Saturday night is a busy night in the UFC world with UFC 199 going down in Los Angeles, but there are some huge fights in the works for July’s UFC 200 and August’s UFC 202 that has captured the attention of fans.
In something that will get everyone talking in both wrestling and MMA, former WWE champion and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is returning to the organization to fight on UFC 200 against an opponent that will be announced on ESPN Monday. The news was first broken by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.
During a UFC 200 promo during UFC 199, Lesnar was shown at the very end and Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan discussed it a bit afterward.
Lesnar is taking the fight with WWE approval. They will likely be promoting the fight during WWE broadcasts up to the event.
Lesnar’s opponent in his return will be announced Monday on ESPN.
Lesnar came close to returning to the UFC in early 2015, but ultimately decided to sign a new contract with the WWE. He hasn’t fought in the cage since losing to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in December 2011. He came close to returning in 2012 for a fight against Fedor Emelianenko, but the deal was unable to be put together by the UFC.
UFC 200 takes place on July 9 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by Daniel Cormier taking on Jon Jones to unify the light heavyweight title. Frankie Edgar vs. Jose Aldo for the interim featherweight title is also on the show as is former Lesnar foe Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne, and a host of other interesting fights.
UPDATE: WWE has confirmed the fight. They issued the following statement tonight: “Brock Lesnar remains under contract to WWE, however, he has been granted a one-off opportunity to compete at UFC 200. Following this milestone event on July 9, Brock will return to WWE for SummerSlam on Sunday, August 21 live on WWE Network.”
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
So much for Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II fading into the ethos.
UFC aired a promo spot Saturday during UFC 199 that the fight that headlined one of the most purchased UFC PPVs of all time will headline UFC 202 on Saturday, August 20th in Las Vegas, NV.
After they aired the promo, Diaz was shown at cageside next to Dana White, flexing his biceps and getting a hero’s welcome.
The road to the rematch is longform story worthy with the fight originally scheduled to headline UFC 200 only to fall apart supposedly because McGregor didn’t want to come to a press conference as he was training in Iceland. What followed was a classic “he said, they said, he said again” situation that saw UFC cancel the fight and eventually put a light heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier in its place.
After Diaz said he wouldn’t fight anyone else but McGregor, the Stockton, CA, native then decided to play some financial hardball about what it would take to get him to do the rematch: McGregor money. After a meeting between White, Diaz, and Lorenzo Fertitta reportedly went astray, White said this week that it didn’t look like the fight would happen and alternatives for McGregor were being explored.
Well, there was no alternative. Diaz will get a chance to beat McGregor again, and the featherweight champion gets to prove that he can fight — and win — at 170 pounds on a full camp.
So yeah, this is a high stakes fight.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, just outside of Los Angeles. The event is headlined by two title fights involving two heated rivalries. UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold makes his first title defense against Michael Bisping, who gets his first title shot after almost ten years of fighting for the UFC after he replaced Chris Weidman in the bout. In the co-main event, it is UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz making his first defense since regaining the championship when he defends against long-time rival Urijah Faber, who looks to finally capture UFC gold. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:15 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
This weekend we’ll be doing polls on this show, as well as Monday and Tuesday’s New Japan show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle and best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
LIGHTWEIGHTS- POLO REYES (5-2, 1-0 UFC) VS. DONG HYUN “MAESTRO” KIM (13-7-3, 0-1 UFC)
First round: The place is pretty empty starting out the show. I wonder what the odds are of having two Dong Hyun Kim’s in the same promotion. Both coming out swinging. Kim hurt him. Both landing big shots. Kim now working for a takedown. Torres powered Kim down and now punching on the ground. Hard knee by Torres and he’s landing big punches. Kim up and landed a left. Head kick by Reyes. Reyes dropped him with a left. Mexico chants. Knee by Reyes. Knee by Reyes. Trading punches some more. Knee by Kim. Another knee by Kim. Left by Reyes. Spin kick by Reyes. Kim got a takedown into side control. Reyes back up. Kim with punches and knees. Reyes back. 10-9 Reyes. This was a round of the year candidate. Just incedible.
Second round: Kim landing jabs. Reyes in with punches. Spin kick by Reyes missed. Both back swinging. Both are continuing to land solid shots. Head kick by Reyes. Kim hurt him with a left. Reyes with knees. Both landing big shots. Knee and left by Kim. Reyes landed solid shots. Defense does not exist in this world. Hard left by Kim. Reyes with a big right. Reyes now has him hurt. Kim trying for a takedown and got him down. Kim got his back. Reyes back up. Knee by Reyes. Kim bleeding from the nose and mouth. Reyes bleeding as well. Kim tried for a takedown and pretty much went down almost due to exhaustion and Reyes ended on top. Reyes 20-18.
