The Wrestling Thread: WWE WrestleMania XL - 6/7 April 2024

[gaminglegend]

Bayley out approximately nine months after sustaining injury while training

Bayley out approximately nine months after sustaining injury while training

WWE Digital has learned that Bayley sustained an injury while training for her WWE Money in the Bank match against Bianca Belair and will be out approximately nine months.

A suitable replacement for the SmackDown Women's Title Match will be announced tonight on FOX.

https://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/art ... n-the-bank

God, that’s rotten luck, a mere week from going back in front of a Live crowd. Maybe they can use her like The Miz and still have her on TV.

For me she's carried the company through the pandemic era.

If she kept off TV though imagine the pop on her return as a babyface

[Mafro]

I see WWE has been punted off Channel 5.

WWE lost its TV on Ch. 5 in the U.K. WWE started in February 2020 with the original plan being a one hour Smackdown highlights show on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and a one hour Raw highlights show on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The idea was to target young kids and families. Neither show drew well. The Saturday show was moved a month into the run to the Paramount Channel, a much smaller and less viewed, but still free-to-air station that is affiliated with Ch. 5. The Raw show was moved to Paramount now and will air at 11 p.m. on Thursday nights, and debuted on 7/8. The station replaced it with one of the endless reruns of Friends that have been around forever

[gaminglegend]

I see WWE has been punted off Channel 5.

WWE lost its TV on Ch. 5 in the U.K. WWE started in February 2020 with the original plan being a one hour Smackdown highlights show on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and a one hour Raw highlights show on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The idea was to target young kids and families. Neither show drew well. The Saturday show was moved a month into the run to the Paramount Channel, a much smaller and less viewed, but still free-to-air station that is affiliated with Ch. 5. The Raw show was moved to Paramount now and will air at 11 p.m. on Thursday nights, and debuted on 7/8. The station replaced it with one of the endless reruns of Friends that have been around forever

I had legit no idea Channel 5 even had WWE. I've not seen one advert (admittedly I've never watched Channel 5 in years) but you'd have thought it would have been advertised somewhere mainstream.

Same respect though, I didn't know they had Friends. But then again Friends is on Netflix

[KK]

The Channel 5 group of channels also had IMPACT WRESTLING but that was dumped completely.

The problem is the SmackDown highlights are a week behind, and RAW is just shy of that. Why would you wait for the C5 airings when you could just watch it on YouTube (mostly without commercials). I think NXT UK also airs in its entirety on Paramount but also in some death slot.

Trying to appeal to casual fans but there aren’t any of those left. You only have to see the decline in viewership on Sky Sports and BT Sport to see interest has collapsed. Last time wrestling was legit hot in the UK was ironically when TNA and IMPACT WRESTLING were on Challenge.

[Return_of_the_STAR]

The Channel 5 group of channels also had IMPACT WRESTLING but that was dumped completely.

The problem is the SmackDown highlights are a week behind, and RAW is just shy of that. Why would you wait for the C5 airings when you could just watch it on YouTube (mostly without commercials). I think NXT UK also airs in its entirety on Paramount but also in some death slot.

Trying to appeal to casual fans but there aren’t any of those left. You only have to see the decline in viewership on Sky Sports and BT Sport to see interest has collapsed. Last time wrestling was legit hot in the UK was ironically when TNA and IMPACT WRESTLING were on Challenge.

Indeed, that TNA challenge era was when WWE needed to get Freeview exposure but they stuck with Sky.

[captain red dog]

The Channel 5 group of channels also had IMPACT WRESTLING but that was dumped completely.

The problem is the SmackDown highlights are a week behind, and RAW is just shy of that. Why would you wait for the C5 airings when you could just watch it on YouTube (mostly without commercials). I think NXT UK also airs in its entirety on Paramount but also in some death slot.

Trying to appeal to casual fans but there aren’t any of those left. You only have to see the decline in viewership on Sky Sports and BT Sport to see interest has collapsed. Last time wrestling was legit hot in the UK was ironically when TNA and IMPACT WRESTLING were on Challenge.

I think I remember as TNA stars were on UK radio a lot, although that was in the terrible Hogan era which ironically was the worst period of the company in my opinion.

WWE have been brave in booking 4 UK dates in Sept. I really can't see them selling out. It would almost need a huge majority of their UK viewers to buy tickets.

[Prototype]

Paul Orndorff has died. Not really that surprising given the video that was circulating of him in a bad way. Shame. RIP

[Corazon de Leon]

That’s a shame. RIP.

[captain red dog]

In a real culture clash, Dominic Cummings is on twitter recommending watching WWE to understand UK politics better.

[KK]

What a fantastically hot show Dynamite was last night. Meanwhile WWE’s major surprise for Monday’ RAW is…

Fightful Select reports that Goldberg is scheduled to return on Monday's episode of RAW at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The current plan is to have Goldberg face Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam on Saturday, August 21 at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada. Goldberg's WWE contract is scheduled to run through 2022 and calls for two matches per year.

Commencing with SmackDown tomorrow night and continuing with RAW, the company will also debut new sets and graphics to welcome back fans.

A promotion that sounds desperately devoid of new ideas.

[Return_of_the_STAR]

What a fantastically hot show Dynamite was last night. Meanwhile WWE’s major surprise for Monday’ RAW is…

Fightful Select reports that Goldberg is scheduled to return on Monday's episode of RAW at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The current plan is to have Goldberg face Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam on Saturday, August 21 at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada. Goldberg's WWE contract is scheduled to run through 2022 and calls for two matches per year.

Commencing with SmackDown tomorrow night and continuing with RAW, the company will also debut new sets and graphics to welcome back fans.

A promotion that sounds desperately devoid of new ideas.

It’s a shame Goldberg didn’t decide to have a comeback run ten years ago. I appreciate his willing but he’s just too old now to be believable against the current crop

[KK]

The new set for SmackDown tonight looks to be just a massive video wall:

[Return_of_the_STAR]

The new set for SmackDown tonight looks to be just a massive video wall:

Are SD and Raw having different sets?

It looks like one of their generic less important ppv sets.

[KK]

I think they’re supposed to be getting separate sets again like last time.

I rather liked the FOX SmackDown design as it was one of the few stages WWE has had in recent years (apart from WrestleMania with the pirate ship) to still have a physical element and some depth to it.

[captain red dog]

Christ, they probably should have just used the old set. Even though it was beyond tired and generic, would have been nice to see the crowd back and everything looking completely normal!

[kerr9000]

RIP Paul Orndoff you were Wonderful

[KK]

[KK]

The crowd definitely elevated the ordinary into a thoroughly entertaining SmackDown on Friday. The show flew by. The most enjoyable WWE programme I’ve seen since night two of Mania…which probably isn’t saying much, but it certainly wasn’t one of those clock watching episodes.

[captain red dog]

Sounds like MITB was pretty decent last night. I won't mention any spoilers, but if you got the cheap network deal the other month, it will probably be worth a watch.

[KK]

Apart from two spots in the opening ladder match that were so bad it was comical (a tug of war in the ring with the ladder where time almost literally stood still, and Alexa Bliss using hypnosis on Zelina Vega) and a tag match that seemed to drag on for an eternity, WWE didn't really do much wrong all night long.

Charlotte Flair flipping off the crowd (and the crowd flipping her back) proving too much for the censors was ridiculous, seeing as later in the night Bobby Lashley dropped "bullshit", which by the looks of it was taken from an episode of RAW. The match with Ripley was slow to get going but it really built into something great in the last 10-15 minutes.

I don't know what this new thing is of the commentators sporadically standing up during matches is all about.

I didn't see the match as it was on the pre-show, but not sure what message it sends out where you get a DUI (again) and a week or so later you win the tag titles.