Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
WWE.com looks back on 20 years, Smackdown live event visitors, more GFW-NOAH crossover, Alberto stripped of title in Paige's family's promotion, Interviews with Dillon/Cena, ROH UK show on iPPV, Cody title defense announced, new WWE marketing partnership, GFW name seeks trademark, more NXT shows announced, and Questions on Rock wrestling again, Oney as NXT Champion, sleight of hand with finishers, WWE not naming certain towns, and Cena's comedic abilities
WWE.com looked back at 20 years of their website's design. For context, Cathy Kelley would have been eight when it launched. I wish they would have showed more of the past eras of the site.
Charlotte's grandfather was ringside at a live event this weekend. That's pretty cool.
- Bullet "Bob" Armstrong was backstage at that same show. He's Road Dogg's father.
GFW has announced further crossover with NOAH. Taiji Ishimori will work Destination-X, while Eddie Edwards and Moose will head to Japan in October. More NOAH talents have been hinted at for GFW's August TV tapings, but no names are official at this time.
Paige's family's wrestling promotion has declared Alberto El Patron's championship vacant. The press release doesn't mention Alberto.
JJ Dillon talked to ESPN about his Hall of Fame career. He's a legend for sure.
John Cena was on The View. I'm not even going to pretend to watch a clip from that show, but it's good he's getting that kind of reach.
ROH's War of the Worlds UK show on August 19 will be an Internet PPV. As if Summerslam weekend wasn't big enough!
- Cody vs. SANADA for the ROH Championship will headline that show. So a free agent vs. an NJPW star? Sounds about right.
WWE has partnered with an international sponsorship sales agency. Another part of the company looking to expand to other markets.
Tyrus has applied to trademark that ring name independently of GFW. If successful, he'd be able to use it outside of their shows.
NXT has announced shows in New York and Ontario for early September. It's kind of crazy the markets are so close together, but a country apart.
There was no dark match after Raw.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I wouldn't mind Rock vs. Brock at WM34, or a different clash of part-timers. It should definitely be a special attraction situation. Hell, Rock beating Jericho could be interesting given their history. As for full-timers, Bray, Rusev, Joe, Cass, or Owens would be good feuds. If Rock didn't win, he'd have to have a really compelling reason to lose.
2. I'm surprised they haven't moved him to 205 Live, since they're not doing a ton with him in NXT. He doesn't seem like someone they plan on pushing, but you never know when that will suddenly change.
3. I'm also OK with people not actually killing each other in the ring for what is essentially a live theater performance.
4. There's been a running report WWE only acknowledges the big markets because they want to be seen as a big deal.
5. Cena can be really, really funny when he's allowed to let loose. Sometimes his WWE role doesn't allow for that, because WWE keeps him pretty "within the lines" as a character.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Charlotte's grandfather was ringside at a live event this weekend. That's pretty cool.
- Bullet "Bob" Armstrong was backstage at that same show. He's Road Dogg's father.
GFW has announced further crossover with NOAH. Taiji Ishimori will work Destination-X, while Eddie Edwards and Moose will head to Japan in October. More NOAH talents have been hinted at for GFW's August TV tapings, but no names are official at this time.
Paige's family's wrestling promotion has declared Alberto El Patron's championship vacant. The press release doesn't mention Alberto.
JJ Dillon talked to ESPN about his Hall of Fame career. He's a legend for sure.
John Cena was on The View. I'm not even going to pretend to watch a clip from that show, but it's good he's getting that kind of reach.
ROH's War of the Worlds UK show on August 19 will be an Internet PPV. As if Summerslam weekend wasn't big enough!
- Cody vs. SANADA for the ROH Championship will headline that show. So a free agent vs. an NJPW star? Sounds about right.
WWE has partnered with an international sponsorship sales agency. Another part of the company looking to expand to other markets.
Tyrus has applied to trademark that ring name independently of GFW. If successful, he'd be able to use it outside of their shows.
NXT has announced shows in New York and Ontario for early September. It's kind of crazy the markets are so close together, but a country apart.
There was no dark match after Raw.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I wouldn't mind Rock vs. Brock at WM34, or a different clash of part-timers. It should definitely be a special attraction situation. Hell, Rock beating Jericho could be interesting given their history. As for full-timers, Bray, Rusev, Joe, Cass, or Owens would be good feuds. If Rock didn't win, he'd have to have a really compelling reason to lose.
2. I'm surprised they haven't moved him to 205 Live, since they're not doing a ton with him in NXT. He doesn't seem like someone they plan on pushing, but you never know when that will suddenly change.
3. I'm also OK with people not actually killing each other in the ring for what is essentially a live theater performance.
4. There's been a running report WWE only acknowledges the big markets because they want to be seen as a big deal.
5. Cena can be really, really funny when he's allowed to let loose. Sometimes his WWE role doesn't allow for that, because WWE keeps him pretty "within the lines" as a character.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, July 17, 2017
Main Event Reax - 7/16/17, Orton done with filming, Interview with Sasha, Lio's last indie date set, Smackdown live event notes, and Questions on accidental blood in WWE, WWE at the Emmys, who is and isn't an independent contractor, GFW running baseball stadiums this summer, and GFW working with AAA and Crash
-- Main Event:
- Mickie vs. Emma:
Two people I've wanted to see more of in the ring recently. I love Sasha, Alexa, Bayley, and Nia, but I can only watch so many matches involving those four.
Oh I'm liking this already. I'd like to see Main Event be a place for people whom we don't see on Raw and Smackdown. Keep 205 Live to Raw and its own show.
Wow. Both of them are fired up to show what they can do.
Well at least Dana's watching this one!
This is pretty fun.
Nice Tree of Woe spot. Emma has been SO underutilized.
This is really solid. Two of my favorite female workers, likely at least partially because we don't see them that often.
Mickie's got a lot of fire. I like it.
That was solid all around! Good work.
- Dorado vs. TJP:
Good back-and-forth to start.
TJP is ridiculously smooth in the ring.
And, yeah, Dorado flies around well.
OK, the dive fakeout spot was pretty good.
Good story so far.
I'm liking this story.
These two work together pretty well. Glad to see a new matchup here.
I liked the counter to the Detonation Kick.
Nice one overall.
Randy Orton has finished filming his role in an upcoming movie, so he should be able to return to the ring on a somewhat regular basis now.
Sasha Banks did another interview promoting the women's revolution, this time in New Zealand. She's getting a pretty good mainstream spotlight on herself and the division.
Lio Rush's final independent appearance will be August 12 in Maryland. Hopefully they keep him in the performance center and local live events for a while. Given how young he is, I don't see any need to hurry him to a big stage. He does have a nice number of matches to his name, but I'd like to see him get further teaching and seasoning before they make him an NXT superstar.
Lana worked at least one main roster match this weekend as part of a tag match. So, she's not been totally forgotten about.
Interestingly, Primo wasn't in action this weekend while Epico was.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Talent can only bleed when WWE says they can bleed, damn it!
2. It's been a running narrative that WWE wants to be acknowledged there. I do wonder if they're dismissed out of hand just because the Emmy don't want to associate with "rasslin'."
3. I can see why talents want to get a cushy producer job or coach down at the WWEPC or something.
4. Between running shows in baseball stadiums and not running shows at all, I support GFW's approach. If they're making more money than they would running more traditional venues, that's great!
5. From the sounds of things, Konnan and his people are still able to work GFW and GFW talent can work Crash in addition to AAA. I just don't expect to see Crash and AAA working together.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- Mickie vs. Emma:
Two people I've wanted to see more of in the ring recently. I love Sasha, Alexa, Bayley, and Nia, but I can only watch so many matches involving those four.
Oh I'm liking this already. I'd like to see Main Event be a place for people whom we don't see on Raw and Smackdown. Keep 205 Live to Raw and its own show.
Wow. Both of them are fired up to show what they can do.
Well at least Dana's watching this one!
This is pretty fun.
Nice Tree of Woe spot. Emma has been SO underutilized.
This is really solid. Two of my favorite female workers, likely at least partially because we don't see them that often.
Mickie's got a lot of fire. I like it.
That was solid all around! Good work.
- Dorado vs. TJP:
Good back-and-forth to start.
TJP is ridiculously smooth in the ring.
And, yeah, Dorado flies around well.
OK, the dive fakeout spot was pretty good.
Good story so far.
I'm liking this story.
These two work together pretty well. Glad to see a new matchup here.
I liked the counter to the Detonation Kick.
Nice one overall.
Randy Orton has finished filming his role in an upcoming movie, so he should be able to return to the ring on a somewhat regular basis now.
Sasha Banks did another interview promoting the women's revolution, this time in New Zealand. She's getting a pretty good mainstream spotlight on herself and the division.
Lio Rush's final independent appearance will be August 12 in Maryland. Hopefully they keep him in the performance center and local live events for a while. Given how young he is, I don't see any need to hurry him to a big stage. He does have a nice number of matches to his name, but I'd like to see him get further teaching and seasoning before they make him an NXT superstar.
