Daily Update: WWE Raw, Tuesday night war, Candice LeRae

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The new issue of the Observer is on the site today. Our lead story is the most detailed coverage of the new AEW TV deal, an analysis of what it means for business, profits losses, what the deal does and doesn’t cover, FOX rumors and analysis and much more. We also have a major history piece looking at the 2024 Hall of Fame and the candidates and their credentials.
  • Value of the deal for each specific year
  • What the deal does and doesn’t cover
  • Update on the PPV business
  • What AEW is losing in the deal
  • How PPV will be distributed
  • Quotes from Tony Khan and WBD
  • MAX and cable distribution
  • Breaking down expenses, revenue, profits and losses and the financial future of AEW
  • Analysis of the potential FOX deal
  • A look at the first NXT show on CW, business, ratings and how the segments did
  • Update on Bad Blood and WrestleDream, including interest levels for both shows
  • A look at the 2024 Hall of Fame voting, candidates and favorites in each category
  • A rundown of the leading candidates, some of who you would know and wouldn’t.
  • New Japan building King of Pro Wrestling–What business lesson was reinforced by CMLL Noche de Campeones this past week
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the major television shows, competition, comparisons with a year ago, placings and segment-by-segment
  • Woman wrestling star retiring to become a referee
  • CMLL head gives stats on how many fans come to Arena Mexico from other countries
  • What major celebrity was at Shinjuku Face for a pro wrestling show
  • Hall of Famer having 40th anniversary show
  • Major Japanese celebrity does two matches this week
  • Notes on the deaths of Pete Rose and Kris Kristofferson and both men’s connections to pro wrestling
  • Jimmy Hart prior to wrestling
  • AEW and WWE current injury rates
  • What percentage of fans watch shows live vs DVR
  • AEW video game notes
  • Major star opening up a gym for post-wrestling business
  • International TV ratings
  • Injury stats regarding PowerSlap
  • What famous boxer turned down a two fight series with Conor Mcregor
  • How many people watched the Mr. McMahon documentary and an approximation of how it would compare to a regular WWE TV show
  • Martha Hart reacts to the documentary

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight covering Raw and the latest wrestling and MMA news. If you have any questions not yet answered about the AEW TV deal you can send them to dave@wrestlingobserver.com for tonight’s show.
  • Our usual Wednesday show will be tomorrow with both Dynamite and NXT tomorrow night.
  • We are looking for reports from Raw in St. Louis tonight.  They are taping two episodes of the show, since next week due to the European tour, they aren’t taping. We’re looking for reports from those live with notes on the Main Event matches and second show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com. This is the first two-hour Raw in a dozen years, although it ‘s likely this will just be temporary until the end of the year. It will help ratings so I would not expect any record lows like a few weeks ago even if  there is both NFL & World Series competition. Tonight ‘s game is the Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints and will be on both ESPN and ESPN 2 and with the Chiefs will likely do a strong number. There is also the New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royal baseball playoffs on TBS. There are no WNBA playoff game tonight.
  • Raw has Gunther vs. Sami Zayn for the world title, Jey Uso vs. Xavier Woods for the IC title and Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne in a donnybrook match for the first two-hour show. Between the world title, coming off a PPV and the cut to two hours, the number in theory should be significantly up from usual.
  • We’re looking for your thoughts on Bad Blood, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • Smackdown on Friday did 1.52 million viewers and an 0.47 in 18-49, putting it in first place for the night. The only thing on television that beat it was Michigan State vs. Oregon football on FOX that did 2.84 million viewers and an 0.68.  It beat college football on ESPN and WNBA playoffs on ESPN 2.
  • After scoring that big deal this week, Rampage did 216,000 viewers and 0.07 in 18-49, which by the standards of the show, is a terrible number. It tied the lowest 18-49 number the show has done.
  • Tomorrow night is NXT vs. Dynamite. Unlike the last time this happened on a Tuesday, neither side has gone out of control to win the night. NXT loaded the show up with Randy Orton, Austin Theory, Grayson Waller, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.  NXT runs 8-10 p.m. and Dynamite runs 9-11 p.m.   AEW hasn’t announced anything to make it a special show. I think the difference is that one is network and one is cable, so that’s not considered competition, and NXT is on its regular night.  NXT would be heavily favored to score bigger numbers  and perhaps by a lot because of being in the familiar time slot and I don’t  think people even realize when AEW starts.  
  • Both shows are not doing well at the gate.  NXT is in Chesterfield, MO, and had 1,464 tickets out in a small building (3,000).  AEW in Spokane only had 1,210 tickets out this morning, and it could end up the smallest attendance for a Dynamite show since the pandemic. It also will be likely the smallest paid attendance for any WWE show except Florida NXT spot shows since the pandemic.
  • NXT has Randy Orton vs. Je’Von Evans, Nathan Frazier & Axiom defend the tag titles against Waller & Theory, Oba Femi vs Tony D’Angel for the North  American title, Kelani Jordan & Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill vs. Jacy Jayne & Fallon Henley & Jazmyn Nyx, plus appearance by Trick Williams, Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade. Sexxy Red is also on the show.
  • Dynamite Title Tuesday has Bryan Danielson & Wheeler Yuta vs. Claudio Castagnoli & Pac, Mercedes Mone vs. Emi Sakura for both the TBS and New Japan Strong women’s titles, Willow Nightingale vs. Britt Baker with the winner facing Mariah May at WrestleDream for the AEW women’s title a Darby Allin face-off with Brody King and Hook calls out whoever took out his father.
  • Candice LeRae won the tournament on Friday to become the first WWE Speed women’s champion.
  • Manager Ali Abdelaziz told Kevin Iole that Kayla Harrison was in the emergency room last week before her fight on Saturday with bleeding issues and on antibiotics. Harrison still beat Ketlen Vieira to likely earn a bantamweight title shot at new champion Julianna Pena.
  • Amanda Nunes told Dana White to call her.
  • NWA on Tuesday airs on X with Kanzie Paige vs. Max the Impaler for the women’s title. The show drops at 6:05 p.m. Eastern.
  • Michael Venom Page vs. Carlos Condit takes place on 11/2 in London at Fairfield Halls as part of the Polaris submission grappling match. The show airs live on UFC Fight Pass.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Leon Slater & Zozaya vs. Jay Joshua & Gabe Kidd & Connor Mills along with Mina Shirakawa vs Lizzy Evo for the British women’s title will be on the 10/19 RevPro show at the Doncaster Dome. Will Kaven vs. Cameron Khai for the cruiserweight title is also on that show.
  • Matt & Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Bey & Ace Austihn, Wendy  Choo & Tasha Steelz & Rosemary vs. Jordynne Grace & Masha Slamovich & Sola Ruca, and Eric Young vs. Josh Alexander will be on Thursday’s Impact show.
  • Scott D’Amore announced a Championship Grail title. It will be the new PWA title covering both Maple Leaf Pro and PWA and be a tribute to Rikidozan and Kenny Omega. The 10/19 show  in Windsor, ONT has Rohan Raja vs. Jake Something to crown the champion.
  • Star Jr. has been added to the 11/9 MLW Lucha Apocalypto show in Chicago at Cicero Stadium.