Daily Update: WWE Raw, Jeff Cobb, AEW Spring BreakThru

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

  • Running down AEW Dynasty, controversy over the finish, where the angles look to be going, Young Bucks return, what the PPV number says and what to learn from it, long-term, Chris Jericho update, Why the show was long, Swerve vs. Booker and match-by-match rundowns.
  • Update on the Mania card, what matches are on what night, what is up in the air on the card, length, odds, Kevin Owens injury, Paul Heyman angle, Flair vs Stratton and Stand & Deliver, ticket demand and more.
  • New Japan Sakura Geneis report, angles at the show, Best of the Super Juniors and Windy City Riot.
  • Update on the legal strategy of WWE, Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon regarding the ringboys lawsuit.
  • El Hijo del Santo’s possible last match in Mexico City
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the pro wrestling shows, including comparisons with a year ago quarters, demos, placings and competition.
  • Fantastica Mania Mexico
  • Arena Mexico hosting tournament of champions
  • Mina Shirakawa leves Stardom
  • Dragon Gate in Las Vegas
  • Lots of Las Vegas lineups for this coming week
  • Champion Carnival in All Japan begins
  • Junior Sakura Geneis thoughts
  • Anniversary of a legendary match
  • Advance ticket sales to the major WWE & AEW & Las Vegas wrestling events
  • Injury updates
  • Ospreay on Owen Hart
  • Aaron Pico signs with UFC
  • Major 2010 feud rematch falls apart
  • Lex Luger Hall of Fame notes
  • Legacy Hall of Fame notes

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight covering Raw, Jeff Cobb, Stephanie Vaquer, Pac, WrestleMania and other subjects.  We have two weekend shows up, one with Merc Mero, also covering the news of the week and the other on Saturday covering UFC, media rights, and more news of the week.
  • Raw tonight from Sacramento, CA is the final Raw before WrestleMania.  Appearing include CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman and Logan Paul.  The only bouts advertised were AJ  Styles vs. Karrion Kross and Bayley vs. Liv Morgan.  There were 13,750 tickets out this morning and it’ll be a sellout.
  • We’re looking for reports from the show with Main Event bouts, any dark matches, or anything else notable from the live show to [email protected]
  • We have  a lengthy story on Jeff Cobb leaving New Japan on the first page of the site.
  • The AEW show in Boston on Wednesday is basically sold out at 3,000 (there are scattered singles left) but Collision on Thursday is still only a half house sold, or just over 1,500.
  • Collision on 5/3 from Atlantic City, NJ  will be airing on TBS instead of TNT.  TNT will be doing an Avengers marathon that day.
  • Dana White announced on Fox News last night that they would be having two sets of fighter rankings, one by the media and the other by AI.
  • TNA announced Unbreakable on 4/17 from the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas for a full day of events involving Chis Bey, called “Chris Bey, All Day.”  There will be a breakfast with the Hardys and Q&A at 10 a.m., They are running a Impact+ major show with Joe Hendry & Masha Slamovich vs. Frankie Kazarian & Tessa Blanchad, Hardys & Mike Santana vs. Musta Ali & Ryanh & Nic Nemeth Eric Young vs. JDC vs. Zach Wentz in an International title tournament match, Steve Maclin vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin in another title tournament match and then the two winners plus AJ Francis will compete to crown the first champion, and Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner in a barbed wire match.
  • Shiloh Hill of WWE, who has been featured on the LFG show, was shown on “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver on HBO in a comedy sketch.  They asked why WWE didn’t let him use his real name of Thunder Justice Keck.  He was a former starting linebacker at Stanford.
  • Red Velvet vs. Catalina from CMLL will be taking place on one of the two nights in Boston for AEW with the ROH women’s TV title.  This was set up on Saturday night in Springfield, MA when Catalina beat  Taya  Valkyrie in a match where the winner to get a match with Velvet this week.  .
  • Also on ROH taped Saturday, The Von Erichs teamed with  Dustin Rhodes beating MxM & Johnny TV in a trios title match, Mina Shirakawa returned, there was a CMLL trios match with Atlantis Jr. & Esfinge & Fuego over Barbaro Cavernario & Euforia & Zandokan Jr. (said to be really good) and they set up a feud with Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Bandido & Hologram & Komander. (thanks to David Spalding)
  • We’re looking for your thoughts on the New Japan Windy City Riot show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
  • Living Colour will be performing a free concert on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. at Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas.  They perform “Cult of Personality.
  • The former Luke Gallows, billed as The Big LG, was announced for the 5/31 Create a Pro Wrestling show in Melville, NY at  All Sports Melville.  That’s the first match we’ve heard for him, although it’s been heavily teased that he and Karl Anderson would team with the Young Bucks against the Bullet Club War Dogs on 5/9 for New Japan in Ontario CA.  Others announced as appearing on that show are Jeff Jarett, Rich Swann, Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers and Elisha Edwards.
  • Defy on Thursday morning at 11 a.m. at the Pearl Theater at the Palms in LasVegas has Clark Connors vs. El Phantasmo vs. Man Like Deriss for the Defy world title, Evil vs. Michael Oku, KENTA vs. Mance Waner, Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson vs. Midnight Heat, Negro Casas & Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosasa vs. Bollywood Boya & Galeno del Mal and Sinner & Saint defend the tag titles against Lykos Gym from Progress and Susumu Yokosuka & Hyo from Dragon Gate.
  • The Great  Sasuke is coming to the U.S. for The annual Gathering event in Charlotte, NC at the Hilton University Place from 7/30 to 83.  They are honoring Jimmy Valiant, Ken Patera and Rockin Robin. There will be Q&As with Patera, Bill Eadie, Stan Lane & Steve Keirn David Sajmartino and John Nord, as well as a 1985 Great American Bash watchalong with Tully Blanchard, Magnum T.A., Khrusher Khrushev (Demolition Smash) and Baby Doll.
  • Michael Mocco, who was under-17 world champion in freestyle wrestling as a heavyweight , has committed to Iowa.  If that name sounds familiar, he’s the son of former multi-time NCAA champion, Olympian and current MMA coach Steve Mocco.
  • The NERD Bar in Las Vegas has announced MicroMania shows Thursday through Saturday night and on Sunday at  9 p.m. there will be a WrestleMania after party hosted by Rob Van Dam.

