– Attendance was roughly 500 fans from Eddie Deen’s Ranch, Dallas Texas
12 Woman Tournament to crown the first “Heart Of Shimmer” Champion
1st round
– Cheerleader Melissa b Leva Bates with a Kudo Driver. Bates was cosplaying from the Kingdom Hearts video game series
– Candice LaRae b Cherry Bomb when LeRae crucifixed Cherry Bomb’s pin attempt and reversed it into a pin of her own.
– Nicole Savoy b LuFisto with the Savoy Lock with a Sambo lock submission.
– Kimber Lee b Jessicka Havok with a roll up after Cherry Bomb interfered with a Roll Up (with a handful of tights) after Cherry Bomb comes out to distract Havok.
– Heidi Lovelace b Veda Scott with a Senton Bomb off the top rope.
– Nicole Matthews b Crazy Mary Dobson with The Vancouver Maneuver.
2nd round
– Candice LaRae b Cheerleader Melissa with three “Family Show Plexes” in a row. The “Family Show Plex” is what Amber Gertner called the move on the show. The move itself is the “Ball Plex” used by Joey Ryan, but that name could not be used for obvious reasons.
– Nicole Savoy b Kimber Lee with the Cross Arm Breaker.
– Heidi Lovelace b Nicole Matthews with a Senton Bomb off the top rope.
– Lenny Leonard interviewed Shayna Baszler. She said she would start at SHIMMER 81 on June 24.
Finals
– Nicole Savoy b Heidi Lovelace & Candice LaRae to win the Heart title. She first eliminated LaRae with the Savoy Lock. Heidi hit her Senton Bomb with which she won her two matches but Savoy kicked out at 2. Savoy won with her Savoy Lock. Good match.
– Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke were in attendance for the show. Bayley was also there. They announced that SHIMMER 81-85 were going to be taped from June 24 to June 26 in the Chicago area.
– Candice LaRae was probably the star of the show with very good matches against both Cherry Bomb and Cheerleader Melissa, plus the main event. Heidi Lovelace has improved so much from the last time I saw her. She’s very very solid in the ring. LuFisto vs Savoy was also one of the best matches on the card.
Here’s some notes from today’s NXT tapings as part of Fan Axxess. Three weeks worth of tapings were held in a different part of the Bailey Kay Hutchison Center as the show the night before. It’s clear that a lot of stuff will be added between backstage and probably a lot of videos from the TakeOver shows as they didn’t tease much in the way of future directions.
4/6 show
– Asuka beat Eva Marie. This was to set up Asuka vs. Nia Jax as a title program as they had a staredown.
– Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson beat two wrestlers who weren’t named, possibly Scott Matthews & Scott Parker from Quebec.
– Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley beat Blake & Murphy. No Alexa Bliss with Blake & Murphy. Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson jumped The Hype Bros after the match so that looks to be a new program.
– Carmella beat Aliyah
– Shinsuke Nakamura beat Elias Samson
4/13 show
– Jason Jordan & Chad Gable beat Enzo Amore & Big Cass. There’s been talk of Enzo & Cass coming up to the main roster.
– Nia Jax b Deonna Purrazzo
– No Way Jose, whose debut has been pushed for the last few weeks on NXT, debuts on this show over Alexander Wolfe
– Samoa Joe beat Apollo Crews via choke.
– Austin Aries beat Angelo Dawkins.
4/20 show
– Alexa Bliss beat Tessa Blanchard
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa (who have signed NXT contracts but not developmental contracts, believed to be similar to the deal Austin Aries has, to where they can still work indies) beat The Vaudevillains. So looks like they are now in for a push.
– Baron Corbin pinned Tucker Knight in a basic squash
– Bayley beat Liv Morgan. Bayley cut a generic promo about it doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, it’s how many you get back up. She never mentioned Asuka’s name.
– Nakamura beat Tye Dillinger. Nakamura was great at connecting with the crowd.
This Sunday at Wrestlemania, WWE Divas Champion Charlotte will face Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks in a three-way title match that would have served as the logical narrative bookend to the concept that was the Divas Revolution. The payoff of these three facing off against one another on the biggest stage in professional wrestling, having climbed from humble beginnings and overcome negative stigmatization in a male-dominated industry to achieve at the highest level imaginable, would have been both the ultimate testament to the success of the Divas Revolution as a long-term storyline and the proper punctuation on the statement that WWE had reached a new era in the presentation of its female talent.
