There had been speculation for a few weeks about how WWE would address the upcoming gap that the NXT taping schedule had created, as it looked like they would be short a show before the first post-TakeOver Toronto tapings at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Now we know: They’re taping another show three days after TakeOver at the SmackDown taping in Ottawa, which is being held at the Canadian Tire Center. As of right now, there’s no indication if Main Event will still be taped that night, as that’s what is usually recorded before SmackDown.
Austin Aries suffered a nasty cut to the eye and lost a lot of blood after taking a kick to the face from NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura at Wednesday’s NXT house show in Fresno, CA.
– NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura will remain on WWE’s developmental brand for the foreseeable future, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. As we saw with Finn Balor, WWE likes having an established top babyface as the cornerstone of NXT as they continue expanding into new markets with live events.
At 36 years old, you’d hope Nakamura doesn’t spend as much time in NXT as Balor did. He’s almost unanimously regarded as one of the most charismatic and marketable wrestlers on any of WWE’s rosters. Nakamura would obviously be a tremendous acquisition for either RAW or SmackDown, but we might have to wait until 2017 to see which brand hits the jackpot with him.
– Mickie James’s WWE television return aired on this week’s NXT. The former WWE Women’s Champion sent a message to NXT Women’s Champion Asuaka ahead of their match at TakeOver: on 11/19. Mickie says Asuka has beat some challengers but she hasn’t beat her. Mickie warns Asuka that she’s coming for her title and that it will be an international incident at TakeOver.
FloSports Announces Five-Year Agreement With WWNLive To Live Stream All Events on FloSlam.tv
Exclusive Worldwide Partnership Includes EVOLVE, SHINE, Full Impact Pro, and WWN Supershow
Austin, TX (Oct. 24, 2016) – FloSports today announced a five-year partnership with World Wrestling Network Live (WWNLive) to make FloSlam.tv the exclusive worldwide streaming partner of all WWNLive properties, including EVOLVE, SHINE, Full Impact Pro and WWN Supershow.
The agreement begins Friday, Nov. 4, with live coverage of SHINE 38 from Ybor City, Fla. There will be live coverage of approximately 60 events annually on FloSlam as part of this deal.
“We’re excited to serve die-hard pro wrestling fans with live streams of some of the best independent promotions in the world,” FloSports co-founder and CEO Martin Floreani said. “This is a groundbreaking agreement that will take WWNLive to new heights.”
In addition to live coverage and replays of all future WWNLive promotions, FloSlam will host archives from all WWNLive events dating back to 2003 and will produce a series of original documentaries focusing on the lives and stories of the athletes who compete in pro wrestling events across the world.
“Everyone at WWN is excited to be partnering with such an innovative and groundbreaking company like FloSports,” said Sal Hamaoui, President of WWN, Inc. “I recently had the opportunity to meet and speak with their senior management and take a firsthand look at their operations in Austin, Texas. To say that I was impressed with the overall knowledge of their team, the quality of their live streams and their user-friendly platforms would be an understatement. This relationship will allow us to continue to serve and expand our loyal, passionate fan base who will have access to all WWN-branded events at a very affordable monthly or annual price.”
Top independent pro wrestling stars including Timothy Thatcher, Matt Riddle, Zack Sabre Jr., Tony Nese, and Drew Gulak will be featured in upcoming events.
FloSlam users can access all live streams and premium content on the site via monthly ($20/month introductory price) or annual ($150/year) FloPRO subscription. Annual subscribers to FloSlam receive a universal pass to all premium content across the FloSports network, including FloWrestling, FloGrappling, FloCombat, FloKO and others.
In addition, FloSlam content is available on all screens now with the recent launch of the FloSports’ Roku and Apple TV apps.
Analysis: If you’re already buying two or more WWN-branded shows a month, then you’re spending what the FloSlam new service costs. And if you’re a fan of any of Flo’s other programming, then the annual subscription to FloPRO gets you those, too. As for the value proposition, it’s an improvement over WWN’s current model, especially in light of this tweet from Evolve’s Gabe Sapolsky:
Obviously, if FloSlam adds more promotions, that becomes an even better value.
As for the hype for the announcement from PWTorch’s Wade Keller on both Twitter and his website, it appears that it’s based around the type of money Flo is willing to spend on shows. If it really is substantial enough to be a game changer, then you can understand the hype, since it changes the business model for “buzz-worthy” indies.
Also, we have to keep in mind that WWE was part of the group that invested in Flo Sports recently. While it appears that they have no direct involvement with decision making (after all, this competes with the planned new WWE Network tier), it’s still interesting that Flo’s first signing is a promotion that WWE has close ties to.
