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Category: News

  • WED UPDATE: WWE adds Brock Lesnar to Raw, Roman Reigns on boos, and more

    Show notes for tonight:

    UFC Tonight airs at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 

    NXT at 8:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network hasApollo Crews vs. Johnny Gargano, Dana Brooke & Emma vs. Peyton Royce & Billie Kay, Tyler Breeze vs. Tommaso Ciampa, and a main event of Finn Bálor & Samoa Joe vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic..

    A rerun of last week’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter airs at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and it’s titled “Recognize the Enemy.” Conor McGregor tries to push Urijah Faber into fighting T.J. Dillashaw and one of the coaches does not react well to how this week’s fight goes.

    Impact Wrestling at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Destination America is the last actual show shot at the most recent tapings  and is th theoretical go-hom show for this Sunday’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view.

    The Ultimate Fighter at 10:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 is titled “A Faithless Foe.” It has Connor McGregor lecturing the fighter who lost last week, a Team Faber fighter skipping practice, and more.

    ROH at 11:00 p.m. ET on Destination America has Matt Sydal vs. KUSHIDA, Moose vs. Watanabe vs. Adam Page vs. Will Ferrara, and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Adam Cole.

    Please send reports from major shows, recommended links, etc. to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com:

    ****

    Figure Four Weekly:

    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is now up for subscribers (subscribe to the site here and get access to Figure Four, the Observer, tons of audio, and more) featuring a look back at how exactly WWE lost the WWF name. Forget the stories you’v heard, this detailsexactly what the World Wildlife Fund objected to, what WWE agreed to and why, what scandals worried the fund, and more.  On top of that, we have all the usual stuff like Vinny’s reviews and international news from Dr. Lucha Steve Sims and and Alan”4L” Counihan.

    The recnt FREEFigure Four Weekly is still up with a look at the crazy story of why Gawker thinks the FBI may have helped Hulk Hogan cover up his racist and homophobic comments. A judge has ordered the FBI to turn over the records of their investigation, and what Gawker is saying in court about what has and hasn’t been turned over paints a very interesting picture.

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

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    We’ve got a double issue of the Observer this week because of coverage of so many big shows and all the stuff that has come out of the past week with WWE. Sept. 28, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Sting, Night of Champions, Bellator Dynamite, more

    Our lead story covers the Sting injury, the Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar Hell in a Cell match and the interesting back story and questions it brings up, lots of long-term looking at where WWE is headed as well as full coverage of the Night of Champions show.  We also cover the second season news for Lucha Underground, the Atlantis vs. La Sombra mask vs. mask match, Akira Hokuto’s announcement about her breast cancer, Bellator’s Dynamite show and what went right and wrong, New Japan’s Destruction in Okayama, ROH’s All-Star Extravaganza, the Pro Wrestling NOAH angle where they tease the end of the company, USADA responds to Thomas Hauser, Josh Gross’ story on the Vitor Belfort drug test and why it’s not nearly as simple as people are making it out to be, AAA’s next major show and record low ratings.

    Rates are:

    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.

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

    Our lead story covers the WWE weekend, notably the Sting injury and Undertaker-Lesnar announcement.

    We go through the injury, including Sting’s interview comments after the fact and his description of Seth Rollins and the injury, as well as his current thoughts on if he will wrestle again.  We also talk about what he does and doesn’t know, what he’s said publicly about the injury, why the match wasn’t stopped, and what we can learn from it.

    We also look at how the Lesnar vs. Undertaker Hell in a Cell match changes WrestleMania, and look at those potential changes.  We look at the different directions they can go with the key talent for next year’s show.  We also look at the rest of Hell in a Cell as far as what is on the books and what name isn’t listed yet in the top matches.  We look at the problem in the arena at the end of Night of Champions.

    We’ve got complete Night of Champions coverage, with records, business, poll results, match-by-match coverage and star ratings.

    FOR A FULL OBSERVER PREVIEW CLICK HERE

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.

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

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Wednesday Daily Update

    • From the main page:
      SmackDown spoilers.
      Raw ratings fall to record lows.
      Today in history.
    • Beau James sent us a note with the unfortunate news that veteran Nashvile female wrestler Robbie Rage (not to be confused with the male wrestler who worked for WCW and NJPW) passed away at home on Monday night after suffering a heart attack. From Beau: She is the ex-wife of Gypsy Joe and started wrestling during the dying days of Kansas City. She also worked some for USWA and Bert Prentice’s Ozark Mountain Wrestling. Through the 90s she was the traveling opponent for both Debbie Combs and Candi Devine. She made a short come back in 2010/11. She was in her mid 50s.
    • WWE sent this out:

    This October, on WWE Network, Brock Lesnar takes fans on the Go to Hell Tour, including a brand new stop in Boston on Monday Night Raw this Monday, October 5.

