Read on for my thoughts on last night's WWE Network special event.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Reality show coming to WWE Network, next WWE Untold, new WWEPC signing, Interviews with Alexa/Callis+D'Amore, Dr. Wagner Jr. booked for BFG, Ricochet video, Cody comments on AEW TV in Canada, MLW releases Gary Hart tribute, another wrestler entering MMA, and Questions on The Big Event, AAA's PPV, and RVD staying with Impact
"Miz & Mrs" first season is coming to WWE Network on Friday.
"WWE Untold" on Kane's debut will air next Sunday. Kane, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker will be involved.
The WWE Performance Center has signed Indi Hartwell of Australia.
Alexa Bliss promoted NXT's move to USA Network.
Bound For Glory has announced Dr. Wagner and two partners vs. The Rascalz. I expect those partners will come from AAA. I'm curious who will get that opportunity.
Ricochet was in a video with the Ninja Kidz.
Cody commented on AEW coming to TV in Canada. It's widely expected they'll air on TSN, but obviously nothing's official yet.
MLW released their Gary Hart tribute.
Impact's Don Callis and Scott D'Amore are on Chris Jericho's latest podcast, discussing the AXS deal.
Thunder Rosa has signed a multi-fight MMA deal with Combate Americas. She's expected to compete on the November 8 event. I'm curious how she'll do.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Amazing they had a show that well-attended and it wasn't on PPV! And it took this long to put it on the Network???
Nothing to add to 2 or 3.
4. That's what happens when you run a PPV the same day as a WWE PPV. Cable outlets pick one or the other to air, and for obvious reasons they picked the WWE show.
5. The two sides came to an agreement for him to do some more feuds.
More wrestling coming up.
"WWE Untold" on Kane's debut will air next Sunday. Kane, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker will be involved.
The WWE Performance Center has signed Indi Hartwell of Australia.
Alexa Bliss promoted NXT's move to USA Network.
Bound For Glory has announced Dr. Wagner and two partners vs. The Rascalz. I expect those partners will come from AAA. I'm curious who will get that opportunity.
Ricochet was in a video with the Ninja Kidz.
Cody commented on AEW coming to TV in Canada. It's widely expected they'll air on TSN, but obviously nothing's official yet.
MLW released their Gary Hart tribute.
Impact's Don Callis and Scott D'Amore are on Chris Jericho's latest podcast, discussing the AXS deal.
Thunder Rosa has signed a multi-fight MMA deal with Combate Americas. She's expected to compete on the November 8 event. I'm curious how she'll do.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Amazing they had a show that well-attended and it wasn't on PPV! And it took this long to put it on the Network???
Nothing to add to 2 or 3.
4. That's what happens when you run a PPV the same day as a WWE PPV. Cable outlets pick one or the other to air, and for obvious reasons they picked the WWE show.
5. The two sides came to an agreement for him to do some more feuds.
More wrestling coming up.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
NJPW California names, WWE stars present award, AEW tag title tournament entrant determined by poll, AEW team update, WWE hiring, Clash of Champions press, Jericho cruise sells out, Cena set for big role, WWE event dropped, Impact sets post-BFG shows, NXT name back on the road, and Questions on AEW's tapings branching out, NXT having commercials now, enhancement talent names, and WWE not airing Bret Stampede matches
NJPW's November 11 California event will feature Kota Ibushi, Juice Robinson, Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Jay White, Chase Owens, Minoru Suzuki, and Lance Archer. The November 9 event will feature those names as well as Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, and Jushin "Thunder" Liger.
Ali and Apollo Crews were at Beyond Sports' Global Awards to present the Courageous Use of Sport Award.
AEW is holding a poll to determine the final entrants in the tag team championship tournament. The options are Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy or Angelico and Jack Evans.
The Dark Order will be full-time AEW workers in time for the TNT debut.
WWE is hiring for writers, a motion graphics designer, an administrative assistant at the WWE Performance Center, a photo editor, a manager of community relations, a manager for network email marketing, a senior coordinator of network email marketing, nd a vice president of WWE Fan Analytics.
Clash of Champions will have a preview show with Bayley, Sasha Banks, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode.
- Clash of Champions' Watch Along will have Ali, Matt Hardy, Natalya, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Health Slater, Kassius Ohno, Chelsea Green, and Vic Joseph.
Kofi Kingston spoke to Fox News before Clash of Champions.
Chris Jericho's January cruise event has sold out. Impressive!!
John Cena has been officially announced for Suicide Squad 2. He's expected to play Peacemaker.
Smackdown Live's Friday live event was rescheduled to a water main break at the venue. The event will now take place on January 19.
Impact and Border City Wrestling are teaming for events on October 25 and October 26 in Ontario. I believe these will be TV tapings.
Killian Dain worked his first NXT live event since July 28 this weekend, defeating Kushida in Florida.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They will definitely branch out more as time goes on. Their hottest markets are getting priority, I believe, so Minnesota must not be a big priority. Time will tell.
2. So it's definitely Anthem rather than Impact. It's possible Impact is going to take that company's timeslot, and that's a bigger priority for Anthem for obvious reasons. Time will tell what else will be affected.
3. There will be more content overall, but, yes, some of it will take place during commercial breaks. That's how USA makes their money back!
4. Hey! It's tough to come up with so many unique names for enhancement talents! I'm surprised we don't see more pop culture names.
5. I can't say I blame Bret for wanting to be paid for them to broadcast matches he owns!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Ali and Apollo Crews were at Beyond Sports' Global Awards to present the Courageous Use of Sport Award.
AEW is holding a poll to determine the final entrants in the tag team championship tournament. The options are Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy or Angelico and Jack Evans.
The Dark Order will be full-time AEW workers in time for the TNT debut.
WWE is hiring for writers, a motion graphics designer, an administrative assistant at the WWE Performance Center, a photo editor, a manager of community relations, a manager for network email marketing, a senior coordinator of network email marketing, nd a vice president of WWE Fan Analytics.
Clash of Champions will have a preview show with Bayley, Sasha Banks, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode.
- Clash of Champions' Watch Along will have Ali, Matt Hardy, Natalya, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Health Slater, Kassius Ohno, Chelsea Green, and Vic Joseph.
Kofi Kingston spoke to Fox News before Clash of Champions.
Chris Jericho's January cruise event has sold out. Impressive!!
John Cena has been officially announced for Suicide Squad 2. He's expected to play Peacemaker.
Smackdown Live's Friday live event was rescheduled to a water main break at the venue. The event will now take place on January 19.
Impact and Border City Wrestling are teaming for events on October 25 and October 26 in Ontario. I believe these will be TV tapings.
Killian Dain worked his first NXT live event since July 28 this weekend, defeating Kushida in Florida.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They will definitely branch out more as time goes on. Their hottest markets are getting priority, I believe, so Minnesota must not be a big priority. Time will tell.
2. So it's definitely Anthem rather than Impact. It's possible Impact is going to take that company's timeslot, and that's a bigger priority for Anthem for obvious reasons. Time will tell what else will be affected.
3. There will be more content overall, but, yes, some of it will take place during commercial breaks. That's how USA makes their money back!
4. Hey! It's tough to come up with so many unique names for enhancement talents! I'm surprised we don't see more pop culture names.
5. I can't say I blame Bret for wanting to be paid for them to broadcast matches he owns!
More wrestling tomorrow.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Anthem-AXS updates, Cain being recruited, Global Wars attendance, WWE-MSG attendance, Omega AAA title match set, MLW-Crash show to feature CMLL names, Kota injury note, AEW stars work final AAW shows, MLW signs lucha name, more Impact-Kross friction, more on name working Impact, another AEW TNT special coming, Vampiro seminar coming, Finlay's mother passes, WWEPC signing gets press, new Hidden Gem, Interviews with Bret/Anthem execs/Kofi/Shayna/Shields/Janela/Backlund/Mansoor/Gallows/Braun/Phoenix/Shamrock, Impact signing at Pro Wrestling Tees store, Impact opening, NWA releases tag match, Cornette back in NWA, Impact move officially announced, assorted wrestling press, FOX special to highlight SD, Shamrock match set, NXT DVD on WWE Network, Walter's first EVOLVE opponent, and Questions on the Network pulling old specials, WWE pulling Elias, Owens' next moves, Punk returning, and FOX's WWE studio show
Anthem's AXS purchase includes the libraries of AXS' past episodes of NJPW and the ROH shows from the HDNet era. We'll see if Anthem makes use of the latter in any way.
- A lot of the timing here has to do with Mark Cuban wanting to get out of being the main owner.
Cain Velasquez has been in talks with WWE, AEW, and NJPW. He can have a prominent future in wrestling if he wants it!
Global Wars Espectacular drew 600 fans in Dearborn, 500 fans in Chicago, and 500 fans in Milwaukee. That's their lowest Michigan crowd since 2014, their lowest Chicago crowd since 2013, and their lowest Milwaukee crowd since 2012.
Raw was a legitimate sellout of 12,500 fans, while Smackdown Live drew 7,000 fans. That's a pretty significant difference. Tuesday's event was the lowest-attended TV taping in the venue's history, which is being partially blamed on high ticket prices for the show.
Kenny Omega will challenge Rey Fenix for the AAA World Championship on November 17 in Mexico.
MLW and The Crash's joint TV taping will feature CMLL talents in dark matches.
Kota Ibushi worked G1 with a sprained ankle ligament. I hope he's not taking too big of a risk.
MJF and the former LAX have worked their final AAW dates as they head into being full-time AEW stars. Darby Allin's last match for AAW is September 28 for the same reason.
MLW has signed Septimo Dragon to a multi-year deal. The Crash relationship is paying off already.
Impact is upset with Killer Kross' interviews due to disparagement clauses in their contracts. So, he could end up in legal trouble as part of this as well.
- Impact talents are supportive of Kross in the situation. The longer this drags out, the worse it is for management.
Joey Ryan is believed to have signed with Impact. That's something of a surprise with him not signing with AEW, but this way he can still do indie dates.
AEW is expected to have a TNT special on October 1 promoting the following night's first episode. This puts AEW on the air for the first Tuesday without an episode of Smackdown Live. AEW considered doing the show on Tuesdays, but the NBA season would conflict with that come January.
Vampiro is holding a seminar in Manitoba on October 25 in conjunction with CWE. That's a big opportunity for stars there.
Fit Finlay's mother recently passed away. That's sad news. I wish him and his family the best.
WWE Performance Center Briana Brandy got local press. She's got a compelling background.
WWE Network's latest Hidden Gem is WCW's 1995 "All-Nighter" special, which was centered on Clash of Champions.
Bret Hart discussed his 1993 King of the Ring win. Good to see him put over some current names.
Anthem CEO Len Asper commented on AXS' recent releases. It's really not a surprise they didn't want two companies' worth of staff around.
Impact is doing a signing with Pro Wrestling Tees the day before Bound For Glory. Brian Cage, Sami Callihan, Tessa Blanchard, Rhino, The North, Jordynne Grace, and Melissa Santos are all set for the event.
Impact released the opening to tonight's show.
NWA released the tag title match they taped at Global Wars Espectacular: Chicago.
Jim Cornette is doing commentary at NWA's upcoming TV tapings. That's pretty fitting.
Impact will begin airing on AXS starting after Bound For Glory. The show will continue to air on Twitch simultaneously. Impact's timeslot on the channel has not yet been announced. I wouldn't blame them all for moving from Fridays at 10:00 p.m.!
AXS is dropping MMA promotion Legacy Fighting Alliance following tonight's event. Naturally this has people worrying about the future of NJPW and WOW on the channel. There's no word on either show being dropped at this time.
- Anthem's Ed Nordholm released a comment about NJPW and WOW's future. I wouldn't assume either will be dropped.
- Impact executives will be at the next WOW tapings, so we'll likely learn more about where that relationship is going afterward.
- It's now believed AXS is dropping doing live MMA events altogether.
Sonya Deville and Carmella promoted Total Divas with a Try Not To Laugh video.
Kofi Kingston spoke to Jim Norton and Sam Roberts.
FOX will air a one-hour "Smackdown's Greatest Hits" special on September 27.
Territory era star Joe Savoldi was profiled.
A California labor bill's possible effect on wrestling was covered.
Shayna Baszler spoke to Muscle & Fitness. Interesting stuff about her background. It's definitely helped her immensely.
Author Brian Shields going into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame got press. I loved the Apter story.
Joey Janela spoke to Bleacher Report:
- He made bold sacrifices to stick with wrestling.
- Interesting, diplomatic take on Cornette.
Bob Backlund got press. He has a real dedication to his physique.
Bound For Glory has added Ken Shamrock vs. Moose. That should be pretty interesting.
WWE Network has added NXT's "From Secret to Sensation" DVD.
Mansoor spoke about wrestling in Saudi Arabia. Pretty cool.
Luke Gallows spoke in his hometown to promote tomorrow's live event.
Stephanie McMahon, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch were part of the WORLDZ convention.
Braun Strowman spoke to Sam Roberts. Interesting stuff about working with Vince.
Beth Phoenix was on Sean Mooney's latest podcast. Here are some highlights.
Ken Shamrock spoke to Chris Van Vliet about still wrestling at 55 and more.
Walter vs. Kassius Ohno is set for EVOLVE 136. That should be something special.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'd also assume it's some sort of potential legal issue.
2. They were hoping he would be cleared so they wouldn't have to pull him. They didn't want to make that change if they could help it.
3. I expect Owens vs. Shane inside Hell in a Cell, with some NXT appearances to sell him being "fired from Smackdown." I would be very surprised if he was shifted to NXT for long.
4. Not at the moment. It's going to be up to someone to convince him it's worth his time to do so.
5. FOX is putting together staff for the show. There's no word yet on when and where it will air.
More wrestling tomorrow.
- A lot of the timing here has to do with Mark Cuban wanting to get out of being the main owner.
Cain Velasquez has been in talks with WWE, AEW, and NJPW. He can have a prominent future in wrestling if he wants it!
Global Wars Espectacular drew 600 fans in Dearborn, 500 fans in Chicago, and 500 fans in Milwaukee. That's their lowest Michigan crowd since 2014, their lowest Chicago crowd since 2013, and their lowest Milwaukee crowd since 2012.
Raw was a legitimate sellout of 12,500 fans, while Smackdown Live drew 7,000 fans. That's a pretty significant difference. Tuesday's event was the lowest-attended TV taping in the venue's history, which is being partially blamed on high ticket prices for the show.
Kenny Omega will challenge Rey Fenix for the AAA World Championship on November 17 in Mexico.
MLW and The Crash's joint TV taping will feature CMLL talents in dark matches.
Kota Ibushi worked G1 with a sprained ankle ligament. I hope he's not taking too big of a risk.
MJF and the former LAX have worked their final AAW dates as they head into being full-time AEW stars. Darby Allin's last match for AAW is September 28 for the same reason.
MLW has signed Septimo Dragon to a multi-year deal. The Crash relationship is paying off already.
Impact is upset with Killer Kross' interviews due to disparagement clauses in their contracts. So, he could end up in legal trouble as part of this as well.
- Impact talents are supportive of Kross in the situation. The longer this drags out, the worse it is for management.
Joey Ryan is believed to have signed with Impact. That's something of a surprise with him not signing with AEW, but this way he can still do indie dates.
AEW is expected to have a TNT special on October 1 promoting the following night's first episode. This puts AEW on the air for the first Tuesday without an episode of Smackdown Live. AEW considered doing the show on Tuesdays, but the NBA season would conflict with that come January.
Vampiro is holding a seminar in Manitoba on October 25 in conjunction with CWE. That's a big opportunity for stars there.
Fit Finlay's mother recently passed away. That's sad news. I wish him and his family the best.
WWE Performance Center Briana Brandy got local press. She's got a compelling background.
WWE Network's latest Hidden Gem is WCW's 1995 "All-Nighter" special, which was centered on Clash of Champions.
Bret Hart discussed his 1993 King of the Ring win. Good to see him put over some current names.
Anthem CEO Len Asper commented on AXS' recent releases. It's really not a surprise they didn't want two companies' worth of staff around.
Impact is doing a signing with Pro Wrestling Tees the day before Bound For Glory. Brian Cage, Sami Callihan, Tessa Blanchard, Rhino, The North, Jordynne Grace, and Melissa Santos are all set for the event.
