Daily Update: Weekend schedule, BOSJ, AEW Dynamite minute-by-minute ratings

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: MJF walk out & promo, Double or Nothing review

  • Match and Performer of the week
  • The MJF story, worked shoots, how it was handled, the potential positives and negatives and the key to all AEW angles right now. 
  • Full coverage of Double or Nothing, with early PPV numbers
  • Kota Ibushi and New Japan, where it stands right now
  • New Japan Best of the Super Juniors coverage
  • The career of Tarzan Goto
  • Stardom PPV coverage
  • Jumbo Tsuruta and the Memorial show this past week
  • Television ratings 
  • CMLL goes all the way with a young star
  • Dragon Gate booking issues update
  • Hall of Famer returns to New Japan
  • Death of Melanie Pillman
  • Cauliflower Alley Club 2022 notes
  • Upcoming AEW major events
  • Update on ticket sales for all upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • Arrest of Jake Atlas
  • UFC returns to network television
  • Upcoming UFC events
  • How sports will affect wrestling ratings the next few weeks
  • Mustafa Ali talks his situation and thoughts on giving a release
  • International TV numbers
  • Streaming numbers

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter: April 25, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Plans begin for ECW One Night Stand, WWE countersues Brock Lesnar

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Friday News Update

  • Busy weekend coming up with shows tonight talking the news of the week with Garrett Gonzalez, tomorrow night on NXT Stand and Deliver and Sunday on Hell in a Cell.
  • With the Best of the Super Juniors tournament over, the full card for Dominion on 6/12 in Osaka should be announced very shortly. One would expect Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Jr. title to be added.
  • Wrestlenomics has the minute-by-minute data on Wednesday’s AEW show. The MJF promo peaked at 661,000 viewers at 8:27 p.m., the high point of he show. At the time the show had 1,123,000 viewers. The first minute of the show had more viewers because you had the combination of Big Bang Theory audience leaving and the wrestling audience coming, but the 18-49 peak and the second highest minute of the show was during the MJF promo.
  • Dynamite beat both Raw and Smackdown in males 18-49 this past week. We didn’t get the number for all the shows in today’s issue but:
  • Raw did 126,000 in males 18-34, 92,000 in women 18-34, 212,000 in men 35-49 and 123,000 in women 35-49.
  • Smackdown did 79,000 in males 18-34, 62,000 in women 18-34, 239,000 in men 35-49 and 181,000 in women 35-49.
  • Dynamite did 111,000 in men 18-34, 64,000 in women 18-34, 259,000 in men 35-49 and 83,000 in women 35-49.
  • So Dynamite beat Smackdown in the key demos everywhere but women 35-49. AEW only beat Raw in males 35-49.
  • AEW Dynamite on Wednesday night beat ABC and NBC head-to-head even with the huge advantage being on a network has. It beat CBS in he 8-9 p.m. hour and beat FOX in he 9-10 p.m. hour. Aside from the NHL, the only other show on television would have been Mi Fortunata on Univision which did an 0.48 in hour two, but Dynamite beat Univision in the first hour.
  • Regarding the MJF flight leaving Las Vegas on Saturday night story, Sean Ross Sapp said he never reported or confirmed who booked the flight and the information was not provided him, AEW or anyone close to him. Sapp said it was a travel source which was cross verified by other media members and two other travel sources and it was not from anyone in AEW.
  • Lacey Evans is backstage in Columbus, OH for Smackdown. The reason she wasn’t on Raw on Monday is because after she was advertised, the decision was made to move her to the Smackdown brand since it needed depth on the women’s side with Naomi and Sasha Banks leaving. 
  • Smackdown tonight has a six-way with Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler vs Xia Li vs. Aliyah vs. Shotzi with the winner getting a shot at Ronda Rousey. That title match could be added to the PPV. The Usos vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Riddle tag match that as of midweek was set for the Las Vegas PPV, is now on Smackdown tonight, unless Smackdown has an ending to build for Las Vegas. Madcap Moss returns as well. There were more than 6,300 tickets distributed for tonight’s show.
  • Rampage is back at 10 p.m. Eastern tonight with Young Bucks vs. Penta & Fenix in Ontario, CA, the Young Bucks home arena. Scorpio Sky defends the TNT title against Dante Martin and Kiera Hogan vs. Athena are also on tonight’s show. The show was a first day sellout but they opened up a few hundred seats today after production moved in so they can get more tan 7,700 in and as of a few hours ago were past 7,500.
  • We’re looking for reports this weekend on these shows to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • Smackdown tonight in Columbus, OH (anything before and after the tapings such as dark matches)
  • Rampage tonight in Ontario, CA (Dark & Dark Elevation matches)
  • WWE house show Saturday in Champaign, IL
  • We will also be having polls for these shows, so you can vote thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • New Japan Best of the Super Junior finals from earlier today
  • NXT In Your House tomorrow night
  • WWE Hell in a Cell Sunday night
  • This weekend’s UFC is an ESPN+ show from 1-7 p.m. Eastern
  • Erin Blanchfield (124.5) vs. JJ Aldrich (125)
  • Rinat Fakhretdinov (170.5) vs Andras Michailidis (1705)
  • Jeff Molina (125.5) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (126)
  • Johnny Munoz (135) vs. Tony Gravely (135.5)
  • Niklas Stolze (156) vs. Benoit Saint Denis (155.5)
  • Damon Jackson (145.5) vs. Daniel Argueta (145.5)
  • Joe Solecki (155.5) vs.; Alex da Silva (155.5)
  • Felice Herrig (115) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (115.5)
  • Alonzo Menifield (205) vs,. Askar Mozharov (204.5)
  • Ode Osbourne (126) vs. Zarrukh Adashev (125.5)
  • Karine Silva (125) vs. Poliana Botelho (125.5)
  • Michael Trizano (145.5) vs. Lucas Almeida (145.5)
  • Dan Ige (145.5) vs. Movar Evloev (146)
  • Alexander Volkov (256.5) vs. Jarizinho Rozenstruik (259)
  • Frankie Kazarian’s band Gutter Candy played last night at Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles. Jeff Hardy and Chris Jericho also performed at the show.
  • We want to mention the Go Fund Me for former TNA announcer Don West. Every donation through midnight tonight will be matched by Scott D’Amore. D’Amore’s efforts have in the past few days led to $13,000 in donations so far and D’Amore will be matching that number as well as anything else pledged today.

