Daily Update: WWE notes, Gisele Shaw, Trinity Fatu

Daily Update

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Join us in Las Vegas for our annual F4W Convention

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

Highlights include:

  • Records that will be set during WrestleMania weekend
  • Match by match previews, odds, and what are the goals of the matches
  • Ticket sales for the six major shows in Los Angeles this week
  • Notes on NXT and AEW doing major shows on the same day on 5/28 and background of that story
  • A look at the career of Tim White, going into the Hall of Fame
  • Stand & Deliver and Supercard of Honor previews
  • Secondary market interest in all of the shows
  • Update on WWE sale
  • Update on Vince McMahon as it pertains to WrestleMania and the sale
  • A look at the careers of Anderson Silva and Donald Cerrone as they go into the UFC Hall of Fame
  • Full coverage of this past week’s UFC show, business notes, problems that seem to always be there in Texas and why
  • Notes on the first AAA TripleMania show of 2023 and the AEW relationship, the tag team tournament that will lead to a mask or hair being cut, another mask match, a celebrity match that has gotten mainstream news in Mexico and a funny story behind it, and more.
  • How many homes are the major stations that carry wrestling and MMA in as compared to the peak
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for the past week’s shows, competition, quarter hours, the weekly standings and more
  • 80th anniversary of pro wrestling in one of the major arenas in the world coming up this weekend
  • Wrestler whose matches are now not being put up new on YouTube and why
  • Kairi talks AEW & WWE talent she’d like to work with
  • Stardom Cinderella tournament news and new major matches
  • Lots of injuries to major stars being talked about
  • Konosuke Takeshita returns to Japan this past week to team with former WWE star
  • Mark Hitchock Memorial show with top matches
  • XPW returns
  • RevPro York Hall big show notes
  • Bloodsport notes including the first match back of Kota Ibushi
  • Impact dealing with key injuries and crowning one or two new champions
  • Impact star competing in a bodybuilding contest this week
  • Impact uses former NHL star who has been doing indie shows
  • Tons of AEW news including Jon Moxley’s podcast interview, C.M. Punk’s potential return, next PPV show
  • Don Callis injury update
  • Notes on timing of a major return
  • Tony Khan’s view of ROH compared to AEW and who ROH is aimed for
  • Honor Club update
  • AEW All Access first episode looked at
  • AEW’s top merchandise sellers
  • Tony Khan on MJF as a babyface
  • Vickie Guerrero talks leaving AEW
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • New UFC main events
  • Fighter attempts to win title in third weight class
  • Benavidez vs. Plant boxing numbers and what percentage of AEW & WWE big show buyers purchased that PPV
  • MMA stars in major boxing event this week
  • Promotion with its own unique audience with 91 percent of TV viewers not watching any rival promotion on TV
  • Nick Khan talks TV rights
  • What Nick Khan says are the most important things to WWE
  • Rey Mysterio’s future and how long he wants to wrestle
  • Update on Dominik Mysterio
  • Interesting note on Rey Mysterio’s career
  • Ronda Rousey talks creative and not in flattering way
  • A look at new WWE recruits

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Saturday Update

WWE

  • I previewed WrestleMania 39 night one for Sports Illustrated.
  • Friday night’s WrestleMania go-home edition of SmackDown averaged 2.39 million viewers in the fast national ratings, up from last week’s fast national average of 2.121 million. The rating in the 18-49 demo was a 0.63 in the first hour and a 0.65 in the second. There were some markets where the show was preempted by weather coverage.
  • Rey Mysterio tweeted after his WWE Hall of Fame induction last night: “I am truly humbled and honored to be inducted into the #WWEHallOfFame. Thank you to all my family, fellow superstars and the WWE Universe, you are all familia. Tonight, we all celebrate. Tomorrow, I take care of business at #WrestleMania. #BOOYAKA”
  • There was an angle during the Hall of Fame ceremony where Dominik Mysterio, Rhea Ripley, and Damian Priest walked out during Rey’s speech.
  • AEW wrestlers Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo, and Buddy Murphy attended the Hall of Fame ceremony with their respective significant others.
  • The Great Muta posted a picture from the Hall of Fame that shows Vince McMahon’s new mustache. A better look at the mustache can be seen in a video uploaded by Pro Wrestling NOAH.
  • ESPN published a story on how the Samoan Dynasty became the greatest pro wrestling family of all time.
  • Roman Reigns was asked about potentially facing The Rock: “I think anybody would love to have that match. They’d be lying [if they said they didn’t]. I could ‘Tribal Chief’ you and say blah, blah. But at the end of the day, I want what’s going to be biggest for the fans, because that’s going to reflect what I was able to accomplish. And if that’s one of the biggest ones out there, let’s do it. But if not, like everything else in life, we’re going to roll with the punches.”
  • Reigns told the Associated Press that he plans on continuing to wrestle for a long time: “I feel good. I take care of myself. I’m not running around doing anything crazy. I raise children and dominate the wrestling game. If they keep cutting these insane checks, I’ll stay around.”
  • Ariel Helwani interviewed Cody Rhodes.
  • Michael Cole was the guest on the latest episode of Sports Media with Richard Deitsch. Cole discussed how long he plans to continue announcing:
          • People ask me all the time, ‘How long are you gonna do this for?’ I’ll tell you one thing, you know, 30 years would be a really cool goal. That’s four years from now. But I can promise you this, I will get out before I slip.
          • I’m not going to be, and no disrespect to anyone else, but I’m not going to be a 75 or 80-year-old man doing this week in and week out. I busted my ass. I made a really good living and I want to be able to get out while the going is good and still be able to enjoy the rest of my life. I don’t want to be a shell of myself. I don’t want to be that, ‘Man, that guy used to be good. He’s not good anymore.’ I don’t want to be that person.
  • When asked by ESPN’s Daniel Cormier who he thinks the best wrestlers in the world are alongside himself, Seth Rollins named Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch, Gunther, Jon Moxley, and Kenny Omega.
  • Cormier also spoke to Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn, Charlotte Flair & Rhea Ripley, and Finn Balor.
  • Balor’s wife Vero Rodriguez interviewed him for Telemundo Deportes.
  • Becky Lynch made an appearance on Know Mercy with Stephen A. Smith.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Impact Wrestling referee Daniel Spencer backed up Gisele Shaw’s account of being verbally accosted by Rick Steiner: “My heart breaks for Gisele and our [other] peer. To witness it happen was shocking and disturbing. Respect and love is something we have at IMPACT because we are FAMILY. I’m so grateful for the support we have for one another.”
  • WrestleCon issued the following statement: “WrestleCon regrets the events that took place at yesterday’s convention and apologizes to Gisele Shaw. We aim to promote a safe and inclusive environment for all LGBTQAI+ members of the wrestling community. The issue has been addressed and we hope the remainder of the convention can be a positive experience for all.”
  • Chris Jericho responded to Shaw’s post on Instagram: “Hey! Don’t even worry about this. #RickSteiner has always been a bully and has gotten away with so much because he is a ‘Steiner’. Makes me laugh cause I fell for the same sh*t when he bullied me, Eddie, Chris, Oscar, juvie etc at World War 3 1997!! I got your back @giseleshaw08 …and if Rick has an issue with this, I’d love to discuss with him anytime. It’s 2023 dude…grow the f*ck up!”
  • Trinity Fatu (former WWE wrestler Naomi) was in the front row for Athena’s ROH Women’s World Championship defense against Yuka Sakazaki at Supercard of Honor.
  • WWE star Big E tweeted to Powerhouse Hobbs after the two met up this weekend: “You’re on a very short list of my favorite workers today. Always rooting for you, big little brother.”
  • Kota Ibushi’s full match against “Speedball” Mike Bailey from Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport is available to watch on Ibushi’s YouTube channel.
  • RJ City was a guest on Talk is Jericho.