Daily Update: Ratings, WWE Raw, Tetsuya Naito

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Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer Radio covering Raw, AEW notes from today’s on sale, New Japan, UFC and the rest of the news.  
  • Smackdown on Friday was first on cable at 1.49 million viewers and 0.44 in 18-49, beating the Bucks vs. Celtics NBA game. It was third on all of television behind the Mountain West Football championship game, UNLV  vs. Boise State on FOX, and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer on NBC. It beat the ACC title game on ABC.  
  • Rampage with the loaded up show of Continental Classic matches did 177,000 viewers and an 0.04 in 18-49, which is the lowest 18-49 rating they ‘ve done ever in their regular time slot even with advertising the matches ahead of time and it actually was the best  Rampage of the year. That number shocked me, but after seeing the debut number for John Cena’s Wipeout  on a better night and in a better time slot doing roughly the same, it tells you as much about the state of cable declines as well as AEW declines.
  • Raw tonight is in Wichita, KS.  The NFL game is Dallas vs. Cincinnati, both sub. 500 teams late in the season. The game is on ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2, so should do better than last week.  Raw has Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez (this match was originally set for a PPV show but Ripley was injured), Ivy Nile vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Zelina Vega in the women’s IC title tournament, The Wyatt Sicks vs. Miz & AOP & Karrion Kross and more. Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods will have an interview segment.  They had 6,100 tickets out as of this morning so this will be the lowest Raw crowd in some time. There will likely be more teases of people switching shows.
  • We’re looking for your thoughts on NXT Deadline, thumbs up, down or middle, best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • There is an MMA group in Poland that implemented a rule that if you miss weight, it becomes a two-on-one handicap match and your opponent can have his father join you.  A clip of that went viral over the weekend.  A lot of people got a kick out of it and the two guys were able to pound down the one, but saying it turned into a circus would be putting it mildly.  
  • Tetsuya Naito is undergoing left eye surgery this week and will be out for a few weeks, but back for the Tokyo Dome show on 1/4.
  • NXT tomorrow has Wes Lee vs. Je’Von Evans. Tatum Paxley & Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx and they will start pushing the 1/7 show in Los Angeles.
  • There have been photos of Charlotte Flair back training in the ring for her return, which looks to be soon.
  • Ron Hutchison will be getting an award for training at the Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame ceremony in July. Hutchison, a former wrestler, trained Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, Beth Phoenix, Trish Stratus, Gail Kim and tons of others.
  • MLW is now using the former Commander Azeez and Babatunder under the name Babathunder.
  • As we had noted, NXT will not be taping Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve.  They will be taping four hours in Lowell, MA next Tuesday. They will be taping the New Year’s Eve show at the Performance Center on 12/19.
  • Jesse Ventura will not only be on Saturday Night’s Main Event this Saturday, but he’s signed to continue on all four shows in 2025.
  • Jimmy Valiant is being inducted into the New England Music (not wrestling) Hall of Fame. They noted that during his career he released a music album, which he did.
  •  AIW on 12/28 at the Tadmoor Shrine in Akron, OH with Paul London.