John Cena spoke to Sports Illustrated about combating veteran suicides. That's an important issue.
Dan Maff was signed by ROH after support from the locker room following his match with PCO. That's cool as hell.
Filmmaker Warner Herzog mentioned watching WrestleMania. We're in some interesting territory here.
Kofi Kingston discussed social media's effect on WWE with Muscle & Fitness.
Raw drew 2.04 million viewers Monday night. That's the third-lowest audience in the show's history, behind Christmas Eve 2018 and New Year's Eve 2018. Rough, rough week for Raw.
Jerry Lynn needs surgery for a bulging disc in his back. Man, that sucks.
Rusev discussed his current angle. I didn't expect him to bury it, and, yes, people are watching the segments on YouTube.
WWE Network will add WCW Thunder's remaining episodes on Monday.
WrestleMania 36's potential investment was profiled.
RetroMania has been announced as WrestleFest's official sequel.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I might swap Pillman for Rey Mysterio, but those are some really great picks.
2. ROH is not a top priority for Sinclair. If it does expand somewhere, it will be because something else fell into place for Sinclair rather than them suddenly getting behind ROH in a big way. They're a media company that happens to own a wrestling company as part of its portfolio.
3. They absolutely keep track of who watches what on the Network, and use that to determine what to invest in next.
4. $50 for one show is absolutely steep given how much content is out there. We'll see if AEW makes changes in that department if Full Gear didn't draw as well as they had hoped. As for their business model, they're not in a position to make a lot of money from TV right now. They were an unknown property when TNT took a chance on them at a low price. The hope is when this deal ends, they'll be able to get a better-paying deal from them or someone else. That's obviously a long game to play, but the Khans have deep pockets and Tony has shown he'll pretty much do anything he's asked to raise the company's profile.
5. Vince was always scheduled to leave before the talent, as he does for every show because he's a busy, busy man. That aspect was played up in the anti-WWE, anti-Saudi stories that circulated to paint the whole situation in a bad light. Some sites wanted a story that got a lot of clicks, and others wanted to sell certain viewpoints about the Saudi deal. Thankfully not everyone went that route or otherwise tried to justify a false story.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Interviews with Cena/Kofi/Rusev, more on Maff signing, filmmaker discusses wrestling, Raw audience, Lynn health update, WCW content coming to the Network, WM36 investment note, RetroMania ties in with previous game, and Questions on top influential cruiserweights, ROH TV in New York, AEW PPV price, and the Vince-Saudi rumor
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Interviews with Singhs/Cruise/Credible, Austin cleats, ROH signs recent star, WWE promotes Mania economics, Impact opening, Undertaker on Austin podcast, Bischoff set for Middle East show, Raw star asks for release, another Dynamite taping set, new Network content, Starrcade matches, Francine update, and Questions on more Moxley death matches, favorite podcasts, territories competing with Vince, NXT booking changing things, and the Saudi story that wasn't
The Singh Brothers are on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast. As far as I know no one tried to challenge for the 24/7 Championship.
Stone Cold had custom cleats at an NFL game. OHHHH HELLLL YYYYEEEAAHHHHH.
ROH has signed Dan Maff to a two-year deal. I really liked his recent work; I hope he has a good run coming.
WWE promoted WrestleMania 35's economic effects in New York and New Jersey. You know other cities are going to see that and decide to make their own Mania week pitches.
Impact showed tonight's opening.
Stone Cold's new WWE Network series was officially announced. The Undertaker will be his first guest after Survivor Series. Now that will be interesting!
Eric Bischoff will attend Qatar Pro Wrestling's October 14 press conference. It's likely he'll become further involved with the project.
Sin Cara has asked WWE to release him from his contract. I think it's fair to say WWE isn't going to move him up the card, so I can see why he's looking to work elsewhere. I wouldn't expect WWE to grant it (ask Mike Kanellis and Luke Harper), but maybe something will be worked out for him to start a new chapter somewhere else.
- It's believed he's interested in working for Alberto El Patron's MMA promotion.
- He is not expected to be on Monday's Raw, but he is also not expected to be released from his deal. His current contract has three years remaining, so it could be a very long wait for him.
AEW Dynamite on January 15 is set for Florida, at the University of Miami's Watsco Center.
WWE Network will add "WrestleMania's Legendary Moments" and "1997: Dawn of the Attitude" Friday.
WWE Starrcade on December 1, a WWE Network special, is advertising:
- The Fiend vs. The Miz in a steel cage match for the WWE Championship
- Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin
- Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton
- The Kabuki Warriors vs. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch in a Texas Tornado match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
- Braun Strowman vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn
- AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE United States Championship
- Kofi Kingston and Big E vs. The Revival for the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship
- Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley
-- It's unknown which of these matches will air on the special.
