Category: Daily Updates

Daily Update

Latest News

• Chris Jericho attacks Will Ospreay at RevPro’s 11th anniversary event
• Butch announced for WWE NXT Global Heritage Invitational
• Dudley Boyz to team up for first time in seven years at Impact 1000
• AEW All In preview & predictions: London Calling
• Braun Strowman, Karrion Kross, Shotzi get Bray Wyatt tribute tattoos
• Two matches confirmed for Impact Emergence pre-show
• Tag match, Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bronson Reed official for WWE Raw
• WWE SmackDown video highlights: Celebration of Bray Wyatt & Terry Funk

Latest Audio

• Wrestling Observer Live: The cross-generational influence of Bray Wyatt
• Wrestling Observer Live: The Filthy Tom solo show
• Wrestling Observer Radio: Death of Bray Wyatt, Terry Funk Q&A, Mania and All In ticket sales
• Wrestling Weekly: Memories of Terry Funk, Abe Jacobs, Bray Wyatt
• Fight Game: Remembering Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt

Latest Free YouTube Video

See Dave & Bryan in London

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• August 21, 2023 Observer Newsletter: CM Punk & AEW backstage drama, All In preview

• G-1 MVP and best match of G-1
• Match of the week and performer of the week
• Behind the scenes of the last month of AEW. why stories were kept quiet, why people were not allowed to attend Collision, why this has gone on for 18 months
• All of the recent incidents talked about from multiple sides
• The promo by C.M. Punk and what happened at the Greensboro show which led to all of his getting out
• Different reactions to the promo
• The apology that did happen
• All In and attendance records plus the updated card with new matches that have not yet been announced
• Full coverage of the end of G-1 and the big fall shows for New Japan
• Business notes on G-1
• Naito has two of the best matches of the year
• Koichi Yoshizawa and his role in Japanese wrestling coverage in the U.S.
• Saturday’s UFC coverage and where the top stars go from here as well as the business notes
• Coverage of the final TripleMania show of the year and storylines behind it
• Tammy Sytch update
• The most detailed look at ratings for all the wrestling and MMA shows, gains and losses with what groups and why, what segments did the best and worst
• Another women’s champion out of action due to surgery
• RevPro and CMLL working relationship notes
• World Grand Prix notes
• Stardom PPV coverage and upcoming tag team tournament
• N-1 coverage
• New Japan and Stardom business notes
• Hiromu Takahashi talks junior heavyweight goals
• New Japan PPV shows this weekend
• One of the biggest women stars has major surgery and a look back at her career
• How the television industry continues to change
• Full PWG coverage of the first show since January including some of AEW’s top stars
• Update on new promotion opening next month and what well known announcer is in talks to appear
• RevPro anniversary show update
• WWE & AEW upcoming ticket sales
• WWE & AEW streaming numbers
• WWE and AEW international ratings
• Conor McGregor talks future
• Former UFC legend officially retires
• Update on Bellator sale
• Update on PPV numbers for Diaz-Paul and SummerSlam
• Former WWE wrestler wins MMA fight
• Edge and possible retirement
• Build to Payback show
• ESPN exec talks interest in pro wrestling
• Possible retirement of Lacey Evans
• Women’s tag title update
• Asuka talks Japanese wrestling and the back story
• Logan Paul offers a $1 million bet
• New WWE signing

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

• June 21, 2006 Observer Newsletter: John Tenta obituary

Ordering Info:

Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

Saturday Update

WWE

• Alexa Bliss, Adam Pearce, The Good Brothers, and Top Dolla shared their memories of Bray Wyatt. Bliss said she was planning to attend the tribute for Wyatt on SmackDown last night, but she wouldn’t have been able to make it in time with the last-minute flight options.
• Big E recalled his history with Wyatt from when they were high school wrestlers: “Windham was a state champion wrestler in high school & grew up a couple counties over from me. We were supposed to wrestle at a dual meet during the 2002-2003 season. I was at 215 and he was a very powerful & skilled heavyweight. I didn’t want to bump up and we both accepted forfeits because our schools didn’t have anyone in our respective weight classes. Once we became coworkers, he’d regularly hit me with that trademark, warm laugh & tell me I dodged him. He wasn’t wrong.”
• Code Orange, the band behind Wyatt’s theme music, posted the following tribute: “Rest In Power buddy. You helped make our childhood dreams come true. You rode for us at every single turn and truly believed in us. More than people even know. Thank you for letting us be a small part of your story. See you on the other side.”
• Arsenal played Wyatt’s theme during halftime of their Premier League game against Fulham today.
• Bob Barker, the legendary Price is Right host who memorably appeared as a Raw guest host in 2009, passed away today at the age of 99.
• On Foley is Pod, Mick Foley discussed the life and career of his mentor Terry Funk.
• Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar, Damage CTRL, and LA Knight were interviewed on The SmackDown LowDown.
• Cody Rhodes was the guest on WWE After the Bell this week.

AEW/Other Wrestling

• Samoa Joe wrote about Bray Wyatt: “He brought Joy to everyone he loved and he loved everyone he could. The fireflies will glow forever because what you meant to us will never be extinguished. My love and condolences to the Rotunda family in this incredibly difficult time.”
• Our Josh Nason previewed the card for All In.
• In an interview with SI FanNation, Matt Jackson was asked about Cash Wheeler’s recent arrest. Jackson said they still plan on delivering at All In: “Any time distractions happen beyond your control, it’s a bit frustrating. But we have a task at hand, and we plan on delivering.”
• The Young Bucks also spoke about their rivalry with FTR. Matt Jackson said:
• It’s like the Celtics and the Lakers. It’s a rivalry between the very best dynasty teams, but there’s an undeniable respect that is present. Any competitor who sees another competitor as a threat, aren’t inviting them over for a cup of coffee. At least not now, while we’re in the middle of it. Maybe one day when we’re all old men, we’ll sit down, reminisce and realize how much we all actually have in common. But for now, they’re the enemy and they’re after the things I want. And one of those things are the tag team titles, and the other is to be labeled the greatest tag team of this generation.
• Nick Jackson added:
• This is exactly what we envisioned for the tag team division in AEW. Having generational talent and having them be able to hold the division at the highest standard and of course we’re competitive and we see that and it drives us to be better.
• Tony Khan previewed All In on AEW Unrestricted.
• The Hollywood Reporter asked Khan how far ahead he plans AEW stories:
• I have long-range ideas and plans for things we can do. I do everything in pencil. On the AEW All Access show on TBS, I gave a look at a matrix that I built with all the different ideas. There are rows and columns for the different stories and where they can intersect and the different dates and how everything progresses. But this changes so often.
• We’ve had major changes this summer. We lost [former ROH and WWE star] Bryan Danielson with a broken arm, and [former WWE and Dragongate star] Pac has been out with internal injuries. And Jamie Hayter has been out injured. These are three great wrestlers. In the case of Pac and Jamie Hayter, they are great former champions and also British stars I really was hoping would be involved in the Wembley Stadium show. But we have such a deep roster. It’s like when a sports team has an injury and switches people around and brings people in. That’s what we do.
• So you can long-range plan, but there’s no perfectly safe plan for pro wrestling where injuries happen all the time and the unexpected happens all the time. So I’ve already had to make a lot of changes this summer from my original plans. Last summer was the most challenging run of injuries we’ve ever had when Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, and CM Punk were all injured within four days of each other. And the winter of 2021 was also a very challenging period when a lot of people were out when Chris Jericho had a blood clot and Kenny Omega had all these injuries and was out for nearly a year with those. So those are all times where there were major, major changes to plans. In particular, when there’s more than one person missing, it can necessitate huge changes.
• So I have ideas for things, and then I’m just hoping things go well. And sometimes we’ll change everything because things went so incredibly well and we say: ‘We need to keep this going or extend this or change the way we were approaching this.’ So there’s a variety of reasons why I want to do everything in pencil, but make a lot of changes largely by necessity. A business that is so physically demanding, where wrestlers get hurt so often by beating the hell out of each other in these matches, leads to a lot of injuries and that can change plans. But I do think I’ve developed a good reputation for being able to make changes and still put great shows together, even when there are injuries or unexpected occurrences that change the lineup. We got a great track record of delivering awesome events even under challenging circumstances.
• Britt Baker wrote in advance of competing at All In:
• I really do take so much pride in being the first female signed to AEW. I’m sitting in my London hotel room in awe of what’s about to take place tomorrow. I’ll always cherish the early days when we weren’t exactly sure what the future held for AEW, but we had a damn good time working together as a team to make sure we were doing everything and anything to make noise. Representing the women’s division in the world title match this weekend is an honor. I’m so proud to be All Elite.
• Eddie Kingston will be in action for PROGRESS Wrestling in London on Sunday, October 22.
• Denise Salcedo interviewed Paul Wight, Orange Cassidy, Hikaru Shida, and Nigel McGuinness.
• Shida was the guest on the most recent episode of Talk is Jericho.
• At Revolution Pro Wrestling’s 11th anniversary event today, Zack Sabre Jr. challenged Will Ospreay to defend the IWGP United Kingdom Championship against him at Royal Quest III. The Royal Quest event is taking place in London on Saturday, October 14.

