Initial SummerSlam Buyrate & Other Newsbits

News, Ratings

– The initial buyrate estimate for SummerSlam is 538,000. Last year’s event, with the strong Hogan/Michaels main event, did 525,000 buys initially and eventually rose to 636,000. This year’s event didn’t have as clear a selling point as that, though the card as a whole was far more substantial. In terms of domestic buys, the number has fallen 6% to around 320,000 buys. At the moment, with the increased PPV price, the event stands to make a total gross of $18.3 million.

– Jerry Lawler’s mother suffered a stroke shortly before the Unforgiven PPV. She is awaiting surgery to unblock an artery in her neck.

– Rey Mysterio is still scheduled to take time off for knee surgery following the No Mercy PPV. He likely won’t be back until April.

– Tazz’s announcing contract expires at the end of the year. He has been doing try-outs for radio shows lately in order to get some negotiation leverage.

– There have been on-and-off discussions about reuniting Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas as a tag team. Benjamin is said to be on a ‘death sentence’ on Raw due to his inability to recite scripted promos satisfactorily.

– Vengeance 2007 will take place at the Toyota Centre in Houston on 6/24.

– WWE stands to make $8.25 million from See No Evil, minus advertising costs. The production costs were $10.9 million. The Marine costs so far are $23 million, with people saying it needs to hit around $30 million at the box office to be called a success.

– On 12/5, the final hearing of WWE’s court case with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature will take place. This is to figure out what damages, if any, WWE has to pay them for violating the 1994 agreement.

– Bryan Danielson was said to be hurting very badly following his ROH match with KENTA on 9/16. The promotion is still building towards a Danielson/Homicide match on 12/23 in New York, though with Danielson’s shoulder and chest in bad condition he will have to work a far lighter schedule until then. His title defences may be limited to just one a month, and the possibility of him being forced to drop the title early has not been ruled out.

– Nana Bandoh, a.k.a. Prince Nana, has quit ROH, saying he wants to concentrate on other things.

– ROH has booked the Dragon’s Gate wrestlers for their WrestleMania weekend shows next year.

– Matt Weise, formerly known as Luther Reigns on Smackdown, is now appearing on the Playboy Channel’s Totally Busted, a dirtier version of Candid Camera. He is billed as Matt ‘Horshu’ Weisz and helps set up the pranks.

Credit: Wrestling Observer newsletter (click here for subscription information)