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  • UFC 194 prelims do record viewership on Fox Sports One

    Photo: MMAWeekly.com

    In what could be a precursor to a big PPV buyrate, Saturday’s UFC 194 prelims did a record 1,931,000 viewers on Fox Sports One, double their 2015 prelims average of 987,500.

    The numbers shatters the record set earlier this year by January’s UFC 183 prelims that did 1,546,000 viewers that Miesha Tate in the featured prelim fight of a show headlined by Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz. 

    Saturday’s four-fight prelim show headlined by Urijah Faber vs. Frankie Saenz garnered the highest number for a UFC PPV prelim show on any broadcast partner since the UFC 126 prelims on February 5, 2011 on SPIKE TV did 2,000,000 viewers for a 60-minute two fight broadcast featuring Donald Cerrone and Chad Mendes in separate fights. This was also during a time period when UFC was on television far less frequently and that number, while good, wasn’t thought be particularly notable as many Fight Night shows were either at or near that number.

    Saturday’s viewership total was higher than all but one FS1 Fight Night show which was January’s UFC Fight Night 59 headlined by Conor McGregor vs Dennis Siver. That show was on a Sunday after the NFC conference championship game.

    The company’s final prelims average on FS1 for 2015 is 1,073,273 viewers – a 47% increase over the 2014 average of 728,444.

    In other UFC ratings news, the TUF 22 Finale featuring Frankie Edgar vs. Chad Mendes did 893,000 viewers, up from the July TUF 21 finale (691,000) but down from the December 2014 TUF 20 finale (989,000) The FS1 prelims did 809,000 viewers, way up from July’s 470,000 and the December 2014 prelims’ 719,000.

  • NXT TakeOver preview & predictions: Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe in London

    2015 has been an amazing year for NXT. The little brand that could got hit first with the injury bug to Sami Zayn and Hideo Itami, but also saw eight talents called up to the main WWE roster. While you can argue the successes of Kevin Owens, Neville, Tyler Breeze, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and the Lucha Dragons in WWE, they left quite the hole in NXT.

    When WWE lost John Cena, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, and Cesaro all in a few weeks of each other, they replied by changing very little other than Sheamus winning the World title for a little over a month. By comparision, look at NXT. When they lost the Lucha Dragons, they responded by pushing Dash & Dawson, Blake & Murphy, and Jordan & Gable. When NXT lost Sasha, Becky, and Charlotte, they began pushing Asuka, Nia Jax and yes, even Eva Marie. When Owens got super over in his feud with Cena, NXT started the slow burn to Samoa Joe’s heel turn to replace him. When Neville and his cool moves went to Raw, we got Apollo Crews and his cool moves. When Itami got injured, Finn Balor not only got Itami’s title shot, he got his entire title reign.

    So with that, we come to NXT TakeOver: London, the second Takeover outside of Full Sail and the first outside of the United States. What can the average WWE fan look forward to on this show?

    Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe for the NXT Championship

    The winners of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic explode! Joe had asked Balor for a title shot after they won the Dusty Classic. While Balor had said yes, he stood by and allowed William Regal to make a battle royal for the title shot. Joe, feeling betrayed, turned his back on Balor and laid him out, turning on his friend and occasional tag team partner.

    This match is going to have every opportunity in the world to be the classic bout that happens at every TakeOver as both men can be counted on to come through in the clutch. If he wins the championship, Joe will become the first man to win a title in both TNA and NXT. Both men have numerous challengers in 2016 regardless of who wins as Crews has told Balor that they still have unfinished business. Plus, you have Baron Corbin and a returning Sami Zayn waiting in the wings.

    Prediction: Finn Balor retains here and in a rematch in January

    Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin

    Corbin has come a long way since he started being pushed in September 2014. At first, the fans loved him for winning every match in 30 seconds and then turned on him when his matches went two minutes with Corbin not allowing them to count how long his matches go.

    Crews already has the storyline where he has unfinished business with Balor, and Corbin is at least six months away from being ready for main events. Corbin has had excellent TakeOver matches with both Rhyno and Samoa Joe this year and this should be no exception. With each successive match, Corbin is showing more and more and has developed into a pretty good worker.

    Prediction: Apollo Crews wins

    Bayley vs. Nia Jax for the NXT Women’s Championship

    This match WILL NOT BE A 5 STAR CLASSIC! With Charlotte, Becky and Sasha now on the main roster, NXT has to restock itself on women’s wrestlers, so we have Alexa Bliss, Carmella and a half dozen brand new girls most people don’t remember the names of. Bayley is the hero to the masses, coming off back to back ****+ matches with Banks and a shockingly acceptable match with Eva Marie, she is now going to battle Nia Jax. Jax, a cousin of The Rock, debuted on TV the week after TakeOver: Respect and immediately became a force in the division. This match will be so different than every other women’s title match that chances are most people will hate it.

    Just remember, it could be Eva Marie getting the title.

    Prediction: Nia Jax wins the title to set up the next title feud.

    Asuka vs. Emma

    Speaking of the next women’s title feud, Asuka debuted shortly after TakeOver: Brooklyn and began a long rivalry with Dana Brooke and Emma. Dana got her head knocked from here to Port St. Lucie in her debut so now, in complete denial, here comes Emma. This is arguably Emma’s biggest opportunity since returning to NXT after her failed call-up last year. The story is that the #DivasRevolution that everyone is enjoying in WWE started with her on NXT. Can Emma prove that she still belongs in the top tier of women’s wrestlers? This is her chance to prove it as long as Asuka doesn’t send her head into the back row.

    Prediction: Asuka wins and moves onto Nia Jax.

    Dash & Dawson vs Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady for the NXT tag team titles

    This is a weird situation. Back in October, Enzo & Colin defeated Dash & Dawson to become the new no. 1 contenders. However, Dash & Dawson injured the Jersey Duo, took their title shot and took the championship. Enzo and Cass came back from their injury angle and cut a serious promo, all but guaranteeing they would win the belts. They have been teaming for almost 3 years and have never won the titles, despite being close to winning them earlier this year.

    Two problems with the titles changing hands:

    1) Dash & Dawson just won the belts last month. With the exception of title changes being caused by injuries, the shortest title reign was Sami Zayn’s nine-week long NXT title reign. Most title reigns last a minimum of three months, and these two just started getting a serious push after a year of being jobbers.

    2) Jason Jordan & Chad Gable are the new, hot babyface team. They already have the angle that they are beating as many former NXT Tag Team Champions as possible, so they are probably next in line for the belts.

    Prediction: Dash & Dawson retain.

    Overall Thoughts:

    Only one guaranteed great match out of five this time makes this the weakest NXT TakeOver card on paper. However, you have two more matches that be very good and the other two should at least have very interesting results. It has become a running joke that NXT has constantly had their shows around the same time as a bad, poorly built WWE PPV. However, this time they are coming after a pretty good (but poorly built) WWE PPV and have to top it with a weaker card than usual.

    If history has taught us anything, it is to not take the guys and girls from NXT for granted. We should believe that the show has a chance to be great given the fact that they have consistently delivered. However this time, they have their work cut out for them.

  • WWE Slammy Award voting starts tonight

    The WWE announced that Slammy Award voting will begin tonight with the awards show next Monday, December 21st, part of ‘WWE Week’ on USA Network. 

    Monday’s Slammy-riffic RAW will be followed up by a live Smackdown on Tuesday, and the taped Tribute To The Troops on Wednesday.

    WWE announced voting will take place exclusively on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, bypassing their website completely. The winners of these categories, except for Superstar of the Year, will be announced prior to Raw.

    The main categories are:

    • Superstar of the Year
    • Tag Team of the Year
    • Hashtag of the Year
    • Celebrity Moment of the Year
    • “Tell Me You Just Didn’t Say That” Moment of the Year
    • Best John Cena U.S. Open challenge match
    • Rivalry of the Year
    • Double Cross of the Year
    • Surprise Return of the Year
    • Best Original WWE Network Show (So much for voting up any of that old footage.)

    On RAW, there will be eight additional categories that will voted on via the WWE app live during the show. These winners, and Superstar of the Year, will be announced during Raw.

    • Match of the Year
    • Diva of the Year
    • Breakout Star of the Year
    • LOL Moment of the Year
    • Extreme Moment of the Year
    • “This is Awesome” Moment of the Year
    • The OMG Most Shocking Moment of the Year
    • The Hero Award presented by Coca Cola

  • Daily Update: WWE TLC Fallout, strong crowd expected for RAW

    We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s TLC show as well as last night’s UFC 194 show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to Dave Meltzer

    We’re looking for reports on today’s Raw in Philadelphia (dark matches, Superstars matches, anything else not evident from watching the live show), today’s NXT show in Nottingham, England and yesterday’s Lucha Underground tapings to Dave Meltzer

    Smackdown will be taped Tuesday night in Newark, NJ while NXT runs Tuesday night in Cardiff, Wale.

    NXT TAKEOVER FROM SSE WEMBLEY IN LONDON ON WEDNESDAY

    Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe for NXT title

    Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin

    Bayley vs. Nia Jax for women’s title

    Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady for tag titles

    Emma vs. Asuka

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 12/7/2015: McDevitt comments on concussion lawsuits
    Details on Jerry McDevitt’s comments on the ongoing concussion lawsuits against WWE, Alan discusses potential candidates for 2015’s best rookie.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    Coverage of the biggest weekend in UFC history, the stories behind the big matches, scouting the fighters, the business and handicapping the fights is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We look at the promotion of the show, how changes in the UFC can affect the major fights, little things in each fight that haven’t beentalked about, fugure for the winners and much more is looked at.

    We also look at the New Japan Tokyo Dome show, the New Japan tag team tournament, what’s new with A.J. Styles and his schedule, the controversy over the winners of the tournament and how it played out, New Japan business this past month and going forward, tournament standings and a rundown of the shows this past week.

    We also have an update on Sting and his condition coming off the match with Seth Rollins, something to watch for about a very significant WWE employee, WWE increasing security at leve events, WWE putting up lots of new content on the network, why the Stampede tapes were taken down, Alberto Del Rio blames AAA for his not coming back and losingg the title, why the time-line of what he says doesn’t add up, another new franchise movie idea for Dwayne Johnson, a new WWE movie annnounced, Mick Foley’s son with WWE, Sami Zayn’s return, Tommy Dreamer’s schedule, WWE surveys, John Cena media, WWE and ESPN update, NXT taping news, Brock Lesnar schedule news, WWE firing, Del Rio & Colter alliance, as well as notes on all the NXT house shows from the past week as well as all the WWE house shows of the past week and the business from the last week.   

    We’ve got a look at this year’s Tokyo Sports pro wrestling awards, all the winners, how the balloting went down, as well as a list of every MVP dating back to 1974, and why different people won the awards and the nature of the politicas behid the awards.

    PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 14, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Biggest weekend in UFC history, tons more

    You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

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    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

    If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

    Bryan and I will be back tonight with coverage of Raw as well as the latest news.  We’ll also be taking questions on wrestling and MMA that can be sent to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com In the mean time check out both of our post-TLC shows:  WO 12/13: WWE TLC, Mauro Ranallo, UFC Brazil rating, more! and B&V 12/13: WWE TLC post-game show

    Nothing at this point has been announced for Raw tonight.  Obviously the key will be how they handle the aftermath of the Roman Reigns/HHH angle and how that ties into the Royal Rumble.  They are in Philadelphia and were expecting the best crowd for a Raw event in the U.S. in months because of a strong advance.   

    WWE sent out a press release today pushing that Coca Cola will be the presenting sponsor for Tribute to the Troops which airs on 12/23 on USA from 8-10 p.m.  Getting Coca Cola involved with WWE has been a goal for years.  

    John Cena has a role in “Daddy’s Home,” the new movie with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg that comes out over Christmas.  That’s the movie Taryn Terrell has a role as a cheerleader who gets hit in the face with a basketball which got some media when it was filmed in New Orleans some time back.  That spot is in the trailer that I’ve seen recently at movie previews.

    For the weekend, the No. 1 search was Conor McGregor with 2 million.  UFC 194 had 1 million.  Amazingly, both beat the Warriors winning streak ending at 1 million.  No. 5 was Chris Weidman with 200,000.  No. 14 was Urijah Faber with 50,000.  No. 20 was Roy Jones Jr.  Although not close to Ronda Rousey numbers, those are otherwise huge numbers and probably indicate big PPV numbers.  UFC officials were talking that it would be the biggest of the year.  WWE was No. 6 in Google searches yesterday with 200,000, which is the level just about every B PPV show gets.  Top searches were BKS Ivengar, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Independence Day 2 and Philadelphia Eagles.

    A story has gone around regarding producers audio from just before the McGregor vs. Aldo fight where Joe Rogan spoke to a producer off air saying  Aldo looks soft and deflated.  “He looks way different.  But it could be that he’s done a lot of cardio.  Don’t want to jump to conclusions.”  Rogan also said, “Aldo looks nervous as F*** too.” and told the producer he was picking McGregor now.

    WWE

    • Mick Foley said he was going to write something on Facebook in response to Ric Flair criticizing him on Tuesday on Flair’s show.  Flair had been critical of Foley being critical of WWE creative.  Hasn’t everyone been critical of WWE creative in the last month?  I mean this past weekend I was around people who are MMA people who are lifelong fans and they say the same things everyone else says when it comes to creative and the interviews.
    • There were a lot of problems with the WWE Network last night, more than usual, particularly during the pregame show.  I was able to watch it on wwe.com with no problem which is the free site, but I couldn’t watch it on the network. 
    • WWE stock was up 22 cents today to $16.09 per share.
    • New NXT touring dates announced, tickets for all these shows go on sale on Friday.

    1/14 in Milwaukee at Turners Hall Ballroom, which has been an ROH venue

    1/15 in Green Bay at Shopko Hall

    1/16 in Chicago at the Portage Theater

    1/29 in Pittsburgh at Stage AP

    1/30 in Royal Oak, MI at the Music Theater.

    UFC

    • The World MMA Awards were announced for 2/5 at the Venetian in Las Vegas at The Venetian theatre.  Nominees will be announced in a few weeks.  They are billing it as the Ultimate Las Vegas weekend with an MMA Celebrity Poker tournament on Thursday at the Sands Poker Room at the Venetian, the awards plus the after party and a special UFC 196 viewing party at Lagasse’s Station at The Palazzo in Las Vegas.      

    INDIES/MISCELLANEOUS

    • PWG tickets for 1/2 go on sale Wednesday at 8 p.m.  For all who want to go, be ready.  That’s the same night as UFC so I can’t go again.  Here’s the card:

    Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero PWG title

    Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Akira Tozawa

    Mike Bailey vs. Adam  Cole

    Jack Evans vs. Drew Galloway

    Sami Callihan vs. Trevor Lee

    Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Gulak

    Angelico vs. Brian Cage

    • Spectre was No. 7 on the U.S. movie weekend charts doing $4.05 million.  It was once again No. 2 on the Australian box office charts (thanks to James Stanios)
    • Lucha Underground, Billy Gunn and Paul Orndorff have signed deals with Pro Wrestling Tees.
    • Michael Weber, who formerly worked for WCW and was Vice President of Marketing with TNA from 2008 to 2013, is now Senior Vice President of Marketing with Flipps Media.
    • ROH has doing a meet and greet with the Briscoes before Friday’s PPV at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.  They will have autograph photos for everyone bringing a new unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots collection at Final Battle or the next day for the TV taping.
    • I want to personally thank everyone involved in wrestling who has done work for Toys for Tots and other organizations regarding underprivileged kids and Christmas, as well as Bob Magee who works tirelessly every year in working with promotions to get the word out on these things.
    • Hart Legacy Wrestling from last night in Calgary before 200 fans. Smith Hart booked the show and Michelle Billington was the ring announcer:  Baron Von Kroutz b Renegade-DQ, Makhan Singh Jr. (with Abu Wizal, the famous manager there from the 80s) b Kato (Singh Jr. looked like a young Makhan Singh), Zack Mercury b Matt Hart (Smith Hart’s son), Davey Boy Smith Jr. d Teddy Hart 30:00 so Smith retained the Stu Hart Heritage title.  Very good match.  This was Teddy Hart’s first match in Calgary in a long time.  He’s been in the U.S.  He had a legal issue.  It was said by people at the show his issue has been settled.  (thanks to Robert O’Connor)
    • Upcoming shows in Tijuana at the Auditorio are 12/18 with a four-way with Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. L.A. Park vs. Damian 666 vs. Pagano, 12/25 with Wagner Jr. & El Hijo del Rey Misterio & Super Muneco vs. Damian 666 & Pakal & Rey Misterio II, and 1/8 with Gronda XXX & L.A. Park & Rayo de Jalisco Jr. vs.  Cibernetico & Cien Caras & Wagner Jr. (thanks to Kris Zellner)
    • NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on Saturday night in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium with Jason Kincaid vs. Nick Hammonds in a weapons match and a retirement match billed as Kid Kash putting his career on the line against Chase Owens.  If Owens loses, Ricky Morton has to retire.  Plus NWA title with Jax Dane defending against Rob Conway.
    • Pro Wrestling Eclipse on 1/10 in Oshawa, ONT at Legion br. 43.

    Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (12/14): Jeff Hardy, Triple H become WWE champion

  • November 2, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WCW Halloween Havoc recap, details on the show going long

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    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • How WWE can learn from Marvel Comics by rebranding Smackdown

    The post-RAW Survivor Series was one for the record books featuring WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus supposedly kicking off a brand new dawn for the company, while nearly every other component of the show remained almost exactly the same. Viewers expressed their enthusiasm for the product by tuning out in droves, leaving the show with a viewership below 3 million for the first time since 1997. Against an above average Monday night football game, Raw pulled in a sub 3 million second hour and a pitiful 2.71 million viewers in the third hour. It’s stunning enough that Raw’s viewership was down by 330,000 viewers week-over-week, but the fact that viewership was down 1.34 million viewers year-over-year (albeit an inflated number given the WWE debut of Sting in 2014) is astronomical.

    The ratings went up by 210,000 viewers the following week, but that number was still only good enough to tie as the second lowest watched non-holiday episode of Raw since 1997 and only barely eclipsed 3 million viewers in the third hour. Then came this past Monday’s show, the final hour of which consisted of 44 year old Tommy Dreamer going one-on-one with Braun Strowman and an unconscionable 15 minute show closing promo segment wherein Roman Reigns mocked the champion for having tater tots instead of potatoes. To the surprise of no one, the ratings declined to 3.04 million viewers with a final hour viewership of 2.85 million, and reports from the arena had people leaving in droves before and during the main event angle.

    Things are almost certainly going to get worse for Raw in the long, cold trek between now and the beginning of 2016. There will almost certainly be spikes caused by the returns of John Cena and Brock Lesnar, and there should also be a decent boost from the late-December conclusion of Monday Night Football. As the bottom continues to drop out, it will become confoundingly clear that absolutely nothing substantial is going to change. Not until Cena and Lesnar rear their heads and not until the last whistle is blown on MNF will any ratings decline be viewed through a lens of objectivity. Even then, it would probably take weeks of pulling in fewer than 3 million viewers before major changes would take place. Perhaps it would take an episode of Raw only getting 2.75 million viewers. Perhaps that number would have to hit 2.5 million. Whatever the case, it likely means that we can expect about two more months worth of stale at best, completely indigestible at worst, programming between now and the Royal Rumble.

    But one would almost have to think that something must eventually give. The ratings almost have to improve in January, but logic dictates that they will drop even further at this same time next year unless something is vastly different. That trend will continue until something is done to reverse course. Whenever that change comes, hopefully sooner than later, it needs to be drastic and comprehensive. Should WWE ultimately decide to change its product, it might want to take a page from one of the biggest brands in all of entertainment: Marvel.

    The Diverging Path of Comic Books and Professional Wrestling

    It’s difficult to fairly compare and contrast wrestling to comic books on a number of fronts. In terms of financial success, mainstream acceptance, audience growth, creative solvency, social awareness, and infrastructural competency, wrestling does not even remotely stand up to comic books. It would be quite a bit like comparing tater tots to potatoes, really.

    At a point somewhere in time, the kind of person who watched professional wrestling and the kind of person who read comic books were likely subjected to the same degree of stigmatization and ostracism. If my experiences growing up are any indication, there is a pretty significant intersection between comic book fans and wrestling fans. Both were once outsider products consumed primarily by those perceived as socially undesirable, but in 2015, this has changed drastically at least on one front.

    Companies like Marvel and DC have taken what were once niche products and properties consumed primarily by children and social also-rans and built empires by making them cool to the public at large. Comic books have grown into a humming and ever-evolving megalopolis with shining towers and lavish tourist attractions on every corner. People plan their visits and get excited because if they’ve been away for even a little while, something has likely changed and almost certainly for the better. In this place, there is something for everyone.

    By that logic, the wrestling industry is a modest village. It houses a few nice buildings with some pronounced architecture and burnished fixtures (Ring of Honor, New Japan, and Lucha Underground) and a couple of hip coffee houses and bars (Pro Wrestling Guerilla, Progress Pro Wrestling, Insane Championship Wrestling, Chikara, etc.). Ultimately, however, everything operates in the shadow of one dust blown and aged tower on the horizon; it’s been there for so long and touched so many that most of the visitors look past those happy new places because they don’t hold that same level of nostalgic resonance. Once or twice a year, the tower is lit and lively, but it feels like a dark and cold place. There may be new faces who visit the village during brighter seasons, but they’re far outnumbered by those who leave because they simply tired of that tower and its oppressive presence. If you are not drawn by that tower, you are almost certainly not drawn at all.

    There is something that can be gained by looking at how the biggest company in one industry has continually reinvented itself to increasing degrees of success while the biggest company in the other has seen diminishing returns because of its stagnant product. Given their control over their respective markets, let’s assume that the face of the comic book business is Marvel (they held a 37% share of all North American comic sales in 2014) and that the face of wrestling is World Wrestling Entertainment. One has managed to grow interest in its core product by reinventing and rebranding it whenever things begin to feel stale. The other is WWE.  

    The Many Reinventions of the Marvel Brand

    Much can be said about Disney and Marvel’s success in building up the Marvel cinematic universe. New Marvel films are now cultural events to the degree that the first trailer for Captain America: Civil War was viewed a record 61 million times in its first 24 hours online. Of the current top 10 highest grossing films of all time, three are Marvel films released since 2012. The highest grossing film of 2014 was Guardians of the Galaxy, a title built around a team of characters with whom the general public was almost completely unaware. Phase two of the Marvel cinematic universe’s three phase plan pulled in more than $5.2 billion around the world between 2013-2015. Phase three, which kicks off next year with Civil War, should make even more than that.

    Consider for a moment the fact that Marvel has the next five years of films and strategy planned out while WWE is probably still unsure how the Royal Rumble will play out.

    Because of its incredible brand cache, Marvel will be able to launch franchises around new characters like Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange with impunity because its audience trusts the brand to produce a quality product every time. WWE, in contrast, seemingly cannot even create a single new main eventer and has done everything it can to sap the audience of its faith that it ever will. The degree of success Marvel currently enjoys may breed contentment in other companies. WWE, for example, has felt increasingly listless since subsuming WCW and ECW in 2001, but Marvel instead opted to undertake radical change in its core product: Marvel Comics.

    In 2012, Marvel acknowledged a decline in comic sales by relaunching almost all of its ongoing titles under the Marvel NOW! banner. This overhaul entailed changing the look and marketing of the product, bringing in new writers and artists to handle the creative direction, allowing those new talents to shake up character and team dynamics, and relaunching a number of familiar titles from scratch or doing away with them altogether. It was a massive, calculated risk that was certain to isolate a percentage of the hardcore contingent of the fanbase.

    One of the most polarizing moves was the decision to kill off Peter Parker and have his body taken over by Doctor Octopus (yes, it’s as confusing as it sounds) in Amazing Spider-Man #700, which lead to the launch of a new title called The Superior Spider-Man. The final issue of Amazing sold around 200,000 copies and the first issue of Superior sold 188,182 copies, making both bankable successes for Marvel Comics. The bigger picture: over the course of a 31 issue run, in spite of the rumblings from purists, average sales of Superior were up considerably from Amazing. This is attributable to a number of factors, not the least of which being that it was something new, fresh, and exciting.

    Another soft relaunch occurred in 2014 (entitled All-New Marvel NOW!), centered largely around the return of Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man #1. Marvel sold more than 700,000 copies of that first issue, singlehandedly wiping out its Q1 2014 shortfall and becoming the company’s best selling single comic since 2009. That same year, Marvel announced it would kill off the character of Wolverine seemingly for good. Despite skepticism from jaded fans (character deaths are common and easily undone) and even more grousing about change, all four issues of the mini series were among the year’s top sellers, ranking 4, 5, 8, and 9, respectively. Moreover, of the 10 best selling single issues in 2014, nine were Marvel comics.

    Earlier this year, the company engaged in yet another rebranding effort, launching the All-New, All-Different Marvel. The result saw even more shakeups, including having new characters portray mainstays like Thor and Captain America that resulted in further dissatisfaction from pockets of fans. Still, cumulative North American comic sales through September were up 5% year over year, and of the top 10 comics sold in each month, an average of seven were Marvel titles. In September, the top 10 best selling comics were all Marvel titles, as well as 18 of the top 20. The year’s single best selling comic book: Marvel’s first issue of the Star Wars comic, which has moved more than 1 million copies to date.

    At a point in time where Marvel Comics has every incentive to remain stagnant and proceed with the status quo, it has instead chosen to reboot its product line three times in four years. It’s a strategy that has helped engage with new consumers and get fresh eyes on the product, and it has improved their bottom line a great deal. Controversial decisions are made with surprising regularity, and because they tend to pay off in a somewhat rewarding fashion, even those cynical fans become willing to go along for the ride.

    This couldn’t be further from the case with the WWE. Trust in the decision makers behind the product may be, like the ratings, at a long time low. Given this fact, WWE should be doing anything but sticking to the status quo. It’s an odd inversion of circumstances: Marvel can afford to take risks with its product because it has a substantial safety net, and WWE needs to start taking risks with its product because its running out of options. WWE may not be willing to take those risks on its flagship show, but there’s no reason that it couldn’t attempt something new with its other weekly television program.

    Starting Over, Starting with Smackdown

    Marvel has built itself into an entity so powerful that it is able to shape the landscape of television. When it was announced that Netflix had acquired the rights to produce and distribute the original series for Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and The Defenders, it was seen as a huge coup for its legitimacy. Recently, Jessica Jones has earned widespread critical praise for the care with which it handles decidedly complex, mature subject matter. Raw, meanwhile, was notable this week for Roman Reigns comparing Sheamus’ testicles to tater tots.

    WWE is moving Smackdown from SyFy Network to USA on January 7, and while it’s possible that there could be less buzz about it, there certainly couldn’t be all that much less. Smackdown is a stale, tired product, and its ever waning viewership is a testament to that fact. With the current formula, Smackdown plays out ostensibly like a palette swapped Raw where the events that transpire have little or no consequence in the larger scheme of WWE’s universe. The reason fewer and fewer people watch Smackdown is likely much of the same cause for the ratings drops for Raw of late: people simply don’t want to watch a show that doesn’t mean anything.

    This could all very well change when Smackdown debuts on USA Network in just three weeks time, a move in which WWE seems to be investing at least some effort, fortified by the announced hiring of announcer Mauro Ranallo. The move will likely kick off with a live special that could eventually lead to Smackdown going live on a weekly basis, which could serve the purpose of drumming up some additional ratings (as well as costs). WWE will likely also bolster interest in the show by promoting names and matches beforehand (which is an incredibly novel concept indeed). This may grab some ratings, or it may not.

    If Smackdown falters out of the gate, WWE will almost certainly drop the pretense of its importance and quickly return to business as usual. Even with increased emphasis placed on making it a ratings winner, it’s hard to picture Smackdown feeling like anything but what Smackdown has felt like for the longest time, which is a directionless, empty show that is indistinguishable from Raw but for the fact that it is measurably less important. That is, unless WWE opts to make some significant changes.

    Since Smackdown will likely be seen by a larger audience in those first few weeks, it may be the perfect forum for WWE to cautiously approach making the kinds of alterations that Marvel has with its comic books. WWE can scrap the status quo and push the idea that the show coming to USA Network is not just Smackdown, but an All-New, All-Different Smackdown.

    To do this, WWE should scrap everything about Smackdown from top to bottom.

    Spare nothing, because there is really nothing worth sparing at this point. Get fresh, young minds behind every aspect of the project and give them enough free reign to take chances and try different things. Change the cinematography away from the multi-cut-zoom Kevin Dunn style, reconfigure the format of the show entirely, drop the blue and silver color template, get a new logo, build a new set, and get a new theme song that sets the tone for the show. Get another new face at the commentary desk with Ranallo and allow them to drop the WWE version of Newspeak for something more authentic. Let wrestlers cut promos looking head on into the camera. Don’t script championship contenders to cut 15 minute promos that revolve around tater tot jokes.

    Let Smackdown become a breeding ground for new talent and new ideas. Let it act as a bridge between NXT and Raw that helps talent tweak their characters and hone their skills on the mic and in the ring even further. Try different stories and different angles and have a long term plan for how they play out. Don’t simply holdover the concepts put forth on Raw; advance them and take them in unexpected directions. Create a sense of competition between Raw and Smackdown comparable to what Paul Heyman helped created in the early 2000s. Give Smackdown the sense of purpose it has needed so desperately for years, and give it a different identity. After three hours of Raw, it’s hard to imagine that anybody could possibly want two more hours of the exact same thing on Thursday (or Tuesday for that matter), and at the rate that the ratings are falling, it’s clear that fewer and fewer people have the appetite for it on Mondays.  

    While we’re at it, why not change the name? Despite more than 15 years on television, there is no loyalty to the Smackdown brand. Giving the show a new, hopefully less ridiculous name can set the precedent that things will be different across the board, ala dropping Amazing Spider-Man for Superior Spider-Man and going back to Amazing again. Let the Smackdown brand die on SyFy and allow a new, exciting product to rise on USA Network in 2016.

    If WWE allows itself to take some chances in order to generate excitement for a new product on a new network, and if the new Smackdown begins gaining traction, it can let some of that newness seep into Raw. With a few new flourishes here and there, it can inform the viewer that the changes coming are worth sticking around for. Maybe this then can lead to a comprehensive overhaul and a reboot of that show over time. It may not lead to a full ratings recovery, and it may not bring it the kind of mainstream acceptance WWE so desperately seeks, but by shaking things up and coming up with something new and different, the chances of recovering lapsed fans and bringing in new ones improves more than it would by staying the course.

    WWE is financially secure for the foreseeable future, and it is in no danger of going under even as its ratings plunge. That being said, despite the likelihood of a Wrestlemania sellout and a new all-time attendance record, the product feels miles and miles away from Wrestlemania X-7 in terms of interest and engagement. The needle can move closer to that level again, and it will, but only if WWE challenges itself and takes risks along the way like Marvel has with its products and properties. WWE wants its audience to believe that, like Marvel, it’s in the business of making movies. If we are to gauge that claim by the level of interest heading into TLC, it’s much closer now to Howard the Duck than it is to Captain America: Civil War.

  • Daily pro wrestling history (12/14): Jeff Hardy, Triple H become WWE champion

    1911

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:
    – Henry Ordemann beat Jess Reimer (Westergard) to capture the American Heavyweight Title in 2 out of 3 falls

    1956 

    Miami, Florida:
    – Jerry Graham defeated Bobby Wepner to win the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title 

    1963

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:
    – Verne Gagne won the AWA World Heavyweight Champion by defeating The Crusher in 2 out of 3 falls
    – Bill Miller drew Moose Evans 
    – Tiny Mills & Larry Hennig no contest Rene Goulet & Maurice LaPointe
    – Marcel Semard beat Pee Wee Lopez 
    – Marquis DeParee beat Lee Mattson 

    1977

    Honolulu, Hawaii:
    – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel drew Missing Link Pampero Firpo
    – Sam Steamboat beat North American Champion Tor Kamata
    – Bill Francis & John Tolos beat Steve Strong & Jesse Ventura
    – Billy Whitewolf drew Rocky Tamayo
    – Don Muraco beat Duke Savage
    – Chris Markoff beat Buck Zumhofe

    1979

    Houston, Texas:
    – Gino Hernandez & El Gran Markus defeated Jose Lothario & El Halcon for the NWA American Tag Team Titles

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin:
    – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Greg Gagne
    – Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura beat The Crusher & Steve Olsonoski
    – Dino Bravo beat Super Destroyer Mark II
    – Mad Dog Vachon no contest Super Destroyer Mark III
    – Buck Zumhofe drew Ron Ritchie
    – Peter Sandor Szabo beat Chris Curtis

    1983

    Shelby, North Carolina:
    – Dick Slater defeated Greg Valentine for the United States Heavyweight Title

    1992

    Tokyo, Japan:
    – The Hell Raisers (Road Warrior Hawk and “Power Warrior” Kensuke Sasaki) defeated Scott Norton & Tony Halme (aka Ludvig Borga in WWF) for New Japan’s IWGP Tag Team Title

    – Sabu defeated The Dirt Bike Kid and Mikey Whipwreck in a triple threat match to win the EWA Jr heavyweight title

    2003

    Nagoya, Japan:
    – Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Osamu Nishimura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yutaka Yoshie to win New Japan’s IWGP Tag Team Titles
    – Heat (Minoru Tanaka) defeated Jado to win the Jr heavyweight title

    Orlando, Florida:
    – Randy Orton defeated Rob Van Dam to win the Intercontinental Title (Mick Foley was the special referee)
    – Ric Flair & Batista won a Tag Team Turmoil match to become the World Tag Team Champions defeating the Dudley Boyz, Scott
    Steiner & Test, Rob Conway & Rene Dupree, Hurricane & Rosey, Mark Jindrak & Garrison Cade, Lance Storm & Val Venis
    – Triple H defeated champion Bill Goldberg and Kane in a Triple Threat match to win the World Heavyweight Title

    2008

    Buffalo, New York:
    – Jeff Hardy defeated Edge and Triple H to win the WWE Championship
    – Batista defeated Randy Orton
    – John Cena defeated Chris Jericho to retain the WWE World Title

    2014

    WWE TLC | Cleveland, Ohio:
    – Dolph Ziggler defeated Luke Harper in a Ladder Match to win the Intercontinental Title
    – John Cena defeated Seth Rollins in a Tables Match
    – Bray Wyatt defeated Dean Ambrose in a TLC Match
    – Rusev defeated Jack Swagger in a Chairs match to retain the United States Title

  • WWE TLC Reader Feedback

    WWE TLC: Thumbs Up    

    Best Match: Reigns vs. Sheamus

    Worst Match: Tables Match

    Not a bad show, but still seems like they are on the verge of doing something, but then they don’t for the most part.  It was hard to concentrate for a while as the Network was having major problems.  I noticed complaints from others in different areas so it wasn’t just my connection.  First part of the pre show worked fine then it froze.  I had to keep restarting it a bunch of times through the first couple of matches.  It finally straightened itself out for most of the rest of the show. 

    Saw most of the opener with Lynch vs. Banks.  I hope Lynch gets to do more and Banks for that matter.  Seems like they are kind of fillers.  Decent match.

    Tag Titles match was good and thought the spot with Uso and Kalisto off the ladder was pretty crazy.  Almost felt like dropping on one of those roller coasters even watching at home. 

    Ryback vs. Rusev was fine.  I guess Lana is a heel again.  They should never had broken them up to start with. 

    Del Rio vs. Swagger was okay.  Del Rio looked hurt at the end.  Hope he’s okay as they have enough guys out of action already.  No Zeb.  So is he out of a job?

    Tables match was alright.  Some botched up stuff and Braun is awful.  I like the ECW nostalgia, but where can they go from here with either factions?

    Would have liked to have had a longer Owens vs. Ambrose match.  Ambrose winning the title may be a curse as it seems all IC Champions of late can’t get anywhere.  I hope they put Owens back in the main heel spot or one of them as they do need more guys on that level. 

    I liked the Divas title match.  Charlotte with Ric is cool and I am still a Page fan.  I thought this was pretty good.  Maybe they can bring in Tessa Blanchard and start a new Horsemen type group.

    Main Event was good especially the post match stuff with Triple H.  Where the heck was Barrett?  I mean why have him in the group if he can’t get involved.  I feel like he has been cursed for a long time.  He needs to get put in some good spots.

    Overall a pretty good show, but I still want to see more of a change in what’s been going on especially on Raw to make it feel somehow like it’s not the same old same old.  I know it seems like a lot to ask, but the ratings prove that change is needed.

    Robb Block

    Sent fCrowd mildly booed announcement of Smackdown taping

    Full house, mostly 20 to 40 something males, fewer kids than past shows of recent vintage, and just a remarkably small smattering of women. Take this as a terrible sign, considering much of the target audience for the announced one are the chicks.

    Sasha was mildly over. *3/4 for win over Becky Lynch, basic stuff and nothing more from the two.

    New Day over with the crowd, probably the most over act of the night, though not insanely so. ** for their match. Just a spot fest, went too long, but they worked hard.

    Rusev over Ryback w/ camel clutch. 1/2*, neither man particularly over w/ crowd, some ‘boring’ chants. Lana completely failed to connect with much of anyone.

    Not much of a reaction for Swagger or Del Rio. Mild ‘CM Punk’ chant briefly breaks out mid-match. *1/4, stupidchairs gimmick didn’t help matters.

    Light ‘ECW’ chant greets the Dudleys. Like 1998 all over again, only less ‘extreme’ and nowhere near as over. Exactly as one would expect in this type of match w/ these guys. This Strowman is one lazy, uninspired worker. Crowd pops for Bully’s lighter fluid, but then is quickly disappointed as Bray puts Bully through table for win. 3/4*, had some energy but just absurd in today’s era and in a PG atmosphere. Folks behind me call it the worst tables match ever, which is a bit harsh, but not a good bout by any means.

    Owens is better than resorting to insulting local sports teams. Fair pop for Ambrose. It’d be a bit easier on the eyes w/ this arena lighting if they used a darker ring surface. Crowd not too, too invested in this thing early on, but get somewhat more interested as match progresses. Dean’s win a bit rushed, but crowd gives him a decent hand for the title change. Where do they go w/ Owens now. **1/4, could have been a lot more w/ actual time and effort.

    Minor props for Flair doing a little dirty work for his girl, but crowd boos finish. *1/2, could have been much better and longer. Ric’s backstage promo afterward woke the crowd up a bit, but only a small bit.

    Main event time, crowd doesn’t like either guy, and is ‘politely bored’ if that makes sense. Dueling Cena chants, just for the hell of it. Even w/ the gimmickry this is nothing more than a standard TV main event, if even that. Percentage of folks cheering Roman is minuscule. Just not very good chemistry between the two. I left just as Hunter was about to come out. *1/2, and that’s generous. Most just wanted to get home to see the end of the Patriots game and then go to bed.

    Overall, a bad show, but it went by surprisingly quick and the crowd just wanted to have a nice, relaxing time even as they’re painfully and obviously resigned to this product being colder than Siberia in mid-February. Had much the same feel as a Nitro I attended at the Worcester Centrum in March 1999., but even that show was better and more memorable. 2.5 out of 10

    Respectfully,
    Chris Swallow

    How you doin’ Dave,

    Thumbs Up

    Thought it was a good show and felt the closing angle was fantastic, and one of the best things they’ve done all year. I have no qualms in saying Bryan was right all along. I was always of the opinion that the stronger you book Reigns, the more he will get booed. But tonight showed me that his assessment that bad-ass killer Reigns was the way to go, even in troubled time, was 100% accurate. Really interested to see where they go from here, as Reigns vs. Triple H looks an increasingly strong possibility for ‘mania, and leaves me wondering where this leaves the title program.

    As far as the main event match, I saw a good chance that if they rematched Reigns & Sheamus at the rumble, we could get a repeat of Orton-Cena a couple of years ago at the same event, but a version of that came a month early. The crowd made it clear they did not see these guys as stars and showed little interest in the match, at least until the big spots and the finishing sequence. I thought they worked extremely hard, but it was a little too rushed for me (which I could say about a number of matches on the card), and had little in the way of storytelling and drama, and was rather a rapid sequence of spots, which wasn’t necessary with only two participants. Also Sheamus looked to hurt himself early on with referees following him round for sometime, presumably questioning his well-being.

