Daily Update: Kane’s mayoral campaign, NJPW, Nate Diaz

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THE LATEST NEWS

THE LATEST AUDIO

​F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Winners and losers of the superstar shakeup

While both shows retained some of their core pieces, the rosters for Raw and SmackDown have been transformed since WrestleMania. The days after WWE’s biggest show of the year saw Bobby Lashley, The Authors of Pain, Ember Moon, and No Way Jose join Raw, while Peyton Royce and Billie Kay debuted on SmackDown and Paige was announced as the show’s new general manager. And that was just the prelude to this year’s Superstar Shakeup, which saw dozens of wrestlers switch brands.

WON NEWSLETTER: April 30, 2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: The story of Bruno Sammartino continued

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has more about the life and death of Bruno Sammartino, as well as Motoko Baba’s death, the Greatest Royal Rumble and news out of the Impact tapings, PWG shows and UFC shows.

The lead story goes in depth about the last several months of Sammartino, the nature of his death, his funeral, what was good and bad about the WWE documentary, what was going to be left out because it had to be, as well as details of how Sammartino and WWE got back together in 2012 and 2013 after nearly 25 years of being apart.

Also look at why Motoko Baba may have been the most influential woman in the history of the pro wrestling industry. Read about the heyday of All Japan Pro Wrestling, just who Giant Baba was and his level of popularity and respect, and how the Baba’s first met.

Read about the different controversies regarding WWE doing the show in Saudi Arabia this week, the ticket situation, the promotion of Saudi Arabia by WWE, the ethical issues particularly when pushing the women’s revolution theme, as well as looking at both the Saudi Arabia and the Backlash shows.

There is also more on John Cena and Nikki Bella, WWE gets a restraining order against a crazy fan, Reigns talks next year’s WrestleMania, updates on Dwayne Johnson and John Cena in the movie business, reaction to the death of Bruno Sammartino in WWE, as well as the most watched shows for the past week on the WWE Network.

This issue covers the last two UFC events with the business notes on both of the shows, including notes on streaming viewership, pay records and more.

Read the run down of the PWG All-Star weekend with match-by-match coverage with star ratings, thoughts on the talent involved, the farewell to Reseda of the Young Bucks, more on the situation with Keith Lee, and where things go from here.

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 Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com. 

Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • With the Republican primary taking place today, Glenn Jacobs (Kane) has been out canvassing for votes in his bid to become the next mayor of Knox County. Jacobs is facing Brad Anders and Bob Thomas in the primary, and while there’s still the general election in August, whoever wins tonight will be a heavy favorite to become mayor.
  • Drew Gulak vs. Kalisto and the return of Buddy Murphy have been announced for tonight’s 205 Live, with Cedric Alexander’s next challenger set to be decided.
  • Prior to last night’s Raw, WWE had referee Chad Patton tweet about the finish of the Universal Championship steel cage match at the Greatest Royal Rumble: “I understand i made an incorrect decision & want to apologize. During the #UniversalTitle match at #WWEGRR, i saw Brock Lesnar go thru the cage first and was concerned for the health and safety of both superstars.” The company also put out a video where Kurt Angle said the referee’s decision stands and Lesnar is still champion. Reigns addressed the situation on Raw, saying he knows he beat Lesnar and won’t lose faith in himself, then turned his attention to Sunday’s match against Samoa Joe.
  • Indie wrestlers Scott Parker & Shane Matthews, who have done enhancement work for WWE before, wrestled as Jean-Paul & Francois against The Authors of Pain last night.
  • Mansoor, one of the Saudi tryout attendees who was involved in the segment with Ariya & Shawn Daivari at the Greatest Royal Rumble, responded to the threats that Ariya has received: “Ariya is an absolute class act and it was a pleasure to meet and work with him. I owe him and his brother so much. Please remember all performers are human beings first. Adults should be able to separate reality and fiction.”
  • John Pollock of Post Wrestling wrote that a listener in Quebec noted to them that Sami Zayn did an interview in French on 91.9 Sports to promote Raw. On missing the show in Saudi Arabia, Zayn called it a “complicated situation where he doesn’t have all the details.”
  • WWE Shop released a shirt for Titus O’Neil that references his slip at the Greatest Royal Rumble. WWE also uploaded alternative angles of the moment..
  • The second season of Camp WWE is premiering in the on-demand section of the WWE Network this Sunday.
  • Triple H tweeted about Showtime’s upcoming documentary on Mauro Ranallo: “Amazed by the strength and bravery it takes to stand up in front of the world and show them your struggle, just so others will know they don’t struggle alone…@mauroranallo tells the stories of so many people..now it’s time to hear his.” The documentary premieres on May 25th.
  • Zack Ryder commented on the 11th anniversary of his WWE debut: “11 years ago-5/1/07-I made my @wwe debut. Over a decade of being on the main roster-living the dream-busting my ass & doing whatever it takes to capitalize on opportunities. I’m only 32 years old-I may not just be getting started-but I’m damn sure not even close to being finished”
  • WWE.com acknowledged the records that “Avengers: Infinity War,” which features Dave Bautista, has had at the box office.
  • Nia Jax got the custom side plates for her Raw Women’s Championship.

Pro Wrestling

  • A bigger building meant that tickets for NJPW’s July 7th show at the Cow Palace didn’t sell out when they went on sale today, though the better seats have been filling up pretty well.
  • Juice Robinson, Hiromu Takahashi, Rocky Romero, Sho, Yoh, and Ryusuke Taguchi have been added to the lineup for the CEO x NJPW show in Daytona Beach on June 29th.
  • Tetsuya Naito said he doesn’t need the IWGP Intercontinental title belt and won’t be taking it with him from now on.
  • Katsuyori Shibata opened up a merchandise store on Pro Wrestling Tees.
  • As they continue to announce matches for their War of the Worlds tour, ROH has added Cody Rhodes, Marty Scurll & Hangman Page vs. Rocky Romero, Sho & Yoh and SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) vs. Jay White, Chuck Taylor & Jay Lethal to the lineup for their show in Lowell, Massachusetts on May 9th. Cody vs. Hiromu Takahashi and Punishment Martinez vs. Page are set for Royal Oak, Michigan on May 12th.
  • Flip Gordon reflected on finishing up his duties with the Army.
  • Battle Championship Wrestling announced Danielle Moinet (formerly Summer Rae in WWE) vs. Ivelisse for their show in Melbourne, Australia on May 25th. This is Moinet’s first announced independent match since being released by WWE last year.
  • Rosa Mendes’ return to the ring for MCW in Maryland on May 19th will be against Gia Scott.
  • PROGRESS Wrestling revealed the bracket for this year’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament, with Kassius Ohno facing Chris Brookes in the first round. On May 6th, Travis Banks will defend his PROGRESS Championship against WALTER in the main event of night two of the tournament.
  • PROGRESS co-owner Jim Smallman will be releasing a book called “I’m Sorry, I Love You: A History of Professional Wrestling” on August 23rd.
  • ECW Press announced an autobiography from Dylan Postl (Hornswoggle in WWE) that will be titled “Life is short — and so am I” and is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2019.
  • Starting this Wednesday, Santino Marella will be co-hosting a weekly show on Impact’s Twitch channel about pro wrestling and MMA.
  • Kimber Lee spoke about her return to the indies and time on WWE while appearing on AMBY.

UFC/MMA

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