Originally published at POLLOCK'S NEWS UPDATE: Mysterio working without deal, per report
POST IT NOTES
**We have an interview on the site with Emily Pratt, who writes for FanFyte and Deadlock, as well as previous work at Uproxx. The three of us spoke about the Speaking Out movement, the role of promotions, their reactions, the next steps needed, and putting out her own statement last week. This is available on the free POST Wrestling feed for everyone to hear.
**Wai Ting and I will be back with Rewind-A-Raw tonight chatting about WWE Raw, the new main event of UFC 251, Rey Mysterio’s status, and lots of other news items. I also watched the WWE 365 special on Ricochet and will quickly review it on the show. Plus, your feedback & questions that can be posted on the POST Wrestling Forum after Raw and Phil Chertok stops by to discuss this weekend’s UFC 251 coverage.
**On Monday, I was a guest on Sportsnet 960 in Calgary with host Peter Klein discussing the change to the UFC 251 main event, a look at the card, the measures UFC has put in place for the shows this month, and more.
**On Tuesday, we are doing one of the strangest editions of Rewind-A-Wai as we discuss an episode of Lonesome Dove from December 1995 guest-starring Bret Hart as LUTHER ROOT. I have no reference point for this series, I don’t know what it’s about and this will be a podcast of the blind leading the blind as Wai and I navigate this show. If you’re a member of the POST Wrestling Café, you will be able to find out the results but for the love of God, don’t sign up specifically for this show. This episode could only be selected by one person – Jay Hunter from OSW, who will appear on the show and I promise he is going to be the highlight of the show.
**On this week’s edition of the PWT Cast, friends of the site Scrump & Stank are joined by WH Park to discuss many subjects including a rant about North American wrestling fans compared to Japanese crowds.
POST SCHEDULE
Tonight: Rewind-A-Raw with John Pollock & Wai Ting
Tuesday: Rewind-A-Wai #65: Lonesome Dove guest-starring Bret Hart (Patreon)
Tuesday: upNXT Review of Hamilton w/ Braden Herrington & Nate Milton
Wednesday: Rewind-A-Dynamite with John & Wai
Wednesday: upNXT with Braden Herrington & Davie Portman
Thursday: UFC 251 Preview Show with John Pollock & Phil Chertok
Thursday: British Wrestling Experience with Martin Bushby, Benno & Jamesie
Friday: Rewind-A-SmackDown (LIVE at 10:15 pm ET for all Patrons)
Saturday: UFC 251 POST Show with John & Phil Chertok (LIVE on YouTube.com/POSTwrestling)
Sunday: NJPW Dominion POST Show with John, Wai & Mike Murray (Patreon)
WRESTLING NEWS
**Tonight’s edition of Raw was taped this past Friday and they are advertising the following for tonight’s show at 8 pm Eastern on the USA Network:
*Asuka vs. Bayley
*Rey Mysterio & Aleister Black vs. Seth Rollins & Murphy
*Randy Orton, Andrade & Angel Garza vs. Big Show & Viking Raiders
**Kairi Sane is scheduled to appear on tonight’s episode of Raw.
**Ryan Satin at Pro Wrestling Sheet is reporting of additional COVID-19 positives in WWE following the most recent testing. Satin reports that at least 30 people at the PC have tested positive over the past three weeks including talent and behind-the-scenes people. The identities are not known beyond those that have disclosed they were positive, which were Renee Young, Adam Pearce, Kayla Braxton, and Jamie Noble. WWE held three taping dates last week with two NXT episodes on Wednesday at Full Sail University, SmackDown tapings last Thursday, and Raw tapings on Friday. The full schedule through SummerSlam can be seen on the site.
**Mike Johnson at PWinsider.com is reporting that Heath Slater (Heath Miller) will appear on tonight’s episode of Raw. Miller is still under his 90-day no compete clause and will be free to appear elsewhere beginning July 18th. There have been teases of Miller appearing by Impact Wrestling on recent episodes.
