Daily Update: SmackDown ratings, Dragon Lee, Alexa Bliss

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

In this issue:

  • Poll results from all the major shows plus Match of the week and Performer of the week
  • Looking back on a week with some of the best matches of the year, story behind the matches and complications involved
  • Week one G-1 Climax coverage, what stories have been told, where is business, what is and isn’t working and match-by-match coverage
  • Coverage of TripleMania, including what really happened with Don Callis, the story behind Vikingo vs. Omega, as well as looking at the 8/12 show in Mexico City
  • Tony Khan press conference coverage, update on All In with new ticket sales info and how close to records is the show, more PPVs question, longer Dynamite, Death Before Dishonor and more
  • Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show and what is next for the participants
  • Eric Young returns and Impact Slammiversary, as well as the return of Josh Alexander
  • How many homes are the networks that carry wrestling in
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the wrestling and MMA television shows, with a lot of shockers in the weekly and daily standings. Including what show placed No. 7 for the week in network television, where the wrestling and MMA shows finished on cable, segment-by-segment, competition and more
  • What promotion is killing it every week in ticket sales at the same arena
  • Major talent jump to join his brother
  • Documentary on the life of one of the biggest stars in history hits movie theaters internationally in the fall
  • Major TV documentary on the Ali vs. Inoki fight, what was revealed and some new news being reported
  • 75th anniversary of the birth of the NWA and the real story of its birth and growth
  • How the public’s viewing has changed
  • The Rick Steiner situation and how it was handled
  • More on the Teddy Hart arrest and what he was in Florida for
  • Notes on upcoming Impact TV shows
  • Upcoming ticket sales for WWE & AEw shows
  • Lots of new major UFC fights
  • Iconic company set for a return in September
  • Updated Money in the Bank and Forbidden Door PPV numbers
  • WWE injury updates
  • Dwayne Johnson reportedly sets an all-time money record
  • Gable Steveson’s decision
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

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Saturday Update

WWE

  • Sports TV Ratings reports that last night’s SmackDown averaged 1.182 million viewers in the fast national ratings, which would be the best viewership for any SmackDown episode that has aired on FS1. The show was moved to FS1 last night due to women’s World Cup soccer being on Fox: “Am told in the preliminary fast nationals WWE Smackdown on FS1 (due to World Cup) averaged 1.182 million viewers on FS1. That’s up 31% vs. last FS1 episode. 448K for adults 18-49, up 37% vs. last FS1 episode”
  • With SmackDown taking place in Orlando, several NXT wrestlers made brief cameo appearances. Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams, Tiffany Stratton, Wes Lee & Dragon Lee, The Creed Brothers, and Tony D’Angelo & Stacks were all on the show. Shawn Michaels appeared as well, giving his approval for Dominik Mysterio to defend the NXT North American title against Butch last night.
  • WWE uploaded a post-SmackDown video where Rey Mysterio met up with Dragon Lee. Rey said he wants to be there when Dragon Lee fights against Dominik and wins the North American title.
  • WWE NIL program signees the Cavinder twins attended SmackDown and were shown in the crowd.
  • During an interview with The Messenger, Alexa Bliss spoke about how time away from WWE programming can be good for her character:
          • Time away is always a good thing. When it comes to WWE, time away and reinventing a character and evolving yourself is the key to career longevity at WWE. So I always say, ‘Time away is such a good thing because it gives people the time to miss you.’
          • When you’re being seen on WWE three or four times an episode, you don’t really have anywhere to go with your character. So whenever you take time off, it’s always a good time to evolve and to keep going. And I’ve already been probably six or seven different versions of myself. And each time it’s done well with merchandise sales, with bookings and all that stuff. So I don’t really like to go backwards with my work. I always like to go forward.
  • Bliss also discussed her plans to return to the ring after she gives birth: “I probably won’t bounce back as fast as I hope. I’m going to get to working out and doing all that stuff and get to where I need to be, you know, to have time. [I’ll have] the first fundamental months with the baby before thinking about trying to rush back to work.”
  • The LWO, IYO SKY & Bayley, and The OC appeared on The SmackDown LowDown.
  • Contralona interviewed Gunther.
  • WWE has a two-hour Playlist video on the rise of Jey Uso.
  • Today is Shawn Michaels’ 58th birthday. Akira Tozawa (38) is also celebrating a birthday today.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Will Ospreay praised Athena vs. Willow Nightingale from ROH Death Before Dishonor: “Willow Vs Athena match was one of the best Women’s matches I’ve seen American PPV/TV in recent memory. Proper epic main event aye. Loved it”
  • Claudio Castagnoli spoke to Sports Illustrated about Wheeler Yuta working through a hamstring injury at Blood & Guts: “A lot of people pay good money to see us live. I’ll never give them less than 100% every single time I step through that curtain. That’s why I respect the BCC so much. Wheeler won’t say this, but he had a very hurt hamstring. He couldn’t run, but you couldn’t tell that during the match. Mox is energy and pure joy despite the pain, and it was inspiring to see Bryan [Danielson] working 10 minutes with a broken arm at Forbidden Door. Those are the people I want to surround myself with.”
  • On Busted Open Radio, Daniel Garcia discussed his character development in AEW/ROH: “Oh, it’s been great (his character development). I feel like when I came into AEW, I feel like I was typecast a lot just as a technical wrestler and a lot of times, technical wrestlers get typecast as boring and I feel like being with (Chris) Jericho and being able to stay in the Jericho Appreciation Society has really allowed me to show more levels and layers to my character and what I can do as a performer so I’m really grateful for that.”
  • QT Marshall, Harley Cameron, and Aaron Solo were guests on Talk is Jericho.
  • Shop AEW released a new “Double Clothesline” T-shirt for MJF.
  • The Under the Ring podcast has an interview with Eric Young.