Daily Update: WWE Backstage, NJPW re-signings, WWE notes

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F4W NEWSLETTER: Recapping WWE TLC 2019 Joseph Currier gives his thoughts on WWE’s final PPV of the decade.

WWE’s final pay-per-view of the decade took place on Sunday night and exemplified some of the changes we’ve seen over the past 10 years.

TLC 2019 was very much a B-level PPV in the WWE Network era. Not only were the top men’s and women’s singles titles from each brand not defended, there were no singles titles on the line at all. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens and AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton seemed like they were being built up as non-title matches that would help anchor the card, but they didn’t end up getting added. The show even ended with an angle instead of a match. After Asuka & Kairi Sane’s tables, ladders, and chairs match against Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair, a locker room brawl that featured Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin continued. The image that closed the show was Reigns spearing Corbin from an elevated area onto a pile of bodies. It felt like the ending of an episode of Raw or SmackDown instead of a major event.

Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

WON NEWSLETTER: December 23, 2019 Observer Newsletter: TLC and Final Battle reviews, more

We’ve got complete coverage of the last series of major shows held around the world in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer, as well as bios on a number of wrestlers who have passed away in recent weeks.The new issue also covers:

TLC, focusing on the behind-the-scenes of the Kairi Sane situation, who knew,when did they know, the channels where the ball was dropped and what can and needs to be learned from it. We note the business of the event, the U.S. popularity levels, plus have match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

Exactly how AEW was formed, including what match made Tony Khan feel opposition was viable and what conversation with what major person in television made it happen, as well as who was contacted first to be part of it. We also have the story from the market rep who got Bullet Club shirts into Hot Topic.

DVR numbers for pro wrestling shows right now as well as how meaningful they are and what it says about audiences. We also look at how and why the dynamic of how people watch wrestling on Wednesdays has changed over the past several weeks.  We also look at wrestling viewership in Canada.

Big names who have signed new WWE deals and a major name who has not, a WWE overseas TV deal, how many people buy WWE video games, pro wrestling offers to Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez’s next WWE show, the story behind Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo on Raw and what it means short and long-term, a reboot of a WWE tag team, new feuds being started in WWE, most-watched shows on the WWE Network, WWE stock value and a look at all the WWE & NXT shows held over the past week with business notes and highlights.

UFC 245, with business notes, notes about the fighters who elevated their games, the title picture, plus match-by-match coverage.

ROH as it goes into 2020, who is going, who is staying, what is unknown, what kind of deals are being offered plus Final Battle coverage, with business notes, poll results, match-by-match coverage and star ratings.

AAA Guerra de Titanes, the creation of the new top stable, the debut of Sin Cara, thoughts and problems with the new name he’s using and more.

A bio on Randy Colley, best known as Moondog Rex, including his legal issues with WWE, what happened with the fans that ruined what would have been his biggest career break, other gimmicks he had, the birth of the Moondog gimmick and his biggest matches.

NWA, its YouTube numbers, its television tapings direction for the next several weeks, its net PPV show, as well as coverage of its Into the Fire show with poll results.

2019 cable numbers for the stations that carry pro wrestling and MMA and what they mean.

Notes on the career of Alberto Munoz, who was supposed to become a legend, and what happened in 1973 that ended that dream.

Dragon Gate’s Final Gate show with coverage of the event.

A personal look at how a law that was poorly thought out will affect reporters and web sites that use people from California and how adhering to it will make it nearly impossible for anyone in the state to start out in the field, and for the vast majority who work for publications outside the state, to likely lose their jobs.

The life of Scottish Hall of Famer Andy Robin, and his protege, Hercules the Bear.

Regarding the Wednesday numbers, we’ve got full details, demos that each side won, how every segment did and what match ended up as the difference maker. 

Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.

In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.

Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week. 

Current subscribers click here to read.

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.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

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.

TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

by Joseph Currier and Bryan Rose

WWE

  • Tonight’s WWE Backstage will feature the announcement of WWE’s year-end awards. Paul Walter Hauser, who starred in the movie “Richard Jewell,” will appear on tonight’s Promo School segment.
  • WWE Network News reported that Paige is hosting a WWE Top 10 Matches of 2019 special that’s airing on the WWE Network next Monday.
  • Kofi Kingston spoke about Big E during an interview with CBS Sports’ State of Combat podcast: “We’ll see, we’ll see what happens as time goes on but, yeah, E is definitely a guy that is more than capable of being the face of the company and lead. Myself and Woods will be right there beside him, supporting him the whole time and holding him up. That has always been the philosophy of our group — always to push our brothers to the top. We’ll see what happens, we never know. When it happened to me, it wasn’t supposed to. Who knows? We’ll see.”
  • PWInsider reported that Alexa Bliss will be recording a pilot episode of a planned new podcast for the WWE Podcast Network in the next few weeks.
  • WWE’s PC YouTube page has a backstage video of Angel Garza’s title win and proposal.
  • There is also a video on the Performance Center YouTube featuring Rhea Ripley and her title win from last week.
  • The two enhancement talents that lost to Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy last night were Deonn Rusman and Joeasa, respectively. Both are graduates of Seth Rollins’ Black & Brave Wrestling Academy.
  • WWE continued to hype Liv Morgan’s return with a new video airing on Raw last night
  • Triple H and Shawn Michaels will appear on Thursday’s episode of Corey Graves’ After the Bell podcast.
  • WWE uploaded a Christmas chaos edition of WWE Playlist.

Pro Wrestling

MMA

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Minoru Tanaka wins IWGP Junior Heavyweight title

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