Daily Update: WWE Raw, Marigold, John Cena

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

Among the topics covered in this gigantic issue:

  • The legal games involving the Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon. The arguments for  arbitration, McMahon’s side goes after Janel Grant’s character, why Vince can’t produce the text messages, and WWE and McMahon file new arguments.
  • AEW going to tape Collisions & ROH leading up to All In, all in Arlington, TX.  We look at the good and the bad as well as the significance to this move
  • The crazy competition the first AEW show in the building wll face
  • Update on King and Queen of the Ring as well as AEW Double or Nothing. What to look for on both shows.
  • Full detailed rundown of New Japan Resurgence
  • The death of inDemand, a company that was a huge part of the wrestling and boxing business for decades
  • Huge historical feature on the life of Bob Bruggers, as well as the 1972 Verne Gagne training camp that produced five Hall of Fame candidates of its six trainees and background of Ken Patera, Ric Flair, Greg Gagne, Jim Brunzell and Iron Sheik
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the pro wrestling and MMA TV shows this past week
  • The biggest trouble spot AEW faces
  • The weekly rankings for wrestling, quarter hours, competition for the shows and more
  • Arena Mexico big show update
  • AAA doing a feuding authority figure angle
  • NWA deal with All Japan
  • Behind the new executive who will be in charge of three different pro wrestling companies at the same time
  • New Japan Super Juniors coverage
  • One of the biggest drawing cards of the last 40 years to announce his retirement details this week
  • Another of the biggest stars of the last 40 years enters sports Hall of Fame
  • Billy Corgan talks TV deal for NWA
  • Homicide talks injuries
  • Death of wrestler and horror stories about warring with Eddie Graham
  • MLW breaks records and gets its most mainstream media ever
  • New AEW licensing deals
  • Konosuke Takeshita talks frustrations in AEW
  • Advance ticket sales for AEW & WWE shows
  • More on Dwayne Johnson’s next movie
  • Details of the most expensive sports ticket I’ve ever heard of
  • Dana White talks WWE PPVs on Sundays and update
  • What Las Vegas is expecting as far as tourism for WrestleMania
  • More behind the departures of two more WWE executives
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Streaming numbers and international TV numbers
  • Sami Zayn’s first comedy show looked at
  • WWE arena notes and weekend business

This week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter back issue:

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about all the news from pro wrestling and MMA and there is a lot to talk about, including some very interesting numbers regarding Wednesday nights and cable in general.  If you have any questions regarding AEW and Wednesday night numbers, send to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
  • Raw is tonight in Greensboro.  Matches announced are Miz & R-Truth defending the tag titles against Finn Balor & JD McDonagh, Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable non-title, plus matches in the King and Queen of the Ring tournament to determine the Raw reps in the finals with Iyo Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria and Gunther vs. Jey Uso.  There were 8,000 tickets out as of this morning.  The Coliseum is huge and even with a huge stage AEW was able to put well over 16,000 in for Sting’s retirement PPV, so this is actually only about a half house.  Which is still a good crowd.
  • We’re looking for reports from Greensboro tonight, with the Main Event matches, results and finishes and anything else notable off television to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
  • Rossy Ogawa’s Marigold Promotion made its debut early today at Korakuen Hall.  Results were:
  • Nanae Takahashi b Victoria Yuzuki
  • Miku Aono b Nao Ishikawa
  • Mirai b Chiaki
  • Naigsa Nozaki & Myla Grace d Mai Sakurai &  Zayda Steel
  • Kouki Amarei & Chika Goto b Natsumi Showzuki & Misa Matsui
  • Sareee & Bozilla  b Giulia & Utami Hayashishita when Sareee pinned Giulia. 
  • This sets up a 7/13 show on PPV from Sumo Hall in Tokyo with Sareee vs Giulia as the main event.
  • We were told as a show this was very impressive.  One match wasn’t good at all while the main event was said to be excellent.
  • John Cena has signed an endorsement deal with Met-Rx, which was a really huge deal as a meal replacement pack a generation ago.  He will star in the company’s digital media campaign.
  • The Fantastica Mania show on 7/13 in San Jose promoted by New Japan, featuring CMLL stars, will be at Mt. Pleasant High School and not the Civic Auditorium.  The place holds maybe 1,000 and has been packed for Lucha Libre shows put on by Pro Wrestling Revolucion when they bring in top stars from Mexico in the post.  That’s also the high school Garrett Gonzales attended.
  • Very sad to hear about the death of Bad Bones John Klinger, who was one of the top stars in Germany, at the age of 40 earlier today.
  • Carlos Rodea Gomez, who wrestled for CMLL as Pequeno Nitro, passed away two weeks ago but the news just broke this past weekend. (thanks to The Cubs Fan)
  • A video on Tony Jones, whose funeral took place on Saturday in Daly City, CA:
  • Tony, best known for “Beyond the Mat,” was a real nice guy, always great to be around and his regular job at a law firm in Palo Alto where he worked as an IT.  His firm was recently voted the best place to work in Palo Alto and those there gave Jones a lot of the credit because of how much fun he was to be around every day.  We talked about Jones on last night’s show as Bryan and I were both friends of his.  
  • Best of the Super Juniors has an A block show in Himeji tomorrow at 5:30 a.m.:
  • TJP vs. Kosei Fujita
  • Clark Connors vs. Bushi
  • Hayata vs. Blake Christian
  • Titan vs. Kevin Knight
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. El Desperado
  • Geane Herrera, who fought for UFC, passed away in a motorcycle accident in Tampa at the age of 33.  Herrera last fought for Bare Knuckle Fighting in 2021, winning via second round knockout.
  • Reggie Folks, an Atlanta independent wrestler who used the name Reggie Rage, was allegedly shot and killed by Koby Minor, a police officer on administrative leave.  Folks was 35.  Local news reported he was taking Minor home when he was shot.  Minor was then arrested by the Union City Police Department last Wednesday and charged with muder and aggravated assault and was being held without bail.  He also had to resign from the Atlanta police force.   Folks trained at AR Fox’s WWA4 promotion gym and worked as a driver to raise money so he could continue to wrestle.
  • Francesco Akira suffered a left knee injury and was pulled from tomorrow’s Best the Super Juniors show in Himeji.  He was set for a tag match.  He was to have a tournament match Wednesday and that’s up in the air.
  • MLW announced 1 Called Manders, Akira, Mr. Thomas, Brett Ryan Gosselin, Jake Crist and Josh Bishop in their 40 man Battle Riot on  6/1 at Center Stage in Atlanta.  They join names like Paul Walter Hauser, Matt Riddle, Ernest Miller, Mistico, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Jimmy Yang in the match.
  • For the Figure Four/Wrestling Observer convention, Ed Loredo is running a womens’ show not part of the convention itself but I believe on the location of some of the activities  this coming Saturday afternoon.  Five women originally booked were pulled due to having to be there for AEW or ROH so he’ looking for any women in the Nevada, Arizona or California areas who are available on short notice.  Nicole Savoy will be coming out of retirement to do the show after word got out of spots open earlier today.  Anyone available an end to f4wfan@hotmail.com
  • I’m unfortunately not able to make the convention due to a family commitment that day.
  • Official League is releasing a set of four custom hats tomorrow for Kurt Angle, Roderick Strong, Hornswoggle and Raven.  There are only 100 of each hat being made so it’s a limited collection.
  • The Cauliflower Alley Club announced that Lori McGee Hurst will receive this year’s Red Bastien Friendship Award.  She was awarded for saving a lot of pro wrestling memorabilia during a flood at the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Wichita Falls, TX.  She took time off work and covered all her expenses to preserve a lot of iconic wrestling memorabilia.
  • Buff Bagwell won the Memphis Wrestling tag team title over the weekend.
  • Ross & Marshall Von Erich work for River City Wrestling on Sunday in San Antonio.
  • Pro Wrestling Revolver from Friday in  Dayton, OH:  Myron Reed b Mike Bailey, Alex Shelley b Trent Seven to keep the Revolver title, Ace Austin won over Brett Ryan  Gosselin, Bryadn Lee, Jeffrey John, Landon Hale, Monster Fulton and Rickey Shane Page, Etha Page b Damien  Chambers, Rich Swan b Jake Crist, Brett Oakley b Steve Maclin in a no DQ match, Zachary Wentz & Masha Slamovich & Crash Jaxon b Jessicka Haavok & Jake Something & JT Dunn, 1 Called Manders vs. Matthew Justice vs. Mance Warner fought to a no contest, Atticus Cobar b Alex Colon in a death match filled with various weapons.  Jon Moxley did a run-in after the six person match and laid out Dunn.
  • The Acclaimed debut for Defy on 7/19 at Washington Hall in Seattle.