Daily Update: Sheamus, WWE tours, weekend schedule

mariah may

Daily Update

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

Latest Free YouTube Video:

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

October 31, 2022 Observer Newsletter: AEW completes All Out fight investigation, NXT Halloween Havoc

  • The new issue of the Observer is on the front page today. In hindsight, I think it’s kind of a sad issue filled with many what ifs, but highlights include:
  • The update on the situation after 9/4’s All Out PPV with the fight, suspensions, and investigation
  • The Wrestling Inc. story with new claims as to what happened, CM Punk’s thoughts from his side on things that had happened
  • More on why Punk did the interview he did on Adam Page
  • Reactions of others to that story
  • Why late 2023 and early 2024 are so key to AEW
  • How and why this was handled completely different from how UFC would handle a similar situation
  • The lessons of the entire situation
  • Full coverage of NXT Halloween Havoc
  • Comments from Shawn Michaels about the show
  • UFC 280 coverage and early business notes
  • Stardom PPV coverage and updates on the big decision regarding who is the first IWGP women’s champion
  • Ratings for all the major shows including how the main segments did
  • Major womens tournament news
  • Update on Laredo Kid injury situation
  • Next major AAA show
  • First pro wrestling show ever at Ariake Arena
  • Update on Karl Anderson in New Japan situation
  • New Japan TV title tournament thoughts and updates
  • New Japan joint tour next year
  • Former pro wrestling star inducted into sports Hall of Fame
  • Billy Corgan talks ideas for NWA to work with WWE or AEW
  • Legendary pro wrestling arena in danger of being torn down
  • New major project with Bret Hart coming involving Wrestling with Shadows being re-released
  • Tales from the Territory thoughts
  • Shocker gives his side of the story
  • Next few weeks of Impact TV
  • Update on AEW viewing and how many people have watched TV this year, plus actual numbers that watch the show weekly and other shows which is not the Nielsen number
  • New AEW signings
  • Upcoming ticket sales for AEW & WWE events
  • More notes on Chris Jericho’s first three AEW contracts
  • Thunder Rosa update
  • AEW overseas distribution update
  • Dana White talks Jon Jones return
  • Very interesting Conor McGregor note
  • Bellator part of Japan’s New Year’s Eve show
  • Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva notes
  • Lawsuit filed against Jake Paul
  • What types of angles can we expect more of in WWE
  • Early notes on “Black Adam”
  • WWE injury notes
  • How the World Series will effect pro wrestling shows this week
  • WWE talent up for a number of awards
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • New movies with WWE legend
  • Paul Heyman gets international mainstream exposure
  • First WWE talents to hit 100 matches this year

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

Ordering Info:

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@wrestlingobserver.com or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

Friday News Update

Garrett Gonzales and I will be doing out first show together in a few weeks tonight since he was on vacation and last week we were swamped with things going on in setting up the equipment for video here. Most of our shows going forward will be on video so it’ll be a more interactive experience including the ability for the show to be viewed live and answer questions and take comments. Bryan and I will be back on Sunday night.

Congratulations to Sheamus, who got married today in New York. Both he and Drew McIntyre are off Smackdown tonight and Sheamus will be missing the entire European tour., which is why they did the injury angle last week. McIntyre is Sheamus’ best man and he’ll be back wrestling on Sunday in Stuttgart. As the schedule has it, McIntyre is missing tomorrow’s show in Glasgow, Scotland.

Smackdown for tonight in St.Louis is on FS 1, not FOX, due to the World Series. They had moved more than 1,000 tickets since Tuesday and as of this morning had 7,500 tickets for the double taping tonight at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. They are taping two shows tonight because next week will be a taped show due to the crew being in Saudi Arabia. Mike Johnson reported that Tenille Dashwood, formerly Emma, is backstage, and that Hit Row’s mystery third man against Legado del Fantasma tonight would be Shinsuke Nakamura. Roman Reigns is on tonight’s show, but Logan Paul is not advertised. Ronda Rousey also defends the women’s title in an open challenge and Sami Zayn & Solo Sikoa vs. Ridge Holland & Butch. Bray Wyatt will also be addressing his demons.

