Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT and ROH.
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
SDL live event note, NJPW name done, another WM35 title match teased, Impact execs at AAA MSG conference, UWS notes, Interviews with Natalya/NXT UK stars, names in town for Mania, Miz reality show renewed, WM35 week notes, Raw audience, assorted wrestling press, Rey injured, WWEPC recruiting football players, SDL dark match, Gallows trademark initially refused, ROH signs first developmental talents, and Questions on Becky losing, Taker's in-ring future, and why Batista came back
Smackdown Live's Monday night live event was Zelina Vega's first match since the Royal Rumble, and her first live event since January 7. Vega lost to Carmella Monday night.
NJPW's Michael Elgin has left the company, as his contract has expired. I'm very curious what he does next at 32 years old.
The Revival have been challenged for their Raw Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania by Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, who are local to the site of the event. I mean, yeah, how many talents would even be around after 269 straight losses, much less asking for title matches?
Impact executives will be at AAA's Madison Square Garden press conference, which suggests the two sides could work together for that show. It would definitely be a major milestone for Impact.
Rob Van Dam is doing a meet-and-greet before United We Stand.
United We Stand will have a pre-show on FITE, with KM and Fallah Bahh competing in a tag match.
Natalya was on Busted Open Radio to discuss Ronda Rousey and the Hart Foundation.
Eve Torres, Bray Wyatt, and Kane are in town for WrestleMania, so we could see Bray pop up on Raw or Smackdown Live.
"Miz and Mrs" will have a 20-episode second season. The show is currently airing the final 14 episodes of season one. That's big for the couple and for WWE.
- Maryse was backstage at Smackdown Live.
WrestleMania week's schedule was promoted by WWE.
Raw drew 2.64 million viewers, slightly up from last week.
WWE posted guidelines for WrestleMania AXXESS.
Johnny Gargano is doing a Reddit AMA before Takeover. That's pretty cool.
WWE has been nominated for and honored with a number of Webby Awards.
Drew McIntyre, Mickie James, and Curt Hawkins will be at the New York Mets' WWE Day VIP appearance.
NXT UK's Eddie Dennis and Xia Brookside are on the "17 Questions" podcast.
Rey Mysterio was pulled from wrestling on Smackdown Live due to an ankle injury. It's unknown if he'll be able to work WrestleMania or what the backup plan is if he isn't cleared.
WWE is offering two AAF players opportunities at an upcoming tryout. That's clever!
Before Smackdown Live, Lacey Evans defeated Nikki Cross. Lacey does wrestle, just not often on TV.
Bray Wyatt is advertised for the Puerto Rico Comic Con on May 17.
WWE has applied to trademark "RKO" for clothing and toy purposes.
Luke Gallows' attempted "Doc Gallows" trademark has been given initial refusal due to confusion with WWE's trademark of his current ring name. I'm curious what name he'll use post-WWE if he can't get that name approved.
The ROH Dojo has signed Moses Maddox and Jasper Kaun as their first developmental talents. That's a great investment for ROH's future.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. After so many Brock wins, I wouldn't put it past Vince!
2. He's expected to work the next Saudi Arabian show in May, which could always be a squash of an up-and-coming heel if he doesn't feel up to working a long match (yay). As for any appearances after that, I assume it's a case-by-case basis. If it's a big enough show and payday, he'll consider it, but obviously his body isn't what it used to be.
3. He wants a better/bigger ending than how his 2014 run wrapped up. AND this way he can end Triple H's career!
4. I don't know enough about the situation to comment.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
NJPW's Michael Elgin has left the company, as his contract has expired. I'm very curious what he does next at 32 years old.
The Revival have been challenged for their Raw Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania by Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, who are local to the site of the event. I mean, yeah, how many talents would even be around after 269 straight losses, much less asking for title matches?
Impact executives will be at AAA's Madison Square Garden press conference, which suggests the two sides could work together for that show. It would definitely be a major milestone for Impact.
Rob Van Dam is doing a meet-and-greet before United We Stand.
United We Stand will have a pre-show on FITE, with KM and Fallah Bahh competing in a tag match.
Natalya was on Busted Open Radio to discuss Ronda Rousey and the Hart Foundation.
Eve Torres, Bray Wyatt, and Kane are in town for WrestleMania, so we could see Bray pop up on Raw or Smackdown Live.