WCW announcer Chris Cruise is on the latest "Wrestling With History" podcast.
Justin Credible gave a long interview.
Francine returned to the hospital after experiencing further abdominal issues.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There is absolutely a push for Moxley to do that kind of match, since he wasn't able to show that side of himself in WWE. And there's no way we'll see it on TNT, so that's likely going to be a fixture on upcoming events. I do think the carnage outweighed how personal the feud has been, but it can also be argued they were charging $50 for the show and wanted to go all out, perhaps as a contrast to the Seth Rollins/Fiend Hell in a Cell ending.
2. I only listen to podcasts and interviews and such when something very newsworthy occurs, as in something that's also covered elsewhere. There is absolutely such a thing as too much wrestling content to be exposed to.
3. It was an uphill battle for anyone to compete with Vince, but obviously if someone didn't make as many mistakes, they would have lasted longer. Vince was very, very determined to be the sole player in the U.S. scene, so someone would have had to have really been on top of their game to succeed against him.
4.a. Yes, when someone's in NXT, they're used by the NXT booking team. I would think there could be some input from others, but Vince has been remarkably hands off with the product. That's especially surprising given the huge expenses NXT has racked up.
4.b. If NXT pulls three million viewers or something, then I would think changes would be made to Raw and Smackdown. At 800,000, I don't really see big changes coming.
5. It should hurt the credibility of sites that took those stories and ran with them as fact instead of applying proper skepticism. Extraordinary claims should require extraordinary evidence.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Stone Cold had custom cleats at an NFL game. OHHHH HELLLL YYYYEEEAAHHHHH.
ROH has signed Dan Maff to a two-year deal. I really liked his recent work; I hope he has a good run coming.
WWE promoted WrestleMania 35's economic effects in New York and New Jersey. You know other cities are going to see that and decide to make their own Mania week pitches.
Impact showed tonight's opening.
Stone Cold's new WWE Network series was officially announced. The Undertaker will be his first guest after Survivor Series. Now that will be interesting!
Eric Bischoff will attend Qatar Pro Wrestling's October 14 press conference. It's likely he'll become further involved with the project.
Sin Cara has asked WWE to release him from his contract. I think it's fair to say WWE isn't going to move him up the card, so I can see why he's looking to work elsewhere. I wouldn't expect WWE to grant it (ask Mike Kanellis and Luke Harper), but maybe something will be worked out for him to start a new chapter somewhere else.
- It's believed he's interested in working for Alberto El Patron's MMA promotion.
- He is not expected to be on Monday's Raw, but he is also not expected to be released from his deal. His current contract has three years remaining, so it could be a very long wait for him.
AEW Dynamite on January 15 is set for Florida, at the University of Miami's Watsco Center.
WWE Network will add "WrestleMania's Legendary Moments" and "1997: Dawn of the Attitude" Friday.
WWE Starrcade on December 1, a WWE Network special, is advertising:
- The Fiend vs. The Miz in a steel cage match for the WWE Championship
- Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin
- Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton
- The Kabuki Warriors vs. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch in a Texas Tornado match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
- Braun Strowman vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn
- AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE United States Championship
- Kofi Kingston and Big E vs. The Revival for the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship
- Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley
-- It's unknown which of these matches will air on the special.
WCW announcer Chris Cruise is on the latest "Wrestling With History" podcast.
Justin Credible gave a long interview.
Francine returned to the hospital after experiencing further abdominal issues.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There is absolutely a push for Moxley to do that kind of match, since he wasn't able to show that side of himself in WWE. And there's no way we'll see it on TNT, so that's likely going to be a fixture on upcoming events. I do think the carnage outweighed how personal the feud has been, but it can also be argued they were charging $50 for the show and wanted to go all out, perhaps as a contrast to the Seth Rollins/Fiend Hell in a Cell ending.
2. I only listen to podcasts and interviews and such when something very newsworthy occurs, as in something that's also covered elsewhere. There is absolutely such a thing as too much wrestling content to be exposed to.
3. It was an uphill battle for anyone to compete with Vince, but obviously if someone didn't make as many mistakes, they would have lasted longer. Vince was very, very determined to be the sole player in the U.S. scene, so someone would have had to have really been on top of their game to succeed against him.
4.a. Yes, when someone's in NXT, they're used by the NXT booking team. I would think there could be some input from others, but Vince has been remarkably hands off with the product. That's especially surprising given the huge expenses NXT has racked up.
4.b. If NXT pulls three million viewers or something, then I would think changes would be made to Raw and Smackdown. At 800,000, I don't really see big changes coming.
