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Top 5 Matches: Week Ending 9/9/2018

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So mostly because of how pivotal certain shows were on September 1st, I decided we’d do the August Pool voting last week. Given that, voting was still insanely close. Let’s see what the MOTY Pool looks like, so you see what won, as well as remember who’s already on the list.

  • January – NXT Takeover Philly: Johnny Gargano vs Andrade Almas
  • February – New Beginning in Osaka: Kazuchika Okada vs SANADA
  • March – Strong Style Evolved: Golden Lovers vs Young Bucks
  • April – NXT Takeover NOLA: Andrade Almas vs Aleister Black
  • May – WWE  Backlash: Seth Rollins vs The Miz
  • June – NJPW Dominion: Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega
  • July – G1 Climax 28: Hirooki Goto vs Tomohiro Ishii
  • August – G1 Climax 28 Finals: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kota Ibushi

Now that wasn’t that only vote we had, and this one was even closer. Winning by literally 1 vote was, NWA Championship: Cody vs Nick Aldis (c).  So that’s the first NWA match since the Tim Storm and Jocephus empty arena match to make the list, much less win the week.

I guess we should see what made the Top 5 for this week.

 

5. NOAH Ark New Chapter GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: Takashi Sugiura (c) vs Masa Kitamiya

Well this was the last match of Sugiura’s three day marathon from Takayamania, Marufuji’s Anniversary Show and this title defense. Kitamiya has earned his position this year, from having a fairly impressive tag run with Katsuhiko Nakajima (team name The Aggression), he’s proven enough. Yes this is further extending the Super New Generation against the  old generation story, but no one’s been able to touch Sugiura yet.

This match was the equivalent of two bulls just slamming into each other early on. Sugiura did get the better of Kitamiya, rocking him pretty hard, so much so he nearly didn’t make the 20 count. After the close call on the outside, Masa’s gameplan took shape.

He started to focus on Sugiura’s knees, numerous Chop Blocks, Spears to the Knee and his signature Prison Lock (kneeling figure four), saw Sugiura in quite a bit of pain throughout the match. Takashi hit a few desperation power moves, including his signature Olympic Slam, but Kitamiya kicked out. Kitamiya then went for his Saito Suplex, but Sugiura kicks out.

Kitamiya knowing he needs to doing something unique, tries to go for back to back Saito Suplexes, but on the second one, Sugiura sinks in the Front Neck Lock. Kitamiya tries to drive him towards the corner, but Sugiura pushes off and sinks in deeper in the middle of the ring. After a few moments where it looked like it would break, Kitamiya passes out and the referee stops the match.

It should be noted that this is the first title defense since his Marufuji match where he had to break out the Front Neck Lock. So Sugiura still shows some versatility, all while Katsuhiko Nakajima is the next to step up and challenge the champion.

Winner: Sugiura via Front Necklock (referee stoppage)

Rating: *** 3/4

 

4. MLW Fusion Tag Team Championships Match: Pentagon & Rey Fenix (c) vs Rey Horus & Drago

The Lucha Bros are probably the most well known of the newest generation of luchadors. Their opponents are veterans and have a little bit of worldwide notoriety themselves so this isn’t a layup at all.

In regards to matches, it’s exactly what you’d expect form a lucha match. The referee allowed “lucha rules” so there was a lot of constant motion, not many tags, but plenty of things that made it hard for the camera to keep up. Drago seemed to be fighting through the shoulder injury that was mentioned during Triplemania, but it didn’t slow him down too much.

Fenix did some of his rope bouncing for big Arm Drags and dives, but after a while the Lucha Bros had solid control of the match. We saw Fenix and Pentagon hit the Double Footstomp/Fear Factor, which then had Fenix dive to the outside to keep Drago away, but Rey Horus kicked out. So they ran the move back, this time with a little extra flair from Fenix, and the match was over.

After the match Fenix and Pentagon addressed the crowd, and Pentagon urged the crowd to start chanting, “Please Come Back”, for Drago and Horus. So it’s nice to see the camaraderie from the luchadors.

Winner: Pentagon via Fear Factor/Double Footstomp Tandem Move

Rating: *** 3/4

 

3. Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix Goddesses of Stardom Tag Title Match: Tam Nakano & Starlight Kid vs Mayu Iwatani & Saki Kashima (c)

Well both teams are from the STARS stable, so their pre-match promos were more about proving themselves aside from beating the enemies. Finally though, we see Starlight Kid gave Tam a mask to wear on the way out, so Tam finally gets an actual mask (a nod to a few months ago when she was teaming with all of the masked wrestlers and playfully put her hands in front of her face to act like a mask). I obviously hope Tam wins, but it’s not going to be easy.

The opening salvo was actually gorgeous in this match. Both teams shake hands, but Kid and Tam rush the others to get the upper hand. Saki manages to reverse a double Irish Whip as she focuses on Tam, sending Kid into the ropes and Mayu comes flying in connecting with a nice dropkick. From that point that match a little hit or miss honestly. Out of all four women, Saki is definitely the weakest link.

Aside from a few awkward spots and near miss/barely hit maneuvers, it really was an entertaining match. My highlight was Kid and Tam drop toe holding Saki and Mayu into the ropes and hitting stereo Tiger Feints (619), and honestly I didn’t know Tam could do that. The followed that up with dual Dropkicks, that send Mayu and Saki to the outside and then two Flying Crossbodies really made it look like Kid and Tam had a good shot to take this match. Tam also had a nice moment in the match where she had Saki in a Dragon Sleeper, Mayu tried to break it up, but Tam kicks her and hooks her head for a DDT, so she drops for the DDT/Reverse DDT combo.

Mayu and Tam’s interactions were really good in this match and gives everyone watching hope that Tam can maintain this level. Mayu and Saki hit a few tandem moves on Starlight and Mayu keeps Tam out of the ring while Saki hits the Unprettier for the pinfall.

Winner: Saki via Unprettier

Rating: ****

 

Honorable Mentions:

Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix: Kagetsu vs Utami Hayashishita
Winner: Kagetsu via Boston Crab
Rating: *** 3/4
MLW Fusion: PCO vs Homicide
Winner: PCO via Forearm Smash
Rating: ***

 

2. NXT: Velveteen Dream vs Johnny Gargano

From Steven Mitchell’s NXT Coverage:

Johnny Wrestling has fallen to new lows while the Patrick Clark Experience has risen to new heights. Dream rubbed that in Gargano’s face last week, but only because he didn’t realize Gargano was still okay to go in the ring. Whether rising or falling, which man will move forward after tonight?

Dream mocks Gargano with a “Johnny FAILURE” t-shirt, and even a “Who Am I?” armband to taunt Gargano’s crisis of confidence. But it’s not like Gargano needs reasons to be riled up for this match. The two men throw their shirts at each other, then the bell rings, and they tie up. Dream gets a waistlock to headlock to hammerlock to takeover. Dream poses and taunts Gargano, then shoves him. Gargano rocks Dream with a left forearm! Gargano dares Dream to come back and sprawls to a facelock. Dream rolls around but Gargano keeps hold. Dream reaches back with legs and gets a ropebreak. Gargano lets go at 4 while fans duel.

Gargano drags Dream up but Dream puts on a headlock. They go to a corner and Gargano sees Dream going up and over, to rock him with another forearm! Gargano stomps a mudhole into Dream to show he’s not a failure. He comes back but Dream takes down and goes after legs. Gargano powers out a couple times and sends Dream out. Gargano rocks him with a baseball slide dropkick, then bounces Dream off the apron. Dream goes around the corner but Gargano follows to chop him against barriers. Gargano wants to know where the arrogance went as he chops Dream again! He puts Dream in but Dream hotshots Gargano on the ropes! Fans keep dueling while Gargano gets to a corner. Dream runs over and kicks Gargano down. Dream rains rights and stomps on Gargano, grinding his boot into Gargano’s chin.

Gargano drags himself up but Dream throws forearms into his back. Dream backs off to then put Gargano in another corner. Dream keeps on Gargano with forearms, then chokes him on the ropes. The ref counts and Dream stops at 4, but Gargano turns it around to chop away! Gargano whips but Dream reverses and Gargano hits buckles and tumbles! Dream gives Gargano a neckbreaker, then covers. TWO, but Dream keeps his cool. Dream stomps Gargano to a corner, then stands on him at the ropes. The ref counts and Dream stops at 4 to stalk Gargano again. Dream climbs up to pose, then swings in for a bronco buster on Gargano’s back! Gargano has his eyes locked on the Johnny Freakin’ Wrestling sign, even as Dream throws him down by his hair.

Dream circles Gargano, and boots him down. High stack cover, TWO, so Dream goes to a grinding chinlock. Fans rally up and Gargano powers out of the hold. Dream kicks him and puts him in a sleeper hold now, and Gargano fades fast. Fans rally again and Gargano gets a second wind. Gargano stands and opwers Dream into buckles. Dream clubs him but Gargano fires back with haymakers. They brawl in the corner, Dream boots Gargano down, then hops up. Dream leaps, but the ax handle is caught. Dream fights out to prepare the sidewinder, but Gargano spins through to make it an elbow drop DDT! Fans rally once more and Gargano stands up. Dream staggers into a boot, then Gargano hops up for a flying headscissors! Gargano enziguris Dream right out of the ring, then slingshots. Dream gets in and runs, into the slingshot spear! Cover, TWO!

