Tag: kerwin silfies

Daily Update: Blake Monroe, Kerwin Silfies, John Cena

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Our annual awards issue is out covering the following topics:

  • Winners, top place winners, comments and every winner of every award dating back to 1980, from Wrestler of the Year, MMA MVP, Most Outstanding, Most Outstanding MMA Fighter, Tag Team of the Year, Best on Interviews, Promotion of the Year, Best Weekly TV show, Match of the Year, MMA Fight of the year, U.S./Canada MPV, Japanese MVP, Mexico MVP, Europe MVP, Best non-heavyweight, Women’s MVP, Women’s MMA MVP, Feud of the Year, Best Box Office Draw, Most Improved, Most Charismatic, Best Technical, Best Brawler, Best Flying Wrestler, Most Overrated, Most Underrated, Rookie of the Year, Best Non-WRestler, Best Television Announcer, Worst Television Announcer, Most major show, Worst major show, Best maneuver, Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic, Worst TV show, Worst match, Worst feud, Worst promotion, Best Booker of the Year, Promoter of the Year, Best Gimmick, Worst Gimmick, Best Book and Best Documentary.
  • Tons of news related to the build to WrestleMania, why the card may be changing, a major concern regarding ticket sales, predictability vs. surprises, How Bron Breakker’s injury changes things, Brock Lesnar situation, Becky Lynch situation, situation in Las Vegas, concerns in Las Vegas, why ticket sales are down, plus build to Elimination Chamber
  • Tadao Yasuda, a unique life of a former sumo star, IWGP champion, one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, the birth of the New Year’s Eve fighting tradition, gambling issues and more
  • Coverage of the New Beginning in Osaka, talent leaving, talent staying, what is the direction for New Japan the next few months and a worst and best match of the year candidate one right after the other
  • Betting odds for this week’s wrestling
  • Most detailed look at the TV ratings, a look at the red flags, streaming numbers and more.
  • Notes on the honoring and retirement of El Satanico and career highlights
  • Mistico sellout updates
  • The last Friday for a month at Arena Mexico with the biggest names
  • AAA TV tapings with WWE talent
  • Starddom PPV notes
  • Epstein files wrestling references
  • Biggest UK women’s show coming
  • Show coming up attempting to be the largest attendance for an all-women’s show in three decades
  • Paramount again trying to get WBD
  • How politics affects pro wrestling
  • Grand Slam Australia notes
  • MJF talks Punk
  • TV reviews
  • YouTube notes
  • CBS airing UFC on 3/7
  • Zuffa boxing defies Ali Act with world title announcement
  • WWE injury updates
  • Bad Bunny Super Bowl controversy
  • WWE Hall of Famer threatens to quit if another person isn’t removed
  • Reigns upcoming schedule

This Week’s Back Issue

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Thursday Update

Kirwin Silfies

WWE

  • WWE and 2K Games held a Creator Fest event at WWE headquarters today to promote the upcoming release of WWE 2K26. Blake Monroe was among the talent there, with this being her first visit to HQ. She appeared on Busted Open Radio and discussed what her time in WWE NXT has been like so far:
    • Oh, it’s been amazing. I mean, wrestling is a real roller coaster. But for me, I always just come back to as a kid, I wanted to be a WWE Superstar. And then to be in somewhere like the WWE HQ where the walls are just covered in legends and then people from now. For me, that’s just really cool. Because it’s like, ‘Hey, I remember being a kid.’ And like, ‘I remember that match and I remember this.’ And it’s like, hey, I’m a part of this and I will build a legacy here.
    • Once we get rid of Thea Hail [in their NXT feud], I can get back on track and build a legacy here and be a part of that. So I think it’s a balance of, like, having the humility of, hey, this was always my dream, but also like I earned my spot here and loads of people want to be a WWE Superstar and they can’t.
  • Michael Hayes posted a tribute to former WWE director Kerwin Silfies following his passing:
    • I was so sorry to hear about Kerwin passing.
    • Kerwin was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met at WWE.
    • You may think you don’t know Kerwin, but, you know his body of work.
    • If there was ever a WWE childhood memory you have, it was most likely directed by Kerwin from 1985-2020. Kerwin will surely be missed.
    • NEVER FORGOTTEN!!
    • RIP Kerwin
  • Shawn Michaels sent his condolences to Silfies’ family and friends:
    • The @WWE family lost a very special part of our team.
    • Kerwin Silfies was our Director during my entire career. If you were there, you know how important that role was. He helped shape the sound, the feel, and the rhythm of what fans watched every week.
    • Raw, SmackDown, WrestleMania… he was in the chair, leading the way.
    • Kerwin loved the work. He loved the crew. And he took pride in getting it right. I’m grateful I got to work alongside him.
    • My thoughts are with his family and everyone who called him a friend.
  • Stephanie McMahon, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, and Jeff Jarrett are among the others who posted tweets remembering Silfies.
  • In an interview with The Takedown on SI, John Cena named some of the opponents he learned a lot from early in his WWE career:
    • Oh my goodness, that list is long and distinguished. So you’re talking about a short period of time, so I’m going to leave out a lot of names that continued to, quote unquote, carry me from that point beyond. But up until then, Booker T, Eddie Guerrero, John Layfield, Kurt Angle, Rikishi.
    • Man, the list goes on and on. Every performer with time in front of a live audience, who wasn’t from my OVW class, I was able to learn from. They took care of me. Matt Bloom, who was A-Train, guys like Kidman on Velocity, heck even matches I had with a young Bryan Danielson, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Renee Dupree.
    • To be able to learn from those guys. I was able to learn from every person I was put in the ring with, until I won the championship from a mentor who really took care of me, and toughened me up too, but showed me the ropes, in John Layfield. I’m grateful to them all.
  • PWInsider reports that Sean “X-Pac” Waltman was at the WWE Performance Center today.
  • Shawn Michaels shared a brief clip from WWE’s Performance Center tryouts.
  • TalkSport interviewed Drew McIntyre.
  • Raquel Rodriguez appeared on TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast.

