The Young Bucks and Hangman Page signed with AEW, as expected (they weren't legally able to do so until January 1). These names turned down substantial money to forge their own destiny; that's bold.
Goldust commented on AEW's founding. He'd be an ideal producer for the company once he's contractually available.
Impact released the first Ultimate X match to YouTube.
"Total Bellas" is having a marathon of seasons two and three on January 13, ahead of the fourth season's debut.
Ultimo Dragon is signing at Pro Wrestling Tees on January 5.
Sunny is launching a podcast soon. I really hope that's a good move for her. Having consistent work could definitely be a help in her situation.
"Miz and Mrs" will run a marathon on USA Network January 12.
Ric Flair made a new year's resolution. He's a treasure.
Brody King is believed to have a broken jaw, but it looks like he's still expected for ROH's January 12 and January 13 shows.
ROH's January 13 Honorclub show has added:
- Bandido vs. PJ Black
- Flip Gordon vs. Tracy Williams
- Best Friends vs. Juice Robinson and David Finlay in Finlay's ROH debut.
NJPW's Katsuyori Shibata will do meet-and-greets at ROH's January 24, January 25, and January 26 Texas events.
Davey Boy Smith, Jr. has signed a multi-year deal with MLW, putting the entire Hart Foundation under contract there. MLW is really emerging as a place cultivating talent.
ROH and NWA are working together for The Crockett Cup, coming to North Carolina April 27. The event is a one night tag team tournament, and the first qualification match is at Saturday's NWA event. It makes sense for the two sides to work together, since the NWA isn't in a position to do a lot of shows on their own.
Raw drew 1.99 million viewers for a taped show on New Year's Eve.
WOW got a "first look" trailer.
Britt Baker has signed with AEW. She worked ROH's December 15 TV taping on top of some other WOH matches in recent months, so that's another talent ROH won't be able to use going forward.
The Young Bucks will also be executive vice presidents for AEW. Dana Massie, who handles Young Bucks merchandise, will be doing a similar role for AEW. Brandi Rhodes will overseen the women's division. All expected moves, more or less, but ones that are finally moving forward.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, January 3, 2019
"Mean" Gene Okerlund passes away at 76
WWE.com broke the news and recapped Okerlund's career.
The following names, among others, reacted on social media:
- Aiden English
- Alexa Bliss
- Arda Ocal
- Armando Alejandro Estrada
- Big E
- The Blue Meanie
- Bull James/Dempsey
- Bully Ray
- Brian Gewirtz
- Brandi Rhodes
- Brooklyn Brawler
- Bruce Prichard
- Byron Saxton
- Carmella
- Cathy Kelley
- Charlotte Flair
- Chavo Guerrero
- Chris Adonis/Masters
- Cody
- Corey Graves
- Curt Hawkins
- Curtis Axel - Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Damien Sandow
- Dana Brooke
- Dolph Ziggler
- Drake Maverick
- Dutch Mantell/Zeb Colter
- D-Von Dudley
- EC3
- Eric Bischoff
- Frankie Kazarian
- Gail Kim
- Gerald Brisco
- Goldust
- Hulk Hogan - Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Hurricane Helms
- Ian Riccaboni
- The Iron Sheik - Tweet 1 Tweet 2 Tweet 3
- Jack Korpela
- JBL
- Jeff Jarrett
- Jeremy Borash
- Jerry Lawler
- Jillian Hall
- Jim Ross
- Jimmy's Famous Seafood
- Justin Roberts
- Kalisto
- Kane
- Kevin Hart
- Kevin Nash
- Kevin Owens
- Kurt Angle
- Lance Storm - Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Lex Luger
- Ligero
- Lilian Garcia
- Mandy Rose
- Marcelo Rodriguez
- Matt Hardy
- Mauro Ranallo
- Michael P.S. Hayes
- Mickie James
- Mojo Rawley
- Mr. T
- Natalya
- Naomi
- NWA
- Ric Flair - Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Ricardo Rodriguez
- Rich Bocchini
- Road Dogg
- Rob Schamberger
- Rob Van Dam
- The Rock
- ROH
- Ryback
- Samoa Joe
- Santino Marella
- Sasha Banks
- Scott Stanford - Tweet 1 Tweet 2 Tweet 3
- Sean Waltman
- Seth Rollins
- Sgt. Slaughter
- Shane McMahon
- Shannon Moore
- Sheamus
- Stephanie McMahon
- Steve Austin
- Sting
- Tamina Snuka
- Taz
- Ted DiBiase
- Tegan Nox
- Titus O'Neil
- TJP
- Todd Grisham
- Tony Nese
- Tony Schiavone
- Triple H
- Tyson Kidd
- Vickie Guerrero
- Vince McMahon
- Viktor
- William Regal
- Xavier Woods
- Zach Gowen
- Zack Ryder
- Zelina Vega
The following news outlets reported his passing:
- Associated Press
- Deadline
- The Hollywood Reporter
- Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Variety
Jim Ross discussed his passing on Busted Open Radio.
