Daily Update: Weekend matches, WWE Survior Series, Grizzled Young Veterans

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Observer is up on the site right now covering these stories:

  • Match and performer of the week
  • Preview of Crown Jewel, favorites and directions
  • Preview of Full Gear, directions, business and more
  • Update on perhaps the most important business story this year and its ramifications as the Cung Le lawsuit against UFC is headed for trial next year. We talk about the trial, what it means to UFC, WWE and the MLW lawsuit against WWE. We also have notes from discovery on the actual pay that Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre, CM Punk, Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones got for their biggest career fights.
  • Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, the story behind coming one round short of one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. We look at what happened, how this fight was a prelude of the change of the business of major events and why, how the PPV did and why it doesn’t really matter, the celebrities and what happens next.
  • We preview the 2023 Hall of Fame with research on the wrestlers with the best matches throughout their careers, best tag matches, annual MVP, Most Outstanding, Best Draws and best tag team votes involving candidates on the ballot or in the Hall of Fame and who comes across well in this.
  • A look at the Vladimir the Superfan documentary
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings from the past week, numbers, competition, gains and losses over the last year, placings and segment-by-segment.
  • Women’s Grand Prix show draws big crowd
  • Injuries plaguing Stardom
  • Stardom PPV and tag tourney coverage
  • Big match this weekend in All Japan
  • A tag match this past week that you should see
  • Nakajima’s NOAH farewell
  • New Japan U.S. house show notes
  • Update on a women’s dream match that was planned but now is uncertain and why
  • New Japan Super Juniors tag team tournament news
  • Ronda Rousey working indies against AEW stars
  • Talks of two pro wrestlers and fights with Jake Paul
  • CM Punk talks unionization of wrestlers
  • New documentary coming out in two weeks
  • Jon Moxley returns from concussion
  • Jon Moxley talks concussion protocols
  • Impact signs two U.K. wrestlers
  • Impact U.K tour
  • Bryan Danielson injury details
  • Notes on Ric Flair’s two new deals with AEW
  • Talks on Omega vs. MJF
  • More on the CMLL/AEW deal
  • Ticket advances for WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and top streaming numbers
  • Merch sales
  • Derrick Lewis arrest
  • UFC pay
  • This weekend’s UFC show
  • Why FOX didn’t bid to keep Smackdown
  • Raw’s live show growth
  • Fastlane actual gate numbers
  • What record did WWE claim that doesn’t look to be accurate
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Reviews of al the major WWE house shows
  • WWE signs a three-time national college wrestling women’s champion

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

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Sunday Update

We have a big weekend full of shows on the site. We did our Hall of Fame show with John Pollock, John Muse, John Lister, myself and Garrett Gonzlaes on Friday which we’ve got a lot of great feedback on. Last night Bryan and I talked about Crown Jewel, New Japan Power Struggle, Collision and more. Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night after Raw.

This was a big weekend for matches. The three great ones I’ve seen were Will Osperay vs. Shota Umino from Power Struggle, Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre from Crown Jewel and El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Penta vs. Komander from Rampage. All totally different. I haven’t seen Yuma Aoyagi vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima match from today yet, but the reports we got were that it was tremendous. Nakajima won the Triple Crown and this sets up his first title defense against Kento Miyahara on New Year’s Eve at the Yoyogi Gym in Tokyo. The first Nakajima vs Miyahara match at Korakuen Hall was one of the year’s best matches.

We’re looking for your thoughts on Crown Jewel and Power Struggle, thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match from each show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com. We’re also looking for reports on tonight’s WWE house show in Springfield, MA, results, finishes and highlights to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

On the Google searches for the week, both yesterday’s UFC show in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Crown Jewel got 200,000 searches. Both would be higher than one would expect given the changes in how they do that, particularly for the UFC show being an ESPN+ show and not television, with no major stars except Derrick Lewis. Lewis was controlled on the ground for 21 minutes of a 25 minute fight against Jailton Almeida in losing a decision.

Little in the way of news coming out of Crown Jewel past the return of Kairi Sane, affiliated with Iyo Sky while Bayley was not aware of this and they are pushing that Bayley was the one who injured Sky and that’s why she’s been gone.

War Games headlines the next WWE PLE on 11/25. There’s likely a men and women’s match. One would think the key angles will be set up on Raw tomorrow night in Wilkes-Barre, PA. It feels like it’s either Judgment Day against babyfaces like Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso and others, or a combined Judgment Day and Bloodline heel team against babyfaces from both brands. Roman Reigns isn’t booked on the show.

Chloe Fineman of Saturday Night Live cast was at Arena Mexico on Friday night. I don’t think anyone in the promotion knew she was there. She wrote on Instagram ” Best night of my life!!!” and thanked people for recommending her. It was the Day of the Dead holiday show and they sold out with a walk-up which is close to 16,000.

Results from last night’s WWE house show in Rochester, NY:

  • Carlito & Cruz Del Toro b Street Profits when Carlito spit the apple at Ford and pinned him after a backstabber
  • Karrion Kross b Butch with a swinging facebuster.
  • Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa b Ludvig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci
  • Kofi Kingston b Ivar in a Viking Rules match after putting him through a table
  • Omos b Akira Tozawa. MVP was with Oos and issued an open challenge. Tozawa came out. MVP distracted Tozawa before the finish.
  • Becky Lynch b Natalya with the man handle slam
  • Gunther won a three-way to keep the IC title over Ricochet and Shinsuke Nakamura with a power bomb on Ricochet after a ref bump and interference by Imperium.

On MMA Decisions, I looked at last week’s Fury-Ngannou fight. Among fans it was 57% for Ngannou and 38% for Fury and 4% had it a draw. Among reporters it was 67% for Fury and 33% for Ngannou but there were not a lot of reporters scoring the fight. All the people calling robbery have no idea what a robbery is. It was a fight with a lot of close rounds that could have been scored either way and all three judges’ scores were acceptable.

Alex Pereira was announced last night as the third member of the Glory kickboxing Hall of Fame. They announced it at the Glory show in Holland. Pereira wasn’t there since he’s finishing up his training for his Madison Square Garden main event with Jiri Prochazka.

The Grizzled Young Veterans return to Progress for the first time since 2019. They sent in a video where they called out Sunshine Machine for a match at The Light of the Dragon show on 1/28.

With Tam Nakano out with a knee injury, she may not be back by the 11/18 show in Osaka where she was to defend the World of Stardom title against Suzu Suzuki. Usually in Japan, if there is a title match announced and advertised, and an injury takes place, they will strip the champion of the title and have a title match on the show. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but it is the usual way it’s done. Stardom at this point hasn’t announced anything officially.

Today is the tenth anniversary of the death of Roland Alexander, best known from Beyond the Mat and promoter of All Pro Wrestling. When I was very young, Roland Alexander and Moondog Moretti (the grandfather of Nick Wayne) were the fans at every show who knew all the inside info and history. He was one of our earliest readers and read avidly until his death.

Tetsuya Naito will be undergoing right eye surgery to repair the double vision that he’s dealt with since 2019. He will be out of action until probably the Tokyo Dome show.

Michael Oku beat Luke Jacobs on today’s RevPro show and Oku’s next title defense will be 12/16 at the Crystal Palace in London against Zack Gibson, formerly Rip Fowler of The Dyad.

Eddie “Primo” Colon is part of the new Florida tag team champions with Papi D for Florida Pro Wrestling. They won the titles Friday night in Viera, FL at a show at the Space Coast State Fair. There will be more live events Friday through Sunday this coming week.

Great North Wrestling in Renfrew, ONT from last night before 30-0 fans: Steve Mainz b Karou, Rene Dupree b Josh Angel, Magnum McLaren b Skyles, Selezia Sparkx by Jessika Black, Jeremy Prophet b Genesis, Big Daddy Roy b Bjorg, Bruiser b Hardcore Steve, Renee Dupree b Magnus McLaren-DQ so Magnus retained the Canadian title. Next show is 2/10.

Emi Sakura was scheduled to work a Dai Kailu Pro show last night with Bailyan Akki but was pulled at the last minute since AEW scheduled her to work with Willow Nightingale. Akki did work on the show.

GCW from Friday night in Sauget, IL: Blake Christian b Warhorse, Jordan Oliver won three-way over Man Like DeReiss and Alec Price, Gabe Kidd & Alex Coughlin b Davey Bang & August Matthews, MaKI Itoh b Shazza McKenzie, Gringo Loco b Mike Bailey, Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku b Allie Katch & Effy, Santana Jackson b Dan the Dad, Tony Deppen won five-way, Masha Slamovich b Joey Janela, Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander b Everett Connors & Charli Evans, Jimmy Lloyd & Miedo Extremo & Ciclope b 1 Called Manders & John Wayne Murdoch & Mance Warner.