Daily Update: 'Superstar' Billy Graham, Vice Media, WWE Raw

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This Week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

• May 15, 2023 Observer Newsletter: AEW's big announcements, WWE Backlash recap

In this issue:

• Match of the week and performer of the week
• A look at AEW's changes coming up that will be announced over the next week with the debut of Collision, as well as a business analysis of rights fees as compared to WWE, different scenarios and different things that could be part of the new deal.
• Full coverage of Backlash, including the booking, the show, Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, Roman Reigns, business notes on the show, interest levels for the different events in a giant weekend of sports, PPV numbers, crossover between WWE and Alvarez fight, and the paradox of government money bringing WWE to cities and how that affects future hows in San Juan.
• A full look at the AEW event at Wembley Stadium. We look at ticket sales, records, scalpers, the biggest shows ever in Europe, the biggest non-WWE shows in history, how viable is it regarding the all-time paid attendance records, and the three shows it has to beat, U.K. attendance records, differences in AEW & WWE ticket sale patterns, possible attractions for the show as well as opponents for he biggest matches and other London shows that weekend.
• Full coverage of UFC 288, main event decision, what's next for the top stars, business notes and match-by-match coverage.
• A look at Dragon Gate's Dead or Alive show
• A look at the longest lasting U.K. headliners and Hall of Fame comments
• The most detailed look at the ratings from the past week, with weekly placings, competition, and comparisons to one year ago, a well as how segments did
• Wrestler goes for world title in two very different groups over a few week period
• Konnan talks AAA U.S. TV negotiations
• The politics behind the upcoming champion vs. champion match
• Champion Carnival finals
• How many tickets has Mercedes Mone moved for her next show
• Early notes on All Together Now
• Best of Super Juniors shows for this week
• The most famous feud in Canadian football history, Angelo Mosca vs. Joe Kapp, and a detailed rundown
• Former TNA & WWE star retires
• Double or Nothing update
• AEW booking team detailed
• Crazy AEW PPV stat
• Upcoming ticket sales to WWE & AEW shows
• International TV numbers and streaming numbers
• Aftermath of Omega vs. Moxley
• Retired wrestler mentions being open to work Wembley Stadium as a farewell
• Notes on the upcoming ROH shows
• UFC business updates
• Lots of new UFC fights
• MMA legend talks retirement
• PFL hit with rash of suspensions
• Pat McAfee negotiations
• Top merchandise sellers

This Week's Retro Observer Newsletter:

• March 27, 2006 Observer Newsletter: WWE Saturday Night's Main Event tanks, sanctioned MMA begins in California

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Monday Update

Bryan and I will be up tonight talking Raw and all the latest wrestling and MMA news with Wrestling Observer Radio.

Very sad news today with the doctors advising Valerie Coleman, the wife of Superstar Billy Graham (Wayne Coleman) that they believe he needs to be taken off life support. I just want to send whatever good wishes and prayers to Valerie today. She and Wayne have been together since she was 19 years old and through the good and the bad, he has been her life. So I can understand her asking that the life support stay on, but this was the first time it really feels like we have to face the inevitable. 

Having been in the position with family and friends when the doctors say that, it's just heartbreaking memories this brings up. Superstar Graham was one of the two top drawing heel wrestlers of the 1970s (the other being The Sheik). But he was probably the single most influential wrestler of that era, as everyone copied him, even people like Dusty Rhodes who readily would admit to it even though most wouldn't see it because they looked so completely different. Obviously people like Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura top the list of the Graham copycats who went on to become giants both in and out of the wrestling industry. Yo have no idea how many people, myself included, Paul Heyman included, DDP included, Hogan included, had their lives changed by Graham because he was so instrumental in talking through your television set and making you a fan of this business when people were very young. Graham faced death so many times that you while you probably never thought he'd live to be 79, once he did, you probably didn't ever face the reality that one day this could happen. Vince McMahon had a love/hate relationship with him but in the end he would readily speak of Graham's influence on him and the creation of the Hogan character which blew up his company. We all know that Billy was born ten years too soon for his own fame but had he not been born at all, it's hard to say where the business as we know it would be. That's how strong his influence at the time was. Billy absolutely had his dark side and no fair portrayal of him can ignore that as well. But this is really a devastating day.

Vice Media declared bankruptcy today, a prelim to a sale of the company to Soros Fund Management and Fortress Investment group. For those who have asked, we don't believe this will directly effect the airing of Dark Side of the Ring, which debuts on Tuesday 5/30y for a new season. (thanks to Chuck Langerman)

Raw tonight is from Greensboro, NC featuring Becky Lynch doing a promo talking Trish Stratus, Cody Rhodes building up his match with Brock Lesnar, Gunther debuts, a Battle Royal will be held to determine the top contender for Gunther's IC title (Johnny Gargano was the surprise opponent at the weekend house shows) , Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez defend the tag titles against Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Miz. The advance as of this morning was more than 9,500 tickets so another big crowd.

Looking for reports on this show with Main Event matches and anything else not on the TV show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

Thanks to David Devoti for the report from the Saturday WWE show in Augusta, GA.

Raw gets a break this week as there is no NBA playoff game tonight. The Lakers vs Denver goes against NXT tomorrow Boston vs. Miami game one goes against Dynamite on Wednesday. Raw does go against game seven of Seattle vs. Dallas in the NHL playoffs which should hurt a little. They are lucky because last week they had the world title tournament and were coming off the PPV show, while this week they could have been hurt a lot worse by the NBA playoffs.

Roman Reigns is doing a rare house how in Fayetteville, NC on Saturday night. The building is pushing it as the first time Reigns is in Fayetteville in more than four years.

Best of the Super Juniors at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow in Akita:

• Yoh vs. Clark Connors
• Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Titan
• Bushi vs. Robbie Eagles
• TJP vs. Douki
• Dan Moloney vs. Francesco Akira
• Mike Bailey vs. Kushida
• Desperado vs. Kevin Knight
• Hiromu Takahashi vs. Sho
• Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Master Wato
• Lio Rush vs Taiji Ishimori
• There are also tournament shows Wednesday in Sendai and Thursday in Iwate.

There wasn't much mention of WWE at the FOX in its release today or NBCU upfronts today. There wasn't going to be with FOX because it was the entertainment division that made the release and FOX considers Smackdown part of the sports division.

Nick Khan will be part of the SBC Moffett Nathanson Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on Thursday at 1 p.m. in New York talking the merger and company business.

John Cena taped an episode of Josh Horowitz's Happy, Sad, Confused podcast today.

Other Notes

A story on Zach Gowen's 20th anniversary as a pro wrestler. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)

HighspotsAuctions.com is doing private signings with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Bill Goldberg and Excalibur.

Clash Wrestling from Saturday night in Allen Park, MI: Dean Hendrix NC Thomas Bailey, James Alexander b Forever Young, Marti Belle b Heather Blue, Elk & The Power Ranges b Cameron Sky & tommy Teeznik & Dr. Wrecking Ball, Juntai b Jason Hotch, Allysin Kay b Jody Threat, Ren Jones b Rickey Shane Page (thanks to Leonard Brand)

MCW on Saturday night in Joppa,MD at the RJ Meyer Arena with Robert Locke & Brandon Scott vs Jay Lethal Alex Divine. on a show called Tribute to Legends.

Herb Simmons' Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling had a fan fest on Saturday bringing in JJ Dillon, Ted DiBiase, Brian Knobs, Gerald Brisco, Bob Orton, Barbara Goodish, Lisa "Victoria" Varon, Greg Gagne, Bushwhacker Luke, The Grappler,Brutus Beefcake,Barry Horowitz, Bobby Fulton, Buff Bagwell, Haku, Barbarian, Ken Patera, Rip Rogers, Enzo, JBL, Teddy Long, jimmy Hart, John Nord, Earl Hebner, Steve Lombardi, Fred Ottman, Stan Hansen, James Beard, Wes Brisco, Spike Huber, Ross Hart, 2 Cold Scorpio and Baron Von Raschke.

Winnipeg Pro Wrestling from Friday night: James Roth b AJ Sanchez,. Tyler Colton b Carter Mason, Michael Allen Richard Clark b Marcus Muncherson, Jody Threat b Heather Reckless to keep the WPW women's title, Red Hot Summer b Technical Difficulties to win the tag titles, Chad Daniels b Warhorse, Tootie Lynn b Aminah Belmont, Bobby Schink b Tommy Lee Curtis to keep the WPW title. The July show sold out in 20 minutes (thanks to Blair Pacheco)

Sorry to report the death of MMA judge Michael De Pasquale Jr. He passed awa this past week due to complications from a 2020 back injury that he never recovered from. (thanks to Nick Mahmood)