Something about comparing network to cable is icky to me. Like comparing cable to premium

Or satellite even

Cw is in 98% of all tv owning households where as tnt is in 81% (and shrinking.) NXT could beat them head to on any network dont misunderstand but theyre not apples to apples any more. USA was a solid comparative landscape. I dont think CW is. Would be like comparing RAW on USA to SD! On Fox. If SD! doesnt outperform RAW there's a serious problem.

IDUNNO. I find the comparison tacky now

Network is in more homes than cable, but there are other factors too. It’s probably improper to compare across nights due to different levels of competition.

I didn’t really like Halloween Havoc. It wasn’t horrendous or anything, just not for me. Raw was pretty good in parts. Sign me up for Rey Mysterio vs. Chad Gable. I’m actually getting into Karrion Kross. Dom is fantastic. JD McDonagh is underrated.

Better than Halloween havoc 98 at least.

Goldberg v DDP is one of the best matches of that era though

The three things I remember about that show are the ending of Goldberg/DDP getting cut from the PPV feed because of overrun, Hogan not being able to get the flash paper lit properly, and for some reason I remember the opening bout was heel Jericho vs heel Raven where Jericho was the champ but Raven came out and said he didn’t want to wrestle that night so I guess he was just going to give up his title shot but then Jericho called him a chicken and then Raven got mad and they ended up having the match which Jericho won.


An odd show for certain.

Ahh forgot that happened on the same card.

Its understandable. Like Supreme mentioned the ppv cut off and they had to give away for free on nitro the next night as an apology

Goldbergs best match though.

It’s a sad day. Baron Corbin will not be getting his WWE contract renewed. It’s a shame. I really turned a corner on him. I hope he sticks with wrestling and goes to TNA or something. I’ll probably check out what does next.

Indi Hartwell and Tegan Nox are also on the chopping board. I’ve never been a fan of either of them, but if they stay in wrestling I hope they find a good place for themselves.

Decent SmackDown this week. I’m not that excited about anything, but everything is “solid enough.” Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson stand out. Chelsea Green is funny.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="ht" dir="ltr">80’s AJW piledriver ☠️ <a href="https://t.co/TcAeZPq9Oq">pic.twitter.com/TcAeZPq9Oq</a></p>&mdash; Vintage Puroresu プロレス (@vintagepuro) <a href="https://twitter.com/vintagepuro/status/1855291681563623602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The piledriver is appropro.

Jacob Fatu cut a good promo this week. Nothing excites me on SmackDown, but it’s just a well done show. It’s still PrettyCool to see the MCMG in WWE. I wonder if Skippord still watches?

Is there a good reason Sami is friends with Jimmy and Jey again or no?

I missed Raw this week. Not sure I’m going to go back and check it out. WWE has been solid and all, but it doesn’t feel urgent enough to me.

There really is room for a true wrestling alternative. Especially since an initial lack of sponsors could lead to a snappier show with more kinetic energy. AEW ain’t it. I checked out TNA once or twice, but I dunno. Maybe an alternative only works in theory?

If there’s a mass exodus from AEW for whatever reason at some point, Tony has paid the wrestlers enough money for them to start their own things. That COULD be interesting, although a promotion by The Young Bucks or Chris Jericho will almost definitely be ass.

There’s enough benched talent in AEW to make something interesting enough to compete with AEW itself.

Solo Sikoa is a meany-head

People on the other boards very critical of the Bloodline story...

But in my opinion it is still one of the only things holding any semblance of passing interest. I'm interested in checking out Survivor Series now where otherwise I wouldn't really be.

I take it he musta been mean to Sami too then? .. I guess I remember a promo package where they were fighting Sami, KO, Orton, and Cody.

I haven't watched regularly in a while. I'm still interested in the Bloodline stuff, though.

But I kinda can't believe they've kept it going so long.

My (non-watchin ass) guess is Romans team wins but Rock comes out after and hit's Roman with a rock bottom.

I’m excited to see where wrestling heads into 2025. Some big moves announced for TNA. With AEW being in shambles, who knows what will fall out there. Tony’s paid guys enough money that they don’t really need that nest. New Japan will have a bunch of contracts coming up and they are in…interesting shape. 2025 could be a very exciting year.

Not to break up the squaredcirclejerking


https://wrestleplay.com/

Neat site someone made with wrasslin-based wordle. In it's infancy, but a time killer, no less.

Got it in 4....

Took me every row

Got it on the 3rd.

I watched a Jerry Lynn vs. AJ Styles match from NWA-TNA last night. There was always something off about the TNA presentation that chased people off, but in isolation they did so many things that I didn’t appreciate at the time.

They did a tale of the tape, with talking points. I didn’t get how lucky we were to have Don West. Jerry Lynn was a master. Even at that stage, AJ was a phenomenal worker. So much of what they did was built off how they should try to actually beat the other guy. There was selling. Mortimer Plumtree did a good job managing too.

Got it in 2 today in the wrassle wordle

Took me 4 today.

Jim Cornette is running out of things to get pissed off about.

I just heard a clip where he was mad at the chair phone commercial, both because grrr technology AND because the commercial is Gable and Otis, since they broke up as a team months ago!

Been watching mainly 2005-2006 episodes of Velocity. What a wild fucking roster they had back then.

The Dicks
The Gymini
The Model Sylvan
Heidenreich and Animal as a team
Tatanka


Just complete randomness

"The Bash Man" Doug Basham

Doug Basham was so good. Love how he slapped a jobber with his left hand so they wouldn’t see it coming. He’s back in OVW training. The show’s pretty horrible, but Leather Daddy Doug leading the Revolution is a fine concept.

Tessa Blanchard is getting another shot in TNA. Good for her.

Knew that Noid would appear at the mention of a Basham

Underrated workers. There’s a whole class of OVW guys that got lost in that mad period where Vince didn’t need to use anyone properly. There’s a 2/3 Falls Match between Doug Basham and Nick Dinsmore that I strongly recommend.

Remember when Tatanka was randomly in one of the Andre the Giant Battle Royals at WrestleMania?

Yes, him and animal had random returns around the same time.

New Raw logo is pretty slick.

Hate how the W looks.

Scott Steiner & Bron Breakker were interviewed at a football game and they were pretty open about Brock Rechsteiner (Scott’s son) going to WWE.

Bron & Brock Breakker vs Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar

Scott seemed to imply he would be a Steiner, but Brock Breakker works as a name. For people who hate the name, put him and Bron in a team and call them “Breakker Breakker.”

I’d unironically like to one day see that tag. Just as long as Lesnar threatens to punch Braun in the head if they lose.

Omos is apparently starting an excursion in NOAH.

They're waiting for a good story for this piece. He'll "remember and earn his name" or some shit like that.

He'll be at rock bottom and outta nowhere there'll be a ringmail coif and sunglasses just "lying around"

Maybe. I’m used to Bron Breakker at this point. It’s not like his dad’s name was really Rick Steiner.

No way! Next, you're gonna tell me Yokozuna wasn't really a Japanese sumo champion aren't you :(

Rechsteiner
Rick Steiner
Classic lazy bookers lol

No, Yokozuna was a shoot, brother. It was also his government name.

I just realized that New Year’s Evil is going to be using WWE branding and won’t be leading with NXT branding. So it’ll be “WWE New Year’s Evil.” That could carry over onto shows like No Mercy and Halloween Havoc too.

They did the same work Deadline earlier in the month, no?

Maybe so, come to think of it. I read that NYEvil would be the first, but I remember some confusion with Deadline, so that sounds right.

Tommy Dreamer has come out and said that his goals/predictions for TNA in 2025 are to move tickets to these bigger arenas and secure a new TV deal. I don’t think Dreamer would be saying that if something wasn’t in the works.

It seems pretty likely there is going to be some AEW cope in 2025 when TNA hits some markers that put them to shame a little.

Randomly remembered this...

Got it in 3 today....

Got it in 2. Just to one up ya, LockJaw.

Got in two today too

no Ric... just no https://x.com/WrestleOps/status/1874891176580665787

One last last match!

WWE and TNA announce multi-year partnership

Somewhere Tiny Khan is IN SHAMBLES about this news

SHAMBLES!


seriously tho - TNA talent will get squashed.

Australia hasn’t been able to get the SNME specials (probably some NBC thing), but WWE put at least the latest one straight up on YouTube. Watched some stuff from it. Sheamus and Bron Breakker was good. Jacob Fatu is a star and is getting over to the point they won’t be able to stop people cheering for the brutality. I’m thinking he could be facing Roman at WrestleMania. I don’t think it was an accident he was wearing red.

I’ve low-key got him as a darkhorse pick for Rumble Winner too. I obviously wouldn’t put him ahead of Roman or Punk right now, but Jacob and Cody has been something they haven’t blown up just yet.

On TNA/WWE deal:

It’s crazy how many people still buy into the “working with WWE bad” narrative. This isn’t Vince with his trust issues and desire to destroy everyone so WWE is the only option. WWE wants to expand and play in the legitimate media landscape.

Even if you look at things cynically, it makes PR and legal sense for WWE to arrange these sorts of partnerships. It allows them to hide behind their independent contractor thing and peddle in goodwill. They can better control the entire wrestling industry with things like promotional partnerships and the ID program. It’s like expanding their developmental on someone else’s dime too.

