When it comes to pop culture phenomenons, so much of it is about being in the right place at the right time. The smash hit Netflix series Tiger King, for example, benefited tremendously from perfect timing when it landed on the streaming service just as millions around the world were sheltering in place amid the coronavirus outbreak.
ESPN likewise saw an opportunity with their upcoming docuseries, The Last Dance, about Michael Jordan and the 1997-1998 Chicago Bulls. It was originally set to air in early June during the NBA Finals, but after fans mobilized on social media to move up the premier date — with a little nudge from LeBron James — the producers opted for a much earlier release.
Of course, that wasn’t without its obstacles. Director Jason Hehir and his production crew had only completed three of the 10 episodes at the time, and the quarantine presented a logistical nightmare as they were forced to conduct editorial meetings via Zoom and edit the episodes in five different locations, sharing their work with one another via Vimeo.
According to Arash Markazi of The Los Angeles Times, they’re still in the process of finishing up the final two episodes.
Hehir believed he could finish the final episode by mid-May, so airing one episode per week for 10 weeks was discussed before the decision was made to premiere on April 19 and close on May 17, with two episodes airing every Sunday.
Contrary to the usual practice of having an entire series complete before it debuts, work on episode 9 was finished Friday and the final is scheduled to be done by May 10, as viewers watch episodes 7 and 8.
So far, the first four episodes have been a mega-hit with fans as the series offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the iconic figures that comprised one of the most compelling sports teams of all-time, in the process managing to rekindle some bitter and long-simmering rivalries between the Bulls and Pistons of the era.
With six more episodes still to come and so much story left to tell, there’s plenty to look forward to, and Hehir has assured us that there’s a number of surprises in store. Editing on the fly like this probably isn’t the most ideal way to finish a project like this, but through the first two weeks of the event, it’s been an unmitigated success.
Love them or hate them (and there’s plenty of reasons for the latter these days), no one can argue that WWE has been trying to think outside the box since the COVID-19 outbreak has put the kibosh on their traditional wrestling model. We’ve had Boneyard Matches and Firefly Funhouse Matches, plus plenty of empty-arena anti-comedy (remember 3:16 Day? You’re better off not).
Keeping in this tradition, WWE has already announced that this year’s Money In The Bank ladder matches will take place inside (and on top of) WWE’s corporate headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. But during tonight’s episode of Smackdown, Michael Cole made an even bigger announcement: Both the men’s and women’s MITB ladder matches will take place at the exact same time.
Your
don’t deceive you.
For the first time ever, the Men’s and Women’s #MITB Ladder Matches will be happening SIMULTANEOUSLY! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/iF4abSludy
— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2020
That’s right: When the bell rings (or hell, maybe there will be a starter pistol or something — why not?), 12 competitors will begin the mad dash through the lobby of WWE headquarters, headed toward the rooftop where two Money In The Bank briefcases will be suspended. Here are the currently announced participants of the matches:
- Asuka
- Shayna Baszler
- Nia Jax
- Carmella
- Dana Brooke
- Lacey Evans
- Otis
- Daniel Bryan
- Rey Mysterio
- Baron Corbin
- Aleister Black
One final male competitor will be added to the match this Monday on Raw. It will probably be Triple H, because why not? (He probably has access to a special elevator that takes him right to the rooftop or something.)
With both matches taking place simultaneously, there’s a legitimate chance we could see intergender combat, a rarity in WWE. I for one would love to watch Shayna Baszler choke out Baron Corbin, or Otis and Nia Jax furiously bumping as they try to push through a narrow doorway. How insane will this actually be? We’ll all find out on Sunday, May 10.
Here are your quick and dirty, editorial-free WWE Friday Night Smackdown results for May 1, 2020. This week’s show featured the rare occurrence of champions being pinned in a non-title match, as well as two Money in the Bank qualifiers, Daniel Bryan vs. King Corbin, and more. Make sure you’re here tomorrow for the complete Best and Worst of Friday Night Smackdown column.
