WWE’s future uncertain on USA Network
The 缅北禁地 Business Journal said Friday afternoon that NBC would be shutting down its NBC 缅北禁地 Network station by the end of 2021.
Both the NHL and NASCAR are in deals with NBC for coverage on the NBC 缅北禁地 Network, and word is that both could end up on the USA Network.
Does this mean that the NHL鈥檚 Wednesday night NHL coverage could end up on USA? If so, that means NXT will be looking for a new night to run.
Could this also affect Monday Night Raw?
While WWE has a massive deal with NBC Universal to air Raw, the show鈥檚 ratings have been awful so who knows if the show could be moved.
More on this to come.
WWE takes 鈥渂ig event鈥� step
For years, WWE has looked at WrestleMania as its version of the Super Bowl.
Over time, a question that a lot of fans have has been about the location of the event and why it is only known year-to-year.
WWE has usually taken the approach of announcing the next year鈥檚 Mania location during the current edition of 鈥渢he Showcase of the Immortals.鈥�
The company has hardly ever let it be known where they were looking for future editions of Mania.
That is, until last Sunday during the NFL games.
WWE announced on both NBC and Fox the dates and locations of the next three WrestleManias.
This year鈥檚 event will once again be a two-day spectacle as it takes place on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11, from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the location that was originally going to host the event this past year.
WWE returns to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for Mania 38 on April 3, 2022. Finally, WWE heads to Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 2, 2023, for Mania 39.
Sofi was originally rumored to host Mania this year, but with California still having major issues with Covid-19 and with Florida having laxed attendance policies, WWE made the expected move to bring Mania 37 to Tampa.
Yes, WWE is proceeding as if Mania will have fans this year, although a set number is not known at this time.
By announcing the locations several years out, it could give the event an even bigger presence in mainstream culture as hype for those cities could now begin even sooner.
More interesting PPV news
WWE also announced its upcoming PPV calendar with the next three events taking place in the ThunderDome at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Royal Rumble takes place a week from today, Elimination Chamber happens on Feb. 21 and Fast Lane is a month later on March 21.
Fast Lane will be WWE鈥檚 last PPV, and possibly last show, at 鈥淭he Trop鈥� as the Tampa Bay Rays play their home opener on April 10.
WWE has yet to announce where they will move the Thunderdome to.
WWE Spectacle lineup
WWE taped its first-ever Superstar Spectacle on Friday, which will air Tuesday on the WWE Network, as well as on TV in India.
Five matches were recorded for the show.
WWE Backstage returns Saturday
Renee Young announced on Thursday that she will host a special edition of WWE Backstage on FS1. The show will begin at 8 p.m.
Sting returning to the ring
As predicted in this column, Sting鈥檚 first AEW match will be a tag match as he teams with TNT champion Darby Allen to take on Brian Cage and Ricky Starks at Revolution on Feb. 27. The match will be a street fight.
This Day in History
This has been a popular day for the Royal Rumble as the event has taken place three times on Jan. 24.
In 1988, 鈥淗acksaw鈥� Jim Duggan wins the first Royal Rumble, although the event was shown on the USA Network and not on Pay-Per-View. The show ran head-to-head with Jim Crockett Promotions, who ran The Bunkhouse Stampede.
In 1993, Yokozuna won the Rumble.
In 1999, Vince McMahon won the Rumble and also on the card, The Rock defeated Mankind in an 鈥淚 Quit鈥� match to win the WWF championship.
This week鈥檚 question
Would you settle an argument between my friend and me on the Darby Allen vs. Brian Cage match from the Jan. 13 edition of AEW Dynamite. I liked the match, but he didn鈥檛. Where do you stand? Shane, from Waynesburg.
I was not a fan of the match. Yes, it made Allen look tough, but it made Cage look week.
The psychology within the match was awful and I don鈥檛 understand why Allen would keep kicking out at a one count.
I am all about building talent, but building Allen at the expense of someone as big as Cage made no sense to me.
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