Daily Update

Latest News

• WWE NXT viewership up for Heatwave
• Terry Funk passes away at 79 years old
• Tony Khan on AEW locker room: ‘I can’t make everyone get along’
• WWE reveals rules for NXT Global Heritage Invitational
• Darby Allin plans to ‘live and die in AEW,’ says ‘there will never be a bidding war’
• Back to School match added to Impact Wrestling Emergence
• The Boys announce re-signing with AEW and ROH
• Britt Baker was ‘really surprised’ by reaction to Taya Valkyrie AEW Dynamite match
• KAIRI announced for GLEAT show next month
• Bryan Danielson keeping positive attitude about missing AEW All In

Latest Audio

• Wrestling Observer Live: Bryan, Filthy Tom and Sempervive talk All Out weekend, UFC lawsuit, NXT Heatwave
• DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: Brock Lesnar vs. Andre the Giant
• Bryan & Vinny & Craig & Shawn: NWA-TNA from the week of 8/22/02, plus GRANNY MEMOIRS!
• We’re Live, Pal: AEW All In preview

Latest Free YouTube Video

See Dave & Bryan in London

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• August 21, 2023 Observer Newsletter: CM Punk & AEW backstage drama, All In preview

• G-1 MVP and best match of G-1
• Match of the week and performer of the week
• Behind the scenes of the last month of AEW. why stories were kept quiet, why people were not allowed to attend Collision, why this has gone on for 18 months
• All of the recent incidents talked about from multiple sides
• The promo by C.M. Punk and what happened at the Greensboro show which led to all of his getting out
• Different reactions to the promo
• The apology that did happen
• All In and attendance records plus the updated card with new matches that have not yet been announced
• Full coverage of the end of G-1 and the big fall shows for New Japan
• Business notes on G-1
• Naito has two of the best matches of the year
• Koichi Yoshizawa and his role in Japanese wrestling coverage in the U.S.
• Saturday’s UFC coverage and where the top stars go from here as well as the business notes
• Coverage of the final TripleMania show of the year and storylines behind it
• Tammy Sytch update
• The most detailed look at ratings for all the wrestling and MMA shows, gains and losses with what groups and why, what segments did the best and worst
• Another women’s champion out of action due to surgery
• RevPro and CMLL working relationship notes
• World Grand Prix notes
• Stardom PPV coverage and upcoming tag team tournament
• N-1 coverage
• New Japan and Stardom business notes
• Hiromu Takahashi talks junior heavyweight goals
• New Japan PPV shows this weekend
• One of the biggest women stars has major surgery and a look back at her career
• How the television industry continues to change
• Full PWG coverage of the first show since January including some of AEW’s top stars
• Update on new promotion opening next month and what well known announcer is in talks to appear
• RevPro anniversary show update
• WWE & AEW upcoming ticket sales
• WWE & AEW streaming numbers
• WWE and AEW international ratings
• Conor McGregor talks future
• Former UFC legend officially retires
• Update on Bellator sale
• Update on PPV numbers for Diaz-Paul and SummerSlam
• Former WWE wrestler wins MMA fight
• Edge and possible retirement
• Build to Payback show
• ESPN exec talks interest in pro wrestling
• Possible retirement of Lacey Evans
• Women’s tag title update
• Asuka talks Japanese wrestling and the back story
• Logan Paul offers a $1 million bet
• New WWE signing

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

• June 21, 2006 Observer Newsletter: John Tenta obituary

Ordering Info:

Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

Wednesday Update

WWE

• WWE extended its condolences to Terry Funk’s friends, family, and fans after his passing: “WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk has passed away at the age of 79. WWE extends its condolences to Funk’s family, friends and fans.”
• Paul “Triple H” Levesque wrote: “Every night in cities all over the world, Terry Funk left it all in the ring for our business and for the fans. An icon of our industry. My thoughts are with Terry’s family, friends and fans.”
• Mick Foley: “Hi, this is Mick. Terry’s daughters, Brandee and Stacy, have asked me to let you know how much they appreciate all the love and support you have showed him over the years – and how much they appreciate your condolences and kind words now. #RIPTerryFunk”
• Kevin Owens posted on X:
• I don’t really come here ever anymore but I had to today to say that Terry Funk was the absolute best of us and that getting to be in the ring with him 10 years ago is and always will be one of the absolute highlights of my career, bar none.
• To this day, I still often think back on that night and shake my head in disbelief at the absolute privilege and incredible luck I had to get to be in there with him.
• The energy and aura that Terry Funk carried with him into the ring that night is something I had never experienced before and have not experienced since, and I’ve been in there with some pretty crazy names…
• I’ll never forget it.
• Terry Funk.
• Forever.
• William Regal: “I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Terry Funk. I knew Terry before I came to the US as he came to Europe. A totally incredible, wonderful and lovely man. I have my own treasured tales of times together. My condolences to Terrys family. Rest well.”
• John Bradshaw Layfield: “One of the reasons I got in the business was Terry Funk. Love you Texas legend, RIP.”
• In an interview with the Ten Count, Santos Escobar confirmed that Rey Mysterio suffered a “small, mild concussion” in their match on the July 28 episode of SmackDown. Escobar was asked how Mysterio’s injury changed the plans for the match:
• The show that you got is the show that it was going to be. I believe that it is important to present a good show, and I believe that was the case that night. Rey and I went hard at it, that’s what we agreed upon. We have a very long relationship. We have a bond. And when you have that, you go hard. And that’s what happens when you go hard. He had a small, mild concussion. But he came back hard and then you know what happened a couple weeks after the fact [Mysterio won the United States title from Austin Theory].
• Chelsea Green & Piper Niven posted a video attempting to rid the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles of their negative energy.
• Hulk Hogan was the guest on today’s episode of the Joe Rogan Experience.
• Edge, Becky Lynch, and Chad Gable appeared on WWE’s The Bump.
• Joe Gacy was interviewed on Out of Character.