WWE

  • Odds for Hell in a Cell from Bet Online:
  • Bianca Belair -200
  • Becky Lynch +220
  • Asuka +300
  • Cody Rhodes -225
  • Seth Rollins +150
  • Bobby Lashley -180
  • Omos & MVP +140
  • Edge & Priest & Ripley -350
  • Styles & Balor & Morgan +225
  • Ezekiel -150
  • Kevin Owens +110
  • Theory -450
  • Mustafa Ali +275
  • Kambi allows you to bet over/under on star ratings for the matches. The over’/under figures are
  • Rhodes vs. Rollins ****1/2
  • Belair vs. Lynch vs. Asuka ****
  • Edge & Priest & Ripley vs. Styles & Balor & Morgan ***3/4
  • Theory vs. Ali ***1/2
  • Owen vs. Ezekiel ***1/4
  • Lashley vs. Omos & MVP **1/4
  • (thanks to David Taylor)

Other Notes

  • Cyndi Lauper’s mother, Catrine Dominique, passed away on Wednesday. She was in some of her daughters’ videos including playing Lauper’s mom in the “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” video where Lou Albano played her father.
  • The Swedish heavy metal band Amon Amarth has released a single “Get In The Ring” which will be the entrance music for Erick Redbeard, the former Erick Rowan. There is a story and video on Blabbermouth.net and Redbeard is in the video released for the song.
  • The PFL has announced it will be holding events on 8/13 in Cardiff at the Motorpoint Arena , Wales and 8/20 in London at the Copper Box Arena. Tickets for the shows will go on sale 7/4 for a pre-sale and 7/6 to the public. PFL’s next show is 6/24 on ESPN with Bruno Cappeloza vs. Matheus Scheffel and Anthony Pettis vs. Stevie Ray.
  • A documentary called “Out In The Ring,” a history of LGBTQ wrestlers premiered today in Toronto at the Toronto Inside Out film festival. Susan Green, one of the top women stars of the 70s, appeared at the screening. The movie covers Gorgeous George, Adrian Street, Adrian Adonis, Goldust, Pat Patterson, Sandy Parker, Chris Colt, Jim Barnett, Fred Rosser, Chris Kanyon and Chyna as well as current wrestle like Parrow, Effy, Charlie Morgan, AC Mack, Sonny Kiss and others.
  • EVE in the UK is running the She-1 tournament on 6/18 and 6/19 in London at 229 The Venue. Chigusa Nagayo, one of the biggest women wrestlers stars of all-time, will be on the shows along with Jamie Hayter, Alex Windsor, Charlie Morgan, Emersyn Jayne, Jetta, Veny, Kasey, Rhio, Laura Di Matteo, Rhia O’Reilly and others. Nagayo will be inducted into Eve’s Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame.
  • Bellator has announced a 9/23 show in Dublin, Ireland with Benson Henderson vs. Peter Queally and Yoel Romero vs. Melvin Manhoef.
  • Ted DiBiase will be signing autographs and posing for photos at the Treasure Trove Toy Store in Dover, PA on Sunday from Noon to 3 p.m.
  • Combate Global runs tonight on Paramount + at 11 p.m. Eastern with Leonardo Morales (10-6) vs. Marlon Deriko Gonzales (15-5-2) as the main event from Miami.
  • Eddie Kingston headlines for AIW on 5/21 in Akron, OH at the Tadmor Shrine. Kevin Sullivan will appear on 6/17 in Cleveland at the Odeon Concert Club.
  • John Dodson, a longtime UFC fighter, debuts for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships on an 8/27 show in Albuquerque, NM.
  • Anthony Ogogo will be wrestling on Sunday’s Progress show in London.