Daily Update: AEW Grand Slam Mexico, WWE Raw, Giulia

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • What people thought of WrestleMania and Stand & Deliver
  • An in-depth look at WrestleMania
  • Crowd reactions
  • Dwayne Johnson and his role in the show and the entire back story
  • How the John Cena story started and evolved
  • Why the Cena retiring the belt story makes no sense historically
  • Johnson tells his version of what went down
  • Matches that at different points were scheduled for the show and how they changed
  • Show audience
  • Joe Hendry story
  • How much WWE spent on Mania week compared to what AEW spent for Double or Nothing week
  • A look at all the matches and angles
  • Detailed look at how the WWE purchase of AAA went down, the partners, different people comment on what it means, AAA’s history as well as its attempt to expand to the U.S., Lucha Underground, does this effect CMLL, the original When Worlds Collide, how AAA was formed and more
  • The death of Hisashi Shinma, the golden age of New Japan Pro Wrestling, how he first got into wrestling, what he’s credited with as a booker, the rise of Inoki, the first UWF, Universal Lucha Libre, WWE Presidency, Backlund vs. Inoki, Inoki vs. Ali and more
  • A look at the life and career of Steve McMichael
  • CMLL and a week of sellouts including a killer Friday main event
  • WWE NXT Stand & Deliver coverage and poll
  • The life and times of Black Terry
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the wrestling and MMA shows this past week, demos, competition and segments looked at, as well as streaming numbers for Raw
  • Universal tournament ends this week
  • Biggest women’s show of the year this week
  • What’s new with Tetsuya Naito & Bushi
  • Dark Side of the Ring on Billy Graham
  • A look at the Mania week on the indies side including Bloodsport
  • Notes on future AEW PPV shows
  • Kenny Omega on What is the best schedule for wrestlers?
  • Mark Hunt’s case against UFC and Brock Lesnar thrown out
  • Advanced ticket sales to WWE & AEW shows
  • How streaming platform advertising works vs. television
  • Bayley talks her knee injury
  • WWE ID tournaments

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer  Radio covering Stardom, Bryan Danielson’s comments in the U.K., reviewing Raw and answering questions.
  • We don’t have it confirmed that the 6/18 Arena Mexico taping for AEW is sold out, but at one point earlier today there were no more tickets available.  Then some tickets were released but it’s clear the show will be sold out.  They also have a CMLL vs. AEW show on 6/17 and Fantastica Mania on 6/20 and tickets are selling well for those shows.  Remember that Mexico is heavily a late sale rather than first day sale business.  The draw is that Mexico City has not had a major U.S. television taping in more than a decade.  A lot of people are looking at this like it’s a sign that WWE/AAA won’t do well, but the story of what will happen in Mexico will play out over years, not weeks.  Historically the local wrestling style has not survived WWE expansions, but CMLL is entrenched in Mexico City in a way that very few promotions have been.  CMLL is reacting to the WWE buying AAA.  They haven’t directly addressed it, but Guadalajara’s poster has the phrase 100% Mexicana” and a new Arena Mexico CMLL video was released with the phrase, “As long as Arena Mexico exists, Lucha Libre will never die.”  Without saying so,they are marketed around the idea that they are the home promotion there to preserve Lucha Libre.  AEW also has the pre-sale for its show at the O2 Arena in London for Forbidden Door on 8/24.
  • Raw is tonight in Kansas City, the third show in the three-show weekend combo of PBR, UFC and WWE.  About 10,200 tickets were out so without a huge walkup it’ll be shy of a sellout, but that’s still a great number.  Nick Aldis will be acting G.M. as Adam Pearce will not be on the show.  The only match announced is Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez.  Pat McAfee will cut a promo on Gunther plus Becky  Lynch, Paul Heyman, Seth Rollins and Bron Brakker are announced.  
  • There are reports that Giulia and Perez are both called up to Raw, and that may be the case.  When asked about it today, we were told that as of today they are both still considered NXT wrestlers, unlike Fraxiom who are now Smackdown wrestlers.  Last week they did look to be building Giulia & Perez in a match with Iyo Sky & Stephanie Vaquer.
  • Although TNA announced last night’s show was sold out ahead of time, we saw photos with lots of empty seats.  We haven’t gotten an attendance figure for the show.  It did look better than most AEW tapings but not AEW PPV shows. 
  • We’re looking for reports from Kansas City with anything not on the live show such as Main Event bouts, dark mathes or anything else to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • We’re looking for your thoughts on  last night’s TNA Rebellion show and yesterday’s Stardom show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs  down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • Mayu Iwatani said earlier today that she was done in Stardom aftter she dropped the IWGP women’s title to Syuri in a match people are raving about.  While WWE did make a play for her at the same time as Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky, when Rossy Ogawa was starting Marigold he did expect that Giulia (who since left for WWE), Iwatani and Utami Hayashishita would be his big stars.  Iwatani still had time left on her Stardom contract and the belief was that when it expired she would go to Marigold.
  • Smackdown on Friday night did 1.60 million viewers and 0.51.  Those are great numbers for a three-hour show that went against the NFL draft which did 6.09 million viewers on ABC & ESPN 2 and a 1.58 in 18-49, plus against two NBA playoff games and two NHL playoff games.  
  • Elite Plus has released a $40,000 ticket package for front row center  on the TV side for two nights at SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium, an in-ring photo of yourself, private transportation to all the events, a private pre-show hospitality suite with Kevin Nash, press conference and photo opps, as well as tickets to  Smackdown and Raw in East Rutherford, NJ.  Non-front row center is currently going for $32,500.  The $40,000 tickets also sold out.
  • Bryan Danielson was in London late last week plugging the on sale for the AEW shows in Glasgow and London.  He wasn’t at Wembley Stadium and he was asked by interviewers about the Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn fight as we wrote about.  We don’t know if he went to the fight but he was very knowledgeable about the fight and its storyline when asked by reporters.  The fight over the weekend was a really big deal in the U.K.
  • WWE had trademarked the name Jamar Hampton, which means somebody by that name is planned to be coming in.
  • Dustin Poirier said that he tried to pitch for his last fights in New Orleans a one-night-fourman tournament for the BMF title with himself, Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker and Max Holloway.  He said Dana White turned him down saying they wouldn’t be able to sanction it.  Poirier is facing Max Holloway.
  • El Desperado defends the IWGP jr. title against Templario in the main event of tomorrow’s New Japan show in Saga. The show airs live at 4 a.m. on New Japan World and also has Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita defending the IWGP jr. tag titles against Yoh & Master Wato and Great O’Khan vs. El Phantasmo for the TV title.
  • Pro Wrestling NOAH’s 25th anniversary show is /53 atSmo Hall with Ozawa vs. KENTA for the GHC title, Galeno sv.  Saxon Huxley for the National title, Jack Morris & Dagra vs. Ken oh & Ulak Saskai for the GHC heavyweight tag titles, Eita vs Yo-Hey for the jr. title and Amakusa & Junta Miyawaki defended the jr. tag titles against Alpha Wolf & Dragon Bane, plus Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Naomichi Marufuji.
  • Mistico vs Ikuro Kwon vs. Templario was announced for the 5/10 show in Chicago.  The show is already sold out.
  • Maple Leaf Wrestling announced they had signed legends deals with the families of Bruiser Brody, Bulldog Brower and Dave McKigney.
  • EVE on 5/2 at the Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, London, with Nightshade vs. Nina Samuels.