Daily Update: Mercedes Mone, AEW Collision, WWE Raw

Daily Update

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Join us in Las Vegas for our annual F4W Convention

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

In the new issue:

  • The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham
  • A history of every Graham main event in Madison Square Garden
  • How the entire history of wrestling changes if there was no Billy Graham
  • Graham’s decades of health issues
  • Graham suing WWF
  • Graham losing the title and depression and why
  • Graham in football, boxing, bodybuilding, track, world’s strongest man competitions and more
  • The last week of Graham as WWWF champion
  • When Billy Graham was reported as dying 32 years ago in two major newspapers
  • His start of his career and first time he met Dr. Jerry Graham
  • His big break in the AWA when he became a big drawing card and his interviews
  • His changing the way top stars were paid in WWWF
  • His last run in WWF
  • His life after wrestling
  • Everything said and not said about AEW Collision
  • How CM Punk fits into the picture
  • Why Punk really was such an important character right now for AEW if things would have worked out
  • Thoughts on Collision and its time slot
  • How AEW’s fan base consumption has changed over the last year
  • The blow-by-blow story of how WWE and Endeavor made their merger, including other offers, how much the offers were, and how much Vince McMahon made through the different negotiations
  • Just how much money Endeavor gave up to keep Vince McMahon
  • UFC business notes
  • Francis Ngannou signs with PFL, his deal, his negotiations and different potential opponents
  • Update on the WWE brand split
  • Update on WWE Night of Champions
  • Update on AEW Double or Nothing
  • New Japan Best of the Super Juniors coverage
  • This week’s UFC show rundown
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings of wrestling over the past week
  • What wrestler is getting a pickle ball court named after him
  • Build for what looks to be the biggest match of the year in Mexico
  • More on a major network negotiations for a new wrestling show and why the deal fell through
  • Update on Kota Ibushi
  • More on Von Erichs moving back to Texas
  • New play loosely based on WWE
  • International TV ratings
  • AEW house shows
  • UFC fall schedule and new fights
  • Bellator draws 12,000 for show this past week
  • Nine drug test failures
  • Randy Orton update
  • Bray Wyatt update
  • More on the WWE show in Puerto Rico
  • Lots of new WWE business talk by Nick Khan
  • WWE injury updates
  • Upcoming WWE ticket sales
  • All the weekly WWE business info

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Monday Update

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw and the latest wrestling news. You can send questions for the show to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

Just to confirm since most know it but Mercedes Mone was supposed to win the New Japan Strong title last night in the match with Willow Nightingale. She called an audible when she was injured. There is no confirmation on the injury other than we’ve heard it was a foot or ankle injury.

Mone has said that she is a free agent and can go anywhere she wants. Obviously she became the one name that can build up excitement for Collision and with her now injured, at least for the short-term it would appear that she is out of the picture.

Katee Sackhoff and Emily Swallow from The Mandalorian series were at the show last night in Long Beach. Sackhoff had had many scenes with Mone.

There’s also no update on where the first episode of Collision will take place. The only thing we know is that as of two days ago it was still up in the air and we’ve heard nothing else but obviously they want to keep it quiet for Wednesday even if/when a decision was made. Tony Khan promised to reveal the location, which is expected to be either the United Center or Daily’s Place, on Wednesday’s show. 

There is also still nothing on Collision in either Canada or the U.K.

Raw tonight is from Hershey, PA which is sold out with about 8,900. This show has been sold out for a long time. Imperium faces Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn and a mystery partner, plus a contract signing for Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus on Saturday in Saudi Arabia and Candice LeRae vs. Zoey Stark. Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar are also scheduled for a confrontation. 

We’re looking for reports from this show with Main Event matches and anything else not on the live show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

We’re also doing a poll on yesterday’s New Japan Resurgence show, thumbs up, down or middle, best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

After the show tonight, most of the WWE crew is flying to Saudi Arabia for Saturday’s show. Expect a lot of publicity all week leading to the show.

The Lakers-Nuggets go head-to-head starting at 8:30 p.m. tonight. if Denver wins, the serious is over. If the Lakers win, then game five goes against AEW on Wednesday. The Celtics-Heat go against NXT on Friday. If the Lakers win tonight and Wednesday, gave six would go against Smackdown.

There is also Florida vs. Carolina in the NHL playoffs tonight and Wednesday against Dynamite. So that’s not good news for either show. If Florida sweeps, Rampage would be on Friday at 10 p.m. for the first time in its regular time slot. But we won’t know that until Wednesday night.

Right now Rampage for this weekend is scheduled for late Saturday night at midnight with the Countdown to Double or Nothing at 1 a.m. There is confusion as this is not late Friday night but late Saturday night. 

Fast X, which features John Cena as the brother of Vin Diesel’s character in his second Fast & Furious movie, opened to $67 million at the weekend box office and $381.5 million worldwide.

Best of the Super Juniors at 5 a.m. Eastern from Osaka is the last night of A block:

  • Hiromu Takahashi (6-2) vs. Titan (5-3)
  • Lio Rush (6-2) vs,. Mike Bailey (6-2)
  • Douki (3-5) vs. Sho (3-5)
  • Ryusuke Taguchi (0-8) vs. Kushida (2-6) 
  • The top two advance so Takahashi makes the final four with a win and the Rush-Bailey winner does as well. Titan is still alive for second place if he wins.

With the Peacock Documentary on Ric Flair nominated for a sports Emmy award, believe it or not, Flair will be at the awards show tonight. 

As far as Google trends last week went, the UFC show on Saturday failed to crack the top 20. The only things from wrestling or MMA was Superstar Billy Graham was the No. 7 most searched topic on the Internet on Wednesday and Francis Ngannou was no. 19 on Tuesday, stemming from his signing with the PFL.

Dark Side of the Ring returns at 10 p.m. on 5/30, a week from tomorrow, with an episode of Chris Candido and Tammy Sytch. The 6/7 episode will be on Magnum T.A. and the 6/14 episode will be on Eddie & Mike Graham and the family’s history of suicide deaths.

Following a private viewing, a public funeral for Wayne Coleman/Superstar Billy Graham will take place at Noon local time on Thursday June 1st at the Full Life Church, 532 West Ray Road in Chandler, AZ, It will also be streamed.

I was told the family is hoping any fans in the area can come and it is open to the public. 

Richard Holliday will be wrestling his first match after being cleared from cancer on 6/10 in Woodbridge, CT for the PAPW promotion, which is run by Paul Roma and Mario Mancini.

The St. Louis Cardinals have WWE Night on 8/17 in a game with the Mets. 

Other Notes

Impact has a press conference on Thursday for it s Under Siege show that takes place on Friday night in London, ONT. The press conference will be at 3 p.m. Eastern at the London Brewer co-op at 521 Bourbrook Place. Brian Myers, Santino Marella, John Skyler and Jason Hotch are scheduled to appear.

Eve tapes three episodes of its YouTube show Thursday Night Riot at the Yard Theater in Hackney Wick, London on Thursday. They also announced a show called No Money in the Bank on 7/2, the day after Money in the Bank, a 2 p.m. show at the Tufnell Park Dome in London with Miyu Yamashita, Billie Starkz and Millie McKenzie.

Laredo Kid will be working for Canadian Wrestling Elite on shows on 7/4 in Bradford, ONT, 7/5 in Sudbury, ONT, 7/6 in Elliot Lake, ON, 7/7 in Sault St Marie, ONT and 7/8 in Thunder Bay, ONT.

GCW from Saturday night in Detroit: Joey Janela b Karam, Breyer Wellington b Charles Mason-DQ, Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne won three-way over Ciclope & Miedo Extremo and Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley, Mance Warner b Tommy Vendetta, John Wayne Murdoch b Crazy King, Cole Radrick won over Alec Price, August Matthews & Caleb Konley & Davey Bang, Blake Christian b Effy, Masha Slamovich b Allysin Kay, LuFisto and Maki Itoh to keep the GCW title, Rina Yamashita b Jimmy Lloyd to keep the Ultra Violent title (thanks to Leonard Brand)

UWC on 5/27 in New Egypt, NJ at the American Legion. Those dressed in red, white and blue can get a chance to win free tickets to upcoming events.

Pro Wrestling Phoenix has its 18th anniversary show on Wednesday night at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha.

Tito Santana will be the guest referee on an ISPW show on Saturday in Woodland Park, NJ for a match with Bull James vs Rick Recon. Also appearing as guest GM is Swoggle plus Snitsky vs. Afa Jr., and Maven and Dave LaGreca will both manage in the main event match.

What does Thema Gorimbo, a UFC fighter who scored his first win on Saturday have in common with a young Dwayne Johnson? Gorimbo after his fight at the press conference noted that he’s got $7 left in his bank account.