Daily Update: WWE notes, G1 Climax, NWA

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WON NEWSLETTER: August 10, 2020 Observer: The Rock & Dany Garcia buy XFL, new WWE president, more

The reasons behind Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale buying the XFL in bankruptcy court, the new WWE President and how television viewership of all the major pro wrestling shows has changed since the pandemic started are the lead stories in this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer. Newsletter.

We look at the timeline of the XFL purchase, financials behind it, the goals, can the goals be achieved, why Dwayne Johnson is key, what Johnson is trying to do with the league that Vince McMahon couldn’t, and why this is such a difficult time to do so and why the interest level was what it was.

The new issue also covers:

WWE’s hiring of Nick Khan as President and Chief Revenue Officer, where he comes from, his connection with wrsetling, his connections in sports, the value of his contract, and the specific strongest value he brings. 

We go through every wrestling show with notes on viewership overall and in demos, who is losing and at what pace.  We look at what is turning viewers away, what is keeping viewers, and what show actually has increased viewers in an age group and what this says, the key takes from the patterns of gains and losses.

The return of pro wrestling to Mexico City and the restrictions that have been put in place.

The issues with unionizing wrestlers as well as Equity on treatmet of women in U.K. pro wrestling.

Updates on the major U.S. pro wrestling shows over the next month.

The NBA playoffs affecting the AEW schedule in August and September.

Rey Mysterio and contract talks.

Notes on furloughed WWE employees, chaos backstage at WWE tapings, WWE developmental and NXT talent and training, News from the Saudi Arabia lawsuit, behind Raw Underground, update on WWE draft, NXT writers update, Canadian ratings, Ali talks his situation, new WWE sigings, upcoming TV matches, and the most-watched shows on WWE Network.

A feature on Rollerball Mark Rocco, the best U.K. wrestler of his era.

This past week’s UFC show.

The migration of the audience and what days they watch wrestling, and the one demo that is holding firm to Friday in a big way.

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.

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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • A tribute graphic for Kamala was shown at the start of last night’s Raw.
  • The Ringer published a Kamala obituary.
  • Shotzi Blackheart’s car was stolen outside of her apartment last night: “My car was stolen outside my apartment last night in Orlando. 2015 WHITE HONDA CIVIC LYTP77 last tracked driving down chickasaw at 5am. Also my gear bag with all my gear, boots, entrance jacket and helmet were in the trunk. If you are wondering why I’m wrestling in street clothes and dont have my helmet that is why.”
  • PWInsider reported that the next NXT TakeOver event after TakeOver XXX is planned for Sunday, October 4.
  • In an interview with the Gorilla Position, Seth Rollins spoke about long-term storytelling in entertainment: “I think it [long-term storytelling] is kind of a lost art across the board in entertainment. And not that it’s a lost art, just the audience, as we get into this age of instant gratification, they don’t have the patience for long-term storytelling. When you can binge-watch your favorite series in two days as opposed to two months, it creates a different precedent for how we intake our entertainment. It’s the difference between watching a full match and just seeing the GIFs of it or the highlights of it. So, I just think people are intaking their entertainment on a different level. It’s the difference between artists releasing singles as opposed to full-length albums because of the way the consumers are taking in their entertainment, so that shift, wrestling is not immune to that shift and so we have to do that as well to keep up with our audience. But I do think, I’m not a twenty-something, I’m a thirty-four-year-old guy, so the storytelling I grew up on had a longer form and that’s what I enjoy, so I think if our younger audience could learn to appreciate it might be something they’re into. But it also might not be how their brains are wired or how we’ve rewired people’s brains to think. It’s a very interesting time in entertainment, in television, and music and movies altogether really, and that shift of how things are going.”
  • Rollins also discussed the Eye for an Eye stipulation for his match against Rey Mysterio at Extreme Rules: “If this stipulation had happened in 1999 in the middle of the Attitude Era, I don’t think anyone would have scoffed at it. I think it would have just been a crazy moment of wild stuff happening in WWE and obviously, we are twenty years later and things are different in the way we watch things and the audience sees wrestling differently At the end of the day, it is what it is, that’s what the moment was meant to do was to create interest in the casual viewer. I think the moment you said ‘Eye For An Eye Match’, the hardcore wrestling fan, and if I was a nineteen-year-old kid would probably say the same thing, would be like ‘Oh please, why can’t they just let these two wrestle?’ you know? But, at the end of the day, the wrestling spoke for itself and the end moment ended up on TMZ, so we’re doing a service to both of our audiences. We gave them a great wrestling match on the front end and gave the casual viewer to say, ‘What the hell are they doing over there?’. I loved it, I thought it was great, I was really happy with. I loved sharing the ring with Rey Mysterio and I was pretty overwhelmingly happy with the final product, particularly considering we sort did that last scene with limited time and in one take. So, I was overwhelmingly pleased with the finished product.”
  • On his radio show, Pat McAfee spoke about his confrontation with Adam Cole from last week’s NXT.
  • McAfee also posted video of him training for his match against Cole at NXT TakeOver XXX.
  • Bayley is the guest on the latest episode of the Swerve City podcast.
  • Sports Illustrated has a Q&A with MVP.
  • WWE Shop is selling a Chyna Signature Series Intercontinental title belt for $499.99.
  • Today is Hulk Hogan’s 67th birthday. WWE uploaded a Playlist video of forgotten Hogan moments.
  • WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded The Fiend vs. Finn Balor from SummerSlam 2019, Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon from SummerSlam 2014, and The Street Profits vs. Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team titles from TakeOver: Toronto 2019.

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Daily Pro Wrestling History: Masahiro Chono wins 1991 G1 Climax

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