Daily Update: Weekend schedule, WWE & AEW previews, Fozzy

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up on the site today:

  • A feature on the first five years of AEW and its future.  
  • A look at both the successes and as well as things not as successful
  • A look at the past, present and future
  • Why this year will be the telling point for the success of the company or not
  • What was guaranteed when AEW started
  • AEW’s business and the perceptions
  • Looking at the value of the promotion
  • History of wrestling wars and how they went down
  • How AEW can take financial advantage of WWE’s move to Netflix
  • The decline of the 18-34 male audience
  • A look in depth at the last several weeks of AEW, NBA, NHL and cable in general
  • WWE expands SummerSlam to two dates
  • El Hijo del Santo talks retirement plans
  • Looking at King & Queen of the Ring and Double or Nothing and challenges for both companies coming off the previous big shows
  • A look at the debut of Marigold, already the No. 2 women’s promotion in the world, what hit and what didn’t hit
  • The life and times of John “Bad Bones” Klinger, a European independent star who passed away this past week
  • The most detailed look at the weekly television ratings, comparisons with other shows, age breakdowns, weekly placings and more
  • Fantastica Mania in the U.S., U.K. and Mexico notes
  • Stardom PPV coverage
  • NOAH has the match of the week
  • Why New Japan changed the Dominion main event
  • All Together Now coverage
  • Best of the Super Juniors coverage’
  • Rematch of a match last year that got worldwide mainstream publicity
  • Updated WWE, AEW, TNA  and boxing PPV notes including how many wrestling fans buy boxing PPVs
  • A look at what going live vs. tape means as far as wrestling ratings
  • One of the NFL’s all-time greats who was nearly became a German heel wrestler
  • Funeral of Tony Jones
  • Lots of notes on the final nail in the coffin of WCW and the questions still not fully answered
  • Lots of injury updates
  • WBD business and AEW negotiations
  • Advanced ticket sales for upcoming AEW & WWE shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Lots more on payouts for UFC fighters after lawsuit settlement
  • PFL fires one of its best-known fighters for speaking out
  • Mark Shapiro talks the future of WWE & UFC business
  • Injury rates in WWE and AEW
  • SummerSlam and All In advances
  • Notes on NXT Battleground
  • Top WWE star sues famous boxing star

This week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter back issue

Friday Update

  • With the convention going on, our usual schedules are different this week.  Garrett and I will be doing our show Sunday night.  I will be doing a show tomorrow night with Jim Valley talking about WWE King & Queen of the Ring as well as some history.  You can send questions for both shows to me at mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
  • We will be doing polls this weekend for both King & Queen of the Ring and Double or Nothing.  You can leave  a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle for both along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingoberver.com
  • Aside from the two PPVs it’s a quiet week.  The only other major live event is tomorrow night’s Collision taping in Las Vegas.  We’re looking for reports on the non-live TV matches to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.  There are no WWE, UFC, NXT or TNA events this weekend.
  • Chris Jericho’s Fozzy announced a 25th anniversary tour which will run mostly in the Southeast  and Northeast from 9/27 to 10/21.  Stops will include New York, Philadelphia and Cleveland.  Jericho, when he tours, always keeps Wednesdays open for Dynamite and Rampage tapings.
  • King and Queen of the Ring take place tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. Eastern time from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul for the WWE title
  • Randy Orton vs. Gunther for King of the Ring and a SummerSlam title shot
  • Lyra Valkyira vs. Nia Jax for Queen of the Ring and a SummerSlam title shot
  • Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan for the world women’s title
  • Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable vs Bronson Reed for the IC title
  • They are going to add one match on Smackdown tonight.  This does look strong on paper, particularly the top two matches which are both first-time matches.  
  • One would expect AEW to add some matches for Double or Nothing on tomorrow night’s show.  They have ten so far but usually do three matches before the PPV as well.
  • The Countdown to Double or Nothing airs at 7 p.m. Eastern  and 4 p.m. Pacific today on TNT.
  • Smackdown is a taped show.  Results and news are already up on the site.  Besides the King & Queen tournament bouts, they have Bayley vs. Chelsea Green non-title and LA Knight & Street Profits vs. Austin Theory & Grayson Waller & Carmelo Hayes.
  • Michael Venom Page vs. Ian Machado Garry has been added to the 6/29 UFC PPV show in Las Vegas.  That’s the show headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, and is expected to be the largest grossing PPV show of any kind in several years.
  • There are more UFC and WWE tie-ins.  At an upcoming Smackdown show in Louisville, KY, in two weeks, they are selling suite tickets where you get to meet UFC star Valentina Shevcheko. 
  • Arena Mexico tonight has a Cibernetico for the B block in the Copa Juniors (only second generation wrestlers allowed) with Mistico, Atlantis Jr., Angel de Oro, Mephisto, Esfinge, Felino, Stuka Jr., Magnus, Dark Panther and El Hijo  del Villano III.  MLW tag champs Satoshi Kojima & Okumura face Magia Blanca & Rugido. and Star Jr. faces Templario.
  • Niebla Roja appeared to have suffered a torn biceps on Friday and has undergone surgery.  He and brother Angel de Oro are the CMLL tag team champions so a decision will have to be made regarding the titles.
  • The Best of the Super Junior tournament continues with one of the biggest shows on Sunday at 5 a.m. Eastern from Yoyogi Gym in Tokyo.  Hiromu Takahashi vs. Robbie Eagles and  TJP vs. El Desperado.
  • Darren Till will face Julio Caesar Chavez Jr., in a boxing match on the 7/20 show at AT&T Stadium on the Netflix show headlined by Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul.  Till said on the MMA Hour that his boxing foray is temporary and that he will return to the UFC and win a championship.
  • Joey Janela vs. Gabe Kidd was announced for a GCW show on 7/5 in Toronto
  • Kurt Angle appears tonight for AIW in Cleveland at Temple Live for a show on Triller TV.  There will be a 30 man Rumble for a title shot plus Josh Prohibition has his retirement match against longtime rival Matt Cross.  Danhausen will appear on the 7/13 show in the same building.
  • Janai Kai vs. Delmi Exo has been added to the 6/1 MLW show at Center Stage in Atlanta.
  • Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling on 5/31 in Newark, CA at the Newark Pavilion has QT Marshall vs. Ricky Starks, Chris Bey vs. Aaron Solo plus Viva Van, Vinnie Massro, Alan Angels and Reina Dorada.
  • House of Glory tonight on Triller from La Boom in New York has Mike Santana vs. Matt Riddle for the HOG title, KC Navarro vs. Gringo Loco for the cruiserweight title plus Amazing Red , AJ Francis and others.  They also run tomorrow night in Lowell, MA at UTEC with Santana vs. JT Dunn for the title  and Alec Price vs. Mustafa Ali