Author: Josh Nason

Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.

WWE Raw viewership hits record lows on Netflix for September 22 episode

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

The Monday, September 22 episode of WWE Raw did both a record low 2.3 million global views and 4.5 million global hours viewed through its first seven days, according to the Netflix weekly Tudum report.

That’s a drop from the previous week’s show that did 2.6 million global views and 5.3 million global hours viewed. The previous Raw record low for global views was for the September 1 episode (2.4 million) while the previous record low for global hours viewed was for the June 30 episode (4.6 million).

For the second straight week, the show began at a 7 PM Eastern start time in the U.S.

The show was the fallout episode from Wrestlepalooza and featured a confrontation between WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins to build up Crown Jewel, Stephanie Vaquer celebrating her WWE Women’s title win, and Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka in the main event.

Raw Viewership Details:

  • Raw was a Top 10 show in nine countries, ranking eighth globally and fourth in the U.S. for the second straight week.
  • The 1:55 runtime was shortly less than last week’s 1:58.
  • The average for the last ten weeks decreased to 2.65 million global views and 5.31 million global hours viewed.

Dave Meltzer provided his insight into the numbers for subscribers.

Last 10 weeks of WWE Raw on Netflix ratings/viewership:

Episode dateGlobal ViewsGlobal Hours
September 22, 20252.3 million4.5 million
September 15, 20252.6 million5.3 million
September 8, 20252.6 million5.1 million
September 1, 20252.4 million5.2 million
August 25, 20252.6 million5.0 million
August 18, 20252.8 million5.4 million
August 11, 20252.8 million5.3 million
August 4, 20253.0 million6.1 million
July 28, 20252.7 million5.5 million
July 21, 20252.7 million5.7 million
Average for last 10 weeks:2.65 million5.31 million

JNPO: ‘The Smashing Machine’ review & a talk with Bas Rutten

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: A24/Eric Zachanowich

First announced two years ago, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s biopic on MMA legend Mark Kerr — The Smashing Machine — finally hits theaters this Friday.

After seeing a screening of the movie last week, Josh Nason gives you his full spoiler-free thoughts on the performances by Johnson, Emily Blunt and Ryan Bader. He also talks about whether this is a potential Oscar winner and movie critic culture he observed while in the theatre.

Then, Josh talks with one of the stars of the film: the one and only Bas Rutten. The former UFC and Pancrase champion turned broadcaster talks about his involvement in the film, whether it was difficult to go back to that time in his life, and his interactions with Johnson and Blunt.

Once you watch the movie, let Josh know what you think on X or BlueSky.

Click here to listen for free or stream for free on both Spotify or Apple Podcasts (search Wrestling Observer).

TKO’s Zuffa Boxing signs TV rights deal with Paramount

Posted on by Josh Nason

Paramount/Skydance is doubling down on their relationship with TKO, announcing a media rights deal with their budding Zuffa Boxing promotion.

Announced on Monday morning, it is a “long-term media rights agreement in which Paramount+ will become the exclusive home of Zuffa Boxing throughout the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.”

Unlike the UFC’s seven-year, $7+ billion contract signed in August, no financial terms were disclosed.

The promotion is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh and includes UFC’s Dana White and WWE’s Nick Khan as the management team.

The deal begins in January 2026 with 12 events in the calendar year “with plans to grow that number in subsequent years.” The shows will stream on Paramount+ “with the potential for select events to be simulcast on CBS.” The wording was less definitive on the CBS front than in their UFC release.

TKO was involved in the promotion of this month’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight in Las Vegas.

WOL: The All Out angle that should have been on AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

Hindsight is 20/20 and on Sunday’s Wrestling Observer Live, guest host Josh Nason thinks he has clear vision.

One thing that stuck out to him was a big angle that took place at last Saturday’s AEW All Out that, given how the week played out, should have been at AEW Dynamite instead.

He also looks at the happenings from Saturday’s AEW Collision and the sudden glut of mid-card wrestlers all returning from injury and the constant battle for room on TV.

Of course, Josh delves into the weekend that was for both TNA and NXT who are inescapably linked for better or for worse.

He also talks about an unforced error on social media, his thoughts on The Rock’s new Smashing Machine movie, a preview of this week, and more.

Click here to listen for free, or stream free on either Spotify or Apple Podcasts (search Wrestling Observer).

Former ROH World Champion returns on AEW Collision from long injury absence

Posted on by Josh Nason

Former Ring of Honor World Champion Dalton Castle made his in-ring return on Saturday’s AEW Collision — his first action since July 2024.

As first teased several weeks ago, Castle teamed The Outrunners in a trios match, picking up a quick win over enhancements talents KM, Cowpoke Paul and Corey Sparks. That followed a solo vignette that first aired on ROH TV in June.

After being knocked out in a Collision match with Roderick Strong in July 2024, it was revealed Castle was also dealing with a torn biceps that kept him out of action for 14 months.

The 39-year-old has held nearly every ROH title including the World, Six-Man, and TV titles with his last coming alongside the Tate twins/The Boys in December 2022.

Castle is the latest returning talent to AEW this month that includes Jack Perry, Orange Cassidy, Komander, PAC and Eddie Kingston. Other than Perry, all were out with injuries for considerable amounts of time.

Tony Khan: Hologram ‘likely is out the rest of 2025’

Posted on by Josh Nason

Originally set to challenge Kyle Fletcher on this Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, Hologram was injured in a backstage attack and according to Tony Khan, he won’t be back for some time.

After the attack by Fletcher that aired on AEW Collision preceded by a video of Hologram nemesis Clon, Khan tweeted that Hologram “has significant injuries” and that he “likely is out the rest of 2025.”

The 26-year-old competed in a trios bout this past Wednesday on Dynamite where he picked up the win via a pin on Hechicero. It’s unclear if there is an actual injury and if so, when it was sustained and the severity.

Orange Cassidy will take Hologram’s place this Wednesday against Fletcher. If the injury is legitimate, the immediate future for the Clon character remains to be seen.

Since the character was introduced in July 2024, Hologram has been undefeated in both singles and tag team competition. He missed a significant amount of time from October 2024 through February 2025 after suffering an ankle injury at WrestleDream in addition to welcoming the birth of a child.

AEW reveals change, addition to sixth anniversary edition of Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

A revamped TNT title match is part of several new additions to this Wednesday’s sixth anniversary edition of AEW Dynamite.

After being attacked backstage by TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher following an on-screen visit from Clon, Hologram is out of his scheduled title match. In his place: former AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, one week after returning following a six-month absence due to a torn pectoral muscle.

Another new addition is former AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm, making her first appearance since losing the title to Kris Statlander in a four-way at last weekend’s All Out. Storm also could insert herself into the teased first-ever women’s Blood & Guts match.

Announced earlier on Dynamite, Kenny Omega will return after nearly a month to join AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido against Josh Alexander and The Young Bucks.

AEW Dynamite sixth anniversary | Wednesday, October 1:

  • Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Daniel Garcia vs. Hangman Page, Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs
  • Kris Statlander & Darby Allin vs. Marina Shafir & Wheeler Yuta
  • TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher defends against Orange Cassidy
  • Jurassic Express return
  • Kenny Omega & AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido (Bandido and Brody King) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) & Josh Alexander
  • Toni Storm appearance

Challenge issued for first-ever women’s AEW Blood & Guts match

Posted on by Josh Nason

For the first time in its history, the women of AEW will have their first-ever Blood & Guts match in the near future.

Following her win on Collision over Julia Hart, Jamie Hayter was attacked by Hart, Thekla and Skye Blue before Queen Aminata ran out to help even up the odds.

Afterward, Hayter said she was tired of all this and there was only one way to settle things: Blood & Guts.

No other details were teased or given.

The five women have been feuding in different forms for months with former AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm among those also involved. Storm will appear on this Wednesday’s Dynamite for the first time since losing her title to Kris Statlander at last weekend’s All Out.

Once official, it will be the fifth edition of the double ring, double cage match designed to settle feuds between warring factions. The first came in May 2021 with the following year’s edition taking place in June. The 2023 and 2024 editions were both in July — all of which took place on an edition of Dynamite.

Tony Khan said on a recent media call to expect a Blood & Guts match by year’s end. During the week of October 5, the company is holding Homecoming editions of both Dynamite and Collision at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida — the location for the first-ever such Blood & Guts match.

