Tag: Warner Bros. Discovery

Daily Update: AEW & WBD deny sale story, more on New Day departure

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • A look at the WWE releases, reasons, prospects for the future, who should AEW or TNA be interested in
  • Nick Khan speaks to WWE employees about Paul Levesque, WrestleMania, social media, Saudi Arabia and AI
  • WWE Backlash and AEW Double or Nothing updates, including interest levels for both shows
  • Stardom All-Star Grand Queendom show looked at
  • How the latest Nielsen ratings change affects pro wrestling and where it affects it the most
  • Dragon Gate has its annual big Nagoya show this week
  • A look at the career of Gran Markus Jr.
  • The most detailed look at the television ratings for pro wrestling and MMA programming this past week
  • The 70th anniversary of pro wrestling at Arena Mexico
  • Who is coming for Fantastica Mania Mexico
  • Big match planned for AAA television
  • Champion Carnival update
  • NOAH major show update
  • New Japan has Dontaku with Andrade and Will Ospreay this week
  • Wrestling Red Zone coverage
  • A look back at the original Tiger Mask and his influence on pro wrestling and MMA
  • Who are the most famous wrestler in the ten largest cities in the world, and top 50 cities in the world
  • Biggest moments in NCAA wrestling tournament history over the past 60 years
  • Former pro wrestling booker heading up a unique promotion
  • Updates on Real American Freestyle
  • More UFC stars coming to RAF
  • Advance ticket sales for all the major pro wrestling events over the next two months and the story that it tells
  • Two relatives of major pro wrestling stars signing with NFL teams
  • Remembeing David Allan Coe, the country singer of Great American Bash fame
  • Jimmy Valiant retires
  • Former WWE star says she’s making a comeback
  • Carlos Silva on why TNA won’t let its talent work with AEW talent and examining what he said
  • AEW May television schedule changes
  • WWE television schedule changes
  • Ronda Rousey wants to be a promoter
  • Puck breaks a notable story on Ari Emanuel and Vince McMahon
  • More on when the next lawsuit against WWE goes to court
  • More notes on TNA expanding domestic exposure
  • More on new WWE signings
  • NXT house show notes

This Week’s Back Issue

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Sunday Update

New Day Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods from WWE.com
New Day Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods from WWE.com (Image credit: WWE)

— Bryan and I will be back tonight to talk about today’s news and stuff here, as well as whatever we can watch with all the stuff that happened this weekend.

— Tanea “Rebel” Brooks in response to the message to her by Tony Schaivone on Collision last night said, “Thank you to my AEW family and to Tony Kahn and thank you to the fans for the signs. They truly lifted my spirits.” Brooks was diagnosed this past week with ALS, a horrible disease and from her video, she has likely been affected by it for a few years since she’s had multiple health issues that they had been unable to get to the bottom of. The story is so sad because ALS is a horrible disease and there is no cure for it. I think everyone says their prayers for her in this situation.

— I hate even addressing a non-story but this whole AEW story by John McMullen, which he completely rewrote, was such a non-story. Tony Khan has said the conversation claimed with David Zazlav in August never happened. Both AEW and WBD have completely denied the story. Of course they would if it was true, but the idea that any decision on AEW would be made prior to Paramount getting the company in and of itself makes no sense, let alone in August before ANYONE knew who would get it and Netflix was the clear frontrunner. Since August we’ve seen HBO MAX start adding AEW PPVs to its service and multiple new WBD/AEW integrations including on Adult Swim, the timeline of which made the story makes no sense.

MyAEW TV was not even released in the U.S. and Canada and was obviously, and we noted this from day one, a way for AEW to break ties with Triller which was having so many financial issues. It was not rushed out or even intended for the U.S. market, it was to replace AEW+ on Triller with an in-house service.

The only accurate thing is that the contract expires at the end of 2027 and whatever decisions will likely be made that year by whomever at Paramount/Skydance on either the sports side or entertainment side (and we don’t even know yet which side it will fall under) makes those decisions. Paramount + would have a small ownership stake in the company when the sale goes through and get a percentage of PPV revenue besides owning streaming and television rights from the sale.

I’ll talk more about this tonight.

— The stories on New Day that largely broke yesterday are accurate in that they were asked to take a pay cut on a deal signed in 2025 that was to go to 2030. They didn’t accept the pay cut and left on their own. For their careers, it was time to leave probably two years ago. It is most of the time good for longevity for a change in scenery, but talent doesn’t do it much for a variety of reasons including comfort and less or a risk in their minds. But they will be free agents in three months I believe, as their situation is different from the other roster cuts.

— The one incorrect narrative going around is that what has happened is something different than in the past. This happens every year. There are always lots of cuts, and always a few surprises such as talented people who were in stories that end up cut. Most of the cuts are people in the middle of contracts. There may be one or two no-cut contracts but for 99 percent of the talent they can be cut at any time. The cuts are more roster size than anything else and Vince McMahon did the exact same thing. Now, restructuring of contracts in the middle was not common, but it did happen under McMahon many times., Nothing is new here.

— Regarding Roman Reigns being pulled from June TV dates that were announced, the reason we were told is that he’s not going to be on the Saudi Arabia PPV and thus there was no reason to do the TV’s building that show. If he loses the title next week, of course that would be a change and there will be more to the story. If he retains, that’s probably all it is. But Reigns is no longer scheduled for any television in June.

— We haven’t gotten much on great weekend matches. Shane Haste’s GHC tite win over Yoshiki Inamura was 30+ minutes and if you like that kind of match, very solid, world title style working, it was a great version of that match, particularly Haste. Haste’s first title defense is 5/13 at Korakuen Hall against Kenta.

— Andrade beat Yota Tsuji earlier today to win the Global title in Fukuoka.

  • Mistico & Desperado & Taiachi & Yuya Uemura b Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson & Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita. Mistico & Desperado vs Eagles & Fujita tomorrow is now an IWGP jr. tag title match.
  • Will Osperay & Great O’Khan & Henare b Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi & Tatsuya Matsumoto
  • Konosouke Takeshita & Shota Umino b Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Shingo Takagi & Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X & Daiki Nagai b CallumNewman & Jake Lee & Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young & Zane Jay
  • Aaron Wolf b Don Fale
  • Ren Narita b Oleg Boltin to retain the Never title
  • Andrade b Tsuji with the message.

Andrade will be defending next against either Umino or Moloney next, or in a three-way against both.