**PWinsider.com also confirmed Monday that SummerSlam will take place at the WWE Performance Center on Sunday, August 23rd. At one point, there was hope of holding the event elsewhere with limited fans.
**Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Rey Mysterio is currently working without a contract with WWE. Mysterio’s deal was set to expire recently with Meltzer adding that they could not come to an agreement but have moved ahead with the program involving Seth Rollins. It’s a unique situation with Mysterio, who is now 45 years old, and could be looking at his last contract if he signs a multi-year deal. It would be hard to imagine AEW not presenting a big offer to land the free agent given what he would mean on weekly television with a slew of opponents and dream matches to build to.
The other factor is his son Dominik, who is involved in this current angle and not wanting to jeopardize anything he is involved with. It’s for that last reason I cannot see Mysterio showing up anywhere else, at least until this angle wraps up. It’s a terrible time for Mysterio’s WWE deal to be up because six to eight months ago, he’d be staring at a giant raise with the huge money WWE had been paying to retain everyone.
Now, WWE appears to have a different mindset following the releases in April. Conversely, AEW has not shown any slowdown of signing talent and Mysterio would be that talent you go above-and-beyond for. One other option I could see for Mysterio is signing another short-term deal of 12-18 months at his current rate and then re-negotiate. The issue for Mysterio is time and he’s getting into the final stages of his in-ring career. He’s had a lifetime of knee problems, although he has spoken about the revitalization that stem cell therapy has had on them and he’s working at an incredible level over the past few years.
**Andrew Thompson has a report on this site regarding the circumstances behind Saieve Al Sabah receiving his release from MLW. Thompson’s reporting includes comments to this site from MLW’s head of wrestling operations Jared St. Laurent regarding his affiliation with the Team Vision Dojo and Chasyn Rance.
**Edge was a guest on ESPN with Peter Rosenberg & Stat Guy Greg promoting his film Money Plane that comes out this week. The focus was on the match at Backlash with Randy Orton that Edge was very happy with and described it as a “love letter to professional wrestling”. He tore the triceps during the RKO spot and added that he might have gone into the match with a partial tear. He has learned he needs to listen to his body and the signs were there something was wrong prior.
During the empty arena period, he said the promos have been fun, but the matches are not as fun due to the lack of fans. He only wants to stick around if he can have the caliber of performance he did at Backlash and added that he will definitely return from this injury. He defended the match at WrestleMania stating they called a lot of it on the fly, they had plans to go outdoors and onto the roof, but it was daylight when they were shooting and wouldn’t be when it aired. Regarding the length of the WrestleMania match, he said that he isn’t even supposed to be back, and fans complained about Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg’s matches being too short.
Of his influences, he said Bret Hart is at the top of the list comparing him to the Daniel Day-Lewis of pro wrestling. He isolated a match Hart had against Sean Waltman and Hart conveyed the entire story of the match with the way he sold one arm drag.
**Congratulations to Raymond Rowe (Erik of the Viking Raiders) and wife Sarah (Sarah Logan) who announced on Monday they were expecting their first child.
**The most noteworthy name appearing on Tuesday’s episode of AEW Dark is Brian Pillman Jr. The MLW performer was seen in the crowd throughout Wednesday’s Fyter Fest episode last week. Pillman Jr. is under a deal with MLW but most contracts with the group don’t prohibit working elsewhere if it doesn’t conflict with MLW’s shows, which are not running presently. We did seek comment from MLW regarding the status of Pillman with the promotion after Saieve Al Sabah revealed a message between them where Pillman Jr. allegedly asked for his MLW release and was turned down. Pillman was asked about his status on Twitter and told the fan to direct their question to MLW. Here are the matches for AEW Dark on Tuesday night at 7 pm Eastern:
*Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Shawn Spears
*Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix, The Butcher & The Blade vs. Joe Alonzo, Brady Pierce, Tony Donati & Faboo Andre
*Evil Uno & Stu Grayson vs. Brandon Cutler & Peter Avalon
*Big Swole vs. Rache Chanel
*Orange Cassidy vs. Will Hobbs
*Frankie Kazarian vs. Luther
*Michael Nakazawa vs. Shawn Dean
*Scorpio Sky vs. Serpentico
**New Japan announced YOSHI-HASHI and YOH have sustained injuries that will remove them from this weekend’s shows in Osaka. YOSHI-HASHI has a right knee injury and YOH injured his left knee. They didn’t provide a timetable for a return for either. Later, YOH wrote the following update stating he tore his ACL and will require surgery:
As announced in the official New Japan Pro Wrestling, I was injured in the game on the 23rd last month.
The cause was the landing when I flew out of the field, and at the same time when I landed, my knees became blunt and I felt that it was more dangerous than pain.
I fought because I had to make a match somehow, but I couldn’t squeeze in my knees and I couldn’t finish it. The result is a defeat.
After the match, I had Sugano trainer see me, I took an MRI the next day, and I had a diagnosis at the hospital on the 25th. The result was an anterior cruciate ligament rupture.
The first major injury in my life. The first hospitalization in my life. And surgery is needed. Missed the match.
**Brandon Thurston at Wrestlenomics is conducting a survey related to professional wrestling that includes questions about one’s age, race, political leanings, and social media habits.
**Below are the matches advertised for Tuesday’s episode of Impact Wrestling, which will air at a special start time of 9 pm Eastern on AXS TV & Fight Network in Canada:
*Josh Alexander vs. Sami Callihan
*Jordynne Grace vs. Kimber Lee
*Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie vs. Susie & Kylie Rae
*Fallah Bahh & TJP vs. XXXL vs. The Deaners vs. Reno Scum
**After TSN2’s airing of AEW Dynamite this Wednesday night in Canada, they will air four episodes of Dark Side of the Ring beginning at 10 pm Eastern. They will air the episodes covering the Montreal Screwjob, The Match Made in Heaven (Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth), The Killing of Bruiser Brody, and The Last of the Von Erichs. I would highly recommend the latter two, which were the strongest episodes of the first season.
**WWE Network News is reporting that a new episode of Break It Down featuring Sheamus premieres this Friday, and a new WWE Chronicle on Jeff Hardy will be released on Sunday.
**The NHL has revealed that of the 396 players to report to training and practice, 23 have tested positive for COVID-19. This follows 2,900 total tests administered and 1,400 over the past week. Those that tested positive are self-isolated and following guidelines set out by the CDC and Health Canada protocols.
**The WWE stock closed at $46.38 on Monday.
MMA NEWS
**Jorge Masvidal passed his first COVID-19 test in Las Vegas and was scheduled to leave for Abu Dhabi on Monday. The UFC has officially announced the new main event with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman defending the title against Masvidal this Saturday on Yas Island. Both fighters were sent to Las Vegas where they had to be tested. They will undergo three more COVID tests before the fight on Saturday, and then the fifth test before leaving the island to go home. This is the same protocol all fighters must go through on these shows on Yas Island this month.
**Ariel Helwani of ESPN spoke to Jorge Masvidal about the process of getting the title fight against Kamaru Usman this weekend in Abu Dhabi:
*Masvidal stated it was the UFC that called him on Friday night regarding the fight after Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19
*He stated he didn’t get exactly what he wanted, but it was close and he is happy with the deal and that whenever you get paid, you have to sign a lengthy contract
*He was 192 pounds on Saturday
*The fights he would like to run back are with Nate Diaz and Stephen Thompson
*Masvidal leaves for Abu Dhabi today (Monday)
**The addition of Jorge Masvidal to this card increases the interest level a lot and should generate lots of coverage in the days leading in. It’s an interesting lesson regarding leverage and bargaining power exhibited by Masvidal, who was not satisfied with the terms offered to initially take the fight leading to Gilbert Burns receiving the fight. In a pinch, the UFC reached out to Masvidal and a deal was worked out that Masvidal didn’t get all he wanted but said he was happy with the deal. The downside is the lack of preparation he has for such a tough opponent, who has been training for a five-round championship fight. Masvidal has a long flight to Abu Dhabi and must cut 22 pounds in six days as he said he was 192 as of Saturday. This is absolutely a fight Masvidal can win but one figures it would need to be early. Masvidal is supremely confident and that’s going to help sell the fight this week. It’s a great card on paper and has a legitimate star headlining with the change, so it’s a major upgrade under unfortunate circumstances for Burns.
