Daily Update: Finn Balor-CM Punk, Jake Roberts, C4 charity show
Daily Update
Latest News
- Penta reveals element of AAA past he wants WWE to bring back
- Tiffany Stratton says she might try to “re-pitch” old gimmick for SmackDown
- Eddie Guerrero bobblehead night announced by minor league baseball team
- CM Punk booked for summer WWE house shows
- AEW confirms Andrade El Idolo match for next week’s Dynamite
- Injured NXT wrestler returns in new role on WWE Evolve
Latest Audio
- WOL: Dynamite, new AEW Champion, Wembley, tons more
- WOR: Omega title win, Wembley, TNA Dark Side, Conor, more
- AD: Jason Hewlitt on Ogopogo, lake monsters, Bigfoot, ghosts!
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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Thursday Update
WWE
- On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Finn Balor said he believes it was CM Punk’s idea for them to work together in Belfast, Northern Ireland earlier this year. It was an emotional night for Balor getting to perform in front of his family, with him describing it as the “coolest” thing:
- There’s so many ups and downs in this business, and sometimes you think you’ve done it all and like it’s never going to get better. And then it somehow did. Punk is someone like, I’ve never really interacted with much. I’d actually only met him one time in my life at Samoa Joe’s wedding. This is back in like 2002, 2003, maybe. And then he had left WWE when I had signed with NXT.
- So we’d never really had any interactions. And I’ll go on the record as saying like, I’d heard horror stories about Punk being this assh*le, being difficult to deal with, being, you know, big headed, this guy that no one wants to work with. And when he came back to WWE, it could not have been [more of] the opposite.
- I met this guy who was humble, polite, wanted to work with people. And I’m pretty sure he went to the office and he said he wanted this match. Like, I don’t think it came from the office. I think it came from Punk.
- The Battleground Podcast has an interview with Penta. He discussed how important Lucha Underground was to his career:
- Every step in my career was important. So Lucha Underground was a big point in my career, absolutely. So I loved Lucha Underground. I loved everything [that] happened there, because I think in my mind or in my opinion, Lucha Underground was my high school in this sport, you know? So now, I want to show the world who is the real Penta, you know? Who is the Penta now in the present?
- Lucha Underground was amazing. A lot of big matches, crazy matches. I loved Lucha Underground. That’s why now I put in my work every single thing I learned from Lucha Underground.
- KFAN in Minneapolis spoke with Tiffany Stratton ahead of next month’s SummerSlam.
- Ricky Saints was a guest on Fox Sports Radio in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
- Maxxine Dupri made an appearance on Complex’s Graps podcast.
- WWE put together a Playlist video of every CM Punk WWE Championship win.
- The WCW YouTube channel uploaded a behind-the-scenes video with footage from the nWo filming their first paid announcement promos.
Other Wrestling
- Diamond Dallas Page commented on Jake “The Snake” Roberts’ departure from AEW:
- My brother @JakeSnakeDDT recently wrapped things up with AEW, but he’s living his best life RIGHT NOW!
- 14 years sober, spending his days with the love of his life Cheryl and his kids/grandkids, and serving as a huge inspiration to people around the world who are fighting battles that nobody sees.
- Johnnie Robbie is returning to CMLL and hopes to also make it to AEW/ROH. Her goal is to sign a contract with one of those promotions.
- Ring the Belle interviewed Charlie (former WWE wrestler Dakota Kai), who addressed the perception that she’s injury-prone:
- I do get that a lot. I understand, though, because I did have a bout of injuries and things like that. So it’s just bad luck on my end. And it’s one of those things that just will unfortunately always be there. I think a lot of people go through it too that have had injuries as well. And it is what it is, you know what I mean? It’s just one of those things, and it does tend to get to me sometimes too. Because I’m like, ‘No! I’m freaking strong!’ or whatever. But that’s just the perception they have, and all I can do is go out there and continue to do matches and hopefully change the perception of that. But I did have a bad bout for a second there. It was just bad luck.
- Joseph Sawyer (former WWE wrestler Joe Gacy) and Zoey Serrano (Zoey Stark) have been announced for C4 Wrestling’s Fighting Back event in Ottawa on Friday, August 14. All profits from the annual charity show are being donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.
- Billy Gunn & Road Dogg appeared on Going Ringside.
- Chris Masters was the guest on the latest episode of TMZ’s Inside the Ring.
Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.