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  • UFC News: Dana White announces TJ Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz for January FS1 show

    By Dave Meltzer & Josh Nason, WrestlingObserver.com

    On UFC Tonight Wednesday, UFC president Dana White announced that bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw would defend the title against former champion Dominick Cruz on Sunday, January 17, 2016, in Boston’s TD Garden.

    The show will be on Fox Sports 1, and will be the second ever title fight in that network’s history as the UFC strawweight title was decided back in December 2014 following the TUF season.

    The 29-year-old Dillashaw (12-2) will be looking for the third successful defense of the title that Cruz officially never lost. After being ravaged with injuries for three years due to a torn ACL and groin, the 30-year-old Cruz (20-1) was stripped of the title after several comeback attempts were postponed. He returned in September 2014 and steamrolled Takeya Mizugaki in 61 seconds at UFC 178, but found himself on the injured list yet again with a torn ACL in his other knee.

    Similar to the January 2015 FS1 show featuring Conor McGregor vs. Dennis Siver, the event will be on a Sunday following an NFL playoff game. However, the show will be on the same day as the AFC and NFC divisional playoffs and not the AFC Championship game as last time.

    The McGregor/Siver fight set an FS1 ratings record, and this show will be heavily promoted on FOX during their football telecasts.

  • UFC TUF 22: McGregor vs. Faber results & recap for episode 1

    By Steve Juon, WrestlingObserver.com

    It’s a whole new season and Conor McGregor is the reason, as he and Urijah Faber go toe to toe as coaching foes on The Ultimate Fighter. They won’t duke it out after the season is done, but there’s still pride on the line, not to mention Conor’s reputation as the newest badass on the block.

    See what happens on episode one at 10 PM ET, 9 Central (7 PT) and join us each episode for “The Notorious Quote of the Week” as Conor puts his mouth where UFC’s money is! For example…

    The Notorious Quote of the Week from McGregor to Faber: “You should walk around with a ring card and shake that chin.” WINNER~!

    A slew of American and European fighters arrive at the gym in Las Vegas to open the show, all bragging about their credentials and which team will win, which is all just a build up to the arrival of the coaches. Dana White says it’s all Lightweights this season, but the interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor will coach the European team, and Alpha Male owner and bantamweight UFC star Urijah Faber is in charge for the American team.

    Conor: “I don’t see Urijah as a competitor on my level. He’s just there. I smoked his teammate.” This comes with a clip of the McGregor vs. Mendes bout from UFC 189.

    Faber: “Is Ireland known for cantaloupes? He looks like a cantaloupe on a toothpick. If they’re not known for them they should be now.”

    Conor: “If this was Urijah against anyone else, it would not be what it will be.”

    Our first fighters trying out are Johnny Nunez (5-1) vs. Ryan Hall (4-1). If the former seems familiar it’s because he fought (and lost to) Joe Condon at WSOF 17 on the main card via guillotine choke. Nunez proves he’s vulnerable to submission yet again as Ryan goes to the ground, locks up a leg, and Nunez taps out to the heel hook.

    Next up are two Europeans. David Teymur (3-1) says he’s an outstanding kickboxer who is 41 out of 42 in muay thai fights. He’s facing Thibault Gouti (10-0), who notes that MMA is still illegal in France, which makes it much more difficult to be a pro fighter. Both rounds are cut down to highlights, although Teymur seems to be doing more damage in R2 thanks to his K-1 background. Teymur advances via majority decision.

    Andres Quintana (8-1) will face Thanh Le (4-1) in our second American fight. Le is quickly branded “The Kung-Fu Man” by Faber due to his arsenal of kicks. His overhand right is equally dangerous. Le throws a wild spin kick that appears to nail Quintana in the head but Dana White thinks it hit a glove. Either way he survives for a second round. Le lands a clean straight right hand in R2 and one follow-up on the ground before it’s waved off. Le advances by knockout.

    Between fights McGregor is talking smack. “Be glad you don’t have to face me. I’d kill you stone dead.” Faber: “I’d like to see you pull your massive f—ing head out of my armpit. It wouldn’t happen.”

    McGregor’s friend, Russian ex-pat Artem Lobov (11-10-1-1) is next. He faces Mehdi Baghdad (11-3) from France, who says his advantage is he trains with Anderson Silva. Lobov is actually the one acting like Silva – dropping his hands and daring Baghdad to hit him some more. McGregor is calling out advice to him as he watches from the judging desk. He lands some hard shots and Baghdad shakes it off then connects with a kick to the chin. McGregor is begging Lobov to throw the left kick and left knee. There were enough hard shots on both sides that a second round is somewhat surprising.

    Both men are quickly throwing hands to open R2. Lobov goes for a takedown, Baghdad sprawls, Lobov comes up bloody. Dana White is thrilled. Faber: “What a war.” White: “These guys are f—ing murdering each other.” The second round is cut down to highlights. Dana: “This fight was awesome. I honestly believe it should have gone to a third round.” Baghdad gets a majority decision. McGregor comes over to console Lobov and tells him it was a great fight. Dana says he’s “far from a loser” afterward.

    Julian Erosa (14-2) vs. Jason Soares (8-0) for America is next, but this fight is cut down to “Performance Highlights.” Erosa stuffed takedowns and did more damage so Erosa wins by decision and does a backflip to celebrate.

    Europeans are next. Saul Rogers (10-1) says he may be European for this show he’s Manchester, England all the way and will continue to put it on the map. Paulo Boer (10-1-1) is his foe and says the flight from Vegas was short so he’s ready for war. This is cut down to highlights too. Boer survived an early choke attempt but Rogers ultimately got his hand raised. Faber asks where the ring girls are.

    The Notorious Quote of the Week: “You should walk around with a ring card and shake that chin.” WINNER~!

    Brandon Ricetti (7-1) vs. Billy Quarantillo (6-1) is next for the Americans. This one is also cut down to the highlights. Ricetti hammers his way to a TKO in R2.

    Frantz Slioa (4-0) faces Martin Delaney (10-1) for the Europeans next. Slioa seems to have one trick in the bag – going for takedowns and getting on top in scrambles. Delaney eventually takes advantage of that and gets a back mount with a body lock, getting an arm under the chin. Slioa goes out cold for Delaney’s rear naked choke – a win via technical submission.

    Jason Gonzalez (9-2) vs. Tim Welch (12-5) is next for Team America. Welch is another fighter you may recognize going in, due to a couple of bouts in Bellator, if not for his bright red shock of hair. Welch quickly winds up on top in side control but is pushed back to guard. Gonzalez gets a leg around his neck but Welch pops free and is dropping some big right elbows which have Gonzalez’ sister and girlfriend worried.

    After R1 is cut to highlights we go to R2 with Welch popping Gonzalez in the stand-up until Gonzalez clips him with one big liver shot and pounds it out on the ground, leaving Gonzalez’ family relieved. Gonzalez advances via TKO.

    Abner Lloveras (19-7-1) from Spain faces Vlado Sikic (10-0) from Croatia. The latter definitely has the better smack talk – he says he loves to break people. Lloveras is flying all around the cage with kicks but Sikic takes him down 30 seconds in. Sikic’s shoulder pops out but he decides to keep fighting. Lloveras ultimately gets the verbal submission when he torques Sikic’s arm on the ground.

    Mike Flach (7-1) takes on Tom Gallicchio (19-8). Faber on the latter: “That’s a HAIRY dude!” Gallicchio: “I’m like water. I don’t really know what that means but Bruce Lee says it so it has to be good.” I like him already. With that record I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before. Gallicchio taps out Flach a little over a minute in via RNC.

    Martin Svensson (14-5) will battle Mohamed Grabinski (10-1). Once again we’re only going to see “Performance Highlights.” Apparently they spent the entire first round escaping each other’s back takes. It’s a draw so we go to the third round and Svensson wins a unanimous decision.

    Djamil Chan (9-2) takes on Marcin Wrzosek (10-2). Highlights again. ‘The Polish Zombie’ Wrzosek wins via submission.

    Sascha Nitin Sharma (8-2) faces Sean Carter (10-1). Cut down to highlights. Dana White says the first was “a pretty uneventful round.” Sharma landed a lot of ground and pound, Carter went for a triangle too late, Sharma advances.

    Austin Springer (8-0) vs. Chris Gruetzemacher (12-1). I won’t lie – I’m pretty psyched about this one given I’ve interviewed Springer before. Both men are going toe to toe with shots from the start. Springer gets a big cut over his right eyebrow in one of the exchanges and gets clipped shortly after. Gruetzemacher nails him with a big knee before the end of the round in cut down highlights, but Springer survives to get R2.

    Gruetzemacher hurts him with another knee, and Springer is warned twice not to grab the fence. Springer is trying like hell to stay in the fight, but he’s getting nailed with knees up the middle, and Dana White is calling for the fight to be stopped. “This kid’s got nothing left.” McGregor is begging the ref to stop it too when Springer takes another knee flush to the head. Dana is pissed. I am too. Faber: “Man that was a tough fight to watch.”

    Needless to say Gruetzemacher advances via TKO.

    Brennan Sevin (7-1) vs. James Jenkins (8-1) in another fight to join Team America. Jenkins gets a takedown quick and just as quickly is told to “improve his position.” He backs off for a second and gets right back in guard, with his girlfriend cheering him on. That’s where he stays for most of the round it seems as this is cut down to highlights.

    The second round turns into a slobberknocker with both guys throwing haymakers trying to get the other to fall, with the coaches marking out for each blow that lands, Dana White being as loud if not louder. McGregor: “Good exchanges.” No s–t Conor!! Every other word out of Dana White’s mouth is being bleeped out. After a failed takedown they trade again for the final 17 seconds of R2.

    Jenkins advances via the judges to conclude the qualifying TUF 22 fights.

    Faber dubs his team the “Bad News Bears” but says they have a great mentality and will win with positive energy. McGregor says he doesn’t (yet) have an emotional bond with his team – it’s all business. Dana thanks everybody for being here and tells the losers we appreciate you but pack your bags and head out. To those who are left: “You fight like you fought today and you’ll do just fine.”

    TEAM FABER WINS THE COIN TOSS and gets the first pick on Monday. What does that even mean? The show airs on Wednesday. Anyway that’s where the show ends.

    Team McGregor (Europe): Abner Lloveras, David Teymur, Marcin Wrzosek, Martin Delaney, Martin Svensson, Mehdi Baghdad, Sascha Sharma, Saul Rogers

    Team Faber (United States): Brandon Ricetti, Chris Gruetzemacher, James Jenkins, Jason Gonzalez, Julian Erosa, Ryan Hall, Thanh Le, Tom Gallicchio

  • WWE NXT 9/9 live TV results: Samoa Joe & Finn Balor team in Dusty tag Classic

    By Emerson Witner, WrestlingObserver.com and Wrestling Outsiders Podcast

    Hear ye, hear ye! Let it be known that on this, the 9th day of September in the year of our Lord 2015, we have gathered here on F4WOnline.com! We gather on this page not for Ring of Honor or Impact, but for NXT!

    Join me at 8pm for our weekly live review of a taped show! Tonight in the Dusty Rhodes Classic, it is Samoa Joe & Finn Balor vs Lucha Dragons. Plus Bull Dempsey teams with Prince Pretty to face Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano!

    Since last Wednesday night four more first round matches have taken place in the Dusty Rhodes Classic. If you go to WWE.com you can see highlights of all the matches. Here are the current brackets and up to date brackets:

    Finn Balor & Samoa Joe vs Lucha Dragons
    Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady beat Angelo Dawkins & Sawyer Fulton

    Dash & Dawson beat Tucker Knight & Elias Sampson
    The Vaudevillians beat Blake & Murphy

    Hype Bros beat Noah Kekoa (replacing Marcus Louis) & Alexander Wolfe
    Jason Jordan & Chad Gable defeating Neville & Solomon Crowe

    Rhyno & Baron Corbin defeating The Ascension
    Tyler Breeze & Bull Dempsey vs Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano

    1.) Carmella tapped out Peyton Royce

    The Princess of Staten Island kicks the show off this week, going one on one with Peyton Royce. For the record, you pronounce the R like an R and not an H. This is Carmella’s anniversary here on NXT, as one year ago Enzo and Colin got her fired from her job as a hairdresser.

    They exchanged backslides and Carmella did the Moonwalk, which was credited to Michael PS Hayes. Peyton got a near fall with a Fisherman’s Suplex, which was called a “Look at that!” The fans aren’t as anti-Carmella as they used to be. Perhaps they are saving their hatred for Eva Marie.

    This was a good match and Carmella won with an STO into a legscissiors.

    -Finn Balor and Samoa Joe had a meeting, getting ready for their tournament match. Joe handed Balor his championship belt, after taking a long look at it.

    -They showed a video of the four Dusty Rhodes Classic matches from this past weekend. So scratch what I said about going to WWE.com to watch them.

    -Nia Jax is coming soon. I feel like I have written that before.

    2.) In a first round match in the Dusty Rhodes Classic, Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano defeated Tyler Breeze & Bull Dempsey

    So I was going through my autographed 8×10’s the other day and found one of East Coast Pro Wrestling’s Donnie The Body Johnson, who did a Simon Dean gimmick. Something about him looked so familiar, so I Yahoo’d him and discovered that it was Bull Dempsey. Mind you it was Bull from 10 years and about 50 pounds ago, but still. He has come a long way from The Strand in McAdoo, PA.

    Bull laid on the top rope like Tyler, much to Prince Pretty’s chagrin. The fans popped for Gargano and Ciampa. Breeze was mocking Ciampa, so Ciampa gave him a David Schultz open hand slap to the side of his head. The fans chanted “Bull is gorgeous” when Tyler tagged out. Gargano speared Breeze through the ropes and kicked him in the head. This has not been Breeze’s night.

    Gargano gave Bull a kick to the back of the head and Ciampa got a near fall with a running knee. Bull squashed Tommaso when Ciampa had a sleeper hold locked on. Gargano tagged in and dropkicked Breeze off the apron, so when Bull went for a tag there was no one there.

    Breeze pulled himself up on the apron, but Bull collided with his partner. Ciampa pinned him with a roll up.

    -After the match Breeze attacked Bull and beat him down, including kicking the big man in the ribs.

    -Sin Cara cut a promo in Spanish, so Kalisto translated it. Basically they want to win the tournament and it is an honor to wrestle Samoa Joe & Finn Balor.

    -Devin interviewed Dana Brooke about her upcoming match. Dana said what bothers her is she had to watch Bayley become the Women’s Champion instead of her. Dana wants to be known as the best wrestler NXT has and she said she wants to become the NXT Champion. Well I think Finn has her beat. She takes offense to people thinking she only has her spot because of her body and face.

    -A Tye Dillinger video aired. He’s the Perfect 10 if you haven’t heard yet.

    3.) Dana Brooke pinned Billie Kay

    It’s the night for Australian Diva’s in action. First Peyton Royce and now Billie Kay. Rich Brennan said Billie Kay was tall, which led to Corey Graves being obnoxious. I swear I am going to start muting the audio.

    Dana used some unique moves, including a headstand elbow drop and a headstand where she used her foot to choke Billie in the corner. Billie got a near fall with a Hurricarana and a boot to the face, but Dana picked up the win with a sit out Death Valley Driver.

    -Apollo Crews referred to the NXT crowd as the Apollo Nation.

    -The little girl who comes to every NXT show dressed like Bayley, met the new champion and got a tour of the WWE Performance Center.

    4.) In a first round match of the Dusty Rhodes Classic, Finn Balor & Samoa Joe defeated Lucha Dragons

    This match was actually taped a few weeks ago when SmackDown was in Providence. I was actually going to go to this show, but ended up not going. This is really interesting with them taping matches in different locations. Tom Phillips and Jimmy Uso were the commentators. At least it’s better than Corey Graves.

    The fans were chanting “This is awesome” during the opening lock up. Other than that the fans weren’t into the general minutiae of this match. They did pop when Balor did his dive over the top rope, but they mostly sat on their hands.

    This match only went about 8 minutes, but most of that was with Balor and Joe on offense. The Dragons got in a little bit, but this match was actually disappointing. I was expecting much more. The fans finally woke up when Joe got the hot tag, but died when Kalisto hit a really nice Tornado DDT.

    Joe went for the Muscle Buster, but Cara fought out of it. Kalisto actually got a believable near fall with a Hurricarana, but Joe & Balor won with first the Muscle Buster and then the Coup de Grace.

    -So that is it for this week. Next week it is the return of Bayley, but until then make sure to say your vitamins and take your prayers!

  • TNA Impact Wrestling 9/9 live TV results: Chris Mordetzky vs. Drew Galloway

    By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com

    Last week, GFW gained a TNA title when they cashed in Magnus’s feast or fired case to allow Trevor Lee and Brian Myers a title shot – which they won thanks to a case shot out of nowhere. Magnus didn’t actually appear – they just kind of implied he left TNA to join GFW and I guess that didn’t void this contract or anything.

    While TNA lost one title, they also regained the “prestigious King of the Mountain Championship” when Bobby Roode beat PJ Black with an outside-in springboard Roode Bomb. One child was very visibly excited for this, and it actually made this seem kinda cool. Madison Rayne, Velvet Sky, and Angelina Love sent the Dollhouse B-team packing for a quick reunion, and Matt Hardy lost to EC3 and now Jeff is going to be EC3’s assistant.

    Also, in a week, the history of TNA changes forever again this month when a Lethal Lockdown match happens pitting Team Jarrett against Team Dixie for control of TNA. No word yet on if they can find an old belt to be for the first-ever Lethal Lockdown Championship. Speaking of which, tonight, Drew Galloway faces Chris Mordetsky to get the man advantage for that bout.

    An absurdly fast-paced video package recaps last week’s GFW events with “hostile takeover” repeated a ton and random shots of dudes getting beaten up. Also, there’s some coverage of the Matt-EC3 thing, which didn’t have a “big match feel” despite Josh saying that in the video. Josh and Pope are in their echo chamber talking about the future of TNA – but first, we’ve got a lumberjack match for the Lethal Lockdown match’s man advantage. Josh throws it to EC3, who comes down the aisle with Tyrus carrying some signs for him.

    Josh talks about how EC3 has BFG on his mind – why? There’s nothing made for the event. EC3 says the future of TNA is hanging in the balance, but he doesn’t give a crap. EC3 brags about beating Matt and brings Jeff down. Jeff has his theme, so EC3 says that he gets no theme and he demands silence from the crowd. EC3 wants water for her and Tyrus and smacks his lips forever. EC3 isn’t pleased with his water being one degree hotter, so he pours it on him. Tyrus gives Jeff a 2×4 with EC3’s face on it. This thing appears to have taken about five minutes to make. Jeffrey Nero Hardy introduces himself as EC3’s biggest fan to a chorus of boos. EC3 makes Tyrus and EC3 against Matt Hardy and Rockstar Spud. Matt and Spud just come out, so I guess that’s next. After the break, the match is in the ring.

    EC3 and Tyrus vs. Matt Hardy and Rockstar Spud

    Matt and Tyrus get into a bit of a corner brawl with a lot of thigh jiggling from Tyrus. EC3 comes in and eats corner mount punches. Josh says that Jeff got EC3 a gig on Jim Ross’s podcast, which Pope calls “one of the number one podcasts there is”. Spud runs wild with a mudhole stomping on EC3, but gets beaten up by Tyrus on the floor and tossed into the ring. EC3 hits a sloppy gordbuster and drops Spud right on his knees. Tyrus comes back in and gets a corner charge and tags EC3 back in for 2. Tyrus yells at Jeff to hit Spud – why? Granted, this match means nothing, but why risk a DQ?

    Matt gets a pair of lariats and a Side Effect for 2. Tyrus comes in off a blind tag and eats a shot to an area near the midsection. Matt gets a big lariat and Spud covers for 2. Spud gets the running forearm shivers EC3 puts Jeff in front of him and kicks Matt in the groin. Jeff is told to hit Matt with a chair, but says no way. Tyrus lifts Spud up and hits the ICU spike horribly for the win.

    Recap of Myers and Lee winning the tag titles. The Wolves briefly chat before Drew says the war is coming, and they act like they’ve been Drew’s allies for years. Taryn and the Dolls are backstage and she tells them to take out one of the BPs now. Josh compares the Velvet-Taryn issue to Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus. We get a preview of Alaska Monsters.

    The Dolls confront Madison and we get a quick brawl leading to Angelina being “hit by a chair” playing off the Taryn injury angle and writing her off for her pregnancy without risking her health. Jeff Jarrett comes out and Josh says the Lethal Lockdown match will be the biggest match in TNA history. Jeff talks for about 20 seconds before Josh talks about what he’s talking about. Why even bother having the promo if Josh is just going to talk over it? Jeff is pissed about Roode winning the KOTM Title and Roode says he’s the king of the mountain and holds it for the fans. So now he’s a babyface. We get a Glo-bal Force chant to the tune of the New Day Rocks clap. Karen says she has five kids at home and doesn’t need two more, and it’s time for Jeff to get real and get everything he wants next week. Karen is at least as tall as Roode is – wow. She says Dixie is outnumbered and wants Bobby to think about his history with Jeff before ordering Jeff to leave. Karen was so great here – easily the best part of the show so far.

    Eli Drake, Kenny King, and Jessie Godderz chat backstage about stuff. Drew is upset over them not caring about the GFW takeover. Kenny buries Drew for not being a great general. Wasn’t Kenny a face last week? Robbie, Uno, and Micah come in for a brawl. A couple of chairs fell down in all this – quite the chaotic scene. EC3 scolds Jeff for not hitting Matt, but gives Jeff the chance to sell EC3 shirts to the fans. Mr. Pectacular, Kenny King, and Mr. ED are in the ring for a six-man tag against Robbie, Uno, and Micah.

    Jessie Godderz, Kenny King, and Eli Drake vs. Robbie E, Tigre Uno, and Micah

    Well, this sure came out of nowhere. Micah clotheslines King down. Robbie E runs wild on Jessie before Eli tags in and gets taken out with a crossbody by Uno. Micah tags back in for some arm work. Kenny tags in and hits a spin kick for 2. Micah comes back with a double lariat to Eli and King. Uno gets a wheelbarrow bulldog, which Josh implies is the 619. Josh hypes up BFG as the biggest night of TNA’s year. If it’s so big, why is nothing announced for it? Jessie moves Uno to the corner where King tags in to run wild a bit, but eat a tornado DDT. Robbie and Jessie go back at it again. Robbie gets a super Hart attack for 2. Micah gets a sloppy backdrop to Eli over the top due to Eli’s legs getting tangled up. Micah gets a Big Ending to King, but Eli hits a spine shaker on Micah. Uno gets a rana to Eli, but one to Jessie leads to a powerbomb, while Robbie gets a full nelson facebuster called the Boom Drop for the win. This was a cluster. Brooke vs. Gail is next for the knockouts title. Gail comes out to a big reaction and is called a legend. It’s amazing to think, but she really is one in TNA – she should go into the Hall before the company folds. Brooke came out and did her booty shaking deal.

    Brooke vs. Gail Kim for the Knockouts Title

    Josh takes great issue with Gail being considered a legend, because every analyst says she’s so great. What the hell? This was just weird even by Josh’s usual segment-by-segment shift from face to heel. Collar and elbow tieup leads to corner chops. Gail counters a baseball slide to the floor by taking her to the floor and they exchange forearms. Brooke gets a rollup for 2. Pope says that he’s got his boots ready in case he’s called to action, while Josh says that he sold his a long time ago. What part of Josh’s character is supposed to be likable? Cool seated Octopus stretch/armbar combo by Gail here – I demand this be in a video game ASAP.

    Brooke gets a silly move onto Gail by dropping to her butt and rolling into this weird reverse camel clutch. Double-down off a double crossbody. Lei’D Tapa and her husband walk down and grab the belt. Brooke hits the facebuster, but sees Tapa and gets up to attack. After an extended brawl between them, it’s only a DQ due to a belt shot. Gail beats her up, but then gets beaten up by Tapa. TKO by Tapa. Kong comes down to attack Tapa, leading to Josh talking about how Kong already kicked her ass. They exchange some horrible-looking offense before Kong clotheslines her over the top to the floor. Coach D’Amore and Jeff hype up their crew. Jeff tells Drew he’s on his side before EC3 scolds him for not doing his laundry. The Wolves come out to face Myers and Lee.

    The Wolves vs. Brian Myers and Trevor Lee – Tag Title Match

    A quick brawl starts things off and we get a pair of double dives from the Wolves. Lee gets a standing moonsault powerslam for 2. Wolves hit Chasing the Dragon for 2. Trevor eats a superplex for 2. Rolling German gets 2 thanks to a save by Brian. Double team alarm clock hits, but Sonjay comes in and Earl Hebner takes him out. Punt kick alongside a tombstone gets the titles back for the Wolves. This match, much like every part of this feud, was on fast forward. Chris Melendez is interviewed about why he’s back and Sarge says he won’t back down.

    Sarge comes down on crutches because EY won his leg, and now Josh is a face siding with Chris and against EY. Melendez says he’s on his last leg and cuts a great promo about wanting revenge. Chris Melendez being a Team 3D student, a war hero, and having a great story while the Dudleys are in WWE and WWE has a Tribute to the Troops show bodes very well for his wrestling future. EY comes out with Sarge’s leg covered in tape and Sharpie text.

    EY came out and says he’s God and he destroys all of America’s heroes. He’s taken Kurt Angle out, taken Chris out, and he can’t wrestle because of him. Chris cuts another great promo on him and EY says he’ll give him the leg back and then shoves him down with it. Chris being an above the knee amputee and being able to wrestle at the level he is able to, especially given his level of experience, is amazing.

    Josh interviews Mahabali Shera, who thanks Kurt Angle and says he’ll pay him back 200%. He has no friends and no family, but he thanks Manik for helping him – but Storm is a very bad man. He says Koya was bad, but he is good and he says he will beat Storm and show him who he is. Shera does his little dance in his suit and we’ll get Shera vs. Abyss. This was something. Tapa vs. Kong vs. Kim vs. Brooke is announced, and Drew comes down for the main event with Team TNA while Mordetsky comes down with Team GFW.

    Chris Mordetsky vs. Drew Galloway – Lumberjack Match

    They punch and chop around for a couple of minutes before an ad break. Sonjay interferes and Mordetsky gets 2 off a double axehandle off the second rope. Mordetsky gets a lariat and gets 2. Drew gets 2 off a Sky High, and each side isn’t taking cheapshots on the other guy going to the floor. Drew gets a leaping Future Shock, but stomps away in the corner. Myers and Lee attack, then the Wolves take them and D’Amore down. Jeff Jarrett has the guitar, but EY stops him so he can hit Drew with it. Mordetsky wins. This match was very good in spots, but really held back by bad booking.

    To see every screen for the show, just click here.

  • A detailed look at everything that led to the indictment of Jimmy Snuka, Hogan’s attmpted image rehab, WWE & TNA business report, Shooting update, Bram arrest and suspension, WrestleMania 33 & 34 news

    It’s a gigantic news week in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with the main feature story on everything that led to the indictment of Jimmy Snuka after 32 years, plus Irv Muchnick, who has reported on the story for years gives his views on the proceedings, and we also look at Hulk Hogan’s attempt at redemption of his character, the full story behind the shooting at the Performance Center, notes from Battle of Los Angeles, the retirement of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Hayabusa walks to the ring, Bram gets arrested, WWE fires Zahra Schreiber, UFC brings back Travis Browne, a rundown of the PPV business in WWE in 2015 and the latest monthly business report from WWE & TNA.

    The issue is on the site right now at http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/110-wrestling-observer-newsletter/44362-september-7-2015-wrestling-observer-newsletter-snuka-indicted-shooting-at-wwe-performance-center-and-tons-more

    Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show on the history of the site are at  http://www.f4wonline.com/member/signup.php

    You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    You can also order at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

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    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 goes back to 1983 with an in-depth look at the death of Nancy Argentino, how the media caused the case to be reopened, a look at the charges against Jimmy Snuka, the different statements on the subject by Snuka, Snuka’s lawyer speaks, notes on documentation and testimony from the time, lots of notes regarding evidence, where Jimmy Snuka stood in the wrestling business in 1983, how Buddy Rogers fits into this story, what Snuka told police the morning after Argentino died as well as testimony from those who treated Argentino before her death.

    We also look at the autopsy report, the police report from that time, the strange question that was never answered regarding the case being dropped, what Snuka has said to different people, the brawl in Syracuse before Argentino’s death, how the pro wrestling business in 1983 is so completely different from today and the previous legal action regarding this case. 

    Irv Muchnick also does a piece on the indictment talking about several points from the indictment.

    We also look at Hulk Hogan appearing on Good Morning America and Nightline in a way to get his job back and repair his public image.  We look at the WWE reaction, what Hogan said, what does and doesn’t hold up, the timeline issues with his various stories, neighbors of his growing up contradict his story and more.

    We also look at the story of the man who was shot in front of the Performance Center, the circumstances of the shooting, and the different things he had done in recent months regarding his obsession with wrestling.

    We also look at Battle of Los Angeles, how the tournament went, highlights from the weekend and celebrities at the shows.

    We also look back at the career of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, including his new job with UFC, his becoming the top heavyweight in the sport at one time, his background, his debut in RINGS, his move to Pride, his fight with Bob Sapp, his three fight series with Fedor and his UFC run.

    We look at the arrest of Thomas “Bram” Latimer of  TNA, police details of what happened, TNA’s response and what is next for him.

    We’ve got a story on Hayabusa, one of the best high flyers from 15-20 years ago and his attempted recovery from near paralysis.

    We’ve got a look at Travis Browne and his reinstatement in UFC.

    We look at the firing of Zahra Schreiber, the girlfriend of Seth Rollins, by WWE.

    We also look at WWE & TNA business when it comes to house shows, merchandise, ratings and other categories for the past month.

    We also have a PPV chart with how all the shows in the first seven months of the year have been, and compared them with the last few years.

    We also look at WWE signing one of the major international women stars and why she’s not going to be wrestling in NXT, the return of Dr. Wagner Jr. & L.A. Park to Arena Mexico and how it got over, top pro wrestling star gets a reality show gig, and some major title changes.

    We also look at maneuvering for the 2017 and 2018 WrestleMania, and the favorites, the 10/3 Madison Square Garden WWE live special, notes on lots of indie stars on WWE’s radar, ticket sales for NXT in the U.K., a new WWE movie, Update on Wade Barrett, action figure sales, announcing changes, SummerSlam edits, lots of notes on various WWE lawsuits, Dean Ambrose talks Renee Young, Fan tries to attack Ambrose, Sara Lee in NXT, plus notes on all the WWE & NXT house shows over the past week.

    We also look at a number of top stars who worked recently in Bolivia, the last AAA TV taping and AAA wrestlers in a bodybuilding contest.

    We update Wrestle-1 and the three generations of green mist stars trios match.

    We also look at the Dragon Gate summer tag team tournament and its big show in Fukuoka and what came out of it.

    We look at All Japan’s last major show and its current singles tournament.

    We look at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s next major show, including a title match that was set up in the U.S., a well as the bracketing in the upcoming junior heavyweight tag team tournament.

    We look at the weekend IGF show, a record that will be set at the next Tokyo Dome show, and the NWA title change.

    We also look at U.S. stars who usually don’t tour Japan that are going shortly.

    We’ve got more on the planned bio movie on Chris Benoit, Angelo Mosca getting his number retired, the weekend GFW shows and angles, Preston City Wrestling’s weekend show, former TNA star retires and a unique main event, plus early notes on this year’s WWC Anniversary show.

    We also update the TNA TV situation, the Lucha Underground TV situation, the next ROH PPV show, new roles for people in ROH and notes from the weekend show.

    We also look at changes in UFC main events, can UFC sell 70,000 tickets to its November show with Ronda Rousey, Rousey talks when she expects to retire, Cyborg, the date with the marine and notes about live shows on Fight Pass this month.  We also look at this week’s PPV show, talks about the Jan. 2 Las Vegas card, a star fighter retires, Chad Mendes wants a rematch with McGregor, what happened recently with Jose Aldo, Rousey T-shirt sales, plus lots of more fights.

    We also have a look at Bellator’s next major show, including the updated card, as well as plans for the big November show.  We look at the Fan Fest with Fedor and Sakuraba, as well as notes on last week’s show.

    We also look at the arrest of Chris Leben, and new restrictions on weight cutting that is being tried out for in California.

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

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

    Our most requested issues in our history are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    *January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • WWE NXT 9/9 Live Recap and Results: Samoa Joe & Finn Balor team in Dusty Classic

    by Emerson Witner, WrestlingObserver.com and Wrestling Outsiders Podcast

    Hear ye, hear ye! Let it be known that on this, the 9th day of September in the year of our Lord 2015, we have gathered here on F4WOnline.com! We gather on this page not for Ring of Honor or Impact, but for NXT!

    Join me at 8pm for our weekly live review of a taped show! Tonight on the Dusty Rhodes Classic, it is Samoa Joe & Finn Balor vs Lucha Dragons. Plus Bull Dempsey teams with Prince Pretty to face Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano!

    Since last Wednesday night four more first round matches have taken place in the Dusty Rhodes Classic. If you go to WWE.com you can see highlights of all the matches. Here are the current brackets and up to date brackets:

    Finn Balor & Samoa Joe vs Lucha Dragons
    Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady beat Angelo Dawkins & Sawyer Fulton

    Dash & Dawson beat Tucker Knight & Elias Sampson
    Blake & Murphy beat The Vaudevillains

    Hype Bros beat Noah Kekoa (replacing Marcus Louis) & Alexander Wole
    Jason Jordan & Chad Gable defeating Neville & Solomon Crowe

    Rhyno & Baron Corbin defeating The Ascension
    Tyler Breeze & Bull Dempsey vs Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano

  • WED UPDATE: Ronda Rousey in Road House remake, yet another NXT talent haunted by old tweets, & more

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

    Show notes for tonight:

    NXT at 8:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network features has  Finn Balor and Samoa Joe vs. Lucha Dragons plus Johnny Gargano andTommaso Ciampa vs. Tyler Breeze and Bull Dempsey in Dusty Rhodes Tag Classic bouts.

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

    Impact Wrestling at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Destination America features Matt Hardy and Rockstar Spud vs. Ethan Carter III and Tyrus, Drew Galloway vs. Chris Mordetzky, Brooke vs. Gail Kim. and more.

    UFC Unleashed airs at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 with a new episode featuring European fighters.

    The Ultimate Fighter at 10:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 is the two hour season premiere with the elimination fights to see which lightweight fighters qualify for Conor McGregor’s Team Europe and Urijah Faber’s Team USA.

    ROH at 11:00 p.m. ET on Destination America is a loaded episode with The Addiction (c) vs. The Young Bucks for the ROH Tag Team Championship and Jay Lethal (c) vs. Roderick Strong for the ROH World Heavyweight Championship.

    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 plenty of details on the Jimmy Snuka murder indictment including how the media covered his domestic abuse arrest and Nancy Argentino’s death back in 1993, just how on the ball Irv Muchnick was in writing about the case, the contradictions of the investigator, Snuka’s claims about his finances vs. the reality, 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 FREE Figure 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:

    It’s a gigantic news week in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with the main feature story on everything that led to the indictment of Jimmy Snuka after 32 years, plus Irv Muchnick, who has reported on the story for years gives his views on the proceedings, and we also look at Hulk Hogan’s attempt at redemption of his character, the full story behind the shooting at the Performance Center, notes from Battle of Los Angeles, the retirement of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Hayabusa walks to the ring, Bram gets arrested, WWE fires Zahra Schreiber, UFC brings back Travis Browne, a rundown of the PPV business in WWE in 2015 and the latest monthly business report from WWE & TNA.

