Wrestling Afternoon Update – July 9, 2025
Your Complete Wrestling News Roundup
Published: July 9, 2025 – 5:00 PM ET
Source: Voice MV Wrestling News Division
🔥 BREAKING: Major Developments Across Wrestling
WWE Evolution 2 Sparks AJ Lee Return Speculation
WWE has sent fans into a frenzy with strategic social media posts featuring AJ Lee just days before Evolution 2. The company’s official YouTube channel posted “Story of the rise of AJ Lee” on July 9, marking the second AJ Lee-focused post this week. This timing, combined with the all-women’s premium live event scheduled for July 13 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, has ignited massive speculation about a potential surprise return.
Current Evolution 2 Card:
IYO SKY vs. Rhea Ripley (Women’s World Championship)
Tiffany Stratton vs. Trish Stratus (WWE Women’s Championship)
Jacy Jayne vs. Jordynne Grace (NXT Women’s Championship)
Becky Lynch vs. Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria (Women’s Intercontinental Championship)
Source: SI.com
Roman Reigns Return Teased “In a Big Way”
Paul Heyman delivered a scathing message on Monday Night Raw, directly challenging his former “Wise Man” Roman Reigns. Standing with his new faction including Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, Heyman declared: “Roman Reigns doesn’t have the balls to come back and step up against us.”
This deliberate provocation has intensified speculation that Reigns’ return could happen as early as Saturday’s “Saturday Night’s Main Event” rather than the previously reported SummerSlam timeframe.
Source: Newsweek
🏆 CHAMPIONSHIP & MATCH UPDATES
WWE Speed Results (July 9)
Sol Ruca successfully defended the WWE Speed Women’s Championship against Alba Fyre
A new four-man tournament for the WWE Speed Championship (currently held by El Grande Americano) begins next week
Source: ProWrestling.net
WWE-Big 12 Partnership Expansion
WWE announced a major expansion of its partnership with the Big 12 Conference. Friday Night SmackDown will broadcast from Big 12 markets on the eve of four conference football games throughout the 2025 season:
August 22: Dublin, Ireland (before Iowa State vs Kansas State)
October 3: Cincinnati, Ohio
October 24: Tempe, Arizona
October 31: Salt Lake City, Utah
Source: WWE.com
⚡ AEW ALL IN: TEXAS FINAL BUILD
Tonight’s Dynamite: The Final Stop
AEW Dynamite from Garland, Texas serves as the crucial final show before All In: Texas on July 12. Key segments include:
Main Event: Massive eight-man tag featuring Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & The Young Bucks vs. “Hangman” Adam Page, Will Ospreay, Katsuyori Shibata & Powerhouse Hobbs
Women’s Casino Gauntlet Qualifier: Thekla vs. Tay Melo vs. Queen Aminata vs. Megan Bayne (winner gets #2 entry spot)
Singles Action: Samoa Joe vs. Wheeler Yuta
Face-to-Face: Mercedes Moné and Toni Storm’s final confrontation before their AEW Women’s World Championship match
Source: WrestlingNews.co
All In: Texas Updated Card
AEW World Championship (Texas Death Match): Jon Moxley (c) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Mercedes Moné
Winner Takes All: Kazuchika Okada (Continental Champion) vs. Kenny Omega (International Champion)
AEW TNT Championship: Adam Cole (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher
AEW World Tag Team Championships: The Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. JetSpeed vs. The Patriarchy
🏥 INJURY & STATUS UPDATES
Major WWE Injury Crisis Worsens
WWE faces a significant injury crisis affecting multiple divisions:
Chad Gable: Underwent arm surgery July 1, expected out until late 2025
Liv Morgan: Dislocated shoulder requiring surgery, out 6+ months
Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate: Both reportedly sidelined with undisclosed injuries
Zoey Stark: ACL, MCL, and meniscus tears, out for remainder of 2025
Kevin Owens: Neck fusion surgery required, 6-12 month recovery
Source: TJRWrestling.net
AEW Injury Updates
Jay White: Not expected back anytime soon due to more significant injuries than initially believed
Red Velvet: Relinquished ROH Women’s TV Championship due to injury, will miss Supercard of Honor
Dustin Rhodes: Suspects swine flu, planning doctor visit
Sources: eWrestlingNews.com, Sportskeeda
🌏 INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING NEWS
NJPW G1 Climax 35 Schedule Released
New Japan Pro-Wrestling officially announced the complete schedule for G1 Climax 35, running July 19 – August 17, 2025. The tournament begins in Hokkaido and concludes at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Key Qualifiers:
Taichi secured the final spot by winning the Last Chance Play-In Gauntlet at New Japan Soul
Ryohei Oiwa and YOSHI-HASHI also qualified through play-in matches
Hirooki Goto pulled due to injury
Source: Search results compilation
TNA Slammiversary 2025 Build
TNA’s “biggest live event in company history” takes place July 20 at UBS Arena in Long Island. The event features:
Title vs. Title: TNA Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich vs. NXT Women’s Champion (Jacy Jayne or Jordynne Grace)
TNA World Championship Triple Threat: Trick Williams (c) vs. Joe Hendry vs. Mike Santana
Four-Way Ladder Match: The Nemeths (c) vs. The Hardys vs. FIR$T CLA$$ vs. The Rascalz
Source: TNAWrestling.com
💼 BACKSTAGE & BUSINESS NEWS
WWE Personnel Changes
Scott Stanford officially departed WWE after 15 years as broadcaster and host
Shayna Baszler returned in new producer role just two months after reported release
Universal Studios Partnership confirmed for Halloween Horror Nights 2025
Sources: MSN, Bleacher Report
Tony Khan Addresses Key AEW Issues
AEW President Tony Khan made several important statements:
Denied Mercedes Moné has creative control: “I am the only person with creative control over the show”
Addressed Britt Baker rumors: “I’ve never had a conversation about Britt departing AEW”
Emphasized current AEW shows “the most focused AEW in many, many years”
Source: TheRingReport.com
📊 RATINGS & VIEWERSHIP
AEW Collision saw viewership increase for its 100th episode on July 5, returning to Saturday nights
WWE NXT continues strong build toward Great American Bash with Evolution Summit chaos
TNA targeting$10 million annually for new media rights deal to go live 52 weeks per year
🔮 LOOKING AHEAD
This Weekend’s Major Events:
July 12: AEW All In: Texas vs. WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
July 13: WWE Evolution 2 (Atlanta)
July 13: ROH Supercard of Honor
Next Week:
July 19: NJPW G1 Climax 35 begins in Hokkaido
July 20: TNA Slammiversary 2025 (Long Island)
📝 FINAL THOUGHTS
July 9, 2025 represents a pivotal moment in professional wrestling, with AEW and WWE heading into direct competition this weekend while dealing with significant roster challenges. The injury crisis affecting WWE’s depth, combined with AEW’s final push for All In: Texas, creates a fascinating dynamic as both promotions vie for audience attention.
The speculation surrounding Roman Reigns’ return and AJ Lee’s potential Evolution 2 appearance demonstrates how effectively both companies are building anticipation for their respective events. Meanwhile, international promotions like NJPW and TNA continue expanding their reach and ambitions.
For more wrestling news and analysis, visit www.voicemv.com
Next Update: July 10, 2025 – 8:00 AM ET
