ROSEANNE REBOOT HITS 25 MILLION VIEWERS

After two decades off the air, the Roseanne Show returned to ABC last Tuesday with over 18 million viewers tuning in according to DEADLINE. The show had the best ratings for any sitcom in over four years and it has been renewed for another season. Now, The Hollywood Reporter is saying that with time shift technology with Nielsen that added over six million additional viewers giving the hit show 25 million viewers. The Roseanne Show was always known for tackling tough subjects such as domestic violence and now they are looking at a middle class family divided by the election of Donald Trump.

Donald Trump has a strong connection to The Roseanne Show. When Donald Trump won the Presidency in 2016 the executives at ABC began to look at how they can better serve their audience according to The New York Times. ABC realized that their was an audience that was being under served and they brought back Roseanne to appeal to the middle class working family that Trump appealed to win the presidency. 

With the ratings success of Roseanne other networks are looking at bringing back past shows that viewers loved. CBS is already planning on airing a Murphy Brown reboot. It will be interesting to see if that show will reach the same heights as Roseanne. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

CONAN THE BARBARIAN TV SERIES BEING DEVELOPED AT AMAZON

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan The Barbarian

Its been 20 years since Conan appeared on television but now Amazon is developing a new drama series based on the cimmerian warrior according to TVLine. Conan was created in the 1930's by Robert E. Howard but he was made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1982 film, Conan The Barbarian and its sequel in 1984, Conan The Destroyer. Amazon is making great strides in improving its programming slate. 

In January, Variety reported that Amazon cancelled I Love Dick, One Mississippi, and Jean Claude Van Johnson in order to find series that are bigger and broader that may perform well internationally like Game of Thrones. In fact Miguel Sapochnik who has directed several Game of Thrones episodes will direct this adaptation of Conan. It seems that Amazon thinks that this Conan series could fill the gap that Game of Thrones leaves after its final season in 2019. 

Netflix is also looking to capitalize on the Game of Thrones void with The Witcher, a TV series based on books by Andrzej Sapkowski according to Forbes. It will be interesting to see which of the two adaptations has the biggest appeal to mainstream audiences. Conan might have the edge due to its established brand identity.

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

RONDA ROUSEY JOINS WWE

RONDA ROUSEY

Following weeks of rumors, Ronda Rousey made her official debut for the WWE last Sunday at the Royal Rumble as reported by Sports Illustrated. Rousey came out to the ring and pointed at the Wrestlemania sign as Stephanie McMahon and Asuka stood in the ring. 

Ronda Rousey is a former UFC and Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight champion. Her win-loss record stands at 12-2 with her last two fights ending in losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. Since her departure from MMA, the UFC  has been searching for the next mainstream star of the Women's division.

WWE looks to capitalize on Ronda Rousey's mainstream appeal in order to increase their brand awareness and audience size. With the mainstream press they have received since her debut, it seems to be working. It will be interesting to see how WWE markets Rousey in the current state of the WWE Women's Division. Personally, I would like to see Ronda as a  brash, cocky villain similar to her idol Rowdy Roddy Piper when he was in  the WWE in the mid 1980's fighting Hulk Hogan.

Ronda Rousey is a great addition to WWE and should supply some very memorable moments if she is showcased in the proper light. Only time will tell. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

THE DUDLEY BOYZ WILL BE INDUCTED IN THE WWE HALL OF FAME 2018

THE DUDLEY BOYZ

This past Monday night on WWE RAW, it was announced that The Dudley Boyz would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018 as Cageside Seats reported. The Dudley Boyz hve won titles in every wrestling promotion they have been in including WWE, ECW, IWGP, and Impact Wrestling. 

The Dudley Boyz started in ECW where Paul Heyman put them together in 1996. The Dudley Boyz rose to become the longest tenured and best tag team in ECW defeating The Gangstas, The Eliminators, and legends like Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman. After winning the tag team titles 8 times in ECW, The Dudley Boyz moved onto the WWE.

