The Wrestling Thread III: WWE BotchaMania 37 - April 10 & 11, WWE Network

captain red dog wrote:I've never really got why WWE seem to knacker the TV show to try and sell PPVs or Network subs. Back in the attitude era, almost every Raw was really hot, which drove the PPV buys as people wanted to see more. However, more often than not, the PPVs weren't as good as Raw.

If they had a hot TV product, it would surely have sold more Network subs.

I wonder in the new world with the subletting of the network in the states, what incentive do they actually have other than to just pump out average TV content? They won't need to chase PPV buys or networks subs. I can only hope that their only source of revenue they can increase in the near term is from the TV money. But with USA and Fox unlikely to pay more, it seems a bit of a hard sell.

WWE isn't a wrestling company now and hasn't been for a few years. They're a content creation company who are only interested in pumping out the maximum numbers of hours for the least effort. Don't be shocked to see the current no-fans product continue to at least some degree long after the pandemic dies down, it gives McMahon a level of control he always wanted - where even the crowd reactions can be piped in to suit what he wants to present.

See also the Performance Centre/NXT becoming a talent warehouse; that system hasn't produced a single good wrestler or improved a signed talent, but it's somewhere they can stockpile wrestlers and mould them to fit the WWE system.

I find that a bit harsh. Most of the current women’s roster came up through the PC.

Prototype wrote:strawberry floating Lashley

To be fair he's been excellent for the last year and deserves a title reign. Helps that he's been protected at all costs and has MVP to do his talking as well.

Feel bad for the Miz.

Johnny Ryall wrote:I find that a bit harsh. Most of the current women’s roster came up through the PC.

Not quite to the extent of the men, but the women's production line still pumps out WWE Superstars™ rather than good wrestlers

Appears to be a rumour going around that NXT is going to be moving to Tuesday nights from April.

Not that it really makes much difference to my own viewing habits as I’ve got to wait a week on the WWE Network thanks to a deal with BT.

Return_of_the_STAR wrote:Feel bad for the Miz.

I'd like to have seen him hold the title until Fastlane give him some time with the title, the dude deserves it after all the stuff he does for the company

So who's the "Hall of Fame worthy" surprise signing for Revolution on Sunday?

These things always seem to lead to disappointment ('holy gooseberry fool, it's...Alex Wright!') but maybe as this is being promoted on what has turned into a pretty major PPV that it'll be somebody decent. In regards to the WWE's HOF, there's not many people left and available that aren't already in there.

MARK CALLOWAY IS ALL ELLIIIITTTEEEEE!

Kurt Angle?

I’m hoping for Punk or Lesnar.

I wonder what they mean by hall of fame worthy. Do they mean their own potential hall of fame or are they acknowledging wwe’s one and saying that the person is not yet in WWEs one.

Aw man have aew stopped doing PPVs on Saturdays now? I always liked that they did that

Is there anywhere to catch up on the first couple of years of AEW? Like WWE used to do those year in review videos that covered storylines and had some of the best matches of the year?

I think there’s only the official YouTube account: https://www.youtube.com/c/AEW/videos (highlights for all the shows are there, along with full episodes of AEW Dark). Though there may be some fan made recaps.

Maybe BIG DAVE Batista is another possibility for Sunday.

KK wrote:I think there’s only the official YouTube account: https://www.youtube.com/c/AEW/videos (highlights for all the shows are there, along with full episodes of AEW Dark). Though there may be some fan made recaps.

Maybe BIG DAVE Batista is another possibility for Sunday.

Cheers, I’ll give it a look through and check some stuff out, any particular matches I should check out?

Punk seems to be permanently retired. He's had close to a decade out now hasn't he, without being forcibly out through injury. Can't see Vince letting Lesnar go either.

Batista may be an outside chance, but after his last run I don't think he'd be interested in coming back.

My bet is it will be a swerve. Someone like a Heath Slater or possibly someone like Jeff Jarrett.

Could AJ Styles be possible, or did he recently renew his contract with WWE? He would certainly fit with AEW’s roster much better than someone like Lesnar.

ITSMILNER wrote:Cheers, I’ll give it a look through and check some stuff out, any particular matches I should check out?

The debut edition of Dynamite is worth it for historic purposes (October 2 2019), as is Cody Rhodes vs Brodie Lee in a Dog Collar match (October 7, 2020). I know on AEW’s YT they’ve got Chris Jericho’s entrance from last year’s Revolution which is also worth a watch too.

Cody Rhodes vs Wardlow (February 19, 2020) just to see what their steel cage looks like, and a very impressive move by Cody off the top of it.

AEW Dark every week is very wrestling heavy - I think it’s now at a fully fledged 2 hours.

KK wrote:Could AJ Styles be possible, or did he recently renew his contract with WWE? He would certainly fit with AEW’s roster much better than someone like Lesnar.

ITSMILNER wrote:Cheers, I’ll give it a look through and check some stuff out, any particular matches I should check out?

The debut edition of Dynamite is worth it for historic purposes (October 2 2019), as is Cody Rhodes vs Brodie Lee in a Dog Collar match (October 7, 2020). I know on AEW’s YT they’ve got Chris Jericho’s entrance from last year’s Revolution which is also worth a watch too.

Cody Rhodes vs Wardlow (February 19, 2020) just to see what their steel cage looks like, and a very impressive move by Cody off the top of it.

AEW Dark every week is very wrestling heavy - I think it’s now at a fully fledged 2 hours.

It was reported that AJ signed a 5 year contract last year.

My assumption would be that if it’s someone signed to wwe then they wouldn’t have been on tv recently as wwe seems to have a tendency to take them off tv or bury them if their contract is about to run out and it doesn’t look like they are renewing it. The days of allowing them to leave gracefully or at least with a loser leaves wwe March seem to have disappeared.

Johnny Ryall wrote:Aw man have aew stopped doing PPVs on Saturdays now? I always liked that they did that

There’s a UFC event on Saturday they don’t want to compete against.

I don’t believe they said it would be a wrestling hall of fame worthy star, so it’ll probably be some other US sports star.

What kind of backwards ass gimmick have they stuck on Apollo? :fp:

Also did they actually say the AEW secret surprise is an actual wrestler?! I know Khan said it was definitely a guy. If so my guess is Jerry Lawler. :slol:

The Wrestling Thread III: WWE BotchaMania 37 - April 10 & 11, WWE Network

Who is online

Affiliates