In the age of social media, it seems as though many look to focus on the negative aspects of sports, society, or politics. However, when "Thank You Naylor" trended on Twitter in 2013, it was a sign of acknowledgement for the work of a dedicated professional to the sports entertainment industry. It marked the conclusion of a Rob Naylor's two-year stint for WWE's developmental system, a tenure that saw him work alongside one of his childhood heroes, the legendary Dusty Rhodes. That social media appreciation stretched far beyond those two years in the Florida Championship Wrestling offices. For Rob Naylor, it was a shining accomplishment that had a lifetime of passionate fandom behind it.
But, how did the diehard tape trader and independent wrestling announcer find himself across the table from "The America Dream" in 2011?
Despite his very unique path in professional wrestling, the Pennsylvania native discovered the sport in a very ordinary way during his childhood, surfacing through the channels on an early Saturday morning.
"Most striking thing I recall was having watched other sports prior, was when Boris Zhukov hit a referee in midst of attacking Sgt .
Slaughter. Officials were never attacked in other sports so I
immediately was drawn to the unpredictable nature of TV wrestling.
Mayhem was an expectation every week," Naylor explained.
After the genre of theatrical violence became a regular part of his weekend, he began to search for more options beyond the limits of TV, an aspect that wasn't an easy task in the early 90s when Sega Genesis was considered a technological advancement. After a friend passed along a bootleg compilation tape of Great Muta matches, the impressionable Naylor was astounded at the grainy Japanese footage that was beamed through his VCR. Wanting access to more information from around the globe, he subscribed to Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer newsletter and added his name to its tape trader list, a decision that took his enthusiasm to another level.
"The earliest tapes I recall getting are a best of Sabu tape in 93 that
complete blew my mind and almost made everything I saw in wrestling
prior tame by comparison. Also, the classic Dr. Death vs. Kobashi match
from 1993. ECW TV tapes would follow and I was hooked. Getting
VHS tapes in the mail in days where footage was not readily available and pre-internet was the biggest thrill for a fan in those days," Naylor said.
He spent the rest of the decade collecting and consuming as much of the industry as he possibly could, learning as much about the athletes and the history of the squared circle as he could. At the start of the millennium when the business was at the peak of the Attitude era, independent cards became a more regular occurrence to capitalize on the surge in popularity of the sport. The chance to attend more live matches played another important role for him, opening the door to yet another side of professional wrestling.
"Seeing Low Ki hit an Orihara moonsault 15 minutes from my house was like
culture shock. I never knew indies could be so exciting. That led to an
obsession with the indies ever since. Some of my best wrestling memories
are live ROH shows and more recent PWG BOLA shows.
Just the best seeing top flight talent with no restrictions."
Naylor became such a familiar face at live events and a presence online with his well thought-out reviews of shows that he forged a friendship with many of the athletes that he saw perform, often exchanging online messages with Chris Hero among the many grapplers he connected with through the shared passion for the ring.
"I love wrestling just because the volume of great wrestling will always be there, whether past or present. I don't think I will ever not be a fan of wrestling, simply based on knowing there is always something fresh and new to check out. Even if what main stream TV wrestling isn't of any interest to me at points, there's always old tapes and DVDs to watch or some fresh new federation streaming," he said.
Eventually, his vast knowledge of the action inside the ring ropes earned him some valuable recommendations from his peers, and he was given the chance to test his skills behind the mic as a commentator. After just a few years of polishing and valuable advice from such luminaries as Jim Ross, Missy Hyatt, and Kevin Kelly, Rob found himself at the desk to call matches under the WWN umbrella of Dragon Gate USA and Evolve by 2010.
"My Favorite match I ever called where I also felt I did a good job commentary-wise was Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Will Ospreay from Evolve in Dallas. I owe so much to Lenny Leonard for really helping me along the way on commentary. He's the best," Naylor commented.
In 2011, on a whim, Naylor gave a sample of his work to the well-respected WWE producer, Joey Mercury without any expectations from it. Describing it as surreal, Rob received a call a short time later to tryout for a role as a creative assistant for the company's developmental system. Still in shock at this opportunity, he boarded a plane for Tampa and within weeks of his tryout, he was hired to work under the direction of the previously mentioned Dusty Rhodes.
"Working with Dusty was the apex of my time there. I always kind of lean toward saying I worked for Dusty, not WWE because I value one of those more than the other. Dusty was my childhood hero so winning him over and overcoming countless obstacles was a huge achievement for me. Him endorsing me both while there and on my way out in a very public manner is unreal to me. The times spent in a small office with Dusty and often Byron Saxton were great. Dusty had so many stories and was truly a one of a kind human being. As much of a legend and luminary as there ever was in wrestling. I was proud to call him my boss and honored to call him my friend," Rob remarked.
After two years of production work under the wing of a legendary Hall of Famer, Rob's time with the organization concluded as the previous FCW made its full transition to the NXT brand that is a staple of the WWE network today. Still very dedicated to broadcasting, Naylor plans to continue his work in newsrooms, citing the ability to learn diverse aspects of culture and meeting new people as enjoyable aspects of his work outside of the professional wrestling industry. When he's not wrangling stories in the newsroom, Naylor finds relaxation through early hip hop tunes and the sands of the beach. But, his passion for sports entertainment remains a part of the fabric of his life, even occasionally as a host for the Highspots Network.
"As far as within wrestling, I honestly am very happy being on the outside of it all once again. I can check things out here and there from time to time, and not put too much energy into it all. I still keep friends in literally every league possible in wrestling and value those I remain close with," he explained.
So, how did Rob Naylor achieve this dream job?
The sum total of Naylor's story in professional wrestling can seen through a combination of enthusiasm, passion, and hustle. His dedication to the industry made him a valuable assets among his peers while fans could identify with his infectious passion for the squared circle. In a sometimes cynical form of entertainment, Rob represented an overwhelming sense of positivity. More than anything, Naylor showed what can be possible when someone dares to pursue their dream job.
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Sunday, July 28, 2019
The AEW TV deal
Will All Elite Wrestling be more than a t-shirt company?
There are those that attempt to be contrarian to sound knowledgeable or try to prove they somehow know more than others. Since the official launch of AEW at the start of the year, there was a continuous debate among fans about the true status of the project started by Cody and The Young Bucks. While Dave Meltzer's claim that the "All Out" event could've sold out a stadium is bizarre and absurd, the actual numbers that All Elite Wrestling have generated prove that there's certainly the potential for a new era of professional wrestling, something the industry has needed for nearly two decades. Anyone that claims that AEW doesn't have a chance to make a major impact upon the sports entertainment landscape is simply being foolish. Granted, not everything that All Elite does is perfect, and it might not be for everyone, but the numbers tell an intriguing story ahead of their October debut on TNT.
To put things into the proper perspective, a look at the actual numbers, not estimates or projections, explains the level AEW might be able to reach if they can get off the ground on a long-term basis. As far as attendance goes, a live draw is one of ways to indicate the interest in a product. For example, when TNA drew some embarrassingly low numbers of just a few hundred for house shows at minor league baseball stadiums, it proved that they weren't providing or marketing a product that the fans wanted to pay to watch, which was also represented in their meager pay-per-view buy rates. At the All In event last year, the predecessor to All Elite, the Elite trio ran a 10,000-seat venue based on a bet with Meltzer. Mostly through social media buzz, the event at the Sears Center in Chicago sold out in less than thirty minutes. No professional wrestling card outside of the WWE umbrella had sold that many tickets since the heyday of World Championship Wrestling.
For comparison, the highest attendance in the history of TNA was the Lockdown pay-per-view in 2013 with an estimated 7,200 fans in the building. That was at a time when the company had Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Sting, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe under contract. The Dixie Carter organization had established television distribution on Spike TV and some of the biggest stars in the history of the sport signed to the company. Extreme Championship Wrestling had its highest attendance at the Anarchy Rulz PPV in 1999 with 6,000 fans in Chicago for the show. This event was held just weeks after the promotion started on national TV with the infamous TNN deal.
The official start of All Elite Wrestling was the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May that drew 12,000 fans to sell out the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and garnered an estimated 100,000 buys, another statistic that hadn't been seen outside of the WWE since the time of WCW. Fyter Fest last month that ran in conjunction with a video game convention, and Fight for the Fallen earlier this month drew roughly 5,000 fans respectively. It should be noted that both of those events were considered smaller events and were streamed on BR Live instead of broadcasted on PPV in the United States.
If the foundation of AEW leads to long term success remains to be seen, but the numbers prove that there's a demand and a market for an alternative product in the industry.
Granted, just because an alternative is there doesn't automatically translate to success, TNA is proof of that. Make no mistake about it, Tony Khan and the rest of AEW management will have to make the right decisions at the right time. Probably just as important, they will have to avoid the wrong decisions. Keep in mind, the brand has a die hard fan base and that allowed them to get this chance for a national TV deal, but at that level, the product will have to generate new fans for it to be success on a long term basis. The TNT show doesn't necessarily have to take fans away from WWE, but rather just get a portion of those fans to want to watch another wrestling show each week. With the countless hours of WWE programming already on television, that isn't as easy as it sounds because the modern era offers more channels for a viewing audience than any other time in history. Outside of the wrestling bubble, on a national level AEW will somewhat compete for the entertainment dollar as well.
Earlier this week, it was announced that the TNT show will air weekly on Wednesdays, debuting October 2 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, a 15,000-seat venue. While the buzz for the start of TV might allow for a solid draw for the debut show, I hope they run smaller venues after that simply because it would be a difficult task for an upstart group to run WWE-level venues before its an established commodity. Remember, the Monday night war (not to say this is another ratings battle) didn't start at a peak with record-setting ratings, but rather WCW spent a year and a half establishing the pieces of the puzzle on Monday night before the NWO angle made headlines. The point being, AEW will need to build the product and hopefully the audience going forward. That said, I would say that it will take at least a year gauge the status of All Elite as a TV product. I will be surprised if the TV tapings draw well consistently at the start of the touring schedule, simply because it's a very ambitious approach for a new group to run live TV events each week.
Reportedly, TNT is covering the production cost for the tapings, which would be a major positive for the potential of the AEW brand. While most die hard fans can quote the results of a random In Your House event from the 90s, some overlook the business side of the industry. The cost to run live weekly TV is exponential more than a set of tapings that covers multiple episodes. Each week the talent, crew, staff, and others must travel to the venues. There's also the costs of a building rental and the advertisement dollars to promote that event locally to draw a crowd. If TNT covers the production costs then a major portion of the expenses won't be on Tony Khan's tab. All Elite won't have to pay for a camera crew, production trucks etc. In theory, it's a win-win situation because the AEW TV show gives the network first-run live programming each week so that could boost ad revenue.
Quite literally, the bottom line to any business venture is the combination of revenue and profit. While the Khan family are billionaires, they didn't get to that position because they ran businesses that lost money. Make no mistake, if AEW runs in the red in a few years, the Khan family will close up shop. This is where a common sense business approach is necessary, and there's certainly a gamble to this project. Tony Khan offers comparable contracts to the WWE with a theoretical lighter schedule to get talent to sign a contract with the company. They are going to run weekly TV in an effort to build and sell a pay-per-view event. Along with that are ticket sales, merchandise and buy rates. Obviously, the ability to establish and maximize those revenue streams are important to success.
If All Elite Wrestling gets off the ground remains to be seen, and it's without question a tough task. It's very possible that the novelty of AEW wears off after a few weeks on the road in October and they tape TV in front of 500 fans in a mostly empty arena. On the other hand, if an alternative product is truly established, it could reboot the business on a national stage, an aspect of the industry that has been rather stale the past few years. If I had to make a prediction on the prospect of AEW, it would be nothing more than a guess. However, I will say that the timing of the pieces of the puzzle have organically fit into place, which is usually how new eras of the sports have started before. Kenny Omega became one of the most popular gaijin in New Japan and had the chance to compete against Okada when the two are in the prime of their careers. The Young Bucks became extremely popular through social media and built a dedicated fan base. Cody was frustrated with WWE and asked for a release all within a few years. At the same time, there's a certain amount of discontent with the WWE product and a demand for an alternative promotion. The totality of those elements can't be planned or manufactured so the status of the sport might be right for AEW to shift the direction of the industry.
There are those that attempt to be contrarian to sound knowledgeable or try to prove they somehow know more than others. Since the official launch of AEW at the start of the year, there was a continuous debate among fans about the true status of the project started by Cody and The Young Bucks. While Dave Meltzer's claim that the "All Out" event could've sold out a stadium is bizarre and absurd, the actual numbers that All Elite Wrestling have generated prove that there's certainly the potential for a new era of professional wrestling, something the industry has needed for nearly two decades. Anyone that claims that AEW doesn't have a chance to make a major impact upon the sports entertainment landscape is simply being foolish. Granted, not everything that All Elite does is perfect, and it might not be for everyone, but the numbers tell an intriguing story ahead of their October debut on TNT.
To put things into the proper perspective, a look at the actual numbers, not estimates or projections, explains the level AEW might be able to reach if they can get off the ground on a long-term basis. As far as attendance goes, a live draw is one of ways to indicate the interest in a product. For example, when TNA drew some embarrassingly low numbers of just a few hundred for house shows at minor league baseball stadiums, it proved that they weren't providing or marketing a product that the fans wanted to pay to watch, which was also represented in their meager pay-per-view buy rates. At the All In event last year, the predecessor to All Elite, the Elite trio ran a 10,000-seat venue based on a bet with Meltzer. Mostly through social media buzz, the event at the Sears Center in Chicago sold out in less than thirty minutes. No professional wrestling card outside of the WWE umbrella had sold that many tickets since the heyday of World Championship Wrestling.
For comparison, the highest attendance in the history of TNA was the Lockdown pay-per-view in 2013 with an estimated 7,200 fans in the building. That was at a time when the company had Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Sting, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe under contract. The Dixie Carter organization had established television distribution on Spike TV and some of the biggest stars in the history of the sport signed to the company. Extreme Championship Wrestling had its highest attendance at the Anarchy Rulz PPV in 1999 with 6,000 fans in Chicago for the show. This event was held just weeks after the promotion started on national TV with the infamous TNN deal.
The official start of All Elite Wrestling was the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May that drew 12,000 fans to sell out the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and garnered an estimated 100,000 buys, another statistic that hadn't been seen outside of the WWE since the time of WCW. Fyter Fest last month that ran in conjunction with a video game convention, and Fight for the Fallen earlier this month drew roughly 5,000 fans respectively. It should be noted that both of those events were considered smaller events and were streamed on BR Live instead of broadcasted on PPV in the United States.
If the foundation of AEW leads to long term success remains to be seen, but the numbers prove that there's a demand and a market for an alternative product in the industry.
Granted, just because an alternative is there doesn't automatically translate to success, TNA is proof of that. Make no mistake about it, Tony Khan and the rest of AEW management will have to make the right decisions at the right time. Probably just as important, they will have to avoid the wrong decisions. Keep in mind, the brand has a die hard fan base and that allowed them to get this chance for a national TV deal, but at that level, the product will have to generate new fans for it to be success on a long term basis. The TNT show doesn't necessarily have to take fans away from WWE, but rather just get a portion of those fans to want to watch another wrestling show each week. With the countless hours of WWE programming already on television, that isn't as easy as it sounds because the modern era offers more channels for a viewing audience than any other time in history. Outside of the wrestling bubble, on a national level AEW will somewhat compete for the entertainment dollar as well.
Earlier this week, it was announced that the TNT show will air weekly on Wednesdays, debuting October 2 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, a 15,000-seat venue. While the buzz for the start of TV might allow for a solid draw for the debut show, I hope they run smaller venues after that simply because it would be a difficult task for an upstart group to run WWE-level venues before its an established commodity. Remember, the Monday night war (not to say this is another ratings battle) didn't start at a peak with record-setting ratings, but rather WCW spent a year and a half establishing the pieces of the puzzle on Monday night before the NWO angle made headlines. The point being, AEW will need to build the product and hopefully the audience going forward. That said, I would say that it will take at least a year gauge the status of All Elite as a TV product. I will be surprised if the TV tapings draw well consistently at the start of the touring schedule, simply because it's a very ambitious approach for a new group to run live TV events each week.
Reportedly, TNT is covering the production cost for the tapings, which would be a major positive for the potential of the AEW brand. While most die hard fans can quote the results of a random In Your House event from the 90s, some overlook the business side of the industry. The cost to run live weekly TV is exponential more than a set of tapings that covers multiple episodes. Each week the talent, crew, staff, and others must travel to the venues. There's also the costs of a building rental and the advertisement dollars to promote that event locally to draw a crowd. If TNT covers the production costs then a major portion of the expenses won't be on Tony Khan's tab. All Elite won't have to pay for a camera crew, production trucks etc. In theory, it's a win-win situation because the AEW TV show gives the network first-run live programming each week so that could boost ad revenue.
