Daily Update: WWE Raw, Taisei Sakuraba, Jax Dane

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • A big new issue of the Observer up on the site.  Special note that we’ve had a lot of people contact us both about the Rey Misterio Sr. and Tijuana wrestling story and the breakdown of every PPV this year and how they did.  Highlights of the issue:
  • WWE expanding television in 2025 and the biggest unanswered questions
  • A look at international deals with WWE’s move to Netflix.  What countries will still have TV deals, where Raw won’t be on Netflix, and what this means to AEW and TNA and the scoreboard of who has gotten what. And what is potentially the biggest international deal and when it will be open.
  • The Auditorio in Tijuana and Rey Misterio Sr., a look at the biggest matches in a building that should be on the list as a major wrestling arena that nobody ever talks about, plus how did Rey Mysterio, Konnan, Psicosis and others get their start and looking back at the biggest matches in Rey Misterio Sr.’s career
  • Drawing money and a look at how every PPV show in 2024 did, to see what does and doesn’t work as far as being a PPV headliner, covering WWE, AEW and TNA and every show so far this year.
  • The Battle of Orlando and where things stand for Worlds End.
  • Full coverage of ROH Final Battle
  • WWE’s holiday special in MSG and a look back at how the show has done since 2010.
  • Death of Jax Dane
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings for all the major shows,including placings, competition, segment-by-segment and more.
  • The Gran Alternative tournament and its history at picking future stars
  • Stardom’s big show the week of the Tokyo Dome.
  • NOAH preparing for Budokan Hall show.
  • More news on the Tokyo Dome shows.
  • New Japan notes for San Jose.
  • St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • RevPro show notes
  • Notes on upcoming North American stadium shows.
  • Lots of thoughts on booking
  • Upcoming ticket sales for WWE & AEW events
  • More on Lee Fitting.
  • Why there’s a very real chance the Janel Grant lawsuit will be thrown out and why, and what it will take for that not to happen.
  • McIntyre makes fun of Punk

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about all the latest news including Raw, AEW PPV follow-up, Jimmy Carter and wrestling, and more. You can send questions related to current topics to the show tonight to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • Tonight is the last episode of Raw on the USA Network for the time being and possibly forever.  It’s a run on Monday night for WWF that started with Prime Time Wrestling and TNT in 1984, turned into Raw in 1993, through 2000 (when Raw moved to Spike) and then back from 2005-2024.  
  • The show tonight is from Houston.  War Raiders & Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh & Finn Balor, Zoey Stark vs. Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria are in the semifinals of the IC title tournament with the winners facing off next week on the Netflix debut, Otis vs. Chad Gable, Pete Dunne vs. R-Truth plus C.M. Punk and Seth Rollins are there to have the final hype for their main event next week. The show is legit sold out in Houston and will have in the range of 15,000 fans, one of the larger Raw crowds of the year.
  • Head-to-head tonight is the San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions on both ABC and ESPN, so it’ll draw a pretty strong audience.
  • Kazushi Sakurtraba’s son Taisei Sakuraba makes him MMA debut on the Rizin New Year’s Eve show.  In his debut he’s facing Yusuke Tachi, 27-14, who has been featherweight champion in both Shoot  and PXC and once challenged Rboerto Satoshi for the Rizin light title in 2021.  
  • Villano III Jr. is out of action indefinitely with a torn ACL and a torn meniscus. He was just getting over strong after the crowd got way behind him in his loss to Flip Gordon a few weeks ago for the vacant Historical middleweight title at Arena Mexico.
  • The funeral for Jax Dane will be on 1/12 from 2 p.m. to 6 pm. at the Sale Creek Volunteer Fire Department at 14828 Dayton Pike in Sale Creek,TN   37373. Jax passed away on Christmas Day from complications stemming from a November heart attack at the age of 48. Best wishes to his family and friends.
  • The NWA has put up a series of Jax Dane matches on YouTube.
  • AEW has gotten some mainstream coverage with a story in Variety on Julia Hart, who has her first match back on Wednesday against Jamie Hayter.
  • CMLL had a giant week of business.  They sold out Arena Mexico on Friday, sold out Arena Coliseo on Saturday, drew more than 10,000 yesterday at Arena Mexico, sold out Pueblas last Monday and is expected to sell out Puebla again tonight.
  • Booker T has agreed to a match with Zilla Fatu for his Reality of Wrestling promotion.
  • Cody Rhodes was on Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer’s podcast.  Rhodes and Kreischer were regulars on the same TV show before Rhodes went to WWE.  
  • There will be a reuniting of Bubba, Devon & Spike Dudley at the Milwaukee Admirals hockey game on Friday night in Milwaukee.  There will be a free autograph for each paid admission.
  • Results from yesterday’s Progress Wrestling show in London: El Hijo del Vikingo NC Kid Lykos II (stopped due to Vikingo’s injurry), Axel Tischer b Big Damo to keep the Atlas title, Alexxis Falcon b Charles Crowley, Michael Oku b Mark Haskins, Smokin Aces b Jerry Bakewell & Simon Miller and Gene Munny & Will Kroos to keep the tag titles, Tate Mayfairs won a No. 1 contender match over Eddie Dennis, Kid Lykos, Lana Austin, Nico Anelo, Rahyne Leverkusen and Session Moth Martina to get a shot at the Progress world title, Luke Jacobs won over Man Like DeReiss, Ricky Knight Jr. and Leon Slater to keep the Progress world title.
  • Results from Defy yesterday at Washington Hall in Seattle with a surprise appearance of Ricky Starks.  Bollywood Boyz b Super Crazy & Sonico, Marcus Mathers b Evan Rivera, Viva Van won over Nicole Matthews, Amira, Sandra Moone and Megan Bayne, Outrunners b Midnight Heat, Joey Janela b Cody Chhun, Judas Icarus & Travis Williams won the Defy title over champs Gringo Loco & Are, Kenta b Schaff to keep the Defy world title. Starks will challenge KENTA for the title. Next show is 2/7 at Washington Hall in Seattle with the KENTA vs. Starks main event.