NXT on USA

                          WWE vs USA for NXT

Today is an exciting day in the world of wrestling. It was announced this morning that NXT will be broadcasted on the USA Network instead of the WWE Network. Wrestling fans everywhere are anxiously awaiting tonight’s episode of RAW where they will be announcing the new NXT show that will debut on September 18th. There are some mixed emotions about these changes. Here I will explain the pro’s and con’s and this network switch.

This change could potentially acquire many new wrestling fans. By having NXT broadcasted on network television, this allows non-wrestling fans to stumble upon the channel and it may grab there interest. This could also bring back some ‘old school’ wrestling fans as well. Another benefit would be that viewers would not have to be subscribed to the WWE network in order to watch this show. The stock market shows that since the announcement this morning, the WWE stock has risen from $2.57 to $72.18!

Fox Sports is not too thrilled about the change. They were hoping that the WWE would replace the screen time that UFC had which ended at the end of 2018 on Fox Sports 1 and 2. In an interview with Forbes Magazine, Dave Meltzer could not of said it better himself. 

“FS1 obviously lost God knows how many hours of UFC programming which hurts them because UFC programming is some of the strongest stuff they had — NASCAR was kinda like the strongest I think on FS1 — but, UFC was very strong on FS1 and they lost all of that," explained Meltzer. "Part of the deal was the idea that ‘the money that we’re going to spend on UFC we’re gonna spend on WWE. They had a shot, but the thing is that if nobody said anything then people would be like whatever, but they told their affiliates that we’re going to be getting NXT and they’re not.” -Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Live. 

In my personal opinion, I believe that NXT should live on the WWE network. However, I do see the value in sharing the experience of wrestling with network television viewers. Myself, I can not wait for tonight’s episode of RAW where we will find out more information about this transition. Stay tuned for a recap tomorrow of tonight’s announcements.

Signing off, 

Nicholas Wright, Sports Broadcaster and Analyst. 

Interview With Former NHL’er and now High School Coach, Shawn McEachern

For many Ottawa Senators hockey fans, the 1996-97 NHL playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres is an unforgettable one. For my younger readers, let me explain one of my strongest memories as a Sens fan. The 7th seed Ottawa Senators took on the 2nd seed Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals. It was a classic very hard back and fourth series. They were in overtime in game 7, just one goal away from pulling off a major upset against their heavily favoured opponent. Sens star centre Alexei Yashin was taking a face off in the Ottawa zone. When he won it, the puck slipped by an unsuspecting Ron Tugnutt, the Sens number 1 goalie in the playoffs. So the series tragically ends with Alexei Yashin putting the puck in his own net. It’s a memory and a dramatic Sens moment that I will never forget.  

I had the pleasure of interviewing Shawn McEachern, the Sens right winger who got two goals in that series. Shawn had an impressive 13-year NHL career. Over that span, he netted 254 goals and got 317 assists for an impressive 571 points. I hope you enjoy my interview with Shawn, a really nice guy who has only fond memories of his time with the Sens. 

1. Do you have special takeaways from your ‘96-97 season with the Sens since it was such a pivotal season for the franchise?                                                                             

(Shawn) 1996-97 was my first season in Ottawa.  Sports Illustrated had called the Senators the worst franchise in sports! We had a great group of guys on the team, a blue collar group.  Jacques Martin, Craig Ramsey and Perry Pearn were really good coaches.  We played a team game and got it rolling -- and made the playoffs in the last game of the season!  Still one of the most fun seasons I had in the NHL. The city of Ottawa was so excited, the atmosphere for the 1st playoff game was crazy. Just a great time to play for the Sens.

2.  What were your thoughts on Palladium/Corel Centre, as it was known back in ‘96, when it                was first opened and was a fresh new build?

     

(Shawn) The building was great! One of the best in the NHL at the time. I really enjoyed living in Kanata and driving a few miles to the rink everyday.

3.  What were your feelings about (Coach) Jacques Martin? As he was in my view a driving force in their improvement through ‘96-2001. 

