Weekend Roundup: Matt Riddle Airport Incident, Sonny Kiss, CM Punk & AEW, Jim Duggan, Deonna Purrazzo Impact Contract Update, Indies

Indie / Misc

Steve C.

Sep 10, 2023

WWE

As noted before, Bray Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda, passed away this past August due to a heart attack related to issues involving COVID-19. Rotunda’s sister Mika recently praised Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for all of his kindness and generosity he showed to the Rotunda family following Windham’s passing. Mika Rotunda stated “Publicly, my family would like to thank @therock for his kindness, condolences & love the past two weeks. Like he did all people— Windham had a positive impact on him too. And DJ has kept our fridges and homes (yes plural), filled with meals and groceries. Love you, ohana.“
TMZ reported that the Port Authority Police department recently launched an investigation into an incident at the JFK Airport on Saturday involving Matt Riddle. It was reported that this investigation was launched following a now-deleted Instagram post claiming that he was sexually harassed by a Port Authority Police Officer and had posted a photo of this person. Riddle stated “Nothing like being sexually assaulted by an officer and harassed at the jfk airport, no means no and just because I’m nice doesn’t mean yes!!! A**hole!!! Don’t know they’re Twitter or instagram handles but I took pictures, normally I’m like whatever but today was really weird and uncomfortable and they made a point to make me feel small and useless. Definitely one of the most uncomfortable travel days I’ve ever had thanks NYC you’re so progressive and accepting!” It was reported that the Port Authority had been called to deal with a situation involving a disorderly passenger who was disembarking from a plane. This reportedly led to Port Authority officers met with this person at the terminal and was confirmed to have been Riddle. It was also reported that no official police report was filed by the Port Authority over the incident and Riddle had apologized to officers and was allowed to leave. Riddle reportedly then made his allegations on Instagram later that day which caused a police investigation to be launched regarding his claims and incident.
As noted before, NXT brand talent Arianna Grace has been out of action for WWE since this past October due to an ACL injury. Grave made her in-ring return for WWE at Saturday’s NXT house show event in Melbourne, Florida.
As noted before, Elton Prince has been out of action for WWE since this past July due to a shoulder injury. This past Friday’s WWE SmackDown show featured Pretty Deadly been shown backstage watching the tag team match between the Brawling Brutes and Judgement Day. Prince was seen sitting in his wheelchair. Following the show, Kit Wilson provided an injury update on Prince stating that Pretty Deadly will be returning to the ring soon. Wilson stated “Nearly time to tag back in! #SmackDown“
As noted before, AEW terminated CM Punk’s contract with cause earlier this month following their investigation into his backstage incident with Jack Perry at their All In event this past August. Prior to his firing, Punk was open to the idea of potentially returning to WWE following his first suspension from the infamous All Out 2022 backstage fight. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that Punk did not make a serious pitch to WWE officials over a potential WrestleMania 39 opponent if he were to return to the company. Punk reportedly giving out the name of Kevin Owens was more of just an example of him being willing to work with anyone. Meltzer reported that WWE officials were not interested in Punk’s pitch nor idea for a potential return but also legally could not due to AEW had not released Punk from his contract at the time. Meltzer reported that any decision regarding a potential WWE return for Punk would come down to if Vince McMahon feels that the financial benefits would greatly outweight the risks. Meltzer speculated that if WWE were to decide to not bring back Punk, there could be a chance however small it would be of a potential return to AEW for Punk in the future.
In regards to the backstage reaction to a potential return of CM Punk in the future, PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that Punk’s name has been a hot topic backstage since his firing from AEW. Johnson reported that some within the company are supportive over the idea of a potential return with one top star among those in support. Those in support over the idea reportedly currently feel that Punk can bring in a lot of money to the company if he were to return. Johnson reported that many within WWE are currently against the idea of Punk ever returning back nor do they believe that it would happen.
WWE reportedly generated an attendance of 13,014 (12,468 paid) for their Sept. 2nd Payback 2023 event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE’s inflated number for the event was over 14,500 but the event was a legitimate sell out. In regards to pay-per-view buys, Payback 2023 reportedly is estimated to have generated 7,400 buys for the first five days after the event, which is down 10.8% compared to this past July’s Money in the Bank 2023 but up 10.4% compared to this past May’s Backlash 2023 event.
WWE reportedly generated an attendance of 8,807 (8,000 paid) for their Sept. 1st SmackDown show in Hershey, PA and 8,299 (7,504 paid) for their Sept. 4th RAW show in Charlotte, NC, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
WWE reportedly has sold around 5,868 tickets for their Sept. 11th RAW show in Norfolk, VA, 11,154 tickets for their Sept. 15th SmackDown show in Denver, CO, 5,301 tickets for their Sept. 16th house show event in Kennewick, WA, 4,237 tickets for their Sept. 17th house show event in Boise, ID, 7,532 tickets for their Sept. 18th RAW show in Salt Lake City, UT, 9,324 tickets for their Sept. 22nd SmackDown show in Glendale, AZ, 7,654 tickets for their Sept. 23rd house show event in Palm Desert, CA, 5,871 for their Sept. 24th house show event in Fresno, CA, 7,977 tickets for their Sept. 25th RAW show in Ontario, CA, 11,564 tickets for their Sept. 29th SmackDown show in Sacramento, CA, 5,425 tickets for their Sept. 30th house show event in San Francisco, CA, 3,403 tickets for their Sept. 30th NXT No Mercy event in Bakersfield, CA, 2,460 tickets for their Oct. 1st house show event in Stateline, NV, 8,010 tickets for their Oct. 2nd RAW show in San Jose, CA, 7,061 tickets for their Oct. 6th SmackDown show in St. Louis, MO, 10,923 tickets for their for their Oct. 7th Fastlane 2023 event in Indianapolis, IN, 6,688 tickets for their Oct. 13th SmackDown show in Tulsa, OK, 3,417 tickets for their Oct. 14th house show event in Kansas City, MO, 2,999 tickets for their Oct. 15th house show event in Springfield, MO, 6,347 tickets for their Oct. 16th RAW show in Oklahoma City, OK, 7,628 tickets for their Oct. 20th SmackDown show in San Antonio, TX, 1,662 tickets for their Oct. 22nd house show event in Laredo, TX, 8,951 tickets for their Oct. 23rd RAW show in Dallas, TX, 6,978 tickets for their October 27th SmackDown show in Milwaukee, WI, 7,782 tickets for their Oct. 29th house show event in London, England, 5,096 tickets for their Oct. 30th RAW show in Greenville, SC, 6,796 tickets for their Oct. 31st house show event in Glasgow, Scotland, 5,887 tickets for their Nov. 6th RAW show in Wilkes-Barre, PA, 12,085 tickets for their Nov. 24th SmackDown show in Chicago, 12,891 tickets for their Nov. 25th Survivor Series 2023 event in Chicago, IL, 46,050 tickets for their April 6th WrestleMania 40 Night 1 event in Philadelphia, and 46,138 tickets for their April 7th WrestleMania 40 Night 2 event in Philadelphia, PA as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The September 4th episode of WWE RAW drew 1,704,000 viewers and a 0.52 key demographic rating. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE benefited greatly from sports competition from ESPN being around in 20% fewer homes than usual due to Disney’s current carriage fees dispute with Charter Communications, which owns the Spectrum cable television provider. This dispute reportedly has led to Spectrum no longer airing any ESPN-related networks on their service. Meltzer reported that this is currently a big advantage for WWE’s RAW due to this will weaken Monday Night Football’s ratings to a degree at least for the start of this year’s NFL season. Meltzer speculated that at most, RAW would potentially get around a 2% boost in ratings for shows during the duration of the dispute.
Wrestlenomics reported that WWE’s attendance for SmackDown shows this past August was up 20%, RAW shows were down 2%, and house show events were up 34% compared to August of 2022.
John Cena is currently scheduled to be making appearances at almost every SmackDown show during this September and October. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE saw a boost in ticket sales of around 856 for their Sept. 15th show in Denver, CO, 1,462 for their Sept. 22nd show in Glendale, AZ, 1,541 for their Oct. 6th show in St. Louis, MO, 622 for their Oct. 13th show in Tulsa, OK, 997 for their Oct. 20th show in San Antonio, TX, and 1,489 for their Oct. 27th show in Milwaukee, WI since the announcement of Cena for those shows.
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, John Cena gave his thoughts about his belief that Roman Reigns should not be considered as just his successor and instead as the greatest wrestler of all-time. Cena stated “In my perspective I think Roman Reigns is the greatest of all time.“
In a recent interview with The Comeback, Bayley gave her thoughts on what she wants her legacy to be in wrestling. Bayley stated “I really have been trying to reflect on what I want personally out of what I want my legacy to be. After the Bray Wyatt tribute show, I felt I really needed to figure it out. I’m working on my legacy every day and every single week. Sometimes, you get lost in the shuffle or the travel and the busy schedule, that at least me personally, I kind of lose sight of what the bigger picture is. And what I’m trying to do. I wanna make sure that I’m cementing my legacy, and that goes for Damage CTRL too. IYO, I want her to have the best title run of all-time. Dakota should get a title shot. All of us end up at WrestleMania in a Triple Threat for the title as best friends? I’m fine with that too. Let’s put that in the universe (she laughed). I just want to continue to cement a legacy and be able to still inspire the fans and have a connection that I’ve had since day one. And watch us all grow every day.“

AEW & ROH

As noted before, Saturday’s AEW Collision show in Cleveland, Ohio featured a “dream” match of Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. being officially announced for the card of next month’s WrestleDream event in Seattle, Washington. Following his match at Sunday’s Road to Destruction 2023 event for NJPW in Chiba, Japan, Sabre Jr. gave his thoughts in a backstage press conference about Danielson calling him out and their upcoming match. Sabre Jr. stated “Dragon bollocks. Bryan Danielson. About bloody time. About bloody time. I’ve been waiting. I’ve been waiting, mate. I’ve been waiting. I can’t think of a better time and a better place than WrestleDream, October 1, the whole event is in honor of Antoni Inoki. I can’t think of a better way to honor Inoki than to find out who the best technical wrestler in the world really is. Bryan, you’re one of the greatest wrestlers that has ever lived, but I surpassed you yonks ago, dickhead. Yonks ago. Bryan, in 2008, you helped kickstart my career. I have some bad news for you, you don’t have another year left. 2008, you jumpstarted Zack Sabre Jr. In 2023, Bryan, I end your career. See you in Seattle, dickhead.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
As noted before, Sonny Kiss’ contract with AEW expired at the end of this past August and has departed from the company. Kiss reflected on Twitter about her time in AEW and looking forward to the next chapter of her career. Kiss stated “4 years of living my dream, traveling, making everlasting friendships, working with my childhood heroes, growing into the human I’ve become right before everyone’s eyes, and of course, being part of some historical events with groundbreaking wrestling promotion: AlI Elite Wrestling (AEW). I have made quite a few mistakes along the way. But I also have learned some valuable lessons, too. I am incredibly grateful for it all. In December, l’ll be 30 years old with 10 years of wrestling under my belt. The fun part is: I haven’t nearly touched the surface of what I am capable of. knew my journey in pro wrestling would not be an easy one, regardless of my talents. The best part of it all is that I showed people like me that anything is possible when you’re working your ass off for it. It may not come easy, but it WILL come. Sometimes you have to fall all the way down to reignite that fiery passion again. So, now what? I’m the Concrete Rose, Sonny Kiss and I am a free agent. I am SO ready for this next chapter. Let’s continue to break those barriers down, shatter those glass ceilings, and make Sh!t happen!§ Where to next? XO, Sonny.“
Red Velvet has been absent from AEW programming since this past February. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that the reason for Red Velvet’s current lengthy abscence is due to her recovering from an injury. It was reported that there has been some recent positive news regarding her progress for a potential return but it is currently not known if she has been medically cleared yet.
Prior to the start of Saturday’s AEW Collision show in Cleveland, Ohio, AEW CEO Tony Khan announced on Twitter that Jay White was pulled from the card of the show due to personal-related reasons. This was the reason why the scheduled 8-Man Tag Team match was changed to a Trios match between Bullet Club Gold and Gravity, Aerostar & Dios Del Inframundo.
As noted before, AEW terminated CM Punk’s contract with cause earlier this month following their investigation into his backstage incident with Jack Perry at their All In event this past August. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that the current belief is that Punk was actually under two contracts with AEW, one for talent and one for employee. The reason for this reportedly is due to the belief that this was AEW’s way to cover full insurance for him but this has been something that has yet to be confirmed by AEW officials. Meltzer reported that besides Andrade El Idolo and FTR, at least three other talents were very upset over Punk’s firing with Brody King believed to be one of them. In regards to the backstage mood after Punk’s firing, many within AEW reportedly had felt that a dark cloud had been lifted over their heads and how much fun they had with recent shows.
In regards to Punk’s attempts at trying to get a meeting done with The Elite, Meltzer reported that several people within AEW had tried to get a meeting scheduled between Punk and the Young Bucks to resolve their issues but this was something that never actually asked due to the belief that the Young Bucks would turn down the request. AEW officials had looked into setting up a meeting on August 23rd in Duluth, Georgia since that was when they had tapings for both Dynamite and Collision on the same night. Meltzer reported that AEW officials had recently informed the Young Bucks of a legal letter that had been sent to the company from Punk’s camp claiming that the Young Bucks violated an agreement in place to not talk negatively in publicly about the other. This reportedly revolved around a skit in a recent episode of Being The Elite involving a storyline that had started years earlier and focused on Matt Jackson screwing up endorsement deal for the Elite only to be brought back and screwed up another deal leaving them broke in the process and being furious over the idea of never being able to retire or leave wrestling and demanded Jackson to give a public apology. Meltzer reported that while Punk’s name was never brought up in the skit, he had felt that this was a dig at him resulting in a legal letter being sent. Meltzer also reported that the combination of them receiving a legal letter and Punk’s backstage incident with Ryan Nemeth led to the Young Bucks turning down the idea of a potential meeting with Punk. Meltzer reported that another reason was due to the view of Punk had kept resetting the clock on the idea of time healing all wounds over his constant backstage issues. One person spoken to close to the Young Bucks stated that the Bucks had said to others that if Punk was able to go six months without any issues, then they would be willing to sit down with him for a meeting.
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that besides CM Punk storming into AEW CEO Tony Khan’s office and allegedly lunging at Khan over Jack Perry’s on-camera comments, there was another big incident backstage between Punk and Khan backstage at AEW’s All In event last month. This incident reportedly took place following Punk returning from his match against Samoa Joe and confronted Punk in a closed door area. Meltzer reported that details of this incident are currently not known beyond those who had noticed that Khan looked very upset when he came out.
As noted before, rumors of AEW security requiring fans to turn their CM Punk shirts inside out if they wanted to enter the United Center for this past Sunday’s All Out 2023 event was debunked. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that those spoken to stated that their was one security guard at one of the entrances to the venue who had mentioned those wearing CM Punk shirts needed to turn them inside out but nobody listened to him nor were they asked by other security when they entered to turn in their shirts. Meltzer reported that none of the security at the other entrances to the venue had said anything regarding any rules against CM Punk shirts.
As noted before, Ace Steel was released from AEW this past Thursday for the second time in his career with the company. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that a lot of people within AEW were surprised over his release when they found out but everyone had been aware that his job could be in jeopardy following CM Punk’s firing from the company.
As noted before, AEW’s All In event this past Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London, England set a new all-time record for largest paid attendance for a wrestling event in wrestling history at 81,035. In regards to total attendance, AEW CEO Tony Khan had stated during the All In post-show media scrum that they had around 90,000 people in the building while WrestleTix reported that their final count was 83,131. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the reason for the big discrepancy in numbers is due to WrestleTix’s number is only an estimate based on tickets distributed and those who had shown up to the event and did not count tickets sold or distributed for suites which would put the total number several thousands higher. Meltzer reported that when including suites, he estimated that AEW’s total attendance would have been around 85,371 while Khan’s higher attendance number would have included paid, comps, and suites.
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources both inside and outside of AEW confirmed that AEW officials had been hopeful of being able to broadcast last month’s All In event on Warner Bros Discovery’s MAX service. Meltzer reported that the reason why AEW decided to air the event as a traditional pay-per-view event was due to WBD officials had informed them that the tech needed for MAX to broadcast a live wrestling event was not ready in time for AEW’s decision. Meltzer also reported that another issue was that AEW would have needed to secure a new deal in order to air the event on MAX which they were not able to do in time for it. Meltzer also reported that WBD’s current plans for MAX are for it to start airing live hockey, basketball, and baseball soon for free on the service and then launch a new paid sports tier for live broadcasts in March of 2024.
Forbes Media managing editor Mike Ozanian recently valued AEW at being worth over $2 billion as a company based on a recent study done into AEW’s business of late.
AEW reportedly generated an attendance of 4,493 for their Sept. 2nd Collision show in Chicago, IL and 3,006 for their Sept. 6th Dynamite show in Indianapolis, IN, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
AEW reportedly has sold around 1,746 tickets for their Sept. 13th Dynamite show in Cincinnati, OH, 2,427 tickets for their Sept. 16th Collision show in State College, PA, 5,818 tickets for their Sept. 20th Dynamite Grand Slam 2023 show at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY, 2,101 tickets for their Sept. 23rd Collision show in Grand Rapids, MI, 1,833 tickets for their Sept. 27th Dynamite show in Broomfield, CO, 3,173 tickets for their Sept. 30th Collision show in Seattle, WA, 2,056 tickets for their Oct. 4th Dynamite show in Stockton, CA, 1,611 tickets for their Oct. 7th Collision show in Salt Lake City, UT, 1,428 tickets for their Oct. 10th Dynamite show in Independence, MO, 1,530 tickets for their Oct. 14th Collision show in Toledo, OH, 1,805 tickets for their Oct. 18th Dynamite show in Rosenberg, TX, 2,055 tickets for their Oct. 25th Dynamite show in Philadelphia, PA, and 1,727 tickets for their Oct. 28th Collision show in Uncasville, CT as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Impact, NJPW, Indies, & Misc. Wrestling

Debra Huggan recently announced on Twitter that her husband and WWE Hall of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan was hospitalized this past Friday and underwent emergency surgery on Saturday. Details regarding the cause for the hospitalization nor nature of the surgery were not given.
In a follow-up, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan’s official Twitter account issued an official statement on Sunday stating that Duggan is currently recovering and is resting following his undisclosed emergency surgery. It was stated “Update: Jim is resting comfortably. He is on the mend and will be back on his feet soon. Thank you for your prayers, good wishes and messages. Hacksaw’s fans are awesome! Thanks to @JakeSnakeDDT and Cheryl for the beautiful flowers!“
In a recent episode of the Hall of Fame with Booker T and Brad Gilmore podcast, co-host and Reality of Wrestling owner Booker T stated that Zilla Fatu, son of the late Umaga recently left his promotion. Booker T stated that the official reason was due to irreconcilable differences but did not provide any additional details. Booker T stated “I can’t tell you when you’re going to see Zilla again because he is now no longer a part of Reality of Wrestling due to irreconcilable differences, let’s just put it that way.” (Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com)
As noted before, Deonna Purrazzo’s current contract with Impact Wrestling is set to expire at the end of this year. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that Deonna Purrazzo’s contract is still set to expire after the end of this year and talks between the two sides for a potential contract extension have yet to reach an agreement for a new deal as of this weekend.
PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that Impact Wrestling’s Impact 1000 television taping on Saturday in White Plains, New York was a sold out event. Johnson reported that Impact officials were turning away people at the door who wanted to purchase tickets due to the venue had reached max capacity.
Former WWE wrestlers Maven and Vladimir Kozlov reportedly were in attendance backstage at Impact’s Impact 1000 tapings at White Plains, according to PWInsider. Santino Marella confirmed that Kozlov was backstage following a photo of him and Kozlov on Twitter.
In a recent digital exclusive backstage interview with Impact, Tommy Dreamer gave his thoughts about his Digital Media Championship win at Impact’s Victory Road 2023 event this past Friday and his current goals for his title reign. Dreamer stated “People can understand why I’m so passionate for this industry. You were just there live, and you felt that energy. I got to live that two to three, four times a week, and I’ve been chasing that for so long. Kenny King, thank you. You gave credibility to the DMC; I hope to do the same. I hope you learned a lesson because, like I said, man, I got taught so many lessons from so many of the greats. I gotta tell you, it felt so so good in front of my daughters, man, another moment in my career, another moment in this venue. I got to say again, thank you. Because I’m having so much fun. I gotta tell you, I will defend this title on every show I’m at. If it’s an independent show, I will defend this title. If any champion in any company wants to try to take the DMC from me, I’m right here. Roman, Seth, MOX, MJF; anybody in IMPACT. Moose, you got history with me. New Japan, your local indie — wherever it is, this is a new start. I will always say life is just like professional wrestling. You are gonna get knocked down, but you got to keep on getting up and keep on fighting, and I’m going to keep on fighting until I have no more breath in my body. Thank you.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
As noted before, AEW terminated CM Punk’s contract with cause earlier this month following their investigation into his backstage incident with Jack Perry at their All In event this past August. PWInisder’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that Impact officials have recently shown interest towards Punk. Johnson reported that the major obstacle to any potential deal would be monetary-related due to it not being known if they can even afford him. Johnson also reported that New Japan Pro Wrestling is not believed to be interested in Punk due to their current partnership with AEW.
NJPW recently announced that Yoshinobu Kanemaru suffered a left knee injury at their Road to Destruction 2023 event on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan and has been pulled from their upcoming Road to Destruction 2023 events as a result.
As noted before, Boltin Oleg recently suffered a left wrist injury and was pulled from this past Friday’s NJPW Road to Destruction 2023 event in Tokyo. NJPW recently provided an injury update stating that Oleg is also currently dealing with an infection in his left wrist and has also been pulled from their upcoming Road to Destruction 2023 events.
PROGRESS Wrestling recently announced a new match for the card of their Chapter 157: Hungry Like The Wolf event on September 24th in London, England. This is an AAA Latin American Championship match of mystery opponent vs. QT Marshall (c).
PROGRESS also recently announced a new match for the card of their Chapter 158: The Long Halloween event on October 22nd in London, England. This is a singles match of Eddie Kingston vs. Luke Jacobs.
This past Friday’s Viernes Espectacular event for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre featured several NFL team mascots making a surprise appearance on the show as part of CMLL’s current working partnership with the league. During the main event Trios match, Denver Broncos mascot Miles, Los Angeles Rams mascot Rampage, and Dallas Cowboys mascot Rowdy accompanied Mistico, Mascara Dorada, & Atlantis Jr to the ring. Arizona Cardinals mascot Big Red, Las Vegas mascot Raider Rusher, and Kansas City mascot KC Wolrf accompanied Titan, Templario, & Guerrero Maya Jr. to the ring.
Warrior Wrestling recently announced a new match for the card of their Warrior Wrestling 31 event on October 6th in South Bend, Indiana. This is a singles match of Bryan Keith vs. Eddie Kingston.
Stardom reportedly generated a paid attendance of 408 for their Sept. 2nd 5STAR Grand Prix 2023 event in Fukuyama, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Stardom announced a new match for the card of their October 9th event in Nagoya, Japan. This is a Six-Women Tag Team match of KAIRI, Nanae Takahashi, & Mayu Iwatani vs. FWC (Hazuki and Koguma) & Saya Iida.
As noted before, new United States-based Joshi promotion Sukeban recently announced that tickets for their upcoming debut event on September 21st in New York City, New York reached sold out status on the first day of ticket sales. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that this would mean around 700 for ticket sales based on the max capacity for events at host venue the Capitale.
Pro Wrestling NOAH reportedly generated a paid attendance of 2,133 for their Sept. 3rd N-1 Victory Finals event in Osaka, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
As noted before, Salina de la Renta made her official return to Major League Wrestling at this past Sunday’s Fury Road 2023 event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In a recent interview with the Busted Open Radio podcast, de la Renta gave her thoughts about her recent turn to MLW and her reasons for her original departure. De la Renta stated “It was incredible (return at MLW Fury Road). I was so happy to be back in my home, the crowd was excited, I was excited and I really can’t wait to share what I have planned for the rest of the season but, you’re just gonna have to wait.It was definitely a little bit upsetting having to take some time off but it was what I had to do during the time because two years ago, I decided to go back to school and I got a scholarship to Full Sail University and I’ve always been very pro-school and I really wanted to dedicate the time. So it only helps with my return because now I come back with more knowledge and with that rage that I’ve been holding onto for two years. So I’m ready to unleash the beast.” (Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com)