Former ROH Champion Roderick Strong made his NXT debut at Thursday night’s tapings from Full Sail University.
Strong made his debut as the mystery partner of Austin Aries in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They defeated the team of Tucker Knight and Otis Bogojevic to advance.
Strong has teamed with Aries in both Ring of Honor and TNA. He’s been seen at the WWE Performance Center in recent weeks.
Mickie James will face Asuka for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT Takeover: Toronto.
James, a 5-time WWE Women’s Champion and former Divas Champion, appeared on the big screen at Thursday night’s NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. She worked for TNA as recently as last year.
Earlier today, NXT General Manager William Regal announced the main event for that show will see NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defending against Samoa Joe.
We’ll have complete spoilers from Thursday’s NXT tapings later tonight.
Scoop #25: Regal out post match, at Takeover: Toronto it's Asuka vs. Mickie James pic.twitter.com/XOROlm8H4c
TJ Perkins and Kota Ibushi have previously teamed in EVOLVE during Wrestlemania 32 weekend in Dallas and they also faced each other in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament where TJ defeated Kota to advance to the finals.
NXT star Hideo Itami announced on Thursday that he is injured and will be unable to compete in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Itami was scheduled to team with Kota Ibushi in the tournament, but will be out of action for several months due to injury. Itami says he likely won’t be healthy in time for NXT Takeover: Toronto during Survivor Series weekend, but vows to return in time for NXT’s first-ever live event from Osaka, Japan on December 3rd.
Hideo Itami suffered a neck injury earlier this month at NXT’s live event from Largo, Florida. Itami was teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura in a match against Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli. Moss dropped Itami on his head while performing a modified powerslam and the match ended abruptly.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted this week there is official diagnosis at this time, other than it being a significant injury. Itami’s WWE run has been plagued with injuries, including two shoulder surgeries prior to this latest injury.
NXT General Manager William Regal has announced the main event of Takeover: Toronto will see NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defending against Samoa Joe.
Nakamura defeated Joe for the championship during SummerSlam weekend at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. Since then, Joe has been hell bent on recapturing his title, viciously attacking the champion and terrorizing NXT until he gets what he wants.
NXT Takeover: Toronto takes place Saturday, November 19th at the Air Canada Centre.
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet is reporting that Hideo Itami hurt his neck at a recent NXT live event and was told the injury will keep him from wrestling for months.
The injury occurred while taking a powerslam gone wrong during a tag match on October 1st where he teamed with Shinsuke Nakamura to take on Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli.
No word yet on the exact injury but it seems to be his neck.
The following is a video of what happened.
Hideo Itami Takes Nasty Looking Bump Saturday Night At An NXT Live Event. No Word On His Condition pic.twitter.com/xK0YnPZZ9J
Hideo was scheduled to take part in this years Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with his partner Kota Ibushi, no word yet on a replacement for him or the team all together.
WWE is currently doing market research to gauge interest in a multi-tier system for the WWE Network.
The 1st tier would be free, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. It would be limited to 5 hours of viewing a month, the content would include small video clips, access to the full archive of content and the live stream. Live PPV, NXT and other live specials would be blacked out.
The 2nd tier would be $4.99. This plan is exclusive to phones and tablets. It would include the big 4 PPV events (Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, Summerslam and Survivor Series), NXT on demand not live, unlimited viewing of the full archive of content as well as the live stream but will not include a possible new Cruiserweight show.
The 3rd tier would be $9.99. This tier is basically the standard one that is available now with some possible undisclosed upgrades.
The 4th and final tier would be $14.99. It would include all the above as well as content from other promotions not under the WWE umbrella. Dave specifically mentions TNA and ROH, WWE is interested in the full library from both companies but would also like to air live events. He goes on to say there has been rumblings about the interest in Ring Of Honor specifically.
There would also be possibilities of working out deals with several other independent companies such as EVOLVE, or PROGRESS out of the UK.
Additional benefits of this premium tier would be the ability to vote for WWE Hall Of Fame candidates and exclusive opportunities for ticket pre sales and talent meet and greets.
This would be very interesting and could really change the landscape of independent wrestling if WWE started airing this content on their network. It could potentially put more eyes on companies that might not have been able to get that type of exposure otherwise.
Discussion: Let us know your thoughts on this potential tier based system and which one would you sign up for, if any.
WWE announced earlier today that they will be doing travel packages for the Royal Rumble this coming year. The following is all the information provided
WWE Royal Rumble makes its historic return to San Antonio’s Alamodome on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017, and there’s no better way to take part in all of that weekend’s big activities than by picking up your very own Royal Rumble Travel Package.
Official Royal Rumble Travel Packages will be available starting this Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT, exclusively at RoyalRumbleTravel.com.
Individual tickets for Royal Rumble will be available starting Friday, Oct. 14, at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000
ROYAL PACKAGE
Each person in this group (maximum 4 people per group) will receive:
Royal Rumble Ticket
Alamodome
Seating – Rows 1-2
Collectible Chair
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Sunday Breakfast
Exclusive autograph session with WWE Superstars
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Royal Experience
An exclusive VIP experience at the Alamodome prior to Royal Rumble
Sunday, January 29, 2017
San Antonio Area Hotel
Two-Night Hotel Accommodations
Check-in Saturday, January 28, 2017
Check-out Monday, January 30, 2017
(Each person in this group will share one standard room)
Royal Package Prices 1 person – $2,650
2 People – $2,400 per person
3 People – $2,300 per person
4 People – $2,200 per person
VIP PACKAGE
Each person in this group (maximum 4 people per group) will receive:
Royal Rumble Ticket
Alamodome
Seating – Rows 3-5
Collectible Chair
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Sunday Breakfast
Exclusive autograph session with WWE Superstars
Sunday, January 29, 2017
San Antonio Area Hotel
Two-Night Hotel Accommodations
Check-in Saturday, January 28, 2017
Check-out Monday, January 30, 2017
(Each person in this group will share one standard room)
VIP Package Prices 1 Person – $1,450
2 People – $1,300 per person
3 People – $1,200 per person
4 People – $1,100 per person
GOLD PACKAGE
Each person in this group (maximum 4 people per group) will receive:
Royal Rumble Ticket
Alamodome
Seating – 100 Level
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Sunday Breakfast
Exclusive autograph session with WWE Superstars
Sunday, January 29, 2017
San Antonio Area Hotel
Two-Night Hotel Accommodations
Check-in Saturday, January 28, 2017
Check-out Monday, January 30, 2017
(Each person in this group will share one standard room)
Gold Package Prices 1 Person – $1,300
2 People – $1,100 per person
3 People – $1,000 per person
4 People – $900 per person
I think it’s a smart idea to do this, it might help some people on the fence about traveling for it by them get everything in one package. WWE has a big task at hand trying to fill a 60,000 seat venue for a PPV that’s typically in an arena over half that size and not always pushed as an event on the level of Wrestlemania or even Summerslam.
WWE.com revealed earlier today the bracket for the 2016 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. There is 8 first round matches and the action starts tonight on NXT with NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas & Cedric Alexander and The Authors of Pain vs. The Bollywood Boyz.
TM-61 vs. Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
Team Aries (Austin Aries & ???) vs. Niko Bogojevic & Tucker Knight
Hideo Itami & Kota Ibushi vs. Lince Dorado & Mustafa Ali
Tye Dillinger & Bobby Roode vs. SAnitY
The Authors of Pain vs. The Bollywood Boyz
No Way Jose & Rich Swann vs. Tony Nese & Drew Gulak
NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas & Cedric Alexander
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bin Wang & HoHo Lun
Discussion: Who do you see being the final two teams? Let us know in the comments section!
– As noted, Monday’s RAW from Los Angeles drew 2.797 million viewers, up from last week’s record-low of 2.478 million. The final rating for this week’s RAW was a 1.92, up from last week’s 1.75.
– Tonight’s NXT episode will see the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic kick off with The Authors of Pain vs. The Bollywood Boyz and The Revival vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas and Cedric Alexander.
Other matches taped for tonight include Dan Matha’s debut, Rich Swann vs. Patrick Clark and Danielle Kamella vs. Peyton Royce.
– Apollo Crews is shown preparing for matches in this new Tapout ad:
"I want them thinking he went out there and left everything in the ring. He came out and brought 150% and killed it!" @ApolloCrews @TapouTpic.twitter.com/SNyrnV8wOb
Kota Ibushi recently did an interview with Tokyo Sports and this is what he said when asked about signing with the WWE full time.
“Zero chance. Absolutely not. But these one shot deals are an absolute plus for all concerned. If I can be the precedent for this kind of deal, it opens the doors for a lot of Japanese talent in wwe.”
Kota Ibushi will once again be appearing in NXT during the 2016 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic when he teams with Hideo Itami.
NXT star Bobby Roode recently spoke with Brian Fritz of Sporting News about his decision to leave TNA earlier this year after 12 years with the company. The “Glorious” Superstar achieved every possible accomplishment in TNA, holding the TNA World title twice, the tag titles multiple times and even the now-defunct King of the Mountain belt. Despite being a “TNA original” who was around from the very beginning, Roode said it was not a hard decision to leave.
