We publish a whole lot of content here at Cageside Seats. We’re also [looks around and whispers so the bosses can’t hear] not the only place producing wrestling content on the internet. So, as a service to you on the weekdays, we’ll be producing a wrestling newsletter, "Rude Awakening." Well, it will be a newsletter eventually: for now, it’ll just be part of your experience here at Cageside, collecting the news, recaps, and social moments from the greater wrestling universe daily so you won’t fall behind, with a newsletter format to come.
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WWE has cut pyro out of their shows as a cost-cutting measure. Dave Meltzer talked about it on Wrestling Observer Radio over the weekend, and then Road Dogg confirmed it was the case while tweeting with a fan on Thursday:
"lower"? Are these things a "low" down move to you? It's just economics and neither are necessary
— Brian G. James (@WWERoadDogg) July 13, 2017
Road Dogg went on to tweet that, “In 3 months it'll be the norm and no one will care, that's our current society. Pyro in a Wrestling show isn't a priority in life.” He’s not wrong, and WWE doesn’t need pyro for their shows to be entertaining. It’s still a bit of a shame to have that taken away, however, as it’s just one more way that WWE is a bit more like everyone else instead of using their resources to stand out and improve the product.
If there were competitors with flashy entrances and pyro that were drawing viewers away from WWE, that would be one thing, but there aren’t. There’s no WCW out there putting out custom sets for every pay-per-view, forcing WWE to up their presentation game. So, in the interest of saving money, not setting off a ton of fireworks before every television show, and not shooting off pyro during a number of wrestlers’ entrances, is a move that makes sense, and likely makes stockholders happy. It does damage the art of it all, though, as fireworks and pyro have a way of making everything seem just a little bit bigger.
- Friday’s Rumor Roundup shows that half of the John Cena WrestleMania 34 plan is already figured out. The other half, though, has yet to be decided.
- Geno Mrosko hopes it’s not Dixie Carter showing up on RAW as the mystery person Kurt Angle has been talking to and about.
- We’ve got a double dose of Social Slam for you: first, Caitlyn did her usual thing looking at what wrestlers have been up to on social media lately, and second, she produced a Mae Young Classic-centric edition — and kept it spoiler-free, too.
- Now, if you’d like Mae Young Classic spoilers, we also have those for you. Just don’t discuss them in the comments here, please.
- Here’s the full list of the 32 entrants in the Mae Young Classic. You can watch the Parade of Champions introducing them all here.
- Ronda Rousey showed up at the Mae Young Classic. INTRIGUE
- The WWE Network will extend RAW’s story on Monday, as it’ll host a live Kurt Angle interview after the show.
- Impact Wrestling focused heavily on Alberto El Patron this week, which is awkward considering that earlier in the day they had suspended him.
- On this week’s Retro Best and Worst of WCW Nitro, we have J.J. Dillon not understanding that Sting wants to face Hulk Hogan, even as the crowd chants it at him.
- Sports Illustrated interviewed Jushin Thunder Liger on his career, the Monday Night Wars, and Chris Jericho.
- At The Undefeated, Sydelle Noel of GLOW fame discusses a range of topics, from Monopoly to Hulk Hogan to Angela Bassett.
- Steve Austin has advice for both Roman Reigns and Big Cass.