Cody Hall is expected to be okay after a major scare at today’s Invasion Attack show at Sumo Hall in Tokyo.
Hall, who wasn’t wrestling, was one of six people on the floor when Nick Jackson did a swanton off the balcony of the building during the Young Bucks & Kenny Omega Never trios title defense against Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu. Jackson landed mostly on Hall but not in a manner that looked scary. Upon landing you could see Nick talking to him and the match then continued.
Hall never moved and was carried out on a stretcher.
The report we got is that he was examined and there was not a concussion and no fractures. The belief is that he suffered a very bad stinger.
Part of the story of the match was that Yoshitatsu, whose career nearly Cody Hall is expected to be okay after a major scare at today’s Invasion Attack show at Sumo Hall in Tokyo.
Kansas City, Kansas: – Tarzan Kowalski beat Jim Henry 2 out of 3 falls – Sonny Myers and Bob Orton Sr. drew in 45-minutes (no falls)
1956
Topeka, Kansas: – Richard Brown defeated Iron Mike DiBiase for the Central States Title
1958
Kansas City, Kansas: – Otto Von Krupp beat Don Curtis – Bobby Bruns, Thor Hagen and Sonny Myers beat Bob Geigel, Lee Henning and Bull Montana – Rip Hawk beat Joe Hamilton – Thor Hagen drew Lee Henning (20:00)
1962
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – AWA Champion Mr. M beat Doug Gilbert – AWA Tag Team Champions Bob Geigel & Stan Kowalski beat Dale Lewis & Joe Scarpello – Tiny Mills beat Roy Collins – Ricky Lopez beat Blackjack Daniels
1975
Omaha, Nebraska: – Andre the Giant & Ivan Putski beat Baron Von Raschke & Horst Hoffman 2 out of 3 falls – Superstar Graham beat Nick Bockwinkel – Billy Robinson beat Buddy Wolff – Greg Gagne beat Bobby Heenan – Khosrow Vaziri beat Paul Perschmann
1976
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Chris Taylor dq – Mad Dog Vachon beat Pampero Firpo – Bobby Duncum & Bobby Heenan beat Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell – Baron Von Raschke beat Billy Red Cloud – Russ Francis drew Kim Duk – Blackjack Lanza beat Dick Blood
1978
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: – Andre the Giant beat Ken Patera by countout – Peter Maivia & Billy Robinson beat Angelo Mosca & Super Destroyer dq – Verne Gagne beat Zimba Khan – The Crusher beat Gary McLaughlin – Gorilla Monsoon beat Tarzan Tyler – Dewey Robertson beat Kim Chang – Lord Alfred Hayes beat Steve Bolus – Dominic Denucci beat Terry Yorkston – Chris Tolos drew The Wildman
1981
Denver, Colorado: – AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Nick Bockwinkel – Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Jerry Blackwell & John Studd – Baron Von Raschke beat Adrian Adonis – Jesse Ventura beat Buck Zumhofe – George Gadaski beat Billy Howard – Tito Santana beat Bobby Heenan
1987
Calgary, Alberta, Canada: – Owen Hart defeated Makhan Signh to win the Stampede North American Title
1999 Tokyo, Japan: – Jushin Liger & The Great Sasuke defeated Dr Wagner Jr & Kendo Kashin to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team belts
2001
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: – Jeff Hardy defeated Triple H for the WWF Intercontinental Title
I took in the opening show of the Champion Carnival for All Japan. It was a really hot show, and even though I’m a big supporter of current AJPW even I was surprised by the attendance they did. Korakuen was not far off being packed. Had to be the best crowd they’ve drawn there in a while.
The undercard was fun with the stand-out actually ending up being The Bodyguard vs young Naoya Nomura. The rookie stepped up huge and gave a great performance en route to getting a big upset win. He looked alot more ready for the spot than Jake Lee who faced Atsushi Aoki in the opener. Jun Akiyama vs Super Tiger was on it’s way to being fantastic match when it ended abruptly at the 8 minute mark after Akiyama was KO’d and referee Kohei Wada called for the doctor and the bell rang. Can’t say for sure that it was a work but my instinct tells me it was Akiyama trying to get the outsider over for the tour. It was really well played by Wada and Jun especially. Felt very legit.
The novelty match of the undercard was an 8 man legends tag with a combined age of 436 and 10 months! It was amazingly my second time seeing Dory Funk Jr. wrestle this week. The star of the match was Masanobu Fuchi.
This show was all about the main event though. An absolute classic 30 minute draw between Triple Crown champ Kento Miyahara and Kengo Mashimo. This may have been the best performance of both men’s careers. Miyahara is stepping up in a big way since the departure of Go Shiozaki and Akebono, and the injury of Suwama. The company has been put on his back and he’s carrying it. He looked every bit the ace they need here.
Mashimo was off the charts good. New Japan really missed the boat on him in 2013. He has such a command over the situation when he’s in the ring. His facial expressions are perfect for a greasy heel with a chip on his shoulder trying to knock off a pretty boy ace. This performance he had with Miyahara would have been perfect for a title match with Okada.
The story of the match was Mashimo going at Miyahara’s arm like a pitbull, but the champ firing back with knee strikes and kicks to get a reprieve. It built and built to the point around the 25 minute mark when you realised they were fighting the clock as well as each other. The final few minutes were frantic as a result and the crowd was losing its mind.
Post match, Mashimo glared at the title, and he deserves a shot after this match. A rematch after the tournament could easily do a great crowd because everyone in Korakuen tonight lived and died with this match.
– There was a crazy amount of Naito support. We were seeing Los Ingobernables de Japón shirts from the station by our hotel all the way to Sumo Hall and then at the venue, it was covered in them.
– The line was wrapping around the building which regulars noted was not a normal occurrence.
– The merch was flying off the tables in the building. The scene down by the LIJ section was crazy, and really came across like a super hot product.
– The crowd was insane live, and was really heated the whole way through the show.
– Not many in the crowd knew Will Ospreay going in, but he was a star by the time he left. Many people were asking me about him after his match. In our section, a bunch of the Japanese fans were trying to chant for him, although they found the name a bit tricky!
-All of the confrontations to set up future matches got big reactions, particularly Omega vs. Elgin.
-The atmosphere for the main event was off the charts. The crowd was firmly behind Naito but they were never disrespectful to Okada. Naito’s post-match promo got over big.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 86: Rothwell vs. Dos Santos from Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the heavyweight division as #4-ranked Ben Rothwell puts his 4-fight win streak on the line when he takes on former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos. In the co-main event, it is another heavyweight battle as Derrick Lewis takes on Gabriel Gonzaga. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 10:30 AM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 10:30 AM ET/7:30 AM PT)
WELTERWEIGHTS- ALESSIO DI CHIRICO (9-0, 0-0 UFC) VS. BOJAN VELICKOVIC (13-3, 0-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Both men are making their UFC debuts. They trade punches and both looking to establish their range. Di Chirico misses a kick but lands a left hand. Di Chirico with a leg kick. Not much happening two minutes in. Velickovic lands a leg kick. Di Chirico with an overhand right and then lands a left. Di Chirico misses a big right hand but lands an inside leg kick. Velickovic with a leg kick and then lands another and then lands a left hand. Velickovic with another leg kick left hand combo. They trade punches. Velickovic just misses a head kick. He lands one then a right hook. 10-9 Velickovic.
ROUND 2- Each man landed a nice punch. Velickovic lands a left hand but Di Chirico lands a counter left hook. Di Chirico lands a left hand. Di Chirico lands a nice combo. Velickovic lands an inside leg kick. Di Chirico lands a right hand. Velickovic goes for a takedown and finishes it against the fence. Di Chirico gets right back up and they clinch against the fence. They break. Velickovic lands an inside leg kick but Di Chirico is eating him up with some punches. Di Chirico with a high kick. Velickovic misses a spinning head kick and Di Chirico lands a counter punch. Both men are landing punches but no power shots. Di Chirico gets a nicely timed takedown. Velickovic swwpes over and is looking for a kimura. Time runs out on the round though but Di Chirico was in trouble. 10-9 Di Chirico, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Di Chirico with a leg kick. He lands a kick to the body. Velickovic with an inside leg kick but Di Chirico checks. Velickovic grabs a leg looking for a takedown but it is defended. Di Chirico lands a left jab. Velickovic gets a brief takedown but they get right back up. Di Chirico scrambles up and lands a punch. Di Chirico lands a right hand. Velickovic lands a nice punch and goes for a takedown. They clinch and Velickovic lands some knees before they break. They trade punches. Velickovic looks for a takedown but it is defended. Di Chirico lands a big straight left hand. Velickovic with a leg kick. Di Chirico gets a late takedown and stands up and lands a big right hand. Di Chirico with a leg kick. Velickovic gets back up and both men are swinging at the end of the fight. Close fight. 10-9 Velickovic, 29-28 Velickovic.
Official Result- Bojan Velickovic def. Alessio Di Chirico by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
HEAVYWEIGHTS- JARED CANNONIER (7-1, 0-1 UFC) VS. CYRIL ASKER (7-1, 0-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Asker is making his UFC debut. First of five heavyweight fights on this card. Cannonier with a leg kick. Asker goes for a takedown but it is defended and they clinch against the fence. They break and both are swinging big. Both men land big punches. Cannonier with a body kick and then a leg kick. Cannonier lands a left hand. Cannonier drops Asker with a big left hand and then some elbows from the top and this is over! Asker is down and bloodied and Cannonier gets the big finish.
Official Result- Jared Cannonier def. Cyril Asker by knockout (strikes) at 2:44 of Round 1
FEATHERWEIGHTS- ROBERT WHITEFORD (12-3, 2-2 UFC) VS. LUCAS MARTINS (15-3, 3-3 UFC)
ROUND 1- Whiteford lands first with a right hook. Whiteford lands a nice combo. They trade punches and Martins misses a head kick. Whiteford with an inside leg kick. They are both looking to land something big. Martins with a body kick. Whiteford lands a nice combo but Martins counters with a right hand. Martins misses a head kick. Whiteford with a leg kick. Whiteford misses a left hook and Martins rocks him with a right hand. They clinch against the fence and Whiteford looking for a takedown. Whiteford with some knees to keep busy but they are separated. 10-9 Martins.
ROUND 2- Whiteford starts with a combo. Martins with a high kick. Whiteford with a leg kick. Martins lands a body kick and Whiteford rocks him with a right hook. Body shot from Whiteford and Martins lands a left hook. Whiteford grabs a leg and both men punch each other. Martins with a leg kick. They trade leg kicks and Whiteford tries a clinch but Martins pushes him off. Whiteford lands a left hand. They trade punches as Martins lands a counter right hand. They trade and Martins lands a flying knee against the cage. Martins with a big right hand. Whiteford gets a big takedown but they get back up. Whiteford landed a lot of punches on the way up though. Whiteford with some knees in the clinch before they break. 10-9 Martins, 20-18 Martins.
ROUND 3- They trade and Whiteford is kicking the lead leg of Martins. They trade punches and Whiteford lands a right hand. Whiteford misses a left hand as Martins lands a right hand. Whiteford misses a leg kick and Martins lands a big one. Not a lot going on as both men look tired. Martins with another big leg kick. Whiteford misses a left hook. Whiteford goes for a takedown but it is defended as they clinch against the fence. Whiteford with some left hands in the clinch. Martins misses a jumping front kick. Martins with a leg kick. 10-9 Martins, 30-27 Martins.
Official Result- Lucas Martins def. Robert Whiteford by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 12 PM ET/9 AM PT)
BANTAMWEIGHTS- DAMIAN STASIAK (8-3, 0-1 UFC) VS. FILIP PEJIC (10-1-1, 0-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Stasiak gets a quick takedown at the start but Pejic gets right back to his feet against the fence. Stasiak with a trip and he ends up on top in the half-guard. Stasiak moves to side control and looks to pass to mount. Stasiak takes the back and looks for the hooks. Stasiak with a big right hand from the top and he has the back looking for the choke. Stasiak has the choke in and looking for the finish and he gets it. Pejic taps out and Stasiak gets the win by submission.
Official Result- Damian Stasiak def. Filip Pejic by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:16 of Round 1
ROUND 1- Taisumov with a leg kick to start. Taisumov with a head kick then another leg kick. Taisumov with a jab and a leg kick. Hadzvoic with a left hand. Taisumov with a head kick. Taisumov with a right hand and then another and then a leg kick. They trade solid punches. Hadzovic lands a right hand. Taisumov lands an overhand right. Taisumov lands a right hand that hurts Hadzovic and then lands another big right hand. Taisumov then lands a big uppercut and Hadzovic is down and the referees stops the fight. Taisumov with the walk-off knockout win and that is four straight knockout wins for him.
Official Result- Mairbek Taisumov def. Damir Hadzovic by TKO (punch) at 3:44 of Round 1
BANTAMWEIGHTS- IAN ENTWISTLE (9-2, 1-1 UFC) VS. ALEJANDRO PEREZ (16-6, 2-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- Entwistle goes for a sweep to start off and it allows Perez to get on top. Entwistle still looking for a leg lock but they scramble up. Entwistle complains that Perez is greased but the referee clears him and they get back to action. Entwistle with a big right hand. Entwistle still looking to grab a leg and Perez drops him with a big right hand. Entwistle is able to tie Perez up on the mat and is still looking for a heel hook. Perez rolls and Entwistle still looking for a heel hook. Perez escapes again. Entwistle ends up on top and still looking for a leg lock. Perez is able to get on top and is landing right hands. Perez with big punches from the top as he is escaping the leg locks. Entwistle still has the leg and isn’t covering up the punches. Perez with a bunch of punches from the top. Entwistle in a lot of trouble. Perez with more punches and the referee stops the fight. Perez with the TKO win from the top. Entwistle still complaing after the fight that Perez’ legs were greased. It is announced during the decision that Perez actually won by verbal submission.
Official Result- Alejandro Perez def. Ian Entwistle by verbal submission (punches) at 4:04 of Round 1
WELTERWEIGHTS- NICOLAS DALBY (14-0-1, 1-0-1 UFC) VS. ZAK CUMMINGS (18-4, 3-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- Dalby starts with a head kick and is going right after Cummings. Dalby just misses a head kick but lands a body kick. Cummings lands a left hand. Cummings with a left hand. Dalby with a leg kick. Cummings with a combo that drops Dalby. Cummings with some standing leg kicks and he gets to side control. Dalby looking to scramble out from the bottom. Cummings working for a D’arce choke. Cummings with a guillotine but Darby escapes and they get back to their feet. Dalby with a head kick and then lands a left hand. Dalby with a side kick to the face of Cummings. Cummings with another left hand and then another. Cummings with a leg kick. They each land a left hand. Dalby lands a left hand. 10-9 Cummings.
ROUND 2- Dalby comes out with a front kick to the body and both men are swinging. Cummings with a nice combination. Both men land punches. Cummings with a leg kick. Dalby with a body punch. Cummings with another solid combo. Dalby with a head kick. We have an eye poke as Cummings got Dalby. Cummings with a double jab and then follows with a left hand. Dalby just misses a big head kick. They trade left hands. Dalby with a body kick and then a side kick to the body. Dalby with a leg kick. Cummings with a body kick and Dalby lands one. 10-9 Cummings, 20-18 Cummings.
ROUND 3- Cummings lands some solid punches and looks for a takedown against the fence. Dalby defends well. Dalby tries to trip but it leads to a separation. Cummings lands a left hand. Dalby with a big head kick. Dalby lands another and then a side kick. Dalby just misses a head kick and Cummings lands a body punch. Dalby with a leg kick and then slips to the mat. Cummings with a standing leg kick to the downed Dalby. Cummings goes into Dalby’s guard. Cummings passes to side control. Dalby with some backward knees to the body. Dalby scrambles out to their feet. Dalby with some big right hands and then a couple of knees. They are clinch and Cummings pushes Dalby against the fence. Dalby with a knee and they fall to the mat with Cummings in half-guard. Both men with body punches and Cummings lands from top as fight ends. 10-9 Cummings, 30-27 Cummings.
Official Result- Zak Cummings def. Nicolas Dalby by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
ROUND 1- Stanciu with a flying knee and a right hand that pushes Moroz against the fence. Stanciu has the advantage against the cage. Stanciu with a knee. Moroz reverses and Stanciu grabs the neck and pulls guard looking for a guillotine. Stanciu loses position. Moroz ends up on top and lands some punches. Stanciu looking for a leg lock but Moroz gets out. Stanciu with some upkicks. Moroz gets on top and lands punches to the body. Moroz gets in the guard and lands some right hands. They get to their feet. Moroz with a nice combo. Moroz with a left hook and they clinch. Moroz with a takedown and is on top. Moroz with elbows to the body. Moroz gets the back and is looking for a choke. Moroz unable to get it but ends in dominant position. 10-9 Moroz.
ROUND 2- They trade punches after Stanciu misses a head kick. Stanciu lands a head kick after not much action. Pace has really slowed as Stanciu looks a little tired and Moroz isn’t capitalizing. Moroz with a combo but Stanciu fires back with some punches. Moroz with a combo. Stanciu tries a kick but Moroz grabs the leg and they go to the mat. Stanciu tries a leg lock but Moroz gets out. Moroz takes the back and is working for a choke. Moroz with some punches from the back. Moroz with an elbow from the top. She gets another. Stanciu scrambles out and they get to their feet. Moroz with a left hand. 10-9 Moroz, 20-18 Moroz.
ROUND 3- They come out trading punches. Moroz with a body kick. Stanciu with a leg kick. They trade punches again and Moroz landed nicely. Moroz goes for a trip but Stanciu reverses and ends up on top. Moroz throws her legs up looking for an armbar. Moroz has the arm and is looking to extend it but Stanciu is defending well. Moroz is going to run out of time as Stanciu was able to survive until the end. 10-9 Moroz, 30-27 Moroz.
Official Result- Maryna Moroz def. Cristina Stanciu by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- IGOR POKRAJAC (28-12 1 NC, 4-7 1 NC UFC) VS. JAN BLACHOWICZ (18-5, 1-2 UFC)
ROUND 1- Pokrajac is back in the UFC after being cut. Both men come out swinging and landing and Blachowicz scores a takedown and is in the guard. Blachowicz with some body punches. Blachowicz with more body punches as he pushes Pokrajac against the fence. Blachowicz postures up and gets into half-guard. Pokrajac rolls and gives up his back and Blachowicz takes advantage. Pokrajac shakes him off and ends up on top. Porkajac with an elbow. Another couple of elbows from Pokrajac. Blachowicz with an armbar attempt but Pokrajac gets out. Pokrajac with more punches from the top. Pokrajac gets to the half-guard. Blachowicz looking to scramble out but the fence is in the way. Pokrajac with some body punches and looks for a choke but its escaped as the round ends. 10-9 Pokrajac.
ROUND 2- They come out trading punches. Pokrajac lands a right hand and Blachowicz lands an uppercut and Pokrajac goes for a takedown but it is defended. They break and Blachowicz lands a right hand. Pokrajac goes for another takedown and they clinch and Blachowicz reverses. Blachowicz with some body punches. Big combo from Blachowicz and they swing wildly. Blachowicz with a big uppercut and then another and he has Pokrajac rocked. They clinch and Blachowicz is unloading. Pokrajac counters back and rocks Blachowicz who is bleeding from above the eye. Blachowicz with a takedown. He moves to the back and is landing. They get to their feet. Pokrajac with a left hand and he rocks Blachowicz but Blachowicz gets a takedown. Both men are tired. Blachowicz working with punches from the top. Blachowicz gets to his feet and goes back to the side and Pokrajac gives up his back. They get to their feet. They trade punches. They clinch and each land body shots. Blachowicz with a knee. Pokrajac with an uppercut and they tee off again. Great round. 10-9 Blachowicz, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Both men are tired headed to a crucial final round. They trade punches. Blachowicz with a left hook and misses a flying knee. They clinch against the fence. Blachowicz with a big uppercut as they break. Pokrajac lands a combo and Blachowicz counters with a takedown. Blachowicz with punches from the top as he looks to transition to side control. Blachowicz with elbows and punches from the top and doing enough to keep the fight on the mat. Blachowicz with more punches from the top. Blachowicz remains on top and should get this round and we have the fight for him. Good fight. 10-9 Blachowicz, 29-28 Blachowicz.
Official Result- Jan Blachowicz def. Igor Pokrajac by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
HEAVYWEIGHTS- TIMOTHY JOHNSON (9-2, 1-1 UFC) VS. MARCIN TYBURA (13-1, 0-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- The first of four heavyweight fights to close out the card. Tybura with a body kick. They trade punches. They trade punches. Tybura with a body punch. They clinch and Johnson lands some body punches and they tie up against the fence. They trade body punches and Johnson lands some knees. They are broken up by the referee. They trade punches. Tybura with a right hand. Johnson lands a right hand. They trade punches and both looking for a big punch. Johnson misses a big left hook. They each miss on a punch. Not an eventful round. 10-9 Johnson.
ROUND 2- They trade punches. Tybura lands a nice jab. Johnson with a left hand. They trade big punches. Tybura is bleeding but lands a right hand. They clinch and work up against the fence. Each man working for underhooks. Tybura with some knees to the legs. Tybura working for a takedown but Johnson landing body punches and defending. They break. They trade punches. Tybura with a jab and a body kick. Not much happening in this fight. Tybura with a right hand. They miss on punches. Tybura with a front kick to the body. Johnson with some punches that hurt Tybura as he looks to finish the round strong. 10-9 Johnson, 20-18 Johnson.
ROUND 3- Johnson misses a lunging right hand. Tybura with a body kick. Tybura gets a takedown and moves to the back of Johnson. Johnson is able to get out and they get back to their feet. They clinch against the fence. Both men are very tired and not a lot is happening. Tybura with short punches. They break a clinch. Tybura with a big kick that hurts Johnson and Tybura going for a finish. They clinch as Johnson slows him down. They break and Tybura lands a front kick. Tybura with a head kick and lands a right hand. Not a great fight at all. 10-9 Tybura, 29-28 Johnson.
Official Result- Tim Johnson def. Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
HEAVYWEIGHTS- FRANCIS NGANNOU (6-1, 1-0 UFC) VS. CURTIS BLAYDES (5-0, 0-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Blaydes lands a quick jab that stuns Ngannou. Blaydes looks for a takedown but it is defended. They clinch against the fence but break. Blaydes with a leg kick. Ngannou with a left hand. Ngannou just misses an uppercut. Ngannou with a big left hand and Blaydes wobbles. Ngannou drops Blaydes with a big left hand but Blaydes recovers quickly and clinches. Ngannou with a foot stomp and body punches before they break. Blaydes with a big takedown but not doing much with it. He keeps Ngannou down. They get to their feet. Ngannou lands a combo and then a left hand at the end of the round. 10-9 Ngannou.
ROUND 2- Blaydes lands a left hand. Ngannou with a combo. Blaydes fires back with a left hand. Both land and Ngannou hurts Blaydes with a left hand. Blaydes is bleeding from his right eye. Ngannou defends a takedown attempt from Blaydes and lands a left hand. Blaydes gets a takedown and is in side control. Ngannou gets the fight back to the feet and has the back of Blaydes. Ngannou with some uppercuts from the clinch and they break. Ngannou with a right hand. Blaydes’ right eye is completely shut. Ngannou with an uppercut and then a right hand. Ngannou with a right hand. He lands another. Ngannou with an inside leg kick. He defends a takedown attempt from Blaydes. 10-9 Ngannou, 20-18 Ngannou.
The fight was stopped in between rounds as Blaydes couldn’t see. Blaydes wanted to continue but the doctor could tell that he was having trouble seeing. Blaydes is hugely disappointed but it was the right call.
Official Result- Francis Ngannou def. Curtis Blaydes by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
HEAVYWEIGHTS- DERRICK LEWIS (14-4 1 NC, 5-2 UFC) VS. GABRIEL GONZAGA (17-10, 12-9 UFC)
ROUND 1- Lewis with a head kick and Gonzaga initiates a clinch. Gonzaga gets a takedown and is in side control. Lewis tries to scramble out but gives up his back in the process. They get to their feet but Gonzaga has his arms around Lewis’ back. Lewis reverses and they are clinched against the fence. Lewis with an elbow as Gonzaga looks for a takedown. Not much happening as Gonzaga is stalling and they are split by the referee. Gonzaga with a right hand and he clinches again. The crowd is booing as Gonzaga is doing nothing. They are broken up. Lewis then rocks Gonzaga with a combo ending with a big right hand and Gonzaga is out! Lewis with a big knockout win over Gonzaga.
Official Result- Derrick Lewis def. Gabriel Gonzaga by knockout (punches) at 4:48 of Round 1
HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#4) BEN ROTHWELL (36-9, 6-3 UFC) VS. (#5) JUNIOR DOS SANTOS (17-4, 11-3 UFC)
ROUND 1- Dos Santos definitely looks different from when he was champion so let’s see if he’s a different fighter still. Not much happening in the first round. Dos Santos lands a left hook. Rothwell with a big right hand and Dos Santos circles away. They each land a punch. Dos Santos with a right hand to the body and follows with a body shot. Rothwell with a leg kick. Rothwell with an overhand right. Rothwell lands another. Dos Santos with a right hand. They exchange in the pocket. Dos Santos with a left hand to the body. Rothwell lands a big right hand. Dos Santos with more punches to the body. Rothwell with a leg kick. 10-9 Dos Santos.
ROUND 2- Rothwell with a right hand and he slips for a moment but gets right back up. They are trading punches but Rothwell isn’t changing stances. Rothwell’s right eye is starting to swell. Dos Santos with a Superman punch. He lands a straight right hand. Rothwell with a leg kick. Dos Santos with a right hand to the body. Rothwell pokes Dos Santos in the eye and we have a break in action. Back to fighting and Rothwell lands some leg kicks. Dos Santos with a right hand. Dos Santos with a left hand and then lands a right hand. Dos Santos with a big right hand and then a front kick to the body drops Rothwell but the round ends. 10-9 Dos Santos, 20-18 Dos Santos.
ROUND 3- Dos Santos with more body punches and he lands a nice combo. Rothwell misses a head kick. Dos Santos with a body punch. Rothwell with a nice combination. Dos Santos lands a straight right hand. Dos Santos with a jab to the body. Rothwell with a right hand. Dos Santos is starting to land a lot more right now. Dos Santos with a spinning kick to the body and then more punches to the body of Rothwell. Dos Santos with a right hand. Rothwell is missing on his punches. Dos Santos with another spinning kick to the body and he just misses a right hand. Rothwell barely lands a right hand. 10-9 Dos Santos, 30-27 Dos Santos.
ROUND 4- Dos Santos going back after the body and he lands a left hook. Dos Santos with a right hand. They trade side kicks to the body. Dos Santos with a right hand and then another. Rothwell is in a lot of trouble. Dos Santos goes back after the body with punches. Dos Santos continuing after the body with punches. Rothwell is just unable to land anything and is eating a lot of shots. Rothwell then lands a big right hand and just misses a head kick. Dos Santos with some jabs and then a right hand to the body. Rothwell misses a right hand. Dos Santos with more body punches and he is controlling this fight big. 10-9 Dos Santos, 40-36 Dos Santos.
ROUND 5- Rothwell needs a finish. Dos Santos with the jab. Rothwell tries to land a right hand but Dos Santos is circling away well. Rothwell with a body punch. Dos Santos lands a left hand. Dos Santos with more attacks to the body. Rothwell just misses a head kick. Dos Santos lands a knee and then goes back to the body. Dos Santos with more body punches. This is the best he has looked in many years. Dos Santos with a straight left hand and then a right hand. Rothwell lands a left hand but has been unable to do much else. Rothwell lands a left hook but then stumbles into the cage. Dos Santos with more left hands to the body and then an overhand right. Dos Santos with a spinning wheel kick that lands. Dos Santos with a front kick and then a combo to end the fight. Great performance from Dos Santos. 10-9 Dos Santos, 50-45 Dos Santos.
Official Result- Junior Dos Santos def. Ben Rothwell by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Simple match with Jose pinning Moss clean for the victory
Elias Sampson vs. Corey Hollis
Hollis being from Charleston got a huge pop! Crowd chanted “Play Freebird” at Sampson so he started playing it and made the lyrics heelish by taunting the crowd. Sampson pins Hollis clean for the victory.
Carmella vs. Eva Marie
Pre-match, Carmella walked around ring with a fans sign “Eva sucks”. Eva pins Carmella with the help of putting her feet on the ropes. Post match, Carmella punishes Eva Marie until she rolls out of the ring.
Blake vs. Alex Riley
Nothing special. Riley pinned Blake clean for the victory.
NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha vs. The Revival
Great storytelling match. This match drew my non-wrestling fan wife in and she loved it. Alpha retains belts over Revival via pinfall.
Intermission for 20 minutes. Crowd pops loud for a picture of Bayley on the screen.
Austin Aries vs. Manny Andrade
Manny won the crowd over big time. He moonsaulted off the middle rope, landed on his feet and flipped into a backflip on Aries. Maybe the biggest pop of the night for that move. Aries pinned Manny for the victory and post-match, the contenders shook hands. Aries gets on the mic and puts over Manny although Manny has already won the crowd over during the match.
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Peyton Royce
Royce controlled most of the match but Asuka wins in the end via submission with the Asuka lock.
Tye Dillinger and Baron Corbin vs. Nakamura and NXT Champion Finn Balor
Crowd chants “take your shirt off” at Corbin because he is wrestling in a shirt. Match stops and he finally takes shirt off to reveal a second shirt under that. Crowd pops. Balor’s offense was Flair chop heavy and he did the Flair strut a few times during the match. Of course crowd loves it. Balor pins Dillinger for the victory. Balor and Nakamura get on the mic post match and thank the fans and NXT universe for the support.
This morning’s Invasion Attack iPPV, live from Sumo Hall in Japan, is the second big New Japan event of the year following January’s WrestleKingdom 10.
Kazuchika Okada faces Tetsuya Naito in the main event. The Los Ingobernables de Japon founder won the New Japan Cup last month, putting him in the top spot. It’ll be interesting to see if Okada, who has held the title since July, can successfully defend against Naito, who continues to gain momentum since his heel turn last year.
We’ll also see the Japan debut of Will Ospreay, who has also built a ton of momentum in the last year, both in the UK and United States. He’ll face Kushida for the IWGP Jr. title in what should be a fantastic bout. We’ll also see a return, as Yoshi Tatsu will return to action after being out over a full year due to a bad bump after taking the Styles Clash.
RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & JUICE ROBINSON VS. BAD LUCK FALE & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI
This wasn’t much at all. A short match ending when Fale pinned Robinson with the Bad Luck Fall. Takahashi looked bad and then it was over.
KAZUSHI SAKURABA & TORU YANO & YOSHI-HASHI VS. JUSHIN LIGER & SATOSHII KOJIMA & YUJI NAGATA
This was better, particularly Nagata. Another short match but all action and fun all the way. Nagata pinned Yoshi-Hashi after a back suplex. It was Nagata’s second try with the move. The first time Yoshi-Hashi reversed into a small package.
HIROOKI GOTO & TOMOHIRO ISHII VS. EVIL & BUSHI
This was really good. Goto & Ishii and Evil were physical as hell with each other. They were really pushing a Goto vs. Evil feud as they did a post-match pull-apart. The finish saw Goto use the neckbreaker over the knee on Bushi and Ishii followed with a sliding lariat for the pin.
RICOCHET & MATT SYDAL VS. ROCKY ROMERO & TRENT BARETTA FOR IWGP JR. TAG TITLES
Great match. Baretta pinned Ricochet with Strong Zero, which is the Dudebuster (Omori driver) by Baretta with Romero using a missile dropkick. The title change and who got pinned tells you all you need to know. All four looked great with so many smooth moves. Baretta worked with jacked up ribs but you probably couldn’t tell it by his work. Ricochet & Sydal are such a fantastic team. Ricochet did a tope on Romero and followed with a running flip dive on Baretta. Lots of great near falls.
KUSHIDA VS. WILL OSPREAY FOR IWGP JR. TITLE
I’d say it took Ospreay all of two minutes to get over by doing all the Steve Wright nip ups. Super match and a star making performance. Ospreay was wearing trunks with I love Kris Travis. Most of the match was Kushida working the left arm. There was an incredible move where Ospreay was on the top rope and Kushida jumped to the top for a flying armbar. The finish was Kushida with the hoverboard lock and rolling Ospreay to the center just when it looked like he’d make the ropes. At one point Ospreay did a rainmaker tease. Kushida did a flip dive and Ospreay did a Fosbury Flop dive.
Liger came out to challenge Kushida after the match. The crowd went nuts when Liger came out to challenge for his belt. He said he wants to be a 12 time champion. Kushida accepted it and they shook hands.
G-1 starts on 7-18 in Hokkaido and finishes 8-12 through 8/14 at Sumo Hall. No names announced.
YOUNG BUCKS & KENNY OMEGA VS. HIROSHI TANAHASHI & MICHAEL ELGIN & YOSHITATSU FOR NEVER TRIOS TITLE
Another strong match. The story of the match was Yoshitatsu returning after 18 months. Omega kept going for the Styles clash on him but his teammates kept saving. They also teaed a Meltzer driver on Tatsu but Elgin jumped in and caught Nick and threw him over the top rope. We had another title change as Elgin pinned Nick afer a super power bomb A lot of comedy mixed in with hot moves. Nick did a flip dive off the balcony of Korakuen Hall onto everyone. Cody Hall was stretchered out at this point. Omega before the match said that everyone wasted their money last week because he was the real star. Nick challenged the New Day again.
After the match they set up Omega vs. Elgin for the IC title. Both put their belts on the ground. After it seemed like it was over, Fale attacked Tanahashi laid him out with a grenade so this is Tanahashi’s new program.
KATSUYORI SHIBATA VS. HIROYOSHI TENZAN FOR NEVER OPEN WEIGHT TITLE
Nagata, Nakanishi and Kojima were in Tenzan’s corner and Masahiro Chono was doing commentary. Good match as people were into the story of Tenzan past his prime going for a title. Tenzan mostly did head-butts. His timing was good but some of the klunking head-butts were used by Tenzan which is not good. Shibata did most of his trademark stuff and won with a rear naked choke, let it go and finished Tenzan with a penalty kick for the pin.
Shibata sucker kicked Nagata after the match. Clearly setting up Shibata vs Nagata. They had to hold Nagata back. People wer really hot for Shibata vs. Nagata.
TOGI MAKABE & TOMOAKI HONMA VS. TAMA TONGA & TANGA ROA FOR IWGP TAG TITLES
New champions again. Tonga & Roa are called the Guerillas of Detiny. Very good stuff with Honma doing all the kokeshi’s but he missed the diving head-butt. They won with two combination power bombs and revese DDTs and Tonga pinned Honma to take the title.
KAZUCHIKA OKADA VS. TETSUYA NAITO FOR IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Naito won the title thanks to interference by Evil, Bushi and newcomer Seiya Sanada. The crowd was wanting Naito to win. Naito won with the Destino in a long good match. Bushi blew the mist at Oakada after and Sanda used the dragon sleeper. Ishii and Goto cmae in. Okada had the match in control after hitting the dropkick when the new guy in a mask showed up and gave Okada neckbreaker and a moonsault. Naito tried to finish him with Destino, but Okada got out and used a German suplex. He went for the rainmaker but Naito ducked and hit Destino for the pin.
Ishii will be getting the next title shot as they had a square off after the match. Naito attacked and dropkicked Red Shoes when he was given the belt. Naito thanked the fans for supporting him. Fans were chanting Naito’s name. Good to see Sanada put in a good position. Naito said Los Ingobenables have taken over New Japan. Everyone chanted “Los Ingobernables del Japon” with him. Naito then threw the belt in the air and walked off without the belt.
Sexy Star is the new Lucha Underground champion, winning Aztec Warfare 3 Saturday during the company’s tapings in Boyle Heights, California.
Matanza Cueto, who had been undefeated up until this point, was pinned by Rey Mysterio halfway through the match after a Canadian destroyer. Pentagon was taken out by four Asian women (possibly Angela Fong and Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani and Kaiji Hojo from the Stardom promotion.)
It came down to Sexy Star and Mil Muertes. Muertes kept missing table spots and finally went for a top rope Flatliner, but Sexy shoved him off and through a table, hitting the top rope stomp for the pin and title victory.
The show will air sometime in early-2017 as part of the promotion’s third season. There will be more tapings Sunday featuring Stardom’s Shirai, Iwatani and Hojo, three of the best female wrestlers in the world who are also in town for Monday’s Vendetta Pro show in Las Vegas, NV.
Bellator’s Aaron Pico will be going for an Olympic wrestling team berth tonight when he faces Frank Molinaro in the 143 pound weight division final.
Pico, 19, from Whittier CA, is attempting to become the first teenager to make the Olympic team in freestyle wrestling in 40 years.
Pico has two prior wins over Molinaro, but Molinaro has had a killer tournament thus far in beating Logan Steiber, the four-time NCAA champion, as well a Brent Metcalf, one of the best U.S. wrestlers of the modern era, and like Steiber, a former Hodge trophy winner.
Pico and Ed Ruth were both signed by Bellator as amateur stars who will debut in MMA after the Olympics, or sooner if they fail to make the Olympic team.
Pico, was considered perhaps the best teenage prospect in decades as he was named pound-for-pound the best high school wrestlers in the country while only a freshman, where he went 42-0, with no close bouts, in taking the California state title. He was world champion in his age group in 2013, and against older competitors in the junior division, took third in the 2014 and 2015 world championships.
Still, because of how loaded the 143 pound division was, he was considered a long shot to make the team. With Metcalf, Steiber, Molinaro, Jordan Oliver, Zain Retheford, Jayson Ness and Reece Humphrey, it was considered the most loaded division in the tournament.
While growing up, Pico won a number of boxing and Pankration tournaments and Bellator signed him in 2014, shortly after his 18th birthday, to essentially a futures contract and he was introduced on one of the company’s major shows.
The finals at 143 will air on NBC Sports tonight at some point after 7 p.m. Eastern and 4 p.m. Pacific.
Many of the top wrestlers in the recent NCAA tournament are competing for slots on the team. Nick Gwiazdowski, who placed second at heavyweight, is in the super heavyweight division with the finals tonight.
Kyle Snyder, 20, the NCAA heavyweight champion and defending world champion, will compete at 215 pounds, will be in a tournament tomorrow.
Omaha, Nebraska: – Earl Caddock defeated Joe Stecher by forfeit to win the World Heavyweight Title (Stecher lost the first fall and refused to wrestle the second fall)
1943
St. Joseph, Missouri: – World Champion Wild Bill Longson beat Ronnie Etchison – Vic Holbrook beat Jack Hader – Sailor Fred Blassie beat Carlos Rodriquez – Cowboy Luttrall drew Jack Nasworthy
1953
Cleveland, Ohio: – Buddy Rogers defeated Antonino Rocca to win the Ohio version of the Boston AWA World Heavyweight Title
1960
Indianapolis, Indiana: – Ray and Roy Shire defeated Dick Afflis and Gene Kiniski to win the Chicago/Indianapolis NWA World Tag Team Titles
1963
Nashville, Tennessee: – Gino and Tony Calza defeated The Medics (Tony Gonzales and Donald Lortie) to win the Mid-America NWA Southern Tag Team Titles
1965
Denver, Colorado: – AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat The Crusher & Verne Gagne
1966
Minneapolis: – Verne Gagne beat Larry Hennig – Crusher beat Chris Tolos dq – Harley Race beat Dale Lewis – Ernie Ladd beat Moose Cholak – Reggie Parks drew Chris Markoff – The Alaskan beat Bob Morgan
1969
Los Angeles, California: – Black Gordman defeated Alfonso Dantés for the vacant NWA Beat the Champ TV Title
1976
Mexico, City, Mexico: – Fishman defeated Blue Demon to win the NWA World Welterweight Title
1978
Charlotte, North Carolina: – Ric Flair defeated Mr. Wrestling to win the NWA United States Heavyweight Title
Mexico City, Mexico: – Perro Aguayo defeated Ringo Mendoza for the NWA World Middleweight Title
1981
Kansas City, Kansas: – Bob Brown and Terry Taylor defeated The Kelly Twins (Mike and Pat) for the NWA Central States Tag Team Titles
Portland, Oregon: – Buddy Rose defeated Jay Youngblood to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title
1984
Lexington, Kentucky: – Jerry Lawler defeated Randy Savage to win the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title
1987
– Jim Crockett Promotions purchased Bill Watts’ Universal Wrestling Federation
1988
Caguas, Puerto Rico: – Carlos Colón won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Title by defeating Hercules Ayala
1990
Okayama, Japan: – Kenta Kobashi and Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa) defeated The Can-Am Express (Doug Furnas and Dan Kroffat (Philip LaFon)) for the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Titles
1995
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: – T. Rantula defeated Cactus Jack for the Steel City Wrestling Heavyweight Title
2003
Louisville, Kentucky: – Doug Basham won the OVW Heavyweight Title by defeating Nick Dinsmore
2004
Quarryville, Pennsylvania: – Minoru Fujita and Ikuto Hidaka defeated Josh Daniels and Matt Striker to win the Premier Wrestling Federation Universal Tag Team Titles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – Zach Gowen and Silas Young defeated Jason Dukes and Skull Krusher for the Mid-America Wrestling Tag Team Titles – Justin Kage defeated Austin Aries to win the NWA Midwest X Division Title
IWA April Bloodshowers: Oolitic, Indiana: In a 30-minute Iron Man match, B.J. Whitmer (with Jim Fannin) defeated IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion Jerry Lynn, 2-1, to win the title
2005
Newark, Delaware: – Petey Williams defeated Puma to win the Super 8 Tournament
2009
ROH Collision: Chicago, Illinois: – Claudio Castagnoli defeated Kevin Steen – Necro Butcher & Jerry Lynn defeated The Age of the Fall’s Delirious and Brodie Lee – Tyler Black defeated Jimmy Jacobs, Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson – ROH champ Nigel McGuinness defeated El Generico
2011
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: – Adam Cole won the Combat Zone Wrestling Best of 2011 tournament
I’ve been in Japan for a few days for some great wrestling action at Korakuen Hall. Here’s a rundown of what I’ve seen:
Dragon Gate:
Yosuke Santa Maria & Stalker Ichikawa (dressed as Stan Hansen for the second time this week) vs.Ryo Jimmy Saito & Genki Horiguchi H.A.GeeMeee!!!
Super fun comedy match with some good action at times.Santa Maria is such an entertaining performer and really got to shine here. Her push continued with a pinfall win over Genki.
Don Fujii & U-T vs. Kaito Ishida & Takehiro Yamamura
Wow, this was incredible. It had everything you’d want from it. Don Fujii being surly and beating the tar out of the young guys, the young guys being ultra-competitive with each other, great crowd heat and a fantastic finish. This was perfect for what they set out for.
El Lindaman vs. T-Hawk
Huge upset here as Lindaman got the biggest singles victory of his career, knocking off T-Hawk with a Cross Armbreaker after ten minutes of good action.
Kzy, CIMA & Gamma vs. Monster Express
Excellent fast paced trios match, with charisma abound. Like in the last match, this had a huge result as Big R Shimizu beat CIMA clean with the Shot Put Slam. The crowd went wild for the finish.
The stip here was that Punch had to retire if he lost. The result was a white hot atmosphere with the crowd living and dying with the nearfalls. Eita made Kotoka tap with the El Numero Uno. The finishing stretch of this was just out of this world.
Verserk vs. The Jimmys
With special “Jimmy for a night”, Masaaki Mochizuki in tow, the Jimmys scored a huge victory in the main event after 20 minutes of insane action. They did an incredible job weaving Verserk strife into a match which involved so much coordination and timing. It was incredible to watch a match like this in front of the Japanese fans. Susumu pinned YAMATO after a vicious Jumbo No Kachi lariat. Watch out for The Jimmys entrance and yours truly getting involved.
Post match, Verserk split into two sides to set up the annual DEAD OR ALIVE cage match where hair and masks are at stake. We got a bonus 19 second Cyber Kong/Mondai Ryu match to determine who could avoid the Cage. Mondai won.
Sendai Girls
This was the biggest show in the history of the promotion as they hit Korakuen Hall for the first time headlined by the renewal of a classic rivalry.
Aja Kong vs. Meiko Satomura
The result was a bona-fide Match Of The Year Candidate. I saw all the big matches from Mania weekend while I’ve been over here and this topped everything. It also topped the incredible Daisuke Sekimoto main event I saw last week at BJW. Aja Kong looked as good as she did in her prime. Not only was her offence looking fantastic but her selling and the subtle little things she did added so much to the match and made me realise I was watching one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
However, she was topped by Satomura, who was absolutely heroic as the babyface. Her fire and her execution were on another level from almost anyone I’ve ever seen in person before. I knew she was good, real good, but not this good. Satomura won the match after an epic closing stretch and retained the title. Kong sold the loss, and the damage, brilliantly after the match. It was like Godzilla being taken down, and slumping away to fight another day.
The undercard was a really fun variety show. We had a hard hitting opening tag match, a comedy match, a really good hardcore match pitting Hikaru Shida & Syuri against KAORU & DASH Chisako, and an awesome veteran vs rookie match as Nanae Takahashi defeated hot prospect Chihiro Hashimoto. This show airs on the 16th, and the main event is absolutely must-see stuff.
