January 30 marked Shinsuke Nakamura’s final match (for now) in a New Japan ring, with Korakuen Hall being the venue for his swansong. In the world of NXT spoilers, we already know that Nakamura has already sent in a video for a future episode of the show, to promote his debut on WrestleMania weekend. But first, there was the small matter of a farewell show.
When I first joined the internet back in 1998, wrestling was in the midst of what’s been nostalgically labelled as the Attitude Era. Whether you were a fan of WWE or the about-to-die WCW (or even ECW), there were likely guys on the roster who weren’t being pushed as much as you wanted them to. Although it was unlikely that they would ever usurp the top-line guys like Steve Austin, the Rock or Hulk Hogan, it was nice to have someone in the midcard to cheer who wouldn’t always be turned into a joke simply because they had supporters.
With WWE just about coming out on the other side of their horrific injury run, there’s a lot been said about how they’ve managed to get in the state they were in. Some have speculated that it’s due to training. Others, the ongoing need to impress to earn a (better) spot… but what about the schedule itself? Is there a need for house shows to continue in their current format?
Just a quick update for those of you who haven’t spotted the familiar logos at the top of our pages.
So, the first pay-per-view of 2016 is in the books, and WWE has a new champion. Perhaps the biggest surprise on Sunday was that the company kept their surprises limited to two: a debut, and the new champion.
Since relaunching NXT in August 2012, we’ve seen a lot of different faces going through the black-and-yellow brand. Originally intended as a developmental group, the television product has slowly morphed to the point where it’s now getting easier than ever to decry the show as “Triple H’s vanity product”. (Warning: NXT spoilers lie ahead – even though WWE’s advertising it)
In years gone by, it’s been a bit of a stereotype – you can’t bet on wrestling, it’s fixed! Well, in recent times, bookmakers have been offering odds for pay-per-views for several months now, with those odds usually shifting at the last minute (particularly if a certain dolphin-themed Redditer has his say!)
In amongst the responses to my “Royal Stumble” column over the weekend, there was an interesting alternative viewpoint to “why WWE has a dearth of credible championship challengers”, and the answer is simple: they’ve sacrificed everyone in an attempt to build up Roman Reigns. Although WWE did ultimately achieve their end goal of getting the fans to accept Reigns, ironically, it was at last year’s Rumble where the signs were clearly displayed that this was the wrong time to push Reigns.