Anyone that knows me is aware of my history with Pro Wrestling. Since I follow it, almost as much as I follow film, I thought it would be smart to do a bit of a news segment on it similar to how I cover film. This will go up once a week and be an insider spin on the business.
- The Survivor Series main event is locked. Randy Orton will defend the WWE Championship against Nexus leader Wade Barrett. Since 
WWE main events can never be without a stipulation, John Cena has been added as the special guest referee. If Barrett wins the title, Cena is free and is no longer bound to Nexus. Conversely, should Barrett lose, Cena will find himself on the unemployment line.
- There are a few different ways that you can interpret where the Wrestlemania plans are for The Undertaker. Originally planned to win the Buried Alive Match this past Sunday, Taker’s shoulder injury threw a wrench into the machine. His injury should sideline him until early 2011. Whether the plan to include Nexus in the feud was in the works already isn’t clear but it has been pushed to the forefront of Taker’s pre-Wrestlemania program at the very least. This coupled with talks of a John Cena heel turn early next year makes a Cena vs. Undertaker match very likely. Some have eluded to Wade Barrett as the possible Mania opponent but common sense would dictate which combination would draw more money. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much else in the works for WWE’s biggest show. Considering the amount of high level talent that they have lost in the past year, the options are extremely limited.
- Smackdown faces it’s own set of problems. The main problem centers around what to do with Kane. Edge’s move to Friday night’s makes it obvious that he’ll be next in line to feud with The Big Red Machine. However, this is a band aid that is covering up a larger problem with WWE’s second brand. Aside from Rey Mysterio and Edge, there is an extreme lack of babyface main event talent on Smackdown. With Rey constantly being pushed to appear on Raw, it has done damage to the potential of a prolonged feud with Alberto Del Rio. The likely scenario will see Kane dropping the belt to Edge before looking to conclude his saga with The Undertaker. As champion, Edge can move on to secondary feuds with Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio but nothing that will garner too much attention.
- TNA has watched their television ratings shrink back to a 1.2. This has to be disappointing considering the great response they received following the Bound for Glory event two weeks ago. The incoherent booking and nonsensical finishes continue to keep this company from being anything more than a second rate promotion. Their lack of advertising for ppv events continues to show in their abysmally low buyrates. Bound for Glory’s numbers have not been counted yet but, needless to say, you shouldn’t expect Wrestlemania numbers.
Japan:
-NTV is back on the pro wrestling bandwagon. After dismissing Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2009, the national network is interested in bringing back some form of wrestling in 2011. Whether that’s NOAH’s spot to reclaim is still a mystery. The company has reached new lows in attendance and revenue this year due to lack of exposure. A return to national television may help, but much like New Japan, it will take time. Moreover, the philosophical disagreement between president Ryu Nakata and legendary performer Kenta Kobashi, could lead to yet another split. While not as drastic as the exodus from All Japan ten years earlier, a division in the NOAH roster cannot be something that interests a television network.
- As for All Japan, the anniversary tour came to an end in Yokahama with a few weird booking moments. The most obvious one is Kaz Hayashi’s defense of the Jr. Championship against Keiji Muto. Muto, president of All Japan pro wrestling and New Japan heavyweight legend, cut weight to face Hayashi who has been the most dominant Jr. Champion the company has ever seen. Now nearing his second year with the title, Kaz’s biggest issue is finding more opponents. While Japanese wrestling is never short on freelance competitors, it will be hard to find ones that can believably beat a Jr of his caliber. The other issue is Hayashi’s growing number of victories over All Japan heavyweights. Japanese wrestling tends to pride itself on a class system where heavyweights keep their mystic by rarely losing to foes of the lower weight classes. While exceptions are made, Kaz has scored victories over Keiji Muto, Minoru Suzuki and Suwama in recent years. All names that are considered headliners.
- All is well in the world of New Japan. Satoshi Kojima returned to his old home to claim is first G1 Climax trophy in August and, just a few weeks ago, claimed his second IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The victory ends Togi Makabe’s reign which can be seen as spotty at best. The once colorful heel has fallen bland under his babyface persona and may see a return to a darker character soon. Similar to Tanahashi or Nakamura, Makabe could be in line for a return to the edgier character that got him over with the fans.