Bryan Alvarez agreed with much of the voting this year for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, but not in some categories.
On Wrestling Observer Live on Friday, Alvarez and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor discussed the annual awards issue. In particular, Alvarez did not agree with John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes on night two of WWE WrestleMania 41 being voted Worst Match of the Year rather than Butterbean vs. Minoru Suzuki, which finished second.
Alvarez said:
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen out of the Observer Awards and it’s not even close. Worst match of the year: John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes. Guys, 328 of you need your voting privileges revoked. The worst match of the year, and it’s not even a question, it’s not even an opinion, this actually isn’t even subjective, it’s objective. Minoru Suzuki and Butterbean was the worst match I have ever seen in my whole life. It was the worst match Dave has ever seen in his entire life. It was horrible, beyond words, and it came in second to John Cena and Cody Rhodes.”
Lawlor also mentioned the referee Dan Severn “actively made the match worse somehow.”
Alvarez did not agree with the Worst Television Announcer voting.
“I am absolutely aghast at this one. Worst Television Announcer, Booker T. He’s not even the worst guy on that announce team,” Alvarez said, referring to Vic Joseph, who finished fourth in the voting.
Regarding AEW Collision being voted the third best television show, ahead of both WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown, Alvarez disagreed.
“I’m sorry, but in no universe is Collision better than Raw and SmackDown.”
AEW Dynamite finished first in that category, with CMLL Super Viernes second.
The full episode of Wrestling Observer Live is available for subscribers here. A clip of Alvarez talking about Cena vs. Rhodes from WrestleMania 41 is below. The WON 2025 Awards Issue is available for subscribers here.
"This is THE WORST I've ever seen out of the Observer Awards… and it's not even close!"
From wrestler of the year to booker of the year to best/worst promotion of the year and everything in between, it’s all here in addition to some MMA awards as well.
Dave Meltzer also covers the current state of WWE WrestleMania 42 ticket sales, the passing of Tadao Yasuda, a full review of NJPW’s New Beginning in Osaka show, and the rest of the news in the wrestling world.
Dave Meltzer and Garrett Gonzales are back with the Friday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about the big news from today’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Ethan Tyler and Corey Lieb joined us to go over the category B portion of the 2025 Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards of which voting is currently open.
Here were some of the other things we discussed:
WrestleMania 42 changes
Dave’s story on Powerhouse Hobbs leaving AEW for WWE
Editor’s Note: Several weeks ago, we saw the following post on Reddit and with the permission of author Kanenums88, we are republishing it here as Wrestling Observer Newsletter award season voting has officially begun for subscribers.
The following has been edited slightly and there is some light opinion in the write-ups that reflects the views of the writer and not our website.
Since 1980, voters in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards have highlighted the achievements of wrestlers in their first year of significant competition with the annual Rookie of the Year award.
To be fully transparent, this is copied from a user from a few days ago who copied this from another account’s post from four years ago. It wasn’t updated in such a long time and since a lot has changed in such a short amount of time, I thought it would be best to take it upon myself to do just that, as well as to give some of the entries more of a proper write-up with added bits of context I thought were necessary.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Rookie of the Year Award:
1980 – Barry Windham
Windham went on to carve out a 30+ year career filled with many accolades in various promotions. He was most notable for his work in WCW where he became a member of The Four Horsemen and held the NWA World Championship. Most recently, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for a second time, joining an elite class to do so, with his brother-in-law Mike Rotunda as part of the U.S. Express.
1981 – Brad Armstrong & Brad Rheingans
Son of “Bullet” Bob Armstrong, Brad Armstrong won numerous mid-card and tag team titles in different Southern promotions but never reached his ceiling. He signed with WWE in 2006, initially for the ECW brand, but soon became a producer. His career lasted for over 30 years before he died of a heart attack at the age of 50.
Rheingans was a prolific Greco-Roman wrestler before entering pro wrestling. He didn’t do much as a pro wrestler, though, and had a better career as a trainer, training the likes of Brock Lesnar, JBL, and Vader.
1982 – Steve Williams
“Dr. Death” had a solid career in the U.S., but an even better one in Japan. One of the top gaijins of all time, he was a former Triple Crown Champion and eight-time AJPW Tag Team Champion. His career was slowed after a throat cancer diagnosis in 2004 which returned in 2009 and worsened, leading to his passing in December 2009 at the age of 49.