Third round: The doctor is checking on Kim. Elbow by Reyes. Reyes dropped him and ref Mike Beltran stopped the fight. A right staggered him and a second right as Kim was falling finished it. Beltran jumped in after one more punch on the ground.
Joe Rogan just called this one of the most entertaining fights he’s ever seen in his life. It was incredible.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- KEVIN CASEY (9-4 2 NC, 1-1 2 NC UFC) VS. ELVIS MUTAPCIC (15-4, 0-1 UFC)
First round: Casey’s father-in-law was Muhammad Ali. Body kick by Casey. Mutapcic landing body kicks. Casey with an uppercut. Casey with a body kick. Casey took him down. Casey landing body shots from the top. Casey with more body punches from the top. Casey moved to side control. Casey got behind him in a scramble. Mutapcic back to his feet. Mutapcic with a flying knee. Casey 10-9
Second round: Casey winged a few punches. Hard body kick by Mutapcic. Casey with a takedown but Mutapcic right back up and landed punches and knees. Casey with another takedown into full mount. Elbows by Casey. Mutapcic rolled out of it and back to his feet. Mutapcic throwing elbows. Hard knees by Mutapcic. Mutapcic with a lot of knees. Mutapcic landing knees and threw an elbow late. Close round. 10-9 Casey
Third round: Head kick by Mutapcic and jumping knee and more elbows. Casey with a right. Casey poked him in the eye. Mutapcic kicked him in the jaw. Mutapcic kicked to the body. Knee by Mutapcic. Casey went for a takedown but Mutapcic landed on top in the mount. Mutapcic landing a lot of elbows at the end. Almost a 10-8 round but I’d go 10-9 Mutapcic so 29-28 Casey. But the second round could easily go to Mutapcic and he could take it, or you could go 10-8 and have it a draw.
Scores: 29-28 Mutapcic 29-28 Casey 28-28 draw. You can’t fault the judges on any of those scores.
Mutapcic said he wanted to dedicate the fight to Ali. Casey kind of said the same thing.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- JONATHAN WILSON (7-0, 1-0 UFC) VS. LUIS HENRIQUE DA SILVA (10-0, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Low kick by Da Silva. Wilson with uppercuts. Trading kicks. Hard body kick by Da Siva. Both landing. Hard knee by Da Silva. Da Silva with an uppercut and a knee. Another uppercut by Da Silva. Body shot by Wilson. Wilson with a left. Another body kick by Da Silva. Elbow by Wilson and a right . Wilson landing hard shots. Wilson now landing hard shots. Knees by Da Silva. Da Silva 10-9
Second round: Da Silva landing knees. Da Silva with knees and a lot punches. Takedown by Wilson. Wilson landing lard lefts and rights and dropped Da Silva with a left. Wilson is on top. Wilson with lefts on the ground. Da Silva reversed to the top into full mount. Da Silva landing hard punches and elbows. Da Silva with a lot of punches. He kept landing punches until ref Mike Beltran waved it off. This was a really good fight.
WELTERWEIGHTS- SEAN STRICKLAND (17-1, 4-1) VS. TOM BREESE (10-0)
First round: Hard body kick by Breese. Another body kick by Breese. They are trading low kicks. Some booing because it’s starting slow. Breese moving forward and landed a left. Body kick by Strickland. Breese with more body kicks. 10-9 Breese
Second round: Body kick by Strickland. Nice right by Strickland. Breese coming back. Low kick by Strickland. Crowd booing and restless. Strickland landing punches. Body kick by Strickland. Strickland’s round 19-19. Crowd booed both guys when the round was over
Third round: Nothing much to this fight. Fans booing loudly now. Takedown by Breese with one minute left but Strickland right back up. He tried another takedown but Strickland blocked it. Strickland got a takedown and landed punches when it was over. I Gave it to Strickland so he won 29-28. Crowd booed this finish heavily.
Scores: 29-28 Breese 29-28 Strickland 29-28 Strickland. Crowd heavily booed the decision but . Strickland apologized for the fight and said Breese kept backing up.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
FEATHERWEIGHTS- COLE MILLER (21-9 1 NC, 10-7 1 NC UFC) VS. ALEX CACERES (11-8 1 NC, 6-6 1 NC UFC)
First round: Caceres dropped him with a left right away. Miller right back up. Miller hip tossed him down. Miller dragged him down a second time. Caceres reversed to the top. Caceres let him back up. Body kick by Caceres. Head kick by Caceres. Caceres with punches. Spinning backfist by Caceres. Caceres landed a hard left. Caceres took him down. Caceres let him up. Body kick by Caceres. Punches and a head kick by Caceres. Miller tried a takedown, Caceres ended up on top and let him up. 10-9 Caceres.
Second round: Jumping kick by Caceres. Caceres landing several punches. Miller with a head kick. Caceres hurt him with a left and landed several more punches. Caceres threw him down. Caceres threw him down a second time. Miller back up. Body kick by Caceres. Caceres landing a lot of punches. Caceres threw him down a third time. Caceres continuing to land. He landed a left and a high kick and then a right. Good right by Miller. Caceres 20-18.
Third round: Caceres did a marital arts pose to stat the round which popped the crowd. Cesares back landing punches. Left and a takedown by Caceres. Head kick by Caceres. Miller with a takedown. Miller working for an armbar. Caceres out into side control. Great sequence. Crowd went bananas as he escaped. Leroy chants. Caceres threw him down again. Miller with a left. Knee by Miller. Caceres with punches and took him down again. Miller reversed to the top. Miller now working for a choke with 25 seconds left. Miller punching from back position but Miller needed a finish and didn’t get it. Miller’s round 29-28 Caceres overall.
Scores: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 Caceres. Not sure about that 30-27 because Miller won that third round.
First round: Andade came out strong landing a ton of punches. Andarde in with another flurry. Andrade firing away again. Andade in with another flurry. Adnrade landing a ton of punches and Penne is in a lot of trouble. Penne went down from punches just as the round ended. 10-8 Andrade for sure.
Second round: Andrade landed a ton of punches and Penne went down and Andrade let her back up. Andrade killing her with punches. It’s really time to stop this one. Jason Herzog stopped it.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- (#10) BENEIL DARIUSH (12-2, 6-2 UFC) VS. JAMES VICK (9-0, 5-0 UFC)
First round: Dariush got poked in the right eye. Vick poked him in the right eye again. Hard body kick by Dariush . Dariush decked him and his pounding him on the ground. Dariush with hard elbows on the ground. Dariush with hard punches but Vick up. Dariush with a right. Vick with a body kick. Dariush landed a right and Vick lost his legs. Dariush with punches and dropped him with a left and it’s over. The place came unglued with that finish.
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#12) BRIAN ORTEGA (10-0 1 NC, 2-0 1 NC UFC) VS. CLAY GUIDA (32-16, 12-10 UFC)
First round: Guida dropped him with a left. Guida chants even though Ortega is from Los Angeles. Guida connected with a right. Guida moving forward. Loud Guida chants. Guida landing lefts in a clinch. Both trading now. Guida landing a number of punches. Guida even tried a head kick. Body kick by Ortega. 10-9 Guida.
Second round: Guida went for a takedown but Ortega sprawled. Body kick by Ortega. Left by Ortega. Guida tried a takedown but Ortega blocked it again. Ortega with a right. Spin kick by Ortega. Ortega’s round so 19-19 after two.
Third round: Ortega with a jab. Guida with a right. Ortega landed some. Spin kick by Ortega. Guida can’t get inside to land. Knee by Ortega and another knee. Guida with left. Ortega dropped him with a knee and it’s over.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- (#11) DUSTIN POIRIER (19-4, 11-3 UFC) VS. (#13) BOBBY GREEN (23-6, 4-1 UFC)
First round: Poirier with some low kicks. Green landed some punches and Poirier came back and decked Green. Body kick by Poirier. Left by Poirier. Poirier landing big punches. Another left landed by Poirier. Poirier with another left. Poirier decked him again with a left and after a few punches on the ground referee Jason Herzog stopped it.
They just aired a wonderful tribute to Muhammad Ali narrated by Dana White. One of the best videos they’ve done, particuarly on such short notice.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#15) DAN HENDERSON (31-14, 8-8 UFC) VS. (#14 WW) HECTOR L
First round: This place will come unglued if Henderson wins. Super loud Hendo chants. Henderson clocked him and Lombard clocked him back and took Henderson down into side control. Lombard went for a straight armbar. Henderson out. Henderson back to his feet and the place exploded. They were trading big shots and Lombard decked him. Lombard is all over him and Henderson back up. This fight is insane. Lombard took him down again and held him there until the end of the round. Lombard 10-9.
Second round: Body kick by Lombard. Both landed big shots. Lombard landed a right after Henderson missed. Crowd chanting for Henderson. Henderson landed a head kick and a hard side elbow and Lombard went down hard. After two more elbows on the ground it was over. This place is going insane. This was one of the loudest pops you’ll ever hear. Lombard is still down. 1:27
Lombard is now sitting up. Henderson thanked the fans for their reaction. The place is going so nuts for Henderson it isn’t funny. All of his kids were at ringside for the first time. He said he’s not sure what’s going to happen but that may have been the last fight of his career.
