Daily Update: WWE-Saudi Arabia, Aaron Wolf, Raw

Daily Update

Latest Headlines

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • AEW heads to Arena Mexico, reaction of talent, background and key facts about Arena Mexico and wrestling history, the rise, fall and comeback of Mistico, the quadruple crown of wrestlers and even announcers and full coverage of the Tuesday and Wednesday night shows as well as this past Friday’s show.
  • Where New Japan stands today with its reset at Dominion, full coverage of the show, plus news ands thoughts regarding the G-1 Climax tournament
  • WWE preparing many major shows over the next few weeks
  • Coverage of TripleMania Regia
  • Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon and TKO make arguments to get out of the ringboys lawsuit and what statements made by McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon more than 30 years don’t look good regarding this case
  • A look at U.K. women’s wrestling pioneer and Scottish Hall of Famer Rusty Blair.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the major shows
  • CMLL’s biggest show of the year announced
  • Konnan praises Corey Graves
  • A new television milestone reached this past month and an explanation of what it means
  • The U.S. team going to the world championships in Croatia
  • Hogan & Bischoff RAF promotion announces debut show and a very bad sign regarding their actual interest
  • Notes on two of the best attended indie shows of the year on the same night
  • El Hijo del Santo’s last match in Mexico as scheduled today
  • AEW women stars working in Europe
  • Advanced ticket sales for WWE, AEW and TNA shows
  • Tony Khan does interview, gets criticized regarding how he presented the info
  • More on Dana White and Nick Khan’s boxing project with Turki Alalshikh
  • What is the value of the UFC PPV shows?
  • Aaron Pico vs. Moovsar Evloev and what that says about UFC’s intentions
  • Reports on Vince McMahon getting back involved and what is and isn’t viable
  • Realities of AEW TV rating year-to-year
  • Gunther vs. Goldberg notes
  • Goldberg talks about why he’s coming back
  • Michelle McCool talks saving Undertaker’s life twice
  • Liv Morgan’s injury and changes that have to be made
  • Interesting note on WWE’s house shows in Mexico
  • WWE & AEW rivalry goes long past wrestling shows
  • Yet another WWE tournament

This Week’s Back Issue

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

Monday Update

  • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about Night of Champions and any updates on changes, New Japan’s signing of Aaron Wolf, Raw and much more with Wrestling Observer Radio.
  • So the state of the world and Middle East is obviously a major concern for Night of Champions and Friday’s Smackdown although right now it looks as though everything will go as scheduled.  Donald Trump posted that all sides, Israel, Iran and the U.S. have agreed to a cease fire.  In theory that would end the danger but this  is a story that changes constantly.  As of right now, there are people in Saudi Arabia setting up the show, a number of crew members were at the airport in Qatar today unable to get out of there because of the conflict on that side of the world.  Everyone is going with the idea the shows are happening.  The talent will be leaving tomorrow and Wednesday.  At the moment of this writing, the crew that had been stuck in Qatar, contrary to some reports, was still at the airport but they are expected to be able to get out.  There are crew members who made it to Riyadh previously and have been working but the group that couldn’t get out all day was still in Qatar.  This is a tense situation, far bigger than pro wrestling or a PPV show.  
  • The signing of 2021 Olympic judo gold medalist Aaron Wolf by New Japan Pro Wrestling is a giant news story over there.  We talked about it extensively on last night’s show.  It’s hard to understand without knowing Japanese culture and how they revere the Olympics, what a Japanese gold medalist, who is very charismatic in his own sport, in judo, a national sport in Japan, means.  This is probably one of the two biggest sports signings in company history,along with Koji Kitao, who did end up as a flop.  I don’t mean Muhammad Ali because that was a one-shot and Wolf is meant to be a full-time regular.  Oleg Boltin, who they are grooming for a top spot, was world ranked in wrestling but never won an Olympic medal, isn’t Japanese, and didn’t grow up as  a pro wrestling fan.  Wolf is a fan and this has been talked about for years in Japan more as a fantasy than a reality.  The press coverage for this was huge and TV-Asahi announced his debut match on January 4, 2026, at the Tokyo  Dome, will air live in prime time on network television.  He is coming in with probably the biggest path to superstardom of anyone who has come into pro wrestling from day one, far more than Brock Lesnar or Kurt Angle.  But he also comes in with a level of pressure on him and scrutiny that nobody else starting out on day one has ever had.
  • It is believed that Wolf was offered a deal by both WWE and  New Japan.  He only said a much larger overseas promotion had offered him a deal, meaning WWE or AEW.  He said he went to Kazuchika Okada, who told him that if you want to learn to be the best pro wrestler, New Japan is the best place to learn.
  • Raw tonight is in Columbus, OH.  There are semifinals in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments.  Jey Uso faces Cody Rhodes, with the winner facing Randy Orton presumably this weekend.  Jade Cargill faces training partner Roxanne Perez, with the winner facing Asuka.  In addition, Becky Lynch defends the IC title aginast  Bayley and Bron Breaker faces Penta.  Bill Goldberg will be there this week for the next three weeks in facing Gunther on 7/12.  CM Punk was not scheduled on the show.   More than 13,000 tickets are out for the show.  it was not sold out this morning but with talke-up it should be a legit sellout.  
  • El Desperado defends the IWGP jr. title against Jun Kasai tomorrow at Korakuen Hall on a PPV in Japan and the U.S.
  • At today’s show at Korakuen Hall, Drilla Moloney qualified fof the B block in G-1 with a win over Tomohiro Ishii and Callum Newman qualified for the A block with a win over Taichi.
  • Smackdown on Friday did 1.52  million viewers and an 0.38 in 18-49.  It was first in 18-49 and 18-34 among all shows on TV.  The re-airing of Jaws on NBC did 3.26 million/0.31 which got  the most publicity.  Viewer number is up, with no sports competition and Cena all over the show, the 18-49 and 18-34 numbers were lower than expected, but it’s still first place.
  • Darren Paltrow is authoring a book on the 100 plus year history of pro wrestling in Long Island, from MJF to Mick Foley to Andyu Kaufman.  The book is called “Wrestling LibGuide” as a digital archive.
  • TNA on Thursday has Mike Santana vs. AJ Francis in a street fight, The Hardys vs. Judas Icarus & Travis Williams, a Battle Royal for a shot at the Knockouts title, Zach Wentz vs. Ryan Nemeth and more.
  • As of this point in time, we don’t know any matches for Dynamite on Wednesday in Kent, WA.  They are also taping Collision that night for airing on Thursday.
  • Marc Raimondi’s book, “Say Hello to the Bad Guys–How Pro Wrestling’s New World Order Changed America” will be released tomorrow by  Simon and Schuster.   We interviewed Raimondi about WCW in the late 90s on our Friday show with Garrett Gonzales.
  • A quick note that there will be no Friday show this week as Gonzales is traveling.  We will be back for a show on July 4th.
  • CM Punk was on Kevin Hart’s Cold as Balls podcast. Among the highlights was him saying his favorite wrestlers were Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Rhea Ripley and Chad Gable. He also said he thinks so far this year that Liv Morgan is the company’s MVP.
  • MLW will be streaming Summer of Beasts on Thursday night with Matt Riddle vs. KENTA for the MLW title, Ultimo Guerrero vs. Alex Hammerstone for the National title, Magnus & Rugido defend the tag titles against a mystery team, Yuki Kamifuku vs. Wakana Uehara, Brock Anderson vs. Anthony Greene, Kushida vs. Diego Hill, plus matches with Mistico and Shotzi Blackheart.
  • Mistico, Mascara Dorada, Ultimo Guerrero, Lluvia and Persephone are set for a show at the Fox Theater in San Bernardino, California, this Sunday at 4 PM local time.
  • NXT tomorrow has Jaida Parker vs. Lash Legend vs. Izzy Dame vs. Jordynne Grace with the winner facing Jacy Jayne for the women’s title on the 7/13 Evolution show, plus Tony D’Angelo vs. Stacks Lorenzo for the held up Heritage Cup, Trick Williams vs. Josh Briggs for the TNA title, Tavion Heights vs. Je’Von Evans and Ashantee thee Adonis vs. Ricky Saints.
  • Tony Schiavone was on Good Day Seattle this morning to promote Wednesday’s show in Kent,WA.  He put over last Wednesday’s show in Mexico City as a career highlight.  
  • Khali Rountree on his YouTube channel said that he went into Saturday’s UFC main event with Jamahal Hill with a torn meniscus.  He said he got the injury three weeks before the fight and wasn’t able to spar since.
  • Mistico, Mascara Dorada, Ultimo Guerrero, Lluvia and Persephone at Fox Theater in San Bernardino for a show on Sunday at 4 p.m. 
  • Pro wrestler Lili was on the Australian TV show “Mastermind.”  She was asked questions regarding the subject  of Zack Sabre Jr.  She also made a few references to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter: