Smackdown – June 18, 2019

Smackdown
Date: June 18, 2019
Location: Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Stomping Grounds and that means we’re needing some final pushes towards the show. That means Dolph Ziggler, who faces New Day member Xavier Woods tonight. Other than that, it’s likely going to be some hard sells before Sunday, which could go multiple ways. Let’s get to it.

Read moreSmackdown – June 18, 2019

The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling–01.04.86

The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling – 01.04.86

Yeah, so they just dumped a shitload more Mid-Atlantic onto the Network, 43 episodes in total, and now I can jump to the year that’s more in my wheelhouse: 1986. For context’s sake, we’re well past the point when Crockett’s crew has taken over TBS from Vince again after Black Saturday, and this is quickly going to become the lame duck show after World Championship Wrestling and Worldwide Wrestling.

Seriously though, why no Worldwide?

And for our cold open, we’ve got Don Kernodle putting a headlock on Dennis Condrey in a singles match! THAT’S GOOD SHIT!

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling–01.04.86

What the World Was Watching: WCW Main Event – July 9, 1995

–Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan do the studio duties and they do their best to sell the Shark as a legitimate threat to Hulkamania.

–A new Dungeon of Doom vignette sees Vader return in his mastodon mask.  Vader says he has crossed a new dimension and now has more power than Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania and he will fulfill his destiny and win the WCW title at Bash at the Beach.  The Master yells out more geography before he, Vader, and Kevin Sullivan scream “Vader time.”

Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: WCW Main Event – July 9, 1995

Progress Wrestling now available on Powerslam.TV


Hi Scott,


I hope this finds you exceedingly well. Please see the below press release announcing our new partnership with Progress Wrestling. Let me know if you have any questions, and thanks as always for helping us to get the word out!


Best,


Chris

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 17, 2019

U.K. PRO WRESTLING POWERHOUSE, PROGRESS WRESTLING

ADDING CONTENT TO POWERSLAM.TV

Indie pro wrestling channel Powerslam.TV proud to be working

with the Progress Wrestling team!

Los Angeles, CA – Powerslam.TV, the world’s largest indie pro wrestling channel is proud to announce that they are now working with U.K. pro wrestling powerhouse Progress Wrestling. The Progress team has started with over 20 events on Powerslam.TV from not only 2019, but also favorites from previous years as well. Subscribers to Powerslam.TV can now view such recent events as Corrupted Harmony from March, as well as their three-day event from May, Super StrongStyle.  

Progress Wrestling, headquartered in London, England, launched in 2011, and has been touted as one of the most exciting promotions not only in the U.K. but also anywhere else in the world. While wrestling styles at their events may vary, they are most well known as the masters of the sub-genre known as British Strongstyle, characterized by elements of Japanese wrestling as well as traditional British catch wrestling. Powerslam.TV is owned and operated by the online video platform, Pivotshare, Inc. which powers hundreds of pro wrestling channels from around the world and has been working with the team from Progress Wrestling since 2014. Powerslam.TV, which launched June of 2018, offers over 5,000 hours of pro wrestling content from over 130 brands from 17 different countries. Subscribers can see wrestling events from such well known domestic brands as CZWStudios, AAW, DEFY, and Highspots, along with international favorites such as Over the Top, Pro Wrestling EVE, RevPro, and now Progress Wrestling. Pro wrestling fans can watch on the web at Powerslam.TV, or using iOS, Android, AppleTV, and Roku apps, as well as on the Amazon Channels experience, and select cable TV networks.

The Powerslam.TV team could not be happier to be working with the professionals at Progress. Powerslam.TV General Manager and Head of Digital Publisher Relations for Pivotshare, Chris Woolsey spoke about his excitement for the relationship when saying, “Words cannot describe how thrilled we are to be able to offer our audience content from our friends at Progress Wrestling. We have always had such a great relationship powering their subscription channel, and it just made sense for us to extend that to Powerslam.TV.” He went on to add, “Our goal with Powerslam.TV is to be able to offer the highest quality wrestling content from the best brands the industry has to offer. When we think of the bleeding edge of pro wrestling, there is no other promotion that comes to mind more than Progress. The level of quality that their team consistently produces is a rarity and has become the gold standard in the pro wrestling world.”

Pro Wrestling content creators interested in creating their own subscription video on demand channel for their promotion, can sign up for a free account at Pivotshare.com or email Powerslam.TV directly at [email protected].

About Powerslam.TV

Powerslam.TV launched in 2018, and offers over 5,000 hours of pro wrestling content from over 135 promotions in 17 different countries. Subscribers can view content on the web at Powerslam.TV or on iOS, Android, AppleTV, or Roku devices for only $5.99/month.

For more information and to sign up, please visit http://www.pivotshare.com.

Media Contact

Chris Woolsey

(310) 422-9975

[email protected]

More Like Limping Grounds Am I Right?