The biggest iceberg in this thing is if a promotion decides to go rogue and Akira Maeda or do an ECW on the situation. It probably wouldn’t be received well. Look at what PCO tried to do with GCW lol.

WWE and TNA probably don’t just have a multi-year agreement, but a multi-year plan. I don’t know if it happens in 2025 or 2026, but TNA may overtake AEW as #2 through this.

Weird ahh ending to NXT tonight....not sure if intentional or not, but color test bar with text that said WWE TRANSMISSION at first, then sounds of backspace being pressed a bunch on a computer keyboard and then new text being typed that read VENGEANCE DAY.

Solomon Crowe hacked the feed. TNA invasion confirmed.

Yeah, no offense, but I have 0 frame of reference for who that is via not watching TNA.

Also, I now actually kinda like the WWE × TNA thing. Might help me familiarize with some from the latter. Only thing I really don’t like is champion in company x being made to defend vs. a company y competitor. It just seems obvious that no matter how good the relationship between the companies might be behind the scenes, neither is going to have the other win a title belonging to the opposing company.

Though I suppose it might be fun to make the currently defunct 24/7 Championship a thing again and have it be a neutral, inter-company title that anyone from either side can win at any time. Fun for both sides.

Solomon Crowe is actually an NXT reference, but like from 2013. He had a "hacker" gimmick and would "hack into the video feeds" or something.

He is now in TNA I believe with his "more famous" name of Sami Callahan.

MLS (Major League Soccer) Productions moving to the new WWE Studios in Stamford

I remember when Solomon Crowe hit somebody in the head with a baseball bat, it is the last time I remember hearing about him.

He threw a chair or something at Kevin Sullivan’s head in MLW iirc. I’m surprised he’s still around.

Ahh, now I get it, pro wrestling’s version of Bobby Knight.

I’m very curious about WWE Evolve.

I’ve got ideas as to what I want the show to be. Clever putting it against Dynamite via Tubi.

I just saw the Bloodline Edition cover of WWE 2k25. It would be funny if Rock vs. Roman was built around Rock not being included on it.

WWE are booking a PLE called "Ruthless Aggression" for December in Boston which will built around Cena's retirement match.

That's gonna have a legit emotional, "end of an era" feel to it even though he's been part-time since 2017.

Kinda funny to think back to how insufferable Super Cena felt at times, but you really can't start to miss someone until they go away. Especially when the whole promotion is built around them for well over a decade. Happy he's been received warmly every time he's been back - and that will continue on this final run.

Cena's whole goal in this final run (per his promos and post-Rumble interview) is to close his career with World Title #17. He's already lost the Rumble. I'm 50/50 on the Chamber - could see him losing it, could also see him winning it but getting dropped by Cody at Mania.

Either way he'll enter MITB with desperation as it'd be seen as his last chance to secure a title match, and now on his terms.

Him just saving the title match for his retirement match could very well be in play. Winning the title and then retiring in his hometown feels like it'd be a cool ending.

Maybe he could forget he has it if he wins it because LOL senior moment

I’ve still got an inkling Cena might not only win #17 but #18 too. PLE in Boston at the end of the year is a great idea. I can see it being a major show and maybe even starting a new December tradition.

Today I learned that in 2005, Chuck Palumbo and Bull Buchanan wrestled to a 30-minute draw in AJPW. I have morbid curiosity to see that now because I cannot at all imagine how those two guys filled 30 minutes of time.

5 star matchup

It was in Japan, so most of the match is probably them standing around begging the other to forearm them in the neck.

Vengeance Day was a good show. I really enjoyed the tag match. Loved the spot where they took the piss out of puroresu strike exchanges.

So who's winnin the chamba?

They could both really move. 30 minutes though.....yeah. I hate matches that go longer than 20.

Was going to mention the Armageddon back body drop into a powerbomb here the other day. Then Briggs & Inamura did it at Vengeance. Good stuff.

https://i.imgur.com/rWv0uqP.jpeg

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This might change your mind.

Well, that settles it. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle is no longer my #1 match.

I'm man enough to admit my mistakes.

I checked out some TNA from this week. Check it out if you want to be surprised.

Can’t remember if I mentioned it here or somewhere else, but I’ve had a weird inkling that Cena might win one of his World Titles in TNA to help give them a boost. Cena being giant fish in TNA might be the closest he comes to turning heel and squeaking in some stuff that way.

Hendry is dropping Cena hints pretty hard. Not in the sense that it is obviously going to happen, but in the way that it’s got “hype” with that audience beyond it just being “omg Cena!”

Rock going for the role of Shang Tsung.

Someone reading the dirty sheets and using their exact words

Triple A hasn't been here for almost 14 months now :(

Good. We don't need him. We have Noid.

Now fix the server, Noid

Fix my chicken coop.