Read on for my thoughts on last night's WWE Network special event.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Boxer at Raw, Cain vs. Brock update, convention appearances set, Khan's backstage role, Dynamite replay rating, AEW-NYCC notes, Full Gear Spanish availability, Matt Hardy comments on DWI, podcast notes, Interviews with Hogan/Gargano/Alexa+Cross, Dynamite dark matches on new YouTube show, FNSD audience, Kofi responds to loss, Cormier responds to Brock vs. Cain, why Taker missed FNSD, Questions on Brock vs. Cain timing, how real is Total Divas, MJF turning on Cody, WWE's production schedule, and visiting the WWEPC
Tyson Fury will be at Raw to respond to Braun Strowman. I guess pencil that match in for Crown Jewel or Survivor Series?
Cain Velaquez is set to challenge Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel. That will really be a spectacle.
Ontario's Comic Con Revolution will feature Jon Moxley and Lita on May 16 and May 17.
Tony Khan did the timing of Dynamite's debut episode. He's very involved!
Dynamite's immediate TNT replay drew 400,000 viewers. I'm really curious how much better the debut episode would have done as a one-off not going against NXT.
AEW's New York Comic Con panel had TNT executives in attendance.
AEW's NYCC representatives were interviewed by Entertainment Weekly and The Build Series.
Full Gear will be available in Spanish on B/R Live. That's great!
Matt Hardy commented on his brother's DWI arrest. He's in a difficult situation there.
Jerry Lawler has launched a Podcast One show.
Sid Vicious is on the latest SHOW Podcast.
Hulk Hogan's The Herd appearance was released online.
Johnny Gargano spoke about NXT, EVOLVE, and more.
AEW has announced a YouTube show featuring matches taped at Dynamite that don't air live. They're putting a lot of content out there!
Fox touted Friday Night Smackdown drawing four million viewers across Fox, Fox Deportes, and streaming platforms. The Fox broadcast drew 3.89 million viewers, the most-watched WWE show since Raw 25. That's a really, really strong first night for the show.
Kofi Kingston responded to the WWE Universe's support of him after losing his championship. I hope WWE knows what they stopped by feeding him to Brock.
- Daniel Bryan weighed in.
Daniel Cormier commented on Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar. Might as well get Cormier a big Saudi pay day next, right?
The Undertaker was kept off Friday Night Smackdown's Fox debut. If he wasn't going to be used in anything meaningful, it was probably better to save him for a later week. He's set to be part of Crown Jewel, so we'll see what that entails.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross commented on the future of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. That and the 24/7 Title should continue to be able to cross brands.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Yeah Crown Jewel and/or Survivor Series are the obvious destinations for that match. Though of course there's the option to *gulp* build it up to WrestleMania. I would not be shocked to see Cain win the title and Brock win the Rumble to take it back in Tampa.
2. They definitely come up with storylines they want to play out. The idea of them just having cameras rolling during "real life" and putting something together later in a coherent narrative is a pretty hard-to-believe one.
3. It does seem somewhat inevitable, but, yeah, I don't see a reason to rush it. AEW fans have just met the MJF character, so it doesn't mean much for him to turn on Cody now. Let it build for a while first.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. That sounds pretty miserable. I sympathize!
6. The facility is first and foremost a place for WWE recruits to train. Similarly to Titan Tower, it's a place of business and it's rare that the public is allowed to attend. When others are let in, it's at WWE's discretion and on WWE's schedule.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Cain Velaquez is set to challenge Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel. That will really be a spectacle.
Ontario's Comic Con Revolution will feature Jon Moxley and Lita on May 16 and May 17.
Tony Khan did the timing of Dynamite's debut episode. He's very involved!
Dynamite's immediate TNT replay drew 400,000 viewers. I'm really curious how much better the debut episode would have done as a one-off not going against NXT.
AEW's New York Comic Con panel had TNT executives in attendance.
AEW's NYCC representatives were interviewed by Entertainment Weekly and The Build Series.
Full Gear will be available in Spanish on B/R Live. That's great!
Matt Hardy commented on his brother's DWI arrest. He's in a difficult situation there.
Jerry Lawler has launched a Podcast One show.
Sid Vicious is on the latest SHOW Podcast.
Hulk Hogan's The Herd appearance was released online.
Johnny Gargano spoke about NXT, EVOLVE, and more.
AEW has announced a YouTube show featuring matches taped at Dynamite that don't air live. They're putting a lot of content out there!