Henderson’s kids were all in the ring with him after along with other family members.
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#4) MAX HOLLOWAY (15-3, 11-3 UFC) VS. (#5) RICARDO LAMAS (16-4, 7-2 UFC)
First round: Holloway landing some early. Spin kick by Lamas landed short. Holloway landed some punches. Hollloway all over him with punches and a knee. Lamas went for the takedown and Holloway blocked it. Lamas short on a spin kick. Body kick. Lamas fighting for the takedown and couldn’t get it. Holloway landed several punches and a spin kick. Holloway 10-9.
Second round: Lamas threw a kick that was blocked. Lamas with a low kick. Both landing a lot of punches but Holloway getting the better of it. Lamas now back with hard punches. Lamas went for a takedown. Holloway blocked and on top. Holloway for a split second had a dragon sleeper. Holloway with a body kick as Lamas got up. Lamas shot in and Holloway got a choke. He didn’t have it fully in and let go. Holloway threw punches from back position as the round ended. Holloway 20-18
Third round: Holloway landing punches. Lamas back with a kick. Head kick by Lamas. Holloway landing punches and kicks. Spinning elbow by Lamas. Both threw for all they were worth in the last ten seconds to elicit a standing ovation. 30-27 Holloway although the third round was closer than the first two.
Scores: All three had it 30-27 for Holloway.
Holloway asked for a $50,000 check for best fight. He’s not getting it. He also asked for a title shot.
First round: Cruz booed a lot. Analysts are not getting over with this audience. Faber chants. Faber threw a knee and Cruz took him down. Faber scrambled but Cruz up and got behind him. Cruz took him down and Faber scrambled. As he got up, Cruz hit him. Body kick by Cruz. Faber moved in and slammed Cruz but Cruz reversed to the top immediately. Faber out and landed a left. Faber landed a right. Cruz with a low kick. Cruz went for a takedown and didn’t get it. Cruz landed few shots Cruz 10-9.
Second round: Cruz dropped him with a left. Faber back up. Cruz missed a kick and Faber is in trouble. Knee by Cruz. Cruz landing jabs. The crowd is turning toward Cruz. Cruz with a low kick. Another low kick by Cruz. Back to chants for Faber. Cruz landed a left. Cruz with a left. Low kick by Cruz. Faber missed a big shot. Faber with a right. Head kick by Cruz. Cruz landed a body shot. Cruz 20-18.
Third round: Cruz with a low kick. Cruz slipped and Faber landed a punch but Cruz hurt him with a counter. Cruz landed a good left. Cruz landed more shots. Low kick by Cruz. Left by Cruz. Cruz went for a takedown and didn’t get it. Cruz went for another takedown and didn’t get it. Cruz missing a lot but Faber couldn’t land. Cruz said something to him after the round and Faber shoved him. Cruz 30-27.
Fourth round: Faber missed on punches. Cruz with a left. Faber clipped him with a punch. Cruz with a left. Both are missing a lot now. Cruz dropped him with a left and landed a head kick. Faber back up. Cruz with a right. Now crowd chanting for Cruz. Faber with a right. Both missing more. Cruz 40-36.
Fifth round: Cruz landed two head kicks. Cruz landed punches as Faber moved in. Cruz with lefts. Cruz took him down as Faber went for a big shot. Body kick by Cruz as Faber got up. Cruz with another takedown. He moved into side control. Faber back up. Faber tried the guillotine but he’s not getting that tonight. Cruz 50-45.
They did have a short sorta hug after.
Scores: 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 Cruz
Cruz again said ring rust wasn’t real.
Faber was booed after and said he can’t say anything other then pushing that Cruz had power but nothing like Cody Garbrandt. He priased Cruz’s wrestling. By the time Faber was done fans wer cheering him. He said he wants to be at the top, he wasn’t at the top tonight and talked about supporting Gardbrandt and his guys.
WWE has already starting promoting Lesnar at UFC 200.
UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) LUKE ROCKHOLD (15-2, 5-1 UFC) VS. (#4) MICHAEL BISPING (28-7, 18-7 UFC)
First round: Bisping got a mixed reaction. He doesn’t have that veteran sympathy thing going for him. Rockhold also got a mixed reaction. And he’s from California. Both were mouthing off before it started. Rockhold with a push kick. Bisping landed a punch to the face. Bisping with a low kick. USA chant. Rockhold with a left and Bisping back. Body kick by Rockhold. Bisping with a body kick. Bisping landing more. Low kick by Roickhold. Rockhold landing body kicks now. Bisping dropped him with a left and dropped him a second time with a left and landed two punches on the ground and it was stopped. This was very much like the GSP vs. Serra fight. 3:36
Bisping’s family is in the ring celebrating with him. Bisping said I have to be humble, thanked everyone for being here. I stated fighting when I came out of my mother. Priased his wife and parents. I’m an average guy this is my dream, two weeks notice, two hours two minutes I’ll fight anyone. Thanked people in the UK.
