It’s an exciting day in DKP Land as we kick off a brand new series which you’ll be seeing unfold over the next year . Alan and his pal Jamesie have decided to task themselves with an educational project for your listening pleasure and tackle the vast gift to wrestling history that is classic British grappling! Yes from World Of Sport to Reslo there’s an endless amount of footage of Britain’s greats from the 70s and 80s, and the lads are going to pick two wrestlers every edition and compare notes! We start in this first episode with a name many are familiar with and one that may be more unheralded – Mark “Rollerball” Rocco and Terry Rudge! Rocco is a man who can be credited with what became the New Japan junior heavyweight style of wrestling and Rudge is a grappler who the likes of William Regal contend is among the best ever. The lads watched a ton of both in the last few weeks and they’re here to tell you all about their findings! CHECK IT!!!
Editor’s Note: Most of this was written before the news of Roman Reigns’ wellness policy violation and suspension.
Since WrestleMania, I’ve been thinking about Dean Ambrose’s WWE career, about how the company missed their chance with him, about how he could’ve been a big star, and about how he may never reach his potential. Then, Ambrose won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Sunday night at Money In The Bank.
Here’s a look at his wild ride to the top.
Leader of The Shield
During The Shield’s run, Ambrose was the de facto leader of the group, mostly because he could cut a promo significantly better than the other two. He was frequently positioned front and centre, and held a singles title (the U.S. Championship) while Rollins and Reigns were tag team champs. (Trivia note: the Undertaker’s last ever TV match not on PPV was against Ambrose.)
It seemed like when The Shield would finally break up, Ambrose would be a top heel coming out of it because he was a natural. Reigns would be a babyface and pushed as a top star and Rollins, a fantastic wrestler but mediocre on the mic at the time, would end up a babyface as well, but one who would probably get lost in the shuffle. Of course, that’s not what happened.
WWE teased the breakup of The Shield several months before it happened, and it looked like Ambrose would be the catalyst. They decided not to pull the trigger, because The Shield still had life. After feuds with the Wyatt Family and Evolution, Rollins surprised everyone when he pulled the trigger that ended the partnership. Rollins–not Ambrose–was the heel.
Missed Opportunities
As it turned out, Ambrose made for a great babyface. Ambrose, not Reigns, started a summer-long blood feud with Rollins that resulted in plenty of highlights, including Ambrose busting out of a giant birthday gift to wildly attack his foe. He desperately wanted Rollins to pay for what he did, and the fans were into it. Ambrose was red hot, and the fans wanted to see him get revenge.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The Ambrose-Rollins feud culminated in a Hell in a Cell match (which notably headlined that show over a John Cena vs. Randy Orton HIAC match). On Chris Jericho’s podcast, Ambrose once said he likes doing things differently, things that may not make sense to everyone. Hell in a Cell was evidence of that. Ambrose started the match not in the ring, but on top of the cell.
Ambrose should have won this match and his feud with Rollins. Rollins was being protected anyway as Mr. Money in the Bank, a member of the Authority, and destined to win the WWE Title regardless of what happened in this feud. But a win for Ambrose would have put him on another level. The fans deserved to have their faith rewarded.
Instead, he lost after some bizarre interference by Bray Wyatt. Not only did Ambrose lose the feud to Rollins, he lost the following feud with Bray. This was the first big example of the company dropping the ball with him.
Up and Down the Card
After losing feuds to Rollins and Wyatt, Ambrose found himself fighting for the Intercontinental title. In the 2015 Royal Rumble, after Daniel Bryan was unceremoniously eliminated, Ambrose was someone the fans fell back on, hoping he would win instead of Reigns. Of course, he was dumped out of the ring like nothing by Big Show and Kane.
Ambrose continued on in the mid-card, fighting for the IC title in a ladder match at WrestleMania won by Daniel Bryan. Then, somewhat out of nowhere, Ambrose finally beat Rollins in a match on Raw. The win earned himself a title shot in a Fatal 4-Way that included Reigns and Randy Orton, but, of course, Ambrose didn’t win.
He did find himself in another singles feud with Rollins with the title on the line. After getting screwed at Elimination Chamber, Rollins barely defeated Ambrose at MITB to retain his title. Ambrose came close, but again, came up short. After this, he found himself feuding with the Wyatts again, and again, came up on the losing end.
Anyone But Roman
After Rollins got hurt and had to surrender the WWE title, Ambrose was put in a tournament to crown a new champion. This led to a match they’ve never done, a match they perhaps should have never done — Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns. Reigns won the title by defeating Ambrose, but it was somewhat forgettable considering what happened next — Sheamus cashing in his MITB briefcase to win the title.
While Reigns feuded with Sheamus over the strap, Ambrose returned to the IC title mix. It was around this time Ambrose started to gain momentum again. When his popularity was rising, he was getting comparisons to Steve Austin. Maybe that’s absurd, but fans were desperate for a new star.
With Reigns still not clicking with the audience, there was the thought, or hope, that maybe Ambrose should take his spot at WrestleMania. When Reigns lost the WWE title in the Royal Rumble, it was Ambrose–not Reigns–who was last eliminated by Triple H.
At the next PPV, Ambrose was again pinned by Reigns, this time for the number one contender spot. A few weeks later, Ambrose fought Triple H for the title at Roadblock in Toronto and came up short…again. To be fair, he got screwed, but there was basically no follow up, and in the end, the story was that Ambrose failed to win the big one.
Losing Steam
I was at that Roadblock show and there really was a feeling among fans that Ambrose could win and change the WrestleMania plans the way Daniel Bryan did two years earlier. Instead, Ambrose was roundly beaten by Brock Lesnar, both throughout the feud and in the actual Mania match.
To this point, Ambrose had lost almost every big match he has been in with Rollins, Wyatt, Reigns, Triple H and Lesnar all getting their hands raised at the end. Yes, he’s been U.S. and IC champion, and yes, he beat Jericho, but a lot of guys can say both of those things.
