Here is your fight size update for Thursday, July 29, 2021:
- According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, WWE has yet to decide on a replacement for Canyon Ceman, the former senior vice president of talent development. Learn about the latest corporate releases from WWE here.
- According to Court Bauer on Twitter, MLW’s days on YouTube are coming to an end:
MLW's days on YouTube are coming to an end. I look forward to sharing more soon - and don't worry, it's good news. https://t.co/UldluGdYyK
— Court Bauer (@courtbauer) July 29, 2021
- Carmelo Hayes checks in following NXT Breakout win: What’s NeXT, July 29, 2021
- TNT is once again touting the ratings success of AEW Dynamite as AEW stays over 1 million viewers:
TNT's "AEW: DYNAMITE" Holds Strong as Wednesday’s #1 Cable Program for Third Straight Week
TNT’s AEW: DYNAMITE holds its spot at the top as Wednesday’s #1 cable program in P18-49 for the third straight week. See highlights below:
582K P18-49 / 193K P18-34 / 1.1M P2+
Week 94 of AEW was up 1% vs. last week
AEW: DYNAMITE “Fight for the Fallen” was the strongest premiere for AEW this year in P18-49.
“Fight for the Fallen” was up significantly vs. last year, +52% in P18-49 (582K vs. 382K).
2021 median age is tracking at 48 with 69% male skew.
Last night’s electric AEW: DYNAMITE “Fight for the Fallen” show featured “The Painmaker” Chris Jericho vs. Nick Gage in gripping main event match, a 10-man Elimination tag match with Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Hangman Page and The Dark Order, Santana & Ortiz of The Inner Circle vs. FTR of The Pinnacle, the IWGP U.S. Championship match with Lance Archer vs. Hikuleo, Thunder Rosa vs. Julia Hart, and Ricky Starks' FTW Championship celebration.
Founded by CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan, AEW is a new professional wrestling league headlined by Cody & Brandi Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), Chris Jericho, Sting, Hangman Page, MJF, Miro, Darby Allin, Hikaru Shida, Dr. Britt Baker and Jon Moxley. For the first time in many years, AEW is offering an alternative to mainstream wrestling, with a roster of world-class talent that is injecting new spirit, freshness and energy into the industry.
AEW: DYNAMITE on TNT airs Wednesday nights from 8-10 p.m. ET and continues to attract the youngest wrestling audience on television. AEW’s multi-platform content also includes AEW DARK and AEW DARK: ELEVATION, two weekly professional wrestling YouTube series, BEING THE ELITE, a weekly behind-the-scenes YouTube series, and AEW UNRESTRICTED, a weekly podcast series.
- Following the injury scare from last night’s AEW Dynamite, Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam is reporting that Cash Wheeler is doing well. There will hopefully be a more detailed update on his condition in the near future.
- Reflecting on his main roster debut, Karrion Kross says on Instagram, he’s very happy with where he is and can’t wait for more:
Scarlett asked me in private many months ago what would be my ideal scenario for going up to main roster. I told her in a perfect world, I’d love to work both shows; @wwenxt & @wwe #WWERAW and possibly even #WWESmackdown. I wanted as much as what was available to do.
Birthday rolls around months later, And on that very day of July 19th, I got what I wanted. Never discussed it with anyone, never talked about it. I just put it out there in the universe and did my best to privately work towards it.
Getting in front of a packed arena, full house and having the opportunity to do what I love in front of the #WWEUniverse; to hear, see and feel them after over a year of being here without a full attendance and chasing this for long before I arrived…
This month has been pretty awesome. Looking forward to the future… And more. #TickTock“
- Here is this week's WWE 205 Live card:
Jiro and Waller collide, Maverick returns to take on Hale on 205 Live
An exciting edition of the purple brand is set to feature a collision between former 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick and Asher Hale, as well as a battle between two eccentric competitors in Ikemen Jiro and Grayson Waller.
It seems entire possible — if not probable — that Waller is holding some resentment for his next opponent, as Jiro was selected to compete in the NXT Breakout Tournament and Waller was not.
Though Waller has been quick to shout, “I’ve already broken out!” to anyone who will listen, the Australian competitor will undoubtedly be looking to make a statement at Jiro’s expense, particularly after losing each of his last two matches.
Whether competing in singles or tag team action, Jiro has posted several impressive victories since debuting in May and remains undefeated on 205 Live. Just like Waller, however, Jiro is looking to bounce back from a loss, as he was knocked out of the NXT Breakout Tournament in the first round by Duke Hudson.
Though Maverick rarely competed on 205 Live during his run as the brand’s General Manager from 2017 to 2019, he is a well-traveled, versatile Superstar who will be hungry to once again ensure that 205 Live lives up to its “Most Exciting Hour on Television” moniker.
Since leaving the purple brand, Maverick has had several runs with the 24/7 Championship, competed on NXT, and finished as the runner-up during a gritty and inspiring run through NXT’s tournament to crown a new Cruiserweight Champion in May 2020.
Check out a can’t-miss edition of 205 Live, streaming Friday at 10/9 C on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else!
- Thank God Lance Storm is making these Flairs remain accountable for their actions:
You’re a Flair isn’t everyday a cheat day? #DirtiestPlayerInTheGame
— Lance Storm (@LanceStorm) July 29, 2021
- On Instagram, Chris Jericho shared a photo of the aftermath of his match with Nick Gage on last night’s AEW Fight for the Fallen.
