Daily Update: WWE notes, Christian Cage, Chris Bey

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Notes from the new issue:

  • Life of Hulk Hogan, notes on his death, WWE expansion, comparisons with Rikidozan, Santo and Dwayne Johnson, the complicated legacy, the story behind the tape that ruined his legacy, last WWE appearance, Bobby Heenan comments,  Jimmy Hart’s first connection with Hogan, first match with Andre and how it got him to national TV,  lies about his career, meeting Superstar Billy Graham the start of his career and the real story on Hiro Matsuda, Ed Leslie, Austin Idol, New Japan Pro Wrestling, the Terry Funk hotel room story, never doing jobs, the myths about the AWA title, leaving the AWA, his most famous match with Inoki,  his return to WWF, the first WrestleMania, record breaking attendance, WrestleMania III payoff,  Ultimate Warrior, WestleMania VII with Sgt. Slaughter, the Zahorian and McMahon steroid trials, Jerry McDevitt, going to WCW, the rise and fall of WCW,  the Sting & Goldberg matches, the end in WCW and return to WWE, the TNA run and life after wrestling.
  • Updates on SummerSlam
  • Notes on Buff Bagwell
  • The most detailed look at what we’ve learned about both viewing habits on Netflix as well as actual numbers for Smackdown, NXT, PPVs and shows from the past.
  • Complete UFC 318 coverage and retirement of Dustin Poirier
  • G-1 notes
  • TNA Slammiversary coverage
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings over the past week
  • CMLL anniversary show taking shape
  • MJF headed to Arena Mexico
  • The amazing Friday night show this past week
  • The weekend battle of Mexico City
  • A look at why CMLL is on fire
  • Omos update
  • Stardom major show coverage
  • All Japan big matches
  • NOAH and the two GHC title bouts
  • Real American Freestyle update
  • How the financial situation after WWE has changed for certain women after leaving the company
  • A look at Ed Don George and his being honored this past week
  • More on Cowboy Bob Ellis
  • AEW on MAX update as well as DVR numbers
  • Bryan Danielson talks a lot about many different things
  • The Ali Act and the attempt to change it to benefit TKO
  • Dana White on Jon Jones
  • Lots of new UFC PP main events
  • Diego Sanchez arrested
  • Ben Askran returns home
  • Changes in the WWE workplace
  • Notes on Survivor Series this year
  • Punk on his promos
  • Goldberg talks
  • McIntyre  with Logan Paul
  • A celebrity out of the video game after his situation with WWE has changed
  • WWE weekend house shows

This Week’s Back Issue

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Wednesday Update

WWE

  • Following the tributes on SmackDown and Raw, WWE honored Hulk Hogan again last night with a 10-bell salute at the start of NXT.
  • Jordynne Grace posted a tweet responding to Blake Monroe after the promo on NXT where Monroe showed old pictures of Grace and mocked her appearance: “The bell is going to ring at some point.”
  • Music star Jelly Roll was in the crowd at NXT as he prepares to make his in-ring debut this weekend at SummerSlam.
  • WWE did not air a new episode of WWE Speed on X/Twitter today, meaning it’s now been three weeks since the show stopped airing without explanation.
  • Rhea Ripley spoke to Allenownz Wrasslin about her connection with Liv Morgan:
    • Liv is someone that I love deeply. Our feud that we’ve had in WWE – it’s gone on for so long now. And I feel like every time we come back to it, we don’t get to touch on everything that’s actually happened throughout our careers together.
    • This goes back to like NXT – she gave me her NXT locker when she left to be a part of the main roster. We’ve always had some sort of connection. So to be able to go through and have this continuously long story that sort of gets threaded together but then forgot about but then threaded together, it’s really cool to see it all come together in the end. Especially knowing how many problems there were with it and how many ups and downs, like with the injuries…
    • She’s like my story nemesis – my wrestling nemesis, my everything nemesis, but like, at the same time, like my wrestling love. It’s a really weird combination of emotions and story that we have together.
  • On The Bill Simmons Podcast, Cody Rhodes named his loss to Roman Reigns from WrestleMania 39 as his favorite match of his career.
  • Paul “Triple H” Levesque will be a guest at the TEDSports convention in Indianapolis this September.
  • Levesque made an appearance on WFAN Radio with hosts Brandon Tierney & Sal Licata.
  • Sean “X-Pac” Waltman will be in attendance at Friday’s WWE ID Showcase event when the first-ever WWE ID Champions are crowned: “I’m proud to coach members of the @WWEID program. I’ll be at their ID Showcase this Friday 8/1 in Rutherford, NJ for the crowning of their 1st ever Men’s & Women’s Championships. This is an exceptionally talented group of aspiring pro wrestlers. Come see them if you’re in town.”
  • Charlotte Flair shared a photo of her training with other legacy wrestlers Ava (Simone Johnson), Lexis King (Brian Pillman Jr.), and Uriah Connors (Brogan Finlay).
  • WWE Hall of Famer Stevie Ray posted the following: “Hulk Hogan was very important to me and my brother’s careers. He was always a good man to talk to. R.I.P. brother.
  • Tiffany Stratton was a guest on Busted Open Radio today.
  • Netflix conducted an interview with Alexa Bliss while on a roller coaster. 
  • The Battleground Podcast interviewed Karrion Kross.
  • Muscle & Fitness published a story on Chelsea Green.

Other Wrestling

  • Tony Khan announced an appearance by Christian Cage for tonight’s AEW Dynamite: “For the first time since The Patriarch was betrayed by Nick & Shayna Wayne + Kip Sabian, and @RatedRCope then told him go find himself at #AEWAllInTexas, Christian Cage returns TONIGHT!”
  • Samoa Joe was the guest on a new edition of Talk is Jericho.
  • Going Ringside spoke with Paul Wight.
  • ESPN has a feature story on Chris Bey and his recovery from the near-fatal broken neck he suffered in October 2024. In the article, Bey discussed potentially returning to the ring in the future:
    • I call this ‘the greatest story ever told’ because I was living my dream at the highest level that people told me would be unattainable. I had a life-altering injury and potentially life-ending injury. But through the grace of God, with all the odds stacked against me, not only am I back on my feet, but I’m in the process of becoming an athlete again. And should that day come when we get to end it my way, when the music hits and I come back out to the ring in full wrestling gear and a pair of boots, it’s just the greatest story ever told.
  • Bey noted that, while he’s out of action, he’s interested in helping the next generation by working behind the scenes in a capacity like producing or writing: “I should use my talents in any way possible to help continue and push forward the next generation.”