WWE Friday Night Smackdown Results:
1. Daniel Bryan defeated King Corbin. Before the match, Bryan cut a passionate promo about being hungry and wanting to win Money in the Bank. Bryan defeated Corbin by disqualification when Corbin hit him with a ladder. After the match, Bryan briefly got the Yes Lock on Corbin, but Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro attacked and tossed Bryan into a pile of ladders.
– Bray Wyatt interrupted Braun Strowman with a Firefly Funhouse about black sheep.
2. Sheamus defeated Leon Ruff with a Brogue Kick. Sheamus wasn’t impressed with the latest Jeff Hardy video, and said he’ll be here when Hardy returns to Smackdown next week.
3. Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Carmella defeated Mandy Rose with a superkick after a long promo distraction from Sonya Deville. After the match, Sonya attacked and screamed at Mandy.
4. The Forgotten Sons defeated New Day with help from Jaxson Ryker. Miz and Morrison were on commentary. The Forgotten Sons have pinned the Smackdown Tag Team Champions!
– A Tamina interview was cut short by Sasha Banks and an attack from Bayley. Lacey Evans made the save. Next week it’ll be Tamina and Evans vs. Banks and Bayley.
5. Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Otis defeated Dolph Ziggler. Otis hit the Caterpillar on Ziggler to win the match.
The NBA season may currently be on hold as the world tries to stem the spread of COVID-19, but that won’t stop teams from doing a little future-scaping for when everything inevitably gets back underway. Now is actually the perfect time for teams to re-evaluate their long-term plans.
Any and all transactions have likewise been suspended while the league is on hiatus, but front offices are undoubtedly doing their due diligence when it comes to personnel decisions that will need to be addressed eventually. Count the Indiana Pacers among those who will face some tough decisions in that department.
That specifically refers to Victor Oladipo, who before the shutdown had failed to come to terms on a contract extension on his current deal, which would expire at the end of next season. The team is already close to being capped out with their current roster, and Oladipo could end up being a casualty of financial prudence.
According to Ian Begley of theKnicksBlog, the Knicks are among several teams who could make a push for Oladipo if he should become available.
Per SNY sources, at one point in the extension talk between the club and Oladipo, the idea of a four-year extension for around $80 million was broached. Discussions about an extension didn’t progress much from there, sources said.
***
The Knicks, Nets and plenty of other teams are in position to be aggressive if a player of Oladipo’s caliber becomes available via trade.
Oladipo had been sidelined for more than a year after recovering from a ruptured quadriceps tendon. He had made his long-awaited return to action for the Pacers in January and was still working his way back to from before the season was put on pause in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
He’s been using his time in quarantine to continue his training and focus on some of his favorite hobbies, like fashion and ping pong.
As states across the country start making the initial steps toward reopening their economies and loosening their social distancing protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA and other pro sports leagues still face an uphill battle in their bid to try and resume their current seasons and plan for the future.
The NBA has continued to explore the logistical nightmare of playing its remaining regular-season games and/or postseason under quarantine, estimating on Friday that it would include up to 1,500 people who would have to be sequestered in a single locale to just for the games to happen with a bare minimum of personnel.
The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando has been floated as a potential solution, as the Wide World of Sports has the facilities to make it happen and the theme park features enough hotel space to house everyone involved. Still, there’s no clear path on how or when this might happen as spring slowly turns to summer.
Amid all the uncertainty, the league’s board of governors are reportedly preparing to delay the start of next season until potentially December, regardless of whether the current season continues. And that also doesn’t factor into whether fans will be able to return. Via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
If this season is resumed and completed sometime in September — or even October — the delay of the 2020-2021 season is inevitable.
Talks have been centered on a season that would start prior to Christmas and extend into late July/early August. The NBA draft and free agency would follow the end of the season.
On Friday, the league announced that it was postponing the NBA Draft Lottery and Draft Combine, both of which were scheduled for May. There’s been no official word on the Draft itself, which is usually in late June, following what would’ve been the NBA Finals.
(ESPN)