Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including more on Vince McMahon and a potential WWE sale, ratings, Supercard of Honor announced, New Japan in San Jose, Dana White discusses slapping his wife, Phil Baroni update, full Dynamite and NXT results, Mercedes Mone, Rampage spoilers and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: The latest on potential WWE sale
10:42: Ratings
14:58: ROH Supercard of Honor announced for WrestleMania weekend
17:05: IWGP World title match added to NJPW Battle in the Valley, Mercedes Mone was not at AEW
At a media event to promote this weekend’s UFC Fight Night, company president and figurehead Dana White spoke to the media and addressed the fallout from the TMZ video that showed both he and his wife exchanging slaps on New Year’s Eve.
During his 13-minute talk, he continued to own up to what he did, saying there is no excuse and that the incident “is something I am going to have to deal with and live with for the rest of my life.”
White and his wife, Anne, were on vacation in Mexico on New Year’s Eve and got into a verbal altercation that then turned physical when she slapped him and he then slapped her twice. The video went viral on TMZ with White giving an interview to the outlet shortly afterward. He said they were both heavily intoxicated but there was no excuse for what he did.
Asked about whether there would be repercussions internally for his action such as a suspension, White said there wouldn’t be and that him leaving would only would hurt the company, his employees, and the fighters.
“(A leave) doesn’t hurt me,” he said. “Do I need to reflect? I don’t need to reflect,” he said. “I’m telling you I’m wrong.”
White later said, “There are a lot of things I will have to deal with for the rest of my life that are way more of a punishment than, what, I take a 30-day or 60-day absence? That’s not a punishment to me. My punishment is that I did it and now I have to deal with it.”
He said there were discussions internally with Endeavor head Ari Emanuel and ESPN and that “no one was happy about this.” He said as of now, there has been no financial hit from sponsors or otherwise.
“My punishment is I got to walk around for as long as I live….this is how I’m labeled now. My other punishment is that I’m sure a lot of people — media, fighters, friends, acquaintances — who had respect for me might not have respect for me now,” he said.
Dana White: "We've had plenty of discussions internally. With Ari [Emanuel], ESPN. Nobody is happy about this. Neither am I. But it happened and I have to deal with it. What is my punishment? Here is my punishment: I gotta walk around… and this is how I'm labelled" pic.twitter.com/YLuXPzL6Vu
He also asked anyone defending him to stop as “there is no defense for this.” He said all the criticism he has got and will get is warranted, even from some of his harshest critics.
“You don’t get to bounce back from this. For the rest of my life, people are going to label me that. I get it. I did it,” he said.
He said he and his family finished the vacation and are doing good. His oldest son “isn’t happy with us” and that it’s embarrassing for their family.
Despite speculation, White reiterated that physical violence between the two has never happened before, nor with any female other than his sister when they were growing up.
After it was pushed back by a week, a reality show about White’s new Power Slap league is still set to debut next Wednesday after AEW Dynamite on TBS
Vince McMahon announced on 1/5 that he was taking action regarding the company to capitalize on a unique opportunity to maximize long-term value for WWE shareholders.
He said that he had earlier the day written to the WWE Board of Directors that he had elected himself, and former co-Presidents Michelle Wilson and George Barrios to the Board of Directors, and he would be removing three members of the current board. He also said he was going to elect himself to be put back in control of the company as the Chairman of the Board.
“Mr. McMahon’s new role will enable unified decision-making through the Company’s upcoming media rights negotiations and a parallel full review of the Company’s strategic alternatives, which Mr. McMahon believes is the right course of action and in the best interests of WWE and WWE shareholders amidst the current dynamics in the media and entertainment industry. As Mr. McMahon has communicated to the Board, he believes there is a narrow window of opportunity to create significant value for all shareholders and that to do so, the strategic alternatives review must occur in tandem with the media rights negotiations. He also expressed to the Board that he believes these two initiatives require Mr. McMahon’s direct participation, leadership, and support as controlling shareholder.” said McMahon in the release.
Originally scheduled to debut after AEW Dynamite on Wednesday, January 11th, the show will now start on Wednesday, January 18th according to a TBS representative who spoke to the New York Post.
That came after the Post reported TBS is “is having serious discussions about pulling the plug” altogether.
Earlier in the day, Jeremy Botter reported the show was no longer on any internal programming schedules, all ad spots had been dropped, and “the death of the deal…is basically just paperwork at this point.”
A Warner Media source tells me Dana White’s Power Slap series is no longer listed on any internal programming schedules and all ad spots have been dropped. The death of the deal, I’m told, is basically just paperwork at this point.
As of now, the show is set for an eight-episode run.
TMZ posted video earlier this week of White and his wife, Anne, having a physical altercation on New Year’s Eve at a nightclub where she slapped him and he retaliated with two slaps of his own.