Or at least it would have been were it not for the countless fatal decisions made along the way that ultimately lead to its failure. Had WWE’s faith in branding and hashtagging been enough to sustain through incomprehensible storytelling, numerous dreadful on-screen segments (including no fewer than two disastrous episodes of Miz TV), far too many unexplained and illogical changes in the heel-face dynamic, an overwhelming sense of purposelessness, and the tasteless invoking of Reid Fliehr’s name for the sole purpose of cheap heat, the Divas Revolution concept may very well have survived to see Wrestlemania.
But because so many mistakes made it revolting more often than revolutionary, and because WWE’s commitment to the concept seemed to run only as deep as seeing a buzzword trend worldwide on Twitter a few nights a week, the #DivasRevolution is long dead.
When Charlotte, Sasha, and Becky step into the ring on Sunday, they will represent all that remains of that misbegotten, in-name-only revolution. Fortunately, they were the only components of it that ever mattered at all.
The title match at Wrestlemania this Sunday is not at all about the Divas Revolution, despite any possible attempts from WWE commentators to inform the audience otherwise. Rather, it will be above all else the crowning moment for three of the major players of the very real sea change that has been going on for far longer than a hashtag-revolution. It will be a career-defining highlight for Charlotte, Sasha, and Becky, whose work in NXT between 2013-2015 with each other and the likes of Bayley, Natalya, Paige, and Emma was a major catalyst for an actual change in that audience’s perception of women’s wrestling.
Given their immense collective and individual potential, this should be far from the last big moment these three women will experience at a Wrestlemania.
What this match could ultimately prove to be is one that may help direct the course of women’s wrestling in WWE for years to come, and one that could help pave the way for other women to enjoy their own much-deserved moments in the spotlight at that level. Someone like Bayley, for example, who has a very real potential to become one of the company’s top money-makers, full stop. The response of the live crowd, and the social response of the worldwide viewing audience, could create enough tangible evidence to convince those who may still believe otherwise that the future of WWE’s female performers is in emphasizing in-ring prowess and performance over aesthetics and sex appeal.
If rumors of a new WWE Women’s Championship being revealed on the Raw following Wrestlemania prove true and result in the long overdue abandonment of the obnoxious “Divas” brand, then the match between Charlotte, Becky, and Sasha may just be the final, decisive nail in a coffin that they have all worked so hard to seal.
Or, perhaps, it won’t prove to be that at all. Perhaps the notion of sweeping change in WWE’s philosophy regarding women taking place in just eight months’ time is as ill-fated as thinking that CM Punk’s 434-day championship reign or Daniel Bryan’s Wrestlemania triumph would turn back decades of big-man fetishism. Even today, with Charlotte, Sasha, and Becky on the precipice of taking their well-earned Wrestlemania moments, the company still seems adamant to draw blood from the stone that is Eva Marie, someone who epitomizes what WWE thinks of when it uses the malapropos term “Diva.”
The fact that the expectation was that she would be cheered when she appeared on Raw (in Brooklyn, of all places) reinforces the idea of a considerable disconnect between WWE’s beliefs and reality. Slotting Eva in as the surprise 10th participant in the pre-show tag match doesn’t quite portend that she would one day be given a run with the championship (though her reemergence on the main roster certainly makes it seem no less plausible), but it also doesn’t dissuade from the idea that there are still those in the company who see a woman’s primary contribution to the product as being her ability to look good in as little clothing as possible.
Regardless of what the match means or doesn’t mean for the big picture of WWE today and moving forward, it can be said with a fair degree of certainty what it means to the three performers involved: quite simply, everything.
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks will be culmination of years of tireless effort and struggle; in one instant, together in front of the largest audience WWE has ever drawn, everything that they have sacrificed along the way will have been worth it. For as much as the concept of the Wrestlemania moment has become another in WWE’s arsenal of trite branding terms, it will be just that for the three, and it will be a moment well deserved.
Perhaps given the uncertainty of seemingly all things creative in WWE at present, it is simply the best course of action to not worry about whether this match can atone for the failures of the Divas Revolution or set the table for the future of the women’s division. It is unlikely that Charlotte, Sasha, or Becky will be thinking in such lofty terms this Sunday or in the days leading up to it. They will probably not be concerning themselves with starting a movement, causing a revolution, or sparking long-term change.
Instead, they are much more likely to be focused on a single moment. On appreciating it, and on seizing it. On doing their utmost to steal the show, just as they have in NXT so many times before. With their talent and drive, there is no reason to believe that they cannot deliver on that promise once again, despite the amplified lens. Given their history of pulling off show-stealing performances, it is unlikely that most fans will leave their seats until the finish if only so that they, too, can share in that moment with them. That, in and of itself, speaks to the level of change they have helped affect.
