Daily Update: WWE-London, Dragon Lee, AEW Dynamite

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • January 20, 2025 Observer Newsletter: ’24 business year in review, Vince McMahon, WWE & AEW notes
  • The biggest attended shows in combat sports of 2024
  • Who drew the most big crowds of the year
  • What companies drew the biggest crowds
  • Amazing UFC PPV gates
  • The biggest pro wrestling drawing card by the year from 1916 to 2024
  • The biggest enduring drawing cards of all-time and where the modern stars rank with the historical stars
  • Updating all the Vince McMahon legal issues, from the SEC findings, the criminal investigation an the lawsuits, plus several things that have happened regarding the Grant chase this past week and who are with Vince for his start of a new company
  • WWE and NBC book Saturday Night’s Main Event head-to-head with All In Texas
  • The history of this tactic, and an estimate of how much revenue it would cost AEW
  • WWE on Netflix, what episode one did for business, trying to figure out what the numbers mean, time of show and more
  • WWE & TNA make deal
  • New Japan Battle in the Valley coverage
  • The arenas in the U.S. that have held pro wrestling for the longest amount of time
  • Bret Hart talks his favorite wrestler and the life of Sweet Daddy Siki
  • What is up with Corey Graves
  • Death of Ray Richard
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings over the past week and key takes
  • Blue Panther vs. Hechicero
  • Athena tours Stardom
  • New Japan big shows coming up
  • Thoughts on the death of Bob Uecker
  • VOW best wrestlers of 2024
  • More on the AEW show in Brisbane, Australia
  • Lots more on AEW ratings declines and where
  • Darby Allin update
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEw shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Conor McGregro sued again in a sex case
  • PFL drops the Bellator name, releases Bellator’s biggest star and cuts tournament prize money in half
  • Lots of new stuff from GFL
  • WWE sets more business records
  • Notes on the next Saturday Night’s Main Event
  • Paul Heyman talks booking

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Wednesday Update

WWE

  • The full Oba Femi vs. Eddy Thorpe NXT Championship main event from last night can be watched here.
  • Diamond Dallas Page attended NXT and was shown in the audience during the episode.
  • On social media, DDP posted photos with Trick Williams and said fans can expect big things from Williams whenever he joins the main roster:
    • Last night I was at @WWENXT & ran into one of my favorite performers @_trickwilliams!
    • A little over a year ago I was doing an interview and I was asked who I thought would be the next #NXT Superstar to cross over to the main #WWE roster and make a serious impact. I said it would be Trick! Nothing has changed I think you can expect big things when my man crosses over
  • When asked about rumors of New Orleans hosting WrestleMania in 2026 and Indianapolis getting the event in 2027, a spokesperson for Mayor Sadiq Khan told the Daily Star that he remains determined to bring WrestleMania to London:
    • London has great pedigree in hosting the biggest international sporting events from around the globe.
    • The Mayor remains determined to bring even more sports from around the world to London, including the first international WrestleMania hosted by the UK, and continues to discuss future opportunities.
    • The Mayor wants to cement London’s reputation as the undisputed sporting capital of the world, as we work together to build a better London for everyone.
  • The pre-sale for individual-night WrestleMania 41 tickets began on Ticketmaster today. “ALLWWE” is one of the pre-sale codes that works.
  • Dragon Lee posted a video on his Instagram stories saying the reason he hasn’t been around in WWE lately is because he and his wife are preparing for the imminent birth of their new daughter. Lee is the men’s WWE Speed Champion and is scheduled to defend the title soon against either Chad Gable or Chris Sabin.
  • On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Kurt Angle looked back on his 2019 match against Chad Gable and praised Gable as a performer:
    • It was okay, but Chad made me look good. Chad is incredible. He’s a very talented kid, and I’m just glad that they’re utilizing him properly. I know because he’s undersized a little bit, they didn’t know what to do with [him]. But this kid could be a World Champion and be very marketable. I mean, especially with the gimmick he has right now with the whole USA thing and the ‘You Suck’ and everything, he’s like my son. [He should have been your son]. Yeah, he should have been, exactly. But Vince McMahon had other ideas having Jason Jordan be my son, which was ridiculous, but that was cool.
  • The Masked Man Show and My Mom’s Basement have interviews with Sheamus.
  • WWE Vault has a video documenting the story for Kurt Angle vs. Triple H at Royal Rumble 2001.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Tony Khan tweeted this afternoon that, due to travel issues, some wrestlers have not arrived for tonight’s AEW Dynamite in Knoxville, Tennessee yet. Card changes will be made if necessary: “With winter weather, most of our team is here, but some are still battling icy roads + canceled flights! Like pandemic era, I’ll make changes if necessary to ensure you see a great show tonight!”
  • AEW uploaded a Timeline video focused on Will Ospreay’s 2024.
  • During a virtual signing for K&S WrestleFest, Elijah (former WWE wrestler Elias) said he’d love to return to WWE in the future and isn’t writing off the possibility. He thinks there is a lot left for him to do in the company:
    • Elias can and could and should do so much more in WWE. They only scratched the surface with my capabilities. I had a lot of great moments, some incredible guys to go up against.
  • MLW announced that the House of Duran (Cesar Duran, Salina de la Renta, Jesus Rodriguez & D’Oro) will appear at SuperFight 2025 in Atlanta on Saturday, February 8.
  • Ticket packages for GCW’s The Collective will be available starting this Friday (January 24) with individual tickets then going on sale next Friday (January 31).
  • Former NXT UK wrestler Sam Gradwell will be out of action for 6-9 months after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL that he suffered in 2024: “I bloody love ACL Reconstructions. Quitting them cold Turkey after this one though. See you in 6-9 months Wrestling.”