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  • Daily Update: Lucha Underground returns, rumored UFC fight

    Lucha Underground returns tonight

    The Wednesday Night Wars are back with NXT vs. the returning Lucha Underground in the latter’s second season. Jeremy Peeples will have your look at episode one later tonight. Even The Rock has given the show its blessing as you’ll see in this AV Club preview piece.

    UFC 196 PPV now FREE on Fox Sports 1

    Due to injuries to both men in the main event, UFC will no longer be running a PPV on February 6. Originally slated to be headlined by a heavyweight title defense by Fabricio Werdum in a rematch against Cain Velasquez, the main event fight was recently changed when Velasquez decided to pull out due to an undisclosed injury. Rather than cancel the fight, the UFC offered the title shot to Stipe Miocic who recently KO’d Andrei Arlovski in 54 seconds less than a month ago on January 2, at UFC 195.

    However, the Werdum vs. Miocic fight has now been completely cancelled as Werdum pulled out as well due to a number of minor injuries. This left the UFC in need of a new major match in order to put on the PPV event. With less than two weeks until the show, rather than find a replacement match, UFC 196 will now be a free show on Fox Sports 1, and the semi main event match between Johny Hendricks and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson will now headline the show.

    The rest of the card that will air live for free on Fox Sports 1 on February 6 is as follows:

    • Roy Nelson vs. Jared Rosholt
    • Ovince St. Preux vs. Raphael Cavalcante
    • Joseph Benavidez vs. Zach Makovsky
    • Josh Burkman vs. KJ Noons

    The show, which looks to be rather weak on paper, is now headlined by a potential number one contenders match at welterweight. Johny Hendricks looks to rebound from his most recent loss to fatness when he missed weight badly in his scheduled bout with Tyrone Woodley. White initially said Woodley would be getting the next shot at the welterweight title, but has since rescinded, given the likely rematch between Carlos Condit and current welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.

    Given the weakness of the card without the title match, it is likely this would have been one of least purchased UFC PPV shows in recent history.

    If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our new 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!  The latest video

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 1/18/2016: Gawker’s motion to dismiss Hulk Hogan lawsuit denied
    Gawker’s motion to dismiss the Hulk Hogan sex tape lawsuit is denied, plus news and notes

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: January 25, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2015 Observer Awards Issue

    The 2015 Observer awards issue, the traditional biggest issue of the year,is up on the web site now.  The issue not only has the awards winners in more than 40 different categories, but all the top place winners, as well as a history with all the awards winners dating back to 1980, as well as my comments on the placing for many of the awards.

    The categories are:

    Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year), MMA MVP, Most Outstanding Wrestler, Most Outstanding MMA Fighter, Best Box Office Draw, Feud of the Year, Tag Team of the Year, Most Improved, Best on Interviews, Most Charismatic, Best Technical Wrestler, Bruiser Brody Memorial Award (Best Brawler), Best Flying Wrestler, Most Overrated, Most Underrated, Promotion of the Year, Best Weekly TV show, Pro Wrestling Match of the Year, MMA Match of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Best Non-Wrestler, Best Television Announcer, Worst Television Announcer, Best Major Wrestling show, Worst Major Wrestling Show, Best Wrestling Maneuver, Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic, Worst Television Show, Worst Match of the Year, Worst Feud of the Year, Worst Promotion of the Year, Best Booker, Promoter of the Year, Best Gimmick, Worst Gimmick, Best Pro Wrestling Book and Best Pro Wrestling DVD

    Update on the Royal Rumble and Rumble weekend, full coverage of Dominick Cruz’s UFC bantamweight title win and the records set on Sunday’s show and details on the New Japan/Jim Ross announcing deal as well as a look at how this came about and Jim Ross’ overall career.

    2017 Wrestlemania, how Smackdown has affected overall ratings for the USA Network, update on A.J. Styles with WWE, WWE injury updates, Daniel Bryan update, more on Mauro Ranallo and Smackdown, Chris Jericho talks his return, new season of Total Divas, How talent is broken down in NXT, the heat on Josh from Tough Enough, new dates for Brock Lesnar, plus notes from the big NXT tour and all the shows, the NXT Florida shows, as well as the WWE shows in India and the WWE weekend domestic shows and all the business notes.

    PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

    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

    You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

    If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. 

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: Dec 14, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2 biographies in the works about Jesse Ventura
    NBC and ABC working on biographies on Jesse Ventura, a look at the end of year events for New Japan and All Japan, plus tons of news and notes.

    WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE

    Bryan Alvarez appeared on PodcastOne.com’s “The Ross Report” with Jim Ross.  Listen here. As I type this Bryan is recording the Lance Storm F4D and the Tom Lawler’s Filthy Four Daily edition of F4D.  Look for those two shows within an hour or two.  Not sure which order they were recorded though!  I am also very sure Dave is feverishly working on completing the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at this moment as well, so check back for this week’s edition later today!  A big Wednesday as usual for F4WOnline.com, now on to the news:

    WWE/Pro Wrestling

    UFC/MMA

    • Rashad Evans vs Shogun Rua is rumoured to be announced for UFC on FOX 19 in April. Should the fight happen, it would be the first time the two veterans have fought each other, although they were scheduled to fight in 2011 at UFC 128 before a knee injury to Evans forced him out of that fight. This would probably be the co-main for that show, which only has a Tony Ferguson/Khabib Nurmagomedov fight attached to it.
    • UFC today announced the signing of a guy named Adam “The Prototype” Millstead to a four fight deal. You may recall that’s the same nickname John Cena had in developmental and a look at this guy might explain why he uses that name. Millstead is 7-1 with 7 straight stoppage wins on smaller regional shows.
    • EA Sports released a trailer for the UFC Ultimate Team mode in the upcoming EA Sports UFC 2 video game. They also updated their website with a news post going over the various features in UFC Ultimate Team. The game comes out on March 15th and is available for pre-order now.
    • WSOF 27 Saturday on NBC Sports Network did 213,000 viewers for its show headlined by Luiz Firmino vs Caros Fodor and no starpower whatsoever underneath. It was their best number since August’s show headlined by Jake Shield and well above the 2015 average of 189,000 viewers.
    • ONE Championships has a show for the 2nd straight weekend coming up on Friday morning North American time, evening in Malaysia where the show is being held. The main event is Featherweight fight between Eric Kelly and Ev Ting. Interesting name on the undercard is Christian Lee, the 17 year old brother of Angela Lee, the 4-0 Strawweight who took the promotion by storm in 2015. Christian had his first pro fight in December for ONE and won with a KO in just 29 seconds.
    • Carlos Condit reveals his new driver’s license photo…taken three days after the Robbie Lawler fight.
    • We have a column up, taking a retrospective look at TUF season 1.
    • Bellator MMA runs its first show of the year Friday night in Fresno, airing as always on Spike TV. This is a “regular” show, being headlined by a welterweight fight between Paul Daley and Andy Uhrich. If Daley wins, as expected, he’d be expected to face Josh Koscheck later in the year. Other fights on the show include Chris Honeycutt v Paul Bradley, Raphael Butler v Tony Johnson Jr and Patricky “Pitbull” Freire vs Ryan Couture. We’ll have coverage of the show on the site starting at 9 pm eastern.

    ON THIS DAY IN WORLD PRO WRESTLING HISTORY: Daily pro wrestling history (01/27): The Rock defeats CM Punk to win WWE World Title

    If you’re planning on attending Wrestlemania 32 and would like to be part of the Empire fun, please contact our self appointed Executive Director of events, Eddie Loredo for more information. You can contact him directly at f4wfan@hotmail.com – Or check out our Empire Get-Together section on the BOARD~! 

  • WOL: Joey Ryan talks Penis Test of Strength and Youporn sponsorship, more!

    Wrestling ObserverLive with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back today with special guest Joey Ryan to talk about his PENIS TEST OF STRENGTH spot that has now been seen by millions and millions of viewers, more than watched Raw on Monday, his Youporn sponsorship, and more, plus all the news from the past few days! A fun show as always so check it out~!

    Right click save

  • Daily pro wrestling history (01/27): The Rock defeats CM Punk to win WWE World Title

    1904 

    Bellingham, Washington:
    – Frank Gotch defeated Tom Jenkins to win the American Heavyweight Title

    1916

    Madison Square Garden: New York City:
    – Joe Stecher defeated The Masked Marvel (Mort Henderson) to retain the World Heavyweight Title in two straight falls 

    1936

    Detroit, Michigan:
    – George Dussette defeated The Great Mephisto to win the Midwest Wrestling Association World Light Heavyweight Title 

    1942

    Montreal, Quebec, Canada:
    – Lou Thesz drew Ed (Strangler) Lewis 
    – Earl McCready beat Bobby Roberts 
    – Art LeGrand beat Bob Rogers  

    1945

    Manchester, England:
    – Bert Assirati defeated Michael O’Leary for the British Heavyweight Title 

    1947 

    Hollywood, California:
    – Danny McShain won the World Light Heavyweight Title from Martino Angelo

    1949

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown beat Don Eagle 2 falls to 0 
    – Bobby Bruns beat Lou Newman 2 out of 3 falls
    – Bob Wagner beat “Sailor” Fred Blassie 

    1954

    Mansfield, Ohio:
    – Oyama Kato defeated Frankie Talaber to win the Midwest Wrestling Association World Junior Heavyweight Title

    1960

    Honolulu, Hawaii:
    – Hard Boiled Haggerty and Bill Savage defeated Lord James Blears and Jerry Gordet for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Titles

    Mobile, Alabama:
    – Bobby and Don Fields defeated The Corsicans (Jean and Joe) to win the Gulf Coast NWA Southern Tag Team Titles

    1965

    Jacksonville, Florida:
    – Fred Blassie and Tarzan Tyler defeated Eddie Graham and Sam Steamboat to win the Florida NWA World Tag Team Titles 

    Denver, Colorado:
    – AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon beat Dick the Bruiser
    – Verne Gagne & Wilbur Snyder beat Larry Hennig & Harley Race dq

    1967 

    Portland, Oregon:
    – Paul Jones and Pepper Martin defeated Tony Borne and Moondog Mayne for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles

    1972 

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – Omar Atlas and Danny Little Bear defeated Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokouchi to win the Central States NWA North American Tag Team Titles

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Boris Malenko defeated Bobby Duncum to win the NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Title

    1973

    Detroit, Michigain:
    – The Sheik defeated Bobo Brazil for the Detroit NWA United States Heavyweight Title 

    1976

    Columbia, South Carolina:
    – Rufus R. Jones and Wahoo McDaniel defeated Gene and Ole Anderson to win the Mid-Atlantic NWA World Tag Team Titles

