The 5 News Week: WWE Backstage. Cancelled Or Nah?, Liv Morgan's Re-Debut Was Supposed To Be Different!?

I'm back on my BS because it's The 5 News Week where I report on the 5 major or minor news of the week hence the name "The 5 News Week". 

Sorry for the week of absence. I took a week off of social media (except YouTube) due to the sadness I felt when reading those brave women and men tell their stories about the awful, terrible experiences they've had after their interactions with notable people in the industry. 

It made me question my fandom and whether I should be in the industry (wrestling media-wise) knowing that they are asshats that will take an advantage on people for no reason other than more power and control. 

This week proves that the business needs to wash all the old tropes that make it harder for people to express what's really going on especially when it pertains to serious issues like sexual assault, racism, sexism etc. 

I'm hoping that those stories will lead to a sudden change in every aspect of this profession and other professions in general because this is something that we shouldn't avoid. 

Sarah Logan Leaves Pro Wrestling. 

Sarah Logan was last seen on television losing a women's Money In The Bank qualifying match against Shayna Baszler, the same Baszler that hasn't been seen on RAW in months but that's a different story. 

Unfortunately, she ain't coming back to WWE or professional wrestling for that matter because she has announced on her Instagram that she is leaving wrestling. 

What is she doing next? Probably creating more content on "The Wild And Free TV" which is Logan and her husband's (Erik from The Viking Raiders) YouTube channel. 

She is one of those performers that we didn't get to see her biggest potential being shown in my opinion. I hope she prevails in what she does next. 

WWE Backstage. Cancelled or Nah? 

Let's get into the main course of this article. Fox Sports' only wrestling program, WWE Backstage has indeed been cancelled………….. as a weekly show. Let me explain what I mean by that. 

From John Ourand over at The Sports Business Journal (credit to AwfulAnnoucing), The Fox corporate overlords have been "scaling back production" on their boxing, football (soccer for all of my North Americans) WWE shows. 

As a result of that decision, a significant number of employees and producers lost their jobs. 

Mike Johnson of PWInsider added in a separate report that the show is only going to be used for "special programming down the line". 

Meanwhile, Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Newsletter mentioned that the cancellation of Fox's weekly WWE coverage had nothing to do with the current pandemic and it more had to do with the ratings. 

Some of the talent involved on WWE Backstage had commented on the news like Booker T, Ryan Satin, Renee Young. 

So, to answer the question from the title above, it is cancelled as a weekly program (No sh*t, Omar). 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I've not seen WWE itself promote the show on RAW, Smackdown and NXT as of late. 

I feel so sorry for Renee Young. Well wishes to her and hoping that she recovers from COVID-19. 

Liv Morgan's Re-Debut Was Supposed To Be Different!? 

Ever since her reappearance on Monday Nights, Liv Morgan's role has been all over the place. 

One week, you see her in what it looks like a prominent storyline and the next week, the story magically concludes itself (by that I mean, the story hasn't been acknowledged). 

She came back to WWE on the last RAW segment of the 2010s by involving herself in a disaster that is the Bobby Lashley and Lana wedding scene.  

Gary Cassidy of Sportskeeda (who has been doing a great job covering exclusive stories), basically said in a tweet thread that Paul Heyman's ideas on Liv Morgan's re-debut were all declined by Vince McMahon except the wedding angle. 

Cassidy went on to say that the twist of Morgan having feelings for Lana wasn't something that Heyman wanted. 

The reason why he wanted to put Liv in that storyline was so that Morgan would use Lana's heel heat as a way to further build her as a babyface. 

I could be wrong but reading the series of tweets, it assumes that Heyman had a bigger vision for Liv Morgan's babyface run. 

She did become a face quickly by aligning with Rusev but Heyman's reported vision fell flat in my opinion which it happens when you're in a creative field ya know. 

Pro Wrestling Teets Has Nancy Benoit Shirts On Sale. 

The Toffoloni family has now Nancy Beniot merch out on Pro Wrestling Teets that was a collaborative effort by the family, Pro Wrestling Teets and Dark Side Of The Ring. 

Shout out to the graphic designers that did this because those designs look amazing. 

Naomi On Pitching The Glow Character Two Years Earlier. 

Naomi recently spoke with Civilian Magazine and during the interview, the former 2-time women's champion revealed how long it took her to pitch the glow character:

"It took me two years to get that on TV. I had been pitching it literally for two years,” she shares. “I just knew that was me, and that was what kind of set me apart.”

Naomi's current utilization in WWE scratches my head. Her return at this year's Royal Rumble was so popular that it had Black Twitter talking. 

There was even a non-wrestling fan that made a Naomi artwork because of what that person saw. 

That right there is the power of representation in media and the fact that WWE didn't keep the water boiling speaks volumes. 

Because of it, it actually turned out to be one of the most missed booking opportunities in recent memory. Rant over. 


What do you think about the news I just reported and follow me on the tweets @omartheplayaguy. Anyways, stay safe smarks.