The SmarK Rant for AEW Rampage – 01.27.23
Taped from Lexington, KY
Your hosts are Jim Ross, Chris Jericho, Tony Schiavone & Excalibur
The SmarK Rant for AEW Rampage – 01.27.23
Latest Wrestling Blogs
Morning Daily News Update
“It Feels So Great To Be Excited About Wrestling Again” – Mercedes Mone Reflects On NJPW Debut
Mercedes Mone is ready for her next challenge.
Brock Lesnar WrestleMania 39 Plans Said To Be A “Well-Guarded Secret” Backstage
It appears that Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania plans are being kept firmly under wraps.
Why Did Kenny Omega Miss Jay Briscoe Tribute Edition Of AEW Dynamite?
Update on why Kenny Omega missed AEW’s tribute to Jay Briscoe.
Smackdown – January 27, 2023
Smackdown
Date: January 27, 2023
Location: Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole
It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means we have some final pushes to make to get us to the big event. In this case, we are probably going to have some more names added to the Royal Rumbles, but there is also a Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa match that will probably involve the Bloodline. Let’s get to it.
Impact Wrestling – January 26, 2023
Impact Wrestling
Date: January 26, 2023
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan
The fallout from Hard To Kill continues and we are also on the way to No Surrender. The latter means that we need a new #1 contender and we will have one by the end of the night due to a six way elimination match. Other than that, Bully Ray now seems to have to deal with Mickie James and possibly Frankie Kazarian so let’s get to it.
Evening Daily News Update
Yet Another WWE Executive Gone From The Company
The corporate landscape of WWE continues to change as another executive is gone from the company.
Major Independent Promotion Sent WWE A Cease And Desist Letter
A top independent promotion recently sent a cease and desist letter to WWE.
AEW Sued Over Alleged Copyright Violation
AEW was issued with a lawsuit regarding an alleged copyright infringement.
Vince McMahon Forced Former Champion To Change Their Name Because It Reminded Him Of WCW
Vince McMahon’s grudge against WCW led to an edict for one former champion to undergo a name change!
Afternoon Daily News Update
Update On Matt Riddle’s WWE Status Following Rehab
A new report details when Matt Riddle may be returning to WWE television.
When Will The AEW Fight Forever Video Game Be Released?
New details have emerged about the much-delayed release of AEW Fight Forever.
New Reason Emerges For The Briscoes’ AEW Ban
More details have come to light about Mark and Jay Briscoe being previously banned from AEW television.
Backstage Details On The Real Reason Stephanie McMahon Stepped Away From WWE
Stephanie McMahon’s WWE exit shocked the world, and a new report provides more information about her decision.
If not Slaughter then who to beat Warrior
If they didn't have the whole Gulf War angle going on with Slaughter, who would have taken the title from Warrior? Could they have put the belt on Savage and done the Career vs Title match at WM 7, or just do Warrior-Hogan 2 at 7?
Hogan was always the plan from the moment he lost the title. That’s why they booked the LA Coliseum.
Royal Rumble Glass Ceiling
Hard to believe that since Rey Mysterio won the Rumble in 2006, only once in the last 16 years has a Superstar who had never previously been a WWE World Champion won the Rumble match and then went on to win at WrestleMania. And, unfortunately for Drew McIntyre, that one instance was in an empty warehouse – not exactly a “WrestleMania moment”.
Assuming that Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn are the odds on favorites to win the Rumble this weekend, does history dictate that Roman’s probably walking out of WrestleMania still champion?
P.S. Does ANYBODY else have even a semi-realistic chance of winning on Saturday? Even a snowball’s chance that HHH figures WrestleMania is already sold out and uses this as an opportunity to push someone else in a big upset?
It’s gotta be either Sami or Cody and given the rating that Sami drew on Monday you have to take a shot with him.
Who Needs a PC
Is there gonna be a comment TK regrets more than bashing the WWE PC? Forget that it's a state of the art facility for performers to train or rehab or get rid of some ring rust. But how could anyone make fun of having a facility that trains the next crop of potential superstars? Now their call up history was rough for a few years due to Vince being Vince, but if anything thats helped TK more than anyone since he has picked up alot of performers who spent good chunks of time at the PC and are way better for it.
And what makes the comments worse is WWE may have broken the code on developing some can't miss performers, especially tapping in college athletes. To watch someone like Sol Ruca or Tiffany Stratton move so smoothly in the ring with the limited amount of matches they've had is unreal. Compared that to Jade who has all the personality but struggles in a 7 to 8 min match and hasn't shown really any growth in the ring, its night and day. All the time money and time Tony has wasted on ROH or a video game that is going on year 3 of production would of been better spent on training his workers.
Bianca is pretty much the blueprint and it seems to be working. You got Tony D, Bron, the Creeds, and slew of others coming down the pipeline, the future looks extremely bright. Even Lash Legend has improved dramatically compared to Jade at this point. Nothing I have seen from QTs school has really done anything to be excited about. Even Hook has only shown glimpses but hasn't been pushed to show if he can really pull off a good 10 to 15 mins. Should Tony invest more into training and development?
No, because when Vince gets back and cuts everyone Tony will have his pick of your favourites again.
