SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
TORCH TODAY – Wednesday, November 4
AFTERNOON UPDATE
– LIVECAST ALERT: PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill hosts the Wednesday Livecast with interview guests All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) following their return to ROH TV. Call in live or listen at 5:00 p.m. EST at PWTorchLivecast.com.
– WWE announced a partnership with Samsung to venture into the Virtual Reality market. It’s unclear how significant this is, as WWE marketing executive Michelle Wilson told Variety: “I don’t know if (VR is) going to be the next big success or not, but we’re going to … go where our fans go.”
The basic outline is WWE will be releasing 360-degree video content from Summerslam and NXT: Takeover in Brooklyn through Samsung’s Milk VR platform. It’s unclear how accessible the content is at the moment. A VR headset is scheduled to hit the market later this month.
– Big Ryck (formerly Ezekiel Jackson) will not be returning to Lucha Underground for Season 2 of the show, reports former TMZ producer Ryan Satin. Ryck’s representative, Bill Behrens, confirmed to PWTorch that Ryck did not renew his agreement to return to the show.
– Jim Ross’s latest blog at jrsbarbq.com includes his review of Monday’s Raw and commentary on Alberto Del Rio abruptly moving to WWE from AAA in Mexico, where Del Rio was top champion. “It’s unfortunate that Alberto wasn’t able to keep his commitments to Mexico’s AAA after rejoining WWE. That’s never a good situation. No one wins in this particular situation,” Ross wrote.
MORNING UPDATE
– It’s a big Wednesday Night of Pro Wrestling TV. WWE NXT has Finn Balor vs. Apollo Crews for the NXT Title. … TNA Impact continues the TNA Title series, plus Jeff Hardy is scheduled for a promo. Key tournament matches include Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards, Bobby Roode vs. Eric Young, and Brooke vs. Madison Rayne. … ROH TV on Destination America has a big main event of A.J. Styles vs. Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly, plus the Young Bucks on the show.
– WWE’s European Tour kicks off Wednesday in Dublin, Ireland. The two-week tour has undergone numerous line-up changes due to injuries and time off. (Full Line-up & Preview) (We’re looking for results sent to pwtorch@gmail.com)
– The WrestleMania 32 ticket pre-sale begins Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. CST. There are several pre-sale codes, including “HHHVIP” from Triple H’s Twitter.
– WWE NETWORK HIGHLIGHTS: WWE has three new shows on Wednesday. A new episode of “Table for 3” featuring Natalya, Tamina, and Divas champion Charlotte airs at 4:00 p.m. EST. … Renee Young has a new “Unfiltered” episode with Lita at 4:30 p.m. … This week’s NXT episode airs at 8:00 p.m.
– “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson has been nominated for three People’s Choice Awards. Rock’s categories include Favorite Action Movie Actor, Favorite Premium Cable TV Actor (for “Ballers” on HBO), and Favorite Social Media Celebrity. The annual CBS TV event will be taped January 6 in Los Angeles.
– Bill Goldberg says he still has the itch to return to the ring on a big stage, but he is a businessman first. “The itch will always be there because I am always a competitor and my wife and son have never seen me wrestle. Let me be clear though, that itch won’t supersede my ability to be a businessman,” Goldberg told Donald Wood of Ring Rust Radio, pointing to why he has butted heads with WWE over a potential return.
– Larry Zbsyszko works closely with the “I Believe in Wrestling” school at the Team Vision Dojo in Florida, but he recently stopped by WWE’s Performance Center to work with the NXT roster.
“I go there and I look at the faces of these young men and women and they will come to me and ask can you watch my match and you end up getting involved emotionally,” Zbyszko said on the “Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling” podcast. “Some of these guys and chicks at the school are great and are going to be good and have great potential. It breaks your heart because with others you want to say – ‘Did you ever think about getting a job?’ You get kind of emotionally involved with it and I can’t help it and I kind of steer myself to people I know are going to be good for the business.”
– One of WWE’s new brand partners, Rolaids, has launched an ad campaign featuring Big Show. Promotional material includes full-page newspaper ads, signs on public buses, and various print ads. (Thanks to Mike Lano)
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