5. It should hurt the credibility of sites that took those stories and ran with them as fact instead of applying proper skepticism. Extraordinary claims should require extraordinary evidence.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Dynamite matches announced, Cody injury update, AEW PPV update, AEW altercation, more AEW signings coming, ROH name at Full Gear, EVOLVE names finish up, Bourne update, Interview with Charlotte Flair, Idol opens wrestling school, and Questions on Bischoff helping WWE on the NXT invasion, Orange Cassidy as booked by others, AEW's decline, and Impact's height vs. AEW's
Dynamite has announced:
- Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky
- Pac vs. Hangman Page. Interesting to do that on TV after charging for it on PPV. I mean, yeah, WWE does it all the time, but I wouldn't expect AEW to do it.
Chris Jericho vs. Cody was almost stopped by the ringside physician following Cody's dive spot. That would have really hurt things. I'm glad Cody was able to continue.
- Cody separated a rib and needed eight stitches. Scary.
AEW is planning another Memorial Day weekend show in Nevada. It looks like the goal is for that to be annual.
AEW commentator Excalibur had some sort of physical altercation with Jimmy Havoc during Full Gear weekend. Little more is known at this point. That's not good, and I hope it's addressed.
AEW is expected to have more female signings soon. At one point there was talk of a women's tag team championship. They're loading up the roster.
WOH Champion Kelly Klein was backstage at Full Gear. She's married to AEW producer BJ Whitmer. I would not be shocked at all to see her make that jump when she's able to do so given her criticism of ROH.
Austin Theory and Shotzi Blackheart have finished up with EVOLVE as both head to NXT full-time.
Evan Bourne had some numbness in his arm after his EVOLVE return, where he felt he might have injured his neck. He was able to continue wrestling that weekend.
Charlotte Flair discussed WWE's UK tour.
Austin Idol has opened a wrestling school in South Carolina. As you might expect, it's being presented as a way to get to NWA.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Given how brief his tenure was, it's clear there was a culture clash. It makes more sense to use the Triple H for that given his time cultivating the stars in question.
2. I'm not nearly qualified enough to answer that.
3. Oh if Russo or WWE Creative came up with that gimmick, it would almost definitely be panned.
4. I also wouldn't go as far as to call them cold, but they have seen some serious declines. AEW has thrown a LOT of characters at the audience without doing much to introduce them, since their philosophy seems to be that the action will sell itself. I think that's part of it. It's also worth noting they're now doing two hours of content a week (and a four-hour PPV every three months) instead of a special event every so often, so people are getting used to what the product is and isn't. They're not going to be able to pull big surprises every week or even every month, so some fans might feel like they don't have to watch live.
5. Yes, but Impact took a lot longer to get to that point and they had a lot more big, established names to showcase.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky
- Pac vs. Hangman Page. Interesting to do that on TV after charging for it on PPV. I mean, yeah, WWE does it all the time, but I wouldn't expect AEW to do it.
Chris Jericho vs. Cody was almost stopped by the ringside physician following Cody's dive spot. That would have really hurt things. I'm glad Cody was able to continue.
- Cody separated a rib and needed eight stitches. Scary.
AEW is planning another Memorial Day weekend show in Nevada. It looks like the goal is for that to be annual.
AEW commentator Excalibur had some sort of physical altercation with Jimmy Havoc during Full Gear weekend. Little more is known at this point. That's not good, and I hope it's addressed.
AEW is expected to have more female signings soon. At one point there was talk of a women's tag team championship. They're loading up the roster.
WOH Champion Kelly Klein was backstage at Full Gear. She's married to AEW producer BJ Whitmer. I would not be shocked at all to see her make that jump when she's able to do so given her criticism of ROH.
Austin Theory and Shotzi Blackheart have finished up with EVOLVE as both head to NXT full-time.
Evan Bourne had some numbness in his arm after his EVOLVE return, where he felt he might have injured his neck. He was able to continue wrestling that weekend.
Charlotte Flair discussed WWE's UK tour.
Austin Idol has opened a wrestling school in South Carolina. As you might expect, it's being presented as a way to get to NWA.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Given how brief his tenure was, it's clear there was a culture clash. It makes more sense to use the Triple H for that given his time cultivating the stars in question.
2. I'm not nearly qualified enough to answer that.
3. Oh if Russo or WWE Creative came up with that gimmick, it would almost definitely be panned.
4. I also wouldn't go as far as to call them cold, but they have seen some serious declines. AEW has thrown a LOT of characters at the audience without doing much to introduce them, since their philosophy seems to be that the action will sell itself. I think that's part of it. It's also worth noting they're now doing two hours of content a week (and a four-hour PPV every three months) instead of a special event every so often, so people are getting used to what the product is and isn't. They're not going to be able to pull big surprises every week or even every month, so some fans might feel like they don't have to watch live.
5. Yes, but Impact took a lot longer to get to that point and they had a lot more big, established names to showcase.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE Main Event Reax
ROH was again a show with no fresh matches, so this week will just be Main Event. I'm under the impression future ROH TV episodes will have some new action, so I'll keep the "joint" format for now.
- Jose vs. Shelton:
Pretty basic stuff as expected.
Fine to give Shelton a win.
- Rowan/EY vs. Ryder/Hawkins:
Oh come on, Eric and Erick is a WWE comedy duo waiting to happen.
I'm liking the new duo.
Wow. Kind of expected Rowan to get the win after his Smackdown run.
More wrestling coming up.
- Jose vs. Shelton:
Pretty basic stuff as expected.
Fine to give Shelton a win.
- Rowan/EY vs. Ryder/Hawkins:
Oh come on, Eric and Erick is a WWE comedy duo waiting to happen.
I'm liking the new duo.
Wow. Kind of expected Rowan to get the win after his Smackdown run.
More wrestling coming up.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Rosa MMA result, WWE digital honored, WWE Christmas sweaters, FNSD audience, another podcast coming, Survivor Series team captain, Table for 3 set, Interview with Allin, Lethal update, Final Battle match set, AEW guest, and Questions on taking NXT seriously in a small venue, Nia's status, Punk returning for WWE Studios, and small wrestlers having separate locker rooms
Thunder Rosa lost her MMA debut via decision after three rounds.
WWE Now was one of two winners for Cynopsis' "Best Sports Web Video or Series" award. WWE's YouTube channel won the award for "Most Fan-Engaged Channel."
WWE has released their annual ugly Christmas sweaters.
Smackdown drew 2.62 million viewers Friday night, seeing a boost despite being a taped show.
WWE has trademarked "The New Day: Feel The Power" for a podcast name. That's an interesting idea if there's demand for that much content.
Seth Rollins will lead Team Raw at Survivor Series. I could see him losing and blaming it on the others to cement a heel turn.
"Table for 3" after Raw will feature Bruce Prichard, John Laurinaitis, and Shane McMahon. That's an intriguing mix!
Darby Allin discussed choosing AEW over WWE. He's been impressive so far, and has been able to make the most of AEW's "hardcore" stipulations.
Jay Lethal is set to wrestle at Final Battle despite his recent arm injury. That's a relief!
Final Battle has added Bully Ray vs. Mark Haskins in a street fight. I'm curious what the future holds for Bully given all the roster and management changes ROH is seeing.
NEW promoter Mike Lombardi was at Full Gear.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Yes, because of the credibility of the people wrestling in that small venue. Of course, NXT has run larger venues (at times significantly larger), and there are plans to do some weekly shows in mid-sized venues in 2020.
2. There was a unique setup from what they do at Dynamite, but nothing at the level of Double or Nothing.
3. She's not currently fit into any plans.
4. I really don't expect it, especially given his asking price.
5. As far as I know, they didn't have any special accommodations. That kind of wrestling still exists, by the way!
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE Now was one of two winners for Cynopsis' "Best Sports Web Video or Series" award. WWE's YouTube channel won the award for "Most Fan-Engaged Channel."
WWE has released their annual ugly Christmas sweaters.
Smackdown drew 2.62 million viewers Friday night, seeing a boost despite being a taped show.
WWE has trademarked "The New Day: Feel The Power" for a podcast name. That's an interesting idea if there's demand for that much content.
Seth Rollins will lead Team Raw at Survivor Series. I could see him losing and blaming it on the others to cement a heel turn.
"Table for 3" after Raw will feature Bruce Prichard, John Laurinaitis, and Shane McMahon. That's an intriguing mix!
Darby Allin discussed choosing AEW over WWE. He's been impressive so far, and has been able to make the most of AEW's "hardcore" stipulations.
Jay Lethal is set to wrestle at Final Battle despite his recent arm injury. That's a relief!
Final Battle has added Bully Ray vs. Mark Haskins in a street fight. I'm curious what the future holds for Bully given all the roster and management changes ROH is seeing.
NEW promoter Mike Lombardi was at Full Gear.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Yes, because of the credibility of the people wrestling in that small venue. Of course, NXT has run larger venues (at times significantly larger), and there are plans to do some weekly shows in mid-sized venues in 2020.
2. There was a unique setup from what they do at Dynamite, but nothing at the level of Double or Nothing.
3. She's not currently fit into any plans.
4. I really don't expect it, especially given his asking price.
5. As far as I know, they didn't have any special accommodations. That kind of wrestling still exists, by the way!
More wrestling tomorrow.
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