Daily Update: Raw ratings up, Del Rio stabbed, BJ Penn injured

RAW RATINGS IMPROVE

The last 10 weeks of Raw ratings compared to previous years…

Tuesday brought some good news for WWE ratings. Last night’s Raw was did the best rating since the NFL season began a few weeks ago. Dave Meltzer has a complete breakdown of the ratings here.

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest From the F4W Staff

NEWS / REPORTS

AUDIO 

Figure Four Weekly, 9/26/2016: The unlikely story of TJ Perkins (Part II) – When T.J. Perkins went to Florida Championship Wrestling without a WWE contract in 2009, it was a very different picture from how Ohio Valley Wrestling treated non contract talent before FCW took over for it as the primary developmental promotion. Subscribers click here to continue reading.

F4W YouTube Page: Tons of clips and full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Oct 3, 2016:TNA at a crossroads, WWE Clash of Champions review, more – Details on the tumultuous situation TNA is in, a review of WWE Clash of Champions, more… With Bound for Glory and television tapings scheduled this week, the expectation was that TNA would be sold by now, although that’s been the feeling for weeks and at press time it still hasn’t happened… WWE’s first Raw-exclusive PPV, the Clash of Champions, was a mostly good show, but because they are running so many PPVs, it had the feeling of ordinary and not at all special… The first fight between UFC champions in different weight classes in nearly eight years will headline the company’s 11/12 debut in Madison Square Garden, which, unless a rash of injuries crop up, is the deepest card in terms of talent in company history… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

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 Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com. 

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WON Back Issue, September 13, 1999: Best wrestlers of each decade, plus tons of news – The television season of wrestling overexposure began this past week with both good and bad news. But when the numbers came in, virtually all the good news was limited to the World Wrestling Federation. Subscribers click here to continue reading.

TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • Tony Nese & Drew Gulak and SAnitY were the final teams announced for the second annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
  • Kota Ibushi was asked if he would ever sign with WWE full time.
  • If you’re interested in the SEC filings of the WWE, click here. It has nothing to do with UT’s amazing comeback win over UGA.
  • WWE announced that the Alamodome in San Antonio will host the 2017 WWE Royal Rumble on Sunday, January 29, 2017. This marks the return of Royal Rumble to the Alamodome for the first time since 1997. The Alamodome previously hosted the 1997 Royal Rumble, where more than 60,000 fans witnessed WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin win the Royal Rumble match and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels win the WWE Championship.
  • The Rock makes 400k per episode of Ballers, according to Variety.
  • In this ESPN article on Jason Jordan, he talks about being influenced by Kurt Angle… in the ring. In a good way.
  • Bobby Roode talks entrance music and joining NXT after his illustrious TNA career in this interview.
  • The Bella twins are interviewed here.
  • In this article, John Cena sends words of encouragement to fan who lost an arm to cancer.
  • On the Apr. 27, 2008 Raw episode that was recently added to WWE Network, Trevor Murdoch singing Garth Brooks’s “Friends in Low Places” to Lance Cade after they lost a match has been cut from the show. The editing makes the segment look really awkward because Murdoch gets up on the announcer’s desk with a mic, nothing happens for a couple seconds, and then Cade leaves.

PRO WRESTLING

  • Ex WWE big man Ryback will be making his first UK appearance since leaving the WWE for Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW) at the end of the month. He’ll be taking on a well known UK tag team called The Legion of Lords made up of UK indy workers Prince of Mumbai Rishi Ghosh and Lord Gideon Grey. The Legion of Lords have cut a very funny promo video for this event.
  • Today marks the release date for the series finale of Timeline: The History of ECW, with guest Tod Gordon. This edition covers the company’s inception in 1992/93 and is available on DVD and OnDemand from Kayfabe Commentaries.

UFC/MMA

VARIETY

  • Some cities are considering a tax on Netflix and other subscription services.
  • Former WWE and WCW superstar Marc Mero talks about his recent heart surgery and how he is feeling today: “I had heart surgery just three months ago and they, about a four and a half hour surgery they replaced my heart valve and they fixed in it my aorta and about a four and a half hour surgery they stopped my heart for 40 minutes to complete the surgery and I feel like a kid again. It’s amazing. I’m back in the gym. I’m back to most of the same weights I was doing before working out.” Marc also talks about speaking out after Chris Benoit’s death, his professional boxing career that never was, a message to the wrestling fans and much more.
  • Jason Parillo, Michael Bisping’s and Cris Cyborg’s striking coach returned to Submission Radio ahead of UFC 204. Making the correct prediction in his win over Rockhold, Parillo shared his thoughts on what single shot will beat Henderson at UFC 204: “So we’re just going to go one shot. Every time I get asked these questions, I go with the one shot. If it ends from one shot, I’ll tell you what shot it’s gonna be. It’s gonna be a head kick. He’s gonna knock out Dan Henderson with a head kick.” “Left head kick. He’s gonna knock him out with a left head kick.”
  • Before taking on Rafael Dos Anjos at TUF Latin America 3 Finale, Tony Ferguson joined Submission Radio to catch up on what’s been going on. With UFC 205 now headlined by McGregor/Alvarez, Ferguson shared his thoughts: “Honestly, all those whiney bitches can fight over the belt. When I get to that spot, they better seriously recycle that belt because so many damn filthy hands have been on it. Seriously, I’m the only one that’s been earning the shit in this division”
  • In Chris Featherstone’s new article, he breaks down how the sightings of Alberto El Patron in Orlando and no-showing his scheduled match for AAA may not be a coincidence, as TNA may be picking up plans again for him to become World Heavyweight Champion at the next set of tapings.
  • Conor McGregor’s striking coach Owen Roddy made his Submission Radio debut this week and joined the show to share his thoughts on how he believes McGregor will beat Alvarez at UFC 205. Owen explained: “I honestly think Alvarez has been dropped a few times and stuff like that. So I mean, that’s not good knowing when you’re going in to fight Conor McGregor. If you’ve been dropped before and you’re going in fighting Conor McGregor, there’s a very, very high chance that you’re going to be dropped again.”
  • Now officially fighting Tyron Woodley at UFC 205 for the Welterweight title, Stephen Thompson returned to Submission Radio to discuss his big upcoming fight. Fresh off the eventful UFC 205 press conference, Thompson explained how he may have seen some disappointment in Woodley’s eyes when he got a negative reaction from the New York crowd “Looking in his eyes, I don’t know if there was a little disappointment there that I saw. I figured that he might’ve thought that the fans maybe would’ve had his back. He was a little surprised that they were booing him and I could tell that, and I think that’s in his head a little bit. But you know what, he’s going to be the best Tyron Woodley when he steps in there November 12th and that’s the guy that I want to be prepared for.”
  • On this episode, The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling are joined by the “Living Legend”, Bruno Sammartino. In this interview Bruno relives some of his greatest career highlights and shares stories of what it was like to be the man that defined a territory (WWWF) and how he became an International phenomenon that sent audiences into a frenzy whenever he came to town. In this excerpt Bruno discusses his return to the WWE family. How is his current relationship with WWE and Vince McMahon: It’s very good. I congratulate Vince for the changes that he made. I really think that is great but more than that I think my goodness in my day we had those boxing rings, that were like concrete and when I look at my peers and the guys that are still around they are all crippled up. Now, Vince made these changes to these rings and they don’t have the steel posts underneath they have springs and it has a lot of give and more padding on the ring which is great.

Today in Wrestling History (10/4): CM Punk vs. Undertaker at Hell in a Cell

CONTACT INFORMATION

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