Daily Update: G1, Roman Reigns tournament, UFC Apex lineup
Daily Update
Latest News
- WWE SmackDown live results: Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill, CM Punk and Kevin Owens face to face
- Dominik Mysterio segment announced for AAA on Fox
- United States title match and more added to WWE SmackDown lineup
- WWE reveals bracket for Roman Reigns Mexico City title shot tournament
- Vince McMahon’s portion of WWE shareholder lawsuit payout revealed
- Matt Hardy addresses confusing advertising of Jeff Hardy vs. Nic Nemeth TNA World title match
- WWE announces name of Texas Lucha Libre AAA event
- Bully Ray details ‘incredible’ Brock Lesnar & Oba Femi WWE SummerSlam backstage moment
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- WOL: Absinthe-fueled FUN FRIDAY with news, calls, and more!
- Wrestling Weekly: SummerSlam fallout and the road to Wembley
- B&V: AEW Grand Slam Mexico and NXT with Lola vs. Kendal!
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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter
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Friday Update
– We just did our week in review show with Garrett Gonzales. We talked more about Dory Funk Jr. as well as the NWA world title in the 70s, WrestleMania business, Actions speaking louder than words as the theme for the week, Grand Slam Mexico ,and much more.
– The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up on the site:
- The making of Dory Funk Jr. as world champion, his early career through his famous world title reign, how he was booked, the psychology behind the reign, why promoters in that era were so high on him as champion
- Full coverage of SummerSlam with the stories behind the stories, the injuries, returns Lesnar, Owens, Chelsea Green, Randy Orton, business notes, poll results and more
- The lawsuit settlement in the shareholders case
- Notes from the TKO quarterly filings including how much profit would WWE and UFC make if they tripled the salary of every fighter and wrestler.
- A shocking note about the live ticket business of this past WrestleMania
- The big week in Arena Mexico, full coverage of two PPV shows, Grand Slam Mexico and Mistico’s return
- Update on AEW All In as well as ticket sales for the upcoming WWE & AEW big shows
- G-1 Climax update for the week
- TV ratings notes from the past week
- Big shows this week in Mexico
- Stardom Five Star Grand Prix update
- Former 90s star pleads guilty in assault case
- Adam Copeland’s first indie show in decades sells out in the place he grew up watching wrestling
- UFC superstars on upcoming RAF shows
- Yet another new concept in how to do a live wrestling show debuts this coming weekend
- Update on the attempt by Paramount to buy WBD
- Continental Cup notes
- More on what happened with Jacques Rougeau and the tape at Redemption
- Lots of new UFC fights announced
- Surprising WWE SVP let go
- Anime involving WWE star released
– Tonight’s SmackDown show had 9,991 tickets out in Philadelphia which is still a healthy number. They were in the 7,000s a week ago but were doing two-for-ones and 30 percent off sales all week. They were to start building CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes tonight.
– Tonight’s Arena Mexico show is sold out, making it 13 Friday’s in a row. It’s the Men’s Grand Prix tournament, traditionally the longest and one of the best matches of the year. This year is a 22 man elimination match, eliminations only via pin or submission
- Rey Pegasus vs. Shoma Kato lightning match
- Flip Gordon & Yutani vs. Difunto & Valiente Jr.
- Thunder Rosa & Tessa Blanchard vs. Persephone & Olympia 15:00 time limit
- World Grand Prix, Team CMLL vs. Team World:
- Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Soberano Jr & Último Guerrero & Angel de Oro & Hechicero & Barbaro Cavernario & Titan & Volador Jr & Xelhua vs. Bandido & Austin Aries & Blake Christian & Claudio Castagnoli & Douki & Leon Cage & Orange Cassidy & Pac & Roderick Strong & Yujiro Takahashi & Rohan Raja
– Best wishes to Jim Ross on his brain surgery this coming Wednesday and wishing a fast recovery for Missy Hyatt for her surgery earlier today from injuries from a recent auto accident.
– A number of people have been raving about the Takagi vs. Takeshita and Tsuji vs. Boltin matches from yesterday’s G-1 Climax.
– Tournament continues with a 5:30 a.m. show tomorrow morning in B Block
- Yuya Uemura vs. Henare
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Drilla Moloney
- Aaron Wolf vs. Ren Narita
- Callum Newman vs. Oskar
– The brackets for the Roman Reigns tournament for his 9/14 title challenger at Arena Ciudad certainly looks like a Penta vs. Fenix final. I just hope the matches are given time. Penta vs. Laredo Kid will be on Monday’s Raw. Other first round matches are on Raw and AAA TV. It would make sense for the finals to be at the TripleMania show in either Las Vegas or Mexico City.
– There is some fascinating stuff about pushing talent in the 60s that you come up with looking back to the rookie year of Dory Funk Jr in 1963 that is covered in today’s issue.
– Tomorrow’s Arena Coliseo show is also just about sold out with Bandido & Titan vs. Clon & Templario on top. Sunday’s Arena Mexico has Mistico & Bandido vs. Hechicero & Clon. Monday in Puebla is Dorada & Titan vs. The Black Tigers (one of which is Rocky Romero) and Templario & Esfinge vs. Lee Johnson & Blake Christian.
– UFC is from the Apex Arena in Las Vegas starting at 5 p.m. Eastern
- GiGi Canuto (116) vs. Carol Foro (116)
- Juiiana Miller (125.5) vs. Ravena Oliveira (125.5)
- Miles Johns (145.5) vs. Gianni Vazquez (143)
- Manoel Sousa (156) vs. Richie Miranda (155.5)
- Louie Sutherland (258) vs. Jose Montanha da Silva (258.5)
- Divar Nurgozhay (205) vs. Bruno Lopez (204.5)
- Steven Asplund (263.5) vs. Guiherje Pat (249.5)
- Ty Miller (170.5) vs. Billy Ray Goff (170.5)
- Amanda Lemos (115.5) vs. Alexia Thainara (115.5)
- Darren Elkins (145.5) vs. Yader del Valle (145.5)
- Diego Ferreira (154.5) vs. Billy Quarantillo (155.5)
- Mateusz Gamrot (155.5) vs. Quillan Salkilld (155.5)
Elkins stated that this will be his retirement fight.
– Thrillbilly Silas Mason defends the NWA title against Heath Miller (Heath Slater) on 8/22 at the TV tapings in Tampa.
–MLW Fusion on YouTube tomorrow has Killer Kross vs Satoshi Kojima for the MLW title and Shotzi vs. Scarlett Bordeaux vs. Lady Frost for the featherweight title, Joe Coffey vs. Alan Angels and Matt Riddle appears.
– Andrade vs. TJP will be at tonight’s Maple Leaf Wrestling taping in Windsor, ONT. On Saturday it will be Andrade vs. Karl Anderson and Shotzi & PCO vs. Kris Chambers & Taylor Rising.
– AAA will have week three from Verano de Escandalo tomorrow night
- Psycho Clown vs. El Fiscal vs. Cruz del Toro in the Latin American title tournament
- Flammer defends the Reina de Reinas title against La Catalina and Lady Shani
- Jack Cartwheel vs. Noisy Boy
– Kris Statlander turned 31 today. Lord Jonathan Boyd was 54 when he passed away 27 years ago today. Therese Theis, the former wife of Ray Stevens, was 68 when she died 27 years ago today.
– A correction from the current issue. The AAA affiliated show in Tijuana last week that we listed as being sold out on 8/1, actually took place on 7/31.
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.