Daily Update: Linda McMahon, WWE Raw, UFC

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Highlights:

  • A complete look at  WWE & UFC business, the numbers, the trends, prospectus for 2025, why profits were so low, Saudi Arabia, media rights, crazy gates, boxing, , new TV shows and more.
  • The return to WWE of Dwayne Johnson, why it happened, where it has the most effect, the Rhodes angle and more.
  • Vince McMahon legal updates, latest arguments in the Grant case, as well as notes from the shareholder lawsuit against WWE and members of the board or letting McMahon back in the company, charges about the investigation and lots of new news regarding the board of directors actions from the day of the first Wall Street Journal article until the McMahon return.
  • Osamu Nishimura passes away, one of the smoothest wrestlers of modern times
  • Ryan Nemeth’s lawsuit against AEW, Tony Khan and CM Punk, legitimacy, silliness, claims and more details on those claims
  • Preview of Elimination Chamber and AEW Revolution, odds, cards and consumer demand
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the major U.S. wrestling shows
  • What is notable about Torneo Escuelas
  • Stardom has excellent PPV show
  • Fantastica Mania notes
  • Promotion sues a fan
  • Queen of the Ring notes and history form that period
  • Death of Portland announcer Don Coss
  • Lawsuit involving WWE Hall of Fame settled
  • Woman star has health issue
  • Major injury updates
  • WBD business
  • Lots of new AEW matches
  • Advance ticket sales for WWE & AEW shows
  • More on UFC & WWE 2026 business prospects with new deals coming in
  • Why the TKO stock price dropped greatly
  • Dark Side of the Cage notes
  • More on discontent with WWE employees
  • Goals of the WWE/UFC/PBR weekend in Kansas City
  • Stephanie McMahon update

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Monday Update

  • Linda McMahon was confirmed earlier today as Secretary of Education by a 51-45 vote.  It was well known this would happen.
  • After the John Cena turn, Raw tonight should do a much larger audience than it has been doing on Netflix.  Cena is not announced for the show.  Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky for the women’s title, War Raiders vs. Creeds for the tag titles and Lyra Valkyria vs. Ivy Nile for the IC title are announced, plus CM Punk, Gunther, Biance Belair and Seth Rollins are scheduled.  The show is in Buffalo, NY and this morning had 13,400 tickets out so this one will end up sold out.
  • Mark Shapiro today said that UFC would increase profits running less shows at arenas and more at the APEX, but said they aren’t planning on doing more APEX shows.  He also said there is no difference between a show at the APEX and at arenas when when you watch you can’t tell if the show is from a stadium, an arena or the APEX.    Well, that statement is ridiculous.
  • We’ll have more on this tonight.  At today’s Korakuen Hall show, Saya Kamitani beat Tam Nakano in their loser leaves Stardom match.  However, Kamitani then challenged Nakan to a loser must retire match on 4/27 at the Yokohama Arena, so I guess the stip that led to the Korakuen Hall sellout was forgotten about immediately after the match was over.  The rematch will be the company’s biggest match in a long time.
  • Dana White announced that with streaming partner Rumble’s contract with PowerSlap having expired, that PowerSlap would move to YouTube, starting with Friday’s show and VeChain was announced as the main sponsor, reportedly paying $12.7 million per year.
  • MLW announcer Christian Cole said he had been released from his contract.  I was told there would be a few MLW releases coming up for budgetary reasons due to changing talent around  Cole said he was released on X.  Those in the company confirmed it and said this was not one of the budgetary reasons.   
  • Tony Ferguson said on Ariel Helwani’s show that he would be fighting Dillon Danis in his GFL debut on 5/11.  
  • Becky Lynch’s book, “Becky Lynch:  The Man.  Not Your Average Average Girl” will be released in paperback tomorrow.  It was voted best wrestling book in the 2024 Observer awards.
  • Marc Mero has released an autobiography “Badd to Good?  The Inspiring Story of a Wrestling Wildman.” The book talks about his very public marriage breakup, struggling with addictions, being born again, speaking out about the drug usage in wrestling and more.
  • Alex Pereira noted that today he weighed 227.5 pounds.  He has to make 205.0 on Friday.  That’s not unusual.  He usually goes into the cage north of 230 after making 205.
  • Takumi Iroha was announced for West Coast Pro on 4/17 at  11 p.m. at Meet Las Vegas.
  • With Ricky Starks in WWE,  he has vacated the Defy title.  I don’t think anyone expected WWE would allow him to drop the title.  On 3/15 at Washington Hall they will have Super 8XGP.  It will be two four-way matches and then the two winners would face off in a singles match for the vacant title.  Also debuting on the show will be women wrestlers Rhio from Progress, Broke Havok and Anna Beretta.