Daily Update: WWE Elimination Chamber fallout, Gabe Kidd, Ric Flair

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Highlights:

  • A complete look at  WWE & UFC business, the numbers, the trends, prospectus for 2025, why profits were so low, Saudi Arabia, media rights, crazy gates, boxing, , new TV shows and more.
  • The return to WWE of Dwayne Johnson, why it happened, where it has the most effect, the Rhodes angle and more.
  • Vince McMahon legal updates, latest arguments in the Grant case, as well as notes from the shareholder lawsuit against WWE and members of the board or letting McMahon back in the company, charges about the investigation and lots of new news regarding the board of directors actions from the day of the first Wall Street Journal article until the McMahon return.
  • Osamu Nishimura passes away, one of the smoothest wrestlers of modern times
  • Ryan Nemeth’s lawsuit against AEW, Tony Khan and CM Punk, legitimacy, silliness, claims and more details on those claims
  • Preview of Elimination Chamber and AEW Revolution, odds, cards and consumer demand
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the major U.S. wrestling shows
  • What is notable about Torneo Escuelas
  • Stardom has excellent PPV show
  • Fantastica Mania notes
  • Promotion sues a fan
  • Queen of the Ring notes and history form that period
  • Death of Portland announcer Don Coss
  • Lawsuit involving WWE Hall of Fame settled
  • Woman star has health issue
  • Major injury updates
  • WBD business
  • Lots of new AEW matches
  • Advance ticket sales for WWE & AEW shows
  • More on UFC & WWE 2026 business prospects with new deals coming in
  • Why the TKO stock price dropped greatly
  • Dark Side of the Cage notes
  • More on discontent with WWE employees
  • Goals of the WWE/UFC/PBR weekend in Kansas City
  • Stephanie McMahon update

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Sunday Update

dave@wrestlingobserver.com

— We have two weekend shows on the site. Garrett Gonzales and I talked about the news of the week and did an interview that is a must for those interested in forgotten wrestling history with Ian Douglass. We talk about his new book on the original Roughhouse Rufus Jones (not the 70s and 80s wrestler but the 30s and 40s wrestler) and Jack Claybourne, the first major black main eventer and first black wrestler to have a lengthy run with a significant title (one year as Hawaiian champion for Al Karasick) and talk history including Rocky Johnson, Bobo Brazil, put into perspective Joe Louis doing pro wrestling and how wrestling was ahead of real sports first and then way behind for decades as well.  

— Bryan Alvarez and I talked about Elimination Chamber, Smackdown and Collision on last night’s show.

— The Chamber show in my mind was one of the best WWE PPV shows ever. Three excellent bouts out of four plus the angle where John Cena turned heel with Rock and Travis Scott on Cody Rhodes.

— We didn’t hear much in the way of other great bouts over the weekend other than the Chamber and some of the Friday night Lucha stuff from Tokyo and Mexico City. We’ll talk more about that on tomorrow’s show covering Raw.

— I expect a big number for Raw (which we don’t get until a week from Tuesday). One thing notable is that we will get a Chamber viewership number outside the U.S. from Netflix on Tuesday. The comparison would be 2.1 million views that the Rumble did. Rumble in theory would do more but with Dwayne Johnson a focal point on Chamber, we’ll see how close it comes. Collision, on the other hand, going against Chamber, will undoubtedly be much lower than the last three weeks. The show had good wrestling but was low on marquee type matches.

— We’re looking for your thoughts on Elimination Chamber, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

— The man who is widely considered the greatest freestyle wrestler of all-time, Buvaisar Saitiev, an Olympic gold medalist in 1996, 2004 and 2008, died earlier today at the age of 49. The early reports were that he died of cardiac arrest after suddenly getting sick in front of his home and being rushed to the hospital.

— The Saya Kamitani vs. Tam Nakano loser leaves Stardom match for the World of Stardom title will be airing free on YouTube starting at about 5:45 a.m. Eastern time. The entire show will air on the Stardom streaming service but they are putting up the main event for free. This is a gigantic match. Nakano did an appearance at Aminate in Ikebukuro and Kamitani attacked her  yesterday.

