Various: EL Phantasmo Pulled from This Weekend’s NJPW Events Over Knee Injury, Francine Announces Small Mass was Discovered in Her Left Breast, Indies/Misc.

El Phantasmo Knee Injury Status Update – El Phantasmo Pulled from NJPW’s Weekend Events

As noted before, El Phantasmo was pulled from Thursday’s New Japan Soul 2025 event in Aomori, Japan due to him recently suffering a right knee injury.

New Japan Pro Wrestling provided an update stating that they have also pulled El Phantasmo from this weekend’s New Japan Soul 2025 events due to the current situation with his knee injury.

NJPW’s official website:

El Phantasmo injured; to miss weekend events

Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

El Phantasmo, who was scheduled to compete at events Saturday in Yamagata and Sunday in Fukushima, has sustained an injury to his right knee and will not be appearing.

We apologise to fans who were looking forward to seeign Phantasmo wrestle, and appreciate your understanding. The following changes have been made to the weekend cards.

June 21, Yamagata Big Wing

Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI, Jado, Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima vs EVIL, Chase Owens, Don Fale, SANADA & Dick Togo–>

YOSHI-HASHI, Jado, Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima vs EVIL, Chase Owens, Don Fale & SANADA

7th Match

Hirooki Goto, Shota Umino & El Phantasmo vs Zack Sabre Jr, Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson

Hirooki Goto, Shota Umino & Boltin Oleg vs Zack Sabre Jr, Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson

June 22, Toyota Crown Arena

4th Match

Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI, Jado, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs EVIL, Chase Owens, Don Fale, SANADA & Dick Togo–>

Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI, Jado & Togi Makabe vs EVIL, Chase Owens, Don Fale & SANADA

7th Match
Hirooki Goto, Shota Umino & El Phantasmo vs Zack Sabre Jr, Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson

Hirooki Goto, Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma vs Zack Sabre Jr, Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson

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Francine Announces Small Mass was Discovered in Her Left Breast

In a recent new video posted on her official YouTube channel, former wrestler and ECW legend Francine stated that her doctors recently discovered a small mass in her left breast.

“They said my breasts are very dense and I know a lot of women, when they get older, they go through this. Their breasts are dense, and they have to take extra precautions when they get their boobs checked. Because sometimes the mammogram doesn’t pick everything up and that’s why they do an ultrasound. So in that case, that’s what happened to me. So my mammogram came back clear, nothing showing really but the ultrasound picked up a mass in my left breast and it’s on the smaller side right now. But, they are concerned…

I had a biopsy when I was 21 years old, a very long time ago (she laughed) and I had a mass in my left breast, same thing. Bigger, I believe, than the one I have now, and it was benign, and I just remember them sticking this huge needle into my boob and extracting five to six vials of fluid to test to see if it was cancer and it wasn’t…”

Francine also stated that the earliest appointment she was able to book for treatment was July 3rd and her belief that this late date means her doctors do not believe that this mast is serious.

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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Misc. Wrestling News & Notes

Thursday’s TNA Impact! show featured Jake Something making his surprise return from injury. This was Something’s first appearance since this past January due to a torn biceps injury.

Thursday’s TNA Impact! show also featured TNA announcing that KC Navarro recently suffered a dislocated knee injury and will be out of action for the foreseeable future.

TNA announced four new matches for the card of next week’s Impact! show on AXS TV and Sportsnet 360:

• TNA Knockouts World Championship #1 Contender Battle Royal match
• Call To Arms match – Mustafa Ali vs. John Skyler
• Street Fight match – Mike Santana vs. AJ Francis
• The Hardys (Matt & Jeff Hardy) vs. The Northern Armory (Judas Icarus & Travis Williams)
• Joe Hendry to appear

This past Wednesday’s 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 6 between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida featured WWE’s Kevin Owens and AEW’s “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard being among those who attended the game. Owens and Menard’s apperances were randomly captured on the Sportsnet 360’s pre-game show.

In a recent interview with the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast, Elayna Black, former Cora Jade in WWE, gave her thoughts about Mercedes Mone being her current dream match opponent for her wrestling career. Black stated “That’s my current dream match. I feel like her and Bayley were my favorites out of the four Horsewomen. I loved all of them, but I feel like I really, really looked up to them two specifically. I feel like I just felt the most connected to them two because Mercedes was always writing in her notebook too. And I feel like I look at her and see aspects of myself too. So to be able to wrestle her now, where we both have had our time in WWE and we’re both doing our own thing now and doing whatever we want creatively, I feel like that is the ultimate dream match.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

Joey Janela recently announced that Mike Santana will be making an appearance for his promoted Cannonballfest event on September 14th in New Providence, New Jersey. This upcoming event will be a benefit show for indies wrestler Jeff Cannonball to help financially support his battle with ALS.

Janela also recently announced one new match for the card of his Cannonballfest event on September 14th in New Providence:

• Megan Bayne & Joey Janela vs. mystery opponents

In a recent interview with The Ariel Helwani Show, actor and Major League Wrestling Executive Producer Paul Walter Hauser gave his thoughts about his current long-term goals for the company. Hauser stated “My hope for MLW, my whole desire is, let’s get a TV deal. Let’s get some sort of streaming deal. Let’s get the library up on something, a FAST channel, whatever. And let’s slowly but surely get the money to actually build up a full roster and get this thing going. And then at the same time, let’s try to put eyes on it when we can.” Hauser also gave his thoughts about how far away MLW is from achieving the goal of achieving a rights deal for the company. Hauser stated “We’ve had a couple of offers, we’ve had discussions, and we’re just trying to figure out what makes the most sense for everybody. It’s one thing for somebody to throw you some money, it’s another to find people that understand and like the product. So we’re looking for somebody who actually likes wrestling and understands the product and wants to see it grow exponentially. Not get some cheap-o buyout just to have it up, off YouTube.” (Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com)

MLW recently announced one new match for the card of their Summer of the Beasts 2025 event on June 26th in New York City, New York:

• KUSHIDA vs. Diego Hill