Daily Update: Elimination Chamber, Brogan Finlay, Steve McMichael

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

We have another huge issue of the Observer with major stories looking back on the Ashley Massaro situation and how it has become major news this past week, the build to WrestleMania, New Japan changes losing Okada and Ospreay and much more.

  • A new statement by Ashley Massaro released by her former lawyer
  • Massaro’s best friend goes on television to weigh in on what she was told
  • What WWE said at the time and how they handled it with the media
  • What John Laurinaitis through his lawyer has said
  • A doctor who treated Massaro at the time confirms the story
  • Massaro’s original depositions on McMahon and her alleged rape by someone posing as a military doctor
  • Bret Hart talks the allegations against Vince McMahon
  • More people in the industry comment on the story
  • The background of how we go to where we are for WrestleMania involving Nick Khan, Ari Emanuel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Levesque and the key decisions made and changed along the way
  • Updates on WWE Elimination Chamber and AEW Revolution
  • Why New Japan’s New Beginning in Osaka was such a noteworthy show and talk about the Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. match and the controversial cage match
  • A look at the upcoming New Japan schedule
  • The story behind Billy Jack Haynes and his arrest, his one-time best friend and his wife who died of a gunshot wound
  • A look at Haynes’ wrestling career
  • More on the changes in TNA, not just Scott D’Amore but also Ed Nordholm, why it happened and the timeline of it happening
  • What happened at the call when Leonard Asper told talent about D’Amore being gone
  • Notes on the letter sent by talent to Asper
  • NTV 70th anniversary pro wrestling special and what was featured
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the pro wrestling shows, demo numbers, segment-by-segment and weekly rankings
  • The story behind the BCC heading to Mexico and Blue Panther being in the match
  • Will Ospreay statement on leaving NJPW
  • Matt Riddle talks starting in NJPW
  • Early FantasticaMania notes
  • Grandson of Brian Pillman gets awarded
  • The Angelo Mosca secret
  • A promotional merger announced
  • Latest rights fees story and how it may affect UFC & AEW
  • Tony Khan talks AEW future
  • More on Kazuchika Okada
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Upcoming ticket sales to WWE & AEW events
  • International TV numbers and streaming numbers
  • Crazy thing Dana White did on a podcast this week
  • Preview of this week’s UFC show
  • WWE deal with X
  • Steve Austin talks about the potential of him doing another match
  • Drew McIntyre update
  • Seth Rollins talks MMA fighters in pro wrestling
  • Bruce Prichard injury update

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

Saturday Update

WWE

  • WWE is holding an Elimination Chamber press event in Perth, Australia next week. It will stream live on Peacock – as well as WWE’s social media channels – starting at 11 p.m. Eastern time next Thursday (February 22). Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Rhea Ripley, Logan Paul, Randy Orton, Becky Lynch, and more are advertised to appear. The press event is free for the public to attend.
  • Triple H welcomed Bron Breakker to the SmackDown roster: “Unlimited potential, an already impressive resume… and he’s got that dog in him. Welcome to #SmackDown, @bronbreakkerwwe! This is a big one.”
  • Rapper Post Malone has curated the soundtrack for WWE 2K24 and will be a playable character in the game. He’ll be available to purchase in a post-launch DLC pack.
  • Here’s the WWE 2K24 soundtrack:
          • Post Malone – Chemical
          • Post Malone – Laugh It Off
          • 100 gecs – Hand Crushed By A Mallet
          • Busta Rhymes – Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See
          • Colter Wall – Motorcycle
          • Grimes – Genesis
          • Militarie Gun – Do It Faster
          • Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Big Rig
          • Speed – Not That Nice
          • Turnstile – Mystery
          • Tyler Childers – House Fire
          • Yeat – Bëttr 0ff
  • New NXT signee Brogan Finlay made his WWE debut last night, losing to Charlie Dempsey at an NXT house show in Tampa, Florida. A fourth-generation wrestler, Brogan is the son of Fit Finlay and the brother of NJPW wrestler David Finlay.
  • Brogan tweeted: “I’m not gonna try and make my people proud anymore, IM GOING TO. Welcome to my era. Buckle up.”
  • The West Australian asked Drew McIntyre if he’s signed with WWE beyond WrestleMania. McIntyre didn’t answer, instead leaving it for people on the internet to talk about:
          • Oh no, I can’t talk about that. I’ll let the internet talk about it, though. I’ll just keep watching every week. It’s interesting. You know, I’m not the only one [who has] a contract in WWE, it’s just interesting that it seems to be mine that’s on there every single week for a year straight.
  • WWE uploaded a Playlist video of every Women’s Tag Team title change since the belts were introduced in 2019.
  • Naomi, LA Knight, and Bobby Lashley, The Street Profits & B-Fab appeared on The SmackDown LowDown.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Steve “Mongo” McMichael’s family shared an update on his health amid his hospitalization:
          • Update on Steve McMichael:
          • Steve is currently getting a blood transfusion and has MRSA. We are asking for your prayers to get Steve through this difficult time. Steve, his family and close friends believe in the power of prayer. Thank you.
          • -The McMichael Family
  • Thunder Rosa appeared at last night’s CMLL Arena Mexico show and was shown sitting in the crowd.
  • Matt Hardy gave an update on Jeff Hardy after the injury that he suffered on Rampage:
          • It definitely rocked Jeff, and Jeff for sure has a broken nose, that’s really all we know. They’re still going to undergo some more testing and what not to try and find out what his total injury is or would be. We know, right now, it’s at a minimum a broken nose.
  • Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy attended Fulham’s Premier League game against Aston Villa in London today, sitting with Tony Khan.
  • Aston Villa trolled Khan by posting a Prince Nana dancing clip on their Twitter/X account after winning the game.
  • Timothy Thatcher vs. Axel Tischer and Matt Makowski vs. Akira have been added to the card for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X in Philadelphia on Thursday, April 4.
  • Booker T commented on Zilla Fatu, the son of the late Umaga, returning to Reality of Wrestling:
          • He’s back. When Zilla was working with me and then he left Reality of Wrestling. It’s almost like sometimes, you know, with young people these days, you gotta let them see what things are like on their own. You gotta let them go out there and fly their wings and then they see how it is. For me, I’m like a dad. You always got your room over here son and I left it just like when you left. Most of the time, that’s the way I do things. I’m like a dad at Reality of Wrestling. I’m like a mentor. I’m like a leader. I’m a general. I’m everything in one, but I’m not one to say, I’m never going to say never or anything like that. I’m always going to be forgiving, especially when I’m working with somebody young, especially when I’m working with somebody that has gone through it like I did. He lost his dad early. I lost my dad when I was 10 months old. I lost my mom when I was 14, so I know what it’s like to be rebellious, but I need that out of Zilla. It’s almost like two alphas meeting and we know what we gotta do at the end of the day.
          • Now it’s time to go out there and take the world by storm and show the world what Zilla Fatu could really be. Go out there and make Umaga proud, proud as he ever can be, make his mom even more happy and get her that big house that she deserves. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. Not only do I want that for Zilla, I want that for all my students, all of my guys under me. I’m gonna be guiding them to that direction and that direction is hopefully one day you could do the same thing that I did, you know, take this world by storm and go around the world and see it at somebody else’s expense, but understand what it’s about at the same time because it goes boom, quick, and it can even go even quicker if you step on one of those landmines. So for me with Zilla, it’s about obstacles. How do we figure out a way over, around, under? Sometimes we gotta go straight through those obstacles, but right now, it’s time to go to work.
  • Lexy Nair was the guest on AEW Unrestricted this week.