Week in Wrestling #40
Wrestling News From the week of
May 20th- May 27th, 2016
May 20th- May 27th, 2016
Brand Split
WWE announced Wednesday morning that Smackdown will not only air live starting on July 19th, but it will officially move to Tuesday nights at 8 PM. A draft will be held before the “Smackdown” launch date to determine which wrestlers on the company’s talent roster will be assigned to which program. Each show is expected to feature separate cast, plots and writing teams.
We have in-depth details, including everything that we know so far on what is set to happen with the brand split here.
WWE announced Wednesday morning that Smackdown will not only air live starting on July 19th, but it will officially move to Tuesday nights at 8 PM. A draft will be held before the “Smackdown” launch date to determine which wrestlers on the company’s talent roster will be assigned to which program. Each show is expected to feature separate cast, plots and writing teams.
We have in-depth details, including everything that we know so far on what is set to happen with the brand split here.
Affects on TNA
The obvious major ramifications of the Tuesday move is that unless Pop TV moves TNA to Wednesday or Thursday (which they probably should consider doing although they should wait until the fall to do so), that TNA’s first hour will go head-to-head with WWE’s second hour. It is possible that with two million plus wrestling fans already watching from 8-10 p.m., while it will hurt TNA’s first hour, the second hour gain from wrestling fans already tuning in may end up benefitting them in the long run. So for that reason, I’d leave an experimental period to see what happens before making a decision.
The obvious major ramifications of the Tuesday move is that unless Pop TV moves TNA to Wednesday or Thursday (which they probably should consider doing although they should wait until the fall to do so), that TNA’s first hour will go head-to-head with WWE’s second hour. It is possible that with two million plus wrestling fans already watching from 8-10 p.m., while it will hurt TNA’s first hour, the second hour gain from wrestling fans already tuning in may end up benefitting them in the long run. So for that reason, I’d leave an experimental period to see what happens before making a decision.
Affects on NXT
The tentative plan was for Jason Jordan & Chad Gable to go to the main roster in the fall. That was also before the before the brand split changed every creative decision.
HHH had previously wanted six months worth of plans to be made for talent being brought up so they wouldn’t be brought up and then have nothing to do, flounder, and make it look like NXT stars failed on the main roster. That makes all the sense But obviously, that hasn’t happened given the way NXT stars have been brought up with no long-term whatsoever.
The tentative plan was for Jason Jordan & Chad Gable to go to the main roster in the fall. That was also before the before the brand split changed every creative decision.
HHH had previously wanted six months worth of plans to be made for talent being brought up so they wouldn’t be brought up and then have nothing to do, flounder, and make it look like NXT stars failed on the main roster. That makes all the sense But obviously, that hasn’t happened given the way NXT stars have been brought up with no long-term whatsoever.
Extreme Rules Review
We have a full review of WWE Extreme Rules from last Sunday here.
Overall Extreme Rules, on 5/22 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, was a show that had two exceptional matches and the rest was just okay. The undercard was rushed and the Jericho vs. Ambrose match ended up going way long. The show drew a sellout of 12,500 fans.
It was an overall strong show due to two of the best WWE matches of the year, the four-way IC title match with Miz, Cesaro, Owens and Zayn, and the WWE title match with Reigns vs. A.J. Styles. In particular, Styles put on an insane performance when put in the main event spot for the second straight major show.
We have a full review of WWE Extreme Rules from last Sunday here.
Overall Extreme Rules, on 5/22 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, was a show that had two exceptional matches and the rest was just okay. The undercard was rushed and the Jericho vs. Ambrose match ended up going way long. The show drew a sellout of 12,500 fans.
It was an overall strong show due to two of the best WWE matches of the year, the four-way IC title match with Miz, Cesaro, Owens and Zayn, and the WWE title match with Reigns vs. A.J. Styles. In particular, Styles put on an insane performance when put in the main event spot for the second straight major show.
Rollins Returns
Seth Rollins made his return to WWE at the end of the Extreme Rules PPV show, laying out Roman Reigns with a pedigree. The crowd in Newark, NJ, went nuts for his return, as everyone knew the fans would make him a babyface when he returned after reconstructive knee surgery. The problem is, WWE didn’t want him like that. So on Raw the next night in Baltimore, after he got another big reaction, he turned heel on the fans, telling them that all the fan mail that he got while recuperating he never opened, threw in the garbage and set it on fire. Even so, when Reigns then came out to confront him, the crowd still heavily booed Reigns.
Even though this is another example of the company fighting the crowd, which clearly wants Rollins as a face and Reigns as a heel, it’s very clear they believe Reigns is the only guy who can be the new face of the company.
Seth Rollins made his return to WWE at the end of the Extreme Rules PPV show, laying out Roman Reigns with a pedigree. The crowd in Newark, NJ, went nuts for his return, as everyone knew the fans would make him a babyface when he returned after reconstructive knee surgery. The problem is, WWE didn’t want him like that. So on Raw the next night in Baltimore, after he got another big reaction, he turned heel on the fans, telling them that all the fan mail that he got while recuperating he never opened, threw in the garbage and set it on fire. Even so, when Reigns then came out to confront him, the crowd still heavily booed Reigns.
Even though this is another example of the company fighting the crowd, which clearly wants Rollins as a face and Reigns as a heel, it’s very clear they believe Reigns is the only guy who can be the new face of the company.
Faces and Heels
With Rollins, while he is a natural face, the sides remain unbalanced in WWE going forward. Reigns isn’t slated to turn no matter how the reaction has been. So you’ve got Reigns, Brock Lesnar and John Cena, who returns next week, as the stars on the face side going into SummerSlam, not to mention people like A.J. Styles, Sami Zayn who fans would like to see in that mix. I’d say Dean Ambrose but his star really fell in that Lesnar program. Similar booking could yield similar results for Styles, really, sooner than later if they aren’t careful.
The heel side really only had Kevin Owens, and to an extent Rusev and Chris Jericho, so Rollins on the face side would make things more imbalanced. It’s also the reason why the Wyatt Family turn that was shot before injuries took Wyatt and Luke Harper out of play is likely to be forgotten since they need Wyatt on that side.
If the argument is that Reigns should be turned since Rollins would be cheered more as a face, that’s not a wrong answer. But WWE has spent years on Reigns and any changing from the plan is an admission of being wrong. If the Cena return doesn’t see any changes in either next month, then we can safely say nobody individually is a big mover of traditional business. The return of Rollins at the end of a PPV meant zero for ratings for Raw the next night, and at that time he was a babyface to the fans.
Right now everything is geared to peak for SummerSlam. There is a top of the card in place, with Cena and Reigns matches apparently decided upon. Lesnar will also headline but there is no match finalized for him.
With Rollins, while he is a natural face, the sides remain unbalanced in WWE going forward. Reigns isn’t slated to turn no matter how the reaction has been. So you’ve got Reigns, Brock Lesnar and John Cena, who returns next week, as the stars on the face side going into SummerSlam, not to mention people like A.J. Styles, Sami Zayn who fans would like to see in that mix. I’d say Dean Ambrose but his star really fell in that Lesnar program. Similar booking could yield similar results for Styles, really, sooner than later if they aren’t careful.
The heel side really only had Kevin Owens, and to an extent Rusev and Chris Jericho, so Rollins on the face side would make things more imbalanced. It’s also the reason why the Wyatt Family turn that was shot before injuries took Wyatt and Luke Harper out of play is likely to be forgotten since they need Wyatt on that side.
If the argument is that Reigns should be turned since Rollins would be cheered more as a face, that’s not a wrong answer. But WWE has spent years on Reigns and any changing from the plan is an admission of being wrong. If the Cena return doesn’t see any changes in either next month, then we can safely say nobody individually is a big mover of traditional business. The return of Rollins at the end of a PPV meant zero for ratings for Raw the next night, and at that time he was a babyface to the fans.
Right now everything is geared to peak for SummerSlam. There is a top of the card in place, with Cena and Reigns matches apparently decided upon. Lesnar will also headline but there is no match finalized for him.
Money In the Bank
What is official on the show is Reigns vs. Rollins in the first of what is expected to be a series of title matches. The Money in the Bank match has six of the seven spots filled with Jericho, Zayn, Ambrose, Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro and Owens. Given that some figured Cena to return with Rusev, and it looks like somebody is putting Titus O’Neil in the U.S. title contender spot, that it would leave Cena without a top opponent and they do have the one MITB spot not filled. The other alternative would be having him in an IC title program with Miz. Miz has nothing earmarked for him with his top contenders, Owens, Zayn and Cesaro, all in Money in the Bank, while he won’t be.
Other programs that have been teased include Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews, Rusev vs. O’Neil for the U.S. title and Enzo & Cass vs. Dudleys.
There is a natural tag title situation with New Day vs. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, but that also could be saved for SummerSlam. Still, something with Styles and a partner against Anderson & Gallows should take place relatively soon.
With Reigns as champion, Owens would seem the right guy to win MITB. Owens also has the kind of a heel persona where his cashing in and winning the title with the idea he stole it from Reigns would work well. It would enable them to get Reigns back in the chase position without a clean loss. Granted, the crowd dynamic would likely be backwards since Owens, even more than Rollins, is super popular with the television fan base.
The fact Rollins dropped Reigns with a pedigree is key, because as long as he’s using that move, it’s clearly designed to get to a match with HHH. While things changed multiple times last year, after Dwayne Johnson made it clear that for insurance reasons, he couldn’t work a real match at WrestleMania, HHH vs. Rollins became the plan until Rollins got hurt. Reigns at the time was scheduled to win the title from Rollins at Survivor Series, just weeks after the injury.
What is official on the show is Reigns vs. Rollins in the first of what is expected to be a series of title matches. The Money in the Bank match has six of the seven spots filled with Jericho, Zayn, Ambrose, Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro and Owens. Given that some figured Cena to return with Rusev, and it looks like somebody is putting Titus O’Neil in the U.S. title contender spot, that it would leave Cena without a top opponent and they do have the one MITB spot not filled. The other alternative would be having him in an IC title program with Miz. Miz has nothing earmarked for him with his top contenders, Owens, Zayn and Cesaro, all in Money in the Bank, while he won’t be.
Other programs that have been teased include Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews, Rusev vs. O’Neil for the U.S. title and Enzo & Cass vs. Dudleys.
There is a natural tag title situation with New Day vs. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, but that also could be saved for SummerSlam. Still, something with Styles and a partner against Anderson & Gallows should take place relatively soon.
With Reigns as champion, Owens would seem the right guy to win MITB. Owens also has the kind of a heel persona where his cashing in and winning the title with the idea he stole it from Reigns would work well. It would enable them to get Reigns back in the chase position without a clean loss. Granted, the crowd dynamic would likely be backwards since Owens, even more than Rollins, is super popular with the television fan base.
The fact Rollins dropped Reigns with a pedigree is key, because as long as he’s using that move, it’s clearly designed to get to a match with HHH. While things changed multiple times last year, after Dwayne Johnson made it clear that for insurance reasons, he couldn’t work a real match at WrestleMania, HHH vs. Rollins became the plan until Rollins got hurt. Reigns at the time was scheduled to win the title from Rollins at Survivor Series, just weeks after the injury.
Cody Rhodes Quits
Cody Runnels, better known as Cody Rhodes and more recently Stardust, quit WWE on 5/21, frustrated with his lack of push.
His wife, Brandi, also known as ring announcer Eden Stiles, followed him, quitting three days later. The latter wasn’t a surprise since when Cody quit she then tweeted how proud she was of him for making the decision. Many figured that was her swan song, but she did come back to work over this past weekend.
The key factor seems to be that his planned return to being Cody Rhodes, agreed upon months ago to happen right after WrestleMania, was nixed by Vince McMahon. This left him with a gimmick that had long since run its course, and he was being booked almost like enhancement talent on B TV shows.
Brandi Runnels on Twitter wrote, “What I’ve been teasing for weeks, I’ve been offered a new opportunity outside of WWE. So I’ve decided to part ways with WWE after tonight.”
Apparently she didn’t give them much notice because they used her on the PPV and when rumors were going around before the PPV that she was gone, which Brandi Runnels claimed were false, those in the company also said the same thing, which would indicate she hadn’t given notice and was just working it out.
Many in the company expected this, feeling with the less than harmonious departure of her husband, that she would probably follow suit, similar to what happened with A.J. Lee after C.M. Punk quit.
Cody Runnels, after quitting, wrote a long statement explaining his decision. He was careful when it came to McMahon and HHH, even though McMahon is the one who nixed his switch and slotted him in the position he was put in.
Instead, he lashed out as the head writers on Raw and Smackdown, Ed Koskey and Ryan Ward, saying “one pretending to be Brain Gewirtz (Koskey is known for being similar to Gewirtz) and the other too busy hitting on developmental divas” (Ward was head of creative with NXT until just recently being moved full-time to the main roster and taken off NXT creative).
Internally, it was the line about hitting on developmental divas that created a stir internally, for obvious reasons. The key is fear that would break out into being a news story that TMZ-style media would go after, but thus far that hasn’t been the case.
Runnels, 30, said. “I would do this job for free, but that didn’t stop WWE from always compensating me in a generous manner.” He also in particular praised Arn Anderson and Fit Finlay as great teachers.
Runnels is considered one of the smartest guys on the roster, and heavily driven. He wanted badly to be a main event star, but those in power didn’t see it in him. Over the years he’s talked to many people and sought out advice on how to be a top star, a position the company, and for that matter, the fans didn’t see him at but he so badly wanted to be at. A lot of talent understands their lot, and is happy to be role players because the money is very good, maybe not what it should be, but it’s better than anywhere else if you’re on the main roster.
Could he have been used better? Of course. But for most of his WWE run, he really was just a guy on the roster, a nice looking guy who was fine in the ring. He seemed to be missing the charisma and the kind of standout level in-ring that has helped a lot of talent today become stars that never would have been in another era because, when appearance was so much more important. The Stardust gimmick was a bad idea even if it had been pushed because it was very much like Damien Sandow as Mizdow, a spoof on Goldust. But it didn’t get over at the same level, and he got no push with it so it didn’t even have a strong run before it ran its course.
It was a short-term gimmick that could leave the person with nothing when it ran its course. As it turned out, Stardust, with the original idea of feuding with brother Goldust, was a feud that didn’t click. And he wasn’t pushed much at all after that, except for being the foil for Stephan Amell in a short program.
When Dusty Rhodes passed away on 6/11, nearly one year ago, Cody took some time off television. His coming back as Stardust no longer made sense. He was in a position where people wanted to like him. They empathized with a guy whose father, a larger-than-life character, had just passed away. Of course that sympathy wouldn’t be there for the long haul. But Stardust was already a dead character by that point. My impression is he wanted to keep the character based on what he wrote at the time, but with the idea of building to the return of Cody Rhodes. They were pushing fans to chant “Cody,” with the obvious long-term of him turning back.
