Daily Update: WWE SmackDown, AEW-WBD, CMLL

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The biggest crowds of the year for pro wrestling, boxing, MMA and even college westling
  • What pro wrestlers were drawing the biggest crowds most often
  • How each promotion did as far as drawing in 2023
  • The biggest gates of the year
  • Pro wrestling history–the biggest drawing card every year dating back to 1916
  • Most years for any wrestler in history as the leading draw
  • 50 Biggest drawing cards of all-time based on annual dominance and longevity
  • Royal Rumble update
  • Early notes on AEW Revolution and how the main event was set up
  • The life and times of Killer Khan, the top drawing actual Japanese native when it comes to major crowds in U.S. history and the feud with Andre the Giant, Choshu’s Army and a look at pro wrestling in the 70s and 80s in the U.S., Japan and Mexico.
  • New Year Dash, New Japan’s next major shows, and future of several of New Japan’s top guys
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for the past week, weekly standings, nightly competition, ups and downs compared to last year, segment-by-segment.
  • Former world champion open to moving to Mexico and working full-time
  • Unique tournament in Mexico starts next week
  • Promotion talks about its unique 2024 theme
  • Movie on life of a current pro wrestling star release date
  • Key intermediary in WWE/All Japan deal
  • New Japan major shows for 2024
  • New international promotional alliance
  • Business of the Iron Claw movie
  • Are WWE & AEW stars employees or independent contractors, what the new law says and why wrestling may fall through the cracks
  • Notes on next season of Dark Side of the Ring
  • Nic Nemeth in Puerto Rico
  • Mustafa Ali independent return
  • Return of TNA
  • New major AEW & WWE hires
  • Update on Worlds End PPV numbers
  • Kota Ibushi injury update
  • International TV ratings
  • Lots of new major UFC fights
  • Joshua vs. Ngannou business thoughts
  • More on Raw TV deal
  • Looking at how Raw would be expected to do on Amazon Prime*
  • Where Rock vs. Roman isn’t happening
  • CM Punk’s UFC pay notes
  • Pat McAfee controversy

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

Friday Update

Very busy weekend, especially tomorrow. No show with Garrett today and we will be doing a show tomorrow with Bryan covering Collision, Smackdown, New Japan in San Jose and the latest news. Will be back next week likely doing shows both Friday and Saturday with Garrett.

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer is up, both our 2023 Business Year in Review annual section plus the news and a biography of the late Killer Khan that we’ve already gotten some great feedback on.

Regarding tonight’s Smackdown in Lincoln, NE, there is a blizzard in the area and lots of flights have been canceled. Announced include Bianca Belair vs. Bayley, Grayson Waller vs. Cameron Grimes and Joaquin Wilde & Cruz del Toro vs. Humberto Carrillo & Angel Garza. More than 7,000 tickets were out for the show as of earlier today. If there are less people it is due to the blizzard. But generally speaking, wrestling fans turn out to live shows in blizzards when they already have tickets.

Regarding the press release that WBD put out for AEW, they noted total viewers up 3 percent from last year in quarter four, but last year didn’t include Collision. The four million viewer per week figure touted is a combination of everyone that tunes into Rampage, Collision and Dynamite both live and via DVR and watches at least one minute. The number is real but Raw this week under the same measurement would be more than 3 million and Smackdown more than 5 million.

Arena Coliseo in Monterrey, Mexico, a legendary building, is being demolished on Thursday. The Lutteroth family built the arena in 1955 to house pro wrestling in the city.

Arena Mexico tonight has another show built around the best matches of 2023 being rematched. The top bouts are Soberano Jr,. vs. Templario in a 2/3 fall rematch from January 6, 2023,and Tessa Blanchard vs. Zeuxis. Soberano, who will then fly to San Jose for tomorrow’s show, said he’s about 80 percent after being out with back problems just as his career looked to be skyrocketing.. He said he doesn’t need surgery but will need therapy for the next 8-10 weeks. Match to watch for tonight is Neon (one of the best newcomers in wrestling) & Max Sar & Brillante Jr. vs. Capitan Suicida & Fuego & Valiente Jr.

