Jim Cornette has been announced for the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo on March 23. He will have a live show and one package includes an Italian beef sandwich for some reason.
- Eric Bischoff and Tony Schiavone will do a live show on March 22 there, combining their respective podcasts.
WWE stock was examined by Zacks.com, with positive results.
Greg Hamilton was honored in his hometown.
WWEPC trainees competed in a plane pull for Special Olympics.
G1 Supercard will feature Marty Scurll challenging for the ROH Championship. I expect we'll see a new champion declared there.
Impact has announced oVe's Jake Crist and Dave Crist have signed new multi-year contracts.
Smackdown Live drew 2.20 million viewers Tuesday, in line with previous weeks.
Roman Reigns has been added to WrestleMania AXXESS, with a VIP signing. Good he's getting back into things.
WWE Network's latest Hidden Gem is the "March to WrestleMania IX" special featuring:
- Randy Savage vs. Yokozuna
- Mr. Perfect vs. Skinner
- Kamala vs. Kim Chee
- Money Inc. vs. Jerry Sabin/Reno Riggins
- George South vs. Tatanka
- The Bushwhackers/Tiger Lackson vs. Beverly Brothers/Little Louie
- The Undertaker vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Mustafa Ali talked about being a Muslim babyface. I'm glad his character isn't about religion one way or another. He's an awesome wrestler who happens to be Muslim.
Corey Graves was on Busted Open recently.
Jim Cornette has been added to MLW's June 1 show in Wisconsin and July 6 show in Illinois. Looks like they're working things out per appearance.
Dixie Carter responded to being namedropped on Smackdown Live. What a crazy time we live in!
Ricochet and Aleister Black are advertised for Smackdown Live's May UK tour dates, so they will be moving on from NXT entirely shortly. The pair did work Wednesday night's TV taping.
NXT's dark match for Wednesday's taping was Chelsea Green defeating Jessie Elaban.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. HOH has more or less been on hiatus since December, but there are plans for the promotion to continue.
2. Wow yeah I can't beat that story. Yikes. The worst story I have is being seated too close to a support beam, but that hardly compares.
3. Once they changed directions with Ambrose, EC3's program was dropped. They clearly haven't come up with anything significant since then, although he does still appear on TV so that hopefully counts for something. I do think he has somewhat been put on the back burner with some of the rest of his "class" once the four newest names from NXT debuted.
4. I seem to remember him being hurt again during that feud. Since then there hasn't been any urgency to use him again (I would say it's so they can focus on newer names, but that's not totally true). He is still under contract.
5. I LOVE IT PAL. The difference between Ronda and Brock is Brock is being courted by UFC and can presumably come back in a few months after a fight. Ronda on the other hand is reportedly looking to start a family, which would put her out of the ring for much longer. I would be very surprised if Ronda retained. If Vince is having second thoughts about Becky, there's another option in the mix.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Wrestling convention appearances, WWE stock profiled, WWE announcer honored, NXT names help Special Olympics, Supercard ROH Title match, Impact team re-signs, SDL audience, Reigns at AXXESS, WM-themed Hidden Gem, Interviews with Mustafa+Graves, more Cornette in MLW, Dixie responds to SDL reference, Ricochet/Black brand updates, NXT dark match, and Questions on HOH's status, bad wrestling venues, EC3's status, where Big Show is, and Ronda winning at WM35
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Interviews with Roman/Wilder, OWE trademarked, former WWE/WCW/ECW star producing Impact tapings, Joey Ryan competing for Impact, 2019 HoFer at WWEPC, RVD documentary Q&A set, Brock date, Dana Warrior-WWE update, Israeli star working MLW, TJP booked for post-WWE date, Supercard signings, Impact tapings official, Lana hurt, Raw audience, Angle on retirement, Roman schedule update, nWo cruising with Jericho, Ross trademark, and SDL dark matches
Roman Reigns spoke to Variety about his recovery before Raw.
"OWE Kungfu Wrestling" has been trademarked in the U.S. by a company called Shanghai Martialism Sport and Culture Communication Co. This is in regard to Oriental Wrestling Entertainment, the Chinese promotion affiliated with AEW.
Lance Storm will be a producer for Impact during their March 22 and March 23 Ontario TV tapings. I'm a little surprised he's working with them given his past criticism of the product, but I'm glad he's on hand to help out.
Joey Ryan will appear at United We Stand, facing Tessa Blanchard in an intergender match. This will be Ryan's first Impact appearance since 2015. For now I'd assume it's a one-time thing, but certainly he could contribute to the product if they used him more regularly.
Sean Waltman is working at the WWE Performance Center this week. He had particular praise for Matt Riddle and Punishment Martinez.
Rob Van Dam's "Headstrong" documentary will premiere on FITE March 20, followed by a live Q&A with RVD. I'm curious how much we'll see of him in the months to come after he works United We Stand.
Brock Lesnar will be on Monday's Raw. I'm cheering for UFC to take him back.
Dana Warrior was at WWE TV this week as she works with Creative.
Israeli star Ken Kerbis will compete in MLW's April 5 Battle Riot. I like the variety of stars MLW brings to their shows.
TJ Perkins is set for Pro Wrestling Revolver's May 10 event. This is Sami Callihan's promotion out of Iowa. We'll see if TJ ends up appearing on TV/PPV again after his WWE departure.
NJPW and ROH announced the talents signing at G1 Supercard. Notably advertised on top of their regular names:
- Bully Ray
- Mayu Iwatani
- Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA, Shingo Takagi, Testuya Naito)
- Hirooki Goto
- Jushin "Thunder" Liger
- Will Ospreay
- Zack Sabre, Jr.
Impact has officially announced Pennsylvania TV tapings for May 3 and May 4 at the former ECW Arena.
Lana confirmed she is dealing with an injury while challenging Asuka to a match at WrestleMania. We'll see if anything comes out of that. Lana has not wrestled since January 21. Honestly Asuka deserves much better.
Dash Wilder discussed The Revival's future and more:
- He's correct that actually holding the championship is fairly meaningless if the division stays in the same place it was when Drake Maverick was peeing himself and Bobby Roode and Chad Gable were losing singles matches to The Ascension.
- WWE has a lot of talented people who could use a spotlight. As long as WWE stays safe and comfortable, they won't change but so much. The last couple months have definitely been an improvement in some regards. The big test will be where things go with the Shakeup after WrestleMania.
- Some of the younger names need to get together and tell Vince it's time to treat them as stars.
- It is notable everyone immediately assumes a team is going to split up and feud.
- I'm glad the tag team division is pushing to get noticed. Other stars need to do that as well.
Raw drew 2.82 million viewers Monday night. There wasn't a huge boost after Fastlane.
Kurt Angle commented on his upcoming retirement. I kind of thought it would be a bigger deal than it is, but I'm fine with the younger, full-time stars being more prominent.
Roman Reigns has been added to WWE's UK tour for May 11 through May 17. He might be back on live events before then, but he's official for those shows.
- Roman has been removed from advertising for Monday's Raw. There is no confirmed explanation for this change at this time.
Chris Jericho's 2020 cruise has added Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman.
Jim Ross has trademarked "The Voice of Wrestling" for live appearances and podcasts, so that's likely what name that endeavor will take.
Before Smackdown Live, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows defeated SAnitY's Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe. Those two teams have pretty much fallen off the map. I hope SAnitY gets a fresh chance after the Superstar Shakeup.
After Smackdown Live, AJ Styles defeated Randy Orton. That may or may not be the case at WrestleMania.
More wrestling tomorrow.
"OWE Kungfu Wrestling" has been trademarked in the U.S. by a company called Shanghai Martialism Sport and Culture Communication Co. This is in regard to Oriental Wrestling Entertainment, the Chinese promotion affiliated with AEW.
Lance Storm will be a producer for Impact during their March 22 and March 23 Ontario TV tapings. I'm a little surprised he's working with them given his past criticism of the product, but I'm glad he's on hand to help out.
Joey Ryan will appear at United We Stand, facing Tessa Blanchard in an intergender match. This will be Ryan's first Impact appearance since 2015. For now I'd assume it's a one-time thing, but certainly he could contribute to the product if they used him more regularly.
Sean Waltman is working at the WWE Performance Center this week. He had particular praise for Matt Riddle and Punishment Martinez.
Rob Van Dam's "Headstrong" documentary will premiere on FITE March 20, followed by a live Q&A with RVD. I'm curious how much we'll see of him in the months to come after he works United We Stand.
Brock Lesnar will be on Monday's Raw. I'm cheering for UFC to take him back.
Dana Warrior was at WWE TV this week as she works with Creative.
Israeli star Ken Kerbis will compete in MLW's April 5 Battle Riot. I like the variety of stars MLW brings to their shows.
TJ Perkins is set for Pro Wrestling Revolver's May 10 event. This is Sami Callihan's promotion out of Iowa. We'll see if TJ ends up appearing on TV/PPV again after his WWE departure.
NJPW and ROH announced the talents signing at G1 Supercard. Notably advertised on top of their regular names:
- Bully Ray
- Mayu Iwatani
- Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA, Shingo Takagi, Testuya Naito)
- Hirooki Goto
- Jushin "Thunder" Liger
- Will Ospreay
- Zack Sabre, Jr.
