Daily Update: Raw, Being the Elite, Conor McGregor

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

We’re doing for NXT Takeover Blackpool and Impact Hard to Kill, so you can send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

We’re looking for reports on these shows:
*Non-Raw stuff from Lexington, KY- any dark matches or Main Event results
*NXT Friday night in Pittsburgh
*Dark matches from Smackdown Friday night in Evansville
*NXT Sunday in Buffalo
You can send reports on these shows to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com

Raw is a loaded show on Monday from Lexington, KY with Big Show & Kevin Owens & Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins & AOP in a fist fight, Bobby Lashley vs. Rusev and Aleister Black vs. Buddy Murphy and Brock Lesnar is on the show. There will also be a Becky Lynch/Asuka contract signing and Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman appear,.

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: WWE’s top 10 matches of 2019 Joseph Currier ranks his 10 favorite WWE matches of the year.

Looking back at the year WWE has had, you get a better sense of how much talent is in the company.

Main roster television and storylines have their problems, but narrowing the list of my favorite WWE matches of the year down to 10 was still incredibly difficult. The company produces so much product and has so many great wrestlers spread across Raw, SmackDown, NXT, and NXT UK. NXT was the standout in what was a transformative year as it moved to airing live on the USA Network, but all four brands were still represented on my list.

Here are my picks for WWE’s 10 best matches of 2019:

Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

WON NEWSLETTER: January 13, 2020 Observer Newsletter: Death of Pampero Firpo, Wrestle Kingdom 14 review

With coverage of WrestleKingdom, pro wrestling in Japan and the death of Pampero Firpo, we’ve got another double issue of the Observer this week.

Our lead story looks at the legacy of Pampero Firpo, one of the top stars of the 60s and 70s. We look at his character, the Randy Savage connection, the start of his career in Argentina, how he got started in the U.S. and was a star in week one, his forgotten world title win, the story behind his getting the Pampero Firpo name and the legendary boxing match it came from, his first run with Vince McMahon Sr. in 1960, his second run in 1972, the angle that turned him babyface in Detroit, and his life after wrestling working at the post office.

The issue also covers: 

The wrestling scene in Japan, wrestling around the city, the wrestling stores, the advertising, the business from the Tokyo Dome, doing two WrestleMania in two days, why it worked for New Japan and why such a great first show ended up as a handicap.  We look at what got over the biggest, probably why main roster PPVs struggle the day after blow away NXT shows, as well as tickets sold outside of Japan for he two shows and growth of the overseas audience.

New Japan’s expansion into the U.S., original booking plans for 2019, how Jericho and Tanahashi were able to do an angle involving the AEW belt, the political issues between AEW and NJPW, New Japan’s 2020 schedule, and the future of the junior heavyweights.

A pension fund suing WWE and why, with the story behind it as well as the launch of the XFL and its new rules, we’ve got DVR numbers for AEW & NXT, a wrestler who may be leaving WWE and contract status, crazy stuff  some in WWE have been brainwashed on, lots of new lineups in WWE, Punk vs. Miz, Lesnar gets honored by University of Minnesota, new WWE signing, WWE awards, Ryback’s latest issues with WWE, Canadian ratings for all the top U.S. shows, WWE and Russian television plus a rundown of the holiday season house shows.

Complete rundowns of both Dome shows, with match-by-match coverage, poll results and star ratings.

Upcoming major New Japan events.

WWE’s traditional biggest house show of the year, the holiday event in Madison Square Garden.

Compiled lists of the wrestlers with the most great matches from the past year, the past decade and over the course of a career. 

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. 

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MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw, the daily outrage, plus taking questions that you can send to the show via e-mail to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

The first fight main event with Kevin Owens & Samoa Joe & Big Show vs. AOP & Seth Rollins means no DQ, no pins, no submissions, no count outs and basically the match continues until the referee rules that all three members of the opposite team can no longer continue. So it’s the 70s non-WWE Texas death match rules.

Conor McGregor did a lengthy interview with Ariel Helwani to promote Saturday’s fight with Donald Cerrone. McGregor claimed he would earn $80 million for the fight based on his new contract. Please do not believe that.

There is a lot of storyline stuff in this BTE which includes Jimmy Valiant mentoring Adam Page (who he helped train), teases of Brandon Cutler (the best friend of The Young Bucks) and Michael Nakazawa (best friend of Kenny Omega) joining the Dark Order and Nick Jackson spoofing himself and Matt Jackson spoofing whoever he’s spoofing about people giving booking ideas.

Dave Bautista was announced as a new cast member of the Apple TV+ series “See.” 

WWE

  • This will be the last week Raw has major competition that will nail ratings until we get into the NBA playoffs. Even though the College football championship game (LSU vs. Clemson) often does double what a good Monday night game does, Raw usually doesn’t do too badly because people are in the swing of the build to the Royal Rumble. The number should be down from last week in theory, but rather than throw in the towel, they went with an attempt at a loaded show to combat it.
  • Corbin, KY mayor Suzie Razmus actually did rename the city King Corbin, KY for one day–yesterday–since WWE ran a show headlined by King Corbin in the city.  They had a video of it at the show.  

UFC

  • Punahele Soriano vs. pro wrestler Eric Spicely has been added to a UFC on ESPN show on 3/28 in Columbus, OH.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Demetrious Johnson will challenge Adriano Moraes for the ONE flyweight world title on 4/11 in China.
  • Great Sasuke will be appearing for Pro Wrestling Revolution on 4/18 in San Francisco.  He will also be doing a meet and greet.
  • Combate Americas announced its 1/25 show in Puerto Rico is off. The local promoter, Dr. Luis Martinez of LM Entertainment, said the island has suffered the past few weeks due to earthquakes and they feel postponing the event until things get back to normal is the best option. The first show of the year is now 2/21 out of Mexicali Mexico with Rafa Garcia (11-0) vs. Humberto Bandenay (18-7, 1 no contest) for their lightweight title.
  • A correction from a few days ago on people available to book through Bill Behrens.  The tag team that worked over the weekend for ROH, Master & Machine, are Griff Garrison & Marcus Kross and you can book them as well as Jeff Cobb or Alex Riley at showbis@aol.com
  • Could Matt White who ordered a back issue please contact us at dave@wrestlingobserver.com.
  • I Believe in Wrestling on Friday night at Team Vision Dojo in Orlando.
  • Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 2/1 in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
  • Former UFC fighter Mitch Clark will make a pro wrestling debut for the CWE promotion later this month in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
  • Shannon Moore and D-Lo Brown will also be working on some upcoming CWE dates.
  • ECWA on Saturday night in New Castle, DE at the United Asbury Methodist Church.
  • According to Court Bauer, Teddy Hart said over the weekend that his release by MLW was a work and he would be returning soon. Bauer said zero percent chance, and the claim of his release being a work is actually a work. He also noted that L.A. Park and L.A. Park Jr. as well as El Hijo de L.A. Park would be back in February. El Hijo de L.A. Park missed the Dallas show due to a last minute visa renewal delay.
  • Pro Wrestling Eve on 2/1 in Bethnal Green, London with a tag title match when The Medusa Complex defends against Gisele Shaw & Sammii Jayne.
  • The Los Angeles Times covered the death of La Parka.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: TNA Genesis 2013

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