Lana worked at least one main roster match this weekend as part of a tag match. So, she's not been totally forgotten about.
Interestingly, Primo wasn't in action this weekend while Epico was.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Talent can only bleed when WWE says they can bleed, damn it!
2. It's been a running narrative that WWE wants to be acknowledged there. I do wonder if they're dismissed out of hand just because the Emmy don't want to associate with "rasslin'."
3. I can see why talents want to get a cushy producer job or coach down at the WWEPC or something.
4. Between running shows in baseball stadiums and not running shows at all, I support GFW's approach. If they're making more money than they would running more traditional venues, that's great!
5. From the sounds of things, Konnan and his people are still able to work GFW and GFW talent can work Crash in addition to AAA. I just don't expect to see Crash and AAA working together.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
WWE+GFW merch news, Interview with Nia, Rowan at Warped Tour, more praise for Amato, UFC name working Summerslam?, Gallows' character trademarked, and Questions on Christian retiring, AJ headlining live events instead of Shinsuke, debuting at Mania in the main event, and why Hacksaw had a 2x4
GFW is selling Super X Cup T-shirts. It's a fairly important event given the talent from around the world and the possible signing of ACH.
WWE Shop now has a Mae Young Classic T-shirt as well as reusable party cups. Chris Jericho is one of the wrestlers with a party cup design, so he's still very much in the WWE orbit.
Nia Jax talked to ESPN. She's got a lot of athletic background and has worked hard to make a niche for herself. She's definitely not just getting pushed because she's The Rock's cousin.
Erick Rowan visited Alestorm at the Warped Tour. Without his wrestling outfit and mask, he looks like he fits right in at the venue.
Triple H put over Sara Amato on Twitter. He honored her for her work with women at the WWEPC at the second night of the MYC.
UFC's Cris Cyborg challenged Becky Lynch for Summerslam. It's worth looking into, but I don't think UFC would let one of their fighters potentially get injured in that kind of scenario.
Luke Gallows' former wrestling promotion WrestleMerica has filed a trademark for Gallows' "Sex Ferguson" character. That would potentially cause problems for Luke if he wanted to use that name at another promotion after his WWE run.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Not every wrestler gets their moment in the sun on TV. Some finish their in-ring careers uneventfully.
2. They probably trusted AJ to headline the live event more than Nakamura, since AJ's been at that level in WWE and Shinsuke hasn't. Shinsuke vs. Jinder would be two relatively untested main eventers facing off.
Nothing to add to 3.
4. It looks like the only one left out is Sgt. Slaughter at Wrestlemania VII.
5. Apparently it was to fend off unruly fans. The territory days were pretty crazy.
More wrestling time.
WWE Shop now has a Mae Young Classic T-shirt as well as reusable party cups. Chris Jericho is one of the wrestlers with a party cup design, so he's still very much in the WWE orbit.
Nia Jax talked to ESPN. She's got a lot of athletic background and has worked hard to make a niche for herself. She's definitely not just getting pushed because she's The Rock's cousin.
Erick Rowan visited Alestorm at the Warped Tour. Without his wrestling outfit and mask, he looks like he fits right in at the venue.
Triple H put over Sara Amato on Twitter. He honored her for her work with women at the WWEPC at the second night of the MYC.
UFC's Cris Cyborg challenged Becky Lynch for Summerslam. It's worth looking into, but I don't think UFC would let one of their fighters potentially get injured in that kind of scenario.
Luke Gallows' former wrestling promotion WrestleMerica has filed a trademark for Gallows' "Sex Ferguson" character. That would potentially cause problems for Luke if he wanted to use that name at another promotion after his WWE run.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Not every wrestler gets their moment in the sun on TV. Some finish their in-ring careers uneventfully.
2. They probably trusted AJ to headline the live event more than Nakamura, since AJ's been at that level in WWE and Shinsuke hasn't. Shinsuke vs. Jinder would be two relatively untested main eventers facing off.
Nothing to add to 3.
4. It looks like the only one left out is Sgt. Slaughter at Wrestlemania VII.
5. Apparently it was to fend off unruly fans. The territory days were pretty crazy.
More wrestling time.
Saturday, July 15, 2017
Interviews with Charlotte/Sasha, Survivor Series DVD release pushed up, WWE-Scooby movie on demand, new WWE merch, August collections announced, supersized Summerslam again, Nikki in-ring update, ROH-NJPW tour announced, MYC notes including guests, MYC first round matches, Talking Smack cut from weekly to monthly, WWE Network show canceled, Battleground tickets discounted, SDCC WWE guests, GFW audience, other Network notes, Aries on WWE departure, and Questions on quitting watching wrestling, weather problems, Low Ki-ECW, Impact going to two hours, and a wrestling movie
Charlotte talked to promote a live event. I agree she's not JUST Ric Flair's daughter. She's a talented performer independent of her lineage, and I expect more to come from her and the other women of this generation.
WWE's Survivor Series anniversary DVD has been moved up to releasing in October. I guess they want it to build extra hype for this year's edition?
WWE's second Scooby Doo animated movie is now available on Boomerang's streaming service.
Sasha Banks talked in Australia:
- The women's revolution has definitely paid dividends.
- Glad to see women getting bigger opportunities. Some of them can really go.
- I hope Sasha's frankness about her callup doesn't get her heat. I thought Stephanie throwing the women together in random teams wasn't a great way to feature the new wrestlers.
- I'm glad they dropped the Divas name. I'm pretty sure at the time I was pretty adamant they wouldn't do so because of the "Total Divas" connection, but they did make the move after all.
- It would be worth soliciting more female opinions on the creative team as they try to get a larger female audience.
WWE Shop now has fidget spinners. I'm surprised it took them that long!
Kurt Angle will be getting a WWE Network collection in August. There will also be more additions to the Hidden Gems collection.
Summerslam will be a four hour PPV again this year, so get ready for a LONG night. The wrestling's often really good, but anything that long is going to get tiring.
Nikki Bella could be back in the ring in time to work Summerslam. I really hope they don't have her in the Smackdown title picture unless she's putting someone else over. She doesn't need the title to be a top name anymore.
ROH and NJPW have announced a Global Wars 2017 tour, hitting the following markets for the first time:
- October 12 in Buffalo, NY
- October 13 in Pittsburgh, PA
- October 14 in Columbus, OH
-- NJPW has announced KUSHIDA, the Killer Elite Squad, Hiromu Takahashi, and Yoshi Hashi for the shows in Hashi's U.S. debut. I'm sure we'll hear a lot more names as time goes on. They probably just wanted to go ahead and announce the tour off the heels of the big California shows.
Alundra Blayze had a backstage role at the MYC. She didn't appear in front of the crowd. That's OK. The night wasn't about her.
Other guests at the MYC:
- Bayley
- Carmella
- Charlotte
- Tamina
- Alicia Fox
- Nia Jax
- Emma
- Johnny Gargano
- Akira Tozawa
- Montez Ford
- Jessamyn Duke
- Marina Sharif
- Drew Gulak
- Funaki
- Lana
- Kalisto
-- All those names along with the Kanellises and Ronda Rousey were shown at ringside during the taping. This was a pretty big deal for the wrestling world.
The first round matches for the MYC are:
- Kay Lee Ray vs. Princesa Sugehit
- Serena Deeb vs. Vanessa Borne
- Shayna Baszler vs. Zeda
- Piper Niven vs. Santana Garrett
- Mia Yim vs. Sarah Logan
- Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li
- Miranda Salinas vs. Rhea Ripley
- Abbey Laith vs. Jazzy Gabert
- Ayesha Raymond vs. Toni Storm
- Dakota Kai vs. Kavita Devi
- Candice LeRae vs. Renee Michelle
- Marti Belle vs. Rachael Evers
- Bianca Belair vs. Sage Beckett
- Lacey Evans vs. Taynara Conti
- Nicole Savoy vs. Reina Gonzalez
- Kairi Sane vs. Tessa Blanchard
WWE Network has moved Talking Smack to only follow branded PPV events, with Raw Talk set to follow all Raw PPVs. This Tuesday's edition was the last weekly episode of Talking Smack, which was popular for its unscripted nature. My guess is either WWE felt it was too expensive for the viewership it was getting, or they didn't want so little control over what their employees were saying on the air. Or some of both?
- Renee Young's Unfiltered show has been canceled. So, yeah, likely some combination of costs and talents not being scripted.
- Renee Young, Daniel Bryan and the staff of Talking Smack didn't find out about the show going to being monthly until news hit Twitter. That's kind of a problem, although it's possible word leaked out right before WWE contacted the talent involved. That suggests some pretty high-up leaks in WWE, which I doubt Vince is pleased about.
Battleground is now offering significantly discounted tickets. That's not a good sign for a show featuring a big grudge match inside the Punjabi Prison and Cena's first PPV match since WM33.
San Diego Comic Con's Mattel panel will feature both Bella Twins, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch. This is Brie's first live public appearance since giving birth.
Impact Wrestling drew 374,000 viewers Thursday night, their highest audience since September. I'd love to attribute that to fan interest post-Slammiversary, but it's also possible people tuned in to see how they'd handle Alberto's suspension. There are currently no plans to alter what's been taped featuring the GFW Champion, who's understandably a big centerpiece of the show right now.
A new Table for 3 with Mark Henry, Godfather, and Ron Simmons will follow the Kurt Angle interview on WWE Network Monday night. That interview will immediately come after Raw.
WWE will show previous editions of the Great American Bash on WWE Network Friday. I'm a little surprised they didn't use that name for the July 4 Smackdown.
Austin Aries put out a statement on leaving WWE. That's classy. I'm glad he's staying positive with how things went and where things are going.
A "bonus" match at the MYC saw Jazzy Gabert, Tessa Blanchard, & Kay Lee Ray defeat Marti Belle, Sarah Logan, & Santana Garrett. That's spoiler tagged because those entrants were presumably eliminated in the early going. After the match, fans chanted "please sign Jazzy," which led to HHH making a quip about signing Cedric Alexander last time fans chanted that. I expect she'll get an opportunity to get a deal after that response.
Triple H thanked Sara Amato at the MYC as someone responsible for the women's revolution in WWE.
- Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Sara Amato presented bouquets to the finalists.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There've been a few times where I was so busy I didn't pay attention to things, but I had to catch back up once I got less overwhelmed. So, never due to anything wrestling-related. Life just kind of got in the way.
2. I've also never heard of fans being caught in an arena overnight. I'm not really sure how that would work.
3. Paul Heyman once said something to the effect of ROH never existing if ECW would have continued. In other words, that company picked up a lot of talents who would have been on ECW's radar had the company survived.
4. That led right up to Bound For Glory that year.
5. That sounds awesome. I miss when wrestling had more stuff like that.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE's Survivor Series anniversary DVD has been moved up to releasing in October. I guess they want it to build extra hype for this year's edition?
WWE's second Scooby Doo animated movie is now available on Boomerang's streaming service.
Sasha Banks talked in Australia:
- The women's revolution has definitely paid dividends.
- Glad to see women getting bigger opportunities. Some of them can really go.
- I hope Sasha's frankness about her callup doesn't get her heat. I thought Stephanie throwing the women together in random teams wasn't a great way to feature the new wrestlers.
- I'm glad they dropped the Divas name. I'm pretty sure at the time I was pretty adamant they wouldn't do so because of the "Total Divas" connection, but they did make the move after all.
- It would be worth soliciting more female opinions on the creative team as they try to get a larger female audience.
WWE Shop now has fidget spinners. I'm surprised it took them that long!
Kurt Angle will be getting a WWE Network collection in August. There will also be more additions to the Hidden Gems collection.
Summerslam will be a four hour PPV again this year, so get ready for a LONG night. The wrestling's often really good, but anything that long is going to get tiring.
Nikki Bella could be back in the ring in time to work Summerslam. I really hope they don't have her in the Smackdown title picture unless she's putting someone else over. She doesn't need the title to be a top name anymore.
ROH and NJPW have announced a Global Wars 2017 tour, hitting the following markets for the first time:
- October 12 in Buffalo, NY
- October 13 in Pittsburgh, PA
- October 14 in Columbus, OH
-- NJPW has announced KUSHIDA, the Killer Elite Squad, Hiromu Takahashi, and Yoshi Hashi for the shows in Hashi's U.S. debut. I'm sure we'll hear a lot more names as time goes on. They probably just wanted to go ahead and announce the tour off the heels of the big California shows.
Alundra Blayze had a backstage role at the MYC. She didn't appear in front of the crowd. That's OK. The night wasn't about her.
Other guests at the MYC:
- Bayley
- Carmella
- Charlotte
- Tamina
- Alicia Fox
- Nia Jax
- Emma
- Johnny Gargano
- Akira Tozawa
- Montez Ford
- Jessamyn Duke
- Marina Sharif
- Drew Gulak
- Funaki
- Lana
- Kalisto
-- All those names along with the Kanellises and Ronda Rousey were shown at ringside during the taping. This was a pretty big deal for the wrestling world.
The first round matches for the MYC are:
- Kay Lee Ray vs. Princesa Sugehit
- Serena Deeb vs. Vanessa Borne
- Shayna Baszler vs. Zeda
- Piper Niven vs. Santana Garrett
- Mia Yim vs. Sarah Logan
- Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li
- Miranda Salinas vs. Rhea Ripley
- Abbey Laith vs. Jazzy Gabert
- Ayesha Raymond vs. Toni Storm
- Dakota Kai vs. Kavita Devi
- Candice LeRae vs. Renee Michelle
- Marti Belle vs. Rachael Evers
- Bianca Belair vs. Sage Beckett
- Lacey Evans vs. Taynara Conti
- Nicole Savoy vs. Reina Gonzalez
- Kairi Sane vs. Tessa Blanchard
WWE Network has moved Talking Smack to only follow branded PPV events, with Raw Talk set to follow all Raw PPVs. This Tuesday's edition was the last weekly episode of Talking Smack, which was popular for its unscripted nature. My guess is either WWE felt it was too expensive for the viewership it was getting, or they didn't want so little control over what their employees were saying on the air. Or some of both?
- Renee Young's Unfiltered show has been canceled. So, yeah, likely some combination of costs and talents not being scripted.
- Renee Young, Daniel Bryan and the staff of Talking Smack didn't find out about the show going to being monthly until news hit Twitter. That's kind of a problem, although it's possible word leaked out right before WWE contacted the talent involved. That suggests some pretty high-up leaks in WWE, which I doubt Vince is pleased about.
Battleground is now offering significantly discounted tickets. That's not a good sign for a show featuring a big grudge match inside the Punjabi Prison and Cena's first PPV match since WM33.
San Diego Comic Con's Mattel panel will feature both Bella Twins, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch. This is Brie's first live public appearance since giving birth.
Impact Wrestling drew 374,000 viewers Thursday night, their highest audience since September. I'd love to attribute that to fan interest post-Slammiversary, but it's also possible people tuned in to see how they'd handle Alberto's suspension. There are currently no plans to alter what's been taped featuring the GFW Champion, who's understandably a big centerpiece of the show right now.
A new Table for 3 with Mark Henry, Godfather, and Ron Simmons will follow the Kurt Angle interview on WWE Network Monday night. That interview will immediately come after Raw.
WWE will show previous editions of the Great American Bash on WWE Network Friday. I'm a little surprised they didn't use that name for the July 4 Smackdown.
Austin Aries put out a statement on leaving WWE. That's classy. I'm glad he's staying positive with how things went and where things are going.
A "bonus" match at the MYC saw Jazzy Gabert, Tessa Blanchard, & Kay Lee Ray defeat Marti Belle, Sarah Logan, & Santana Garrett. That's spoiler tagged because those entrants were presumably eliminated in the early going. After the match, fans chanted "please sign Jazzy," which led to HHH making a quip about signing Cedric Alexander last time fans chanted that. I expect she'll get an opportunity to get a deal after that response.
Triple H thanked Sara Amato at the MYC as someone responsible for the women's revolution in WWE.
- Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Sara Amato presented bouquets to the finalists.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There've been a few times where I was so busy I didn't pay attention to things, but I had to catch back up once I got less overwhelmed. So, never due to anything wrestling-related. Life just kind of got in the way.
2. I've also never heard of fans being caught in an arena overnight. I'm not really sure how that would work.
3. Paul Heyman once said something to the effect of ROH never existing if ECW would have continued. In other words, that company picked up a lot of talents who would have been on ECW's radar had the company survived.
4. That led right up to Bound For Glory that year.
5. That sounds awesome. I miss when wrestling had more stuff like that.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, July 14, 2017
LU name pulled from NJPW broadcast, Billy Gunn note, Cody-ROH angle continues, Omega working ROH, possible WWE return for former IC champion, update on Rush-NXT, WWEPC renames, complete list of MYC names, HHH welcomes Fish, Interview with Kenny King, GFW live event update, MYC guests, Angle secret fallout after Raw, Cena ad nominated for Emmy, NXT live event note, and Questions on ring announcers, starting a promotion, terrible World Title reigns, WWE doing MMA, and Joe's island dance
Ricochet was unable to appear on the U.S. broadcast of NJPW's G1 special due to his deal with LU.
Billy Gunn owns the rights to that name, as WWE let the trademark expire and Gunn picked it up. So, he's able to perform under the name he's most famous for on other companies' broadcasts.
Cody is defending the ROH Championship on indie dates, with the angle he's doing it in defiance of ROH management. I hope they run with him as top heel, since he's a big deal outside the ROH bubble.
Kenny Omega will work ROH as NJPW's U.S. Champion later this year. He can absolutely be a top player outside of WWE. ROH should making the most of him in the States.
Shelton Benjamin returning to WWE has been the subject of conflicting reports this week, with some indicating he has signed a deal and some saying he hasn't. I could see him being Kurt Angle's surprise on Raw.
While Lio Rush is expected to join NXT after finishing indie appearances next month, there's been no word of him passing the necessary physical tests. So, it's not a sure thing just yet.
WWE developmental name Zhao Xia has been renamed Xia Li. Julia Ho is now known as Zeda. Both are in the MYC.
The complete list of MYC talents is:
- Candice LeRae
- Mia Yim, formerly GFW's Jade
- Tessa Blanchard
- Rachael Evers, a.k.a. Rachel Ellering
- Santana Garrett
- Renee Michelle
- Marti Belle, formerly of GFW
- Mercedes Martinez
- Kay Lee Ray
- Ayesha Raymond
- Rhea Ripley
- Sage Beckett, formerly Andrea/Mary Kate
- Kairi Sane, formerly Kairi Hojo
- Dakota Kai, formerly Evie
- Bianca BelAir, formerly Bianca Blair
- Vanessa Borne, formerly Danielle Kamela
- Abbey Laith, formerly Kimber Lee/Kimberly Frankele
- Jazzy Gabert
- Taynara Conti
- Piper Niven, a.k.a. Viper
- Kavita Devi
- Lacey Evans, formerly Macey Evans/Macey Estrella
- Sarah Logan, formerly Crazy Mary Dobson
- Toni Storm
- Reina Gonzalez, formerly Victoria Gonzales
- Zeda, formerly Julia Ho
- Xia Li, formerly Zhao Xia
- Shayna Baszler
- Nicole Savoy
- Princesa Sugehit
- Serena Deeb
- Miranda Salinas
-- WWE pulled a lot of talents from a lot of different backgrounds. I like that.
Triple H officially welcomed Bobby Fish to NXT. Fish and Aleister Black had an off-the-charts match on the most recent episode of NXT. We're seeing quite the influx of talent into WWE.
Kenny King talked about GFW vs. ROH and more. Here are highlights:
- As both sides said, Aries is someone who has big opinions of how high he should be pushed. He's not going to just hang around doing nothing on 205 Live when he knows he's capable of being something more.
- ROH is definitely all about letting wrestlers go out and do their thing. I hope GFW's pay issues are over, though, so more talented wrestlers will go work there, too.
- GFW's side of the story was that Hernandez assured them he was legally in the clear from his LU contract. They've been a lot more careful with that kind of situation since then.
GFW will be running its August live events under the Impact Wrestling name, in a sense like WWE running shows as Raw or Smackdown. GFW's goal is to have other brands in other markets
Visiting at Thursday's Mae Young Classic taping:
- Lei'D Tapa
- Deonna Purrazzo
- Barbi Hayden
- Beth Phoenix
- Shawn Michaels
- Mike Kanellis
- Maria Kanellis
- Ronda Rousey
- Charlotte Flair
- The Rock's wife, mother, and daughter
Kurt Angle will be interviewed on WWE Network after Raw, tying in to his big announcement. I really hope it's Shelton Benjamin, but I imagine it's going to somehow be related to Stephanie and HHH coming back to Raw. Everything always has to go back to them.
John Cena's American PSA has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy. That's really cool. It's definitely a well-done piece.
Bobby Roode had a post-match angle with Andrade Almas during an NXT event in British Columbia. Roode hit Almas with the Glorious DDT after their loss to Drew McIntyre & Roderick Strong, then draped himself with the Canadian flag to honor his home country. That's pretty cool, since he was going to get a big positive reaction there.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. No love for Tony Chimel or Jeremy Borash? I like both of them. There's not really any beating Finkel, though.
2. A lot of commitment, a lot of money, and a lot of people who know what they're doing with different areas of expertise, connections in the business, etc. You'd be better off starting out somewhere else that's already established and building up experience, knowledge, etc. there.
3. Let's see. There were times when Jeff Jarrett was NWA Champion that felt like they were never going to end, with the obvious complaint of him booking himself to be the top star. Rey Mysterio had a title reign that was just him getting his ass kicked week in and week out. JBL getting such a sudden push to that level and holding the title so long wasn't something I was crazy about. There have been some bad ones in the past couple of years, but we'll see if they reach that level in hindsight.
4. Part of me wants to see what "the XFC" would have been like, but Vince is clearly not a fan of MMA.
5. It was an honor to his family. He got down to business when he was in the ring, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Billy Gunn owns the rights to that name, as WWE let the trademark expire and Gunn picked it up. So, he's able to perform under the name he's most famous for on other companies' broadcasts.
Cody is defending the ROH Championship on indie dates, with the angle he's doing it in defiance of ROH management. I hope they run with him as top heel, since he's a big deal outside the ROH bubble.
Kenny Omega will work ROH as NJPW's U.S. Champion later this year. He can absolutely be a top player outside of WWE. ROH should making the most of him in the States.
Shelton Benjamin returning to WWE has been the subject of conflicting reports this week, with some indicating he has signed a deal and some saying he hasn't. I could see him being Kurt Angle's surprise on Raw.
While Lio Rush is expected to join NXT after finishing indie appearances next month, there's been no word of him passing the necessary physical tests. So, it's not a sure thing just yet.
WWE developmental name Zhao Xia has been renamed Xia Li. Julia Ho is now known as Zeda. Both are in the MYC.
The complete list of MYC talents is:
- Candice LeRae
- Mia Yim, formerly GFW's Jade
- Tessa Blanchard
- Rachael Evers, a.k.a. Rachel Ellering
- Santana Garrett
- Renee Michelle
- Marti Belle, formerly of GFW
- Mercedes Martinez
- Kay Lee Ray
- Ayesha Raymond
- Rhea Ripley
- Sage Beckett, formerly Andrea/Mary Kate
- Kairi Sane, formerly Kairi Hojo
- Dakota Kai, formerly Evie
- Bianca BelAir, formerly Bianca Blair
- Vanessa Borne, formerly Danielle Kamela
- Abbey Laith, formerly Kimber Lee/Kimberly Frankele
- Jazzy Gabert
- Taynara Conti
- Piper Niven, a.k.a. Viper
- Kavita Devi
- Lacey Evans, formerly Macey Evans/Macey Estrella
- Sarah Logan, formerly Crazy Mary Dobson
- Toni Storm
- Reina Gonzalez, formerly Victoria Gonzales
- Zeda, formerly Julia Ho
- Xia Li, formerly Zhao Xia
- Shayna Baszler
- Nicole Savoy
- Princesa Sugehit
- Serena Deeb
- Miranda Salinas
-- WWE pulled a lot of talents from a lot of different backgrounds. I like that.
Triple H officially welcomed Bobby Fish to NXT. Fish and Aleister Black had an off-the-charts match on the most recent episode of NXT. We're seeing quite the influx of talent into WWE.
Kenny King talked about GFW vs. ROH and more. Here are highlights:
- As both sides said, Aries is someone who has big opinions of how high he should be pushed. He's not going to just hang around doing nothing on 205 Live when he knows he's capable of being something more.
- ROH is definitely all about letting wrestlers go out and do their thing. I hope GFW's pay issues are over, though, so more talented wrestlers will go work there, too.
- GFW's side of the story was that Hernandez assured them he was legally in the clear from his LU contract. They've been a lot more careful with that kind of situation since then.
GFW will be running its August live events under the Impact Wrestling name, in a sense like WWE running shows as Raw or Smackdown. GFW's goal is to have other brands in other markets
Visiting at Thursday's Mae Young Classic taping:
- Lei'D Tapa
- Deonna Purrazzo
- Barbi Hayden
- Beth Phoenix
- Shawn Michaels
- Mike Kanellis
- Maria Kanellis
- Ronda Rousey
- Charlotte Flair
- The Rock's wife, mother, and daughter
Kurt Angle will be interviewed on WWE Network after Raw, tying in to his big announcement. I really hope it's Shelton Benjamin, but I imagine it's going to somehow be related to Stephanie and HHH coming back to Raw. Everything always has to go back to them.
John Cena's American PSA has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy. That's really cool. It's definitely a well-done piece.
Bobby Roode had a post-match angle with Andrade Almas during an NXT event in British Columbia. Roode hit Almas with the Glorious DDT after their loss to Drew McIntyre & Roderick Strong, then draped himself with the Canadian flag to honor his home country. That's pretty cool, since he was going to get a big positive reaction there.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. No love for Tony Chimel or Jeremy Borash? I like both of them. There's not really any beating Finkel, though.
2. A lot of commitment, a lot of money, and a lot of people who know what they're doing with different areas of expertise, connections in the business, etc. You'd be better off starting out somewhere else that's already established and building up experience, knowledge, etc. there.
3. Let's see. There were times when Jeff Jarrett was NWA Champion that felt like they were never going to end, with the obvious complaint of him booking himself to be the top star. Rey Mysterio had a title reign that was just him getting his ass kicked week in and week out. JBL getting such a sudden push to that level and holding the title so long wasn't something I was crazy about. There have been some bad ones in the past couple of years, but we'll see if they reach that level in hindsight.
4. Part of me wants to see what "the XFC" would have been like, but Vince is clearly not a fan of MMA.
5. It was an honor to his family. He got down to business when he was in the ring, though.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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