Daily Update: J Robinson passes away, Nikki Bella, AEW & NJPW G1 Climax

NJPW G1 climax 36 in Chicago

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • A look back at the career of Dennis Condrey of Midnight Express fame
  • Update on WrestleMania, both the matches, business update the ticket demand at the present time
  • An updated look at AEW’s All In on 8/30 at Wembley Stadium as well as a look at the Dynasty show and ticket demand for the show
  • Coverage of El Homenaje a Dos Leyendas, CMLL’s second biggest show of the year, with El Satanico’s retirement at 76, The Death Riders appear, the heavyweight title changes hands and Mistico returns
  • A look at the NCAA Division I tournament including a look back 79 years when future pro wrestling legends dominated the heavyweight division and how it ties into the most recent tournament. We also look at the rivalry that could define college wrestling for years to come between a coach and his former pupil, a guy who was in high school in December and wins the NCAA title in March, as well business notes on the show, both attendance and television ratings
  • A look back at Sid Vicious, Badnews Allen and Dennis Rodman’s pro wrestling days
  • Trying to explain the latest controversy in television ratings and how this related to pro wrestling
  • How ratings differ from a sports survey about wrestling fans
  • The most complete look at the ratings for all the pro wrestling television shows over the past week,including competition, demos and comparisons with one year ago, as well as competition in the time slot.
  • Notes on CMLL talent coming to WrestleMania week
  • Major injury to arguably CMLL’s best worker
  • Notes on the 83rd anniversary of pro wrestling in one of its most famous arenas
  • Notes on tentative plans for a major mask vs. mask match
  • Callum Newman and Yuya Uemura tear it up in the New Japan Cup finals
  • Next major New Japan show thoughts with Ospreay’s returnh
  • Tanahashi talks goals to turn the company around
  • Kazusada Higuchi retirement notes
  • Thoughts on Satoru Sayama and his impact on pro wrestling
  • Aja Kongs 40th anniversary show
  • Gable Stevesn and RAF
  • Ted DiBiase Jr acquitted in his case
  • The end of CBS News Radio and what former WCW announcer was an anchor there
  • Notes on the announcing at the orignal When Worlds Collide AAA show
  • Lots of WrestleMania week show notes
  • FantasticaMania comes to the U.K.
  • Update on WBD sale to Paramount Skydance
  • Update on Revolution PPV buys
  • Jeff Jarrett becomes co-owner of a sports franchise
  • Jericho talks about working today
  • More on the Ali Revival Act
  • A list of a lot of PPV buy numbers for UFC
  • Ari Emanuel’s role in getting President Trump to stop the case against Ticketmaster/Live Nation.
  • WWE star training for a bodybuilding contest soon
  • Jesse Ventura rants but his timeline makes sense

This Week’s Back Issue

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Sunday Update

Nikki & Brie WWE SmackDown

— Sorry for the late update today. My son and daughter-in-law had a musical performance several hours away so I’m just getting back.

— J Robinson, the legendary former University of Minnesota wrestling coach passed away today. The college announced his passing at the age of 79 with no further details. Robinson, who was the college roommate in the late 1960s with Hall of Fame pro wrestler, who remained friends with him which led to Brock Lesnar and Shelton Benjamin becoming pro wrestlers, coached at Minnesota from 1986 to 2016 after being an assistant at Iowa. His teams won three NCAA tournament tries in 2001, 2002 and 2007, and six Big ten titles. Robinson was fired in 2016 because of an alleged drug ring involving a number of wrestlers on the team and he wouldn’t cooperate in the investigation. Robinson placed fourth in the 1970 world championships and fifth in 1971, and went to the 1972 Olympics but didn’t place. He coached 14 national champions, including Lesnar.

— Nikki Bella suffered an ankle injury on Friday’s Smackdown show. We don’t have an update on Kyle Fletcher’s injury from last night’s Collision show.

— For Raw tomorrow they’ve added Penta vs Kofi Kingston for the IC title. With Penta vs. El Hijo del Vikingo already being announced as a title match in Mexico City, I don’t expect a title change here. PWInsider reported Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair to Raw tomorrow as well.

— New Japan is slowly rolling out the names for the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. The tournament will be 5/14 to 6/7. Names announced first are Master Wato, Yoh, Vaiiente Jr. from CMLL, Kosei Fujita, current IWGP jr. champion Douki and El Desperado.

