Daily Update: Tony Khan, Dominik Mysterio, UFC weigh-ins

Latest News

• Jinder Mahal still has 'many goals' in wrestling after WWE release
• Dax Harwood suffered concussion at AEW Dynasty, is 'feeling much better'
• Tony Khan: WWE is 'like the Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling'
• Grizzled Young Veterans vs. The Acclaimed official for AEW Collision
• Sami Zayn says it's a 'clean slate' between him and CM Punk in WWE
• Mustafa Ali set for NJPW Strong Resurgence
• Update on potential host city for WWE WrestleMania 41
• The Rock thanks Gallus for helping prepare him for WWE WrestleMania 40
• Logan Paul reached out to Cameron Grimes after his WWE release

Latest Audio

• Fight Game: Is AEW leaning into car crash TV?
• Bryan & Vinny Show: AEW with DOOM OF KHAN, NXT with CROWNING OF TRICK

Latest Free YouTube Video

F4W/WON Convention

This Week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• April 29, 2024 Observer Newsletter: Vince McMahon responds to Janel Grant lawsuit; AEW Dynasty recap

This Week's Retro Observer Newsletter

• December 25, 2006 Observer Newsletter: WWE Armageddon, UFC Ultimate Fight Night

Friday Update

- Garrett and I did our week in review show today and boy were there a lot of topics to talk about. Bryan and I will be back for our first show since Monday over the weekend since I missed the Wednesday show due to my son's wedding. And still got a large Observer done the next night somehow.

- The new issue of the Observer is loaded with news:

• The most detailed look at the news of the week regarding the Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE and John Laurinaitis
• Vince's lawyers strategies in the case
• What Vince is hoping to have happen and is it even possible
• Lawyers for both sides go back-and-forth on things that really aren't related to the key aspect of the case
• Answers to some questions on the case
• Vince's under oath recent pleading
• AEW Dynasty news
• Early business reports
• Comparing Ospreay vs. Danielson to the best matches ever including someone who saw that match, Omega vs. Okada IV and Omega vs. Ospreay II live
• What the PPV number teaches us
• Ospreay vs. Danielson or Ospreay vs. Oku, strengths of each
• Strickland wins AEW title
• Danielson & Ospreay booking for long-term thoughts
• WWE draft preview
• Details on all the WWE cuts
• Which wrestler cut was just assured he wouldn't be cut
• A note about how the Netflix deal by WWE may open things up for international deals for other companies
• TNA Rebellion PPV notes and numbers
• The most detailed look at the TV ratings over the past week
• Looking at last week's Arena Mexico show
• Stardom PPV preview
• New Japan surprise debut
• Dos Caras responds to accuser
• Why MLW tag titles were vacated
• TNA taping news
• Tony Khan recent pub
• Notes on Bill Goldberg and his comments on AEW
• Ticket advances for upcoming shows
• Cain Velasquez trial update
• Non-compete ruling by FTC and WWE
• Lots of WWE injury updates
• How much top TKO execs made in 2023
• Backlash preview
• London mayor talks WrestleMania
• New WWE title
• Ronda Rousey talks MMA media
• WWE arena and TV reports

- The big story was the Tony Khan appearance on the NFL Network promoting AEW, where he called WWE a really evil juggernaut and the Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling. Right now I wish he wouldn't go in that direction. I wish WWE wouldn't either. But neither is going to happen. I know Khan believes this engagement is good, but I don't think that's the case. He could get away with calling Vince "Weinstein" but calling the full company that is an issue that will cause a ton of blowback. The hosts on the show weren't expecting it and were not comfortable with it. It's too bad they didn't use some of the talent in some form as NFL teams have used WWE talent in the draft public selections.

- TKO published notice of 8,258,887 shares of stock, or about five percent of the company, now being on sale. This would be the remaining shares of Vince McMahon, all of Nick Khan's stock and some of board member Steve Koonin's share. This originally came out in a release two weeks ago so this isn't new news as much as a formal public notice.

- There are no major U.S. shows this weekend past the usual TV stuff, but tonight is the Arena Mexico 68th anniversary show, plus Stardom has a PPV and New Japan has some shows as well.

- SmackDown should do well tonight with the draft, even against the NBA. The expectation is that Collision will do its best rating of the year with the lead-in from the Celtics vs. Heat game tomorrow night and they will open the show with Swerve Strickland doing his title win celebration which was saved because of the expectation Q1 on Saturday will be the most watched quarter so far this year. The show starts when the game ends, around 8:30 p.m. and it will be another three hours on Saturday night with Jay White & The Gunns defending the trios titles against Top Flight & Action Andretti, The Grizzled Young Veterans debut against The Acclaimed, Toni Storm vs. Anna Jay non-title, Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo and a Trent Beretta vs Chuck Taylor parking lot match.

- The NBA looks to be making a long-term deal, as long as ten years, with ESPN and Amazon. Andrew Marchand reported Amazon and the NBA have agreed to a framework of a media rights deal that would include regular and playoff games on Amazon. Both NBC and WBD are also in the running as the NBA is looking for three or four different deals.

- Those at WWE have confirmed that Dominik Mysterio is going to rehab his elbow through physical therapy rather than surgery. We had been told earlier in the week that it looked like surgery. He said today it wasn't going to be surgery.

- There are no WWE house shows this weekend. We are looking for reports from tomorrow night's AEW show in Jacksonville with any matches before or after the three hour television show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

- The Arena Mexico anniversary show main event has Mascara Dorada vs. Titan vs. Magnus in the Universal tournament of champions final, plus Templario vs. Angel de Oro and Dulce Gardenia vs. Virus vs. Akuma vs. Disturbio in a hair match.

- Stardom has Maika vs. Momo Watanabe for the World of Stardom final in a three match series starting as a regular match, second will be a hardcore match and third will be a last woman standing match.

- Shelton Benjamin was announced today for the Progress Super Strong Style 16 tournament on 5/26 and 5/27 in London at the Electric Ballroom. This would be his first independent date in Europe in more than ten years.

- The Cauliflower Alley Club wrote up what had already been known that Sting will be getting the 2024 Iron Mike Mazurki award, which is the club's highest award. He will be honored on 8/21 at the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

- Ray (Viking Raider Erik) and Sarah (Valhalla) Rowe announced they are expecting a baby boy in November, which explains her being off television of late. The couple wrote "We are so unbelievably happy."

- Tickets are on sale for the Major League Wrestling show on 8/29 at the Melrose Ballroom in New York.

- Brady Roberts (Brady Malibu) & Max Mitchell were on Talk is Jericho talking about their Vancouver-based Boom Pro Wrestling show that runs in a small building but has sold out its first 18 shows. It's a comedy based promotion with a Time Machine, Abraham Lincoln and more over the top characters mixed with old-school pro wrestling booking.

- UFC tomorrow is from the Apex from 4-10 p.m. Eastern time. The 4-7 p.m. portion will air on ESPN2 and from 7-10 p.m., head-to-head with Collision, it'll air on ESPN.

• Gabriel Benitez (155) vs. Hayisaer Maheshate (155.5)
• Na Liang (126) vs. Ivana Petrovic (126)
• James Liontop (156.5) vs. Chris Padilla (154.5) - Liontop missed weight by 0.5 pounds
• Marnic Mann (115.5) vs. Ketlen Souza (115.5)
• Caio Machado (251.5) vs. Don'Tale Mayes (264)
• Michal Figiak (155) vs. Austin Hubbard (156)
• Victor Henry (135.5) vs. Rani Yahya (136)
• Tim Means (171) vs. Uros Medic (171)
• David Onama (148.5) vs. Jonathan Pearce (146) - Onama missed weight by 2.5 pounds
• Jhonata Diniz (255) vs. Austen Lane (254.5)
• Ariane da Silva (126) vs. Karine Silva (125.5)
• Bogdan Guskov (204.5) vs. Ryan Spann (205.5)
• Matheus Nicolau (125.5) vs. Alex Perez (126)

- There was a really weird article and story on Action News Jacksonville on a posting by AEW looking for seat fillers for the Wednesday show and probably tomorrow as well. The basic gist is that they were looking at getting 50 veterans to do seat filling, which is routine. Somehow the story and others tried to play this up like they were comping tickets, which they had no evidence of but that happens routinely in all sports as well. It led to really silly tribal stuff from WWE fans like this was a big news story and how WWE would never do it, when WWE, and pretty much everyone, does it all the time, including for recent sold out shows. Both companies want all seats in front of the cameras looking full as TV is being taped. People in real life go to the bathroom or for food, so it's not covering for tickets they can't sell. And the reality is that comping TV tapings is also part of wrestling. WWE has cut back on it in recent years because they've had bigger crowds and if not sold out, just tarp seats off. AEW, which generally has more empty seats these days, does it more often. WWE had seat fillers at WrestleMania and all day people were on Twitter who were seat fillers at multiple WWE shows telling us that. At the same time, anti-AEW fans were still insisting AEW would do this but WWE never would.

- Kurt Angle will do a meet and greet at the 5/24 AIW show at Temple Live in Cleveland.

- The PFL starts its first season of PFL MENA (Middle East & Northern Africa) on 5/10 with a show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at The Green Halls. There will be featherweight and bantamweight tournament matches on the first show.