Daily Update: Ric Flair, Cindy Heenan, WWE Raw

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

July 18, 2022 Observer Newsletter: More details on Vince McMahon hush money payments, WrestleMania 38 business

  • Among the highlights:
  • Match and performer of the week
  • Vince McMahon, the non-disclosures, the economic effect, reaction from talent, the investigation, keys as to whether he stays or goes, keys to the current investigation, the settlements, details of the most recent settlement story and key points in it, comments from women over the years, the 2006 tanning bed story, Rita Chatterton talks, and follow-ups of other investigations.
  • WrestleMania, SummerSlam and ROH Death Before Dishonor
  • Stardom Midsummer Champions and the next major Stardom events
  • UFC notes from this past week
  • Ratings from all wrestling shows
  • 2022 World Grand Prix tournament
  • AAA major summer show
  • What will be Triplemania’s major title match
  • Dragon Gate’s biggest show of the year
  • Triple Crown title change
  • Pro Wrestling NOAH co-promoting this year’s tournament that led to the formation of ROH in 2001
  • Keiji Muto has one of his final matches this week
  • Update on Kota Ibushi
  • First week of G1
  • Two legendary tag teams have singles matches against each other
  • Three AEW stars on Japanese women’s show
  • Bill Goldberg talks Bret Hart
  • Ric Flair documentary series
  • Japanese stars coming to base in North America
  • Legendary promoter cutting back after 52 years
  • Full breakdown on ticket sales to All Out
  • Lots of injury updates involving the biggest stars
  • Goal of the three-way tag title match on Dynamite and original plans
  • Upcoming ticket sales for WWE and AEW
  • Chris Jericho talks his illness from last year
  • AEW star in Bare Knuckle fight in England
  • Streaming numbers for WWE & AEW
  • UFC lobbying for a bill that could have great effect on pro wrestlers
  • US group opening regular promotion in Europe
  • Next MSG show from WWE
  • International TV numbers

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

June 6, 2005 Observer Newsletter: The future of ECW, Simon Inoki named NJPW president

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Monday News Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw, Ric Flair, WWE & AEW injury updates and the rest of the news with Wrestling Observer Radio. You can also send questions in for tonight’s show to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
  • The official announcement of Ric Flair & Andrade vs,. Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal for the Ric Flair’s final match show on 7/31 in Nashville. Notable is that Tony Khan is allowing Andrade to do the show and WWE is allowing a Senior Vice President to do the show working against someone from the other company. It was noted to us earlier today about how Jarrett being the referee in the Usos match the night before since the Jarretts have been on local television in Nashville and lived in the area dating back to the 60s, but that Jarrett would be working two shows that weekend and not just SummerSlam.
  • Regarding Andrade’s ankle injury, he is expected to be back for the match. He said he should be back in one or two weeks.
  • Mike Tenay reported today the passing of close family friend Cindy Heenan, Bobby’s wife. “Her devotion and support to Bobby was unparalleled. Survived by daughter Jess, son-in-law John and grandkids Austin and Hannah. Our times with them were the happiest and most memorable.” The Tenays and Heenans have been close for more than 25 years. I heard stories for years when Bobby could barely talk and her ability to basically understand him and speak for him. Want to send sympathies to all who knew her.
  • Raw tonight in Tampa has passed the 8,000 market for tickets out. As noted the last few weeks, WWE crowds are increasing of late which means what they are doing now is clicking. The big thing on the show is Logan Paul appearing plus Bianca Belair vs. Carmella in a women’s title match. The show goes up against Home Run Derby so it won’t finish first in the ratings this week. Usually that hurts the rating a little but if the company has momentum toward SummerSlam (which isn’t usually being promoted this time of year), that could change things. The key thing to look for is if the 18-34 number tomorrow moves significantly from 0.31, because any growth is probably Logan Paul related.
  • We’re looking for reports from Raw tonight in Tampa with Main Event matches and dark matches as well as anything that isn’t on the live show, plus reports from yesterday’s WWE shows in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • Our weekend polls are for the first two nights of G-1 in Sapporo as well as the NOAH Budokan Hall show with a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is now looking at retiring with his final fight at the upcoming show in Madison Square Garden which is set for 11/12. Edgar has lost four of his last five fights including two brutal knockouts. Edgar is 40 and fighting in the lighter weights which is the young men’s weight class. 
  • The next G-1 show is Wednesday morning at 5:30 a.m.Eastern with David Finlay vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Tama Tonga vs. Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale vs. Lance Archer and Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito. After that will be Saturday and Sunday at the Ota Ward Gym in Tokyo.
  • If you saw Fenix limping at the end of Rampage, he rolled his ankle and couldn’t put weight on it in the closing moments of the Penta & Fenix vs. Private Party match. The injury was nothing crazy, as he landed from a simple atomic drop. He seems to be okay because he wrestled on Friday (Rampage was taped Wednesday) in Tijuana and isn’t scheduled to miss any time.
  • At the San Diego Comic Con, here is the schedule for wrestling stuff:
  • Thursday at 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. WWE action figure reveals with Bill Miekina and Steve Ozer from Mattell along with Cody Rhodes, Zelina Vega, Sam Roberts and Ciampa.
  • Thursday from 1:15 p.m. to2:15 p.m. Mattell Booth #3329 for WWE stars
  • Friday at 3:30 to 6 p.m. has a Super Astro signing at Headlocked Comic Booth 1091
  • Saturday at 10:15 a.m. will have Dwayne Johnson talk Black Adam
  • Saturday 1-4 p.m. has the WCW Psicosis at the Headlocked Comic Booth 1091.
  • 6:30 p.m. has Excalibur, C.M. Punk, Jade Cargill, Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy and Bryan Danielson.

WWE

  • Peacock is adding new WWE Superstars episodes from 1995.

AEW

  • Dark Elevation tonight
  • Tony Nese vs. John Walters (AEW debut)
  • Bobby Fish vs. Blake Li
  • Nyla Rose & Marina Shafir vs. Skye Blue & Brittany
  • Julia Hart vs. Amber Nova
  • Ethan Page vs. Leon Ruffin
  • Evil Uno & 10 vs. Terrence & Terrell Hughes (Devon Dudley’s twins)
  • Butcher & Blade & Angelico vs. ?

UFC

  • Jessica Andrade is out of her 9/3 fight with Manon Fiorot due to medical issues and is being replaced by Katlyn Chookagian. 

Other News

  • XICW from Saturday night in Detroit: Top Gun b LaDon Sanders, Kyle Coleman b Adam Wick to win the lightweight title, Solo b TJ Meyer, Black Sheep b Soultaker, Mark Ross & Jaimy Coxxx b KJ Reynolds & Forever Young, LJ Lawrence b Keith Creme, Billy Ray Daniels b Iron Eagle, Dre Jacobs b Mongo & Madman Fulton in a three-way, Malcolm Monroe III b Apollo Star, Intense champ Jake Crist b DBA (thanks to Leonard Brand)
  • Gouge on Saturday in Chapel Hill, NC: Bobby Wohlfert & Sean Cruise b Iniut Joe & Mecha Mercenary, Aaron Biggs b Caribbean Tiger, Glamour Boy Kahn b Oiley Primo, Seymour Snott b Koga, Viva Las Amish b Ric Reeves & Dirty Daddy, Waylon Maze b TKO, Snooty Fix b Lee Valiant. Next show is 9/24 in Raleigh at Clouds Brewery.
  • Central States Wrestling on 8/27 in Overland Park, KS at the Camelot Ballroom features a meet and greet with Arn Anderson plus Jeremy Wyatt & Vic Capri vs. Brock Anderson & Ace Steel. Beer City Bruiser is also on the show.
  • New Japan posted Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White from the 2020 G-1 Climax tournament on its YouTube Page (thanks to Suju Abraham)
  • Dalton Rosta (6-0), who was a regular on AEW television during the Chris Jericho vs. ATT feud faces Romero Cotton (6-0) a three-time NCAA Division II national champion at the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Friday night’s Bellator show. This will be a prelim on the Bellator YouTube channel and he Showtime Sports YouTube channel, but won’t be airing on Showtime. The prelims are 7-10 p.m. Eastern