Interviews from Paul “Triple H” Levesque, John Cena, Becky Lynch, Hulk Hogan, and Braun Strowman are featured in the documentary. There are interviews with Wyatt’s brother Bo Dallas (Taylor Rotunda), his sister Mika Rotunda, and his fiancee Joseann Offerman as well.
Wyatt passed away at 36 years old on August 24, 2023. His death was due to a heart issue.
Here’s the synopsis for the documentary:
Bray Wyatt is one of the most revered and mysterious characters in WWE history. The story behind that character and the man himself, Windham Rotunda, has never been documented until now. Using never-before seen interviews and exclusive backstage footage, Windham Rotunda’s inspiring story unfolds. This documentary chronicles Windham’s incredible rise to worldwide fame as a WWE superstar, and the struggles and success that came with being a creative visionary. Sadly, in August of 2023, Windham passed away at the age of 36. In the wake of his untimely death, Windham leaves behind a family still grieving with loss as they celebrate a lasting legacy that continues to create and inspire.
Just days after the documentary’s premiere, Wyatt’s father Mike Rotunda and uncle Barry Windham will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. They’re being inducted together as The US Express during WrestleMania weekend.
The Hall of Fame ceremony is taking place after SmackDown on Friday, April 5. The ceremony will stream live on Peacock.
Even though they have closed the book on WWE Raw’s next TV home, TKO leadership is already gearing up for their next big payday: the domestic rights package for WWE’s monthly premium live events.
Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology Media & Telecom Conference, TKO COO Mark Shapiro said that the current five-year deal with NBCUniversal to air the PLEs on Peacock is “underpriced.”
He didn’t blame either WWE or NBCU, saying that “the market catches up” but that the monthly events are “massively performing” for NBCU and higher than the expectations NBCU leadership had when they signed the deal.
Shapiro stated there is “insatiable demand” for the rights when they come up in 2026 and that they will look to renew with NBCU who has been a great partner who knows how to market WWE.
In January 2021, WWE announced that WWE Network would be heading to the Peacock streaming service in the U.S., later revealed as a five-year deal in the ballpark of $1 billion total.
When asked about whether Netflix would be interested in bringing on the domestic rights given they will have the international rights starting in January 2025, Shapiro said that with Netflix, Apple and other providers, the conversations always started with the question of when the PLE deal was up.
He said they want to walk before they run with Netflix, get out of the gate strong with Raw, and see how things go before talking about the domestic PLE rights if NBCUniversal doesn’t renew.
A new documentary featuring Braun Strowman is coming to Peacock/WWE Network later this week.
WWE has announced that “Braun Strowman: Waukesha Strong” will premiere at 10 a.m. Eastern time this Friday (December 15). The documentary will be available on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else.
“On Friday, a special documentary featuring Braun Strowman visiting Waukesha airs as Braun Strowman: Waukesha Strong goes on demand at 10 a.m. ET,” WWE wrote.
The documentary will focus on how Strowman (Adam Scherr) has helped victims of the November 2021 Waukesha Christmas parade attack. On SmackDown this past January, Strowman wore custom boots honoring Jackson Sparks, an eight-year-old boy who was killed in the attack. Strowman teamed up with the Green Bay Packers to create the boots and auction them off for charity.
Braun Strowman teamed up with the #Packers to create custom boots to honor a young fan who was a victim in the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy.
Sparks considered Strowman his hero and always wanted to meet him.
Along with auctioning off the custom boots, Strowman met with the Sparks family in January.
The Sparks family has launched the Jackson Sparks Foundation, which grants baseball dreams to children in need. In WWE’s poster for the documentary, Strowman is standing in front of a baseball field and wearing a Jackson Sparks Foundation hat.
Strowman, who underwent neck fusion surgery in June, recently got cleared to start lifting weights. Strowman has vowed to come back not only for himself but to honor the late Bray Wyatt (Windham Rotunda) and continue the Wyatt Family legacy.
The Bloodline saga comes very close to a first in the history of pro wrestling on television
A look at the Trial of Roman Reigns, the Reigns vs. Usos feud, and the storyline that has caused WWE business to grow
A preview of all the big matches of the weekend in three different countries, none of which are the U.S., with TripleMania, G-1, Miyahara vs. Nakajima and Collision
Updated news on SummerSlam and Great American Bash and business notes on both shows
The new AEW rules memo, what is and isn’t new and the reality of what this means to talent
Full coverage of UFC 290 with two of the best fights of the year, a unique television situation and two title bouts
Looking at the 2023 Wrestler of the Year award and the top candidates
Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury, the questions about the show and why the hope for it to be a success is the evolution of understanding fighting being low
The most detailed look at the ratings of every major pro wrestling and MMA show of the past week, the analysis, competition, segment numbers and comparisons with one year ago
Lots of injury talks regarding major stars
Key husband and wife jumping promotions
Mercedes Mone rivalry planned
Update on major sports rights negotiations in the next few years
The death of Michael Halac, the former Bruiser Mastino and Mantaur
Wrestling magazine pioneer writer Ed Garea, The Phantom of the Ring, passes away
Notes on the new women’s promotion
RevPro Epic Encounters rundown
Battle of the two best 18-year-old wrestlers in the world announced for next month
Ticket sales for tons of big shows
Kenny Omega talks the Tiger driver spot
International TV ratings
Lots of new major UFC fights
Looking at the vacant UFC light heavyweight title situation
World champion in UFC talks about how two years ago he supplemented his income driving for Uber Eats
More major show dates fr WWE
Backstage issue at WWE
A look at all the major TV shows and WWE weekend show coverage
We are currently looking for two people to moderate our message board. Those interested please contact [email protected].
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Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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Tuesday Update
WWE
Peacock announced that they will be hiking prices. Starting on August 17, Premium monthly will increase by one dollar to $5.99, while the annual Premium price will increase from $49.99 to $59.99. Premium Plus will increase from $9.99 monthly to $11.99, while the annual Premium Plus price will increase from $99.99 to $119.99.
WWE has applied for trademarks for the following names: Tyson Dupont, Tyriek Igwe, Trey Bearhill, Izzi Dame, and Kiyah Saint.
Dominik Mysterio talked about working with Rhea Ripley to Metro: “Even though she’s 26 years old, she has 10-plus years of experience. She’s done so much, accomplished so much, she’s held every title in WWE and she’s only 26! I give her another two years before she takes over all the men’s titles, it’s only a matter for time!”
Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville commented on their Women’s Tag Team title win on Raw Monday, writing on Instagram: “July 18, 2023… 8 years after we met, we made history together. YOUR NEW @wwe TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS.”
A new patch for WWE 2K23 has been released, which includes various stability improvements, updates for multiple WWE stars, and added support for revel with the Bray Wyatt DLC pack.
Big E will be a guest on NBC’s Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge on Tuesday night.
Wednesday’s Blood and Guts will be presented by Discovery Channel’s Shark Week event. Fans at the TD Garden in Boston will be able to take part in exclusive Shark Week fin hat giveaways and will be “treated to a special appearance by Shark Week Mascot ‘Chompie the Shark’.”
Trinity talked about her Impact Knockouts title win in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “Deonna is incredible in the ring. I had to step up to match her intensity and energy, and matching her style was a challenge, too,” she said. “She is the hardest opponent I’ve had to face in my career, and I feel so honored to have shared the ring with her. We put so much thought into every part of this match. I’m so happy we got it right. Deonna made me dig deep and fight through it. That’s my story. The struggle makes it real. It also makes it beautiful.”
The NWA confirmed that Kamille will defend the NWA Women’s Championship against Natalia Markova on the first night of their NWA 75 event on August 26. The following day, Tyrus will defend the NWA World Heavyweight title against EC3. Tickets go on sale July 19 at 10 am CT on NWATIX.com.
A new documentary chronicling Cody Rhodes’ return to WWE is coming to Peacock later this month.
Peacock announced today that “WWE American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes” will begin streaming on Monday, July 31. The documentary is two hours long. It’s narrated by “Heels” and “Arrow” star Stephen Amell.
The trailer and synopsis for the documentary can be seen below:
Cody Rhodes grew up living in the shadow of his father, WWE Hall of Famer ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes. In 2016, Cody risked it all by leaving WWE to make a name for himself, becoming the ‘American Nightmare.’ This intimate and revealing documentary follows Cody’s journey away from the WWE, and his return at WrestleMania 38 last year, as he chases the dream of winning the WWE championship, the one title his father was never able to claim. Through never-before-seen footage & unprecedented access, this Peacock Original illustrates the transformation of a man who is blazing a new trail in sports entertainment.
The trailer includes interviews with Rhodes, The Undertaker, Rhodes’ sister Teil, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Ric Flair, Brandi Rhodes, and Kevin Owens.
After departing AEW, Rhodes made his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in 2022. His comeback was briefly derailed by a torn pec that he suffered that June, but Rhodes returned to the ring in time to win the men’s Royal Rumble match this January. Rhodes went on to unsuccessfully challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39.
Rhodes is currently feuding with Brock Lesnar in WWE. With Rhodes and Lesnar having a 1-1 record against each other, it’s expected that they’ll settle their rivalry at SummerSlam. Lesnar will be on Raw tonight to respond to Rhodes’ SummerSlam challenge.
WWE and Peacock’s “Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair” documentary is in the running for a Sports Emmy Award.
The Flair documentary is one of five nominees in the Outstanding Long Documentary category at the 44th Annual Sports Emmy Awards. The full list of nominees was revealed on Tuesday.
“After Jackie” from the History Channel, “Citizen Ashe” from CNN, “NYC Point Gods” from Showtime, and “The Redeem Team” from Netflix are the four other documentaries nominated in the category.
The Flair documentary premiered on Peacock in December 2022. The synopsis for it can be seen below:
16-time World Champion and 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is one of the most prolific and controversial superstars in professional wrestling history. Flair is a true American icon: from his famous ‘Woooo’ that is still heard in stadiums and arenas throughout the US, to his influence on hip hop music. At 73 years-old Flair remains a constant in American pop culture, but who is the real man behind the outrageous persona? Finally, Flair reveals all, opening up about his storied career, inside and outside of the ring, over the last 50 years. Hulk Hogan, Mike Tyson, Post Malone, Stephen A. Smith, and Charlotte Flair are among those who join Flair in telling the tale of the man behind ‘The Man.’
Flair tweeted today: “Wow, It’s Such An Honor To Receive This @sportsemmys Nomination For Best Long Documentary! Thank You @WWE For The Opportunity To Share My Life With The World Through Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair!”
The Sports Emmy Awards ceremony is taking place in New York City on Monday, May 22. They’re separate from the Primetime Emmy Awards, which are traditionally held in September.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the latest on the WWE sale talks with another bidder dropping out, MLW and Peacock, why Brock Lesnar is facing Omos, FTR, FantasticaMania, ratings, full reviews of AEW and NXT plus the line-up for Revolution and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: It is a very busy weekend, anniversary of final Kobashi/Misawa match
Reelz has reached a deal with Peacock — but MLW content won’t be included.
It was announced on Tuesday that Reelz and Peacock have agreed to a deal to bring Reelz’s linear channel and on-demand programming to Peacock starting this Wednesday. But because of Peacock’s exclusivity with WWE, the linear channel won’t be available when MLW Underground is airing.
“There is one quirk under the Reelz deal: While it will include the channel’s live linear feed, it will not stream Tuesdays in the 10 p.m. hour, as Reelz airs Major League Wrestling in that hour,” the Hollywood Reporter wrote. “Peacock has a streaming deal with the WWE, which has exclusivity in the category on Peacock.”
MLW Underground made its debut on Peacock on February 7. Last week’s East Coast airing of the show averaged 97,000 viewers and drew a 0.03 rating in the 18-49 demo. It was MLW’s best viewership on Reelz to date.
Earlier this month, the Northern District of California’s U.S. District Court granted WWE’s request to dismiss the antitrust lawsuit that MLW filed against them. MLW was granted 21 days to submit an amended complaint or appeal.
MLW owner Court Bauer stated that their legal team was already working on amending the complaint. “We have every intention to continue pursuing our case against WWE,” Bauer said in a statement to PWInsider.
The antitrust lawsuit claimed that WWE pressured third parties like Tubi and Vice to abandon contracts and prospective relationships with MLW.
The new issue of the Observer is up on the site right now. Among the items covered are:
*Match of the week and performer of the week
*Jerry Lawler’s recovery and a look at the history of Lawler from his days as the King of Memphis wrestling, his run in the 80s, the high and low points of that company and his role as a WWE announcer
*Nick Khan and Tony Khan talk with WWE sale as well a how much money key people will make on the sale*Update on WrestleMania plans
*The 1977 Superstar Billy Graham vs. Dusty Rhodes feud and how that impacts the 2023 WrestleMania
*Behind the Paul Heyman/Cody Rhodes segment
*Key parts of the interview
*Paul Heyman’s history with Dusty Rhodes
*Elimination Chamber update
*Fedor Emelianenko’s farewell to MMA and where Bellator stands
*Keiji Muto with days left in his career talks about his final match and his condition
*Full coverage of NXT Vengeance
*MLW debuts on REELZ
*New Japan New Beginning in Sapporo
*UFC’s weekend show coverage*Stardom Supreme Fights coverage
*A look at the best matches of 2022
*How many homes are the cable stations that carry wrestling in
*The most detailed look at the ratings over the past week
*Four plus year title reign ends
*AAA planning for Triplemania
*How the Acapulco show led to issues with AAA and AEW
*Notes from Fantastica Mania
*Lots of Kota Ibushi news
*A look at the career of Charlie Norris
*The most watched television wrestling match of the 1970s
*Lots of WrestleMania week news
*Court Bauer talks WWE lawsuit
*AEW new deal in place
*International TV ratings and streaming numbers
*AEW & WWE upcoming show ticket sales
*Jericho Cruise notes
*Behind the MJF promo
*Interesting notes from Mark Hunt’s lawsuit against Brock Lesnar
Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
Sunday Update
Our weekend shows are both up on the site. We did our week in the news show with Garrett Gonzales on Friday, where we talked a lot about the current issues with AEW and WWE is a very pivotal time of the year. We also did a show late last night talking the New Japan show in Osaka and upcoming show in San Jose, Smackdown, Rampage, this week’s Dynamite and UFC with Bryan as well as Ryan Frederick.
Peacock will no longer be free for Comcast Xfinity customers. Comcast says customers who currently have free Peacock Premium now will lose it on June 26th, 2023. After that, if you still want to have access, you will need to pay. NBCUniversal confirmed for Cord Cutters News that after 4/3, new customers will be able to get six months free, but after that point they will be billed for the service.
Tony Khan was on the Dan Le Batard show earlier today. It was definitely a show of newsworthy quotes. Among them:
*A lot of his wrestlers came to him and said that WWE reached out to them to tamper with their contracts and asked them to break their contracts. He said he couldn’t confirm tat specifically, but he could only tell you what the wrestlers said to him, but multiple wrestlers and staff have come to him telling him that.
*He said that WWE and AEW hate each other and it was a war. He said that is also part of the excitement of following wrestling
*He talked about Nick Khan trying to get the New Japan deal from AEW in 2021. We’ll have a lot more on that one in the new issue because it’s a subject I know very well
*He said that business and sponsorships and licensing has never been stronger ever since the Bloomberg story on AEW came out. He said he’s never had more outside interest in partnerships than in the past week.
Regarding last night’s UFC show, great main event with middleweight champion Islam Makhachev beating featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski to likely become considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport right now. It was a close fight and you could have scored it either way, but 79 percent of media and all three judges went for Makhachev. Judge Ben Cartlidge ave Makhachev rounds one, two and four. Judge Derek Cleary gave Makhachev the first four rounds and a 49-46 score. Judge David Leathaby gave Makhachev one, two and four. Four is really the swing round, and most had one and two for Makhachev and three and five for Volkanovski. Volkanovski landed far more punches but Makhachev had many takedowns and a lot of ground control.
In Jimmy Crute vs. Alonzo Menifield, which was a draw, Ben Cartlidge gave Menifield rounds one and two but Crute got three, plus the third round penalty point on Menifield made it a 28-28 draw. David Lethaby had the same scores. 85 percent of reporters also had that draw score with the same rounds. Cleary gave Crute the second round by make it 29-27 for him, which is what 15 percent of reports did. Menifield would have won the fight without the point deduction in round three for holding the fence, but that was a blatant fence grab to avoid a takedown.
The big controversy was the opener where Elves Brener got a 29-28, 30-27 and 28-29 split decision win over Zubaira Tukhugov. 100 percent of media scores were for Tukhugov and 56 percent gave Tukhugov all three rounds,. Judge Evan Field gave Brener all three rounds. Cleary gave Brener one and three and Barry Foley gave Brener only round three.
Last night’s UFC show did 1 million searches which indicates a normal PPV number and not a monster like Dana White was talking. It was the most searched item of the day yesterday which is notable given all the Super Bowl talk and NBA talk this week. Brett Favre suing Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe was No. 12 on Friday with 50,000. On Tuesday, Joe Rogan was No. 8 for stories on him defending what was said to be antisemitic remarks and Jerry Lawler was also No. 9, both at 100,000.
We’re looking for reports from today’s NOAH show in Osaka as well as the NXT house shows in Tampa on Friday and Citrus Springs, FL last night with results, finishes and any other notes. You can send reports of any shows to [email protected]
We’re also taking weekend polls on both UFC 284 from Perth, Western Australia from last night as well as the New Japan New Beginning in Osaka show from yesterday. We’re looking for a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
The Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi match from yesterday is definitely one worth going out of your way to see.
Flying Eric Froelich, who was one of the best high flyers of the 60s and 70s, passed away on Friday at the age of 85. He was best known in British Columbia but wrestled throughout the West Coast and had tag title runs in California and Texas as well. He was a former gymnast who was well respected bell-to-bell, but was not a strong interview so did his best in tag teams with a charismatic partner.
On last night’s UFC show they announced that Jessica Andrade will be replacing Taila Santos in the main event Saturday against Erin Blanchfield in the show at the APEX which will be an ESPN+ show. We talked about that on last night’s show but it makes it a much bigger fight for Blanchfield.
A&E starts its new WWE season on this coming Sunday night. From 8-10 p.m. will be a biography documentary on Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hal forming the NWO, as the feud episode at 10 p.m. will be about the Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant match with Booker T, Natalya, D-Von Dudley and John Layfield talking about it. There will be WWE programming on he station from 1 p.m. Eastern to midnight, as they will also air at 1 p.m. the Steve Austin vs. The Rock feud rivals episode, plus Austin from 2-4 p.m., Lex Luger from 4-6 p.m. and Bill Goldberg from 6-8 p.m.
Lance Archer on Twitter noted that it’s been 51 days since he last laced up his boots and that this was not by choice. When he finished the New Japan tag team tournament in December, he pushed hard that he wanted to wrestle and that AEW or New Japan should let him be the monster he can be.
NXT on Tuesday has announced a ton of stuff with Axiom vs. Damon Kemp, Tiffany Stratton vs. Thea Hail, Hank Walker vs. Charlie Dempsey, Tyler bate vs, Grayson Waller, Wes Lee open challenge for the North American title, Roxanne Perez & Meiko Satomura vs. Katana Chance & Kayden Carter plus appearances by Jacy Jayne and Bron Breakker.
GCW results from the Jersey J Cup yesterday in Jersey City, NJ: Afternoon show: Jordan Oliver b Alex Shelley, Cole Radrick won over Marcus Mathers, Yoya, Dante Leon, Dyln McKay and Grim Reefer, Blake Christian b Alec Price, Joey Janela b Starboy Charlie, Lio Rush b Tony Deppen, Charles Mason b Billie Starkz, Komander b Arez, Mike Bailey b Jonathan Gresham
Evening show: Mike Bailey b Komander, Jordan Oliver b Charles Mason, Joey Janela b Lio Rush, Blake Christian b Cole Radrick, Oliver b Janela, Bailey b Christian, Oliver b Bailey to win the tournament
Satnam Singh has filed trademarks for the phrase “One in a Billion.”
AEW Dynamite on ITV 4 in the U.K. is scheduled for 10 p.m. Thursday, instead of the usual Friday. It’s not a regular time slot move. (thanks to Stephen Lyon)
Other Notes
Defy from last night in Seattle: Bollywood Boyz b Jude Icarus & Travis Williams with Randy Myers as referee, Artemis Spencer b Guillermo Rosas (subbing for injured Eddie Kingston), Danika Diehard b women’s champion Vert Vixen-DQ, tag champions Matthew Justice & Mance Warner b Ricky Gibson & Eddie Pearl, Nick Wayne b Cody Chhun, Swerve Strickland b Titus Alexander to keep the Def title, Jon Moxley & Schaff b Zack Sabre Jr. & Davey Richards. Great reports from Wayne vs. Chhun and Strickland vs. Alexander. Next show is 3/11 in Seattle at Washington Hall with Top Flight and Kushida
Eddie Kingston missed the show with an undisclosed injury. He’s hopeful of being okay for Wednesday’s Dynamite and vows to be in San Jose Saturday as well for his New Japan match with Jay White.
Former WWE personality Ricardo Rodriguez has been talking for days that he’s filming a documentary about his recovery from addiction and getting out of rehab and living in a recovery home, as well as being homeless and trying to rebuild his life.
Combat 1 Wrestling from Friday night in Waterford Township, MI: Nate Bock won over David Ali and tommy Vendetta, Ryan Matthias NC KJ Reynolds, Matt Sydal b Jason Hotch, Dread King Logan & Zach Thomas b Terrence & Terrell Hughes (D-Von’s sons), Su Yung b Nikita, Darren McCarty (former NHL enforcer) b Kyle Barrett. Next show is 5/5 featuring Laredo Kid (thanks to Leonard Brand)
The new issue of the Observer is up on the site with these stories:
The return of Vince McMahon, the sales talks, and the departure of Stephanie McMahon
Who is in charge of running the company right now
What Vince McMahon’s role is today
How Vince McMahon got back in power
A look at different entities who have expressed interest in WWE
Can Tony Khan get control of WWE
What kind of numbers are we talking about for the deal
What is the current market value of WWE
The Saudi Arabia rumors
How far did the rumors spread
What the experience of the UFC sale in 2016 tells you about what is said publicly
Notes from the meeting Stephanie McMahon, Frank Riddick and Nick Khan had with all the company employees
If something happens with Saudi Arabia, what would be the likely repercussions based on previous sports world examples
What companies did Nick Khan bring up to employees when talking the sale
Changes in WWE morale
2022 Business year in review for pro wrestling, MMA and boxing major events
Biggest crowds of the year
Main eventers on top for the most biggest crowds
PPV numbers for the year
Who drew the most 15,000+ crowds
UFC gate numbers
List of $2 million gates
Biggest pro wrestling drawing card each year since 1916
Biggest drawing cards in history
The changing of the media landscape and how this effects AEW and WWE
Analysis of the losses incurred by FOX on Smackdown by Morgan Stanley
The career of wrestler and promoter Johnny Powers, one of the biggest stars of the 60s and 70s
The attempt to promote nationally and what happened
How he got his first break with Bruno Sammartino
Multiple world title matches around the world
His runs with major promotions
Being the star of the NWF
How Powers figured into the early days of New Japan Pro Wrestling and his biggest matches there
How Powers was promoted in Japan
Powers and the Greatest 18 Club
Full coverage of PWG Battle of Los Angeles with thoughts on the shows, where PWG stands, background of the appearance of Chris Jericho, who you should keep your eyes on and match-by-match coverage
A look back at the career of Black Warrior
The most detailed look at the ratings from all the shows this past week as well as segment-by-segment
Mexican iconic character looking at retiring
Sting’s last match in Japan
Major change in New Japan’s U.S. approach
Update on Sasha Banks/Mercedes Mone in New Japan with more dates
How Mercedes moved tickets for her first match
A look at the major matches on the next new Japan tour
Superstar Billy Graham health update
TV announcer starts up promoting new group
The death of the real Bobby Heenan, and how the pro wrestling legend found out about his brother and his family
Adam Cole’s return
Kyle O’Reilly gives health update
Streaming numbers for AEW and WWE
International TV numbers
Attendance for upcoming shows
California legislators critical of Dana White
Dana White talks at press conference about his situation
Bellator signs perhaps its top fighter
Phil Baroni charged with homicide and facing a lifetime in jail
PFL announces new tournaments
WWE tries to get things removed from the discovery process in MLW lawsuit
How slow the courts can be on these situations
How much did Shane McMahon earn from WWE in 2022
Former New Japan wrestler quietly started in WWE camp this week
Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
Tuesday Update
WWE
In a now-deleted TikTok video, Amari Miller shared that she had attempted to take her life in the last week. “Everything isn’t what it seems, mental health is hard, we should all speak out even though I know it’s hard, you are loved, fight through with me plz!” she wrote in the caption of the post.
Charlie Dempsey and Zoey Stark taped matches prior to Raw on Monday that will air this coming week on Main Event.
Sean Ross Sapp reported that indie content is being removed from Peacock and the WWE Network after people pointed out that ICW content would be removed from the network on January 19.
Tatanka wrote on Twitter that even though he was contacted to appear on Raw XXX next week, he will not be attending the show. “Even though @WWE contacted me 5 weeks ago, I will not be attending the 30th Anniversary Show…instead, as noted, my Son’s Wrestling Team won the Regional Championship & we’re heading out of town to the State Championship!,” he wrote. “No better place I would rather be! #Father #Son Support!”
Nigerian outlet The Nation did a story on Apollo Crews, who recently went to the country to film a WWE reality project.
Bianca Belair, Montez Ford, and The Usos will star in C4 Energy’s new campaign called “Be You. But Better.”
PWInsider reports that Belair and Ford will also be on NBC Saturday afternoon, appearing at the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars playoff game.
AEW Road to Fresno, which focuses on Bryan Danielson’s chase towards the AEW World title, Ricky Starks vs. Jake Hager, and Adam Cole’s return last week on Dynamite.
Frankie Kazrian spoke to PWInsider about leaving AEW and signing with Impact Wrestling. “AEW management had contacted me early December, which was only a few weeks after this match. So it’s just kind of a coincidence timing wise. But they contacted me 30 days out, which is what they’re supposed to do, and they had basically talked about rolling me over and said you wanted to get the process going on that, and I mean, I basically said simply kind of, you know, thanks, but no thanks,” he said. “I had kind of voiced, you know, concerns and frustrations and goals and aspirations, and had a really good talk with management AND kind of left it there for a while. I still was going to TVs and the last television I was at was in San Antonio, Texas. And I sat down with Megha who, if people don’t know, that’s the head legal in AEW, a very, very bright, brilliant woman, very nice, and had a long conversation in person and gave her the list of the reasons why I wanted to, you know, kind of move on bet on myself. That’s kind of the recurring theme here and that now was the time to do it. I wanted to do it so we could…I’ve always done business the right way. I wanted to be amicable about it. I wanted to get out before there was feelings of resistance or bitterness or any of that. So, that message was relayed and they wanted to do right by me, which I respect the hell out of and the deal was done. So, as of January 1st of this year, I was, quote unquote, [a] free agent.”
Young Rock on Friday scored 1,481,000 viewers, up from last week’s 1,306,000.
The Toronto Sun has an article on Hulk Hogan, who has been seen with people associated with Scientology recently including Tom Cruise.
PWInsider reported that Alberto El Patron’s lawsuit against MMA promotion Combate Global has been dismissed.
Wrestlecon will have a pop-up convention during the Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 28. Admission will be free, with pricing for autographs and photos. Those slated to appear include Sting, Trish Stratus, Diamond Dallas Page, Lita, Sean Waltman, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Ron Simmons, Jerry Lawler, The Steiner Brothers, and Matt Hardy.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including who is interested in buying WWE, Smackdown losing tons of money for FOX and the reality of what people spend money on, Peacock revenue with the WWE Network and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
A classic series from WWE’s history has been added to Peacock/WWE Network for the first time.
Ten episodes of WWF Championship Wrestling were uploaded to Peacock/WWE Network on Monday as this month’s classic content drop. The episodes are from January-April 1980.
WWF Championship Wrestling was the promotion’s first syndicated television series, running from 1971 to 1986. It was replaced by WWF Superstars of Wrestling.
All 10 episodes uploaded to Peacock/WWE Network range from 45-47 minutes long. The episode summaries are listed below:
January 12, 1980
Hulk Hogan battles Angelo Gomez & Johnny Rivera in a Handicap Match.
January 19, 1980
Ken Patera faces Angelo Gomez; The Wild Samoans take on Dominic DeNucci & Johnny Rivera.
February 2, 1980
Bruno Sammartino faces Larry Zbysko; Intercontinental Champion Pat Patterson battles Jose Estrada.
February 16, 1980
Larry Zbyszko battles Mike Masters; Ken Patera vs. Steve King & Charlie Brown in a Handicap Match.
February 23, 1980
Tony Atlas battles BB Coleman; Larry Zbyszko faces Bill Berger; Ivan Putski takes on Ron Lee.
March 1, 1980
Hulk Hogan faces Manny Siaca; WWE Tag Team Champions Ivan Putski & Tito Santana are in action.
March 15, 1980
‘Pretty Boy’ Larry Sharpe takes on Steve King; Johnny Rodz battles Angelo Gomez.
March 22, 1980
Hulk Hogan battles Mike Masters; Pat Patterson & Rene Goulet are in tag team action.
March 29, 1980
Hulk Hogan faces Angelo Gomez; Tor Kamata clashes with Steve King; Charlie Brown battles Ox Baker.
April 12, 1980
Andre the Giant competes in a Handicap Match; Hulk Hogan continues to dominate.
An investigative docuseries on the life and accusations against former pro wrestler Teddy Hart now has a trailer and a debut date.
“Dangerous Breed: Crime. Cons. Cats.” will bow on Peacock on Tuesday, November 22nd and will be a look into the accusations surrounding the Hart family member. It’s unknown how many episodes it will be.
Born out of footage from Canadian filmmaker Frederick Kroetsch, it was initially set to be a reality show about Hart which Kroetsch has been working on for ten years. Then, things changed.
From the synopsis:
“After accumulating years of footage, Frederick is shocked when multiple women whom he has been filming alongside Teddy, describe disturbing accusations of sexual misconduct behind the scenes. As Teddy defends himself against growing allegations, his protege and ex-girlfriend Samantha Fiddler, goes missing. With Samantha’s family desperate for answers, Frederick reexamines the footage and seeks out the people closest to Samantha, leading to a dramatic current day confrontation with Teddy Hart.”
The project was initially reported by Dave Meltzer in February and that both WWE and Blumhouse Media were involved. Neither are mentioned or referenced in the trailer.
Hart (Edward Annis) wrestled just twice for WWE and hasn’t been in the ring since December 2020. He wrestled for MLW, GCW, Impact and countless indies during his long career.
The 42-year-old has had legal issues dating back to 2014 when he was wanted on sexual assault charges brought up by two women that were later dropped.
He was arrested four times 2020 (three times in the first three months alone), the third coming after he was arrested in Virginia for strangulation resulting in bodily harm. In February that year, he was arrested for possession of a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to distribute and was arrested several weeks later for violation of his house arrest.
In October 2020, he was arrested in Texas and charged with injuring a disabled person, evading arrest, and possession of a controlled substance. He was then arrested in February 2021 on the same charges, but in Virginia.
An animated series involving “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is being held up in development by WWE and Peacock, according to co-creator, actor and wrestling fan Dan Soder.
In the clip seen below, Soder appeared on Barstool Sports’ KFC Radio and revealed that during the pandemic, he and fellow comedian and wrestling fan Dan St. Germain co-wrote an animated show with Austin that was sold to Peacock.
“But now, WWE and Peacock have been bullsh*tting and it’s been 17 months on the sidelines. I keep calling these motherf*ckers and saying, ‘This is going to be f*cking funny,” he explained, going on to say that Austin is “way on board” and has been calling him asking for updates.
He said WWE wanted to be “creatively involved,” but he was hesitant about that because he and St. Germain wanted it to be done their way.
Soder hasn’t said anything about the project publicly until now, but is hoping he can get some public momentum behind it so it can see the light of day — even if it results in the project being scrapped.
Soder said he initially talked to his agent about the project after a pre-pandemic project fell through at which time his agent revealed Austin was a mutual client. They met via video chat and Austin was all in, providing notes and other thoughts throughout the process.
Soder didn’t want to give anything away about the plot other than Austin being the face of it and that it’s “dark and weird” which is why Austin liked it to begin with.
Soder, a stand-up comedian, has not hidden his love of wrestling during his run as Dudley Mafee on Showtime’s Billions. The creators have worked that fandom into his character, including when WWE’s Becky Lynch appeared as herself.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin will interview Charlotte Flair on the next edition of Broken Skull Sessions.
In an email sent out by Peacock on Wednesday, it was announced that Charlotte will be the guest on this month’s Broken Skull Sessions episode. The episode will premiere on Peacock/WWE Network on Friday, August 19.
Charlotte hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since May’s WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view. At that event, Charlotte lost the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Ronda Rousey in an “I Quit” match. Charlotte gave up when Rousey had her in an armbar with her arm wrapped inside of a steel chair.
WWE announced a storyline injury update after the “I Quit” match, claiming that Charlotte would be out of action indefinitely with a fracture of the radius. The angle was designed to temporarily write Charlotte off TV while she got married to Andrade El Idolo. The couple had their wedding on May 27.