Quite literally, the bottom line to any business venture is the combination of revenue and profit. While the Khan family are billionaires, they didn't get to that position because they ran businesses that lost money. Make no mistake, if AEW runs in the red in a few years, the Khan family will close up shop. This is where a common sense business approach is necessary, and there's certainly a gamble to this project. Tony Khan offers comparable contracts to the WWE with a theoretical lighter schedule to get talent to sign a contract with the company. They are going to run weekly TV in an effort to build and sell a pay-per-view event. Along with that are ticket sales, merchandise and buy rates. Obviously, the ability to establish and maximize those revenue streams are important to success.
If All Elite Wrestling gets off the ground remains to be seen, and it's without question a tough task. It's very possible that the novelty of AEW wears off after a few weeks on the road in October and they tape TV in front of 500 fans in a mostly empty arena. On the other hand, if an alternative product is truly established, it could reboot the business on a national stage, an aspect of the industry that has been rather stale the past few years. If I had to make a prediction on the prospect of AEW, it would be nothing more than a guess. However, I will say that the timing of the pieces of the puzzle have organically fit into place, which is usually how new eras of the sports have started before. Kenny Omega became one of the most popular gaijin in New Japan and had the chance to compete against Okada when the two are in the prime of their careers. The Young Bucks became extremely popular through social media and built a dedicated fan base. Cody was frustrated with WWE and asked for a release all within a few years. At the same time, there's a certain amount of discontent with the WWE product and a demand for an alternative promotion. The totality of those elements can't be planned or manufactured so the status of the sport might be right for AEW to shift the direction of the industry.
Friday, July 19, 2019
Charity event for a good cause
This Sunday, grapplers from around the Ohio wrestling scene and the surrounding states join forces with national stars to present a night of memorable action for a good cause, Dropkick Diabetes 5, a benefit for the Akron Children's Hospital endocrinology department. The Saxon Club in Youngstown, Ohio will host the event that will feature appearances from Impact Wrestling stars, Kongo Kong and Madman Fulton, independent wrestling legend, Matt Cross, and ECW alumni, Guido.
A project launched in 2015, the Dropkick Diabetes series represents a way to honor those of the past and benefits those that will be affected by the disease in the future. Known in the ring as Max Alexander, Matt Galchick has spent the past several years as a villainous figure around the tri-state area. However, the real-life Galchick made it a personal goal of his to contribute to the organization that played a critical role for his family. His young son, Timmy was diagnosed with type one diabetes in 2012 before he was rushed to the Akron hospital in late-2014 with a life-threatening case of diabetic shock. Thankfully, the Akron medical team acted quickly and Timmy recovered. The incident lead Galchick to pair up with Quaker City Wrestling promoter, Kevin Koppel to start the Dropkick shows. Sadly, Koppel is familiar with the effects of the illness as well. Koppel's close friend, Kaity Jones passed away from complications of the disease at the age of just 18 in 2011. As much as this event is designed to benefit the Children's Hospital, organizers also consider it a way to honor Kaity's memory.
Along with the television stars such as Kongo Kong, Madman Fulton, and Matt Cross, some of the brightest young talent from the mid-west will get the opportunity to showcase their skills on this notable platform. Talent from the well-known Absolute Intense Wrestling promotion is scheduled to be there along with other competitors from the state's Mega Championship Wrestling. For example, AIW member Zach Thomas, who recently competed in the group's stellar J-Lit tournament, looks to use the Dropkick event as a way to add to a good cause and prove himself to those in attendance.
"It's time to show the world why AIW is absolutely the best promotion on Ohio today," Thomas commented.
Beyond the Ohio boarders, a few of Pittsburgh's most talented athletes will make their way to Youngstown to compete in a six-man tag team bout. Duke Davis and Ganon Jones Jr. have thrilled audiences around the steel city for the past several years as their combination of size, speed, and power make them a valuable asset in the squared circle. Dubbed "The Mane Event," many consider Duke and Ganon to be the best tag team in Pittsburgh today. They will be joined by Tony Johnson, an athlete that has really found himself in recent years and received rave reviews for his work in Pittsburgh veteran, Brandon K's Ryse promotion.
"The Mane wouldn’t be the same without kids coming out to the show. So, it’s only right we help fight for this cause and do our part in helping raise money for finding a cure for childhood diabetes," Duke Davis explained.
The main event of the show will be a very special tag match as Marino Tenaglia and Philly Collins, collectively known as the Philly Marino Experience will face off against the unique pair of Mambo Italiano and wrestling legend, Guido to form the FBI 2.0 for this special event. Winners of AIW's Chandler Biggins Memorial Tag Team Tournament just last month, The Philly Marino Experience are one of the fastest rising teams on the independent scene. Both Marino and Collins consider this show to be a very important chance to contribute to a good cause.
"It’s an amazing feeling every time we get to go out and entertain a crowd, to let them escape reality for a few hours. It’s an even better feeling knowing we aren’t just entertaining, not just raising awareness, but also raising money for those who truly need it. We can’t wait to fill the building with good times and good vibes," Marino said.
As mentioned, the Lance Storm student, Mambo will work alongside Guido for the other half of the main event as FBI 2.0 at this show. A professional for nearly three decades, Guido learned under catch wrestling legend, Billy Robinson. During his time as a pro, the competitor occasionally known as Nunzio worked for nearly every major promotion of his era, appearing for ECW, WWE, TNA, Ring of Honor, countless independent groups. Despite some of his memorable comedy segments in ECW with legends such as Tommy Rich and Tracy Smothers as a part of the original Full Bloodied Italian stable, Nunzio has an extensive technical wrestling background. Aside from his previously mentioned training with Robinson, he competed in shoot wrestling matches for the UWFi league in Japan early in his career. With numerous pay-per-view and television appearances as well as several championships on his resume, there's no doubt that Nunizo built a stellar career over the years.
With dozens of athletes scheduled for the event, the fans in attendance are definitely going to see a tremendous event that will benefit a good cause for the Akron Children's hospital. It's great to see so many independent stars, television stars, and even a few legends get together to help fight this illness. More than anything, it's always nice to see the sport of professional wrestling used to help contribute to a good cause for this event.
A project launched in 2015, the Dropkick Diabetes series represents a way to honor those of the past and benefits those that will be affected by the disease in the future. Known in the ring as Max Alexander, Matt Galchick has spent the past several years as a villainous figure around the tri-state area. However, the real-life Galchick made it a personal goal of his to contribute to the organization that played a critical role for his family. His young son, Timmy was diagnosed with type one diabetes in 2012 before he was rushed to the Akron hospital in late-2014 with a life-threatening case of diabetic shock. Thankfully, the Akron medical team acted quickly and Timmy recovered. The incident lead Galchick to pair up with Quaker City Wrestling promoter, Kevin Koppel to start the Dropkick shows. Sadly, Koppel is familiar with the effects of the illness as well. Koppel's close friend, Kaity Jones passed away from complications of the disease at the age of just 18 in 2011. As much as this event is designed to benefit the Children's Hospital, organizers also consider it a way to honor Kaity's memory.
Along with the television stars such as Kongo Kong, Madman Fulton, and Matt Cross, some of the brightest young talent from the mid-west will get the opportunity to showcase their skills on this notable platform. Talent from the well-known Absolute Intense Wrestling promotion is scheduled to be there along with other competitors from the state's Mega Championship Wrestling. For example, AIW member Zach Thomas, who recently competed in the group's stellar J-Lit tournament, looks to use the Dropkick event as a way to add to a good cause and prove himself to those in attendance.
"It's time to show the world why AIW is absolutely the best promotion on Ohio today," Thomas commented.
Beyond the Ohio boarders, a few of Pittsburgh's most talented athletes will make their way to Youngstown to compete in a six-man tag team bout. Duke Davis and Ganon Jones Jr. have thrilled audiences around the steel city for the past several years as their combination of size, speed, and power make them a valuable asset in the squared circle. Dubbed "The Mane Event," many consider Duke and Ganon to be the best tag team in Pittsburgh today. They will be joined by Tony Johnson, an athlete that has really found himself in recent years and received rave reviews for his work in Pittsburgh veteran, Brandon K's Ryse promotion.
"The Mane wouldn’t be the same without kids coming out to the show. So, it’s only right we help fight for this cause and do our part in helping raise money for finding a cure for childhood diabetes," Duke Davis explained.
