Daily Update: Bob Uecker, John Cena Roku series, Toni Storm
Daily Update
Latest News
- John Cena would like to star in action-comedy movie with CM Punk
- WWE & TNA sign multi-year deal to continue partnership
- WWE Hall of Famer, baseball legend Bob Uecker passes away at 90
- Anthony Henry gives update on recovery from biceps surgery
- Matt Hardy could see The Hardys wrestling WWE match in 2025
- Ring of Honor TV spoilers from Cincinnati
- Tanahashi vs. Takeshita official for NJPW Windy City Riot
- Okada vs. Ishii title match added to AEW Collision Maximum Carnage
- AEW reveals broadcast plans for Grand Slam Australia
- Cope vs. PAC announced for next AEW Dynamite
Latest Audio
- WOL: WWE-TNA pact, Dynamite thoughts, more
- WOR: McMahon/Grant, Dynamite, Corey Graves, NXT
- After Dark: Steve Stockton on strange things in the woods
Latest Free YouTube Video
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The highlights of the issue:
- The WrestleMania direction
- First WWE show on Netflix
- John Cena, The Rock, Undertaker and more and what things on the show garnered the most interest
- Businessnotes on the show
- Positives, negatives and goals of the show
- How the show did on Netflix and deciphering what the different numbers mean
- How advertising works comparing television vs. streaming
- Hulk Hogan reaction
- Changes on the show
- Run time change
- TKO looking at getting into the boxing business with Saudi Arabia
- Kenny Omega returns for the Tokyo Dome show
- In depth on New Japan business concerns and Bushiroad CEO Takaaki Kidani speaks on a number of issues
- The business of the two Dome shows
- Takaaki Kidani talks about his thoughts about a future WrestleDynasty show
- Zack Sabre Jr. does something unprecedented and a list of all non-Japanese who have won an NJPW Tokyo Dome main event
- The Chris Charlton story in depth
- Did the injury to Douki change the finish?
- Where do Young Bucks rank among most world tag team title reigns in history
- A look at the career of the late Rick “Hangman” Harris/Black Bart
- Who had the most four star matches of 2024 and the most in history
- Who has the most of the top 250 matches of all-time on Cagematch
- Explaining how ratings are changing and how to reevaulate numbers
- How many homes have access to the different services
- Quality of watching on MAX vs. TBS
- Tourist board putting on a major international show
- Another big business week for CMLL
- New Year’s Dash notes
- Notes on the next major New Japan shows
- New Japan bodybuilding contest
- The death of Gilbert Cesca, one of the best technical wrestlers that you never heard of
- Germany has a prime time major celebrity wrestling show featuring Claudio Castagnoli
- Malakai Black news
- Ticket advances for WWE & AEW shows
- Streaming numbers and International TV ratings
- How did TNA debut on SportsNet in Canada
- GFL announces lots of women stars’
- Paul Levesque talks planning WrestleMania and The Rock
- Update on Bill Goldberg
- Nick Khan and Dwayne Johnson stock transactions this week
- How much does WWE help the USA Network
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue
Thursday Update
WWE
- WWE posted a tribute to baseball legend Bob Uecker following his death today at 90 years old: “WWE is saddened to learn that legendary baseball play-by-play announcer and WWE Hall of Famer Robert George ‘Bob’ Uecker has passed away. WWE extends its condolences to Uecker’s family, friends and fans.”
- Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted about Uecker’s passing: “One of the most entertaining voices ever…and an even better person. Rest in peace to a @WWE Legend, Hall of Famer, and great friend.”
- Levesque also commented on the official multi-year partnership that WWE & TNA Wrestling announced today: “Massive news for everyone. @WWE, @ThisIsTNA, and, most importantly, fans around the world. This valuable partnership will help prepare both companies for the next generation of this industry.”
- Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins were in attendance at last night’s Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat NBA game in LA.
- The Roku Channel uploaded the trailer for John Cena’s new “What Drives You” series. Logan Paul and The Miz are each set to appear as guests on the show, which premieres on Tuesday, January 21. Here is the description: “John Cena fuels his two biggest passions, cars and connecting with people, by spending time with today’s most successful celebrities and talking about what drives them—on the road and in their hearts.”
- Kevin Owens is featured on a new episode of the WWE digital series Tattooed.
AEW/Other Wrestling
- The Takedown has an in-character interview with Toni Storm following her Casino Gauntlet Match victory on Dynamite last night. Storm, whose storyline is that she has amnesia and believes she’s a rookie, spoke about the support she has received from the AEW fans:
- I’m amazed with how fast everything’s happened. I’ve only been here just over a month and everyone’s been so welcoming. People just keep treating me so well, and the applause, I can’t get over it. It’s like they’ve known me my whole life. It just blows my mind. I can’t believe the support of AEW fans and the people backstage.
- Storm and AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May are set to face off in a rematch for the title next month at Grand Slam Australia. Storm said about May:
- Best in the business today. She’s the real deal. I’m not gonna lie, I’m super intimidated.
- I hope I get an opportunity to show some respect. I hope she doesn’t think I’m rude for not coming and saying hello. I’ve never really met a star so big before and I’m just such a huge fan of her work. I’ve seen stuff she’s done since Stardom. I mean, it’s just insane. I just wanna be like her. I wanna follow in her footsteps.
- AEW shared separate videos of Storm (2024 Woman of the Year) and May (2024 Most Improved Wrestler of the Year) accepting awards from Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Staying in character, Storm was confused why she won despite only having a couple of matches.
- PWInsider reports that Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling boss Scott D’Amore was backstage at Dynamite last night in Cincinnati.
- MVP tweeted after having his first AEW match on Dynamite: “Thank you! To all of you sending me positive messages regarding my match last night. I had a blast and felt really good. To those of you with the negative comments, have a mediocre day!”
- Maki Itoh has been added to the multi-person DLC (Doors, Ladders & Chairs) match that’s taking place at GCW’s Hammerstein Ballroom event this Sunday. It is now for both the vacant GCW Ultraviolent Championship and Itoh’s Extreme Championship. Itoh, Rina Yamashita, Matt Tremont, Brandon Kirk, Matthew Justice, Drew Parker, John Wayne Murdoch, and Dr. Redacted are the participants.
- MLW announced Donovan Dijak vs. Tom Lawlor for SuperFight 2025, which is being held at Center Stage in Atlanta on Saturday, February 8.
- CJ Perry (the former Lana) posted that she underwent surgery yesterday: “Made it out of surgery. Thank you all.” Earlier in the week, Perry wrote that she was safe in Los Angeles amid the wildfires and had been volunteering for the past three days. Perry said she could not leave the city because she was in the middle of a very important medical procedure.
- Paul Walter Hauser will face Steve Maclin in a street fight for Wrestling Revolver in Indianapolis on Friday, January 31.
- The Battleground Podcast interviewed Tessa Blanchard.