Daily Update: WWE notes, Darby Allin, Matt Hardy

Latest News

• Former WWE wrestler Daniel Rodimer wanted for murder
• TKO executive: 'Insatiable demand' exists for 'underpriced' WWE PLE rights
• WWE & Netflix discussions originally focused on NXT
• Hook vs. Brian Cage FTW Title match set for AEW Dynamite
• The Young Bucks to make 'huge announcement' on AEW Dynamite
• John Cena teases possible WWE WrestleMania 40 appearance
• First look at new AEW Dynamite set
• TKO wasn't involved in recent Vince McMahon stock sale

Latest Audio

• Wrestling Observer Live: AEW Dynamite preview, NXT Stand & Deliver main event set
• Bryan & Vinny & Craig & Shawn: WWF Challenge 1986 S1:E1, plus Granny!
• We're Live, Pal: Sting's perfect last match at AEW Revolution

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This Week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• March 4, 2024 Observer Newsletter: Life and career of Ole Anderson, WWE Elimination Chamber

With the death of Ole Anderson this week, we have a giant issue of the Observer with a huge bio of Anderson, talking about his entire career in the business, as a wrestler, promoter, booker and later executive with WCW. We talk about the beginnings of Georgia wrestling on national television, the expansion, Dusty Rhodes vs. Ole Anderson, The Black Scorpion, The Four Horsemen, Minnesota Wrecking Crew, Black Saturday and so much more. This issue includes:

• The life and times of Ole Anderson
• A story on the death of Mike "Virgil" Jones
• Update on WrestleMania
• Coverage of Elimination Chamber
• Rock on Smackdown
• Updated Mania lineup
• Business notes on Elimination Chamber
• Update on WWE & UFC 2023 business, along with 2024 projections and why the stock price dropped
• Sting's last match and AEW Revolution preview
• Secondary market notes
• History of Greensboro sellouts
• Darby Allin and Young Bucks talk Sting
• New Japan after Okada looked at
• What New Japan needs to do
• How Matt Riddle and Nic Nemeth started in New Japan
• New Japan Cup news
• Rundowns of New Beginning in Sapporo
• UFC from Mexico City rundown
• 2023 Shad Gaspard/Jon Huber Award winners
• Triple Crown winners of Wrestler of the Year, Most Outstanding and Match of the Year in the same year
• The most detailed look at the ratings of all the shows, segment-by-segment, demos, competition and weekly placings as well as comparisons to one year ago
• First ever all women's Friday night show at Arena Mexico
• Notes on the next CMLL tournament
• Wrestlers leaving AAA
• Stardom Cinderella tournament
• Two major Stardom stars confirmed as staying with the promotion
• Movie coming out on 70s star
• More on MLW lawsuit settlement with WWE
• More plans and changes at TNA
• Shocking PPV number and trying to explain it
• Tony Khan talks business and how many PPV shows per year is optimum
• More on the visa situation with Mexican talent
• More on Darby Allin climbing Mount Everest
• Lots of injury updates
• International TV ratings
• Advance ticket sales for WWE & AEW shows
• Biggest event in PFL history
• More on the Nick Kiniski story
• Dwayne Johnson gets ownership of all his IPs
• WWE writer talks about Vince McMahon
• WWE star in BJJ tournament

This Week's Retro Observer Newsletter

• November 15, 2006 Observer Newsletter: History of the Monday Night Wars

Wednesday Update

WWE

• Andre Chase competed at NXT Roadblock last night after his father passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. Chase wrote on Instagram:
• As some of you may know, my father unexpectedly passed away over the weekend.
• My dad had the heart of a lion and never backed down from a fight. Tonight, even in defeat, I hope I honored him by pulling myself up off of the mat even when I thought I had nothing left. #WWENXT
• After the spot where he hit a moonsault from the top of a steel cage against Joe Gacy last night, Dijak responded to critics:
• People who tell me I shouldn’t do a moonsault off the top of a cage have never been T-Bar barely treading water on Main Event & tearfully staring at my phone waiting to be fired.
• I don’t take a second of this for granted and I’m eternally grateful to @ShawnMichaels & @TripleH.
• In an in-character tweet directed at Seth Rollins today, Drew McIntyre referenced CM Punk’s comments about Hangman Page from the All Out 2022 media scrum:
• 'What did I ever do in this world to deserve an empty-headed, ******* dumb **** like Seth Rollins to go out on national TV and go into business for himself'
• Kairi Sane and Natalya congratulated Bull Nakano on her WWE Hall of Fame induction.
• Natalya wrote:
• Bull Nakano came at a time when something else was expected of women’s wrestling matches. Today, we reap the benefits of Bull ignoring those expectations and kicking ass because she was that damn good! Her passion, grit and determination represents womens wrestling, and what we have today is all the better because of women like Bull who weren’t afraid to be themselves. Congratulations on your @wwe HALL OF FAME induction, Bull! You deserve it!
• Tommaso Ciampa praised Becky Lynch’s upcoming memoir:
• We all have our own story to tell. And none tell it better than Becky.
• I’ve read countless wrestling books over the years. No joke, I’d put Becky’s book up there with my absolute favorites (Foley and Jericho to be exact).
• She had a copy with her this weekend and I asked if I could read it on our charter flight Sunday night. The two hours passed by in a blink.
• Then, before leaving Raw, Becky surprised me by gifting me the book (her own copy!) and she even signed it with a message to [Ciampa’s daughter] Willow (I love that Willow gets to grow up surrounded by so many superwomen).
• One of my favorite things about this business is the fact that every wrestler has such a unique path. Lots of very relatable experiences and life lessons in this book. The content is so real and raw… self doubt, mental health, passion, triumph…it’s just great stuff
• On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, John Cena was asked who he thinks is the greatest of all time in pro wrestling:
• I would say people who elevate the business to new heights from a performance standpoint. I mean, this is just my perspective, and again, we're talking objectivity. So it's only opinion, there's no truth to what I'm saying. Hulk Hogan would have to be in there, Steve Austin, Dwayne Johnson, and Roman Reigns. When the company went public, I think they started to trade at 32 [per share]. And then my tenure has kind of helped everybody put the pieces back together again. And Roman has done a fantastic job of taking the business to heights it's never been to before.
• Cena named his top five women’s wrestlers (in no order): Bayley, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, and Charlotte Flair.
• The Philadelphia Inquirer published a story on Paul Heyman being announced for the WWE Hall of Fame. Heyman said: “I’m a native New Yorker. But I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to be inducted anywhere else besides Philadelphia.”
• Charlotte Flair will appear at WWE World in Philly on Saturday, April 6. She is doing a meet and greet at the event
• Tiffany Stratton and Sami Zayn were guests on WWE’s The Bump this afternoon.
• Maxxine Dupri appeared on the Lightweights Podcast.

AEW/Other Wrestling

• AEW announced that we’ll hear from Darby Allin on tonight’s Revolution fallout edition of Dynamite.
• AEW uploaded a Control Center video ahead of tonight’s show.
• Fightful reports that Matt Hardy’s AEW contract is currently set to expire this month unless an extension is reached.
• 11Alive news in Atlanta interviewed Swerve Strickland.
• Sting’s son Garrett posted a YouTube video on his gaming channel speaking about being part of his father’s retirement match.
• Episode four of Johnny Loves Taya is now available to watch.
• CMLL wrestler Star Jr. will be in action at MLW War Chamber in St. Petersburg, Florida on Friday, March 29.