Daily Update: NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2026 thoughts, WWE Raw, Stephanie Vaquer

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

— Tonight’s Wrestling Observer Radio with me with Garrett Gonzales we’ll talk about Crown Jewel, King of Pro Wrestling, Money in the Bank, Max Caster, and more.

— King of Pro Wrestling was one of the better shows of the year. Walker Stewart & Chris Charlton are the premier announcing duo in the game and proved it again in the main event, which was every bit as good as the G-1 final match and perhaps top five and easily top ten best match of the year. The Gabe Kidd vs. Shota Umino was also great as was the trios title match where Jeff Cobb & Yuto Ice & Oskar won the titles from Henare & Great O’Khan & Will Ospreay. So many surprises over the past week with MJF, Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley all headed to New Japan. Power Struggle on 11/3 in Hiroshima has the Super Juniors tag final, Kenny Omega vs Yota Tsuji vs. Oleg Boltin, Yuto-Ice & Oskar vs. Ospreay & Callum Newman for the IWGP tag titles plus Gabe Kidd vs. Taichi for the Global title.

— For those following the attacks on the airport at Riyadh, the airport will be closed until this coming Saturday night due to strikes at the airport which left 12 dead and 300 injured.

— We’re looking for your thoughts on these three weekend shows:

You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to [email protected]

— Raw tonight is from Bossier City, LA with a main event of the Usos & Solo Sikoa vs. 946 in the in-ring debut of the trio. With all the storyline stuff their debut should in theory boost the rating. Chad Gable vs. Rey Fenix for the IC title and Rey Mysterio vs. Big Cass have been announced. There were 7,310 tickets out as of this afternoon.

— Stephanie Vaquer wrote a long Instagram post regarding a Cibernetico interview this past week with Rogelio Reyes, who is currently out on bail on charges of femicide against her. Reyes, who wrestled as Cuatrero in AAA and CMLL, claimed that he would be proven innocent. She claimed that she was not the first woman that he did this to among other things.

— Britt Baker will be at Friday’s Arena Mexico show, probably teaming with Persephone. The card should be announced tonight.

— CMLL in Puebla tonight has Máscara Dorada & Neon & Star Jr. vs. Soberano Jr. & Voador Jr. & Barbaro Cavernario and Tessa Blanchard & Lluvia & Jarochita vs. Persephone & Olympia & Hera

— Dorada vs. Zandokan Jr. headlines tomorrow night at ARena Mexico plus India Sioux & Sanely vs. Garra Negra and Keyra and Brillante Jr. & Rey Pegasus & Capitan Suicida vs Averno & Mephisto & Euforia.

— Dr. Manuel Galvan Esquivel, the commission doctor at Lucha Libre and boxing events in Mexico City, passed away on 10/6.

— Drew Galloway (McIntyre) has a voice role in the animated film “Hexed” which will be released on 11/25 at the theaters.

— Saturday night in San Jose before 1,200 fans: Diablo Azteca & Gallero b El Gran Kenut & Robin, Los Ultamames won vacant tag titels in a three-way over El Espartapajara & The DKC and Los Condenados, Karisma b Princesa Sugeith, El Cucuy won four-way over Anubis, Misterioso and Villano III Jr. to win the open weight title, Viento b Black Tiger, Mistico b Averno to retain the PWR title.

— Shingo Takagi and wife Natsupoi will face Hirooki Goto & Yuna Mizumori in a mixed tag match on the 10/29 show in Tokyo at the Ota Ward Gym.

— Steve Maclin said on Instagram that on 7/24 he had suffered a broken fibula and worked hard in ten weeks to recover well enough to do his street fight match with Adam Copeland on the Maple Leaf Wrestling PPV show last week in Toronto.

— The latest hearing in the misdemeanor battery case against Marcel Barthel (Grande Americano) from an incident on and right outside the elevator he, girlfriend Andrea Bazarte and another man was on takes place on 10/19 in Orange County, FL. Barthel claimed he was acting in self defense when Richard Reap claimed he had been punched several times by Barthel after telling him to mind his manners when he alleged Barthel and Bazarte were making out in the elevator in front of him.

— Rodney Mack turned 56 today. Karen Jarrett turned 54. Nat Pendleton, an Olympic silver medalist turned pro wrestling headliner who became a major acting star, passed away 59 years ago today at the age of 72. Ernie Roth, better known as The Grand Wizard and Abdullah “The Weasel” Farouk, was 57 when he died 43 years ago today. Cowboy Bob Kelly was 78 when he died 12 years ago today. Katsuya Kitamura was 36 when he died four years ago today. (thanks t Tony Richards)

— CJ Gallows, the 18-year-old son of Luke Gallows, makes his singles debut on Thrusday’s MLW Fusion show on Tubi.

— More WWE cuts this past week were Braxton Cole and Sam Hardway Holloway.

Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.