**AJ Styles on Similarities to His & Mark Henry’s Fake Retirement Promos**
Touching on the similarities to his recent fake retirement promo and Mark Henry’s, AJ Styles told Fightful, “All of them are happy accidents. Nothing’s ever—you don’t plan it. Well, I wouldn’t say that. My gear is a little bit different; my gear is planned. But when it comes to promos, not really.”
**WWE Teases Uncle Howdy**
During a commercial break on SmackDown, an apparent Uncle Howdy tease was witnessed by fans in attendance. Here’s the clip
**Eric Bischoff on How He Would Run AEW**
Speaking about how he would run AEW, former WCW president Eric Bischoff said on his 83 Weeks podcast, “Well, the biggest issue is they don’t have an issue with talent, although they have way too much of it. But that’s more of a business problem, a financial problem. The core of their issue is story—first, like really bad. Like the patient’s on his way out or her way out and you got to fix this because, from a storyline point of view, that company is bleeding out on the table and it needs triage. But after I triage the story and what the story means for that company and try to explain the vision for the company and what the company really represents, then I would focus on the characters so that they fit into that vision and fit into the type of story. Because right now your characters are all over the map. There are some good ones—Tony Storm was a great character, a very mediocre wrestler but a great character. Well, you can fix the wrestling part. It’s a lot easier to get somebody up to speed technically or work around whatever their weaknesses are so that you focus just on the character as much as possible. So, there are some great characters there, but there are some that aren’t. There’s a lot of them that aren’t. There’s a lot of them that are the same. It’s like 75% of their roster looks like they’re there to change your tires. I mean, it looks like somebody—if you pull around the back of a Jiffy Lube at lunchtime, everybody’s back there smoking a cigarette, having a sandwich—that’s what half the roster looks like.”
**Bryan Idol’s NWA Contract Details**
Going over details regarding his recently signed contract with the NWA, Bryan Idol told Steve Fall of Ringside News, “The contract and my position in the company cater to what my skills are outside the ring as well, and I think it’s a tremendous win for everybody involved—you know, me, the NWA. It’s set in such a way that honestly I like it. There’s room to go up, and I want that. I’m not someone who’s demanding a bag of money just to sit on my hands. I always put my money where my mouth is, so when there’s room to grow, I’m like, let’s grow. I feel like you can hitch me on your back and I’ll be a rocket ship and take you where you need to go. I’m really excited about the direction we’re going in and the position I have. That’s outstanding. It’s a three-year deal, and you bring up a point that’s the real truth. If you want to have extra value, some hater or somebody else might say, ‘Oh, you have to do extra stuff other than just wrestle.’ I don’t see the downside. All the way back to Hulk Hogan, he’s a marketing genius too in a lot of ways, and The Rock—all of them—they’re more than just wrestlers. When you get a chance to directly put that stuff to use in the company, it’s a blessing. Again, it’s a three-year deal. You say long term, but that’s not the longest. Look, three years is the start. If I have my way—I’m telling you, I mean a lot of people say this—but I’d prefer to stay here for the rest of my life. Whether that’s 20 years or 50 years, even 100 years, I’m good. I don’t envision myself trying to go anywhere else as long as we’re on this track.”
**Damian Priest vs. CM Punk?**
Addressing a possible match against CM Punk down the line, WWE’s World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest said this at the post-Clash of the Castle press conference: “Number one, I didn’t even know CM Punk was here. I had no idea that he was going to get involved. I found out literally as I was walking out, and I saw him with the referee t-shirt on. And then I was told in the back what happened. As far as him being back, it’s fine. He’s a huge star. We all know his accolades; we all know his resume. So, when he’s back healthy, if he can perform still at that high level and he earns his way, I would love to share that ring with him. But he’s going to have to earn it because I am the World Champion.”
**WWE Sabotaging AEW?**
Talking about how WWE may be using their power to go against AEW, Ringside News said that the influence that WWE wields over wrestling media has raised concerns among fans regarding the potential manipulation of information to shape narratives. A recent incident involving the misrepresentation of viewership figures for AEW Collision on June 1st serves as a notable example of this trend. Initially, Alfred Konuwa reported that the viewership for AEW Collision was as low as 122,000 viewers. However, it was later clarified that the actual viewership figure was significantly higher at 378,000 viewers. Despite the correction, the initial misinformation had already sparked widespread online discussion. Due to this, WWE was accused of planting negative AEW stories in the media. According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, obtaining fast national ratings is an expensive endeavor, costing thousands of dollars per episode, which limits the number of potential sources. Meltzer revealed that WWE has been consistently ordering these fast nationals for AEW shows since Nick Khan’s tenure began. Additionally, WWE’s PR team has attempted to share these numbers with various reporters, many of whom have chosen not to engage, viewing it as a questionable practice. Cable fast nationals must be requested and purchased, costing thousands of dollars for each episode. So the possible sources are far fewer than for typical ratings reporting. And I know WWE has been ordering AEW fast nationals every week roughly since Nick Khan started. Plus, I know WWE PR tried to feed the numbers to a long line of reporters who long ago decided it was too shady.
**Indie Wrestler Passes Away at 40**
In some unfortunate news, independent pro wrestler Big Cat Scott Henson has passed away at the age of 40, with one promotion writing, “Canadian Apex Wrestling is deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of our Tag Team Champions and beloved friend, Scott Henson. Our hearts are heavy with grief, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Scott, your impact on the Pacific Northwest wrestling community is immeasurable. You were a driving force behind the careers of many, and your contributions often went unnoticed. We love you, Scott, and your absence leaves a void that words cannot express. You will be profoundly missed.”
His tag team partner, Sansoft PAAW, wrote this on X: “Today was the first day I woke up knowing I didn’t have my tag team partner, my best friend, the funniest, most outrageous, and ridiculous person I’ve ever met in my life. I spent almost 24 hours straight with you, and in the very few hours after we parted ways, you were gone. Everyone always says it doesn’t feel real when they lose someone close. I now understand that. I saw you for almost a 24-hour period straight, then in the few hours we were apart, you were gone. I don’t know how I’m going to live the rest of my life without you. I spent all day yesterday wanting to message you and tell you all the dumb, stupid, only-funny-to-us things going around in my head, only to remember all of that is only going to stay in my brain forever. My entire adult life has been sharing memories with you. The fact that I’m never going to get to say any of our inside jokes out loud to anyone ever again hurts me. That I won’t get to hear your laugh again when we both see or hear something that tickles us just right. That you’re never going to get mad at me again for not wanting to do something I’ve committed to. That we’ll never eat ourselves into completely immobile food comas on Antons, then try to record a two-hour podcast again. It may sound ridiculous to some, but it feels like I’ve lost my partner—my heterosexual life partner. In the coming days, I’ll say a lot more. I’m not sure when or how, but I’ll go into much more detail. For now, I’m just going to keep telling myself that this is all a rib—that you’re playing a mean prank on me, at which I’ll laugh very hard when you show up at my house and act like nothing happened. I love you, Scott William Henson. You are my best friend, and I will love you forever.”
