Submitted by Craig Russell from The Orpheum in Ybor City, FL
Rob Naylor and Leva Bates are on commentary.
Lexie Fyfe comes out with the their version of the Money In The Bank briefcase first. During the ring entrances, Mia Yim comes out still mocking Leva Bates’ “Blue Pants” character, and is bandaged up and on crutches to further mock Leva’s current injury. Lexie announces that Ivelisse is cleared to wrestle, and she is put into this match, turning it into a 5 way for the briefcase. Elimination match rules.
Money In The Bank Women’s Match: Kellie Skater vs. Mia Yim vs. Santana vs. Nicole Matthews vs Ivelisse
Yim goes outside the ring, is distracted by Bates, and is counted out; Skater eliminated by Santana via Shining Star Press; Santana eliminated by Matthews via roll up and a handful of tights; Ivelisse pins Matthews with a Snap DDT and wins the briefcase.
Maria Maria & Luscious Latasha vs. Rhia O’Reilly & Viper
Viper performs a corner splash on Latasha. Maria then performs a cross body on Viper and rolls out of the ring. Latasha is still the legal woman and falls on Viper and pins her, so her winning streak is still intact. Viper is over already and the crowd liked her a lot.
Kellyanne vs. Chelsea Green
Kellyanne with a backpack stunner on Chelsea for the pin. Solid match from both of them.
SHINE Tag Team Champions Better Than You (BTY) of Marti Belle & Jayme Jameson vs. Evie & Shazza McKenzie
Jameson hits her “Double D” (spinning side slam) move on Evie for the pin, so BTY retain. Good match where Shazza was the underdog and played for the hot tag to Evie.
Tessa Blanchard vs. Rachael Ellering
TKO by Ellering on Blanchard for the pin which sets up their rubber match. Another good match from both of them. Ellering has gotten better since their first match and looked good in the ring again. After the match, Su Yung runs out to attack Ellering with Blanchard, and as they are taking her to the back, Kay Lee Ray jumps off the stage onto them all and ends up facing Blanchard in the ring. Ray slaps Blanchard before Yung attacks her from behind which leads to the next match. Ellering fights Blanchard to the back while this happens.
Su Yung vs. Kay Lee Ray
Yung hits “The Panic Switch” (spinning Death Valley Driver) on Ray for the pin. Worth the price of admission and possibly match of the night. Lots of back and forth and both women looked sharp. Highlights included a great missile tope by Ray and a dragon screw leg whip into the stairs on Ray by Yung.
SHINE Champion Taylor Made vs. SHIMMER Champion Madison Eagles vs. TNA Knockouts Champion Allysin Kay — Loser drops their title
Ivelisse turns in her briefcase, and the match becomes a 4 way title match. First pinfall wins the match. Good match, lots of moves and great energy by all four women. Ivelisse taps out Made with a leg lock/inverted cloverleaf finisher and Ivelisse is the new SHINE champion.
Welcome to our live coverage of UFC Fight Night 89 from the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Canada. The event is headlined by an interesting five-round fight in the welterweight division as former title challenger and #1 ranked Rory MacDonald takes on #2 ranked Stephen Thompson in a battle that could determine the next title challenger at 170 pounds.
In the co-main event, former lightweight title challenger Donald Cerrone takes on Patrick Cote in his second bout at 170 pounds.
Our live cageside coverage kicks off at 6:45 PM EST with preliminary action all the way thru the main card. Before it does, check out a few event-related features:
#10 ALI BAGAUTINOV (13-4, 3-2 UFC) VS. GEANE HERRERA (9-1, 1-1 UFC) FLYWEIGHTS
Round 1: Very cautious start to this one as both fighters were measuring the distance. Bagautinov’s round here with the only offence shown by Herrera was when he was on his back after a takedown. Bagautinov was going for a finish but couldn’t get past the guard and the defence of Herrera. Some solid kicks shown early by Bagautinov as well in the early stages of the round. 10-9 Bagautinov
Round 2: That was a much closer round than the first. Herrera got taken down early but got a nice triangle choke that Bagaitinov escaped from. Herrera scored a takedown very quickly after that but Bagautinov was able to go back into the offensive. Herrera was more offensive here but not enough here to score enough with the judges to give him this round. 10-9 Bagautinov
Round 3: Great head kick 90 secounds in by Bagautinov. First half of the round was just like the first with a brief standup display by Bagautinov followed by a takedown. Herrera was able to almost get a wrist lock submission but Bagautinov was able to escape. More of the same here with Bagautinov just going for a late takedown getting it stuffed but was able to score it in the late seconds. 10-9 Bagautinov
Official decision: 30-27 x 3 for Ali Bagautinov. “I think I fought very well. I would like to fight Jussier Formiga because he has turned me down three times.”
COLBY COVINGTON (8-1, 3-1 UFC) VS. JONATHAN MEUNIER (7-0, 0-0 UFC) WELTERWEIGHTS
Round 1: Covington with a spin kick takedown combo which doesn’t completely work but Meunier does give up his back and Covington will not give up the position just holding on for 3 minutes eating up a lot of the round. Meunier finally able to spin out just as Covington scores a takedown with around 90 seconds left in the round. 30 seconds left and the referee stands them up for lack of action. Meunier and Covington spend the rest of the round gauging the distance. 10-9 Covington for Octagon control but Meunier’s defence here not allowing Covington to advance might get a judge or two to score it for him
Round 2: Both fighters are more aggressive here to start the round but within a minute Covington was able to get the back just like round one. Meunier had flashes of possible submissions here but Covington is able to get out and control the fight on the ground. Meunier only has 4 seconds of octagon control after two rounds. 10-9 Covington
Round 3: Spinning back fist stuns Meunier in the early seconds of the round which staggers him and Covington attacks with hammer fists to soften him, gets the back of Meunier and lands a rear naked choke for the finish
Official decision – Colby Covington gets a apout via RNC @ 54 seconds of R3. Covington says in the post fight interview that it doesn’t matter if it was GSP in the cage with him, no one was going to stop him from getting the victory here tonight which lets to loud boos from the crowd. Also “I went from fighting a 5’9 wrestler who I was going to stand and trade with to fighting a striker slash jiu jitsu guy. But that’s what fighting is about you have to adjust.”
Round 1: Standup battle between these two to start, both not afraid to throw punches early. Markos able to clinch Jones-Lybarger against the cage and land some shot for a couple of minutes before going back to the middle of the cage. Markos scores a takedown into an ankle lock submission late in the round followed by some punches late going for the finish but time runs out. 10-9 Markos
Round 2: Standup battle to start the round with Jones-Lybarger getting the early advantage. Markos seems slower in R2 leading to a standup battle in the middle of the cage with 3 minutes left. Both fighters are now slowing down try to gauge the distance here going for a quick punch here or there to little effect. Markos is now using counter punching to land more significant punches to score this round in her favour. 10-9 Markos
Round 3: Jones-Lybarger on the offensive in the early going, looks to land something that will lead to a finish. Markos is playing defence here not giving Jones-Lybarger a chance to land more than a few punches. Standup battle in this round with Markos landing kicks while Jones-Lybarger sticking to punches. Both are trading punches here in the last minute of the fight with Markos stunning Jones-Lybarger late but she is able to fight back. Markos bleeding from the nose as the last ten seconds tick away. 10-9 Markos
Official decision – 30 – 27 and 29-28 x 2 for Randa Markos. Funny moment when Markos was thanking her team, she dropped an F bomb accidentaly to loud cheers by the crowd. “It was awesome, just hearing everyone cheer my name. At the beginning in the first round when I had her against the fence and hearing them call my name it gave me a boost.”
