WEBVTT - Holiday Previews 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.840 Hey, this is Brian Alvarez and this is today's edition 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:06.680 of the Wrestling Observer Daily podcast on the eight Side Network. 0:00:12.240 --> 0:00:16.200 By from San Francisco. I'm a Sports Byline Broadcasting network. 0:00:16.400 --> 0:00:19.599 You are listening to Wrestling Observer Live with your hosts, 0:00:19.640 --> 0:00:21.960 Brian Alvarez and Mike SEMPERVV. 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:24.880 Are you ready? Are you ready? 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:26.560 Let's get it off. 0:00:28.240 --> 0:00:31.080 Let's get it. Mike semper Vv here with you for 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:34.520 the next hour talking about professional wrestling, which is something 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.680 we do every single day here on the Sports Byline 0:00:37.720 --> 0:00:43.080 Broadcasting Network. Tune in, iHeart American Forces Radio, Sportspyline dot com, 0:00:43.120 --> 0:00:46.519 over the air affiliates like KMAV ninety nine KMSR and 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:51.640 The Mighty Aer ten ninety podcast replays on SiriusXM, or 0:00:51.680 --> 0:00:54.720 maybe you're video streaming on Twitter or YouTube. However you're 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:57.160 joining me today, I'd just like to say thank you. 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.920 Hopefully wherever you are at sunny uside. If not, hopefully 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:04.440 it's sunny inside your mind, beautiful clear day here on 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:09.000 Del Marbo. I got a programming note to start. I 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:12.880 will not be here on Friday, so don't show up 0:01:12.920 --> 0:01:16.080 and think that I know showed. Okay, no show Friday, 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:19.120 Well have a replay of one of the shows we 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:22.160 did this week, maybe this one. You never know. But 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:25.200 because we're not here on Friday, I will run down 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:28.920 what has been announced thus far for the weekend shows, 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:33.080 not all of it, just what's been advertised as both 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:38.320 SmackDown and Rampage are already in the can WWE has 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:40.600 made two new signings. I'll let you know about those 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:44.600 right now. According to p W Insider Today, Brogan Finley, 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:47.560 the son of Fit Finley, and former NWA Women's Tag 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:51.040 Team champion Matti Ronkowski have signed. The twenty eight year 0:01:51.080 --> 0:01:54.680 old Ronkowski has also wrestled several matches for AEW. The 0:01:54.720 --> 0:01:57.200 twenty one year old Finley is the brother of Bullet 0:01:57.200 --> 0:02:00.320 Club's David Finley and began training in twenty two twenty 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:03.400 under ar Fox. He's worked his way around the Indy 0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:07.240 since then and has now been signed by WWE. There's 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:10.680 a lot of WWE talent, former talent they have gotten 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:15.160 there no competes expiring, and Mustafa Ali is one of 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:17.240 those guys, and we'll let you know what he's already 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:20.960 got lined up. Matt Riddle has also been announced for 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:23.600 an upcoming show and we'll let you know who that is. 0:02:23.639 --> 0:02:27.880 For Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery. Yeah, they're in merger 0:02:27.919 --> 0:02:32.119 talks and with WBD back in the picture to possibly 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:34.760 grab the rights for raw. We'll take a look at 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:37.520 how that might affect AW plus as we always do 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:41.800 on Thursday. The world famous A almost said NXD. The 0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:45.640 world famous aw Dynamite Report will get started when we 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:47.600 get back Wrestling Observer Live. 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:01.040 Here's a message just for the atear's out there. So 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:03.480 you pass the bar, joined to firm, or even built 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:05.760 your own. Now, are you finding out that you're doing 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:10.040 more administration than actual law practice? Lexicon can help. Lexicon 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:12.520 is a legal technology provider with over a decade of 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:16.720 extreme streamlining administrative tasks like time keeping, billing, and more 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:20.239 so you can focus on maximizing billable hours and increasing 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:23.720 client satisfaction. 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It's warmth perfected with tiny gold dots that 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:47.320 reflect your body heat inside and protect you from the 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:51.200 cold outside. No snow or chili temps can stop you. 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:54.880 Now go out anyway. Shot the Omni Heat Infinity Collection 0:05:55.040 --> 0:06:08.320 now at Columbia dot com Slash Infinity. 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:11.920 You are listening to Wrestling Observer Live with Brian Alvarez 0:06:11.960 --> 0:06:15.680 and Mike semperviv on the Sports Byline Broadcasting Network. 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:19.880 Welcome back to the show, Mike simper vv here with you. 0:06:20.240 --> 0:06:21.760 You know, we do this show right here for an 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:23.760 hour at a time every single day. But if you 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:25.400 want us twenty four to seven, you can try to 0:06:25.400 --> 0:06:29.360 find us on Twitter, slash x, at semper vv, at 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:33.600 Brian Alvarez, at Filthy, Tom Lawler, at Jim Valley, I 0:06:33.600 --> 0:06:36.960 believe at andrews Arian as well too, and certainly at 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:40.080 Sports Byline USA. You got to make the Wrestling News 0:06:40.160 --> 0:06:42.040 part of your day. Two folks, come on now, I've 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:44.440 been telling you this for a long time. Why haven't 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:46.320 you done it? Many of you have, and I thank 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:49.200 you for it. The rest of you should everything you 0:06:49.240 --> 0:06:51.040 need to know to get your day started, get you 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:52.880 up to date, or get you to your favorite wrestling 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:57.080 review pod like Wrestling Observer Radio. Each edition of The 0:06:57.120 --> 0:07:00.200 Wrestling News is between five and fifteen minutes long, three 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:02.840 hundred and sixty five days a year. No clickbait, no 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:06.400 speculation or rumors, just the Wrestling News. Find it wherever 0:07:06.480 --> 0:07:08.800 you find your favorite podcasts, or head on over to the 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:13.080 Wrestling News dot com or at wrestling newsav on Facebook 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:19.680 and Twitter, so Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery are in 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:24.120 the very early stages of merger talks, which is exactly 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:27.280 the way that a professional wrestling show should start out. 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:31.960 WBD CEO David Zasloff has met with Paramount CEO about 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:36.520 Backish on Tuesday. Zasloff has also spoken to Paramount's non 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:41.200 executive chairwoman Sherry Redstone about the deal. Is an old 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:45.960 major media name, Redstone, Paramount has been sucking win for 0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:48.480 a long time now. Apparently they have like fifteen billion 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:51.000 dollars in debt and things are not looking good for them. 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:56.280 WBD has notably done a lot of slashing and burning 0:07:56.800 --> 0:08:01.640 under the Zaslov regime to reduce the forty five billion 0:08:01.720 --> 0:08:04.240 dollars in debt or something like that that they had 0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:07.240 and then start to increase their cash flow, which he 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:11.239 says they have done. It wouldn't even be an equal 0:08:11.280 --> 0:08:14.280 partnership if they got together because WBT is so much 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:17.920 bigger and more profitable. But there are assets that are there. 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:22.120 Paramount Global has got the Tiffany Network CBS, which is 0:08:22.160 --> 0:08:26.000 the one thing that WBD doesn't have a major American network. 0:08:26.320 --> 0:08:29.400 They if they so chose that they could in theory 0:08:29.680 --> 0:08:32.840 in this case like merge CBS News with CNN if 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:36.680 they wanted to. It also consolidates the shares that both 0:08:36.720 --> 0:08:41.920 companies would have in another major American network, technically the CW. 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:45.200 Both companies own twelve and a half percent of that company, 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:49.160 with the rest of it owned by Next Star. They 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.600 may then have to end up selling that off in 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:54.360 that case, if they were to get together or not. 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:58.080 A lot of consternation and a lot of things that 0:08:58.120 --> 0:09:01.280 are making people upset revolve around Paramount Studios and the 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:04.360 possibility of that merging with Warner Brothers. And that's even 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:07.520 if the federal government were to allow such a thing. 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:12.480 But when this whole thing really shakes out, a lot 0:09:12.480 --> 0:09:15.440 of it comes down to how they can optimize streaming. 