    The latest Wrestling Observer: September 7, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Snuka indicted, shooting at WWE Performance Center and tons more

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

    You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer

    You can also order at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com 

    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 goes back to 1983 with an in-depth look at the death of Nancy Argentino, how the media caused the case to be reopened, a look at the charges against Jimmy Snuka, the different statements on the subject by Snuka, Snuka’s lawyer speaks, notes on documentation and testimony from the time, lots of notes regarding evidence, where Jimmy Snuka stood in the wrestling business in 1983, how Buddy Rogers fits into this story, what Snuka told police the morning after Argentino died as well as testimony from those who treated Argentino before her death.

    We also look at the autopsy report, the police report from that time, the strange question that was never answered regarding the case being dropped, what Snuka has said to different people, the brawl in Syracuse before Argentino’s death, how the pro wrestling business in 1983 is so completely different from today and the previous legal action regarding this case. 

    Irv Muchnick also does a piece on the indictment talking about several points from the indictment.

    We also look at Hulk Hogan appearing on Good Morning America and Nightline in a way to get his job back and repair his public image.  We look at the WWE reaction, what Hogan said, what does and doesn’t hold up, the timeline issues with his various stories, neighbors of his growing up contradict his story and more.

    We also look at the story of the man who was shot in front of the Performance Center, the circumstances of the shooting, and the different things he had done in recent months regarding his obsession with wrestling.

    We also look at Battle of Los Angeles, how the tournament went, highlights from the weekend and celebrities at the shows.

    We also look back at the career of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, including his new job with UFC, his becoming the top heavyweight in the sport at one time, his background, his debut in RINGS, his move to Pride, his fight with Bob Sapp, his three fight series with Fedor and his UFC run.

    We look at the arrest of Thomas “Bram” Latimer of  TNA, police details of what happened, TNA’s response and what is next for him.

    We’ve got a story on Hayabusa, one of the best high flyers from 15-20 years ago and his attempted recovery from near paralysis.

    We’ve got a look at Travis Browne and his reinstatement in UFC.

    We look at the firing of Zahra Schreiber, the girlfriend of Seth Rollins, by WWE.

    We also look at WWE & TNA business when it comes to house shows, merchandise, ratings and other categories for the past month.

    We also have a PPV chart with how all the shows in the first seven months of the year have been, and compared them with the last few years.

    We also look at WWE signing one of the major international women stars and why she’s not going to be wrestling in NXT, the return of Dr. Wagner Jr. & L.A. Park to Arena Mexico and how it got over, top pro wrestling star gets a reality show gig, and some major title changes.

    We also look at maneuvering for the 2017 and 2018 WrestleMania, and the favorites, the 10/3 Madison Square Garden WWE live special, notes on lots of indie stars on WWE’s radar, ticket sales for NXT in the U.K., a new WWE movie, Update on Wade Barrett, action figure sales, announcing changes, SummerSlam edits, lots of notes on various WWE lawsuits, Dean Ambrose talks Renee Young, Fan tries to attack Ambrose, Sara Lee in NXT, plus notes on all the WWE & NXT house shows over the past week.

    We also look at a number of top stars who worked recently in Bolivia, the last AAA TV taping and AAA wrestlers in a bodybuilding contest.

    We update Wrestle-1 and the three generations of green mist stars trios match.

    We also look at the Dragon Gate summer tag team tournament and its big show in Fukuoka and what came out of it.

    We look at All Japan’s last major show and its current singles tournament.

    We look at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s next major show, including a title match that was set up in the U.S., a well as the bracketing in the upcoming junior heavyweight tag team tournament.

    We look at the weekend IGF show, a record that will be set at the next Tokyo Dome show, and the NWA title change.

    We also look at U.S. stars who usually don’t tour Japan that are going shortly.

    We’ve got more on the planned bio movie on Chris Benoit, Angelo Mosca getting his number retired, the weekend GFW shows and angles, Preston City Wrestling’s weekend show, former TNA star retires and a unique main event, plus early notes on this year’s WWC Anniversary show.

    We also update the TNA TV situation, the Lucha Underground TV situation, the next ROH PPV show, new roles for people in ROH and notes from the weekend show.

    We also look at changes in UFC main events, can UFC sell 70,000 tickets to its November show with Ronda Rousey, Rousey talks when she expects to retire, Cyborg, the date with the marine and notes about live shows on Fight Pass this month.  We also look at this week’s PPV show, talks about the Jan. 2 Las Vegas card, a star fighter retires, Chad Mendes wants a rematch with McGregor, what happened recently with Jose Aldo, Rousey T-shirt sales, plus lots of more fights.

    We also have a look at Bellator’s next major show, including the updated card, as well as plans for the big November show.  We look at the Fan Fest with Fedor and Sakuraba, as well as notes on last week’s show.

    We also look at the arrest of Chris Leben, and new restrictions on weight cutting that is being tried out for in California.

    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

    — Ronda Rousey has been tapped to take over the Patrick Swayze role as the lead in a remaeke of “Road House.” Swayze played a well-educated bouncer who protected a small town in Missouri from a corrupt businessman. Terry Funk has a role in the original, which used to air all the time on TBS when WCW was still around. In fact, the movie helped get over the surprise of Funk attacking Ric Flair at Wrestle War ’89: It was less than two weeks away from release at the time, so fans “knew” Funk had retired to become an actor.

    —  Nhooph Al-Areebi is, thanks to Reddit, the latest NXT talent (or in the case of Jessicka Havok, NXT hopeful) to be outed as having posted various racially insensitive things on social media in the past. In her case, she was a teenager when she tweeted a few variations of the N-word among other things, including calling a black male wrestler her slave. She’s since deleted her Twitter account. If the lesson hasn’t been learned by now, don’t say this stuff, and if you did, clean it up when you’re trying to get into WWE.

    — Nick Diaz (marijuana test failure), Rousimar Palhares (holding submission too long after rpated eye raking), and Jake Shuelds (threw a punch off his back at Palhares right after the fight ended) will all be on the docket for hearings at the next Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting this Monday.

    — From Kris Zellner’s Lucha Report (full, illustrated version here): L.A. Park has been removed from all EMLL bookings for the immediate future after he used foul language after his match at Arena Mexico last Friday night. The promotion announced that Park’s actions didn’t meet the standards of their company and they can’t allow that lack of respect towards the fans. Park accepted his punishment and apologized to them so the promotion said that they left on good terms as well as saying that maybe down the road he may come back. Park will be replaced by Valiente on this Friday at Arena Mexico and Shocker on the 82nd Anniversario Show next Friday.

    — Tommy Dreamer announced that House of Hardcore’s New York City debut will be November 14th at the ELMCOR Center in Corona, Queens. That’s the same day as the Big Event fan convention in Elmhurst and the Jersey All Pro Wrestling anniversary show in Rahway, New Jersey. On the HOH card will be Yoshihiro Tajiri, Ethan Carter III, Rhino, Bobby Roode, Tommy Dreamer, Austin Aries, Chris Hero, Eric Young, Guido Maritato & Tony Mamaluke (The FBI), Thea Trinidad, Justin Roberts and more.

