TPWW's Official Dirty Sheets News Thread

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Originally Posted by Observer If there was some good news in the ratings, last night's Raw was up from the prior two weeks. The show averaged 2.37 million viewers, which would still be the third-lowest number of the modern era. With the combination of the NFL, where a New Orleans Saints blowout over the Washington Redskins did 10.51 million viewers (a 20 percent drop from last week), and a Yankees vs. Red Sox baseball playoff game that did 4.41 million viewers, a record low could have been set ... The three hours were: 8 p.m. 2.53 million viewers 9 p.m. 2.39 million viewers 10 p.m. 2.20 million viewers

Originally Posted by Post Wrestling We were informed that last night’s angle involving Bobby Lashley and Kevin Owens was done to explain Owens’ needing time off for knee surgery. It was conveyed to us that Owens is not expected to miss too much time, so it doesn’t appear to be a major injury. During the match, Lashley attacked Owens’ knee and then repeatedly wrapped it around the post after the match. This also saw Lashley turn heel and had been something that people with the company had been pushing for. For his part, Owens was received strongly by the Chicago audience as a babyface and it will be interesting to see how he is booked when he returns and if they opt to turn him or keep him in the heel role. UPDATE: We were informed later in the day that while the hope is Owens’ knee surgery is minor, they won’t know the full extent of the injury until the knee is assessed. There is a possibility of the injury being more serious and could require a longer recovery time.

Originally Posted by Observer Commenting on a promo that she cut, Lynch mentioned that she’s working with a cracked jaw.

Link: https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/st...49796284747776

Originally Posted by Observer WWE uploaded a Raw fallout video where The Bellas explained the reason for the storyline where they attacked Ronda Rousey last night. Brie Bella accused Rousey of taking their spotlight, and Nikki Bella said they’re here to remind everyone that this is a “Bellalution.” Rousey also continued the angle in a post on Instagram: “Dante’s Inferno says the innermost circle of hell is reserved for betrayers... That each of Lucifer’s three heads gnaw on the greatest sinners of human history .... Believe me, @thenikkibella @thebriebella you’ll prefer a relaxing break in the devil’s mouth over what’s coming for you at Evolution. #RondaVsBella #Evolution #WWEevolution”

Links: https://youtu.be/jy5MgaWEu9s & https://www.instagram.com/p/BouBt-MB...by=rondarousey

Originally Posted by Observer/Post Wrestling Indies Roundup: Tracy Williams is the first participant announced for this year’s ROH Survival of the Fittest, where the winner will receive a future ROH title shot. This will take place on November 4. OVW's 1,000th television show will air as an iPPV on FITE TV from Fourth Street Live in Louisville on Wednesday night. There will be an OVW title tournament that will include Billy Gunn, Abyss, Tommy Dreamer and Hurricane Helms, plus appearances by Jim Cornette, Danny Davis, Mick Foley, Al Snow, Ken Anderson, ODB and Lisa Varon. Shingo Takagi was revealed as “X” and is the newest member of LIJ. Takagi got a big response when he unmasked prior to the eight-man tag. Takagi was the star of the match and pinned SHO with the Last Falconry. It appears that Takagi will be wrestling in the junior heavyweight division. Takagi had wrestled for Dragon Gate since 2004 and his background was acknowledged on the English broadcast today. Takagi recently decided to leave Dragon Gate and work as a freelancer with his final match with the promotion taking place last weekend.

Originally Posted by Observer A number of new faces and teams will take part in this year’s Super Junior tag league. Unlike previous years, this year the winners will not be determined via a single elimination tournament. Instead, it will be a round robin tournament where eight teams compete in matches against one another. The two teams with the most points will face each other in the finals at Power Struggle. The participants for this year’s tournament include: IWGP Jr. tag team champions El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru SHO and YOH from Roppongi 3K Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask Taiji Ishimori and Robbie Eagles BUSHI and Shingo Takagi KUSHIDA and Chris Sabin ACH and Ryusuke Taguchi Volador Jr. and Soberano Jr. from CMLL

Link with event dates and matchups for this year's tag league series: https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/njpw...-lineup-267466

Originally Posted by Observer A Intercontinental title match will headline this year’s Power Struggle. Chris Jericho will defend the Intercontinental title against EVIL. The two have had staredowns with one another before, but Jericho took it to a new level at King of Pro Wrestling when he jumped EVIL as he went to face Zack Sabre Jr. in a singles match. Jericho, who was wearing a druid outfit, attacked EVIL as he was entering the ring and left him laying bad enough that the match was ruled a forfeit. A NEVER Openweight title match has also been announced, with new champion Taichi defending against Will Ospreay, who scored a big win over Taichi at King of Pro Wrestling, and intends on capitalizing on his momentum by taking Taichi’s title ... Power Struggle will take place on November 3 at the Osaka Prefectural Gym. Here is the card announced thus far: Chris Jericho vs. EVIL for the IWGP Intercontinental title Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Taichi vs. Will Ospreay for the NEVER Openweight title Hiroshi Tanahashi and David Finlay vs. The Golden Lovers Kazuchika Okada and Beretta vs. Jay White and Bad Luck Fale Finals of the Super Jr. Tag League 2018

Originally Posted by PWI Add Lacey Evans, Mia Yim, Rhea Ridley and Kacy Catanzo to the list of WWE NXT talents who will be at the 10/28 WWE Evolution PPV in Long Island, NY. There is no word yet on what their role, if any, will be at the show. As we reported yesterday, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, Jessamyn Duke, Candice LaRae, Dakota Kai and Marina Shafir are also slated to be at the PPV. With so many NXT talents scheduled, I have to wonder if they are doing a Battle Royal on the undercard of the show.

Originally Posted by PWI On WWE's website, it lists that Network Collections for Sasha Banks and Rey Mysterio are slated to come to the streaming service. Usually, the site lists upcoming Collections for the next month but this just says "coming soon". So there's a possibility with Mysterio's return at Smackdown 1000 and the upcoming Evolution pay-per-view that these may come before the end of the month. Much like the Curt Hawkins and Undertaker versus Triple H in September.

Originally Posted by PWI ITV Studios Global Entertainment is working to license the World of Sport Wrestling product and will be exhibiting at the forthcoming Brand Licensing Europe convention.Grad Promotional material from ITV Studios notes that seasone one odf the series, produced by ITV Studios Entertainment, debuted to more than 1 million viewers in the UK, "making it the highest-rated British wrestling show in 30 years" ... While there has been no official word on a second season, the promotion has announced a seven event live tour for January and February 2019 in the UK and with ITV moving forward with seeking out licensing partners, there are signs that the project will continue: EXCLUSIVE NEW NAMES ANNOUNCED FOR THE WOS TOUR!@WillOspreay @Kay_Lee_Ray @joeshendry @Robbie_X_ @Nathan_Cruz90 @Shasamuels will all be appearing! Get your tickets now!! https://t.co/lzKnZsh9cm pic.twitter.com/BWVW7PAyws — WOS Wrestling (@WOSWrestling) September 22, 2018

Link: https://twitter.com/WOSWrestling/sta...45464430161920

Originally Posted by PWI World Wrestling has continued their recent strategy of filing trademarks on names related to older material. As PWInsider.com broke lasr week, the company has filed trademarks on several WCW-related titles as well as All Star Wrestling. On 10/4, WWE filed a trademark on the name "World Class Championship Wrestling", the promotion owned by Fritz Von Erich in the 1980s. On 9/27, the company had filed a trademark on the term "WCCW."

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc Rey Mysterio recently filed for two trademarks related to merchandise use - G.M.O.A.T. and The Greatest Mask of All Time. As noted, Rey recently signed a two-year deal with WWE and has been announced for next Tuesday's SmackDown 1000 episode from Washington, DC.

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc As seen on RAW last night, WWE announced that the Alexa Bliss vs. Trish Stratus and Mickie James vs. Lita scheduled singles matches for the WWE Evolution pay-per-view have been nixed. The two bouts have been combined into a tag team match with Alexa & Mickie vs. Trish & Lita. The plan was reportedly always for it to be a tag team match, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer said that WWE had announced the Stratus vs. Bliss match to boost ticket sales early on, since they didn't want to announce the Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella match until they shot the angle for it. Once Bella vs. Rousey was announced, they felt that they could publicly change the Stratus vs. Bliss match to a tag team bout.

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc WWE has a new poll asking fans which RAW tag team should be next in line for a RAW Tag Team Title shot from Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. As of this writing, 63% voted for The Authors of Pain while 23% voted for The Revival and 14% voted for The B Team.

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc At Super Show-Down, Melbourne's own Buddy Murphy won his first-ever WWE singles championship, as he defeated Cedric Alexander to become the Cruiserweight Champion ... Following his Cruiserweight Championship win, Murphy shared his thoughts on the emotional moment on Instagram. A long, long road! When I was on the verge of closing a chapter, I seeked out the light! Taking 1 opportunity, creating a second... to 70,000 people standing up, cheering for a guy as he lived out his dream! To all those people who said I would be back in Australia after 3 months of leaving for the USA... who's laughing now! It doesn't end here! #205live will be seen by the world! And people will realize where the Best of the Best are located on a Wednesday night! As a result of his win at Super Show-Down, Murphy is the first Australian wrestler to ever win a singles title in WWE history.

Some other sheet news includes:

• In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today would have been Eddie Guerrero's 51st birthday.
• Recent episode of the Sitting Ringside podcast show had Impact Wrestling boss Ed Nordholm as the guest. Nordholm revealed Anthem Entertainment seriously considered shutting down Impact last year and felt Jeff Jarrett screwed them with the deal to buy the company. https://twitter.com/TrevorDame/statu...16223073931264

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

• EVOLVE: Mustafa Ali Wrestling for EVOLVE, Championship Tournament, WrestleMania Weekend Details
• WWE: WWE Says Kevin Owens Is “Injured,” Cena on Daily Show, NXT UK TV Show Update
• Matt Hardy Releases a Broken Hardys Halloween Special Teaser

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Dirtsheets sponsored by Austin's work beercase:

SPOILER: show

Rumor going around the net hints at the Four Horsewomen MMA making their debut at this month's Evolution event in order to set up the long rumored MMA vs WWE Horsewomen match at Survivor Series.

Spoiler tag used since its related to rumored plans for Evolution and Survivor Series.

Originally Posted by Observer SmackDown ratings were up two percent this week, coming in at 2.135 million viewers. That tied the June 26 episode for the third-lowest number so far in 2018 ... After starting the year up from 2017 totals more often than not, the show has now had a year-over-year drop in 20 of the last 21 weeks.

Originally Posted by Observer Ahead of him returning to the company, WWE is advertising Rey Mysterio for his first set of appearances. He’ll return on SmackDown 1000 next week and face Shinsuke Nakamura in a World Cup qualifying match. He’s also advertised for: Hartford, Connecticut -- October 20 (house show) Boston, Massachusetts -- October 21 (house show) White Plains, New York -- October 22 (house show) Newark, New Jersey -- October 23 (SmackDown episode) Atlanta, Georgia -- October 30 (SmackDown episode) Cardiff, Wales -- November 3 (house show) Aberdeen, Scotland -- November 4 (house show) Birmingham, England -- November 5 (house show) Manchester, England -- November 6 (SmackDown episode)

Link: https://www.wwe.com/worldwide/articl...?sf199706494=1

Originally Posted by PWI WWE Network News is reporting the following pieces of the content in line with Hispanic Heritage Month will be this week's Hidden Gems selection that will be added to the streaming service tomorrow: WWWF @ MSG 08/01/1977 – Unpredictable Greatness WWE Hall of Famers square off at The World’s Most Famous Arena when ‘The Unpredictable’ Johnny Rodz battles Carlos Colon. WWE 01/08/1992 – The Art of War Lucha legend Konnan makes a rare WWE appearance as Latin Fury when he takes on the former partner of Eddie Guerrero, ‘The Juicer’ Art Barr. WWE Super Astros 11/22/1998 – When Stars Align Before becoming an ECW and WWE mainstay, Super Crazy performed as Super Loco against El Hijo del Santo in this bout from Super Astros. OVW 11/20/2002 – The Heat Comes to OVW Latino Heat Eddie Guerrero makes his presence felt in his one and only OVW appearance when he takes on Nova in this match from 2002.

Link: https://www.wwenetworknews.com/2018/...m-wwwf-to-ovw/

Originally Posted by Observer Kane (Glenn Jacobs) and Tom Prichard are opening a wrestling school in January 2019

Link: https://twitter.com/drtomprichard/st...28296039501827

Originally Posted by Observer/Post Wrestling Indies Roundup: During a Twitch stream, Kenny Omega said he’s working with a fractured rib. Marty Scurll is the second wrestler to be confirmed for ROH’s Survival of the Fittest tournament in Columbus, Ohio on November 4. It was announced yesterday that Tracy Williams will make his ROH debut in the tournament. Cody Rhodes vs. Kenny King, Sumie Sakai, Madison Rayne & Jenny Rose vs. Britt Baker, Karen Q & Kelly Klein, and Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Taylor have been added to ROH’s TV tapings at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Sunday. AXS TV announced that Women of Wrestling’s premiere episode will air on Friday, January 18.. Nick Gage vs. Joey Ryan is set for Joey Janela’s LA Confidential on November 16, which is the Friday of Survivor Series weekend. MLW is planning to hold a television taping on February 2nd over Super Bowl weekend. They have not announced a location for the taping but stated that Tom Lawlor will be challenging for the MLW title on the show.

Omega: https://clips.twitch.tv/DarkPuzzledAlbatrossDBstyle , ROH: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/sc...unity-columbus , WoW: http://www.axs.tv/press_articles/jea...axs-tv-jan-18/ , Janela: https://twitter.com/GCWrestling_/sta...75354285641729

Originally Posted by PWI A number of independent promotions have announced they will be joining a "Collective" of events being held in Jersey City, NJ, right outside of NYC over Wrestlemania 35 weekend in April 2019. Game Changer Wrestling, CHIKARA, Cleveland's Absolute Intense Wrestling, Pittsburgh's Black Label Wrestling and Canada's Inter Species Wrestling have all announced plans to run that weekend at White Eagle Hall. More details, lineups and ticket information will be announced in the weeks to come.

