Daily Update: Chris Jericho, WWE Atlanta, The Rock

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

  • Match and performer of the week
  • 2022 Hall of Fame ballot, rules, everyone eligible, thoughts on this year’s election and the strongest candidates.What candidates on this year’s ballot did the best in last year’s ballot
  • TripleMania, the story behind the show, business of the show, , news notes, poll results and star ratings
  • WWE PPV changes, Crown Jewel notes and updates on upcoming PPV shows
  • Dana White starting new promotion with Lorenzo Fertitta and two new combat ideas he’s working on
  • The life of Humberto Garza, the grandfather of two WWE stars and father of Hector Garza. Garza, who passed away this past week, was a very significant star in Mexico and a look at his career
  • Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show,and the ramifications of the show.
  • A look at the career of Jose Rivera, one of the key building blocks of the Puerto Rico wrestling boom, including a look back at the growth of WWC and its biggest feud ever
  • Ratings for every show including how every segment did and details of AEW vs. NXT head-to-head on Tuesday
  • First all-women’s show in the history of a major promotion
  • First women’s main event on a Middle Eastern show
  • CMLL star gives unique reason why he’s been gone for so long
  • The business of TripleMania
  • More details on a wrestling show coming to Disney +
  • Two starts of the same promotion were on the national team in the same competition
  • The top matches from Royal Quest
  • Update on the New Japan TV title tournament
  • More details on the arrest of Shocker
  • Who are the wrestlers who generate the most money on Cameo
  • Jim Lyman tournament news
  • Two stars going after fourth NCAA title
  • WWE & Impact PPV Numbers from last week
  • Adam Page update
  • Update on ramifications of the brawl after All Out and where things stand regarding who stays and who goes
  • More details on Chris Jericho’s contract
  • Tony Khan, Dana White and Vince McMahon all scheduling major events on the same day
  • More on AEW new reality show
  • More on AEW in Toronto
  • AEW star announcing on the Mayweather show
  • Upcoming ticket sales to AEW & WWE events
  • DAZN back in the MMA business
  • Dwayne Johnson and possible WWE sale
  • UFC owners talk possible WWE sale
  • Notes on Bray Wyatt return
  • International TV ratings
  • DVR viewership numbers for all shows so far this year
  • Royal Rumble update
  • Lots of injury updates
  • The real story on why Billy Gunn wasn’t at the DX Reunion on Raw
  • Streaming numbers for AEW & WWE

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Friday News Update

We are still working out our weekend schedule for shows but Bryan and I will be doing a show Saturday night. Garrett and I will likely do something since there are a lot of topics to discuss but it’s a pretty crazy weekend.

A correction from the current issue of the Observer in the item about the new contract from Chris Jericho. We reported his first deal in 2019 as a three year deal with a two year option. Actually it was a three year deal without an option, but Jericho then renegotiated a new deal in 2020 one year in. So the deal he just signed is his third AEW deal, not his second, and it expires in January 2026. 

Regarding Day 1, while WWE has not announced the PPV being canceled, it is not taking place. The ticket link for the Day 1 show has changed to a house show at the State Arena in Atlanta on 12/27, which was the day WWE has previously scheduled a show in Detroit that was moved. The Detroit show at Little Caesars Arena is now on 1/20. The new Atlanta date will be a house show, not a PPV show. Other than the Detroit move, none of this has been announced yet. Tickets for the Atlanta house show are scheduled to go on sale on Wednesday.

Black Adam, starring Dwayne Johnson, opens tonight in the U.S. There has been a ton of marketing promoting the movie and Johnson always works hard going around the world to promote his big openings. Johnson has been working on doing this movie dating back to 2014.

We’re looking for reports on these weekend shows:

    • WWE Smackdown tonight in Toledo (dark matches and off-air stuff)
    • AEW Rampage tonight in Jacksonville (Dark matches and off-air stuff)
    • Impact tapings tonight and tomorrow night in Las Vegas
    • WWE house show tomorrow in Dayton, OH
    • WWE house show Sunday in Pikeville, KY

We are doing two weekend polls for Saturday’s UFC from Abu Dhabi and the NXT Halloween Havoc show also on Saturday from the Performance Center in Orlando.

There will be a somewhat rare legitimate sellout tonight for Smackdown in Toledo at the Huntington Center. It was basically sold out this morning with 6,701 tickets out. There will be an angle with Braun Strowman and Otis. Sheamus faces Solo Sikoa. Logan Paul is on the show. Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai defend the women’s tag titles against Raquel Rodriguez & Shotzi. Liv Morgan faces Sonya Deville and Bray Wyatt is on the show.

Paul Levesque will not be at Smackdown tonight just as he was not at Raw or NXT due to testing positive for COVID. He’s hopeful of being able to be at television next week.

Rampage is live tonight rather than taped, from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. About 2,200 tickets were out as of this morning. The live show starts on TNT at 10 p.m. Eastern. The Acclaimed defend the tag titles against Tony Nese & Josh Woods and if The Acclaimed win, they get the rights to scissor again, Hook vs. Ari Daivari for the FTW title, Penelope Ford vs. Willow Nightingale and Orange Cassidy vs. 10 vs. Rush for the All Atlantic title.

In a bout that could be among the best of the week, Aussie Open faces Josh Alexander & Frankie Kazarian on the Impact tapings tonight in Las Vegas. Also announced are Gisele Shaw & VXT vs. Taylor Wilde & Jordynne Grace and Mickie James, and the first round of the X Division tournament with PJ Black vs. Yuya Uemura, Kenny King vs. Mike Bailey, Alan Angels vs,. Trey Miguel and Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid.

UFC 280 takes place tomorrow morning in Abu Dhabi It starts at 10 a.m. Eastern time on both ESPN News and ESPN+. It moves to PPV at 2 p.m. Eastern time:

ESPN News and ESPN+

      • Karol Rosa (135) vs. Lina Lansberg (135)
      • Malcolm Gordon (126) vs. Muhammad Mokaev (126)
      • Armen Petrosyan (186) vs. AJ Dobson (185)
      • Abubaker Nurmagomedov (170.5) vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (171)
      • Volkhan Oezdemir (206) vs. Nikita Krylov (206)
      • Makhmud Muradov (185.5) vs. Caio Borralho (186)
      • Belal Muhammad (170) vs. Sean Brady (171)

PPV at 2 p.m.

      • Katlyn Chookagian (127.5) vs. Manon Fiorot (125.5) – Chookagian missed weight and was fined 20 percent of her purse.
      • Beneil Dariush (156) vs. Mateusz Gamrot (156)
      • Petr Yan (136) vs. Sean O’Malley (135.5)
      • Aljamain Sterling (135) vs. TJ Dillashaw (135) for the bantamweight title
      • Charles Oliveira (154.5) vs. Islam Makhachev (154.5) for the vacant lightweight title

Japanese YouTube comedian Fuwa-chan will be debuting on Sunday’s Stardom PPV show. The match will be taped before the PPV starts and only for the live audience with Hazuki & Fuwa-chan vs. Saya Kamitani & Hina. The PPV will start at 2:50 a.m. very late Saturday night/Sunday morning. from Tachikawa featuring five tag team tournament matches and the semifinals of the IWGP women’s championship:

      • Mai Sakurai & Lady C vs Saki Kashima & Fukigen Death
      • Tam Nakano & Natsupoi vs. Giulia & Thekla
      • Mina Shirakawa & Saki vs. Natsuko Tora & Ruaka
      • AZM & Miyu Amasaki vs Saya Iida & Hanan
      • Hazuki & Koguma vs. Nanae Takahashi & Yuu
      • Kairi vs. Alpha Female
      • winner of tomorrow’s Utami Hayashishita vs. Himeka and Mayu Iwatani vs. Momo Watanabe matches meet in the Japanese final

Chris Jericho has filed for trademarks for The Ocho and Ring of Jericho.

The UFC debut of former Hodge Trophy winner Bo Nickal is being delayed. Nickal pulled out of his fight on 12/10 in Las Vegas with Jamie Pickett for undisclosed reasons.

The short film “Tito” which features Claudio Castagnoli and Erick Redbeard is now on YouTube, having come out yesterday. It won the Independent Short Awards for Best Indie Short and an award for excellence.

Other Notes

David Taub has a story here on Rikishi coming to Fresno.

Invicta runs 11/16 in Denver on AXS and The Fight Network in Canada featuring a four-woman tournament to crown the new strawweight champion. The women are Valesca Machado (10-3), Gloria de Paula (6-5), Ediana Silva (12-2) and Karolina Wojcik (9-2). The matchups will be drawn at the weigh-ins and the semifinals and final are both three round fights. There will be open scoring as with all Invicta shows, meaning fans and fighters know the scores after every round. They’ve done this regularly and have deemed it a success.

LFA has announced an 11/4 show in Sao Paulo, Brazil and 11/18 in Sloan, IA at the Winnavegas Casino Resort. The Brazil show features a semifinal in the tournament for the featherweight title with Marcio Barbosa (13-1) vs. Gabriel Santos (8-0).

LFA tonight from Oshkosh, WI, on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. Eastern:

      • Scott Writz (170.4) vs. Craig Fruth (170)
      • Kegan Gennrich (155.6) vs. Jake Kozorosky (155.4)
      • Tyrus White (125.4) vs. Miguel Sanson (125.8)
      • Olivia Beeskau (125) vs. Jena Bishop (125.4)
      • Bruno Assis (205.8) vs. Jesse Murray (204.4)

MCW Higher Ground on 11/5 at the RJ Meyer Arena in Joppatowne, MD featuring Lio Rush, Mike Bailey and Jordan Oliver.

Pro Wrestling Phoenix tonight at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha, NE.

Defy on 10/29 in Seattle at Washington Hall has Tom Lawlor vs. Minoru Suzuki, Ultimo Dragon & Nick Wayne vs. Gringo Loco & La Estrella (Dragon Gate), Vert Vixen vs. Liiza Hall to crown the first women’s champion plus Davey Richards wrestles on the show.

Bob Magee has an updated list of pro wrestling events working with charities this weekend:

      • CanAm Wrestling returns to Calgary, AB on October 21. CanAm Wrestling is working together with Nanbert Manor as part of the 500 Toys for 500 Kids campaign.
      • ISPW Wrestling will be partnering with Cold Nose Warm Heart Dog Rescue for a fundraiser on October 21 in Hopatcong, NJ.
      • Supreme Wrestling returns to Brownstown, IN on October 22 in a fundraiser for the Jackson County Special Olympics of Indiana.
      • UWE Pro Wrestling brings hard hitting action to 1320 N Mitchell St, Cadillac, MI on October 22 for Halloween Homecoming, collecting pet supplies for local animal shelters.
      • On Saturday October 22, KSWA Wrestling teams up once again with Sam’s Club Tarentum (Pittsburgh Mills) for a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals fundraiser. All proceeds benefit the local Children’s Hospital.
      • Legacy Classic Championship Wrestling and Insane Wrestling Alliance join forces to bring The Harvest Bash on October 22 as The Harvest Bash takes place in Green Cove Springs, FL, working to feed county homeless with All Creations Intertribal Native American Community.
      • Dropkick Depression presents Fall Formal on October 22 at Old Bridge Columbian Club, 61 Pine St, Old Bridge, NJ. Dropkick Depression raises funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and to help break the stigma surrounding mental health, especially in the professional wrestling scene, and fundraise for worthy causes and organizations.
      • GCW Charity Wrestling/POP Culture Canada comes to Bellevue Comicon on Saturday October 22, from 10:00 am-3:00 pm at Royal Canadian Legion, 123 Pinnacle Street, Bellevue, ON. Bring food to win prizes.
      • GCW Charity Wrestling/POP Culture Canada comes to Trenton Comicon on Sunday October 23, from 10:00 am-3:00 pm at Duncan McDonald Memorial Gardens, 8 Couch Crescent, Trenton, ON. Bring food to win prizes at Trenton Comicon, as well as at the GCW Wrestling show at 6:30 pm