Daily Update: WWE financials date, Jim Ross, Kushida & Maclin

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

Highlights include:

*It’s one of the biggest issues of the year, given we have coverage of what will be the biggest story of the year, the Endeavor/WWE/UFC merger with all the details of how it happened and what it means, plus coverage of WrestleMania and all the major events of WrestleMania week

*The story behind the merger

*The new power structure of WWE and UFC

*All the financial details of the merger including stock, what stockholders will be getting

*How the deal went down and when

*Who will be negotiating WWE TV deals

*Vince McMahon’s worth based on what they are pitching valuation at and his actual stock worth as of right now

*How much top WWE execs were bonused from the sale and new contract for the top two guys in the company and its valuation

*How Vince McMahon changed Raw

*What are the big questions going forward regarding creative

*What employees and wrestlers were told

*Investigation of the deal

*Can WWE get out of the deal

*Financial benefits of the deal

*What it means going forward

*What happened internally in UFC from the deal

*Profits and revenue for UFC and WWE last year

*The history of Vince McMahon and UFC and secret story about a WrestleMania main event that never happened

*Coverage of WrestleMania

*Examining Rhodes vs. Reigns and the finish

*Real attendance figures and other business figures

*PPV numbers and which show had the most viewers

*What were the most watched matches after the fact

*Social media numbers and who drew the biggest and where there are contradictions

*Match-by-match coverage with star ratings as well as poll results

*AEW trying to run Wembley Stadium and more history of such

*A look at a famous period in wrestling history with the death of U.K. promoter Max Crabtree, and the debate over whether the Big Daddy era killed wrestling in that country or it was killed earlier and he just gave it a last life

*A look at the ROH Supercard of Honor, business notes, match-by-match coverage

*A look at NXT Stand & Deliver

*What happened with Gisele Shaw and Rick Steiner

*The most detailed look at the ratings over the past week and what they mean

*Arena Coliseo 80th anniversary event

*Build to the biggest show in Stardom history

*New Japan/Impact dual show

*One of the best bouts of the year took place this past week

*Jay White signing

*Injury updates

*Another major AEW hiring

*WWE Hall of Fame coverage

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Wednesday Update

WWE

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Jim Ross gave a positive update on his ankle wound recovery, noting that it’s been decreased by 43 percent: “Wound doctor appointment done. Treatment has reduced my wound by 43%. Feeling blessed. Excited for @AEW this week.” Ross was declared cancer-free after undergoing radiation treatment for skin cancer on his ankle in 2021.
  • Kushida spoke to Sports Illustrated ahead of facing Steve Maclin for the vacant Impact World Championship at Rebellion this Sunday: “I’ve never gotten the top championship. That means you are the face of the company. I want to be the driving force behind the company. I want to bring Impact all over the world.”
  • Maclin, who is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, said about the match: “Going from a dirt hole in the middle of Afghanistan all the way to this, wrestling for the world title in the main event of Rebellion, it means a lot to me. This is the biggest match of my career—and it’s the biggest match of his career, too. I have a lot of respect for Kushida, and it’s an honor to wrestle him for the biggest prize in the company. I’m giving every bit of me out there; I’m bringing everything I have.”
  • Impact announced that tickets to Rebellion have sold out.
  • Konnan said that he and Rey Mysterio have both told El Hijo del Vikingo to tone down his moveset: “Not only have I told him, I had Rey Mysterio tell him. He already needs a knee operation and Rey has had 14, so I told him to talk to Rey and Rey’s giving him very good advice because I want that guy to last. He’s talented and he’s a good kid.”
  • On the Swerve City podcast, Marina Shafir discussed receiving feedback from Jon Moxley:
          • It’s really cool because he just gives me like a little feedback after my matches. I feel like he states some obvious s**t sometimes [that] I just don’t see … He had said a few things to me [in a way that] I just absorb it a little bit better. His perspective on s**t that I do is very interesting. Some of the things that he has suggested for me [to do have] clicked … I still have some work to do, but I’m not very far off … It’s gonna be clicking for me whether it wants to or not and he’s definitely helping me use that together.
  • NJPW’s full Battle in the Valley PPV is available to watch for free on YouTube until this Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
  • LuFisto announced that she’s had to cancel a few bookings after suffering a mild concussion and cervical sprain at her day job. The injury happened when she hit her head on a steel shelf. LuFisto is hoping to return to the ring by April 28.
  • Vice TV released the trailer for Dark Side of the Ring season four.
  • Chris Jericho was a guest on the Battleground Podcast.
  • Josh Martinez interviewed Saraya on Superstar Crossover.
  • A new episode of Sammy Guevara’s vlog is now available.