Daily Update: Chris Bey, ratings, WWE Raw

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the highlights of this issue:

  • The Cung Le lawsuit settlement was approved, what caused Judge Boulware to do so, winners or losers, who is getting what, looking at the prior settlements that were turned down and the case itself.
  • TKO and Endeavor make a deal to give UFC & WWE new sister companies and what that all entails
  • The most detailed look at the Ring Boys scandal that broke in 1992 and quickly went away, and the lawsuit filed this week with all the details, including why being wrestling helped save WWE from untold bad publicity at the time. We look at the details of a very lengthy suit and what it all means.
  • 2024 Hall of Fame analysis by two researchers looks at what modern candidates are the strongest and weakest in different ways
  • Maple Leaf Wrestling debuts with two incredible main events.
  • The most detailed look at  the TV ratings from the past week, nightly and weekly placings, segment-by-segment, comparisons with the prior year and competition
  • Continuation of CMLL’s women’s wrestling month.
  • American star from a major family says he’ll be the first to win the Triple Crown.
  • Royal Quest notes.
  • MMA star defends pro wrestling world title twice on same show this past week.
  • New movie on 90s star
  • Looking at AEW Full Gear
  • AEW booking issues
  • WrestleDream and Bad Blood PPV numbers update
  • Injury updates
  • Advanced ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW events
  • Streaming and International TV numbers
  • Fighter still hospitalized after five weeks due to weight cutting issues
  • PFL PPV rundown and business
  • WrestleMania and tickets’
  • Saturday Night’s Main Event thoughts
  • World Series and wrestling
  • WWE star has surgery to help eye issues
  • Raw & Smackdown 2025 updates
  • Samantha Irvine leaves WWE and details
  • Vince McMahon media pieces looked at
  • Clown show discussing McMahon
  • TV rundowns

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about all of the latest news and covering Raw with  Wrestling Observer Radio tonight.
  • We want to send best wishes to Chris Bey who had emergency neck surgery last night during the Bey & Ace Austin match with the Hardys at the TV tapings in Detroit.  There are no updates on his condition and we haven’t heard anything new on El Hijo del Vikingo, who was injured doing a sky twister springboarding to the floor and his leg buckled earlier in the show in a match against Trent Seven.  Also best to Maria Kanellis Bennett who was readmitted to the hospital after surgery a few days ago.  
  • Some notes on Friday’s ratings.  Smakdown did 1.42 million viewers and 0.43.  It was second on cable for the night but won its time slot, including beating the NBA head-to-head.  The 10 p.m. NBA game was first.  The World Series game one did more than 15 million viewers between television and streaming, but that was on FOX so not cable competition.  Given the opposition, I’d say it was good.
  • Rampage did 241,000 viewers and 0.09.  It beat everything on cable in the time slot except ESPN with the NBA late game FOX News and CNN.  The college football game on ESPN 2 against the early part of the show also beat it.
  • Raw tonight is from Hershey, PA, going against both the NFL and the World Series.  There is a three-way with New Day vs. Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee vs.  War  Raiders for a shot at JD McDonagh & Finn Balor’s tag titles.  Dominik Mysterio has a match with a former world champion, plus Ivy Nile vs. Zelina Vega and Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker and Jey Uso are announced.  They had 7,400 tickets out as of earlier today.  The Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series game airs on FOX while the New York Giants vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game airs on ESPN.  This will be one of the toughest weeks of competition for Raw this year.  Plus news stations will be much higher than usual.
  • We’re looking for reports on the show from those live, in particular Main Event matches and dark matches and anything of note not on the live TV to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • We’re also doing weekend polls on both TNA Bound for Glory and NXT Halloween Havoc so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match from each show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

New Japan Super Junior tournament results from today at Korakuen Hall

  • Jude London & Paris de Silva b TJP & Francesco Akria
  • Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney b Tiger Mask & Capitan Suicida
  • Kushida & Kevin Knight b Ninja Mack  & The DKC
  • Sho & Yoshinobu Kanemaru b Dragon Dia & Rysuke Taguchi
  • Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji b  Zack  Sabre Jr.  & Ryohei Oiwa – non-tournam ent bout
  • Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X b Rocky Romero & Yoh
  • Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles b Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi
  • By the luck of the draw, two of the greatest wrestlers of the modern era Abdularashid Sadulaev and David Tylor, are wrestling in the first  round at 202 pounds in the world championship tournament.
  • Undertaker announced Dead mMan shows on 12/13 in Dallas at The Factory in Deep Ellum, 12/14 in Houston and the Houston Music Hall, and Sunday in  Austin at Emo’s.
  • Delmi Exo vs. Gigi Rey has been added to MLW’s 11/9 show in Chicago.
  • A most unique match on Sunday’s Dragon Gate show features Dump Matsumoto, who has been working a lot of shows since “Queens of Villains” became the No. 1 streaming show for several weeks in Japan, facing soon to be retiring Hollwood Stalker Ichikawa.
  • Glory Pro Wrestling from  from yesterday in St. Louis:  Sean Logan b Cordell Cainal Ethan Price won four-way over Cole Radrick, Myung Jae Lee and Shain Boucher, Jake Bosche & Scott Stnaley b Solomon Tupu & Jay Marsoton, Tootie Lynn b Heather Monroe, Kody Lane b Stallion Rogers, Rahim de la Suede b  Deliverer Moses, Philly C & Marinio T  b Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II to  keep the Glory tag titles, Jake Parnell b Dan the Dad in a street fight to keep the Crown of Glory title, Layne Luck b Shazza McKenzie in a submission match to become the first Glory Pro women’s champion.