Big pop for Truth. Goldust hit his normal drop to the knees, punch to the face spot a couple of times. The heels worked over Truth until the hot tag to Goldust. Goldust with a spinning suplex for the win.
– Enzo and Cass def. The Ascension
Konnor is back after his 60-day break due to a wellness policy violation. Usual opener by Enzo and Cass, ripping the heels by asking them where their pads were and if their mommy was bringing them so they (Ascension) could go and play pee wee football after the match. Heels worked over Enzo until the hot tag to Cass. Enzo with a splash, assisted by Cass, ends the night for the Ascension returning from suspension.
– Baron Corbin def. Sin Cara
Corbin played football for the Arizona Cardinals but the fans did not know this as he was soundly booed. Fans tried to get behind Sin Cara with the “Lucha” chants as Sin Cara tried to attack the legs of Corbin with kicks. Corbin kept the action on the ground and finished Sin Cara with The End of Days.
– US Champion Rusev (with Lana) def. Zack Ryder
Lana had her hair down instead of the usual bun. Ryder and Rusev locked up and then went into a series of amateur wrestling moves. Eventually, Rusev overpowered Ryder and started stalking him around the ring dealing out punishment. Ryder, however, is like a college hoops team that is the ultimate underdog. They hang around long enough to throw a scare into the opponent. Rusev botched a climb up the ropes when he tried to knock Ryder down. Ryder had a couple of near falls teasing a title change and eventually fell to the Accolade.
Smackdown —
– Seth Rollins opened the show with a promo, talking about the three-way match* at Battleground.
He railed about no one outworking him and how unfair it was that he did not have the belt. He issued an open challenge to anyone in the back for the night’s main event. Challenge accepted by Sami Zayn. At first, Rollins scoffed at Zayn but then decided that Zayn was a perfect choice.
Both men were interrupted by the Lunatic Fringe as the new champion hit the ring. He called for the set people and the workers rushed the ring to set up an impromptu Ambrose Asylum complete with Mitch The Plant. Rollins was angered, but Zayn was excited. Ambrose played the part of a host behind the scenes asking if everyone was ready and if they needed anything like water. Rollins ad-libbed and said that he was parched before catching himself and telling Ambrose to shut up. Zayn goaded Rollins to fight immediately, and Rollins dropped the mic and left in a huff.
*All references to the title match at Battleground were for a three-way match, so the main event seems to be continuing with Reigns in it. None of the interviews acknowledged anything about Reigns.
– Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio
Good, hard hitting match between the two. Del Rio started fast and went after Cesaro’s arm. Cesaro sold the beating and eventually fought back with a string of uppercuts. Del Rio hit the Backstabber and went for the Tree of Woe stomp which Cesaro countered. Cesaro climbed up and jumped off the ropes which Del Rio countered into an attempted cross arm breaker. This was countered by Cesaro who hit Del Rio with a pump handle slam and abruptly ended the match. Cesaro climbed onto the announcer’s table and bowed to the crowd to a large pop.
– Sheamus beat Apollo Crews via countout
Rematch from MITB with Sheamus all over Crews at the beginning while the rookie looked timid. Eventually Crews fought back but did not hit many aerial spots other than a sunset flip off of the ring apron. Sheamus pulled the steel steps into a vertical position and kicked Crews into them for the countout victory.
– The Usos returned, and did an angle backstage with Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson & A.J. Styles. This set up Styles vs. Jimmy.
– A.J. Styles pinned Jimmy Uso
Jey was ringside and played the role that Cena did on Monday, watching the back for signs of the club. AJ seemingly had a counter for Jimmy’s moves and mocked the Uso with his Phenomenal gesture. When it looked like Jimmy finally had caught AJ and had him in trouble, the Club came through the crowd to attack Jey. Jimmy jumped over the ropes and bowled the club over only to eat a Phenomenal Forearm onto the concrete floor. AJ rolled Jimmy back into the ring and hit another Phenomenal Forearm for good measure.
– WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day over The Vaudevillains
The heels worked over Kofi as Big E could only watch. Xavier Woods took the night off and just played the trombone. The heels worked together to isolate Kofi until he could make the hot tag to Big E. Big E preceded to suplex everyone many times and the heels could not even hide outside of the ring as Kofi stalked the outside and splashed anyone hanging around outside the ring. Big E with the pinfall. The celebration was cut short by a Wyatt family promo in which Bray promised to bring pain to the New Day and that they would fall.
– Dana Brooke beat Becky Lynch
This was over in about a minute after Charlotte interfered, allowing Dana to take advantage and pin Becky. Charlotte entered the ring to add injury to insult when Sasha Banks’ music hit to a huge pop. Sasha sauntered down to the ring in her inimitable fashion and removed her bling. It looked like Charlotte was going to engage but then she ducked out the ring and laughed at Banks. Brooke tried a sneak attack but was stopped by the Banks Statement.
– Seth Rollins pinned Sami Zayn with a pedigree
Rollins toyed with Zayn at first, slapping him, countering his moves, and resting on the turnbuckle while Zayn recuperated. Eventually Zayn started hitting his spots. The two went back and forth in an entertaining match. Zayn took a power bomb fling into the turnbuckle but hit Rollins with an “Undertakeresque” walk up the ropes into a hurrincanrana.
Both men had near falls. Rollins went for the pedigree but Zayn reversed it into a tornado ddt. Rollins bailed from the ring and Zayn did a flip over the ropes onto Rollins. Rollins staggered back into the ring and surprised Zayn with a pedigree as Zayn re-entered the ring.
Rollins gave Ambrose a cheap shot and Ambrose chased him through the ring. Ambrose laid out the belt in the ring motioning for Rollins to come back but Rollins stayed at the top of the ramp.
After the cameras stopped rolling…
Suddenly AJ’s music hit and the Club came out to the top of the ramp. AJ told Rollins that the Club was planning on hurting Ambrose and that he could join them if he (Rollins) wanted to. Rollins agreed and the four heels headed to the ring. Zayn rolled back into the ring to help Ambrose but they were quickly overwhelmed. The crowd was chanting for Cena but it was the Usos for the save. The faces cleared the heels out of the ring and Ambrose grabbed the mic and challenged the heels to an 8 man tag team match.
The Club w/ Seth Rollins vs. WWE Champion Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn, and the Usos.
This match was quick with the heels isolating Jey at the outset. A hot tag to Ambrose brought the house down as each man entered the match and hit his spots that he was known for. Eventually Anderson ate Dirty Deeds and was pinned. The faces stayed around and celebrated with fans. Ambrose stayed around for at least ten minutes signing autographs, taking selfies with fans and letting kids hold his belt.
Monday night’s post-Money in the Bank edition of WWE RAW certainly had its moments including the new World Heavyweight champion Dean Ambrose grabbing the spotlight impressively and Big “Johnny Laryngitis” (thanks, Enzo) making his glorious return. As always however, those diamonds were surrounded by a lot of rough spots too.
— The Hits —
DTA Ambrose
While it’s probably too early to tell, Monday’s RAW showed encouraging signs that the WWE may see Dean Ambrose as more than just a transitional champion. Ambrose was given ample opportunity to play to his strengths, demonstrating his natural line delivery in the opening segment and shining on commentary at the end of the show.
While his in-ring work remains a frantic and often sloppy work-in-progress, Ambrose’s bountiful charisma, paired with a new harder edge to his character, makes him a very realistic candidate for the role of top babyface. That added grit, which saw Dean back up his threats to take out Roman Reigns if necessary, must remain if the transition from upper-midcarder to main eventer is to stick. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wasn’t exactly too interested in making friends or being wacky either.
