Daily Update: Jay Briscoe tributes, SmackDown ratings, Mercedes Mone
Daily Update
Latest News:
- UFC 283 live results: Teixeira vs. Hill, Figueiredo vs. Moreno 4
- Bloodline ceremony for WWE Raw replaced by Sami Zayn trial
- Kevin Owens to face Solo Sikoa on next WWE SmackDown
- Impact TV taping spoilers: Former WWE NXT wrestler debuts
- WWE SmackDown video highlights: Owens attacks Reigns, Firefly Fun House returns
- Keiji Mutoh challenges Tetsuya Naito for his retirement match at Tokyo Dome
- Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Yokohama notes: Okada/Kiyomiya, Kongo vs. LIJ
- Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Yokohama Arena live results: NJPW vs. NOAH
- Karl Fredericks makes WWE NXT debut at house show
- TNT title match added to AEW Dynamite
Latest Audio:
- Wrestling Observer Live: Kevin Owens, Jay Briscoe thoughts, Mutoh vs. Naito
- Speak Now: Roman Reigns disses Sami Zayn on WWE SmackDown
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Saturday Update
WWE
- Kevin Owens and The Viking Raiders & Valhalla paid tribute to Jay Briscoe (Jamin Pugh) with their armbands on last night’s SmackDown. Ivar tweeted: “#DemBoysForever. Love you Jay, Love you Briscoes. Please help the Pugh family if you can https://givesendgo.com/pughlove”
- On commentary during SmackDown, Michael Cole sent his condolences to Briscoe’s family on behalf of WWE. Cole called The Briscoes one of wrestling’s great tag teams.
- Former WWE wrestler Zach Gowen visited last night’s SmackDown in Detroit. Gowen posted a photo of him and his sons in the ring: “Didn’t expect my first time back in a WWE ring to be with my oldest boys but it was perfect. Thank you @WWE”
- SmackDown averaged 2.113 million viewers in the fast national ratings last night, down from last week’s fast national average of 2.182 million. The rating in the 18-49 demo was a 0.5.
- PWInsider reports that Lita and Booker T are scheduled to be at Raw’s 30th anniversary episode this Monday.
- Bret Hart is opening a new bar named “Hitman’s Bar” in Calgary this February. Hart called it “a place to gather, enjoy a great meal, live, laugh, and celebrate.”
- Mustafa Ali shared a video for a character concept he came up with last year called “The Commodity.” Ali tweeted: “a concept i worked on late last year. ‘the commodity’ would be this arrogant performer that would only compete against local wrestlers and would over embellish his victories over them. when a credible challenger would come up, he would make excuses to postpone the fight.”
- Bianca Belair and Montez Ford appeared during the pre-game coverage for today’s Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars NFL playoff game on NBC.
- Kofi Kingston was the guest on WWE After the Bell this week.
- Drew McIntyre & Sheamus, LA Knight, and Legado Del Fantasma were interviewed on The SmackDown LowDown.
- WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded the following: Shawn Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin (May 2, 2005 Raw), Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens vs. The Usos (January 21, 2022 SmackDown), and a segment with Brock Lesnar destroying J&J Security’s car (July 6, 2015 Raw).
AEW/Other Wrestling
- NJPW and Pro Wrestling NOAH honored Jay Briscoe with a 10-bell salute before the main card of Wrestle Kingdom 17 night two began. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Naomichi Marufuji held pictures of Briscoe in the ring as members of the NJPW and NOAH rosters surrounded the ring on the outside. The tribute can be seen in this video (1:35:50).
- Impact Wrestling and GCW also did 10-bell salutes for Briscoe at their Friday events.
- Mercedes Mone was at NJPW’s LA Dojo training earlier this week. KUSHIDA noted that Mone sent him a direct message asking if she could come to his seminar. KUSHIDA thought Mone was joking at first, but she showed up. “I was very inspired by her attitude that she still wants to learn wrestling techniques. We’re LOVE Prowrestling. Respect,” KUSHIDA wrote.
- Chris Jericho tweeted after being included in a WWE video package of the greatest moments from Raw’s history: “Pro wrestling transcends any given company. Pro wrestling is about memories….and this video contains some LEGENDARY ones! #WWERaw”
- Rocky Romero defeated Volador Jr. at last night’s CMLL show to win the NWA World Historic Welterweight title.
- Prince Nana appeared on this week’s edition of AEW Unrestricted.
- Denise Salcedo co-hosted today’s Busted Open Radio with Mark Henry.