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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The new issue of the Wrestling Observer is up on the site right now:
  • The updated details of the biggest lawsuit that ever faced TKO
  • Build to SummerSlam and All In
  • Updated PPV numbers on Forbidden Door, Money in the Bank and Diaz vs. Masvidal
  • G-1 is starting and a look at the first week of the tournament
  • The first Fantastica Mania show in the U.S.
  • The latest moves by Janel Grant’s legal team regarding Vince McMaahon’s doctor, the motion, why they are doing this and more on Vince’s doctor including bigger celebrities than Vince that he’s worked with along with legendary fighters
  • Pro Wrestling NOAH runs Budokan Hall with A.J. Styles
  • A look at the N-1 tournament
  • Longtime NOAH star retires
  • NOAH star joining New Japan and Bullet Club
  • A look at Marigold’s biggest show in its history with Iyo Sky plus Sareee vs Giulia
  • Giulia timeline updated of going to WWE
  • Upcoming Marigold PPV shows
  • A look at the Category A Observer awards and favorites after six months of 2024, who should win MVP in pro wrestling and MMA, match & fight of the year
  • The closing months of  WCW looked at as Lenita Erickson says she played a part in killing Eric Bischoff’s TV deal that would have kept the company alive
  • Lots of talk regarding different negotiations to get the company
  • The most detailed look at the ratings from the past week
  • What place did the pro wrestling and MMA shows finish in the ratings
  • How the different shows did  with ratings, segment-by-segment, competition and placings as well as other notes on viewership
  • Lots of big things coming to Arena Mexico
  • Leyenda de Plata tournament
  • 11 companies join together with a united front to government
  • Death of Ken Hoffman and the major title change that happened because of what he wrote in the newspaper
  • Notes on a number of wrestling movies and documentaries
  • MLW with big show with lots of CMLL talent
  • More on Bloodsport with WWE talent
  • TNA looking at biggest crowd in years
  • As AEW talks with WBD about  a new deal, lots of things are going on in that world
  • International ratings and streaming numbers
  • Advance ticket sales for all upcoming AEW & WWE shows
  • More on Nate Diaz lawsuit against promoter
  • Peacock raising prices
  • WWE Survivor Series notes
  • Lots of new WWE dates
  • Cody Rhodes talks AEW

This Week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about all the wrestling news with Wrestling Observer Radio covering Raw and G-1.
  • As was expected, TNT said they were exercising their right of first refusal and will match the  $1.8 billion per year offer of Amazon Prime for one of the NBA packages. That doesn’t mean they will get it as the NBA would prefer to with Amazon and will make arguments that while the money is matched, that doesn’t match the complete value of the package. It’s expected to end up in court.  The big question is how does this affect the AEW deal, and there’s literally no way to know. In theory, if the deal was as close as everyone including Tony Khan has been saying, it shouldn’t affect it much, but in TV, no deal is completed until it’s signed and until they are things can always change.
  • Smackdown on Friday did 2,313,000 viewers and an 0.65 in 18-49 while Rampage did 284,000 and 0.10.  Smackdown is in line of what it has been doing which is a great number. Rampage did its lowest since the first week of June.
  • Raw is tonight in Green Bay. They’ve announced C.M. Punk on the show as the big item.  Matches scheduled are Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov, Lyra Valkyria vs Sonya Deville, AOP & Karrion Kross vs. Xavier Woods & Akira Tozawa & Otis, Pete Dunne vs Bronson Reed, Zelina Vega vs Zoey Stark and Jey Uso & Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor & JD McDonagh. They had 6,100 tickets out earlier today and could sell out (which would  be about 7,000) with a solid walk-up.
  • We’re looking for live reports from the show with Main Event bouts and results and anything not on the live show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • Nick Khan sold 22,693 shares of TKO stock for $2,394,846.54 today. It was a routine sale very similar to what he did last year at the same time. Other executives have done similar things for years but with the change in ownership, Khan is one of the few whose sales have to be disclosed.
  • We’re looking for your thoughts on the first two nights of G-1 in Osaka as well as TNA Slammiversary, thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match for all three shows  to dave@wrestlingobsearver.com
  • AEW reached a deal with the Southland Conference to present championship belts to the winners of championships in a multitude of sports in the conference. WWE has similar deals with major league sports and larger football conferences. AEW will present championship belts at every conference sports championship event. FTR will be doing media on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Eastern which will air on ESPN+.
  • Star Jr. won the second week of the Leyenda de Plata and ended Mistico’s multi-year winning streak in the finals on Friday night. Mistico did get to the ropes but ref Edgar Noriega missed it to give him a storyline out.  
  • The loss allows Mistico to team with Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr. to face Penta & Fenix & Pac in the main event this Friday at  Arena Mexico. Star Jr. faces last week’s winner, Angel de Oro, in the Leyenda de Plata tournament final.
  • The first-ever Swerve Strickland vs Amazing Red match will headline Friday’s House of Glory Wrestling show in Jamaica, NY.
  • Trevor Lee, the former Cameron Grimes, noted that he is now officially a free agent.
  • “The Last Showgirls,” a movie starring Dave Bautista, premieres next month at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie story is about an older showgirl who has to plan for her future when her show closes after 30 years and in her 50s, struggles with what to do next. I believe Pam Anderson plays the showgirl.
  • UFC’s Kayla Harrison, who may be facing Julianna Pena soon, said she’s pissed off that Pena claimed she was on serosd saying that she’s never tested positive for anything during her long Olympic career and that Pena made the statement with no proof.
  • MLW announced for its 8/29 show from New York that Satoshi Kojima & Okumura will defend their MLW tag titles against Minoru Suzuki & Ikuro Kwon