The second show starts at 1:40 a.m. Eastern tonight. Key bouts are:

  • Newman vs. Takagi for IWGP title
  • Goto & Yoshi-Hashi & Boltin defend the trios titles against Ospreay & O’Khan & Henare
  • Tsuji & Moloney & Robbie X & Hartley Jackson vs. Lee & Akira & Young & Jay
  • Eagles & Fujita vs. Mistico & Desperado for the IWGP jr. tag titles
  • Uemura & Taichi vs. Hartley Jackson & Oiwa
  • Takeshita vs. Owens for the TV title

— Templario beat Kushida on Friday night at Arena Mexico to win the MLW middleweight title. They didn’t sell out for CMLL vs. MLW but it was a very big crowd. Donovan Dijak & Trevor Lee both remarked it was the loudest in the case of Lee and one of the two loudest in the case of Dijak crowds they had performed in front of. Angel de Oro & Soberano Jr. beat Lee & Austin Aries. Dijak & Bishop Dyer kept the MLW tag titles over Euforia & Averno. Shotzi kept the MLW women’s title over Garra Negra.

— Jack Perry vs. Mascara Dorada and the ten-man tag match with The Rascalz & Top Flight vs. Death Riders & Dogs from Peoria last night on Collision were also great.

— I would have thought due to the time slot that the UFC show would not have done well, but it was reversed. UFC was the No. 2 television show on Paramount + yesterday worldwide, as well as No. 2 in the U.S. even though the show aired early in the morning from Australia.

— As far as Google searches for the weekend:

  • David Benavidez had 200,000
  • UFC last night was 310,000
  • Kofi Kingston was 100,000 (Roman Reigns not listed)
  • The Rock (for being pulled over) was 20,000
  • Ricky Saints was 5,000

— I saw nothing for Naoya Inoue, whose boxing match at the Tokyo Dome drew a reported 55,000 fans (sounds high to me but it was sold out way in advance) and a $32 million gate. It was the largest combat sports gate ever in Japan by a wide margin In the all-time rankings, it was behind Mayweather’s fights with Pacquiao and McGregor, Alaverez vs Crawford and both nights of the 2025 WrestleMania. Not sure what the 2026 Mania gates were so it’s possible it could be above that but don’t think so because WWE did not announce a record gate and this number was just underneath the $33 million each night from last year.

— AJPW Champion Carnival update:

A block

  1. Kento Miyahara 7
  2. Rei Saito, Kengo Mashimao, Oddyssey, Go Shiozaki, Talos and Kuma Arashi 6
  3. Yuma Anzai 5

B block


1. Ren Ayabe and Daisuke Sekimoto 8
3. Hideki Suzuki and Yuma Aoyagi 7
5. Madkota Kikuta and Ryuki Honda 6
7. Xyon 5
8. Jan Saito (injured)

— Tom Aspinall said that things with his eyes are progressing well now and he hopes to be cleared for contact training soon. He said he is training, but not sparring, but said if things continue to improve, he’s back. He said he’s looking to fight the winner of Cyril Gane vs Alex Pereiera, who fight in June for the interim title.

— Dwayne Johnson turns 54 today. Pat McAfee turns 38. Wild Bull Curry was born on this day in 1913. Don Kernodle was born on this day in 1950. Randy Culley/Moondog Rex was born on this day in 1950. Ray Traylor aka Big Bubba aka Big Bossman aka The Boss was born on this day in 1963. Sammy Steamboat, who got canoeing into Hawaiian high school sports and was a legit legend of the 60s, passed away 20 years ago today at the age of 71.

Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling from Friday night at a sold out Newark, CA Pavilion: Jiah Jewell b Marcus Lewis, Satnam Singh b Ben Bishop, Viva Van b Simone, Los Suavecitos b All Day Kru, VertVixen b Indi Hartwell, Bad Dude Tito b Jordan Cruz, QT Marshall b Royce Isaacs with Tommaso Ciampa as referee, Aaron Solo b Tome Filip. Next show is 7/17 (thanks to Johnny Poon and Jim Davis)

Daily Update: New Paramount & WBD details, Stardom, Floyd Mayweather

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up on the site today.

  • A detailed look at the WBD/Paramount/Netflix situation, what the latest decision of WBD to Paramount entails, the keys to why this is happening, business notes, how this affects AEW and can it get approved.
  • A look at the UFC and WWE business in 2025 and in the final quarter of this past year.  We look at the numbers, what they mean, why WWE was more profitable in 2025 than UFC and the key thing that can change that in 2026, Mark Shapiro talks ESPN value to WWE, lots of news about the business of the White House show, UFC fighters upset over pay, why WWE wrestlers are so underpaid but not publicly upset over, and business initiatives going forward
  • The violence in Mexico and tons of wrestling shows canceled this past week
  • We look in depth at the Janel Grant speech from last week, what we learned, what she said, and where everything stands.
  • Update on the build for  WrestleMania, Elimination Chamber, business notes, ticket sales and favorites for the weekend.
  • An updated look at AEW Revolution and business notes
  • The retirement of AJ Styles looked at
  • The most detailed look at  the television ratings from the past week, including comparisons with a year  ago, competition, demos and much more.
  • Notes from Arena Mexico
  • CMLL attempts to break a North  American record next week
  • Cinderalla tournament in Stardom
  • Fantastica Mania notes
  • The life and times of former Olympic wrestler Bobby Douglas, his coaching career, his beating Dan Gable, and two notable pro wrestlers he coached
  • College wrestling sets an attendance mark already this season
  • Who had the most top ten matches of the year  over a career according to Cage match.
  • City builds a bust memorializing top 80s star
  • WrestleMania week schedule
  • Former MMA fighter and pro wrestler running for Governor
  • Robbery of the ring truck for an indie group
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE, AEW and TNA shows over the next two months.
  • How many subscribers does Paramount need to make up for UFC expenses
  • More talk on Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano
  • Stand & Deliver moves and why
  • When Roman Reigns and Brock Ldesnar are booked for TV in the Mania build
  • Pro wrestler who is active in Japan competes this weekend for the U.S.national team in anther sport
  • Notes on a  new comer to WWE who started this week
  • More notes on value of Dwayne Johnson’s TKO stock

This Week’s Back Issue

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Monday Update

Image: WWE

— Bryan and I will be back tonight to talk about the latest from the Paramount investors call and how this may affect both UFC and AEW, as well as talk about Raw, Demolition, the Johnny Consejo vs. Angel de Oro hair match and more.

— At today’s Paramount call regarding the WBD purchase, AEW was never addressed at all. I wouldn’t have expected it to be given it’s not a sports property and even with sports properties they only addressed the high dollar ones, such as UFC but not many of the others. David Ellison talked about merging Paramount + with HBO MAX, which would mean both UFC and AEW would be available in more homes as both have actually a very small number of crossover homes. So that would be good news for both, and for AEW would also mean more homes would have access to the PPVs shows at a discounted price. The only thing negative for AEW is something notable for UFC. Ellison outright brought up the idea of UFC’s airing on TNT on Saturday nights. I guess that would depend on what and when. If it takes the place of Collision and they move Collision to Thursday, that would be beneficial to AEW. If it moves AEW after UFC, it could help AEW at least early in the show getting the far bigger lead-in than it gets now, but would hurt it later in the show if part of the show is moved out of prime time. And if it leads to Collision disappearing, obviously that would be bad news. Collision is under contract through the end of 2027.

— There has been a lot of talk today about how aside from the NFL, all sports properties are going to have stagnant or even declining media rights deals when their contracts come due. Keep in mind we’ve heard that since the 70s and it’s ever come to pass, but with fewer buyers the leverage goes down, and with television numbers for everyone but the NFL falling that means less value and ad revenue.

— Raw tonight is from Indianapolis with Gunther vs. Dragon Lee, Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta for the IC title, plus CM Punk, AJ Lee, Danhausen and Roman Reigns all appear on the show that starts the hard build to WrestleMania. At this point they had 9,000 tickets out for the show, so far from a sellout but it’s still a good crowd.

— We’re looking for notes from Indianapolis for anything off television such as Main Event or dark matches to [email protected]

— We’re doing our weekend poll on both WWE Elimination Chamber and NJPW New Beginning from Trenton, NJ, so you can leave a thumbs up, down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

— Announced for Friday’s Arena Mexico show which is an all-women’s card, is Mercedes Mone vs Persepone for the CMLL women’s title, Mina Shirakawa vs. Zeuxis, Megan Bayne vs. Olympia plus Mei Seira and Starlight Kid from Stardom will be on the card.

— WWE leaves ABEMA in Japan for Netflix on 4/1. WWE PLE events in Germany and Austria start exclusively on Netflix on 4/1 as well.

— Announced for the 4/17 Stardom show at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas today are Maika, Hauzki, Hanako, Starlight Kid, AZM< Mei Seirae, Natsupoi, Ahya Sakrua,Suzu Suzuki, Rina Yamashita, Saya Iida, Yuria Hime, Rina, Maki Itoh and Fuwa-chan.

— I saw the Johnny Consejo vs. Angel de Oro hair match from Friday. It had the most heat of any match I’ve seen this year so far. When it was over, people were jumping up and down like they just saw a world title change. They really had one hell of a match.

— The Jeff Jarrett documentary “The Jeff Jarrett Story: Heart of a Promoter” debuts tomorrow night on YouTube and will also air on the CW affiliate in Nashville, likely right after NXT.

— At yesterday’s Alto Voltage show in Monterrey in the main event, Xelhua & Star Black & Explosivo beat Hechicero & Los Calaveras Jr. I & II when Xelhua pinned Hechicero clean in fall three. This leads to Hechicero defending his High Voltage title against Xehuah on 3/15 in Monterrey. A key is that would indicate no Hechicero on the AEW PPV show that night. (thanks to Paul Sosnowski)

— The Ultimate Fighter starts a new season weekly on Paramount + on 3/27. The season has men’s bantamweights and women’s strawweights.

— Kind of sad to see Jake Hager signing for six fights with PowerSlap. They’re probably paying him a lot more than the usual indie guys who make little for doing that, but it’s still sad to see someone past 40 go on that show. He debuts on 4/17.

— Floyd Mayweather Jr. was announced as facing Mike Zambidis, who was a star in the K-1 MAX heyday in Japan as a kickboxer when Masato was a top star, in a June exhibition boxing match in Greece. Zambidis is 45 and retired from kickboxing in 2015. He fought in K-1 as a star from 2001 to 2010.

— Manami Toyota, arguably the greatest woman wrestler who ever lived, turns 55 today. Lola Gonzalez, the top woman star in Mexico for a long period of time, turns 67 today. Debra Marshall, better known in the 90s as Debra McMcihael, the ex-wife of Steve McMichael and later ex-wife of Steve Austin, turned 66 today. Lorraine Johnson, the mother of Baby Doll and one of the best female wrestlers of her era, was born 96 years ago today. Charlie Cook, a former NFL football player who became a pro wrestler, was born on this day in 1941. Mike Von Erich would have turned 62 today. Lance Cade, who wrestled in WWE, would have turned 45 today. In a little-known fact, Lance Cade’s father-in-law was Black Gordman, who is still alive and one of the oldest still living wrestlers. Doug Furnas, the former 27 time world record holder in powerlifting and a good friend of mine, passed away on this day 14 years ago at the age of 52.

— Green Mountain Wrestling presents Shamrocks &N Headlocks on 3/15 at 2 plm. in Barre, VT at 2 p.m. at Elks Lodge #1535.

— Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will have a press conference on 3/10 at Noon at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA.

Daily Update: AJ Styles, WWE 2K26, WBD & Paramount

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania updates. Update on ticket sales to both shows as well as AEW Revolution and explanations of why and current interest level in tickets.
  • Notes on the giant gates WWE drew for WrestleMania last year and John Cena’s retirement.
  • How much Mania tickets have increased in recent years
  • Odds on this week shows
  • Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey and a history of how women’s MMA overcame so many obstacles due to those two. We look at what each did, their background, the story behind the 2014 fight that never happened and why this fight is happening, as well as addressing very serious questions regarding the fight.
  • A look at nostalgia fights and different ways to do them and how they work or don’t work
  • A look at the life and career of the Great Mephisto, one of the most creative minds in wrestling as a wrestler and booker of the 60s and 70s, including his heyday in San Francisco and Australia and stories about his confrontations with Roy Shire, copying from and teaming with The Sheik, Booking WCW in Australia, and a life that start as a street hustler in the depression to facing Hulk Hogan in his first match ever in Northern California.
  • The most detailed look at the television ratings over the past week, with comparisons, Nielsen and Netflix flaws, Olympics and more.
  • Major change in CMLL rules and thoughts about it
  • This past week in CMLL including a hot Friday night sold out show with Mistico vs. Templario
  • Mistico talks Observer awards
  • Saya Kamitani update
  • FantasticaMania first night
  • Cain Velasquez update
  • Notes on the death of Brett Wolverton and Kerwin Silfies
  • Mick Foley television series
  • Longest lasting pro wrestling ring announcer
  • Eve sets UK record
  • Tag team holds titles in Europe & Japan at the same time
  • TNA No Surrender notes
  • More on mainstream coverage of Brody King
  • More on WBD sale
  • Report that Trump will kill current deal
  • AEW in Australia notes
  • Sean Strickland is an idiot
  • Dana White talks boxing
  • Gable Steveson fights again and update
  • Janel Grant lawsuit update
  • Another WWE European tour and PLE show
  • Bad Bunny wrestling update

This Week’s Back Issue

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Tuesday Update

 WWE

  • WWE released post-show footage of AJ Styles’ retirement ceremony on Raw.
  • Frankie Kazarian reflected on being at Raw: Nights like this go beyond any accolade one can achieve. Being there for my brother @AJStylesOrg on an incredibly special night, and reuniting with @ThisIsTNA brethren is something I will take with me forever. And never let it go. Thanks you to the @WWE for making this happen.”
  • A WWE 2K26 video game special will air this coming Friday on ESPN 2.
  • Kelly Kelly on social media: “Welp… another year not in the @WWEgames…Should we start a petition or what?”
  • PWInsider is reporting that WWE and 2K have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit by Nathaniel Tatha-Nanandji, a promoter who alleges that WWE used his intellectual material for Bloodline content on WWE programming. 
  • Tyra Mae Steele on The Wrestling Syndicate podcast shared audio of Vince McMahon congratulating her on winning the gold medal at the 2020 Olympics in Toyko.
  • Asuka in a backstage segment was happy with Kairi Sane’s performance on Raw for one reason: IYO SKY didn’t advance to the Chamber.
  • Latest WWE Vault content includes an unseen match between AJ Styles and Johnny Gargano from France in 2024, the 2013 Elimination Chamber match, the World Heavyweight title Elimination Chamber match from 2010, and the Coliseum Home Video release Terminators ‘96 featuring Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs. British Bulldog & Yokozuna and Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker.

AEW & Other Wrestling

  • Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed in a press release that they have received a revised proposal from Paramount Skydance. Later on Tuesday, the WBD board said that Paramount’s new offer ‘could’ be better than the current Netflix offer but hasn’t made that determination yet.
  • The New York Post has a profile on MJF.
  • Christopher Daniels on social media reflected on the recent anniversary of ROH’s first show, where he headlined with Bryan Danielson and Low Ki in the main event: “Happy birthday @ringofhonor. Very proud of the match we put on that night, and proud to have shared the ring as often as I did with @bryandanielson & @OneWorldWarrior!”
  • Mercedes Mone will be part of the upcoming new season of Bar Rescue on Paramount Network.
  • Jeff Hardy will be performing at the Louder than Life festival this September.
  • Valiente Jr. was off this morning’s NJPW show due to a knee injury. 
  • The Atlanta Falcons reposted Hacksaw Jim Duggan showing off a paycheck from them back in 1977.

Daily Update: Stephanie Vaquer, WBD & Paramount, WWE 2K26

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

*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, predictabiity vs. surprises, How Bron Brakker’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 difrection 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

*Pareamount 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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Tuesday Update

 WWE

AEW & Other Wrestling

Daily Update: Netflix & WBD, Jake Doyle, Maple Leaf Pro

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

*The changes in the WrestleMania plans, the Drew McIntyre title win, Roman Reigns return and the whys.

*WWE getting Will Hobbs while AEW signs a slew of new talent as well.  A look at each case-by-case.

*Notes on the big weekend coming to Mexico City

*Kayla Harrison injury and what is the future for the biggest women’s fight in years

*Win-loss records and total bouts for all top WWE/NXT talent in 2025

*WWE Iron Man winner from 1984-2025

*What cutting back on the schedule has taught us about injuries

*Who gets protected in booking and who doesn’t

*The problem with the current schedule and development of young talent

*A star who has been around through various eras talks timing and injuries and best schedule

*A look at TNA’s debut on AMC, what went right and wrong

*When did wrestling start being a work.  Studying of history shows it’s a lot earlier than you would think

*Odds for WWE matches upcoming

*The most detailed look at the ratings of all the pro wrestling shows this past week, as well as comparisons with the past and a look at the level of declines and why

*What wrestler has already main evented 12 sold out shows in 2026

*One woman wrestler announces retirement and another retires

*Kazuchika Okada in Japan

*Most watched New Japan World matches of 2025

*Ted DiBiase Jr. on trial

*Death of Rick Link, from fan clubs to main events

*Jesse Ventura speaks about the current political environment

*The greatest wrestler in the world signs with Eric Bischoff’s promotionT

*Tons of major independent shows coming

*AEW gets TV in new market

*Ticket sales for upcoming WWE, AEW and TNA events

*Most viewed YouTube videos from AEW and WWE

*Tag team returning to AEW

*Dana White shuts down talk of major match

*A new lawsuit filed against WWE

*Notes on the recent WWE tryout

*Notes on all the WWE arena shows this past week.

This Week’s Back Issue

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Tuesday Update

 WWE

AEW & Other Wrestling

Tony Khan says it’s ‘too early to comment’ on potential Netflix-WBD acquisition

Posted on by Bryan Rose

ROH & AEW starts spoke to the media following ROH Final Battle.

Red Velvet, Ricochet, Athena, Shane Taylor Promotions, Bandido, and Tony Khan took questions following Friday’s event on Honor Club. Here are the highlights:

Red Velvet

  • Regarding her surprise win, Velvet said she was going to beat Mercedes Mone and she did, accepting that she would be the underdog going into the match despite being a former champion. The loss shook her, but everything happens for a reason.
  • She said that Mone is someone he looked up to growing up, so going up against someone like her is “such a blessing.” 

Ricochet

  • Tony Khan announced a AEW National title match featuring Ricochet for tomorrow’s Collision. Ricochet didn’t like the idea of that.
  • When asked about more members to add to his crew, Ricochet said it was about quality, not quantity.

Athena

  • Tony Khan pushed hard that with her victory at Final Battle, Athena will now reach the three-year mark as the ROH Women’s Champion.
  • A lot of the segment was designated for Athena to scold Billie Starkz for failing to win the Women’s Pure Championship.
  • She said she would love the opportunity to wrestle in New Japan, as there’s so much talent in Stardom.

Shane Taylor Promotions

  • When asked about his heroes, Moriarty named Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuiness, and Katsuyori Shibata. He said he made his wrestling debut on December 5, and all these years later, he’s now faced all of them.
  • This turned into an angle where Shane Taylor started to argue with Moriarty, pushing that tonight was too close for comfort and winning is an expectation, not a surprise. He told Moriarty to follow the game plan. 
  • Moriarty said that to see Nigel McGuiness come out with the original ROH Pure title and handing it to him after the match was such a great moment.

Bandido

  • Bandido said he consideres himself a winner because he’s had a great year.
  • Tony Khan said the originally planned ROH World title match between Rush and Bandido will happen when Rush returns to action.
  • Bandido says he’s putting effort into learning English and hopes people can understand him now.

Tony Khan

  • First question was about possible AEW events at the Arnold Classic, which will be held at the same arena next year. Khan said it was a great idea and will re-evaluate. 
  • Would love to have Persephone back, she was great and an incredible challenger.
  • Khan was asked if there were plans for more ROH big events for next year, mentioning previous events like Glory by Honor and the anniversary shows. Khan pivoted to talking about bringing in more Global Wars events this year and mentioned the upcoming Boxing Day Brawl event on ROH television.
  • Someone asked for his reaction to Netflix potentially acquiring Warner Bros. Khan said that it was “too early to comment on anything that’s pending” and stressed his great relationship with Warner Bros., continually saying there was still a lot of time on their deals with TBS, TNT, and HBO Max. He called David Zazlav a friend of AEW. He’s excited about the future.
  • He also said that in regards to all of the publicly known bidders for WBD (Netflix, Paramount, and Comcast) he’s had great relationships all of them via his NFL dealings. He said there’s over two years to go in their deals with WBD.
  • About a potential all-women’s pay-per-view, Tony Khan was open to the idea, mentioning how many new women’s championships he’s introduced.
  • Khan called Zayda Steel a professional and would love to have her back.

Tony Khan says he’s ‘not worried at all’ about potential Warner Bros. Discovery sale

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Image: JJ Williams

Notes coming out of AEW Full Gear.

Mark Briscoe, Big Boom AJ, Ricochet, Kris Statlander, and Khan all answered questions from the media on Saturday at the AEW Full Gear media scrum. Here are the highlights:

Mark Briscoe

  • Briscoe had a new custom TNT title belt that was given to him by Orange Cassidy following his title win.
  • Says he never thought a night like this would happen, as he always considered himself a tag team wrestler. He thanks Tony Khan, his family, and God.
  • Corey Lieb asked about reflecting on being TNT Champion when previously the Briscoes were banned from appearing on the network. Khan said that this was a previous, now long gone executive and thanked David Zaslav (head of Warner Brothers Discovery) for bringing in new people who quickly changed things.

Big Boom AJ

  • AJ said it was great to have a ring general like QT Marshall for his match and thanked the crowd.
  • Tony Khan said ‘100%’ there would be a Big Boom AJ figure in the future.
  • Big Boom AJ said if Big Justice wanted to be a wrestler, he would be one of the greatest wrestlers ever.

Ricochet

  • On his title win, Ricochet said winning the title feels familiar and told everyone to watch their back because he was coming after them next, including Kris Statlander.
  • Khan said that the Casino Gauntlet match from Saturday’s show was one of the best they’ve had yet.

Kris Statlander

  • When asked who’s left, Statlander asked Tony Khan who should be next. Tony Khan said there will be a long line of challengers coming forward after Full Gear.
  • She said feels that her being seen as an underdog is an insult considering she is holding a title Mercedes Mone never held.

Tony Khan

  • He started off by saying he had a ‘very good idea’ on who the Continental Classic participants are and will be revealed early this coming week. He did bring up that as a result of Jon Moxley’s actions following their match, Kyle O’Reilly will likely not be cleared and will have to ‘deal with some injuries.’ 
  • Khan also took time to send condolences to Bob Caudle and George Tahinos, who passed away this past week.
  • Asked about reflecting a year ago versus now, Khan said that a year ago, he thought they were on the verge of a turnaround, and now a year later they have been consistent, both on television and pay-per-view, and have a lot of momentum.
  • According to what data they have, Khan feels this may be the biggest PPV yet in the HBO Max era.
  • He was asked about three breakout wrestlers for 2026. Renee Paquette brought up Kevin Knight and he agreed, saying he is someone with great breakout potential, as well as Speedball Mike Bailey. Willow Nightingale was also named. 
  • Khan was asked if Mercedes Mone’s run on the independent scene was the inspiration for the National title. Khan lauded what Mone was doing but also brought up international wrestling in general as well as ROH’s success on YouTube. He also said that CMLL and NJPW are interested in potential National title matches.
  • Regarding earlier start times and show length, Khan said he was interested in changing around start times and thinks he won’t run another show so late on the east coast on a Sunday. He feels there are differences between running shows on Saturdays and Sundays, and is open to earlier start times. In regards to show length, Khan said they are contracted for three hours and forty five minutes, and they’ve never gone under that.
  • Regarding what he looks for in the independents, he said he looks for who connects with the crowd.
  • Someone asked about the potential of Warner Bros. Discovery being sold to someone who has ties to WWE. Tony Khan point blank said he is not worried at all, they have a great relationship with WBD and is optimistic about AEW’s future.
  • He hasn’t taken a break from pro wrestling in a long time and loves it, he doesn’t miss a show and loves coming to AEW events. He’s obsessed with it, he loves it so much. 
  • Said that getting Hangman Page’s licensed theme at Full Gear was a race against time and is happy they’ve been able to get the licensed music they’ve wanted for the shows.

