Speaking to Shukan Bunshun, Hiroshi Tanahashi talks about trying to make the schedule easier for New Japan talent: “Once I moved to the management side, I realized the practical reality that the company needs to schedule around 150 (shows) a year to generate revenue, and without that, we can’t secure the athletes’ salaries. I understand the athletes’ burdens, but I also understand the company’s need to secure revenue. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. {laughing} When I talk to the athletes, I think, this schedule is tough, but on the other hand, when the organizers say, ‘President, we want to hold this many shows this year,’ I have to say, ‘Let’s do it!’ We are currently considering a new strategy to maintain the number of shows while reducing the burden on the athletes.”
In this interview Kyle O’Reilly talks about wrestling with a neck injury for far too long: “I have a specific move, which I know is what did it over time, where I land on my head repeatedly three times while suplexing a guy. It was pretty foolish for me to continue that. There was one incident in a match, I think June 2022, I did that in the match and my arms and legs completely shut off and I couldn’t move for a second. It felt like an eternity. Watching back, it was like a second, but it was something bad. We thought it was my shoulder. I kept wrestling for another four months on basically a broken neck. Eventually, my arms started getting bad and weak. I had an MRI done on my neck and tons of compression on a bunch of nerves. ‘We’re gonna have to get surgery if you want to wrestle again.’ That kind of made the decision for me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be cleared to wrestle unless I got it fixed.”
Sadly speaking of neck injuries, Chris Ridgeway says he’s out of action due to one for the foreseeable future. Best wishes to him!
CMLL Lunes Clasico results are below. (FF)
- Hera & Olympia fought Astoreth & Lady Metal to a draw via double pin.
- Match Relámpago: Blue Shark def. Disturbio.
- Capitán Suicida & Hijo del Pantera def. Multy & Prayer
- Fuerza Poblana def. Demonios Orientales
- Templario, TJP & Francesco Akira def. Bárbaro Cavernario & Galeón Fantasma
- Místico, Máscara Dorada & Neón def. Titán, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi
And here are CMLL Domingo Familiar results. (FF)
- Mercurio & Pequeño Violencia def. Aéreo & Acero
- Two of Three Falls Match: Pólvora, Infarto & Coyote def. Fuego & AtrapaSueños (2-1)
- Two of Three Falls Match: Stigma & Los Ortiz def. Raider & Demonios Orientales (2-1)
- Match Relámpago: Hijo del Villano III def. Magia Blanca
- Templario, TJP & Francesco Akira def. Infernales
- Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Titán def. Hechicero & Hermanos Chávez
Want more lucha results? Here are IWRG Funcion Espectacular results. (FF)
- Kenji def. Felino Boy
- Principe Centauro & Rey Astaroth def. Cosmico & Ajolotl
- Oficial AK47 & Principe Centauro def. Big Strippers
- Big Mami & Shotas def. Keyra, Bugambilia & Aura.
- Villano V Jr. & Revolution Crew def. Bombero Infernal, Hijo de Dos Caras & Relampago
- Puerquiza Extrema def. Canek Jr., Hijo del Fishman & Lukianos
Satoshi Kojima has been added to Summer of the Beasts on Thursday. (MLW)
Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s Resurrection card for July 5th in Montreal is below. (MLP)
- MLP Canadian Championship Match: Josh Alexander vs. Ace Austin
- MLP Women’s Canadian Championship Match: Gisele Shaw vs. Shotzi Blackheart
- NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship Match: Thom Latimer vs. Matt Cardona
- PWA Champion’s Grail: Rohan Raja vs. Alexander Hammerstone
- House of Pain Match: PCO vs. Dan Maff
- Good Brothers vs. War Dogs
To make a long story short Michael Chandler says he spoke to Paul “Triple H” Levesque about a WWE contract.
In this interview John Cena talks about his favorite entrances: “I remember my first WrestleMania main event for a world championship was against JBL, and he came out in a limousine and he dropped money with his face on it, and we rehearsed his entrance and I’m looking at this going like, ‘This is fantastic.’ I turned to him, I go, ‘where’s my entrance?’ Deadpan, He turns to me (and) he goes, ‘You’re winning. That’s enough!’ I really liked the spectacle he made of the entrance. So I was like, man, if nobody’s doing special stuff, that’s WrestleMania. That’s an event that is a big ask for you as a fan. I wanted to make it special and unique, and now tons of people do special and unique entrances. So this year I just wanted to flip it and go like as bare bones simple as I could. So I like this one. I got to take that back. Sorry. Got to take that back. I had a chance to bring 50 kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation on the stage for WrestleMania. There’s nothing like the view out of the tunnel when you look at the stadium and it’s just bananas. So the fact that I got to share that moment with some close friends that day, that was pretty big too.”
The June 16th Raw did 2.7 million views. (Netflix)
WWE filed a trademark for “The Oracle” on June 23rd. (FF) I suspect the owners of The Matrix IP will have something to say about that.
The last episode of Collision did 427,000 viewers, up from 397,000 for the episode before. (Wrestlenomics)
Kacy Catanzaro (Katana Chance) is getting surgery on her broken nose. Best wishes to her!
TNA+ is now available on Samsung smart TVs.
Pat McAfee’s latest comments suggests he was burnt out on commentary, but don’t 100% guarantee that he’ll be returning next week.
Jordynne Grace earned a title show at Jacy Jayne for WWE Evolution 2 by winning a four-way on NXT last night. (WWE)
Here’s the current card for NXT next week. (WWE)
- NXT Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Jasper Troy vs. Yoshiki Inamura
- Myles Borne vs. Lexis King
- Joe Hendry vs. Wes Lee
The card for Soul on July 4th has been updated. (NJPW)
- IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Gabe Kidd (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
- G1 Climax Block A Play-In Match: Satoshi Kojima vs. Ryohei Oiwa
- G1 Climax Block B Play-In Match: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Chase Owens
- NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag team Championship: Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi (c) vs. YOH, Toru Yano and Master Wato
From 2K: “Today, the Dunk & Destruction Pack, the second of five DLC character packs, steps off the hardwood and into the ring in WWE 2K25, the highest rated game in franchise history on Xbox*, as the wrestling and basketball worlds collide. The Dunk & Destruction Pack features an eclectic collection of powerhouse athletes that bring the pain no matter where they compete. One of the most iconic sports personalities of all time, Shaquille O’Neal has been enshrined in The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, is a four-time NBA Champion, a three-time NBA Finals MVP, and the 2000 Most Valuable Player, among many other accolades. A fan-favorite DJ, rapper, actor, pop culture figure, and long-time WWE fan, Shaq has made appearances at several WWE events, where his imposing 7’1′ frame is undeniable, even amongst larger than life Superstars. Tyrese Haliburton, a two-time NBA All-Star and 2024 assists leader, led the Indiana Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals, the team’s first Finals appearance in 25 years. Haliburton is also an avid WWE fan, appearing on WWE TV and in WWE 2K25 decked out in a custom ‘Tyrese 3:17’ shirt in homage to WWE icon ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. Also appearing on WWE TV and in the Dunk & Destruction Pack, two-time NBA All-Star and Captain of the New York Knicks, Jalen Brunson took on Haliburton in the 2025 NBA Playoffs after confronting him on WWE SmackDown, bringing the worlds of WWE and basketball together in an unexpected and exciting way. In addition to NBA stars, two titanic powerhouses of the squared circle are featured in the Dunk & Destruction Pack. Standing 6’8′, the masked, maniacal Abyss struck fear into the hearts of opponents, winning championships in wrestling promotions around the world. Wielding a spiked 2×4 he named ‘Janice,’ Abyss seemed to take pleasure in causing his opponents pain in a variety of matches featuring unique stipulations, which should serve him well in his WWE 2K franchise debut. Joining Abyss and the NBA stars is the first Indian-born World Champion in WWE history, The Great Khali. The mammoth Punjabi Superstar captured the World Heavyweight Championship and earned a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame with his towering 7’1′ stature and powerful chops from his massive hands. The Dunk & Destruction Pack includes new objects that can be used to attack opponents, including a basketball and ‘Janice,’ plus MyFACTION cards for each new Superstar, as well as a total of more than 30 moves and taunts. The pack is available for individual purchase, or as part of the WWE 2K25 Season Pass, Ringside Pass, and in both The Bloodline Edition and Deadman Edition. Arriving in conjunction with the Dunk & Destruction Pack are new MyFACTION content, including the Amethyst Token Market opening June 23 and a new Bloodline card pack debuting June 26, and the Crown Jewel Arena, available to all players. Chapter 3 quests and unlockables on The Island, which include a unique new robot version of Cody Rhodes, Firefly Funhouse Alexa Bliss, playable Lily Doll character, and Nikki Cross ’23, will be exclusively available for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The WrestleMania 41 Arena will also be available to players who purchased the WrestleMania 41 Pack or The Bloodline Edition.”
Netflix has announced WWE Unreal will debut on July 29th.
Here’s the card for Dynamite tonight. (AEW)
- Winner Gets #1 Spot In Casino Gauntlet at All In: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Bandido vs. Roderick Strong
- Winner Gets #1 Spot in Casino Gauntlet at All In: Athena vs. Thunder Rosa vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander
- Kota Ibushi vs. Trent Beretta
- The Hurt Syndicate will appear live
A note about the Soul card above – Don Fale was removed from his scheduled G1 climax Play-In match and replaced by Satoshi Kojima. (NJPW)
