Daily Update: Fallout from UFC Freedom 250

UFC Freedom 250
UFC Freedom 250 (Image credit: UFC)

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • The story behind the settlement of the shareholders lawsuit against Vince McMahon and the WWE Board
  • Janel Grant’s lawyers agree to go to arbitration in lawsuit against WWE and McMahon
  • The whys behind all of this happening
  • What we have learned in these cases about WWE’s deal with Ari Emanuel
  • Arguments in wrestling that Paul Levesque was not responsible for the boom period
  • The reversal of the WWE decline and stopping the AEW ascent
  • The first time Dynamite beat Raw in total viewers during the same week not even including MAX numbers
  • The McMahon fake resignation story
  • The content of the letters from a still unknown person that led to the end of McMahon in WWE and Endeavor taking ver
  • Grant comments on the letters
  • What the letters seem to indicate
  • Nick Khan talks about his thoughts when the company got those letters
  • Michelle McKenna talks who should thought contacted the Wall Street Journal while others say differently
  • Frank Riddick talks his reaction to the letters
  • The time frame and ramification of the sale
  • McMahon’s side responds to the settlement
  • Why Nick Khan’s reputation was hurt based on evidence
  • Why the judge was likely to side against McMahon
  • A look at the politics of UFC at the White House.
  • Realities of White House show vs. Rousey/Carano
  • Biggest UFC number to date on Paramount
  • Insanity of comparison with the Super Bowl audience
  • A look at the show itself
  • The court fight to try and get the show stopped
  • New York Times story on Conor McGregor’s alleged PED usage and how that led to the downfall of UFC drug testing with USADA
  • A look at the big shows in two weeks, Night of Champions, Forbidden Door, Great American Bash and Slammiversary, with lineups, and business notes
  • The most detailed look at the ratings and there was a ton of news between record low for Raw and high mark for Collision
  • Ticket notes for the big shows in August and September in Mexico City
  • Mistico returns and Komander week in CMLL
  • Big shows coming up with CMLL
  • AAA TripleMania notes
  • Notes on NJPW Dominion and end of the Super Juniors tournament
  • Another gold medalist signs with RAF
  • Advance ticket sales for WWE an dAEW shows
  • Movie being prepared for UK wrestling star of the past
  • New promotional concept for pro wrestling being tired with some big names involved
  • Update on new AEW streaming ventures and MyAEW
  • Dustin Rhodes talks about his return
  • Omega talks anniversary of legendary match
  • Carano vs. Rousey hits more high-water marks
  • Why big WWE shows changed dates
  • What is next for Punk
  • WWE star being talked of for doing shoot bouts
  • Rey Mystrerio talks daughter becoming a wrestler

This Week’s Back Issue

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Monday Update

— Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about Raw, the fallout of the UFC show, Dominion, G-1 and more.

— I talked heavily about last night’s UFC show on last show’s Observer radio. The show as far as being a production and quality of fights was tremendous. The Justin Gaethje title win over Ilia Topuria is a fight of the year candidate. Lots of controversy regarding the non-stoppage after round three. The actual rule is the doctor can recommend stopping it and when they do, the refs always call the fight off. Technically the ref can overrule but when somebody says they can’t see, overruling the doctor is quite weird. I will say that I’d be close to 100 percent certain if not such a high profile title match that wouldn’t happen. But the referee does have that authority.

— There were clear lowlights, none worse than Josh Hokit saying Michelle Obama looked like a man. UFC went all over social media trying to take that stuff down. Hokit hasn’t been punished. The White House also refused to condemn him. Dana White did, however, telling Time, “I understand that the Obama’s are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families. Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.”

— The story today is now the Daniel Cormier’s Twitter account was hacked and that was the source of the tweets where supposedly Cormier put up a tweet showing a conversation with he and Eric Trump where Trump asked for gambling tips and asked Cormier if any of the fights were fixed. The tweet was taken down quickly. Cormier did post that night saying that essentially are people dumb enough to believe that. Trump claimed he never sent Cormier any messages and it was AI. Trump then deleted that message after a night of people noting that whatever it was, it wasn’t AI.

— No numbers have been released. Dana White said last night that they killed it but would let Paramount release the numbers. Based on single day numbers for yesterday, which should mean all of the Western Hemisphere, the show for some reason was listed in the movie category (a tougher category) rather than the TV show category. It was listed as the No. 2 movie on Paramount + behind Top Gun: Maverick and also behind TV shows Dutton Ranch, Marshals and Yellowstone. That would seem weird (streaming numbers often are) given I’d think there’s no way it wasn’t the top show for the day by a wide margin. The only country listed as No. 1 was Brazil. The U.S. listed it in the TV show category, not the movie category,and second to Dutton Ranch. Mexico also listed it as the No. 2 TV show behind Dutton Ranch. Canada still has the big UFC shows on PPV, but they start on Paramount soon.

— The show did 2.88 million searches on Google in the last 48 hours. That’s the largest I can recall for years and was slightly ahead of Rousey vs. Carano which did 2.75 million the day of the show. But a Rousey show always does huge on Google searches. It would be the biggest UFC show in a long time, but far from the numbers years ago when Rousey and McGregor were on top. For the full week it did 5 million, fourth behind the Knicks stuff and two different World Cup categories.

— FOX has reached a deal to acquire Roku for $22 billion.

— Now the one thing is overall UFC interest waas through the roof yesterday as besides searches related to the show, other high searched people were Merab Dvalishvili, Max Holloway, Tyson Fury, Cormier/Trump, Jon Jones, Joe Rogan and Michelle Obama.

— It sure appeared Tyson Fury was brought out last night to tell everyone that Dana White was going to promote the Fury vs. Anthony Joshua boxing match at the end of the year, with the idea of killing the credibility in his very public feud with Eddie Hearn. However, Fury didn’t say that. Today Fury said that Turki Alalshikh is my promoter until I retire. Alalshikh backs White’s Zuffa Boxing group.

— Raw tonight is from Baltimore. Announced are Chad Gable vs. Rusev, Charlotte Flair vs. Roxanne Perez, and Oba Femi vs Dominik Mysterio and Iyo Sky vs. Raquel Rodrigeuz inKing and Queen of the Ring semifinals. It starts at 8 pm. in the regular slot for the first time in several weeks, and next week is back to the early European start from London. There were 10,600 tickets out earlier today and the place would sell out in the 11,000 range so it will be sold out.

— We’re looking for your thoughts on yesterday’s Dominion show. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

— As noted earlier on the site, Will Ospreay and Alex Windsor were married earlier today.

— Eddie Andelman, who was famous for his sports talk show The Huddle in Boston from 1969 to 2010, died today at 89. He was a subscriber for decades and had me on his show multiple times over the years. I don’t know that he was the first sports talk show host, but when sports talk shows started nationally, he was the most famous host of the earliest ones and something of a sportscasting legend even nationally and moreso in Boston. From a wrestling standpoint, when WWF booked a show in 1985 at Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, MA, and he was close with the promotion and part of brainstorming for a gimmick for the show, he came up with the idea of King of the Ring. Hopefully WWE acknowledges that on tonight’s show.

— CMLL in Puebla tonight is sold out with Tiger Mask & Mascara Dorada & Xelhua vs. Yutani & Soberano Jr. & Black Tiger and Komander vs. Volador Jr.

— AEW will be seen late tonight on ITV in the U.K., probably like 1:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m., on ITV 1 right after the finish of the Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay World Cup game. I believe they are replaying this past Wednesday’s Dynamite. Having a World Cup lead-in usually would be huge, but the audience will obviously be limited given the start time.

— Big E is doing an autobiography that is expected to be released early 2027. He did a great article on his life here which may have helped get him that deal.

— In the multiple person and team matches at Arena Mexico on Sunday where the two sets of winners meet this coming Sunday, the bouts are Tessa Blanchard vs. Lluvia (daughters of wrestlers match), Euforia vs. Valiente (fathers of wrestlers), Villano III Jr. & El Hijo del Villano III (tag teams from a wrestling family) and Averno vs. Zandokan Jr. (sons of wrestlers).

— Tuesday at Arena Mexico has Komander & Esfinge vs. Mortos & Volador Jr.

— The NOAH tag team tournament finals are tomorrow at Korakuen Hall with A block winners Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows facing B block winners Manabu Soya & Yuki Iino.

— NXT tomorrow has Jaida Parker vs. Nattie, Jackson Drake vs Tavion Heights for a North American title shot, Arianna Grace vs. Layla Diggs vs Izzi Dame vs. Thea Hail in the first round of the new Speed tournament and Tony D’Angelo-Naraku face to face.

— MLW Fusion will be airing on New Japan World starting 6/22 The shows will debut weekly at 11 p.m. Eastern Monday nights starting on 6/22. It appears this won’t be geoblocked like AEW and CMLL were but I’m waiting for clarification on that.

— Don’t know more details but on yesterday’s Championship International Wrestling show in Toledo, OH, Rich Swann and Jake Crist were pulled the day of the show due to injuries suffered over the weekend. In that show’s main event, Sam Beale won over Jackson Stone, Calvin Coco and Ren Jones to become the new CIW champion. (thanks to Paul Meade)

— Tommy Dreamer headlines for AIW on Friday night at The Roxy in Lakewood, OH for Absolute Intense Wrestling.

— Birthdays today include Scott Norton (65), Chuck Palumbo (55), Bayley (37) and Kendal Grey (25). Hall of Famer and one of the greatest heavyweights in college wrestling history Earl McCready was born on this day in 1905. Brad Armstrong was born on this day in 1962. Mike Clancy died 38 years ago today at the age of 64. Dick Murdoch died 30 years ago today at the age of 49. Sherri Martel died 19 years ago today at the age of 49. (thanks to Tony Richards)

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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.