Daily Update: WWE releases, SmackDown, Arena Mexico

Wyatt Sicks
Wyatt Sicks (Image credit: WWE)

Daily Update

Wyatt Sicks
Wyatt Sicks (Image credit: WWE)

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • What did people think of WrestleMania, the strengths and weaknesses of both shows
  • Brock Lesnar
  • Reigns vs. Punk
  • The machinations behind the scenes and in front of the camera of Rhodes vs. Orton
  • Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro and who has the final say and when it’s used
  • Injuries
  • Pat McAfee and Jelly roll
  • The overdoing commercials
  • All the business notes for the week
  • TV ratings
  • Netflix ratings
  • Full coverage of both shows
  • Coverage of other major shows over Mania week
  • The Ali Act, Nick Khan, Oscar de la Hoya and the arguments before the senate
  • Court filings on what percentage of revenue goes to talent in WWE
  • Why the idea of a second major MMA group is very difficult even if Ronda Rousey’s fight does big numbers
  • Mark Shapiro’s deposition contradicts claims on Vince McMahon regarding the UFC and WWE merger
  • Life and times of Van Hammer
  • Weekly wrestling odds looked at
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings for pro wrestling shows this past week with demos, segment notes and comparisons with a year ago
  • CMLL tournament of champions final
  • How much business is up in CMLL
  • CMLL vs. MLW show next week
  • Stardom has its biggest show of the year this week
  • Major promotion parent company taking out sizeable loans
  • Kenta Kobashi shares the ring with Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Maple Leaf Wrestling TV
  • Who had the most top matches so far this year
  • Alberto is wrestling again but not in the promotion that was to be built around him as they’ve washed their hands of him
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Double or Nothing notes
  • UFC signs new overseas deal
  • Mark Hunt arrested for domestic violence
  • WWE headed to Saudi Arabia
  • Security issues at MGM Grand for Mania week
  • How much the top TKO executives earned
  • How much Peacock has lost
  • Ric Flair speaks
  • New NXT star whose uncle was part of one of the most famous heavy metal bands

This Week’s Back Issue

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Friday Update

CMLL logo
CMLL logo (Image credit: CMLL)

— Garrett Gonzales and I will be up today doing a show covering the last week, and what a week it was. Bryan and I will be back for our weekend show on Sunday night.

— Releases are going on today in WWE. Those released are Zoey Stark (surprised because she’s very good and also rehabbing a knee injury), Alba Fyre, Joe Gacy, Andre Chase, Uncle Howdy and Nikki Cross. I was told to expect a fairly long list.

— Smackdown tonight is from Fort Worth, TX. The only match announced is Giulia vs. Tiffany Stratton for the US title. Rhea Ripley becomes a Smackdown regular tonight, plus Trick Williams & Lil Yachty are together again. They had 9,528 tickets out at last look from Wrestletix.

— Tonight is the 70th anniversary of pro wrestling at Arena Mexico. The show sold out 16,000 the day after the lineup was announced. CMLL announced the sellout last night but apparently all tickets were gone by Wednesday:

  • Dragon de Fuego & Dragon Legendario & Dragon Rojo Jr. vs. Elemental & El Hijo del Villano III & Villano III Jr.
  • Lluvia vs. Jarrochita vs. India Sioux vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Zeuxis vs. Reyna Isis vs. Olympia vs. Keyra for the 70th Anniversary Cup
  • CMLL vs. Japan: Barbaro Cavernario & Esfinge & Soberano Jr. & Templario vs Kushida & Okumura & Shoma Kato & Yutani
  • CMLL vs. Don Callis Family for 70th Anniversary men’s Cup: Mistico & Neon & Angel de Oro & Ultimo Guerrero vs. El Clon & Mark Davis & Rocky Romero & Volador Jr.
  • Mascara Dorada vs. Black Tiger vs. Hechicero for the Universal Champion of Champions tournament final

— CMLL also announced Sunday and Tuesday at Arena Mexico are kids day shows, and a Copa Juniors (tournament with second generation wrestlers would be 5/22 and 5/29.

— I want to clarify all this because it is in the Observer but it’s become a topic of conversation. At Wednesday’s hearing before the U.S. Senate committee, Nick Khan, in running down the WBC (the idea is they are anti sanctioning bodies) said that they had purchased $265,000 worth of tickets for the Alvarez vs. Crawford fight. He compared that to Make-a-Wish purchasing $2,500 worth of tickets to WrestleMania. I, and others, noted being surprised that they would charge Make-a-Wish for tickets. And I’m still a little surprised. This led to people making up things or getting things wrong such as Make-a-Wish is forced to buy tickets as a charity and can’t accept freebies, somehow they are forced to buy tickets or else the families of the kids will be taxed for them a gift, none of which is true or even close to true. Khan was saying this as a way to make a comparison with the idea the WBC is using its money as a non-profit group for its members to spend like crazy buying tickets, which another charity, Make-a-Wish, does not do. So that’s why he said it. As far as WrestleMania goes, all Make-a-Wish kids if they were at the show would be comped. WWE did comp tickets for Make-a-Wish but had a number listed and Make-a-Wish’s purchased tickets were over the allotment. They did not involve kids themselves, but people who were involved in bringing the kids. In my mind they could have comped them as well, but they did comp tickets. So the theories of why “it had” to be like this are wrong. But they also did not force Make-a-Wish kids or Make-a-Wish to purchase tickets for the kids themselves.

— I’ve only seen part of the Hulk Hogan Netflix documentary. I was very surprised that it was not in the top ten for either Wednesday or Thursday for the day. It could be a glitch, last week’s Raw didn’t make the daily listing’s one day last week on a Tuesday, for Monday, when it obviously should have.

— We will be doing one weekend poll, covering Sunday’s Stardom show from Yokohama. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]. Saya Kamitani puts up the World of Stardom title against Sayaka Kurara, and if she loses, the Cosmic Angels group will cease to exist.

— In Mexico, FS2 aired the matches previously in the Universal tournament and hyped up tonight’s show last night. We had reported the midweek show as CMLL Classics, but it looks like it’ll be a show to build up the Friday show. Tonight’s show airs on FS 2 in Mexico with a 30 minute pre-show and then the full card.

— Tomorrow night at Arena Coliseo, which will almost surely sell out, has Shotzi Blackheart vs Sanely, Templario & Neon vs. Kushida & Yutani, Mascara Dorada & Niebla Roja & Soberano Jr. vs. Clon & Rocky Romero & Volador Jr., and Atlantis Jr. & Averno vs. Mark Davis & Hechicero. Sunday at Arena Mexico has Mistico & Dorada & Neon vs. Cavernario & Difunto & Clon, Atlantis Jr. & Esfinge vs. Black Tiger & Kushida, Angel de Oro vs. Romero in a lightning match, Shotzi vs Skadi and Kemalito vs. Tengu for the micros title. Dorada & Neon vs. Cavernario & Soberano Jr. headlines Puebla on Monday.

— New Japan RedZone will air at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning Eastern and 1 a.m. Pacific from Hiroshima:

  • Yuto-Ice & Oskar defend the IWGP tag titles against Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi
  • Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X defend the IWGP jr. tag titles against Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita
  • Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji & Gedo & Daiki Nagai vs. Callum Newman & Jake Lee & Jakob Austin Young & Zane Jay

— A&E starts back on Sundays with a WWE block. From 8-10 p.m. will be part one of a two part biography series on the Von Erichs, followed by LFG at 10 p.m.

— The Lucha Underground Twitter account did a tease like it would be returning. Nobody seems to know what that means. This may be some kind of a deal made somewhere to air the old episodes.

— TNA announced for the 5/14 tapings in Sacramento, a Battle Royal to determine a TNA title shot plus AJ Francis vs. KC Navarro in a street fight.

— Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling on 5/1 at the Newark, CA Pavilion features a meet and greet with Tommaso Ciampa plus QT Marshall vs. Royce Isaacs with Ciampa as referee, Aaron Solo vs. Tome Filip, Satnam Singh vs. Ben Bishop, Vert Vixen vs. Indi Hartwell, Viva Van vs Simone, Bad Dude Tito vs Jordan Cruz and more.

— UFC from the Apex Arena tomorrow at 5 p.m. Eastern on Paramount+

  • Talita Alencar (116) vs. Julia Polastri (115.5)
  • Max Griffin (170.5) vs. Victor Valenzuela (170)
  • Francis Marshall (155.5) vs. Lucas Brennan (155.5)
  • Jafel Filho (135.5) vs. Cody Durden (135.5)
  • Mayra Bueno Silva (136) vs. Michelle Montague (135.5)
  • Sedriques Dumas (184) vs. Jackson McVay (185)
  • Rodolfo Vieira (185.5) vs. Eric McConico (186)
  • Marcus Buchecha (252.5) vs. Ryan Spann (264)
  • Montel Jackson (135.5) vs. Raoni Barcelos (136)
  • Davey Grant (135.5) vs. Adrian Luna Martinetti (135.5)
  • Rafa Garcia (155) vs. Alexander Hernandez (155.5)
  • Norma Dumont (135.5) vs. Joselyn Edwards (135.5)
  • Aljamain Sterling (146) vs. Youssef Zalal (145.5)

— AEW has announced shows on 7/1 in San Diego, 7/15 in Boston, 7/16 in Boston, 7/22 in Nashville, 7/29 in Detroit, 7/30 in Detroit and 8/12 in Baltimore. These are all in small buildings except San Diego. I was basically told that you’ll be able to figure out Grand Slam Mexico at Arena Mexico based on dates not announced, so perhaps 7/8 or 8/5.

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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.