Daily Update: Matt Riddle, WWE stock, UFC weigh-ins

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

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Friday Update

– Our weekly show with Garrett Gonzales was just completed. We talk a lot about this week’s issue and all the major news, such as the television deals, WWE cuts, a lot about Terry Funk, AEW, and the other big stories of the week. Bryan and I will be back on Sunday for Observer Radio.

– The new issue of the Observer is out today and it’s loaded:

  • 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

– Want to thank everyone for the nice comments on this week’s issue and the Terry Funk story.

–Matt Riddle confirmed that he got his WWE release today. I would expect either NJPW or AEW to be his next destination. Riddle was about to go to New Japan when WWE found out and that’s when WWE signed him years ago. Evidently the incident coming back from India was the straw that broke the camel’s back. PWInsider first reported it and we confirmed it and Riddle has since released it publicly.

– Ashante “Thee” Adonis & B-Fab from Hit Row worked the dark match in SmackDown before the show against Cameron Grimes. Grimes won the match.

– SmackDown is in Glendale, AZ tonight for a show that should sell out. Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark will be the dark match on the show. Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa vs. John Cena & AJ Styles is the main event, Iyo Sky defends the women’s title against Asuka, and Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar vs Street Profits. They should do a big rating with Cena in a match.

– AEW Rampage is two hours from 10 p.m. to midnight on TNT with Christian & Luchasaurus vs. Sting & Darby Allin, Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage & Toa Liona defend the ROH trios titles against The Young Bucks & Adam Page, The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn defend the AEW trios titles against John Silver, Alex Reynolds & Evil Uno, Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue, Mike Santana vs. Dirty Bulk Bronson, Orange Cassidy, Hook & Kris Statlander vs. Matt Menard, Angelo Parker & Anna Jay, plus Hardys vs. Righteous vs. Best Friends vs. Kingdom with the winners getting an ROH tag team title match on the October 1 WrestleDream PPV.

– WWE stock closed today at $83.79 per share. There are a number of reasons for the big drop with the key being the original price counted on a 50-70 percent increase in television rights and the SmackDown deal was only at 40 percent.

– AEW Collision goes head-to-head with Ohio State vs. Notre Dame (NBC), Arkansas vs. LSU (ESPN), Oregon State vs. Washington State (FOX), Baylor vs. Texas (ABC), and Iowa vs. Penn State (CBS). Ohio State vs Notre Dame is the toughest game the show has faced and there are other games as well head-to-head.

– SANADA will be on the 10/27 Defy show at Washington Hall in Seattle.

– We’re looking for reports from these weekend shows:

  • Smackdown tonight in Glendale, AZ (dark matches only)
  • Impact tonight in Memphis
  • NXT tonight in Fort Pierce, FL
  • Collision tomorrow night in Grand Rapids, MI (non-Collision stuff like ROH tapings)
  • WWE house show tomorrow night in Palm Desert , CA
  • Impact tomorrow night in Memphis
  • NXT tomorrow night in Orlando
  • WWE house show Sunday in Stateline, NV

We’re looking for results, finishes and angles to dave@wrestilngobserver.com

– Also looking for your thoughts on Sunday’s NJPW Destruction in Kobe show, thumbs up, down or middle, best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

– UFC tomorrow with a 4-10 p.m. Eastern show on ESPN+

  • Montserrat Rendon (135) vs. Tamires Vidal (134)
  • Mizuki Inoue (115.5) vs. Hannah Goldy (115.5)
  • Mohammed Usman (237) vs. Jake Collier (256.5)
  • Jacob Malkoun (186) vs. Cody Brundage (185)
  • Tim Means (171) vs. Andre Fialho (171)
  • Dan Argueta (136) vs. Miles Johns (136)
  • Ricardo Ramos (146) vs. Charles Jourdain (145.5)
  • Bryan Battle (171) VS. AJ Fletcher (170.5)
  • Marina Rodriguez (116) vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez (115.5)
  • Bryce Mitchell (146) vs. Dan Ige (146)
  • Rafael Fiziev (156) vs. Mateusz Gamrot (156)

– Bellator airs on Showtime at 4 p.m. Eastern on Saturday from the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland with Johnny Eblen defending the middleweight title against Fabian Edwards and Aaron Pico vs. Pedro Carvalho.

– Deiveson Figueiredo moves to bantamweight on 12/2 and debuts in the new weight class against Rob Font.

– CriticLee Speaking on Fox in Detroit saw critics both give the Cassandro movie, which debuts today on Amazon Prime, thumbs up. Lee Thomas said he was expecting a comedy since it was about wrestling but it is definitely not, said it was a heavy drama with a layered story that is an LGBTQ story (thanks to Shannon Walsh)

– wXw has its annual world tag team festival starting today in Oberhausen, Germany. There was also a GCW show in the building that already took place today with Blake Christian vs. Per Tihanyl, Allie Katch & Effy vs. Manders & Mance Warner, Gringo Loco vs. Leon Slater, Rina Yamashita vs. Jimmy Lloyd, Arez vs Shgehiro Irie, Rotation vs. Jordan Oliver and Joey Janela vs Nick Gage on Fite + now.

– GCW also has a show at 5 p.m. Eastern tomorrow from Oberhausen with Rina Yamashita vs. Lou Nixon, Gringo Loco vs. Arez vs. Rotation. vs. Mizuki Watase vs. Jimmy Loyd vs. Aigie Blanc, Latigo vs. Jordan Olvier, Irie vs. Janela, Icarus & Laurence Roman & Robert Dreissker vs,. Manders & Dark Sheik & Warner and Christian vs. Axel Tischer.

– Blake Christian also defends the GCW title on the Sunday Progress show against Charles Crowley. QT Marshall is on that show defending the Latin American title against Jake Candicoo.

– RevPro has two Fantastica Mania shows tomorrow in Manchester as well as Sunday in St. Neots

– Matt Cardona vs. James Storm for the vacant 1PW title (Will Ospreay was champion but won’t be working for the group going forward) takes place on 10/28 in Doncaster, England. (thanks to Markus Gronemann)

– There was a full page story in the new Women’s Health magazine on Brandi Runnels, talking about her previous career as an ice skater.

– MLW runs next on 10/14 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia with Alex Kane defending the MLW title against Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Minoru Suzuki vs. Jacob Fatu. The show airs live on FITE+

– Giulia defends the New Japan Strong title against Ami Sohrei on 10/1 at Korakuen Hall and then the winner will defend the title next on the 10/28 New Japan show in Las Vegas.

– Combate Global, which did kind of incredible TV ratings last week, is back on Paramount+ and Univision tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m. Eastern with Jimbo Slice (3-0) vs. Christopher Ewer (3-0) in the main event.

– Inside the Ropes has an afternoon with Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman on 11/25 at Joe’s Live in Rosemont, IL, from Noon to 1:30 p.m. with a live show and a 2-5 p.m. Meet and Greet before Survivor Series at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL Tickets are at Joesliverosemont.com

– Jake Lee vs Go Shiozaki headlines Sunday’s NOAH show for the GHC title plus El Hijo del Dr Wagner Jr. faces Psycho Clown at the Nagoya International Conference Center. It airs on Wrestle Universe with English commentary starting at 2 a.m. Eastern late Saturday night.