Daily Update: Nate Diaz, Sami Zayn, WWE Raw

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Observer is up on the site now.  Among the stories covered are:

  • Lots of news on John Cena’s retirement tour
  • What plans are made and what are yet to be made
  • WWE marketing of Cena
  • The Ric Flair and Lou Thesz records
  • Who actually held the most world title reigns
  • The 15 biggest drawing cards in North American history
  • Cena’s early career
  • The Stephanie Vaquer timeline and why everything happened the way it did
  • SummerSlam top seven matches
  • Money in the Bank coverage
  • Unique poll result
  • Business notes on the show
  • PPV updates on Money in the Bank,  Forbidden Door, Double or Nothing and Diaz vs. Masvidal
  • Dana White talks about two giant deals from the past and why they fell through at the last minute
  • NXT Heatwave coverage  
  • All In update and business notes
  • Explaining the decline in cable television and how AEW compares to that
  • The most detailed look at  the TV ratings for all wrestling and MMA shows including competition, one-year comparisons and segment-by-segment.
  • Weekly TV placings for the top wrestling shows
  • Mistico  vs. Chris Jericho
  • G-1 updates
  • Oldest still-living major world champion agrees to come back for one last match
  • Notes on the Marigold PV show
  • Update on Kevin Sullivan
  • Second oldest living wrestler passes away, career dates back to the 1940s
  • Historical wrestling landmark about to be torn down
  • Major matches in Europe
  • Update on AEW TV negotiations
  • Lots of health updates on WWE stars
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers and what wrestler in main events makes a 31% positive difference in AEW international numbers
  • Studying the changes in submissions in UFC by the decade
  • Ronda Rousey praises Dana White and Paul Heyman
  • WWE talking new belts update

This Week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about Raw and the latest wrestling and MMA news. You can also send questions to the show to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
  • Nate Diaz has filed a lawsuit against Fanmio Promotions and owner Solomon Engel for non-payment of money owed for his fight last week against Jorge Masvidal. Diaz said he was guaranteed $10 million for the fight, $1 million ahead of time and $9 million upon completion of the fight.  He said he never got the remaining $9 million. Diaz’s rep said Engel was called after Diaz wasn’t paid and he said he was going to lose more money on the fight than he anticipated and his wife might divorce him over the losses. As noted in the current Observer, the fight bombed on PPV, as first week numbers were at the level of a TNA PPV. Engel said he may have to declare bankruptcy.  Diaz’s side said that they were told he had money set aside to pay the contracts of Diaz and Masvidal (who hasn’t said anything publicly) and said they were given paperwork in writing that said the money was in an independent collection account. Diaz is asking for $9 million owed plus punitive damages based on intentional misconduct and fraud.
  • Sami Zayn will be doing another comedy show on 8/2, the night before SummerSlam, at the  Agora Theater. The show, called “Sami Zayn & Friends Do Cleveland ” will have tickets go on sale on 7/17.
  • Raw tonight is from Dayton, OH at the Nutter Center. It goes against Home Run  Derby which historically does hurt the Raw ratings although the show does have Rhea Ripley’s first interview on returning which should be a draw. Announced are Damien Priest and Gunther going face-to-face, Sami Zayn vs. Ilja Dragunov for the IC title, and Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed, plus Drew McIntyre returns. They had 8,600 tickets out at press time so this show would be a sellout.
  • Friday’s Smackdown show in Omaha will be taping a second show at 9 p.m. Central time to air on 7/26. They aren’t going live because the crew is in Japan and they felt it would make more sense to tape two shows Friday than do a taping from Japan.
  • The Mistico vs Volador Jr.  match tonight in Puebla sold out in advance. The key to this is because the weekly shows in Puebla are historically walk-up ticket sales, I can’t ever recall a show being sold out in advance, even a few weeks back for the Mistico 20th anniversary show in the building, which did sell out, but not in advance. It’s a loaded up show that also includes a father-and-son tag team tournament.
  • Jon Jones was charged with two misdemeanors in the case involving a drug tester who filed a police report after going to test him at his home on 3/30. Jones has been charged with assault and interference with communication. Crystal Martinez filed the report after going to his home to get  a sample, and she said Jones threatened to sue her and she was afraid Jones might hit her. Jones said he was woken up and caught off guard and claimed the testers acted unprofessionally leading him to use profanity but said he never threatened them or engaged in any assault. Jones has a court date on 7/17.  
  • I haven’t seen this yet but have heard good things about  this documentary on the final New Japan and independent matches of Will Ospreay before he started in AEW including the match with Michael Oku that’s probably the best story telling match in pro wrestling in years (thanks to Stephen Lyon):
  • PBS in North Carolina will be releasing a documentary about Jim Crockett Promotions and matches at  Dorton Arena in Raleigh, which will air on 8/8 at 10 p.m. and be available shortly after nationally on the PBS app. The documentary is about regular wrestling at Dorton Arena from 1963 to 1993 and we first mentioned this in Friday’s Observer. The trailer.
  • There is a Go Fund me for Fray Tormenta. Fray Tormenta was very famous in the 80s and 90s as the wrestler who ran an orphanage. Currently he’s suffering from several health related problems. During the 80s and 90s, virtually every documentary on Lucha Libre was built around the legend of El Santo and Fray Tormenta. The movie “Nacho Libre” and lead character played by Jack Black was based on him.  
  • KENTA vs. Akira was announced in an Opera  Cup quarterfinal on he 8/29 MLW show in New York at the Melrose Ballroom.
  • Dana White was on the Pat McAfee show today and said that they’ve already spent $17 million on their show on 9/14 at The Sphere.