Daily Update: Drew McIntyre, UFC 302 fallout, TNA cuts

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

This is a huge issue covering all of the latest news in-depth:

• Why the Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon is on hold including reaction from lawyers on both sides and an independent lawyer looks at what the breaking news means.
• AEW negotiations with WBD and how they are going. The most detailed look at the state of the negotiations, what is and isn’t involved in the talks, how streaming fits in, opening it up for other companies to bid and much more. Plus we detail how the international wrestling marketplace changes that are relevant to AEW’s bottom line.
• Full coverage of Double or Nothing, key angles, storylines, direction, Forbidden Door, business numbers, Adam Copeland injury, Owen Hart tournament, history of repeating stadium shows, and world title at All In.
• More business notes from WrestleMania weekend.
• Full King and Queen of the Ring coverage, business notes, PPV, other interest level measurements and crossover purchasers with other events.
• A look at the life and career of  David “Silento” Rodriguez, a deaf wrestler who had a long career.
• The most detailed look at the ratings from the past week, including rankings, comparisons with a year ago, demo numbers, competition and how segments did individually.
• FantasticaMania Mexico
• Big AAA main feud
• Update on TripleMania
• Great Triple Crown match
• New Japan business note
• Super Juniors tournament
• Giulia update
• Hawaiian wrestling history
• Progress Strong Style 16 tournament
• MLW strategy change this week
• Changes in TNA
• Notes on AEW departures
• Notes on AEW injuries
• Young Bucks shoe business
• Advance ticket sales for upcoming AEW & WWE events
• Major UFC show coming to ABC
• Rousey says why she doesn’t go to UFC events
• Lots of WWE contract updates
• WWE firings
• WrestleMania documentary updates
• International TV ratings

This week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter back issue

Saturday Update

– We have two weekend shows up. Our Friday show with Garrett Gonzales featured a great interview with Steve Keirn, talking about his life, his books, Vince McMahon, Eddie Graham, training WWE talent and a lot more. Last night Bryan and I had Paul Fontaine talking UFC 302 as well as talking about the other weekend news.

– Drew McIntyre returned to action at last night’s WWE house show in White Plains, NY. Complete results were:

• Sami Zayn kept the IC title in a three-way over Bronson Reed and Chad Gable
• Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair kept the women’s tag titles over Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane
• Bayley retained the WWE women’s title over Tiffany Stratton
• R-Truth & The Miz kept the World tag team titles over Finn Balor & JD McDonagh
• Damien Priest retained the world title over Drew McIntyre and Jey Uso with a chokeslam on Uso
• LA Knight pinned Shinsuke Nakamura with a BFT
• Cody Rhodes pinned AJ Styles after three Cross Rhodes to keep the WWE title

– For Google searches this week, UFC yesterday did 2 million searches, the largest of anything for the day and largest of anything for the weekend.  Deontay Wilder was No 3 with 200,000.  Mike Tyson pulling out of the Jake Paul fight was No. 6 on Friday at 100,000 and Tyson was No. 4 on Monday with his ulcer issue with 100,000. This would seem to bode well for the PPV number as this is above what most shows do, and indicates Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier was a money match. 

– UFC 302 did $7.2 million at the gate at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.  It was the largest gate for any event ever in that building, breaking the record set by the Rolling Stones.

There were a lot of complaints about judging. Nobody was robbed but there were very bad scores. In Andre Lima vs. Mitch Raposo, judges Adrian Castro and Eric Colon gave the fight 30-27 to Lima, as did every media score on MMA Decisions. However, Dave Tirelli gave the first two rounds to Raposo and there was no way.

In Roman Kopylov vs. Cesar Almeida, Colon had it 29-28 for Kopylov, Sal D’Amato had it 30-27 for Kopylov and Chris Lee gave rounds two and three to Almeida giving him  a 30-27 win.  Media scores were 93 percent for Kopylov.

In the crazy one, I had Sean Strickland winning the semi over Paulo Costa 50-45, although 49-46 was possible. Sal D’Amato gave Costa round one, even though Strickland dropped him late in the round, but gave two through five to Strickland. Chris Lee went 50-45 for Strickland.  And Tierelli struck again, giving the first four rounds to Costa and only round five to Strickland.  The media scores were 56 percent going 50-45 for Strickland, 40 percent going 49-46 for Strickland and four percent going 48-47 for Strickland. This was not even close and with his scores in the opener and this one, I’d really question Tirelli judging.

– The Best of the Super Juniors semi finals are tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern from Korakuen Hall with El Desperado vs. Douki and Taiji Ishimori vs. TJP.  The winners headline Dominion on 6/9 at Osaka Jo Hall.

– We’re looking for reports on these shows:

• NXT Friday night in Tampa, FL
• NXT last night in Crystal River, FL
• WWE tonight in Binghamton, NY

We’re looking for results, finishes and highlights to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

– On the TNA front, besides the release of Lou D’Angeli, which we noted on yesterday’s show, and Dave Sahadi, also let go was Lily Arenallo, who was D’Angeli’s assistant in live event promotion and marketing. Clearly the company is going heavy into cost savings mode right now  but this has been called more than cutting to the bone and actually cutting bone.

– Tamyra Mensah-Stock, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle at 149 pounds, wrestled on Friday  night’s NXT show against Kendall Gray.  Gray was a top collegiate wrestler.

– The A&E Biography at 8pm tonight will be on Ricky Steamboat.

– GCW tournament of Survival 9 from last night in Atlantic City before about 800 fans:

• Yuki Ishikawa b Ultramantis Black in a House of Horrors match
• Hideyoshi Kamitani of Big Japan b Big F’n Joe
• Brandon Kirk b Shunma Katsumata of DDT.  Match of the night with both good technical wrestling and storytelling
• John Wayne Murdoch b Slade
• Cole Radrick won over Alec Price, Jordan Oliver and Marcus Mathers
• Ishikawa b Kamitani in a Made in Japan death match
• Murdoch b Kirk in a Contraption of Death match said to be nuts
• Murdoch b Ishikawa to win the tournament with a Canadian Destroyer off a scaffold through flaming tables (thanks to Owen O’Connor)

– Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley won the City Championship Wrestling tag titles last night at a show in Harrison Township, MI, beating KJ Reynolds & Ryan Matthias for the vacant titles (thanks to Leonard Brand)

– St. Louis Anarchy Wrestling from Friday night in Alton, IL:  Luminary b Quest Parker, Devin & Steven O’Neal b IP Mason & Cordell Cain, Kenny Kalix b Justin Poole, Laynie Luck b  Anakin Murphy, 1 Called Manders b Nick King, Rahim de la Suede b Luke Langley, Ashlyn Alexander b won three-way over Mad Monarch and Shazza McKenzie, Davey Vega & Jake Parnell won a four-way over Jake Bosche & Scott  Stanley, Christian Rose & Connor Hopkins and Adrian Surge & Tommy Davis, Mad Dog Connelly b Chase Holliday, Billie Starkz b Mat Fitchett, Thomas Shire b Jeremy Wyatt,  Derek King b Camaro Jackson to retain the Heritage title (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)

– United Wrestling Coalition on 6/8 in New Egypt, NJ at the American Legion. The show will feature the New Egypt Rumble with the winner being able to challenge for any championship.

– On Jeopardy last week, a constant told a story about meeting Rick Steiner and called him the Dog Faced Gremlin.  Host Ken Jennings said that there’s not enough 80s wrestling on Jeopardy. (thanks to Joe Puccio)

– Drew Gulak is booked for a 7/4 show for Beyond Wrestling at the famed White Eagle in Worcester, MA.  It’s his first announced match after his WWE contract expired.