Daily Update: Toni Storm, AEW Meal & a Match, Chris Bey

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the highlights of this issue:

  • The Cung Le lawsuit settlement was approved, what caused Judge Boulware to do so, winners or losers, who is getting what, looking at the prior settlements that were turned down and the case itself.
  • TKO and Endeavor make a deal to give UFC & WWE new sister companies and what that all entails
  • The most detailed look at the Ring Boys scandal that broke in 1992 and quickly went away, and the lawsuit filed this week with all the details, including why being wrestling helped save WWE from untold bad publicity at the time. We look at the details of a very lengthy suit and what it all means.
  • 2024 Hall of Fame analysis by two researchers looks at what modern candidates are the strongest and weakest in different ways
  • Maple Leaf Wrestling debuts with two incredible main events.
  • The most detailed look at  the TV ratings from the past week, nightly and weekly placings, segment-by-segment, comparisons with the prior year and competition
  • Continuation of CMLL’s women’s wrestling month.
  • American star from a major family says he’ll be the first to win the Triple Crown.
  • Royal Quest notes.
  • MMA star defends pro wrestling world title twice on same show this past week.
  • New movie on 90s star
  • Looking at AEW Full Gear
  • AEW booking issues
  • WrestleDream and Bad Blood PPV numbers update
  • Injury updates
  • Advanced ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW events
  • Streaming and International TV numbers
  • Fighter still hospitalized after five weeks due to weight cutting issues
  • PFL PPV rundown and business
  • WrestleMania and tickets
  • Saturday Night’s Main Event thoughts
  • World Series and wrestling
  • WWE star has surgery to help eye issues
  • Raw & Smackdown 2025 updates
  • Samantha Irvine leaves WWE and details
  • Vince McMahon media pieces looked at
  • Clown show discussing McMahon
  • TV rundowns

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • Brandon Thurston reports that the ending of last Friday’s SmackDown – featuring Motor City Machine Guns winning the WWE Tag Team titles and a post-match Bloodline angle – had strong ratings growth over the previous quarter hour:
    • The last quarter-hour with MCMG vs. Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa followed by the post-match angle involving Roman Reigns, Bloodline, and Usos reuniting grew the audience 17% (and 20% in P18-49), one of the biggest quarter-to-quarter differences for any wrestling show this year.
  • On Impaulsive, Logan Paul said he’s pitched Paul “Triple H” Levesque on the possibility of a Logan Paul & Dominik Mysterio tag team. Paul believes the idea is still a possibility: “It didn’t seem like it was off the table.”
  • Tiffany Stratton told the New York Post that her NXT No Mercy 2023 match against Becky Lynch is the match she’s most proud of so far in her career:
    • I would say my match at No Mercy with Becky Lynch. That whole day was just so hectic for me. I was so nervous. It was my second street fight. It was probably one of my longest matches in my career, and just the things that I did in that match alone, like, I didn’t even know I could do half that stuff. So going into that it was very nerve-wracking, but I’m very proud of that match. I’m very proud of the way that I handled it. I kept up in the ring with Becky Lynch.
  • Stratton said the match helped her feel like she belongs:
    • Yeah, I would definitely say that match, like in my singles matches, that was definitely the one that I was like, ‘OK, I can go, I can hang with the best.‘
  • CBS Sports interviewed Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy.
  • WWE talent dressed up as legends for Halloween.
  • John Cena and other WWE wrestlers wished fans in India happy Diwali.
  • Here’s the lineup for this Friday’s episode of NXT Level Up:
    • Oro Mensah vs. Niko Vance
    • Carlee Bright vs. Lainey Reid

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • AEW’s YouTube clip of Bobby Lashley’s debut from Fright Night Dynamite is nearing one million views, currently at 963,000.
  • The promotion uploaded Lashley’s new theme music.
  • Tony Khan congratulated Private Party on their AEW Tag Team title win.
  • Building up her eventual return, newspapers were distributed at Dynamite asking what happened to Toni Storm, who has been away from AEW since dropping the Women’s World Championship to Mariah May. A brief video voiced by Storm was also produced documenting her recent trips to Australia, Japan, and Mexico.
  • AEW Meal & a Match – hosted by Renee Paquette & RJ City – returns to TBS’ YouTube channel next Thursday (November 7) at 1 p.m. Eastern time. The show premiered with one episode this May and is now back for a new run of episodes.
  • Jon Moxley spoke to Authority Magazine about the difference his wife Renee Paquette has made in his life:
    • I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from a diverse array of the best minds in the business. I’ve had so many amazing teachers and, since I’m of the mind that we have 2 ears but only one mouth, think it’s wise to listen more than you talk. However, If I had to give out an MVP trophy for the profound difference maker in my life it would unquestionably go to my wife, Renee Paquette, hands down. I might very well be dead had our paths never crossed. I was lucky enough to meet her right as I was starting to realize some material success so that was a bit of a crossroads where I could have easily veered down a more destructive path. Now I had something ACTUALLY valuable, I had this person. As it was, I still almost destroyed my entire life so thankfully, she’s been here to be the linchpin holding the whole damn thing together.
  • In this week’s Mone Mag, Mercedes Mone wrote that she wanted to make a surprise appearance at CMLL’s October 27 event in Mexico but was not able to get in touch with Rocky Romero:
    • When I first landed, I saw a poster for CMLL. So, I texted Rocky to see if I could make an appearance. It was right down the street from the hotel that I was staying at. But Rocky didn’t get back to me because he was in Japan, and I needed him to get in. So, Rocky, be warned, I will punch you the next time I see you because I really wanted to make a surprise appearance at CMLL.
  • The Acclaimed now officially own the trademark for “Scissor Me.”
  • TNA Wrestling is doing a Whatnot auction on Friday, November 8 to help support Chris Bey in his recovery from neck surgery.
  • Pro Wrestling Tees has a “We Love Bey” shirt with all of the proceeds going directly to him.
  • Wrestler Brittnie Brooks, who is Bey’s girlfriend, tweeted: “when he called me in the ambulance and told me he broke his neck and was abt to go to surgery, he asked me how my day was and how my knee was doing. like bro he’s a one of a kind typa selfless.”
  • Nicole Matthews announced that she’s now able to wrestle in the United States again: “Good news, everyone! My paperwork has cleared, and I’m good to wrestle in the US again! Looking to fill some dates for the rest of 2024 and starting to fill for 2025 as well. Email me at nicole.matthews.wrestling@gmail.com to get in touch.”
  • No-Contest Wrestling uploaded part one of their interview with Mark Henry.
  • MuscleManMalcolm spoke with Zilla Fatu.