After WrestleMania season, Ambrose lost a lot of steam. Instead of being the unhinged lunatic who would wildly attack Rollins at any opportunity, he became a caricature. He was acting crazy, but it was just that: an act.
There were complaints about Ambrose feuding with Jericho over a fake talk show and plant, but this is the same guy who once used ketchup and mustard as weapons, and at the time, that worked. But Ambrose was losing the authenticity and credibility he once held with the audience, and feuding over plants and jackets was sad more than it was fun.
A Second (or Third) Chance
I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that WWE put the title on Ambrose when he is at his least interesting point. He’s not red hot anymore. The comparisons to Austin have stopped. But, the opportunity still exists to make Ambrose a top guy. All of the losses and times he got screwed over can add to his story, and WWE would be smart to take advantage and tell that story. Cashing in on Rollins was the perfect start.
Ambrose went from being the de facto leader of The Shield to the odd man out. But now, it seems as though all three Shield members are back on the same level. I certainly don’t think Money in the Bank was a sign that they’ve given up on Reigns. If anything, Ambrose winning was just a way to set up an angle through SummerSlam and nothing more.
It’s possible Ambrose will go back to where he was before this all happened, but that would be a mistake. This company seems filled with top heels who get cheered and top faces who get booed, but Ambrose is a face who gets cheered and seems genuinely well-liked. Hopefully he’s trending upward again.
Learning from The Shield
You could argue that all three members of The Shield should be bigger stars than they are — If only they had turned Reigns heel, if only they brought back Rollins as a babyface, if only they didn’t do all that stuff I just mentioned with Ambrose. Still, all three guys have done pretty well for themselves.
It’s important to note how protecting The Shield for as long as they did really make all three guys. Smackdown is frequently advertised and centred around these three men, while guys like John Cena are given the night off. Headlining shows with any combination of The Shield members would have been impossible if they hadn’t been booked so strongly (or if they had debuted on their own as individuals).
That’s why it’s totally fine getting upset when AJ Styles or Kevin Owens or Bray Wyatt or whoever loses a big match. Ambrose’s struggle to make it through poor booking isn’t a new story. WWE has a long history of ignoring a guy when their popularity peaks. Whether it’s because that guy wasn’t in the plans or because they like to prove the fans wrong, it’s self-destructive.
But as we’ve seen, plans can change. If the plan is to keep the title on Ambrose for any length of time, which I know is unlikely, I hope the shows feel different with him on top. During his initial rise, Ambrose’s segments were often a breath of fresh air on dreary Raw shows that are always too long.
We already knew that Dean Ambrose had the ability to be a biggest star of The Shield. Maybe now, especially in light of recent news, he will be.
Last week on Impact, TNA President Dixie Carter and Maria Kanellis & Mike Bennett had a face-to-face confrontation, which resulted in Dixie slapping Maria across the face. Also, Bobby Lashley retained the World title by defeating Drew Galloway after Ethan Carter III accidentally hit Galloway with a chair. The other big news was the announcement that Gail Kim is the newest inductee into the TNA Hall Of Fame.
Tonight on Impact:
On tonight’s show, broken Matt Hardy goes one-on-one with Jeff Hardy in a six side of steel cage match in “Hardy’s Revenge”. Additionally, the show will likely address the fallout from Dixie’s confrontation with Maria & The Miracle.
Show Recap:
-We kick the night off with former TNA World Champ Drew Galloway. Drew says that EC3 is the reason he’s not world champion and calls him out. EC3 apologizes for costing Drew the title and says he accepts the blame. Drew doesn’t blame him, he wants to fight him. They argue about everything they’ve both done for TNA. EC3 rescinds his apology and Drew tells him he’s not an ass-kicker but an ass-kisser. They are about the fight each other when TNA champion Lashley comes out.
Both EC3 and Drew want to fight each other with the winner facing Lashley but he refuses it. Lashley informs them that he spoke with TNA management and Drew and EC3 will face Lashley and a partner. If Drew and EC3 win they get a title shot but if they lose, his partner will get the title shot. They agree and Lashley brings out his partner…King of the Mountain Champion Eli Drake.
TNA World Champion “The Destroyer” Bobby Lashley and King of The Mountain Champion Eli Drake vs. Drew Galloway and Ethan Carter III
Pretty good tag match. Josh and The Pope tried to explain how the stipulations for the match benefit Lashley. They said that it would be easier to face one guy instead of two on possibly consecutive nights.
The heels isolated EC3 in their corner and worked him over. Drew gets the hot tag and runs wild. Drew set up for the Claymore but Lashley cut him off. All four guys brawl in the ring. EC3 hits the One Percenter on Eli. Drew pushed EC3 out of the way and Lashley speared him. Drew took out Lashley and covered Eli to win the match. Both EC3 and Drew will receive title matches.
-In the back, Abyss and Crazy Steve ask Rosemary who she has been talking to. Apparently, she went to a mysterious person to help Decay. We’ll find out who it is next.
-Back from commercial, Lashley and Drew talk in the back. Lashley points out that he in control of Drew’s destiny because he can give the title shot to EC3 first.
-In the arena, Decay makes their way to the ring. Rosemary asks Crazy Steve and Abyss what they were before Decay. Crazy Steve used to be a voiceless clown and Abyss is now beautiful. Rosemary calls out Bram to the ring. Abyss and Steve don’t like that its Bram. Apparently, Decay wants Bram to join them. Bram says that Rosemary is kind of sexy but he’s no freak. He doesn’t do face paint. Steve spit the mist into Bram’s eyes and Decay jumps him. Rosemary told Bram that they’re not done with him.
-It’s now time for EC3 and Lashley to have their backstage confrontation. It’s similar to the one with Drew earlier. Lashley will let them know by the end of the night who he’ll defend the title against next week.
Jade vs. Marti Bell
Marti brings the weapon she used at Slammiversary to cost Jade the title. Jade teased using the same weapon but Earl stopped her. Jade had the advantage for the majority of the match until Marti blocked a package pile driver attempt. Jade went for a dive but Marti nailed her with the weapon to win the match.
-In the back, Maria and The Miracle are irate over what happen last week with Dixie. They’re going to deal with this in the ring.
-Back from commercial, Dixie approaches Lashley. Lashley flinched and mockingly asked Dixie if she was going to slap him. Dixie said, “don’t go there.” Dixie announced that Lashley will defend the title against both EC3 and Drew in next weeks main event.
-The Miracle and Maria are in the ring. The Miracle is upset because Dixie slapped Maria last week. Maria says she hasn’t slept and that it was an unprovoked attack. She called out Dixie to explain herself.
Dixie comes out with Billy Corgan. Dixie apologizes for letting Maria get to her and slapping Maria. Maria demands that Dixie step down as TNA President. The Miracle says his dad is a lawyer and he’s going to sue Dixie. Billy Corgan played a subtle heel and took Maria and The Miracles side although he denied that. Billy thinks that the heels are making good points and that Dixie has put the company in a tough position. Billy tells Dixie that she should take a leave of absence. Dixie walked away incredibly upset. Maria thanked Billy.
After Dixie leaves, The Miracle demands a world title shot from Billy. Bennett wants a title shot at Destination X. Billy noted that he and Miracle text each other sometimes. Billy tells Miracle he can have his title shot but he needs to be X Division champ. Billy makes Miracle challenging for the X Division title against Eddie Edwards next.
X Division Champion Eddie Edwards vs. “The Miracle” Mike Bennett w/ “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis
As the match starts, Josh and The Pope remind us about Option C and that whomever is X Division champion by Destination X can trade the title in for a world title shot. Really good, fast paced match. The story of the match is that Miracle is trying to prove he can work the X Division style. Bennett attempted a springboard high-risk move but slipped and fell. Josh said he didn’t execute the move because he’s not a regular X Division guy. Miracle went for the M.I.P but Eddie slipped out. Miracle held onto the ropes and pinned Eddie. Miracle is the new X Division champion.
-In the back, The Miracle and Maria are in the middle of a photo shoot. Miracle promises to cash the title in and win the world title.
-In the locker room, Robbie E. is in the back waiting for Jesse Godderz. Robbie goes on Jesse’s Ipad. Robbie E. sees Jesse and Raquel having a secret meeting and Raquel tells Jesse not to tell Robbie.
-Braxton Sutter comes out for his match when Rockstar Spud interrupts.
Rockstar Spud vs. Braxton Sutter
Spud and Sutter have an impromptu match. Sutter misses a charge in the corner and Spud gets the brief advantage. Sutter makes his comeback and hits the flat liner to win the match.
Post match, Spud teases a babyface turn but low blows Sutter instead. Spud whips Sutter with his belt and leaves.
-Next we get a video package on the new TNA Knockout Champion Sienna. Her next goal is to eliminate future hall of famer Gail Kim
Six Sides Of Steel Cage – Broken Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy
Jeff came out first but before getting in the cage he went under the ring and filled the cage with a ladder, tables and chairs. The match can only end by pin or submission. Reby came out with Maxell on her back and introduced Broken Matt. She said not to call him crazy. Matt has new entrance music, which is a simple piano theme. Jeff jumps Matt to start the match. Matt gets the advantage with a running power bomb into the cage.
After commercial, Matt is still in control of the match. Matt used a ladder on Jeff and set up a table. Matt bit Jeff’s knee and hit the side effect on a chair. Jeff hit a twist of fate but Matt got right back to his feet. Jeff hit a second Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb for a near fall. Jeff beat Matt with a chair but he kept getting back to his feet.
Jeff placed Matt on a table with chairs on top of Matt. Then he placed another table on top of Matt. Jeff climbed up the top tope and placed a ladder at the top. The ladder is wedged between the ring post and cage. Jeff climbed up the ladder and hit a Swanton on to the tables below. Jeff pinned Matt to win the match.
Next Time on Impact:
In Next week’s main event, Bobby Lashley will defend the World title against Drew Galloway and EC3 in a triple threat. Also, Sienna will defend the Knockout title against future Hall of Famer Gail Kim.
The Wednesday night wrestling block will get a bit more crowded this summer as WWE announced that the much-anticipated WWE Cruiserweight Classic will debut on the Network starting Wednesday, July 13th at 9 PM EST, airing for 10 weeks through a live two-hour finale on Wednesday, September 15th.
Current Smackdown lead man Mauro Ranallo and former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan were announced as “hosts” for the Classic, but we confirmed they are indeed calling the action.
Also announced was a preview special — CWC Bracketology — for Wednesday, July 6th at 9 PM EST where we should get the actual tournament brackets and all 16 first round match matchups.
The Classic will feature 32 talents (some under WWE contract & some not) from around the world in a single-elimination tournament including Zack Sabre Jr., Gran Metalik, Noam Dar, Kota Ibushi, Rich Swann, Akira Tozawa, Johnny Gargano, Cedric Alexander, Tommaso Ciampa, and more. Here’s the full list of participants.
Big pop for Truth. Goldust hit his normal drop to the knees, punch to the face spot a couple of times. The heels worked over Truth until the hot tag to Goldust. Goldust with a spinning suplex for the win.
– Enzo and Cass def. The Ascension
Konnor is back after his 60-day break due to a wellness policy violation. Usual opener by Enzo and Cass, ripping the heels by asking them where their pads were and if their mommy was bringing them so they (Ascension) could go and play pee wee football after the match. Heels worked over Enzo until the hot tag to Cass. Enzo with a splash, assisted by Cass, ends the night for the Ascension returning from suspension.