It is believed it was in February when he was told that he’d switch back to being Cody Rhodes. There was a meeting with Vince McMahon. He had all new gear made. He started teasing it on Twitter. Because it never happened, I had thought he was just messing with the Internet. But that actually wasn’t the case. The change was supposed to happen right after WrestleMania, and then Vince McMahon nixed it. He was still doing Stardust, but even with a good performance at WrestleMania, he was on the lowest rung of the totem pole and getting almost no main show television exposure.
“Setting foot in the dingy ol’ Greensboro Coliseum this past Monday can only be described for me as just a whimsical moment of clarity,”
Greensboro was one his father’s hottest arenas after he left Florida in 1984 to work for Jim Crockett Promotions as booker, and was the architect of a few big years during a period people romanticize about and was very strong in 1985 and 1986, drawing 1.9 million paid attendance per year.
When talking about his mentor (who he never mentioned by name, although he appeared to mean his father), said many superlatives have been used to describe him, “but one I often forget about...is fearless. And it’s a trait I wish more of had been passed down my way.”
He noted being in the dressing room, but “being benched” (not used) and sitting there watching a monitor advertising a returning star (John Cena) and seeing his gear bag “to find an outfit I had long outgrown and a face paint kit.”
He said his goal was to win the WWE title, noting that his father never held it, and he’s tried for a decade to convince Vince McMahon and HHH that he could be their top star, but he realized neither saw that in him. And really, it wasn’t as if fans, or anyone, were clamoring for him in that high of a position.
He said he appreciates HHH acting like a custodian of history and honoring his father since his passing. He noted HHH telling him that “WWE is a play, and everybody has their role and needs to act it their best.” He said he was thinking that “The best actors don’t want the lesser roles.”
He noted that for the past six months he’s pleaded to go back to being Cody Rhodes, had pitched every writer “like a door-to-door salesman” on how, why and when. He thanked many for helping him out, noting Brian James, Nick, Faz, J Russo, Dave K (Dave Kapoor), JBL and Michael Cole. But he blasted Koskey and Ward, saying they “continued to not return my pitches or emails, and in face-to-face encounters tried to big league me by pretending to be on their clearly powered off laptops, barely willing to listen to an idea I considered beneficial to more than one talent.”
My reaction reading this, and a few closer to the situation than me had the same one, not knowing the exact dynamics, but it is Vince McMahon at the end of the day, who decides who is and isn’t being pushed. Writers shouldn’t be rude to talent of course. But they are given marching orders on who is to be pushed and who isn’t. In particular, when Vince changed his mind, Koskey and Ward weren’t going to be allowed to do anything with him except perhaps put him in the Social Outcasts-like position, and he wouldn’t have been happy with that spot. You can only look at the pre-Social Outcasts, 3MB, to see the long-term of that role.
He said for ten years he’d done everything he could including what he called the “half-cocked” idea of painting himself up like his brother, he said turning chicken shit into chicken salad had been his specialty.
He made a brass ring reference saying “I felt like I had a bag of those brass rings and when it came time for me to cash them in, I find I can’t do so.”
He said his moment of clarity on 5/16 in Greensboro was, “I realized that I don’t need to sell myself to these two writers captaining a broken unrecognizable system, matter of fact with the time I had put in and the body of work I presented it should have been other way around.”
It’s not unusual for wrestlers to in their minds scapegoat the villains in the company, the roles people like J.J. Dillon, Jim Ross and John Laurinaitis played for years. I couldn’t tell you how many times when someone was let go, it was the hatchet man, or the writers, who took the blame from the wrestlers. “Vince loved me but that John Laurinaitis buried me,” is a typical response. I’ve always thought that the people should know better, but Vince McMahon does have a quality and aura about him and the system is done to help him deflect the heat.
Other writing made it clear that it was a very strong feeling in his mind to honor his father after his death, which in his current role, he couldn’t do. In the role he envisioned, that would be a key part of it. And it could work at first, and you never know for sure what will or won’t click. And obviously he’d have to be more than just Dusty Rhodes’ son.
“It’s been said never to leave money on the table, but no money is worth being less than you are. Ask my wife: I don’t even read the check breakdowns. This was never about the money, this was always about the moments and I’ll be damned if my father’s legacy is Stardust or a series of sizzle reels for NXT.”
He then talked about missing guys in the locker room, mentioning by name Cesaro, Zack Ryder, Tyler Breeze, Kevin Owens, Luke Harper, Kofi Kingston, Tye (Dillinger), The Wasteland (The Ascension) and the NC (which stands for the Nicky Clan, his group of Clash of Clans video gamers).
“Almost one year ago, the biggest light in my sky was ripped away from me when I lost my father. It’s time for me to try and seek that illumination...that glow that’s still out there. This is not a goodbye. There’s a whole world of film and television and the stage that I might find I have a knack for (maybe I even already got an offer). As far as the future is concerned, though, I’m a wrestler. So that’s what I’ll do...wrestle.”
One person close to the situation noted to us that Runnels had been unhappy of late and had, as expected, taken his father’s death hard. I don’t want to get into family stuff but the relationship with Dusty and Cody was very much like Ric Flair and Reid in that their father, even with their schedules, were always there as their biggest supporters growing up. They attended their sports events when they weren’t there often for their older children because of the insane schedule that wrestlers worked when they were in their primes.
Cody was born in 1985, so really from the time he was six years old, Dusty was off the road and the death was very hard on Cody. Dusty’s legacy lasting is a very important thing in Cody’s life because people realize there were gigantic stars in this business, even at the Dusty and Flair level (Jim Londos was far bigger than either just as an example, and even people like Lou Thesz) whose names are largely forgotten. It was noted that Cody dealt a lot with Brian James (Road Dogg). Koskey, for example, does pick and choose who he’ll really give time to and Cody wasn’t one of those people. But that was more directives from Vince, who makes the calls on who he thinks is important and who isn’t, but for all past situations with Ward and people Cody knows or Koskey not giving him the time of day, the buck stops and starts with Vince on who does and doesn’t get angles.
But there is an issue legally right now. Right now he doesn’t know his status in wrestling. If you quit, and he did, WWE traditionally will not allow you to work in pro wrestling or MMA for the duration of the time on the deal. If they didn’t, why would people be signed to contracts in the first place if they could just quit and work elsewhere?
We already saw this issue with Bryan Danielson several months ago, when he wanted to leave and do ROH, New Japan and CMLL, and was outright told that they would not release him from his contract and allow him to work anywhere, claiming the clause that if he doesn’t fulfill the time frame of the contract, it automatically rolls over.
At the same time, C.M. Punk quit, but he hired a strong lawyer and there was the claim of a misdiagnosis of a serious staph infection and threats on his end that forced WWE’s hand and they released him to where he was able to sign with UFC.
At this point, Runnels is tied up. WWE did grant him his release, something they wouldn’t do with Danielson. As of a few days ago, he wasn’t even sure what he could or couldn’t do when it came to wrestling. The split with the company was not smooth at all and the company was making it very difficult on him as far as working anywhere is concerned at this point. If they are no longer paying him, it’s difficult to keep someone from earning a living. But there are a number of issues, such as whether WWE will try and keep him from working with TNA, ROH or New Japan, and whether he would be able to use the name Cody Rhodes. He can go anywhere as Cody Runnels, but he never used the name Cody Rhodes in wrestling prior to WWE because he started there. So they would own the rights to that name even though the name has been used by his family for nearly 50 years. And clearly that’s the name he wants to use.
