Daily Update: Alba Fyre, Tony Khan, Taz

Daily Update

Latest News:

• WWE NXT ratings up for Spring Breakin’ go-home show
• NJPW president addresses potential ‘Forbidden Door’ follow-up event in Japan
• Jim Ross working with The Rock’s company to ‘go back and look at the territories’
• WWE intending to run more stadium shows going forward
• WWE partnering with DAZN to promote Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano boxing match

Latest Audio:

• Wrestling Observer Live: Hangman has COVID, Dynamite preview, NXT 2.0 recap, more!
• Speak Now: Everything you need to know for NXT 2.0 this week
• Bryan & Vinny & Craig Show: Granny Wrestling Report plus RAW 20 and more!
• We’re Live, Pal: 20 years of Randy Orton, Becky Lynch comments on AEW’s women’s division

Latest Free YouTube Video:

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: AEW & NJPW announce joint show, Windy City Riot review

• The new issue of the Observer has these stories:
• Forbidden Door PPV and the history of NJPW and AEW going from a cold relationship to running a joint show
• Match of the Week/Performer of the Week
• What people thought of NJPW Windy City Riot
• Part one of looking at February & March business and comparisons with one year ago
• Windy City Riot, the good, the bad and the technical issues
• WrestleMania Backlash and early notes on WWE’s summer stadium shows
• Saturday’s UFC show
• What arena has had more great matches than any other and its 60th anniversary
• Television wrestling viewing over the past week, including comparisons with other sports, head-to-head competition, who watches
• CMLL Universal title tournament
• Stardom Cinderella tournament
• All Japan Champion Carnival tournament
• Update on Kota Ibushi
• Are streaming services plateauing?
• Notes on the biggest indie shows of the past week
• AEW video game news
• Ticket updates and sales for WWE & AEW shows over the next month plus
• International TV ratings
• Dana White talking major fight this summer he’s working on
• Coverage of Bellator’s biggest show of the year and this week’ doubleheader
• How much fighters actually weigh getting into the cage vs. weigh-ins
• Fight of the year talk
• Notes on Kushida leaving WWE
• How WWE first came up with the developmental system and the idea behind it
• Paul Levesque talks developmental
• Steve Austin talks doing future big shows
• Streaming numbers

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter: March 21, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Raw leaving Spike TV, TNA Destination X review

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Wednesday News Update

WWE

• On last night’s NXT, it was officially confirmed that Kay Lee Ray is now going by the name “Alba Fyre.”
• Sami Zayn tweeted that Michael Cole told him that Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania 38 is the most fun he’s had calling a wrestling match: “I love this video. One of the biggest compliments I got about the Wrestlemania match with Johnny Knoxville was Michael Cole, who’s seen & called it all for 25 years, saying it was the most fun he’s had calling a match. He & Pat added so much. What a party.”
• Becky Lynch interviewed Katie Taylor and Bianca Belair interviewed Amanda Serrano ahead of this Saturday’s Taylor vs. Serrano boxing match.
• Cultaholic has an interview with Gunther.
• Byron Saxton guest hosted this morning’s episode of WWE’s The Bump. Omos, MVP, Drew Gulak, and Solo Sikoa were guests on the show.
• MVP tweeted about people who compare Omos to The Great Khali: “If you compare the not so ‘Great’ Khali to the Colossus @TheGiantOmos you’re an idiot of the highest order. I’ve been in the ring with both of them. I’m an expert in this craft. Khali was AWFUL. Omos has HUGE potential. Watch how I move…”
• WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded Edge vs. Kane from Backlash 2004, Big E vs. Bad News Barrett for the Intercontinental title from Extreme Rules 2014, and Randy Orton & Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins & Kane from the April 27, 2015 episode of Raw.

Other Wrestling

• Sports Illustrated reported that top NJPW officials knew about the promo Tony Khan cut on WWE’s Nick Khan last May before it was released, and they encouraged him to do it: “Tony Khan found out about WWE’s interest through his trusted contacts in New Japan, SI learned. New Japan officials stressed to Tony Khan that working with AEW was their priority, especially with the trust they had forged. This led to Tony Khan’s promo directed at Nick Khan last May, when he stated there was only room for one Khan in wrestling – and ‘not some con man from Connecticut.’ Per sources, top NJPW officials knew about the promo before it was released – and encouraged him to do it.”
• Tony Khan will be speaking at Collision Conference in Toronto on Tuesday, June 21: “The professional wrestling industry has undergone many changes over the years, but how can new technology deliver the industry’s most creative period since its heyday in the 1990s? All Elite Wrestling’s CEO, general manager and head of creative, Tony Khan, explains how AEW is revolutionizing the wrestling game.”
• Josh Martinez of Z100 interviewed Khan ahead of tonight’s Dynamite.
• A sit-down with the Jericho Appreciation Society and Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz will take place on Dynamite tonight.
• Taz tweeted that he underwent his first stem cell and platelet-rich plasma treatment on his knee: “First Stem Cell & PRP treatment on this banged up knee….I’m feeling good about how the end result will be!”
• At 11 a.m. next Wednesday, AEW will be streaming a sneak peek of its console video game on Twitch.
• AEW announced its updated roster rankings.
• Stephanie Chase interviewed Adam Cole.
• Eddie Kingston will face Davey Richards at Glory Pro’s Massive Aggression show in St. Louis on Sunday, May 22.
• Max The Impaler will make their NWA debut against Ella Envy at Power Trip 2 this Saturday.
• Ric Flair made an appearance on The Pivot Podcast.
• Booker T and Brad Gilmore’s Hall of Fame radio show is expanding to four nights a week on ESPN 97.5 and ESPN 92.5 in Houston. The one-hour show will air Tuesday through Friday.