On a new Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, Josh talks with former WWE broadcaster Todd Grisham on his lengthy run in WWE, dealing with Vince McMahon, and whether he has any interest in returning to the business.
Josh and Todd also talk about the current state of boxing, Todd’s role commentating fights for DAZN and Glory Kickboxing, and why his time in the UFC was cut shorter than expected. Todd even addresses winning two Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Announcer awards.
All that and more await on this week’s Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, available for free below, on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Just search “Wrestling Observer.”
Upcoming AEW pay-per-views will be available on DAZN.
On Thursday, the two companies announced a partnership that will see Sunday’s Double or Nothing, and next month’s Forbidden Door available on the streaming service. Beginning this weekend, fans will be able to purchase AEW pay-per-views directly on the DAZN platform.
The countries not included in the deal are Australia, Afghanistan, India, Japan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the Maldives.
“We are pleased to be partnering with AEW to bring their exhilarating Pay-Per-View events to audiences across the globe,” said Pete Oliver, CEO of Growth Markets at DAZN. “By providing fans with access to these blockbuster events, we aim to elevate the sports viewing experience and enable wrestling fans to experience every moment of the action, from thrilling matches to surprise appearances.”
AEW and DAZN previously announced a partnership in January 2023 for AEW Dynamite, Rampage, Battle of the Belts, AEW pay-per-views, AEW Dark, and AEW Dark: Elevation to air in 42 international markets. However, AEW programming quietly disappeared from DAZN in early 2024.
Less than a year after signing a multi-year streaming deal with TelevisaUnivision, AEW is no longer available on the company’s ViX platform — the second-such international broadcast deal that has quietly gone away.
While a formal announcement has yet to be made by either party, a support page revealed the news with a brief statement. The page isn’t visibly dated, but an HTML source code view shows it was last updated on March 13th.
Inquiries for comment to both AEW and TelevisaUnivision have yet to be answered.
Announced in July 2023, the deal was set to bring AEW’s weekly TV programming and other content to the premium tier of the ViX streaming service which is available throughout Mexico and some Latin America and Caribbean countries.
Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston had recently estimated the deal was worth $150,000 annually, but that has never been announced publicly by either side.
The TelevisaUnivision deal apparently is not the only international streaming deal AEW signed with a partner that has disappeared this year.
Thurston had estimated that deal as worth $250,000 annually which was also never announced by either side.
In the recent past, the company had also announced a deal with ESPN for broadcast in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Despite the lack of a presence on the AEW “how to watch” page, there’s no indication that deal, or other ones with partners like ITV, EuroSport, Sky or TNT in Germany or Africa, are no longer in place.
On that page, AEW directs fans outside North America to use the AEW Plus subscription on Triller/FITE. The only broadcast partners listed are TBS & TNT for domestic viewers and TSN for Canadian viewers.
Impact Wrestling has released a pair of lineups ahead of this weekend’s double-dip of TV tapings in Atlanta, Georgia.
As previously announced, Lio Rush will make his return to Impact on Friday for the first time since Impact x NJPW Multiverse United during WrestleMania weekend.
In a trio of title matches set for Friday, Impact World Champion Alex Shelley will defend his title for the first time as he takes on Brian Myers, Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo defends against former champion Taylor Wilde, and X-Division Champion Chris Sabin defends against former champion Trey Miguel in a rematch.
Here are Friday’s announced matches:
Impact World Champion Alex Shelley defends against Brian Myers
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo defends against Taylor Wilde
X-Division Champion Chris Sabin defends against Trey Miguel
Lio Rush appearance
Jonathan Gresham vs. Angels
Courtney Rush vs. Gisele Shaw
Masha Slamovich vs. KiLynn King
On Saturday, Rush will officially return to action as he teams with Nick Aldis against the Motor City Machine Guns (Shelley & Sabin). If he defeats Myers Friday, Shelley will next defend against Aldis at July’s Slammiversary, leading to speculation Sabin could defend his title against Rush at the PPV if Sabin successfully defends his title Friday.
Here are Saturday’s announced matches:
Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs. Nick Aldis & Lio Rush
Trinity vs. Jai Vidal
Deonna Purrazzo open challenge
Rich Swann & Sami Callihan vs. Moose & Brian Myers
Mike Bailey vs. Kevin Knight
**********
Impact’s flagship weekly show will now be seen on DAZN’s linear channel on Sky UK.
The show, seen Thursdays on AXS TV in North America, will now also be available on DAZN HD 1, channel 429 for UK and Ireland viewers on Fridays at 23:00 BST (11 PM).
The latest move is part of a November 2022 deal done between DAZN and Anthem Sports Group which owns Impact. The channel will also air monthly specials, original series, and content from Impact’s library.
DAZN HD 1 was launched on Sky UK in March with a focus on combat sports, women’s football and documentaries.
AEW and DAZN have reached a deal for DAZN to carry AEW programming in 42 markets across Europe and Asia.
It was announced on Thursday that DAZN has “secured exclusive broadcast rights” to AEW in those 42 markets. It’s a multi-year agreement between the two sides. The deal doesn’t include countries like the United Kingdom and Ireland where AEW currently has other existing broadcast agreements.
The countries where DAZN will carry AEW programming are: Albania, Alderney, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Jan Mayen Islands, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Svalbard, Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
The deal is effective immediately and will include AEW Dynamite, Rampage, Battle of the Belts, AEW pay-per-views, AEW Dark, and AEW Dark: Elevation.
“The introduction of AEW to DAZN’s schedule is another major addition to the breadth of multi-sport content available on the platform and further cements DAZN as a growing global home of combat sports,” a press release announcing the deal touted.
