Daily Update: WWE Wrestlepalooza, SmackDown, CMLL
Daily Update
Friday Update
– For this weekend, I’ll be doing the week in review show today, answering questions from the current issue of the Observer with Garrett Gonzales today, and tomorrow night will have a show with Bryan Alvarez covering WWE Wrestlepalooza, AEW All Out and the CMLL 92nd anniversary show.
– The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up on the site today:
- A look at the build and the importance of Wrestlepalooza and All Out. We look at the shows and the stories behind the shows as well as what to look at as well as comments from ESPN execs on WWE, debuts of new services and other hilarious notes.
- Betting odds for both shows
- WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia, the fallout of the announcement, will AEW counter, should AEW counter, and what affect the going to Saudi Arabia in 2027 has already had for WrestleMania in 2026.
- Terrence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez as TKO gets into boxing, what can be improved on judging, real numbers as well as made up numbers and realities the night shows about sports in general
- A look at the CMLL anniversary show and its stories
- Full coverage of Worlds Collide
- Andrade fired by WWE, a look back at his career
- The most detailed look at the ratings for all the wrestling TV shows this past week, including Netflix numbers and what they mean in reality, segment by segment and what we can learn, competition, and much more.
- Brody King & Bandido go to Arena Mexico as AEW tag team champions but it doesn’t go right.
- CMLL has two Arena Mexico crowds of 16,000 over the next week and a third big show as well
- The unique Thursday show.
- CMLL featuring women more prominently next month and Mercedes Mone returns
- Surprise on AAA television this past week
- Actress has just started training to be a pro wrestler after playing the role of one
- All Japan completes Oudou tournament
- NOAH N-1 tournament
- Unique NJPW PPV main event
- US team at the world championships
- FTC investigating Ticketmaster for for price gouging
- Notes on the deaths of Tom Gerbasi and Nacho Barrera
- Former wrestling personality injured in accident
- First black world champion being honored
- Why Conor McGregor pulled out of the race for President of Ireland.
- TKO plans for 2026
- More on Turki Alalshikh
- Death of Ricky Hatton
- Gable Steveson accuses Craig Jones of trying to fix a fight
- Boxer sues over brain injuries
- Paul Levesque talks talent recruitment
- Lots of injury updates
– This is the story going around over the last hour but we haven’t heard back from anyone in WWE on it, that the scheduled but not announced Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax match for Wrestlepalooza is off due to Stratton’s injury. Waiting to hear if WWE will add a match to the show for tomorrow.
– MJF, Mascara Dorada and Hechicero are all working tonight at Arena Mexico and taking an all-night flight to get to Toronto for tomorrow’s All Out in Toronto. With both shows being so big, it’s not like they can take it easy on either show. There are probably six hours to spare in the chance of a delay.
– The biggest CMLL show of the year is tonight at Arena Mexico. The show airs on Triller as a $19.99 PPV. The show is listed as starting at 10:30 p.m.Eastern time, or after SmackDown is over. It’s available in English and Spanish. The English announcers are Veda Scott, Miguel Castro and Samuray del Sol (Kalisto)
- Jarochita & Lluvia vs. Persephone & Reyna Isis for CMLL women’s tag team titles
- Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja vs. Villano III Jr. & El Hijo del Villano III for CMLL men’s tag team titles
- Mascara Dorada & Neon & Atlantis Jr. vs. Hechicero & Zandokan Jr. & Volador Jr.
- Titan & Templario vs. Difunto & Barboza in the finals of the Copa Independencia tournament
- Rey Bucanero vs. Felino hair vs. hair
- MJF vs. Mistico CMLL light heavyweight title vs mask
- Ultimo Guerrero & Averno vs. Esfinge & Valiente vs. Cavernario Barbaro & Dragon Rojo Jr. (The winning team then goes into the main event and faces each other. If Guerrero & Averno or Cavernario & Rojo win, it’s a hair vs. hair. If Esfinge & Valiente win, it’s a mask vs. mask)
– We are doing polls this weekend for the CMLL Anniversary show, AEW All Out and WWE Wrestlepalooza so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match from each individuals show to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
– SmackDown is in Toledo and has Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss defending the tag titles against Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre, Sami Zayn defends the U.S. title against Carmelo Hayes, plus Brock Lesnar and a contract signing with Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre on the show. The latest advance is 6,108, which would be just shy of a sellout with the set up for the show. AJ Styles, Finn Balor, Penta and Grande Americano are at the show and may be in dark matches.
