Daily Update: Jade Cargill, WWE Raw, Monday Night Football

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Observer is out, and it’s a big one:

  • The WWE merges with UFC and transitions into TKO, the most in depth look at the changes to be expected and where changes aren’t to be expected
  • Amount of cuts expected to be made
  • What type of people are expected to be cut
  • Nick Khan’s letter to employees before the cuts
  • First major departure
  • How Saudi Arabia investing in PFL affected the stock
  • New board of directors
  • New hierarchy
  • Dana White talks merger and shoots down another exec’s goal for the new company
  • Talk on future television rights
  • Current market value and did it reach projections
  • Biggest financial concerns
  • Crossover promotion
  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • AEW All in attendance with notes on other stadium shows including actual WrestleMania turnstile counts vs. announced and paid attendance
  • Bryan Danielson’s full-time career winds down, why, how long he’s thought about this and talks candidly about his decision
  • Long-term concerns
  • UFC 293 in Australia with one of the biggest upsets in history. Who’s house? Sean’s house.
  • Future of middleweight division
  • Business notes on the show
  • History of promotional wars, timing, how AEW vs. WWE is the same, how it differs
  • AEW and its decline in live attendance, the key reasons and what can be done, and how WCW turned it around under Zane Bresloff
  • How other companies turned it around and how the circumstances to do that aren’t there in this situation
  • A look at the next major WWE, AEW and NXT shows and early business notes
  • WWE Superstar spectacular in India coverage
  • The unique career of Brett Wayne Sawyer, top singles champion on the most-watched television show in the country at 23, and a career that fell off quickly
  • The early days of the Road Warriors
  • The booking of Ole Anderson
  • The most detailed look at the ratings, weekly and nightly standings, segment breakdowns, comparisons to one year ago in a very important and newsworthy week
  • CMLL 90th anniversary show this week
  • Legends special match coming
  • Stardom PPV notes including one of the week’s best matches
  • Performer of the week and match of the week
  • First time ever for a true rookie in match of the week
  • Major dream match this weekend with Will Ospreay
  • Updates on Jim Duggan
  • Notes on the death of former Carolinas announcer Rich Landrum
  • Notes on the Cassandro movie
  • Pro wrestling star leaves the business for one year, wins a gold medal in the Olympics–this long forgotten piece of wrestling history
  • Bandido returning
  • Impact Hall of Fame notes and notes on Mike Tenay
  • Jade Cargill update
  • Business updates on PPV from All Out, Backlash and All In
  • What percentage of WWE buyers purchased an AEW show in the last few weeks
  • Ticket sales for upcoming AEW & WWE shows
  • International TV ratings
  • Streaming numbers for WWE
  • Ortiz & Santana breakup explained
  • Paul Wight’s name in ESPN story on PED investigation
  • Georges St-Pierre into Canadian Sports Hall of Fame
  • UFC top star leaving the promotion
  • UFC Hall of Famer gets DWI
  • Bray Wyatt funeral
  • Vince McMahon’s return
  • Thoughts on Smackdown and what is the best day for the show if FX gets it
  • Drew McIntyre update
  • Roman Reigns return
  • Lots of comings and goings in WWE
  • WWE and NXT live event coverage

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

Ordering Info:

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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

Monday Update

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw and the rest of the day’s news with Wrestling Observer Radio. If you’ve got questions on current topics for tonight’s show you can send them to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

Jade Cargill was officially taken off the AEW roster and was reported by Mike Johnson earlier today as having been in Orlando, but flew home from there to Atlanta also today. We asked if she was at the Performance Center and one person just told us that they didn’t see her, but noted what we’ve heard the last few days that they have been making major plans for her and everyone expects her to be with WWE soon. WWE is doing tryouts for independent talent this week. Most tryouts of late have been for college athletes.

Raw tonight is in Salt Lake City with Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio, New Day vs. Viking Raiders 2/3 falls and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ricochet. There are two NFL games tonight, a Saints vs. Panthers game at 7:15 p.m. and Browns vs. Steelers at 8:15 p.m. So the first two hours of Raw will be going against two games and the third hour against one game. Raw is coming off its lowest viewer total in its history last week, but football numbers were gigantic last week. Plus I think there will be some interest carry-over from Dwayne Johnson on Smackdown that will help tonight’s show. 

Because of the SAG-AFTRA strike it was announced that ABC will be airing football every Monday night along with ESPN. It will be the first time that Monday Night Football will regularly air on network TV since it was moved from ABC to ESPN. Most weeks it will be the same game on both stations but there are a few weeks, like tonight, where there will be two different games on the two stations.

The WWE is scheduled to announce tomorrow a show at the 61,000-set Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia. It’s already been reported in Perth that the show will be announced this week. The government tourist agency is bringing them in, similar to the show a few years back in Australia that was a PPV show. It will draw big because of the promotion locally that the tourist board is taking care of, and also because WWE hasn’t been to Australia in four years and it has always been a strong WWE market.

MJF was on CBS New York today promoting Wednesday’s Arthur Ashe Stadium:

For Wednesday’s show, it was noted to us that there are lower bowl tickets in camera view unsold. Most were priced this morning at $247 and obviously they need to lower those prices and there are also a lot of floor seats left, but they are also priced at $597. So they will have to lower those prices as well. They were at 7,400 tickets out this morning. 

AEW Grand Slam matches so far:

TBS on Wednesday is MJF vs. Samoa Joe for the AEW title, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston for the ROH & New Japan strong titles, Saraya vs. Toni Storm for the AEW women’s title, Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix for the International title and Sammy Gueveara vs. Chris Jericho. For the two-hour Rampage on Friday it’s Christian & Luchasaurus vs. Sting & Darby Allin, Mogul Embassy vs. Young Bucks for the ROH trios titles, Hook & Orange Cassidy & Kris Statlander vs. Matt Menard & Angelo Parker & Anna Jay and Acclaimed & Billy Gunn defend the AEW trios titles against Evil Uno & John Silver & Alex Reynolds.

Congratulations to NWA President Billy Corgan who was married over the weekend in Highland Park, IL to girlfriend Chloe Mendel. The two have been a couple for 11 years and have two children. He invited a number of the NWA wrestlers to the wedding.

Minoru Suzuki did his match on the Bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya with Sanshiro Takagi. They fought for 37 minutes in front of customers who paid a lot to sit up close in the train and watch this unique match. A light was a cameo from Kenta Kobashi who ended up on the train and chopped Suzuki hard.

Impact returns to the U.K. with shows on 10/26 at the O2 Academy in Glasgow, Scotland, 10/27 in Newcastle at the Walker Activity Dome, and 10/28 in and 10/29 Coventry at the HMV Empire. Those announced for the tour are Alex Shelley, Josh Alexander, Deonna Purrazzo, Eric Young, Jordynne Grace, Brian Myers, Moose, Grado, Joe Hendry, Rich Swan, Chris Sabin, Frankie Kazarian, Mark Anderws, Flash Morgan Webster plus guest appearances by Gail Kim. Will Ospreay will be on the 10/27 Turning Point show which will be an Impact + special plus all shows will be taped for Impact and several weeks worth of episodes are being taped on the tour.

Former WWE performer Barbara Blank, better known as Kelly Kelly, delivered twins on Sunday, Brooklyn Marie Coba and Jaxon Matthew Coba. Congratulations to the family.

Ovince Saint Preux of UFC was suspended for six months due to a banned substance found in a test. It was only six months because he supplied a supplement that he was using which USADA tested and found it contained androsteindione, which he popped for, but androsteindioine was not on the label of ingredients.

Eve Wrestling on Wednesday at Yard Theater in Hackney, Wick in London with Allie Katch, B3CCA as well as their regulars like Alex Windsor, Nina Samuels, Chantal Jordan and Skye Smitson. 

We don’t have details yet and it’s only a few days away, but Thursday’s debut of the new Sukeban women’s promotion in New York is supposed to have a link to watch it live.

Minoru Szuuki will be wrestling on 10/13 for House of Glory Wrestling, making his debut with the group at the NYC Arena.

Defy on 9/23 at Washington Hall in Seattle has Eddie Kingston vs. Rocky Romero for the new Japan Strong title, provided Kingston retains that title in New York on Dynamite Wednesday. You must be 16 to attend. Christopher Daniels, The Bollywood Boys and Amira from the U.K. are booked on the show.

WAR Wrestling on 10/7 in Lima, OH at the Bradfield Community Center.