Well it's Thursday, which means all the news is gonna come via the Observer. I've gone through it and summarised it. I hope the mods don't mind the amount of direct quotes I used.
The big features are about Punk, CMLL's Anniversary show and PWG's BOLA. I didn't read the Raw/Smackdown notes because usually anything in there he has already said on WOR.
Italic quotes are direct quotes from Meltzer. Normal text is my summary.
http://www.f4wonline.com/september-...-punk-making-ufc-debut-pwg-battle-los-angeles
WWE
- most of the Paige stuff has already been discussed, but the big line, imo, is
"The story is that Paige has gotten legal representation and at press time nobody seems to know whether she’ll stay or go."
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"They started going with Kane vs. Corbin, but after a house show run, they stopped pushing it on TV" THANK GOD
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"The original plan was to keep Reigns and Rollins out of the title picture for a few months, but the injury to Balor forced them to make a new top babyface and Rollins got the call."
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"Cesaro vs. Sheamus match seven will be on the show" - this isn't a spoiler right? Like, we all knew this would happen? I figured they would spread it over a couple of months though...
- There's some stuff on Survivor Series weekend in Canada. Raw was supposed to be in Montreal. Ontario had NXT dates in September, which they cancelled for the takeover. Meltz says that Survivor Series is still part of the big 4 and it makes sense to stack the weekend and turn it into a detestation weekend. Notes that Roode should win the belt and move Naka up, which of course they should.
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The idea right now is to do Takeovers in conjunction with the big four events."
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"There is still nothing official regarding the site for the Rumble. Rumors persist it is Los Angeles, but the company has continually denied that."
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"Gran Metalik will be moving his family to the U.S. so there may be a delay in him relocating and being in full-time. Alexander, Kendrick, Tommaso Ciampa, TJ Perkins and Johnny Gargano as well as Metalik are all pretty much confirmed for the cruiserweight division and the company also announced Akira Tozawa and Jack Gallagher. It’s said that the tournament is there for Kota Ibushi to win if he signs a full-time deal. Zack Sabre Jr. also probably could have won it if he signs a full-time deal. Of the final four, Perkins and Metalik are signed, Sabre Jr. isn’t and doesn’t look to be, and Ibushi has said that he isn’t going full-time and they want the cruiserweight division to be full-time guys" - most of this was already known but it's good for the record.
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"Stephanie McMahon’s autobiography has been pushed back indefinitely."
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"Regal was in California scouting at the PWG show."
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"The plan is to make Lana a much larger character in the next season of Total Divas"
- there's a big bloc about the Montreal screwjob because of a Bruce Prichard interview. i'm not even gonna read it but if anyone really wants it...
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"There was more than one performer that were very upset with the Banks promo and the idea of it.". it seems that both Daniel Bryan's retirement and Tyson Kidd's forced retirement is part of the reason it struck the wrong chords with a couple of the performers. Meltzer "just saw it as a bad TV segment."
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"Harper has just started training"
- HULK HOGAN IS A BIG KEVIN OWENS FAN. he was on Bischoff’s podcast and i guess it was talked about in that
Other Wrestling
- ADR might go to Elite in Mexcio, not AAA. I believe that would mean no Lucha Undergound.
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"The (PWG BOLA shows) included three of the best tag team matches of the year, and easily the best wrestling held in this country. The second night, just like last year, was easily the best show I’ve seen outside of Japan as far as match quality goes, blowing away any NXT Takeover event or ROH show even"
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"Unless plans change, the Tokyo Dome main event this year will be Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, as it looks to be. Omega will be the first Canadian to main event a New Japan Tokyo Dome show". I would expect a tease of a fan vote in the coming months though
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"Cody Rhodes at this point can’t use the Rhodes name if he works on television. There are still talks going on, as WWE is also claiming ownership to merchandise rights of Dusty Rhodes, so he would have to work with WWE to do his planned book on his father. The deal is that Cody Rhodes only worked for WWE from the start of his career and never used the name anywhere first. There are arguments in the sense that the name Dusty Rhodes dates back 50 years, long before WWE and it was a family wrestling name that his brother also used for years before WWE. Rhodes is trying to fulfill his bucket list that he put on the Internet some time back and it looks like he’s going to hit every one. He said he is no looking to sign with anyone. His major goal looks to be to try and make it as an actor on television."
- Cody has December ROH dates, wants to work with Adam Cole (good luck with that Cody, Adam should be busy with KOR that month), has a Japan date with Shibata, and could work with him outside of Japan as well, wants to work TNA with Brandi against Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis because of a relationship in Northeast Wrestling, and has got offers to work with Damien Sandow but only wants to do stuff against new opponents.
- "When Rhodes said that his father had wanted him to quit starting after WrestleMania 28, some were skeptical, but Dusty’s office assistant Rob Naylor confirmed that as being true. Naylor noted that once Cody stopped being pushed, that the worst day to be around Dusty was Tuesday if Dusty didn’t like how Cody was being used on Raw"
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"Ethan Carter III won’t be returning to Evolve. Jeff Cobb will also be starting with this group but they are just working out the dates."
- Still no dates for when the next Lucha Underground season starts taping. S3 started tonight.
- As above, ECIII has signed a new TNA deal, in which head office books his indie dates (this was rumoured ages ago)
http://www.f4wonline.com/september-...-punk-making-ufc-debut-pwg-battle-los-angeles