JR-Raw update, assorted wrestling press, Taven DVD released, new ROH prospect, injured WWE star gets surgery, SDL dark matches, another PWG name, WWF star on probation, more on Hardy arrest, MLW gets international deal, Raw audience, Omega signing set, WWE profiles Chinese tryouts, Bischoff-WWE update, former Universal Champion taking time off, Miz show return date, GLOW Emmy nominations, more NXT name changes, AAA U.S. shows on PPVs, and Questions on AEW's changes, making titles meaningful, gimmicking chairs, and why the U.S. Title means more than the 24/7 Title

Jim Ross was invited to Raw Reunion, with AEW allowing him to attend, but he ultimately turned down the offer. I'm glad he was considered and that all parties were willing to have him appear.

Pat McAfee taking a kendo stick shot was picked up by TMZ. At least WWE got press out of it.

- McAfee discussed the experience on his podcast.

Stephanie McMahon appeared on SportsCenter to promote a "Make A Wish" visit to the WWE Performance Center. That's pretty cool.

Eric Bischoff discussed CTE. I'm glad it's being taken seriously.

ROH has released a Matt Taven compilation DVD. I'm curious how well that will do.

ROH's top prospect tournament has added Austin Gunn, Billy Gunn's son. Interesting he's not going to AEW, but obviously people would call that move nepotism.

Mickie James has undergone ACL surgery. She's expected to be out until early 2020.

Drew McIntyre was scheduled for Smackdown Live, but not used on-screen. He lost to Roman Reigns after Smackdown Live.

Fenix has been added to PWG's Battle of Los Angeles. I'm curious if AEW talent will be able to work the event next year.

The Berzerker, John Nord, was given five years of probation after being arrested seven times for driving under the influence of painkillers. He is to remain in restrictive housing and no longer drive. It took seven arrests to make that happen?

Jeff Hardy's recent arrest was a result of being found unconscious in a stairwell after becoming intoxicated. That's a disappointing incident.

MLW Fusion will air in Africa on StarTimes. Good to see them expand in that way.

Raw drew 2.45 million viewers Monday night following Extreme Rules, getting a bit of a boost from last week. WWE looks to continue that boost with Raw Reunion.

Kenny Omega is set for a Pro Wrestling Tees signing during All Out weekend.

WWE's Chinese tryouts featured the following names:
- Jiang Zhu, who has wrestled for NOAH
- Peng Qu, a boxer
- Jiro Kuroshio of Japan
- Alexis Lee of Singapore
- Yuan Gao of China
- Andruew Tang of Singapore
- Vernice Crystal Gabriel of the Phillipines
- Qing Xia, who has experience with judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and kung fu.
- Golem Thai of Singapore Pro Wrestling
- P-Nutz of Singapore Pro Wrestling
- Xin Xu, who played in NFL Europe
- Deng Xingbo, track-and-field star
-- NXT/NXT UK staff and performers were on hand, including Jeremy Borash, Matt Bloom, Serena Deeb, Robbie Brookside, Johnny Moss, Reina Gonzalez, Kona Reeves, Xia Li, Boa, and Rocky. It looks like they scouted some experienced stars, so maybe some of them can acclimate to WWE well.

Eric Bischoff was not at Smackdown Live and had no impact on the episode. I'm under the impression he'll begin being integrated with next week's show. Again, Heyman was already part of the company and just moving to a bigger role. Bischoff is having to completely change what he was doing.

Finn Balor is set to take time off after Summerslam, said to be about two months. He could probably use a break; I'm glad he's able to get one.

"Miz & Mrs" is returning for new episodes on July 23.

GLOW was nominated for Emmys in the following categories:
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Betty Gilpin)
- Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy or Variety Program
- Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)
- Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series
- Outstanding Period Costumes

NXT talents have received the following new names:
- Nick Comoroto is now Nick Ogarelli
- Robbie E/Robert Strauss is now Robert Stone
- Rachael Evers is now Rachael Ellering again

AAA's Madison Square Garden show and Los Angeles show will air on PPV on September 15 and October 13 respectively. The first show will air at the same time as Clash of Champions, and the second show is likely to run against a different WWE PPV. It will be interesting to see which providers will run the AAA shows and when: they really chose their dates and times poorly if they're hoping to get the WWE audience.

- AAA has hired Tupelo-Honey Productions for PPV production for the events. These will be important presentations for the company.

Heavy Machinery defeated The B-Team before Smackdown Live.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's not just about putting on a good show. AEW is changing things with offering competitive contracts, a TV show on the biggest national platform since WCW went out of business, etc. That said, I do think Khan has gone into overdrive with some of his hype. I really appreciate his enthusiasm, and to some degree that's needed to get the project off the ground,

2 is a repeat. Nothing to add.

3. If WWE wanted their titles to be seen like real accomplishments, they'd set the standards for who challenges for them higher. For instance, Seth Rollins had to beat nine other top contenders in a battle royal to get into the main event of Summerslam. It can also be argued they'd drop/unify a number of championships, given the Wild Card Rule. At the very least, they'd make it where only Raw names could challenge for Raw titles, etc. Ultimately WWE doesn't really view its championships as prominently as NJPW does.

4. The idea was to make the chair as thin as something like a cookie sheet, so that it wouldn't be as hard of a hit. Obviously that didn't go as planned, and I hope they don't try it again.

5. It means more to have a championship that's only defended (relatively) prominently and selectively. The fewer people who can conceivably hold a title, theoretically the more elite it is.

More wrestling tomorrow.