Daily Update: MLW & Reelz, Sami Zayn, Yuya Uemura

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

*The biggest issue of the year, the 2022 Awards issue is up on the site

*Winners and top ten finishes in dozens of categories related to both pro wrestling and MMA as well as as listing of everyone who had won an award dating back to 1980. We also have comments on the voting in the major categories and notes on different career breakthroughs.

*Match of the week and performer of the week

*Full coverage of Elimination Chamber, the decision on the main event, the WrestleMania direction, different options, WrestleMania ticket demand, records set at Chamber, and Tony Khan and Ariel Helwani

*Coverage of Keiji Muto’s retirement at the Tokyo Dome with the unique storytelling in the main event and some great matches underneath

*Mercedes Mone returns after nine months to win the IWGP women’s title with full coverage of New Japan in San Jose, Mone’s future in Japan, who is in for a major push in Stardom, notes on Stardom’s upcoming biggest show in its history and some of the top matches

*The most detailed look at the TV ratings over the past week for all wrestling shows, including segment by segment, why AEW Dynamite and WWE Raw were up and other notes

*Mercedes Mone talks coming to Stardom

*Stardom tournament updates and next big show

*Notes from the Yuji Nagata vs. Kento Miyahara Triple Crown change and future All Japan big shows

*What country is New Japan talking about touring soon

*Fantastica Mania notes

*Notes on the Jerry Jarrett funeral and more Memphis wrestling history

*The death of Richard Belzer and the incident with Hulk Hogan

*Kurt Angle talks health issues

*Death of Brian Bukantis

*WBD business update

*Contract notes on top AEW talent

*Lineup for Revolution

*Ticket advances for all WWE & AEW shows

*Streaming numbers for AEW & WWE

*International TV ratings including what show broke its all-time record in what country

*Congressman going after Power Slap

*New UFC fights

*More on WWE potential sale and value

*Details of how if there is a Saudi Arabian purchase of WWE and how interested they are in it, what that would mean

*Notes on the debut of Dwayne Johnson’s XFL

*A&E documentary notes

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Wednesday Update

WWE

  • Finn Balor and Beth Phoenix were guests this week on The Bump. Liv Morgan and Lita will be guests on next week’s episode of The Bump to celebrate International Women’s Day.
  • Snoop Dogg is one of the people featured in the WrestleMania 39 poster. He has not been announced for the show.
  • Sami Zayn on Twitter: “Today marks my 21st anniversary as a pro wrestler. My 20th year in the business was somehow my best. It started crazy and it ended crazy, with an incredible range of emotions in between. Thanks to everyone who came on the ride with me. Lots of love.”
  • PWInsider is reporting that WWE will begin moving employees to their new world headquarters location later this month. The plan reportedly is to have those first divisions of the company in the building by the end of March.
  • Braun Strowman was worked over by Dr. Beau Hightower.
  • Deadline reported that ‘Barmageddon’, which aired following Raw in its first season and was hosted by Nikki Bella, has been renewed for a second season.
  • Booker T will appear in the upcoming season of Pawn Stars.
  • Full matches added to WWE’s YouTube today include Batista & Kane vs. The Great Khail & MVP from the February 29, 2008 edition of SmackDown, Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar from WrestleMania 35, and John Cena vs. AJ Styles from the February 27, 2018 edition of SmackDown.

AEW

  • Britt Baker talked about her recent transition as a babyface to The New York Post. “It was time. You feel it. You try to fight it as much as you can even though you probably shouldn’t. There comes a point where it’s just time.”
  • On February 20, the company filed trademarks for “AEW All Access” and “QTV”. All Access is the name of AEW’s new reality show that will premiere later this month on TBS, while QTV has been hyped on recent episodes of AEW Dark.

Other Wrestling

  • Variety reported that MLW’s run on the Reelz channel wraps up after ten weeks. Despite Reelz’s linear channel airing on Peacock starting today, Tuesdays at 10 pm ET will be unavailable on the service due to Peacock’s deal with WWE.
  • Microman was interviewed by Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso. He said that despite his size, he doesn’t want to be a mascot like his father, Kemonito. “I needed to prove myself to [trainer] Último Guerrero,” he said. “He pushed me, and I never gave up. He saw this future in me, and he believed in me. He didn’t want to be a mascot. I didn’t want to be that, either. I am here to wrestle. I know I am smaller than anyone else, and I have heard hurtful comments about it. But I stay strong. That is why I decided to call myself Microman.”
  • Yuya Uemura on Twitter wrote that he is ‘good’ following what looked like a neck injury suffered during this weekend’s Impact television tapings. I’m good. “I will revenge Sami soon!”
  • Impact has an hour-long documentary on Josh Alexander’s life.
  • Hijo del Vikingo has been added to GCW’s Into the Light event on April 21 in Atlanta.
  • Sumie Sakai has been added to GCW’s Scene of the Crime show in Atlanta on April 22.
  • Mayra Dias Gomes, known as May Valentine in the NWA, was profiled on Perez Hilton’s website. She will be on the cover of the February 2023 issue of Playboy Magazine.