Daily Update: Ricochet, WWE NXT Battleground, Omega/Okada anniversary

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered in this issue:

  • Update on what Mexican talent can work on the same shows as other Mexican talent, the recent changes and how they’ve gone down and the current political situation leading into Forbidden Door
  • Looking at WWE Clash at the Castle and NXT Battleground
  • Update on Forbidden Door, ticket demand and AEW’s top programs
  • Conor McGregor and UFC 303
  • Full report on UFC 302, business and match-by-match coverage
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 10-point plan to strengthen New Japan Pro Wrestling. We look at where the company stands and its obstacles as Tanahashi hits the six-month mark as President
  • Death of El Signo and the heyday of Los Misionero de la Muerte
  • A look at episode one of Who Killed WCW?
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all pro wrestling and MMA television shows over the past week including competition, key demos, segment-by-segment, analysis, standing and how it compares with one year ago.
  • New promotion gets weekly television on a top 20 station starting in one week, as well as being on the verge of a second deal
  • Celebration of 20 years of Mistico shows
  • Arena Mexico continues big crowds
  • Dream Gate title change
  • A look at the Dominion show this week
  • Update on next week’s show featuring talent from a number of major promotions including a rematch of one of this year’s best matches
  • More on the B Block finals and semifinals of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament
  • Gable Steveson tries the NFL and how this very much differs from other former top level wrestlers who have had NFL success
  • Missy Hyatt talks Vince McMahon and details her own experience with him
  • Wrestling book writers Hall of Fame
  • AEW star challenges for British title
  • Notes on MLW Battle Riot
  • GCW has a major weekend
  • Update on TNA office cuts and changes
  • Mike Santana talks about battling drinking issue
  • Notes on people whose contracts are expiring and updates
  • Chuck Taylor and his hopes of returning to the ring
  • More details on AEW doing a residency in Arlington, TX and the economics behind it
  • Kevin Kelly talks his AEW departure and issues with Ian Riccaboni
  • Story behind the Collision rating report
  • International TV ratings
  • Why certain wrestlers haven’t been on AEW TV of late
  • Another AEW star comes out publicly
  • More on the Cung Le antitrust lawsuit settlement
  • Just how much Saudi Arabia is paying for these big events
  • How UFC & WWE are doing record grosses
  • Mark Shapiro talks about how Dana White reacted to the merger and talks about White’s previous problems with Vince McMahon
  • How McMahon first saved UFC and then became a powerful enemy
  • Former WWE stars talk about how talent is paid now, why not getting booked is better for your paycheck and how easily it is to get around WWE drug testing
  • Updated King of the Ring and Double or Nothing PPV notes
  • Reports on WWE weekend house shows

This week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter back issue

Sunday Update

Ricochet
Image: WWE

– Bryan and I will be back tonight covering NXT Battleground, New Japan Dominion and the rest of the weekend news with Wrestling Observer Radio.

– An update on Ricochet.  As first reported by Mike Johnson, it appears Ricochet is leaving WWE.  Johnson reported he had given notice. We were told by someone very close to the situation that he had not given notice. But he had not signed a new deal (his contract is coming due shortly) and the decision of what he was doing next was up in the air. But obviously with Andrade winning the Speed title on Friday with the match seemingly moved up since Andrade had also won the tournament final Friday, it would indicate WWE expected him to be gone soon. A few hours ago we were told he had made up his mind regarding his decision. The confirmation of what the decision was not told to us directly but the signs would indicate leaving, but as noted the only thing confirmed to us this afternoon is a decision has since been made.

– Roy Warnack, who fans of 80s and 90s wrestling may remember as either Larry Santo or Larry Santana, a TV enhancement wrestler from 1984 to 1997, mostly for WCW but also worked Mid South, WWE, Memphis, Georgia and Smoky Mountain Wrestling, passed away last Sunday. He was 63. Bob Cook noted the good times he had with him and former TNA wrestler David Young noted that Larry Santo was his trainer. He was well respected as far as inside the ring goes.

– NXT Battleground starts at 8 p.m. Eastern tonight from the UFC Apex Arena in Las Vegas.  It’s a small venue set up for less than 700 with about 300 tickets put on sale to the public and about 250 were sold at high prices as of today.

  • Sol Ruca vs. Fallon Henley vs. Lash Legend vs. Jaida Parker vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Michin in a ladder match to crown for the first NXT North American women’s champion. There are some really outstanding athletes in this match. It’s probably the first ladder match for almost all of them so I expect a few spectacular stunts and a very practiced match.
  • Shayna Baszler vs.  Lola Vice in an NXT Underground match, no ropes and worked to look more realistic than usual pro wrestling. Baszler of course had a long MMA career including in the UFC and Vice was in Bellator before signing with WWE. They have high hopes for Vice which is why she’s been working with main roster wrestlers like Baszler and Natayla of late.
  • Oba Femi vs. Joe Coffey vs. Wes Lee for the North American title. Match should be Femi doing lots of power moves and Lee providing acrobatics. I don’t see Femi losing the title but there’s always the out in a three-way to not have him involved in the fall.
  • Nathan Frazer  & Axiom vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson for the NXT tag titles. The story is that Frazer & Axiom are going in hurt from the TV attack by Gallows & Anderson. I had figured when Gallows & Anderson started going regularly to NXT that they were going to have a run with the tag titles so we’ll see.
  • Roxanne Perez vs. Jordynne Grace for the NXT women’s title. This is the most interesting match on the show and has a shot at being the best as well. Grace is the TNA champion and one would think if you’re starting up a storyline with TNA that Grace should win here. Plus they’ve announced Bayley will be at ringside. In theory, TNA shouldn’t be fine with their champion losing on this specific show unless Perez is doing dates for them.
  • Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page for the NXT title. Page cheating to win would make sense, but they may have given him a storyline out.

The idea is that Page is going in hurt because of an attack by Oro Mensah. WWE sent out footage of Mensah attacking Page at the hotel earlier today. So we’ve got two title bouts with basically the same storyline.

– We’re looking for your thoughts on the show and for New Japan Dominion for our polls.  You can vote a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

– We’re also looking for reports on the weekend NXT shows in Davenport, FL and Sebring, Fl and for the matches at the AEW show last night in Council Bluffs, IA that weren’t on TV such as ROH matches and notes from those matches to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

– They announced they are going back to prior years in G-1 this year. It’s back to 20 wrestlers in two blocks instead of 24 in four blocks.  That’s harder on the talent as they will  have nine tournament matches rather than five before the finals.  Also, the bouts will be back to a 30:00 time limit rathan than 20:00.  The tournament starts on 7/20.

– In Google trends this week, the UFC show yesterday did not crack the top 20. Nothing in pro wrestling did either. The only thing related to combat sports that did was boxer Ryan Garcia’s arrest was No. 6 yesterday with 50,000 searches.

– Garcia was arrested yesterday and charged with felony vandalism after being accused of causing more than $15,000 in damages at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills in a story written by Mike Coppinger of ESPN. He may also face a charge of public intoxication and was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for evaluation and treatment. Garcia ref Darin Chavez said this was a challenging time for Garcia as he received devastating news regarding his mother’s health and noted Garcia has been open about his struggles with mental health.  Garcia had written days ago that his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Garcia also had admitted he was drinking every day before his win over Devin Haney in April, where he missed weight and thus didn’t win the WBC junior welterweight title that was supposed to be up for grabs in that fight.

– Logan Paul legit wasn’t at Smackdown because he was competing in the World Tetris championships. That’s what was said on television and was accurate. 

– Today is the anniversary of two of the greatest matches of all-time.  One of the best tag matches ever, Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi took place on this date in 1995. On this date in 2018 was the 2/3 falls Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada IWGP title match. The former is one of the best tag matches of all-time and the latter I’d rate as the best match I’ve ever seen. Cage match has Omega-Okada as the the fourth best match of all-time and has the tag match as the sixth best, but the tag match is listed as the best tag match of all-time.

– Boxing champion Savannah  Marshall made her MMA debut last night in Newcastle, England on the PFL Europe show.  Marshall beat Mirla Vargas in 4:27 via ref stoppage.  The plan seems to be to build Marshall vs.  Claressa Shields in MMA.  Shields beat Marshall in 2022 in a boxing match with a number of world titles at stake.  Marshall is the undisputed women’s super middleweight boxing champion.

There was a big match on today’s NOAH show where Kaito Kiyomiya & Kenoh of NOAH went to a double count out with Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee. This sets up Kiyomiya vs Kidd for the GHC title on 6/16 in Yokohama.

A really sad story regarding longtime Chicago independent wrestler Tony Rubalcava who was shot to death apparently protecting his daughter. (thanks to Comic Collectors Guide)

– In a follow up on the story all week on what Mexican wrestlers can work on the same show as CMLL talent, there was a show last night in Saltillo, Mexico, a CMLL event promoted by Rodrigo Barba Promotions, a former AAA promoter. Atlantis Jr. vs. Mascara Dorada vs. local wrestler Promoeteo was the scheduled main event. Atlantis Jr., was hurt on Tuesday and had to pull out. CMLL went to send Esfinge, but Barba wanted a bigger star and requested Beast Mortos, (the former Black Taurus). Taurus was a long-time AAA star, but did quit the promotion and has signed with AEW. Normally CMLL would not have allowed him in this match, but they did and he worked with one of CMLL’s biggest stars, not only on the same show but in the same match.  This would indicate that AEW would be allowed to at least have him work on shows with CMLL talent, if not even work with them.

– Another note from last night’s AEW tapings in Council  Bluffs, IA. Kosha Irby, the COO of AEW, did a tweet after the show saying, “Council Bluffs is home to fantastic fans, a charming city and a subpar venue partner.”  That last line had people questioning if he meant to write it that way, until he responded, “I said what I said!”  We’ve asked but haven’t heard what led to that tweet, but no COO in a company is going to be writing about a venue they were in last night unless something very major happened. One fan wrote on X in response that the fans were great and the matches were great  but the venue was hot, no airflow, the sound wasn’t great, the doors were open late and security was non-existent.

– Jordynne Grace will be facing Chihiro Hashimoto on 7/15 at Korakuen Hall for the Sendai Girls promotion.

– If you remember the strange deal in the Howie Mandel podcast a few months back where Mandel praised White like crazy, and then White just got up, said he hated doing podcasts, and left. White admitted this week that it was all Mandel’s idea of working his audience but because White fans had chanted F*** Howie Mandel at one of his public appearances, he decided to tell people it was all planned in advance. MMA Fighting has the story here.

– Rizin featherweight champion Chihiro Suzuki was announced at today’s show to be facing Manny Pacquiao in a three-round boxing exhibition on the 7/28 Rizin show at the Saitama Super Arena .  Suzuki was already scheduled for a 6/23 boxing match with former Pride legend Takanori Gomi.

– Last night at the Mexico City Arena Coliseo show, Fugaz was taking off his T-shirt and his mask came right off, so people could see his face.

– The wife of wrestler Jax Dane won a bodybuilding/fitness competition last night. Congratulations to her on that.

– Scotty Riggs was the replacement for injured Buff Bagwell on Memphis TV in a tag team title match. John Dalton, who held the title with Bagwell, teamed with Riggs, but lost to Sir Matthew & Lord Gaston for the Memphis Wrestling promotion on yesterday’s TV show.

– House of  Glory from last night in Jamaica, NY at the NYC Arena: Pedro Dones won over Corey Mac, Chris Cage, Elijah Eden, Jarrett Diaz and Mat Awesome, Mercedes Martinez won over Tasha Steelz and Diamond Virago, Charles Mason b Dan Maff, The Main Event b Primo & Epico Colon to keep the tag titles, La Sombra (not Andrade) b Homicide to keep the Crown Jewel title, Mike Santana b Amazing Red to keep the HOG title. Lots of raves about the main event on the show. 

– Also, we got two recommendations for Luke Jacobs vs. Zozoya from the RevPro show today.