Daily Update: Sondra Culbertson, GFL, Hook

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

  • Running down AEW Dynasty, controversy over the finish, where the angles look to be going, Young Bucks return, what the PPV number says and what to learn from it, long-term, Chris Jericho update, Why the show was long, Swerve vs. Booker and match-by-match rundowns.
  • Update on the Mania card, what matches are on what night, what is up in the air on the card, length, odds, Kevin Owens injury, Paul Heyman angle, Flair vs Stratton and Stand & Deliver, ticket demand and more.
  • New Japan Sakura Geneis report, angles at the show, Best of the Super Juniors and Windy City Riot.
  • Update on the legal strategy of WWE, Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon regarding the ringboys lawsuit.
  • El Hijo del Santo’s possible last match in Mexico City
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the pro wrestling shows, including comparisons with a year ago quarters, demos, placings and competition.
  • Fantastica Mania Mexico
  • Arena Mexico hosting tournament of champions
  • Mina Shirakawa leves Stardom
  • Dragon Gate in Las Vegas
  • Lots of Las Vegas lineups for this coming week
  • Champion Carnival in All Japan begins
  • Junior Sakura Geneis thoughts
  • Anniversary of a legendary match
  • Advance ticket sales to the major WWE & AEW & Las Vegas wrestling events
  • Injury updates
  • Ospreay on Owen Hart
  • Aaron Pico signs with UFC
  • Major 2010 feud rematch falls apart
  • Lex Luger Hall of Fame notes
  • Legacy Hall of Fame notes

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Friday Update

  • Our weekend schedule has a show we finished today with Marc Mero talking about his career and his new autobiography and then Garrett Gonzales and I talked about the business fallout of AEW Dynasty and the WrestleMania card and match order, as well as long-term AEW booking.  Our weekend show will be me with Garrett Gonzales tomorrow night talking NJPW Windy City Riot, Smackdown, news in this week’s issue, UFC and more WrestleMania.
  • Wanted to note the death of Sondra Culbertson, the wife of Nick Gage.  She was only in her early 40s.  She was the star to me in the Dark Side of the  Ring episode on Gage.  Very sorry to hear this news.
  • Kevin Owens hasn’t had neck surgery as of yet.  In today’s Observer I mentioned it was believed to have happened earlier this week but as of this moment it hasn’t happened.
  • The GFL canceled its 5/24 and 5/25 shows at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.  While Darren Owen, the business face of the promotion, talked about rescheduling in June, most feel the company will never run a show.  Actually I don’t think anyone expected the company to have any tenure with a series of flawed business plans including paying far too much for retired fighters , and using a team concept that has never worked.  They did a fake draft that got some attention for how badly done it  was.  They  had booked 31 fights on the two shows including using Urijah Faber, Holly Holm, Tony Ferguson, Chad Mendes, Benson Henderson, Anthoiny Pettis, Alexander Gustaffson, Renan Baroa, Paige VanZant and Cat Zingano.  Darren Owen claimed after the news of the cancellations broke on Wednesday:  “Unfortunately, we’ve been forced to postpone our May launch event. Our primary investor was unable to meet their funding commitment. We are working tirelessly to secure the necessary funding to support a successful launch. Although we anticipate this delay to be short-lived, any athlete may request an immediate release. We are committed to our mission and will continue to fight forward together. The support from our athletes, coaches, and managers during this time has been truly inspiring.” He talked about doing shows in June but it would be a major surprise as they clearly don’t have money necessary in place.
  • Regarding questions about this, Hook did not suffer a concussion in his match on Wednesday night in the Dynamite post-match.  He did throw up in the ring during the post-match.
  • Smackdown is tonight in Seattle.  There  will be a women’s tag team gauntlet for a title shot at Mania with Lyra Valkyria & Bayley, B-Fab & Michin, Alba Fyre & Piper Niven, Maxxine Dupri & Natalya and Kayden Carter & Katana Chance.  Also Fenix vs  Berto, Damian Priest has a face-to-face with Drew McIntyre, plus Cody Rhodes is on the show.  There were 10,194 tickets out as of earlier today.  Also before Smackdown will be Candice LeRae defending the Speed title against Sol Ruca.
  • We’re looking for reports from the show with the pre-shw dark matches to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • For this weekend, we’ll be doing a poll n Windy City Riot tonight so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • At a UFC press conference today promoting upcoming fights, which included some heated exchanges with Julianna Pena and Kayla Harrison, Amanda Nunes was in the audience with her baby.  Dana White was asked if Nunes would fight again and Nunes shook her head yes.  If she was to come back she’d likely face the winner of that fight.
  • TNA Unbreakable will be Thursday night in Las Vegas with Joe Hendry & Masha  Slamovich vs. Frankie Kazarian & Tessa Blanchard, Matt & Jeff Hardy & Mike Santana vs. Nic & Ryan Nemeth & Mustafa Ali, Eric Young vs. JDC vs. Zachary Wentz in the International tite tournament, Steve Maclin vs Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin in the International title tournament and those two winners join AJ Francis in a three-way to crown the first champion, plus Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner in a barbed wire match.
  • UFC announced a 6/21 show in Baku,Azerbaijan with the top matches being Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Jamahal Hill, the return of Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Tagir Ulanbekov and Curtis Blaydes vs  Rizavan Kuniev.
  • Arena Mexico tonight has Universal tournament matches:
  • CMLL lightweight champion Stigma vs. CMLL super lightweight champion Rayo Metalico
  • Euforia & Mephisto (2/3 of the CMLL world trios champions) vs. Futuro & Star (2/3 of the Mexican national trios champions)
  • Gran Guerrero (CMLL world heavyweight champion) vs. Akuma (Mexican national heavyweight champion.
  • The winners advance in the Universal tournament.   The main event is Atlantis Jr. & Mascara Dorada & Star Jr. vs. Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja & Hechicero
  • The AEW match tomorrow night in Springfield, MA with Taya Valkyrie vs. Catalina from CMLL will have the winner getting a shot at ROH TV champion Red Velvet, likely on 5/2.  Velvet has been out with an injury.

UFC 314 takes place tomorrow night in Miami, FL

6 p.m. Eastern on  ESPN+

  • Nora Cornolle (137.5) vs. Hailey Cowan (136) – Cornolle forfeited 20 percent of her purse for missing weight
  • Tresean Gore (186) vs. Marco Tulio (186)
  • Sumudaerji (126) vs. Match Raposo (126)
  • Sedriques Dumas (185) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (186)

ESPN & ESPN + at 8 p.m. Eastern

  • Darren Elkins (145) vs. Julian Erosa (146)
  • Jim Miller (156) vs. Chase Hooper (156)
  • Yan Xiaonan (116)n vs. Virna Jandiroba (116)
  •  Dan Ige (146) vs. Sean Woodson (146)

PPV at 10 p.m.

  • Nikita Krylov (206) vs. Dominick Reyes (206)
  • Bryce Mitchell (146) vs. Jean Silva (146)
  • Yair Rodriguez (146) vs. Patricio Pitbull Freire (145)
  • Michael Chandler (156) vs. Paddy Pimblett (156)
  • Alexander Volkanovski (145) vs. Diego Lopes (145)
  • Mistico is still not announced for any shows this week after a series of injuries to his leg and triceps.
  • Galeno (del Mal), who will be on some Las Vegas shows this coming week, won the tournament for the GHC National title beating Tetsuya Endo earlier today in Niigata, Japan.
  • Maple Leaf Wrestling announced its debut in the Montreal market at Colisee de Laval, on 7/5. Announced are PCO, Matt Cardona, Billy Gunn, Stu Grayson, Gisele Shaw and Kylie Rae.
  • Combo tickets for the WWE 8/31 Clash in Paris PPV event and 9/1 Raw at the Paris La Defense  Arena go on sale on 4/25 with a presale on 4/23.  Announced for the PPV show are John Cena, Cody Rhodes, Gunther, CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair  and Penta.
  • Memphis Wrestling on Saturday TV announced Matt Hardy on the show, plus James Ellsworth, Shazza McKenzie and a ladder match for the tag titles.
  • Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling runs 4/17 at Noon in Las Vegas at 233 South 4th street.  Top matches are Matt Cardona vs. Starboy Charlie, Seabass Finn vs. Vinnie Massaro, Viva Van vs. Lena Kross Alan Angels vs. Fuego del Sol vs. Jary Moreles vs. Alpha Zo, Aaron Solo vs. Mo Jabari plus Zack Sabre Jr. and Thomas Billington.