Daily Update: Sandra Toffoloni, WWE Raw, Survivor Series
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- WWE Raw live results: Survivor Series WarGames go-home show
- Tony Khan announces AEW Continental Classic Selection Show to air Monday
- WWE releases new WrestleMania-related teaser
- New match announced for WWE Raw
- WWE announces three new signings, recent recruit gets NXT name
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Monday Update
–Bryan and I are back tonight covering all the wrestling news including Raw, Continental Classic, and the rest of the stuff covered here.
–We still have our biggest issue of the year, the annual Hall of Fame issue with lots of history and bios including a look at Raul Paolo, one of the greatest athletes in pro wrestling history who became the promoter that really made the business in France, and the other new inductees for 2025 like Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Gran Hamada, Dorrell Dixon, Spyros Arion, Sabu and Bobby Bruns and complete balloting results, what wrestlers did the best in different categories of voting including past wrestlers and industry pros, current wrestlers and industry pros as well as reporters and historians.
–We are looking for your thoughts on AEW Full Gear. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
–A Go Fund Me has been started for Sandra Toffoloni. That name may be familiar to many of you as she is the sister of Nancy Toffoloni Benoit, who was murdered by her husband in 2007. Sandra is someone who was very outspoken and probably knew more about the Benoit situation and was very open and honest about it than anyone. She did a ton of media and talked openly about her thoughts constantly while the ordeal went on and for years after as she tried to keep the memory of her sister, who was her hero, alive. Of late she has been living with a brain condition called aphasia that caused her to have a grand mal seizure, resulting in a flal that resulte din broken ribs, a fractured back and a compression skull fracture. She’s been battling health issues for the past year which has resulted in financial issues due to medical bills and need for a wheelchair. More about that is here.
–Raw tonight is from Oklahoma City as the final Raw before Survivor Series. Roman Reigns will kick off the show. All the War Games participants are scheduled meaning Brock Lesnar, AJ Lee, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, plus build for Nikki Bella vs. Stephanie Vaquer and Dominik Mysterio vs. John Cena. Cena won’t be there. There will be a match for the advantage in the men’s War Games match plus Cena tournament matches with Gunther vs. Carmelo Hayes and Solo Sikoa vs. Penta. The men’s advantage match will be Usos vs. Paul & McIntyre and will be the main event on tonight’s show, which should end in a wild War Games brawl. They had 9,000 tickets out earlier today so it will be another big house but not a sellout.
–For Survivor Series, they’ve announced a two hour pre-game show starting at 5 p.m. and the four match card starts at 7 p.m.. It has more than 34,000 tickets out so it should be sold out. Pau l Heyman and Nikki Bella will be doing ESPN studio talk shows on Wednesday with Bella on Get Up and Heyman on First Take. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss will be on Vibe Check on Friday at 5 p.m. on disney +
–AEW will be announcing the brackets at 10 p.m. Eastern tonight on a streaming special on the AEW X account.
–I’ve just gotten back home so aside from Full Gear and the main U.S. TV shows, I haven’t seen much international stuff besides Sareee vs. Chihiro Hashimoto from last week (if you like women’s wrestling, it’s very high level, excellent bout, not quite match of the year but a top tier bout). I’ve had tons of people recommend the stuff from Mexico, with the bouts you’d expect to be great delivering, notably Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey vs. Mascara Dorada & Neon and Mistico & Komander vs. Mortos & Cavernario from Friday night at Arena Mexico, and Dorada vs. Komander for the historic welterweight title from last night at Arena Mexico. The Gran Guerrero CMLL heavyweight title defense against Mortos was also said to be really good. The AEW talent didn’t win any titles.
—The Leyenda de Azul finals are Friday which will be a three-way with Mistico vs. Soberano Jr. vs. Cavernario, who each won Ciberneticos earlier this week to qualify.
–The funeral for legendary announcer Bob Caudle takes place tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. The church is at 1800 Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh. Fans are welcome.
–Apollo Crews returned to action after surgery to repair a torn pec on Saturday night’s AAA show at Juan de la Barrera Gym in Mexico City, beatring Lince Dorado. Ethan Page & Chelsea Green retained the mixed tag titles over Mr. iguana & Lola Vice.. Dominik Mysterio & Grande Americano won the main event over El Hijo del Vikingo & Dragon Lee when Vikingo turned on Lee. After the match Dominik put out an open challenge to face them and as expected, Penta & Fenix as the Lucha Bros answered so they will team up for the first time in months on 12/20 in Guadalajara.
–That show will be the next major AAA show with that tag match on top. Dominik & Grande are now billing themselves as Gringo Locos 2.0, after the tag team of Eddy Guerrero & Love Machine in the early 90s . Lee vs. Vikingo, which should be great, plus El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Ethan Page for the Latin American title which they’ve been building for months, Dave the Clown & Murder Clown & Pagano & Psycho Clown vs. Dexter Lumis & Erick Rowan & Joe Gacy & Uncle Howdy and a three-way for the cruiserweight title with Laredo Kid defending against Je’Von Evans and someone to be determined. One would think Evans should win here. Rey Mysterio is also scheduled for the show.—Megan Bayne was back for Stardom’s show today in Iwaki teaming with Hanako to go 5-0 in the tag team tournament with a win over AZM & Miyu Amasaki. They are in first place in the Blue block over Saya Iida & Bea Priestley who have four wins. The Red block currently has Natsuko Tora & Ruaka and Natsupoi & Saori Anou in first place with four wins while Yuna Mizumori & Mei Seira and Teotleco & Osita (Hazuki & Koguma) have three wins and a draw.
–The New Japan tag team tournament was in Machida today with an A block show. Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi beat Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens. Toru Yano & Oleg Boltin beat Taichi & Satoshi Kojima. EL Desperado & Shuji Ishikawa beat Shingto Takagi & Drilla Moloney when Ishikawa pinned Moloney and Yota Tsuji & Gabe Kidd beat Evil & Don Fale in the main event. Yano & Boltin now have 4 points while all the other teams have two points except Owens & Takahashi who have zero points.
–Ariel Helwani said that Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes for the women’s bantamweight title is the frontrunner to be the main event of the first major UFC show in January on Paramount +. This would be the biggest possible women’s fight in the sport right now.
–Gable Steveson had his second MMA fight last night in Albuquerque, beating Kevin Hein in 24 seconds. Because of his gold medal and quick wins, people are wanting him in the big time UFC spotlight immediately but he needs some tests. The three fights he’s had were not tests. There is still a lot to learn but he could not have looked better so far. He knocked out Hein with a left that he was only using to open up for the takedown and Hein was already out before being taken down.
–Another major story is the best heavyweight kickboxer of the modern era, Rico Verhoeven, vacated his Glory heavyweight title that he’s held for 13 years and there is at least talk of him going to UFC.
–Velvet McIntyre turns 63 today. Beth Phoenix turns 45. Anthony Ogogo turns 37. One of the greatest college heavyweights of all-time who later became NWA champion, Dick Hutton, passed away 22 years ago today (thanks to Tony Richards).
–MLW featherweight champion Shoko Nakajima derfends on 12/13 in Bangkok, Thailand against Alexis Lee. This will be on a TJPW show in Bangkok. Lee wrestles for Singapore Pro Wrestling.
–Isaac Johnson, 31, of Chicago, died from injuries in a Muay Thai fight on an MMA show at Cicero Stadium in Chicago Friday night. The show was promoted by Matador Fighter Challenge. There is an investigation going on. Johnson collapsed toward the end of his Muay Thai heavyweight fight and was rushed to the hospital and passed away at 12:03 a.m.
–Defy results from Friday night at Washington Hall in Seattle Travis Williams b Jack Evnas, Steven Borden Jr. (Sting’s son) b Kiran Grey, Amira & Liiza Hall b Danika Della Rouge & Anna Baretta, Bryan Keith NC Cocy Chhun to retain the Defy title, Evan Rivers & Griffin McCoy b Randy Myers & Matt Brannigan, VertVixen NC Rebel Kel, Mad Dog Connelly b Judas Icarus, Vincent & Dutch of The Righteous b Midnight Heat. They return 12/27 to Washington Hall in Seattle and have a show on 12/28 in Highland Park, CA at the Lodge Room.
–Tomorrow will be the 40th anniversary of the original Vince McMahon screw job where Spider Lady, Moolah under the mask, won the women’s title from Wendi Richter without Richter being told the finish. Richter had asked for her lawyer to look over a contract offer and in those days McMahon took that as an insult and had the ref fast count her.
–Jamie Hayter and Emi Sakura will be on the Pro Wrestling Eve show on 12/3 at the Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, London, UK.
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.