POST IT NOTES
**Rewind-A-Raw is live at 11 p.m. ET tonight with John Pollock & Wai Ting reviewing WWE Raw from Cleveland, Ohio, and going over the major news stories from the weekend. You can stream live on the POST YouTube channel.
**The Forbidden Pour is this Sunday at Real Sports (15 York Street, across from Scotiabank Arena) with doors opening at 3 p.m. There will be a live edition of ASK-A-WAI on stage and a chance to hang out with tons of POST listeners and members from the site. There will also be an afterparty immediately after Forbidden Door with live karaoke, wrestling-themed drinks & more. You can grab tickets at www.postwrestling.com/live. This is a 19+ event.
**Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter will be our guest on Pollock & Thurston this Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET.
**Wai Ting will be a guest on Haus of Wrestling with Nick Hausman on Tuesday at Noon ET on the Premier Streaming Network and the Haus of Wrestling podcast feed.
**The N.W.A. Podcast is available with Nate Milton & Kris Ealy being joined by John Siino and Rich Fann to discuss all the major news from recent weeks including CM Punk’s return on Collision.
POST SCHEDULE
Tonight: Rewind-A-Raw with John Pollock & Wai Ting
Tuesday: upNXT with Davie Portman & Braden Herrington
Wednesday: Pollock & Thurston feat. Dave Meltzer
Wednesday: Rewind-A-Dynamite
Wednesday: Double Shot – ‘What Happened to Doink the Clown?’ (Patreon)
Thursday: MCU L8R – Secret Invasion with Wai Ting & Rich Fann (Patreon)
Friday: Rewind-A-SmackDown with Wai & Kate (Patreon)
Saturday: Collison Course with Wai & Kate (Patreon)
Sunday: Wrestlenomics Radio
Monday: Forbidden Door POST Show with John & Wai
WRESTLING NEWS
**Seth Rollins spoke with Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post to promote Tuesday’s match with Bron Breakker on NXT. Rollins was asked about last Monday’s promo segment with Finn Balor and whether there is concern about the fans overriding future segments with their singing:
Why would I want to stop it? They’re doing my thing for me. Why would I want to stop them? What good is that? That’s silly. They “What” people when they’re bored with them. They’re singing my song to my opponent to aggravate him, to piss him off. They know that it annoys him so they keep doing it. That’s as good as it gets. If he was a heel out there standing by himself and they were booing him out of the building a la Dominik Mysterio and he couldn’t get a word in, everyone would be thinking that’s the greatest thing ever.
**WrestleTix reports that this Saturday’s episode of Collision in Toronto has topped 3,100 tickets distributed, so there has been a movement over the past several days even though it’s still a low figure for a venue of that size in a major wrestling market. Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago is just over 5,900 tickets distributed.
**Due to the Juneteenth federal holiday, ratings are delayed this week. The SmackDown & Rampage numbers will be released on Tuesday afternoon and the first number for AEW Collision will be out on Wednesday morning. The WWE Raw viewership figures are delayed until Wednesday afternoon.
**The Midnight ET airing of Collision in Canada on TSN 2 averaged approximately 15,000 viewers and 9,000 in the 25-54 demographic. This would not include the live-streaming figures for the TSN+ airing earlier in the evening.
**TSN 2 is listing AEW Rampage for 10 p.m. ET on Friday, June 30. TSN 5 is carrying this Saturday’s episode of Collision from Toronto live at 8 p.m.
**WWE Raw is in the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland tonight and includes Logan Paul’s first appearance since WrestleMania 39 and appearing in his home state. It will also feature Seth Rollins issuing an open challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship, which should ensure a high-quality match on the show. Rollins will have back-to-back title defenses with a match against Bron Breakker on Tuesday night on NXT. Below are the advertised matches and segments for Raw:
*World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins © vs. TBA
*MITB Qualifying Match: Trish Stratus vs. Raquel Rodriguez
*Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya
*Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bronson Reed
*Matt Riddle vs. Ludwig Kaiser
*Logan Paul returns
**June 19 is the anniversary of IMPACT Wrestling’s launch as NWA TNA in 2002. The promotion had multiple examples of being on the brink of disaster, but a combination of luck, timing, and ownership has thwarted the choppiest waters to a place of stability today under Anthem Sports & Entertainment. While it is harder than ever to exist as a standalone company in the U.S. without the WWE or AEW initials, the company has moved away from the negative stigma that hung over its head for years. If Anthem sees its value and serves a programming strategy, the company will have a role in the industry and isn’t evaluated in the same way as a traditional company that lives and dies on its standalone profits and losses. For the industry’s strength, it’s better with IMPACT to have a role that can attract performers and talent that can’t or won’t be utilized in the larger promotions. From a creative standpoint, it’s a well-booked weekly show with short and long-term planning woven throughout its television programming. While a far cry from the period on Spike TV from 2005-14, IMPACT has its pocket of the industry but like many other similarly sized groups, how do you grow in this environment? The latest addition of weekly wrestling is Collision as the big two are gobbling up more and more available hours from the consumer, making it harder for the average fan to seek out different types of wrestling and adding to an already full plate of weekly consumption.
**AJPW drew 1,966 fans to Ota Ward City Gymnasium on Saturday with Yuji Nagata extending his Triple Crown reign by beating protégé Yuma Anzai. There was a great video package to precede the match and had the added importance of Stan Hansen in the ring for the introductions. Nagata continues to defy time at 55. Anzai is 24 years old and only debuted last September (in a match with Nagata) and this was the biggest match of his short career. Anzai is not ready for that championship win. Still, he has been brought along so well and effectively by being attached to Nagata, who ultimately, Anzai should beat one day and it will be huge (as significant of a match outcome as All Japan can generate in its current incarnation). Anzai survived various submissions and relied on a series of flying knees and getting his foot on the rope after taking an exploder. After a one-count kick out, Nagata made his last fiery return and ended the match with the Backdrop Hold in 21:06. It was a tremendous storytelling match and Nagata continues to cement his status as an all-time great this late in his career. Yuma Aoyagi challenged Nagata after the match.
**The next day in Chiba, New Japan wrapped its tour with a show produced by Yuji Nagata with Blue Justice XII. The main event saw Nagata, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Master Wato & Satoshi Kojima defeat Kento Miyahara, Yuma Aoyagi, Yuma Anzai & Atsuki Aoyagi after Nagata submitted Atsuki Aoyagi in front of 1,716 at Sakura Citizen Gymnasium.
**An inter-promotional match between Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kento Miyahara has been announced for NOAH’s card at Korakuen Hall on July 15 and streams on Wrestle Universe. That is the same day that the G1 Climax begins.
**The most-watched YouTube video from AEW over the weekend was CM Punk’s return promo from Collision at 1.1 million views followed by highlights of the six-man main event at 614k views. The most-watched video from Dynamite was the face-to-face between Sting & Chris Jericho at 888k.
**AEW revives the Concession Stand Brawl match this Wednesday when Jeff Jarrett takes on Mark Briscoe. While they stated the first Tupelo Concession Stand match occurred forty-six years ago, it was June 15, 1979, when Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee took on Wayne Ferris & Larry Latham. In 1981, another version of the match and featured Eddie Gilbert & Ricky Morton against Atsushi Onita & Masa Fuchi.
**The first of two NXT ‘Gold Rush’ episodes airs on Tuesday night and includes one of the biggest matches they have presented on the program as Seth Rollins defends the World Heavyweight Championship. They have announced two title matches among the lineup for Tuesday:
*World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins © vs. Bron Breakker
*NXT North American Championship: Wes Lee © vs. Tyler Bate with Mustafa Ali as the special referee
*#1 Contenders Match for the NXT Tag Titles: Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs vs. Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. Malik Blade & Edris Enofe
*Cora Jade vs. Dana Brooke
*Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson vs. Valentina Feroz & Yulisa Leon
*Chase U’s Pep Rally for Thea Hail
**Denise Salcedo has an interview with IMPACT performer Gisele Shaw, who announced she was transgender one year ago. Shaw speaks with Salcedo about how the last year has been since making sharing that news and the support she has received.
**DEFY Wrestling has events in Portland and Toronto this weekend. Saturday’s card at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland includes El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Komander, Second Gear Crew vs. The Bollywood Boyz for the DEFY tag titles, Laredo Kid vs. Gringo Loco vs. Aramis, Cat Power & Amira vs. Vert Vixen & Viva Van, and Cody Chhun vs. Arez. Sunday’s card is a DEFY x Progress Wrestling show at 3 p.m. ET at the Rec Room in Toronto with Juventud Guerrera & Matt Cross vs. The Bollywood Boyz, Spike Trivet vs. Artemis Spencer for the Progress title, Vert Vixen vs. Nicole Matthews vs. Session Moth Martina vs. Allie Katch for the DEFY Women’s title, Charles Crowley vs. Gringo Loco, and SCHAFF vs. Bryan Keith.
**Being the Elite Ep. 352: “Anatomically Misleading Name”.
**WWE is honoring Edge (Adam Copeland) as this week marks 25 years since his on-screen debut on the June 22, 1998, episode of Raw is War. According to Cagematch users, Edge’s top matches of his career are TLC 2 (WrestleMania X-Seven), Edge & Chris Benoit vs. Rey Mysterio & Kurt Angle (No Mercy 2002), TLC 1 (SummerSlam 2000), Edge vs. The Undertaker in a TLC Match (SummerSlam 2008), Edge vs. Mick Foley (WrestleMania 22), TLC 3 (May 24, 2001), Elimination Chamber (New Year’s Revolution 2005), Ladder Match (WrestleMania 2000), Money in the Bank Match (WrestleMania 21), and Edge vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania 24).
*****
The N.W.A. Podcast: Summer Madness
Nate Milton and Kris Ealy are joined by John Siino & Rich Fann to chat about their first impressions of AEW Collision featuring CM Punk, and their top stories of the first half of 2023.
*****
WRESTLENOMICS RADIO
Disney’s FX is reportedly interested in WWE live rights, AEW Collision debuts on TNT, WWE’s motion to dismiss MLW’s lawsuit is denied, and more in this week’s Wrestlenomics Radio.
*****
COLLISION COURSE
John Pollock joins John Siino & Kate From MTL to review AEW Collision’s debut episode from Chicago, IL featuring the return of CM Punk.
*****
REWIND-A-SMACKDOWN
John Pollock & Wai Ting review WWE SmackDown featuring Jey Uso’s big decision. Plus, CM Punk’s interview with ESPN, allegations against Conor McGregor & more.
*****
REWIND-A-WAI #133: ROH Best in the World 2011
John Pollock & Wai Ting review ROH Best in the World 2011 featuring Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards for the ROH World Championship.
*****
THE WELLNESS POLICY: Science Communication
Wai, Jordan and Neal are joined by Leah Elson, a public science communicator, to chat about the importance of science literacy.
*****
DOUBLE SHOT: Dark Side of the Ring – The Graham Dynasty
On this week’s Double Shot, John Pollock and Wai Ting continue their weekly look at Dark Side of the Ring with a review of Season 4 Episode 3, “Breaking the Cycle: The Graham Dynasty”.
*****
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