Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio to talk about the major stories in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We look at his Q4 analysis on WWE and AEW business. We also talk about WarnerMedia’s reaction to WWE’s quote in the Toronto Star article. We discuss AEW Dynamite’s rating from Wednesday.
Then we preview the top two matches at UFC 270 before looking at The Wrld On GCW PPV this Sunday.
WWE announced the return of live shows starting with the 7/16 Smackdown tapings at the Toyota Center in Houston, with them running shows in 25 cities through Labor Day.
But the biggest potential news revolves around SummerSlam. While not confirmed, those within the company believe the show to be on 8/21 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. But with the Manny Pacquiao vs. Errol Spence Jr., fight already announced for 8/21 in Las Vegas, it would make SummerSlam the secondary event of the weekend. And nothing has been said officially.
Sports Business Journal, which has a close relationship with key WWE higher-ups, wrote that the show was targeted for the weekend of 8/22, and that it would take place at an NFL stadium, listing Las Vegas, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, NRG Stadium in Houston, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ and Nissan Stadium in Nashville as the possibilities. The 8/21 date would seem to make no sense because it would put it head-to-head against Pacquiao vs. Spence, and the combination of unfamiliar night for WWE PPVs, which have been on Sundays for more than a decade, and the boxing competition would hurt viewership greatly.
The Rock & Dany Garcia purchase the XFL, WWE hires a new president, plus tons of news.
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
As it relates to wrestling, the biggest news of the week by far is that Kevin Reilly, who greenlit AEW as one of his pet projects and actually was one of the keys in the creation of the organization, is out at WarnerMedia. Reilly and Bob Greenblatt were announced as being out today and Casey Bloys and Ann Sarnoff have been promoted to oversee content. Bloys was the President of HBO Programming and will now oversee HBO Max, TNT, TBS and truTV. Bloys, by coincidence, went to Freedom High in Bethlehem, PA at the same time as Dwayne Johnson and greenlit “Ballers,” although he and Johnson were not friends in high school.
It is far too early to know what this means for AEW going forward. It may not be bad news, but it is most definitely not good news in the sense Reilly was strongly behind AEW. In fact, the entire idea of AEW came from a conversation Tony Khan ad Reilly had in the spring of 2018 when Reilly told Khan how much money WWE programming rights were going for and Khan had seen the business and interest level of the Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho match at the Tokyo Dome and knew both were free agents, and that a lot of key contracts would be expiring at the end of 2018 in wrestling. The stuff with Cody Rhodes and me with the tweet before that time did lead to All In, and the success of All In was definitely a huge part of the equation as well as Khan talking about the success of that show, and his ability to sign the key people, was a key factor in Reilly agreeing to take the chance on giving them a prime time show on TNT. But Khan thinking of getting into wrestling was prior to All In.
The new Observer out today, besides the most detailed story on the hiring of Nick Khan as WWE President, has an in-depth story on the ratings patterns for Raw, Smackdown Dynamite, NXT and Impact during the pandemic and there is a ton of major information that tells you about things going up and down, lines intersecting this week regarding huge changes in viewing habits of wrestling. We also have the most details on this past week and where new viewers came from, as well as the first week in history where the most-watched show in 18-34 was not a WWE show since 1998. Actually this is a major underplayed story, not because it happened this week, but that it had been building for months and what it means if things continue in this direction.
The 8/21 Smackdown show will be airing live from Orlando. Mike Johnson at PW Insider reported WWE will be doing Raw and Smackdown live going forward after that point. We know that has been discussed and we haven’t had it confirmed. If this is the case, it means more expense and more travel and only makes sense if they feel live helps ratings, which today, it is very clear it doesn’t make a difference at all.
UFC has a show tomorrow on ESPN+ from Las Vegas at the Apex Arena starting at 6 p.m. Eastern:
Irwin Rivera (136) vs. Ali Al Qaisi (136)
Youssef Zalal (146) vs Peter Barrett (145.5)
Gavin Tucker (146) vs; Justin Jaynes (146)
Andrew Sanchez (185.5) vs. Wellington Turman (185.5)
Nasrat Haqparast (156) vs. Alex Munoz (156)
Kevin Holland (183.5) vs. Joaquin Buckley (185)
Tim Means (171) vs. Laureano Staropoli (174.5)
Beniel Dariush (158) vs. Scott Holtzman (156)
Yana Kunitskaya (135.5) vs. Julija Stoliarenko (136)
Darren Stewart (186) vs. Maki Pitolo (186)
Chris Weidman (186) vs. Omari Akhmedov (185.75)
Derrick Lewis (265) vs. Aleksei Oleinik (227)
Due to Dariush missing weight, he has to forfeit 20 percent of his purse. Staropoli also has to forfeit 20 percent of his purse for missing weight.
Weigh-ins for Bellator tonight from the empty Mohegan Sun Casino Arena at 10 p.m. Eastern on Paramount & DAZN:
Sabah Homasi (175) vs. Curtis Millender (174)
Myles Jury (155.6) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (155.5)
Matt Mitrione (262.6) vs. Timothy Johnson (263.2)
Michael Chandler (155.9) vs. Benson Henderson (155.6)
Chandler’s contract expires with this fight and he’s talked about becoming a free agent. So he has a lot riding on this outcome.
Yuki Miyazaki of Pro Wrestling WAVE tested positive for COVID-19 and WAVE has postponed all of its shows over the next several days including the 8/16 show at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Sunday’s Oz Academy show was also canceled because Hiroyo Matsumoto, Yumi Ohka and others worked on the same show at Miyazaki. (thanks to Shannon Walsh)
CMLL returns to streaming tonight on the Capital 21 website with matches taped last week at an empty Arena Mexico.
WWE
205 Live Tonight has Danny Burch vs. Tony Nese and a tag team match featuring Matt Martel & Chase Parker. Announced for Smackdown is Sheamus vs. Matt Riddle.
DC Entertainment is hosting a virtual celebration on the weekend of 8/22 (SummerSlam weekend) for free to break news of upcoming movie and comic book projects. Dwayne Johnson and John Cena will both be taking part in this.
The WWE announced episodes of WWE Timeline, a new show on the WWE Network which will cover major historical feuds. Sunday’s debut episode is on Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz. 8/12 has Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart. 8/19 has John Cena vs, A.J. Styles and 8/26 has Randy Orton vs. Christian.
UFC
UFC announced an 11/21 PPV show with Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt for the flyweight title and Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia for the women’s flyweight title. Garbrandt has never fought before at flyweight, dropping from 135 to 125.
Corey Anderson of UFC, even though he had several fights left on his contract, was able to get a release and has signed with Bellator. Normally UFC doesn’t do things like that.
After missing his second straight fight at the last minute, UFC has released Ray Borg. Borg missed his fight with Nathan Maness on Saturday, pulling out with no public explanation. He had missed weight three times and had a lot of problems due to the health of his son which caused him to pull out of a previous fight and also take time off.
Mirsad Bektic vs. Eduardo Garagorri has been added to the 9/26 show in Las Vegas.
A story on someone sued for pirating UFC events. (thanks to James Ryder)
AEW
Brandi Rhodes quit Twitter after people complained regarding her AEW Heels project, basically a booster club idea for women fans.
MISCELLANEOUS
U.S. District Court Judge Laurie Silverstein approved the sale of Alpha Entertainment (XFL) to Alpha Acquico, the new company formed and headed by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale.
Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa are doing a live stream tonight at 11:30 p.m. Eastern teaching an English language college class at Tokai University in Japan about the U.S.pro wrestling industry. It will be in English and you can watch it by signing up here.
Dragon Gate’s streaming network will be airing a show at 5 a.m. Eastern tomorrow morning from Kyoto as well as a show from Osaka at 5 a.m. Eastern Sunday morning.
Matt Sydal will be returning to ROH based on a podcast interview on the ROHStrong Podcast. He was going to be part of an ROH then vs. now show that ended up cancelled in March, but that was just a one-shot deal.
The biggest wrestling show in months in the Chicago area takes place tonight at Marian Catholic High School outdoors on the football field for Warrior Wrestling:
Brian Cage vs. Jeff Cobb
Lance Archer vs. Sam Adonis
Joey Janela vs. Jake Something
Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Robert Anthony w/ Frank the Clown for the Warrior Wrestling Championship
The Rascalz vs. Alex Zayne, Blake Christian, and Benjamin Carter
Kylie Rae vs. Ray Lyn
Isaias Velazquez vs. Tre’ LeMar
Spartan Stadium Stampede Scramble: Warhorse vs. Dan the Dad vs. Matt Knicks vs. Beast Man vs. Elayna Black vs. Cornbelt Cowboy vs. The Chicago Sideshow
Wrestle Rampage on 8/28 in Adelaide, Australia has been postponed due to changes in rules for licensed premises involving alcohol service (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
The World Series Wrestling promotion in Australia which is built around importing foreign stars has canceled its scheduled November tour for obvious reasons, since getting people into the country from the U.S. won’t be easy.
Jimmy Jacobs returns to CWE provided governmental regulations will allow him to come to Canada and leave, for shows from 10/27 to 11/9 in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.
CWE tonight in Winnipeg at Rookie’s Sports Bar with only 100 seats available.
AIW announced a return on 9/6 at Noon at the Celebration Plaza Amphitheater at White River State Park in Indianapolis.
Famous Mexican wrestling exotico Cassandro has signed with Masked Republic for representation. Academy Award winning director Roger Ross Williams is working on a film on his life that will star Golden Globe winner Gael Garcia Bernal.
Bellator announced 8/21 from the Mohegan Sun on Paramount and DAZN with Ryan Bader (22-5, 1 no contest) vs. Vadim Nemkov (11-2) for the light heavyweight title, Julia Budd (13-3) vs. Jessy Miele (9-3) and Roy Nelson (23-19) vs. Valentin Moldavksy (9-1.)
The NFC returns on 8/29 at District Atlanta as Atlanta’s first sports event with fans. It will be at 35 percent capacity with 15 fights and all tickets priced at $100.
In a deal that will make the company profitable in 2020 and beyond, TNT, Warner Media, and AEW have renegotiated and signed a new four-year contract that would keep Dynamite on the station through the end of 2023.
The four-year deal is worth $175 million, just under $45 million per year, and includes TNT having an option for 2024 at a significantly increased price.
The deal would also include adding another hour of television later this year, which would be taped on Wednesdays but air on another night, likely on TNT but could be on another Turner station. Full details of the new show have not been worked out past an agreement to add a third hour.
When the new show launches, the Wednesday tapings would expand and also include matches taped for the streaming show Dark, which would not be going away. This means there will be four hours a week of the product, allowing more time to showcase more talent, which has been limited by the current format.
AEW President Tony Khan noted that starting AEW was the biggest financial gamble he had ever taken and that the deal has resulted in it paying off far sooner than originally projected.
“When we launched AEW one year ago, we wanted to start a revolution that would disrupt the wrestling business, but everyone said it would take a strong weekly television partner to make AEW real in the eyes of everyone — above all the fans,” said Khan. “What virtually no one realized at the time was Kevin Reilly and TNT were committed to this very same movement from Day One, and their belief in us made it possible for AEW to think and act big from the start. Here we are, only three months into Wednesday Night Dynamite and now we’ve been extended through 2023! We’re now making the ultimate statement that the team of AEW and TNT is here to stay to bring fans more of the great wrestling that the fans demand and deserve.”
“When Tony Khan first shared with me his idea of starting a new wrestling league, I was impressed with his audacity to go up against a contender that has been the only game in town for 20 years, and ultimately believed that together we could bring his vision of a new, authentic, gritty product to bear,” said Reilly. “The fans have spoken and after only three months, we have seen AEW shake up the wrestling world and this will only continue as we build upon this momentum.”
Since its inception in October, AEW has skewed the youngest of any pro wrestling show on television as well as the highest in viewers per home, meaning more family and friends watch the show in groups than any other show.
Four months after the promotion was first announced, All Elite Wrestling has revealed TNT as their television home.
AEW and WarnerMedia issued a press release this morning announcing that AEW will begin airing live weekly matches on TNT in prime time later this year. Further details on when the weekly show will begin, what day it will be on, the length of it, and its name have yet to be revealed.
The press released touted a multi-platform approach that will include WarnerMedia’s Bleacher Report Live service and pay-per-view. B/R Live will be the exclusive digital streaming partner for Double or Nothing in the United States, with the event also available via traditional PPV. Double or Nothing is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 25.
The Buy-In, AEW’s pre-show for Double or Nothing, will stream live via WarnerMedia and AEW’s social media channels.
The press release hyped that AEW will be focused on fast-paced, high-impact competition and will offer fans “less scripted, soapy drama, and more athleticism and real sports analytics, bringing a legitimacy to wrestling that it has not previously had. Wrestlers will also be given more freedom to explore their characters and highlight their athletic abilities. Introducing statistics to wrestling for the first time ever, AEW will raise the stakes for its matches and deepen fan engagement by tracking each competitor’s wins and losses as the wrestlers pursue championships, analyzing their moves, assessing damage to their opponents, and providing insights into their winning streaks.”
“All Elite Wrestling is a talent-forward, fan-first league whose inclusive approach to creating high-quality athletic wrestling competitions is already making waves with fans and attracting top-tier wrestlers,” Michael Quigley, executive vice president, commercial operations, content strategy and monetization, TBS and TNT said in the press release. “It is high-adrenaline, gripping entertainment and we can’t wait to bring it to fans everywhere with this game-changing new business.”
“Wrestling fans have wanted — and needed — something different, authentic and better for far too long,” Tony Khan, president and CEO of AEW said. “AEW is answering the call. AEW is about more than wrestling. It’s about a movement fueled by wrestling fans who have been underserved and perhaps even disappointed by what the industry has produced in recent years. AEW is rising to the occasion with DOUBLE OR NOTHING and today taking it a step further by partnering with WarnerMedia, which is as committed as we are to making wrestling fans the one and only priority. With WarnerMedia, AEW is poised globally to redefine wrestling as we know it today.”
TNT’s Twitter account wrote about the news: “We’re back in the wrestling business! #AEW @AEWrestling”
According to a new report, All Elite Wrestling could be announcing a television deal as soon as next week.
The Wrap reported this morning that the current plan is for AEW and WarnerMedia to announce a partnership one hour before WarnerMedia’s television upfronts on May 15, which will be held at Madison Square Garden. According to the report, AEW will be airing a weekly television show on TNT starting this fall. President Tony Khan and other wrestlers will reportedly be at the event as well, pitching to media buyers.
It was reported as early as this January that AEW were in negotiations for a television deal. In the meantime, AEW is set to hold a few events with their talent during the summer, including the Fight for the Fallen event on July 13 and Kenny Omega’s Fyter Fest card on June 29.
AEW’s next big event is Double or Nothing, which will take place May 25th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
