Daily Update: Sebastian Kidder, NJPW/CMLL Fantastica Mania lineup, WWE Bad Blood

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the highlights of this issue:

  • The Cung Le lawsuit settlement was approved, what caused Judge Boulware to do so, winners or losers, who is getting what, looking at the prior settlements that were turned down and the case itself.
  • TKO and Endeavor make a deal to give UFC & WWE new sister companies and what that all entails
  • The most detailed look at the Ring Boys scandal that broke in 1992 and quickly went away, and the lawsuit filed this week with all the details, including why being wrestling helped save WWE from untold bad publicity at the time. We look at the details of a very lengthy suit and what it all means.
  • 2024 Hall of Fame analysis by two researchers looks at what modern candidates are the strongest and weakest in different ways
  • Maple Leaf Wrestling debuts with two incredible main events.
  • The most detailed look at  the TV ratings from the past week, nightly and weekly placings, segment-by-segment, comparisons with the prior year and competition
  • Continuation of CMLL’s women’s wrestling month.
  • American star from a major family says he’ll be the first to win the Triple Crown.
  • Royal Quest notes.
  • MMA star defends pro wrestling world title twice on same show this past week.
  • New movie on 90s star
  • Looking at AEW Full Gear
  • AEW booking issues
  • WrestleDream and Bad Blood PPV numbers update
  • Injury updates
  • Advanced ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW events
  • Streaming and International TV numbers
  • Fighter still hospitalized after five weeks due to weight cutting issues
  • PFL PPV rundown and business
  • WrestleMania and tickets’
  • Saturday Night’s Main Event thoughts
  • World Series and wrestling
  • WWE star has surgery to help eye issues
  • Raw & Smackdown 2025 updates
  • Samantha Irvine leaves WWE and details
  • Vince McMahon media pieces looked at
  • Clown show discussing McMahon
  • TV rundowns

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Sunday Update

  • We have two weekend shows up. We have our week-in-review show with Garrett Gonzales from Friday and last night we did a show covering UFC, WWE, AEW, and several other topics of the week. Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night talking Raw, Halloween Havoc, and more.
  • Very sorry to hear about the news of Sebastian Kidder, the son of Wendy Barlow, who was raised by Ric Flair, committing suicide today at 24. Kidder was a musician. Barlow, a former tennis star in the 80s who has had a relationship with Flair for more than a decade, confirmed the death to TMZ and said the family was heartbroken. Kidder was about to release his first album and had appeared on Good Day Atlanta performing recently. Flair and Barlow had broken up recently according to Flair’s Twitter.
  • El Hijo del Vikingo had to be taken out on a stretcher after an injury doing a dive at today’s TNA tapings in Detroit. We should have more on this later. The only thing we know is that the referee put up the X sign and immediately stopped the match. Vikingo had just returned from knee surgery.
  • Ricky Starks did a run-in on today’s Glory Pro Wrestling show in St. Louis. He speared Sean Logan and then challenged Kody Lane to a match in the same building on 11/24.
  • Netflix has been in Stamford all week working on promotional material for the WWE move in January.
  • Halloween Havoc tonight in Hershey, PA:
    • Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page for the NXT title in a Devil’s Playground match
    • Giulia  & Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne  Perez & Cora Jade
    • Tony D’Angelo vs. Oba Femi for the North American title in a tables, ladders and scares match
    • Kelani Jordan defends the North American title against either Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne, or Jazmyn Nyx in a stipulation to be announced match
    • Andre Chase vs. Ridge Holland in an ambulance match
    • The show starts on Peacock at 7 p.m. Eastern time
  • We’re looking for your thoughts on Bound for Glory last night and NXT Halloween Havoc tonight, 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
  • CMLL & NJPW announced the February Fantastica Mania tour of Japan with Mistico, Volador Jr., Atlantis Jr., Titan, Mascara Dorada, Templario, Stigma, Ultimo Guerrero, Hechicero, Soberano Jr., Averno, Barbaro Cavernario, Okumura, Magnus, Zandokan Jr., Max Star, Xelhua, Rugido and Raider.
  • The PPV numbers for Bad Blood look like it will end up at least close to the SummerSlam number, which is amazing. I can’t recall a non-big four PPV that beat the SummerSlam number since 2001.