He gave an interview to TMZ where he said he had no excuse and acknowledged his past stance on how men should never lay hands on women. He claimed this was the first time anything like this had happened between them and that things were good between he and his wife. Their focus, he said, was on their three children in the wake of the incident.
ESPN, a major broadcast partner of UFC, and Endeavor, UFC’s parent company, have yet to comment about the incident.
White, former UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta, and other involved partners are hoping the league, which sees two people slap each other until one is unable to continue, would take off with a reality show in the same way The Ultimate Fighter pushed the UFC into mainstream pop culture.
The league is regulated by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including Damar Hamlin, Dana White slapping his wife the week before Dana White’s Power Slap debuts, the Tokyo Dome press conference, Spencer Churchill, NOAH show notes, the RAW report from Monday, mailbag and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: The Damar Hamlin/Jerry Lawler/Owen Hart comparisons
UFC president Dana White and his wife, Anne, got into a physical altercation on New Year’s Eve that saw each of them slap the other person.
TMZ published the video of the incident on Monday that showed the couple talking while at a club in Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas, followed by her putting her head in her hands. She then went to leave and White grabbed her which prompted her to slap him. He then appeared to slap her twice before the couple was separated.
The couple has been married for 26 years, and have three kids.
White spoke to TMZ on Monday and said that both of them were heavily intoxicated, but that was no excuse. He owned up to saying in the past regarding fighters that there is no excuse for a man to put his hands on a woman and acknowledged that goes for him as well.
He said the couple is focused on their family right now, and have shown them the video. They have apologized to each other and their kids.
He said physical violence has never happened before between them and he’s not sure why it happened on New Year’s Eve. The couple remains on vacation in Mexico and “whatever happened that night happened.”
“I don’t remember a lot,” he said, adding that he and his wife “are cool. We’re good.”
Anne released the following to TMZ:
“Dana and I have been married for almost 30 years. To say this is out of character for him is an understatement — nothing like this has ever happened before. Unfortunately, we were both drinking too much on New Year’s Eve and things got out of control, on both sides. We’ve talked this through as a family and apologized to each other. I just hope people will respect our privacy for the sake of our kids.”
As of now, Endeavor (the UFC parent company) nor the UFC itself have made a public comment about the matter.
The professional lives of UFC head Dana White and now former WWE head Vince McMahon crossed several times in the past with a recent example being both involved in then-U.S. President’s Donald Trump’s sports advisory group during the height of the pandemic.
White was asked about McMahon following Tuesday night’s Contender Series event, given that McMahon stepped down from WWE last Friday.
White praised the 76-year-old, calling him “a killer” and putting over his business accomplishments.
“I got stories about Vince for days. What that guy built and what he’s done is incredible. He’s been doing it for 50+ years. I watched that stuff as a kid and then (for him) to still be here and doing it now is phenomenal. He’s a killer. He’s buried the hatchet in my back a few times, but that’s what you’re dealing with. You don’t deal with a killer and not expect them to try to kill you. Yeah, I have nothing but respect for Vince,” he said.
White was asked about McMahon and his family attending UFC 276 recently while they were Las Vegas the same night for Money in the Bank. White joked the family’s seats were better then when he flew down to New Orleans for WrestleMania to see Ronda Rousey compete, had to get his tickets at will-call and was up in the upper decks of the venue.
UFC president Dana White told the media following Saturday’s UFC 271 that color commentator Joe Rogan could have worked the show and that there was no scheduling conflict that prevented him from being there.
As recently as Wednesday, Rogan was still slated to work Saturday’s pay-per-view alongside Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier.
White refuted the company’s statement that the popular podcaster and longtime UFC broadcaster had a scheduling conflict.
“I don’t know what Joe Rogan had to do. You guys will have to ask Joe Rogan, but there was no ‘Joe couldn’t work’ or anything like that. I know that came out. It’s total bullsh*t,” he said.
Rogan has recently come under fire for old video footage of him using racial slurs in addition to giving a platform for anti-vaccine supporters on his podcast.
White didn’t know when Rogan would return to the booth, but “whenever he’s gonna work again, he’ll be working.” The UFC’s next pay-per-view is set for Saturday, March 5th in Las Vegas.
At several points during the show in Houston Saturday, a “Free Joe Rogan” chant broke out.
Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio to talk about the major stories in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We talk about what’s going on with Ronda Rousey and how long she’s expected to be around. We preview the Royal Rumble and then look at AEW Dynamite ratings and compare the end of the TNT run to the current TBS run.
We hit on a couple of wrestling updates before talking about Jake Paul and Dana White as well as the insane purse bid for Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte. We talk about The Wrld on GCW and then end the show talking about the WON HOF.
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
Garrett Gonzales and I will be doing a show tonight talking Royal Rumble, TNT vs. TBS for Dynamite, GCW, Tyson Fury and more tonight. Bryan and I will be doing a post Royal Rumble show tomorrow night.
