Daily Update: Roman Reigns, Valerie Loureda, Athena

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Roman Reigns cutting back on WWE appearances, Kota Ibushi-NJPW issues

  • Roman Reigns schedule in detail, what he is working, next title defense, current plans on his biggest summer match.
  • Behind the issues with Kota Ibushi and New Japan, where they started, where it stands and who is trying to smooth things over
  • WrestleMania Backlash, business numbers, match-by-match with star ratings and poll results
  • Update on all the big AEW & WWE summer shows, how tickets are moving, secondary market interest and million dollar gates
  • The unique ending of the UFC strawweight title reign by Rose Namajunas and what it says about scoring, cornering and how open scoring plays a part in this
  • Complete UFC 274 coverage with PPV numbers, TV numbers, match-by-match, what next and more
  • The Hall of Fame career of Daniel Cormier, someone who made it to the top in two different sports and becoming a UFC champion having never trained in striking until nearly the age of 30
  • Major joint promotion show lineup
  • Ratings for the past week, where wrestling ranks on cable, where AEW ranks as far as youngest skewing sports shows, how each AEW segment did, and realistic comparisons with last year’s numbers
  • Wrestling at Arena Mexico
  • Juice Robinson and his NJPW contract
  • Best of the Super Juniors notes
  • Tammy Sytch updates including sad situation with Bill DeMott
  • Ted DiBiase sued by Mississippi Department of Human Services
  • The life of popular referee and office person Charlie Smith of GCW fame
  • Legend of the 90s coming out of retirement again
  • A look back at the British Bulldogs
  • Lowest rated cable station
  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • AEW and Warner Media update
  • Upcoming AEW shows
  • Tony Khan talks Bret Hart in AEW
  • Blackpool Combat Club original idea
  • Amazing UFC business run
  • UFC revenue and how much goes to fighters
  • Upcoming UFC matches
  • Former WWE wrestler wins in Bare Knuckle fighting
  • Strange booking of Lacey Evans
  • Questions about the Money in the Bank in 2022
  • International TV ratings
  • Streaming numbers

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter: April 11, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Details on WWE’s return to NBC Universal, WrestleMania 21 review

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Wednesday News Update

WWE

  • In addition to the July 22 SmackDown in Boston and July 25 Raw at Madison Square Garden, Roman Reigns has been added to the Friday, August 19 episode of SmackDown at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
  • Bellator fighter Valerie Loureda was in attendance at last night’s NXT and also posted a picture of herself training in the ring at the WWE Performance Center today. Loureda captioned the photo with “remember the name.”
  • Loureda’s manager Abraham Kawa shared a brief video of Loureda at the Performance Center.
  • A post-show video that WWE uploaded after last night’s NXT set up Ikemen Jiro vs. Von Wagner for next Tuesday.
  • During an interview with SEScoops, Ariane Andrew (former WWE wrestler Cameron) said she doesn’t think Naomi would have walked out of Raw unless she had someone manipulating her and telling her how to do it:
    • What happened, I think – I’m just gonna remove Sasha [Banks] because Sasha’s done this before. Sasha’s a great athlete. Let me not get it twisted because I don’t want fans coming for me. She definitely deserves — like she’s a great wrestler, she’s a great character. She does what she has to do. My girl Naomi, she wouldn’t do this and I feel like she wouldn’t do this unless she had someone manipulating and telling her how to do this. Let’s best believe if I was here, coming as a Funkadactyl, we wouldn’t have this happening, at all. But I mean, this is where we’re at so, it’s unfortunate what happened but I’m gonna say right here, Naomi, I’ve always been your girl, I’ve always stood by your side. Do you need a tag team partner to come help you out? Because I’m here because I got you and we ain’t gonna do this foolishness. We can still make a dream team happen, we can make history happen and we ain’t gonna do all this stuff. Just play the game girl, I’ll play the game with you, let’s go because at the end of the day, a job is a job and they’re gonna do what they wanna do and you cannot control that. So do you want to either let your money fall aside or do you wanna come and be a part of a group that has to do what they have to do and make sh*t happen? Period.
  • The Root published a story on Sasha Banks and Naomi deserving respect and better storylines.
  • On 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Wrestling Inside The Ropes, Paul Heyman said he’d like to see a Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes match:
    • Absolutely [Cody Rhodes is box office and I’d like to see him in the ring with Roman Reigns]. Cody Rhodes is not only someone with an extensive legacy, my God, he’s the son of The American Dream Dusty Rhodes but he has carved out his own niche. He’s achieved his own accomplishments and when he couldn’t gain enough traction in WWE to become a legend, to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer, to become a WWE or Universal or Unified Heavyweight Champion, he went out on his own. He ‘blazed his own trail.’ He created something, co-created, helped create something that completely changed the complexion of the industry and now he comes back to claim what he feels is his moment and the only way he’s gonna be able to live that moment is to step into the ring with ‘The Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns. It’s a story that writes itself and Cody Rhodes is a magnificent talent who whether he is – and he is the son of Dusty Rhodes – but whether he is or isn’t the son of Dusty Rhodes, on his own just as ‘Joe Blow’ – not as big a name as ‘Cody Rhodes,’ but still, he could take the name ‘Joe Blow’ and he could become huge box office. He’s that talented.
  • Raquel Rodriguez, Adam Pearce, and Mustafa Ali were the guests on WWE’s The Bump this morning.
  • Bobby Lashley and Baron Corbin are set to appear on The Bump next Wednesday.
  • WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded Hulk Hogan vs. The Undertaker for the Undisputed WWE Championship from Judgment Day 2002, The Miz vs. R-Truth for the United States title from Fatal 4-Way 2010, and Riddle vs. Roderick Strong from NXT TakeOver XXV.

Other Wrestling

  • Athena (formerly known as Ember Moon in WWE) streamed live on Twitch today and said she isn’t the mystery participant that’s facing Britt Baker in the women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament on tonight’s AEW Dynamite.
  • Michael Nakazawa posted a tweet today that appeared to be about Kota Ibushi: “I have been in Japan since 5/7 for my visa renewal. and of course I saw him. There has been problems with the person I could have helped with, but he has been determined and there has been nothing I could have helped with him, but all I can tell him is that he is not alone.”
  • Joey Janela vs. Johnny Game Changer (John Morrison) has been announced for GCW’s Downward Spiral show in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 28. The match will be Morrison’s GCW debut.
  • Matt & Jeff Hardy were the guests on today’s episode of Wrestling With Freddie.