DAILY UPDATE
Latest News:
Olympic medalist Anthony Ogogo signs with AEW
Cena, Gronkowski to appear on WWE Backstage official premiere
Six-woman tag match added to next week’s WWE SmackDown
NXT holding all-women’s house show card on December 5
Updated NJPW Super Junior Tag League results and standings
WWE SmackDown video highlights: Lesnar ambushes Velasquez
UFC on ESPN+ 20 live results: Demian Maia vs. Ben Askren
Nate Diaz cleared to fight, UFC 244 main event still on
WWE 205 Live results: Lio Rush vs. Oney Lorcan
Title change at Impact Wrestling TV tapings
Latest Audio:
WOL Saturday: Why Jim thinks Cody is the best wrestler in the world right now 10/26
WOR: Nate Diaz, Randy Couture, ratings, Championship Wrestling from Florida 10/26
F4W NEWSLETTER: Looking at Raw and Smackdown’s new rosters Joseph Currier takes a look at where things stand coming out of the WWE Draft.
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With both nights of the draft, free agent roster additions, and even a trade now out of the way, the new rosters for Raw and SmackDown look to be set.
WWE’s handling of the draft may have been lackluster, but this is a pivotal time for the company. If WWE is really going to commit to the brand split and making Raw and SmackDown stand out as different from each other, they need to get the roster mix right. They’re also working with two different television partners and will need to make sure FOX and USA Network don’t feel like they’re playing second fiddle to the other.
WWE is a promotion that’s overloaded with talent. That would seem like the ideal environment for a brand split, but the company’s lack of top-tier stars has been a barrier to the roster split’s long-term sustainability. When there’s a ratings slip, it’s easy to say Becky Lynch or Roman Reigns not being on both shows is the reason for it. And while the Wild Card rule may not have been overly popular, any of its short-term effects were probably a positive for ratings.
Here’s what the new Raw and SmackDown rosters look like coming out of the draft:
Current subscribers click here to continue reading.
WON NEWSLETTER: October 28, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Nate Diaz fight in jeopardy, NJPW US expansion, more
We have a huge double issue this week, with a special Hall of Fame feature, some shocking ratings news from overseas, New Japan’s international expansion, Randy Couture’s heart attack and coverage of the major shows.We also cover:
The situation with Nate Diaz and why the UFC 244 main event looks to be in jeopardy.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s opening up a new U.S. outpost. We look at what the goals of the company are for 2020, who is in charge, why they are in charge, who surprisingly isn’t involved and why. We look at how the U.S. market has changed for New Japan, ticket sales for the upcoming shows, how it would be best served for New Japan in this market and the lessons learned from what they’ve done so far.
The difference between the fans in Japan and the U.S. for New Japan, the type of buildings they are looking at running and the ultimate goals.
Update on the situation with Randy Couture.
WWE Crown Jewel, with the lineup and circumstances of the show.
AAA Heroes Inmortales with the Kenny Omega vs Fenix AAA title change as well as a look at the rest of the show.
Xavier Woods, have all the Canadian TV ratings, 2020 NXT plans, Randy Orton update, Seth Rollins talks Kenny Omega, WWE news regarding lineup for the Mexico City show, major WWE signing, Update on 205 Live, WWE 2K commercial news, former Lucha Underground star talking with WWE, Dana White talks Cain Velasquez in WWE, former New Japan star teaching at performance center, reasons for the stock price decline, most watched shows this past week on the WWE Network, as well as a rundown of all the NXT and WWE shows, with match-by-match coverage and business news.
Impact Bound for Glory, with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
A huge feature looking at the 2019 Hall of Fame elections, strongest and weakest candidates with bios on a lot of the different performers. We look at everyone’s strengths ad weaknesses as well as the leading still active candidates.
A complete rundown of the Wednesday night wars over the past two weeks, how both shows are doing in every segment and with every demo group. We look at the median age of viewers, how the World Series affected viewing and more.
Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.
In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
The results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
Current subscribers click here to continue reading.
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SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
The WWE Games Twitter account released a statement yesterday about the issues with WWE 2K20: “We are listening closely to the feedback that’s been shared regarding WWE 2K20 and are aware of the concerns some players are reporting. We’re working hard to investigate these concerns and address them as necessary. We expect to have an initial patch ready in the next two weeks, with others to follow. Stay tuned to WWEGames social media channels for more information.”
TMZ obtained footage of Jimmy Uso’s DUI arrest from July.
Triple H, Seth Rollins, Bayley, and Ric Flair will be the guests on the premiere episode of Corey Graves’ After the Bell podcast. The podcast is the first show in the WWE Podcast Network and will debut on Wednesday (October 30).
WWE Network News reported that a new episode of Table for Three will air after Raw on Monday. It will feature Ron Simmons, JBL, and Teddy Long.
Chad Gable spoke to Sports Illustrated about the promo where he became Shorty G: “That promo, I felt it very deeply. The height thing is a message about overcoming whatever people believe are your shortcomings. Everybody can identify with that. That’s an area Chad Gable, up to this point, had been missing. Now you know what he stands for and what he means. Last Friday was the very first step in that process, and it’s only going to get bigger.”