Impact has officially announced Pennsylvania TV tapings for May 3 and May 4 at the former ECW Arena.
Lana confirmed she is dealing with an injury while challenging Asuka to a match at WrestleMania. We'll see if anything comes out of that. Lana has not wrestled since January 21. Honestly Asuka deserves much better.
Dash Wilder discussed The Revival's future and more:
- He's correct that actually holding the championship is fairly meaningless if the division stays in the same place it was when Drake Maverick was peeing himself and Bobby Roode and Chad Gable were losing singles matches to The Ascension.
- WWE has a lot of talented people who could use a spotlight. As long as WWE stays safe and comfortable, they won't change but so much. The last couple months have definitely been an improvement in some regards. The big test will be where things go with the Shakeup after WrestleMania.
- Some of the younger names need to get together and tell Vince it's time to treat them as stars.
- It is notable everyone immediately assumes a team is going to split up and feud.
- I'm glad the tag team division is pushing to get noticed. Other stars need to do that as well.
Raw drew 2.82 million viewers Monday night. There wasn't a huge boost after Fastlane.
Kurt Angle commented on his upcoming retirement. I kind of thought it would be a bigger deal than it is, but I'm fine with the younger, full-time stars being more prominent.
Roman Reigns has been added to WWE's UK tour for May 11 through May 17. He might be back on live events before then, but he's official for those shows.
- Roman has been removed from advertising for Monday's Raw. There is no confirmed explanation for this change at this time.
Chris Jericho's 2020 cruise has added Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman.
Jim Ross has trademarked "The Voice of Wrestling" for live appearances and podcasts, so that's likely what name that endeavor will take.
Before Smackdown Live, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows defeated SAnitY's Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe. Those two teams have pretty much fallen off the map. I hope SAnitY gets a fresh chance after the Superstar Shakeup.
After Smackdown Live, AJ Styles defeated Randy Orton. That may or may not be the case at WrestleMania.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown Live and 205 Live Reax - 3/12/19
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown Live and 205 Live.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Interviews with Tamina/Brandi, WWE sponsorships, new WWE crossover, new HoF team, Jericho and Orton in movie roles, new ROH TV matches, ROH title concept art, Henry to donate brain, Tough Enough returning?, SDL preview, new WWE signings including former Impact and EVOLVE name, WWE hits big social media number, and Questions on Owens switching finishers, WWE inducting Y2J while in AEW, MLW names working AEW, "shoot" content in WWE, and WWE Network keeping controversial content
Tamina is on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast, covering her career as well as allegations against her father.
WWE has announced Snickers will sponsor WrestleMania, while Skittles will sponsor Hell in a Cell. There will be special Snickers bars for WrestleMania season focusing on WWE star catchphrases and nicknames.
WWE is creating Garbage Pail Kids crossovers, some of which are already available on WWE Shop. Those are pretty horrifying. Will kids wear them?
Harlem Heat will join the WWE Hall of Fame this year. That's well-deserved for the duo.
- Stevie Ray thanked fans for their positive reaction to the news.
Chris Jericho will be in the next Jay and Silent Bob movie. Kevin Smith qualifies for 205 Live now.
Brandi Rhodes talked to The Mirror:
- I don't expect a UK show until 2020. At the very least I think it will follow Labor Day 2019.
- Ohhhhhhh boy. I hope fans are willing to accept they can't use certain language.
- I hope women's wrestling continues to evolve.
- I'm sure we'll see some signature match types. I don't think it's something they "need" right now, but maybe the Labor Day event will be the place to unveil something for their "anniversary."
ROH's March 16 TV taping has added:
- RUSH vs. Mark Haskins
- Bandido vs. PJ Black
- Tracy Williams vs. Kenny King
- Dalton Castle and The Boys vs. NJPW Young Lions Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks, and Alex Coughlin
ROH World Championship concept art was released online. The current title is (appropriately?) pretty bland.
Chris Nowinski was on Busted Open recently. Mark Henry pledged to donate his brain for CTE research after his death. I hope insight is gained from him doing so.
WWE has re-trademarked "Tough Enough," suggesting the concept could be coming back in some fashion. It's possible that's what they'll call the reality show project to pick up a new female superstar.
Randy Orton is featured in a movie releasing June 7.
Announced for Smackdown Live:
- Kofi Kingston confronting Vince McMahon
- Samoa Joe vs. R-Truth for the United States Championship
- Ricochet, Aleister Black, and the Hardy Boys vs. The Bar, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Rusev
WWE has announced the signings of:
- Robbie E
- Stokely Hathaway
- Cal Bloom, son of WWF/WCW/AWA wrestler Beau Beverly
-- I'm curious how each man will do in NXT. I unironically miss the Robbie E Jersey Shore gimmick.
WWE announced they have passed one billion total social media subscribers. That's definitely a big milestone they'll promote.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. He can't hit the popup powerbomb on certain larger opponents, and the stunner's probably an easier bump for the opponent. Plus, it's something fresh. I'm fine with it.
2. I expect the two sides could work something out, but I also wonder if it would be in WWE's best interest to give a platform for someone working for a high-profile competitor. As for what it would take for AEW to agree to put him in, I'm sure they'd love for AEW to be mentioned in some way during the appearance!
3. MLW allows talents to work other places, and AEW really isn't in a position to offer regular work right now, so it works out for both sides. As for the Lucha Bros, they're actually still under LU contracts, but LU is letting them work elsewhere while they figure out the future of that project. Notably LU talent can't sign full-time deals with anyone while those contracts are still in effect, but they generally let people work other outlets (Impact, ROH, MLW, AEW).
4. It's basically to get people talking and potentially get people who aren't current fans to tune in to see what's happening. I hate it, too.
5. I'd be fine with WWE adding a disclaimer or something on the content while keeping it for people interested in seeing the shows of those days.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE has announced Snickers will sponsor WrestleMania, while Skittles will sponsor Hell in a Cell. There will be special Snickers bars for WrestleMania season focusing on WWE star catchphrases and nicknames.
WWE is creating Garbage Pail Kids crossovers, some of which are already available on WWE Shop. Those are pretty horrifying. Will kids wear them?
Harlem Heat will join the WWE Hall of Fame this year. That's well-deserved for the duo.
- Stevie Ray thanked fans for their positive reaction to the news.
Chris Jericho will be in the next Jay and Silent Bob movie. Kevin Smith qualifies for 205 Live now.
Brandi Rhodes talked to The Mirror:
- I don't expect a UK show until 2020. At the very least I think it will follow Labor Day 2019.
- Ohhhhhhh boy. I hope fans are willing to accept they can't use certain language.
- I hope women's wrestling continues to evolve.
- I'm sure we'll see some signature match types. I don't think it's something they "need" right now, but maybe the Labor Day event will be the place to unveil something for their "anniversary."
ROH's March 16 TV taping has added:
- RUSH vs. Mark Haskins
- Bandido vs. PJ Black
- Tracy Williams vs. Kenny King
- Dalton Castle and The Boys vs. NJPW Young Lions Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks, and Alex Coughlin
ROH World Championship concept art was released online. The current title is (appropriately?) pretty bland.
Chris Nowinski was on Busted Open recently. Mark Henry pledged to donate his brain for CTE research after his death. I hope insight is gained from him doing so.
WWE has re-trademarked "Tough Enough," suggesting the concept could be coming back in some fashion. It's possible that's what they'll call the reality show project to pick up a new female superstar.
Randy Orton is featured in a movie releasing June 7.
Announced for Smackdown Live:
- Kofi Kingston confronting Vince McMahon
- Samoa Joe vs. R-Truth for the United States Championship
- Ricochet, Aleister Black, and the Hardy Boys vs. The Bar, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Rusev
WWE has announced the signings of:
- Robbie E
- Stokely Hathaway
- Cal Bloom, son of WWF/WCW/AWA wrestler Beau Beverly
-- I'm curious how each man will do in NXT. I unironically miss the Robbie E Jersey Shore gimmick.
WWE announced they have passed one billion total social media subscribers. That's definitely a big milestone they'll promote.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. He can't hit the popup powerbomb on certain larger opponents, and the stunner's probably an easier bump for the opponent. Plus, it's something fresh. I'm fine with it.
2. I expect the two sides could work something out, but I also wonder if it would be in WWE's best interest to give a platform for someone working for a high-profile competitor. As for what it would take for AEW to agree to put him in, I'm sure they'd love for AEW to be mentioned in some way during the appearance!
3. MLW allows talents to work other places, and AEW really isn't in a position to offer regular work right now, so it works out for both sides. As for the Lucha Bros, they're actually still under LU contracts, but LU is letting them work elsewhere while they figure out the future of that project. Notably LU talent can't sign full-time deals with anyone while those contracts are still in effect, but they generally let people work other outlets (Impact, ROH, MLW, AEW).
4. It's basically to get people talking and potentially get people who aren't current fans to tune in to see what's happening. I hate it, too.
