DAILY UPDATE
Latest News
NXT officially announces Kushida signing
WWE, FS1 announce studio show for fall 2019
NXT TakeOver live results: Five title matches
NXT pre-TakeOver TV taping spoilers
MLW Battle Riot 2 live results
Honky Tonk Man to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame by Jimmy Hart
Zack Ryder, Chelsea Green announce engagement
Impact Wrestling United We Stand results: RVD & Sabu vs. Lucha Bros
Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport results: Barnett and Suzuki battle for 25 minutes
WrestleCon results: Bandido vs. Ospreay
Latest Audio
WOL: Sempervive on Bryan vs. Cassidy, TakeOver and NJPW-ROH preview
Wrestling Weekly: The pressure of big show main events
WOR: Live Q&A from New Jersey
WOR: Night 1 from WrestleMania weekend
F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Looking at the WWE HOF and the 2019 class
While interest has inevitably decreased over the years, the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony feels like less of an essential part of WrestleMania weekend than ever.
There are a few major reasons why the Hall of Fame ceremony has lost some of its luster. As WrestleMania week has become a destination for promotions from the United States and abroad, fans have to make difficult decisions on how they’re going to spend their time and money.
WON NEWSLETTER: April 9, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Massive Wrestlemania weekend preview
A preview of WrestleMania week leads off this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Read notes on the business for the week, how the business of WrestleMania has changed, what records are going to be set, a look at how fans changed the week, matches changed over the past few weeks, notes on surprises, and who is scheduled.
Have a look at the HBO Last Week Tonight segment on WWE. It starts with a story about Sherri Martel that is important to understanding a key issue involved here. Look at how the business has changed, what has also stayed the same, and why wrestling talent doesn’t get the benefit of the amount of revenue they drive compared to major sports and entertainment stars.
Also look at the 2019-2020 WWE arena schedule. Look at the foreign tours, the update on Saudi Arabia shows, and house shows that are in danger of being canceled because of the next Saudi Arabia show.
Read about the future of Linda McMahon after leaving Trump’s Cabinet and the position she was up for, the story behind the death of the AAF, Vince McMahon’s XFL plans, how much money Vince has earmarked for the XFL, why one analyst thinks stock will hit $157 per share, and thoughts on upcoming TV deals.
Read coverage of this past week’s UFC show in Philadelphia with match-by-match coverage and business notes on the show.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
This is going up a lot later than usual, but there’s a massive amount of stuff happening as you can imagine. If you missed any, just click the links at the top of the update. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and if you’re not into social media, just keep hitting refresh on the front page a lot this weekend.
In addition to live coverage of NXT TakeOver and MLW Battle Riot II, we will have recaps of RevPro, Stardom, WrestleCon: US vs. The World, Joey Ryan’s Penis Party (yes, it feels weird just to type it), Joey Janela’s Spring Break III, pt. 1, and Black Label Pro throughout the night and even into the morning.
In case you missed it, it appears Dave and Bryan will be heading on a cruise you might have heard about before.
WWE
Dave Meltzer tells us that Rey Mysterio was walking around fine Thursday night so he should be ready to go for WrestleMania.
Your WWE 2019 Legacy wing Hall of Fame inductees are Bruiser Brody, Wahoo McDaniel, Luna Vachon, SD Jones, Professor Toru Tanaka, Primo Carnera, MSG Network creator Joseph Cohen, former WWE president Hisashi Shinma, Buddy Rose, and promoter Jim Barnett. PW Insider first reported the list.
Becky Lynch did a 33-minute sit-down interview with Ariel Helwani today. ESPN.com also has a feature story on Lynch and her rise in WWE.
Dave and Bryan will have a recap of TakeOver later tonight on WOR, but it’s interesting that DAZN is sponsoring the event tonight, no?
Lynch spoke to GQ about the matches on the WrestleMania 35 card.
Kofi Kingston appeared on Busted Open Radio and discussed his “people like us” comment and it including everyone who has struggled.
Ronda Rousey told TMZ Sports that she’s a huge fan of John Oliver.
Newsday interviewed Curt Hawkins about his losing streak at WrestleMania.
Dave Bautista will play the lead in ‘Army of The Dead’ from Zack Snyder, a $70 million movie for Netflix.
WWE uploaded a video of Matt Riddle returning to Brooklyn for the first time since his debut appearance for the company.
Today is Charlotte Flair’s 33rd birthday.
WWE and Roblox announced a deal Friday.
The New York Times’ Other Arts section briefly talked about WrestleMania, focusing mainly on Dolph Ziggler’s Friday comedy show and other non-WWE events. (Thanks to Mike Lano)
Benzinga talked to HHH and Stephanie McMahon about this weekend and WWE’s future during their World Congress appearance.
Kambi has posted star ratings lines for Sunday’s Mania show.
Pro Wrestling
PW Insider reported Friday that Darby Allin will be a free agent as of next week, meaning he’s done with WWN and EVOLVE. Mike Johnson reported that Allin had been actively looking to get out of his contract.
Highspots uploaded Ric Flair and Road Warrior Animal’s in-ring segment from yesterday’s WrestleCon Supershow.
In honor of Amazing Red’s retirement this week, Canadian promotion Premier Championship Wrestling uploaded a 2005 Red vs. Kenny Omega match to their YouTube channel.
Here’s an ABC6 feature on ROH announcer Ian Riccoboni on Saturday’s MSG show and the ‘Last Week Tonight’ segment.
Benzinga did a feature about the indie scene during Mania weekend.
On Saturday at 8:30 AM Eastern at Sullivan’s Taphouse at the Hilton Midtown Manhattan, Ohio Valley Wrestling, Gladiator Sports Network, and OVW owner Al Snow will make an announcement about a new round of financing.
UFC
Outside several former UFC fighters competing in bare knuckle fighting in Biloxi, MI, Saturday, it’s (thankfully) a fairly quiet weekend for big MMA. If you remember, 2018 Mania week featured Conor McGregor tossing a metal dolly through a bus window in Brooklyn coincidentally enough.
Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald vs. Jon Fitch is expected for the company’s MSG show on June 14th. This would also be a first round match in the Welterweight Grand Prix that will see the title defended in every round.
UFC’s short film series ‘UFC: 25 Years In Short” was nominated for a Sports Emmy.
Daily Pro Wrestling History: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25
Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIA Weekend Event:
Saturday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm: Lunch (all you can eat) at Churrascaria Plataforma ($90 per person), located at 316 W. 49th street in Manhattan. Purchase tickets here~!
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