Tag: dark side of the ring

Daily Update: Dark Side of the Ring, WWE Raw, AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

Latest Free YouTube Video:

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

In this issue:

  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • Full Double or Nothing coverage
  • All the business notes on the show
  • How the show did on PPV and in theaters
  • Tony Khan’s goals for Collision
  • More on the new AEW TV deal with WBD
  • Where All In 2023 stands on the biggest crowds and gates in wrestling history
  • Tony Khan talks Bill Goldberg
  • Bryan Danielson talks AEW creative
  • Matt Jackson on coming back so quickly from a muscle tear, the stunts in the match, how preparation was less than last year and why
  • The latest Bloodline saga
  • Business notes on Night of Champions and how AEW/WWE crossover viewership changed this past weekend from the past
  • How comparisons of big event interest changed greatly
  • Best of the Super Juniors finals, Dominion and All Together Now, a look at the big events in Japan
  • NXT Battleground coverage
  • One of the longest lasting wrestling promoters who ever lived, Brian Dixon, passes away at 74
  • Stardom has World & Wonder of Stardom champions face off on PPV show and where this leads
  • Two future stars leave two different promotions this past week
  • Will Ospreay talks future
  • New Japan President Takami Ohbari talks the state of the business, how close the company was to being in real trouble, and how they’ve had to change the business
  • Billy Graham funeral notes
  • Bobo Brazil day and a look at the iconic figure
  • Advance ticket sales for all upcoming WWE and AEW shows
  • Streaming and international TV numbers
  • Records at stake in UFC fights this week
  • International promotion looking at crowd of 50,000 for a show tomorrow
  • WWE’s arguments to get MLW lawsuit dismissed
  • Injury updates
  • WWE market value
  • Two people under WWE deals are one week away from competing for a sports world championship shot
  • Merch updates

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Monday Update

Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer Radio covering Raw and the latest news. We also put a show up over the weekend talking to Evan Husney about the new season of Dark Side of the Ring.

Dark Side of the Ring episode two of the season will be on Magnum T.A., who suffered a career ending auto accident in 1986, when he was only 27 and was about to be made NWA world champion. I have so much respect for what he did with his life after the accident and am really looking forward to it.

Raw tonight is from Hartford, CT., with Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest for the world title, Cody Rhodes will be on Miz TV talking Brock Lesnar, plus MITB qualifying matches with Becky Lynch vs. Sonya Deville and Zoey Stark vs. Natalya. There were 8,300 tickets out as of this morning. It won’t be close to sold out (12,000 for a wrestling TV set up) but was up 27 percent from the Smackdown in November in the same arena. The game will go against the Florida Panthers vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup final game, which is very legit competition although no NBA finals competition.

AEW isn’t so lucky, as they'[l be going against both the Heat-Nuggets game three and the final episode of Vanderpump Rules. AEW will take it on the chin this week most likely, especially since the main event is Orange Cassidy vs. Swerve Strickland and no Moxley, Omega, Jericho, FTR, Young Bucks, Danielson, Page or MJF announced for matches. Dynamite has a good chance at first place finishes on Wednesday regularly starting on the 6/14 show. Game four of the NBA playoffs is Friday against Smackdown and Rampage and game five is official for next Monday against Raw. After that, no more NBA to worry about for pro wrestling until the fall. 

Chris Weidman returns from his horrible broken leg on 8/19 in Boston when he’ll face Brad Tavares at the UFC 292 PPV show.

Joe Rogan won’t be announcing Saturday’s UFC show in Vancouver. Paul Felder will be taking his pace, working with Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier for the PPV show headlined by Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana for the women’s bantamweight title.

A 2023 Panini Black Prizm WWE The Rock trading card is up for auction, and it is being called the most desirable cad in wrestling. A Rock card sold in December for $126,000 and this could come close or even beat that number.