— There is talk of a couple of AEW stars in G-1 this year. AEW is working with New Japan as Bryan Danielson, Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega have done ads for the 7/11 show in Chicago putting over how important and grueling the tournament is. Tickets were under 2,000 the first day they were put on sale.

— All In ticket sales at Wembley Stadium have topped 21,000.

— Yesterday’s UFC show from Seattle had 705,000 searches which is very high for a Fight Night show. It also did among the highest numbers of first-day viewers so far this year, I believe the third best number behind two PPV shows. The RAF show had 62,000 which shows that brand really picked up traction with this show while the PFL last night did 10,000. Nothing from pro wrestling made the top 500 in searches.

— Many have called the show in Seattle last night the best UFC show so far this year. Joe Pyfer’s second round finish of Israel Adesanya came after a great back-and-forth round. In the co-main, Alexa Grasso beat Maycee Barber with one of the most amazing finishes ever as far as quickness goes, essentially an incredible knockdown into a choke in the blink of an eye. This will be talked about as one of the best finishes of the year.

— The show did a $4.2 million gate, the largest gate in U.S. MMA history for a non-PPV show

— White said that they are hoping for Islam Makhachev to return in August and that nothing is remotely close to done regarding a return of Conor McGregor, but he is hoping for it to happen in July.

— Rich Ingling, the Executive Vice President and Treasurer for the Cauliflower Alley Club passed away on Friday at the age of 75. He was described as the heartbeat of the organization. CAC President Brian Blair, who was friends with him for 40 years, said that “He was a good man that worked hard for the CAC, as he saw how much good was done. Rich was honest and passionate about helping others. He will be deeply missed.” He started in wrestling as a referee out of the Monster Factory.

— Ed Loredo announced Podermania on 4/15 at 3 p.m., an all-women’ s show at the Horseshow in Las Vegas. He announced Billie Starkz vs. Charlie Evans will be at 2:30 and only for those in attendance live as the match won’t be streamed.

— Arman Tsuaryukyan beat Georgio Poullas 9-3 in the RAF main event last night in Tampa. But the real biggest matches saw Kyle Snyder beat 2024 Olympic gold medalist Akmed Tazudinov via criteria decision after a 3-3 even score, and Bo Bassett, a 19-year-old high school senior who is a phenom who placed 5th at worlds last year, beat Vlademir Khinchegashvili, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, via a 13-3 tech fall.

— Also at the show saw an angle where Wyatt Hendrickson, after beating Trent Hilger 6-2, called out Tristan Wirfs of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who has been an Pro Bowl offensive lineman the past five years. In the promo Wirfs, an All-American at Iowa who was a state champion in high school, said that he didn’t think there would be a problem in getting clearance for such a match,. Wrifs is 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds. They gave the impression they would be doing a match, but challenges in RAF like this often don’t lead anywhere.

— I didn’t hear a lot about great matches over the weekend, really more about the UFC show. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kevin Knight from last night and today’s TJPW matches with Sareee (there is that name again) & Takumi Iroha bating Miyu Yamashita & Arisu Endo as well as the Yuki Arai TJPW title match with Miu Watanabe where Arai won the title. The TJPW show at Sumo Hall drew the largest crowd for a women’s wrestling show in Japan so far this year, topping 3,000.

— Neon did his move, the double springboard Fosbury, for the first time in months on the Friday night show at Arena Mexico.

— Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Amazing Red vs. Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz & Myron Reed was announced for the 4/17 Maple Leaf Wrestling show in Las Vegas.

— CMLL in Puebla tomorrow night as Flip Gordon & Neon & Templario vs. Cavernario Barbaro & Gran Guerrero & Soberano Jr., plus Xelhua vs. Averno.

— Arena Coliseo in Guadalajara announced that for ticket sales at the box office they will only allow each person to buy at most two tickets and they will not sell any tickets to people under 18. This is said to be a way to battle scalpers.

— Mickie James & Taryn Terrell & ODB vs. The Elegance Brand under Hardcore Country rules was announced for the TNA Rebellion PPV show.

— Roxanne Perez’s return should be imminent.

— Michael Hayes turned 67 today. Joe Stecher died 52 years ago today at the age of 80. Stecher was one of the biggest stars of the 1920s with Stranger Lewis and Jim Londos. Reid Flair passed away 13 years ago today at 25 from a drug overdose. (thanks to Tony Richerds)

— ONE canceled its planned 6/26 show in Denver. No surprise there at all.

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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.