The Thread Killer

Oh man…D’Amore issued a press release today that his Maple Leaf Promotion is going to be running the old Maple Leaf Gardens in May. I would not be able to go to the show anyways because I no longer live in Toronto and can’t go to events like that for health reasons, but the prospect of seeing wrestling again at Maple Leaf Gardens…that’s my childhood right there. Some of my best memories. It would be like going back in time to when things were good. But if I order that show, then I have to see a Baron Corbin match announced by Mauro Ranallo. I’m pretty sure that’s what hell will be like. But the prospect of seeing Pro Wrestling return to Maple Leaf Gardens after all these years…that’s some serious history.

One of the things about this whole story which is hard to determine, is the financial aspect of it. It’s no secret that at one point last year, TNA was perilously close to closing their doors due to financial problems (of course, what else is new?) Remember there was that point where they actually had no new shows scheduled? Plus, there have been all those stories from talent of their pay getting cut, and I can’t imagine that a TNA wrestler makes a whole lot of money to begin with. I am wondering how much of this WWE deal is a financial bailout, similar in some ways to the way that WWE was secretly subsidizing ECW for a while back in the 90s, helping keep them afloat? I wonder if one of the main reasons Anthem agreed to this deal is because they pretty much had to for financial reasons? It’s no secret that TNA has been a money loser for pretty much every entity that has owned it. Anthem was only using it as a means of providing cheap content for their TV channels. I wish somebody would do a story and dig into the financial aspect of this formalized WWE/TNA deal. That’s the kind of thing you used to be able to count on Meltzer for, before he decided it was more important to be a Twitter troll.

I’m guessing Cody/Cena for the WWE title at Wrestlemania and Punk/Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Jey Uso gonna die now.

I know, right? Those moonsaults were crazy.

If that attack was meant to get Fatu over as a heel, it definitely failed…big time. The crowd was plenty engaged, but I don’t think they were supposed to be chanting: “One more time” and “FATU!” while he was attacking Stroman. I think WWE overestimated Stroman’s popularity, and severely underestimated how great Jacob Fatu comes across. I never thought I would see blood on Saturday Night’s Main Event in Prime Time either.

I know it’s part of his culture, but having the floral lei around his neck, kind of takes away from Jacob Fatu’s “monster” aura. Just doesn’t seem to fit in with his look.

I thought that match was pretty good, especially considering that it had Nia Jax in it. Like @sek69 said, looks like Ripley is one of the few people that can drag a watchable match out of Jax. That Sheamus/Breakker match was pretty damn good too.

Apparently Hogan will not be appearing at SNME tonight. Anybody else have audio issues with dual English/Spanish commentary at the start of the show?

I haven’t seen any TNA in ages, because here in Canada, they are on a station owned by Anthem Entertainment called The Fight Network. You have to pay extra for it and I’m sorry, I’m not paying to watch TNA. So as a result, I literally haven’t seen anything from them in so long I can’t even remember. After WWE signed the Netflix deal, that meant that Sportsnet (which is one of the two main basic cable sports channels in Canada) lost all of their WWE programming. That was quite a hit for them because they had exclusive rights to Raw, Smackdown and NXT. Losing WWE left a massive hole in their schedule. Apparently, AEW had been negotiating with Sportsnet, but for whatever reason Sportsnet decided not to make a deal with AEW and instead shocked everybody by making a deal with TNA. This was surprising for two reasons, firstly, because the whole reason Anthem bought TNA to begin with is because they wanted to basically make The Fight Network the Canadian home for TNA. As a result, TNA programming pretty much dominated that channel’s schedule. So I don’t know what them switching networks will mean for The Fight Network. Maybe Anthem will just pull the plug. The other reason it was weird, is because let’s be honest…a lot more people are going to be likely to watch AEW over TNA. I can only assume that Sportsnet made the deal because TNA was a whole hell of a lot cheaper than AEW. Anyhow, the upshot is that TNA finally has a significant TV deal in Canada, they basically got all of WWE’s old times slots. So people tuning in to Sportsnet expecting to see WWE programming are now seeing TNA. The other night I was bored so I actually watched a bit of Impact. Let me ask a stupid question. Is it just me or is the ring in TNA significantly smaller than the ones they use in AEW and WWE?

I’m thinking part of his problem is probably his size, although there are plenty of smaller guys on the main roster now. But you are right, he seems to be losing a lot more than winning since he got called up. I thought they had big plans for him when they made him Smackdown’s #1 draft pick, but aside from that series of matches he had with Andrade and the shots he got at the US title with LA Knight, they haven’t done a whole lot with him. He seemed pretty popular initially, I’m not sure the heel turn was a great idea either. I can’t imagine it’s going to get much better for him either, because sooner or later guys like Trick Williams and especially Oba Femi are going to get called up from NXT and Hayes is likely going to suffer in comparison with bigger guys like that. Of course, there is the other theory that WWE doesn’t much care for African-American superstars. That was floated when they let Lashley go without offering him a new deal. I would certainly hope that’s not the reason behind Hayes getting de-pushed on the main roster, but I guess you have to consider it as a possibility. There seems to be a lot of upside with Hayes. That dude can move. They seem to be putting a lot of the smaller guys like Gargano, Ciampa, Dunne and Bates in Tag Teams. Maybe they ought to find Hayes a tag team partner and see if that helps get him over. Then again, I haven’t been thrilled with how they have been booking the tag team division. That is one of the few areas I haven’t enjoyed as much since Triple H took over.

Agreed. So glad he got his personal issues settled and got into such great shape, and now he’s finally getting a shot on the biggest possible stage. That dude is MONEY. He’s got a great look, he can talk, he’s unique and he’s incredibly athletic.

Good point, but in WWE at least, I don’t know how many guys there are on the roster who have the promo chops to pull it off convincingly. A lot of those guys have been working under the WWE scripted promo system for so long that they can’t deliver a heartfelt promo without it sounding really cheesy, rehearsed, and unbelievable. That’s one of the things that makes Sami great, is that his promos actually sound authentic and believable. Honestly, I love Cody and think he has been great in WWE, but even he comes across as kind of hammy at times. I know we are talking about pro wrestling here, so of course we’re not looking for Academy award winning performances, but when it comes to those kind of heartfelt promos you are talking about, I think there’s only a small list of guys who could actually do it. That would be an interesting larger conversation, actually.

As far as this week's episode of Raw, I thought it was pretty good. I have been watching Raw weekly since the Netflix debut, and there is no doubt that this show has improved by leaps and bounds since I quit watching WWE in 2019. (I rage-quit after the infamous Hell in a Cell match between Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt, which featured the red light of doom and the giant clown hammer.) I had been following their weekly TV up to that point, but Raw was getting to be a major chore to sit through, it was way too long, and the booking was incredibly repetitive and overall terrible. AEW was established by that point, so I pretty much stopped watching WWE TV and never really looked back. I still watched select WWE PPV's, but as far as Raw and Smackdown I was pretty much done. For somebody who literally stopped watching Raw for years and then came back for the Netflix debut, the differences are pretty remarkable, from the production for sure, but also the booking. They still get a few things wrong, but they get a lot more right, in my personal opinion. - I wasn't a fan of the show being started with a Nia Jax angle for the simple reason that Nia Jax is terrible and has no place on my TV. Rhea Ripley is awesome and probably the best female talent in the business right now, but even her awesomeness can't offset the awfulness that is Nia Jax. I have seen people whose opinions I respect around here at PWO talk about how Jax has improved. Maybe. But I look at it this way...if you are driving your car with four flat tires, and then you fix two of them...you're still driving a car with flat tires. Just because there are degrees of suckiness doesn't mean she doesn't still suck. And I defy anybody who saw her performance in War Games to tell me that she doesn't suck. Her promos are terrible, she comes across as a lousy B movie villain. I get they are trying to book her like a female Vader or something now, but...bleh. - Opening segment was okay. Did what it was supposed to. Showed how crazy popular Jey Uso is, continued to build Gunther's character and hyped the SNME match on Saturday. I would say this...if you saw Michael Cole "Yeeting" while Jey Uso made his entrance...you may have witnessed the whitest person ever doing the whitest dance ever. You really can't get much whiter than that. - They screwed up the JBL segment, to be honest. I guess they figured he'd get cheered in Dallas so they tried to babyface him backstage with The New Day a bit, and he definitely did get some cheers...but he was still basically a heel commentator, especially when he was shitting all over Rey. I'm glad The New Day killed their theme song, because if they want this heel turn to work (and it definitely seems to be) then they really need to kill that music and change their image. The match was what it was...a solid TV match between two veteran professionals. Rey looked good and The New Day got to advance their heelishness. - The Sami promo was pretty good. I groaned when Kevin Owens came out because I think the Pro Wrestling business in general has pretty much mined all they are ever going to get out of this rivalry. I was legit happy to see them team up in the Main Event of Wrestlemania a couple of years ago, definitely deserved. But I could live a long happy life without seeing Chapter 556 of the Steen/Owens vs. Generico/Zayn feud. I honestly don't know where this deal is going, but unless it leads to Zayn turning heel at the Rumble and Owens becoming partners again, I'm not sure I want to see it. - I am mildly intrigued by the Sheamus/Breakker match coming up. Could be pretty damn good. Sheamus can have a great hard hitting match when he wants, and Breakker is really developing. - Poor Bayley. This time last year she was involved in a hot angle, about to win the Royal Rumble, and go on to win the Women's Title at Wrestlemania. One year later, she's getting beat by Nia Jax on TV. And then Ripley attacks Jax, and Bayley just disappears like an afterthought. Sad. - I am legit curious about where they are going with this Gable angle...like whose contact information did Dom give him? As far as Judgement Day as a stable? Ugh. They really need to pull the pin. McDonagh and Balor are fine as a Tag Team. Liv (and her bodyguard) and Dom are fine as their own little unit, and I don't know what the hell they are doing with Carlito right now...he's basically comedy relief or something. - Penta must be really confused with how he is being booked. They built him up, and debuted him to a great reaction in an excellent match last week...and now he's on TV again, the next week. I'm sure he's more used to having a great match on TV one week, then getting pulled off TV for two or three weeks for no reason, and then being booked in a 10 man tag on a B show after that. This cohesive, planned out booking must be so confusing for him. Anyhow, I thought the match was solid, and it was definitely designed to make Penta look great. Dunne looked good too. I'm curious what happens next with him, because apparently Tyler Bate is almost ready to return? I can't see Bate joining Dunne in his heel turn and them resuming their team, but who knows? I guess the larger question is about Penta. Do they continue to push him as a singles star and even end up putting a belt on him? He's certainly popular enough already. Or does he get involved in a feud? Or is he pretty much in a holding pattern until Fenix can come in? I'm curious where they are going. Not going to lie, I grew to dislike Penta in AEW because he seemed more interested in doing that stupid "no fear" hand gesture repeatedly, strutting around while sticking out his tongue, and doing repeated ridiculous dives. I much preferred Fenix. But he seems to have reigned in some of his goofier habits in WWE, and I have found him really enjoyable so far. I also liked that little backstage video they posted after his debut on YouTube. - The Punk promo was good and accomplished what it was supposed to. I don't know if it's by design or he can't help himself, but his heelish persona always seems to peek out, no matter how popular he is. I am curious if there is a turn coming for him. Sometimes it feels that way. Not that his line about killing Hulkamania made him seem like a heel. It sounded like the fans in Dallas like Hogan about as much as the fans in L.A. did. - That Pure Fusion Collective group is actually pretty damn good. I would definitely like to see more from them. The match with them vs. Kai & Sky was too short to be offensive, I kind of took this as filler, pretty much. - Gotta be honest, I was not at all looking forward to the Main Event. I love Drew McIntyre but I am lukewarm at best on Rollins, and I thought we'd seen enough from these two guys. But damned if this wasn't a hell of a match. And the whole deal with Sami at the end added an interesting wrinkle...especially when you factor in that smirk on the face of Drew to end the show. Overall, this show did exactly what it was supposed to do. It built and hyped up SNME this weekend, it built towards the Rumble, and it clocked in at well under 3 hours. And as an "International Viewer" I got no commercials. I never thought I'd see the day where I actually enjoyed Raw again...but here we are. (I'm still avoiding Smackdown until they go back to 2 hours in the spring.)

Yeah, you can definitely add me to the "I don't get it" list when it comes to understanding the popularity of Jey Uso. I mean, I don't hate the guy or anything...but I really don't understand why he's so popular either. I had a lot of time for the Usos as a Tag Team, and they deserve a ton of credit for staying popular and "relevant" (I hate that word in Pro Wrestling) in WWE for as long as they have. But if you would have asked me a couple of years ago if it would be possible to split them up and for one of them to have a successful singles career, I would have said no way. And like @DMJ said, Jey has definitely shit the bed a few times when the spotlight was on in a big singles match. That match with him and Jimmy at Wrestlemania last year was particularly tough to watch. Not to sound overly cynical, but I honestly think you have to chalk a huge portion of his popularity to his entrance, and his catch phrase. Let's be honest...WWE fans just love to chant stuff. Sadly, they're kind of like trained seals. Once they get a particular word (What?) or chant stuck in their heads, then you can't stop them from regurgitating it on command. And that's regardless of the actual talent level of the person they're chanting for. For example, I don't think anybody would remember the New Age Outlaws half as much if it wasn't for the Road Dogg's pre-match spiel, and Billy Gunn's "two words for ya" routine. An even better example would be Enzo and Cass. Enzo's little weekly pre-match routine got those two guys over like a million bucks for a while, and obviously the talent just wasn't there to back it up...especially in Enzo's case. @Coffey is probably right. You take away "Yeet" from Jey Uso, and what do you have? Not a whole lot. Not saying he sucks, but I certainly don't think the talent matches his level of popularity at this point. Oh well...Gunther has to murder somebody, so it may as well be him next. 🤣

That might explain that outfit Nia Jax was wearing tonight.

There were a couple of rough spots there, but overall, I think they did a great job of debuting Penta. He definitely came off as a star.

Agreed. There was more good than bad, and the Main Event definitely delivered.

I was wondering that exact thing. My guess is that they will go to great lengths to keep Hogan as far away from Ventura as possible. Hogan has always seemed to be one of those guys that is willing to bury the hatchet with pretty much anybody that he has heat with, but Ventura seems equally like the kind of guy that will hold a grudge even after the guy is dead. (See: Chris Kyle) I am guessing Hogan just won’t get invited to any Saturday Night Main Event shows if Jesse is working them.

I just read that International viewers who are paying for the ad free tier of Netflix, will not have to see any ads at all during the show, and the matches will just continue for those viewers (much like the AEW feed on Fite) or they will show video packages. If this is true, that’s definitely another mark in the plus column for me. One of the things I always found hilarious when I saw the Dynamite feed on Fite, was how the announcers would joke around and bullshit a bit more during the commercial breaks. Especially when it was Taz and Excalibur busting Tony Schiavone’s chops.

I see what you’re saying, but I much prefer angles being drawn out over time. One of the many things I always hated about WWE was that they treated their fans like idiots, like we weren’t supposed to remember that guys who were sworn enemies one week would be fine with each other after a PPV blowoff match, and everybody just moved on. One of the things I have really enjoyed is both the continuity and the long term storytelling. Look at Drew McIntyre. His character holds grudges over stuff that happened years ago, and as an added wrinkle, he’s actually justified, even though he’s a heel. Just because Roman and the Original Bloodline are babyfaces now, McIntyre is a grudge holding sumbitch and still hates them with good reason. I agree that they could definitely pull the triggers on some stories a bit quicker, but if I had to choose, I much prefer the way things are now.

Yeah, I am kind of hoping some of that stuff makes it onto Netflix as well. Like the old ECW stuff, a lot of the documentaries they have done, and other vintage footage.

So I logged into my Netflix account today, and discovered that not only will Raw be available on Netflix every Monday as of this coming Monday, but Smackdown and NXT will be as well, on their respective nights. And the catalog of back episodes will be getting uploaded as well. On top of that, they have already uploaded all of the major WWE PPV/PLE’s, and those events will also be showing live as part of the Netflix deal as well. To American fans, this might not seem like news or any kind of big deal at all…but for Canadian fans this is going to be huge, for the simple reason that we don’t get the Peacock streaming service here. Since WWE stopped operating the WWE Network in the United States and moved over to Peacock, Canadian (and a lot of other international) fans have been getting the shaft. There has been an international version of the WWE Network available, but through my cable provider, it is $15.00 a month. And they don’t have a lot of the back catalogue available. The only real reason to order that version of the Network previous to this was to see the PLE’s…or else you have to buy them via traditional PPV. (Or you know, through other…less than legal means.) The alternative is that you could sign up for Sportsnet+, which is the App from the television network that showed Raw, Smackdown and NXT in Canada, but that is even more expensive, and from what I understand it is glitchy as hell. It’s $20 a month for the Sportsnet+ App, and then extra money on top of that to access their version of the WWE Network and archive. Now (for Canadian fans at least) it’s going to be all under one roof, easy to access, and it’s on a service that I was already paying for because I use Netflix all the time anyways. I stopped paying for WWE content years ago because I just didn’t want my dollars going into Vince McMahon‘s pockets. Once he was officially out of the picture (the second time) and TKO became the parent company, I didn’t have as many qualms about it (how could I, since I pay for UFC stuff all the time) but it was a pain in the butt watching WWE TV on Sportsnet and figuring out a way to see the PLE’s. I wasn’t sure how the Netflix deal was going to work out for Canadian fans, but based on what I have seen so far, it’s going to be extremely convenient, actually save me money, and it’s going to be a big win.

I saw that. After all this time, AEW fans can finally watch Collision live on TV in Canada, on a basic cable channel, without having to pay extra or deal with the ridiculous TSN+ app. Shame it’s about a year-and-a-half too late.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around them using “I’m So Excited” by The Pointer Sisters as the Dynamite theme song. That song was super cringe when it came out…in 1982. That was one of the lamest things I have ever seen. I honestly thought it was a joke or something. Good Lord.