Originally published at POLLOCK'S NEWS UPDATE: State of Transition as AEW Enters Year Four
POST IT NOTES
**Rewind-A-Dynamite will be live tonight at 10:20 p.m. ET (five minutes after Dynamite ends) with Wai Ting and I reviewing the anniversary episode. We will also chat about the latest news including Andrade’s interview from Monday, Sammy Guevara’s response, Raw ratings from Monday & the latest news. Plus, your feedback & Super Chats at the end of the show.
**POST Wrestling will be having an informal meet-up prior to Dynamite in Toronto on Wednesday, October 12th at the Tim Hortons inside Liberty Village (171 East Liberty Street) at 5 p.m. and it’s a five-minute walk to the Coca-Cola Coliseum where Dynamite is taking place. We’ll be hanging out with listeners there and then heading over to the show. We are also looking for volunteers that are interested in handing out some POST stickers and promotional material, if you are interested send an email to [email protected].
**Rewind-A-Wai #117 was released on Tuesday covering WCW’s Great American Bash from June 1996. On this week’s show that is available for POST Wrestling Café members:
*Kevin Nash powerbombs Eric Bischoff off stage
*Legal threats and wild demands from the WWF over Hall/Nash
*The WCW debut of Rey Mysterio Jr.
*A cringy Sting promo
*Dusty Rhodes on commentary
*John Tenta, a man not a fish
*Nitro and Raw ratings the following night
*Problems between Ultimate Warrior and Vader in WWF
*New names coming to WWF including T.L. Hopper
**The video version of Rewind-A-Wai is available for members at video.postwrestling.com.
**Brandon Sears has a book review on the site for Keith Elliot Greenberg’s latest release Follow the Buzzards: Pro Wrestling in the Age of COVID-19, which is out now through ECW Press. I also want to wish congratulations to Brandon, who is getting married later this week and has been our resident book reviewer on the site for several years.
STATE OF TRANSITION AS AEW ENTERS YEAR FOUR
AEW Dynamite presents its three-year anniversary episode tonight from the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. They are running the building twice this week with a return on Friday night for a live Rampage followed by Battle of the Belts IV. They tried the same experiment at the building this past January drawing 3,500 paid (3,700 total) for the Wednesday show and 2,800 paid (3,000 total) for the Friday show, per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that week.
The latest figures from WrestleTix list approximately 3,000 tickets out for the show tonight (including comps). AEW has experienced a softening of ticket sales with a few exceptions such as the first time in Toronto in two weeks and the figures for the Seattle show in January. It comes at a time when they are running more separate tapings for Rampage, which is going to be a tougher sell than a live Dynamite with the perception issue and knowing it’s only a one-hour show and filling the live show with additional matches that may be deemed inconsequential if they’re not airing on television.
It is probably too extreme to state that AEW is at a crossroads but it’s the first time the company feels like it’s in a defensive posture with WWE turning around the public sentiment which has been reflected in interest for the product. The fallout involving CM Punk, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega from All Out has been a cloud over the company’s head but Dynamite viewership remains strong. However, the advances for upcoming shows should be a sign of the public’s interest decreasing rather than increasing and you want to address those issues now and not in six months when it becomes a larger problem. For the first three years, AEW was the cool alternative to a lot of wrestling fans fatigued by the WWE presentation, poor utilization of talents, and an erosion of its fanbase. When WWE is actively addressing and changing those critiques, it puts AEW in the position of offering something else the public desires in large numbers.
From the outside, it feels like AEW has so many masters to serve and initiatives it wants to promote. The rebuilding of Rampage, the long-term plans for Ring of Honor, the All Elite Women project that’s been discussed, keeping its talent satisfied with enough television time and opportunities, resolving the All Out issues, WWE reaching out to talent, and entering the most important negotiations of the company’s history for a renewal of its U.S. media rights. Another important issue is the overall perception of the company to its fanbase, and while you can’t make absolute conclusions, it feels like there is a growing belief in a company running amidst chaos. That might be unfair but the flames from that perception are constantly fanned when talent goes back and forth about their issues, in-fighting goes public (see below), and the company doesn’t feel like it has a handle on these growing issues. The CM Punk press conference did a lot of harm when it comes to that perception because of the public nature and his criticisms being so damning to how the company is being run and belittling figures that were instrumental to the launch of AEW.