The main event of the show will be a very special tag match as Marino Tenaglia and Philly Collins, collectively known as the Philly Marino Experience will face off against the unique pair of Mambo Italiano and wrestling legend, Guido to form the FBI 2.0 for this special event. Winners of AIW's Chandler Biggins Memorial Tag Team Tournament just last month, The Philly Marino Experience are one of the fastest rising teams on the independent scene. Both Marino and Collins consider this show to be a very important chance to contribute to a good cause.
"It’s an amazing feeling every time we get to go out and entertain a crowd, to let them escape reality for a few hours. It’s an even better feeling knowing we aren’t just entertaining, not just raising awareness, but also raising money for those who truly need it. We can’t wait to fill the building with good times and good vibes," Marino said.
As mentioned, the Lance Storm student, Mambo will work alongside Guido for the other half of the main event as FBI 2.0 at this show. A professional for nearly three decades, Guido learned under catch wrestling legend, Billy Robinson. During his time as a pro, the competitor occasionally known as Nunzio worked for nearly every major promotion of his era, appearing for ECW, WWE, TNA, Ring of Honor, countless independent groups. Despite some of his memorable comedy segments in ECW with legends such as Tommy Rich and Tracy Smothers as a part of the original Full Bloodied Italian stable, Nunzio has an extensive technical wrestling background. Aside from his previously mentioned training with Robinson, he competed in shoot wrestling matches for the UWFi league in Japan early in his career. With numerous pay-per-view and television appearances as well as several championships on his resume, there's no doubt that Nunizo built a stellar career over the years.
With dozens of athletes scheduled for the event, the fans in attendance are definitely going to see a tremendous event that will benefit a good cause for the Akron Children's hospital. It's great to see so many independent stars, television stars, and even a few legends get together to help fight this illness. More than anything, it's always nice to see the sport of professional wrestling used to help contribute to a good cause for this event.
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Brock Lesnar wins the title
Just a few weeks ago, the WWE made a very public announcement that Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff were added to the management team as Executive Directors of Raw and Smackdown respectively. Despite the initial statement that this wouldn't be a role on television, Heyman more or less acknowledged it during a promo this week on Raw. As I said in an article a few days after the announcement, this whole situation could be a smoke screen to attempt to skew the perception of the product, which might be possible because the "new era" of Raw yielded mixed results so far. For example, Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman went through the stage with the addition of pryo that got noticed for the camera work as well as the TV time that was used for it. At the same time, the brand extension is still a convoluted mess with the nonsensical wild card rule, Shane McMahon continues to get more TV time than most of the roster, and the main event scene will be recycled for Summer Slam next month.
Too often over the past year, management claimed that there was a "fresh start" or a "shake up," but those terms are just an attempt at a PR spin. The illogical structure of the product hinders the ability for those on the roster to truly establish themselves as legitimate money-drawing stars and thus WWE brass relies on nostalgia acts to boost programming that can't garner ratings for the current audience. As far as the structure goes, one of the prime examples is the use of the previously mentioned Shane McMahon since the heel turn. In theory, Drew McIntyre being paired with him should elevate his status in the company by the association with the last name McMahon. Instead, Shane is the focus of the angle while Drew is more or less his sidekick. In many ways, how this storyline was booked is basically the opposite of how an effective angle is designed. Again, Shane is the prime figure based on the promos and how the angle is portrayed on television. Shane doesn't endorse Drew ahead of a match, but rather he's in the matches himself and McIntyre is often lost in the shuffle. Plus, it's not as though Drew is being protected for a long term program that will payoff to make him a more prominent member of the roster, as he was pinned by Cedric Alexander this week on Raw. Don't get me wrong, Cedric is extremely talented, but up until two weeks ago he was forgotten on 205 Live so how does that put McIntyre in a better spot on Raw? Yes, there's speculation that it could be McIntyre vs. The Undertaker at the pay-per-view next month, but if that happens and even if Drew wins, considering the track record, will it matter in the future? The bottom line is, this angle with Shane McMahon hasn't done anything to make Drew McIntyre a bigger star and for someone that is supposedly a priority for the writing team, he continues to be at mid-card status.
According to The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, Braun Strowman has been working through some injuries, and while most of what Meltzer says should be taken with a grain of salt, Strowman does appear to have some mobility problems in recent months. As I said previously, management missed the boat with Braun a few years ago, and considering that injuries might've taken their toll on his body with the grueling schedule, he might be stuck at his current position on the card. It's a very disappointing scenario because of how over Braun was at one point and the effort was clearly there so he worked hard to reach that level with the crowd. I've often discussed the level of complacency and mediocrity that takes place because of the 50/50 nature of the product. Essentially, very few stand out as stars when the brand is pushed as the draw and talent become interchangeable so viewership plateaued. Along with that, there's the aspect to the product that most of what happens as far as stipulations and results are often inconsequential because it doesn't really have an impact on the direction of the show. How many times is there a match at a pay-per-view and then a rematch the next night on Raw? How often are main event match-ups repeated because a perceived lack of star power for new challengers? Furthermore, other than Roman Reigns, how many new stars that could boost numbers have been made in the past few years?
Part of the reason for the lack of a new group of stars that could usher in a new era after John Cena's run is because management has yet to truly let a talent run with the top spot in the company.Sure, they tried with Roman Reigns, but that was rejected so Brock Lesnar currently has the spot as the top drawing card. The problem is, Brock was paid major money for a limited schedule to set up a payoff to put Reigns over, but Reigns didn't get over at the time so Lesnar still has the most star power on the roster, mostly because of how strong he was booked previously for the payoff to get Reigns over that was rejected. During that Roman push, there were others that got over with the audience, but were kept at a lower tier because the bigger picture was based on Reigns, which would've been fine if there was a successful payoff at the conclusion. Now, most of the upper card competitors are more or less at the same level in terms of star power. The example I've used before is, if Finn Balor was booked against Brock at Wrestlemania instead of Seth Rollins, would it make a difference in the numbers?
Basically, management hasn't truly decided to attempt to run with the next top star. At 42, Lesnar obviously isn't the future so when does the Brock experiment payoff? When does the limited schedule to allow for special appearances propel the next major star? Let's be honest here, the "special appearances" theory became more of a defense for a show that didn't have the title to build around than anything else. Perhaps, the ratings have slipped because the viewing audience knows that most of the major booking on Raw is based strictly around the shows after PPVs and progress usually isn't made on a weekly basis so a viewer could skip weeks of TV without actually missing any of the storylines.
I don't know if Seth Rollins is the next main event star for the company to build around, but the writing team certainty hasn't help the situation. Seth was the competitor to finally beat Brock Lesnar and he only had a three month run as champion. During that time, he feuded with Baron Corbin, who was portrayed as the reason the ratings tanked earlier this year so how exactly has Rollins been made a bigger star since he won the title? Furthermore, Brock Lesnar won the title at Extreme Rules and Seth won the battle royal to set up a rematch at Summer Slam. So, within the span of three months with the countless hours of television and extended pay-per-views on the network, the status of the product is more or less the same. The storyline for the main event of Summer Slam is the recycled angle from Wrestlemania. All things considered, did the results of the biggest show of the year really make a difference to the product?
Next week will be a "Raw Reunion" show and it's definitely an event used as a short term ratings boost, which is fine. However, what does it say about the product when the majority of the nostalgia acts that will appear on the show are bigger stars than anyone on the current roster?
Too often over the past year, management claimed that there was a "fresh start" or a "shake up," but those terms are just an attempt at a PR spin. The illogical structure of the product hinders the ability for those on the roster to truly establish themselves as legitimate money-drawing stars and thus WWE brass relies on nostalgia acts to boost programming that can't garner ratings for the current audience. As far as the structure goes, one of the prime examples is the use of the previously mentioned Shane McMahon since the heel turn. In theory, Drew McIntyre being paired with him should elevate his status in the company by the association with the last name McMahon. Instead, Shane is the focus of the angle while Drew is more or less his sidekick. In many ways, how this storyline was booked is basically the opposite of how an effective angle is designed. Again, Shane is the prime figure based on the promos and how the angle is portrayed on television. Shane doesn't endorse Drew ahead of a match, but rather he's in the matches himself and McIntyre is often lost in the shuffle. Plus, it's not as though Drew is being protected for a long term program that will payoff to make him a more prominent member of the roster, as he was pinned by Cedric Alexander this week on Raw. Don't get me wrong, Cedric is extremely talented, but up until two weeks ago he was forgotten on 205 Live so how does that put McIntyre in a better spot on Raw? Yes, there's speculation that it could be McIntyre vs. The Undertaker at the pay-per-view next month, but if that happens and even if Drew wins, considering the track record, will it matter in the future? The bottom line is, this angle with Shane McMahon hasn't done anything to make Drew McIntyre a bigger star and for someone that is supposedly a priority for the writing team, he continues to be at mid-card status.
