Io Sky.



She isn't just the Genius of the Skies, she's simply a genius. Beautiful finish.

Speaking of beautiful finishes, JEY USO DID IT!!!

Jul 2, 2023 8:12:49 GMT NATH45 said:

Hunter said he had a number of things done, that the WWE helped him with - most likely minor or nagging injuries that needed repair, hence the absence.

Hunter also avoided the issue of the contract and why he is not signing.  Very unlikely he is going to AEW, but he would also be an idiot not to see what Tony can offer and leverage it for a massive pay raise from WWE.

Jul 2, 2023 11:19:38 GMT Emperor said:

Io Sky.



She isn't just the Genius of the Skies, she's simply a genius. Beautiful finish.

Speaking of beautiful finishes, JEY USO DID IT!!!

Super, super cute backstage interview of her celebrating.  Great to see WWE really investing in her this past year.

Jul 2, 2023 7:51:13 GMT c said:

Reported he still has not resigned. And creative thought it was a good idea to just keep him off TV for four months, which was what he was frustrated about.

So maybe plans did not change for him after all.

Right now he is a free agent in six months.  And that is when he can talk to Tony

Million a year is the magic number to beat what he is being paid now.  All Tony needs to do is match WWE and let him take indy bookings.

I don’t buy it.

I see Drew on the show. I got Hunter saying that if Drew is unhappy he has never told him. Also saying they talk constantly. Also saying they laughed at the “news” that Drew was leaving.

I think someone is doubling down after getting egg o n their face for being wrong about his situation.

Well will know in a few months when the contract gets closer to being up.

Drew is an interesting one because he’s a great talent and he’s over, great look and everything, but he does not have that charisma to be a real superstar in my opinion. AEW is interesting for him. I think he could work their style, but one of the major issues with signing him would be that he would dwarf almost anyone else on the roster which could limit who they put him with.

Maybe he and Komander can team up in make-believe-land and win all the championships.

It’s not a dig but I have to think it’s a consideration. Same deal with Strowman.

Liv Morgan makes more than he does right now. He would be stupid not use the threat of jumping to AEW to get a raise.  Rollins and Owens make six times what he does.

Jul 2, 2023 14:05:50 GMT c said:

Liv Morgan makes more than he does right now. He would be stupid not use the threat of jumping to AEW to get a raise.

Just ask Orton how to make a cryptic post about being all elite.

Not unlikely he started the rumors himself. Be a very smart move. A loyal guy is not worth much, but one looking to leave they will pay big to keep.

WWE should pay to keep him, as he is a WWE style guy through and through. And he is grossly underpaid.

The tag match is in my top 10 matches of all time.

Jul 2, 2023 14:05:50 GMT c said:

Liv Morgan makes more than he does right now. He would be stupid not use the threat of jumping to AEW to get a raise.  Rollins and Owens make six times what he does.

According to what? I just looked at three internet sources all of which have Liv at the minimum $250k annually. I don’t see him as a fit at all in AEW anyway, but if he were actually makes less on a downside guarantee on his next deal than Liv I’d be really surprised.

Watched the ladder matches and main event and all three were entertaining. The end of the women’s MITB was the highlight with the handcuff spot.

Jul 1, 2023 21:14:10 GMT NATH45 said:

Sadly I can't see either Priest nor Io becoming Champion.

Priest is tough though I think I can see him beating Seth for some kind of short run, but I just don’t see him on this level.

I can’t think of any reason Iyo couldn’t beat Asuka. She feels like a transitional champ while Flair and Bianca feud anyway.

Sportskeeda has her at 600k. She resigned two years ago and likely got a large bump.  Drew redid his contract when he was called to the main roster in 2018 and signed a six year contract.  Likely is why his pay still lags, he never did get to negotiate it.

Drew would be great in AEW as he was great in PWG, but WWE is more his style, and a hell of a lot safer.  Also in WWE he can be on top, he cannot in AEW.  Too many egos in AEW and too many top stars.

Either Team Triple Tails member can be champ and it will work.  They faced each other so many times in the past a series from them would just be great.  

We're seeing the rare c triple-double down now...

He's in WWE. Move on.