Daily Update: WBD & Paramount, Smashing Machine, weekend shows

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the  Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up on the site:

*In depth with the changes in ratings, are pro wrestling and MMA being undercounted, are they less popular than we thought, how the changes have happened, streaming, how this relates to baseball, football, and other entertainment shows.
*John Cena’s last matches, and the surprises in current WWE booking plans for now until December.
*A look at Crown Jewel and WrestleDream, the cards, how the shows look and the current interest level in them.
*Favorites in the betting in all the major future matches
*A look at The Smashing Machine, the heyday of Mark Kerr, the box office and what we’ve learned, comparisons with Iron Claw, the performances by Dwayne Johnson Emily Blunt and Ryan Bader and the Pride Grand Prix in 2000 with Sakuraba vs. Gracie and key what ifs that people don’t’ talk about
*All In Texas attendance and how much the state will be paying AEW based on the deal, plus original plans for that week and three shows that were once thought and talked about but didn’t happen with two international promotions.
*Full coverage of UFC 320, what’s next for the winners, the business side of things and match-by-match.
*The most complete and detailed look at the ratings for all the major shows as well as comparisons with last year, segment-by-semgent notes, demos and more.
*Expectations of when a major milestone in history of buildings that house wrestling will be reached and when 1 million fans in one specific building attending wrestling in a year is expected
*King  of Pro Wrestling thoughts
*New Japan’s last major show looked at
*40th anniversary of a landmark tag team event taking place
*Hulk Hogan’s widow looking at medical malpractice suit
*Death of the former Sabrina
*Dave Bautista makes surprising revelation
*Mistico vs. Bndido in Xalapa
*Renee Dupree talks the old WWE locker room
*Bound for Glory notes
*Lots of injury and contract updates
*The story of Ultimo Dragon’s ten belts and Mercedes Mone beating that record
*Sting’s son has his first match
*Advance tickets sales for the WWE & AEW shows over the next two months
*The strange secret suspension of  Conor McGregor
*More on the White House show
*MMA Fight of the year on the Dana White Contenders Series
*Has the WWE boom period ended or is it ending?
*The WWE product right now
*Jimmy Jacobs talks differences in backstage at WWE and TNA

This Week’s Back Issue

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

Sunday Update

Photo: Mercedes Mone

— Both of our weekend shows are up on the site. Our Friday show was the third and final Hall of Fame installment with John Muse, Ethan Tyler and Phil Lions talking about the non-wrestler category and other thoughts, plus we covered the rest of the news for the week. Last night’s show covered Crown Jewel, Survivor Series plans, Arena Mexico, AEW and TNA show news and more.

— WBD rejected a $20 per share takeover offer by Paramount Skydance. The sides are continuing to negotiate. The ramifications of this are far bigger than the pro wrestling world, but whatever the WBD ownership ends up being could have an effect on pro wrestling in many different ways.

— The estimates for the weekend are that Smashing Machine will finish No. 8 for the week with $1.77 million. A normal second week drop from the first is 50 percent. This was a 69 percent drop from an already disappointing first week. Conversely, Iron Claw dropped only six percent in the second week. So those were polar opposites. I wrote a story on the movie in the current issue looking back at  that era and the career of Mark Kerr. Overall I thought it was a good movie but at the end of the day, it did not have commercial appeal.

— Kota Ibushi had surgery for the broken femur suffered on  Wednesday night when he fell badly off the top rope in his match with Josh Alexander that aired last night. It was weird doing that impromptu post-match angle with Mark Davis. Ibushi today talked about being out 18 months, thanking Tony Khan for sending him flowers and a note and said that he was considering retirement at first but does want to come back. This is a nasty fluke injury for a guy who took years to come back from the shoulder injury suffered at a time when he was one of the best in-ring performers in history.

— TNA’s Bound for Glory takes place in Lowell, MA tonight at the Paul Tsongas Center.  hey were at 6,275 tickets out earlier today so this will be one of the biggest crowds in the 23 year history of the company: 

  • Call Your Shot Gauntlet Battle Royal
  • Tessa Blanchard vs. Gia Miler
  • Frankie Kazarian vs. Steve Maclin for the International title
  • Moose & Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards & JDC & Alisha Edwards vs. Mustafa Ali & Special Agent 0 & Jason Hotch & John Skyler & Tasha Steelz in a hardcore war match
  • The Iinspiration vs. Heather by Elegance & Ash by Elegance for the Knockouts tag titles
  • Leon Slater vs. Je’Von Evans for the X title
  • The Hardys vs. Team 3-D in a tables match for the NXT & TNA tag titles
  • Keliani Jordan vs. Indi Hartwell for the Knockouts title
  • Trick Williams vs. Mike Santana for the TNA title.  They have to switch the title here, right?

BDE, a YouTuber (Brandon Collymore) will be in the Gauntlet match.

— New Japan King of Pro Wrestling starts at 3 a.m. Eastern time tonight or midnight Pacific from Sumo Hall in Tokyo. It has a hell of a lineup:

  • Sareee vs. Syuri for the IWGP women’s title
  • Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi & Titan vs. David Finlay & Taiji Ishimori & Clark Connors
  • Sanada vs. Drilla Moloney no DQ no count outs
  • Hirooki Goto (first match back since filming Street Fighter 2) & Yoshi-Hashi & Yoh vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson  & Kosei Fujita
  • El Phantasmo vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for NJPW TV title
  • Oleg Botin vs. Evil for Never title
  • Yuto-Ice & Oskar vs. Yuya Umeura & Shota Umino for IWGP tag team titles
  • Gabe Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji for Global title
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the IWGP world title

— We are doing weekend polls for WWE Crown Jewel, TNA Bound for Glory and New Japan King of Pro Wrestling this weekend. 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 looking for reports from the NXT shows in Detroit and Cleveland this weekend with results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]

— For Google searches this weekend, Crown Jewel has 115,000 searches which is a little more than half of a normal show. However, the UFC show yesterday from  Rio de Janeiro had virtually nothing, much lower than usual. The death of Diane Keaton was more than 10 million which speaks volumes for how well known and remembered she was. A funny one is that Logan Paul had 10,000 weekend searches due to a bogus rumor that he was killed in a helicopter crash.

— Lots of rumors that Alexandre Pantoja will defend the flyweight title against Joshua Van on the last UFC PPV for at least seven years, if not ever, on 12/13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

— The main story coming out of yesterday’s win by Charles Oliveira as he broke his own records for most finishes (21) and most submissions (17) in a career with a win over Mateusz Gamrot in the main event.  He immediately set his sights on Max Holloway next.

— In a cool touch, Jose Aldo came to the ring and left his gloves in the cage.  He didn’t fight on the show but UFC allowed the Hall of Fame fighter to retire in Rio de Janeiro.

— The Philadelphia Inquirer had a story on Scott “Raven” Levy with the documentary “Nevermore” on his career having a screening in the city. (thanks to Chuck Langerman and Bill King)

— Laura Sanko will be announcing the UFC 321 PPV show from Abu Dhabi on 10/25. This will only be the third time a woman has broadcasted a UFC PPV. Sanko did it at UFC 293 and Kathy Long did it at UFC 1.

— Go Shiozaki resurfaced in All Japan yesterday as the mystery partner of Shotaro Ashino in a match with Kento Miyahara & Hideki Suzuki in Gyoda.  Miyahara was disqualified quickly and this set up a 10/22 Triple Crown title match at Korakuen Hall which should sell out.