ELIAS THEODOROU (11-1, 3-1 UFC) VS. SAM ALVEY (26-7 1 NC, 3-2 UFC) MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Round 1: Theodorou with some kicks early to start with Alvey just stepping back and closing the distance. Alvey’s right leg is turning red from checking those kicks by Theodorou. Crowd getting impatient as not much action after 3 minutes. Theodorou not slowing down his pace but Alvey looks more than happy just playing defence here. Alvey tries to throw a kick at the end of the round and slips. It was that kind of round for him. 28-1 landed strikes in the round for Theodorou. 10-9 Theodorou
Round 2: Alvey looking to really be the agressor here switching from defence to offence just waiting for his opportunity and halfway through the round Alvey pins Theodorou against the cage. Both fighters are spending time against the cage using they clinch game but Theodorou is keeping busy still throwing punches to the side of Alvey. Referee resets them back to the middle with 90 seconds left. More of the same as the round wraps up. Hard to score this one a late jump kick by Theodorou should give him this round. 10-9 Theodorou
Round 3: More of the same in this round with Alvey lookng more frustrated than anything else at the pace Theodorou has set so far in this fight. The crowd is showering this fight with loud boos and catcalls as opposed to cheers. Alvey throws a punch and the crowd cheers. Theodorou is just looking to out point him here to get the decision judging by the clinch work against the cage with a minute left in the fight. Alvey throws some knees in the clinch before the fight gets reset in the middle of the cage. Theodorou is able to land a head kick late in the round but based on Octagon control I’ll give it to Theodorou 10-9
Official decision – 30 – 27 x 2 and 29 – 28 for Elias Theodorou. Alvey quickly makes his way out of the cage in disgust. Theodorou – “He’s top 20 in the world and he can knock anyone’s block off at any time. He has 17 knockouts for a reason and I just made sure he didn’t touch me.”
Alvey – ““I hope the UFC keeps me. I would like to fight Oluwale Bamgbose because he beat the guy I was supposed to fight in February.”
CHRIS BEAL (10-2, 2-2 UFC) VS. JOE SOTO (15-5, 0-3 UFC) BANTAMWEIGHTS
Round 1: Both fighters are more active here in the early going in a traditional standup battle to start. Both fighters are landing some nice shots here with Beal landing more. Beal landing some nice combos in the round but Soto is up for the challenge. 10-9 Beal.
Round 2: More of the same in this round but Soto is just playing defence in the first two minute. Brief exchange in the 3rd minute and Soto is starting to land more but Beal continues to tee off on Soto. This fights has awoken the crowd and now Soto is bleeding from a cut on the bridge of his nose. Fight goes to the ground with Soto getting Beal’s back with a minute left. Soto looking for the rear naked choke and loses his position with 30 seconds left. Soto now on top throwing shoulders and knees to end the round. Soto 10-9 based on the late surge of Soto but easily could be given to Beal based on the damage he inflicted in this round.
Round 3: Good standup in the first minute but Beal is starting to slow down Soto landing some stiff punches 90 seconds in. Soto takes Beal’s back with two minutes left and is trying for a choke, roll over and Soto is now raining punches. Beal rolls over and Soto goes in for the rear naked choke and taps out Beal late.
Official Decision – Soto wins via tapout via RNC @ 3:39 of R3. “Getting my first UFC win was hard hurdle to get over but I finally got over it. It’s going to make me a tougher fighter and a tougher person.”
TAMDAN MCCRORY (14-3, 4-3 UFC) VS. KRZYSZTOF JOTKO (17-1, 4-1 UFC) MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Round 1: Both fighters sizing up each other in the early going with Jotko seemingly getting closer and closer to land a huge strike early. Jotko with a huge punch and McCrory is down 2 hammer fists later and the referee dives in to save it
Official Decision – Jotko KO @ 0:59 of R1. McCrory is slowly walking to the back with a small cut from the bridge of the nose likely from the hammer fists. Jotko – “I feel amazing on getting my first knockout in the UFC. I asked Joe Silva to give me a test because most of my fights have been decision after decision. Now, I feel that I have proved that I’m a good fighter and I can compete with top fighters.”
MISHA CIRKUNOV (11-2, 2-0 UFC) VS. ION CUTELABA (11-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Round 1: Both fighters are coming out swinging to start with Cirkunov landing a nice shot 30 seconds in. Cutelaba lands a shot that knocks down Cirkunov but he is able to get back to his feet before Cutelaba can do anything. Cutelaba with a takedown but Cirkunov able to get able in no time. The rest of the round was spent in a standup duel trying to land the next big shot. 10-9 Cirkunov.
Round 2: Cutelaba is doing a good job at closing the distance in the round not allowing Cirkunov time to land another stiff shot, he keeps landing and then avoiding the counter punch. Cutelaba is trying to land a spinning back fist over and over and Cirkunov is making him pay after the 2nd or 3rd one. Cutelaba is the more aggresive fighter in this round and he should win this round. 10-9 Cutelaba
Round 3: Superman punch by Cirkunov and that staggers Cutelaba. Takedown by Cirkunov and Cutelaba is bleeding from the right eye. Cirkunov working for a arm and triangle choke and he gets it
Official Decision – Cirkunov tapout via Arm Triangle Choke @ 1:22 of R3. “My whole life I wanted to be in the Olympics. The Olympics is a good dream, but the UFC is 10 times tougher than the Olympics. My whole life I wanted to go for a medal, but now I want to go for a belt. I know it’s a steep road and a big challenge, but I’m willing to take on the test.”
JASON SAGGO (11-2, 2-1 UFC) VS. LEANDRO SILVA (19-3-1 1 NC, 3-2 1 NC UFC) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Round 1: Good kick to the stomach of Saggo by Silva at the one minute mark tat seemed to slow down Saggo early. Saggo with a takedown at the 2 minute mark as the crowd chants his name. Saggo trying to go from Side control to half guard and is working on passing the guard of Silva who is working well not to let that happen. Saggo landing some shots from above to open up Silva with one minute left. Silva makes it back to his feet with a minute left and we have a standup battle as the round wraps up. 10-9 Saggo
Round 2: Silva is working in a few kicks with his punches in this standup battle so far this round. Saggo with a nice head kick at the midway part of the round. For the last half of the round we get a back and forth stand up battle with neither fighter gaining an edge. Silva is the more aggresive of the two with a late takedown to seal it for him. 10-9 Silva
During the time between rounds, the crowd chants very loudly “We Want A/C” as it is quite warm here at TD Place Arena.
Round 3: Each fighter landed 41 strikes in the last round and we get more of the same so far. With a fight this close, both fighters are cautious for a bit but Saggo has landed a few combos with 3 minutes to go. Silva seems confused and is bleeding from the nose as he tries to answer the offense of Saggo. Takedown by Silva late with him going for the finish but Saggo looks comfortable fighting from the bottom. Saggo 10-9 in a close round that in my opinion should win him the fight but could easier go to Silva.
