Category: Daily Updates

  • TUES. UPDATE: TNA brings back infamous gimmick match, UFC regulatory gaffe, Bill DeMott to hold seminar, and more

    by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.comFollow @davidbix

    TV/major show notes:

    The Tough Enough Competition Special premieres at 8:00 p.m. ET tonight on WWE Network showing the process of narrowing down the top 40 finalists to the actual reality show cast.

    Fox Sports 2 has their block of the last three episodes of The Ultimate Fighter tonight starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.

    WWE tapes SmackDown/Main Event tonight in Buffalo, New York. If you’re attending, please send a spoiler report to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

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    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with a detailed look at what made Dusty Rhodes such a uniquely gifted performer. Topics covered include:

    * How his appeal differed from other superstar babyfaces.

    * His underrated athleticism and in-ring working ability.

    * His versatility on promos.

    And much more. Plus, as always, we have  all of the usual reviews and international news.

    Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the AmericanCanadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle. 

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    Last week the big story was the tease of a Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania.  This week we have a double issue because of such a busy news week, with our lead story talks about the background of that promo and why the match isn’t happening.  We have the background of Austin, Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon, what led to the promo on the WWE Network, why Vince McMahon was unhappy about it, and what happened from there including Austin talking about the situation.

    We also have the first look at the Wednesday night wrestling wars with ROH & TNA, an update on MMA in New York, coverage of one of UFC’s best shows in recent years, New Japan’s summer look at including the G-1 Climax and Super Juniors tournament along with a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, as well as full coverage of the Hall of Fame and the new season of Tough Enough.

    The Latest Wrestling Observer: June 15, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Latest on Austin-Lesnar, Destination America, NY MMA

    Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show in the history of the site are at  Sign up here for as low as $9.99 per month!

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    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.

    The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

    Our lead story talks about Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar.  We look at Austin’s comments regarding what he said last week, we look at the background, we look at why Vince McMahon wasn’t happy about what happened, we look at what this seems to end speculation on, where the Texas death match comment came from and what we don’t know about the situation and why the book seems closed on the match.

    We’ve got full details on the first week of both ROH & TNA together on Destination America.  We look at the audience for both groups, and what the quarter hours told about both groups.  We look at what the ratings seem to have indicated about both ROH and TNA and their audiences, as well as the next time this should be evaluated.

    We also look at Money in the Bank, the WWE Network special on 7/4 from Japan with the lineup.  We also look at the rest of the tour, an idea floated for the Slammys, what Vince McMahon wants out of the live talk shows on the WWE network, update on Tyson Kidd, why the stock is rising, Dwayne Johnson entertainment news, how the Kevin Steen action figure triggered so many things, return of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, special guest on Raw next week, Austin signs a new deal, and lots of the recent WWE tryout camp.

    We also look at the Jessicka Havok situation.

    We also look at all the NXT and WWE house show notes and business notes from the past week.

    We look at the new attempt to pass legislation in New York to legalize MMA, how this affects pro wrestling in the state as well as boxing, why MMA has to agree to certain things that are inherently unfair in a last ditch effort to get into the state.  We also look at a unique law regarding attendance at events in the bill, as well as what rules are in place to promote pro wrestling in New York.

    We’ve got coverage of one of the year’s best events, Saturday’s UFC show in New Orleans.  We look at the record tied, the career of Dan Henderson, the career of Brian Ebersole, as well as business notes and full coverage of the show.

    We also look at New Japan’s G-1 Climax tournament, who is in, who is out, what is says about current booking, the big shows on the tour, coverage of the show, prior winners, handicapping the tournament, why the winner is already planned out and how far in advance booking is, as well as the next few shows on New Japan World and the Dominion PPV show.

    We also have coverage of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, why the interest level was down, business notes on the tournament, a look at the great finale match, as well as coverage of the final shows.  We also have a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, including the stars that build the division and the 1996 heyday period.

    We’ve got full coverage of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremonies last month in Amsterdam, NY, with the awards, presentations, and a look at talent like Jumbo Tsuruta, Rick Martel, Vivian Vachon, Whipper Watson, Pedro Morales, The Freebirds and Curt Hennig.

    We also look at the new season of Tough Enough, who was and wasn’t picked to be part of the show, notes on why the winners are going to have it tough and not winning may to advantageous, as well as notes and backgrounds of some of the people involved.

    The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.

    We also have our regular features such as the most complete look at ratings, plus results of the major house show events each week in pro wrestling and MMA, and complete inside rundowns of all the TV shows.

    Also in this week’s issue:

    –A look at this year’s Busca de un Idolo tournament’s first shows

    –What happens in pro wrestling the night before UFC

    –Problems between companies in Mexico regarding CMLL pulling talent

    –Notes on Verano de Escandalo and U.S. iPPV and the card

    –First notes on TripleMania

    –What mach may be headlining this year’s TripleMania

    –Upcoming AAA TV

    –The debut of the three generations of green mist trio

    –Dragon Gate two big shows coming this week

    –All Japan’s big event for the week

    –A tag team of stars from two different promotions has a long reign as tag champions gone

    –More on the new Japan NOAH relationship and how this relates to the New Japan World service

    –New Japan scouting talent in the U.S. this summer

    –New Japan’s upcoming shows in Singapore

    –Satoru Sayama health update

    –Notes on the beginning shows of Global Force Wrestling

    –Notes on the lineups and what is and isn’t important about these events

    –Special celebrity guest added

    –An unselfish act acts an aspiring pro wrestling career

    –Another streaming service expected to start featuring 800 hours of a lost library

    –Chris Hero’s three hour gauntlet match and full details

    –Bill Goldberg talks about a potential pro wrestling farewell match and what could stand in the way

    –Who Goldberg still keeps in touch with in wrestling

    –Goldberg talks Brock Lesnar

    –A look at the big show at Citifield in New York this past week

    –A look at what TNA angle was revived on the show and how Goldberg fit in

    –A.J. Styles vs. Lionheart match coverage, back story, and why the crowd was so hot

    –Kris Travis talks return from cancer

    –Tons of indie big show news

    –A suspended senator in Canada participates in a pro wrestling show

    –Early ROH champion moving into MMA

    –Son of former Oregon star suspect in a beating death

    –Wrestling star in talks for a national cable television show unique deal

    –Update on the next ROH PPV

    –A look at the weekend ROH events

    –Why they did the Mickie James angle

    –TNA gets another international deal

    –UFC’s Labor Day weekend show announced

    –Two new title fights announced

    –Comparing Bader vs. Gustafsson as challengers for Cormier

    –When Cormier is targeting his first title defense

    –What Bader needs to do to get a title shot

    –Update on Anderson Silva and his suspension hearing, as well as Nick Diaz

    –Ben Rothwell accuses Cain Velasquez of PEDs and Velasquez responds

    –Former UFC star gets TV major network announcing gig

    –An interesting question that the courts may have to decide regarding UFC contract clause

    –Lots of new UFC fights

    –Notes on Shamrock vs. Kimbo

    –The first head to be cut off in new stronger penalties for PED usage

    –War Machine has court outburst

    –TV martial arts star with pro wrestling ties in bad health

    –Fighter comes back from nearly being stabbed to death to win a small promotion world title

    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.

    New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Our most requested issues in our history are:

    *November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)

    *December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)

    *August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)

    *March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a

    *October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)

    *July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)

    *February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)

    *May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)

    *January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)

    *February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)

    *March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)

    *April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)

    *May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)

    *June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)

    *June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)

    *July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)

    *August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)

    *September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)

    *October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)

    *January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

    *February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)

    *February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)

    *March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)

    *March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)

    *July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)

    *July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)

    *August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)

    *August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)

    *October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)

    *November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)

    *January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)

    *March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)

    *May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)

    *June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)

    *July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)

    *September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)

    *October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)

    *November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)

    *January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)

    *January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)

    *April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)

    *April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)

    *July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)

    *September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)

    *October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)

    *November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)

    *November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)

    *November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)

    *December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)

    *January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)

    *March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)

    *March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)

    *March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)

    *April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)

    *July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)

    *October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)

    *November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .

    *December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)

    *January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)

    *March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)

    *April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)

    * September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)

    * September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)

    * September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)

    You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.

    We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..

    To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.

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    Tuesday Daily Update

    TNA announced that after six years of dormancy, the King of the Mountain match will return at Slammiversary. For those who have forgotten all about King of the Mountain, it was TNA’s reverse aldder match gimmick with pnalty boxes and the winner being the wrestler who climbs the ladder and hangs the belt from a hook that’s dangling from the ceiling.

    – Dixie Carter also tweeted a photo of the new X Division title belt, which looks the old belt, just with diffrent coloring.

    — Austin “Judas Devlin” Matelson has been announced as a cast member of the new season of Big Brother on CBS. His occupation is listed as “professional wrestler” and he’s probably best known as the former WWE developmental talent who published the letter that got the ball rolling on Bill DeMott’s demise in WWE. Speaking of which…

    Bill DeMott will be doing a seminar in Richmond, Virginia on August 8th and 9th with Mickie James and Magnus as his assistants. Yes, that Bill DeMott. It’ll be interesting to see how well this seminar does.

    Jerry Lawler gave an interview to Crave Online as part of the media tour for his DVD/Blu-Ray set. Much more detailed and hardcore fan friendly than you’d expect from a mainstream interview, with lots of discussion of ECW ripping off Memphis, Eddie Gilbert running him over on live TV in the WMC TV parking lot, the promotional war with the Poffo family’s ICW, and much more. Really good read for Memphis/Lawler fans.

    The Memphis Commrcial Appeal has an article about the interconnected goals of saving the Mid-South Coliseum and setting up some kind of Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame.

    — Trevor Wittman, the coach/corner of Nate Marquardt who’s gotten a lot of praise for refusing to let him go out for a third round at UFC 188 on Saturday, was the subject of an interesting article by Steve Marocco at MMA Junkie. Apparently, he had tried to get the referee and commission inspectors’ attention for a corner stoppage with about a minute in the second round, but he was ordered off the cage apron by officials (unclear if they worked for the UFC or the commission) told him to go back to the floor because he was blocking fans’ view. Since some commissions frown on throwing in a towel, stepping onto the apron and/or trying to get an inpsector’s attention is the most commonly accepted way to get a corner stoppage called, but it didn’t work here. That’s not good.

    Jonathan Snowden has a great article at Bleacher Report about Ken Shamrock’s training camp for this Friday’s fight with Kimbo Slice. Even Shamrock’s old protege Petey Williams (not the Canadian Destroyer Petey Williams, the MMA Petey Williams) makes an appearanc after falling off the face of the planet for years.

    Spike.com has the entire “Finally: Kimbo vs. Shamrock” hype special for this Friday’s Bellator card.

    — Dave has two new articles up at MMAFighting.com:

    * His “Fortunes Changed for Five” postmortem running down what happened at UFC 188.

    * An update on where the New York MMA legalization talks are going as we near the end of the legislative session.

    — Rener and Ryron Gracie along with Brian Ortega did a Gracie Breakdown video of the three guillotine chokes at UFC 188 including Fabricio Werdum’s title win over Cain Velasquez. 

    — Full schedule for the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame festivities in a few weeks:

    Thursday, July 9 

    5:30 p.m. – Reception at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum for inductees and all-access pass holders. Includes food, beverage, unveiling of original Rob Schamberger artwork, and unveiling of Jim Ross audio tour. (All-access pass holders and hall of fame inductees only).

    Friday, July 10

    9 a.m. – National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum opens to all-access pass holders.

    11:30 a.m. – Impact Pro Wrestling evaluation with Gerald Brisco at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. (Free to all-access pass holders). Tickets available for $10 at the door.

    2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – George Tragos and Lou Thesz scrapbooks available for viewing in the Dean Rockwell Library located inside the National Wrestling Hall Dan Gable Museum. First time ever on public display. (All-access pass holders only).

    4 p.m. – Kurt Angle ring presentation and reception in the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. (All-access pass holders and banquet ticket holders only).

    6 p.m. – Doors open to the Impact Pro Wrestling show at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

    7 p.m. – Impact Pro Wrestling show starts at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. 

    Saturday, July 10

    9 a.m. to noon – Doors open at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum for all-access pass holders.

    11:00 a.m. – Professional Wrestling team trivia contest hosted with special guest host for all-access pass holders. Team champion receives prize. (All-access pass holders only).

    Noon – Doors open at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum to general public.

    12:30 p.m. – Salute to the legacy of the Brisco brothers (includes panel discussion with professional wrestling legends) at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum.

    1:30 p.m. – Autograph signing with professional wrestling legends at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. (All-access pass holders allowed to enter first).

    5 p.m. – Hall of Fame reception at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

    6 p.m. – Induction banquet at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

    7 p.m. – Induction ceremony at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center with Jim Ross as master of ceremonies.

    Sunday, July 20

    9 a.m. – Special breakfast at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. (Lifetime members and Hall of Famers only).

    12:00 AM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee sits down with Darren Young in this unfiltered and revealing conversation.

    12:30 AM ET
    THE WWE LIST Not everything can be found on Google. Shocking Title Changes gives rank to some of the most OMG Title Matches of all time!

    1:00 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

    2:00 AM ET
    TUESDAY NIGHT TITANS Vince McMahon hosts Tuesday Night Titans with Lord Alfred Hayes. Guests include Captain Lou Albano, Barry Windham, and Mike Rotundo.

    4:00 AM ET
    PRIME TIME WRESTLING Join Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan for Prime Time Wrestling featuring King Kong Bundy, Davey Boy Smith, and many more!

    6:00 AM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH 40 finalists face a 3-day tryout to determine which 13 will earn the right to prove they are TOUGH ENOUGH.

    7:00 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

    8:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Strangest Bedfellows of all time!

    9:00 AM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH 40 finalists face a 3-day tryout to determine which 13 will earn the right to prove they are TOUGH ENOUGH.

    10:00 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

    11:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Strangest Bedfellows of all time!

    12:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH 40 finalists face a 3-day tryout to determine which 13 will earn the right to prove they are TOUGH ENOUGH.

    1:00 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

    2:00 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Strangest Bedfellows of all time!

    3:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH 40 finalists face a 3-day tryout to determine which 13 will earn the right to prove they are TOUGH ENOUGH.

    4:00 PM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves hits up Austin, Texas for this year’s X Games!

    4:15 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    5:00 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Ariane’s plan to hire Nikki as her real estate agent backfires, and Nattie and TJ face the harsh realities of getting a divorce.

    6:00 PM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Rey Mysterio: Life of a Masked Man features exclusive and candid comments from the Ultimate Underdog on his sports entertainment path!

    7:30 PM ET
    THE WWE LIST Not everything can be found on Google. Shocking Title Changes gives rank to some of the most OMG Title Matches of all time!

