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Friday, July 28, 2017

Alberto/Paige attorney fires back, Khali update, Mundo-AAA update, AAA loses UK TV home, AAA/LU tryout canceled, Nielsen updating ratings metrics, WWE considering roster shakeup, more ROH alums on their way to NXT, War Machine note, AJ pitches big NJPW rematch, Kong and Kim reunite, WWE 2K18 special edition, original GLOW names on new GLOW, more GFW tapings, Alberto-GFW update, GFW drops live event, WWE Networking adding Spanish content, special WWE shirt for Detroit, Angle DVD preview, HHH wished happy birthday, more ROH TV matches, big LU S4 update, and Questions on Joe the Samoan exile, the Hardys' Broken teases, titles not changing hands on DQ or countout, and WWE doing non-PG content

Alberto El Patron & Paige's attorney fired back at reports regarding the Orlando airport incident. This was definitely more than an argument, considering the potential for battery charges. It's potentially problematic for him to be representing both parties, as he could publicly downplay the seriousness of the situation.

The Great Khali is not currently advertised for further WWE appearances, but WWE clearly recognizes his value in getting their product further over in India.

Johnny Mundo is still working things out with AAA regarding the championships he has. He's not 100% done with the company at this time. AAA did a "worked shoot" angle where he threw down his championships and left his future open. It's expected he'll work TripleMania in late August to drop his championships, but it's unclear what he'll do after that.

AAA's TV show has been pulled from their UK home due to low ratings and complaints regarding the announcers. That's an unfortunate setback for the company. Hopefully Anthem will be able to help them get something bigger in the market, and they'll get things together for a better product.

AAA and LU have pulled out of a planned tryout session in New York during Summerslam weekend. AAA/LU are going through a pretty rocky time right now with Konnan splitting off and now the Mundo/Taya situation.

Nielsen is now adding YouTube and Hulu to its ratings system. I'm glad those venues are being considered as part of the viewership picture, because a lot of fans don't watch things live on TV anymore. Hopefully that gives a more accurate picture of how many people are watching shows.

WWE is considering doing another superstar shakeup in the fall. Interesting. I'd like to think some NXT names will be joining the main roster after Summerslam, too.

- WWE is considering moving some names from the main roster to NXT, particularly those who aren't getting traction on Raw or Smackdown. Between making use of them in NXT and releasing them, I'd definitely rather see names like Emma and Apollo Crews work NXT.

Donovan Dijak should be starting in NXT in September after doing Battle of Los Angeles. I look forward to seeing what he can do here.

Adam Cole is expected to start in NXT soon. I'd imagine there's a good chance he'll be in the crowd at Takeover:Brooklyn or otherwise teased on that show. He'll almost definitely be a hit.

War Machine remain free agents. They're currently holding titles in NJPW, so as long as that's the case, they're not signing with NXT. But they could easily drop them if NXT makes them the right offer.

AJ Styles has pitched a big match with Shinsuke Nakamura. I'm curious how that would get over in WWE.

Awesome Kong met with Gail Kim and John "Big" Gaburick recently, leading to speculation she'll come to GFW and work one last match with the retiring Kim before the year's up. I'd love to see it.

WWE 2K18 will have a "Cena (Nuff)" Edition focusing on Cena's 15-year anniversary with the company. One Night Stand 2006 was an absolutely amazing experience.

WWE Network has added more episodes of World Class Championship Wrestling.

Wrestlers from the original GLOW discussed the current Netflix series. It's gotten a lot of people talking about women's wrestling, so hopefully that means more interest in WWE, GFW, etc.

GFW has added more tapings in August, extending their stay in Orlando from August 17 through August 22. This will take the company through to Bound For Glory. So, things are going to be really different if Alberto's not part of things.

Alberto El Patron is not advertised for GFW's live events on August 4 and 5. Create-A-Pro wrestlers will be featured on the cards in special "showcase" matches in another crossover with a different promotion.

- GFW has canceled their August 6 live event due to "unforeseen circumstances and logistical challenges." People with tickets to that event can attend one of the other GFW shows that weekend. Ticket sales for the event weren't high, so this was likely a face-saving move and an attempt to increase attendance at the other two events. Hopefully things turn out well enough for GFW that weekend.

WWE Network will be adding Spanish commentary to older PPVs in the months to come as part of a move to focus on Spanish-speaking fans. There's expected to be more in that effort to come.

WWE's final event at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena will get a special Suplex City "Last Throw at the Joe" shirt. That's pretty cool. I like them making things like that for local events.

WWE previewed their Kurt Angle DVD. I'd love to see an ultimate collection someday combining his WWE and GFW careers, but that's not happening anytime soon.

The WWE Performance Center trainees wished Triple H Happy Birthday. That's a sea of humanity hired by The Game.

- Vince and Stephanie McMahon also wished him a happy 48th. He's one of the most powerful people in THIS BUSINESS right now.

Added to Saturday's ROH TV taping:
- Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kelly Klein
- Brandi Rhodes & Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose & Mandy Leon in Brandi's ROH debut. I assume we'll be seeing more of Brandi in an ROH ring going forward, and this also likely signals the end of her working at GFW.

El Rey's Chief Creative Officer confirmed there are negotiations for LU Season 4. It sounds like things could finally be coming together for it to happen. We'll see how much of the roster returns and who joins the series.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Joe's seemingly the only Samoan in wrestling not connected to the Anoa'i family.

2. It's currently just a wink and nod to tease something that may or not be coming. The Hardys are doing everything they can to keep fan interest in the Broken Universe stoked in case they are able to finally capitalize on what they did in GFW.

3. It's not as convincing of a win on the champion as a pinfall or submission. It'd be kind of a cheap win for the challenger to get the title that way.

4. I can see them doing some less "PG" stuff on the Network to appeal to that audience, but I wouldn't think that would extend to an in-ring product unless it's a really niche thing they want to do like the original One Night Stand event. That was a really special occasion, so I wouldn't count on something like that coming by again anytime soon.

Nothing to add to 5.

More wrestling tomorrow.

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