Summerslam 2018 announced, Flair has surgery, Cappetta health update, Alberto drops GFW Title, WWE press, alternate Summerslam commentary, former Divas Champion at live event, HOH distribution update, big ROH name signs with NXT, celebrity at Summerslam, big training seminar set, JoJo update, NWA affiliates losing licenses, new ROH matches, Smackdown live event note, and Questions on pushing Carmella, WWE focusing on "A" towns, important NJPW milestones, and Taker's HoF speech

Summerslam 2018 will also be in Brooklyn, New York on August 19. That might as well be the official home of the show at this point! I hope the market doesn't get burned out/spoiled with so much WWE action each year.

- WWE further confirmed another Takeover, Raw and Smackdown in the same venue.

Ric Flair's spokesperson stated he was going through "tough medical issues" early Monday morning.

- Michael Hayes visited Flair in the hospital. Flair has a LOT of people rooting for a full recovery.

- A lot of wrestling superstars wished Flair well, including Mick Foley, Matt Hardy, Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, Sasha Banks, Sean Waltman, Luke Gallows, Bruce Prichard, Harley Race, Scott Hall, the Bella Twins, John Cena, Renee Young, Vince Russo, Rip Rogers, Eric Bischoff, Velvet Sky, Alberto El Patron, Lita, The Miz, Jerry Lawler, Bayley, Jim Ross, Zack Ryder, The Iron Sheik, and Road Dogg.

- Ric Flair was put in a medically induced coma ahead of surgery. Charlotte flew to see her father in the hospital.

- Flair's colon surgery was successful. He's reportedly dealing with a number of medical issues. I hope the legend has a speedy recovery.

Ring announcer Gary Michael Cappetta is recovering from a heart attack and subsequent surgery. He isn't expected to miss any advertised dates. Glad he was able to get back on his feet quickly.

Alberto El Patron has been stripped of the GFW Championship, as the company has concluded its investigation of his actions. There has been no decision on when his suspension will end, which could mean he won't be paid until they book him again. This is a bold move, and likely an attempt by Ed Nordholm to combat negative publicity from an important Anthem employee. This will have important fallout for the upcoming TV tapings given how much focus had been on El Patron. The fact we might not see him again until November is very big. I wouldn't be surprised if he asked for his release rather than spending that long on the bench.

- Alberto put out a statement agreeing with GFW's decision. Hopefully this is the last time he's in this kind of situation. Him potentially being gone until November and missing the company's biggest show of the year is a pretty big move by Anthem, and shows how serious they are about their image.

Kurt Angle and Jason Jordan promoted Raw in Boston. I'm glad they're giving Jordan a big chance to break out.

Naomi promoted a Smackdown live event in Massachusetts at the same time.

Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss did a Facebook interview. They're really fun together.

Summerslam will feature live commentary in German and Russian for the first time ever, as well as in Portugese and Hindi. That's all good news. I hope fans who speak those languages subscribe to the Network more.

The former Kaitlyn visited at a live event this weekend near her hometown. It's a shame her wrestling career didn't work out.

HOH has left Flosports/Floslam. Tommy Dreamer has said the promotion will have a show on a larger platform in November, which led to speculation of a more traditional TV or PPV deal. Dreamer has something cooking with the company.

John Cena vs. Jinder Mahal is set for Smackdown. That's got to be happening on a bigger stage at some point if they have a long-term plan to focus on Jinder.

Adam Cole has signed a contract to work NXT. He'll be beginning at the WWE Performance Center soon, and I fully expect him to appear at Takeover and the following TV tapings. He can be a big star at that level, and hopefully on Raw or Smackdown down the line as well.

Seth Rollins promoted Summerslam. WWE obviously has a very talented roster, but they need to be able to get casual fans interested in their product or the great wrestling won't get them far. Crossover with top MMA names could get viewers to check out the product who wouldn't otherwise get to see someone like Rollins compete because they're not familiar with him.

Snoop Dogg will be at Summerslam weekend. We'll see if he'll get to celebrate a title win with Sasha; she got a last minute push with Bayley injured.

Sean Waltman will be holding a training seminar for Ken Anderson & Shawn Daivari's wrestling academy at the end of October. I'm glad that school is off to a good start. Not everyone can make it to the WWE Performance Center. It's good to have quality schools around the nation.

JoJo missed Raw due to her sister passing away. That's very sad news, and I wish the grieving family the best.

Local NWA affiliates are losing their licenses to be part of that body in October, as they won't be renewed under the Billy Corgan regime. The promotions will continue to exist independently of the NWA. It will be interesting to see what Corgan's plans are for NWA if he's letting go of so many members. 

Hiromu Takahashi vs. Mark Haskins has been added to the August 20 War of the Worlds UK event. I imagine having a show with four different promotions involved as a lot of work to book!

An Honor Rumble will take place at the August 26 TV taping. The winner will challenge for the ROH World Championship later in the taping. It will be interesting to see what direction ROH goes with all of that headed into Death Before Dishonor. Of course, Final Battle is approaching as well.

With Charlotte absent from the card, Smackdown's Monday night live event had Naomi winning a Fatal Five-Way against Natalya, Becky Lynch, Carmella, and Tamina to retain her championship. Interesting Lana wasn't involved there.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think it works in her favor as a heel to get an "undeserved" push above more experienced wrestlers. She stands out from the pack and is able to get by without being as polished as the other workers in the division. I'm all for pushing her and Ellsworth as contrasts to the stronger female wrestlers.

2. WWE wants to do bigger business in the "A" venues whenever possible. They don't put as much effort into some of the other cities; they only have so many resources to push shows.

3. A lot of people would say WrestleKingdom 9 or 10, depending on how far back you want to go.

4. Kurt could have meant it like "who are you to think you can talk to me like that? I won an Olympic gold medal with a broken freakin' neck!"

5. I think he should be inducted and speak "as Mark," with his wrestling career officially behind him. I don't think anyone watching the HoF is going to be put off by him not pretending he's actually a dead guy.

More wrestling tomorrow.