Daily Update: WWE notes, Kevin Nash, NJPW Resurgence

Latest News

• Josh Barnett explains how he booked WWE's Shayna Baszler for Bloodsport
• Sami Zayn 'grateful' for his spot at WWE WrestleMania 40
• Kenny Omega calls Kurt Angle his favorite wrestler, Angle responds
• TNA Impact Friday TV taping spoilers: Surprise returns, new Rebellion matches
• WWE SmackDown video highlights: Roman Reigns-Cody Rhodes confrontation

Latest Audio

• Wrestling Observer Radio: Jack Perry and AEW, Erik Magraken on the Zuffa lawsuits

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F4W/WON Convention

This Week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• March 25, 2024 Observer Newsletter: The Rock's promos elicit frustrations within WWE, UFC settles major lawsuit

Among the topics covered in this issue:

• The Cung Le vs. TKO lawsuit and its settlement, words from someone close to the case from its inception, a lawyer following the case weighs in. stock analysts talk, how much TKO's company value went up with the settlement and original goals of the suit.
• Dwayne Johnson and getting more leeway on promos after last Friday.
• WrestleMania update, who are the favorites in the matches, lineup, ticket sales and demand.
• Ronda Rousey in her book and interviews talks about WWE, Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, Bruce Prichard, history with concussions and more
• Coverage of the New Japan Cup, New Japan business, the final night and big shows coming up
• PPV buys for WWE, AEW and TNA by state and what states which companies are the biggest in
• The most detailed look at the ratings over the past week for all the wrestling shows, including segment-by-segment, competition, rankings for the week and comparisons to one year ago.
• 81st anniversary of wrestling in one of the legendary arenas
• AAA announces first TripleMania, more on its notalgia, Vikingo being stripped of his title and more
• Who is staying with Stardom and who is leaving
• Stardom PPV notes
• Mark Coleman news
• TV viewing notes from the past month regarding network, cable and streaming
• Lots of injury updates
• Wrestling show up for a multiple of awards
• A look at Buff Bagwell and Terry Gordy Dark Side of the Ring episodes
• Mark Hitchcock Memorial show
• RevPro announces major show
• AEW Dynasty PPV update
• Next Continental Classic notes
• Updates on PPV numbers for Elimination Chamber, Hard to Kill, Revolution and Joshua vs. Ngannou.
• Danielson talks Ospreay
• Advance ticket sales for AEW & WWE shows
• International TV rating and streaming numbers
• Former UFC champion coming out of retirement
• Bellator new TV deals
• Updated analysis of WWE stock
• Update on Vince McMahon documentary
• WWE upcoming major bouts

