Pro wrestling Q&A
It is time to clean out in inbox once again, so let’s get to it!
Did Big E win the WWE championship to offset a ratings disaster with Monday Night Football debuting? Bruce, Waynesburg.
The hunch is that WWE did indeed have E win the title to keep fans tuned in all show long, but at the end of the day, WWE has a lot more to worry about with its ratings.
That said, it was a feel-good moment for E and he is well-deserving of winning the championship.
However, I am still of the mindset that world championships should only change hands at big events, but I understand why WWE pulled the string on it happening on Raw.
Hopefully WWE will give E a solid run with the title so it can see if he can be “the man.”
How can CM Punk use his name in AEW but Bryan Danielson can’t be known as Daniel Bryan? And how can Punk use the same music in AEW that he used in WWE? Ben, Elizabeth.
When Phil Brooks (Punk) first signed with WWE, he refused to sign over the name C.M. Punk to the company, so he has always owned the rights.
Danielson, which is his real name, changed his name in WWE because the company wanted to own the naming rights.
He went along with it, Punk did not. That is the easiest explanation.
A fun fact that most people don’t know about Punk is that when he was about to debut for WWE, it wanted to make him a member of The Spirit Squad, the male cheerleading group. He refused, and it was a good call on his part.
Cult of Personality, Punk’s ring music, is owned by In Living Colour, the group who sings the song. WWE paid for the rights to use it while Punk was there, and AEW is paying for the rights now.
Did AEW’s Tony Khan take a shot at WWE when he mentioned wrestlers winning in their hometown? Steve, Uniontown.
Without a doubt, yes. Khan tweeted out a comment about it being great to see wrestlers winning in their hometown.
Was it necessary? No, but for years Vince McMahon has been knocked for having people lose in their hometowns.
Is pro wrestling ultimately about wins and losses?
It honestly isn’t, but in the fans eyes, seeing hometown heroes win sends people home happy.
McMahon has gotten a kick out of people losing in their hometowns for quite a while now, and I am not sure why.
Why is WWE giving away Roman vs. Brock in Saudi Arabia? Shelly, Charleroi.
Considering WWE has a massive deal with Saudi Arabia for two shows a year and WWE missed its last two events, chances are WWE is trying to show “good will” towards the deal.
Of course, many could question if the words “good will” have been used often when talking about Saudi Arabia.
As far as the match, it is a way for WWE to have one of its two megastars lose without a full TV crowd as the show will happen midday timewise here on Oct. 21.
Speaking of Lesnar and Reigns, the Sept. 10 episode of Smackdown was the most watched episode so far in 2021.
There were 2,383,000 million fans who tuned in to see Lesnar’s first appearance on the show in two years.
Why will WWE’s Draft be two nights again? Richie, Perryopolis.
The first half of the WWE Draft will take place on Smackdown on Oct. 1 with it concluding on Raw on Oct. 4.
WWE does this to draw fans into both shows and to also keep network executives happy.
With Smackdown being on Fox and Raw airing under the NBCUniversal umbrella, WWE must keep the two separate entities happy.
NXT is now called NXT 2.0. Does WWE really think the 2.0 will make a difference? And why not let Brown Breaker use the last name Steiner? Adam, Uniontown.
Apparently either it does, or WWE did it to give NXT a fresh feel.
I will admit, I thought the production this past Tuesday provided a fresh vibe and a good change from the dark feel of what NXT had been, aesthetically speaking.
Schematics and colors aside, I feel the show felt like something new, other than Tommaso Ciampa winning the NXT championship again.
If NXT 2.0 is supposed to go in a new direction, then why not go with a new champion and not someone who has been a staple of NXT?
For those unaware, Samoa Joe was medically disqualified from performing for the near future, so the NXT championship was put up in a four-way Tuesday.
As far as Breaker, he is the son of Rick Steiner. My guess is WWE did the name change for two reasons, with the first being that the pro wrestling copyright for the name Steiner is owned by Rick and his brother Scott, so WWE would have to pay them royalties.
The second is that WWE 100% owns the name Bron Breaker, so it has complete control over the character.
Why is AEW giving away Danielson vs. Omega on Dynamite? Luke, Connellsville.
AEW has an absolutely loaded lineup set for Wednesday’s Dynamite titled “Grand Slam.”
The show is taking place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, which is where the U.S. Open tennis tournament takes place.
AEW is stacking the card as it is the first real event in the New York City area.
I’m not sure I would give away the Danielson and Omega match on free TV, but we will see if the match tactually takes place.
Four other matches have been announced with them consisting of Ruby Soho facing AEW women’s champion Dr. Britt Baker, MLF takes on Brian Pillman, Cody Rhodes takes on Malakai Black and the team of Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley face Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer.
Punk will do an interview on the show.
This Day in History, Sept. 19
In 1993, Rick Rude defeated Ric Flair to win the WCW International World championship.
In 1999, Mike Awesome defeated Taz and Masato Tanaka to win the ECW championship.
Email questions/comments to powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to @BillHughes_III.