Welcome back to the LNC Wrestling Mid-Afternoon News Roundup, the fifth installment of the series where we cut through the noise, scroll past the lazy headlines, and get straight to what actually matters in wrestling while everyone is trying to survive a Tuesday afternoon, checking their phone during lunch, a work break, or that weird part of the day where time stops moving.
Today’s edition has a little bit of everything. MLW and NJPW are expanding their relationship in a way that could quietly help MLW’s weekly product reach a bigger international audience. Danhausen somehow became part of the Knicks championship celebration because wrestling is ridiculous and beautiful when it stops trying to be normal. WWE EVOLVE is reportedly taping more content as that developmental pipeline keeps getting stronger. Big E is preparing to tell a much deeper story than just championships and New Day memories.
Drew McIntyre’s WWE return may have to wait because Hollywood is calling again. Shawn Dean reminded everyone how important scouting and extra work really are. RAW is getting an early start time later this month. NJPW’s G1 Climax play-ins are set. And Bryan Danielson’s comments about Kofi Kingston are another reminder that some creative decisions never stop bothering fans.
This is a busy Tuesday. Not loud just for the sake of being loud, but full of stories that say something bigger about where wrestling is moving.
MLW Fusion Coming To NJPW World Is A Smart Move That Needs Strong Follow-Through
MLW Fusion airing free on NJPW World starting June 22 is a strong move for MLW because the company needs more than just a good product. It needs consistent visibility.
That has always been the challenge with MLW. The promotion has identity. It has names. It has a different flavor than WWE, AEW, TNA, NXT, and New Japan. It can feel grittier, weirder, more chaotic, and more underground when everything clicks. But none of that matters if fans do not know where to watch or do not make the show part of their weekly routine.
Putting Fusion on NJPW World gives MLW a better chance to get in front of fans who already care about international wrestling. That matters. NJPW World viewers are not casual fans stumbling into something by accident. They are already paying attention to New Japan, tournaments, title matches, cross-promotional politics, Japanese wrestling, and talent that moves between companies.
That is the kind of audience MLW should want.
This also helps NJPW World because streaming platforms need fresh content. A library is great, but fresh weekly programming keeps people coming back. Fusion gives the platform another regular show without NJPW having to create all of it on its own.
The move makes sense on both sides.
The only real question is whether MLW can make the most of it. Distribution is not booking. A new platform does not fix weak storytelling, cold matches, or inconsistent momentum. MLW still has to make Fusion feel worth watching every week. If the show feels important, this deal can help. If it feels like content for content’s sake, it will just become another place where the same show exists.
Still, this is the kind of business move MLW should be making. Partnerships matter right now. Wrestling is too connected for smaller companies to act like they can grow in isolation forever.
MLW getting on NJPW World is a win.
Now the product has to make sure people stay.
Danhausen Being Invited To The Knicks Parade Is The Exact Kind Of Weird Wrestling Crossover That Works
Danhausen being publicly invited to the Knicks championship parade by WFAN is one of those stories that sounds fake until you remember wrestling is at its best when it accidentally becomes part of the real world.
The Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years, and somehow Danhausen is part of the celebration because fans ran with the idea that he “uncursed” the team. That is stupid. That is funny. That is also exactly why it works.
Not every wrestling crossover has to be serious. Not everything has to be a corporate synergy announcement with five executives smiling in front of a backdrop. Sometimes the best mainstream attention comes from something weird catching fire at the right time.
That is what happened here.
Danhausen’s character is already built for this kind of nonsense. He is strange, dramatic, unserious, and marketable in a way that makes no sense until it suddenly does. The Knicks finally winning gave fans a real sports moment, and Danhausen gave wrestling fans a way to attach themselves to it.
WWE would be smart to ride the wave, but only to a point.
There is a difference between capitalizing on a fun moment and draining the fun out of it. If Danhausen shows up at the parade, gets content out of it, helps move some merch, and ties it into Saturday Night’s Main Event at Madison Square Garden, that is smart. If WWE turns it into weeks of forced comedy and overproduced segments, the joke could get tired very fast.
Right now, it feels fun because it feels like the internet created it before the company fully grabbed it.
That is the sweet spot.
Danhausen at a Knicks championship parade is not the biggest wrestling story of the day, but it might be the most wrestling story of the day. A cursed basketball team, a 53-year drought, a parade in New York, and a very nice, very evil wrestler getting treated like a local sports hero.
Very dumb. Very perfect.
