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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer:

  • The latest on WrestleMania and AEW Dynasty, card changes, injuries tickets sold, and ticket interest.
  • NCAA wrestling tournament rundown, the biggest upset in modern tournament history, Dan Gable talks Gable Steveson, Hodge Trophy, and records set
  • Firings at TNA and what is behind them
  • CMLL El Homenaje a Dos Leyendas
  • The life and times of George Foreman
  • The amazing life of Bill Mercer and the glory days of World Class Championship Wrestling
  • Cain Velasquez sentencing
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings from the past week, including competition, demographics and quarters
  • Universal champion of champions tournament
  • CMLL vs. MLW at Arena Mexico
  • The new La Parka
  • AAA Rey de Reyes notes
  • Chris Bey benefit show
  • Another wrestling TV special
  • Death of historian Dave Cameron
  • Death of Julio Estrada
  • Hall of Fame in North Carolina?
  • El Hijo del Santo sad retirement notes
  • New book coming out on 90s wrestling
  • More on Saraya leaving AEW
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Conor McGregor wants to run for President of Ireland
  • TKO exects pocket $278 million in latest transaction
  • Former WWE name openly talks about a return
  • WWE value

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about Raw, WrestleMania, MMA, and the rest of the latest news.  We also have a show up from last night covering an interesting AEW experiment, latest on the Vince McMahon case, Smackdown, Collision and more.
  • We’ll have a results free report from Raw which took place earlier today.  
    1) Cody Rhodes & John Cena segment way better than last week
    2) New Day vs. Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne
    3) Gunther vs. Jimmy Uso non-title
    4) Big angle after
    5) Bron Breakker & Pent avs. Finn Balor & Dominik Mysterio
    6) AJ Styles & Logan Paul segment to build to their Mania match
    7) Judgment Day dissension stuff
  • Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State was announced today as the winner of the Hodge Trophy in the second closest voting in history, over Carter Starocci of Penn State.  Hendrickson beat Gable Steveson and was undefeated all year, while Starocci was undefeated and won an unprecedented fifth national title.  Really, both should have won and they have had years with dual winners.
  • Go out of your way to watch the last half hour of last week’s Dark Side of the Ring on Mick Foley.  It’s really good.  Tomorrow night’s episode is on Ludwig Borga/Tony Halme.  Next week will be Vader.
  • MLW said they have re-sold out Saturday’s show in Long Beach at the Thunder Studios Arena.  They had previously sold out a smaller building in Los Angeles and moved the show.  This is the Battle Riot show.   They claim capacity is more than 2,000 for this show and that it is the largest gate in the history of the promotion.  Regarding Mistico, who is being advertised for a MLW middleweight title defense against Templario, Bauer said 100 percent that he will be there.  Mistico was listed as out two to three weeks after being injured on 3/21  early in the El Homenaje a Dos Leyendas match, doing a spot with Komander.  The web site for the arena lists capacity at 1,000.  Shane Haste was today’s announcement as the newest man in the Battle Riot.  Julio Cesar Rivera had mentioned the Friday show in Tijuana and Saturday in Los Angeles as shows Mistico wouldn’t be wrestling on but I think he’ll be at  both events and we’ll see if he can wrestle.
  • I was told Friday’s Arena Mexico main event with Mascara Dorada & Neon & Star Jr. vs. Barboza & Difunto & Zandokan Jr. was great.  I’ll try and watch it before tonight’s show but I do have a lot of stuff to get to.    Was also told that the Dragon Gate tag team tournament boats with Shun Skywalker & Homare vs. Kzy & Strong Machine J, Skywalker & Homare vs. Jacky Kamei & Riiita and Skywalker & Homare vs. Jason Lee & Kota Minoura are all really strong.
  • The brackets for the men’s and women’s Owen Hart tournament will be released on Wednesday.  This feels like the most anticipation for the tournament to date given top stars like Adam Page, Will Ospreay, Mercedes Mone and Athena are among those in.
  • Looking for reports from yesterday’s WWE show in Amsterdam and for anything off the air from London today.
  • The PFL runs Thursday night on  ESPN 2 with the start of its tournament season with a 10 p.m. Eastern show with Jason Jackson (18-5) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (28-5), Adam Borics (19-2) vs. Jesus Pinedo (23-6-1), Logan Storley (17-8)  vs. Magomed Umalatov (17-1) and Jeremy Kennedy (19-5) vs. Movlid Khaybulaev (21-0-1).
  • Deadline reported today that WBD has closed a deal to sell the completed Looney Toons movie Coyote vs. Acme which stars John Cena and will be released in theaters in 2026 by Ketchup Entertainment.  WBD put the movie together and then decided as a cost-cutting move not to release it.  The sale price was listed at $50 million.
  • NXT Stand & Deliver is now listed for a 9:30 a.m. local time start on 4/19 at the T Mobile Arena.  I think that means a 10 a.m. start, which would make the second time it’s moved, first Noon and then 11 a.m.
  • Defy on 4/17 in Las Vegas at the Palmss Hotel at 11 a.m. loal time has KENTA vs. Mance Warner, Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson vs. The Midnight Heat, Negro Casas & Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas vs. Bollywood Boyz & Galeno del Mal, Sinner & Saint defend the tag titles in a three-way against Kid Lykos &  Kid Lykos II from Progress and Susumu Yokosuka & Hyo from Dragon Gate.  They first run 4/13 in Seattle at 5 p.m. at Washington Hall with Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Timothy Thatcher, Gabe Kidd vs. Calvin Tankman, Sinner & Saint vs. Yokosuka & Kzy for the tag titles, Mance Warner vs. El Phantasmo and Midnight Heat vs. Chhun & “Rosas vs. Ho No Lun & Ishin from Dragon Gate.
  • Rhino’s Insane Wrestling Revolution group on 5/2 and 5/3 in Monroe, MI at the Frenchtown Municipal Complex.  There will be a convention with Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Eric Bischoff, Victoria, Steve Lombardi, ODB, Shark Boy, Boogeyman, Heath Slater and PCO.  ODB will have her first singles match since 2003 on the wrestling show against Jessica Havok, plus PCO, Rhino, Slater and Johnny Swinger will be wrestling.
  • Leonarde Brand reported that the House of Truth wrestling school has been sold by Truth Martini to former NHL star and area independent wrestler Darren McCarty.  Martini will remain with the school as a trainer.
  • Stephanie’s Places on Wednesday will interview Cody Rhodes at Center Stage Theater.
  • Evolve on Wednesday on Tubi has Wendy Choo vs. Kylie Rae and Joe Coffey vs. Harlem Lewis.
  • Aja Kong and Kyoko Inoue will be brought in by Spark  Joshi for WrestleCon 2025 in Las Vegas.