1983 – The Road Warriors
Joe Laurinaitis and Mike Hegstrand were given the names Hawk (Mike) and Animal (Joe) and joined “Precious” Paul Ellering as the Road Warriors in Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1983. What followed was a team that is often recognized by many as the greatest of all-time and certainly went on to become one of the most popular acts of the 1980s. They held gold in multiple promotions, and, despite both having since passed on, their impact on wrestling still persists to this day.
1984 – Tom Zenk & Keiichi Yamada (the future Jushin Thunder Liger)
The Z-Man (not to be confused with Brian Zane) was a perennial mid-carder throughout much of his career, being more of an impressive bodybuilder than a wrestler. He passed away at the age of 59 in 2017.
Yamada, on the other hand, went on to become arguably the greatest junior heavyweight in Japan as Jushin Thunder Liger. A record 11x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, he retired in 2020 until 2025 when he came out of retirement to answer Joey Janela’s open challenge at the WrestleCade Supershow in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
1985 – Jack Victory
Victory never really amounted to anything despite boasting a 37-year career. He was mostly an undercard guy in WCW, but his most notable run was in ECW when he was aligned with Steve Corino. He retired in 2021, teaming in a match alongside Steve’s son, Colby.
1986 – Bam Bam Bigelow
Scott Bigelow was a bounty hunter with a prison stint in Mexico before deciding to get into wrestling. What resulted was an all-around great talent, who found success in the U.S. and Japan. He was a former ECW Champion and a WrestleMania main eventer when he took on Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania 11 (he also won the Slammy for Best Head in 1987 which is the greatest achievement on this list).
He unfortunately passed away at the age of 45 in 2007 due to an accidental drug overdose, a fate that has plagued way too many. His legacy as one of the best big men wrestlers lives on to this day.
1987 – Brian Pillman
One of the most innovative and best workers of his generation as “Flyin’ Brian” and the “Loose Cannon,” Pillman is remembered as a great “what if” case in wrestling. He unfortunately passed away from a heart attack at the age of 35 in 1997, right in the midst of his WWF run. People often wonder if he could have been a bigger name if not for the unfortunate circumstances he faced in life. His son, Brian Jr., carries on his legacy in WWE NXT as Lexis King.
1988 – Gary Albright
Originally from Stampede Wrestling, Albright had a much better career in Japan with runs in AJPW as a two-time World Tag Team Champion, but he was never as big as the other top gaijins. He sadly passed away at 36 years old while at an indie show in 2000. As a side note, he married Afa’s daughter and therefore was a member of the Anoa’i family through marriage. He was even included in the Rock’s Bloodline family tree during the buildup to WWE WrestleMania 40.
1989 – Dustin Rhodes
Dustin never managed to get over the shadow of his father in WCW, but after a repacking to the weird, androgynous character Goldust in WWF, he quickly carved out his own legacy as one of the most memorable performers of all time. He never quite reached the main event level in his many runs, but he’s always been seen as a great worker with character skills that can only be matched by a few. He joined AEW in 2019 where he’s been ever since, most recently winning the TNT Championship at All In Texas at the age of 56. He is working toward a comeback after undergoing double knee replacement surgery.
1990 – Steve Austin
There’s not really much to say about “Stone Cold” that hasn’t already been repeated to death. Simply put, he became the biggest name in all of wrestling during one of the hottest boom periods for the industry with his rivalry with Vince McMahon as one of the most defining fixtures of the Attitude Era.
After stepping away super young in 2003 due to nagging neck issues, he returned 19 years later to defeat Kevin Owens in the main event of WWE WrestleMania 38. An iconic household name of the business forever, Austin is by far the most successful star on this list.
1991 – Johnny B. Badd
Whether as a Little Richard impersonator or as a boxer, Marc Mero saw success with runs in WCW and WWF, always being a decently popular act. He was a bit overshadowed by his own former valet and then-wife, Sable, near the end of his run and didn’t do anything else of note as a wrestler after his departure from the WWF in 1999. He has since gone on to have a successful career as a motivational speaker, touring schools across the country to lecture on the dangers of bullying and drug abuse.
1992 – Rey Misterio Jr.
With great runs in AAA, WCW, and ECW, Rey’s run in the WWE is what truly led him to become the most popular luchador of his generation. Despite his small stature, he won three World Championships in the WWE and became a globally recognized name. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as an active wrestler in 2023 and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. Currently, he’s wrapped up in a perpetual feud with his son, Dominik.
