Daily Update: WWE Raw, Google trends, Nate Diaz

Daily Update

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

Latest Free YouTube Video:

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: May 9, 2022 Observer Newsletter: WWE Q1 2022 financials, Forbidden Door presale sells out

  • Match and performer of the week
  • WWE business, profits, revenues
  • WrestleMania number releases and putting them into perspective
  • Elimination Chamber viewership and the obvious unsaid reason why it was up
  • Ticket demand for the Cardiff, Wales show
  • More on the WWE deal with A&E
  • Nick Khan talks multiple bidders for WWE rights deals including the next rights deal
  • Stephanie McMahon talks WrestleMania sponsorships
  • More on WWE recruiting and question on adding Performance Centers
  • Questions on doing a stadium show in India
  • What categories is business up and and what categories is it down
  • AEW Forbidden Door sellout and gate, ticket demand, the card, secondary market numbers
  • Full coverage of New Japan’s return to the former Fukuoka Dome and all the angles, returns and direction of the company
  • Business notes on the show
  • What matches had to be changed as well as endings
  • Notes on the Best of the Super Junior tournament and Dominion
  • Story behind the changes to the WrestleMania Backlash show
  • What is the planned stadium direction
  • Ticket updates for all the WWE PPV thought the summer
  • Details on AEW’s new television show
  • AAA Triplemania coverage
  • Story behind the Triplemania main event
  • Plans for the next Triplemania
  • More notes on the recent WWE cuts
  • Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show
  • A look at both Stardom PPV shows and future direction
  • Dragon Gate Dead of Alive coverage
  • TV ratings including what category AEW beat both Smackdown and Raw in
  • How the different segments did
  • CMLL Universal tournament concludes
  • New tournaments coming to CMLL
  • Who Stardom is interested in from AEW
  • King of Gate tournament
  • Who is Jumbo Tsuruta and his Memorial show
  • What was the highest rated pro wrestling match on television in history
  • Champion Carnival coverage
  • NOAH Sumo Hall coverage
  • What American signed a new contract with NOAH
  • Freddy Prinze wants to start a promotion
  • PWG coverage
  • Update on a new pro wrestling cartoon show
  • AEW and Warner/Media
  • A look at what is the likely Double or Nothing show
  • WWE vs. AEW in Long Island this week
  • AEW stars on TV show Sunday
  • WWE & AEW ticket sales for all the upcoming major events
  • Streaming numbers
  • Dana White on boxers pay
  • More on Jorge Masvidal charges
  • Plans for July 2 UFC show head-to-head with Money in the Bank
  • UFC longtime stars in a must-win fight
  • WWE draft plans
  • Canadian TV numbers for AEW & WWE
  • WWE European tour coverage

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter: April 4, 2005 Observer Newsletter back issue: WrestleMania 21 preview, All Japan Women shuts down

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.

Monday News Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw and the latest wrestling news. You can send questions for tonight’s show to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
  • The only thing announced for Raw tonight thus far is Theory vs. Cody Rhodes for the U.S. title. The show is from Hartford, CT. There were 6,500 tickets out for the show as of this morning.
  • WrestleMania Backlash was the fourth most searched term on Google yesterday with 200,000 searches. That is the usual number for a “B” PPV show. Some figured with the lack of title matches and a six-man tag on to that there would be less interest than usual. But it was normal level interest. We hope to have PPV numbers in the issue later this week.
  • There is a rumor that is in fact legit that in the Corbin/Moss video package last night the WWE used crowd footage that was edited like it was done during an angle between the two but it was actually use of a 2012 clip of a reaction of John Cena doing a rap on The Rock.
  • We’re looking for your thoughts on both WrestleMania Backlash and UFC 274 on Saturday, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobservrer.com
  • Khamzat Chimaev claimed that Nate Diaz has turned down a fight with him over and over. It is well known UFC wanted that fight for 7/2. Diaz on Twitter this week teased that he would be fighting on 7/30, another PPV going head-to-head with a WWE PPV show, but didn’t tease an opponent past that the fight would be at 170 pounds.
  • Donald Cerrone, who missed Saturday’s UFC show due to food poisoning from a local restaurant, said that he is looking at doing two more fights and then retiring.
  • AEW is loading up Wednesday in the New York market. There is a competition with WWE on Friday night at the Nassau Coliseum and AEW on Wednesday at the UBS Arena. For Dynamite, AEW has C.M. Punk vs. Long Island’s John Silver, Ricky Starks vs. Jungle Boy for the FTW title, Tony Nese vs. Danhausen, Owen Hart tournament matches with Adam Cole vs. Dax Harwood, Darby Allin vs. Jeff Hardy and Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter, plus the MJF announcing the stipulations and a contract signing for a match with Wardlow and a Chris Jericho Appreciation Society interview. Announced for Friday, taped Wednesday, is Scorpio Sky vs. Frankie Kazarian for the TNT title and Riho vs. Ruby Soho in the Owen Hart tournament. The ticket numbers for both shows will be relatively close. AEW has topped 7,000 tickets.

WWE

  • A story on WrestleMania Backlash helping local businesses near the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)
  • Sasha Banks was announced as a guest during the next season of Kevin Hart’s Cold as Balls Internet sports talk show. George Kittle, who has been featured on a lot of TV regarding his fandom for wrestling and his favorite wrestler Pentagon Jr., also on the new season.

AEW

  • TNT in Spain has made a deal with AEW to air the four Battle of the Belts shows this year. The first two will air on 6/17 back-to-back at 10:05 p.m. and then be replayed on 6/19 at 11:30 a.m. They will also air on TNT Now in Spain and the VOD channel.
  • AEW Dark Elevation tonight on YouTube
  • Evil Uno & Alex Reynolds & 10 & Alan Angels vs. Ryan Nova & John Fuller & Brandon Scott & Raul Macho
  • Emi Sakura vs. Abadon
  • Sonny Kiss vs. Peter Avalon
  • John Silver vs. Tony Deppen
  • Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs. QT Marshall & Nick Comoroto

UFC

  • Herbert Burns vs. Khusein Askhabov, who is 23-0, are schedule for a featherweight fight on 7/16.

Other Notes

  • NJPW has put up another of its most well regarded junior heavyweight bouts of recent years on its YouTube channel, the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match from 2016 in the Best of the super Juniors tournament. This match caused a ton of controversy because of an acrobatic clip from the match. 
  • Amaya’s Mexican grill in Monroe, MI is hosting “An Evening with Darren McCarthy: A Different Kind of Comedy show,” with Rhino has a guest. McCarty is a legendary former star on the Detroit Red Wings who has wrestled on area indie shows including for Rhino’s Insane Wrestling Revolution group (thanks to Paul Meade)
  • PWP from Saturday night in Omaha: Moonshine Russell b Tim Boston, Branden Juarez b Jack Darling, Moonshine Russell & Jack Darling b Branden Juarez & Tim Boston-DQ, Duke Cornell b Purple, Angus Keyser b Joey Daniels, Angus Keyser b Ryan Romantic, Willy Sweet b Keaton Stoneburner, Willy Sweet won Battle Royal. The next show is 4/18 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha which is the company’s 17th anniversary show.
  • Cage Fighting Fury Championships, the MMA promotion that CM Punk still announces for, announced an MMA show for 5/27 and a grappling event on 5/28 at the 2300 Arena In PhIladelphia. It’s confirmed he won’t be able to make the dates due to AEW commitments. That is Double or Nothing weekend. Santo Curatolo (6-2) vs. Hugo Paiva (5-0) meet in the main event on the 5/27 show for the Interim flyweight tile. Ben Saunders, a former UFC star, faces Sean Brady in the main event of the grappling show the next day. Other UFC stars appearing in the grappling matches are clay Guida, Alex Caceres as well as Clay’s brother Jason Guida.
  • Boca Raton Championship Wrestling debuts on 5/15 at the Boca Black Box with Steve Maclin (Steve Cutler in WWE), Cezar Bononi, Josh Woods, Noah Kekoa, Jessie Elaban, Bull James, Santana Garrett and Gangrel, plus Brutus Beefcake will be there as commissioner. Former NXT creative head Ryan Katz will be putting together the show.
  • RevPro from yesterday in London: Rami Adetunji b David Francisco, Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II b JJ Gale & Callum Newman, Shota Umino b Chuck Mambo, Ricky Knight Jr. b Lee Hunter Robbie X b Joshua James, Alex Windsor & Maya Mathews b Rhia O’Reilly & NightShade, TK Cooper b Yota Tsuji, Will Ospreay & Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis b Michael Oku & Connor Mills & Luke Jacobs.