    • Then, this Saturday at 8 ET/5 PT, watch the historic special Live from MSG: Lesnar vs. Big Show as The Beast Incarnate returns to Madison Garden for the first time in over a decade to battle The World’s Largest Athlete.  On Oct. 19 immediately following Raw, The Beast will step behind the mic and answer questions from The Texas Rattlesnake in a live, no-holds barred interview on a brand-new Stone Cold Podcast. Finally, on Oct. 25 at 8 ET/5PT, the fiercest rivalry in recent memory will continue at Hell in a Cell when Lesnar clashes with The Undertaker in Satan’s Playground!
    • Roman Reigns talks to Fox Sports. On getting back fans who turned on him over the Daniel Bryan stuff: “It’s been a work in progress. The crowd is the crowd. You’re gonna take them as an individual performer how you take them. The key is how do you learn from them. How do you use whatever is happening reaction-wise to get better.”
    • Nick Diaz is saying UFC is offering him help with appealing his suspension and an interview with Jeff Novitsky gives us a reason to believe him.
    • ROH returns to Charlotte with the WINTER WARRIORS TOUR on Saturday, January 9th 2016 at the Cabarrus Events Center (4751 NC Hwy 49 North – Concord, NC 28025).5:30pm Doors Open/7:00pm bell time.
    • Bellator has added Bubba Jenkins vs. Jordan Parsons to  “Bellator 146: Kato vs. Manhoef” on November 20th in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
    • Odd John Cena/League of Legends…thing at Kotaku Australia.
    • AXS TV officially announced the schedule for how NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9 will air on the network:

    Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

    IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship four-Way Match – Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish; KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley; Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov; and Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson

    IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship – Ryusuke Taguchi versus Kenny Omega

    Oct. 16 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

    Tetsuya Naito versus A.J. Styles

    NEVER Openweight Championship – Tomohiro Ishii versus Togi Makabe

    Oct. 23 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

    Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Tomaoki Honma versus the Bullet Club (Jeff Jarrett, Back Luck Fale and Yujiro Takahashi)

    Special Single Match – Kazushi Sakuraba versus Minoru Suzuki

    IWGP Tag Championship – Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows versus Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata

    Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

    Toru Yano, Naomichi Marufuji, Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste versus Takashi Iizuka, Shelton X Benjamin, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr.

    IWGP Intercontinental Championship – Shinsuke Nakamura versus Kota Ibushi

    Nov. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

    IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Hiroshi Tanahashi versus Kazuchika Okada

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (9/30): Don Muraco beats Jimmy Snuka for ECW title, Andre The Giant & Stan Hansen team up

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1942 — 

    Des Moines, Iowa:

    – Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Emil Dusek in 2 out of 3 falls

    1959 —

    Mobile, Alabama:

    – Jackie Fargo defeated Jesse James to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title

    1965 — 

    Kansas City, Kansas:

    – Bob Geigel and Bob Brown beat Cowboy Bob Ellis and Bobo Brazil 2 falls to 1

    – Mongolian Stomper beat Corsica Joe 

    – Sonny Myers beat Jim Grabmire

    1973 — 

    Himeji, Japan:

    – Miyoko Hoshino & Peggy Kuroda defeated Masked Lee & Lita Marez for the WWWA World Tag Team Title 

    1974 —

    Birmingham, Alabama:

    – Duke Myers & Blue Scorpion defeated Ricky & Johnny Fields to win the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title

    1976 —

    Kansas City, Kansas:

    – Bob Slaughter (Sgt. Slaughter) & Matsuda Hata defeated Mike George & Skip Young

    – Harley Race defeated Bob Brown

    – Baron Von Raschke & Mad Dog Vachon defeated Black Gordman & Great Goliath in three falls to win the NWA Central States Tag Team Titles

    1977 —

    Houston, Texas:

    – Ox Baker defeated Captain USA (John Studd) for the NWA American Heavyweight Title 

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:

    – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Ray Stevens

    – AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Roger Kirby & Chris Markoff

    – Billy Robinson beat Super Destroyer dq

    – Larry Hennig beat Angelo Mosca

    – Jan Nelson beat Bobby Duncum dq

    – Bob Backlund drew Blackjack Lanza

    1978 —

    Chattanooga, Tennessee:

     – Gypsy Joe & Tojo Yamamoto defeated Ken Lucas & Dutch Mantel to win the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title

    St. Petersburg, Florida:

    – Dusty Rhodes beat Ernie Ladd

    – Wahoo McDaniel beat Ivan Koloff

    – Andre The Giant & Mike Graham & Steve Keirn beat Pak Song & Mr. Sato & Mr. Saito

    – The Spoiler beat Prince Tonga

    – Jerry Brisco beat Killer Karl Kox

    – Bobby Duncum beat Rick Oliver

    1980 —

    Tokyo, Japan:

    – WWF World Junior Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Ron Starr

    – NWA International Junior Heavyweight Champion Kengo Kimura vs. Chavo Guerrero went to a double countout

    – WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Stan Hansen by dq

    – NWF Champion Antonio Inoki defeated Ken Patera

    1984 —

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:

    – AWA Tag Team Champions Champion Road Warriors beat Crusher & Baron Von Raschke

    – Jerry Blackwell no contest King Kong Brody

    – Fabulous Ones beat Mr. Saito & Nick Bockwinkel

    – Billy Robinson beat Tony Atlas dq

    1985 —

    Memphis, Tennessee:

    – Mid-America Champ Koko Ware beat Tom Pritchard via dq

    – The Mongolian Stomper beat Phil Hickerson via countout to win the CWA International Title

    – Southern Tag Champs The Kiwi Sheepherders NC Bill Dundee & Jimmy Valiant

    – NWA U.S. Champ Tully Blanchard and Magnum TA fought to a double dq

    – Pez Whatley pinned Buddy Landel

    – The Fabulous Ones beat The Fabulous Freebirds’ Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts

    – NWA World Tag Team Champs The Rock N’ Roll Express beat Ivan & Nikita Koloff

    – NWA World Champ Ric Flair beat Jerry Lawler by dq

    1988 —

    Memphis, Tennessee:

    – AWA Champion Jerry Lawler beat Ronnie Garvin dq

    – Robert Fuller double countout with Brickhouse Brown

    – Jimmy Valiant beat Jimmy Golden

    – AWA Tag Team Champions Badd Company Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond beat Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden dq

    1989 — 

    Buffalo, New York:

    – Sting defeated NWA World TV Champion the Great Muta by DQ

    – NWA U.S. Champion Lex Luger defeated Tommy Rich

    – NWA World Tag Team Champions Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin defeated The Midnight Express, Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane

    – NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Terry Funk

    1990 —

    Tokyo, Japan:

    – The British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith) defeated Dean & Joe Malenko

    – Kenta Kobashi & Johnny Ace defeated Danny Spivey & Kamala #2

    – Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada ended in a forty-five minute draw

    – Andre The Giant & Stan Hansen defeated Giant Baba & Abdullah The Butcher

    1992 —

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

    – Glen Osbourne defeated The Sandman in a tournament final to win the ECW Television Title

    – Don Muraco defeated Jimmy Snuka to win the ECW Heavyweight Title

    1994 —

    Paintsville, Kentucky:

    – Lance Storm beat Boo Bradley (the future Balls Mahoney) by DQ.

    -SMW Champ The Dirty White Boy beat Bruiser Bedlam by DQ.

    -SMW Tag Champs The Rock N’ Roll Express beat The Gangstas.

    -The Rock N’ Roll Express & The Dirty White Boy & Tracy Smothers beat Boo Bradley & Bruiser Bedlam & The Gangstas in a “Rage in a Cage” bout.

    2002 —

    Houston, Texas: 

    – Kane defeated Chris Jericho to win the WWE Intercontinental Title

  • WWE Smackdown 10/1 spoilers: Seth Rollins & Kane in six-man main event, new HIAC match announced

    Submitted by David Spalding

    Dark matches/taping:

    – Dolph Ziggler over Heath Slater.  Might have been a dark match.

    – Braun Strowman over Curtis Axel.

    – Cesaro over Bo Dallas with a sharpshooter.

    – Dean Ambrose over Wade Barrett with Dirty Deeds. 

    Smackdown —

    – Interview segment with Seth Rollings and Kane sets up New Day and Seth vs. The Demon Kane and Dudleys.  They are, in fact, doing the gimmick where Corporate Kane is injured and on crutches, but Demon Kane is totally fine.

    – Team Bad over Team Bella.   Sasha made Nikki tap out.

    – Ryback over WWE I-C Champion Kevin Owens by countout.

    – Lucha Dragons and Neville over Stardust and Ascension. 

    – Interview segment with the Wyatts and Roman Reigns to set up a challenge from Roman to Bray for a Hell in the Cell match at the HIAC PPV.

    – The Dudleys and Kane over WWE Tag Tean Chapions The New Day and WWE Champion Seth Rollins in a six-man tag.  Starts off with the Dudleys in a handicap match.  Corporate Kane was sitting ringside during the match and gets attacked by Seth and has to be taken to the back.  Kane comes back from commercial break as the Demon Kane before the finish happens. After the match Kane chokeslammed everyone involved in the match except for Seth.

    Notes:

    – Very bad attandance with about 60 percent blocked off with a tarp.

    – Advertised dark match of Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins didn’t happen.

  • UFC Fight Night Japan: Peach Machine’s True Ten Scoring System

    Submitted by PeachMachine for WrestlingObserver.com

    In a follow up to last weeks Bellator show, I have no update on the alleged scoring change that was put in place by the California State Athletic Commission.  Supposedly the new rule will give judges a means to give more 10-8s, i.e. judges are instructed to give more 10-8s.  I have no idea what this means, since they are already allowed to do this already.

    For some background, I started/create what I call a True Ten system — an attempt to bring a different type of scoring to MMA.