For a company that has produced four $1 million+ gates this year, you don’t want to act like the sky is falling but you also want to learn from history. In 1998, it was very easy for WCW to rest on its laurels and look at the gate figures and business they drew (their stadium run from November 1998 through January 4, 1999, for instance) and that masks a lot of criticism levied your way. But to anyone watching the WCW product in 1998, you could see so many cracks in the foundation that burst by the end of 1999 and was a sea of disaster by 2000. The business moves so quickly, and the hot hand can turn cold in an instant but there is no denying the increased temperature in WWE’s grip on fan perception today.
AEW possesses one of the deepest rosters in history and we are spoiled by the quality in-ring product delivered weekly, which is a blessing for those that appreciate that aspect but a curse when it’s part of your weekly diet and a four-star main event is the norm and not the exception.
At its core, new stars resonate with the audience and it’s the oldest theme in wrestling. A new talent rises to new heights and the audience is along for the journey and backs that star. They have limitless options and just need to narrow that number and go all the way. Turnover is not inherently bad and in fact, freshens up the products when old names move out and create spots for new and fresh blood to enter and thrive. Part of WWE’s momentum over the past few months has been the returns or debuts of new stars and people tuning with the idea that a Johnny Gargano or Hit Row or Bray Wyatt might appear on their screen.
Tony Khan is under a constant microscope and the past month has likely tested his limits with so many internal issues. In late 2019, he realized he needed to be the final stopgap and assumed greater responsibility for the creative process, which was a positive for the product. Today, the major focus should be the next media rights deal as it’s so important for the success of the company and what level they will operate at. The backstage drama is a hindrance and a distraction but only becomes truly burdensome when it affects the business or diverts Khan’s time from the really important areas. You can’t legislate good morale and talent is going to have problems, but there should be a greater resistance from talent going public and having spats online with other performers or cutting promos on each other that aren’t designed for business but personal animus.
Year four is of great importance for the company regarding how it addresses this adversity, the make-up of the locker room one year from now, and whether the “alternative” can find enough demand to counter the “incumbent”.
WRESTLING NEWS
**Here is the lineup for tonight’s anniversary edition of Dynamite from Washington, D.C., which will include a 15-minute overrun on TBS and TSN 2 in Canada:
*Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara vs. Bryan Danielson & Daniel Garcia
*TNT Championship: Wardlow (champion) vs. Brian Cage
*Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal
*Hangman Page vs. Rush
*Toni Storm, Athena & Willow Nightingale w/ Saraya vs. Jamie Hayter, Penelope Ford & Serena Deeb w/ Dr. Britt Baker
*Luchasaurus in action
*MJF vs. Wheeler Yuta (this will start the show and is MJF’s first match on television since April)
*National Scissoring Day with The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn
**The premiere episode of Tales from the Territories averaged 113,000 viewers and 0.05 in 18-49 on Vice TV on Tuesday. The show ranked #109 among cable originals that day. Compared to season three of Dark Side of the Ring, it would have been the least-watched episode with the exception of the episode covering XPW, which averaged 109,000 viewers last year. (Showbuzz Daily)
**AEW had its latest Twitter drama on Tuesday after a back-and-forth involving Andrade El Idolo and Sammy Guevara stemming from Andrade’s comments in an interview with Mas Lucha on Monday (the interview was in Spanish and we are relying on translations from the interview, which sometimes loses the context). Essentially, Andrade was asked about issues backstage in AEW and mentioned he only had one problem and it was after a match involving Sammy Guevara and that Guevara complained of him hitting him too hard during a match. Guevara responded on Twitter with “You are a jobber. A favor hire. Be grateful bitch.”
I said it to your FACE if you had a problem with me and you said NOTHING, I wont beat your ass because im a professional, don’t be scared.
When I say something I name names, and im not scared to get fired!
YOU didnt say shit to me you liar but heres some truth you ungrateful prick You would be jobless if it wasn’t for your dad in law. Are you really mad at me or mad at yourself for failing to get over for a SECOND time. Just go back to Wwe like we all know you want to do & fuck off
Ok I’m a liar 😂 see you on Wednesday!!
I’ll tell you to your face again!!! and nothing you say that you do not have any problem!
**Tony Khan was interviewed by Variety and discussed the relationship between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery and specifically mentioning Nancy Daniels and Scott Lewers at the network:
They’ve integrated us into the new company and given us the opportunity to be involved in their most valuable intellectual property and weave it into AEW. It’s really exciting.” Those integrations include themed episodes around both “Shark Week” and the launch of HBO’s “House of the Dragon.” Khan also described the move to TBS as a “big success for us,” saying that that the time since the move “is the hottest we’ve been this whole year.”
**Tony Khan also spoke with Justin Barrasso at SI.com on the future for Ring of Honor:
Warner Bros. Discovery wants to continue on with Ring of Honor pay-per-views, and the success of our Ring of Honor pay-per-views bodes well for a chance at a weekly show.
**A 2015 article by Rob Fee, who was just hired as WWE’s Director of Long-Term Creative, discusses the genre of pro wrestling and why everyone should love it.
**On Tuesday’s episode of NXT, it promoted a “Pick Your Poison” series of matches for the 10/18 edition of the show (the night that NXT airs head-to-head with AEW Dynamite feat. Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page). Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade will each get to pick the opponent for the other and it was stated that anyone on the WWE roster can be chosen. Perez and Jade will wrestle at Halloween Havoc on 10/22 with all weapons legal.
**ABC, ESPN & ESPN2 will be broadcasting the Wild Card series’ beginning this Friday as the MLB playoffs begin. Friday’s games begin at Noon Eastern with ESPN airing the San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets at 8 p.m. ET, which airs against Friday Night SmackDown and AEW Rampage. With four hours of pro wrestling and major sports playoffs, it’s a really tough night for IMPACT on pay-per-view.
**Stardom World has added Saturday’s 5 Star Grand Prix to the streaming service after it aired live on Pia this past weekend. The card has received great reviews, especially the Blue Stars match between Giulia and Suzu Suzuki. I have started the show and plan to finish it this week.
**Below is the lineup for Thursday’s go-home edition of IMPACT before the pay-per-view, airing at 8 p.m. ET on AXS TV:
*Moose vs. Steve Maclin w/ Sami Callihan as the special referee
*Matt Taven vs. Alex Shelley
*Frankie Kazarian vs. Kenny King
*Gisele Shaw vs. Mia Yim
*Contract signing between Jordynne Grace and Masha Slamovich
*Before the Impact: Juice Robinson vs. Alex Zayne
**Brian Gewirtz spoke on the Strictly Business podcast about his book that was released over the summer and the transition by WWE after the exit of Vince McMahon as the company’s CEO and chairman.
**EC3 will take on Thom Latimer at the next NWA pay-per-view event on 11/12 in Louisiana that will feature Trevor Murdoch defending the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship against Matt Cardona and Tyrus.
**Marcus Bagwell discussed being admitted for treatment back in August and recorded this video message on September 29th noting he has been sober for over a month.
**BetOnline has released odds for Friday’s Bound for Glory event with the following lines listed:
*Josh Alexander (-500) vs. Eddie Edwards (+300)
*Jordynne Grace (-300) vs. Masha Slamovich (+200)
*Matt Taven & Mike Bennett (-150) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (+110)
*VXT (-500) vs. Taya Valkyrie & Jessicka (+300)
*Mike Bailey (-800) vs. Frankie Kazarian (+450)
*Mickie James (-1250) vs. Mia Yim (+550)
**The WWE stock closed at $73.75 on Wednesday.
ON THIS DATE
Brian Pillman died 25 years ago today after he was found in his hotel room in Bloomington, Minnesota on the day of the WWF Badd Blood pay-per-view in St. Louis. Pillman had been scheduled to wrestle Mick Foley that night and word circulated after Pillman didn’t arrive with Bret Hart at the show they contacted the hotel which led to the news being revealed. Pillman was the talk of the industry in early 1996 with his loose cannon persona designed to get a pay increase at WCW and create as much hype around himself as possible and go to unforeseen lengths while consulting with long-time mentor Kim Wood and former tag partner Bruce Hart. His world was turned upside down that spring when he was involved in a devastating Humvee wreck that shattered his ankle and he was never the same physically. Pillman signed with the WWF and rushed himself back to the ring, which led to another operation on his ankle later that year prior to joining The Hart Foundation in 1997 and being part of the memorable 10-man tag at ‘Canadian Stampede’ that summer. Over the past several years, there has been some excellent documentation of his life through Liam O’Rourke’s book and the Dark Side of the Ring episode, which both come highly recommended.
MMA NEWS
**Kevin Holland is not retiring from MMA and instead, will be fighting Stephen Thompson in the main event at the UFC Fight Night card on 12/3 in Orlando, Florida. Holland had stated on his podcast that unless something came his way, he was retired, and most were skeptical given his age and how MMA retirements go. Holland was just submitted by Khamzat Chimaev last month at UFC 279 after initially being scheduled to fight Daniel Rodriguez before the top three fights were shuffled due to Chimaev missing weight for his welterweight fight against Nate Diaz. Thompson, 39, is coming off back-to-back decision losses to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad as he seeks his first victory in two years.
*****
SHOT IN THE DARK: Allie Katch on IMPACT, Brian Cage vs. Tracy Williams
John Siino reviews this week’s editions of AEW Dark, AEW Dark: Elevation, IMPACT Wrestling, Women of Wrestling, NXT Level Up, NJPW Strong, NWA USA, NWA Powerrr, and WWE Main Event in under 15 minutes on Shot In The Dark.
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upNXT: Orange is the New Black (And Gold)
Braden Herrington and Davie Portman chat all about WWE NXT from October 4th, 2022 headlined by Pretty Deadly vs Brawling Brutes!
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REWIND-A-WAI #117: WCW Great American Bash 1996
John Pollock & Wai Ting review WCW Great American Bash 1996 highlighted by a memorable interview involving Eric Bischoff and Scott Hall & Kevin Nash. 21-year-old Rey Mysterio makes his WCW debut.
*****
REWIND-A-RAW
John Pollock and Wai Ting chat WWE Raw from St. Paul, Minnesota for the go-home edition before Extreme Rules this weekend.
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POST PURORESU: The Legacy of Antonio Inoki (1943-2022)
John Pollock is joined by WH Park for a special edition of POST Puroresu to discuss the life and legacy of Antonio Inoki.
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WRESTLENOMICS: Antonio Inoki, Q3 2022 trends for WWE and AEW
We discuss Antonio Inoki’s contributions to the wrestling industry. Plus, how momentum continues to shift for WWE and AEW. We look at ticket sales, cagematch.net reception, and other measures to get an idea of fan sentiment.
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THE LONG & WINDING ROYAL ROAD
WH Park welcomes the creator of the Grappl App, Gareth Hodgson to discuss The British Bulldogs vs Joe & Dean Malenko from January 28th, 1989.
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REWIND-A-SMACKDOWN: Antonio Inoki Passes Away, SmackDown & Rampage reviews
John Pollock & Wai Ting review Friday Night SmackDown from Winnipeg & AEW Rampage from Philadelphia and discuss the passing of Antonio Inoki.
*****
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