Fox touted Friday Night Smackdown drawing four million viewers across Fox, Fox Deportes, and streaming platforms. The Fox broadcast drew 3.89 million viewers, the most-watched WWE show since Raw 25. That's a really, really strong first night for the show.
Kofi Kingston responded to the WWE Universe's support of him after losing his championship. I hope WWE knows what they stopped by feeding him to Brock.
- Daniel Bryan weighed in.
Daniel Cormier commented on Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar. Might as well get Cormier a big Saudi pay day next, right?
The Undertaker was kept off Friday Night Smackdown's Fox debut. If he wasn't going to be used in anything meaningful, it was probably better to save him for a later week. He's set to be part of Crown Jewel, so we'll see what that entails.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross commented on the future of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. That and the 24/7 Title should continue to be able to cross brands.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Yeah Crown Jewel and/or Survivor Series are the obvious destinations for that match. Though of course there's the option to *gulp* build it up to WrestleMania. I would not be shocked to see Cain win the title and Brock win the Rumble to take it back in Tampa.
2. They definitely come up with storylines they want to play out. The idea of them just having cameras rolling during "real life" and putting something together later in a coherent narrative is a pretty hard-to-believe one.
3. It does seem somewhat inevitable, but, yeah, I don't see a reason to rush it. AEW fans have just met the MJF character, so it doesn't mean much for him to turn on Cody now. Let it build for a while first.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. That sounds pretty miserable. I sympathize!
6. The facility is first and foremost a place for WWE recruits to train. Similarly to Titan Tower, it's a place of business and it's rare that the public is allowed to attend. When others are let in, it's at WWE's discretion and on WWE's schedule.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Saturday, October 5, 2019
New WWE digital album, ROH using top luchadore and UK talents later this month, ROH name cleared to return, Interviews with Finn/Strong/Seth/Michael Cole/Karl+Luke/Mia/Cena/Jericho/Nyla, assorted wrestling press, why Cena missed FNSD, FNSD backstage names, NXT UK commentary change, Owens looks back at PWG days, AEW NYCC brawl, why WWE didn't have 205 Live this week, CMLL executive splitting off?, top female name signs deal, NXT cameos, why Walter's missing German shows, Jeff Hardy arrested, new Dynamite match, FNSD dark match, new HIAC match, NXT live event notes, and Questions on Naomi's status, Piper in jail, NXT airing in Canada, Sting's photo op, unsigned talkers, a Raw replay, and SMW's longevity
WWE released another digital album. "Uncaged X" has previously unreleased themes.
ROH's UK tour will have Flamita in place of the injured Bandido. That's a pretty notable get.
- UK stars Rampage Brown and Lana Austin will also compete on the tour. Lana is set to face Kelly Klein on October 26.
TK O'Ryan has been cleared to return to the ring.
Finn Balor discussed his NXT return with Newsweek. Sounds like he's not NXT-exclusive. They're nuts if they don't do Demon Finn vs. The Fiend at some point.
WWE Now before Friday Night Smackdown had Kofi Kingston, The Miz, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross. WWE and FOX did everything they could to make that debut meaningful; we'll see what they were able to accomplish audience-wise.
Titus O'Neil will speak at University of Florida's May 2020 commencement. That's really cool.
John Cena missed Smackdown's 20th anniversary due to filming "Fast 9."
Roderick Strong promoted NXT in a PWInsider interview. He has absolutely been an asset for a significant amount of time. I think he can have quite a successful career ahead of him, which is saying something given all he's already accomplished.
Chris Jericho was at a recent NHL game, where he was identified as "WWE superstar" with no mention of AEW or NJPW. That's hilarious. AEW has had an unprecedented first nine months and a very impressive weekly TV debut, but many more fans recognize what the business did in prior decades.
Hell in a Cell's Watch Along will feature Cesaro, R-Truth, X-Pac, Chad Gable, Zelina Vega, Tyler Breeze, and Tamina.
Seth Rollins spoke to Muscle & Fitness. I popped for the CrossFit Jesus meme mention.
Michael Cole is on Pat McAfee's latest podcast.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were on The Jim Rome Show.
Backstage at Friday Night Smackdown were Drew McIntyre, The Usos, and Tamina. Smart to save them for next week's draft.
NXT UK's commentary team is now Tom Phillips and Nigel McGuinness. Phillips replaces Raw's Vic Joseph in the move.
Kevin Owens looked back at his time in PWG before Friday Night Smackdown. It will really be the end of an era with that building shut down.
Mia Yim discussed her experiences with domestic violence.
John Cena discussed not expecting to make it to WWE.
AEW had Chris Jericho and Cody fight at New York Comic Con, following MJF asking Jericho a question. Well done.
205 Live did not air a new episode this week so WWE could focus on Friday Night Smackdown debuting on FOX. This decision was made very late, as matches were being planned out for the show when the choice was made. 205 Live is scheduled to return next week.
- There was no dark match after Friday Night Smackdown. It would have been tough to get people's attention back after the Cain Velasquez debut anyway.
CMLL's Sofia Alonso is considering forming her own promotion. That could be a major shift for the Mexican scene, depending on who joined her.
Scarlett Bordeaux is pulling out of independent appearances as a result of signing a contract. It's believed she's WWE-bound. I'm really curious how that will go for her.
Velveteen Dream's NXT entourage included Brandi Lauren,Tasha Steelz, and EVOLVE's Avery Taylor.
Chris Jericho was on Ariel Helwani's latest ESPN podcast.
- Jericho also spoke to Complex, discussing the WWE-AEW battle. I do think WWE was taken aback by Dynamite's success.
Nyla Rose got press in the Washington Post. I'm quite surprised she didn't win the women's title given the publicity she gets compared to Riho; Nyla will still be a major player, though, I'm sure.
Walter decided not to work in Germany this weekend in order to avoid a tough travel issue with weekly NXT tapings in the U.S. He's going to have a tough time balancing international commitments.
Bret Hart is set for a prostate cancer benefit show in November 2 in conjunction with hockey's Calgary Hitmen.
Jeff Hardy was arrested Thursday for driving while impaired. It's very, very sad to see him continue to end up in situations like this. I don't know what he needs in order to get in a place where he doesn't risk the livelihood of himself and others in these ways, but I really, really hope he gets it.
Wednesday's Dynamite has announced Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara vs. Hangman Page and Dustin Rhodes.
Before Friday Night Smackdown, Ali defeated Buddy Murphy. Then, WWE played a Stone Cold promo for the live crowd. Very strange he wasn't on the show after being advertised for it, but I don't think the show needed him added just for the sake of it.
Hell In A Cell has added Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women's Championship. As of press time, this show has four matches announced less than 48 hours out.
NXT's Rocky competed in his first live event since June 29 on Thursday, losing to fellow Chinese recruit Boa by disqualification.
Lio Rush worked his first live event since March 3 Friday night, defeating Isaiah Scott at NXT's Florida live event.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Naomi indicated she's had some health issues recently but intends to come back.
2. Wrestling's a crazy place sometimes.
3. I haven't seen anything about it.
4. I don't believe he will. Just the face paint, outfit, etc.
5. The only name there I'm familiar with is Eddie Kingston, who definitely fits the bill.
6. I wouldn't expect it unless things really change for NBCU. It's not being planned right now.
7. It was a pretty short-lived venture, all things considered.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday Night Smackdown Reax - 10/4/19
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Friday Night Smackdown.
Friday, October 4, 2019
New ROH matches, Dynamite available on TNT website, Hager-AEW notes, Dynamite visitors, Marvez-AEW update, more on Jay+Silent Bob, Schiavone note, WWE teaming with cancer charity, Impact opening, 2K20 media event coming, new Hidden Gems, Reigns appearance moved, Bayley challenges NXT star, Booker responds to Punk, Liger figure made, big cruiserweight change, what happened after NXT, Interviews with Belair/Roman, AAA postpones California show, Ciampa documentary set, WWE congratulates AEW, AEW+NXT audiences, assorted wrestling press, Orton makes Mania challenge, Dynamite attendance, AEW sign policy, more CMLL changes, Rush update, another FS1 name approached, more on FNSD commentary team, Cain very close to deal, CMLL+ROH+NJPW attendance numbers, AAA name returning soon, Viceland series continuing, former WWE name putting together show, Eric Angle charged, Kurt appearance set, AEW story does well for top news source, Edge contract note, and Questions on no Cena on FNSD, AEW+NXT numbers, and Taz returning to commentary
ROH's October 12 HonorClub event has added:
- Rush vs. the winner of a 15-man battle royal for the ROH World Championship. Kenny King, Joe Hendry, Silas Young, Josh Woods, Rhett Titus, The Bounders, and The Shinobi Shadow Squad have all been announced as entrants.