5. I'd be fine with WWE adding a disclaimer or something on the content while keeping it for people interested in seeing the shows of those days.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Monday, March 11, 2019
WWE-SXSW press, WWE rembers Yamaguchi, WWE star works wXw tournament, 205 Live star trains, Lawler needs double knee replacement, Matt Hardy brings back former character, Bryan documentary on Honor Club, former WWE name at Fastlane, title match on Raw, and Questions on speculating on Roman's treatment
WWE's SXSW panel was given press by The Female Quotient.
WWE remembered Wally Yamaguchi. They didn't mention the Val Venis angle.
Alexander Wolfe appeared at wXw's 16 Carat Gold tournament, losing an open challenge for the Shotgun Title on March 9 and losing a six-man tag match on March 10. Damn he can't even get a win outside of WWE!
Ariya Daivari worked short matches at The Academy in Minnesota, which was partially founded by his brother.
Jerry Lawler announced he needs double knee replacement, but will continue to wrestle with injections. That's rough. I hope he's making the right choice there.
Matt Hardy did a video as his Big Money Matt persona, which he used in Impact and ROH. I don't expect this to be on WWE TV after the Hardys reunion, but you never know. It would seem like the Broken/Woken stuff is back on hold.
Honor Club has added a Daniel Bryan collection featuring all his matches as ROH World Champion. Pretty clever timing.
Former WWE star Shad Gaspard of Cryme Tyme was backstage at Fastlane. Notably JTG wasn't with him. The duo continues to perform as a team outside WWE. I'm interested to see if this leads to anything.
Raw will feature Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley for the Intercontinental Championship.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There's a LOT to unpack with this one. For context, I am also a subscriber to this other website and have seen the site go in depth about this and similar issues regarding performers' health, with details that aren't otherwise made public. I definitely feel like it crosses a line to discuss someone's private medical situation in such a way. Yes, it's newsworthy to delve into, for instance, why Lars Sullivan is not on the road right now, but to me there's a point where it goes from being a story about a performer to being a story about the person's private life as they deal with something serious they are intentionally keeping private.
2. I feel uncomfortable speculating on something like that, because, as I said, that goes beyond covering wrestling to covering someone's personal medical condition. I understand wanting to be thorough and cover a story people want to know about, but it strikes me as inappropriate to say the least to go into something that private.
3. That specific tweet was in response to someone saying his coverage of Roman's illness was some sort of way to "bash" Reigns to appeal to the insider fan base, rather than criticism of him running a story about someone's private medical issue. From what I've seen, he hasn't addressed the feeling he shouldn't be speculating on such things in the first place.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE remembered Wally Yamaguchi. They didn't mention the Val Venis angle.
Alexander Wolfe appeared at wXw's 16 Carat Gold tournament, losing an open challenge for the Shotgun Title on March 9 and losing a six-man tag match on March 10. Damn he can't even get a win outside of WWE!
Ariya Daivari worked short matches at The Academy in Minnesota, which was partially founded by his brother.
Jerry Lawler announced he needs double knee replacement, but will continue to wrestle with injections. That's rough. I hope he's making the right choice there.
Matt Hardy did a video as his Big Money Matt persona, which he used in Impact and ROH. I don't expect this to be on WWE TV after the Hardys reunion, but you never know. It would seem like the Broken/Woken stuff is back on hold.
Honor Club has added a Daniel Bryan collection featuring all his matches as ROH World Champion. Pretty clever timing.
Former WWE star Shad Gaspard of Cryme Tyme was backstage at Fastlane. Notably JTG wasn't with him. The duo continues to perform as a team outside WWE. I'm interested to see if this leads to anything.
Raw will feature Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley for the Intercontinental Championship.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There's a LOT to unpack with this one. For context, I am also a subscriber to this other website and have seen the site go in depth about this and similar issues regarding performers' health, with details that aren't otherwise made public. I definitely feel like it crosses a line to discuss someone's private medical situation in such a way. Yes, it's newsworthy to delve into, for instance, why Lars Sullivan is not on the road right now, but to me there's a point where it goes from being a story about a performer to being a story about the person's private life as they deal with something serious they are intentionally keeping private.
2. I feel uncomfortable speculating on something like that, because, as I said, that goes beyond covering wrestling to covering someone's personal medical condition. I understand wanting to be thorough and cover a story people want to know about, but it strikes me as inappropriate to say the least to go into something that private.
3. That specific tweet was in response to someone saying his coverage of Roman's illness was some sort of way to "bash" Reigns to appeal to the insider fan base, rather than criticism of him running a story about someone's private medical issue. From what I've seen, he hasn't addressed the feeling he shouldn't be speculating on such things in the first place.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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