And there aren’t a lot of options. TNA would probably take him and almost surely allow him to try to be what he would want to be. But TNA is filled with question marks right now. And TNA isn’t a place that it’s easy to build a name or make a reputation these days as compared with a New Japan/ROH combo which is building stars to a certain level. He doesn’t at first feel like the right fit for ROH, in the sense they don’t pay a fraction of what he’s used to. But ROH is far better for him to build his name. He could get work in Europe, but that’s dates here and there and nothing full-time. New Japan is a possibility, and being Dusty Rhodes’ son in that culture does help. But New Japan already has a full roster of foreigners.
There is the opportunity to a degree of proving people wrong that didn’t think you had it to be a top guy, if he can pull it off. Drew Galloway and Ethan Carter III did it to a degree. A.J. Styles did it to TNA in a huge way. But they are few and far in between.
Runnels, Ryback and perhaps Wade Barrett (if he is planning on continuing to wrestle) are all about to be on the independent market. But there are only so many foreign spots in New Japan, and they are pretty close to full. Mexico isn’t an option due to the economy, perhaps past a show here and there. If Sinclair decides to up the ROH budget, or TNA gets new money or new ownership that wants to spend, the situation changes. He doesn’t seem to fit in Lucha Underground, but it’s not like others who haven’t figured to fit haven’t been used there. But they are all but done filming for this year, so even if they do come back for a fourth season, that’s no work until 2017.
Dusty Rhodes, in his heyday, could afford to be fearless. He had dozens of options if he didn’t like it somewhere. In that era, that was the case for not just top talent, but even solid mid-level talent. Cody Runnels will be able to make a living for years, like Carlito, Chris Masters, Tommy Dreamer and several others even just on indies even if he doesn’t end up with a contract with a full-time promotion, although not at the level he’s been making since probably around 2008. But if his goal is to be what WWE wouldn’t let him be, as opposed to a guy filling up a calendar of weekend dates, that’s going to be very difficult.
Cody Runnels, better known as Cody Rhodes and more recently Stardust, quit WWE on 5/21, frustrated with his lack of push.
His wife, Brandi, also known as ring announcer Eden Stiles, followed him, quitting three days later. The latter wasn’t a surprise since when Cody quit she then tweeted how proud she was of him for making the decision. Many figured that was her swan song, but she did come back to work over this past weekend.
The key factor seems to be that his planned return to being Cody Rhodes, agreed upon months ago to happen right after WrestleMania, was nixed by Vince McMahon. This left him with a gimmick that had long since run its course, and he was being booked almost like enhancement talent on B TV shows.
Brandi Runnels on Twitter wrote, “What I’ve been teasing for weeks, I’ve been offered a new opportunity outside of WWE. So I’ve decided to part ways with WWE after tonight.”
Apparently she didn’t give them much notice because they used her on the PPV and when rumors were going around before the PPV that she was gone, which Brandi Runnels claimed were false, those in the company also said the same thing, which would indicate she hadn’t given notice and was just working it out.
Many in the company expected this, feeling with the less than harmonious departure of her husband, that she would probably follow suit, similar to what happened with A.J. Lee after C.M. Punk quit.
Cody Runnels, after quitting, wrote a long statement explaining his decision. He was careful when it came to McMahon and HHH, even though McMahon is the one who nixed his switch and slotted him in the position he was put in.
Instead, he lashed out as the head writers on Raw and Smackdown, Ed Koskey and Ryan Ward, saying “one pretending to be Brain Gewirtz (Koskey is known for being similar to Gewirtz) and the other too busy hitting on developmental divas” (Ward was head of creative with NXT until just recently being moved full-time to the main roster and taken off NXT creative).
Internally, it was the line about hitting on developmental divas that created a stir internally, for obvious reasons. The key is fear that would break out into being a news story that TMZ-style media would go after, but thus far that hasn’t been the case.
Runnels, 30, said. “I would do this job for free, but that didn’t stop WWE from always compensating me in a generous manner.” He also in particular praised Arn Anderson and Fit Finlay as great teachers.
Runnels is considered one of the smartest guys on the roster, and heavily driven. He wanted badly to be a main event star, but those in power didn’t see it in him. Over the years he’s talked to many people and sought out advice on how to be a top star, a position the company, and for that matter, the fans didn’t see him at but he so badly wanted to be at. A lot of talent understands their lot, and is happy to be role players because the money is very good, maybe not what it should be, but it’s better than anywhere else if you’re on the main roster.
Could he have been used better? Of course. But for most of his WWE run, he really was just a guy on the roster, a nice looking guy who was fine in the ring. He seemed to be missing the charisma and the kind of standout level in-ring that has helped a lot of talent today become stars that never would have been in another era because, when appearance was so much more important. The Stardust gimmick was a bad idea even if it had been pushed because it was very much like Damien Sandow as Mizdow, a spoof on Goldust. But it didn’t get over at the same level, and he got no push with it so it didn’t even have a strong run before it ran its course.
It was a short-term gimmick that could leave the person with nothing when it ran its course. As it turned out, Stardust, with the original idea of feuding with brother Goldust, was a feud that didn’t click. And he wasn’t pushed much at all after that, except for being the foil for Stephan Amell in a short program.
When Dusty Rhodes passed away on 6/11, nearly one year ago, Cody took some time off television. His coming back as Stardust no longer made sense. He was in a position where people wanted to like him. They empathized with a guy whose father, a larger-than-life character, had just passed away. Of course that sympathy wouldn’t be there for the long haul. But Stardust was already a dead character by that point. My impression is he wanted to keep the character based on what he wrote at the time, but with the idea of building to the return of Cody Rhodes. They were pushing fans to chant “Cody,” with the obvious long-term of him turning back.
It is believed it was in February when he was told that he’d switch back to being Cody Rhodes. There was a meeting with Vince McMahon. He had all new gear made. He started teasing it on Twitter. Because it never happened, I had thought he was just messing with the Internet. But that actually wasn’t the case. The change was supposed to happen right after WrestleMania, and then Vince McMahon nixed it. He was still doing Stardust, but even with a good performance at WrestleMania, he was on the lowest rung of the totem pole and getting almost no main show television exposure.
“Setting foot in the dingy ol’ Greensboro Coliseum this past Monday can only be described for me as just a whimsical moment of clarity,”
Greensboro was one his father’s hottest arenas after he left Florida in 1984 to work for Jim Crockett Promotions as booker, and was the architect of a few big years during a period people romanticize about and was very strong in 1985 and 1986, drawing 1.9 million paid attendance per year.
When talking about his mentor (who he never mentioned by name, although he appeared to mean his father), said many superlatives have been used to describe him, “but one I often forget about...is fearless. And it’s a trait I wish more of had been passed down my way.”
He noted being in the dressing room, but “being benched” (not used) and sitting there watching a monitor advertising a returning star (John Cena) and seeing his gear bag “to find an outfit I had long outgrown and a face paint kit.”
He said his goal was to win the WWE title, noting that his father never held it, and he’s tried for a decade to convince Vince McMahon and HHH that he could be their top star, but he realized neither saw that in him. And really, it wasn’t as if fans, or anyone, were clamoring for him in that high of a position.
He said he appreciates HHH acting like a custodian of history and honoring his father since his passing. He noted HHH telling him that “WWE is a play, and everybody has their role and needs to act it their best.” He said he was thinking that “The best actors don’t want the lesser roles.”
