Daily Update: Best of the Super Juniors, Joey Ryan, Moxley interview

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F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Thoughts on AEW Double or Nothing

This year’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view offered WWE the chance to revitalize one of their best match types.

The Money in the Bank briefcases haven’t been all that much of a factor over the past couple of years. Both men’s winners (Braun Strowman and Baron Corbin) failed on their cash-ins. The women’s winners (Alexa Bliss and Carmella) were successful, but Bliss cashed in on the same night that she won the 2018 ladder match. WWE has missed out on being able to use Money in the Bank as a star-making tool or something to kick off notable angles.

WON NEWSLETTER: June 3, 2019 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Double or Nothing review

All Elite Wrestling, who with the talent, television deal and financial backing is already, after just one show, the hottest non-WWE force in the U.S. pro wrestling business in more than 20 years, debuted on 5/25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The show taught a lot of things, from the value of social media to the dissatisfaction with WWE. The show had one of the best atmospheres you could have for a wrestling show, and given the talent and line-up, a strong in-ring product was guaranteed.

The show was a major success, but in many ways, that’s been a lock since February when they sold almost all of their 11,000 tickets in a pre-sale in less than 30 minutes, and the few held back were sold in four minutes the next day.

The show, as far as interest level, was far bigger than its predecessor, All In. All In was one of the historically most important shows ever in U.S. when it comes to landscape changing. And this show, as the first show of the AEW promotion, may be a significant part of long-term wrestling history.

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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • On his trip to Ghana, Kofi Kingston met with President Nana Akufo-Addo. WWE uploaded part two of their Homecoming series on Kingston’s visit.
  • Shinsuke Nakamura told Singapore’s The Strait Times that he wants to wrestle for at least five more years: “I want to wrestle at least five more years. I’m 39 now. (Former MLB) baseball player Ichiro Suzuki retired at 45 and he was such an influence for Japanese sportsmen, especially those who lived in other countries. And so I need to wrestle until I’m 45 years old.”
  • WWE stock closed the week at $72.74 per share, which was up slightly from yesterday.
  • Newsweek interviewed Tyler Breeze ahead of his North American Championship match against Velveteen Dream at NXT TakeOver XXV.
  • WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded Andrade vs. Johnny Gargano from NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia and Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream from NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
  • The full WWE Performance Center Combine special, which premiered on the WWE Network this past weekend, will air on WWE’s YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter accounts tomorrow starting at 10 a.m. Eastern time.
  • Tony Nese and his wife Liz are expecting a baby boy.

Pro Wrestling

  • Shingo Takagi defeated Taiji Ishimori this morning to win the A Block of the Best of the Super Juniors. Takagi won all of his tournament matches, ending with 18 points and a 9-0 record. The last night of B Block action will take place on Monday morning, with Will Ospreay taking on Ryusuke Taguchi to determine who will face Takagi in the Best of the Super Juniors finals on June 5. The winner of the finals will challenge for Dragon Lee’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Dominion on June 9.
  • At last night’s Bar Wrestling show, Joey Ryan announced that he’s staying in independent wrestling and isn’t signing with a major company. Ryan said that as he got offers and negotiated with promotions, he came to the realization that the current iteration of himself would go away forever if he signed an exclusive deal.
  • Jon Moxley spoke to Flip the Strip on 840 KXNT in Las Vegas about his AEW debut and appearance on Talk is Jericho.
  • Chris Jericho appeared on Busted Open Radio yesterday and discussed Double or Nothing and the Moxley podcast episode.
  • Jericho told ESPN that other WWE talent have reached out to him since the Moxley episode of Talk is Jericho was released: “I have heard from a lot of people who are working there saying, ‘I can’t wait to do my version in X amount of months.'”
  • AEW uploaded the epilogue episode of their Road to Double or Nothing series. It was announced that there will be a similar series for Fyter Fest.
  • At the end of his podcast today, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons discussed AEW and Double or Nothing with David Shoemaker.
  • Ric Flair posted part one and part two of a “Back in Action” video, with Flair cutting a promo about his hospital stay from earlier this month.
  • Though his opponent has yet to be revealed, ROH announced that Nick Aldis will defend his NWA World title at Summer Supercard in Toronto on August 9. There will also be an “authentic CMLL trios match” on the show.
  • Here’s a note from Dave Meltzer on Davey Boy Smith Jr. and MLW: “MLW’s Court Bauer noted in regard to the piece in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer on those in other companies expressing interest in Davey Boy Smith Jr. that he has Smith under contract for more than two more years. He noted that in the contract that Smith wouldn’t be able to appear on television with anyone except New Japan Pro Wrestling without him signing off on the deal. He also said that if Smith wanted to try MMA, that MLW would be 100 percent supportive of either Smith or its current champion, Tom Lawlor, competing in that sport.”
  • Steve Austin announced that his Steve Austin Show podcast will return on June 18.
  • The Fight Network uploaded a 40-minute documentary on LAX from the weekend of Impact’s Rebellion PPV.

UFC/MMA

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Elimination Chamber 2015

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