Daily Update: Jamie Hemmings, Duane Koslowski, David Von Erich

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The most detailed look at the updated Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE. We look at the new claims, the arguments in favor of the case not going to arbitration as McMahon, Laurinaitis and WWE have argued, who is the most in jeopardy, lots of notes on the legal strategy from both sides, more text messages released as well.
  • Tons of records set at the 2025 Royal Rumble, the direction going into WrestleMania, the fake record John Cena may break and who has always been planned to break it later, Dwayne Johnson, Jey Uso, Alexa Bliss, business records including a very noteworthy record set by the show. We have an apples-to-apples comparison between Rumble viewers on Netflix and Raw viewers which is very interesting.
  • The ringboys lawsuit goes forward against Vince & Linda McMahon and WWE, details of what the issues that put it on hold were as well as a very important note about the suit that hasn’t gotten much talk.
  • The most detailed look at TV ratings and streaming numbers for pro wrestling programming in the U.S., including segment-by-segment numbers, what countries Raw is strongest in, competition and more.
  • Unique tournament this month in Mexico City
  • A look at major international matches over the past week
  • Stardom PPV notes
  • Tag champ brothers release a new album and music video.
  • New Beginning in Osaka and Fantastica Mania upcoming shows.
  • Young Bucks talk their return to Japan
  • Why Hiroshi Tanahashi was in tears after Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd
  • Hall of Famer says his son has recently got a WWE offer
  • Ed Wiskowski’s time in Australia.
  • Lots of news on Grand Slam Australia.
  • International TV numbers and streaming numbers
  • Ticket sales to all the major upcoming WWE & AEW shows including WrestleMania, Elimination Chamber, Revolution and All In.
  • Jericho Cruise notes
  • Merch sale leaders from WWE & AEW
  • Story on the retirement of Dominick Cruz and his legacy in UFC
  • One of the key people in the pro wrestling business and the most important person in the MMA business are rumored to be working together to start a new sports franchise
  • How is ESPN+ doing
  • Another world champion wants release from his promotion.
  • All the craziness of the Canelo negotiations
  • TKO stock reaching record highs
  • Lots of news on Mania week
  • More on cancellation of Cena TV show
  • More on new Evolve TV show
  • Another lawsuit with Nick Khan’s name in it
  • How much WWE stock does Dwayne Johnson now own?
  • Lots of contract news
  • WWE & AEW injury stats – which company, on average, has more serious injuries.

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about history, including one of the most important fights in history, WWE & AEW releases, as well as Raw, New Japan New Beginning and more with Wrestling Observer Radio tonight.
  • Want to note the death of Jamie Hemmings, a very good wrestling writer who had worked for years with Slam! Wrestling, at the age of 43. There are a lot of tributes to her on that site, but wanted you to get a read on her as a writer with these pieces.
  • Duane Koslowski, who was in the semi-final match of the first pro wrestling show to sell out  the Tokyo Dome (U Cosmos put on by the UWF in 1989), passed away last week at the age of 65. The Koslowski Twins, Duane & Dennis, were terrors on the football field and wrestling mats in South Dakota in high school and the University of Minnesota at Morris, where Duane was an honorable mention All-American offensive lineman and a national champion in wrestling.  After college he gave up wrestling while his brother switched to Greco-Roman.  His brother recruited him to come back and train together a few years later and they both won multiple national titles in Greco, Duane at heavyweight and Dennis at 220. Dennis is actually one of the greatest Greco-wrestlers in U.S. history having won two Olympic medals. Duane after just one year of Greco training won the national championship and ended up in the 1988 Olympics as a super heavyweight. Unfortunately for him, that was the era of Aleksandre Karelin and they met in those Olympics and Duane got destroyed.  The next year he had his Tokyo Dome match with Nobuhiko Takada, which at the time was a huge deal.  The UWF wasn’t real, but purported itself to be, so Takada facing an Olympian and U.S. national champion was a big deal and considered a major win for Takada. Had they come ten years earlier and been on the 1976 or 1980 Olympic teams, they’d have been pro wrestlers, and maybe even big stars as a Twins tag team. Verne Gagne was high on them, but by the time they finished amateur wrestling in 1992, the AWA was dead.
  • oday is the 41st anniversary of the death of David Von Erich, the 22nd anniversary of the death of Curt Hennig and the 18th anniversary of the Gina Carano vs. Julie Kedzie MMA fight on Showtime, which was the first MMA fight ever on a premium station and far more important the first women’s fight on a major national TV station. And it could have been the last for a long time if it didn’t come through. Kedzie wrote a story on this years ago.
  • Raw tonight is from Nashville with Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor, Lyra Valkyria vs. Bayley and Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul in Chamber qualifier matches plus Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai (back fro her concussion). CM Punk is also on the show. They had 10,800 tickets out as of this morning so it could sell out but isn’t a lock. We’re looking for reports from the live show with anything not on the show itself including Main Event bouts or dark segments to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

The New Beginning in Osaka starts at about 12:45 a.m. Eastern and 9:45 p.m. Pacific tonight for the Edion Arena in Osaka:

  • El Desperado & Katsuya Murashima vs. Jeff Cobb & Francesco Akira
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Drilla Moloney
  • Shota Umino vs. Great O’Khan
  • Sanada vs. Taichi
  • Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita vs. Rocky Romero & Yoh for the IWGP jr. tag titles
  • Konosuke Takeshita vs. Oleg Boltin for the Never title
  • Young Bucks vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP tag titles
  • Yota Tsuji vs. Gabe Kidd for the Global title
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. HJirooki Goto for the IWGP heavyweight title

There is a lot of interest right now with the idea this could be Goto’s last shot at winning a title that he’s challenged for multiple times but never won. We’re doing a poll on this show so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

  • Mick Foley announced a speaking tour from 3/9 to 5/29 hitting cities including Toledo, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs, Kansas City, Des Moines, Peoria, Phoenix, Tulsa and Syracuse.
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg will be the main event of a 3/29 UFC show at Arena Ciudad in Mexico City.
  • There were AEW Dynamite ads all over the Puppy Bowl yesterday.
  • RevPro announced 2/23 in Sheffield, UK with 1 Called Manders & Michael Oku vs. Liam Slater & Leon Slater.
  • Ariel Helwani reported that Luke Rockhold was traded from Team Dubai to Team Los Angeles so the first show with Los Angeles vs. New York can have  Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman.