Wrestling News & Rumors

[Big Vic]

So did Ziggler trade wins with undefeated McIntyre and not be seen on regular TV since?

This company is fucking stupid.

[Emperor Smeat]

That might have been done to entice Ziggy to sign a new deal since he's supposedly still in talks even though he also keeps teasing he wants to leave and start a comedy career.

He had an interview recently where he hinted at having an idea of possibly leading a stable if he does end up staying in the WWE.

[Emperor Smeat]

The Sheets:

Originally Posted by Observer From Dave Meltzer on Trent Barreta/AEW/NJPW: “New Japan is not upset at AEW over Trent Barreta. The issue is that they felt Baretta had made a commitment to them for 2019 to key people and then decided to leave but they have no beef with AEW over them signing him.”

Originally Posted by Observer On Thursday, WWE released their highly-anticipated fourth quarter and year end earnings numbers but while their numbers were impressive, the stock market has yet to respond with a big surge in price. Some key revenue numbers for the year: Revenues were just over $903 million for the year, beating out 2017's $801 million. They had $99.6 million in net income, up from $32.6 million in 2017. The WWE Network closed the year with 1.563 million subscribers, 1.528 million paid and 35,000 free. Over the fourth quarter, they lost nearly 100,000 subscribers. Revenues were $63.5 million for Q4, up from 2017's $20.6 million. Other interesting numbers and facts: WWE will no longer release a Network subscription number the day after WrestleMania. Live event revenue was $144.2 million, down from 2017's $151.7 million. That encompasses 308 total events, down 18 from 2017. Q4 attendance averaged 5000, down from 5400 in 2017's Q4. Raw and Smackdown viewership numbers were down year over year, 15% and 14% respectively. They forecasted $1 billion in revenue for 2019, bolstered by new TV deals that kick in during Q4. They forecasted a slight increase in paid Network subscribers for Q1, up to 1.59 million. On the call, Vince McMahon was asked about Ronda Rousey's much-rumored departure following WrestleMania and how that would damage the brand. He put her over big, cited other stars being absent over the past year, and said they can work around her schedule if they know the dates she'll be gone for.

Vince confirming Rousey is taking a break after Mania sort of makes Rousey's big rant against the media a bit foolish now. Also WWE is still hiding how much money they get from the Saudi deal.

Originally Posted by PWI In today's WWE 2018 earnings release, the company announced that paid subscriptions to their WWE Network streaming service have risen to "approximately" 1.59 million paid subscribers. WWE noted in the release they are developing the "next iteration" of the Network, which likely means the long-planned tiered version.

Seems the Network is starting to flat out at around the 1.5 million range for subs which is well below WWE's initial expectations.

Originally Posted by PWI Barrios on no UK TV deal yet: "...hasn't happened. I think it's fair to say all the agreements will be made by the middle of the year [2019]."

Originally Posted by PWI PWInsider reports that even though her husband Dean Ambrose is leaving WWE when his contract expires in April, Renee Young is expected to remain with the company.

Originally Posted by PWI MLW’s weekly TV series FUSION will be moving to a new timeslot shortly, the promotion announced today. An official announcement about the change is forthcoming.

Originally Posted by Fightful.com A new video shows Chyna -- real name Joanie Laurer -- wanting to make amends with WWE. The video, which was released by Rob Potylo, was filmed two months prior to her passing. "One of the things I'm having difficulty with still is my communication with WWE. I've been trying to convey that through the Hall of Fame and asking for sitdowns," said Chyna in the clip. "The more I go to these shows and appearances, it's about family. I miss my family. I don't want to show up at these places with my brothers and sisters who I was on the road with, that I love, to see them and feel awkward because the battle with WWE. It's something I would love to resolve. I would like to do it privately where I can atone and say I'm sorry for the things I've said and done. I feel bad about having said certain things under duress and pain and things I haven't resolved privately. That's all I want to do."

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter The actual Monday injury report on Styles listed him as out with a hernia. On Tuesday, when he was cleared, he was listed as still having injuries to “shoulder/abdominal.”

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter WWE is believed to be returning to Saudi Arabia on 5/3. We were told early May and November for two Saudi Arabia shows in 2019. I can’t confirm 5/3 but I would be right around that date. WWE’s only official word was that they have not confirmed a specific date. Reader Nawaf Zubar noted that due to Ramadan starting on 5/5, there could be no entertainment event in the country in May after that date. 5/3 is a Friday and the previous two events were on Fridays

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter Canadian wrestler El Phantasmo, who works in the U.K. and won the British J Cup tournament Dave was at in Manchester last year, is expected to debut for NJPW at Best of the Super Juniors.

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter There haven't really been any big changes since the McMahon family announcement on Raw December 17th about how there would be changes. There also haven’t been any changes to house shows since three months ago when Vince McMahon said they understood the problem and were going to make changes to the house shows to fix the problem and bring attendance up.

Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A WWE had representatives in Japan last week to talk to different companies about potentially opening up an NXT Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. No other details are available right now.

Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A Becky Lynch vs. Stephanie McMahon is an idea that was suggested in WWE and is currently being talked about, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, but they added that it is “most definitely not a done deal.” If it is the plan, the groundwork was obviously laid on Monday’s Raw when Stephanie McMahon suspended Becky Lynch and Lynch attacked her. Then on SmackDown, Becky slapped Triple H. The angle is clearly “inspired” by the Austin vs. McMahon feud.

[Emperor Smeat]

The Sheets:

Originally Posted by Observer Today would have been Jim Neidhart’s 64th birthday. Sherri Martel was also born on this date in 1958 and Freddie Blassie was born on this date in 1918. Natalya wished her father a happy birthday: “Happy birthday to my dad. What an amazing life he lived!!! So grateful we got so many wonderful years together”

Link: https://twitter.com/NatbyNature/stat...67216339173376

Originally Posted by Observer AEW’s Nyla Rose is the first transgender wrestler to sign with a major promotion in the United States.

Originally Posted by Observer There will be representation from New Japan Pro Wrestling and CMLL when the Crockett Cup returns in April. The NWA announced today that NJPW and CMLL "will be sending teams" to the Crockett Cup, which is taking place at Cabarrus Arena in Concord, North Carolina on Saturday, April 27. The NWA didn't reveal further details on which NJPW and CMLL teams are going to be in the tournament.

Originally Posted by PWI I remember watching an old ECW show where there was a match called Ultimate Jeopardy, and the ending of the match was Shane Douglas pinning Terry Funk via the piledriver for the title. Could you help explain the history of this match as I also saw other wrestlers involved in this match as well? Ultimate Jeopardy was a 1994 Steel Cage match that headlined a Valley Forge, PA ECW event. The match had Wargames rules with the idea that everyone was facing a stipulation if they lost. The result of the match saw Shane Douglas, Mr. Hughes and The Public Enemy defeating Road Warrior Hawk, Kevin Sullivan, Tazz and Terry Funk in a WarGames Match. Terry Funk's ECW Heavyweight Title on the Line. Douglas pinned Funk. As a result of stipulations, Douglas won the ECW Title. Had Hawk been pinned, he would have had to give up the Road Warrior gimmick. Had Douglas lost, his head would have been shaved. Public Enemy would have been forced to split up. Tazz & Sullivan would have been forced to split up, etc. ECW did the stipulation again in 1996 where everyone had something to lose and it ended up with The Sandman pinning Raven substitute Steve Richards, winning the ECW title.

From PWI's weekly Q&A articles.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has a report on the asking price for The Undertaker for his upcoming signings and appearances. According to the report, the WWE legend is charging $25,000 per hour for his appearances and booking dates in the United States. This number comes from one person who attempted to book him. Additionally, The Undertaker is not accepting regular bookings until later this summer. The report didn’t have any notes on his booking fees for overseas appearances. As previously reported, he’s set to make appearances at the For the Love of Wrestling convention in April and the Inside The Ropes tour in the UK from April 30 to May 2. As of now, he’s currently not scheduled to work WrestleMania 35. Additionally, the Observer noted that as of this week, he’s not scheduled to work the next WWE event in Saudi Arabia. WWE’s next event in the country is scheduled for May 3, which is a day after his last scheduled date on the Inside The Ropes tour.

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc Kofi Kingston recently spoke with The Canton Repository and said The New Day works so well together because their chemistry is unbelievable ... Kofi also talked about what WWE Chairman Vince McMahon saw when the group brought their original idea to him - three preachers serving up the gospel of positivity. "From the very inception of New Day, we told Vince McMahon no matter what he gave us we would be able to make it work, because we believe in the chemistry we had," Kofi said. "Going back and forth with Vince, we had a very different idea of what we wanted it to be. The idea he came back with, we said, 'OK, he's really gonna test us on this guarantee we gave him of making anything he gave us work.' But we just kept doing it, and we evoked a lot of emotion from people, and really, that was what it was all about. Eventually, we kind of got to do what we first wanted, and over time it turned into what it is now."

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, New Japan Pro Wrestling's "THE NEW BEGINNINGS USA" tour drew a total of 2,118 fans over 3 shows, with an average of 706 per show. In comparison, Ring of Honor drew 3,900 fans over 5 shows in January, and averaged 780 per show.

Originally Posted by CageSideSeats.com Rumors for the Day: * Kota Ibushi is expected to work with All Elite Wrestling once he’s cleared from the concussion he sustained at Wrestle Kingdom 13.

Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A WWE officially announced today that Ronda Rousey will defend the Raw Women’s Championship against Ruby Riott at Elimination Chamber.

[Sepholio]

I would like to see that Ultimate Jeopardy match brought back after reading that. Not necessarily as a war games type match, but just the part about every wrestler having various stipulations on them if they happen to take the L in the match. The elimination chamber would actually be a very good match type for this gimmick tbh.

[erickman]

25 grand for undertaker what indy can afford that

[Mr. Nerfect]

I thought Nyla Rose was transgender. I like that they didn’t beat you over the head with it like WWE would with its tokenism.

[GD]

Are you guys following the Graves twitter saga?

[slik]

Yeah, I wonder if he was really drunk.

He really was attacking people right and left last night on Twitter. Was even more 'over the top' than his CM Punk Twitter meltdown.

[Volare]

I love it!

[Black Widow]

Originally Posted by Slik Yeah, I wonder if he was really drunk. He really was attacking people right and left last night on Twitter. Was even more 'over the top' than his CM Punk Twitter meltdown.

I'm for anyone that clowns the internets joke of a hero.

[GD]

Originally Posted by Slik Yeah, I wonder if he was really drunk. He really was attacking people right and left last night on Twitter. Was even more 'over the top' than his CM Punk Twitter meltdown.

People are debating if he's actually drunk or not. It felt really sad.

[slik]

HUGE update on IMPACT wrestling

IMPACT had about 12,250 viewers on their new home PURSUIT TV credit - Dave Meltzer, Observer Radio

[Innovator]

So All or Nothing might outdraw IMPAAAAAAAAACT

[slik]

BATISTA has offers from both AEW and WWE to have a match:

http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/dav...-wrestlemania/

Pro Wrestling Sheet has learned Dave Bautista is in talks with WWE for a match at WrestleMania 35, but it’s not set in stone yet … and another company is expressing interest. According to multiple sources, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star is deep in talks with WWE about a return on “The Grandest Stage of Them All.” However, we’re told he’s 50/50 on returning at this point based on how talks have gone. In addition to this, we’re told there’s been interest expressed to Dave from All Elite Wrestling and he isn’t turning them away. Our sources say he’s listening to what both companies have to offer.

[GD]

Big Dick Batista versus Hunter Esq. Hemsley confirmed!

[slik]

BTW, that WM36 in Tampa announcement should be in the next couple weeks, at latest.

[Emperor Smeat]

The Sheets:

Originally Posted by Observer All Elite Wrestling has announced the first women's match in company history. AEW released episode three of their Road to Double or Nothing video series tonight. It confirmed another match for Double or Nothing, with Britt Baker, Nyla Rose, and Kylie Rae set to face off in a triple threat match at the show.

Originally Posted by PWI WWE Hall of Famer Booker T Huffman filed a lawsuit today against video game producer Activision Publishing, Inc., Activision Blizzard, Inc., and Major League Gaming Corp., alleging that the look of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 game character David “Prophet” Wilkes is based on the comic book version of Booker's former pro wrestling persona of G.I. Bro, which he used while breaking into the business in Texas in the early 1990s and then brought back to life for a time in World Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s. In the lawsuit, which was filed today in the United States District Court for Eastern Division of Texas, Huffman alleged that Activision and the other defendants based Prophet on the comic book version of the G.I. Bro character, which had two books released about it in 2015. Huffman noted he created and owns the copyrights to the character, but Activision "began utilizing Booker T’s G.I. Bro image in Call of Duty: Black Ops4 which went on sale in late 2018. "

Originally Posted by Observer Daniel Bryan mentioned on Total Divas this week that his new contract with the WWE runs through 2021.

Originally Posted by PWI There has been talk of NXT star Candice LaRae working some Smackdown live events.

Originally Posted by PWI We are told WWE will likely start announcing 2019 Hall of Fame Class members after the Elimination Chamber PPV.

Originally Posted by Fightful Total Bellas drew 396,000 viewers this past Sunday. It's another series low.

For some reference, this episode was meant to air last week but was delayed due to E! not wanting it to go against the Super Bowl. Turns out that gamble to improve ratings didn't work.

Originally Posted by Fightful During Monday's episode of Raw, many fans were surprised to see Dean Ambrose support his friend-turned-foe Seth Rollins in his upcoming WrestleMania 35 bout against Brock Lesnar. Following a dueling mics segment between Rollins and Lesnar's advocate Paul Heyman, Ambrose made his way to the ring, was handed a microphone by Rollins and said, "I've only got one thing to say to you: Slay the beast." According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Ambrose was originally scripted to do a longer promo discussing the history of The Shield and Roman Reigns before delivering the "slay the beast" line, but Ambrose reportedly "wasn't feeling it." As a result, Ambrose decided to keep his promo short and sweet. The show of support to Rollins was designed to turn Ambrose back into a babyface.

Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A It doesn’t sound like anything serious, but Eva Marie said in a recent interview with TV Insider that since she left WWE (in 2017), she’s had “talk and exchanges” with them about a possible return.

Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A The first week of Impact Wrestling on the Pursuit channel on January 11 drew only 12,250 viewers, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio ... Impact’s viewer numbers on Pursuit are usually not publicly available since the show doesn’t break the top 150 cable shows for the day, so it isn’t listed in the rankings. But week 1’s numbers apparently leaked to Meltzer. Here’s what Meltzer said: “The first week of Impact on Pursuit did 12,250 viewers. That shocks me. Even though it’s a channel that nobody gets, you would think that they have at least like, 50,000 fans who are going to follow them, right? You know, hardcore, hardcore, right? No…”

[Mr. Nerfect]

TNA’s doing fine, guys. They had a tremendous re-building year. They charge people for shows now. TV ratings don’t even matter. The brand is as healthy as ever on the internet.

[slik]

Casey from Squared Circle Sirens w/ some surprising news today


Ronda Rousey and Sonia Deville:

Two New Additions To ‘Total█Divas’ https://t.co/1n8JwEUGmq pic.twitter.com/KFbnyz7rv3

— squared circle sirens (@SCsirens) February 13, 2019

and HOF woman this year is:

Michelle McCool getting extensions so she can look gorgeous when she gets inducted into the HOF this year.

— casey (@ifyouseekcasey) February 13, 2019

[slik]

Rumored cities to host Money In The Bank 2019 are: Boston, LA and Baltimore

[Emperor Smeat]

Originally Posted by Slik Casey from Squared Circle Sirens w/ some surprising news today Ronda Rousey and Sonia Deville: Two New Additions To ‘Total█Divas’ https://t.co/1n8JwEUGmq pic.twitter.com/KFbnyz7rv3 — squared circle sirens (@SCsirens) February 13, 2019

The bigger news is the Bellas are getting dropped according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. They were the ones who came up with the idea for the show and the series pretty much revolved around them even after they got their own spin-off show.

Maybe a sign their influence over WWE and E! is waning considering the ratings for both shows have been bad for a while now.

[Emperor Smeat]

The Sheets:

Originally Posted by Observer Two of Ring of Honor's top new signees will be facing off at the promotion's 17th Anniversary pay-per-view. ROH has announced that Rush will face Bandido at the PPV, which is taking place at Sam's Town Live in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, March 15. The match was set up in a video where Bandido issued the challenge and Rush accepted it.

Originally Posted by Observer Sasha Banks has been cleared to return to in-ring action after being out following the Royal Rumble. Dave Meltzer reported on last night’s Wrestling Observer Radio that Banks was cleared to compete at WWE Elimination Chamber on Tuesday. She was given partial clearance on Monday, which allowed her to do the barricade spot.

Originally Posted by Observer Squared Circle Sirens reported that Ronda Rousey has had cameras at her farm the last few weeks filming for Total Divas. Sonya Deville has joined the cast as well, while Lana and Rusev won’t be back for the next season. Pro Wrestling Sheet also reported that Nikki & Brie Bella and Paige won’t be part of next season’s cast.

Originally Posted by Observer WWE Network News reported that tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day-themed Hidden Gems section additions are: Johnny Valentine vs. Lou Thesz (Championship Wrestling from Florida, 1973) A brief video where Greg Valentine “showcases the devastating effects of his elbow drop as he prepares for battle” (Championship Wrestling from Florida, 1976) Bob Backlund defending the WWWF title against Greg Valentine in an hour-long match (WWWF, 1979) Ric Flair vs. Greg Valentine (Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, 1980)

Originally Posted by Observer Lucha Central reported that Texano Jr. is the latest wrestler to file a lawsuit over Lucha Underground contract issues.

Originally Posted by PWI Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman this Sunday at the WWE Elimination Chamber is now a No DQ match, WWE announced this evening.

Originally Posted by Fightful The video of Vince McMahon revealing that Charlotte Flair will replace Becky Lynch at WrestleMania is now the most hated WWE YouTube video of all-time. The video currently has over 60,000 dislikes. Roman Reigns' "This is my yard now" promo following WrestleMania 33 was the previous most disliked video with over 38,000 dislikes.

Originally Posted by Fightful The latest on WWE's potential expansion plans. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, WWE had representatives in Japan during the week of Feb. 4 to discuss business relations with different companies. No companies were named but Meltzer reports that this "opens the door for NXT Japan."

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc WWE is planning on doing more crossing over between the RAW and SmackDown women's divisions, according to @Wrestlevotes. It was noted today that the female Superstars are "slowly going to be crossing over more between both shows" here soon. @Wrestlevotes also noted that the plan is to have the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions appear on both RAW and SmackDown at first, but not on a weekly basis.

Originally Posted by Observer WWE has posted a tribute video for Pedro Morales, which you can see below.

[Bad News Gertner]

That's awesome. I'm glad they did that for Pedro.

[slik]

WWE's Financial History 1994 - 2018 from this week's Wrestling Observer

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS HISTORY Year Total Revenue Profit/Loss 1994-95 $87,352,000 -$4,431,000 1995-96 $85,815,000 $3,319,000 1996-97 $81,863,000 -$6,505,000 1997-98 $126,231,000 $8,446,000 1998-99 $251,474,000 $56,030,000 1999-00 $373,100,000 $68,973,000 2000-01 $456,043,000 $15,987,000* 2001-02 $409,622,000 $42,233,000** 2002-03 $374,364,000 -$19,455,000*** 2003-04 $374,909,000 $48,192,000 2004-05 $366,431,000 $39,147,000**** 2005-06 $400,051,000 $47,047,000***** 2006 (5/06 to 12/06) $262,937,000 $31,617,000 2007 $485,655,000 $52,137,000****** 2008 $526,457,000 $45,416,000 2009 $471,161,000 $50,303,000 2010 $477,655,000 $53,452,000 2011 $483,921,000 $24,832,000******* 2012 $484,000,000 $31,400,000******** 2013 $508,000,000 $2,800,000********* 2014 $542,600,000 -$30,100,000 2015 $658,768,000 $23,927,000 2016 $729,216,000 $33,725,000 2017 $800,959,000 $32,116,000********** 2018 $930,160,000 $98,719,000 Note: WWE operated on a fiscal year from May 1 to April 30 until changing to January 1 to December 31 in 2006. The 2006 numbers reflect the period from May 1 to December 31, or an eight month total *Wrestling profits for the year were $84,981,000, but the WWF’s share of the 50% of the XFL losses was $68,994,000. Total XFL losses for 2001, the only season of the league, were $137,988,000, half of which were covered by NBC. **Wrestling profit for the year was $42,948,000. Also figured in was a tax break of $4,638,000 for shutting down the XFL, offset by losses of $4,903,000 from operation of The World restaurant. ***Wrestling profits were $16,362,000; offset by $35,557,000 in losses due to the operation and closing of The World restaurant. ****Wrestling profits were $37,778,000; also figured in was a tax break of $1,369,000 for shutting down The World restaurant. *****Includes $16,000,000 in profits from the movies “The Marine” and “See No Evil” and $15,700,000 in losses for the movie “The Condemned *******Includes $23,400,000 in losses in the movie division and $4,000,000 in start-up costs for the new WWE Network. ********Includes $8,200,000 in start-up costs for new WWE Network and $5,500,000 in losses in the movie division. *********Includes $12 million in start-up costs for new WWE network and $12,700,000 in losses in the movie division. **********Includes $11,284,000 in costs arising from a new tax law due to the remeasurement of a deferred tax so normalized profits for the year would be $43,400,000.

[slik]

Other notes from this week's Observer

* WWE lost roughly 46,000 network subscribers due to protests over the Saudi Arabia deal. * Dwayne Johnson said he was the first choice to host the Oscars this year. But he said he couldn’t make it work due to the timing of shooting the Jumanji sequel. * Meltzer says WWE has completely botched all the new NXT callups already, with the exception of Otis/Tucker. * The whole story of the McMahon's being babyface authorities and all the big changes and the fans being in charge has been scrapped completly and WWE would like to focus more on authority figure vs. babyface storylines going forward. * Dave confirms Squared Circle Sirens report that Ronda Rousey and Sonya Deville have joined Total Divas. Ronda's husband and Deville's girlfriend will also be cast-members. * Medical update on Seth Rollins. His back has been hurting for some time. Leading into the Royal Rumble, he knew he needed to take time off after the show for it to heal. He could wrestle right now if needed, but it’s felt it’s better for him to rest and heal than to make it worse given his position at WrestleMania. The idea is they want him as close to 100 percent as possible for WrestleMania. * Asuka has not been seen at all on TV since the Rumble match where she defeated Becky. No decision has been made who Asuka is facing at Wrestlemania or if she will appear on the show. Dave expects Asuka to be on the WM card. * Shane McMahon will be doing a guest appearance on an upcoming NCIS Los Angeles episode. * Ronda Rousey right now is scheduled for Fast Lane on 3/10, but no decision has been made against who.

[slik]

Weird that creative has 'no plans' for Asuka after putting a title on her.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

The easy story was to attack Charlotte after the latter got added to the Lynch/Rousey match, and trying to draw her ire as a way toget the rematch that derailed her career a year ago.

The fucking thing writes itself.

[slik]

I could see WWE doing the following at WM for some reason...


* Asuka losing belt to Mandy Rose

* Taker semi-squashing Balor since he can't work long matches

* Charlotte winning women's title bc Vince decides fans want to see Becky chase Charlotte for the belt

* Brock retaining because 'they can book the rematch on the Saudi ppv'

* Baron Corbin defeating Kurt Angle in a match where Kurt must retire if he loses

[Emperor Smeat]

The Sheets:

Originally Posted by Observer WWE Network News reported that WWE Confidential is coming to the Network in this month’s classic content drop. Episodes from the show’s premiere through at least early 2003 will be uploaded to the Network on Monday (February 18). The news/behind-the-scenes show was hosted by the late “Mean” Gene Okerlund.

Originally Posted by Observer Dash Wilder wants WWE to bring back their classic Tag Team title belt design.

Originally Posted by Observer New Japan Pro Wrestling has started to hype up their return to the United Kingdom this August. When NJPW's upcoming big show schedule was announced during Wrestle Kingdom 13, it was noted that there would be an event at the Copper Box Arena in London, England on Saturday, August 31. It's now been announced that the show will be named "NJPW Royal Quest."

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter At the WWE house shows, Asuka vs. Charlotte have been wrestling for the title, with Becky Lynch coming in and costing Charlotte the title, laying both out. AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton is the Smackdown main event since Daniel Bryan is not on the tour. Elias is back as a babyface wrestling Drew

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter It sounds like Kenny Omega is in charge of the AEW Women's division, thought that would be Brandi Rhodes's department. Dave noted it is Brandi but Omega has recommended talent. They all work together but Brandi is doing the negotiations for the women.

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter On the financials, it's the same thing we've been talking about for a while now, with the Saudi shows and the FOX deals, they are going to be solid even if they had incompetent people running the company, and that is hardly the case. They will be beyond flourishing for at least the next five years. Smackdown going to FOX is going to be a big test, since Smackdown's ratings have gone down considerably since the deal was made. This was the most profitable year in WWE history, and next year will greatly surpass that, particularly in the fourth quarter when the new TV deals come into play.

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter Another thing that I find so interesting is that there is a big pool of free agents that came lately with The Bucks, Bandido, Rush, Cody, Kenny Omega, Adam Page, Jericho, Juice Robinson and a few others, and WWE wanted all of them, but they didn't really get any of those. They got some people, but they didn't get the big ones, and we know they tried with all of them.

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter They [AEW] are betting hard on their ability to build new stars. Some of the "unknowns" have already signed six figure deals.

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter The new group at the Performance Center reported on 2/11 of Karen Yu (Karen Q), Rachael Ellering (who has worked as Rachael Evers in NXT), Trevor Lee Caddell, Albert Hardie Jr. (ACH), Sam Shaw, Jeff Parker (Scott Parker), Matthew Lee (Shane Matthews), Elliot Sexton, Jonah Rock, Nick Comoroto, Omari Palmer(a 6-foot-3 315 pound former offensive right guard and three-year starter at Syracuse, playing from 2012 to 2016, now 24 years old, who is very strong but was considered too slow for the NFL and went undrafted) and Ricardo Miller (a 26 year old, 6-foot 4 226 pound former tight end at the University of Massachusetts). Parker and Lee had background cameos in the Kevin Owens bowling vignette on Raw. Kushida is also there but WWE wants to keep that name secretive for now.

Supposedly WWE has another class for the PC set to be announced as early as next month.

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter Hefty garbage bags are very pleased with their John Cena ad campaign. They are going to heavily push Cena as a sex symbol pitching the garbage bags for women shoppers in their 30s and 40s.

Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter Right now the update on the Vice Documentaries on pro wrestling (Bruiser Brody, Gino Hernandez, Fabulous Moolah and other subjects) is they will air on Viceland TV in the first half of the year. That could change. A piece on AEW will air on Vice News Tonight on HBO very soon put together by Emmy winning producer Elle Reeve.

Originally Posted by PWI For those who have asked, we know of no one within Impact who have received viewership numbers for Pursuit yet. As I noted on my Elite audio yesterday, it is in that company’s best interest to find any other TV home ASAP

Originally Posted by 411Mania According to a report by Ringside News, WWE is said not have any significant plans for 205 Live. As of now, the show is simply considered as another hour of WWE programming that can be aired on the network. As a result, there will not be any significant attention paid to 205 Live in terms of special events or live events around the 205 Live roster.

Originally Posted by 411Mania A trend toward scripts coming in late has been causing issues on Raw. Ringside News reports that scripts for the show have been coming in late over the last few weeks and that has led to staff and stars not knowing what’s been going on. According to the site, the lateness is being cause not only due to script changes, but because it takes so long to make decisions about what will go on. This has led to segments having to be cut for time and the like, and people being left to prepare for segments that don’t happen.

Originally Posted by 411Mania WWE is reportedly considering a change to their plans for the 2019 Hall of Fame class. Brad Shepard of the Oh, You Didn’t Know? Wrestling Show reports on Twitter that as of right now, the Hart Foundation “are not a lock” for the 2019 Hall and the company may go with another group instead. Speaking on the Oh, You Didn’t Know Wrestling Show (via Ringside News), Brad Shepard had an update on the in-ring status of WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle. According to Shepard, Kurt Angle is planning on finishing up his career this year, and WrestleMania 35 will likely be his last match at WrestleMania.

Also a rumor going around the net that Vince is getting really upset that former big stars are showing up for Starrcast's next convention since its associated with AEW. Supposedly he feels the "old guard" is becoming disloyal to WWE. Also rumored that Ric Flair's announcement for Starrcast II was purposely planned to occur after Charlotte was officially placed in a high profile Mania match out of fear of reprisals from a furious Vince if they made the announcement earlier. Conrad Thompson denies it was planned that way and was just a pure coincidence even though he recently stated he still keeps in contact with WWE for stuff.

[Mr. Nerfect]

There’s no way Vince is happy about Taker taking the Starrcast date. It would be like Hulk Hogan accepting a pre-WrestleMania independent autograph signing date in 1999. The tickets have been sold for DoN, but he’s going to draw more interest towards happenings there and it wouldn’t surprise me if his name pops into promotional stories around the event (even if AEW can’t and won’t advertise him).

[Droford]

Come see mean mark callous!

[Emperor Smeat]

The Sheets:

Originally Posted by PWI World Wrestling Entertainment filed a new trademark on the Ultimate Warrior's iconic facepaint design on 2/11:

Originally Posted by PWI World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms to acquire the rights and trademarks for the Wargames match from Major League Wrestling, PWInsider.com has confirmed with multiple WWE sources.

Originally Posted by PWI With the promotion [MLW] now looking to run exclusively on Saturdays, Tony Schiavone won't be around as much for the time being due to his other broadcasting commitments. The promotion has noted he will be back in the spring.

Originally Posted by Fightful Brad Shepard claims that WWE and Fox are looking to bring back Saturday Night's Main Event, while Wrestling Observer denies this claim.

Originally Posted by Fightful NJPW continues to have visa issues, keeping talent from appearing stateside. Pro Wrestling Force, an Independent company out of Illinois, is set to hold a show this weekend in Riverton, IL. The company has been promoting NJPW talent EVIL as part of the show, but due to visa issues, EVIL won't be able to make the event.

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc As reported earlier today, during an Impact Wrestling media call, Disco Inferno defended his stance about women's wrestling and stated that he's not sexist. One of his comments about women wrestling involved him comparing it to the WNBA and saying that, "They're not as good as the guys." Inferno was also quoted saying, "I am a fan of the women's wrestlers that can combine good looks with good work. If there's a girl out there whose work isn't as good but she's hotter and has sex appeal, I'm a fan of that." He also mentioned that there was too much TV time dedicated to women's wrestling. Former Women of Honor Champion Kelly Klein shared a link to a story about Disco Inferno comments with the caption: "Dude you are so gross but congrats on finding a way to get some attention." Former ECW and WWE star Lance Storm quickly replied to Klein's tweet with, "I don't want to bother reading. Is his reason because he's upset most are having better matches and accomplishing more than he did during his run?"

Originally Posted by WrestlingInc As seen below, ESPN's Twitter posted a video remembering the finish of WWE No Way Out 2004. On that night, fifteen years ago today, Eddie Guerrero would pin Brock Lesnar with a frog splash to win his first-ever WWE Championship. On This Date: 15 years ago, Eddie Guerrero defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship ?? (via @WWE)pic.twitter.com/WIUdEhIgCg — ESPN (@espn) February 15, 2019

On This Date: 15 years ago, Eddie Guerrero defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship �� (via @WWE)pic.twitter.com/WIUdEhIgCg

— ESPN (@espn) February 15, 2019

[Mr. Nerfect]

Lol, Disco Inferno is such a piece of shit. Doesn’t he run in the same circles as Vince Russo?

Seems a weird thing for Dave Meltzer to “deny.” I wonder if they got the wording right? Brad Shephard is another fuck, but he gets good information. It makes sense for WWE to look to get more special event network programming too. I’m surprised they haven’t set up a “Grandest TV Showcase of the Year” yet.

[Bad News Gertner]

Disco isn't wrong with anything he said. Womens sports are unwatchable.

[Evil Vito]

Not true. Women's beach volleyball gets a lot of attention from me during Olympic season.

[Bad News Gertner]

How about Foxy Boxing.

[slik]

Per Big Dave Meltz on Wrestling Observer Radio the following are being discussed as WWE tries to determine who will face DBry at WM. Dave said not Kofi at this time.


Kevin Owens
Bray Wyatt
Sami Zayn
Undertaker
Kurt Angle

[ClockShot]

Not the best of the bunch. But I'd go with either a fresh Sami Zayn or Kevin Owens if those are the only choices.

[Jordan]

No Tony for MLW is a tough blow.