Daily Update: WWE/Mad Dog partnership, MJF, Johnny Loves Taya

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Observer is up on the site covering the following topics:

  • Road to WrestleMania including the booking changes and injury changes that have caused several changes of plans since they were first in place. We discuss the evolution of this year’s two main events.
  • We look at how the Royal Rumble show changed on the last day
  • Full Royal Rumble coverage
  • Status of different matches
  • AJ Styles and is this his final match
  • Business notes on the show
  • Plans for Elimination Chamber
  • How Royal Rumble did on Netflix
  • What changes in Nielsen have meant to the TV ratings and why this has happened, and how it will happen multiple more times in 2026 to a lesser degree
  • Has the increased in reported viewership helped pro wrestling in the TV world
  • Full UFC 325 coverage
  • Death of Frankie Cain/Great Mephisto, one of the most intriguing pro wrestling characters of the 60s and 70s with ties to many different worlds
  • Death of Bob Lueck, a former Stampede Wrestling headliner who was a CFL All-Star and how he was responsible for getting one of the most important and most influential wrestlers of all-time into the industry
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of the pro wrestling shows this past week including placings, demos and silliness
  • Box office record set
  • CMLL star arrested
  • AEW stars spend the week in CMLL
  • Major Arena Mexico shows coming
  • Reyes del Aire report
  • Hiromu Takahashi leaving
  • New Japan major show this week
  • Fantastica Mania cards announced
  • Best matches of 2025
  • AEW booking direction
  • New AEW signings
  • Advance ticket sales for all the major WWE & AEW shows
  • Dana White’s testimony regarding his job
  • Pride star passes away
  • Ava departure from WWE

This Week’s Back Issue

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Thursday Update

WWE

  • WWE has reached a new partnership agreement with Mad Dog, a company known for its fortified wine.
  • Lexis King responded to a fan who asked about David Finlay potentially joining King’s Birthright faction in NXT: “As long as he likes to fight!”
  • In an interview with the Edinburgh Evening News, Joe Hendry spoke about how proud he is to be NXT Champion:
    • I’m extremely proud to be NXT champion and I know that you say it’s the developmental brand, but look, we’re on Netflix here in the UK. That’s huge. So in order to be put in this position, we have to be the absolute top of our game and the competition that we had in that ladder match, I think the quality of the show of NXT is unbelievable and I think if someone hasn’t seen pro wrestling before or they haven’t watched for a little while, that NXT would be an amazing place to start and go and check out because it’s a high energy, action-packed professional wrestling show and it just is everything that a professional wrestling show should be. So I’m so proud to be NXT champion and I’m excited to see where we can take the brand.
  • Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis have been added to the list of guests for the WWE World convention in Las Vegas.
  • Comedian Bert Kreischer appeared on a new edition of Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast.
  • Royce Keys has recorded an interview for a future “What’s Your Story?” episode.
  • Ring the Belle spoke with IYO SKY.
  • WWE Vault uploaded a CM Punk vs. Bryan Danielson match that took place for indie promotion Full Impact Pro in 2005.

Other Wrestling

  • On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, MJF said he feels like he still has a lot to prove in AEW:
    • There’s still a lot for me to prove here. I think it’s very easy for somebody to watch what I’ve done here and be like, ‘Well, Max has proven it.’ It’s like, to me, my first reign was about being the longest reigning World Champion. This reign is going to be about being the best World Champion that this company’s ever had since its inception.
    • I want to drive up business, and that’s something I take a great deal of pride in. I’m not saying it’s not going to be a rollercoaster. We’re going to go up some weeks, we’re going to go down some weeks, but I think we’re going to see a steady increase in 2026.
  • MJF discussed the importance of ticket sales as a business metric:
    • I think people will look at the thing they want to for their narrative. All I know is year-over-year in every single market, we’re up in ticket sales. That’s a proven barometer for that, has been since the dawn of time for professional wrestling that is televised. If you are selling more tickets, that means more people are watching your show. That’s just how it goes, right?
    • So WWE had that big boom period. I feel right now, we’re slowly but surely coming into a new boom period and a new era. And we have young hungry dudes on top of this card that want it.
    • And, really, we’re living in an era in AEW where anything can happen and anybody can come for me for this [title], and it’s exciting.
  • All In 2026 is being advertised on signage at Wembley Stadium following the announcement that tickets will go on sale next month (March 16 pre-sale and March 20 general public on-sale).
  • Season two of the series “Johnny Loves Taya” premieres at noon Eastern time this Saturday on AEW’s YouTube channel. It’s a scripted comedy series starring Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie.
  • Alec Price & Jordan Oliver were the guests on AEW Unrestricted this week.
  • Fumenori Abe will compete at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV in Las Vegas on April 17.
  • TV Insider interviewed Killer Kross & Scarlett Bordeaux.
  • Kayla Becker (former WWE broadcast team member Kayla Braxton) shared that she has booked two new movie roles:
    • Can’t go into too much detail yet, but wanted to share. I just booked 2 movies – they came out of nowhere and I’m so stoked. Also am about to be right back on your screens in the sports broadcasting world. And my podcast just hit a milestone … 2026 … TY. Let’s keep going!
  • Charlie (the former Dakota Kai) was a guest on Busted Open Radio.
  • Trey Miguel appeared on the Battleground Podcast.
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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.