Daily Update: John Cena, Jerry Lynn, Gilbert Melendez

DAILY UPDATE

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F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Recapping WWE Crown Jewel

Joseph Currier gives his thoughts on Crown Jewel and the travel delays the WWE roster faced after the show.

When Crown Jewel ended last Thursday, it seemed like things weren’t quite as awful for WWE as their previous shows in Saudi Arabia.

In the ring, this year’s Crown Jewel was probably the best event that WWE has had in Saudi Arabia. There were low points, but the show was focused more on the current roster and special attractions than relying solely on nostalgia. Though Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were part of the show, they coached teams of current wrestlers and weren’t actually competing themselves. A major title change even took place, with The Fiend becoming Universal Champion by defeating Seth Rollins in their falls count anywhere main event.

Most importantly for WWE, they got to put on the first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia. Natalya defeated Lacey Evans, and it went as well as could be expected. There were obviously restrictions, including what Natalya and Evans were allowed to wear. But the quality of the match was largely irrelevant to WWE. Natalya and Evans treated this like a milestone that they were honored to be part of. The audience also played their part, helping WWE’s narrative come off as more than just hollow messaging.

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WON NEWSLETTER: November 11, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Situation with WWE and Saudi Arabia, NXT invasion, more

One of the craziest stories in pro wrestling history, one that will be talked about in autobiographies to come, involves the WWE’s trip to Saudi Arabia. We’ve got a complete rundown on what happened as well as details of a story that involved hundreds of millions of dollars, the stock market, mainstream media, and much more. The new issue also covers: 

The decision to put NXT talent on main roster shows affected ratings for Raw, Smackdown and NXT.

A complicated story with a lot of issues, including a $60 million payment, let money, a new and better deal for WWE, lagging stock price, talent stuck in Saudi Arabia an extra day, a meeting called by Vince McMahon, what does and doesn’t add up among the different stories, the Smackdown show and how it went down, stock analyses look at WWE, and much more.

Coverage of UFC 244, with the story behind the fight, the stoppage of the main event, Nate Diaz’s 180 reaction on what he wants to do, Jorge Masvidal and the BMF championship, scary finishes, upsets and surprises along with match-by-match coverage and poll results from the show.

New Japan building two Tokyo Dome shows in January with key matches, angles being worked on, the retirement of Jushin Liger, the situation with Katsuyori Shibata, the return of Hiromu Takahashi, what Will Ospreay talked of, the upcoming tag team tournament, the junior tag team tournament, California shows as well as a full rundown of Power Struggle with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

The Randy Orton contract, interest level of Crown Jewel, Lance Storm goes to WWE in a non-wrestling role and why now, Styles pushes for angle which changes storyline direction, another finish changed on Raw, NXT future plans, lots of WWE injury notes, WrestleMania kickoff party and plans for the next show in Mexico City.

Upcoming War Games matches, UK stars on main roster shows, WWE’s biggest house show week of the year, the most watched shows on the WWE Network, plus WWE’s first show in the U.K. and a rundown on all the NXT house shows.

Kenny Omega’s possibly going after yet another world title with coverage of DDT’s big show at Sumo Hall. 

Coverage of the MLW PPV show, Dragon Gate’s Gate of Destiny with storyline notes and coverage and Pro Wrestling NOAH’s biggest event of the year at Sumo Hall.

Coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.

In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.

Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week. 

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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • WWE Backstage tonight will have Samoa Joe as part of the panel. They will be joined by Mick Foley and NXT champion Adam Cole.
  • John Cena talked to Sports Illustrated about wanting to help addess the military veteran suicide epidemic in the United States. When asked about a possible appearance at WrestleMania 36, he said “I haven’t missed a WrestleMania since my first appearance at WrestleMania 19, and I do not plan to miss a WrestleMania for decades to come.”
  • Rusev spoke to The Sun about his storyline with Lana and Bobby Lashley: “It’s a collaboration. There’s adjustments that we make, but that’s just life. We’re committed to our characters on TV, so we just have to make slight adjustments, but we’re professionals and we’re coping with it. It’s great, I think we are in the best storyline currently going on and the best storyline that’s been around for years. It’s getting a lot of views and a lot of eyes on it. Some people like it, some people love it, but at the end of the day, it’s the hottest storyline going on.”
  • WWE Network News is reporting that the final months of WCW Thunder, November 2000 through March 2001, are heading to the WWE Network this Monday, November 18.
  • Kevin Owens tweeted about teaming with Rey Mysterio on WWE’s European tour today: “I’ve experienced lots of highs and lows in this industry over the past 20 years. Getting to team with this guy tonight definitely belongs in the ‘highs’ category! An absolute honor. Thank you, @reymysterio”
  • Director Werner Herzog mentioned in an interview with Variety that he’s a fan of WrestleMania.
  • The Tampa Bay Times did an article on potential business for next year’s WrestleMania.
  • We will have a limited number of group tickets for WrestleMania 36 that will be sold with our Q&A meet and greet tickets for that weekend. If you are interested in getting tickets, check out more information on our forum thread here or contact tony.leder@gmail.com.

Pro Wrestling

  • Former ECW star Francine is set to undergo abdominal surgery for a hernia repair.
  • Jerry Lynn on Twitter: “Went over the MRI with the doctor today. Getting surgery for a bulging disc on Nov 29th. Good news is 3 to 4 week recovery!”
  • Chris Jericho cut a promo about teaming with Sammy Guevara and challenging for SCU’s Tag Team titles on tomorrow’s episode of Dynamite.
  • Impact Wrestling uploaded a documentary highlighting the Joey Ryan/Ken Shamrock match that recently took place on Impact.
  • PWG is running a show called “The Makings of a Varsity Athlete” on December 20.
  • Retrosoft Studios announced today that RetroMania Wrestling is officially the sequel to the 1980s arcade game WrestleFest. They reached an agreement with Arc System Works Co. Ltd, who obtained the IP rights to WrestleFest and Mat Mania from defunct developer Technos of Japan. The developers noted in the press release that characters from the Mat Mania series will appear in the new game.

MMA

  • Gilbert Melendez commented on his release from the UFC in a statement on social media, saying that the release is mutual.
  • UFC streamed UFC 1 on their Twitch page in honor of their anniversary
  • In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Nick Diaz mentioned that his return to MMA would depend on the UFC.
  • UFC will run a show in Raleigh, North Carolina on January 25, the same day as Bellator’s Cris Cyborg vs. Julia Budd event.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: UFC 1 – The Beginning

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