Interviews with Kofi/Dennis/Booker/Paige/HHH/Punk/Khan/Aubrey, new Atout series, MLW signs female star, Dynamite UK broadcast change, Natalya trains with top NXT woman, a lot of wrestling press, Impact tapings set, AEW Countdown audience, AEW+NXT dark matches, Hogan appearance, WWEPC guest coach, politician praises AEW, AEW backstage guest, Jericho set for WK14, Cole injury note, Network documentary coming, and Questions on choosing which show to watch when, AEW star comments, and AEW W-L records

Kofi Kingston spoke to ESPN about his shoes. Seriously.

NXT UK's Eddie Dennis promoted this weekend's shows.

Kofi Kingston's First Things First appearance was uploaded.

Booker T. talked about working with Christian and John Cena.

Alicia Atout has a new Highspots Wrestling Network interview series. I'm surprised she's not signed somewhere.

MLW has signed former NXT star Zeda Zhang to a multi-year deal as the first part of launching a women's division. I'm curious who else will be recruited there; there are only so many free agents who can be picked up.

Paige spoke to IMDB to promote Smackdown Live.

Dynamite in the UK will now air on the ITV Hub app starting Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. Tony Khan and AEW fans made their voices heard for that move.

Natalya trained with Shayna Baszler at the WWE Performance Center. That's cool. Glad she's still dedicated to improving her work.

WWE has a superstar Instagram filter to promote Friday Night Smackdown. We live in strange times!

Triple H discussed AEW and more with Sports Illustrated. A lot of talented people are getting really big opportunities as a result of the AEW-NXT battle. And it's really wild to think Vince supports a product that's so different from what he does on WWE's other televised shows.

C.M. Punk spoke to Collider Live. Him being an analyst on a WWE show but not being under WWE contract is a really, really intriguing idea.

Triple H did a media conference call before NXT, recapped here:
- I definitely see the mindset of not doing, stylistically, two more hours of Raw or Smackdown.

- Why wouldn't they want to try to sell stadiums and get radio airplay keeping the style they have now? Other than potentially losing the "indie" appeal, that is.

- I REALLY wonder what NXT's status would be without the AEW-TNT deal happening.

- I'm sure the logistics at Full Sail are very intriguing.

- Building the next generation of behind-the-scenes crew is very important, too.

- I wonder where their backup building is.

Impact TV tapings are set for New York on November 7 and November 8.

AEW's Countdown special drew 631,000 viewers. That's really good for a show with no matches.

- AEW uploaded the show online.

Before Dynamite, Darby Allin defeated CIMA. Allin worked face.

Hulk Hogan will appear on FS1's The Herd tomorrow.

Variety covered this week's TV landscape. I'm very glad to see this level of coverage and excitement about wrestling!

Shannon Moore was a WWE Performance Center guest coach this week. Great use for him.

Macaulay Culkin narrated a video about The Rock and term Smackdown.

Presidential candidate Andrew Yang praised AEW. Again, we're in some very crazy times.

At Dynamite, Karissa Rivera was backstage. So she could be joining the women's division there.

Dynamite's debut was covered by the Los Angeles Times. It really, really sold the significance of the show and the journey to get there.

Vulture covered Dynamite's debut and Impact's shift to AXS.

The New York Post covered Dynamite's debut. AEW is working toward a clear vision.

Tony Khan had a long interview with PWTorch.

AEW referee Aubrey Edwards spoke to Chris Van Vliet.

Wrestle Kingdom 14 has announced Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi. Now that's a major match.

Before NXT:
- Rinku Singh and Saurav Gurjar defeated two local talents
- Isaiah Scott defeated Dexter Lumis

Adam Cole is working through a fractured wrist. I hope he's not making it worse by continuing to wrestle.

Tommaso Ciampa will be the subject of a WWE Network documentary later this month.

After Dynamite:
- The Lucha Bros, Jack Evans, and Angelico defeated The Best Friends and Private Party
- Britt Baker and Allie defeated Bea Priestley and Penelope Ford
- SCU defeated The Jurassic Express

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. AEW ended first, so I covered it first. I do everything chronologically here. Assuming they air for  the same amount of time next week, I'll do NXT first because they had the timeslot before AEW did.

