Week six of WWE on A&E programming had Rivals with an episode of The Miz vs Daniel Bryan followed by the Biography of Roman Reigns, directed by Paul Heyman.
Rivals started the night with 333,000 viewers and a 0.10 rating in 18-49, good enough for #31 on the top 50 cable chart. That is up 13,000 viewers from last week’s show but same in the demo rating.
Biography followed with 337,000 viewers, down 20,000 viewers from the previous episode and a 0.11 rating in 18-49, the same as of last week. The show was #24 on the cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)
AEW is doing a double taping of Dynamite and Collision at the DCU Center tonight in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Five matches and a couple of segments have been announced for the broadcast.
AEW World champion Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland will have their contract signing for Dynasty and TNT champion Adam Copeland will be doing an in-ring promo.
The Young Bucks will take on Best Friends in the first semi final of the AEW Tag Team title tournament and Mariah May will battle Thunder Rosa in a #1 contender’s match for the AEW Women’s title.
Plus Bryan Danielson vs Lance Archer, Will Ospreay vs Powerhouse Hobbs, and Billy Gunn vs Jay White will also take place.
Cody Rhodes was a guest on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani today and talked a variety of subjects, including AEW, a subject that was brought up by Helwani following the CM Punk interview on Monday.
Asked for his opinion on CM Punk’s comment that Tony Khan is not a boss, but just a nice guy, Cody Rhodes played more of a diplomat and said that while that is CM Punk’s assessment, it’s not his assessment.
“It’s always important for me to remind people that I am so proud of what me, Matt, Nick, Kenny, Tony, Bernie, Brandi, Dana, and Chris…” Cody said. “And I name all these people, because I was in those meetings and as much as the internet will try and spin the narrative in one way, if one of those people have not been at that start up level, the company would not have happened.”
Cody added that he’s “insanely proud” of what AEW does for the industry overall, for wrestlers, their well-being, and their ability to feed their families and has unbelievable love for people in that locker room.
The former TNT champion said that when he was there, the infrastructure was still being built up as a start up company but wishes nothing but the best to everyone in AEW.
He joked that he loves Nick, Matt, and Kenny, and loves CM Punk too, if that is even all possible!
Asked if it crossed his mind to go back to AEW at the end of his WWE deal before he signed, Cody said no, it didn’t, and he didn’t mean it as a negative to AEW, but he’s lucky to be in the current spot in WWE.
Cody was also asked if he knew that CM Punk was coming back at the Survivor Series and spilled the beans that both Nick Khan and Triple H went to ask him before and to get his opinion so he went into War Games knowing what was about to happen.
Cody said that that he’s glad that CM Punk is back in WWE as he’s a great addition to the locker room and was not shocked at all that the powers that be brought him back.
“It’s been wonderful since he came back,” Cody said.
The champion and the final boss will be on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon tonight for another WrestleMania push.
While the two are frequent guests of the show, they’ve never appeared together on it until today.
WWE Superstars will be very busy over the next few days appearing on different media outlets to promote WrestleMania, doing interviews for television, radio, and print.
The majority of them are already in Philadelphia while the top stars get there over the next day after their several media commitments.
Doing the media rounds ahead of WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes credited the fans for putting him in this position and said that if it were not for them, he wouldn’t be in that spot on the card.
The American Nightmare said that he is dedicating his matches on Saturday and Sunday to all his fans around the world.
“Nothing in my entire career will ever be as touching,” Rhodes said. “Just the fact that the biggest movie star on the planet came in…and they still do love him, The Final Boss. The Rock doesn’t realize they still do love him. They just didn’t want him to step in front of this year-long story that we’ve been part of and me trying to capture a championship my family’s never held before.”
Rhodes joked that his mother told him that she’s bringing bear spray for the match and Cody told her that it’s not allowed in the stadium!
“She’s coming into WrestleMania week in Philadelphia probably with everyone just wondering what she’s going to do, and who knows? She’s the best, she’s seen it all, she’s perfect, she’ll be there in the front row,” Cody continued. “Rock ain’t getting nowhere near her. And if I can say anything about The Rock’s mom…lovely lady!”
WWE Superstar Drew Gulak has publicly responded to Ronda Rousey’s claims of his inappropriate behavior backstage.
Yesterday, Rousey accused Gulak of grabbing the string of her sweatpants as he was walking by and “nobody reacted as if this is abnormal.”
Now, Gulak, posted his own version of what happened on X, writing, “Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.”
The two versions obviously differ and at this point it’s hard to say who is lying considering no other witnesses have stepped forward.
The WrestleMania go-home episode of Raw drew 1,783,000 viewers, up 54,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast and the best number since February 19. The show was helped by the commercial-free first hour but was hurt big time by the Women’s NCAA game which did 12,301,000 viewers head-to-head.
Raw started big with 1,948,000 viewers for the first hour but dropped a lot after that, with 1,760,000 viewers in the second hour and then down to 1,643,000 viewers in the third hour. The show lost 305,000 viewers from the first to the last hour.
Raw was #4, #5, and #7 in the top 50 cable chart for the night with 0.65, 0.58, and 0.55 ratings respectively for an average of 0.59, up 0.02 from the prior week. It was #4 overall on all of television as it beat everything on network as well. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)
Tokyo Sports is reporting that former IWGP Strong Women’s champion Giulia is on her way to the United States and expected to be in Philadelphia for WrestleMania week.
After a Tokyo Sports reporter confronted Giulia at the airport, Giulia joked that she was going to the Himalayas and planning to shave off her eyebrows while there. The report stated that Giulia boarded a flight to the United States afterward.
The popular Japanese star is expected to join WWE shortly but according to various reports, Giulia will first help Rossy Ogawa launch his own all-female promotion before moving Stateside.
Giulia’s contract with STARDOM ended at the end of March and already appeared for NOAH, where she has a match booked for early May.
Nutrabolt, owner of C4 Energy, and WWE today announced an expansion to their multi-year partnership that will see C4 Ultimate Energy, one of the fastest-growing energy drink brands in the United States, become the first-ever Official Energy Drink Partner of WWE.
As the first-ever Official Energy Drink Partner of WWE, C4 will receive prominent branding and exposure across a wide range of WWE properties and premium live events, including WrestleMania XL on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7 where it will serve as the first-ever sponsor of the WrestleMania Skycam which returns to offer the WWE Universe a unique viewing experience.
In addition, C4 will be the presenting partner of the WrestleMania XL Night 2 press conference and WWE’s multi-day talent tryout as part of WrestleMania Week. C4 and WWE will also continue to collaborate across WWE, WWE Superstar and C4-branded social and digital channels to create exclusive and original content.
“When it comes to next-level energy, nothing beats the WWE and its fans,” says Robert Zajac, Chief Marketing Officer at Nutrabolt. “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with the WWE as its Official Energy Drink and to offer fans nationwide the same Ultimate Undisputed Energy their favorite Superstars bring to the ring.”
“C4 has been an innovative partner through the years which has enabled us to unlock the power of WWE to create unique integrations and branding opportunities across all touchpoints, including premium live events, on-site activations, social and digital content, and more,” said Michael DiNuzzo, VP of U.S. Business Development, Global Partnerships, WWE. “We are excited to introduce C4 Ultimate Energy as the Official Energy Drink Partner of WWE ahead of our biggest event of the year, WrestleMania XL.”
C4 will employ a citywide takeover throughout Philadelphia for WrestleMania XL, sampling C4 Ultimate throughout the weekend including at WWE World and Lincoln Financial Field.
Following last night’s NXT on USA Network broadcast, a video posted by NXT Anonymous showed GM Ava talking to someone on the phone for a potential appearance this Saturday during the Stand & Deliver kickoff show.
“I’m so excited that you’re going to be joining us on the Countdown show on Saturday,” Ava said to the mystery caller. “I know everyone is going to be so excited to see you.”
Ava referred to this individual as someone who’s “always going to be part of the NXT family” and said that she’ll see him/her on Saturday.
The Stand & Deliver pre-show will start at 11 ET and will air on Peacock, WWE Network, and all of WWE’s social media properties.
Collision on Saturday night drew 458,000 viewers, up 63,000 viewers from the previous show which was two weeks ago. The show had a 0.11 rating in 18-49, down 0.01 and placed #28 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)
During an appearance on NewsNation with Brian Entin while promoting her brand new book Our Fight, former Raw and Smackdown Women’s champion Ronda Rousey accused NXT star Drew Gulak of inappropriate behavior while she was waiting to speak to Triple H in the writers room.
Rousey, who’s been on a WWE culture-bashing tour over the past few weeks, said that she was standing when “this guy I was barely an acquaintance with” grabbed the string of her sweatpants as he was walking by.
“And nobody reacts as if this is abnormal,” Ronda said.
Ronda asked Gulak that if her husband was there next to her if he would be comfortable walking up to her and grabbing the string of her sweatpants.
“All the guys around me were like, this is part of the day. And if this guy was coming up to me and doing this kind of stuff to me when there are other people around, what’s happening to these other girls when I’m not in the hallway?” Ronda wondered.
Ronda said that she told Gulak that if she hears that he put his hands on any other woman or do anything like that to her ever again, they were going to have a big problem.
“And he was like ‘No, no, no, I’m glad you said something to me’ and he backpedaled. But it put a sour taste in my mouth about the culture there and what’s considered acceptable and how to touch and treat the women in the hallways,” she continued.
In a different interview, Ronda also said that while Vince is no longer part of WWE, his “little cronies” are still “running things for him,” once again mentioning Bruce Prichard who she once called Vince’s avatar.
“I wouldn’t be going back to work with them anytime soon because the last time he was gone, he was still running the show. Hopefully, he’s completely gone and they are running more responsibly and allowing people to rehearse,” she said.
Ronda left WWE in August 2023.
Ronda tells NewsNation that an incident backstage involving Drew Gulak inappropriately reaching down to her sweatpants and pulling on her strings occured during her time with wwe. pic.twitter.com/culeAOx9nf
Rampage on TNT drew 349,000 viewers on Friday back in its regular time slot, down 192,000 viewers from the previous week when it aired after Dynamite. It was actually up 22,000 viewers from the March 15 episode which also aired on a Friday. The show had a 0.11 rating in 18-49, same from the March 15 show but down 0.07 from last week and was #28 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)
Silver Lake, a private equity firm, today announced that it is acquiring Endeavor Group Holdings for $27.50 a share.
The purchase price is valued at $13 billion and the transaction is expected to be finalized by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
As part of the deal and majority owner of TKO Group Holdings which owns WWE and UFC, TKO will remain a public company.
“We believe this transaction will maximize value for all of Endeavor’s public stockholders and are excited to continue to unlock and invest in the growth opportunities ahead as a private company,” Endeavor CEO Ariel Emanuel said in a statement.
Silver Lake initially invested in Endeavor in 2012 and helped with the sale of UFC in 2016.
TKO shares rose nearly 5% after the news was announced and is now trading at just over $90.
Betting on wrestling and combat sports is becoming increasingly popular among sports enthusiasts worldwide. These events, characterized by their intense physical confrontations and thrilling unpredictability, offer unique opportunities for bettors. From professional wrestling entertainment spectacles like WWE to traditional combat sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) in organizations like UFC, the variety of options can cater to a wide range of preferences. This guide aims to provide a foundational understanding of how to engage in betting on these dynamic sports, covering the basics of odds, betting types, and strategies to enhance your betting experience.
Understanding the Odds
Odds in wrestling and combat sports betting serve as the cornerstone for making informed decisions. They indicate the likelihood of an event’s outcome and determine the potential return on a bet. Odds can be presented in several formats, including decimal, fractional, and American. Decimals show how much one wins for every dollar wagered, fractional odds represent the ratio of profit to stake, and American odds display the favorite and underdog with positive and negative numbers, respectively. Familiarizing yourself with these formats is essential for interpreting betting lines and assessing value in the bets you place.
Types of Bets
Betting on wrestling and combat sports encompasses various bet types, each offering different ways to engage with the action.
Moneyline Bets: The most straightforward bet, where you pick the winner of the match. Odds reflect the perceived likelihood of each competitor or team winning.
Over/Under Bets: Also known as totals, these bets involve wagering on the number of rounds a fight will last, giving bettors a chance to win regardless of the match’s outcome.
Proposition Bets: Prop bets allow for wagering on specific events within the match, such as the method of victory (knockout, submission, disqualification), whether the fight will go the distance, or specific achievements by the wrestlers or fighters.
Parlays: A more advanced bet that combines multiple selections into one wager. All selections must win for the parlay to pay out, offering higher potential returns at increased risk.
Research and Analysis
Successful betting on wrestling and combat sports requires diligent research and analysis. Unlike team sports, these events focus on individual performance, making it crucial to study the fighters’ or wrestlers’ histories, styles, strengths, and weaknesses. Consider factors such as recent performance, injuries, training camp quality, and weight class impacts. For wrestling events, which are pre-determined, understanding the storyline progression and characters’ prominence within the organization can offer insights into likely outcomes. Staying updated with the latest news and developments is also essential for making well-informed bets.
Betting Strategies
Adopting a strategic approach can significantly enhance your betting experience and success rate. Here are a few strategies to consider:
Start Small: If you’re new to betting on wrestling and combat sports, begin with small stakes to familiarize yourself with the process without risking significant amounts.
Specialize: Focus on a specific league, weight class, or even a handful of fighters or wrestlers. Specialization allows for a deeper understanding and more accurate predictions.
Shop for Odds: Different sportsbooks offer varying odds for the same events. Shopping around for the best odds can increase your potential returns.
Manage Your Bankroll: Set a budget for your betting activities and stick to it. A common approach is to bet only a small percentage of your bankroll on a single event to mitigate risk.
Avoid Emotional Betting: Betting on favorites or under the influence of emotions can lead to poor decision-making. Base your bets on research and objective analysis instead.
Legal Considerations and Safe Betting
Before engaging in betting, ensure that it’s legal in your jurisdiction and choose a reputable and licensed sportsbook. Online platforms often offer a convenient and accessible way to bet, but it’s important to verify their credibility and security measures to protect your personal and financial information. Practicing responsible gambling by setting limits and seeking help if betting becomes problematic is also crucial.
Conclusion
Betting on wrestling and combat sports offers an exciting way to engage with these dynamic events, providing both entertainment and the potential for profit. By understanding the odds, familiarizing yourself with the different types of bets, conducting thorough research, employing strategic betting practices, and adhering to legal and responsible gambling guidelines, you can enhance your betting experience and increase your chances of success. Whether you’re a seasoned bettor or new to the scene, the world of combat sports betting awaits with thrilling opportunities and challenges.
SiriusXM’s “Busted Open” hosts Dave LaGreca, Mark Henry, Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer will host a series of shows from Philadelphia, April 4-8, as the wrestling world comes to the City of Brotherly Love for one of WWE’s biggest annual events – WrestleMania.
These special episodes of “Busted Open” will be open for the public to attend as the hosts preview the two-night WrestleMania event taking place at Lincoln Financial Field.
On Thursday, April 4, LaGreca, Henry, Bully and Dreamer will tape the “Masters Class” edition of the “Busted Open” podcast from Xfinity Live near Lincoln Financial Field from 5-6 pm ET.
On Saturday, April 6, day one of WrestleMania, “Busted Open’s” annual WrestleMania Party will take place at 2300 Arena, the combat sports arena that was home to ECW from 1993 to 2001, from 2-4 pm ET.
On Sunday, April 7, the second day of the event, “Busted Open” will broadcast live from outside Lincoln Financial Field, near the Xfinity Gate, from 4-6 pm ET. At this “Busted Open” tailgate party, Dave and the crew will be passing out complimentary pink bath robes to fans in a nod to Dave’s attire in a recent video clip. (A limited quantity of robes is available. First come, first served.)
On Monday, April 8, “Busted Open” will air live from 9 am – noon ET at WWE World at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where Dave, Mark, Bully and Tommy will recap the weekend’s events.
Throughout the year “Busted Open” airs Monday-Sunday from 9 am – noon ET on the SiriusXM Fight Nation channel, available to subscribers in their cars (channel 156) and streaming on the SiriusXM app. The show delivers the latest news, analysis and interviews with top stars from the world of professional wrestling. A portion of “Busted Open” is also available as a podcast on YouTube (@BustedOpenPodcast) or wherever listeners get their podcasts.
For more information on SiriusXM Fight Nation, including audio clips, host bios and a schedule of programming, please visit SiriusXM.com/FightNationSXM. Follow Busted Open on Twitter @BustedOpenRadio.
Five-time Grammy Award winner Lil Wayne will be appearing at WrestleMania this weekend.
The 41-year-old New Orleans native appeared on Raw last night in Brooklyn in a backstage with Jey Uso where Uso invited him to Mania if his schedule is free.
Wayne said he would be there and he also has a new single that he will have its world premiere at WrestleMania as well.
He joins fellow rapper Meek Mill who is also appearing at WrestleMania and will doing the voice over for the cold open of the show.
Philadelphia, PA (April 2, 2024) TrillerTV and Game Changer Wrestling announced today that 13 of The Collective events synched to Wrestlemania’s Philadelphia takeover will be available exclusively as part of the TrillerTV+ subscription, with two offered as standalone PPV events. Indie-wrestling’s most prolific promotion is always over-the-top, and this year is no exception – with epic matches like WWE’s Shayna Baszler facing Masha Slamovich in a colossal must-see battle at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X; the GCW debut of Stardom’s Syuri; an Ultraviolence Championship title match with Rina Yamashita vs. Billy Dixon; and an 88-man tag team match. Completing TrillerTV’s coverage of Pro Wrestling’s big weekend are the PPVs Stardom: American Dream 2024 and Spark Joshi Trailblaze as well as House of Glory X Wrestling Revolver on TrillerTV+.
“This is the biggest wrestling weekend of the year and The Collective is a gathering of the very best in independent wrestling,” said Brett Lauderdale, Founder and CEO of Game Changer Wrestling. “The top indie promotions and wrestlers in the world come together to provide fans with three full days of non stop, top tier action and it gets no better than this. And for those who can’t attend in person, you can watch all of The Collective live on TrillerTV! See ya in Philly!”
The Collective 2024 starts with DEFY: Can’t Deny It on Thursday at 11 AM ET featuring Kenta vs. Gringo Loco for the World Championship and continues that day with Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X which in addition to the Baszler vs. Slamovich match will include Nic Nemeth, Mike “Speedball” Bailey, and more starting at 4PM ET. The day continues with DDT goes Philadelphia which features MAO defending his DDT Universal Title against Billie Starkz, and Kazuki Hira vs. Yoshihiko. Wrap it up with GCW JCW vs. The World at 11:59 PM, where Stardom’s Syuri will make her GCW debut when she challenges Slamovich for the JCW World Championship.
Day 2 starts with Tokyo-Joshi Pro at 11 AM ET and continues at 3 PM when Progress Wrestling makes its first appearance in the U.S. since 2019 with Freedom Walks Again and Kid Lykos defends his title against Man Like DeReiss. Next is Joey Janela’s Spring Break 8 where among the highlights, Blake Christian, accompanied by Shane Mercer, defends his GCW World TItle against Janela, accompanied by Missy Hyatt. Day 2 ends with GCW For the Culture which includes DeReiss vs. Sonny Kiss, and the Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling Championship Match: Suge D (c) vs. Alex Kane.
The last day of The Collective starts with the ninth edition of EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch where tag team BUSSY (Allie Katch & EFFY) will take on Dirty Breeze (Former WWE stars Dirty Dango FKA Fandango & Breeze FKA Tyler Breeze) and the GCW Ultraviolent Championship Match. The action continues with GCW vs TJPW where a highlight will be Rina Yamashita, Masha Slamovich & Maki Itoh vs. Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino. The weekend wraps up with JJSB: Clusterf*ck Forever starting at 11:59 PM ET, featuring – get this – a 88-man tag team match!
“Brett Lauderdale never disappoints,” said Michael Weber, COO of TrillerTV. “And this year’s Collective is no exception. Top talent from all corners of the wrestling world, and a creative approach that just keeps ratcheting up the excitement, even when you think there’s no way to take it further. We’re always proud to work with GCW, as well as great promotions like Stardom, Spark Joshi, House of Glory and Wrestling Revolver.”
TrillerTV+ Is the best value in sports and entertainment, streaming live and on demand events from around the world and in addition to GCW, features Major League Wrestling, Wrestling Revolver, Ohio Valley Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling archives, and many more. The subscription also includes BKFC and the best in MMA, Boxing, Sumo and other sports. The subscription also offers unlimited on-demand access to the entire TrillerTV+ library with over 4000 hours from more than 100 organizations from around the world. With the annual option of $69.99 viewers get two months free.
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Roman Reigns will be inducting his special counsel Paul Heyman into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2024 this coming Friday after Smackdown.
The news was revealed last night on Raw during a backstage segment involving The Rock as well, where Reigns said he had a speech to write and Heyman confirmed the speech is for his induction.
Heyman’s speech is probably one of the most anticipated Hall of Fame speeches in history and while there were probably a few others worthy of inducting him, no one can complain about the selection considering the close relationship Reigns and Heyman share together.
Heyman recently produced and directed the A&E Biography of Reigns which aired this past Sunday.