    As far as a few other thoughts on the show – I was disappointed in the opening match as Sasha & Becky’s chemistry wasn’t there with a lot of awkward spots in the match, also I don’t like where they’re going with Team BAD, especially for Sasha Banks’ sake. Vince’s love for humour & “entertainment” seems to be seeping into almost every act these days. Also they paid the price for not strongly rehabbing Jack Swagger in preparation for his feud, as the crowd were dead for most of the match (as they were a few on the card) and completely lost interest near the finishing stretch, not accepting him in a match of this length. Was surprised with the Ambrose title change, and by the nature of the finish it looks like this isn’t the end, which should be good, but hopefully they get more time and manage it better on the next occasion. I thought Charlotte looked more at home as a heel, although I have many issues with the current angle, and liked the match with one reason being they took their time more than most.           

    Worst Match: Banks vs. Lynch **1/2

    Best Match: Usos vs. Lucha Dragons vs. New Day ****

    Rusev vs. Ryback ***

    Del Rio vs. Swagger ***

    ECW Originals vs. Wyatts ***

    Owens vs. Ambrose ***1/2

    Paige vs. Charlotte ***1/4

    Sheamus vs. Reigns **** 

    Thanks Dave

    Tom Griffiths

    Loved the show; probably my favorite wwe show this year.

    Best match: ADR vs Swagger
    Worst match: none really but will pick Rusev vs Rhyno

    Thanks,
    Erin Hotovy

    TLC

    Thumbs Up: Not a blowout show but it surpassed my expectations. The crowd helped them most of the way too. 

    Best Match: New Day vs Usos vs Lucha Dragons

    Worst Match: Rusev vs Ryback

    1. Sasha vs Becky. Good match. Sadly this was throw together at the last minute with no build up. Plus, Becky is suppose to be the face but they where on Sasha’s hometown so the reaction was reversed. Fans were into it. ***1/4

    2. New Day vs Lucha Dragons vs Usos. This was an spectacle. They went there with not much if a feud or storyline and literally stole the show with of the most creative and crazy bumps ever. WWE should seriously consider push Kalisto, he is amazing. ****1/4

    3. Rusev vs Ryback. They tried but it never clicked and they didn’t had much time either. *1/2

    4. ADR vs Swagger. None of them are over so what they did was fine. WWE should hire Ray Gonzalez and see if ADR can get a reaction with him. Carlito is still available. **

    5. Wyatt Family vs ECW Team. Just fine, fans were into it. Poor Rowan, I see him out of the Family pretty soon. **3/4

    6. Ambrose vs Owens. Match was just good but the reaction to the title change was great. ***1/2

    7. Charlotte vs Paige. So they decide to turn Charlotte full heel against a heel. Wouldn’t it more effective against someone like her friend Becky or hometown hero Sasha? My God that type of things are basic. Match was good. ***

    8. Sheamus vs Reigns. Okay this was something else. They pretty much killed themselves with stiff blows and hard bumps. I also really liked their approach of building the match and then go to the ladder part of it. That being said, nobody cared about them. “You look stupid” chants, Cena chants, Bryan chants, and boos in key spots are not good for a main event. It was a vocal minority but the rest weren’t cheering either. Then came the psychology issues. They want to set Roman vs Triple for Mania, which is the right move since it’s pretty clear that fans don’t care about Reigns with the title, and the post match was great but how they got there was wrong. First of all, what happened to Barrett? What about Roman’s friends Ambrose and the Usos? Roman pretty much lost clean, since it was a No DQ match. When the heels arrived it was the time for Ambrose and Usos to make the save then Roman doing his comeback on Sheamus and THEN Triple H screwing Roman out of the title, that way the heat would have been fully on Hunter. Now it came across like Roman is just a sore loser and Triple is an unsuspecting victim, which isn’t what a heel should be. ***3/4

    Early Mania Card prediction:

    Cena vs Undertaker in Taker’s last match; Lesnar vs Outsider (Batista, Goldberg, Angle, Lashley, Fedor!?); Roman vs Triple H; Bryan (Rumble winner) vs Sheamus for the WWE Title (which is a way to give the fans what they want and screw them at the same time); Charlotte vs Sasha for the Divas title; Owens vs Zayn for the IC Title; Wyatt Family vs Team Ambrose; Battle Royal; New Day vs Usos vs Lucha Dragons vs Dudleys for the Tag title; Austin as the host and special referee on one of the main events.

    Leonardo Mendez

    San Sebastian, PR

    Not a sell out. Empty seats Scattered seats throughout the arena. Probably about the same amount at RAW in October.

    Got to the arena at 645 and the crowd was starting New Day chants. They were over huge. Leaving the show, cars in the garage doing the new day sucks chants with their horns.

    Lots of Sasha chants before her match. They were into her during the Match, even after trying to turn her heel with the Team BAD 12 days of Christmas horse shit.

    The moment Reigns appeared as part of the TLC video package he was booed to death. At RAW here in October, they cheered Reigns.

    Crowd was jacked for the Tag match but clearly wanted the New Day to win. Went nuts for the Salida Del Sol spot. Kalisto was helped to the back by Sin Cara as he was walking gingerly.

    Dead crowd for Ryback/Rusev besides the “feed me more” stuff. Chants for the New England Patriots here and at other points during the show.

    Crowd  didn’t care about Del Rio and swagger

    Crowd was into the ECW originals. Bubba got checked on my multiple referees after the match and was helped to the back. He was in the ring for a while and had to get rolled outside.

    The crowd went nuts for Ambrose winning the title and into the match altogether. Owens heeling on Boston fans worked well.

    Crowd was into Paige and wanted her to win. For the most part they were into Flair but didn’t care about Charlotte either way.

    At first, the crowd shit all over the main event, with chants for Daniel Bryan and a “We miss Rollins” chants going on. They actually got into Reigns at the end but the finish took the sails out of the crowd and it left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. That did not go over well at all. Lots of unhappy fans at the end of that match. Felt like they just about killed him as a legitimate threat tonight among many fans.

    Next event in Boston is the March 22ns Smackdown Taping.

    Brian Bayless

    Thumbs in the middle

    I don’t like gimmick matches, so this isn’t really the PPV for me.  Everyone worked hard, but I couldn’t remove myself from the things that annoyed me in each match.  I have a hard time judging this PPV because the POST-match setup for Roman was so good compared to the wrestling that came before it.

    Best match: Tag team injury roulette

    Going into it I thought WWE would do something to play it safe, considering how injured their roster is.  I was wincing, worrying that these guys were just waiting to do a spot where someone would be injured.  To my knowledge, they beat the odds and walked away from a high risk match without injury.

    The New Day v. Usos v. Lucha Dragons overdelivered.  Lots of spots for over 15 minutes…And somehow it didn’t get boring to me?  They did something right.  And for a guy that hates these gimmick matches, I wish I could explain what it was that won me over.  It was good to see the Lucha Dragons perform to their ability.  Everyone looked good.

    Worst match: Team 90s v. Wyatts

    Whereas the tag teams overdelivered in the ladder match, this was bad.  The table gimmick didn’t make anything more exciting.  Tables were depicted as an accidental “you’re out” rather than a physical threat to go through.  Bad bad finish that was underwhelming.  A match with Team 90s members would have been better than the free-for-all.  Ryno, Dreamer, Dudleyz- those guys can go.  They’re vets that can build matches to make younger talent look good.  But making this a tables brawl just made everything look sloppy.

    Other notes:

    -I did not like the main event.  Somehow this came off like a low energy performance where Sheamus and Roman would walk each other from spot-station to spot station, where they’d take turns hitting a table or chair.  The finish of the match was awful, as the League of Nations & Sheamus still don’t seem like a larger threat than a team of Adam Rose, Zach Ryder, and Eric Rowan.  (The POST-match, however, was another story…)

    -WWE figured out how to get the fans united behind Roman: get us sick of his matches with midcarders.  Let him stand on his own against their only main event heel–> HHH.  Dave & Bryan have been talking about the lack of a top heel for awhile now.  HHH v. Roman is the inevitable and correct choice.  It means we can get a build for Roman that puts him on top without telegraphing (or needing to) put the title on him.  Good move.

    Nick Garcia

    @foothands

    Columbus, Oh

    Hey Dave,

    Thumbs in the middle show, maybe leaning up after a successful show closing angle. Nothing was outright bad, but most of the event lacked emotion and excitement. Right now, the product is stale, and this event felt like a talented group of performers trying to make a stale environment go down easier. There were some notable high points; such as the tag team ladder match and the Ambrose victory, but most of the show was forgettable.  The effort in all the matches was high. This was especially evident during the main event, but a heel champion who lacks credibility and a up and coming hero who lacks crowd fueled momentum creates a hostile environment in a outspoken market. With all that said, the show closing angle worked.  I am puzzled as to why, but the crowd came alive during Reigns’ freak out. This was especially notable when he turned his attention to Triple H and pulzerized the COO.  Reigns felt like a larger star with a more positive reaction by the end of the show. I guess it is reverse psychology- have him display vice to generate a positive crowd reaction. Bravery over benevolence. Vengeance over compassion. Pro wrestling in 2015.

    A. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch:  Wow! That rendition of the 12 days of Christmas was beyond bad. The ring work was mechanically sound and quite enjoyable. The crowd engagement and match drama was lacking. Good effort, but not a blow away match. **

    1. WWE Tag Team Title Ladder Match: The Usos vs. Lucha Dragons vs. The New Day. At this point, revolutionizing the stunt show ladder match is nearly impossible, but I did see some spots in this match that I have never seen before. The creativity and effort was definitely there. Each competitor was given a shot to shine. I believe Kallisto stood out the most. My only complaint was the finish, which was not the climax of the match by any means. Granted, a climatic finish to a stunt show is never easy to accomplish. ***3/4

    2. Rusev vs. Ryback.  Passable big guy match. I think the results would have been more satisfactory if the match was cut 4 minutes and the pace was frenetic throughout or if Rusev picked a body part to isolate and work over building to a Ryback comeback. The layout they used did not invite much crowd participation. The new presentation of Lana is starting to win me over. **

    3. WWE US Title Chair Match: Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger. First of all, the chair match is a dumb stipulation. As for the match itself, is started with good intensity, but lost momentum as it progressed. The crowd does not buy into Swagger as a legit contender and Del Rio is yet to find an identity that pushes or pull the fans either way. I think this contest would have been more successful if Del Rio would have brutally beat down Swagger throughout. Let’s face it, Swagger is not going anywhere. He would have been better off as a sacrificial lamb to build Del Rio. *3/4

    4. Tables Elimination Match: Wyatt Family vs. Team Extreme. There was a time when ECW and even WWE to some degree were able to present the beautiful disaster. In today’s day and age, it comes across as a mess. The mess started to get cleaned up towards the end with some drama and substance, but it never turned the corner or switched to a different gear. Strowman had a really rough night. He looked lost, because he was lost. At the end of the day, it was a strong win for the Wyatts but a sloppy match. **

    5. WWE IC Title Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens.  Strong match. It was the typical 21st century 50/50 back and forth match. The crowd was tame to start, but Owens and Ambrose won their attention and earned their appraisal with effort and athleticism. A number of the closing sequences were very good, and the finish spot was about perfect.  With more time, this could have been special. ***1/2

    6. WWE Divas’ Title Match: Charlotte vs. Paige. I had low expectations for this match, but it did exceed my expectations. It was a heel vs. heel match with Charlotte playing the stronger dominant heel.  This seems to be a role she is most comfortable with that has increasing possibilities for growth and development.  The build toward the finish was headed in the right direction, but they could not continue the climb towards being special. **1/2

    7. WWE World Title TLC Match: Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns.  Extremely physical match. These two guys beat the living hell out of each other and for the majority of the match and the crowd did not care. One could argue the lack of a reaction was the product of dimishing returns on high spots and weapon shots during the show, but I think the lion’s share of the blame lies on a heel lacking credibility and a baby face void of crowd fueled momentum. Much to my surprise, the crowd came alive after the superman punch table bump and the closing few minutes did stir up the crowd and build some drama. The League of Nations interference was predicable, but the lack of Ambrose and the Usos making the save was bizarre. Without Ambrose and the Usos, the finish did not seem ripe for the picking. ***

    –

    Derrick Hubbard

    THUMBS UP: Another over performing PPV.

    Best Match: Tag Team Title Match by a hair over World Title Match

    Worst Match: Rusev-Ryback

    Notes

    Tag Team Ladder Match: Terrific opening.  When you think you’ve seen everything in a ladder match, the Salida Del Sol was a great spot, without being super super risky.  All 3 teams did great, and Xavier was engaging on commentary.  The interference to help with the win is the right finish.  If the New Day are still going to be nominally heels, they have to cheat!  My only comment on laying out this kind of match is that you have to be careful to make these spots seem to have a purpose.  The Uso splashing Big E under the ladder of the outside, for example, made no sense in the context of a ladder match.  Still, very fun match.  I am not optimistic that one of other matches will be better than this.

    Rusev v The Rybak: Watching this video package before the match reminded me how much the Rusev-Lana act has been ruined, but also hopeful they can get it back.  Lana should not be a babyface at this point, and neither should Rusev.  The match itself was okay, a little flat, but that’s usually true when you have 2 big guys working together.  I would like to see Rusev develop a new finish other than the Camel Clutch.

    Swagger-ADR:  I usually like ADR’s matches, but I didn’t like that he was in the ankle lock for so long, and didn’t bother to sell the ankle when he climbed the ropes 90 seconds after breaking out of the ankle lock.  ADR’s move in the corner, similar to what Sascha Banks does, should not be a finisher.  The match was hard worked, but lacked an emotional investment, as evidenced by the long-absent “CM Punk” chants that briefly resurfaced.  ADR needs to be involved in something more significant.

    Wyatts-ECW Survivor Series Tables Match: I liked Bubba’s interview before the match.  They still might decide to really use this guy, perhaps the best promo on the current active roster.  I was hoping to see the resurgence of Luke Harper, and that was true to an extent.  I like the idea of Bubba facing the 3 Wyatts.  Anyway, a decent match, considering I am not really a fan of these type of stipulation situations.

    Owens-Ambrose:  I thought I detected the slightest note of heel impatience during DA’s interview segment with Roman Reigns.  KO’s promo (from the 2nd best promo guy on the active roster) while walking down to the ring killed that idea.  A pretty good match, but I really don’t like how this Ambrose character is intermittently invincible.  I did enjoy the “1 finger on the rope” spot, but I didn’t like Owens losing the way he did.  How will this affect the relationship between RR & DA?  There was to be something brewing there, since we see a lot of out-of-the-ring segments with those two.

    Charlotte-Paige:  In watching the pre-match package, I still can’t tell who I am supposed to be cheering for here.  (The truth is that the shadow of Sascha Banks is still over this match for me.)  The commentary tells me Charlotte is the heel.  The ladies worked a pretty good match here, and I really like seeing Ric Flair be a factor in the decision to solidify this heel turn.  Charlotte here has a chance to sit under the learning tree of one of the greatest heels of all time.  (I choose to ignore the fact that Paige’s head didn’t really come anywhere near the corner.)

    Side Note: It is interesting to think that, 30 years ago, when Flair was cutting those “Space Mountain” promos, Charlotte was a few months away from being born.

    Seamus v. Reigns:  I didn’t mind Seamus winning the title, because you can’t have him become the second person, after the currently-nowhere Damien Sandow, to fail to cash in the money in the bank.  But that doesn’t make him a feasible champion right now, frankly anymore than Reigns is.  The title picture is a problem.  So that is the context of this match.  

    Right near the beginning, was the crowd chanting “We want Cena!  Cena sucks?”

    I would like to see the League of Nations interfere in this match to save the title for Seamus in this no-DQ match.  (If Semus loses, the LON is dead — they should interfere, or try to, if they are a faction.)  Then Reigns can blame DA for not coming to help him, and Reigns can finally be the heel he needs to be for now.  Let’s watch.

    Aha!  The right result.  The question is what happens now with Reigns.