According to The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, Braun Strowman has been working through some injuries, and while most of what Meltzer says should be taken with a grain of salt, Strowman does appear to have some mobility problems in recent months. As I said previously, management missed the boat with Braun a few years ago, and considering that injuries might've taken their toll on his body with the grueling schedule, he might be stuck at his current position on the card. It's a very disappointing scenario because of how over Braun was at one point and the effort was clearly there so he worked hard to reach that level with the crowd. I've often discussed the level of complacency and mediocrity that takes place because of the 50/50 nature of the product. Essentially, very few stand out as stars when the brand is pushed as the draw and talent become interchangeable so viewership plateaued. Along with that, there's the aspect to the product that most of what happens as far as stipulations and results are often inconsequential because it doesn't really have an impact on the direction of the show. How many times is there a match at a pay-per-view and then a rematch the next night on Raw? How often are main event match-ups repeated because a perceived lack of star power for new challengers? Furthermore, other than Roman Reigns, how many new stars that could boost numbers have been made in the past few years?
Part of the reason for the lack of a new group of stars that could usher in a new era after John Cena's run is because management has yet to truly let a talent run with the top spot in the company.Sure, they tried with Roman Reigns, but that was rejected so Brock Lesnar currently has the spot as the top drawing card. The problem is, Brock was paid major money for a limited schedule to set up a payoff to put Reigns over, but Reigns didn't get over at the time so Lesnar still has the most star power on the roster, mostly because of how strong he was booked previously for the payoff to get Reigns over that was rejected. During that Roman push, there were others that got over with the audience, but were kept at a lower tier because the bigger picture was based on Reigns, which would've been fine if there was a successful payoff at the conclusion. Now, most of the upper card competitors are more or less at the same level in terms of star power. The example I've used before is, if Finn Balor was booked against Brock at Wrestlemania instead of Seth Rollins, would it make a difference in the numbers?
Basically, management hasn't truly decided to attempt to run with the next top star. At 42, Lesnar obviously isn't the future so when does the Brock experiment payoff? When does the limited schedule to allow for special appearances propel the next major star? Let's be honest here, the "special appearances" theory became more of a defense for a show that didn't have the title to build around than anything else. Perhaps, the ratings have slipped because the viewing audience knows that most of the major booking on Raw is based strictly around the shows after PPVs and progress usually isn't made on a weekly basis so a viewer could skip weeks of TV without actually missing any of the storylines.
I don't know if Seth Rollins is the next main event star for the company to build around, but the writing team certainty hasn't help the situation. Seth was the competitor to finally beat Brock Lesnar and he only had a three month run as champion. During that time, he feuded with Baron Corbin, who was portrayed as the reason the ratings tanked earlier this year so how exactly has Rollins been made a bigger star since he won the title? Furthermore, Brock Lesnar won the title at Extreme Rules and Seth won the battle royal to set up a rematch at Summer Slam. So, within the span of three months with the countless hours of television and extended pay-per-views on the network, the status of the product is more or less the same. The storyline for the main event of Summer Slam is the recycled angle from Wrestlemania. All things considered, did the results of the biggest show of the year really make a difference to the product?
Next week will be a "Raw Reunion" show and it's definitely an event used as a short term ratings boost, which is fine. However, what does it say about the product when the majority of the nostalgia acts that will appear on the show are bigger stars than anyone on the current roster?
Friday, July 12, 2019
Slammiversary review
Last weekend, Impact Wrestling presented its most recent pay-per-view, Slammiversary, which is considered an acknowledgement of the seventeenth year of the company. While that's astounding all things considered, especially the rocky conclusion of the Dixie Carter era, the Impact of today is basically a completely different promotion than the TNA that started as a weekly PPV in 2002. As usual, the show opened with the X-Division scramble match and it's a solid way to start the event, but it's more or less a stand alone match that probably won't have any effect on the product beyond this show. As I said after the Rebellion PPV, these scramble contests provide a good kickoff, but there's zero character development or any storylines involved so it only minimally benefits the winners of these matches. For example, Ace Austin, who is a talented athlete, won the scramble opener at Rebellion, but wasn't even on this card so how exactly did the victory elevate his status? Willie Mack won the scramble at Slammiversary and hopefully management has more plans for him. Willie Mack is a very unique athlete and thus gives the organization something unique to promote, which is a valuable asset in the crowded current wrestling landscape. TJP was also involved in this match, but aside from a recent WWE run, I'm not sure what he really brings to the table. He spent the majority of his WWE stint on 205 Live, which is more anonymous than the witness protection program. Supposedly, TJP was known for backstage attitude problems during his WWE career, but that has to be taken with a grant of salt because those are only rumors. Still, TJP doesn't bring star power to Impact and has a rather bland character so it remains to be seen if he will be an asset for the company.
The North, Ethan Page and Josh Alexander, retained the tag titles after they won the belts during the weekend shows. It should be noted that this tag team combination is probably the best use of both Page and Alexander, as they are talented competitors that finally got a chance to showcase their skills on a more notable stage. Granted, Page was booked as Joseph Park's sidekick a few years ago, but that storyline did nothing for his career. At a time when the promotion needs depth to keep pace in the previously mentioned saturated wrestling landscape, The North certainly help that situation. At the same time, LAX reportedly finished up with the organization and that's the exit of arguably the best tag team on the roster. More specifically, LAX was a bright spot during some of the rocky times of Impact. This is another aspect where the Anthem Sports property might simply get squeezed out of the industry because there are options for talent and thus the bidding to sign that talent. This is also when Impact's lack of main stream distribution could prevent them from signing or keeping certain talent under contract. All Elite Wrestling has the buzz to make major waves in the wrestling business and to do that they are offering comparable deals to WWE to be able to realistically bid for talent. At the same time, the WWE have offered more money in an attempt to secure talent to limit the the possible depth AEW could add to its roster. Where does that leave Impact? If given the choice, what's better about signing an Impact contract than elsewhere?
Keep in mind, this isn't a jab against Impact, but rather a realistic view of the situation. AEW is set to start on TNT in October and their existence alone has shifted the direction of the industry. Granted, if All Elite gets off the ground remains to be seen, but they at least have the pieces of the puzzle assembled to have a chance to provide some legitimate competition in sports entertainment for the first time in nearly two decades. On the flip side, WWE is a global publicly-traded company that will generate record-setting revenue when it starts the new TV contracts later this year so what makes Impact a better option?
The Eddie Edwards-Killer Kross match was a solid match, despite the gimmick finish for the first blood stipulation. I penned an article a few weeks ago about the Kross situation where he requested his release because he didn't get the raise he asked for and wanted to explore other options. Considering the departure of LAX, the Lucha Brothers, and Johnny Impact, I'd say that assuming the money is there, it would be a wise decision for the group to invest in Kross to keep him on the roster. Make no mistake about it, in a competitive market for talent, it wouldn't be a surprise if Kross was offered a contract elsewhere. Kross has the persona and in-skills to be an asset for either AEW or WWE. Eddie Edwards is a solid competitor, and hopefully, his character will evolve because he's more talented than the somewhat hokey gimmick he used the past several months.
The Moose-RVD contest was decent, but nothing spectacular. More than anything, Rob Van Dam really showed his age during this match. Considering that his signature style is completely associated with his character, he probably won't adapt his style, but he definitely isn't as crisp as he used to be. Granted, that's understandable given his age, but at the same time, the quality of the performance wasn't really what's expected from an athlete that has such a well-known track record of spectacular matches. Moose might have the potential to become a bigger star, but I'm not sure if working with an older RVD will get him there.
The monster's ball match was sloppy, but entertaining. The sloppy aspect of this contest was basically unavoidable so the four wrestlers involved probably did the best they could with the stipulation of the match. It should be noted that this bout showcased that Impact has a solid women's division and each wrestler has a well-established character.