Originally Posted by PWI Following an arraignment hearing this morning in Orange County, Florida, a trial date of 1/14/19 was set for Adam Birch aka Joey Mercury in one of the two current criminal cases against him in the Sunshine State. In this case, Birch has beeng acused of allegedly using a credit card belonging to the victim to acquire $300 around 4/28. There were two incidents which Mercury was allegedly involved in, both on 4/8. The first incident took place, according to court records, in the Area of 1201 N. Lakemont Ave in Winter Park, FL between 9 AM to 1 PM and the second in the area 430 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, FL, between 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Birch has been charged with Fraudulent Use or Possession of Personal Identification Information, Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card to obtain more than $100 in value, Grand Theft Third Degree and Petit theft.

More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/12...pdate.html?p=1

Originally Posted by PWI NXT TV is taping this weekend in Plymouth, Great Britain. If anyone is attending, we are seeking spoiler reports. Wrestletalk in the UK has reported there is an expected TV deal to be announced for the NXT UK brand tomorrow. The company had been in talks and had pitches to a number of TV broadcasters in the market including ITV, Channel 4 and BT Sport based on the idea that it would be the company's first local content offering, made in the UK with UK talents for the UK, including Nigel McGuinness as the host. At one point, there were plans to brand the potential series King of the Ring as well.

Originally Posted by Post Wrestling Ed Nordholm of Impact Wrestling was a guest with David Penzer on the Sitting Ringside podcast to promote this Sunday’s Bound for Glory card. The interview featured Nordholm going through the past two years overseeing the company since Anthem’s purchase of the company and taking control at the start of 2017. The most interesting note was his assertion that the darkest period occurred in August and September 2017. During this period, Nordholm stated they had to make a lot of hard decisions whether to continue with the operation of the company and was not prepared to throw good money after bad. If you recall, Justin Barrasso of SI.com reported that Anthem was considering selling in September 2017. At the time, Nordholm went on Wrestling Observer Radio to deny the sale talk, which publicly he had to do, but regardless this new revelation validated Barrasso’s report at the time. Nordholm stated in the interview with Penzer that last year’s Bound for Glory was a “watershed” for the company that they needed to get through that show and after that make a concrete plan for the next steps to be taken. This eventually led to the hiring of Don Callis to work with Scott D’Amore as executives, which Nordholm said in the interview was his biggest success citing their common view of the product.

More details from the recent interview Nordholm had on the Siting Ringside podcast show. Link to those interested: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/...247126546?mt=2

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc After it was revealed last week that Michelle McCool will appear at SmackDown 1000, it looks like she has plans on wrestling at WWE Evolution as well. The former WWE women's champion posted a wrestling training video of herself today on Instagram with the hashtag "#evolution."

Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BowiuuJBVYB

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair tweeted the following on last night's SmackDown opener between Charlotte Flair and SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch. The match ended in a double count out and the two will now do battle in a Last Woman Standing match at WWE Evolution. Unbelievable Championship Match! So Proud Of You Both! WOOOOO! @MsCharlotteWWE @BeckyLynchWWE pic.twitter.com/w7UwJO0uYZ — Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) October 10, 2018

Link: https://twitter.com/RicFlairNatrBoy/...23125867773953

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc The WWE Stats Twitter account noted that Big Show was the only Superstar to compete on SmackDown's first episode in 1999 and the 999th episode this week. Show lost to Randy Orton in the main event this week, which was a World Cup qualifier. No word yet on if Show will be appearing at SmackDown 1000 next week.

Some other sheet news includes:

• In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, yesterday's Women's title match on Smackdown broke a WWE record for longest non-PPV women's match in WWE history at 23 minutes.

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

• WWE: Chris Jericho Says “No Thanks” Re: Crown Jewel, John Cena on Tonight Show
• Edge Officially Announced for SmackDown 1000 (Updated Lineup)

[Mr. Nerfect]

Jesus Christ, who writes Ronda Rousey's tweets for her? Quite intense.

Kane and Prichard's school should be called "The Dentist and the Doctor."

[Emperor Smeat]

Dirtsheets sponsored by Random Rasslin gif:

Originally Posted by Observer The first four wrestlers have been confirmed for this year's Survival of the Fittest tournament. Ring of Honor announced Andrew Everett and Jonathan Gresham for Survival of the Fittest today. They join Tracy Williams and Marty Scurll in the lineup for the one-night tournament, which will take place in Columbus, Ohio on November 4 and air live on HonorClub ... This will be the first time Everett has wrestled for ROH since 2015. Last month, Everett announced that he had been granted his release from Impact Wrestling. He thanked the company for the opportunities he received there and noted that he felt he needed to test the waters in free agency.

Originally Posted by PWI As Dave Scherer and I discussed on this week's edition of The We Don't Need No Name Show, the timing of the WWE event on 11/2 in Saudi Arabia has come under additional scrutiny following the disappearance of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian national who had been critical of aspects the country in his writing and reporting. Khashoggi, who was in Turkey at the time, entered a Saudi Arabian consulate to pick up paperwork that would allow him to re-marry and hasn't been seen since ... The Washington Post has reported that Turkish officials believe that Khashoggi was murdered, possibly during an attempt to kidnap and spirit him back to Saudi Arabia that went wrong ... Several other American companies who have events with ties to Saudi Arabia have canceled or postponed events, including The New York Times. With WWE receiving a huge payday froim the Kingdom in exchange for running events there (which have including promotional videos touting how progressive the regime has become, including allowing women to drive), there has been a spotlght on WWE to see how they will handle the 11/2 event, which is their second event in the country as part of a ten year agreement. WWE issued the following response to queries about the event and the situation: “We are currently monitoring the situation."

AKA "We won't do shit since $40 million per year/event > people's online complaints." Also a woman shown in a WWE ad at Greatest Royal Rumble hyping up Saudi government's plans for human rights progress was later arrested as part of a crackdown against activists. https://twitter.com/VillainessHavoc/...16957760499712

Originally Posted by PWI BOOM! Studios issued the following: BOOM! Studios Announces WWE: FOREVER LOS ANGELES, CA (October 11, 2018) – BOOM! Studios and WWE today announced WWE: FOREVER #1, an all-new, over sized, one-shot special featuring action-packed stories of the greatest WWE Legends on-sale in January 2019.

More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/12...gends.html?p=1

Originally Posted by PWI/Observer Indies Roundup: Ring of Honor has announced there will be a Women of Honor tag team match at Glory By Honor: Coming off of her defeat of Tenille Dashwood at Death Before Dishonor, Women of Honor World Champion Sumie Sakai feels like the newly minted addition of the word World to her Championship has been validated. In her first match since her victory, Sumie has signed to team up with the returning Dr. Britt Baker, DMD to take on two former proteges eager to test themselves in Jenny Rose and Stella Grey! MLW TO DEBUT IN MIAMI WITH DECEMBER 13 & 14 FUSION TV TAPINGS; TICKETS ON SALE 10/19 at 10 A.M. December 13th’s event is the second MLW: Never Say Never show while the December 14th event is entitled MLW: Zero Hour. Impact announced a deal with Kings Highway Media, LLC to assist and expand video and content distribution across all platforms. King Highway Media is the company headed by Andrew Whitaker, who headed running all international territories for WWE for years. Pro Wrestling Revolver on 10/20 in West Des Moines, IA at the Val Air Ballroom with a Cage of Horrors match with Sami Callihan & Jake & Dave Crist & Larry D vs. Matthew Palmer & Shane Strickland & Jason Cade and a mystery partner, plus Walter vs. PCO, Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs. Mat Fitchett & Davey Vega vs. Dustin Rayz & Aaron Williams, Rich Swann vs. David Starr vs. Trey Miugel, Colt Cabana vs. Jake Manning, Jimmy Jacobs vs. JT Dunn, Marko Stunt vs. Ace Romero and more. Tessa Blanchard comes to Australia for a three-way with Savannah Summer and Xema on 10/24 in Sydney for Future Wrestling Australia.