    These guys worked very hard, but I wish they would use these stipulation-prop matches more sparingly, less than once a year.  Especially with guys this big, it looks too dangerous to me.

    I think there is a foundation for good booking here.  Let’s see what happens!

    Richard Orloski

  • WWE hires Mauro Ranallo for Smackdown announcing role & more

    Photo: MauroRanallo.com

    As WWE was airing their final big event of the year with TLC, SI.com media critic and wrestling fan Richard Deitsch broke the news that longtime boxing, MMA, and New Japan Pro Wrestling play-by-play man Mauro Ranallo will be announced Monday as the new lead announcer on WWE Smackdown when the show moves to USA Network in January.

    Ranallo told SI that Michael Cole had reached out to him a month ago to ask if he had interest in working with WWE. Ranallo sent along some clips, including some commentary he did for a mock Floyd Mayweather vs. Warren Buffett fight for a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder conference. From the interview: “This was an opportunity I did not think I would get at this point of my career and I jumped on it,” Ranallo said. “I have been a lifelong fan of the product. Michael said that when Vince saw the Warren Buffet video, it seemed to cinch it. They believed I could sell the entertainment part.”

    Ranallo will continue to call both boxing for Showtime and GLORY kickboxing for ESPN, but will be a full-time employee of WWE, working backstage at RAW and other broadcasts in an unspecified capacity. While it wasn’t mentioned in the piece, it can be assumed Ranallo will no longer be calling NJPW on AXS TV. It’s also uncertain who his broadcast partners will be.

    The 45-year-old Ranallo got his start in combat sports in the pro wrestling business at just 16 years old for Vancouver, Canada,’s All-Star Wrestling. He has always been a fan and advocate for wrestling, slipping in plenty of references during many a fight he’s called cage/ringside.

  • WWE NXT Blackpool, England, results: Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin

    Submitted by Stephen Lyon | Blackpool, England

    The latest stop on NXT’s UK tour was in Blackpool, England tonight, for a sold out show at the 2,000 capacity Empress Ballroom, a beautiful building set up wonderfully with WWE’s usual production and lighting. It was a fantastic show, with several very good matches, an incredible atmosphere throughout and quite clearly, the performers were having an absolute ball in front of such a hot crowd.

    It felt like a special show, rather than just another stop on the tour. Part of that was due to the ornate ballroom they were running (rather than a regular arena like other stops on the tour), and part of it was due to the obvious factor of it being William Regal’s (and Robby Brookside’s too) return to the place they largely first made their names in wrestling some 30+ years ago. Both spoke about this in separate promos later on.

    NXT Tag Champions Dash & Dawson def. Enzo Amore & Big Cass to retain

    Enzo & Cass were predictably over huge, with everyone singing along to their opening catchphrases. They had a really good 20 minute match with the champs going over. Amore sold most of the way and they built to Cass getting the hot tag.

    Asuka def. Alexa Bliss

    Another really fun match. Both very over. Asuka made Bliss submit in 10 minutes.

    Bull Dempsey def. Tye Dillinger

    This was tons and tons more entertaining than you could possibly imagine and was one of my favourite matches of the night. Mostly comedy but really funny comedy, with the heel (Dillinger) being infuriated by the crowd’s antics. Firstly, fans were chanting ‘Bull is gorgeous’. They liked doing the ‘Ten, Ten’ thing with their hands like Dillinger, but when Dillinger went for a test of strength with one hand, fans were chanting ‘Five, Five’. Then when he pointed angrily with one finger, fans were chanting ‘One, One’. Each time, Dillinger flipped his lid. You probably had to be there, but the crowd had an absolute ball with this match. Dempsey won with a sit down splash off the top rope.

    – Jordan & Gable def. Blake & Murphy

    This was the match of the night. The crowd reaction for Gable & Jordan was OFF THE CHARTS. I’ve being going to wrestling for 25 years, have been to 5 Wrestlemanias and lots of post-WM Raws, as well as tons of wild UK indy crowds, but the duelling chants for Jordan and Gable at the start of this match was nuts, up there with the very best reactions I’ve witnessed in person. They literally didn’t lock up for the first 5 minutes because the crowd were singing, jumping up and down, going crazy. Blake & Murphy were great too, sold being pissed off, stormed off, came back, and the chants would start again. I noticed Canyon Ceman come out at the side of the entrance area during this craziness and he was visibly getting a kick out of it, taping the reactions on his phone. And then the match was excellent. Gable was phenomenal; how this guy (and Jordan for that matter) are not already on the main roster is travesty. 

    Intermisson

    After intermission, William Regal came out to a heroes’ welcome in his adopted home town. He came out to his normal theme, then after a few bars, it stopped. Instead they then played old-style Blackpool ballroom organ music, which he may have entered the ring to 30+ years ago. Regal engaged in some comedic banter with some overly rowdy ringside fans, and mentioned how, even though he originally wrestled many times in Blackpool in the early 1980s, this was his first time in this ballroom. He mentioned his former mentor Bobby Barron, and paid tribute to all the fans in attendance. This was all great. 

    – Nia Jaxx def. Carmella

    Quick match. Jax was over as a heel. Crowd liked Carmella and were chanting ‘How ya’ doing?’ at her.

    – Samoa Joe def. Apollo Crews

    Another very good match. Both worked really hard. They were a few ‘Uhaa Nation’ chants for Crews at the start of the match, as Crews wrestled numerous times in this region for Preston City Wrestling over the past few years prior to his WWE signing and was very popular. The fans then got into singing the Apollo Crews name. I thought it was really interesting seeing how Crews has adapted his wrestling style to WWE style, slowing down but making things mean more. Joe won with the muscle buster. Crowd cheered Joe too and didn’t really boo him at all.

    – NXT Women’s Champion Bayley def. Emma (w/Dana Brooke) to retain

    Crowd heavily cheered Bayley as expected. Another good match. Emma had a spot where she picked up Bayley’s belt and tried to run to the back with it, and the crowd sung ‘Same old Emma, always stealing!’ Ouch. Dana was thrown out by the referee for interfering prior to the finish.

    – NXT Champion Finn Balor def. Baron Corbin & Sami Zayn to retain

    Zayn was heavily cheered,more than Balor. Corbin was hated, but wasn’t resented like I thought he might be. There were some comedic spots where Zayn and Balor put on each other’s jackets and imitated each other. There was a frequent spot in the show where the crowd were chanting ‘<Wrestler X> give us a wave’, mainly directed at babyfaces. They sung ‘Corbin – give us a wave’ to mock him. Rather than ignore it like a heel, he sarcastically waved, which led to ‘Thank you Corbin’ chants. Finish saw Balor do a double foot stomp off the top on to Corbin for the win. Besides the comedy spots, all three worked very hard, much harder than a usual WWE main roster house show main event.

    Afterwards, Balor and Zayn remained in the ring. Zayn took the mic and said it was great to be back, and paid tribute to Regal for bringing him into WWE and making him want to be a wrestler. He then praised Robby Brookside and asked him to come out. Brookside came out to a huge ovation, with a ‘God Save The Queen’ Sex Pistols-type theme music used. Brookside gave a similar speech to Regal earlier, putting over their former mentor Bobby Baron and also paid tribute to the crowd, to end the show.

    Notes & Observations:

    – All in all, a fantastic show. With the hot crowd and unique setting, I’m kind of surprised they didn’t hold the Takeover event here. I get why they picked London, but Blackpool would have looked great on tv. Maybe in the future.

    – Crowd booed any mentions of the WWE TLC ppv (an advert played on the big screen), and during several matches, chanted ‘Better than Raw’.

    – The NXT crew was very visible around the town during the day, as most were clad in black NXT-branded tracksuits. A lot of the NXT crew including Matt Bloom had an afternoon meal at the Harry Ramsden’s Fish & Chips restaurant.

    – There were very few kids in the audience, the show drawing mostly young adults.

    – There was an interesting rumour going around (unconfirmed, but take this for what its’ worth) that the WWE Raw & Smackdown tv tapings next November will be held in Glasgow, Scotland for the first time, at the Hydro Arena. This, if true, would be a fascinating move, as they would likely be taking place 2 weeks before ICW runs the Hydro Arena for the biggest show in their history. I guess another business rival has been identified.