Rockhold was booed. Congratulations to Michael, he caught me. I took it for granted. Admitted he was overconfident. I didn’t fight my fight. He’s a tough guy and he’s a warrior.
Muhammad Ali is very likely the most well known and important figure in the history of sports. Besides Jackie Robinson, no other athlete may have had as great an impact on society, as Ali’s refusal to participate in the Vietnam War stands out as a seminal moment in American history. That’s to say nothing of his public conversion to Islam and his steadfast refusal to play down his faith. Those two acts alone helped to define a generation.
Of course, his fame was international as well, and that same influence was felt throughout the globe. From Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), site of the famous Rumble in the Jungle, to the Philippines, home to the Thrilla in Manila, Ali truly was a World Champion.
His connections to pro wrestling are thoroughly documented, with Ali crediting pro wrestling for influencing his bombastic public persona. And in a funny twist, Ali’s fight with Antonio Inoki ended up essentially being the birth of mixed martial arts.
Ali’s legacy is one that would fill several books and will safely live on for decades. There was never a man like him before and there will never be one like him again.
Tons more on Muhammad Ali:
New Zealand Herald looks at his famous fight with Antonio Inoki. The article includes a video with Gene LeBell talking about the damage Inoki’s leg kicks had on Ali.
Miami Herald has a story about Dusty Rhodes saying he almost had a match with Ali in Florida. The article includes a link to a video of Dusty telling the story (the Ali part starts at 3:35).
Yahoo! Sports describes how Ali not only influenced pro wrestling and MMA but how wrestling promos also influenced him.
Forbes looks back to 1995 when Ali attended the festival in North Korea that featured a Ric Flair vs. Antonio Inoki pro wrestling match as the main event. A few weeks back on Chris Jericho’s podcast, Flair talked about that trip and told stories about flying to North Korea with Ali and his entourage.
A Calgary Herald an article mentions that Ali was once given a photograph of himself posing with Stu Hart. The person that gave the photo to Ali said he was speechless. The photo and him being unable to speak at the time were both rare.
Here is a classic Muhammad Ali promo featuring some often quotes lines: “I have wrestled with an alligator… tussled with a whale… handcuffed lightning… thrown thunder in jail…”
Here is a collection of clips featuring some of his best promos (starts at :37). Besides his promos, highlights include a pull-apart brawl with Joe Frazier in a studio with Howard Cosell doing play-by-play.
Here is Freddie Blassie doing a run-in during an Ali appearance on The Tonight Show with guest host McLean Stevenson (of M*A*S*H fame). It was part of the promotion leading into the Inoki fight.
Here is Ali jumping in the ring to confront and throw hands with Gorilla Monsoon on a WWWF show in 1976. After Ali starts jabbing him, Monsoon picks Ali up in an airplane spin with Vince McMahon calling the action on commentary. The angle was part of the build towards Ali vs. Inoki.
Here is Ali vs. Buddy Wolfe in boxer vs. wrestler exhibition match on an AWA card from Chicago in 1976. It was also part of the buildup to Ali vs. Inoki. That match aired on ABC during a “Wide World of Sports” broadcast and features an intro by Howard Cosell. Verge Gagne is the referee. Freddie Blassie is a cornerman.
Here is Ali vs “Sodbuster” Kenny Jay in another boxer vs. wrestler exhibition on an AWA card in the Midwest. Gagne was also the referee in this match.
Here is Ali cutting promos on Inoki at a press conference in Japan promoting their fight. Inoki was mostly laughing at his insults.
Here is an extended trailer for a promising new documentary on the Inoki vs. Ali fight.
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber for bantamweight title
Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping for middleweight title
NEW JAPAN WORLD SUNDAY AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM GUNMA
Ryusuke Taguchi & Jay White vs. Yoshi-Hashi & Rocky Romero
Yuji Nagata & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Manabu Nakanishi & David Finlay & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Kushida & Juice Robinson & Captain New Japan & Matt Sydal
Tiger Mask vs. Trent Baretta
Will Ospreay vs. Jushin Liger
Bobby Fish vs. Chase Owens
Ricochet vs. Volador Jr.