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Bob Orton, Jr. and Bob Roop defeated Eddie and Mike Graham to win the NWA Florida Tag Team Titles
    – Southern Title: Billy Robinson defeated King Curtis to retain the title
    – Florida Title: Thunderbolt Patterson defeated Frank Goodish (Bruiser Brody)
    – Missouri Mauler defeated Jerry Brisco
    – Dino Bravo defeated Killer Kowalski

    1977

    Jacksonville, Florida:
    – Dusty Rhodes defeated Superstar Billy Graham
    – The Assassin defeated Ox Baker
    – Jack Brisco defeated Harley Race
    – Jerry Brisco defeated Bob Roop
    – Steve Keirn beat Bob Orton, Jr.
    – Kevin Sullivan & Skip Young defeated Mr. X & Rock Hunter
    – Hiro Matsuda drew Pat McGinnis

    1980 

    Chattanooga, Tennessee:
    – Bobby Eaton and George Gulas defeated The Blond Bombers (Larry Latham and Wayne Farris) to win the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Titles

    Omaha, Nebraska:
    – The Crusher & Lord Alfred Hayes beat Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Heenan 
    – Greg Gagne beat Jesse Ventura 
    – Adrian Adonis beat Dino Bravo
    – Super Destroyer Mark III beat Farmer Blackwell (Jerry) by dq 
    – Super Destroyer Mark II drew Steve Olsonoski

    1981

    Raleigh, North Carolina:
    – Roddy Piper defeated Ric Flair for the NWA United States Heavyweight Title

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Mike Graham defeated Dick Slater
    – Florida Title: Barry Windham defeated Assassin I by dq to retain title
    – Bounty Match: Bugsy McGraw defeated The Sheik
    – World Jr. Title: Les Thornton drew Hiro Matsuda
    – Jack & Jerry Brisco defeated Dick Murdoch & Baron Von Raschke
    – Sweet Brown Sugar defeated Assassin III
    – Nikolai Volkoff & Chris Markoff defeated Scott McGhee & Gerald Finley

    1985

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Eddie Gilbert defeated Jerry Lawler to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title

    1986
    San Antonio, Texas:
    – Al Madril and Magnificent Zulu defeated American Force (Paul Diamond and Shawn Michaels) for the Texas All-Star Wrestling Texas Tag Team Titles

    1987

    St. Paul, Minnesota:
    – The Midnight Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels) defeated Buddy Rose and Doug Somers to win the AWA World Tag Team Titles
    – Larry Zbyszko & Mr Saito beat Nick Bockwinkel & Greg Gagne
    – Coal Miners Glove match: Colonel DeBeers beat Jimmy Snuka
    – Steve O beat The Ninja by dq
    – Kevin Kelly beat Earthquake Ferris
    – Boris Zhukov beat Jerry Seganovich (Jerry Sags)
    – Buck Zumhofe beat Brian Knobbs

    1990

    Portland, Oregon:
    – The Southern Rockers (Steve Doll and Rex King) won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title by defeating Brian Adams and The Grappler

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
    – AWA Champion Larry Zbyszko beat David Sammartino
    – Nikita Koloff beat Manny Fernandez dq
    – Dog Collar Match: Junkyard Dog beat Paul Jones
    – Bam Bam Bigelow dcor Terry Gordy
    – Larry Winters beat DC Drake
    – WWA Junior Champion Johnny Hot Body beat Tony Stetson dq

    1992

    Saturday Night’s Main Event | Lubbock, Texas:
    – Hulk Hogan (with Brutus Beefcake) and Sid Justice defeated The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) and WWF Champion Ric Flair (with Mr. Perfect) by dq
    – WWF Intercontinental Champion Roddy Piper beat The Mountie to retain the title
    – Randy Savage defeated Jake Roberts
    – Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter defeated The Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake) (with The Genius)

    1994

    Clash of Champions | Baton Rouge, Louisiana:
    – Sting and WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defeated Rick Rude and Vader in an elimination match
    – Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) in a non-title match
    – Brian Pillman beat Colonel Rob Parker in a “loser wears a chicken suit” match
    – Marcus Bagwell and 2 Cold Scorpio defeated Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma)

    1996

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
    – Raven defeated ECW World Heavyweight Champion The Sandman to win the title 

    2001

    Toms River, New Jersey:
    – Big Dick Dudley defeated Chris Candido and Sabu in a three-way match for the vacant NWA Jersey Hardcore Title 

    2006

    ROH Tag Wars | Dayton, Ohio
    – ROH Tag Team Champions Austin Aries and Roderick Strong defeated Jay Lethal and ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson to retain the title
    – ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness defeated Delirious
    – Low Ki defeated Christopher Daniels 

    2008

    Royal Rumble | New York City:
    – WWE Title Match: Randy Orton defeated Jeff Hardy to retain title
    – World Heavyweight Title Match: Edge defeated Rey Mysterio to retain title
    – Career Threatening Match: Ric Flair defeated Montel Vontavious Porter
    – John Cena won the Royal Rumble

    2010 

    Cardiff, Wales:
    – Rob Terry defeated Eric Young to become the new TNA Global Champion 

    2013

    Royal Rumble | Phoenix, AZ
    – The Rock defeated CM Punk to win the WWE Title
    – World Title, Last Man Standing match: Alberto del Rio defeated the Big Show to retain the title
    – WWE Tag Team champions, Daniel Bryan & Kane defeated Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow to retain the titles
    – John Cena won the Royal Rumble

  • WWE Royal Rumble 2016: What worked & what can be better next year

    Images: WWE.com

    If WWE’s objective with the 2016 Royal Rumble match was merely to improve on 2015, it had an undeniably low bar to hit. Even looking past any issues related to Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns, the 2015 Rumble match stands out as a failure to me because it was unable to do two key things that any good Rumble should: 1) advance or create undercard storylines heading into Wrestlemania and 2) generate a handful of legitimate title contenders for the year to follow.

    This year’s Rumble will not go down as one of the greatest of all time, and it was certainly not without its own issues and lapses in logic, but it was a considerable improvement over last year’s hollow affair if only because it was able to do at least those two things successfully. By the time Dean Ambrose was eliminated by Triple H this year, several launching points for new storylines had been created, and the viewer was left believing that a few new names could potentially occupy better spots on the card by the time next year’s Rumble rolls around.

    Starting new story threads for Wrestlemania and creating a platform for emerging stars should be the minimum expectation for a Royal Rumble, and by achieving that modest standard, the 2016 Rumble succeeded in all the ways that last year’s match did not. What’s more, it helped create the impression that next year’s Rumble could be yet another marked improvement.

    What didn’t work: Roman walking out, Triple H coasting to a win

    The best place to start weighing the components of the 2016 Rumble is with the first and last entrants. The payoff of Reigns entering at number one, only to be eliminated by Triple H, was the necessary step to take in order to advance toward their inevitable clash at Wrestlemania. The specific story told in the Rumble, however, was hamstrung by counterintuitive booking that had both men looking far too strong at points where the story demanded that they look weak.

    Call it predictable or egocentric, but Triple H had to win the championship here to accommodate the direction that the story of Reigns vs. The Authority has taken. The bigger issue is not necessarily that Triple H won the match and the title, but how he won it: eliminating Reigns and then Ambrose, ostensibly the company’s two top full-time babyfaces, clean as a whistle and without so much as a single underhanded advantage. To give Roman legitimate cause to cry foul and get his rematch, Triple H should have been presented less as a crushing force of nature and more as a nefarious heel who cheated to screw over the heroes. Why this approach wasn’t taken is yours to presume.

    As for Reigns, taking him out of the match ultimately proved important in that it created time to advance a number of secondary stories that will likely pay off at Wrestlemania—namely Bray Wyatt vs. Brock Lesnar and Owens vs. Zayn, with teases for Strowman vs. Undertaker and Ambrose vs. Jericho. What was highly questionable: having Reigns refuse to leave on a stretcher so that he could walk out under his own power, only to return 20 minutes later not selling any injuries whatsoever.

    Presumably, this was done to perpetuate the idea of Reigns as a badass, but that goal would be accomplished just fine by having him return to the match after being completely incapacitated by three heels and taken away by paramedics. Having Roman voluntarily remove himself from a championship match looks substantially less heroic, especially considering Kevin Owens valiantly dragged himself down to the ring to compete only moments after the fact. Even a brief brainstorming could have conceived a dozen different (and vastly better) ways to depict Reigns valiantly fighting against dire injury and being undone by a conniving Triple H, making it all the more confounding that this was the chosen direction.

    There were other noticeable issues with booking during the match, not the least of which being the League of Nations’ satisfaction with temporarily incapacitating Reigns as opposed to actually eliminating him from the match, as well as having Lesnar merely walk to the back after being eliminated without laying waste to everything in the ring. Given that the direction heading into the Rumble heavily portended a Reigns/Lesnar showdown, Reigns’ loss could have easily been facilitated by returning to the ring during a Lesnar rampage, which would have also created a logical reason to include Brock in the three-way at Fastlane.

    Had the booking of Roman and Triple H been different, there would not have been the need for the considerable leap in logic that took place on Monday’s WWE Raw when Stephanie, who only a few weeks prior vowed that Roman would never get another shot at the championship after he lost it, felt compelled to put him in a number one contender’s match anyway because he had “impressed” her. This lack of attention to detail is sadly nothing new, but given how important this storyline is for the company moving forward, one might think that it would be the exception to the rule in terms of minding the finer points.  

    What worked well: making eliminations matter, setting up the Wrestlemania undercard

    The effectiveness of this year’s Royal Rumble can be determined by looking at a few key elements: how well its parts and pieces flowed together, whether it laid the foundation for any additional matches at Wrestlemania, if it protected major stars and elevated others, and if it served as a successful launching pad for the debuting AJ Styles. By achieving those metrics, the match can easily be considered a success on the whole.

    One of the biggest shortcomings of the 2015 Royal Rumble was a lack of overall cohesiveness. Specifically, there was a dearth of connectivity between major events in the match that caused a great deal of it to feel unimportant, largely necessitated by the quick introduction and elimination of Daniel Bryan. This year, it was easy to see where the match was broken down into segments and segues, helping to create a better sense of flow: Reigns’ shine and Styles’ debut, a pair of comedy spots, Reigns’ injury angle, spotlighting Strowman, spotlighting Owens and building his feud with Zayn, establishing the dominance of the Wyatts, establishing the dominance of Lesnar, setting up the Wrestlemania feud between Bray and Brock, reintroducing Roman to the match, Triple H entering at number 30, and the closing sequences.

    While not every single participant in the match served a major purpose, many satisfied some role in connecting the pieces of the bigger picture. Rusev coming out second, for example, continued the idea of The Authority looking to grind Reigns down, and despite being eliminated quickly, he was protected insofar that he was also the man to put Reigns out of the match for a period of time. This also cleared the deck for Styles’ debut, allowing the crowd to draw out the moment more, and the subsequent appearances of Tyler Breeze and Curtis Axel kept both AJ and Roman involved in the match without forcing them to give up too much offense to one another.

    Throughout the match, any time the ring would fill with perceived dead weight, it was either for the purpose of providing fodder for quick eliminations or to slow down the pace during Roman’s injury angle. It’s valid to critique this year’s Rumble field for a lack of viable contenders, but these matches have always been rife with a fair amount of padding. At least this year, that padding was used for the purposes of connecting the bigger pieces.

    Excluding Roman and Triple H, this year’s match spotlighted a few wrestlers in particular with their Wrestlemania roles in mind. With Reigns out of the way for a time, Strowman was positioned as the monster du jour by eliminating Kane, Big Show, and Mark Henry in rapid succession. Even despite being clubbed halfway to death by Lesnar and taken off of his feet by multiple clotheslines, Strowman was the only man in the ring with Brock who didn’t take a single suplex, possibly so that a spot of some similar magnitude could be saved for Wrestlemania, likely for a match with The Undertaker (for better or worse).

    Bray Wyatt was put into a big spot as well, orchestrating the elimination of Lesnar and setting that Wrestlemania match in motion. While he may not be the most ideal candidate for a showdown with Brock, the match nonetheless did its part in setting up a motive for that match to take place, and it gave a valid enough reason for Brock to seek revenge.

    Also getting a fairly substantial limelight in this year’s Rumble was Kevin Owens. Understanding that eliminations matter relative to when they occur and who is involved, the decision to have Owens eliminate Styles was an intelligent one. If the heat generated from a big elimination is a transitive property, then having Owens throw Styles out only to then be eliminated by Sami Zayn is a fine example of keeping that energy in the match and harnessing it in an effective manner. This chain of events not only kept the crowd invested in the match in spite of AJ’s early departure, but it also set up two potential programs for Owens in the near future (the feud with Zayn almost certain to play out at Wrestlemania) and allowed the match to segue into its next point of focus.

    As far as introducing Styles, everything (apart from the camerawork) clicked. Immediately positioning AJ as a perceived threat to the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, coupled with JBL pointing out to the home viewing audience that his status as a former IWGP Champion puts him on common ground with Lesnar, established right away that Styles is a big-time player. Also surprising is the decision to merely tease the Styles Clash during his 28-minute appearance and in his singles debut against Jericho on Raw, which not only builds the anticipation to when he does finally hit it, but also theoretically protects it as a killer finisher and not just another move.

    On the whole, the match was comparatively well-booked and intelligently-paced, particularly when held up against the 2015 match, and while some may deride some elements of execution or the predictable finish, it at least provides cause to hope that next year’s match will be yet another step forward.

    How to improve the Royal Rumble in 2017: exploit roster depth

    If there is any lesson to be gleaned from the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016, it’s that injuries are the enemy of best-laid plans. Injuries to Seth Rollins, John Cena, and Randy Orton threw the planned top six matches for this year’s Wrestlemania into disarray, and it once again begs the question of why WWE isn’t leveraging the depth of its roster in the event that so many of its top stars should wind up on the shelf.

    There is a long precedent for using the Royal Rumble to set up wrestlers for bigger things in the year to follow. One need only look at Roman Reigns’ dominance in 2014 and how it foretold his rise as a singles star the following year. Of the most protected and best presented stars in the 2016 Rumble, only a few—Wyatt, Strowman, Owens, Styles—are not longstanding bona fide main eventers. By this time next year, if the precedent holds, those men should be closer to a top spot than they are now.

    If WWE can follow up by positioning at least Wyatt, Owens, and Styles closer to the top of the heap than they are today, and if Dean Ambrose is solidified as a main eventer, there will be at least four potential first-time world champions in the hunt for a spot in the Wrestlemania main event. If one were to assume that Shinsuke Nakamura will be booked to the level of his talent (and his probable paygrade), and if it is also assumed that Finn Balor would debut sometime between now and next year’s Rumble as a top guy, one-fifth of the men in the 2017 Royal Rumble would be fresh talent with legitimate shots at getting one of the top matches at Wrestlemania.

    Add to this the likelihood that established main event names like Cena, Orton, and Rollins will be available for the Rumble, as well as the continued presence of Reigns and Lesnar in the main event scene, and one-third of the Rumble would be feasible picks to win. If names like Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Rusev, Alberto Del Rio, Kalisto, and Cesaro are pushed consistently (a big if) or at least put in the position to be elevated by the Rumble itself, then more than half of the 30 men involved in the match would have at least some claim to stake.

    *****

    If WWE uses the Royal Rumble as the measuring stick for the success of its roster over the course of a calendar year, there is great potential for 2017 to be the deepest and most credible field in the match’s history. In order to get there, however, it must be understood that building the legitimacy of its talent is a year-long process. If the winner of next year’s Royal Rumble is a fresh face or an unexpected name, then it will likely be a strong indication that 2016 was a success, never mind a further hint of more promising years to come.    

  • WWE Smackdown spoilers: Chris Jericho/Dean Ambrose/Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt/Luke Harper/Erick Rowan

    – New Day opened the show. They ran down The Rock because he didn’t hold any championships. The Miz came out and agreed with them, and said Rock had disrespected him, and he’s a fellow movie star. The Usos came out and ran down Miz. The New Day said that the Usos were riding Cousin Dewey’s coattails. Then Titus O’Neil & Dolph Ziggler came out and we had a match.

    – Usos & Ziggler & O’Neil beat WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day & Miz. O’Neil pinned Miz with Clash of the Titus.

    – U.S. Champion Kalisto beat Neville to retain. Good match with a Salida del Sol finish.

    – Chris Jericho was out for the Highlight Reel.  He talked about his match with Styles on Raw and said had two of the Fast Lane main event participants on the show. Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns came out. Ambrose was cheered and Reigns had a mixed reaction. Reigns said how he and Ambrose started their career in a warehouse in Tampa. (Didn’t Ambrose start in Cincinnati?) Jericho tried to stir things up. They both put over that Brock Lesnar was a monster. Reigns told Ambrose that he’s never been able to beat him before so good luck. The Wyatts then came out and talked about what they did to Lesnar in the Rumble. Wyatt challenged all three to a six-man tag for the main event.

    – A.J. Styles beat Curtis Axel with the Styles Clash in a short match even though the other Social Outcasts interfered.

    – Divas Champion Charlotte beat Natalya in a non-title match.  Quick match. Becky Lynch made the save when Charlotte attacked Natalya after the match.

    – Sasha Banks, Tamina and Naomi were backstage taking about Banks going after the title.  They teased the idea they may be splitting up down the line.

    – R-Truth and Goldust did a comedy segment

    – Chris Jericho & Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns beat Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper & Erick Rowan via DQ.  Strowman interfered.  The Wyatts were beating up on the faces until Big Show came out.  They all beat down Show until Jericho & Ambrose & Reigns recovered and cleaned house.

  • TNA Impact Wrestling results: Feast or Fired is back!

    Previously on TNA Impact:

    Matt Hardy defeated Ethan Carter III in a title vs. career Last Man Standing Match to become the new TNA World Champion. A double turn occurred, Matt turned heel and EC3 turned babyface. Also, Tyrus turned on EC3 and joined up with Matt.

    On This Week’s Show:

    Tonight’s Impact features the return of the Feast or Fired Match. TNA’s best compete to capture one of the four briefcases. The X division belt is on the line in a three way and the TNA Knockouts will also be in action. Plus, the fallout and aftermath of the Matt Hardy vs. EC3 World Title match.

    Show Recap:

    – Earlier in the day, Jeff is arriving to the building. He hasn’t talked to Matt all week. He’s going to confront Matt tonight and get some answers.

    – Jeff calls out Matt Hardy. Matt has new music. The new TNA World Champion, Matt Hardy, comes to the ring with his wife Reby, bodyguard Tyrus, and son Maxell. Tyrus is carrying Maxell to the ring. Jeff told Reby “I didn’t want to talk to my bitch sister in law.” Matt says his wife whispered in his hear, “stop giving and start taking” The crowd breaks out in an “EC3” chant. Matt’s red dress shirt and Reby’s hot red dress match, which is a nice touch.  Jeff challenges Matt for the title and Matt accepts. Tonight’s main event is Matt Hardy defending the TNA World Title against Jeff Hardy.

    Feast or Fired Match – Beer Money (James Storm & Bobby Roode), Rockstar Spud, Eli Drake, Jesse Godderz, Eric Young, Bram, Grado, Chris Melendez, Robbie E, Aiden O’Shea and Drew Galloway.

    Four briefcases are in four corners of the ring. The objective of the match is to climb up and grab a briefcase. Three of the briefcases have contracts for title shots at the TNA World title, King of The Mountain and World Tag titles. The fourth briefcase contains the dreaded pink slip and whoever gets this will be fired.

    There’s lots of brawling around ringside throughout the match. Grado pulled down the first briefcase, which took him forever to do. Drew Galloway is dominating the action in the ring. He climbs up and pulls down the second briefcase. Two briefcases remain. Both Jesse Godderz and Eli Drake climb up for the last two. Robbie E stops Jesse but Eli pulls down the third briefcase. One Briefcase is left. EY and Bram clear the ring until Beer Money takes them out. Bobby Roode and James Storm both go for the last briefcase but Roode stops and lets Storm climb up and grab the final briefcase. Later tonight is The Reveal ceremony and we’ll find out the results.

    – Backstage, Kurt Angle approaches Jeff Hardy and tells him that he has his back and to be careful tonight.

    TNA X Division Champion Tigre Uno vs. DJ Z vs. Mandrews

    In a cool spot, DJ Z got a two count on Mandrews with a back slide and at the same time rolled up Tigre Uno with his legs for a two. Mandrews uses a skateboard from the top of the ramp into a tilt-a-whirl head scissors. Tigre Uno wins that match with the Spanish Fly off. After the match, Gregory Shane Helms comes down to the ring. Helms challenges Tigre to a match next week for the X Division title. Uno accepts.

    -Christy Hemme was interviewing Bobby Lashley about his confrontation with Kurt Angle last week. The mysterious and gorgeous woman with purple hair approaches Bobby again. She tells him that she was sent by someone to tell him “I’ll bring you pain or I’ll bring you pleasure.”

    Awesome Kong vs. Velvet Sky

    They have a good match, with Kong physically dominating Velvet but she just kept fighting back. Kong wins the match with a piledriver. After the match, Kong continued to beat down Velvet. Madison Rayne came out to help but she gets beat down by The Dollhouse. The Dollhouse held down Madison and made her watch as Kong came off the top with a massive splash onto Velvet.

    Feast or Fired Reveal:

    Beer Money, Grado, Drew Galloway and Eli Drake meet in the back with Jeremy Borash for the reveal. Just before they do the reveal, “Miracle” Michael Bennett and Maria Kanellis enter the room and cut a promo.

    The Reveal: Eli Drake goes first and in his briefcase is the King of the Mountain title shot. The next reveal will happen later.

    – The Wolves enter the ring and call out Crazy Steve. A woman looking like a clown comes out and is soon joined by Crazy Steve. The Wolves go after Steve when suddenly Abyss’s music hits.

    TNA World Tag Team Champions The Wolves vs. Crazy Steve & Abyss

    The Wolves are the champions despite the fact their belt has been stolen. Crazy Steve and Abyss dominate the Wolves. Eddie Edwards gets the hot tag and runs wild. The woman from before walks to the ring with the Wolves’ belts, which causes a distraction. Both Steve and the woman blow mist into the eyes of The Wolves. Crazy Steve, Abyss, and the woman pose over the fallen body of Eddie Edwards.

    Feast or Fired Reveal Continues:

    It’s James Storm turn to open his briefcase. Beer Money was great here and teased Storm getting fired but they got a Tag Title Shot instead. Drew Galloway couldn’t wait and opens his briefcase. Drew gets the World Title shot. Grado congratulated Drew and then opened his briefcase to reveal that he’s been fired. Grado cried and said it was the “worst day” of his life. It went from funny to sad pretty fast.

    TNA World Champion Matt Hardy w/ Reby and Tyrus vs. Jeff Hardy

    Before the match could start, Eric Young and Bram attack Jeff. Matt and Tyrus leave the ring as Jeff gets beat down. EY sets a table up a ringside. Beer Money come out for the save. Crazy Steve & Abyss run down as well. Beer Money and Crazy Steve & Abyss fight to the back. The whole time Jeff lay on the apron clutching his knee. Matt comes back in the ring but Kurt Angle runs down to confront him. Tyrus jumps Kurt from behind and Matt knocks him out with a shot to the head with the belt. Matt, Reby, and Tyrus leave and go up the ramp. EY gives Jeff Hardy the piledriver off the apron through the table. As the show goes off the air, Jeff is left laying in the broken pieces of the table.

    Final Thoughts:

    TNA puts on another solid edition of Impact. The company is doing a decent job so far of giving everyone on the show something to do. It’s not all built around one person and they’re clearly attempting to make stars. Next week, Tigre Uno defends the X Divison title against Gregory Shane Helms. Also, EC3 will be interviewed and will let the world know what is next for him. Plus, more on the Kurt Angle Farewell Tour. 

  • Daily Update: Post Rumble RAW with The Rock, UFC 196

    The Rock returns to RAW

    As pretty much expected, The Rock was the surprise return at WWE RAW last night.  He was what you would have expected from him, he was The Rock.  His appearance along with it being the day after the Royal Rumble led to a surge in ratings for RAW.  They will, of course, look to hold onto the higher ratings leading to Fastlane and more importantly Wrestlemania in Dallas.   Check out F4WOnline.com’s recap of last night’s RAW.  

    Smackdown and Main Event will be taped tonight in Tampa.

    If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our new 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!    Our latest show posted to youtube is WOR featuring Jim Ross!

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 1/18/2016: Gawker’s motion to dismiss Hulk Hogan lawsuit denied
    Gawker’s motion to dismiss the Hulk Hogan sex tape lawsuit is denied, plus news and notes

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: January 25, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2015 Observer Awards Issue

    The 2015 Observer awards issue, the traditional biggest issue of the year,is up on the web site now.  The issue not only has the awards winners in more than 40 different categories, but all the top place winners, as well as a history with all the awards winners dating back to 1980, as well as my comments on the placing for many of the awards.

    The categories are:

    Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year), MMA MVP, Most Outstanding Wrestler, Most Outstanding MMA Fighter, Best Box Office Draw, Feud of the Year, Tag Team of the Year, Most Improved, Best on Interviews, Most Charismatic, Best Technical Wrestler, Bruiser Brody Memorial Award (Best Brawler), Best Flying Wrestler, Most Overrated, Most Underrated, Promotion of the Year, Best Weekly TV show, Pro Wrestling Match of the Year, MMA Match of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Best Non-Wrestler, Best Television Announcer, Worst Television Announcer, Best Major Wrestling show, Worst Major Wrestling Show, Best Wrestling Maneuver, Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic, Worst Television Show, Worst Match of the Year, Worst Feud of the Year, Worst Promotion of the Year, Best Booker, Promoter of the Year, Best Gimmick, Worst Gimmick, Best Pro Wrestling Book and Best Pro Wrestling DVD

    Update on the Royal Rumble and Rumble weekend, full coverage of Dominick Cruz’s UFC bantamweight title win and the records set on Sunday’s show and details on the New Japan/Jim Ross announcing deal as well as a look at how this came about and Jim Ross’ overall career.