AEW/Other Wrestling

• AEW posted a tribute to Terry Funk:
• AEW is saddened to learn of the passing of the legendary Terry Funk. Hailing from the ‘Double Cross Ranch’ in Amarillo, TX, Funk was known to fans worldwide for being ‘middle aged and crazy’ with a charismatic persona and unpredictable in-ring style that spanned all forms of matches. Over the the course of his historic Hall of Fame career, Funk competed for wrestling promotions all over the world, holding multiple singles Championships and tag team gold alongside his brother, Dory, and captivated fans with rivalries against the likes of Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, Sting and many others.
• Outside the ring, Funk consistently gave back to the business he loved through mentorship, offering his incredible guidance and experience to the next generation of wrestling stars. In addition, Funk made a successful transition to the silver screen, appearing in such films as ‘Road House’ with Patrick Swayze and ‘Over The Top’ alongside Sylvester Stallone.
• AEW sends its deepest condolences to Funk’s family, friends and fans. His legacy will continue to influence the professional wrestling industry in perpetuity.
• Jim Ross: “I loved him like family. Terry was a brilliant mind. Absolutely amazing ring psychology. He was physically and mentally as tough as a $2 steak.”
• Dustin Rhodes: “Just heard that Terry Funk is gone. Truly heartbroken over this. He has known me since I was a child. He was an incredible mentor and friend. Love him so much and sad to see him go. I know he is no longer in pain and has probably rekindled his war with Pops in heaven. Rest easy TF #RestInPeaceTerryFunk”
• Taz: “I’m very sad to hear of the passing of a true legend & a great person, Terry Funk. Several of us had the honor & pleasure of being at his Double Cross Ranch many years ago after a show in Amarillo, I’ll never forget that!! Words can’t explain how Terry was just GREAT on so many levels. #RIPTerryFunk”
• Lance Storm: “I will say more eventually. This one hits hard. RIP Terry Funk. A pleasure and honour to know you. Respect always.”
• Matt Hardy: “#RIP Terry Funk. Not only were you the most amazing pro wrestler ever, you were the most incredible human being. Godspeed, Funker. My thoughts are with your family, friends & fans. You’ll be greatly missed.”
• MJF: “Forever. RIP, Terry Funk.”
• Frankie Kazarian: “The words ‘great’ and ‘legend’ are thrown around way too frequently. Terry Funk was both of those things and SO much more. An incredible and unique talent. An influence of a generation. An absolute gentleman. A man I was honored to have been friendly with. Godspeed sir.”
• Steve “Mongo” McMichael has been named as a senior finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024: “Steve McMichael is one of the three Senior Finalists for the Class of 2024. Each Finalist requires 80% approval from a vote that will be held early next year by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s full 50-person Selection Committee to be part of the Class of 2024.”
• AEW announced that Stadium Stampede mode will be available to play on Fight Forever within the next 24 hours. The official launch time is 6 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow (August 24).
• While appearing on the Under the Ring podcast, Adam Cole gave an update on his health. Cole said he’s feeling better than he’s felt in years:
• Oh, man, I feel great. I feel really, really good. I’ve been wrestling for 15 years and I remember thinking, you know, nine months is both a long time and then I would also trick myself into thinking, ‘Oh, nine months isn’t that long? I’ll jump right back into it and I’ll be totally fine.’ There definitely was a re-learning curve when I came back. I think a lot of it had to do with the severity of what I went through. I remember being totally relieved and so happy that I was cleared by multiple doctors, but there still was that like, God, what if something else happens type of fear and I’m just being totally transparent and honest when it comes to that. But now as time has gone on, specifically, these past few months, I feel the best I have felt in years, honestly like, both in the ring, on the microphone, while traveling, in my personal life, like everything that’s happening right now I could not be happier. I’m so thankful, so grateful to be able to be back in the ring doing what I love to do, and truth be told, I have never been more physically, mentally, emotionally, more ready for this giant event. I feel great. I feel really, really good.
• While speaking with Uproxx, Swerve Strickland discussed how being released by WWE left a big chip on his shoulder:
• That left a big chip on my shoulder to prove it was one of the biggest mistakes you could have made. And now, winning the tag titles with Keith Lee and doing a co-main event in pay-per-views with said tag titles, doing all these big arenas and being featured in a lot of different, very unique ways and being able to do the music crossover and show them that was one of the biggest mistakes you made, but you can’t have it back now. You can’t make up for that now and I’m creating something that’s even bigger than what you expected of me over there. I’m really blessed in that department. I want to not just give back to them, but I want to showcase, I want to exceed the expectations of me here at AEW as well.
• MJF told SI FanNation about how much he learned from his Iron Man match against Bryan Danielson from this year’s Revolution PPV:
• I will say this about Bryan–I learned far more inside of that match, bell to bell, than I’d ever learned in the history of my career in a match. I wanted to kill that mother—–, but I also learned what made Bryan Danielson the American Dragon. And that made me levels better. We have zero in common, and I mean zero, but I learned a lot. And that was the first time we’d ever shared a ring together, which too many people gloss over.
• MJF took part in a town hall with Busted Open Radio’s Dave LaGreca yesterday at SiriusXM studios.
• MJF and Adam Cole are appearing together on the next episode of Hot Ones Truth or Dab. The video will be uploaded to YouTube tomorrow.
• The Athletic has a story on Tony Khan (subscription required).
• DAZN interviewed Paul Wight.
• Mike Mooneyham wrote about the death of “Honest Abe” Jacobs, who was the oldest known living wrestler at 95.

Daily Update

Latest News

• Impact x NJPW Multiverse United 2 live results: Alex Shelley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
• WWE Main Event results: Ricochet vs. Tommaso Ciampa
• Mike Bailey wins All Star Junior Festival tournament, calls out Hiromu Takahashi
• AEW Rampage, ROH spoilers from Lexington, Kentucky
• Sean O’Malley wins bantamweight title at UFC 292
• WWE’s Kevin Owens returns to action after fractured rib injury

Latest Audio

• Wrestling Observer Radio: UFC 292 recap, new All In & All Out matches
• Wrestling Observer Live: Thank you, Edge

Latest Free YouTube Video

See Dave & Bryan in London

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• August 21, 2023 Observer Newsletter: CM Punk & AEW backstage drama, All In preview

• G-1 MVP and best match of G-1
• Match of the week and performer of the week
• Behind the scenes of the last month of AEW. why stories were kept quiet, why people were not allowed to attend Collision, why this has gone on for 18 months
• All of the recent incidents talked about from multiple sides
• The promo by C.M. Punk and what happened at the Greensboro show which led to all of his getting out
• Different reactions to the promo
• The apology that did happen
• All In and attendance records plus the updated card with new matches that have not yet been announced
• Full coverage of the end of G-1 and the big fall shows for New Japan
• Business notes on G-1
• Naito has two of the best matches of the year
• Koichi Yoshizawa and his role in Japanese wrestling coverage in the U.S.
• Saturday’s UFC coverage and where the top stars go from here as well as the business notes
• Coverage of the final TripleMania show of the year and storylines behind it
• Tammy Sytch update
• The most detailed look at ratings for all the wrestling and MMA shows, gains and losses with what groups and why, what segments did the best and worst
• Another women’s champion out of action due to surgery
• RevPro and CMLL working relationship notes
• World Grand Prix notes
• Stardom PPV coverage and upcoming tag team tournament
• N-1 coverage
• New Japan and Stardom business notes
• Hiromu Takahashi talks junior heavyweight goals
• New Japan PPV shows this weekend
• One of the biggest women stars has major surgery and a look back at her career
• How the television industry continues to change
• Full PWG coverage of the first show since January including some of AEW’s top stars
• Update on new promotion opening next month and what well known announcer is in talks to appear
• RevPro anniversary show update
• WWE & AEW upcoming ticket sales
• WWE & AEW streaming numbers
• WWE and AEW international ratings
• Conor McGregor talks future
• Former UFC legend officially retires
• Update on Bellator sale
• Update on PPV numbers for Diaz-Paul and SummerSlam
• Former WWE wrestler wins MMA fight
• Edge and possible retirement
• Build to Payback show
• ESPN exec talks interest in pro wrestling
• Possible retirement of Lacey Evans
• Women’s tag title update
• Asuka talks Japanese wrestling and the back story
• Logan Paul offers a $1 million bet
• New WWE signing

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

• June 21, 2006 Observer Newsletter: John Tenta obituary

Ordering Info:

Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

Sunday Update

– Our weekend show with Garrett Gonzales talking UFC, Smackdown, Collision, Edge, G-1 and answering questions is up on the site now. I’ll be back with Bryan Alvarez tomorrow night talking the weekend shows and Raw.

