Daily Update: Christine Lubrano, EJ Nduka, weekend preview

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Friday Update

– We will have our week in review show with Garrett Gonzales tonight. Our weekend show will be Sunday night covering a giant few days of shows around the world.

– The new issue of the Observer is up on the site now. It’s loaded with news and analysis of all the major stories:

  • Lots more on the AAA sale to TKO (and that it’s not actually completed), CMLL’s cryptic response, Grand Slam Mexico, Dorian Roldan talks why he sold and Konnan and Latin Lover talk the future of AAA and in theory how things change in Mexico and the U.S., plus the major business goals.
  • Tam Nakano ends her career, Mayu Iwatani leaves Stardom, Stardom puts on its biggest show with its biggest match in history and a couple of award categories this should do well in.
  • Update on WWE Backlash
  • Update on both major lawsuits against Vince McMahon and WWE. New plaintiffs emerge in the ringboys suit and a new Vice President is implicated, and Janel Grant’s attorneys push for the case to move forward while the defendants want discovery held up.
  • Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff promote Real American Freestyle. What they need for success, what mistakes they’ve already made and is Hogan the right person to the face of the company
  • Full coverage of TNA Rebellion
  • Long story on the Hollywood Demons episode on the Von Erichs, how this is different from other stories, more on the deaths, the political situation in Texas and things in the new documentary that aren’t completely accurate, as well as dispelling major myths.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings, including placings, demos, competition and more for all the shows
  • End of the CMLL Universal championship tournament with a super finish
  • MLW vs. CMLL matches this week
  • Champion Carnival update
  • Lots of New Japan big matches coming up
  • Meiko Satomura retires
  • Big indie shows this week
  • Big Progress tournament this week
  • RVD injury update
  • More NXT stars on TNA television
  • AEW expects one of its biggest gates for upcoming show
  • Bryan Danielson talks his career and AEW
  • Advanced ticket sales for upcoming WWE and AEW shows
  • Lots of injury updates
  • PFL involved in a number of messy lawsuits
  • Freak show fight with powerlifters gets major attention
  • SmackDown time slot change
  • Did you know the person behind the movie with Liv Morgan did a movie based on a Hall of Fame 80s and 90s pro wrestling legend
  • Value of WWE’s PLEs on the open market
  • The story of the most powerful man in combat sports that most reporters aren’t touching
  • Lots of notes on the Smashing Machine movie
  • How much Dwayne Johnson has made since joining the TK Board
  • More talk on a WWE all-women’s PPV show

– SmackDown tonight is in Des Moines, IA. At this point the only stuff announced is that Randy Orton will be there, as if he wouldn’t be there leading up to the PLE where he’s challenging for the title. John Cena isn’t advertised. The Miz vs. Aleister Black is announced. They had 6,500 tickets out as of last night in an NBA arena, so this will be the weakest WWE taping attendance of late. We’re looking for reports on the show with anything before or after the show that is notable such as dark matches or Speed matches with results to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

– Pat McAfee and Booker T were hosting the kickoff show for tonight’s Fatal Fury in Times Square boxing event with Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando Romero and Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez. They were just on with Turki Alalshikh. Not that this is the place, as the pregame show hardly is, but It has been amazing the lack of media follow-up to The Athletic story on Alalshikh It’s really sad to see this play out before your eyes.

– Regarding Christine Lubrano and being let go as part of cuts yesterday, what we were told is that a lot of what she was doing was duplicating work being covered by Bruce Prichrd and other executive assistants. It was not an individual firing but part of a number of people let go in different departments for cost cutting reasons.

– EJ Nduka, who has been under AEW contract for two years, mostly in ROH as the partner of Lee Johnson, saw his contract expire this past week. Because of his size, physique and athletic ability, he was seen as someone with major potential by WWE, but they cut him. MLW pushed him hard as a top star until he signed with AEW.

– We’re doing polls this weekend on both nights of NJPW Dontaku, 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. The shows will air at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning Eastern time and 2 a.m. Eastern late tomorrow night.

The first show has:

  • Katsuya Murashima vs. Daiki Nagai
  • Toru Yano & Oleg Boltin & Yoh & Master Wato vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson & Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Yuya Uemura & Taichi & Taka Michinoku vs. Yota Tsuji & Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi
  • Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs Callum Newman & Great O’Khan & Jakob Austin Young
  • El Phantasmo vs Konosuke Takeshita for World TV title
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Shota Umino vs Shingo Takagi
  • Losers are out of Bullet Club tag team match: David Finlay & Gabe Kidd & Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors & Taiji Ishimori vs. Evil & Ren Narita & Sanada & Sho & Yoshinubu Kanemaru

– Dragon Gate Dead or Alive will be the company’s final event in Nagoya’s Dolphins Arena, taking place on Monday.

– UFC in Des Moines will air on ESPN2 and ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. Eastern

  • Juliana Miller (126) vs. Ivana Petrovic (125.5)
  • Thomas Petersen (250) vs. Don’Tale Mayes (259)
  • Gaston Bolanos (135.5) vs. Quang Le (135.5)
  • Marina Rodriguez (115.5) vs. Gillian Robertson (115.5)
  • Ryan Loder (185.5) vs. Azamat Bekoev (155.5)
  • Yana Santos (136) vs. Miesha Tate (135.5)
  • Jeremy Stephens (155) vs. Mason Jones (155.5)
  • Cameron Smotherman (135.5) vs. Serhiy Sidey (135.5)
  • Montel Jackson (136) vs. Daniel Marcos (135.5)
  • Santiago Ponzinibbio (170) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (170.5)
  • Reiner de Ridder (185.5) vs Bo Nickal (185.5)
  • Cory Sandhagen (135.5) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (135)

Lots of interest in the semi as it’s the first major test for Nickal and not a stylistically advantageous fight for him. Plus Stephens returns and former champion Miesha Tate is back in action.

– Arena Mexico tonight is CMLL vs. MLW:

  • Reyna Isis vs. Alejandra Quintanilla
  • Barboza & Zandokan Jr. vs. Donovan Dijak & Ikuro Kwon
  • Satoshi Kojima & Okumura defendMLW tag titles against Magnus & Rugido
  • Paul London vs. Neon
  • Matthew Justice vs. Ultimo Guerrero for the MLW Openweight Title
  • Mistico vs Kushida

– The two Fukuoka shows are the last two dates of Naito and Bushi in New Japan.

– We don’t have a number, but Forbidden Door at the O2 Arena in London tickets went on sale to the public today.

– Cedric Alexander’s WWE non-compete period ends very shortly.

– Add referee John Finnegan to the list of people who are retiring at the TWA Reunion show tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Breaker Morant and Tony Stetson are also retiring as wrestlers on the show.

– AAA has its first major show since the announcement of the sale tomorrow night at Juan de la Barrera Gym in Mexico City. Top matches are El Hijo del Vikingo & Negro Casas & Pagrano vs. Alberto El Patron & Forastero & Sanson, La Parka (debut in ring of third person in that charcter) & Octagon Jr. & Laredo Kid vs. Kento & Nobu San & Takum, and Mesias defends the Latin American title against Nino Hamburguesa.

– CMLL announced the Copa Juniors, a tournament for second generation wrestlers, takes place on 5/23 and 5/30 at Arena Mexico.

– There will be a ten-man Cibernetico on the 5/24 Dean Rasmussen tribute show put on by AEW for free on 5/24 in Glendale, AZ, the night before Double or Nothing. There will be CMLL talent in that match.

– Northeast Wrestling tomorrow night in Danbury, CT has Matt Riddle vs. Brad Baylor and NEW champion Matt Taven vs. BRG, as well as KC Navarro vs. Nic Nemeth.

– At the TNA Under Siege show on 5/23, Trick Williams & Frankie Kazarian face Joe Hendry & Elijah in the main event.

– Sting will make an appearance on the 7/25 Big Time Wrestling show at Trust Field in Charlotte, NC. It is billed as his last appearance in Charlotte with his makeup.

– Douglas Silva de Andrade of UFC was suspended for six months for testing positive for furosemide, a diuretic. The test was taken on 2/14 and led to Silva de Andrade being pulled from a match two weeks later against John Castaneda. The UFC’s drug testing partner Combta Sports Anti-Doping examined a supplement Silva de Andrade said he was taking and found furosemide in it so believe it was inadvertent usage so he was only suspended six months.

– Individual tickets for Worlds Collide and Money in the Bank on 6/7 go on sale Wednesday at 8 a.m. Pacific time. There will be a presale the day before.

– Dwayne Johnson turns 53 today. 

– Abdullah the Butcher will be honored at the August Cauliflower Alley Club banquet in Las Vegas.

– Wardlow has applied to trademark his name.

– All Caribbean wrestling announced Gal Barklay appearing on its 6/28 show in Nassau, Bahamas, the first WWEID talent to work in the Caribbean. Also announced is Prince Agballah vs. Elijiah Burke, Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll and Kaylia Capri vs. Aleah James. Mark Henry heads this organization.

– IWF announced a 10/4 show in North Arlington, NJ High school.

– Memphis Wrestling TV tomorrow features a WWE ID match with Aaron Roberts vs. Jackson Drake.