Daily Update: Slammy Awards, WrestleMania 2017

We’re looking for reports from Minneapolis and Raw tonight with dark matches, Superstars matches and anything else not evident from the live show.

We’re looking for your thoughts on Saturday night’s UFC show, Friday night’s ROH Final Battle and Wednesday night’s NXT Takeover, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to Dave Meltzer

Smackdown will air live on the USA Network at 8 p.m. on Tuesday from Des Moines.  The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons for the tag team titles has been announced.

PRO WRESTLING NOAH’S FINAL BIG SHOW OF THE YEAR IS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE TOKYO OTA WARD GYM

Yoshinari Ogawa & Hitoshi Kumano vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kaito Kiyomiya

Mohammed Yone & Mitsuhiro Kitamiya & Akitoshi Saito vs. Quiet Storm & Genba Hirayanagi & Captain NOAH

Kenou vs. Hajime Ohara

Maybach Taniguchi vs. Go Shiozaki

Takashi Sugiura vs. Takashi Iizuka no DQ

Shelton Benjamin vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima

Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Desperado & Taka Michinoku for GHC jr. tag titles

Taichi vs. Taiji Ishimori for GHC jr. title – Ishimori puts up his hair and name against the belt

Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Colt Cabana & Chris Hero for GHC tag titles

Minoru Suzuki vs. Naomichi Marufuji for GHC title

Smackdown will air live on the USA Network at 8 p.m. on Tuesday from Des Moines.  The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons for the tag team titles has been announced.

The USA Network will air Tribute to the Troops on Wednesday night at 8 p.m., a taped show from Jacksonville.

Figure Four Weekly

Figure Four Weekly 12/14/2015: Hogan sex tape police report released
Gawker releases the police report in the Hulk Hogan sex tape investigation.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Conor McGregor winning the UFC featherweight title, the story behind UFC 194 and the path of Roman Reigns to the WWE title are the lead stories in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with coverage of so many major shows over the past week.

We look at McGregor’s financial  goals, the business of UFC 194 and the records set, early PPV projections, what is next for McGregor, TV viewership numbers in the U.S. and Brazil, , as well as the path of McGregor to being the No. 1 male star in the promotion.  We look at Frankie Edgar as a contender, potential of UFC 200 if Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor are booked on the same show, the last two PPV shows, Rousey vs. McGregor as draws, Luke Rockhold’s middleweight title win, looking at the Yoel Romero vs. Chris Weidman judging and the future of the middleweight division.

We also look at the path of Roman Reigns to the WWE title, the increased viewership on Raw, where the new viewers came from and how viewership differed from recent weeks.  We look at the reaction to Reigns, and the storylines that led to that reaction.

We’ve also got complete rundowns on WWE TLC, NXT Takeover, as well as all three UFC events, including match-by-match coverage, business notes, star ratings and more.

We also have a look at Mauro Ranallo’s signing with WWE, his background, how the deal came to fruition and the path from announcing pro wrestling on TV while a teenage on national television in  Canada to the WWE 30 years ago, with stops in kickboxing, MMA and boxing in between.

PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 21, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Conor McGregor wins UFC Featherweight title, Roman Reigns WWE Champion

You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer

You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

Rates are:

For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

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

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer radio covering tonight’s Slammy Awards and Raw, as well as the rest of the latest news.  We will also be answering e-mail questions that you can send to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

It will be interesting to see if Minneapolis, where Raw is coming from tonight, is announced as the host city of the 2017 WrestleMania.  There were people in the company expecting that would happen tonight months ago, but I’ve heard nothing in that direction in recent weeks.

No word on any surprise people but with Superstar of the Year, a legit voting contest, there are candidates like John Cena and Brock Lesnar who haven’t been on Raw lately.  WWE 2015 Slammy Awards winners & nominees

Wrestling Observer Back Issue:17 years ago in the Observer headlined by Jesse Ventura winning the election for Governor of Minnesota, which led to some embarrassing storylines with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, who didn’t like him.

Greg Gilleland has been promoted from Business Manager of ROH to General Manager.

New Japan has added a new championship, called the Never six man tag team titles.  The match at the 1/4 Tokyo Dome with Toru Yano & Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga & Yujiro Takahashi will determine the first champions.