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:19.960 And if WBD took over Paramount, they would have the 0:09:20.080 --> 0:09:24.800 sixty three million reported subscribers that Paramount Plus has right now, 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:28.920 roll them into Max and then probably kill off Paramount Plus. 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:31.160 It's what all of these things are doing. They are 0:09:31.200 --> 0:09:35.480 all now getting together. There's a bunch of mashing together 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:38.320 and people trying to hook each other up and help 0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:41.640 each other out. This is why Reels ended up on Peacock, 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:47.240 CNBC said yesterday, though you know, the sizes of these 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:51.280 things could be an issue. NBC Universal trying to merge 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:54.599 with one of these groups is something that federal regulators 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:57.480 would hate. And why does any of this matter? It 0:09:57.559 --> 0:10:01.360 matters because in all of this fluctuation and all of 0:10:01.400 --> 0:10:06.360 this change, not only does this provide a way for 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:09.440 dopey talking heads like me to fill a bunch of time, 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:12.720 but also because it's interesting and it's interesting to see 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:15.880 what happens with Monday night raw up for grabs. And 0:10:15.920 --> 0:10:20.359 there's apparently people at WBD who are fans of cmpunk. 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:25.240 Not sure which of those people may also have held 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:29.160 a grudge against the Briscoes. I'd still like to find 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:33.040 that one out. But obviously people there are fans of 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:39.360 cmpunk because the doors back open for WBD negotiating with WWE. Now, 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:44.080 could this all be coincidental timing? Yeah? Could two things 0:10:44.120 --> 0:10:47.760 be true? Yeah, you know, someone there could have an 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:52.080 affinity for punk. But you know, the realistic look of 0:10:52.120 --> 0:10:55.040 all of these bigger gears grinding away in the background 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:57.440 could have caused this door to open back up. We 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:01.320 don't exactly know quite yet. Ww Network rights are going 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:02.880 to go up in the air. I guess in what 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:06.280 late twenty twenty five, or at least they're they're going 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:08.160 to be up in twenty twenty five, or that's when 0:11:08.160 --> 0:11:11.360 the negotiations for them will begin. And I think in 0:11:11.480 --> 0:11:16.040 theory that could be a car wwe could tease to 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:20.600 WBD if their numbers are truly as robust as Nick 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:23.720 con said that they were and indicated that they were 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:27.319 earlier on this year, after Fox had already pulled out 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:29.760 and he started going to all those media summits and 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:33.120 was shopping all the shows. Is it enough to make 0:11:33.160 --> 0:11:38.079 it attractive to a new combined Max paramount gimmick where 0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:41.720 their main competition is Peacock. I don't know if it matters. 0:11:41.800 --> 0:11:44.520 It could still her Peacock. I would assume it would 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:48.319 her Peacock a little bit. So of course, what does 0:11:48.360 --> 0:11:53.600 that mean then for AW eh, you know, Disney ESPN 0:11:53.920 --> 0:11:58.000 is I don't believe, even with ESPN having eighty seven 0:11:58.080 --> 0:12:00.679 sub networks like News and all that sort of stuff, 0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:04.240 that it's a place that's conducive for pro wrestling at all. 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:08.040 The only reason I can see ESPN wanting AW is 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:11.120 that it could probably land over the course of a year. 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:13.679 If they expand to twelve pay per views, say one 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:16.760 hundred thousand on each one, that's one point two million 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:21.320 pay per view buys at fifty bucks, So that's what 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:24.520 sixty million dollars. That could be a reason why they 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:28.520 would do it. You can negotiate for aw's library to 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:32.640 be on ESPN Plus as an addition there. But the 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:37.199 thing is, ww's network will still be up forbid at 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:40.080 some point, and what would be more valuable to Disney 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:44.600 espnwwe's library of content, which is established or starting a 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:50.600 new one with AW eh Disney FX is a good 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:54.120 spot for AW to