— Former NXT wrestler Yoshiki Inamura returned to NOAH and will challenge KENTA for the GHC title on 11/8 at Korakuen Hall.

— House of Glory Wrestling from Friday night in New York: Zilla Fatu b Bear Bronson to keep the Crown Jewel title, Indi Hartell b Zayda Steel to keep the women’s title, Raheem Royal b Idris Jackson, Killer Kross b Matt Cardona, Leon Slater b Amazing Red to keep the TNA X Division title, Hardys b Mane Event in a TNA vs. HOG title match so the Hardys now have three sets of belts, Charles Mason b Man Like DeReiss to keep the HOG title. The next show i s 11/15 in Long Island, NY. (thanks to Samuel Rosenthal)

WOR: WBD split, Gunther vs. Goldberg, Mr. Iguana origin story

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I, Garrett Gonzales, are back with our Friday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Here were some of the other things we discussed:

  • The WBD split and how it affects AEW
  • Whether sports streaming works for HBO Max or not
  • WWE & Netflix
  • Gunther vs. Goldberg
  • CM Punk vs. John Cena
  • Mr. Iguana’s origin story

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

The Latest: AEW-WBD media rights deal update, Cody Rhodes & WWE Bad Blood

Posted on by Denise Salcedo


Welcome to another episode of The Latest with Denise Salcedo breaking down the biggest wrestling news headlines of the week so far.

Topics:

—Update on value of new AEW-WBD media rights deal

—Shelton Benjamin debuts on AEW Dynamite

—Jay White returns on AEW Dynamite, lays out Hangman Page

—WWE NXT averages nearly 900k viewers for CW premiere

—Cora Jade returns to WWE NXT on CW premiere

—Trick Williams crowned NXT Champion on CW premiere

—Cody Rhodes says ‘title implications’ for WWE Crown Jewel to be revealed at Bad Blood

—Seth Rollins returns on WWE Raw, attacks Bronson Reed

—Ilja Dragunov sidelined with torn ACL

Swerve Strickland says AEW is ‘about to get on Fox’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Swerve Strickland says AEW is heading to Fox.

In an interview on the QUEENZFLIP YouTube channel, Swerve said that with SmackDown leaving Fox recently, AEW would not only work with Warner Bros. Discovery but also Fox.

“We’re about to move,” he said. “We’re about to get on Fox. SmackDown is leaving Fox. And then we’re taking Fox…TNT, TBS, and Fox. We got all three of them things. Tony Khan lets me do whatever the f*** I want. He owns the Jacksonville Jaguars.”

AEW is nearing finishing its new media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, with its previous deal expiring at the end of the year. They have also trademarked the term ‘AEW Shockwave’ recently, with speculation being it could be a new television show. Dave Meltzer earlier this month reported that while AEW and Fox are in talks, the potential new show may not be on the Fox Network, perhaps airing on a different Fox-owned channel such as FS1.

At the All Out media scrum earlier this month, Tony Khan said there was a 90% chance we could see AEW’s media rights deal with WBD become official in the next month.

Tony Khan: AEW is in ‘very deep, exciting conversations’ with WBD

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Tony Khan is happy with the status of AEW’s negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery for its next media rights deal.

In an interview with the Battleground Podcast that was conducted before Dynamite this week, Khan was asked about AEW’s talks with WBD and how close the two sides are to getting a deal done. Khan said there are things to figure out and the talks are complex, but AEW and WBD are “in very deep, exciting conversations.” He called WBD a great partner and said the conversations they’re having are awesome.

“Such an exciting time for AEW. We’re in great conversations with our partners at Warner Bros. Discovery. It’s a real blessing to me, and I think to everyone in AEW, that we’re able to put wrestling on TBS and TNT every week. When I grew up, and I think for you guys too growing up, wrestling on TBS and TNT was a big part of our childhoods. There was no wrestling on TNT for about 18 years and there was no wrestling on TBS for over 20 years, so it meant a lot to bring that back. In particular on TBS, that tradition goes back over 50 years. I love it here. And so we’re having great talks. It means the world to be able to do this. We’re in very deep, exciting conversations. There’s a lot to figure out because we have these great shows with AEW Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision,” Khan said

“Our prime time shows [Dynamite and Collision]… we’ve been doing great, great ratings with our flagship shows. And it’s a really exciting time. Like I said, this past week both shows did their biggest numbers in months. So it’s an exciting time for us to hit new highs. The conversations are awesome right now. There’s a lot to figure out with the AEW TV shows, our pay-per-view content, our streaming library, and all of these things. So it’s a lot of very complex conversations, but they’ve been great. And we’re having great talks with Warner Bros. Discovery now. And it’s a great partnership and we’re very fortunate to be here and it’s a great place, for wrestling in particular — TBS and TNT.”

AEW programming first debuted on WBD stations in 2019. It’s believed that the current deal expires around the end of this year/start of 2025.

Khan has said that finalizing the new deal would mean all of the investment that’s been made into AEW will have more than paid off.

The Battleground Podcast’s full interview with Khan can be watched below:

Daily Update: WWE notes, NBA/WBD, Darby Allin

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The new issue of the Wrestling Observer is up on the site right now:
  • The updated details of the biggest lawsuit that ever faced TKO
  • Build to SummerSlam and All In
  • Updated PPV numbers on Forbidden Door, Money in the Bank and Diaz vs. Masvidal
  • G-1 is starting and a look at the first week of the tournament
  • The first Fantastica Mania show in the U.S.
  • The latest moves by Janel Grant’s legal team regarding Vince McMaahon’s doctor, the motion, why they are doing this and more on Vince’s doctor including bigger celebrities than Vince that he’s worked with along with legendary fighters
  • Pro Wrestling NOAH runs Budokan Hall with A.J. Styles
  • A look at the N-1 tournament
  • Longtime NOAH star retires
  • NOAH star joining New Japan and Bullet Club
  • A look at Marigold’s biggest show in its history with Iyo Sky plus Sareee vs Giulia
  • Giulia timeline updated of going to WWE
  • Upcoming Marigold PPV shows
  • A look at the Category A Observer awards and favorites after six months of 2024, who should win MVP in pro wrestling and MMA, match & fight of the year
  • The closing months of  WCW looked at as Lenita Erickson says she played a part in killing Eric Bischoff’s TV deal that would have kept the company alive
  • Lots of talk regarding different negotiations to get the company
  • The most detailed look at the ratings from the past week
  • What place did the pro wrestling and MMA shows finish in the ratings
  • How the different shows did  with ratings, segment-by-segment, competition and placings as well as other notes on viewership
  • Lots of big things coming to Arena Mexico
  • Leyenda de Plata tournament
  • 11 companies join together with a united front to government
  • Death of Ken Hoffman and the major title change that happened because of what he wrote in the newspaper
  • Notes on a number of wrestling movies and documentaries
  • MLW with big show with lots of CMLL talent
  • More on Bloodsport with WWE talent
  • TNA looking at biggest crowd in years
  • As AEW talks with WBD about  a new deal, lots of things are going on in that world
  • International ratings and streaming numbers
  • Advance ticket sales for all upcoming AEW & WWE shows
  • More on Nate Diaz lawsuit against promoter
  • Peacock raising prices
  • WWE Survivor Series notes
  • Lots of new WWE dates
  • Cody Rhodes talks AEW

This Week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Wednesday Update

WWE

  • In an interview with the New York Post, Damian Priest expressed how excited he is that Rhea Ripley is back from injury:
    • I don’t think there is one person around that’s not happy to have her back, maybe Liv [Morgan].
    • We just got back from the gym and we were riding in the car and I literally told [Ripley], ‘Man, it’s really good to have you back.’ I’ve felt like I’ve been missing something and it was my friend. It’s my road buddy. It’s my backstage buddy. Besides our TV dynamic, it’s everything else. I missed having that person next to me that also pushes me.
  • A video package aired on NXT last night promoting Joe Hendry’s concert for next week’s episode.
  • For fans who attended last night’s NXT, Hendry autographed concert posters that were left on every car in the parking lot.
  • WWE uploaded the full Rascalz vs. Je’Von Evans, Axiom & Nathan Frazer six-man tag main event from NXT.
  • PWInsider reports that there’s been internal talk within WWE of Raquel Rodriguez returning to action “in the near future.” Rodriguez has been away due to mast cell activation syndrome.
  • Dakota Kai reflected on getting to wrestle in Japan again ahead of WWE’s house shows this week: “The last time I was in Japan was start of 2016, working as a freelance wrestler with promotions like Stardom and Sendai Girls. Just landed in Tokyo and about to do shows with WWE. What is life”
  • WWE Raw commentator Pat McAfee announced that he’ll be returning to ESPN’s College GameDay this season. McAfee didn’t say if this will impact his WWE role.
  • Lexis King (Brian Pillman Jr.) was a guest on Busted Open Radio.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • The NBA announced its new media rights deal with ESPN/ABC, NBC, and Amazon Prime today, saying that Warner Bros. Discovery’s proposal did not truly match the offer that was made by Amazon.
  • TNT Sports issued a statement vowing to take “appropriate action” over the situation. WBD does not believe that the NBA can reject its attempt to match Amazon’s offer:
    • We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it. In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage, delivered through the full combined reach of WBD’s video-first distribution platforms including TNT, home to our four-decade partnership with the league, and Max, our leading streaming service. We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action. We look forward, however, to another great season of the NBA on TNT and Max including our iconic Inside the NBA.
  • AEW uploaded a Road To video hyping up tonight’s Blood & Guts episode of Dynamite.
  • Darby Allin confirmed to Uproxx that Martha Hart gave her blessing for the spot where he entered from the rafters on Dynamite last week. Allin said Martha told AEW “absolutely, I trust your team, you guys are super professional.”
  • Allin said his one goal in AEW is to become the face of the company:
    • Becoming the face of this company. That’s literally the whole goal. It’s fun to put your head down and get to work. That’s what excites me, to get more eyes on AEW and just build this whole brand up. It’s so awesome to be there from the ground level and see what we’ve done in six years.
  • The Battleground Podcast has an interview with Allin.
  • During a virtual signing for K&S WrestleFest, Raj Dhesi (Jinder Mahal) had a lot of praise for Hook. Dhesi spoke about the X/Twitter controversy that Tony Khan started this January:
    • Tony just said, ‘Where’s the backlash when Jinder’s getting a championship match? When Hook is 28-0 or 28-1 or something.’ That was the thing and I just said, ‘Who the —- is Hook?’ That was it… Yeah, I’m a former WWE Champion (so I should be able to get a title shot). But then I actually started watching Hook and I really like his style. I like his demeanor, his style, everything about him. He’s like the next generation, right? The next generation, the next evolution of pro wrestling. Hook is one of the best… We’re just having fun on Twitter. It’s just wrestling.
  • New TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth thanked everyone who attended TNA’s events in Montreal during Slammiversary weekend: “Congratulations to [TNA] on an incredible weekend! #Slammiversary was sold out &  Impact was amazing, as well. Huge thank you to the fans in Montreal. This company is making monumental gains in & out of the ring! I’m excited to be one of the many ambassadors, #LFG #TNA”
  • Brian Johnson vs. Heddi Karaoui has been added to the card for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XI in Brooklyn this Sunday.
  • Aja Kong is making her GCW return at the promotion’s event in Japan on Tuesday, August 13.

Tony Khan explains what new media rights deal would mean for AEW

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In an interview with SportsGrid this week, Tony Khan was asked to explain what a new media rights deal would mean for AEW.

AEW’s current deal with Warner Bros. Discovery is scheduled to expire at the end of 2024. The two sides are in negotiations for a new agreement, and Khan has said they’re “approaching the goal line” on getting it done. He told SportsGrid that finalizing a deal would mean that all of the investment that’s been made in AEW will have more than paid off.

“It’s going to be a huge thing. It will mean that all the investment into AEW has more than paid off. It’ll mean a very secure future for AEW for a very long time to come,” Khan said. “We’re going to get a great media rights deal. We’re having great conversations here. And we have a great home now at Warner Bros. Discovery, and, you know, I think this is a great home for us. I’m really pleased they want us to stay. They’ve made us great offers and we’re having great conversations now. But, you know, with five hours of wrestling every week and streaming, there’s all kinds of things to talk about. It’s really, really very exciting for the future of AEW.”

Khan said he hopes to work with Warner Bros. Discovery for a long time.

“We’re having great conversations with Warner Bros. Discovery. Mr. [David] Zaslav himself has been really great, very engaged,” he said. “And we’re trying to figure this out. It’s a very complicated thing. It’s a big media rights package, and I’m very excited to keep working — hopefully for a long time — with Warner Bros. Discovery. We’re having a great time here and we have a great relationship with the management. Mr. Zaslav in particular has been fantastic to us.”

Click play below to watch SportsGrid’s full interview with Khan: