Read on for my thoughts on last night's AEW PPV.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Becky at Web Summit, Luchasaurus update, Dio update, Impact PPV main event official, Interviews with Crockett/Kofi, New Day gaming appearance, AEW's first rankings, and Questions on Saudi allegations, Shamrock taking bumps in 2019, Starrcast tip, and the Rhodeses' characters
Becky Lynch appeared at a Portugal Web Summit.
Luchasaurus is expected to return in January.
Dio Maddin will not be on Raw this coming week after the Brock Lesnar attack. The episode was taped Friday.
Hard To Kill's main event will be Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard for the Impact World Championship. Impact made the announcement official. This does spoil future TV, but I see why Impact wants to get tickets moving as soon as they can.
Jim Crockett Jr. discussed his promoting days.
Kofi Kingston discussed losing the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar and more.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were on Smosh Games playing Sportsfriends Super Pole Riders.
AEW released their first top-five contendership rankings for each division going into Full Gear. Here are the rankings for women, tag teams, and singles stars. Interesting consideration of singles matches vs. overall matches. They are giving the concept some real thought.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. No. Between everything being as it was described and everything being a massive conspiracy/coverup, it's much more likely they just had serious mechanical issues. People have pretty active imaginations, especially when put in a situation like WWE stars were put through, and that led to some outlandish, quickly debunked stories making the rounds. Unfortunately, there are enough people who traffic in rumors and painting WWE in a bad light that they got some serious traction.
2. HE'S STILL GOT IT *CLAP CLAP, CLAP CLAP CLAP*
3. Absolutely plan things in advance as much as you can as far as talent schedules and the like.
4. Because they're two different people in two different situations and shouldn't be expected to behave in unison. Ask Rusev and Lana or the Kanellises about marital unity on-screen!
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Luchasaurus is expected to return in January.
Dio Maddin will not be on Raw this coming week after the Brock Lesnar attack. The episode was taped Friday.
Hard To Kill's main event will be Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard for the Impact World Championship. Impact made the announcement official. This does spoil future TV, but I see why Impact wants to get tickets moving as soon as they can.
Jim Crockett Jr. discussed his promoting days.
Kofi Kingston discussed losing the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar and more.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were on Smosh Games playing Sportsfriends Super Pole Riders.
AEW released their first top-five contendership rankings for each division going into Full Gear. Here are the rankings for women, tag teams, and singles stars. Interesting consideration of singles matches vs. overall matches. They are giving the concept some real thought.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. No. Between everything being as it was described and everything being a massive conspiracy/coverup, it's much more likely they just had serious mechanical issues. People have pretty active imaginations, especially when put in a situation like WWE stars were put through, and that led to some outlandish, quickly debunked stories making the rounds. Unfortunately, there are enough people who traffic in rumors and painting WWE in a bad light that they got some serious traction.
2. HE'S STILL GOT IT *CLAP CLAP, CLAP CLAP CLAP*
3. Absolutely plan things in advance as much as you can as far as talent schedules and the like.
4. Because they're two different people in two different situations and shouldn't be expected to behave in unison. Ask Rusev and Lana or the Kanellises about marital unity on-screen!
Nothing to add to 5.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Smackdown and 205 Live Reax - 11/8/19
Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown and 205 Live.
Friday, November 8, 2019
MLW name visits NXT, new Hidden Gem, WWE toys, WWE honors indie hero, New Jack book release changes, WWE injury updates, NXT UK ring name trademarked, ECW original has surgery, Orton lawsuit update, WWE game show appearance, another AEW-DDP connection, Omega AAA title defense set, ROH name at Dynamite, legend does AEW commentary, Jeff Hardy court update, AEW+NXT ratings, more on NJPW return, NJPW event set for English commentary, another Omega title match coming?, MLW PPV attendance, ROH attendance, Dynamite attendance, La Parka update, top names sign with AAA, Santino honored, more NXT tapings set, NXT signing makes debut, and Questions on MJF as champion, scary moves, headlining the next HoF class, and Raven's whereabouts
MLW's Teddy Hart was at Wednesday's NXT taping. Pretty cool.
WWE Network's latest Hidden Gem is Georgia Championship Wrestling's June 11, 1983 event.
Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have WWE toys in their "Star Pals" meals currently.
WWE honored independent wrestler Jeremy Ganger for his heroism as a bouncer during an August shooting.
New Jack's memoir has been moved back to a January release.
Sasha Banks has been cleared to return to the ring, and will wrestle on this week's Smackdown. Glad to see it.
Cedric Alexander recently missed time due to a minor injury. Glad he's able to get back into the mix.
WWE has trademarked "Trent Seven," which is a good sign for the NXT UK star's future there.
