Daily Update: NXT, Steven Borden, Stephanie Vaquer

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

We have another giant issue of the Observer out. There is a ton of news in this one but want to call attention to a great story by Pat Laprade on Paul “Butcher” Vachon, covering his wrestling and promoting career with all kinds of anecdotes such as his role in getting WWF’s Saturday Night Main Event off the ground, the early career of Andre the Giant, setting what was then the all-time get record in the U.S. at Comiskey Park in Chicago, and promoting what is still the largest crowd in Canada outside of Toronto. Besides the Vachon story we go in detail on the career of Sting and his retirement, as well as the careers of Paul Heyman and Bull Nakano, the muder charge against Daniel Rodimer and the investigation regarding the alleged rape of Ashley Massaro.

  • Famous pro wrestling retirement shows
  • The retirement of Sting and AEW Revolution
  • An historical first coming from the show
  • Sting’s run in TNA
  • Other expected finishes of Sting’s career
  • How Sting got into pro wrestling
  • The Blade Runners debut
  • Getting into Mid South
  • The first Flair-Sting match and it wasn’t in Greensboro
  • The first Clash of Champions and its ratings
  • Going head-to-head with WrestleMania
  • When Sting was supposed to win the NWA title the first time and why it didn’t happen
  • Why he almost didn’t get the title when the second title change date was planned
  • Sting vs. Hogan and how it got screwed up
  • The two people most responsible for Sting’s career not ending nearly a decade ago
  • Sting’s WWE run and why Vince McMahon ruined it
  • Sting’s final show
  • Ospreay vs. Takeshita
  • Early PPV numbers
  • Notes on how many buyers of this show ordered WWE & TNA shows
  • Milestones on gate, merch and and Greensboro Coliseum wrestling records
  • When was the finish decided
  • Okada signs with AEW, the truth about his contract
  • The debut of Mercedes Mone
  • The life and times of Butcher Vachon, the early years of his career, the creation of Stan Vachon, AWA title run, formation of Grand Prix Wrestling, The Vachons vs. LeDucs feud, early career of Andre the Giant, creation of the name Andre the Giant, life after wrestling
  • Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul
  • Daniel Rodimer murder arrest, the story behind what happened, the victim, his pro wrestling career and his political career
  • NCIS investigation into Ashley Massaro
  • The careers of Paul Heyman and Bull Nakano
  • The most detailed look at the ratings including how the shows did compared to last year, last week, segment-by-segment and placings
  • How CMLL show with AEW talent is doing
  • Unique show in Mexico this week
  • Vampiro wants to do rematch from Lucha Underground match
  • New Japan anniversary show
  • Best of Super Juniors notes
  • BJ Whitmer sentencing
  • More on crazy TNA buy rate
  • What happened with Kevin Kelly in AEW
  • Update on Kenny Omega
  • Update on Sammy Guevara suspension
  • Behind The Rock’s promo
  • Notes on new WWE sponsorships
  • Next Saudi Arabia date
  • Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar and the next video game
  • Advance ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming notes

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

Tuesday Update

WWE

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • FOX 19 in Cincinnati has a story on Jon Moxley.
  • Steven Borden, the son of Sting, spoke to Comicbook on the possibility of a wrestling career:
  • “Now, to answer your actual question, the answer for my whole life, the reason why you would have heard that from Darby is because that has been the answer since I was a kid. I think it was probably a question that I’ve been asked more than anything in my entire life, ‘When are you going to get into wrestling?’ I just always liked leaving it as my dad’s thing,” he said. “I never really had much interest in stepping into his world. I thought that was his thing. I would say it’s mostly still similar, but that said, maybe in the last six months to a year that answer has gotten a little bit more murky. Part of that is probably because I’m not ready to let him walk away or watch him walk away. I think somebody tweeted at me something like, ‘the hardest part about being a Sting fan is that he couldn’t stay young forever.’ And that actually hit me a little bit.”
  • “I would never be Sting two,” he continued. “There’s only one Sting so it’s more just the similarities and all of that. But yeah, so I think maybe the answer has gotten a little bit less clear. Recently, I’m just, this is a very transparent answer that I’m giving. All of this is very new, so it’s all something that’s happening in real time. Some of it might just be because there’s a lot of emotion around the ending of a 38 year career, and maybe I’m just not ready to let it go yet.”
  • The New York Post has an article on Mercedes Mone’s expected AEW debut at Big Business on Wednesday.
  • Jack Perry’s new theme is now up on NJPW’s channel.
  • New Strong Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer visited the Chilean Embassy in Japan.
  • The New York Times is reporting that Jesse Ventura is among the names on independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy’s list of potential running mates.
  • Actor Paul Walter Hauser talked to Chris Van Vliet about his upcoming match against Matt Cardona.
  • Rey Destoller, a wrestler from Moneterrey, Mexico who collapsed after suffering a brain injury during a match on March 2, has passed away.
  • Janai Kai will defend the MLW Women’s Featherweight title against Unagi Sayaka at MLW War Chamber on March 29.
  • Fighting Spirit 2023 is now available in full on NJPW’s YouTube page.