"Miz and Mrs" will have a 20-episode second season. The show is currently airing the final 14 episodes of season one. That's big for the couple and for WWE.
- Maryse was backstage at Smackdown Live.
WrestleMania week's schedule was promoted by WWE.
Raw drew 2.64 million viewers, slightly up from last week.
WWE posted guidelines for WrestleMania AXXESS.
Johnny Gargano is doing a Reddit AMA before Takeover. That's pretty cool.
WWE has been nominated for and honored with a number of Webby Awards.
Drew McIntyre, Mickie James, and Curt Hawkins will be at the New York Mets' WWE Day VIP appearance.
NXT UK's Eddie Dennis and Xia Brookside are on the "17 Questions" podcast.
Rey Mysterio was pulled from wrestling on Smackdown Live due to an ankle injury. It's unknown if he'll be able to work WrestleMania or what the backup plan is if he isn't cleared.
WWE is offering two AAF players opportunities at an upcoming tryout. That's clever!
Before Smackdown Live, Lacey Evans defeated Nikki Cross. Lacey does wrestle, just not often on TV.
Bray Wyatt is advertised for the Puerto Rico Comic Con on May 17.
WWE has applied to trademark "RKO" for clothing and toy purposes.
Luke Gallows' attempted "Doc Gallows" trademark has been given initial refusal due to confusion with WWE's trademark of his current ring name. I'm curious what name he'll use post-WWE if he can't get that name approved.
The ROH Dojo has signed Moses Maddox and Jasper Kaun as their first developmental talents. That's a great investment for ROH's future.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. After so many Brock wins, I wouldn't put it past Vince!
2. He's expected to work the next Saudi Arabian show in May, which could always be a squash of an up-and-coming heel if he doesn't feel up to working a long match (yay). As for any appearances after that, I assume it's a case-by-case basis. If it's a big enough show and payday, he'll consider it, but obviously his body isn't what it used to be.
3. He wants a better/bigger ending than how his 2014 run wrapped up. AND this way he can end Triple H's career!
4. I don't know enough about the situation to comment.
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown Live and 205 Live Reax - 4/2/19
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown Live and 205 Live.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
New wrestler music, assorted WM35 weekend press, new X-Division Title match for UWS, Ciampa discusses injury, ROH name re-signs, Supercard pre-show airing notice, LWT-WWE fallout, wrestling book notes, final WWE HoFer announced, NXT star working Booker T's promotion, Ronda teases future, AEW supports autism, MJF at six, Noam update, Interview with Ricochet, ND wrestling school opens, Roman shirt raising money, UUDD joins streaming site, Flair lawsuit settling soon, Cena done filming, Raw ending followup, Strickland's last indie date set, and Questions on Ronda retaining before losing on Raw, multiple-time HoFers, AEW not being at WM weekend, Angle vs. Bryan, and a GotG WM entrance
Some miscellaneous stories of lesser importance and WrestleMania week hype interviews have been skipped in the interest of space.
Jeff Hardy has released a new album called "Indviduals."
WWE 2K19's Million Dollar Challenge will take place Friday.
Sasha Banks and New Day are getting limited edition sneakers from Foot Locker.
Bruce Prichard will have lunch with a random VIP ticket holder at 80s Wrestling Con this weekend.
United We Stand will feature Rich Swann vs. Flamita for the X-Division Championship. Dragon Gate's YAMATO was originally going to challenge Swann, but visa issues are preventing him from attending that weekend. That's a big opportunity for Flamita.
Tommaso Ciampa discussed his injury status. He's going to do anything in his power to get back in the ring and succeed at the highest level. I hope he's able to do that without ending up in a terrible predicament once his wrestling days are over.
ROH has signed Kenny King to a two-year deal. He's got the charisma to be an important player there. I hope he's able to be successful considering he's not going to be able to head elsewhere until 2021.
G1 Supercard's pre-show will stream for free on Facebook, FITE, NJPW World, and PPV providers. The Honor Rumble will be shown there.
Last Week Tonight's WWE episode drew comments from:
- Lance Storm
- Jim Cornette
- Hangman Page: Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Chavo Guerrero
- Alex Reyes
- Paul London: Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Gail Kim
- Colt Cabana
- Vito, whose CTE claims were found to be without merit
- C.M. Punk, whose tweet contains profanity but references the tweet highlighted on the episode.
-- The episode got press from Deadline Hollywood, The Huffington Post, Time, Newsweek, and The Hollywood Reporter among others.
-- WWE issued a statement about the episode, inviting the show's host to attend WrestleMania. It would be good for the sides to meet and discuss the issues brought up. And it would make for great TV!
Vader's autobiography is now available for pre-order.
Tracy Smothers has an autobiography coming soon.
Drew McIntyre promoted Raw.
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake was announced for the WWE Hall of Fame.
NXT's Kassius Ohno will compete at Booker T.'s Reality of Wrestling on April 13. I'm glad he's getting to do that role inside and outside of WWE.
Ronda Rousey released an April Fools' video. She has an interesting sense of humor.
AEW released an autism awareness shirt to promote Kulture City. Wow. That's really cool.
MJF's appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show at six years old was found. That's incredible! He's someone to keep an eye on.
Alicia Fox is advertised for AXXESS after being off the road since February 10.
Alexa Bliss' WrestleMania store appearance on April 8 is being replaced with Adam Cole. He could be NXT Champion then!
Noam Dar recently had a knee sprain and bone bruise, but doesn't expect to miss much time. He's very entertaining. I hope he's working on a bigger stage before too much longer.
Ricochet is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
Pat Tanaka has opened a wrestling school in North Dakota in combination with a local boxing outlet. I hope that's a success for him and for his trainees.
Roman Reigns' T-shirt sales will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Glad to see him helping out others affected.
Xavier Woods' UpUpDownDown is now available on streaming site Caffeine.
Ric Flair and Charlotte Flair's lawsuit over "Second Nature" will be settled shortly as all parties have agreed to resolve the dispute. I'm glad that didn't get drawn out.
John Cena has finished filming his latest movie, which is due to be released March 20, 2020. Naturally this is going to lead to further talk of him working WrestleMania.
- Cena is in the area for WrestleMania, having left filming in British Columbia.
WWE reported Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch were released from jail after being arrested on Raw. Wow. WWE really must have pulled from strings after all they did on Raw!
Mickie James has released a new country music single.
Shane Strickland's final indie appearance will be at a Pro Wrestling Revolver event at WrestleCon. So he'll be nearby if he "has a ticket for Takeover."
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I would be REALLY surprised if they threw away the main event of WrestleMania like that. I feel like that would be a flat ending to a major storyline, just for the sake of throwing fans off for 24 hours and giving another major win to someone who is presumably leaving the company.
2. Obviously Booker T. should be a FIVE-TIME Hall of Famer. Other than that, I expect an Evolution induction at some point, so that's another one for Triple H and Ric Flair. We'll see what other changes the Hall of Fame brings - I could see WWE inducting rivalries and/or key matches down the line, which could bring quite a few more awards for certain wrestlers.
3. AEW is very deliberately avoiding WrestleMania weekend. With so much else going on then, they don't have the spotlight they'll have at Double or Nothing. Now, if G1 Supercard wasn't in Madison Square Garden, they might feel differently, but there's no changing that.
4. It didn't really make any sense for their paths to cross, unfortunately. Ideally they would have planned Angle's final run out from November or December, but that didn't happen.
5. I don't expect it, since Batista's working as a heel. Maybe something Dune-related, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Jeff Hardy has released a new album called "Indviduals."
WWE 2K19's Million Dollar Challenge will take place Friday.
Sasha Banks and New Day are getting limited edition sneakers from Foot Locker.
Bruce Prichard will have lunch with a random VIP ticket holder at 80s Wrestling Con this weekend.
United We Stand will feature Rich Swann vs. Flamita for the X-Division Championship. Dragon Gate's YAMATO was originally going to challenge Swann, but visa issues are preventing him from attending that weekend. That's a big opportunity for Flamita.
Tommaso Ciampa discussed his injury status. He's going to do anything in his power to get back in the ring and succeed at the highest level. I hope he's able to do that without ending up in a terrible predicament once his wrestling days are over.
ROH has signed Kenny King to a two-year deal. He's got the charisma to be an important player there. I hope he's able to be successful considering he's not going to be able to head elsewhere until 2021.
G1 Supercard's pre-show will stream for free on Facebook, FITE, NJPW World, and PPV providers. The Honor Rumble will be shown there.
