MLW Radio (flagship) # 277: Vince’s absence, Impact milestone, Raw & more
Top Stories:
- WWE Payback, Vince not in attendance
- Alexa Bliss developing into a top talent
- Raw’s great triple threat main event
- Hulk Hogan being brought back?
- Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view
- Billy Corgan buys rights to NWA
TIMESTAMPS
5:30 – WWE Payback discussion
18:00 – Raw main event
26:40 – Hogan in WWE Network ads
29:00 – Great Balls of Fire
33:10 – Vince McMahon movie script pod
37:20 – Cody Rhodes to ROH
46:35 – Transaction Report
RECAP
The guys discuss the big boxing match over the weekend—which MSL attended—before they get into this week’s wrestling news. MSL asks Court when he thinks another boxer will come into WWE for a program. For someone who is not a boxing person, he thinks a big time boxer can make it work. He also compliments Mauro Ranallo on his work.
5:30 – MSL is confused about the stipulation in the U.S. Championship Match where Jericho wins and goes to Smackdown. Court feels they should have addressed it more often to make it clearer, but the real story is that Vince was not there for the event. It’s not the first time it’s happened, and Court thinks it’s just because where the event took place geographically, combined with Vince’s age. The “three day swings” were apparently taking their toll on the 70 year-old.
7:30 – Jeff Hardy loses a tooth. MSL says a lot of the boys don’t like Sheamus because they don’t think he’s safe, but Vince loves him so he’s not going anywhere. Court says it’s not the first time Sheamus has caused an injury like that, and that he should get a receipt for it. There’s a difference between working snug and stiff and getting someone injured, as per Court. Jeff seems to have recovered quickly. Court wonders why WWE is going out of their way to refer to the Hardy Boyz as a “novelty act.”
10:20 – Main event was fantastic according to Court. Classic “big man WWF style match” that MSL also loved. The reaction to Roman getting destroyed was, “Thank you, Strowman,” which MSL says further drives the point home that Reigns needs to be turned heel. Court agrees, and adds that Strowman needs to work on his selling, and shouldn’t be selling as much as he does at times.
12:15 – Bayley finish was no surprise. WWE has been doing this since the Bret Hart days with respect to having the hometown babyface lose, especially clean in this case. Court thinks the Montreal Screwjob is the reason behind this booking, since it’s been happening ever since.
14:15 – Michael Hayes has been trying to do the House of Horrors Match since before Court was working there. MSL doesn’t want to be in the business of pro wrestling if that’s what pro wrestling is. He says nobody can watch it and say that it’s real. The business draws money when you get people to not think about it being fake, and you can’t do that when you watch this match.
18:00 – Monday night Raw discussion. The main event was great. MSL compliments the Goddess coronation and says Bliss has won him over on the microphone. He was surprised they let her reference Mickey James’ age (similar to Hardy reference earlier). Court agrees that it’s bad.
21:00 – Finn Balor trying to get his ring rust off, but the main event was impressive. MSL asks Court what he thinks about Seth Rollins calling out Brock Lesnar. They’re putting guys in the hunt for the title, which they should be doing, but Court thinks the ultimate destination should be to put the Intercontinental Title on The Miz for the time being. He also says that they should try to pay more attention to having different ring attire, but that the match itself was still phenomenal.
24:45 – Cesaro needs to change up his arsenal. Moves like the giant swing aren’t effective for a heel. MSL thinks it’s an unnatural role for Cesaro. Court thinks it’s worth a shot, as long as Cesaro can make the adjustments, but Sheamus is doing fine.
26:40 – Hulk Hogan being featured more often and more prominently in WWE Network commercials. Court doesn’t think much of it. Hogan is slowly being brought back into the WWE Universe, but he doesn’t see the benefit of bringing him back.
29:00 – Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view is what happens when the Chairman is left to his own devices, in the words of Court. No one in marketing came up with it, and it definitely plays to Vince’s youth, according to Court. MSL asks if it’s not too late to switch the name to “Great American Balls,” a Cranky Vince pay-per-view. Backlash blatantly uses the MLW “L” in their logo. MSL suggests that Court check into possible trademark infringement!
31:40 – MSL is a huge fan of both boxing and wrestling, and that the history is intertwined more than fans realize. Roots of Fight put out some awesome Andre the Giant t-shirts, and MSL loves that pro wrestling is being acknowledged as a fight form. Court thinks that Andre is a great way to kick it off and says that the shirts are cool and very comfortable.
33:10 – The guys talk about the VIP podcast that Court and Alex Greenfield did a few days ago about the Vince McMahon biopic. Court wonders if the movie will end up being made. Since Vince is very cautious about his image, he’d be surprised if it made the big screen. He and Alex went over the movie in full on the VIP edition, and that the script is really “out there.”
35:10 – Billy Corgan is in the process of purchasing the NWA. MSL wonders if this will mean anything at all in the grand scheme of things, but Court doesn’t understand exactly what he’s buying. It doesn’t involve the Houston tape library or the on-demand, just the brand and the belt itself.
37:20 – People wanted MLW’s reaction to Cody Rhodes denying that he signed with ROH. MSL says that the news is the news, and as a journalist it’s their job to report it, and that he has definitely signed.
39:00 – Great video promo for Roderick Strong on last week’s NXT show. Court says Roddy is a guy that needs something like that to make him relatable and give the fans an impression of who Roddy Strong is. He’s been a great get for NXT in Court’s opinion, and NXT is transitioning from the old class to establishing what their class of 2017/2018 is going to be. It might not be the sexiest product right now but Court thinks people will be buzzing about it before the end of the year. It should be a hot ticket in New Orleans for WrestleMania.
41:00 – Slammiversary XV headlined by Bobby Lashley vs. Alberto El Patron in a title unification match (GFW vs. Impact). MSL is curious about what Impact has going on, given the fact that they have brought back a lot of past TNA stars. Court says they’ve done a good job in rehabbing their website and have a nice balance of top stars and new talent.
– Transaction Report:
- Sean Waltman arrested at LAX with drugs in his bag, charged with several crimes
- Jeff Hardy’s tooth
- Lana’s new dancer gimmick, MSL doesn’t understand why she needs a new gimmick
- Juice Robinson update
Rating – 8 out of 10. Not a big week news-wise, but the guys jumped around to a bunch of different companies and weighed in on a few recent decisions that have been made in WWE, ROH, and Impact.
About the Author:
Desman (@Desman6) has been an avid wrestling fan going back to the very first WrestleMania and has attended four WrestleManias during his tenure as a WWE Shop card-carrying member of the WWE Universe. A financial professional by day, he spends his nights and weekends with his wife, rescue dog, and two rescue cats, watching WWE programming and listening to a number of wrestling-related podcasts. His true passions are food, film, and fights and he is forever fascinated by the business of professional wrestling.
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