The Wrestling Thread: WWE WrestleMania 31 [NSFW]

[Return_of_the_STAR]

WWE's creative team is said to be trying to slowly introduce things into television that are more PG-13 than PG. The company position is that they are still PG and will remain that way for the time being.

Examples of pushing things back to the way they were include a recent bikini match and Santino Marella playing with a Trish Stratus doll pushing the face into the chest of Stratus. Believe it or not, these were things (although rather tame) they were doing as of a year ago.

It should be noted that if the company continues to the storyline of having a guest host of Raw every week that there are plans of bringing The Godfather back to be the host of the August 24 edition of Raw in Las Vegas.

Maybe they finally twigged young children aren't up till 11:15 on a school night.

Good, hope it continues that way. Rating breakdown from last week (seth green episode of raw)

As reported earlier, last week's Seth Green-hosted episode of Raw drew a 3.55 cable rating, which rounds up to a 3.6. In the segment-by-segment numbers, the bikini match pitting Kelly Kelly, Mickie James and Gail Kim against Maryse, Alicia Fox and Rosa Mendes lost 250,000 viewers coming off Seth Green's segment. Carlito's match with The Miz would lose 162,000 additional viewers. MVP's loss to Jack Swagger saw a slight gain as the match gained 15,000 viewers. Chris Jericho's interview and
"match" with Mark Henry gained 899,000 viewers and was the high point of the show sans the overrun. Chavo Guerrero's bout with Hornswoggle lost 412,000 viewers, although that's not unusual for that point of the show. Evan Bourne's match with Big Show gained 191,000 viewers. The main event featuring Seth Green, John Cena and Triple H against Legacy gained over a million viewers, 1,223,000 to be exact. Overall, the overrun drew a 4.47, which is tremendous.

The overrun rating was great. Disappointed that a lot tunned out for the bikini match, it was actually quite good.

[KK]

According to the Wrestling Observer & PW Torch, the ZZ Top live arena performances were axed at the last minute. The stage was taken advantage of in an 80's WWF Superstars style interview segment later on in the programme.

A very late decision was made not to put ZZ Top in front of the live audience, & was instead replaced in one late segment in the car to show they were actually there. All of their segments were pre-taped in the afternoon. To show how late the decision was made, Dusty Rhodes was brought in do something with them on the show, but it was ultimately nixed because they didn't want to risk putting ZZ Top in front of the live crowd.

[Adam Pollard]

A correction from the early reports from yesterday. Jeremy Piven of Entourage will be hosting Raw on 8/3 from the Mohegan Sun Casino, not this coming Monday's show in Washington, DC. Shaquille O'Neal is doing it by himself this week and Priven is doing it next week. Time will tell on this. O'Neal should get a lot of attention, but I'm surprised thus far at how little it's gotten. What is happening is that if they do a celebrity guest host four times a year, they'll get pub all four times. Doing it weekly, the public will burn out on it. ZZ Top was an interesting deal because they drew the oldest audience in the history of Raw (there were as many viewers over 40 as under 40 on Monday--the first time in show's history) for a show that is clearly written for kids.

[Return_of_the_STAR]

According to the Wrestling Observer & PW Torch, the ZZ Top live arena performances were axed at the last minute. The stage was taken advantage of in an 80's WWF Superstars style interview segment later on in the programme.

A very late decision was made not to put ZZ Top in front of the live audience, & was instead replaced in one late segment in the car to show they were actually there. All of their segments were pre-taped in the afternoon. To show how late the decision was made, Dusty Rhodes was brought in do something with them on the show, but it was ultimately nixed because they didn't want to risk putting ZZ Top in front of the live crowd.

Surely they could have at least given a live performance to just the crowd or something as these tapings have like 1.5 hrs of unshown footage.

Edit. --

Last week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown on myNetworkTV drew a 1.8 rating, up from the previous week's 1.7 number and 1.6 two weeks ago. (source: PWInsider.com)

SD is on a rise.

[KK]

ZZ Top was an interesting deal because they drew the oldest audience in the history of Raw (there were as many viewers over 40 as under 40 on Monday--the first time in show's history) for a show that is clearly written for kids.

Blimey, the old WCW Saturday Night audience. But as the ratings were the same as normal...does that mean a load of regular Raw viewers strawberry floated off because of ZZ Top?

On the subject of Dusty Rhodes, can we have him back on commentary...if you weel?

[A J Styles]

According to the Wrestling Observer & PW Torch, the ZZ Top live arena performances were axed at the last minute. The stage was taken advantage of in an 80's WWF Superstars style interview segment later on in the programme.

A very late decision was made not to put ZZ Top in front of the live audience, & was instead replaced in one late segment in the car to show they were actually there. All of their segments were pre-taped in the afternoon. To show how late the decision was made, Dusty Rhodes was brought in do something with them on the show, but it was ultimately nixed because they didn't want to risk putting ZZ Top in front of the live crowd.

Surely they could have at least given a live performance to just the crowd or something as these tapings have like 1.5 hrs of unshown footage.

Edit. --

Last week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown on myNetworkTV drew a 1.8 rating, up from the previous week's 1.7 number and 1.6 two weeks ago. (source: PWInsider.com)

SD is on a rise.

Yes!!!!

I like CM Punk as champion.

[Return_of_the_STAR]

According to the Wrestling Observer & PW Torch, the ZZ Top live arena performances were axed at the last minute. The stage was taken advantage of in an 80's WWF Superstars style interview segment later on in the programme.

A very late decision was made not to put ZZ Top in front of the live audience, & was instead replaced in one late segment in the car to show they were actually there. All of their segments were pre-taped in the afternoon. To show how late the decision was made, Dusty Rhodes was brought in do something with them on the show, but it was ultimately nixed because they didn't want to risk putting ZZ Top in front of the live crowd.

Surely they could have at least given a live performance to just the crowd or something as these tapings have like 1.5 hrs of unshown footage.

Edit. --

Last week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown on myNetworkTV drew a 1.8 rating, up from the previous week's 1.7 number and 1.6 two weeks ago. (source: PWInsider.com)

SD is on a rise.

Yes!!!!

I like CM Punk as champion.

Agreed it feels very fresh at the moment.

[A J Styles]

Wheres Rog and GRAPL?

[Baron Zemo]

vs
Samoa Joe>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<Hernandez

Please, Please lord let this happen, Would be an Epic match

Hernandez returns to confront Joe ( In Spoiler )

[KK]

WWE are considering the following DVDs:

• Chris Jericho
• CM Punk
• Ricky Steamboat
• Randy Orton
• Goldberg
• Sting
• Brock Lesnar
• John Morrison (what?)
  
  
• Clash of the Champions
• Best of the Elimination Chamber
• Compilation of Giants and Monsters
• Wargames
• Best of Monday Night Raw: 1993
• In Your House
• "Craziest" WWE Moments

I'll take Sting, Goldberg & Clash of the Champions.

[Baron Zemo]

WWE are considering the following DVDs:

• Chris Jericho
• CM Punk
• Ricky Steamboat
• Randy Orton
• Goldberg
• Sting [1]
• Brock Lesnar
• John Morrison [i](what?)
  
  
• Clash of the Champions
• Best of the Elimination Chamber
• Compilation of Giants and Monsters
• Wargames
• Best of Monday Night Raw: 1993
• In Your House
• "Craziest" WWE Moments

I'll take Sting, Goldberg & Clash of the Champions.

Sting has NEVER signed with the WWE, So why release a DVD about him?

Sting is a thirteen-time world heavyweight champion: a six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, two-time WCW International World Heavyweight Champion, two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion and former WWA World Heavyweight Champion. Often referred to as the "franchise" of WCW, he is perhaps the most well-known professional wrestler to have never signed with World Wrestling Entertainment

Yes i know they bought WCW and that, So they are using their footage etc ... WWE has taken a wrong turn somewhere

[Zellery]

You answered your own question.

They know Sting is popular, own the rights to his WCW in ring days and if releasing a dvd of his best matches turns them profit, I'd imagine that's the exact reason why they're considering it.

[KK]

Once he leaves TNA, the WWE Hall of Fame no doubt beckons.

[Corazon de Leon]

I'll have Jericho please.

[Baron Zemo]

I've found some Interesting stuff

secondpower's ( Ken Anderson ((Mr Kennedy)) ) twitter is following Jeremy Borash and Bobby Lashley, Interesting , £10 he goes TNA ^^

[KK]

In theory Mr Kennedy could keep his old entrance music in TNA, as it wasn't done in-house.

If iMPACT was on a Monday Live & you didn't know any better, you'd think 'everyone' from the WWE was jumping ship. Mick Foley, Victoria, Bobby Lashley & now Mr Kennedy.

Interesting that those on top in TNA are either over the hill or past main eventers in WWE. The TNA originals are still stuck in the mid card & going nowhere fast.

[Adam Pollard]

[*]John Morrison (what?)

To be fair, you could do a pretty damn good 2 disc Morrison set: there's loads of great tag matches when he was part of MNM, he had some awesome matches with Jeff for the IC belt, the brilliant ECW title fued with Punk, his tag team with The Miz, and then pretty much all of his matches since being drafted to Smackdown. Especially the AWESOME match with Jericho from Superstars.

And the segment from the other week with the shitty comedy about Ziggler coming out of the closet... that was amazing, simply for the "what's going on back there? Sounds like a badger or something... scratchin'"

[Return_of_the_STAR]

Wheres Rog and GRAPL?

This. How am i supposed to mentally prepare myself for the semi finals of the tag team competition if there is uncertainty about the match taking place???

[Corazon de Leon]

Rodge? Rodge!? ROOOOOOOOOOODGE!!!!

[Pontius Pilate]

vs
Samoa Joe>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<Hernandez

Please, Please lord let this happen, Would be an Epic match

Hernandez returns to confront Joe ( In Spoiler )

Jizz. In. My pants. Super Mex is the most entertaining thing about wrestling just now! Glad to see him back.