Daily Update: Vince McMahon birthday, Survivor Series, Legado del Fantasma

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

  • Match and performer of the week
  • The life and times of Gene LeBell, MMA, stunt work, pro wrestling, an accessory to a murder, being trained by Lou Thesz, national judo champion, enforcer work in boxing and wrestling, details on the supposed first mixed match in history and later refereeing Ali vs. Inoki, the Bearcat Wright story, Steven Seagal, Bruce Lee, Chuck Morris, Ronda Rousey, Roddy Piper, the Los Angeles wrestling territory
  • Updated G1 Climax report with all the bouts last week, the standings and the final shows
  • Clash at the Castle update
  • Vice’s Tales from the Territory, what is and isn’t confirmed
  • UFC Saturday night coverage
  • AAA Triplemania preview and Verano de Escandalo coverage
  • The death of the Mexican star TNT, and a look back at a boom period for wrestling in that country
  • The most detailed look at the pro wrestling TV business over the past week
  • More on the CMLL anniversary sow
  • More on the CMLL Grand Prix
  • Konnan and Dorian Roldan talk AAA future
  • *Stardom Five Star Grand Prix update
  • NOAH N-1 tournament
  • Ric Flair talks his last match
  • Dave Bautista movie update
  • Death of Mike Masters/Rocky Jones
  • Former early Raw performer loses race for senate
  • Lots of AEW updates
  • Major star talks going to AEW
  • AEW & WWE streaming numbers
  • Ticket sale updates on AEW & WWE shows
  • UFC new deal in its second biggest market
  • Lots of new major UFC fights
  • Bo Nickal and UFC
  • Vince McMahon’s new payments found
  • Questions being asked about a WWE branch
  • Returns of Dexter Lumis, Karrion Kross & Scarlett
  • Women’s tag team title tournament
  • New WWE TV show filming

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Wednesday News Update

WWE

  • Former WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon turns 77 years old today.
  • On Twitter, Stephanie McMahon sent out a birthday message to her father: “Happy Birthday Pop, I Love You!”
  • On NXT last night, there was a segment where Santos Escobar picked up Legado del Fantasma in the parking lot, indicating that they’re coming to the WWE main roster with him. Escobar said he wasn’t going to leave NXT without them, and La Familia stays together. Escobar was banned from NXT as a stipulation of losing to Tony D’Angelo at Heatwave last week.
  • Dave Meltzer gave an update on Survivor Series tickets after the pre-sale began today: “Survivor Series in Boston basically sold out during the presale today. Whatever is held back will sellout during the public onsale. I can’t think of a WWE show in years to do that.”
  • Roman Reigns, Liv Morgan, Drew McIntyre, The Usos, Bianca Belair, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Riddle, and Rey Mysterio are featured on WWE’s graphic for Survivor Series.
  • Edge wrote an Instagram post reflecting on the week he had: “What. A. Week. This week was a goooooood week. From having an A&E documentary air on Sunday, to coming home for the first time in 3 years and main event a sold out Raw, wrestle in Toronto for the first time in 12 years? AND have a co branded Maple Leafs/Edge shirt? Heading back to the Leafs dressing room and maybe having a sip of peaty scotch with my good bud, our trainer, @lheck_atc after the show in a Tim Hortons cup(does it get it more Canadian)? C’mon!!!! Best of all was getting to see my family. See my little cousins react to seeing me perform live for the first time. Hell even Rhea Ripley getting me down under(get it?) couldn’t stop this weekend. Well also because I have a Glamazon for a wife who wasn’t havin any of that. Thank you to all involved for an amazing weekend and a show and an experience that I will never forget and take with me to the grave. What. A. Blast.”
  • Renee Paquette said it makes her happy to see the praise Michael Cole has received for his commentary since Vince McMahon retired.: “I’ve said this a million times and I’m just gonna reiterate how good he is. People have literally crapped on him for years and years and years. ‘We hate Michael Cole. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.’ You guys don’t even know how good he is and what a regular Raw looks like for him and what SmackDown looks like for him. Whether he’s taking notes from the truck, whether Vince is talking to him in his ear, like that dude is in a pressure cooker every single show and he takes the brunt of it. But now to see him actually just show his talent and get to show his love of professional wrestling, and the fact that he has been in this business for 25-plus years, and the depth of knowledge that he has in professional wrestling, it’s awesome. It makes me really happy to see him get to breathe and do his thing, but also to see people being like ‘Oh sh*t, Cole is awesome.’ It’s like, ‘Yeah, he is.'”
  • Mustafa Ali noted on Twitter that – at one point – there was a plan for him to use Hulk Hogan’s “Real American” theme music.
  • After a fan tweeted that “People severely underestimate the importance of @CodyRhodes to getting @AEW started,” Cody responded: “Facts are all out there to see…without Brandi or I it wouldn’t exist. Look no further than some of the infrastructure in place or even half the names of the events. Tony, Bucks, Kenny, Jericho, Dana, Hang…pioneers. I’ve moved on to the next stage for me, but beautiful memories.”
  • Drew McIntyre and Bret Hart appeared on WWE’s The Bump this afternoon.
  • AJ Styles and Hit Row will be guests on The Bump next Wednesday.
  • WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin from WrestleMania 35, Seth Rollins vs. Batista from the May 9, 2014 episode of SmackDown, and Roman Reigns & The Usos vs. Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode from the January 24, 2020 SmackDown episode.

Other Wrestling

  • Ahead of tonight’s Dynamite, AEW announced its updated roster rankings.
  • During an appearance on NBC Sports Boston’s Ten Count, the former John Morrison discussed his release from WWE: “We were going to feud, but [The Miz] missed a couple of Raws before he left for Dancing with the Stars. So, that never happened. I don’t know if the reason for that is public. That never happened and that’s why I was left in limbo. Anyway, I don’t want to get into it. The thing about it is, after Taya was gone, I didn’t want to be there anymore. When I heard I was being released, I went through the eight steps of grief, or 10, however many, in like 30 seconds. From surprised to shock to regret to okay.”
  • Former NXT referee Drake Wuertz has lost his bid to be elected to the Florida State House. In the Republican primary for his district, Wuertz received 19.6 percent of the vote. First-place finisher David Smith received 71.2 percent.
  • “Speedball” Mike Bailey will face Kylie Rae at GCW/BLP’s 4 Cups Stuffed on Friday, September 2.
  • Taya Valkyrie will defend her MLW Women’s Featherweight title against Deonna Purrazzo and Chelsea Green at The Wrestling Showcase on Saturday, September 3.