He noted that for the past six months he’s pleaded to go back to being Cody Rhodes, had pitched every writer “like a door-to-door salesman” on how, why and when. He thanked many for helping him out, noting Brian James, Nick, Faz, J Russo, Dave K (Dave Kapoor), JBL and Michael Cole. But he blasted Koskey and Ward, saying they “continued to not return my pitches or emails, and in face-to-face encounters tried to big league me by pretending to be on their clearly powered off laptops, barely willing to listen to an idea I considered beneficial to more than one talent.”
My reaction reading this, and a few closer to the situation than me had the same one, not knowing the exact dynamics, but it is Vince McMahon at the end of the day, who decides who is and isn’t being pushed. Writers shouldn’t be rude to talent of course. But they are given marching orders on who is to be pushed and who isn’t. In particular, when Vince changed his mind, Koskey and Ward weren’t going to be allowed to do anything with him except perhaps put him in the Social Outcasts-like position, and he wouldn’t have been happy with that spot. You can only look at the pre-Social Outcasts, 3MB, to see the long-term of that role.
He said for ten years he’d done everything he could including what he called the “half-cocked” idea of painting himself up like his brother, he said turning chicken shit into chicken salad had been his specialty.
He made a brass ring reference saying “I felt like I had a bag of those brass rings and when it came time for me to cash them in, I find I can’t do so.”
He said his moment of clarity on 5/16 in Greensboro was, “I realized that I don’t need to sell myself to these two writers captaining a broken unrecognizable system, matter of fact with the time I had put in and the body of work I presented it should have been other way around.”
It’s not unusual for wrestlers to in their minds scapegoat the villains in the company, the roles people like J.J. Dillon, Jim Ross and John Laurinaitis played for years. I couldn’t tell you how many times when someone was let go, it was the hatchet man, or the writers, who took the blame from the wrestlers. “Vince loved me but that John Laurinaitis buried me,” is a typical response. I’ve always thought that the people should know better, but Vince McMahon does have a quality and aura about him and the system is done to help him deflect the heat.
Other writing made it clear that it was a very strong feeling in his mind to honor his father after his death, which in his current role, he couldn’t do. In the role he envisioned, that would be a key part of it. And it could work at first, and you never know for sure what will or won’t click. And obviously he’d have to be more than just Dusty Rhodes’ son.
“It’s been said never to leave money on the table, but no money is worth being less than you are. Ask my wife: I don’t even read the check breakdowns. This was never about the money, this was always about the moments and I’ll be damned if my father’s legacy is Stardust or a series of sizzle reels for NXT.”
He then talked about missing guys in the locker room, mentioning by name Cesaro, Zack Ryder, Tyler Breeze, Kevin Owens, Luke Harper, Kofi Kingston, Tye (Dillinger), The Wasteland (The Ascension) and the NC (which stands for the Nicky Clan, his group of Clash of Clans video gamers).
“Almost one year ago, the biggest light in my sky was ripped away from me when I lost my father. It’s time for me to try and seek that illumination...that glow that’s still out there. This is not a goodbye. There’s a whole world of film and television and the stage that I might find I have a knack for (maybe I even already got an offer). As far as the future is concerned, though, I’m a wrestler. So that’s what I’ll do...wrestle.”
One person close to the situation noted to us that Runnels had been unhappy of late and had, as expected, taken his father’s death hard. I don’t want to get into family stuff but the relationship with Dusty and Cody was very much like Ric Flair and Reid in that their father, even with their schedules, were always there as their biggest supporters growing up. They attended their sports events when they weren’t there often for their older children because of the insane schedule that wrestlers worked when they were in their primes.
Cody was born in 1985, so really from the time he was six years old, Dusty was off the road and the death was very hard on Cody. Dusty’s legacy lasting is a very important thing in Cody’s life because people realize there were gigantic stars in this business, even at the Dusty and Flair level (Jim Londos was far bigger than either just as an example, and even people like Lou Thesz) whose names are largely forgotten. It was noted that Cody dealt a lot with Brian James (Road Dogg). Koskey, for example, does pick and choose who he’ll really give time to and Cody wasn’t one of those people. But that was more directives from Vince, who makes the calls on who he thinks is important and who isn’t, but for all past situations with Ward and people Cody knows or Koskey not giving him the time of day, the buck stops and starts with Vince on who does and doesn’t get angles.
But there is an issue legally right now. Right now he doesn’t know his status in wrestling. If you quit, and he did, WWE traditionally will not allow you to work in pro wrestling or MMA for the duration of the time on the deal. If they didn’t, why would people be signed to contracts in the first place if they could just quit and work elsewhere?
We already saw this issue with Bryan Danielson several months ago, when he wanted to leave and do ROH, New Japan and CMLL, and was outright told that they would not release him from his contract and allow him to work anywhere, claiming the clause that if he doesn’t fulfill the time frame of the contract, it automatically rolls over.
At the same time, C.M. Punk quit, but he hired a strong lawyer and there was the claim of a misdiagnosis of a serious staph infection and threats on his end that forced WWE’s hand and they released him to where he was able to sign with UFC.
At this point, Runnels is tied up. WWE did grant him his release, something they wouldn’t do with Danielson. As of a few days ago, he wasn’t even sure what he could or couldn’t do when it came to wrestling. The split with the company was not smooth at all and the company was making it very difficult on him as far as working anywhere is concerned at this point. If they are no longer paying him, it’s difficult to keep someone from earning a living. But there are a number of issues, such as whether WWE will try and keep him from working with TNA, ROH or New Japan, and whether he would be able to use the name Cody Rhodes. He can go anywhere as Cody Runnels, but he never used the name Cody Rhodes in wrestling prior to WWE because he started there. So they would own the rights to that name even though the name has been used by his family for nearly 50 years. And clearly that’s the name he wants to use.
And there aren’t a lot of options. TNA would probably take him and almost surely allow him to try to be what he would want to be. But TNA is filled with question marks right now. And TNA isn’t a place that it’s easy to build a name or make a reputation these days as compared with a New Japan/ROH combo which is building stars to a certain level. He doesn’t at first feel like the right fit for ROH, in the sense they don’t pay a fraction of what he’s used to. But ROH is far better for him to build his name. He could get work in Europe, but that’s dates here and there and nothing full-time. New Japan is a possibility, and being Dusty Rhodes’ son in that culture does help. But New Japan already has a full roster of foreigners.
There is the opportunity to a degree of proving people wrong that didn’t think you had it to be a top guy, if he can pull it off. Drew Galloway and Ethan Carter III did it to a degree. A.J. Styles did it to TNA in a huge way. But they are few and far in between.
Runnels, Ryback and perhaps Wade Barrett (if he is planning on continuing to wrestle) are all about to be on the independent market. But there are only so many foreign spots in New Japan, and they are pretty close to full. Mexico isn’t an option due to the economy, perhaps past a show here and there. If Sinclair decides to up the ROH budget, or TNA gets new money or new ownership that wants to spend, the situation changes. He doesn’t seem to fit in Lucha Underground, but it’s not like others who haven’t figured to fit haven’t been used there. But they are all but done filming for this year, so even if they do come back for a fourth season, that’s no work until 2017.
Dusty Rhodes, in his heyday, could afford to be fearless. He had dozens of options if he didn’t like it somewhere. In that era, that was the case for not just top talent, but even solid mid-level talent. Cody Runnels will be able to make a living for years, like Carlito, Chris Masters, Tommy Dreamer and several others even just on indies even if he doesn’t end up with a contract with a full-time promotion, although not at the level he’s been making since probably around 2008. But if his goal is to be what WWE wouldn’t let him be, as opposed to a guy filling up a calendar of weekend dates, that’s going to be very difficult.
Hogan Lawsuit Details
Forbes magazine this past week confirmed speculation the day earlier by the New York Times, and something that had been rumored for some time, that the Hulk Hogan lawsuit was being secretly funded by an outside source, billionaire Peter Thiel.
So many of Hogan’s moves, actually going to trial and risking millions in court costs when Hogan wasn’t in the financial league to be making the decisions he was never added up.
The Forbes story pegged Thiel, a the cofounder of Paypal and a member of Facebook’s board, as the money behind the suit. Thiel is said to be worth $2.8 billion. Nick Denton of Gawker had speculated in the Times piece that it was a Silicon Valley enemy they had made who was behind the suit. After the Forbes story broke, the Times came out and confirmed Thiel’s name. In this area, the story was reported on strongly due to Thiel’s area ties.
These types of lawsuits funded by an outside party are usually done to give the funder a significant percentage of the award, if there is one, at the end. But the story said that it wasn’t clear if Thiel was the only person funding the case, or what percentage, if any, of the award at the end he’s negotiated.
Gawker had attempted to out Thiel, who is gay, in a 2007 story. At the time Thiel’s friends were aware he was gay, but he did not come out publicly until three years later. Denton, when asked, said he didn’t know if Thiel was behind the suit but said he had heard the name speculated, as with others who had past histories with Gawker.
Thiel has a past history of backing journalists who have faced prosecution for their reporting. However, when it came to reporting on him, his beliefs were different.
At that time, when Gawker was investigating the story, Thiel threatened Denton. Denton said at the time that Thiel was so paranoid that he sent a series of messages saying that destruction would reign down upon him as well as on innocent civilians caught in the crossfire if Gawker ever ran that story.
Gawker suffered another setback this week when Judge Pamela Campbell, who presided over the original case, refused to reduce the $140 million award set by the jury in the trial. Campbell had come under heavy criticism in the trial by the Gawker side. From the outside, while there are arguments regarding Freedom of the Press vs. Privacy here, and Gawker made themselves look beyond horrible with some of the comments in the trial, the size of the award is clearly ridiculous.
The ruling would leave it where Gawker may have to put up a $50 million bond to take the case to the Florida Second District Court of Appeals. The issue there is that if they lose that appeal, they lose the bond, meaning Hogan would get the $50 million.
Even if Gawker gets the verdict overturned, this case is believed to cost them in the range of $10 million in legal fees. The ultimate goal of this case in its inception now looks to be more to get media scared to write about wealthy individuals. Even if their stories are correct, they could fund lawsuits that could cost so much for a company to defend that the media company may just decide it’s not worth the stress and legal bills even if the story is correct. The feeling is this is more prevalent now than ever before due to the fragmented press and billionaires with almost unlimited wealth.
In this case, one of Hogan’s lawyers’ strategies, attempting to eliminate Gawker’s insurance from the case, seemed to make no sense because it would make it more difficult to collect a large award. So it was clear it wasn’t about getting the most money for the client, but about attempting to bankrupt Gawker.
Gizmodo, a site owned by Gawker, claimed that the Facebook news section has suppressed certain points of view and claimed that Thiel, who they noted was a major funder of The Committee to Protect Journalists, had secretly funded Hogan’s legal campaign against their news organization.
Forbes magazine this past week confirmed speculation the day earlier by the New York Times, and something that had been rumored for some time, that the Hulk Hogan lawsuit was being secretly funded by an outside source, billionaire Peter Thiel.
So many of Hogan’s moves, actually going to trial and risking millions in court costs when Hogan wasn’t in the financial league to be making the decisions he was never added up.
The Forbes story pegged Thiel, a the cofounder of Paypal and a member of Facebook’s board, as the money behind the suit. Thiel is said to be worth $2.8 billion. Nick Denton of Gawker had speculated in the Times piece that it was a Silicon Valley enemy they had made who was behind the suit. After the Forbes story broke, the Times came out and confirmed Thiel’s name. In this area, the story was reported on strongly due to Thiel’s area ties.
These types of lawsuits funded by an outside party are usually done to give the funder a significant percentage of the award, if there is one, at the end. But the story said that it wasn’t clear if Thiel was the only person funding the case, or what percentage, if any, of the award at the end he’s negotiated.
Gawker had attempted to out Thiel, who is gay, in a 2007 story. At the time Thiel’s friends were aware he was gay, but he did not come out publicly until three years later. Denton, when asked, said he didn’t know if Thiel was behind the suit but said he had heard the name speculated, as with others who had past histories with Gawker.
Thiel has a past history of backing journalists who have faced prosecution for their reporting. However, when it came to reporting on him, his beliefs were different.
At that time, when Gawker was investigating the story, Thiel threatened Denton. Denton said at the time that Thiel was so paranoid that he sent a series of messages saying that destruction would reign down upon him as well as on innocent civilians caught in the crossfire if Gawker ever ran that story.
Gawker suffered another setback this week when Judge Pamela Campbell, who presided over the original case, refused to reduce the $140 million award set by the jury in the trial. Campbell had come under heavy criticism in the trial by the Gawker side. From the outside, while there are arguments regarding Freedom of the Press vs. Privacy here, and Gawker made themselves look beyond horrible with some of the comments in the trial, the size of the award is clearly ridiculous.
The ruling would leave it where Gawker may have to put up a $50 million bond to take the case to the Florida Second District Court of Appeals. The issue there is that if they lose that appeal, they lose the bond, meaning Hogan would get the $50 million.
Even if Gawker gets the verdict overturned, this case is believed to cost them in the range of $10 million in legal fees. The ultimate goal of this case in its inception now looks to be more to get media scared to write about wealthy individuals. Even if their stories are correct, they could fund lawsuits that could cost so much for a company to defend that the media company may just decide it’s not worth the stress and legal bills even if the story is correct. The feeling is this is more prevalent now than ever before due to the fragmented press and billionaires with almost unlimited wealth.
In this case, one of Hogan’s lawyers’ strategies, attempting to eliminate Gawker’s insurance from the case, seemed to make no sense because it would make it more difficult to collect a large award. So it was clear it wasn’t about getting the most money for the client, but about attempting to bankrupt Gawker.
Gizmodo, a site owned by Gawker, claimed that the Facebook news section has suppressed certain points of view and claimed that Thiel, who they noted was a major funder of The Committee to Protect Journalists, had secretly funded Hogan’s legal campaign against their news organization.
Sasha Banks Injury Update
Sasha Banks has been cleared to work after what is believed to have been a concussion. She will be working in Winnipeg and LaCrosse, WI at the house shows this weekend. Not sure about TV. On the original plans for Money in the Bank, she was to have a match and to return to TV to build it.
Banks was injured on the 5/15 house show in Charlottesville, VA. The injury was said to be the same thing, a concussion, and a significant one. And again the company didn’t confirm it. She was working a trios match with Lynch & Paige as her partners against Eva Marie & Brooke & Lana. I don’t know the circumstances that led up to it, but Darrick Moore, the referee, accidentally kneed her in the head hard. She missed the weekend house shows and was replaced by Summer Rae.
