[slik]

From this week's Observer:

NJPW/Japan notes from Meltzer * The company has a long-term vision for Europe as part of its world expansion, but right now the goal is to get television in as many markets in Europe as possible before doing anything else. * On Twitter, somebody unearthed perhaps the most unique wrestling product endorsement of all-time, from the 50's in Japan where they had newspaper and magazine ads for Rikidozan vibrators. In the 00s, during the Bob Sapp phenomenon, they had Bob Sapp dildos.

ROH/ALL IN * Silas Young was offered a new three-year deal that right now he’s expected to accept. There were rumors of him leaving because he was at the 11/26 Raw show, but he was there because his son, a big WWE fan, wanted to attend. * Stephen Amell revealed that he suffered a fractured left hip doing the ALL IN match with Daniels. This came during the middle of filming the “Arrow” series. He noted that the episode that aired on 11/26 was the one right after suffering the injury.

WWE * With Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day coming on Mondays and Tuesdays this year, they are taping television ahead of time both days. Given the holidays and the overall declining trend of the ratings, these shows are likely to do the lowest ratings in the history of Raw and the lowest ratings for Smackdown since it’s move to Tuesdays. * One wrestler with experience working with tables, ladders and chairs noted to us that putting Strowman in a TLC match coming back from elbow surgery, if he indeed does do the show, is the worst thing possible. It was noted that the worst thing about working with tables, ladders and chairs is the damage it does to your elbows. Unless you want to get your face and head destroyed, you have to get your arms/hands up for all the chair and ladder shots and they almost smash the hell out of your elbows. * Big Show, who talked of retirement previously, has signed a new multi-year deal that will keep him wrestling in WWE for the foreseeable future. * Big Show is taking time off due to being immobile because of injuries, which is why he turned face on SMACKDOWN LIVE as a way of writing him off television. * Shane Helms is coming into Orlando this week as he is next to coach at the PC. Helms will also be working as an agent at NXT house shows. If this goes well it's expected he might be offered a job full-time in either position. * Meltzer on this week's RAW - This show was pretty bad. Boring, almost nothing good past the last few minutes of a Rollins vs. Ziggler match and some of the worst overacting by Roode in a segment where Maverick pissed on his robe. The Ambrose segments in the doctor’s office and the Maverick pissing on Roode’s robe were outdated comedy and didn’t work. Yes, Vince McMahon wrote much of the show himself this week. Raw really feels like it’s missing star power. The stuff with Ambrose comes across like a desperate idea to get him booed. The heel turn just isn't working very well so far. * RAW had 7,500 fans in attendance this week. SMACKDOWN LIVE had 8,000 fans in attendance this week. * Meltzer on Rusev - Rusev is less over without Aiden English and English has been written off of television and is being used instead as the Curt Hawkins of the house show tours. Change for the sake of change that results in everyone being less over is not creativity, it’s stupidity.