Former ECW name Francine recently had surgery for a hernia. She's had a number of surgeries recently. Ouch.
WWE's lawsuit regarding Randy Orton's tattoo design is set to go to court June 1.
Kofi Kingston, Big E, Ali, and Apollo Crews were on "25 Words or Less" Thursday.
Diamond Dallas Page's Comeback Studios is helping with AEW production. Great to see so many connections being utilized.
Kenny Omega will defend the AAA Mega Championship against Dragon Lee at TripleMania Regia on December 1. Lee is a free agent, but in theory we could end up seeing the AAA Champion appear at Final Battle.
ROH's Caprice Coleman was visiting at Dynamite. I wouldn't blame him for looking at a job!
Arn Anderson did commentary on AEW Dark this week. Cool to see that show have special guests.
Jeff Hardy's next court appearance is December 5. I don't expect him to be on WWE TV before then.
Dynamite drew 822,000 viewers this week, showing a partial rebound from the World Series week episode. It will be very interesting to see how they do after Full Gear.
NXT drew 813,000 viewers this week, showing a significant jump after the "invasion" angles and Survivor Series involvement announcement. This was the closest the two shows had been since the Wednesday night battle began. At this rate we could see NXT pass AEW by the end of the year, which would be significant.
NJPW's Hiromu Takahashi has apparently been cleared to return for a number of months, but the company held off his return until the build for Wrestle Kingdom 14. They have some real discipline for long-term plans that you don't really see in the West.
NJPW's Saturday show in California will have live English commentary on New Japan World. I'm curious if that show, with Liger's final U.S. match, will eat into the Full Gear audience.
Kenny Omega is expected to challenge for DDT's top championship. He's still getting big opportunities outside of AEW.
MLW's first PPV had 700 fans in attendance. It's a crowded wrestling landscape right now.
ROH The Experience drew 250 fans, while ROH Unauthorized drew 300 fans. Yikes. The fact these shows went on while Survival of the Fittest was canceled shows just how bad those ticket sales must have been.
Dynamite drew 4,000 fans. That's the lowest crowd AEW has drawn. While it's still an impressive number in 2019 for a group that isn't WWE, it does show things have cooled off from the super hot start.
La Parka has had other surgeries after his scary dive. He is no longer in intensive care, which is a good sign.
The Lucha Bros have signed AAA contracts, so they will be exclusive to that company when in Mexico.
Marty Scurll is set to debut for The Crash on November 23. His ROH deal is set to end soon.
The former Santino Marella is Judo Canada's first official ambassador. Good to see him being able to push MMA forward.
NXT has some Full Sail dates booked for January, so they're not doing shows outside that venue just yet.
Aleister Black is missing some time due to a minor knee injury. I hope he's back soon.
Sami Zayn has had some issues with his shoulders lately, which is part of why he's been used as a manager. He's had some rough times with his shoulders.
Indi Hartwell has debuted for NXT as Samantha De Martin. She teamed with Reina Gonzalez in a loss to Santana Garrett and Jessi Kamea on the November 7 Florida live event.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's WAAAAAAYYYYYYYY too early to consider him as world champion. TV Champion or something? Sure. But he shouldn't be near the top title picture anytime soon when they've got the likes of Omega, Moxley, Pac, Hager, Guevara, and Page there on top of the two men in the Full Gear main event. Heck, even some of the current tag team guys would be credible world champions before his name should be in the conversation.
2. A lot of apron bumps scare me, especially when the head is involved. The game of trying to top the previous big spot is getting scary.
3. THE NIGHT BEFORE HIS BIG COMEBACK MATCH BROTHER? THE HULKSTER NEEDS TO GET THE BAND BACK TOGETHER AND SHOW THE OC AND UNDISPUTED ERA THE 24 INCH PYTHONS JACK! Yeah, might as well do the nWo.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. He still pops up here and there but doesn't seem to take regular bookings.
More wrestling tomorrow.
WWE Network's latest Hidden Gem is Georgia Championship Wrestling's June 11, 1983 event.
Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have WWE toys in their "Star Pals" meals currently.
WWE honored independent wrestler Jeremy Ganger for his heroism as a bouncer during an August shooting.
New Jack's memoir has been moved back to a January release.
Sasha Banks has been cleared to return to the ring, and will wrestle on this week's Smackdown. Glad to see it.
Cedric Alexander recently missed time due to a minor injury. Glad he's able to get back into the mix.
WWE has trademarked "Trent Seven," which is a good sign for the NXT UK star's future there.
Former ECW name Francine recently had surgery for a hernia. She's had a number of surgeries recently. Ouch.
WWE's lawsuit regarding Randy Orton's tattoo design is set to go to court June 1.
Kofi Kingston, Big E, Ali, and Apollo Crews were on "25 Words or Less" Thursday.
Diamond Dallas Page's Comeback Studios is helping with AEW production. Great to see so many connections being utilized.
Kenny Omega will defend the AAA Mega Championship against Dragon Lee at TripleMania Regia on December 1. Lee is a free agent, but in theory we could end up seeing the AAA Champion appear at Final Battle.
ROH's Caprice Coleman was visiting at Dynamite. I wouldn't blame him for looking at a job!
Arn Anderson did commentary on AEW Dark this week. Cool to see that show have special guests.
Jeff Hardy's next court appearance is December 5. I don't expect him to be on WWE TV before then.
Dynamite drew 822,000 viewers this week, showing a partial rebound from the World Series week episode. It will be very interesting to see how they do after Full Gear.
NXT drew 813,000 viewers this week, showing a significant jump after the "invasion" angles and Survivor Series involvement announcement. This was the closest the two shows had been since the Wednesday night battle began. At this rate we could see NXT pass AEW by the end of the year, which would be significant.
NJPW's Hiromu Takahashi has apparently been cleared to return for a number of months, but the company held off his return until the build for Wrestle Kingdom 14. They have some real discipline for long-term plans that you don't really see in the West.
NJPW's Saturday show in California will have live English commentary on New Japan World. I'm curious if that show, with Liger's final U.S. match, will eat into the Full Gear audience.
Kenny Omega is expected to challenge for DDT's top championship. He's still getting big opportunities outside of AEW.
MLW's first PPV had 700 fans in attendance. It's a crowded wrestling landscape right now.
ROH The Experience drew 250 fans, while ROH Unauthorized drew 300 fans. Yikes. The fact these shows went on while Survival of the Fittest was canceled shows just how bad those ticket sales must have been.
Dynamite drew 4,000 fans. That's the lowest crowd AEW has drawn. While it's still an impressive number in 2019 for a group that isn't WWE, it does show things have cooled off from the super hot start.
La Parka has had other surgeries after his scary dive. He is no longer in intensive care, which is a good sign.
The Lucha Bros have signed AAA contracts, so they will be exclusive to that company when in Mexico.
Marty Scurll is set to debut for The Crash on November 23. His ROH deal is set to end soon.
The former Santino Marella is Judo Canada's first official ambassador. Good to see him being able to push MMA forward.
NXT has some Full Sail dates booked for January, so they're not doing shows outside that venue just yet.
Aleister Black is missing some time due to a minor knee injury. I hope he's back soon.
Sami Zayn has had some issues with his shoulders lately, which is part of why he's been used as a manager. He's had some rough times with his shoulders.
Indi Hartwell has debuted for NXT as Samantha De Martin. She teamed with Reina Gonzalez in a loss to Santana Garrett and Jessi Kamea on the November 7 Florida live event.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's WAAAAAAYYYYYYYY too early to consider him as world champion. TV Champion or something? Sure. But he shouldn't be near the top title picture anytime soon when they've got the likes of Omega, Moxley, Pac, Hager, Guevara, and Page there on top of the two men in the Full Gear main event. Heck, even some of the current tag team guys would be credible world champions before his name should be in the conversation.
2. A lot of apron bumps scare me, especially when the head is involved. The game of trying to top the previous big spot is getting scary.
3. THE NIGHT BEFORE HIS BIG COMEBACK MATCH BROTHER? THE HULKSTER NEEDS TO GET THE BAND BACK TOGETHER AND SHOW THE OC AND UNDISPUTED ERA THE 24 INCH PYTHONS JACK! Yeah, might as well do the nWo.
Nothing to add to 4.
5. He still pops up here and there but doesn't seem to take regular bookings.
More wrestling tomorrow.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Bret custom title, new Full Gear match, Interviews with Hogan/Shayna/Ali/Scorpio, Impact PPV site, Backstage audience tanks, Cain in-ring update, NXT names going for PROGRESS gold, NXT UK champion set for EVOLVE, Gargano to miss dates, NXT star opens up about disease, Lynn health scare, NWA in Retromania, and Questions on AEW moving talent around, ratings rebounding from World Series week, Mania's length, Myles' shirt, and how WWE debuted Cain
Bret Hart has a new WWE Championship "signature" design. That's really cool. I'll pop if Shawn Michaels gets the next one.
Full Gear has added Riho vs. Emi Sakura for the AEW Women's Championship.
Hulk Hogan discussed his upcoming back surgery and more. I hope he doesn't risk his health taking more bumps.
Shayna Baszler spoke about Survivor Series and more with PWInsider and Sporting News. She has been underutilized, but thankfully now she's being seen by a larger audience.
Impact's Hard to Kill PPV is set for January 12 in Texas, at the site of Slammiversary 2019. That would indicate they don't expect the AXS clearance to quickly lead to a big jump in attendance. That's probably wise.
WWE Backstage's debut episode drew 49,000 viewers, a disastrous number that would have me rethinking the show's future.
Ali was featured on the CBS Evening News. That's great!
Cain Velasquez is no longer advertised as wrestling at WWE's Mexico City show, but he will still appear. That's probably for the best if he needs surgery that badly.
NXT's Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch will challenge for PROGRESS' Tag Team Championship on November 24 as they face Jordan Devlin and Scotty Davis.
Walter has been added to EVOLVE 141 in Michigan on December 6 and EVOLVE 142 in Illinois on December 7.
- Johnny Gargano has pulled out of those events due to a health issue. He's still expected for WarGames.
Kyle O'Reilly discussed living with diabetes. I never knew! Props to him for achieving so much.
Scorpio Sky discussed making amends for past negative tweets. I'm very glad that he owned up to his mistakes and used them to become a better person.
Jerry Lynn has pulled out of Starrcast IV due to unspecified health issues. He recently underwent an MRI. I wish him the best; that's a big weekend to miss.
NWA has announced official involvement in Retromania, with Nick Aldis and Austin Idol added. That's really cool.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. We have seen a good variety of talent on the show, although of course the top names have generally been on every show. That makes some sense with them trying to sell Full Gear. It would be odd if they shifted who appeared each week TOO much, since they are trying to establish the key players.
2. Yeah "need" is a strong word, but they certainly wanted to see an increase without such major competition. I'll cover their respective audiences tomorrow.
3. It's possible, but the idea has generally been to give fans a marathon since it's the most important spectacle of the year and such.
4. Myles' side of the story is that he was under the impression that it had already been approved by higher-ups and he didn't want to rock the boat.
5. They sold the hell out of Cain following that debut. Even if they hadn't, after he took down Brock and Brock bailed, people knew business had just picked up for Mrs. Lesnar's Baby Boy. No complaints.
More wrestling coming up.
Full Gear has added Riho vs. Emi Sakura for the AEW Women's Championship.
Hulk Hogan discussed his upcoming back surgery and more. I hope he doesn't risk his health taking more bumps.
Shayna Baszler spoke about Survivor Series and more with PWInsider and Sporting News. She has been underutilized, but thankfully now she's being seen by a larger audience.
Impact's Hard to Kill PPV is set for January 12 in Texas, at the site of Slammiversary 2019. That would indicate they don't expect the AXS clearance to quickly lead to a big jump in attendance. That's probably wise.
WWE Backstage's debut episode drew 49,000 viewers, a disastrous number that would have me rethinking the show's future.
Ali was featured on the CBS Evening News. That's great!
Cain Velasquez is no longer advertised as wrestling at WWE's Mexico City show, but he will still appear. That's probably for the best if he needs surgery that badly.
NXT's Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch will challenge for PROGRESS' Tag Team Championship on November 24 as they face Jordan Devlin and Scotty Davis.
Walter has been added to EVOLVE 141 in Michigan on December 6 and EVOLVE 142 in Illinois on December 7.
- Johnny Gargano has pulled out of those events due to a health issue. He's still expected for WarGames.
Kyle O'Reilly discussed living with diabetes. I never knew! Props to him for achieving so much.
Scorpio Sky discussed making amends for past negative tweets. I'm very glad that he owned up to his mistakes and used them to become a better person.
Jerry Lynn has pulled out of Starrcast IV due to unspecified health issues. He recently underwent an MRI. I wish him the best; that's a big weekend to miss.
NWA has announced official involvement in Retromania, with Nick Aldis and Austin Idol added. That's really cool.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. We have seen a good variety of talent on the show, although of course the top names have generally been on every show. That makes some sense with them trying to sell Full Gear. It would be odd if they shifted who appeared each week TOO much, since they are trying to establish the key players.
2. Yeah "need" is a strong word, but they certainly wanted to see an increase without such major competition. I'll cover their respective audiences tomorrow.
3. It's possible, but the idea has generally been to give fans a marathon since it's the most important spectacle of the year and such.
4. Myles' side of the story is that he was under the impression that it had already been approved by higher-ups and he didn't want to rock the boat.
5. They sold the hell out of Cain following that debut. Even if they hadn't, after he took down Brock and Brock bailed, people knew business had just picked up for Mrs. Lesnar's Baby Boy. No complaints.
More wrestling coming up.
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