Daily Update: MVP, Cardi B WWE SummerSlam, Cassie Lee

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The most in-depth look at AEW media rights deal completed and the deal not yet completed. We look at what different numbers mean for different levels of popularity, figuring different scenarios in, best and worst case, PPV and secondary deals.
  • UFC 306 coverage with the record gate at The Sphere going head-to-head with Canelo Alvarez in the same city.
  • Coverage of the CMLL anniversary show what did and didn’t work and the difference from a normal crowd.
  • One of the biggest stars of this generation talks about retirement, gives a date and the significance of that date.
  • Where pro wrestling shows this past week fit into the weekly cable charts.
  • A look at every national pro wrestling show this past week, how it compared to last year, placings, competition and segment ratings.
  • Who is CMLL’s booker?
  • What country celebrated a national pro wrestling holiday this week
  • Update on El Hijo del Vikingo
  • The man who was believed to be the oldest living wrestler passes away
  • World team tryouts
  • Notes on a movie coming out soon on the life of Mildred Burke
  • Note on a Blu-Ray I just did voiceovers for
  • wXw tag team tournament notes
  • A very valid criticism of AEW
  • Update on ticket sales to WWE & AEW shows the next two months
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Notes on the NFL Films piece on Tony Khan
  • Updates on TV time length for  Raw & Smackdown in January
  • Second day streaming rights updates on Raw,  Smackdown, and NXT starting next month
  • Notes on the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event and a look back at the first one and numbers that would be incredible today
  • Update on WWE moving the second NXT on CW show from a major arena and why
  • A look back at Vince McMahon’s promises when he was expanding.

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • Superstar rapper Cardi B and Bianca Belair appeared in WWE’s announcement video for SummerSlam 2025, which will take place from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3.
  • Ric Flair tweeted after watching the first episode of Netflix’s “Mr. McMahon” docuseries:
    • Watching The @VinceMcMahon Documentary Today! Episode 1, Interesting, But I’m Not Able To Comment On Anything Other Than The Fact That He Made A Lot Of People Rich & Changed The Landscape Of Wrestling For The Good! But I Definitely Will Tell You This. My Documentary WOOOOO: Becoming Ric Flair Blows That Episode Out Of The Water! It’s Emmy Nominated!! WOOOOO!
  • Angelo Dawkins and his wife Grace welcomed their second child into the world yesterday.
  • Tiffany Stratton told Gorilla Position that she thinks the SmackDown women’s division would benefit from the addition of a midcard title:
    • I definitely think we have such a stacked SmackDown roster. We have Jade Cargill, we have Bianca Belair, we’ve got Nia, we’ve got me, Naomi – I feel like there are so many big, strong talents on the SmackDown roster. I definitely think, you know, like a midcard title could be something that would benefit for the women’s roster.
  • WWE wished Asuka and Damian Priest happy birthday.
  • Bron Breakker made an appearance on 99.5 WKDQ radio in Evansville, Indiana.
  • Going Ringside has interviews with Ethan Page and Trick Williams.
  • Here’s the lineup for this Friday’s NXT Level Up episode:
    • Sol Ruca vs. Dani Palmer
    • Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe vs. Kale Dixon & Uriah Connors
    • Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo vs. Jasper Troy

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • After making his AEW debut last night, MVP posted a social media promo discussing how excited he is for this new chapter – which could be the final chapter of his career:
    • Cat’s out of the bag. By now I’m sure many of you know – and if you don’t, you’re about to find out – that I’ve embarked on an exciting new chapter for my professional wrestling career. And I’m excited because this new chapter is quite possibly the final chapter. And I’ve got some really cool things in store. So if you’ve been a fan of mine for this long, come hang out for just a little bit longer. Same MVP, just conducting business in a new location. MVP is AEW. See you next week.
  • AEW shared post-match comments from Mariah May & Mina Shirakawa and Yuka Sakazaki & Willow Nightingale following Dynamite Grand Slam.
  • After Hook retired the FTW title last night, Taz tweeted out a message thanking all of the past champions and any fan who has enjoyed the championship:
    • I would like to thank all of the men whom have held the FTW Championship….[Sabu], [Brian Cage], [Ricky Starks], [Jack Perry], [Chris Jericho] & [Hook]
    • And also any fan that has supported/enjoyed this championship during the ECW years or in modern day wrestling during the current AEW years…thank you.
  • In this week’s Mone Mag, Mercedes Mone named Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, and Bianca Belair as the three most physically strong women she’s ever wrestled. Mone also listed Charlotte, Bayley, Belair, and Willow Nightingale as the toughest opponents she’s ever faced.
  • Mone responded to a question from a fan asking her thoughts on Athena becoming the longest-reigning champion in ROH history:
    • I’m so proud of Athena! She is one of the best in the world she’s definitely a champion I look forward to facing one day.
  • AEW’s Buddy Matthews and Ortiz are both celebrating birthdays today.
  • Prestige Wrestling announced that, due to contractual obligations, TNA wrestlers Jordynne Grace, Sinner and Saint (Travis Williams & Judas Icarus), and Xia Zhao are off their show in Portland, Oregon this Sunday. The news comes after TNA had to adjust its TV taping schedule for the weekend in South Carolina due to Hurricane Helene.
  • Jeff Hardy spoke to The Takedown about honoring the late Bray Wyatt with his Fiend face paint on TNA Impact:
    • You just go for stuff, and the payoff is like being proud of yourself when it’s done, especially someone like Bray Wyatt and The Fiend. The memories he’s left us with as pro wrestling fans, to honor him in that way, it felt so good after it was done. I was totally glad I just went for it. I’m going to continue from time to time to do the teeth on my face and see where that goes.
  • On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, NXT’s Shawn Spears addressed whether his wife Cassie Lee (the former Peyton Royce) intends to come back to pro wrestling:
    • She watches it a lot. She watches it more than I do. That doesn’t mean I don’t watch wrestling, it just means I’m busy a lot. I’m around, I can see a lot of stuff. Yeah, she keeps up on it. She still loves watching a lot of her friends, and she’s still getting the itch. So she’s already weight training, she’s doing all that kind of stuff. She’s getting back into the mix and things like that. When she feels 100 percent good to go there’s a ring close by, so she plans on getting back into it. She doesn’t know to what capacity, meaning no one’s said anything, no one said hey, when you ready, come on back. Like, not Impact, not anything, but with the working relationship, who’s to say that that’s not a possibility? But yeah, she still misses it. I think she still has a little bit of an itch.
  • MLW announced that Kings of Colosseum 2025 will take place from the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas on Saturday, January 11.
  • CMLL’s Hechicero will make his MLW debut at Lucha Apocalypto in Cicero, Illinois on Saturday, November 9.