Satoshi Kojima & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi
*WWE in Amarillo (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Lawton, OK (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo, Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*ROH in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Expo Building (Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian defend the tag title against War Machine, Adam Cole vs. Lio Rush, Dalton Castle vs. Kamaitachi)
NEW JAPAN WORLD MONDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil
Volador Jr. vs. Will Ospreay
Ricochet vs. Chase Owens
Bobby Fish vs. Tiger Mask
Jushin Liger vs. Trent Baretta
Matt Sydal vs. David Finlay
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Gedo
Kushida vs. Bushi
Raw will be Monday in Oklahoma City. John Cena, Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are all booked on the show along with the usual regulars.
NEW JAPAN WORLD TUESDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Best of the Super Juniors championship match
NXT TAKEOVER THE END ON WEDNESDAY AT 8 P.M. FROM FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY IN WINTER PARK, FL
Andrade Cien Almas vs. Tye Dillinger
Asuka vs. Nia Jax for women’s title
Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder for tag titles
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor cage match for the NXT title
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Wichita. John Cena is not scheduled but Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are scheduled.
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 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.
A huge double issue of the Observer is out this week, including the real catalyst behind the WWE brand split, a breakdown of the roster, justice denied again in the Jimmy Snuka case, Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay and the Super Juniors tournament plus a full rundown, the story behind Bill Goldberg and the WWE video game and the Brock Lesnar tease, famous boxer vs. pro wrestler fights, WWE schedule and injury rates, business rundowns from the past two months for WWE & TNA, updates on cable stations that carry wrestling and MMA, and one of the greatest territorial business runs in history in the life and career of Cowboy Frankie Laine.
Our lead story looks at the WWE brand split, why it happened, what is known that isn’t a secret, ads out post brand split, plans for the split two months ago and what the ad department was told then, what different arenas have been told this week, thoughts behind decisions having too be made, plus a roster rundown on what positions WWE is strong and weak in, and where NXT talent should fit in and who is ready, or who can fill a slot.
There is also an update on the Jimmy Snuka situation, with a realistic view if there will be a trial and what the time frame is and what happens next.
This issue also looks at the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match, Vader’s reaction, Super Juniors standings and rundowns of the shows plus looking at where things are going.
Updates on Money in the Bank, stars returning to television soon, how the NBA & NHL playoffs coincide with wrestling the next two weeks, an update on NXT, lots of WWE performers off TV for the next several weeks, notes from lawsuit depositions that are eye opening, Cena getting a gigantic endorsement deal, Rollins return news, injury updates, lots of Dwayne Johnson news, WrestleMania in the future notes, notes on how little talent gets told in advance about things, who watches what on WWE network, plus we’ve got rundowns of every WWE & NXT events over the past week and business notes on the shows, all included in in this issue.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
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No surprise, but John Cena vs. AJ Styles is official for Money in the Bank.
No update this morning on the status of The Drifter, who appeared to have injured his ankle at the house show last night and left the building on crutches. He was in a lot of pain, and it was definitely not a worked angle despite the fact that NXT has been doing the fake injury finish for a little while now.
WWE announced a new episode of Breaking Ground immediately following NXT Takeover on Wednesday. It appears to be a reunion show where we take a look at what everyone is up to since the series ended. I hope they focus on Tyler Breeze and his main roster success.
WWE has also been adding AWA Supershows to their Vault area on the WWE Network.
Nick Denton, Gawker owner, is confident that they will do much better when they appeal the Hulk Hogan lawsuit which ordered Denton to pay the Hulkster 140 ga-zillion dollars.
An Orlando paper has a feature on local indie wrestling going from the ring to the stage.
The next Superkick’d show is scheduled for July 8th in Toronto and is promising ‘eight matches, live music, alcohol, and hot girls!’ We’re awaiting confirmation on whether John Pollock is defending his hardcore title on the show.
VCW returns to Toronto’s Super Wonder Gallery with SuperSlam 4 on June 30th. We’re awaiting confirmation on whether Wai Ting will finally challenge for the TV title on that show.
This week on 6:05 Superpodcast, Brian Last and David Bixenspan talk to Bob Barnett about his decades of fandom including meeting Vince McMahon when they were kids, chat with Jammie Ward about tape trading and ’80s wrestling hardcore fandom in general, learn more about “Rasslin’” singer/songwriter Glen Goza, and much more.
MMA
Jon Jones has been tweeting a lot about Muhammad Ali.
“Rest in peace to my greatest inspiration”
“A few things I’ll cherish forever” (accompanied by above pic)
Nikita Krylov and Ed Herman have been signed to fight at UFC 201 in Atlanta in a light heavyweight bout.
MISC.
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) has a feature on a beach wrestling competition. The article describes the new take on an old sport as “expanding the traditional gymnasium sport to America’s sandy beaches.” Kind of like Bash at the Beach in 1995 but no ring or spandex.
