Daily Update: Stardom, Bea Priestley, WrestleMania rules

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WON NEWSLETTER: April 5, 2021 Observer Newsletter: NXT to Tuesdays official, UFC 260 review

The end of the Wednesday night war is the lead story in the current issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

We look at the announcement, international implications, barbs back-and-forth, Paul Levesque’s speech announcing the move to those who work at NXT, the Wednesday night stats with one week left, a look at the final head-to-head battle, advantages each side had going in, what lessons were shown by the Wednesday wars, where each side had the advantage and what lessons it says about what people want out of their wrestling.

NXT’s move to Tuesday, what should happen with the ratings based on past examples, trajectory changes of late, the numbers each show has done in the past unopposed and what should and shouldn’t be expected to happen over the next few weeks. We also look at the 2021 averages for AEW and NXT.

Also in this issue:

How the Endeavor IPO changes the UFC business and how the ESPN deal makes making the big money fights less important to UFC. We look at the value of a Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou fight, but where the big payoff goes and where the big expense goes.l  We look at numbers Jones has talked about, the lightweight title, belts losing all credibility, and questions about Jones and Ngannou should a fight take place.

WWE Network shows migrating to Peacock, shows difficult to find, editing of shows, shows that had already been heavily edited, WWE next business report, how the new NFL scheduled affects Raw and WWE, Charly Caruso leaving and ESPN deal, Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck lawsuit update, William Shatner as wrestling fan decades ago, Glenn Jacobs honored, Rhea Ripley talks how she found out about her WrestleMania match, Paige talks wrestling again, writing team member let go, International TV ratings, how wrestling shows did s compared with sports programming this past week, Shawn Michaels talks superkicks, a look at the Hurt Business breakup, William Regal talks Sasha Banks, Hall of Fame news, and WWE market value.

UFC 260, with the background of the show, match-by-match coverage, business notes and poll results.

WWE heading into WrestleMania, the main event story behind the story the build up, business notes, ticket sales, NXT Takeover, plus updated lineups.

Andrade’s different interviews talking why he left, the Charlotte Flair pregnancy test story, the COVID story, the Saudi Arabia trip, where he may wind up, offers made by WWE, what he wants out of his career, and what angle suggested for him that was nixed.

ROH 19th anniversary show, with highlights, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

2021 Hodge trophy award voting and why there were two winners even with the voting not close.

Non-WWE shows during WrestleMania weekend, from AEW to Game Changer, ticket sales and more.

More into detail on ratings than any other source, we have how every segment on NXT and AEW did as well as how it did with different age groups, genders and more, plus a look at all other wrestling shows of the past week.

Results of the major pro wrestling events of the past week.

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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about WrestleMania news, New Japan’s title change, Stardom, Olympic trials and more. You can send questions to the show to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

Stardom PPV results from earlier today in Yokohama: Hina won three-way over AZM and Lacy C, Momo Watanabe b Mina Shirakawa, Saya Kamitani b Unagi Sayaka, Rina & Ruaka & Konami & Saki Kashima & NatsukoTora b Gokigen Death & Hanan & Saya Iida & Starlight Kid & Mayu Iwatani in an elimination match, Tam Nakano b Natsupoi to retain the Wonder of Stardom title, Utami Hayashishita b Bea Priestley to retain the World of Stardom title,l Giulia & Syuri b Himeka & Maika to win the Goddesses of Stardom tag titles. The Stardom PPV link is here.

The biggest news from the show is that after losing, Priestley said that this was her last match in Stardom. When she didn’t sign a new contract with New Japan, she also didn’t sign a new deal here and she made this decision some time back. She is leaving Japan. The only thing I can say is that she’s not going to AEW and the rest would be the same conclusion everyone else would come up with, which is the place she’s not allowed to say if she’s going there and thus she’s said nothing. This was kept quiet because if it had been said ahead of time it would have given away the result of the match. People are raving about this as the best women’s match this year and that the top three matches are all great. Syuri challenged Hayashishita for the title.

