Daily Update: Brock Lesnar, CMLL, Trey Miguel

Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar (Image credit: WWE)

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • Previewing the four major weekend shows as well as interest levels of the shows
  • What should be the business goals of the show
  • Preview of the G-1 Climax tournament
  • CMLL business notes and coverage of Fantastica Mania
  • Trying to make sense over claims about the UFC numbers
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the wrestling and MMA TV shows, comparisons, competition and more
  • CMLL bring back the concept of club championships
  • Latin Lover talks Konnan’s situation
  • The story behind the return of Los Perros Del Mal and their history in AAA
  • Stardom PPV coverage
  • Unique comedy angle to set up a world title match
  • Attempt to set up kickboxing legend vs. Minoru Suzuki match
  • My thoughts on June 26, 1975, watching Ali vs. Inoki and the entire closed circuit show
  • Final X notes
  • Ronda Rousey as Executive Producer of a new movie
  • Bully Ray-Josh Barnett silliness
  • Book on Rikidozan
  • More crazy independent stories
  • The Tommy Dreamer departure from TNA
  • The update on the WBD sale being approved
  • The move made by WBD for a new show that flies in the face of all the anti-AEW doomsayers
  • Tony Khan press conference notes
  • Martha Hart honored as Cagarian of the year
  • Update on FTR
  • Darby Allin tries another crazy idea
  • ROH tapings
  • More in the Kajan Johnson lawsuit
  • Dana White talks Zuckerberg vs. Musk fight
  • UFC sponsor in hot water
  • Complaints regarding McGregor on Jimmy Fallon
  • UFC changes how it does rankings
  • Dustin Poirier’s arrest update
  • Cris Cyborg retirement and thoughts
  • CM Punk return imminent
  • Notes on interviews by Paul Heymand and Paul Levesque
  • Logan Paul talks being ripped off by Floyd Mayweather
  • Notes from WWE & AEW arena events

This Week’s Back Issue

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Monday Update

CMLL logo
CMLL logo (Image credit: CMLL)

— Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about SummerSlam, Raw, SmackDown, NXT, all kinds of ratings from the last few days and more with Wrestling Observer Radio.

— Raw is already on from Atlantic City with its two-hour earlier start time so they can tape SmackDown. With the double taping in Atlantic City, they had 12,173 tickets, so 200 short of a sellout, but that’s close enough to be called a sellout.

— We’re looking for reports from the show for those who attended regarding the SmackDown tapings with results, finishes, angles and highlights to [email protected].

— The Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi plan on tonight’s show has been in place for a long time.

— We are also looking for your thoughts on these four weekend shows:

  • WWE Night of Champions on Saturday
  • TNA Slammiversary on Sunday
  • AEW Forbidden Door on Sunday
  • NXT Great American Bash on Sunday

We’re looking for a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle, along with a best and worst match for each of the shows you watched, to [email protected].

— CMLL is in Puebla tonight. An underplayed story is that if tonight is announced as a sellout, the company will have, in less than six months, broken the record set last year for most sellouts in company-owned arenas for an entire year (I believe 64). Here’s a crazy story: they would have broken last year’s record on Saturday night at Arena Coliseo, but they were roughly six tickets shy and did not announce a sellout. They have actually broken it because a few, if not many, Guadalajara sellouts in the last few weeks or months have not been announced. Tonight is not sold out as of this minute, but with Mistico & Neon & Templario vs. Averno & Volador Jr. & Euforia on top, plus Villano III Brothers vs. Difunto & Zandokan Jr. and Calavera Brothers vs. Star Jr. & Star Black, one would expect it.

— I was actually talking to him and missed this line in a question I asked. When I brought up WWE putting both NXT and AAA in two different shows head-to-head with All In on 8/30, Tony Khan said, “It’s double the compliment Jimmy Crockett got. That’s good, twice as nice as they were to Jimmy. That’s great. I’ll be sure to take it that way.”

— We have a ratings story covering WWE Night of Champions, Great American Bash, Dynamite, Countdown to Night of Champions on ESPN and TNA that should be on the site now.

— As far as the Google Trends went for yesterday, the AEW Forbidden Door show did 10,000, which was No. 98 for the day, lower than usual for PPVs. Both the NXT Great American Bash and TNA Slammiversary did less than 500. Clash of Champions the day before did 140,000, which is also less than usual but way above everything else wrestling-related this weekend. Sami Zayn also did 20,000 as a breakout. John Cena was at 5,000 with the hair transplant story.

— Tomorrow is a big ratings drop date as we’ll have the 6/22 Raw final numbers and tonight’s first-day numbers, 6/26 SmackDown, 6/27 Collision and 6/28 NXT Great American Bash numbers coming out.

— Rolling Stone magazine has an issue out on 250 American icons and they listed both Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. No other wrestlers, though.

— Cody Rhodes made an appearance at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America with Paul Levesque and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

— Tomorrow night at Arena Mexico has Titan & Templario vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero as the main event. The show will start at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, three-and-a-half hours earlier than usual. They are doing an afternoon show because of the World Cup. It probably won’t draw well. Wednesday has Capitan Suicida & Esfinge vs. Euforia & Guerrero Maya Jr.

— The first Thursday show in Puebla has Flip Gordon & Neon & Xelhua vs. Vegas Depredador & Volador Jr. & Zandokan Jr. and Valiente Jr. & Fuego vs. Felino Jr. & Cobarde as the top two matches. Mondays almost always sell out, so they’ve added Thursday. Arena Mexico is unique, but to me in 2026 running two shows a week in the same building is not the best idea.

— Trey Miguel noted on Twitter that he really hoped to be cleared by yesterday’s show, but it didn’t happen.

— NXT tomorrow has Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes defending the tag titles against El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. (who is so lucky Vince isn’t still in charge because no way that name would be allowed) & Galeno, who is no more Del Mal because they have Perros Del Mal, El Hijo del Vikingo defends the Latin American title against EK Prosper, Mason Rook vs. Jackson Drake and Karmen Petrovic vs. Jaida Parker.

— SmackDown goes back to two hours on Friday.

— Steve Cepello, Billy Graham’s former best friend and tag team partner Steve Strong from Gold’s Gym, turned 77 today. Serena Deeb turned 40. Arianna Grace turned 31. Hall of Famer Johnny Saint turned 85. Justin Roberts turned 47. Leo Burke was born on this day in 1948. Primo Carnera, a former boxing champion who became a huge pro wrestling drawing card, passed away 59 years ago today at the age of 60. Matt Cappotelli of Tough Enough fame passed away eight years ago today at 38. I think he’d have been a big star. (thanks to Tony Richards)

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Dave Meltzer
Dave Meltzer

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.