*Wrestler of the Week and Match of the week *John Cena’s early career and his return, as well as an update on his WrestleMania prospects *In depth on why television and streaming are cutting back on new programming and how this impacts the pro wrestling business. *If you asked people to name a pro wrestler, how many could name one and who would be the first person they’d name, and the reality of “mainstream” knowledge of today’s pro wrestlers. *Complete coverage of UFC’s last show of the year as well as a sad lesson about getting injured the week of your fight. *A look at one of the best shows of 2022, the TakaTaichi promoted show at Yoyogi Gym in Tokyo *The most detailed look at TV viewership for every major show over the past week *New weekly streaming live show debuts *Promotion doing rematches of its best matches of 2022 *The story behind the voting for tag team of the year in Japan *Stardom has one of its biggest shows in its history this week *Notes on the upcoming show at the Tokyo Dome *A week of incredible matches *Ospreay vs. Ishii *El Hijo del Vikingo in the U.S. working dates *Impact next PPV *AEW makes major new broadcast deal that will be announced in a few weeks *The mystery man on Dynamite this week *Tickets sales for upcoming AEW & WWE shows *WWE & AEW streaming numbers *International TV ratings *Ticket sales for upcoming AEW & WWE shows *UFC PPV numbers for this past year *A bill expected to be introduced in the U.S. Senate that would greatly change the MMA world *Dana White talks about luck and timing *Judging controversies *Two fighters feud on Twitter and got into it at the UFC gym *Sports business analyst predicts NBCU buying WWE and we talks about what is and isn’t valid about that *Post-Christmas WWE touring *Most popular WWE names in social media *Current WWE market value
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Friday Update
In the new AEW streaming deal talked about in the current issue with DAZN, this is for Europe mostly in markets that AEW doesn’t have local television. The deal will air Dynamite live and commercial free, and Rampage on tape with commercials. It will not be in Spain and Brazil, but will be in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Albania, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan and tons of other countries.
In our content story in the issue, when talking about DAZN and MLW, we said they got dropped but Court Bauer has said DAZN shuttered their entire North American offices after Nick Khan signed so many to WWE so everything stateside was shut down. He said it had nothing to do with the performance of MLW.
Also in the issue when talking about the lower number for Dynamite on ITV 4, reader Ajay Sameer said that the show went head-to-head against a major World Cup game which could explain the decline.
Smackdown tonight is a rare taped version of the show from last week in Chicago. The matches are a women’s gauntlet match with Xia Li, Emma, Tegan Nox, Raquel Rodriguez, Shayna Baszler, Sonya Deville and Liv Morgan with the winner getting a shot at Ronda Rousey’s championship, plus Rey Mysterio vs,. Angel, Usos vs. Hit Row for the tag titles and Giovanni Vinci & Ludvig Kaiser vs Ricochet & Braun Strowman in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight.
Rampage at 10 p.m. on TNT tonight has a Trios Battle Royal, Jade Cargill vs. Vert Vixen in a non-title match and Anthony Bowens & Billy Gunn vs. Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal.
Volador Jr., tested positive for COVID and has been pulled from tonight’s CMLL show at Arena Mexico. The main event was the finals of the Gran Alternativa tournament with Volador Jr. & Panterita del Ring vs. Gran Guerrero & Raider. Instead of delaying the match, Mistico is being moved up to team with Panterita del Ring Jr. in the main event.
Marlon “Chito” Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen will be a headline match for the 2/18 UFC show.
Rose Namajunas vs. Gillian Robertson in a grappling match will headline on 12/30 for Cage Fury grappling on UFC Fight Pass. The show takes place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
In the story in week’s issue about the play about pro wrestling coming this summer to Connecticut, one of the stars, Kurt Fuller, played Mr. Brell, the evil promoter based on Ted Turner, in the movie No Holds Barred that WWF released. (thanks to Arya Whitner)
Other Notes
AIW has a new lcoation for the 12/30 show, at the Tadmore Shrine,in Akron, OH. The Odeon, the former locatin, has been sold and will be redeveloped and the company has had its 2023 dates canceled but will be able to return after its completed. They also have shows on 1/21 at the Outpost Concert Club in Kent, OH and 2/4 features Paul London at the Tadmor Shrine in Akron, OH.
The PFL has made a multi-year rights deal with IB SPORTS in South Korea. The deal includes broadcasting of all the company’s shows on television including European shows as well as the sides will attempt to bring a live event to Seoul, South Korea,
Warrior Wrestling will run 3/25 in Grand Rapids, MI at West Catholic High School with Johnny Warrior (John Morrison) as a headliner. They also promised a major star from Lucha Libre.
Manel Kape vs. Alex Perez is scheduled for the 3/25 UFC show.
Bob Magee has compiled a list of charitable events that independent companies have been doing for Christmas season:
We’re in the last week of 2022… a time of celebration and fun, of remembrance of birth and celebration of light; where AS I SEE IT has continued to discuss how the independent wrestling community reached out to those in need.
Independent promotions throughout the United States and Canada have held events (still one more to go) to give back to their community as part of their year-end shows, collecting canned and non-perishable food and warm clothing, doing fundraisers for homeless or domestic violence shelters, animal welfare groups and those with medical needs…. and holding lots of Toys for Tots drives.
In those events, they asked you to do one small thing.
Just “one small thing”.
But that “one small thing” meant the world to someone you will never meet.
One can of soup meant that someone was fed for a meal. One box of rice meant that a family was fed for a week or more.
One warm coat meant a older person won’t shiver uncontrollably when they walked to the market or a doctor’s appointment.
One toy meant that a child is allowed a moment of innocence and joy, often the same child who has gone through fear and deprivation for far too long.
One “small thing” that was anything but small.
