Daily Update: New Paramount & WBD details, Stardom, Floyd Mayweather

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up on the site today.

  • A detailed look at the WBD/Paramount/Netflix situation, what the latest decision of WBD to Paramount entails, the keys to why this is happening, business notes, how this affects AEW and can it get approved.
  • A look at the UFC and WWE business in 2025 and in the final quarter of this past year.  We look at the numbers, what they mean, why WWE was more profitable in 2025 than UFC and the key thing that can change that in 2026, Mark Shapiro talks ESPN value to WWE, lots of news about the business of the White House show, UFC fighters upset over pay, why WWE wrestlers are so underpaid but not publicly upset over, and business initiatives going forward
  • The violence in Mexico and tons of wrestling shows canceled this past week
  • We look in depth at the Janel Grant speech from last week, what we learned, what she said, and where everything stands.
  • Update on the build for  WrestleMania, Elimination Chamber, business notes, ticket sales and favorites for the weekend.
  • An updated look at AEW Revolution and business notes
  • The retirement of AJ Styles looked at
  • The most detailed look at  the television ratings from the past week, including comparisons with a year  ago, competition, demos and much more.
  • Notes from Arena Mexico
  • CMLL attempts to break a North  American record next week
  • Cinderalla tournament in Stardom
  • Fantastica Mania notes
  • The life and times of former Olympic wrestler Bobby Douglas, his coaching career, his beating Dan Gable, and two notable pro wrestlers he coached
  • College wrestling sets an attendance mark already this season
  • Who had the most top ten matches of the year  over a career according to Cage match.
  • City builds a bust memorializing top 80s star
  • WrestleMania week schedule
  • Former MMA fighter and pro wrestler running for Governor
  • Robbery of the ring truck for an indie group
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE, AEW and TNA shows over the next two months.
  • How many subscribers does Paramount need to make up for UFC expenses
  • More talk on Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano
  • Stand & Deliver moves and why
  • When Roman Reigns and Brock Ldesnar are booked for TV in the Mania build
  • Pro wrestler who is active in Japan competes this weekend for the U.S.national team in anther sport
  • Notes on a  new comer to WWE who started this week
  • More notes on value of Dwayne Johnson’s TKO stock

This Week’s Back Issue

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Monday Update

Image: WWE

— Bryan and I will be back tonight to talk about the latest from the Paramount investors call and how this may affect both UFC and AEW, as well as talk about Raw, Demolition, the Johnny Consejo vs. Angel de Oro hair match and more.

— At today’s Paramount call regarding the WBD purchase, AEW was never addressed at all. I wouldn’t have expected it to be given it’s not a sports property and even with sports properties they only addressed the high dollar ones, such as UFC but not many of the others. David Ellison talked about merging Paramount + with HBO MAX, which would mean both UFC and AEW would be available in more homes as both have actually a very small number of crossover homes. So that would be good news for both, and for AEW would also mean more homes would have access to the PPVs shows at a discounted price. The only thing negative for AEW is something notable for UFC. Ellison outright brought up the idea of UFC’s airing on TNT on Saturday nights. I guess that would depend on what and when. If it takes the place of Collision and they move Collision to Thursday, that would be beneficial to AEW. If it moves AEW after UFC, it could help AEW at least early in the show getting the far bigger lead-in than it gets now, but would hurt it later in the show if part of the show is moved out of prime time. And if it leads to Collision disappearing, obviously that would be bad news. Collision is under contract through the end of 2027.

— There has been a lot of talk today about how aside from the NFL, all sports properties are going to have stagnant or even declining media rights deals when their contracts come due. Keep in mind we’ve heard that since the 70s and it’s ever come to pass, but with fewer buyers the leverage goes down, and with television numbers for everyone but the NFL falling that means less value and ad revenue.

