Daily Update: Rosa Mendes retires, Linda McMahon, LU on Netflix

July 17, 2020 Off By HotelSalesCareers

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

Teddy Long joins 2017 WWE Hall of Fame class
Kenny Omega’s return highlights ROH & NJPW Honor Rising lineup
WWE expected to partner with HBO Sports, Bill Simmons on Andre The Giant documentary
WWE Elimination Chamber live results, news & recap
ROH TV taping results: Bullet Club, Jay Lethal, Top Prospect tourney kickoff 
WCPW launches the 2017 Pro Wrestling World Cup in the UK 

AUDIO

WOL: WWE Elimination Chamber fallout and Road to WrestleMania 2/13
WOR: Elimination Chamber, ROH, WhatCulture PPV, more! 2/13
B&V: WWE Elimination Chamber PPV, Vinny on New Japan, more! 2/12
WOL: WWE Elimination Chamber preview plus weekend news 2/12

We’re looking for your thoughts on Elimination Chamber, UFC 208 and NJPW New Beginning in Osaka, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for all three shows to [email protected].

Raw is from Las Vegas. Neither Bill Goldberg nor Brock Lesnar are scheduled for the show. There is also a Smackdown brand house show in Oakland, CA at the Oracle Arena.

Smackdown will be Tuesday from Anaheim, CA.

FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: 2/6/2017: How WWE got it right with Goldberg this time 

Over a decade after their match at Madison Square Garden was nearly booed out of the building, it’s remarkable that Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar will once again be a marquee match on a WrestleMania card in 2017. Their collision course that became inevitable once Goldberg was booked to dominate Lesnar at Survivor Series took the next step forward on last week’s Raw as Paul Heyman challenged Goldberg to the rematch on behalf of Lesnar… Subscribers click here to continue.

WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: February 13, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: NJPW New Beginning review, WWE Fast Lane/Elimination Chamber cards, more 

An update on the WWE’s WrestleMania plans and then two PPV’s leading to WrestleMania is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We update the situation with the Seth Rollins vs. HHH proposed match, new matches that have changed due to injuries, update injured talent and a new proposed championship match on the Mania show, as well as more on different planned matches.

We also look at plans for both Elimination Chamber and Fast Lane.

We’ve got full coverage of the New Beginning in Sapporo show headlined by Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki, with match-by-match coverage with star ratings, poll results and business notes. We look at the build up angle and the story behind the main event, and this week’s show in Osaka.

We look at the big coup by WWE Studios working with Dwayne Johnson, a current WWE star being talked about for doing MMA, Kurt Angle talks wrestling in WWE, NXT Takeover Orlando notes, and lots of thoughts on the XFL documentary and key points that were not in.

We also have more WWE WrestleMania week plans, more on Mike Adamle and his battle against dementia and his background, update on a lot of WWE injuries, a surprise coach at the Performance Center and update on where that come from, and another WWE movie project.

We also have tons of notes on the wrestlers brought to the Performance Center this past week as well as other athletes for tryouts, including who they are and their backgrounds including some very unique prospects. We also look at the most-watched shows of the past week on the network as well as a rundown of all the WWE and NXT arena events this past week with both highlights and business notes.

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected]. 
 
Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to [email protected]. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

WON BACK ISSUE: January 17, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Death of Gary Albright, Observer awards, more 

Gary Albright, a former world class amateur wrestling star and headliner on many big shows as a pro in Japan, died after collapsing in the ring at an independent show in Hazleton, PA before about 100 fans on 1/7. He was 36. The preliminary reports from the corner attributed the death of the 6-foot-4, 340-pound powerhouse to a heart attack, technically speaking a combination of severe atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus and acute pulmonary edema… Subscribers click here to continue.

MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

Bryan and I will be back late tonight covering Raw, as well as all the latest news. You can send e-mail questions for tonight’s show to [email protected].
 
Linda McMahon’s Senate confirmation, which is expected to be a basic rubber stamp approval as there is no major opposition to her in the role as head of the Small Business Administration, is set for tomorrow morning. 
 
The WWE stock, as part of the market’s rise as a whole and as part of Wall Street feeling WWE is growing was up to $22.66 per share today. 
 
Melina Roucka (Rosa Mendes) announced her retirement today. She hadn’t wrestled since April 2015, when she was written out of storylines after finding out she was pregnant. She made the announcement on her daughter’s first birthday.
 
Contenders Clothing, a men’s active lifestyle apparel company, has partnered with WWE to co-brand WWE boxer briefs called the WWE Contenders Collection. There will be adult and youth boxer briefs of John Cena, Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Dean Ambrose, Randy Savage, Ric Flair and Steve Austin. They will be available for order on 2/21.
 
Dorian Roldan on Twitter confirmed for the first time the Lucha Underground deal on Netflix. He only said it would be available in the spring. The target date was this week and it will be available in both the U.S. and Mexico.
WWE
After years of staying out of the state for TVs and PPVs (they have run house shows) due to issues with the commission and its rule about stopping matches if there is blood, after the state changed the law, WWE has announced a Smackdown TV taping on 4/18 at the Yum Center in Louisville.
Moana was No. 18 in the U.S. box office this past week and No, 8 in Australia. (thanks to James Stanios)
The WWE network announced a New Day “Feel the Positivity” collection that is being released.

UFC / MMA
UFC sent out a release stating that UFC 205 on 11/12 in Madison Square Garden had $37.4 million in economic impact for the area. That’s significant, although for a comparison to WrestleMania, that show has been topping $100 million in economic impact.
Germaine de Randamie said that due to all the controversy coming off her fight with Holly Holm, she would like to do it again. There was controversy, between the officiating and the scores, but it wasn’t a very exciting fight so there wouldn’t be a ton of interest in a rematch right now.
The Wall Street Journal has an article on Dana White.
John Danaher, the famous Jiu Jitsu coach of Georges St-Pierre and many others, was in the opening scene of Showtime’s show “Billions” demonstrating a gi choke to the lead character on the show played by Paul Giammati. (thanks to Eric Poon)
MISCELLANEOUS
The Empire Wrestling Federation’s ring truck caught on fire and the ring, lighting and sound system were destroyed. This was the ring and sound system that has been used forever by PWG. That won’t affect Saturday’s PWG show in Reseda directly, as the EWF has a second ring that will be used for the show. But it won’t be the normal ring. Unfortunately, their insurance will only cover about half the value of what was lost. (thanks to Steven Bryant)
The New York Post has a long article about the death of Chyna.
The Warriors of Wresting promotion apologized to its fans for Rikishi not wrestling at their show over the weekend. They sent out a post saying that they contacted him months ago, agreed on a price, he was put in full, made money from his autographs, and claimed that he then refused to wrestle on the show. The company wrote on Twitter, “We have never experienced something so blatantly disrespectful to the fans.”
Finest City Wrestling from Saturday night in Imperial Beach, CA: Aaron Garvey b Veinom, Corey Jackson b Zack Reeb, Lil Cholo b Adrian Quest, Jesse James won three-way over Jorel Nelson and Donnie Suarez, B-Boy b Andy Brown, Tyler Bateman b Scorpio Sky, Almighty Sheik & Fatu & Brody King b Guy Cool & Jake Atlas & D’Marco Wilson, Eli Everfly won over Danny Limelight and Biagio Crescenzo, Thunder Rosa & Holidead b Human Tornado & C-Love, Rey Fenix b Bestia 666. Told the Fenix match and B-Boy matches were really good (thanks to Steven Bryant).
Luke Hawx’s Wildcat Sports out of Louisiana is running on 6/10 in Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena. Scheduled to appear are Bestia 666, Stevie Richards, Luke Hawx, Crowbar, Homicide, Steve Anthony and more. They will be working in conjunction with The Monster Factory.
Total Combat Wrestling from yesterday in Rozzano, Milano, Italy: Claudio Campari & La Pasta b Sami Grayson & Error, Carlo Birra won over Rocco Gioiello, Saetta Nera and Backslash, Pain won over Oxlade Black and Fenice Rossa, Violent Joe won three-way over Jacob and Turbo, Scandalo b II Marchese (thanks to Alessio Garbini)
Longtime friend Jeff Zinger noted that the Josh Alexander vs. Mike Bailey match on Friday night in Kitchener was incredible, he said ****1/2 before a sellout 200 fans. He noted that almost nobody there knew Bailey but within five minutes he got the crowd going nuts and there was a two minute standing ovation for both men when it was over. He also noted that the ceiling was low in the building which limited doing much off the top, but he said it was one of the best indie matches he’s ever seen.
Tommy Dreamer and Bubba Ray Dudley will be doing a wrestling seminar on 3/30 at the Team 3-D Wrestling Academy in Kissimmee, FL. It’s $99 per person. You must be 18 to attend. Everyone is welcome, beginners to advanced. One person attending will get a six month scholarship to their school and one person attending will be put on a future event.
Absolute Intense Wresting on 2/17 in Cleveland at Our Lady of Mt Carmel. Among those appearing are Britt Baker, Swoggle, Tracy Williams, Louis Lyndon, Paul Burchill, Joey Janela, Ethan Page, Raymond Rowe and Laredo Kid.
Dynamo Pro Wrestling on 2/25 in Alton, IL at the Mineral Springs Mall.
AAW on Friday night in Merrionete Park, IL at 115 Bourbon Street has ACH vs. Matt Sydal for the Heritage title, Trevor Lee & Jack Evans vs. Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz for the AAW tag titles, Eddie Kingston vs. Abyss, Chuck Taylor & Trent Baretta vs. Davey Vega & Mat Fitcherr and El Hijo del Fantasma (King Cuerno) vs. Low Ki, plus Sami Callihan, Rey Fenix, Dave & Jake Crist, Michael Elgin, Matt Riddle, Brian Cage, Zema Ion and AR Fox. They also run 3/4 in LaSalle, IL at the Knights of Columbus.
This week’s pro wrestling quiz is here.

F4W / WO EMPIRE WRESTLEMANIA GROUP INFO

BUS INFO:

The Empire bus to WrestleMania will cost $50.00 and will be round trip from Rosen Inn at 9000 International Drive 32819 (a few blocks away from Wrestlcon).
The bus will leave at 4pm (time subject to change) for WrestleMania and will leave WrestleMania no later then one hour after the show. If you would like a seat email Ed at [email protected] or message him on the BOARD~! for Paypal payment instructions.

DINNER INFO:

WHAT: Dinner at Texas de Brazil
WHEN: Friday March 31st
WHERE: 5259 International Dr Ste F1, Orlando, FL 32819 at 5 p.m. (they may open at 4:30 for us)
WHO: All your best empire buddies
DETAILS: The cost of the dinner will be $68.00 which includes the dinner, salad bar, soft drinks and tea, and dessert, tax and tip. This is a pre pay dinner and you can send payment to paypal at [email protected] (please send as a gift to a friend). Payments must be made by March 24th (if you wait until after that, Ed will charge an extra $5.00 for being a pain).

Today in Professional Wrestling History (2/13): Shawn Michaels loses his smile

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