Just ask the people with the Love Thy Neighbor Toy Drive in Southern California. Take a look at the faces of children from Southern California and Mexico, or the thousands of children given toys in southern Florida.
Or the neurodiverse individuals in southern Ontario helped with supportive housing, counseling and employment services by Reena Foundation and Magen Boys.
Or the survivors of domestic violence helped with sanctuary and counseling by Women of Nations Eagles Nest Shelter because Midwest All Star Wrestling presented Women of Nations Grand Slam 4.
And many more….
So this autumn and Holiday season, I continued to post each week the events here that have been helping their communities. What they did was anything but small…
As of today, in the 121 events listed below where indies helped their communities during the autumn and through the Holidays: these promotions, their events, and related efforts have collected (and will distribute to their communities) <b>at least $240,622 in direct donations, 16,879 toys, plus A MINIMUM of 3,076 pounds (OVER A TON AND A HALF) of canned and non-perishable food, 250 pounds of warm winter clothing, and 50 bags of cat and dog food for local animal shelters reported.
Here are those events :
* Wrestle Against Hunger returned to Tulsa, OK on September 17, collecting canned goods and other items, giving out over $1,000 in groceries each month, serving 50 to 100 families each month, plus emergency stock on hand for those in need.
* Crossfire Wrestling presented FIRED UP 2022 at Merriton Community Centre in St. Catharines, ON on September 25. Partial proceeds from this and all shows go to the Niagara Peninsula Foundation for Children.
* GCW Charity Wrestling/POP Culture Canada took place on September 25 at the Royal Canadian Legion for the Kingston ComiCon where 398 pounds of food were collected for the Kingston Foodbank.
* All Pro Wrestling/Nevada presented Headlock on Hunger at Reed High School, Sparks, NV raising over $10,000 for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.
* CanAm Wrestling worked together on September 27 with Nanbert Manor as part of the Calgary Pop-Up Care Village down at Olympic Plaza Calgary; handing out hygiene products, non-perishable food items, winter wear, and blankets to all those less fortunate people in Calgary, assisting nearly 200 people.
* Despite the beginnings of Hurricane Ian, Dangerous Adrenaline Wrestling Gladiators held an autism awareness show at Delsea Field in Glassboro, NJ entitled “Paws for the Cause” in association with the Glassboro Police Department, The Glassboro K-9 Unit and the Glassboro Parks & Recreation Department…
* Despite contending with Hurricane Ian and numerous power outages in the area, Wrestling with Purpose raised $650 at a benefit show on September 30 in Pembroke, FL to assist Victoria Jacobs, who was recently diagnosed with breast and bone cancer.
* Big Time Wrestling returned to Newark, CA on September 30 for its 26th anniversary show, where they raised $500 for the Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund gun control group.
* On October 1, the 7th Annual Hollie Yatsko Memorial Cup took place as the Heritage Wrestling Alliance took place in Rutherfordton, NC raising $726 benefit the Hospice of the Sacred Heart.
* Alabama Wrestling Alliance returned to Theodore, AL on October 1 and raised nearly $2,000 for Kane’s Warrior Kids, helping families with children fighting cancer.
* GCW Charity Wrestling/POP Culture Canada took place on Saturday October 1, at Harmony Creek Community Centre Oshawa, ON. The event collected 200 pounds of canned food for the Simcoe Hall Settlement House.
* Tri City Wrestling presented the fourth annual Cassidy Christie Memorial Cup event on October 1 in Bay City, MI. At least $4,000 was raised for the Cassidy Christie Memorial Scholarship Fund.
* GCW Charity Wrestling/POP Culture Canada took place on October 2 in Peterborough, ON, collecting 150 pounds of canned food for the Kawartha Food Share.
* ACTION Wrestling returned to Tyrone, GA on October 7 to benefit Harts of Teal, a non-profit started by two ovarian cancer survivors to educate and bring awareness to the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, raising $756 plus direct donations to the charity.
* Chaos4K9s and Rebelution Women’s Wrestling Dog Rescue presented DOGTOBER DAZE on October 8 at Don Kolov Arena in Mississauga, ON; raising $5,850 for Southern Connection Dog Rescue.
* Breakthrough Community Church in Mebane, NC held its tenth annual benefit show to help the Mebane Food Bank on October 8, with $600 between food and money donations and still counting.
* On October 9, Independence Pro Wrestling joined in the fight against breast cancer with its second annual PINK OUT at Full Blast in Battle Creek, MI, raising $300 for a local breast cancer organization.
* IWF held its 25th Anniversary Live Event on October 8 in Arlington, NJ; raising $3,600 and counting…. benefiting the Michael Robert Cammett Jr. Memorial Foundation.
* 1CW Pro Wrestling held Chokeslamming Cancer in Houston, DE on October 15, raising $4,200 for local cancer charities.
* Live Pro Wrestling returned to Goderich, ON at Goderich Memorial Arena on October 15. $6,000 (and counting) went to the Hunter Costello Memorial Fun-dation, as part of a family friendly night of entertainment with live matches, silent auction, meet and greets with the performers, and a fundraising BBQ before the event.
* GCW Charity Wrestling returned on October 15 to The Germania Club of Hamilton, ON, collecting 50 pounds of non-perishable food items for the local community food bank.
* Wrestle Against Hunger returned to Tulsa, OK on October 15, collecting canned goods and other items, giving out over $1,000 in groceries each month, serving 50 to 100 families each month, plus emergency stock on hand for those in need.
* Amped Up Wrestling presented Halloween Slam and Jam in Inglewood, CA on October 16 to raise $2,000 for the Joan and Harry A. Mier Center of Ability First.
* CanAm Wrestling returns to Calgary, AB on October 19, for “Pick Your Poison” as part of their efforts with Nanbert Manor raising $170 and so far collecting 50 toys, benefitting 500 Toys for 500 Kids.
* CanAm Wrestling returned to Calgary, AB on October 21. CanAm Wrestling is working together with Nanbert Manor as part of the 500 Toys for 500 Kids campaign, and raised $275 for Nanbert Manor, and $325 for the Okotoks Kids Lunch Program at this show.
* Wrestling for a Cure raises funds for St. Jude’s Hospital for Children through wrestling shows of Illnois Elite Wrestling ($195 so far this “season 7”), Pinfall Wrestling Association, ($235 so far this season) and Freelance Underground ($327 so far), as well as $1,200 through online efforts.
* ISPW Wrestling partnered with Cold Nose Warm Heart Dog Rescue for a fundraiser on October 21 in Hopatcong, NJ, raising $150.
* Supreme Wrestling returned to Brownstown, IN on October 22, raising at least $1,100 for the Jackson County Special Olympics of Indiana.
* Remix Pro Wrestling came to Marietta, OH on October 22 featuring the Lucha Brothers to support the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley, raising $3,400.
* Appalachian Championship Wrestling presented Barnyard Beatdown 2 on October 22 in Winfield, WV to benefit West Virginia Horse Network, a horse rescue organization, raising close to $1,000.
* UWE Pro Wrestling came to Cadillac, MI on October 22 for Halloween Homecoming, collecting 50 bags of cat and dog food for local animal shelters.
* On October 22, KSWA Wrestling teamed up once again with Sam’s Club Tarentum (Pittsburgh Mills) to raise approximately $2,000 for a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals fundraiser, to benefit the local Children’s Hospital.
* GCW Charity Wrestling/POP Culture Canada came to Bellevue, ON on October 22 and Trenton Comicon on October 23, collecting 300 pounds of canned and non-perishable food.
* Legacy Classic Championship Wrestling and Insane Wrestling Alliance joined forces to bring The Harvest Bash on October 22 as The Harvest Bash took place in Green Cove Springs, FL, raising $150 to assist All Creations Intertribal Native American Community in feeding county homeless.
* WrestlePro debuted in Chicago, IL on Friday night October 28, teaming up with Hope For Us Network as they presented Champions Of Hope to help support suicide prevention. The show was termed “a huge success” with $7,400 raised.
* World’s Finest Wrestling returned to Connersville, IN on October 29 with $256 raised going to the family of Kylee Cooper.
* IWA Productions presented its 10th annual Wrestling for a Cause show in Mount Vernon, IL on October 30, raising $1,000 for the mammogram department at Crossroads Hospital.
* Supreme Wrestling returned to Seymour, IN on October 30, raising $720 for The Arby’s Foundation, which works with hunger, education, and child adoption efforts.
* Wrestling with Purpose held a show on November 4, entitled “Fight For Dwight” in Pembroke, NC, raising $800 to help Dwight Hunt with medical costs and expenses, who had one of largest undiagnosed brain aneurysms ever in medical records.
* Skowhegan Savings Bank and Pro Wrestling Experience presented a fundraiser for Maine Veterans Homes on November 4 in Skowhegan, ME featuring Live Pro Wrestling including Ring of Honor superstar Jimmy Jacobs, raising $1,000.
* Eastern Townships Wrestling Association returned to Newport, VT on November 5 for Hunger Slam, collecting over 150 non-perishable food items for Northeast Kingdom Community Action.
* ACWF held its Toys for Tots show in Murphy, NC on November 5 with 15 toys collected, along with numerous cash donations for more.
* CanAm Wrestling returned on November 5 at the Kerby Centre, Calgary, AB, to benefit the Calgary, AB Veterans Food Bank, collecting 100 pounds of non-perishable food items and hygiene products
* Stars of Wrestling presented The Last Fall on November 5 from Alameda, CA in partnership with Oaktown Sports Productions, collecting 50 toys in a Toy Drive for UCSF Children’s Hospital and Research Center.
* New Era Wrestling returned to Denver, CO on November 5 for Bird Brawl and a food drive for Feeding Denver’s Hungry Free Grocery Store, collecting at least 50 pounds of canned and non-perishable food.
* New Breed Wrestling presented Suplexing for Toys, Fulton, MO, on November 5, collecting 54 toys for SERVE, Inc.
* Midwest All Star Wrestling presented Women of Nations Grand Slam 4 on November 5 in Oakdale, MN and raised $41,100 of proceeds benefiting Women of Nations Eagles Nest Shelter.
* 1CW Pro Wrestling held Fight Against Alzheimer’s in Houston, DE on November 12, raising $3,380 for local Alzheimer’s charities.
* Showcase Pro Wrestling returned to Franklin, MA on November 12 raising $1,200 to benefit 22Mohawks, which works to prevent veteran suicides.
* Brew City Wrestling held its annual Headlock on Hunger show on November 12 in Waukesha, WI collecting 2 full boxes with 150 pounds of canned and non-perishable food benefiting Feeding America.
* Wrestle Against Hunger returned to Tulsa, OK on November 12, collecting canned goods and other items, giving out over $1,000 in groceries each month, serving 50 to 100 families each month, plus emergency stock on hand for those in need.
* On November 12, POWW Entertainment returned for Saturday Night Fights in Lombard, IL, collecting 150 canned and non-perishable food drive for the Elk Grove Village Food Pantry.
* OutBreak Wrestling returned to the Hamburg Field House on November 12, with UNITED WE SLAM; collecting two boxes of new, unwrapped toys and books for Berks County Toys for Tots, plus items collected for Keystone Military Families.
* GCW Charity Wrestling/POP Culture Canada returned on November 12 to Thornhill, ON, collecting 268 pounds of canned and non-perishable food.
* CanAm Wrestling returned to Innisfail, AB on November 18, collecting 100 pounds of food for The Veterans Association Food Bank, as well as $217 for the Royal Canadian Legion and $55 for Nanbert Manor.
* UWE Pro Wrestling returned to Cadillac, MI on November 19 for the annual UWE Headlock on Hunger, collecting 30 pounds of canned and non-perishable food.
* Eastern Shores Pro Wrestling finished the year on November 19 in Chincoteague, VA, collecting around 100 toys for the Chincoteague Police Department Toy Drive.
* CanAm Wrestling returned to Airdrie, AB on November 19, working with Nanbert Manor, raising $165 for the BGC Airdrie Club, $45 for Nanbert Manor, plus 50 pounds of non-perishable food for the Veterans Association Food Bank, plus 2 toy sets.
* UWA Elite partnered with Toys For Tots on November 19 in South River, NJ, collecting 30-40 new unopened toys, books, and games to distribute to children in need this holiday season.
* GCW Charity Wrestling returned on November 19 and 20 in Oshawa, ON, collecting 70 pounds of food for Simcoe Hall Settlement House.
* On November 20, Supreme Pro Wrestling presented STILL HUNGRY, their annual food drive show in Elk Grove, CA. An estimated 50 pounds of food collected was donated to the Elk Grove Food Bank.
* Reena Rumble took place in Toronto, ON in November 22, with John Morrison, Rikishi, Colt Cabana, and Chris Masters, netting $113,000 in gate and sponsorships to benefit Reena, which provides supportive housing, programming and employment services for neurodiverse individuals.
* New Wave Pro Wrestling presented November Reign on November 26 in West Terre Haute, IN, and did a canned food drive in conjunction with West Vigo Community Center, collecting 50 pounds of canned and non-perishable food.
* As they have done for 26 years, United Wrestling Coalition returned to Bordentown, NJ on November 26 for its annual Toys for Tots show; collecting <u>A MINIMUM of over 600 toys and 8 bicycles</u>. As she has in past years, UWC superfan Shelby brought roughly 30-35 toys on her own.
* Locked Target Wrestling returned to Old Bridge, NJ for Holiday Havoc on November 26 and collected 80 toys plus cash donations.
* North Atlantic Wrestling Association returned to Kennebunkport, ME on November 26 raising $550 in a fundraiser for Autism Society of Maine.
* On November 26, Titan Championship Wrestling returned to Hoboken, NJ to benefit The Hoboken Elks Charities.
* HeroFest Niagara took place on November 27 in Niagara Falls, ON, followed by a GCW Charity Wrestling evening show, collecting “a full bin” of about 100 pounds of canned food for the local community food bank.
* Southern States Wrestling collected “dozens and dozens” of canned food items at its November 27 show in Kingsport TN, benefitting Kingsport Hunger First, making 30 straight non-pandemic years the promotion has served its community.
* CanAm Wrestling returned to Calgary, AB on November 30 and raised $140 for their second annual Christmas fundraiser for the Alberta Wrestling Academy and Nanbert Manor, and raised $500 towards The Colin Brown Fundraiser for a service dog.
* ACTION Wrestling returned to Tyrone, GA on December 2, collecting at least 100 toys to benefit Southside Toys For Tots!
* Showcase Pro Wrestling returned to Woonsocket, RI on December 2, with a winter clothing drive for area community agencies.
* Showcase Pro Wrestling returned to Johnston, RI on December 3, with a winter clothing drive for area community agencies.
* Wrestling With Purpose teamed up with Arnold’s Restaurant to present Clash For the Kids in December 2, in Pembroke, NC, raising $2,000 and directly collecting 200 unwrapped toys for the children of Robeson County.
* Big Time Wrestling returned to Newark, CA on December 2, with Aaron Solo and Bobby Fish appearing, collecting 250 toys in their annual Toy Drive for Family Giving Tree.
* Crossfire Wrestling presented Jingle Bell Brawl in St. Catharines, ON on December 3, with $2,000 going to the Niagara Peninsula Foundation for Children.
* MCW Pro Wrestling held its annual Toys for Tots event on December 3 at the MCW Breakthrough Taping in Joppa, MD, with six full boxes of toys (at least 150) collected.
* Pro Wrestling King returned on December 3 at Century Center, South Bend, IN, collecting 50 pounds of canned goods for Cultivate Food Pantry.
* Atlantic All-Star Wrestling returned to Woodbury, NJ on December 3 ; collecting at least 50 Toys for Tots in coordination with the American Legion.
* 1CW Pro Wrestling returned to Houston, DE on December 3 for Christmas Chaos and its Toys for Joy campaign, collecting 100 Christmas toys, and $2,500 in cash and gift cards.
* Freedom Force Wrestling returned on December 3 in Panama City Beach, FL helping the Stuff The Bus Toy Drive, collecting at least 50 toys at their show.
In addition, Skip Bondur, the Freedom Force Wrestling announcer, did a 10 day stint living on top of a bus to collect toys for the Stuff The Bus Toy Drive, even with the threat of a major thunderstorm on his last and busiest day.
In this cooperative and integrated effort of Panama City businesses, religious ministries, and community organizations, 10,400 toys were collected.
* GCW Charity Wrestling/POP Culture Canada returned to Port Perry ComiCon/ GCW Charity Wrestling on December 3, collecting 200 pounds of canned and non-perishable food.
* POWW Entertainment returned to Fox Lake, IL on December 3 for Rage Reaction, collecting 20 pounds of non perishable items for FISH in McHenry, IL.
* Ascend Pro Wrestling held its Secret Slamta on December 3 in North College Hill, OH, collecting 367 toys for kids in the Cincinnati area.