Originally Posted by PWI WWE Network News is reporting that 10 more episodes of the original WWE Main Event episodes from 2012-2013 will be hitting the streaming service today. It looks like WWE may be trying a new strategy when it comes to the Classic Content drops for the month. Instead of dropping all the episodes before the beginning of the month they may be doing a steady weekly rollout all throughout the month. Enticing new viewers not to be overwhelmed with the glut of content at one time.

Originally Posted by Observer Don Callis looks like he won’t be back as an [NJPW] announcer. Lanny Poffo was at first said to be the replacement but we’re told at this point that right now that’s just a name out there and at this point is to be a one-time deal. The idea right now is to have a rotation of color commentators through the end of the year ... Callis wasn’t called for the KOPW show and hasn’t been called about any future dates, nor has he been told he’s no longer being used so he’s really in limbo. This came after timing of Impact work and tapings didn’t allow him to do the last three days of G-1. Those in Japan are going with the idea his schedule won’t allow him to be back, so this could be a communications issue that still could change. He wouldn’t be able to go back as frequently due to his Impact duties but probably could do four to five big shows a year. It’s notable because Callis was the guy who helped put together the Jericho vs. Omega match at last year’s Tokyo Dome that led to the big increase in attendance and even bigger increase in New Japan World subscriber numbers ... The name Jim Ross has been talked about for the Tokyo Dome, with the idea of using the live feed on AXS rather than going in studio and voicing it over. The Tokyo Dome is on a Friday this year so they could do the show on AXS live in the middle of the night (they had done New Year’s Eve MMA and kickboxing shows live on the station from Japan) or go in the regular time slot on a 17 or 18 hour tape delay.

Originally Posted by Observer David Arquette is filming a documentary around his return to wrestling. He has put up a wrestling ring in his backyard and practices constantly. He lost 50 pounds getting in shape for this run and he has wrestlers over his house all the time to teach him. He’s also amazed that after all this time, there are still people mad at him personally about the WCW title run ... Whenever he’s on the road, he looks to see if there’s an independent show in the area he can attend. He’s trying to do as many indie dates as his schedule allows

Originally Posted by Observer Regarding the note about New Japan guys talking about coming to Impact, there was more than New Japan contracted wrestlers who had interest in working here between tours who were told that New Japan didn’t want them doing that.

Originally Posted by Observer WWE stock had a terrible weak, falling to $80.18 per share at press time on 10/10, giving the company a $6.252 billion market value, meaning it lost well over a billion in value over the past week ... It fell to around $86 based on an analysis piece, and the drop lower was a combination of that piece but more the overall big drop of the stock market that took place on 10/10. The analysis piece was by Dan Victor of CFA where he believed the stock was overvalued and basically thought the big run up was a bullish euphoria based on the TV deal. He said that the big TV deal masked a lot of weakness that people aren’t seeing ... He noted the bull case for greater growth is based on the idea that the move to FOX will lead to a new growth among the fan base, meaning more fans going to shows and buying the network because of placement on the bigger platform ... He said that’s a stretch and he doesn’t buy it. It is unproven, just as it’s unproven how Smackdown will do on Fridays ... In theory, moving to FOX should raise the audience 22 percent based on new homes and slightly more based on being on a bigger station with a higher base audience. But, a move from Tuesday to Friday is going to cause a big drop ... So after the first few week honeymoon where the shows will be promoted like crazy and they’ll no doubt do loaded shows, when they level off, anything above 2.14 million would be the value of FOX over USA. Those 3.3 million to 3.5 million weekly predictions for FOX that they’d get 52 weeks a year with WWE in that time slot are looking very ambitious right now ... But the idea of FOX leading to a new growth period, we thought that with UFC. Its ups and downs in popularity over seven years was not FOX as much as creation of the larger-than-life stars that bring in a new audience, something WWE hasn’t done well at for a long time.

Originally Posted by Observer Regarding NXT, there are several different people in charge of running the house shows. Matt Bloom runs the shows near Orlando. Steve Corino runs the shows in Florida that are farther from Orlando since Bloom’s main job is running the Performance Center. Michael Hayes books the outside of Florida tours and he’s the one who also decides which talent works those shows so the main headquarters are running those events

Originally Posted by Observer While nothing is imminent, there is talk of opening up different Performance Centers in different parts of the world. U.K. and Saudi Arabia are high on the list and there are other places considered as well, including Japan, which surprises me since WWE really isn’t that popular in Japan as compared with other countries, but Japan culturally for a number of reasons does develop some great pro wrestlers and it’s not just New Japan but across the board, both men and women seem to adapt quickly to it

Originally Posted by Observer Paul Levesque was on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and talked about men vs. women and intergender matches that got a lot of comments. Right now the company’s thoughts seem to be that it’s okay for a women to get offense on a man, whether in a mixed match for a spot, or in an angle, but not the other way around as far as physical. I don’t think the portrayal of a man hitting or kicking a woman right now will do WWE any favors, and clearly, they don’t either ... Obviously other companies have different ideas but the other companies don’t have the same level of sponsors nor play before more casual audiences. Levesque said that they can do it as a shock moment and a spectacle moment but he feels women don’t need a man to make them successful or to give them credibility.

Originally Posted by Observer Lawler was in TMZ noting that he was inundated with hate mail after a photo was shown of him at a Donald rally in Mississippi on 10/2. Lawler was sitting behind Donald at the rally where the President mocked Christine Blasey Ford, which got tons of mainstream news. He said he was asked by some people to attend, he went and got hate mail. He said he wasn’t going to see Donald, the president, but Donald the WWE Hall of Famer

Probably doesn't help he's been showing bigoted and misogyny-like views on both social media and his podcast in recent times adding to the growing hate people have for him.

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc The current state of New Japan Pro Wrestling has been a hot topic of discussion amongst pro wrestling as of late. On the last episode of Wrestling Observer Radio this morning, Dave Meltzer touched on the current backstage morale in NJPW. According to Meltzer, "There is a lot of unrest, everyone is unhappy." Apparently much of the unrest comes from the fact that NJPW is under new management. Toy magnate Harold Meij was brought on as the new NJPW President this summer. The new management, while excellent businessmen, do not appear to be wrestling people. Before Meij came in to power the feeling backstage was reportedly that NJPW was doing great. Their business was up, the roster was, "very prideful of their work," and they were making in-roads into the US market. Meltzer went on to note that it's not just Meij, or new GM Michael Craven, that have rubbed the roster the wrong way. It's many members of the new management. He went so far as to say that, "A lot of people that you wouldn't even think about leaving are thinking about it. People who I knew who were considering absolutely staying are questioning that commitment."

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc It looks like Sasha Banks could be returning to the ring in time for the first-ever all-women's WWE Evolution pay-per-view on October 28. The WWE website currently has Banks advertised for the live event in Portland, Maine on Saturday, October 20. Banks is not advertised for any other live events that weekend, including the WWE Supershow that Saturday in her hometown of Boston. She is advertised for that Monday's RAW in Providence, Rhode Island but only by the arena and it appears to be a dated listing ... Banks has been advertised for Evolution since the event was announced but the current listings appear to be dated. It's worth noting that the WWE website does not have Banks listed on the Evolution event page but she is still featured on some of the promotional graphics.

Some other sheet news includes:

• PWInsider's Mike Johnson recently debunked rumors of Vince McMahon purposely sabotaging Asuka's career in the WWE due to his distaste for her lack of English. Rumor was attributed to a recent PWI Elite show which did not include anything about the Vince-Asuka situation. https://twitter.com/MikePWInsider/st...99144114819072
• In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today would have been Dusty Rhodes 73rd birthday. Other notable birthdays celebrated today include Ricochet (30) and Taz (51).
• Recent episode of the Women's Wrestling Weekly podcast show had former MYC and NXT star Zeda as the guests and one of the topics discussed included how WWE set up her and others to fail as part of their plans to cater to certain markets. https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/20...we-put-646543/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

• Chelsea Green (FKA Laurel Van Ness) Training at WWE Performance Center
• Why WWE Turned Bobby Lashley Heel
• Kevin Owens Reportedly Expected to Be Out for 4-8 Months With Knee Injury
• Weekly NXT UK Show Starts on the WWE Network Next Week

[erickman]

wow looks like njpw is about to lose a bunch of talent now they boot don. I don't think jr will travel that much so he won't help much.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Thank god, Don Callis is an awful announcer. He reminds me of Kevin Nash. Witty guy in a certain context, but when it goes to putting it into practice...yikes. Impact is doing worse since he's come around, I believe (despite people on here that are determined to say it is good), and his commentary makes him sound like they got a smark and put them in the booth and told them to act like a "cool heel."

A bit surprised to hear that about backstage turmoil in New Japan. Harold Meij sounds like a genius in everything I've read about him. Like an actual genius and not an Eric Bischoff genius. So rare to hear anything "heel" coming in about New Japan.

[Simple Fan]

Originally Posted by Noid Thank god, Don Callis is an awful announcer. He reminds me of Kevin Nash. Witty guy in a certain context, but when it goes to putting it into practice...yikes. Impact is doing worse since he's come around, I believe (despite people on here that are determined to say it is good), and his commentary makes him sound like they got a smark and put them in the booth and told them to act like a "cool heel." A bit surprised to hear that about backstage turmoil in New Japan. Harold Meij sounds like a genius in everything I've read about him. Like an actual genius and not an Eric Bischoff genius. So rare to hear anything "heel" coming in about New Japan.

I'll agree his commentary can be cringe wothy at times. When he gets into a match and is more professional he's pretty good. As far as what he's done on the management side of Impact, he's done an incredible job.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by Simple Fan I'll agree his commentary can be cringe wothy at times. When he gets into a match and is more professional he's pretty good. As far as what he's done on the management side of Impact, he's done an incredible job.

I can't dichotomize it like that. His awfulness does not get excused because sometimes he isn't quite as awful.

TNA currently gets <200,000 viewers. Just because you like it, doesn't mean that it's working. There's a difference between a subjective statement and an objective one.

[Simple Fan]

Originally Posted by Noid I can't dichotomize it like that. His awfulness does not get excused because sometimes he isn't quite as awful. TNA currently gets <200,000 viewers. Just because you like it, doesn't mean that it's working. There's a difference between a subjective statement and an objective one.

Cable viewership doesn't mean shit anymore. People may not be watching on Pop but there are many other ways to watch the show. Impact pretty much post every segment on YouTube and do a Twitter rundown live for people like you that do like to watch. As someone who's watched the product I can guarantee you its way better since Don has come in. I don't think you realize how bad 2017 was for that company. They're actually selling tickets for shows now and are even doing live events again. They haven't done that in years.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by Simple Fan Cable viewership doesn't mean shit anymore. People may not be watching on Pop but there are many other ways to watch the show. Impact pretty much post every segment on YouTube and do a Twitter rundown live for people like you that do like to watch. As someone who's watched the product I can guarantee you its way better since Don has come in. I don't think you realize how bad 2017 was for that company. They're actually selling tickets for shows now and are even doing live events again. They haven't done that in years.

Bullshit. People aren't interested in this. Those YouTube videos? <50,000 each, by the looks of it. Okay, so maybe <250,000 people are watching?

I don't give a shit if it's better than 2017 -- it's no more successful than 2017, and I didn't give a shit about TNA in 2017 anymore than I did about TNA in 2016 or 2015. 250,000 people giving a shit about this is not enough to resurrect it -- especially when that number gets smaller, and smaller, and smaller.

[Swiss Ultimate]

Originally Posted by Simple Fan Cable viewership doesn't mean shit anymore. People may not be watching on Pop but there are many other ways to watch the show. Impact pretty much post every segment on YouTube and do a Twitter rundown live for people like you that do like to watch. As someone who's watched the product I can guarantee you its way better since Don has come in. I don't think you realize how bad 2017 was for that company. They're actually selling tickets for shows now and are even doing live events again. They haven't done that in years.

They're not doing horrendous on youtube either. They don't have the kind of reach the WWE does by any stretch, but it's not too far off either.

WWE Youtube Views


VS.

IMPACT Youtube Views


Let's not forget what kind of budget the WWE is working with vs. Impact too. Not to mention the fact that the WWE is promoted as a children's television show and can coast off their success in the 80s and 90s a good part of the time while TNA was always fairly obscure in comparison.

[slik]

Some twitter insiders reporting Sponsors (like Snickers) are starting to 'put heat' on WWE to cancel Crown Jewel. If they cancel most matches will be moved to Survivor Series.

Vince is said to 'not want to cancel' via $$$$$$$$$ but some in company are saying to listen to the sponsors and this is 'very bad pr' for WWE.

[slik]

Originally Posted by Slik Some twitter insiders reporting Sponsors (like Snickers) are starting to 'put heat' on WWE to cancel Crown Jewel. If they cancel most matches will be moved to Survivor Series. Vince is said to 'not want to cancel' via $$$$$$$$$ but some in company are saying to listen to the sponsors and this is 'very bad pr' for WWE.

Also if they do cancel Vince wants to make sure the SA government knows WWE pledges allegiance to them still for future shows.

A decision will be made this weekend likely.

[owenbrown]

Originally Posted by Slik Some twitter insiders reporting Sponsors (like Snickers) are starting to 'put heat' on WWE to cancel Crown Jewel. If they cancel most matches will be moved to Survivor Series. Vince is said to 'not want to cancel' via $$$$$$$$$ but some in company are saying to listen to the sponsors and this is 'very bad pr' for WWE.

But Vinnie Mac loves money

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by owenbrown But Vinnie Mac loves money

He loves money, but sometimes you make money with smart investments. Sometimes you don't take $500,000,000 for a shitty job that is going to get you bust and all your assets repossessed. Sometimes the job that pays far less is going to be the one you can do guilt-free and nurture into more opportunities.

That's what bothers me about the three-hour Raw thing. "Oh, but they get paid so much." Yeah, but it also helps kill interest in everything, drives down revenue streams, and helps ensure no one gets over as a star that can make you buckets more money than that deal ever could. Or even if it isn't more money, it'll be enough money to pay some nice dividends to your investors and not have to stress.

This "more, more, more" attitude they have is only going to be sustainable for so long before suddenly people, networks, investors, sponsors, etc. don't want anymore. And then it looks like they're shrinking, even if they're going back to a normal size.

[slik]

I bet they cancel this one (but keep all the rest)

[slik]

Story starting to get more attention by national media...

Sponsors going to get more annoyed...

Tensions with Saudi Arabia could put a multi-million dollar deal for live WWE events in jeopardy. https://t.co/IdJUlVcW16

— CNBC (@CNBC) October 12, 2018

[slik]

UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov Confirms Offer From WWE https://t.co/KxcPB8srC3 via @BodySlamDotNet #MMA #UFC #WWE #NXT #RAW #SDLive #Khabib #KhabibNurmagomedov #News #Rumors #Wrestling #ProWrestling #Bodyslam

— BODYSLAM.NET (@BodySlamDotNet) October 12, 2018

[slik]

more heat....

U.S Senators Urge WWE To Hold Off On The Crown Jewel Event In Saudi Arabia

Details Here: https://t.co/8syZNdTDWd pic.twitter.com/3YRGgGwJ5y

— IWNerd.com - WWE Predictions! (@InnerN3rd) October 12, 2018

[Mr. Nerfect]

Raw loses Impact Wrestling's fanbase each week.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Impact Wrestling just got its time slot knocked back to 10pm. Viewership means shit these days, right?

[Mr. Nerfect]

Harold Meij has denied reports that talent is unhappy, but said something weird. Something about treatment of talent varies. He also praised Tama Tonga who defended teh company, and Meij said he got no prompting. It feels...odd. I don't think Meltz would make it up, and he wouldn't say "people you wouldn't think would leave are thinking about it" for no reason, but Meij's response is, like, why make a mountain?

It's going to be an interesting space to watch.

[Simple Fan]

My Imoact thread alone is proof more people are interested. They've been way more successful this year than in years past, did you not read the part about selling tickets and doing live events. I'm not saying their doing big numbers but the company has rebounded and are headed in the right direction.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by Simple Fan My Imoact thread alone is proof more people are interested. They've been way more successful this year than in years past, did you not read the part about selling tickets and doing live events. I'm not saying their doing big numbers but the company has rebounded and are headed in the right direction.

Your Impact thread proves nothing. I bet it's mainly you talking to yourself. Selling tickets and doing live events is the bare minimum a wrestling promotion could do. I bet you they are even attended by a few hundred of the same people. Let's give them 1,000 (reports indicate 350 for a taping, but whatever). They sell tickets at $50 and run four times a week. That's $208,000 a year off ticket sales alone! That's more than $1 a viewer! These guys are clearly killing it!

What does "rebounded" even mean? They are still on Pop TV, still have no viewers, still have no interest and still have Eli Drake. It's TNA. It's beyond a joke at this point. Let it die so John Morrison goes back to WWE and...well, I think he's the only person I give a shit about there. Well, maybe Scarlett Bordeaux.

[Simple Fan]

Originally Posted by Noid Your Impact thread proves nothing. I bet it's mainly you talking to yourself. Selling tickets and doing live events is the bare minimum a wrestling promotion could do. I bet you they are even attended by a few hundred of the same people. Let's give them 1,000 (reports indicate 350 for a taping, but whatever). They sell tickets at $50 and run four times a week. That's $208,000 a year off ticket sales alone! That's more than $1 a viewer! These guys are clearly killing it! What does "rebounded" even mean? They are still on Pop TV, still have no viewers, still have no interest and still have Eli Drake. It's TNA. It's beyond a joke at this point. Let it die so John Morrison goes back to WWE and...well, I think he's the only person I give a shit about there. Well, maybe Scarlett Bordeaux.

A year ago it was but there have been more posters poping in and talking about the show this year. Hell, Jordan X is going to BFG. As I've said they're not doing big numbers but they're making some money this year when in previous years they weren't.

As Ive also said you really don't understand how bad 2017 was. The lone bright spot for the company last year was Eli Drake. With your opinion of Eli Drake just think about that.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Originally Posted by Simple Fan My Imoact thread alone is proof more people are interested. They've been way more successful this year than in years past, did you not read the part about selling tickets and doing live events. I'm not saying their doing big numbers but the company has rebounded and are headed in the right direction.

they shouldn't try because Noid doesn't like them.

[Simple Fan]

Originally Posted by The Dastardly One they shouldn't try because Noid doesn't like them.

Nobody would be trying if we're going by what Noid likes.

[Emperor Smeat]

Dirtsheets sponsored by NOTHING:

Originally Posted by PWI The 10/4 edition of Impact did 183,000 overnight viewers down from last week's 190,000 overnight viewers. Obviously that is not the way they want the numbers to go.

Originally Posted by Post Wrestling Viewership for Impact Wrestling has taken a big hit since July with their last 11 weeks of programming averaging 227,000 viewers going back to July 26th. In the 11-week period prior to that, the show was averaging 283,000 viewers and dropped 20%. While the return of Thursday night football can explain the audience being down to a degree, the plunge began in August prior to football. It’s a mystery what led to the decline because buzz for the product was its highest in years following Slammiversary but after a one-week grace period, the audience dropped dramatically.

Originally Posted by PWI/Observer/Post Wrestling Indies Roundup: On the newest edition of the National Wrestling Alliance's YouTube series, Jim Cornette discusses the legacy of the NWA title, Cody vs. Nick Aldis for the championship next weekend and more leading into the NWA 70th Anniversary event, which will air live on Fite.TV The [MLW] promotion is finalizing the location of its 2/2 Superfight which will see Low Ki vs. Tom Lawlor headline for the MLW Championship. The plan is to make this a major marquee event for the company, running Superbowl weekend every year. We are told that the first event will not be held in NYC. They are looking at venues in the Northeast and Mid-West. The hope is to officially announce the market and venue in early November. [MLW] Management absolutely loves Marko Stunt and are planning for him to be used regularly by the company. There’s even been early discussions of building an entire division around him. Bar Wrestling has a show on 10/17 called Breastlemania. The show will benefit the Susan Love Foundation for breast cancer research and has Tessa Blanchard vs. Brian Cage, Penelope Ford vs. Shotzi Blackheart vs. Heather Monroe vs. Indi Hartwell, Scarlett Bordeaux & Katrina vs. Ruby Raze & Sage Sin and Nicole Savoy vs. Diamante. AAW will be running a card tonight at 9 pm Eastern from Austin, Texas and will be streaming it live on Twitch with the following card: Brody King & Jimmy Jacobs vs. Sami Callihan & Darby Allin, ACH vs. Eddie Kingston, Trevor Lee vs. Rich Swann for the Heritage title, Aaron Solow & Ricky Starks vs. Mat Fitchett & Davey Vega, Myron Reed & AR Fox vs. Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz, Thunder Rosa vs. Kylie Ray, Laredo Kid vs. Jason Cade, Steven Wolf & Pacu vs. Curt Stallion.

