Daily Update: UFC 306 fallout, WWE Bad Blood, Chris Jericho/Mistico

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • Update on AEW rights negotiations and what new things we know about both the deal that is done and the one being worked on  
  • Analysis of AEW, what ratings it would do on FOX, the value structure, why it won’t happen, FS1 coverage and value
  • The problems AEW faces even if it turns profitable with the new deals
  • A look at All In
  • The Jon Moxley angle
  • A look back at the original angle with Terry Funk, why that backfired and how cultural changes mean this one won’t face the same issues
  • Early PPV number estimates for All Out and the reaction to the show
  • Notes on the next AEW PPV show
  • The life of Kuniaki Kobayashi
  • A look at the heyday of New Japan on television and Tiger Mask vs. Kobayashi
  • The jump to All Japan
  • Kobayashi winning match of the year
  • His biggest career bouts
  • His role in making two Hall of Famers by putting them over in their gimmick debuts
  • Life after pro wrestling and battles with cancer
  • His run during a boom period in Mexico
  • The end of Smackdown on FOX and a look back
  • Analyzing why FOX didn’t bid to keep the show
  • The retirement of Demetrious Johnson
  • The business of UFC Noche
  • CMLL’s 91st anniversary show preview
  • Details on a major story in European wrestling
  • The most detailed look at the ratings this past week
  • International TV ratings
  • Advance ticket sales for WWE & AEW shows
  • Arena Mexico notes
  • JBL angle in Mexico
  • New stars in Dragon Gate
  • NOAH goes to Europe
  • New Japan’s big matches of the past week
  • David Taylor the Magic Man comes out of retirement for World Team Trials
  • One of the 80s greatest technical stars to retire next month
  • Andy Quildan talks European business
  • Wrestler to host new television show
  • UFC TV contract news
  • Why WWE is cutting back on house shows
  • How the style of work in wrestling is going to change in the U.S. because of the decline of house shows
  • Lots of notes on Raw with its move to Netflix
  • Notes on the next few PPV shows
  • Change with NXT with the move to CW

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Sunday Update

– Both of our weekend shows are up on the site. We got a lot of great feedback to the variety of stuff we talked about on the Friday show. Last night was UFC, and we talked some about the weekend shows, Smackdown, and what wrestling Terry Funk watched and how he followed it over the last six or so years of his life.

– Gunther vs. Sami Zayn is listed on the internal lineup for a WWE title match at Bad Blood on 10/5, so I guess it’s a six-match show and not a five-match show with the Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu, Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk Hell in a Cell, a teased Nia Jax tag match (depending on next week’s Smackdown tag match result), Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley for the women’s title and Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor.

– Last night’s UFC show had two title changes: Merab Dvalishvili over Sean O’Malley for the welterweight title and Valentina Shevchenko over Alexa Grasso to win the women’s flyweight title. Both matches were complete domination even if the Dvalishvii-O’Malley scorecards don’t indicate it. In each case it was five rounds of mostly takedown and control. Each were so dominant I don’t think there should be a rematch but O’Malley is a big enough star where there could be.

– However, there were two match-of-the-year candidates on the show. the Edgar Chairez vs. Joshua Van fight was topped by Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics. Joe Rogan when the latter fight was over talked of it as one of the greatest fights of all time and that round three may have been the greatest round of all time. I thought the 4/13 Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway fight had the match of the year clinched, and it was higher profile so it gives it the edge. But this was amazing and would win fight of the year in most years, and I can see it having a real shot at winning this year.

– The other story is The Sphere. It was unlike any UFC show to date. It was an amazing production and it led to a much longer-than-usual PPV show, topping four hours for just five fights. The look was amazing and while watching my thought was that WWE and AEW should run the building, but the reality is with the cost it really doesn’t make sense. Maybe WWE could do it for a Mania, but then you can only get 15,000 fans in. But I can’t see spending $20 million for Smackdown or Raw in Vegas next year sandwiched around Mania. AEW I don’t think could financially make it work.

– The gate ended up at $22 million, the largest in MMA history and bigger than any gate in pro wrestling history as well.

– The show did 1 million Google searches, beating out the 500,000 for the Canelo Alvarez win over Edgar Berlanga in the battle of two PPV events head-to-head and both from Las Vegas. We will have an estimate on Alvarez buys later this week but UFC buys are only known to Dana White and ESPN.

– Rey and Dominik Mysterio, seated separately, were shown on the UFC show last night as part of the cross-promotional efforts. They did not sit together for pro wrestling storyline reasons. Dominik didn’t get much of a reaction but Rey got a very big reaction.

– Mistico won the Opera Cup during MLW’s show last night beating Bad Dude Tito and then KENTA. John Layfield who was at the TNA show the night before, was the person who was teased to us as a game-changing surprise for that show. He seems to be wanting to work with promotions all over the U.S. and even outside the U.S.

– I don’t know why AEW announced that Chris Jericho beat Mistico at Aena Mexico on Friday night, both on social media and on TV. There probably is a story behind it. They listed Jericho as winning both on TV and on social media. They did later put out a post saying that Mistico had won the match. We do know that Mistico was always winning and it wasn’t a change in plans at the last minute that people didn’t know about.

– For the weekend, besides the two UFC matches that I did see, the bouts we’ve been told were the weekend highlights were the Hechicero vs. Valiente vs. Euforia vs. Esfinge four-way mask match on Friday’s Arena Mexico show (many saying best match of his year in Mexico), Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Ryohei Oiwa from Saturday’s NOAH show and Zachary Wentz vs. Mike Bailey on the TNA Victory Road show.

– Hechicero thought that he may have torn his right biceps during the four-way match.

– We’re looking for your thoughts from the Arena Mexico anniversary show on Friday so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

– If anyone wants to see the first Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin match from years ago that has been referenced in AEW storyline, it’s from the Brass City Brawl for Northeast Wrestling and is available on Amazon Prime.

– Athena broke the all-time ROH recorde being women’s champion for 646 days. The old ROH record of 645 days for any title was set by Samoa Joe for a 645 day reign as ROH champion.

– The movie “The Killer’s Games starring Dave Bautista and also featuring Drew Galloway (McIntyre) was No. 6 at the box office this weekend. Right now the estimate is that including today it will do $2.6 million, putting it behind Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Speak No Evil, Deadpool & Wolverine, Am I Racist? and Reagan. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is being estimated at $51.6 million for first.

– Guy Evans has a book called Beyond Nitro, a sequel to his Nitro book, that will be released on 11/29

– Rad Lightning (Troy Brostrom, also known as Red Lightning), announced that he had finished his career last night on a show in Eau Claire, WI. He and Austin Aries started together in 1998 under Eddie Sharkey and he’s been doing independents in Minnesota and Wisconsin in particular since that time. He was announced as part of the Steel Domain Wrestling Hall of Fame and got plaques from Northern Lights Wrestling, Midwest All-Star Wrestling, and Steel Domain Wrestling.

– Results from last night’s Showtime Pro Wrestling show: Devlin Kain b Lennox Leone, Kaz Karte b Kyle Por Sierra won three-way over Nick Pride and Ethan Matthews, Ruf Ryde Rashaan b arrison Creed Paul Virk b Joey Avalon, Rad Lightning & Austin Aries & Jason Rage b Brock Hall & Salem Lasher & Bobb Storm. (thanks to Cody Endres)

– Both seasons of the TV show “Heels” on Starz are now streaming on Netflix.

– WPW from last night in Winnipeg: Chad Daniels b Josh Holiday, Danny Duggan & Anderson Tyson Moore b Matt Honey & Brian Singh, Badger Briggs b Priceless Lee, Lince Dorado b Diabl Azeca Sammy Peppers & Mo Jabari & Devon Monroe b Bryce Bentley & Prosperity Gospel, Bobby Schink b Kevin Cannon, Nepaloey Diabel Ronnie Attitude Ava Lawless b Tara Zap. Next show is 10/24 and they already have 1,000 tickets sold for it according to Blair Pacheco.

– Innovate Wrestling Bloody Sunday on 10/13 at 6 p.m. at the Beautiful Bobby Eaton Arena in Kingsport, TN.