– We’re looking for live reports from Toledo with dark match results and anything else not on the live show to dave@wrestlingobserver..com
– TKO’s Mark Shapiro said that The Smashing Machine should lead to a new era of wrestling movies and also lead to more fans attending pro wrestling shows. I mean, I suppose you could say it would help UFC interest, although if it does it would be marginal,but how that movie will boost interest in pro wrestling is way beyond me.
– El Hijo del Santo has his last show in Puebla tonight with himself, his son and the original Mascara Sagrada against Psicosis & El Hijo de Fishman & El Texano Jr. on top.
– At this point, Wrestlepalooza is at 12,901 tickets and will sell out in Indianapolis. All Out is at 11,326 tickets out. It will be close to full but it looks like a sellout will be tough, not impossible, but tough.
– There is no UFC this weekend. UFC returns with a show on 9/27.
– A note from the current issue. In the item about how WWE has no plans at this point on the current schedule to run head-to-head with the last three AEW PPV shows of the year, that was reported first by Wresltevotes before it was in the Observer.
– Here is a great article on Tom Gerbasi, who passed away this week, and his work with UFC.
Everyone in the MMA world on the inside had nothing but great things to say about him. He was one of the hardest working reporters you would find.
– The Wrestlepalooza Countdown show will air at 10 p.m. midnight and 2 a.m. Eastern tonight on ESPN News as well as 7 a.m. tomorrow.
– The idea espoused that there is a separation of church and state and that WWE’s deal with ESPN won’t change the nature of the coverage is hilarious with two stories on the front page of the site and the story on the Seth Rollins injury angle. I mean, everyone already knows the history of ESPN. I guess people have to say that.
– Variety is reporting that Teddy Ruxpin, the 1980s toy, is being made into a feature film by Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions.
– Florida has announced that the Jake Paul vs. Tank Davis boxing match is only being sanctioned as an exhibition. An exhibition is categorized as combatants showing their skill without trying to win or using blows to the head or full contact maneuvers. Essentially, commissions used to sanction pro wrestling as an exhibition of strength and skill.
– Thom Latimer vs. Thrillbilly Silas Mason for the NWA title headlines NWA Sanheim on 10/17 at Center Stage in Atlanta.
– The 11/1 UFC Fight Night show will be headlined by featherweights Steve Garcia vs. David Onama.
– House of Glory and Big Event EXS have announced a partnership for the New York Ultimate Wrestling Experience on 11/15 at the Suffolk Credit Union Arena in Brentwood,NY.
– Lee Moriarty will have an art exhibition at Night Gallery in Los Angeles on 9/27.
– Defy runs tonight at Washington Hall in Seattle with Killer Kross vs Calvin Tankman, Marina Shafir vs. Hyan for the women’s title, Clark Connors in an open challenge for the men’s title, Nicole Matthews vs. Amira, Midnight Heat vs. Randy Myers & Matt Brannigan and El Phantasmo vs. Ethan HD vs. Guillermo Rosas vs. Evan Rivers.
– A note from earlier this week. Mad Dog Vachon was born September 1, 1929, not September 14, 1929, as many places had it. On Sunday we noted it would have been Vachon’s birthday but that was incorrect (thanks to Pat Laprade)
– JK Media Group has announced its Empire MMA series debuts with a show from Medellin, Colombia on The Telemundo Deportes Ahora FASt channel tonight at 8 pl.m. Eastern with Ivan Santos (4-1) vs. Duevwen Felipe Lopez (3-2) in the main event.
– House of Glory announced Zilla Fatu vs. Bear Bronson for the Crown Jewel title on 10/10 at the NYC Arena.