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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: June 20, 2022 Observer Newsletter: Vince McMahon under investigation by WWE Board of Directors

One of the most important wrestling news stories in years is taking place right now and is the lead story in the new issue of the Observer out today. The issue has:

  • Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis, the alleged payouts, the key aspect of the story, how the story broke, notes on the investigation, the prior burial of Stephanie McMahon, the timing of her leaving, the firm handling the investigation, and what happens next.
  • Jeff Hardy arrested, more details, AEW response and more
  • Update on AEW Forbidden Door show and fan interest levels
  • The career of Keiji Muto with his retirement announcement
  • Report on the changes to the 2022 G1 Climax tournament
  • Issues with top AEW talent in G1 this year
  • Update on WWE Money in the Bank and ticket interest levels
  • UFC 275–coverage of one of the greatest fights in MMA history, business notes and poll coverage
  • New Japan Dominion coverage, match-by-match with star ratings, storylines, business notes and poll results
  • Cyberfight show
  • College athletes that WWE signed this week to NIL deals
  • How the death of Hana Kimura led to a change in Japanese laws on cyberbullying
  • Pro wrestling TV ratings over the past week
  • Notes on the oldest tradition in wrestling, now in its 89th year
  • The family tag team tournament update
  • News from this week’s Triplemania
  • Key Stardom rule
  • Dream trios match of Triple Crown champions
  • Early notes on N-1 tournament
  • Movie on famous pro wrestling family
  • NWA 74th anniversary show
  • 70s and 80s star doing autobiography
  • One of the year’s best independent matches
  • Ticket sale updates for all the major pro wrestling and UFC shows
  • AEW injury update and story
  • FTR managed by Bet Hart
  • Politics of Forbidden Door show
  • International TV ratings
  • AEW stars announcing MMA
  • New major UFC fights and this week’s card
  • Another major UFC retirement
  • News for those who get Peacock free
  • Notes on Paige being dropped by WWE
  • Roman Reigns schedule
  • Oliver Luck vs. Vince McMahon trial
  • Ronda Rousey talks the one MMA fight she would still do and how it almost happened years ago and why it didn’t

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:  May 9, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Death of Chris Candido

Ordering Info: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

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Sunday News Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking all the weekend wrestling news. I did a Friday night show with Garrett talking the Vince McMahon stuff.
  • Want to send sympathies to the Hebner family and friends and family of Dave Hebner and Tim White. While best known as referees, Hebner worked a number of different jobs in WWE and was affiliated with TNA after being fired by WWE. White also worked as a producer besides being a referee and was the handler and good friend of Andre the Giant. White was super very well liked across the board, and Hebner was well liked and respected as well. I don’t know the circumstances of the death of White but he was scheduled to undergo surgery right around now.
  • Regarding Google searches, Vince McMahon was the most searched thing on Friday with the exception of Father’s Day, with 200,000 On Wednesday he was also No. 7 with 200,000. Even though last night UFC show was on ESPN, it seemed to have little interest. Josh Emmett as listed as No. 5 earlier today at 20,000 and Kevin Holland was No. 9 at one point yesterday with 50,000. But UFC itself never made the list and that’s very unusual. Dave Hebner was on yesterday’s list at No. 10 at one point yesterday with 50,000. In something of a surprise, Jeff Hardy never cracked the top 20 all week.
  • We’re looking for reports tonight from the WWE show in Billings, MT and the GCW show tonight in Providence, RI which features Will Ospreay vs. Nick Wayne for the first time ever. We’re also doing polls on these two shows:
  • Impact Slammiversary from Nashville tonight
  • AAA Triplemania from Tijuana last night
  • Slammiversary tonight on PPV from Nashville:
  • Josh Alexander vs. Eric Young for Impact title
  • Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson for Impact tag titles
  • Ace Austin vs. Kenny King vs. Mike Bailey vs. Trey Miguel vs. Alex Zayne vs. Andrew Everett (replacing injured Jack Evans)
  • Queen of the Mountain for Knockouts title with champion Tasha Steelz vs. Mia Yim vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Chelsea Green. Mickey James will be special enforcer in this match.
  • Honor No More (PCO & Vincent & Mike Bennett & Matt Taven & Eddie Edwards) vs. Impact Originals (Frankie Kazarian & Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley & Nick Aldis & mystery partner)
  • Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne defend Knockouts tag title against Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary
  • Moose vs. Sami Callihan Monster’s Brawl match
  • Rich Swann vs. Brian Myers Digital Media title
  • Reverse Battle Royal
  • The latter two bouts will be on the pre show.
  • PW Insider reported Jim Mitchell will be at the Slammiversary show tonight as well as tomorrow’s TV tapings.
  • I have to write about something because other people who don’t know anything about the subject have claimed a story isn’t true and misled people about it. On this week’s Observer, we noted that the Los Angeles Times was looking at doing a story on AEW but never heard back from AEW and there was no story. Houston Mitchell, a member of the sports staff for decades and also someone who has for years been our Hall of Fame consultant and is a long-time reader, said that he sent emails to AEW twice to propose doing a story on The Young Bucks to build for the show in Ontario, CA. He never heard back and the story was never done. Mandy O’Donnell of AEW said that she never received the emails and that they would have cooperated, but both Mitchell and O’Donnell have since been in communication and straightened everything out and hopefully there will be a story when AEW is next in Southern California. Both have told us the issue has been straightened out.
  • Regarding last night’s UFC, Dana White said that he would not book Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon again. Lauzon weighed in for the fight and right after his knee locked up and he couldn’t walk and there was no way he could fight. White said they would offer Cerrone a fight soon but probably not at 155 since he’s cut to 155 twice in recent weeks and they don’t want him to have to do it again.
  • Another great main event with Josh Emmett winning a split decision from Calvin Kattar in a fight that could have gone either way. Douglas Crosby scored rounds one and three for Emmett, giving Kattar the nod. Judge Sal D’Amato gave Emmett the first three rounds to win. Judge Chris Lee gave Emmett rounds one, three and four. 74 percent of media scores were for Kattar. During the fight when they were talking about how they had no idea who was ahead, Daniel Cormier said not to talk about open scoring because we can’t have that. 
  • In the Damir Ismagulov vs. Guram Kutateladze fight, Crosby gave Ismagulov only round two and had Kutateladze winning 29-28. Lee had Ismagulov rounds two and three and had him winning 29-28. Jason Stafin gave all three rounds to Ismagulov which was pretty shocking. The media scores were 73 percent for Kutateladze.
  • Regarding Triplemania, the five-way with Rey Fenix winning the Latin American title (that Taurus held) and the cruiserweight title (that Laredo Kid had held for years) with Bandido, Taurus, Laredo Kid and El Hijo del Vikingo was an amazing spectacle. If you are into crazy spot matches you had five of the best in the world at them doing them non-stop. It was lacking in other areas but that’s not what the match was designed for. It was like the modern version of Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay and if you liked that one, you’d want to go out of your way to see this one. If you didn’t like that one, you won’t like this one either. They also ended teasing Vikingo vs. Fenix with those two titles and the AAA Mega title at stake.
  • Bandido landed on his head during the five-way match and actually got back up and continued the match. But after the match, he was carried out on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital. We haven’t heard more as far as his condition since last night.
  • The mystery partner for Matt Hardy was John Morrison as Johnny Hardy, doing a lot of Hardy mannerisms, until turning on Matt at the finish. 
  • As everyone knows, John Laurinaitis was not in Minneapolis Friday night for Smackdown but one person noted to us he wasn’t scheduled. No word if he’ll be at Raw tomorrow night in Lincoln, NE.
  • While the final number won’t be out until tomorrow, Smackdown obviously is going to do its best number in a long time because of the publicity involving Vince McMahon being on the show. 
  • AEW’s high point on Wednesday was 944,000 viewers and 465,000 in 18-49 for the period with Jon Moxley, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Lance Archer Tay Conti and El Desperado. Because of the shockingly low number, and also shockingly low number of people watching television on Wednesday this week’s number will have a lot more scrutiny than usual.
  • Jake Lee beat Kento Miyahara to win the Triple Crown at Ota Ward Gym today. The bigger surprise was Shotaro Ashino & Ryuki Honda winning the world tag titles from Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato.
  • WWE results from last night in Rapid City, SD:
  • Usos b Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods to keep the tag titles
  • Veer Mahaan b Robert Roode
  • Theory b Montez Ford to keep U.S. title
  • Bianca Belair over Becky Lynch and Asuka to keep tag titles
  • Aliyah b Shayna Baszler-DQ
  • Aliyah & Raquel Rodriguez b Natalya & Baszler
  • Gunther won three-way to keep IC title over Ricochet and
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Drew McIntyre b Sami Zayn in a street fight
  • (thanks to Jory Andre)

Other Notes

  • Warrior Wrestling from last night in Grand Rapids, MI: Brian Cage b KC Navarro, Chelsea Green b Tootie Lynn, Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini b Myron Reed & Dante Leon, Sam Adonis b Rey Leon to keep the Lucha title, Athena b AQA to keep the women’s title, KC Navarro won the War of Attrition for the Warrior title over champion Will Ospreay, Brian Pillman Jr., Bran Cage, Sam Adonis, Jake Something, Lance Archer and Swerve Strickland. They announced the next show is 6/26 at Malcolm X College at 2 p.m., to 5 p.m., which is near the United Center where Forbidden Door is taking place. Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz & Myron Reed are back together as The Rascalz against Nick Wayne & Blake Christian & Fuego del Sol, (thanks to Leonard Brand)
  • Myron Reed has been added to the MLW Battle Riot match on 6/23.
  • Prestige Wrestling from last night in Pomona, CA: Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson b Dom Kubrick & Lucas Riley, Drexel b Richard Holliday, Bateman b Jordan Cruz, Mia Yim b Willow Nightingale, Rickey Shane Page b Tom Lawlor-DQ, Evil Uno & Alan Angels b Ray Rosas & Peter Avalon,Vinny Massaro b Anthony Greene, Kid Bandit b Funnybone, Konosuke Takeshita b Lee Moriarty