Daily Update: WWE SmackDown & CMLL notes, Damian Priest

Royce Keys
Royce Keys

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • The most detailed look at  how the Pat McAfee angle developed, its goal, why so many in the company are unhappy with it, where it  is leading, addressing the biggest WrestleMania questions, what CM Punk aid, where Paul Levesque and Ari Emanuel fit in, as well as an update on WrestleMania tickets compared to last year, discount offers cutting price back and more
  • Preview to AEW Dynasty, matches and business notes as well as updates on Double or Nothing direction and business, as well as All In at Wembley Stadium.
  • Favorites for WrestleMania and Dynasty
  • Lots of business notes on WrestleMania
  • Callum Newman wins IWGP title and review of Sakura Genesis, what we learned, business, Best of the Super Juniors and Dontaku notes
  • NXT Stand & Deliver.  Match rundowns and stories as well as business notes on the show
  • Texts from Paul Levesque to Nick Khan released in discovery regarding Vince McMahon’s involvement in booking when talent was told McMahon was out and Levesques frustration at the time
  • A detailed look at TNA pulling  talent from advertised indie events that they had previously approved and a better way of handling it
  • A look at the career of 60s and 70s star Flying Fred Curry, one of the major stars of The Sheik’s heyday running Michigan and Ohio, son of Bull Curry and nine-time world tag team champion.
  • The arrest of Alberto el Patron, lots more details and his history, shows he’s been pulled from, an ironic aspect of this story n a reality show in Mexico late last year
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the television shows of the past week, with  comparisons with last week, last year, demos and other stats, male vs. female percentage
  • More stats regarding the audience at Arena Mexico shows as well as a look back on a major week last week.
  • Saya Kamtani has major goal for Stardom’s big show later this month
  • Japanese television in 1985 and who were the draws
  • Ric Flair upset over WWE costing him a major merchandise deal
  • How many times was Flair world champion
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Two more possible WrestleMania card changes
  • Janel Grant lawsuit thoughts

This Week’s Back Issue

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Friday Update

Damian Priest
Damian Priest

— We have  a schedule change for this week as Garrett and I will be doing our show Sunday night because of WWE in San Jose today, and Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night because this is a crazy weekend.

— SmackDown tonight is the next to last SmackDown before WrestleMania so it will be mostly promos and hype for the show. Royce Keys debuts, which makes sense given he’s from East Palo Alto and grew up about 20 miles away from the SAP Centers.

The show will focus on the key Smackdown matches for Mania, Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu, Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams as the keys. They will continue the Pat McAfee angle with the expectation of Jelly Roll involvement this week or next. We have a long story on the McAfee angle in the current issue. They had 10,036 tickets out as of last word so again it will be a big crowd but not a sellout, likely well over $1 million house, usual for Friday nights.

— Damian Priest said that he thought the McAfee interview angle sucks and said others did as well. Its very rare people will comment on things like that in a negative fashion. It should be noted last week’s television rating was the best the show had done in months. I guess we’ll see how it changes or plays out tonight.

— AEW Dynamite did 654,000 viewers with an 0.14 in 18-49. It was down in total viewers from recent weeks but demo numbers were in the usual range. It was third in the time slot behind FOX News and the NBA. The lead-in was lower so the start was lower. The strongest points were the Chris Jericho/Demand segment, Tommaso Ciampa vs. Mascara Dorada and the FTR and Adam Copeland & Christian Cage segments with the Ciampa match being the high point.

— CMLL has week two of the Universal tournament of champions, with the CMLL title holders (except Mascara Dorada who qualified for the finals last Friday), a tournament format with Mistico, Hechicero, Neon, Templario, Niebla Roja, Angel de Oro and Stigma, plus Atlantis Jr. & Esfinge & Flip Gordon vs. Difunto & Barboza & Furia Roja.

— Just to clear up some confusion, the new CMLL television deal announced yesterday is for FS2 in Mexico, not the United States. It looks like they will be airing the Friday night shows live. I don’t know if it’s full shows or partial. That is likely to be explained later.

— Reports from Edmonton were that the Young Bucks vs. Clon & Hechicero match was great.

— We are doing polls this weekend for the TNA Rebellion show and Sunday’s AEW Dynasty show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match from both shows to [email protected]

— Randy Savage will be inducted into the MJN Center (Poughkeepsie, NY) Hall of Fame during the 5/16 Awesome Championship Wrestling show. The MJN Center is the former Mid Hudson Civic Center which housed WWF television tapings and regular house shows.

— TNA Rebellion for tomorrow night

  • Mike Santana vs. Eddie Edwards for the TNA title
  • Matt & Jeff Hardy defend the tag titles against Brian Myers & Bear Bronson
  • Trey Miguel vs. Mustafa Ali for the International title which should be great
  • Leon Slater vs. Cedric Alexander for the X title
  • Mickie James & Taryn Terrell & ODB vs. The Elegance Brand in a hardcore country rules match
  • Elijah vs. Frankie Kazarian
  • Nic Nemeth vs. AJ Francis
  • Moose vs. Agent Zero
  • Ryan Nemeth vs. BDE

— ONE strawweight champion Xiong Jingnan signed with UFC and debuts against Angela Hill on 5/30 in Macau. Jingnan, 38, left ONE in March when they announced they would not be promoting women’s strawweight fights going forward.

— UFC 327 comes from Miami tomorrow night. The entire show airs on Paramount+ with four fights airing on CBS from 8-10 p.m.

  • Charles Radtke (170) vs. Francisco Prado (170)
  • Kelvin Gastelum (185) vs. Vicente Luque (185)
  • MarQuel Mederos (155) vs. Chris Padilla (158) – Padilla missed weight and is being fined 20 percent of his purse
  • Tatiana Suarez (116) vs. Loopy Godinez (116)
  • Mateusz Gamrot (156) vs. Esteban Ribovics (155)

CBS portion:

  • Kevin Holland (171) vs. Randy Brown (171)
  • Patricio Pitbull Freire (145) vs. Aaron Pico (145)
  • Cub Swanson (146) vs. Nate Landwehr (145) – This looks to be Swanson’s retirement fight
  • Dominic Reyes (205) vs. Johnny Walker (205)

Back exclusive to Paramount+:
Curtis Blaydes (261) vs. Josh Hokit (233)
Azamat Murzakanov (205) vs. Paulo Costa (205)
Jiri Prochazka (203) vs. Carlos Ulberg (204) for the vacant light heavyweight title

— PFL runs tomorrow night at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on ESPN 2 at 9 p.m. Eastern

  • Gabriel Braga (145) vs. Cheydon Leialoha (146)
  • Raufeon Stots (136) vs. Renat Khavalov (136)
  • Jordan Newman (185.8) vs. Josh Silveira (186)
  • Sergio Pettis (134.4) vs. Mitch McKee (135.6)

— All ticket holders going to tonight’s Defy vs. DragonGate show at the Hawthorne Theater in Portland will be able to get 30 percent off tickets for the AEW television taping in Portland on 4/22.

— Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling on 4/17 in Las Vegas at 1301 S. Main Street at 2:30 p.m.

  • Rob Van Dam & QT Marshall & Starboy Charlie vs. Ricochet & Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun
  • Aaron Solo & Alan Angels vs. Tome Filip & Slex from Australia
  • Vert Vixen vs. Izzy Moreno vs. Amira vs. Brooke Havoc
  • KJ Orso vs. Bad Dude Tito
  • and many more

— Juice Robinson turns 37 today. Paul Bearer/Bill Moody/Percy Pringle was born on this day in 1954. Jeremy Layman/Jax Dane was born on this day in 1976. Kurt Von Hess was born on this day in 1942. Tex McKenzie was born on this day in 1936. Larry Sharpe died nine years ago today at the age of 65. Teijo Khan died six years ago today at the age of 64. Hartford Love died last year on this day at the age of 84. (thanks to Tony Richards)

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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.