Daily Update: Weekend preview, NJPW, Joanna Sowards

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

This Week’s Back Issue

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

Friday Update

– Garrett Gonzales and I have our week in review covering this week’s issue and the latest news and questions later this afternoon. Bryan Alvarez and I will be back on Sunday night with our weekend show.

– The new issue of the Wrestling Observer is up on the site covering the follow topics:

  • The story of John Cena’s retirement, the finish, the reaction, what WWE did and didn’t expect and thoughts on why they did what they did and why judging it now makes little sense in the big picture. We look at different aspects of the decision making and the fallacy of the “time-honored tradition phrasing here. We look at where Cena viably stands among the greats, the show itself, and Cena’s legacy.
  • We look at the post-match and post-show reaction, Paul Levesque and also look at the history of retirement matches with the biggest names in the history of the business. This is a real history lesson about what really is the tradition.
  • We have a story on Wrestle Kingdom’s card, why it turned out this way, as well as the finals of the New Japan tag team tournament.
  • We update the WBD sale story with the latest on Netflix and Paramount, just how strongly WBD publicly viewed the Paramount offer in a negative way and more
  • We run down the 2025 Tokyo Sports pro wrestling awards, with the winners, why they won, how the voting went, the nature of the voting and more in a year Saya Kamitani became the first woman wrestler to win MVP
  • A look at the retirement show and the career of El Hijo del Santo, the Santo gimmick, the cultural significance of the Santo name, Santo Jr, and notes on Santo’s career and most famous matches
  • We update the Continental Classic and Worlds Collide with business updates as well.
  • We look at the odds for upcoming matches
  • We look at the careers of Solomon Grundy, Miss Janeth and Ricky Romero Jr/Ricky Youngblood
  • We have the most detailed look at the television ratings of all the wrestling shows this past week as well as placings, comparisons and more, as well as an explanation of what the annual drops actually mean.
  • We look at another week of sellouts in CMLL, including the big Friday show and the Mistico vs Soberano feud
  • We look at Guerra de Titanes from AAA
  • We look at the financials from Cyberfight and what wrestler in specific they credited a better economic year to
  • Yota Tsuji talks the future of New Japan
  • What pro wrestling events in Japan were the most streamed in 2025
  • Update on Andrade
  • Former WWE tag champ going into Bare Knuckle boxing
  • Major AEW overseas ratings growth
  • Ticket sales to upcoming WWE and AEW shows
  • Chris Jericho update
  • Injury updates
  • Ilia Topuria marriage issues slows down career
  • An appeal by TKO on judge’s ruling about current fighter contracts
  • Notes on Paul vs. Joshua
  • Mick Foley breaks ties with WWE over Trump
  • TKO stock skyrockets
  • NXT Awards

– A big night tonight with the much-talked about Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul boxing match, SmackDown and the CMLL Dream match card.

– WWE is doing a show tonight in Grand Rapids, MI, which will be taping the 12/22 Raw and 12/26 Smackdown. We’re looking for reports on this show, with results, finishes, angles and highlights to [email protected]

– Tonight’s SmackDown was taped this past Monday:

  • Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax & Lash Legend non-title
  • Giulia vs Alba Fyre
  • Ilja Dragunov & Carmelo Hayes vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa
  • Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy vs. MFTs for the tag team titles

– Arena Mexico tonight has a PPV show called Dream Match Day:

  • Cibernetico with Rey Cometa, Calavera Jr. I, Calavera Jr. II, Electrico, Virus, Oro Jr., Polvora, Blue Shark, Robin, Espiritu Negro, Astral, Cancerbero, Diamond, Coyote, El Vigia and Sangre Imperial.
  • Atlantis Jr. & Xelhua vs. Angel de Oro & Yutani in the finals of the Gran Alternative tournament
  • Soberano Jr. vs. Kevin Knight
  • Mascara Dorada vs. Speedball Mike Bailey for the Historic welterweight title
  • Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ultimo Guerrero for the CMLL heavyweight title

A note on the show. Castagnoli when he first came to the U.S. used to trade for tapes of Ultimo Guerrero so this is a dream match for him. Dorada vs. Bailey should be something. Knight, Dorada, Bailey and Castagnoli all have to fly right after the show to New York for AEW TV tapings tomorrow and Sunday night at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

– We will be doing a poll on tonight’s Arena Mexico Dream show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]. The show will air, besides on the CMLL subscription service, it also airs on Triller streaming PPV outside of Mexico.

– We’re also looking for reports from the two AEW shows in New York with results, finishes, angles and highlights to [email protected]. The 12/20 show will be for the Christmas Eve episode of Dynamite and the 12/21 show will be taped for the Christmas night Collision show.