— Raw tomorrow in Buffalo, NY has Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky for the women’s title, Lyra Valkyria vs. Ivy Nile for the IC title, War Raiders vs. Creeds for the tag title plus CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair and Gunther doing promos.

— As far as Google trends, from Chamber, John Cena had 200,000 searches, Travis Scott had 20,000, WrestleMania had 20,000, Jade Cargill had 20,000, Randy Orton had 20,000, Elimination Chamber had 200,000 and Trish Stratus had 50,000.  Nothing from last night’s UFC hit 20,000.   A few of the fights were at 10,000.

— Ric Flair did a post about it being 25 years since he won his 16th world title according to WWE. The real number would be 18 minimum and more than 23 max, depending on a few matches like Victor Jovica, Midnight Rider and Jack Veneno and how you categorize them.  Flair said he loved and respected John Cena but he’d fight his way through security and take a day off blood thinners to save Cody Rhodes if he had to. That is not going to happen.

— For AEW on Wednesday there will be a contract signing for Ricochet and Swerve Strickland, Adam Copeland vs. Wheeler Yuta, and Thunder Rosa & Kris Statlander vs. Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford.

— They did an off-TV angle where Gabe Kidd ran down Mark Briscoe, leading to a backstage brawl. So they are building that as a match, but not on the PPV since Briscoe teams with Orange Cassidy & AJ vs. MxM Collection & Johnny TV on the Revolution show.  

— On last night’s show, we did get complaints about if you started the show in the middle while it was live that it was difficult for some to scroll back.

— Lance LeVine mentioned to us that the issue with DirecTV and Collision where for weeks it was hit and miss if the DVR would record the show has happened the past few weeks for Impact. He noted that if you have DirecTV you should check for this Thursday.

— On last night’s show I brought up the Toronto crowd booing the U.S. national anthem and how that never happens with real sports. However, that’s not the case. It’s been a major story in the  NHL and during the 4 Nations Cup that ever since President Trump talked about annexing Canada and the tariffs, the national anthem has been heavily booed at NHL games throughout Canada. (thanks to many)

— Manami Toyota, the best in-ring woman pro wrestler who ever lived, turns 54 today.  

— Dylan Playfiar, a Canadian actor who was a former minor league hockey player, wrestled in a Rumble match for the BOOM promotion in Vancouver, BC, last night.  Boom, which has sold out 32 straight shows in a 250-seat building, has booked an 850-seat building for 7/26 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. Playfair is best known for playing Reilly in the TV series Lettrekenny from 2016 to 2023 and also played Marty Howe in the 2013  movie “Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe story.”

— Nixon Newell (Tegan Nox) made an unannounced appearance last night at Attack Pro Wrestling in Cardiff, Wales. It is streaming on the Attack Pro YouTube channel. This was to set up a 5/18 match in Penarth, Wales against Dani Luna.

— On Memphis Wrestling, Nic Nemeth was challenged by Aaron Roberts, a huge WWE ID prospect. That match will air on TV in Memphis in two weeks. Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes beat Cappuccino Jones & Sean Legacy in a battle of WE ID talent who will be on the Evolve TV show.

— Matt Hardy was at the Memphis WrestleCenter to wrestle and do a signing. Last night the Memphis Grizzlies had a wrestling night where Matt Hardy & The Grizz, the mascot for the Grizzlies, beat Aaron Roberts & Sycho Simon at the game. Dave Brown and Dustin Starr did commentary for the live fans. (thanks to Brian Tramel)

— Empire State Wrestling on 3/15 in Niagara Falls, NY at the Frontier Fire Hall.

— Jonathan Gresham will wrestle on the Bloodsport show over WrestleMania week in Las Vegas.

— Moose has been announced for ACW Aftershock on 5/17 at the MJN Center in Poughkeepsie NY.

— 18 episodes of AEW Dynamite were uploaded to MAX this week. They are shows from early 2020.

— Longtime reader Tom Mele noted he’s doing an ISPW Weekly kayfabe show on the ISPW Facebook page. They also have a 3/14 show in Hackettstown, NJ at the High School with appearances by Bret Hart, Vampiro, Tony Atlas and Jimmy Valiant.

— Lucha Va Voom on Thursday night at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles with Misterioso Jr., TJP, Magno, Xtreme Tiger and Mr. Iguana.