Daily Update: More on WWE talent paycut story, Hijo del Vikingo injury update
Daily Update
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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- A look at the WWE releases, reasons, prospects for the future, who should AEW or TNA be interested in
- Nick Khan speaks to WWE employees about Paul Levesque, WrestleMania, social media, Saudi Arabia and AI
- WWE Backlash and AEW Double or Nothing updates, including interest levels for both shows
- Stardom All-Star Grand Queendom show looked at
- How the latest Nielsen ratings change affects pro wrestling and where it affects it the most
- Dragon Gate has its annual big Nagoya show this week
- A look at the career of Gran Markus Jr.
- The most detailed look at the television ratings for pro wrestling and MMA programming this past week
- The 70th anniversary of pro wrestling at Arena Mexico
- Who is coming for Fantastica Mania Mexico
- Big match planned for AAA television
- Champion Carnival update
- NOAH major show update
- New Japan has Dontaku with Andrade and Will Ospreay this week
- Wrestling Red Zone coverage
- A look back at the original Tiger Mask and his influence on pro wrestling and MMA
- Who are the most famous wrestler in the ten largest cities in the world, and top 50 cities in the world
- Biggest moments in NCAA wrestling tournament history over the past 60 years
- Former pro wrestling booker heading up a unique promotion
- Updates on Real American Freestyle
- More UFC stars coming to RAF
- Advance ticket sales for all the major pro wrestling events over the next two months and the story that it tells
- Two relatives of major pro wrestling stars signing with NFL teams
- Remembeing David Allan Coe, the country singer of Great American Bash fame
- Jimmy Valiant retires
- Former WWE star says she’s making a comeback
- Carlos Silva on why TNA won’t let its talent work with AEW talent and examining what he said
- AEW May television schedule changes
- WWE television schedule changes
- Ronda Rousey wants to be a promoter
- Puck breaks a notable story on Ari Emanuel and Vince McMahon
- More on when the next lawsuit against WWE goes to court
- More notes on TNA expanding domestic exposure
- More on new WWE signings
- NXT house show notes
This Week’s Back Issue
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Monday Update
— Bryan and I will be back tonight taking more WWE news and covering Raw, Dontaku and more with Wrestling Observer Radio.
— Regarding the story by Mike Johnson which noted a star performer who was asked to and agreed to take a 50 percent pay cut, I can’t say more than that is believed to be the case and the person is not a tippy top person. There have been recent raises and there have been people asked to take cuts. I think it’s very clear who they see as the top people and none of them have been asked to take a cut.
— TKO will be announcing first quarter earnings Wednesday.
— Raw tonight is in Omaha as the go-home show for Backlash. They will have the Roman Reigns contract signing with Jacob Fatu, a Sol Ruca contract signing, the Oba Femi open challenge, Penta & Je’Von Evans vs. Ethan Page & Rusev, Finn Balor vs. JD McDonagh and an Iyo Sky angle with Asuka. They had 8,847 tickets out so it’s a solid crowd but won’t be sold out.
— Because of the UFC show and not wanting to overlap by much, Backlash Saturday is starting at 6 p.m. Eastern. UFC starts at 7 p.m., but the main card won’t start until 9 p.m. So if there is an overlap for the UFC main card and Backlash, it will be limited.
— AEW on Wednesday has a three-hour show from North Charleston. They have under 2,000 tickets out. Among the matches are Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight for the AEW title, Dax Harwood vs Orange Cassidy and if Cassidy wins, the Conglomeration gets a tag title match and if dax wins, FTR & Tommaso Ciampa get a trios title shot, Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson for the Continental title, and Mina Shirakawa & Harley Cameron vs. Hikaru Shida & Kris Statander. They only had 1,739 tickets out, so coming off the best Dynamite crowd in the U.S. since 2024, they return and will be among the lower Dynamite crowds in history.
— Saturday’s UFC 328 show from the Prudential Center with Khamzat Chimaev defending the middleweight title against Sean Strickland and Joshua Van defending the flyweight title against Tatsuro Taira has 15,556 tickets out. It’s about 1,800 shy of capacity.
— From today’s Donaku show, Mistico & El Desperado won the IWGP jr. tag titles from Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita, meaning in the last year Mistico has held titles in AEW, MLW, PWR, CMLL and New Japan. Ospreay & Great O’Khan & Henare won the Never trios titles over Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi & Oleg Bolton when O’Khan pinned Yoshi-Hashi. Callum Newman retained the IWGP title in the main event over Shingo Takagi. Sanada returned and will challenge Konosuke Takeshita for the TV title that Takeshita retained over Chase Owens.
— Puebla tonight has an elimination match for Cinco de May with Cavernario, Difunto, Esfinge, Titan, Bishop Dyer, Diego Hill, Donovan Dijak and Ikuro Kwon., plus Dorada & Angel de Oro vs. Aries & Trevor Lee and Xelhua vs. Kushida.
— Arena Mexico on Tuesday has Mascara Dorada & Templario vs. Kushida & Yutani as the main event and a Titan vs. Flip Gordon lightning match. Last night saw a Cibernetico match with MLW and CMLL wrestlers that ended at 45:00 when Dorada beat Aries.
— El Hijo del Vikingo is awaiting results of an MRI. In his match with Mini Vikingo on Saturday in Queterago, the more famous Vikingo (who lost in a giant upset) landed badly on his shoulder coming off the top rope. He continued the match but you could see he was hurt. He is scheduled to face El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. for the Latin American title on the 5/30 show in Monterrey. Another Wagner family member, Galeno del Mal, saved Wagner from an attack by Omos on Saturday’s show.
— Blood 4 Blood, a combination of four bands and four brawls, Bare Knuckle boxing and heavy metal takes place on Wednesday night in Dayton Beach, FL, at the Ocean Center.
— Sunday’s AEW Biography episode from 8-10 p.m. will be on the Road Warriors.
— I’ve heard great things on the episode on the Von Erichs. It replays Sunday from 4-8 p.m.
— WWE referee Scott Armstrong turned 65 today. Jungle Jim Steele turns 59. Puerto Rican legend Ray Gonzalez turns 54. Dory Funk Sr., whose sons became two of the biggest international stars in history, was born on this day in 1919. Harry Fujiwara, the famed Mr. Fuji, was born on this day in 1934. Sammy Steamboat was born on this day in 1934 (thanks to Tony Richards)
— WAR’s 23rd anniversary and Hall of Fame event is 5/30 in Lima, OH at the Bradfield Community Center.
— GCW is in Milan, Italy on 5/24 with Nick Gage, Atticus Cogar, Shotzi Blackheart, Drew Parker, Joey Janela, Gringo Loco, Vipress, KJ Orso, Manders and more.
— Atlantis Jr. debuts for Pro Wrestling Revolucion on 7/18 in San Jose at Mt. Pleasant High School.
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.