Tag: Nick Khan

Daily Update: Will Ospreay, Nick Khan, TNA anniversary

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest Headlines

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up on the site right now:
  • WBD will split into two companies, what this means for the future of cable, for AEW, for the legacy of TBS, TNT and CNN, for TNT Sports and what and when this all goes into effect regarding AEW.
  • More on WrestleMania going back to Las Vegas
  • The story on Ron Killings being cut why they had to bring him back and all the ramifications regarding it
  • The story behind Gunther beating Jey Uso for the world tite and set up
  • Full King of the Ring coverage, as well as Saturday Night’s Main Event main event, Night of Champions, Evolution and future WWE major events.
  • Full UFC 316 coverage and Kayla Harrison garners one of the most impressive combat sports resumes in history
  • The story behind Worlds Collide, the history packages, behind the scenes, Mr. Iguana and his background, all the ratings numbers, TripleMania Regia and more.
  • Ben Askren fights for his life
  • Latest developments in the Janel Grant lawsuit
  • Mark Kerr goes into UFC Hall of  Fame meaning Dwayne Johnson will induct him
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the pro wrestling shows including comparing cable vs. network, cable vs. streaming, how Rw is really doing, four-hour AEW marathon shows, NBA competition and more
  • Arena Mexico has one of its best matches of the year
  • New Japan Dominion noes
  • Notes on the G-1 tournament
  • Why Greg Oliver was so valuable to pro wrestling
  • Bret Hart talks Vince McMahon
  • Final X notes
  • Former ROH star retires
  • Wrestler trading card auctioned off for more than $80,000
  • Wrestlers who had matches in seven different decades
  • Former WWF wrestler makes a grandstand challenge for Hulk Hogan
  • RAF signs Olympic gold medalist
  • Update on lawsuit against AEW
  • Grand Slam Mexico notes
  • All In notes
  • Komander injury
  • Dana White and Nick Khan back promoting the biggest fight of 2025 and how it looks to have gone down
  • BJ Penn arrested again
  • Notes on TKO stock and media rights talks
  • Lots of new WWE signings

This Week’s Back Issue

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Thursday Update

WWE

  • Paul “Triple H” Levesque shared a brief social media video of him visiting the WWE Performance Center with Nick Khan and interacting with Kale Dixon, Shawn Michaels, Wes Lee, Ethan Page, Josh Briggs, and Blake Monroe (the former Mariah May).
  • On Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, Nick Khan discussed how WWE has told its creative team to book for the wider audience instead of people on social media:
    • Steph, I promise you this, I’ve never once searched my name on X, on any social media platform, on Google. If it says something positive, it has no relevancy to me. If it says something negative, it has no relevancy to me. I love hearing that Paul says that to you. I know he believes that [ignoring negative comments on social media]. And it’s something we encourage our creative team and writers. Like, don’t program for that. Program for the universe, not for a small portion of the universe who wants to criticize you. That doesn’t matter. Move on, put on a good product, the money will be there, the fans will be there, the results will be there.
  • After suffering a dislocated shoulder on Raw that will require surgery, Liv Morgan has been pulled from her scheduled appearance at Fanatics Fest this weekend. Fans who purchased photo ops or autographs will receive a refund.
  • Billboard interviewed Morgan & Dominik Mysterio.
  • Zelina Vega spoke to Sports Illustrated about having her husband Aleister Black back in WWE with her:
    • It’s been a breath of fresh air. We’re not the kind of married couple that needs separation. We’re actually the polar opposite. We complete each other. And it’s funny that two people that look completely different, come from two completely different backgrounds… You’d never put them together, [but they’re] just the perfect other piece.
    • His mind is just amazing. It’s creative, it’s innovative and he just has different ways to have people look at him and look at other people. If he’s helping someone with a match, he’ll find some way to make it different than any other match on the card that night. And it’s just nice to finally feel like I have my partner back.
  • Charlotte Flair gave an update on where things stand between her and Becky Lynch after their past issues: “We’re cordial. [laughter] No, we’re good. I still think there is some story left there. So…I don’t think there’s a nail in the coffin yet.”
  • Nikki & Brie Bella interviewed Stephanie Vaquer on The Nikki & Brie Show.

Other Wrestling

  • Will Ospreay shared that he wrestled at Grand Slam Mexico last night after finding out earlier in the day that his grandfather had passed away:
    • Personal note.
    • I landed in Mexico this morning at 3am.
    • Once landed I had a phone call from my mum telling me my grandad had passed that morning.
    • Extremely close to my Grandad, he was a bloody hero to me.
    • Your love & support eased my pain,
    • Thank you so much
  • Hook was a guest on Wrestling Observer Live today.
  • Red Velvet appeared on a new episode of AEW Unrestricted.
  • While appearing on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Elayna Black (Cora Jade) revealed the best advice CM Punk has ever given her:
    • I feel like he’s told me a lot of things, in very different situations, but I feel like the number one thing is to just drown out what everyone else is saying, because I feel like he knows it better than anybody. Everyone has an opinion on him, whether you absolutely love him, or you absolutely hate him. Everyone has an opinion on CM Punk, and I’ve always wondered, how does he just continue to be himself and not give a sh*t when there’s a million different opinions from a million different places.
    • But he’s really, really always helped me just understand that it doesn’t matter. People are always going to say something. They’re going to love you or they’re going to hate you, and either way, it doesn’t matter, because you just have to be you and do what you feel is right and stay true to yourself and if people support you, great. That’s great motivation. But if they don’t, and they don’t like you, and they don’t want to watch what you do, or they want to watch what you do and criticize it, that’s still your name in their mouth, and someone’s talking about you and you’re doing something right.
  • TNA Wrestling celebrated today being the promotion’s 23rd birthday. The first TNA show took place in Huntsville, Alabama on this day in 2002.
    • TNA Wrestling was born 23 years ago today when we held our first ever PPV event in Huntsville, Alabama. To every fan that has ever watched or attended one of our events, and to everybody in front of and behind the camera who has helped TNA get where it is today – THANK YOU!
  • KUSHIDA vs. Diego Hill has been announced for MLW Summer of the Beasts in New York City next Thursday (June 26).
  • Megan Bayne will be teaming with Joey Janela at CannonballFest on Sunday, September 14 against yet-to-be-announced opponents. The show is being held in New Providence, New Jersey as a fundraiser for wrestler Jeff Cannonball amid his battle with ALS.
  • Mike Santana is also set to compete at CannonballFest.
  • Dr. Chris Nowinski joined Chris Jericho on a new edition of Talk is Jericho.

Ron Killings thanks Nick Khan for ‘allowing R-Truth to set me free’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Ron Killings is showing appreciation for everyone who helped bring him back to WWE.

Less than a week after announcing that WWE would not be renewing his contract, Killings returned at Money in the Bank over the weekend and then appeared on Raw last night. He announced that he’ll no longer be going by R-Truth, instead choosing to use his real name. The 53-year-old Killings also made a change to his look, cutting off his signature dreadlocks live on Raw.

He followed up on that appearance with a tweet today thanking the WWE fans, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and Nick Khan for the role they played in his return.

“How? = YOU… Yall brought me back!! They heard, listened, felt, and understood,” Killings wrote. “Thank you @TripleH @WWE and man… thank you Nick Khan for allowing R-Truth to set me free!!! Im driving now…I AM Ron KILLINGS I AM THE TRUTH THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, Now put some RESPECT on my name!”

It was reported after Truth’s return that Khan — the president of WWE — played a key part in the negotiations to bring him back to the company. This tweet appears to confirm that. The decision to bring Killings back was made after fans and members of the WWE roster took to social media to voice their disappointment over him being let go.

Report: Nick Khan took over in new R-Truth WWE contract discussions

Posted on by Josh Nason

The bridge to R-Truth making a surprise appearance at Money in the Bank and signing a new WWE contract was apparently WWE president Nick Khan, according to a report out by Fightful Select.

Following last Sunday’s news that he wouldn’t be returning to WWE, there was a public backlash on social media, chants during Raw and SmackDown, and several WWE wrestlers airing their grief on social media that Truth wouldn’t be coming back.

The outlet reported they were told it was a talent relations employee who initially gave Truth the news rather than a higher-up which only added to the situation given he had been there for so long.

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They stated that Truth ignored WWE’s attempts to talk during the week until Khan himself took the lead to work out a new contract with both sides “meeting halfway.” No details were provided on the length of the deal or if Paul “Triple H” Levesque was involved at all.

It’s also unknown who made the decision to not bring Truth back to begin with and what specifically made them reverse course.

Truth’s surprise appearance came in the main event as he laid out John Cena, clearing the way for Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso to pick up a win over Cena and Logan Paul. New merchandise focused on Ron Killings was then released shortly thereafter.

PWInsider reported Saturday night that something had changed in the prior 72 hours as Truth was already getting inquiries from several organizations about doing business.