2. It's valid to be turned off by the direction Omega took, especially since it doesn't look like his TV character is following his "online character." It's an interesting direction, to be sure. As for Nyla's situation, she apologized for what she said. I don't think it's out of the question for AEW to institute a policy about what can't/shouldn't be said in those kinds of situation, but right now it feels like Khan's kind of letting the talent do what they want to do. As long as that approach brings in money, he'll probably keep doing it.

3. They actually addressed this, saying Cody would lose that opportunity if he lost to Guevara. And he probably won't be wrestling every week, but I see the point. They've got an interesting balancing act on their hands with hyping things in advance but treating every win and loss as important.

4. I can't speak to what Dave did and didn't hear from that Omega interview, but to me it was pretty clear from the whole clip it was a work. That said, it does feel like AEW people are trying to play multiple conflicting roles at once at times.

5. Not actually a question, but I agree with the notion that the competition is between the businesses rather than the employees. And Omega seems to be going for some kind of a "meta" work, i.e. working the "smart" fans, journalists, etc.. It's an odd approach, to be sure.

More wrestling tomorrow.

NXT Reax - 10/2/19

Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT.

Dynamite Reax - 10/2/19

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Dynamite.

Main Event and ROH Reax - 10/2/19

Read on for my thoughts on the most recent Main Event and ROH.

Interviews with Sonya/Becky/Booker/WWE comic writers/Stephanie/Nordholm/Punk, WWE prop mishap, Raw cameo, Ringside Fest guests, more NWA names, NXT gets overrun, SD special audience, rapper on NXT, NXT name joins Twitter, Roman reads Internet comments, Raw audience, NXT surgery update, Anthem toasts AXS debut, WWE playlists, TLC venue set, Bandido update, AEW signs ROH commentator, AEW meet and greet, NJPW U.S. show getting English commentary, Morrison joins wrestling game, Dynamite Canada airing updates, and Questions on Rey's in-ring future, Murphy disappearing, Jericho's availability, why AAA ran MSG, and New Japan World apps

Sonya Deville discussed joining "Total Divas" and more.

Becky Lynch spoke at the Global Citizen Festival.

Booker T. discussed coming up with the Harlem Hangover. It's a pretty cool move!

King Corbin's throne broke on Raw as Corbin went to sit in it. Yeah that's not good. It would have been a clever impromptu storyline, though.

Brock Lesnar's victim on Raw was new WWE producer Pat Buck.

Smackdown's comic writers were interviewed. A 24/7 Title comic would be a lot of fun, honestly.

Stephanie McMahon's First Things First appearance was uploaded. Sounds like it's just a few years before we see her oldest daughter on WWE TV.

Impact's Ed Nordholm spoke to PWInsider:
- Oooooh. Interesting words about Sullivan's departure.

- Cool to see the former names returning to production.

- Way too early to assume AXS is dropping NJPW and WOW.

- I mean if Impact doesn't want talent discussing unfavorable conditions, they shouldn't put talents in those positions.

- Looks like no more Impact on Pursuit.

- The product has been well received since D'Amore and Callis came aboard.

Ringside Fest 2019 on November 3 in New York will feature Seth Rollins, Jeff Hardy, Sasha Banks, and Ricochet.

NWA's TV tapings this week featured, among others, Caleb Konley, Homicide, Aron Stevens (formerly Damien Sandow), Trevor Murdoch, and Ken Anderson. Billy Corgan addressed the crowd at the first taping.

NXT will go until 10:15 p.m. EST this week. That will presumably keep some fans from watching the Dynamite replay TNT is airing at 10:00 p.m. EST. WWE is taking AEW very seriously.

Smackdown's Greatest Hits drew 1.39 million viewers. Not bad at all.

Wale will appear with the Street Profits tonight. Great get for them.

NXT's Aleksandar Jaksic has joined Twitter. He trained under Santino Marella.

Roman Reigns responded to Internet comments on a GQ video. He's pretty entertaining there.

Raw drew 2.57 million viewers Monday night, up from 2.21 million last week. That's a solid boost.

NXT's Joaquin Wilde got a steel plate in his face during surgery for his broken orbital bone.

Anthem's CEO "toasted" Impact coming to AXS.

WWE has created Apple Music playlists by Triple H and Asuka.

WWE TLC will be in Minnesota on December 15.

Bandido indicated he'll miss seven weeks after surgery. I'm curious if ROH will add that to his contract; it's entirely possible he's headed to AEW in 2020.

AEW has signed ROH Spanish commentator Alex Abrahantes. The team continues to expand!

Cody, Brandi Rhodes, and MJF will have a meet-and-greet in Illinois tomorrow in support of the just-announced Dynamite taping coming there.

NJPW is making English commentary for Fighting Spirit Unleashed New York due to fan demand. Glad to see it.

C.M. Punk discussed wrestling on the K&B podcast. The speculation of a return continues.

The former John Morrison has joined the RetroMania game as "Johnny Retro." BRILLIANT.

AEW Dynamite will stream digitally for TSN in Canada as well as airing live on TSN2 and TSN3. We'll see if they get "promoted" to TSN TV if audience numbers are good.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I believe Rey's current deal comes due in the middle of next year, so there's definitely a feeling that they want to give this angle a shot while they can. That doesn't mean he's retiring anytime soon, but the clock is ticking. As for once this deal ends, it will depend on how much he wants to keep wrestling and who's going to make him the best offer to continue doing so!

2. Honestly at this point it doesn't feel strange because they do that kind of thing so often! I was impressed by Murphy and want to see more from him and Ali, so maybe that will happen after the next draft.

3. While I don't believe Jericho will be a full-time guy, I would be surprised if he's not on each episode going into Full Gear.

4. I don't even think they sold out the Hulu Theater! They actually looked into doing the show before G1 Supercard was set. A lot of them running MSG goes back to a New York show they had in 1994 where they discussed running MSG. They didn't have the opportunity to come back until MSG opened itself up to promotions other than WWE, and they finally made a shot at living up to what they discussed 25 years previously. AAA was convinced there would be a really significant "walkup" crowd that didn't buy tickets in advance, and running the show the weekend of a Latin festival was thought to aid with that. Overall they greatly overestimated the demand.

5. I don't think it's a priority right now, as odd as that might sound. Streaming isn't as much of a thing in Japan as it is here, and that's still where they focus a lot of their business.

More wrestling tomorrow.

Punk buries Cabana, assorted press and hype, NWA series details, NJPW notes after U.S. shows, NJPW tryout coming, Naomi update, Dynamite opening, Interviews with HHH/Bauer/Bret/Rey/Sasha/Beth/Hornswoggle, AEW signs big merch deal, another Dynamite taping location, Rock set for SD20, BFG sets gauntlet match with local guest, new EVOLVE matches, EVOLVE camps set, Corino seminar, former WWE contestant on MLW commentary, NXT tour set, Dynamite-Canadian TV home official, what happened after Raw, and Questions on the future of WWE live events, WWE trademarks, live wrestling, podcasts, and Bryan's eco title

C.M. Punk commented on the Colt Cabana lawsuit ending on Twitter, indicating Cabana made the move to settle: Tweet 1 Tweet 2 Tweet 3 Tweet 4 It definitely doesn't sound like the friendship was repaired, but at least everything's done with legally and they can move on with their lives.

Matt Riddle is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast.

Becky Lynch was on a FOX NFL halftime show this weekend.

Titus O'Neil had more footage from Tamron Hall.

NWA's weekly series will be called Power, and will stream on social media and FITE Tuesdays at 6:05 p.m. beginning next Tuesday. That's a clever nod to "Turner Time," where programs would begin five minutes after the hour.

Roman Reigns will appear on Thursday's NFL game to promote Friday Night Smackdown's debut.

Some NJPW Fighting Spirit USA tour notes:
- NJPW was said to be very happy with how the tour went overall.

- Commentary was done from a studio in Japan. Interesting move.

- The Massachusetts and Pennsylvania shows are expected to be eventually added to New Japan World.

- The Rock 'n' Roll Express being used is said to have been a Jado suggestion.

- The Pennsylvania show was attended by Kairi Sane, Sumie Sakai, Cheeseburger, and DJ Hyde.

- The Monster Factory assisted at the Pennsylvania event.

- A significant number of fans attended more than one night of the tour.

- Jushin Liger wasn't booked on the tour due to his current storyline as Kishin Liger.

NJPW is set to have an invite-only tryout at their California dojo today. That could be very valuable as they continue to broaden the promotion globally.

Naomi updated her status. I'm glad she's doing well; she's talented.

WWE 2K20's soundtrack was revealed.

AEW Dynamite's opening was released. That's pretty well-done.

Triple H discussed WWE Premiere Week and more:
- WWE definitely has an opportunity to make fresh things happen on each show.

- NXT being as important as Raw and Smackdown sounds like a pipe dream.

- Yes, having a strict brand split does make things matter more when someone pops up on the other show. It's all too easy to move people around more frequently, though.

- Keeping looks and rosters fresh is something WWE has need for a while, so I hope it sticks.

- So far NXT has gotten to be what it has been, but if AEW beats it in the ratings, I'd be surprised if that doesn't change.

- I would like to see NXT run larger venues, but certainly Full Sail has been a great partner. And I concur about small venue shows being very special.

- YESSSS Triple H always nails the shade.

- Whoa. Crazy to hear him acknowledge Impact.

- It's got to be difficult to determine who gets TV time when, who's on which live event tour, etc.

MLW's Court Bauer did a conference call, covered here:
- FITE could absolutely be a beneficial venture for them.

- Oooooh TV tapings as iPPVs is intriguing.

- A distribution deal can make or break a wrestling company.

- WWE isn't on a strong channel in the UK, so that's not the accomplishment it sounds like.

- Oooooooh interesting note about MLW talent in AEW.

- I worry the insane amount of hype and exposure young talents are getting will be their downfall. What happens if they peak before 30?

- Interesting notes about other merch.

- Hahahahahaha Mr. Velvet. Make it happen!

- I don't see AEW loaning talent, since that would benefit MLW more than AEW.

- VINTAGE Spin the Wheel. I love it.

AEW has announced a distribution deal with Hot Topic. That makes a ton of sense. It's crazy how quickly their deals are happening.

Dynamite's December 4 episode will come from the University of Illinois. So, they'll be doing two straight weeks in the state. WWF drew 14,000 fans there in 1988, but the biggest crowd since then is apparently 7,000 for a Raw/ECW live event in January 2009.

The Rock is booked for Tuesday's Smackdown 20th anniversary. That's major!

Bound For Glory has added a "Call Your Shot" Gauntlet match. The winner can challenge for any championship of their choosing, and it sounds like they're planning some surprises for it. Could be fun.

- Former MLB manager Joe Maddon will be at ringside for the 20-person match.

EVOLVE 137 has added:
- Cameron Grimes vs. Curt Stallion
- Kassius Ohno vs. Josh Briggs in a Lights Out match

EVOLVE 138 has added:
- Cameron Grimes vs. Eddie Kingston
- Kassius Ohno vs. Curt Stallion

EVOLVE will have recruitment camps on October 11 and from November 1 through November 3. William Regal will attend the former, while Terry Taylor, Norman Smiley, and Jeremy Borash will be at the latter.

Steve Corino is holding a CZW Academy seminar on November 17.

MLW has signed AJ Kirsch, independent wrestler best known for Tough Enough, as a broadcaster. He has experience in that role.

Bret Hart discussed his Starrcade 1999 concussion.

Rey Mysterio spoke before Raw. It's pretty cool to see Dominick again after the previous angle.

NXT is set for Wisconsin on November 21 and Indiana on November 22 leading into WarGames on the 23rd.

Sasha Banks was on the We Have Cool Friends podcast.

Beth Phoenix discussed joining NXT commentary.

Hornswoggle is on Sam Roberts' latest podcast.

Dynamite will air live on Canada's TSN beginning this week. They've got a really big opportunity to succeed.

After Raw, Seth Rollins fought The Fiend to a no contest as he disappeared. Can't do that in Hell in a Cell!

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'm under the impression Monday Smackdown live events are being dropped but Friday Raw live events are continuing. Time will tell.

2. They definitely need to do a better job on such things. I'm sure it is a hassle to file that many trademarks all the time, though. And I'm not sure that they were.

3. Clash of Champions for me. AEW will have a TV taping here in a few weeks, but I'm not currently planning on going given by less than enthusiastic response to the shows they've run so far. We'll see how things play out in the coming weeks.

4. Not with any regularity. There's following wrestling and then there's having it consume your life to the point where you're chasing every bit of information.

5. Given how the original belt was made, it's not something that can be mass-produced. They did make some, though. I miss that title...

More wrestling tomorrow.

Raw Reax - 9/30/19

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.