Daily Update: SmackDown ratings, Bron Breakker, CM Punk

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

In this issue:

  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • The debut of Collision, AEW’s ratings decline and reasons and what the return of Punk will tell us
  • The problems Collision will have from the get go
  • Why the success of Collision is so important financially to AEW
  • The reaction as far as cheering and booing for Punk outside of Chicago and what is far more important than booing or cheering
  • Oversaturation of television in the marketplace
  • Ticket sales for Collision and all AEW & WWE events this summer
  • Update on WWE negotiations
  • Value of WWE to a new station with interest
  • The situation with WBD and potentially getting WWE
  • How many homes the key stations that could carry WWE & AEW are in right now
  • Conor McGregor sexual assault charge
  • Lawyer Eric Anderson breaks down the judges ruling to continue the MLW lawsuit against WWE, WWE’s arguments on antitrust, the judges reaction and what comes next
  • B.J. Whitmer fired
  • Full details on G-1 Climax tournament, the blocks, the favorites, the key matches and some storylines to look for going in
  • Update on the Forbidden Door show and business and key things to learn from about the business results
  • UFC 289 coverage including the retirement of Amanda Nunes, why, what about the titles she retires and other storyline notes from the most recent show and business notes as well
  • Updates on WWE Money in the Bank
  • Full coverage of All Together Now, the Japanese show with New Japan, All Japan and NOAH’s top talent and how it went down
  • Coverage of Final X
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of the wrestling and MMA shows this past week, with key breakdowns, segment-by-segment, who watches, rankings in sports and entertainment for the week
  • An attempt to make a superstar with a new character later this month
  • Update on Rush in AAA and TripleMania
  • New Japan Strong goes to Japan
  • More on the longest world title reigns in wrestling history
  • Movie on wrestling star to be released in September
  • Against All Odds results and Slammiversary notes
  • New AEW hires
  • What was Brock Lesnar’s biggest-ever one night payoff?
  • Jon Jones and Tyson Fury talk business
  • XFL business notes
  • Lots of injury updates

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Saturday Update

WWE

  • Last night’s SmackDown averaged 2.278 million viewers in the fast national ratings, up from last week’s fast national average of 2.226 million. The rating in the 18-49 demo was a 0.59 in the first hour and a 0.60 in the second.
  • WWE shared a brief clip of The Usos backstage after they laid out Roman Reigns last night.
  • While appearing on Under the Ring, Bron Breakker was asked about the transphobic comments that his father Rick Steiner directed toward Gisele Shaw at WrestleCon. Breakker said: “Yeah, you know, I appreciate the question. I can’t speak for my father, but that’s not a reflection of me and who I am and what I’m about.”
  • Gunther told ESPN1530 that it would be a great accomplishment if he’s able to surpass Honky Tonk Man’s record 454-day reign as Intercontinental Champion:
          • Oh it’ll be, obviously, a great accomplishment and maybe the biggest accomplishment of my career, to that date. But also there’s still some time to go and I try to focus on what’s right in front of me and make the best out of that situation. I don’t try to get caught up in the future, with what ifs and what could happen, even though it’s not that far away. I think once it’s all said and done, I’ll be able to lean back and enjoy it a little bit. It definitely would be very rewarding and a big accomplishment.
  • WWE legend Tito Santana retired from his teaching job this week. His final day working was June 15: “Former college and pro football player Merced Solis — better known as pro wrestler Tito Santana– became a middle school teacher in NJ after his days in the ring. Today was his last day in the classroom before retiring at age 70. Quite the career!”
  • Inside the Ropes interviewed Dominik Mysterio.
  • Maxxine Dupri was the guest on WWE After the Bell this week.
  • Pretty Deadly, Shotzi, and LA Knight appeared on The SmackDown LowDown.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • In his interview with ESPN, CM Punk spoke about how Collision can benefit the AEW roster:
          • With more TV time, you’re only going to see guys like Hobbs and Starks, people who I think have the potential to do what an MJF [current AEW champion] has done with his television time but they haven’t been able to be positioned because a guy like MJF gets a big lion share of television time, because he earned it. We just need to do a better job of spotlighting so many different guys, and this is, for a lot of guys, sink or swim. Now it’s just like, well, now’s the time. You’re going to have to really bust your ass and prove why we’re giving you this spotlight and this TV time.
  • Punk also said he never seriously considered not returning after All Out:
          • I certainly had some low moments, and I won’t rule out in those fleeting moments where I just say, ‘Ah, f— this, whatever. But I don’t ever think it was a serious intention to say that I’m done. There’s still work to do, and I think I’m excited about a lot of stuff that’s coming up. So, to just throw the baby out with the bathwater, just because of a little boo-boo, I think would be a little silly.
  • Ricky Starks reflected on today marking three years since the airing of his AEW debut match against Cody Rhodes: “Wow. The mixed emotions I’ve been going through lately & then to remember where I was 3 years ago is a good perspective. I wouldn’t change anything about that night. I see everyone’s support everyday and I can’t thank you enough for it. Definitely can’t thank CR enough either”
  • On instagram, new AEW producer Jimmy Jacobs wrote about his time with Impact Wrestling:
          • Nothing I write here can adequately capture my feelings about my time with IMPACT Wrestling. I’m beyond grateful for the playground I got to create in and the playmates I got to create with. From the first day I arrived at IMPACT in November of 2017, I was blessed to collaborate with a cast of dedicated and bright human beings in an effort to share our passion with the world. It was refreshing to be surrounded by people who not only tolerated my idiosyncrasies, but more often than not, embraced them. I’m proud to be a part the vision we all created and of the progress that the company as a whole has made throughout that time. I will always have love in my heart for that entire crew, roles big and small, as when you’re in the trenches making TV every single week, you really appreciate the fact that it takes the effort of each and every person to make the cogs in the machine go round. I will always cherish my time with the special group of people at IMPACT Wrestling, and I look forward to seeing the magic they make in the future.
  • Mandy Rose discussed whether she could see herself returning to pro wrestling:
          • It’s hard to say right now because I am enjoying my time being home and being able to come up to New York and be with my family and hang out at my dad’s deli and just have the time because our schedules are crazy (in wrestling). I’m not going to say it’s in my past and I’ll never go back to it, but I will say right now, I’m really enjoying the time and doing a lot of other things. Eventually, I want to start a family one day and it’s a little hard in the wrestling world. You can still do it. I don’t know what the future brings. I don’t want to say I’ll never go back because it’s an amazing sport, I love it, and the last year and a half I really brought my character and put a lot of equity in my name, which I’m very grateful for.
  • AC Mack is stepping away from pro wrestling.
  • Ricky and Kerry Morton appeared on the latest episode of Talk is Jericho.
  • On the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Will Washington discussed his journey to AEW.