Daily Update: AEW Worlds End notes, Roland Bock, Chris Jericho

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer is up on the site covering the follow topics:

  • The story of John Cena’s retirement, the finish, the reaction, what WWE did and didn’t expect and thoughts on why they did what they did and why judging it now makes little sense in the big picture. We look at different aspects of the decision making and the fallacy of the “time-honored tradition phrasing here. We look at where Cena viably stands among the greats, the show itself, and Cena’s legacy.
  • We look at the post-match and post-show reaction, Paul Levesque and also look at the history of retirement matches with the biggest names in the history of the business. This is a real history lesson about what really is the tradition.
  • We have a story on Wrestle Kingdom’s card, why it turned out this way, as well as the finals of the New Japan tag team tournament.
  • We update the WBD sale story with the latest on Netflix and Paramount, just how strongly WBD publicly viewed the Paramount offer in a negative way and more
  • We run down the 2025 Tokyo Sports pro wrestling awards, with the winners, why they won, how the voting went, the nature of the voting and more in a year Saya Kamitani became the first woman wrestler to win MVP
  • A look at the retirement show and the career of El Hijo del Santo, the Santo gimmick, the cultural significance of the Santo name, Santo Jr, and notes on Santo’s career and most famous matches
  • We update the Continental Classic and Worlds Collide with business updates as well.
  • We look at the odds for upcoming matches
  • We look at the careers of Solomon Grundy, Miss Janeth and Ricky Romero Jr/Ricky Youngblood
  • We have the most detailed look at the television ratings of all the wrestling shows this past week as well as placings, comparisons and more, as well as an explanation of what the annual drops actually mean.
  • We look at another week of sellouts in CMLL, including the big Friday show and the Mistico vs Soberano feud
  • We look at Guerra de Titanes from AAA
  • We look at the financials from Cyberfight and what wrestler in specific they credited a better economic year to
  • Yota Tsuji talks the future of New Japan
  • What pro wrestling events in Japan were the most streamed in 2025
  • Update on Andrade
  • Former WWE tag champ going into Bare Knuckle boxing
  • Major AEW overseas ratings growth
  • Ticket sales to upcoming WWE and AEW shows
  • Chris Jericho update
  • Injury updates
  • Ilia Topuria marriage issues slows down career
  • An appeal by TKO on judge’s ruling about current fighter contracts
  • Notes on Paul vs. Joshua
  • Mick Foley breaks ties with WWE over Trump
  • TKO stock skyrockets
  • NXT Awards

This Week’s Back Issue

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Sunday Update

Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho

— We only had one weekend show which was last night’s show covering Worlds End with Bryan. We’ll be back tomorrow night talking about the news.

— The new issue of the Observer is up on the site today. Sorry for the delay but there were a number of things having to do with Christmas travel and the weather that basically cost me a full day. But it’s a very heavy issue with two major stories, one on AEW going forward business wise and the many key aspects of media rights and different ways it can go in 2027. The other is a story on Roland Bock, who had one of the most famous pro wrestling matches of the 70s with Antonio Inoki, the famed Stuttgart Massacre, and was one of the most intriguing and controversial pro wrestlers of that era.

*Where AEW stands today, and the key out of the ring and out of their hands challenges that will face them between now and the end of 2027

*AEW’s ratings growth outside the U.S. this past year

*AEW’s television ratings decline with the different factors involved

*Key aspects of the WBD sale and what it means to AEW

*What AEW didn’t do in 2025 as far as new deals that were talked about one year ago

*Estimating using different methods how many U.S. viewers AEW Dynamite really gets

*How things have changed greatly in the past year

*Business of AEW Worlds End

*Gambling odds for matches

*A look at AAA Guerra de Titanes, one of WWE’s best shows of the  year

*Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul and business numbers and record level manipulation of numbers

*Ric Flair and Mike Tyson file lawsuit against former business partner

*The life and times of Roland Bock, one of the most intriguing pro wrestling characters of the 1970s, his famous matches with Antonio Inoki, the reality of those matches, his tough guy reputation, the legendary tough guy whose career he ended and just how different pro wrestling was back then.  We go from being tortured as a child, to developing a street fighter rep, going to the Olympics in wrestling, his attempt to pioneer a promotional style that got big in Japan several years later, why his career didn’t explode in Japan and everything from wrestling bears to bulls

