Week in Wrestling - Sunday May 6, 2018
WWE Backlash PPV
Tonight, WWE presents is Backlash PPV, which is headlined by a rematch for the WWE championship between AJ Styles and Nakamura. The addition of the no disqualification stipulation should really make this a match to see, and I predict we will be getting a new WWE champion. I have loved this feud since Nakamura turned heel, and this should be an excellent chapter in the overall story. Check out the rest of the card below.
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (No Disqualification Match)
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Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
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Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
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Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
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United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
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SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair
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Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
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Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
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On paper this card looks pretty good, and the move to one PPV between both brands should really help in making the matches feel more important. This month has been tough coming off Mania, the brand draft, and the Saudi show. But I suspect things will be developed a lot better moving forward with more time to focus on one big show a month.
WWE NEWS
Brock Lesnar Update
At this point, it’s not clear when Brock Lesnar’s next show will be, although the best bet is the 6/17 Money in the Bank show from Chicago. According to Dave Meltzer, Lesnar isn’t under contract for SummerSlam, although that could always change. You’d think from a WWE standpoint, if he is leaving to go fight in the UFC, you’d want him to drop the title to Reigns or Stroman before he leaves. And to me, the best time to do that is not with the Money in the Bank briefcase, but with a definitive clean victory for the next champion.
WWE Business Report
WWE's first quarter business report released today listed $187.7 million in total revenue and $14.8 million in profits, as compared to $188.4 million in revenue and $900,000 in profits for the same quarter last year. The revenue was slightly below Wall Street's expectations of $191 million, but profits were ahead of expectations of $10 million to $11 million. Wall Street was happy with profits beating projections as the stock has climbed to $40.92 per share at the time of this report.
Essentially, the company is being carried by media rights deals. As they continue to escalate, revenues and profits escalate with them. The Mixed Match Challenge deal with Facebook also helped in that category. The WWE Network increased in subscribers but it wasn't in the current report given direct numbers of how all of the 99 cent for three month subscriptions affected revenue. But WWE Network expenses were down due to lesser money spent on original programming.
Overall, the company was far more vague regarding details and different categories as compared to the past. They hope to have announcements of a new television deal by September.
Essentially, the company is being carried by media rights deals. As they continue to escalate, revenues and profits escalate with them. The Mixed Match Challenge deal with Facebook also helped in that category. The WWE Network increased in subscribers but it wasn't in the current report given direct numbers of how all of the 99 cent for three month subscriptions affected revenue. But WWE Network expenses were down due to lesser money spent on original programming.
Overall, the company was far more vague regarding details and different categories as compared to the past. They hope to have announcements of a new television deal by September.
Saudi's Upset
I'm not going to waste much time and space talking about the WWE Saudi Arabia house show from last week, as I understood from the beginning that it was a business deal that people are making way too big of a deal of iny my opinion. But there were a few issues that must be addressed that came as a result of the show. One being the Saudi's throwing the WWE under the bus for airing a video package which had clips of Carmella and Sasha Banks in it.
During the broadcast of the show and on the screens in the stadium, they played a commercial for Backlash. It was the one played all over the world to promote the show with the performers lip syncing music, and it showed Carmella and Sasha Banks in their usual wrestling attire. When the scene of Carmela in the tight Baywatch one-piece bathing suit aired, there was a legitimate and significant pop from the males in the crowd.
The next morning, the General Sport Authority released a statement: “The General Sport Authority would like to apologize to the viewers and attendees of last night’s WWE event that took place in Jeddah, over the incident scene involving women that appeared as an ad before a segment. It would like to confirm its total disapproval of this, in the shadow of its commitment to eliminate anything that goes against the communities values. The authority has made sure to ban showing of any segment that involves women wrestling or any scenes related to it, and stipulated that to WWE. The authority also disapproved any promotional material with pictures or videos showing women in an indecent way, and emphasized on a commitment to this rule. And it’s a commitment that the authority will be continuously vigilant about (another translation of this said “commit to forever”) throughout all its different activities and events.”
I don't things are changing anytime soon in that country.
