Is there more to the WWE/Fox deal?
While Smackdown will not start on Fox until October 2019, could there be more to come between the two?
When Fox signed the deal with WWE, it ended negotiations with the UFC and will be losing all UFC programming in the near future.
With Fox also having its FS1 and FS2 channels, it will have plenty of space to air more WWE shows.
Will it happen?
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there had been some talk of NXT airing on FS1.
However, those close to WWE are saying that the company wants to keep NXT as an exclusive WWE Network entity.
While airing the weekly show on FS1 would help the show reach a wider audience, improve live event attendance and merchandise sales, WWE wants to keep it on the Network.
Another option may be to air a pre-game show on FS1 each Friday before Smackdown airs as well as having a post-show for every PPV.
Fundraiser show for Zoltan
The huge fundraiser for Ken 鈥淟ord Zoltan鈥� Jugan takes place at the Syrian Shriners Pavilion in Cheswick.
The event starts at 2 p.m.
After Bruno Sammartino, Dominic DeNucci and Kurt Angle, Zoltan is the most well-known professional wrestler from the Pittsburgh area.
A mentor to many and a friend to even more, Zoltan is in his second battle with cancer.
There are seven matches announced thus far and there will be dozens of personalities at the show.
For more information, call 412-726-1762.
Four wrestling deaths
Last Sunday was a dark day for the pro wrestling world as word broke throughout the day that four different people involved with pro wrestling had died.
Brian 鈥淐hristopher鈥� Lawler, known best for his WWE run as a former WWE tag champion as part of the 鈥淭oo Cool鈥� team along with Scotty 鈥淭oo Hotty,鈥� attempted suicide in jail last Saturday night and was found unresponsive.
He was put on life support until Sunday so that his family could come say their goodbyes.
Also given the nickname 鈥淕rand Master Sexay鈥� during his WWE run, he could never get out of the shadow of his father, Jerry 鈥淭he King鈥� Lawler.
He was 46.
Josip Peruzovic, best known as Nikolai Volkov, passed away Sunday last morning just days after being released from a hospital in Maryland where he had been treated for dehydration.
What I remember Volkov for the most was his tag team with The Iron Sheik and how Volkov would always sing the Russian national anthem before matches.
His first run in WWE was as part of the tag team known as The Mongols and he also wrestled as a Masked Executioner with Killer Kowalski and Big John Studd.
He was 70.
Frederick 鈥淏rickhouse Brown鈥� Seawright passed away in hospice care after a long battel with cancer.
He was 57.
Tracy Caddell, who also died last Sunday, was one of the founding fathers of the North Carolina independent promotion OMEGA.
That is the promotion that spawned the careers of Jeff and Matt Hardy as well as Hurricane Helms and was also the father of TNA wrestler Trevor Lee.
On this date:
In 1996, The Great Sasuke pulled off a feat that will most likely never happen again.
In a tournament to unify eight separate junior heavyweight titles into one championship, the J-Crown championship, he walked into the tournament as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion and won the other seven titles in the tournament.
The eight-man tourney saw each man walk in with a different title.
The other championships involved included the NWA Junior Heavyweight title, the WAR International Junior Heavyweight title, the British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight title, the WWF World Light Heavyweight title, the UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight title, the WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight title and the NWA World Welterweight title.
This week蘑菇视频 question:
Do you think Vince McMahon regrets having The Undertaker lose at WrestleMania? Joey, Elizabeth.
This is a question that deserves a multilevel answer!
McMahon had Taker lose to Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX to help build Lesnar up.
Plus, it provided possibly the biggest shock in WWE history.
Lesnar went on to destroy John Cena at SummerSlam for the WWE championship and he held it until Mania 31.
Although Seth Rollins cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase that night to win the title by pinning Roman Reigns in what became a triple threat match, the original plan was for Reigns to beat Lesnar.
By doing that, he would have beaten the man (Lesnar) who ended Taker蘑菇视频 legendary streak and destroyed WWE蘑菇视频 biggest star (Cena) of the 21st century.
This would have given Reigns a 鈥渞ub,鈥� wrestling lingo for an elevation in the eyes of fans.
In McMahon蘑菇视频 eyes, it would have given Reigns credibility with the fans and made Reigns a star, but WWE fans have long boycotted the notion of Reigns being 鈥渢he man.鈥�
Speaking of Reigns, his win over Taker at Mania 33, in my opinion, was originally supposed to be Taker蘑菇视频 swan song and retirement.
But he has surgery the week after that match, has done a handful of matches since and is moving better than he has in years.
So, do I think McMahon regrets having Taker蘑菇视频 Mania streak end?
No, because Vince is not one who lives in the past in most instances.
But I also think there may be a part of him who now realizes that one of the biggest draws for Mania each year was 鈥渢he streak鈥� and now, fans who see Taker at Mania aren鈥檛 holding their breath in suspense as to whether he will lose or not.
It is more a case of whether it will be the last time they get to see Taker wrestle in person.
Email questions/comments to Bill at powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to me @BillHughes_III.