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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up:

  • Match and performer of the week for both of the past two weeks
  • The changes in WWE, Vince out of creative, how UFC and WWE are being treated differently
  • Showtime drops all sports programming and their entire sports department, both how in and of itself its a major story in boxing, MMA and could be in pro wrestling, but even more the trend that it shows
  • Stations still in the market for sports today
  • The ominous aspects of NBA current TV negotiations
  • Why boxing was dropped after such a great PPV year
  • A look back at the career of Sting after his retirement announcement
  • A look at his AEW run
  • His rise to the top in WCW
  • How his career got started
  • What person saw the potential in Sting the earliest
  • The famous 1988 Sting vs. Ric Flair match and how it changed his career trajectory
  • The multiple times Sting stepped away from wrestling
  • The TNA run
  • The WWE run
  • Power Team USA and Flash Borden
  • NWA on WB, the keys to this deal
  • Update on Crown Jewel and who isn’t scheduled right now on the show
  • The classic matches of 2023 Will Ospreay
  • New Japan Royal Quest and Power Struggle
  • Notes on last week’s UFC show
  • A look back at one of the most traveled enhancement star of the late 60s into the early 80s, Bill Howard
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the pro wrestling shows this past week, including segment-by-segment, competition and comparisons with a year ago
  • CMLL wrestlers traveling around the world
  • Two spectacular matches at Friday’s Arena Mexico show
  • Stardom opens tag tournament
  • One of AAA’s biggest stars likely not returning
  • Biggest woman promotion in the world at one time has a nostalgia reunion show coming in January
  • Chris Hero returns
  • What pro wrestling star of the 70s never lost a singles match in his entire career
  • AEW and CMLL relationship notes
  • Tony Khan’s tweets
  • Updates on ticket sales to WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • UFC signs huge money international deal
  • UFC top star taking time off
  • Main event result in UFC overturned
  • Pat Miletich returns to fight at 55
  • Ari Emanuel criticized for working with Dana White, Vince McMahon and Conor McGregor
  • More on the Vince McMahon documentary
  • Completely exaggerated PPV claims
  • What percentage of Logan Paul buyers also buy AEW or WWE shows
  • WWE sells network rights internationally
  • Dynamite TV streak ends after two weeks
  • Notes on all the WWE & NXT arena events this past week

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

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.

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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 Update

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking all the latest wrestling and MMA news with Wrestling Observer Radio as well as covering Raw and talking about the shows coming later in the week.

Raw tonight has big competition as the Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers American League championship series game seven starts tonight at 8 p.m. It also goes against the San Francisco 49ers, one of the Super Bowl favorites, facing the Minnesota Vikings. It’s a loaded up show but doesn’t get the post-PPV bump that has saved it against tough competition. I do think baseball and football, even with the playoffs, may be easier for Raw than two different NFL games. They’ve announced Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest, a Judgment Day celebration for winning their tag titles, Becky Lynch vs. Indi Hartwell for the NXT women’s title, Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn, New Day vs. Alpha Academy (teasing the winners getting a tag title match), Johnny Gargano vs. Giovanni Vinci and Logan Paul appears. They had 11,700 tickets out as of earlier today in Dallas, although I’d expect less in the building because the Rangers are in game seven. 

WWE has to be rooting for a Philadelphia Phillies win today which would close out the national league series. The game should be ending around the start of Raw although it could go slightly over. If the Arizona Diamondbacks win, it means game seven goes against NXT, although for whatever reason, NXT holds up better than all the other wrestling shows do against sports.

As far as the World Series goes, every game will impact wrestling. Game one is Friday on FOX which moves Smackdown to FS 1. Game two goes against Collision. Game three goes against Raw. Game four goes against NXT. Game five, if needed, goes against Dynamite. A prospective Game six would go against Smackdown & Rampage and a game seven would go against Collision.

We’re looking for your thoughts on Impact Bound for Glory, you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com Not to influence the poll but there is one match that was just incredible on this show, enough that I’d recommend the replay if you want to see something very close to a match of the year.

We’re also looking for reports from these shows:

  • WWE last night in Laredo, TX
  • Impact last night in Chicago for TV tapings
  • Raw tonight in Dallas (Main Event matches, anything not on the live show)
  • We’re looking for results, finishes and angles from those shows to dave@wrestlingoberver.com

Both WWE and Impact are headed to Europe this week. The Raw crew leaves after the show tonight and heads to Munich, Germany for a Wednesday show, followed by Cologne on Thursday and Hamburg on Friday. Impact is in Glasgow, Scotland on Thursday, followed by a Turning Point PPV taping in Newcastle at the Walker Dome on Friday and shows Saturday and Sunday in Coventry.

The Glasgow card has Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley vs. Josh Alexander & Eric Young, Rhino vs. Eddie Edwards, Trey Miguel vs. Grado and Jordynne Grace vs. Gisele Shaw.

Thanks to B.J. Bethel for listing me as the best person to follow on Twitter in pro wrestling in a story today.

Also want to make mention of our friend Jay Dumont “Great Fowler” on the list. I know that kind of stuff really cheers him up and anyone who cheers him up is doing a good thing. Jay’s the real fighter in this business.

A quick note on the Friday ratings. Both shows were well down due to going head-to-head with the Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks National league championship series game four, which did 5.39 million viewers and a 1.30 in 18-49.

While the competition from baseball is part of, if not the key reason, for Rampage numbers going down this week. While Mistico did sell tickets for the show on Friday, he was not a ratings draw even though his match was the peak of the show

Johnny Walker was on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani today. He said he was fine. He said the doctor asked him if he wanted to continue fighting and he said “Yes.” He said when asked “Where are you?” and he appeared confused and didn’t answer, he said “Fine, I’m in the f***ig desert, bro. I’m here. I’m good. I’m in the desert. I’m in the Middle East.”

Big E noted that the world premiere of the short film “Bridges” will be on Saturday night at Urban World in New York. Ticket info.

A note on the Sami Callihan being backstage at the AEW show on Saturday while I wasn’t aware of it being reported elsewhere, it had been previously reported by Bodyslam.net

WWE is going with the smallest stage in years for Survivor Series. They are looking at getting nearly 16,900 into the Allstate Arena, a number they wouldn’t have gotten for a show in that arena in decades. They are also cutting back on the stage for Smackdown the night before and setting it up for 15,800. (thanks to William Zdon/Wrestletix)

Hana Kimura’s mother Kyoko Kimura, who recently hung out with Mercedes Mone, said, “A superstar who loves flowers/Hana and Me. Mone took me shopping. Treated me to delicious Mexican food. I had a wonderful and heartwarming time.”

The movie “Freelance” starring John Cena opens in theaters on Friday. Cena stars as a former special forces operative who becomes private security for a reporter (played by Alison Brie) as she interviews a ruthless dictator right as they are having a military coup.

Jared Cannonier said he was called about facing Khamzat Chimaev after Paulo Costa had surgery. But he said he just tore his MCL and has to get surgery. He said he won’t be able to fight for five months. He was scheduled for a December fight with Roman Dolidze. Cannonier noted he would be 40 by the time he fights again (thanks to Denis Shkuratov of Submission Radio)

Salina de la Renta is listed as the Executive Producer for the MLW Fusion show that airs Thursday on the MLW YouTube channel and FITE.