"On June 7, 2015, WWE announced that Kidd received a severe neck/spinal injury from Samoa Joe’s ‘Muscle Buster’ finishing maneuver during a dark match on Raw six days prior. Several weeks later, WWE announced that he would be out of action for over a year. Kidd tweeted that only 5% of people survive his injury and that he had 16 staples, four screws, and a rod inserted in his neck. Discussing the injury, journalist Dave Meltzer said “It is unbelievable that Tyson Kidd came through as well as he did”, and noted that most people who survive the injury end up quadriplegic, comparing it to Christopher Reeve’s injury.
On June 29, 2017, it was reported by Wrestling Observer that Kidd was hired as a full-time employee for WWE as a producer."
So it would seem that, despite the original call that he’d be out over a year, the fact of it is that he will never wrestle again.
I doubt that’s going to happen. Four hours is long enough. Expect to see one of three things happen:
One of the matches is on the pre-show - my guess: the Raw tag title match. If you include the pre-show, then it will definitely be five hours, but that includes the first 30 minutes or so of the pre-show that is all talk.
“Backstage shenanigans” (usually somebody getting hurt, but not always - there was the time a 10-man tag match was cancelled because one team “couldn’t agree on who would be their captain”) results in the match being moved to Raw or Smackdown.
While they claim the rules for the two Rumbles are the same, what will happen is, the women’s rumble will have one-minute intervals, so it can end in under 45 minutes, while the men’s Rumble has 90-second or even two-minute intervals.
As much as I might wish otherwise, and to tell the truth, I’m not a big fan of her as a person, I do strongly suspect that she’ll just go elsewhere and continue to wrestle until she’s permanently disabled.
More news, notes and tidbits from the Impact Zone…
Brian Cage is now a part of the show. I legit think he’s the biggest dude I’ve ever seen live and in person. Brock might be up there too, but I think Cage is bigger. The dudes who count would be Lesnar, Cage and Lashley in some order.
In what I thought was Kayfabe, but is apparently real, Impact granted EC3 an early release. They did a “Feast or Fired” match where he was the one who ended up fired. He cut a pretty cool promo until Cage came out and laid EC3 out. He laid in the ring for a while before acknowledging the crowd a bit and bouncing around. He waved bye to the crowd in the ring, went outside and hugged the producers who are always surrounding the ring, spent more time than normal with fans walking out, and bowed before going to the back. I have heard small bits and pieces about him going to WWE, but I never put any stock in it because it always seemed super speculative. Maybe it’s actually a thing?
Also had a weird match last night where Bobby Lashley lost to Cage. Then he came out later and cut a heel promo on Cage, lost to him again and then spent a good long time with the fans walking out. He ended it by taking off his headband of power and some of his other bands and throwing them into the ring. Thought that was odd until I heard today that he’s officially leaving Impact too.
James Storm is leaving as well, but I didn’t see him. That means three major stars from Impact, all with WWE experience in some form or fashion, are all on the market. The Rumble could (and I mean COULD) be crazy. So might Takeover. Can you imagine the new NXT lineup if EC3 has to take on Ricochet?
Rich Swann apparently released his captive because Su Young made a few appearances. The Bloody Undead Bride confused the ever-loving shit out of everyone because the entire section around me thought she was Rosemary.
A girl I’m friends with here works for the production company that puts Impact on, so we’ll often get premium seating. In this case, were right right at the corner where the producers all sit. After an LAX segment Konnan wanted to grab a mic and the producer lady shot him down, made him quite mad. However, the funniest bit (by far) was when ADR wrestled and he was scheduled (I think?) to grab the mic as well. Now we all know how horrible and unpredictable ADR is on the mic, and Impact does too because when his match was done and he was doing his laps around the ring, the ring announcer literally hid the mic in his jacket and pretended to grab some cough drops so he didn’t have to make ADR eye contact. The bell-ringer was dying laughing and we were too. Fuck ADR I hate that dude.
Speaking of, is it legit his gimmick that he hates and/or takes off masks? I remember him doing that in WWE from time to time, and did it in LU when he was there and he just did it now. He tried to take off de Phantasma’s mask during the match and literally took it off when the match was done. Phantasma had to be taken to the back with a t-shirt covering his face. ADR does this too much to be a coincidence right?
From what I gather being there for 2 days and hearing what other people are saying, Impact is doing a lot of their story building from backstage/interviews and not WWE-style in-ring promos. So I barely know ANY of the new storylines.
I made a comment elsewhere and I’m hoping it somehow gets to WWE’s ears.
Lars Sullivan is already booked for this month’s Takeover, but…
**What about a Big Show vs. Lars Sullivan match for the Takeover the weekend of Wrestlemania? **
If Show is indeed retiring shortly after Wrestlemania, it might be the last chance to do it, and I’d love if they put them together for at least one match, to help build Lars. It did wonders for Braun Strowman, they had great chemistry together. Lars doesn’t have to win, they could do a long match ending with a double count-out or with neither man able to get up at the count of 10.
Oh, and as someone else suggested, they could build to it by having Big Show sitting in the audience at an NXT show then intervening when Lars just starts completely destroying people after a match.
They’re already setting up Lars vs Killian Dane, so there should be enough wreckage from that pairing. I’m always reluctant to watch Big Show nowadays because I’m constantly fearing that the one big bump he takes will be followed by a Hearse ride. He’s had a long, tough career that would have broken other men, and as far as I’m concerned he’s already passed the torch to Braun Stroman. Let him spend his remaining years working backstage and teaching big guys how to work main event matches. He doesn’t have any more to prove.
WWE.com has an article about Ricochet officially signing. I expect the obligatory new signeee shot of him in Philly and I sincerely hope they give him the name of “Rick O’Shea” and have him be a long-lost cousin of Sheamus.
Damn, WWE was busy today. Announced a signing of Ricochet, War Machine (who the Bludgeon Brothers WISH they were) and Candace LaRae, aka Mrs. Johnny Garbanzo.
Between them and the potential for EC3 and (as I’ve heard) Rockstar Spud and the potential of maybe Lashley coming back someone’s got to get fired, right? Although Mrs. Cups says NXT is going to break in two to accommodate everyone.
Ok, I’ve predicted mass release several times over the last year only to not see them.
But with the “cost cutting” going on, I can’t see them signing all these people and having places for them. Unless Vince, in his old age, is just collecting them like action figures.