- Kevin Nash has a pretty definitive answer for how he feels about CM Punk chants in WWE:
Who cares?
— Kevin Nash (@RealKevinNash) July 29, 2021
- Today, WWE stock fell to $48.10 per share. You can check out the most recent earnings call at this link.
- Rocky Mountain Collectibles issued the following:
On Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1st, 2021, Denver’s Rocky Mountain Collectibles (rockymountaincollectibles.com) will host a two-day charity Gaming Expo in celebration of the release of the brand new game, MetaZoo and the return of in-person Yu-Gi-Oh! play. All money raised that weekend will be donated to the Aoki Foundation. The two-day event will feature some terrific signing opportunities including Jason Paige, the original Pokémon theme song singer, who will be signing for the first time ever in Colorado, and legendary Pokémon collector Gary Haase. In addition, Rocky Mountain Collectibles will be donating thousands of dollars’ worth of tournament prizes, as well as some great charity raffle prizes. There will be door prizes and random giveaways throughout both days. Rocky Mountain Collectible’s owner Ellis Maddalena expects this two-day charity Expo to surpass last month’s charity event which raised over $60,000 for the Aoki Foundation
The first day of the Expo, Saturday, July 31, will take place at Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver Central Park, 4444 Havana St. in Denver, CO. Gaming on Day One will include a huge Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament with 24 boxes of the newest sets of cards and a Starlight rare Lightning Storm, worth $2500, donated to the prize pool by Rocky Mountain Collectibles and Digimon Two Box (prizing for top 4) tournaments. There will also be MetaZoo game demos, a 4-man Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel, 8-man Pokemon standard and 8-man Magic the Gathering Pods firing all day, with 100% of the entry fees being donated to the Aoki Foundation. As an added bonus, in addition to signing opportunities with Jason Paige and Gary Haase, fans will have the unique opportunity to meet and have items signed by MetaZoo game creator Michael Waddell, who will be at the Expo from 12 p.m.–5 p.m. Mr. Waddell will be donating a portion of his signature proceeds to the charity. Pop figures, sealed TCG products, singles and gaming accessories will be available for purchase for your Expo and signing needs.
On Sunday, August 1, Gaming Day 2 will take place at the Rocky Mountain Collectibles store, 4895 Joliet St. in Denver, CO. It will consist of another chance to catch signatures from the special guests, a Pokémon Case tournament (prizing for Top 4) and another MetaZoo demo, which will lead into The MetaZoo game release and introduction tournament, followed by the drawing of all of the charity raffles which will conclude this amazing charity weekend. You do not have to be present to win but you don’t want to miss this incredible event!
Rocky Mountain Collectibles was started by then 25-year-old Ellis Maddalena in 2019, and in less than two years has become Denver’s foremost destination for fans of Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon and Funko Pop collectibles & tournaments, A serious gamer and card player since he was a kid, Maddalena started playing Yu-Gi-Oh! casually when the game debuted in 2000 and has played competitively since 2013’s release of “Phantom Darkness.” He has topped and won major tournaments, including finishing in 7th place overall in the 2013 Nationals. “I've always wanted to share this passion in my life with the world. Collectibles also run in the family as my grandparents owned antique shops and my father, Joseph Maddalena, is world-renowned as the premier auction purveyor of television and movie memorabilia. When I decided to open my own gaming and collectibles store, I knew it had to be a store for the players and by the players, and you can tell that’s exactly what it is from the moment you walk into Rocky Mountain Collectibles.”
Maddalena continued, “The friendly environment and positive atmosphere fostered by the great collectible card community we’ve built, along with the unheard-of prizing, have combined to manifest something very special. We’ve been able to host over a dozen events per week between live, in-store events and our Discord server events. Our in-store gaming area can seat nearly 100 players. In our first year and a half, we’ve already become one of the top performing Official Tournament Stores for Yu-Gi-Oh!, and I’m proud to say that our Pokémon team finished top 128 in the world!”
Rocky Mountain Collectibles offers third-party card grading services through reputable PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) and CGC (Certified Guaranty Company). They’ve processed over 10,000 cards and continue to take in weekly submissions. Their volume of business has allowed them to become a CGC authorized dealer, making grading cards as easy and affordable as possible. Rocky Mountain also buys whole trading card collections, paying highly competitive rates on most buys and top dollar on rare and high-end items. They stock an abundance of hard-to-find singles and sealed products for Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon and Digimon, including over 5,000,000 carefully curated and organized Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, easily the largest number in the area. “One big reason our customers like the store so much is that we constantly bring in new and unique items they won’t find anywhere else! We are always searching out new stock to ensure every visit to the store is a fresh and fun experience for our customers,” said Maddalena.
Aside from trading cards, Rocky Mountain Collectibles has assembled one of the biggest Funko Pop figure collections in the country. Pre-pandemic, they hosted the largest “Pop swaps” Colorado has ever seen. “We are hoping to repeat that event again this summer. My team is always working to make the store and our premium events the best they can be for the loyal community and to always grow moving forward,” said Maddalena.
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- John Cena’s wildest moves: WWE Top 10, July 29, 2021:
