Connect with us

Opinion

Top 5 Matches: Week Ending 8/5/2018

Published

on

This is another week where we get a couple non-G1 matches in the Top 5, but it’s still mostly New Japan. Still very similar to last week, our number 1 match doesn’t take place in Japan! Speaking of last week, I guess we should find out what the July Pool looks like, so you’ll figure out who won last week.

July Pool:

205 Live No DQ: Buddy Murphy vs Mustafa Ali
G1 Climax 28: Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito
G1 Climax 28: Hirooki Goto vs Tomohiro Ishii
NXT Championship: Tommaso Ciampa vs Aleister Black (c)

So that means this a week with two votes. For July, I’ll have to go with, G1 Climax 28: Hirooki Goto vs Tomohiro Ishii.  

Aside from that, let’s see what we’ve got on tap for August.

 

5. Kazuchika Okada vs Michael Elgin

From My Coverage:

Elgin was really the first one to challenge Okada last year during his 6-0 run. Even though Okada came out with the win, a bunch of big moments could’ve had last year’s match go either way. Can Elgin overcome ‘Gone Fishin’ Okada, or does this watered down Rainmaker still have enough for a victory?

This match was kind of the same, but different than their previous encounters. Almost immediately both men went for signatures before the Tombstone ended up being Okada’s Achilles heel. Elgin stops the attempt and counters it into a Delayed Vertical Suplex. This gave Elgin the necessary space to pull off numerous lariats, Powerbomb variations and generally over power Okada.

That’s what I meant by saying it was the same, because it was Elgin’s power against Okada’s athleticism. Especially on display when Okada tried the Scooby Dooby Doo Crossbody only to get caught and slammed down by Big Mike. The landscape changed a bit when Elgin attempts an Avalanche Splash Mountain, but Okada counters it into a Super Wheelbarrow Arm Drag.

Elgin got a little desperate at different points in the match, which is a good story, since a loss to Okada and his G1 hopes are over. So he tries to force the Burning Hammer, but Okada gets out of it. During a lariat exchange, Okada finally gets the best of Big Mike, hitting a Tombstone shortly after, Discus Rainmaker and then the official Rainmaker for the pinfall victory.

Winner: Okada via Rainmaker

Rating: **** 1/2

 

4. G1 Climax 28: Kenny Omega vs Tomohiro Ishii

From Mathew’s Coverage:

Kenny Omega is still undefeated and I’m surprised he didn’t lose at the previous night, but he’s still on a roll and adding another victory here could very well secure him a spot in the final if things do in fact go his way here but he would have to now fight one of his rivals from last year, Tomohiro Ishii. These two would have a trilogy of matches and all three of them would be some of their best bouts in the year of 2017 and now they must fight once again and Ishii could be the one to give Omega that first defeat in the G1 Climax and could also increase the chances of Naito and Ibushi to make it instead of Kenny.

The story for this one was rather simple and yet effective and that is you don’t poke a pitbull with a stick because bad things happen to you and they bite…hard which is what he did to Kenny Omega when he kept trying to poke the pitbull and slapping his shiny bald head which is pretty much asking for a death sentence thanks to Kenny getting rather cocky lately since he still hasn’t lost a match yet. Is the match great? Absolutely. Is it my favorite match in G1? Honestly, kinda gonna have to go with no since I will admit that the beginning felt a little bit sloppy at times and while I did love the sequences between the two with the V-Triggers, Lariats, and among various moves, it did feel rather predictable at times and felt like it took away from the match a little bit. These two did go to war and I will not take that away from them despite the little nitpicking I just said and Ishii really is the MVP of this G1 Climax so far as he keeps on delivering in either match quality or storytelling and they just work out so well. Ishii would hit his Vertical Suplex and he would give Kenny Omega his first loss in the tournament! Ishii really needed another big win in his record aside from Goto and this was definitely needed for him, especially since it was a matter of time before he took a loss from his arrogance just like Okada did last year, now Kenny is gonna have to really focus or he could slip-up once again.