– Baron Corbin def. Sin Cara
Corbin played football for the Arizona Cardinals but the fans did not know this as he was soundly booed. Fans tried to get behind Sin Cara with the “Lucha” chants as Sin Cara tried to attack the legs of Corbin with kicks. Corbin kept the action on the ground and finished Sin Cara with The End of Days.
– US Champion Rusev (with Lana) def. Zack Ryder
Lana had her hair down instead of the usual bun. Ryder and Rusev locked up and then went into a series of amateur wrestling moves. Eventually, Rusev overpowered Ryder and started stalking him around the ring dealing out punishment. Ryder, however, is like a college hoops team that is the ultimate underdog. They hang around long enough to throw a scare into the opponent. Rusev botched a climb up the ropes when he tried to knock Ryder down. Ryder had a couple of near falls teasing a title change and eventually fell to the Accolade.
Smackdown —
– Seth Rollins opened the show with a promo, talking about the three-way match* at Battleground.
He railed about no one outworking him and how unfair it was that he did not have the belt. He issued an open challenge to anyone in the back for the night’s main event. Challenge accepted by Sami Zayn. At first, Rollins scoffed at Zayn but then decided that Zayn was a perfect choice.
Both men were interrupted by the Lunatic Fringe as the new champion hit the ring. He called for the set people and the workers rushed the ring to set up an impromptu Ambrose Asylum complete with Mitch The Plant. Rollins was angered, but Zayn was excited. Ambrose played the part of a host behind the scenes asking if everyone was ready and if they needed anything like water. Rollins ad-libbed and said that he was parched before catching himself and telling Ambrose to shut up. Zayn goaded Rollins to fight immediately, and Rollins dropped the mic and left in a huff.
*All references to the title match at Battleground were for a three-way match, so the main event seems to be continuing with Reigns in it. None of the interviews acknowledged anything about Reigns.
– Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio
Good, hard hitting match between the two. Del Rio started fast and went after Cesaro’s arm. Cesaro sold the beating and eventually fought back with a string of uppercuts. Del Rio hit the Backstabber and went for the Tree of Woe stomp which Cesaro countered. Cesaro climbed up and jumped off the ropes which Del Rio countered into an attempted cross arm breaker. This was countered by Cesaro who hit Del Rio with a pump handle slam and abruptly ended the match. Cesaro climbed onto the announcer’s table and bowed to the crowd to a large pop.
– Sheamus beat Apollo Crews via countout
Rematch from MITB with Sheamus all over Crews at the beginning while the rookie looked timid. Eventually Crews fought back but did not hit many aerial spots other than a sunset flip off of the ring apron. Sheamus pulled the steel steps into a vertical position and kicked Crews into them for the countout victory.
– The Usos returned, and did an angle backstage with Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson & A.J. Styles. This set up Styles vs. Jimmy.
– A.J. Styles pinned Jimmy Uso
Jey was ringside and played the role that Cena did on Monday, watching the back for signs of the club. AJ seemingly had a counter for Jimmy’s moves and mocked the Uso with his Phenomenal gesture. When it looked like Jimmy finally had caught AJ and had him in trouble, the Club came through the crowd to attack Jey. Jimmy jumped over the ropes and bowled the club over only to eat a Phenomenal Forearm onto the concrete floor. AJ rolled Jimmy back into the ring and hit another Phenomenal Forearm for good measure.
– WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day over The Vaudevillains
The heels worked over Kofi as Big E could only watch. Xavier Woods took the night off and just played the trombone. The heels worked together to isolate Kofi until he could make the hot tag to Big E. Big E preceded to suplex everyone many times and the heels could not even hide outside of the ring as Kofi stalked the outside and splashed anyone hanging around outside the ring. Big E with the pinfall. The celebration was cut short by a Wyatt family promo in which Bray promised to bring pain to the New Day and that they would fall.
– Dana Brooke beat Becky Lynch
This was over in about a minute after Charlotte interfered, allowing Dana to take advantage and pin Becky. Charlotte entered the ring to add injury to insult when Sasha Banks’ music hit to a huge pop. Sasha sauntered down to the ring in her inimitable fashion and removed her bling. It looked like Charlotte was going to engage but then she ducked out the ring and laughed at Banks. Brooke tried a sneak attack but was stopped by the Banks Statement.
– Seth Rollins pinned Sami Zayn with a pedigree
Rollins toyed with Zayn at first, slapping him, countering his moves, and resting on the turnbuckle while Zayn recuperated. Eventually Zayn started hitting his spots. The two went back and forth in an entertaining match. Zayn took a power bomb fling into the turnbuckle but hit Rollins with an “Undertakeresque” walk up the ropes into a hurrincanrana.
Both men had near falls. Rollins went for the pedigree but Zayn reversed it into a tornado ddt. Rollins bailed from the ring and Zayn did a flip over the ropes onto Rollins. Rollins staggered back into the ring and surprised Zayn with a pedigree as Zayn re-entered the ring.
Rollins gave Ambrose a cheap shot and Ambrose chased him through the ring. Ambrose laid out the belt in the ring motioning for Rollins to come back but Rollins stayed at the top of the ramp.
After the cameras stopped rolling…
Suddenly AJ’s music hit and the Club came out to the top of the ramp. AJ told Rollins that the Club was planning on hurting Ambrose and that he could join them if he (Rollins) wanted to. Rollins agreed and the four heels headed to the ring. Zayn rolled back into the ring to help Ambrose but they were quickly overwhelmed. The crowd was chanting for Cena but it was the Usos for the save. The faces cleared the heels out of the ring and Ambrose grabbed the mic and challenged the heels to an 8 man tag team match.
The Club w/ Seth Rollins vs. WWE Champion Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn, and the Usos.
