THE WRESTLING REPORT

WWE is making changes on the eve of the big move

Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio, Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio shows www.nerdthugradio.com!

NXT kicked off singing its own praises, letting everyone know how good they did last week. They opened with a good match featuring a large guy by the named of Keith Lee, who has some moves for a big dude. NXT has stayed consistent with WWE's devotion to promoting the women athletes with the second match being a great women's match where Dakota Kai coming back from an injury. Finishing up with a great street fight where Matt Riddle came out on top, the thing you notice about NXT that you don't see in the rest of WWE is they're delivering matches and not promos. This is the way to sell a new brand.

WWE launched into their new season with Brock Lesnar going to the old bag of tricks of throwing around people smaller than him. It's one of my least favorite bits, attacking the son of Rey Mysterio, adding an extra dramatic element to things. I know they needed to build up Sasha Banks but having her beat Alexa Bliss one on one without interference is annoying. Heavy Machinery losing to Roode and Zigler is a surprise considering how they've been building them up but maybe this is the start of a new rivalry. Watching Ric Flair and Hulk troll the fans before announcing their 5 on 5 match at Crown Jewel, was painful, these guys are done although they did finally give Randy Orton something to do. Also, quick question, is Seth Rollins the only guy who works here?

With Smackdown moving to Fridays on Fox Sports there isn't as much on this week to talk about yet although Raw's new looks were pretty sweet. It's always interesting to see what changes get made season to season and it'll be more interesting to see the tone that Smackdown goes for this Friday on its new home FS1.

Feel free to check out my brand-new comic book Another Day at the Office email me for details or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.

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The Coogs play Miami on Friday night. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Number one seed University of Houston is favored by 7.5 points over No. 5 Miami, and No. 2 University of Texas is favored by 4 over No. 3 Xavier Friday night in the Midwest Regional semifinals in Kansas City.

Talk about opening acts. If both UH and UT win, they’ll meet Sunday in a good ol’ WWE-style Texas death match for a berth in the Final Four at NRG Stadium in Houston. Thank you, Mr. Schedule Maker.

How much do you think Cougar fans would love for UH to get their hands on the Longhorns with so much at stake?

For one example, let’s go back to the future, Oct. 21, 2023, when Big 12 rivals UH and UT meet in football at TDECU Stadium on the Houston campus. The game already is a lock sellout with tickets in the upper deck commanding $141 per ticket on the secondary market. It will be UH’s first year in the big boy Big 12 and UT’s last go-around before heading to the SEC.

One last opportunity for lasting bragging rights.

That’s for a UH football game. At home. Where the Cougars typically have trouble packing half the house. For example, the Cougars will be hosting the Sam Houston Bearkats at TDECU Stadium a month earlier. Tickets for that game, the same exact seat going for $141 against UT, can be had right now … $17.

Yeah, there’s something special about UH getting the opportunity to face UT. In anything. Anywhere. And it’s been a long time since the two teams, once co-members of the Southwest Conference together, have met on the basketball court. A full decade, in fact. The last time they played was March 20, 2013 with the Cougars prevailing 73-72 in something called the College Basketball Invitational. The UH coach was James Dickey. UT was coached by Rick Barnes. Joe Young led the Cougars with 18 points. The Horns’ leading scorer was Julien Lewis with 28. UH finished that season with a 20-13 record. UT limped home at 16-18.

That was then, this is now. The UH-Miami game will air at 6:10 p.m. Friday on CBS with UH grad Jim Nantz calling the play-by-play. The game will alsO stream on Hulu +++. ESPN’s BPI (basketball power index) gives the Cougars a 90 percent chance of winning. We’ll take it.

The UT-Xavier game will follow at 8:45 p.m. on CBS. The Horns have a 70 percent chance of beating the Musketeers. If both chalks come through, they’ll meet Sunday afternoon with the game on CBS.

The Cougars have made six Final Four appearances: 1967, 1968, 1982, 1983, 1984, 2021. The Horns have made three Final Fours, the last time two decades ago.

Here’s the only sure bet if UH and UT meet Sunday - get to your sports bar early if you want a seat. This could be memorable.

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