In 1999, The Dudley Boyz debuted in WWE. This is where they would have their greatest success with feuds against The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian. Their TLC (Tables, Ladders, and Chairs) matches at Summerslam 2000 and Wrestlemania 17 in 2001 revolutionized the tag team division and made the participants legends. 

The Dudley Boyz are legends in this business and deserve to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. They have given legions of fans memories that will last a lifetime. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

GOLDBERG: WWE HALL OF FAME BOUND

BILL GOLDBERG AS WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPION

Bill Goldberg will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018 according to ESPN. Goldberg is one of the most recognized names in wrestling. He was a top attraction for WCW in the late 90's during the Monday Night Wars. Goldberg's career started in WCW (World Championship Wrestling) in 1997 where he began a winning streak that lasted for a over a year. Goldberg won many titles in WCW including the U.S. and Tag Team titles. Goldberg's biggest moment in WCW occurred when he defeated Hulk Hogan for the WCW World title in the summer of 1998.

When WWE bought WCW in 2001, many fans waited for the day when Goldberg would enter WWE. Goldberg debuted in WWE in 2003 and had feuds with The Rock and Chris Jericho. Goldberg would defeat Triple H for the World title. Goldberg's run with WWE would culminate in 2004 with a feud with Brock Lesnar, with Goldberg beating Lesnar at Wrestlemania 20. This would be Goldberg's last match for over a decade.

In 2016, Goldberg returned to WWE and feuded with Brock Lesnar. He defeated Lesnar at Survivor Series in one minute and 26 seconds reminiscent of his WCW win streak. Goldberg would go on to defeat Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal title at WWE Fastlane. Brock Lesnar would defeat Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33 and win the WWE Universal title. 

Goldberg has had an incredible career and has given fans many exciting memories. The WWE Hall of Fame has gained an amazing superstar and it will be interesting to see who joins Goldberg in the 2018 Hall of Fame class. 

Class Dismissed, 

The Professor

THREE REASONS WHY SAMOA JOE SHOULD WIN THE ROYAL RUMBLE

SAMOA JOE

On Monday Night Raw this week Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns engaged in an intense battle over the Intercontinental Championship. In the end Reigns came away with the victory after he speared Samoa Joe. As a fan I was disappointed. I was hoping Joe would win the title and continue his feud with Roman Reigns. Then I thought of an interesting idea: What if Samoa Joe wins the Royal Rumble?

1. SAMOA JOE WOULD FACE BROCK LESNAR AGAIN


Brock Lesnar

Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar have faced off before and Brock beat him. If Joe wins the Royal Rumble then he will face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. Brock and Joe have a great chemistry as both can use MMA in their wrestling match. At Wrestlemania someone like Kane or Braun Strowman could interfere and cost Brock the title. Samoa Joe would be Universal champion and could continue his feud with Roman Reigns. 

2. ROMAN REIGNS NEEDS SAMOA JOE AS A RIVAL


Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is currently the Intercontinental Champion. Just this past Monday he defeated Samoa Joe in a title match. Joe and Reigns always have intense matches and you believe that they despise each other. If Reigns is eliminated from the Rumble by someone like John Cena and Joe wins the Rumble and the Universal title at Wrestlemania then he would have an advantage over Reigns. Reigns chasing Joe for the Universal title could be very interesting. 

3. SAMOA JOE VS BRAUN STROWMAN WOULD BE EPIC

Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman has become one of the most popular attractions in WWE. Strowman uses his power to destroy opponents in minutes much like Goldberg did in WCW. With Samoa Joe's knowledge of MMA he could easily make fans believe that he could beat Braun. If Joe was the Universal Champion and Strowman chased him for the title and won it then it would be a great moment in WWE history. 

Samoa Joe is one of the most unique wrestlers in history. He is a hybrid wrestler that uses MMA techniques in his matches. If Joe were to win the Royal Rumble and then the Universal title at Wrestlemania, WWE would create a new star. This is just some fantasy booking but I would love to see it happen. Only time will tell. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday.

THE PROFESSOR