Daily Update: WrestleMania weekend, Stephan Bonnar, betting odds

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Triple H announces in-ring retirement, WrestleMania weekend

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer is out right now. Among the highlights are:

  • The far more important story regarding Paul Levesque than his retirement from wrestling, which is his health, what he went through, and how that impacts his future both in and out of wrestling
  • WWE weekend shows, cards, ticket sales, secondary market sales, comps, Saturday main event, key results regarding the main event scene, the Hall of Fame, Shad Gaspard, Undertaker and NXT Stand & Deliver.
  • 2021 Shad Gaspard/Jonathan Huber award winners
  • New Japan Cup final coverage, the angles building to Sumo Hall, MVP, best match poll and the final two shows.
  • Stardom’s two shows at Sumo Hall. A look at the key matches and what is next for the largest women’s wrestling company in the world.
  • Finances of UFC and WWE, including how they are so similar as businesses as well as where they are different. We also look at the key business deal each has that doesn’t involve TV rights and how WWE got so much of a better deal with a product that otherwise would have driven one-quarter the revenue and why
  • Full coverage of this week’s UFC show
  • Who was the best college heavyweight of all-time
  • More on the arrest of Chael Sonnen, why the felony charge was dropped and the lawsuit regarding the case
  • Ric Flair and Mark Madden
  • TV ratings and key points from those ratings for every show this week including peak segments, what type of viewers each show generates, who draws the youngest audience and how the shows rank with all of television and in the sports world.
  • The return of the Universal champion of champions tournament
  • More notes on the second Triplemania show this year
  • Notes on New Japan US shows
  • The wrestling career and post-wrestling life of the former Rocky King
  • Ticket sales for upcoming shows
  • Why UFC is running in Singapore in June
  • UFC star elected into wrestilng Hall of Fame
  • International wrestling TV ratings

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter: February 7, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Royal Rumble review, business year in review

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.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

Friday News Update

For your coverage this weekend, I will be doing a show with Garrett tonight talking the news of the week, ROH and whatever else we can get into, and then Saturday and Sunday night after WrestleMania Bryan and I will be doing shows.

For the weekend, we’re doing polls, thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle and a best and worst match to for these shows:

  • ROH
  • NXT Stand & Deliver
  • Both nights of WrestleMania
  • Ashley Fliehr (Charlotte Flair) announced an in interview with Ariel Helwani that she would be getting married by Manny Andrade this summer in Mexico.
  • Of the bouts yesterday, the two most talked about based on what I’ve heard are Mike Bailey vs. Bandido from the Mark Hitchcock Memorial show, which also had the two split a $5,000 best fight bonus, and a brutal match at Bloodsport with Jon Moxley vs. Biff Busick.
  • UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar’s home in Henderson, NV, was destroyed on Monday in a fire. They lost everything but his family was able to escape with no physical damage.

The first ROH show run by Tony Khan starts at 8 p.m. Eastern tonight on PPV from Garland, TX:

  • Jonathan Gresham vs. Bandido for the ROH title
  • Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. FTR for the ROH tag titles
  • Rhett Titus vs. Minoru Suzuki for the TV title
  • Josh Woods vs. Wheeler Yuta for the Pure title
  • Alex Zayne vs. Shane Strickland
  • Mercedes Martinez vs. Willow Nightingale for the Interim Women’s title
  • Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty
  • Ninja Mack vs. ?
  • Tully Blanchard and Chavo Guerrero Jr. will be there as managers with Guerrero managing Bandido. William Regal is also scheduled.

Smackdown tonight has Ricochet vs. Humberto vs. Angel for the IC title and the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. 

The WWE Hall of Fame is now scheduled to start at 10 p.m. tonight on Peacock and not the originally announced 10:30 p.m.

Rampage tonight at 10 p.m. on TNT:

  • Young Bucks vs. Top Flight
  • House of Black vs. Evil Uno & Stu Grayson & Fuego del Sol
  • Jamie Hayter vs. Skye Blue in an Owen Hart tournament qualifier
  • Keith Le vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
  • WrestleMania odds: 

Bianca Belair -600
Becky Lynch +350

Ronda Rousey -700
Charlotte Flair +400

Usos –200
Rick Boogs & Shinsuke Nakamura +150

A.J. Styles -160
Edge +120

Mystery opponent -500
Seth Rollins +300

Drew McIntyre -1000
Happy Corbin +500

The Mysterios -120
Miz & Logan Paul -120

Sheamus & Ridge Holland -300
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods +225

Roman Reigns -350
Brock Lesnar +225

Orton & Riddle -150
Street Profits +150
Alpha Academy +400

Naomi & Banks -200
Morgan & Ripley +185
Zelina & Carmella +500
Baszler & Natalya +750

Omos -200
Bobby Lashley +150

Johnny Knoxville -300
Sami Zayn +200

Pat McAfee -140
Austin Theory +100

  • Stand & Deliver odds:

Bron Breakker -1200
Dolph Ziggler +600

Mandy Rose -110
Cora Jade +225

Io Shrai +300
Kay Lee Ray +350

Creed Brothers -200
Imperium +175
MSK +475

Tommaso Ciampa -350
Tony D’Angelo +225

Gunther -900
LA Knight +500

UFC

  • The Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksander Rakic fight is now scheduled for 5/14.
  • Aleksei Oleinik vs. Jared Venderaa is slated for the 4/9 show. Vanderaa replaces Ilir Latifi, who pulled out of the fight with an undisclosed illness.

Other Notes

  • MCW Breakthrough on4/16 in Havre de Grace, MD at The Theater at Havre de Grace.
  • Emily Ducote vs. Alesha Zappitella for the strawweight title headlines a 5/11 Invicta show. The location for the show and broadcast notes are to be announced.

PFL announced its second night of tournament play this year will be 4/28 from the Esports Stadium in Arlington, TX with these fights on ESPN 2:

  • Bruno Cappeloza (2021 heavyweight champion) vs. Stuart Austin
  • Brendan Loughnane vs.Ryuji Kudo
  • Ante Delija vs. Matheus Scheffel
  • Renen Ferreira vs. Jamelle Jones

PFL runs a Challengers Series show tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern from Orlando on the Fubo Sports Network:

  • Andrija Stankovic (170.8) vs. Louis Brewington (172.6)
  • Christian Turner(154.2) vs. Chayanne Serrano (154.4)
  • Alexei Pergande (155.2) vs. Joe Hamm (155.6)
  • Jaylon McDaniel (144.8) vs Daeri Alderman (145.4)
  • Santino Zurita (253.3) vs. Rakim Talley (230,.6)
  • Pro Wrestling Revolver on 4/16 in Clive, IA at the Horizon Events Center with Shane Strickland vs. Athena, Rich Swann vs. JT Dunn, Moose vs. Mike Bailey, Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards vs. Steve Maclin & Westin Blake, Jake Crist vs. Manders, Trey Miguel vs. Ace Austin vs. Blake Christian vs. Lince Doradom, Billie Starkz vs. Deonna Purrazzo and Jake Somethig vs. Madman Fulton vs. Jessicka Havok vs. Crash Jaxon vs. Beef vs. Grizzly Kal Jak.
  • Minoru Suzuki appears for AIW on 4/22 in Cleveland at the Odeum Concert Club.