This match was quick with the heels isolating Jey at the outset. A hot tag to Ambrose brought the house down as each man entered the match and hit his spots that he was known for. Eventually Anderson ate Dirty Deeds and was pinned. The faces stayed around and celebrated with fans. Ambrose stayed around for at least ten minutes signing autographs, taking selfies with fans and letting kids hold his belt.
Monday night’s post-Money in the Bank edition of WWE RAW certainly had its moments including the new World Heavyweight champion Dean Ambrose grabbing the spotlight impressively and Big “Johnny Laryngitis” (thanks, Enzo) making his glorious return. As always however, those diamonds were surrounded by a lot of rough spots too.
— The Hits —
DTA Ambrose
While it’s probably too early to tell, Monday’s RAW showed encouraging signs that the WWE may see Dean Ambrose as more than just a transitional champion. Ambrose was given ample opportunity to play to his strengths, demonstrating his natural line delivery in the opening segment and shining on commentary at the end of the show.
While his in-ring work remains a frantic and often sloppy work-in-progress, Ambrose’s bountiful charisma, paired with a new harder edge to his character, makes him a very realistic candidate for the role of top babyface. That added grit, which saw Dean back up his threats to take out Roman Reigns if necessary, must remain if the transition from upper-midcarder to main eventer is to stick. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wasn’t exactly too interested in making friends or being wacky either.
Fight Forever
No, I’m not referring to the en vogue crowd chant. Rather, the seemingly neverending beef between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, complete with the always hilarious, and cartoonish, fist-flailing dust-ups.
Although only five minutes aired, the match between these two, who the announcers again claimed are “destined to fight forever”, was a very enjoyable taster for what will presumably be a rubber match at Battleground. The finish, with Zayn reversing the Pop-Up Powerbomb into a cradle, was particularly enjoyable.
Angry Dad
I’ve been as critical of the paint-by-numbers Rusev/Titus O’Neil feud as anyone, but Monday night’s resumption of hostilities between the two was a major improvement.
Titus’ impassioned backstage hollering about the Bulgarian having the temerity to disrespect his kids was excellent, ensuring that the former Prime Time Player actually received a reaction for running off the US champion for a change. While I’m not crazy about the idea of another PPV match for a guy that has no business working matches of that calibre, one must award credit where it’s due.
People Power!
Recent unsolicited auditions of Teddy Long and Kane for the role of Smackdown general manager were both leading to this glorious moment — the return of John “Big Johnny” Laurinaitis. Hearing the hoarse one protest that “Big Johnny loves change!” was music to my ears, as was his hurried “People Power!” before Shane McMahon ushered him off the stage. What a preview for those of us literally counting the days to his debut on Total Bellas.
— The Misses —
The Apology Club
Following on from the crummy finish to their match on Sunday, everything about the Cena/AJ Styles dispute fell completely flat on this show.
While AJ’s promo delivery remains great, the material he, Cena and The Club had to work with was wafer-thin, centering mostly around an insincere Styles looking to extract an “apology” from his buddies. Cena of course rejected it, but not in nearly as brief a manner as might be expected. The subsequent 3-minute encounter between he and Karl Anderson was also terrible, with Cena making his opponent look like a geek by destroying him despite gawking at the entrance ramp the entire time. Weak.
Rollins’ characterisation (again)
Seriously?! Let’s get this straight — Seth Rollins works the Money in the Bank main event as a babyface, reverts to whiny heel mode in Monday’s opening segment, and then cuts a rousing “prove myself” promo in the second hour!? The characterisation of The Man/The Future is even more inconsistent than that of his former leader Stephanie McMahon at this stage.
The kind of predictability we saw in his plodding main event against Reigns — complete with Chekhov’s (unbreakable) Spanish announce table and obvious double countout finish — would be very welcome here.
“Oooh, the Wyatts are mad at me. I’m so scared! Oooh, the Wyatts!”
The Wyatts, sans the injured Luke Harper, made their return on Monday night, threatening to ensure that “New Day Falls”. Colour me underwhelmed. The fun-loving New Day should be too, given that Bray Wyatt and co. have delivered on precisely zero of their threats to date.
In fact, it’s difficult to think of a non-jobber heel group with a lower success rate than these jamokes. Hey, at least our tag champs’ interruption prevented us from enduring some of Bray’s patented rambling windbaggery. No buys for anything involving him until the way he’s booked improves drastically.
The big news of the day, if you haven’t heard is WWE’s suspension of Roman Reigns for a wellness violation. It is a 30 day suspension, which would be just in time for a possible return at WWE’s next PPV, Battleground. Bryan and Dave discuss the situation on today’s Break News Wrestling Observer Radio, check it out!
The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas takes place during UFC’s International Fight Week from July 7 – 11.Ed in San Antonio has information up on Facebook, or you can email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com. It’s always a fun time, so hurry up and make your plans to join Dave Meltzer, Bryan Alvarez (yes he’ll be there), Vinny, Granny, and the rest of the group in beautiful Las Vegas this July.
Our “lunch with Granny” is good-to-go at Johnny Rockets (in Excalibur), just like last year, on Saturday July 9th, at 11:30 a.m. local time. We have the “patio area” reserved for us. We’ve also been granted 10% discounts. Just tell the cashier that you’re a part of “Granny’s Gang!” And of course… the star of this event, Ms. Gladys Gibson, just has to show up and be her charming self, and she eats for FREE! See ya soon!
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
Figure Four Weekly 6/20/2016: Never trust Nigerian investors– Growing up as a way-too-hardcore-for-my-age wrestling fan, I looked forward to watching whatever flavor of wrestling from the Dallas Sportatorium was on ESPN and in syndication at the time. The ESPN show was perfect for kids who loved pro wrestling: It aired at 4 p.m. eastern time, so it was perfect for after-school viewing… Subscribers click here to continue reading.
