Daily Update: Tamina, Table for Three, Guerrillas of Destiny

DAILY UPDATE

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F4W NEWSLETTER: First Raw of the Paul Heyman Era

Before this week’s return to the norm, Joseph Currier looked at Heyman’s promising start in his new role.

Though it was only the beginning of him easing into the role, the first Raw of the Paul Heyman era showed promising signs for his future as executive director.

It was surprising that — during the build to a pay-per-view where the top of the card has already been announced — Heyman’s presence was so obvious. Even if WWE didn’t announce his executive director role, it still would have been easy to tell that something was different about the episode.

It started with a literal bang that doubled as a statement of intent. Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley’s falls count anywhere match kicked off the show and ended in a no contest. Strowman charged at Lashley, with explosions going off as they crashed through the stage. The angle was treated with complete seriousness. Corey Graves even let out an uncensored “holy sh*t” on commentary.

WON NEWSLETTER: July 15, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Death of Paco Alonso, G1 Opening, more

A look at Paco Alonso and his role in running the most traditional of all pro wrestling promotions, and what happens next with CMLL, is the lead story i the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

We look at Alonso’s death, an update on who will be running the company, how things will stay the same, what could change, the 2008 Hall of Fame election,  and the career of Alonso as a promoter including the wrestlings wars he was in and the boom periods he presided over.  We also look at where things stand and why Alonso is the only promoter with so much tenure in the business who has never lost money promoting wrestling.

We look at the first show of the G-1 Climax tournament, including unique aspects of the crowd, the business notes and what was good and bad about the crowd, this week’s G-1 bouts, Dallas coverage with star ratings and poll results and will AEW and NJPW promote together any time soon.

We also look at a Saturday with five major shows, running down all of them and the story behind the change in WWE policy.

We also look at Dwayne Johnson and Conor McGregor earnings, Reigns winning award, new signings, Reigns talks why AEW isn’t competition, WWE’s latest network strategy, ideas that were nixed of late that were pitched, Eric Bischoff update, Stock price notes, new WWE television show, most-watched shows of the week on WWE Network as well as a rundown of all the arena events of the past week with results, highlights and business notes.

We’ve got full coverage of UFC 239, with all the different stories that came out of the show, the judging of Jones vs Santos, the future of several fighters, all of the business notes regarding the show as well as match-by-match coverage, fighter pay, and poll results.

We also look at the changes in All Japan Pro Wrestling and what it means going forward.

We also have coverage of the Impact PPV show, where Impact stands, how the PPV did, the crossover in buyers of Impact with other companies as well as match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

We also run down the ratings of all the major TV shows, along with detailed demo info for the WWE shows.

We also have the results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week. 

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SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • PWInsider reported that Tamina is believed to have suffered a concussion at last night’s house show in Augusta, Maine.
  • During an interview with Kristine Leahy on FS1’s Fair Game, Bayley said the hardest thing about life on the road is the drives after shows. Leahy was surprised to learn that wrestlers drive themselves and jokingly asked if Bayley wanted her to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement for the wrestlers. Video of the question has since been deleted from Fair Game’s Twitter account.
  • A new episode of Table for Three with Shane Helms and The Hardys will air on the WWE Network after Monday’s episode of Raw. Here’s the description for it: “Helms and the Hardys discuss their friendship, North Carolina roots and the creative fire that has fueled their stellar careers.”
  • WWE Network News posted the content listing for the 12 ECW supershows that are being added to the Network on Monday.
  • Alexa Bliss wrote about the sinus infection she’s been dealing with: “After being the sickest I think I’ve ever been in my life for almost 2 weeks… @cynsationalbeauty came over to make sure the pink & tone was touched up on my hair for #ExtremeRules thank you @cynsationalbeauty @capelliloft !!”
  • Sasha Banks commented on her trip to Japan and training there: “In life, there are a lot of things I’ve always wanted to accomplish. Not for the sake of telling the world I did it, but for me, and only me. Things that feed this hunger inside me. Things that, when everything else in the world disappears, still brings me a heartfelt of joy that makes me remember why I am who I am. This past week I was lucky enough to travel to japan and train with some of the best wrestlers in the world. I walked in with an open mind, and open heart, and became a student once again. To say that this was a dream come true is an understatement. Thank you @meiko_satomura @sendaigirlspro_official @dicktogo for allowing me to become a part of your world. One day I will return, and we will make good on the magic we have between us. Thank you.”
  • Referee Drake Wuertz tweeted about working his first main roster house show last night: “After 12 years on the independent circuit and 5 years in NXT, I got to work my first Live Event for the Main Roster last night. What an incredible experience! #Thankful #Grateful #Blessed #WWEAugusta”
  • The WWE Performance Center posted a video of Jordan Myles (formerly ACH) returning home to San Antonio to wrestle at an NXT house show.
  • Ahead of them teaming together against Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre at Extreme Rules tomorrow, WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker from WrestleMania 33. Undertaker’s Hell in a Cell match against Shane from WrestleMania 32 has also been uploaded.
  • The New Day rewatched their first Tag Team title win against Cesaro & Tyson Kidd from Extreme Rules 2015.
  • The latest episode of WWE Playlist looks at Brock Lesnar’s craziest moments.
  • Braun Strowman posted a picture on Instagram with former President George W. Bush.

Pro Wrestling

UFC/MMA

  • ESPN.com posted a story on Urijah Faber returning to the Octagon at tonight’s UFC Fight Night show.
  • Faber was interviewed by MMA Fighting about his return: “I definitely want to test myself and see exactly where I fit in the lay of the land because mentally, I’m the a guy that’s in the UFC Hall of Fame, a top contender, a world champion. You’re not going to lose that self-belief, but reality and self-belief are not always the same thing. So you have to throw your hat in and say, ‘Alright, where do I sit? Give me a tough competitor that’s on the rise and see how my self-belief matches up with my reality.’ And that’s what I’m going to do.”
  • Ricky Simon spoke about his fight against Faber tonight: “Props to him, but I feel like it’s going to be a different animal. This is a new era. I’m 26 years old and I’m waking up in the morning feeling the pain, so I can’t imagine being 40 years old and doing it.”
  • After a scary situation where she was trembling during weigh-ins, Aspen Ladd said yesterday that she’s feeling better and ready to face Germaine de Randamie tonight: “I feel fantastic, now. I mean it’s always a little bit rough, that was particularly rough but I made it, I’m feeling good, and I’m ready for tomorrow.”
  • Vitor Belfort invited Joe Rogan to be his corner man for Belfort’s first fight for ONE Championship.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: WCW Bash at the Beach 1997

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