Daily Update: WWE Raw in Toronto, Road Dogg, No Way Jose

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

  • WWE business numbers for quarter two and how they compare with a year ago
  • Why numbers are up and where
  • Stephanie McMahon discusses the departure of Vince McMahon and first meeting Nick Khan
  • Stephanie McMahon discusses leaving and returning
  • Stephanie McMahon talks Vince McMahon’s interest going forward
  • How the recent PPV shows have done and put into perspective
  • Raw and Smackdown as compared with the TV business
  • How USA Network would be doing without Raw
  • How FOX would be doing without Smackdown
  • Nick Khan talks the sports rights landscape
  • Paul Levesque talks scouting new WWE talent
  • Actual paid attendance for this year’s WrestleMania and tickets sold for SummerSlam and Clash at the Castle s well as next year’ Wrestlemania
  • WWE revenue in every category
  • WWE live show attendance and merchandise
  • Kazuchika Okada repeats as G-1 winner
  • All the G-1 events over the past week as well as the business of G-1
  • The end of NXT UK and promise of NXT Europe
  • A list of WWE cuts
  • Clash at the Castle notes
  • UFC coverage of Saturday night’s show
  • The retirement of Rory MacDonald
  • TV ratings for wrestling and MMA shows this past week
  • How every segment on AEW programming did
  • Arena Mexico has one of its biggest events of the year
  • Stardom PPV notes
  • All Japan and NOAH tournament notes
  • Kota Ibushi update
  • Most popular wrestlers in Japan
  • Looking at media consumption
  • The biggest angle in Philadelphia Roller Games history
  • Behind the Punk-Page strange thing on television
  • Update on a major AEW return
  • Kenny Omega’s return
  • All Out plans
  • AEW adds new North American TV
  • Takeshita update
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE and AEW events
  • Streaming and international TV numbers
  • New major UFC fights
  • MMA legend to debut as a boxer next month
  • Major company trying to go public
  • Former UFC champion and his race for Governor
  • Former WWE star sues MMA company
  • Behind the Vince McMahon-Donald Trump payments for appearing on WWE show
  • Thoughts on new WWE signings

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Monday News Update

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking WWE changes, Raw, a lot of other wrestling news and taking questions mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

Raw is tonight in Toronto. The show will be a legitimate sellout with more than 13,000 fans at the Scotiabank Arena. WWE has only had a handful of sellouts for non-PPV shows this year. Edge vs. Damian Priest has been pushed for two weeks plus Trish Status will be there and Alexa Bliss & Asuka face Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai in the women’s tag team tournament.

Brian James, who was just begging for a job in AEW, was hired by WWE as Vice President of Live Events. The title is different but this comes right after Jeff Jarrett, the SVP of Live Events, was let go.

There will be a new team in the women’s tag team tournament. WWE just announced that Gigi Dolin was injured on Friday and they are out and there will be a four-team match on Smackdown on Friday to determine who faces Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah in their spot. Dolin reportedly suffered a concussion in Friday’s match. Dolin & Jacy Jayne were originally to be on tonight’s Raw show in Toronto to build up Friday’s match.

Independent promoter Graeme Keam of Canada has claimed that Levis Valenzuela (No Way Jose) had agreed to work a show for him, he sent him a plane ticket, found out that Valenzuela had switched the plane ticket to Orlando for this weekend and he ended up flying himself in for an AEW tryout instead. He wrote on Twitter, “No way Jose stole my money and flew to Orlando to appear on AEW Dark on my plane ticket. He lied to me all day.”

AEW matches for Wednesday in Cleveland include the CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley unification match, Will Ospreay & Aussie Open vs. Penta & Rey Fenix & Pac in the trios tournament, Dax Harwood vs. Jay Lethal, Britt Baker vs. KiLynn King and Billy Gunn vs Colten Gunn. Rampage tapings have Claudio Castagnoli defending the ROH title against Dustin Rhodes. They have sold about 400 tickets the last three days so tickets are moving with the Punk vs. Moxley announcement and are right now at just under 4,700.

Merab Dvalishvili was a guest of Ariel Helwani today and said that Jose Aldo told him after losing to him that this was his last fight. Aldo has not spoken of this thus far. 

New Japan’s Rumble on 44th Street PPV show at the Palladium in Times Square basically sold out immediately this morning. They only had 1,025 tickets on sale and there are some platinum seats ($1,000) unsold but virtually everything else is sold. This was for the presale as actual on sale is Thursday.

They did a comedy sketch on BTE that came out today for a back story to make sense why Adam Page didn’t come out when CM Punk challenged him. He was training the Dark Order for their trios tournament match. Jeff Jones told him Punk called him out like it was happening (this was taped long after) and Page didn’t pay attention and told Jones to get out and he’s doing something far more important. They also noted Evil Uno is out as he’s doing a public appearance for AEW Games in Germany, and won’t be on Wednesday’s show taped for Friday. That would indicate the Friday Rampage match will be House of Black against John Silver & Alex Reynolds & 10, unless Page subs for Uno. Mark Sterling did an ad for position theft on the show because Stokley Hathaway took his spot. Mark Jindrak was used in the ad, since Jindrak was originally to be in Evolution years ago but lost his spot.. Also, the Young Bucks were heelish telling Kenny Omega he was the only one they considered as their partner and Brandon Cutler mae a face like everyone knows you asked Adam Page first.
(thanks to Stephen Lyon)

Other Notes

Canadian wrestling historian Vance Nevada is releasing a book called “Uncontrolled Chaos” as a comprehensive history of Canadian wrestling. 

–WrestleMax St. Louis from Saturday night in St. Louis for the David Lee Memorial tournament for the vacant River City title: 

    • Mason St. Goodz b Ryu Kendrick
    • Mike Outlaw won four-way over Camaro Jackson, Marko Stunt and Darian Bengston 
    • Karam b Mike Outlaw
    • JDX b Fuego del Sol
    • Davey Richards b Moses the Deliverer
    • Davey Vega b Rahim De La Suede
    • JDX b Karam
    • Davey Vega b Davey Richards
    • Sabotage Sam Logan NC Edvin Kudic
    • Marc b ATM 
    • JDX b Davey Vega to win the title and tournament (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)

–Defy from Saturday night in Seattle: 

    • Cody Chuun b Alex Shelley
    • Guillermo Rosas won three-way over La Estrella (Dragon Gate) and Adriel Noctis 
    • Killer Kelly b Ava Lawless
    • Coyote Azteca b Halcon Negro
    • Bobby Fish b Yuya Uemura
    • Ricky Gibson & Eddie Pearl (Midnight Heat) won the tag titles in a three-way over champions Christopher Daniels & Swerve Strickland and former champions Gurv & Harv Sihra to win the titles
    • Karrion Kross and Scarlett opened the show cutting a promo. Kross was scheduled to wrestle but WWE pulled him off the show, but he came to make an appearance and said companies like this helped him to reach his dreams and he pulled out a Defy T-shirt he had from three years ago.

Pro Wrestling Australia announced a tour from 10/1 o 10/26 in the Gold Cost,Brisbane, Victoria, Wollongang,Newcastle Sydney and Canberra featuring Jessica Troy, Robbie Eagles and Mick Moretti. (thanks to Paul Robinson)

–C4 Wrestling did a Canadian cancer society fundraiser on Friday night in Ottawa, ONT before about 600 fans: 

    • Terra Callaway won over Addy Starr Cecil Nyx and Dan Berry to keep the Interspecies King of Crazy title, 
    • Puf & Pretty Ricky & Sexxxy Eddy b TDT & The Butcher (AEW)
    • LuFisto b Jana Kai
    • Yoya won over Marcus Mathers and Akira
    • Junior Benito won Battle Royal
    • Evil Uno b Kevin Ku
    • Eddie Kingston b Stu Grayson. Was told the main event was great. Kingston said that a lot of people are going to regret doubting Grayson. He then called out the company owner and asked everyone to please turn off their cameras because he didn’t want this clip on social media. He told the owner to take his pay for the show and donate all of it to the Canadian Cancer Society. (thanks to Josiah MacDonald)

–EVE has Thursday night Riot at 229 The Venue in London, UK:

    • Alex Windsor defends the Eve title against Hikari Noa
    • Jetta & Millie McKenzie & Charlie Morgan vs. Emerson Jayne & Nina Samuels & Lizzy Evo 
    • Kanji vs. Alexxis Falcon