Weekend Roundup: Paige Update, Cody Rhodes Update, Gunther, CM Punk Injury Update, MJF Update, Keiji Mutoh Retiring, Indies

WWE

• As noted before, Paige recently announced that she will be leaving WWE once her current contract expires next month. Paige held a recent Twitch stream discussing WWE’s decision to not renew her contract. Paige stated “I knew it was coming eventually. Getting the, ‘Hey, can I call you? I’m at SmackDown though.’ I’m like, ‘That leaves no room for negotiation. They’re probably not going to renew it.’ I had a feeling for awhile. I’m appreciative of WWE. They helped me so much, more than just wrestling. They got me a therapist when I was having drinking and alcohol issues. They kept me, even after my neck surgery, just sitting on my ass. I really appreciate that. I feel like I had so much left to give there as someone who can cut a decent promo and do a managerial role. It is what it is. I’m not leaving because I want to, they just don’t want to re-sign my contract. I completely understand. There is no hard feelings. If you don’t renew the contract then, I don’t think there’s any non-compete clause. That’s not what I was told on the phone. We’re having a normal conversation and it’s like, ‘So, we’re not gonna renew your contract.’ I texted Vince (McMahon), he texted back. Everyone was respectful about it. It’s a bummer. They are keeping the door open, both Vince and Johnny [John Laurinaitis] said they’ll keep the door open, but that’s usually what companies say. I do feel if I ever went back, it would make it more special. If WWE ever asked me to do something, it would be that much more special. There’s nothing I can do, I wish I could stay longer. WWE doesn’t want to re-sign me. It’s not my decision. I don’t want anyone to think it’s my decision to walk away. ” Paige also provided an update regarding the status of her neck. Paige stated “It’s so healthy. I feel like I’m the most healthy I’ve been in my whole career. I feel I can compete again, 1000%.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
• This past Friday’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Baton Rouge, Louisiana featured a Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Qualifier match between Lacy Evans and Xia Li, which was won by Evans. SEScoops.net reported that Li is currently rumored to have suffered a potential injury at the show. Li reportedly was seen by those in attendance requiring medical assistance following her match.
• As noted before, Cody Rhodes recently suffered a torn pectoral injury but still competed at this past Sunday’s Hell in a Cell 2022 event. Rhodes’ wife Brandi stated that Rhodes had underwent successful surgery and WWE stated that Rhodes would be out of action for nine months. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that WWE officials had decided to be lenient towards allowing Rhodes to compete despite his serious injury due to them being under the assumption that his injury could not get any worse. It was reported that WWE officials also did not push Rhodes into competing if he did not want to and had left the decision entirely up to him. The general reaction backstage within WWE’s locker room was one of praise for Rhodes’ efforts. It was also reported that WWE had filmed interviews and material for a future documentary based on his injury.
• WWE reportedly generated an attendance of 6,409 (5,700 paid) for their June 3rd SmackDown show in Columbus, OH, 3,229 for their June 4th house show event in Champaign, IL, 350 for their June 4th NXT In Your House 2022 event in Orlando, FL, 12,834 (12,200 paid) for their June 5th Hell in a Cell 2022 event in Rosemont, IL, and 5,600 (4,900 paid) for their June 6th RAW show in Green Bay, WI, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• WWE reportedly has sold around 3,516 for their June 12th house show event in Albuquerque, NM, 2,920 for their June 13th RAW show in Wichita, KS, 4,660 for their June 20th RAW show in Lincoln, NC, 4,307 for their June 24th SmackDown shown in Austin, 3,585 for their June 27th RAW show in Laredo, TX, 4,908 for their July 1st SmackDown show in Phoenix, AR, 12,088 tickets for their July 2nd Money in the Bank 2022 event in Las Vegas, NV, and 23,389 tickets for their July 30th SummerSlam 2022 event in Nashville, Tennessee, and 40,000 tickets for their Sept. 3rd Clash at the Castle event in Cardiff, Wales as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE’s Hell in a Cell 2022 event this past Sunday generated around 7,000 pay-per-view buys from traditional cable PPV providers based on current numbers and estimates. Meltzer reported that this managed to set a new all-time record for lowest ever PPV buys for a WWE event in WWE history, surpassing the previous record of 9,700 PPV Buys held by this past May’s WrestleMania Backlash 2022 event. Meltzer reported that cable PPV buys for Hell in a Cell 2022 were not that far down from WrestleMania Backlash 2022 but DISH PPV buys were down 39% for comparisons.
• As noted before, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon is currently in a leave of absence from the company due to family-related reasons. McMahon’s abilities as a WWE executive had been rumored to be growing in doubt for some time within the company but rumors of her being fired from her corporate position are not true nor the reason for her current leave. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE’s recent public “burial” of McMahon’s executive abilities is a sign that something had recently changed within the company regarding the unknown non-family related issues surrounding her current leave. Meltzer reported that his sources stated that nobody in the company would ever say anything negative about McMahon on her way out without risking getting fired by Vince McMahon afterwards which means the recent stories from WWE officials over her poor performance in an executive position was something Vince very likely gave his approval beforehand. Meltzer also reported that the current feeling within the wrestling industry is that McMahon being listed as a key notable figure in Major League Wrestling’s anti-trust lawsuit against WWE might have been another factor behind her current leave.
• Sami Zayn announced on Twitter that he recently opened a second Sami For Syria mobile medical clinic in Syria.
• This past Thursday’s episode of WWE NXT UK featured Meiko Satomura successfully defending her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Ivy Nile. Fightful reported that following her win, Satomura’s reign as current NXT UK Women’s Champion officially reached one year in length as of this past Friday.
• Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that high level WWE officials have been “constantly” impressed with Gunther’s work performance in the company. These same sources stated that WWE officials have been the most impressed over his recent move to the United States and dedication to getting in shape from diet and training. WWE officials reportedly have also been very impressed with his willingness to adapt and “play ball” with WWE’s plans for him on the main roster, including his willingness to go along with his new ring name. It was also reported that Vince McMahon has been impressed with Gunther’s in-ring work since his call-up to the SmackDown brand.
• WWE filed trademarks for “Dirty Dogs”, “Hank Walker”, and “Myles Borne” on June 8th for wrestling and entertainment-related purposes to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

AEW & ROH

• As noted before, CM Punk underwent successful surgery to repair a “lower leg” injury that is currently believed to be a broken foot injury. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the current belief is that Punk likely suffered the injury following his crowd dive during his entrance on the June 3rd episode of AEW Rampage due to him hitting the guard rail badly. Meltzer speculated that another potential cause of his injury was from his botched springboard spot during the 6-Man Tag Team match that resulted in his rough landing after losing his balance on the ropes. Meltzer also reported that AEW officials currently do not have a timetable in mind for his return but the current belief is that Punk will likely be able to return by the end of this year.
• Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the reason for Chris Jericho’s absence from this past week’s set of AEW Dynamite and Rampage television tapings was due to him being on a family vacation break. Jericho reportedly had requested this break over three months ago.
• As noted before, MJF was involved in an incident last month in Las Vegas, Nevada. This incident revolved around MJF no showing a scheduled AEW fan fest event in the city causing his status for AEW’s Double or Nothing 2022 event to be in doubt at the time. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that AEW had asked Warner Bros officials to remove MJF from their promotional ads for their programming as part of their current “work” storyline between MJF and AEW CEO Tony Khan. In regards to the rumors and speculation that MJF recently signed a new contract extension, Meltzer reported that his sources have not confirmed that to be true and instead MJF’s current contract situation is being kept quiet from everyone not named Khan nor MJF. In regards to the conflicting reports over a flight being booked out of Las Vegas for MJF, Meltzer reported that one source spoken to stated that it would have not been that hard to forge flight itineraries for a booked flight out the city for MJF. This same source also stated that they believe the source behind that rumor is someone close to MJF.
• In regards to MJF no showing AEW’s Meet & Greet fan fest event last month in Las Vegas, Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that AEW had to refund or exchange around $10,000 worth in tickets for MJF’s Meet & Greet portion of the event.
• In a potential interesting twist to MJF’s current contract issues situation with AEW, Fightful Select reported that several sources within the company and close to MJF stated that he had recently grown interest towards the idea of pursing a career in acting. It was reported that following AEW’s Dynamite show in Inglewood earlier this month, MJF had stayed a few days longer in Los Angeles for scheduled meetings and did not travel with the rest of the AEW’s talent for the live Rampage tapings that week in Ontario, California.
• AEW reportedly generated an attendance of 7,600 (7,400 paid) for their June 3rd Rampage show in Ontario, CA and 4,400 (4,100 paid) for their June 8th Dynamite show in Independence, MO, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• AEW reportedly has sold around 4,053 tickets for their June 15th Dynamite show in St. Louis, MO, 4,110 tickets for their June 22nd Dynamite show in Milwaukee, WI, 15,409 tickets for their June 26th Forbidden Door event in Chicago, IL, 9,628 tickets for their June 29th Dynamite show in Detroit, MI, 4,109 tickets for their July 6th Dynamite show in Rochester, NY, 3,210 tickets for their July 13th Dynamite show in Savannah, GA, 3,155 tickets for their July 20th Dynamite show in Duluth, GA, and 4,550 tickets for their July 27th Dynamite show in Worcester, MA as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AEW officials have been very impressed with Miyu Yamashita’s performance in the company since her recent excursion from Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. Meltzer reported that AEW officials have recently held talks regarding the idea of doing a Thunder Rosa vs. Yamashita match for the AEW Women’s World Championship at some point within the near future.
• During a recent interview with PWInsider, Thunder Rosa gave her thoughts about her recent feud with Serena Deeb over her AEW Women’s World Championship. Rosa stated “I felt really, really well through the match. When we were done, I hugged Serena and I said, ‘We did it,’ you know, like, you don’t get to see women like us performing for 17 minutes in such a hot crowd and like, people were so invested when you don’t have super high spots and flips and everything was just like pure wrestling and good storytelling. I really feel it went really well. It was that way for both of us, I think it was a great accomplishment. During the buildup, there were criticisms of what [we were] trying to say and show, and when we went out there and wrestled, everybody was like, ‘Wow, this looks great, I wish they would have wrestled one more time.’“
• During a recent virtual fan signing event for East Coast Auctions Autographs, Kiera Hogan gave her thoughts about the diversity within AEW’s Women’s division. Hogan stated “Honestly, it’s amazing [AEW’s women’s division] because who doesn’t like to see diversity in women’s wrestling and in the division? And not see the same cookie cutter thing or the same cookie cutter girl. All of us have a different look, a different aesthetic, a different background and I think that’s what’s beautiful about our division. It’s very diverse.” Hogan also gave her thoughts over the potential of Tasha Steelz showing up in AEW in the future and reuniting their former Fire ‘N Flava tag team. Hogan stated “Either one honestly. I love teaming with her [Tasha Steelz], I love going against her. I’m down for whatever. I mean, when it comes to women [coming through the ‘forbidden door’], I honestly would love to see Tasha go through the door. You know, because I feel like I would be in a really interesting position because I got The Baddies but then there’s Fire ‘N Flava so it’s like, which way do I go? [Kiera laughed]” (Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com)
• As noted before, Thunder Rosa was absent from AEW’s Dynamite show earlier this month in Inglewood, California over illness-related issues. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that his sources confirmed that Rosa’s absence was due to illness reasons and not due to rumored backstage issues involving her lack of television time since becoming the AEW Women’s World Champion, which was something that was also confirmed to be true but unrelated to AEW’s June 1st Dynamite show. Sapp reported that AEW officials had originally planned for Rosa to appear in a backstage segment on the show prior to dropping those plans due to her illness at the time.

Indies & Misc. Wrestling

• During a recent interview with Denise Salcedo, Gail Kim gave her thoughts about her transition from an active wrestling career to a backstage executive career in Impact Wrestling. Kim stated “It was a natural progression for me because, I would say in my last couple of years of being a talent, you become this veteran in the locker room. The girls really value your opinion. We always had producers and agents that guided us along the way. In the last couple years, the girls would ask the producer for their feedback and then they would ask me my feedback as well, so it just happened naturally. I love creativity in the ring. That’s where my heart is in terms of matches and putting together these interesting compelling matches, storylines and getting the fans’ emotions. And now I am also in Talent Relations with D’Lo Brown. We’re like work husband/work wife (laughs), so we’re there for talent predominantly. It’s great.“
• During the same interview, Kim also gave her thoughts about why she has become very invested in Impact’s Knockouts Division. Kim stated “I am just so invested because I’ve been part of this division from day one. Now I am like a proud mom. These girls are literally my heart, in a sense, because when they accomplish things and they kill it, I am having that high that I got as a talent for weeks on end. It’s a great feeling because it gives me that fulfillment that I don’t get anymore from being in the ring. Scott D’Amore right now is pretty much at the head of running things. Without the men who believe in the women and who give us the opportunities, we wouldn’t be able to grow and progress in that way. He has given that opportunity. Now Christy Hemme is back and Madison Rayne is producing. As more women are coming in, I feel supported.” (Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com)
• Impact Wrestling reportedly has sold around 360 tickets for their Slammiversary 2022 event on June 19th in Nashville, Tennessee as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that Pat Kenney, former Simon Diamond in ECW and Impact Wrestling, returned to his backstage duties as the Director of Talent Relations for the National Wrestling Alliance at their Alwayz Ready event this past Saturday in Knoxville, Tennessee. Kenney reportedly had been away from the company since this past March due him recovering from a stroke.
• This past Saturday’s NWA Alwayz Ready event featured Trevor Murdoch defeating Aaron Stevens in an Aaron Stevens’ Swan Song match. Following the event, the NWA held an interview with Stevens who stated that he is now retired from wrestling and will be traveling to Brazil to start the next chapter of his life.
• Pro Wrestling NOAH recently announced that they are currently offering a $300,000 reward bounty to those who can help them increase their international audience. Specifically, NOAH is seeking to increase the amount of international subscribers to their WRESTLE UNIVERSE streaming service and bring more international attention to their product.
• Pro Wrestling NOAH, DDT Pro Wrestling, and Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling’s joint-promoted CyberFight Festival 2022 event earlier today in Saitama, Japan featured NOAH talent Keiji Muoth, also known as the Great Muta, announcing that he will be retiring from wrestling in Spring of 2023.
• New Japan Pro Wrestling reportedly generated a paid attendance of 3,250 for their Best of the Super Juniors 2022 Finals on June 3rd in Tokyo, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• As noted before, New Japan Pro Wrestling talent Kota Ibushi recently accused NJPW’s management of “power harassment” against him over the past year. NJPW announced last week that they docked Ibushi’s pay for contract breach issues, NJPW President Takami Ohbari’s pay for executive responsibilities issues, and an unnamed official’s pay, assumed to be Kikuchi, over inappropriate comments made to Ibushi along with an additional penalty of a transfer to a different position in the company. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the current belief over why NJPW refuses to publicly confirm that the unnamed official is Kikuchi is due to their worries that it could lead to a negative situation with potential crazy fans. In regards to Ibushi’s current status, Meltzer reported that while Ibushi and NJPW’s management have lessened their bad feelings towards each other, Ibushi is currently feeling conflicted over wanting to actually leave the company or not.
• NJPW held their Dominion 2022 event earlier today in Oska, Japan. During his backstage interview following his match at the event, Zack Sabre Jr. called out and issued a match challenge to AEW’s Bryan Danielson for AEW and NJPW’s upcoming joint Forbidden Door event on June 26th in Chicago, Illinois.
• Mexican Lucha wrestler El Hijo del Santo reportedly is currently scheduled to make an appearance for Dragon Gate at their upcoming Ultimo Dragon 35th Anniversary Show on July 30th in Kobe, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Dragon Gate reportedly generated a paid attendance of 1,038 for their King of the Gate 2022 Finals on June 2nd in Tokyo, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Pro Wrestling ZERO1 reportedly generated a paid attendance of 1,150 for their Shinjiro Otani Benefit event on June 4th in Tokyo, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This event was held to help financially assist Otani’s medical costs from his spinal-related injury and surgery this past April.
• PROGRESS Wrestling reportedly generated an attendance of 300 for their June 3rd Super Strong Style 16 2022 event in London, 300 for their June 4th Super Strong Style 2022 event in London, and 700 for their June 5th Super Strong Styles 2022 Finals event in London, England, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that former Mexican Olympic wrestler Daniel Aceves recently held a press conference with several CMLL wrestlers in Mexico over their plans to send two wrestling-based proposals to the Mexican Senate. One of these proposals reportedly seeks to establish a national Lucha Libre commission to govern the sport instead of being left up to local commissions. The other proposal reportedly seeks to set up a pension plan for Mexican wrestlers when they retire from wrestling.