Daily Update: Bronson Reed, AEW trademarks, MLW

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Friday Update

– Garrett and I will be doing our weekly news in review show today. Bryan and I have our weekend show coming up with a lot of stuff taking place including SmackDown, NXT, AEW Continental Classic tournament and the finals of the New Japan Tag League tournament on Sunday.

– The new issue of the Wrestling Observer is up on the site today:

  • Full coverage of Survivor Series, the show, the business (one record and one surprise) and the future direction.
  • Why the ring boys lawsuit has been put on hold, why it probably had to be that way and the key question that will decide it.
  • A look at Ryan Nemeth’s complaints about AEW and what was going on at the time.
  • A look at NXT Deadline, ROH Final Battle and AEW Worlds End with matches, directions and business numbers.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the TV shows this past week, with a series of scary bad numbers that people don’t know about and others that they do, and what it stays about television
  • Mistico vs. Hechicero, a unique Arena Mexico main event that worked, what it was and why
  • More on AEW stars going to Arena Mexico.
  • Updates on Konnan and El Hijo del Vikingo.
  • Stardom tag team tournament coverage
  • King of Gate tournament coverage
  • All Japan tag team tournament coverage
  • NOAH sets up its 1/1 show
  • New Japan tag team tournament update
  • Best U.S. amateur wrestlers that have gone into pro wrestling
  • Notes on Jim Londos ahead of his biography release
  • TNA looking big when it comes to shows next year
  • Turning Point coverage
  • AEW upcoming show notes
  • Next major rights negotiations going on in 2025
  • Conor McGregor liable for more money in latest case, plus more backlash against him
  • January UFC card announced
  • Two of PFL/Bellator’s champions ask for their release
  • 2024 PFL tournament of champions
  • More on the MMA death in Alberta
  • Giant numbers for boxing match upcoming
  • Major changes for Raw & SmackDown in 2025
  • Dwayne Johnson has huge success outside of wrestling
  • What percentage of UFC, AEW and WWE revenue comes from television
  • International TV ratings

– The New Japan tag team tournament finals are Sunday in Kumamoto with Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Sanada & Gabe Kidd. While the show is Sunday in Japan, it starts at 1 a.m. Eastern Saturday night, basically just as the UFC show will be ending, and 10 p.m. Pacific.  It’s the last major show before the Tokyo Dome so expect a number of angles. They did shoot an angle earlier today where Kenoh came to the show in Sendai and challenged KENTA to a match on 1/1 at Budokan Hall for NOAH.

– What happened in the tag tournament is that with Henare injured, that gave Naito & Takahashi a forfeit win to go 5-2. Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano beat Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste to go to 5-2.  Then Evil & Ren Nartia beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jado to go 5-2. So it ended up in a three team match where Naito pinned Boltin to reach the finals.

– With Henare out with a serious knee injury, Henare & Great O-Khan are vacating IWGP tag titles and their 1/5 match with The Young Bucks at the Tokyo Dome is off. It would be easy to say the winners of the tournament final Sunday should be for the titles but they have not said that.

– SmackDown tonight from Minneapolis has the following lineup announced:

  • WWE Tag Team Champions Motor City Machine Guns defend against The Street Profits
  • Women’s United States title tournament first-round match: Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Elektra Lopez
  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes kicks off the episode

– We’re looking for reports from tonight’s SmackDown show in Minneapolis with the dark matches and anything off television, results, finishes, etc. to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.  They had 7,000 tickets out as of earlier today.

– Our only weekend poll will be for NXT Deadline which is at 7 p.m. Eastern tomorrow from Minneapolis. With all the talk of AEW’s crowds not being good, and they aren’t, sales for both this show and a show in Lowell, MA are very weak and the New Japan shows are weak as well.  Lost in all the AEW is dying is that aside from main roster WWE, everything is way down across the board other than TNA has drawn bigger crowds but Bound for Glory on PPV was down from Slammiversary.

– Bronson Reed is expected to undergo surgery for his ankle injury from Survivor Series.

– UFC 309 takes place tomorrow. The NXT show should end before the UFC PPV starts. It’s from Las Vegas and while no big main event, it’s a deep show.

ESPN+ at 6 p.m. Eastern

  • Kennedy Nzechukwu (236.5) vs. Lukasz Brzeski (234)
  • Chase Hooper (155.5) vs. Clay Guida (155)
  • Michael Chiesa (170.5) vs. Max Griffin (170)
  • Cody Durden (126) vs. Joshua Van (126)
  • Chris Weidman (194.5) vs. Eryk Anders (193)

ESPN2, FX and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. Eastern

  • Randy Brown (171) vs. Bryan Battle (175) – After all that talk he missed by four pounds
  • Aljamain Sterling (145.5) vs. Movsar Evolev (145.5)
  • Vicente Luque (170.5) vs. Themba Gorimob (171)
  • Dominik Reyes (205) vs. Anthony Smith (207.5) – Smith missed by 1.5 pounds.

PPV at 10 p.m.

  • Nate Landwehr (145.5) vs  Doo Ho Choi (146)
  • Bryce Mitchell (146) vs  Kron Gracie (144.5) – Rickson’s son
  • Cyril Gane (245.5) vs. Alexander Volkov (254.5)
  • Shavkat Rakhmonov (171) vs. Ian Machado Garry (171)
  • Alexandre Pantoja (124.5) vs. Kai Asakura (124.5) for UFC flyweight title

– The Fighters Only World MMA awards took place last night in Las Vegas. Some key winners:

  • Lifetime Achievement: Mark Coleman
  • Charles Mask Lewis Fighter of the Year: Alex Pereira
  • Woman Fighter of the Year: Zhang Weili
  • Fight of the Year: Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway (Holloway also won knockout of the year for that finish)
  • Biggest upset: Sean Strickland over Israel Adesanya
  • Announcer of the Year: Jon Anik
  • Analyst of the Year: Michael Bisping
  • Coach of the Year: Plinio Cruz
  • Reporter of the Year: Ariel Helwani

– WWE 2k24 was nominated for Best Sports/Racing game by The Game Awards.

– MLW built a ton of its show last night in New York around Eric Bischoff and they are planning on bringing him back. Bischoff forced Mistico to put his mask up against Trevor Lee (who did not have his hair to put up) based on the idea Bischoff wanted to get people like Rey Mysterio, Psicosis and Juventud Guerrera unmasked in WCW decades ago. Mistico of course did not lose the match. He also fired Alex Kane in storyline to set up a future angle.

– MLW is now doing best match bonuses like UFC does and WCW did at one point. Mistico vs. Trevor Lee got it for last night’s show. If you think about it, best match bonuses make far more sense in pro wrestling than in a combat sport. The goal in pro wrestling is to have a great match. The goal in a combat sport is to win as fast as possible while taking the least damage as possible.

– Pete Davidson from SNL was at last night’s MLW show.

– Tonight’s Arena Mexico has a little bit of everything. There’s a singles match with women with Viva Van vs. Skadi as a lightning bout. There’s a legends bout with Atlantis & Octagon & Panterita del Ring facing Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Stuka Jr., who are great at carrying limited guys. Panterita is the father of Mascara Dorada. There’s a grudge match between two of the top stars as newly turned rudo Volador Jr. faces Templario. And you have the usual trios match with Mistico on top, this week Mistico & Flip Gordon & Dorada vs. Hechicero & Rocky Romero & Villano III Jr. This comes off that great Gordon vs Villano III Jr. match.

– AEW has filed to trademark the terms Maximum Carnage, Maximum Mayhem and Maximum Combat.

– Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling on 12/13 in Newark, CA at the Pavilion is headlined by Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Vinnie Massaro, Fred Rosser vs. Aaron Solo plus Alan Angels vs. Jack Cartwheel.