Before the #DivasRevolution hashtag, there was #GiveDivasAChance. It sprung directly from indignation at women being given so little to work with compared to their male counterparts, rooted in the idea that female wrestlers deserve, at the least, an equal opportunity to show the world what they could do in the ring. This Sunday at Wrestlemania, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky will presumably be empowered and enabled to go out in front of 85,000 fans — many of whom will be invested in the match to at least some extent – and tell a story.
They should, and likely will, be given every tool available to put on a blow-away match in front of millions of people around the globe. It is fair to say that, despite WWE doing seemingly everything it could to get in its way, women’s wrestling is being given its chance at long last. It would be more appropriate, however, to say that it is an opportunity well earned.
Dwayne Johnson arrived late last night in Dallas to start preparation for WrestleMania.
Johnson’s role on the show has not been announced and on Twitter he noted that last night at 2 a.m. he was in the stadium still working on what he was doing on the show.
Johnson wrote on twitter: “2 a.m. and still working on the show. Tomorrow night this stadium will be filled with 100,000 strong. what a night we have planned.”
Johnson has been working on the “Baywatch” movie but committed to the show publicly months ago. For insurance reasons, he wasn’t able to wrestle a match on the show as he and HHH one year ago was scheduled to be one of the main events.
At one point it looked like it was going to be difficult to even be a part of the show due to the filming of “Baywatch,” but he was able to make that happen.
It was noted to us a few weeks ago when most of the plans for the show were being formulated that Johnson was going to do what he wanted to do, and at the time he hadn’t told the company yet exactly what his plans were.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with TONS to talk about including more on WrestleMania Sunday, a full look at all the matches, some early odds that don’t mean much, Dave’s EVOLVE thoughts, a bit on the WrestleCon Supershow with more to come in the morning, NXT TV taping notes, the death of Geoff Portz, Jon Jones’ surprising new opponent and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
WWE’s annual hall of fame ceremony is upon us, with a mix of all-time greats, memorable acts, celebrities, and the debut of the Legacy Award. This year sees Sting and the Fabulous Freebird act as headliners, while Stan Hansen adds credibility, The Big Bossman finally joins the hall of fame, while The Godfather adds levity, Jacqueline provides the female entrant, and Snoop Dogg enters the celebrity wing. Something called the Legacy Award will also make its debut here, while Joan Lunden will be honored with the Warrior Award for her fight with breast cancer. The pre-show features a slew of interviews, and concluded with a touching tribute to Dusty Rhodes before the end of it. Byron also wore a ridiculous suit. Booker T is a smart man and says that his wife makes him wish that every night was a hall of fame night.
The hall of fame broadcast begins with a video package recapping how all-time greats are in the hall of fame…and also Jacqueline and Godfather. Jerry Lawler is the emcee, and says that this is favorite night of the year – and he truly means it. Like he does when that’s used for WrestleMania, or Tribute to the Troops. Godfather is the opening act, and he was now “a conductor of a train”. We see Godfather’s IC Title win and Ice T intro to show the heights that the character reached. The APA induct The Godfather and put him over as one of the toughest guys in history. JBL says that Godfather had to dumb his character down for TV and they say they still have the munchies from riding with him. They do an amusing bit where they can’t tell their whole stories on a family show, and then tell their wives that they actually don’t know him and are making this up on the fly. Godfather comes out looking trim and brings out one more ho train. Godfather gives a shout-out to his kids and has his grandson get a round of applause. Godfather says he’s not really a pimp…but he ran Cheetah’s, so he’ll leave that alone. Godfather tells the young guys to have fun, enjoy the time you have now, and go visit him and “chop it up”. I’m sure he’s just a really big salad fan.
Stan Hansen follows up Godfather, and we finally get to see his full hall of fame video recapping his career. Seeing Stan with bleach blonde hair in the ’70s is bizarre. Paul Heyman tells us that as a kid, he didn’t fear Godzilla or the boogeyman – he feared Stan Hansen for breaking Bruno’s neck. Stan’s highlight reel is amazing – even focusing just on his mannerisms and promos. Vader comes out and says he met Stan in a “small regional company called the AWA” – well, it was certainly down from its peak, but it wasn’t small in ’86. Vader admires Stan Hansen almost as much as Mr. T loves his mama. Vader talks about Stan breaking his nose before the match with Stan where his eye came out. After what might have been several decades, Stan comes out after Vader puts on googly eye glasses.
Stan looks pretty much the same as he ever did, but with grey hair instead of brunette. Stan thanks God for giving him a strong set of legs, and forgives him for getting shortchanged when it came to looks. He thanks JBL for keeping his name alive in the modern era and talks about Brody telling him if you have two ugly guys like them, if you find pretty ladies that love you, you’ve got it made. He’s proud of his kids for paving their own way in life, and thanks Terry Funk for breaking him into wrestling. Hansen puts over Bob Backlund as the best athlete in wreslting history, and talks about how they each had to sleep in their cars at times. Stan puts over Red Bastien and Frtz Von Erich for helping him out a lot in Texas. He enjoyed working against Rick Martel a lot as well and shares a memory of Rick Martel beating him in 9 seconds – and then gets in a little jab at himself for that being proof he’s done a few jobs. Stan talks about how much he admires Bruno for that rivalry and gets a big grin on his face.
Stan says he got caught in the middle of a wrestling war and left New Japan for All Japan – but worked for 26 years for Baba in All Japan on a handshake deal. He loved hooking up with Brody, and says that no one could keep up with them. He assures us he isn’t bragging, but hey, maybe he is with a bit of a wink. He loved working Jumbo and Tenryu, as well as the younger guys like Kobashi and Misawa. Stan thanks “the carpenters” in pro wrestling who built a foundation for him to stand on a main eventer. He thanks Texas and lets out one big “YOU!” with the horns. Stan’s speech was outstanding, even if Vader’s did drag on. Taker-Shane video package serves as an ad break.
Jacqueline is up next, and we get a career retrospective of her winning in the USWA, and then being a “trailblazer” in WCW by having a match with Disco. She joined WWE in ’98 and became the first African-American women’s champion. She is put over more in the video as being a pioneer and someone who opened doors for future generations. Bubba and Devon come out to induct her and Bubba says that they were excited to induct her because it was her choice and she chose them immediately. Bubba and Devon have one of the best parts of the show so far, with Devon starting to talk and Bubba saying “nah, just say testify” and Devon telling him to get his own damn tables. Devon talks about how Jackie would feign falling asleep to avoid a toll, and then “forgetting her wallet” when it came to pay her share of the rental car. Devon told a great story about Jackie “dabbing”, failing, but accepting a bet to do that tonight. She does it while coming out just to get it over with. The thanks Skandar Akbar for training her, talks briefly about going in the USWA, skips over WCW, and runs down her WWE career in Wikipedia-like fashion. She thanks Lita, Trish, Sable, and Terri – we see Nidia for a second here when Lita was shown.
The legacy award members of the hall of fame are introduced. Pat O’Connor, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Mildred Burke, “Sailor” Art Thomas, Ed “The Strangler” Lewis, and Lou Thesz each get a video package showcasing some beautiful photos of each person’s career. It’s a shame that at least Gotch, Thesz, and O’Connor couldn’t go into the hall of fame formally – but at least they’re in somewhat, and it adds a small amount of on-paper credibility to things. The Fabulous Freebirds Hall of Fame video airs, and shows a slew of Von Erich stuff alongside “Freebird” playing. WWE did right by actually paying for the song, and the clips they showed allowed you to see how big a deal they were. New Day comes out in some amazing suits.
They get in some amazing lines about the Freebirds being a well-oiled machine working as a unit, while Big E talks about his unit being oiled while Woods loves blowing on his girl Franchesca II. Big E talks about the Freebirds paint showing that they were big…fans of the USA! In a perfect move once again, we get “Freebird” once again playing the Birds out to a sold-out arena in Texas. Hayes and Garvin come out looking ridiculous in a glorious way. Garvin is out looking like a high school chemistry teacher dancing to “Freebird” while Michael is out in a glittery pimp suit , a white and red “Badstreet USA” shirt, and a fanny pack while also sporting his Freebirds-era beard. Hayes is slightly blown up, while Garvin joked about needing oxygen and may in fact need it because he cannot say three words without breathing hard.
Garvin thanks Chief Jay Strongbow for training him, and then talks about drinking moonshine with Hayes and Tommy Rich at a barbecue. Garvin says that the attendance records will be smashed tomorrow, and Hayes says that “speaking of smashed, Buddy, Terry, Jimmy and I got an apartment…”. They can’t find the key, so Terry just kicks it down and they all just prop the door up and party. Terry tosses a table up through the ceiling, and then they got pissed at Buddy because they always did – so he took a big bump through it and said “well, we never drank coffee anyway”. Michael brings out Ray Gordy and Buddy Roberts Jr. Ray says he always joked that as a kid, his favorite wrestler was always Kevin Von Erich. He thanks WWE for this honor. Buddy Jr. thanks WWE for this and Ray says he’d sure love to hear more Freebirds stories. Garvin says it’s a family show, so they’re a bit restricted – but they’ll push the limit because the worst that can happen is Hayes getting fired. Jimmy Garvin says he was taking a shower and was given a golden shower by Buddy Jack. Hayes talks about getting some good advice on a strip club, but he knows that him going to a strip club wouldn’t be a good idea to avoid getting in trouble. David, Kerry, and Terry force him to go into the club. It’s not your average strip club – it’s a place where you’ll hear “Here’s Aunt Rosie after her third kid!”.