The Swann-Impact bout was solid so there's nothing necessarily to discuss in terms of the in-ring content, but John Morrison's departure could be the bigger story. Despite a lengthy run in the industry as far back as a season of Tough Enough in the early 2000s, Morrison's career seems a little underwhelming because he appeared to have the skills to be a much bigger star than he was during his WWE run. He arrived for Impact Wrestling almost two years ago, but at that point he wasn't on main stream TV in the United States for several years so he didn't have the same star power he did previously. His persona and move set has more or less been the same since his WWE run so it's doubtful he necessarily has a lot to offer to WWE, AEW, or New Japan. According to Dave Meltzer, Morrison wants to pursue acting so it's possible that this could be the conclusion of his career.
The Impact World title match was a solid main event level match-up, but again, the lack of distribution doesn't lend itself to adding to the star power of the wrestlers or the importance of the title. Elgin had a solid run in New Japan, but hasn't had too much TV exposure in America and the same could be said for Brian Cage because fans that don't already know who he is won't realistically discover him on Impact television.
The Sami Callihan/Tess Blanchard main event was tremendous and in some ways, Tessa made herself a star, despite the limited exposure of the product. This wasn't a scenario where Callihan had to make Tessa look good to get the inter gender stipulation over with the audience. Tessa proved that she could undoubtedly be a main event star in any division. Despite the debate about inter gender wrestling, it's as simple as if it's logically than it makes sense. Tessa sold like the underdog baby face very similar to Ricky Morton from a different era. When a match is at this level, it's about the quality of the bout, not the inter gender stipulation. The bottom line is, Sami Callihan and Tess Blanchard had a top quality main event and that's the point of a pay-per-view.
The North, Ethan Page and Josh Alexander, retained the tag titles after they won the belts during the weekend shows. It should be noted that this tag team combination is probably the best use of both Page and Alexander, as they are talented competitors that finally got a chance to showcase their skills on a more notable stage. Granted, Page was booked as Joseph Park's sidekick a few years ago, but that storyline did nothing for his career. At a time when the promotion needs depth to keep pace in the previously mentioned saturated wrestling landscape, The North certainly help that situation. At the same time, LAX reportedly finished up with the organization and that's the exit of arguably the best tag team on the roster. More specifically, LAX was a bright spot during some of the rocky times of Impact. This is another aspect where the Anthem Sports property might simply get squeezed out of the industry because there are options for talent and thus the bidding to sign that talent. This is also when Impact's lack of main stream distribution could prevent them from signing or keeping certain talent under contract. All Elite Wrestling has the buzz to make major waves in the wrestling business and to do that they are offering comparable deals to WWE to be able to realistically bid for talent. At the same time, the WWE have offered more money in an attempt to secure talent to limit the the possible depth AEW could add to its roster. Where does that leave Impact? If given the choice, what's better about signing an Impact contract than elsewhere?
Keep in mind, this isn't a jab against Impact, but rather a realistic view of the situation. AEW is set to start on TNT in October and their existence alone has shifted the direction of the industry. Granted, if All Elite gets off the ground remains to be seen, but they at least have the pieces of the puzzle assembled to have a chance to provide some legitimate competition in sports entertainment for the first time in nearly two decades. On the flip side, WWE is a global publicly-traded company that will generate record-setting revenue when it starts the new TV contracts later this year so what makes Impact a better option?
The Eddie Edwards-Killer Kross match was a solid match, despite the gimmick finish for the first blood stipulation. I penned an article a few weeks ago about the Kross situation where he requested his release because he didn't get the raise he asked for and wanted to explore other options. Considering the departure of LAX, the Lucha Brothers, and Johnny Impact, I'd say that assuming the money is there, it would be a wise decision for the group to invest in Kross to keep him on the roster. Make no mistake about it, in a competitive market for talent, it wouldn't be a surprise if Kross was offered a contract elsewhere. Kross has the persona and in-skills to be an asset for either AEW or WWE. Eddie Edwards is a solid competitor, and hopefully, his character will evolve because he's more talented than the somewhat hokey gimmick he used the past several months.
The Moose-RVD contest was decent, but nothing spectacular. More than anything, Rob Van Dam really showed his age during this match. Considering that his signature style is completely associated with his character, he probably won't adapt his style, but he definitely isn't as crisp as he used to be. Granted, that's understandable given his age, but at the same time, the quality of the performance wasn't really what's expected from an athlete that has such a well-known track record of spectacular matches. Moose might have the potential to become a bigger star, but I'm not sure if working with an older RVD will get him there.
The monster's ball match was sloppy, but entertaining. The sloppy aspect of this contest was basically unavoidable so the four wrestlers involved probably did the best they could with the stipulation of the match. It should be noted that this bout showcased that Impact has a solid women's division and each wrestler has a well-established character.
The Swann-Impact bout was solid so there's nothing necessarily to discuss in terms of the in-ring content, but John Morrison's departure could be the bigger story. Despite a lengthy run in the industry as far back as a season of Tough Enough in the early 2000s, Morrison's career seems a little underwhelming because he appeared to have the skills to be a much bigger star than he was during his WWE run. He arrived for Impact Wrestling almost two years ago, but at that point he wasn't on main stream TV in the United States for several years so he didn't have the same star power he did previously. His persona and move set has more or less been the same since his WWE run so it's doubtful he necessarily has a lot to offer to WWE, AEW, or New Japan. According to Dave Meltzer, Morrison wants to pursue acting so it's possible that this could be the conclusion of his career.
The Impact World title match was a solid main event level match-up, but again, the lack of distribution doesn't lend itself to adding to the star power of the wrestlers or the importance of the title. Elgin had a solid run in New Japan, but hasn't had too much TV exposure in America and the same could be said for Brian Cage because fans that don't already know who he is won't realistically discover him on Impact television.
The Sami Callihan/Tess Blanchard main event was tremendous and in some ways, Tessa made herself a star, despite the limited exposure of the product. This wasn't a scenario where Callihan had to make Tessa look good to get the inter gender stipulation over with the audience. Tessa proved that she could undoubtedly be a main event star in any division. Despite the debate about inter gender wrestling, it's as simple as if it's logically than it makes sense. Tessa sold like the underdog baby face very similar to Ricky Morton from a different era. When a match is at this level, it's about the quality of the bout, not the inter gender stipulation. The bottom line is, Sami Callihan and Tess Blanchard had a top quality main event and that's the point of a pay-per-view.
Saturday, July 6, 2019
UFC 239
When Holly Holm landed a devastating head kick to Ronda Rousey, sending
the biggest star in the sport at the time crashing to the canvas, it was
one of the biggest upsets in the history of mixed martial arts and
changed the course of the genre. Prior to the historic victory, "Rowdy"
Ronda surged in popularity with a combination of arm bars and an
aggressive striking style. Undefeated before that bout in November of
2016, Rousey was known for wins in the first round as she overwhelmed
opponents with judo throws and a flurry of punches. When Holm stepped
into the cage that night against the UFC Women's Bantamweight champion,
she had an MMA record of 9-0, but with just two wins in the UFC before
that contest, many expected the match-up to be another typical Rousey
victory.
When Ronda was too over confident and rushed forward with punches, Holm artfully dodged them and landed counter punches until the previously mentioned head kick ended the fight and ultimately led to the conclusion of Rousey's career. After Ronda collapsed to the mat, the stunning upset shocked the world and Holly Holm was propelled into the spotlight, known as the fighter that defeated the dominate former champion. In truth, Holm was only under the radar because she was relatively new to the sport and simply hadn't had the opportunity to complete in any major UFC bouts before she challenged Ronda for the belt. The multi-time boxing champion used foot work and movement with technical striking along with solid take down defense to become a contender in mixed martial arts. While she's undoubtedly talented, her career yielded mixed results since she won the championship, dropping the title to Miesha Tate in her next fight at UFC 200. After a 10-0 start to her career, Holm went 2-4 over the past three years. Granted, she fought solid competition, but another loss could theoretically put her UFC career in jeopardy.
On the flip side, Amanda Nunes appears to be in the prime of her career right now. Ironically, Nunes partially made her name from Ronda's other career loss when the current Women's Bantamweight champion landed nearly a dozen unanswered punches before the referee rescued Rousey from any further damage and stopped the fight. Holly Holm was the competitor that finally defeated Ronda, but Nunes is known as the fighter that sent her into retirement. Ahead of the UFC 239, the Brazilian striker is on an eight fight win streak, including when she won the Women's Featherweight championship after she knocked out Cyborg Santos in the first round in her most recent fight. In some ways, Nunes is in uncharted territory, as she could potentially be the first double champion in the UFC to defend both championships continuously, which hasn't been done before. Keep in mind, Conor McGregor was stripped of both belts he had when he was the champion because he wasn't scheduled to defend either of them. Daniel Cormier defeated Stipe Miocic to claim the heavyweight title when he was the 205 LBS division champion, but later vacated the light heavyweight belt so it could be regularly defended. Considering the lack of depth in the current 145 LBS division since the weight class was more or less created for Cyborg, it actually makes sense that Nunes could realistically alternate between the weight classes to fight the best competition possible.