Daily Update: Triple H, Mike Santana, Nick Wayne

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

Latest Headlines

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • Full coverage of Double or Nothing including length of the show and why, the main event finish and who knew, the long-term booking, how things can be adjusted time wise, PPV early estimates, going head-to-head with WWE and the current WWE strategy and is it working or will it backfire, and what was unique in business regarding interest levels for this show. and match by match coverage.
  • What did readers think of Double or Nothing and Battleground.
  • John Laurinaitis joins with Janel Grant in the lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE. We look at the strategy, why the timing doesn’t make sense on the surface and what it shows about the belief of where the case is going, , as well as Laurinaitis credibility as a witness, his past, and an amazing timeline look where the dots have never been connected before.
  • Saturday Night’s Main Event, the long-term of John Cenna as champion, Cena’s last match, what match did the highest number, Injury notes, Jesse Ventura and more.
  • WWE spoils a world title change in Mexico, the WWE strategy in Mexico, Alberto shoots a major angle, Worlds Collide matches and how business looks and more.
  • Salman Hashimikov, the unlikely IWGP champion, and the story of one of the best heavyweight amateur wrestlers in the world who had a short pro wrestling career, but a lot of major main event matches with legends.
  • Full coverage of NXT Battleground
  • The sad plight of BJ Penn
  • Best of the Super Juniors
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the shows of the past week, with demos, segments, how the shows are holding up, Netflix numbers and more
  • More on AEW talent at ARena Mexico
  • The Copa Juniors Cibernetico in Arena Mexico
  • MLW title matches at Arena Mexico
  • Nanae Takahashi retires
  • Lawsuit against Billy jack Haynes by family of his murdered wife
  • *he sad story of Shannn Spruill/Daffney
  • Unique independent matches
  • A crazy angle gets two police officers legitimately suspended
  • The Jim Ross Award
  • Why things changed at AEW PPV as far as distribution
  • Why Josh Alexander signed with AEW
  • Keith Lee update
  • Ticket sales for upcoming AEW, WWE and TNA shows
  • Another lawsuit filed against TKO
  • Cain Velasquez talks Dana White’s help
  • More on future WrestleManias
  • Update on UFC & WWE rights negotiations that will happen later this year
  • WWE main roster call-ups expected and where
  • Comparing the Raw ratings from January to last week while taking sleight of hand manipulations out
  • WWE stars in TV shows

Tuesday Update

WWE

  • Mike Santana ahead of tonight’s TNA title match on NXT: “Today is the day. I have worked my entire life for these moments and I will prove that I am who I say I am. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. NEVER HAS BEEN. NEVER WILL BE. Tonight I fight for myself. I fight for TNA. I fight for my city and culture. But most of all, I fight for my little girl who will be watching her papi at home, live his dreams. And know that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. TONIGHT. WE FIGHT.”
  • PWInsider is reporting that Triple H is attached as an executive producer for an upcoming documentary called “Andy Kaufman is Me.” The Rock’s production company, Seven Bucks, is behind the film and David Letterman is also listed as an executive producer.
  • A three-way for the AAA Reina de Reinas title has been added to Triplemania Regia on June 15. Champion Flammer will defend against Lady Shani and Dalys.
  • A teaser for the trailer for the upcoming ‘Heads of State’ movie starring John Cena and Idris Elba.
  • Up now on the WWE Vault is highlights from AAA When Worlds Collide from 1994, an unaired WCW Festival de Lucha pilot, and five forgotten ladder matches including Shawn Michaels vs. Goldust from Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium from 1996.

AEW & Other Wrestling

  • Ricochet lit the shield for FC Dallas this past weekend.
  • Thekla’s first AEW t-shirt is now available.
  • Nick Wayne reflected on his BOSJ run: “I couldn’t ask for a better experience. 13 matches in 22 days, 9 singles tournament matches, 8 points. I gave everything I had into every match. I’ve said many times that this was a dream come true for me, and now I get to look back at this memory as an achievement. I’m grateful I had great competition in every match and to have met so many encouraging fans that supported me and NJPW.  I hope we all meet again some day. Thank you for the series, @njpwglobal. Best of Super Jrs. 32”
  • TNA Merch has unveiled a Pride Month collection. Proceeds will be split between two LGBTQ sporting charities: Athlete Ally and North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance. 
  • This week’s edition of TNA Xplosion featuring Myla Grace and Harley Hudson taking on Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee.
  • KUSHIDA is set for MLW’s Summer of the Beasts event for June 26.
  • Elayna Black (Cora Jade) is set to face Joey Janela at GCW Bangin’ in Little Rock on June 20.
  • Tenille Dashwood announced that she is now an American citizen.
  • WOW- Women of Wrestling have announced a collectible card game featuring 11 WOW wrestlers.
  • Sukeban will be running a show at the Anime Expo in Los Angeles on July 5. Ticket information here.
  • PWInsider is reporting that Duke Droese was slated to be arraigned on May 28 for Attempted Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, but that arraignment has since been rescheduled. A hearing on the case is now set for August 27. Droese is currently out on bond.

WOR: WWE WrestleMania 41 weekend, AEW Dynamite Spring BreakThru

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are in in Las Vegas for WrestleMania weekend and back with a Thursday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Here were some of the things we discussed:

  • Tetsuya Naito leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling
  • The Rock
  • Nick Khan on The Bill Simmons Podcast
  • Triple H on fan expectations
  • Roman Reigns featured in Vanity Fair
  • Recap of AEW Dynamite’s Spring Breakthru show

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

Nick Khan: WWE won’t ‘sign and bench people’

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE President Nick Khan addressed wrestling companies signing talent and then not using them during Wednesday’s edition of The Bill Simmons Podcast.

Without mentioning AEW by name, Khan acknowledged the company has a lot of talented wrestlers and added that he has “nothing but respect for the father who finances it and owns the Jaguars.”

Khan said:

“In terms of the other wrestling promotional company, they have a lot of talented wrestlers. We’re happy about that. When contractually they are available to be talked to and have conversations with, assume a number of them will come over. And nothing but respect for the father who finances it and owns the Jaguars and all those other things.”

Simmons suggested WWE shouldn’t sign too many wrestlers because it would result in some being wasted.

Khan responded:

“That’s something we won’t do. We won’t sign and bench people. We sign people who we want to use.”

He reiterated:

“If another entity signs and benches people now, that’s not something we would do.”

Earlier in the conversation, Khan discussed Cody Rhodes’ run in AEW, stating that the current WWE Champion “faded out” during his time there.

“(Rhodes) started part of another league, and then you sort of saw him fade out over there. It was something that we talked about at WWE — it was like, ‘Well, this is interesting.’ It used to be, ‘Hey, this is about the wrestlers, this is about empowering the wrestlers — Cody’s one of the co-founders.’ And then that narrative shifted. And that’s when we decided, when we knew contractually we could make the call, to make the call and say, ‘Hey, why don’t we get together and have a conversation?’ The deal was done in minutes. And boom — he returned WrestleMania 2022 at AT&T Stadium. Just three years ago. A year later, was in the main event of WrestleMania 2023 at SoFi.”

Simmons noted that Rhodes hasn’t spoken much about his AEW departure. Khan responded, “He doesn’t talk a lot of s–t in a negative way, which is something I admire about him.”

Khan also spoke about having previously been CM Punk’s agent and now working with him in WWE. The WWE president said he was not concerned about Punk’s reputation as a “locker room cancer” when the decision was made to bring him back at Survivor Series 2023.

“It was so obvious to me that he wasn’t a cancer,” Khan said of Punk. “In having been an agent, assume I have dealt with some personalities that were not the easiest from time to time. That’s part of the job. I had always found him to be a gentleman. I always found him to be honest, responsive, and I felt if he was that way outside of the company, if given an opportunity to come back to the company he would be that way and he said that he would be. And he’s been a gem to work with.”

Nick Khan’s full appearance on The Bill Simmons podcast is available below.

WWE’s Nick Khan: ‘It’s a mistake to respond to your business’ based off social media

Posted on by Josh Nason

While social media can feel overwhelming when it comes to opinions on pro wrestling, WWE president Nick Khan doesn’t let what he hears bother him.

Speaking at the National Association of Broadcasters event in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Khan was asked about the effect and influence of social media voices on the WWE product.

“As much as we listen to our audience, we won’t listen to social media and respond. We think it’s a small percentage of voices who have a big microphone or megaphone in front of them. It’s a mistake to respond to your business based off of that. You’ve got to base it off your gut and the results,” Khan said.

He added that for WWE, they program for all 50 states and the world, especially with their new Netflix deal.

“What do people like? They like dramas. They like conflict. They like to see conflict being resolved one way or another. As Paul mentioned, in our business, you get to knock each other out in a 20×20 ring. People like that too. So for us, we want to appeal to everybody,” he said.

WWE WrestleMania 41 and everything that comes with it heads to Las Vegas later this month.

Nick Khan says WWE ‘pencilling in’ flagship event in India for 2026 or 2027

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE is looking to hold a major event in India within the next two years.

Speaking to the Hindustan Times, WWE President Nick Khan said the company is aiming to bring a flagship event to the country in either 2026 or 2027. He also noted that India is a top priority for Netflix.

“That’s the goal, and we’re pencilling out 2026 and 2027 now. In one of our first meetings with Netflix after the deal was signed. Without asking, Netflix handed us a list of their priority countries. At the top of that list was India. And knowing that the race would come into play on April 1 in India, if it’s important to Netflix, assume it’s important to us. India has always been important to us. So we’re pencilling it out now, and let’s wait and see,” Khan said.

WWE is set to debut on Indian Netflix this Tuesday, April 1, after having aired on the Sony Sports Network (formerly TEN Sports) in the country since 2002. As part of that partnership, WWE produced two Superstar Spectacle events specifically for the Indian market — one filmed at the WWE Thunderdome in 2021, and another held in 2023 at the G. M. C. Balayogi Indoor Stadium.

WWE announced its streaming deal with Netflix in January 2024. Three months later, Jinder Mahal, Sanga, and Veer were released from the company. Mahal would later publicly voice concern about the lack of South Asian representation in WWE.

“There is only one South Asian currently in WWE (Akam). With over 2 Billion population, 1/4 people in the world are South Asian. Not a single talent in NXT/Performance Center. This is an issue,” Mahal wrote. Akam has since been released from the company as well.

WOL: Unpacking Janel Grant’s amended lawsuit against Vince McMahon

Posted on by Jim Valley

On today’s Wrestling Observer Live, I cover all the new allegations in the amended Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon.

Not unlike last year, attorneys for Grant released the updated lawsuit against McMahon and WWE during Royal Rumble weekend. The amended suit has more pages than the first and contains new claims that McMahon forced Grant to send “customized pornographic content” to Michael Hayes and others, that he received nude pics during the filming of the Mr. McMahon series on Netflix, and released more texts related to allegations of sex trafficking.

We’ll talk about it all today.

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

Nick Khan reveals France will host a WWE PLE in 2025

Posted on by Josh Nason

This story has been updated.

WWE will continue their international presence when it comes to premium live events in 2025 with the company’s leader providing the name of at least one country that will host one.

WWE president Nick Khan appeared at a Las Vegas tourism event Thursday and during a “fireside chat” he took part in, he referred to Paris, France, hosting a PLE that has yet to be announced.

Our report initially included Germany, but Khan was using that in reference to an event held there last year and not necessarily for this year.

Last December, TKO’s Mark Shapiro said to expect more international PLEs this year coming after a 2024 in which eight out of 12 were hosted outside of the United States (two each in Saudi Arabia and Canada and one each in Australia, France, Scotland and Germany).

To this point, WWE has announced four PLEs for this year with one thus far outside the United States: March’s Elimination Chamber in Canada.

Here are some additional notes from Khan’s talk:

  • The WWE World fan fest will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from April 17th-21st.
  • Both the pre-WrestleMania SmackDown on April 18th and the post-WrestleMania Raw will be held at the T-Mobile Arena.

Tony Khan, Nick Khan & several TKO executives recognized as Variety ‘Dealmakers’

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: JJ Williams

Pro wrestling was well-represented in this year’s ‘Dealmakers’ list by entertainment publication Variety.

Announced on Wednesday, AEW head Tony Khan, WWE president Nick Khan, and several TKO executives (Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro and Andrew Schleimer) were named to the list which recognizes major players and deal makers in the entertainment business.

Khan was actually the first name listed in the feature and made it based on the new “reported $185 million a year” multi-year deal he signed with WBD to keep Dynamite and Collision on TBS/TNT in addition to being simulcast on Max.

The article also stated, “The company is now valued at more than $2 billion, making it the third-most-valuable combat sports company in the world.” They did not cite their source for the valuation.

A quote from Khan touted that AEW will be “the first professional wrestling promotion to simulcast events weekly on top cable channels and a top streaming platform.”

Nick Khan and the TKO executives were all listed in their own blurb, citing the massive decade-long $5.2 billion deal they signed with Netflix for WWE content. There were no quotes from Khan and just a relatively boilerplate note from Schleimer on “the downstream impact and ancillary benefits to being with the distributor and just south of 300 million homes globally was something that got us very excited.”

WWE announces partnership with St. Bonaventure University Athletics

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE and St. Bonaventure University Athletics are entering into a multi-year licensing deal.

In September of this year, famed basketball journalist Adrian Wojnarowski left ESPN to become the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team. It was announced today that, with Wojnarowski and his friend WWE President Nick Khan working on the deal, the university and WWE are partnering together to produce St. Bonaventure-branded WWE legacy title belts.

The belts are on sale now through WWE Shop/Fanatics. WWE also sells legacy title belts featuring NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL teams — along with some other college programs.

In addition to the belts, this deal between St. Bonaventure and WWE “will include potential Name Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for St. Bonaventure’s men’s basketball players and student-athletes.”

“Our goal is to help connect St. Bonaventure athletics with best-in-class brands like WWE,” Wojnarowski said in a press release. “Our fans will love the Bonnies-inspired championship title belts, and our student-athletes will be the beneficiaries of the opportunities that come from our alignment with WWE.” 

“Woj instinctively understands the intersection of basketball and popular culture. We believe his know-how will help bring St. Bonaventure to new heights and we’re excited to be part of their journey,” Nick Khan added.

Wojnarowski, a St. Bonaventure alum, was a prolific news-breaker during his career reporting on the NBA for ESPN and Yahoo.

Nick Khan: WWE content will remain family-friendly on Netflix

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With just over a month to go before Raw moves to Netflix, WWE and Netflix executives held a media event on Tuesday.

The event took place from Netflix headquarters in California and included a discussion with representatives from both companies. During the panel, WWE President Nick Khan confirmed that there are no plans to change Raw’s advertiser rating for it to become an edgier show on Netflix. It will remain family-friendly content.

“We’re not changing the rating of our programming. So there’s some online chatter about, ‘Oh, it’s going to be R-rated, or for us old folks, X-rated.’ That’s definitely not happening,” Khan said. “It’s family-friendly, multi-generational, advertiser-friendly programming. It’s going to stay that way. I would look for more global flair, especially as the relationship continues to develop. Countries outside of the United States are as important to us as the United States is. So we have certain targeted countries that are priorities for Netflix. They’re priorities for us. You’re going to see more of that. I think that’s the way you’ll see a bit of a difference.”

Raw’s Netflix premiere is taking place from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on January 6. There is still no confirmation on whether it will be a two-hour or three-hour show on Netflix — or if Raw will have a more flexible format without the constraints of traditional television. Paul “Triple H” Levesque joked that he will let everyone know on January 6 what Raw’s format is.

Despite the buffering issues that the streaming service experienced for its Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria says they are ready for WWE’s arrival.

“Whenever we do live events, we want it to go smoothly for every single one of our members. That’s really important — also, to put it in perspective, it was 65 million concurrent streams [for Paul vs. Tyson], right? It was a very successful night. A lot of people [watched], the scale was very big, which is great. There’s a lot of interest in it,” Bajaria said.

“We expected a big number, for sure. It was a big number. But again, you don’t know, and you can’t learn these things until you do them so you take a big swing. Our teams and our engineers are amazing, moved super quickly, and stabilized it, and many of the members had it back up and running pretty quickly. But we learn from those things. And we’ve all obviously done a lot of stuff to learn and get ready for the NFL and Beyonce at halftime and so we’re totally ready and excited for WWE.”

Raw is the only weekly WWE programming that will air on Netflix in the United States, but international markets are getting a more expansive array of WWE content. Khan addressed whether PLEs could move to Netflix in the U.S. when WWE’s deal with Peacock is up.

“Peacock is our incumbent partner, and we’re always going to respect our incumbent’s rights in the relationship we have there,” he said. “So we’ll have those conversations with them in 2025 and we’ll see what shakes up.”

Becky Lynch — who has been on hiatus from WWE since May but is expected to be back soon — was among the wrestlers who attended the media event at Netflix headquarters. Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Rey Mysterio, The Miz, and Rhea Ripley were also there.

Hulk Hogan says he’s signed five-year contract with WWE

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Hulk Hogan has signed a new deal with WWE.

On Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, Hogan talked about signing a new five-year deal with the company.

“I’ve signed a five-year deal, I’m going to be 71 years old in a few weeks,” he said. “I signed a five-year deal for the licensing and merchandising stuff, and the ambassador stuff, if they need me to do something for WrestleMania, I just love doing it. It’s definitely different.”

When asked about comparing Vince McMahon to Nick Khan, Hogan said that he thinks McMahon thought too much about creative while Khan was more business-oriented.

“For me, its business cut-and-dry. He doesn’t overthink creative. I don’t deal with creative too much unless I talk to Bruce Prichard or something, they ask a question about a finish or something like that. I really don’t get involved too much with it. Just working with the two different heads of state, if you call it that, Nick Khan is just strictly business,” he said. 

Hogan proceeded to tell a story about how he asked Nick Khan to use artwork for his Real American beer. Khan said he wanted a percentage of the earnings, but after Hogan said he’d just pay $300 to get someone to draw something similar, Khan gifted the artwork to him.

“Vince was great too, but I just don’t know that Vince wouldn’t make that quick of a decision,” he said. “I’m just asking for a caricature, just some simple a** artwork. Nick got it and knew I could have something drawn up the next day. But he’s been very easy, supportive, and helpful.”

Earlier in the interview, Hogan told Paul that he should only be World Champion going forward after losing the United States title to LA Knight at WWE SummerSlam in August.

Daily Update: Meiko Satomura, WBD/NBA lawsuit, Nick Khan

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

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Friday Update

– Garrett Gonzales and I have our week in review show later this afternoon. You can also send in questions during the live airing. Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night with our weekend show covering UFC, AEW, G1, SmackDown and CMLL.

– The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up on the site. The key stories covered are:

  • Update on SummerSlam and All In, lineups, possible additions, things expected to happen, business notes on both shows, ticket sales and where they will stack up in the all-time historical records. We also look at the stories behind the matches.
  • London Mayor Sadiq Khan meets with Nick Khan and Paul Levesque regarding bringing WrestleMania to the city.
  • Notes on the first week of the G1 Climax tournament, stories, standings, business and quality of the matches.
  • Notes on week two of G1
  • Part one of our story on the life and career of Canadian star Leo Burke, a Stampede Hall of Famer and how he shaped the career of Bret Hart, and trained some of the biggest names in wrestling
  • Vince McMahon’s lawyers try and shut down a motion by Janel Grant’s lawyers
  • TNA Slammiversary, its biggest crowd in years and how it was done, PPV numbers update, and full show coverage
  • Coverage of Dragon Gate & DDT’s biggest shows of the year
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the major pro wrestling shows, placings, competition and segment-by-segment
  • What the CMLL current era compares to in Mexican history
  • A look at the big matches coming over the next month including AEW stars and World Grand Prix participants
  • Stardom PPV shows this weekend
  • 50th anniversary celebration
  • One of the top legends of this era pushing his farewell tour
  • Bloodsport notes
  • Next few weeks of TNA television
  • Update on AEW TV negotiations
  • Lots of AEW injuries
  • Tony Khan talks about strippaing titles vs. waiting for champions to recover
  • Darby Allin talks current scene
  • Ticket sales for upcoming AEW & WWE shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Cung Le lawsuit update
  • Top ten male and female fighters of the 21st century
  • Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry and update on celebrity fights and how they are doing

– Meiko Satomura will have a press conference at 11 p.m. Eastern time tonight which is believed to be her retirement announcement and farewell match or matches. (thanks to Jose Gonzalez)

– As expected WBD has filed suit against the NBA claiming breach of contract and failure to negotiate in good faith after the NBA turned down WBD’s accepting to match the right package of Amazon Prime. WBD is arguing that Max is equivalent to Amazon Prime as both are major streaming services plus they offer television. The NBA is claiming WBD matched the money but can’t match the exposure.

– ROH Death Before Dishonor on Honor Club with the pre-show starting at 7 p.m.

  • MxM in a match
  • Dustin Rhodes & Marshall & Ross Von Erich vs. John Silver & Evil Uno & Alex Reynolds — winning team faces Matt Taven & Mike Benett & Roderick Strong on Battle of the Belts tomorrow night to fill the vacant ROH trios titles
  • Komander vs. Beast Mortos
  • Atlantis Jr. vs. Lio Rush vs. Shane Taylor vs. Lee Johnson vs. Brian Cage vs. Johnny TV for the ROH TV title
  • Taven & Bennett defend the ROH tag titles against Kyle O’Reilly & Tomohiro Ishii
  • Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch Texas death match
  • Wheeler Yuta vs. Lee Moriarty for the ROH Pure title
  • Billie Starkz vs. Red Velvet for the women’s TV title
  • Athena vs. Queen Animata for the ROH women’s title
  • Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong for the ROH title

A note is that AEW has gotten CMLL to agree to allow its talent on the same show as AAA talent at least in this instance. Komander is the AAA cruiserweight champion on the same show as Atlantis Jr, one of CMLL’s biggest stars.

– SmackDown tonight is a taped show since the crew is in Japan right now. Lineup has:

  • LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar
  • Bayley & Michin vs. Nia Jax & Tiffany Stratton
  • Gauntlet with Angel & Berto, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa, Street Profits, Pretty Deadly, Apollo Crews & Baron Corbin and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson for a title shot at DIY in the future.

– Rampage tonight at 10 p.m. on TNT:

  • Two Ring Rampage Rumble Battle Royal, winner gets an AEW title shot on 9/25 at Arthur Ashe Stadium
  • Kris Statander vs. Leila Gray
  • Lance Archer vs. ?
  • Dutch & Vincent vs. Private Party vs. Kyle Fletcher & Rush vs. Outrunners

– Regarding the note in the new Observer on Nick Khan selling $4,887,506 of TKO stock this past week we noted it was partially to pay taxes. Those close to the situation say it was entirely to pay taxes on stock grants and that all of Khan’s stock sales to date have been only to cover taxes.

– WWE results from earlier today at Sumo Hall in Tokyo:

  • Shinsuke Nakamura (as a babyface) & Kevin Owens & LA Knight defeated Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa & Solo Sikoa
  • Liv Morgan defeated Iyo Sky to retain the world women’s title
  • Sami Zayn defeated Dominik Mysterio to keep the IC title
  • Meiko Satomura & Bayley & Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill defeated Sky & Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane & Tiffany Stratton
  • Damian Priest defeated Rey Mysterio to keep world heavyweight title
  • Finn Balor & JD McDonagh defeated New Day to keep the world tag titles
  • Gunther defeated Jey Uso
  • Cody Rhodes defeated AJ Styles to keep the undisputed WWE title

Rossy Ogawa was at the show walking around in the crowd.

