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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Observer is up on the site:

  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • What readers thought of Survivor Series and best and worst matches
  • CM Punk’s return, whatever details are available, what history teaches, the WWE creative process and next programs
  • What was and wasn’t real after the show
  • Previous talks of Punk in WWE and how they went down
  • Punk’s return promo and why he didn’t say what many thought he would say
  • Tony Khan’s thoughts and statements
  • The most detailed look at the 2023 AEW business, revenue, PPV, Wembley, ticket sales, projections for 2024 and the biggest story relating to AEW of the next year
  • Value of AEW
  • What revenue streams will be expected to grow and others that probably won’t over the next year
  • Issues with the weekend shows
  • Thoughts on 2024 in the ring and beyond
  • Will Ospreay
  • Issues involving other suitors for TV other than WBD
  • Full coverage of Survivor Series
  • All the business notes, record
  • What WWE show did an amazing number of late buys
  • Full details of the two stockholder lawsuits regarding the Endeavor/WWE deal and the key points they are arguing
  • The sad story of Tammy Sytch, a one-time pre-med student whose life was a mess for so long and an innocent person died as a result. A look at her career, that of Chris Candido, a rise at a young age and fall
  • Being the Elite is no more, a look at a show that changed wrestling history when it comes to NJPW in the U.S., ROH’s best period ever and even the formation of AEW. A look at the first All In, early episodes, what stars took off because of the show and more
  • Absolute Andy, the stunning death of a German independent star who wrestled with and against many of the biggest in-ring stars of this generation
  • Update on how many homes the key stations that air pro wrestling and MMA reach
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for every show over the past week, how the segments did, demos did, comparison to a year ago, how CM Punk moved the Monday numbers and Randy Orton’s segments as well, competition and how badly Thanksgiving week hurt wrestling numbers
  • AAA and Impact join forces for a TV taping for both groups
  • First AAA show of 2024
  • Stardom PPV lineup and build to one of the biggest events of the year
  • All Japan tag team tournament and junior tournament notes
  • NOAH’s first show of the new year and coverage of this past week’s biggest shows
  • Okada pushes for Tokyo Dome main event
  • New Japan tag team tournament notes
  • Mercedes Mone update and thoughts
  • WrestleCade coverage
  • WWE group returns on indies
  • Promotions headed to Germany to piggy back off WWE’s big show
  • London pre-sale for All In
  • Nick Khan talks heavily about Wembley, WWE business and more
  • Sting’s retirement and the first televised Flair vs. Sting match in 1988
  • Lots of injury updates*More on QT Marshall leaving AEW
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • ROH PPV notes
  • Upcoming ticket sales for WWE & AEW events
  • Highest paid fighters for a single fight for UFC every year from 2011 to 2016
  • PFL’s new TV deal
  • PFL claims offering $15 million one fight offer for former UFC star
  • Coverage of PFL’s tournament finals
  • Raw contract renewal talks
  • WrestleMania ticket sale info
  • What WWE exec just got $12 million worth of new stock
  • Detailed notes on all WWE & AEW events

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

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.

Sunday Update

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking the weekend news, including Bobby Green, Japan MVP, Collision, Smackdown and this coming week’s stuff.

WWE from Allentown, PA last night:

  • Shotzi b Bayley. Bayley worked hard to get booed but lots still wanted to cheer her.
  • Bobby Lashley & Angelo Dawkins b Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson – Crowd cheered for Lashley & Dawkins, particlary Lashley, who speared Anderson to win.
  • Butch b Karrion Kross
  • Santos Escobar b Dragon Lee. Escobar tried to get heat saying he’d rather be in Bethlehem. That didn’t get the expected heat because a decent percentage of the crowd was from Bethlehem. Escobar used the trunks to win.
  • Kofi Kingston b Ivan in a Viking rules match after putting him through a table
  • Grayson Waller & Austin Theory b Odyssey Jones & Cameron Grimes. No heat. Crowd didn’t know who Jones was. Theory pinned Grimes.
  • LA Knight & Kevin Owens b Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso. Crowd super hot. Knight pinned Uso.(thanks to Doug Hunt)

WWE from Bangor, ME last night:

  • Sami Zayn b Dominik Mysterio via DQ in a North American title match when JD McDonagh interfered Jey Uso made the save. Adam Pearce announced a tag match.Zayn & Jey Uso b Dominik Mysterio & McDonagh when Jey speared McDonagh
  • Ricochet b Bronson Reed via schoolboy
  • Chad Gable & Otis b Giovanni Vinci & Ludwig Kaiser when Gable pinned Kaiser after a Chaos Theory suplex
  • Nia Jax b Raquel Rodriguez with the annihilator
  • Cody Rhodes b Damian Priest via Cross Rhodes
  • Omos b Akira Tozawa – Same thing they’ve been doing where MVP offered $10,000 to anyone who can get Omos off his feet.
  • Becky Lynch b Zoey Stark with the manhandle slam
  • Seth Rollins b Shinsuke Nakamura in a street fight to keep the world title. Rollins did a promo after and fans chanted for CM Punk. Rollins said he didn’t want to waste time on people who weren’t even there, said Becky Lynch was the greatest of all-time and that this was the highest attendance for a show in Bangor in ten years.
  • Rhea Ripley and Gunther were advertised but not there (thanks to Sean Stackhouse and Grant Langdon)

As far as google searches this past week, two items from combat sports made the top 20 for Saturday, which were the only thing charting all week. Ryan Garcia was No. 3 and the UFC show from Austin, TX yesterday was No. 5, both with 200,000 views. That’s very high for a UFC non-PPV these days and is the normal figure for a WWE PPV now. It wasn’t even that big of a show although the Bobby Green stoppage ended up being a pretty big story.

The Bobby Green stoppage against Jalin Turner was way way late by referee Kerry Hatley in Texas. This is hardly the first controversy related to Hatley but this was egregious with Dana White calling the late stoppage one of the worst he’s ever seen.

New Japan has a B block show in Kochi tomorrow morning in the tag team tournament with Taichi & Yuya Uemura vs. Bad Luck Fale & Jack Bonza, Hikuleo & El Phantasmo vs. Atlantis Jr & Soberano Jr., Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hasehi and Alex Zayne & Lance Archer vs. Yota Tsuji & Zandokan Jr.

After tomorrow, there will be one A block show (Wednesday in Karatsu) and one B block show (Thursday in Mioyakonojo) before the semifinals on Friday and finals on Sunday.

Still alive in the A block are Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste, Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd and Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano. The big talk all weekend is Ishii & Yano vs. Shota Umino & Ren Narita on Friday was the match of the week so far.

All Japan’s Junior Battle of Glory final on Wednesday at Korakuen Hall is Dan Tamura vs. Naruki Doi. 

All Japan’s tag tourney ends on Wednesday with these matches:

  • Cyrus & Ryan Davidson (4-4) vs. Hayata Tamura & Galeno del Mal (4-4)
  • Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (4-4) vs. Seigo Tachigana & Japan Tokyo Kuroshio (3-5)
  • Shuji Ishikawa & Ren Ayabe (2-6) vs. The Saito Brothers (5-3)
  • Kento Miyahara & Yuma Aoyagi (4-3-1) vs. Hokuto Omori & Katsuhiko Nakajima (5-3).
  • Suwama & Hideki Suzuki finished at 5-4.

Kota Ibushi faces Naomichi Marufuji on the NOAH 1/2 show at the Ariake Arena in the main event. Former UFC fighter Yuta Sasaki debuts against Takashi Sugiura.

Stardom did a PPV show yesterday in Nagoya. As expected, Suzu Suzuki beat Hazuki in the main event via repeated German suplexes to set up Suzuki vs. Maika for the vacant World of Stardom title as the main event for 12/29 at Sumo Hall. The two issued challenges back-and-forth after the match. Utami Hayashishita & Saya Kamitani won the vacant Goddesses of Stardom tag titles beating Megan Bayne & Maika when Maika accidentally hit Bayne with a lariat and Hayashishita pinned her with a German suplex. Natsuko Tora & Momo Watanabe challenged Hayashishita & Kamitani for the titles. Giulia also beat AZM to retain the New Japan Strong women’s title. I wouldn’t read anything into that result as Giulia was already going to defend the title against Trish Adora on 1/13 in San Jose, CA.

Yuka Sakazaki of Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling has her final match in the promotion on Wednesday before she moves to the U.S. She’s been featured before in AEW so that may be her destination. She is in a three-way with Arisa Nakajima and Rina Yamashita.

There will be a Logan Paul interview with Randy Orton on Paul’s podcast Tuesday.

Among the wrestlers at the final KISS concert last night in Madison Square Garden were Missy Hyatt (who posted on it), Madusa, Bully Ray, Blue Meanie and Dave LaGreca. Dale Torborg, who played the KISS Demon inWCW, was also at the show.

A lot of WWE talent was at the Big 12 championship game last night where WWE was a key part of the presentation including presenting a title belt to Quinn Ewers by Undertaker. Undertaker, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Samantha Irvine, Michelle McCool Calaway and Jade Cargill were there. Cargill also presented a WWE title belt to Nelly, who performed the national anthem. One thing in the photo notable is how much larger McIntyre now looked than Undertaker.

The former Charly Caruso, now Charly Arnolt (her real name) was announced as the special guest for this year’s New York Young Republicans Dinner with Donald Trump as the featured guest.

Some new NXT made for TV names look to be Keanu Carver, Dion Wilder and Dion Lennox. WWE has taken out trademarks for those names which usually means they’ll be names used by people starting soon on NXT television.

WWE has moved 1,700 tickets for Albany tomorrow after a weak advance. They had topped 6,600 tickets today.

Tiara James vs. Notorious Mimi vs. Zaya Steel has been added to the MLW show on 12/7 at the Melrose Ballroom in New York.