Mixed martial arts and boxing are two of the most popular combat sports in the world today. Fighters in these sports risk life and limb every time they step into the ring or the octagon to compete. The most popular fighters in these sports are rewarded handsomely for their efforts, earning millions of dollars in prize money and endorsements.
The earnings of the most popular fighters in these sports come from various sources. One of the primary sources of income for fighters is their purses, which is the amount of money they receive for competing in a fight. Other sources of income for fighters include endorsements, sponsorships, and appearance fees.
Jake Paul
In recent years, a new trend has emerged in the world of combat sports. Influencers and celebrities have started to dip their toes in the world of combat sports, often with lucrative results. One such example is Jake Paul, a YouTuber and social media influencer who has become a prominent figure in the world of boxing.
Jake Paul made his professional boxing debut in January 2020, defeating fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib by TKO in the first round. Since then, he has fought three more times, winning all three fights by knockout. His opponents have included former NBA player Nate Robinson, retired UFC fighter Ben Askren, and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
Despite the fact that he has only been boxing for a little over two years, Jake Paul has quickly become one of the most popular fighters in the sport. His fights have generated millions of pay-per-view buys, and he has become a major draw for fans of combat sports.
So, how much money does Jake Paul make from his fights? According to Forbes, he earned $10 million for his fight against Ben Askren in April 2021. That figure includes both his guaranteed purse and his share of the pay-per-view revenue generated by the fight.
In addition to his earnings from fighting, Jake Paul also earns a significant amount of money from endorsements and sponsorships. He has worked with a number of brands, including fashion retailer Boohoo, energy drink company Red Bull, and sports supplement company Triller Fight Club.
Furthermore, Jake has managed to grab the attention of all MMA fans, considering how his fight with Tommy Fury is considered as one of the most anticipated fights in 2023.
But Jake Paul is not the only fighter who earns a significant amount of money from his fights. In fact, some of the most popular fighters in the world earn tens of millions of dollars per year from their fights and endorsements.
Conor McGregor
One such fighter is Conor McGregor, a former two-division champion in the UFC. McGregor is one of the most popular fighters in the world, with a massive following on social media and a larger-than-life personality that makes him a major draw for fans.
McGregor has earned a significant amount of money from his fights over the years. According to Forbes, he earned $180 million in 2020, with the majority of that money coming from his fight against Floyd Mayweather in 2017. That fight generated an estimated $700 million in revenue, with McGregor earning $85 million for his efforts.
Canelo Alvarez
Another fighter who earns a significant amount of money from his fights is Canelo Alvarez, a four-division world champion in boxing. Alvarez is one of the most popular fighters in the world, with a massive following in Mexico and beyond.
Alvarez signed a lucrative 11-fight, $365 million deal with streaming service DAZN in 2018, which has allowed him to earn a significant amount of money from his fights. According to Forbes, he earned $94 million in 2020, with the majority of that money coming from his fight against Callum Smith in December 2020.
Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather is another fighter who has earned a significant amount of money from his fights. Mayweather is considered by many to be one of the best boxers of all time, with an undefeated record of 50-0.
Mayweather has earned a staggering amount of money over the course of his career, with Forbes estimating his career earnings at over $1 billion. His fights against Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor are two of the highest-grossing fights in combat sports history, with Mayweather earning tens of millions of dollars for each bout.
Anthony Joshua
Another fighter who has earned a significant amount of money from his fights is Anthony Joshua, the current unified heavyweight boxing champion. Joshua is one of the most popular fighters in the world, with a massive following in the UK and beyond.
According to Forbes, Joshua earned $47 million in 2020, with the majority of that money coming from his fight against Kubrat Pulev in December 2020. Joshua has also earned a significant amount of money from endorsements and sponsorships, working with brands such as Under Armour, Jaguar, and Lucozade.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
In the world of MMA, there are several fighters who have earned a significant amount of money from their fights and endorsements. One such fighter is Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former UFC lightweight champion who retired from the sport in 2020 with an undefeated record of 29-0.
Nurmagomedov has earned a significant amount of money from his fights over the years, with Forbes estimating his career earnings at $40 million. He has also earned a significant amount of money from endorsements and sponsorships, working with brands such as Reebok, Gorilla Energy, and Toyota.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the most popular fighters in combat sports today are able to earn significant amounts of money from their fights and endorsements. Jake Paul, Conor McGregor, Canelo Alvarez, Floyd Mayweather, Anthony Joshua and Khabib Nurmagomedov are just a few examples of fighters who have earned tens of millions of dollars from their efforts in the ring or octagon.
While some critics may argue that these fighters are overpaid, it is important to remember that they are putting their health and well-being on the line every time they step into the ring or octagon. These fighters are some of the best athletes in the world, and they deserve to be compensated for their hard work and dedication to their sport.
As the world of combat sports continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how much money the most popular fighters are able to earn in the years to come. One thing is certain – as long as there are fans who are willing to pay to watch these athletes compete, the most popular fighters will continue to earn significant amounts of money from their efforts in the ring or octagon.
Last Week’s Rating: 899,000 overall; 0.30 in 18-49 demo
It’s Wednesday night, it’s Dynamite. Let’s go.
…..
Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh & Sonjay Dutt vs the Acclaimed, Billy Gunn & Orange Cassidy
Backstory: Jarrett etc attacked Cassidy Friday until the Acclaimed ran them off
Excalibur pushed that we’re just a couple weeks away from the ppv. Sonjay Dutt genuinely sounds like the Tasmanian Devil – just makes constant, incomprehensible noises.
Caster claimed Jarrett got no action on V Day since it was ‘T&A Lockdown’. Nice line.
A very fun face team. And if you hate the shenanigans, at least it’s all out the way in one match.
Bowens and Lethal started before a very quiet crowd after Dutt threatened to. Bowens caught Jay with a boot to the face then his over the shoulder Fame-asser before tagging his partner for a double team powerslam and count of one.
Caster then threw chops but was quickly dragged to the heels’ corner. Jarrett in – Caster took care of him with hip tosses until ducking his head and paying for it. Jarrett then tagged the latest failed NBA player to experiment with wrestling. Cassidy demanded a tag, Singh mocked him then tagged Dutt.
Dutt again threatened to wrestle but bailed to tag Jarrett as he and Gunn were about to face off. Just as Billy’s boys appeared on the ramp with their ice-cold tag titles. Taking advantage, Jarrett did the same leg-choke in the ropes/strut sequence he’s been doing since Communism was a thing.
Then tagged Lethal who continued the theme by grabbing a headlock, throwing double sledges then choking Billy. No fair, he stole all Singh’s moves!
Quick tags between the heels left Gunn struggling. Don’t know how many people are here tonight but it sounds like a studio wrestling show.
Jarrett struck Gunn with the Golden Globe, everyone took everyone out, including the just-tagged Dutt who received the kicks from Cassidy before eating Scissor Me Timbers as the Acclaimed bagged the win.
About on the level of last week’s main event. Not an AEW-quality match. Can’t help but wonder what any channel flippers think when they see Jeff Jarrett & Billy Gunn in the ring in 2023. And they wonder why the younger audience slims by the week.
WINNER: the Acclaimed, Billy Gunn & Orange Cassidy
Bryan Danielson package (still covered in blood after last week’s match): Max can’t go sixty minutes the way he can, what MJF did last Wednesday was the act of a scared man who knows Danielson’s coming to take his title.
Glad he believes it anyway.
Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli vs Rush & Preston Vance, Tornado Tag
Backstory: The BCC boys want revenge for Rush’s assault on Danielson last week
Rush and Vance attacked the BCC while still in the crowd. We then went straight to break.
Returning to Vance and Moxley fighting in the ring, the latter landing boots in the corner until Rush attacked from behind. Claudio was nowhere to be seen.
Vance and Rush took turns squashing Mox in the corner until Vance dropped him with a spinebuster. Rush followed with a shotgun dropkick. For some reason they were wholly uninterested in attempting a pin.
Castagnoli returned to the ring, quickly removing Rush and bagging two on Vance as Mox got the toys out. An attempted catapult on Rush went awry as Hangman was shown watching intently backstage.
The BCC then flung Vance into a chair propped in the corner. Then did so once more per fan request, in Spanish. Mox then took flight to tope Rush, Vance sent Claudio through the ropes then speared Moxley off the apron onto the other two.
Another break. This has been nothing special so far.
Moxley was bleeding after the ads but managed to fling Vance over the ropes then brawl with Rush. They threw heavy chops until the former champ dropped Rush with a shot to the face but ate a chain-assisted blow from Vance, kicking out at two.
Vance launched more shots from the mount as Claudio again evened the odds to take out both heels with chain-assisted rights. Then hauled Vance up into the Giant Swing. Rush broke up the subsequent pin at the last second but was taken out by a Mox cutter. Vance then took him down with a lariat for two slaps of the mat.
They then split off: Mox/Rush and Vance/Claudio until both former ROH guys took out their opponents and faced off. Jose hit Claudio from behind but paid for it as Yuta beat him all the way backstage.
Rush readied the Bull’s Horns with Claudio slumped in the corner, Castagnoli met him mid-way with a spear, Vance just about broke up the pin, Claudio and Rush again faced off in the middle until Rush launched himself outside, landing into Swiss airspace and an uppercut.
Leaving Moxley to launch H&A then the Bulldog choke with a chain wrapped around the former Dark Order-er’s neck.
To bag the win.
Hangman was then attacked by Kip Sabian, Blade and Butcher. Until Silver and Reynolds ran them off.
This one definitely picked up after the second break. Could do without Moxley bleeding so casually but good match which seems to setup Claudio vs Rush at one of the upcoming ppv’s.
The announcers talked as if Hangman might not be fit to wrestle despite a pretty mundane attack.
WINNER: Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli
JR’s sit-down with Wardlow followed. The latter talked about his complicated relationship with his dad who passed just as they were getting back on track. His long hair and beard are kind-of a tribute to his dad. Wardlow said Samoa Joe knew this and took his last connection with his dad from him (by cutting his hair).
He then moved into ‘promo mode’ to address the camera and Joe, who he promised won’t survive him when they meet.
The first part was very good but like much of AEW tv they rushed to the finale, which was just a sub-par promo and made the whole thing seem hokey
Mark Briscoe vs Josh Woods
Backstory: Briscoe turned down Sterling’s offer to rep. him on Friday, Woods got in his face
After starting with Woods chain-wrestling, Briscoe sent him outside via shoulder block and was readying a dive when he was tripped by Tony Nese et al. The Lucha Bros attacked to even the odds, getting a huge pop, though Woods remained on top after a twisting suplex off the apron to the outside.
Break time.
Redneck kung-fu was in full effect as we returned until Woods returned fire with a jawbreaker. Briscoe floated over to the apron, caught Woods in the gut then punted him outside. Before grabbing a chair to cannonball himself over the top onto Woods. Then hit an avalanche powerbomb for two.
And was looking for the Jay Driller but Woods countered into pure chaos then launched a knee strike. Briscoe countered back with an enziguri then caught him into a DVD before heading up top to hit a Froggy Bow for three.
Solid action with a couple cool spots.
WINNER: Mark Briscoe
Renee’s interview with Adam Cole: Who said he was doing great and has a couple ideas about who he wants to face. Though wouldn’t name names.
This was a whole bunch of nothing. If you saw the teaser on Friday, you saw the whole thing.
…..
The ‘contractually obligated’ MJF was up next. So presumably he’s been turning up just for fun the last few weeks?
He talked about how the people used to love him the way they love Danielson. But the fans are fickle so he turned his back on them first. Because he’s honest about who he is. Unlike Danielson, who in ‘real life’ is not who he appears to be on tv.
Danielson has the people convinced that he’s better than Max. But wrestlers get into this business to win titles. And whoever holds the AEW title is the best in the world. Something Danielson has never done.
He admitted that the iron man match would be tough but promised to emerge victorious. Because he, not Danielson, is the best in the world. He has the balls to do what it takes to win.
He had to race through his catchphrase because the crowd were chanting along.
MJF then brought out Christopher Daniels to talk about Danielson. Daniels got almost zero reaction from what was clearly a very small crowd judging from the way they were lighting this interview.
Max asked Daniels to tell ‘the truth’ about Danielson.
Daniels quickly explained that MJF had paid him to trash Danielson. But promised that BD will ‘knock your d*** in the dirt’. Before talking about how Danielson had helped start ROH, which helped start AEW, and was the reason MJF was here today.
Daniels said BD was what Max wished he could be, MJF’s a ‘fraud’… at which point Max slapped the mic free and the two sparred verbally. The vet smacked Max, Max kicked him in the balls then locked in the Salt of the Earth.
Before fleeing as Danielson made the save.
Thought this was a good, short and sweet promo from Max until he introduced Daniels and it went much longer than it needed to. AEW has a nasty habit of using attacks on people who’ve never been shown to have an on-screen relationship to build ‘heat’.
…..
The Gunns promo. They bragged about having only ten televised matches and falsely apologized for not having to have come up through the indies.
Remains a mind-boggling decision.
Jack Perry vs Brian Cage
Backstory: Cage stood on the top of the ramp after Perry won on Friday, a grievous insult
Perry attacked quickly but was immediately overwhelmed by Cage’s power. Though succeeded in sending the bigger man outside where he launched a series of topes until being caught and planted against the apron via powerbomb.
Straight to break.
A big boot welcomed us back, Perry responded with an enziguri then caught the bigger man with an elbow but was himself caught into a backbreaker then a waterwheel drop. Two slaps.
Then buckle bombed and F5’d for another close count.
The crowd chanted for ‘Jungle Boy’ as Perry hit a stomp with Cage draped across the ropes then a diving splash for two of his own. Before landing a dvd from which an angry Cage kicked out at one. Perry continued the attack with a crucifix bomb, elbow to the back of the head, roll-up, win.
That came out of nowhere. Very good while it lasted. From one Cage to another, Perry was again making the ‘belt’ motion afterward when Christian’s music hit. The vet came out, arm still in a sling, to absolutely no response whatsoever, spraying Perry with something as the youngster went to attack.
Christian then removed the sling and hit the Killswitch on the ramp. Oh good, more of this feud.
WINNER: Jack Perry
Renee had an announcement for the ppv: The Gunns will defend their titles in a triple threat. She was explaining the usual convoluted series of battle royals when the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn interrupted to announce that it would now be a four-way as they were enacting their rematch clause.
Bowens cut a good, passionate promo about getting their belts back.
….
Backstage, the Elite were talking about the upcoming All-Star Game when Top Flight and AR Fox interrupted to challenge them again for Friday. They seemed about to agree when Callis told them no. Top Flight made a ‘balls’ joke and suddenly the Elite were happy to wrestle. Matt then threw a ball at Brandon’s groin, stealing a thirty-year-old Simpson’s joke.
The Elite are heels? Right?
Hangman Adam Page vs Kip Sabian
Backstory: Kip questioned Page’s manhood on Friday
A fired-up Hangman went right after Kip, who caught him coming in, hit a weird over the shoulder stunner (those always look like they do more damage to the giver than the receiver) but then ate a big boot and was lit-up with chops. Before being caught into a fallaway but avoiding the rest of Page’s usual sequence.
Sabian hit a basement dropkick through the ropes then launched a springboard moonsault to bring the break.
We returned to Sabian missing a stomp then being Cactus Clotheslined outside and flung around ringside. Back inside, a pop-up powerbomb brought two.
This should be over by now.
Sabian blocked a Dead Eye, Page came back with a brutal lariat and hit Dead Eye to win.
Fair enough, didn’t last much longer. Still a little lengthy.
The Cowboy’s music was still playing when the BCC (sans Danielson) hit the aisle. Mox grabbed a mic to say they had no more unfinished business. He had respect for Page but has ‘your number’ and ‘there is no chance you will ever, ever beat me again. So let it go.’
A ‘Moxley’ chant broke out as Page again claimed that neither man was really happy with how their last match ended. They have to go back into the ‘cold, dark alley’ and only one of them comes out. He says it ends at Revolution.
Moxley kinda hoped Page would say that. Hoped that none of Page’s friends would talk him out of it. He then said Page had no friends. Cue the Dark Order’s music. Page tried to tell them to stay out of it. Uno got right in Mox’s face and pie-faced him.
Moxley had the last word(s):
‘Cowboy, Cowboy, Revolution, Texas Death.’
WINNER: Hangman Adam Page
JAS with Schiavone. Jericho is sick of Starks. He’s not on his level and will receive no more matches against him. Garcia then promised to beat him and expose him on Friday as an ‘Absolute fraud’.
Pretty poor follow-up after Starks looked like a goof losing to that very weak Judas Effect last week. Guy at least needed a promo.
…..
Schiavone now with Stokely Hathaway and etc. He claimed Hook broke his arm last week and should be fired. Ethan Page said Hathaway deserved justice. Schiavone revealed that Hook had been suspended pending an investigation.
This story wasn’t good when they did it with Swerve and replacing him with Hook doesn’t make it any better.
Britt Baker vs Toni Storm vs Ruby Soho
Backstory: Soho is yet to pick a side in the Storm/Saraya vs Britt/Hayter feud
A planted fan was dragged over the rail and about to be beaten up by Storm and Saraya when Soho’s music hit. Ruby checked on the ‘fan’.
There are barely ten minutes left so this screams angle rather than match.
Britt immediately went after Storm; Soho got a quick two on both women.
Baker hit a neckbreaker for two but was then dragged outside by Storm. Toni started questioning Soho and ate a shoulder block. Storm then hip-attacked Britt off the apron but was Saito suplexed out to Saraya on the other side by Ruby.
Leaving Soho with a choice about who to go after as the final ads arrived.
Britt took down Toni with clotheslines then a slingblade, before using Soho to unknowingly double-team Storm with a twisting neckbreaker. Saraya grabbed the boot, right in front of the ref as usual, allowing Toni to launch a hip attack until being stopped by Ruby, allowing Baker to bag two on Soho, leaving all three down as the crowd briefly chanted ‘DMD’.
Baker got another two on Storm via roll-up before the two got to scrapping, ending with another swinging neckbreaker for nearly three. Soho dropped Britt with a trip but was slugged by Storm as she came off the top, right into a Texas clover leaf. Baker put the Lock Jaw on at the same time. Saraya came in to attack Britt, Hayter went after Storm (forgot about the stupid ‘anything goes’ in a three-way rules).
Soho used the heels’ attack on Baker to roll the latter up for the win. Both Saraya and Hayter confronted her afterwards as Ruby shrieked that she’d had enough.
An un-AEW-worthy main event to complement the opener. I was briefly into this story a couple weeks back. Now back to not caring.
Has to be easily the worst back-to-back main events the company’s ever put on.
WINNER: Ruby Soho
…..
Next Rampage (Starts 7pm Eastern):
Swerve Strickland vs Dustin Rhodes
Daniel Garcia vs Ricky Starks
The Elite vs Top Flight & AR Fox, Trios Titles
Jade Cargill vs Vertvixen
Next Dynamite:
Jon Moxley vs Evil Uno
Revolution tag team battle royale
Revolution:
Samoa Joe vs Wardlow, TNT Title
Bryan Danielson vs MJF, AEW Title
Gunns vs the Acclaimed vs ?? vs ??, Tag Titles
Hangman Page vs Jon Moxley, Texas Death Match
…..
Overall impressions
The question going into tonight was whether the company would begin properly stacking up the card for Revolution. The answer was mixed. They did nail down several matches but interviews they pushed ahead of time were nothing much and speaking for myself, only Page and Moxley seems to have any steam with just two shows left till the ppv.
Dynamite rolls into Laredo, Texas tonight and six matches and three segments have been announced for the show.
No titles will be on the line for a change but there’s some solid matches on the card including Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli vs Rush and Preston Vance in a Texas tornado match, ROH Tag Team champion Mark Briscoe returns to take on Josh Woods, Hangman Page battles Kip Sabian, ROH Six-Man Tag Team champion Brian Cage collides with Jack Perry, an eight-man tag team match featuring Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh, and Sonjay Dutt vs The Acclaimed, Billy Gunn, and Orange Cassidy, and a triple threat match with Toni Storm, Ruby Soho, and Britt Baker.
Plus, AEW World champion MJF will make na appearance and there are also two sit-down interviews with Jim Ross interviewing Wardlow and Renee Paquette interviewing Adam Cole.
Appearing on Busted Open Radio, AEW President Tony Khan said that Jeff Jarrett wants to go ahead with the match on tonight’s Dynamite despite his father Jerry passing away yesterday.
Labeling Jeff’s decision as “brave and courageous,” Khan said that Jeff wants to push forward with the original plan of teaming with Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh, and Sanjay Dutt against The Acclaimed, Billy Gunn, and Orange Cassidy in an eight-man tag team match.
Jarrett is already in Laredo, Texas, the host of tonight’s Dynamite on TBS.
Jerry Jarrett passed away at 80 years old yesterday following a bout with esophageal cancer.
Ring of Honor will be returning with brand new weekly television shows on Thursday, March 2. The news was revealed by AEW President Tony Khan in comments given to Sports Illustrated.
All weekly episodes will air on the promotion’s HonorClub streaming service, available at WatchROH.com for $9.99 a month.
“Ring of Honor TV is coming Thursday, March 2 on HonorClub,” Khan said. “We’ll have our first tapings on Feb. 25 and 26 at Universal Studios in Orlando, and we’re going to put tickets on sale for the inaugural taping on Thursday. Those will be the first-ever tapings of the new Ring of Honor.”
Khan and AEW already have a relationship with Universal Studios as Dark tapings are held there every couple of months.
Originally, Khan wanted ROH on a Warner Bros Discovery property but negotiations went nowhere. Khan said that he didn’t shop other television networks for the show.
Monday Night Raw drew an average of 1,812,000 viewers this week, down 54,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast.
Hour one started with 1,818,000 viewers and then increased to 1,924,000 viewers in the second hour before dropping to 1,695,000 viewers in the third and final hour.
Raw was #1, #2, and #3 in the 18-49 demo for the night on cable with 0.49, 0.46, and 0.45 ratings respectively for an average of 0.47, down 0.08 from the prior week, signifying a much older audience watching the show. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Former NXT UK Women’s champion Meiko Satomura returned to NXT last night and helped NXT Women’s champ Roxanne Perez defeat Katana Chance and Kayden Carter in the main event of the show.
Following their victory, the Japanese legend told Perez that she helped her by tag teaming and now she should do something for her in return while pointing at the title Perez was holding.
The current champion smiled and said, “It would be my honor,” and then bowed to Satomura before standing face to face while holding the title above her shoulder.
The match is expected to be taking place at the upcoming Roadblock episode of NXT on March 7, just a few weeks before NXT Stand & Deliver in Los Angeles.
The wrestling world mourned the death of Jerry Jarrett, the legendary wrestling promoter, after he passed away yesterday at the age of 80.
Impact Wrestling, the company Jarrett co-founded with his son, wrote, “We are saddened to hear of the passing of Jerry Jarrett, a co-founder of TNA/IMPACT. His legacy in the wrestling industry is decades-long, multi-generational, and he certainly played a key role in today’s IMPACT. Deepest condolences to Jeff Jarrett, Jerry’s family and fans.”
Former TNA President Dixie Carter, whose father’s company took over from Jarrett, added, “Heartbroken to hear about the loss of @JerryJarrett. What an incredibly instrumental figure in the history of professional wrestling in so many ways. Sending love and prayers to his precious wife Deborah, Jeff, Jennifer, Jason & his entire family. It’s a sad day for wrestling.”
WWE remembered Jarrett in a post on their website and also on social media. “WWE is saddened to learn that Jerry Jarrett has passed away at age 80. The father of WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett, the elder Jarrett was a hugely influential figure in the wrestling industry. Jarrett wrestled primarily for NWA Mid-America, winning multiple Tag Team Championships before hanging up his boots to focus on booking and promoting,” the statement said. “Along with his partner Jerry “The King” Lawler, the two collaborated to create the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), building it into a successful promotion in the Memphis area. CWA would later merge with World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) to form the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). In 2002, he and his son, formed NWA: TNA, which helped launch the careers of future WWE Superstars such as AJ Styles, Xavier Woods, Bobby Roode, and more. WWE extends its condolences to Jarrett’s family, friends and fans.”