WWE

  • Sisters, where John Cena has a role, opened at $13,922,855, in the No. 3 spot this weekend.  Everyone went to Star Wars, which set the all-time opening weekend records at $248 million domestic and $525 including worldwide.  The old U.S. record was Jurassic World at $209 million.  Spectre, with Dave Bautista, was No. 11 in week seven.  It was No. 4 in Australia as well (thanks to James Stanios)
  • Wale has released a new song about Sasha Banks
  • Smackdown will be airing live not just on the USA Network tomorrow but also on Sportsnet 360 in Canada at 8 p.m. Eastern time.  We’ll have live coverage on the front page.
  • Sportsnet 360 will be doing a free WWE Network marathon from 7 p.m.on 12/24 through 8 p.m. on 12/25.  It will air whatever is on the main feed of the network.
  • Sportsnet also has more WWE programming than usual this week with Raw tonight, Smackdown at 8 p.m. Tuesday live, Smackdown replayed at 8 p.m. Wednesday in its usual time slot, and Smackdown again at 8 p.m. Friday (thanks to Steve Khan)
  • Daniel Bryan’s very good autobiography will be released in July on paperback.
  • WWE announced a 3/13 house show in Hershey, PA.
  • Tommy Dreamer and Blue Meanie are appearing at a winter coat drive at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis, which is across the street from the Target Center, where Raw takes place.
  • Laura Martin of Needham & Company, a stock analyst who has been super bullish on the WWE Network from the start, claiming that their three to four million subscriber goals were low, published a note about content creators cutting their own throats.  She wrote about how WWE in 2013 got $6.37 per viewer per hour on PPV and after moving to OTT, they are now getting 67 cents per view per hour.  She warned Viacom and  Time Warner could follow suit if they pursue recently announced lower ad rate strategies.  Here is the story.
  • Stock closed today up six cents to $17.26 per share. 

UFC/MMA

  • Valentina Shevchenko, who debuted on Saturday’s UFC show, is on a Dancing with the Stars type show in Peru at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UaJt3ar
  • Cheick Kongo vs. Augusto Sakai was announced for the 2/26 Bellator show in Mulvane, KS as a main card fight.  That’s the show headlined by Marcos Galvao defending the bantamweight title against Eduardo Dantas.
  • The World Series of Fighting has announced a 1/23 show at the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis with Mike Ricci vs. Caros Fodor as the main event and Teddy Holder vs. Shamil Gamzatov.  Those matches sound really tough to sell tickets in such a large arena as that.
  • Emerson Witner looks at UFC 3

OTHER PRO WRESTLING

  • Pro Wrestling NOAH has its final major show of the year on Wednesday night at the Ota Ward Gym in Tokyo.  They’ve had Suzuki-gun run through NOAH all year and claim they will finish it off.  Suzuki claimed after he beats Naomichi Marufuji in the main event, he’s going to attack Kenta Kobashi, who will be at the show as an announcer.  Taiji Ishimori will also shave his head and change his name if he fails to win the jr. title from Taichi.
  • AAW on Saturday night in Merrionette Park, IL at 115 Bourbon Street has Eddie Kingston vs. Ethan Page in a cage match, AR Fox vs. Sami Callihan, Kongo Kong vs. Russ Jones, Chris Hero vs. Davey Richards, Davey Vega vs. Louis Lyndon and Tommaso Ciampa, Michael Elgin, Colt Cabana, Silas Young, Zero Gravity and more.
  • Davey Richards was announced as the second man in the 1026 ECWA Super 8 tournament on 4/23 in Woodbury Heights, NJ.  He follows Jason Kincaid.
  • Supreme Pro Wrestling from Sunday in Sacramento:  Dan Reynoso & Brittni Barger b Sir Samurai & Christina Von Eerie (this match was taped for the PBS TV show Beyond Geek), J.J. King b Jean Erick, JR Kratos b T-Lo & Jonnny Yen in a handicap match, Ethan White b Joe DeSoul-DQ, Big Ugly JD Bishop won four-way, Virgil Flynn b Daniel Torch-COR, Michael Hayashi b Airon Skye, Rik Luxury & Corvus & Sir Samurai & Drake Frost, Brian Tannen b Scoot Robertson to keep the SPW title.  Next show is 1/17 with Hayashi vs. Bishop for the Extreme title and Samurai & Frost challenge Luxury & Corvus & Truex for the tag titles, but in a trios match.  (thanks to Mike Millerick)
  • GSW on 1/2 in Moosic, PA at the Youth Center.
  • Maryland Championship Wrestling on 12/26 in Joppa, MD at the MCW Arena with Chyna, Ashley Massaro, Ethan Carter III and the debut of Sean Studd, the son of John Studd.
  • Rockstar Pro Wrestling on Wednesday night at the Rockstar Pro Arena in Dayton with all tickets $6.
  • The kids of former ECW wrestler Danny Doring were in a scared by Santa contest.
  • Josh Olsen has released a new wrestling book called “Working Stiff:  The Anthology of Professional Wrestling Literature and Art.”  Longtime reader Lavie Margolan has a short piece on attending a Herb Abrams UWF taping with his father in 1991.

Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (12/21): Jeff Jarrett wins USWA Southern Title