Daily Update: PWG results, SANADA & Yujiro, Josh Barnett

DAILY UPDATE

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F4W NEWSLETTER: Recapping WWE TLC 2019 Joseph Currier gives his thoughts on WWE’s final PPV of the decade.

WWE’s final pay-per-view of the decade took place on Sunday night and exemplified some of the changes we’ve seen over the past 10 years.

TLC 2019 was very much a B-level PPV in the WWE Network era. Not only were the top men’s and women’s singles titles from each brand not defended, there were no singles titles on the line at all. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens and AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton seemed like they were being built up as non-title matches that would help anchor the card, but they didn’t end up getting added. The show even ended with an angle instead of a match. After Asuka & Kairi Sane’s tables, ladders, and chairs match against Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair, a locker room brawl that featured Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin continued. The image that closed the show was Reigns spearing Corbin from an elevated area onto a pile of bodies. It felt like the ending of an episode of Raw or SmackDown instead of a major event.

Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

WON NEWSLETTER: December 23, 2019 Observer Newsletter: TLC and Final Battle reviews, more

We’ve got complete coverage of the last series of major shows held around the world in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer, as well as bios on a number of wrestlers who have passed away in recent weeks.The new issue also covers:

TLC, focusing on the behind-the-scenes of the Kairi Sane situation, who knew,when did they know, the channels where the ball was dropped and what can and needs to be learned from it. We note the business of the event, the U.S. popularity levels, plus have match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

Exactly how AEW was formed, including what match made Tony Khan feel opposition was viable and what conversation with what major person in television made it happen, as well as who was contacted first to be part of it. We also have the story from the market rep who got Bullet Club shirts into Hot Topic.

DVR numbers for pro wrestling shows right now as well as how meaningful they are and what it says about audiences. We also look at how and why the dynamic of how people watch wrestling on Wednesdays has changed over the past several weeks.  We also look at wrestling viewership in Canada.

Big names who have signed new WWE deals and a major name who has not, a WWE overseas TV deal, how many people buy WWE video games, pro wrestling offers to Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez’s next WWE show, the story behind Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo on Raw and what it means short and long-term, a reboot of a WWE tag team, new feuds being started in WWE, most-watched shows on the WWE Network, WWE stock value and a look at all the WWE & NXT shows held over the past week with business notes and highlights.

UFC 245, with business notes, notes about the fighters who elevated their games, the title picture, plus match-by-match coverage.

ROH as it goes into 2020, who is going, who is staying, what is unknown, what kind of deals are being offered plus Final Battle coverage, with business notes, poll results, match-by-match coverage and star ratings.

AAA Guerra de Titanes, the creation of the new top stable, the debut of Sin Cara, thoughts and problems with the new name he’s using and more.

A bio on Randy Colley, best known as Moondog Rex, including his legal issues with WWE, what happened with the fans that ruined what would have been his biggest career break, other gimmicks he had, the birth of the Moondog gimmick and his biggest matches.

NWA, its YouTube numbers, its television tapings direction for the next several weeks, its net PPV show, as well as coverage of its Into the Fire show with poll results.

2019 cable numbers for the stations that carry pro wrestling and MMA and what they mean.

Notes on the career of Alberto Munoz, who was supposed to become a legend, and what happened in 1973 that ended that dream.

Dragon Gate’s Final Gate show with coverage of the event.

A personal look at how a law that was poorly thought out will affect reporters and web sites that use people from California and how adhering to it will make it nearly impossible for anyone in the state to start out in the field, and for the vast majority who work for publications outside the state, to likely lose their jobs.

The life of Scottish Hall of Famer Andy Robin, and his protege, Hercules the Bear.

Regarding the Wednesday numbers, we’ve got full details, demos that each side won, how every segment did and what match ended up as the difference maker. 

Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.

In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.

Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week. 

Current subscribers click here to read.

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.

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

Pro Wrestling

  • PWG crowned a new World Champion at their “The Makings of A Varsity Athlete” show last night. Battle of Los Angeles winner Bandido defeated Jeff Cobb in the main event to win the PWG title. Here are the full results from the show:
    Orange Cassidy defeated Tony Deppen
    Mick Moretti defeated Paris DeSilva
    David Starr defeated JD Drake
    Blake Christian defeated Jake Atlas (Atlas’ final match for PWG)
    Rey Horus & Aramis defeated PWG Tag Team Champions The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) in a non-title match
    Jonathan Gresham defeated David Starr (Gresham was supposed to face Fenix, but Fenix missed the show due to flight issues)
    Bandido defeated Jeff Cobb to win the PWG World Championship
  • JD Drake wrote after making his PWG debut: “I’m legit in tears! ‘Please Come Back!’ Thank you @OfficialPWG for the opportunity to live out one of 18 year old me’s dream!”
  • SANADA and Yujiro Takahashi missed today’s Road to Tokyo Dome show due to injury. NJPW announced that SANADA’s face was injured and Yujiro’s injury was to his left elbow.
  • In a response on Twitter, Tony Khan wrote about the stunner he gave Shawn Spears during the post-show dark segment after Dynamite this week: “Dude, I had no idea that was happening. Cody called me out, I went to thank the crowd, Nick asked me if I wanted to do a stunner, I said no, then Spears was screaming my name and calling for it, then I heard people in the crowd calling for it, and at that point, I had no choice.”
  • Ricky Martinez and Barrington Hughes announced that they’ve been granted their releases from MLW.

MMA

  • Josh Barnett wasn’t able to make his Bellator debut last night after not being cleared to fight due to an illness. Bellator posted a video of Barnett talking about the situation, calling it “some sort of a weird nightmare.”
  • Donald Cerrone spoke about how he’s approaching his fight against Conor McGregor: “I’m not going to talk badly about him. I don’t really care. He does his life and whatever he wants to do he can. I’m just as wild and crazy as him, but in a different way. The media keep asking me, ‘What do you think of the trouble he gets in?’ The guy lives under a microscope. Anything he does people want to blow up and make a big deal about it. That’s his life. I would never even dig at something like that. Hell no. Only goddamn thing I’m talking about is fighting only. Anything outside of it – that’s you. You do what you want to do. You want to meet me in the cage and fight — fighting that’s a whole different thing — but I’m not going to bring up anything from the past or anything he’s done outside the octagon. What the dude has done inside of the cage and what he’s done for the sport is amazing. I’m honored to fight a guy like him and it’s going to be one hell of a battle and I’m looking forward to it.”
  • Tickets for the McGregor vs. Cerrone PPV sold out on the first day they were on sale to the general public.
  • Frankie Edgar wrote after his loss to Chan Sung Jung today: “Well not what I had planned coming out here to South Korea, but win like a man and lose like one too. Hats off to the @KoreanZombie on a great performance. I think it may be time to cut this damn hair. Thank you to my family, team, and fans for the love and support.”
  • Jung noted that he’ll need to undergo eye surgery: “Those that follow me on Instagram might know, but currently I have an eye condition that makes me see double. Right now, everyone in this room, I’m seeing double of everything. I have double vision. It’s not a huge, major surgery, but is still gonna take about a couple, three months to recover.”

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Jeff Jarrett wins USWA Southern title

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