NXT does have merch (Bayley has SNAP BRACELETS) and do do live shows, but it seems mostly to be close to Full Sail.

Yeah, I know they HAVE merchandise and do live shows at the same locations, I was more discussing the fact that merchandising isn't some huge thing the people in charge are paying attention to at that level (compared to things like "can't turn X heel due to merchandising, or X is doing well because they are outselling Cena").

Like, it seems as if NXT is just this place with a very hands off approach by management that lets the talent excel creatively and I wonder if the lack of external pressure from things like I listed may be a cause for it. If so, are we to expect continued generalization of characters as they make the transition (see: Paige for instance)? Is it just as simple as VINCE IS IN CHARGE? Is it a combination of a handful of things kind of forcing his hand in that direction and he just overdoes it?

Just random **** I wonder during the middle of the week with nothing else going on

There's nothing that NXT is doing that would be deemed controversial by advertisers. It's probably 2 things holding Vince back:

Vince books to entertain Vince and tells himself that's what the audience wants when they don't.

Vince is afraid to make big changes, or in a sports term, rebuild, until he has to. He's like the team that will always strive to be .500 just to keep a decent amount of butts in the seat rather than risk going big and losing a little in the short term for the long term gain.

However, ratings dropping and him losing advertising anyway may eventually force him to do something one could only hope.

I've mentioned before; now is the time to rebuild since WWE just signed their TV extension. Short term ratings won't matter for another few years until it's time to renegotiate the TV deal. WWE could clearly assume more risk in pushing more folks to the main event level or devoting more time to developing more engaging midcard feuds. But instead, VM retains an ultra-short term ratings focus that, upon a dip of a 1/100th rating point, leads him to hit the panic button: GET CENA OUT THERE FOR ANOTHER SEGMENT.

I am really starting to think that any analysis of Vince that's more complex than "he's an out of touch old man with no idea what works or what's funny" is thinking too hard. Can't find any logical patterns in booking.

I don't know which thread to put this in, so I'll put it here.

Apparently Alberto Del Rio had an MMA fight against Mirko Cro Cop back in 2003 at the first Pride Bushido event. He lost via headkick (ldo). I found a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHG6LjtsxJM

Keep in mind that Cro Cop would be considered the clear #2 heavyweight in the world less than a year later and had just come off of the destruction of Igor Vovchanchyn which scored him the 2003 KO of the year.

Awesome thanks.

Del Rio has a bunch of MMA fights. He was actually pretty good as well. It was just weird that he would keep the mask on for them.

In the same report (from the original source of this), it was reported that Ambrose was also in discussions for it but was way way WAY WAY WAY ahead of Ziggler for that spot.

Would be perfectly happy to see either one. Just don't give it to Reigns.

It would be a pleasant surprise if either won but I'm not getting my hopes up.

I want Reigns to win purely for the bootistaesque reaction

Yeah I'm leaning towards that. I kind of want them to go all the way with him at WM just to see the reaction at Raw the next night.

Do we know where the Raw after WM will be yet?

It's always in or around the same location as WM. So somewhere in the SF bay area.

EDIT: Quick check confirms. It's at the Shark Tank in San Jose.

That would have been my guess. The arena isn't a bad place to see a show

Nash got arrested for allegedly choke slamming his son.

http://www.tmz.com/2014/12/24/kevin-...-wwe-wrestler/

Did they have to haul him to the pen in an ambulance because he blew his quad out?

Sounds like maybe Nash went too far, but that the kid (who is a 6'5", 200 lb. adult) attacked first and then proceeded to continue after Nash tried just pinning him down first. The fact that the kid then physically attacked his own mother/Nash's wife, and apparently his uncle as well, paints a picture of a dude that had completely lost it and needed to be stopped by someone.

I could be misreading the situation, but the fact that the kid physically attacked his own mother, and is facing charges over that as well, makes me pretty unsympathetic to the fact that he caught a beating of his own.

Further proof that no matter how big or young you are, you never **** with your dad

especially if you dad can Jack Knife you through the dining room table.

Looks like Tristen did an expert job of selling his Dad's offense.

Especially if the last person in there with him is either Ziggler or Ambrose.

Who are we hoping gets the Rey memorial "**** you why are you not Daniel Bryan at #30" spot?