Another note is that Will Ospreay and Priestley both went into the ring challenging for the world title at literally the same time earlier today in buildings about 45 minutes apart. I wonder if such a thing has ever happened previously in wrestling history.

Regarding WWE quarantine rules for this week.There was no mandate put down by the company.There are people who are quarantining themselves by choice this week because  nobody wants to test positive.  

For those who attend WrestleMania live, these are the rules:

  • Masks are required at all times unless you are in your seat eating or drinking
  • You are not allowed to gather in common areas with people in places like the concourse
  • All food and drink transactions will be cashless.  They will have reverse ATM machines to use if you have cash, you can put the cash into the machine and it will give you a debit card you can use
  • No bags are allowed in the stadium
  • You must sign a waiver that holds WWE, Raymond James Stadium, the city of Tampa and everyone else harmless if you catch COVID at the show, even if it is due to the negligence of any of those parties
  • This waiver is standard across the board these days as has been noted in the Observer for Mania and other events.

Here are the results from last night’s finals of the Olympic trials in Fort Worth, TX. There were a number of major confrontations with the best wrestlers in the country. Of note to WWE fans, Gable Steveson made the Olympic team. 2016 gold medalists Kyle Snyder and Helen Maroulis will go for their second gold medals. All the finals were best two out of three:

Women’s freestyle:

  • 110 – Sarah Hildebrandt b Victoria Anthony 12-2, 10-0
  • 117 – Jacarra Winchester b Ronna Heaton 7-4, 12-2
  • 125 – Helen Maroulis b Jenna Burkert 5-3, 5-6. pin :24
  • 136 – Kayla Miracle b Macey Kilty 8-4, 3-4, injury :32
  • 150 – Tamyra Mensah-Stock b Kennedy Blades 12-4, 8-1
  • 167 – Adelina Gray b Kylie Welker 10-0, 11-0

Welker is a high school junior who is 17 years old and was the big surprise of the trials

Men’s freestyle:

  • 125 – Thomas Gilman b Vitali Arujau pin 5:42, decision
  • 143 – Jordan Oliver b Joseph McKenna 3-0, 5-2
  • 163 – Kyle Dake b Jordan Burroughs 3-0, 3-2.  Burroughs is a multiple-time world champion and this was considered the biggest U.S. match of the year
  • 189 – David Taylor b Bo Nickal 4-0, 6-0
  • 213 – Kyle Snyder b Kollin Moore 10-0, 5-1
  • 275 – Gable Steveson b Nick Gwiazdowski 10-0, 10-4

Men’s Greco-Roman

  • 132 – Ildar Hafizov b Ryan Mango 7-0, 8-0
  • 147 – Alejandro Sancho b Ellis Coleman 2-0, 3-1
  • 169 – Jesse Porter b Peyton Walsh 8-1, 7-7
  • 191 – John Stefanowicz b Joe Rau 6-5, 2-1
  • 213 – G’Angelo Hancock b Braxton Amos 8-0, 8-0
  • 286 – Adam Coon b Cohiiton Schultz 10-0, 3-3

With no UFC event yesterday and the boxing and wrestling not having anything major to the general public all week, nothing cracked the top 20 from combat sports or entertainment in searches the entire week. Logan Paul was No. 9 on Wednesday but that was from the Masked Singer, not wrestling.

Reelz’s Autopsy: The Last Hours Of…” next Sunday 4/11 at 9 p.m. has a show on the death of Randy Savage. (thanks to Jeff Beecher)

A major welterweight fight with Stephen Thompson vs. Gilbert Burns has been added to the 7/10 show.

John Cena will appear on “Ellen” and “The Late Show with Stepehn Colbert tomorrow plugging “Wipeout.”

UFC

  • Belal Muhammad vs. Demian Maia has been added to the 6/12 show.  This will be the final fight of Maia’s contract.  He has talked about retirement in the past.
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Timur Valiev is slated for the 6/26 show.
  • Juan Espino vs. Alexandr Romanov has been added to the 4/17 show.
  • Rick Glenn vs. Joaquim Silva has been added to the 6/19 show.