WWE EVOLVE Tapings Show How Serious WWE Is About Building The Next Layer Under NXT
WWE reportedly holding two sets of EVOLVE tapings this weekend is not just a scheduling note. It is another sign that EVOLVE is becoming a real piece of WWE’s developmental machine.
That matters because NXT is not the same thing it used to be.
NXT is still developmental in some ways, but it is also a real television brand now. It has ratings pressure, crossover stories, championship stakes, TNA involvement, premium live events, and talent who are already being presented like stars before they ever get to Raw or SmackDown.
That means WWE needs something underneath NXT.
EVOLVE fills that space.
It gives younger wrestlers a place to work, learn, fail, improve, and build characters without everything being judged like a major Tuesday night angle. That is valuable. Not every prospect needs to be thrown directly into NXT television and expected to figure it out in front of a national audience.
The WWE ID connection makes it even more interesting.
If WWE ID talent are being pulled into EVOLVE tapings, that means WWE is continuing to blend the independent scene with its own developmental system. For wrestlers, that can be a huge opportunity. It gets them in front of WWE coaches, cameras, producers, and decision-makers. For WWE, it gives the company a better look at who can actually handle the environment.
The complicated part is what it means for the independent scene long term.
More opportunity is good. More exposure is good. But WWE having a stronger grip on the next generation of indie talent also changes the landscape. It gives wrestlers a clearer path to WWE, but it also makes everything feel a little more connected to the machine.
That is not automatically bad. It just needs to be watched.
EVOLVE has the chance to become more than just developmental content. It can become the place where fans start following people before NXT tells them to care. But that only works if the show has stories, stakes, champions, and characters who feel like they are moving somewhere.
Two tapings means WWE is loading up content.
Now EVOLVE has to make that content feel like it matters.
Big E’s Memoir Could Be One Of The Most Meaningful Wrestling Books In Years
Big E writing a memoir about his life, career, and mental health already feels bigger than a standard wrestling book.
The title, How I Got Over: Healing from Depression and Psychosis to Find Joy In and Out of the Ring, tells you this is not just going to be a greatest hits collection. This does not sound like a book built only around road stories, matches, championships, or New Day memories. It sounds like Big E is preparing to tell the kind of story that reaches past wrestling.
That matters because Big E has always connected with fans on a human level.
Yes, he is funny. Yes, he is powerful. Yes, he was part of one of the greatest factions WWE has ever had. Yes, he became WWE Champion. But what made Big E special was never just the résumé. It was the warmth. The personality. The intelligence. The feeling that fans were watching someone who could be hilarious one second and deeply thoughtful the next.
That is why this book has the chance to hit hard.
Big E’s neck injury changed how fans looked at his career. It made people appreciate him in a different way. It also forced a conversation about what a wrestler’s value is when they are no longer actively wrestling. Some people still only talk about Big E in terms of whether he will return to the ring.
That is too small.
Big E does not need to wrestle another match to matter. His voice matters. His story matters. His presence matters. If this book is as honest as the title suggests, it could help people who have never cared about a wrestling match in their life.
That is bigger than a comeback pop.
For wrestling fans, it will probably be emotional. For New Day fans, it may be difficult. For people who have dealt with depression, mental health battles, trauma, or trying to rebuild themselves, it could be something much more personal.
Big E has always been more than the character.
This book sounds like it is going to prove that.
Drew McIntyre’s WWE Return Being Delayed Is Frustrating, But It Also Makes Sense
Drew McIntyre reportedly taking another movie role and potentially delaying his WWE return is one of those stories that can frustrate fans while still making complete sense.
From a WWE standpoint, Drew is a major loss when he is not around. He is one of the easiest main-event pieces to plug into any serious program. He can work with Cody Rhodes. He can work with Roman Reigns. He can work with CM Punk. He can work with Jacob Fatu. He can work with GUNTHER. He can work heel, babyface, tweener, bitter veteran, violent threat, or wronged man.
That kind of flexibility is rare.
So yes, if WWE wanted him for SummerSlam season, this complicates things.
But from Drew’s perspective, why would he not take these opportunities?
Wrestlers do not get unlimited time to build outside careers. If Hollywood is calling, especially for projects with real names attached, he should answer. Drew has the look, the presence, the accent, the size, and the physical credibility to get those roles. It would be foolish not to explore that while the door is open.
The good news is that absence can help him.