– Matches that will be taped in New York include:

  • Kazuchika Okada vs Bailey
  • Kyle Fletcher vs. Jack Perry
  • Kevin Knight vs. Pac
  • Pac vs. Perry
  • Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley
  • Cassidy vs. Konosuke Takeshita
  • Claudio Castagnoli vs. Roderick Strong
  • Takeshita vs. Mascara Dorada
  • Strong vs. Dorada

The only person eliminated going into the weekend is Strong, but Dorada and Perry have little chance unless they win twice, and I don’t think that’s happening.

– WKYC-TV in Cleveland had a story on Joanna Sowards, the daughter of Earthquake John Tenta, training at the AIW wrestling school in the city.

– Arena Coliseo tomorrow night has Templario vs. Angel de Oro and Esfinge & Titan vs. Barboza & Difunto Arena Mexico Sunday has Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. vs. Euforia & Mephisto, Blue Panther vs. Barbaro Cavernario which is a weird match and Titan & Templario & Esfinge vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Suka Jr.

– Dorada’s schedule was Orange Cassidy Wednesday in Manchester, UK, he may have done a show last night in Mexico, tonight vs. Bailey at Arena Mexico in a title match, CC matches Saturday and Sunday in New York, a trios match Monday in Puebla and a trios main event Tuesday in Guadalajara. Plus, the expectations of him are high. You can only do this for so long before your body breaks.

– The AAA show is Saturday night at 8 p.m. on the WWE YouTube Channel, Guerra de Titanes, from Guadalajara:

  • Rayo & Bravo Americano vs. Mr. Iguana & Nino Hamburguesa vs. La Parka & Octagon Jr. vs. Cruz Del Toro & JoaquinWilde
  • Nattie Neidhart & Faby Apache & Lola Vice vs. Flammer & La Hiedra & Maravilla
  • Laredo Kid defends the AAA cruiserweight title against Je’Von Evans and Jack Cartwheel
  • Wyatt Sicks vs. Dave the Clown & Psycho Clown & Pagano & Murder Crown
  • El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. defends the Latin American title against Ethan Page
  • El HIjo del Vikingo vs. Dragon Lee
  • Rey Mysterio & Rey Fenix vs Dominik Mysterio & Grande Americano

The show looks great on paper and would be expected to have super heat.

– Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Hiromu Takahashi in today’s NJPW main event in Gunma. He has weekend matches with Desperado and Kosei Fujita, the latter being his last match ever at Korakuen Hall.

– Teams announced for the gauntlet for the Never trios title at the 1/4 WrestleKingdom show are:

  • Toru Yano & Master Wato & Yoh
  • Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashii & Oleg Boltin
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Taichi & Satoshi Kojima
  • Sanada & Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Tiger Mask & Togi Makabe & Ryusuke Taguchi
  • Kaisei Takechi and two mystery partners

They also teased a TMDK team with Hartley Jackson

It is mind boggling that Yuya Uemura, Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Yuto-Ice and Shota Umino are not on the company’s biggest attended show in almost 28 years. Literally they have one shot to win back older fans and hook people coming to see Tanahashi’s last match and Aaron Wolf’s debut, and they kept the talent they need to build around off the show.

– Autographed copies of PACHINKO MAN, Irv Muchnick’s first-ever English language book on the Rikidozan phenomenon and birth of Japanese pro wrestling, can be gotten for $20 USD to [email protected]. That will be considered the deposit and you will be billed for the balance when the retail price is set (it’s expected to be either $22.95 or $24.95). All direct orders are for autographed copies sold at the retail price, with free shipping to U.S. addresses (for Canadian addresses, add $10 USD for shipping; for all other foreign addresses, add $20 USD for shipping).

– Jayden Maiava, the starting quarterback at USC, is the grandson of Neff Maiava, who was one of the biggest pro wrestling stars in the history of Hawaii pro wrestling.

– Defy finishes the year with a 12/27 show at Washington Hall in Settle with Travis Williams vs. Timothy Thatcher and a triple threat for the Pacific Northwest title with Artemis Spencer vs. Cole Rivera vs. Guillermo Rosas. 12/28 at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles at the old Highland Park Masonic Lodge features Bryan Keith defending the Defy title against Thatcher, Royce Isaacs vs. Starboy Charlie, La Vipress vs. Viva Van, Johnnie Robbie vs. Brittnie Brooks, Steve Borden Jr. (Sting’s son) vs. Kiran Gray, Alan Angels vs. El Mexica vs. Chris Nasty vs. El Primohenio.

– Erik Watts turned 58 today. Delirious turned 44. (thanks to Tony Richards)

Google Icon

Exclusive access to podcasts and newsletters

Subscribe
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.