This week’s Observer has a major story on the gamble of Brock Lesnar in UFC 200, the most in-depth look at the Ariel Helwani situation that you’ll find anywhere, full coverage of NXT Takeover, UFC 199, WWE Money in the Bank, and the details of TNA’s struggle to stay alive, its PPV and its future. There’s also a breakdown on the WWE cruiserweight classic, and monthly WWE and TNA business figures.
Take a look at Michael Bisping’s unlikely title win, all the ramifications of the Lesnar deal, what it shows about WWE, a look back at the last time WWE risked one of their stars against an outsider without scripting, how Ariel Helwani got to be a star reporter and how that played into what happened last week, and what aspects of the story that are really more important that haven’t been covered or have been overlooked, all covered in this week’s issue.
WWE looks at the possibility of adding PPV shows and the good and bad of that decision-making, and some economics of that decision.
A key WWE musician passes away, more on what Ali learned from pro wrestling, Bryan Danielson attends WWE event, Bobby Roode’s debut, notes on SummerSlam, new WWE executive hire, new WWE announcer, WWE looking for new members of creative, who is expected to return shortly, another animated WWE movie, update on Paul Heyman plus a full rundown on all the WWE & NXT live events this past week and business notes on the shows, in this edition.
Take a look at the background of the NXT Takeover show, the debut of Andrade Cien Almas and what did and didn’t work, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.
For UFC 199, we look at the state of the middleweight title, how everything lines up, whom Michael Bisping wants next, as well as match-by-match coverage along with pay records for those on the show.
Finally, read how TNA saved its recent TV tapings and PPV, why they were close to not happening, where money came from, and what to look out for in the future. Plus, check out Slammiversary with match-by-match coverage and star ratings.
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The RAW replay on SyFy Friday night did 413,000 viewers, on par with what it’s been doing. As usual, it was the highest rated show for the night on that network.
Saturday’s UFC on FS 1 did 964,000 viewers. That’s up from the last few shows but still down from the year to date average. The prelims, which aired on FS 2, did 369,000 viewers, one of the better numbers in the history of that station.
Bellator 156 on Spike TV did just 482,000 viewers on Friday night — the lowest number of the year and the lowest since a September 2013 show, which did 437,000. The Rampage Jackson special that aired immediately afterward did 206,000 viewers
UFC launched the first episode of Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra today. Their first guest should be no surprise: Dana White. Also no surprise, he buried Ariel Helwani and didn’t back off anything he did suspending Helwani and several other MMAFighting.com staffers.
WSOF 31, which ran head to head with Bellator on NBC Sports Network did just 126,000 viewers, also a year to date low for them. The last WSOF show that did a worse number was a December 2013 show, which did 94,000 viewers.
Victory FC 51 airs Thursday evening on UFC Fight Pass, headlined by two title fights featuring fighters with UFC experience. In the main event, Rob Emerson and Shawn West square off for the vacant featherweight title, while Mike Rhodes takes on Rakim Cleveland for the vacant middleweight title in the co-main. Former WSOF featherweight champion Rick Glenn is also on the show. Paul Fontaine has a more in-depth look at the show here, which starts at 6 pm eastern on Thursday.
In a refreshing change from the way fighters usually handle these things, UFC featherweight Chad Mendes has owned up to his recent USADA violation. Via Twitter on Monday: “I didn’t do my homework and that was a big mistake. I own it and I’m going to pay for it”. No suspension has been announced of yet but the standard penalty for a first offense is 2 years.
Add Georges St. Pierre to the list of fighters who want the first crack at new middleweight champion Michael Bisping. He hinted at that in an interview yesterday on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.
Invicta FC announced their next show for July 29th in Kansas City. The show will be headlined by a strawweight title fight between Alexa Grasso and Jodie Esquibel. Former UFC fighters Jessamyn Duke and Peggy Morgan will each fight in undercard matches on the show, which will be airing on UFC Fight Pass.
SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 24 – Isao Kobayashi vs. Justin Lawrence will appear on Spike.com at the Bellator Dynamite show in St. Louis. This is a combo MMA & kickboxing show.
June 24 – Thrash Wrestling “Passion for Smashin” – Schubert Centre 3505 30th Avenue, Vernon, British Columbia V1T 2E6
June 25 – The United Wrestling Coalition returns to Kelly’s Bar/Banquet Hall in Wrightstown, New Jersey for UWC Fan Appreciation Night!
June 25 – PWA Night of Champions – Century Casino Showroom – 1010 42 Ave SE Calgary, Alberta
June 25 – Pure Wrestling Association, Wakas Community Hall, 180 Tsulquate Rd, Port Hardy, BC
June 25 – Great North Wrestling returns to the Pembroke Memorial Centre, featuring Nicolai Volkoff. Tickets available here.
June 25 – The UWC returns to Kelly’s Bar/Banquet Hall, 14 Railroad Avenue, Wrightstown, NJ 08562. More information here.
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 25 – Capital City Championship Combat this Saturday in Ottawa with “Speedball” Mike Bailey, 2 Cold Scorpio, Space Monkey, “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams, and more.
July 1 – Pure Wrestling Association is proud to announce our 7th year as part of the Canada Day Celebration. Riverside Park Cambridge, Cambridge, Ontario N3H.
July 2 – Stars of Wrestling from Alameda, CA at the Alameda Point Gym has Bobby Lashley, Carlito and The Boogeyman appearing.
July 2 – NWA Cajun Heat in Morgan City, LA at the Municipal Auditorium with Jax Dane vs. Mustang Mike for the NWA title, and an appearance by Kevin Nash
July 7 – Rock Solid Wrestling runs in Sudbury, ON.
July 9 – Smash Wrestling in Fort Erie, ONT at the Native Friendship Center. Chris Hero will headline this fundraising event.
July 17 – Lucha by the Water ft Blue Demon Jr! – Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 231 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2G8, 3-6 pm. Tickets here.
July 17 – Premier Wrestling at the IFDES Lodge and Portuguese Hall in Gilroy, CA with Joe Graves vs. Gabriel Gallo for the Premier. Tickets at www.premierwrestle.com.
July 22 – Ignite Wrestling in Fort Pierce, FL at the National Guard Armory on a show with Lince Dorado, Mr. 450 Hammet, Lio Rush, Martin Stone, Los Ben Dejos, and more
July 22 – AIW runs on 7/22 in Cleveland, OH, with Ethan Page vs. Josh Prohibition vs. Josh Alexander, and Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae vs. Ethan Carter III & Karlee Perez
July 22 – the Lou Thesz Hall of Fame weekend show in Waterloo, IA, featuring Ricochet vs. Sami Callihan, Wes Brisco, B. Brian Blair, Jessika Havok, Tessa Blanchard, a steel cage match and more
July 23 – AAW in Merrionnette Park, IL, with Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr., Zack Sabre Jr., Marty Scurll; Tommaso Ciampa; Fenix; Johnny Gargano, and plenty more. Here’s what you missed on their last show.
July 23 – Masters of Ring Entertainment in Wilmington, NC, as part of Pro Wrestling Fan Expo 3 will feature Jeff Jarret vs. ECIII vs. James Storm, announced by Jarrett in this video.
July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY
The hot Raw show and the match to determine the top contender in the third hour proved that if the show is good and has a strong main event, the audience will largely stick with it.
Raw did its best numbers since April 11, eight days after WrestleMania, doing 3.47 million viewers, up from the seasonal lowest mark since 1997 of 2.96 million the week before, a 17 percent increase over the week.
Among the reasons for the increase was lack of television competition, with no major sports and nothing on network TV that did more than 7.1 million viewers. Raw had been hurt in recent weeks particularly by the NBA playoffs and to a lesser extent the NHL playoffs, and Dancing With the Stars. Raw ended up third for the night on cable behind Rizzoli & Isles and Major Crimes on TNT and second in the 18-49 demo behind Love & Hip Hop Atlanta.
The three hours were:
8 p.m. 3.42 million viewers 9 p.m. 3.56 million viewers 10 p.m. 3.42 million viewer
In a shocking story, WWE announced they have suspended Roman Reigns (Joe Anoa’i) for 30 days effective immediately due to a violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.
WWE.com wrote: “WWE has suspended Joe Anoa`i (Roman Reigns) for 30 days effective immediately for his first violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.”
On Twitter, Reigns simply said, “I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy. No excuses. I own it.”
The 31-year-old Reigns dropped the WWE championship Sunday at Money In The Bank. On RAW Monday night, a match was made between he, Rollins, and new WWE Champion Dean Ambrose for Battleground, the next WWE PPV event on July 24th.
That fact raises an interesting quandry. The 30 day window would expire before Battleground, so does WWE leave an off-TV Reigns in the match and just roll with it? If they did, what type of backlash could they expect?
To that end, WWE gave the following quote:
“The suspension runs through July 20. He is eligible to return on July 21. Battleground is on July 24. We are considering all of our creative options.”
Whatever decision is made regarding the main event will likely be announced tonight in Tucson
Positioned as the new face of the company, Reigns has had many stops and starts in the past few years in an attempt to have the fans win him over. A former college football player, Reigns has been in the business for nearly six years.
– Earl Caddock defeated Ed “Strangler” Lewis by decision to unify his claim to the World Heavyweight Title (no falls in a 2 out of 3 falls match that lasted 2 hours and 30-minutes. Referee Ed Smith awarded the match to Caddock on points)
1934
Mexico City, Mexico: – Francisco Aguayo defeated Martinez Larrea for the Mexico National Heavyweight Title
1942
– Ciclon Veloz defeated Jack O’Brien to win the Mexico National Welterweight Title
1946
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Ray Villmer & Bobby Bruns beat Bill Lee & Orville Brown 2 falls to 1 to win the St. Joseph tag team titles
1955
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Leo Nomellini & Bronko Nagurski beat Kinji Shibuya & Ike Eakins in 2 out of 3 falls – Red Bastien beat Pedro Escobar – Dick the Bruiser (as Bruiser Afflis) beat Ovila Asselin (as Guy LaRose) – Ilio DiPaolo beat Jack Pesek
1957
Houston, Texas: – Pepper Gomez & El Medico defeated Duke Keomuka & Tokyo Joe for the NWA Texas Tag Team Titles
1961
Duluth, Minnesota: – AWA Champion Verne Gagne no contest Wilbur Snyder – AWA US Champion Gene Kiniski beat Jack Pesek – Bob Geigel beat Tony Bailargeon – George Scott beat Marquie DeParee
1963
Houston, Texas: – Pepper Gomez defeated Bill Watts to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title
1965
Portland, Oregon: – Stan Stasiak & Haru Sasaki defeated Pepper Martin & Shag Thomas for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles
1966
Birmingham, Alabama: – Tojo Yamamoto & Great Higami defeated Len Rossi & Mario Milano to win the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Titles
1967
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: – Bill Watts beat Harley Race – Larry Hennig beat Rene Goulet – Dr. X beat Dutch Savage – George Gordienko beat Bobby Jones
1969
Atlanta, Georgia: – Paul DeMarco defeated The Professional (Doug Gilbert) for the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title
Chattanooga, Tennessee: – Johnny Walker & Bearcat Brown defeated The Great Mephisto & Dante to win the Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles
1971
Memphis, Tennessee: – Don & Al Greene win the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Titles by defeating Tojo Yamamoto & Jerry Jarrett
Montreal, Quebec, Canada: – Tarzan Zorra defeated Jos LeDuc to win the International Wrestling Association International Heavyweight Title
1973