Diamond Dallas Page discussed his passing on TMZ Sports.
His passing was also mentioned on Pardon the Interruption, ABC News, NBC Nightly News, and TMZ.
Okerlund was in some ways one of the voices of a generation (and not just for wrestling). He was the benchmark for correspondents in wrestling.
More wrestling coming up.
The following names, among others, reacted on social media:
- Aiden English
- Alexa Bliss
- Arda Ocal
- Armando Alejandro Estrada
- Big E
- The Blue Meanie
- Bull James/Dempsey
- Bully Ray
- Brian Gewirtz
- Brandi Rhodes
- Brooklyn Brawler
- Bruce Prichard
- Byron Saxton
- Carmella
- Cathy Kelley
- Charlotte Flair
- Chavo Guerrero
- Chris Adonis/Masters
- Cody
- Corey Graves
- Curt Hawkins
- Curtis Axel - Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Damien Sandow
- Dana Brooke
- Dolph Ziggler
- Drake Maverick
- Dutch Mantell/Zeb Colter
- D-Von Dudley
- EC3
- Eric Bischoff
- Frankie Kazarian
- Gail Kim
- Gerald Brisco
- Goldust
- Hulk Hogan - Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Hurricane Helms
- Ian Riccaboni
- The Iron Sheik - Tweet 1 Tweet 2 Tweet 3
- Jack Korpela
- JBL
- Jeff Jarrett
- Jeremy Borash
- Jerry Lawler
- Jillian Hall
- Jim Ross
- Jimmy's Famous Seafood
- Justin Roberts
- Kalisto
- Kane
- Kevin Hart
- Kevin Nash
- Kevin Owens
- Kurt Angle
- Lance Storm - Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Lex Luger
- Ligero
- Lilian Garcia
- Mandy Rose
- Marcelo Rodriguez
- Matt Hardy
- Mauro Ranallo
- Michael P.S. Hayes
- Mickie James
- Mojo Rawley
- Mr. T
- Natalya
- Naomi
- NWA
- Ric Flair - Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Ricardo Rodriguez
- Rich Bocchini
- Road Dogg
- Rob Schamberger
- Rob Van Dam
- The Rock
- ROH
- Ryback
- Samoa Joe
- Santino Marella
- Sasha Banks
- Scott Stanford - Tweet 1 Tweet 2 Tweet 3
- Sean Waltman
- Seth Rollins
- Sgt. Slaughter
- Shane McMahon
- Shannon Moore
- Sheamus
- Stephanie McMahon
- Steve Austin
- Sting
- Tamina Snuka
- Taz
- Ted DiBiase
- Tegan Nox
- Titus O'Neil
- TJP
- Todd Grisham
- Tony Nese
- Tony Schiavone
- Triple H
- Tyson Kidd
- Vickie Guerrero
- Vince McMahon
- Viktor
- William Regal
- Xavier Woods
- Zach Gowen
- Zack Ryder
- Zelina Vega
The following news outlets reported his passing:
- Associated Press
- Deadline
- The Hollywood Reporter
- Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Variety
Jim Ross discussed his passing on Busted Open Radio.