Banks wasn’t booked for Raw or Smackdown in recent weeks having nothing to do with injuries, but that they aren’t focusing on her until the planned big push later in the summer but a match with Charlotte for the title at SummerSlam. It’s not certain the severity of the injury and whether that will affect those plans, plus with concussions, everyone responds differently as some are back in a few days and others are never the same, and they are going to be err on the side of caution after the Bryan Danielson situation.
In the case of Banks, the injury was a fluke and not her fault. The bad part of this is Vince McMahon has on several occasions said he believes Banks only knows one speed and that’s all out, and even months ago was comparing her with Daniel Bryan, feeling she’s injury-prone.
That label isn’t a kiss of death, but there does come a point where if there are too many injuries they can get leery and you never know when that point is since Vince has put the two in the same category.
Sasha Banks has been cleared to work after what is believed to have been a concussion. She will be working in Winnipeg and LaCrosse, WI at the house shows this weekend. Not sure about TV. On the original plans for Money in the Bank, she was to have a match and to return to TV to build it.
Banks was injured on the 5/15 house show in Charlottesville, VA. The injury was said to be the same thing, a concussion, and a significant one. And again the company didn’t confirm it. She was working a trios match with Lynch & Paige as her partners against Eva Marie & Brooke & Lana. I don’t know the circumstances that led up to it, but Darrick Moore, the referee, accidentally kneed her in the head hard. She missed the weekend house shows and was replaced by Summer Rae.
Banks wasn’t booked for Raw or Smackdown in recent weeks having nothing to do with injuries, but that they aren’t focusing on her until the planned big push later in the summer but a match with Charlotte for the title at SummerSlam. It’s not certain the severity of the injury and whether that will affect those plans, plus with concussions, everyone responds differently as some are back in a few days and others are never the same, and they are going to be err on the side of caution after the Bryan Danielson situation.
In the case of Banks, the injury was a fluke and not her fault. The bad part of this is Vince McMahon has on several occasions said he believes Banks only knows one speed and that’s all out, and even months ago was comparing her with Daniel Bryan, feeling she’s injury-prone.
That label isn’t a kiss of death, but there does come a point where if there are too many injuries they can get leery and you never know when that point is since Vince has put the two in the same category.
Ryback Update
There has been no communication whatsoever, at least as of the weekend, between Ryback and WWE, since Vince McMahon sent him home after problems with negotiating a new deal. As noted before, the feeling is his contract will expire (or WWE may let him go before it expires, because him being released at any minute wouldn’t surprise anyone). Unless he has a change of heart regarding his demands, which were a significantly higher guarantee than he was offered, as well as a number of stipulations, one of which was said to be a deal breaker, that the relationship would end at that point and he’d be free to work elsewhere. It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see an announcement that he’s released at any time.
There has been no communication whatsoever, at least as of the weekend, between Ryback and WWE, since Vince McMahon sent him home after problems with negotiating a new deal. As noted before, the feeling is his contract will expire (or WWE may let him go before it expires, because him being released at any minute wouldn’t surprise anyone). Unless he has a change of heart regarding his demands, which were a significantly higher guarantee than he was offered, as well as a number of stipulations, one of which was said to be a deal breaker, that the relationship would end at that point and he’d be free to work elsewhere. It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see an announcement that he’s released at any time.
NXT Takeover
The 6/8 Takeover show is official with a lineup of Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match for the title, Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder for the tag titles, Asuka vs. Nia Jax for the women’s title, and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries.
The 6/8 Takeover show is official with a lineup of Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match for the title, Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder for the tag titles, Asuka vs. Nia Jax for the women’s title, and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries.
WWE PPV Schedule
This is the PPV schedule for the rest of the year. After Money in the Bank, it’ll be Battleground on 7/24 from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC; SummerSlam on 8/21 in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center; Night of Champions on 9/25 in Indianapolis at Bankers Life Fieldhouse; Hell in a Cell on 10/30 in Boston at the TD Garden; Survivor Series on 11/20 in Toronto; and TLC on 12/18 in Pittsburgh at the Consol Energy Center.
This is the PPV schedule for the rest of the year. After Money in the Bank, it’ll be Battleground on 7/24 from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC; SummerSlam on 8/21 in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center; Night of Champions on 9/25 in Indianapolis at Bankers Life Fieldhouse; Hell in a Cell on 10/30 in Boston at the TD Garden; Survivor Series on 11/20 in Toronto; and TLC on 12/18 in Pittsburgh at the Consol Energy Center.
Hideo Itami Update
Hideo Itami should be returning within the next few weeks after being out the last 13 months after shoulder surgery. His first surgery didn’t go well and his recuperation was much slower than expected.
Hideo Itami should be returning within the next few weeks after being out the last 13 months after shoulder surgery. His first surgery didn’t go well and his recuperation was much slower than expected.
WWE Network Top Shows
For the week ending 5/12, this was the 20 most watched shows on the WWE Network: 1. NXT; 2. Edge and Christian Show that Totally Reeks of Awesomeness; 3. Table for 3 with the Kliq; 4. WWE Payback; 5. NXT from the week before; 6. WrestleMania; 7. Camp WWE (considering the amount of promotion they gave the show, that isn’t good that over the course of the week it was this low); 8. Edge & Christian Show from the week before; 9. WWE Beyond the Ring the Kliq Rules; 10. NXT Takeover Dallas; 11. Table for 3 WWE Family; 12. The Making of Camp WWE; 13. Raw from a month earlier; 14. NXT from two weeks earlier; 15. Royal Rumble 2016; 16. WrestleMania from last year; 17. Table for 3 with the Horsemen from two weeks earlier; 18. WWE Ride Along with Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Paige and Alicia Fox from March; 19. Warrior’s Greatest Matches filmed in 2014; 20. A video of The Rock. Also notable is that nobody watches Superstars.
For the week ending 5/12, this was the 20 most watched shows on the WWE Network: 1. NXT; 2. Edge and Christian Show that Totally Reeks of Awesomeness; 3. Table for 3 with the Kliq; 4. WWE Payback; 5. NXT from the week before; 6. WrestleMania; 7. Camp WWE (considering the amount of promotion they gave the show, that isn’t good that over the course of the week it was this low); 8. Edge & Christian Show from the week before; 9. WWE Beyond the Ring the Kliq Rules; 10. NXT Takeover Dallas; 11. Table for 3 WWE Family; 12. The Making of Camp WWE; 13. Raw from a month earlier; 14. NXT from two weeks earlier; 15. Royal Rumble 2016; 16. WrestleMania from last year; 17. Table for 3 with the Horsemen from two weeks earlier; 18. WWE Ride Along with Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Paige and Alicia Fox from March; 19. Warrior’s Greatest Matches filmed in 2014; 20. A video of The Rock. Also notable is that nobody watches Superstars.
Flair 30 for 30
The Sports Illustrated web site mentioned the Flair 30 for 30 piece that Rory Karpf is doing. They are doing the editing process right now. It will be either a 90 or 120 minute documentary airing on ESPN, scheduled for the fall. WWE has cooperated with the show as far as providing people to talk and allowing them to use footage since WWE and ESPN right now have a strong relationship.
The documentary will cover his life, but focus on his 1980s run as NWA world champion and how wrestling changed in the 80s and why Flair is regarded by many as the greatest pro wrestler who ever lived. Among those interviewed already have been Ric, who apparently did an incredible interview (he bladed for the ESPN cameras as we noted when he showed up on Raw many weeks back with a fresh gig mark), along with first wife Leslie, children David, Ashley (Charlotte) and Megan, plus Jim Ross, Eric Bischoff, Sting, Undertaker, Michaels, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Mick Foley, myself, Vince McMahon and others.
The Sports Illustrated web site mentioned the Flair 30 for 30 piece that Rory Karpf is doing. They are doing the editing process right now. It will be either a 90 or 120 minute documentary airing on ESPN, scheduled for the fall. WWE has cooperated with the show as far as providing people to talk and allowing them to use footage since WWE and ESPN right now have a strong relationship.
The documentary will cover his life, but focus on his 1980s run as NWA world champion and how wrestling changed in the 80s and why Flair is regarded by many as the greatest pro wrestler who ever lived. Among those interviewed already have been Ric, who apparently did an incredible interview (he bladed for the ESPN cameras as we noted when he showed up on Raw many weeks back with a fresh gig mark), along with first wife Leslie, children David, Ashley (Charlotte) and Megan, plus Jim Ross, Eric Bischoff, Sting, Undertaker, Michaels, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Mick Foley, myself, Vince McMahon and others.
New Japan Update
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament tour opened with a hot show at Korakuen Hall, and an injury angle that took Hiroshi Tanahashi off the tour. Tanahashi will be out of action until the 6/19 Dominion show at Osaka Jo Hall, where he challenges IC champion Omega in New Japan’s first-ever ladder match. With the departures earlier this year, plus losing Tanahashi, the company’s top drawing card, the crowds the last few nights at the Super Juniors tour have been down.
After five shows, here are the Super Junior tournament standings:
A block: 1. Kyle O’Reilly and Ryusuke Taguchi 3-0; 3. Rocky Romero and Matt Sydal 2-1; 5. Gedo and Kushida 1-2; 7. Bushi and David Finlay 0-3.
B block: 1. Jushin Liger, Ricochet and Trent Baretta 2-0; 4. Chase Owens and Volador Jr. 1-1; 6. Bobby Fish, Will Ospreay and Tiger Mask 0-2.
The word we’ve gotten is that Gedo’s booking this year is the red herring booking, in the sense that the early leaders are probably not the ones who will be there in the end and it will be guys in the middle or the bottom who will start making comebacks this week. It will lead to the spots in the finals being decided, likely with multiple wrestlers alive, on 6/5 in Gunma and 6/6 in Sendai.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament tour opened with a hot show at Korakuen Hall, and an injury angle that took Hiroshi Tanahashi off the tour. Tanahashi will be out of action until the 6/19 Dominion show at Osaka Jo Hall, where he challenges IC champion Omega in New Japan’s first-ever ladder match. With the departures earlier this year, plus losing Tanahashi, the company’s top drawing card, the crowds the last few nights at the Super Juniors tour have been down.
After five shows, here are the Super Junior tournament standings:
A block: 1. Kyle O’Reilly and Ryusuke Taguchi 3-0; 3. Rocky Romero and Matt Sydal 2-1; 5. Gedo and Kushida 1-2; 7. Bushi and David Finlay 0-3.
B block: 1. Jushin Liger, Ricochet and Trent Baretta 2-0; 4. Chase Owens and Volador Jr. 1-1; 6. Bobby Fish, Will Ospreay and Tiger Mask 0-2.
The word we’ve gotten is that Gedo’s booking this year is the red herring booking, in the sense that the early leaders are probably not the ones who will be there in the end and it will be guys in the middle or the bottom who will start making comebacks this week. It will lead to the spots in the finals being decided, likely with multiple wrestlers alive, on 6/5 in Gunma and 6/6 in Sendai.
Ospreay Injury
This isn’t good news, particularly since the guy is only 23 years old, but Will Ospreay, a favorite in the current tournament, was on the “Distraction Prices Podcast” and said he’s got nerve damage in his back and has led to his foot going numb from time-to-time. He had to cancel some dates in recent weeks because of how painful his back was and is also working with a torn meniscus.
This isn’t good news, particularly since the guy is only 23 years old, but Will Ospreay, a favorite in the current tournament, was on the “Distraction Prices Podcast” and said he’s got nerve damage in his back and has led to his foot going numb from time-to-time. He had to cancel some dates in recent weeks because of how painful his back was and is also working with a torn meniscus.
TNA News
Without any replay, TNA drew its biggest audience to date on Pop TV, with 359,000 viewers for a show billed as “May Mayhem.” TNA had been averaging 371,000 between the first and second airings so even without a replay, the total viewers were in the same range as usual and up 15 percent from the prior week. The average viewer was 52 and in the 18-49 demo, they drew 61 percent male viewers.
Dixie Carter, Eric Sherman and John Gaburick went to India this past week, likely to finalize a deal for next season on Sony Six and arrange for the tour or tours of India that was written into the contract but never happened last year due to security and insurance issues.
There is nothing new on a sale from an official standpoint but it looks like Aroluxe isn’t going to get it because there are talks that they are hoping will come through that would keep the current power structure in place and Carter in charge. The problem would still be the ability to produce enough revenue but new ownership would buy them more time.
TNA did get a public vote of confidence from Brad Schwartz, the President of Pop TV, in an interview with Mike Johnson of PW Insider, who outright said they were sticking with the show next season and indicated they were behind it for the long haul. He claimed now that people know when the show airs, Tuesday at 9 p.m., that there is no reason for a replay. He said that nobody cancels its second highest rated show.
A lot of people in recent years have canceled highly rated wrestling shows (NXT on Syfy, Ion with Main Event, WGN, Destination America, Spike) because of issues with selling ads and costs vs. revenues. He claimed overnight ratings don’t matter anymore because of DVR viewership. There is something to that to a point, because for whatever reason, TNA does, on a percentage basis, far better than WWE (but also far worse than Lucha Underground and UFC non-live programming) when it comes to DVR viewership.
The Lashley vs. Galloway title program continues to be some of the best build for matches in a long time.
Without any replay, TNA drew its biggest audience to date on Pop TV, with 359,000 viewers for a show billed as “May Mayhem.” TNA had been averaging 371,000 between the first and second airings so even without a replay, the total viewers were in the same range as usual and up 15 percent from the prior week. The average viewer was 52 and in the 18-49 demo, they drew 61 percent male viewers.
Dixie Carter, Eric Sherman and John Gaburick went to India this past week, likely to finalize a deal for next season on Sony Six and arrange for the tour or tours of India that was written into the contract but never happened last year due to security and insurance issues.
There is nothing new on a sale from an official standpoint but it looks like Aroluxe isn’t going to get it because there are talks that they are hoping will come through that would keep the current power structure in place and Carter in charge. The problem would still be the ability to produce enough revenue but new ownership would buy them more time.
TNA did get a public vote of confidence from Brad Schwartz, the President of Pop TV, in an interview with Mike Johnson of PW Insider, who outright said they were sticking with the show next season and indicated they were behind it for the long haul. He claimed now that people know when the show airs, Tuesday at 9 p.m., that there is no reason for a replay. He said that nobody cancels its second highest rated show.
A lot of people in recent years have canceled highly rated wrestling shows (NXT on Syfy, Ion with Main Event, WGN, Destination America, Spike) because of issues with selling ads and costs vs. revenues. He claimed overnight ratings don’t matter anymore because of DVR viewership. There is something to that to a point, because for whatever reason, TNA does, on a percentage basis, far better than WWE (but also far worse than Lucha Underground and UFC non-live programming) when it comes to DVR viewership.
The Lashley vs. Galloway title program continues to be some of the best build for matches in a long time.