Daily Update: SmackDown ratings, new Collision match, Dark Side of the Ring

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Observer up on the site is filled with tons of detailed news stories, between more on the Vince McMahon situation, WrestleMania 40 and the press conference, the new streaming services and changes in the sports media ecosystem, Rossy Ogawa and Scott D’Amore being fired as heads of Stardom and TNA, Steve McMichael makes the NFL Hall of Fame, and a study of AEW PPV buys.

  • How Vince McMahon was let go
  • The federal investigation of McMahon
  • What they were looking for and confiscated and how it ties in with other news
  • Who else has been talked with
  • Lots more on the Ashley Massaro situation
  • Why Ari Emanuel needs to answer a lot of questions
  • WrestleMania 40 blurring the lines
  • A look at the press conference and reaction to Rock
  • Update on Elimination Chamber
  • A look at the new sports streaming service that many networks are partnering in
  • The firing of Rossy Ogawa with a look into the background of what happened
  • Comments from both Taro Okada and Ogawa with both sides
  • Different booking decisions overruled
  • How AEW & WWE fit into the story
  • Firing of Scott D’Amore, the background of it, the talent meeting, how successful the last PPV show really was
  • Full coverage of NXT Stand & Deliver
  • A study of AEW PPV buyers and what it reveals
  • Steve McMichael makes NFL Hall of Fame as one of his last wishes and a look back at his run, plus other wrestlers in the NFL Hall of Fame
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the wrestling TV shows, demo breakdowns, comparisons with last year, segment numbers and what can be learned from it
  • Huge feud appears to be brewing with AEW internationally
  • Gran Alternativa final draws back at Arena Mexico
  • AAA Rey de Reyes notes
  • Stardom anniversary show notes
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Toby Keith and his connection with wrestling that you probably do know and may not know
  • 40th anniversary of the death of El Santo and David Von Erich
  • Bret Hart talks problems with today’s wrestling
  • One of the best promos of the year by Amira
  • Lots more on Revolution
  • Largest crowds ever in Greensboro
  • Wembley Stadium update
  • Attendance updates for upcoming WWE, AEW and UFC shows
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Gina Carano sues Disney
  • More WrestleMania updates
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • TV reviews and show notes
  • Two personalities in Super Bowl commercials Sunday

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

Saturday Update

WWE

  • With the show taking place one day after WWE’s WrestleMania 40 press conference, SmackDown averaged 2.46 million viewers in the overnight ratings last night, up from the 2.32 million the show averaged in the overnights last week. The rating in the 18-49 demo was up to a 0.69 (last week’s overnight rating was a 0.67).
  • In an in-character interview with Fox News, Seth Rollins commented on The Rock wanting to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania:
          • It’s just what happens when powerful people exert their power. They just think they do whatever they want and get away with it and that sucks. It just sucks. I don’t know any other way to put it. I guess it (resulted) in Cody getting what he wanted. We’ll figure out what’s next for the World Heavyweight title. But Cody said it best. It’s bulls—-. It feels pretty gross to me.
  • Jake Paul told Sports Illustrated that he wants to see his brother Logan defend the United States title against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania:
          • I don’t know who’s in the cards for him. For me personally, I want him to wrestle Kevin Owens.
          • If he wrestles Kevin Owens, that’s his chance to silence the haters. Obviously, the last time they wrestled, he won by DQ. It’ll be good for him to go get his get-back.
  • John Cena joined the Savannah Bananas exhibition baseball team for an at-bat.
  • Bianca Belair, Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate, and Kevin Owens appeared on The SmackDown LowDown.
  • Chelsea Green was interviewed on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.

AEW/Other Wrestling