Aside from the Ronda contests, Holm and Nunes have four other common opponents, which are all competitors that Nunes defeated, but are the opponents that beat Holm on her MMA record. That intriguing statistic might actually be the key for the title fight at UFC 239. Miesha Tate submitted Holm in March of 2016, but Nunes submitted Tate later that year so it can be said that Amanda Nunes is probably the more well-rounded fighter. Perhaps, the most similar opponent to Holm that Nunes fought previously is Valentina Shevchenko, who she defeated via decision in 2016 and 2017.
However, the stage could be set for another stunning victory for Holly Holm.
Nunes defeated Shevchenko because she was able to close the distance and control the clinch. Nunes brings an aggressive, but measured style to the octagon, as she pushes the pace without getting reckless. At the same time, she occasionally allows for the possibility to get clipped with a counter punch after some of her looping hooks, which were seen in the Raquel Pennington bout, but Pennington was too overwhelmed as Nunes pushed forward to take advantage of the opportunity to land a counter punch. Don't get me wrong, on paper the 31-year-old champion is at the peak of her career and brings a lot of momentum into the fight, but that could be the situation that makes it possible for Holm to get another stunning win.
Similar to the Shevchenko contest, Nunes should use the clinch to close the distance and use her grappling skills to get the advantage against Holm. If Nunes gets too aggressive or too confident and leaves the chance for a counter, Holm will land some major punches. Holy Holm has the movement and technical skills to win a striking battle so despite the nearly 3-to-1 odds to win, Nunes must be cautious during the five round fight. While it is certainly possible that Holm could use her striking skills to get a victory, I will still say that I think Amanda Nunes will get the win to retain the championship because she probably won't make the same mistake as Ronda Rousey did a few years ago.
When Ronda was too over confident and rushed forward with punches, Holm artfully dodged them and landed counter punches until the previously mentioned head kick ended the fight and ultimately led to the conclusion of Rousey's career. After Ronda collapsed to the mat, the stunning upset shocked the world and Holly Holm was propelled into the spotlight, known as the fighter that defeated the dominate former champion. In truth, Holm was only under the radar because she was relatively new to the sport and simply hadn't had the opportunity to complete in any major UFC bouts before she challenged Ronda for the belt. The multi-time boxing champion used foot work and movement with technical striking along with solid take down defense to become a contender in mixed martial arts. While she's undoubtedly talented, her career yielded mixed results since she won the championship, dropping the title to Miesha Tate in her next fight at UFC 200. After a 10-0 start to her career, Holm went 2-4 over the past three years. Granted, she fought solid competition, but another loss could theoretically put her UFC career in jeopardy.
On the flip side, Amanda Nunes appears to be in the prime of her career right now. Ironically, Nunes partially made her name from Ronda's other career loss when the current Women's Bantamweight champion landed nearly a dozen unanswered punches before the referee rescued Rousey from any further damage and stopped the fight. Holly Holm was the competitor that finally defeated Ronda, but Nunes is known as the fighter that sent her into retirement. Ahead of the UFC 239, the Brazilian striker is on an eight fight win streak, including when she won the Women's Featherweight championship after she knocked out Cyborg Santos in the first round in her most recent fight. In some ways, Nunes is in uncharted territory, as she could potentially be the first double champion in the UFC to defend both championships continuously, which hasn't been done before. Keep in mind, Conor McGregor was stripped of both belts he had when he was the champion because he wasn't scheduled to defend either of them. Daniel Cormier defeated Stipe Miocic to claim the heavyweight title when he was the 205 LBS division champion, but later vacated the light heavyweight belt so it could be regularly defended. Considering the lack of depth in the current 145 LBS division since the weight class was more or less created for Cyborg, it actually makes sense that Nunes could realistically alternate between the weight classes to fight the best competition possible.
Aside from the Ronda contests, Holm and Nunes have four other common opponents, which are all competitors that Nunes defeated, but are the opponents that beat Holm on her MMA record. That intriguing statistic might actually be the key for the title fight at UFC 239. Miesha Tate submitted Holm in March of 2016, but Nunes submitted Tate later that year so it can be said that Amanda Nunes is probably the more well-rounded fighter. Perhaps, the most similar opponent to Holm that Nunes fought previously is Valentina Shevchenko, who she defeated via decision in 2016 and 2017.
However, the stage could be set for another stunning victory for Holly Holm.
Nunes defeated Shevchenko because she was able to close the distance and control the clinch. Nunes brings an aggressive, but measured style to the octagon, as she pushes the pace without getting reckless. At the same time, she occasionally allows for the possibility to get clipped with a counter punch after some of her looping hooks, which were seen in the Raquel Pennington bout, but Pennington was too overwhelmed as Nunes pushed forward to take advantage of the opportunity to land a counter punch. Don't get me wrong, on paper the 31-year-old champion is at the peak of her career and brings a lot of momentum into the fight, but that could be the situation that makes it possible for Holm to get another stunning win.
Similar to the Shevchenko contest, Nunes should use the clinch to close the distance and use her grappling skills to get the advantage against Holm. If Nunes gets too aggressive or too confident and leaves the chance for a counter, Holm will land some major punches. Holy Holm has the movement and technical skills to win a striking battle so despite the nearly 3-to-1 odds to win, Nunes must be cautious during the five round fight. While it is certainly possible that Holm could use her striking skills to get a victory, I will still say that I think Amanda Nunes will get the win to retain the championship because she probably won't make the same mistake as Ronda Rousey did a few years ago.
Monday, July 1, 2019
WWE Executive Directors
The entire professional wrestling world is a buzz after it was announced last week that the WWE has appointed new Executive Directors of its Raw and Smackdown shows. As was widely reported earlier this year, the company signed record-setting $2.4 billion TV contracts, which keeps Raw on USA and sends Smackdown to Fox. Ironically, Vince McMahon's former competition during the Attitude Era will now have direct input on his product. Paul Heyman, the brilliant mind behind the ECW promotion that revolutionized the presentation of the industry in the United States, and current on-screen manager for Brock Lesnar, will be involved with the writing of Raw. Eric Bischoff, former executive producer of World Championship Wrestling at the only time when the WWF was on the short end of a wrestling war, will be the head of creative for the Smackdown show.
The announcement seems sudden, as the rumor mill didn't surface any talks of this scenario previously, which makes you wonder if this decision was made based on the still lackluster ratings across the board for the company. I've written previously in-depth about the series of fundamental structure problems of the product so there's no reason to repeat that, but what exactly will Heyman and Bischoff bring to the table?
According to the article on WWE.com, Heyman and Bischoff will oversee the writing of each show and will report directly to Vince McMahon. That already could stop this overhaul before it starts, as Vince's micromanaging of the scripts is supposedly one of the reasons for the lack of continuity on a weekly basis. The bottom line is, if Vince is simply going to discard Heyman's plan for Raw the same way he does with the current writing then nothing will actually change for the Monday night brand. Obviously, it will be a similar situation if Bischoff doesn't get an opportunity to use his philosophy for Smackdown. Essentially, Vince will have to relinquish a noticeable portion of the control of his programming if these new roles will be effective, but I'm very skeptical if that will actually happen. One of the many reasons for his success if that McMahon put so much work into his organization and even at 73, it's doubtful that he will allow others to take any direct credit for the possible success of the company. On the flip side, it's also very possible that McMahon will take a step back from his sports entertainment empire in an attempt to right the wrong of the XFL from nearly two decades ago. While the potential success of another secondary football league has as much of a chance as another Dixie Carter wrestling company, Vince might be determined to dedicate as much time as he possibly can to the XFL project. Still, I'm very skeptical that McMahon suddenly decided that his stamp of approval isn't the best choice for his audience.