NWA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEuc25IpREk , AAW: https://www.twitch.tv/aawpro

Originally Posted by PWI BREAKING: Father James Mitchell will induct @TherealAbyss into the IMPACT Hall of Fame as it streams TOMORROW live on Twitch. MORE: https://t.co/z9BI6KbMln pic.twitter.com/dyq4EjMqFD — IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) October 12, 2018 Impact Wrestling will live stream their Hall of Fame induction of Abyss tomorrow night on their Twitch channel, it was announced this afternoon Jim Mitchell, Abyss' storyline father and long-time manager, will be officially inducting the former NWA Champion into the company's Hall of Fame at the ceremony, which will take place tomorrow night at McHale's Pub in NYC.

Link: https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/...32828827226114

Originally Posted by PWI The 12/26 WWE Live Event at Madison Square Garden, which was advertised as a Smackdown Live has been changed to a Raw brand show.. The new lineup for the traditional day after Christmas event features: *Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in a Steel Cage match for the Universal Championship *Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre for the RAW Tag Team Championships *Ronda Rousey vs. Mickie James for the RAW Women's Championship Also advertised to appear are Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, Elias, Jinder Mahal, Alexa Bliss, Bayley and more.

Originally Posted by Observer NEW JAPAN SUPER JUNIOR TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT STARTS TUESDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN FROM TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL ON NEW JAPAN WORLD Toa Henare & Shota Umino & Ren Narita vs. Ayato Yoshida & Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura Hiroshi Tanahashi & Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano & Baretta & Chuckie T vs. Jay White & Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa Taiji Ishimori & Robbie Eagles vs. Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask Ryusuke Taguchi &ACH vs. Volador Jr. & Soberano Jr. Kushida & Chris Sabin vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Desperado Bushi & Shingo Takagi vs. Sho & Yoh

Originally Posted by Observer Several major media sources including Viacom, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times have pulled out of a Saudi Arabian media conference and Fox Business is examining the situation. This puts more pressure on WWE because it makes it look like they can't make a moral stand and it will be a very bad reflection to the pubic of the image of WWE as a company.

Originally Posted by Observer Regarding the tweet where Khabib Nurmagomedov said he was in talks with WWE, officials at WWE say that is not the case. Nurmagomedov is under contract to UFC and UFC contracts prohibit talent from doing pro wrestling without clearing it with the company.

Link: https://twitter.com/TeamKhabib/statu...39801769058305

Triple H believes that WWE chief Vince McMahon has never watched a full episode of his own developmental brand NXT. The revelation will come as little surprise to fans who have criticised Vince and WWE for the treatment of NXT stars once they’re called up to the main roster. Triple H made the comments in London while announcing the debut of NXT UK – which airs on the WWE Network next Wednesday October 17. But Triple H also says that Vince’s outsider view of NXT is a good thing – and helps him see the brand and its superstars objectively. He said: “I don’t know that he’s ever even watched a full episode of NXT start to finish. He’s busy.” But “The Game” says he’s always amazed by how much insight Vince has on the product and superstars from watching just snippets. Triple H said: “He will pick up a lot from bits and pieces from what he sees. To me it’s always amazing – his insight of things. “I realise he just saw a snippet but what he will say about that snippet is a bigger overall arc to the entire product, and I’m like, ‘That’s really right.’ I think it’s great that he doesn’t see all of it because it gives him a different perspective. It gives him an outsider view on it.”

Link: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/74774...ce-mcmahon-nxt

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc A return to WWE has been rumored for Rey Mysterio since he was a surprise entrant in the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble Match in January and it will finally happen next week. WWE announced this week that Mysterio will square off with United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a WWE World Cup Qualifying Match on next Tuesday's historic 1000th episode of SmackDown LIVE in Washington D.C. Mysterio is advertised to wrestle twice on the show as WWE revealed tonight in an email to those in the D.C. area that he will also compete in a tag team match. In updated advertising for the event, Mysterio is slated to team with WWE Champion AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan against Randy Orton, The Miz, and Nakamura. A match pitting Styles and Bryan against Samoa Joe and Miz was previously advertised.

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc On the debut episode of Vince Russo: Truth with Consequences with Matt Koon on the Westwood One Podcast Network, Vince Russo discussed his booking philosophy, time with WCW and more. You can check out the podcast on iTunes, they sent us these highlights ... The decision to book himself winning the WCW World title: "The week of the show in the creative meeting the decision was made. The people in the booking meeting all thought the same. The goal is to get as many eyeballs as possible on the show. Everybody on the creative side was looking at it as TV show rather than a wrestling show. I put the WWE title on [Vince] McMahon, the WCW title on [David] Arquette, another WCW title on [Eric] Bischoff. Why? We are looking to create stories and not for the wrestling fan, for the casual wrestling fan."

More highlights: https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/20...-world-646684/

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc Jeff Cobb spoke with the Baltimore Sun on recently winning the ROH World TV title, his top career moments, picking ROH over other promotions, and if he had any offers from other companies. Here are some of the highlights ... Picking ROH over other companies: "I definitely want to wrestle more in New Japan. Ring of Honor has that great relationship with them. New Japan guys are on ROH TV, and ROH guys are out on New Japan shows. The schedules don't conflict that often. That's definitely a big factor that made me want to sign with Ring of Honor."

More highlights: https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/20...act-in-646682/


Some other sheet news includes:

• For those interested, PWI had a recent article detailing WWE's current dilemma with their Crown Jewel event and Saudi contract following the recent embassy controversy. PWI's Mike Johnson looked at the situation from both a business and journalistic perspective. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/12...-what.html?p=1
• Update on recent NJPW low locker room morale news as NJPW's president debunked the Observer's claims of morale being near an all-time low and the person mentioned in the report being a big cause of the controversy. Meltzer responded to criticism stating it was none of the Elite guys who were his sources nor was it just a ploy to increase certain guys value in NJPW. Origin of the controversy seems to be based on Kevin Kelly blurting out Craven's name during a broadcast which some assumed was likely a simple mistake by Kelly. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.red...the_wrong_guy/ , https://www.resetera.com/threads/oct...#post-13739697
• Recent rumor going around the net hints WWE is already planning to hold separate Takeover events for their NXT UK brand.
• According to ShowBuzz Daily, this week's episode of Lucha Underground drew around 84k viewers.

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

• Mayor Kane Still Planning on Wrestling in Saudi Arabia, WWE Signs Former ROH TV Champ
• WWE: Bobby Roode Replacing Kevin Owens on MMC, New Eddie Guerrero Documentary
• US Senators Urge WWE to Rethink Its Relationship With Saudi Arabia
• Impact Wrestling Is Moving to a Different Time Slot
• The Chris Jericho Wrestling Cruise Will Be Streamed Online

[Mr. Nerfect]

I can explain why the Impact viewership is down. Internet wrestling fans are nerds. We live in a bubble. We talk to each other and reverberate the same, often completely misguided, opinions to each other. There are people who thought the "Woken" Matt Hardy stuff would be huge. Why? Because nerds on the nerdiest corners of the wrestling's internet forums liked it, because they have been brow-beat into liking shit just because it's not the bland vanilla they are being served up by WWE.

But they confuse dog shit with chocolate. All the time. "Broken" Matt fucking SUCKED. He was a weird-sounded goof with putting on a weird voice saying words over and over again playing with a drone. It was bush league as fuck and the only people who like that sort of thing are the only people who like that sort of thing. Wrestling nerds. Some of them are in the business, some of them are on the message boards, but NO ONE outside that cares.

Impact Wrestling SUCKS. It is awful. It has been that way for years, and it was that way when it was officially TNA, and the combined efforts of the brain trust over there literally -- fuck, not even decimated, that means destroying 1 in 10 -- they destroyed 9 in 10 of their fans. And it is awful now. Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan had a fight to Final Cut Pro mood music. It's bush league. Hey, just like Broken Matt Hardy. That worked though, right? Wrong. They had about 300,000 viewers then, and all the people it appealed to never made a damn bit of difference. By the way, The Hardy Boyz return at WrestleMania 33 and that YouTube video has more hits in a hour than all of the Broken stuff ever got put together.

We live in a bubble. We get excited about stuff. It's cute. But it does not reflect reality. TNA is still fucking terrible. It's still burning out its audience and it still has no clue what it really wants to be, and the stuff it is sure about SUCKS. Eli Drake, Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards, Moose, Don Callis on commentary (probably) -- it's awful. I saw one YouTube clip and it made me want to punch my computer it was that bad. And when people watch that on TV, they think "Oh, this is fucking awful. Isn't wrestling a waste of time," and they turn off their TV.

TL;DR: TNA is losing viewers because it continues to suck. Bad television turns people off.

[Simple Fan]

Originally Posted by Noid I can explain why the Impact viewership is down. Internet wrestling fans are nerds. We live in a bubble. We talk to each other and reverberate the same, often completely misguided, opinions to each other. There are people who thought the "Woken" Matt Hardy stuff would be huge. Why? Because nerds on the nerdiest corners of the wrestling's internet forums liked it, because they have been brow-beat into liking shit just because it's not the bland vanilla they are being served up by WWE. But they confuse dog shit with chocolate. All the time. "Broken" Matt fucking SUCKED. He was a weird-sounded goof with putting on a weird voice saying words over and over again playing with a drone. It was bush league as fuck and the only people who like that sort of thing are the only people who like that sort of thing. Wrestling nerds. Some of them are in the business, some of them are on the message boards, but NO ONE outside that cares. Impact Wrestling SUCKS. It is awful. It has been that way for years, and it was that way when it was officially TNA, and the combined efforts of the brain trust over there literally -- fuck, not even decimated, that means destroying 1 in 10 -- they destroyed 9 in 10 of their fans. And it is awful now. Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan had a fight to Final Cut Pro mood music. It's bush league. Hey, just like Broken Matt Hardy. That worked though, right? Wrong. They had about 300,000 viewers then, and all the people it appealed to never made a damn bit of difference. By the way, The Hardy Boyz return at WrestleMania 33 and that YouTube video has more hits in a hour than all of the Broken stuff ever got put together. We live in a bubble. We get excited about stuff. It's cute. But it does not reflect reality. TNA is still fucking terrible. It's still burning out its audience and it still has no clue what it really wants to be, and the stuff it is sure about SUCKS. Eli Drake, Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards, Moose, Don Callis on commentary (probably) -- it's awful. I saw one YouTube clip and it made me want to punch my computer it was that bad. And when people watch that on TV, they think "Oh, this is fucking awful. Isn't wrestling a waste of time," and they turn off their TV. TL;DR: TNA is losing viewers because it continues to suck. Bad television turns people off.

You act as if this company is trying to beat WWE at something. Of course a video posted by WWE is going to get more views than Impact's. You're wrong when you say they don't know what they want to be, a year ago I would have agreed but they've found an identity this year. They've focused on being an alternative which is how it should have always been.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Fucking Vince Russo with a new podcast. I liked Matt Koon enough too. "It was all about getting ratings, bro!" How did that go for ya, you fucking dumb cunt?

[Mr. Nerfect]

No, I'm not trying to act like the company is trying to beat WWE at anything. I'm saying that internet fans blow its effectiveness as an "active" entity to proportions it is not. We will see how many paid attendance and PPV buys or whatever BFG gets. And we'll see how long this "money" experiment lasts, because running on fumes and the goodwill towards The Jackyl is not going to last forever.

And how bad 2017 was has nothing to do with how LolTNA it is in 2018. You know what's sad? It could even get good and it'd be interesting to see if it even makes a difference. Faith has been broken. TNA has well and truly jumped the shark. I'm sure Callis tries and gets Jericho in to reciprocate lending talent for the cruise and because they're buds, if Jericho can get away with it because New Japan and Vince McMahon both still hate their guts. Well, Vince might be easing up now that they are a complete non-factor. But I imagine that gets no higher than 300,000 viewers, and the moment it reminds them that they are TNA, they will tune out.

[Simple Fan]

BFG has been sold out for weeks bro.

[BigCrippyZ]

Is selling out a 1,200 seat theater for your "biggest show of the year" really an accomplishment and indicator of "improvement" or "success" when your company has been around for some 15+ years?

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by BigCrippyZ Is selling out a 1,200 seat theater for your "biggest show of the year" really an accomplishment and indicator of "improvement" or "success" when your company has been around for some 15+ years?

Like, I'm glad people are enjoying their wrestling. Whatever. But don't shove it down my throat as something that is changing the game when they manage to sell 1,200 tickets. They should have been doing this right from the start. That is seriously the least a wrestling promotion could do.

[Simple Fan]

Originally Posted by Noid Like, I'm glad people are enjoying their wrestling. Whatever. But don't shove it down my throat as something that is changing the game when they manage to sell 1,200 tickets. They should have been doing this right from the start. That is seriously the least a wrestling promotion could do.

Who's said they were changing the game or shoving it down your throat? I've said they've went back to the basics and its worked for them.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by Simple Fan Who's said they were changing the game or shoving it down your throat? I've said they've went back to the basics and its worked for them.

No, it's not. They're losing viewers and just got bumped to a later time slot. That's exactly my point.

[Simple Fan]

It is when the past few year they've been in Orlando not selling tickets at all. Trying to be WWE hurt the company so bad they were just filming 3 months of TV at a time and having 2 PPVs in the Impact Zone. Going back on the road and selling tickets has added so much more to the atmosphere around the their shows.

[Sepholio]

Welp. There you have it. Dale has decided that Noid is the deciderer on this issue. /Thread

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Originally Posted by Seph Welp. There you have it. Dale has decided that Noid is the deciderer on this issue. /Thread

I was just reaffirming what everybody already knew :-) #TeamToxicEngaged