– I’d also like to thank everyone for their nice words on the Friday show with Mike Tenay and on this week’s Observer for the stuff regarding Koichi Yoshizawa. It really means a lot to both Tenay and I because Yoshizawa was not only so important in our lives but so important regarding all coverage of Japanese pro wrestling in magazines and newsletters for decades. Tenay said he believed Yoshizawa was the most important correspondent in the history of the Observer Newsletter and probably nobody else would be close. I have so many books and magazines and memorabilia from Yoshizawa and he was a friend to many in my family.

– Last night’s UFC show could not have gone better for the company as Sean O’Malley was seen as a major superstar, and a win or loss in the title match with Aljamain Sterling would have made all the difference in the world going forward. Dana White claimed last night’s show did the biggest PPV numbers in history for a show headlined by a bantamweight title fight. In addition, the devastating one-sided win by Zhang Weili to retain the women’s strawweight title was big because the hope is to do a show in China with her defending the title in the main event and use her fame and success to build the company in that market.

– UFC was the No. 3 most searched term yesterday on Google with 1 million. Chris Weidman was No. 15 with 50,000. The top two were women’s World Cup and Lionel Messi. That supplanted Hurricane Hilary which was in the top spot Wednesday through Friday.

– The UFC uploaded the end of O’Malley vs. Sterling to its YouTube channel immediately after the fight. Clearly they wanted to make sure everyone saw O’Malley’s win as soon as possible, even knowing they were sacrificing late PPV buys to do so.

– Dana White begged Chris Weidman to retire, saying that he was told by Dr. Jeff Davidson that Weidman may have blown out his ACL or MCL in last night’s loss to Brad Tavares, and that would put him out for some time. Weidman said he wanted to continue fighting. Weidman did say that when Tavares was kicking the leg that broke that he thought it was a tactic Tavares wouldn’t do out of respect but said he should have assumed he would. He said he would need an MRI and he was sitting in a wheelchair later that night. He said both legs were hurting pretty bad,. But he said he wasn’t done.

– Zhang Weili in her win over Amanda Lemos outstruck her 288-21 to show how one-sided the fight was. It was the biggest differential in landed strikes ever in a UFC women’s fight.

– The lone controversial decision was the Mario Bautista win over Da’Mon Blackshear on the PPV show. Sal D’Amato gave Bautista rounds two and three. Chris Lee also gave Bautista rounds two and three. Steve Rita gave Bautista all three rounds. Of media scores, no media members gave Bautista all three rounds and we were told that card was really bad, but that it could have gone either way. The media scores were 67 percent for Blackshear.

– We wrote on Friday about All In surpassing 80,709, As of yesterday, the number according to WrestleTix was 81,103. We talked about this and what it means in the issue but total in the building for WrestleMania 32 and tickets distributed for this show are different numbers. Paid attendance, which should be the most important number, and we don’t know what All In has other than it’s obviously under 81,103 because there are going to be comps. It is unlikely All In has broken the all-time record as of this moment but that record is very much in the air and could end up being broken. If we use SummerSlam as a comparison, that show sold 5,500 more tickets in the last week. If this show does that then it probably ends up with all the records except the gate record.

– That gate record set at WM 32 can’t be broken any time soon. WWE did set the all-time gate record for two shows on consecutive days for next year’s WrestleMania.

– We’re looking for reports on these weekend shows:

• NXT from Friday night in Citrus Springs, FL
• NXT from last night in Tampa, FL
• WWE house show tonight in Laval, Quebec

We’re looking for results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]

– Tonight’s WWE house show in Laval, Quebec had 6,747 tickets out as of earlier today, which is a great house show number.

–NJPW/Impact Multiverse United is tonight from Philadelphia on FITE

• Heath & Joe Hendry & Yuya Uemura vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero & Master Wato
• Kenny King vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the Digital Media title
• Douki vs, Sami Callihan
• Francesco Akira & TJP vs Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita
• Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Rich Swann vs. Mao vs. Desperado vs. Yoh vs. Bushi vs. Kevin Knight
• Giulia vs. Momo Kohgo vs Deonna Purrazzo vs,. Gisele Shaw for the New Japan Strong women’s title
• Zack Sabre Jr. & Shane Haste vs. Eddie Edwards & Moose
• David Finlay & KENTA & Clark Connors & Alex Coughlin & Ace Austin & Chris Bey vs. Josh Alexander & PCO & Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa & El Phantasmo & The DKC
• Lio Rush & Trey Miguel vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Mike Bailey
• Alex Shelly vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the Impact title

– Last night’s WWE house show results from Ottawa, ONT:

Drew McIntyre & Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens defeated Imperium when Owens pinned Kaiser after a stunner. This was Owens’ second match back as he worked a Friday night dark match in Toronto which was the same match as here

Rhea Ripley defeated Natalya with the riptide. Dominik Mysterio was not there. Nobody was in Ripley’s corner

Iyo Sky won a three-way over Charlotte Flair and Asuka when Flair speared Asuka and Sky threw Flair out of the ring and pinned Asuka. Sky worked as a babyface and was super over, Very fast paced match. Bayley was not there.

Cody Rhodes defeated Damian Priest after three Cross Rhodes. Ripley was in Priest’s corner and gave Priest the briefcase to use for a near fall.

AJ Styles & Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson defeated Austin Theory & Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander when Styles pinned Theory.

Becky Lynch defeated Trish Stratus & Zoey Stark in a handicap match by pinning Stark. Stratus did a heel promo on Ottawa before the match so she wouldn’t get cheered.

Seth Rollins defeated Finn Balor in a street fight after a power bomb through the table and curb stomp to keep the world title

(thanks to Shannon Walsh)

– Ava, the daughter of Dwayne Johnson, had her first singles match beating Ivy Nile on last night’s NXT show in Tampa.

– Mike Bailey’s jr. festival tournament win over Kevin Knight is to lead to Hiromu Takahashi vs. Bailey for the IWGP Jr. title.

– El Hijo del Vikingo returns to House of Glory Wrestling on 9/15. Also on that show are Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander.

Daily Update

Latest News

• Edge says his WWE contract expires at end of September
• Shinsuke Nakamura to reveal what he told Seth Rollins on WWE Raw
• WWE SmackDown video highlights: Edge’s final match?
• Austin Theory crowned new WWE US title number one contender
• Best-of-seven series booked for NJPW Road to Destruction
• VIDEO: Edge says WWE SmackDown match was his last in Toronto
• Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix, Elite vs. Bullet Club set for AEW Fyter Fest
• Jimmy Uso appearance set for next week’s WWE SmackDown

Latest Audio

• Wrestling Observer Live: Thank you, Edge
• Wrestling Observer Radio: News, Mike Tenay joins to talk Koichi Yoshizawa

Latest Free YouTube Video

See Dave & Bryan in London

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• August 21, 2023 Observer Newsletter: CM Punk & AEW backstage drama, All In preview

• G-1 MVP and best match of G-1
• Match of the week and performer of the week
• Behind the scenes of the last month of AEW. why stories were kept quiet, why people were not allowed to attend Collision, why this has gone on for 18 months
• All of the recent incidents talked about from multiple sides
• The promo by C.M. Punk and what happened at the Greensboro show which led to all of his getting out
• Different reactions to the promo
• The apology that did happen
• All In and attendance records plus the updated card with new matches that have not yet been announced
• Full coverage of the end of G-1 and the big fall shows for New Japan
• Business notes on G-1
• Naito has two of the best matches of the year
• Koichi Yoshizawa and his role in Japanese wrestling coverage in the U.S.
• Saturday’s UFC coverage and where the top stars go from here as well as the business notes
• Coverage of the final TripleMania show of the year and storylines behind it
• Tammy Sytch update
• The most detailed look at ratings for all the wrestling and MMA shows, gains and losses with what groups and why, what segments did the best and worst
• Another women’s champion out of action due to surgery
• RevPro and CMLL working relationship notes
• World Grand Prix notes
• Stardom PPV coverage and upcoming tag team tournament
• N-1 coverage
• New Japan and Stardom business notes
• Hiromu Takahashi talks junior heavyweight goals
• New Japan PPV shows this weekend
• One of the biggest women stars has major surgery and a look back at her career
• How the television industry continues to change
• Full PWG coverage of the first show since January including some of AEW’s top stars
• Update on new promotion opening next month and what well known announcer is in talks to appear
• RevPro anniversary show update
• WWE & AEW upcoming ticket sales
• WWE & AEW streaming numbers
• WWE and AEW international ratings
• Conor McGregor talks future
• Former UFC legend officially retires
• Update on Bellator sale
• Update on PPV numbers for Diaz-Paul and SummerSlam
• Former WWE wrestler wins MMA fight
• Edge and possible retirement
• Build to Payback show
• ESPN exec talks interest in pro wrestling
• Possible retirement of Lacey Evans
• Women’s tag title update
• Asuka talks Japanese wrestling and the back story
• Logan Paul offers a $1 million bet
• New WWE signing

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

• June 19, 2006 Observer Newsletter: ECW One Night Stand, Pride scandal fallout

Ordering Info:

Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

Saturday Update

WWE

• While appearing on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox, Cody Rhodes praised Brock Lesnar:
• I am so glad that we got to have three together and I was able to get two wins out of it at this point in his career. I said this in the press conference after SummerSlam. I don’t want to ruin the lore or the allure or the mystique and I don’t think I could of Brock Lesnar, but I will say, if you’ve heard negative things about Brock Lesnar, I take them with a grain of salt.
• Because I feel like when he’s gone from this, he’ll be greatly missed for how unique and professional and just somebody who’s going to make you earn every centimeter you get. That’s a psychology that some of this doesn’t have anymore. To be able to feel that and understand that and learn from that…Yeah, absolutely a unicorn. He is a unicorn in the business. [He’s] just special. I don’t ever want to wrestle him again. I don’t, but it was a hell of a learning experience.
• Charlotte Flair told SI FanNation that she felt like she had a lot to prove with her match against Rhea Ripley not headlining WrestleMania 39 night one earlier this year: “I had a lot to prove. That’s how I felt going in, and I think people saw that as I walked out. I was very happy for Rhea and happy with what we did. Now we’ve both beat each other at WrestleMania.”
• Zelina Vega announced that she and Dakota Kai are launching a gamer podcast.
• Austin Theory, Grayson Waller, and The Street Profits appeared on The SmackDown LowDown.
• Shelton Benjamin was interviewed on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
• Austin Theory was the guest on WWE After the Bell this week.
• Gunther vs. Sheamus for the Intercontinental title from Clash at the Castle was uploaded to WWE’s YouTube channel today.

AEW/Other Wrestling

• AEW has announced that Samoa Joe will be in action on tonight’s episode of Collision. His opponent hasn’t been revealed.
• A video aired on Rampage last night announcing that The Righteous (Vincent, Dutch & Stu Grayson) are coming to AEW.
• Danhausen, who has been out of action since March due to a torn pectoral muscle, noted that he’s still injured and won’t be appearing at All In: “Hello I am injured. I will not be at wembley. Go enjoy the wrestlers who are not injured that are at the show that have worked very hard to help make this happen. I am not at wembley. I am not at wembley. I am not at wembley. I am injured. Thank you all for asking. I am injured.”
• Trent Beretta appeared on the latest episode of Talk is Jericho.
• Brian Cage will be wrestling for PROGRESS in Birmingham, England on September 9 and Sheffield, England on September 10.
• Macey Estrella (former WWE wrestler Lacey Evans) is opening Sunny Summers Cafe in Beaufort, South Carolina. The cafe, which is named after Estrella’s two daughters, will have its grand opening on Monday (August 21). Estrella told Your Island News that she’s focused on spending more time with her family and giving back to the community:
• I thought I could be of more assistance fighting a different fight than in the WWE ring. I want to focus on helping my community to fight against addiction and fight on the mental health side to normalize mental health issues.
• Estrella explained how she wants to use the cafe to help her community:
• Once the cafe officially opens on Monday, Estrella hopes to open her doors to community organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and said she plans to offer them free coffee and donuts in addition to a meeting place.
• She also wants to host seminars and classes targeted at women and military spouses on important skills that are necessary to get a job and ‘follow their goals and aspirations.’
• In an interview with SI FanNation, Hiroshi Tanahashi spoke about wanting to win the Impact World Championship this Sunday: “I’ve become a veteran wrestler in New Japan, but I still want to keep getting better. As a New Japan wrestler, if I have the Impact title around my waist, it will open up a lot of doors for myself and show a lot of new avenues for NJPW wrestlers to follow.”
• The Dallas Observer has a story on Kevin Von Erich.

Daily Update

Latest News

• WWE NXT ratings down, back below 700k viewers
• Tammy Sytch pleads no contest to DUI causing death
• Sami Zayn says WWE Elimination Chamber loss was a ‘hard pill to swallow’
• Logan Paul pitches ‘most hated’ tag team with Dominik Mysterio in WWE
• Impact Wrestling’s Steve Maclin cleared to return from injury
• Lacey Evans done with WWE

Latest Audio

• Wrestling Observer Live: Vinny Pacifico talks New Japan, CM Punk, RAW ratings, NXT TV report
• JNPO: AEW Q2 investors call with Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston
• Pacific Rim: Fumi Saito’s thoughts on NJPW G1, Asuka’s Stardom comments
• Bryan & Vinny & Craig & Shawn Show: Granny’s polka song contest plus NWA-TNA week of 8/16/02

Latest Free YouTube Video

See Dave & Bryan in London

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• August 14, 2023 Observer Newsletter: WWE SummerSlam recap, UFC’s antitrust suit moves forward

In this issue:

• Match of the Week and Wrestler of the Week
• The big Saturday night with SummerSlam, UFC, Diaz vs. Paul, Collision and G-1 and who watched what
• The departure of Brock Lesnar and his scheduled return, and departure of Ronda Rousey and her importance and the MMA rules attempt
• The Bloodline angle
• Business numbers including PPV, WWE buyers who bought Forbidden Door, Spence vs. Crawford and Diaz vs. Paul
• What record did SummerSlam set and what record that it set will last only a few more weeks
• The ruling in the Cung Le vs UFC lawsuit regarding it becoming a class action suit, what the judge said, the MLW suit against WWE, and how this lawsuit potentially affects WWE
• Full coverage of the G-1 Climax tournament, with the storylines and match reviews from the past week
• All In sets its own new record and update on the show
• Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show
• CMLL anniversary show news
• The most in depth look at the ratings of all national pro wrestling and MMA shows, including segment-by-segment and by different groups, as well as where the wrestling and MMA shows stood in the overall weekly cable and network standings
• Lots of foreign stars coming to CMLL
• TripleMania notes
• Stardom Five Star Grand Prix tournament update
• N-1 tournament update
• NOAH sells out in seconds
• New Japan’s All-Star Junior event in Philadelphia
• Hulk Hogan and his new stories
• Schedule of shows for London over All In weekend
• Arenas trying to block their agreements with WWE from public view
• Legendary tag team reunites
• Young Bucks talk signing their new deals and current thoughts on wrestling
• Full Gear 2023 update
• Dynamite and Smackdown upcoming time changes for baseball playoffs
• Lots of injury updates
• Upcoming attendance numbers for WWE and AEW
• International TV ratings and streaming numbers
• Update on Forbidden Door PPV numbers
• Dana White predicts a fight doing 10 million buys at $100 a view
• New UFC main events
• Bellator planning huge show
• Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz
• Logan Paul’s next fight and why it’s such a joke
• Boxing superstar signs with MMA group
• Vince McMahon’s ownership in the new UFC/WWE company
• New Board of Directors
• Plans for NXT
• More on Kairi’s return
• AEW star close to signing with WWE
• WWE performer going for the real wrestling Triple Crown
• How much is WWE currently worth

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

• June 19, 2006 Observer Newsletter: ECW One Night Stand, Pride scandal fallout

Ordering Info:

Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

Wednesday Update

WWE

• Haus of Wrestling asked Baron Corbin about the crowd cheering for him and turning against Gable Steveson in their NXT Great American Bash match:
• You know, it was wild when my music hit, and I got new music. And I think because a lot of people wanted that, for me, a lot of people wanted the new music, they wanted the new character. A lot of people who are here seeing what I do are tied all the way back to the Lone Wolf. They want to see that again, and they’re gonna get that attitude for sure. It’s just going to be presented how I would present it.
• And when my music hit, I got that kind of 50/50-like, we’re booing you because we boo you but also got like a good cheer, but by the time the match had started, it was 100 percent for me, and 100 percent not into what he was doing. I thought I had a chance to be able to turn it back the other way, and I just got to the point it was like, I can’t fight it. I mean, otherwise, they’re just gonna hate this. So let’s just go and let them have fun, and they were definitely behind me; it was awesome.
• Zoo enthusiast Kevin Owens visited the Detroit Zoo while WWE was in the city for SummerSlam.
• LA Knight, Chelsea Green, and Piper Niven were guests on WWE’s The Bump this afternoon.
• Becky Lynch and Chad Gable will be on The Bump next Wednesday.

AEW/Other Wrestling

• On the Joe Chuckery Show, Britt Baker discussed why she’s decided to take a step back from dentistry:
• With the ever changing and ever growing schedule with AEW, it was getting really hard to manage because I don’t want to be calling off last minute at the dental office all the time if Tony [Khan] needs me for something for a TV taping or to go do media or an event. I hold myself accountable to be available for those types of events because I’m one of the faces of AEW and I want to be available for everything like that. Unfortunately, that means…I don’t want to say closing the door, but I’m definitely taking a step back from dentistry. It’s not fair to be canceling on patients all the time if something else popped up and it’s not fair to the staff. My staff is absolutely fabulous at the dental office, I love them to death. I’m still there a few times a month to check in on my old patients to make sure everyone is okay. I don’t really accept any new patients just because it was getting really tricky to navigate the waters of fans coming into the dental office and not really knowing who is there to be a patient and who is there to get an autograph and picture. It’s fun, but at the same time, it gets frustrating for my staff when they are there to see patients and keep a successful practice going.
• MJF wants to be a guest on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast:
• Yo @LoganPaul I’m a big fan and I heard you were very upset with your ranking in the @espn top 30 under 30. I couldn’t agree with you more, the list was flawed. What the hell is a Vikingo?!? Would love to come on @impaulsive and talk about the list as well as the fact @aew is about to run the biggest show in the history of the sport on aug 27th! Hopefully your boss and our mutual friend Jolly old Saint Nick will allow it! P.S. I wrote this whilst sipping on a prime. Yours sincerely. -Numero uno, MJF
• Chris Jericho revealed that he nearly faced Mike Tyson in a cinematic match in AEW: “Mike Tyson and I almost had a cinematic match. We were this close to doing it, Tyson vs. Jericho in a New York Street Fight, but we couldn’t make it happen. We really were deep in negotiations too. We were going to do it in New York in an alley, like an alley fight, basically. Think ‘They Live’ with Tyson and Jericho. That’s what I had in mind.”
• Rob Van Dam indicated that he received permission from WWE for his AEW Dynamite match: “Some fans are saying I did WWE wrong by appearing on AEW. I wonder if they would all eat shit [if] I revealed that I had permission to do it? Or would they just move on to puke out the next meaningless bullshit that comes out of their mouths? Yeah, I figured. I’ll keep it to my self for now.”
• Jim Ross posted a new picture of his leg wound and gave an update on how it’s healing: “The healing process continues albeit slowly. Appreciate all the positive thoughts.”
• SEScoops has an interview with Hikaru Shida.
• AEW uploaded a new Control Center video ahead of tonight’s Dynamite.
• PWInsider reports that Allison Danger (Cathy Corino) worked as a producer at the ROH tapings that took place alongside AEW Collision this past Saturday. It isn’t confirmed whether this was a tryout for Danger or whether she’s been hired.
• Impact Wrestling announced that its scheduled action figure line from Asylum will not be released. Impact is in discussions with other manufacturers to produce action figures:
• IMPACT Wrestling regretfully announces that its scheduled action figures, made by Asylum, did not meet IMPACT standards nor the outlined timeframe for release.
• Thus, IMPACT Wrestling is now in discussions with other action figure manufacturers for an upcoming release and no IMPACT Action Figures from Asylum will be produced.
• All pre-payments for the IMPACT Action Figures made by Asylum will be refunded in full. Refunds will start being processed at the end of August.
• Thank you for your understanding.
• A five-way match involving Lio Rush, Fugaz, Dragon Kid, KC Navarro, and Soberano Jr. has been added to NJPW’s All Star Junior Festival in Philadelphia this Saturday. Goldy vs. Vinny Pacifico has been announced for the pre-show.

Daily Update

Latest News

• Hikaru Shida: Winning AEW Women’s title a second time was ‘greatest moment of my life’
• UFC on ESPN 51 live results: Vicente Luque vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
• Will Ospreay changes IWGP US title to UK title
• Shinsuke Nakamura segment announced for WWE Raw
• Finals set for NJPW G1 Climax 33
• WWE SmackDown video highlights: Jimmy Uso explains his betrayal
• NJPW G1 Climax 33 semifinals live results: Naito vs. Ospreay, Okada vs. EVIL

Latest Audio

• Wrestling Observer Radio: Interview with RevPro’s Andy Quildan

Latest Free YouTube Video

See Dave & Bryan in London

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• August 14, 2023 Observer Newsletter: WWE SummerSlam recap, UFC’s antitrust suit moves forward

In this issue:

• Match of the Week and Wrestler of the Week
• The big Saturday night with SummerSlam, UFC, Diaz vs. Paul, Collision and G-1 and who watched what
• The departure of Brock Lesnar and his scheduled return, and departure of Ronda Rousey and her importance and the MMA rules attempt
• The Bloodline angle
• Business numbers including PPV, WWE buyers who bought Forbidden Door, Spence vs. Crawford and Diaz vs. Paul
• What record did SummerSlam set and what record that it set will last only a few more weeks
• The ruling in the Cung Le vs UFC lawsuit regarding it becoming a class action suit, what the judge said, the MLW suit against WWE, and how this lawsuit potentially affects WWE
• Full coverage of the G-1 Climax tournament, with the storylines and match reviews from the past week
• All In sets its own new record and update on the show
• Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show
• CMLL anniversary show news
• The most in depth look at the ratings of all national pro wrestling and MMA shows, including segment-by-segment and by different groups, as well as where the wrestling and MMA shows stood in the overall weekly cable and network standings
• Lots of foreign stars coming to CMLL
• TripleMania notes
• Stardom Five Star Grand Prix tournament update
• N-1 tournament update
• NOAH sells out in seconds
• New Japan’s All-Star Junior event in Philadelphia
• Hulk Hogan and his new stories
• Schedule of shows for London over All In weekend
• Arenas trying to block their agreements with WWE from public view
• Legendary tag team reunites
• Young Bucks talk signing their new deals and current thoughts on wrestling
• Full Gear 2023 update
• Dynamite and Smackdown upcoming time changes for baseball playoffs
• Lots of injury updates
• Upcoming attendance numbers for WWE and AEW
• International TV ratings and streaming numbers
• Update on Forbidden Door PPV numbers
• Dana White predicts a fight doing 10 million buys at $100 a view
• New UFC main events
• Bellator planning huge show
• Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz
• Logan Paul’s next fight and why it’s such a joke
• Boxing superstar signs with MMA group
• Vince McMahon’s ownership in the new UFC/WWE company
• New Board of Directors
• Plans for NXT
• More on Kairi’s return
• AEW star close to signing with WWE
• WWE performer going for the real wrestling Triple Crown
• How much is WWE currently worth

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

• June 12, 2006 Observer Newsletter: Pride, ECW One Night Stand

Ordering Info:

Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

Saturday Update

WWE

• Paul “Triple H” Levesque congratulated Rey Mysterio on winning the United States title last night: “An all-time great who proves it every time he steps in the ring. Congratulations to the incomparable WWE Hall of Famer @reymysterio. #USTitle #SmackDown”
• Mysterio, Damage CTRL, and The Brawling Brutes appeared on The SmackDown LowDown.
• To further the storyline where Jey Uso said he’s “out of WWE” on SmackDown last night, Jey’s profile has been moved to the alumni section of WWE.com
• Before losing to AJ Styles on SmackDown, Karrion Kross teased that he could be starting a new faction: “Some people lack the depth to see the vision. My plan has always been to destroy the plan. But now it’s time to take things to another level. As fate would have it, AJ Styles has shown me the importance of brotherhood. And after all, a prophet is absolutely nothing without his disciples. Soon, you’ll see.”
• While advertising an autograph signing by Rikishi that’s taking place on August 26, NinjaXchange Collectible Expo wrote that fans could “come meet Rikishi before he referees at Payback.” The advertisement has since been changed to remove that. Rikishi wrote that it was a mistake by the promoter of the autograph signing.
• Corey Graves thinks Ludwig Kaiser should end up being a main event player in WWE;
• Ludwig Kaiser has been a piece of the Imperium machine. He has been the perfect set dressing on the main event that is Gunther. But after seeing what I saw on Monday, I’m gonna make a bold prediction right here, right now: Ludwig Kaiser, sooner rather than later, should be a main event player in WWE. I’m not expecting it to happen overnight. I’m not expecting him to be the one to knock off Gunther or anything of the sort, but he was so captivating, entertaining, eloquent, and all these other adjectives. But watching him interact with Maxxine, Ludwig Kaiser felt like a full-blown movie villain.
• I expect big things out of Ludwig Kaiser in the not-too-distant future because, man, that dude can do it all. I do expect fun, entertaining segments from him now. I don’t think that’s out of the realm of possibility now to say, ‘Yeah, I expect that from him all the time,’ and then awesome in-ring matches. Because Kaiser is European wrestling royalty. Second-generation. Kaiser is as good as we say he is from bell to bell. From a technical skills aspect, he might be top 10 in WWE.
• Sonya Deville thanked her fiancee Toni Cassano for helping her as she recovers from ACL surgery: “Rehab chronicles with my one and only @fit_tonicassano don’t know what I would do without this woman by my side. From making me laugh, to making sure I’m fed, to now literally helping me doing every single thing I can’t do on my own. You are the realest my Toni’s”
• Deville noted earlier this week that surgery went great.
• Chelsea Green was the guest on the latest episode of WWE After the Bell.

AEW/Other Wrestling

• A video aired on Rampage last night with Eddie Kingston talking about competing in the G1. Kingston said he wants to defend his NJPW Strong Openweight Championship both in NJPW and in AEW.
• Denise Salcedo has an interview with Hikaru Shida.
• Shida tweeted about being more comfortable in English-language interviews than she used to be: “I know I still need to work hard with my English but I can more relax now during English interviews because I learned not to need to be perfect. I’d love to challenge everything what I couldn’t before!! I hope you all will enjoy it!”
• Rob Van Dam addressed whether his AEW match against Jack Perry was a one-off appearance: “Well, was it talked about between me and Tony [Khan] about me coming back? Yeah. The details of that conversation? We’ll have to wait and see.”
• RVD also spoke about how Tony Khan reacted to the match: “He was very thankful. Very thankful. He loved the match. He said, it was awesome and it was awesome having me there.”
• Danielle Moinet (formerly known as Summer Rae in WWE) appeared on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.

Daily Update

Latest News

• WWE NXT draws best viewership in over two years
• AEW Full Gear reportedly taking place in Los Angeles
• Bryan Danielson: Blackpool Combat Club ‘should be a group that never breaks up’
• Karl Anderson on past anti-WWE comments: ‘I said some things that were out of passion’
• Logan Paul praises Ricochet & Samantha Irvin following WWE SummerSlam
• Quarterfinals set for NJPW G1 Climax 33
• NJPW G1 Climax 33 night 16 live results: D Block finals
• Dakota Kai was contacted for WWE SummerSlam hours before show

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• August 7, 2023 Observer Newsletter: Vince McMahon under federal investigation, The Elite re-sign with AEW

In this issue:

• Match of the week and performer of the week
• Feds investigating Vince McMahon and more
• AEW signings Kenny Omega, Young Bucks and Adam Page, lots behind it with comments from any going into details on the reason the decision was made, their pact to stay together and far more
• WWE financials for quarter two, including why the next TV deal is taking longer to negotiate, how every sector of business is doing, USA Network with and without WWE and looks to the future
• SummerSlam, why matches were changed, the huge Saturday night of events, ticket sales and more
• Updating All In, where it stands on all-tie records, two straight weeks of PPV shows, the last time it happened and the history, rumored matches and more
• G-1 Climax, what everyone needs to advance to the final eight, cards for the rest of the tournament and running down the shows from the past week
• UFC 291 coverage, the stories behind the stories, what is next, business notes
• NXT Great American Bash notes with full coverage
• The life and times of Adrian Street, his death, his start, the famous photo, his U.K. heyday, why he came to the U.S., thinking wrestling was real, meeting Linda and his life after wrestling
• The most detailed look at the television ratings for all the pro wrestling and MMA shows, including what the numbers mean, rankings, segment-by-segment and how shows are doing compared with one year ago.
• Promotion shooting new star to the top
• One of the best matches of the year in Mexico
• Top pro wrestler worked as an Uber driver during the pandemic
• Why Stardom is bringing back 80s and 90s legends
• Wrestle Kingdom notes
• Minoru Suzuki match in a unique location
• Second generation star celebrates his 50th birthday on show this past week
• Update on the number of homes and carriage rates for the shows that carry wrestling and MMA
• More on a new television wrestling promotion starting in the fall
• More matches on All In weekend in London
• Who Giulia is likely defending her New Japan Strong title against next
• Men’s All Japan Strong title match in Defy
• Business of AEW and its value
• Tony Khan talks business growth
• Update on WBD business
• Health updates on AEW & WWE wrestlers out of action
• Paul Levesque and Tony Khan exchange words
• International TV ratings
• Streaming numbers
• Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
• Top merchandise sellers in WWE & AEW
• UFC pushing Slap Fighting at commission meeting
• Dwayne Johnson buys a house for a UFC fighter
• Backstage fight at show in Japan
• Notes on Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz
• Crawford-Spence PPV numbers
• WWE returns to India and details on that
• Kevin Owens talks future
• Former WWE personality working in TV news
• WWE house show notes

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

• June 12, 2006 Observer Newsletter: Pride, ECW One Night Stand

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Wednesday Update

WWE

• All four members of The Judgment Day are featured on the poster for WWE Payback, which takes place in Pittsburgh on Saturday, September 2.
• LA Knight threw out the first pitch at last night’s New York Mets game.
• WWE uploaded a clip of Michael Cole and Corey Graves’ live reactions to the biggest moments from SummerSlam.
• Mick Foley wrote a Facebook post in praise of Ronda Rousey’s time in WWE. In the post, Foley wrote that he thinks it’s unlikely that WrestleMania 35’s history-making main event would have happened without Rousey:
• It would be easy to dismiss Ronda Rousey‘s time in WWE as something of a disappointment. Maybe she never became as beloved as Becky Lynch, as proficient as Charlotte or Sasha, or had a great long term story arc like the one Rhea Ripley is currently enjoying as part of Judgment Day. I haven’t always been watching the product as intently these past few years as I had for the previous 40, but from what I did see – coupled with a pretty good gut feeling – is that Ronda wasn’t quite as invested emotionally for her second WWE run, as she was for her first. Motherhood has a way of redefining priorities, and rightfully so. But I firmly believe that her first run was not only incredibly impressive in the ring, but even more consequential in introducing new eyeballs to the product, and injecting a major dose of credibility into the general public’s perspective of professional wrestling.
• I was in the crowd in San Jose for WrestleMania when my pal Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson introduced Ronda to the crowd to a thunderous ovation. She was quite simply, the baddest woman on the planet. And while the back-to-back defeats she suffered in UFC may have taken a little shine from her, Ronda was still this incredibly sparkling diamond in the rough when she made her WWE debut at 2018’s WrestleMania. That match, where she teamed with Kurt Angle to take on WWE’s power couple of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon was my personal favorite match of 2018. That’s not to say it was the best match of 2018 – merely my favorite. It was one of those matches I need every once in a while to remind me of why I fell in love with pro-wrestling to begin with. I specifically remember watching the show with friends, and during this incredible moment where she had Triple H rocking and reeling, I just yelled out, ‘she’s not phoning it in!’ She certainly wasn’t. Ronda Rousey took pride in what she did, worked diligently to become really good, really fast, and as she progressed, had good-to-great matches with a variety of opponents.
• Without Ronda, it’s highly unlikely WWE would have featured a women’s match as its main event at WrestleMania in 2019. I still believe the real marquee match would have been Becky versus Ronda in a singles match – but nonetheless, let the record show that Ronda Rousey main evented WrestleMania with just one year of professional wrestling experience.
• I would put Ronda’s rapid progress up there with that of Steve Austin, Kurt Angle and The Rock – the fastest learning curves I’ve personally seen in our business. But each of those giants had one formidable arrow in their quivers that Ronda never quite got the grasp of – the ability to cut a great promo. That’s really all that was missing, all that prevented Ronda from being considered an all-time great. Steve Austin was a respected and admired worker for eight years before he caught fire with the ‘Stone Cold’ character and became one of the biggest drawing cards of all time. Dwayne Johnson went through some growing pains as Rocky Miavia before his switch-flipping heel turn that revealed one of the greatest entertainers in our business, or any other. Kurt Angle, as amazing as he was in the ring, became a beloved and iconic character by utilizing an innate sense of comedic timing that would have been impossible to guess at. If Ronda had an achilles’ heel as a performer, it was that all of her mistakes were made on the big stage, and that her wrestling character did not evolve as quickly as her in-ring skills did.
• I only met Ronda once – during that first run with the company. But I remember watching her and marveling at how much fun she was to watch interacting with her WWE peers. This was during the time when Bo Dallas and Joe Hennig were teaming as ‘The B Team’, and I specifically remember Ronda just lighting up the faces of those around her with some type of little dance she did ringside when the ‘B Team’ music was played. I remember thinking how comfortable she looked, and how supported she was, and I specifically remember thinking that if she could take a little bit of what I saw of her ringside and put it into her character, that she could become one of the great performers in WWE history.
• I don’t think most fans equate Ronda with humor or with warmth. But those were the qualities I saw on display – those are the qualities I really believe could have been put to work. For the time being, at least, I will be left to wonder ‘what if’. But while those two words ‘what if’ may remind me of what Ronda Rousey could have become in WWE, they don’t lessen what she actually was – a great worker with a love and respect for WWE that benefited everyone around her.
• Foley also sent his best wishes to Sonya Deville following her torn ACL:
• Man, this one hurts… I am a huge fan of @sonyadevillewwe’s tag team with @chelseaagreen and they were just getting started on what would have been an incredible run as @wwe tag team champions. More than that, Sonya is a great person and wrestler, and truly deserves the best. I hate seeing anyone get dealt such a rough hand, especially when they are doing so well — but I know she’ll be back and better than ever soon.
• SportsNet has a story on Omos.
• Logan Paul said there’s a clause in the contract for his upcoming Misfits Boxing fight against Dillon Danis where Danis will have to pay $100,000 if he pulls out due to a fake injury: “That’s my concern. ’m convinced he’s not going to show up. The clause is this, if he pulls out because of some sort of injury that he fakes, a doctor of our choosing has to verify the injury and then if he is indeed faking, he has to pay $100,000. There is a pull-out clause.”
• Santos Escobar, Kofi Kingston, and Sam Roberts were today’s guests on WWE’s The Bump.
• Alexa Bliss turns 32 years old today.

AEW/Other Wrestling

• During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Diamond Dallas Page said MJF is “the nicest guy” in real life: “I personally know that Max, MJF, would be pissed off at me for saying this, but he’s the nicest guy. He really is, to me. But if he’s out in the open, he’s an assh**e. And it’s not him being an assh**e, it’s him living the gimmick. He could turn babyface in an instant, and he would be over even bigger, I think. But as a heel? Oh my god.”
• Mercedes Mone celebrated the 13th anniversary of her pro wrestling debut yesterday.
• On the latest episode of Talk is Jericho, Chris Jericho discussed his favorite matches from the first 200 episodes of AEW Dynamite.
• Anna Jay was a guest on Busted Open Radio today.