Backlash, WWE travel, TV deal
There are several pro wrestling topics to get into this week so let蘑菇视频 get right to it.
The backlash on Backlash
To say that Backlash, the PPV that WWE presented last Sunday, was average at best was an understatement.
Several readers reached out sharing their thoughts and there weren鈥檛 many compliments.
鈥淭hank goodness the PPVs are on the WWE Network now and I didn鈥檛 have to shell out $50 or $60 for Backlash,鈥� Tom from Carmichaels said. 鈥淚t was awful and even my son and his friends stopped watching.鈥�
The main event was Roman Reigns against Samoa Joe and fans were literally leaving the arena in droves during the match.
鈥淗opefully WWE will see that fans just don鈥檛 care about Reigns and the writers wills stop forcing him down our throats,鈥� Fred from Uniontown said. 鈥淚t is old and people don鈥檛 want to watch him.鈥�
While the gameplan is to touch on Reigns in details in next weeks column, frustration over him and his role has grown almost weekly.
Apparently the reason Vince McMahon is moving to a Reigns feud against Jinder Mahal is so fans will, wait for it 鈥� cheer for Reigns.
Another fan, Shelley from Connellsville, thinks A.J. Styles should have closed the show.
鈥淭he WWE champion should always be the main event,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he WWE champion is supposed to be the focal point of the company, right?鈥�
A valid point for sure, but considering the finish for the Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura match of there being no winner, it would have been a bad way to end the show.
Travel to blame for 鈥渙ff鈥� show?
Could the WWE蘑菇视频 travel schedule over the last month be to blame for wrestler fatigue and shows maybe lacking that extra something?
I have known several WWE employees for years and while I would never quote them and get them in trouble, each has shared with me the travel demands that they have faced over the last six weeks or so.
Now granted, not every WWE employee is at both Raw and Smackdown, but here is a chronological look at the insane travel schedule.
Let蘑菇视频 rewind back to Easter on April 1.
Some employees, but not all, traveled to Atlanta for Raw on Monday before taking off for Smackdown in Nashville on Tuesday.
At the conclusion of Smackdown, they took off right for New Orleans.
Some flew, some took rental cars and a few were on a chartered bus.
They arrived in New Orleans for WrestleMania week on Wednesday, and considering that events kicked off on Wednesday, there was no time off for anyone.
A few examples include wrestlers having appearances to make and interviews to do, agents having to write up the minute details for Mania, and the camera crew having to film everything going on.
So everyone was plenty busy, some of the, from before sunrise and until after sunset all week.
Axxess is all day every day during Mania week, and then the Hall of Fame show Friday went over four hours.
The NXT show went over three hours Saturday and Mania was over seven hours when you count the Kickoff Show.
Also, what the general public doesn鈥檛 know is that there are Mania rehearsals after the Hall of Fame and NXT shows.
So when the shows 鈥渆nd鈥� on the WWE Network, the night isn鈥檛 necessarily over for the wrestlers, agents, etc.
Raw and Smackdown were both in New Orleans as well, and everyone was able to head home on Wednesday.
Raw and Smackdown the next week were in Hartford and Providence, respectfully so things were a little normal for about a little over a week.
Then things got crazy again.
Raw was in St. Louis on April 23 and Smackdown was in Louisville the next night.
After Smackdown, everyone was chartered to JFK airport where they were flown to London for a connect flight to Jeddah, Saudia Arabia, for the Greatest Royal Rumble show.
They arrived in Jeddah Thursday and had rehearsals before the show on Friday.
Everyone flew back to the states Saturday and had to be in Montreal for Raw and Smackdown on Monday and Tuesday.
To make matters worse, some flights were canceled or delayed and several employees had to drive from New York City to Montreal instead of taking a quick flight.
After a week of touring in the states, everyone flew over to Europe for another tour and both Raw and Smackdown take place in London this week.
WWE nearing TV deal?
This Monday at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NBC Universal will be presenting its upfront presentation to the media regarding the fall season for NBC and its associate channels.
According to www.pwinsiderelite.com, there will be a big WWE tie-in to the event.
Does this mean that WWE, whose TV deal expires shortly and there has been plenty of talk about moving to Fox Sports or other channels, has already agreed to a new TV contract?
Stephanie McMahon, John Cena, and the Bella蘑菇视频 have been announced for the event.
Wrestler passes away
Nick 鈥淏ig Bully鈥� Busick, passed away this past week.
Best known for a brief run in WWE in the early-to mid-90蘑菇视频, Busick lived in the area and had suffered from health issues in recent years.
Several wrestlers from the Pittsburgh area shared condolences or pictures on social media as Busick was well-liked by all that knew him.
Email questions/comments to Bill at powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to me @BillHughes_III.