2014 Pro Wrestling Thread

This week’s Observer stuff:

- TNA Impact is switching from Thursday to Wednesday night, and it’s seen as a positive sign in the company, in that why would Spike bother with the switch if they’re just going to let the contract run out? Shows are scheduled for Sept. 16 to Sept. 19 in Pennsylvania. TNA got the notice last minute, after Aug. 14, with the first Wednesday show scheduled on Aug. 20. Bound for Glory is still scheduled for October in Japan, although TNA hasn’t mentioned this on any TV shows yet.

- Del Rio could be suing the WWE, since they might be trying to enforce the year-long non-compete clause of his contract even though 1) they fired him and 2) they are not giving him any severance. Triple H told him when he was fired that if he stayed out of trouble and let the heat die down, they’d bring him back in six months, but he isn’t said to be interested in that.

- With Mysterio, he apparently had a handshake deal with Triple H in January after his contract expired that he was done with the WWE, and that he would be going back to AAA, where he debuted 22 years ago. However, he was then called the next day by a WWE executive at the behest of Vince and told they were using their option to keep him under contract for another year. He’s not pleased, and he hasn’t done any appearances for the WWE since then as a result.

- Bully Ray’s contract expired, which shocked everyone, because he’s still being used prominently on TV and billed as being inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame in October. While he’s still identified more as a WWE or ECW star, he’s spent 10 years in TNA and had two runs as champion. WWE isn’t believed to be interested; he and Randy Orton didn’t get along way back when, and Bully Ray is smaller than a lot of guys they currently have.

- The only thing Meltzer thought that compared to Cena’s squash match was some old Jerry Lawler matches; he got squashed by a debuting Kimala at one point, and Lord Humongous (Mike Stark). Otherwise, no – Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, HBK, Bruno, none of them ever took a beatdown like that as champion or in a title match like that. Inoki put over Vader in a squash match in Japan in 1987, but 1) Inoki had wrestled earlier in the night and 2) that match was 2:49, not a systematic destruction.

- Night of Champions is seen as possibly a bigger deal than SummerSlam, because the initial six-month Network subscriptions will be expiring right around it. Also, surprisingly, sales for the Network in Canada are said to be far surpassing expectations, even though it’s more expensive ($12.99 a month) and you only have access to around 40 hours of archived shows and live PPV, since it’s on an HBO-like service run by Rogers. It’s thought that people are currently still a bit uncomfortable with the idea of streaming live events as opposed to the certainty a cable TV connection provides, hence why Canada has surpassed expectations and the streaming only stuff in the US hasn’t.

- WWE insiders bet heavily on SummerSlam, with Ziggler going from +210 to -900 in the span of 3 hours before the show. He went from -120 to -900 in the hour before the show started. Every betting favorite won.

- ROH is moving from the Hammerstein Ballroom to Terminal 5 in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen, after the ballroom’s rent was raised so high that even a sellout wouldn’t be profitable for ROH. Terminal 5 seats about 1,000, a little more than half of what Hammerstein sat.

- Josh Matthews’ non-compete with the WWE expires on Sept. 20. He’s already been introduced backstage at TNA and will be debuting there shortly after.

- The Barclays Center and the Izod Center are the favorites for the 2015 SummerSlam, with MetLife Stadium having an outside shot of being picked as well. MSG is seen as too expensive now for a major show.

- Sting met face to face with Vince McMahon for the first time ever, except for maybe a chance encounter at a past convention. The meeting was said to go well, and a signing is expected to happen. He wants to face the Undertaker in his retirement match, but if Taker can’t or won’t wrestle, then Cena or Triple H might be an option.

- Angle is really pushing for a WWE contract as a wrestler, and allegedly, he called Triple H and advocated for himself. However, Triple H was cool to the idea, and kind of blew him off. Angle then went over his head and called Vince McMahon directly, but Vince backed up Triple H, and the whole thing definitely pissed Triple H off. WWE doesn’t think Angle can pass a physical – he’s been to rehab and have two knee injuries in the past 12 months – and think he’s risky. Angle keeps mentioning in interviews that he wants to go back to WWE and retire there though.

- Season 3 of Total Divas premieres Sept. 7.

- Ambrose is off for several weeks because he’s starring in WWE Films’ Lockdown. Ambrose plays a cop who is hunted in his own precinct by crooked cops.

- Jericho’s third book comes out on Oct. 6.

- JBL and Michael Cole are starting a syndicated radio show (?!?) on more than 500 stations soon.

- Big Show is at his lightest in years. His contract goes through 2018, when he would be 46.

- WWE screwed up the local TV commercials in some networks, advertising Cena as champion defending against Kane. Whoops.

- Hendry Cejduo, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, decided to sign with UFC over WWE. WWE had hoped that he could fill the void of Mysterio as a Latino star for the company, with Meltzer noting that that’s the kiss of death lately.

- Jeff Cobb, a 2004 Olympian representing Guam and an indy wrestler in California, is getting a tryout in September. He’s supposed to be able to kill it in the agility and conditioning drills, but he’s 5’9” and past 30, both big negatives with the WWE.

Booking and other spoiler stuff:

- Four options were considered for Lesnar at Night of Champions: Cena, Ambrose (viewed to be too soon), Reigns (earmarked for ascension at Mania) and Batista (scheduled to come back, but left as a face and didn’t pop as big as they thought in his initial run.

Miz vs. Ziggler is expected for the IC belt, probably with a stipulation because it’ll be the fourth match, and third title bout, between the two recently. Sheamus vs. Cesaro is also expected. Divas will probably be Paige vs. AJ, with a possible chance of it being a Triple Threat with Natalya. Goldust and Stardust seem to be getting a mini-push, and are the favorites to be in the tag title match.

- WWE filmed vignettes of Lesnar in Vegas, since he’s not scheduled to be on TV for a while. And, uh, also of Hornswaggle and Torito, who are now a babyface tag team and dating Layla and Summer Rae. It’s unknown if these will ever see airtime.

 

If Del Rio really wanted to kick Vince in the nuts, in his possible lawsuit, he should sue to stop the E from classifying the wrestlers as independent contractors. He'd have a pretty good case. The last lawsuit, with Raven and Kanyon, never got off the ground because they had been out of the E a number of years by then and the statute of limitations had run out.

Of course, that would mean that Del Rio would have to go 15-20 years before working for the E again, but by then, Vince may not even be alive.

 

I'd also love someone to fight the non-compete. There is no way that it would be held up in a state like California much less another country like Mexico. Granted, WWE is probably holding back some deferred money, but I think that they lose that battle.

 

DelRio made several appearances last Sunday at AAA's Triplemania.

 

He can appear. but not compete right now.

 

I think he was involved in some in-ring action, run-ins, etc.

 

Watched the SummerSlam special on the Shield last night. That was extremely well done.

 

God, that Bella segment was awful, except for the part where Nikki slapped Lawler.

 

I can tolerate Nikki's work, but Brie is horrendous. I can only hope they bring Daniel Bryan to help in a coach's role.

 

It does look like Nikki has some potential as a heel, but that was all just so over the top. Brie's crying was just pathetic.

And cries sakes, they're showing the Hall of Fame segment for a THIRD time?

 

So we have an impromptu six-man, that was created while the regular Tv audience was at commercial. Brilliant.

That being said, it came just in time. The early Cena domination of Wyatt was starting to almost look like a double-turn.

 

Looked at the end that Bray was legit hurt. You could see the trainer helping him to the back.

Wouldn't blame him if he was, he did take a beating from Cena with some stiff suplexes and that one knee in the corner looked like it connected pretty good.

And they had better not put the damn belt back on Cena.