**TSN in Canada will be carrying the UFC 251 prelims beginning at 6 pm Eastern this Saturday on TSN1 and TSN4 along with a post-show airing at 1 am Eastern after the pay-per-view.
**John Morgan from MMA Junkie & USA Today is one of the U.S. reporters that has traveled to Abu Dhabi for the UFC cards this month. He is keeping an updated journal of the process they are going through starting with their flight out of Las Vegas and protocol in place on the island since arriving.
ON THIS DATE
*****
POST INTERVIEW: Emily Pratt talks Speaking Out movement
John Pollock & Wai Ting are joined by Emily Pratt (freelance writer for FanFyte and Deadlock; formerly of Uproxx) to discuss the Speaking Out movement, responses from wrestling promotions, fan perceptions of accused talent, the media’s handling of the stories, and more.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/07/06/post-interview-emily-pratt-talks-speaking-out-movement/
*****
THE LONG & WINDING ROYAL ROAD
The Long & Winding Royal Road’s first episode with WH Park looks at a hidden gem as he and Scrump of the PWTcast take a look at a match from the 1997 Real World Tag League (Day 10): Hayabusa & Jinsei Shinzaki vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/07/05/lwrr-1-hayabusa-jinsei-shinzaki-vs-mitsuharu-misawa-jun-akiyama-11-27-97-w-scrump/
*****
POST PURORESU: New Japan Cup, Master Wato, G-1 Update
John Pollock & WH Park chat about the New Japan Cup, G-1 Climax news, Master Wato, Jun Akiyama to DDT, AJPW Dojo doc, talent leaving Zero1, and light tubes!
https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/07/04/post-puroresu-new-japan-cup-master-wato-g-1-update/
*****
REWIND-A-SMACKDOWN 7/3/20: WWE mask policy, EVOLVE, NXT/AEW ratings
John Pollock & Wai Ting review Friday Night SmackDown featuring Sheamus’ long-awaited Toast to Jeff Hardy. Plus, today’s news including WWE’s new mask policy, EVOLVE sold to WWE, G-1 Climax update, and we take your phone calls.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/38949134
*****
POST INTERVIEW: Dr. Alex Patel
John Pollock & Wai Ting welcome back Toronto-based critical care physician Dr. Alex Patel to discuss the latest information and studies on COVID-19; WWE, AEW & UFC’s handling of shows during the pandemic; plus answers to your questions from the POST Wrestling Forum.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/07/02/post-interview-dr-alex-patel-discusses-latest-on-covid-19/
*****
upNXT 7/1/20: “The Great American Bash”
Braden Herrington and Davie Portman review WWE NXT: The Great American Bash featuring the main event dream match of Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks. Plus, Oney Lorcan vs. Timothy Thatcher, and so much more!
https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/07/02/upnxt-7-1-20-the-great-american-bash/
*****
REWIND-A-DYNAMITE 7/1/20: AEW Fyter Fest Part 1
John Pollock and Wai Ting discuss the first night of AEW Fyter Fest including three title matches, Raw’s viewership drop, the passing of Killer Tim Brooks, news in Impact Wrestling, and more.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/07/02/rewind-a-dynamite-7-1-20-aew-fyter-fest-part-1-moxley-cage-delayed/
*****
ASK-A-WAI: Ask Us Anything! (July 2020)
John Pollock and Wai Ting answer their patrons’ questions from the POST Wrestling Forum in the July 2020 edition of Ask-A-Wai
https://www.patreon.com/posts/38800165/
*****
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