Daily Update: WWE SmackDown number, ROH taping, Dana White
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This Week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
In this issue:
Match of the week and performer of the week
Full Double or Nothing coverage
All the business notes on the show
How the show did on PPV and in theaters
Tony Khan's goals for Collision
More on the new AEW TV deal with WBD
Where All In 2023 stands on the biggest crowds and gates in wrestling history
Tony Khan talks Bill Goldberg
Bryan Danielson talks AEW creative
Matt Jackson on coming back so quickly from a muscle tear, the stunts in the match, how preparation was less than last year and why
The latest Bloodline saga
Business notes on Night of Champions and how AEW/WWE crossover viewership changed this past weekend from the past
How comparisons of big event interest changed greatly
Best of the Super Juniors finals, Dominion and All Together Now, a look at the big events in Japan
NXT Battleground coverage
One of the longest lasting wrestling promoters who ever lived, Brian Dixon, passes away at 74
Stardom has World & Wonder of Stardom champions face off on PPV show and where this leads
Two future stars leave two different promotions this past week
Will Ospreay talks future
New Japan President Takami Ohbari talks the state of the business, how close the company was to being in real trouble, and how they've had to change the business
Billy Graham funeral notes
Bobo Brazil day and a look at the iconic figure
Advance ticket sales for all upcoming WWE and AEW shows
Streaming and international TV numbers
Records at stake in UFC fights this week
International promotion looking at crowd of 50,000 for a show tomorrow
WWE's arguments to get MLW lawsuit dismissed
Injury updates
WWE market value
Two people under WWE deals are one week away from competing for a sports world championship shot
Merch updates
This Week's Retro Observer Newsletter:
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Bryan and I will be back with the weekend news and notes with Wrestling Observer Radio late tonight. You can send questions for tonight's show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
I usually don't worry about overnight numbers since the final numbers will be coming in tomorrow, but Smackdown on Friday did 2.46 million viewers with an 0.68 in 18-49 and 0.48 in 18-34 which are enormous and the final numbers almost always end up higher. Basically out of every 11 homes watching TV between 8-10 p.m. Friday night, one was watching Smackdown and the numbers for men would be far higher. Obviously the draw was the Roman Reigns celebration for 1,000 days as champion because from a match standpoint there was nothing that was going to pull a number that large.
Just a note regarding today's ROH tapings. They did a storyline where Stokely Hathaway and Jerry Lynn are the new authority figures in ROH and members of the Board of Directors. Some have seen that as thinking they are booking ROH in real life, which is as it will be presented on the shows. But they are just storyline characters, Hathaway as a heel and Lynn to balance him out as a face. Tony Khan just wanted to utilize Hathaway in a new role on television where he's doing all kinds of heel things like making it unfair to faces and wanting to ban all Luchadores. Khan is still the head booker for all AEW and ROH shows. Khan was also a character on the tapings.
Dana White last night after the UFC show was asked about Tyson Fury vs. Jon Jones. It's the same old story. Fury was mad that Joe Rogan said that in a real fight that Jones would beat Fury. Fury wanted a fight with Jones. Jones accepted and then Fury said only under boxing rules. White said that if Fury wants a real fight, they'd put it together and said that Jones was the baddest man on the planet. But we already know Fury won't be fighting Jones under MMA rules. White pushed again the idea of finding out who the baddest man on the planet is.
We're looking for reports from tonight's WWE show in Manchester, NH with results, finishes and highlights to dave@wrestlingobserver.com Not including walk-up ticket sales for tonight's show were up 43 percent from the last time in the same building in August, which again shows how hot WWE has become over the past year,.
Thanks to Shannon Walsh, Mike Omansky, Geoff Blough, Peter Bard, Dave Molesevich, Brad Burnaford, Matthew Hardaway, Mike Consani, Jon Ezell and others for the reports from the WWE and AEW weekend shows.
Our only weekend poll is on today's NJPW Dominion, which was loaded with news including Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay both likely at Forbidden Door on 6/25. Plus Eddie Kingston and Kaito Kiyomiya are in G-1 this year. For today's show you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
The MTA in New York released a report saying that Penn Station and Madison Square Garden are no longer compatible together. The release of the report was hoped to encourage MSG owner James Dolan to make service improvements underground as city officials decide whether MSG can remain on top of Penn Station. The City Planning Commission will have a hearing on this on Wednesday. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)
Another story that has been heavily talked about is that paternity tests have shown that Stan Lane, the former Fabulous Ones and Midnight Express star, is not the father of Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. Boebert's mother had claimed Lane as the father dating back to the 80s. Lane and Boebert both agreed to take new DNA tests. Boebert said, "I can confirm that Stan Lane is not my biological father. I personally have never publicly claimed he was my father, but certainly that allegation is out there." It was claimed that the test that cleared Lane years ago was fraudulent because a lab worker who took Lane's sample years ago was convicted of taking a bribe to switch vials. The Daily Beast reviewed the test results and confirmed what Boebert and Lane had claimed.
