Weekend Roundup: MitB Notes, Cena vs. Theory Update, Santana Injury Update, AEW & Stardom Update, Steve McMichael, Indies

Indie / Misc

Steve C.

Jul 3, 2022

WWE

WWE’s Money in the Bank 2022 event post-show segment featured Happy Corbin launching a sneak attack on WWE commentator Pat McAfee. Following the event, WWE officially announced a new match of Corbin vs. McAfee for their upcoming SummerSlam 2022 event on July 30th in Nashville, Tennessee.
Interim WWE CEO and Chairwoman Stephanie McMahon reportedly held a meeting with talent on Saturday prior to WWE’s Money in the Bank 2022 event that night, according to WrestleVotes. It was reported that their sources stated that McMahon discussed a variety of topics and the meeting itself was generally well received by talent.
Following WWE’s Money in the Bank 2022 event, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and Pat McAfee wearing a neck brace selling his injuries were all seen in attendance at UFC ‘s UFC 276 event in the city that night.
As noted before, WWE originally had planned for last night’s Money in the Bank 2022 event to take place at the Allegiant Stadium before moving it to the smaller MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas due to poor ticket sales at the time. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that the general reaction within WWE regarding the change in venue was one of surprise. The basis for this reaction revolved around WWE President Nick Khan being vocal about his plans to hold more WWE events in stadiums. One source spoken to stated that they had thought WWE would have at least waited until after last month’s Hell in a Cell 2022 event to see if ticket sales had improves before making a decision to move it or not to a smaller venue. Those spoken to stated that the poor ticket sales issue likely was caused by WWE relying too much on the buzz of holding an event at a stadium instead of using booking to help entice ticket sales. One source spoken to stated that they felt this was a “misfire” on Khan’s plans while others felt that WWE would have likely had sold around 20,000 to 25,000 tickets for the event had they kept it at the Allegiant Stadium in the end.
During a recent interview with The Walkway to Fight Club podcast, Lacey Evans revealed that she still has “quite a while left” on her current WWE contract. Evans stated “I mean it depends on how long this job thinks that I have what it takes to be a sports-entertainer, you know? [Lacey said when asked how many more children does she and her husband want to have] I mean, I could get canned tomorrow and guess what? I’ll probably have another baby. But right now, I’m — I’ve got Money in the Bank, I’ve got quite a while left on my contract. I’m gonna work hard and do what I have to do as a sports-entertainer. We have two beautiful children, but you know, my career is at the front of the line as far as babies or career, you know, having more babies and career and I’m a mom and I need to be a mom for my two girls and I need to get in this game and actually win it so, it’ll be a while but it’s not — I don’t think to say that we’re done, I don’t know if that would be the truth.” (Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com)
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that he speculates that WWE officials likely have delayed their plans for a potential match between Theory and John Cena for this year’s SummerSlam 2022 event to possibly next year’s WrestleMania 39 event instead. Meltzer’s basis revolves around the lack of any new dates announced for Cena which would be needed for the build if he was meant to wrestle against Theory at SummerSlam. Meltzer also believed that it would not make sense on WWE’s end to not advertise Cena for upcoming shows leading into SummerSlam due to the huge boost he gave for tickets sales for this past Monday’s RAW show after he was announced for that show.
WWE generated an attendance of 6,200 (5,700 paid) for their June 24th SmackDown show in Austin, TX, 3,646 for their June 25th house show event in Amarillo, TX, 2,800 for their June 25th house show event in Abilene, TX, 3,364 for their June 26th house show event in Hidalgo, TX, 3,052 for their June 26th house show event in Odessa, TX, and 8,260 (7,600 paid) for their June 27th RAW show in Laredo, TX, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
WWE has sold around 3,423 tickets for their July 3rd house show event in Tucson, AZ, 5,978 for their July 4th RAW show in San Diego, CA, 6,850 tickets for their July 8th SmackDown show in Forth Worth, TX, 6,023 tickets for their July 9th house show event in Sacramento, CA, 2,398 tickets for their July 9th house show event in Bossier City, LA, 2,702 tickets for their July 10th house show event in Reno, NV, 6,398 tickets for their July 11th RAW show in San Antonio, TX, 5,957 tickets for their July 15th SmackDown show in Orlando, FL, 4,689 tickets for their July 22nd SmackDown show in Boston. MA, 7,868 tickets for their July 25th RAW show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, 5,328 tickets for their July 29th SmackDown in Atlanta, GA, 26,938 tickets for their July 30th SummerSlam 2022 event in Nashville, TN, 2,499 tickets for their Aug. 14th house show event in Atlantic City, NJ, 3,208 tickets for their Aug. 15th RAW show in Washington DC, 7,513 tickets for their Aug. 19th SmackDown show in Montreal, Canada, 2,564 tickets for their Aug. 20 house show event in Ottawa, Canada, 8,227 tickets Aug. 22nd RAW show on Toronto, Canada, and 3,727 tickets for their Aug. 26th SmackDown show in Detroit, MI as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
As noted before, this past Monday’s RAW show drew 1,951,000 viewers and a 0.54 key demographic rating. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that this past week’s RAW show was the fifth largest year-to-year gain for a RAW show in RAW history. This past week’s show was up 24.3% in overall viewership and up 31.7% in key demographic viewership. Meltzer reported that the only RAW shows with higher year-to-year gains were the January 22, 2018 show (RAW 25 special), the December 23, 2013 show, the July 23, 2012 show (RAW 1000 special), and the July 2, 2012 show.
Cable television network A&E recently released their full schedule of WWE themed marathon programming for July 3-5 on the network.
A&E also recently revealed that the upcoming The Undertaker episode of their second season of Biography: WWE Legends series on July 10th will be two hours in length.
WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley announced on Twitter that he recently returned to his backstage job in WWE following his leave due to back surgery this past October.
As noted before, eight law firms recently filed notices stating that they are currently investigating WWE over claims that the company’s Board of Directors and senior management officers breached their fiduciary duties over keeping their investigation into former CEO and Chairman Vince McMahon a secret from WWE’s investors. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that another law firm named Pomerantz LLP recently became the newest firm to file a notice of investigation against WWE over the handling of their investigation into McMahon.
ESPN recently revealed the full list of nominees for their Best WWE Moment Award for this year’s ESPYS awards show on July 20th.

AEW & ROH

Revolution Pro Wrestling recently announced that PAC will be making an appearance for the company at their RevPro Live event on July 10th in Sheffield, England. It was announced that PAC will be defending his AEW All-Atlantic Championship against NJPW’s Shota Umino at the event.
During a recent interview with Fightful, former AEW talent Alan Angels gave his thoughts about his match against Kenny Omega on the April 20, 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite ended up being one of the most important matches of his wrestling career. Angels stated “The first one, I haven’t signed yet. It was the second show during the pandemic, the first time I was there, the Norcross show, literally 15 minutes down the street from where I lived at the time. We did the first day, it went fine. That night. I was told that I was probably going to wrestle Kenny Omega. I was like, ‘Oh shit,’ and I freaked out and worked out all night. I have some dumbbells in my basement, and all the gyms were shut down. Just worked out in my basement all night, freaking out. The perception of the match, everything went great, I thought. Everybody on Twitter, they felt one way about it or another, I know I have all my haters out there, it’s no big deal, I don’t give a fuck. I love watching people online freak out about stuff. Honestly, I owe my career to three or four people and Kenny is definitely on that list. The second match was an even bigger deal, in my head, because it was in front of 10,000 people or however many. It was so much fun and Kenny is such a genius. He gets the business, he’s legit one of the best performers of our generation, if not ever. To be in the ring with him twice, it was great.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
As noted before, Kip Sabian has been out of action for AEW since suffering an arm injury in March of 2021. Sabian made his in-ring return for British Wrestling Revolution at their Fifth Anniversary event this past Friday in Cleethorpes, England. Following his match, Sabian reflected on Twitter stating “Tonight I wrestled my one of my best friends and easily the best unsigned cruiserweight on the planet @Robbie_X_. One thing is clear, I’m better than ever before. Evolved. This was the test, what comes next, is everything… #EmbraceTheChange.“
As noted before, Sanata suffered a serious injury during AEW’s Blood & Guts 2022 show this past Wednesday in Detroit, Michigan. During the Blood & Guts match, Santana suffered the injury following a spot where he attempted to give Daniel Garcia a Uranage that resulted in his left knee giving out. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AEW officials were worried that Santana had suffered a torn ACL injury which would put him out of action for a long time. Meltzer reported that an update regarding the status of Santana’s injury was not known as of the time of his report this past Friday.
As noted before, AEW CEO Tony Khan revealed during the post-show media scrum following this past Sunday’s Forbidden Door event that AEW has a WWE-like Wellness Policy in place for talent. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that AEW has a “talent playbook” that is handed out to every talent who works for the company. This book reportedly contains information detailing the company’s drug policy, concussion protocol, hydration, and other items. Meltzer also reported that AEW also offers a mental health resource that is available for their staff and have held training sessions for concussions, hydration, and maintaining mental and physical health.
As noted before, Alan Angels’ contract with WWE expired at the end of this past month. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer that his sources stated that while Angels was not interested in signing a new per-appearance type deal with the company, AEW officials are still planning on booking Angels for shows going forward.
During a recent interview with TalkSport, Toni Storm stated that she is currently hopeful of being able to work for Stardom alongside her current career in AEW. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that while AEW and Stardom currently do not have a working relationship in place, Stardom is still interested in the idea of using AEW talent for their events later this year. Meltzer reported that nobody from AEW has contacted Stardom over potential work with the company nor is it known if AEW has held actual talks with Stardom’s parent company Bushiroad over accruing Japanese work visas for AEW talent.
AEW reportedly generated an attendance of 11,500 (11,200 paid) for their June 29th Dynamite Blood & Guts 2022 show in Detroit, MI, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
AEW reportedly has sold around 4,999 tickets for their July 6th Dynamite show in Rochester, NY, 3,475 tickets for their July 13th Dynamite show in Savannah, GA, 3,640 tickets for their July 20th Duluth, GA, 5,036 tickets for their July 27th in Worcester, MA, 4,380 tickets for their Aug. 3rd Dynamite show in Columbus, OH, 3,742 tickets for their Aug. 5th Rampage show in Grand Rapids, MI, and 2,881 tickets for their Aug. 17th Dynamite show in Charleston, WV as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
As noted before, AEW’s original plans for this past Wednesday’s Dynamite Blood & Guts 2002 show was affected by COVID-19 related issues. The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported Friday’s Daily Update that his sources stated that one of AEW’s original plans for the card of the show was a tag team match between Rey Fenix & Penta Oscuro and Andrade & Rush. Meltzer reported that those plans were dropped due to Fenix dealing with health issues going into the show, which was not stated if it was COVID-related or not.
AEW announced that they have recently signed a partnership deal with toy manufacture Diamond Select Toys for the production of new AEW-themed collectables.
Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that the recent rumors and reports of Jordynne Grace leaving Impact Wrestling and signing with AEW within the near future are not true. It was reported that the basis of the rumors involved AEW musician Mikey Rukus had recently created a new theme song for Grace. It was also reported that Grace had stated to them that Rukus has produced theme songs for her for quite a while and even dating back to before AEW existed. It was reported that Grace’s current contract with Impact Wrestling is set to expire in Spring of 2023.
During a recent interview with the Busted Open Radio podcast, Chris Jericho gave his thoughts on why he felt this year’s Blood & Guts match was better than last year’s match. Jericho stated “I thought Blood & Guts was amazing. I thought it was great last year but this year to me was the true debut of this match in front of 12,000 people in Detroit. That’s the way the match was designed, that’s the way the match was supposed to be when we had it booked for the Prudential Center pre-pandemic. So to see that kind of come to life and come to fruition was definitely my vision of what I thought of this match when we created it and was all across the board a success and exactly what I was hoping for and wanting to see as a fan and as a wrestler in the ring.” (Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com)