Michael Hayes was just minding his business playing Pac-Man before a biker talks smack to Michael, so Terry smacks him and they beat him up. Terry tells him “Michael…he’s got a wodden leg”, and Michael says he doesn’t care about that, he’s more concerned with leaving without getting stabbed. They try to make a deal with the bikers, but as one gets up, they see him reaching into his vest and they haul ass – but get to a back door that is locked. They go to the front door and the guy shoots, but luckily they got a head start since the guy’s got a wodden leg. He missed them and Terry laughs. Michael asks what the hell he was laughing at and he says “CUZ HE MISSED!” This got a huge roar of approval from the crowd and was eaily the best part of the show so far.
Garvin talks about renting an apartment to the rest of them and Percy, and Percy almost burning it down by throwing a fire-lit chair into the pool. Garvin talks about loving being valet for the day for Kevin, then facing Chris Adams and loving Patty – his wife of 47 years. Garvin thanks her, their kids, and grandkids. He says he was honored to be a Freebird before officially being in it, and without them, he wouldn’t have had the ability to be what he was in wrestling. Or be able to party with Michael, Buddy, and Terry – and he’ll cherish those memories forever. Hayes makes sure that the WCCW roster gets some love, with Garvin being shown in his WCW getup during this portion. Hayes thanks his mom, even though when he was a kid, he was trying to mack on a girl and she killed it by asking for dungarees in the husky department. “Hollywood” John Tatum gets a pop, and a caemo while Hayes thanks the writers of WWE – who get huge boos. Hayes says he was disgusted when he first heard “smiles on faces”, but he went to a house show, and realized just how true it was. Hayes says to prove how crazy he is, he thanks his ex-wives. Claire believed in him, while Lory gave him some of the craziest times he could’ve ever had. Michael thanks the McMahons for helping him out in dark times, and says that Linda is the only one who isn’t crazy – but she did only let him sing one song at Hunter and Steph’s wedding, and almost accidentally peed on her on a plane. Hayes says that if you don’t believe in yourself, you should because he never thought he’d be standing on-stage as a WWE hall of famer. Michael gives a tribute to his dog Jojo, who he lost two years ago. Hayes talks about being told years ago that you should cherish the time you have, and not worry about the time you’ve wasted.
He brings Kevin Von Erich out and says that the Freebirds were brothers because they loved each other, but calls New Day the “New Gay Guys” in an amusing little bit. He talks about loving and missing his brothers. He now has his sons Marshall and Ross, and after they got a chance to steal the show at Slammiversary, they get a nice cameo at the Hall of Fame too. He said they had a lot of fun beating each other up, it made for great TV, and God bless Texas. Hayes gives a shoutout to Badstreet USA and we hear that classic theme one more time on WWE TV before Hayes dances and then sings the song. Oh my God, this is glorious. Hayes is out to steal the show and keep his job at the same time. WWE gave Hayes 15 more minutes of fame tonight, and he took 90 – God bless him.
The Big Bossman hall of fame video features some great clips of him in the WWF while Miz talks about how fans in the Attitude era paid to see his hardcore matches. And I guess that Austin fella helped a bit too. Slick rattled off a slew of cliches about Bossman and said that his pockets are full of green thanks to him. He says that while his family lost a father and husband, heaven gained a Guardian Angel. Bossman’s theme hits and his family comes out to accept the award in his honor. One of his daughters says that it was a bit tough watching him wrestle when he was getting beaten up by Rikishi and having his face shoved into his backside. Al Snow gets a brief shoutout as “some dude” – which seems like the punchline to a Mick Foley standup joke. Angela, Ray’s wife shows the night stick and says that Ray loved his family before tearing up. She gets in a great line with “When you have Rick Steiner as your roommate for a few years, you learn a lot!”
Snoop Dogg highlight video sets up him going into the hall of fame. John Cena comes out to induct Snoop and gets a chorus of boos. He says that saying hi to Snoop doesn’t always mean hello. Cena says that Snoop’s WWE career began two years than his did, and he made more WM appearances than 10 of the wrestlers tomorrow. Cena says that WWE is Snoop’s home, which means that there could be some interesting results for tomorrow’s drug tests. He talks about calling himself the Doctor of Thuganomics years ago, and Snoop invited him into his studio and he got to make music with him. Snoop come sout looking amazing and saying he’s got to keep it hood and get a selfie with the crowd. Snoop says that “WWE is the number one sport in the world – not just America, but the world!” and puts over Cena for letting him live the WWE life when he visits. Snoop gives his cousin Sasha Banks a nice shoutout. He took her to WrestleMania in 2008 and she lit up. I bet he did too. Snoop was overjoyed to see her face on the side of AT&T Stadium. Her journey is something else, and he grew up seeing Gorilla and Andre live, and tells the crowd to give themselves a round of applause for being fans. Tony Atlas was an inspiration for Snoop, as were Rocky Johnson, JYD, Dusty Rhodes, and Ric Flair. Snoops raps about the hall of fame while reading lyrics off of his iPhone.
