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UFC loses December 19th main event due to COVID-19
WWE SmackDown above two million viewers in final ratings
ROH announces Jay Briscoe vs. EC3 for Final Battle
WWE Network notes: Broken Skull Sessions, Slammys returning, more
Tony Khan AEW media call notes: Moxley-WK15, trios titles, Miro
Musical performance announced for WWE Tribute to the Troops
WWE Raw video highlights: AJ Styles becomes number one contender
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WON NEWSLETTER: November 30, 2020 Observer Newsletter: Undertaker retirement, Survivor Series, more
We’ve got a heavy-historical double-issue of the Wrestling Observer out this week. Our lead story looks at the career and final appearance of The Undertaker. We look at his famous matches, the WrestleMania streak, how long it’s been since he actually worked a full schedule, the dream match that did happen and why, and the one that never happened and why.
Also in this issue:
Survivor Series with match-by-match coverage, star ratings, poll results and interest level of the show.
The $39 million settlement of a lawsuit against WWE, the largest settlement of a lawsuit in pro wrestling history, why it was settled, testimony key witnesses were going to make, who sued, what the judge in the case said, crazy facts about the case, and testimony on what really happened in Saudi Arabia the day the WWE talent couldn’t get out of the country.
A story on the life of Bob Ryder, the start of TNA, the business numbers behind the start and how it got so deep in debt, what saved the company in 2005 and 2015 and Impact releases a statement on his death.
How Dana White is expecting a packed house for a UFC show sooner than you think and how that ties into what has been booked.
Major front office changes in WWE, and background of the decisions and people who are in and out, Xavier Woods and WWE negotiate a mainstream deal, NXT Takeover lineup notes, Lana documentary, Undertaker talks most famous matches and how Vince talked him into ending the streak, how WWE & AEW TV shows did this past week as compared to major sorts, U.K. Heritage Cup, former college football star has WWE interest, value of WWE stock right now and top ten most-watched shows on the WWE Network from last week.
Full coverage of UFC 255, details behind the show, match-by-match coverage and poll results.
The induction of Marc Ratner into the UFC Hall of Fame. We look at his background in boxing, his connection to pro wrestling, and his role in okaying an angle that literally changed the power structure of pro wrestling where Vince McMahon needed his approval. We look at why two different proposed dream match involving WWE stars didn’t happen as well as how Floyd Mayweather’s unbeaten streak stayed in tact due to a decision by Ratner as well as his role in making UFC treated as a sport, and how UFC was able to get Ratner to join the promotion.
2019 Business Year in review, with the biggest attendances, biggest PPV numbers, who headlined the most major shows, UFC business, WWE business and what Becky Lynch did in 2019 that no woman in the history of pro wrestling had ever come close to.
An updated list of the biggest drawing cards in pro wrestling history, comparing Jim Londos with Hulk Hogan, who Sam Muchnick said were the biggest draws ever, where Hogan ranked with Austin and Rock, and every annual attendance record from 1931 to the present and what record is likely never to be beaten.
NOAH’s Pro Wrestling Chronicle show and the Go Shiozaki ivs. Katsuhiko Nakajima main event.
A feature on the seven different Triple Crown award winners of the last 40 years, as well as those who came one step from doing so.
Stats for MVP, Most Outstanding, Best on interviews, Best Tag Team and others over the past 40 years as well as who seems to deserve more Hall of Fame consideration.
A feature on European villain Klaus Kauroff, who passed away this past week.
Television business, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
At the end of last night’s Symphony of Destruction match on Raw, there was a scary moment where Jeff Hardy hit his head on the steel steps when giving Elias a Swanton Bomb from the top rope through a table that was set up on the outside. WWE uploaded a post-show interview where Hardy joked that he hopes it was his last Symphony of Destruction match and said the Swanton was no joke. But Hardy said he’s okay and it looked a lot worse than it felt.
WWE has officially confirmed that Shotzi Blackheart vs. Raquel Gonzalez on tomorrow’s NXT will be a ladder match. The winner will earn the WarGames entrance order advantage for their team.
The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods & Big E), Adam Cole, Raquel Gonzalez, and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott are appearing on tomorrow morning’s episode of WWE’s The Bump.
On Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia, Rhea Ripley discussed how she’s starting to get her confidence back after losing some of it in the time after WrestleMania: “I’m not sure but it did feel like that. I definitely have gone through a stage where I did start losing the confidence in myself because I wasn’t portrayed the same way as I was. Even now I’m still booting myself back up from it. My confidence definitely was tainted a little bit which sucks because I try to keep it up and do my best all the time. I don’t know if it was something inside my head that wasn’t getting the picture but I got a little bit lost after that. Right now I feel like I am getting back on track. Booting myself back up has been really hard. I’m not going to lie and it has been difficult and I have been very lost at times but I definitely found my track now and I’m getting back on it.”
Former 35-year WWE employee Kevin Quinn took part in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit.
Nia Jax joked about a mistimed spot where she ended up charging out of the ring at nothing on last night’s Raw: “Umm, I was charging at little Jimmy, he had it coming!”
Xavier Woods spoke to IGN about being announced as the first host for the revival of G4.
Sports Illustrated interviewed Keith Lee.
Tyler Breeze appeared on this week’s episode of The New Day’s Feel the Power podcast.
Jon Heder is the guest on this week’s episode of Uncool with Alexa Bliss.
WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded Edge vs. Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy for the WWE Championship from Armageddon 2008, Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin in a tables match from the February 18, 2019 episode of Raw, and John Cena vs. Randy Orton in a TLC match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from TLC 2013.
Other Wrestling
AEW uploaded their Road To episode building up the Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega AEW World Championship match on tomorrow’s Winter is Coming episode of Dynamite.
Tony Schiavone also hosted a Control Center segment ahead of Winter is Coming.
Complex ranked the top 10 moments from the first year of Dynamite.
The second episode of Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast was released today. It features Josh Barnett as the guest.
On the Oral Sessions episode, Jon Moxley spoke about how he wanted to shoot an angle at a Bellator show for his match against Barnett that was scheduled to take place at Bloodsport this April. Barnett ended up having to withdraw from the Bellator show due to illness. Moxley said: “We were going to go to Honolulu, for a vacation, and it just so happened that Josh was fighting in Bellator. We were going to have dinner with Josh the night before and everything was fine. At this point, I’m scheduled to wrestle Josh at Bloodsport in April. This is December. This is an advantageous opportunity to get some press behind this thing. Josh is like, ‘After the match, I’ll do a promo. You jump in the cage, we do our business and promote Bloodsport. We’ll make sure everyone is aware and you don’t get arrested.’ I was assuming (he would win). The details weren’t clear, but I wasn’t going to be a wuss. If I said I was going to follow through, I would follow through, even if I got arrested. I was set to jump in the cage at Bellator and start talking sh*t. Security or cops be damned. I was just hoping the whole Bellator locker room didn’t empty and beat the f*ck out of me,”
After defeating Shane Taylor on this week’s episode of ROH TV, Brody King did a post-show interview where he challenged ROH World Champion Rush for Final Battle.
ROH uploaded this week’s episode of ROH Week By Week.
NWA director of operations Maureen Tracy announced yesterday that she’s departing the company: “Tomorrow is my last day with NWA. I am so thankful for all of the amazing people I got to meet. I am also thankful for how challenging this position was, personally & professionally, as it allowed me to grow & be a better me. Now it’s onwards & upwards to the next adventure!”
The NWA uploaded the first episode of their Shockwave series. The episode features three matches that took place on UWN Primetime live before airing on Shockwave.
Ronnie Massaro, the brother of the late Ashley Massaro, was killed in an apparently random knife attack in New York City. Ronnie had just checked out of rehab hours before the attack, with a childhood friend of Ronnie telling the New York Daily News that he was struggling to build a better life and battling alcoholism following Ashley’s suicide.
The newest member of Contra Unit will make their in-ring debut on this week’s episode of MLW Fusion. The unidentified masked Contra member first appeared on Fusion two weeks ago and attacked Alexander Hammerstone.
Post Wrestling interviewed Dave Meltzer about the release of his 1997 Wrestling Observer Yearbook.
Daily Pro Wrestling History: Stan Stasiak wins WWWF title
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