Indies & Misc. Wrestling

Former AEW talent Alan Angels reportedly made his official debut for Impact Wrestling at their Impact television tapings on Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia, according to the Wrestling Observer.
Impact Wrestling reportedly had sold around 328 tickets for their July 1st Against All Odds 2022 event in Atlanta and 293 tickets for their July 2nd Impact tapings in Atlanta, Georgia as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Warrior Wrestling recently announced that Tessa Blanchard will be making an appearance for the company at their Stadium Series Night 2 event on August 20th in Chicago Heights, Illinois.
Prestige Wrestling announced that Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling talent Maki Itoh will be making an appearance for the company at their Perseverance event on September 17th in Pomona, California.
As noted before, Wrestling Entertainment Series recently announced that Impact Wrestling announcer Tom Hannifan will be making an appearance for the company at their debut event on July 9th in Nottingham, England. It was announced that Hannifan would be replacing Matthew Rehwoldt for the commentary team at the event. Rehwoldt recently stated in a series of tweets on Twitter that he has been “completely ghosted” by WES’ management. Rehwoldt stated “So @wesofficialtv has cost me time and now cost me income. I was asked to be on this show but had a conflicting booking. I was told they really wanted me and would pay me upfront. So as they were former colleagues I took them at their word and passed on my other booking. And since I have been completely ghosted. Zero communication. I have friends booked for the show and luckily some of them have been paid already but I doubt the show will happen. No travel, hotel, or any pertinent information has been shared with anyone I know. Now I’m also out a weekend or income due to them. Part of that is on me as I chose to forgo my other date… But as I said I was told repeatedly that “for sure“ this was happening and they wanted me to be there. I would be wary of buying a ticket or the broadcast of this show.”
As noted before, Tetsuya Endo has been out of action for DDT Pro Wrestling since suffering a concussion injury this past June. Following his surprise appearance at DDT’s event earlier today in Tokyo, Japan, Endo stated that he is currently scheduled to make his in-ring return at DDT’s event on July 24th in Tokyo. (English translation via PostWrestling.com)
DDT Pro Wrestling announced that Konosuke Takeshita will be making a temporary break from his excursion and will be appearing for the company at their Wrestle Peter Pan event on August 20th in Tokyo, Japan.
During a recent interview with the Wrestling Perspective podcast, Trevor Murdoch gave his reasons why he wants to stay in the National Wrestling Alliance for the rest of his wrestling career. Murdoch stated “Cinderella has found his shoe. When I was a young guy, I was open to all of that. ‘Whoever will pay me the most and push me.’ NWA treats me right, when I’m in the ring, I feel like that’s where I’m supposed to be. When I watch the program, I feel like that’s what I’m supposed to be doing. This is where Trevor Murdoch is supposed to be, right here. At the end of the day, when NWA says, ‘Hey Trevor, we’re done with you in front of the camera,’ that’s it. This is where I’m finishing my career, in the NWA. In my personal opinion, I won’t be able to top what I’ve done, just in the short time I’ve been here. I’m a tried and true NWA guy. I don’t want to go to AEW, I don’t want to go to WWE. They’re great in their own respective, but Trevor Murdoch fits in the NWA and I’m happy here. This is where I’m going to stay.” Murdoch also stated that he did have talks at one point with AEW over a potential deal but those talks quickly fizzled out. Murdoch stated “There was some discussions with AEW, but I think they kind of fizzled out pretty quick because they were talking about the forbidden door and guys getting injured, but I don’t think it lasted very long. I’m really not inquiring. I’m focused on the NWA and being a representative for the NWA .” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
New Japan Pro Wrestling recently announced the full brackets for their upcoming eight-team NJPW Strong Tag Team Championship tournament to crown the inagural NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions.
During a recent interview with Denise Salcedo, Rocky Romero revealed that NJPW is currently planning to hold a new NJPW Strong themed event this October on the East Coast in the United States.
Stardom reportedly generated a paid attendance of 1,213 for their Fight In The Top event on June 26th in Nagoya, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This event was notable for featuring the first ever cage matches in Stardom history, which saw Tam Nakano defeating Natsupoi in a Steel Cage Texas Deathmatch and STARS (Hazuki, Koguma, & Mayu Iwatani) defeating Queen’s Quest (AZM, Saya Kamitani, & Utami Hayashishita) in a Six-Women Steel Cage match.
As noted before, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre talent Mistico suffered an ankle injury this past June. Dave Meltzer reported that Mistico underwent successful surgery on June 27th and CMLL officials currently expect him to return from injury in about a month.
Lucha Libre AAA reportedly generated an attendance of 5,100 for their AAA television taping on June 24th in Tampico, Mexico, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
AAA talent Mamba reportedly suffered a left ankle injury at AAA’s event on June 24th in Tampico, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Dave Meltzer reported that Mamba had told others that he feared he had suffered a serious injury that could put him out of action for at least a month.
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Mocho Cota Jr. and Tito Santana have recently told others that they are currently not sure if they are still under contract with AAA due to the lack of recent communication from the company. Meltzer reported that recent rumors within AAA were that both were gone from the company and they have not been booked for any of AAA’s upcoming events.
As noted before, former WCW wrestler Steve “Mongo” McMichael revealed in April of 2021 that he had been diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that McMichael is currently in very rough shape health wise and is bedridden due to his current battle with ALS. Meltzer reported that Chicago Sun-Times’ reporter Rick Telander had recently visited McMichael for a new story about him and discovered that McMichael could barely speak anymore. Meltzer reported that several people recently have been heavily pushing for McMichael to be inducted into NFL’s Hall of Fame while he is still alive but not solely out of sympathy and instead because he had earned it. Telander stated that McMichael’s career stats are very similar to Howie Long, who was inducted in 2000.
As noted before, former wrestler Tammy Sytch was arrested this past May in Florida following a police investigation into a fatal car accident involving Sytch this past March. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that a judge recently issued a warning to Sytch during her court case on June 30th after learning of an incident involving her fiance James Pente and Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilleger. Pente reportedly acted inappropriately towards Terwilleger following a recent brief exchange between the two while Sytch was in the process of getting a new lawyer for her criminal case. The judge reportedly told Sytch to inform her finance that he would not be allowed to attend any hearings for her if he continued to act inappropriately towards others in a threatening manner.