D
We get a rundown of Joan Lunden’s broadcasting career and battle with cancer, alongside her current role as a breast cancer advocate. Dana Warrior talks about how much she’s learned about life since losing Warrior two years ago. She cuts a great promo in this speech on how Real Housewives just copied WWE with table-flipping. Joan is put over as a mother, grandmother, and ultimate badass fighter for beating cancer and going into “Warrior Mode” to beat cancer. Joan says that due to cancer, she learned about how to become a warrior and overcome odds. She says that “there are no fans like the WWE fans”, which I’m sure was meant as a compliment, but could be misconstrued. Ditto “there is no other company like WWE!” She says that WWE has its Rock, but she has hers – it isn’t Don Muraco, but her husband.
Sting’s TV hall of fame video is shown again for the show – kind of a shame it wasn’t expanded upon for the full show since he is the main eventer on it. Ric pays tribute to Roddy Piper and Dusty Rhodes before tearing up, then composing himself to get Dusty’s wife to stand up. Ric puts over Charlotte as carrying the family tradition, and chats about Sting for a bit too before cutting a promo on Stan Hansen for losing to Rick Martel in 9 seconds, but he wouldn’t even sell for him – and Brody wouldn’t either! Flair told Sting to go to WWE years ago and rattles off his Sting-Flair formula. When he was asked to change it up, he said why – it works, and it sure did. It was a great formula for Flair and Bobby Roode replicated it perfectly in TNA. He puts over HHH as being one of the best ever, and loves HBK for carrying him at WrestleMania XXIV – and gets in a little dig at HBK for saying “just shut up and listen to me” for his WWE retirement match. Ric talks about Steamboat and says they’re each 0-4 for marriages, while DDP is only 0-2. He’s glad Sting finally got a chance to come to WWE because it’s the place to be. Ric says that he was sure Sting would get blown up at WrestleMania last year, but he didn’t – but HHH beat him then too.
Sting says he made his WWE debut on Raw in this very building, and how he didn’t know anything about wrestling until he saw Big John Studd, Andre the Giant, the British Bulldogs, and it was pandemonium when he saw them. Sting talks about not knowing what Waffle House was when he was just getting in, and Warrior having a crazy breakfast with tons of stuff just on top of other things. They pretty much lived in his ’83 T-bird and he promised God that he’d give back if he was able to make it in pro wrestling. Sting says that at one time, over 400 companies were making products with his likeness on there. He wonders if anyone still has a Sting air freshener. I bet a Snoop air freshener would sell quickly. He talks about the Seth match and Seth apologizing to him, but Sting telling them to let him talk – and he told him that he dressed as Sting for Halloween and “he had a shootin’ look on his face too!”. He rattles off some great lines. “One of the highlights of my career was teaming with Robocop and Leon, remember the White Castle of Fear – boy this WWE Network has a lot of good stuff on me…” He shares a tale of an NWO beating resulting in Kevin Nash spooning with him. He talks about Surfer Sting, Crow Sting, and asks if he should mention Joker Sting and does. Sting says that he was a chameleon, and it hurt him because he didn’t stand for anything and would fall for anything.
He made bad choices, and while people saw the Sting persona at its peak, in his real life, everything slipped through his fingers. In August of 1998, he was pinned by God. Since that point, his life has been back in order and he’s now with the fans, his wife, kids, mother, and daughter. He says he got bragging rights by appearing at WrestleMania and facing a great like HHH. He is proud to be a WWE Hall of Famer and thanks Jim Hellwig. A “one more match” chant breaks out and then an even louder “Undertaker” one happens. He thanks 2K for some advice, and thanks his trainers for getting him in shape for both WrestleMania and Night of Champions. He thanks Jim Ross for his advice over the year, and Michael Hayes.