Another aspect of this situation is that it might be a smoke screen in an attempt to skew the perspective of the audience and spin the narrative of the television shows. It's been widely discussed that for over two decades the McMahon family was presented as the villains to the viewers, and thus when their real-life chosen stars get a push at the expense of others, the crowd rejects it. The point being, did the audience boo Roman Reigns mercilessly a few years ago because of him as a performer or simply because they knew he was being pushed because Vince wanted him to be the top star? Basically, if the crowd assumes that Paul Heyman, a figure known for his innovation in the business, was the mind behind a particular decision then maybe they will give it a chance before they reject it? I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist, but why exactly was this announcement made so publicly on the WWE website? If it was reported online and garnered steam to become a story then that's a different situation, but clearly, management wanted people to know that at least in theory, Heyman and Bischoff will determine the direction of the TV shows. Even if the newly-created roles are legitimate, it's very possible that it was made public in an attempt to spin the narrative of the product.
What's the status of the writing team?
Assuming Heyman and Bischoff will have legitimate influence on their respective show, the other part of this equation is, will both of them be effective in the role of a TV producer? It makes sense for Heyman to have the direction of the Raw brand, not only because that's where Brock Lesnar is featured, but Heyman is already in the loop, assisting with occasional segments, such as the promos Ronda Rousey did during her run in the company. Aside from that, the former leader of ECW has always seemed to have an intriguing take on the industry regardless of the time frame. Quite simply, Heyman has been ahead of the curve for the majority of his career so it will be extremely interesting to see what plans he has for the flagship show. Furthermore, how he manages the three-hour format could be another way he puts his spin on the program. If anyone can set up a show to be successful in a three hour time slot, it might be Paul Heyman. Considering his praise for some of the younger talent on the roster, perhaps the next series of NXT call-ups will have more substance on the main roster than just a pop for their debut without any plan after that. More than anything, it would be great if Heyman's suggestion would include the elimination of the 50/50 booking that led to a stale product, the illogical aspects of the show, and potentially a push for talent that are actually over with the audience.
Reportedly, Eric Bischoff's involvement is directly related to the Fox deal and his experience within the television industry. On the surface that makes sense, but how does that translate on screen? Taking nothing away from him, he was more or less the only promoter to put Vince McMahon on the ropes, but in the grand scheme of things, Bischoff's success was relatively short. Keep in mind, the prime of WCW's run in the late 90s was roughly three years before it collapsed and shut down. As far as branding Smackdown as a TV commodity, Bischoff could bring something effectively to the table, but as far as the actual booking of the product, can he really make a difference?
Regardless of if Heyman and Bischoff legitimate make decisions on the directions of the programming, there are still fundamental problems within the WWE structure. With the over saturation of WWE content, is it realistic for either of them to brings something new to the WWE landscape? Along the same lines, with the numerous hours of television and network specials, is there necessarily a right way to shift the product? Even with the change of direction, I still think the concept of a brand extension is too convoluted for the general public, but maybe it's something that can be done right in the modern era. Hopefully, this new concept of executive directors will lead to better use of stellar talent that haven't fully been given the opportunities to get over as much as possible with the audience. Until recently, Samoa Joe floundered at various times during his WWE tenure, which shouldn't happen with a performer of his caliber. The argument could be made that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn could be used better on TV. Eventual NXT call-ups like Adam Cole and Matt Riddle might be better positions for success with Heyman's booking style.
That being said, this decision basically confirmed that the quality of the WWE product has to be improved because this move wouldn't have been made if the ratings were better. Plus, this that improvement probably wouldn't have been a priority if All Elite Wrestling didn't generate a lot of buzz the past few months, which is why competition is an important aspect of the industry.
The announcement seems sudden, as the rumor mill didn't surface any talks of this scenario previously, which makes you wonder if this decision was made based on the still lackluster ratings across the board for the company. I've written previously in-depth about the series of fundamental structure problems of the product so there's no reason to repeat that, but what exactly will Heyman and Bischoff bring to the table?
According to the article on WWE.com, Heyman and Bischoff will oversee the writing of each show and will report directly to Vince McMahon. That already could stop this overhaul before it starts, as Vince's micromanaging of the scripts is supposedly one of the reasons for the lack of continuity on a weekly basis. The bottom line is, if Vince is simply going to discard Heyman's plan for Raw the same way he does with the current writing then nothing will actually change for the Monday night brand. Obviously, it will be a similar situation if Bischoff doesn't get an opportunity to use his philosophy for Smackdown. Essentially, Vince will have to relinquish a noticeable portion of the control of his programming if these new roles will be effective, but I'm very skeptical if that will actually happen. One of the many reasons for his success if that McMahon put so much work into his organization and even at 73, it's doubtful that he will allow others to take any direct credit for the possible success of the company. On the flip side, it's also very possible that McMahon will take a step back from his sports entertainment empire in an attempt to right the wrong of the XFL from nearly two decades ago. While the potential success of another secondary football league has as much of a chance as another Dixie Carter wrestling company, Vince might be determined to dedicate as much time as he possibly can to the XFL project. Still, I'm very skeptical that McMahon suddenly decided that his stamp of approval isn't the best choice for his audience.
Another aspect of this situation is that it might be a smoke screen in an attempt to skew the perspective of the audience and spin the narrative of the television shows. It's been widely discussed that for over two decades the McMahon family was presented as the villains to the viewers, and thus when their real-life chosen stars get a push at the expense of others, the crowd rejects it. The point being, did the audience boo Roman Reigns mercilessly a few years ago because of him as a performer or simply because they knew he was being pushed because Vince wanted him to be the top star? Basically, if the crowd assumes that Paul Heyman, a figure known for his innovation in the business, was the mind behind a particular decision then maybe they will give it a chance before they reject it? I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist, but why exactly was this announcement made so publicly on the WWE website? If it was reported online and garnered steam to become a story then that's a different situation, but clearly, management wanted people to know that at least in theory, Heyman and Bischoff will determine the direction of the TV shows. Even if the newly-created roles are legitimate, it's very possible that it was made public in an attempt to spin the narrative of the product.
What's the status of the writing team?
Assuming Heyman and Bischoff will have legitimate influence on their respective show, the other part of this equation is, will both of them be effective in the role of a TV producer? It makes sense for Heyman to have the direction of the Raw brand, not only because that's where Brock Lesnar is featured, but Heyman is already in the loop, assisting with occasional segments, such as the promos Ronda Rousey did during her run in the company. Aside from that, the former leader of ECW has always seemed to have an intriguing take on the industry regardless of the time frame. Quite simply, Heyman has been ahead of the curve for the majority of his career so it will be extremely interesting to see what plans he has for the flagship show. Furthermore, how he manages the three-hour format could be another way he puts his spin on the program. If anyone can set up a show to be successful in a three hour time slot, it might be Paul Heyman. Considering his praise for some of the younger talent on the roster, perhaps the next series of NXT call-ups will have more substance on the main roster than just a pop for their debut without any plan after that. More than anything, it would be great if Heyman's suggestion would include the elimination of the 50/50 booking that led to a stale product, the illogical aspects of the show, and potentially a push for talent that are actually over with the audience.
Reportedly, Eric Bischoff's involvement is directly related to the Fox deal and his experience within the television industry. On the surface that makes sense, but how does that translate on screen? Taking nothing away from him, he was more or less the only promoter to put Vince McMahon on the ropes, but in the grand scheme of things, Bischoff's success was relatively short. Keep in mind, the prime of WCW's run in the late 90s was roughly three years before it collapsed and shut down. As far as branding Smackdown as a TV commodity, Bischoff could bring something effectively to the table, but as far as the actual booking of the product, can he really make a difference?
Regardless of if Heyman and Bischoff legitimate make decisions on the directions of the programming, there are still fundamental problems within the WWE structure. With the over saturation of WWE content, is it realistic for either of them to brings something new to the WWE landscape? Along the same lines, with the numerous hours of television and network specials, is there necessarily a right way to shift the product? Even with the change of direction, I still think the concept of a brand extension is too convoluted for the general public, but maybe it's something that can be done right in the modern era. Hopefully, this new concept of executive directors will lead to better use of stellar talent that haven't fully been given the opportunities to get over as much as possible with the audience. Until recently, Samoa Joe floundered at various times during his WWE tenure, which shouldn't happen with a performer of his caliber. The argument could be made that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn could be used better on TV. Eventual NXT call-ups like Adam Cole and Matt Riddle might be better positions for success with Heyman's booking style.
That being said, this decision basically confirmed that the quality of the WWE product has to be improved because this move wouldn't have been made if the ratings were better. Plus, this that improvement probably wouldn't have been a priority if All Elite Wrestling didn't generate a lot of buzz the past few months, which is why competition is an important aspect of the industry.
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