    — John Dodson is not happy with MMA fans blaming his loss to Demetrious Johnson on the bierh of his daughter.

    — PWG has released the first Battle of Los Angeles 2015 DVD trailer.

    —Newsday has an article about 50 NFL players who became pro wrestlers. Some of these aren’t entirely accurate.

    — CWE Canada has a “Girls, Girls, Girls” card Friday Sept 25th- Steinbach, MB. Location: Steinbach Legion Community Hall (294 Lumber Ave.).  Time: Doors Open 6:30pm, Bell time 7pm. Tickets: VIP First Access Ticket $20, General Admission $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Advance Tickets Available At: The Edge Bar & Nightclub (Inside The Frantz Inn, 1000 Main St.) Purchase tickets online at diyobo.com. Main Event  is an 8 Women Over The Top Rope Battle Royal, Intergender Tag Team Match features  Kat Von Heez & “The German Juggernaut” Moses Luke vs. Violet & “The Rebel” Bobby Collins, Bambi Hall vs. Roni Nicole, Sahara Se7en vs. Aja Perera , Ashley Frost vs. Gisele Shaw. Plus “The Coach” Kelly Russell hosts and much more!

  • Rico Costantino not happy with Bubba Ray Dudley

    The following is from a third party:

    Former WWE tag team champion Rico Constantino was on the ‘Pancakes & Powerslams’ show and had a bit of a rant on current WWE roster member Bubba Ray Dudley. Here’s a link to the whole show.

    Excerpts:

    “If you’re listening, Bubba, come here to Vegas and I’ll tell it to your frickin face. You are a spoiled brat. If you don’t get your way, you hurt people, and you do it on purpose.”

    “He ripped my hamstring three times in Chicago. I told him I tore, and he kept going. He suplexed me, and tore it again. And when he pinned me, he threw my legs over my head, and put his legs on the second turnbuckle, and tore it again.” 

    “Yes, Devon is OK. Bubba, is a brat. You’re a spoiled, little baby. And I knew that when we went to Italy. Charlie and I had the tag team belts, and Bubba is there, Devon, we’re gonna wrestle in Italy. And out of respect, when they put the match up, I said, ‘OK. What would you like to do, Bubba?’ You know, cuz he’s been in the business longer than I have, so has Devon, and Charlie and I were giving them respect, ‘What would you like to do?’”

    “Bubba popped off, ‘I’m tired of making the matches! You guys are the champions! Why don’t you make up the match!’ He was throwing a fit, in Italy! I said, what the hell? Like we win these titles; they give them to us! You want to win a title, go win Gladiators, you fat pig. That’s what I’m thinking. He [cried] and moaned. I looked at Dean Malenko and said, ‘Hey. Here.’ Threw him the belt and said, ‘Bubba wants the belt, give it to him. I’m not going out.’ ‘What’ [said Malenko]? I said, ‘I’m not going out. That’s it. Forget it. I don’t want the titles!’ And I left.”

    “25-30 minutes later, Dean came up, that fat, little spoiled brat apologized, and we went out and had a match. Yep, Bubba’s famous for that. I’ll tell it to his face, and I live is Las Vegas, Bubba. Come over here, and I will tell ya.”

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (9/9): Rhino becomes final ECW TV Champion, Dusty Rhodes wins NWA TV title

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1965

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – Mongolian Stomper beat Bob Geigel 2 falls to 1
    – The Ox (Ox Baker) beat Bob Brown
    – Sonny Myers beat Bulldog Plechas by dq
    – Jerry Miller drew Thor Hagen

    1967

    Boston, Massachusetts:
    – WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Gorilla Monsoon in a Texas Death match at the Boston Garden

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:
    – Dr. X beat The Crusher dq
    – Ramon Torres beat Harley Race
    – Larry Hennig beat Al Kashey
    – Rock Rogowski (Ole Anderson) beat Big K
    – Chris Markoff beat Steve Druk
    – Eddie Sharkey beat Paul Caruso

    1972

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Dr X & Mad Dog Vachon

    1975
    Omaha, Nebraska:
    – Baron Von Raschke beat Billy Robinson in 2 out of 3 falls
    – Pampero Firpo no contest Nick Bockwinkel
    – Jimmy Valiant & Johnny Valiant beat Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell
    – Kim Duk beat Bull Bullinski

    1976

    Kansas City, Kansas: 
    – The Super Intern defeated Ox Baker in a Texas Death Match
    – Skip Young & Rick Gibson fought Black Gordman & Great Goliath to a double-DQ
    – Harley Race defeated Bob Brown to retain the Central States Title

    1977

    – Georgia Championship Wrestling held a one night tournament for the Georgia Tag Team Titles. Tony Atlas and Tommy Rich defeated Pak Song and the Executioner to win the Titles.

    1980

    Allentown, Pennsylvania:
    – The Samoans defeated Tony Garea & Rene Goulet in a tournament
    final for the WWWF World Tag Team Title

    1984

    St. Paul, Minnesota (3000 attendance):
    – AWA Champion Rick Martel drew Brad Rheingans
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Road Warriors beat Steve O & Jim Brunzell
    – Fabulous Ones & Blackjack Lanza beat Nick Bockwinkel & Mr. Saito & Bobby Heenan in a Weasel Suit Match
    – Curt Hennig beat Harley Race dq
    – Larry Zbyzsko beat Tom Zenk
    – Billy Robinson beat Steve Regal

    1986

    Columbia, South Carolina:
    – Dusty Rhodes defeated Arn Anderson for the NWA Television Title

    1993

    – Shane Douglas won the ECW Heavyweight Title via forfeit from Tito Santana.

    2000

    – Rhino defeated Kid Kash in Mississauga, Ontario, to become the last ECW Television Champion

    2012

    TNA No Surrender: 
    – Jeff Hardy beat Samoa Joe
    – Bully Ray defeated James Storm
    – TNA Knockouts Champion Brooke Tessmacher defeated Tara
    – X Division Champion Zema Ion defeated Sonjay Dutt
    – Rob Van Dam defeated Magnus
    – TNA Tag Team Champions Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels defeated AJ Styles & Kurt Angle
    – Jeff Hardy defeated Bully Ray

  • Boxing: PBC’s weekly FS1 debut featuring Austin Trout vs. Joey Hernandez

    By Jeremy Wall

    Premier Boxing Champions debuted their weekly series on Fox Sports 1 on Tuesday, September 8th with a main event of Austin Trout knocking out Joey Hernandez in the sixth round at middleweight. The broadcast began at 9pm ET and also featured a co-main event with Jorge Lara going to a technical draw with Jesus Rojas at featherweight.

    Trout, 29, outclassed Hernandez, 30, in every round before scoring the knockout with a series of body punches in the sixth. Hernandez was getting frustrated early in the fight. In the fourth round, he actually tossed Trout with a pro wrestling bodyslam, which resulted in point deduction.

    The score at the time of the knockout was 50-44 for Trout on all three cards.

    Trout improved to 30-2 (17 KOs). His two losses were both in 2013 by unanimous decision to Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara, respectively. Trout also holds a unanimous decision win over Miguel Cotto in 2012. Hernandez fell to 24-4-1 (14 KOs).

