Let's talk wrasslin'

[The Grayfox]

I think a Reigns face turn works if they make him an Austin style tweener. I like the idea of heel Punk because Punk and Heyman together is magic and honestly, the Heyman/Reigns combo has had its day.

I think Orton being put on Smackdown is a clear indication they’re going with Cody/Reigns at Mania and then Orton will become Cody’s first big feud as champion while Roman takes his usual extended break. Then when Roman comes back, they can set up his turn/Punk feud. Punk as a babyface works for now but it almost always ends up in a heel turn because he’s a natural heel. He can pull a lot of heat.

Of course that would mean either Punk loses to Rollins or he has a somewhat short reign if he does win. Over on Reddit, Kermit claims the plan is for Punk/Rollins at the Rumble though.

 

[The Grayfox]

There are reports that Nick Khan and HHH have been having meetings with Warner Bros/Discovery about getting the media rights for Raw. That would be some serious shit if that happens because you have to imagine AEW is ass out at that point. I'm sure they would get picked up by another network, but it would be funny to see how they would have to rename the TNT and TBS titles -- which to be fair was a stupid idea anyway. One would assume that WWE is doing this just to stick it to Tony Khan. Business-wise, WWE is much bigger business so I would think if WWE wants Raw to be on TNT, it will be. Meltzer says CM Punk is a big part of this too as the people at WBD really like him. If this happens, AEW is about to get a reality check.

 

[DE4life]

If Raw does move to TNT, they have to open at least one show with the classic WCW Nitro intro. Hell, do a one night only WCW Monday Nitro. Don't necessarily need to get many of the WCW alums back, just have the intro and the set designed in classic Nitro style, with a format befitting WCW at its peak. Bring in a few OG WCW legends like Goldberg, Hogan, Nash, DDP. They've done "classic" Raw shows, and ECW revival shows, so why not? WCW is the only promotion that has never had anything like this, despite WWE owning all of the rights for two decades. I assume mainly because Vince still can't stomach giving WCW so much as a shred of credit. Not sure if Triple H has the same mindset or not. Judging by his feud with Sting, I probably shouldn't get my hopes up.

 

[The Grayfox]

I'd love to see a retro Nitro show. Will it happen? Probably not, but who knows? I think Triple H has more respect for WCW than Vince does. Certainly for NWA. Plus I think Triple H is genuine in that he does care what fans want to see, whereas I always saw that as lip service from Vince. Somehow I doubt this will happen anyway. I think AEW will just sell WBD their product for a lot less to make sure it stays there. If AEW has to switch networks this early on, it's really bad for them. It'll be like when TNA lost Spike. I already get big TNA vibes from AEW, so...

Rollins actually said recently that what happened in AEW with Punk won't happen in WWE because the WWE locker room is "full of professionals." Definitely a dig there. I think a lot of the guys who at one time would have gone there are starting to see it for what it is.

 

[The Grayfox]

Interesting day in wrestling...

The talk is that WWE/Sasha Banks were in talks about a return and it fell through, likely due to how much she's asking for. Charlotte Flair just re-signed with the company and is said to be making the "most money any female talent has ever made in WWE" and word is that Sasha's asking for even more than that. IF this is all true, it just goes back to what I've always thought about Sasha -- she's overhyped and she buys into it. She isn't worth all the money she's asking for and WWE doesn't NEED her. With AEW, TNA and NJPW all having big shows in the next few weeks, I would imagine we'll see her at one of those, likely TNA since they've been teasing a MASSIVE signing (...right), plus that is where Trinity works. If she goes to AEW, she's a moron as their women's division is pretty much terrible at this point.

The last few hours, a lot of shit has come out about Chris Jericho/Kylie Rae. If you haven't seen it...

A few days ago, a week? I forget now. With all of the talk about the NDA's signed by everyone involved in Brawl Out, Jericho came out and said he never signed an NDA and Nick Hausman responded to him with "What about the NDA's you make other people sign?" Years ago when Kylie Rae signed with AEW and then almost immediately left the company, the rumor was that Jericho made a sexual advance towards her, she was having none of it, quit the company and was then made to sign an NDA so that she couldn't talk about it. This was brought up again tonight and she seemingly confirmed it is the case by liking the tweet -- since she obviously can't comment on it. I remember when she left AEW and thinking there was definitely some weird shit going on because of the way it was handled.

The story goes that Kylie was asking to go to Chris Jericho's dressing room, that a group of people were going there to hang out, she showed up and nobody was there but Jericho. When she tried to leave, he made an advance on her and... well, we know the rest (supposedly).

 

[DE4life]

After the CM Punk stuff I won't believe anything regarding WWE contract negotiations at this point. In fact reports of negotiations falling through just makes me expect her to show up, probably at the Rumble, even more. Cue Triple H "it just came together in the past few days".

The Jericho stuff... well, I'll wait until there's actual evidence, but all I can say it that it would not surprise me in the slightest. In his own books he comes across as a massively egotistical dickhead. He's a conspiracy nut who supports Trump. His wife was part of the Jan 6th insurrection. So yeah, would not be surprised if the accusations turn out to be true.

 

[The Grayfox]

Jericho’s wife’s twitter is public and you can scroll through and see the bullshit she retweets. As a redditor said: “you don’t stay married to somebody like that for as long as Jericho has without sharing some of the same views.” And her views are fucking ridiculous. She is a complete nutjob. I won’t jump on the band wagon yet either, I’ll wait and see if any of it gets confirmed but like you, I will not be at all surprised if it is. There have been some pretty gross stories about him the last few years.

I’m calling Mercedes to AEW tonight. We’ll see. I think Tony Khan is the only one stupid enough to pay her what she wants with the false hope that she will single handedly turn his women’s division around for him. He’s very aware that people think he doesn’t treat the women properly and now he’s going to overcorrect.

 

[DE4life]

I mean, if you're MM then you're picking AEW for the paycheck - certainly not for your legacy. However, Nash often says the only real things about wrestling are the money and the miles, so if Khan is offering her a massive amount then it probably makes sense to take it. She still has time to go back to WWE if she wants to later on, although for women the timespan seems a lot shorter than men. Guys in their 40s can still go back and forth between companies lucratively - women, not so much.

 

[The Grayfox]

Ok, well bad prediction on my part. I was 100% convinced it was happening. Instead, it was another predictable AEW show. I mean, the Devil reveal... come on. You had MONTHS to figure something out, and you go with what everyone expected? Jesus Christ, talk about tone deaf. Some of the chants during Jericho's entrance and match made me chuckle. Dude needs to hang it up anyway, regardless if the accusations are true or not. Also, I know MJF is taking time off, but weird call to put the world title on Joe, I think. I've always been a fan of his but at this point in his career, him being the face of the second biggest American wrestling company? Ehhh not buying it. It was received about as lukewarm as it felt on TV. If it's just short term until Adam Cole gets his hands on it, I get it. This whole angle though... it was the first thing they had done right in a while and this was the payoff? Ugh.

So, Kevin Dunn is leaving WWE. I kind of thought it would happen eventually once Vince was out. I think this must really mean that Vince is not coming back into power, because if he were, I seriously doubt Kevin Dunn would be leaving. That's like Vince's number one guy. I think most people are happy to see him go, I know I am. His decisions relating to how the shows are shot, the camera work, etc. are really dated and just plain bad sometimes.

Other news coming out of AEW is that apparently Andrade finished up with the company tonight and is expected back in WWE imminently. I kind of hope they bring him in as a heel and just immediately pair him back up with Zelina. I always expected him to go back, especially now with HHH in charge, it makes a lot of sense because Trips is reportedly a big fan of his plus obviously his wife works there. There really isn't a big surprise here. Just waiting for Tommy End and Buddy to go back now because we know it's coming.

Shows like they had tonight prove why so many think AEW is bush league.

 

[DE4life]

Vince is definitely done now that TKO are in charge, which is best for everyone in WWE (but a disaster for AEW). Bucky leaving is one of those things that's been rumoured since HHH took power, but it feels like he was waiting for Vince to be fully removed from control before giving Dunn the bullet. I don't think he'll be missed much.

Andrade just one of many talents wasted in AEW, although we'll always have the memes from the Sting/Darby feud with Andrade. More than we've got for most of the WWE cast-offs that ended up in AEW anyway. Also, Andrade punching Guevara on purpose in order to try and get fired will always be a legendary LOLAEW moment.

As far as the PPV is concerned, I only read the results as I don't watch the shows anymore, but...

Willow def. Statlander - Fine I guess, although I thought they were pushing Statlander so surprised she is losing on the pre-show.

Killswitch wins 20-man battle royale - I don't know who Killswitch is. Just checked and it's Luchasaurus' new name. Alright, I'm actually behind the name change as Luchasaurus is a name with a low ceiling. I assume once he turns face again he'll go back to the Luchasaurus name, though, so whatever.

Hook def. Wheeler Yuta - Yuta loses, I'm stunned.

Eight man tag with seemingly completely random partners - I don't even get what's happening here. I understand that Danielson and Claudio are BCC stablemates, but no idea what their connection is to Briscoe or Garcia. Last I knew Garcia was in a Disco Inferno/Alex Wright style gimmick doing a stupid dance. Also not sure what links Brody King, Jay White, Rush and Jay Lethal? Aren't they all in totally separate heel factions? I have evidently been out of the loop for way too long as this just looks like someone went on a team select screen on a video game and choose 'random'.

Miro def. Andrade w/Lana at ringside - oh cool, WWE from 2018.

Toni Storm def. Riho - I'm actually nostalgic for the time when Riho was being presented as the Rey Mysterio of the AEW women's division.

Swerve def. Dustin Rhodes - Looked like a really random match on paper, until I saw that Keith Lee was originally scheduled to face Swerve but has more health problems so was unable to compete. Sucks for Keith, COVID has really done a number on him physically. Dude will always be one of the big 'what ifs' considering how hot he was before COVID. Anyway, Dustin is an alright replacement on short notice. A vet who can still go and put on a solid performance.

Second eight man tag - when you have two of these on a PPV, and it isn't Survivor Series, you know the roster is fucking bloated. Sting and Darby teaming with Jericho and Sammy doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, regardless of what's happened in storyline during the time I haven't been watching. The heel side at least makes sense as Don Callis' crew.

Julia Hart def. Abadon - Abadon could be a cool character, but has felt like indie schtick since she arrived and the crowd evidently feel the same way if the lack of reaction was as bad as the report I'm reading suggests. I like Julia but she needs a better feud than this to make her reign feel legit.

Edge def. Christian, then Christian def. Edge - I actually had no problem with the outcome of this, but Edge Vs Christian with AEW's MITB briefcase involved... well, again, it just feels like they are retelling WWE stories in a different setting with some different people. Also seems kind of dumb that a briefcase can just be given to somebody else who hasn't earned the right to use it.

Kingston def. Moxley - More of a classic AEW encounter which I'll always appreciate, especially when it's Eddie getting the spotlight. With that said "AEW Triple Crown Champion" with two of the belts being NJPW and ROH, then another new belt being added into the mix? I can't even begin to make sense of the title structure in AEW at this point. It seems like an absolute mess.

Samoa Joe def. MJF - Yeah Joe winning the title at this point is nice in some ways, but weird in others. I don't think his reign will last very long, and indeed it would be wise not to plan a long reign with him considering his injury issues over the past eight years or so. Adam Cole revealed as "the devil"... meh, I don't really care much for Adam Cole anyway, nor have I cared for the storyline between MJF and Cole, as it's just retconned the majority of MJF's history. Dude was an ultra smart heel who knew exactly how the game worked and was always a step ahead. That was the message delivered during the initial two times he teased turning face, only to stay heel. Then he does turn face and become friends with Cole just... because. It never sat right with me. So, yeah, don't care about this and feel like the reveal was dragged out for far too long.

Overall seems like a pretty dull and baffling show, when reading about it at least. Doesn't give me any motivation to start watching again.

 

[The Grayfox]

Most of your points are spot on. I don't watch AEW except for the occasional PPV. I read up on it and sort of stay in the loop, but not entirely.

The Killswitch name is weird and as you suggest, once he turns face again, I fully expect him to go back to the Luchasaurus name. They're teasing it with Christian taking advantage of him constantly and 'Killswitch' looking like he isn't happy about it. I'm kind of expecting Not Edge to turn heel and join up with Christian, they turn on 'Killswitch' and Jack Perry makes the save, making it a freshly reunited and babyface Jurassic Express against heel Not Edge and Christian. That's my prediction but as evidenced from earlier with my Mercedes Mone prediction, those aren't worth much.

I had the same exact thought with the first 8-man tag as I haven't kept up very well at all and was just like 'why the hell are all these random people in this match?' It really felt like "oh shit, we need Danielson, Claudio, Brody, Briscoe, etc. on the card!" Like, why was Brody King teaming with Jay Lethal and RUSH and not his own fucking stable? And then the second 8-man was not as bad like you said, but still just felt weird and forced. It was supposed to be Jericho and Kenny as the "Golden Jets" -- which even AEW fans fucking hate -- but Kenny is out indefinitely. It's random shit like these two matches though that really put me off AEW. If you go to the AEW subreddit, people actually make excuses for this horse shit.

I feel like Toni Storm is basically holding the women's division together all by herself at this point. She's actually doing a good job with her gimmick and it's entertaining. The rest... I don't know man. Is Britt injured? I think Jamie Hayter is. I don't know, but there is not much exciting about the women's division at all right now. I agree about Abadon, which sucks because it probably could be sort of cool, but its just really campy. Right down to the flames she has tattooed on her wrists to match her hair.

I do really like Eddie Kingston and I'm happy he's being showcased, but why more titles? Jesus Christ.

When Adam Cole was revealed as the "Devil", the crowd was so let down. Rightfully so. Everybody assumed that was the most obvious thing they could do and they did it anyway. And then they gave him his own shitty stable that will be disbanded in 3 months. Adam Cole, Roddy Strong, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett and Wardlow? Seriously. Nobody gives a shit. These weird thrown together stables don't last in AEW. Ever. But they keep doing it. I've lost count of how many "Le Sex Pest" Chris Jericho has had but it feels like a lot. What's the deal with Wardlow? They refuse to actually put any steam behind him. They just throw him in these stables, he fizzles out, disappears for a while, returns, aaaaand repeat.

 

[The Grayfox]

It looks like they're finally going to do Roman vs. Rock. The big question is where. Lots of worried Cody fans that it will be at WM. The big rumor is that it will take place next month at Elimination Chamber. I can see it. Triple H is trying to make every PPV must-watch. EC looks to be pretty big. It's in Australia in a stadium that holds 60,000+ Is that the right time and place to do Rock/Roman? Probably not honestly. I think it would've been better to hold off until Summerslam and make it non-title. A match that big transcends championships. Then again, if they're doing it now, it's likely because that's when The Rock can actually manage to do it.

The plus there is that Roman will beat the Rock, look like a demigod doing it, and when Cody does beat him, it's just going to elevate Cody all that much more. Should be an interesting build to WM.

Dirt sheets reporting that Trinity (Naomi) is headed back to WWE, possibly as soon as the Rumble. Not a huge surprise there, as her husband is in WWE. Others suggesting that she may be staying with TNA and WWE is getting her just for the Rumble, much like they did with Mickie James a few years ago.

TNA is now also calling their PPV's PLE's? What the hell is that all about? Is WWE bankrolling TNA or something?

I can't seem to find this anywhere, but I saw someone say that Meltzer reports that Mercedes Mone has signed with AEW for 25 million dollars over 5 years. If there is any truth to that, that seems pretty absurd. Like... dude, TK, she isn't worth it. IF that is true, he has to be doing it at this point because he thinks he's sticking it to WWE. I just don't see any other scenario where ANY promotion actually thinks she's worth that much money. For reference, it's rumored that Seth Rollins makes 3 million a year and that Cody recently re-signed for close to 5 million. Is anyone in their right mind actually going to say that Mercedes Mone is anywhere near the worth of Cody Rhodes right now? Unreal. She walked out of a company because she didn't get her way. Then she had a couple matches, broke her ankle or something and... that's it. She's wrestled like 3 times in the last year and a half and has done nothing to prove she is worth 1 million/year, let alone 5.

 

[DE4life]

Roman Vs Rock will be interesting purely to see what kind of match Rock can pull off at this stage in his life - I think his last proper match was with Cena 10+ years ago? The big difference there being that the outcome was unpredictable which made the bout interesting. The first match, at least. The second one shouldn't have happened imo as it made a mockery of the "once in a lifetime" tag of the first match and the outcome was obvious, but I guess I can understand Rock wanting to give Cena the rub before leaving again. It was the right way to handle business and I can respect that.

Rock vs Roman is less interesting to me because we all know Roman is going to win. The match just doesn't mean as much as a result. As I said, I'd mainly be curious to see how the Rock performs nowadays as opposed to what the outcome of the match will be. If Rock is around and available for WM season then it certainly gives WWE a big decision to make. The story for the past year has been about Cody redeeming last year's defeat, but Rock vs Roman at WM might be too big for WWE to say no to. I suppose Cody "finishing the story" could be pushed back to SummerSlam if need be. Fact is he should have won last year anyway, in my view, so anything they do now is going to have less impact that it would have if Cody had dethroned Roman last year - which would have been perfect with the Bloodline storyline coming to its apex. The perfect way to end it would have been for Roman to lose the belts and then have his empire crumble around him. In my opinion it was 100% the wrong call to have Cody lose, and a Cody vs Roman rematch at this year's event would have nowhere near the same hype.

Of course, you have Punk in the mix as well, but for now it seems his sights are set on Rollins.

TNA copying WWE with the PLE thing is weird... but at the same time, very much on-brand with their renaming as TNA, who regularly tried to copy WWE in their heyday. So in that sense you could say it makes sense strategically.

MM is not worth $25m - WWE would love to have her back, but reports suggest that even they baulked at her demands, so if Tony pays her what she wants then he's a fool. She isn't going to move the needle for AEW in any significant way, and huge contracts like that should only be reserved for talents who have a high chance of doing that. The CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley types. Mercedes Mone ain't on that level. It'll just be yet another ex-WWE talent coming in on huge money that Tony will lose interest in after a couple of months and do nothing with.

Speaking of Khan, did you see his latest twitter meltdown? The USA twitter account made some snarky remark about cagematch ratings (admittedly, that was pretty hilarious) and rather than shrug it off as any normal person would, TK took the bait and started ripping on Jinder, acting like wrestling win/loss records are real or worth anything. It goes without saying that Jinder is not main event material, but he's just being used as a filler match for Raw as a former world champ with a bit of credibility. By lashing out Khan has given WWE and that match far more attention than anybody else would have given it otherwise. He's a 41 year old man who acts like he's 13. Spoiled rich kid syndrome I suppose.

 

[DE4life]

I actually watched Dynamite in full for the first time in months. I figured since it was a big show, and at Daly's Place, I might as well give it a go.

Firstly, the set looked really cool. Daly's Place has a unique aesthetic and AEW did a good job with the stage design. Good stuff.

Hangman and Claudio was a decent start to the show. A good bout, albeit I'm not sure if there was any reason for them having the match. Also 17 minutes seemed a tad excessive, but as it was a longer show than normal I suppose that explains it somewhat.

Then we get to an AEW staple, a random multi-person tag with a bunch of wrestlers thrown together. Why is big new signing Edge randomly teaming with Orange Cassidy, Dustin Rhodes and Preston Vance? What connects any of these guys? Such a weird combination of wrestlers. At least Archer, Cage, Liona and Kaun made sense as an opposing team, although I know barely anything about the latter two, and the former two are glorified jobbers. The match was okay I guess, but I don't know what the point of it was, and it's hard to believe that this is the best use of Edge.

The segment with Joe, Swerve (absolute star), Hangman and Hook was pretty good. It clearly established Swerve and Hangman as future challengers, and they have Swerve and Hangman's established history as a compelling backstory to see them fight it out to be #1 contender. Hook is a wildcard that they've built up quite well. Overall no complaints.

Toni Storm's interview was pretty fun. Her new character is somewhat entertaining, good on her for going out on a limb and trying something totally different. I didn't even recognise Luther (or realise he was still employed by AEW). I don't know who Mariah May is.

Guevara and Starks was a solid match. an AEW OG and one of my favourite modern wrestlers. Seeing Jericho on TV leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth with recent allegations considered. Were they just playing Judas nonstop to drown out any boos or Kylie Rae chants? Fucking lol if so.

Yet another eight-person tag, this time with a selection of the women. At least the teams made sense in this one. I also very much appreciate Julia Hart's ring gear. The match was fine, but funny how, much like Edge, Saraya has gone from huge signing to wrestling in random eight-person tags. Again, is this the best use of her?

They were hyping Yuta as "Mr Rampage" which... well, considering Rampage is a failure of a show, is that a compliment? It'd be like someone in 1999 WCW being called "Mr Thunder", or an early-2000s WWE guy being called "Mr Velocity". It isn't exactly a compliment because nobody gives a single shit about Rampage.

Basic match from Roderick Strong against some nobody, and a basic promo from Adam Cole. Time filler.

Deonna Purrazzo is a solid signing for the women's division, but a debut against Red Velvet is a debut nobody could possibly care about.

I actually very much enjoyed the main event. Sting is showing why he is a bonafide legend, still putting in awesome performances even at the very end of his career at 65 years old. A pretty wild spot with the deathdrop onto the two tables from height to end the match. Not sure it's necessary for him to take such risks considering his retirement match is only two months away, but Khan doesn't have the balls to tell anybody not to do something, let alone Sting.

As for the Young Bucks being Sting's final opponents (in a tag match with Darby)... I guess I'm fine with it. The Bucks will ensure the match is entertaining, they're safe workers and presumably Sting has chosen them to do the match with. He's said he didn't want to do a singles match, so when you're talking a tag match the Bucks are probably the best option. There's some anger online about it, of course, but realistically who else is there - tag team wise - that would be a significant improvement? Honestly I'd rather have Sting face a couple of guys that can still go as opposed to a couple of broken down legends for nothing more than dat nostalgia.

Also nice to see Sting leave on his terms, and hopefully in good condition. I really wish he'd cut out the risky spots though. He's done enough of those already - if he wants to do one in that final match then alright, but no need to do these kind of spots on random episodes of Dynamite.

Anyway, overall it was an okay show. Better than the last time I watched. Still a far cry from when I really enjoyed watching AEW though.

 

[The Grayfox]

The only thing about Dynamite I saw was the set, which I agree was very cool. It was nice to see a different looking set for once, and having some seating right under the screen and next to the entrance way was very unique. I'm a sucker for unique stuff like that. I used to love the old WCW elevated aisle. I can't really sit through AEW shows anymore. I'll either skip around for highlights or just read about it.

I guess at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter which way they go for Wrestlemania. They've backed themselves into such a corner that either match is going to be predictable as hell. If It's Roman/Rock, Roman wins, if its Roman/Cody, Cody wins. Roman/Rock is definitely the bigger headliner and I just don't believe they can pass that up. As a fan, I think it's a better call to do Roman/Cody and save Roman/Rock for Summerslam so at least that match isn't as predictable but I'm starting to think it's going to be the other way around, especially because they're obviously going to have to work this around The Rock's schedule. I maintain that they can't do another full year with Roman as champion. The other option people have speculated on is Roman vs. The Rock vs. Cody, because WM20 had a triple threat main event, 30 did and we're going into 40. To me, that just kills any momentum that Roman/Rock feud will have. I just don't see it. Cody feels like a third wheel in that scenario. Another thought I've seen is Roman vs. The Rock night 1 and Roman vs. Cody night 2. Again, I don't see it, BUT I think that is more realistic than the triple threat.

 

[DE4life]

Early on in AEW they did a Dynamite show from the Jericho Cruise which was also pretty cool. Reminded me of the spring break episodes of Nitro at Club le Vela. More of that and less homogenised sets would be nice.

As you say, the problem with the triple threat idea is that it makes Cody into a third wheel. Rock becomes the primary attraction at that point, which muddies the waters when the focus is supposed to be on Cody "finishing the story". The only way that would work for me is if Rock and Reigns formed some kind of alliance after the triple threat was announced, and Cody had to go through both of them in the triple threat to get the win. That would be cool, but Rock ain't going heel and I can't see them putting Cody over that strong. The night 1/night 2 idea would be problematic as Roman could point to having to compete twice in two days as an out for losing. You could have Cody facing someone like Jimmy Uso or Solo on night 1, but neither of those are on the level of the Rock so it still wouldn't really be equal. It also just makes things unncessarily complex.

Logically Cody Vs Roman should be locked in and Rock's availability shouldn't make a difference, but in terms of visibility and drawing power Rock vs Roman is realistically the bigger match and they may only have one chance to pull the trigger at Rock's age and with his usual schedule in mind, so... it could go either way.

 

[The Grayfox]

Yeah, it's a tough call. There are dirt sheet writers who claim that Roman vs. Cody has been locked in for a while and won't be changed, but if Rock's schedule allows it and it's the only time they can do it, clearly they're going to do it. There's another scenario people aren't really considering which is just that the Rock was planting a seed for a match much further down the road. It doesn't necessarily have to be now. Another real issue is what does Cody even do at Mania other than this? It looks like it's been heading towards Punk winning the Rumble and Cody winning the EC match to headline nights 1 and 2 respectively. To me, that's a plan worth sticking to, but my opinion doesn't mean shit here. Did you by any chance see how completely fucked Rock was after that brief spot with Jinder? Granted, he could train for it, but I have my doubts that he could even pull off a believable match with Roman at this point.

Speaking of Jericho's cruise, did you see that report that apparently MVP knocked him out on his own cruise in 2020? According to people there it was about politics and views, which would track as I'm sure both of those guys are on completely opposite ends of the political spectrum. A couple years later Jericho tried to talk to MVP in a hotel lobby, where MVP said they could take it outside and Jericho responded with "I don't fight jobbers." I remember seeing that video a while back and thinking it was harsh. Now, it's just kind of funny realizing Jericho already got his ass kicked by MVP once and probably didn't want to go for round 2.

 

[DE4life]

I certainly wouldn't want to mess with MVP!

So, a couple of big stories...

Raw is moving to Netflix, which is... weird. Outside of the US they'll also be streaming Smackdown, NXT, PLE's, etc. A 10 year deal apparently, although Netflix have the option to cancel after the 5th year. $5 billion dollar deal which is a crazy amount of money. I guess that's the end of people giving a shit about Raw ratings, too, as there won't really be such a thing for Netflix. My main fear is that this spells the end for the WWE Network as it currently exists in the UK. It's already become far shittier over the past couple of years, but most of the content is still there even if not particularly easy to navigate to. I can see us ending up like the US, Canada and Australia though with an even worse model going forward. The only positive would be if all the old content is available on Netflix too, and has better navigation. I guess we'll see, but I don't think the old version of the Network will be around for much longer.

Also Dwayne Johnson is now a TKO board member, so... that's something. Vince basically out, The Rock and Triple H in to lead WWE. Doesn't seem like a bad trade.

 

[The Grayfox]

For us in the States, moving everything over to Netflix would be a huge upgrade from Peacock. But I definitely do miss the WWE Network as it used to be. Raw not being on cable is going to be so weird. It's been 30+ years since it started. Crazy to see how huge WWE has gotten in that 30 years. The Rock being placed on the board for TKO is kind of strange. Some people speculating that it has to do with his UFL (XFL) league and they're going to add that to the TKO brand, which I suppose would make sense. Otherwise, I just don't see why he would be there. He's so disconnected from pro wrestling at this point.

I'm actually pretty stoked for the Rumble. I think they've been doing a good job building up for it. HHH is doing something that hasn't been done in years with multiple angles going on at the same time, which is keeping it interesting. I still think Punk is going to win, but I can't remember the last time I was looking forward to a Rumble match this much. People are speculating that Gunther may win it. I'm not sure if it's necessarily "insider information", but someone claiming to be one says that the plan for Mania has changed to Roman/Rock, Gunther/Seth and Punk/Cody. IF that's true, I think it's a serious misstep.

Some dirtsheet writer, maybe Zarian, says that Mercedes Mone to AEW is a done deal and that Tony Khan is planning on completely revamping the women's division and building it back up around her. While that is good for the women, I feel like that may not go over so well with the people who have been there since the start. "Oh great, another WWE reject coming in and being treated like gold."

Same dirtsheet writer(s) claim that Okada is WWE bound. Pretty huge if that's the case. A few years ago, I would've said that might be a mistake on Okada's part. But I don't think so now. If he goes there, I think he'll probably do quite well.

 

[DE4life]

For me WWE not being on TV doesn't change anything, as I haven't watched wrestling on TV in literally over a decade. I've always either used the watchwrestling site or the WWE Network for PPVs. There's articles out now saying the Network will shut down at the end of the year, globally at least. It'll save me £120 a year, and to be honest the navigation nowadays sucks so I won't miss that - it'll just be a case of whether all the Network content transfers over to Netflix, or only some of it. I mainly just watch old WCW and WWE shows, though, and I'm pretty sure at the very least that content will still be there. I've already downloaded all of the Nitros from 1995/1996/1997 and most of the WCW PPVs... I'll probably grab the rest of 1998 and some of 1999, although I don't really care much about the second half of '99. Certainly the end of an era, and I guess we'll see how Netflix handle it. I don't see how navigation could be much worse than the Peacock/current global Network interface though. It's never been great, but right now it's garbage and absolutely horrible to use.

I'll watch the Rumble, as I do every year, but I haven't been following the shows in any detail so not really sure what the storylines are going in. I hope they'll have some cool surprise entrants for the male and female rumbles at least. At the past few rumbles I've actually enjoyed the women's match more than the men's. I guess we'll see how it goes this year and whether it'll pique my interest for WM. I'd be surprised if they deviated from Seth/Punk at WM, having already started that program. I'd be less surprised by Rock/Roman, but Cody taking on Punk instead... eh. I don't see how that's hugely interesting unless they play off the AEW link, which I don't see happening. Under Vince I'd fully expect these kinds of changes, but it'd be disappointing if it happens under the current regime.

Okada in WWE would be interesting, although they don't have a great record when it comes to Japanese talent. With that said it's a new setup creatively now, so maybe that could change. He should be treated as a star from the get go, but I read he'd be more likely to stary in NXT which would have been fine some years ago, but now? I'd be surprised.

Looks like one of the women Vince paid to silence has filed another lawsuit against him with some pretty explicit accusations, claiming her NDA is void as Vince stopped paying her after the first $1m installment (she was due $3m). Brock Lesnar is also included, with allegations Vince was sex trafficking this woman to various people. If any of that is true then it paints Vince and others in that company in a pretty horrific light. It's a story that doesn't seem to be going away, and you have to wonder if TKO will genuinely give Vince the boot (again) in the near future to try and shield themselves from the shitstorm that might come their way if he's still around.