Dinner with the King Recap – “Thank You Lance Russell”: Greatest Commentator of All Time, More!
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WWE Wants CM Punk Back In The Company
WWE apparently wants CM Punk to return to the company, according to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
While speaking about Mauro Ranallo’s return to the company, he wrote about how some people will leave the company on horrible terms but most end up returning. Meltzer wrote, “That’s why, no matter what is said, WWE wants C.M. Punk back and even though Punk was adamant about never doing it, history tells you time heals a lot of wounds.”
Despite WWE wanting Punk to return the company, he apparently has no intentions on it according to his wife, AJ Lee. During her recent book tour, AJ Lee said that she misses wrestling but her husband does not. It’s also worth noting that Punk is still going through a legal battle with WWE’s doctor Chris Amann, so it looks like a return anytime in the near future won’t be happening.
Conversation with the Big Guy Recap – Sexuality in Wrestling, Daniel Bryan’s Return to the Ring, Is Scott Steiner A Hall of Famer? More!
Ryback is joined on today’s show by his co-host Pat Buck.
Ryback and Buck open today’s show by sending their best wishes to Matt Cappotelli, who has just been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Buck remembers looking up to Cappotelli during their time working together in OVW, WWE’s former developmental territory, and he’s very saddened by the news that Cappotelli has to deal with this for the second time in his life.
Ryback says that Cappotelli is one of the strongest guys he’s ever met, and if there’s anyone who can beat this disease twice it’s Cappotelli. He clearly finds a way to take the positives out of negative situations, and Ryback is confident that Cappotelli will come through this yet again.
Ryback gives his thoughts on Netflix’s new show ‘GLOW’. He says that he doesn’t watch much television, but Buck urged him to watch it and he’s really glad he did. He was instantly hooked to the show after watching the first couple of episodes, and he thoroughly enjoyed the show as a whole.
Bischoff on Wrestling Recap – Working as a Guest Referee, Bret Hart in WCW, Why Was Bischoff Hired in TNA? More!
Bischoff is joined on today’s show by his co-host Nick Hausman. Today’s show will be a question and answer session with Bischoff.
One listener writes into the show and asks Bischoff what he considers to be the new key performance indicator for professional wrestling, since television ratings are starting to become out of date. Bischoff thinks that’s a great question and he’s not really sure if the answer. There’s no denying that television ratings were his main consideration in WCW in the late 90s, but today’s promotions don’t seem to be nearly as motivated by ratings alone.
Another listener asks Bischoff if he thinks finishing moves are beginning to become obsolete. Bischoff says that the style of professional wrestling that we see today requires different things from the performers, and finishing moves aren’t nearly as ‘effective’ as they have been in years prior. Fans seem to enjoy multiple false finishes in matches, and this devalues finishing moves. He believes the devaluation of finishing moves is a result of the change in the in-ring product over the last two decades.
The next listener asks Bischoff what it was like to be a guest referee. Bischoff says that he hated it, and he always felt very uncomfortable. Being a professional wrestling referee is an art within itself, and it takes a lot of time and practice in order to master. He points out that a good referee does more than count to 3, they direct the match and are as important to the match’s execution as the two talents involved.
Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Karma Gets Jeff Jarrett, Responding to Corey Graves, More!
Russo says that he can’t believe how much people are talking about him lately, whether it be on their podcasts or on the WWE Network. He says that he’s currently waiting on a bill from WWE for all the promotion that he has been receiving lately that frankly, he wouldn’t be able to afford. At this point, he’s starting to think it’s all a rib.
Russo comments on the recent passing of Adam West. He says that the original Batman (Adam West) was his first hero, and he looked up to him as a child. There have been only two people in the world that he really wanted to meet, Gene Simmons and Adam West. He was lucky enough to meet Simmons during his time working in WCW, and years later he was able to meet West.
Russo said he had one question that he really wanted to ask West, “How were you able to portray that Batman character so perfectly?” West looked at him and said, “Vince, the first time they gave me the script and I read the script, I got it.” West knew right away what the Producers and Writers wanted from this character and he was able to get into that frame of mind right from the start.
Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Russo as WCW Champion, Changing Landscape of the Wrestling Business, Undertaker Returning? More!
Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane and Glenn Gilbertti (Disco Inferno).
Russo comments on the growing speculation online, that WWE’s promotional image for the upcoming ‘Great Balls of Fire’ PPV resembles a penis and two testicles. Sasha Banks even tweeted this week that she actually agrees with the speculation and can see the resemblance. Russo doesn’t understand why WWE would blatantly do this given their ‘PG’ environment, and the fact that their target fanbase is mostly children.
Gilbertti points out that there was a recent study which concluded that the median age of WWE’s fanbase is 54. Russo is shocked by this news but it proves what he’s been saying for a long time now, that WWE isn’t making new fans. Gilbertti says that this number has nearly doubled from 28 in 2000, and today’s fans are mostly attitude era leftovers. He adds that WWE’s fans are literally dying off.
Russo says that wrestling isn’t ‘cool’ anymore, and teenagers aren’t watching today’s product. In turn, WWE is unable to generate and maintain new fans. Gilbertti says that WWE had the biggest increase of median fan age from 2000 to 2017 out of the 25 sports that were studied.