The Daily Star (UK) features arguably the most intense arm wrestler ever displaying his intensity and it is indeed intense. Warning: Language is NSFW (and the video player opens automatically so be prepared for intensity)
James Renner will be our guest on After Dark Radio Sunday night, 9 PT/12 ET on the Dark Matter Digital Network, live and free. Details and a link are always available on the front page.
EVENTS
TONIGHT – ECWA on Saturday night in Woodbury Heights, NJ at the Community Center with Sean Carr vs. Papadon
TONIGHT – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
TONIGHT – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
TONIGHT – Aerostar vs. Flamita vs. Laredo Kid vs. Septimo Dragon headline tonight in Benbrook, TX at the Camp Bowie Bingo Hall. The same promotion has a tag match tomorrow night in Houston at the Atlantico Hall with Aerostar & Laredo Kid vs. Flamita & Ultimo Ninja.
TONIGHT – CWE in Morden, Manitoba at the Morden Block Party Street Festival has a free show with a 1 p.m. start time.
TOMORROW – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
TOMORROW – Silver Star Promotions at the 4 Ever Arena in Fort Worth has Caristico & El Hijo del Fishman vs. Silver Star & Psicosis Jr.
June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
June 11 – ECCW Port Coquitlam, BC at the Elks Hall #49.
June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
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 as the top prelim fight Bellator Dynamite show in St. Louis. This will be a combination MMA and kickboxing show.
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
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, Rob Conway vs. Rodney Mack and an appearance by Kevin Nash.
July 9 – Smash Wrestling in Fort Erie, ONT at the Native Friendship Center. Chris Hero will headline this fund raising event to raise money for the Godson of Jeremy Elliott, who Hero will wrestle. Elliott’s Godson is a patient at the CPRI Treatment Center.
July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY.
August 13 – Rey Mysterio Jr. will headline a show at Montgomery High School in San Diego, his alma mater, for Viva La Lucha promotions. Also appearing are Konnan, Psicosis, Johnny Mundo, Teddy Hart and TJ Perkins.
Truth came out first and got a loud pop. Breeze had little reaction. Started out as comedy match, then Breeze took control until run-ins by Fandango and Goldust. Truth won with a roll up after about 8 minutes.
– Cesaro vs Primo
Cesaro came out first to a really loud pop. Primo had no reaction until he cut a local promo. Epico wasn’t there. Back and forth match, Cesaro hit all his spots, and won with the Sharpshooter after about 10 minutes.
– AJ Styles did a local backstage video promo. Hard to understand, but the crowd was heavily booing throughout.
– Karl Anderson vs. an Uso (not sure which)
Anderson and Gallows came out first to medium boos then one of the Usos came out to a huge pop. The other Uso wasn’t there. Anderson won with a roll up after Gallows distracted Uso.
– Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler
Corbin came out first to little reaction. Dolph has one of the biggest pops of the night. Crowd wasn’t really into except six little kids relentlessly chanting for Ziggler, Baron eventually zeroed in on them and started saying each punch was for them and the like. This got the crowd more into it. Ziggler won by DQ after about 14 minutes when Corbin used a chair. Ziggler then came back in and kicked Corbin in the nuts, and hit the Zig Zag.
– WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte vs Natalya
Natalya entered first to a pretty good reaction. Charlotte got a really loud reaction, probably 70% negative. They worked the crowd before the match and got the crowd all on Natalya’s side. Crowd was probably most engaged in the near falls of this match than any other, besides the main event. Good match, eventually Charlotte started working the leg. Ended when Charlotte pinned Natalya, but ref missed Charlotte’s feet on the ropes.
– US Champion Rusev vs Sin Cara
Rusev got a lot of boos. Sin Cara got an ok reaction, but it was obvious that crowd was wanting Kalisto, who wasn’t there. Crowd couldn’t decide between chanting “USA”, “We want Lana” (who wasn’t there), or “lucha.” Rusev wins with the Accolade after about 9 mins. After the match, Rusev cut a promo until Titus O’Neil entered the ring and eventually hit a spinebuster.
– WWE World Champion Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins vs AJ Styles
AJ came out first to almost entirely boos, even though I saw quite a few people with his t-shirt on. His reaction was definitely not as strong as the other two guys. Rollins out next, and his reaction was about 70% boos. Finally, Reigns came out to by far the loudest reaction of the night. I would guess 80 to 90% cheers. Rollins started as cowardly heel, sitting out until he found a spot.
Really fun match, eventually Seth and AJ teamed up, and Seth teased tapping “too sweet” hand signal with AJ, but eventually turned on him. They kinda went back and forth working with Reigns, until everybody hit their signature moves (forearm, Superman punch, and Pedigree). Roman eventually won with a spear on AJ after about 17 minutes.
