Daily Update: Bryan Danielson, WWE ticket prices, big weekend

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • Some of the highlights in this issue:
  • Thoughts on the Cung Le lawsuit settlement, and meaningful changes in business and what this closes the door on in MMA
  • Why TKO paid $335 million and considered this as a win
  • Why the stock market thought the same
  • UFC & WWE financials
  • Changes in television and Smackdown plans going forward
  • The crazy story of WWE losing more money in this quarter than they made in virtually any year of its existence and multiples of the total losses of AEW since its inception and why there is nothing to worry about
  • How the interest on loans for TKO alone is more than WWE ever made  until the Austin era
  • Complete coverage of WWE Backlash
  • The business numbers both good and bad
  • Notes from the French crowd
  • Next year’s WrestleMania
  • A look at the departures of Gable Steveson and Drew Gulak Ric Flair talks heart attack
  • Saudi Arabia getting more traction in WWE & UFC business
  • New Japan Dontaku coverage
  • UFC 301 coverage
  • Final Dark Side of the Ring episode on Black Saturday looked at
  • Coverage of three other major shows this week
  • Next TripleMania show
  • Arena Mexico heats up
  • Champion Carnival coverage
  • International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Ric Flair incident
  • MLW looking at expanding into new markets
  • Wrestler song makes U.K. charts
  • NBA rights and how this affects AEW
  • Chuck Taylor career legit in jeopardy
  • Update on Double or Nothing
  • Advance ticket sales for AEW & WWE upcoming shows
  • Art Jimmerson remembered
  • Canelo Alvarez along with WWE, AEW  and TNA PPV number updates
  • Janel Grant lawsuit update
  • More WWE notes from Ronda Rousey
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers

Friday Update

  • Garrett and I did a  long show today, talking with Jim Ross about a lot of history as well as AEW, Vince McMahon, Bill Watts, Danny Hodge and other subjects plus we also talked about pro wrestling and the media, social media and plight of wrestlers in the media as well as Nick Khan, Netflix and other subjects. Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night talking the NJPW PPV show, Smackdown and AEW Collision & Rampage.
  • This is a very interesting interview with Bryan Danielson on TSN from tonight talking about nuclear physicists, historians, hockey fans, the greatest Canadian wrestler of all-time and why he thinks people will be mad at his answer, and young wrestlers in AEW
  • Two matches not announced tomorrow night’s AEW show are Will Ospreay vs. Lee Moriarty with Roderick Strong on commentary, and Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Top Flight.
  • The BBC ran a story on the high ticket prices for Clash at the Castle. Basically this is the law of supply & demand.  If people don’t buy tickets at these prices, the prices will go down.  If they do, they will go up.  Of late, people have been buying them.
  • This clip of Lucas Charpiot from the John Pollock & Brandon Thurston show yesterday has caused a lot of comments.  I actually talked a ton about it on today’s show.
  • The Best of the Super Juniors tournament starts tonight at 3 a.m. Easter from Chiba:
  • Dragon Dia vs. Francesco Akira
  • Bushi vs. Hayata
  • Ninja Mack vs. Robbie Eagles
  • Kosei Fujita vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Sho vs. Drilla Moloney
  • Clark Connors vs. Blake Christiab
  • Taiji Ishimori vs. Douki
  • TJP vs. Kevin Knight
  • Hiromu Takahashi vs. Kushida
  • Titan vs. El Desperado
  • We’re looking for reports from these shows:
  • WWE tonight in Wilkes-Barre (dark matches only)
  • NXT tonight in Lakeland, Fl
  • AEW TV tapings tomorrow night in Vancouver, BC  (only matches not on live TV)
  • WWE house show tomorrow night in Chattanooga, TN
  • NXT house show tomorrow night in Gainesville, FL
  • WWE house show Sunday night in  Macon, GA
  • We’re looking for results, finishes and highlights to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • We’re also doing a poll on New Japan Resurgence tomorrow night in Ontario, CA, thumbs up, down or middle, best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • UFC runs from 4-10  p.m. Eastern  on ESPN  and ESPN+ tomorrow from  St. Louis:
  • JJ Aldrich (125.25) vs. Veronica Hardy (126)
  • Charles Johnson (125.5) vs. Jake Hadley (125)
  • Billy Goff (170.25) vs. Trey Waters (170)
  • Tabatha Ricci (115) vs Tecia Pennington (115)
  • Terrance McKinney (155.25) vs. Esteban Ribovics (155)
  • Chase Hooper (155) vs. Vlacheslav Borshchev (155)
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta (262) vs. Robelis Despaigne (262.5)
  • Alex Caceres (145) vs. Sean Woodson (145)
  • Diego Ferreira (155) vs. Mateusz Rebecki (155.25)
  • Alonzo Menifield (205.5) vs. Carlos Ulberg (205)
  • Joaquin Buckley (170) vs,. Nursulton Ruziboev (170.25)
  • Derrick Lewis (264) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (265)
  • The Jared Gooden vs Kevin Jousset fight was canceled when Gooden didn’t weigh in  due to a medical issue.
  • MLW and CMLL will be participating in Mexican Family Day tomorrow at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.  The wrestlers will be at the charity event before the Triller show that starts at 10 p.m. tomorrow night  from Cicero Stadium.
  • Arena Mexico tonight features  Templario vs.  Flip Gordon for the CMLL middleweight title and Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr. & Esfinge vs. Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja & Hechicero.
  • Two new matches have been announced for Fantastica Mania UK on 5/19.  For the noon show, they’ve added Michael Oku & Zozaya vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Angel de Oro and for the 6 p.m. show it’s Oku vs. Ultimo  Guerrero for the British title.
  • Insane Wrestling Revolution from Wednesday night in Oak Harbor, OH:    Kenny Urban & Rod Lee b Benjamin Boone & BJ Fury, Shelly Benson won over Zoey Skye & Kayla Kasidym, Saint Brothers b Gold Standard, Sam Beale & Ox, The Eh Team ad Alienated Youth, Buckeye Sam b Connor Knox, Jason Hotch b Jake Something-COR, Dread King Logan b Kaam Ace Austin b Madman Fulton, Trey Miguel  & Myron Reed b KJ Reynolds & Ryan Matthias, PCO b Papa Dingo, Rhino b Thom Latimer in a cage match (thanks to Leonard Brand)
  • On tonight’s broadcast of FC Cincinnati Weekly on WCPO-TV,  they aired footage of Angelo Dawkins pulling out a sword in a stone at the FC Cincinnati Major League Soccer gam  The show’s host mistakenly identified him as Orlando Dawkins (thanks to Brian Henke)
  • Dakota Runnels, the daughter of Dustin & Terri Runnels, lost her horse today as it was struck by lightning.
  • Dave Bautista is set to play Beowulf in the movie Gendel, a live-action movie from the Jim Henson Company.
  • TNA has announced Jordynne Grace vs Marti Belle and Joe Hendry vs. Eddie Edwards for TV tapings next weekend in  Newport, KY.
  • Mike Santana vs. Matt  Riddle for the House of  Glory title headlines 5/24 for House of Glory at the NYC Arena.
  • There is a Jerry Lawler celebration tomorrow night in Evansville, IN  featuring Austin Idol, Mick Foley, Bill Dundee,  The Hardys, The Steiers, Ron Simmons, Jimmy Valiant and Lex Luger.
  • Roman Dolidze vs Michel Pereira has been added to the 6/8 UFC show in Louisville, KY.
  • A Dana White video  has led to a FedEx driver losing his job.  White was driving around and filmed a FedEx employee throwing packages into the back of a truck.  White then said, “FedEx, we’ll get your shit there, but we’ll f***  it up.”   TMZ contacted FedEx who noted that they’ve fired the driver.