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Tuesday, December 17, 2024 Issue #7434
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Visit our website at http://www.wrestling-online.com
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

There will be no newsletter tomorrow but the site will be updated regularly throughout the day. Back on Thursday.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at http://www.wrestling-online.com/

PUNK VS ROLLINS OFFICIAL FOR RAW ON NETFLIX PREMIERE

- The second match for the Raw premiere episode on Netflix was made official last night and it is a big one with CM Punk taking on his arch nemesis Seth Rollins. Punk opened the show and was interrupted by Seth Rollins who was among the fans in the stands. That did not stop the two from having a big brawl, with Punk and Rollins coming together among the fans. Several WWE officials and referees broke up the fight with fans chanting "let them fight." Just when it looked like the situation was under control and Punk was walking back through the stands, Seth Rollins escaped the officials holding him and ran towards Punk for part two of the brawl. The match was then made official by Raw General Manager Adam Pearce in a backstage segment. Roman Reigns vs Solo Sikoa in a tribal combat rules match for the ula fala was also announced last week, with this Raw shaping up to be like a premium live event.

ZOEY STARK ADVANCES IN WOMEN'S IC TITLE TOURNAMENT

- Zoey Stark advanced to the semi final of the WWE Women's Intercontinental title tournament after she successfully defeated Kayden Carter and Raquel Rodriguez last night on Raw. Stark will now face Dakota Kai in the semi final while Lyra Valkyria will meet the winner of the Kairi Sane vs Natalya vs Alba Fyre match which will air on next week's Raw. The final of the tournament was not announced as to when it's taking place but it's highly likely happening on the Raw premiere on Netflix early next month. The Women's Intercontinental title will be exclusive to Raw and it's the second mid-card women's title introduced following the Women's United States title on Smackdown.

PRE-SALE FOR NXT NEW YEAR'S EVIL TICKETS KICKS OFF

- Tickets for the NXT New Year's Evil episode on CW went on pre-sale today on AXS.COM with the code NXTLIVE. The show will take place from the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California on Tuesday, January 7, the day after Raw debuts on Netflix. This will be the first NXT on Netflix for international viewers. The cheapest tickets are $127.15 or $344 for ringside, both prices including all taxes and fees. Tickets go on sale to the general public tomorrow morning. You can get the pre-sale at https://ms.spr.ly/6013oni7N.

RAW ON NETFLIX KICKOFF PARTY TOMORROW AT WWE HQ

- WWE is opening its brand new headquarters for the public tomorrow for the Raw on Netflix Kickoff event. The event will take place starting at 2PM ET at 707 Washington Blvd in Stamford and registrations quickly filled up, with the company not accepting new registrations. If you previously registered, be on the lookout for an email from tickets@... as selected participants will be notified by today 3PM ET. The event will stream live on the company's social media properties. Scheduled to appear are WWE World Heavyweight champion Gunther, WWE Women's World champion Liv Morgan, CM Punk, Solo Sikoa, Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, and Logan Paul.

MYSTERY Ø VIGNETTE AIRS ON RAW

- WWE is already promoting a new arrival to the Raw roster for the premiere episode on Netflix after a 23-second mystery vignette aired on the show last night. A big red 0 appears in the promo and then it changes to a zero with a strikethrough. The strikethrough zero then blinks three times before the Raw is Netflix logo appears and "Coming on 1.6.25" flashes on the screen. The vignette is most likely for the arrival of Penta El Zero Miedo, whose AEW contract expired at the beginning of the month. You can see the vignette at https://www.wrestling-online.com/wwe/mystery-o-vignette-airs-on-raw-hyping-new-arrival/

SMACKDOWN RATING

- Smackdown last week drew 1,530,000 viewers, up 36,000 viewers from the prior week and the best number in three weeks. The show had a 0.47 rating in 18-49, up 0.03 and was #1 on the top 50 cable chart for the night and #1 on all of television, beating the second-placed show on CBS by 0.13 in 18-49. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)

SATURDAY NIGHT'S MAIN EVENT RATING

- Saturday Night's Main Event drew 1,590,000 viewers for the NBC return along with a 0.42 rating in 18-49, a demo number which has to be considered disappointing since both Raw and Smackdown on cable beat it. Variety is reporting that the show, which was also simulcast on Peacock, drew an additional 700,000 viewers on streaming for a total audience of over 2.3 million, beating the NBA Cup semifinal match on ABC. The last SNME on NBC in 2008 drew 2.4 million viewers.

REPORT: MATT CARDONA OFFERED AEW DEAL

- Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that AEW has offered a contract to Matt Cardona although it's not known if he has signed or not. Cardona is currently locked in a program with Chris Jericho for the ROH World title and the two will meet at Final Battle at the Hammerstein Ballroom this Friday. The former WWE Intercontinental champion has been appearing on AEW television the past couple of weeks to build his program with Jericho. He already had a couple of appearances in the promotion throughout the past couple of years. Cardona recently stated that he would love to end his career in WWE and have another WrestleMania moment as Matt Cardona as his previous gimmick, Zack Ryder, is "dead."

RAMPAGE RATING

- Rampage on Friday night rebounded in the ratings and drew 279,000 viewers, up 102,000 viewers from the prior week. This was the most-watched Rampage since September 20. The show had a 0.11 rating in 18-49, up 0.07 and also their best number since September 20. Rampage was #14 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)


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