Daily Update: SmackDown ratings, Jade Cargill, Dustin Rhodes

Daily Update

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

Latest Free YouTube Video:

Join us in Las Vegas for our annual F4W Convention

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

In the new issue:

  • The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham
  • A history of every Graham main event in Madison Square Garden
  • How the entire history of wrestling changes if there was no Billy Graham
  • Graham’s decades of health issues
  • Graham suing WWF
  • Graham losing the title and depression and why
  • Graham in football, boxing, bodybuilding, track, world’s strongest man competitions and more
  • The last week of Graham as WWWF champion
  • When Billy Graham was reported as dying 32 years ago in two major newspapers
  • His start of his career and first time he met Dr. Jerry Graham
  • His big break in the AWA when he became a big drawing card and his interviews
  • His changing the way top stars were paid in WWWF
  • His last run in WWF
  • His life after wrestling
  • Everything said and not said about AEW Collision
  • How CM Punk fits into the picture
  • Why Punk really was such an important character right now for AEW if things would have worked out
  • Thoughts on Collision and its time slot
  • How AEW’s fan base consumption has changed over the last year
  • The blow-by-blow story of how WWE and Endeavor made their merger, including other offers, how much the offers were, and how much Vince McMahon made through the different negotiations
  • Just how much money Endeavor gave up to keep Vince McMahon
  • UFC business notes
  • Francis Ngannou signs with PFL, his deal, his negotiations and different potential opponents
  • Update on the WWE brand split
  • Update on WWE Night of Champions
  • Update on AEW Double or Nothing
  • New Japan Best of the Super Juniors coverage
  • This week’s UFC show rundown
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings of wrestling over the past week
  • What wrestler is getting a pickle ball court named after him
  • Build for what looks to be the biggest match of the year in Mexico
  • More on a major network negotiations for a new wrestling show and why the deal fell through
  • Update on Kota Ibushi
  • More on Von Erichs moving back to Texas
  • New play loosely based on WWE
  • International TV ratings
  • AEW house shows
  • UFC fall schedule and new fights
  • Bellator draws 12,000 for show this past week
  • Nine drug test failures
  • Randy Orton update
  • Bray Wyatt update
  • More on the WWE show in Puerto Rico
  • Lots of new WWE business talk by Nick Khan
  • WWE injury updates
  • Upcoming WWE ticket sales
  • All the weekly WWE business info

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.

Saturday Update

WWE

  • Against game two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, SmackDown averaged 2.049 million viewers in the fast national ratings last night. That’s down from the 2.068 million viewers the show drew in the fast nationals last week. The rating in the 18-49 demo was a 0.50 in the first hour and a 0.49 in the second.
  • NXT’s Yulisa Leon returned to the ring on last night’s SmackDown, wrestling for the first time since August 2022. Leon had been out of action with a torn ACL. She and Valentina Feroz lost to Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn on SmackDown.
  • Leon tweeted: “After 8 months…I’m back… we’re back!! Thank you all for your support!!”
  • WWE is holding a Night of Champions press conference in Saudi Arabia next Friday. The press conference will stream live at noon Eastern time.
  • “Stone Cold” Steve Austin praised Pat McAfee for how he sold the stunner at WrestleMania 38. Austin said it’s in the top three of all-time stunner sells:
          • Man, top three. Top three. And I gotta say top three because I mean, you know, The Rock is number one, the way he oversold it. Scott Hall and some of the other guys that took it… Pat [McAfee] has a natural feel for the business. Epic performer. Great on the stick. Athletically, you know that that match he had with the Theory was awesome.
          • And then the kicker was not only the sell of a Stunner, but — I don’t know if I threw him out or he ended up out of the ring — to lay there selling, still guzzling the beer. The presence of mind to ad lib and improvise it like, ‘This is a moment,’ without even thinking about it. I think he’s amazing. He’s very entertaining, and as a human being, I like him a whole lot.
  • During a conversation with MTV News’ Josh Horowitz, John Cena said he’ll be in attendance if Charlotte Flair wins a 17th Women’s Championship in WWE: “Man, there’s so many good ones now [female wrestlers]. Like I said, there’s so many good ones [Cena said after someone in the audience shouted Rhea Ripley’s name]. I do like the legacy that Charlotte is creating for herself. I know Ric Flair had said something about if she were to win a 17th championship, we should be there, both to shake her hand. And I got to see Ric recently and tell him that if that happens, we will both be there because I think that’s tremendous. I’m not shortchanging anybody else but just because I know and love Ric and I admire what Charlotte’s done, that’s my connection to that moment so that’s why I gotta say her.”
  • Bayley tweeted about the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles: “These titles have been through A LOT. The ones who’ve held them know the pride and sometimes the extreme struggle that comes with them. But we keep fighting for them, we take a stand for them. Through injuries, break ups and hopeful opportunities…..there’s magic in there waiting”
  • Pretty Deadly were the guests on this week’s episode of WWE After the Bell.
  • Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar, Damage CTRL, and Pretty Deadly appeared on The SmackDown LowDown. Before Pretty Deadly could be interviewed, there was an angle where they were attacked by Butch.
  • WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded the following matches: Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt (Battleground 2015), Carmelo Hayes vs. Solo Sikoa for the North American title (September 13, 2022 NXT), and RK-Bro vs. The Usos Tag Team title unification match (May 20, 2022 SmackDown).

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Jade Cargill reached a big milestone today, celebrating her 500th day as AEW’s TBS Champion.
  • Dustin Rhodes reflected on yesterday being the 15th anniversary of him getting sober:
          • Today is a day that I am most proud of.
          • Today is 15 yrs clean and sober from drugs and alcohol.
          • It was a difficult journey for me, but when we work our programs diligently, magic starts to happen. I thank God for this second chance and new lease on life. I choose not to turn around and take a walk with the devil. I am clean from him, 1 day at a time.
          • #KeepSteppin #Perseverance #CleanIsCool
  • Richard Holliday will make his return to the ring at a show for Paradise Alley Pro Wrestling in Woodbridge, Connecticut on Saturday, June 10. It will be the first time Holliday has wrestled since announcing his cancer is in remission.
  • Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander were interviewed on Rasslin’ with Brandon F. Walker.
  • At House of Glory’s show in Queens, New York last night, Cardona defeated Jacob Fatu to become the new HOG Heavyweight Champion.
  • AEW vice president of live events and touring Rafael Morffi was a guest on Talk is Jericho.
  • Skye Blue appeared on AEW Unrestricted this week.