At the show, Cody Rhodes was presented with the robe and hat that Dusty Rhodes wore in his 1979 NWF title challenge in Tokyo against Antonio Inoki. The robe had been on display at the Super Inoki Exhibition.

– UFC 304 is tomorrow from Manchester, England:

Prelims on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. Eastern

  • Shauna Bannon (115) vs. Alice Ardelean (116)
  • Mick Parkin (264) vs. Lukasz Brzeski (235)
  • Sam Patterson (170) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (a171)
  • Muhammad Mokaev (126) vs. Manel Kape (125.5)
  • Oban Elliott (170) vs. Preston Parsons (169)

ESPN2 at 8 p.m. Eastern

  • Modestas Bukauskas (204) vs. Marcin Prachnio (205)
  • Caolan Loughran (136) vs. Jake Hadley (137) – Hadley missed weight and had to forfeit 20 percent of his purse
  • Molly McCann (116) vs. Bruna Brasil (116)
  • Nathaniel Wood (145) vs. Daniel Pineda (146)

PPV at 10 p.m. Eastern

  • Arnold Allen (145) vs. Giga Chikadze (146)
  • Christian Leroy Dunca (185) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (185)
  • Paddy Pimblett (156) vs. Bobby Green (154.5)
  • Tom Aspinall (251) vs. Curtis Blaydes (256) for the interim heavyweight title
  • Leon Edwards (170) vs. Belal Muhammad (169) for the welterweight title

– Dana White said that he would announce the complete September PPV card from The Sphere in Las Vegas today.

– Beth Phoenix is no longer under contract to WWE.

– There was apparently a Ticketmaster snafu for a few hours today which listed tickets for All In for just the service charge. We are told the tickets would not be honored and AEW officials had gotten the mistake rectified.

– Paddy Pimblett has signed a new UFC contract this week.

–Mistico & Volador Jr. & Mascara Dorada vs. Penta & Fenix & Pac headlines Arena Mexico tonight in what should be a great match. The show also has Templario & Titan vs Rocky Romero & Ultimo Guerrero and Angel de Oro vs. Star Jr in the Leyenda de Plata tournament final. They are expecting a sellout of 15,000 fans for the show to see Penta & Fenix’s first match at Arena Mexico in many years.

– CMLL posted the Misticio vs. Volador Jr. title match from Puebla for subscribers to their YouTube page. As if there isn’t enough other wrestling to watch the next two days.

– The CMLL women’s tag title that was held by Stephanie Vaquer & Zeuxis will be filled by a tournament with eight teams. The first two rounds will be on 7/30 and the championship match will be on 8/6, all at Arena Mexico. Teams are Skadi & Kira, Olympia & Hera, Metalica & Reyna Isis, Sanely & Nautica, Dark Silueta & Valkiria, Zeuxis & Persephone, Tessa Blanchard & Lluvia and Catalina & Princesa Sugehit.

– G1 continues from Nagasaki tonight at 3 a.m Eastern and midnight Pacific

  • Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Henare
  • El Phantasmo & Jado vs. Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano
  • Jeff Cobb & Francesco Akira vs. Yuya Uemura & Taka Michinoku
  • David Finlay & Gedo vs. Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Hirooki Goto & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yota Tsuji & Bushi
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Callum Newman
  • Gabe Kidd vs. Sanada
  • Shota Umino vs. Great O’Khan
  • Jake Lee vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Evil

– Adam Copeland was at the San Diego Comic-Con today as part of the Percy Jaackson and the Olympians panel. Copeland has a role in that TV show.

– Mattel debuted its new WWE action figures including Chase U at the San Diego Comic Con. It was said that Thea Hail is the youngest woman ever to have had a WWE action figure modeled after her.

– House of Glory Wrestling tonight in Jamaica, NY on FITE+ has the Matt Travis Memorial Battle Royal, Gringo Loco vs. Kevin Knight for the cruiserweight title plus Mike Santana vs. Steve Maclin in a street fight and a first time ever match with Swerve Strickland vs. Amazing Red.

– Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling on 8/2 in Newark, CA at the Pavilion has Toa Liona of AEW vs. Juicy Finau vs. Journey Fatu vs. Losefa Parsi in a South Pacific Savage match plus Robbie Eagles & Aaron Solo vs. Marcus Lewis & Big Fonz, Starboy Charlie vs. Lince Dorado and Viva Van vs. Jada Stone.