Daily Update: Bryan Danielson, Stephanie Vaquer, Ludwig Kaiser

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered in this issue:

  • Update on what Mexican talent can work on the same shows as other Mexican talent, the recent changes and how they’ve gone down and the current political situation leading into Forbidden Door
  • Looking at WWE Clash at the Castle and NXT Battleground
  • Update on Forbidden Door, ticket demand and AEW’s top programs
  • Conor McGregor and UFC 303
  • Full report on UFC 302, business and match-by-match coverage
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 10-point plan to strengthen New Japan Pro Wrestling. We look at where the company stands and its obstacles as Tanahashi hits the six-month mark as President
  • Death of El Signo and the heyday of Los Misionero de la Muerte
  • A look at episode one of Who Killed WCW?
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all pro wrestling and MMA television shows over the past week including competition, key demos, segment-by-segment, analysis, standing and how it compares with one year ago.
  • New promotion gets weekly television on a top 20 station starting in one week, as well as being on the verge of a second deal
  • Celebration of 20 years of Mistico shows
  • Arena Mexico continues big crowds
  • Dream Gate title change
  • A look at the Dominion show this week
  • Update on next week’s show featuring talent from a number of major promotions including a rematch of one of this year’s best matches
  • More on the B Block finals and semifinals of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament
  • Gable Steveson tries the NFL and how this very much differs from other former top level wrestlers who have had NFL success
  • Missy Hyatt talks Vince McMahon and details her own experience with him
  • Wrestling book writers Hall of Fame
  • AEW star challenges for British title
  • Notes on MLW Battle Riot
  • GCW has a major weekend
  • Update on TNA office cuts and changes
  • Mike Santana talks about battling drinking issue
  • Notes on people whose contracts are expiring and updates
  • Chuck Taylor and his hopes of returning to the ring
  • More details on AEW doing a residency in Arlington, TX and the economics behind it
  • Kevin Kelly talks his AEW departure and issues with Ian Riccaboni
  • Story behind the Collision rating report
  • International TV ratings
  • Why certain wrestlers haven’t been on AEW TV of late
  • Another AEW star comes out publicly
  • More on the Cung Le antitrust lawsuit settlement
  • Just how much Saudi Arabia is paying for these big events
  • How UFC & WWE are doing record grosses
  • Mark Shapiro talks about how Dana White reacted to the merger and talks about White’s previous problems with Vince McMahon
  • How McMahon first saved UFC and then became a powerful enemy
  • Former WWE stars talk about how talent is paid now, why not getting booked is better for your paycheck and how easily it is to get around WWE drug testing
  • Updated King of the Ring and Double or Nothing PPV notes
  • Reports on WWE weekend house shows

This week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter back issue

Saturday Update

WWE

  • In an interview with Sportskeeda, Ludwig Kaiser named Randy Orton as one of his dream opponents:
    • Somebody like Randy Orton definitely to me would be somebody that would be so special. To me, the absolute very, very best probably ever. Such a legend to me. Definitely always somebody I looked up to even when I was a teenager.
  • Mark Henry told Fightful that AJ Styles reached out to him after last week’s fake retirement angle on SmackDown. The segment paid tribute to Henry’s fake retirement from 2013. Henry said:
    • I loved it. I feel a sense of pride when I’m being honored, and WrestleMania, Bianca Belair did a Mark Henry spot and walked up the steps and pressed her opponent into the ring. Whenever people do stuff like that, Braun Strowman did it several times, I just feel a sense of accomplishment. You feel like a proud papa, and I got a text message from AJ Styles saying, ‘Man, I hope I made you proud.’ It made my eyes well up. So having an effect on people, it’s sometimes greater than you doing it yourself. I don’t know if I explained that properly. I felt in my heart enough to make me tear up, so that was pretty damn special.
  • During an interview with WAVE News in Kentucky, Cody Rhodes discussed how much he loves going from city to city as champion:
    • I think one of the things I really love is the fact that I am able to go city to city. Whereas the WWE Champion prior to myself, the man I defeated, Roman Reigns, the Tribal Chief, was not on every city. He wasn’t making it to every show. And I’ve had the opportunity to be able to bring it, and for a year, I felt like I was the champion without the belt. I was everywhere, promising them, ‘Hey, I’m gonna bring you the WWE Championship’. It feels good when you can fulfill your promise and go back to these places and bring this [title].
  • Rhodes was a guest on The Babyfaces Podcast.
  • Asuka thanked Nia Jax for sending her flowers during her knee injury recovery. Earlier this week, Asuka posted a photo indicating that she had undergone surgery on her knee. The injury had been bothering Asuka for a while.
  • The Daily Mail published an interview with Tegan Nox.
  • Lola Vice spoke with Under the Ring ahead of tomorrow’s NXT Battleground event.
  • Naomi, Grayson Waller & Austin Theory, and Nia Jax were interviewed on The SmackDown LowDown.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Stephanie Vaquer will defend her NJPW Strong Women’s Championship against La Catalina at CMLL’s Fantasticamania Mexico show on Friday, June 21. Tony Khan announced that, if Vaquer loses the title, her match against Mercedes Mone at Forbidden Door will only be for the TBS Championship. Mone vs. Vaquer is currently scheduled to be title vs. title.
  • While appearing on The Hull Show this week, Bryan Danielson said he’s going to be “a little bit sad” if he never gets into another legitimate fight:
    • I said this to somebody not too long ago – if I die and I don’t get in another legitimate fight, I think I’m going to be a little bit sad.
    • I don’t want to go out and fight all the time or anything like that. But, like, if I die and don’t get in another fight, I think there is going to be a part of me that’s a little bit sad by that. So there’s just something innate in humanity that’s like – we like to wrestle. Wrestle for play or whatever it is. That’s part of who we are as humans.
  • “Filthy” Tom Lawlor responded to Danielson’s comments by challenging him to an MMA fight: “As another man willing to get in to a legitimate fight, I hereby challenge  @bryandanielson to a mixed martial arts fight. Let’s have some fun!”
  • Tay Melo tweeted that she would love to wrestle Becky Lynch if Lynch ever came to AEW: “She is such an inspiration, got back after pregnancy and showed everyone you can be a mom & have a successful career.. and I would LOVE to wrestle her.”
  • DDT Pro Wrestling shared a video with Hulk Hogan passing on his Axe Bomber move to Shinichiro Kawamatsu.
  • PWInsider reports that the NWA is set to hold a live event in Queens, New York this fall. It will be the company’s first New York City show of the Billy Corgan era.
  • Trevor Lee will make his Black Label Pro debut at the promotion’s Old Habits Die Screaming show in Chicago on Friday, July 26. Jordan Oliver has called out Lee for a match at the event.
  • Raj Dhesi (former WWE star Jinder Mahal) is set to challenge Kevin Ku for the Black Label Pro Championship at Old Habits Die Screaming.
  • Busted Open Radio conducted interviews with Adam Copeland and Arn Anderson.
  • On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Mark Henry detailed why he never got to have a retirement match:
    • Yeah, my body said, ‘Man, f*ck your plan.’ My back said, ‘Listen, we going to your house, right?’ Yeah, I guess we’re going to go into the house. Like, my back gave out. It just never allowed me — and I can probably have a surgery. I keep putting it off, because I just want to keep moving around. But eventually I’m gonna have to just go get it fixed.
  • “Speedball” Mike Bailey appeared on Talk is Jericho.