Gable also discussed WWE being an entertainment company: “A lot of people look at WWE as a wrestling company, but at the end of the day, it’s an entertainment company. I had to learn that, too. I’m one of the people who fell in love with wrestling because of the athleticism, but that’s not the only part of what we do here. WWE entertains.”
Becky Lynch responded to Jim Ross saying that maybe one day Seth Rollins will be as over as his girlfriend: “Nothing but respect, JR — you’re an amazing announcer! So go down to the locker room and announce that I would whoop your whole women’s division any day of the week and twice on Sundays.”
Kevin Owens paid tribute to his father-in-law Michel Lamer after Lamer passed away a few days ago.
WWE posted a video thanking the fans after their YouTube channel reached 50 million subscribers.
Pro Wrestling
Cody Rhodes commented on AEW signing Anthony Ogogo: “I’m thrilled about this signing. Anthony will be our first developmental project as a company. For those who followed his boxing career and saw his Olympic acumen, you’ll be happy to see he’s now applying that passion and work-ethic to pro-wrestling training. Welcome Anthony!”
Matt Jackson noted that The Young Bucks handpicked The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express to present the AEW Tag Team titles to the inaugural champions. The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) are facing SoCal Uncensored (Scorpio Sky & Frankie Kazarian) in the Tag Team title tournament finals on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite.
Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that “a handful of wrestlers in the middle and lower parts of the card learned they’d be getting raises” prior to yesterday’s Impact Wrestling TV tapings.
OutSports covered Kiera Hogan’s “Coming Out Party” over Bound for Glory weekend.
CM Punk spoke to Screen Rant about the dynamic between AEW and WWE:
Q: “I was at New York Comic Con and I got to meet a lot of the AEW crew. Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Nyla Rose… Moxley, in particular, had no mercy for the WWE. My headline was that he said it was like being in jail. Do you have any opinion on the AEW/WWE relationship?”
Punk: “Yeah. I think AEW needs to focus on themselves and stop talking about WWE. Cody and The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, all those guys have something great going on. I just think it lessens and cheapens what they are doing when they constantly attack WWE. There hasn’t been an alternative to WWE in so very long, and I think they do a disservice to themselves when they’re trying to be the alternative but constantly bring up WWE. But I understand, when people ask you the questions during the interviews you have to answer them. But that’s just part of life. You have to learn how to navigate that. I would like them to just try to focus on their product and building it up and making it better. I think that would benefit all the fans.”
Today is Punk’s 41st birthday.
In a video for GQ Sports, Punk broke down wrestling scenes from movies.
Killer Kross missed OTT’s Fifth Year Anniversary show today due to travel issues beyond his control. Tyler Bate was also unable to wrestle at the event.
Best Friends were The Young Bucks’ guests on the latest episode of Wrestlers on the Road Ordering Room Service.
MLW’s Court Bauer appeared on yesterday’s episode of Talk is Jericho.
MMA
After his fight against Anthony Garrett at Bellator 231 last night ended in a no contest, Jake Hager expressed his disappointment with the finish: “I’m obviously disappointed with the finish tonight, I didn’t think I kneed him at all. We all have cups out there, I didn’t feel a cup. You can watch it back, I saw his leg lift up from the knee. But I can’t control that it’s something I have to move on from, like I said I’m here to fight and I just don’t think he was tonight.”
Hager also didn’t seem interested in facing Garrett again: “Is it something I’d be interested in running back? I don’t know, he didn’t seem like he wanted to fight tonight, so what’s going to change next time? Is he really going to want to fight fight next time? I mean, I’m a competitor, I’m a fighter, and I’m doing so much right now trying to get myself better, and for him to do something like that, whatever.”
Scott Coker said he thinks Bellator will try to get Hager another fight as soon as possible: “Yeah, I mean, these things happen. I don’t want to speculate one way or the other, but I think that we’ll try to get him back in the cage as soon as possible. I know he has a very busy schedule with wrestling, and we’re supportive of that, and when he’s ready to come back and fight in the cage, we’ll have him back when he’s ready.”
Dave Bautista attended Bellator 231 to support Hager.
Ronda Rousey sent out a tweet supporting Nate Diaz: “Everyone knows you’re clean, f*ck cheaters, PEDs are for P-U-S-S-I-E-S”
Ben Askren spoke about his loss to Demian Maia at the UFC’s Fight Night event in Singapore this morning: “We had obviously trained so much back in camp; I had a really good jiu-jitsu guy. I guess I was overconfident. I guess there’s a reason why he’s the best grappler in the division, possibly in MMA ever. I was fairly confident that I was gonna get the reversal, but I didn’t, and I failed, and obviously that was the outcome.”
Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson will be the semi-main event of Bellator’s show in Japan on December 29.
Daily Pro Wrestling History: Mysterio vs. Guerrero at WCW Halloween Havoc 1997
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