(Shawn) Jacques was one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for.  He was low key but really knew the game.  I use a lot of what I learned from Jacques today with the team that I am coaching.  I’m not surprised Pittsburgh has had success with Jacques on their coaching staff.  He’s also a good person.

4.  Was there anything you struggled with or were frustrated with while playing with the Sens that you’d like to share? Or any significant struggles you had in your hockey career?  

(Shawn) I think everyone has struggles in their career. Playing hockey in the NHL is so much fun.  But it's also very competitive.  Playing in a Canadian market there’s more pressure to perform. I loved that about Ottawa! But when you slump, it’s front page news -- so it can be tough, but that's what we signed up for.  

5.  Do you have any suggestions for the Sens this season as they seem to be faltering a bit?

(Shawn) I don't follow the Sens that much but I do root for them and especially Brady Tkachuk.  His Dad was my line mate at Boston University and Brady played at Boston University so I look to see how he's doing.

6.  How did you find your transition from NHL to being a coach at a private school? Were there lessons you learned in the NHL that you pass along to your players today?

(Shawn) I pass along everything I learned from the coaches I played for and players I played with in the NHL.  It's been a great transition and a fun way to stay in the game.  

Interviewing Former NHL’er Blake Dunlop

 Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Blake Dunlop. Recognize the name? If not, here’s some info about him. 

 Blake Dunlop was born in 1953 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in the Ottawa area. Blake was an outstanding hockey player, he played four season with the Ottawa 67’s, leading the league in points in the 1972-73 season. In the 1973 NHL draft, he was picked 18th overall by the Minnesota North Stars. After being traded the the St. Louis Blues in 1979, Blake started to experience his most successful NHL years. After five great years with the Blues, Blake was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he would retire after one season with them in 1984. Throughout his career Blake played 550 NHL games, getting 130 goals  and 274 assist for an impressive 404 career NHL points. 

 I’d like to thank Blake for taking the time to answer these question for me, it is greatly appreciated. Now sit back, relax, maybe grab a coffee (or another beverage...) and enjoy the interview. 

1- Many NHL players give a lot of credit to family members or influential coaches that helped them become the player they are today. Do you have anyone that made a big impact in your hockey career? 

(Blake) Yes, there are always a number of people who become instrumental in you development and opportunity. Starting as a youngster it was my parents who gave me the introduction to hockey and also provided the time, energy and finances necessary to travel and compete not only in Ottawa where i grew up but across Ontario and Quebec as well. Then it was an individual, Grant Macintosh that provided the funding for the team I played for from Pee Wee up to the local JR.A level, affording me the place to show and develop my skills. Bill Long, my major JR. A coach was the one who gave me the most opportunity and helped me develop into a leader and a scoring champion through the crucial growing years of age 16-19. During my professional career, Pat Quinn, Bob McCammon in Philadelphia and Red Berenson in St. Louis were the coached that taught and brought out the best in me as a player!

2- Between 1973-1978 you got shifted around quite a bit between the NHL, AHL and CHL. And then between 1980-1982 you were a point per game player with the St. Louis Blues. What kept you motivated and do you have any advice for a young player trying to make that jump to starting his NHL career?

(Blake) I had suffered a couple of serious injuries (knee, hamstring tear) early in my NHL career that held me back but I was determined to prove that I was a quality player of NHL caliber. I had great success as the MVP in the AHL so I felt with hard work and the right opportunity I could succeed. The flyers gave me that chance and from there my career blossomed even further when I was given a bigger offensive role with the blues. Persistent, hard work and dedication to hockey are the most important qualities for any young person striving to succeed. 

3- You’ve had a lot of achievements throughout your career. Being drafted 18th overall in 1973, getting the Fred. T Hunt memorial award and the Lee Cunningham award in 1978 and the Bill Masterson trophy in 1981. What would you say is your greatest achievement in hockey?

(Blake) Winning the Bill Masterson trophy and being recognized for sportsmanship perseverance and dedication to hockey in the best league in the world was a great honour for me!

4- The years you played there were some of the best players to ever hit the ice in the NHL. In the 1980-81 season you were 20th in points. How did it feel to be in the top 20 in the league alongside big names such as Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne and Mike Bossy. 

(Blake) It was exciting and rewarding for my career to finally reach that level of success that I had worked so hard to achieve and to be recognized or included with the group you mentioned was an honour. 

5- You retired after the 1983-84 season. How was life after retirement? Did you have any other goals or aspirations that you followed after you NHL career?

(Blake) Yes, I entered into the investment management business, right out of hockey in 1984 with AG Edwards and have had a very exciting, successful 34 career and counting! I have been blessed and now have my son, Connor as a partner in our thriving business. Thanks

 So there you have it! An outstanding NHL career and a great life after hockey. Thank you Blake for answering my interview question and I hope you all enjoyed it. 

Smackdown Live coming to FOX

WWE’s contract with NBC is set to expire in September 2019 and as such all other WWE shows are in search of a new home on a different network. As per reports, only RAW will be kept on the NBC Universal programming. FOX has proposed a bid to bring Smackdown Live onto their network. This partnership will result in Smackdown Live being moved to Friday nights instead of Tuesdays.

I think that this new deal with FOX is going to be great for the WWE brand, making it more accessible to greater amounts of people and increasing viewership significantly. Friday night is a very appropriate night to house a weekly time slot for a sport as rowdy as WWE. As great as I think this partnership will be, I still believe that it will come with some challenges. Smackdown Live risks being in competition with other programming. 

FOX was not the only party who made a bid to take over Smackdown Live. Another offer was made to WWE which was higher than that of FOX however, WWE agreed to partner with FOX as they believed this is the best platform to promote their brand. FOX is already partnered with other sporting leagues such as NFL and MLB. The contract between FOX and WWE is said to be worth more than $1 billion, which breaks down to $205 million a year paid to WWE. It is safe to assume that because Smackdown Live will be taking over a primetime slot Friday nights, that the show will now become a three hour episode. This is something I'm very excited about because this means that the longer the show and the more viewers who will be watching, we can anticipate that Smackdown will get a bit of a creative rejuventation which will spark and attract more viewers. 

Nick 

WWE Live Ottawa (30/04): Results

On Monday, April 30th, I made my way down to the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Canada to see my fifteenth live WWE event. This event was nowhere near a sellout. The arena was empty, the crowd quiet and the matches did not play out as advertised. However, that did not take away from the talent we saw in the ring. Here are some highlights of the night’s events.

In a Tag Team match, we saw The Bludgeon Brothers defend their Smackdown Tag Team Championship title by defeating The Usos, The New Day and Rusev Day. 

One of the most anticipated meetings was Daniel Bryan versus The Miz and this certainly did not disappoint. The Canadian Tire Centre erupted with cheer when fans saw Daniel Bryan return to the ring. It was a hard fought battle between the two superstars, but Bryan brought his A game and destroyed The Miz.

For the main event, AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy teamed up against Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe. It was clear from the moment the match began that AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy were obviously the team to beat. They came out into the ring full of momentum and competition which ultimately ended with Nakamura and Samoa Joe being defeated.

All in all, the WWE Live in Ottawa was a great show to attend. Seeing all of the talent up close and in my home city was thoroughly exciting. As per usual, this night was definitely filled with the superstar talent and enthusiastic aggression that all fans come out to see. As disappointed as I was with the lack of attendance and the dull crowd, it does not take away from the thrilling experience WWE promises!

Until next time, 

Nick 

WWE Live Ottawa

Tonight, the WWE is headed to Canada’s capital city and my hometown of Ottawa. It’s been almost two years since I last took in a live WWE event and I am really excited to get back to it tonight. 