AEW Rampage at 10 p.m.on TNT is live from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. Jon Moxley vs. Matt Menard in a non-title match plus Tay Melo vs. Madison Rayne and Wardlow vs. Matt Taven for the TNT title are scheduled. They had 3,800 tickets out as of this morning. 

New Japan iPPV tonight at the Palladium in New York:

      • Waka Tsukiyama & Mina Shirakawa vs Tiara James & Kylie Rae – dark match
      • Rocky Romero & Yoh vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Sho
      • Minoru Suzuki vs. Clark Connors
      • Mayu Iwatani vs. KiLynn King for the SWA title
      • Fred Rosser vs. Jonathan Gresham for the Strong title
      • Aussie Open vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Kevin Knight & The DKC for he Strong tag titles
      • Shingo Takagi vs. El Phantasmo in a street fight for the KOPW title
      • Kazuchika Okada & Eddie Kingston vs. Jay White & Juice Robinson

We’re looking for reports on these shows this weekend:

      • AEW tonight in Uncasville, CT (Dark stuff, anything not on the live TV show)
      • WWE tonight in St. Louis (Dark stuff and second TV show taped, anything not on tonight’s live show)
      • NXT tonight in Melbourne, FL
      • WWE tomorrow night in Monterrey, Mexico
      • NXT tomorrow night in Winter Haven, FL
      • WWE Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland
      • WWE Sunday at Arena Ciudad in Mexico City
      • You can send reports to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

We are also doing polls on tonight’s New Japan show at the Palladium in New York and Sunday’s NOAH show at the Ariake Arena. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

For Monterrey they’ve announced Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle in a street fight, Bianca Belair vs. Bayley for the women’s title, Dana Brooke vs. Nikki Cross vs. Tamina for the 24/7 title, Rey Mysterio & A.J. Styles & Raquel Rodriguez vs Finn Balor & Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley, Chad Gable & Otis vs. Kevin Owens & Johnny Gargano, Austin Theory vs. Dolph ziggler and Los Lotharios vs. Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde. Rodriguez could be a hint of who Styles had Mexico City is a similar show.

For Glasgow and the other European shows, it looks like the card will be new Day & Braun Strowman vs. Usos & Sami Zayn, Gunther vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the IC title, Ricochet vs. Karrion Kross, Hit Row vs. Maximum Male Models, Madcap Moss vs. Ridge holland and Liv Morgan & Shotzi vs.; Sonya Deville & Natalya. McIntyre is being billed for Stuttgart the next day against Zayn and the rest of the tour.. Also in Stuttgart Giovanni Vinci & Ludvig Kaiser & Gunther will face Usos & Solo Sikoa. and Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin. If Corbin is there it would mean he’s off Raw Monday. Shayna Baszler is also advertised on other European dates.

Jake Paul (186.5) and Anderson Silva (186.1) both made weight for their boxing match tomorrow night in Phoenix. Tyron Woodley said he’s going to Phoenix, teasing he’s a backup, but Silva was cleared yesterday by the Arizona commission. This is intriguing because Silva is one of the all-time greats in MMA and was a fantastic striker in his day, although more of a kickboxer striker than a boxer. He has been boxing of late but he’s 47 and Paul is 25, and that’ makes a world of difference. The PPV numbers are also intriguing because it’s the biggest name fighter Paul has faced to date. Paul is a -190 favorite and most people I know believe he is going to win, but most of the betting last I had heard was for Silva. Former UFC fighter Uriah Hall (1986) has his boxing debut against former NFL star Le’Veon Bell (197.6).

UFC runs in Las Vegas with a full ESPN+ show from 4-10 p.m. Eastern tomorrow:

      • Christian Rodriguez (136) vs. Joshua Weems (139.5) – Weems missed weight by 3.5 pounds and has to forfeit 30 percent of his purse
      • Cody Durden (126) vs. Carlos Mota (125.5)
      • Chase Hooper (145) vs. Steve Garcia (146)
      • Joseph Holmes (185.5) vs. Jun Yong Park(185)
      • Andrei Arlovski (241) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (261)
      • Phil Hawes (185.5) vs. Roman Dolidze (186)
      • Dustin Jacoby (204) vs. Khalil Rountree (205)
      • Josh Fremd (185) vs. Tresean Gore (185.5)
      • Waldo Cortes-Acosta (260.5) vs. Jared Vanderaa (259)
      • Tim Means (170.5) vs. Max Griffin (170.5)
      • Calvin Kattar (146) vs. Arnold Allen (145.5)

Bellator is running tomorrow at 4 p.m. Eastern from Milan, Italy on Showtime:

      • Justin Gonzales (145.2) vs. Andrew Fisher (146)
      • Saul Rogers (155.3) vs. Tim Wilde (155.8)
      • Charlie Ward (185.2) vs. Fabian Edwards (185.4)
      • Adam Piccolotti (155.2) vs. Mansour Barnaoui (154.6)
      • Prelims will air on Bellator’s YouTube channel at 12:30 p.m. Eastern

Matt Schiavone, Tony’s son, was hired by AEW as a producer. He started with the company this past Friday. Matt Schiavone had formerly worked as a producer for FOX News.

Other Notes

Arena Mexico tonight has the Women’s Grand Prix with the big deal being Faby Apache debuting for CMLL. It’s Mexico against the World and the outsiders are Alex Gracia, Avispa Dorada, Hikari Shimizu, Ivelisse, Lady Frost, Mei Sururga, Stephanie Vaquer (who is a CMLL regular) and Tae Honma.

Sorry to the report the death of John Tighe, who wrestled out of Omaha as Damien Van Horn, who passed away at the age of 47 on Tuesday. (thanks to Jeremy Morong)

Hammerlock Wrestling in the U.K is being revived with its first show of a new ear tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at the Mot Park Leisure Centre in Maidstone, England, with Doug Williams vs. Sha Samuels as the main event, plus Xia Brookside vs Rhia O’Reilly and Majik vs. Callum Newman. Tickets are available at www.hammerlock.co.uk

Boca Raton Championship Wrestling will be using Mark Long from The Challenge and Challenge Al-Stars (who is friends with Miz and Grayson Waller). Brutus Beefcake is working as commissioner and and Matt Taven, Bull James, Ricky Morton, KiLynn King and others are on upcoming shows.

A horse called Run White Rabbit won the first race at Parx outside of Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Combate Global announced Horror is La Jaula on Paramount + on Sunday this week rather than the usual Friday night show. The show begins at 10 p.m.Eastern with Ismael Zamora (5-1) of Mexico facing French world kickboxing champion Anas Azizouin in the main event. He’s 19-1-1 in kickboxing and 1-0 in MMA. Melissa Amayua (4-0) of Spokane, WA faces Alitzel Mariscal (2-3) of Zapopan, Mexico in the No.2 bout.

MCW Higher Ground on 11/5 at the RJ Meyer Arena in Joppatowne, MD with Mike Bailey vs. Action Andretti, Moses vs. Sam Adonis, Lio Rush vs. Jordan Oliver and Mecca vs. Ace Austin.

Defy tomorrow night in Seattle, WA at Washington Hall has Minoru Suzuki vs. Tom Lawlor as the main event, Ultimo Dragon & Nick Wayne team up for the first time ever against Gringo Loco & Dragon Gate’s La Estrella, Vert Vixen vs. Liiza Hall for the inaugural women’s title plus Davey Richards appears.

ISPW tomorrow on Avenel, NJ will induct Danny Morrison (Danny Doring in ECW) as its first inductee to the IS PW Hall of Fame, being inducted by owner Tommy Firer. Champion Justin Corino faces Bull James in the main event.

FLA presents is 28th and final show of the year on 12/9 in Commerce, CA. The show will air live on UFC Fight Pass.

IWR from last night in Monroe, MI before a packed house: Rod Lee b Nikki Ratu, Deaner b Sam Beale, tommy Vendetta b Damian Chambers-DQ, Buckeye Sam b Kareen Wiggins, Death Threat Army b Monrow Dynasty, OG Game Changers and Benjamin Boone & N8 Mattson, Shogun Jackson Stone won over Madman Fulton and Bry Sullivan, Rhino & Shane Douglas b The Eh Team, Dread King Logan b Kenny Urban to keep the IWR title, Jason Hotch b Trey Miguel to win the U.S. title. They announced Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley challenging for the tag titles held by Death Threat Army on 11/30. (thanks to Paul Meade)