This Week's Retro Observer Newsletter

• November 27, 2006 Observer Newsletter: Kurt Angle, UFC 65

Saturday Update

WWE

• After missing last weekend’s house shows due to a potential knee injury, Asuka appeared on SmackDown last night with her Damage CTRL stablemates. There was an angle on the show where Damage CTRL laid out Naomi and Bianca Belair.
• Before SmackDown, two matches were taped for WWE Speed. Cedric Alexander defeated Odyssey Jones and Tyler Bate defeated Angel. Fightful reports that Pete Dunne was listed internally as a producer for both matches. WWE Speed will begin airing on X/Twitter this spring, though the premiere date has not been announced yet.
• CM Punk posted on his Instagram stories that he “filmed something really fun with Randy Orton last night that fans will love.”
• The Daily Mail asked Bayley what it’s been like to be part of this hot period of WWE business with Paul “Triple H” Levesque in charge of creative:
• Yeah, I think about that all the time, how lucky I feel to be a part of it, just to be there while he's in this streak of changing the business and changing what our fans are used to seeing on TV, even the little subtle things on TV, the changes that are happening, and the progression of characters and the amount of different characters that you get to see every single week, I feel so grateful to be a part of it.
• But the fact that I'm a Royal Rumble winner, and I'm having a title match at WrestleMania. It's crazy, and it's beautiful, and it's refreshing, it's just one of those things where you feel like you could trust the process. People say that all the time, trust the process, trust the process, but it's like, I didn't feel like it was ever going to pay off. There have been times like that. But right now I trust Triple H, and I trust him to, not just for me, but do the best for my character and my story. He really has the best interest in everybody in the show and the product at WWE. And I don't know if it's because he's been there before, if he cares about it so much, or just how he just wants to approach it or a combination of everything. But this guy, I can lose every match every single year and know that he's still got my back.
• In an interview with the Irish Independent, Becky Lynch addressed whether she's been able to reconcile the two sides of Vince McMahon (the person she knew McMahon to be and the person who has had horrific allegations made against him):
• I don’t know that person, you know what I mean? That’s been hard for me. We didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but especially in my last run with him there, and when I told him I was pregnant, he was so good to me. Apart from the run-ins — but you have run-ins in every relationship, especially at that level — I only ever had a wonderful experience in WWE with Vince, for the most part.
• So it’s very hard to reconcile that somebody else didn’t have that experience, and that other women didn’t have that experience. Especially when I had him to thank for my dream, for my husband [fellow WWE star Seth Rollins], for my daughter, for the life that I have now. It’s hard to see those two different people in my head, and trying to merge them as one becomes very difficult. You’re reading these horrific allegations, but about somebody that you look up to as very much almost like a father figure.
• So you have to listen to these things and that becomes very difficult, because you’ve had no [negative] experience and you want everybody to have the experience that you’ve had, because I would always love my interactions with him. And that becomes very, very difficult, especially as a woman who has been so driven in changing the way that women are treated in wrestling and making sure that it is a safe space, that we are seen as athletes, that we are taken seriously, that we are appreciated for our minds, for our body of work, and for what we do in the ring.
• On the Cheap Heat podcast, Lynch reacted to Kevin Patrick being released by WWE earlier this year:
• It was heartbreaking, we all loved him. We loved him, I love him. He's great. He was always working so hard. He would always find you [and say], 'What do you want me to talk about? Let me take all these notes.' He was always asking and always trying to improve and get better and tell the best story. That goes a long way too that he cared enough to always be doing that. He was great.
• The following events have been announced for WWE World in Philadelphia. WWE World is a fan experience event that’s replacing WrestleMania Axxess:
• Thursday, April 4 –
• WWE2K Showdown: First-ever WWE 2K24 Gaming Tournament featuring Xavier Woods, The Miz, R-Truth, Zelina Vega, Bayley and more
• WWE World Main Stage: Hear from Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio
• Friday, April 5 –
• Pat McAfee Show Live: Live broadcast of the Pat McAfee Show featuring special guest Triple H
• UpUpDownDown Live Stream: The UpUpDownDown live stream featuring Xavier Woods, Tyler Breeze and more
• WWE World Main Stage: Hear from Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins
• Saturday, April 6 –
• Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal Documentary Panel: Panel discussion on WWE’s newest documentary on Peacock featuring Big E, Natalya, JoJo, Taylor Rotunda plus surprises you won’t want to miss
• WWE World Main Stage: Hear from Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton
• Sunday, April 7 –
• The Slammys: The Fans Choice Awards: The Slammys: The Fans Choice Awards is LIVE from WWE World and hosted by Cathy Kelley and Big E with special appearances by WWE Superstars
• WWE Mattel Elite Squad Panel featuring CM Punk: Hear CM Punk and Mattel personalities discuss Mattel products
• WWE World Main Stage: Hear from Rhea Ripley
• Monday, April 8 –
• Pat McAfee Show Live: Live broadcast of the Pat McAfee Show featuring WWE Superstars
• WWE World Main Stage: Hear from Bianca Belair and Jey Uso
• The Game Plan interviewed Trish Stratus.
• Bianca Belair, The Street Profits, Bobby Lashley & B-Fab, and Pretty Deadly appeared on The SmackDown LowDown.

AEW/Other Wrestling

• Mercedes Mone purchased a new HD television for a fan after he posted a photo of himself watching her on AEW Dynamite on an old standard definition TV.
• NJPW announced that the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, Strong Openweight Championship, Strong Tag Team titles, and Strong Women’s Championship will all be defended at Resurgence in Ontario, California on Saturday, May 11.
• Harley Cameron appeared on AEW Unrestricted this week.