    Hernandez isn’t a terrible journeyman, but he was clearly brought in as a B-side opponent to showcase Trout for PBC’s debut on FS1. Trout is a former WBA Super Welterweight champion. He lost the title to Canelo. He moved up to middleweight in December 2014 and is now 3-0 since the move.

    “We got a good win with a knockout. I’m happy to be here. I want to thank the fans for showing up. If you didn’t come for me this time, you will next time,” Trout said in his post-fight interview.

    “From the first round, I had no legs. I was conditioned, but the day of the weigh-in I had to lose nine pounds. It is hard to come back from that,” Hernandez said in the post-fight press release. Hernandez weighed in at 156 pounds, but hydrated nearly 20 pounds up to 175 pounds the day of the fight. Trout also weighed in at 156.

    The announcers kept pushing the idea of a feud between Trout and Julian “J-Rock” Williams, as they have a beef on Twitter. Williams fought Hernandez in the latter’s last fight back in April. Williams won via unanimous decision. The idea was that now Trout beat the same guy, but knocked him out in the sixth round instead of only winning a decision. Williams (20-0-1, 12 KOs) is scheduled to fight Luciano Cuello (35-3, 17 KOs) on the third PBC on FS1 broadcast, which airs September 22nd.

    The three major middleweight stars in boxing, however, are Canelo Alvarez, Miguel Cotto, and Gennady Golovkin. They are all signed to promotions that work with HBO and not PBC. Plus, Trout has already lost to Canelo and Cotto anyway. So, it’s not like Trout can really be built into a situation where he is the opponent for a major name at middleweight.

    A fight with Williams, however, would be an interesting TV bout. A couple of other possibilities for Trout are matches with WBO Middleweight champion Andy Lee and WBA “regular” champion Daniel Jacobs (the WBA “super” champion is Golovkin, who is generally regarded as the real WBA champ at middleweight). Lee beat Peter Quillin to retain his title on a NBC broadcast in May. Jacobs successfully defended his title against Caleb Truax on Spike TV in April and Sergio Mora on ESPN in August. None of these would be major fights, but they could be something used in a network TV co-main.

    Also airing on FS1, Jorge Lara, 24, went to a draw with Jesus Rojas, 28. Lara’s left eye was cut in the third round and his right eye cut in the fifth from accidental headbutts. After the sixth round he was unable to continue fighting due to the cuts. The fight went to the scorecards. All three judges had it 57-57. Lara’s record fell to 21-1-2 (15 KOs) and Rojas’ record fell to 27-0-2 (19 KOs).

    The card also included unaired prelims featuring wins by notable prospects such as Eddie Ramirez (10-0, 17 KOs, 23 yo, super lightweight), Ahmed Elbiali (12-0, 11 KOs, 24 yo, light-heavyweight), and Kevin Watts (9-0, 3 KOs, 23 yo, super lightweight), among others.

    The fights took place at the Hollywood Palladium, which has a capacity of 3,700. Production was scaled back dramatically. If not for the PBC graphics at commercial breaks, it would be impossible to tell this was a PBC broadcast. The broadcast completely lacked the expensive hallmarks associated with the PBC brand. The arena was dark. The FS1 series is obviously going to be the inexpensive weekly broadcast to showcase prospects, perhaps generating a bit of interest in them before moving them along to fights on NBC, CBS, or ESPN.

    The debut of PBC on FS1 had been rumoured for months, but officially announced by Fox in August. Fox was the last major network (besides The CW) not to be working with PBC in some capacity, as NBC and CBS have both broadcast multiple PBC shows and ABC has aired PBC on ESPN. It is unknown whether Fox’s deal with PBC includes broadcasts on the Fox Network, or if the deal pertains only to FS1. PBC’s deal with Fox includes 21 shows running through June 2016. The broadcasts are simulcast on Fox Deportes.

    Nothing has been announced regarding PBC airing on Big Fox. With UFC as Fox’s broadcasting partner, it will be interesting the effect that PBC airing on FS1 has on UFC’s contract renewal negotiations with Fox in a couple of years (assuming any effect at all). I had figured Fox sat out of making a deal with PBC when all the other networks were lining up to work with Al Haymon because Fox already had UFC. They also aired Golden Boy, but they never drew great ratings on FS1.

    PBC replaced Golden Boy as the boxing content provider for FS1. It was a major blow to Golden Boy, since their FS1 shows were the main way the promotion exposed rising stars to a wider audience. Golden Boy had their final boxing card on FS1 on June 30th, although they’ve continued to air “Golden Boy Classics” on Fox Deportes.

    After losing the FS1 deal, Golden Boy announced a three-year deal with Estrella TV. Estrella is a Spanish language network that covers more than 85-percent of Hispanic TV households in the US and is popular in Los Angeles, but only reaches about 33 million homes in total. FS1, by comparison, reaches about 84.8 million homes. Fox Deportes reaches about 21.8 million homes. Estrella, however, isn’t a sports specific station, but a generalized Spanish-language broadcast network.

    The final Golden Boy broadcast on FS1 aired on June 26th. It drew 129,000 viewers in the 10pm-12am ET slot. PBC on FS1 received a slightly better timeslot, so we will see what kind of ratings PBC brings compared to Golden Boy.

    The new PBC on FS1 series is being packaged as “Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays”. This is not to be confused with Spike’s “Friday Night Lights Out” or TruTV’s “Friday Night Knockout”.

    The list of channels that have aired PBC boxing now include NBC, CBS, Spike, ESPN, Fox Sports 1, Bounce TV, NBC Sports, and CBS Sports. At some point PBC will probably also air on ABC. Showtime also airs cards that are de facto PBC cards, although they aren’t officially promoted as such.

    The show was hosted by Brian Kenney. Commentary was provided by Gus Hunter and Paulie Malignaggi, the latter being the regular colour analyst for most PBC broadcasts at this point. There was a wide variety of television commercials, which is notable because when PBC debuted earlier this year on NBC and CBS, there were almost no TV commercials because PBC was still trying to sell ad time. PBC shows on those networks now have a variety of commercials, but didn’t debut that way. The FS1 broadcast, however, debuted with ad space already sold ahead of time, which makes it unclear whether this is a time buy, or if it is a time buy and PBC is now having an easier time selling ad space.

    The debut on FS1 didn’t receive much media attention. Most of the boxing press in the past couple of days has been focusing on the announcement that Timothy Bradley will fight Brandon Rios later in the year. Also, there has been a lot of press written on how poor ticket sales have been for Mayweather-Berto in Las Vegas this weekend. I’m in Vegas for the fight and I feel no sense of hype in town whatsoever, although that could change since we’re still a few days out and media for fight week just got started Tuesday afternoon with the fighter arrivals at the MGM Grand hotel lobby.

    PBC on FS1 returns next Tuesday with Sammy Vasquez (19-0, 13 KOs) vs. Jose Lopez (25-3-1, 15 KOs) at welterweight.

    PBC also has shows this week on September 11th on Spike and an afternoon show September 12th on NBC. TruTV also has a Top Rank show September 11th, airing against the Spike show, the latter of which has Adonis Stevenson debuting in Toronto. The week ends with the Mayweather-Berto spectacle on September 12th on pay per view and live at the MGM Grand.

    Jeremy Wall can be contacted at jeremywall1984@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @jeremydalewall.