Pro Wrestling Contract Season

[Tamura]

3 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

But we don’t know the status here right? What have WWE bought? The name, tape library, roster? My guess would be they are signing them all too new WWE contracts as the deal hasn’t completed and won’t complete for a hot minute.

Except we do know the status. The top WCW guys weren't actually signed to WCW contracts like the rest of WCW, they were under contract to AOL/Time Warner who were legally obliged to keep paying them for the duration of their contract (don't ask me who thought it a good idea to sign wrestlers to contracts that resulted in them getting paid to sit home even after WCW was sold, but it happened). So Hogan, Flair, Goldberg et al had the choice of jumping straight to the WWF and getting paid whatever McMahon was willing to offer them at that point, or not wrestling at all and getting the guaranteed money from AOL/Time Warner. 

Edited May 6, 2025 by Tamura

[SaitoRyo]

7 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

But we don’t know the status here right? What have WWE bought? The name, tape library, roster? My guess would be they are signing them all too new WWE contracts as the deal hasn’t completed and won’t complete for a hot minute.

I don't know what the deal is as there is conflicting information out there, but I personally think WWE's days are numbered with Alberto Del Rio leading The Alliance.

[Lorne Malvo]

The only time I want to see Alberto Del Rio again is if he's finally doing the Albert Del Rodney gimmick that was pitched on here a while back.

Edited May 6, 2025 by Lorne Malvo

[air_raid]

10 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

But we don’t know the status here right? What have WWE bought? The name, tape library, roster? My guess would be they are signing them all too new WWE contracts as the deal hasn’t completed and won’t complete for a hot minute.

 

6 hours ago, Tamura said:

Except we do know the status. The top WCW guys weren't actually signed to WCW contracts like the rest of WCW, they were under contract to AOL/Time Warner who were legally obliged to keep paying them for the duration of their contract (don't ask me who thought it a good idea to sign wrestlers to contracts that resulted in them getting paid to sit home even after WCW was sold, but it happened). So Hogan, Flair, Goldberg et al had the choice of jumping straight to the WWF and getting paid whatever McMahon was willing to offer them at that point, or not wrestling at all and getting the guaranteed money from AOL/Time Warner. 

This is spot on. The original purchase only gave WWE contractual rights to (IIRC) 23 talents, most of which being all the original faces that you could spot watching Mania 17 and that were part of the initial invasion - the Natural Born Thrillers, Kidman, Kanyon, Stacy Keibler, Shane Helms, Mike Awesome, Lance Storm, Booker T. It didn't include Hogan, Nash, Flair, Sting, Goldberg, Scott Steiner and Rey Mysterio, who had a choice of sign with WWFE for whatever they were offering (less, invariably) or sit on their arses and get to paid to do nothing. The only wrestler that had said Time Warner contract but decided he'd rather get paid to actually wrestle, was Diamond Dallas Page. And look how they treated him.

Edited May 6, 2025 by air_raid
That's not a bad thing, thats a good thing.

[LaGoosh]

Dutch and Vincent of The Righteous are gone from AEW/ROH.

I kinda liked them but the gimmick being such a Wyatt Family clone held them back I think.

[Lorne Malvo]

The Righteous were a perfectly fine mid-card ROH team but that was about their ceiling, I thought. For me, the gimmick died as soon as Vincent opens his mouth - he's got the look nailed down but to convincingly portray a cult-leader type gimmick you need a charisma and a voice that he just didn't have. 

[JLM]

Yeah he’s really not a good promo at all, which is unacceptable for that gimmick. I will miss Dutch very Mutch.  

[LaGoosh]

A repackaged Dutch would have been a good fit for the Don Callis Family.

[Vamp]

14 hours ago, Supremo said:

Hiring Del Rio the week you released all those women is unbelievable. Even by current standards. What the fuck are they thinking?

Genuinely starting to wonder if Hunter saw the writing on the wall earlier this year and is tanking the company’s reputation before he inevitably gets the boot, to spite Rock and Gerwirtz.

I wonder if any of the journalists at the Backlash press conference will ask about it. (Of course they fucking won’t).

They didn't hire Alberto Del Rio, they bought a company that had him under contract.

If they don't get rid of him before they book him then you can justly criticise them.

But that criticism looks weaker when you've already criticised them for something they literally didn't do. 

I know it seems like a petty distinction but I do think bad faith arguments reduce the impact of criticisms when arseholes (like the WWE) inevitably do something that's worth criticising. 

It's like when people mock Trump's appearance in the same sentence as criticising his moronic and dangerous policies. You make it easier for people to dismiss the genuine criticisms.

Hell, it's not like you'll have to wait long for them to actively do something shit. 

[Supremo]

Meltzer reported it’s a new contract with WWE.

[Vamp]

Ah sorry, I'm a muppet. The latest I saw was luchablog. 

I take it all back. Fuck 'em.

[The King Of Swing]

On 4/29/2025 at 4:56 PM, TildeGuy~! said:

Maika is also out with an injury for at least 6 months.

She's still working shows.

Granted the last one I watched was a tag match and she was basically in full house show mode, but still not good if she's as banged up as people are saying.

Hopefully she's only doing a few shows, before taking time off.

Also read that Starlight Kid is working hurt which if true is even worse, since she's currently one of the top champions in the company.

[air_raid]

Saraya probably not in the frame for a return, then.

EDIT : Re : Del Rio.

Edited May 6, 2025 by air_raid
Tear the stars out from the skyyyyy

[Statto]

I always liked The Righteous' gimmick in principle (two different flavours of "religion gone bad" with Vincent the creepy hippy commune guy and Dutch the corrupt Southern evangelicalist type) but in practice the performers never really made it sing.

They came across well in the introductory vignettes but it never kicked in from there. 

[LaGoosh]

Alberto Del Rio AND Miro back on the payroll?

They're bringing back the League of Nations, brother.