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205 Live Continues to Perform Poorly

205 Live continues to perform poorly on the WWE Network.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the show failed to rank in the top 20 shows on the Network this week. The show actually ranked behind a three-month old episode of Ride Along. Halloween Havoc back in 1998 got more views than 205 Live did.

This isn’t a first time occurrence either, as the show rarely ranks in the top 10 despite airing live on the WWE Network and being built up on RAW the previous night.

Jinder Mahal Claims He’s Been Tested Multiple Times & Never Had an Issue

While speaking to The Times of India, Jinder Mahal made the following remarks about fans being critical of his recent physique transformation.

“I don’t know what kind of criticism that was. I worked hard in the gym a lot. All the WWE talents are drug tested by a third-party agency and I have been tested multiple times and never had an issue, so you know my transformation is all diet, all hard work. I am a tested athlete like every other WWE wrestler. I have no special privilege; nothing like that. I look like an athlete, I perform like an athlete, I carry myself like an athlete and WWE was not hesitant to put me in a WWE title match.”

Click here for the full interview.

Asuka Surpasses Goldberg’s Undefeated Streak

Asuka has surpassed Goldberg’s WCW undefeated streak of 173 wins. She made the following remarks about the accomplishment on Twitter:

Goldberg responded with the following:

Adam Cole’s WWE Status

While Adam Cole may possibly be joining WWE, he is currently a free agent and hasn’t signed a deal yet with the company. The feeling is that he will eventually end up in NXT as one of the top stars for the brand unless something changes.

It’s also worth noting that Impact Wrestling is also interested in trying to sign Cole. We will keep you updated on his status when we find more information out.

Lita Returning to WWE?

As previously noted, Jim Ross will be one of the announcers for the upcoming women’s tournament that will be taped on July 13 and 14th. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Lita is being considered to join J.R. on the commentating booth.

While the show is being taped in July, there is no official announcement yet on when WWE plans to air the shows on the WWE Network. We will keep you updated.

Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Smackdown Analysis, Mahal’s Celebration, Where’s Randy Orton? More!

Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane.

Russo says that he switched brands this week, and he’s going to review Smackdown Live instead of RAW. He points out that it’s probably a good thing that he didn’t watch RAW this week because it hit a new low rating. Unfortunately, after watching Smackdown Live, he assumes that Smackdown Live’s rating this week is going to be poor as well.

If Russo was writing this week’s episode of Smackdown Live, it would have been Jinder Mahal’s show. From the beginning to the end, this entire show would have been based around the new WWE Champion. He feels that WWE dropped the ball in this area.

In the opening segment of the show we saw a prime example of WWE’s lack of roster depth. This comes as a result of the brand split, and WWE has no other choice but to use the same 5 or 6 performers for every big match such as Money in the Bank. Dolph Ziggler, A.J. Styles and Baron Corbin all lost at Backlash, but now they’re rewarded with an opportunity for some reason.

Reason for the High Amount of Multi-Person Matches on WWE Programming

As seen on WWE programming lately, WWE has been doing a lot of multi-person matches. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that “booking is slow” and that’s the reason the viewers are being stuck with these types of matches.

While WWE has things planned out for the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event, the company doesn’t have many creative ideas for storylines until then. These multi-person matches are essentially being done as a way to fill up time.

The Taz Show Recap – Smackdown Analysis, Mahal’s Celebration, Ed Nordholm Goes Rogue, More!

Block 1:

Taz opens today’s show speaking about last night’s episode of Smackdown Live.

He says that he liked last night’s show, but he has a few criticisms as well. He says that Nakamura should have came out to the ring first in the opening segment of the night. Having Nakamura do his full entrance while all the other performers were standing in the ring felt incredibly long and awkward to Taz.

He understands that WWE wanted Nakamura to come out last because they’re building him as the biggest star. However, having him come out last put heels like Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler in a bad situation, because Taz expected those guys to just attack Nakamura while he was finishing his entrance in the middle of the ring.

Taz also points out that it was strange for Shane McMahon (a babyface authority figure) to give Kevin Owens (a heel) his way, after Owens complained about not being an entrant in the Money in the Bank ladder match. If Shane was a heel authority figure that would have made sense, but heels are supposed to complain, and it’s strange when babyfaces succumb to heel demands.

Taz says A.J. Styles should win the Money in the Bank ladder match in his opinion, because Styles is a top babyface who can surprise the Champion at any moment and have a terrific match. Styles is also good on the mic and can back up his briefcase win with believable promos.

Who Almost Became a Member of D-Generation X?

While speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Sean “X-Pac” Walman revealed that Val Venis almost became one of the members of D-Generation X if former WWE creative writer Vince Russo had his way. Waltman revealed that the members of the group were totally against the idea, so it never happened.

“Russo wanted to put Val Venis in DX, but we said no. We stuck to our guns because he wasn’t right for DX.

Also during the interview, Waltman compared The Bullet Club, which is led by Kenny Omega, and how it operates very similar to how the Wolpac did in WCW.

“We all had our role, we were all very happy in that role, and no one wanted the other’s role,” said Waltman. “They’re the same way. Why tinker with the recipe when it is just right?”

You can check out the full interview here.

Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap w/ Shawn Hernandez – Dixie Carter’s Crush, Legal Issues, Russo Sucking up to WWE? More!

Russo welcomes Shawn Hernandez to the show.

Russo says he doesn’t understand what happened with Hernandez during his most recent run with TNA, but there’s no denying that LAX is not the same without Hernandez. Hernandez informs that there was a contract situation between Lucha Underground and TNA that has left him in a world of trouble and legal problems. Unfortunately, he’s not at liberty to discuss any of the details at this moment.

Russo says that there’s no doubt in his mind that Dixie Carter had a crush on Hernandez during their time working together in TNA. Hernandez says that in 2007 and 2008 Carter started to communicate and converse with him more regularly, but in 2009 after he broke his neck things got really strange.

Carter flew him to Nashville and had $2000 worth of clothes laid out for him to try on. She told Hernandez that they were going to do a photoshoot and the photos would be utilized for an upcoming push when he returned from injury. Hernandez tried on all the different clothes and took the pictures, but those shots were never used on TNA programming. Russo laughs and says there’s no doubt Carter had an obsession with Hernandez.