FTR & Daniel Garcia vs. House of Black has been added to Collision tomorrow night.

Rampage tonight on TNT: 

  • Eddie Kingston vs. Wheeler Yuta for the Continental Crown
  • Swerve Strickland vs. Matt Sydal
  • Hikaru Shida vs. Queen Aminata
  • Matt Menard & Angelo Parker & Jake Hager vs. John Silver & Alex Reynolds & Evil Uno, managed by -1

Roman Reigns is not being advertised for the Backlash show on 5/4 in Paris, France. He’s right now only scheduled for two PPV events in the next four plus months.

Just a quick note regarding many of the readers here. Jay “Fowler” Dumont contacted me today just to say how incredible the support for him has been from this community. Many in the wrestling community fit in that category but the Observer community and people that nobody would know have been every bit if not more as supportive. I’m really proud of so many of you.

John Williams of ITV 4 in England announced that the 1/3 episode of Rampage that started at 11:50 p.m. was the most-watched AEW TV show since March 2021. He said it was the fourth highest rated AEW TV show in history. He didn’t give the numbers but we should have them in the next issue. There is no explanation for this other than it happened. 

Tomorrow is a monster night with a New Japan PPV show from San Jose, three hours of AEW, the return of UFC and the rebranding of TNA.

For the weekend we will be doing polls on the Saturday night TNA Hard to Kill and NJPW Battle in the Valley, thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to 

We’re looking for reports from these weekend shows:

  • Smackdown tonight in Lincoln, NE (dark matches only)
  • NXT tonight in Dade City, FL
  • Collision tomorrow in Norfolk, VA (anything not on televisino
  • WWE house show tomorrow in Las Cruces, NM
  • NXT house show tomorrow night in Fort Myers, FL
  • WWE house show Sunday in Rio Rancho, NM
  • TNA TV tapings Sunday in Las Vegas
  • We’re looking for results, finishes and highlights to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

The New Japan show in San Jose is just about sold out. There was big movement over the last week once the card was announced.

UFC’s first show of the year is tomorrow in Las Vegas. The show airs 4-1 p.m. on ESPN+

  • Joshua Van (125.5) vs. Felipe Bunes (125.5)
  • Nikolas Motta (155.5) vs. Tom Nolan (155)
  • Westin Wilson (145.5) vs. Jean Silva (145.5)
  • Farid Basharat (136) vs. Taylor Lapilus (136)
  • Marcus McGhee (135.5) vs. Gaston Bolanos (135.5)
  • Matthew Semelsberger (170.5) vs. Preston Parsons (170.5)
  • Andrei Arlovski (247) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (261.5)
  • Phil Hawkes (185) vs. Brunno Ferreira (185)
  • Ricky Simon (136) vs. Mario Bautista (135.5)
  • Jim Miller (155.5) vs. Gabriel Benitez (155)
  • Magomed Ankalaev (204.5) vs. Johnny Walker (205.5)
  • The Matteus Nicolau vs. Manel Kape semi-main event was canceled when Kape weighed in 3.5 pounds overweight. Kape said he missed weight because he was sick two weeks ago and Nicolau refused to agree to a catchweight fight. He said he’d have given Nicolau his entire purse if Nicolau would have accepted the fight..

Rose Namajunas vs. Amanda Ribas at 125 pounds will headline a 3/23 Fight Night show.

Randy Brown vs. Muslim Salikhov has been added to the 2/23 UFC show at the Apex in Las Vegas.

I don’t think people realize the emotion in the Will Ospreay vs.Kazuchika Okada match tomorrow in San Jose. Osprey’s career was basically made when he was picked to be Okada’s opponent for a a RevPro match in 2015 and Okada put in the word that got him a New Japan tour. He’s had his biggest and many of his best matches with Okada, and tomorrow may be the last time they wrestle for a long time.

Warrior Wrestling noted that its 3/1 Chicago show, Revolution Brewing, sold out in less than 30 minutes with Mustafa Ali vs. Trey Miguel as the main event.