Daily Update: Frankie Kazarian, Amari Miller, indies being dropped from Peacock

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

The new issue of the Observer is up on the site with these stories:

  • The return of Vince McMahon, the sales talks, and the departure of Stephanie McMahon
  • Who is in charge of running the company right now
  • What Vince McMahon’s role is today
  • How Vince McMahon got back in power
  • A look at different entities who have expressed interest in WWE
  • Can Tony Khan get control of WWE
  • What kind of numbers are we talking about for the deal
  • What is the current market value of WWE
  • The Saudi Arabia rumors
  • How far did the rumors spread
  • What the experience of the UFC sale in 2016 tells you about what is said publicly
  • Notes from the meeting Stephanie McMahon, Frank Riddick and Nick Khan had with all the company employees
  • If something happens with Saudi Arabia, what would be the likely repercussions based on previous sports world examples
  • What companies did Nick Khan bring up to employees when talking the sale
  • Changes in WWE morale
  • 2022 Business year in review for pro wrestling, MMA and boxing major events
  • Biggest crowds of the year
  • Main eventers on top for the most biggest crowds
  • PPV numbers for the year
  • Who drew the most 15,000+ crowds
  • UFC gate numbers
  • List of $2 million gates
  • Biggest pro wrestling drawing card each year since 1916
  • Biggest drawing cards in history
  • The changing of the media landscape and how this effects AEW and WWE
  • Analysis of the losses incurred by FOX on Smackdown by Morgan Stanley
  • The career of wrestler and promoter Johnny Powers, one of the biggest stars of the 60s and 70s
  • The attempt to promote nationally and what happened
  • How he got his first break with Bruno Sammartino
  • Multiple world title matches around the world
  • His runs with major promotions
  • Being the star of the NWF
  • How Powers figured into the early days of New Japan Pro Wrestling and his biggest matches there
  • How Powers was promoted in Japan
  • Powers and the Greatest 18 Club
  • Full coverage of PWG Battle of Los Angeles with thoughts on the shows, where PWG stands, background of the appearance of Chris Jericho, who you should keep your eyes on and match-by-match coverage
  • A look back at the career of Black Warrior
  • The most detailed look at the ratings from all the shows this past week as well as segment-by-segment
  • Mexican iconic character looking at retiring
  • Sting’s last match in Japan
  • Major change in New Japan’s U.S. approach
  • Update on Sasha Banks/Mercedes Mone in New Japan with more dates
  • How Mercedes moved tickets for her first match
  • A look at the major matches on the next new Japan tour
  • Superstar Billy Graham health update
  • TV announcer starts up promoting new group
  • The death of the real Bobby Heenan, and how the pro wrestling legend found out about his brother and his family
  • Adam Cole’s return
  • Kyle O’Reilly gives health update
  • Streaming numbers for AEW and WWE
  • International TV numbers
  • Attendance for upcoming shows
  • California legislators critical of Dana White
  • Dana White talks at press conference about his situation
  • Bellator signs perhaps its top fighter
  • Phil Baroni charged with homicide and facing a lifetime in jail
  • PFL announces new tournaments
  • WWE tries to get things removed from the discovery process in MLW lawsuit
  • How slow the courts can be on these situations
  • How much did Shane McMahon earn from WWE in 2022
  • Former New Japan wrestler quietly started in WWE camp this week

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Tuesday Update

WWE

  • In a now-deleted TikTok video, Amari Miller shared that she had attempted to take her life in the last week. “Everything isn’t what it seems, mental health is hard, we should all speak out even though I know it’s hard, you are loved, fight through with me plz!” she wrote in the caption of the post.
  • Charlie Dempsey and Zoey Stark taped matches prior to Raw on Monday that will air this coming week on Main Event.
  • Sean Ross Sapp reported that indie content is being removed from Peacock and the WWE Network after people pointed out that ICW content would be removed from the network on January 19.
  • Tatanka wrote on Twitter that even though he was contacted to appear on Raw XXX next week, he will not be attending the show. “Even though @WWE contacted me 5 weeks ago, I will not be attending the 30th Anniversary Show…instead, as noted, my Son’s Wrestling Team won the Regional Championship & we’re heading out of town to the State Championship!,” he wrote. “No better place I would rather be! #Father #Son Support!”
  • Nigerian outlet The Nation did a story on Apollo Crews, who recently went to the country to film a WWE reality project.
  • Bianca Belair, Montez Ford, and The Usos will star in C4 Energy’s new campaign called “Be You. But Better.”
  • PWInsider reports that Belair and Ford will also be on NBC Saturday afternoon, appearing at the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars playoff game.
  • This week’s Canvas2Canvas focuses on Mr. Perfect.
  • Matches and segments added to WWE’s YouTube page today include Goldberg wiping out a security team to get to Brock Lesnar on the November 14, 2016 episode of Raw, A 15-man battle royal from the April 13, 2009 episode of Raw, and John Cena, Triple H, Kane, and Undertaker vs. Edge, Orton, JBL, and Chavo Guerrero from the April 21, 2008 episode of Raw.

AEW

  • AEW Road to Fresno, which focuses on Bryan Danielson’s chase towards the AEW World title, Ricky Starks vs. Jake Hager, and Adam Cole’s return last week on Dynamite.
  • This week’s Sammy Guevara vlog.

Other Wrestling

  • Frankie Kazrian spoke to PWInsider about leaving AEW and signing with Impact Wrestling. “AEW management had contacted me early December, which was only a few weeks after this match. So it’s just kind of a coincidence timing wise. But they contacted me 30 days out, which is what they’re supposed to do, and they had basically talked about rolling me over and said you wanted to get the process going on that, and I mean, I basically said simply kind of, you know, thanks, but no thanks,” he said. “I had kind of voiced, you know, concerns and frustrations and goals and aspirations, and had a really good talk with management AND kind of left it there for a while. I still was going to TVs and the last television I was at was in San Antonio, Texas. And I sat down with Megha who, if people don’t know, that’s the head legal in AEW, a very, very bright, brilliant woman, very nice, and had a long conversation in person and gave her the list of the reasons why I wanted to, you know, kind of move on bet on myself. That’s kind of the recurring theme here and that now was the time to do it. I wanted to do it so we could…I’ve always done business the right way. I wanted to be amicable about it. I wanted to get out before there was feelings of resistance or bitterness or any of that. So, that message was relayed and they wanted to do right by me, which I respect the hell out of and the deal was done. So, as of January 1st of this year, I was, quote unquote, [a] free agent.”
  • Young Rock on Friday scored 1,481,000 viewers, up from last week’s 1,306,000. 
  • The Toronto Sun has an article on Hulk Hogan, who has been seen with people associated with Scientology recently including Tom Cruise.
  • PWInsider reported that Alberto El Patron’s lawsuit against MMA promotion Combate Global has been dismissed.
  • Wrestlecon will have a pop-up convention during the Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 28. Admission will be free, with pricing for autographs and photos. Those slated to appear include Sting, Trish Stratus, Diamond Dallas Page, Lita, Sean Waltman, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Ron Simmons, Jerry Lawler, The Steiner Brothers, and Matt Hardy.
  • Fightful has an interview with Saori Anou of Ice Ribbon.
  • Matt Massingham, who promoted in California for NWA Hollywood, Mac-1 Wrestling, and PWG, passed away on January 15 of a heart attack.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi’s latest Ace’s High column looks at Tanahashi’s run in Mexico back in 2013.
  • Don West’s obituary lists a Celebration of Life gathering for May 20 at the Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee, Washington.