1993 – Jun Akiyama
Akiyama managed to carve out a respectable Hall of Fame worthy career as one of the best technical wrestlers of his generation. Having success in promotions AJPW and NOAH as a two-time Triple Crown Champion and three-time GHC Heavyweight Champion, he currently competes in DDT where he is also a former KO-D Openweight Champion.
1994 – Mikey Whipwreck
A former ring-crew worker turned wrestler, he became a hugely popular underdog babyface in ECW. He reached his peak by winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship at the age of 22, the youngest World champion of a major promotion. He continued to work sporadic indies through August 2024, but mostly remains a cult favorite amongst the loyal diehard ECW fanbase.
1995 – Perro Aguayo Jr.
Aguayo Jr. was mostly known for being the leader of the Los Perros del Mal stable in CMLL which was a big draw for the company. He was well on his way to becoming one of the biggest names in Mexico with AAA before his sudden passing in the ring. He tragically suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of three broken vertebrae in a 2015 match. In the wake of his death, he was honored greatly, and it raised many questions on the safety of wrestlers in the industry as a whole.
1996 – The Giant
The Giant debuted by beating Hulk Hogan to become the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. What followed was a respectable career for Paul Wight, better known as the Big Show where he had as many ups and downs as he had heel and face turns throughout his career. In WWE, he ended his 22-year run as a four-time World champion for the company. In 2021, he left WWE to join AEW where he’s worked as an analyst and occasional wrestler ever since.
1997 – Mr. Aguila
Aguila has had a career as a respected veteran in the lucha scene, but he’s known by many for his brief stint in the WWF as lower card wrestler Essa Rios. He eventually joined the aforementioned Los Perros del Mal stable in CMLL and now finds work in the Mexican independent scene.
1998 – Goldberg
Goldberg’s look, intensity, presentation, and charisma all led to him becoming WCW’s most popular act despite his lack of in-ring prowess. His undefeated streak and popularity as the WCW Heavyweight Champion were synonymous with that era of wrestling as a whole. His later WCW run and future runs in the WWE made him one of the most polarizing figures in wrestling, but at his peak, there was just about no one who was bigger than Bill Goldberg.
He officially retired earlier last year, losing to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in July 2025.
1999 – Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg was an insanely fun wrestler to watch with his brief stint in WCW being somewhat of a predecessor to the high-flying car crash style. He retired in 2004 to focus on a career as a computer technician, bestowing the gimmick on Jack Evans for a short period of time. He now works as a registered nurse in Texas.
2000 – Sean O’Haire
One of the biggest cases of a “what if,” his runs in WCW and the WWE showed he had the potential to be a main eventer but was never granted a real opportunity. He was released in 2004 and his life spiraled afterward. He had many demons and was sadly not able to overcome them, passing away in 2014. It’s a tragic reminder that if you ever feel alone or lost, please reach out and seek the help you need.
2001 – El Hombre Sin Nombre
El Hombre Sin Nombre is a title passed on to many luchadors and thus, it is hard to place the exact one this is referring to. The original author attributed this to Ephesto, but not only is the award not listed on his Wikipedia, he also didn’t use the “Sin Nombre” name until 2005. I don’t have much knowledge of Mexican wrestling and therefore, I’m stumped. If anyone can help identify this guy, please do.
2002 – Bob Sapp
Did somebody say Sapp Time? After failed careers as a football player and wrestler, he became a star in MMA and kickboxing during the boom period of PRIDE and K1. With wrestling and MMA intertwined in Japan at the time, he was used in places such as NJPW and AJPW, even holding the IWGP Championship for a run.
At his peak, he was a massive celebrity in Japan and a huge draw. His larger-than-life character keeps him memorable in MMA and wrestling today and at 52, he still does occasional fights. Expect to see him vs. Jake Paul in the not so distant future.
2003 – Chris Sabin
Sabin was one of the best workers in TNA history with memorable runs in the X-Division and alongside Alex Shelley as the Motor City Machine Guns. Despite holding the TNA World Championship for a brief period, he was never really valued as a main eventer. Despite this, he’s wrestled pretty much everywhere for over two decades with he and Shelley ultimately signing with WWE in 2024, becoming prominent figures in their tag division ever since.
2004 – Petey Williams
Another TNA X-Division talent, the inventor of the Canadian Destroyer is considered one of TNA’s best workers of all time who never made it out of the mid-card. He had many on-and-off again runs with the company until 2022 when he joined WWE as a producer, where he remains today.
2005 – Shingo Takagi
Takagi was one of Dragon Gate’s biggest stars in its history, amassing 15 titles during his run with the company. He joined NJPW in 2018 and is one of the most consistent main event workers. In 2021, he won the vacant IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and led the company as its top act during his run.
2006 – Atsushi Aoki
Aoki was one of the best junior heavyweights of his generation, working for both AJPW & NOAH. He was in the middle of his fourth reign as AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Champion when he tragically died in a 2019 motorcycle accident. The company honored his reign as champion until the six month defense clause kicked in after his death.
2007 – Erick Stevens
Stevens was a promising talent in ROH, mostly known for his feud with Roderick Strong on the late 2000s indie scene. His career never really panned out and he’s retired and come back numerous times since 2010. His most recent comeback happened last year where he even got to reignite his feud with Strong in Deadlock Pro Wrestling.
2008 – Kai
Kai was primed to be a potential future “face” of AJPW, but he was one of the many that joined Keiji Mutoh in the exodus towards WRESTLE-1. He was a focal point in the company, becoming their third Wrestle-1 Champion, but he did not go far in terms of long term popularity. He left in 2016 to become a freelancer and currently does most of his work in Dragon Gate.
2009 – Frightmare
Frightmare was one of the top acts of CHIKARA when it was at its peak as a top indie promotion. He stayed with Chikara until the company’s death and never really got out of the indie circuit. He continues to take various bookings at indies today.
2010 – Adam Cole
One of the best workers of the 2010s, Cole went on to have successful runs in all the promotions he’s worked for. He was the top heel in both ROH and NXT before he arrived in AEW in 2021. After returning from a nasty concussion in 2023, he began an oddball friendship with MJF and the two main evented AEW’s All In from Wembley Stadium.
His career was sadly cut short he was forced to vacate the TNT Championship before last July’s All In Texas due to undisclosed health issues. His future as a performer remains in jeopardy, but the time we’ve had with him on our screens cannot be forgotten so easily.
2011 – Daichi Hashimoto
Son of the late three musketeer Shinya Hashimoto, Daichi saw decent success early on but failed to overcome the shadows of both his father and the other two three musketeers. He left promotion Zero1 in 2014 and joined deathmatch promotion Big Japan Wrestling where he remains today.
2012 – Dinastia
Dinastía was practically the face of AAA’s Mini Estrella division winning the AAA World Mini’s Championship twice. With a total combined reign of 2,888 days, the title was vacated and abandoned once he left the company. There isn’t much more information about him online, but according to Cagematch, he still works on the Mexican independent scene.
2013 – Yohei Komatsu (the future YOH)
After an excursion, he was repackaged as YOH and had a successful junior heavyweight tag team run as Roppongi 3K with Sho Tanaka (repackaged as SHO). SHO turned on YOH in 2021 and the two would feud. YOH has continued to be a mainstay in the junior division ever since.
2014 – Dragon Lee
One of the best luchadors today, Lee was a multi-time champion across CMLL and NJPW. In 2022, he won the AAA World Tag Team Championships with his brother Dralistico and announced to the world that he had signed with WWE. His run in WWE got off to a shaky start, but it’s recently come around after WWE bought AAA earlier this year. He held the WWE World Tag Team titles alongside AJ Styles before losing them to The Usos on the final Raw of 2025.
2015 – Chad Gable
Starting in NXT with Jason Jordan as part of American Alpha, they had tons of potential to be a great tag team but never panned out. He coasted for a while and was saddled with an awful Shorty G gimmick that would have killed anyone else. It’s a testament to his skills as a performer that he not only overcame it but also became a naturally popular act in the company.
His recent heel run has been a mixed bag, especially when a mysterious new talent in El Grande Americano joined the company and took his spot. He has been out with an injury since June 2025 and only time will tell what’s in store for him in his future. According to reports, he is expected back imminently.
2016 – Matt Riddle
The UFC fighter turned wrestler joined WWE in 2018 and became an incredibly popular mid-card act in the WWE. After his pairing with Randy Orton ended with “The Viper” getting put on the shelf, it looked as if he was primed to be a main eventer. Real life controversies and general unprofessional behavior got in the way and he was fired from WWE in 2023. He’s popped up in a few places since, but hasn’t gotten close to the heights he was reaching before. He’s currently in MLW.
2017 – Katsuya Kitamura
Kitamura was one of the more unique looking young lions in NJPW, mainly due to his massive size, and was touted as the most promising of his class. He won the Young Lions Cup in 2017 but suffered a cerebral concussion that ended his career in 2018, quietly leaving New Japan in 2019. In 2022, he was tragically found dead at the age of 36 with no cause ever being publicly released.
2018 – Ronda Rousey
Rousey was the first female UFC fighter signed to the company and one of the big faces of MMA at her peak. She made her long awaited debut at WrestleMania 34, which may have been her peak as a wrestler. She quickly went on to become one of the most polarizing, if not downright hated, wrestlers for multiple reasons, both in and out of the ring.
However, she did manage to boast an impressive resume as a multi-time women’s champion and one of the first women to main event WrestleMania, but her star faded in her second run. She left WWE in 2023 and quietly retired in 2025.
2019 – Jungle Boy/Jack Perry
Son of late actor Luke Perry and nephew of famed Simpsons character Krusty the Clown, Jack Perry joined AEW as one of its young prospects. Seeing early success alongside Luchasaurus (and Marko Stunt) as Jurassic Express, his heel run was not perceived as well. After mocking CM Punk on the Zero Hour to All In in 2023 about an incident involving “real glass,” the two got into a legit fight backstage.
Perry was suspended but used his heat to become the Scapegoat character, joining The Elite and winning the TNT Championship. After a lengthy absence, he returned, turned face, and reunited with Luchasaurus. He also was an injury sub for this last year’s Continental Classic.
2020 – Pat McAfee
Not a wrestler in the traditional sense, McAfee is mostly known as an NFL punter turned sports analyst with The Pat McAfee Show as one of the most popular sports talk shows today. He joined WWE in 2019 to become an analyst, but he also had a feud with Adam Cole in NXT where he had an impressive debut match.
He’s mostly known to wrestling fans today as one of the most polarizing commentators of all time. Pat is a guy you either really love or really hate. He still wrestles occasionally with matches at WrestleMania’s 38 and 39, SummerSlam 2022, and last year’s Backlash.
2021 – Jade Cargill
Cargill was primed to be a major star in AEW right out of the gate, becoming the inaugural TBS Champion. She held the title for 373 days, boasting a 60-0 win streak at the same time. She left the company in 2023, joining WWE as a “monumental signing” for them.
Her initial run was used to strengthen up the women’s tag division alongside Bianca Belair to mixed results. A 2025 turn led to her becoming the WWE Women’s Champion as a dominant heel where she stands today.
2022 – Bron Breakker
Son and nephew to Rick and Scott Steiner, respectively, Bron burst on the scene with insane momentum. His skills as a performer as well as his intensity led to him winning the NXT championship four months after his debut, ultimately becoming the top star for the brand.
On the main roster, it’s already clear he is being primed to become the future of the company. A two-time Intercontinental Champion and a member of The Vision, Breakker scored the deciding fall in WarGames by pinning WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk.
Despite losing to Punk on the first Raw of 2025, Breakker has perhaps the brightest future of anyone else on this list.
2023 – Yuma Anzai
A very hot prospect in the Japanese wrestling scene, Anzai won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in 2024, becoming the youngest to do so at the age of 24. He continues to wrestle in All Japan today, so we’ll just have to see what’s in store for him in the future.
2024 – Je’Von Evans
Signing with WWE in 2023 at the age of 19, Evans has already become one of the most impressive and popular prospects in the company today. He has essentially become WWE’s go to guy for crossovers, competing in AAA, TNA, on SmackDown, and most recently on Raw as the sole NXT rep in John Cena’s Last Time is Now tournament. He was officially called up to Raw last week.
Who will be this year’s WON Rookie of the Year? Find out soon.
Dave Meltzer and I are back with the Friday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about the big news from today’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Post Wrestling’s John Pollock also joined us to go over his 2025 WON Awards ballot.
Dave Meltzer and I are back with the Friday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Dave Meltzer also recaps the week’s biggest news stories including the latest in the Janel Grant/Vince McMahon case, AEW heading to Australia for the first time, all kinds of WWE news and tons more.