Updates on next week’s AEW Dynamite runtime & Collision start time

Posted on by Josh Nason

The week ahead will see adjustments to AEW’s two weekly TV shows on the WBD networks.

Announced during Saturday’s Collision, this Wednesday’s sixth anniversary episode of Dynamite from Hollywood, Florida, will be a special 2.5 hour edition of the show. It will air on TBS per usual.

Additionally, AEW announced that next Saturday’s edition of Collision will air at 7 PM Eastern vs. its usual 8 PM Eastern slot on TNT. It will follow both a college football game between Oklahoma State and Arizona and a postgame show. Of note, this week’s Collision is being taped Thursday in Lakeland, Florida.

As of now, no matches for Collision have been announced.

AEW Dynamite sixth anniversary | Wednesday, October 1:

  • Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Daniel Garcia vs. Hangman Page, Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs
  • Kris Statlander & Darby Allin vs. Marina Shafir & Wheeler Yuta
  • TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher defends against Orange Cassidy
  • Jurassic Express return
  • Kenny Omega & AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido (Bandido and Brody King) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) & Josh Alexander
  • Toni Storm appearance

Kenny Omega returning to action on AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

After being taken out by TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher in early-September, former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega will return to the ring as part of this Wednesday’s anniversary edition of AEW Dynamite.

Announced during Saturday’s Collision, Omega will join reigning AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido to take on the Young Bucks and Josh Alexander.

Brody King revealed the news in a backstage promo.

Omega was stretchered out due to Fletcher’s attack following an eight-man tag team match on the September 3 Dynamite — a bout that also included the Bucks and Alexander.

Former teammates in The Elite, Omega and the Bucks have been at odds for more than a year following Matt & Nick Jackson aligning with Kazuchika Okada who took Omega out in storyline.

AEW Dynamite sixth anniversary | Wednesday, October 1:

  • Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Daniel Garcia vs. Hangman Page, Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs
  • Kris Statlander & Darby Allin vs. Marina Shafir & Wheeler Yuta
  • TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher defends against Orange Cassidy
  • Jurassic Express return
  • Kenny Omega & AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido (Bandido and Brody King) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) & Josh Alexander

Trios match added to AEW Collision lineup

Posted on by Josh Nason

The Death Riders will be in action on Saturday’s AEW Collision with new member Daniel Garcia ready to make a splash.

In a match announced Friday night, former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley teams with Garcia and Claudio Castagnoli against Paragon’s Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong along with Matt Menard. “Daddy Magic” is a former partner of Garcia’s and isn’t happy with the direction his now-former friend has taken.

The Moxley-led group was run off by Darby Allin and his flamethrower on this past Wednesday’s Dynamite after AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander emphatically denied their offer to join the group.

Moxley, Garcia and Castagnoli will face AEW World Champion Hangman Page, Samoa Joe and Powerhouse Hobbs on Wednesday’s Dynamite.

Current AEW Collision card | Saturday, September 27:

  • TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher defends against Komander
  • Max Caster & Anthony Bowens vs. Swirl (Lee Johnson & Blake Christian)
  • Eddie Kingston & Hook vs. Big Bill & Bryan Keith
  • Jamie Hayter vs. Julia Hart
  • Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Daniel Garcia & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. Paragon (Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong) and Matt Menard

Estimated AEW All Out PPV buys in range with other big event

Posted on by Josh Nason

AEW’s third-straight afternoon pay-per-view — All Out from Toronto, Canada — continued their run of strong PPV sales despite earlier start times.

In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that according to a source, last Saturday’s show did “numbers similar to Revolution” which would put it in the range of between 135,000-140,000 total buys worldwide.

Last Saturday also featured WWE Wrestlepalooza, a premium live event that started at 7 PM Eastern and kicked off their ESPN partnership domestically. The shows went head-to-head for one hour (7-8 PM). As of now, no figures have been released for Wrestlepalooza viewership.

All Out marked the first time an AEW PPV was available to purchase on the HBO Max streaming service for a $10 discount off regular rates. However, a subscription to HBO Max is required which is a minimum of $9.99/month or $8.33 on average with a 12-month commit (both with ads). The event was also available domestically on Amazon Prime, YouTube and PPV.com along with international partners like Triller.