Fight Forever
No, I’m not referring to the en vogue crowd chant. Rather, the seemingly neverending beef between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, complete with the always hilarious, and cartoonish, fist-flailing dust-ups.
Although only five minutes aired, the match between these two, who the announcers again claimed are “destined to fight forever”, was a very enjoyable taster for what will presumably be a rubber match at Battleground. The finish, with Zayn reversing the Pop-Up Powerbomb into a cradle, was particularly enjoyable.
Angry Dad
I’ve been as critical of the paint-by-numbers Rusev/Titus O’Neil feud as anyone, but Monday night’s resumption of hostilities between the two was a major improvement.
Titus’ impassioned backstage hollering about the Bulgarian having the temerity to disrespect his kids was excellent, ensuring that the former Prime Time Player actually received a reaction for running off the US champion for a change. While I’m not crazy about the idea of another PPV match for a guy that has no business working matches of that calibre, one must award credit where it’s due.
People Power!
Recent unsolicited auditions of Teddy Long and Kane for the role of Smackdown general manager were both leading to this glorious moment — the return of John “Big Johnny” Laurinaitis. Hearing the hoarse one protest that “Big Johnny loves change!” was music to my ears, as was his hurried “People Power!” before Shane McMahon ushered him off the stage. What a preview for those of us literally counting the days to his debut on Total Bellas.
— The Misses —
The Apology Club
Following on from the crummy finish to their match on Sunday, everything about the Cena/AJ Styles dispute fell completely flat on this show.
While AJ’s promo delivery remains great, the material he, Cena and The Club had to work with was wafer-thin, centering mostly around an insincere Styles looking to extract an “apology” from his buddies. Cena of course rejected it, but not in nearly as brief a manner as might be expected. The subsequent 3-minute encounter between he and Karl Anderson was also terrible, with Cena making his opponent look like a geek by destroying him despite gawking at the entrance ramp the entire time. Weak.
Rollins’ characterisation (again)
Seriously?! Let’s get this straight — Seth Rollins works the Money in the Bank main event as a babyface, reverts to whiny heel mode in Monday’s opening segment, and then cuts a rousing “prove myself” promo in the second hour!? The characterisation of The Man/The Future is even more inconsistent than that of his former leader Stephanie McMahon at this stage.
The kind of predictability we saw in his plodding main event against Reigns — complete with Chekhov’s (unbreakable) Spanish announce table and obvious double countout finish — would be very welcome here.
“Oooh, the Wyatts are mad at me. I’m so scared! Oooh, the Wyatts!”
The Wyatts, sans the injured Luke Harper, made their return on Monday night, threatening to ensure that “New Day Falls”. Colour me underwhelmed. The fun-loving New Day should be too, given that Bray Wyatt and co. have delivered on precisely zero of their threats to date.
In fact, it’s difficult to think of a non-jobber heel group with a lower success rate than these jamokes. Hey, at least our tag champs’ interruption prevented us from enduring some of Bray’s patented rambling windbaggery. No buys for anything involving him until the way he’s booked improves drastically.
The big news of the day, if you haven’t heard is WWE’s suspension of Roman Reigns for a wellness violation. It is a 30 day suspension, which would be just in time for a possible return at WWE’s next PPV, Battleground. Bryan and Dave discuss the situation on today’s Break News Wrestling Observer Radio, check it out!
The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas takes place during UFC’s International Fight Week from July 7 – 11.Ed in San Antonio has information up on Facebook, or you can email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com. It’s always a fun time, so hurry up and make your plans to join Dave Meltzer, Bryan Alvarez (yes he’ll be there), Vinny, Granny, and the rest of the group in beautiful Las Vegas this July.
Our “lunch with Granny” is good-to-go at Johnny Rockets (in Excalibur), just like last year, on Saturday July 9th, at 11:30 a.m. local time. We have the “patio area” reserved for us. We’ve also been granted 10% discounts. Just tell the cashier that you’re a part of “Granny’s Gang!” And of course… the star of this event, Ms. Gladys Gibson, just has to show up and be her charming self, and she eats for FREE! See ya soon!
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our 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!
Figure Four Weekly 6/20/2016: Never trust Nigerian investors– Growing up as a way-too-hardcore-for-my-age wrestling fan, I looked forward to watching whatever flavor of wrestling from the Dallas Sportatorium was on ESPN and in syndication at the time. The ESPN show was perfect for kids who loved pro wrestling: It aired at 4 p.m. eastern time, so it was perfect for after-school viewing… Subscribers click here to continue reading.
This week’s Observer has a major story on the gamble of Brock Lesnar in UFC 200, the most in-depth look at the Ariel Helwani situation that you’ll find anywhere, full coverage of NXT Takeover, UFC 199, WWE Money in the Bank, and the details of TNA’s struggle to stay alive, its PPV and its future. There’s also a breakdown on the WWE cruiserweight classic, and monthly WWE and TNA business figures.
Take a look at Michael Bisping’s unlikely title win, all the ramifications of the Lesnar deal, what it shows about WWE, a look back at the last time WWE risked one of their stars against an outsider without scripting, how Ariel Helwani got to be a star reporter and how that played into what happened last week, and what aspects of the story that are really more important that haven’t been covered or have been overlooked, all covered in this week’s issue.
WWE looks at the possibility of adding PPV shows and the good and bad of that decision-making, and some economics of that decision.
A key WWE musician passes away, more on what Ali learned from pro wrestling, Bryan Danielson attends WWE event, Bobby Roode’s debut, notes on SummerSlam, new WWE executive hire, new WWE announcer, WWE looking for new members of creative, who is expected to return shortly, another animated WWE movie, update on Paul Heyman plus a full rundown on all the WWE & NXT live events this past week and business notes on the shows, in this edition.
Take a look at the background of the NXT Takeover show, the debut of Andrade Cien Almas and what did and didn’t work, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.
For UFC 199, we look at the state of the middleweight title, how everything lines up, whom Michael Bisping wants next, as well as match-by-match coverage along with pay records for those on the show.
Finally, read how TNA saved its recent TV tapings and PPV, why they were close to not happening, where money came from, and what to look out for in the future. Plus, check out Slammiversary with match-by-match coverage and star ratings.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
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The RAW replay on SyFy Friday night did 413,000 viewers, on par with what it’s been doing. As usual, it was the highest rated show for the night on that network.
Saturday’s UFC on FS 1 did 964,000 viewers. That’s up from the last few shows but still down from the year to date average. The prelims, which aired on FS 2, did 369,000 viewers, one of the better numbers in the history of that station.
Bellator 156 on Spike TV did just 482,000 viewers on Friday night — the lowest number of the year and the lowest since a September 2013 show, which did 437,000. The Rampage Jackson special that aired immediately afterward did 206,000 viewers
UFC launched the first episode of Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra today. Their first guest should be no surprise: Dana White. Also no surprise, he buried Ariel Helwani and didn’t back off anything he did suspending Helwani and several other MMAFighting.com staffers.
WSOF 31, which ran head to head with Bellator on NBC Sports Network did just 126,000 viewers, also a year to date low for them. The last WSOF show that did a worse number was a December 2013 show, which did 94,000 viewers.
Victory FC 51 airs Thursday evening on UFC Fight Pass, headlined by two title fights featuring fighters with UFC experience. In the main event, Rob Emerson and Shawn West square off for the vacant featherweight title, while Mike Rhodes takes on Rakim Cleveland for the vacant middleweight title in the co-main. Former WSOF featherweight champion Rick Glenn is also on the show. Paul Fontaine has a more in-depth look at the show here, which starts at 6 pm eastern on Thursday.
In a refreshing change from the way fighters usually handle these things, UFC featherweight Chad Mendes has owned up to his recent USADA violation. Via Twitter on Monday: “I didn’t do my homework and that was a big mistake. I own it and I’m going to pay for it”. No suspension has been announced of yet but the standard penalty for a first offense is 2 years.
Add Georges St. Pierre to the list of fighters who want the first crack at new middleweight champion Michael Bisping. He hinted at that in an interview yesterday on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.
Invicta FC announced their next show for July 29th in Kansas City. The show will be headlined by a strawweight title fight between Alexa Grasso and Jodie Esquibel. Former UFC fighters Jessamyn Duke and Peggy Morgan will each fight in undercard matches on the show, which will be airing on UFC Fight Pass.
SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 24 – Isao Kobayashi vs. Justin Lawrence will appear on Spike.com at the Bellator Dynamite show in St. Louis. This is a combo MMA & kickboxing show.
June 24 – Thrash Wrestling “Passion for Smashin” – Schubert Centre 3505 30th Avenue, Vernon, British Columbia V1T 2E6
June 25 – The United Wrestling Coalition returns to Kelly’s Bar/Banquet Hall in Wrightstown, New Jersey for UWC Fan Appreciation Night!
June 25 – PWA Night of Champions – Century Casino Showroom – 1010 42 Ave SE Calgary, Alberta
June 25 – Pure Wrestling Association, Wakas Community Hall, 180 Tsulquate Rd, Port Hardy, BC
June 25 – Great North Wrestling returns to the Pembroke Memorial Centre, featuring Nicolai Volkoff. Tickets available here.
June 25 – The UWC returns to Kelly’s Bar/Banquet Hall, 14 Railroad Avenue, Wrightstown, NJ 08562. More information here.
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 25 – Capital City Championship Combat this Saturday in Ottawa with “Speedball” Mike Bailey, 2 Cold Scorpio, Space Monkey, “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams, and more.
July 1 – Pure Wrestling Association is proud to announce our 7th year as part of the Canada Day Celebration. Riverside Park Cambridge, Cambridge, Ontario N3H.
July 2 – Stars of Wrestling from Alameda, CA at the Alameda Point Gym has Bobby Lashley, Carlito and The Boogeyman appearing.
July 2 – NWA Cajun Heat in Morgan City, LA at the Municipal Auditorium with Jax Dane vs. Mustang Mike for the NWA title, and an appearance by Kevin Nash
July 7 – Rock Solid Wrestling runs in Sudbury, ON.
July 9 – Smash Wrestling in Fort Erie, ONT at the Native Friendship Center. Chris Hero will headline this fundraising event.
July 17 – Lucha by the Water ft Blue Demon Jr! – Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 231 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2G8, 3-6 pm. Tickets here.
July 17 – Premier Wrestling at the IFDES Lodge and Portuguese Hall in Gilroy, CA with Joe Graves vs. Gabriel Gallo for the Premier. Tickets at www.premierwrestle.com.
July 22 – Ignite Wrestling in Fort Pierce, FL at the National Guard Armory on a show with Lince Dorado, Mr. 450 Hammet, Lio Rush, Martin Stone, Los Ben Dejos, and more
July 22 – AIW runs on 7/22 in Cleveland, OH, with Ethan Page vs. Josh Prohibition vs. Josh Alexander, and Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae vs. Ethan Carter III & Karlee Perez
July 22 – the Lou Thesz Hall of Fame weekend show in Waterloo, IA, featuring Ricochet vs. Sami Callihan, Wes Brisco, B. Brian Blair, Jessika Havok, Tessa Blanchard, a steel cage match and more
July 23 – AAW in Merrionnette Park, IL, with Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr., Zack Sabre Jr., Marty Scurll; Tommaso Ciampa; Fenix; Johnny Gargano, and plenty more. Here’s what you missed on their last show.
July 23 – Masters of Ring Entertainment in Wilmington, NC, as part of Pro Wrestling Fan Expo 3 will feature Jeff Jarret vs. ECIII vs. James Storm, announced by Jarrett in this video.
July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY
The hot Raw show and the match to determine the top contender in the third hour proved that if the show is good and has a strong main event, the audience will largely stick with it.
Raw did its best numbers since April 11, eight days after WrestleMania, doing 3.47 million viewers, up from the seasonal lowest mark since 1997 of 2.96 million the week before, a 17 percent increase over the week.
Among the reasons for the increase was lack of television competition, with no major sports and nothing on network TV that did more than 7.1 million viewers. Raw had been hurt in recent weeks particularly by the NBA playoffs and to a lesser extent the NHL playoffs, and Dancing With the Stars. Raw ended up third for the night on cable behind Rizzoli & Isles and Major Crimes on TNT and second in the 18-49 demo behind Love & Hip Hop Atlanta.
The three hours were:
8 p.m. 3.42 million viewers 9 p.m. 3.56 million viewers 10 p.m. 3.42 million viewer
In a shocking story, WWE announced they have suspended Roman Reigns (Joe Anoa’i) for 30 days effective immediately due to a violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.
WWE.com wrote: “WWE has suspended Joe Anoa`i (Roman Reigns) for 30 days effective immediately for his first violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.”
On Twitter, Reigns simply said, “I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy. No excuses. I own it.”
The 31-year-old Reigns dropped the WWE championship Sunday at Money In The Bank. On RAW Monday night, a match was made between he, Rollins, and new WWE Champion Dean Ambrose for Battleground, the next WWE PPV event on July 24th.
That fact raises an interesting quandry. The 30 day window would expire before Battleground, so does WWE leave an off-TV Reigns in the match and just roll with it? If they did, what type of backlash could they expect?
To that end, WWE gave the following quote:
“The suspension runs through July 20. He is eligible to return on July 21. Battleground is on July 24. We are considering all of our creative options.”
Whatever decision is made regarding the main event will likely be announced tonight in Tucson
Positioned as the new face of the company, Reigns has had many stops and starts in the past few years in an attempt to have the fans win him over. A former college football player, Reigns has been in the business for nearly six years.
– Earl Caddock defeated Ed “Strangler” Lewis by decision to unify his claim to the World Heavyweight Title (no falls in a 2 out of 3 falls match that lasted 2 hours and 30-minutes. Referee Ed Smith awarded the match to Caddock on points)
1934
Mexico City, Mexico: – Francisco Aguayo defeated Martinez Larrea for the Mexico National Heavyweight Title
1942
– Ciclon Veloz defeated Jack O’Brien to win the Mexico National Welterweight Title
1946
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Ray Villmer & Bobby Bruns beat Bill Lee & Orville Brown 2 falls to 1 to win the St. Joseph tag team titles
1955
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Leo Nomellini & Bronko Nagurski beat Kinji Shibuya & Ike Eakins in 2 out of 3 falls – Red Bastien beat Pedro Escobar – Dick the Bruiser (as Bruiser Afflis) beat Ovila Asselin (as Guy LaRose) – Ilio DiPaolo beat Jack Pesek
1957
Houston, Texas: – Pepper Gomez & El Medico defeated Duke Keomuka & Tokyo Joe for the NWA Texas Tag Team Titles
1961
Duluth, Minnesota: – AWA Champion Verne Gagne no contest Wilbur Snyder – AWA US Champion Gene Kiniski beat Jack Pesek – Bob Geigel beat Tony Bailargeon – George Scott beat Marquie DeParee
1963
Houston, Texas: – Pepper Gomez defeated Bill Watts to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title
1965
Portland, Oregon: – Stan Stasiak & Haru Sasaki defeated Pepper Martin & Shag Thomas for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles
1966
Birmingham, Alabama: – Tojo Yamamoto & Great Higami defeated Len Rossi & Mario Milano to win the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Titles
1967
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: – Bill Watts beat Harley Race – Larry Hennig beat Rene Goulet – Dr. X beat Dutch Savage – George Gordienko beat Bobby Jones
1969
Atlanta, Georgia: – Paul DeMarco defeated The Professional (Doug Gilbert) for the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title
Chattanooga, Tennessee: – Johnny Walker & Bearcat Brown defeated The Great Mephisto & Dante to win the Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles
1971
Memphis, Tennessee: – Don & Al Greene win the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Titles by defeating Tojo Yamamoto & Jerry Jarrett
Montreal, Quebec, Canada: – Tarzan Zorra defeated Jos LeDuc to win the International Wrestling Association International Heavyweight Title
1973
Kansas City, Kansas: – Roger Kirby defeated Mike George – World Tag Team Champions; Togo the Great & Tokyo Joe beat Bobo Brazil & Omar Atlas – Harley Race & Bob Brown wrestled Dory Funk, Jr. & Terry Funk to a double DQ
1975
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch beat Baron Von Raschke & Kurt Von Brawner (sub Horst Hoffman) – Billy Robinson beat Ray Stevens dq – Chris Taylor beat Buddy Wolff – Khosrow Vaziri drew Jim Brunzell
1978
Knoxville, Tennessee: – Mongolian Stomper won an elimination match to win the vacant NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Title
1980
Kansas City, Kansas: – Takachiho (The Great Kabuki) & Killer Karl Kox defeated Bob Brown & Pat O’Connor to win the NWA Central States Tag Team Titles
1981
Atlanta, Georgia: – Dusty Rhodes defeated Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Wrestling Title
1982
New Orleans, Louisiana: – Junkyard Dog defeated Bob Roop for the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Title
1984
Kansas City, Kansas: – The Uptown Boys (Marty Janetty & Tommy Rogers) defeated The Grapplers (Len Denton & Tony Anthony) for the NWA Central States Tag Team Titles – Ted Oates defeated Luke Graham to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title
Malvern, England: – Steve Grey defeated Danny Collins for the British Welterweight Title
Salt Lake City, Utah: – Fabulous Ones beat King Kong Brody & Larry Zbyszko – Abdullah The Butcher ddq The Crusher – Nick Bockwinkel beat Billy Robinson – Curt Hennig drew Steve Regal – Steve O beat Chris Markoff
1985
Chicago, Illinois: – Sgt. Slaughter defeated Larry Zbyszko to win the AWA America’s Heavyweight Title – Michael Hayes beat AWA Champion Rick Martel in a non title match – Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts & Butch Reed beat Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher & Baron Von Raschke – Greg Gagne drew Nick Bockwinkel – Ray Stevens beat Steve O – Brad Rheingans drew Billy Robinson
Mexico City, Mexico: – Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. defeated MS-1 to win the NWA World Light Heavyweight Title
St. Louis, Missouri: – Kerry Von Erich beat NWA Champion Ric Flair dq – Harley Race beat Bobby Duncum – Blackjack Lanza (sub Dick the Bruiser) & Bulldog Bob Brown & Iceman Parsons beat Mr Pogo & Starship Coyote & Gary Royal – Larry Hennig & Curt Hennig beat Super Destroyer & Sheik Abdullah
1986
Tokyo, Japan: – Mika Komatsu and Kanako Nagatomo defeated The Red Typhoons (Kazue Nagahori and Yumi Ogura) for the AJW Tag Team Titles
1987
Puerto Rico: – Al Perez defeats The Dingo (Ultimate) Warrior for the World Class Texas Heavyweight Title
Rockford, Illinois: – Curt Hennig & Larry Zbyszko beat Nick Bockwinkel & Greg Gagne dq – Wahoo McDaniel beat Boris Zhukov – Sherri Martel beat Candi Divine dq – Kevin Kelly drew DJ Peterson – Mitch Snow & Ray Stevens beat Nasty Boys
1992
Tokyo, Japan: – Punish (Keiti Takayami) and Crush (Shoji Akiyoshi) defeated Scorpio, Jr. and Shu El Guerrero to win Michinoku Pro Wrestling’s UWA/UWF Intercontinental Tag Team Titles
Naucalpan, Mexico: – Villano III defeated The Killer for the UWA World Junior Heavyweight Title
1993
Memphis, Tennessee: – Owen Hart defeated Papa Shango for the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Title – New Jack & Homeboy defeated Rex King & Steve Doll for the USWA Tag Team Titles
1994
Cuernavaca, Mexico: – El Pantera defeated Felino to win the CMLL World Welterweight Title
2000
Memphis, Tennessee: – Steven Regal defeated Jerry Lawler for the MCW Southern Heavyweight Title – The Fabulous Rocker defeated Spanky to win the MCW Light Heavyweight Championship
Tokyo, Japan: – The Samoans (Eddie Fatu and Matty Samu) defeated Hideki Hosaka and Yoshinori Sasaki to win the FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Titles
2001
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada: – Michael Modest defeated Bruce Hart for the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title
2003
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: – Terry Funk defeated The Sandman and “Pitbull” Gary Wolfe (subbing for then-champion Sabu) to win the vacant 3PW Heavyweight Title
2009
TNA Slammiversary | Auburn Hills, Michigan: – Beer Money, Inc defeated Team 3-D for the TNA Tag Team Titles – Kurt Angle won the TNA Heavyweight Title in a King of the Mountain match over Mick Foley, Jeff Jarrett, Samoa Joe and AJ Styles – Suicide defeated Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley in a King of the Mountain match to retain the TNA X Division Championship – Daniels defeated Shane Douglas – Angelina Love (with Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne) defeated Tara to retain the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship – Abyss and Taylor Wilde defeated Raven and Daffney (with Dr. Stevie) in a Monster’s Ball mixed tag team match – Sting defeated Matt Morgan
2014
NJPW Dominion | Osaka, Japan: – The Time Splitters, (Alex Shelley & Kushida) beat The Young Bucks to win the IWGP Jr. Tag Tam Titles – Tetsuya Naito defeated Tama Tonga – Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata) defeated Tomoaki Honma and Yuji Nagata – Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) defeated K.E.S. (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) (with Taka Michinoku) to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship – Kota Ibushi (with El Desperado) defeated Ricochet (with Masaaki Mochizuki) to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship – Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka) (with Taka Michinoku) defeated Kazushi Sakuraba and Toru Yano – Bullet Club (A.J. Styles and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Chaos (Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii) (with Gedo) – Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) defeated Ace to King (Hiroshi Tanahashi and Togi Makabe) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship – Bad Luck Fale (with Tama Tonga) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
The Big Takeaway: The main event of Battleground will be Dean Ambrose defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in a Triple Threat match. That match was ordered after Reigns and Rollins fought to a double countout in tonight’s main event. The Wyatt Family made their return to set up a new program with The New Day. Xavier Woods appeared to be put in a momentary trance by the Wyatts. Sasha Banks also returned and went after Charlotte. The show also built up the draft on Smackdown. It was a show run by Shane McMahon as Stephanie McMahon had the night off.
Show Recap:
Dean Ambrose opened the show in a pretape, getting out of a taxi cab wearing all black. He really is a lunatic because it reached 120 degrees in Phoenix this weekend. He tossed the cab driver a wad of bills. Just as the cab pulled away, Ambrose stopped him and pulled the WWE World Heavyweight Championship out from the backseat.
Ambrose did an interview with “You deserve it” chants. He said last night was a long night and dropped a reference to the Cleveland Cavaliers winning the NBA World Championship. He told Seth Rollins that last night was a lesson where what goes around comes around. He said if Roman Reigns called himself “The Guy,” does that make him “the dude?” He said the reason why he patched himself together after getting knocked down every time was because he wanted to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Reigns came out. He got booed before he started speaking. Reigns said last night wasn’t his night, it was Ambrose’s night. He congratulated Ambrose, then asked “What did it feel like to cash in against Seth?” Ambrose said he would have cashed in against Reigns, too. Fans started a loud “You can’t wrestle” chant. Reigns told all the dudes to relax, take a sip out of their beer and shut up. Reigns brought up that he had a rematch clause. Then Rollins showed up saying he rehabbed his injured knee for seven months, beat Reigns fair and square, but Ambrose had his championship moment stolen from him. Reigns said “it doesn’t feel good, does it?” Rollins said at least he did to to Reigns’ face.
Rollins claiimed he never lost the championship. Reigns wondered why it was then on Ambrose’s shoulder. Reigns said there was an easy way to settle this and wanted to fight Rollins, who shot back there was nothing to settle because he beat Reigns. Shane McMahon came out and said Reigns and Rollins should wrestle to determine who faces Ambrose first. Rollins wanted to know if Shane consulted Stephanie first. Shane pretended Stephanie was there, then said she wasn’t here tonight so he’s running the show tonight. So Shane ordered Reigns vs. Rollins tonight for the #1 contendership tonight.
Michael Cole announced the draft on Tuesday, July 19th. JBL told Byron Saxton that he could get drafted to ECW.
They aired the HHH tweet congratulating the Cavaliers on winning the NBA Championship. They’ll be getting the next custom made WWE World Championship strap. They also showed LeBron James getting off the airplane wearing an Ultimate Warrior t-shirt. That led to one writer tweeting that Stephen Curry should wear a Renegade t-shirt.
Sami Zayn defeated Kevin Owens (8:47)
Sami Zayn won when Kevin Owens attempted the Pop-Up Power Bomb, but Zayn reversed it into a victory roll. They opened with a hockey fight sequence which Zayn got the better of. Owens spent the first part of the match trying to walk out, including trying to get away through the crowd. Zayn chased him back in, but was thrown into the dasherboards. Owens hit a Superkick at the end for a near fall.
Postmatch, Owens attacked Zayn as he was celebrating. Owens tried to power bomb Zayn off the ramp to the floor, but Zayn blocked it with a double-leg takedown and they had a pull-apart brawl. They continued to fight backstage, where Owens threw Zayn into trunk cases. Zayn recovered, then took a page from Larry Holmes’ brawl with Trevor Burbick where he ran onto the cases and jumped on Owens again. Finally, Fit Finley came in and pulled Zayn off.
John Laurinaitis was this week’s throwback authority figure. He came out wearing a red blazer, red pants and white shoes. JBL said he looked like Craig Sager. Shane wondered what John was doing there. Laurinaitis said he wanted to run Smackdown. Shane said SmackDown wouldn’t be run by a corporate yes man. Shane said he was running SmackDown. John said he wanted to run Raw and mentioned “People power” as he disappeared.
Enzo and Big Cass came out with Enzo Amore comparing sneakers with Shane. Enzo called him Johnny Laryngitis and did his “No dimes” line saying that’s the amount of money he would have every time something worthwile came out of Laryngitis’ mouth. Cass said Laurinatis may have been “Ace Dynamic Dude” back in his day, but in the new era he was “Sawft.”
Enzo and Big Cass defeated the Vaudevillains (2:55)
Amore pinned Aidan English after the Rocket Launcher, which has been redubbed the “Bada Boom Shaka-Laka.” Vaudevillains lost in less than three minutes and didn’t get a ring entrance.
Returning to the Cleveland celebration, they showed Kevin Love in the locker room copying Steve Austin where he guzzled two beers at once.
A.J. Styles came out after his win over John Cena. Styles said he should be happy because he’s envisioned beating Cena for years, and then it became a reality. But the win was tainted. Styles maintained he beat Cena and repeated it twice. But it didn’t go down the way he dreamt it would because Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson had no business in his business. He called Gallows and Anderson to come to the ring and give him a public apology.
Anderson and Gallows came out. Styles said he didn’t need their help. Anderson said they were just trying to help. Styles said they gave Cena an excuse. They dragged his name through the mud by interferring. Styles asked for Karl to look him in the eye and apology. Anderson looked at Styles and, in the most condescending way to the fans and Cena, apologized to Styles. Gallows did the same. Styles acted like that was proof he had no idea he knew about it and then asked them to apologize to Cena.
Cena came out in his new t-shirt designed after the PBR logo. Cena said he didn’t need an apology because he and Styles had a signed agreement and Styles broke it. Gallows said Styles didn’t know about the interference. He apologized. Anderson said Cena and Styles signed a contract last week, but he and Gallows didn’t. Anderson said he was sorry. Styles tried to pass that off as proof.
Cena wasn’t hearing any of it. He said Styles is struggling to survive in the WWE and got a win last night by any means necessary. Styles said he was using the apology only to hide he isn’t as good as he says he is. Styles says he was using the Club as an excuse because Cena isn’t as good as he says he is.
Cena says he respects the win because that’s how you advance in the WWE. But above the win is your win. And when you’re a champion and your back is against the wall, you have two things: your balls and your word. Last night, Styles proved he had neither one of them. That got loud “Cena” chants.
Styles said Anderson and Gallows did Cena a favor by giving him an excuse. Styles said he would give Cena a chance to fight any member of the Club he wanted. Cena immediately said Styles. But Styles said he couldn’t fight him because he has to do the Stone Cold Podcast. And he’s already beaten Cena. Cena asked if it even mattered because one will be in the ring and the other two will be at ringside. Styles said Cena was wrong. The Club huddled and Styles said Anderson would fight Cena one-on-one and would prove Cena isn’t as good as he thinks he is.
John Cena defeated Karl Anderson by DQ (2:22)
Match was a total squash with Cena getting all of the offense. He hit the AA on Anderson before Styles and Gallows ran in for the DQ. Anderson and Gallows delievered the Magic Killer on Cena, following Styles orders. Styles followed with the Styles Clash on Cena and they posed over him to mostly boos.
JoJo interviewed Rollins about his match with Reigns. Rollins said last night was about proving things to the world, and when he defeated Reigns he proved he was the best and Reigns didn’t deserve to be champion. He said Ambrose also proved something last night. When he stole the WWE Championship from him, Ambrose proved he was a cockroach and a thief. Rollins said he’ll beat Reigns tonight and prove who the best member of the Shield really is.
Becky Lynch did an interview with Renee Young after Natalya turned on her last night. Lynch said she’s had three friends turn on her since debuting on Raw. She said she was going to start looking out for herself when Natalya came up and jumped her from behind. Natalya said for the first time in years, she’s going to worry about herself.
Baron Corbin defeated Zack Ryder (3:02)
Baron Corbin won with the End of Days. Zack Ryder had a chance to do the Randy Savage elbow before losing.
They showed the press conference in China. It was the first appearance by HHH on Raw since the Monday before WrestleMania. Cena was also featured. They also highlighted the first Chinese athlete signed to a developmental contract, Bin Wang.
Paige started to do an interview with Young, but Charlotte and Dana Brooke interrupted her. Charlotte said when Team PCB broke up, she rose to the top of the women’s division while Paige sank like a rock in the ocean. Brooke said “Timber!” Paige treated her like an airhead and said Charlotte’s championship would look great around her waist when she beats her tonight.
Charlotte (C) defeated Paige to retain the WWE Women’s Championship (8:23)
Finish appeared to be somewhat screwed up. Paige hit the Rampage. Brooke was supposed to put Charlotte’s boot on the rope. But Brooke couldn’t do that before the referee finished the three count. So whent the referee looked up, he had to pretend he didn’t see Brooke holding on to Charlotte’s boot, which the viewers at home did. The referee looked like he had someone screaming in his earpiece because he belatedly ordered Brooke to the back. Brooke didn’t go to the back. In the midst of all this, Charlotte hit Natural Selection for the win.
After the pin, Sasha Banks came out to a huge pop. Charlotte ordered Brooke to go after her, but Banks decked her with one punch. Banks went after Charlotte, but Brooke jumped Banks from behind. Paige awakened and sent Charlotte and Brooke out of the ring. So they’re finally getting to the Charlotte-Banks program.
Reigns did a promo with Jojo saying tonight he would be the guy for defeats Rollins.
Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman made their return. They got “Welcome Back” chants. Wyatt asked if the fans missed him? Wyatt said they had been locked away, but through it all they have never forgotten what they stand for. He said the Wyatts are as strong as they have ever been. Then the New Day came out with their regular routine. They have rainbow socks now.
Xavier Woods siad Bray had been talking way too long “you need to cut it.” Big E. said Rowan has a big, ole booty. Kofi Kingston said whenever the New Day comes out, the fans have fun. It wa the power of positivity that allowed them to be WWE Tag Team Champions. However, as Kofi talked, Woods walked towards the ring like Wyatt had put him in a trance. Big E. had to snap him out of it, but Woods again looked like he had fallen under Wyatt’s spell.
Wyatt said he saw the New Day’s future. And it goes “New Day Falls. New Day Falls.” The segment abruptly ended. So they’re forgetting about Wyatt’s face turn when he teamed with Reigns just before his injury in April.
The newest Life Lessons with Bob Backlund featured Darren Young saying that he had been reading lots of poetry that motivated him. Backlund said Young shouldn’t take advice from anyone. Young asked if that includes Backlund, who said he doesn’t give advice, he gives orders. He then ordered Young to do 100 knee raises.
Lana was in the ring, as Ric Flair would say, looking as only as she can look with a black dress. She introduced Rusev. This led to a Titus O’Neal interview. He was furious over Rusev telling his kids last night that their father was a loser. He screamed that Rusev should never disrespect his family. He would have made his point much better if he had looked in the right camera when delivering that line.
Rusev vs. O’Neal never started. It was simply a brawl around ringside. O’Neal was much more intense as they traded hard knees and punches. O’Neal ended it when he whipped Rusev towards the timekeepers table and clotheslined him over the barricade. Rusev walked to the back.
The Miz and Maryse did another promo from the set of the Marine 5. Miz talked about how he liked to enjoy lunch with the members of the crew. Then someone walked up to him with a plate of food. Miz threw it back in his face because the plate didn’t contain quail. Maryse fired him. Miz screamed how no one on the set can do anything right as the rest of the crew stared at him blankly as they were eating. Miz did an about face saying everyone was doing a great job, but everyone still glared at him.
Chris Jericho met Shane backstage. Jericho claimed that Shane had hated him for 16 years. Shane cancelled the Highlight Reel and hadn’t made him #1 contender for Ambrose’s championship. Shane brought up that Jericho didn’t win the Money in the Bank match last night and lost to Ambrose at Extreme Rules. Jericho said he had 60 thumbtacks in his back after that match. He went on to say he’s drafted to the brand that Shane isn’t on because he would rather work with 10 Stephanie McMahons than one of Shane. Shane warned him that he would be running both brands and Jericho would be a loser either way.
Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins went to a double countout (17:26)
Very good match that ended with the Spanish announce table coming into play. Reigns speared Rollins onto the table. I’m not sure if the table was supposed to break, but it didn’t. Neither man could get back in the ring before the ten count. Lots of good near falls, including Rollins kicking out of the Superman punch. Rollins hit a springboard knee that Reigns escaped from. Earlier, Rollins attempted a kneedrop off the apron, but missed and Reigns gave him a big boot. Fans had a loud “You can’t wrestle” chant aimed at Reigns early on. Ambrose was on commentary. Though he threw in a few jokes, he wasn’t acting like Reigns’ little buddy anymore.
After the finish, Shane came out and said there had to be a number one contender. Ambrose’s stepped in and said he would face Reigns and Rollins on the same night. Shane then ordered a triple-threat match between the three as the main event for Battleground. Reigns looked like he had something to say to Ambrose, but Ambrose gave him Dirty Deeds, then started to leave. Rollins was about to deliver the Pedigree on Reigns, but Ambrose ran back in and gave Rollins Dirty Deeds, as well.
There should be a lot of interest in Raw today with the title change last night. The title change opens up a lot of new possibilities and also the question as to whether Roman Reigns run as the new face of the company is over. The title loss doesn’t mean that, as they were pushing Reigns as the top face during the entire Seth Rollins title run. It appears they will be doing a three-way deal with The Shield for now, but as far as face, heel, whatever, or shades of gray, and whether this is just a new method to push Reigns as top face with a new story, or a legit change in direction, tonight’s show could answer at least to a degree. With five weeks until the next PPV, I don’t expect a ton of direction as they usually go hard for three weeks. Plus, we’re still waiting on the Wyatt family return. Bray Wyatt has been around, but they want to reintroduce him and the family in a meaningful way.
We’re looking for your thoughts on yesterday’s New Japan Dominion and WWE Money in the Bank shows, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.
Raw is live tonight in Phoenix with the fallout of Money in the Bank.
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Tucson, AZ
We’re also looking for reports on Saturday’s WWE house show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas takes place during UFC’s International Fight Week from July 7 – 11.Ed in San Antonio has information up on Facebook, or you can email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com. It’s always a fun time, so hurry up and make your plans to join Dave Meltzer, Bryan Alvarez (yes he’ll be there), Vinny, Granny, and the rest of the group in beautiful Las Vegas this July.
Our “lunch with Granny” is good-to-go at Johnny Rockets (in Excalibur), just like last year, on Saturday July 9th, at 11:30 a.m. local time. We have the “patio area” reserved for us. We’ve also been granted 10% discounts. Just tell the cashier that you’re a part of “Granny’s Gang!” And of course… the star of this event, Ms. Gladys Gibson, just has to show up and be her charming self, and she eats for FREE! See ya soon!
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Figure Four Weekly 6/13/2016: Gawker files for bankruptcy – Depending on your point of view, Hulk Hogan went one step further towards either succeeding or failing in his lawsuit against Gawker Media last Friday when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the type that allows the company to continue operating.
This week’s Observer has a major story on the gamble of Brock Lesnar in UFC 200, the most in-depth look at the Ariel Helwani situation that you’ll find anywhere, full coverage of NXT Takeover, UFC 199, WWE Money in the Bank, and the details of TNA’s struggle to stay alive, its PPV and its future. There’s also a breakdown on the WWE cruiserweight classic, and monthly WWE and TNA business figures.
Take a look at Michael Bisping’s unlikely title win, all the ramifications of the Lesnar deal, what it shows about WWE, a look back at the last time WWE risked one of their stars against an outsider without scripting, how Ariel Helwani got to be a star reporter and how that played into what happened last week, and what aspects of the story that are really more important that haven’t been covered or have been overlooked, all covered in this week’s issue.
WWE looks at the possibility of adding PPV shows and the good and bad of that decision-making, and some economics of that decision.
A key WWE musician passes away, more on what Ali learned from pro wrestling, Bryan Danielson attends WWE event, Bobby Roode’s debut, notes on SummerSlam, new WWE executive hire, new WWE announcer, WWE looking for new members of creative, who is expected to return shortly, another animated WWE movie, update on Paul Heyman plus a full rundown on all the WWE & NXT live events this past week and business notes on the shows, in this edition.
Take a look at the background of the NXT Takeover show, the debut of Andrade Cien Almas and what did and didn’t work, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.
For UFC 199, we look at the state of the middleweight title, how everything lines up, whom Michael Bisping wants next, as well as match-by-match coverage along with pay records for those on the show.
Finally, read how TNA saved its recent TV tapings and PPV, why they were close to not happening, where money came from, and what to look out for in the future. Plus, check out Slammiversary with match-by-match coverage and star ratings.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
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Jeremy Botter just reported a UFC deal with WME/IMG for $4.2 billion was accepted. As noted, the bids were finalized on Thursday and the two leading bidders, WME/IMG and China Media Capital, were told UFC would get back to them within a few days. So from a timing standpoint, I was expecting this at any time. At this point we have not been able to independently confirm this story but WME/IMG was the favorite for the past week. The story lists Garry Cook as the probable new CEO in the spot formerly held by Lorenzo Fertitta. Cook in that spot had also been expected. The story states Dana White will stay and will also have some ownership interest.
Kurt Angle was on Mark Madden’s radio show today and said that he has talked with HHH about coming back to WWE. The conversation took place six weeks ago and he said he didn’t know when he was coming in. That’s an about-face on Angle who the company had no talked with even though he’s been a free agent since the end of January and they wouldn’t even talk with him the year earlier when he was a free agent. As noted the WWE has been very aggressive of late when it comes to contacting talent, including people that in the past they had shown no interest in. They are looking to make as big a bang as possible over the next month leading to the brand launch. However, a few of the names who have been mentioned as being talked with have told us that their names on the list are incorrect, but they are people under contract to TNA or Lucha Underground. They were looking at introducing people ASAP, including before the draft takes place. The only names we can report that were called are MVP, Carlito and Stevie Richards, but that’s the tip of the iceberg. Not everyone called is looking at going, but enough are that the independent scene as far as companies that like to use ex-WWE stars to draw may get more difficult shortly.
The NBA seventh game between the Warriors and Cavs last night averaged 30.8 million viewers and peaked at 44.5 million at 10:30 p.m. It was the most watched NBA game since 1998. WWE has gotten a good deal of pub out of this because Kevin Love wore a Steve Austin T-shirt in the post-show news conference and LeBron James wore an Ultimate Warrior T-shirt today.
For Google trends, while the NBA playoffs with more than 10 million searches blew everything away, WWE did have 500,000 searches for Money in the Bank. That’s the same as UFC has been doing for its PPVs and what WWE has been doing for its recent shows as well. UFC on Saturday had 200,000 searches which is well above what they usually do for FS 1 shows. However, a lot of the UFC searches related to the future of Dana White and sale of the company. To that point, Brandon Howard has a very interesting article regarding Google searches and WWE popularity and why ratings may not be meaningful to track popularity, although they are still meaningful since TV is the leading source of revenue.
WWE
Jerry Lawler and fiance Lauryn McBride appeared earlier today in front of Judge William Turner who ordered no contact, no communication, no texts and no phone calls between the two. Both were charged with domestic assault because police officers couldn’t determine a primary aggressor. Both were released on Friday. They have another court date on 7/1.
Alberto Del Rio suffered a bruised bone in taking that ladder bump late in last night’s match and got precautionary X-rays taken today.
The 32 competitors in the cruiserweight tournament as well as some alternates are in Orlando right now. They are shooting personality profiles and undergoing complete physicals. The first round will be shot on Thursday and air over a number of weeks in July, with it being a weekly one hour show on the WWE Network, airing on Wednesday nights after NXT.
The Steve Austin podcast with A.J. Styles starts immediately after Raw tonight in Phoenix.
WWE legal has approved the John Cena T-shirt with the Pabst Blue Ribbon design.
WWE looks to be pushing Seth Rollins two minutes as champion as the shortest WWE title reign in history.
WWE will be doing TVs in Southern California with an 8/8 show in Anaheim at the Honda Center and 8/9 show in Bakersfield. Presales start on Friday.
New NXT dates have been announced for 8/4 in Birmingham, 8/5 in Pensacola and 8/6 in New Orleans.
MISCELLANEOUS
Former WCW & WWE star Marc Mero underwent heart surgery last week in Cleveland to have his aorta replaced and install a heart valve. Best of luck to him in his recovery.
Bellator announced that Friday’s show will stream live in Japan at AbemaTV, which is a streaming company partially owned by TV Asahi. The Japanese interest is because of Satoshi Ishii, who won a gold medal in judo in the 2008 Olympics, in the main event against Rampage Jackson. The show goes head-to-head with the ROH PPV.
Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Jeff Hardy, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Drew Galloway, Gunner, Chase Stevens and Terri Runnels appear this coming weekend at the Fanboy Expo Comic Con in Knoxville. For more info go to www.fanboyexpo.com. They will be appearing at different times between 6/24 and 6/26 and 10 a.m and 5 p.m.
ONE has announced a 7/2 show in Hefei China at the Olympic Sports Center with Narantungalag Jadambaa of Mongolia vs. Eric Kelly of The Philippines as the main event. ONE is the one major MMA and pro wrestling group that has made inroads into China with regular shows.
TCW on Saturday night in Rozzano, Italy: Claudio Campari & Martini b Death Mask & Paziente Zero, Violent Joe b Oxlade Black, Backslash b Sami Grayson, Carlo Birra b Rocco Gioiello, Scandalo b Turbo, II Marchese b Pain, Darkness II b Fenice Rossa (thanks to Alessio Garbini)
Friday night at the Auditorio in Tijuana: Dinastia Silver b Black Machine, Angel Vengador b Furia Salvaje, Enigma b Dinamico, Fantastik & Nino Hamburguesa & Fabi Apache NC Super Fly & Mari Apache & Polvo de Estrellas, Damian 666 & Bestia 666 & Rey Hours b Averno & Chessman & Pagano, Dr. Wagner Jr. & Chris Masters & La Parka b The Psycho Circus
GMLW on 7/23 in Pacoma, CA at the San Fernando Valley Boys & Girls Club features Caristico, La Mascara, Misterioso and Misterioso Jr.
Caristico (original Sin Cara) also appears on Sunday in Westminster, CO at the Imperium Events Center.
Solar vs. Negro Navarro for the Maestros championships takes place Saturday in Andersen, MN at the Anderson School and Sunday in Chicago at Chi-Town Futbol.
Laredo Kid vs. Brian Cage on 7/23 in Benbrook TX and the Camp Bowie Bingo Hall.
Jim Ross and Jimmy Garvin along with Ingles Markets and Eblen Charities are promoting the Second Annual Headlock on Hunger Food drive in Asheville, NC, to benefit the Ingles/Eblen Food for Thought program. Ross and Garvin will be collecting food and donations on 6/29 at the Ingles on Tunnel Rd. in Asheville, with ross from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. an Garvin from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that Sonjay Dutt will be featured on a track called Moguls by ripper Vice with plenty of wrestling lines listed.
James Gallagher (3-0) vs. Mike Cutting (6-5) has been added to the 7/16 Bellator show at the O2 Arena in London that is headlined by Paul Daley vs. Douglas Lima.
CWE on 7/8 in Winnipeg at Rookie’s Sports Bar featuring a Lethal Lottery show.
Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Buff Bagwell on Friday night in Elizabethton, TN at the Evolution Sports Gym.
Three men, Scott Knight, 23, Adam Knight, 20 and Joshua Knight, 19, have been charged with murder of a Ramsgate, UK woman 54-year-old Delyth Andrews with it claimed they used WWE and UFC moves including rainbow flips, T-bones, FUs and cliff hangers on her. In November, emergency services were called when Andrews was found lying on her bad saying they jumped all over her, and X-rays showed multiple rib fractures as well as a fractured sternum and pelvis. She said the brothers had taken her TV and jewelry and performed body slams on her. The woman died from the injuries in December. Joshua is alleged to have told police they did WWE moves on her.
Kansas City, Kansas: – World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown defeated Wladek Zbyszko 2 falls to 0
1947
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Tug Carlson & Ralph Garibaldi beat Orville Brown & Sockeye Jack McDonald – Ras (Seelie) Samara beat Wally Dusek by dq – Sailor Fred Blassie beat Jack Page – Don Anderson drew Harry McGinnis
1953
Mexico City, Mexico: – Sugi Sito defeated Tarzan Lopez to win the NWA World Middleweight Title
1960
Birmingham, Alabama: – Tor Yamata and Mr. Moto defeated Mike Clancy and Oni Wiki Wiki for the Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles
1961
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – In Non Title Death Match; Hard Boiled Haggerty & Gene Kiniski beat AWA Tag Team Champions Leo Nomellini & Wilbur Snyder – Tiny Mill beat Roy McClarty – Jack Pesek beat Marquis de Paree – Bob Geigel beat Tony Baillargeon
1963
Kansas City, Kansas: – In a match for the World Tag Team Titles; Masked Medic#1 and Masked Medic#2 drew Pat O’Connor and Tiny Mills – In a match for the US Title; Larry Hamilton beat Rock Hunter via dq – Bob Orton drew Steve Bolus – Steve Kovacs beat Joe Scarpello
1967
Duluth, Minnesota: – Harley Race beat The Crusher – Larry Hennig beat Jack Lanza – Johnny Powers beat Doug Gilbert – Rene Goulet beat Big K
1968
Kansas City, Kansas: – Bob Ellis defeated Bob Brown – Argentina Rocca defeated Roger Kirby in three falls
1969
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Pat O’Connor defeated Dick Murdoch to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title
Indianapolis, Indiana: – The Chain Gang (Jack and Frank Dillinger) defeated Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher for the WWA World Tag Team Titles
1970
Portland, Oregon: – Beauregard and The Claw defeated Moondog Mayne and Frankie Laine for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles
1973
Honolulu, Hawaii: – In a Stretcher match; Sam Steamboat beat Ed Francis – North American Champion Billy Robinson double count out with Superstar Billy Graham in 3rd fall – Ripper Collins beat Jimmy Snuka – Ken Patera beat The Alaskan
1975
Denver, Colorado: – AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Dusty Rhodes & Larry Hennig in 2 out of 3 falls – Billy Robinson beat Buddy Wolff – Ivan Putski beat Bobby Heenan – Jim Brunzell drew Khosrow Vaziri (Iron Shiek)
1978
Pachuca, Mexico: – Dos Caras defeated Canek for the Mexico National Light Heavyweight Title
1979
– Ricky and Robert Gibson defeated The Twin Devils to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Title
1981
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: – Don Muraco defeated Pedro Morales to win the WWF Intercontinental Title
Richmond, Virginia: – Les Thornton defeated Terry Taylor for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title
Chicago, Illinois: – Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher beat Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura – Bobo Brazil no contest Jerry Valiant – Wilbur Snyder beat Johnny Valiant dq – Spike Huber beat Johnny Starr – Moose Cholak beat Dr. Jerry Graham Jr – Greg Wojokowski (The Great Wojo) beat Max Blue
1982
St. Paul, Minnesota: – Hulk Hogan beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel dq – Tito Santana & Rick Martel beat Ken Patera & Bobby Duncum dq – Jerry Blackwell beat Ray Stevens – Buck Zumhofe beat Jacques Goulet – Brad Rheingans beat Sheik Adnan dq – Pat Patterson beat Tom Stone
Atlanta, Georgia: – Paul Orndorff defeated Buzz Sawyer for the Georgia National Heavyweight Title
Guadalajara, Mexico: – Halcon Ortiz defeated Herodes to win the Mexico National Heavyweight Title
1983
Memphis, Tennessee: – Man Mountain Link defeated Jerry Lawler for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title
1986
Calgary, Alberta, Canada: – Wayne Farris defeated Bad News Allen to win the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title
1987
Houston, Texas: – Barry Windham defeated Black Bart to become the first NWA Western States Heritage Champion in a tournament final
San Juan, Puerto Rico: – The Hunters (Dale Veasey and Bob Brown) defeated Miguel Perez, Jr. and Tony Atlas to win the WWC North American Tag Team Titles
1988
Memphis, Tennessee: – AWA Champion Jerry Lawler beat Iceman King Parsons – Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden beat Dutch Mantel & Great Senshi – Brickhouse Brown beat Max Payne – Southern Tag Title Match; Don Bass & Gary Young no contest Billy Travis & Scott Steiner
1991
Portland, Oregon: – The Bruise Brothers (Ron and Don Harris) won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles from Steve Doll and Jimmy Jack Funk
1992
WCW Beach Blast | Mobile, Alabama: – The Junkyard Dog, Tom Zenk and Big Josh defeated Tracy Smothers, Richard Morton and Diamond Dallas Page – Scotty Flamingo (Raven) defeated Brian Pillman to win the WCW Light Heavyweight Title – Ron Simmons defeated Terry Taylor – Greg Valentine defeated Marcus Bagwell – Missy Hyatt defeated Madusa (with Paul E. Dangerously) in a Bikini contest – Sting defeated Cactus Jack in a Falls Count Anywhere match – Ricky Steamboat defeated Rick Rude 4 falls to 3 in a 30 Minute Iron Man Challenge – Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham and Nikita Koloff defeated The Dangerous Alliance (Arn Anderson, Steve Austin and Bobby Eaton) (with Paul E. Dangerously and Madusa) by disqualification – The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) fought Terry Gordy & Steve Williams to a time-limit draw in a match for the WCW World Tag Team Titles
1997
Waltham, Massachusetts: – The Dudley Boyz (Buh-Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley) defeated The Eliminators (Perry Saturn and John Kronus) to win the ECW World Tag Team Titles
2000
Memphis, Tennessee: – Rikishi defeated Chris Benoit for the WWF Intercontinental Title
2003
Calgary, Alberta, Canada: – Duke Durrango defeated Bruce Hart to win the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title
2010
WWE Fatal Four 4-Way | Long Island, New York: – Rey Mysterio won the WWE World Title in a fatal four way match involving Jack Swagger, CM Punk and The Big Show – Sheamus won the WWE Championship in a four way match involving John Cena, Randy Orton and Edge
WWE announced Monday that its talent draft for splitting up talent between RAW & Smackdown will take place on July 19th at the live Smackdown from Worcester, MA.
A press release stated that the draft will be conducted by the respective General Managers, which would indicate official naming of those people shortly.
The WWE stated that for the first time in history on back-to-back nights, two distinctive brands will compete with each other for television ratings, live events and PPV.
“This is an exciting new era for WWE in which we will yet again reinvent ourselves by creating a second night of compelling live television,” said Executive Producer Kevin Dunn.
The decision to put the draft on Smackdown rather than Raw shows the emphasis is on building the Smackdown audience, since the draft should be one of the most anticipated and watched shows of the year. Putting the draft on Smackdown means giving up what would be one of the highest rated Raws, and instead trying to establish Tuesday night as important immediately to the fan base.
In previous years, the draft shows were some of the highest rated shows the company would do at the time, although as the years went on, the draft show felt less important because there was less differentiation of the brands.
