Timbo Slice

I think my favorite thing Akiyama does is that he knows how to have big matches in the right spots. Like he had this awesome match with Sasaki at Korauken in either 2009 or 2010 that was one of the best matches Japan produced that year, and it didn't have to be. They went out and decided to work a big-time match and it went off beautifully. I'll say this about Jun: Very rarely did I come away from a big-time match with him on it where I thought he didn't look good.

They're a part of the Authority storyline so them coming back just extends that out. Seems like something that's more temporary than anything.

It's buggy and the layout is weird. I think the best part about the original design was that the features were all there on the front page. Now they're trying to differentiate the subjects. I'm wondering what 538 is going to look like. Good chance this is a template test for Nate to work off.

Obviously, there's ways around it. The numbers for this are bullshit from a household standpoint, but WWE is actually correct in comparing subscription rates to MLB as opposed to Netflix. No subscriber out there is going to be on the level of Netflix when it comes to content at this point. As far as the unanswered questions go, I might as well offer my opinions: This seems like an obvious "yes" to me. You can't really expect this to be thrown in to the mix without trying to gauge its impact on the overall revenue for the company, especially considering they're expecting so much out of the move. Too much expected money is a part of this. See above. Considering the type of content they provide, it should be expected that they work on a transition first before exploring the outside markets because the key for them is to take the fandom they have now and get them going on the new content. There's the expectation that all those fans who watch RAW and SmackDown! each week are totally gung ho for it, but I would spend the money to make sure the transition runs smoothly. That won't take nearly as much money as an outside marketing campaign, and considering they can use WrestleMania as the draw, I'd expect a split like 60/40 in terms of outside marketing. Not nearly as much marketing will be needed to get the fan base they've built involved. Hell, it might be closer to 70/30 in favor of outside. In 2012, MLBAM reported $620M in revenue, up from $300M in 2006, but they got that number from multiple streams. That spike had to do with the app development and video streaming interfaces that were either non-existent or in their infancy in 2006. Considering that the revenues reported held steady in 2013, it seems like they figured out a way to keep the reoccurring costs stagnant. The one-time costs this year are really going to take a hit on revenue from the start. The problem is that this is only a SINGLE revenue stream, though. 10M people downloaded the WWE app since it was released almost 2 years ago, which is a great number, but not unbelievable. Let's say the Network app hits something along the lines of $50-75M on gross across all platforms due to a heavy initial adoption, tapering off as the year goes by. Is this thing going to be in the black by Q1 2015? If you're assuming $20M in production costs, then upkeep with servers and the building of your library, will WWE be able to say by the end of the year that the Network itself is profitable? I doubt it.

I could see him getting a concussion after that double back superplex. That seemed pretty damn snug.

Well, one of the things I always got from Backlund was that because of his catch/amateur background that he wanted to work more "straight up" matches where selling wasn't as big a part of the match. That "realism" was a part of it and is his biggest drawback. You're not going to see him work from underneath that much against bigger guys. The thing with Angle was that his selling was spastic because he DID work around big spots, where you're supposed to sell them more than your mat work exchanges that were a huge part of Backlund matches. You can't have it both ways, which is something both Backlund and Angle did regularly.

Jimmy Rave Approved was a lot of fun in 2010 and some of the best stuff I saw from him. He really worked well in 6-mans but was totally exposed in singles matches.

John Walters is right there, Mike. EDIT: OOOOOH! AND CHAD COLLYER!

7/10/2013 5/22/2013 5/1/2013 Those are the taped dates. A lot of people don't really call the first one a match considering it was a flash pin and didn't have much to it. It is indeed their fourth match.

I didn't think they would jump that quickly all over them. Then again, Direct TV is horrible so it should be expected.

So amongst the stories I've been reading about the announcement, a lot of people are seeing this as a huge win for a la carte content and the $10/month mark might make other networks interested in a similar service wake up and take notice. The next shoe to drop would be the networks finding out a way to offer their services through the apps they've developed without the need for any provider to sign up. Considering HBO has been talking with both Apple and Google, many think they'll be next.

She's also a former bodybuilder who has been around guys like that for a while. Not surprised she'd be with a guy like PJ.

Apple TV app makes this a slam dunk for me. I basically live off my Apple TV for my media viewing. This is pretty fucking incredible.

It'll most likely be linked to IP address. Using the MLBAM model, MLB.tv goes by the IP address you're accessing it from, which then determines the blackout restrictions. Same rules would apply here. Meaning that unless the people you know have a VPN that allows them to access a US-based IP address, they'll be out of luck for the time being. I don't see them doing it based on the physical address you sign up with. That would just lead to a whole mess of problems.

RAW is contracted on USA until the fall, which will give them leverage on whether they can just move it to the WWE Network or not. My bet is on USA offering to renew right away to lock them in, with the Network offering replays the next day much like they do on Hulu. By the way, what ended up happening with SyFy? Their contract with SmackDown! ended a couple months ago. Quiet extension or something? Chris? Bix? Anyone?

I'm really hoping Smith wears the robe out to the field on Sunday and then drops an elbow on it like Flair would. I mean, if you're gonna bring up Flair turning on the Panthers, you might as well go the full monty.

A known roids dealer who barely avoided jail time in 2011. Nice.

VERY happy they decided to go above the cable and satellite providers for this. $10/month is chump change. Set them up BIG time for the long haul here.

So Rollins popped the question? Dang, alright.

Awesome! Congrats, gents.

Karl Anderson is highly respected by his peers but that doesn't make him a super awesome worker, either.

I don't think you'll see him "play" the hillbillies. They have to come out of this as more than just being used by Bryan. If anything, they'll get elevated just like he elevated Kane.

So guy joins cult because he's been pushed so far over the edge that he thinks that by doing whatever Bray says that he'll get what he's looking for. One of those things includes letting the leader do what he wants to him. Like test his loyalty by letting him get his ass whooped. Worth it so far. There will be a tipping point for Bryan, he'll wake up, and that'll be that. I also find it funny that as of this post, it's tied 11-11.

As a 49ers fan, I have nothing but love and respect for Will and his bevy of comps. That being said, to be the man...WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You got to BEAT the man!

The biggest thing about this show to me is that they're gonna run Seibu for the G-1 Final. Basically looking to triple the house on the biggest non-1/4 show of the year. That's insane. A true 35k is great. The aim next year should be for 50k. You have to think Okada/Nak or Okada/Tana without them facing each other all year is in the cards.