I have been following a story about UPN and WWE Smackdown very carefully and am relieved to say my worse fears will not come true.
SMACKDOWN IS SAFE ON NEW NETWORK
UPN, the network that airs WWE's Friday night Smackdown show, has merged with the WB network to become CW. I assume the initials are for CBS Corporation and Warner Brothers who are partners in this merger. All programming that is on the WB and UPN is now subject to scrutiny and, since CW is only going to be airing 30 hours of television a week, it is inevitable that many shows will be cancelled in the wake of the merger.
It is my understanding that Vince McMahon and WWE had no idea that this merger was taking place until they read the same press release I did early this week. That must have sent a shockwave through the company.
However, in the last two or three days, WWE has come to terms with CW to continue Friday Night Smackdown as it has been for at least the next two seasons. This means that, although we may have to get used to yet another switch in channels for WWE programming, Smackdown is safe from being cut from the new network's roster. The show will air on the same night as it has been which, at first seems like a bad thing with Friday nights being such a hard night to capture viewers, but has worked out quite well for Smackdown and they have found their niche. A switch in nights now could hurt the show's viewership.
The CW network is expected to go live this fall. Many shows which now air on UPN and the WB will be dropped and only the most popular or the ones that fit CW's "image" will be shown. I don't know the future of any of the other shows that are airing on the two networks. Stay tuned. I am sure as the time draws near, the fate of the shows now airing on UPN and the WB will be announced.
TNA RATINGS UPDATE
For those who have been wondering how TNA Impact has been doing in the ratings on Saturday nights and again (replay) on Monday nights, the answer is very well. The ratings seem to have leveled off at a nice number on Saturday nights and have actually grown quite a bit for the replays on Monday nights at midnight. The biggest demographic are males ages 18-34. I find that a bit ironic since TNA has only a couple of women on the show and not in wrestling roles. This proves that men don't watch wrestling just for the eye candy but for the actual wrestling that TNA provides. I hope, that if the ratings continue to stay impressive, that the promotion will get a better timeslot. Saturday nights are one of the toughest nights to pull in an audience, especially at the 11 p.m. hour. You can tune into TNA on Spike TV on Saturday nights at 11 p.m. or at midnight on Monday nights for the replay.
Sting (Steve Borden) is finally going to debut on TNA's Impact this Saturday and it will be very interesting to see if his presence raises the ratings at all. TNA is heavily pushing Sting's TV debut (He already appeared on their pay per view but not yet on their free TV show) and the hope is that new viewers will tune in to see one of the favorites from the past.
WWE PLANS TO INTRODUCE A BISEXUAL CHARACTER
According to several sources, WWE's Orlando Jordan will soon be getting a new storyline. He will reveal that he is bisexual. The storyline will involve Trinity, who is a former TNA star and stunt woman, as well as Orlando Jordan's real life non-wrestling male friend in a sort of love triangle. Jordan's friend is not a wrestler and not trained at all from what I was told. This leads me to question why WWE would have a non-wrestler play a part in a somewhat major storyline. Many are speculating that this storyline is mimicking Jordan's real life sexual preferences and his "friend" is being brought in to continue the realism. I have absolutely no idea what Jordan's sexual orientation is and don't really care to. I only hope that this storyline is done well and not in the usual joking way WWE tends to approach sexual storylines. Look for Jordan's revelation and the angle to begin soon. As a sort of foreshadow of sorts, WWE.com has a blurb about each Royal Rumble entrant's odds of winning. About Jordan, they said: "Depending on the draw, Orlando Jordan can go either way." Oh yes, WWE.com is just full of inside jokes.
STACY'S SAFE AGAIN
WWE's Stacy Keibler is safe once again. She is now moving onto her fifth week on "Dancing with the Stars" and has been praised by the judges continuously. Last week, she and her partner tied for first place with Drew Lachey, former 98 degrees band member, and his partner. This week, her scores were just a tad lower putting her in a tie for second place with Drew Lachey and partner taking top honors. However, the judges scoring is only 50% of the vote. The audience's votes make up the other 50%, as evidenced by the mysterious staying power of the cloddy rapper Master P remaining on the show even though the judges have panned his dancing (and rightfully so) weekly. Although the results show will not air until Friday 1/27 at 8 p.m. on ABC, I can say with 99.9% certainty that Stacy will sail through to next week with no problems. She is clearly a crowd and judge favorite and, I believe, she and Drew Lachey will be the final two couples dancing for the win if the past few weeks are any indication of their charisma, poise, and ability to learn complicated dance steps quickly.
There's loads more to report but I want to keep this somewhat brief. I will be back Sunday night after the Rumble to run down the matches, results, and give my thoughts on the show.
I may also post another column with more news either before the Rumble or right after it to keep you on top of the wrestling world.
Have a great weekend!
Patty
Please visit me at my personal website, Wrestling on the Fringe for columns, photos, interviews, and more.
One of my favorite TNA DVD's is their special X-Division one. It's packed with nonstop, highflying action. You can check it out below.