Other Wrestling

  • Rocky Romero spoke to Undisputed about how Kazuchika Okada was able to help get him acclimated to Japan when they were faction mates in NJPW:
    • We’ve also spent a lot of time together on the road. Dinners in the middle of nowhere, him helping me navigate all different parts of Japan to make sure I was getting culture in our days off and not just in my room watching TV. There’s no one like Okada.
  • Matt & Jeff Hardy have been announced for Battle for the Brave in Rahway, New Jersey on June 6. It’s a wrestling event that Deonna Purrazzo and Steve Maclin are putting on to benefit the charity Tunnels to Towers.
  • Former WWE wrestler Eva Marie was the guest on a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
  • SoCalVal interviewed Christy Hemme for WrestlingNewsCo.

WOR: Rousey/Carano, Swerve/Omega, Chris Jericho’s contract

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with the post-AEW Dynamite edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

We reviewed AEW Dynamite with a fantastic Kenny Omega vs. Swerve Strickland main event. We also talked about the following:

  • Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on Netflix
  • The passing of Kerwin Silfies and Brett Wolverton
  • Chris Jericho’s contract
  • WWE & AEW ratings
  • NXT

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube

VIDEO: AEW announcers pay tribute to Kerwin Silfies on Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

The influence of the late Kerwin Silfies was felt on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite as the late WWE director was recognized on air.

Silfies passed away at 75 years old on Tuesday after battling health issues, first reported Wednesday by PWInsider. Silfies was a longtime WWE director, joining the company in the mid-1980s after already having many years of television experience working at Channel 39 in his native Pennsylvania.

In the show’s first hour and seen below, the show cut to Excalibur, Bryan Danielson and Tony Schiavone at the desk to talk about Silfies who Schiavone said he first met in 1989. He called him “a great man and an even better director,” adding that he was calm under pressure which “in this business, is something else.”

Danielson then got emotional when talking about Silfies, saying that he was “very kind and very patient” and that when Danielson got to WWE, he didn’t know anything about TV production but Silfies was kind in teaching him.

Earlier in the day, AEW broadcaster Taz posted a short audio tribute to Silfies who he first worked with when he came to WWE, recalling the first night when ECW talent “invaded” Raw and how Silfies made them feel wanted.

Daily Update: Kevin Nash-Je’Von Evans, Kerwin Silfies, Ronda Rousey

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Our annual awards issue is out covering the following topics:

  • Winners, top place winners, comments and every winner of every award dating back to 1980, from Wrestler of the Year, MMA MVP, Most Outstanding, Most Outstanding MMA Fighter, Tag Team of the Year, Best on Interviews, Promotion of the Year, Best Weekly TV show, Match of the Year, MMA Fight of the year, U.S./Canada MPV, Japanese MVP, Mexico MVP, Europe MVP, Best non-heavyweight, Women’s MVP, Women’s MMA MVP, Feud of the Year, Best Box Office Draw, Most Improved, Most Charismatic, Best Technical, Best Brawler, Best Flying Wrestler, Most Overrated, Most Underrated, Rookie of the Year, Best Non-WRestler, Best Television Announcer, Worst Television Announcer, Most major show, Worst major show, Best maneuver, Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic, Worst TV show, Worst match, Worst feud, Worst promotion, Best Booker of the Year, Promoter of the Year, Best Gimmick, Worst Gimmick, Best Book and Best Documentary.
  • Tons of news related to the build to WrestleMania, why the card may be changing, a major concern regarding ticket sales, predictability vs. surprises, How Bron Breakker’s injury changes things, Brock Lesnar situation, Becky Lynch situation, situation in Las Vegas, concerns in Las Vegas, why ticket sales are down, plus build to Elimination Chamber
  • Tadao Yasuda, a unique life of a former sumo star, IWGP champion, one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, the birth of the New Year’s Eve fighting tradition, gambling issues and more
  • Coverage of the New Beginning in Osaka, talent leaving, talent staying, what is the direction for New Japan the next few months and a worst and best match of the year candidate one right after the other
  • Betting odds for this week’s wrestling
  • Most detailed look at the TV ratings, a look at the red flags, streaming numbers and more.
  • Notes on the honoring and retirement of El Satanico and career highlights
  • Mistico sellout updates
  • The last Friday for a month at Arena Mexico with the biggest names
  • AAA TV tapings with WWE talent
  • Starddom PPV notes
  • Epstein files wrestling references
  • Biggest UK women’s show coming
  • Show coming up attempting to be the largest attendance for an all-women’s show in three decades
  • Paramount again trying to get WBD
  • How politics affects pro wrestling
  • Grand Slam Australia notes
  • MJF talks Punk
  • TV reviews
  • YouTube notes
  • CBS airing UFC on 3/7
  • Zuffa boxing defies Ali Act with world title announcement
  • WWE injury updates
  • Bad Bunny Super Bowl controversy
  • WWE Hall of Famer threatens to quit if another person isn’t removed
  • Reigns upcoming schedule

This Week’s Back Issue

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

Wednesday Update

WWE

  • WWE uploaded the full Ethan Page vs. Shiloh Hill North American Championship match that headlined NXT last night.
  • Kevin Nash deleted the tweet where he apologized for using the term “Mr. Bojangles” in regards to Je’Von Evans. In a reply to a fan who was critical of his apology, Nash wrote that he won’t be saying anything about Evans again:
    • No worries. I won’t make the mistake of saying anything about The Young OG. I’ve read the comments, and I agree. If he fails, it’s on him. Haven’t seen a comment from anyone who’s made millions in the business. I didn’t coin him an ‘Original Gangster’ Won’t change my life either way.
  • Evans appeared to reference the situation in an Instagram post today that was accompanied by the nWo Wolfpack theme music:
    • ‘Just Wanna Apologize Real Quick….Im Sorry For Being The Best In Da Game Right Now!! Elimination Chamber Bout To……Ya’ll Finish The Rest’ -Je’Von Evans #TheYoungOG
  • Paul “Triple H” Levesque posted a tribute to former WWE director Kerwin Silfies following his passing:
    • Today, the @WWE family lost one of our beloved members. Kerwin Silfies was a huge part of the company’s programming since the mid-1980s. Over his 35+ year tenure with WWE production, he directed countless episodes of Raw and Smackdown, PLEs, and of course WrestleMania. With a dry wit and an unmatched passion for his work and his coworkers, Kerwin affected hundreds of employees and millions of fans. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.
  • Adam Pearce wrote the following:
    • Godspeed, Kerwin Silfies.
    • When I started working on Raw and SmackDown back in 2015, you were so patient and accommodating as I found my way. Always a steady, calm voice with your trusty mini notepad in hand, ready to take note of what we had cooked up. ‘Ok whaddya got, Adam?’ you’d ask me as you went around the room, listening.
    • Teaching.
    • I learned to see what we do through your director’s eye, to understand camera placement in a way I hadn’t before, and I always wondered how you always stood so calm under intense fire.
    • Cool as the other side of the pillow. Experience, red wine, talent?
    • All of the above, I surmise.
    • Thank you for letting a punk kid sit under your learning tree. And though I’m no connoisseur, the next time I have a taste of the vino it’ll be in a toast to you.
    • Rest well, Kerwin.
    • And thank you, sir.
  • AEW commentator Taz recorded a brief podcast remembering Silfies. 
  • WWE Hall of Famer Typhoon (Fred Ottman) shared that everything went well with his pre-surgery consultation and things look good heading into his operation on February 23. Ottman recently spent approximately a month in the hospital after his gallbladder “exploded” and released poison into his body.
  • CM Punk’s old ROH theme “Miseria Cantare” by AFI will be included in WWE 2K26.
  • On Instagram, Trish Stratus wrote a comment responding to WWE’s summer 2026 European tour announcement: “No but why do I suddenly feel like dusting off this ring rust”
  • Seth Rollins appeared on Club Shay Shay with NFL legend Shannon Sharpe.
  • Jaida Parker was a guest on Busted Open Radio today.

Other Wrestling

Former WWE director Kerwin Silfies passes away

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Kerwin Silfies, who played an important role in shaping the look of WWE programming for decades, has passed away at 75 years old.

PWInsider first reported the news of Silfies’ death, writing that he passed away on February 17 after privately battling health issues. Silfies was a long-time director for WWE, first joining the company in the mid-1980s after already having many years of television experience working at Channel 39 in his native Pennsylvania. He had been living in Florida recently.

Silfies still directed select WWE shows until he departed the company in 2020. He was among the employees furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic and never returned.

“I can’t explain what a super person & great director Kerwin was,” Taz wrote in a tribute today. “I work with him for many years in WWE on the road & in studio. His passion for great Tv in the wrestling biz was strong. This man once was working in the studio thru an actually heart attack & kept working!! Very sad to hear this. I hope they put him in their WWE HOF. He belongs. Prayers & support to his family. RIP”

Silfies’ early contributions to WWE included serving as a director for Saturday Night’s Main Event and WrestleMania. He did not appear in on-camera projects often but did show up on some documentaries and specials. He also called into an episode of Raw as part of the infamous Steve Austin-Brian Pillman gun angle that took place in 1996.

The short-lived WWE character Kerwin White, played by Chavo Guerrero in the 2000s, was named after Silfies.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Silfies said about pro wrestling during a 1987 interview with the Allentown Morning Call. “Having done a whole lot of both collegiate and professional wrestling work for television over the years, I think it’s a great sport. In college, it’s wonderful for conditioning and for discipline. Professional wrestling? It’s about as entertaining an event as you can go to. I have seen thousands of people come into arena and they always go away happy.”

Daily Update: Raw, Kerwin Silfies, Georgia reopening

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

Are you interested in attending our annual F4W/WON convention? We will hold it during AEW Double or Nothing weekend. For more information, check this post for activities and prices.

WON NEWSLETTER: April 20, 2020 Observer Newsletter: WWE cuts staff, XFL folds, death of Howard Finkel

The life and times of Howard Finkel in the most details article on his life and wrestling career, as well as coverage of one of the biggest news weeks in the history of the industry highlight the current issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

We go through WWE financials to look at cash on hand, cash available, the decision to continue tapings and the schedule which has since changed, why they made the call, the cuts, the Florida decision to make WWE an essential service, why, how the Governor’s explanation makes no sense at all, what WWE did that make no sense health wise, reactions from other companies in the industry, the story behind the WWE’s first Coronavirus positive and how the story the talent got and the public got were different.  We also look at the stories behind the cuts, looking at who different companies may or may not want, some NXT releases, sports owners look at WWE decisions, the monthly cost savings of talent cuts, and the first Corona virus death in pro wrestling.

In our story on Howard Finkel, we trace his career from his first connection with the McMahons in 1977, his first MSG ring announcing date, his late 70s ring announcing, his attempts to be a TV announcer, the decisions to take him off television, WWE doing national, his being the butt of Vince McMahon’s jokes, his taking a blood test for Hulk Hogan, many in the business talk about Finkel, as well as angles he worked.

The new issue also covers:

AEW and UFC plans going forward.

Folding of the XFL, how it was handled, who did and didn’t know, biggest creditors and why the decision to shut down was likely made.

Departure of the Revival and their new names, Bill Goldberg gives a WrestleMania blow-by-blow and talks Roman Reigns, DVR viewership of Raw, Ronda Rousey compares WWE to UFC, compares methods of pay, talks unionization, Rousey’s last UFC contract terms, wrestlers respond to Rousey saying wrestling was fake, Lawler controversy, Canadian ratings, cruiserweight title tournament, UFC star talks going to WWE full-time in a few years, Dwayne Johnson talks pro wrestling, and most-watched shows on the WWE Network.

An explanation as to why UFC was so desperate to get back up and running.

The meeting between the Japanese government and many of the major business players and top stars in Japanese wrestling.  We look at who presided over it which explains why it happened, the talks on COVID-19, ability to return, plans to return and more.

The AEW vs. NXT battle and go through different demos, and how the viewers reacted to the different key matches.

Update on the matches scheduled for the Money in the Bank show.

Kevin Sullivan responding to Dark Side of the Ring, alleging Nancy stabbed him, as well as a planned WCW angle and how Chris Benoit came to ECW and then WCW.

Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.

In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.

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].

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.

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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.

MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about the death of Joe Pedicino, Raw, and the rest of the news. You can send questions to the show to [email protected] but please limit the questions so subjects revolving around news of the past week.

Conrad Thompson in his podcast with Jim Ross noted that Kerwin Silfies, who had been a TV director from WWF dating back to the mid-80s, was furloughed.  WWE has not confirmed or denied this as of this writing.

The only thing we’re told from Raw is that there is a “weird name” scheduled for multiple segments. 

A quick thanks to everyone for their nice comments on the story on Howard Finkel in the current issue of the Observer.

Georgia is likely to open up for wrestling as Governor Bran Kemp told a news conference today that gyms, bowling alleys, hair salons, barber shops, nail salons and other similar businesses can open on Friday.  He also ordered hospitals to allow elective surgeries and that some restaurants and theaters can open up but with distancing guidelines in place. 

 WWE

  • The New York Post ran a story about how WWE released Dan Matha, who had suffered a hole in the back of his head after an auto accident recently.  Matha has said he is looking to continue his career in wrestling.
  • BT Sports released this video of every WWWF/WWF/WWE champion from Buddy Rogers to Drew McIntyre.
  • John “Jack” Lotz, a New York State Athletic commission boxing and wrestling referee for 36 years, who was the third man in Bob Backlund’s win over Superstar Billy Graham for the WWWF title and Hulk Hogan’s WWF title win over Iron Sheik, passed away Saturday at the age of 86. 

AEW

  • AEW may be taping again in a few weeks with both Florida and Georgia opening up.  At least one talent that had not appeared at the last set of tapings is going into quarantine for two weeks to get ready to return.
  • Announced for Dark tomorrow is Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay and Cody vs. Joe Alonzo.  Dynamite on Wednesday has Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara and Kip Sabian vs. Dustin Rhodes in the TNT tournament with Rhodes vowing to retire if he loses, plus Orange Cassidy makes his debut against Jimmy Havoc and Matt Hardy appears from the Hardy Compound.      

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Impact’s Rebellion PPV show, which was canceled but turned into two weeks of television, starts tomorrow with Ken Shamrock vs. Sami Callihan, Ace Austin vs. Willie Mack for the X title, Keira Hogan vs. Kyle Rae, and Tommy Dreamer & Rhino & Mystery partner vs. Dave & Jake Crist & Mad Man Pondo plus Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs TJP & Fallah Bahh vs. Acey Romero & Larry D in a three-way tag match.
  • Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis-Bennett, who were among the talent released, said that they would be making an announcement tonight.
  • Steve Johnson has a story on the death of Dick Steinborn.
  • MLW announced a television deal with MBC, the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation.  MLW Fusion will start on the station shortly. MBC broadcasts in Mauritius, Rodrigues and Agalega.
  • Disney+ is adding the movie “The Princess Bride,” which Andre the Giant appeared in a  starring role in and loved the movie and the cast members in the movie loved him.
  • Dark Side of the Ring tomorrow night will be doing a feature on Dino Bravo’s murder. Unlike previous subjects they have done that have been heavily covered, the Bravo death, believed to be at the hands of the mob, has not been covered very much in-depth elsewhere so there could be a lot of new material.
  • After all the controversy from the show “After Dark” last week on the Jimmy Snuka case, the TV lists aren’t listing an episode tomorrow. (thanks to Joe Puccio)
  • USA Wrestling has announced that all events through 7/1 have been postponed. Previously events had been postponed through 5/10.
  • Jason Agnew has interviews with myself and Mickie James, as well as with Paul “Big Show” Wight.
  • Bob Tiedermann, the highly successful New Jersey high school wrestling coach, who guided Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow to a third-place finish in the state’s heavyweight division, passed away. (thanks to Steve Feitl)

Daily Pro Wrestling History: AWA WrestleRock 1986

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