Will hold to it, he will negotiate his contract rather than sign a straight extension. Not sure why that is controversial.

I struggle to remember them all individually, but the women's MITB match has to be one of the best ever. An excellent opening that was genuinely based around all competitors racing and battling actually to get the briefcase rather than set up fabricated spots, then two incredible bumps with Trish taking the Manhandle Slam on the ladder and the absolutely absurd Code Red, and then it was capped off with one of the most creative and satisfying finishes to a multi-person match I can recall. Great stuff.

Agreed. It was one time, things actually made sense. I never understood 3 guys setting up ladders outside the ring just to sacrifice themselves for a high spot that renders everyone unconscious for the next 10 minutes.

Jul 2, 2023 2:28:11 GMT Baker said:

Jul 2, 2023 0:12:22 GMT jTjohncenaGOAT said:

Later tater.

That show killed.

I hope you're proven wrong. He doesn't need the contract.

WWE was money in the bank.

MITB " has officially become the highest-grossing arena event in WWE history, the company announced Wednesday.

Money in the Bank 2023 also set new records in a number of other areas, including a nine percent jump in sponsorship revenue compared to the record set in 2022.

Viewership, meanwhile, was up 17% from last year’s record, while the event generated the highest gross for venue merchandise in WWE history.

It also set a record for On Location fan experience packages, making it the higest-grossing non-WrestleMania event for such packages in company history. "

---

I've made an argument lately that there are a lot more people watching wrestling than it's previously thought. It may not be talked about around the water cooler anymore, but it looks like a lot of people are watching.

Jul 5, 2023 22:55:03 GMT NATH45 said:

WWE was money in the bank.

MITB " has officially become the highest-grossing arena event in WWE history, the company announced Wednesday.

Money in the Bank 2023 also set new records in a number of other areas, including a nine percent jump in sponsorship revenue compared to the record set in 2022.

Viewership, meanwhile, was up 17% from last year’s record, while the event generated the highest gross for venue merchandise in WWE history.

It also set a record for On Location fan experience packages, making it the higest-grossing non-WrestleMania event for such packages in company history. "

---

I've made an argument lately that there are a lot more people watching wrestling than it's previously thought. It may not be talked about around the water cooler anymore, but it looks like a lot of people are watching.

Perhaps it is less people, but they're charging plenty more for tickets.
It's a good strategy, find your niche and charge a premium.

I find it surprising that people watch Raw I barely have it in me to watch something for an hour a week, let alone 2-3.
Plus, WWE had the mystery what will happen next factor, it's been pretty predictable for years now.

Jul 25, 2023 14:32:27 GMT iNCY said:

Jul 5, 2023 22:55:03 GMT NATH45 said:

WWE was money in the bank.

MITB " has officially become the highest-grossing arena event in WWE history, the company announced Wednesday.

Money in the Bank 2023 also set new records in a number of other areas, including a nine percent jump in sponsorship revenue compared to the record set in 2022.

Viewership, meanwhile, was up 17% from last year’s record, while the event generated the highest gross for venue merchandise in WWE history.

It also set a record for On Location fan experience packages, making it the higest-grossing non-WrestleMania event for such packages in company history. "

---

I've made an argument lately that there are a lot more people watching wrestling than it's previously thought. It may not be talked about around the water cooler anymore, but it looks like a lot of people are watching.

Perhaps it is less people, but they're charging plenty more for tickets.
It's a good strategy, find your niche and charge a premium.

I find it surprising that people watch Raw I barely have it in me to watch something for an hour a week, let alone 2-3.
Plus, WWE had the mystery what will happen next factor, it's been pretty predictable for years now.

An increase in viewership, especially for PLEs can be partly attributed to the ease of access to Peacock/Network.. or exclusive deals like our Foxtel deal putting PLEs in homes for free.

WWE has been on a roll since this time last year (I think it's been a full year since the Hunter's era started) and they've enjoyed a lot of success off The Bloodline storyline. I also think they've been incredibly tactful producing events in Puerto Rico and The UK to broaden the company's exposure. People watch WWE.