Diamond Dallas Page discussed his passing on TMZ Sports.
His passing was also mentioned on Pardon the Interruption, ABC News, NBC Nightly News, and TMZ.
Okerlund was in some ways one of the voices of a generation (and not just for wrestling). He was the benchmark for correspondents in wrestling.
More wrestling coming up.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
AEW unveiled, WWE trademark update, Goldust UK speaking tour, Gargano's EVOLVE matches, WK13 ticket milestone, CWFH milestone coming, X-Division names leave Impact, Best of WWE DVD lineup, Interview with Bayley, and Questions on MLW going too far, current stars who would have been big decades ago, Fox changing WWE, and wrestling companies using copyrighted music
All Elite Wrestling has officially been revealed, along with Double Or Nothing (believed to be "All In 2"). Cody, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page, and SoCal Uncensored are all advertised for a rally January 8 in Florida, right down the road from Smackdown Live. The Elite are very shrewd marketers. It's good to see people able to do something exciting and unique in 2019.
- NFL team owner Tony Khan is pursuing national TV deals, with the goal being to air on Tuesday nights when Smackdown Live moves to Fridays. That can definitely be a major move.
- AEW is offering multi-year deals to a number of talents who worked All In. It will be VERY intriguing to see which talents they can scoop up, and what those names signing will mean for ROH, LU, and other promotions.
- AEW and Double or Nothing T-shirts, unsurprisingly, are already on sale.
- Cody confirmed himself as Executive Vice President. He's going to be a magnet for criticism if he books himself in the spotlight, although, of course, a lot of it is his vision.
WWE was refused the Halloween Havoc trademarked since they sought to trademark the term months after someone else trademarked it. However, WWE should be able to show they own the rights to the original event. WWE was also asked to clarify the nature of the trademark. I expect they'll get rights to the term sooner rather than later.
Goldust is doing a UK/Ireland speaking tour in May. He's still under contract to WWE, but there's no update on him returning to the ring after his double knee surgery in July.
Johnny Gargano's EVOLVE matches will be:
- Johnny Gargano and AR Fox vs. Austin Theory and Josh Briggs at EVOLVE 119 January 18
- Johnny Gargano vs. Austin Theory in a non-title match at EVOLVE 120 January 19
-- Both events are in New York. Theory is getting a spotlight, I see.
NJPW announced Wrestle Kingdom 13 has sold more tickets than Wrestle Kingdom 12. That presumably bodes well for 2019 attendance.
Championship Wrestling from Hollywood is taping their 400th episode Saturday. That's a big milestone!!
DJ Z and Trevor Lee announced their Impact contracts expired. Z hadn't worked for Impact since June, so it's not a big surprise he's out the door. It's unknown what his next steps are. Lee leaving was set some time ago; he's expected to go to NXT.
WWE's Best of Raw and Smackdown Live DVD lineup was revealed.
Bayley talked in the UK. I don't see intergender wrestling happening in WWE. Male on female violence would be a tough sell.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's definitely pretty heavy. Some fans are probably excited for the MLW "Attitude Era" providing a contrast to pancakes and urine in WWE, while others see angles like that as crossing a line from being entertainment to something genuinely unnerving.
2. I think I'm out of my element with that one. It's difficult to picture how today's stars would adapt to those styles and times. I think Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, and Bobby Roode would be good for the NWA or AWA titles given their backgrounds. Heck, maybe Jinder Mahal or Rusev for WWWF Champion?
3. Fox specifically announced WWE as part of Fox Sports, and they promoted it during the NFL. I definitely think they want a "sports" direction, but they also know WWE is not the same beast as MLB or anything else. If it's anything like Impact's time on FSN, they might push for "time limits" for the matches and potentially fewer comedy skits, but that was 15 years ago for a different product, so history won't necessarily repeat itself.
4. I don't expect so. I think Fox will want WWE to fit in more with their other sports properties, but hopefully they don't change try to make it a very different product.
5. I want to say ECW mostly skirted that requirement by being under the radar and having friends in the music industry, as well as playing music over the venue's system instead of broadcasting it like sports games do, but WWF and WCW paid rights fees. It's much more cost effective and simple to compose their own tracks.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- NFL team owner Tony Khan is pursuing national TV deals, with the goal being to air on Tuesday nights when Smackdown Live moves to Fridays. That can definitely be a major move.
- AEW is offering multi-year deals to a number of talents who worked All In. It will be VERY intriguing to see which talents they can scoop up, and what those names signing will mean for ROH, LU, and other promotions.
- AEW and Double or Nothing T-shirts, unsurprisingly, are already on sale.
- Cody confirmed himself as Executive Vice President. He's going to be a magnet for criticism if he books himself in the spotlight, although, of course, a lot of it is his vision.
WWE was refused the Halloween Havoc trademarked since they sought to trademark the term months after someone else trademarked it. However, WWE should be able to show they own the rights to the original event. WWE was also asked to clarify the nature of the trademark. I expect they'll get rights to the term sooner rather than later.
Goldust is doing a UK/Ireland speaking tour in May. He's still under contract to WWE, but there's no update on him returning to the ring after his double knee surgery in July.
Johnny Gargano's EVOLVE matches will be:
- Johnny Gargano and AR Fox vs. Austin Theory and Josh Briggs at EVOLVE 119 January 18
- Johnny Gargano vs. Austin Theory in a non-title match at EVOLVE 120 January 19
-- Both events are in New York. Theory is getting a spotlight, I see.
NJPW announced Wrestle Kingdom 13 has sold more tickets than Wrestle Kingdom 12. That presumably bodes well for 2019 attendance.
Championship Wrestling from Hollywood is taping their 400th episode Saturday. That's a big milestone!!
DJ Z and Trevor Lee announced their Impact contracts expired. Z hadn't worked for Impact since June, so it's not a big surprise he's out the door. It's unknown what his next steps are. Lee leaving was set some time ago; he's expected to go to NXT.
WWE's Best of Raw and Smackdown Live DVD lineup was revealed.
Bayley talked in the UK. I don't see intergender wrestling happening in WWE. Male on female violence would be a tough sell.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's definitely pretty heavy. Some fans are probably excited for the MLW "Attitude Era" providing a contrast to pancakes and urine in WWE, while others see angles like that as crossing a line from being entertainment to something genuinely unnerving.
2. I think I'm out of my element with that one. It's difficult to picture how today's stars would adapt to those styles and times. I think Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, and Bobby Roode would be good for the NWA or AWA titles given their backgrounds. Heck, maybe Jinder Mahal or Rusev for WWWF Champion?
3. Fox specifically announced WWE as part of Fox Sports, and they promoted it during the NFL. I definitely think they want a "sports" direction, but they also know WWE is not the same beast as MLB or anything else. If it's anything like Impact's time on FSN, they might push for "time limits" for the matches and potentially fewer comedy skits, but that was 15 years ago for a different product, so history won't necessarily repeat itself.
4. I don't expect so. I think Fox will want WWE to fit in more with their other sports properties, but hopefully they don't change try to make it a very different product.
5. I want to say ECW mostly skirted that requirement by being under the radar and having friends in the music industry, as well as playing music over the venue's system instead of broadcasting it like sports games do, but WWF and WCW paid rights fees. It's much more cost effective and simple to compose their own tracks.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Power Ranger wrestling, Dragon Gate talents at Wrestlecon, new Honorclub match, indie announces weekly series, MLW signing, NXT UK names finish at PROGRESS, and Questions on AEW getting a good TV deal, Impact on a streaming service, the purpose of NXT, pushing McIntyre, and if Ronda winning removes suspense
Original "Power Rangers" actor Jason David Frank will wrestle in 2019 for a Texas indie promotion. That's AWESOME. I unironically want to see him face Stephen Amell.
