Daily Update: WWE Raw, Bruce Prichard, Dominik Mysterio

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Highlights of the current issue:

  • Match and performer of the week
  • TKO COO Mark Shapiro talks WWE and UFC business and changes they are thinking about
  • Future of the house show business and why breaking even should be okay
  • Injury rate in WWE and AEW and does the schedule make a difference
  • His thoughts on the PFL taking over Bellator
  • Upcoming media rights deals to be made
  • Ideas for UFC’s streaming service
  • How much UFC is making for certain overseas shows as well as WWE
  • When deals are up
  • Change in the look of the WWE ring
  • Running shows in the same city in the same weekend
  • What is the median income of the viewers of all the different promotions
  • What is the level of education of the viewers of all the different promotions
  • What is the ethnic makeup of the viewers of all the different promotions
  • A look at All In 2024 ticket sales
  • A look at NXT Deadline and the interest level
  • A look at the Tokyo Sports MVP and its top candidates and why the person who should win has little chance to win
  • Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings, with competition, how each segment did, how the audience has changed over the past year and demo breakdowns
  • AEW and former WWE star headed to Arena Mexico
  • Plight of arrested wrestling star ends up in Mexico president press conference
  • Stardom PPV coverage and build to the Sumo Hall show
  • All Japan tag team tournament coverage
  • New Japan tag team tournament coverage
  • AEW star will headline major NOAH show
  • Updates on Okada
  • Notes on Iron Claw movie
  • Former WWE tag champ retires
  • Sukeban coverage
  • Former WWE announcer working with Trump
  • Great match on indie show
  • U.K. promotion running April show in U.S.
  • Major show with big names in U.K. next week
  • TNA return ticket sales
  • More on the firing of Kevin Sullivan by AEW
  • Update on Continental Classic
  • Von Erichs and AEW
  • Tony Khan talks Sting’s retirement and Ric Flair
  • Khan talks future of Bryan Danielson
  • Danielson talks CM Punk
  • Ticket sales to upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • AEW star on show in Vietnam and why
  • Final Battle rundown
  • Why Montreal didn’t do well for AEW
  • Injury updates
  • Update on buys for last two PPVs
  • How much money did the UFC owners pay themselves as compared to the fighters
  • Dana White laughs at Bellator sale to PFL
  • Former UFC champion arrested for allegedly punching his brother
  • Average ticket sales for AEW & WWE
  • More on multiple WWE firings
  • Royal Rumble notes
  • Update on WWE and Giulia
  • Changes in WWE TV schedule
  • Notes on newcomers to NXT
  • Notes on the new WWE signings
  • Rundown of WWE arena events

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

Monday Update

Garrett and I will be up early tonight covering Raw, the Women’s MVP of 2023, Impact secret signing, AEW financials and other topics. 

Raw tonight is the final WWE show before an eight-day break for the holidays. Raw is live from Des Moines. Smackdown on Friday was already taped. Raw on 12/25 and Smackdown on 12/29 will be taped best of shows and then regular tapings will return on 1/1. The NFL game tonight is the Philadelphia Eagles (10-3) vs. Seattle Seahawks (6-7). C.M. Punk is not scheduled on tonight’s show as best we can tell. He was never advertised although people not following closely after last week would certainly assume he would be on. Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre will be building up their match in two weeks, Gunther defends the IC title against Miz, and if Miz doesn’t win, he can’t challenge Gunther for the title again, Damian Priest & Finn Balor defend the tag titles against The Creeds, Piper Niven & Chelsea Green defend the women’s tag titles against Katana Chance & Kayden Carter and R-Truth vs. JD McDonagh in the annual Miracle on 34th Street fight.

I haven’t heard officially that Bruce Prichard isn’t backstage tonight, but he either has or will be getting shoulder surgery and will be away from backstage for a while recuperating.

PWInsider reported Dominik Mysterio having signed a new deal. Rey Mysterio has as well.

Mascara Dorada beat Rocky Romero to win the Historic welterweight title on Friday’s Aena Mexico show. Match was said to be great. Andrade returned on that show teaming with Soberano Jr. & Angel de Oro over Atlantis Jr. & Star Jr. & Mistico which led to challenges of Soberano Jr. vs. Atlantis Jr., coming off them being a tag team, and Mistico vs. Andrade. Andrade talked about matches with Mistico, Volador Jr. and Atlantis Jr. Press attention was way up due to Andrade. Attendance was up, but not by a lot. He’s back on Friday teaming with Brillante Jr. & Espanto Jr. against Magia Blanca & Magnus & Volador Jr., so that’ll start him with Volador.

On Friday’s Smackdown, the Reigns-Orton showdown peaked at 2,405,000 viewers and 0.59 per Wrestlenomics. It stayed pretty strong until a drop in the last 45 minutes, but the main event with Orton vs. Jimmy Uso did pick up to 2,155,000 viewers and 0.54. 18-49 was well below what the shows have been doing in recent months but total viewers was a good number.

In pretty significant sports business news, John Ourand left Sports Business Journal as the biggest name writer for that publication to join Puck.

QT Marshall sent in a video to AAA that was on its TV this weekend which would indicate he’s going to continue working there. Harley Cameron was also in the video.

El Hijo del Vikingo was shaken up in his Friday match with Black Taurus, but worked the next night as part of the ROH tapings teaming with Komander.

MLW is looking at signing new talent, running more shows and bonusing talent. It’s been pretty much acknowledged within WWE that they got money in the settlement and apparently a significant enough number for MLW to upgrade, but the only way that actual number would be released would be by TKO in an SEC filing if the number is significant to WWE. Remember, a number significant to MLW is very possibly not significant to WWE.

Pandemonium Pro from last night in Los Angeles: Ishmael Vaughn & Aaron Solo b Fuego del Sol & Alan Angels, Brian Cage b Jordan Cruz, Honest John won over Robert Martyr, Vinny Pacifico, Richie Coy, Jake Painter and Chris Nastyy, Nyla Rose & Serpentico b Dark Sheik & Anton Woorhees to win the tag titles, Trish Adora b Aspyn Rose, Miyu Yamashita b Mike Bailey (said to be a super match with awesome kicks back and forth and crowd on fire), Wicked Wichett b Jack Evans, Taya Valkyrie b Brooke Havok, Sandra Moone won over Masha Slamovich, Akira and Sonico (said to be fun with the couples working together), Johnny Hollywood (TV) b El Hijo del Vikingo in a non-title match after head-butting him with a bicycle helmet that Valkyrie threw in. (thanks to Chris Champol)

UFC 297 has 17,652 tickets out for the 1/20 show in Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena. It’s 1,503 tickets shy of capacity per WrestleTix. It’s the show headlined by Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title

AARP magazine has a mention of Andre the Giant playing Bigfoot in the $6 Million Man TV show in the 70s.