Daily Update: Triple H’s response to Vince McMahon allegations

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

One of the largest issues in the history of the Observer is out this week:

  • The Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon
  • Analysis of the lawsuit and different claims
  • Details of the claims
  • Comments from all sides
  • Just how vulgar some of the stories were
  • What the text messages show
  • The Netflix detail and full details
  • The economics of the deal
  • How much money WWE is guaranteed without selling one ticket or selling any merchandise or advertising or sponsorships
  • Background of the negotiations
  • Dwayne Johnson on the Board of Directors
  • More on 2025 plans
  • Nick Khan, Dwayne Johnson and other comments
  • How this affects AEW
  • Difference between AEW & WWE audience when it comes to college education and household earnings
  • Ratings going forward
  • Mark Shapiro’s new contract
  • AEW house show issues and what has to be done and changes expected to be made
  • Issues with the events
  • A look at the Royal Rumble
  • Full UFC 297 coverage
  • UFC signs Kayla Harrison and her biggest test
  • A look at the career of new UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar
  • 2023 Awards ballot
  • A look at the life of Harold “Ice Train” Hoag
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the wrestling TV shows of the past week, segment highs and lows, comparisons with one year ago and competition
  • Friday night at Arena Mexico
  • TripleMania plans
  • AAA plans on using controversial names
  • More on AAA 2024 plans
  • Stardom awards
  • Why Shuji Ishikawa left All Japan
  • Three generations of the same family and Japanese major bouts
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi talks Kazuchika Okada leaving
  • Okada’s left match at Korakuen Hall
  • Update on Iron Claw movie
  • Puerto Rico show featuring major names
  • Notes on the next season of Dark Side of the Ring
  • Top indie star to come out of retirement
  • Updated AEW & TNA PPV numbers
  • Update on Kazuchika Okada and Mercedes Mone destinations
  • Peacock ads subscribers leading into RoyalRumble
  • WWE injury updates
  • Nick Khan talks about his introduction to WWE
  • Cena talks his future
  • International TV ratings
  • What three pro wrestlers are in the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

Sunday Update

We had two shows this week covering the Vince McMahon/WWE/John LaurinaItis lawsuit and the departure of McMahon from TKO. The Friday show with Garrett went through the lawsuit in as much detail as we could stomach prior to Vince’s resignation. Last night’s show with Bryan talked about the resignation and more thoughts on what happened.

Regarding the press conference last night, It kind of boggles the mind that Paul Levesque was prepared so poorly for the questions. While he couldn’t have said much, he could have at least said some things. Talking about a week where the company has gotten its most mainstream news and most negative news, and clearly had aged Paul himself greatly, as a great week was a very poor choice of words.

Obviously there was little he could say, but the idea of saying that he found out the same time we did or that he didn’t read the lawsuit, the reality is he was on the Board of Directors, he knew about this in 2022 months before the Wall Street Journal. Is it possible he didn’t know the details were as sordid as the lawsuit, yes. But as a major executive in a company that was sued, the idea he didn’t read it would either indicate being oblivious to a major news story involving the company or a dishonest answer. I don’t know which one it was. But the people who advised him did a horrible job. I’m guessing Cody Rhodes, who was asked a similar question and handled it better, probably wasn’t advised either but he’s not an executive.

I also think that it’s very important to not turn this story into Paul Levesque (nor to ignore Paul Levesque or wonder who knows what). Ultimately this is a story about Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and the culture stemming from the top at WWE that has been there for a long time. The problem is it came from the top, Vince McMahon, so even if many had knowledge and obviously many did, acting like they could have changed it is being naive. 

Vince isn’t coming back, but we do have to look at the top of TKO, and that’s not Levesque or even Nick Khan, but it is Ari Emanuel who made the decision to keep him in the company after so much had already come out and those on the Board who did a investigation and never interviewed Janel Grant, who was the person whose story ultimately started the ball rolling to uncover multiple payoffs. I don’t think Levesque was hung out to dry on purpose, nor is this a defense of him, but once they decided to do the press conference, he needed to be prepped on what to say and they failed him badly.