Last Week Tonight's WWE episode drew comments from:
- Lance Storm
- Jim Cornette
- Hangman Page: Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Chavo Guerrero
- Alex Reyes
- Paul London: Tweet 1 Tweet 2
- Gail Kim
- Colt Cabana
- Vito, whose CTE claims were found to be without merit
- C.M. Punk, whose tweet contains profanity but references the tweet highlighted on the episode.
-- The episode got press from Deadline Hollywood, The Huffington Post, Time, Newsweek, and The Hollywood Reporter among others.
-- WWE issued a statement about the episode, inviting the show's host to attend WrestleMania. It would be good for the sides to meet and discuss the issues brought up. And it would make for great TV!
Vader's autobiography is now available for pre-order.
Tracy Smothers has an autobiography coming soon.
Drew McIntyre promoted Raw.
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake was announced for the WWE Hall of Fame.
NXT's Kassius Ohno will compete at Booker T.'s Reality of Wrestling on April 13. I'm glad he's getting to do that role inside and outside of WWE.
Ronda Rousey released an April Fools' video. She has an interesting sense of humor.
AEW released an autism awareness shirt to promote Kulture City. Wow. That's really cool.
MJF's appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show at six years old was found. That's incredible! He's someone to keep an eye on.
Alicia Fox is advertised for AXXESS after being off the road since February 10.
Alexa Bliss' WrestleMania store appearance on April 8 is being replaced with Adam Cole. He could be NXT Champion then!
Noam Dar recently had a knee sprain and bone bruise, but doesn't expect to miss much time. He's very entertaining. I hope he's working on a bigger stage before too much longer.
Ricochet is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.
Pat Tanaka has opened a wrestling school in North Dakota in combination with a local boxing outlet. I hope that's a success for him and for his trainees.
Roman Reigns' T-shirt sales will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Glad to see him helping out others affected.
Xavier Woods' UpUpDownDown is now available on streaming site Caffeine.
Ric Flair and Charlotte Flair's lawsuit over "Second Nature" will be settled shortly as all parties have agreed to resolve the dispute. I'm glad that didn't get drawn out.
John Cena has finished filming his latest movie, which is due to be released March 20, 2020. Naturally this is going to lead to further talk of him working WrestleMania.
- Cena is in the area for WrestleMania, having left filming in British Columbia.
WWE reported Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch were released from jail after being arrested on Raw. Wow. WWE really must have pulled from strings after all they did on Raw!
Mickie James has released a new country music single.
Shane Strickland's final indie appearance will be at a Pro Wrestling Revolver event at WrestleCon. So he'll be nearby if he "has a ticket for Takeover."
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I would be REALLY surprised if they threw away the main event of WrestleMania like that. I feel like that would be a flat ending to a major storyline, just for the sake of throwing fans off for 24 hours and giving another major win to someone who is presumably leaving the company.
2. Obviously Booker T. should be a FIVE-TIME Hall of Famer. Other than that, I expect an Evolution induction at some point, so that's another one for Triple H and Ric Flair. We'll see what other changes the Hall of Fame brings - I could see WWE inducting rivalries and/or key matches down the line, which could bring quite a few more awards for certain wrestlers.
3. AEW is very deliberately avoiding WrestleMania weekend. With so much else going on then, they don't have the spotlight they'll have at Double or Nothing. Now, if G1 Supercard wasn't in Madison Square Garden, they might feel differently, but there's no changing that.
4. It didn't really make any sense for their paths to cross, unfortunately. Ideally they would have planned Angle's final run out from November or December, but that didn't happen.
5. I don't expect it, since Batista's working as a heel. Maybe something Dune-related, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, April 1, 2019
WWE YouTube series on the Network, WWE stock profiled, SDL segments set, another unhappy WWE name, WOH name now a free agent, HBO show targets WWE, and Questions on Batista staying after WM35, Kofi beating Bryan, making Mania two nights, Vince caring about ratings, and Asuka's title match being dropped
"Talking Snack" has been added to WWE Network.
NASDAQ put over WWE stock.
Smackdown Live will feature a contract signing for the WWE Championship match between Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston. We'll see if any stipulations get slipped into that contract. I'd be surprised if it's a straightforward singles match!
- Also set for Smackdown Live are The KO Show with AJ Styles and Randy Orton as well as a match between Rey Mysterio and Andrade. Surprisingly Kevin Owens isn't announced for anything for Sunday yet.
Tyler Breeze teased discontent with his current WWE status. Hopefully if WWE can't fully use some of their talent, they find other places that can showcase them appropriately. It's definitely time for more of a "youth movement" in WWE and for unsung heroes to be lauded more. As for Breeze specifically, he would add some much needed flavor to 205 Live.
Tennille Dashwood indicated she is now a free agent. ROH still has her listed as part of the company, so we'll see if she competes there again.
HBO's "Last Week Tonight" covered WWE. Due to the language used, I'm not linking it here, but it was an in-depth discussion of the company and its practices:
- I do think WWE has cleaned up its act a lot in response to wrestler deaths.
- At Bundy's size, I don't know if 61 was that young for him to pass. Certainly I wish he lived a longer, healthier life, though.
- Yes, that's definitely an alarming trend of young deaths. I hope it's improved with the Wellness Policy and helping former talents with rehab and such.
- I know some people are going to fuss about WWE "being a monopoly" but certainly from a mainstream perspective that's largely true.
- OK, those Vince examples were all quite old. We don't really see that kind of thing now.
- The Vince/Cena angle was more "old out of touch white guy" than "racist villain."
- Vince hasn't been much of an active character in years.
- Bret Hart acting like Vince didn't pay him millions of dollars in a job he knew he was going to take physicality in.
- OK, Owen died in a failed stunt, not because of years of in-ring abuse.
- WWE is going to argue WWE stars can appear elsewhere on other dates if they pay what WWE would pay for them.
- Imagine health insurers having to cover wrestlers. They'd freak!
- There is something to the idea of contractors vs. employees.
- I'm disappointed Oliver didn't use WWE's Union.
- Some names are now getting to take more dates off, which is a step in the right direction.
- Also they're totally live events now, not house shows!
- When was the last time they fired someone for being injured six weeks? In their current financial situation, WWE is taking care of their hurt performers.
- Oh wow. WWE not being on the hook for deaths and injuries they cause is definitely a problem.
- There is ABSOLUTELY a big problem with talents working when they shouldn't be working in order to protect their spot, but I think that's also improved in recent years.
- Punk really went through some awful times at the end of his run.
- That Vince interview was definitely awful.
- Oliver certainly has a point about why talents need painkillers in the first place.
- YES. A lot of talents are stuck wrestling when they shouldn't be because of poor money skills. I think that's improved in recent years, too.
- Now more wrestlers are getting to be coaches, producers, etc., which keeps them employed without taking bumps.
- Wrestling angles used to be a lot more rowdy.
- I'm glad WWE is getting credit for what they've improved on.
- I think by the time Roman ended Taker's streak, they were embracing how much he was hated and were capitalizing on how much of a reaction he was getting.
- I'd argue the crowdfunding for surgery and funerals thing is a bigger problem than wrestling. But, yes, insurance would be great. As much money as WWE is making with those new TV deals, it would seem feasible now, no?
- I don't really expect fans to chant "health insurance" but maybe there's something else they can do?
- I don't know how realistic it is to get wrestlers' death rates close to average given what they do for a living, but improvement can definitely be made.
- This is definitely a conversation-starter. More on the fallout tomorrow.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'd think he'd be pretty occupied with "Dune," but that's an intriguing idea. Ultimately I feel like he just wants to have one last match with someone who meant a lot to his career before retiring, but you never know.
2. As much as I love Bryan's current reign, this could be their one chance to make Kofi a star. Bryan should be fine without the title, at least for now.
3. I'd love to see it. They can do Takeover on Thursday and turn Friday's Smackdown Live into the Hall of Fame broadcast. Or, honestly, they could put the HoF on hold for a few years. They're running low on inductees.
4. Yes, inasmuch as TV networks and advertisers care.
5.a. No. It was just a case of the triple threat being more prominent than an Asuka/Mandy rematch and WrestleMania already being very full.
b. I doubt it. Even if they're not going to push her, she's someone who has a following and can work with just about anyone. I don't expect a Spring Cleaning, but if they do have one, I'd be very surprised to see her on the list ahead of people who have been there longer and are doing less.
More wrestling tomorrow.
NASDAQ put over WWE stock.
Smackdown Live will feature a contract signing for the WWE Championship match between Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston. We'll see if any stipulations get slipped into that contract. I'd be surprised if it's a straightforward singles match!
- Also set for Smackdown Live are The KO Show with AJ Styles and Randy Orton as well as a match between Rey Mysterio and Andrade. Surprisingly Kevin Owens isn't announced for anything for Sunday yet.
Tyler Breeze teased discontent with his current WWE status. Hopefully if WWE can't fully use some of their talent, they find other places that can showcase them appropriately. It's definitely time for more of a "youth movement" in WWE and for unsung heroes to be lauded more. As for Breeze specifically, he would add some much needed flavor to 205 Live.
Tennille Dashwood indicated she is now a free agent. ROH still has her listed as part of the company, so we'll see if she competes there again.
HBO's "Last Week Tonight" covered WWE. Due to the language used, I'm not linking it here, but it was an in-depth discussion of the company and its practices:
- I do think WWE has cleaned up its act a lot in response to wrestler deaths.
- At Bundy's size, I don't know if 61 was that young for him to pass. Certainly I wish he lived a longer, healthier life, though.
- Yes, that's definitely an alarming trend of young deaths. I hope it's improved with the Wellness Policy and helping former talents with rehab and such.
- I know some people are going to fuss about WWE "being a monopoly" but certainly from a mainstream perspective that's largely true.
- OK, those Vince examples were all quite old. We don't really see that kind of thing now.
- The Vince/Cena angle was more "old out of touch white guy" than "racist villain."
- Vince hasn't been much of an active character in years.
- Bret Hart acting like Vince didn't pay him millions of dollars in a job he knew he was going to take physicality in.
- OK, Owen died in a failed stunt, not because of years of in-ring abuse.
- WWE is going to argue WWE stars can appear elsewhere on other dates if they pay what WWE would pay for them.
- Imagine health insurers having to cover wrestlers. They'd freak!
- There is something to the idea of contractors vs. employees.
- I'm disappointed Oliver didn't use WWE's Union.
- Some names are now getting to take more dates off, which is a step in the right direction.
- Also they're totally live events now, not house shows!
- When was the last time they fired someone for being injured six weeks? In their current financial situation, WWE is taking care of their hurt performers.
- Oh wow. WWE not being on the hook for deaths and injuries they cause is definitely a problem.
- There is ABSOLUTELY a big problem with talents working when they shouldn't be working in order to protect their spot, but I think that's also improved in recent years.
- Punk really went through some awful times at the end of his run.
- That Vince interview was definitely awful.
- Oliver certainly has a point about why talents need painkillers in the first place.
- YES. A lot of talents are stuck wrestling when they shouldn't be because of poor money skills. I think that's improved in recent years, too.
- Now more wrestlers are getting to be coaches, producers, etc., which keeps them employed without taking bumps.
- Wrestling angles used to be a lot more rowdy.
- I'm glad WWE is getting credit for what they've improved on.
- I think by the time Roman ended Taker's streak, they were embracing how much he was hated and were capitalizing on how much of a reaction he was getting.
- I'd argue the crowdfunding for surgery and funerals thing is a bigger problem than wrestling. But, yes, insurance would be great. As much money as WWE is making with those new TV deals, it would seem feasible now, no?
- I don't really expect fans to chant "health insurance" but maybe there's something else they can do?
- I don't know how realistic it is to get wrestlers' death rates close to average given what they do for a living, but improvement can definitely be made.
- This is definitely a conversation-starter. More on the fallout tomorrow.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'd think he'd be pretty occupied with "Dune," but that's an intriguing idea. Ultimately I feel like he just wants to have one last match with someone who meant a lot to his career before retiring, but you never know.
2. As much as I love Bryan's current reign, this could be their one chance to make Kofi a star. Bryan should be fine without the title, at least for now.
3. I'd love to see it. They can do Takeover on Thursday and turn Friday's Smackdown Live into the Hall of Fame broadcast. Or, honestly, they could put the HoF on hold for a few years. They're running low on inductees.
4. Yes, inasmuch as TV networks and advertisers care.
5.a. No. It was just a case of the triple threat being more prominent than an Asuka/Mandy rematch and WrestleMania already being very full.
b. I doubt it. Even if they're not going to push her, she's someone who has a following and can work with just about anyone. I don't expect a Spring Cleaning, but if they do have one, I'd be very surprised to see her on the list ahead of people who have been there longer and are doing less.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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