    8:00 PM ET
    WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!

    9:00 PM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves hits up Austin, Texas for this year’s X Games!

    9:15 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    10:00 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Ariane’s plan to hire Nikki as her real estate agent backfires, and Nattie and TJ face the harsh realities of getting a divorce.

    11:00 PM ET
    WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!

  • MON. UPDATE: Dusty Rhodes, NXT on road, UFC main event, Alexander retires, AAA show

    By dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>Dave Meltzer

    We’re looking for your thoughts on last night’s WWE Money in the Bank, AAA Verano de Escandalo and UFC 188, thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    We’re looking for reports no Raw tonight in Cleveland, which means lots of easy heat for Cavaliers mentions.  The show features the return of Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar, which means we’ll probably have an idea of where Lesnar is going for Battleground.

    Smackdown and Main Event will be taped tomorrow night in Buffalo.

    Last week the big story was the tease of a Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania.  This week we have a double issue because of such a busy news week, with our lead story talks about the background of that promo and why the match isn’t happening.  We have the background of Austin, Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon, what led to the promo on the WWE Network, why Vince McMahon was unhappy about it, and what happened from there including Austin talking about the situation.

    We also have the first look at the Wednesday night wrestling wars with ROH & TNA, an update on MMA in New York, coverage of one of UFC’s best shows in recent years, New Japan’s summer look at including the G-1 Climax and Super Juniors tournament along with a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, as well as full coverage of the Hall of Fame and the new season of Tough Enough.

    The Latest Wrestling Observer: June 15, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Latest on Austin-Lesnar, Destination America, NY MMA

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    The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

    Our lead story talks about Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar.  We look at Austin’s comments regarding what he said last week, we look at the background, we look at why Vince McMahon wasn’t happy about what happened, we look at what this seems to end speculation on, where the Texas death match comment came from and what we don’t know about the situation and why the book seems closed on the match.

    We’ve got full details on the first week of both ROH & TNA together on Destination America.  We look at the audience for both groups, and what the quarter hours told about both groups.  We look at what the ratings seem to have indicated about both ROH and TNA and their audiences, as well as the next time this should be evaluated.

    We also look at Money in the Bank, the WWE Network special on 7/4 from Japan with the lineup.  We also look at the rest of the tour, an idea floated for the Slammys, what Vince McMahon wants out of the live talk shows on the WWE network, update on Tyson Kidd, why the stock is rising, Dwayne Johnson entertainment news, how the Kevin Steen action figure triggered so many things, return of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, special guest on Raw next week, Austin signs a new deal, and lots of the recent WWE tryout camp.

    We also look at the Jessicka Havok situation.

    We also look at all the NXT and WWE house show notes and business notes from the past week.

    We look at the new attempt to pass legislation in New York to legalize MMA, how this affects pro wrestling in the state as well as boxing, why MMA has to agree to certain things that are inherently unfair in a last ditch effort to get into the state.  We also look at a unique law regarding attendance at events in the bill, as well as what rules are in place to promote pro wrestling in New York.

    We’ve got coverage of one of the year’s best events, Saturday’s UFC show in New Orleans.  We look at the record tied, the career of Dan Henderson, the career of Brian Ebersole, as well as business notes and full coverage of the show.

    We also look at New Japan’s G-1 Climax tournament, who is in, who is out, what is says about current booking, the big shows on the tour, coverage of the show, prior winners, handicapping the tournament, why the winner is already planned out and how far in advance booking is, as well as the next few shows on New Japan World and the Dominion PPV show.

    We also have coverage of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, why the interest level was down, business notes on the tournament, a look at the great finale match, as well as coverage of the final shows.  We also have a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, including the stars that build the division and the 1996 heyday period.

    We’ve got full coverage of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremonies last month in Amsterdam, NY, with the awards, presentations, and a look at talent like Jumbo Tsuruta, Rick Martel, Vivian Vachon, Whipper Watson, Pedro Morales, The Freebirds and Curt Hennig.

    We also look at the new season of Tough Enough, who was and wasn’t picked to be part of the show, notes on why the winners are going to have it tough and not winning may to advantageous, as well as notes and backgrounds of some of the people involved.

    The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.

    We also have our regular features such as the most complete look at ratings, plus results of the major house show events each week in pro wrestling and MMA, and complete inside rundowns of all the TV shows.

    Also in this week’s issue:

    –A look at this year’s Busca de un Idolo tournament’s first shows

    –What happens in pro wrestling the night before UFC

    –Problems between companies in Mexico regarding CMLL pulling talent

    –Notes on Verano de Escandalo and U.S. iPPV and the card

    –First notes on TripleMania

    –What mach may be headlining this year’s TripleMania

    –Upcoming AAA TV

    –The debut of the three generations of green mist trio

    –Dragon Gate two big shows coming this week

    –All Japan’s big event for the week

    –A tag team of stars from two different promotions has a long reign as tag champions gone

    –More on the new Japan NOAH relationship and how this relates to the New Japan World service

    –New Japan scouting talent in the U.S. this summer

    –New Japan’s upcoming shows in Singapore

    –Satoru Sayama health update

    –Notes on the beginning shows of Global Force Wrestling

    –Notes on the lineups and what is and isn’t important about these events

    –Special celebrity guest added

    –An unselfish act acts an aspiring pro wrestling career

    –Another streaming service expected to start featuring 800 hours of a lost library

    –Chris Hero’s three hour gauntlet match and full details

    –Bill Goldberg talks about a potential pro wrestling farewell match and what could stand in the way

    –Who Goldberg still keeps in touch with in wrestling

    –Goldberg talks Brock Lesnar

    –A look at the big show at Citifield in New York this past week

    –A look at what TNA angle was revived on the show and how Goldberg fit in

    –A.J. Styles vs. Lionheart match coverage, back story, and why the crowd was so hot

    –Kris Travis talks return from cancer

    –Tons of indie big show news

    –A suspended senator in Canada participates in a pro wrestling show

    –Early ROH champion moving into MMA

    –Son of former Oregon star suspect in a beating death

    –Wrestling star in talks for a national cable television show unique deal

    –Update on the next ROH PPV

    –A look at the weekend ROH events

    –Why they did the Mickie James angle

    –TNA gets another international deal

    –UFC’s Labor Day weekend show announced

    –Two new title fights announced

    –Comparing Bader vs. Gustafsson as challengers for Cormier

    –When Cormier is targeting his first title defense

    –What Bader needs to do to get a title shot

    –Update on Anderson Silva and his suspension hearing, as well as Nick Diaz

    –Ben Rothwell accuses Cain Velasquez of PEDs and Velasquez responds

    –Former UFC star gets TV major network announcing gig

    –An interesting question that the courts may have to decide regarding UFC contract clause

    –Lots of new UFC fights

    –Notes on Shamrock vs. Kimbo

    –The first head to be cut off in new stronger penalties for PED usage

    –War Machine has court outburst

    –TV martial arts star with pro wrestling ties in bad health

    –Fighter comes back from nearly being stabbed to death to win a small promotion world title

    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.

    New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Our most requested issues in our history are:

    *November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)

    *December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)

    *August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)

    *March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a

    *October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)

    *July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)

    *February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)

    *May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)

    *January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)

    *February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)

    *March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)

    *April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)

    *May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)

    *June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)

    *June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)

    *July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)

    *August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)

    *September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)

    *October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)

    *January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

    *February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)

    *February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)

    *March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)

    *March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)

    *July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)

    *July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)

    *August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)

    *August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)

    *October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)

    *November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)

    *January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)

    *March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)

    *May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)

    *June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)

    *July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)

    *September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)

    *October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)

    *November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)

    *January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)

    *January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)

    *April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)

    *April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)

    *July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)

    *September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)

    *October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)

    *November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)

    *November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)

    *November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)

    *December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)

    *January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)

    *March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)

    *March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)

    *March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)

    *April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)

    *July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)

    *October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)

    *November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .

    *December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)

    *January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)

    *March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)

    *April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)

    * September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)

    * September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)

    * September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)

    You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.

    We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..

    To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.

    MONDAY’S NEWS UPDATE

    • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw as well as the latest news and taking e-mail questions that you can send to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
    • Really sad story from Josh Alexander about having to retire and needing neck fusion surgery.  I just saw Josh Alexander & Ethan Page wrestle the Young Bucks in February at PWG and they had a hell of a match.  He’s going to do a final match on 7/12 in Hamilton,ONT teaming with Ethan Page against Scotty O’Shea & Alessandro Del Bruno for Alpha 1 Wrestling.
    • There are expected to be more references to Dusty Rhodes on the show tonight and they’ll be pushing a documentary on Rhodes that will air on the WWE Network tonight.
    • WWE announced a date in Toronto on 9/25.
    • NXT will be doing shows a the Louder than Life Festival in Louisville on 10/3 and 10/4.
    • UFC has announced an 8/23 show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira in the main event.  It will be the UFC debut in Saskatoon, a city that was, per capita, among their best on PPV a few years back.
    • WWE was the fourth most searched for topic yesterday on Google at 200,000 searches, which is the usual level for a B PPV show.  It was behind Game of Thrones (2 million) and E 3 (1.2 million) and Oak Island, NC (200,000).
    • On Twitter, the lists relating to wrestling and MMA were Money in the Bank at 309,000, Fabricio Werdum at 12,200 and Sheamus at 30,500.
    • There were a lot of problems with the AAA iPPV feed last night, even after the show.  It kept me from watching the show.  I did start to watch some this morning and the problems had cleared up.  Because of interviewing people on Dusty Rhodes, I didn’t really have time to get through the show.
    • Tickets for the 8/8 UFC show in Nashville headlined by Ovince Saint Preux vs. Glover Teixeira go on sale Wednesday to Fight Club members, Thursday will be the Internet password ticket sales and they go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time to the public.  The other top fights are Michael Johnson vs,. Beneil Dariush and Sara McMann vs. Amanda Nunes.
    • Nate Marquardt said he is not retiring after his loss to Kelvin Gastelum Saturday night in Mexico City. 
    • There will be another PBC show on NBC on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. with Adrien Broner (30-1, 22 knockouts) vs. Shawn Porter (25-1-1, 16 knockouts) and Errol Spence Jr. (16-0, 13 knockouts) vs. Robert Garcia (37-3, 23 knockouts).  Broner is coming off a win on the 3/7 NBC show.  NBC Sports Network will air the pregame show at 1 a.m. tonight and again at midnight on Wednesday.
    • Spike will air two different Countdown to Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock shows in prime time on Wednesday, a first-run show at 8 p.m. as well as a replay of their face-to-face show taped in St. Louis at 9 p.m.
    • UFC has just announced a deal with Titan Fighting Championships with every Titan Fighting Championships show airing live on Fight Pass with a debut on 7/18 with a 12 fight show headlined by former UFC fighters Mike Ricci vs. Pat Healy and Kurt Holobaugh vs. Andre Harrison.  The entire Titan library of 33 shows will also be uploaded on Fight Pass in upcoming months..
    • WWE stock rose slightly today, going up seven cents per share to $15.63.
    • The back issue of the Observer today covers Buff Bagwell breaking his neck on live TV and the now famous DX invades Nitro episode of Raw with a funny story about what happened after.
    • WWN has put a 2005 DVD release called “Dream” hosted by Dusty Rhodes up on their Free Preview Channel on the WWN Roku Channel.
    • Paragon Pro Wrestling announced it would debut on POP TV, which is the former TV Guide Channel, on 7/4, every Saturday morning at 6 a.m.  PPW will include Gangrel, Tyshaun Prince, Wes Brisco and Jessy Sorensen.
    • Elite British Wrestling from Friday night in Sheffield, England before 200 fans:  Mark Sanders b Antonio Thomas, Sam Goodison NC El Ligero, Caleb Crow & Joey D won four-way tag, John Green b King Dangerous, Kris Travis also worked on the show in the opener.
    • Ranarchyon 6/20 for ECCW in Port Coquitlam, BC at the Leigh Square Elks Hall #49.
    • PWA on 7/18 at the Alpine Club in Kitchener, ONT with Bushwhacker Luke Williams, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Carlito.
    • PWA on 6/20 in Welland , ONT at the Rose Festival.
    • CHIKARA from yesterday in Indianapolis:  Ultramantis Black & Obariyon& Kodama b Jervis Cottonberry & Los Ice Creams, Heidi Lovelace b Argus, Max Smashmaster & Flex Rumblecrunch & Jaka b Silver Ant & Frightmare & Blind Rage, Eddie Kingston b Drew Gulak, Icarus & Dasher Hatfield & Mark Angelosetti b Amasis & Worker Ant II & Ashley Remington, Ophidian & Shynron b Jakob Hammermeier & Soldier Ant, Hallowcked b Oleg the Usurper, Fire Ant & Race Jaxon & Hype Rockwell b Juan Francisco de Coronado & Boar of Moldova & Prakish Sabar (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
    • Vendetta Pro Wrestling from Friday night in Santa Maria, CA:  Sunami won over Vintage Dragon and Ricky Ruffin, Shane & Shannon Ballard b Mike Rayne & Mike Menace, Matt Riviera b Brian Kendrick to keep the Western States Heritage title, Lil Cholo b Rik Luxury.  Next show has them back on 8/8 in a hair vs. hair match with special ringside enforcer King Mo Lawal.
    • Court Bauer talks Dusty Rhodes at www.MLWradio.com from his start in the 60s until the present time.
    • Pro Wrestling All-Stars from Saturday night in Roseville, MI:  Necro Butcher b N8 Mattson, Chuck Stein & Atlas Hytower b Darrell Jackson & Jamal King, Rod Street won three-way over Owen Travers and Whip O’Doyle, Zach Gowen on Battle Royal (thanks to Leonard Brand)
    • Entourage was No. 1 at the box office in Australia for the second straight weekend.  In that country, San Andreas was No. 4.
    • Premier Wrestling returns on 9/19 to San Jose, CA at Del Mar High school.
    • Daniel Bryan interview, done before the death of Dusty Rhodes, talking about Dusty Rhodes
    • Dusty Rhodes’ final interview, done Monday night for the Two Man Power Trip podcast
    • A look at the Hulk Hogan movie Suburban Commando

    TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE

    12:06 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR The strategies that helped Eric Bischoff build WCW would hasten the decline of both he and his company.

    1:06 AM ET
    FIRST LOOK A First Look to watch exclusive content from WWE Home Video’s latest release, Daniel Bryan – Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!

    1:36 AM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves jumps into horse racing, gambling, the legendary infield, and much more at The Preakness on this episode of Culture Shock!

    1:51 AM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young chats with the King of the Ring Bad News Barrett, discussing everything from music, marine biology and everything in between!

    2:06 AM ET
    CELEBRATING THE DREAM In honor of one of the most iconic and legendary figures in Sports Entertainment, WWE Network celebrates the life and times of Dusty Rhodes!

    3:06 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR The strategies that helped Eric Bischoff build WCW would hasten the decline of both he and his company.

    4:06 AM ET
    FIRST LOOK A First Look to watch exclusive content from WWE Home Video’s latest release, Daniel Bryan – Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!

    4:36 AM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves jumps into horse racing, gambling, the legendary infield, and much more at The Preakness on this episode of Culture Shock!

    4:51 AM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young chats with the King of the Ring Bad News Barrett, discussing everything from music, marine biology and everything in between!

    5:06 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    6:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

    7:00 AM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

    8:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    9:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

    10:00 AM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

    11:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    12:00 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

    1:00 PM ET
    THE WWE LIST Whether it’s winning the Diva’s Championship, or posting a very flattering photos on Twitter… These Divas do it all to stay trending.

    1:30 PM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Rey Mysterio: Life of a Masked Man features exclusive and candid comments from the Ultimate Underdog on his sports entertainment path!

    3:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

    4:00 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee sits down with Darren Young in this unfiltered and revealing conversation.

    4:30 PM ET
    THE WWE LIST Not everything can be found on Google. Shocking Title Changes gives rank to some of the most OMG Title Matches of all time!

    5:00 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

    6:00 PM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Straight to the Top: The Money in the Bank Anthology presents the lineage of this epic match!

    8:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH 40 finalists face a 3-day tryout to determine which 13 will earn the right to prove they are TOUGH ENOUGH.

    9:00 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee sits down with Darren Young in this unfiltered and revealing conversation.

    9:30 PM ET
    THE WWE LIST Not everything can be found on Google. Shocking Title Changes gives rank to some of the most OMG Title Matches of all time!

    10:00 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

    11:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH 40 finalists face a 3-day tryout to determine which 13 will earn the right to prove they are TOUGH ENOUGH.

  • Christopher Daniels talks Samoa Joe’s last ROH match

    The following is from a third party:

    Former multi-time TNA X-Division and Tag Team Champion and one half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions “The Addiction” Christopher Daniels joined “Multi-time Award Winning” the Rack Thursday Night. In a nearly 20 minute interview, he discussed his upcoming dream match with Frankie Kazarian versus AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, if there is pressure on them to make this dream match great, if he’s happy for Samoa Joe and his recent signing with WWE, if we can ever expect to see himself in the WWE, does he feel it’s more fun in Ring of Honor this time around and if they have more freedom within Ring of Honor than they did in TNA, ROH’s deal with Destination America and if it’s weird to be the lead in for TNA Impact Wrestling, who he’d like to face within Ring of Honor, his thoughts on Spider-Man making it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe plus his views on Avengers: Age of Ultron and so much more.

    His upcoming dream tag team match with Kazarian vs AJ Styles and Samoa Joe:

    “Absolutely. We’ve traveled together; myself, Frankie, Joe and AJ, in one way, shape or form, the four of us have traveled and shared locker rooms for more than a decade but this will be the first time, and now the only time, all four of us will have ever been in the same match. So, I know I’m looking forward to it, Frankie is looking forward to it and I know that, more importantly, the Ring of Honor fan base is looking forward to it.”

    Is there any pressure on them to make this a good match:

    “Yeah, definitely that; I think the pressure that is there is self-inflicted. We know what we are capable of, Frankie and I know how good of a tag team we are and we know that despite that Joe and AJ don’t really tag much together or aren’t considered a full time tandem, we know how good they are as well, so I know how good we can make this match. So, any pressure we have is completely self-inflicted and self-imposed by us. We want to go out there and make a match that people are going to remember for years and I think there’s definitely, now that Joe’s future is more concrete, it’s good to know that this will be the last Ring of Honor match that he’ll have and it’s a way for the three of us to send him off.”

    Is he happy for Samoa Joe signing with the WWE:

    “I’m thrilled for him, I’m happy for him and I’m glad that he’s sort of paving a way for a lot of different people, I think; in the next year or so, there’s going to be a lot of people that are modeling that same leap and, truthfully, Joe wasn’t the first one. When Kevin Owens went to the WWE, or when Finn Balor went to the WWE, I feel like there’s a lot more guys that will be brought to the WWE, either through NXT or directly to the main roster. I think there’s going to be a lot of guys who’ve been on the independents that have been honing their craft for a while and will finally get that opportunity to be there. So, I’m thrilled for him, Joe’s been one of my best friends for a long time and you can’t help but to be happy and be proud of someone who has worked as hard as he has to finally get that opportunity to show the world, on the main stage, what kind of professional wrestler he is.”

    Will we ever see The Fallen Angel in the WWE:

    “I’ve never said never; right now I’m full-time committed to Ring of Honor but I don’t know what the future holds in terms of that. All I can say is wait and see.”

    His thought of Kevin Owens and his transition to the WWE:

    “I think he’s doing just fine. I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who debuted on the WWE main roster as successfully as he had in the past 10 years I think. I mean, name anyone whose first WWE match, main roster match, was a pinball victory over John Cena; I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone, other than Kevin, who does that.”

    Does he feel he had more freedom in the ring with Ring of Honor over TNA:

    “I think so. I think both Frankie and I, both of us, have been given the freedom to do what we do best and especially in the past few months with the angle with the KRD and what’s happened with us and the World Tag Team Championships, I feel like we’re finally able to show what we do best and with such a deep tag team roster like ReDRagon and the Young Bucks and Roppongi Vica and The Decade, there’s a lot of fresh matches for us as the Tag Team Champions and us as heels again. I feel that there are a lot of possibilities for great match-ups and I’m looking forward to all of them.

    For the Best in the World Pay Per View, (we have) a No-Disqualification Match; we’ve had a lot of matches with ReDRagon already, but I feel like that the story has turned with us as the Champions, I feel that there’s a whole new chapter we can write and those guys are one of the best tag teams in the world and I feel like we are a great antagonist for those guys, so no matter what happens on June 19th, I feel like there’s a lot more we can do with the with story as well between The Addiction and ReDRagon.”

    His thought on ROH’s deal with Destination America and if he is excited with the news: “Absolutely, I feel that one of the things that I wanted to see happen in coming back to Ring of Honor was, as strong as the syndication with Sinclair has been, I felt that one of the difficulties was trying to tell people a set uniform time and date that Ring of Honor could be on. Usually, you’d say ‘check your local listings’ but now we can tell people, if you want to watch Ring of Honor, go to Destination America on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm. So, I feel like we’ve opened up a lot of new eyes to our product in addition to the amount of eyes we had through syndication, I just feel like this opened up more doors for us and gets a lot more people aware of us and that’s definitely a great thing for Ring of Honor.”

  • SUN. UPDATE: Money in the Bank, Rhodes remembrances, UFC reaction, Mysterio big entrance

    By dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>Dave Meltzer

    We’re looking for your thoughts on last night’s UFC 188 as well as tonight’s WWE Money in the Bank and AAA’s Verano de Escandalo at dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

    We’re also looking for reports on last night’s GFW show in Knoxville.

    WWE Money in the Bank tonight in Columbus, OH starting at about 7:30 p.m.

    *Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose ladder match for WWE title – This is an interesting one. It’s possible Roman Reigns screws Ambrose out of the win here, or Rollins just wins. Ambrose winning the title, unless it’s a one month thing, doesn’t seem to make sense since the three key people over the next two months appear to be Rollins, Reigns and Brock Lesnar. But tonight and tomorrow should give hints as far as SummerSlam goes, and with what Lesnar earns his matches on the next two shows have to be big ones, which would feel like Rollins and Reigns. Whether Lesnar vs. Rollins is Lesnar playing heel with everyone cheering him like Mania, or playing face with Reigns as the heel, may be hinted at tonight, or at worst plays out next month. But Lesnar and Reigns appear to be the key to how they do the finish here.

    *John Cena vs. Kevin Owens non-title – Owens shouldn’t lose. From there, who knows what happens, and it’s not like it’s a lock he doesn’t lose. Cena rarely loses two in a row, but they also can do a screw-job that they didn’t do the first time.

    *Money in the Bank ladder match:  Roman Reigns, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Neville, Kane, and Kofi Kingston – One would figure Kingston, Kane, Ziggler and Neville as the long shots.  Reigns is the favorite.  Sheamus could win but odds aren’t good on him.  Orton would be a surprise as well, because Orton feels like Cena in that their role now seems to be to stay strong but let others get the ascending spotlight.  Reigns winning also seems to set up whatever they do the next two months.

    *Ryback vs. Big Show for IC title – Probably a short match.  Ryback should retain.

    *New Day vs. Prime Time Players for tag title – With Kofi Kingston in the ladder match, it’ll probably be Big E & Woods defending, like they did at the house shows this weekend.  This is not the time for the New Day to lose, nor the team to beat them.  However, with Kidd & Cesaro out, suddenly the Prime Time Players through process of elimination are the top babyface tag team, but aren’t over nor do they have the credibility of a top face team.  So for long-term, the idea of them winning isn’t as bad as it would sound on the surface.

    *Nikki Bella vs. Paige for Divas title:  Who wins isn’t as important as where the match is placed and how the people react to it.  With Paige losing on TV, with the even-Steven undercard booking, that would seem to give her a chance.

    *R-Truth vs. King Barrett – Pre-show match.

    On paper, the top three matches look to be great.  Money in the Bank is usually one of the company’s bigger PPV shows.  Plus, this year’s Money in the Bank winner isn’t going to be a throwaway where they decide at the last minute and then  Vince changes his mind and buries the guy like has happened in the past.  With Lesnar involved the next two months, the top of the card is likely completely focused.

    AAA Verano de Escandalo from Arena Monterrey at 7 p.m. on iPPV at www.internetvluchalibreaaa.com

    Elegido & Fabi Apache & Dinastia & Pimpinela Escarlata vs. Parka Negra & Taya Valkyrie & Mini Psycho Clown & Black Mamba

    Elimination match:  Aero Star vs. Bengala vs. Drago vs. Fenix vs. Super Nova vs. Daga vs. El Hijo del Fantasma (King Cuerno) vs. Steve Pain vs. Super Fly vs. ?

    Street fight for trios title:  Psycho Circus vs. Holocausto (El Hijo de Pirata Morgan & Electroshock & ?) vs. Hell Brothers (Cibernetico & Chessman & Averno)

    Loser gets head shaved:  Jack Evans & Angelico vs. Dark Cuervo & Dark Escoria

    Alberto El Patron vs. Brian Cage for the AAA Mega heavyweight title

    Rey Mysterio Jr. & Myzteziz & La Parka vs. Johnny Mundo & Mesias & Pentagon Jr.

    The U.S. World Team Trials in wrestling air Sunday night at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.

    Raw is Monday in Cleveland featuring the return to WWE of Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman.

    Smackdown and Main Event will be taped Tuesday in Buffalo.

    Last week the big story was the tease of a Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania.  This week we have a double issue because of such a busy news week, with our lead story talks about the background of that promo and why the match isn’t happening.  We have the background of Austin, Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon, what led to the promo on the WWE Network, why Vince McMahon was unhappy about it, and what happened from there including Austin talking about the situation.

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    The Latest Wrestling Observer: June 15, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Latest on Austin-Lesnar, Destination America, NY MMA

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    We also look at Money in the Bank, the WWE Network special on 7/4 from Japan with the lineup.  We also look at the rest of the tour, an idea floated for the Slammys, what Vince McMahon wants out of the live talk shows on the WWE network, update on Tyson Kidd, why the stock is rising, Dwayne Johnson entertainment news, how the Kevin Steen action figure triggered so many things, return of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, special guest on Raw next week, Austin signs a new deal, and lots of the recent WWE tryout camp.

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    –Goldberg talks Brock Lesnar

    –A look at the big show at Citifield in New York this past week

    –A look at what TNA angle was revived on the show and how Goldberg fit in

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    –Son of former Oregon star suspect in a beating death

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    –Update on the next ROH PPV

    –A look at the weekend ROH events

    –Why they did the Mickie James angle

    –TNA gets another international deal

    –UFC’s Labor Day weekend show announced

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    –Update on Anderson Silva and his suspension hearing, as well as Nick Diaz

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    –Former UFC star gets TV major network announcing gig

    –An interesting question that the courts may have to decide regarding UFC contract clause

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    –Notes on Shamrock vs. Kimbo

    –The first head to be cut off in new stronger penalties for PED usage

    –War Machine has court outburst

    –TV martial arts star with pro wrestling ties in bad health

    –Fighter comes back from nearly being stabbed to death to win a small promotion world title

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    You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.

    We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..

    To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.

    SUNDAY’S NEWS UPDATE

    • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking WWE Money in the Bank, plus taking e-mail questions that you can send to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
    • There are planned remembrances of Dusty Rhodes scheduled for the show tonight.
    • No smart money betting has come in at this writing.  Since WrestleMania, it seems that WWE has cut back on who knows finishes enough to where it doesn’t get out and the odds don’t greatly shift. 
    • On Twitter at press time numbers for today:

    UFC 188 159,000
    Kelvin Gastelum 4,249
    Money in the Bank 25,900
    Cathal Pendred 4,637

    • The most searched term on the Internet yesterday was UFC 188 with more than 500,000 searches.  That’s a lot higher than one would have expected for that show.  The correlation between searches and PPV numbers has been extremely strong, almost scary over the past few years.  My gut says this is the exception, but usually when the number is a surprise it’s an indication of something surprisingly good or bad based on original expectation.  Nobody was expecting big numbers out of the show, particularly since the major focus is on the 7/11 show.
    • The movie Terminator:  Genesis made the same deal with AAA that they did with WWE.  On tonight’s show, there will be a video of the movie with Rey Mysterio Jr.’s ring entrance.
    • In the movie business, San Andreas in week three was No. 3 at the box office estimated at $11.01 million.  Pitch Perfect 2 (Lana) was No. 5 at $6 million in week five.  Entourage (Ronda Rousey) was No. 6 in week two at $4.34 million.  
    • In UFC picks, Dave Bixenspan (picking Werdum) and John Pollock (picking Eddie Alvarez) went 3-2, and Me, Jack Encarnacao, Josh Nason, Frontrow Brian, Mike Sawyer, Mike Sempervive and Steve Juon all went 2-3.   
    • Power Precision Pro Wrestling from Friday night in Las Vegas:  Spyder Warrior & Wild Horse b Bobby Burgerhands & Henry Henderson, Remy Marcel & Jack Manley b Sugar Brown & Clutch, Big Duke b Disco Inferno, Shelly Martinez & Sag Sin Supreme b Kikyo & Kamora, Suede Thompson & Greg Romero b Tommy Purr & The Beast, Shadow Fox & Lucha Star and Cut Throat Cody & Nick Bugatti, Mike Dalite b Bryce Harrison-COR, Funny Bone b Mike Dalite, Phil Baroni b Kenny King, Alex hammerstone & Joe Graves b TJ Perkins (Manik) & Damian Drake to win the tag titles (thanks to Shawn Hyde)
    • Dynamo Pro Wrestling from last night in Fenton, MO:  Lucy Mendez b Paloma Starr, Elvia Sliaga b Outtkast, Ricky Cruz b Jayden Fenix, Danny Adams b Rocket Mapache, Michael Magnuson & Dave DeLorean b Keon Option & Justin D’Air-DQ, Shorty Biggs b Brandon Espinosa, Jake Dirden b Mike Outlaw (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
    • Lucha Xtreme TV from last night in Fresno:  Kikyuo b Lisa Lace, Al Azar b Aki Sol, Skitzo & Big Dogg b Mike Dalite & Cluch (thanks to Jon Southerland)
    • Ultra Wrestle from last night in Calhoun falls, SC before 275 fans:  Lance Gaylord b Mason Myles, Brady Pierce b Michael Frehley, Jeff Connelly & Boomer Payne & Brice Anthony b Joe Harrison & Erik Thompson & Garrett Sinclair, Josh Powers b Zane Riley, TK Stark & Jett Black b Josh Cutshall & Tracer X, Hoss Hagood b Deon Johnson. (thanks to Thomas Simpson)
    • Teddy Hart no-showed his Tuesday night event in Orlando but is going to attempt to make up for it by being there at the Team Vision Dojo this Tuesday night for a show with tickets $4 adults and $2.50 for kids to make up for it.
    • Championship Wrestling Entertainment from Friday night in Port St. Lucie,FL:  Joey Mayberry b Chico Adams-DQ, Tyranus b Gabriel Black, Chasyn Rance b Damian, Rhett Giddins b Aryeh Amor, Johann Ramzes & Ace Slater b Dirty Blondes, Lince Dorado & Aaron Epic, Zack Monster & Joey Mayberry b JB Cool & Chico Adams & Timothy Quinn.  Next show is 7/17.
    • I Believe in Wrestling from last night in Orlando:  Chasyn Rance b Rex Bacchus, Chico Adams b Dalton Murphy, Josh Parker b Stefan Guadalupe, Joey Mayberry b Night Stalker, Jonny Vandal b Tyranus, Ace Andrews b Russell Payne, Chico Adams won six way over Rance, Vandal,Parker, Andrews and Mayberry.  Next show is 6/27 at the Team Vision Dojo.
    • Queen of Combat tournament from yesterday in Gibsonville, NC:  Su Yung b Solo Darling, Chastity Taylor DCOR Heather Owens, Santana Garrett b Mandy Leon, Jessicka Havok b Aspen, Tessa Blanchard b Hania the Huntress, Amanda Rodriguez b Jenny Rose, Taeler Hendrix b Amy Love, Jessicka Havok b Miss Diss Lexia, LuFisto b Leva Bates.  The tournament, taped for Highspots.com, continues today with Santana Garrett vs. Su Yung, Rodriguez vs. Hendrix and Blanchard vs. LuFisto. (thanks to Al Haft)
    • CWF Mid Atlantic also from yesterday in Gibsonville, NC:  Brandon Day b Nick Richards, John Skyler & Aaron Biggs & Cecil Scott & Mark James b Roy Wilkins & Jesse Adler & Michael McAllister & Chris Lea, Su Yung & Sis b Amanda Rodriguez & Amy Love, Brad Attitude & Evan Banks b Arrick Andrews & Smith Garrett, Chet Sterling over Darius Lockhart and Ethan Cage, Aaron Biggs won Battle Royal, Zane Dawson b Aaron Biggs.

    ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)

    1974 – Sandy Parker & Betty Niccoli beat Mariko Akagi & Junko Sasaki in Morioka to win the WWWA tag titles

    1980 – Alan Dennison beat Jim Breaks in London to win the British welterweight title

    1993 – Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit) beat El Samurai in Osaka to win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament

    1995 – Koji Kanemoto beat Sabu in Tokyo to win the IWGP jr. title

    1998 – Devil Masami & Cutie Suzuki beat Hikari Fukuoka & Tomoko Kuzumi in Tokyo to win the JWP tag title

    2001 – Samoa Joe & Keiji Sakoda beat Yuki Ishikawa & Katsumi Usuda in Osaka to win the Zero-One IC tag titles

    2009 – Go Shiozaki beat Takeshi Rikio to win the vacant GHC heavyweight title

    2014 – Naruki Doi & Cyber Kong & Kzy beat T-Hawk & Eita & U-T and Masaaki Mochizuki & Don Fujii & Dragon Kid to win the Open the Triangle Gate titles in Fukuoka

    TODAY’S WRESTLING VIDEOS (thanks to Thomas Rude)

    MISC. STUFF

    6/12/15 CHIKARA Event Center

    Ringside Collectibles’ “Ringside Or Riot” (Season 4, Episode 29)

    America’s Most Liked Wrestling With The Heatseekers (Episode 3)

    America’s Most Liked Wrestling With Caprice Coleman (Episode 4)

    POWW “Inside The Ropes (Episode 14)

    TNA

    6/10/15 IMPACT In 60

    WWE

    WWE Top Ten:  Stolen Finishers

    Triple H Addresses The WWE Tough Enough Finalists-WWE #toughenough

    Chris Jericho Addresses The Tough Enough Competitors-WWE #toughenough

    WWE Tough Enough Coaches Address The Final 40-WWE #toughenough

    Triple H Walks In On a Horrible Surprise-WWE #toughenough

    Booker T Is Excited To Start Coaching the Tough Enough Hopefuls-WWE #toughenough

    Competitiors Are Cut From The Tough Enough Tryout-WWE #toughenough

    A Tough Enough Finalist Leaves The Tryout In An Ambulance-WWE #toughenough

    Army Veteran Mike Hayes Offers An Emotional Goodbye-WWE #toughenough

    WWE Tough Enough Finalists Perform In-Ring Drills-WWE #toughenough

    Tough Enough Competitors Reflect On Day Two Of Tryouts-WWE #toughenough

    “ZZ” Loupe Describes His Eye-Opening Trip To The Tryout-WWE #toughenough

    Triple H Reveals The WWE Performance Center Tough Enough Barracks-WWE #toughenough

    WWE Canvas 2 Canvas-Money In The Bank Hits The Canvas

    6/11/15 Top Ten WWE Smackdown Moment

    5/11/15 WWE Smackdown “Fallout”-The Soiled Royal Robe

    5/11/15 WWE Smackdown “Fallout”-A War Of Words

    5/11/15 WWE Smackdown “Fallout”-A Win Is A Win

    5/1115 WWE Smackdown “Fallout”-The New Sensation Offers Advice

    Top 20 Moves of Bray Wyatt

    FULL SHOWS

    6/6/15 Monster Factory Pro Wrestling

    INDY TV SHOWS

    Michigan Championship Wrestling Association TV (Episode 3)

    5/29/15 Future Stars Of Wrestling “High Octane” TV

    6/5/15 Future Stars Of Wrestling “High Octane” TV

    Smash Wrestling TV (Episode 55)

    AIWF Mid-Atlantic TV (Episode 218)

    6/6/15 Southern States Wrestling TV

    6/13/15 Southern States Wrestling TV

    TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE (thanks to Bert Duckwall)

    2:00 AM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

    3:00 AM ET
    WWE NXT After his unforgettable surprise arrival at NXT Takeover Unstoppable, Samoa Joe makes his NXT in-ring debut.

    4:00 AM ET
    WWE SUPERSTARS Tag teams collide in a rematch from last week as The Ascension take on the Lucha Dragons. Plus, Paige battles Layla.

    5:00 AM ET
    OLD SCHOOL Old School WWE card from the Boston Garden features Davey Boy Smith and Pedro Morales vs Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine.

    6:00 AM ET
    WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2015 A WWE Championship opportunity hangs in the balance as WWE Superstars try to climb the ladder of success at Money in the Bank. 

    9:00 AM ET
    WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2015 A WWE Championship opportunity hangs in the balance as WWE Superstars try to climb the ladder of success at Money in the Bank.

    12:00 PM ET
    WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2015 A WWE Championship opportunity hangs in the balance as WWE Superstars try to climb the ladder of success at Money in the Bank. 

    3:00 PM ET
    WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2015 A WWE Championship opportunity hangs in the balance as WWE Superstars try to climb the ladder of success at Money in the Bank. 

    6:00 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    7:00 PM ET
    THE WWE LIST Whether it’s winning the Diva’s Championship, or posting a very flattering photos on Twitter… These Divas do it all to stay trending.

    7:30 PM ET
    RAW PRE-SHOW From Cleveland Ohio, Scott Stanford, David Otunga and Corey Graves cover all the events leading up to Monday Night Raw.

    8:00 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR The strategies that helped Eric Bischoff build WCW would hasten the decline of both he and his company.

    9:00 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

    10:00 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    11:06 PM ET
    CELEBRATING THE DREAM In honor of one of the most iconic and legendary figures in Sports Entertainment, WWE Network celebrates the life and times of Dusty Rhodes!

  • Feedback to Money in the Bank

    Thumbs Up.
    Despite screwjob finishes, Cena/Owens was exceptional.  Everything from that match on made me forget how bad the preceding matches were.

    Best match: Cena v. Owens.  

    This match was all wrestling, no gimmicks, and no BS finish.  It should be a model for PPV matches and not the exception.

    Worst match:  Either the MITB ladder match or Paige v. Bella(s).
    MITB had all of the bad elements of ladder matches.  Spots with no story, underutilized abilities, unnecessary run-ins and interference.  On top of that, the briefcase went to the guy that got the absolute least crowd reaction.  Poor match.  Poor choice of winner.
    As the Divas match went on, the wrestling itself was no worse than Ryback v. Show.  But the production of this was insulting.  Cutting from the match to show backstage reactions told viewers that the actual ring action wasn’t worth paying attention to.  The screwjob finish also made us question how the rules work, considering that another person interfered in a match without leading to an immediate DQ (-the ref actually counted to three).  And on top of that, the finish was completely unnecessary.  It didn’t matter whether Brie interfered if Nikki could just get a clothesline for the win.  The production and booking made this match the worst, while the worst wrestling happened in the ladder match.

    Other notes:
    -The Rollins/Ambrose finish, if combined with a Reigns briefcase would have been the perfect setup for a Shield 3-way.  So close to having that fantasy booking.
    -Did every match before Cena/Owens have interference?  I’m thinking the creators of “Swereved” are giving input to this PPV.
    -I’m impressed with New Day.  They followed Cena/Owens in a spot that was certain doom.  My hat’s off to them for keeping the crowd into this.  
    -Cena’s stunner doesn’t look good.  My wife has now asked me twice whether or not his opponent was just throwing him down on his butt.
    -Glad to hear less talking during matches at this PPV.

    Nick Garcia

    Hey Dave

    Pretty much agree with everything you had in your recap of money in the bank.  MITB match was great even if it was “safer” than its predecessor’s. Crowd was relatively hot for it especially the wyatt spot. Alot of Reigns fans in attendance. He still comes off extremely corny and fake especially in person and crowd was mostly in love with bray when he ruined Romans chance to win. Could have been more of them being in love with the surprise but it still got a big pop.

    Women’s match was what it was. Nothing special more paige fans than nikki the twin swap deal not working and nikki still winning is total bs and until they bring up nxt girls im over the divas.

    Columbus has never been a good town for ryback I’ve seen him here many times and even a couple of years ago during the height of his push our fans could give a shit less about him.  He’s tons better now than then but this match with big show was a complete flop and crowd was more into telling big show to retire than anything else with ryback.

    Owens and Cena was tremendous.  Never experienced anything like it in person.  It was as you said electric in the building from start to finish and rightfully so. Alot of cena fans even adults in the crowd.  Owens doesn’t get the entrance pop yet that a seasoned veteran like cena or Orton gets but by God when his matches get going they get behind the man and he’s special.  WWE had been so smart putting him with cena and making his debut in mainstream matter. Amazing match and so glad they had him nail cena at the end I was about in induced vomiting when they did the handshake.  Best of 3 series it looks like to me with the rubber match at battleground.

    Tag match was nothing.  Not sure why they dropped the belts here and to prime time players either.  New day is a good act and I’m sure not having kofi in the match will play a big part in storyline.  Not having kofi in the match also played a big part to me in the presentation of the match. New day is not the same without all 3 of them out there to play off one another.

    Ambrose and Rollins was good but they aren’t a wwe main event right now and the crowd let them know it. Also doesn’t help that the mitb match and of course owens and Cena was much better and crowd was just drained after owens cena anyway.   Dean and seth worked hard and crowd popped for the big spots just never kept up with their emotions for it after each spot was over it was dead again no cary over affect.  Personally like the idea of the finish but it fell flat in the building and scuttlebutt in house was popular opinion said brock was going to be there people kept waiting and looking for it but never happened.  Guess they thought of it as a let down.  Also doesn’t help that dean cut a promo at the end saying he lost fair and square.  Don’tknow if that made the broadcast or not but the way the finish was worked I definitely see some controversy almost like a possession conflict in football type of idea.

    Side note the dusty stuff was tremendous I had goosebumps everytime he was acknowledged.  Many dusty chants throughout the night one set at the beginning was booming loud.  A legend that will undoubtedly be missed and they did a good job tonight and I’m sure even more to come tomorrow.

    Anyway there’s my take on the show from in person.  We had amazing seats 5 rows up dead center of the ring so definitely got a good feeling for the show in its entirety.  Thanks for everything you do.

    Loyal observer fan
    Ryan Fritch

    Hi Dave,
       Just wanted to provide some feedback on tonight’s Money In The Bank PPV. Wow! Big thumbs up for the show with best match being the rematch between Cena and Owens, and worst match being the I/C title match between Big Show and Ryback. Very good matches tonight and very emotional as well with the tribute to Dusty.

    1. Money In The Bank Opener – Shamus, Orton, Reigns, Neville, Kofi, Kane, Dolph.
        A very good match and good choice in my opinion with Shamus winning the contract briefcase to end the match. I thought it was strange to open with this match instead of having it as the semi main event, but I guess match order does not really matter. But a good match, and I’ve always thought it was better to have a heel win this type of match since it it’s just a heel thing to do when trying to cash in for a title match. Not really effective with a face running around with the briefcase for a year trying to be sneaky and cash in, lol.

    2. Divas title – Paige / Nikki – Actually this was a pretty good match! Not the best divas match I’ve seen, but very good. Seems like they are stepping up the women’s action a little on the main roster since it’s become so popular in NXT. But for once the Divas match was not put in the “death spot” on the card and the women had a chance to shine and pull off some good moves. The Twin magic gimmick is a little corny though since clearly Nikki and Brie clearly have different body types, but funny when the ref noticed the size of Brie’s tits and it was not Nikki, lol!

    3. Ryback / Show – The land of lumbering giants. I pray for the I/C title. Worst match of the night. Who is the worst possible opponent for Ryback? Well that would be Big Show. And who is the worst possible opponent for Big Show? Well that would be Ryback! I thought they were going to enhance the I/C title?

    4. Cena / Owens – Wow! Clearly best match of the night and maybe a contender for match of the year! And I hate Cena! I can’t stand Cena matches and just wish he would go away. So this is big praise coming for me, and like I’ve said before speaks volumes for Kevin Owens to have such a spectacular match with Cena. Simply amazing. I really like the Owens character and I don’t think having him lose this match will affect his push at all. With a match like that who is going to remember that he lost? And good ending too to keep the feud going.

    5. New Day / Prime Time Players – These poor guys had the misfortune of being in the death spot on the card. Plus the match was not really that good anyway. Seemed like a pointless title change to me, I’m not a big fan of title changes for no reason and believe a title change should tell a good story.

    6. Rollins / Ambrose – Great main event for the world title. Great match but too many risks and too brutal for no reason. Is it really that necessary for this guys to take so many dangerous bumps like that during the whole match? Wouldn’t it be more effective with less bumps and longer selling? Instead of just crashing through a ladder every 5 seconds? Just seems risky to me, and less would have been more in my opinion and just as effective in the story telling.

    Very good night of matches, very emotional with such a nice tribute video for one my favorites Dusty Rhodes and the 10 bell salute. Renee Young was clearly very emotional as was everyone else I’m sure. I couldn’t help but tear up a little myself during the tribute video and 10 bell salute. Dusty is on my personal Mount Rushmore of wrestling, and very touching tribute. He would have enjoyed tonight’s matches and to see so many superstars that he personally assisted with in NXT on the main roster now. Very good show and very special tribute.

    Thanks,
    Jon Southerland
    Clovis, Ca.

    Overall: thumbs up
    Best match: Owens vs Cena
    Worst match: Big Show vs Ryback

    MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH
    Decent match, but pretty far away from the standards of best MITB matches. It was good idea to not give Reigns a briefcase, cause it would hurt his babyface reaction. Still dumb to start feud with Wyatt after he pinned Bray clean in his third match of the night on Raw just a week ago!

    NIKKI BELLA VS. PAIGE
    They actually worked hard. And they managed to get crowd’s attention in the end… But the finish was stupid. Especially because Brie Bella is terrible actress. After referee realized it was Brie, shouldn’t it be DQ?

    RYBACK VS. BIG SHOW
    Another bad finish. But at least the match was short, which is big plus. I liked Miz’s promo.

    JOHN CENA VS. KEVIN OWENS II
    It was amazing. But imagine how much better it would be, if we actually wait for this rematch. If they give story a bit more time it could be all-time classic. It is so easy. If they did second match in July, it would be a rubber match in SummerSlam. Now will they drop it before SummerSlam or will do the fourth match? Despite the loss Owens looked as strong as possible. Crowd was into it all the time. And post-match was very good.

    BIG E & XAVIER WOODS VS. PRIME TIME PLAYERS
    Smackdown match on PPV. Title change was surprising. Let’s see how it will play out. I can see Prime Time Players be transit champions to pass titles to Harper and Rowan.

    SETH ROLLINS VS. DEAN AMBROSE
    Great story. Only reason I didn’t choose them as a best match, cause crowd was pretty flat in the first half. No interferences, no screwjobs. Close match with the beautiful finish. Can’t believe some people is being upset with this finish. After all this matches with million of interferences from Kane and others, we finally get a clean PPV main event, where Seth was just a little bit better in the end.  Now we have to wait, how they will explain return of the Brock.

    Dmitry Shakhov, Russia.

    Hi Dave

    Thumbs up
    Best Match: Cena vs Owens
    Worse Match: Big Show vs Ryback

    I skipped most of the preshow, but did tune in for the Dusty Rhodes tribute.  That, as you’d expect, was very good, and Renee Young being so visibly upset was especially moving.  We don’t usually get to see human reactions in WWE.  The ten bell salute was also touching, though I wish that guys with silly gimmicks that weren’t working on the show, like Curtis Axel, didn’t have to be in character.

    Money in the Bank match:  I dunno, but I thought this match was pretty dull.  Not because there weren’t a lot of big spots, but because it felt very formulaic, with everyone taking turns being the pair in the ring for awhile.  I Can’t say that anyone particularly stood out.  Not sure what to make of the Bray Wyatt appearance; he’s a character that just doesn’t feel as important at WWE seems to think he is. I’m not sure a feud with Roman Reigns is good for either man.  As for Sheamus, I’ve always liked him and thought he was underappreciated, so I hope the briefcase win can help elevate him back up the card. Don’t know what you do with a heel MITB winner and heel champion though.

    Paige vs Nikki:  Match was pretty good.  Paige’s attempt to channel CM Punk in her prematch promo felt pretty hollow though.  I don’t know why the Bellas are heels all of a sudden, but then I didn’t know why they were faces either.  Nikki is much more effective as a heel, and I can get behind Paige as a babyface.  That finish though… I like the idea of twin magic backfiring and Paige pinning Brie, and Brie immediately trying to prove her true identity, but the ref restarting the match was super dumb.  He should have declared Paige the winner by DQ, so Nikki doesn’t lose the title, and then she can still beat Paige up afterwards. 

    Ryback vs Big Show: Not gonna lie, I watched a minute or two of this, then went to find something else to do.  Saw enough to know it was the worst match of the night.  This is a bad spot for Big Show, though at this point I don’t know what a good spot for him is.

    Cena vs Owens:  Wow, what a match.  WHAT A MATCH.  I think that it was, in fact, better then the first one.  I’ve never been a Cena fan, but I can’t deny his presence makes a match feel like a big deal.  He and Owens really put on a show.  My only quibble is that the Springboard Stunner just looks worse and worse every time I see it.  While I was annoyed that Owens lost, once it became clear they were doing a rubber match, hopefully at SummerSlam, I was fine with it.  Loved the postmatch angle.  My hope is that Cena is kept of TV until the Tokyo special, then he helps cost Owens the NXT title to Balor.  So Owens loses the title but is protected, and there’s grudges on both sides to settle in a third match.

    New Day vs the Prime Time Players:  Pretty basic.  I wish the WWE would change up the tag team formula a bit.  I think it was a mistake to take the titles off the New Day so soon.

    Ambrose vs Rollins: This match.  I’m not sure how I feel about it.  A lot of the work was very good, and the guys sure killed themselves, but I just never fully got into it.  The crowd seemed to feel the same way.  It was a mistake, I think, to book a two person ladder match on the same show as the Money in the Bank match.  Even though both were laid out very differently, they still felt the same.  I liked that Seth Rollins worked over a body part, particularly a body part that was greatly needed in a match that would involve a lot of climbing.  But Ambrose was inconsistent with his selling; one minute he’s racing into Rollins and leaping off the announce table, the next he’s crawling like he’s been shot.  His goofy overdone facial expressions didn’t help either. Frankly, I think he’s about due for a heel turn. The ending sequence, with those two brutal Powerbombs to the guardrail, and the Sitout Powerbomb on the ladder, was something, though why you’d do a Sitout Powerbomb onto a ladder, meaning you land on it yourself rather then just throw your opponent on it, is a mystery to me.  I know some people didn’t like the finish; I didn’t mind it, other then Ambrose popping back up after that beating, but I was fine with them continuing to fight for the belt after it was unhooked.  Baffling that Sheamus wouldn’t cash in on Rollins though.

    Thanks,
    Ken Raining

    Thumbs down show. Everybody worked their tails off but the booking was not on their side. I’m honestly just frustrated as a fan because WWE can do better than this. 

    OVERALL: Thumbs down
    BEST MATCH: Ambrose vs. Rollins
    WORST MATCH: Ryback vs. Big Show

    Money In The Bank Ladder Match — Sheamus winning was kind of out of nowhere. They should have just given it to Reigns. They need to defecate or get off the pot with him. I don’t think a feud with Bray Wyatt will help either Reigns or Wyatt.  Good action in the match though. (***1/2)

    Nikki Bella vs. Paige, Divas Title — Good match because they were given time. Really bad finish though. (**3/4)

    Ryback vs. Big Show, IC Title — This match wasn’t that bad but it wasn’t that good either. Stupid finish hurt the match quite a bit too. They are completely wasting Ryback at this point. (*1/4)

    Kevin Owens vs. John Cena — I had a strong feeling Cena was going to win this because of how WWE books things. Not to mention that he’s still the United States champion and his championship wouldn’t have meant as much had Owens beaten him twice. Great match with lots of kickouts to finishers and hard work but I honestly didn’t think this was as good as everybody is making it out to be. I think the crowd made the match feel better than it was. Nice ending to protect Owens by having him dismantle Cena. (****)

    New Day vs. Prime Time Players, Tag Team Title — Pretty solid match between these two teams. I guess the big push for PTP is coming because Titus O’Neal is starting to get over some. Good for them as I do like them both. (**1/4)

    Ambrose vs. Dean Ambrose, WWE World Championship — So I guess Dean Ambrose’s push is once again halted. I really wish the WWE would just pull the trigger and have him get the title and face Lesnar at SummerSlam. As much as I love Seth Rollins, they’re not doing much with him and I feel like him scheming to regain the title he lost would help. But I guess they’re trying to kill the feud between the two of them. I get it. The match itself was tremendous and I think would have had way more heat had everybody not already known the outcome beforehand. (****)

    Craig Reeves

    Thumbs Up
    Best Match Cena-Owens
    Worst Match- Show-Ryback
    As  much as I want to give this show thumbs down, I can’t hate on a show that had two really good matches. The Main Event  might gone a little long, but it was nice a dramtic tension filed ladder match that didn’t turn into a stunt show.

    Other than those two Matches, the show was awful.  Sheamus winning makes zero sense… and I never felt that match had the tension that Money in the Bank Matches usually have. The Women’s match was ok.. but the finish made zero sense… (the ref saw Bri Interfere, why was there no DQ, Ryback and Show was awful, with an worse finish, and the tag match was short, and why take the titles off
     your hottest act. At the end of the day this was a two match show.. but those two matches were good enough to make me go thumbs up….

    Michael Anderson Kruse

    Fuck this company.

    How could anyone give a fuck about anyone after this show?

    Best match: Cena/Owens

    Worst match: Ryback/Show

    MITB Match
    It was fun until Sheamus won. Can’t wait for Bray to job again! **3/4

    Divas Title Match
    Ahahahahahahahaha RIP Dusty. *

    IC Title Match
    Was easy to tell that Miz was going to interfere. It took 8 minutes. 0 stars.

    John Cena vs. Kevin Owens
    These guys just shit out ****3/4 matches like no ones business. Cena winning was awful, but it was a ****3/4 quality match dumbed down to a **** match because Cena pinned Owens after a fucking Springboard Stunner. God damn this booking. ****

    Tag Team Title Match
    Heels get all the heat and then are beat within a minute. Please hurry back, Tyson. *3/4

    World Heavyweight Title Match
    Never got bored during this match. Was amazingly well paced, great flow, and a story that made sense. Jobrose showed, once again, that he’s the best seller in the company. And then all my time was wasted with another goddamn fuck finish. I fucking hate this company. ***

    Brady Childs

    Thumbs Up
    Best Match: Cena Owens II
    Worst Match: divas

    The Owens rematch was not quite as good as last months as a whole but certain points of it were better than things in the first match. Rollins and Ambrose went through a war. Odd booking to take the titles off New Day and the briefcase to sheamus but they have at least hammered home how the holder doesnt not automatically win anymore so Sheamus could cash in and lose.

    The MITB match itself wasnt quite on par with many others. Seemed to be a tad off at points and didnt like everyone being wiped out so early by lesser moves so folks could do one on one spots. Also never care for ladders and climbing come in to play right off the bat prefer a build to first usage. Show may have been a thumbs middle or down without the Owens and title matches but those saved the grade!

    Michael OBrien
    Brockton MA

    Thumbs up!

    Best match: Ambrose VS Rollins followed by Owens VS Cena
    Worst match: None really.

    Money in the bank ladder match: Good match with some nice spots! However, all those matches look and feel the same. Kofi Kingston getting back up on his feet 30 seconds after being powerbombed on the ladder and getting another guy powerbombed on him is ridiculous. Interesting choice with Sheamus winning. It gives him momemtum and adds a new face to the main event picture.

    Divas match: Good match given a lot of time. I taught the finish was clever.

    Ryback VS Big Show: Short match, better than I expected. Ryback lifting Big Show for the shell shock should have been on this show and not on RAW.

    Cena VS Owens: Great match, as good as the first one. Owens deserves everything he is getting lately.

    Tag title match: Happy to see the Prime Time players get some spotlight finally. I was surprised by this win, however. Match was fun.

    Ambrose VS Rollins: This is EXACTLY what professional wrestling is all about: storytelling! If there is one thing to remember from the great late Dusty Rhodes is that selling… sells! Ambrose did a fantastic job selling his injuries, even his post-match facial expressions were great. They didn’t just do a bunch of crazy stuff just for the sake of it. Everything they did meant something. This match reminds me of the forgotten HBK VS Jericho ladder match from 2008. It was a brutal grudge match, and even after all what Rollins did to Ambrose, Ambrose was always coming back. With all the crazy over the top matches of the last 10 years blending all together in a fuzzy mess in my head, this ladder match will stand out because of the selling and storytelling. And the stunned audience at the end made this match even better. This match will be remembered.

    PS: Bring back the curb stomp!

    Manuel A. R.

    Hey Dave,

    Overall: Thumb up show. It was a three match show, and each marquee match delivered to some degree.  Owen’s solidified himself as a main player, and perhaps more importantly, a heel character. It appears as though Reigns and Wyatt will be heading into Summerslam. This has the potential to be good for both guys who still need to sharpen the tools they have and add some additional instruments to their respective tool belts. The main event presented an admirable fight from Ambrose, and a vicious and competent victory for Rollins.
    Best Match: Owens vs. Cena was on par with their first encounter. In other words, it was great.
    Worst Match: The finish for Ryback and Show was about as unsatisfying as it gets. It was not even worth a boo, so it was met with silence.

    Cool to see the public acknowledgment and celebration of the life of Dusty Rhodes. The roster is obviously touched by his passing, and the crowd was respectful and appreciative as well.

    1. Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match: Randy Orton vs. Neville vs. Kane vs. Kofi Kingston vs.  Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns.
    Well laid out and nicely executed Money in the Bank Ladder Match.  Unarguably one of the better, and perhaps one of the top matches of its kind. It suffered from the traditional multiple man ladder match pitfalls (laying outside the ring, waiting, and slow climbing) but the peaks, valleys, twists and turns kept the match momentum moving upwards. There was enough “awe” spots to fill the time, but not too many to appear unsafe and reckless.  The appearance of Wyatt was a surprise, and the Sheamus victory was perhaps more unexpected. I am hopeful that Wyatt and Reigns can bring something out of each other that has not yet been revealed to the general audience. ***3/4

    2. Divas Title Match: Nikki Bella vs. Paige. They were given the time and the crowd gave them a chance. The action was here and there; some stuff was on point, other spots were choppy and mistimed.  Part of me does not mind the screw job finish. If nothing else, it was a creative twist that used past history to surprise the audience. The other part of me shakes my head because the ref obviously saw the sin and yet did nothing to reprimand the sinner. *3/4

    3. Intercontinental Title Match: Big Show vs. Ryback. The pre match promo by Miz was very well done.  The in ring action between Show and Ryback was completely acceptable. The uncreative and anticlimactic finish was inexcusably unacceptable. To make matters worse, it followed another unsatisfactory tainted finish.  *1/2

    4. Kevin Owens vs. John Cena. At the onset of the contest, to quote Michael Cole, “The atmosphere is electric.” For once, this was not an overstatement. In layout, the match was similar to their first encounter. Perhaps, too similar. In execution it was a step behind. In crowd involvement, a step above. Most importantly,  in overall enjoyment, it was on par.  Was this an example of finisher inflation? Yes. However, I did think they gave adequate time between moves and counters to let the audience breath and to allow the wrestlers to sell. I enjoyed the referee’s role sub plot. It almost made up for the pitiful finishes in the prior two matches. Almost. The finish was a clean win for Cena. Maybe, that was a little disappointing. The after match attack by Owen’s was awesome. Nobody likes a sore loser, and a sore loser is a heel. I am not sure the live audience agreed with this basic fact of life.  Owen’s laugh and facial expression after the attack is one of his attributes that sets him apart. ****

    5. Tag Team Title Match: The New Day vs. The Prime Time Playas. Formulaic, but acceptable tag team match. They made the crowd wait for the hot tag, and the crowd showed some patience and reacted to the tag and the finish.  I am surprised the Prime Time Playas got the win, but I am happy the finish was clean. I expect the New Day to get the belts back in the next month. *3/4

    6. WWE World Championship Ladder Match: Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose. Crowd was quite subdued to start. The beginning of the match was methodical, which was not complemented with a quiet live crowd. Using solid storytelling, the competitors were able to build empathy for Ambrose and create excitement and anticipation for each ascension up the ladder.  By the end, I felt the match built nicely into a war of attrition, which showcased a mean streak in Seth and some admirable toughness for Ambrose.  The finish gives credibility to Seth without pushing Ambrose back down the ladder (pun intended). In conclusion, it was a good, but not great, ladder match and an acceptable end cap to a solid event.

    Thanks, Derrick Hubbard

    Hello Dave,

    Thumbs Up.

    I was at the show tonight and almost the entire arena was filled. Crowd was hot even during announcer introductions.

    Crowd really hot for Barrett v Truth. Let’s Go Barrett/Barrett sucks chants.

    Roman received the biggest pop, Ziggler 2nd, Orton 3rd, Neville 4th
    Crowd hated Kane and Sheamus but Kofi had most heat.
    Everyone in the arena stood up for the Red Arrow on Sheamus.
    Crowd was really disappointed when Sheamus won and there wasn’t a lot of heat. Music was pumped through the arena loudly to cover up lack of loud reaction.

    Crowd was confused with Divas finish because the ref waved his arms like the match was thrown out and needed to get picked up after the awful Intercontinental Title match finish. So they brought out Cena & Owens to huge reactions.

    Cena and Owens got a standing ovation at one point for having such an outstanding match. Crowd was into every move and loved the match.

    Crowd loved the Primetime Players victory. It looked like Big E was legal man in match but I’d have to watch it again. Sets up Rowan and Harper for titles I guess.

    Crowd reacted positively to Triple H’s pep talk but booed Rollins during entrance. Quiet during the first half and got a little excited when they brawled through the crowd but the match lacked heat. The crowd was gasped when Rollins’ music played and was apathetic until the show ended.

    Erik Thibault

  • SAT. UPDATE: UFC 188 preview, plenty of Dusty Rhodes tributes, fallout of UFC drug test incident in Brazil, and more

    by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.comFollow @davidbix

    UFC 188 is tonight live from Arena Ciudad in Mexico City:

    Prelims on UFC Fight Pass at 7:00 p.m. ET
    Gabriel Benitez vs. Clay Collard
    Augusto Montano vs. Cathal Pendred

    Prelims on FX (not Fox Sports 1) at 8:00 p.m. ET
    Johnny Case vs. Francisco Trevino
    Alejandro Perez vs. Patrick Williams
    Drew Dober vs. Efrain Escudero
    Henry Cejudo vs. Chico Camus

    Main card on pay-per-view at 10:00 p.m. ET
    Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill
    Yair Rodriguez vs. Charles Rosa
    Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt
    Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez
    Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum for heavyweight title

    This is a solid line-up for a pay-per-view, albeit one with at least one obvious concession made for Mexican television in the Rodriguez (The Ultimate Fighter LatinoAmerica winner) vs. Rosa doesn’t have much business on a PPV main card even if it’s a good fight on paper. The main event is the best fight that can be made at heavyweight right now, and while Velasquez absolutely should be the favorit, his the knee injury is a question mark is Werdum has made a career out of exceeding expectations.

    Melendez-Alvarez is a long-time dream match of the top two non-UFC lightweight names, both of whom have been trash talking the other, and it has the potential to be an incredible action fight. It’s unlikely that it’s anything less than a very good fight, the question is just how good it gets. Gastelum is up at middleweight working off his punishment for missing weight against Tyron Woodley in January, and the matchmaking (Marquardt is an aging veteran middleweight who has a welterweight frame by 2015 standards and went 1-3 when he moved down) makes it seem like this is a one off punishment where he’ll go back down after a win here.

    The featured prelim and main card opener are two really fun fights from the UFC’s two lightest weight classes. Camus, who’s reinvented himself with a new, movement-heavy style at flyweight, is a sneakily tough matchup for Cejudo, arguably moreso than the higher-ranked Chris Cariaso, who Cejudo beat in his last fight. Cejudo is the better athlete and wrestler, but if Camus can stay away and potshot him, it’s a winnable fight. Torres-Hill is a tremendous striking match on paper and an interesting clash of different kickboxing styles.  The UFC clearly sees something in Hill, signing her for the TUF tournament right after her pro MMA debut (a fight she took to be eligible for the show), putting her in front of the media when they can, etc, and this is a big test for her.

    WWE has Money in the Bank tomorrow night on pay-per-view and WWE Network:

    Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose in a ladder match for WWE World Heavyweight Championship
    John Cena vs. Kevin Owens in a non-title match
    Roman Reigns vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Neville vs. Kane vs. Kofi Kingston in the Money in the Bank ladder match
    Ryback vs. Big Show for the WWE Intercontintnal Championship
    New Day vs. Prime Time Players for the WWE Tag Team Championship
    Nikki Bella vs. Paige for the WWE Divas’ Championship
    R-Truth vs. King Barrett

    Also on Sunday, the U.S. World Team Trials in wrestling air Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

    For today, we’re looking for reports on WWE shows in Terre Haute and Dayton, NXT in Columbus and GFW in Knoxville at newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

    We’re looking for feedback on tonight’s UFC show as well as both Money in the Bank and Verano de Escandalo tomorrow, so you can send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle rating for the shwre along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

    Raw is Monday in Cleveland featuring the return to WWE of Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman.

    Smackdown and Main Event will be taped Tuesday in Buffalo.

    **** 

    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with a detailed look at what made Dusty Rhodes such a uniquely gifted performer. Topics covered include:

    * How his appeal differed from other superstar babyfaces.

    * His underrated athleticism and in-ring working ability.

    * His versatility on promos.

    And much more. Plus, as always, we have  all of the usual reviews and international news.

    Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the AmericanCanadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle. 

    **** 

    Last week the big story was the tease of a Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania.  This week we have a double issue because of such a busy news week, with our lead story talks about the background of that promo and why the match isn’t happening.  We have the background of Austin, Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon, what led to the promo on the WWE Network, why Vince McMahon was unhappy about it, and what happened from there including Austin talking about the situation.

    We also have the first look at the Wednesday night wrestling wars with ROH & TNA, an update on MMA in New York, coverage of one of UFC’s best shows in recent years, New Japan’s summer look at including the G-1 Climax and Super Juniors tournament along with a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, as well as full coverage of the Hall of Fame and the new season of Tough Enough.

    The Latest Wrestling Observer: June 15, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Latest on Austin-Lesnar, Destination America, NY MMA

    Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show in the history of the site are at  Sign up here for as low as $9.99 per month!

    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@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

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    The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

    Our lead story talks about Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar.  We look at Austin’s comments regarding what he said last week, we look at the background, we look at why Vince McMahon wasn’t happy about what happened, we look at what this seems to end speculation on, where the Texas death match comment came from and what we don’t know about the situation and why the book seems closed on the match.

    We’ve got full details on the first week of both ROH & TNA together on Destination America.  We look at the audience for both groups, and what the quarter hours told about both groups.  We look at what the ratings seem to have indicated about both ROH and TNA and their audiences, as well as the next time this should be evaluated.

    We also look at Money in the Bank, the WWE Network special on 7/4 from Japan with the lineup.  We also look at the rest of the tour, an idea floated for the Slammys, what Vince McMahon wants out of the live talk shows on the WWE network, update on Tyson Kidd, why the stock is rising, Dwayne Johnson entertainment news, how the Kevin Steen action figure triggered so many things, return of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, special guest on Raw next week, Austin signs a new deal, and lots of the recent WWE tryout camp.

    We also look at the Jessicka Havok situation.

    We also look at all the NXT and WWE house show notes and business notes from the past week.

    We look at the new attempt to pass legislation in New York to legalize MMA, how this affects pro wrestling in the state as well as boxing, why MMA has to agree to certain things that are inherently unfair in a last ditch effort to get into the state.  We also look at a unique law regarding attendance at events in the bill, as well as what rules are in place to promote pro wrestling in New York.

    We’ve got coverage of one of the year’s best events, Saturday’s UFC show in New Orleans.  We look at the record tied, the career of Dan Henderson, the career of Brian Ebersole, as well as business notes and full coverage of the show.

    We also look at New Japan’s G-1 Climax tournament, who is in, who is out, what is says about current booking, the big shows on the tour, coverage of the show, prior winners, handicapping the tournament, why the winner is already planned out and how far in advance booking is, as well as the next few shows on New Japan World and the Dominion PPV show.

    We also have coverage of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, why the interest level was down, business notes on the tournament, a look at the great finale match, as well as coverage of the final shows.  We also have a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, including the stars that build the division and the 1996 heyday period.

    We’ve got full coverage of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremonies last month in Amsterdam, NY, with the awards, presentations, and a look at talent like Jumbo Tsuruta, Rick Martel, Vivian Vachon, Whipper Watson, Pedro Morales, The Freebirds and Curt Hennig.

    We also look at the new season of Tough Enough, who was and wasn’t picked to be part of the show, notes on why the winners are going to have it tough and not winning may to advantageous, as well as notes and backgrounds of some of the people involved.

    The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.

    We also have our regular features such as the most complete look at ratings, plus results of the major house show events each week in pro wrestling and MMA, and complete inside rundowns of all the TV shows.

    Also in this week’s issue:

    –A look at this year’s Busca de un Idolo tournament’s first shows

    –What happens in pro wrestling the night before UFC

    –Problems between companies in Mexico regarding CMLL pulling talent

    –Notes on Verano de Escandalo and U.S. iPPV and the card

    –First notes on TripleMania

    –What mach may be headlining this year’s TripleMania

    –Upcoming AAA TV

    –The debut of the three generations of green mist trio

    –Dragon Gate two big shows coming this week

    –All Japan’s big event for the week

    –A tag team of stars from two different promotions has a long reign as tag champions gone

    –More on the new Japan NOAH relationship and how this relates to the New Japan World service

    –New Japan scouting talent in the U.S. this summer

    –New Japan’s upcoming shows in Singapore

    –Satoru Sayama health update

    –Notes on the beginning shows of Global Force Wrestling

    –Notes on the lineups and what is and isn’t important about these events

    –Special celebrity guest added

    –An unselfish act acts an aspiring pro wrestling career

    –Another streaming service expected to start featuring 800 hours of a lost library

    –Chris Hero’s three hour gauntlet match and full details

    –Bill Goldberg talks about a potential pro wrestling farewell match and what could stand in the way

    –Who Goldberg still keeps in touch with in wrestling

    –Goldberg talks Brock Lesnar

    –A look at the big show at Citifield in New York this past week

    –A look at what TNA angle was revived on the show and how Goldberg fit in

    –A.J. Styles vs. Lionheart match coverage, back story, and why the crowd was so hot

    –Kris Travis talks return from cancer

    –Tons of indie big show news

    –A suspended senator in Canada participates in a pro wrestling show

    –Early ROH champion moving into MMA

    –Son of former Oregon star suspect in a beating death

    –Wrestling star in talks for a national cable television show unique deal

    –Update on the next ROH PPV

    –A look at the weekend ROH events

    –Why they did the Mickie James angle

    –TNA gets another international deal

    –UFC’s Labor Day weekend show announced

    –Two new title fights announced

    –Comparing Bader vs. Gustafsson as challengers for Cormier

    –When Cormier is targeting his first title defense

    –What Bader needs to do to get a title shot

    –Update on Anderson Silva and his suspension hearing, as well as Nick Diaz

    –Ben Rothwell accuses Cain Velasquez of PEDs and Velasquez responds

    –Former UFC star gets TV major network announcing gig

    –An interesting question that the courts may have to decide regarding UFC contract clause

    –Lots of new UFC fights

    –Notes on Shamrock vs. Kimbo

    –The first head to be cut off in new stronger penalties for PED usage

    –War Machine has court outburst

    –TV martial arts star with pro wrestling ties in bad health

    –Fighter comes back from nearly being stabbed to death to win a small promotion world title

    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.

    New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Our most requested issues in our history are:

    *November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)

    *December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)

    *August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)

    *March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a

    *October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)

    *July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)

    *February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)

    *May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)

    *January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)

    *February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)

    *March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)

    *April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)

    *May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)

    *June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)

    *June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)

    *July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)

    *August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)

    *September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)

    *October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)

    *January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

    *February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)

    *February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)

    *March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)

    *March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)

    *July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)

    *July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)

    *August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)

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    *October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)

    *November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)

    *November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)

    *November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)

    *December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)

    *January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)

    *March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)

    *March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)

    *March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)

    *April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)

    *July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)

    *October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)

    *November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .

    *December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)

    *January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)

    *March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)

    *April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)

    * September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)

    * September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)

    * September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)

    You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.

    We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..

    To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.

    ****

    Saturday Daily Update

    — The Brazilian UFC website released a statement about the incident relating to Jose Aldo’s random drug test a few days ago, which MMAFighting translated into English. In the statement, it said they’re fully supporting Aldo and his team. Essentially, what happened was that the tester didn’t have any identification associating him with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which led to Aldo’s coach, Andre Pederneiras, calling the police after Aldo gave a urine sample. It turned out that the tester had the wrong type of visa, which meant he was in Brazil illegally, invalidating the sample. The Brazillian commission worked to facilitate a new test a day or two later.

    Meanwhile, Aldo’s opponent next month, Conor McGregor, tweeted that on that unlike Aldo, who was only subjected to a blood test, he had to give both urine and blood samples for his last random test, which was May 23rd.

    Triple H unveiled the Tough Enough “barracks” today, which will be the living quarters for the participants. It’s pretty barebones except for the relaxation/recreation area and the hot tub. We were told by someone in WWE to keep in mind that they hired a producer from “Blind Date” to work on this show, meaning that the hot tub may not be there specifically for recovery.

    Really nice obituary for Dusty Rhodes in the Austin-American Statesman, the paper of record in his birthplace of Austin, Texas (which is also where his son Dustin still lives today). This made the front page of their sports section today. It includes quotes from Mark Henry and a high school classmate.

    The Sedalia Democrat in Missouri has another nice Dusty obituary with quotes from Harley Race and local fans.

    Fighting Spirit Magazine has reprinted Jim Cornette’s column about Dusty from two years ago on their website for free. Excellent stuff covering all of Dusty’s career.

    — In a bit of an weird coincidence, the promos for last night’s CES MMA card on AXS TV featured Chuck “Cold Steel” O’Neil cutting his own version of the Dusty Rhodes’ “hard times” promo, complete with Dusty impression. These had started airing last week, so it had nothing to do with Dusty’s death, but it stood out a lot more during NJPW on AXS last night for obvious reasons.

    — To push next week’s card in Berlin, UFC posted Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s strawweight title win over Carla Esparza for free on YouTube. If you haven’t seen it, it’ll probably make you a lot more interested in her next fight.

    The Independent in the UK has an article on Mark Henry talking to him about the evolution of his career with a special focus on the “Attitude Era” since he’s promoting WWE’s book about that period. 

    WGHP TV has a story about Larry Heck, an athletic trainer who’s been on the road with WWE for 14 years.

    — I was on Kris Zellner’s latest Exile on Badstreet podcast so we could go over the career of Dusty Rhodes.

    TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE (thanks to Bert Duckwall)

    12:00 AM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Follow Batista’s path from the struggles that drove him away from WWE to his triumphant return in 2014.

    1:00 AM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young chats with the King of the Ring Bad News Barrett, discussing everything from music, marine biology and everything in between!

    1:15 AM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves experiences a culture shock at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, getting caught up in the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

    1:30 AM ET
    THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.

    2:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    3:00 AM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

    4:00 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR The strategies that helped Eric Bischoff build WCW would hasten the decline of both he and his company.

    5:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

    6:00 AM ET
    WWE SUPERSTARS WWE Superstars features the best of the best, in matches you’ll have to see to believe. You never know what to expect, so expect everything.

    7:00 AM ET
    WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!

    8:00 AM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

    9:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

    10:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    11:00 AM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Straight to the Top: The Money in the Bank Anthology presents the lineage of this epic match!

    1:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

    2:00 PM ET
    THE WWE LIST Whether it’s winning the Diva’s Championship, or posting a very flattering photos on Twitter… These Divas do it all to stay trending.

    2:30 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young chats with the King of the Ring Bad News Barrett, discussing everything from music, marine biology and everything in between!

    2:45 PM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves experiences a culture shock at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, getting caught up in the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

    3:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH The Miz gives the contestants a taste of what life as a WWE Superstar means outside the ring. Back in the gym, the competition heats up.

    4:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH The last two contestants standing prepare for a final match at the WWE training facility. Stone Cold announces the winner live at RAW!

    4:55 PM ET
    STONE COLD PODCAST WWE Hall of Famer and Icon Stone Cold Steve Austin will have a no holds barred LIVE interview with Paul Heyman!

    6:00 PM ET
    THE WWE LIST Whether it’s winning the Diva’s Championship, or posting a very flattering photos on Twitter… These Divas do it all to stay trending.

    6:30 PM ET
    THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.

    7:00 PM ET
    MONEY IN THE BANK 2015 KICKOFF Money In The Bank Kickoff LIVE from Columbus, Ohio! Renee Young, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves and Booker T preview Money In The Bank!

    8:00 PM ET
    WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2015 A WWE Championship opportunity hangs in the balance as WWE Superstars try to climb the ladder of success at Money in the Bank. 

    11:00 PM ET
    WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2015 A WWE Championship opportunity hangs in the balance as WWE Superstars try to climb the ladder of success at Money in the Bank. 

  • Dusty Rhodes funeral notes

    Ric Flair stated today that the funeral for Dusty Rhodes would be this Wednesday, June 17th in Tampa, FL, confirmed by others close to the family.

    Rhodes passed away Thursday at the age of 69 years old. 

  • FRI. UPDATE: Dusty Rhodes notes, Flair, Rampage, TNA changes PPV main, son of Hall of Famer passes, Tough Enough

    By dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>Dave Meltzer

    We’re looking for reports on tonight’s GFW debut show in Jackson, TN (Chris Mordetzky vs. Dustin Starr, Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs. New Heavenly Bodies, Moose vs. Kevin Matthews, Tate Twins vs. Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor, Thea Trinidad vs. Le’D Tapa, Sonjay Dutt vs. Jamin Olivencia), NXT in Cleveland and WWE in Springfield, IL (John Cena, Kane, Ryback, New Day, Bray Wyatt) at dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    We will be doing weekend polls on both the UFC 188 show tomorrow and WWE Money in the Bank on Sunday with thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    New Japan World Pro Wrestling on AXS at 8 p.m. (one hour earlier than usual)

    Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma vs. Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata

    Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bad Luck Fale for IC title

    AXS has CES live MMA at 9 p.m. from Lincoln,  RI

    Saturday has WWE in Terre Haute, IN (John Cena, Kane, new Day, Ryback, Bray Wyatt) and Dayton (Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Roma Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler), NXT in Columbus, OH and GFW in Chattanooga, TN (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs. New Heavenly Bodies, Kongo Kong vs. Moose)

    UFC 188 on Saturday from Arena Ciudad in Mexico City

    Fight Pass at 7 p.m. Eastern

    Gabriel Benitez vs. Clay Collard

    Augusto Montano vs. Cathal Pendred

    FX (not FS 1 ) at 8 p.m.

    Johnny Case vs. Francisco Trevino

    Alejandro Perez vs. Patrick Williams

    Drew Dober vs. Efrain Escudero

    Henry Cejudo vs. Chico Camus

    PPV at 10 p.m.

    Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill

    Yair Rodriguez vs. Charles Rosa

    Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt

    Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez

    Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum for heavyweight title

    WWE Money in the Bank Sunday in Columbus, OH

    Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose ladder match for WWE title

    John Cena vs. Kevin Owens non-title

    Money in the Bank ladder match:  Roman Reigns, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Neville, Kane, and Kofi Kingston

    Ryback vs. Big Show for IC title

    New Day vs. Prime Time Players for tag title

    Nikki Bella vs. Paige for Divas title

    R-Truth vs. King Barrett

    The U.S. World Team Trials in wrestling air Sunday night at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.

    Raw is Monday in Cleveland featuring the return to WWE of Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman.

    Smackdown and Main Event will be taped Tuesday in Buffalo.

    Last week the big story was the tease of a Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania.  This week we have a double issue because of such a busy news week, with our lead story talks about the background of that promo and why the match isn’t happening.  We have the background of Austin, Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon, what led to the promo on the WWE Network, why Vince McMahon was unhappy about it, and what happened from there including Austin talking about the situation.

    We also have the first look at the Wednesday night wrestling wars with ROH & TNA, an update on MMA in New York, coverage of one of UFC’s best shows in recent years, New Japan’s summer look at including the G-1 Climax and Super Juniors tournament along with a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, as well as full coverage of the Hall of Fame and the new season of Tough Enough.

    The Latest Wrestling Observer: June 15, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Latest on Austin-Lesnar, Destination America, NY MMA

    Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show in the history of the site are at  Sign up here for as low as $9.99 per month!

    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@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

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    The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

    Our lead story talks about Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar.  We look at Austin’s comments regarding what he said last week, we look at the background, we look at why Vince McMahon wasn’t happy about what happened, we look at what this seems to end speculation on, where the Texas death match comment came from and what we don’t know about the situation and why the book seems closed on the match.

    We’ve got full details on the first week of both ROH & TNA together on Destination America.  We look at the audience for both groups, and what the quarter hours told about both groups.  We look at what the ratings seem to have indicated about both ROH and TNA and their audiences, as well as the next time this should be evaluated.

    We also look at Money in the Bank, the WWE Network special on 7/4 from Japan with the lineup.  We also look at the rest of the tour, an idea floated for the Slammys, what Vince McMahon wants out of the live talk shows on the WWE network, update on Tyson Kidd, why the stock is rising, Dwayne Johnson entertainment news, how the Kevin Steen action figure triggered so many things, return of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, special guest on Raw next week, Austin signs a new deal, and lots of the recent WWE tryout camp.

    We also look at the Jessicka Havok situation.

    We also look at all the NXT and WWE house show notes and business notes from the past week.

    We look at the new attempt to pass legislation in New York to legalize MMA, how this affects pro wrestling in the state as well as boxing, why MMA has to agree to certain things that are inherently unfair in a last ditch effort to get into the state.  We also look at a unique law regarding attendance at events in the bill, as well as what rules are in place to promote pro wrestling in New York.

    We’ve got coverage of one of the year’s best events, Saturday’s UFC show in New Orleans.  We look at the record tied, the career of Dan Henderson, the career of Brian Ebersole, as well as business notes and full coverage of the show.

    We also look at New Japan’s G-1 Climax tournament, who is in, who is out, what is says about current booking, the big shows on the tour, coverage of the show, prior winners, handicapping the tournament, why the winner is already planned out and how far in advance booking is, as well as the next few shows on New Japan World and the Dominion PPV show.

    We also have coverage of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, why the interest level was down, business notes on the tournament, a look at the great finale match, as well as coverage of the final shows.  We also have a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, including the stars that build the division and the 1996 heyday period.

    We’ve got full coverage of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremonies last month in Amsterdam, NY, with the awards, presentations, and a look at talent like Jumbo Tsuruta, Rick Martel, Vivian Vachon, Whipper Watson, Pedro Morales, The Freebirds and Curt Hennig.

    We also look at the new season of Tough Enough, who was and wasn’t picked to be part of the show, notes on why the winners are going to have it tough and not winning may to advantageous, as well as notes and backgrounds of some of the people involved.

    The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.

    We also have our regular features such as the most complete look at ratings, plus results of the major house show events each week in pro wrestling and MMA, and complete inside rundowns of all the TV shows.

    Also in this week’s issue:

    –A look at this year’s Busca de un Idolo tournament’s first shows

    –What happens in pro wrestling the night before UFC

    –Problems between companies in Mexico regarding CMLL pulling talent

    –Notes on Verano de Escandalo and U.S. iPPV and the card

    –First notes on TripleMania

    –What mach may be headlining this year’s TripleMania

    –Upcoming AAA TV

    –The debut of the three generations of green mist trio

    –Dragon Gate two big shows coming this week

    –All Japan’s big event for the week

    –A tag team of stars from two different promotions has a long reign as tag champions gone

    –More on the new Japan NOAH relationship and how this relates to the New Japan World service

    –New Japan scouting talent in the U.S. this summer

    –New Japan’s upcoming shows in Singapore

    –Satoru Sayama health update

    –Notes on the beginning shows of Global Force Wrestling

    –Notes on the lineups and what is and isn’t important about these events

    –Special celebrity guest added

    –An unselfish act acts an aspiring pro wrestling career

    –Another streaming service expected to start featuring 800 hours of a lost library

    –Chris Hero’s three hour gauntlet match and full details

    –Bill Goldberg talks about a potential pro wrestling farewell match and what could stand in the way

    –Who Goldberg still keeps in touch with in wrestling

    –Goldberg talks Brock Lesnar

    –A look at the big show at Citifield in New York this past week

    –A look at what TNA angle was revived on the show and how Goldberg fit in

    –A.J. Styles vs. Lionheart match coverage, back story, and why the crowd was so hot

    –Kris Travis talks return from cancer

    –Tons of indie big show news

    –A suspended senator in Canada participates in a pro wrestling show

    –Early ROH champion moving into MMA

    –Son of former Oregon star suspect in a beating death

    –Wrestling star in talks for a national cable television show unique deal

    –Update on the next ROH PPV

    –A look at the weekend ROH events

    –Why they did the Mickie James angle

    –TNA gets another international deal

    –UFC’s Labor Day weekend show announced

    –Two new title fights announced

    –Comparing Bader vs. Gustafsson as challengers for Cormier

    –When Cormier is targeting his first title defense

    –What Bader needs to do to get a title shot

    –Update on Anderson Silva and his suspension hearing, as well as Nick Diaz

    –Ben Rothwell accuses Cain Velasquez of PEDs and Velasquez responds

    –Former UFC star gets TV major network announcing gig

    –An interesting question that the courts may have to decide regarding UFC contract clause

    –Lots of new UFC fights

    –Notes on Shamrock vs. Kimbo

    –The first head to be cut off in new stronger penalties for PED usage

    –War Machine has court outburst

    –TV martial arts star with pro wrestling ties in bad health

    –Fighter comes back from nearly being stabbed to death to win a small promotion world title

    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.

    New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Our most requested issues in our history are:

    *November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)

    *December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)

    *August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)

    *March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a

    *October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)

    *July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)

    *February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)

    *May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)

    *January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)

    *February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)

    *March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)

    *April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)

    *May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)

    *June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)

    *June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)

    *July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)

    *August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)

    *September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)

    *October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)

    *January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

    *February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)

    *February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)

    *March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)

    *March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)

    *July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)

    *July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)

    *August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)

    *August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)

    *October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)

    *November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)

    *January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)

    *March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)

    *May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)

    *June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)

    *July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)

    *September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)

    *October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)

    *November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)

    *January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)

    *January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)

    *April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)

    *April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)

    *July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)

    *September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)

    *October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)

    *November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)

    *November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)

    *November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)

    *December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)

    *January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)

    *March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)

    *March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)

    *March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)

    *April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)

    *July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)

    *October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)

    *November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .

    *December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)

    *January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)

    *March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)

    *April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)

    * September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)

    * September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)

    * September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)

    You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.

    We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..

    To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.

    FRIDAY’S NEWS UPDATE

    • For those of you who are fans of Dusty Rhodes, we have a great show with Rob Naylor talking about working with Rhodes and went through history up on the site.  We’ll have more in upcoming days.
    • At this point, there are no funeral services announced for Dusty Rhodes. 
    • Rhodes was feeling dizzy and collapsed on Wednesday morning just before 6 a.m. and they called 911 and took him to the hospital.  He was doing better on Wednesday, but his kidneys shut down and he suffered other complications that led to his death.  He had been working and had not complained that anything was wrong the day before.
    • WWE Network will have a Dusty Rhodes special airing after Raw on Monday night.  There were a lot of complaints yesterday at the lack of network coverage for Rhodes.  
    • Jim Ross talks Dusty Rhodes
    • Sporting News on Dusty Rhodes
    • A story on the event commemorating the history of Championship Wrestling from Florida last night
    • And more on that
    • Dusty Rhodes death was reported on the front page of the BBC web site.  Almost no wrestling deaths ever have gotten that treatment.  Owen Hart did due to circumstances.
    • For whatever reason, WWE is advertising Tyson Kidd for the Team Cena weekend shows. 
    • Ric Flair was at last night’s NBA championship game in Cleveland with The Miz and Dolph Ziggler, who both grew up in Cleveland.  Flair cut a promo after the first quarter in center court wearing a robe given to him by the Cavs mascot The Moondog.  Miz and Ziggler were shown cheering with the crowd during the third quarter.  The wrestlers caused such a reaction that arena security got mad because they couldn’t maintain a clear passage area outside the Cavs locker room (thanks to Brian Dulik)
    • Judge Karen Suter in New Jersey Superior Court ruled against Rampage Jackson in his quest to have the injunction that prohibits his fighting in UFC.  Suter had issued the original injunction, but Jackson was able to get it reversed which allowed him to fight in Montreal.  But the original judge ruled against the injunction being thrown out.    
    • Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan and Paige have been announced for the 8/22 Wizard World convention in Chicago.
    • Dusty Rhodes ended up yesterday being the third most searched item on the Internet with more than 1 million searches, trailing only Christopher Lee and LeBron James.
    • For today on twitter, Dusty Rhodes has 83,300 mentions while NXT Cleveland has 939.
    • TNA has announced that the Kurt Angle vs. Ethan Carter III title match, which was originally to main event the 6/28 PPV show, will now air on Impact on 7/1, which means it’ll be taped prior to the PPV show and air after the PPV show.  I can see with drawing ratings far more important then PPV right now why make the move, but not sure why they didn’t put it on the 6/24 show which is taped before and airs before the PPV.  They had done the 6/17 television show already which built to Angle would facing an opponent of EC 3’s choosing but a lot of stuff on 6/17 with the references to the PPV being “nine days away” (when the show was expected to be on a Friday and the match was on PPV) have to be changed.
    • TNA has announced James Storm vs. Magnus for the 6/28 show. 
    • Storm McDaniel, who either the son or adopted son of the late Wahoo McDaniel, was killed Wednesday when his jet ski collided with a 20 foot boat in Grand Lagoon in Panama City, FL.  McDaniel was rushed to Bay Medical Sacred Heart where he was pronounced dead.
    • UFC weigh-ins are 7 p.m. tonight on FS 2 and also live on this site.
    • Gawker Media battling for its existence in a lawsuit against Hulk Hogan
    • WWE stock was up 19 cents per share to close the week at $15.56.
    • More Tough Enough cuts were:

    Alexander Galizia

    Don Arner – an independent wrestler from Pittsburgh

    Gabi Castrovinci – a fitness model

    Jeremiah & Nehemiah Kingdom – Who were brothers and may have been twin brothers

    LaRayla Gason

    Michael Hayes – the best known indie wrestler, the war hero in Louisville who has been an OVW star for years

    Samantha Sage – fitness competitor

    Tommaso Giannuzzi

    Zack Boss – a pro bodybuilder

    • Chris Charboneau noted these famous shows on this day in St. Louis history

    1970 – Dory Funk Jr. beat Gene Kiniski with Whipper Watson as referee to retain the world title in front of a near sellout 10,344 fans, plus Crimson Knight (Bill Miller) & Von Raschke & Blackjack Lanza beat Dewey Robertson & Wilbur Snyder & Pat O’Connor in 2/3 falls
    1981 – Harley Race beat Ted DiBiase to retain the NWA title before 16,088 fans setting a city gate record, plus Pat O’Connor won a Battle Royal, Dick the Bruiser & Dusty Rhodes b Ken Patera & Ric Flair via DQ and Dick Murdoch double count out Kerry Von Erich

    1982 – Ric Flair beat Dick the Bruiser to retain the world title before a sellout of 19,027 fans at the Checkerdome, plus Dusty Rhodes & Ted DiBiase DDQ Harley Race & Dick Murdoch.  Flair has told me on more than one occasion this was one of the most memorable matches of his career.

    ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)

    1967 – Mil Mascaras beat Espanto in Mexico City to win the Mexican national light heavyweight title

    1978 – Billy Robinson beat Tor Kamata in Ichinomiya to win the PWF title

    1991 – Jushin Liger beat Norio Honaga in Tokyo to win the IWGP jr. title

    1995 – Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata in Osaka to win the IWGP tag team titles

    1996 – Black Tiger (Eddy Guerrero) beat Jushin Liger in Osaka to win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament

    1998 – Kenta Kobashi beat Toshiaki Kawada in Tokyo to win the Triple Crown

    2004 – Yuji Nagata & Kendo Ka Shin beat Kaz Hayashi & Satoshi Kojima in Nagoya to win the All Japan world tag titles

    TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE

    12:00 AM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Straight to the Top: The Money in the Bank Anthology presents the lineage of this epic match!

    2:00 AM ET
    WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!

    3:00 AM ET
    WWE SUPERSTARS WWE Superstars features the best of the best, in matches you’ll have to see to believe. You never know what to expect, so expect everything.

    4:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    5:00 AM ET
    WCW MONDAY NITRO On this episode of WCW Monday Nitro the fallout from World War 3! Sting teams with Lex Luger to take on Brain Pillman and Arn Anderson.

    6:00 AM ET
    WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2013 Can John Cena overcome the brute strength of Mark Henry or will the world’s strongest man finally capture the WWE Championship?

    9:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

    10:00 AM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Straight to the Top: The Money in the Bank Anthology presents the lineage of this epic match!

    12:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

    1:00 PM ET
    THE WWE LIST Whether it’s winning the Diva’s Championship, or posting a very flattering photos on Twitter… These Divas do it all to stay trending.

    1:30 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young chats with the King of the Ring Bad News Barrett, discussing everything from music, marine biology and everything in between!

    1:45 PM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves experiences a culture shock at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, getting caught up in the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

    2:00 PM ET
    THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.

    2:30 PM ET
    WWE QUICK HITS WWE Quick Hits 5 brings you some of the most unique, entertaining, and sometimes outrageous clips, unearthed from the depths of WWE Network!

    3:00 PM ET
    SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Bret Hart defends the WWE Title against Papa Shango. The British Bulldog puts the Intercontinental Title on the line against Shawn Michaels.

    4:00 PM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Follow Batista’s path from the struggles that drove him away from WWE to his triumphant return in 2014.

    5:00 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young chats with the King of the Ring Bad News Barrett, discussing everything from music, marine biology and everything in between!

    5:15 PM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves experiences a culture shock at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, getting caught up in the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

    5:30 PM ET
    THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.

    6:00 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

    7:00 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR The strategies that helped Eric Bischoff build WCW would hasten the decline of both he and his company.

    8:00 PM ET
    SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Bret Hart defends the WWE Title against Papa Shango. The British Bulldog puts the Intercontinental Title on the line against Shawn Michaels.

    9:00 PM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Follow Batista’s path from the struggles that drove him away from WWE to his triumphant return in 2014.

    10:00 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young chats with the King of the Ring Bad News Barrett, discussing everything from music, marine biology and everything in between!

    10:15 PM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves experiences a culture shock at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, getting caught up in the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

    10:30 PM ET
    THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.

    11:00 PM ET
    SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Bret Hart defends the WWE Title against Papa Shango. The British Bulldog puts the Intercontinental Title on the line against Shawn Michaels.

  • Missy Hyatt talks Dusty Rhodes

    By Missy Hyatt

    I was so glad that I saw Dusty Rhodes in October 2013 at Legends Of The Ring. It would be the last time I saw Dusty and my long time friend in Scott Epstein. It was the ten minutes that I spent with Dusty, which was a culmination of a life time of memories as a fan, wrestling talent, and a fan to this day that made the trip worth it for me. Dusty was a head line autograph guest. I went to say hi to Dusty. Keep in mind this is a man that that I watched as a fan off of Georgia Championship Wrestling and Championship Wrestling From Florida as a teenager. I was around him when I worked the gimmick table for Championship Wrestling From Florida when they ran shows in Tallahassee. Dusty always had something for me to do as on air talent when he was a booker in WCW from 1991-1993.

    Dusty stopped the line for ten minutes to give me a hug and to talk to me. I thanked him for everything he did for my career. A young fan griped about Dusty stopping to sign autographs to speak to me. Dusty in the manor that only Dusty could talk would say something to the effect “If Missy wants to talk to me, than everybody can wait”.  I sent the photo of myself and Dusty to my good friend Rob Naylor. He emailed me that he loved the pic. I love how Dusty was very influential to my career and even mentored me. Fast forward twenty years later and he did the same for my friend, Rob Naylor.

    Dusty touched people’s lives as talent. He made stars out of so many people. He influenced several generation of wrestlers. He still had an influence on the NXT crew. The wrestling business will forever be better off for having Dusty.

    When I lived in Tampa, I was a few minutes from the old white painted Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. I always had a smile when I passed by, since Dusty used to pack the building and it will forever be known for it.

    I will always love Dusty for allowing me to work for Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987 after my failed WWE stint. I had zero confidence. Dusty rebuilt my self esteem and allowed me to conduct interviews for the TBS World Championship Wrestling Sunday Night show. Those interviews at Techwood Studio was the same studio in which I attended Georgia Champiomship Wrestling TV tapings as a teenager on my wrestling road trips when I was in high school.

    Dusty booked me against Paul Heyman for six months in 1991, probably more to amuse himself with Heyman verbally ripping me to shreds and my retaliation with potatoes during our matches. Regardless, he always had a segment, skit, booking idea for myself. Dusty had faith in me as talent and I will always love him for that.

    I will take most of Dusty’s 1984-1988 booking run as some of the greatest wrestling television that I ever seen. Even to this day, I still love watching Dusty’s booking from that era in which it focused heavily around The Four Horsemen, Magnum TA, Rock N Roll Express, Nikita Koloff, Midnight Express, and so many others.

    Thank you Dusty for being an influential person in my life, entertaining me as a fan, and always having a place in the wrestling business for myself. My sympathy goes to Shelly, Dustin, Cody, and anybody that loved Dusty.

    Please pardon my grammar and typos. I wrote this from the heart.

    Missy Hyatt

    1st. Lady Of Wrestling

  • Missy Hyatt on how Dusty Rhodes influenced her wrestling career

    Photo: Pro Wrestling Illustrated

    By Missy Hyatt, the 1st Lady of Wrestliing

    I was so glad that I saw Dusty Rhodes in October 2013 at Legends Of The Ring — the last time I would see Dusty and my longtime friend Scott Epstein. It was the ten minutes that I spent with Dusty, a culmination of a lifetime of memories as a fan, wrestling talent, and a fan to this day that made the trip worth it for me.

    Dusty was a headline autograph guest. I went to say hi to Dusty. Keep in mind this is a man that that I watched as a fan of Georgia Championship Wrestling and Championship Wrestling From Florida as a teenager. I was around him when I worked the gimmick table for Championship Wrestling from Florida when they ran shows in Tallahassee. Dusty always had something for me to do as on air talent when he was a booker in WCW from 1991-1993.

    Dusty stopped the line for ten minutes to give me a hug and to talk to me. I thanked him for everything he did for my career. A young fan griped about Dusty stopping to sign autographs to speak to me. Dusty — in the manor that only Dusty could talk — said something to the effect of “If Missy wants to talk to me, than everybody can wait”.  I sent the photo of myself and Dusty to my good friend Rob Naylor. He emailed me that he loved the pic. I love how Dusty was very influential to my career and even mentored me. Fast forward twenty years later and he did the same for my friend Rob.

    Dusty touched people’s lives as talent and made stars out of so many people. He influenced several generation of wrestlers, and still had an influence on the NXT crew. The wrestling business will forever be better off for having Dusty.

    When I lived in Tampa, I was a few minutes from the old white-painted Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. I always had a smile when I passed by since Dusty used to pack the building and it will forever be known for it.

    I will always love Dusty for allowing me to work for Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987 after my failed WWE stint. I had zero confidence. Dusty rebuilt my self esteem and allowed me to conduct interviews for the TBS World Championship Wrestling Sunday Night show. Those interviews at Techwood Studio were in the same studio in which I attended Georgia Champiomship Wrestling TV tapings as a teenager on my wrestling road trips when I was in high school.

    Dusty booked me against Paul Heyman for six months in 1991, probably more to amuse himself with Heyman verbally ripping me to shreds and my retaliation with potatoes during our matches. Regardless, he always had a segment, skit, or booking idea for me. Dusty had faith in me as talent and I will always love him for that.

    I will always believe that most of Dusty’s 1984-1988 booking run was some of the greatest wrestling television that I ever seen. Even to this day, I still love watching Dusty’s booking from that era which focused heavily around The Four Horsemen, Magnum TA, Rock N Roll Express, Nikita Koloff, Midnight Express, and so many others.

    Thank you Dusty for being an influential person in my life, entertaining me as a fan, and always having a place in the wrestling business for myself. My sympathy goes to Shelly, Dustin, Cody, and anybody that loved Dusty.