Daily Update: WWE notes, Saraya, Kota Ibushi

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Observer:

• Updating the situation with Ricochet, the WWE angle, his legacy, future, comments by Will Ospreay and a look at his pre-WWE career.
• Preview of Clash at the Castle, the matches, thoughts on the bouts, attempt to set records and more.
• Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler falls apart, the quietness of the last two weeks, replacement fights and other pull-outs.
• Just how much money McGregor would have generated on this night
• New Japan Dominion coverage, Hikuleo leaving for WWE, Super Juniors finals, Forbidden Door angles, G-1, this week’s big show and more.
• NXT Battleground coverage, the Apex,  the bouts, the timing of the show.
• Final WrestleMania live business numbers from the Pennsylvania commission.  What was the real attendance for both nights, Raw, Smackdown and NXT.
• Huge story on part two of Who Killed WCW, company finances running a wrestling business then vs. now, what went wrong, Hogan vs. Goldberg and real story behind the lack of build, where the money was left on the table, Goldberg as champion, booking philosophy and more.
• Why WCW lost top stars under Jim Herd
• The most detailed look at the ratings for wrestling and MMA TV shows, including how close another MMA show came to UFC this past week, placings for the week, competition for the shows, segment-by-segment an more
• More on who CMLL talent is allowed to work with
• Lots of big matches coming to CMLL over the next week
• El Hijo del Vikingo update
• Notes on the movie about a current wrestling star released in Japan
• Next Stardom PPV and Five Star Grand Prix notes
• WWE & NOAH announcement coming
• Big NOAH match this week
• Despe Invitational show
• Iyo Sky comes to Marigold and how ticket sales went
• Mexican and Japanese group working together
• Bloodsport notes
• Sad Steve McMichael update
• Passing of Larry Santo
• One of pro wrestling’s all-time legends from way back is being honored in his home town next week
• Celebrity Wrestling show earmarked
• Lots of injury updates
• Forbidden Door update
• How the Arlington tapings for AEW are doing
• Advance ticket sales for WWE & AEW shows
• CMLL talent being booked for Dynamite at the last minute
• International TV ratings and top streaming numer
• Dana White asked to channel Andy Kaufman
• Consideration to changing MMA rules
• PFL tournament updates
• Manny Pacquiao coming to Rizin
• Drew McIntyre inducted into Scotland Hall of Fame
• Update on Vince McMahon legal action
• PPV updates
• More Dwayne Johnson projects

This week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter back issue

Wednesday Update

WWE

• On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, The Undertaker said he thinks Cody Rhodes will have an even bigger run as a heel in the future than he’s having as a babyface right now:
  • I think he’s doing a phenomenal job, I think he’s going to have a tremendous run as a babyface, but I think his bigger run will be as a heel. There’s just something about Cody with me that I envision a heel. It’s down the road because right now I think he’s killing it as the babyface and his promos are on point.
• Mick Foley told Sports Illustrated that he’s humbled by how fans have continued to appreciate his Hell in a Cell match against Undertaker from King of the Ring 1998: “People have chosen to pass this match on to their children. To me, that’s very humbling.”
• Nick Aldis responded when Gorilla Position asked him about potentially competing in the ring for WWE:
  • It’s tough to answer this, just simply because I don’t ever want to give the impression that I’m trying to sort of angle for something, right? I’m certainly not trying to go into business for myself or anything like that. But it’s unavoidable, I’ve seen a ton of sentiment from fans like, ‘We want to see you wrestle this guy, we want to see you versus that guy.’ I appreciate all that, that’s not something that I have any control or influence over, right? It’s very much a case of like I said when Paul [Levesque] and I first started speaking, I made it very clear that I want to be part of the team, I want to contribute in whatever way you think is best. If at some point that way [wrestling] ends up being the best then great.
• The full 25-man number one contender’s battle royal from last night’s NXT has been uploaded to WWE’s YouTube channel. The match was won by Je”von Evans and featured appearances by TNA wrestlers Joe Hendry and Frankie Kazarian.
• Though Evans won the battle royal, the ending of NXT appeared to tease that it will be a fatal four-way match at Heatwave with Trick Williams defending his NXT Championship against Evans, Ethan Page, and Shawn Spears. Page defeated Evans in the main event of the episode, then a brawl took place with Williams & Evans aligned against Page & Spears. All four were left laying in the ring with the NXT title between them.
• In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Hulk Hogan detailed how he came up with the idea for his new Real American Beer:
  • I was at an event when I got introduced to an executive from Pabst Blue Ribbon. When I meet people at these events, I love to ask questions and hear their stories. But when I met this gentleman, it was different. I immediately blurted out, ‘My dad used to drink that beer.’ Pabst Blue Ribbon was his favorite beer the whole time I was growing up.
  • We’re talking about Pabst Blue Ribbon, and he asked if I ever wanted to have my own drink. I started to explain how it just didn’t make sense back then, and then something happened. The idea popped in my head like a good finish. Slam the giant, drop the leg–I had an idea for a beer.
• WWE uploaded a vlog documenting Drew McIntyre’s Clash at the Castle homecoming.

AEW/Other Wrestling

• While speaking with Izzy On Sports, Saraya explained how Jon Moxley helped her with her AEW promos: 
  • The first few promos, Jon Moxley actually helped me a lot with them. One of my best friends is Renee [Paquette]. And so, you know, I’m friends with her hubby too. He was one of the catalysts in getting me over to AEW as well. He was on the phone with me and stuff like that. And so with the promos, since I sh*t the bed the first time, I was just like, ‘I just need help, I don’t feel confident in myself.’ So, that promo with me and Britt [Baker] where I’m being real. I’m talking about real-life stuff. Like yeah, I am sober. Yeah, I was a mess. Yes, the world saw my tapes go on the freaking internet from when I was 19. Just all the struggles that I went through for that year and a half, I was being real.
  • And he was telling me I had to be real. He was just like, ‘That’s the perfect promo. Stop trying to be a character right now and just speak your truth’ kind of thing. And so he was helping me with that kind of stuff. He really, really did help me. It made me come out of my shell and made me feel way more comfortable.
• Kota Ibushi shared an injury update noting that he’s currently feeling 85 percent healthy: “Of course, if my current doctor in Japan tells me that I can compete, I will report to AEW and return immediately. I’m now 85% alive. Please wait a little more.”
• Skye Blue wants to wrestle in a women’s Blood & Guts match one day:
  • I love Blood & Guts so much. That is my favorite Dynamite to watch. This past one, I was at work but I didn’t have to wrestle. So I went in and there’s like a little part behind where the cameras are that you can just sit and watch and I sat with a bunch of our friends, there were a couple of drivers and the production people who just sat and watched. I was like, ‘I want to be in that cage so badly.’ Everybody would just be like, ‘No, Skye. Stop it. No, sit down.’ I was like ‘No, guys. Come on. This could be really cool.’ To be the first woman to have a Blood & Guts match, I would cry.
• Orange Cassidy appeared on the Under the Ring podcast.
• A segment with The System (Moose, Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards) will kick off TNA Impact this Thursday night.
• Matt Hardy reacted to Joe Hendry and Frankie Kazarian appearing on NXT: “Very happy to see @joehendry & @FrankieKazarian appear on #WWENXT tonight. Both hugely deserving talents. The @ThisIsTNA & @WWENXT crossover is ‘best for business’ as The Man With 3Hs would say.”
• Hardy was a guest on today’s episode of Busted Open Radio.
• Bodyslam.net reports that Colby Corino has re-signed with the NWA.
• Atlantis Jr. vs. Okumura in an Opera Cup tournament first-round match will take place at MLW Blood & Thunder on Friday, July 12.