Kansas City, Kansas: – Ali Baba beat Nanjo Singh by dq – Bill Lee beat Chris Zaharias – Lou Thesz beat Gene Bowman – Walter Podolak beat Eddie Newman – Beppo Vitale beat Steve Nenoff
1964
Kansas City, Kansas: – Steve Bolus and Richard Moody beat Bob Geigel and Charlie Triggs – Pat O’Connor beat Mongolian Stomper via dq – Moose Evans beat Tokyo Tom – The Lawman beat Harley Race
1966
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – In a No Time Limit Match with Special Referee, Joe Blanchard; AWA Tag Team Champions Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher beat Larry Hennig & Harley Race in 2 out of 3 fall – The Alaskan beat Billy Red Cloud – Wilbur Snyder beat Moose Cholak – Chris Markoff beat Juan Zendajas – Eddie Sharkey won an 8 man battle royal
1970
Kansas City, Kansas: – Roger Kirby defeated Frank Hester – Pat O’Connor defeated Scandor Akbar – Bob Geigel defeated Baron Von Raschke via DQ – Indian Strap Match: Danny Little Bear defeated Harley Race
1971
Chicago, Illinois: – In a Loser Leaves USA match, Dick the Bruiser beat Strong Kobayashi – Hans Schmidt & Baron Von Raschke beat Moose Cholak & Wilbur Snyder – Nick Bockwinkel beat Bull Bullinski by count out
1977
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – Billy Robinson beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel in a non Title Match – Super Destroyer & Angelo Mosca beat Ray Stevens & Pedro Morales – Jim Brunzell & Billy Francis & Bob Backlund drew Black Jack Lanza & Mad Dog Vachon & Bobby Duncum
1979
Memphis, Tennessee: – Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee beat Mr. Fuji & Toru Tanaka to win the Southern Tag Title – Robert Fuller defeated The Mongolian Stomper in a “loser leaves town vs. title” match to win the Southern Title
1984
Memphis, Tennessee: – Phil Hickerson & The Spoiler beat Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert via DQ – Jim Neidhart beat Austin Idol via DQ – Southern Champ Jerry Lawler beat Kimala via countout
1992
Tazwell, Virginia: – Dixie Dynamite pinned Killer Kyle – Hector Guerrero defeated Buddy Landel via disqualification – SMW Heavyweight Champion Brian Lee defeated the Dirty White Boy – Brad & Bart Batten defeated Jimmy Golden & Dutch Mantell – Robert Gibson & Tim Horner defeated The Heavenly Bodies – Stan Lane & Tom Pritchard and Robert Gibson won a battle royal
1993
Cleveland, Ohio: – Erik Watts defeated TJ Arion – Maxx Payne defeated Kensuke Sasaki – Ron Simmons defeated WCW World TV Champion Paul Orndorff – Arn Anderson (substituting for 2 Cold Scorpio) & Marcus Alexander Bagwell defeated Lord Steven Regal (substituting for injured WCW/NWA World Tag Team Champion Brian Pillman) & WCW/NWA World Tag Team Champion Steve Austin – Dustin Rhodes defeated Rick Rude – Davey Boy Smith defeated WCW World Champion Big Van Vader via disqualification
2002
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: – Billy Gunn & Chuck Palumbo defeated Rico & Rikishi for the WWE World Tag Team Titles
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns with a look at the death of Muhammad Ali, plus a preview of Saturday’s UFC 199 top bouts.
They’re showing videos before the show starts. Every time time Roman Reigns is show, he got booed.
– No Way Jose beat Angelo Dawkins in a fun opener
– Elias Samson vs. Andrade Cien Almas ended when Samson legit hurt his ankle. The ref stopped the match, but Almas refused to have his arm raised. Samson got a supportive “Drifter” chant from the fans as he was being led out.
– Tye Dillinger beat Tino Sabatelli in a decent match. Tino seemed nervous, but looked okay.
– NXT Tag Champions American Alpha beat The Revival to retain. Great, great match, and exactly what you’d expect from these guys. Gable and Jordan got huge pops for everything they did.
– Nakamura vs. Buddy Murphy was after intermission. Nakamura got an absolutely deafening reaction when he came out. The match was good as Murphy is underrated. Nakamura won with the Kinshasa.
– Carmella and Bayley beat Peyton Royce & Darla. Fun match, but not much to it. Bayley was very over.
– NXT Champion Samoa joe beat Finn Balor. Good match, ended with Joe pinning Balor with his feet on the ropes. Balor sent Joe packing afterward to send the crowd home happy.