Drew has been pushed, cooled off, reheated, turned, rebuilt, and thrown into major programs over and over again. A little time away might make his return feel bigger. Sometimes fans need a break from even the best performers so they can miss them properly.
The bad news is WWE cannot bring him back casually.
When Drew McIntyre returns, it should feel like a problem has arrived. Not just a guy walking into a backstage segment. Not just a random match announcement. Drew should come back with purpose, anger, direction, and a target.
If his Hollywood work delays that, fine.
Just make the return worth the wait.
Shawn Dean Deserves Credit For How Many Young Wrestlers He Helped Get Seen
Shawn Dean talking about scouting names like Je’Von Evans and Jackson Drake before they signed with WWE is a reminder that some of the most important wrestling work happens before fans know a wrestler’s name.
That is what makes his role in AEW interesting.
Being an extras and enhancement talent coordinator is not the kind of job that gets massive praise from fans every week. It is not flashy. It is not a title run. It is not a major storyline. But it matters because someone has to find the people who can step into a television environment and not look lost.
Je’Von Evans is a perfect example.
Before WWE fans knew him as this explosive, ridiculous athlete with bounce for days, he was still trying to get seen. Before he became a name people could point to as part of WWE’s future, he was part of the independent grind. Those AEW Dark appearances mattered because tape matters. Reps matter. Being in the room matters.
Jackson Drake is another example of how the pipeline works.
Fans love to argue about WWE and AEW like the talent world is split into two separate planets, but it is not. Wrestlers move through indies, AEW Dark, WWE tryouts, EVOLVE, WWE ID, NXT, ROH, TNA, MLW, and everywhere else. A wrestler can get early exposure in one system and end up signing somewhere else. That is not failure. That is wrestling.
AEW Dark gets joked about sometimes because it had a lot of matches and a lot of names, but its legacy is real. It gave wrestlers opportunities. It gave scouts a place to test people. It gave talent footage. It gave young performers a shot to be seen by bigger audiences.
Shawn Dean being part of that deserves credit.
Not every important wrestling story happens in the ring on a major show. Sometimes it happens at a seminar, in a scouting conversation, or when someone backstage says, “Bring them to TV.”
That is how careers start.
RAW Getting A Special 6 PM Start Time On June 29 Needs To Be Communicated Loudly
The June 29 episode of Monday Night RAW from Atlantic City airing at 6 PM Eastern on Netflix is the kind of detail WWE needs to hammer into the ground until fans cannot miss it.
Because people will miss it.
RAW usually airing at 8 PM in the United States has trained fans into a habit. A 6 PM start time changes the whole rhythm. People are still getting home from work. Some are commuting. Some are eating dinner. Some are not even thinking about wrestling yet.
That is the danger.
The reason makes sense. WWE is running a double taping with RAW and SmackDown from Atlantic City, so the earlier start gives the company more room to run the live show, reset, and tape SmackDown without keeping everyone there until a ridiculous hour.
From a production standpoint, it is logical.
From a viewer standpoint, it is annoying if WWE does not communicate it properly.
The Atlantic City part matters too. WWE returning there for televised events after nearly two decades gives the show a little extra weight. It should feel like a big market return, not just another weird scheduling note.
Double tapings can be tricky. The first show usually gets the better energy because the crowd is fresh. The second show can struggle if the audience gets tired or if the taping feels like a bonus round instead of its own important episode. WWE has to book that night carefully.
RAW needs to feel live and important.
SmackDown needs to feel like more than leftovers.
The schedule makes sense, but WWE better make sure fans know what time the show starts. Because if people open Netflix at 8 PM and realize RAW is already deep into the night, that is on WWE.
NJPW’s G1 Climax Play-Ins Give The Tournament Stakes Before It Even Starts
NJPW setting the G1 Climax 36 play-in matches is a smart way to make the road to the tournament feel more important.
The G1 is already one of wrestling’s most respected tournaments. Fans expect great matches. That is not the hard part. The hard part is making the tournament feel like it is creating stories, not just filling a spreadsheet with points.
That is why the play-ins help.
Taichi vs. Yuto-Ice, YOSHI-HASHI vs. Aaron Wolf, OSKAR vs. Yujiro Takahashi, and El Phantasmo vs. Ryohei Oiwa all have something attached to them. Maybe not all equally, but enough to make the final spots feel earned instead of handed out.
Aaron Wolf is probably the most interesting name in the mix because he is already the NEVER Openweight Champion. If he gets into the G1, that gives the field a fresh threat with a different kind of legitimacy. If he loses, that is also a story because a champion failing to qualify would be a real statement.
