Daily Update: AEW Summer Blockbuster, Dustin Rhodes, Undertaker
Daily Update
Latest News
- TNA Impact TV taping spoilers from Denver, Colorado
- Janel Grant issues statement on anonymous emails sent to WWE board
- Killer Kross on potentially joining AEW: I think the door has ‘always been open’
- Mercedes Moné addresses rumors surrounding AEW absence
- Aalyah Mysterio getting ready to ‘establish herself’ at WWE Performance Center
- New match announced for ROH Global Wars Cincinnati
- Update on AEW, Ryan Nemeth legal dispute
- WWE star eyes Rhea Ripley for retirement feud
- WWE star Sheamus suffers nasty head wound in ‘gym fail’
Latest Audio
- WOL: Lance nasal surgery update, NXT TV and Mr. NXT, Dynamite preview
- DragonKingKarl: A look back at the 1986 PWI Awards
- B&V: HBK & Diesel vs. Razor & 1-2-3 Kid tape, plus GRANNY~!
- BVV: TNA Wicked Garden match, AAA’s Noche de Los Grandes night two review
Latest YouTube Video
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Among the topics covered:
- Mexico City becomes the battleground of wrestling in September. We look at the strategies, the decisions going into a period when the city will host four major shows and seven major arena shows in eight days.
- WWE attempts to counter program Forbidden Door with NXT Great American Bash. A look at the numbers the last time and trying to figure out why it would be tried again
- The most publicized UFC show in history comes to the White House. Can it beat Rousey vs. Carano numbers, can it beat NFL numbers, how it got started and plans for the show.
- AAA Noche de los Grandes, full review of the show and the make-up of the viewership and how it’s changed over the last year, as well as thoughts on the mask vs. mask match that tore down the house
- The WWE stockholders lawsuit against the WWE key higher ups goes to trial this week. We look in depth of what is being asked, why, and give background on everything involved in the case
- WWE Clash In Italy coverage and business numbers
- Ben Askren wins Gaspard/Huber award and returns for one last match
- Odds for King and Queen of the Ring
- How much has Nielsen’s new ratings method hurt the value of pro wrestling on television? We have pretty much the figures, plus the shocking real comparisons for AEW Dynamite last week with recent years
- Full ratings report for the pro wrestling programming, competition, comparisons, and more,.
- Arena Mexico coverage with lots of big matches this coming week
- NOAH tag team tournament news
- Best of the Super Juniors coverage
- Top young star getting shoulder surgery
- Japanese MMA legend wins pro wrestling tournament
- The future of Lucha Libre in 2036 on display this past week
- Ticket sales for all the major upcoming pro wrestling shows this summer
- A crazy indie story involving Jacques Rougeau
- RAF booking a major event in Tbilisi
- More on Damo & Nikki Cross buying Progress
- Lots of Mick Foley AEW talk
- How the Von Erichs viewed the A&E Biography
- Another judge upset with TKO executives not saving evidence
- McGregor return ticket prices go crazy, although not Knicks crazy
- Robbiers in boxing or just bad judging
- Notes on Smackdown going forward
- Examing what Nick Khan said about 2024 WrestleMania plans
- George Barrios claims he talked Vince McMahon into running Saudi Arabia after the Kashoggi death
- Punk on talks to go back to WWE in 2018
This Week’s Back Issue
FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH
Wednesday Update
WWE
- WWE uploaded the full Tatum Paxley vs. Zaria NXT Women’s North American Championship match from last night.
- As part of Fanatics Fest 2026, John Cena will be doing a live Q&A in New York City on July 18. WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event is taking place at Madison Square Garden that night.
- After disclosing her autism diagnosis, WWE broadcaster Cathy Kelley thanked everyone who has reached out to her and made her feel welcome:
- this past day’s been filled with reading messages and comments from people sharing their own stories, diagnoses and experiences and i honestly don’t know how to put into words how much it means to me.
- anyone late diagnosed will know the feeling… i’ve spent my whole life watching others talk about wanting to stand out or be unique. meanwhile, all i ever wanted was to fit in
- and then that moment where it all finally makes sense
- thank you to everyone who reached out with kindness or encouragement. thank you for making me feel so welcomed, included and understood. i hope one day i can return the favor.
- On his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker discussed how he wants Lucha Libre AAA to blend storytelling with high-flying:
- What I can see happening and what we’re trying to do is have that lucha style and then also wrap a story around it. When you can combine – instead of it just being a spectacle and having two dudes do these incredible moves, if we can wrap a story inside of it, make all that make sense, I think that’s going to be a win-win and a huge growth opportunity for people.
- For the business in general, you know, the business has definitely changed. And I think in a lot of ways, it’s changed for the good. But I still think there’s a lot of elements that have gotten lost within the storytelling part of it. Again, if we can figure out a way to combine it all and make things make a little more sense, I think, man, the wrestling business is going to be – it’s going to continue to grow. The talent is there. It’s just, I think, a little bit of reigning in, a little bit. And wrap some more story. Man, it’s exciting.
- PWInsider reports that WWE Performance Center coach Terry Taylor will be undergoing knee surgery in the coming weeks.
- WWE’s YouTube channel put together a 58-minute video with all three matches from the Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar trilogy that happened in 2023.
Other Wrestling
- Segments where we’ll hear from Kevin Knight and Tommaso Ciampa have been added to the lineup for tonight’s AEW Dynamite Summer Blockbuster event.
- Jon Moxley made an appearance on Fox 19 in Cincinnati to promote tonight’s show.
- During an appearance on Tony Schiavone’s What Happened When podcast, Dustin Rhodes noted that he tried to turn down winning the TNT Championship at All In 2025 after the scheduled Adam Cole vs. Kyle Fletcher match fell through due to Cole’s concussion:
- That day was, I can’t explain it, man. It was not expected. And due to the circumstances, I understood. With the way they’re building Kyle Fletcher – who is a machine, just an unbelievable talent – I figured, you know, and I tried to talk Tony [Khan] out of it. And he said, ‘No.’ And I was like, ‘Okay.’ I had a little run with it [before losing the TNT title to Fletcher and undergoing double knee surgery].
- Shop AEW has produced mini Mercedes Mone puppets for sale, though they will only be available at events and not online.
- AEW also has a soccer-themed jersey collection available ahead of the World Cup. There are jerseys for Kyle Fletcher (Australia), Thekla (Austria), Kenny Omega (Canada), Will Ospreay (Canada), Kazuchika Okada (Japan), Andrade El Idolo (Mexico), and Kris Statlander (United States).
- Former Wyatt Sicks members Joseph Sawyer & Samuel Shaw (Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis) will be challenging America’s Most Wanted (James Storm & Chris Harris) for the Atomic Legacy Wrestling Tag Team titles in Melbourne, Florida on July 25.
- Johnny TV vs. TJP has been announced for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s Mayhem TV taping in Windsor, Ontario, Canada this Friday.
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.