Daily Update: More on WWE shareholder suit, CMLL & Mexico notes
Daily Update
Latest News
- TNA Impact ratings up against Stanley Cup final
- Bianca Belair shares update on finger injury
- Rick Martel clarifies WWE Hall of Fame denial rumor
- Two matches, Roman Reigns return announced for next WWE Raw
- Third WWE King of the Ring semifinalist confirmed
- Chad Gable defends lucha libre in WWE Raw angle
- Report: WWE interested in signing new Bloodline family member
- Keith Lee’s AEW return reportedly discussed earlier this year
- AEW finds new broadcast home for early episodes of Dynamite
- WWE announces Sunday Night’s Main Event for planned MITB date
- Another WWE Queen of the Ring semifinalist set
- WWE reveals official Night of Champions poster
- Why WWE reportedly changed Money in the Bank date
Latest Audio
- WOL: Preposterous WWE flag and White House show, MITB, Smackdown
- WOR: WWE and UFC lawsuits, Smackdown, Collision, weekend news
- B&V: WWE Smackdown and AEW Collision reviews!
Latest YouTube Video
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Among the topics covered:
- Mexico City becomes the battleground of wrestling in September. We look at the strategies, the decisions going into a period when the city will host four major shows and seven major arena shows in eight days.
- WWE attempts to counter program Forbidden Door with NXT Great American Bash. A look at the numbers the last time and trying to figure out why it would be tried again
- The most publicized UFC show in history comes to the White House. Can it beat Rousey vs. Carano numbers, can it beat NFL numbers, how it got started and plans for the show.
- AAA Noche de los Grandes, full review of the show and the make-up of the viewership and how it’s changed over the last year, as well as thoughts on the mask vs. mask match that tore down the house
- The WWE stockholders lawsuit against the WWE key higher ups goes to trial this week. We look in depth of what is being asked, why, and give background on everything involved in the case
- WWE Clash In Italy coverage and business numbers
- Ben Askren wins Gaspard/Huber award and returns for one last match
- Odds for King and Queen of the Ring
- How much has Nielsen’s new ratings method hurt the value of pro wrestling on television? We have pretty much the figures, plus the shocking real comparisons for AEW Dynamite last week with recent years
- Full ratings report for the pro wrestling programming, competition, comparisons, and more,.
- Arena Mexico coverage with lots of big matches this coming week
- NOAH tag team tournament news
- Best of the Super Juniors coverage
- Top young star getting shoulder surgery
- Japanese MMA legend wins pro wrestling tournament
- The future of Lucha Libre in 2036 on display this past week
- Ticket sales for all the major upcoming pro wrestling shows this summer
- A crazy indie story involving Jacques Rougeau
- RAF booking a major event in Tbilisi
- More on Damo & Nikki Cross buying Progress
- Lots of Mick Foley AEW talk
- How the Von Erichs viewed the A&E Biography
- Another judge upset with TKO executives not saving evidence
- McGregor return ticket prices go crazy, although not Knicks crazy
- Robbiers in boxing or just bad judging
- Notes on Smackdown going forward
- Examing what Nick Khan said about 2024 WrestleMania plans
- George Barrios claims he talked Vince McMahon into running Saudi Arabia after the Kashoggi death
- Punk on talks to go back to WWE in 2018
This Week’s Back Issue
FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH
Monday Update
— Bryan and I will be back tonight covering Raw, UFC at the White House, as well as all the latest pro wrestling and MMA news. If you’ve got questions about things related to this week or next, such as major shows or talent movement, you can send to dave@wrestlingobservercom
— Vince McMahon released a statement after the settlement of the shareholders lawsuit a few days ago. Basically he said that he feel s strongly that litigation always follows these transactions, that the decision to go with Endeavor was signed off on by JP Morgan, Raine and Moelis, three separate independent banks and in making the largest combat sports company in the world that the shareholders have made a fortune.
— Front Office Sports, which has a business relationship with WWE, and has not covered these events of late, ran a story today essentially saying that the settlement was made to avoid McMahon having to testify about sexual conduct and NDA’s in multiple cases.
— Raw was held earlier today in Paris, France. Between the early start time and the Knicks game in prime time, when most people watch, I expect one of the lower numbers for the show in its history. AEW goes against game four on Wednesday and will take a hit as well.
— For those who have not seen it yet, it has:
- Angle setting up next week’s Oba Femi vs Dominik Mysterio KOTR tournament match
- Liv Morgan vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green vs. Becky Lynch in the QOTR tournameentrs.
- Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria for IC title
- Penta vs. Rey Mysterio for IC title
- Seth Rollins vs. Talla Tonga vs. Ricky Saints vs. Je’Von Evans in the KOTR tournament
— It appears that both AAA TripleMania shows and the CMLL Anniversary show will sell out. As far as the WWE and AEW shows, we don’t’ have info past the AEW show is not sold out. The 9/11 show in Las Vegas at the Luxor is sold out at super high prices with 1,669 tickets.
— TNA Impact did its best numbers in several weeks, really since the April switch, with 226,000 viewers and an 0.03 in 18-49.
— The full Dominion show from Osaka Jo Hall which starts at 3 a.m. Eastern on Sunday morning U.S. time:
- Konosuke Takeshita vs Sanda for the New Japan World TV title
- El Phantasmo vs Jake Lee no DQ
- Yuya Uemura & Taichi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa
- Mistico vs El Desperado
- Ren Narita vs. Aaron Wolf for the Never open weight title
- Yuto-Ice & Oskar defend the IWGP tag titles against Great O’Khan &U Henare
- Andrade defends the Global tite against Shota Umino and Drilla Moloney
- Douki vs Yoh for the IWGP Jr title
- Callum Newman vs. Yota Tsuji for IWGP heavyweight title
— We’re looking for reports from these weekend shows:
- Both TNA TV tapings in Denver
- WWE house show yesterday in Florence,Italy
We’re looking for results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]
— CMLL tonight in Puebla has Komander & Neon & Xelhua vs. Zandokan Jr. & Barbaro Cavernario & Yutani as the main event plus Beast Mortos is on the show.
— Tuesday at Arena Mexico has a strong lineup with Misitco & Titan vs. Soberano Jr. & Volador Jr, Mascara Dorada vs. Yutani and Capitan Suicida & Fugaz & Valiente Jr. vs. Elemental & Explosivo & El Terrible.
— The Wednesday shows at Arena Mexico this month and next month just appear to be to have the doors open for tourists in town and giving people work as that main event is Templario & Valiente Jr. vs. Angel de Oro & Vegas Depradador. The Wednesday and Thursday shows are not scheduled to be streaming.
— One of the biggest matches in Japanese pro wrestling history took place 36 years ago today. And I was even at this one, where Mitsuharu Misawa scored a giant upset over Jumbo Tsuruta, became a huge drawing card and ushered in the best drawing era of All Japan Pro Wrestling in its history. The finish of this match was changed shortly before the showw started by Giant Baba, who was at the merch stand and saw the crowd and read the room:
— It is also the 8th anniversary of in my mind the single best pro wrestilng match in history, the 2018 Dominion match with Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada which went 69 minutes from start-to-finish. Cagematch has it No. 4 of all-time.
— Maya World of AEW said that her brother passed away on Friday when an SUV hit him outside his disabled vehicle. He was only 25. She has launched a Go Fund Me to help with funeral costs.
— Julia Hart said that she was diagnosed with an eating disorder in November, called ARFID for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. (thanks to Stephen Lyon)
— After having the most talked about episode in its history the prior week, the YouTube numbers for Saturday’s AAA show were about one-eighth the week before. Basically a bunch of people watched the main event since it was promoted hard, and after the fact because it got so many good reviews. This didn’t encourage new people to watch on Saturday as they were at the regular numbers, if not lower.
— Dan Severn turned 68 today. Tatanka turned 65 today. Liv Morgan turned 32. Bill Longson, one of the biggest draws in pro wrestling history, was born on this day in 1906. Baron Leone, who drew the first $100,000 gate in history against Lou Thesz, in Los Angeles, was born on this day in 1909. Kathy Starr was born on this day in 1935. Eddie Sullivan was born on this day in 1941. Henry Ordemann, one of the top stars of the post-Gotch era, was 64 when he died on this day in 1947. Ron Starr, a two-time NWA jr heavyweight champion and multiple time US champion in California, was 66 when he died nine years ago today. (thanks to Tony Richards)
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.