- Angelina Love vs. Kelly Klein for the WOH Championship
- Brody King and Flip Gordon vs. Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams
ROH's October 25 HonorClub event has added:
- Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe
- Jay Briscoe vs. Jonathan Gresham
- Rush and Jeff Cobb vs. Marty Scurll and Flip Gordon
ROH's October 26 HonorClub event has added:
- Matt Taven vs. Joe Hendry
- Rush and Jeff Cobb vs. Brody King and PCO
Dynamite's first episode is available online.
Jake Hager has signed with AEW, and will continue his Bellator work. Glad to see him back in an important capacity.
Diamond Dallas Page and Awesome Kong were backstage at Wednesday's Dynamite. I expect we'll see both on-screen again.
Alex Marvez did a lot of research for the Dynamite announce team. That's a good role for him.
"Jay & Silent Bob Reboot" had a trailer air before Dynamite. Cool integration there.
Tony Schiavone will miss Full Gear due to previous commitments. I expect Goldenboy will take his place.
WWE and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society are teaming up to help pediatric cancer patients. That's a really great cause.
Impact released the opening to tonight's show. I'll cover it in a post after one for Smackdown and 205 Live.
WWE 2K20 will have a media event October 11.
WWE Network's latest Hidden Gems are the following Smackdown dark matches:
- Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton in 2001
- Brock Lesnar vs. Rico in 2002
- Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz in 2007
- Kofi Kingston vs. Steve Corino in 2007
Roman Reigns' "Fox & Friends" signing was canceled due to rainstorms. He still appeared in the studio.
Bayley teased facing Candice LeRae at Hell in a Cell. PLEASE!!!! That would be great exposure for NXT.
Booker T. responded to C.M. Punk. Sounds like Booker's teasing a Punk match.
Jushin "Thunder" Liger has an action figure at New York Comic Con. That's really cool!
WWE's cruiserweight championship is now the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. So it definitely sounds like we're in for more 205 names on Wednesdays. I'm curious how that will intersect with the other parts of the roster.
After Wednesday's NXT, Johnny Gargano and the Street Profits thanked Full Sail for its support.
Bianca Belair spoke to PWInsider before Wednesday's NXT.
AAA's California show has been rescheduled. The new date has not been announced yet, but tickets to the October 13 event will be honored there. AAA's U.S. rollout has really been chaotic.
- The show had sold about 3,000 tickets, but was projected to cost AAA money.
Tommaso Ciampa's WWE Network documentary will debut after the October 9 NXT. That makes plenty of sense. There's no word on when we'll see him return to the ring.
WWE released a statement on AEW Dynamite's debut. AMAZING to see them comment on the show, and via a statement to wrestling news sites at that. AEW has affected things in a major way.
Dynamite drew 1.41 million viewers Wednesday night. That's an incredible number, well above expectations. I have been skeptical and critical of the key AEW figures for quite some time, and they continue to show the rules have changed. To pull that number against a WWE-produced show is a massive statement to where things are in the wrestling industry right now after such a long period of dominance by one group.
NXT drew 891,000 viewers Wednesday night. So, the vast majority of AEW fans weren't watching NXT the past two weeks. NXT was just shown up in a major way despite giving an amazing effort on a big stage. WWE could need to really revamp things if Dynamite continues to outperform NXT at this level.
Edge and Beth Phoenix made Natalya artwork of her late father.
The Rock wished happy birthday to a 100-year-old fan. Very, very cool.
Roman Reigns reviewed Hollywood wrestling scenes.
Randy Orton challenged The Rock for WrestleMania. YES. That would be major.
Dynamite's debut had 11,500 fans in the building off 14,129 tickets sold. Essentially ticket resalers overanticipated demand by a good amount. That's still a very good crowd.
AEW confiscated anti-WWE, profane, and political signs. That's classy of them, because they could have easily played up the "sticking it to WWE" card.
CMLL's Mistico is staying there without his brothers Rush and Dragon Lee in large part due to not having a U.S. visa. That could take significant time to get, so he's smart to make the most of his current situation. There's also the matter of CMLL owning each man's ring name and the group name Los Ingobernables.
- CMLL has already acted to get Dragon Lee pulled from an independent show they were sending other talent to. So, yeah, there's some serious friction between CMLL and that family.
CMLL is now essentially being run by Chavo Lutteroth, who ran the company before the late Paco Alonso. Sofia Alonso has been moved back to her previous role as head of marketing, though some of her projects will continue. CMLL was concerned about such a young name being in charge of a major company. Sofia has not attended shows lately, including the major 86th anniversary event.
CMLL has banned cell phone recording at shows.