An in memory graphic of Jarrett also aired before NXT started last night on USA Network.
AEW, who employs Jarrett’s son Jeff as both an on-screen wrestler and executive behind the scenes, wrote on Twitter, “Everyone in AEW is saddened by the loss of Jerry Jarrett, a legend in every facet of pro wrestling. Jerry Jarrett was an incredible wrestler, one of the best storytelling minds ever, a trailblazing promoter, and a visionary whose family roots in wrestling will endure forever.”
The Cauliflower Alley Club said that they’re once again hit with the sad news that Jarrett has passed away. “We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends and thank him for the incredible memories he brought to us over the years. R.I.P.”
Many former and current stars paid tribute to Jarrett on social media:
Sean Waltman: “I loved Jerry Jarrett. He believed in me. He’s responsible for Marty & I becoming Tag Champs. I was also one of the 1st people he called to help start TNA. I’m very grateful to Jerry & I’m really sad to know I’ll never see him again.”
Eric Bischoff: “Prayers up to Jerry Jarrett and his family. RIP Jerry.”
The Iron Sheik: “JERRY JARRETT ONE OF MY FIRST BOSS WHO WAS THE LEGEND OF THE MEMPHIS. FOREVER THE REAL. LOVE TO THE WHOLE FAMILY FOREVER”
Jimmy Hart: “Such sad news on Jerry Jarrett – will always be in my heart – one of the greatest promoters that gave way to some of my most fondest professional moments – he will be missed.”
Michael Hayes: “The loss of Jerry Jarrett, is something that should be revered!! Jerry beat all the odds, and, became the GUY!! Jerry allowed us to play the “Freebird” song’ unbelievable!! He’s the MAN!!..Can’t be FOLLOWED!!”
Dutch Mantell: “RIP Jerry Jarrett…a man who brought me in from Puerto Rico and kinda shaped my career. Rode a million miles with him picking his brain. Actually, Memphis with Jerry was eons ahead of the other territories in presentation and story. Taught me tons about booking.”
Ricky Morton: “So much to say. At a lost for words. Most importantly, thank you for giving my father & myself our dream job. Love you & your family, Jerry Jarrett. You changed the landscape of professional wrestling.”
Mike Tenay: “The first day I met Jerry Jarrett he called his wife Deborah and said, “We are having a guest for dinner.” Really enjoyed the time I spent with him. I’ll always appreciate his stories and the chance to pick his brain. RIP.”
Honky Tonk Man: “Sad news of a great guy who has passed away. Condolences go out to the Jerry Jarrett Family. Jerry gave HTM a huge break that I never forgot.”
Don Callis: “Sad to hear about the passing of Jerry Jarrett. I worked for Jerry and Jeff in TNA from 03-04. Jerry spoke to me about my wrestling my last night with the company and it is a conversation I remember very fondly. My thoughts and prayers are with Jeff and family. RIP Mr Jarrett.”
Nick Aldis: “I’m very sad to learn of the passing of Jerry Jarrett. One of the most successful promoters in American Wrestling history. The last time I saw Jerry was in Charlotte NC, and what he said to me that day is one of the most cherished memories of my career. RIP.”
Christopher Daniels: “Rest in Peace Jerry Jarrett. I had such good experiences working with him in early TNA. He told my parents that the AMW-XXX cage match at Turning Point 2004 was one of the best he’d ever seen, which was a compliment that I cherish to this day. My best wishes to Jeff & his family.”
Frankie Kazarian: “RIP Jerry Jarrett. Jerry was essentially my first boss when I signed with TNA in 2003. We had several very nice and funny conversations, one in particular I will never forget. Thank you for all you gave to professional wrestling. My heart goes out to my friend @RealJeffJarrett.”
James Storm: “Sad news hearing the passing of Jerry Jarrett. This man helped me out so much in my career. From training at his farm for the USWA wrestling school to last year him saying he’s proud of me for sticking it out.”
Rampage on TNT drew just 375,000 viewers last Friday, down 31,000 viewers from the prior week and the least-watched episode since December 2, 2022. The show did a 0.12 rating in the 18-49 demo, up 0.01 from the previous episode and ranked #28 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Jerry Jarrett, the former wrestler, promoter and father of Jeff Jarrett, has passed away. He was 80 years old.
The cause of death was not released although he had been battling esophagus cancer.
Jarrett started his wrestling career in 1965 and worked primarily for the NWA. Years later he founded the Continental Wrestling Association and then the United States Wrestling Association. He spent many of his years promoting with his business partner and close friend Jerry Lawler, taking Memphis wrestling by storm.
Jarrett spent a few years working for both WCW and WWE as well following the end of his promoting career.
But perhaps younger fans will remember him more for co-founding TNA Wrestling through his new venture J Sports and Entertainment. The company was founded along with his son and WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett.
The NWA posted on Twitter, “The NWA family is saddened to hear of the passing of the legendary Jerry Jarrett. A very important part of the professional wrestling business, we send our condolences to his family, friends and fans.”
Jarrett was inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame in 2009.
Dax Harwood of FTR got the internet wrestling community talking after he posted a now-deleted photo which had what looks like an envelope with part of the WWE logo visible in the corner.
“I finally got my hands on @drinkcazcanes tequila,” Dax wrote, adding a photo of the Cazcanes tequila bottle with several of the titles he won in the background. But the photo raised eyebrows after the white envelope with the WWE logo was – probably on purpose – inserted in the bottom left corner.
The image was later deleted by Harwood and a new one was uploaded, cutting off the WWE logo.
Harwood and his tag team partner Cash Wheeler have their AEW deals coming up and they have said they will not be appearing on AEW television for now as they contemplate their future.
A documentary chronicling Mercedes Mone’s return to the ring will be released soon. The former Raw and Smackdown Women’s champion posted a teaser on her social media plugging the release.
A makeup-less Mercedes is shown crying in the teaser, saying, “Man, I can’t believe how many people supported me in this. I’m so f*cking happy.”
The footage then moves to backstage at Gorilla position during Wrestle Kingdom, where Mone puts on her headpiece and shows off her new bling. She then walks out from behind the curtain at the Tokyo Dome for her reveal.
“I never felt so f*cking happy,” she says.
The words “We all dream. This is mine. Coming soon,” flash across the screen during the teaser.
Friday Night Smackdown on FOX drew 2,468,000 viewers, up 84,000 viewers from the prior episode. It was the second most-watched episode of 2023 so far. Smackdown did a 0.64 rating in the 18-49 demo, up 0.03 from last week and beat everything else on network and cable television by a wide margin. In the overnight numbers, hour one did 2,438,000 viewers and hour two did 2,342,000 viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes gave his take on the All Out brawl involving The Elite and CM Punk and squashed some rumors along the way.
Rhodes, a former AEW EVP, said that he had a great relationship with Matt and Nick Jackson and Kenny Omega and still does, but he also had a great relationship with CM Punk, calling him his “dinner buddy” when he was there.
Cody said that it was sad hearing and seeing what happened and he doesn’t want to put the blame on anyone and wanted to be “super Switzerland” on the topic.
“I just hated seeing that because as the company grows – and I hope it continues to grow – I hope people remember the mission in the first place, why we were there and if you bring in people who don’t know the mission then things like that can happen,” Cody said. “I’m not saying he [Punk] didn’t know the mission or anything of that nature but I was just bummed out. That’s how I felt, I was bummed out.”
Cody added that he received a lot of texts when the brawl went down and someone told him that he was the “smartest guy in the room” because he left.
“And I wanted to write back like…’F you man!’ I don’t feel that way, I feel this thing we built got damaged,” he said.
“No heat on Punk, no heat on Matt, Nick, Kenny or Tony. I was just bummed out when I saw it. That’s not how we envisioned it,” Cody continued.
Adam Pearce is in the ring and Becky Lynch comes out. She opens by thanking Lita and for forgiving her. She also says she has been too distracted by the Damage Control fools that she does not have a clear path to WrestleMania and asks Adam Pearce if he would let her fight her way into the Elimination Chamber match tonight.
Bayley comes out before Adam can answer and says she is an idiot. Bayley then tells Adam he needs to ban Lita from all further events and put her in the Elimination Chamber because she deserves it. Then goes on to tell Becky she is a grand slam winner and Becky is not and Becky says you never main evented WrestleMania though she did that.
Bianca Belair then comes out. Bianca says no one asked her opinion and she wants to fight the very best at WrestleMania and thinks if Bayley and Becky want added to the Elimination Chamber, they need to go through her.
Adam Pearce makes a triple threat match for tonight Bayley VS. Becky Lynch VS. Bianca Belair. If either Becky or Bayley win they will be added to the Elimination Chamber and that match will start as a triple threat, but if Bianca wins, both Becky and Bayley are still out of the Elimination Chamber.
Byron Saxton interviews the Judgment Day. They are ready for the Elimination Chamber, and they will beat the Street Profits tonight.
The Street Profits VS. Finn Balor & Damian Priest
Ford takes out Priest by flying over the top rope onto Priest on the floor. Dominik gets on the ring apron and Dawkins brings him in the ring and gives him a block back out of the ring but Finn hits a sling blade on Dawkins then the dropkick in the corner. Finn hits the Coup de Grace on Dawkins for the win.
Winners: Finn Balor & Damian Priest
After the match, The Judgment Day start beating down the Street Profit. Edge and Beth Phoenix come for the rescue and Beth goes to give Dominik another Glam Slam but Rhea Ripley, who we were told earlier was not here, saved Dominik and takes down Beth with a Riptide.
Adam Pearce is back in the ring for the contract signing for the Elimination Chamber match with Brock Lesnar facing Bobby Lashley. Pearce said Lesnar already signed the contract last week but he needs Lashley to sign it. Lashley comes out with about a dozen security people in front of him and has a table and chair placed on the stage. Adam tells Lashley to come down to the ring to get this done. Lashley said this isn’t the Brock Lesnar show and he is sick of this. Lashley said he is going to do things on his terms.
Lashley says everyone including his kids looked at the contract. Adam tells him to just come sign the contract then and Lashley said he doesn’t know if he is going to sign it. Lesnar said come down here and sign this contract or he is coming down there and beating his ass unconscious and signs it for him. Lesnar then goes after Lashley, taking out all the security first, but after he gets through the security, Lashley flipped Brock then gave Brock a spear before signing the contract and lays it on Brock’s chest.
Piper Niven VS. Michin Mia Yim
Mia ran toward Piper but Piper scoops her up in what she calls the lockness slam for the win.
Winner: Piper Niven
Cathy Kelly begins to interview Baron Corbin who started saying it’s been a very depressing week and Kelly says hold that thought I was just notified there is something very important happening in the ring…
We go to the ring and Sami Zayn is in the ring. He says he has something to say and someone to say it to and he is not there to hold up the show and he doesn’t know he will get a chance to say it to him after the Elimination Chamber and calls out Cody Rhodes.
Cody comes out and welcomes Sami to Raw and asked him what he wanted to talk about. Sami keeps thinking about what he said to Paul Heyman last week and said he keeps thinking it’s looking more and more like its going to be Cody Rhodes VS. Sami Zayn at WrestleMania. Sami asked Cody if that was just lip service if he believes he can beat Roman Reigns and Cody says his bandwidth is concentrating on winning the WWE World Championship and he doesn’t have much left but he said he believes he could beat Roman but respectfully he needs to think if he can beat Roman Reigns.
Sami asked if he wanted the truth. Sami says the truth is he doesn’t know. He has seen the past nine months they always find away. He seen bigger and stronger men than him that believed they were going to beat Reigns and they failed. Sami says he believes he could beat Roman and he believes he can be a main event WrestleMania person. But he does not know if he will be able to walk out of the Elimination Chamber as WWE Undisputed Universal Champion.
Cody tells him you don’t know. The People know. He says there are cracks in the armor of the Bloodline thanks to him. Cody says after he won the Royal Rumble, Michael Cole said he needs to finish the story and he intends to and tells Sami he needs to finish his. Cody tells Sami he doesn’t want to see him on Raw next week because he would rather see him at WrestleMania.
Carmella walks up to Nikki Cross and says hey where have you been? She says I have been playing hide and seek with my new friend. Carmella says what friend? Never mind, let’s just concentrate on winning the match we are forced to team for. And where is our other partner? Asuka sneaks up behind her wearing her mask and laughing. Carmella says you two are weird and walks away.
Candace LeRae then confronts Nikki about following her around and Nikki just laughs.
Cathy Kelly is back with Baron Corbin. Corbin says we all saw what happened last week. JBL held him down and says they had an interview and she cut to Sami Zayn. He is tired of being disrespected around here and Sami is a walking dead man. There is no way Sami is going to beat Roman. He is the last person to actually beat Roman. Then begins to talk about Cody and says he is a joke, his brother is a joke and his dad was a joke. Cody attacks Corbin and says give him a referee and they fought clear to the ring while Cody is still in a suit.
Cody Rhodes VS. Baron Corbin
After a brief fight on the outside, Cody sends Corbin in the ring and hits Cross Rhodes for the win.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Natalya is complaining to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez about Becky Lynch and Bayley trying to weasel their way into the Elimination Chamber match after they all earned their spots and Liv says just two more to beat on her way to WrestleMania. Natalya starts arguing with Liv for looking past her and they continued to argue until Raquel yelled enough save it for Saturday.
Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez & Natalya VS. Carmella, Asuka & Nikki Cross
Asuka goes to pin Liv, Natalya breaks it up but Asuka runs her shoulder first into the ring post. Raquel comes in, Asuka ducks and Carmella flies off the top rope but Raquel catches her and Nikki comes in and jumps on Raquel’s back while she is holding Carmella. Asuka gave her a kick to the head and all three fell to the mat. Asuka then kicks Nikki in the head and gives her a belly to back suplex. Carmella turns around and yells hey and Asuka kicks her in the head. Asuka then grabs Liv in a double arm lock and Liv has to tap out.
Winners: Asuka, Nikki Cross & Carmella
Alpha Academy in the back and Gable is talking about rewriting some of the curriculum to get Alpha Academy back on top, then asks Otis if he is listening and Otis says these hot dogs are the best and Gable grabs the hot dog and says you know these are not good for you and threw the hot dog landing on Mansoor.
Maxine then introduces herself to Otis and is looking for someone new and asked if he has done any modeling and Gable interrupts and says he has done some modeling. Mansoor said maybe a hand model. Maxine says I was actually talking to Otis and gives Otis a business card. Bronson Reed then comes in the picture and stares at Gable.
Bronson Reed VS. Mustafa Ali
Ali goes for a move but Reed clotheslined him. Reed then hits his splash off the top rope for the win.
Winner: Bronson Reed
Cathy Kelly interviews Beth Phoenix and Edge. They are going to remind The Judgment Day why they are called the Grit Couple.
The Miz comes out for MizTV with special guest Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Seth comes out wearing huge, oversized red boots.
As Miz questions Seth about not wanting to talk about Logan Paul in a WWE ring, Seth shuts him up. He said all I want to do is headline WrestleMania. It matters to him, it matters to you, it matters to all of us because they love this. Logan Paul does not care about that, he only cares about lining his pockets and the reason he doesn’t want to talk about Logan Paul in this ring is because he doesn’t deserve it. Miz tells Seth he sounds jealous. Seth says come on Mike we all know how stupid you are, and you are not that stupid I am not jealous. Miz says I am not stupid.
Miz then begins to yell at Seth saying they are the only two grand slam champions in WWE but the difference is he headlined WrestleMania. As Miz continues, Seth just patiently takes off his jacket then punches the Miz, then hits him with one of the chairs from the set.
As Seth looked to be setting the Miz up for a stomp, Austin Theory pulled Seth out of the ring and went to slam Seth on the announce table but Seth reverses and slams Theory on the table. Seth sets up for the stomp on Theory but here comes Miz who does slam Seth into the announce table then rolls Seth back into the ring. Miz goes in for the Skull Crushing Finale but Seth reverses and hits Miz with a superkick. Seth delivers a stomp to the Miz but immediately gets picked up by Theory who hits his A-Town Down on Seth. Theory then grabs his United States Championship and kneels down on Seth and tells Seth he is done with him and he is the past.
In the back, Rick Boogs is working out and Elias walks up to him (in the background you can again see MVP talking with Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin). Elias starts talking about the comparisons of he and Boogs. Elias tells him if he loses his match to the Miz tonight, don’t get too depressed, but if he wins maybe the two of them could do a collaboration one day. Boogs says yes and says some incoherent things and is pumped and ready to go. Elias wishes him good luck.
We go back to the ring Miz is still lying in the ring. During the break they show the crew cleaning out the MizTV set and Miz makes his way to sit in the corner. Rick Boogs comes out and Miz gets a microphone and says this match is not happening right now did you see what just happened to me. But the referee rings the bell.
Rick Boogs VS. The Miz
Boogs scoops up the Miz and tosses him over his head. Boogs then picks the Miz up and curls him like he is lifting weights for a 10 count then throws Miz to the mat. Boogs then picks the Miz up in a gorilla press slam position then brings Miz down with a power slam and gets the win.
Winner: Rick Boogs
Adam Pearce is shown looking annoyed and Chelsea Green is beside him complaining. Green demands to be put in the triple threat match and Pearce says that is not going to happen and Green says I am not leaving here until you put me in. Pearce walks out of his office and Green looks and says wait, where are you going?
Byron Saxton interviews the Judgment Day and they say they are going to win against Edge and Beth Phoenix and Priest says he is going to win the United States Championship and Rhea is going to go to WrestleMania and win the Smackdown Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair VS. Bayley VS. Becky Lynch
Becky goes for the pin on Bayley but Iyo Sky pulled Becky out and slammed her into the ring post. Dakota Kai tried to help Bayley but got kicked down. Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan, Natalya and Nikki Cross come down and begin to take out Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai.
Iyo Sky somehow got away and climbed to the top rope, but Bianca caught her and threw her out and took everyone out at ringside.
Becky back in the ring and gets reversed from Bianca right into Bayley but Becky gives her the man handle slam but Bianca breaks up the count and gives Becky the KOD onto Bayley then Bianca pins Bayley.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Neither Becky Lynch nor Bayley will be added to the Elimination Chamber match.
