POST IT NOTES
**I wanted to start by thanking everyone for the overwhelming feedback to the Owen Hart audio documentary we released on Monday. I am happy so many people enjoyed it, which is a relative term given the subject matter. It’s a very heavy topic, even 20 years removed, but I felt it was a story that very important to go back to analyze. As much as people have sent their compliments my way, this piece would not have been as strong without the terrific interview subjects I had. I am very grateful they were willing to speak with me, especially someone like Jimmy Korderas, who was directly involved, and this isn’t the easiest subject to relive.
In the coming weeks, we will be releasing the complete interviews with all the subjects in the documentary through the POST Wrestling Café. Obviously, there was a lot I had to leave out and if you enjoyed the documentary then I feel you’ll want to listen to the interviews in their entirety. Those will be released beginning next week.
**Rewind-A-Raw is up on the site with Wai Ting and I reviewing Monday’s show from Albany, New York and discussing the 24/7 title and its introduction, the usage of Brock Lesnar to hold the audience, and a complete rundown of the show. Plus, the latest on Ric Flair, Double or Nothing notes, Jordynne Grace signing with Impact Wrestling, the date, and location for Joey Janela’s Spring Break 4, and your feedback.
**Wai Ting and I are back with Rewind-A-SmackDown tonight to discuss the show from Providence.
**If you are in Toronto, a friend of the site Danny Granger is hosting his “Art in Wrestling 2” art exhibit this Thursday night at the Superkick’d studio at 66 Fraser Avenue. It features original art pieces by Granger, who does a lot of fantastic work.
POST WRESTLING SCHEDULE
*Tonight: Rewind-A-SmackDown with John Pollock & Wai Ting
*Wednesday: The Double Shot (Patreon)
*Thursday: upNXT with Braden Herrington & Davie Portman
*Thursday at 3 pm Eastern: Café Hangout with guest Damian Abraham & notes on our Owen Hart documentary (Double Double + Café members)
*Friday: MCU review of The Avengers Age of Ultron with John Pollock, Wai Ting & Nate Milton (Patreon)
*Saturday: AEW Double or Nothing POST Show
*Sunday: POST Interview with Fred Ottman
WRESTLING NEWS
**The latest regarding Ashley Massaro is that the 39-year is believed to have hung herself last Thursday at her home in Suffolk County. TMZ is reporting that the former wrestler was found hanging in her home and was rushed to hospital before she was pronounced dead.
The death of Massaro has placed a spotlight on her involvement in the class action lawsuit against WWE over the long-term effects of concussions. The case was thrown out last September by Judge Vanessa Bryant, although lawyer Konstantine Kyros is appealing the case. At the time Massaro joined the case, Massaro had alleged that she had been assaulted while participating in an overseas tour representing WWE in Kuwait. Massaro added that she was pressured to not report the assault and keep it quiet.
Following her death, the 15-page affidavit that Massaro filed was made public and lists the allegations in gruesome detail. From the affidavit, Massaro stated that while in Kuwait was feeling ill and those present believed she was suffering from dehydration and was tended to at a medical bay. A man came into the room and identified himself as a U.S. Army doctor and administered Massaro with a drug that left her unable to move or scream. Massaro claimed another woman was present and stood outside while the man proceeded to rape and sodomize Massaro. She goes on to recount a meeting she had with Vince McMahon and others, including John Laurinaitis and Kevin Dunn. In the meeting, McMahon said that this story could cause problems between the relationship between WWE and the U.S. military and would be best for her to not go public with it. McMahon added that she would not be required to go back to the Middle East and there would be a protocol for any female performers to have someone with them 24/7 on future overseas trips.
In a motion filed by the WWE’s side in 2016, denied Massaro ever reporting that she had been sexually assaulted by anyone affiliated with WWE and added Massaro was “later heard telling others that she believes that doctor had done an inappropriate pelvic exam.”
At the time, those charges were thrown out of the case because they were deemed not relevant to the concussion suit.
Recently, WWE issued a statement that Massaro had reached out to the company last October and apologized for her involvement in the class action suit. The New York Post stated that the e-mail to WWE stated that Massaro felt she was “poached” and that the legal battle “got out of control fast” and added by stating “I accept my part of the responsibility and just want to formally apologize and express my regret. You all changed my life and I couldn’t be more grateful”.
It is worth noting that nowhere in the response from WWE did it state Massaro admitted to lying in her affidavit, which comes with the penalty of perjury.
Those on the overseas tour included Jimmy Hart, Maria Kanellis, Ron Simmons, and WWE executive Gary Davis (in the affidavit, Massaro had said Gary Hart and she appears to have mistaken the last name). While on the tour, Hart wrote a series of diaries for the WWE site detailing the trip and confirmed Massaro being tended to when they believed she was dehydrated. The following was dated July 3, 2006, on the WWE site:
We are all starting to feel the effects of the heat. In order to deal with the hot climate, we are told to keep drinking water constantly. Even then, sometimes the heat can overcome you. At the next autograph session, Ashley begins to swoon. Our base escorts demand she be taken to the Medical Center, despite her protests to the contrary. While doctors check her out, we proceed to our next destination, Camp LSA’s Mess Hall, where we meet the base commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Eichhorn, for lunch. Camp LSA is right next to Ali Al Salem and is the last stop before military personnel leave the country for well deserved R&R or return home to the U.S.A. There can be up to 2,000 troops a day at Camp LSA getting prepped for their return home.
**Tonight’s episode of SmackDown and 205 Live takes place from the majestic Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. They have announced a Money in the Bank rematch between Roman Reigns and Elias, along with the return of Big E.
**Following SmackDown, the USA Network will be airing the season finale of Miz & Mrs at 10 pm Eastern.
**Starrcast put out a statement confirming Ric Flair will not be in Las Vegas this week following his heart procedure on Monday. The Roast of Ric Flair has been postponed to a later date, which was scheduled to air on Fite TV as well on pay-per-view on at least one provider in Canada. We have confirmed that the panel with Jim Ross and Ricky Steamboat (which Flair was part of) is not going to take place Thursday night due to Flair’s absence. I was told that a replacement is going to be announced for that slot at Starrcast and Fite TV. Flair had also been scheduled for meet-and-greets with the Four Horseman.
**While promoting the Super Showdown on Raw, Michael Cole stated they were “returning to Jeddah” for an international event. We were told that at least one other international department was instructed that they could identify the show as happening in Jeddah but would not be saying Saudi Arabia, although that could change as they get closer to the event.
**To no one’s surprise, the All Japan Triple Crown match between Kento Miyahara and Shuji Ishikawa from Monday is said to be excellent.
**DAZN recently announced they have reached “about 4 million subscribers” worldwide. The service recently changed its payment structure in the U.S. with the streaming platform available for $99 annually or $19.99 per month. Their justification for the U.S. price increase was that they had two sets of audiences, one that treats it as a streaming service and commits long-term and those that treat it as a one-off for a pay-per-view event and are willing to spend $19.99 for a big fight card without committing to the service beyond a one-time payment. Combat sports is a big part of DAZN’s appeal in North America through boxing and MMA, including deals with Bellator, Combate Americas, and KSW.
Both DAZN and ESPN+ are playing the long game with the idea that in time, the subscribers will grow to justify the enormous costs. Last week, Disney held a presentation with chief financial officer Christine McCarthy estimating that ESPN+ would lose $650 million in both 2019 and 2020 but expects it to be profitable by 2023. Their goal is to have between 8-12 million subscribers by the end of 2024. If they could hit the mark, it would represent revenue between $40-60 million per year at their current price point of $4.99 per month.
**The Best of the Super Juniors tournament resumes Wednesday with the first of three shows at Korakuen Hall this week. The following four shows will feature 10 tournament matches per card, beginning with Wednesday’s lineup that streams on New Japan World at 5:30 am Eastern:
*Taiji Ishimori vs. Taka Michinoku
*Bandido vs. Ren Narita
*Jonathan Gresham vs. Titan
*Rocky Romero vs. YOH
*Dragon Lee vs. Tiger Mask
*Bushi vs. Douki
*SHO vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
*Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Robbie Eagles
*Shingo Takagi vs. Marty Scurll
*Will Ospreay vs. El Phantasmo
**Thursday’s card will feature two incredible matches on top with Dragon Kid taking on Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay vs. Bandido.
**The WWE stock closed at $79.10 on Tuesday.
**EVOLVE has announced meet-and-greet sessions with NXT performer Tommaso Ciampa on June 29th in Queens, June 30th in Brooklyn, July 13th in Philadelphia, and July 14th in Melrose, Massachusetts.
**Devon Nicholson has posted the entire Cauliflower Alley Club banquet with speeches from Dory Funk Jr., Mark Henry, David Schultz, Haku, The Barbarian, and more.
**Kota Ibushi turns 37 years old today.
**All Elite Wrestling released the PAC vs. Hangman Page match from the WrestleGate card in Nottingham this past weekend:
*****
RAR 5/20/19: Beast in the Bank, 24/7 title, Becky 1 Belt
John Pollock is back with Wai Ting to review WWE Raw featuring Mick Foley’s announcement of a new 24/7 title and Brock Lesnar teasing a cash-in on either Seth Rollins or Kofi Kingston.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/05/21/rar-5-20-19-beast-in-the-bank-24-7-title-becky-1-belt/
*****
Owen Hart’s Final Day: A POST Profile
John Pollock goes back to May 23rd, 1999, the night Owen Hart tragically passed away in Kansas City, Missouri. Featuring original interviews from those that knew Hart and covered his passing.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/05/20/owen-harts-final-day-a-post-profile/
*****
upNXT TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones Series Finale
Davie Portman and Mike Hogan chat all about the series finale of Game of Thrones, “The Iron Throne”. They recap the episode, talk about their favourite moments from the series, take your feedback and more!
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/05/20/upnxt-tv-review-game-of-thrones-series-finale-the-iron-throne/
*****
WWE Money in the Bank POST Show
John Pollock & Wai Ting review WWE Money in the Bank 2019 from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/05/20/wwe-money-in-the-bank-2019-post-show/
*****
TRMPS #5: Doom (2005) w/ Jason Chapa
Nate Milton welcomes video game aficionado/pop-culture critic/brave soul Jason Chapa into the theater to review 2005’s sci-fi/horror/action mash-up, Doom!
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/05/18/trmps-5-doom-2005-w-jason-chapa/
*****
Café Hangout – AEW on TNT details with Tony Maglio
John Pollock & Wai Ting are joined by The Wrap’s Tony Maglio to discuss details of AEW’s television deal with TNT. We then preview Sunday’s Money In The Bank.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/05/17/aew-on-tnt-details-with-tony-maglio-mitb-preview-cafe-hangout-5-16-19/
*****
REWIND-A-WAI #36: WWF One Night Only 1997
John Pollock and Wai Ting review WWF One Night Only 1997, a UK-only PPV headlined by British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF European Championship with a controversial ending.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/26918316
*****
upNXT 5/16/19: Killing Me Strongly
Braden Herrington and Davie Portman review this week’s edition of WWE NXT featuring Viking Raiders vs. Street Profits for the NXT Tag Team titles.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/05/16/upnxt-5-16-19-killing-me-strongly/
*****
DOUBLE SHOT: Bret Hart vs. Tom Magee, The Fabulous Moolah, BOSJ Night 3, BTE
John Pollock & Wai Ting review the Bret Hart vs. Tom Magee match, The Fabulous Moolah edition of Dark Side of the Ring, BOSJ Night 3 & Being the Elite Ep. 151.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/26896477
*****
BWE 5/15/19: Progress Super Strong Style 16, Rev Pro Epic Encounter, ITV/AEW
Martin is joined by Will Cooling and JP Houlihan to talk Progress Super Strong Style 16 (Trent Seven vs. Walter), Rev Pro Epic Encounter (Suzuki-Gun vs. Aussie Open) and Pro Wrestling EVE.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/05/15/bwe-5-15-19-progress-super-strong-style-16-rev-pro-epic-encounter-itv-aew/
*****
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