*Who is eligible for the 2025 Rookie of the Year award

*The most detailed look at the ratings over the past week

*Update on 2025 Arena Mexico attendance

*A look at CMLL Dream Match Night

*Ozawa talks awards

*WrestleKingdom updates

*A look at the life and career of Mark Wolf

*Rick Link goes into hospice care

*Jerry Lawler returns to WMC

*Grandson of Hawaiian pro wrestling legend is starting QB at USC, headed to a bowl game an an NFL prospect

*Ticket sales to upcoming WWE,AEW and TNA shows

*Lots of AEW news notes

*Jim Ross responds to DVon Dudley

*Updates on multiple lawsuits against TKO and judges concerns about evidence in two different cases

*WrestleMania ticket sales as well as the next two AEW PPV sales

— Thanks for people who commented on the Roland Bock story in the current issue. He was a very unique figure in 1970s pro wrestling as far as being a tough guy, when that sort of thing mattered. One interesting note is that Billy Robinson dismissed Bock as not being a pro wrestler (Bock in no way was a great worker although I could imagine his 1979 match with Andre the Giant would have been something to see if a tape exists), while Japanese who faced him like Kengo Kimura, Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Antonio Inoki were very complimentary. The general feeling is that he was by far the strongest wrestler (not weightlifting but man on man strength) that any of them had ever faced, and those guys all faced Andre, Hogan, The Russians like Hashimikov & Zangiev, Steve Williams, Darryl Peterson as well as other Olympic level wrestlers.  Inoki in the end  said that he liked the guy and had praise for him as a rival.  Inoki vs Bock as a feud never hit its peak after the first match due to Bock’s jail time and injuries, and physically he was too beaten down by the 90s to have a second run like Willie Williams did in using his rep from the Inoki fight for UWFi or RINGS, where matches with Takada or Maeda, if he’d agree to lose, would have meant something.

— Regarding Chris Jericho, it is accurate that his AEW deal expires on Wednesday and most expect him in WWE in January. That’s been the expectation for months but I don’t have confirmation he’s 100 percent there.

— Some notes on Worlds End and the press conference. Renee Paquette asked Tony Khan if he knew of a good dentist in the area since Jon Moxley had a tooth break in half during the match with Kyle Fletcher. Moxley did an incredible performance the entire night and his match with Fletcher was one of those uniquely dramatic matches of the year, but entirely different from Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd or Saya Kamitani vs. Tam Nakano. Khan said the PPV numbers look good. He would have the HBO MAX PPV numbers already and didn’t say it was the highest ever (Full Gear was the highest on HBO MAX).

— We’re looking for your thoughts on Worlds End, you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

— We’re also doing a poll for best match of the Continental Classic and MVP of the tournament.

— WWE from last night in Tampa, FL

  •  Rey Mysterio b Grayson Waller. They involved Diego Pavia (who placed second in the Heisman trophy race) in the finish. Waller was running down the Tampa Bay Bucs and then ran down Vanderbilt and Pavia and they teased a fight before the match. For the finish, Waller tried to walk out but Pavia and three teammates blocked the way on the ramp and he turned around  and ended up in the ring where Rey hit a 619 and splash. Vanderbilt is playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl this week in Tampa so that’s why they were in town.
  • Iyo Sky b Roxanne Perez.  Fans didn’t care about Perez. Raquel Rodriguez distracted the ref, missing Perez having Sky down for a three count.  Perez turned around and Sky rolled her up from behind. Good match.
  • Jey Uso  b Bron Breakker via DQ. Breakker hit the ref for a DQ. They were having a very good match but this was clearly a finish designed to not beat either guy.
  • Liv Morgan b Lyra  Valkyria. The crowd was totally and loudly behind Morgan. About halfway through the match when they couldn’t turn the crowd, they went with it and Morgan  worked as the face and even got the pin. I don’t know if the finish was changed but it was not smooth and the structure of the match was definitely changed by the crowd.
  • AJ Styles & Dragon Lee won a three-way over New Day and Viking Raiders to keep the tag titles. Fans didn’t react to the Vikings. Styles pinned Kingston. There was a viral moment where a fan wanted Styles to sign an AEW title belt and he nicely refused.
  • Asuka & Kairi Sane b Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss in a tag team match.  
  • Gunther b Je’Von Evans via choke and tap out.  Excellent house show match. Gunther got the biggest reaction of the show and the crowd was hot from start-to-finish. Evans got a standing ovation after.
  • CM Punk b Bronson Reed to keep the world title. Simple match with the GTS finish. Punk did a gender reveal for a fan in the front row after the match. The crowd was hotter than most shows in Tampa have been, but this drew a younger crowd. (thanks to Tyler Himes)

— We’re also looking for reports on these shows:

  • WWE house show Friday night in Baltimore
  • WWE house show last night in Pittsburgh
  • WWE house show tonight in Jacksonville
  • WWE house show tonight in Rochester, NY
  • Raw tomorrow night in Orlando, FL  (matches not on the live show only)

We’re looking for results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]

— We did hear reports from both Baltimore and  Tampa that Gunther and Je’Von Evans, who had singles matches on both shows, were doing **** matches at house shows.

— With no UFC over the weekend, or major boxing, there is very little on Google searches from the past two days. Worlds End was No. 69 for the weekend with 20,000. Joe Hendry was No. 399 with 2,000.

— Not including last night, Noah Foland in researching Observer star ratings for 2025 had Konosuke Takeshita in first place with 50 four-star matches, followed by Mascara Dorada, Mistico, Mike Bailey and Bandido.

— Tony DeVito, 53, who has been wrestling 34 years, announced his retirement last night at an ALW show in Florida due to suffering a blood clot in his eye. DeVito did WWE enhancement work in the 90s and a few times after that, but was pushed as part of Da Baldies in ECW and with HC Loc was Carnage Crew in ROH, where he at one time held the tag team titles there.  

— Dave Dwinell, a long time Northeast referee who has worked WWF shows in the past, has entered hospice care. He said that he has been suffering from Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndrome, and “sadly, treatments have been unsuccessful, my doctors have informed me that my time is very limited and that it is time for me to transition to hospice. While this is difficult news to share, please know I am at peace with it.  My life has been full and meaningful, rich with adventure, laughter, the love of my family, and the most wonderful friendships.” He wrote a book several years ago called “Ringman” about his experience as a referee.

— Today is the 72nd birthday of Tatsumi Fujinami, an all-time great Hall of Famer who is still active and wrestlers regularly. Taryn Terrel/Taryn Dryden/Tiffany turned 40 today. Rachael Ellering turns 33. Reginald Siki, not Sweet Daddy Siki but the guy the more recent Siki took his name from, was born on this day in 1899. Lanny Poffo would have been 71 today. Big Bill Dromo was 75 when he passed away 13 years ago today. (thanks to Tony Richards)

 — Defy ran its final Seattle show last night before a packed house: Cody Chhun b Judas Icarus, Amira & Eliza True & Rebel Kel b Nicole Matthews & Liiza Hall & Danika  Dalla Rouge-DQ, Guillermo Rosas won a three-way over Cole Rivera and Casey Ferreira to win the vacant Pacific Northwest title, Jack Evans b Evan Rivers, Midnight Heat b Los Suavecitos, Timothy Thatcher b Travis Williams. (thanks to Matt Farmer)

— The final Defy show is tonight in Los Angeles at The Lodge Room with Bryan Keith defending the Defy title against Thatcher in the main event.

— Arena Coliseo sold out last night with Titan & Atlantis Jr. vs. Barbaro Cavernario & Soberano Jr. and Xelhua vs. Yutani coming off last week’s Gran Alternative finals. Tonight at Arena Mexico has  Titan & Templario & Xelhua vs. Hechicero & Yutani & Barbaro Cavernario and Atlantis Jr. vs. Stuka Jr.  They had a very big advance, not so much the show but it’s a family day show over Christmas week. Tomorrow night Arena Puebla goes for its third sellout in a row with Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Atlantis Jr. vs. El Hijo del Villano III & Villano III Jr. & Soberano Jr.  I expect they’ll get it.  The show also has Asturiano  & Black Tiger &  Fuego vs. Astro & Malaya & Espirito Maligno. The losing threesome will then have a three-way match against each other and the one who loses the fall loses their hair or their mask.

— Mistico last night was working in Cordoba, Veracruz. The local newspaper ran a story on the show putting over how crazy they went when Me Muero played and Mistico & Rey Pegasus & ? (the story said Mascara Dorada but that would have been impossible) beat Averno & Euforia & Jaque Mate Jr. The show sold out.

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Dave Meltzer
Dave Meltzer

Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.