Daily Update: UFC 246 breaks records, WWE stock, Karen Q

DAILY UPDATE

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WON NEWSLETTER: February 3, 2020 Observer Newsletter: Royal Rumble review, WM 36 takes shape

A look at the current WrestleMania card, as well as what big name is being talked with, what big name is not on the card, as well as the Royal Rumble decision making is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

We also have complete Rumble coverage including a table with each participant, how long they were in, eliminations, number of entry and exit and more.  We look at Vince McMahon’s change in the winners in the last week, the stories told in the Rumble, why the winners were changed, the return of Edge, his new contract, how he got such a big deal, the WWE injuries, the Andrade drug test failure, those who were not in the Rumble and why, business notes on the way and what are expected to be the biggest wrestling crowds of the year.  We also look at viewer interest in the show, the interest as compared to the UFC 246 show, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

The new issue also covers: 

The sale of Pro Wrestling NOAH to CyberAgent, more on big companies buying wrestling franchises, plans for NOAH under the new ownership and the relationship with DDT as it stands right now.

UFC 246, with show notes, business notes and match-by-match coverage.

Worlds Collide with match-by-match coverage, star ratings, business notes and what did and didn’t work on the show.

Changes in the WWE house show business and why.  We look at both the positive and negative of it. We also look at the behavior of Vince McMahon at the Rocky Johnson funeral, the incident with Brock Lesnar and Matt Riddle, new contracts signed, wrestler asking for her release, WWE Canadian numbers, Charlotte Flair talks Kairi Sane concussion, new WWE signees, the most-watched shows on the WWE Network and house show coverage.

New Year’s Dash from New Japan, the Jushin Liger retirement ceremony, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and the angles coming out of the show.

A bio on Hercules Ayala, one of the biggest stars of the glory days of Puerto Rican wrestling, covering how he started there, his work outside Puerto Rico, how he first got into Stampede Wrestling, his biggest matches on major stadium events including major bouts with Ric Flair and Randy Savage, his heel turn with Carlos Colon, the aftermath of the death of Bruiser Brody and how he was used to try and get the business back.

NWA Hard Times PPV show.

A bio on Carlos Rocha, the Portuguese star who was one of the biggest drawing cards in North America in 1971 and 1972 with his bloodbaths against The Sheik and Abdullah the Butcher. We look at those feuds as well as look back at The Sheik in Toronto during the period when he was one of the biggest single city draws in pro wrestling history, and how his undefeated streak put limits on the Rocha feud. We look at how Sheik vs. Rocha was the biggest drawing Toronto feud of the era, and why he outdrew Andre, Bruno, Bobo Brazil and all the other major Sheik foes in Toronto. We also look at his return to North America and his retirement run in the WWWF.

Regarding the Wednesday numbers, we’ve got full details, demos that each side won, how every segment did and what match ended up as the difference maker. 

Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.

In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.

Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week. 

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.

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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • Ahead of tomorrow’s fourth quarter and full-year 2019 earnings report, WWE stock closed today at $49 per share. That was up 3.29 percent from yesterday, though the stock is down 1.49 percent in after hours trading.
  • WWE Backstage averaged 97,000 total viewers on FS1 last night and did a 0.05 rating in the 18-49 demo. Viewership was even with last week’s show, while the rating in the demo was slightly up from last week’s 0.04.
  • WWE posted video of an angle where Killian Dain confronted Dominik Dijakovic at the Performance Center and wanted to know why Dijakovic thinks he’s next in line for a North American title shot.
  • Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair have been announced as the guests for Corey Graves’ After the Bell podcast this week.
  • Karen Q announced that the surgery she underwent today was successful: “Surgery was successful! And I got some souvenirs!! Thanks for all the well wishes and support! #karenqcomeback” She suffered a broken leg last July but noted yesterday that she would be having another surgery today.
  • Essence interviewed Naomi, Bianca Belair and Ember Moon on their stories as black women in professional wrestling.
  • In celebration of Black History Month and the African-American talent in NXT/the Performance Center, Josiah Williams released a music video called “Proud to Be.”
  • In an interview with Talksport, Buddy Murphy spoke about working with Paul Heyman: “Paul has been awesome to work with. He has a lot of belief in me and I don’t want to let him down. The Aleister Black performances and what not, I want the ball and I want to run with it. I believe — and Paul believes — I can be a mega star for this company. Once that bells rings, I’ve got that down pat, now I just need a story to sink my teeth into and maybe being Seth’s disciple is it. Paul has been a great influence and he’s been pointing me in the direction and as long as I can keep Paul and Vince [McMahon happy], then I’m happy.”
  • In their earnings report, Fox Corp. cited the launch of SmackDown on Fox as one of the reasons why their earnings took a hit.
  • Here is this week’s episode of The Bump.
  • WWE has abandoned their trademark for the term EC3 after failure to respond to the initial notice of refusal. EC3 himself had already registered the trademark.
  • A new video highlights WWE’s most embarrassing losses.

Other Wrestling

  • AEW tweeted after the angle where Mel and Dr. Luther turned against Awesome Kong on AEW Dark last night: “Awesome Kong Medical Update: on this week’s episode of #AEWDark Kong suffered serious injuries at the hands of Mel & Luther. We do not know when or if she will return to action.”
  • Impact Wrestling is holding a media teleconference with Tessa Blanchard tomorrow.
  • Shad Gaspard can be seen in blooper footage for the upcoming Birds of Prey movie.
  • Chris Van Vliet interviewed the NWA’s Aron Stevens and The Question Mark and Melina.

MMA

  • In their earnings report, ESPN parent company Disney announced that the Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone pay-per-view event that headlined UFC 246 became the first event in history to hit one million streaming buys. The previous streaming record was 814,000 for a Logan Paul/KSI boxing match.
  • Here is episode three of UFC 247 Embedded.
  • Dominick Reyes had some words for Jon Jones on SportsCenter prior to their fight this weekend.
  • Legacy Fighting Alliance, which aired MMA content for AXS TV prior to the Anthem buyout, is suing both Anthem and AXS TV for breach of contract.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant on The Main Event

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