Now that Ishii has defeated Omega, he very well could be a future challenger for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship before Wrestle Kingdom since the champion usually defends the belt against people that have defeated him in the tournament to avenge their loss. Wonder what big show it would take place in?

Winner: Ishii via Vertical Drop Brainbuster

Rating: **** 1/2

 

3. NOAH GHC Heavyweight Tag Title Match: Akitoshi Saito & Naomichi Marufuji vs Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya (c)

The generational war is in full swing in Pro Wrestling NOAH. The younger generation is rising up to cut their teeth and prove themselves. With things trending upwards for NOAH in the last year or so, it makes sense to solidify the new stars with the beloved veterans.

Nakajima starts off by trying to dissect Marufuji. They had one really good counter exchange, before Nakajima’s aggression started shining in full force. Marufuji’s entire right arm was taped, so it’s safe to say they’ve been trying to work over the older stars the entire tour. Focusing on Marufuji’s left knee, Nakajima utilized stomps, chairs and just torquing on the knee.

Kitamiya got tagged in and continued more of the same. Eventually Naomichi gets away from the slower power guy, to tag in Akitoshi Saito. We get a nice power battle between the two for a while, before Nakajima comes in to work over Saito’s right arm. Even going as far to use a Fujiwara Armbar, which yes is an effective move, but could’ve also been psychological since Akitoshi was trained by Yoshiaki Fujiwara himself.

So the trend in the match was the younger guys trying to isolate and pick apart the older generation, but we did get a rare treat. Knowing there was a level of desperation, Marufuji dumps both Kitamiya and Nakajima to the outside, and wipes them out with a Tope con Hilo.

It was at this point the older generation was putting together better offense, but Nakajima still proved a step ahead. Marufuji went for his combination blitz from the corner, but Nakajima dodged it all, and landed dozens of stiff kicks. At this point, we start remembering why Nakajima is known as the ‘Genius of the Kick’, but then tags in Kitamiya. Sadly for Kitamiya, he doesn’t know Marufuji as well, and gets lit up by the corner blitz.

Saito comes in and has to wrestle the good portion of the rest of the match alone. Numerous Uranagis from Saito start to build momentum. Marufuji does make a nice save when he slides in, jumping off Saito’s back, laying out Nakajima with a Ko-Oh. Kitamiya and Saito exchange lariats and willing themselves through the pain. Death Sickles come in bunches from Akitoshi, as he finishes off the match with Death Brand (vertical suplex piledriver).

So the older generation manages to outsmart the younger guys in this one.

Winner: Saito via Death Brand

Rating: **** 1/2

 

Honorable Mentions:

G1 Climax 28: Jay White vs Hangman Page
Winner: White via Blade Runner
Rating: **** 1/4
G1 Climax 28: Kenny Omega vs Zack Sabre Jr
Winner: Omega via Roll Up
Rating: **** 1/4
G1 Climax 28: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs YOSHI-HASHI
Winner: Tanahashi via Arm Capture Cradle
Rating: **** 1/4
G1 Climax 28: Kazuchika Okada vs EVIL
Winner: Okada via Rainmaker
Rating: **** 1/4
G1 Climax 28: Hirooki Goto vs Kota Ibushi
Winner: Ibushi via KamiGoya Knee Strike
Rating: **** 1/4
G1 Climax 28: Kazuchika Okada vs Minoru Suzuki
Winner: Okada via Rainmaker
Rating: **** 1/4
Inaugural WOS Women’s Championship Match: Viper vs Kay Leray vs Bea Priestly
Winner: Leray via Gory Special
Rating: ****
G1 Climax 28: Minoru Suzuki vs EVIL
Winner: Suzuki via Gotch Style Piledriver
Rating: ****
G1 Climax 28: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Michael Elgin
Winner: Tanahashi via Inside Cradle
Rating: ****
205 Live: Kalisto vs Tony Nese
Winner: Kalisto via Salida del Sol
Rating: *** 3/4
Evolve 108 Evolve Tag Team Championships: Chris Dickinson & Jaka (c) vs TK Cooper & Tracey Williams
Winner: Dickinson via Thrust Kick/O’Connor Roll combo
Rating: *** 3/4
G1 Climax 28: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs EVIL
Winner: Tanahashi via High Fly Flow
Rating: *** 3/4
G1 Climax 28: Jay White vs Togi Makabe
Winner: White via Blade Runner
Rating: *** 3/4
WOS: Adam Maxted & Nathan Cruz vs Doug Williams & HT Drake
Winner: Cruz via Springboard Blockbuster
Rating: *** 1/2
G1 Climax 28: Minoru Suzuki vs Hangman Page
Winner: Page via Rite of Passage
Rating: *** 1/2
G1 Climax 28: Juice Robinson vs Zack Sabre Jr
Winner: Sabre via Submission
Rating: *** 1/2
G1 Climax 28: YOSHI-HASHI vs Jay White
Winner: White via Blade Runner
Rating: *** 1/2
WOS Heavyweight Championship Match: Rampage (c) vs Joe Hendry
Winner: Rampage via DDT
Rating: *** 1/4
G1 Climax 28: Hangman Page vs Togi Makabe
Winner: Page via Rite of Passage
Rating: ***

 

2. G1 Climax 28: Kota Ibushi vs Tetsuya Naito

From Mathew’s Coverage:

It is time for our main event as it is between the other top contenders in the tournament, Kota Ibushi, and Tetsuya Naito. Last year, the two would fight on the very first night of A Block and Naito was the one that came out the victor in that match. Now they will fight again, as Ibushi needs to defeat Naito here if he wants to stay alive in this tournament or he will be considered eliminated and we’ll only have Naito and Omega as our top 2 contestants in the B Block. Can Naito tie it up with Omega or will Ibushi find a way to stay in the race?

This match was just as good as their match last year and probably slightly better in my opinion since the story in this one made it a lot more emotional since both of them really need a win here, but you, unfortunately, can’t give it to them and especially this late in the game no less so this was crucial for both of these men here. How does Naito still have a neck? I ask because it’s not just this match but in most of his big matches he would just land on his neck and he somehow appears to be fine and still going, I don’t know if it’s just how he lands to make it safe or if he’s just a madman but he makes any neck bump spot look so deadly in these. Both of these men performed at the top of their game had the right amount of pacing, and again it was the story that made it so much better to give it that little bit extra of an edge. Ibushi pulled all of the stops on this one when he did a backflip when Naito attempted a Reverserana off the top rope and looked much better than when you do it with a Sunset Flip, also did his German Suplex from the other side of the ropes and even hitting the Bomaye to get a two count. Naito would hit the Destino for a two count and would attempt to go for another one but Ibushi catches him to drop him down on his head for a two count and would end it with the Kamigoye to secure the victory and stay alive in the race!

Now that Kota Ibushi has defeated Tetsuya Naito, he’s still in the race and has a chance to advance if he wins his next two matches. While Naito could’ve used a win, this one loss won’t hurt him too bad but he cannot afford to take another loss or he will be out himself and there should be a clear idea on how it would go once the next day happens.

Winner: Ibushi via KamiGoye Knee Strike

Rating: **** 3/4

 

1. Evolve 108 Evolve Heavyweight Championship Hardcore Match: Matt Riddle (c) vs Shane Strickland

This whole rivalry got extremely personal. In their previous 2 meetings Strickland won via DQ and then there was a no contest. Which lead to the stipulation and explains the lengths these two are willing to go to.

Riddle starts off immediately lighting up Shane’s chest with Open Hand Chops that visibly take the breath out of his chest. Riddle then keeps it up in and outside of the ring. The crowd is pretty hot for this early on, and Riddle goes to get the ceremonial table that all crowds always want nowadays. However, getting the table allows Shane to find a chair and hit Matt with it when he comes around the corner. Riddle does manage to send Swerve through the table after a Broton (senton) from the apron.

Strickland has an awesome heel moment here by taking Riddle up the ramp to where his 3 kids and wife are sitting, and proceed to beat the hell out of him. Shane sits him down on a chair and goes for what was probably supposed to be a Swerve Stomp, but looked more like a Seated Senton. Either way, you can see the concern on the faces of the children, and Shane just continues to berate the crowd and Riddle’s family.

By the time they get back into the ring, we can see that Riddle’s hand is cut open, as Shane goes for submissions holds and joint manipulation focusing there.  Strickland starts to introduce a few more chairs and jaws at the crowd that keeps asking for tables by saying, “What’s that? You want more chairs? Okay”. After setting up six chairs, Shane gave Riddle far too much time to recover, and Riddle pops up, catching him in a Tombstone position and forward slamming him through the chairs for a near fall.

We see a little strong style back and forth striking, before Riddle hits the Bro to Sleep, but Swerve kicks out. Riddle gets even more chairs (I hope they got a wholesale deal or something) and piles them into the middle, slamming Swerve onto them. Then he goes to the top rope, but Shane manages to intercept him and Superplex him on the afore mentioned chairs.

Strickland gets this look in his eye and you know he’s just trying to hurt Riddle. He literally hits 3 Swerve Stomps but Riddle shows his resiliency. Strickland goes out for a ladder and another table. Riddle absorbs a few more shots before falling on the table as Swerve climbs the ladder. The referee holds the ladder as Matt finds some surge to climb up and try to muster up some fight. They go back and forth at the top of the ladder, before Shane steps over and rocks Riddle to the point where he’s hanging on by just one arm.

Swerve Stomp from the ladder through the table is a massive spot, but Riddle finds a way to kick out. At this point Shane is apoplectic, and removes the padding from his knee. Riddle slowly sits up and eggs on Shane. After multiple running knee strikes, Riddle keeps asking for more as Shane grows more frustrated. When Shane turns for another strike, Riddle pop up with a Bicycle Knee Strike of his own. Riddle looks to finish the match, but Swerve catches him with his Killshot finisher, the JML Driver, for the pinfall victory.

Winner: Strickland via JML Driver

Rating: *****

 

Shane Strickland and Matt Riddle work wonderfully together. This is actually the second time this year I’ve given them 5, the first being their MLW Championship Match. With all that and the fact the Riddle is a few months away from debuting in NXT, I’ll give my vote to the Evolve 108 match. Great storytelling, fantastic action in the ring, just all in all very enjoyable.


Powered by RedCircle


Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s 2024 WWE Royal Rumble Reaction

It’s the Royal Rumble! A favorite of many fans, the Rumble kicks off the Road To WrestleMania. Greg DeMarco is here with his live reactions to the event!

Published

on

WWE Royal Rumble 2024 Results

It’s the Royal Rumble! A favorite of many fans, the Rumble kicks off the Road To WrestleMania. Greg DeMarco is here with his live reactions to the event!

The WWE Royal Rumble is upon us, and while the Men’s Royal Rumble Match isn’t for the World Heavyweight Championship like I suggested, it’s still the most anticipated event of the year.

Why? The Unknown.

That’s right–in this age of the internet (usually incorrectly) telling us everything it possibly can about what is going to happen in the world of wrestling, the Royal Rumble stands out because despite what we’re told (or, more importantly, what we choose to listen to), the event is always full of fun and surprises.


Check out Steven Mitchell’s 2024 WWE Royal Rumble Results & Review!


Women’s Royal Rumble Match

  • They really are driving home the “main event WrestleMania” point this year–strengthens my thought that women will main event Night 1. Triple H would catch a ton of heat if he keeps women out for the third straight year.
  • NAOMI! Good to see her back, and the emotional response she had.
  • Love Michael Cole calling out Naomi’s time in TNA, and recognizing her as a former Knockouts Champion.
  • Entering #3 doesn’t bode well for Bayley. I honestly don’t think she is gonna win.
  • JORDYNNE GRACE! I saw the reports earlier today. This is a much bigger deal than Mickie James, because Mickie was a returning legend.
  • “TNA HAS A WEAPON!” So glad to have Pat McAfee on the call.
  • Honestly, Jordynne Grace belongs in WWE.

  • Asuka comes in, and they sell the surprise of Bayley. STORYTELLING, people!
  • Something tells me when we get Kairi Sane in there, The Kabuki Warriors will eliminate Bayley.
  • Ivy Nile enters, and I immediately want to see her go toe-to-toe with Jordynne Grace.
  • What if they pulled some crazy sh*t and had Jordynne Grace win???
  • Just step through the ropes next time, Bianca.
  • When I first saw the C4 clock, I thought I would get tired of it But I am already used to it.
  • Here’s Kairi Sane, time to set the plan into motion!
  • This crowd does not appear to like Tegan Nox.
  • Welp, there goes my idea o Asuka and Kairi eliminating Bayley.
  • That was a hell of a way for Jordynne Grace to go out.

  • I think Michael Cole secretly loves to call a Meteora.
  • There’s a reason Maxxine Dupri doesn’t wrestle much.
  • That tandem Code Red was very Young Buckish. And that’s not a compliment.
  • Hair,…gear…this might be the messiest Royal Rumble yet.
  • Ah, here comes the winner, Becky Lynch (I am calling Becky eliminates Bayley to win her second Royal Rumble).
  • LOVE the scoreboard of time in the Rumble for selected wrestlers.

  • R-TRUTH?!?! (Funny story, it was Truth’s spot that Nia Jax took in 2019.)
  • If you push Mia Yim, she’ll take it further than you could imagine.
  • “How is everybody the most athletic person on Earth?” – Pat McAfee
  • Surprising that Roxanne Perez, at #27, is the first NXT entrant. I don’t think we’ll be seeing Tiffany Stratton of Blair Davenport since we only have 3 more to come.
  • Amazing reaction for Jade Cargill. Give her time, she’s definitely going to be a huge star.
  • JUST GIVE HER TIME.
  • Seriously, Nia Jax had to help Jade eliminate her–A LOT.

  • Greg Was Wrong: It is indeed Tiffy Time in the Royal Rumble.
  • Back to Jade–she is insanely over.
  • I know it won’t be, but this should be Tiffany Stratton’s official main roster call-up.
  • Liv Morgan returns at #30, and good for Liv. She nearly went wire-to-wire last year.
  • Liv Morgan: “Thank you!” Pat McAfee: “No problem.”
  • Tiffany Stratton eliminating Roxanne Perez is, to me, an invitation for a match with them on Raw this Monday.
  • Still love the scoreboard as Naomi passes an hour.
  • The camera is catching a lot of in-ring communications right now.
  • And Jade Cargill eliminates my pick to win. Bye Becky.
  • Jade Cargill in the final three of the Royal Rumble (with Liv Morgan and Bayley) is huge for her.
  • Hell of a debut for Jade Cargill.
  • And a huge win for Bayley.

Winner of the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Bayley (eliminating Liv Morgan to win)

Fatal 4-Way Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Randy Orton vs AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns (champion, with Paul Heyman)

  • Glad to see AJ Styles got his tights back. Pants AJ Styles (but still with the football gloves) was not working. Not just bring the beard back to your face Allen–the think beard also ain’t working.

  • Pat McAfee campaigning for Roman Reigns to be given at least a 26% chance is amazing.
  • Say what you want about LA Knight, he’s a damn star and totally belongs in this match.
  • Roman completely sandbagged Randy on the table drop. I don’t think it was on purpose, but he definitely didn’t jump.
  • Roman Reigns is very much like Gunther in that he does the simple things SO WELL, like a jumping clothesline. That’s how you do it.
  • Yes, I compared Roman Reigns to Gunther. Don’t @ me, I’m right.