land. It's good for FX, it 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:57.240 would be good for AWFX is pretty much on every 0:12:57.960 --> 0:13:02.040 major cable provider out there, every you know, on demands 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:04.520 over the top service or whatever you call them, with 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:08.640 YouTube TV and all these other types of services. It's 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:12.960 there so you don't lose a whole lot of you know, 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:16.000 visual you know, you don't lose a whole lot that way. 0:13:16.760 --> 0:13:20.640 Usually FX is around wherever they usually stack TNT and 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:24.680 TBS and USA and those sorts of channels, So you 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:27.520 know that probably is going to be the best move, 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:31.800 But then it's still does Disney Why do they want this? 0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:35.360 You know, if they lose out on Raw, if they 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:38.400 lose out on WWE, would they have an interest in AW? 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.440 I think they should under the circumstances. If you look 0:13:41.480 --> 0:13:43.240 at what FX is doing and the fact that they're 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:46.240 lagging back so badly, it would actually be a benefit 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:50.960 for them Fox FS one. We know the network's definitely out. 0:13:51.080 --> 0:13:54.080 Could there be value there for FS one? Yeah, but 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:56.920 the problem is where do you put it on the 0:13:56.960 --> 0:14:01.200 schedule where it airs consistently and that's just for one show, 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:04.320 let alone two, and we'll take rampage out of that mix. 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:08.120 But like the ratings AEW would do, they would love 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:11.120 to have. But with everything else that FS one has 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:14.559 on and the money that they pay for college basketball 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:18.600 and for college football, you know, I think it's a 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:20.880 bad spot to be in. I would think that's a 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:24.360 bad spot to be in. I think the CW came 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:27.880 up earlier on today on Wrestling Observer Radio with Dave 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.520 Meltzer and Jim Valley. I don't know if going back 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:33.600 to them hat in hand, after you already turned him 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:36.760 down and after they've already picked up NXT is something 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:39.520 that would be in the cards, especially again with the 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:42.960 merger thing going on at that point. But I guess 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:45.840 we'll see. They already have the NWA on their app, 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:48.760 and they have Women of Wrestling on the station, and 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:52.840 that may not mean a whole lot overall, but it's 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:55.280 still content that they don't have to pay hundreds of 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.520 millions of dollars for like they would for aew and 0:14:58.600 --> 0:15:01.000 considering they spend them up a bunch of money to 0:15:01.080 --> 0:15:04.920 sublease the ACC basketball and football games and they have 0:15:05.520 --> 0:15:08.400 NASCAR's expended D series and they want to do more 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:11.760 of the NFL, that doesn't seem like it's a promising option, 0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:15.520 which means then you go to the streaming services and 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:17.800 at some point Google and YouTube are probably going to 0:15:17.840 --> 0:15:20.720 get involved in this down the line, but it's not now, 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:25.640 so then that leaves Apple, Amazon and Netflix. And Amazon 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:28.520 is probably the one that would make the most sense. 0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:30.520 It's probably the one you could get the most money 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:34.520 out of, and it's probably the one that would ultimately, 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:37.560 at the end of the day, be the best bet 0:15:37.560 --> 0:15:42.840 for AW But who knows. The mellow music has come in. 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:46.440 We can put all that corporate nonsense to the side. 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:48.800 If we can get into the pro Wrestling Ring and 0:15:48.960 --> 0:15:51.720 we get back from break here on Wrestling Observer Live. 0:16:12.880 --> 0:16:16.400 You are listening to Wrestling Observer Live with Brian Alvarez 0:16:16.440 --> 0:16:20.120 and Mike Semperviv on the Sports Byline Broadcasting Network. 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:23.560 Back on the show, Mike simper vv here with you 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:27.480 Wrestling Observer Live. I think DJ Convoy for pointing out, 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:30.520 at least in the Twitch chat that yes, these mergers 0:16:30.560 --> 0:16:34.680 are very interesting, especially for somebody like me who grew 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:39.600 up outside of DC and remembers Reagan's repeal of the 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:43.440 Fairness Doctrine and then remembers when Clinton signed into effect 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:47.600 the Telecommunications Act of nineteen ninety six, which I mean 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:50.800 those two things have led to why you see a 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:53.240 lot of the things that you see in media, Why 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:57.640 you see these media groups that have gotten together because 0:16:57.680 --> 0:17:01.680 they're restrictions on who owns media and how those media 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:04.639 rights are held are just went completely out the window. 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:10.240 And how news is reported to you now it is 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:15.399 given to you has changed dramatically in that time. But 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:20.480 what can you do ratings news, folks, We're gonna go 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:23.960 into ratings news. That's my big transition here. Tuesday Night's 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:25.960 episode of n Next to You averaged six hundred and 0:17:25.960 --> 0:17:28.760 forty one thousand viewers on the USA Network, down five 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:32.000 and a half percent from last week. Third lowest audience 0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:35.280 in total is done since September twenty sixth, and Next 0:17:35.280 --> 0:17:36.840 to You drew a point one to seven rating in 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:39.000 the eighteen to forty nine demo, about two hundred and 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:42.760 twenty three thousand people, down nearly six percent from last week. 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:46.720 N NeXT's lowest rating in that category since August twenty ninth, 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:49.679 went head up with the NBA and TNT, which it 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:53.200 usually does. TNT did one point four to six million 0:17:53.280 --> 0:17:55.400 viewers during that time and a point four to three 0:17:55.840 --> 0:17:58.240 in the eighteen to forty nine year old demo. We'll 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:01.520 see what happens. Maybe the EW Dynamite number will come 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:04.320 out during the show. Last week, it did eight hundred 0:18:04.359 --> 0:18:07.040 and forty five thousand viewers, with three hundred ninety four 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:11.040 thousand of them between eighteen and forty nine years old. 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:15.560 Lustafa Ali is not forty nine years old, but my god, 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:18.640 he might feel like he's forty nine years old once 0:18:18.680 --> 0:18:21.720 he gets done booking all these indie dates. His non 0:18:21.800 --> 0:18:27.760 compete clause, as it has for a lot of WWE releases, 0:18:27.920 --> 0:18:32.680 expired today and several promotions have announced, and I mean 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:36.440 more than a handful of an hounds, that Ali is 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:41.280 going to be a part of their show. Prestige Wrestling, 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:44.359 GCW and others have all revealed that Ali has been 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:47.600 booked for future events. It all starts for him apparently 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:51.400 on January nineteenth, as he'll face off against Gringo Loco 0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:55.520 on a GCW show. There will be three promotions in 0:18:55.600 --> 0:19:00.600 Ontario that Ali works for, Demand Luchan January eighteenth, C 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:03.119 four on January nineteenth, and then he's going to go 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:07.600 over to Quebec City on January twentieth for NSPW. Then 0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:10.560 he goes over to the UK and what's being advertised 0:19:10.560 --> 0:19:13.679 as his UK debut. Was he not over there for 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:17.879 WWE at least this is his UK indie debut. Progress 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:21.399 Wrestling announced that he'll be there on January twenty eighth. 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:26.080 Prestige Wrestling posted that Ali will Russell Speedball Mike Bailey. 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:30.240 So there's the first I mean, no offense to Gringo Loco, 0:19:30.400 --> 0:19:34.560 but Ali and Mike Bailey, that's that's kind of flashy. 0:19:34.600 --> 0:19:38.119 That's gonna happen on February twenty fifth in Hollywood. The 0:19:38.200 --> 0:19:41.359 promoters behind Warrior Wrestling in Chicago have announced Ali for 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:45.359 Trouble Brewing on March first, and Destiny Wrestling is bringing 0:19:45.400 --> 0:19:50.120 in Ali for its March third show in Mississauga, Ontario. 0:19:50.440 --> 0:19:54.159 So a lot of people believe that he could be 0:19:54.240 --> 0:19:57.359 showing up in AEW. He is one person that seems 0:19:57.400 --> 0:20:00.960 to be on everybody's short list as somebody that could 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:06.280 be very effective in GCW. Will see GCW in AW. 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:10.720 We'll see if that happens. Matt Riddle is headed back 0:20:10.880 --> 0:20:15.120 to Major League Wrestling. MLW has confirmed that Riddle will 0:20:15.119 --> 0:20:19.520 face Jacob Fatu at Kings Of Coliseum at the twenty 0:20:19.560 --> 0:20:24.680 three hundred Arena in Philadelphia on January sixth. Riddle previously 0:20:24.800 --> 0:20:29.040 wrestled for MLW from December of twenty seventeen to April 0:20:29.040 --> 0:20:32.760 of twenty and eighteen. His last match for the promotion 0:20:32.960 --> 0:20:35.040 was the finals of a tournament to crown a new 0:20:35.160 --> 0:20:41.000 MLW champion, where he was defeated by Shane Strickland. Court 0:20:41.359 --> 0:20:44.520 Bauer was on the Busted Open show today with Denis 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:48.320 Salcedo and Tommy Dreamer talk about a Beauty in the 0:20:48.320 --> 0:20:52.560 Beast scenario there. That's also where he revealed that Sammy 0:20:52.640 --> 0:20:56.160 Callahan would be starting back with the promotion as both 0:20:56.200 --> 0:20:59.840 a wrestler and an agent that Kings of Coliseum show 0:21:00.160 --> 0:21:04.480 me up on January sixth. I mean, it's got an 0:21:04.760 --> 0:21:07.240 incredible lack of filthy Tom Lawler on it. I mean, 0:21:07.240 --> 0:21:10.159 that's the first thing that really flashes out to me 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:14.520 here is where's filthy? MLW World Champion Alex Kine will 0:21:14.520 --> 0:21:18.600 defend against Richard Holiday. World Featherweight Champion Jenai Kai with 0:21:18.600 --> 0:21:21.960 Selena Dala Renta in her corner, will face hyper Massu. 0:21:22.480 --> 0:21:25.439 Ricky Shane Page against Akira. There will be blood in 0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:32.400 that one. Love Doug against Brett Ryan Goslin. Brent Brett 0:21:32.600 --> 0:21:38.000 Ryan Goslin. Sure, Matt Riddle against Jacob Fattoo. So that's 0:21:38.000 --> 0:21:41.560 what they have advertised on that show. We'll see how 0:21:41.600 --> 0:21:46.600 the reaction from the public is to MLW signing Matt 0:21:46.640 --> 0:21:51.159 Riddle and having Matt Riddle on that show. For you 0:21:51.200 --> 0:21:53.440 know a good dose of people out there. They are 0:21:53.560 --> 0:21:56.240 not happy with seeing Matt Riddle around. They don't like 0:21:56.280 --> 0:21:58.919 Matt Riddle, they don't want to see booked anywhere, and 0:21:58.960 --> 0:22:01.960 they say they will not wherever Matt Rule goes. We'll 0:22:02.000 --> 0:22:06.480 see if that's actually the case or not. It's one 0:22:06.480 --> 0:22:09.920 of those things that I don't know. I'm one of 0:22:09.960 --> 0:22:12.520 those people put me in the category. And this is 0:22:13.280 --> 0:22:16.000 whether he was having issues or not. I don't know 0:22:16.040 --> 0:22:18.720 what kind of is he that big of a benefit 0:22:18.720 --> 0:22:21.560 for AW I mean, the fact is he does have, 0:22:22.400 --> 0:22:26.120 you know, issues at least when it comes to how 0:22:26.160 --> 0:22:32.480 he is perceived as taking care of himself and acting 0:22:32.960 --> 0:22:36.399 in a you know, in his personal life, and what 0:22:36.480 --> 0:22:39.520 he does in his personal life is certainly one thing. 0:22:39.600 --> 0:22:42.040 I mean, you know, people have brought up his relationships 0:22:42.240 --> 0:22:45.960 and things like that, but I mean just the coming 0:22:46.000 --> 0:22:51.320 back smashed at JFK Airport, just that where you're accusing 0:22:51.840 --> 0:22:55.520 a TSA worker of feeling you up and being loaded 0:22:55.560 --> 0:22:59.000 on there. I mean, with that, with you know, the 0:22:59.040 --> 0:23:03.280 suspensions from the past in WWE, when you look at 0:23:03.320 --> 0:23:05.760 the whole scenario, it's like there are a lot of 0:23:05.760 --> 0:23:10.040 people out there who probably don't come with anywhere near 0:23:10.080 --> 0:23:13.360 as much baggage, who don't they don't have the name power, 0:23:13.359 --> 0:23:16.359 but they're better balls of clay that you might be 0:23:16.400 --> 0:23:20.040 able to mold and utilize. You know, Mustafa Ali would 0:23:20.040 --> 0:23:22.159 be you know, he's not even a ball of clay. 0:23:22.280 --> 0:23:24.880 You know, somebody younger. I mean, he's an established guy 0:23:24.880 --> 0:23:27.120 that could walk in and probably help you out a lot. 0:23:27.440 --> 0:23:29.520 I think Dolf Ziggler could come in and help you 0:23:29.600 --> 0:23:32.000 out a lot in a certain way, you know, if 0:23:32.040 --> 0:23:35.040 you don't push him as he's the devil or something 0:23:35.119 --> 0:23:37.040 like that, or try to push him as a world champion. 0:23:37.080 --> 0:23:39.480 I think he could probably do a whole lot for you. 0:23:39.480 --> 0:23:43.840 You know, I'm not sure, other than again, just just 0:23:43.920 --> 0:23:46.840 having the name Matt Riddle on your show if you're aew, 0:23:46.920 --> 0:23:50.399 I don't know if it's if it's all that important 0:23:50.800 --> 0:23:52.800 now when it comes to New Japan, when he comes 0:23:52.800 --> 0:23:57.280 to MLW, when he comes to other places, you know, 0:23:57.320 --> 0:23:59.800 they're probably gonna look more the other way, and they 0:23:59.800 --> 0:24:03.920 can absolutely use Matt Riddle's name power a whole hell 0:24:03.920 --> 0:24:06.560 of a lot more. But we'll see how things start 0:24:06.600 --> 0:24:09.960 to play out with him as we go along here, 0:24:10.400 --> 0:24:14.159 he's we still have the Impact announcement of what Scott 0:24:14.200 --> 0:24:17.200 De Moor is saying is the biggest signing in Impact 0:24:17.280 --> 0:24:20.800 history or in New TNA wrestling history, a big game 0:24:20.880 --> 0:24:24.080 changing announcement. So could it be Riddle. We'll see what 0:24:24.160 --> 0:24:27.280 happens since we won't be here tomorrow. As I said 0:24:27.280 --> 0:24:28.840