During the broadcast of the show and on the screens in the stadium, they played a commercial for Backlash. It was the one played all over the world to promote the show with the performers lip syncing music, and it showed Carmella and Sasha Banks in their usual wrestling attire. When the scene of Carmela in the tight Baywatch one-piece bathing suit aired, there was a legitimate and significant pop from the males in the crowd.
The next morning, the General Sport Authority released a statement: “The General Sport Authority would like to apologize to the viewers and attendees of last night’s WWE event that took place in Jeddah, over the incident scene involving women that appeared as an ad before a segment. It would like to confirm its total disapproval of this, in the shadow of its commitment to eliminate anything that goes against the communities values. The authority has made sure to ban showing of any segment that involves women wrestling or any scenes related to it, and stipulated that to WWE. The authority also disapproved any promotional material with pictures or videos showing women in an indecent way, and emphasized on a commitment to this rule. And it’s a commitment that the authority will be continuously vigilant about (another translation of this said “commit to forever”) throughout all its different activities and events.”
I don't things are changing anytime soon in that country.
Sami Zayn, a Canadian who comes from Syrian heritage, was not allowed to wrestle in Saudi Arabia. There was a directive that nobody could speak on that issue until after the show, to avoid controversy that the company had now also been told a performer couldn’t come because of his ethnicity. All the announcers and others were given a handbook of sorts with all kinds of rules, mostly of customs and things to avoid doing (such as never blow off a handshake to anyone because they will take it as an insult and you don’t want to insult the wrong person), and one of the directives was to never mention anything about Zayn, and obviously not a word was said on the broadcast about the women either.
Mayor Kane
Glenn Jacobs (Kane) will officially be the Republican nominee and is the overwhelming favorite to become the next mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. Jacobs ended election night with a 17-vote lead and added to that margin when election officials decided on 43 provisional ballots today. Jacobs picked up seven votes, Brad Anders, who came in second place, added one vote to his total, and third-place finisher Bob Thomas gained four votes. The rest of the ballots were ruled ineligible, though two of them could still be counted if voters show photo identification today.
The general election will be taking place on August 2nd, with Jacobs expected to defeat Democrat Linda Haney. Jacobs hasn't been on WWE television since appearing in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34. He was originally slated for the Greatest Royal Rumble but instead made his final push in campaigning for the primary.
The general election will be taking place on August 2nd, with Jacobs expected to defeat Democrat Linda Haney. Jacobs hasn't been on WWE television since appearing in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34. He was originally slated for the Greatest Royal Rumble but instead made his final push in campaigning for the primary.
WWE Network Update
The current plans for the WWE Network will be to add the last 104 episodes of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling that they have up in May. The plan is to add 78 episodes of Mid South Wrestling in June and 50 episodes of WCW Saturday Night in July.
The top-ten most watched shows on the WWE Network for the past week were: 1. Greatest Royal Rumble; 2. 2018 Royal Rumble; 3. NXT on 4/25; 4. Something Else to Wrestle With (episode two of the talk show with Bruce Prichard & Conrad Thompson) on 4/25; 5. 205 Live from 4/24; 6. WrestleMania 2018; 7. 2008 Royal Rumble; 8. Something Else to Wrestle with on 4/18; 9. NXT from 4/18; 10. NXT Takeover New Orleans. The only thing notable is that the Greatest Royal Rumble pre-show didn’t crack the top ten, or even the top 20. With such a long show and no matches on the pre-show, people didn’t tune in early. The Bruno Sammartino documentary in week two was in 13th place.
The top-ten most watched shows on the WWE Network for the past week were: 1. Greatest Royal Rumble; 2. 2018 Royal Rumble; 3. NXT on 4/25; 4. Something Else to Wrestle With (episode two of the talk show with Bruce Prichard & Conrad Thompson) on 4/25; 5. 205 Live from 4/24; 6. WrestleMania 2018; 7. 2008 Royal Rumble; 8. Something Else to Wrestle with on 4/18; 9. NXT from 4/18; 10. NXT Takeover New Orleans. The only thing notable is that the Greatest Royal Rumble pre-show didn’t crack the top ten, or even the top 20. With such a long show and no matches on the pre-show, people didn’t tune in early. The Bruno Sammartino documentary in week two was in 13th place.
