Daily Update: NXT Europe, Forbidden Door, Nigel McGuinness

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

Highlights include:

  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • WrestleMania updates, including status of different matches that have been planned and not announced
  • Ticket sales notes and demand for tickets, plus notes on NXT Stand & Deliver
  • A study of the buying patterns of PPVs for AEW, including comparisons with one year ago, how many shows the average AEW PPV buyer purchases each year, the difference between satellite owners and others in the viewing patterns, update on Revolution numbers and how many different people bought an AEW PPV this past year
  • Letters from WWE to the Alamodome in San Antonio show how WWE counted Royal Rumble attendance, along with the actual numbers from the show
  • Richard Schaefer, the famed boxing promoter, heading Anthem’s wrestling, MMA and new boxing divisions and what are future plans for the divisions
  • New Japan Cup coverage with all the matches from the past week
  • Notes on AEW’s Canada tour
  • Mexican star taken to prison on domestic violence charges against another Mexican wrestling star
  • Full coverage of this past week’s major pro wrestling events and the UFC show
  • Update on the WWE Hall of Fame including stories on the careers of the inductees
  • Coverage of the WWE’s return to its most famous arena, Madison Square Garden
  • The life of former wrestler Jeff Gaylord and his very checkered life after wrestling and during wrestling
  • The most detailed look at the weekly television ratings, competition, how segments did, where shows are strong and weak.
  • Promotion adding a ton of new talent after young wrestlers impress in a special format
  • Mainstream angle being done in Mexico
  • Joint show announced in Japan for the Himeka retirement
  • A look at the Guerrero wrestling family
  • Legendary athlete passes away that a wrestling move done all over the world was named after including the person who actually named the move
  • New promotion starting taking the name of a legendary regional company
  • International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame 2023 inductions and ceremony
  • Ric Flair Twitter war of words
  • Lots of indie notes including some big crowds this week
  • 16 Carat Gold tournament in Germany news
  • Notes on recent Will Ospreay matches
  • Notes on major AEW negotiations
  • AEW cancels TV tapings and why
  • Update on social media abuse of Riho
  • Chris Jericho honored
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • Streaming numbers for WWE & AEW this past week
  • International TV ratings updates including a company sets its all-time viewing record in Canada
  • Notes on AEW signees
  • UFC TV renewal talk even though it’s years away
  • Former UFC champion Benson Henderson retires
  • Update on WWE’s attempt to get legalized betting on its matches
  • Update on Jay White
  • Interest level mainstream of UFC, WWE and AEW big shows including geographical popularity split between AEW Revolution and WWE Elimination Chamber
  • Update on MLW lawsuit against WWE
  • What are the key new things in the suit
  • WWE injury updates and returns

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Wednesday Update

WWE

  • The Daily Mail asked Shawn Michaels if there’s an update on the status of NXT Europe:
          • Things are still in the organizational stage and we are hoping we will have that up and running by the end of 2023.
          • I’m really learning. It isn’t something you just throw together, especially if you want to set it up for success. I think everyone would feel a bit more comfortable if it takes a little bit longer to make sure we cross every t and dot every i, but still looking forward to trying to make that a reality by the end of 2023.
  • Rhea Ripley tweeted on Monday: “People need to respect that no means no! At airports do not follow me outside. Today has put me off completely! I will not sign ANYTHING that isn’t a personal photo of us anymore. Hate me, I don’t care. Disagree with me, try putting yourselves in our shoes for one bloody day.”
  • Ripley then did an interview with USA Insider explaining the incident that caused her to post the tweet:
          • It’s sort of an entitled thing when some fans expect us to just do it and they start making a fuss if we say no. So I had a fan follow me outside the airport today because I said no to them because I didn’t have the time and it was all of the same stuff they wanted signed. It was one fan specifically, he’s notorious, he’s always at the airport getting our signatures and selling them on eBay — we know his face, we know who he is. He was the main instigator, he followed me out and others followed him too and they all followed me as I’m trying to find my Uber. So I’m trying to tell them no and they’re all being persistent and I ended up getting lost, I had no idea where my Uber was, and I ended up down the stairs away from everyone else and I’m just surrounded by these five guys and they’re just hassling me.
          • I don’t think people understand how threatening that is. Especially because you don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know these people.
  • WWE revealed the logo for this year’s SummerSlam in Detroit.
  • In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Austin Theory spoke about how AEW’s AR Fox helped him during his early days in wrestling:
          • Man, I always like to say AR Fox. I like to start with him just because, and people that don’t know who that is, that’s somebody that’s an independent wrestler as well. But that’s the guy that trained me from the beginning and really took me under his wing and and you know, sped up the process for me. I was doing shows in front of nobody to doing really good shows like with Evolve and WrestleMania weekend Independent shows, and then getting noticed by the WWE. But he’s definitely somebody I owe a lot to just because of the time he put into me and the limits he was willing to break to go that extra mile for me.
  • Cody Rhodes tweeted about facing Ludwig Kaiser on SmackDown this Friday: “Got the chance to check out @wwe_kaiser in WXW – didn’t touch though. He’s good, looking forward to my wrestling return for #SmackDown on @FOXTV”
  • IYO SKY and Akira Tozawa were in attendance for Japan’s victory over the United States in last night’s World Baseball Classic final.
  • WWE Hall of Famer Sharmell will have a role on tonight’s episode of Chicago P.D. on NBC.
  • The Wrap published a report on how Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson “systematically crippled” the Black Adam and Shazam franchises.
  • SHAK Wrestling has an interview with Trish Stratus.
  • WWE released a 30-minute compilation of John Cena destroying people on the microphone.
  • WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded the following matches: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley (April 22, 2015 NXT), Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus (March 22, 2021 Raw), and Bianca Belair vs. Asuka (May 30, 2022 Raw).

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Dave Meltzer reports that the gate for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in Toronto passed the $1 million Canadian mark in today’s ticket pre-sale. WrestleTix estimates that there were 12,030 tickets distributed.
  • Screen Rant asked Britt Baker and Adam Cole if there were times they had to ask the cameras to leave while filming for AEW’s All Access reality show:
          • Britt Baker: Yes and no, not really, because they were very respectful to [us] and protecting some of the magic of professional wrestling that we all know and love. But it’s pretty real and raw, all of it. It’s very what you see is what you get. And in a way, it’s very unfiltered. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
          • Adam Cole: I feel like the best way to put it is exactly what Britt said. There was never a situation where we were like, ‘Okay, everyone needs to leave, you have to get out of here.’ But there were definitely times when I was like, ‘Oh, wow, okay, I’m gonna share a lot of information right now.’ And I was totally okay with that. So, yeah, they were around us quite a bit. You’re definitely gonna see stuff that I don’t think anyone’s ever seen before, at least from me and Britt.
  • Nigel McGuinness posted a tweet teasing that he has big news coming soon: “Very excited about the future – big news for me coming soon”
  • Killer Kelly vs. Miyu Yamashita has been announced for Impact Wrestling’s television tapings in Windsor this Saturday. Eddie Edwards vs. PCO is also set for the tapings.
  • BayToday has an article covering Lance Storm’s upcoming induction into the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame.