Well they need to move all of the non-title matches and both battle royals to the pre-show and put all of the title matches, including the Cruiserweight, on the main show.
I think Alexander v. Ali should curtain jerk Wrestlemania. And they should get at least 10 minutes.
I feel like I’m the only fan in WWE universe (other than the first commenter under the WWE.com article) that doesn’t just love Daniel Bryan.
I’m kinda with you. I have no history with the guy because he was only kind of a thing when I started watching again, and retired soon after. He’s fine to me but nothing to write home about.
I’m the same way with Punk too.
Rey Mysterio is off the card for Strong Style Evolved this weekend due to a bicep injury. 
Will Ospreay will be taking his place against Jushin Liger. The show will also be featuring a US title match between Jay White and Adam Page, as well as the Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. the Young Bucks, and a number of tag matches including Okada & Ishii vs. Suzuki and ZSJ. This one’s airing live on AXS on Sunday evening, and it should be a fun show.
In other news, WWE has officially announced the Greatest Royal Rumble will be live on the WWE Network next month, at noon Eastern/9 AM Pacific, and that Jerry Lawler and JR will be reuniting on commentary for it.
wow how old is liger? I thought hed retired years ago…
He’ll be 53 this November, and still working a full-time schedule in New Japan. According to Profightdb, he’s worked 28 matches so far in 2018, though most of them have been tag matches.
wow does muto still wrestle too ?
STC, does NXT hand out printouts of Gargano’s icon to the audience? They got the front row to participate in the angle with him and Ciampa. Do the NXT people have preselected fan lookalikes that come out for the angle and then leave, or did they take the actual fans aside and coach them on what to do?
I think Bryan can be credited with being the first wrestler to demonstrate to Vince that you don’t have to be an oversized steroid abuser to get over. WWE had luchas and the like before, but mainly as a sideshow. Bryan had the abused underdog look that connected with the audience.
My favorite Daniel Bryan era was when he partnered with Kane as team Hell No. DB was the whiny brat and Kane was the evil monster with gallows humor whose grotesque comments made Bryan upset. The skits of them attending anger management classes were fuckin’ hilarious and made for some of WWE’s best TV moments. When the team broke up and Bryan went solo, that’s when he broke out into major stardom.
I haven’t attended a taping in forever cuz they sell out so damn quickly, and I haven’t watched the episode you’re referencing, but based on previous times being there I bet they gave out the signs to front row and let the people just be themselves.
They’ve done their fair share of audience pandering and stunt pieces (like when Street Prophets went outside Full Sail and had a standoff with Tino/Riddick) and they’ve never brought in other people to do their dirty work. I would greatly assume the audience is legit.
Although as I’m typing that, I remember someone in a local Facebook group I’m in mention a “stunt granny” in the latest set of tapings, maybe that’s what you saw? If someone is taking a bump that is definitely a plant.
How about Shawn Michaels. Wikipedia may have him at 6’1", but I’ve stood close to him, I’m 6’ (technically 5’ 11 7/8" as my brother says when I say I’m a six-footer), and Michaels is NOT over 6’ tall. Michaels is, however, still taller than Bryan. Chris Jericho is beefier, but he’s only 5’ 9 or 10". Even Bret Hart wasn’t very big (though like everyone in that era was pumped full of PEDs).
It’s not like Vince never pushed smaller, it is just that the smaller people had to prove themselves far beyond what the larger people had just to get a push, let alone get to the top of the card.
When I was in front of the hard cam at the Raw where Daniel Bryan retired, they came through before the show and handed us paper “THANK YOU BRYAN” signs to hold up during his speech.
No, no fans took bumps. Ciampa was tearing away their Gargano signs until the last one turned out to be Gargano himself wearing a lucha mask. There was an older woman who gave Ciampa a thumbs down, but nothing more physical than that.
There was a LU episode a couple years back where select fans got to take part in a strap match. A bunch of them got to take a bump when one of the luchas did a stage dive on them. I’m sure American venues in general don’t want anything like that happening unless the participants sign a bunch of liability waivers.
I watched the segment because the best way of telling if it was real or not was who I recognize from previous tapings. One of the sign holders is who I affectionately call “Solo Cup Street Prophets Guy” because he always has his solo cup and giant SP sign. They were definitely all regular fans that got signs. Kind of a shame I missed it, although we never get seat seats so it’s not like we would have been a part of it anyway.
Jim Cornette Announces Wrestling Comic at IDW, Claims It Will Make You Rich
In a nutshell, the comic book is going to be stories of what happens backstage at wrestling shows. Cornette says he’s going to be the wrestling equivalent of the Crypt Keeper.
I think I’ll drop a few bucks into his Kickstarter.
What’s his relationship with Jerry Lawler?
I’m thinking Lawler drawing a Cornette Crypt Keeper. 
I guess they’re still on speaking terms. Cornette always gives props to the way Lawler ran Memphis in his podcasts.
Lawler illustrated Mick Foley’s Christmas Chaos.
So Shane is legit hospitalized and some random site is saying the women are getting tag belts.
Certainly changes WM plans, but not by a ton because DB can wrestle again. Tag belts also mean that The Iconic Duo actually have a future!
I heard the belt was for 205. And it seems Shane is expected back by WrestleMania.
The dark match yesterday after Smackdown involved one of the refs (Danilo or, as he’s known in the Cups household, Divas Ref) getting in on the action and removing his shirt and superkicking Aiden English. He then went for the pin, AJ grabbed the ref’s shirt and halfheartedly put it on and did the 1-2-3.
Boy I would have loved to have seen that.