Hello and welcome to the WrestleTalk News!
I’m Oli Davis.
Move aside, Camp WWE.
Take a break, Holy Foley.
The WWE Network has a new piece of programming in development: a game show hosted by R-Truth.
PWInsider are reporting WWE have greenlit the Network’s first-ever game show after
being impressed by the R-Truth-hosted pilot episode filmed back in March, with the series
planned to debut in the late Summer/early Fall.
Here’s my pitch for the format - What Is Up with R-Truth.
A sit down, mature team-based discussion about the world’s biggest political news, where
R-Truth asks people over there what’s up, what’s up, what’s up, what’s up.
And sometimes, y’all know what time is it?
I’m pretty certain that’s what the new game show is going to be, but we’ll have
to wait a few months until we properly find out.
What’s next for Shinsuke Nakamura, however, might’ve already been revealed!
Although not yet officially announced, it’s quite obvious that WWE are building to Nakamura’s
first ever main roster match at next week’s Smackdown-exclusive pay-per-view Backlash.
Obvious because his great balls of fire are all over the poster.
As the last several weeks have been building the tension between him and Dolph Ziggler,
that first bout will most definitely be against The Show Off.
However, WWE has now started advertising Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kevin Owens for the US Title at
a WWE house show on June 26th - possibly spoiling Nakamura’s post-Ziggler direction, and that
Owens retains in his United States Championship Backlash match against AJ Styles.
Also on the Rabobank Arena card are WWE Champion Randy Orton vs Jinder Mahal, Sami Zayn vs
Baron Corbin and a Smackdown tag team championship triple threat match between The Uso’s, New
Day and Breezango.
The New Day have yet to make their Smackdown Live debut, following their Superstar Shake-Up
move from Raw last month, because Kofi Kingston is still recovering from injury.
In his latest Instagram post - a bizarre stop motion video where Kofi magically summons
Whole Foods shopping, tiny bottles of lotion on his feet and a number of Power Rangers
toys - Kingston replaces his rehabbing Stormtrooper boot with some fresh white creps, teasing
he’ll soon be ready to return to action.
Creps, my younger sister tells me, is the appropriate slang for ‘good looking trainers’.
Kofi isn’t the only one teasing his WWE return.
After a few months off because of a knee injury, Cruiserweight competitor Cedric Alexander
has Tweeted: “Who's coming back to make some noise....?
#ThisGuy” Which WWE quickly followed up with a promo
on last night’s 205 Live, hyping Alexander as ‘returning soon’.
Hopefully that’s much quicker than Emmalina’s similar tease of ‘Coming Soon’.
Monday night Raw has continued its record-breaking streak!
Unfortunately, it’s the kind of record you don’t want to break.
This week’s episode set not just a new viewership low for 2017 so far, but also a new non-football
season, non-holiday viewership low for the last 20 years with just 2.68 million viewers.
F4WOnline point out the last time Raw drew numbers this bad, the show was head-to-head
with WCW Nitro in 1997.
There are excuses, like the competition from the NBA, and that these week’s shows were
on a five-hour delay from England, but that doesn’t explain the show’s poor quality
- with 38% of you voting it Poor, and 35% thinking it slightly better at AvRAWge.
Did Smackdown fare any better?
Watch my review of this week’s episode where Rusev revealed when he’ll make his WWE return!
And Braun Strowman has been written off TV because of injury.
Find out all the details by clicking the videos to the left and press subscribe.
I’ve been Oli Davis, and that was wrestling.