Official Decision: Saggo wins split decision (29-28, 28-29) “That was a hell of a tough fight. I’m glad that I came out on the winning end of a split decision for once. I thought I did enough in the third round. I won the first and I think he took the second. I just beat a guy who had 19 wins and two losses. So that was a great win for me. I love Ottawa. The crowd was one of the best I’ve ever seen. The support in Canada was incredible tonight. Thanks for all the support.”
Silva – “This was a difficult fight. I don’t want to talk about the decision. He won. The judges gave him the win. Now I’m focused on coming back strong.”
This is the first flyweight fight in women’s UFC history.
Round 1: Clinch work early in this fight going from the middle of the cage walking right to the fence with Letourneau in control early. Calderwood scores a takedown but Letourneau looks calm and controlled fighting off her back looking for the triangle. Spinning back fist stuns Letourneau and she goes down but Calderwood is unable to finish but she can very close. Back to a vertical base with under a minute to go. Both are slugging away in the final seconds and Calderwood is bleeding from the nose. 10-9 Calderwood due to the spinning back fist that almost won her the fight.
Round 2: Soccer chants flood the arena early on as both fighters are engaged in a very tough standup battle. Letourneau seems to be focusing on the nose of Calderwood getting the nose to bleed again. Calderwood scores another takedown and is in side control as Letourneau appears to be winded. Calderwood can’t hold her down and both are back to their feet with 60 seconds left. Another takedown for Calderwood which should give her the round, a late spinning side kick to Letourneau should give Calderwood the round. 10-9 Calderwood
Round 3: Letourneau is mixing up more kicks to try and stop Calderwood’s attacks. Body shot stuns Letourneau and Calderwood once again is going for a finish this time on the feet but Letourneau is able to recover. Calderwood is in a bad way after another body shot and turns her back to Calderwood. Calderwood continues to fight until a spinning back fist when Letourneau turns around is the end as Letourneau falls down and the referee stops the fight. On video replay it looks like those body shots were right in the ribs of Letourneau and repeated strikes there over the fight led to a victory for Calderwood.
Official Decision – Calderwod wins via TKO @ 2:51 of R3. During the post fight interview, Calderwood says that she will probably go back to fighting at 115. “There’s a lot of talent out there in the strawweight division, but I’ll fight whoever the UFC wants. All I ask is to get on shows. I asked to be on the Ottawa show.”
Round 1: Aubin-Mercier and Gouti are not aftaid to throw the heavy strikes early in the first two minutes of the fight. Aubin-Mercier scores a takedown but can’t complete as Gouti grabs the fence on the way down but loses grip of it before the referee can tell him anything and Aubin-Mercier is working in half guard. Less than two minutes left and Aubin-Mercier is working on getting the back of Gouti. A few moments later Gouti reverses it but it doesn’t last long as we go back to the feet and a minute long standup battle ends the round with Gouti landing a few nice combos late. 10-9 Aubin-Mercier but could go either way
Round 2: A more aggresive Aubin-Mercier in this round trying for a takedown which gets stuffed and more shots lands put Gouti on the defensive. Aubin-Mercier with another takedown which is stuffed but Aubin-Mercier turns into a slam takedown halfway through the round. Both fighters are active on the ground as Aubin-Mercier is trying to pass guard. Gouti is in survival mode here denying Aubin-Mercier at every way in his guard even with Aubin-Mercier’s corner right behind. Another close round 10-9 Aubin-Mercierr, but I would not be surprised if it’s 19-19 at the end of 2 on some scorecards.
Round 3: Another takedown by Aubin-Mercier which leads to him getting the back in the first minute with both hooks in looking for the rear naked choke. Gouti rolls to the middle of the cage but Aubin-Mercier still has his hooks in. Gouti is trying to get out of the body lock but Aubin-Mercier is locked in tight, Aubin-Mercier gets the arm under the chin and Gouti immediately taps out.
Official Decision – OAM wins via tapout via RNC @ 2:28 of R3. “I feel good. I was in a pretty bad position in the first round. I’m happy that I was able to get out of that spot. It was a good fight against a really tough guy.”
STEVE BOSSE (11-2, 1-1 UFC) VS. SEAN O’CONNELL (17-7, 2-3 UFC) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Round 1: Straight up slugfest between these two to start. Down goes Bosse and this fight is almost stopped but O’Connell can’t seal the deal as Bosse is back to his feet with over 3 minutes to go. O’Connell is continuing this pace and Bosse is trying to keep up as we are now in a clinchfest with neither fighter able to get an advantage. One minute left and we are back in the middle both swinging for the fences. Round ends and the fans cheer for both fighters efforts. 10-9 O’Connell
Round 2: Bosse more aggresive to start and O’Connell bull rushes him into the cage for a clinch. This fight has slowed down in pace as we reach the halfway mark and as I say that Bosse stuns O’Connell and down he goes. Bosse going in for the win but can’t finish at first and is able to keep O’Connell on his back. Both fighters are tired at this point but Bosse continues to rain hammer fists down, move into side control or half guard and try to stop the fight again and again. 10-9 Bosse
O’Connell is bleeding from the nose as the round ends and both fighters are winded on their stools.
Round 3: A minute in and we are back to the slugfest from the first round. Straight punches by O’Connell and punches and spinning back fists by Bosse are the story of this round with one minute to go. It seems like it will go to the scorecards or we might get a KO as both figters are slowing down, they slap hands with ten seconds left and just go back to a slugfest until Herb Dean stops the fight as the horn went off. Very close final round and I have it 10-9 Bosse.
Official Decision – 29-28 x 2 and 29 -27 for Steve Bosse. One judge gave Bosse a 10-8. I’m wondering which round that was.
Bosse – “I take that energy from the Canadian fans and use it to put on a better show. I think Sean received that energy, too. A big thank you to Sean O’Connell. The fans are the winners tonight.”
O’Connell – “I’m obviously disappointed. I’m happy that we were able to put on a good fight for the fans. That’s a very close second priority for me. I always want to win first. I’m bummed I wasn’t able to thank these fans, wish my dad and grandfathers a happy Father’s Day and represent my friends and family better. I don’t know what this means. That’s two losses in a row and 2-4 in my UFC career. It’s very disappointing. I’ve got to reevaluate some things for my future.”
#4 (LW) DONALD CERRONE (29-7 1 NC, 16-4 UFC) VS. PATRICK COTE (23-9, 10-9 UFC) WELTERWEIGHTS
Round 1: Cerrone in control in the early going, getting Cote on his back but unable to inflict any serious damage. Cote able to defend well and get back to his feet. Cerrone with another takedown and more of the same as the first, Cote is very active on the ground here. Cerrone has his back and both hooks but Cote fights off a few rear naked choke attempts and is able to escape as time runs out in the first. 10-9 Cerrone
Round 2: Cerrone is lazer focused here when playing defence to the aggresive strikes of Cote. Cerrone is focusing on a stand up battle here in the 2nd and Cote is up for the challenge. Cote seems to be slowing down after absorbing a barrage of shots and down goes Cote. Cerrone tries to finish it but Cote recovers and Cerrone lets him back up. Another late combo by Cerrone and Cote fights back and tells Cerrone give me more. A few more punches and the horn sounds. 10-9 Cerrone
Round 3: Both fighters are trading shots to start the third and Cote goes down again but quickly recovers before Cerrone can go in for the finish. More of a standup battle and Cote is wobbled by a shot by Cerrone followed by another and down goes Cote for a third time. Cerrone starts to throw some hammer fists and the referee stops the fight.
Official Decision – Cerrone wins via TKO @ 2:35 of R3. With that stoppage, Cerrone most holds the record for most stoppages in UFC if you include his time in WEC with 15 During the post fight interview, he was asked if he’d prefer 155 and 170. His response “170 or 155 I don’t give a s***”.
#1 RORY MACDONALD (18-3, 9-3 UFC) VS. #2 STEPHEN THOMPSON (12-1, 7-1 UFC) WELTERWEIGHTS
Round 1: MacDonald tries a rolling ankle submission which surprises Thompson but doesn’t work. Both fighters are just getting their timing down in the early stages of this fight. Last minute in the round and they start to slug it out until Thompson gets MacDonald up against the fence. MacDonald brings the fight to the middle of the cage as the round ends. Based on Octagon control and aggresiveness I will say MacDonald 10-9
Round 2: Neither fighter wants to make a mistake in the early going, very cautious first two minutes of the fight. With two minutes left, MacDonald rushes Thompson to the cage but he is able to escape before getting clinched up. Both fighters will try to land a combo but the other will escape before suffering any damage. Lackluster round has the crowd booing as the horn goes off. 10-9 for MacDonald.
Round 3: Both fighters have picked up the pace in this round with MacDonald once again the aggresor and Thompson counter punching and avoiding MacDonald’s strikes. MacDonald goes down trying to work from his back and almost gets a submission but Thompson is able to get free and we go back to the middle of the Octagon. Both are now landing more strikes which seems to somewhat wake up the crowd. More boos rain down as the round comes to an end. MacDonald 10-9 based on Octagon Control.
Round 4: Thompson is the more aggresive fighter early in the round and MacDonald looks to be lining up something but Thompson is too quick for MacDonald to land anything. This round is different as for every shot MacDonald lands, Thompson will land two. Nice kick to the stomach by Thompson with under 2 minutes left. Someone lost a mouthpiece and the referee just throws it out of the cage, looks to be MacDonalds. That’s the end of the round to again more boos from the crowd. 10-9 Thompson
Round 5: MacDonald is bleeding from the nose, looks to be suffered in the 4th round. Thompson has outlanded MacDonald 2-1 in significant strikes after 4 rounds. Here comes MacDonald with a flurry 90 seconds in but Thompson just walks away. Kick by Thompson to McDonald’s nose and the blood has increased. MacDonald is looked gassed here and tries to take down Thompson but Thompson lands on top with two minutes left. Thompson lets MacDonald ip with 90 seconds left and now MacDonald’s left ear is bleeding as well. MacDonald trying to get one more combo before the horn sounds but it could be too late. I have it 48-47 MacDonald but I’m predicting Thompson will win this fight by that score instead of MacDonald.
Official Decision – 50-45 x 2 and 48-47 for Stephen Thompson
Those close rounds early on went to Thompson instead of MacDonald apparently. Thompson wants the winner of Lawler and Woodley and wants that fight to happen in New York. MacDonald says he was at his best tonight, but it wasn’t enough. Could this be MacDonald’s last fight in the UFC? Only time will tell.
Thompson – “I feel great. I expected it to be more of a war. I didn’t think Rory would be ready for my angles and speed. When I met him in the middle, as soon as I saw his stance I could tell this would be a chess match.”
MacDonald – “It was a hard fight, man. I came in the best shape of my life. I was at my best. I can’t take anything away from Stephen. He’s a tricky guy.”
After 40 rounds of action, that’s a wrap on UFC Fight Ottawa aka UFC Fight Night 89. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone enjoyed the coverage. Never leave it to the judges and Go Leafs Go.
Fedor Emelianenko “won” a crazy decision last night in his fight against Fabio Maldonado in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the EFN promotion. For those of you who have not seen the fight, head over to UFC Fight Pass and watch it immediately as it was an amazing spectacle. Our own Bryan Alvarez and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor did live commentary as the fight was happening.
It started with a crazy first round that could have been scored a 10-8 possibly for Maldonado, and possibly stopped. In rounds two and three, both men were extremely tired and it became quite the embarrassment, not quite the level of Dada 5000 vs. Kimbo Slice, but an embarrassment for Fedor who was once considered the greatest fighter of all time. Fedor won on score cards of 29-28, 29-28, and 28-28, earning him the majority decision. Our Dave Meltzer has much more on this story here.
[Dan Velten]
For this weekend, we have polls for WWE Money in the Bank and New Japan Dominion, so thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.
UFC ON SATURDAY FROM OTTAWA
Fight Pass at 6:45 p.m. Eastern time
Ali Bagautinov (13-4) vs. Geane Herrera (9-1)
Colby Covington (8-1) vs. Jonathan Meunier (7-0)
Randa Markos (5-3) vs. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-2)
Sam Alvey (26-7) vs. Elias Theodorou (11-1)
FS 2 at 8:30 p.m.
Chris Beal (10-2) vs. Joe Soto (15-5)
Krzysztof Jotko (17-1) vs. Tamdan McCrory (14-3)
Mischa Cirkunov (11-2) vs. Ion Cutelebaba (11-1)
Jason Saggo (11-2) vs. Leandro Silva (19-3-1)
FS 1 at 10:30 p.m.
Joanne Calderwood (10-1) vs. Valerie Letourneau (8-4)
Olivier Aubin Mercier (7-2) vs. Thibault Gouti (11-1)
Steve Bosse (11-2) vs. Sean O’Connell (17-7)
Donald Cerrone (29-7) vs. Patrick Cote (23-9)
Stephen Thompson (12-1) vs. Rory MacDonald (18-3)
NEW JAPAN DOMINION AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME LATE SATURDAY/EARLY SUNDAY FROM OSAKA JO HALL ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Jay White & Juice Robinson & David Finlay
Togi Makabe & Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Adam Page
Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Seiya Sanada & Bushi
Hirooki Goto vs. Evil
Ricochet & Matt Sydal vs. Young Bucks vs. Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero & Trent Baretta for IWGP jr. tag title in an elimination match
Kushida vs. Will Ospreay for IWGP jr. title
Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe for IWGP tag team titles
Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuyori Shibata for Never Open weight title
Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin in a ladder match for IWGP IC title
Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada for IWGP heavyweight title
WWE MONEY IN THE BANK PPV AT 7 P.M. EASTERN TIME FROM THE T-MOBILE ARENA IN LAS VEGAS
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for WWE title
John Cena vs. A.J. Styles
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro in the Money in the Bank ladder match
New Day vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Vaudevillains vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass for tag team titles
Rusev vs. Titus O’Neil for U.S. title
Natalya & Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte & Dana Brooke
Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus
Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin
Goldust & R-Truth vs. Breeze & Fandango (pre-show match)
Dudleys vs. Lucha Dragons (pre-show match)
Raw will be live on Monday night from Phoenix.
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 y’all in about three weeks!
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 6/13/2016: 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.
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40-issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues.
Our Paul Fontaine passed on a clip of WWE’s John Cena Tuesday appearance on NBC’s Maya and Marty show. In the first skit, he played a firefighter with a group of other guys in the firehouse as they all talked about who might get selected for the firefighter calendar. The joke was that Cena is all jacked up and the rest are middle-aged, out of shape dudes. He got a good crowd reaction and showed great comedic timing as he always does.
The second skit has to be seen to be believed. Cena played himself auditioning for the part of Hulk Hogan in “Hulk Hogan vs Gawker”, FX’s follow-up to “The People vs OJ Simpson”. His main competition for the role was David Schwimmer (played by Martin Short). The writers obviously knew all of the material in the case, as they had another actor playing James Van Der Beek, auditioning for the part of Bubba the Love Sponge. Cena’s Hogan impersonation was pretty funny and this is the type of thing you’d obviously never see on WWE.
ROH’s Adam Cole talks battling pneumonia, joining Bullet Club, and plugs Best in the World.
ROH is running a huge sale, now through Sunday, June 19th at 11:59 PM EST. 20% off ALL apparel and 35% off select DVDs – Ringside Members, tack on your 15% off discount, and save 35% off apparel and 50% DVDs.
Here is a gallery of photos from the first show for a wrestling promotion in Dubai.
The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling explore the relationship between politics and professional wrestling with Terrance Gerin aka RHINO and Rare Politics editor Jack Hunter. The show will have Lex Luger on this upcoming week.
WWE Hall of Famer Luke Williams of the Bushwhackers was the latest guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show. He shared a number of road stories from his over five decades of being in the wrestling business.
This week on 6:05 Superpodcast, Brian Last and David Bixenspan talk with Kurt Brown about Los Angeles wrestling, Brian Tramel about Dennis Coralluzzo in the “Dennis of the Week,” and AWA producer “Polish” Joe Ciupik (who confirms one of Greg Gagnes more infamous stories) in part two of their chat. Plus: A “What if?” discussion about the ramifications of Hulk Hogan never leaving the AWA, follow-ups on Bull Curry, and much more!
Last night’s WSOF 31 show was one of the better shows in their history and worth checking out if you get a chance. The main event, which featured Blagoi Ivanov retaining his heavyweight title with a 5 round decision over Josh Copeland, is a legit fight of the year candidate and reminiscent of the Mark Hunt-Bigfoot Silva fight from a few years back.
UFC Fight Pass will air a Vale Tudo Japan show at 3 am eastern early Sunday morning. The show features all Japanese fighters with little to no name value in North America.
MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s an interesting article about the father of the toddler who was killed by the alligator in Florida. The father was a two time state wrestling champion in Nebraska.
This is an interesting story on Dr. Omalu not getting a prestigious Boston University award, and how Chris Nowinski may be involved. (thanks to Matthew Dursin).
Officials in Houston are still mulling over ideas for the Astrodome, which hosted WrestleMania in 2001 and a few Nitro broadcasts in the late 1990s. A county judge wants to put a parking garage underneath the stadium while an architect with a “bold new idea” wants to strip the structure down to basically its skeleton.
Supreme Pro Wrestling returns to action this Sunday, June 19th at SPW Arena – bell time is 5pm! In honor of Father’s Day — all Fathers get a free Hot Dog and a Soda!
TONIGHT – Ronin Pro Wrestling is in Pembroke Pines, FL at the Broward College South Campus Gym as Joey Ryan, Candice LaRae and Johnny Gargano.
TONIGHT – MCW “Base Brawl” at the Regency Furniture Stadium, 11765 St. Linus DR in Waldorf, MD. Tickets here. Ron Simmons, Billy Gunn, and X-Pac will be there.
TONIGHT – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
TOMORROW – Steel Pro Wrestling runs at the KoC in Hamilton, ON.
TOMORROW – New Japan Dominion – Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin in a ladder match for the IC title
TOMORROW – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
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 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
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
Waterloo, Iowa: – Joe Stecher beat George Vassell – Abe Kashey drew Bob Jessen
1937
Kansas City, Kansas: – Everett Marshall beat Nanjo Singh to retain the World Title – Lou Thesz beat Warren Bockwinkel – Dan O’Connor drew Walter Podolak
1943
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Jim Londos beat Ronnie Etchison to retain World Title – Orville Brown beat Joe Dusek by dq
1948
St. Louis, Missouri; – Bill Longson defeated Billy Watson by countout – Lou Thesz beat Frederick Von Schacht by dq – Sky-Hi Lee defeated Don McIntyre – Warren Bockwinkel beat Fritz Schnabel
1950
Honolulu, Hawaii: – Arjan Singh defeated Sandor Szabo to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
1951
Fort Worth, Texas: – Miguel Guzman defeated Wayne Martin for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title
1964
Kansas City, Kansas: – Moose Evans beat Mongolian Stomper to retain the US Title by dq – Sonny Myers beat Harley Race 2 falls to 0 (first fall by dq) – The Lawman drew Bob Geigel – Steve Bolus and Rocky Hamilton beat Bulldog Plechas and Baron Von Strauss
1966
Omaha, Nebraska: – In a cage match; Dale Lewis beat Luke Brown – Reggie Parks & Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Mad Dog Vachon & Butcher Vachon
1968
San Angelo, Texas: – Dory Funk, Jr. & Terry Funk defeated Kurt & Karl Von Brauner to win the Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles
1971
Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania: – Bruno Sammartino and Dominic DeNucci defeated The Mongols (Geeto and Bepo) for the WWF International Tag Team Titles
Indianpolis, Indiana: – The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Colstello & Don Kent) won the WWA World Tag Team Titles from Wilbur Snyder and Moose Cholak
1972
Mexico City, Mexico: – Enrique Vera defeated Raul Mata for the Mexico National Light Heavyweight Title.
1977
Indianapolis, Indiana: – Jimmy & Johnny Valiant defeated Moose Cholak & Paul Christy for the WWA World Tag Team Titles
Caguas, Puerto Rico: – Hercules Ayala defeated Huracan Castillo to win the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title
1978
Miami, Florida: – Dusty Rhodes defeated Dick Slater to win the NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Title
1980
Des Moines, Iowa: – Bob Brown & Pat O’Connor defeated Takachiho (The Great Kabuki) & Pak Song for the NWA Central States Tag Team Titles
1981
Kansas City, Kansas: – Bob Sweetan & Terry Gibbs defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy & Michael Hayes) to win the vacant NWA Central States Tag Team Titles
1982
– Ringo Mendoza & Cachorro Mendoza defeated Satanico & Espectro, Jr. for the Mexico National Tag Team Titles
Denver, Colorado: – AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan – In a non-title match; Rick Martel beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel – Tito Santana beat Ken Patera on a reverse decision dq – Pat Patterson beat Dennis Stamp
1983
Chicago, Illinois: – Mad Dog Vachon beat Jerry Blackwell – Wahoo McDaniel & Jerry Lawler & Dick The Bruiser beat Nick Bockwinkel & Jesse Ventura & Blackjack Lanza – Greg Gagne beat Bobby Heenan – Ken Patera beat Jim Brunzell
Greenville, South Carolina: – Jack and Jerry Brisco defeated Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood to win the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles
1984
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: – Davey Boy Smith defeated Bad News Allen for the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title
Memphis, Tennessee: – Phil Hickerson & The Spoiler (Frank Morrell) defeated Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Titles
1989
Tokyo, Japan: – The Marine Wolves (Suzuka Minami & Akira Hokuto) defeated Grizzly Iwamoto & Bison Kimura for the vacant WWWA World Tag Team Titles
1995
WCW Great American Bash | Dayton, Ohio: – Sting defeated Meng to win the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Title – The Renegade defeated Arn Anderson to win the WCW World Television Title – The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) defeated The Blue Bloods (Earl Robert Eaton and Lord Steven Regal) to retain the WCW World Tag Team Titles – Ric Flair defeated Randy Savage
1997
Sapporo, Japan – Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita defeated Tomoko Watanabe & Kumiko Maekawa to win the WWWA World Tag Team Titles
2004
Mexico City, Mexico: – Dr. Wagner, Jr. defeated Canek to win the UWA World Heavyweight Title
2005
ROH Death Before Dishonor III | Morristown, New Jersey: – BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs defeated Jimmy Rave and Eddie Vegas to retain the ROH Tag Team Title – Lacey defeated Cindy Rogers – The Carnage Crew (Loc and DeVito) defeated The Ring Crew Express (Dunn and Marcos) in an Anything Goes Street Fight – Samoa Joe defeated Colt Cabana to retain the ROH Pure Title – NWA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles defeated Petey Williams – Lacey’s Angels (Izzy and Deranged) defeated Generation Next (Roderick Strong and Jack Evans) – Nigel McGuiness defeated James Gibson, Homicide and Azrieal in a Four Corners Survival match – Low Ki and Jay Lethal fought to a no contest – CM Punk defeated Austin Aries to win the ROH Heavyweight Title
2006
TNA Slammiversary | Orlando, Florida: – Team Canada (Eric Young and A-1) defeated The Naturals (Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens) – Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon) defeated The James Gang ( B.G. and Kip James) in a Bingo Hall Brawl – Rhino defeated Team Canada (Bobby Roode and Scott D’Amore) in a Handicap match – Senshi defeated Sonjay Dutt, Alex Shelley, Shark Boy, Petey Williams and Jay Lethal in an Elimination match – Kevin Nash pinned Chris Sabin – A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels defeated America’s Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) to win the NWA World Tag Team Titles – Samoa Joe pinned Scott Steiner – Jeff Jarrett defeated champion Christian Cage, Abyss, Ron Killings and Sting in a King of the Mountain match to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title
Cesaro and Del Rio had fun by seeing who the crowd would cheer for more. Even the ref got in on the fun.
– Gallows and Anderson beat the Lucha Dragons
– Baron Corbin beat Dolph Ziggler
– Dean Ambrose beat Chris Jericho in a Salt Lake City Street Fight
Jericho cut a promo about how Salt Lake sucks because you can’t swim in the lake, because it has so much salt.
– Becky Lynch, Natalya, Paige, and Sasha Banks beat Summer Rae, Eva Marie, Dana Brooke, and WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte
Crowd was super loud for Paige and Becky’s entrances, actually up there with the noise they made for Ambrose.
– US Champion Rusev (w/Lana) beat Titus O’Neil
They attempted a spot where Titus stood up out of the Accolade. It looked like Titus slipped, or wasn’t positioned right, so they gave up on it and Rusev kicked him in the face for the pin.
– WWE Champion Roman Reigns beat A.J. Styles and Seth Rollins in a three way
Fun match. It seemed like they did all the spots they had done on previous house shows. Crowd booed AJ, mostly boos for Rollins, and wild screaming for Reigns.
Both Jerry Lawler and fiancee Lauryn McBride were released from Shelby County jail in Memphis at around 11:30 AM local time and are due for a hearing on Monday. Each was charged with domestic violence from an incident that took place early Friday morning. With media surrounding him upon leaving jail, Lawler said he will make a statement after he talks with his attorney.
The WWE has also made changes to Sunday’s Money In The Bank event, adding two matches to the main show: Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin and Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews. This changes the PPV from six matches to eight, meaning when timing out the show, they needed more time filled than they allotted for the six.
With the change comes two additional pre-show matches: Goldust & R-Truth vs. Tyler Breeze & Fandango, plus The Dudleys vs. Lucha Dragons.
With the new formatting of the show, it’s possible some finishes were discussed because there were heavy betting switches, most notably strong odds movements for Dean Ambrose and against Kevin Owens in the Money in the Bank mach, as well as for Roman Reigns, The New Day and A.J. Styles.
Knox was pretty over, really green but athletic. He won with a split-legged moonsault.
– Alexander Wolfe b Angelo Dawkins
Fulton was ejected for interference, but came back down for the finish. He distracted the ref, allowing Wolfe to rake the eyes and score the pinfall. More D’Lo chants for Dawkins, but he took it with good humour and did the old D’Lo head shake as he left the ring.
– Bayley and Carmella b Alexa Bliss and Peyton Royce
Good match that got better as it went on and Bayley was involved more. Baymella win after Bayley to Belly.
– Bobby Roode b No Way Jose
Roode wins with a spinebuster. Good pop for him after the fans realised who it was. Jose was pretty over, but the fans much preferred Roode. Big near fall towards the end with Jose hitting Roode with the discus punch for a believable near fall.
– Andrade Almas b Tye Dillinger
Dillinger got a huge reaction from the crowd with sustained “10” chants. There seemed to be more signs and talk about him than anyone else. He cut a promo to turn the crowd against him, but the people were so into his gimmick they continued to cheer. Not much of a reaction for Andrade (although he did get some “Cien” chants towards the end). Very solid match. Crowd loved the moonsault spot to end the match.
– American Alpha b NXT Champions The Revival by DQ
These teams are just great and work so well with each other – an abridged version of the latest TakeOver match, so naturally very good. Both teams have impeccable timing. Crowd really bought the titles changing hands after Alpha hit the Grand Amplitude, but the ref was pulled out for the DQ. Alpha really know how to work the crowd.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka b Nia Jax to retain
Jax had decent heat for her entrance, and Asuka was really over. Asuka hit the buzzsaw kick to the win in a decent match that was almost identical to their TakeOver encounter. Asuka got a decent reaction, quite a few “Asuka’s gonna kill you chants”. Very similar to the Takeover match – they did a fantastic spot with Asuka putting a standing guillotine on Jax who turned it into a stalling suplex for a near fall.
– Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura b Austin Aries and NXT Champion Samoa Joe
A fantastic main event with the crowd completely into it. Chants for all four men who seemed to relish the atmosphere. Joe responded to crowd taunts brilliantly. Finn got the hot tag before Nakamura hit the Kinshasha on Aries and Finn hit the Coup de Grace for the win. Balor thanked the fans, calling them the heart of the NXT universe.
Brilliant event overall – a crowd that was clearly incredibly happy to get NXT action.
In a fight that ranged from sad to exciting to perversely entertaining, sometimes all at once, former PRIDE & Strikeforce heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko was ruled the winner in the second fight of his comeback, but as far as his career goes, he was anything but that.
In the main event of Friday’s EFN show in Saint Petersburg, Russia, that aired for nearly seven hours on UFC Fight Pass, Emelianenko was awarded a controversial majority decision over former UFC light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado on scores of 29-28 (x2) and 28-28.
A normal referee would have stopped the fight on at least two occasions: once in the first round when Emelianenko was being pounded on and knocked silly on the ground, and second, when he managed to get out of the position and his legs were gone as he was stumbling around. Still, “The Last Emporer” survived a first round where he took a terrible beating that somehow two judges called a 10-9.
In the second round, Emelianenko recovered and came back, although it was clear the 36-year-old’s Maldonado’s strategy was to block his punches and come back. Maldonado came back at the end of the round, landing a lot of solid punches, making it a close round.
Emelianenko did more damage in a third round putting two exhausted fighters on display, but, at best, he should have earned a draw out of it. While Maldonado blocked most of his punches, Maldonado was too tired to take advantage of Emelianenko’s tiredness and wear from the battering he took. Maldonado was also pretty battered by the time it was over.
A 28-28 score was legitimate as would be a 29-27 for Maldonado.
The announcer, hilariously honest, openly thought the fight was over early in the first round and was cheering for Emelianenko. He also said this probably ruins his chances to get into the UFC. Perhaps he could still get a deal because of his name, and that the viewership of this fight was small. But, it was clear that even though Emelianenko has unreal mental toughness, he would get destroyed by any good heavyweight striker unless he got to them quickly.
Maldonado proved a tough style match-up because the one thing he has is the ability to take punches which allowed Emelianenko to unload and tire himself out. Emelianenko never once went for a takedown, prompting the announcer to questioning why not, since Emelianenko would have had a huge edge if he could get the takedown.
Even before the decision was read, the announcer acknowledged Emelianenko had lost the fight, but said that, of course, he would be ruled the winner.
Today’s biggest story is the arrest of Jerry Lawler and fiance Lauryn McBride in Memphis. There is a story on the front page on it. Lawler has been indefinitely suspended by WWE pending the completion of the case.
Final bids have been sent in to UFC for a 100 percent sale of the company. The companies have been told UFC is going to look over the bids and make its decision within a few days.
The Warriors-Cavs game last night going against Smackdown did 20,702,000 viewers, which is down from the 23,250,000 viers that the sixth game of the series did last year. The seventh game goes head-to-head with Money in the Bank at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
We’re looking for reports on today’s NXT show in Plymouth, UK and the WWE house show in Salt Lake City (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, A.J. Styles, Dean Ambrose, Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Usos) to NewsTips@WrestlingObserver.com.
For this weekend we have polls for WWE Money in the Bank and New Japan Dominion, so thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.
NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING RETURNS TWO HOUR SHOW ON AXS TV STARTING AT 8 P.M. EASTERN
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi vs. Togi Makabe
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Doc Gallows
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. A.J. Styles (this was one of the best matches of 2015)
BELLATOR LIVE ON SPIKE TV FROM THE SAVEMART CENTER IN FRESNO, CA AT 9 P.M. EASTERN TIME
Chris Honeycutt vs. Mikkel Parlo
Brandon Halsey vs. John Salter
Thiago Jumbo Goncalves vs. Chidi Njokuani
Marcos Galvao vs. Eduardo Dantas for bantamweight title
WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING LIVE ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK AT 9 P.M. FROM MASHANTUCKET, CT FOXWOODS RESORTS CASINO
Phil Hawes vs. Josh Key
Sheymon Moraes vs. Luis Palomino
John Howard vs. Mike arrant
Jason High vs. Mike Ricci
Blagoy Ivanov vs. Josh Copeland for heavyweight title
Shine vs. Shimmer vs. TNA women’s title, loser of the fall loses title to winner of the fall: Taylor made (Shine) vs. Madison Eagles (Shimmer) vs. Allysin Kay/Sienna (TNA)
Marti Belle & Jayme Jameson vs. Evie & Shazza McKenzie
Kellie Skater vs. Mia Yima (Jade) vs,. Santana Garrett vs. Nicole Matthews
Su Yung vs. Kay Lee Ray
Tessa Blanchard vs. Rachel Ellering
Kellyanne vs. Chelsea Green
Maria Maria & Luscious Latasha vs. Rhia O’Reilly & Viper
The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas takes place during UFC’s International Fight Week from July 7 – 11.EdinSanAntonio has information up on Facebook, or you can email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com (Apparently Ed has blocked Bryan Alvarez from attendance in response to Bryan blocking Ed on Twitter… LOL) – 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 y’all in about three weeks!
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 6/13/2016: 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.
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40-issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues.
For those attending our annual convention in Las Vegas from 7/7 to 7/10, the Las Vegas Fight Shop will be offering a 20 percent discount on anything if you are an Observer reader throughout the weekend. They also have Randy Couture signing from 6-8 p.m. on 7/8 and Nate Diaz from Noon to 2 p.m. on 7/9. Both signings require an Affliction T-shirt but you can get 20 percent off as well as a VIP line pass if you are coming in for the convention. For more information on the convention you can go here.
The Cincinnati Gardens, a regular stop for pro wrestling for decades, is scheduled to be demolished this year. The building had been for sale for three years and was finally sold to the Port Authority. The Gardens opened in 1949. It was still the home of a flat track women’s Roller Derby team. It was best known as the home of the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA which featured Oscar Robertson, one of the all-time greats. The plan is to use the area for industrial redevelopment.
TNA has put Tuesday’s show on-line because of the problems with the show airing in its time slot.
TNA’s Ring Transportation manager Bob Rosen suffered a heart attack earlier this week while at the tapings. He wrote on his Facebook after being examined that he had 99 percent blockage. Best wishes to him on a complete recovery.
Spike TV will be appearing a one-hour documentary on Rampage Jackson tonight at 11 p.m. as a preview for his fight with Satoshi Ishii on 6/24 in St. Louis as the main event of Bellator Dynamite 2016.
WWE
2K Sports has added John Cena, Sasha Banks and Ultimate Warrior to the list of characters in WWE 2K17.
Sasha Banks is on the cover of the new Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine.
UFC
In Canada, the UFC prelims tomorrow from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Eastern time will air on The Fight Network. They will also air weigh-ins at 5 p.m. today. The main card will air on TSN5.
Alexander Gustafsson will face Jan Blachowicz on the 9/3 UFC show in Hamburg, Germany in the No. 2 bout on that card underneath the Josh Barnett vs. Andrei Arlovski main event.
Miesha Tate will be appearing on Conan O’Brien on TBS on Monday night at 11 p.m. Eastern time. This will be Tate’s first major late night television show appearance.
Michael Bisping was on FS 1 yesterday talking about a fight with Georges St-Pierre. Still no word from St-Pierre if he’s going to come back this year.
SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR
TONIGHT – Wrestlepalooza in Des Moines at 504 East Lucust St. features Colt Cabana vs. Joey Ryan vs. Chuck Taylor in the main event. Scott Hall will also be there.
TONIGHT – Absolute Intense Wrestling at Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH at Tequila Jaxx with Joey Janela vs. Facade, Shayna Baszler vs. Veda Scott, Laredo Kid, & B.J. Whitmer
TONIGHT – AAW “Killers Among Us,” Drago vs. Chris Hero, at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) Tickets available.
TOMORROW – Ronin Pro Wrestling is in Pembroke Pines, FL at the Broward College South Campus Gym as Joey Ryan, Candice LaRae and Johnny Gargano.
TOMORROW – MCW “Base Brawl” at the Regency Furniture Stadium, 11765 St. Linus DR in Waldorf, MD. Tickets here. Ron Simmons, Billy Gunn, and X-Pac will be there.
TOMORROW – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
SUNDAY – Steel Pro Wrestling runs at the KoC in Hamilton, ON.
SUNDAY – New Japan Dominion – Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin in a ladder match for the IC title
SUNDAY – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
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 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
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
Mexico City, Mexico: – Mario Nuez defeated Tony Canales to become the first holder of the Mexico National Welterweight Title
1936
Des Moines, Iowa: – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag beat Ras Samara 2 falls to 0 – World Junior Heavyweight Champion Ken Fenelon beat Jack Conley 2 falls to 0
1948
Kansas City, Kansas: – Lord Albert Mills beat Lou Newman 2 out of 3 falls – The Dusek Brothers (Ernie and Joe Dusek) defeated The Garibaldi Brothers (Chick and Ralph Garibaldi) – Emil Dusek beat Barney Bernard
1949
St. Louis, Missouri; – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz defeated Bill Longson – Sandor Szabo beat Dutch Hefner – Warren Bockwinkel beat Joe Dusek via DQ
1957
Birmingham, Alabama: – Cyclone Anaya defeated Tor Yamata for the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title
1960
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Central States Heavyweight Champion Thor Hagen and Gory Guerrero wrestled to a draw – World Tag Team Champions The Dusek Brothers (Emil and Ernie Dusek) beat George and Sandy Scott in 2 out of 3 falls
1964
Salem, Oregon:
– Pat Patterson and Tony Borne defeated Nick Bockwinkel and Buddy Mareno (Omar Atlas) for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles
1965
Davenport, Iowa: – AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat The Crusher & Rene Goulet – Verne Gagne beat Chris Markoff – Igor Vodik beat Gene Anderson
Kansas City, Kansas: – In a Penalty Box rules match; Bob Geigel and Dutch Savage beat Pat O’Connor and Mongolian Stomper 2 falls to 1 – Ronnie Etchison drew Missouri Mauler 1 fall to 1 fall – Sonny Myers beat Ken Hollis
Jacksonville, Florida: – Bob Orton, Sr. won a tournament for the vacant NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Title
1966
St. Joseph, Missouri: – The Viking (Bob Morse) defeated Ron Reed to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – AWA Tag Team Champions Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher beat The Alaskan & Mad Dog Vachon – Verne Gagne beat Angelo Poffo – Wilbur Snyder beat Guy Mitchell – Ernie Ladd beat Chris Markoff
1971
Kansas City, Kansas: – Rufus R. Jones & The Stomper defeated North American Tag Team Champions Buddy Austin & Bob Orton via DQ – Central States Heavyweight Champion Harley Race defeated Bob Ellis in three falls – In a Texas Death Match, Dick the Bruiser defeated Baron Von Raschke
1972
Portland, Oregon: – Dutch Savage and Moondog Mayne defeated The Royal Kangaroos (Jonathan Boyd and Norman Frederick Charles) to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – In a Saloon Match; The Crusher beat Dusty Rhodes – Ivan Koloff beat Edouard Carpentier – Billy Robinson beat Big K – George Gadaski beat Kenny Jay
1977
St. Louis, Missouri: – WWWF World Champion Billy Graham defeated Bob Slaughter – NWA World Champion Harley Race defeated Missouri Champion Jack Brisco by countout – AWA World Tag Team Champions; The High Flyers (Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell) defeated Blackjack Lanza and Bobby Duncum – Bulldog Bob Brown & Ivan Koloff drew Rufus R Jones & Billy Robinson – Pat O’Connor beat Bobby Jaggers – Bob Sweetan beat Ron Starr
1981
Oakland, California: – Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens beat Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura dq – Greg Gagne beat Bobby Heenan – Tito Santana beat Sheik Adnan
1982
Roanoke, Viginia: – Don Kernodle and Jim Nelson defeated Porkchop Cash and Iceman Parsons to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: – In a Non Title match; Rick Martel beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel – AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan – Ken Patera beat Baron Von Raschke – Brad Rheingans beat Tito Santana
WCCW Wrestling Star Wars | Dallas, Texas: – Genichiro Tenryu defeats Johnny Mantell – Vicky Carranza defeated Lola Gonzalez to win the Mexican National Women’s Championship – Al Madril, Chavo Guerrero & Jose Lothario defeated Bill Irwin, Fishman & The Mongol – Iceman King Parsons defeaed Buddy Roberts in a Hair Vs. Hair Match – David von Erich defeated Jimmy Garvin (w/ Sunshine) to win the World Class Texas Heavyweight Championship – Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Ted DiBiase ended in a Draw in an AJPW United National Championship – Giant Baba defeated King Kong Bundy to retain the AJPW/PWF Heavyweight Championship – Kamala defeats Armand Hussian, Mike Bond & Tola Yatsu in a Three On One Handicap Loser Leaves Town Match – Harley Race defeated Kevin Von Erich by DQ to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship – Bruiser Brody & Kerry Von Erich defeat The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy) to win the NWA American Tag Team Championship
Tokyo, Japan: – The Dynamite Girls (Jumbo Hori and Yukari Ohmori) defeated Devil Masami and Talantula for the WWWA World Tag Team Titles
1984
Atlanta, Georgia: – Jake Roberts defeated Ron Garvin to win the NWA World Television Title (title held up due to use of foreign object)
1985
Poughkeepsie, New York: – Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo; the U.S. Express, defeated The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff for the WWF World Tag Team Titles
Memphis, Tennessee: – The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) defeated Ron Sexton and Billy Travis in a tournament final to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Titles
1987
Mexico City, Mexico: – Villano III defeated Perro Aguayo for the vacant WWF World Light Heavyweight Title
1988
Calgary, Alberta, Canada: – Chris Benoit defeated Johnny Smith to win the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title
Dallas, Texas: – AWA Champion Jerry Lawler beat Terry Taylor – Kamala beat Kerry Von Erich – King Parsons beat Skip Young – Terry Gordy ddq John Tatum
1989
San Juan, Puerto Rico: – TNT (Savio Vega) defeated Abudda Dein to win the vacant WWC Television Title
1994
Knoxville, Tennessee: – The Thrillseekers, Chris Jericho & Lance Storm defeated Steven Dunn & Killer Kyle – Bruiser Bedlam defeated Tracy Smothers in a coal miner’s glove match – SMW Tag Team Champions Brian Lee & Chris Candido fought The Rock N’ Roll Express to a no contest in a piledriver match – SMW Heavyweight Champion Jake Roberts defeated the Dirty White Boy via disqualification
1996
Memphis, Tennessee: – Flex Kavana (the Rock) and Bart Sawyer defeated Brickhouse Brown and Reggie B. Fine in a tournament final for the USWA Tag Team Titles
Tokyo, Japan: – Jushin Liger defeated Dick Togo for the Michinoku Pro Wrestling British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Title – Shinjiro Otani defeated Kazushi Sakuraba for the UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Title
1997
Sapporo, Japan: – Kyoko Inoue defeated Kaoru Itoh for the vacant WWWA World Singles Title
1999
Fargo, North Dakota: – Sherri Martel defeated Miss Manners (Adrian Lynch) to win the (revived) AWA World Women’s Title
Boston, Massachusetts: – The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) defeated The Brotherhood (Knuckles Nelson and Rick Fuller) for the NWA World Tag Team Titles
2000
Cornelia, Georgia: – Bad Attitude (Rick Michaels and David Young) defeated The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) to win the NWA Wildside Tag Team Titles
2007
Nashville, Tennessee; – Jay Lethal defeated Chris Sabin to win the TNA X-Division title – Kurt Angle won the King of the Mountain match to win the TNA Title – Rhino and Senshi (with Hector Guerrero) defeated The Latin American Xchange (Homicide and Hernandez) (with Konnan) – Eric Young defeated Robert Roode (with Ms. Brooks) – Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon) defeated Rick Steiner and Road Warrior Animal to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship – Sting defeated Christopher Daniels – Abyss defeated Tomko in a No Disqualification match