Gargano grits his teeth as he brings Dream up. He chops Dream against ropes, then whips. Dream tumbles out and hits a swift jab. Gargano goes outside while Dream goes up, SUPERKICK! Dream tumbles to the floor, but the apron cannonball wipes him out! The referee checks on both men but they’re both okay. Gargano stands while Dream drags himself up. Gargano puts Dream in at 4, then returns at 6. Fans duel whiel Dream gets to a corner. Gargano runs in for a forearm smash. He whips but Dream reverses. Gargano goes up and over, school boy kick misses, Dream hits a Famouser! Cover, TWO! Fans fire up as both men slowly stir.

Gargano gets to a corner but Dream walks over. Gargano elbows Dream away, then hops up, for another try. Dream counters and wants a submission, but instead rolls through to a fireman’s carry. Gargano sunset flips, TWO, Dream sits on it. TWO, and Gargano buzzsaws, only to run into a boot. He comes back with a discus lariat! Cover, TWO!! Dream crawls to a cover, TWO!! Both men are exhausted but the fans know “This is Awesome!” Gargano drags himself back to a corner but Dream pursues. Gargano climbs but Dream anchors his leg. They’re both on the apron and start brawling. They give haymakers back and forth, then Dream kicks low. Gargano forearms but gets another boot.

Dream lifts Gargano, but Gargano fights the Death Valley off. Gargano wants a powerbomb but his leg gives out! The very leg he hurt when he tried to finish Ciampa. Dream adds on by shoving Gargano into steel steps, knee first! Gargano writhes in pain but Dream shows no mercy. Dream puts Gargano in, Sidewinder!! Cover, TWO!? Gargano’s superhuman heart is still very much part of him! Fans love it as they give a standing ovation of “NXT! NXT!” Dream yanks the leg and drops a knee on that knee! Fans duel while Dream exposes the knee to hit it directly. He even wrenches it at the ropes. The referee backs Dream off, but the damage is done.

Dream drags Gargano up, but Gargano swing kicks him away! Dream SUPERKICKS back! Then with Gargano on the apron, Dream climbs up, for Purple Rain Maker! But Gargano gets away and Dream hits only apron! Gargano DIVES!! Fans are thunderous as Gargano drags Dream into a GargaNO Escape on the outside! Dream taps and flails but it doesn’t matter, this has to end in the ring! Gargano doesn’t care, he just wants to torture Dream! The ring count gets his attention, and he gets in at 7. Gargano leaves Dream out, but Dream gets in at 9.5!

Gargano seethes as he drags Dream back up. He has Dream between the ropes, and drags him out, just like Ciampa would! Dream knows this and resists, so Gargano instead ties him up in the ropes to SUPERKICK! Gargano drags Dream out from the apron now, but the referee tells him not to do this. Fans are divided, they want to see Gargano win but this might be too much. Gargano puts Dream back in and apologizes to his fan in the front row. Gargano goes back in, but Dream just keeps calling him “Johnny Failure!” Fans fire up, the knee pad comes down, but Gargano rusn into the Dream Valley! Cover, DREAM WINS!!

Winner: Dream via Dream Valley Driver

Rating: ****

 

1. NJPW Road to Destruction: The Golden Lovers vs Will Ospreay & Tomohiro Ishii

Well what the heck? This is a Road to… show, we’re not supposed to get big show matches here. As we should all know, Ishii has a title shot against Omega at Destruction in Hiroshima (yes yes the irony of the name isn’t lost on me). So this is one of those tag matches to build suspense and they’ll trade wins back and forth that don’t mean anything…right?

To be completely honest this match wasn’t mind blowingly special, but the fact that all four men went so hard on a show that people don’t expect it at, is why this stands out. We got to see a beautifully executed Cross Slash from the Lovers, a few other tandem moves, but we still have yet to see a Golden Shower (dual 450 Splash) since the reunion.

The interesting wrinkle that came from this was the heat between Ospreay and Ibushi. As far as New Japan is concerned, I’m pretty sure by the time Ospreay hit the Junior scene, Ibushi was moving up to Heavyweight and also drifting between companies. So this would be something special if we get a special singles match between Ospreay and Ibushi some time soon.

So this match is definitely worth the watch, you won’t be disappointed. But you can also kinda check the box next to “typical good New Japan match”.

Winner: Lovers via Golden Trigger

Rating: **** 1/4

 

Thoughts:

This isn’t an easy choice for me this week. None of the matches were historically cataclysmic, so there’s a good case for all of them.

However, NXT: Johnny Gargano vs Velveteen Dream, had the most psychology and story telling layered in the match. Watching Johnny actually break out of his rage driven moments, and conveying his shock and disappointment on his face was nice. Him going over to the fan and embracing the kid mid match to try and hold on to who he is, was great. So that will get my vote this week.

Like I always say, if you haven’t seen most of these, find what you can, expand your horizons, but ALWAYS, USE YOUR HEAD.


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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!

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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.


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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.

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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!


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