OTHER NEWS

  • This is an updated list of those who will be at WrestleCon in Tampa this year: The Steiner Brothers, Jay White, Magnum TA, Dean Malenko, Christian Cage, Gail Kim, Ricky Steamboat, Scott Hall, Ted DiBiase, Kevin Nash, Jerry Lawler, Arn Anderson, Jake Roberts, Ron Simmons, Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, Matt Taven, Enzo, Cass, Salina de la Renta, Matt Cardona, Sean Waltman, Jazz, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Rocky Romero, Brooke Adams, Lio Rush, Lex Luger, Brooke Hogan, and Haku.
  • An article on the Go Shiozaki vs. Kazuyuki Fujita match from last year where they did an empty arena match where neither touched for more than 40 minutes (thanks to Lee Wall)
  • A very interesting story on the rise of Danny Hodge in the McGuirk territory in 1959-60. From his first pro wrestling match, he became the top babyface in a major territory in six months, replacing Ivan the Terrible (an early name of Pampero Firpo). Actually more shocking isn’t that Hodge took six months to be the top star, it’s that Ivan the Terrible, billed as a Russian, was the top babyface in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and several other states in 1959, which was the height of the cold war. I don’t know if anyone, sans guys like Danno O’Mahoney who was top babyface after only a few matches, could make this claim.  Lex Luger in Florida was top babyface in seven months. Bill Goldberg was probably about 10 months.  
  • Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell claims the Republicans have turned the government into WWE and actually explains breaking of kayfabe as well. (thanks to Paul Kacprzak)
  • Memphis Wrestling from yesterday’s TV show:  Alan Steel b Max Stone, CeCe Chanel b Diana Taylor, Ryan Rembrandt b Precious, DJ Brown b Johnny Lyons, Da Russell Twins b Skimahorns, Mike Anthony b Justin Cole, Queen Kaytelyn Black b Nikki Lane.
  • XICW from yesterday in Standish, MI:  Royce Carney III b Heat Bock, Alex Weir b Mitch Hewitt & TJ Meyer, Grey Wolves b Mysterious Movado & El Ridiculoso, LJ Lawrence b Soultaker-DQ, Billy Ray Daniels b Nelson Edwin Robet Doolittle, Kongo Kong b Mongo, Danny Shay b Lawrence Jeter, Tommy Vendetta b Dre Jacobs and Justin Dream to win Intense title, Malcolm Monroe b Aaron Orion to keep Midwest title, Rhino & DBA b Jack Price & Adam Wick to win the Proving Ground tag team titles (thanks to Leonard Brand)
  • Texoma Pro Wrestling from last night in Sherman, TX:  Will Alldayu b Mr. Wobble, JD Griffey b Matthew Palmer, Edge Stone won three-way over Cam Cole and Nate Collins, Johnny O’Mara b Niles Plonk, Funnybone b Chickasaw Warrior, Promise Braxton won three-way over Mayka Madrid and Miranda Gordy, Charlie Haas b Dmitri Alexandrov.  Next show is 4/16 (thanks to Shannon Walsh)
  • WrestleMax St. Louis from last night in St. Louis for the David Lee Memorial tournament:  Rahim de la Suede won four-way over Moses, ATM and Ryu Kendrick, Mat Fitchett b Anthony Gutierrez, JDX b Jah-C, Calvin Tankman b Jake Something, Mike Outlaw b Xavier Walker-COR, Kevin Lee Davidson NC Moonshine Mantell, JDX b Mat Fitchett, Mike Outlaw b Calvin Tankman, Brooke Valentine b Blair Onxy, Jah-C won over Camaro Jackson, Edvin Kudic, Levi Everett, Devon Monroe and Chris Hendrix, Mike Outlaw b JDX to win tournament  (thanks to Patrick Bandmeyer)

Daily Pro Wrestling History: WWF WrestleMania IX

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