Kansas City, Kansas: – Roger Kirby defeated Mike George – World Tag Team Champions; Togo the Great & Tokyo Joe beat Bobo Brazil & Omar Atlas – Harley Race & Bob Brown wrestled Dory Funk, Jr. & Terry Funk to a double DQ
1975
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch beat Baron Von Raschke & Kurt Von Brawner (sub Horst Hoffman) – Billy Robinson beat Ray Stevens dq – Chris Taylor beat Buddy Wolff – Khosrow Vaziri drew Jim Brunzell
1978
Knoxville, Tennessee: – Mongolian Stomper won an elimination match to win the vacant NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Title
1980
Kansas City, Kansas: – Takachiho (The Great Kabuki) & Killer Karl Kox defeated Bob Brown & Pat O’Connor to win the NWA Central States Tag Team Titles
1981
Atlanta, Georgia: – Dusty Rhodes defeated Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Wrestling Title
1982
New Orleans, Louisiana: – Junkyard Dog defeated Bob Roop for the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Title
1984
Kansas City, Kansas: – The Uptown Boys (Marty Janetty & Tommy Rogers) defeated The Grapplers (Len Denton & Tony Anthony) for the NWA Central States Tag Team Titles – Ted Oates defeated Luke Graham to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title
Malvern, England: – Steve Grey defeated Danny Collins for the British Welterweight Title
Salt Lake City, Utah: – Fabulous Ones beat King Kong Brody & Larry Zbyszko – Abdullah The Butcher ddq The Crusher – Nick Bockwinkel beat Billy Robinson – Curt Hennig drew Steve Regal – Steve O beat Chris Markoff
1985
Chicago, Illinois: – Sgt. Slaughter defeated Larry Zbyszko to win the AWA America’s Heavyweight Title – Michael Hayes beat AWA Champion Rick Martel in a non title match – Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts & Butch Reed beat Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher & Baron Von Raschke – Greg Gagne drew Nick Bockwinkel – Ray Stevens beat Steve O – Brad Rheingans drew Billy Robinson
Mexico City, Mexico: – Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. defeated MS-1 to win the NWA World Light Heavyweight Title
St. Louis, Missouri: – Kerry Von Erich beat NWA Champion Ric Flair dq – Harley Race beat Bobby Duncum – Blackjack Lanza (sub Dick the Bruiser) & Bulldog Bob Brown & Iceman Parsons beat Mr Pogo & Starship Coyote & Gary Royal – Larry Hennig & Curt Hennig beat Super Destroyer & Sheik Abdullah
1986
Tokyo, Japan: – Mika Komatsu and Kanako Nagatomo defeated The Red Typhoons (Kazue Nagahori and Yumi Ogura) for the AJW Tag Team Titles
1987
Puerto Rico: – Al Perez defeats The Dingo (Ultimate) Warrior for the World Class Texas Heavyweight Title
Rockford, Illinois: – Curt Hennig & Larry Zbyszko beat Nick Bockwinkel & Greg Gagne dq – Wahoo McDaniel beat Boris Zhukov – Sherri Martel beat Candi Divine dq – Kevin Kelly drew DJ Peterson – Mitch Snow & Ray Stevens beat Nasty Boys
1992
Tokyo, Japan: – Punish (Keiti Takayami) and Crush (Shoji Akiyoshi) defeated Scorpio, Jr. and Shu El Guerrero to win Michinoku Pro Wrestling’s UWA/UWF Intercontinental Tag Team Titles
Naucalpan, Mexico: – Villano III defeated The Killer for the UWA World Junior Heavyweight Title
1993
Memphis, Tennessee: – Owen Hart defeated Papa Shango for the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Title – New Jack & Homeboy defeated Rex King & Steve Doll for the USWA Tag Team Titles
1994
Cuernavaca, Mexico: – El Pantera defeated Felino to win the CMLL World Welterweight Title
2000
Memphis, Tennessee: – Steven Regal defeated Jerry Lawler for the MCW Southern Heavyweight Title – The Fabulous Rocker defeated Spanky to win the MCW Light Heavyweight Championship
Tokyo, Japan: – The Samoans (Eddie Fatu and Matty Samu) defeated Hideki Hosaka and Yoshinori Sasaki to win the FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Titles
2001
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada: – Michael Modest defeated Bruce Hart for the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title
2003
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: – Terry Funk defeated The Sandman and “Pitbull” Gary Wolfe (subbing for then-champion Sabu) to win the vacant 3PW Heavyweight Title
2009
TNA Slammiversary | Auburn Hills, Michigan: – Beer Money, Inc defeated Team 3-D for the TNA Tag Team Titles – Kurt Angle won the TNA Heavyweight Title in a King of the Mountain match over Mick Foley, Jeff Jarrett, Samoa Joe and AJ Styles – Suicide defeated Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley in a King of the Mountain match to retain the TNA X Division Championship – Daniels defeated Shane Douglas – Angelina Love (with Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne) defeated Tara to retain the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship – Abyss and Taylor Wilde defeated Raven and Daffney (with Dr. Stevie) in a Monster’s Ball mixed tag team match – Sting defeated Matt Morgan
2014
NJPW Dominion | Osaka, Japan: – The Time Splitters, (Alex Shelley & Kushida) beat The Young Bucks to win the IWGP Jr. Tag Tam Titles – Tetsuya Naito defeated Tama Tonga – Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata) defeated Tomoaki Honma and Yuji Nagata – Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) defeated K.E.S. (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) (with Taka Michinoku) to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship – Kota Ibushi (with El Desperado) defeated Ricochet (with Masaaki Mochizuki) to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship – Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka) (with Taka Michinoku) defeated Kazushi Sakuraba and Toru Yano – Bullet Club (A.J. Styles and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Chaos (Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii) (with Gedo) – Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) defeated Ace to King (Hiroshi Tanahashi and Togi Makabe) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship – Bad Luck Fale (with Tama Tonga) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
