Daily Update: WWE Raw, John Cena, AEW Collision

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • A look back at the career of Dennis Condrey of Midnight Express fame
  • Update on WrestleMania, both the matches, business update the ticket demand at the present time
  • An updated look at AEW’s All In on 8/30 at Wembley Stadium as well as a look at the Dynasty show and ticket demand for the show
  • Coverage of El Homenaje a Dos Leyendas, CMLL’s second biggest show of the year, with El Satanico’s retirement at 76, The Death Riders appear, the heavyweight title changes hands and Mistico returns
  • A look at the NCAA Division I tournament including a look back 79 years when future pro wrestling legends dominated the heavyweight division and how it ties into the most recent tournament. We also look at the rivalry that could define college wrestling for years to come between a coach and his former pupil, a guy who was in high school in December and wins the NCAA title in March, as well business notes on the show, both attendance and television ratings
  • A look back at Sid Vicious, Badnews Allen and Dennis Rodman’s pro wrestling days
  • Trying to explain the latest controversy in television ratings and how this related to pro wrestling
  • How ratings differ from a sports survey about wrestling fans
  • The most complete look at the ratings for all the pro wrestling television shows over the past week,including competition, demos and comparisons with one year ago, as well as competition in the time slot.
  • Notes on CMLL talent coming to WrestleMania week
  • Major injury to arguably CMLL’s best worker
  • Notes on the 83rd anniversary of pro wrestling in one of its most famous arenas
  • Notes on tentative plans for a major mask vs. mask match
  • Callum Newman and Yuya Uemura tear it up in the New Japan Cup finals
  • Next major New Japan show thoughts with Ospreay’s returnh
  • Tanahashi talks goals to turn the company around
  • Kazusada Higuchi retirement notes
  • Thoughts on Satoru Sayama and his impact on pro wrestling
  • Aja Kongs 40th anniversary show
  • Gable Stevesn and RAF
  • Ted DiBiase Jr acquitted in his case
  • The end of CBS News Radio and what former WCW announcer was an anchor there
  • Notes on the announcing at the orignal When Worlds Collide AAA show
  • Lots of WrestleMania week show notes
  • FantasticaMania comes to the U.K.
  • Update on WBD sale to Paramount Skydance
  • Update on Revolution PPV buys
  • Jeff Jarrett becomes co-owner of a sports franchise
  • Jericho talks about working today
  • More on the Ali Revival Act
  • A list of a lot of PPV buy numbers for UFC
  • Ari Emanuel’s role in getting President Trump to stop the case against Ticketmaster/Live Nation.
  • WWE star training for a bodybuilding contest soon
  • Jesse Ventura rants but his timeline makes sense

This Week’s Back Issue

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Monday Update

WWE Raw at MSG
WWE Raw at MSG

— Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw, John Cena, Tony Khan, Scott D’Amore and several other subjects with Wrestling Observer Radio tonight.

— Raw is tonight in Madison Square Garden. MSG is considered a special place in WWE and whenever they have Raw there they try and shoot a major angle. They had 16,443 tickets out earlier today so they don’t have the big stage and can probably get around 18,000 in so either a sellout (and it will be announced as such) or very close. Roman Reigns,CM Punk and Brock Lesnar are on the show meaning Oba Femi most likely as well. The Usos defend the tag titles against Logan Paul & Austin Theory in a street fight. Lash Legend & Nia Jax defend the tag titles against Bayley & Lyra Valkyria. Penta defends the IC title against Kofi Kingston and Iyo Sky faces Raquel Rodriguez. I would think they should be adding a few new matches to Mania this week.

— I have no idea why there is any controversy regarding John Cena as a guest host for WrestleMania this year. He made it very clear he wouldn’t wrestle, bugt would always have an affiliation with the company. The move was made because they are trying to boost ticket sales and there is nothing wrong with that. In recent days they’ve fallen even farther behind last year’s pace.

— The NXT show tomorrow at the Theater in Madison Square Garden has 2,280 tickets out.

— We are looking for reports from this past Friday night’s NXT show in Oklahoma City, results, finishes and highlights, to [email protected]

— Collision will air twice this week. The show is being taped Wednesday night in Winnipeg. It will air Thursday at 8 p.m. and again on Saturday night. TNT is listing a TBA at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night but it is scheduled as a Collision replay. There will be games through 11 p.m. that will have a gigantic viewership number. They are scheduled for a 30 minute post-game show and then Collision after that. The replay could do a very strong number, especially the first 30 minutes although it will tail off greatly from there.

— Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink, a junior from Penn State who was the favorite to win the Hodge Trophy in 2026, did in the most dominant fashion in the history of the award. Mesenbring, who won the NCAA title on 3/31 at 165 pounds, was listed by 93.0 percent of those voting for first place after going 27-0 with 26 bonus point wins. Spencer Lee in 2020 got 91.2 percent of the first place votes. Kyle Dake in 2013 got 90.7 percent. The Hodge trophy is the college wrestling equivalent to the Heisman Trophy,named after Danny Hodge, one of America’s best real wrestlers of all-time as well as a Hall of Fame pro wrestler.

— Arena Mexico has its biggest Tuesday show in a while this week with four title matches. Averno defends the Historic light heavyweight title against Atlantis Jr. Mascara Dorada defends the Historic welterweight title against Yutani. Flip Gordon defends the Historic middleweight title against Volador Jr. And Magia Blanca defends the Mexican national welterweight title against Capitan Sucida. I expect some title changes because they are starting the Tournament of champions on Friday.

— Given the rating of 256,000 viewers with an 0.05 in 18-49, and the competition, Thursday’s TNA show did what I would call the most impressive rating of their short sting thus far on AMC. Competition included two NCAA basketball games, one of which drew 9.4 million viewers, as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers opening game on NBC, it was far harder competition than usual.

— Mike Santana vs. Eddie Edwards will be the TNA title match at Rebellion on 4/11 in Cleveland.

— Wrestle Pro has its tenth anniversary show on Saturday in Rahway,NJ at the Rec Center with Ricochet vs. Sidney Akeem, Anthony Bowens vs. Max Caster, plus the Gates of Agony,Lady Frost, Scotty 2 Hotty and Brian Myers are the show.

— Former NWA champion Ron Garvin turned 81 today. Mike Rotunda turned 68. Conrad Efraim/SD Jones was born on this day in 1945. (thanks to Tony Richrds)

— Defy and Dragon Gate are doing a joint show on 4/10 at the Hawthorne Theater in Portland, OR. Bryan Keith derends the Defy title against Susumu Yokouska. Marina Shafir defends her women’s titel against AMira. Steven Borden & Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas face MadoktaKikuta & Kai & Ishin, plus Dragon Kid, Yamato, Ho Ho Lun, Midnight Heat, Judas Icarus & Travis Williams, La Estrella, Kzy, Ben K and Adam Brooks are n the show.

— The New Japan Sakura Genesis show starts on Friday night at 1:40 a.m. (late Friday) Eastern and 10:40 p.m. Pacific. The opening match actually goes against the main event of Smackdown if you live on the West Coast. Sakura Genesis is from Sumo Hall in Tokyo and is a loaded show with Yota Tsuji vs. Callum Newman for the IWGP title, Oskar & Yuto-Ice defend the IWGP tag titles against Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa, Will Ospreay & Great O’Khan & Henare vs. Yuya Uemur & Taichi & El Desperado, Konosuke Takeshita defends the TV title against Shota Umino and Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi & Oleg Boltin defend the trios titles against Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens.

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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.