Stories in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer:
Royal Rumble preview, surprises, business, WrestleMania updates
Match & Performer of the week
Francis Ngannou & Dana White and the contract situation
GCW PPV coverage, what worked and what didn’t
AAA’s TripleMania plans
What the move to TBS has meant for AEW and the key its value down the line
Grappl top 20 matches of 2021
What to learn from this week’s ratings including what segment did great with men 18-34 but fell badly with women
More Japanese awards
Story on the death of former Memphis wrestler Ken Raper
Coverage of major indie shows of the week
How tickets are moving for all WWE & AEW shows over the next month plus
What DVR viewership of AEW Dynamite shows
The death of Sheldon Silver and his role in keeping UFC out of the state of New York for years
Tons of news on NXT and WWE prospects in NXT
WWE contacts with Jeff Hardy
WWE job head counts
International TV ratings
WWE NIL signees in wrestling update
With the death of Ken Raper,a look back at one of the most memorable segments in Memphis TV history.
Smackdown tonight is from Kansas City, MO. Tommaso Ciampa, Io Shirai, Roderick Strong, Dakota Kai and LA Knight are all backstage as is Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. Matches announced are Big E & Kofi Kingston vs. Happy Corbin & Madcap Moss, Naomi vs. Sonya Deville and Ricochet & Cesaro vs. Sheamus & Ridge Holland. There will also be some kind of angle with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. 205 Live has Draco Anthony vs. Joe Gacy, Josh Briggs vs. Damon Kemp and Lash Legend & Amari Miller vs. Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz.
We’re looking for reports from Kansas City with dark matches and anything notable not on television to [email protected]
We’re doing weekend polls for Stardom’s PPV tonight from Nagoya at 3 a.m. Eastern and midnight Pacific with Syuri vs. Mirai for the World of Stardom title, Mayu Iwatani vs. Giulia vs. Tam Nakano for the next shots at the title, and Saya Kamitani defending the Wonder of Stardom title against Unagi Sayaka, as well as tomorrow’s Royal Rumble, so you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle, best & worst match to [email protected]
Rampage tonight at 10 p.m. has Jon Moxley vs. Anthony Bowens, FTR vs. Lee Johnson & Brock Anderson, Jade Cargill vs. Julia Hart for the TBS title and Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. Private Party for the tag titles.
PWInsider reported Celeste Bonin is in St. Louis for WWE. She wrestled as Kaitlyn between 2010-2014. Kurt Angle is also there. That doesn’t mean for sure they are in the Rumble although most of the women who are there like Melina, Cameron, Aksana and Ronda Rousey are expected to be.
Riho has some sort of an arm or shoulder injury as she posted a photo of her arm in a sling saying “I’m taking a rest a little.”
Brock Lesnar is being advertised for TV dates on 2/14 in Indianapolis, 2/21 in Columbia,SC, 2/25 in Hershey, PA and 3/11 in Birmingham, AL. Except for Hershey, all of those shows had slow ticket sales, so we’ll see if he can jump start sales.
Bellator tomorrow night at 10 p.m. from Phoenix on Showtime
Sabah Homasi (170.8) vs. Jaleel White (170.2)
Henry Corrales (145.8) vs. Aiden Lee (145.8)
Benson Henderson (155.8) vs. Islam Mamedov (155.6)
Ryan Bader (232.2) vs. Valentin Moldavsky (234.4) for the heavyweight title
CMLL at Arena Mexico tonight has Mistico vs. Ultimo Guerrero on top plus the Reyes del Aire elimination match wit Titan, Gran Guerrero, Soberano Jr., Templario, Atlantis Jr., Cavernario, Volador Jr., Negro Casas, Stuka Jr., and Dragon Rojo Jr.
For what it’s worth, for Raw in Cincinnati, they are advertising Bobby Lashley & Kevin Owens & Seth Rollins vs. Big E & Street Profits and Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan vs. Bianca Belair for the women’s title. (thanks to Brian Henke)
Paul Craig vs. Nikita Krylov looks to happen on the 3/19 show in London.
OTHER NOTES
The Hardys first match back as a tag team will be on 3/12 in Webster, MA for Big Time Wrestling. They will face the winner of a match with the Briscoes vs. Jose & Joel Maximo earlier in the show.
Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Ricky Morton and Scotty 2 Hotty are scheduled for Prestige Wrestling on 5/28 and 5/29 in Roseland, OR.
AAW on 2/4 in Merrionette Park, IL at 115 Bourbon Street is headlined by Lio Rush vs. Josh Alexander, plus a no rules match with Fred Yehi vs. Schaff, Silas Young vs. Manders bullrope match, Hakim Zane & Karam vs. ACH & Jah-C, Christi Jaynes & Ren Jones vs. Lady Frost & Victor Benjamin and Russ Jones vs. Jake Something plus Ace Austin, Mat Fitchett and more.
MCW Fan Fest 1-5 p.m. on 2/5 in Hollywood, MD at the Fire
Department has a meet and greet with Taya Valkyrie, Kevin Nash, Jimmy Hart, Lex Luger, Angelina Love, Quinn McKay, Velvet Sky, The Headbangers, Serena Deeb, Lita, Adam Cole, Thunder Rosa, Sabu, Lio Rush and Bushwhacker Luke Williams. They also have a wrestling show and another on 2/6 in Glen Burnie, MD at La Fontaine Bleue.
Former UFC fighter Tom Breese (12-3) has signed a multi-fight deal with the Levels Fight League and will debut on 3/13 in Amsterdam, Holland, against David Ramies (8-4).
Defy has its fifth anniversary month with shows on 2/12 and 2/26 in Seattle at Washington Hall. On 2/12, Christopher Daniels defends the Defy interim title against Nick Wayne and Midnight Heat vs. Bollywood Boyz (formerly the Singh Brothers) in a ladder match.
UFC president Dana White addressed why he disappeared after heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s title unification win over interim champion Cyril Gane at last Saturday’s UFC 270 and didn’t put the belt on the champion as is tradition.
During an ESPN+ Q&A session Wednesday, White said he walked out of the arena in Anaheim, California, after the flyweight title co-main event “because there was stuff going on backstage that I was dealing with.”
White bristled at the notion at anyone thinking he was showing disrespect to Ngannou by not being in the cage and also skipping the post-event press conference, calling them “idiots” and pointing out that he saw the champion all week, shook his hand and said hi to him.
He said the only time he ever did that intentionally was after then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s lackluster UFC 112 title defense over Demian Maia in Abu Dhabi.
Ngannou and the UFC have been at an impasse on a new contract due to perceived disrespect and financial terms dating back to last year’s creation of the interim title due to Ngannou not being able to commit to the fight timeline UFC wanted.
Ngannou is currently obligated to remain with the company for the duration of the year on a champion’s clause after which time he will become a free agent. Ngannou said this week he is going to have knee surgery this year which will take him out of action for up to ten months.
Also on Wednesday, news broke via White that they are gearing up for another big pay-per-view card on May 7th with two titles on the line at UFC 274.
In the main event, lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will look to continue his hot streak of wins and finishes as he defends against action fighter and fan favorite Justin Gaethje. The champion has won ten straight and last submitted Dustin Poirier in December while Gaethje is 5-1 in his last six fights and is a former interim titleholder.
In the co-main event, light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira will defend his title for the first time when he faces Jiri Prochazka.
Originally tabbed for Brazil, it’s unknown where the event will take place. Neither fight has been made official, but considering White revealed the information to ESPN, it’s essentially confirmed.
White also said they are trying to make a fight between Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson for the future, but nothing has been signed. It’s assumed that would headline a Fight Night event.
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Our weekend show with Bryan was up last night and we did a show Friday night with Garrett looking at the business, where it is today, and where it looks to be going. Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night to talk Raw and the latest news.
We’re doing weekend polls for both last night’s UFC 270 and tonight’s GCW show from the Hammerstein Ballroom. You can leave a thumbs up, down or middle, along with a best and worst match for each show to [email protected]. We’re looking for reports from tonight’s WWE show in Huntington, WV to [email protected]
Lots of news coming out of last night’s UFC show. Dana White refused to get into the ring and put the belt on Francis Ngannou after his win. Mick Maynard had to do that. White also didn’t attend the press conference. Ngannou talked negatively about White at the press conference. Ngannou’s contract expired, but there was a champion’s clause in the contract that can be extended for three more dates. Ngannou was asked on the broadcast about boxing and said that he wanted to box. Tyson Fury wrote to him saying, “If you want to make some real money come see the GK (Gypsy King).” Ngannou made $600,000 as a base purse and he has previously said he won’t fight for that amount again. Fury earned about $30 million for his last fight. Top Rank President Todd duBoef called making the fight a no-brainer. But if Ngannou is still under any contract with UFC, which he would be, such a fight would need UFC approval.
There are people looking at Ngannou challenging the champion’s clause, or using his knee injury which is legit as a reason to stay one for one year and not fight. What Ngannou does next will be very interesting but he would get killed by Fury in a boxing match, but he’d also make the kind of money he wants to make, and at his age, that would be a move to make. It’s really sad when UFC runs with the idea of making so ridiculous profits that their top stars can make more fighting boxers than defending their world titles.
As far as the judging, in Ngannou’s win over Cyril Gane, judges Derek Clearly and Ron McCarthy gave rounds one and two to Gane and three to five to Ngannou, which is the same as most people. Sal D’Amato only gave Gane round two. Round one was close. 96 percent of media scores went to Ngannou.