Jul 25, 2023 21:23:44 GMT NATH45 said:

Jul 25, 2023 14:32:27 GMT iNCY said:

Perhaps it is less people, but they're charging plenty more for tickets.
It's a good strategy, find your niche and charge a premium.

I find it surprising that people watch Raw I barely have it in me to watch something for an hour a week, let alone 2-3.
Plus, WWE had the mystery what will happen next factor, it's been pretty predictable for years now.

An increase in viewership, especially for PLEs can be partly attributed to the ease of access to Peacock/Network.. or exclusive deals like our Foxtel deal putting PLEs in homes for free.

WWE has been on a roll since this time last year (I think it's been a full year since the Hunter's era started) and they've enjoyed a lot of success off The Bloodline storyline. I also think they've been incredibly tactful producing events in Puerto Rico and The UK to broaden the company's exposure. People watch WWE.

Yes, I think they have found giving the network to more outlets increases the viewership and therefore the advertising value and share price.
Makes sense....

I will occasionally watch the WWE network, but I wouldn't pay for it

Jul 26, 2023 0:02:53 GMT iNCY said:

Jul 25, 2023 21:23:44 GMT NATH45 said:

An increase in viewership, especially for PLEs can be partly attributed to the ease of access to Peacock/Network.. or exclusive deals like our Foxtel deal putting PLEs in homes for free.

WWE has been on a roll since this time last year (I think it's been a full year since the Hunter's era started) and they've enjoyed a lot of success off The Bloodline storyline. I also think they've been incredibly tactful producing events in Puerto Rico and The UK to broaden the company's exposure. People watch WWE.

Yes, I think they have found giving the network to more outlets increases the viewership and therefore the advertising value and share price.
Makes sense....

I will occasionally watch the WWE network, but I wouldn't pay for it

WWE is so ingrained in Foxtel now, it's almost what The Simpsons were to the provider for the previous 20 years. I turned on Fox8 - not the WWE channel and, but Fox8 and WWF Raw from 1993.

Jul 26, 2023 1:10:46 GMT NATH45 said:

Jul 26, 2023 0:02:53 GMT iNCY said:

Yes, I think they have found giving the network to more outlets increases the viewership and therefore the advertising value and share price.
Makes sense....

I will occasionally watch the WWE network, but I wouldn't pay for it

WWE is so ingrained in Foxtel now, it's almost what The Simpsons were to the provider for the previous 20 years. I turned on Fox8 - not the WWE channel and, but Fox8 and WWF Raw from 1993.

I don't have FOX8 I just have sports and news, but they included the WWE channel for free.
Most of the sports channels are nonsense, but ESPN has AEW

Jul 26, 2023 1:13:37 GMT iNCY said:

Jul 26, 2023 1:10:46 GMT NATH45 said:

WWE is so ingrained in Foxtel now, it's almost what The Simpsons were to the provider for the previous 20 years. I turned on Fox8 - not the WWE channel and, but Fox8 and WWF Raw from 1993.

I don't have FOX8 I just have sports and news, but they included the WWE channel for free.
Most of the sports channels are nonsense, but ESPN has AEW

I thought Fox8 was the base flagship channel.

Some of those sports channels are ridiculous - darts, midget tossing, competitive eating.. come on, who booked this crap?

I had to pay $20/month here for WWE network and another $6/m for 15 sports channels I didn't want so I could watch AEW & RAW. So I cancelled them and am saving $360/year by streaming them when I want and just watching SD.

It is not just higher prices driving these gates. AEW sold 65k tickets in the UK without announcing a single match or superstar. And they are not the A fed. While they will not sell out the stadium, they are looking at running it with 80k+ people.

Things are heating up for many feds in many regions. In the US AEW and WWE are thriving. Mexico AAA is doing pretty well bringing in a lot of AEW talent. NJPW is bringing in Noah and AEW guys and is on a streak as well. Plus TJPW and Stardom are both running nonstop and getting international followings. GCW also is selling out small venues nationally and there are a dozen or so b-tier indy feds thrivi

Wrestling about to hit a boom again with the rise of streaming and the writer strike removing most competition.
ng. I expect the turning point will the finalization of the WWE merge and massive spring cleaning that will follow flooding the market with free agents. WWE will then raid AEW I assume to freshen their roster.