The Elimination Chamber is just a few days away and tonight’s Monday Night Raw will serve as the final push from the Raw brand for the premium live event.
Two segments and three matches have been revealed for tonight’s show so far.
Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley will continue their destruction as a contract signing will be taking place on the broadcast and you can bet that there will be carnage. Also, The Miz will welcome Seth Rollins on Miz TV.
The matches announced are Rick Boogs vs The Miz, Bronson Reed vs Mustafa Ali, and Carmella, Asuka and Nikki Cross vs Raquel Gonzalez, Liv Morgan, and Natalya in a six-woman tag team match.
WWE and 2K have released the full list of the roster which will be part of the WWE 2K23 video game.
The roster includes a total of 183 playable characters, divided in 46 women, nine of whom are WWE Legends, 132 men, 46 of whom are WWE Legends, and 5 from bonus packs.
Sasha Banks and Naomi are not part of the game and Jake “The Snake” Roberts is the only one from AEW to make the list.
WWE 2K23 is developed by Visual Concepts and will be released on March 14, 2023 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
MEN: AJ Styles; Akira Tozawa; Angel Garza; Angelo Dawkins; Apollo Crews; Austin Theory; Axiom; Big E; Bobby Lashley; Braun Strowman; Brock Lesnar; Bron Breakker; Brutus Creed; Butch; Cameron Grimes; Carmelo Hayes; Cedric Alexander; Chad Gable; Cody Rhodes; Commander Azeez; Cruz Del Toro; Damian Priest; Dexter Lumis; Dolph Ziggler; Dominik Mysterio; Drew Gulak; Drew McIntyre; Edge; Elias; Erik; Ezekiel; Giovanni Vinci; Finn Bálor; Grayson Waller; Happy Corbin; Humberto Carillo; Ilja Dragunov; Ivar; JD McDonagh; Jey Uso; Jimmy Uso; Jinder Mahal; Joaquin Wilde; Julius Creed; Karrion Kross; Kevin Owens; Kofi Kingston; LA Knight; Logan Paul; Ludwig Kaiser; MACE; Madcap Moss; Mansoor; Matt Riddle; Montez Ford; Mustafa Ali; MVP; Noam Dar; Omos; Otis; Randy Orton;; Reggie; Rey Mysterio; Rick Boogs; Ricochet; Ridge Holland; Robert Roode; Roman Reigns; R-Truth; Sami Zayn; Santos Escobar; Seth Rollins; Shanky; Sheamus; Shelton Benjamin; Shinsuke Nakamura; Solo Sikoa; T-BAR; The Miz; Titus O’Neil; Tommaso Ciampa; Tyler Bate; Veer Mahaan; GUNTHER; Wes Lee; Xavier Woods.
MEN LEGENDS: André the Giant; Batista; Big Boss Man; Boogeyman; Booker T; Bret “The Hit Man” Hart; British Bulldog; Bruno Sammartino; Cactus Jack; Diesel; Doink; Eddie Guerrero; Eric Bischoff; Faarooq; Goldberg; Hollywood Hogan; Hulk Hogan; The Hurricane; Jake “The Snake” Roberts; Jerry “The King” Lawler; Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart; JBL; John Cena; Kane; Kevin Nash; Kurt Angle; “Macho Man” Randy Savage; Mr. McMahon; Razor Ramon; Rikishi; Rob Van Dam; Rowdy Roddy Piper; Scott Hall; Shane McMahon; Shawn Michaels; Syxx; “Stone Cold” Steve Austin; Ted DiBiase; The Rock; Triple H; Ultimate Warrior; Umaga; Undertaker; Vader; X-Pac; Yokozuna.
BONUS: Bad Bunny; Brock Lesnar ’01; The Prototype; Randy Orton ’02; Leviathan.
The Undertaker was featured in a DraftKings commercial which aired during the Super Bowl last night on FOX.
Starring Kevin Hart and other celebrities, Taker shows up for a few seconds in the commercial when talking bets and Hart says he’s not an under taker. At that point, The Undertaker walks up behind Hart for a hilarious face-to-face – or better yet face-to-chest – encounter.
Speaking of Super Bowl, an ad promoting Smackdown also aired during the game since it aired on FOX this year. The commercial featured a woman in an office clearly ticked off about her coworker and suddenly she snaps and takes a chair and breaks it over his back. The rest of the office workers start wrestling with one delivering a flying elbow from the floor above onto someone placed on a table. The commercial then transitions to the woman, who was just dreaming about the scenario, confronts the colleague and snaps his pen in half.
A shot of Charlotte Flair doing her trademark pose is then showed and the woman in the commercial does the same. “We’re all Superstars,” the commercial continues as the Smackdown logo is then displayed.
In an interview on the Dan Le Batard show, AEW President Tony Khan said that several wrestlers on the roster have contacted him saying that WWE reached out and are trying to tamper with their contracts.
But after making the accusation, he said, “I can’t confirm that specifically. I can only tell you what the wrestlers have come to me and said.” He noted it was “very disturbing” to hear such accusations from his roster.
AEW legal sent WWE’s then co-CEOs Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan a letter last year advising them not to contact AEW talent under contract after someone reported the advance to front office.
Khan believes that AEW and WWE are in a war and they “truly” hate each other, adding that the wrestling business is very dirty.
“I think we truly, truly hate each other and I think it makes for really exciting TV and it makes for an exciting wrestling war,” Khan said.
The WWE championship received a good amount of publicity yesterday after Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes unpacked a brand new replica WWE title with the Chiefs side plates as the team celebrated their win.
Chiefs players danced around and took photos with the replica title, sent over to them by WWE, while Mahomes walked around everywhere with it and posed with the title on his shoulder and the Super Bowl trophy in his other hand.
WWE typically sends champions of different sports leagues their own replica title with their logo on the side plates and teams usually have no problem celebrating with it, giving WWE some free advertising in the process which is worth more than the $500 or so price that the title costs.
While WWE titles usually get a lot of bad publicity for looking “boring,” the massive WWE logo in the front comes in handy in these type of situations.
Patrick Mahomes opens the WWE championship that was waiting for him at his locker after the Super Bowl and presents it to his teammates. pic.twitter.com/vopIdT7sH4