El Phantasmo vs. Ryohei Oiwa might be the best match on paper. ELP brings experience and crowd connection. Oiwa brings upside, youth, and the feeling of someone who needs bigger tests. That is the kind of qualifier that can do more than just fill a spot.
Taichi trying to fight his way in gives the play-ins veteran desperation. OSKAR getting a chance gives NJPW a chance to show whether he is more than just a big body with potential.
This is what NJPW needs right now.
The G1 cannot just be “here are a bunch of great matches.” It has to be about movement. Who is rising? Who is falling? Who is desperate? Who is being exposed? Who can beat a champion? Who leaves the tournament looking different than when they entered?
The play-ins start that process early.
Good move by New Japan.
Now they need to make the winners matter once the tournament begins.
Bryan Danielson, Kofi Kingston And The Brock Lesnar Squash Still Hurt Because KofiMania Mattered
Bryan Danielson reflecting on putting over Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35 only for Kofi to later lose the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar in seconds brings back one of those creative decisions fans never truly moved past.
And honestly, they should not have to.
KofiMania was special because it felt real in the way wrestling only occasionally does. It was not some perfectly manufactured story WWE controlled from the beginning. It was a movement. Fans pushed it. Kofi earned it. The New Day helped carry it. Danielson played his role perfectly. The crowd wanted that moment so badly that WWE almost had no choice but to give it to them.
That is why WrestleMania 35 worked.
Danielson was the perfect opponent because he gave the story weight. He was smug, brilliant, cruel, and believable. Kofi was fighting more than just one man. He was fighting years of being underestimated, years of almost being the guy, years of people seeing him as great but not the top guy.
When Kofi won, it felt like a release.
That is why the Brock loss still bothers people.
It was not just that Kofi lost the title. Champions lose. Reigns end. Brock Lesnar beating people quickly was part of his presentation. The problem is that Kofi’s reign ended like it did not deserve emotional protection. Six months of history, representation, fan investment, and storytelling disappeared in seconds so WWE could move to the next Brock chapter.
That is the part fans still reject.
Danielson understanding that matters because he was part of making Kofi’s win feel as big as it did. He knew that match was not just another title change. He knew it meant something. He knew the crowd felt something. He knew Kofi had something rare.
WWE did not ruin KofiMania. The WrestleMania moment still exists.
But they did damage the aftertaste.
That is why people still talk about it years later. Some moments are too important to be treated like stepping stones.
Kofi Kingston deserved better than seven seconds.
Final Thoughts
This Tuesday edition of the LNC Wrestling Mid-Afternoon News Roundup shows just how scattered and connected wrestling has become at the same time.
MLW getting Fusion on NJPW World is a smart move for a company that needs more visibility. Danhausen being invited to the Knicks parade is the kind of ridiculous crossover that only wrestling can somehow turn into a real story. WWE EVOLVE tapings show that WWE is serious about building a deeper developmental system underneath NXT.
Big E’s memoir sounds like it could be one of the most important wrestling books in years because his story is clearly bigger than wrestling. Drew McIntyre’s Hollywood work may delay his WWE return, but it also proves he is building something outside the ring while his stock is still strong. Shawn Dean deserves credit for helping young wrestlers get seen before bigger companies made them bigger names.
RAW’s early start time on June 29 is important because fans need to know when to actually watch. NJPW’s G1 play-ins give the tournament stakes before it even begins. And Bryan Danielson talking about Kofi Kingston is another reminder that wrestling fans do not forget when something magical gets treated like it was disposable.
That is wrestling right now.
Streaming deals. Parade invites. Developmental pipelines. Memoirs. Movie roles. Scouting stories. Schedule changes. Tournament qualifiers. Old wounds that still feel fresh.
Very busy. Very weird. Very Tuesday.
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I’m the quiet one until the bell rings then I’ve got takes. I live for WWE NXT and TNA, I want every promotion to succeed, and I will absolutely roast the bad decisions on sight (because someone has to). Anime taught me to respect long-term storytelling; wrestling taught me that sometimes the plan is “we panicked” and called it “unpredictable.” The Miz got me into all of this, so yeah I appreciate confidence, commitment, and the art of talking like you’re already the main event. Now I bring that same energy to the page as the main writer for Late Night Crew Wrestling because if you’re not here to be must-see and tell the truth, why are you here?!