Daily Update: Ratings, Trokon Dousouah, WWE Raw

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Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about all the latest news and covering Raw with Wrestling Observer Radio.
  • Smackdown on Friday did 1.58 million and an 0.46 in 18-49.  Based on what has been listed, it’s No. 1 for the night on all of television but we don’t have the late NBA game rating  at press time.  It beat the NBA game head-to-head though as well as beat college football on FOX.  Rampage did 241,000 and 0.09.  It looks like 4th in its time slot.
  • Trokon Dousouah, the fighter we talked about in yesterday’s update who suffered a cardiac arrest in his fight on a show Saturday night  in Enoch, Alberta (outside of Edmonton), has passed away.  This would be the 21st known in-ring fatality in MMA history.
  • Bellator fighter Daiane Silva, who had been hospitalized for nearly two months and was in a coma after issues with weight cutting for a September show, is now out of the hospital and expected to make a full recovery according to Damon Martin at MMA Fighting.
  • Raw tonight is from Glendale, AZ.  They had 12,300 tickets out as of this morning, just shy of a sellout.  It was almost sold out from day one.  Matches announced are Nia Jax vs. Bianca Belair for the War Games advantage, New Day vs. Otis & Akira Tozawa and The Creeds vs. Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee in a tornado match.  It’s the Raw go-home show for Survivor Series.  The Monday Night Football game is the Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Chargers airing on ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2.  It’s a pretty big game.
  • We’re looking for your thoughts on Full Gear, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • The Royal Rumble already has 44,756 tickets out.
  • Cody Rhodes will be on the Tonight Show Thursday night pushing the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event and his match for the title with Kevin Owens which was officially announced today, although we had reported that probably a month back.  The women’s U.S. title tournament final will also be on that show.
  • WWE is expected to very shortly introduce a women’s Intercontinental title. That was expected when they announced the women’s U.S. title.
  • PWInsider reported Adam Copeland has been physically cleared to wrestle but is filming the second season of Percy Jacksoni for Disney +.  
  • Conor McGregor on X said: “People want to hear from me, I needed time. I know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me. As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath. I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision. I can’t go back and I will move forward. I am beyond grateful to my family, friends and supporters all over the world who have stayed by my side. That’s it. No more. Getting back to the gym- the fight game awaits!”
  • Jon Jones said he’s in talks with  UFC and does expect to fight in 2025,.
  • Satoshi Kojima vs. Matt  Riddle for the MLW title was announced for the 1/11 show in North Richland  Hills, TX.
  • We were told that Charlie Demspsey vs. Tracy Williams and Josh Alexander vs. Mike Bailey from yesterday’s Bloodsport were two of the highlight matches of the week.
  • The “When  Giants Walk” documentary on pro wrestling at Dorton Arena in Raleigh will be replayed on the PBS station in Raleigh on 12/10.
  • MLW announced a Meet and Greet on 12/5 at the Melrose Ballroom in New York with Mistico, Matt Riddle and Eric Bischoff (who is doing the commissioner for a night gimmick on their show the next night).
  • Defy has announced these weekend cards as a combined show with Progress: 11/29 in Brooklyn, NY at 3 p.m. at Roulette Intermission has Mustafa Ali vs. Cara Noir, Marina Shafir defends the women’s title against Alllie Katch, Rhio vs. Zayda Steel for the Progress women’s title, Los Desperados vs. The Mane Event, KC Navarro vs. Man Like DeRiess and Tate Mayfairs has an open challenge.
  • 12/1 in Thalia Hall in Chicago has Ali vs. Kevin Knight, Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas defend the Defy tag titles against Los Desperados, Rhio vs. Vert Vixen for the Progress women’s title, Cara Noir vs. Timothy Thatcher and AAW tag titles with Russ Jones & Schaff vs. Sunshine Machine.