* Hamilton Pro Wrestling returned to Hamilton, ON on December 3 for Wreck The Halls Food and Toy Drives for The Good Shepherd of Hamilton and Friends with Hearts, collecting at least 200 canned and non-perishable food items and around 100 toys.
* Level Up Pro Wrestling collected 160-170 toys for the annual Love Thy Neighbor Toy Drive at its December 3 show. Love Thy Neighbor is a Southern California organization that brings Christmas to less fortunate adults and children in San Diego/Tijuana border areas.
* Rocket Pro Wrestling and Windy City Ghostbusters joined forces to collect 57 toys plus cash donations at the December 3 Christmas Chaos show at St. Joseph’s Park, Joliet, IL. All of these toys and donations will go directly to La Rabida Children s Hospital.
* Total Wrestling Federation returned on December 3 to Colonial Theatre in Sacramento, CA for Wreck The Halls to collect 20 toys for children at Shriner’s Hospitals.
*KSWA Wrestling presented FANFEST/ Holiday Toy Drive Spectacular on December 3 in Sheraden, PA collecting an estimated 1,000 new, unwrapped toys as part of a c operative effort with 16 Pittsburgh area merchants and organizations. The toys will go to the Allegheny County DHS Holiday Project which provides toys and other necessities to families within the county during the holidays.
* International Wrestling Syndicate returned to Montreal, QU on December 3, collecting a cargo van full of boxes of canned and nonperishable food items for Mile End Community Mission
* lWC presented the IWC Pittsburgh Classic and the 4th annual Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes Drive in Elizabeth, PA on December 3, collecting 75 toys, plus $50 in cash donations.
* CanAm Wrestling returned to Okotoks, AB on December 3, raising $1,000 to help fan Colin Brown for his service dog.
* GCW Charity Wrestling/POP Culture Canada returned to Newmarket, ON on December 4, collecting 140 pounds of canned food for the local community food bank.
* The House Of Blues Las Vegas presented The Ultimate Women Of Wrestling’s UWW #3 on December 9, with a Toy Drive show that featured Tessa Blanchard, and collected ” a few dozen” toys.
* Showcase Pro Wrestling returned to Taunton, MA on December 9, with a winter clothing drive for area community agencies that collected about five industrial size bags, weighing just over 250 pounds.
* Wrestle Against Hunger returned to Tulsa, OK on December 10, collecting canned goods and other items, giving out over $1,000 in groceries, serving 50 to 100 families each month.
* Empire Wrestling Federation held a Toys for Tots collection at December 10 in San Bernardino, CA, collecting 50 toys.
* ISPW and The Wrestling Collector held Christmas Chaos on December 9 in Totowa, NJ with a Toys for Tots collection, collecting at least 50 toys.
* Atlantic Pro Wrestling returned to Newburyport, MA for an annual Toy Drive show on December 10, collecting 60 toys for the Boys and Girls Club of the Lower Merrimack Valley in Salisbury, MA.
* Upstate Pro Wrestling presented ‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas in Rochester, NY on December 10, teaming up with Pirate Toy Fund this holiday season to collect a box of toys, as well as collecting a box of canned food. They will continue to collect canned goods through December 18 at the Flower City Wrestling Academy.
* PPW Entertainment returned to Signature Training Academy, Brodheadsville, PA on December 10, collecting 25 Toys for Tots.
* DCW Pro Wrestling held a Toys for Tots event at its December 10 show at the Delaware Auto Exchange in Felton, DE, collecting 30-40 toys.
* Mission Pro Wrestling returned to San Antonio, TX on December 10 at the Salvation Army Mission Corps, San Antonio, TX raising $2,000 to benefit the Salvation Army.
* Alabama Wrestling Alliance returns to Ocean Springs, MS on December 10 for All Alone, collecting at least 100 new, unwrapped toys.
* New Breed Wrestling returned on December 10 to Eldon, MO, collecting a full box of new, unopened toys.
* World League Wrestling presented Christmas Bash 2022 on December 10 in Troy, MO, holding its annual food drive for the Bread for Life Food Pantry, collecting around 400 pounds of canned and non-perishable food.
* Asylum Pro Wrestling returned on December 10 at the Clearfield Fairgrounds, Clearfield, PA, collecting “a table full” of new, unwrapped toys.
* Cujo’s Toy World in New Bedford, MA held a toy drive on December 10 with Spike Dudley, collecting 150 new, unwrapped toys.
* Lucky Pro Wrestling and West Real Estate joined forces on December 11 in Wilmington, MA collecting at least 200 new and unwrapped toys, plus cash donations for the children in need.
* Smash Master Wrestling returned to Throop, PA on December 11, with a “good pile of toys collected” for the Wyoming County Toys for Tots campaign.
* Santa Slam took place on December 15 in San Leandro, CA, collecting at least 175 new, unwrapped toys.
* Demand Lucha returned to Toronto, ON on December 15, featuring Super Crazy and Sam Adonis and including a Toy Drive for Sick Kids Charity on behalf of Starlight Childrens Hospital. Despite a early winter storm in Toronto, they were able to fill two Santa Sacks with new, unwrapped toys.
* Real Shoot Wrestling returned to New Kensington, PA on December 16 for RSW Christmas Party, collecting an overflowing box of Toys for Tots.
* CanAm Wrestling returned to Wetaskiwin, AB on December 16, collecting new unwrapped toys for the annual Christmas Fundraiser 500 Toys for 500 Kids.
* Texoma Pro Wrestling presented Toy Drive on December 16 in Sherman, TX, collecting around 200 toys for local children.
* Tristates Wrestling returned on December 16, to Bethany, MO in a fundraiser for dogs at the Albany Animal Shelter, raising $150.
* Magnificent Championship Wrestling returned to Brantford, ON, on December 16 with a special Christmas themed Brainbusters for Christmas in support of the Brantford Food Bank, collecting three LARGE boxes of canned and non-perishable food.
* Prospect Pro Wrestling returned to Worthington, PA on December 17, collecting at least 100 toys for Allegheny Valley Toys for Tots, plus cash donations.
* CMW Evolution returned to Greenville, SC on December 17 with a Christmas Toy Drive, collecting around 50 toys.
* UWE Pro Wrestling returns to Cadillac, MI on December 17 for the annual UWE Christmas Karnage, collected around 50 toys.
* Texoma Pro Wrestling presented Toy Drive on December 17 in Ardmore, OK, collecting at least 100 toys for kids.
* CanAm Wrestling returned to Calgary, AB on December 17, raising $100 for the Kerby Centre.
* Northeast Wrestling returned to Bethany, CT on December 17 before a sold out Holiday Havoc show, collecting four plus FULL Toys for Tots boxes.
* Pride of Wrestling presented POW 24 Christmas at the Bay on December 17 to Seminole, FL collecting 80 unwrapped new toys.
* New Tradition Lucha Libre returned to Palmdale, CA on December 18 for the NTLL Toy Pile Driver show with 350 toys, filling a van to be donated to families of veterans in the Antelope Valley.
* Supreme Pro Wrestling returned to Elk Grove, CA on December 18, collecting 200 toys at its annual Toy Drive show.
* Glory Pro Wrestling, together with 105.7 The Point and The Rizzuto Show returned to St. Louis, MO in December 18, raising over $4,000 for Operation Food Search and The Point Holiday Food Drive!
* Takedown Pro Wrestling returned to Los Gatos, CA on December 18, collecting at least 150 unwrapped toys for a Toys for Tots drive. Takedown Pro was also involved in the December 14 physical/virtual toy drive held by WWE’s Bayley.
* Future Stars of Wrestling presented their annual Holiday Event in Las Vegas, NV, on December 17, collecting new, unwrapped toys.
* GCW Charity Wrestling/POP Culture Canada presents Seasons Beatings Tuesday, December 27, at 6:00 pm at Harmony Creek Recreation Center, 15 Harmony Road N., Oshawa ON. Please bring food for the Simcoe Bank Settlement House.
Impact Wrestling and DAZN are partnering together for an international distribution deal.
It was announced today that Anthem Sports & Entertainment and DAZN have agreed to a partnership that “will deliver Anthem’s IMPACT Wrestling to more than 170 countries worldwide beginning on November 29.” Those countries include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, France, Poland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, and Brazil.
Starting today, we’re bringing IMPACT to homes in more that 170 countries.
DAZN viewers in those countries will have access to weekly episodes of Impact, Impact Wrestling’s pay-per-views and live specials, and select titles from Impact Wrestling’s archives.
“DAZN is a global leader in premier sports programming, and we are proud to partner with them as we expand IMPACT Wrestling’s international reach even further,” Impact’s Scott D’Amore said. “From the beginning, IMPACT Wrestling has enjoyed a worldwide audience of passionate and knowledgeable fans who crave high-quality professional wrestling content. With this announcement, we hope to make it even more convenient for them to enjoy our flagship series, premium specials and pay-per-view events, while also introducing the IMPACT Wrestling brand to even more sports enthusiasts across the globe.”
Veronica Diquattro, CEO of DAZN global markets, said: “We are incredibly excited to sign this multi-year partnership with Impact. This deal will see the promotion’s world-class professional wrestling content arrive on the DAZN platform in more than 170 countries worldwide, reinforcing our growing position as the global home of combat sports.”
DAZN also announced this week that it has agreed to a non-exclusive media rights deal with Poland’s Kingpuin Prime Time Wrestling. DAZN will broadcast Prime Time Wrestling events globally until the end of 2023.
MLW will continue to shop their U.S. streaming and library rights as they continue to slowly pull content off their YouTube channel. It’s unknown how this affects MLW’s international contracts with DAZN as this deal was just for the U.S. market.
The original deal called for MLW Fusion to be both part of DAZN’s regular weekly schedule and on demand in addition to future live shows, the latter of which never materialized due to the pandemic.
“DAZN was decimated financially by spending so much on name boxers like Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin and some of their key players behind-the-scenes have left for WWE through Nick Khan. Their budgets got frozen once the Alvarez deal went south and it became a legal situation and the original ownership lost so much they didn’t want to fund more losses,” Meltzer wrote.
MLW will continue to air on BeIn Sports and Vice TV. The company has been airing Underground episodes from 2003-04 for the last month as they prepare for a TV taping in Philadelphia next month.
Other notes:
Meltzer noted that MLW will be taping vignettes and non-match content in Los Angeles starting Friday for Azteca Underground with the goal of looking like Lucha Underground. It’s unclear how the Cesar Duran-led group will fit into the MLW landscape storyline-wise (faction, separate promotion, etc.). He said matches for Azteca Underground will be filmed in the fall.
Arez has not yet signed a deal with MLW, but expects to when he comes to Philadelphia for the TV taping.
Major League Wrestling has signed a deal with the U.S. version of DAZN, the sports-centric streaming service that is home to boxing stars like Canelo Alvarez, Anthony Joshua, and Gennady Golovkin, Bellator MMA, Major League Baseball highlight shows, and other major American sports leagues for international viewers.
The amount of years on the deal and financials were not disclosed. MLW has been available in some international markets via DAZN in the past.