Once the number is finalized, All Out is in line to be tied for AEW’s second most purchased event of the calendar year behind July’s All In.

As noted above, All Out is the third-straight PPV event to start in the afternoon domestically as the main card began at 3 PM. The All In main card also started at 3 PM Eastern while Forbidden Door began at 1 PM Eastern.

AEW’s final three PPVs of 2025 (October’s WrestleDream, November’s Full Gear, December’s Worlds End) will all begin at 8 PM Eastern unless changed.

Estimated AEW PPV buys in 2025

  • Revolution (March): 135,000-140,000
  • Dynasty (April): 110,000-120,000
  • Double or Nothing (May): 122,000-130,000
  • All In (July): 180,000-185,000
  • Forbidden Door (August): 122,000-130,000
  • All Out (September): 135,000-140,000

Santino Marella: When TNA gets a new TV deal, we’re the number two promotion

Posted on by Josh Nason

Current TNA employee and former WWE Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella is talking big about the prospects for TNA if they are able to secure a new TV deal.

Marella was on Lucha Libre Online and was about asked about the success of the company, October’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view, and the run they are currently on.

“We’re going to capitalize on (the BFG) audience. We’re going to send the message out to the world. We’re here. We’re knocking on that door. You better look out because once we get that TV deal, we’re number two, man. I know Tony Khan has lots of money, I get it. But the fans speak. The fans dictate who’s number one, number two, number three, not your bank account,” he said.

TNA head Carlos Silva has talked publicly about wanting to get a new TV deal with rumors they have been speaking with The CW and A&E via their partnerships with WWE.

“Of course, WWE is number one. They’re so far ahead that we’ll never catch it in my lifetime. Number two is attainable, number two is really something we can do. If we accomplish that, that’s humongous,” he continued.

He also spoke positively about the experience in TNA and that when wrestlers get released or leave WWE, he tells them to come to TNA as it will help them fall in love with the business again.

Marella also talked about his recent AAA interaction with Mr. Iguana and how he’d love to team with the budding star vs. taking him on, the ability to work with his daughter, and more.

AEW & Stardom wrestlers announced for CMLL Women’s International Grand Prix

Posted on by Josh Nason

Two teams have been revealed for the upcoming CMLL Women’s International Grand Prix and as expected, AEW will have a significant presence in the night’s featured match.

Revealed on Wednesday night, ROH Women’s TV Champion Mina Shirakawa, Skye Blue, Julia Hart, Thekla and ROH’s Diamante will be part of Team International, joining Stardom’s Hazuki and Koguma in addition to Kanji from RevPro and Shoko Nakajima from TJPW/MLW.

They will face Team Mexico, comprised of Olympia, Catalina, Persephone, Skadi, Reyna Isis, Zeuxis, India Sioux, LLuvia and La Jarochita in the Torneo Cibernetico match.

Shirakawa and Zeuxis were initially revealed for the show earlier this month.

The show is set for Friday, October 24 from Arena Mexico.

It follows the men’s version of the event that saw Mistico win the bout that included “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Rocky Romero, Donovan Dijak, Robbie X, Michael Oku, The Beast Mortos, Lio Rush, TJP, Taiji Ishimori, and Action Andretti on the international side.

‘I Quit’ match official for AEW WrestleDream

Posted on by Josh Nason

The first match is set for next month’s AEW WrestleDream and it promises to be the latest violent chapter in a violent rivalry.

At the close of AEW Dynamite, Darby Allin, armed with a flamethrower, issued a challenge to blood rival Jon Moxley to an “I Quit” match for the Saturday, October 18 pay-per-view from St. Louis, Missouri. Moxley didn’t immediately accept but in a video shared on X later on, Moxley accepted in his own words (seen below).

Allin’s appearance came after AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander turned down an invite to join the Death Riders, clotheslining Wheeler Yuta before escaping the scene and a probable beatdown. Allin then ran off the group with the aforementioned flamethrower, leading to the challenge.

The two are coming off a violent and bloody coffin match at this past Saturday’s All Out that Moxley won, thanks to the return of PAC. The two have four singles matches against each other in AEW with Moxley going 4-0.

Allin has never had an I Quit match while Moxley has two of them in his career, the last coming against Eddie Kingston at 2020’s Full Gear.

It’s the first official match for the PPV.