CMLL talents will no longer be able to face non-CMLL talents on independent shows in a move to get CMLL talents more bookings. Wow. That could really hurt other promotions.
Rush doesn't intend to sign to any other lucha promotion, but is open to competing independently in Mexico.
FS1 reached out to Jim Ross for WWE Backstage, but he declined. That would have been a very weird dynamic given his AEW duties.
FOX chose Friday Night Smackdown's announce team.
Cain Velasquez is being targeted for a Brock Lesnar match. It's believed he's very close to signing to WWE, but AEW, NJPW, and AAA are all also interested in using him. AAA had signed him for the now-postponed California show.
CMLL's 86th anniversary show drew 15,000 fans.
Death Before Dishonor drew around 800 fans. The following TV taping drew 600 fans. It's a shame ROH is being abandoned at such a rate.
AAA's El Hijo del Vikingo should return next week or so.
NJPW drew 2,100 fans in Massachusetts, a sellout of nearly 1,800 fans in New York and a sellout of more than 1,000 fans in Pennsylvania.
Viceland is conducting interviews for Dark Side of the Ring's second season.
Shad Gaspard is putting together a TV drama based on the behind-the-scenes world of wrestling. Interesting idea.
Eric Angle has been charged as part of a steroid trafficking ring. Very sad to see.
Kurt Angle will appear for Warrior Wrestling in Illinois on December 13.
AEW's "Los Angeles Times" story was the most read online story on the site that day. Very impressive.
Edge has signed a new WWE deal. It's unknown what it will entail.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'd think the movie commitments would prevent him from getting physical at any rate. WWE should probably save him for when he can wrestle.
Nothing to add to 2.
3. I mean, yeah, AEW and NXT drawing Raw and Smackdown numbers (or better) would be amazing and game-changing. That's not happening, though. As for the worst cases, yes, splitting a million die-hard fans would limit wrestling as a whole.
4. Holy shit that sounds amazing.
5. Oh he should definitely replace Lawler. He'd fit right in in that role, which Lawler doesn't want long-term anyway.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Rush vs. the winner of a 15-man battle royal for the ROH World Championship. Kenny King, Joe Hendry, Silas Young, Josh Woods, Rhett Titus, The Bounders, and The Shinobi Shadow Squad have all been announced as entrants.
- Angelina Love vs. Kelly Klein for the WOH Championship
- Brody King and Flip Gordon vs. Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams
ROH's October 25 HonorClub event has added:
- Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe
- Jay Briscoe vs. Jonathan Gresham
- Rush and Jeff Cobb vs. Marty Scurll and Flip Gordon
ROH's October 26 HonorClub event has added:
- Matt Taven vs. Joe Hendry
- Rush and Jeff Cobb vs. Brody King and PCO
Dynamite's first episode is available online.
Jake Hager has signed with AEW, and will continue his Bellator work. Glad to see him back in an important capacity.
Diamond Dallas Page and Awesome Kong were backstage at Wednesday's Dynamite. I expect we'll see both on-screen again.
Alex Marvez did a lot of research for the Dynamite announce team. That's a good role for him.
"Jay & Silent Bob Reboot" had a trailer air before Dynamite. Cool integration there.
Tony Schiavone will miss Full Gear due to previous commitments. I expect Goldenboy will take his place.
WWE and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society are teaming up to help pediatric cancer patients. That's a really great cause.
Impact released the opening to tonight's show. I'll cover it in a post after one for Smackdown and 205 Live.
WWE 2K20 will have a media event October 11.
WWE Network's latest Hidden Gems are the following Smackdown dark matches:
- Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton in 2001
- Brock Lesnar vs. Rico in 2002
- Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz in 2007
- Kofi Kingston vs. Steve Corino in 2007
Roman Reigns' "Fox & Friends" signing was canceled due to rainstorms. He still appeared in the studio.
Bayley teased facing Candice LeRae at Hell in a Cell. PLEASE!!!! That would be great exposure for NXT.
Booker T. responded to C.M. Punk. Sounds like Booker's teasing a Punk match.
Jushin "Thunder" Liger has an action figure at New York Comic Con. That's really cool!
WWE's cruiserweight championship is now the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. So it definitely sounds like we're in for more 205 names on Wednesdays. I'm curious how that will intersect with the other parts of the roster.
After Wednesday's NXT, Johnny Gargano and the Street Profits thanked Full Sail for its support.
Bianca Belair spoke to PWInsider before Wednesday's NXT.
AAA's California show has been rescheduled. The new date has not been announced yet, but tickets to the October 13 event will be honored there. AAA's U.S. rollout has really been chaotic.
- The show had sold about 3,000 tickets, but was projected to cost AAA money.
Tommaso Ciampa's WWE Network documentary will debut after the October 9 NXT. That makes plenty of sense. There's no word on when we'll see him return to the ring.
WWE released a statement on AEW Dynamite's debut. AMAZING to see them comment on the show, and via a statement to wrestling news sites at that. AEW has affected things in a major way.
Dynamite drew 1.41 million viewers Wednesday night. That's an incredible number, well above expectations. I have been skeptical and critical of the key AEW figures for quite some time, and they continue to show the rules have changed. To pull that number against a WWE-produced show is a massive statement to where things are in the wrestling industry right now after such a long period of dominance by one group.
NXT drew 891,000 viewers Wednesday night. So, the vast majority of AEW fans weren't watching NXT the past two weeks. NXT was just shown up in a major way despite giving an amazing effort on a big stage. WWE could need to really revamp things if Dynamite continues to outperform NXT at this level.
Edge and Beth Phoenix made Natalya artwork of her late father.
The Rock wished happy birthday to a 100-year-old fan. Very, very cool.
Roman Reigns reviewed Hollywood wrestling scenes.
Randy Orton challenged The Rock for WrestleMania. YES. That would be major.
Dynamite's debut had 11,500 fans in the building off 14,129 tickets sold. Essentially ticket resalers overanticipated demand by a good amount. That's still a very good crowd.
AEW confiscated anti-WWE, profane, and political signs. That's classy of them, because they could have easily played up the "sticking it to WWE" card.
CMLL's Mistico is staying there without his brothers Rush and Dragon Lee in large part due to not having a U.S. visa. That could take significant time to get, so he's smart to make the most of his current situation. There's also the matter of CMLL owning each man's ring name and the group name Los Ingobernables.
- CMLL has already acted to get Dragon Lee pulled from an independent show they were sending other talent to. So, yeah, there's some serious friction between CMLL and that family.
CMLL is now essentially being run by Chavo Lutteroth, who ran the company before the late Paco Alonso. Sofia Alonso has been moved back to her previous role as head of marketing, though some of her projects will continue. CMLL was concerned about such a young name being in charge of a major company. Sofia has not attended shows lately, including the major 86th anniversary event.
CMLL has banned cell phone recording at shows.
CMLL talents will no longer be able to face non-CMLL talents on independent shows in a move to get CMLL talents more bookings. Wow. That could really hurt other promotions.
Rush doesn't intend to sign to any other lucha promotion, but is open to competing independently in Mexico.
FS1 reached out to Jim Ross for WWE Backstage, but he declined. That would have been a very weird dynamic given his AEW duties.
FOX chose Friday Night Smackdown's announce team.
Cain Velasquez is being targeted for a Brock Lesnar match. It's believed he's very close to signing to WWE, but AEW, NJPW, and AAA are all also interested in using him. AAA had signed him for the now-postponed California show.
CMLL's 86th anniversary show drew 15,000 fans.
Death Before Dishonor drew around 800 fans. The following TV taping drew 600 fans. It's a shame ROH is being abandoned at such a rate.
AAA's El Hijo del Vikingo should return next week or so.
NJPW drew 2,100 fans in Massachusetts, a sellout of nearly 1,800 fans in New York and a sellout of more than 1,000 fans in Pennsylvania.
Viceland is conducting interviews for Dark Side of the Ring's second season.
Shad Gaspard is putting together a TV drama based on the behind-the-scenes world of wrestling. Interesting idea.
Eric Angle has been charged as part of a steroid trafficking ring. Very sad to see.
Kurt Angle will appear for Warrior Wrestling in Illinois on December 13.
AEW's "Los Angeles Times" story was the most read online story on the site that day. Very impressive.
Edge has signed a new WWE deal. It's unknown what it will entail.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'd think the movie commitments would prevent him from getting physical at any rate. WWE should probably save him for when he can wrestle.
Nothing to add to 2.
3. I mean, yeah, AEW and NXT drawing Raw and Smackdown numbers (or better) would be amazing and game-changing. That's not happening, though. As for the worst cases, yes, splitting a million die-hard fans would limit wrestling as a whole.
4. Holy shit that sounds amazing.
5. Oh he should definitely replace Lawler. He'd fit right in in that role, which Lawler doesn't want long-term anyway.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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