    Bonus Match:

    TUF Tournament Show:  Aired Wednesday 9/23/15 Gruetzemacher vs. Sharma

    I happened to watch The Ultimate Fighter this week and figured I’d give it a scoring.  Usually these are two round affairs that only go to a third if the fighters split the first two.  This was one of those splits.  I can only assume these fights are judged by commission judges in the same way as regular fights.  These decisions are kept pretty closely under wraps since they are taped well in advance of the airing. 

    Official Result:  Dana only read the final round scores, and all three had it 10-9 for Gruetzemacher.  I’m assuming all three had it 29-28 Gruetzemacher. 

    – Classic Ten:  Rd 1) 10-9 Sharma  Rd 2) 10-9 Gruetzemacher  Rd 3) 10-9 Gruetzemacher 

    Result 29-28 Gruetzemacher

    – True Ten:  Rd 1) 10-9 Sharma  Rd 2) 10-8 Gruetzemacher Rd 3) 10-6 Gruetzemacher

    Result:  Gruetzemacher 29-24

    – Weighted:  Rd 1) Sharma+1  Rd 2) Gruetzemacher+2  Rd 3) Gruetzemacher+3

    Result:  5-1 Gruetzemacher

    – Pride:  Gruetzemacher

    Analysis: 

    This should have ended after the second round.  Everyone saw that the third round was going to be a one sided whipping, and it was.  If the refs had used the True Ten system, the third round would not have been necessary.  Instead, Sharma had to take five more minutes of a beating.  This must have been taped before the “rule change” and probably took place in Nevada anyway. 

    *****

    We’ve completed five shows now, and before we get into the sixth part of this series, let’s take a look at some stats to see what this experiment has uncovered.

    – Total Official Decisions:  17 (by show 4,3,3,3,4)

    – Unanimous:  13 (by show 4,2,2,3,2)

    – Split:  2 (by show 1,1,0,0,0)

    – Other:  2 (0,0,0,0,2 on Bellator: 1 two round match, 1 Majority Decision)

    – Different Outcomes Using True Ten:  0 (0,0,0,0,0)

    So far, the True Ten Scoring System has not changed any outcomes.  However, we’ve learned a lot about scoring as a whole.  The system has definitely created wider margins of victory, but does that matter?  I thought we would see a lot more draws than we have, but alas. 

    *****

    For future True Tens, there will no longer be a category for the Pride Scoring System, or the Weighted Round System.  I believe it was too big of an endeavor to try and examine multiple new systems at once.  So for the remaining shows, I will only present the official result, my result using the same criteria as the current judges called Classic Ten, and the system we have been examining the whole time called True Ten. 

    On with the show:

    UFC Fight Night 75:  Josh Barnett vs. Roy Nelson

    MIZUTO HIROTA VS. TERUTO ISHIHARA — 

    – Official Result: 29-28 Ishihara, 29-28 Hirota, and 29-29 Draw

    – Result: Split Draw (Draw)

    – Classic Ten:  Rd 1) 10-9 Ishihara  Rd 2)  10-9 Hirota  Rd 3) Hirota 10-9

    – Result:  29-28 Hirota

    – True Ten:  Rd 1) 10-8  Ishihara  Rd 2) 10-9 Hirota  Rd 3) Hirota 10-9

    – Result:  DRAW 28-28

    Analysis: 

    This was the end of the Road to Japan tournament.  I did not watch a single match of the tournament.  I feel like Hirota won the match, but according to my True Ten score, it was a draw, and ironically, it was scored a split draw.  Pretty crazy, especially since one judge scored it 29-29 meaning he must have scored either two 10-8s or two 10-10s. Both fighters received a 6-figure contract.  I hope two of those figures are on the other side of the decimal point. 

    TAKEYA MIZUGAKI VS. GEORGE ROOP — 

    – Official Result:  Mizugaki x 3 29-28

    – Classic Ten:  Rd 1) 10-9 Mizugaki  Rd 2) 10-9 Mizugaki  Rd 3)  Mizugaki 10-9

    – Result:  30-27 Mizugaki

    – True Ten:  Rd 1) 10-9 Mizugaki  Rd 2) 10-9 Mizugaki  Rd 3) Mizugaki 10-8

    – Result:  30-26 Mizugaki

    Analysis:

    Mizugaki won but he dominated the end and that’s where I think it really counts.

    KYOJI HORIGUCHI VS. CHICO CAMUS — 

    – Official Result:  30-27 x 3 for Horiguchi

    – Classic Ten:  Rd 1) 10-9 Horiguchi  Rd 2) 10-9 Horiguchi  Rd 3) 10-9 Horiguchi

    – Result:  30-27 Horiguchi

     -True Ten:  Rd 1) 10-9 Horiguchi  Rd 2) 10-9 Horiguchi  Rd 3) 10-9 Horiguchi

    – Result: 30-27 Horiguchi

    Analysis:

    I didn’t give Horiguchi any rounds a 10-8 because I think he squeaked out all three.   

    JOSH BARNETT VS. ROY NELSON — 

    – Official Result:  48-47, 48-47 and  50-45 for the winner by Unanimous Decision: Barnett

    – Classic Ten:  Rd 1) 10-9 Barnett  Rd 2) 10-8 Barnett  Rd 3)  10-9 Nelson  Rd 4) 10-9 Barnett  Rd 5) 10-9 Barnett

    – Result: 49-46 Barnett

    – True Ten:  Rd 1) 10-8 Barnett  Rd 2) 10-7 Barnett  Rd 3) 10-10 Draw  Rd 4) 10-8 Barnett  Rd 5) 10-9 Barnett

    – Result:  50-42 Barnett

    Analysis: 

    This was a WAR!  A great main event that really needed the True Ten scoring system to accurately score this match.  Barnett clearly won the fight, and regardless of the scoring system, the right man won.

    Final Analysis: 

    This was a great show with a hell of a fight in the main event.  Again, my scoring system did not change an outcome, but it made the winning differential bigger in a few of the decisions.  So far, my choice for a scoring system would be just to decide a round winner and not declare points. 

  • WWE Monday Night Raw ratings fall to record lows

    In what seems to be a weekly pattern this fall, the September 28, 2015 episode of Raw set another record low, drawing 3.32 million viewers last night. With the exception of a Christmas Eve show in 2012, it was the lowest viewership for an episode of the show since 1997.

    The number was slightly down from the 3.34 million viewers that set a record the previous week.

    The culprit once again was a Monday Night Football game with the Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs that did 13.51 million viewers.

    Ratings declined over the three hours once again.  With football starting at 8:30 p.m., the highest rated segment of Raw is likely to be the first half hour.

    The three hours were:

    8 p.m. 3.48 million viewers
    9 p.m. 3.33 million viewers
    10 p.m. 3.19 million viewers

    It was the second lowest audience, even including holidays, for a third hour of Raw in the history of the three-hour long show.

  • TUES UPDATE: Jon Jones, Total Divas season finale tonight, Kurt Angle returns, more

    by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.com | Follow @davidbix

    Show notes for tonight:

    Total Divas’ season finale airs at 9:00 p.m. E! with an episoded titled “Return of the Ex.” Dolph Ziggler tries to woo Nikki Bella back from John Cena, Tyson Kidd breaks his neck (TitanTV’s description says he and Nattie have to deal with “career-ending news”), and Paige tries to be more tactful around everyone else. After Total Divas, tonight’s WAGs has Kelly Kelly’s bachelorette party.

    WWE SmackDown and Main Event will be taped tonight in Albany, New York.

    Please send reports from major shows, recommended links, etc. to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com:

    ****

    Figure Four Weekly:

    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is now up for subscribers (subscribe to the site here and get access to Figure Four, the Observer, tons of audio, and more) featuring a look back at how exactly WWE lost the WWF name. Forget the stories you’v heard, this detailsexactly what the World Wildlife Fund objected to, what WWE agreed to and why, what scandals worried the fund, and more.  On top of that, we have all the usual stuff like Vinny’s reviews and international news from Dr. Lucha Steve Sims and and Alan”4L” Counihan.

    The recnt FREEFigure Four Weekly is still up with a look at the crazy story of why Gawker thinks the FBI may have helped Hulk Hogan cover up his racist and homophobic comments. A judge has ordered the FBI to turn over the records of their investigation, and what Gawker is saying in court about what has and hasn’t been turned over paints a very interesting picture.

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

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    We’ve got a double issue of the Observer this week because of coverage of so many big shows and all the stuff that has come out of the past week with WWE. Sept. 28, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Sting, Night of Champions, Bellator Dynamite, more

    Our lead story covers the Sting injury, the Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar Hell in a Cell match and the interesting back story and questions it brings up, lots of long-term looking at where WWE is headed as well as full coverage of the Night of Champions show.  We also cover the second season news for Lucha Underground, the Atlantis vs. La Sombra mask vs. mask match, Akira Hokuto’s announcement about her breast cancer, Bellator’s Dynamite show and what went right and wrong, New Japan’s Destruction in Okayama, ROH’s All-Star Extravaganza, the Pro Wrestling NOAH angle where they tease the end of the company, USADA responds to Thomas Hauser, Josh Gross’ story on the Vitor Belfort drug test and why it’s not nearly as simple as people are making it out to be, AAA’s next major show and record low ratings.

    Rates are:

    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.

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

    Our lead story covers the WWE weekend, notably the Sting injury and Undertaker-Lesnar announcement.

    We go through the injury, including Sting’s interview comments after the fact and his description of Seth Rollins and the injury, as well as his current thoughts on if he will wrestle again.  We also talk about what he does and doesn’t know, what he’s said publicly about the injury, why the match wasn’t stopped, and what we can learn from it.

    We also look at how the Lesnar vs. Undertaker Hell in a Cell match changes WrestleMania, and look at those potential changes.  We look at the different directions they can go with the key talent for next year’s show.  We also look at the rest of Hell in a Cell as far as what is on the books and what name isn’t listed yet in the top matches.  We look at the problem in the arena at the end of Night of Champions.

    We’ve got complete Night of Champions coverage, with records, business, poll results, match-by-match coverage and star ratings.

    FOR A FULL OBSERVER PREVIEW CLICK HERE

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.

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

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Tuesday Daily Update

    — From the main page:

    Jon Jones pleads guilty.

    Kurt Angle’s return match announced for Bound For Glory.

    — Odd correction from over the weekend: The ruling by Judge Pamela Campbell keeping Hulk Hogan’s FBI filing sealed from media who requested it be made public was not denying the motion filed the day before. It turns out that in a story about themselves, the Associated Press got a major detail wrong, and they issued a correction last night. Judge Campbell has yet to rule on the mtion filed Thursday by the Associated Press, Scripps, and other media companies/news organizations.

    — WWEDVDNetwork released a new preview clip of the upcoming “Sting: Into the Light” documentary, which is available for pre-order on  on DVD and Blu-Ray (with plenty of extra features as always) for an October 13th release. The teaser video is a snippet of the Blade Runners portion of the documentary.

    — Titus O’Neil talks to SI’s Extra Mustard. On Hulk Hogan: “It’s a tough situation for me to talk about. It’s been dealt with by the company, but for me, I’ve heard that type of talk from people who are way different than Hulk Hogan. He made a mistake, he’s paying for it, and it’s not my call to say what he is or he is not. I just try to live my life without having to worry about anybody calling me those names.”

    — Dave has an article about Daniel Cormier at MMAFighting.com.

    — Full details from WWN Live about Terry Funk’s involvement in their WWN Live Experience during WrestleMania weekend:

    The WWNLive Experience returns to Dallas, Texas on April 1st-April 3rd, 2016. It’s the biggest wrestling weekend of the year! It’s in Texas! We had to pull out something special for this occasion. WWN is very proud to announce that we are honoring one of the greatest wrestlers to ever come from Texas. We will present Hall Of Famer Terry Funk with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the WWN Supershow: Mercury Rising on Saturday night, April 2nd. This will be our chance to thank Terry Funk for all his contributions and influence on the pro wrestling industry.

    The party will continue on April 3rd with a very special and unique event. We are excited to announce the Funk’s Grill & BBQ Tailgate Party. This will take place across the street from Texas Stadium. It will feature world class BBQ with Terry Funk.

    Terry Funk will be available for autographs and pictures at both the WWN Supershow and Funk’s Grill & BBQ Tailgate Party. We’ll have an official press release with all the details in the upcoming weeks, but we wanted to give you the scoop now.

    — Bellator has added some fights to the October 23rd card, so here’s how it stands right now:

    Main Card: (Spike – 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT)
    Bellator Bantamweight Championship Fight: Marcos Galvao [c] (17-6-1) vs. Eduardo Dantas (17-4)
    Bellator Middleweight Championship Fight: Brandon Halsey (9-0) vs. Rafael Carvalho (11-1)
    Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Brennan Ward (11-3) vs. Dennis Olson (14-9)
    Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Michael Page (8-0) vs. TBA

    Preliminary Card: (Spike.com – 6:50 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT
    Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Isao Kobayashi (18-2-4) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (18-2)
    Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Matt Bessette (15-7) vs. Kevin Roddy (15-15)
    Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Matt Secor (6-2) vs. Jeremie Holloway (7-0)
    Bellator 150-Pound Feature Fight: Pete Rogers Jr. (2-2) vs. Marius Enache (2-3)

    — The documentary  “At What Cost?: An Anatomy of Professional Wrestling. premieres Thursday, Oct. 8. Doors open at 7 p.m. at The Art Theater, 2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach, CA.

    — Wrestlemerica has the Bullet Brawl this Friday night in Barnesville, Georgia. More details on their Facebook page.

    — MCW live this Saturday in Joppa, Maryland has Jake the Snake Roberts, The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, The Headbangers, and more.  Tickets available here

  • TNA News: Kurt Angle’s return match at Bound for Glory announced

    On Tuesday, former TNA world champion Kurt Angle announced that he would be facing Eric Young on Sunday’s Bound for Glory PPV show in Concord, NC.

    Bound for Glory is TNA’s second PPV show of the year with much of the direct hype for the show scheduled on tomorrow night’s Impact show.

    The main event will be Ethan Carter III defending his TNA title against Drew Galloway.

    Angle will be returning after an operation to remove a tumor in his neck. He has already said that he will not be renewing his TNA contract when it expires in January so, in theory, this will be his last PPV match with the company that he joined in 2006.

    The full Bound for Glory card features:

    – Tigre Uno vs. Rockstar Spud vs. DJ Z vs. TJP for the TNA X-Division Title in an Ultimate X Match

    – The Wolves vs. Brian Meyers & Trevor Lee in a TNA vs. Global Force Wrestling match for the TNA World Tag Team Titles

    – Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong for the TNA Knockouts Title

    – Abyss vs. Aiden O’Shea vs. Chris Melendez vs. Eli Drake vs. Jesse Godderz vs. Mahabali Shera vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Robbie E vs. Tyrus in a Gauntlet match with the winner getting a future shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Title

    – Bobby Roode vs. Lashley for the TNA King of the Mountain Title in a King of the Mountain Match.

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (9/29): Ric Flair vs. Nikita Koloff cage match, RVD vs. Christian I-C title ladder match

    1949

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown defeated Wild Bill Longson in 2 out of 3 falls

    1971

    Nashville, Tennessee:
    – NWA Southern Tag Team champions Al & Don Greene Brothers wrestled Robert Fuller & Tojo to a double DQ 
    – Karl and Kurt Von Brauner defeated Dennis Hall & Tommy Gilbert

    1975

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Ron & Robert Fuller beat The Golden Hawks
    – Southern Tag Champs The Interns beat Jackie Fargo & The Magnificent Zulu
    – Southern Champ Bob Armstrong beat Bill Dundee
    – NWA World Champ Jack Brisco beat The Mongolian Stomper via DQ

    1979

    St. Petersburg, Florida:
    – Mike Graham & Mark Totten & Jack and Jerry Brisco beat Killer Khan & Thor the Viking & Bill Irwin, & The Masked Terror
    – Manny Fernandez beat TV champ Bugsy McGraw by DQ
    – Ray Stevens defeated Brian St. John in a No DQ match
    – Bobo Brazil & Sweet Brown Sugar beat Mr. Hito & Mr. Sakurada
    – Dusty Rhodes & Bill Watts defeated Terry & Dory Funk Jr. in a Lights Out Bunkhouse match
    – NWA World champion Harley Race pinned Steve Keirn

    1980

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Tojo Yamamoto beat Danny Davis
    – Eddie & Tommy Gilbert beat The Angel & Sonny King in a hair vs. title match to win the Southern Tag Team championship
    – Bill Dundee beat Mid-America Champ Bobby Eaton by DQ
    – Jimmy Valiant beat World Brass Knuckles Champ Don Fargo by DQ
    – Memphis Champ Tommy Rich beat Robert Gibson
    – CWA Champ Billy Robinson beat Karl Krupp
    – Mid-America Tag Champs Ken Lucas & Ricky Morton beat Bill Irwin & Larry Latham

    1985 

    St. Paul, Minnesota:
    – Steve Regal & Jimmy Garvin defeated The Road Warriors to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship 
    – AWA Champion Rick Martel beat Jumbo Tsuruta
    – Handicap Match: Sgt. Slaughter beat Boris Zhukov & Chris Markoff
    – Jerry Blackwell & Little Mr. T beat Fabulous Freebirds Michael Hayes & Buddy Roberts
    – Shohei Giant Baba & Genichiro Tenyru no contest Stan Hansen & Larry Zbyszko

    Atlanta, Georgia:
    – Ron Garvin & Terry Taylor fought National Tag Team Champions Ole & Arn Anderson to a draw
    – NWA TV Champion Dusty Rhodes defeated the Barbarian
    – Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson defeated Ivan & Nikita Koloff via disqualification
    – Magnum TA fought NWA U.S. Champion Tully Blanchard to a no contest
    – NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Nikita Koloff in a steel cage match

    1987 

    Missenheimer, North Carolina:
    – Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard won the NWA World Tag Team Championships from The Rock N’ Roll Express

    1989 

    Calgary, Alberta, Canada:
    – The Blackhearts (Tom Nash & Dave “Gangrel” Heath) defeated Kensuke Sasaki & Sumo Hara for the Stampede International Tag Team Title 

    Dallas, Texas:
    – Jeff Jarrett & Matt Borne defeated Sheik Braddock & Mark Starr for the held-up USWA World Tag Team Title

    1998 

    East Lansing, Michigan:
    – D’Lo Brown defeated X-Pac to win the WWF European Heavyweight Title

    2003

    Chicago, Illinois: 
    – Rob Van Dam defeated WWE Intercontinental Champion Christian to win the title in a ladder match
    – World Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg & Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair & Randy Orton by dq

  • New Japan Destruction in Kobe feedback

    Thumbs up

    Best match: Nakamura vs. Goto

    Another good show. I thought the tag title match came off too rehearsed or choreographed and not like two teams in a fight.

    I knew Nakamura won the match when I watched but it was still very good. Had I not known the outcome, many of Goto’s near falls would have been very convincing.

    The show did a very good job of setting up matches for the near future which is great when you don’t have weekly TV to set up big shows.

    Mike Hiscoe

    Below are my thoughts on the Kobe show from this weekend

    -Overall I give the show a thumbs up

    -Best Match: Goto vs Nakamura

    -Worst Match: Juice Robinson, Capt. New Japan, and Nakanishi vs Nagata, Tiger Mask, and Liger

    -Kudos to New Japan for setting up feuds for their King of Pro Wrestling Show during Destruction in Kobe. Although the thought of another Ishii/Makabe match is down right infuriating.

    Luis Gonzalez

    Slight thumbs up

    Best Match: Nakamura/Goto

    Worst Match: Nagata/Liger/Tiger vs Nakanishi/CNJ/Robinson

    1) Shohei vs Finlay: Fun opener, not as strong as the young lions have been recently but when you look back at previous young lions from the past decade there is really no reason to complain. (**1/2)

    2) Yuji Nagata, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask vs Manabu Nakanishi, Captain New Japan & Juice Robinson: This was just a match. (**)

    3) CHAOS B Team vs Great Bash Heel, Mascara Dorada & Ryusuke Taguchi: There was some good stuff here, mostly involving the juniors, but I am not interested in Makabe vs Ishii IV, particularly considering Makabe has already beat him 3 TIMES. (**1/2)

    4) TenKoji & Matt Sydal vs Bullet Club: I actually really enjoyed this, mainly because if you’d told me four years ago that Evan Bourne would be teaming with Hiroyoshi Tenzan to face Luke Gallows and Kenny Omega in a New Japan ring I’d question your sanity. Nonetheless, there was some good stuff here and the finishing stretch with the juniors was great. (***1/4)

    5) Tetsuya Naito vs Katsuyori Shibata: You put these guys together and it will never be bad, but especially with the awesome build-up and high expectations from their G1 match, this fell a little short. Also, can we be finished with these low blows? Such a waste of a finish every single time. (***1/2)

    6) CHAOS vs Bullet Club: Whenever AJ and Okada were in, this was incredible. They turned it up to a level nobody expected, and really made me interested in their 10/12 match. The other stuff was fine but this match’s job was to sell me on the King Of Pro Wrestling match and it absolutely succeeded. (***1/4)

    7) IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship: reDRagon (c) vs Time Splitters: I thought this was a hell of a match, and was my match of the night to this point, but the crowd just didn’t get into it. It’s sad to see, because these four guys are incredible talents and this match would have gotten over so big in the US. More straight tag team matches for this junior title, please. (***3/4)

    8) IWGP Heavyweight Championship Wrestle Kingdom 9 In Tokyo Dome 1/4/2016 Certificate Gimmick: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Bad Luck Fale: This was the perfect spectacle match. Tanahashi was phenomenal here, and Fale held up his end of the bargain and was the fierce giant he needed to be. While certainly not any sort of match-of-the-year contender, I’m sure this surprised a lot of people and certainly exceeded my expectations. (****)

    9) IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura: This was exactly what you would have expected and maybe a little bit better. That’s not a bad thing when these two guys are in my top 10 workers for this year, but we’ve seen this match before many times. Nonetheless, the finishing stuff was great, Goto adding arm submissions to his arsenal was absolutely fantastic, and the final minute or two delivered in a big way so I can’t hate on this match at all. (****1/4)

    Overall a really good show but very similar to everything over the last 6 months. I’m sensing that New Japan’s main event scene is as strong as ever but the same matchups keep getting repeated, which can only go on for so long. The undercards simply have TOO MANY AMERICANS. So far this year New Japan has debuted: Jay White, David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Beretta, Matt Sydal, Kenny Omega, Michael Elgin and Cody Hall, with The Briscoes & Jay Lethal rumoured to be coming. The crowd doesn’t really care about these meaningless introductions 90% of the time, and what’s more concerning is that not a single Japanese wrestler has debuted this year. Just something to think about.

    Brian Jackson

    Thumbs up. Best match Goto vs. Nakamura 

    Yohei Komatsu and Sho Tanaka vs. Jay White and David Finlay

    I actually like these tag match quite a bit with the younger guys… they’re always really good. I can’t wait to see what Komastsu and Tanaka look like in couple of years.

    IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship: reDragon vs. Time Splitters

    This match was really good but the crowd would have way more into it if was an American crowd. 

    IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hirooki Goto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

    Really good match, but basically the same one we have seen all year. 

    John Juett

  • UFC News: Jon Jones pleads guilty, gets 18 month probation

    Jon Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, was given a conditional discharge and 18 months probation on a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident in a plea bargain Tuesday morning.

    Judge Charles Brown ordered Jones to make at least 72 appearances for both charity and speaking with children over the probation period. Once he fulfills the terms of the probation, he will be brought back to court and given a conditional discharge and would not have a felony conviction on his record.

    Jones was arrested from an incident on 4/26 on charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving death or serious injury when he crashed a rented SUV into a car driven by a pregnant woman, Vanessa Sonnenberg. Sonnenberg suffered a broken arm but has made a full recovery.

    Jones was suspended and stripped of his title  The police report indicated Jones ran a red light and struck Sonnenberg’s car. He left the scene, but then returned to grab a handful of money, and then ran away over a fence. Jones disappeared for about 24 hours before turning himself in.  A marijuana pipe was found in the car.

    UFC president Dana White, who was in court this morning with Jones, has said that Jones would get a shot at the title that he never lost in the cage, as soon as he was ready to return.