Sting shows us his family, including his parents, who look fantastic for their age. He thanks his children and stepson for becoming the young men and women they’ve become. Sting says that without the fans, there wouldn’t be a Sting, Stone Cold, or Bruno. He enjoyed entertaining the fans for all the years he has. He announces his official retirement from wrestling tonight – and while it was something that was expected since September, it was still sad. He at least went out in the ring giving everything he had, and main eventing a WWE pay-per-view that wound up doing very well. He puts on some shades, grabs his bat and says “it’s not goodbye – just see you later”. Sting’s speech was excellent, and one of the better ones on the show. It’s a shame he didn’t mention Lex Luger in his speech – and a little surprising. Whle Michael Hayes stole the show, Sting’s speech felt genuine and was something to be remembered. Ditto for Stan Hansen’s. Snoop’s speech could be edited for a Sasha Banks video and make her a star in one night on Raw – it was that good.
To see all the screens for the show, just click here.
The day after news broke that UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was injured and out of his UFC 197 title defense against rival and former champion Jon Jones, Double J now has a new opponent –Ovince Saint Preux — and a new goal: the UFC interim light heavyweight title on April 23rd.
The news was made official by Dana White during ESPN Sportscenter on Saturday night with White saying since Jones never lost the title, they felt it was right for the title to be on the line. Recently, UFC announced an interim featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar for UFC 200, so the buzzword of 2016 is ‘interim”.
Anthony Johnson and Rashad Evans were considered, but Johnson recently had dental surgery that made him unvailable. Jones said Saturday he doesn’t like short notice fights, but was up for anything at light heavyweight or heavyweight.
Jones is returning after more than a year off due to a slew of legal issues. He last fought and beat Cormier in January 2015 and the rematch was expected to do big PPV business. While this match is interesting, the show will no doubt take a hit with PPV buyers, especially with a lack of star power on the rest of the show.
OSP (19-7) is coming off a February decision win over Feijao Cavalcante, and has won three of his last four.
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Orville Brown beat Lee Wyckoff – Sailor Fred Blassie beat Wild Red Berry by dq – Al Getz and Mike Ryan drew Carlos Rodriquez and Jack Nasworthy
1959
Kansas City, Kansas: – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Pat O’Connor beat Dick Hutton in 2 out of 3 falls by dq – Hans Herman and Otto Von Krupp beat Dino Bravo and Bobby Bruns 2 out of 3 falls – Farmer Don Marlin beat Lee Henning by dq – Lorraine Johnson and Laura Martinez
1972
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: – The Sheik beat Pampero Firpo by countout – Tony Parisi beat Hells Angel – Johnny Valentine beat Mighty Ursus – Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello/Don Kent) beat Ivan Kalmikoff/Tex McKenzie – Love Brothers (Reginald Love/Hartford Love) beat Sweet Daddy Siki/Lou Klein – Lee Henning/Chris Colt drew Tony Marino/Bob Harmon – Mighty Igor/Ben Justice drew Mike Loren/Man Mountain Cannon – Bill Miller/Dan Miller drew Gino Brito/Tony Baillargeon – Jacques Rougeau beat Masked Marvel 1
1989
Clash of the Champions VI: New Orleans, Lousiana: – Mike Rotunda & Steve Williams defeated The Road Warriors to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship – NWA World Champion Ricky Steamboat defeated Ric Flair in a 2 out of three falls match to retain the title – The Samoan Swat Team defeated The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) – The Junkyard Dog defeated Butch Reed – The Great Muta defeated Steve Casey
Wrestlemania V: Atlantic City, New Jersey: – Hulk Hogan defeated Randy Savage to win the WWF World Title – Hercules defeated King Haku – Big Bossman & Akeem defeated Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty – Brutus Beefcake vs. Ted DiBiase ended in a double countout – The Bushwackers defeated Jacques & Raymond Rougeau – Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig defeated The Blue Blazer – WWF World Tag Team Champions defeated The Powers Of Pain & Mr. Fuji in a handicap match – Dino Bravo defeated Ronnie Garvin – Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard defeated Tito Santana & Rick Martel – Jake Roberts defeated Andre The Giant via DQ – Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart defeated Honky Tonk Man & Greg Valentine – Rick Rude defeated The Ultimate Warrior to win the WWF Intercontinental Title – Hacksaw Duggan vs. Bad News Brown ended in a double DQ – The Red Rooster defeated Bobby Heenan
1995
Wrestlemania XI: Hartford, Connecticut: – Owen Hart & Yokozuna defeated The Smoking Gunns to win the WWF World Tag Team Titles – Bret Hart defeated Bob Backlund in an I Quit match – WWF World Champion Diesel defeated Shawn Michaels – Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith defeated Jacob & Eli Blu – Razor Ramon defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett via DQ – The Undertaker defeated King Kong Bundy – Lawrence Taylor defeated Bam Bam Bigelow
2000
