Daily Update: LA Knight, Vikingo, Rick Boogs

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Topics covered in this loaded issue:

  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • WWE cuts in the office and of talent
  • The surprise cut of Mustafa Ali that clearly wasn’t planned in advance
  • Why the releases were done and how they were picked
  • Who has the most potential to go to AEW
  • The employees meeting and what was said
  • The SmackDown television deal with USA and the entire landscape of television in 2025 and what it could be
  • Why the stock dropped so dramatically
  • How much less is Vince McMahon worth than was projected just two weeks ago
  • The history of prime time shows on NBC
  • The return of Dwayne Johnson
  • What storyline was originally created for The Rock
  • More major office cuts
  • Noteworthy business notes on both UFC and WWE including revenue, profits and how the companies are similar and different
  • The life and times of Terry Funk
  • A look at his craziest ideas
  • Funk’s different roles in wrestling
  • Mick Foley and Tommy Dreamer comment on Funk
  • Funk’s questioning of his past
  • How Funk played the part in creating a 47-year-old institution in wrestling
  • The most famous Terry Funk retirement match
  • The Hogan-Terry Funk hotel room story
  • Funk’s first trip to Japan
  • Funk’s legendary Japanese matches
  • The formation of All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • The roles of the Funks in Amarillo
  • Doing police work
  • Funk’s WWF run
  • The Amarillo territory
  • Terry as the brother of the world champion
  • Death of Dory Funk Sr.
  • Terry wins the NWA world title
  • Why Terry Funk never challenged Bob Backlund for the WWF title
  • Highlights of the world title run
  • Terry Funk vs. Dusty Rhodes and the never ending storyline
  • Terry Funk in the movies and television
  • The wrestling war in Japan
  • Funk goes to FMW against Onita
  • Arena Mexico anniversary show
  • New books available from us
  • The match that made news all over the world this past week
  • UFC Noche coverage of Shevchenko vs. Grasso
  • Lots of notes on the scoring of the main event
  • Deaths of Emile Dupree and Bart Sawyer
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of the past week
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Ospreay vs. Marufuji
  • More on AEW television negotiations
  • More AEW major shows over the next year
  • PPV updated numbers
  • Lots of new major UFC fights
  • Raw has even greater competition this year
  • Los Angeles Times story on Vince McMaon
  • WWE goes to Australia for Elimination Chamber
  • XFL/USFL merger talks
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • WWE house show coverage

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Sunday Update

  • Bryan Alvarez and I will be back tonight talking all the news of the past several days and there has been a ton of it. The weekend WOR with Garrett Gonzales talking the business news and the past week’s Observer are up on the site now for subscribers.
  • I did an episode of Talk is Jericho after the death of Terry Funk that is now available.
  • The Los Angeles Times had a front page story yesterday on Vince McMahon, some of which was covered in this week’s WON.
  • We have four new books released early for the Christmas season that are available on Amazon. There are two on the year 1989 with the WONs that are not available on the site due to the fact they were done on a typewriter. Additionally, we have books on 2000 which includes the full Observers for that year as well as a yearbook with all the major news stories of the year written as the year was going on.
  • El Hijo del Vikingo didn’t wrestle at last night’s AAA show in Mexico City. He was to defend the AAA Mega title against Komander but instead, they had a match for the AAA Cruiserweight title that Rey Fenix vacated some time back as he couldn’t go to Mexico for a long time to establish residency in the U.S. Komander won a multi-person match to win that championship.
  • Nothing from WWE this past week, nor the cuts of talent or any of the news from SmackDown rights, cracked the top 20 in Google searches for this week. Yesterday’s UFC show didn’t either. The only related thing that did was Hulk Hogan was No. 20 today due to getting married.

WWE

  • On Saturday, WWE had its third biggest U.S. house show of 2023 as far as attendance for a sold-out show in Palm Desert, CA. After no sellouts since June, there have been sold-out shows on the West Coast the past two weekends. Here’s the results, courtesy of Shannon Walsh:

    Becky Lynch defeated Tiffany Stratton to retain the NXT Women’s title with the Manhandle slam; Gunther defeated Chad Gable to retain the WWE Intercontinental title after a power bomb; MVP and Omos came out for a VIP Lounge segment with Cody Rhodes as a guest. Dominik Mysterio came out and this led to a street fight; Cody Rhodes defeated Dominik Mysterio with the Cross Rhodes. MVP and Omos both interfered. Omos went to spear Rhodes and crashed into a table and then Rhodes used the Cross Rhodes on Dominik; Bronson Reed defeated Otis with the Tsunami; IYO SKY retained the WWE Women’s title in a three-way over Asuka and Charlotte Flair; Seth Rollins defeated The Miz after a curb stomp to retain the WWE World Heavyweight title

  • LA Knight was off the Saturday show due to COVID-19 after missing Friday’s SmackDown. It was notable that WWE announced ahead of the doors open that Knight was off the show and offered refunds. Normally, WWE will only announce a no show if it’s a Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins-level wrestler which tells you how highly they consider Knight. WWE also told media outlets Friday night about Knight and I can’t recall that being done in the past either. I don’t know if this is a new policy with the new owners because obviously in any other form of entertainment you would tell the fans and media in advance about a star not appearing. (Thanks to Jose Gonzalez)
  • Tiffany Stratton is expected to be on Raw tomorrow night to hype her rematch with Lynch that takes place on 9/30 at the No Mercy show in Bakersfield, CA. Lynch is supposed to be back at NXT this week after drawing big ratings for the show the past two weeks.  
  • Also on Tuesday’s NXT show: a contract signing for No Mercy with Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov, a strap match with Dijak vs. Eddy Thorpe, Josh Briggs vs. Baron Corbin, Butch vs. Joe Coffey with the winner facing Noam Dar for the Global Heritage Cup at No Mercy, Joe Gacy vs. Trick Williams, Gigi Dolin vs. Blair Davenport, and Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs Lucien Price & Bronco Nima.
  • Rick Boogs claimed that he was let go “due to a backstage political power play” and would release the details when the time is right. I wouldn’t expect him to say anything for at least 90 days as far as what he believed to be the details.
  • Undertaker is bringing his 1 deadMAN show to Perth, Australia, on the weekend of the Elimination Chamber show in late-February.
  • After Friday’s SmackDown sellout in Glendale, AZ, they announced a 3/1 SmackDown at the Desert Diamond Arena. It’s very smart when you have a sellout crowd, announce the next show at the event and then start selling tickets immediately after the show.

Japan

  • The overseas matches we have heard raves about this past week are today’s Will Ospreay vs. Yota Tsuji match from New Japan’s Destruction in Kobe as well as today’s DDT match with Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mao. As you’ve probably seen, Don Callis was in Japan with Takeshita and cut a promo about Takeshita being “the Alpha” followed by Chris Jericho appearing via video to challenge Takeshita to a singles match on 11/12 at Sumo Hall. Jericho working DDT is a surprise since he had been working for New Japan. Also a surprise is that singles match taking place in Japan and not on an AEW major show, although they can always rematch it in the U.S. Another match heavily praised was the Yuma Aoyagi vs. Ryuki Honda Triple Crown title match on yesterday’s All Japan show at Korakuen Hall.
  • The Stardom Five Star Grand Prix finals are on PPV on 9/30.

Other Wrestling

  • wXw Femme Fatales from yesterday in Oberhausen, Germany: Hayn b Rina Yamashita by DQ, Nicole Matthews b Calypso, Baby Allison b Michelle Green, Anita Vaughn b Ivy Kovasky, Regina Rodendahl b Julia, Ava Everett b Devlyn Macrabe to win the German Wrestling Federation title in a wXw vs. GWF title vs. title match, Nicole Matthews b Hyan to win the tournament and a shot at Everett.
  • Here’s the debut show for the Sukeban promotion, an all-Japanese women’s group that debuted in New York on Thursday. The show aired live on TikTok.
  • Jerry Lawler did his first major public appearance since his stroke at the Memphis Comic Expo today. He now has a full mustache and a grey beard.
  • Pro Wrestling EVE will have a SHE-1 tournament on 10/8 with 16 women. Announced so far as Maya Yukihi, Charlie Morgan, Jetta, Alex Windsor, Kasey, Safire Reed, Nina Samuels, Chantal Jordan, Millie McKenzie, Emersyn Jayne and Aleah James.
  • Freelance Wrestling on Friday night in Chicago had Tokyo Joshi Pro star Shoko Nakajima beat Shazza McKenzie in the main event of what we were told was an excellent match using a diving senton. The crowd gave the two a standing ovation.

UFC/MMA

  • While nothing will come of it, Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen knocked out Fabian Edwards in Dublin last night and then continued to yell at him afterward. Leon Edwards, the UFC welterweight champion and Fabian’s brother, then started yelling at Eblen and security got between them. Eblen did eventually shake hands with both Edwards brothers before leaving the cage.
  • Ian Machado Garry vs. Vicente Luque was announced for the 12/16 UFC PPV in Las Vegas. Also announced for that show is Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett and Stephen Thompson vs Shavkat Rakhmonov. Ferguson is on a long losing streak while Pimblett has a potential star personality but the reality thus far is that he has not come across like he’s going to be able to be a championship contending level fighter. The hope here is to get him a win over a totally faded big name.
  • Kelvin Gastelum returns to welterweight on the 12/2 UFC event against Sean Brady who is 15-1 and a ranked fighter.