Weekly News Roundup (9/12 - 9/18)

[M.C.G. 31]

Alberto Del Rio reportedly said Andrade Cien Almas is unhappy in WWE and wants to go back to Mexico and Meltzer said from everything he's heard, that's true. Meltzer says Almas asked ADR if "things get better" and ADR said it gets worse when you're on the main roster compared to NXT.

 

[AfroThunder396]

I can't think of any great proper cage matches off hand. If we expand it to "confined ring surrounded by metal wall" then there might be a few.

Not technically a cage match, but I really enjoyed Dean vs. Seth in HiaC last year. Also Taker vs. HHH in HiaC at Mania a few years ago.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Dave Meltzer said that at one point, Alberto Del Rio was offered Punk money ($500,000) to fight. ADR obviously didn't take it and wouldn't have drawn the same amount Punk did.

The difference though is that ADR already had an MMA fight in his life so it may not be the big deal to him now that it was to Punk when he was made the offer.

Alberto Del Rio reportedly said Andrade Cien Almas is unhappy in WWE and wants to go back to Mexico and Meltzer said from everything he's heard, that's true. Meltzer says Almas asked ADR if "things get better" and ADR said it gets worse when you're on the main roster compared to NXT.

Can't say he's wrong there. They saddled Almas with no gimmick, no real story, and he's essentially NXT filler.

 

[GKJ]

You can see it in Almas' face just in his last televised match. He has no entrance and barely looked like he wanted to be there. Curious what he thought the direction was going to be when this was mapped out, because this is pretty quick to decide that you hate being there. He should've been a cruiserweight.

 

[Kimi]

Apparently Vince tore his quad by squatting lol.

Such a Vince thing to do lol.

 

[Kimi]

I can't think of any great proper cage matches off hand. If we expand it to "confined ring surrounded by metal wall" then there might be a few.

Not technically a cage match, but I really enjoyed Dean vs. Seth in HiaC last year. Also Taker vs. HHH in HiaC at Mania a few years ago.

Can't even remember Bret vs Owen?

 

[KaseMeOutside]

What a surprise a company with no prominent latino voices in creative has no idea how to use latin talent. You'd think by now they would do it since they are so desperate for a latino star

 

[AfroThunder396]

Can't even remember Bret vs Owen?

I'm talking recently. The previous poster asked when the last great cage match was.

Anyways, Ryback got an interview in Sports Illustrated.

"I will never forget that day," said Ryback. "My numbers kept climbing even though I was losing these big time matches. I was under the assumption that I was going over on Mark Henry at WrestleMania and then turning heel the next night on John Cena. When I found days before that I was not going over, but that they wanted me to fall on my face with my finish and look like an idiot, I said there was no way I was doing that. I asked, 'Why are we doing this?' I went to Vince and spoke with him for thirty minutes in 'Gorilla' [the staging area right behind the curtain] and he lied to me how this was the reason for my heel turn – that I fell on my face and tripped, I just couldn't cut it, and that's why I'd turn heel.

"Ultimately, though, they were just trying to run me into the ground and ruin my brand forever, and that happened time and time again. As you saw with that finish, it made zero sense from a booking standpoint to book me to fall flat on my face, and then the next night to turn me heel. The reaction to my heel turn was louder than ever, and then what did Vince do? He came to me personally and said, 'We're taking away all your merchandise. I want your merchandise to tank and no more 'Feed Me More,'' which was the thing that put me on the map. So instead of giving me an edge as a heel, you're stripping me of everything, having Cena go over me, and then you saw how my career fell after that. I lost the momentum, and I never got it back again."

http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2016/09/12/ryback-wwe-ryan-reeves-wrestling-vince-mcmahon

The problem, Ryback, is that you're a mark for yourself.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

Rybacks logic makes sense and had every right to question such stupidity

 

[KesselBuiltMyHotrod]

Ryback rules

 

[The Lunatic Fridge]

Why does it make no sense? Because he doesn't like that he lost? So him beating mark henry and then turning heel would make sense? "Oh hey, i beat henry last night, i feel like turning bad and beating up john cena now, cause logic"

what kind of ass backwards logic is that?

The merch thing on the other hand may have a point. I never understood why heels get their merch taken away. So dumb.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Ryback claims he was #2 in merchandise sales which is laughable.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

i'm in the minority here, but Strong never impressed me in ROH when I saw him...he's good...but not OMG!

PWG Roddy was excellent

 

[Megahab]

Why does it make no sense? Because he doesn't like that he lost? So him beating mark henry and then turning heel would make sense? "Oh hey, i beat henry last night, i feel like turning bad and beating up john cena now, cause logic"

what kind of ass backwards logic is that?

The merch thing on the other hand may have a point. I never understood why heels get their merch taken away. So dumb.

Was Ryback's loss to Henry even used as a story line reason for him turning heel? I don't remember that. I remember Ryback's explanation being that Cena wasn't there to save him a few times from Shield beatdowns or something like that.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Was Ryback's loss to Henry even used as a story line reason for him turning heel? I don't remember that. I remember Ryback's explanation being that Cena wasn't there to save him a few times from Shield beatdowns or something like that.

You're absolutely right that it was because of the Cena thing.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I'll be honest I don't believe Ryback, plus Vince kept giving him random pushes when no one actually wanted to see him on TV.

 

[The Lunatic Fridge]

I still remember when people said give him a chance to elevate the IC title.

Oh the laughs.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I still remember when people said give him a chance to elevate the IC title.

Oh the laughs.

He deserved a midcard title for all the work and improvements he made at that point but I don't remember elevating the IC title being part of the rationalization of Ryback winning the title. But then again, I don't talk wrestling on other sites so it may have been elsewhere.

 

[Paris in Flames]

Not directly linked to wrestling news but still related and...very ******.

According to ABC affiliate WKBW out of Buffalo, NY, 20-year-old Jonah Snyder died after suffering “a medical emergency” last Thursday at the Black and Brave Wrestling Academy in Moline, IL. The academy is run by WWE star Seth Rollins and Marek Brave.

The coroner’s report notes Snyder was training with eight other people when he suddenly began to feel ill. Trainers asked him to stop working and to rest, but when Snyder’s condition failed to improve academy staff called 911. Paramedics arrived on the scene but by that time Snyder had gone into cardiac arrest, and was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital. The report furthers the autopsy was inconclusive.

Read more at http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/754...rollins-wrestling-academy#7yCZzlEfEHu40002.99

Poor guy.

 

[AfroThunder396]

He deserved a midcard title for all the work and improvements he made at that point but I don't remember elevating the IC title being part of the rationalization of Ryback winning the title. But then again, I don't talk wrestling on other sites so it may have been elsewhere.

WM31 was a big effort by WWE to elevate their midcard titles. John Cena won the US Title, Daniel Bryan won the IC Title. The idea being that two top-tier main event guys holding those titles would bring some prestige back. Cena did the US Open Challenge, and Bryan was planning to make the IC belt exclusive to Smackdown so that it got less exposure and was more of a special novelty when it appeared.

Bryan was pulled from TV very shortly after and I think the plan was to try to let Ryback pick up where he left off. Obviously there's a big difference between DB and Ryback, and so yeah, it didn't work.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

WM31 was a big effort by WWE to elevate their midcard titles. John Cena won the US Title, Daniel Bryan won the IC Title. The idea being that two top-tier main event guys holding those titles would bring some prestige back. Cena did the US Open Challenge, and Bryan was planning to make the IC belt exclusive to Smackdown so that it got less exposure and was more of a special novelty when it appeared.

Bryan was pulled from TV very shortly after and I think the plan was to try to let Ryback pick up where he left off. Obviously there's a big difference between DB and Ryback, and so yeah, it didn't work.

The Cena thing was definitely planned by management. DB's wasn't really. That was just what they gave him within the scope of what was available to him at the time. It was DB's plan to do those things with the title but it was never WWE's plan because they honestly didn't give a crap about it. There was no plan to really go from DB to Ryback to try and continue what DB was planning. They just did it because they wanted to push Ryback out of the group that was around that title probably more than anyone else.

But my response was more with regards to questioning who it actually was that said to give Ryback a chance with the IC title to elevate it. I can definitely see giving it to him as a reward for the work and improvements he had made up to that point but I don't remember much conversation revolving around him being a guy to elevate that title. That's a different topic altogether than deserving it and I don't remember that occurring here. Maybe elsewhere because like I said my wrestling discussion is isolated to here but even then people that liked Ryback were in the minority among this type of community.

When you talk about giving someone a title to elevate it, you're implying that the guy carrying it is beyond that under normal circumstances. A guy that deserves it is likely at or close enough to that level to warrant it. It's pretty much the logic used to give that bum Zack Ryder the IC title at WM32. But in general, for midcard titles I think there's a big distinction between deserving and being able to elevate it.

 

[Isi]

ok going through the Observer, like last week, except posting in the correct thread this time. Features at the start are about Punk and Orton.

WWE Stuff

- Orton has a concussion (duh), he did appear at a house show as part of a tag with Cena, Cena did all the wrestling and then Orton came in at the end with the RKO. Dave notes a possible comparison with Daniel Bryanm who worked part of the Europe tour before he was shut down with a concussion.
- "The fact is the scenario with Wyatt vs. Kane was something planned as a backup for some time"
- "According to one doctor who is a concussion expert and some wrestlers who know the bump, they questioned allowing a wrestler not cleared to deliver an RKO."
Bret Hart, whose career for all real purposes ended due to a concussion, said, “Absolutely, he shouldn’t take any falls. The impact of any bump will pose problems. The brain is usually swollen and can’t be banged about.â€
- Miz vs. Dolph at the next Smackdown was supposed to be a cage match, but that's not locked in yet.
- Smackdown PPV only got 7000 people, including reports of free tickets being given away at nightclubs and a comic book convention
- AJ-Dean gets 4 and a quarter stars
- Long feature on TJP/CWC, no real news really. Wonderful quote though: "Perkins at one point was able to work all over the world because his mother worked for an airline so he could fly himself everywhere at little or no cost."
- Metalik-ZSJ 3 and three quarter stars, Ibushi-TJP 4 and a half, Metalik-TJP 4 and a quarter
- "This was a great climax to the best tournament WWE has ever put together."
- there's a summary of Paige, I'll post the whole summary to avoid misquoting, etc

Paige was with Del Rio at the press conference but never spoke. At one point this past week she did quit WWE, but there were talks afterwards of attempting to mend fences and at press time things had been settled and she was scheduled to return, perhaps as early as the 9/19 Raw in Memphis, which would be after her 30 day suspension expired. In actuality, her return depends on her various injuries and there is no date scheduled as of yet, but that would be the earliest date possible. It was a touchy situation since a decision was almost made to fire Paige several weeks ago, to the point I was alerted about a firing to come on deadline, which was to be her, but at that point there was a change of heart. That was back during the week where several people had been let go and before the announcement of her Wellness policy failure. She had gotten legal representation this past week.

- Paige's team (or whatever) is saying the drug testers went to her home, but she was in Texas with Del Rio, and WWE considered that a violation (which is very WADA of them),and then passed the test days later
- Del Rio and WWE can't disparage the other in public as per the settlement
- He talks a bit about Del Rio's booking fees and whatnot. $4000 a shot, ROH and New Japan are probably the least likely; ROH probably won't pay plus he apparently loved working with Roderick Strong (!) who is gone & NJPW isn't a fit travel wise. (Reminder: CMLL and NJPW are linked, with ROH now on board with CMLL as well. AAA and Lucha Underground are roughly linked. TNA is by itself. Del Rio doesn't want to sign a contract.)
- "We can confirm that Del Rio’s suspension was because he tested over the 6-1 allowable T:E limit and that he tested positive for a banned PED and not recreational drugs."
- Summary of the business performance in August: "WWE was down across in everything but Smackdown ratings when it comes to business in August."
- New belt names, kind of. WWE title will no longer have heavyweight in it, although it could make it's way across to the Universal title, Tag Team and Woman's title will all have their respective show in front of them (ie New Day are not your WWE Tag champs, they're your Raw Tag champs)
- "Stephanie McMahon said that her book would be released next year. She said the reason it didn’t come out this month as scheduled was because she has so much more to share"
- Shelton Benjamin had his surgery, 6 months away
- Some stuff about a movie about Beniot called Crossface. Lexi Alexander and Radar Pictures in partnership, to be based on “Ring of Hell†by Matthew Randazzao IV. Casting is starting.
- "There is talk of doing a Takeover show before the end of the year at the Theater in Madison Square Garden, as well as a Boston show"
- "The Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament was off the books as of a few days ago, and then put back on the books"
- Smackdown is doing a MSG houseshow on Boxing Day, which will be up against a live Raw, which might be a money loser.
- Dave runs down the Raw, Smackdown and NXT shows. They're massive reads and I ain't reading them, so I hope there's no news in there.
- "The actual number for the 8/13 house show in Sydney at the Qudos Bank Arena was 15,367 for $1,263,472, which may be the company’s best house show number of the year"
And I was not there despite living in Sydney. This is the house show that had this really really cool reaction to seeing Seth get off the bus that you've gotta see: https://streamable.com/qsug
- "The overseas Raw tour, which included Cena, did 11,500 fans on 9/9 in Pasay, The Phillippines (just outside Manila). They also drew a very disappointing crowd of 6,500 after all the hype for 9/10 in Shanghai"
- I'm skimming the report for the Pasay house show:
"Even this crowd booed every mention of Reigns."
"Jericho got the biggest babyface reaction except for Cena of the night. Then he cut the heel promo saying The Philippines were stinky. They only cheered him more. But they did start chant ******* in Filipino at him. Jericho pretended to not know what it means and said he was the greatest “gago†(*******) on the island. "

And that's about it for the WWE. There's a few more things in the house show reports that I won't touch because they might be going over to TV.


Non-WWE stuff

- "All signs seem to point to Fenix being the next person out of (AAA), with the only thing that could hold him back being if Lucha Underground would stop using him if he doesn’t stay, and the Sexy Star situation has given people the impression Lucha Underground won’t stop using people who have left AAA"
- "NJPW or CMLL would be the No. 2 pro wrestling company in the world right now, but they are less than five percent of that of WWE when it comes to total revenue"
- Shibata's spinal injury might be significant: "While nothing has been said, it’s likely he’ll have to vacate that title"
- NJPW have interest in signing O'Reilly and Bobby Fish
- lol Antonio Inoki visited North Korea about the nuclear stuff
- oh my god Cody Rhodes is turning into Max Landis: "Rhodes bought 20 boxes of pizza for fans as part of the Gargano celebration." (regarding Gargano's last Evolve show)
- "Roddy Piper’s children, Colt and Ariel Toombs, are doing a biography of their father that is scheduled for a 10/4 release through Penguin Random House. The book is being pushed as Piper’s own words as told by himself and his family, noting that he had started writing the book himself before his death last summer"
- Adam Cole's contract: "Since the subject of Adam Cole’s contract has been asked about, since it’s no secret WWE wants him and was at one point directly saying they’d fast-track him to the NXT title, but he’s now the ROH champion, this is the situation. He’s under contract through 12/31, but because he missed four months due to his injuries, ROH is claiming the contract continues through the end of April"
- A lot of stuff about the ROH and the UK, both the Preston City Wrestling relationship, which fall apart and which ROH comes across as pretty bad in, and slow tickets slows for their upcoming UK tour, in part because of other wrestling shows on in that time
- TNA Ownership stuff: Corgan's in control but Dixie still owns 70% of TNA and she wants 4 million for her stocks. Corgan got control because of the recent money he put in.

 

[Isi]

sidenote: it took like a hour just to read and make notes of the Observer. How does Dave do this every week

 

[NYRFAN218]

Is MSG ever going to get a televised show again? I think the last one was Survivor Series in 2011 (if you exclude the Network special which was really just a house show).

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Is MSG ever going to get a televised show again? I think the last one was Survivor Series in 2011 (if you exclude the Network special which was really just a house show).

It could happen but probably not. Definitely not anytime soon.