Wrestlemania 2000: Anaheim, California: – Edge & Christian defeated The Hardys and The Dudleys in a ladder match to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship – Chris Benoit won the Intercontinental Title and Chris Jericho won the European Title in a two fall match with Kurt Angle (Angle entered the match holding both titles) – Triple H defeated The Rock, Mick Foley and The Big Show in a Four Way Elimination Match to retain the WWF World Title – Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan defeated The Godfather & D’Lo Brown – Hardcore Holly won a 15-minute Hardcore Battle Royal to win the WWF Hardcore Title – Chyna & Too Cool defeated Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko – Kane & Riskihi defeated X-Pac & Road Dogg
2006
Wrestlemania 22: Chicago, Illinois: – WWE Champion John Cena defeated Triple H – Rob Van Dam won the Money In The Bank Match – JBL defeated Chris Benoit to win the United States Title – WWE Tag Team Champions Kane & Big Show defeated Carlito & Chris Masters – Mickie James defeated Trish Stratus to win the Women’s Title – The Undertaker defeated Mark Henry – Shawn Michaels defeated Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred match
2011
ROH Takes Center Stage 2: Atlanta, Georgia: – Kings Of Wrestling defeated Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly – Tommaso Ciampa defeated Homicide – SHIMMER Tag Team Title Match: Daizee Haze & Tomoka Nakagawa defeated Hiroyo Matsumoto & Ayumi Kurihara to retain titles – Christopher Daniels defeated Michael Elgin – Jay & Mark Briscoe defeated All Night Express – El Generico defeated Roderick Strong – ROH World Tag Team Champions Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin beat American Wolves to retain titles
2015
New Japan Road To Invasion Attack: Tokyo, Japan: – Alex Shelley, KUSHIDA & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Jay White, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV – Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Cody Hall, Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows (Bullet Club) – Tama Tonga & Kenny Omega (Bullet Club) defeated Captain New Japan & Mascara Dorada – Hirooki Goto, Tomoaki Honma, Katsuyori Shibata, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Togi Makabe defeated YOSHI-HASHI, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba – The Young Bucks & Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club) defeated Beretta, Rocky Romero & Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS) – AJ Styles & Yujiro Takahashi (Bullet Club) defeated Tetsuya Naito & Kota Ibushi
Tonight’s episode features highlights from the big Dominion event from Osaka Jo Hall that took place July 5, 2015.
IWGP Jr. Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks (c) vs. Roppongi Vice vs. reDragon
I thought this was a really good match, but the problem is the matches eclipse the titles in terms of importance. During this match I kept trying to think who the champions were during this time and I kept drawing a blank. They’ve done so such hot shotting with the titles it kind of renders them useless, even though they aren’t. There needs to be an “ace” kind of team in this division because really it’s just a bunch of great athletes trading wins. Nothing wrong with that, as again this was a great match, but the purpose of the titles comes into question here. Bucks, who were in fact the champions, retained their titles, pinning Romero with the More Bang for Your Buck.
Nick said we might’ve been first, but we were the main event. Matt called themselves the greatest champions of all time and have added prestige to these titles. We can wrestle anywhere, any company, and we chose here because the best are here, and so are the Young Bucks.
IWGP Tag Team titles: The Kingdom (c) vs. Bullet Club
This was a very slightly better version of every Kingdom/BC match they ever had. Bit more tandem action, but still tons of “Anderson is infatuated with Maria” kind of stuff. Gallows laid out Maria and Anderson gave Bennett a gun stun on the paron. Taven made a brief flurry of a comeback, but it was too much and was laid out with the Magic Killer, allowing Anderson to get the win as he and Gallows regain the tag team titles. Not much to say about it.
Hiroshi Tanahashi is this week’s reflective interview. They felt ready that night in Osaka, the roster couldn’t wait to get there. He talks about how Yano is confidence in his abilities and how he can win without breaking the rules. He has a strong grabbing technique, and you can never tell that by just looking at him.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano
This was a good little match. Not great or anything, but Yano’s style is so different than anyone else’s, it’s kind of fun to just watch and see it. It’s a refreshing change of pace, in other words. Yano kept using his tricks, like the low blow, the turnbuckle spot, and using the ref to the point that eventually Tanahashi had to go to Yano’s level to gain the advantage. He got the win over Yano after another high fly flow.
Tanahashi laments he and Yano should have faced earlier, or else it wouldn’t have taken him this long to get there. The biggest disappointment to him is that he’s not in the main event, as he wanted to headline Osaka Jo Hall.
Back to the reflective interview, he said it was a luxurious stage to fight on, and the match itself got him ready for the G1 tournament, which we’re no too far away from
Wrestling Observer Live with Mike Sempervive is back today with tons to discuss! WrestleMania’s match order is reportedly set, how Mike sees the two main events, news and results from around Dallas, adventures in phone calls, tweets and more!
