Daily Update: Steve McMichael, Robert Gibson, LuFisto

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

In this issue:

  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • Feds investigating Vince McMahion and more
  • AEW signings Kenny Omega, Young Bucks and Adam Page, lots behind it with comments from any going into details on the reason the decision was made, their pact to stay together and far more
  • WWE financials for quarter two, including why the next TV deal is taking longer to negotiate, how every sector of business is doing, USA Network with and without WWE and looks to the future
  • SummerSlam, why matches were changed, the huge Saturday night of events, ticket sales and more
  • Updating All In, where it stands on all-tie records, two straight weeks of PPV shows, the last time it happened and the history, rumored matches and more
  • G-1 Climax, what everyone needs to advance to the final eight, cards for the rest of the tournament and running down the shows from the past week
  • UFC 291 coverage, the stories behind the stories, what is next, business notes
  • NXT Great American Bash notes with full coverage
  • The life and times of Adrian Street, his death, his start, the famous photo, his U.K. heyday, why he came to the U.S., thinking wrestling was real, meeting Linda and his life after wrestling
  • The most detailed look at the television ratings for all the pro wrestling and MMA shows, including what the numbers mean, rankings, segment-by-segment and how shows are doing compared with one year ago.
  • Promotion shooting new star to the top
  • One of the best matches of the year in Mexico
  • Top pro wrestler worked as an Uber driver during the pandemic
  • Why Stardom is bringing back 80s and 90s legends
  • Wrestle Kingdom notes
  • Minoru Suzuki match in a unique location
  • Second generation star celebrates his 50th birthday on show this past week
  • Update on the number of homes and carriage rates for the shows that carry wrestling and MMA
  • More on a new television wrestling promotion starting in the fall
  • More matches on All In weekend in London
  • Who Giulia is likely defending her New Japan Strong title against next
  • Men’s All Japan Strong title match in Defy
  • Business of AEW and its value
  • Tony Khan talks business growth
  • Update on WBD business
  • Health updates on AEW & WWE wrestlers out of action
  • Paul Levesque and Tony Khan exchange words
  • International TV ratings
  • Streaming numbers
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • Top merchandise sellers in WWE & AEW
  • UFC pushing Slap Fighting at commission meeting
  • Dwayne Johnson buys a house for a UFC fighter
  • Backstage fight at show in Japan
  • Notes on Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz
  • Crawford-Spence PPV numbers
  • WWE returns to India and details on that
  • Kevin Owens talks future
  • Former WWE personality working in TV news
  • WWE house show notes

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

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Friday Update

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer is up on the site today. We’ve already gotten a lot of positive feedback on our story on the life and career of Adrian Street.

Garrett and I did our week in review show talking a ton of different topics from SummerSlam, Adrian Street, All In, Dark Side of the Ring and much more. Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night talking SummerSlam and the other weekend news.

Steve McMichael, who is battling ALS, is currently in intensive care battling sepsis, which is what killed Adrian Street. The Chicago Tribune story on it. McMichael was unconscious when rushed to the hospital Thursday night and given antibiotics on an IV. He was awake today and his vital signs improved. He is also battling pneumonia. Those in Homer Glen, IL, a southwest suburb of Chicago, held a rally for McMichael outside of the hospital as well as pushed for him to go into the NFL Hall of Fame this year. (thanks to Eric Krol and others)

Robert Gibson of Rock & Roll Express fame underwent hip replacement surgery last week according to PWInsider.

Big E revealed today at press for SummerSlam that some doctors have suggested that he never wrestle again. He said he has interest in doing color commentary. He said he is happy he has no nerve damage and is taking his time making a decision about the future saying he wants to live a pain free life.

LuFisto is having it out with much of the AEW women’s locker room. She told her story on Twitter with complaints about backstage from a tryout and a number of the women responded about what a great locker room they have and how everyone is there for everyone in times of issues.

Smackdown tonight on FOX features Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa, Sheamus vs. LA Knight, Austin Theory vs. Cameron Grimes, and angle with Asuka, Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair for their match tomorrow night. Knight is scheduled to be getting more of a push starting relatively soon. Paul Heyman will also be doing a feature called The History of Tribal Combat. Grayson Waller will interview Bayley and Iyo Sky. They are also announcing names for the SummerSlam Battle Royal. There were just under 8,900 tickets out for the show as of this morning. It will end up more than doubling the attendance of the last time WWE was in Dayton.

AEW Rampage on TNT at 10 p.m features Chuck Taylor & Trent Baretta vs. Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli in a parking lot brawl. This match was taped starting at about midnight last night in Jacksonville. We’ve been told it was great. One person at the taping said it was pretty sick, and that they destroyed half of Downtown Jacksonville. Also on the show is Keith Lee & Hardys vs. Butcher & Blade & Kip Sabian, Anna Jay vs. Skye Blue and AR Fox & Swerve Strickland in a tag team match.

PW Insider noted that Randy Orton is in Detroit. That doesn’t necessarily mean he will be on SummerSlam or do a surprise appearance, but he is there.

Bobby Roode starts this week as a producer for WWE.

We’re looking for reports from Smackdown tonight in Dayton, with dark matches and anything not on the live show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

Our only weekend poll will be for SummerSlam, you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle, best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

Here’s some pre-show video from the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight tomorrow night:

WEIGH-INS PRESS CONFERENCE OPEN WORKOUTS

The G-1 shows this coming weekend are the last night of A block on Saturday at 4 a.m. Eastern from Osaka and the last night of B block at 1 a.m. late Saturday night from Osaka. For those on the West Coast, the New Japan show will start at about the same time as Collision ends and UFC ends on television, and maybe an hour or two after SummerSlam ends. The Observer goes into detail in all four blocks of who is alive, tiebreakers and such.

Combate Global is live on Univision and Paramount + on Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern with Lucero Acots (3-2) vs. Silvia Juaneda (3-1) in the main event. This will be the first Combate show since the show after a major soccer game ended up No. 7 in the prime time rankings for the week a few weeks ago.

Hulk Hogan did a video interview with some stories. He claimed a sumo wrestler was making his debut and refused to put him over, so John Tenta came to the ring and the two got into a fight. Okay, the first part never happened, but there was an incident where Koji Kitao, a former sumo star, was unhappy about having to put over Tenta. They were in the ring and it was very tense. Neither would make the first move but it could have ended up in a fight. The bigger one is claiming that he and Vince McMahon were both offered a shot at buying UFC as partners, but they turned it down. He did say he regretted it. There was a time when SEG was in talks of selling UFC to Vince, but Vince ultimately decided against it, thinking that because you couldn’t control the outcomes and stars you put money into promoting could lose at any time, that there was no long-term future in it.

AIW on 8/12 is running shows every two hours at the Main Street Festival in North Canton, OH starting at 11 p.m through 9 p.m. with free admission. They also announced the J.T. Lightning Memorial tournament for 9/15 and 9/16 in Cleveland at Temple Live at 3615 Euclid Avenue.

Sareee ran a show earlier today at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo: Ibuki Hoshi b Chi Chi, Kaoru Ito & Kohaku b Jaguar Yokota & Kinzuma Tanaka, Mio Momon b iyuki Takse, Sareee & Kairi b Arisa Naajima & Takuma Iroha (thanks to Shannon Walsh)

Want to send our best wishes to Jay Dumont (Great Fowler) who will be undergoing a heart ablation procedure on Monday.

Ortiz is looking for independent bookings at illmatciccombos@gmail.com