Several episodes of MLW Fusion and their recent Opera Cup event went live on the service Tuesday for subscribers and are also available in most countries worldwide. Going forward, MLW will be part of DAZN’s regular weekly schedule as well as on demand. Future live shows will also air on DAZN.
MLW will continue to air on beIN Sports every Saturday. The shows will also air on YouTube for the time being.
They become the first pro wrestling group to be carried on the American version of DAZN, although they had signed a deal with WWE to air Raw, SmackDown, and other programming for Japanese audiences in 2017.
The deal comes at a crucial time for DAZN as they are desperate for programming due to the pandemic gravely affecting their sole purpose: live sports.
MLW has had to postpone several of their events since the pandemic started, creating an Anthology series featuring past matches with notable names in order to meet their TV obligations. Their next event is a TV taping scheduled for October in Dallas, TX.
Under former WWE writer Court Bauer, the organization launched in 2002 and ran shows for two years before returning in the summer of 2017, developing a podcasting network along the way. In January, MLW announced they were working with entertainment agency ICM Partners in hopes of securing a new TV and streaming deal in the spring. They have been with beIN since April 2018 when Fusion launched.
While networks like ESPN are having difficulties attempting to fill airtime as nearly every major sports league in the world is on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the pain is also being felt by subscription services that focus 100% on sports like DAZN.
On Tuesday, it was reported by the Sports Business Journal that the streaming service will begin ceasing the next rights fees payments to their league partners that haven’t provided contractually obligated content.
While not outlined specifically in the SBJ article, one of those partners could be Bellator MMA as they postponed one show in April and three shows in May due to scheduling concerns around the global health crisis.
Bellator is owned by ViacomCBS and simulcasts some events on Paramount Network, the former Spike TV. They announced a nine figure, multi-year deal with DAZN in June 2018.
They also work with several top boxers and promoters like Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, Anthony Joshua, and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. Additionally, they have deals with Major League Baseball, the NFL, the Champions League, and various other entities around the world.
DAZN is also expected to start furloughing thousands of their staff members in an effort to leave employees on the company books while having them take a leave of absence.
Following a great and controversial UFC 244, Josh Nason’s Punch-Out is back to sift through the remaining talking points while looking ahead to UFC Moscow this weekend.
Joining us on our journey is first-time guest Michael Fiedel of The Body Lock and FloCombat. His name has started to get out there more and more with shoutouts from Luke Thomas and Ariel Helwani in recent months, so it was the perfect time to get him on before his asking fee gets too high for me.
To listen, just click the red ‘Right Click Save’ button below.
A few of things we jumped into:
– His background and what the Thomas and Helwani shoutouts meant to him and the website
– Who we hope are next for both Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, and whether the rematch will actually happen
– Our hopes for Darren Till going forward
– Michael gets into some of the fighters he’s excited to see this Saturday at UFC Moscow
– We talked a bit about Greg Hardy and his last-second stepup against Alexander Volkov
– The whole DAZN controversy in delaying one of their biggest fights to wait for a UFC main event
After the interview, I essentially workshopped a column I might write about the AEW vs. WWE war happening on Twitter among the fans and how I got a taste of it this week.
On Tuesday, Bellator MMA announced the field for their impending welterweight tournament, the first fight of the tournament, and how much it will cost U.S. based fans for a monthly subscription to DAZN.
The welterweight tournament has a solid field of ten fighters that include current champion Rory MacDonald, Michael “Venom” Page, Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov, Ed Ruth, Neiman Gracie, Yaroslav Amosov, Lorenz Larkin, and Jon Fitch.
The first fight for the tournament will be Koreshkov vs. Lima for a third time on September 29th, the same show headlined by MacDonald vs. middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi and the promotion’s official debut on DAZN.
The final tourney field will have eight fighters so two of the fights will be “play in” fights to get into the tourney. There is also one fighter yet to be announced for the field of ten.
At the DAZN-hosted event, the fledgling sports streaming company will make their U.S. debut at $9.99/month with a one-month free trial. Just last month, Bellator announced a deal with DAZN which will see all of their fight events on the streaming platform with several exclusive shows. The rest will also be simulcast on Paramount Network.
In a move that will increase revenue and will also hopefully boost ratings, Bellator MMA announced a restructuring of their TV product Tuesday at a press conference.
The company will pare back on their schedule to 22 events a year with 15 airing on Paramount Network and seven exclusively moving to DAZN, a streaming service geared towards sports fans that has not yet launched in the U.S. The 15 Paramount shows will also air on DAZN (pronounced Da Zone) and will include eight “tentpole” shows.
The deal kicks off on September 29th with the much-discussed Gegard Mousasi vs. Rory MacDonald San Jose event that will also feature Rampage Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva 4. That show will air exclusively on DAZN.
The promotion said the deal was a nine-figure, multi-year agreement. DAZN didn’t announce a price point, but will offer a one-month free trial when they launch. They are already available in other countries including Canada where DAZN is available for $20/month or $150 for a year.
For MMA fans in the U.S., the deal is an interesting one as it presents another paywall in order to watch previously free content. Paired with the UFC’s recently announced deal with ESPN+ that kicks off in 2019, fans that want to watch everything will be paying more for MMA content starting this fall.
From a brand perspective, less shows for Bellator is a major plus. With a thin roster, it was hard for them to put on consistent quality fight cards with stakes on the now former Spike TV, especially in those months where they did multiple shows. Ratings have been down over the past year, especially for the non-tentpole events.
This move also seems to fit more into the new vision for Paramount Network and brings in an additional revenue stream for Viacom (owners of Paramount and Bellator) that didn’t previously exist. Whether this means the end of a return to pay per view remains to be seen.
Additionally, it allows the promotion to find an audience in regions that have DAZN but don’t otherwise have access to Bellator programming.