Flashback Friday: PWI January 1989
This week we look back at an issue of PWI that went to press September 8, 1988 and sold for $2.25 in the U.S, $2.95 in Canada, and £1.50 in the U.K. Let’s get right to Ratings…
The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 05.04.90
The SmarK Rant for NWA Power Hour – 05.04.90
Taped from Marietta, GA
Your hosts are Jim Ross & Gordon Solie
Morning Daily News Update
Backstage News On Major Royal Rumble Changes
WWE’s annual Royal Rumble takes place on January 28th in San Antonio, TX, and a new report sheds light on major changes made to plans for the show.
Charlotte Flair Reveals Real Reason Behind WWE Absence
Charlotte Flair has discussed what lay behind her extended absence from WWE that saw her miss seven months of action.
“Who?” – LA Knight Not A Fan Of Former Gimmick
WWE Superstars are no strangers to changing their identities as their characters evolve, and one of WWE SmackDown’s most featured stars says he’s “night and day” from a previous persona.
Jay Briscoe: A Celebration Of Life
Jay Briscoe: A Celebration Of Life
Date: January 26, 2023
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Carpice Coleman
As you might have guessed, this is a special show honoring the life of Jay Briscoe, who passed away last week. The show was filmed after last week’s AEW taping and features special matches, plus presumably tributes and maybe classic matches from Briscoe’s career. That should be more than enough so let’s get to it.
Evening Daily News Update
Vince McMahon Facing Third Lawsuit Since WWE Return
Yet another lawsuit has been filed against Vince McMahon following his return to WWE earlier this month.
Backstage News On Major WWE Royal Rumble Changes, Ronda Rousey Update
A new report details how plans for the upcoming Royal Rumble have drastically changed.
Charlotte Flair Reveals The Real Reason Behind Her Extended WWE Absence
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair opened up about her extended hiatus from WWE during much of 2022.
Chuck E. Cheese Is Now An Official Member Of D-Generation X
Kurt Angle isn’t the most recent star to join the ranks of D-Generation X!
Bash at the Beach
Hi Scott,
Hindsight being 20/20 and all, what if the Hogan vs. Sting feud had culminated in a match at Bash at the Beach 1997, rather than Starrcade?
By moving up the match by 6 months, you avoid the Luger title change in the summer. You hopefully have a more motivated Sting who, just a few months prior, had made his allegiances clear when he attacked the NWO in dramatic fashion to close the
Uncensored PPV. Lastly, the case could be made that Bash at the Beach was a more important event for WCW than Starrcade by that point (i.e. Hogan vs. Flair in ‘94) and it would have also marked 1 year since the Hogan turn
and formation of the NWO. Thoughts?
Uncensored PPV. Lastly, the case could be made that Bash at the Beach was a more important event for WCW than Starrcade by that point (i.e. Hogan vs. Flair in ‘94) and it would have also marked 1 year since the Hogan turn
and formation of the NWO. Thoughts?
That was the original direction but they delayed it for six months for various reasons. But yes, it was absolutely going to be sooner and it would have been a far better idea that way. They could have even popped a rematch buyrate at Starrcade.
Zayn in the Rumble
I'm with you that with the storylines, Zayn would be the best payoff to dethrone Reigns. But as you pointed out, it's probably going to be Zayn/Owens vs. Usos & Rhodes vs. reigns at Mania, which works too, but just not as good if it were Zayn.
Having said that, would it be best for them to keep Zayn out of the Rumble itself? I'm not expecting a 14-15 DB level hijacking here, but with the crown being invested with his journey for this long, is there the possibility that once Zayn gets eliminated, the crowd could turn on a Rhodes win because not only has he been absent for a while, but he also is the company fed obvious choice, like Batista & reigns were those years?
Put the heat on Reigns. Have Sami come in at #1 or 2 and soon into the run, Roman or Heyman comes down and demands that he prove his loyalty by eliminating himself, and then when he refuses, Roman does it himself.
The Ultimate Bryan Danielson Dream Match of Ultimate Destiny
Given his current run of “let me put on a classic for free on TV each week to set up a 60-minute Ironman match” who would be the one top worker from a previous era you’d pick if you could get Danielson vs anyone in their prime:
Obvious choices: Mid 90s Bret, post back injury Shawn, early 2000s Kurt Angle?
Less obvious choices: mid 80s Flair or Steamboat, mid 90s Owen, mid 80s Perfect
Left field choices: modern day Okada, late 90s AJPW pillar (Misawa/Kobashi/Kawada)
Someone else I’ve missed?
Who ya got?
I'd be really interested to see Danielson against prime era Bret Hart. I think they would know exactly how to structure that one into a classic
Dynamite – January 25, 2022
Dynamite
Date: January 25, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz
This is going to be an emotional one as the main event will feature the Jay Briscoe Tribute match between Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal. If that’s not enough, we’re still on the way to Revolution and that means Bryan Danielson gets to wrestle again. This time he has to find a way around Brian Cage, which is quite the different opponent than he has had in recent weeks. Other than that, the Gunns and the Acclaimed are going to have family therapy, which could go in a few different ways. Let’s get to it.
Morning Daily News Update
AEW Pay Tribute To Jay Briscoe On Dynamite
The January 25th episode of AEW Dynamite saw the entire roster pay an emotional tribute to Jay Briscoe.
Ric Flair Opens Up About What He Said To Becky Lynch At WWE Raw
Ric Flair has revealed that he apologised to both Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins.
Charlotte Flair Admits She Was “A Little Jealous” Over Ric Flair’s Last Match
Charlotte Flair has admitted that she wishes she could have been part of her dad’s last match.
The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 01.25.23
The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 01.25.23
Live from Lexington, KY
Your hosts are Excalibur, Tony Schiavone & Taz