— Raw tonight is from Indianapolis with Gunther vs. Dragon Lee, Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta for the IC title, plus CM Punk, AJ Lee, Danhausen and Roman Reigns all appear on the show that starts the hard build to WrestleMania. At this point they had 9,000 tickets out for the show, so far from a sellout but it’s still a good crowd.

— We’re looking for notes from Indianapolis for anything off television such as Main Event or dark matches to [email protected]

— We’re doing our weekend poll on both WWE Elimination Chamber and NJPW New Beginning from Trenton, NJ, so you can leave a thumbs up, down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

— Announced for Friday’s Arena Mexico show which is an all-women’s card, is Mercedes Mone vs Persepone for the CMLL women’s title, Mina Shirakawa vs. Zeuxis, Megan Bayne vs. Olympia plus Mei Seira and Starlight Kid from Stardom will be on the card.

— WWE leaves ABEMA in Japan for Netflix on 4/1. WWE PLE events in Germany and Austria start exclusively on Netflix on 4/1 as well.

— Announced for the 4/17 Stardom show at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas today are Maika, Hauzki, Hanako, Starlight Kid, AZM< Mei Seirae, Natsupoi, Ahya Sakrua,Suzu Suzuki, Rina Yamashita, Saya Iida, Yuria Hime, Rina, Maki Itoh and Fuwa-chan.

— I saw the Johnny Consejo vs. Angel de Oro hair match from Friday. It had the most heat of any match I’ve seen this year so far. When it was over, people were jumping up and down like they just saw a world title change. They really had one hell of a match.

— The Jeff Jarrett documentary “The Jeff Jarrett Story: Heart of a Promoter” debuts tomorrow night on YouTube and will also air on the CW affiliate in Nashville, likely right after NXT.

— At yesterday’s Alto Voltage show in Monterrey in the main event, Xelhua & Star Black & Explosivo beat Hechicero & Los Calaveras Jr. I & II when Xelhua pinned Hechicero clean in fall three. This leads to Hechicero defending his High Voltage title against Xehuah on 3/15 in Monterrey. A key is that would indicate no Hechicero on the AEW PPV show that night. (thanks to Paul Sosnowski)

— The Ultimate Fighter starts a new season weekly on Paramount + on 3/27. The season has men’s bantamweights and women’s strawweights.

— Kind of sad to see Jake Hager signing for six fights with PowerSlap. They’re probably paying him a lot more than the usual indie guys who make little for doing that, but it’s still sad to see someone past 40 go on that show. He debuts on 4/17.

— Floyd Mayweather Jr. was announced as facing Mike Zambidis, who was a star in the K-1 MAX heyday in Japan as a kickboxer when Masato was a top star, in a June exhibition boxing match in Greece. Zambidis is 45 and retired from kickboxing in 2015. He fought in K-1 as a star from 2001 to 2010.

— Manami Toyota, arguably the greatest woman wrestler who ever lived, turns 55 today. Lola Gonzalez, the top woman star in Mexico for a long period of time, turns 67 today. Debra Marshall, better known in the 90s as Debra McMcihael, the ex-wife of Steve McMichael and later ex-wife of Steve Austin, turned 66 today. Lorraine Johnson, the mother of Baby Doll and one of the best female wrestlers of her era, was born 96 years ago today. Charlie Cook, a former NFL football player who became a pro wrestler, was born on this day in 1941. Mike Von Erich would have turned 62 today. Lance Cade, who wrestled in WWE, would have turned 45 today. In a little-known fact, Lance Cade’s father-in-law was Black Gordman, who is still alive and one of the oldest still living wrestlers. Doug Furnas, the former 27 time world record holder in powerlifting and a good friend of mine, passed away on this day 14 years ago at the age of 52.

— Green Mountain Wrestling presents Shamrocks &N Headlocks on 3/15 at 2 plm. in Barre, VT at 2 p.m. at Elks Lodge #1535.

— Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will have a press conference on 3/10 at Noon at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA.

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Bryan Rose
Bryan Rose

Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.