The lineup for tonight’s show looks pretty great. They have announced three of the matches so far. First, there is a triple threat match with Aj Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe competing for the WWE Championship. With these three wrestlers in the ring it will surely be an entertaining match. Next up, we have Daniel Bryan versus The Miz. These two have built up quite a rivalry over the years and with Daniel Bryan recently returning to the ring, I am excited to see how it translates in the squared circle. In the third match that has been announced so far, for the US championship, Jeff Hardy takes on Rusev. I will be purchasing a Happy Rusev Day t-shirt this evening. I am very excited to see Jeff Hardy in the ring again. Growing up as a wrestling fan in the attitude era, every time Jeff Hardy competed, he aways left me amazed with his in ring performance. This match already has me feeling nostalgic. Can’t wait to see how it goes down. 

 Other superstars scheduled to make appearances tonight are The New Day, Charlotte, Carmella (Smackdown Women’s Champion), and Smack Tag Team champions Bludgeon. 

The show starts at 7:30 pm at Canadian Tire Centre and I hope that it will live up to my expectations!

I will give a full run down of tonights live event in a blog post featured on Wednesday - so stay tuned!

Nick

Letter to the England Football Association re FIFA 2018

Hey everyone,

I'm really excited for the FIFA 2018 in Russia. Check out this email I sent to the England Football Association and let me know what you think.

Dear Sir or Madam,

First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Nicholas Wright. I currently live in Ottawa, Canada. But for 10 years when I was growing up, London, England was my home while my father was working as a diplomat for Canada in your capital city. During that time in Britain, I developed a passion for the “Beautiful Game” of football, and especially for the glorious England team. I have followed their ups [and downs] over the years, and still proudly wear England`s fair colours when I watch their matches on television at home or in one of our sports pubs in Ottawa. Not the same of course as being in England, but football is much loved in Canada and it is growing in popularity with each passing year. And as a diehard England fan, I remain hopeful that The Three Lions team can return to its rightful place at the top of international football. 

Against this background, I am writing about the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia this summer. This will be an important time for England to start to reclaim its international leadership. I am following closely the careful selection process for the England team. I am a great fan of the fine coach, Gareth Southgate, and wish him well in this important endeavour. And I would be grateful if my views on the player selection could be made available to the coach and his able staff. Personally I think Mr. Southgate has done a nice job thus far in selecting players for the 23 man squad. Many of Mr Southgate`s choices I agree with. But [apologies] there may be a few with which I take exception. As an avid football fan, I have gone through Mr. Southgate’s picks so far, and respectfully offer the following thoughts. 

 On the plane

My choices:  Harry Kane, Raheem stirling, Eric dier, phil Jones, Marcus rash ford, John stones, Ryan Bertrand

Other choices: Dele Alli, Jordan Henderson, Kyle walker, Jamie Vardy, Joe hart, jack butland.

In contention: 

My choices: Gary Cahill, Adam lallana, Danny rose, fraser Forster, Mic hael Keane, Jake Livermore, Jesse lingard, jermaine Defoe, Harry Maguire,  Danny wellbeck, Kieran tripper.

Other choices: Jordan Pickford, Daniel sturridge, Fabian Delph, 

At risk: 

My choices:  Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 

Other choices: Chris smalling, theo Walcott, Nathaniel clyne, 

Outside bets:

My choices: Harry winks, Nathaniel chaloba, Aaron cresswell,  Phil jagielka, 

Other choices: Ross Barkley, Danny drinkwater, jack wilshere, Tom Heaton , michail Antonio

Missing out:

My choices: Ben Gibson, android Townsend 

Other choices: Luke shaw 

Thank you for your consideration. I remain confident that Mr. Southgate’s finalized squad will be a terrific one. We all have wonderful memories of past England glories, but it has been far too many years since the England team has been able to shoulder proudly a championship cup. One of my saddest football memories was England`s devastating loss to Germany in 1996 and I want to be able banish that memory as a result of a winning performance in Russia this summer. For your information, I plan to be writing regular posts on my sports blog — The Sports Ambassador (thehockeyambassador.blogspot.ca) — in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup Championships. And rest assured that I will be rooting for England and for Mr Southgate`s squad. Any information that you can provide me to help me with my blog would be appreciated. I have provided my full mailing address below.  

Go England Go!

Your faithfully, 

Nicholas Wright

The Sports Ambassador