Enrique Lutteroth Camou, the son of the original Salvador Lutteroth, passed away at the age of 95 on 5/30. He promoted shows in Monterrey for “four decades” according to the CMLL release on his death.

ony Ferguson pleaded not guilty is misdemeanor DUI charges from his crashing his truck in Hollywood, CA in May in a heavily reported incident. He was arrested on 5/7 after he allegedly smashed his truck into two parked cars and then flipped his truck at about 2 a.m.

UFC star Paddy Pimblett and girlfriend Laura Gregory were married on 5/28.

Other Notes

Madman Fulton returns to Impact on Friday’s Against All Odds show from Columbus, OH. He’ll team with Jake Crist & Sami Callihan vs. The Design on Deaner & Angels & Kon.

Defy announced Laredo Kid vs. Aramis vs. Gringo Loco at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, OR, on 6/24.

Sabu has been booked for Outlaw Championship Wrestling on Thursday night at the Queens Brewery in Ridgewood, NY. He will be in Crowbar’s corner for a match with Channing Thomas. JTG vs. Afa Anoa’i Jr. headlines the show.

Michigan independent wrestler and booker Brian Gorie will be inducted into the XICW Detroit Hall of Fame on the 6/17 show in Lincoln Park, MI at the Community Center. 

T-Mart Promotions The Gathering event in Charlotte at the University Plzace Hilton on 8/4 to 8/6 will honor Tommy Rich, Verne & Greg Gagne, Brian Pillman, Brian Blair, Jim Brunzell and Bill Dundee. Amongt others set to appear that weekend are Steve Keirn, Gerald Brisco, Larry Zbyszko, JJ Dillon, Manny Fernandez, Kurt Angle, Godfather, Ahmed Johnson, Jim Ross, Kevin Nash, Jerry Lawler, Tully Blanchard, Tommy Dreamer, Baby Doll, Jimmy Valiant, Kevin Sullivan, Austin Idol, DDP, Greg Valentine, Magnum T.A., Brock Anderson,Robert Gibson and others. On a Saturday night show, Tommy Dreamer will face CW Anderson and Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson face The Headbangers.

Titan returns to Arena Mexico from Japan on Friday night.

Tetsuya Naito, El Desperado, Bushi, Tiger Mask and Rocky Romero will be working for CMLL from 6/26 to 6/30.

Wrestling Observer Radio: Evan Husney talks season four of Dark Side of the Ring

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back for a brand new Wrestling Observer Radio. Co-creator and executive producer of Dark Side of the Ring, Evan Husney joined us on the show.

We talked to Evan about the new season of the show, including:

  • The reception to the first episode on Chris Candido and Tammy Sytch
  • When Dave first met Chris and Tammy
  • If they were missing that ‘tentpole’ episode
  • If they’d ever do a Paul Heyman/ECW episode
  • The Magnum TA episode
  • The Graham Family and why it’s an important episode
  • What Evan believes is their greatest work

Then Dave and I closed the show and talked about Superstar Billy Graham’s funeral, the AEW Dynamite rating, CM Punk and Collision, Ted DiBiase, and the contract status of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. 

The full video is available for free below:

Click Here to Listen

Wrestling Observer Radio: Chris Jericho/ CM Punk meeting, Dynamite and NXT recaps

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the Jericho/Punk meeting last week, a new lawsuit against Vince and others in WWE, Will Ospreay’s contract status, ratings, the Dark Side of the Ring line-up, Dynamite and NXT, Rampage spoilers and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:

Start: CM Punk/Chris Jericho meeting, potential date for Collision announcement

7:51: New WWE lawsuit

18:19: Colt Cabana note, Naomi to Impact

21:05: Will Ospreay’s NJPW contract due in February

26:35: Subjects for next season of Dark Side of the Ring

35:04: Ratings, Nate Diaz update

44:47: AEW Dynamite recap

1:03:09: WWE NXT recap

1:14:43: AEW Rampage & ROH spoilers

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Dark Side of the Ring reveals full list of topics for season four

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Dark Side of the Ring has revealed the complete list of topics that will be covered in its upcoming season.

Season four of Dark Side of the Ring premieres on Vice TV at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, May 30. The season will feature 10 episodes. Here are the subjects that will be covered:

  • Chris Candido & Tammy “Sunny” Sytch
  • Magnum TA
  • Adrian Adonis
  • Doink the Clown
  • Junkyard Dog
  • Marty Jannetty
  • Bam Bam Bigelow
  • Abdullah the Butcher
  • WCW’s infamous Bash at the Beach 2000 pay-per-view
  • The Graham family

These will be the first new episodes of Dark Side of the Ring since season three finished airing in October 2021. During the time between seasons, Dark Side of the Ring co-creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener produced their Tales from the Territories series for Vice TV. That series, which was in partnership with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, looked back at the territorial era of pro wrestling.

Dark Side of the Ring is the most watched series in the history of Vice TV. Chris Jericho is returning as the narrator for season four.

‘Dark Side of the Ring’ season four to premiere this May

Posted on by Joseph Currier

“Dark Side of the Ring” is finally making its return to Vice TV.

It was announced today that season four of “Dark Side of the Ring” will begin airing on Vice TV this May. The first episode of the season will premiere at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, May 30.

The new season will consist of 10 episodes. Chris Candido & Sunny, Magnum TA, Abdullah the Butcher, and Marty Jannetty are among the subjects that will be covered.

Variety wrote:

‘Dark Side of the Ring’ is narrated by wrestling legend Chris Jericho. The official description of the fourth season states that it will ‘explore stories like the emotional rollercoaster of one of wrestling’s most captivating and controversial couples, Chris Candido and Tammy ‘Sunny’ Sytch, the car accident that derailed the career of future World Champion Magnum T.A., wrestling’s most unhinged monster, Abdullah the Butcher, a focused look on the troubled life of Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels’ former tag team partner, and much more.’

The season four premiere will be the first new “Dark Side of the Ring” episode since October 2021. Between seasons, “Dark Side of the Ring” co-creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener worked with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions to produce “Tales from the Territories” for Vice TV. That series looked back at the territorial era of professional wrestling. 

In response to rumors that “Dark Side of the Ring” had been canceled, Vice TV issued a statement in May 2022 saying it was “as committed as ever” to the series.

“We’re incredibly grateful to our viewers for giving this show the life that it has had for the past 4 years,” Husney and Eisener said today. “As lifelong fans of professional wrestling, our subjects continue to inspire us. There are so many fascinating and compelling stories left to tell and it’s a privilege to share more of them in our fourth season.”

Daily Update: Roman Reigns record, Asuka & IYO SKY, Jim Ross

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

*Match and performer of the week
*WWE business in detail, explanations and comments from Nick Khan, Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon
*Where revenue increased
*Numbers after the first nine months of the year
*WWE current value
*Lots of talk on the Bray Wyatt angle and how it performed
*Levesque talks the Wyatt angle
*Levesque talks future booking
*Notes on how the major events performed
*New TV shows WWE is producing
*Nick Khan talks sports rights
*Vince McMahon investigation notes
*How Raw and Smackdown are dong compared to the rest of television
*Why the USA Network needs Raw or it will become an also-ran station
*Khan talks future of television
*WWE attendance
*Nick Khan’s contract
*Jeff Jarrett, Colt Cabana, Katsuyori Shibata and Mike Tyson in AEW
*Jarrett’s planned role
*Why Cabana was brought back
*The back story on Shibata
*WWE Crown Jewel note
*The first pro wrestling show at the new Ariake Arena
*Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Great Muta and how it was set up
*New Japan’s Rumble on 44th Street coverage
*UFC weekend coverage
*The most detailed look at TV numbers over the past week
*Streaming and international TV numbers
*Wrestler gets heat from the family of the originator of his gimmick’
*Stardom PPV coverage
*Popular wrestling TV show being revived in 2023
*Vikingo debuts outside Mexico
*MLW recent hires from ROH
*Dynamite ratings for the year as compared to last year
*AEW stars in England
*Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva PPV numbers
*WWE PPV updates
*WWE returns
*WWE injury notes
*Story behind recent WWE cuts
*Sheamus wedding
*Ticket sales for upcoming shows

