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They’re trying something new. Commentary is one of the most important parts of any wrestling show as the broadcast team serves multiple roles. One of the most important is guiding the fans through the show on the road that the promotion wants them to take. That is something that can be difficult to do in the arena, but now WWE is trying something new with the idea.
According to videos on Twitter, WWE tried an experience this week on SmackDown which saw commentary airing in the arena during commercial breaks throughout the TV show. Once the commercials ended, the commentary ended and the arena had no sound as usual. There is no word on if this is something that WWE will be regularly doing for shows going forward.
This was different. Check out what WWE was trying this week:
[This post contains video, click to play]
[This post contains video, click to play]
Opinion: This is something that could be interesting, though it is more than a bit strange to hear in an arena. After so many ye..

Mark your calendars. There are certain wrestling shows that occupy certain times of the year. Some of these have been around for a very long time and can be game changers for a promotion. Most of the time these are special pay per view level cards but sometimes they are an event that takes place for free on television. That seems to be the case again as WWE is getting ready for a special event.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the 2022 WWE Draft will be held either just after Summerslam in August or at some point in September. This would be a change from recent years, as the last three editions have been held in October. There is no word on the details, but the previous two editions have taken place over the course of two nights, with half on Monday Night Raw and half on SmackDown. WWE has not yet announced any plans for this year’s Draft.
Opinion: This is something that can offer a bit of excitement, but you can probably guess some of the moves coming in advance. WWE ..

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be?
NXT Takeover: Fatal Fourway
Date: September 11, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Attendance: 400
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Renee Young
The question here is can they pull it off three times in a row. Arrival and the first Takeover were both outstanding shows that have set quite the standard for NXT, but now it’s up to them to pull it off one more time. The title tells you all you need to know about the main event with NXT Champion Adrian Neville defending against Sami Zayn, ..

Catch you down the road. There have been a lot of changes to various wrestling companies’ rosters over the last several months. Different wrestlers have appeared in all kinds of promotions, with some popping in and leaving again after a short run with a company. That is the kind of thing that can make for some interesting changes, which is the case again now, twice at once.
Two wrestlers have announced that they are finishing up with Impact Wrestling. First up, Willie Mack has announced that his contract with the company has expired and he has decided not to sign a new one. During his time in the company, Mack is a former X-Division Champion. Second, Jonah has also seemingly announced his departure, saying that he will see Impact down the road. Jonah debuted with the company in November and is expected to begin working with New Japan Pro Wrestling full time. Both Mack and Jonah lost their final matches this week on Impact wrestling.
After last nights Impact episode I am no longer wit..

That’s a good reason to stop. WWE has quite the presence on television, with three shows being broadcast on television every single week. This is a great way to showcase the company’s product, but what matters the most is that it brings in so much money that WWE is all but guaranteed to be profitable. As a result, WWE is going to want to keep its television partners happy. That might mean a change in the way WWE presents its television.
According to Wrestling Observer Live, the current crossovers of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown stars to the other shows are not expected to last much longer. Both the USA Network and FOX want exclusive rosters without the wrestlers appearing elsewhere, with FOX in particular pushing for exclusivity. There will be occasional crossovers, but they will not be happening as frequently as they have been as of late.
Opinion: This makes sense as neither FOX nor USA is going to want to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for wrestlers that can be seen on anoth..

That’s a different way to go. There are a lot of ways to present a wrestler, whether they are new or making their return. The way they are introduced can go a long way in determining how well their career goes and it can be rather difficult to make work. WWE has tried a variety of methods over the years and now their latest idea could be an interesting twist on things.
Over the last five weeks, vignettes have aired featuring Lacey Evans talking about her childhood and time growing up in an abusive family. Evans chronicled her time dealing with an alcoholic father before finally making it to WWE. This week saw Evans appearing in the arena, but only after having made a request that she be applauded and cheered as she deserved. This could suggest that Evans will be a villain again rather than a heroine as had been suggested before her return.
What do you think? Check out Evans’ appearance before the crowd:
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Opinion: This is the kind of twist t..

I don’t know if he’s getting that again. There are a lot of places for a wrestler to go today, with several of them having the bonus of appearing on national television. Not everyone is going to do that though, which often makes them more interesting that who you are seeing on the shows. It can be fun to see who goes where, and now we know a bit more about someone who is still waiting.
Windham Rotunda, better known as Bray Wyatt, was released from WWE in July 2021 and has yet to return to wrestling. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, several companies have been interested in bringing Rotunda in, but the money situation is said to be “far apart”. There is no word on what Rotunda is asking for, but he is believed to have made about $4 million a year in WWE, which does not include merchandise money.
Opinion: I’m not sure when or if Rotunda will ever appear in wrestling again but he is certainly one of the biggest names on the free agent market. While I would love to see him..

I’d say he deserves it. There are certain wrestlers who have managed to become all time stars in WWE. These are the names who have had some of the biggest impacts in the history of the company and whose legacies continue long after they hang up their boots. WWE has a history of honoring these legends and that is going to be the case again soon as it is anniversary time.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of his WWE debut on May 9, 2002, WWE will begin Batista Week on Monday May 9. WWE will be celebrating the week with special looks back at Batista’s career on its social media channels, including Top 10s and playlists. There is no word on if Batista himself will make any kind of appearance during the week. This comes less than a month after WWE celebrated the 20th anniversary of Randy Orton’s debut.
With the 20-year anniversary of @DaveBautista's WWE debut just around the corner, join WWE in honoring The Animal all week long! #BatistaWeek pic.twitter.com/uUpKJ16knh
— WWE (@WWE) Ma..

All the more gold. Titles are the most important concept in a wrestling promotion and often what the main stories revolve around. Anyone can understand the idea of a wrestler wanting to be the best so wrestling companies run with the concept. You can see a variety of championships in almost any promotion at any time, including the biggest in the world. That is certainly the case in AEW, but now they might be adding several more titles all at once.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW has had a set of trios titles created a set of trios titles, meaning that the championships are likely to be introduced to the company. This is something that AEW President Tony Khan has hinted at before but nothing has ever been confirmed. There is no word on when the titles will be introduced or how the first champions will be crowned.
Opinion: This is the kind of thing that shouldn’t be the biggest surprise as AEW has so many three man teams who could be in the running for the first cha..

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 5, 2022
Location: Majed J. Neshewat Convention Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan
It’s the go home show for Under Siege, which has come up rather fast after Rebellion took place just a few weeks ago. Last week saw Tomohiro Ishii announced as the new #1 contender to Josh Alexander, which should be a nice trial by fire for the new champion. It’s time for the final push towards Under Siege so let’s get to it.
Opening recap.
Tonight it’s Monster’s Ball with PCO vs. Jonah and they actually bring back the “they’ve been locked away for 24 hours” deal.
Brian Myers vs. W. Morrissey Tables match. Morrissey hits a running splash in the corner and goes outside to load up the first table. That is broken up with a slingshot dive to the floor but Morrissey fights up again. Another table is loaded up but Myers is right back to cut him off as we have a theme going here. Instead Myers sets up his own table, only to have to escape a ..

Smackdown
Date: May 6, 2022
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole
It’s the go home show for Wrestlemania Backlash and that means we need to hype up the six man tag which totally serves some kind of a purpose. I’m not quite sure what that purpose is but I’m sure it’s there. Other than that, it might be time to add one or two more matches to the card. Let’s get to it.
The post SmackDown Live Coverage And Results – May 6, 2022 appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.

Rampage
Date: May 6, 2022
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Ricky Starks, Taz
We are on the way to Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to start hammering things down. Therefore, it means we are still wrapping up the qualifying matches for the Owen Hart Foundation tournaments, as they have now entered their third month. Maybe this show can be better than Dynamite though so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm/Ruby Soho Rebel is here too. Storm runs Hayter over to start and drives her into the corner to take over. Baker comes in and gets taken down by Soho, who ducks a superkick and rolls her up for two. The villains take over though and we take an early break. Back with Storm fighting her way out of the corner and the double tag brings in Ruby to elbow Baker down.
Everything breaks down and Baker’s Pittsburgh Sunrise is broken up but Baker counters Storm Zero into ..