Daily Update: The Undertaker, FTR, Riddle lawsuit

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WON NEWSLETTER: November 16, 2020 Observer Newsletter: 2020 Observer Hall of Fame issue

One of our two biggest issues of the year, the 2020 Hall of Fame issue is out this week.  It’s got complete results of the balloting among historians, active and retired performers, reporters and historians by category as well as final voting totals, plus who will and won’t be back on next year’s ballot.

The issue runs down the new members with extensive biographies on all of them.  It explains the voting process and criteria, as well as runs down who came close.  We also look at voting combinations that were popular, and notes on some of the key candidates. We list all of the first ballot Hall of Famers in history as well as the four highest vote getters in history. We look at people new to the ballot next year, who picked up Hall of Fame numbers in different categories along with bios of four of the five inductees.

Also in this issue: 

AEW Full Gear show, including future AEW direction, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results on the show.

Changes in the fundamental manner WWE has run its business since the beginning of time and why health conditions and economics have completely changed the industry.

New Japan’s upcoming tournaments, the Tokyo Dome show plans, the story behind it, business notes, plus a complete rundown of Power Struggle with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

Survivor Series and this week’s WWE television that leads to it.

Where WWE may be taping from after it leaves Orlando and the pros and cons of the place, Tribute to the Troops and why the rating number may surprise people, WrestleMania note, Paige talks Alberto Del Rio’s case, Stalker tries to invader Paige’s home, Bellas talk a return to the ring, WWE new trademarks, Dwayne Johnson after a movie franchise adn plan for new show, John Cena’s next big role, UK TV ratings, how Smackdown and AEW rank among sports shows, plus the market value of WWE and the most-watched shows from the past week from the WWE Network.

Saturday’s UFC show with match coverage and business notes.

Ratings breakdowns in every segment for Wednesdays and every category for other shows, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.  

Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week. 

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • HeelByNature obtained court documents showing WWE is seeking to move the Samantha Tavel/Matt Riddle lawsuit to federal court.
  • The Undertaker was the guest on this week’s The Bump. Sasha Banks, Leon Ruff, Johnny Gargano, and Candice LeRae also appeared. Street Profits, Bruce Prichard, and Lana will be the guests on a special Sunday edition of The Bump prior to Survivor Series.
  • Murphy will be the guest on this week’s After the Bell with Corey Graves.
  • Xavier Woods revealed on Twitter that The New Day will be downloadable DLC characters in Gears of War 5.
  • People Magazine has a profile on The Undertaker, including exclusive photos of himself and his family.
  • Undertaker spoke to Ariel Helwani about officially retiring. He considers himself done, but there’s one caveat:  “In my mind, I am 100% done. But there’s this guy that lives up in Stamford, Connecticut, who lives by the motto, ‘never say never.'”
  • Undertaker also spoke to USA Today about his career and his farewell taking place at Survivor Series on Sunday.
  • Shawn Michaels spoke to both CBS Sports and Metro about The Undertaker’s upcoming farewell.
  • Leon Ruff spoke to Sports Illustrated on his NXT North American title win.
  • Matches added today to YouTube include Undertaker & Triple H vs. Edge & Big Show from the February 6, 2009 episode of SmackDown and AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio from the November 25, 2019 episode of Raw.
  • Pawn Stars last night featured a WWF Kamala Hasbro toy that was eventually found out to be a fake.
  • The Miz and Maryse were recently on The Kelly Clarkson show.
  • WWE Supercard launched its seventh season today on iOS and Android.
  • Baylor Lariat spoke to Jason Osei, a former Baylor football player who recently took part in a  WWE tryout.

Other Wrestling

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Team WWF vs. The Alliance at Survivor Series 2001

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