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

September 21, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Spike & WWE counterprogram one another, TNA Unbreakable

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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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Tuesday News Update

WWE

  • As of today, Roman Reigns has reached the 800 day mark as WWE Universal Champion. He defeated Braun Strowman and then-champion Bray Wyatt to win the title at Payback on August 30, 2020.
  • Wendy Choo vs. Tamina and Xyon Quinn vs. Akira Tozawa was taped for this week’s Main Event prior to Monday’s Raw.
  • A translation of the promo Monday night between Asuka and IYO SKY.
  • Nikki Cross on Twitter wrote about discarding the 24/7 Championship: “Il do whatever I want with it. Dump it on the Floor, inside the trash, outside in a dump, an incinerator…..bury the thing in a graveyard. Please, by all means, try and argue with me, try to stop me. I welcome it please. Hehehehehehehe honestly I won’t bite.”
  • Omos recently returned to Nigeria, surprising his family.
  • The Special Olympics has a school of strength section on their website that features Drew McIntyre.
  • Former WWE star Gene Snitsky attended Monday’s Raw, writing on Instagram: “Like I never left! @wwe @tripleh @wwenetwork THANKS for the hospitality my wife @mrssnitsky1 and I had a blast…. was great seeing everyone yesterday! Truly the greatest show on earth.”
  • Free matches added to WWE’s YouTube page today include Lita vs. Molly Holly from Survivor Series 2003, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt from WrestleMania XXX, and Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso from WWE Clash of Champions 2020.

AEW

  • AEW Road to Boston, which focuses on Sammy Guevara vs. Bryan Danielson 2 out of 3 falls, and Ethan Page vs. Eddie Kingston in an AEW World title eliminator tournament match.
  • This week’s Sammy Guevara vlog.

Other Wrestling

  • Jim Ross noted on his ‘Grilling JR’ podcast that he will be speaking to Dark Side of the Ring for an upcoming look at The Junkyard Dog.
  • Tonight’s Tales from the Territories will focus on Polynesian Pro Wrestling, which was run by The Rock’s grandfather Peter Maivia and later his grandmother, Leah Maivia.
  • Fightful spoke to Gisele Shaw about Impact, WOW, and more.
  • WrestlePro will stream their 100th event for free this Saturday.
  • Matt Cardona spoke to ComicBook about his upcoming match for the NWA World Championship at NWA Hard Times 3.
  • Former NXT UK talent Amale spoke to PWMania about her time with the promotion while also expressing interest in the NXT Europe project. For sure. I am loving the freedom I have as an independent wrestler right now, like I want to go across the world, get better, win titles and fight for many promotions, but I would love to part of NXT Europe as it is going to be really special. Like NXT UK, it is going to be big and I’m sure it will be a place where so much talent can go, become very good wrestlers and make great matches for the fans to see. Because of that, I want to be there. This is no gimmick, this is my life and I want to realize my dreams.”
  • Will Hobbs vs. Rocky Romero has been added to Defy’s November 26 event.
  • The Kingdom vs. The Briscoes has been added to WrestleCade Supershow weekend on November 26.
  • Warhorse announced he and his wife are expecting a child.

Wrestling Observer Radio: Antonio Inoki passes away, Evan Husney talks Tales from the Territories

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio.

Evan Husney, Executive Producer of Dark Side of the Ring joins us to talk about his new project with Jason Eisener and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, Tales from the Territories.

Before we talk to Evan, we discuss the passing of Antonio Inoki. Dave talks about his legacy. We also talk about a new documentary coming out on Vince McMahon and AEW ticket sales woes.

Topics with Evan include:

  • The difference between the new project and Dark Side of the Ring
  • How The Rock’s Seven Bucks became involved
  • How the Jerry Lawler/Andy Kaufman story became its own episode
  • Which territories are going to be covered
  • If Dark Side is going to continue

Click on the link below.

Click Here To Listen

Vice TV announces ‘Tales from the Territories’ series

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Vice TV has officially announced its new “Tales from the Territories” series.

It was revealed today that “Tales from the Territories” will premiere on Vice TV at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, October 4. The series is from Dark Side of the Ring’s Evan Husney & Jason Eisener and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions.

The series will take viewers back to “the golden-age of professional wrestling” when the industry was divided into local territories.

Husney and Eisener are executive producers for “Tales from the Territories,” along with Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Brian Gewirtz of Seven Bucks Productions. Chavo Guerrero Jr. is involved with the series as a co-executive producer.

“We’re incredibly excited to expand the ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ series with this first-ever exploration of the hidden past of wrestling’s Wild West era, with a dream collaborator in Dwayne Johnson, who has such deep family roots in the history of the business,” Husney and Eisener said. “We can’t wait to showcase the fascinating stories of the pioneers who set the stage for wrestling’s worldwide pop culture dominance.”

Amid reports that “Dark Side of the Ring” had been canceled, Vice TV tweeted a statement this May saying that they were “as committed as ever” to the “Dark Side” series.

“We’ve heard some rumors flying around about Season 4 of Dark Side of the Ring. We are as committed as ever to both the series and the broader Dark Side franchise,” Vice TV wrote. “Evan [Husney] and Jason [Eisener] are hard at work making more content that we know our fans of the series will love. Stay tuned.”

Interviews with Bret Hart and Abdullah the Butcher are featured in the trailer for “Tales from the Territories.” Jim Ross revealed on his podcast earlier this year that he was going to be involved in a “Tales from the Territories” episode looking back at Mid-South with Jake Roberts, Michael Hayes, and Ted DiBiase.

John Cena Peacemaker second season filming now; Andy Kaufman casting set for Vice project

Posted on by Josh Nason

In the first segment of Monday’s Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez shared some news regarding the second season of John Cena’s Peacemaker and the casting of Andy Kaufman for a possible new season of Dark Side of the Ring.

Peacemaker filming

Alvarez reported that the second season of HBO Max’s breakout show featuring Cena’s Peacemaker character from the DC Universe is being filmed now.

Alvarez opined that is why Cena didn’t announce he would be at this month’s SummerSlam when he did his special Raw appearance to celebrate his 20 years in the company, rather saying he would return soon.

It’s expected the new season will debut in 2023.

Andy Kaufman

On Sunday’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Alvarez and Dave Meltzer had a discussion about Dark Side of the Ring and were unsure whether the show would return for a fourth season.

On Monday’s WOL, Alvarez said he was not sure if the series is filming now, but he has seen a casting notice for a Vice show that is being directed by Dark Side of the Ring co-creator Jason Eisener. One of the characters they are looking to cast is Andy Kaufman.

The late comedian was involved in a famous 1982 angle in Memphis, Tennessee, with Jerry Lawler. The storyline partially played out on Late Night with David Letterman and Memphis wrestling shows and was part of the 1998 Man on the Moon movie on Kaufman’s life.

It’s possible the character(s) may be cast for the Dwayne Johnson Seven Bucks Productions series on the territories that Dark Side co-creators Evan Husney and Eisener are working on for Vice. 

No fourth season has officially been announced for the popular series.

Wrestling Observer Live: Dark Side of the Ring, John Cena update, Vince McMahon, Smackdown

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including Dark Side of the Ring updates, John Cena and why he’s likely missing SummerSlam, Vince McMahon, Smackdown notes and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Vice TV ‘as committed as ever’ to Dark Side of the Ring

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It appears that Dark Side of the Ring will be continuing in the future.

In response to rumors that the show had been canceled, Vice TV tweeted out a statement on Monday saying that they are “as committed as ever” to Dark Side of the Ring and the Dark Side franchise.

“We’ve heard some rumors flying around about Season 4 of Dark Side of the Ring. We are as committed as ever to both the series and the broader Dark Side franchise,” Vice TV wrote. “Evan [Husney] and Jason [Eisener] are hard at work making more content that we know our fans of the series will love. Stay tuned.”

Dark Side of the Ring and its two spinoff series’ (Dark Side of Football and Dark Side of the ’90s) weren’t mentioned in a press release where Vice Media Group unveiled its 2022-2023 programming slate last week.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Husney and Eisener are working with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions on a new series for Vice TV. The series will cover the territorial days of pro wrestling:

Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks [Productions] and Evan Husney and Jason Eisener of Dark Side of the Ring are going to be producing a television series for VICE.

The series will cover the territorial days of pro wrestling. The idea would be shows on different major territories each week as well as other topics, such as a show on women’s wrestling in the territorial days.

Jim Ross noted his involvement in the show in an episode on Mid South Wrestling. It was described to me that the show will be similar to WWE’s Table for 3, where there will be a table of guests reminiscing about their time in territories.

The Mid South Wrestling episode, for example, will have Ross, Jake Roberts, Ted DiBiase and Michael Hayes as part of it. A key to this is with Johnson involved, there will be representation from WWE with Hayes here. Previously, the only time WWE had an involvement with a VICE series was Jerry McDevitt, who made the decision on his own and wasn’t bound by Vince McMahon, appearing in the steroid trials Dark Side piece.

WOR: Wade Keller & Dave Meltzer on the Vince McMahon steroid trial

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio with special guest, Pro Wrestling Torch’s Wade Keller.

Wade and Dave give their thoughts on the Dark Side of the Ring episode on the steroid trials. They talk about how honest the episode was, what stood out, and what the episode could’ve focused on more.

Then, they give their memories of covering the trial and then tell the story of going to Titan Towers three years prior and debating with Vince McMahon. 

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September 27, 2021 Observer Newsletter: AEW Dynamite Grand Slam recap, Dark Side of the Ring fallout

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Photo: AEW

Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson went to a 30:00 draw in what was among the best television matches in U.S. history and arguably the best bout ever on Dynamite in their dream match at the company’s debut in New York City on 9/22 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The non-title match presumably sets up a longer time limit championship match down the road. For Full Gear, the decision would seem to be Omega defending against either Danielson or Adam Page.

The show was a landmark event for the promotion, breaking both attendance and gate records and ended up as the second largest non-WWE gate for pro wrestling in U.S. history and the largest attended non-WWE pro wrestling event in the country in 22 years.

The most talked about aspect of the week was the ratings, and whether the show would beat Raw. Dynamite in its history had two episodes that beat Raw’s 0.49 (642,000) in 18-49, the very first episode and the show two weeks earlier coming off All Out and the debuts of Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole.

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Daily Update: Tommaso Ciampa, RVD, Sami Callihan

Posted on by Bryan Rose

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WON NEWSLETTER: September 20, 2021 Observer Newsletter: Big E wins WWE Championship, WWE at MSG

Big E cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on the 9/13 Raw to win the WWE championship from Bobby Lashley, signifying his switching brands and reuniting The New Day.

Born Ettore Ewen, the 35-year-old Tampa product was a state heavyweight champion wrestler at Wharton High School and football player, who went to the University of Iowa, and after college, became a powerlifter.

A mutual friend contacted Jim Ross, and he was given a WWE tryout in 2009 and WWE signed him to a deal at that time. He started as Big E Langston in Florida Championship Wrestling, which was shortened to Big E. He was popular due to his personality and those in developmental thought he could be a groundbreaking performer with his leaping ability and agility and power combination.

In 2012, he was brought up to the main roster, and on November 18, 2013, won the IC title from Curtis Axel. But his career took off in 2014 as part of the New Day tag team. The idea started out silly but ended up being tweaked by the three guys in it and the group held the Raw tag team titles twice and Smackdown version of the titles six times.

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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].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • New NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa spoke to PWInsider about new talent being added to NXT 2.0. “I think that, to me, is the part that’s so exciting. I’m hoping that people pick up on that more and more as the weeks turned into months. This is very exciting. We’re going to see some fresh faces and new match-ups and this is awesome. You know what I’m saying?  People got super invested in that NXT, that NXT developing talents and getting their first TakeOvers and stuff. It’s the same thing. Because even then, we had a core group of guys to help lead that push. It’s the same exact thing that’s happening right now. It might take people just a little bit to catch on to that because it’s not exactly what NXT has been presented as over the last, maybe say two or three years. But man, when this thing starts to fire on all cylinders, it’s going to be hard to stop.”
  • Ciampa also spoke to Sports Illustrated on the new, revamped version of NXT.
  • PWInsider reported that casting is underway for season 2 of Young Rock and they are looking for people to play Jerry Lawler, Tommy Rich, Bam Bam Bigelow, Haystacks Calhoun, Gene Okerlund, Big John Studd, Freddie Blassie, Mr. Fuji, and The Great Kabuki. They are also looking to recast several wrestlers from the first season, including Roddy Piper.
  • Drew McIntyre spoke to GiveMeSport and expressed interest in moving to SmackDown and feuding with Roman Reigns. “I mean, something with Roman [Reigns] is always going to interest me,” he said. He’s on top of WWE right now doing the best work of his career… I think for Roman and I, it’s a case of giving it more time. I just want to keep rolling and keep building that momentum and basically catch up to the momentum that he’s got right now and make it a big big match.”
  • Eva Marie spoke to the Out of Character podcast about her relationship with Vince McMahon that led her to a WWE return. “When I left, I was always in contact with Vince with the projects I was doing,” she said (h/t WrestleTalk). “He always seeing whether it was movies, TV, or new endeavor business-wise and things of that nature, we were always in conversation. I was always checking in and saying what’s up and things of that nature. The conversation kind of sparked last year and it was one of those things that, I always said I wanted to come back when the time was right and I always let him know that. That way, at any moment at any time, there was never a thought of ‘she would never’ or ‘there’s no possibility for her to come back’.
  • Matches added to WWE’s YouTube page today include Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor from WWE Beast in the East 2015 and Rob Van Dam vs. King Booker from the September 19, 2006 edition of ECW.
  • Bianca Belair was interviewed by Knox County mayor Glen Jacobs (Kane) on his YouTube channel.

Other Wrestling

  • Rob Van Dam went to Twitter to clarify comments he made regarding Ric Flair during last week’s Dark Side of the Ring documentary on the Plane Ride From Hell. “I haven’t seen Ric Flair’s d***,” he said. “My comment about fans shouldn’t see him doing the helicopter was a response to DSOTR telling me that’s what they were told. They shouldn’t. I don’t want to see it either. 2) I said “trying to make her touch him” referring to his body crowding her space and her backing up like bad breath was in her face.I thought maybe they were playing(from seeing a similar scene at the hotel bar) but I wasn’t interested in naked Ric. Still ain’t. I tried to sleep.” Later, when asked if he saw Flair grab flight attendant Heidi Doyle’s hand and forced her to touch his genitals, Van Dam replied “I can confirm I didn’t see that and I didn’t say that. Creative editing will have people hearing it different ways.”
  • Bryan Danielson talked to Bleacher Report, expressing interest in a G1 Climax run. “There are things I want to do, but I don’t ever think of them as goals,” Danielson said. “Oh man, I’d love to do the G1. But if I never do the G1 and all I ever do is wrestle in front of 19,000 people at Arthur Ashe Stadium, I think I’m going to be OK, I’m sure. So it’s weird as far that kind of stuff goes because there are so many things you can’t control. I would love to do the G1, but until we get COVID under control, that’s not even possible for me to go quarantine for two weeks.”
  • PWInsider reported that Sami Callihan underwent surgery for a broken ankle and broken tibia and fibia bones in Nashville and was released from the hospital today.
  • CMLL has posted the official card order for this Friday’s Aniversario show. The main event, pitting Lluiva and La Jarochita against Dark Silueta and Reina Isis, will be the first women’s main event in Aniversario history. 
  • AEW is advising those that are going to Grand Slam in Queens, New York tomorrow to take mass transit and arrive early. Gates open at 5:30 pm local time. More info can be found here.
  • Heels last night ticked up to 93,000 viewers, up from last week’s 79,000.
  • AJPW has announced the brackets for their upcoming 2021 Real World Tag League tournament that begins on November 28, with the finals taking place on December 5 at Korakuen Hall. 
    Block A has Suama & Shotaro Ashino, Jake Lee & Hokuto Omori, Abdullah Kobayashi & Drew Parker, and Jun Saito & Rei Saito.
    Block B has Kento Miyahara & Yuma Aoyagi, Tajiri & Super Crazy, T-Hawk & El Lindaman, and Inzanagi & UTAMARO.
    Block C has Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato, Yoshitatsu & Seigo Tachibana, Mitsuya Nagai & LEONA, and Kengo Mashimo & Kazma Sakamoto.
    Block D has Zeus & Shighiro Irie, Takao Omori & Yuko Miyamoto, Koji Iwamoto & Ryuki Honda, and Koji Doi & Kumaarashi.
  • Denise Salcedo interviewed The Bollywood Boyz on their release from WWE and their upcoming return to pro wrestling.
  • TMZ reported that Shannon ‘Daffney’ Spruill’s death certificate confirms her death was via suicide following a gunshot wound to the chest.
  • Sammy Guevara’s latest vlog, which features content not seen on AEW Dynamite.
  • Chris Dickinson spoke to Monthly Puroresu about his experiences in Japan and New Japan Strong.
  • Session Moth Martina wrote a column on Independent.ie about live wrestling returning to Dublin next month.
  • Sonny Kiss’ new AEW music.
  • No Way Jose recently welcomed a son to the world.
  • The Tampa Bay Times has an article on Stu Schwartz, a referee from Tampa who has passed away at the age of 90.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Goldberg wins WWE World Heavyweight title

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Tommy Dreamer apologizes for ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ comments

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Tommy Dreamer has apologized for remarks he made on the Plane Ride From Hell episode of Dark Side of the Ring.

Today on social media, Dreamer wrote: “Regarding my comments on Dark Side of the ring. It was never my intention to offend, hurt, or victim shame anyone. I understand my comments were insensitive & could trigger emotions in someone’s own personal past. I do not condone sexual misconduct of any kind. I apologize to anyone I offended. From the bottom of my heart I am so sorry.”

During the Dark Side of the Ring episode, Dreamer defended Ric Flair, who was accused by flight attendant Heidi Doyle of exposing himself and forcing her to touch his genitals. Flair has denied these claims.

Dreamer said that Flair is “not going to impose, by force, any sexual stuff onto anybody. He’s just flaunting…stylin’ and profilin’…like the Ric Flair stuff where everybody’s going to laugh about it. Obviously, somebody took offense to it.”

“It’s a joke,” he later added. “It’s a gag. Today? 1000% inappropriate. I have hung out with Ric Flair and have never seen him force his will against anybody.”

Regarding the WWE settlement with Doyle following the incident, Dreamer said “If that’s how she felt, maybe she should have not taken a payout and went to the fullest extent of the law to put this heinous person in jail. My opinion.”

Impact Wrestling suspended Dreamer on Friday, saying “We are aware of Mr. Laughlin’s (Tommy Dreamer) comments on “Dark Side of the Ring”. The views expressed by him in the interview are completely unacceptable. We can confirm Mr. Laughlin was suspended this morning with immediate effect, pending further action.”