Daily Update
Latest News
- WWE Raw live results: CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker World title match
- Matt Hardy names one thing he regrets about in-ring style
- Three departures from AEW roster
- Will Ospreay gives injury update during surprise NJPW appearance
- Netflix releases trailer for ‘WWE: Unreal’ season two
Latest Audio
- WOL: THE 2026 F4W PREDICTION SHOW!~!
- Fight Game: Saying goodbye to Hiroshi Tanahashi
- WOR: Tokyo Dome, Tanahashi retirement, Jericho, tons more!
Latest YouTube Video
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- January 5, 2026 Observer Newsletter: AEW Worlds End review, key text exchanges revealed in WWE shareholder lawsuit
*Polls on Worlds End plus Continental Classic MVP and best match polls.
*The story of the WWE/UFC merger and Vince McMahon’s resignation, how real was it, the big unanswered question about the WWE Board of Directors, lots of Discovery information in the shareholders lawsuit against WWE, McMahon, TKO, Nick Khan and others, things behind the scenes about the merger, and the change in plans prior to the 2023 WrestleMania in more detail than ever before.
*Full coverage of AEW Worlds End and business notes on the show
*The retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi and the Tokyo Dome show
*The record setting 2025 at Arena Mexico and biggest attendance week in the 92 years of CMLL, a look at the last week as well as how many Americans are at the shows.
*The few times in history that a company sold out a major arena three times in the same week.
*A look at the Stardom Dream Queendom show
*Pro Wrestling NOAH hosts the first major show of 2026
*Weekly ods
*2026 Observer award ballot
*Most detailed look at the TV ratings from the past week.
*Weedings and engagements in pro wrestling this past week
*All Japan has its best match of 2025
*William Regal and others talk about neck injuries in pro wrestling and our thoughts on it as well as the reaction of some
*Who had the most great matches in 2025
*How Eric Bischoff’s new promotion is similar to Sam Muchnick starting out as a promoter
*Company does a Vince McMahon/Janel Grant angle on its TV show
*AEW business partner delisted
*Tony Khan talks a ton of different subjects
*Top merch sellers in US outside of WWE
*Tom Aspinall update
*Don Frye talks health issues
*Lots of injury updates
This Week’s Back Issue
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Monday Update
— Bryan and I will be back tonight covering Raw, New Japan, and the rest of the news with Wrestling Observer Radio tonight.
— The breakup of NBCU became official today with the launching of Versant on NASDAQ. So the USA Network is no longer part of NBC. Versant will be the company that owns and controls the USA Network, CNBC, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, Syfy, Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes and more. That’s the end of an era as NBC and USA have been under the same umbrella for 21 years.
— Also ending today is The Bullet Club, which formed in 2013. Yota Tsuji announced the remaining War Dogs members along with him, Shingo Takagi and Hiromu Takahashi, are forming a new faction called Unbound Co.
— Raw tonight from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn is the heavily promoted one year anniversary show with the promotional tie-in with Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things. They asked fans to dress up like the characters in the show. CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker for the world title goes on last. They were at 12,648 tickets out at last check, which means they sold 3,000 tickets since Adam Pearce did the Chris Jericho tease and will likely sell out or come very close. We have no confirmation that Jericho is there, since if he was he’s probably hidden and not flying in commercial, but it would be kept secret and not be on the script for the show. If he’s not, they’ll be unhappy people since WWE clearly teased he would be yesterday and that’s a lot of tickets moving late after an announcement. Nobody has denied it, but then again, the people who would know are likely a small circle. Lots of Netflix people are at the show. Other matches are Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky for the women’s tag team titles, Maxixine Dupri vs. Becky Lynch for the IC title and Liv Morgan vs. Lyra Vakyria.
— Seth Rollins is backstage because he was in New York for a football show, but it would make no sense to put him on television until he’s ready to come back, and that’s months away. This isn’t Will Ospreay in England where AEW could have done it, but chose not to, just for a babyface pop.
— We’re looking for your thoughts from WrestleKingdom at the Tokyo Dome, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
— We’re also looking for live reports from Brooklyn tonight with any matches taped before Raw or anything else not on the live show, results and finishes to [email protected]
— Last night’s WWE results from Bridgeport, CT:
Carmelo Hayes b The Miz to keep the U.S. title in a good match.
Gunther b Sami Zayn with a roll-up in a very good match
A.J. Styles & Dragon Lee b New Day to keep the tag titles in a so-so match
Wyatt Six (Howdy & Lumis & Gacy & Rowan) beat MFTs (Tama & Talla Tonga & JC Mateo & Tonga Loa) in a weak match
Iyo Sky b Raquel Rodriguez in a fair match’
Jade Cargill did an open challenge for her WWE title, Cargill beat Bayley in a fair match
Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed b Viking Raiders in a so-so match
Cody Rhodes b Drew McIntyre with a photo finish landing in a cage match in an excellent match (Thanks to Ron Lemeiux and Justin Moore)
— Because of the holidays, we are still way behind on ratings being released. NXT on 12/30 did 604,000 viewers with a 0.07 in 18-49. It was last place on network TV in both categories.
— CMLL in Puebla tonight was sold out when I woke up with Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Atlantis Jr. vs. Yutani & Soberano Jr. & Barbaro Cavernario. CMLL has sold out nine of its last ten shows.
— Yota Tsuji announced the IWGP world heavyweight title is done and they are going back to the IWGP heavyweight title which was the historical name for the title. The Global title which he also has will be defended separately.
— Sanada strongly hinted that he was leaving New Japan. After his match earlier today, he had a guitar that read “Goodbye NJPW” and said in a post-match interview, “I’m leaving this ring for good today. I’m going out on a journey.”
— Aaron Wolf’s first Never title defense looks to be against Ren Narita. I expect all the major matches for February to be announced in the next 48 hours.
— Smackdown outside the U.S from Berlin will air on Netflix at 2 p.m. Eastern time. In the U.S. it’ll be on at the regular 8 p.m. on the USA Network. We’ll see if airing everywhere else six hours earlier will hurt numbers given the boost Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre in the three stage of hell title match in theory would boost it.
— Saya Kamitani is taking a few weeks off. Stardom announced she would return on the 2/7 show at the Edion Arena in Osaka.
— NXT tomorrow has New Year’s Evil, a heavily promoted major show with Oba Femi vs Leon Slater for the NXT men’s title, Jacy Jayne vs. Kendal Grey for the women’s title, Thea Hail vs. Blake Monroe for the North American title and Izzy Dame vs. Tatum Paxley.
— Alamo Drafthouse will be airing a screening of “Night Patrol” on Wednesday ahead of its theatrical release. CM Punk is one of the stars in that movie.
— WWE starts a European tour on 1/8 in Leipzig, Germany with a house show. The house shows will be headlined by CM Punk vs. Bronson Reed for the world title as they stand right now.
— Mistico was booed Saturday night at Arena Coliseo. He was booed all the time in his heyday. He also drew like crazy then and Saturday’s show was sold out farther in advance than any Coliseo show in recent memory.
— It will be interesting to see if Tuesday draws bigger as Three Kings Day would figure to have a bigger Arena Mexico crowd than usual. It’s more loaded than usual with Mistico & Dorada & Esfinge vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Stuka Jr, Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. vs. Euforia & Soberano Jr, (father and son teams), Blue Panther vs. Difunto and Tessa Banchred vs. Zeuxis vs. Jarochita.
–MLW announced its 2/7 show in Chicago at Cicero Stadium is already sold out. Bishop Dyer was announced for the 1/29 Battle Riot match in Kissimmee, FL.
— Marshe Rockett turns 41 today. Willie Mack turns 39. It would have been the 69th birthday of Jeep Swenson, who passed away yung. Alexis Smirnoff passed away seven years ago today at 71. Charlie Cook passed away six years ago at 78.