Dragon Gate talents wrestling at WrestleCon's WM35 weekend event include:
- Susumu Yokosuka
- Shun Skywalker
- Eita Luchador
- Yoshino
- Big R Shimizu
-- That's going to be a special event to keep track of.
ROH's January 13 Honorclub event has added:
- Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, PCO, and Brody King) vs. The Briscoes and Silas Young. This is advertised as the faction's in-ring debut ahead of a match taped at ROH's post-Final Battle TV taping. It certainly looks like PCO and King are poised to immediately be important.
Beyond Wrestling will stream a live weekly series on IndependentWrestling.TV beginning April 3. That's a big move!
MLW has signed Gringo Loco. That's an amazing ring name.
NXT UK's Pete Dunne and Ligero finished their indie appearances ahead of becoming full-time WWE talents.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. This will be addressed in greater detail with tomorrow's news post. It will be an uphill battle, but I think they might have something up their sleeves.
2. Yeah, Impact doesn't make that call. If one of those places was interested, Impact would have jumped on it by now. Twitch is potentially a possibility, but Impact would definitely prefer to stay on TV. If they leave TV, I don't see them getting to come back.
3. I continue to make the argument that if "developmental" isn't creating talents WWE can use effectively, it's on them. I say that as someone who loves NXT and thinks they're doing great things. But if an NFL team's training camp isn't creating players that fit with what the owners want for their team, despite knowing full well what roles that team is looking for, they can hardly blame the owners!
- Furthermore, developmental has always been about developing people for the entire card. Only a set number of people in any roster can be main event stars, just as only a set number of football players can be the quarterback or in other key positions. Developmental needs to make main eventers, of course, but they also need to make solid undercard names to supplement those main eventers.
4. I think they're turning the corner on Drew. I don't know if he'll beat Brock (I certainly don't see it happening at WrestleMania), but I think things are looking up for him.
5. It shouldn't. Everyone watching "Titanic" knew the ship was going to hit the iceberg. You get the idea.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Dragon Gate talents wrestling at WrestleCon's WM35 weekend event include:
- Susumu Yokosuka
- Shun Skywalker
- Eita Luchador
- Yoshino
- Big R Shimizu
-- That's going to be a special event to keep track of.
ROH's January 13 Honorclub event has added:
- Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, PCO, and Brody King) vs. The Briscoes and Silas Young. This is advertised as the faction's in-ring debut ahead of a match taped at ROH's post-Final Battle TV taping. It certainly looks like PCO and King are poised to immediately be important.
Beyond Wrestling will stream a live weekly series on IndependentWrestling.TV beginning April 3. That's a big move!
MLW has signed Gringo Loco. That's an amazing ring name.
NXT UK's Pete Dunne and Ligero finished their indie appearances ahead of becoming full-time WWE talents.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. This will be addressed in greater detail with tomorrow's news post. It will be an uphill battle, but I think they might have something up their sleeves.
2. Yeah, Impact doesn't make that call. If one of those places was interested, Impact would have jumped on it by now. Twitch is potentially a possibility, but Impact would definitely prefer to stay on TV. If they leave TV, I don't see them getting to come back.
3. I continue to make the argument that if "developmental" isn't creating talents WWE can use effectively, it's on them. I say that as someone who loves NXT and thinks they're doing great things. But if an NFL team's training camp isn't creating players that fit with what the owners want for their team, despite knowing full well what roles that team is looking for, they can hardly blame the owners!
- Furthermore, developmental has always been about developing people for the entire card. Only a set number of people in any roster can be main event stars, just as only a set number of football players can be the quarterback or in other key positions. Developmental needs to make main eventers, of course, but they also need to make solid undercard names to supplement those main eventers.
4. I think they're turning the corner on Drew. I don't know if he'll beat Brock (I certainly don't see it happening at WrestleMania), but I think things are looking up for him.
5. It shouldn't. Everyone watching "Titanic" knew the ship was going to hit the iceberg. You get the idea.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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