Daily Update: Dana White’s Power Slap, SmackDown, UFC weigh-ins

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

November 14, 2022 Observer Newsletter: WWE Crown Jewel, NJPW Battle Autumn

*Full coverage of WWE Crown Jewel & New Japan Autumn Attack, business notes on both shows, how successful Crown Jewel was on Peacock, PPV, public interest and business notes on Autumn Attack, plus poll results and more.
*What’s next for WWE and New Japan
*Cain Velasquez granted bond, Daniel Cormier talks, and a look back at the situation
*A look back at the 60s and 70s tag team of Kurt & Karl Von Steiger, including unique political moves, the night they won the AWA tag titles and why the team split up
*Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show, including the probe on the suspicious gambling patterns on one of the fights
*Dragon Gate’s Gate of Destiny coverage
*PWG’s show on Sunday honoring Alan Denkenson and featuring one of the best trios matches of the year and in PWG history
*The most complete look at the TV ratings for the past week
*Streaming numbers
*AEW has great success in one international market, not in another
*Next Stardom PPV show
*Update on the New Japan Tokyo Dome show
*Crazy story of a plot to steal the NWA title by one of the biggest stars of all-time
*More on Andre the Giant carer losses
*A very important note on streaming ratings and what it says for viability of WWE & AEW next deals
*The Nick Aldis-Billy Corgan split
*The story behind former wrestling sponsor winning $75 million and getting national publicity
*Politician wants to honor former national hero wrestler who has been forgotten about since his heyday was 40 yeas ago
*Notes on the Teddy Hart documentary
*A look at the veracity of stories on the Hawaiian episode of Tales from the Territories
*Taryn Terrell career noes
*Wrestler and promoter arrested
*Movie on Baron Von Raschke
*Full Gear notes as well as matches to be added
*Notes on MJF’s first major Hollywood role
*A look at AEW ratings in 2021 vs. 2022, what is up, what is down
*Bandido contract notes
*AEW woman star filming a movie
*More on skirmish backstage at Anderson Silva vs. Jake Paul fight
*Upcoming Raw and Smackdown notes
*Sasha Banks training with former WCW star
*WWE injury updates
*Ticket sales for upcoming AEW and WWE events.

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

September 21, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Spike & WWE counterprogram one another, TNA Unbreakable

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Friday News Update

– Garrett and I will be doing a live show at about 7:30 p.m. Eastern time tonight covering the week’s news and taking questions. We’ll be doing a Saturday night show as well covering UFC. Bryan and I will be back Monday night after Raw.

– Dana White held a press conference today regarding his new Power Slap League promotion that he is starting with Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, as well as Endeavor and UFC. The press conference announced an eight-episode first season on TBS. There will be one-hour television shows for the power slap competition and getting over the personalities. No time slot was announced. White said he’s had this idea since 2017 when he first saw clips of other competitions and pushed his version will have health and safety provisions, drug testing and will be regulated by athletic commissions with the goal of holding regulated live events all over. White has hired Frank Lamicella to head the day-to-day operations and said he’s been having weekly meetings regarding the project. The TV show seems like a remake of Ultimate Fighter except with slap fighters, as competitors across the globe compete to earn a spot in a cast house. There will be rankings of the competitors in each weight class.

– SmackDown tonight is live from Indianapolis. There will be the start of the World Cup tournament (the winner of the tournament will become the number one contender to Gunther’s IC title). There will also be a six-pack challenge to determine the next contender for Ronda Rousey’s women’s title with Lacey Evans, Liv Morgan, Xia Li, Raquel Rodriguez, Sonya Deville and Shotzi. The Usos defend their tag titles against Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods and if the Usos win they will become the longest reigning tag team champions in WWWF/WWF/WWE history. Roman Reigns also appears on tonight’s show, likely to set up whatever he’s doing at Survivor Series. There were just under 8,700 tickets out for the show as of this morning. PWInsider reported that as of five hours ago, the plan was the World Cup competitors was Braun Strowman, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, Santos Escobar, Rey Mysterio, Jinder Mahal, Butch and Ricochet.

– Rampage on TNT at 10 p.m. is a taped show with Rush vs. Bandido and Brian Cage vs. Dante Martin for the Full Gear eliminator tournament plus Nyla Rose vs. Kayla Sparks and Orange Cassidy vs. Lee Johnson for the All Atlantic title

– We’re looking for reports on these weekend events:

  • WWE tonight in Indianapolis (Dark matches or anything not on the live television show)
  • WWE tomorrow in Peoria, IL
  • WWE Sunday in Madison, WI

– Our weekend poll will be for UFC 281, you can vote a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

– UFC weigh-ins for tomorrow’s UFC 281 PPV show from Madison Square Garden with 17,000 tickets out

ESPN + at 6 p.m. Eastern

  • Carlos Ulberg (205.2) vs. Nicolae Negumereanu (206)
  • Julio Arce (135.8) vs. Montel Jackson (135.8)
  • Michael Trizano (147.6) vs. Seung Woo Choi (145.8) – Trizano missed weight by 1.6 pounds and has to forfeit 20 percent of his purse
  • Karolina Kowalkiewicz (115.6) vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez (115.6)
  • Matt Frevola (154.8) vs. Ottman Azaitar (155.6)

ESPN+ and ESPN News at 8 p.m. Eastern

  • Andre Petroski (185.8) vs. Wellington Turman (185.2)
  • Erin Blanchfield (125) vs. Molly McCann (125.4)
  • Dominick Reyes (205.4) vs. Ryan Spann (206.6) – Spann missed weight by .6 pounds and had to forfeit 20 percent of his purse
  • Brad Riddell (155.6) vs Renato Moicano (155.8)

PPV at 10 p.m.

  • Dan Hooker (155.8) vs. Claudio Puelles (155.2)
  • Frankie Edgar (135.6) vs. Chris Gutierrez (136) – Edgar says this is his retirement fight
  • Dustin Poirier (156) vs. Michael Chandler (155.8)
  • Carla Esparza (114.6) vs. Zhang Weili (114.8) for the strawweight title
  • Israel Adesanya (185) vs. Alex Pereira (184.6) for the middleweight title

– A first-time ever match with El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Nick Wayne takes place on 12/17 for Defy Wrestling at Washington Hall in Seattle.

– The AEW TV deal with Space in Brazil will end at the end of this year. AEW already pulled out of Space for the rest of Latin America saying it was not a good deal for them.

– What was originally to be a PPV, the 12/27 WWE show in Atlanta, as a house show has 3,313 tickets out right now. The 12/28 show in Greensboro at the Coliseum has 2,452 tickets out.

– A note regarding the Observer item on Teddy Hart. We noted that Hart has expressed interest in going back to MLW although we were extremely skeptical at this point in time that it could happen with the Hart documentary where it is expected he’ll look terrible in coming out on Peacock. MLW confirms that saying that they have had no contract with Hart for three years and have no interest in bringing him back.

– Chelsea Green saying that she was going home to Deonna Purrazzo after losing to Mickie James on Impact last night was writing her out of the storyline and that was scheduled as her last appearance.

– AEW tickets for Portland, OR, on 1/6, Fresno, CA on 1/11 and Lexington, KY on 1/18 wee put on sale to the public today.

Other Notes

– ECWA, the oldest independent promotion in the country, celebrated its 55th anniversary show that took place this past Saturday.

– Defy returns to Washington Hall in Seattle on 11/26 with Randy Myers, the former Defy champion who never lost the title but hasn’t appeared in two years, returning to unify the title in a ladder match against current interim champion Swerve Strickland, along with Christopher Daniels, Schaff, Davey Richards and Artemis Spencer. Also Nick Wayne vs. Wheeler Yuta, Rocky Romero vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, Mance Warner & Matthew Justice defend the tag titles against The Bollywood Boyz and PCW Ultra women’s champion Viva Van faces Amira.

– Alex Riley will be taking his first wrestling appearance since 2016 at The Big Event EXS convention on Saturday in Queens, NY. He will also be appearing on 12/8 in Lynbrook, NY for Matt Cardona & Brian Myers’ Major Wrestling Figures Podcast Toy Drive.

– WRAL has a feature story on Reby Hardy.

– Royal Flush has a story on Jacques Rougeau and working with QT Marshall.

–Bob Magee has an updated list of shows doing charity work over the holidays

* Legacy Classic Championship Wrestling and Insane Wrestling Alliance joined forces to bring The Harvest Bash on October 22 as The Harvest Bash took place in Green Cove Springs, FL, raising $150 to assist All Creations Intertribal Native American Community in feeding county homeless.

*WrestlePro debuted in Chicago, IL on Friday night October 28, teaming up with Hope For Us Network as they presented Champions Of Hope to help support suicide prevention. The show was termed “a huge success” with $7,400 raised.

*Supreme Wrestling returned to Seymour, IN on October 30, raising $720 for The Arby’s Foundation, which works with hunger, education, and child adoption efforts.

*Wrestling with Purpose held a show on November 4, entitled “Fight For Dwight” in Pembroke, NC, raising $800 to help Dwight Hunt with medical costs and expenses, who had one of largest undiagnosed brain aneurysms ever in medical records.

*Skowhegan Savings Bank and Pro Wrestling Experience presented a fundraiser for Maine Veterans Homes on November 4 in Skowhegan, ME featuring Live Pro Wrestling including Ring of Honor superstar Jimmy Jacobs, raising $1,000.

*Eastern Townships Wrestling Association returned to Newport, VT on November 5 for Hunger Slam, collecting over 150 non-perishable food items for Northeast Kingdom Community Action.

*ACWF held its Toys for Tots show in Murphy, NC on November 5 with 15 toys collected, along with numerous cash donations for more.

*CanAm Wrestling returned on November 5 at the Kerby Centre, Calgary, AB, to benefit the Calgary, AB Veterans Food Bank, collecting 100 pounds of non-perishable food items and hygiene products

*Stars of Wrestling presented The Last Fall on November 5 from Alameda, CA in partnership with Oaktown Sports Productions, collecting 50 toys in a Toy Drive for UCSF Children’s Hospital and Research Center.

*New Era Wrestling returned to Denver, CO on November 5 for Bird Brawl and a food drive for Feeding Denver’s Hungry Free Grocery Store, collecting at least 50 pounds of canned and non-perishable food.

*Live Pro Wrestling and Battle Arts Academy presented the Arthur Caulfield Memorial Show in Mississauga, ON, on November 5 with proceeds going directly to Brendon Caulfield and the Caulfield family. The event was reported as going “…great, still calculating but raised more than expected!”

*Midwest All Star Wrestling presented Women of Nations Grand Slam 4 on November 5 in Oakdale, MN. 100% of proceeds benefit Women of Nations Eagles Nest Shelter, with actual numbers still being totaled… but so far its being termed a “very successful event” (last year’s event raised $19,000).

– ISPW tnight in Butler, NJ at the St. Anthony of Pdua Gum has Bull Games, HC Loc, Justin Corino, Crpwbar and Maven.

– Bellator announced Gadzhi Rabadanov (18-4-2) will represent Bellator against Rizin’s Koji Takeda (15-3) on the New Year’s Eve show from the Saitama Super Arena. which features a best of five with Bellator vs. Rizin.