    2017 Wrestlemania, how Smackdown has affected overall ratings for the USA Network, update on A.J. Styles with WWE, WWE injury updates, Daniel Bryan update, more on Mauro Ranallo and Smackdown, Chris Jericho talks his return, new season of Total Divas, How talent is broken down in NXT, the heat on Josh from Tough Enough, new dates for Brock Lesnar, plus notes from the big NXT tour and all the shows, the NXT Florida shows, as well as the WWE shows in India and the WWE weekend domestic shows and all the business notes.

    PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

    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

    You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

    If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. 

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: Dec 14, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2 biographies in the works about Jesse Ventura
    NBC and ABC working on biographies on Jesse Ventura, a look at the end of year events for New Japan and All Japan, plus tons of news and notes.

    TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

    WWE

    UFC/MMA

    Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (-310) vs. Ryan Bader (+260)

    Josh Barnett (-132) vs. Ben Rothwell (+112)

    Jimmie Rivera (-160) vs. Iuri Alcantara (+140)

    Northcutt (-450) vs. Bryan Barberena (+350)

    Tarec Saffiedine (-235) vs. Jake Ellenberger (+200)

    • Chris Weidman joined UFC COO Lawrence Epstein today in kicking off a tour to try and gain support for the legalization of MMA in New York. Good luck.
    • Dana White’s comments on Sage Northcutt, “Sage is a beast and he wants to fight like every other month… I love kids like that, who are hungry and fired up and love to be active.”  

    MISC

    • Knoxville News Sentinel article on the death of The Mongolian Stomper/Archie Gouldie including funeral information.
    • J.J. Dillon will be getting the Lou Thesz Award at this year’s Thesz/Tragos Hall of Fame awards ceremony in Waterloo, Iowa.
    • Former NFL player stands trial in fraud scheme, includes former wrestling announcer Ken Resnick
    • In relation to Dave’s comments about injuries and training, the Minnesota Vikings have fired their strength and conditioning coach following the 2015 season which included at least two players having back surgery and three players having pectoral injuries significant enough that caused them to miss significant playing time.
    • On this week’s Between the Sheets podcast, Sherdog’s Jordan Breen joins Kris Zellner & David Bixenspan to cover January 19-25, 1998 including Hulk Hogan/WWF rumors, WCW/NWO Souled Out, AJPW/WWF business relations growing, NJPW contract season, Antonio Pena suing everybody, ECW/WWF business relations growing, Bobo Brazil’s death, and the mass hysteria surrounding the Steve Austin/Mike Tyson angle.
    • The latest edition of 6:05 Superpodcast with David Bixenspan and Brian Last covers topics including the death of “Iron” Mike Sharpe, the 45th anniversary of Ivan Koloff dethroning Bruno Sammartino, the saga of “Sex Appeal” Ronnie Steal in NWA New Jersey, and much more.
    • If you’re planning on attending Wrestlemania 32 and would like to be part of the Empire fun, please contact our Executive Director of events, Eddie Loredo for more information. You can contact him directly at f4wfan@hotmail.com – Or check out our Empire Get-Together section on the BOARD~! 

    ON THIS DAY IN WORLD PRO WRESTLING HISTORY: Daily pro wrestling history (01/26): Hart Foundation wins the WWF World Tag Team Titles

    If you’re planning on attending Wrestlemania 32 and would like to be part of the Empire fun, please contact our self appointed Executive Director of events, Eddie Loredo for more information. You can contact him directly at f4wfan@hotmail.com – Or check out our Empire Get-Together section on the BOARD~! 

  • UFC 196 moved to FS1, Hendricks vs Thompson will headline

    Due to injuries to both champion Fabricio Werdum and challenger Cain Velasquez, UFC announced today that its next scheduled PPV, on 2/6, will be changed to a live show on FS 1.

    While UFC has canceled PPV events in the past, they have never kept the card on itself and moved it to free television.

    Dana White told Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports the news earlier today.

    The rest of the scheduled PPV lineup, with a main event of Johny Hendricks vs. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, will air on FS 1 along with the scheduled prelims already earmarked for the show.

    The show will remain at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

  • WOL: Raw report, Fastlane main event, Lucha Underground, more!

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back today with tons to talk about, Raw from Monday Night, Fast Lane, the return of Lucha Underground, Impact tonight, your calls and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

    Right click save

  • The Rock leads to huge WWE RAW ratings

    The combination of the day after the Royal Rumble and the appearance of Dwayne Johnson led Raw to huge numbers last night, averaging 4.09 million viewers over the three hours, up 18 percent from the prior week.

    For a comparison, the new audience brought in by the usual Rumble bump and curiosity of where that leads saw hour one up 10 percent from last week, so that’s roughly what Raw could have been expected to do, or slightly more because last week did have that bad third hour, as compared to last week without The Rock. Where The Rock helped the numbers is that hours two (where he appeared in the last few minutes) and three (where he appeared in the first few minutes) help up far better than usual, and hour two outdrew hour one, a rarity these days.

    Still, last year’s post-Rumble Raw did 4.41 million viewers and a 3.27 rating for a studio show where they replayed the Rumble itself due to the blizzard.

    The three hours were:

    8 p.m. 4.14 million viewers
    9 p.m. 4.18 million viewers
    10 p.m. 3.97 million viewers