Daily Update: WWE SummerSlam, AEW schedule, CM Punk

Daily Update

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Join us in Las Vegas for our annual F4W Convention

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

Highlights include:

*Where the C.M. Punk situation with AEW stands.

*Update with more details on the proposed new AEW television show and if it happens, probable time slot, potential issues, and how the roster will be handled.

*Update on AEW at Wembley Stadium, different standards of numbers to break, ticket pricing, AEW’s goals for the show, signups and how that compares to Clash at the Castle and what it means.

*Sanada wins the IWGP title after a character change and the questions that opens up, plus notes on the next several months of New Japan major events, including G-1, Dominion and Forbidden Door.

*Full coverage of the Sakura Genesis show

*Full coverage of UFC 287, what happens next for the headliners, business note and fight-by-fight coverage

*Major article on the life and career of The Sheepherders/Kiwis/Bushwhackers with the death of Butch Miller. We follow Miller’s life both in and out of wrestling, the territory days, fan attacks, crazy angles, their days of bloodbath matches and the 180 at the end of their careers that made them the most famous. We go through everywhere from New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Oregon, Southwest, Stampede, Mid South, Puerto Rico and of course WWE, the politics, the craziness and Miller’s later fights for his life.

*WWE attempts once again to get the MLW lawsuit thrown out. A look at their response and strategy in the case

*The most detailed look at the ratings for all the pro wrestling shows of the past week, what the ratings mean, placings, yearly trends, and how different segments did.

*Update on the Champion of Champions tournament.

*The celebrity angle that fell apart in so many ways and a look at why.

*Notes on the next season of Dark Side of the ring.

*NWA PPV coverage.

*The story behind Bob Backlund becoming WWF champion.

*How wrestling ratings will be affected the next two months and why

*Lots of injury updates.

*International TV ratings and streaming numbers.

*Ticket sales for all the upcoming WWE & AEW events.

*UFC Hall of Fame notes.

*Lots of new major UFC fights.

*Update on Vince McMahon and creative.

*Dana White talks WWE/UFC merger

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Monday Update

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking all the latest wrestling news , as well as Raw, previewing upcoming shows and talking SummerSlam, Cody Rhodes and other topics. If you have questions for the show you can send to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

WWE reported 32,000 tickets sold for SummerSlam and Sports Business Journal reported it as the largest day-one sale for any stadium event outside of WrestleMania in company history. Not to minimize this because it is a great number, but it is actuality the largest first day in the U.S., but it is the third largest on a worldwide basis.

There is no All Access this week after Dynamite and Dynamite airs three hours earlier than usual on the West Coast due to TBS not having a West Coast staggered feed on Wednesday. On the West Coast it goes right from Dynamite at 5 p.m. to U.S. vs. Mexico soccer at 7 p.m.., with the East Coast times being 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

The meeting noted on Friday that was scheduled with Chris Jericho, C.M. Punk, FTR and Tony Khan has not taken place yet.

Former pro wrestler Jerome Robinson, real name Jeremy Hardy was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of oral copulation of a person under the age of 16 and two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior in a child 14-15. The alleged incident took place in 2015 and he was arrested in 2018. Hardy was an independent wrestler and a teacher at Riverside Prep High School. The story was reported to SoCal Uncensored.

Raw is tonight in North Little Rock, AR at the Simmons Bank Arena. Becky Lynch sent out a tweet that she won’t be at the show tonight, which is an angle. Announced for the show is Austin Theory vs Bobby Lashley, and they did two matches over the weekend to get ready doing DQ finishes, Seth Rollins vs. Miz and Trish Stratus is to explain her actions. Plus Brock Lesnar will be there to set up his upcoming match with Cody Rhodes. They had about 7,300 tickets out for the show as of this morning. 

We’re looking for reports from Little Rock tonight with Main Event matches, any other dark matches or anything else not on television to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

The War Chamber match will headline tomorrow night’s MLW Underground show on REELZ The match is Alex Hammerstone & The Second Gear Crew vs. Raven’s Calling group.

New Japan Pro Wrestling will be running shows on 8/19 and 8/20 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The 8/19 show will be the All Star Junior Festival featuring top junior heavyweights from multiple companies. The 8/20 show will be a joint show with Impact and New Japan. Tickets go on sale for 8/19 at midnight tonight.

Bill Algeo said that his promo on Saturday’s UFC show in Kansas City was a tribute to Ric Flair.

On NXT tomorrow night, Nathan Frazer will be debuting a new segment plus they’ve added a Gigi Dolin vs. Cora Jade match.

Other Notes

Devon “Crowbar” Storm, 49, did a leg drop off the top of a 15 foot high steel cage on Rick Recon through a table on the ISPW show in West Milford, NJ. The two will have a cage TLC match on 4/28 in Avernel, NJ at the First Presbyterian Church Hall.

Cage Fury Fighting Championships runs 6/16 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City on the boardwalk. C.M. Punk calls the action.

Former WWE announcer Jonny Loquasto is the voice of Shazam! in two new DC Comic Kids Motion comics called “Monster Society of Gotham.”