Daily Update: Matt Cardona, George Kittle, Swerve Strickland

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • AEW heads to Arena Mexico, reaction of talent, background and key facts about Arena Mexico and wrestling history, the rise, fall and comeback of Mistico, the quadruple crown of wrestlers and even announcers and full coverage of the Tuesday and Wednesday night shows as well as this past Friday’s show.
  • Where New Japan stands today with its reset at Dominion, full coverage of the show, plus news ands thoughts regarding the G-1 Climax tournament
  • WWE preparing many major shows over the next few weeks
  • Coverage of TripleMania Regia
  • Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon and TKO make arguments to get out of the ringboys lawsuit and what statements made by McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon more than 30 years don’t look good regarding this case
  • A look at U.K. women’s wrestling pioneer and Scottish Hall of Famer Rusty Blair.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the major shows
  • CMLL’s biggest show of the year announced
  • Konnan praises Corey Graves
  • A new television milestone reached this past month and an explanation of what it means
  • The U.S. team going to the world championships in Croatia
  • Hogan & Bischoff RAF promotion announces debut show and a very bad sign regarding their actual interest
  • Notes on two of the best attended indie shows of the year on the same night
  • El Hijo del Santo’s last match in Mexico as scheduled today
  • AEW women stars working in Europe
  • Advanced ticket sales for WWE, AEW and TNA shows
  • Tony Khan does interview, gets criticized regarding how he presented the info
  • More on Dana White and Nick Khan’s boxing project with Turki Alalshikh
  • What is the value of the UFC PPV shows?
  • Aaron Pico vs. Moovsar Evloev and what that says about UFC’s intentions
  • Reports on Vince McMahon getting back involved and what is and isn’t viable
  • Realities of AEW TV rating year-to-year
  • Gunther vs. Goldberg notes
  • Goldberg talks about why he’s coming back
  • Michelle McCool talks saving Undertaker’s life twice
  • Liv Morgan’s injury and changes that have to be made
  • Interesting note on WWE’s house shows in Mexico
  • WWE & AEW rivalry goes long past wrestling shows
  • Yet another WWE tournament

This Week’s Back Issue

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Wednesday Update

WWE

  • WWE uploaded the full Jordynne Grace vs. Jaida Parker vs. Izzi Dame vs. Lash Legend main event from last night’s NXT, where Grace pinned Parker to earn an NXT Women’s Championship shot against Jacy Jayne at Evolution.
  • Florida Gators football players George Gumbs Jr. and Tyreak Sapp appeared on NXT in a backstage segment with Myles Borne and Lexis King. 
  • Bully Ray interviewed Lola Vice on Busted Open Radio After Dark.
  • On Cody Rhodes’ “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast, Kevin Owens joked about Matt Cardona calling himself The Indy God while wanting to be back in WWE:
    • I love Matt. The only thing I’ll say is – for a guy who loves being on the indies so much, he sure f*cking talks about how much he wants to be back in WWE a lot. That’s all. Can’t call yourself King of the Indies and you’re going out there telling people, ‘I don’t know why WWE hasn’t signed me. I don’t get it. If I was them I definitely would have signed me.’ Are you f*cking happy or not, dude?
  • In an interview with WrestleStar, Zelina Vega said Asuka would be her ideal opponent for Evolution:
    • Asuka. I’ve always said that. I love Asuka so much… besides the fact that she’s my friend, I mean, I’m just one of her biggest supporters. I freaking love Asuka. And I think, like, male or female, she’s one of the best, and it feels like better every time I get into the ring with her. So definitely, definitely, Asuka.
  • San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle – who is a huge pro wrestling fan – told USA Today that he’d love to cross over to WWE when his football career is over:
    • I would love to do WWE. I think there’s definitely opportunity within that world, and I would love nothing more than to be a part of it.
    • I would only do WWE if I bought a ring and practiced my ass off for a while so I wouldn’t look like an idiot out there. I’ve been in a WWE ring like three times. I don’t know what I’m doing out there. I have an understanding of how it works, but I haven’t moonsaulted off the top rope at WrestleMania like Pat McAfee did.
  • Bayley, Sheamus, and Grayson Waller were in attendance for a surprise performance by Taylor Swift in Nashville last night. The performance happened at a Tight End University concert put on by Kittle, Greg Olsen, and Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce.
  • The No-Contest Wrestling Podcast interviewed Rey Mysterio at Fanatics Fest.
  • Ethan Page was a guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.

Other Wrestling

  • Swerve Strickland told Nisqually Valley News that the “secret sauce” to the success he and Prince Nana have had in AEW is that everything they do is genuine:
    • The secret sauce to everything Nana and I touch turning to gold is because everything that Nana and I do is genuine.
    • It starts with that. That’s the attachment. That’s the connection we have with the people. It’s up to the people to turn it into gold. The more people connect to us, the more people wear what we wear, post what we post, show up to where we’re at, like, retweet and share the things that we do, do the dances — that’s connection. That’s just us being ourselves. That wasn’t really anybody controlling, playing or navigating us. It was just putting us in the place and giving us the opportunity, the time to do it. Getting the platform is the first thing. Landing on the platform is the first thing, and what you do with that turns it into more over time.
  • Nana added that he and Strickland want to show the fans how passionate they are every single week:
    • We go by a saying, ‘everything we do is with a passion.’ That’s what our secret sauce is. We have passion. We have desire. This is what we do. We want to relay that to the fans each and every week.
  • This Saturday, Strickland will be the honorary pace car driver at a Quaker State 400 race at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta.
  • Athena spoke to Sports Illustrated about the all-women’s event her Metroplex Wrestling indie promotion is putting on in Bedford, Texas on August 9. She praised some of the wrestlers who will be participating:
    • I love Masha [Slamovich] to death. She’s such an amazing athlete. She’s a little crazy, but she’s gonna give you a thousand percent. Vert Vixen, just an amazing, amazing woman. Hyan, who’s traveled all around the world, including her too. But then we have Abadon, absolutely amazing as well. I’ve worked with them before. They have so much heart and passion for what we do, but all my heavy hitters for the announcement reside in Texas and I’m very excited.
  • Kevin Knight will compete for Jersey Championship Wrestling in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey on August 3.
  • To build up their match that’s taking place for GCW in Dallas on July 11, Shotzi and Matt Cardona took part in an angle where Cardona ambushed Shotzi and ran over her arm with her tank.
  • Matt & Jeff Hardy appeared on Busted Open Radio today.
  • Isla Dawn will have her first UK indie match in more than five years when she wrestles for Burning Heart Pro in Manchester on August 3.