Daily Update: WWE trademarks, Ilja Dragunov, Trish Stratus

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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

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Tuesday Update

WWE

  • Shotzi, Scarlett, and The Boogeyman will be on this Wednesday’s The Bump.
  • WWE filed trademarks on 10/9 for the names Lola Vice, Dani Palmer, and Kale Dixon.
  • NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov spoke to TVInsider about advice John Cena gave him when he visited the Performance Center earlier this month. “It wasn’t a long conversation,” he said. “What I really appreciated was him just randomly pulling me aside. This was something that doesn’t happen every day. He spoke about making moments and building a connection. That is what we were talking about. He gives you a whole different perspective, even when you may have the same opinion on things. When you have his approval, then you have the right mindset for this business, and you are on the right path.”
  • Trish Stratus will return as a judge for season 3 of Canada’s Got Talent.
  • Full matches added to WWE’s YouTube today include The Undertaker vs. Triple H from the October 28, 2008 edition of SmackDown, Finn Balor vs. Karl Anderson from the October 24, 2022 episode of Raw, and Bianca Belair vs. Bayley also from the October 24, 2022 edition of Raw.
  • Also added to YouTube in full is yesterday’s Raw match between Jey Uso and Damian Priest.
  • Rob Aurelio on X shared pictures inside WWE’s new headquarters.
  • Producer Molly Holly spoke to WrestlingInc. When asked about the possibility of one more match, she said “I really don’t believe that there’s anything I could add to the business. I just feel so complete in my career. I don’t feel that it’s like, oh, if I just had this moment. I already had all the moments. I really want to save the TV time for the younger people to have their moments.”

AEW & Other Wrestling