Impact released the opening to tonight's show.
NWA released the tag title match they taped at Global Wars Espectacular: Chicago.
Jim Cornette is doing commentary at NWA's upcoming TV tapings. That's pretty fitting.
Impact will begin airing on AXS starting after Bound For Glory. The show will continue to air on Twitch simultaneously. Impact's timeslot on the channel has not yet been announced. I wouldn't blame them all for moving from Fridays at 10:00 p.m.!
AXS is dropping MMA promotion Legacy Fighting Alliance following tonight's event. Naturally this has people worrying about the future of NJPW and WOW on the channel. There's no word on either show being dropped at this time.
- Anthem's Ed Nordholm released a comment about NJPW and WOW's future. I wouldn't assume either will be dropped.
- Impact executives will be at the next WOW tapings, so we'll likely learn more about where that relationship is going afterward.
- It's now believed AXS is dropping doing live MMA events altogether.
Sonya Deville and Carmella promoted Total Divas with a Try Not To Laugh video.
Kofi Kingston spoke to Jim Norton and Sam Roberts.
FOX will air a one-hour "Smackdown's Greatest Hits" special on September 27.
Territory era star Joe Savoldi was profiled.
A California labor bill's possible effect on wrestling was covered.
Shayna Baszler spoke to Muscle & Fitness. Interesting stuff about her background. It's definitely helped her immensely.
Author Brian Shields going into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame got press. I loved the Apter story.
Joey Janela spoke to Bleacher Report:
- He made bold sacrifices to stick with wrestling.
- Interesting, diplomatic take on Cornette.
Bob Backlund got press. He has a real dedication to his physique.
Bound For Glory has added Ken Shamrock vs. Moose. That should be pretty interesting.
WWE Network has added NXT's "From Secret to Sensation" DVD.
Mansoor spoke about wrestling in Saudi Arabia. Pretty cool.
Luke Gallows spoke in his hometown to promote tomorrow's live event.
Stephanie McMahon, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch were part of the WORLDZ convention.
Braun Strowman spoke to Sam Roberts. Interesting stuff about working with Vince.
Beth Phoenix was on Sean Mooney's latest podcast. Here are some highlights.
Ken Shamrock spoke to Chris Van Vliet about still wrestling at 55 and more.
Walter vs. Kassius Ohno is set for EVOLVE 136. That should be something special.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I'd also assume it's some sort of potential legal issue.
2. They were hoping he would be cleared so they wouldn't have to pull him. They didn't want to make that change if they could help it.
3. I expect Owens vs. Shane inside Hell in a Cell, with some NXT appearances to sell him being "fired from Smackdown." I would be very surprised if he was shifted to NXT for long.
4. Not at the moment. It's going to be up to someone to convince him it's worth his time to do so.
5. FOX is putting together staff for the show. There's no word yet on when and where it will air.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Network adding more Thunder, more on Taker on ESPN, MSG donates to Connor's Cure, Asuka comments on facing MMA star, Mojo cuts promo on Gronk, Super J Cup now online, another MLW taping, more AXS cuts, Angle's new job, WWE hires former Impact interviewer and lead HOH announcer, more on tiered Network plans, NXT UK names working in U.S. more, ROH signs female UK star, Interviews with HHH/Sasha/Mandy, Network updates, Rollins family expands, ECW name starts podcast, SDL audience, Owens teases future, AEW names wrestling in Taiwan, new Bloodsport match, Atlanta wrestling profiled, WALTER set for EVOLVE, and Questions on statistics in wrestling, NXT vs. AEW, AEW replaying on TNT, streaming wrestling, brand battles at Survivor Series, and AEW making B/R shows available outside the U.S.
WCW Thunder will have more episodes added to WWE Network Monday.
The Undertaker's ESPN appearance was detailed.
Madison Square Garden made a donation to Connor's Cure.
Asuka shot down facing Cris Cyborg. There has been regular talk over the years about Cyborg wrestling, but obviously she's still competing in MMA.
Mojo Rawley fired back at Rob Gronkowski. That 24/7 Title has Gronk's name all over it.
NJPW's 2019 Super-J Cup is now available on New Japan World.
MLW is taping Fusion in Florida on November 9. The return to Orlando got local press.
Anthem has also released a number of AXS employees from the California and Colorado offices, putting the total of releases past 40.
Kurt Angle is now a producer on Raw. I'm glad he's still able to contribute.
WWE has hired former Impact interviewer McKenzie Mitchell for a currently unspecified role.
- WWE has also hired House of Hardcore announcer Matt Camp as a host and digital talent. They're really filling up that end of things.
WWE Network is looking at launching its tiered service in January. WWE has been reaching out to independent promotions and lucha promotions to gauge interest for streaming them on the premium tier. That could be a game changer for everyone involved.
Pete Dunne is moving to the U.S., so he will be more of a part of NXT.
Toni Storm is expected to shift to NXT. That makes sense as the series expands.
ROH has signed Session Moth Martina. She will continue to compete for outside companies in Europe and Japan as part of the deal. WWE was looking to sign her to NXT UK, but she chose to go a different route. WOH could use another consistent player, so this works out well for her.
Triple H spoke to Newsweek about NXT's move to USA Network:
- The notion that the possibility of NXT moving to TV popped up in the last three months or whatever is patently false.
- It will be REALLY interesting to see if there's pressure to use certain names to draw ratings instead of spotlighting more up-and-coming workers.
- I also wonder what the chances are of NXT taping on the road.
- Having one-hour shows the first two weeks might end up working in NXT's favor.
- I really want to see more shuffling around of rosters among brands. There are talents on each show spinning their tires who could use a new environment.
- Yeah, it's time to start preparing to drop 205 Live as a separate entity. Those talents can still have great matches on other shows.
- I really hope talents don't become NXT lifers. I'd rather see Raw and Smackdown be able to use them effectively.
- I do like NXT being its own thing with its own style. Some lower-level talents could move there and reinvent themselves while the names who are clearly ready for bigger things can move to bigger shows.
WWE Network has been updated on Amazon Fire and Roku. They continue to work out bugs there.
Seth Rollins recently learned he has a brother and sister. There's a reality show waiting to happen!
Kevin Owens has teased going to NXT after his Smackdown Live firing. Honestly that's a clever idea, though the end goal needs to be him getting his Smackdown job back after a Hell in A Cell match with Shane McMahon.
Sasha Banks promoted Clash of Champions locally.
Mandy Rose discussed her training and more.
AEW, through OWE, is putting on Kenny Omega and Riho vs. Michael Nakazawa and Yuka Sakazaki in Taiwan Saturday.
Bloodsport II has added Killer Kross vs. Nick Gage. I'm curious how that will go given the issues with Impact's First Blood match.
Wrestling in Atlanta was profiled.
WALTER is booked for EVOLVE 135 on September 20 and EVOLVE 136 on September 21. That's pretty cool.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It sounds like they're going to push some of those ideas and similar ones. It's not something I care for, but it's certainly an alternative.
2.a. No, because that was NXT's timeslot before it was AEW's and there had been talk of putting NXT on TV when The Elite were still in ROH. That doesn't mean I don't think for a second they wouldn't have moved NXT to another night and time if AEW was airing at that time, though. WWE is intentionally running against AEW.
2.b. There's no indication that's in the works. TNT might want to see how things go with the show before making a move like that.
3. Possibly. It will depend on how the shows do compared to non-wrestling shows that can also be seen in other ways.
4. If the brand split was protected more, it would be more meaningful to see Raw and Smackdown names face off. I do think they can tell a story this year of each show trying to establish itself in the "new era" of FOX vs. USA, but of course followup will be key there as far as not having much brand crossover in the months that follow. I definitely wouldn't mind WWE dropping the brand battle theme for one of faces vs. heels spreading across brands.
5. I don't know how much of that AEW can do anything about, but, yeah, that's something they need to keep in mind.
More wrestling tomorrow.
The Undertaker's ESPN appearance was detailed.
Madison Square Garden made a donation to Connor's Cure.
Asuka shot down facing Cris Cyborg. There has been regular talk over the years about Cyborg wrestling, but obviously she's still competing in MMA.
Mojo Rawley fired back at Rob Gronkowski. That 24/7 Title has Gronk's name all over it.
NJPW's 2019 Super-J Cup is now available on New Japan World.
MLW is taping Fusion in Florida on November 9. The return to Orlando got local press.
Anthem has also released a number of AXS employees from the California and Colorado offices, putting the total of releases past 40.
Kurt Angle is now a producer on Raw. I'm glad he's still able to contribute.
WWE has hired former Impact interviewer McKenzie Mitchell for a currently unspecified role.
- WWE has also hired House of Hardcore announcer Matt Camp as a host and digital talent. They're really filling up that end of things.
WWE Network is looking at launching its tiered service in January. WWE has been reaching out to independent promotions and lucha promotions to gauge interest for streaming them on the premium tier. That could be a game changer for everyone involved.
Pete Dunne is moving to the U.S., so he will be more of a part of NXT.
Toni Storm is expected to shift to NXT. That makes sense as the series expands.
ROH has signed Session Moth Martina. She will continue to compete for outside companies in Europe and Japan as part of the deal. WWE was looking to sign her to NXT UK, but she chose to go a different route. WOH could use another consistent player, so this works out well for her.
Triple H spoke to Newsweek about NXT's move to USA Network:
- The notion that the possibility of NXT moving to TV popped up in the last three months or whatever is patently false.
- It will be REALLY interesting to see if there's pressure to use certain names to draw ratings instead of spotlighting more up-and-coming workers.
- I also wonder what the chances are of NXT taping on the road.
- Having one-hour shows the first two weeks might end up working in NXT's favor.
- I really want to see more shuffling around of rosters among brands. There are talents on each show spinning their tires who could use a new environment.
- Yeah, it's time to start preparing to drop 205 Live as a separate entity. Those talents can still have great matches on other shows.
- I really hope talents don't become NXT lifers. I'd rather see Raw and Smackdown be able to use them effectively.
- I do like NXT being its own thing with its own style. Some lower-level talents could move there and reinvent themselves while the names who are clearly ready for bigger things can move to bigger shows.
WWE Network has been updated on Amazon Fire and Roku. They continue to work out bugs there.
Seth Rollins recently learned he has a brother and sister. There's a reality show waiting to happen!
Francine has launched a podcast.
Smackdown Live drew 2.06 million viewers Tuesday night.
Kevin Owens has teased going to NXT after his Smackdown Live firing. Honestly that's a clever idea, though the end goal needs to be him getting his Smackdown job back after a Hell in A Cell match with Shane McMahon.
Sasha Banks promoted Clash of Champions locally.
Mandy Rose discussed her training and more.
AEW, through OWE, is putting on Kenny Omega and Riho vs. Michael Nakazawa and Yuka Sakazaki in Taiwan Saturday.
Bloodsport II has added Killer Kross vs. Nick Gage. I'm curious how that will go given the issues with Impact's First Blood match.
Wrestling in Atlanta was profiled.
WALTER is booked for EVOLVE 135 on September 20 and EVOLVE 136 on September 21. That's pretty cool.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It sounds like they're going to push some of those ideas and similar ones. It's not something I care for, but it's certainly an alternative.
2.a. No, because that was NXT's timeslot before it was AEW's and there had been talk of putting NXT on TV when The Elite were still in ROH. That doesn't mean I don't think for a second they wouldn't have moved NXT to another night and time if AEW was airing at that time, though. WWE is intentionally running against AEW.
2.b. There's no indication that's in the works. TNT might want to see how things go with the show before making a move like that.
3. Possibly. It will depend on how the shows do compared to non-wrestling shows that can also be seen in other ways.
4. If the brand split was protected more, it would be more meaningful to see Raw and Smackdown names face off. I do think they can tell a story this year of each show trying to establish itself in the "new era" of FOX vs. USA, but of course followup will be key there as far as not having much brand crossover in the months that follow. I definitely wouldn't mind WWE dropping the brand battle theme for one of faces vs. heels spreading across brands.
5. I don't know how much of that AEW can do anything about, but, yeah, that's something they need to keep in mind.
More wrestling tomorrow.
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