Daily Update: WWE notes, Kevin Sullivan, Kayla Braxton

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered in this issue:

  • Full Forbidden Door coverage
  • Early notes on how the PPV did
  • Arena business and what historical achievement took place this past weekend
  • How the poll for the show had a unique and noteworthy result
  • Looking at AEW going into All In
  • A look at Money in the Bank, Heatwave, and ticket demand for the three WWE shows this week in Toronto.
  • A look at the playoffs for the G1 tournament
  • UFC 303 coverage of one of the shows where they had to change everything over and over again
  • Thoughts on the WrestleMania documentary, what was talked about, and what wasn’t.
  • A look at all the TV ratings info from the past week including rankings for the night and week, the competition, the whys behind the numbers, segment-by-segment and more
  • Chris Jericho returns to Arena Mexico
  • A look at Friday’s show including the Altantis Jr. ROH TV title win
  • AAA TV time notes
  • AAA Verano de Escandalo card
  • Major changes in Stardom
  • New Japan pushes a big open to 2025 for both their promotion and Stardom with dates for tourists
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Sanshiro Takagi rematch on the bullet train
  • Notable sight gags on the match
  • Update on Marigold’s first major show with Iyo Sky
  • Rematch of one of the best bouts of the year set for the RevPro anniversary show at the Copper Box Arena
  • WWE stars at TNA TV tapings and at Bloodsport
  • More on Britt Baker’s return
  • Tony Khan talks about media rights negotiations, the Juneteenth rating, a milestone Eric Bischoff could never do
  • Will Ospreay opens up about his autism
  • Advance ticket sales for all the WWE & AEW shows over the past week
  • Biggest merch sellers in WWE & AEW
  • Dana White makes a claim that will blow your mind
  • More on the Bloodline angle
  • SmackDown issues with FOX
  • Notes on WWE departures
  • WWE investing in new business with notable partners including the NFL
  • Dijak talks more about his contract not being renewed

This Week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Wednesday Update

WWE

  • Today’s WWE Speed episode featured the start of a new number one contender’s tournament. Baron Corbin defeated Angelo Dawkins to move on to the finals. Next Wednesday, the other first-round match (Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes) will air. The tournament winner earns a title shot against WWE Speed Champion Andrade.
  • John Cena commented on his upcoming retirement tour: “For over 22 years YOU have allowed me to be a part of many special moments. We have incredible history together from setbacks to triumph and all in between. I’m so grateful to be invited back home so we can write the last chapter of this unforgettable ride. Sunsets are often the most memorable experience. I can’t wait to share this sunset with my family. See you all very soon. The Last Time Is Now!”
  • Bianca Belair, Montez Ford, Liv Morgan, Bayley, Cathy Kelley, and Baron Corbin appeared on the red carpet for the premiere of Netflix’s new docuseries “Receiver.”
  • While speaking with US Weekly, Belair detailed the best advice she’s received from John Cena:
    • The biggest gem he ever gave me was after SummerSlam [in 2021] when I lost in 26 seconds. I had just main evented WrestleMania. I won a title. I was on a huge roll, had all this momentum, and then lost in 26 seconds. I was so defeated. He pulled me aside and really spoke life into me. He told me about the ins and outs of the business and how to go from the bottom to the top. You saw him do that over and over in his career. He was always reinventing himself.
  • Bayley also discussed how Cena has helped her career:
    • I said, ‘John, if there’s anything you think is missing from the women’s division or anything specific you think I should work on, what should it be? It turned into this hour-long conversation and it all came down to storytelling. What’s the story we’re trying to tell tonight? Don’t think about what they want, what he wants, what you want. It’s all about storytelling.‘
    • He wants to give back in a way that not everybody does. He has such unique information that he can share. It brings us back to why we got into it. Having him around to have conversations has been really great.
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Santos Escobar for the Undisputed WWE Championship will headline WWE’s house shows in Mexico this weekend.
  • WWE’s YouTube video of Rhea Ripley’s return on Raw now has more than 2.7 million views.
  • Finn Balor told What’s The Story that he thinks Gunther is the best wrestler in the world right now:
    • WALTER, Gunther, whatever you wanna call him, in my opinion, is probably the best performer on Earth right now. In my opinion, to watch in the ring. I get so oversaturated seeing so much stuff that I just kinda go ‘ahh cant be arsed watching this.’ I’ve not seen it all, but I’ve seen so much. I’m 43 now, so it’s like watching wrestling for 35 years, so it’s rare that I go, ‘Ah, I’m interested in this,’ but when WALTER gets in the ring, I’m interested. I want to see everything that he does. There’s no bits where I know what he’s going to do for the next five minutes.
    • That’s one of the few matches in my career that I want to have. We tried to set it up right before COVID in NXT UK, then the world had a different plan for us. Then we went different ways, and now, we’re both heels, so I don’t know how that would work. I’ve expressed my opinion to the office that I would love to get that match, and hopefully, we can get it done in the future.
  • On Busted Open Radio, Kelani Jordan reflected on how the Toronto crowd reacted to her NXT Heatwave match against Sol Ruca:
    • Well first, when we came out, I felt like the Toronto fans gave us a very warm welcome. They were clapping and cheering before we even locked up, so that was super cool but also, during the match, being able to hear them say, ‘NXT!’ Or, ‘This is awesome!’ I’m like, oh my gosh. Then, I even was like, this is crazy. I never truly experienced that and it was literally electric… Right when we got back through the curtain, I was like, ‘I wanna do it again. I wanna go back out there.’
  • Alexa Bliss shared a photo on her Instagram stories of her working out in the ring and doing her first back handspring since giving birth in November 2023.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Tony Khan donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe campaign to help wrestling legend Kevin Sullivan, who is battling serious health issues following a “devastating accident” that occurred this May. The campaign has raised $48,237 so far.
  • Sullivan’s family shared an update earlier this week:
    • Just wanted to share a photo from over the weekend. We were able to go outside for a short period and am trying my best to make this a part of his daily routine. Thanks for all the support and well wishes. I am so grateful.
  • SportsGrid interviewed Tony Khan.
  • Britt Baker guested on a live episode of The Nikki & Brie Show that took place in Los Angeles.
  • Planeta Wrestling spoke with Naomichi Marufuji ahead of his match against WWE star AJ Styles for Pro Wrestling NOAH this Saturday.
  • Jordynne Grace posted a photo with Styles as the two crossed paths at the airport ahead of their upcoming matches in Japan. Grace will be in action against Chihiro Hashimoto for Sendai Girls on Monday (July 15).
  • Kayla Becker (former WWE broadcaster Kayla Braxton) noted that she just finished filming her first movie: “Just wrapped my first movie…and I got to do it alongside actors I’ve admired for years! One in particular I’ve always dreamed of meeting someday … never in a million years did I think I’d one day be sharing scenes with them! What is life?! Can’t wait for you to see it.”
  • MLW Slaughterhouse 2024 will take place at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida on Friday, October 4.
  • For the first time in almost two years, ACH will return to pro wrestling at a show for SCWPro in Blue Grass, Iowa this Saturday. He’s facing Shain Boucher at the event.