Regarding the Rumble show last night, the biggest news involving Mania is that Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes is the planned main event. Reigns vs. The Rock is still on the boards but for later, as long as Rock is open to doing it. All of the expected matches going in (Iyo Sky vs. Bayley, Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk is still there. There were a number of changes made for Mania in the last few days. The way it was explained to me is that it involves the creative plans for Brock Lesnar and a domino effect when the decision was made at the last minute to not have Lesnar on the show due to the lawsuit.

Lesnar’s planned creative last night was filled by Bron Breakker. Pretty much his point of entry, eliminations and how he was eliminated were all planned for Lesnar. The Lesnar creative which at this point he’s not going to be involved with unless they decide they would bring him back, was Lesnar vs. Dominik Mysterio in Australia and Lesnar vs. Gunther (I don’t know factually an IC title match but one would expect) at WrestleMania. Whether Bron Breakker gets those matches is not clear yet.

As far as Google searches, this week, The Rumble got 500,000 searches and for the weekend was behind E Jean Carroll, The Lakers and the Chiefs vs. Ravens game. Vince McMahon was No. 4 on Thursday when the lawsuit came out with 200,000. The Rumble number is about what you would expect.

We’re looking for your thoughts on the Royal Rumble, you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle and a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

Looking for reports from last night’s AEW show in Bossier City, LA, with the dark & ROH matches to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

Conor McGregor is teasing that his fight with Michael Chandler will be on UFC 300 on 4/13. Nothing is confirmed although Dana White has said they have a major main event to be announced.

Jon Anik, who was furious about the Twitter mob going after him for saying he thought Dricus du Plessis beat Sean Strickland last week and hinting he was tired of the MMA fan base and thinking of leaving UFC. Strickland went after Anik for calling MMA fans the lowest common denominator. He said now that he made regrettable comments about the fan base and said he was sorry.

Mike Santana vs Alex Shelley in a battle of promotion champions will be on the 4/5 House of Glory vs. Wrestling Revolver show, that also includes Amazing Red vs. Mustafa Ali, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

For the weekend, the one international match I heard the most about was Katsuhiko Nakajima’s Triple Crown title defense against Shotaro Ashino.

Collision likely did a poor rating head-to-head with the Rumble, but it had some strong wrestling and a small crowd that came across better by far than the giant crowd in St. Pete did. Bryan Danielson vs. Yuji Nagata was an excellent pro wrestling match.

TKO is marketing the weekend of 2/17 as an epic holiday weekend at the Honda Center in Anaheim with a UFC PPV on a Saturday night and Raw in the building on a Monday.

I was at the SAP Center for a concert on Friday and they has signage in the building promoting an upcoming Raw event in the building and the key thing they pushed is $20 tickets. Keep in mind this is in Silicon Valley. And in this past week’s Observer we noted a reader who wanted to take his family to an AEW show that has barely 1,000 tickets out and the cheapest ticket price he could get was $80.

Konosuke Takeshita is in Japan this week for a match Saturday with All Japan which was said to be great with Takeshita & Hideki Okatani of DDT beating Yuma Aoyagi & Atsuki Aoyagi. This was to build a Takeshita vs. Yuma Aoyagi match in March on a DDT show, which should be a hell of a match.

Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling from Friday night in Newark, CA: Aaron Solo won the Kirk White Big Time Wrestling Battle Royal for the Roy Shire trophy, Sir Samurai won over Kaka Meng and Teixeria, Too Fresh & Ishmael Vaughn b Jeckles & True X, Aaron Solo won over Dave Dutra, Midas and Jiah, Markus Lewis b Alan Angels to keep the BTW title, Viva Van & Brooke Havoc b Marya & Zaaya. Next show is 3/22 (thanks to Jim Davis)