  • RKO City, Bitch.
  • Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand here’s Solo! (At some point, Solo will get tired of saving Roman’s ass.)
  • Solo ’bout to go through that barricade.
  • Solo indeed went through that barricade.

  • Yes, we had the Solo interference mid-match, but honestly in the end Roman won that clean.

Winner, #ANDSTILL your Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns

WWE United States Championship: Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul (champion)

  • Kevin Owens wearing Zubaz shorts in the Performance Center fight makes me very happy.
  • Logan Paul talking about a full time run, and now he’s putting on size.
  • Logan’s headband didn’t list very long.
  • I honestly hate it when modern-day wrestlers bust out a crotch chop.
  • If you were watching the Royal Rumble and didn’t know who Logan Paul was, you’d just assume he was a pro wrestler. That says everything you need to know about how good he is at this.
  • ANOTHER crotch chop. Now we’re at 2 too many.

  • Cue the “Better Buckshot Than Hangman” tweets. But they might be right.
  • I love the idea of a Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and Grayson Waller stable.
  • C’mon, there’s NO WAY Ryan Tran could see the knucks on Kevin Owens’ hand given his placement. It’s the little things.
  • Finish here tells me we’ll see KO vs. Logan Paul again. I’d guess on TV, if not in Australia.

Winner by disqualification, #ANDSTILL WWE United States Champion: Logan Paul

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

  • Jey Uso coming at #1 was expected thanks to the internet reports. But I still think Jimmy should be #1 and Jey #2, for the reaction shots on Jimmy.
  • Grayson Waller talking himself to the ring is perfect.
  • “No Yeet!” Grayson is a brilliant performer. I’d make a Roddy Piper comparison here, but y’all would get at mad at me.
  • Good to have Andrade back in WWE. Great reaction for him when the mask came off.

  • SmackDown superstar Carmelo Hayes! I really really really hope Trick is also in this match, just for the chants.
  • Melo pointed to the sign, C’mon, man.
  • Do you send Andrade to Smackdown, or do you send him to Raw and let him do his own thing?
  • Oh goody, Karrion Kross is here. Yay.
  • (Yes, that’s sarcasm you read.)
  • Dominik Mysterio is so good. Give him time, he’s going to be a huge star.

  • The Royal Rumble was a great place for the Apple Spot.
  • Here comes Bob Lashley–please just eliminate Karrion Kross.
  • Lashley wearing the WrestleMania white gear more than 2 months early.
  • Austin Theory still gets his concussion effect entrance, despite it being the Rumble.
  • What if–hear me out now–Finn Balor wins the Royal Rumble to get the shot at Seth Rollins, and Priest uses his briefcase to make that match a triple threat at ‘Mania?
  • I know he didn’t, but it sure looked like Jimmy was swerving while he drives in that interaction with Gunther.
  • Kofi did tell us the Rumble Magic wasn’t happening anymore.
  • Give me Ivar vs Gunther!
  • Bron Breakker is a star. It’s inevitable.
  • Of course Omos would be in the Rumble. Good to see MVP on my TV as well.
  • “I didn’t know humans came that big!” – Pat McAfee
  • I half think Pat McAfee didn’t know he was entering the Rumble.
  • Nice moment for Bron Breakker eliminating Omos. WrestleMania match?
  • R-Truth trying to get Dominik (Tom or Nick?) Mysterio to tag him in is brilliant.
  • DOM MADE THE TAG!!!
  • “And now R-Truth is the legal man.” – thank you Michael Cole.
  • Michael Cole delivers multiple TNA references tonight, along with a Dolph Ziggler reference. God Bless Michael Cole.
  • Imagine for a second that this was CM Punk’s actual WWE return.
  • The reaction to Drew McIntyre’s entrance is a reminder that they don’t actually need him.
  • Sami Zayn enters at #30, also known as “Not The Rock.”

