Daily Update
Latest News:
WWE Raw live results: World Heavyweight title tournament beginsWorld Heavyweight title tournament matches announced for WWE RawSmackDown ratings down big following WWE DraftAEW Rampage viewership down slightly, 18-49 demo rating steadyTrish Stratus appearance set for WWE Raw
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Filthy Four Daily: Smackdown, Backlash, Mike's Harder Sponsorship Snackdown!Wrestling Observer Live: WWE Backlash fallout, RAW World Title Tournament, Darby AllinBryan & Vinny & Craig Show: WWE Backlash 2023!
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This Week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
May 8, 2023 Observer Newsletter: AEW All In ticket sales shattering records, 2023 WWE Draft results
Highlights include:
*Match of the week and performer of the week
*AEW All In sets records, and looking at the biggest crowds in pro wrestling history and how this compares, what we've earned about ticketing, what records are within reach and what records are not, as well as the biggest crowds ever in Europe and a man named Jim Londos.
*Evaluating the WWE draft. We look at the depth charts of both brands, questions being asked, will the brand split really be what they say (of course it won't long run), looking at the NXT talent brought up and more.
*A look at WWE business including heavy quotes from Nick Khan and Paul Levesque on the current state of the business, how much WWE is looking a cutting with the merger with UFC, Khan talks about working under Endeavor.
*Levesque talks the booking of talent
Click Here: Paulo Dybala Jersey Sale
*WrestleMania business notes
*How many people watch Raw or Smackdown on a weekly basis, and the number is far more than you think
*Plans for another major overseas event on hold
*WWE Backlash notes
*Looking at the last three months of wrestling numbers and how it compares with television as a whole
*New Japan Dontaku full coverage as well as the next month of New Japan major shows
*Gable Steveson and others who have done pro wrestling and then gone back to amateur wrestling including the top worker of the 80s who the Olympics banned from competing due to an archaic rule
*Full Saturday UFC coverage
*Pro Wrestling NOAH runs Sumo Hall and the matches and angles
*The most detailed look at pro wrestling ratings, as well s where the changes were, competition and what can be learned from them
*CMLL Champion of Champions tournament
*Major League baseball players go to Arena Mexico
*Unique new idea for running pro wrestling shows explained and talks of it going t the U.S.
*Why a world title recently changed hands
*A new jump that hasn't happened but essentially is about to
*Champion Carnival tournament goes to the finals
*Will Ospreay's future
*70s and 80s star returning to the ring
*Vikingo goes to Australia
*Lots of changes coming to AEW
*Update on plans for the new and revamped AEW television plans
*Hire of Will Washington
*Update on Double or Nothing show
*Lots of competition of AEW next week
*DVR viewership of AEW
*Advance ticket sales for WWE and AEW shows
*Jon Jones talks future
*Lots of new UFC fights
*Bare Knuckle Boxing business notes
*Bare Knuckle MMA shows coming
*More on gold medalist signing with WWE
*Other gold medalists WWE has signed over the years
*WWE star headed to realty competition show
*Injury updates
*Writer talks about the WWE culture
*International TV numbers and streaming numbers
This Week's Retro Observer Newsletter:
March 20, 2006 Observer Newsletter: TNA Impact loses primetime slot, pro wrestling interest decline
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Monday Update
Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer Radio. Among the topic we'll talk about is more on Backlash, as well as Raw, Wembley Stadium and more big matches from the weekend.
Raw is tonight in Jacksonville, FL. They've announced Trish Stratus plus two three-way matches in the world title tournament. There are two three-way matches with Damien Priest vs. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Cody Rhodes vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz. The winners will meet likely in the main event. Brock Lesnar is in Jacksonville as well. Don't know but I could see the idea of him costing Rhodes a shot at the title based on it being a late call for him to be there. There were 8,100 tickets out for the show as of this morning.