The new issue of the Observer is an in-depth story on the fall of Vince McMahon. We go through all aspects of the story and have reactions from many people on subjects not talked about including feelings of different wrestlers, how this departure was different from the first McMahon departure, John Laurinaitis, Brock Lesnar, Stephanie McMahon, Ari Emanuel, Paul Levesque, Ann Callis and why she may end up a major figure in wrestling and this story going forward and much more. It’s a timeline in detail and what the timeline opens up.
The John Laurinaitis story
More questions on Ari Emanuel’s decision
Paul Levesque’s performance
Shawn Michaels reaction
Reaction from several in the business
Why Vince McMahon apparently stopped payments
Who is Ann Callis and why is she so important to this story
The insurance angle
The original investigation
The timeline of Stephanie McMahon
The various allegations and settlements
Members of the board leaving
Vince’s power play to return
Dwayne Johnson and Pat McAfee
Vince’s background
Full Royal Rumble coverage
Rumble surprises and debuts
WrestleMania original lineup and what is changing
Rumble records
Business numbers
Rock vs. Roman update
The most detailed look at the ratings over the past week
New streaming channel for a promotion that is getting criticized due to price
Okada and Mercedes updates
Anniversary show for one of the most important cultural matches in history
Top matches of 2023
TNA PPV update
AEW valuation
Upcoming ticket sales for the major WWE & AEW shows
International TV ratings and streaming numbers
Update on MJF
Which company has the highest current injury rate, AEW or WWE?
Jericho Cruise notes
Conor McGregor update
TV announcer talks his frustrations with social media
Documentary on MAX about a UFC fighter about to be released
Bryan and I will be back tonight with more Wrestling Observer Radio, talking the fallout from Raw, and a lot more on the Stardom situation as well as the rest of the news.
We’re looking for your thoughts on both the NXT Vengeance Day show and the Stardom 13th anniversary show from yesterday. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
For those of you who want to fill out ballots for the 2023 awards, our balloting deadline is Thursday. The January 29th issue on the site has all the categories listed. The awards balloting is only open to subscribers.
The 0.74 that Smackdown did Friday night with Dwayne Johnson on the show may end up being a first in pro wrestling history. While we don’t have the weekend numbers in, among all network broadcasts from Monday through Friday, that was the highest rating of the week. Never before in history has a pro wrestling show ever been No. 1 for the week in network television.
Tonight will probably do a big number for Raw with all the controversy over the Roman Reigns vs. Rock match. The controversy has gotten ridiculous, particularly in the reaction to Ava, as harassing her to begin with, past booing her at matches which is a fan’s prerogative, is just an ugly situation. Granted no thinking person condones the death threats and obviously it’s not representative of the fan base, but it gives the general public the worst perception possible of the fan base.
Raw tonight is in St. Louis. It had 9,764 tickets out, which was a major jump in the last few days stemming from Friday’s show. So that should be interesting but the idea that anything going on in the last few days will keep people from attending, it looks to be the opposite. They will have to talk about The Rock, and it looks like continuing angles where both Raw and Smackdown are trying to get Bron Breakker and Jade Cargill. Matches announced are Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Cody Rhodes in a bullrope match, Asuka & Kairi Sane defend the women’s tag titles against Kayden Carter & Katana Chance, Gunther has a 600 day celebration as IC champion, Akira Tozawa & Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivar & Valhalla.
We’re looking for reports from the show with any live reaction, as well as results of the Main Event matches and off-TV stuff to [email protected]
Rossy Ogawa confirmed that he was planning on starting a new promotion. He said he was completely surprised at what happened after the 13th anniversary show yesterday in Osaka. Ogawa was fired and sent home in a taxi right after posing in the ring with the entire roster at the end of the 13th anniversary show. Ogawa said that he gave notice in November. Taro Okada of Bushiroad said that they told Ogawa not to poach talent and continued to do so. Regarding rumors of WWE involvement, there is none at this point. As noted last night, WWE did contact Ogawa and Bushiroad in December about working with them, at first figuring they were one and the same. From those close to the situation, Ogawa wants to run a company with no interference and Bushiroad overruled him on key things so he wanted to leave. Ogawa wants to run and own his own promotion with no outside entity overruling him, and that wouldn’t be the case with WWE. As far as if WWE could make a deal with them, of course that’s possible. But WWE probably wants to work with the No. 1 women’s promotion, and until we see the fallout of who goes where, nobody knows what that will be, but from a financial standpoint Stardom is going to be the one with more money.