  • In the ring, Drew McIntyre is amazing. Just keep the microphone away from him. (And stop the damn counting!)
  • And there goes my choice for the Men’s Rumble!
  • Love having both Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in the press boxes watching to see who wins.
  • Punk kinda looks like Chris Jericho in there. Seriously.
  • Between Punk and Cody, Cody is the right choice. I really don’t want to watch Punk right now–he needs to hit the cardio, and hard. Given Seth Rollins’ injury and Punk’s conditioning, WWE would be smart to make the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 40 a multi-man match.

Winner of the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble: Cody Rhodes


Overall thoughts on the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble

For at least the second straight year, the Men’s Royal Rumble Match was kinda disappointing. Not the result–that’s fine. But the match itself. It just wasn’t nearly as exciting as the Women’s. Of the four matches, I would place it 4th in terms of enjoyment.

Great moments for both Bayley and Cody Rhodes. Logan Paul continually shows that he deserves to be considered a pro wrestler, not a celebrity who is wrestling. Pat McAfee is a joy on commentary. Jordynne Grace is a WWE Superstar, regardless of what company she is signed to. Bron Breakker is a star.CM Punk is very out of shape. Cody Rhodes is about to become THE guy, and he deserves it.

Overall I give the event a thumbs up, but they have to do something about the Men’s Royal Rumble Match moving forward.


Powered by RedCircle


Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Continue Reading

Opinion

WWE Raw Heads To Netflix: What Does It Mean?

Monumental news drops as WWE RAW is moving to Netflix. Is it truly a game changing move? Greg DeMarco analyzes this shift for the TV wrestling business.

Published

on

WWE Logo Metalic

Monumental news drops as WWE RAW is moving to Netflix. Is it truly a game changing move? Greg DeMarco analyzes this shift for the TV wrestling business.

Being a wee little kid in the 80s, I am “lucky enough” to remember having 3 TV channels, and my dad explaining what an 8-track is, how shocked I was when I say a laser disc for the first time, when I bought a 6 CD changer, installed my own car stereo, and all the way up to the fact that I have now been watching WWE pay-per-view/premium live events on the WWE Network and Peacock for 10 years. Hell, in the same month (February 2014) I signed up for the WWE Network, cut the cord to drop cable and got Sling TV. I have since moved onto YouTube TV which is highly recommended.

Over the last two years the NFL has put Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, simulcast to various streaming services, and less than 2 weeks ago put a playoff game exclusively on streaming when a Wildcard Weekend showdown between the Chiefs and Dolphins was only shown on Peacock.

And now it’s fully permeated into pro wrestling.

WWE and AEW are both in the midst of a very important time on the business side, with all of their TV rights up for grabs. The first domino fell when SmackDown On FOX became SmackDown on USA Network, and soon after we learned that WWE NXT was moving to broadcast television and joining The CW (which is also rebranding, but just to CW).

The AEW suite of programming that includes Collision, Rampage, and their most successful show Dynamite is up for renewal with Warner Bros/Discovery, and Tony Khan has been optimistic about the relationship and potentially an increase in rights fees.

That brings us to Tuesday morning, and the likely groundbreaking WWE announcement that Raw is moving to Netflix, starting in January 2025. Triple H tweeted that they’re changing the game, and TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro (who knows a thing or two about shifts in media consumption) used the word “transformative” in his statement, and I really think he couldn’t be more right.

But what does it all mean?

Wrestling Remains A Strong Media Product

I have been claiming this for over a year now. As many online will cite a decline in TV viewership for both WWE and AEW, the TV product has been a strong value to networks. Even in dropping SmackDown, FOX themselves said they didn’t pump enough resources into the show, and that the advertising return wasn’t what they wanted. That doesn’t mean the product (TV value, we’re not talking about creative here) isn’t strong. It’s so strong that USA Network picked up SmackDown for $280 million per year, giving WWE an increase over the FOX deal. CW is paying $20-$25 million annually for NXT, and now Netflix is paying $500 million for RAW.

Why? Because wrestling isn’t just a strong media product, it’s consistent. And that is key.

Look at this quote from Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria:

“Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”

Now cross reference that with a comment from CW President Dennis Miller from back when the CW/NXT deal was announced:

“We are thrilled to welcome the WWE brand into the CW Sports portfolio as they play an integral role in our mission to bring live sporting events to the network year-round.”

What do those statements have in common? The year-round, 52-week nature of wrestling programming. It’s an unbeatable value for networks. It’s cheaper than a deal with a major sports league, and it’s not finite. Wrestling joins news, talk, and sports talk as the only year-round programming available to networks. And WWE and AEW have shows that essentially always land in the Top 5 after you factor out live sports. You can’t beat it.

What Does This Mean for Netflix?

Don’t get it twisted, this is also a huge leap for Netflix. Prior to the WWE Raw deal, Netflix has only experimented with live events, streaming the live Chris Rock “Selective Outrage” special, and showing The Netflix Cup live (a golf event featuring athletes from their F1 series “Drive To Survive” and their golf series “Full Swing).

WWE is the perfect partner for Netflix as it gets into live programming. It’s sports entertainment: sports like programming (which Netflix has done) that focuses on storytelling (which Netflix has obviously done). And no one does it better than WWE. It’s essentially plug-and-play for Netflix, the perfect solution for their live programming aspirations.

The perfect solution that they were willing to pay $5 billion for.

What Does This Mean for AEW?

The biggest risk to an AEW renewal with Warner Bros Discovery was WBD picking up WWE Raw–and that risk has been eliminated by Netflix. Don’t discount that fact–Netflix did Tony Khan a huge favor by throwing $500 million per at WWE. The path is clear for AEW to remain on the Turner networks.

But at what price?

I know I usually write as if I have all the answers, but I have zero idea either way on this one. WBD no longer has any other options if it wants to keep wrestling (except for TNA, who recently expressed a desire to be on a bigger network), and AEW (at least, Dynamite) is a weekly Top 5 program for them on Wednesdays, on cable.

On the other hand, AEW doesn’t exactly have another network begging for their services. The reason WWE could get a yearly increase for Raw, SmackDown, and NXT is because it was truly a bidding war. Unless Tony Khan gets another network involved, any threat of walking away from a deal doesn’t really hold water.

So if I were a betting man (and who would ever bet on this) I would expect an announcement of a renewal for AEW and WBD relatively soon. We may not know the terms of the deal, I will take a shot in the dark and say that AEW gets a small increase (not the “nearly double” that had been reported last year).

Regardless of the increase (or not), given AEW’s recent attendance challenges, this likely renewal would have to be viewed as a win for the company.


Personally, this is simply an amazing time to be a fan. We’ve seen WWE go from one live TV show per week with Monday Night Raw, through the Monday Night Wars, the addition of SmackDown and later NXT, to being this global juggernaut that is commanding half-a-billion dollars per year for Raw. I also think this makes Raw the flagship once again. All of this comes after Vince McMahon is largely out of power, Triple H has taken over creative (and holds a pretty good success rate so far), and the company was sold to Endeavor, and merged with the UFC as a business entity under the TKO banner.

If you know me, you know I am a huge follower of the business side of the wrestling business. I often care less about WHAT wrestling companies do, but HOW they do it. I have always gravitated towards that, since middle school. And for the past near 24 months, I have been like a kid in a candy store.

The Peacock deal for the WWE Network runs out in 2026, right? The fun never stops!


Powered by RedCircle


Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Continue Reading

Sports

Entertainment

Sports Entertainment

Buy A Chairshot T-Shirt!

Chairshot Radio Network

Trending

WP Twitter Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com