Timbo Slice

The tag match had the awesome Sheamus/Cesaro interactions that turned up the whole match another notch going forward, but Cesaro/Orton was really great stuff. Orton knew he had to step it up in there and the finishing stretch was pretty fantastic. If that was on Raw, it would have been a better finish, but it was still great.

I think Bryan's shoulder thing gives him a target and he'll be jobbing, but I think that the next night, he'll be a part of the Main Event. The Shield/Wyatts match has me absolutely amped. Batista/Del Rio is an absolute afterthought at this point, and with Del Rio supposedly on his way out, the crowd could shit all over the match.

It's mostly because they interface with Apple products and let you play stuff through iTunes on your TV. People who use Amazon Instant will have no appeal with it. That being said, HBO Go is on there and if you have a Comcast account, you can actually use it on there, as opposed to the other boxes.

Yeah, Flair/Steamboat wasn't a draw. It was booked as a draw finish, but Steamboat got the shoulder up when Flair bridged back on the flying chicken wing. I always hated the idea that matches had a shorter time limit than normal, which made a draw a formality. A lot of 30-minute, 10-minute, 15-minute draws. That type of stuff. Takes away a lot of the drama. As far as matches themselves go, The Flair/Jumbo 83 match was a great draw. Kobashi/Kawada in 95 (both draws, the 60-minute in January and the 30-minute at the Carnival, even if the booking itself stunk.) Still haven't seen the heralded 1/15/95 draw between the Four Pillars of Heaven. If Rock/HHH counts, Rock/HHH. And if that counts, then Steamboat/Rude at Beach Blast 92. My exception to that short draw rule is probably Taue/Misawa from 04. Taue was a fucking king in that match. Another one of those times were booking kills the result, but the match itself was good stuff. On the negative side, Bret/Shawn, Angle/Brock...maybe a few others.

Segunda Caida (segundacaida.blogspot.com) is a good one.

So, knowing how this works, the Network will report their (probably big) earnings, but at the same time, it's destined to be in the red come Q4 2014. And the $260M for rights fees right now still looks hilarious. They should be looking for a similar number while looking to expand on the streams they have already, especially considering TV rights fees are only going to matter for a few years longer before networks get smart to consumer demand for Over-The-Top apps...like the WWE Network.

A 30+ year career. Remarkable. The saddest thing is to see the greats not be able to end it on their terms.

Spike's biggest ratings are in the 1s. This would give them ratings in the 3s, but the question is how much the investment would be. They have the narrow advertising that fits into the pro wrestling landscape, they're well known...it seems like the perfect fit. Jarrett's show gets ratings but isn't a money maker. This would give them both.

Does it make sense to me? No? Then it's bad wrestling. I know that's a cut and dry pair of statements, but that's what it comes down to for me.

Comcast holds all the cards anyways. They can call their shots. Vince doesn't expect it to get paid as if they are a sporting event. The major pro sports work in multi-billion dollar contracts. Vince even thinking about $280M is pretty hilarious, and the ad revenue that can be expected from pro wrestling is limited anyways, especially given that's how show values are generated. For the production costs, Vince has to continuously ask for a number that high in order to keep his profit margins where he wants them. That's why the questions about the revenue garnered by the Network are such a huge deal. If Vince is assuming a yearly revenue generator that can offset what his live programming will garner, there's a major issue considering the first year of the Network will most likely be in the red.

I can't believe I forgot it, but the Cow Palace was a pretty awesome place to see a show. Really open arena, not a bad seat for a place that large, always a good crowd. Except if you're trying to run a convention and split with the money afterwards. Then it goes on the other side of the spectrum.

Korauken, Budokan for a big AJPW show, Sumo Hall for big NJPW shows. I'm actually a bit indifferent to the Tokyo Dome. I understand it's a big deal and all that, but the smaller venues did best. Hammerstein in ECW is another big one. Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. MSG. Arena Mexico in its heyday was ridiculous for big time matches. My favorite all time is Greensboro. Absolutely the best. Baltimore during the NWA run was a close second, with the 1989 GAB show being the magnum opus.

Too meta.

I'm actually going back to school right now for an analytics masters degree, so this is right up my alley, Chris. Really interested in seeing what comes out of this thing.

That mainly had to do with merch not being an issue at the time. It's recently become a talking point as Bryan has started getting over, with him not getting as big a push because his merch wasn't a top seller. So recent stories from the WWE brass are making it known that merch is a big talking point for a guy getting a big push, which coincided with Punk's run.

To this day, as someone who has worked in TV and produced shows, I'll never understand how they can't time out a taped show with commercial breaks where the break comes back right after a break in the action. I understand they like the WWE app, but man alive. It has always bugged me.

The more things change and all that.

There's a good chance it's the poll posts. You actually have to read those in order for them to be declared as read.

It's like Dana's squinting to see if that's actually Punk's name. EDIT: Also, it looks like he's being interviewed from jail with that shirt.

I like Adam Cole so at least the main would be fun.

CHIKARA sucks anyways. PWG has fucking Mount Rushmore going strong, the best indy heel stable in years. Kevin Steen's promos are top-notch right now. Watch that instead.

Chants get started at wrestling shows all the time. Some work, some don't. Most of the times, it's someone too smart for their own good trying to get himself over. Most of the time, that fails. The chants you hear aren't just a few people chanting. It's hundreds that turn into thousands because people think the chant is somewhat worthwhile to them. Does it mean it's smart? Of course not. But if people think chanting something like they do will make things enjoyable, they're going to chant it. Punk leaving has been picked up on many outlets outside of the dirt sheets, meaning that the word is out there and people are going to make their opinions heard one way or the other. Coffey's right: Fans are going to chant what they want in regards to the product that's presented to them. But for the change to happen, they can't just chant it. They have to back it up with their dollar.

Yeah, if Punk is truly "gone," WWE would have said something by now. At this point, they obviously don't know how to handle the situation, which is understandable. He's still under contract and because there's a guarantee, they would have to work out a settlement. It's not rocket science. The only reason anyone is saying it could be a work is because it really could be one. The more time passes, the less likely it becomes.

It's not only that, but a heel promo should give something for the face to overcome in steps where it looks like he actually has a shot. If you keep piling it on and not have him overcome it, why keep cutting those promos? And usually, the answer is because guys can't bear to lose heat. Because God forbid the face goes over on them.

There's a bigger chance about it being a work than anything considering WWE hasn't come out and said anything yet. Plus, since his contract isn't up for six months, there is a guarantee involved of some kind, so they wouldn't mention it unless there was some type of settlement reached on what was left on it. Which might take a bit.