In Deiveson Figueiredo’s win over Brandon Moreno to take the flyweight title, which was a very close fight, Moreno would have clearly won rounds three and five had not Figueiredo knocked him down in both rounds. But that happened. Most people I saw had it 38-38 going into the fifth, but the reality was that Moreno needed a finish in the fifth round since two judges at it 39-37 for Figueiredo. Michael Bell gave Figueiredo rounds one, three and four, giving Moreno five. Chris Crill had one, three and five for Figueiredo,which is what most seemed to have. Judge Wade Vierra had one, three and four for Figueiredo. Of the reporter scores we’ve seen, 67 percent had it for Figueiredo and 33 percent for Moreno. Because of how close the fight was, and how great it was, a fourth meeting between the two, unprecedented in UFC history for two guys to have four straight fights, seems to be the logical next step.
Game Changer Wrestling tonight:
Jon Moxley vs. Homicide for GCW title
Jonathan Gresham vs. Blake Christian for ROH title
Briscoes to defend GCW tag title
Ruby Soho vs. Allie Katch
Jeff Jarrett vs. Effy
Joey Janela vs. Matt Cardona
Bandido & Laredo Kid & ASF vs. Gringo Loco & Demonic Flamita & Arez
Ladder match, winner can get a title shot of their choosing at any time with Lio Rush, PCO, Tony Deppen, Jimmy Lloyd, Alex Colon and Jordan Oliver.
Jack Cartwheel vs. Nick Wayne vs. Dante Leon vs. Ninja Mack vs.Alex Zayne vs. Grim Reefer
For Google searches, UFC was No. 2 yesterday with 2 million, which indicates a solid PPV number, probably better than expected really. The only other combat sports related topic that made the top 20 all week was Mike Tyson at No. 11 on Monday with talk of a Jake Paul fight and him kind of denying it.
WWE last night in Corbin, KY: AJ Styles b Austin Theory (said to be best match), Omos b Reggie, Bobby Lashley b Kofi Kingston, Damien Priest b Dolph Ziggler to keep U.S title, Becky Lynch kept Raw tag title in four-way over Doudrop, Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan, Otis b Riddle, Charlotte Flair b Noami to keep Smackdown women’s title with help from Sonya Deville and Roman Reigns & Usos b Big E & Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens.
WWE
Toledo, where Raw is from tomorrow, is under a weather advisory and is supposed to get three to six inches more of snow tomorrow. (thanks to Paul Meade)
UFC
Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Pochazka for the light heavyweight title is being earmarked for a 5/7 show. Prochazka opens as a -180 favorite.
OTHER NOTES
Warrior Wrestling from last night in South Bend, IN: Silas Young b Danny Bang (who replaced an injured Brian Pillman Jr.), Sam Adonis won the Lucha title in a five-way over champion Aramis, Gringo Loco, ASF and Drago Kid, Mil Muertes b Beast Man, KC Navarro b Myron Reed, Warhorse b Rohit Raju, Tom Lawlor b Anthony Henry, Dante Martin & Skye Blue b Kylie Rae & Isaias Velazquez, Will Ospreay b Brian Cage to keep the Warrior title. All night last night I heard people raving about this main event including multiple people saying it was the best match they had ever seen live. Lawlor’s match and the Lucha title match also got high praise. Ospreay talked about bringing the United Empire with him when he returns to the promotion in April. Drago Kid did a dive off a high structure. (thanks to Cory Schimmoeller)
Congratulations to Bob & Jackie Caudle on today being their 73rd anniversary. That is amazing. Bob Caudle was the voice of Mid Atlantic Wrestling and later Smoky Mountain Wrestling
This is the link for Saturday’s Stardom PPV show. The show will be at 3 a.m. Eastern time late Friday night or midnight Pacific.
Northeast Wrestling from last night in Poughkeepsie, NY: Jon Moxley (unadvertised) b Channing Thomas, Jaylen Bradyn & Traveon Jordan & Giovanni Galvano & Wrecking Ball Legursky b Antonio Zambrano & Cam Zagami & RJ Rude & Zane Benardo, Penta won three-way over Bandido and Flip Gordon Thunder Rosa b Megan Bayne, Dan Maff b JT Dunn, Mark & Jay Briscoe b Bateman & Dutch (the mystery team), Hale Collins b Mike Verna to win NEW Live tile, Malakai Black b Christopher Daniels (subbing for Jay Lethal who missed the show due to a health issue), Adam Scherr & Erick Redbeard b Bully Ray & Nzo
St. Louis Anarchy from Friday night in Alton IL: Chase Holliday b Austin Connelly, Anakin Murphy b Adrian Surge, Thoma Shire b Manders, Evan Gelistico b Deacon Cash, Jeremy Wyatt b Christian Rose, Derek Neal b Camaro Jackson, Aaron Williams b Davey Vega, Kody Lane & Matt Kenway & SK Bishop b Victor Analog & Mysterious Q & Marcus Mathers, Mat Fitchett b Arik Cannon, Jake Dirden & Moonshine Mantell b Kevin Lee Davidson & Dak Draper, Gary Jay b Billie Starkz in an Anarchy rules match (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer, Sophia King and Lindsay Hester)
Biff Busick, the former Oney Lorcan, is taking independent dates starting in ten days. You can book him at [email protected]
Southern Territory Wrestling from last night in Western Australia: Del Cano b Julian Ward, Felix Young b Roga Kargus, NC Viper won local legends Battle Royal, Julio Garcia b Kaz Jordan Chris Target b Dizzy Videl, Stella Nyx b Great George & Chadwick Jackson in a handicap match Taylor King b Antonio Corradok Mikey Nicholls b Jarrad Slate. A lot of shows in Eastern Australia have been postponed or canceled due to widespread COVID. RWA in New South Wales canceled their iPPV show this weekend and aren’t going to run until 2/26. Deathmatch Downunder moved their show to 3/5. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
MCW on 2/5 at the Hollywood, MD Fire Department has a convention with Jimmy Hart, Lita, Lex Luger, Kevin Nash, Luke Williams, Adam Cole, Lio Rush, Thunder Rosa, Serena Deeb, Quinn McKay, Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, Taya Valkyrie, Sabu and the Headbangers. Cole will headline a live wrestling show.
MCW on 2/6 in Glen Burnie, MD at La Fontaine Bleue has a convention with Bob Backlund, Lia, Bully Ray, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Jerry Lawler, Lex Luger, Slick, Bushwhacker Luke, Adam Cole, MJF, Nyla Rose, Danie Garcia, Leila Gray, Eddie Edwards, Lady Frost, Mark & Jay Briscoe, Trevor Murdoch, Al Snow, Killer Kross, Scarlett, Ember Moon, Oney Lorcan, Shane Douglas, Jacques Rougeau Jr., Dan Severn, Marc Mero, Steve Keirn, Warlord and Barbarian. Cole and Rush wrestle on the show late that afternoon.
Big Time Wrestling from last night in Spartanburg,SC: Scotty 2 Hotty b Tedd Goodz, Brock Anderson b Lodi, Scott Steiner b Dirty Joe, Matt hard b Danny Miles, Jerry Lawler b George South in a crown vs. ring jacket match, FTR b Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson in a first-time ever match.
UFC president Dana White and his family contracted COVID-19 over the Thanksgiving holiday.
White revealed the news on Jim Rome’s podcast, saying he and his family got the virus while at his vacation home in Maine last week. He said someone there had it and when they got back, everyone tested positive. He said he does a cold plunge and steam everyday and when he couldn’t smell eucalyptus in a spray he uses, he knew there was an issue.
White, who is fully vaccinated, said he immediately called Joe Rogan, who also had the virus, for how he should attack it and immediately began an aggressive series of monoclonal antibodies, an NAD drip and ivermectin. The 52-year-old said he feels great and is doing workouts twice a day, but remains in isolation with his family.
His attendance at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night show in Las Vegas headlined by Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo is in doubt until he tests negative, regardless of whether that is within the recommended 10 days of isolation. He reiterated he is following all protocols.
We’ve got a huge issue of the Observer this week with a lot of business notes, polls on the biggest shows of the last week, Match of the Week, Performer of the Week, New Japan Cup polls, several bios and updates on the biggest shows.
With WrestleMania upcoming, we run down the show, why certain matches have changed, update on the WWE COVID situation including who was ad wasn’t back, WrestleMana ticket sales updates and the demand, a look at both NXT Takeover shows, the WWE’s new location for filming starting on 4/12, as well as UFC tickets sales for its first show and the current level of demand for tickets for both events.
Also in this issue:
More info on the WWE Network migration to Peacock, what is being edited off and why, the release of Andrade and more background on him, Glenn Jacobs and the Knox County mayor situation, update on Samantha Tavel lawsuit against Matt Riddle, Lots of Hall of Fame news and bios, announcer will no longer appear on TV, Stephanie McMahon talks WWE without Vince McMahon, how wrestling shows ranked among the sports shows this past week, what was planned to happen with the U.S. title this year and why it didn’t happen, Daniel Bryan talks his future, his philosophy on wrestling, who he wants to wrestle with lots of surprises, his current schedule, Randy Orton talks his career, WWE gets new television deal, WWE legend puts home for sale, new WWE video game news, WWE documentary notes, injury updates and WWE stock price update.
A study done in Oslo, Norway which links steroid use to the aging of the brain and previous notes on things that could corroborate that regarding concussion recovery. We also give a background of when steroid use started in sports and how it got started in the U.S.
Fast Lane show, including a unique look in a number of different metro areas between the interest level in Fast Lane, one of WWE’s weakest shows in years for interest, and Revolution, which two weeks earlier set AEW’s PPV record, match-by-match coverage of the show with star ratings and poll results.
