DAILY UPDATE
Latest News
WWE Raw live results: The night after WrestleMania 35
AJ Styles off post-WrestleMania SmackDown
Post-WrestleMania updates on Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar and Tanahashi
NJ Transit blames WWE for post-WrestleMania travel delays
Dave Bautista announces retirement from pro wrestling
Becky Lynch wins Raw & SmackDown women’s titles at WrestleMania
John Cena brings ‘Doctor of Thuganomics’ back for WrestleMania
Kofi Kingston wins WWE World title at WrestleMania
Seth Rollins kicks off WrestleMania by upsetting Brock Lesnar for WWE Universal title
Latest Audio
WOL: Post-WrestleMania news and your calls 4/8
WOR: WrestleMania 2019! 4/8
We’re looking for your thoughts on these three shows. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]:
WrestleMania
ROH/NJPW Supercard of Honor last night
NXT Takeover
We’re also looking for non-Raw results from tonight’s show at the Barclays Center to [email protected].
Smackdown and 205 Live will be Tuesday night also at the Barclays Center.
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].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell,CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be up tonight with Wrestling Observer radio covering the fallout from WrestleMania and tonight’s show.
The WrestleMania live gate was $16.9 million. The announced attendance was exaggerated significantly as it always is. They had to announce a figure bigger than last time, so the minimum announced would have been 81,000. It will be several months before the actual paid number gets out.
WWE has taken a lot of heat today for keeping the show going so long last night. This was particularly due to all the problems with New Jersey Transit, who claimed they were told the show would end at 10:30 p.m. until being told the day before it would be over around midnight. It got so far as Governor Phil Murphy, who noted the problems at a press conference and said the “dog ate my homework” excuse is unacceptable and that this would be a learning experience.
Brock Lesnar has gone home and is not on Raw. Ronda Rousey has a broken right hand, described as a severe break. She was scheduled on the show tonight at one point, but we haven’t gotten an update whether she will be or not. Tonight was originally to be her last night in WWE before a sabbatical. A.J. Styles is listed by WWE as having a hip injury. He went home and will not be on SmackDown tomorrow.
MLW has signed a television deal with Freesports in the U.K. and Ireland. Fusion will debut Tuesday night at 10 p.m. with a two hour special of the Battle Riot show that took place this past week. Starting next week, Fusion will air on Monday nights at 10 p.m. FreeSports is on Freeview HD Ch. 64, Sky 422,Virgin 553 FreeSat 252, TalkTalk 64 and BT Vision 64, as well as on Sky 429 in Ireland.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, who has been working banged up all year, was injured in Saturday’s match with Zack Sabre Jr., and is off all shows including the two big Dontaku shows in Fukuoka early next month.
Smart money came in late on Carmella the last two days to win the women’s Battle Royal. She was still not the favorite, but went from +2000 to +200 in the last two days.
The major New Japan matches over the next month on New Japan World:
4/20 Sengoku Lord in Nagoya
Juice Robinson vs. Bad Luck Fale for U.S. title
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. for IC title
4/22 at Tokyo Korakuen Hall
Togi Makabe & Toru Yano & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa & Hikuleo for Never trios titles
Hirooki Goto & Dragon Lee vs. Jay White & Taiji Ishimori
4/26 in Hiroshima at the Green Arena
Sho & Yoh vs. Bushi & Shingo Takagi for IWGP jr. tag titles
4/29 in Kumamoto
Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano for IWGP tag titles
Hirooki Goto vs. Jay White
5/3 in Fukuoka
Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Evil & Sanada
Jeff Cobb vs. Taichi for Never open weight title
Dragon Lee vs. Taiji Ishimori for IWGP jr. title
5/4 in Fukuoka
Evil vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Kazuchika Okada vs. Sanada for IWGP title
WWE
For the first time, Kambi has odds on TV ratings. You can bet over/under on 3.5 million viewers for the first hour or 3.0 million as the three-hour average. Raw tonight goes head-to-head with the NCAA men’s basketball finals with Texas Tech vs. Virginia.
After Raw is the season premiere of Table for 3 on the Network with Ricochet, Johnny Gargano, and Adam Cole.
Business Insider has a WWE vs. AEW video. (thanks to Chris Cruise)
UFC
Azamat Murzakanov, a UFC light heavyweight with a 7-0 record, was suspended for two years for testing positive for the steroid Boldenone in a test on September 2, 2017. He’ll be eligible to return in September, but has never fought in UFC. He tested positive after signing with the company before he had a fight.
MISCELLANEOUS
The new Being the Elite show is up and is called ‘Pissant’, so you would think it would address Paul Levesque calling AEW a pissant promotion on Saturday night. But, in fact, it never comes up.
Combate Americas announced a 5/10 show from Stockton, CA at the Stockton Arena on Univision, Univision Deportes and DAZN. Zoila Frausto, a former Bellator champion, is one of the headliners.
AAW runs Friday night in Merrionette Park, IL at 115 Bourbon Street for its 15th anniversary show. Matches listed are Sami Callihan & Jessica Havok vs. David Starr & Eddie Kingston, LAX vs. Pentagon Jr. & Fenix, DJZ vs. MJF, Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin, Jacob Fatu vs. Larry D, Shazza McKenzie vs. Kris Statlander plus AR Fox, Myron Reed, Jake Something, Curt Stallion, Besties in the World, Jimmy Jacobs, Mance Warner and Adam Brooks.
Anthony Greene has signed with WWN and will be a regular with EVOLVE going forward.
Bellator announced a press conference at the Viacom Offices in Times Square tomorrow for its 6/14 show in Madison Square Garden, a DAZN exclusive show. Lyoto Machida vs. Chael Sonnen is the main event, plus Neiman Gracie will challenge the winner of the 4/27 Rory MacDonald vs. Jon Fitch fight for the welterweight championship. Reps from Viacom, DAZN, and Scott Coker will be there. Other fighters in attendance, which means they are likely fighting at the MSG show, are Dillon Danis, Max Humphrey, and Heather Hardy.
EVOLVE on Saturday night in Ybor City, has Austin Theory defending his title against NXT’s Raul Mendoza, JD Drake defends the WWN title against Shane Strickland, Angelo Dawkins vs. Eddie Kingston falls count anywhere, Shane Thorne vs. Curt Stallion, Lacey Lane vs. Brandi Lauren, AR Fox vs. Adrian Alanis plus Eric Bugenhagen and Adrian Jaoude from NXT will be on the show, as will Anthony Henry, Harlem Bravado and Colby Corino.
Daily Pro Wrestling History: Wrestlemania XXXIV
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