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  • Daily Update: UFC Fight Night, JR talks NJPW

    We’re looking for reports from today’s WWE show in Canton, OH (Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto, Tommy Dreamer & Dudleys vs. Wyatt Family) as well as all three NXT shows from the last three nights in Winter Haven, Cocoa Beach and Fort Pierce to Dave Meltzer

    UFC FROM THE T.D GARDEN IN BOSTON TODAY

    Follow along with F4Wonline.com’s Josh Nason as he provides cageside coverage.

    Fight Pass at 6 p.m. Eastern

    Francimar Barroso vs. Elvis Mutapcic

    Rob Font vs. Joey Gomez

    Kyle Bochniak vs. Charles Rosa

    Ilir Latifi vs. Sean O’Connell

    Daron Cruickshank vs. Paul Felder

    FS 1 at 8 p.m.

    Maximo Blanco vs. Luke Sanders

    Tim Boetsch vs. Ed Herman

    Mehdi Baghdad vs. Chris Wade

    Patrick Cote vs. Ben Saunders

    Ross Pearson vs. Francisco Trinaldo

    Travis Browne vs. Matt Mitrione

    Eddie Alvarez vs. Anthony Pettis

    T.J. Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title

    Raw will be live on Monday night in Columbus, OH.  Brock Lesnar will be appearing on the show.

    NEW JAPAN FANTASTICA MANIA DAY TWO ON TUESDAY IN KYOTO (not on New Japan World)

    Ryusuke Taguchi & Fuego vs. Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka

    The Panther vs. Okumura

    Guerrero Maya Jr. vs. Bobby Z

    Dragon Lee & Jushin Liger & David Finlay & Titan vs. Barbaro Cavernario & Yoshi-Hashi & Virus & Hechicero

    Stuka Jr. & Mascara Dorada & Atlantis vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Bushi

    Mistico & Kushida vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gedo

    Hiroshi Tanahashi & Volador Jr. & Juice Robinson vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada & Mephisto

    Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Dayton, OH.

    If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our new Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!  We have two new quick video clips up on our Youtube page, so check it out and subscribe today for more!

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 1/4/2016: More on Gawker motioning to dismiss Hulk Hogan lawsuit

    More information on Gawker’s motion to dismiss Hulk Hogan’s sex tape lawsuit, tons more.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: January 18, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: NJPW strips Nakamura, Sting to HOF

    An update on Shinsuke Nakamura, WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling is the lead story of the new issue of the Wrestling Observer.  His departure, not losing the IC title in the ring, the decision making surrounding it, Nakamura’s final matches in Japan and his start in the U.S., New Japan’s next two PPV shows, and the future of the IC title.

    Nick Diaz’s updated suspension, Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler, and the welterweight division title situation.  UFC 197 through 200 with talk about what is next for Ronda Rousey, Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier, MMA in New York, what huge publicity coup UFC had that fell apart, is UFC too confident about high ticket prices, and a number of future main events.  The plans for C.M. Punk’s debut.

    Lots of WrestleMania updates, including what is on the books and other key matches.  We’ve got more on John Cena’s surgery, updates on a number of WWE injuries, a look at the first Smackdown on USA, more on brain injuries to fighters and wrestlers, Notes on the next NXT tapings, new WWE camps, double standards, Linda McMahon update, NXT weekend, and football background of two NXT stars.

    Rundowns of all the WWE & NXT house shows over the weekend and business notes.  Updates on Royal Rumble.

    A feature on Sting and his career, from growing up through Memphis, through WCW and TNA and his final run in WWE.  How he got started, his first break, the Ric Flair match that made him a star, when he was originally going to win the NWA title and why it was delayed, what happened when he was champion, the Hogan vs. Sting disaster, how he ended up in TNA.

    Full coverage of TNA’s tapings and PPV, contract issues, the Matt Hardy situation and what is the short-term future for television.

    Yoel Romero and his potential test failure and how this changes the middleweight division.  Romero’s background, fighter reactions to his test failure.

    The future of the AAA Mega championship and the current plans for Guerra de Titanes, the first major show of 2016 in AAA.

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

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    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: November 23, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF Survivor Series review, Rock becomes Corporate Champion
    A full review of WWF Survivor Series with The Rock becoming the Corporate Champion, more WCW woes, plus tons of news.

    SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE

    Jim Ross gives an in-depth look at his talks with AXS about doing New Japan Pro Wrestling

    TNA announced today that Kurt Angle’s last match in the company will be 1/31 in Birmingham, England for a TV taping against Bobby Lashley.

    California independent wrestler, Darren Dean (real name Mike Dean) passed away in the last few days.  He had done some ROH shows in the past, worked overseas, and traveled at times with Davey Richards and Tony Kozina.  He was 25.  (thanks to Scott Winter)

    According to many, yesterday’s Revolution Pro Wrestling match with Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll was a match of the year candidate.  Steve Rice said it was close to **** with great character, work, psychology and a big match feel.  Scurll got the win.  He also said the A.J. Styles vs. Zack Sabre Jr. main event was easily four stars.  Speedball Mike Bailey was also on the show against Big Damo, while Mark Haskins faced Jay Lethal with Lethal retaining the ROH tile.  Bram was also on the show, as was Colt Cabana.

    Danny Miller is hospitalized with an undisclosed illness.  Danny is the younger brother of Big Bill Miller, who was a major star in the 50s and 60s and into the early 70s.  He later worked for Championship Wrestling from Florida in the office during its glory years.

    The video of Willie Pep done by Lee Wylie that Kenny Florian got suspended by Fox Sports for plagiarizing in his article on tonight’s Dominick Cruz vs. T.J. Dillashaw fight

    WWE

    • The new season of Total Divas debuts Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on E!  The main storyline is Nikki Bella wondering if she should tell John Cena about how ex-boyfriend Dolph Ziggler is trying to get back together with her, while Paige thinks about whether she should break off her engagement and Brie Bella tries to get Bryan Danielson on a new career path.
    • WWE is teasing the idea of a confrontation next weekend with Stephen Amell of Arrow and Stardust, continuing their angle from the summer.  If it happens, it would be at the Heroes and Villains Fan Fest in Secaucus, NJ on 1/23, since the Rumble is the net day.
    • After Raw on Monday night will be a John Layfield interview with Brian “Road Dogg” James.

    UFC/MMA

    • Miesha Tate revealed on Inside MMA on Friday that she was in a minor car accident earlier in the day but it won’t affect the 3/5 fight with Holly Holm.
    • It should be noted that the guy who is fighting Mickey Gall on the 2/6 show in Las Vegas named Michael Jackson is Michael “The Truth” Jackson and not Michael “Blackjack” Jackson.  If Gall wins, he faces C.M. Punk in June, or at least that was the target date as of this week.
    • An editorial about legalizing MMA in New York
    • After last night’s Invicta show, president Shannon Knapp announced the next show would be 3/11 in Las Vegas on Fight Pass.

    MISCELLANEOUS

    • Mauro Ranallo, broadcasting last night’s boxing heavyweight title fight where Deontay Wilder beat Artur Szpilka at the Barclays Center, got a few Royal Rumble mentions during the broadcast. 
    • There was also an angle last night as when Wilder was doing his post-match interview, Tyson Fury hit the ring and started singing and then went nose-to-nose with Wilder.
    • Today is the 74th birthday of Muhammad Ali.
    • AAW Chaos Theory from Friday night in Merrionette Park, IL:  Drew Gulak b Louis Lyndon, Kongo Kong won three-way over Dan O’Hare and Wheeler Utah, Heidi Lovelace & Kimber Lee b Allysin Kay & Brittany Blake, Hooligans b Zero Gravity to retain the tag title, Sami Callihan b Chris Hero (an incredible match live), Shane Hollister & Mat Fitchett & Markus Crane b Bucky Collinswood & Eddie Machete & Connor Braxton, Ryan Boz b Abyss, AR Fox b Davey Vega to retain the Heritage title, Eddie Kingston b Trevor Lee to retain the AAW title.  Next show is 2/19 at 115 Bourbon Street with Eddie Kingston vs. Sami Callihan for the title and Abyss & Kongo Kong vs. Ryan Boz & Russ Jones in a Monster’s Ball match.
    • Crooked Sword Comedy brings Jake Roberts to Waterloo, ONT on 2/19 for a one man show talking about his career at 8 p.m. with a VIP meet and greet at 6 p.m.
    • Kenny Omega plays Ultra Street Fighter 4 with 2 other players on Excellent Adventures  (thanks to Michael David)
    • Joe Buck has a talk show called Undeniable on Audience TV.  The guest this week was former coach and current TV analyst Jimmy Johnson, who grew up in Port Arthur, TX.  During the show, Johnson talked about growing up as a wrestling fan, saying, that he would wrestle his brother, who would play bad guy as Wild Bull Curry and he’s be the good guy, as Ricki, but he couldn’t remember the last name (most likely Ricki Starr).
    • GOUGE from yesterday in Fuquay Varina, NC:  Damien Wayne won Redneck Rumble, No Direction b Leo Ryker & Wallabee Joe, Seymount Snott b Court Montgomery, Mickey Gambino b Waylon Maze, Juan Jeremi b Jimmy Jack Funk Jr. via DQ, Timmy Lou Retton b Damien Wayne via DQ
    • AAA from Wednesday night in San Luis Potosi before 3,000 fans:  Aero Fly & Efecto & Vagabundo b Conde Bartock & Mr. Marca & Mini Maniaco, Goya Kong & Pimpinela Escarlata b Taya & Black Mamba, Drago & Electroshock b El Hijo de Pirata Morgan & Joe Lider-DQ, El Hijo de Fantasma & El Texano Jr. & Pentagon Jr. b Psycho Circus, Chessman & Mesias & Taurus b Dr. Wagner Jr. & Fenix & La Parka when Mesias pinned Wagner after ripping off his mask (thanks to Kris Zellner)
    • I Believe in Wrestling from last night at the Team Vision Dojo in Orlando:  Los Ben Dejos b Ace Andres & Rex Bacchus, Hercules Gomez b Josh Parker, Braydon Knight b Tyranus-DQ, Lince Dorado b Desmond Xavier, Brandon Scherer won three-way over Chico Adams and Gabriel Black, Mike Reed b Aaron Epic, Santana Garrett b Barbi Hayden via DQ to retain her Stardom title and Japanese tour.  Next show is 1/30 with Giddins vs. Mark Silva and Garrett vs. Hayden no DQ. (thanks to Al Haft)
    • Kevin Nash will appear for In Your Face Wrestling on 3/12 in Albany, NY at the Polish Community Center to manage a team as well as do an autograph signing at a pre-event convention with Bob Holly and Scott Norton. 
    • NSPW from last night in Quebec City before 407 fans:  Dru Onyx b Brad Alekxis, Alex Price & Dead End b Surfer Mitch &,Joe Kovick & Tony Tremblay, Pee Wee & Judas b 3.0, Heavy Metal Chaos b The Best, Marko Estrada b Matt Angel, Kickin n Stompin b BattleCruisers, Franky the Mobster & Travis Toxic b Giovanni & Michael Style.  Next show is 2/6 with Marko Estrada vs. Davey Richards (thanks to Patric Laprade)      
    • Absolute Intense Wrestling on 3/5 at Tequila Jax in Lake, OH with all seats $20 and Little Guido appearing, plus 3/18 in Cleveland at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, headlined by Michael Elgin. 
    • Ronin Wrestling on 1/30 at the Broward College South Gym here is a local story on the show. (thanks to Paul Kacprzak)
    • Here’s an article from the Salina Journal about a group of former backyard wrestlers that now run indie shows (thanks to Chris Aiken) 

    ON THIS DAY IN WORLD PRO WRESTLING HISTORY: 1/17 Big Van Vader wins the IWGP TItle

  • Daily pro wrestling history (1/17): Big Van Vader wins the IWGP TItle

    1965

    St. Paul, Minnesota:
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher beat Larry Hennig & Harley Race 2 out of 3 falls
    – Wilbur Snyder beat Moose Cholak
    – Bob Boyer drew Eddie Sharkey
    – Mighty Igor Vodik beat Pedro Santos

    1971

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Jack Brisco, the NWA Florida Television Champion, faced Tarzan Tyler, the NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion, in a two-out-of three falls match. The rules for the match stipulated that the Television Title was on the line in the first fall only, while the Heavyweight Title would go to the winner of the match. Tyler pinned Brisco in the first fall to win the Television Title. However, Brisco won the second and third falls to win the match, and claim the Heavyweight Title

    1972

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:
    – Mark Lewin defeated Bob Brown to win the Vancouver NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title 

    1973 

    Miami, Florida:
    – Big Bad John and Tim Woods defeated Chris Markoff and Bobby Shane for the NWA Florida Tag Team Title 
    – Southern Title: Mark Lewin defeated Paul Jones to retain the title
    – Florida Title: Jack Brisco defeated Buddy Colt to retain the title
    – Gorgeous George, Jr. defeated Jack Welch
    – Dick Slater & Phil Robley defeated Kevin Sullivan & Frank Hester

    Honolulu, Hawaii:
    – NWA Champion Dory Funk Jr drew Billy Robinson
    – North American Champion Dusty Rhodes beat Don Muraco
    – Ed Francis beat The Sheik to win Hawaiian Title
    – Ripper Collins beat Rick Drasin
    – Tony Borne drew Sam Steamboat

    1974

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – Lord Alfred Hayes and Roger Kirby defeated Jim Brunzell and Mike George to win the Central States NWA World Tag Team Title in 3 falls
    – Bob Brown defeated Harley Race in three falls

    Hattiesburg, Mississippi:
    – Bob Kelly defeated Duke Miller for the NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Title 

    Denver, Colorado:
    – AWA Champion Verne Gagne dcor Billy Robinson 
    – Nick Bockwinkel beat Red Bastien 
    – Larry Heiniemi & Buddy Wolff beat Ricky Romero & Luis Martinez 2 out of 3 falls
    – Greg Gagne beat Ric Flair 

    1975

    Los Angeles, California:
    – Porkchop Cash and Special Delivery Jones defeated The Hollywood Blonds (Jerry Brown and Buddy Roberts) to win the NWA Americas Heavyweight Title 

    1976 

    Portland, Oregon:
    – Jesse Ventura defeated Jimmy Snuka for the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title 

    Caguas, Puerto Rico:
    – The Infernos defeated The Interns to win the WWC North American Tag Team Title 

    1977

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:
    – Don Leo Jonathan and Dutch Savage defeated John Quinn and Kurt Von Hess for the Vancouver NWA Canadian Tag Team Title 

    Greenville, South Carolina:
    – The Hollywood Blonds (Jerry Brown and Buddy Roberts) defeated Dino Bravo and Tim Woods to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles

    1979 

    Miami, Florida:
    – NWA World Title: Harley Race defeated Mike Graham
    – Florida Tag Titles: Pak Song & Mr. Uganda defeated Dusty Rhodes & Louie Tillet (sub Jos Leduc)
    – Brass Knuckles Match: Killer Karl Kox defeated Sonny King
    – Thor The Viking defeated Raul Mata (sub Florida Champion Jimmy Garvin)
    – Mr. Saito & Mr. Sato defeated Rocky Johnson & Prince Tonga

    1980

    Mexico City, Mexico:
    – Tiger Jeet Singh defeated El Canek for the UWA World Heavyweight Title 

    Greenville, Mississippi:
    – Mike Sharpe defeated Mike George to win the NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Title 

    1981

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Jimmy Valiant won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title by defeating Hector Guerrero in a tournament final 

    Portland, Oregon:
    – The Destroyer and Rip Oliver defeated Joe Lightfoot and Jay Youngblood for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles

    1982

    Toronto, Ontario, Canada:
    – Angelo Mosca defeated Toronto NWA Canadian Heavyweight Champion Big John Studd in a steel cage match to win the title 

    Atlanta, Georgia:
    – Tommy Rich defeated The Masked Superstar for the NWA National Heavyweight Title 

    1985

    Las Vegas, Nevada:
    – Lights Out match: Jerry Blackwell beat Masked Superstar (sub King Kong Brody)
    – Jimmy Garvin beat AWA Champion Rick Martel dq
    – Non title: Larry Hennig & Curt Hennig (subs for Fabulous Ones) beat AWA Tag Team Champions Road Warriors
    – Nick Bockwinkel beat Brad Rheingans
    – Jim Brunzell beat Steve Regal

    1986

    Richmond, Virginia:
    – Ron Bass defeated Black Bart to win the Mid-Atlantic NWA Brass Knuckles Title 

    1991

    Yokahama, Japan:
    – Big Van Vader defeated Tatsumi Fujinami for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title 

    1992

    Springfield, Massachusetts: 
    – The Mountie defeated Bret Hart for the WWF Intercontinental Title

    1994

    New York City:
    – The Quebecers (Jacques and Pierre) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions The 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty to win the titles

    1997

    Matsumoto, Japan:
    – Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue defeated Johnny Ace and Steve Williams to win the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Titles

    1999

    Charleston, West Virginia:
    – Goldberg defeated Scott Hall in a Ladder Stun Gun match
    – David and Ric Flair defeated Curt Hennig and Barry Windham

    2000 

    Columbus, Ohio:
    – Jeff Jarrett was awarded the WCW United States Heavyweight Title by Commissioner Kevin Nash
    – WCW World Tag Team Champions Crowbar and David Flair defeated 3 Count (Shane Helms and Shannon Moore)

    New Haven, Connecticut:
    – WWF Tag Team Champions The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) defeated Big Show and The Rock
    – Rikishi defeated WWF Intercontinental Co-Champion Chris Jericho by disqualification

    2004 

    Kaneohe, Hawaii:
    – Kenjiro Katahira and Kensuke Sasaki defeated Ahuna and Kaniela for the Hawai’i Championship Wrestling Kekaulike Heritage Tag Team Title 

    2010 

    Orlando, Florida:
    – Tara defeated ODB in a 2 of 3 falls match to win the TNA Knockouts Title 
    – Matt Morgan & Hernandez defeated The British Invasion to win the TNA Tag Team Championship

  • WWE Charleston, WV, results: Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens

    Submitted by Erik Yonker

    – The night starts off with an announcement from JoJo about Roman Reigns not being here. 

    – Kevin Owens interrupts and challenges Ambrose to an IC title match later tonight. Ambrose attacks him from behind and accepts the challenge as Owens retreats to the back. 

    – Dudleys & Tommy Dreamer vs. The Wyatt Family (Harper, Rowan and Strowman) in a tables match

    The Wyatts win with a double choke slam on Dreamer through a table. 

    – Neville def. The Miz

    Neville wins with the Red Arrow.

    – The Social Outcasts defeat The Ascenion & Los Matadors

    Outcasts come out and cut a funny promo that ends with Heath Slater leading the crowd in a song of Country Roads. Really great stuff here. 

    – R-Truth defeated Stardust

    Incredible work by Stardust who got some major boos from the crowd with his heel work. Match saw very few bumps taken by both men yet it was very well received by the audience and was really entertaining.  

    – US Champion Alberto Del Rio defeated Kalisto

    ADR held the ropes during the pin. Crowd was pretty dead during this ainly because the previous 2 matches were so awesome.

    – Becky Lynch def. Tamina (w/Naomi)

    Becky wins then gets attacked by both girls after. Nattie makes the save and then celebrates with Becky. 

    – Sheamus def. Jack Swagger

    Swagger came out to defend the honor of the West Virginia crowd in light of Sheamus’ comments against them.

    – WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose def. Kevin Owens to retain

    Owens stared down several small children in attendance. He also told a young teenage female that her sign looked like it was made by a blind 5 yr old. In a move that was a class act, Kevin gave a quick and discreet fist bump to a young handicapped child who was being held up by what appeared to be his mother on his way back up the ramp. Ambrose made sure to high five all those at ringside who wanted one. He made several trips around the ring and up and down the ramp. He had also gotten a haircut since he was last seen on television.

    All in all, it was a really fun show and everyone who performed put forth a lot of effort. Only complaint would be the way security acted. Multiple times during the show they would motion for fans to sit down in their seats. They also wouldn’t let fans who weren’t setting ringside or along the guardrail to come up and try and get a high five before or after a match. This upset a lot of parents and children and was pretty sad to see.

  • Invicta 15 results: Cris Cyborg Justino vs. Daria Ibragimova

    Submitted by Crimson Mask

    Megan Anderson vs. Amber Leibrock

    Good opening scrap between 6-foot FWs. Leibrock had KOed Ronda’s roommate Marina Shafir, and was clearly the bigger puncher, but the Australian Anderson wore her down with clinch work and then took her apart with strikes, having her in big trouble in the 2nd and finishing her early in the 3rd. 

    Amanda Bell vs. Ediane Gomes was scrapped.

    Mizuki Inoue vs. Lacey Schuckman

    Another good performance from the 20 year old Inoue, dominating some high tech grappling exchanges and finishing in the 3rd with an arm bar after several attempts.

    Angela Hill vs. Alida Gray

    Recent UFC cut Hill blows away late sub Gray, staggering her with a counter right and not letting her off the hook.

    Amber Brown vs. Shino VanHoose

    Brown makes short work of the badly outsized late sub VanHoose, muscling an out of position Guillotine for the tap. Unfortunately for the apparently skilled but tiny VanHoose there’s no lower division than atomW.

    Raquel Pa’aluhi vs. Colleen Schneider

    In the most competitive fight of the night, which took place after a long delay with both fighters already in the ring waiting for the ambulance to return to the arena, Schneider takes a 29-28 SD over a battered Pa’aluhi that didn’t look that close. Pa’aluhi got the best of the grappling but couldn’t do much with it, while Schneider did damage with nearly every strike landed.

    Livia Renata Souza defends SW title vs. DeAnna Bennett 5R

    Chickens finally come home to roost for the strangely overpushed and overprotected Bennett, as the much smaller Souza finishes her quickly with a liver kick and retains.

    Cris Cyborg Justino defends FW title vs. Daria Ibragimova 5R

    Late sub Ibragimova at least comes in loose and with a plan, and has success penetrating to single leg pickups, but she can’t get Cris off her feet and takes a battering in the process, till Cris lands a clean right hand from long range late in the round for the KD and puts her out with followup hammerfists. I’m not sure how much you can blame Cris for her quality of opposition, with not too many girls that anxious to sign to fight her, and apparently not all of them willing to show up.

  • UFC Fight Night Boston: Dillashaw vs. Cruz Observer panel picks

    Sunday night brings our first free UFC card of the year and it’s a big one as a men’s title fight will air on FS 1 for the first time in company history as bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw looks to defend against former champion Dominick Cruz. Cruz will fight for just the second time in four years, but this may be the biggest fight in the division’s history.

    The action doesn’t stop there as Anthony Pettis will try to begin his road back to the top of the lightweight division with former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez standing in his way. Also, Travis Browne will attempt to rebound from a stunning KO defeat at the hand of Andrei Arlovski when he faces soon-to-be free agent Matt Mitrione. There are familiar names up and down the card including four longtime UFC vets as Patrick Cote goes up against the resurgent Ben Saunders and Ed Herman takes on Tim Boetsch in a pairing of two struggling middleweights moving up a weight class.

    Here’s our panel with the 2015 records in parenthesis. We’ve also added a running tally of the records of the favorites going into the fights and the panel consensus picks:

    • John Pollock (5-0 | 1.000) – Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
    • Favorites (4-1 | .800)
    • Consensus picks (4-1 | .800)
    • Mike Sempervive (4-1 | .800) – Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
    • Steve Juon (4-1; .800) – MMA Mania writer & Angry Marks founder
    • David Bixenspan (4-1 | .800) – Figure Four Weekly writer, podcast host
    • Mike Sawyer (4-1 | .800) – Tough Talk MMA
    • Josh Nason (4-1 | .800) – Host of Josh Nason’s Punch Out; writer/editor WrestlingObserver.com , WON Twitter guy
    • Ryan Frederick (4-1 | .800) – WrestlingObserver.com UFC reporter, WON Twitter guy
    • Dave Meltzer (3-2 | .600) – Wrestling Observer founder
    • Paul Fontaine (3-2 | .600) – MMADraws.com founder, WrestlingObserver.com writer
    • Front Row Brian (3-2 | .600) – MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host

    > UFC Bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw (12-2) vs. Dominick Cruz (20-1)

    Dillashaw makes his 3rd title defence here after finishing former champion Renan Barao and upstart/last-minute challenger Joe Soto. Cruz last fought just over a year ago, dismantling veteran Takeya Mizugaki in quick fashion. Cruz never lost his title in the ring as he was stripped due to an extensive injury layoff. Dillashaw is with a new fight team but the heat between Cruz and Team Alpha Male runs deep and this has been a heated rivalry. Our panel is a little more confident than the betting line in this one.

    • Dillashaw (slight favorite): Bix, Juon, Front Row Brian, Frederick, Nason, Meltzer, Sempervive
    • Cruz: Pollock, Sawyer, Fontaine

    Anthony Pettis (18-3) vs. Eddie Alvarez (26-4)
    Lightweights

    Neither the oddsmakers or our panel are giving Alvarez much of a chance here. Pettis steamrolled through the division before running into Rafael Dos Anjos last year, losing his lightweight title in the process in a one-sided affair. Alvarez is 1-1 in UFC after a long and successful career in Bellator, while Pettis hopes to earn a title shot with a dominant win here. If Alvarez wins, he’d probably need at least one big win before getting a title shot but stranger things have happened.

    Pettis (huge favorite): Bix, Pollock, Sawyer, Juon, Front Row Brian, Frederick, Fontaine, Nason, Meltzer, Sempervive

    Travis Browne (17-3-1)  vs Matt Mitrione (9-4)
    Heavyweights

    Browne has been dealing with a lot of turmoil outside the cage since losing to the aforementioned Arlovski in one of 2015’s most memorable fights. With domestic abuse allegations that he was cleared from and his highly publicized relationship with Ronda Rousey, Browne could be vulnerable here. Mitrione, though, has been very vocal about the fact he’s not happy in UFC and with his contract expiring after this fight, he could be on his way out. He’s a familiar name with a crowd-pleasing style and would likely get picked up by Bellator should he chose not to re-sign. Whatever happens, this fight should be quick.

    • Browne (moderate favorite): Pollock, Sawyer, Juon, Front Row Brian, Frederick, Fontaine, Nason, Meltzer, Sempervive
    • Mitrione: Bix

    Patrick Cote (22-9) vs Ben Saunders (19-6-2)
    Welterweights

    Cote has been around since UFC 50 and is still looking good in the Octagon as evidenced by his third round stoppage win over Josh Burkman last August. He’s fought as high as 205 pounds, but is still in great shape at 170. While not a title contender by any stretch, he’s a very popular fighter and usually has good fights. Saunders is a perfect 3-0 since leaving Bellator MMA. The submission specialist is surprisingly a favorite here but our panel is split on this one.

    • Cote: Sawyer, Juon, Frederick, Nason, Sempervive
    • Saunders (slight favorite): Bix, Pollock, Front Row Brian, Fontaine, Meltzer

    Ed Herman (21-11) vs Tim Boetsch (18-9)
    Light Heavyweights 

    Both guys are moving up from middleweight in an attempt to stop the downward momentum they’ve had in recent years. Both have lost four of their last six, and both are coming off of first round KO losses in their last fight. Herman is in his 10th year in UFC, but this could be his last if he doesn’t turn it around. Boetsch has “only” been in UFC since 2008, but has also seen better days. This really could be a loser leaves town fight. Again, our panel agrees with the oddsmakers.

    • Herman: Pollock, Front Row Brian
    • Boetsch (big favorite): Bix, Sawyer, Juon, Frederick, Fontaine, Nason, Meltzer, Sempervive

    Josh Nason will be live cageside for all the coverage starting with the Fight Pass prelims at 6 PM EST.

  • NXT Chicago, IL, live event results: (evening show): Finn Balor vs. Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin

    Submitted by George Atsaves

    Standing room only crowd. Super lively crowd, lots of chants all night.

    – NXT Tag Champions Dawson and Wilder beat Ezno and Cass when Enzo got pinned via roll up. Good match, Dawson and Wilder are great heels. Enzo was super over. Cass is ok as a “house of fire” babyface but he missed a few spots.

    – Carmella submitted Alexa Bliss with her leg choke thing. Bliss is great, crowd loved to hate her. Match was fine.

    – Elias Sampson and his guitar beat Bull Dempsey. Sampson sang a song about how much Chicago sucks. Decent match: two standard mid card guys doing mid card things.

    – NXT Divas Champion Bayley (so so over) beat Nia Jax with the Belly to Bayley. Pretty similar to the London match, but no chokehold.

    > Intermission. They were selling autographed 11x14s and tons of shirts.

    – Sami Zayn def. Tommaso Ciampa in an incredible match that felt like a typical ROH match. Highlights include Zayn’s Blue Thunder Bomb and Tommaso hitting a power bomb into a backstabber.  Zayn won with the corner kick.  After, he and Tommaso hugged and Zayn gave him the ring.

    – Eva Marie over Peyton Royce.  I know it is the gimmick and she’s kinda over (not as over as Zayn, Finn nor Bayley) but Eva just can’t wrestle.  She’s not even passable.  Poor Royce was dragging her around.  Eva’s timing was off all match and it showed.  Crowd stopped caring halfway through.

    – NXT Champion Finn Balor over Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin. Before the match, Balor did the Bullet Club guns to Crews and Corbin.  Loud Bullet Club and Too Sweet chants, which Finn encouraged.  Finn even did the “gun gesture to a prone opponent” like Kenny Omega did to AJ Styles the night after WK 10.  Standard triple threat where one guy sold on the outside while the other two went at it.  Finish was pretty good – Corbin hit his spinning slam on Crews, made the cover only for Finn to hit the double foot stomp for the win. After, Finn celebrated with Bayley (who had a Balor Club shirt and was Too Sweeting everyone at ringside) and they brought some kids in the ring to take pictures.

  • Ring of Honor Collinsville, IL results: Cheeseburger challenges for TV title!

    Submitted by David E. Smith

    – ROH Tag Champions War Machine defeated Kazarian/Sabin. Heels did the inevitable “let’s taunt St. Louis over losing the Rams” bit, then the match started with a few minutes of comedy spots. I believe this was a non-title match (but the champs won anyway).

    – Michael Elgin defeated Adam Page. Elgin took about 80% of the match, and won with his sit-out powerbomb. Page came out for his match, but was almost immediately jumped from behind by BJ Whitmer. Michael Elgin came out, and Whitmer backed off. Page, despite having just taken a beating, still wanted his scheduled match with Elgin. 

    – TV Champion Roderick Strong submitted Cheeseburger to retain. Cheeseburger may have gotten the biggest pop of the night. Felt like a really long squash.

    – The Briscoe Brothers defeated Silas Young and the Beer City Bruiser. Plenty of outside-the-ring action, including some presumably-unplanned spots when one of the big metal ROH banners they put on the guard rails came off. Briscoes won with a Jay Driller.

    > Intermission went a bit long because the ring crew had to replace a board in the ring floor. Light “ring crew” chants.

    – Will Ferrara defeated Kevin Lee Davidson. Quick nothing match.

    – Dalton Castle (with the boys) defeated Delirious. Lots of comedy spots. 

    – ReDRagon (Bobby Fish/Kyle O’Reilly) defeated the All Night Express (Kenny King/Rhett Titus) with Chasing the Dragon.

    – Adam Cole defeated Moose, after Moose took most of the match.

    – The Young Bucks defeated ACH and Alex Shelley. Pretty much every Young Bucks match ever. 

  • NXT Chicago, IL, afternoon results: Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn

    Submitted by Charles Vail

    – 1:00 pm card at the Portage Theatre

    – Enzo and Big Cass over NXT Tag Team Champion Dash and Dawson via DQ. Ref was pulled out of the ring after Air Enzo on a pin attempt. Solid match, great starter.

    – Tomasso Ciampa def. Bull Dempsey by submission. Split crowd, Bull was hilarious.

    – Elias Sampson def. Tye Dillinger by pin. Dillinger was over, Sampson was booed.

    – NXT Women’s Champion Bayley def. Alexa Bliss. Bayley hits the Bayley to Belly for the pin and win.

    – Apollo Crews def Baron Corbin. Standing moonsault to standing shooting star press into the pinfall. This was the best spot and match of the night in my opinion. 

    – Nia Jaxx and Eva Marie def. Carmella and Peyton Royce. Leg drop from Jaxx onto Royce for the pin. Eve Marie didn’t do a bad job at all. 

    – NXT Champion Finn Balor def. Sami Zayn to retain. Balor pinned him after hitting the Coup De Grace. Multiple Bullet club references. Crowd was split. Awesome match.

  • AJ Styles faces Jay Lethal: last time in a long time?

    The following are 5 Star Wrestling results from the January 15th Liverpool, England, show, submitted by Jay O’Leary.

    5-Star Champion John Morrison vs. PJ Black

    Morrison pins Black in about 10 minutes after Starship Pain to retain his 5* title. Decent opening match to get the crowd going. 

    Big Damo vs. Zack Gibson

    Hometown boy and Liverpool’s number one Gibson is out next after challenging Nick Aldis for his GFW title in the local press. Few jeers from the blue half of Liverpool for Gibson who is in his usual Liverpool FC style t-shirt but otherwise a great reaction for Zack. Aldis comes out and talks down to the crowd before saying Gibson doesn’t deserve a shot at his GFW championship. He introduces Gibson’s opponent for the evening “The Beast of Belfast” Big Damo. Damo pinned Zack Gibson with a rollup after pulling the ref in the way of Gibsons attack. After the match, Gibson gets on the mic and challenges Damo to some sort of hardcore match to which Damo just walks off.

    Colt Cabana vs. Timm Wylie

    Fun match which saw Cabana pick up the win after hitting the GTS.

    Will Osprey, Zack Sabre Jr and Rey Mysterio vs. Marty Scurll, Jimmy Havoc and GFW champion Nick Aldis

    The kids (and adults to be fair) loved seeing Mysterio and when he hit the 619 and followed up with a frog splash on Jimmy Havoc for the pin the crowd went wild. After the match, Scurll attacked Mysterio but Rey countered. Marty ended up on the ropes primed for the 619 before Zack Sabre Jr stopped Rey from connecting. A confused crowd were stunned into silence when Osprey followed up with a superkick to Mysterio before the five british stars all attacked Mysterio together. They posed and left the ring.

    Joe Coffey vs. Carlito

    Cool ending when Carlito accidentally spat his apple into the face of referee Chris Roberts before Coffey rolled him up. Carlito’s shoulders came up at 2 but a partially sighted Roberts missed it, counted the 3 and called for the bell. 

    Zoe Lucus and Lou King Sharp beat Jamie Hayter and Kid Fyte in a mixed tag team match.

    AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal

    A decent main event match ended when Lethal scored the pin with a handful of tights. They went back and forth on the mic after the match putting over 5* before they were laid out by Aldis, Osprey, Scurll, Sabre Jr and Havoc. Jimmy Havoc gets on the mic and says how sick they are of putting in the work week after week over here when the American guys come over, get paid ten times as much and all these people lap it up.

    The beatdown continued until Colt Cabana and Rey Mysterio run down for the save. The British guys scarper with the exception of Havoc who gets hit with a 619, GTS, Lethal Injection and a Styles Clash before the four babyfaces pose in the corners to send the crowd home happy.

    Notes:

    Really fun show. Credit to 5 Star Wrestling, their production team, and every single person on their roster for ending the tour on such a high. Great turnout in the Echo arena for the show with mainly families with young kids.

  • UFC Fight Night 81 DFS Playbook: value picks, who to avoid

    The Octagon makes its’ way back to Boston, Massachusetts for UFC Fight Night 81 on Sunday night, airing on FOX Sports 1. It is the second event of the month of January, and another opportunity for daily fantasy players to score some profit. Below are our studs, value plays, fighters to avoid and our advice for you in setting your line-ups.

    STUDS

    Charles Rosa ($10,800)

    Charles Rosa might just be 1-2 in the UFC, but he has been impressive in all three bouts. His debut was a close loss to Dennis Siver in a short-notice bout. He came back to submit Sean Soriano before dropping a close split decision to Yair Rodriguez in June. Having been born in Massachusetts, Rosa is back fighting in front of a home crowd and looking to score an impressive win. He will fight Kyle Bochniak, who takes the fight on three days’ notice. That is a lot to ask of someone, much less a fighter who just fought last week. This is set up for Rosa to get a win, and props to Bochniak for stepping to keep Rosa on the card, but Rosa should be getting a finish here, and is our top play because of the circumstances surrounding the fight.

    Rob Font ($10,600)

    Rob Font is another local fighter on the card, having been born, living and training in Boston. He is a good prospect at 135 pounds with an 11-1 record and ten straight wins. He has been out of action for a long time, not having fought since scoring a first-round knockout of George Roop in his UFC debut in July 2014. That performance, though, showed what he is certainly capable of delivering inside the Octagon. He has well-rounded skills, and he fights an opponent making his UFC debut as an injury replacement in Joey Gomez. Gomez is 6-0 in his career but has yet to have the exposure of the big stage. Font’s striking should be enough to score a finish, and he is a good bet to score a lot of points on Sunday.

    VALUE PLAYS

    Matt Mitrione ($9,200)

    Matt Mitrione looks to have something to prove as he heads into the last fight of his contract on Sunday night. That makes him a good contrarian pick for the event. He is fighting Travis Browne, who comes in as the favorite, but there are a lot of question marks surrounding Browne, especially how he comes back from his last loss and whether the distractions of dating Ronda Rousey get to him. Mitrione is good on his feet and quicker than Browne, but he does make mistakes that cost him fights. It is heavyweights and a finish is likely. Mitrione at his price makes him an interesting value.

    Sean O’Connell ($8,500)

    Sean O’Connell is a sneaky play at his $8,500 salary. He has won two straight fights by knockout, including a 56-second win in his last fight. He lost his first two UFC fights, but one was a short-notice bout and the other was a split decision. He scores a good amount of points in his fights, and 205-pound fighters have a lot of power. He faces a tough opponent in Ilir Latifi, who has won all three of his UFC fights by finish in the first round. He was also finished recently in the first round. If you are looking for a fighter with a low salary so you can play contrarian and spend up, O’Connell is of solid value.

    AVOID

    Francimar Barroso ($10,000)

    Francimar Barroso is 2-1 in the UFC, but all three fights have gone the distance and he hasn’t been overly impressive. He is a grinder who doesn’t land a lot of strikes and leaves himself open for counters. He is fighting a short-notice opponent in Elvis Mutapcic, and Mutapcic is taking the fight in a higher weight class. Mutapcic is talented, though, and he has a very good chance of defeating Barroso. He also has a style that can beat Barroso. Short notice or not, I give Mutapcic a good chance of winning, therefore I am fading from Barroso.

    Daron Cruickshank ($8,700)

    Daron Cruickshank is an exciting lightweight fighter, but he has hit a real rough patch in recent UFC bouts. Eye pokes, rough weight cuts and tough competition has seen him win just once in his last five fights, and his back is against the wall. Also with his back against the wall is his opponent, Paul Felder. Felder is more talented of the two, and there will be a lot of strikes thrown. Felder has the better shot at finishing Cruickshank, and a distance fight favors Felder as well. I will be shying away from Cruickshank on my roster.

    OUR LINEUPS:

    RYAN FREDERICK: Charles Rosa ($10,800), Rob Font ($10,600), Travis Browne ($10,200), Dominick Cruz ($9,300), Francisco Trinaldo ($9,100)

    I have Charles Rosa and Rob Font as my two big plays for this card. Both are local fighters who will be willed to win in front of the home fans, and both are fighting short-notice opponents. I like both winning by finish and getting maximum points. I have Travis Browne despite thinking Matt Mitrione is good value. Someone is getting finished in that bout, and Browne is too naturally talented to look as bad as he did against Andrei Arlovski. Dominick Cruz is my interesting play. I am picking T.J. Dillashaw to win, but I’m not confident on that. It is five rounds, which means ten more minutes to score points, and I think they are going the distance. Cruz is good value for his salary. My last pick is Francisco Trinaldo. He has won four straight, has good value, and fights a beatable Ross Pearson. He is a good contrarian pick.

    PAUL FONTAINE: Ilir Latifi ($10,900), Rob Font ($10,600), Travis Browne ($10,200), Francisco Trinaldo ($9,100), Daron Cruickshank ($8,700)

    Gotta be honest….I’m not really thrilled with my team this week. I went through and picked the probable winners and finishers and I just couldn’t work them all in under the cap so I had to make some tough choice. Browne is clearly a class above Matt Mitrione and as long as the out of the cage stuff he’s been dealing with aren’t too much of a distraction, he should finish Mitrione fairly quickly. Trinaldo is an often overlooked fighter who is a submission specialist and has won 4 in a row. Pearson is tough but he’s taken a lot of punishment and is due to start showing the effects of his age and the damage over the year. Cruickshank is the one I’m not terribly thrilled with having on my team but he’s got power and could score a KO at any point, although his opponent Paul Felder has never been finished. Latifi has first round finishes in each of his last 3 fights and I think he overpowers Sean O’Connell en route to another quick win. Font-Gomez could be a sleeper fight as both are finishers that usually get the job done quickly. Gomez is making his Octagon debut and could have some jitters so I look for that to be the difference here and Font should wipe that “0” from Gomez’ record. 

    PEACH MACHINE: Anthony Pettis ($11,000), Paul Felder ($10,700), Ben Saunders ($9,800), Dominick Cruz ($9,300), Ed Herman ($8,900)

    I think Cruz is too smart and too good to get beat by Dillashaw. All Dominick Cruz does is alternate between getting better and breaking his knee, and his knee is healthy. I like Pettis to rebound and smash Alvarez. I like Alvarez, but I think Pettis is too fast. I’m taking Herman because Boetsch is coming off a bad KO. So is Herman, but I think Boetsch is closer to being done than making a run. Saunders has a lot of reach here. Cote’s fighting age is much greater than 35. I like Saunders to get this to the ground and get the submission. Felder is a killer and has a tough out in Cruickshank, but Felder is tougher and younger and is looking to get back into that win column. I like my picks again this week. I went 4-1 in my DK picks last week, and 11-1 in my tapology picks. Good enough for number 2 over all in tapology. Am I bragging? Yes. Will I ever get another chance to brag at this level? Unlikely. Holtzman blew my perfect pick night. It’s my fault for believing in someone.