New Japan Cup coverage, New Japan Cup match-by-match rankings, star ratings and poll results, why the Bea Priestley angle went down, notes on double standards and why these double standards exist with some of the fan base, who was the New Japan Cup MVP and best performer, as well as the first time an earthquake caused a wrestling match to stop in the middle for 25 minutes, where New Japan goes from here with the big shows in April and May, as well as this week’s show.
Impact moving to Thursday.
A major feature on the life of Barry Orton, his claims that got him on TV in 1992 on Donahue, Geraldo, Larry King and other shows, his thoughts looking back, how he met Mike Tenay and his impact on Mike Tenay’s career and wrestling knowledge, what Orton said under oath and the lie detector test he took, the times Vince McMahon confronted him, as well as Orton sending Vince McMahon a letter with his idea of having a rock & roll gimmick.
Barry Orton on the Donahue show, Tom Cole and Orton, stuff that was and wasn’t taken out of context, Orton’s career ending, life after wrestling, his Calgary run as The Zodiac and where it came from and why it ended, and how his career started.
This past week’s UFC show, the star that filed, where the winners are headed, the age-old weight cutting problem, how the show did in different deos and fight-by-fight coverage.
A story on the death of Ed Farhat Jr., the son of The Sheik. We look at his days as Captain Eddie George as well as his attempts to follow his father in promoting wrestling in Michigan. We look at the heyday of The Sheik, the movie “I Like To Hurt People” that Ed Jr., had a role in, the end of the heyday period and more.
More detail on ratings than any other source, we have how every segment on NXT and AEW did as well as how it did with different age groups, genders and more, plus a look at all other wrestling shows of the past week.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of the past week.
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Our weekend show, covering UFC, Smackdown, WrestleMania and other subjects is up on the site right now.
Dana White indicated they are looking at 7/10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier rematch. That would require Nevada to open up and allow them to run at full capacity. If not, and they were to move the show to a city they can full full capacity, I’m thinking they’d run a different main event.
Tyron Woodley’s contract expired with last night’s fight. Dana White gave the indication that they weren’t looking at signing him. Last night’s loss to Vicente Luque was his fourth straight loss and he’s about to turn 39 years old in two weeks.
UFC 260 was the most searched for topic on the Internet yesterday in the U.S. with 1.2 million searches. The key names were Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou, Tyron Woodley and Sean O’Malley. Based on this number, it was not a monster PPV. Besides searches related to UFC 260, the only thing this past week regarding combat sports that made the list was that Ben Askren was No. 8 on Saturday with 200,000 searches.
We pretty much explained the reality behind the weirdness last night where Dana White said he was looking at Derrick Lewis and not Jon Jones for the first title defense by Francis Ngannou. Another aspect of this story is that UFC is trying to pick up profits as much as it can for the likely IPO, and since ESPN gets the PPV money, UFC makes the same either way, whether it’s Jones vs. Ngannou or Lewis vs. Ngannou, but Lewis would take the fight for less money.
Regarding judging last night, almost nobody except the judges thought Michal Oleksiejczuk beat Modestas Bukauskas. I was pretty surprised when Oleksiejczuk won. Based on media scores, they were 95 percent for Bukauskas. Regarding the Miranda Maverick vs. Gillian Robertson fight where only one judge gave Robertson the second round, 96 percent of media scores gave Robertson round two, but that didn’t change the outcome as virtually everyone had it for Maverick either way.
Speaking of Ben Askren, whose interaction with Jake Paul at the Triller press conference is what put him on the list, this is his half comedic training video.
At the Global NAACP TV Awards held last night, they listed prominent sports deaths of black athletes from the past year and included James (Kamala) Harris, Rocky Johnson and Shad Gaspard.
This article explains why such a high percentage of the deaths in wrestling from COVID came from Mexico but why the U.S. numbers are purported to be worse. As one would figure, Mexico’s numbers aren’t quite accurate. I’m sure they aren’t in the U.S. either. The listed death total was 201,429 but the government acknowledged yesterday that the real number is more than 321,000, which per capita, is far worse than the U.S. The government quietly published a report listing the deaths as of 2/14 being 294,287. Mexico’s population is barely one-third that of the U.S. (thanks to Eric Krol)
New Japan runs Korakuen Hall at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow morning on New Japan World:
Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi & Sanada & Bushi vs. Master Wato & Gabriel Kidd & Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura
Hiroshi Tanaashi & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Jay White & Gedo & Jado
Will Ospreay & Jeff Cobb & Great O’Khan vs. Kota Ibushi & Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma
WWE
We don’t have details on what role Logan Paul will have in WrestleMania past he is on the show and it will be in the Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens match. This was first reported by Ringside News.
Odds from www.BetOnline.ag for WrestleMania:
Bobby Lashley -115 vs. Drew McIntyre -115
Bianca Belair -300 vs, Sasha Banks +200
Rhea Ripley -200 vs, Asuka +150
A.J. Styles & Omos -160 vs, New Day +120
The Fiend -500 vs. Randy Orton +300
Bad Bunny -850 vs. The Miz +450
Raw tomorrow has Matt Riddle vs Sheamus in a non-title match. If Sheamus wins, one would think he would get a U.S. title match at WrestleMania. There will also be an Asuka contract signing with Rhea Ripley.
UFC
SportsBetting.ag lists Francis Ngannou as a strong -185 favorite if he was to defend against Jon Jones. The original opening odds were -200, but that led to almost all bets coming in for Jones. Last year when the fight was teased, Ngannou was listed at -145.
Joanne Calderwood vs. Lauren Murphy has been added to the 6/12 show.
OTHER NOTES
Billy Corgan and the NWA blocked Thunder Rosa vs. Queen Aminata from airing in a match scheduled for 5/22 in Magnolia TX that was to air on the Title Match Network. The match will take place for the live audience but the NWA would not allow her match to air. Others announced for the show include Sonny Kiss, Nyla Rose, Madi Wrenkowski and Raychell Rose.
SWE Fury TV Show before 1000 fans in Carthage TX:
The OMG’s defeated The Playa’s to earn a shot at the SWE Tag Team Titles
Lacey Von Erich received an Award on behalf of her father Kerry Von Erich
Christi Jaynes defeated Malaya Hosaka with Rosemary coming in after the match attacking Malaya.
Action Jackson defeated Andrew Anderson with The Boogeyman coming into the ring after the match eating worms.
SWE Fury TV Champion Rodney Mac defeated 3 men in a row to retain the Title
Full Show video is online at this link.
Big Cass has joined the SWE Fury roster and appeared on the Inside SWE Fury Podcast this week with James Beard. Full interview can be seen here.
NFL legend Ray Lewis was hired by the PFL to lead its newly created Athlete Advisory Board. Lewis’ job is to identify and recruit new talent and evolve the PFL’s culture and will in this role with Randy Couture.
Absolute intense Wrestling on 4/29 and 4/30 in Cleveland at the Odeon Concert Club
Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling from yesterday in Tokyo at Shinkiba First Ring: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki & Hyper Misao b Mahiro Kiryu & Mirai Maiumi & Suzume, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino b Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori, Shoko Nakaima& Nao Kakauta & Haruna Neko b Yuki Kamifuku & Marika Kobashi & Arisu Endo, Sakisama b Moka Miyamoto, Maki Itoh & Miyu Yamashita & Raku b Rika Tatsuimi & Miu Watanabe & Pom Harajuku. This was Itoh’s first match back after going through quarantine from her U.S. trip. She vowed to win the Princess or Princess title from Tatsumi on 4/17 and with her star status as the face of the company move the promotion to bigger arenas (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.com)
Vincent Carolan will be on WBZ-AM 1030 in Boston this coming Saturday night 4/3 at 9 p.m. at the Morgan White Jr. show previewing WrestleMania as well as previewing the third season of Dark Side of the Ring. Fans can call the station, which can be heard in 38 states and part of Canada.
World League Wrestling from last night in Troy, MO: Brandon Espinosa b Sabotage, Kyle Roberts b Derek Stone, Mike Sydal b Jon Webb, Jayden Dominic Rose b Sean Patrick, Heartthrob Jade won Rumble Battle Royal (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
Stardom from this afternoon in Osaka: Syuri won three-way over Momo Watanabe and Lady C, Bea Priestley & Konami b Mayu Iwatani & Saya Iida, Tam Nakano & Mina Shirakawa & Unagi Sayaka b Utami Hayashishita & AZM & Saya Kamitani, Natsuoka Tora & Saki Kashima & Ruaka b Giulia & Himeka & Maika, Natsupoi b Starlight Kid to keep the High Speed title. The last two trios bouts were the first round of a one-day tournament
Stardom from tonight in Osaka: Bea Priestley b Lady C, Momo Watanabe d Starlight Kid 15:00, Syuri & Natsupoi b Mayu Iwatani & Saya Iida, Giulia & Himeka & Maika d Utami Hayashishita & AZM & Saya Kamitani 15:00, Natsuko Tora & Saki Kashima & Ruaka won the tournament beating Tam Nakano & Saki Kashima & Ruaka. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and Wrestlingwithdemons.com)
Pro Wrestling Phoenix from Friday night in Omaha, NE: Moonshine Russell b Purple, JD Parker b Xander McIntosh, Seto Kobara & Tim Boston b Ryan Romantic & Jamison McGregor, Con Artiest won four-way over Pat Powers, Brett Bishop and Omar Pachecco, Mack Riggs b Joey Daniels, Duke Cornell b Nino Hatcher, Jack Darling b Branden Juarez in a dog collar match. Next show is 4/22 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha)