The sports competition tonight is New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat NBA playoffs against the first two hours and Warriors vs. Lakers against hour three. The tournament being tonight and the finals likely in hour three would be an attempt to avert what otherwise could be one of the biggest third hour drops in history. The only NHL playoff game tonight is Edmonton vs. Las Vegas, which will hurt Raw in Canada in particular. But if tonight's rating or Wednesday's AEW ratings are low, it is the competition. WWE also may start high coming off a successful PPV show on Saturday.
We're looking for your thoughts on Backlash so you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
On Twitter today we asked people who had seen all the big PPV events of the year what was the best one. First night of Mania, Evolution, Wrestle Kingdom and even Saturday's show got mentions, but the 4/27 Stardom show got far more mentions than anything else. Considering how high quality WWE, AEW and NJPW big shows have been this year, that's saying a lot.
The UFC Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill fight that was supposed to take place this coming Saturday on ABC television in an afternoon time slot, was moved back a week to main event the 5/20 show. The 5/20 show was to have Raquel Pennington vs. Irene Aldana as the main event, but Aldana was pulled from that show to headline the 6/10 PPV show challenging Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight title. Julianna Pena, who was to face Nunes, had to pull out due to rib injuries. One would think Nunes vs. Aldana on top could be among the lowest PPV numbers in years.
New Japan's Best of the Super Juniors tournament starts on Friday. This is the most intense tournament for talent as everyone has nine hard singles matches in a 13 day period. Almost every matchup looks good to great on paper.
Mike Tenay noted that a sports story to watch which is just starting to happen is that several Western teams are pulling out of their deals with the dying RSN's and trying to get television deals for all games with their local market regular television over the air stations. The idea is that with RSN's dying and people cutting back on signing up for cable, that the teams will get more viewers and more local exposure on traditional television. The move to streaming that everyone predicted hasn't materialized because all the money from streaming hasn't been there like they expected with so many streaming platforms so deep in the red to begin with. Since television sports migration and news has to do with the most important pro wrestling and MMA stories as far as the money end goes, this is something to watch out for.
Food for thought. What kind of meltdowns will we see if the Wembley show draws 80,710 or more fans?
Paul Craig, a UFC fighter who just lost in January to Johnny "I'm not Wrestling II" Walker, will make his pro wrestling over this coming weekend for ICW in Glasgow, Scotland. Craig teams with Chris Bungard of Bellator to challenge KOE for the ICW tag team titles.
Mark Long of MTV's The Challenge did a match on 5/7 beating Matt Cardona for Boca Raton Championship Wrestling and Scott Yager's Challenge Mania podcast. Several members of the Challenge cast including Cara Maria, Sorbello, Paulie Calafiore, Tina Bridges, Jonna Mannion and Rachel Robinson were not only at the show but also interfered in the match. Derrick Kosinski of the show stopped Cardona from using a chair and kicked him low. Kosinski was in a Battle Royal earlier in the show.
Other Notes
A correction from yesterday, the Eve tag title change we reported didn't happen. They did a Dusty finish where there was an apparent title change but the match was restarted and the champions retained the titles.
Lucha Detroit from Friday night in Detroit: El Dragon b N8 Mattson, Mark Wheeler won three-way over Jody Threat and Dickie Bronson, Aero Boy b Alex Shelley, Karam b Gavin Quinn-DQ, Zach Gowen & Gregory Iron b Shane Sabre & Joe Demaro, Mil Muertes b Ren Jones (thanks to Leonard Brand)
Combat 1 Wrestling from Friday night in Waterford Township, MI: Sodapop Hendrix b Bret the Threat, KJ Reynolds & Matthew Grant b Dread King Logan & Zach Thomas-DQ, Jason Hotch b Nate Bock, Jackson Stone b Hernandez, Su Yung b Krystal Moo, Laredo Kid b Black Taurus (thanks to Leonard Brand)
CJ Perry (Lana) was at Backlash but she was just there visiting friends.
Both Abdullah the Butcher an Larry Zbyszko will be making appearances on the 5/20 AIW show in Eastlake, OH at Force Sports.
Roderick Strong vs. Mike Bailey was announced for the 7/1 Pro Wrestling Revolver Cage of Horrors show that will air on FITE +.