“I don’t really have a negative thing to say about that company. I was treated extremely well there for 12 years and financially I was taken care of.” he said. “Honestly, it was just time for me to go. I never really got into this industry for the money although it’s nice. I’ve been able to make a career and support my family for the last 12 years doing what I love to do. But that was just it. The last two years of that company, I didn’t love it anymore. I started to lose my passion which was concerning to me.”
Roode said TNA became a place where it was just a television product and he got into wrestling to perform in front of crowds all over the world. There was a time where you could do that in TNA. He loved being on the road and learning from guys like Kurt Angle, Bully Ray and Christian. But that was no longer a reality in TNA.
“It got to a point those last two years there in TNA that we literally just went and did television and it wasn’t fun for me anymore. I had 12 great years and I just felt like at my age and at my stage in my career I wanted a different opportunity and that’s all I wanted. My first conversation with WWE was just that. I want opportunity and they’ve given me the opportunity and here I am today.”
Bobby Roode also commented on his Glorious theme music, admitting he was totally and pleasantly surprised how much it’s caught on with fans. “When your entrance song that you’re a part of goes No. 1 on the iTunes soundtrack charts it kind of surreal,” he gushed. “Obviously, the song fits the character, the character fits the song. It all has come together and, in a way, made my job a little easier.”
Head over to SportingNews.ca to check out the full interview.
Samoa Joe’s following instagram post shows he’s in LA today, Raw tonight is in town at the Staples Center.
No word yet if there’s any plans on using Joe tonight or if he’s just taking in the sights as as somewhat local to the area, Joe is from Orange County, CA.
WWE announced on Monday that NXT is stopping in New York City and Boston this November in the days leading up to NXT Takeover: Toronto. We’ve now gotten confirmation regarding which venues will be hosting the NYC and Boston shows.
NXT makes its debut at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Nov. 16, then heads to the Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University on Thursday, Nov. 17.
Fans in the Northeast will get to see stars like NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, NXT Women’s Champion Asuka, Hideo Itami, Bobby Roode, Austin Aries* and more just days before they invade Toronto during Survivor Series weekend.
Tickets go on sale this Friday at Ticketmaster.com
NXT is coming to New York City and Boston in the days leading up to NXT Takeover: Toronto.
NXT returns to NYC on Thursday, November 16th. The following night, NXT invades Boston, MA.
The two shows lead up to NXT Takeover: Toronto, which takes place Saturday night 11/17 during Survivor Series weekend.
Tickets for the NYC and Boston shows go on sale this Friday. No word yet on which venues will host these big Northeast shows, but we’ll post an update here as soon as we get more details.
As noted earlier, in a case of history repeating itself, WWE has released Tough Enough season 6 female winner Sara Lee from her contract in Friday, which was first reported by Ryan Satin at ProWrestlingSheet.com. Being that the Tough Enough season finale took place on August 25, 2015, Lee lasted just a month past the term of her initial one year, $250,000 contract. Male winner Josh Bredl (NXT’s Bronson Matthews) is still under contract for the time being, as well as female runner up Amanda Saccomanno (NXT’s Mandy Rose) and overall #11 Daria Berenato (NXT’s Daria).
While Lee had consistently done well in the viewer voting, Rose appeared to be the coaches’ pick, and if NXT bookings are any indication, Lee was not progressing as quickly as her peers. According to WrestlingData, Lee only had eight matches in NXT, all on Florida house shows, while Mandy Rose and Daria have had individual months where they had that many matches. Bredl/Matthews has had even less matches (five), but there are also more spots for the men.
The winner of Tough Enough’s fourth season (the one on SmackDown), MMA fighter Daniel Puder, was similarly cut after one year of being paid $250,000. He was progressing well and getting pushed on OVW (developmental TV) by then-booker Paul Heyman, but that apparently wasn’t taken into account. Puder is best known for catching Angle in a double wristlock/Kimura during an actual shoot match on SmackDown. Referee Jimmy Korderas was the only one to realize what was happening and counted a pinfall victory for Angle even though Puder had a shoulder up. Angle complained to Puder afterwards that it was supposed to be an amateur wrestling match, even though it had three count pins and he won his previous match with a neck crank, which is illegal in amateur wrestling.
Stuart Charles Tomlinson better known as NXT developmental talent Hugo Knox was released from his contract recently, the departure is said to be mutual.
Tomlinson was signed in December 2013, making his debut at a WWE NXT live event on November 8th, 2014.
He has confirmed the release by retweeting and commenting the following.
