Daily Update: UFC 311 fallout, Christopher Daniels, TNA & GCW

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• January 20, 2025 Observer Newsletter: ’24 business year in review, Vince McMahon, WWE & AEW notes

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

• July 19, 2007 Observer Newsletter: Part 4 of Chris Benoit double murder suicide coverage

Sunday Update

— We have our two weekend shows up on the site. The first covers all the news from the past week and last night’s show ran down the UFC and all the news that came out of it, the news coming out of Collision and SmackDown as well as the TNA alliance with WWE.

— It appears last night’s Christopher Daniels vs. Adam Page Texas death match was Daniels’ last career match. He will continue to work in talent relations for AEW, ending a 32 plus year in-ring career. It wasn’t brought up like that or pushed on television, but that was his call not to make a big deal about it. But backstage talent was there Thursday night with that impression and he was very emotional backstage when he got back. I do know he’ll be on Talk is Jericho this week discussing this.

— Our new back issue on the site was week four of our Chris Benoit coverage in 2007 can be found here.

— Lots of stuff coming out of last night’s UFC show. Among the key points:

• Dana White said Arman Tsarukyan was not getting the next lightweight title shot even though unless they move up Ilia Topuria, there is no other viable contender. Tsarukyan was injured on Thursday and was the clear top contender. Tsarukyan said he was fine with facing Charles Oliveira (the next contender down and former champion) a second time to earn the shot that he already earned. That was just weird to take away an earned title shot.
• Craig Piligian, the producer of the Ultimate Fighter reality show from the start, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July.
• UFC did 1.1 million searches on Google yesterday. For the weekend, it’s behind only several NFL related topics and Tik Tok stories.  
• Islam Makhachev, who Dana White called the beat pound-for-pound fighter in the world (he’s in the discussion for sure) said that he is interested in moving up in weight as a challenge, but since welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is his teammate, he brought up facing middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. That’s a little too much of a jump. But he said he wants a second world title, that he can’t make 145, so 185 is the only place to go.
• Dana White gave an indication that the matchmakers want both Aaron Pico (whose Bellator contract has expired) and Patricio Pitbull Freire (who PFL released this past week).

— TNA/NXT Genesis tonight in Garland, TX. They are pushing hard surprise NXT talent on the show:

• Nic Nemeth vs. Joe Hendry for the TNA title
• Moose vs. Ace Austin for the X title
• Masha Slamovich vs. Rosemary in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match for the Knockouts title
• Hardys vs. Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel for the tag titles
• Mike Santana vs. Josh Alexander I Quit match
• Tessa Blanchard vs. Jordynne Grace
• Dani Luna & Jody Threat vs. Ash by Elegance & Heather by Elegnace for Knockouts tag titles
• Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers vs. Eric Young & Steve Maclin
• Leon Slater vs. Frankie Kazarian

— GCW’s The People vs. GCW show tonight at the Hammerstein Ballroom:

• Mance Warner defends the GCW title
• Effy vs. Allie Katch – Winner faces Warner for the title
• Matt Tremont vs. Matthew Justice vs. Drew Parker vs. John Wayne Murodch vs. Brandon Kirk vs. Rina Yamashita in a Doors, ladders and Chairs match for the Ultraviolent title
• Dominic Garrini & Keivn Ku vs. Alec Price & Cole Radrick in a ladder match for the tag titles
• Homicide & Grim Reefer & Amazing Red vs. Tony Deppen & Kerry Morton & Griffin McCoy
• Yoshihito Tajiri & Super Crazy & Little Guido vs. Gringo Loco & Jack Cartwheel & Arez
• Richard Holliday vs. Charles Mason cage match
• Josh Barnett vs. Tom Pestock (Baron Corbin) under Bloodsport rules
• El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Sydney Akeem (Scripts)
• Masato Tanaka vs. Joey Janela
• Plus Sabu, PCO and Maki Itoh

— We’re looking for your thoughts on the TNA Genesis show and the GCW show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match from each show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

— The episode of Dynamite that aired on Friday night in the U.K., from Wednesday, was the largest audience for the first-run airing of a show in that country in more than two years. I should note U.K. numbers are released differently, and also I don’t think the ratings are anywhere near as accurate as Canada, let alone with the U.S., due to the extreme fluctuations we see each week. So it’s more the trends you look at.

Also, in the U.K., the numbers aren’t released for a week because they include DVR viewing in the ratings. For example, this week we’ll only be getting the rating for the episode that aired in the U.K. on 1/3 and the number for this episode won’t be released for another two weeks. Based on adding in DVR numbers, we don’t know if it’ll be the highest, only that the first night number was. They’ve had increased numbers for Dynamite in recent weeks.

— C.J.  Perry, the former Lana, is recovering from undisclosed surgery.

— Coming off the Netflix airing of Raw, the Dallas show tomorrow night has sold 2,900 tickets in the last eight days. They were 1,600 shy of a sellout as of today.

— The match everyone is raving about for this weekend was Venny beating Sareee for the Seadlinnng title. I saw it. It’s a great technical match, real solid work, and strong near falls. Lots of callbacks as well.

— Lince Dorado wrestled on the Friday night NXT show in Citrus Springs, FL, because he’s been hired by WWE as a coach.

— House of Glory from Friday night in Chicago for a sold out show:

• Phumi Nkuta b Joe Alonzo
• Idris jackson b Koda Hernandez
• Raheem Royal & Jay Armani b Ringmasters Miidas & Lyon and Gringo Loco & Arez to keep the House of Glory tag titles
• Blair Onyx b Laynie Luck
• Darren Richardson won over Rochie Roach, Ben Ruten, Oni King, J Boujii, August Matthews and Davey Bang to keep the cruiserweight title
• Charles Mason b Amazing Red
• Mustafa Ali b Matt Cardona
• Mike Santana b Ricky Starks via DQ to keep the HOG title.  They will return to Chicago on 5/8.  They are running 1/25 in New York (thanks to Samuel Rosenthal)

— The Saya Kamitani vs. Suzu Suzuki World of Stardom title match will be on 2/2.

— Mick Foley set a goal of losing 80 pounds by his birthday of June 7. He said he weighed 279.9, down 80 from his 360 start weight of nine months ago. He said he did cheat by using Wegovy, but also had worked on his diet and exercise and credited DDP as well.

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