Daily Update: New Year Dash, Crown Jewel, new Dynamite segment

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Observer is up on the site right now covering these stories:

  • Match and performers of the week
  • The history of UFC and WWE together
  • How Vince McMahon is responsible for UFC taking off and why
  • Dirty tricks McMahon tried to play on UFC and blasting it when it got popular
  • Dana White talks about his prior and current changes in relationship with McMahon
  • How Vince McMahon viewed UFC when it first broke through
  • The first attempt at Undertaker vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania and why it didn’t happen
  • How things have changed since the merger and what Vince’s role in UFC is now
  • Jon Jones injury, why Stipe Miocic is off, and what are the different possibilities going forward in the heavyweight division
  • A look at the Aspinall vs. Pavlovich fight
  • Business notes on what was expected to be a record setting show
  • Preview of Crown Jewel and Full Gear and matches announced and other things built up
  • WWE goes with more international major shows in 2024
  • Rundown of Impact changing to TNA and what it will and won’t mean
  • The decline of TNA and change to Impact years ago
  • What changes to expect with the move back to TNA
  • The story behind the Bound for Glory main event
  • Business notes on Bound for Glory
  • Match-by-match coverage
  • Hall of Fame ceremony
  • UFC 204 coverage and what next for the top stars of the show
  • Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, and how once again Saudi Arabia has changed the economic necessities of a big fight
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all of the wrestling shows, as well as segment-by-segment and comparison and where shows were up and down
  • Blue Panther 45th anniversary event
  • Stardom bad injury situation
  • All Japan annual tag team tournament
  • Why two Japanese wrestlers disappeared in April
  • Great Triple Crown title match
  • Future of Will Ospreay
  • New Japan Super Juniors tag tourney
  • Cain Velasquez first interview
  • Mexican legend survives scary hospital stay
  • British J Cup
  • Wrestling star expects to announce a new TV series in November
  • Ric Flair in AEW
  • AEW December PPV and its competition
  • Jon Moxley on battles with addiction
  • Ticket advances for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Pitch for independent star to AEW
  • How many matches top AEW stars have done
  • Controversy over UFC business deal
  • Peacock subscription number and financial losses
  • Memo all WWE employees received and how this has changed the stock price
  • Tickets now available for Survivor Series and why
  • WWE NIL talent in college wrestling notes
  • A look at the WWE shows over the past week

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

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@wrestlingobserver.com or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

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Wednesday Update

WWE

  • PWInsider reports that the belief among those they’ve spoken to is that “Vince McMahon and possibly even Ari Emanuel” will be attending WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia this Saturday.
  • On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Carmelo Hayes discussed working the same NXT episode as John Cena and The Undertaker:
          • It was like a dream. It was like a fever dream. It’s funny, a lot of people kept, you know, hitting me up the day after and you know, that night. It was like I almost couldn’t believe that it happened, but there was that moment where you’re like, look, I’m a pro and I’m gonna be in this moment and I understand the assignment, and then there was a moment where I was a little kid. I’m like, shoot, this is pretty cool, man, this is really cool. The whole thing with Taker at the end, I didn’t know that was gonna happen. I didn’t know what to do. I just kind of was like, let me just walk back with him and he walked me through the whole thing with the pose and everything. I was just sitting there like a kid. I remember walking back through, I was like, that was so freakin’ cool. He just patted me on the back. But it was a great moment, just a cool experience, and something I’ll never forget.
  • Hayes also spoke about advice he’s gotten from Undertaker:
          • I actually talked to Taker a bunch of times before that. He actually sat down with me one time for like an hour and we just talked. Same thing with Cena. So I mean, it wasn’t my first interaction with these guys, which is probably better because now they’re familiar with me. I’m familiar with them. But yeah, I mean, any opportunity I get to talk to Taker, any opportunity I get to talk to Paul Heyman and John Cena, I take every single one. Those guys are more than generous with their time, especially with young talent that wants to learn, and we all want to learn at NXT so you know, they were very, very gracious with their time for sure.
  • During an appearance on the UnDrafted AllStarz Podcast Show, Big E praised The Usos for how they’ve elevated their careers. Big E said New Day’s Hell in a Cell match against The Usos is his favorite match of his career:
          • My favorite match is probably – so we had a Hell in a Cell match with The Usos. At the time, tag team wrestling had really not been elevated like that. Like, you never have an opportunity to have 30 minutes on a pay-per-view inside of Hell in a Cell. Those two guys are incredible. To see where The Usos have gone now, to see the way they’ve elevated their careers, is just beyond impressive.
  • LA Knight, Lex Luger, and Johnny Gargano were guests on WWE’s The Bump this afternoon.
  • Today is Knight’s 41st birthday.
  • For a video on WWE’s YouTube channel, John Cena rewatched some of his classic matches against Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and more.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • An Adam Copeland segment has been added to the lineup for tonight’s episode of Dynamite. AEW has announced that we’ll hear from Copeland on the episode.
  • NJPW officially announced that New Year Dash 2024 will take place on Friday, January 5. The show will be held at a new venue, Sumida City Gymnasium in Tokyo. Chris Charlton wrote: “New Year Dash in a new venue for NJPW next year! Sumida City Gymnasium looks great for the most surprising show of the year. I’m assured we’ll have international ticket purchases available so stay tuned end of this month/start of next”
  • The Hollywood Reporter named AEW World Champion MJF on its list of 25 potential new action stars. MJF is making his film debut as Lance Von Erich in “The Iron Claw.”
  • Ring the Belle has an interview with Kris Statlander.
  • Brawn Body Health and Fitness interviewed Mark Briscoe.
  • A new patch for AEW’s Fight Forever video game was released today.
  • A Loser Leaves MLW match with Matt Cardona facing Mance Warner has been added to the card for MLW Fightland in Philadelphia on Saturday, November 18. The show is airing live on Fite+.
  • Mariah May announced that she’s releasing a photobook titled “The Glamour: Volume I.” The photobook is by Portrait of a Wrestler.
  • Billy Gunn turns 60 years old today.