Daily Update: WWE Raw & CM Punk, UFC weigh-ins on CBS, CMLL notes
Daily Update
Latest News
- WWE Raw live results: Sami Zayn vs. Cody Rhodes title match
- Hijo del Vikingo to undergo surgery following injury
- Report: Jey Uso’s wife files for divorce after 12 years of marriage
- Former WWE wrestler Mandy Rose expecting first child
- Netflix reveals trailer for ‘WWE: Unreal’ season three
- Ric Flair targeted in fake Joe Rogan podcast booking scam
- Tony Khan names three NJPW wrestlers he’d like to see make AEW debut
- AEW All Out 2026 heading back to Chicago area
- Brie Bella ‘bummed’ by lack of time for WWE SmackDown match
- Full NJPW G1 Climax 36 tournament schedule
- ROH reveals date and location for Death Before Dishonor 2026
- Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts announces AEW departure
Latest Audio
- WOL: RAW, CM Punk, Ric Flair scammed, New Japan, Smackdown!
- WOR: Sheamus leaving WWE, Honma retiring, SmackDown, more!
- B&V: Smackdown and AEW Collision recaps and news!
Latest YouTube Video
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- July 6, 2026 Observer Newsletter: AEW Forbidden Door, WWE Night of Champions & TNA Slammiversary reviews & ratings
Among the topics covered:
- Looking at the news that came out this past week regarding the WWE’s deal with Ari Emanuel, including Stephanie McMahon’s reaction, more background of the court case recently settled, more messages from Vince McMahon regarding the time frame and examining what what and wasn’t real about what people were told about the Endeavor deal
- Sami Zayn wins WWE title and what does it mean in the big picture
- Major SummerSlam plans
- Oba Fami direction looked at
- Ticket sales for next three WWE major events
- Notes on Netflix viewership of Night of Champions and full card results and news from the show
- Best matches ever held in San Jose
- Early PPV feedback and poll results
- Busienss numbers for Forbidden Door
- Story of the show and matches
- WWE’s latest counterprogramming of AEW
- How the counterprogramming drew this past week
- How much of the media was fooled by UFC’s release of White House numbers
- The life and times of Joe Doering, and the bad hand he was dealt
- Full coverage of NXT Great American Bash and how each individual match drew
- The sports background of Kendal Grey
- Full coverage of TNA Slammiversary
- The most detailed look at the ratings for pro wrestling shows over the past week
- International news story on Super Viernes at Arena Mexico
- Early Grand Prix notes
- Record broken and another one breaking and a third one the show
- CMLL coverage from the past week
- Changes in the Stardom audience and new attempts at growth
- A look at New Japan’s show on Monday
- Ken Patera injured and background
- Antoino Inoki in the U.S. story
- Indie wrestler marries reality TV star
- AJ Ferrari is a mess
- What TV show in the 70s made Vince McMahon father blow a gasket at Mike LeBell
- New pro wrestling doc coming out
- Bandido heading to Europe this week
- Notes on Eric Young leaving TNA
- More on AEW’s situation with the WBD sale to Paramount/Skydance
- Will Ospreay promotes Forbidden Door
- Fighter gains 41 pounds in two weeks
- CM PUnk returning soon
- House of Reps member wants Linda McMahon impeached
- Thoughts on Big Bill heading to WWE
- WWE ID controversy
This Week’s Back Issue
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Monday Update
— Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about Raw, New Japan, AEW, CMLL, Saturday’s G-1, UFC and RAF and more.
— Raw tonight has Sami Zayn vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE title, Sol Ruca vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the IC title and Street Profits vs. Bron Breakker & Austin Theory for the WWE tag titles. They had 12,419 tickets out at last look so it should sell out or come very close. Nothing new confirmed on CM Punk past this was the date he had first asked to return on.
— I don’t sense the idea of Punk being there is something with much buzz ahead of time or will make a big difference in tonight’s audience. Going against the game tonight, and given it’s a game that will have worldwide interest as compared to the NFL or NBA which is mostly U.S. interest, the Netflix Raw numbers could set record low (aside from the Grande vs. Grande show due to the length) in the history of Raw dating back 33 years. If it doesn’t, to me that would speak for Zayn vs. Rhodes staving it off.
— For the first time ever, UFC weigh-ins will be on network TV. CBS will be airing the weigh-ins from 9-10 p.m. Friday night opposite Smackdown. This will be the return of Conor McGregor and the debut of Gable Steveson. This is probably the best explanation of the situations with both of them.
— CBS has also decided not to air anything Saturday. It’s clear that they believe it’s better for them not to have the prelims for big shows on television. The show would draw very big numbers, but I guess they must feel it hurts getting new subscribers for big shows rather than helps.
— AEW Dynamite did 634,000 viewers and an 0.09 in 18-49 for the show with Mark Briscoe vs. MJF. When considers panel numbers (which would be the comparison to last year) have been roughly 150,000 higher as well, and doing this against U.S. vs Bosnia Herzegovina in soccer that probably did well over 40 million viewers (24.4 million on FOX, 9.8 million on Telemundo and I’d bet in the range of 10 million streaming) that number is tremendous. The AEW panel number alone not even including MAX has a strong shot of beating Raw on Netflix in the U.S. when that number is out tomorrow. There is no way to confirm this, but I’d strongly bet in 18-49 that Raw on Netflix would be considerably higher.
— While Grande Americano and girlfriend Andreas Zarate were shown on last night’s Mexico vs. England game
— Saturday is a crazy night as there will be:
- RAF from Tsibiliti, Georgia (Russia) although that is an afternoon show
- Collison live, the only match announced is Bandido vs. Katsuyori Shibata for the ROH title
- New Japan from Chicago for the first night of G-1
- One of UFC’s biggest shows in years with the McGregor return
- The usual Saturday night at Arena Coliseo
- AAA is live as well
— Dark Side of the Ring debuts tomorrow night on Vice from 9-11 p.m. with two hours on TNA featuring Jeff and Karen Jarrett among others. There will be a part three next Tuesday. Next Tuesday also will have a feature on Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher.
— Besides Volador Jr. beating Flip Gordon to win the Historic middleweight title, Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja & Hechicero beat Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Atlantis in the main event on Friday night. There were challenges back and forth for the ROH tag titles that Mistico & Dorada have and the CMLL belts that Roja & Angel have. I think that will be Friday’s main event. That card will be announced most likely later tonight. Also in a tag match Tessa Banchard pinned Persephone and that looks to set up a CMLL women’s title match which also may be announced tonight for Friday. Coyote & Polvora & Vaquero Jr. beat Mexican trios champs Cobarde & El Hijo de Stuka Jr & Felino Jr. which also sets up a title match most likely on Friday.
— Tonight’s live show at Arena Puebla has a three-heel team main event with Soberano Jr & Barbaro Cavernario, Averno & Euforia and Difunto & Zandokan Jr., Neon vs. Volador Jr. in a lightning match and Dragon Rojo Jr. & Dragon de Fuego & Dragon Legendario vs. Felino Jr. & Cobarde Jr. & El Hijo de Stuka Jr. in a non-tile match.
— Tuesday at Arena Mexico is Mascara Dorada & Neon vs. Hechicero & Yutani, Atlantis & Blue Panther vs. Averno & Euforia and Max Star & Futuro vs. The Calavera Brothers.
— Just to clarify when Tony Khan spoke of Aaron Wolf, Yuto-Ice and Oskar and Forbidden Door, all three have U.S. visas and will be working on Saturday’s New Japan show in Chicago. For whatever reason, they weren’t on the Forbidden Door show.
— Hector Rodolfo Guzman Rodirguez, a son of El Santo and father of Axel, passed away yesterday. He was not a wrestler.
— AEW returns to the Pearl at the Palms Hotel on 8/12 for Dynamite and Collision, the week after Arena Mexico. The show coming back from England will be 9/2 in Allen, TX, also a double taping.
— Dylan Miley, the former Lars Sullivan, turned 38 today. This guy was going to beat John Cena at WrestleMania, collapsed under the pressure and went home. Vincent James McMahon, the father of Vince McMahon, was born on this day in 1914. Ray Mendoza, one of the all-time biggest stars in Mexican wrestling history, the father of Los Villanos and grandfather of the current Villano III Brothers, was born on this day in 1929. Charlie Iwamoto, the famed Mr. Moto of the 50s and 60s who worked in the old Los Angeles Wrestling office for MikeLeBell, who helped book but most notably was the person who was the contact person between the Los Angeles office and JWA and later the office with Antonio Inoki and New Japan, passed away on this date 35 years ago at the age of 76. Phy;miss Burch, aka Diane Von Hoffman and Moondog Fiti, passed away nine years ago today at the age of 55.(thanks to Tony Richards)
— Pro Wrestling Symphony has a 2 p.m. show in Nashville at Ole Smoky’s Distillery with Colby Carter vs. O’Shea Edwards.
Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.