something outside the usual WWE formula. I don't expect her to face Stephanie at Evolution. I think Zelina is much more likely.
John Cena debuted a new finisher in China. Pretty funny stuff.
Sami Callihan caused a scene at a Chicago indie show, as he used some of the venue's musical equipment in a spot that led to venue management getting on the mic and telling him to stop damaging the chairs. The venue then sent security after Callihan to remove him from the venue. Sami assumed this was part of the show, and got confrontational with the guards until one threatened to shoot him. The promotion almost got kicked out of the building as a result. I don't blame the venue for being upset at the damage. Undoubtedly Sami will take the incident and run with it.
Daniel Bryan praised All In. That's bold, but it's good to see him acknowledge the amazing success of a non-WWE show drawing more than 10,000 fans in the U.S. for the first time since 1999.
UK'S WOS Wrestling has announced a tour in January and February, confirming the project will continue. That will definitely have implications for NXT UK running and the talent they keep under contract, as WWE doesn't want their contracted names jumping to that project.
Former CZW wrestler Nate Hatred recently passed away.
After All In, Cody and the Young Bucks came back to the ring with their families. Cody indicated there's "more to come," which will of course lead to speculation of another such event. It will be very interesting to see what talents will be available for a followup. WWE is definitely going to make every effort to pick up key names from the card, which I can't blame them for. If certain stars can draw 10,000 fans, WWE's going to want them on hand to draw those crowds under their banner.
For my questions on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Basically a significant number of stockholders thought it was a legitimate move and sold their shares in a panic, so WWE changed course within a week. Make your own jokes there.
Nothing to add to 2.
3. Why would Cody book himself to lose on a PPV he put together?? Corgan would similarly be nuts to have done that, given the attention All In got and Cody gets compared to Aldis.
4. It has new owners, a video series, and there's the angle of Cody winning the title his father held in front of more than 10,000 people.
5. Of course there are a lot of fake Doinks out there, too, but Apollo at least played the character on WWE TV.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Main Event Reax - 8/31/18, Interview with Owens, more on Dream/EVOLVE, Interviews with Maverick/Conrad/AJ Styles, assorted wrestling press, WWE Japan live event notes, Impact audience, and Questions on Tammy Sytch, Owens quitting, Owen in the HoF, and Chucky and Robocop in WCW
--Main Event:
- NWJ vs. Breeze:
Fine start.
I like this becoming more serious now.
Not bad at all! Both men get to shine.
- Ruby vs. Ember:
I've missed Ruby after seeing Sarah and Liv without her.
Solid enough.
Both of them can deliver.
Good, but I'm starting to think Liv and Sarah are holding Ruby back.
Kevin Owens discussed his dream WM35 opponent. That could indeed be a good feud. It's interesting Owens puts Balor ahead of Zayn on the friend scale given the history between the two Montreal natives.
Gabe Sapolsky addressed Velveteen Dream coming to EVOLVE. I kind of wish they would have kept up the kayfabe...
Drake Maverick is on Edge and Christian's latest podcast. I can't help but wish he was working with EC3 in NXT. It would be a more meaningful use for both of them.
Conrad Thompson is on Chris Jericho's latest podcast to discuss Jericho's WWF debut.
Hulk Hogan is in a music video. Pretty fitting.
Ultimate Warrior has a statue coming out from Sideshow Collectibles.
John Cena's "Ferdinand" is debuting on HBO tonight. So much for watching All In, right?
AJ Styles was on WWE's Middle Eastern studio show.
At Raw's Japan live event on August 30:
- Akira Tozawa was in a cruiserweight championship match with Cedric Alexander and Drew Gulak. Cedric retained.
- Kairi Sane teamed with Sasha Banks and Bayley to defeat The Riott Squad. Good to see her there. I'm surprised they didn't book Io Shirai, too.
Sasha Banks and Bayley toured a soccer training facility.
Impact Wrestling drew 225,000 viewers for their Redefined special, marking five straight weeks below 250,000 for the first time in series history.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I deliberately don't follow this, as it's not related to wrestling.
2. We'll see what Constable Corbin has to say about his status on Raw!
3. That chance remains very small. Martha's grudge isn't with wrestling as a whole. It's with WWE.
4. Chucky needs to enter the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame along with David Arquette.
5. I think a stuntman did. He also needs to go into the Hall of Fame! Bring the Muppets, too.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- NWJ vs. Breeze:
Fine start.
I like this becoming more serious now.
Not bad at all! Both men get to shine.
- Ruby vs. Ember:
I've missed Ruby after seeing Sarah and Liv without her.
Solid enough.
Both of them can deliver.
Good, but I'm starting to think Liv and Sarah are holding Ruby back.
Kevin Owens discussed his dream WM35 opponent. That could indeed be a good feud. It's interesting Owens puts Balor ahead of Zayn on the friend scale given the history between the two Montreal natives.
Gabe Sapolsky addressed Velveteen Dream coming to EVOLVE. I kind of wish they would have kept up the kayfabe...
Drake Maverick is on Edge and Christian's latest podcast. I can't help but wish he was working with EC3 in NXT. It would be a more meaningful use for both of them.
Conrad Thompson is on Chris Jericho's latest podcast to discuss Jericho's WWF debut.
Hulk Hogan is in a music video. Pretty fitting.
Ultimate Warrior has a statue coming out from Sideshow Collectibles.
John Cena's "Ferdinand" is debuting on HBO tonight. So much for watching All In, right?
AJ Styles was on WWE's Middle Eastern studio show.
At Raw's Japan live event on August 30:
- Akira Tozawa was in a cruiserweight championship match with Cedric Alexander and Drew Gulak. Cedric retained.
- Kairi Sane teamed with Sasha Banks and Bayley to defeat The Riott Squad. Good to see her there. I'm surprised they didn't book Io Shirai, too.
Sasha Banks and Bayley toured a soccer training facility.
Impact Wrestling drew 225,000 viewers for their Redefined special, marking five straight weeks below 250,000 for the first time in series history.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I deliberately don't follow this, as it's not related to wrestling.
2. We'll see what Constable Corbin has to say about his status on Raw!
3. That chance remains very small. Martha's grudge isn't with wrestling as a whole. It's with WWE.
4. Chucky needs to enter the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame along with David Arquette.
5. I think a stuntman did. He also needs to go into the Hall of Fame! Bring the Muppets, too.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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