Daily Update: Drew McIntyre, Countdown to AEW Dynasty, Dynamite
Daily Update
Latest News
- WWE NXT’s Wes Lee gives update on recovery from back surgery
- AEW Dynasty preview & predictions: Swerve’s house
- Gunther appearance announced for WWE Raw
- Kenny Omega: People will someday ‘know the truth’ about Rossy Ogawa
- Ryusuke Taguchi pulled from NJPW shows due to bicycle accident injuries
- WWE SmackDown video highlights: Tama Tonga bloodies Kevin Owens
- New match announced for AEW Collision
Latest Audio
- Wrestling Observer Live: Blood on SmackDown, Solo Sikoa, AEW Dynasty, more
- Wrestling Observer Radio: AEW Dynasty preview, Brad Balukjian interview
Latest Free YouTube Video
F4W/WON Convention
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The new issue of the Observer is up on the site now
- What is the future of Vince McMahon and will he try to get back into wrestling after selling his TKO stock
- Lots of aspects of the story to talk about
- How much of the current success is Vince responsible vs. Paul Levesque responsible
- The story behind the WrestleMania 39 finish
- How many people watched WrestleMania streaming and on PPV and how that compares to other weekly television shows
- The story behind Rossy Ogawa’s Marigold promotion, the roster, the WWE connection and more
- Full story of UFC 300, one of the biggest nights in UFC history and the business notes on the show along with what is next for the star fighters
- AEW Dynasty, previewing the show and what to look for on the show and why from a business standpoint this is so important
- Hall of Famer gets major accusations against him on a national news show
- Rhea Ripley injury update
- Full coverage of Windy City Riot
- Forbes valuation of combat sports entities and my thoughts regarding them
- A look back at the Silva-Sonnen fight that was announced for the UFC Hall of Fame and back story
- Sue Aitchison, the former Warrior Award winner and her work behind the scenes in WWE
- The most detailed look at the ratings for all the national shows, comparisons with last year and nightly and weekly placings
- Next Stardom PPV show
- Champion Carnival opens
- Who is now Vice President of two different wrestling promotions
- Bloodsport in Japan
- The life and career of Tony Jones
- Updated PPV numbers from AEW & TNA
- International TV ratings
- Lots of comments from Tony Khan
- More on the Nyla Rose situation in Oklahoma
- More on WrestleMania 41
- Drew Gulak update
- Most watched videos from WrestleMania
This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter
Saturday Update
WWE
- PWInsider reports that Drew McIntyre is working through a “badly hyperextended elbow.” Mcintyre, who has been wearing an elbow pad since WrestleMania 40, is competing on WWE’s current house show tour in the United Kingdom.
- Boxer Anthony Joshua and former soccer star Wayne Rooney were in attendance at WWE’s UK tour show in London yesterday. With Rooney in the front row, McIntyre cut a promo joking about him: “Gotta give the man his props. One British legend to another, you were the freaking man in your day. But aren’t we the same age? What the hell happened to you?”
- Kairi Sane, Natalya, Chelsea Green, IYO SKY, Ivy Nile, and AEW’s Deonna Purrazzo and Taya Valkyrie are among those who posted tweets reacting to Xia Li being released by WWE.
- Natalya and Green also praised Jinder Mahal following his release.
- Becky Lynch was a guest on The Late Late Show in her home country of Ireland.
- Tiffany Stratton, AJ Styles, and The Street Profits appeared on The SmackDown LowDown.
- Mick Foley and Randy Orton looked back on their classic match from Backlash 2004.
- Sports Illustrated interviewed comedian Gabriel Iglesias about being the new host of WWE Rivals on A&E.
AEW/Other Wrestling
- AEW streamed its Countdown to Dynasty special on YouTube this afternoon.
- The promotion also uploaded the Control Center video for tonight’s Collision and Rampage.
- Swerve Strickland threw out the first pitch before today’s St. Louis Cardinals game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
- Jim Ross expressed his excitement for Sunday’s AEW Dynasty pay-per-view:
- Tony’s got me doing pay-per-views. At least that’s the plan today, and I hope it stays that way because I have something to look forward to. They’re big events. That card for St. Louis, my God. That son of a bitch is star-studded. man. It’s like a major, major pay-per-view, which it’s what it is.
- Ross added:
- I’m awfully excited about the big AEW pay-per-view this Sunday [in] St. Louis. I’ll be flying out there on Saturday. Excited about whatever my role will be. I’ll be happy with it. I feel like [the great New York Yankees closer Mariano] Rivera. I feel like I’m always in the bullpen. But I’ll come in, I’ll shut your ass down [in] the bottom of the ninth or get some outs, whatever.
- Nonetheless, I’m not sure what I’m gonna do. It doesn’t matter, it’s a wrestling match. So I always say that if you put the son of a bitch on the monitor, I can call it. I can describe what we’re seeing collectively. So it’s a pretty cool deal. I’m looking forward to going out there and participating with the team. It’s hard to believe I haven’t been working since Greensboro on-air, so fun deal. It’ll be good, a good show.
- Due to TBS’ NHL playoff coverage, this coming Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite episode will air live coast-to-coast. Tony Khan tweeted last night: ‘We’ve just learned that Wednesday’s #AEWDynamite Homecoming in Jacksonville @dailysplace will air on TBS live coast-to-coast, 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT So we’re on 5pm west coast this Wednesday!”
- AEW is teasing a collaboration with artist Rob Schamberger following his departure from WWE. Further details on the collaboration will be revealed Monday (April 22).
- Swerve Strickland and Willow Nightingale were guests on the Dynasty preview edition of AEW Unrestricted.
- Rap legend Bun B will be making an appearance at TNA Wrestling’s post-Rebellion TV taping in Las Vegas this Sunday.
- In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Jordynne Grace spoke about competing in the WWE Royal Rumble earlier this year:
- It is very rare that I love everything I do. I couldn’t believe everything came together the way it did. Watching it back on commentary, Pat [McAfee’s] reaction was really genuine, too. That was really cool.
- Grace discussed how people in WWE reacted to her being in the Rumble:
- Everyone was completely shocked. I know probably 80 percent of the girls, and they thought I signed with WWE and kept congratulating me. Once I told them I wasn’t signed with WWE, they were even more shocked. It was a really cool experience. I’ve been with a lot of those girls on the independent scene and in TNA, so it was a really unique experience to be with them in WWE.
- SEScoops spoke with Nic Nemeth and Alex Hammerstone.
- Sportskeeda WrestleBinge interviewed Ash By Elegance.
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.