If there is a game six of the Stanley Cup finals on 6/16, the Rampage show is tentatively scheduled to air before the game at 6 p.m. Eastern If there is no game six, it will air in its usual 10 p.m. time slot. (thanks to David Wolf)
The WWE house show last night in White Plains, NY was a legit sellout:
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn b Viking Raiders to keep the tag titles when Zayn pinned Erik with the Helluva kick
Rhea Ripley b Natalya with the prism lock to keep the Smackdown women's title
Austin Theory b Sheamus using the ropes to keep the U.S. title
Gunther won four-way to keep the IC title over Shinsuke Nakamura, Matt Riddle and Damien Priest in a great match over Nakamura
Cody Rhodes b Finn Balor in a street fight with a Cross Rhodes through a table.
Bianca Belair & Becky Lynch b Bayley & Io Sky
Usos b Ridge Holland & Butch by pinning Butch. Usos worked as heels since the crowd totally cheered them.
Seth Rollins b Miz to keep world title (thanks to Mike Omansky and Mike Consani)
As far as things that trended on Google this past week, the only pro wrestling, boxing or MMA item that trended was yesterday's UFC which was of a few hours ago was the No. 1 most searched for item of the last two days with 200,000 searches. I think that may have to do with the main event decision with Amir Albazi winning a split decision over Kai Kara-France in the main event. People were very upset about that one, and it was on ESPN live rather than just streaming.
In last night's Albazi vs. Kara-France main event, judge Mike Bell gave Albazi rounds two and three and France rounds one, four and five. Sal D'Amato gave Albazi the first three rounds and France four and five. Chris Lee gave Albazi rounds two, three and four and France one and five. Media scores were 90 percent for France according to MMA Decisions.
The other split decision, where Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos beat Abubakar Nurmagomedov, saw Zaleski win on two of the three cards and 82 percent of media scores.
Announced for Raw tomorrow includes adding Cody Rhodes on Miz TV and Seth Rollins in an open challenge for the world heavyweight title. The NBA playoffs aren't on tomorrow as game three is Wednesday against Dynamite, which probably means a lower rating than usual for that show. There is the Florida Panthers vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights game two of the NHL Stanley Cup finals head-to-head with Raw.
Best wishes to The Cubs Fan. We miss your stuff and hope all is well.
Nothing new on A&E tonight from WWE as instead they are airing A&E Biographies from the Iron Sheik at 8 p.m. and Steve Austin at 10 p.m.
For All In weekend in London, Choco Pro Wrestling, a Japanese women's promotion that several of the AEW talent had worked for, has added a 2 p.m. Saturday show at the Yard Theater in Hackney Wick, about a ten minute walk from the Copper Box Arena which has Shingo Takagi vs Will Ospreay for the 6:30 p.m. RevPro show. Pro Wrestling Eve and Choco Pro have a joint show at 9 p.m. at The Dome at Tuffnell Park, which is near the Electric Ballroom where Progress is wrestling.
FITE TV is airing night two of the Crockett Cup from Winston-Salem, NC tonight. The quarterfinals are Mecha Wolf 450 & Bestia 666 vs. Blunt Force Trauma, Mike Knox & Trevor Murdoch vs. Ricky & Kerry Morton, Tyrus & Chris Masters vs. JR Kratos & Odinson and Yabo the Clown & Ruffo the Clown vs. Myzteziz Jr. & Octagon Jr. Kamille defends the NWA women's title against Natalia Markova, plus Kenzie Paige defends the women's TV title and there will be a six-way scramble to determine who faces Kerry Morton soon for the NWA jr. heavyweight title.
Defy from last night in Seattle at Washington Hall: Christopher Daniels b Artemis Spencer, Ricky Gibson & Eddie Pearl b Jacky Li & Shareef Morrow, Vert Vixen b Shazza McKenzie to keep the women's title, Rocky Romero & Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas b Judas Icarus & Travis Williams & Evan Rivers, Nicole Matthews b Allie Katch, KENTA b Nick Wayne after a low blow to win the Defy title.
Defy also did a show yesterday afternoon in White Center, WA at the Pride Street Fair: Gibson & Pearl b Franky Duv & Steven Bradley, Rosas b Alan Extreme, Morrow b Casey Ferreria, Danika Diehard retained the Pride medal over Derrick Shaw and Jacky Li, Ashton Sours b Luis Alejandro, Morrow b Frankie Duv, Chhun b Miles Deville, Ferreira b Bradley, Deville b Li, Chhun & Rosas & Diehard b Gibson & Pearl & Derrick Shaw
CWE this week has four shows across Manitoba headlined by Chris Maters.
Source: Figure Four Online