So basically the wwe said let’s run back the same card no one liked from super showdown, get rid of the part timer matches that draw in the casual fan, and take out any potential excitement that could come with the possibility of Brock cashing in mib because there’s no way he’s coming to two straight ppvs. If this were a world without the wwe network does this ppv draw tna type numbers?
The show still has tons of tickets left and it's tracking really low in interest, so you could argue it already is in TNA territory.  Pushing that stupid Saudi show back really killed off whatever small amount of momentum they had after Money in the Bank.  Because now we have the rushed build to this one and then another rushed build to whatever the next show is, so that'll be another round of rematches you can bet. 

Muta as Black Scorpion

I’m sure you addressed this, but was this ever an option? Would’ve totally paid off the angle with a legit opponent and the match would’ve probably been great. 
You are correct, it would have been great.  I can see how they might balk at someone without much in the way of English promo skills filling the role, however.  However, the fact that someone who doesn't speak much English was cutting promos on Sting months earlier would seem to be the least of the plotholes anyway, so I think they should have done it.  Plus he was there for the tag team tournament at Starrcade anyway!  If he had a hole for his mouth in the mask, they could do the dramatic staredown and Scorpion would blow mist at Sting and then unmask for the big reveal. 

No Suzuki in G1?!

Any real life backstage reason we don’t get ageless badass Minoru Suzuki in G1 (whereas we’re stuck with NJPWs version of Baron Corbin, aka Lance Archer)? I feel like we’re being deprived of Suzuki vs Moxley, or Suzuki vs KENTA. Honestly his absence is the only one short of this being a dream line up. Or I just really like old Japanese dudes who give precisely zero fucks, I don’t know.

Meltzer was speculating that he's 51 years old and banged up, and just wasn't going to be able to pull it off this year.  And yeah, he's been notably absent from a lot of the big shows this year as it is, so maybe there's something to it.  

That being said, Moxley v. Suzuki seems to be this weird dream match that a lot of people really wanted, and I just don't know if it could have lived up to the imagined hype.  

Best of the Decade

Hey Scott,
 
With the 2010s coming to a close soon, will you be doing a best of the 2010s match listing? Between WWE, NXT, New Japan, there's some GOOD SHIT to rank.
 
Thanks

Given that I was barely watching for a good chunk of the decade and didn't have reliable access to New Japan until the launch of New Japan World, I'm gonna say "no".  

That’s enough talk about AEW

Let's talk about AEW, instead!

Are there any feuds beyond what looks like the four main eventers (Mox, Jericho, Omega, and Juice Cassidy), or even the big names in general that would interest you? You're not a big indie guy (Ace Romero is the big indie guy!), so I figured your take would be less biased than most, but more informed than others

I'm just excited to see what kind of a tag team division that the Bucks can come up with.  With themselves, SCU, the Lucha Brothers and probably another couple of additions it should make for a pretty great use of the guys on the show.  

Rock Star Gary reflects on WCCW 08-13-1983

Taped from Dallas, TX

Airdate: August 13, 1983 (taped 07/29)

Attendance: unknown

Hosted by Bill Mercer

Can Kerry defeat Hayes as part of our double main event? Will Roberts gain revenge on Parsons for his hair loss? How will Adams and Lothario fare against Mongol and Markus? Also, who will set this reflection ablaze with me during tonight’s reflection?

Read moreRock Star Gary reflects on WCCW 08-13-1983

Monday Night Raw – June 17, 2019

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 17, 2019
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

It’s the go home show for Stomping Grounds and egads they need to come up with something to bring some fire to the show. There are all kinds of tickets still available and while you could come up with a variety of reasons why, the biggest problem is the show doesn’t feel interesting. Maybe they can pick things up a bit tonight, but I wouldn’t get too excited. Let’s get to it.

Read moreMonday Night Raw – June 17, 2019

Monday Night Open Mic

Howdy Blog O’Doomers!

I hope everyone is well and had a great weekend.

Believe it or not there’s ANOTHER go home show for another PPV. Which means we’ll get more Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin than we can handle. The good news is they are hyping a match between Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan which probably won’t suck. The rest of the show I can’t be so confident in.

My suggestion if you have a spare 45 minutes is to watch last week’s 205 Live which featured an excellent match between Chad Gable and Jack Gallagher and a very good main event with a 4-way match between Drew Gulak, Oney Lorcan, Tozawa and Humberto Castillo. It was a great wrestling show, which proves the WWE can still do those things.

Anyway, The Bachelorette is on tonight and there’s a College World Series game between Michigan and Florida State. Also it’s Teen Tournament time on Jeopardy in case some of you need to feel smart.

Keep it clean.

What the World Was Watching: WCW Saturday Night – July 8, 1995

–Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan call the action to kick off a new set of tapings at Center Stage in Atlanta that were filmed on June 25.  Tonight’s show is a one-hour episode.

Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: WCW Saturday Night – July 8, 1995

Impact Wrestling – June 14, 2019

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 14, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re out of Philadelphia and hopefully that means we’re on the way towards more of a focus on the good stuff rather than the bad. Part of the company’s issues have been going hot and cold with a mixture of stuff that works for the future and an emphasis on nostalgia. The good has been very strong though and if we get more of that, we’re in for a fun show. Let’s get to it.

Read moreImpact Wrestling – June 14, 2019

Best worker you’ve seen the least of?

Hey Scott, 

Getting into joshi recently, I keep being blown away by some of the workers from 1990s AJW I'd never seen before. Who would you say are the best workers you haven't seen much of? 

I would mostly say guys who are before my time, like Lou Thesz, or guys outside of my sphere of influence that I learned about later, like Akira Maeda.  Maeda comes across as a fascinating wrestler from all the Observer Flashbacks, but I had no exposure to him at the time and he was done by the time I was heavily into tape trading.  Ditto for Riki Choshu, a hugely influential worker who was more of a name than a real star by the time I had access to those tapes.  

This is either incredibly stupid or ingenious. Probably the first.


Why doesn’t WWE bring back the Warrior?

I’m not talking about the Ultimate Warrior- clearly, the WWE is not a world leader in raising the dead, despite having the Undertaker on call. But UW always ranted about how he was “sent” here by some more powerful, more cosmic forces. What if those forces decided that the void left by UW’s passing needed to be filled by a new Warrior…not an Ultimate Warrior, sure, but maybe a PRIME WARRIOR or a PEAK WARRIOR or some marketing word that works with Warrior.

Give the gimmick to a new wrestler with similar traits to Warrior- big, muscular, not great in the ring, loud, looks good in facepaint. Heck, you could play it out for months- he’s a normal guy, but he’s having weird moments. One week, he shakes the ropes out of nowhere. The second, he runs to the ring. Another week, he starts snarling and snoring in a promo. And then, finally…the facepaint. The explanation- the heavens have opened, and THOSE ABOVE HAVE FILLED HIS SOUL WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE WARRIORS BEFORE HIM, and yadda yadda yadda crash crash boom boom crash.

And make sure this one’s not a JERK. (Sorry, Lars!) I don't fault the WWE for wanting to push the idea that the Warrior could be a Pride Month icon; their heart's in the right place. It's not Vince's fault that Hellwig was a world-class jerk and bigot. Why let facts get in the way of a fun idea? Heck, there's no finer way to deal with Hellwig's bigotry than to create a new Warrior that doesn't believe any of the hateful garbage he spouted in his life.

(Sorry, this idea has been stuck in my head for months.)
Imma let you back off from this gracefully by noting that WWE specifically does not own the rights to Warrior or his image or name.  So unless they want to get sued, then it’s a no. 
Also, have you HEARD of the Renegade?

The Viking Raiders

Why haven't the Viking Raiders been on television for several weeks now?  Initially I thought one or both may have been hurt, but apparently they were in the Battle Royal at Super Showdown.  Think Vince has lost interest in them already? 

I don't feel like Vince had any particular interest in them in the first place, to be honest,  Hell, AOP should have been right up his alley and ticked all the boxes for him, and look what happened to THEM.  Plus he was handed Lars Sullivan AND Braun Strowman and couldn't figure out how to book either one of them properly.  I've given up trying to figure it out.   

Warrior

One of the major reasons his title reign flopped was a lack of major challengers.  Earthquake would seem to be a viable challenger but obviously you needed him for the Hogan feud.  Why not have Rude injure Hogan and then have Quake feud with Warrior.  You can always go back to Rude/warrior later.  
Fair question, but apparently Rude and Hogan had heat and Hulk didn't want to work with him for whatever reason.  I've never been clear on the exact reason.  Also, perhaps if Mr. Perfect hadn't been jobbed out to Hulk and Beefcake in short order, he might have been a viable guy to do a run with Warrior as well. 

A little more Sting

Hey Scott,

1. Regarding Sting's drawing power: do you think it's fair that the champion is the one getting the credit for being a draw in these scenarios? Sting was a guy I loved watching chase the title. And NWA/WCW fans were conditioned to that formula. So fans wanted to see Sting chase Flair and Vader, and to a much greater extent, Hogan and the nWo. But even as a Sting fan, once he won the title, my desire to see him actually be the champion dwindled. But that doesn't mean he wasn't a draw, in my opinion. 

2. And further, don't you think we should talk about draws in terms of feuds and not people? Austin/McMahon was a draw. Unless you think Austin would've drawn against Savio Vega and Los Boriquas. I don't. Rock/HHH was a draw. Hogan/Piper in the 80s was a draw. But it seems only the guy holding the title or the face gets the credit. 

Thoughts?
1.  If your desire to see him dwindled once he won the title, then he was a failure as a champion and shouldn't have won it.  Which is fine, not everyone can or should be champion.  Also, Sting didn't draw as challenger, either.  
2.  Not sure what your argument is here.  Vince McMahon was and is one of the biggest ratings draws in wrestling history.  He gets just as much credit as Austin.  Roddy Piper is also one of the biggest draws in wrestling history.  But yes, the guy holding the title often does get the credit.  He also gets shit upon when he doesn't draw, as Sting found out.  That's the biz.