Daily Update: Mauro and JBL, Lana, Nate Diaz’s penalty reduced

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FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: 4/3/2017: Memorable moments make Wrestlemania 33

Despite the match quality and show length being similar, WrestleMania 33 was much better than its predecessor. That’s largely due to just having more memorable moments than WrestleMania 32. The Undertaker’s retirement is what will define this year’s show, even if he clearly held on too long. Jim Ross’ return to the WWE broadcast booth was a nice touch and necessary to stress the magnitude of Undertaker’s final match. The Hardys coming back brought genuine excitement while making the Raw tag team title ladder match feel like a big deal. And John Cena proposing to Nikki Bella at least gave reason for what was a nothing mixed tag after such a great build.

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: April 10, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Wrestlemania 33 review, WWE financials, more

Our annual WrestleMania double-issue of the Observer is out today, covering not only the big show, but also the entire week in Orlando with NXT, ROH, the top indie shows and even the NXT tapings.

Stories on New Japan’s quick sellouts and plans for their first U.S. shows, behind-the-scenes bullying in WWE and what’s next in WWE, in this issue.

Plus, look at all of the business numbers for WrestleMania, how to analyze the network number and what numbers need to be out before fully getting a picture of everything, the gain of subscribers this year as compared to the past two years and how much time the average subscriber spends during Mania week watching the network. Also, look at the live gate, what aspects of the show were the most talked about, general public reaction compared to big UFC events, and television ratings for the prelims.

Undertaker’s retirement, the Cena proposal, return of the Hardys sans gimmick, Goldberg vs. Lesnar, ring psychology, length of matches, as well as when the finishes were finalized and the gambling money came in, inside.

This issue also has match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results for WrestleMania, NXT Takeover and ROH Supercard of Honor.

Read about the returns to WWE of Jim Ross and Drew Galloway and the backgrounds of everything as well as the unique Ross/New Japan/WWE dynamic that under normal circumstances would be unheard of, and also look at how the situation with Galloway went down.

Also, look at the dynamic of the Takeover show and why decisions were made the way they were.

This issue goes through the plans for the New Japan shows in Long Beach, what will be on the shows and goals of the shows.

Finally look at the highlight matches during the week from smaller promotions in Orlando.

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ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com. 

Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)

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WON BACK ISSUE: March 20, 2000: WWF to leave USA network, ECW Living Dangerously review, more

The landscape of American pro wrestling may undergo major changes within the next month. Starting off, WWF officially gave notice to the USA Network on 3/1 that it is cancelling its contract with them effective in September when the new TV season starts. This isn’t necessarily as big as it sounds, but most feel it is bigger. The WWF’s deal for Raw, Livewire and Superstars expired in September 2001, but WWF has the right to get out of the deal in September 2000 by giving the network six months notice and USA Network has the right to match any offer.

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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • The situation between Mauro Ranallo and John “Bradshaw” Layfield has continued to get more media attention today. The New York Post ran a story asking how long WWE can ignore reports of JBL’s bullying, Brandon Howard of Fightful.com compiled an oral history of JBL and WWE’s culture of hazing, the Dayton Daily News wrote about Jonathan Coachman stopping his SportsCenter segment amid complaints about ESPN’s coverage of WWE, and David Bixenspan’s latest article for Deadspin also focused on Coachman’s coverage.
  • There were some signs of support for Ranallo in the crowd at the SmackDown tapings in Boston last night, as well as some negative chants towards JBL. Ranallo thanked fans for their support but also tweeted, “Please support the men & women who put their bodies on the line. I am gonna be fine. No one buys a ticket for an announcer.”
  • Lana posted on Twitter this morning that inappropriate behavior by TSA agents at Logan Airport in Boston made her feel violated. She later tweeted an update, saying that police helped resolve the problem.
  • Drew McIntyre’s first match back with WWE is advertised for tonight’s episode of NXT. The show is the first from the tapings that took place after WrestleMania and will feature new graphics and a new theme song. WWE posted a video with the song.
  • The Hardys will be on the road at Raw’s house shows starting on Friday.
  • Braun Strowman responded to a petition that called for him to be fired after the angle on Raw where he destroyed Roman Reigns: “I do what I want when I want and your stupid petition won’t change that!! #NoOneIsSafe #EveryoneWillFall #YourTearsHydrateMe”
  • Justin Roberts spoke to Wrestledelphia about his book and his feelings on Triple H.

Pro Wrestling

  • PROGRESS Wrestling announced that the main event of their show on April 23rd will be a six-man tag with Pete Dunne, Trent Seven & Tyler Bate vs. WALTER, Axel Dieter Jr. & Timothy Thatcher. Dunne’s PROGRESS title and Seven & Bate’s tag titles will be on the line, with whoever gets pinned losing their championship.
  • The Pontchartrain Convention Center will be the location for WWN’s WrestleMania week events in Louisiana next year. The venue is approximately 13 miles from the Superdome.
  • Keith Lee vs. Darby Allin and ACH vs. Jaka will take place at EVOLVE 83 on April 23rd in Brooklyn, New York. EVOLVE’s latest mini-doc looks at Zack Sabre Jr. ahead of his matches that weekend.
  • EVOLVE’s show in Chicago on May 20th has been moved to 2:30 p.m. with NXT TakeOver taking place in the city that night.
  • Eater Chicago has an article on Lisa Marie Varon’s Squared Circle restaurant closing.

UFC/MMA

  • Like Conor McGregor previously, Nate Diaz had his punishment reduced for the bottle-throwing incident that occurred at the press conference prior to their rematch at UFC 202. The Nevada Athletic Commission reduced the penalty to a $15,000 fine and 15 hours of community service. It was previously $50,000 and 50 hours.
  • Mike Goldberg tweeted about his friendship with Anthony “Rumble” Johnson: “Making a living isn’t life, lifelong friendships are what we live for, my bond w @Anthony_Rumble is unbreakable, built on all that is right!” Johnson mentioned Goldberg after his fight against Daniel Cormier last Saturday night when announcing his retirement.
  • Dana White said that Ronda Rousey hasn’t spoken to him about a comeback and reiterated that she probably won’t return to the Octagon.
  • Demetrious Johnson was interviewed by FloCombat ahead of his title defense this Saturday.

Today in Professional Wrestling History (4/12): The Wild Samoans win WWF tag titles

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