New Japan Pro Wrestling News
Okada Breaks the Record
Kazuchika Okada defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain the IWGP Heavyweight title, breaking the record for most title defenses with 12. This was a fantastic match, with the last few minutes being excellent. The crowd finally woke up and made this a great bout as well. I don’t know if this will be up there with some of their best matches, but the two continue to prove that they have terrific chemistry with one another, and their feud continues to be one of the best of this decade.
After the match, Okada called out Kenny Omega. Omega came out and they set up another match between the two for Dominion in June. Omega said that they should do a two out of three falls match. Okada was fine with that. He said he'll show him what's next at Osaka Jo Hall.
After the match, Okada called out Kenny Omega. Omega came out and they set up another match between the two for Dominion in June. Omega said that they should do a two out of three falls match. Okada was fine with that. He said he'll show him what's next at Osaka Jo Hall.
Jericho Returns
A week after appearing at WWE's Greatest Royal Rumble, Chris Jericho returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling and resumed his feud with IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito. While wearing a mask and dressed as a Los Ingobernables de Japon fan, Jericho came out of the crowd and attacked Naito as he was heading to the back at this morning's Wrestling Dontaku event in Fukuoka. Jericho brought Naito back to ringside, took off his mask to reveal it was him, and gave Naito a Codebreaker.
Jericho bloodied Naito by hitting him with the ring bell. He tried to continue the attack, but officials and the rest of Los Ingobernables de Japon -- who were already backstage before Jericho appeared -- were finally able to break things up. Naito left under his own power after refusing to be stretchered out.
Jericho vs. Naito will presumably be happening at one of NJPW's upcoming big shows, with Dominion at Osaka-jo Hall on June 9th and the G1 Special at the Cow Palace on July 7th as possible options.
Jericho bloodied Naito by hitting him with the ring bell. He tried to continue the attack, but officials and the rest of Los Ingobernables de Japon -- who were already backstage before Jericho appeared -- were finally able to break things up. Naito left under his own power after refusing to be stretchered out.
Jericho vs. Naito will presumably be happening at one of NJPW's upcoming big shows, with Dominion at Osaka-jo Hall on June 9th and the G1 Special at the Cow Palace on July 7th as possible options.
Slow Opening Ticket Sales
Reality somewhat hit New Japan Pro Wrestling as the tickets for the 7/7 show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco not only didn’t sell out immediately, but had a disappointing first day with about 3,300 tickets sold.
With the immediate sellout of the second Long Beach show in a 4,700-seat arena, the idea of moving to a 10,000-seat set up in a new market made sense. But New Japan’s popularity in the U.S. is mostly a Hardcore traveling fan base, and coming back in three months without anything announced as far as something special or even any names, was going to be difficult.
While no numbers are available, most of the sections have plenty of tickets available. Some of it may have been a huge increase in prices over the previous shows but a lot is probably the idea that the people who attended Long Beach and WrestleMania week were probably not ready for another wrestling trip. If there is a killer main event for the IWGP title or a strong match for the IC title, because of how loaded Dominion has to be, it’ll be difficult for it to be announced until after 6/11. And at that point, it’s much harder to draw traveling fans. There may be a few matches announced before that date, but they need an IWGP title defense for a building as large as the Cow Palace, so it means the main event isn’t being announced until after Dominion.
In another era, this many tickets sold on the first day for an event two months away with not one name announced would be considered good. But today, and after the success of the first two shows, it’s a disappointment. This is also an era where most people buy tickets on the first day, and even more for a traveling show as compared to a local market show.
With the immediate sellout of the second Long Beach show in a 4,700-seat arena, the idea of moving to a 10,000-seat set up in a new market made sense. But New Japan’s popularity in the U.S. is mostly a Hardcore traveling fan base, and coming back in three months without anything announced as far as something special or even any names, was going to be difficult.
While no numbers are available, most of the sections have plenty of tickets available. Some of it may have been a huge increase in prices over the previous shows but a lot is probably the idea that the people who attended Long Beach and WrestleMania week were probably not ready for another wrestling trip. If there is a killer main event for the IWGP title or a strong match for the IC title, because of how loaded Dominion has to be, it’ll be difficult for it to be announced until after 6/11. And at that point, it’s much harder to draw traveling fans. There may be a few matches announced before that date, but they need an IWGP title defense for a building as large as the Cow Palace, so it means the main event isn’t being announced until after Dominion.
In another era, this many tickets sold on the first day for an event two months away with not one name announced would be considered good. But today, and after the success of the first two shows, it’s a disappointment. This is also an era where most people buy tickets on the first day, and even more for a traveling show as compared to a local market show.
Ring of Honor News
ROH in New Markets
Sinclair Broadcast Group will be selling 23 television stations to stay within the 39 percent of market penetration for television stations rule with te acquisition of Tribune Media stations. When the Tribune deal is completed, Sinclair would own 215 stations in 102 markets. Sinclair will pick up a number of key Tribune stations, notably KTLA in Los Angeles and WPIX in New York. While not certain, the belief is when the merger goes through, that ROH will start airing on those stations, which would be a huge boost in exposure. Among the stations that they are looking at selling would be stations in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, Houston, Dallas, St. Louis, Cleveland San Diego, Denver and Miami. Sinclair is hoping to sell those stations but retain the operations of those stations as FCC rules regarding ownership allows for that sleight of hand.
IMPACT News
Slammiversary
After the end of the tapings on 4/26, the stuff made clear for Slammiversary on 7/22 in Toronto was Austin Aries defending the Impact title against the winner of a match with Moose vs. Eli Drake that hasn’t been taped, and a Knockouts title match with Su Yung, the new champion, facing Madison Rayne
The next tapings will be 6/1 and 6/2 in Windsor, ONT. The plan going forward is to tape more frequently so they don’t have these shows that are three months old anymore. The Windsor tapings will be the final shows building up Slammiversary. They’ll tape TV in Toronto after Slammiversary but not for as many days as they’ve been doing.
The next tapings will be 6/1 and 6/2 in Windsor, ONT. The plan going forward is to tape more frequently so they don’t have these shows that are three months old anymore. The Windsor tapings will be the final shows building up Slammiversary. They’ll tape TV in Toronto after Slammiversary but not for as many days as they’ve been doing.
Behind the Scenes Update
The guys in charge of the creative end right now are Sonjay Dutt, Don Callis, Scott D’Amore and Jimmy Jacobs. They are also all agenting matches along with Abyss, Tommy Dreamer and Konnan.
Backstage but not used at the tapings included Rich Swann, who was there every day, and Zachary Wentz. Rey Fenix did the PPV but didn’t do the tapings because he had to return to Mexico City on 4/23 for visa issues, but with all the issues with slow-ups and such with the new presidential regime, he wasn’t able to clear things up until after the tapings were over. There were ideas for him to work several tag matches with Pentagon as his partner that would have likely been great bouts.
Backstage but not used at the tapings included Rich Swann, who was there every day, and Zachary Wentz. Rey Fenix did the PPV but didn’t do the tapings because he had to return to Mexico City on 4/23 for visa issues, but with all the issues with slow-ups and such with the new presidential regime, he wasn’t able to clear things up until after the tapings were over. There were ideas for him to work several tag matches with Pentagon as his partner that would have likely been great bouts.
INDEPENDENT NEWS
All In tickets go on sale on 5/13. It’ll be interesting how the first day goes. They also haven’t announced any matches, although they will be announcing a few matches that day, but have announced a lot of names and it felt like there was far more buzz for this show than the New Japan Cow Palace show
By: Larry Causion Jr. CausionCreations.com
Posted: Sunday, May 6, 2018
Credit: Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Posted: Sunday, May 6, 2018
Credit: Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter