Daily Update: Rob Van Dam, Lance Anoa’i, Renee Paquette

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • Updates on Chris Bey and El Hijo del Vikingo
  • Preview of Crown Jewel
  • Lots of notes on 2025 WrestleMania
  • WWE tie-in with some wrestling schools and what does it mean
  • Changes in TKO as a company
  • More on Samantha Irvin leaving WWE
  • Sports star ways he wants to do pro wrestling after he retires
  • Preview of Full Gear
  • Crown Jewel favorites
  • Updated Bad Blood and WrestleDream PPV numbers and the most shocking thing about the Bad Blood number.
  • Why the ringboys lawsuit was filed in Baltimore this year
  • A star from the 80s and 90s talks about the ring boys lawsuit
  • NXT Halloween Havoc coverage
  • UFC 308 coverage, fighter of he year thoughts, what’s next for the winners
  • Previewing Wednesday’s AEW & NXT going head-to-head, what are the key things to look out for
  • TNA Bound for Glory coverage
  • The weekly placing of the pro wrestling shows on cable
  • Competition, demos, where NXT was way down this week and where AEW is right now
  • Looking at how the segments did for the major shows
  • The longest reigning world champion of a major promotion of the modern era gives up his title
  • Women’s Grand Prix tournament
  • New Japan Super Junior tag tournament notes
  • Fantastica Mania 2025 notes
  • Kota Ibushi issues with DDT
  • Two pro wrestlers and MMA star entering amateur wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Anthony Robles movie out soon
  • TNA TV tapings notes
  • What interview actually secretly had the biggest AEW news in it
  • More on Young Bucks taking time off and dropping the titles
  • Jericho tries to get Hall of Famer to come out of retirement
  • Kenny Omega talking about a return
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings Netflix ratings notes, streaming numbers
  • Merch numbers
  • Dana White wants to do rankings a new way
  • Former UFC champion retires at the end of this year and turns down January fight

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • After appearing on last night’s NXT from the former ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Rob Van Dam teased that he’ll be back in the future. RVD responded to a fan who said they wished he had a match on NXT: “Me too. But I’ll be back.”
  • WWE uploaded the full 10-woman tag match from NXT where Zaria, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, Kelani Jordan & Jordynne Grace defeated Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx.
  • Lance Anoa’i looks to be the latest Bloodline family member to sign with WWE. He was spotted among the NXT talent at a recent charity event. The 32-year-old Anoa’i is the son of Samu and grandson of Afa.
  • Pro Wrestling NOAH wrestler Yoshiki Inamura commented on his arrival to the WWE Performance Center: “Finally made it here!!! Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I will keep moving forward!!! Arigatou gozaimasu [thank you]”
  • WWE Vault shared unseen footage of Yokozuna’s debut as The Great Kokina.
  • At 11 p.m. Eastern time this Saturday, the Vault YouTube channel will be streaming an old episode of Shotgun Saturday Night from Penn Station in New York City featuring The Undertaker vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley and The Godwinns vs. Farooq & Crush.
  • Going Ringside spoke with Goldberg while at his induction into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame.
  • Here’s the lineup for this Friday’s episode of NXT Level Up:
    • Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) vs. Cutler James, Dion Lennox & Shiloh Hill
    • Kali Armstrong vs. Dani Palmer

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • AEW Meal & a Match made its return today with Darby Allin appearing as Renee Paquette & RJ City’s guest.
  • In an interview with Q1057 & 1035 radio in Albany, Allin praised Bryan Danielson following Danielson’s retirement from being a full-time active performer:
    • Bryan Danielson is the guy you could call upon last second and have an amazing match. He was such a team player. There wasn’t anything he wasn’t willing to do for the company. He had no ego. He was a lot like Sting. He was a really good energy to have.
  • Due to a broken foot, Paquette was on crutches backstage at Dynamite last night. She still conducted interviews on the show despite her injury.
  • AEW uploaded post-Dynamite promos from Ricochet, Mark Davis, Powerhouse Hobbs & Will Ospreay and the Don Callis Family.
  • Mercedes Mone told Uproxx that it’s been incredible to see the rise of Mariah May in AEW:
    • I am super proud to watch from afar. She came in as a super fan, just loving wrestling, loved it so much that she moved from England to Japan, trained out in Stardom just to hone her craft, and now she’s here.
    • She is our women’s world champion, beating Toni Storm in one of the best storylines in women’s history. So to see her rise this fast and to see how good she is in the ring, it’s so incredible. Like I said, we have the best women’s division in the game right now. And I’m definitely looking at the title that she has around her waist.
  • The Rhode Show interviewed Deonna Purrazzo ahead of tonight’s Collision taping in Providence.
  • AEW wished Tony Schiavone a happy 67th birthday.
  • MLW announced that it will return to the Chicago area with an Azteca Lucha event from Cicero Stadium on Saturday, May 10, 2025.