AEW鈥檚 TV deal, WWE news
It was a busy week in the world of pro wrestling, so let鈥檚 get right to it.
AEW鈥檚 debut on TV
All Elite Wrestling will debut on TNT on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
The show will air live from 8-10 p.m. and the first episode will emanate from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
While there is quite a buzz about AEW debuting its weekly TV show, there are several questions to be answered and readers chimed in with theirs.
Dr. Dan from Belle Vernon asked, Will this work for AEW?
It can, but my opinion is that they are biting off way more than it can chew going with a live two-hour show every week.
That is a lot to take on, especially considering that AEW will rely on the majority of people who has never seen its product to tune it.
Yes, AEW will have ran two sold out PPVs by then, however, the show shows that aired on Bleacher Report (BR) Live did not sell out.
AEW will need to make a big splash to draw in fans consistently, and Fred from Uniontown asked what the promotion can do.
The biggest possible ace up the sleeve for AEW could be to sign CM Punk.
The All Out PPV is taking place in Chicago, and Punk is making an appearance that weekend in his native Windy City.
Punk could draw interest heading into the TV debut a mere 33 days later.
There will be fans who tune in just because they are tired of the WWE product, and I get that.
But AEW is quickly going to go from being viewed as the 鈥渘ew fad鈥� to something that fans will judge.
Fans will be looking for instant gratification.
For its sake, AEW had better have something to draw the fans in and keep them.
WWE to counter AEW debut?
Anyone else think that WWE will run a live NXT show on the WWE Network or even on cable TV to counter the AEW debut on TNT?
Raw Reunion thoughts
WWE ran its Raw Reunion show this past Monday and there are mixed reviews.
Yes, old fans who no longer watch WWE tuned in to see their favorite stars from the past.
However, the WWE dropped the ball is giving fans to tune again this week.
Why didn鈥檛 the creative team use the show to give today鈥檚 stars a rub from the older talent?
The only case where a younger star looked better was when Bray Wyatt laid out Mick Foley.
WWE tried to give Seth Rollins a moment in the spotlight by having him in the ring with DX and the nWo, but it fell flat.
The spot had been set for Riccochet, but he missed the show due to injury.
Speaking of the nWo and DX, WWE could have had The OC (AJ Styles, Anderson and Gallows) look strong when confronted by the legendary factions, but instead, the cowered away.
What a great job of the WWE making its newest stable look weak.
Another example was 24/7 competitor Drake Maverik.
He has been married for a month but his obsession to the 24/7 title has kept him from consummating his marriage.
Why not have a comedy skit with The Godfather and 鈥淪exual Chocolate鈥� Mark Henry trying to get his mind in the right place?
The crowd would have eaten that up!
Lastly, the show ended with Stone Cold Steve Austin giving a beer bash with all of the legends by the ringside area.
Who not have Becky Lynch, Kevin Owens or some of the top wrestlers from today down there to get the ultimate rub?
The reunion was a feel-good moment for the fans from yesterday, but there is a reason they aren鈥檛 fans today and won鈥檛 be tomorrow.
Last week鈥檚 Raw was the perfect example of why.
Stratus on Smackdown
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus will appear on Smackdown Live Tuesday as a guest on The King鈥檚 Court.
Look for Charlotte Flair to appear as she is said to be taking on Stratus at SummerSlam.
WWE Network updated
The WWE Network has been revamped and if it doesn鈥檛 already have a new look on the device you use to watch it, it will soon.
More on this next week.
WWE hires ROH employee
It was announced on Friday that WWE hired Chris Resnick, a behind the scenes employee for ROH.
Resnick served as Director and Producer for ROH鈥檚 weekly TV series and PPVs.
He will work full-time on WWE Network programming.
On This Day鈥�
In 1986, Dusty Rhodes won his third, and final, NWA World championship when he defeated Ric Flair in a steel cage match.
The bout took place at the Greensboro (NC) Coliseum on the Great American Bash tour.
Email questions/comments to Bill at powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to me @BillHughes_III.