Yuya Uemura will face Yota Tsuji in a hair vs. hair match on 2/24 in Sapporo, which is also the night of Kazuchika Okada’s final match with New Japan. At today’s show in Korakuen Hall in the team challenge with LIJ vs. Just Five Guys, it came down to Tsuji vs Uemura in a no time limit match and Tsuji came out the winner. The night before, Uemura tapped out Tsuji in a ten-man tag match.
There are some tickets available but very few for the 5/3 Smackdown and 5/4 Backlash PPV event from Lyon, France.
The start time of both nights of WrestleMania was moved up again, now to 6:30 p.m. It was originally 8 p.m., then moved to 7 p.m.
Best wishes to Jim Ross, covering from another surgery.
It was 40 years ago today when El Santo passed away due to heart failure at the age of 68. Santo is likely the biggest cultural icon ever to come out of pro wrestling in a major wrestling country as a famous movie star and the biggest wrestling star in history from Mexico.
Orange Cassidy faces Tomohiro Ishii on Collision this coming Saturday for the International title.
Phil De Fries, the KSW heavyweight champion (Poland’s top MMA group) will face Josh Barnett in a submission match (real submission match) on 2/24 in Gilwice, Poland.
There is definitely a women’s Chamber match on 2/24 where the winner faces Rhea Ripley for the title. Becky Lynch is the obvious favorite. Ripley is likely to defend against Nia Jax on the Australia show. There seems to be no reason to have a men’s Chamber match, but they may come up with a reason.
Diamond Dallas Page is spearheading a Go Fund Me for the family of Harold “Ice Train” Hoag, who passed away last week. They are attempting to raise $50,000 for his family and as of a few hours ago had topped $21,000. Page contributed $10,000, Chris Jericho contributed $5,000 and Mick Foley and Cody Rhodes contributed $1,000. The link.
Thanks to JT Elliott and Shannon Walsh for the reports from the weekend WWE events.
Michael Venom Page makes his UFC debut on 3/9 at UFC 2999 against Kevin Holland.
Bully Boy Ian Muir who also wrestled as Bruiser Ian Muir, passed away recently. Muir was a noted U.K. wrestler who was a frequent opponent of Big Daddy, wrestling from the mid-70s to late 80s. He was also in several television shows, movies and television commercials. He was a well respected and popular wrestler among his peers. Muir was 81 (thanks to Tony Earnshaw)
PFL announced the first of eight Bellator shows this year will be on 3/22 in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the SSE Arena. Corey Anderson defends the Bellator light heavyweight title against Karl Moore of Belfast in the main event. Leah McCourt of Belast faces Sinead Kavanagh. The Bellator shows will air live on DAZN as well as on a U.S. broadcast partner.
The UFL, which Dwayne Johnson would be a 16 percent owner of, will have 10 games on ABC, 10 games on ESPN, 21 games on FOX, one on FS 1 and one on ESPN 2 this season.
Nikki Cross is training to run the New York Marathon in November to raise money for children’s Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
The NWA debuts on the CW app tomorrow with the fist NWA Powerr show with EC 3 vs Matt Cardona in the Ultimate Match of death, tag champs Blunt Force Trauma defend against Tim Storm & Jax Dane and women’s champion Kenzie Paige faces Tiffany Nieves.
Figure Four Daily with Lance Storm and I is back with tons to talk about including Lance’s heart issue that led to him being in the hospital Tuesday, thoughts on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Booker of the Year category, and an alternate Sami Zayn WrestleMania plan.
Dave Meltzer and I are back for a new Wrestling Observer Radio going over all the news in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with a deep dive into the 2022 WON Awards.
We also talked about the following:
Current WrestleMania plans and the leader in the clubhouse for one of the main events
Kenny Omega’s upcoming free agency
AEW Dynamite ratings
Keiji Muto’s farewell and if something like that could happen in the US
Tony Khan vs. Ariel Helwani
The video version of this show is available for paid video subscribers at video.f4wonline.com.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including Smackdown tonight, tons of ratings notes from AEW and WWE including quarters, Jeff Hardy DUI update, a look at the top winners in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including more on the Cody Rhodes situation, why Bryan thinks WWE needs to push him to the moon, AEW Dynamite recap and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
On this week’s Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and I talk Paul Wight’s move to AEW, Jon Moxley winning the Wrestling Observer Wrestler of the Year award, and a big reason it can be difficult to get characters that aren’t purely babyfaces or heels over with the wrestling audience.
