Daily Update: Roman Reigns & CM Punk, AAA, MVP

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

A larger than usual issue this week with a wide variety of stories and tons of history:

  • The fixed fight accusations from Saturday’s UFC show, what happened, how Dana White and UFC handled it, fixed fights in the early days of MMA and the different motivations then vs. now, and a look back at history with a former world heavyweight boxing champion who later became one of the biggest stars of his era in pro wrestling.
  • A look at the third quarter TKO business, covering mostly UFC and WWE. How each category is doing and explanations as to why.
  • Nick Khan talks WWE ticket prices and booking decisions on live events
  • Full coverage of Saturday Night’s Main Event and business notes on the show
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi’s Farewell in Gifu and 30 minutes that capsulized the best aspects of the past, present and future of pro wrestling
  • Notes on the Tokyo Dome advance
  • Finals of the Best of the Super Juniors tag team tournament
  • Notes on the upcoming heavyweight tag team tournament
  • Lots of notes regarding AEW Full Gear
  • The real history of the original NWA national heavyweight championship
  • Matches likely to happen at Full Gear
  • The final installment of our Hall of Fame series, covering international and non-wrestlers, where we talk about the cases of people including Spyros Arion, Dominic DeNucci, George Gordienko, Ted Boy Marino, Billy Joyce, The Royal Brothers, Dave Brown, Zane Bresloff, Bobby Bruns, Bob Caudle, Joe Higuchi, Jim Johnston, James Melby, Bill Mercer, Gorilla Monsoon, Rossy Ogawa, Reggie Parks, Morris Siel, Tony Schiavone, George Scott, Kevin Sullivan, Mike Tenay, Ted Turner, Jesse Ventura, Roy Welch, Stanley Weston, The Grand Wizard and Koichi Yoshizawa.
  • Notes on the death of Victor Conte Jr.
  • Tank Davis kills his last payday and Netflix’s big fight for the fall is out the window and thank God for that
  • DDT has one of its biggest shows of the year
  • Betting odds for pro wrestling matches last week and this week
  • The most complete look at the television ratings of wrestling shows over the past week. How these numbers compare in placings to past years, where other than pro wrestling is hurting with the new ratings, competition for each show and placings for the time slot
  • CMLL has four straight sellouts and coverage of the main matches including a major return this week
  • What wrestler is having the best year for someone their age in wrestling history
  • Notes on a very confusing tournament coming up
  • What young wrestler sold out in a singles with Mistico this past week
  • Notes from the last AAA tapings
  • AAA booking huge arena for a taping
  • Stardom big show plus notes on the tag team tournament
  • Will Vince McMahon write a book?
  • Former pro wrestling star elected Mayor
  • How network, cable and streaming numbers have affected NASCAR in 2025
  • Update on Blue Demon Jr.
  • More on Smashing Machine including Dwayne Johnson comments
  • Jerry Lawler returns to WMC
  • Athletic commission in trouble over a sponsored women’s championship
  • El Hijo del Santo retirement tour hits Europe
  • More WBD sale talks
  • Blood & Guts news
  • A poll on AEW viewership and how people watch the TV and PPV shows
  • Advance ticket sales for WWE, AEW, TNA, MLW and RAF
  • BJ Penn arrested again
  • WWE sets gate records
  • Paul Levesque’s booking
  • How much Dwayne Johnson’s TKO stock is worth
  • Notes on the WWE arena business going forward
  • The Ridge Holland story

This Week’s Back Issue

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Thursday Update

WWE

  • WWE remembered Eddie Guerrero on the 20th anniversary of his passing: “Always in our hearts. Viva La Raza”
  • Disney uploaded a brief clip of Roman Reigns and CM Punk recording their cameos voicing zebras in “Zootopia 2.” Their characters are named Zebro Zebraxton and Zebro Zebrowski.
  • Randy Orton shared photos on Instagram of his family in Belize on a recent vacation celebrating Orton and his wife Kim’s 10-year anniversary:
    • Just back from vacation with family and friends. As a father nothing better than seeing my family smile. As a husband nothing better than seeing my wife happy. Thank you for coming with me to Belize to celebrate our 10 year anniversary my love.
  • At a Lucha Libre AAA taping in Mexico on November 28, The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) will challenge Psycho Clown & Pagano for the AAA Tag Team titles.
  • WWE confirmed that Oba Femi is appearing at NXT’s house shows this weekend and NXT Gold Rush next Tuesday.
  • Paul Heyman was the guest on a new episode of “What’s Your Story?” with Stephanie McMahon.
  • TKO representatives Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro, and Dana White rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange today to celebrate TKO’s new partnership with Polymarket for UFC and Zuffa Boxing events.
  • The Wrestling Classic interviewed Ron Simmons.
  • WWE Vault uploaded the company’s full Bruno Sammartino documentary that premiered on the WWE Network in 2018.

Other Wrestling

  • Orange Cassidy and Mark Briscoe spoke to the Greensboro crowd last night after their team won Blood and Guts.
  • While speaking with Adventure Gamers, MVP was asked how different it is working with Tony Khan compared to Vince McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque:
    • It’s very different because Tony Khan is a completely different human being, with a completely different personality. He’s just a nice guy and a good person. I’ve never had any kind of a relationship with Triple H. Vince I was able to work with and with Vince, Vince knows exactly what he wants, how he wants to do it, and if you can present something that is better, sometimes Vince will listen, but when Vince has a vision, that’s it. You go with it. There’s no second guessing it. Tony Khan is a lot more interactive and will take in a lot more ideas and he’s more willing to be pliable when it comes to his vision and how he wants to present it and what he’s willing to do to add to it or to change it. He’s just a nice guy. It’s funny, like his energy level. He’s always happy and I’ve never seen him be mean to somebody. It’s a much different environment where WWE was very corporate, very tight laced, for some people even uncomfortable and they’re made to feel like they’re walking on eggshells and people are scared of getting fired. That environment doesn’t exist in AEW. It’s way more relaxed. No one’s walking on eggshells. The boss has time for everybody. And it’s super fun. No stress.
  • Agreeing with a statement Bret Hart had made calling Triple H a “phony,” MVP told Adventure Gamers:
    • Man, I agree with Brett’s assertion. I’ve said before, I call [Triple H] a coward and a liar. Let’s put it like this. If you really want to, you can go to YouTube and you can look up the interviews of various wrestlers through the years of what their opinion is of the man. Interviews of guys that were his friends, what they had to say about the guy. I can think of more guys that dislike him than I can think of guys that do like him. And people say MVP’s salty or bitter. Like, no, I have personal issues with the dude, stemming from professional stuff, but just the things that he does, how he carries himself, I just don’t have respect for the guy. The newer generation, they don’t know that guy yet. So the one of those that came up underneath him in NXT, they think he’s brilliant and a lot of them should for the hand he’s had in their career. But the guys that had to work with him back in the day will tell you a different story almost overwhelmingly. And so it’s not just me saying it. There’s guys who are way up the totem pole than me that are telling you that this guy’s no bueno.
  • Dustin Rhodes shared a new update on how he’s feeling as he recovers from the double knee replacement he underwent in August:
    • Knee replacements update:
    • We are just under 3 months out. I am still in a considerable amount of pain especially in mornings. I am 56 yrs old and it is taking a lot longer for recovery guys. The hardest thing for me at this moment, is getting up from a chair, and stepping down a step with right especially. My legs have always been pretty thin and cannot wait to actually strengthen them more on e I am able. I am on track for my age and then some and I would assume its because I have a strong work ethic and an athlete. Prob late Feb, early March for the greatest comeback of anyone in their 50’s.
  • Preston Vance and Griff Garrison appeared on a new episode of AEW Unrestricted.
  • Mustafa Ali told SEScoops that he would like to see TNA experiment with some outside-the-box ideas:
    • I’m going to show up to work and see what is asked to do and go do it. What I’d like to see from TNA, and this is just my controversial take, but they are in a position where they can be different. They don’t have to follow the formula. I think one of the coolest things about TNA was the six-sided ring, which was the X-Division. What I’m trying to say is I want TNA to go back to that experimental phase where we’re just trying these wacky ideas. At the end of the day, you can’t argue with the business model right now. Sold-out shows, potential network deals, and things like that. I also remember a time where I’d look out at TNA and see maybe a couple hundred people. At Bound for Glory, I looked out and saw a couple of thousands. 
    • It’s a beautiful thing, but whatever TNA is doing, I think they are doing things right. They have their eyes on young talent. They have tryouts coming up. It’s a great mixture of these talented veterans, then like the middle child are trying to figure out their journey and [there are] brand-new people coming in. It’s a beautiful locker room, a great team to work with. Production just keeps getting better and better with each show. There is a lot of experimentation going on. I think at Bound for Glory we had our first 4K camera for the entrance, so there were some unbelievable shots coming out. I’m just really excited, but if you asked me, selfishly I’d just like to see them experiment more with wild concept matches because we are in a position I feel we can do it. I think that would attract even more wrestling fans toward our product.
  • Vince Russo is writing a book about his time working for TNA. Titled “Total Nonstop Agony: The Rise and Fall of TNA,” it’s scheduled for a summer 2026 release.
  • TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast interviewed Bobby Fish.
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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.

In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.