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Category: News

  • WWE announces second quarter results and more future busines news

    WWE’s second quarter business results showed $150.2 million in revenue and $5.1 million in profits.  This compared to last year’s second quarter, which it should be noted included WrestleMania, which did $156.3 million in revenue, but lost $14.5 million due to early spending on the network.

    WrestleMana in 2014 brought in $35 million in income that was not network related, and posted a $5.8 million profit, so if you takeWrestleMania out of the mix, while not exact because of tax issues, the actual revenue would have been $121.3 million and losses would have been well over $20 million.

    The key number is the network itself, which on June 30, 2015, had 939,000 subscribers in the U.S., 217,000 subscribers outside the U.S., and at that point had 71,000 people taking advantage of free month subscriptions.  The total subscriber number was 1,156,000, down from 1,327,000 at the end of the prior quarter.

    The average number of daily subcribers was 1,216,000, but that’s skewed by people who signed up for WrestleMania itself who would have remained subscribers into April.

    Wall Street seemed happy with these numbers since the stock has risen to $19.00 per share at press time.

    It was not a surprise that there was a decline, although WWE was trying to push the idea more that at this point last year they had 700,000 subscribers.

    WWE would not release info or answer questions regarding subscribers who had signed up for free months during the period and the retention rate, but the end of the quarter numbers show that, as expected, the people taking advantage of free subs are way down since it became a regular thing.

    They noted that the new shows like Too Hot for TV, Swerved and The Stone Cold Podcast were among the most watched shows on the network, not mentioning the Jericho shows.  They also said Beast from the Beast, a live show from Tokyo, ws viewed more than any show to date on the network with the exception of the PPV events, beating out the Austin interview with Vince McMahon which had been No. 1.

    The company announced new programs for the network:

    *An NXT reality show (which was noted would be relatively expense to put together, similar to HBO’s Hard Knocks)

    *Table for 3, which is like sitting at a lunch table with talent

    *A studio news show (which I was surprised they didn’t have at launch)

    They announced Camp WWE, the show we wrote about in last week’s issue, would be teased this year and debut in 2016. They would also produce new episodes of WWE 24, The WWE List as well as new podcasts.

    They are also looking at expanding the neetwork into India, China, Germany, Japan and Thailand.  The network has already shown to have significant interest in Germany, a market that actually has propped up what are supposedly domestic numbers.

    The company is projecting 1.2 million paid subscribers at the end of the next quarter, which would be September 30, 2015, likely based on a SummerSlam bump.

    Live event revenue was up, and events were more profitable, if you factor out WrestleMania, due to increases in prices and slightly hurt by devaluation of foreign currency in markets played.  The WWE 2K 15 video game was a huge success, which propelled licensing revenue to increase from $5.5 million to $11.3 million.

    Home Entertainment (DVDs) continue to decline as does web site revenue (due to loss of iPPV revenue which is now network revenue and lower ad rates), while WWE shop was up from $4 million to $5.8 million in revenue.

    Vince did take a shot at Hulk Hogan on the way out when asked, saying the loss of Hogan “Doesn’t have any material effect on us.  We’re keen on inidividuals who can actually compete ni the ring and derive benefit from that.”

  • WWE NXT July 29 TV results & recap: Kevin Owens, Charlotte, Jesse Sorensen

    By Emerson Witner, WrestlingObserver.com

    The Big News: Blake & Murphy retained their tag team titles and Jesse Sorensen, who once broke his neck on a live TNA pay per view, wrestled.

    Show recap:

    Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson defeated Enzo Amore & Colin Cassidy (w/Carmella)

    We are starting things off in the ring as a certified G and a bona fide stud teamed up with a 7 foot tall wrestler. Corey Graves and Byron Saxton take turns on being the heel commentator, so Corey got to heel on Enzo and Cass, saying he hopes they go bankrupt.

    You’ll never believe this, but they got the heat on Enzo and Colin got the hot tag and made the comeback. The match itself was fine. Dawson actually broke out Tully Blanchard’s old Slingshot Suplex. Something shocking happened on the way to the final bell. Colin got posted outside the ring and Dash & Dawson actually won a match. They used a finish where Dawson threw Enzo into the air and as he was coming down Dash gave him the Codebreaker. Despite never ever (ever ever) using this move before, the announcers already had a name for it: The Shatter Machine.

    – The crowd was just as shocked as I was.

    – Jason Jordan and Chad Gable were interviewed by Devin Taylor last week. Jason said they make sure to get the job done, no nonsense. Chad ran down every face team and they are Ready, Willing & Gable.

    Baron Corbin pinned Paragon Pro Wrestling Champion Jesse Sorensen

    Jesse is best known as the man who once had his neck broke on a live TNA pay per view. Dixie allegedly promised him a job for life and then fired him a year later. You can watch Jesse every Saturday morning at 6am on Paragon Pro Wrestling on Pop.

    Oh yeah, the match. Baron became the linear PPW Champion by pinning Jesse in 20 seconds with End of Days.

    – Tyler Breeze barged into Mr. Regal’s office and demanded a match for NXT Takeover: A Good Day To Takeover. Mr. Regal told him to be careful what he wishes for. I could swear it says on WWE.com who his opponent is, but I can’t find it right now.

    Jason Jordan & Chad Gable defeated Elias Sampson & Levis Valenzuela Jr

    Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero and Ted DiBiase all had to drop the Jr, but Levis Valenzuela gets to keep it? Okay.

    Chad schooled Elias after Elias demanded to wrestle him. Levis and Elias cheated behind the ref’s back to get the heat on Chad. Jordan got the hot tag and went nuts on Levis. Gable & Jordan won with Grand Amplitude, which is when Jordan tosses the guy up and Chad hits a neck breaker.

    – Devin Taylor interviewed Dana Brooke. Dana said Charlotte has been running scared from her, but tonight she gets to prove she can beat Charlotte. Dana plans on serving Charlotte an eviction notice.

    – A video package documenting Bull Dempsey’s battle with rampant obesity and sloth-like behavior aired. Whose Cheerio’s did he piss in? This segue wayed into him training. He was unable to life a weight bar or to climb a set of steps. He is now going to be a personal trainer? What the hell is going on?

    Charlotte pinned Dana Brooke

    This match was set up because Bayley wanted to wrestle Charlotte to prove that Bayley was good enough to face Sasha for the Woman’s Title. You didn’t read that wrong. That was how this match was set up.

    This match was not nearly as long as I expected. I seriously expected this to go in excess of 10 minutes, but it barely went 4 minutes. Charlotte made a quick comeback, winning with a Spear and Natural Selection.

    – Samoa Joe said he wants to be NXT Champion and is going to go through Rhyno next week on his way to the title.

    – We finally got a follow up from last week when Owens punched Regal. After the show Kevin apologized to William and said he didn’t mean for it to happen. William took his word for it, but had that look on his face like you know he thought Kevin was full of it.

    – Eva Marie is happy about winning last week. Instead of announcing her retirement, she said she wants to be Woman’s Champion, telling Sasha to look out. Oh great.

    Kevin Owens pinned Martin Stone

    3 weeks from Saturday, Kevin Owens will get his rematch at NXT Takeover: Live Free or Take Over as he faces Finn Balor for the NXT Championship. Owens was fined “an undisclosed amount” for punching William Regal last week.

    This was just here to give Owens a win on the way to Takeover. Kevin Owens got the pin with the Pop Up Power Bomb.

    – After the match Owens gave Stone the power bomb on the ring apron before mocking the Finn Balor entrance.

    NXT Tag Team Champions Blake & Murphy (w/Alexa Bliss) defeated The Vaudevillians

    Main event time. Blake, who recently bleached his hair so he no longer looks like Murphy, broke out a Freebird Strut. At least he knows the right people to kiss up to. Byron Saxton tried to claim that they only won the tag team titles because Alexa interfered. Thankfully Corey jumped down his throat before I could. They won the titles clean and Alexa joined them at Takeover in May.

    The champs got the heat on Aiden. I was actually curious as to who they would beat down since the Vaudevillians just turned face a few weeks ago and neither have been established as the “fiery, baby face comeback guy”. Gotch actually did a pretty good comeback, leading to an “Oh My Gotch” chant. Gotch single handedly beat up both men.

    Finally they set up for the Whirling Dervish on Blake, but Alexa grabbed Aiden’s ankle. As Murphy took out Gotch, Blake rolled up Aiden for the win!

    – After the match the victimized Vaudevillians beat up the champs and sent them packing. Alexa looked about to slap Aiden, but they stared her down. They were about to show chivalry and let her leave, but Alexa slapped them both anyway. If this was ECW, TNA or WWE like 5 years ago I would have written “and then they laid out Alexa”, but instead they stood there and let Alexa leave with her boys. I am not justifying man on woman violence, just that it was weird for them to be slapped so hard and then just let her walk away.

    So that is it for this week. We are on the road to NXT Takeover: With A Vengeance. What happens next week when Samoa Joe faces Rhyno? Only one way to find out and until then, make sure to say your vitamins and take your prayers!

  • VIDEO: UFC 190 Embedded, Episode 3

    Fight week continues with the latest installment of UFC Embedded for Saturday’s UFC 190 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In this episode, the fighters have descended upon Rio for fight week. Stefan Struve goes shopping for food. Ronda Rousey pumps up her fight with Bethe Correia some more as she signs posters and does her fight week photo shoot. Correia arrives in Rio and heads to the host hotel for her fight week duties. Mauricio Rua arrives from California. Rousey does another training session as we hear from her mother. All of that and more, so check out episode three of UFC 190 Embedded above.

  • WWE News: Brock Lesnar to make New York house show appearance

    Former WWE champion Brock Lesnar has been announced for the 10/3 WWE house show in Madison Square Garden — his first house show match on a WWE show in more than a decade.

    Lesnar’s new WWE contact, along with a raise, calls for more matches per year including select house shows.

  • VIDEO: UFC 190 Embedded, Episode 2

    Fight week continues with the latest installment of UFC Embedded for Saturday’s UFC 190 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In this episode, Mauricio Rua makes his final preparations for Saturday’s event at his camp in California. Stefan Struve trains on the beaches of Rio while his opponent, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, plays a little pool with friends. Bethe Correia packs at her home and heads to Rio. Ronda Rousey participates in the conference call for the event and talks her feminine side, amongst other things. All of that and more in episode two of UFC 190 Embedded, so check it out above.

  • WWE Smackdown July 31 TV results: Cesaro & Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens

    By Steve Khan, WrestlingObserver.com

    – Air Date: July 30, 2015 (July 29 in Canada)

    – Location: BOK Center in Tulsa, OK

    The Big News:

    Cesaro pinned Kevin Owens in a tag-team main event.

    Show Recap:

    Seth Rollins came out to start the show. They aired clips of John Cena beating him on Raw and footage of Rollins breaking Cena’s nose. Rollins was greeted with “You tapped out” chants.

    Rollins said he reached his breaking point on Raw and his rage got the best of him, which is why he broke Cena’s nose and sent him to the emergency room. He cut to the footage again, this time in slow motion. They also showed the photos from the website of Cena’s busted face.

    Rollins laughed and called it gruesome and beautiful. Cesaro interrupted because he didn’t want to hear Rollins go on and on (and on and on) like he does every week, and reminded Rollins that he tapped out. Rollins said he didn’t tap, it was a strategic move because he has bigger things to worry about than Cena’s little US Title.

    Cesaro mentioned that he and Rollins have a rematch later but said he could make Rollins tap out right now. Rollins accepted his challenge. Rollins was given some pretty bad dialogue here.

    Non-Title: Cesaro beat WWE Champion Seth Rollins via DQ

    Cesaro tried a sharpshooter but Rollins escaped the ring and Kevin Owens sauntered out to join commentary. Phillips asked Owens about his interview from the website. Owens said he wasn’t going to repeat himself and Phillips can just go watch it.

    Owens told Phillips he should call the match like he’s being paid to do. Owens said he broke his nose in his first NXT match but nobody was talking about that. Owens reminded Phillips that he was there for that but wasn’t calling Owens a hero like Cena.

    As Cesaro went for the big swing, Owens asked the announcers if they remember when he said Cesaro should watch is back. Owens then left the announce table and attacked Cesaro for the DQ. Rollins looked annoyed at first but they double teamed Cesaro briefly and left. Owens was great on commentary.

    8-Man Tag Match: Lucha Dragons & Los Matadores (w/El Torito) beat The Ascension & The New Day (w/Xavier Woods)

    New Day cut a fun promo before match—which I can’t really do justice—saying they should be number one contenders if they beat both the Lucha Dragons and Los Matadores tonight. I believe they called Big E, “Big Wool” because he’s a heavy sweater. Prime Time Players were on commentary again and Darren Young wore glasses and had a clipboard to take notes.

    Heels got the heat on Sin Cara until he made the hot tag to Kalisto. Torito took out Woods with a 619 (around the ring post). Los Matadores took out Konner with dives and Kalisto pinned Viktor with a rollup. New Day berated Viktor afterwards. They could probably make better use of Kalisto who really stands out even in limited action.

    Backstage, Rich Brennan caught up with Kevin Owens who was leaving the building. Brennan informed Owens that he was teaming with Rollins to face Cesaro and a partner of his choosing. Owens didn’t know this, but said whoever teams with Cesaro is going to be sorry.

    They aired a video package for Becky Lynch. She called herself the best and was gunning for Nikki Bella’s diva’s title. Lynch also said that she teamed with Paige because she’s known Paige since she was 13 years old.

    Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt did a promo. Wyatt said they were going to fix a mistake and asked Roman Reigns if he could trust Dean Ambrose the way Bray trusts Harper. I think that’s what he said, anyway.

    Rusev (w/Summer Rae) beat Jack Swagger via submission

    Before the match, Rusev ranted about Lana and is mad at himself for falling for a backstabbing Russian-wannabe. Rusev casually told Summer that they would take Dog Ziggler for a walk after he crushes his opponent. They were about to kiss, but Jack Swagger interrupted. Rusev was great again.

    Jerry Lawler asked why they named the dog “Ziggler,” and would love to see puppies on SmackDown, so he’s a little behind. A fan yelled “Get out of my country!” at Rusev. Simmer down, guy.

    They had a surprisingly long match here in Swagger’s home state. It felt long and boring at first, but to their credit, it picked up and was pretty good by the end. The crowd was sort of behind Swagger was well.

    Eventually, Rusev hit a superkick and applied the Accolade. Swagger almost fought out of it, but Rusev squeezed it in and Swagger tapped.

    After the match, Rusev was about to kiss Summer, but he noticed Swagger getting to his feet. Rusev charged at him but Swagger countered with a slam and ankle lock. Rusev crawled out of the ring to escape. Swagger posed and they played his music. Weird.  

    Backstage, Brennan asked Cesaro if he found a partner. Cesaro looked at his Tyson Kidd armband and said, “not here.” Cesaro said he has a problem with both Rollins and Owens and doesn’t care if he has to fight alone.

    Stardust beat R-Truth via pinfall

    Stardust won with Cross Rhodes, which he is now calling The Queen’s Crossbow, another Green Arrow reference. After the match, Stardust told Truth he’s failed this city and tried to put a Stardust mask on him (the one they sell for kids) while calling out Neville. Neville ran out and caught him with a dive. Stardust managed to bail through the crowd. The crowd didn’t care about any of this, not even Neville running out.

    Backstage, Sheamus cut a nothing promo. He doesn’t like Randy Orton.

    They aired a video package for Brock Lesnar/Undertaker and announced that Lesnar would be on Raw.

    Cesaro & Dean Ambrose beat Kevin Owens & Seth Rollins via pinfall

    Cesaro entered ready to fight on his own, but Ambrose came out before the bell rang. He ran right after Rollins, of course, and the heels bailed just in time for commercial.

    The heels worked over Cesaro for a few minutes until he tagged Ambrose, who ran wild on Rollins. Owens got in Ambrose’s way allowing Rollins to hit him with a turnbuckle powerbomb. He followed with a flying knee and superkick but Ambrose kicked out. Ambrose dodged a senton from Owens and tagged Cesaro who hit a Swissblade.

    Rollins tried to interfere but Cesaro got him in the big swing swing and sharpshooter. Cesaro then clotheslined himself and Owens to the floor. Ambrose took out Rollins with a superplex and clothesline. Owens caught him with a superkick and went for the pop-up powerbomb, but Cesaro rolled up Owens for the win.

    Cesaro celebrated like this was a big deal, jumping on the announce table to pose to the crowd. He hugged Ambrose and the show ended.  

    Final Thoughts:

    Rusev vs. Swagger was the top of the hour segment, which tells you all you need to know about this show. Cesaro getting another win is nice, but this was an otherwise missable show. You could really feel how light they were on talent the way certain segments were dragged out. Despite the light crew, the main event was only about 10 minutes.

    Also, no women’s match tonight. The revolution will be televised only some of the time.

  • UFC 190 Preview: 5 storylines to watch, betting odds & predictions

    By Ryan Frederick, WrestlingObserver.com

    The most dominant champion in the UFC today makes her return to the Octagon on Saturday night when the UFC heads back to Rio de Janeiro for UFC 190 live on pay-per-view. The event, a four-hour main card with seven fights, airs at 10 PM eastern time on your local pay-per-view channel. A slate of six preliminary bouts begins at 7 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass before heading over to FOX Sports 1 for more coverage at 8 PM eastern time.

    UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey headlines the event in her next title defense when she defends against the undefeated challenger, Bethe Correia, in her own home country of Brazil. Correia has the chance to shock the world and unseat Rousey as the champion at 135 pounds, but she will have her work cut out for her. In the night’s co-main event, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua takes on Antonio Rogeiro Nogueira in a rematch ten years in the making. There are several intriguing bouts on the card, so let’s take a closer look at five storylines to keep an eye on heading into Saturday’s UFC 190 event.

    1. Does Bethe Correia have a chance against Ronda Rousey?

    Bethe Correia has a chance to unseat Ronda Rousey and score the biggest upset in UFC history and become the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 190. But does she even stand a chance against Rousey? As of this writing, Rousey is a -1700 favorite in the betting odds, and if it closes that high, she will be the biggest favorite in UFC history. Correia is currently at +1100 on the betting odds, higher than any title challenger ever. That is all a testament to how dominant Rousey is because Correia is undefeated as well, scoring nine wins in nine professional fights.

    Correia has won three fights in the UFC Octagon. She scored a split decision over Julie Kedzie in her debut, then followed that with a unanimous decision win over Jessamyn Duke and a TKO win over Shayna Baszler. The last two wins have come over two of what is dubbed as the “Four Horsewomen”, a group of friends led by Rousey. Needless to say, Rousey is looking for revenge not just for that, but for comments Correia made about her personal life in recent months. Correia has seemingly unleashed another side of Rousey that we have yet to see, and Rousey has vowed to make Correia pay. Whether that is a quick fight or a prolonged beatdown remains to be seen.

    The big question still remains of whether Correia stands a chance. It is hard to envision that she does. Rousey has been the most dominant fighter of this era, and perhaps ever. She has finished all but one fight in the first round, and has won her last three fights in a combined 96 seconds. She has finished all of her opponents, and Correia has scored just two of her nine wins by finish. Correia had trouble against Duke, who has likely fizzled out of the UFC after three straight losses, and while she has some decent power, hitting Rousey is another thing. Those betting on Correia hope lightning strikes, but this fight belongs to Rousey. It is only a matter of how long will it take.

    2. What is left in the tank for Mauricio Rua and the Nogueira brothers?

    Three of the most popular Brazilian fighters in the history of the sport enter the Octagon on Saturday night as former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and twin brothers, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and former UFC and PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, compete at UFC 190. Rua and Rogerio will meet in the co-main event in a rematch of their bout from June 2005 in PRIDE, a fight won by Rua, while Rodrigo will take on Stefan Struve in a heavyweight bout.

    All three men have been in their share of wars in the past, and it has caught up to them. Rua is just 3-5 in eight fights since losing the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to Jon Jones, while the Nogueria brothers are both just 2-3 in their last five fights. Rua hasn’t fought since November, Rogerio hasn’t fought since July 2014, and Rodrigo hasn’t fought since April 2014. Rogerio has fought just twice since December 2011, and Rodrigo has fought just once in each of the last three years. All three men have had a litany of injuries over the years, and their best days are clearly behind them.

    Can magic strike for any of the three on Saturday? Rua and Rogerio had a classic battle in PRIDE, but that was over ten years ago now and both have slowed down due to the toll taken over the years. They have the chance to steal the show once again, and both are still capable of fun fights. Rodrigo has provided two classic moments over the years when the Octagon has been in Rio de Janeiro, and he has an opponent in Stefan Struve who has been in some tough battles as well and is capable of being finished. All three are legends in Brazil, and while their best days are behind them, the crowd will be in support of all three, and we will see what is left in their gas tanks these days.

    3. Will the next challenger for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship be decided?

    The UFC women’s strawweight division is less than a year old, but it is quickly building to being one of the most exciting divisions in the UFC. They have an exciting and undefeated champion in Joanna Jedrzejczyk who is coming off an impressive win and looking for her next challenge after defeating Jessica Penne in June. Jedrzejczyk is out of action for a little bit after injuring her thumb in that fight, and the next challenger for her could be decided on Saturday night in the main card opener. That is when Claudia Gadelha looks to rebound from her first career loss when she welcomes former WSOF Women’s Strawweight Champion, and in what many peoples’ eyes is the top strawweight in the world, Jessica Aguilar to the UFC for the first time.

    Gadelha is coming off her first career loss in December to the now-champion Jedrzejczyk, and it was a split decision in a close fight that many gave to Gadelha. It was Jedrzejczyk’s only real test to date, and a rematch for the title would definitely be next should Gadelha win. Aguilar stands in the way, and with a 10-fight win streak and being a high-profile signing, a win would also put her next in line. She is a well-rounded fighter but she also tends to be predictable in her attacks. She’ll need variance against Gadelha, who has a strong ground game. The betting odds favor Gadelha big time, and that is very surprising as some money could be made on Aguilar. This is a close fight on paper though I do tend to favor Gadelha as she has an edge on the feet.

    4. Can Neil Magny make it eight straight wins in a tough match-up against Demian Maia? 
    Neil Magny has been one of the pleasant surprises in the UFC’s welterweight division as he has racked off seven straight wins heading into UFC 190 on Saturday. He has been very active, fighting five times in 2014 and twice this year, and win-or-lose, you know he’ll be wanting to fight at least once, maybe twice, again this year. He is slowly climbing the rankings, but he is only ranked 13th, a testament to how tough the 170-pound division is. He hasn’t fought ranked competition yet, but that is changing on Saturday night as he looks to score his eighth straight win in his toughest test to date.

    That comes in the former of Demian Maia, a former title challenger at middleweight and winner of two straight fights after tough back-to-back losses to Jake Shields and Rory MacDonald. Maia has performed well in Rio de Janeiro, scoring a nasty submission win over Rick Story in his last fight in Rio. Maia is a big step up in competition for Magny, but it is what Magny needs if he is going to actually be able to get into title contention at 170 pounds. Most would assume that eight straight wins should mean a title shot, but that division is stacked, and a win here could get Magny a fight against a top-five opponent with a title opportunity on the line. Better yet, a win would move Magny up in the rankings and show that his win streak has been no fluke. It is a big test for him as they headline the preliminary card.

    5. What else is there to look for on the card?

    As typical with fight cards in Brazil, this event is stacked with Brazilian fighters looking to score wins in front of the home country crowd. This event will net the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4, which was moved from a June event due to visa issues. Glacio Franca and Fernando Bruno meet in the lightweight finals, and Reginaldo Vieira and Dileno Lopes meet in the bantamweight finals. Also on the main card is a heavyweight bout as Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva looks to end his 4-fight winless streak when he takes on Soa Palelei, who is 12-1 in his last 13 fights.

    In additional preliminary action, light heavyweights Rafael Cavalcante and Patrick Cummins square off as both look to rebound from a loss in their previous bout. TUF: Brazil season 3 winner Warlley Alves looks to remain undefeated in his career when he takes on Nordine Taleb, who sports a 3-0 record in the UFC. Iuri Alcantara looks to rebound from a disappointing loss when he takes on Leandro Issa, winner of two straight. Middleweights Vitor Miranda and Clint Hester also do battle, as well as bantamweights Hugo Viana and Guido Cannetti, who could both be fighting for their spot on the UFC roster on Saturday.

    Full UFC 190 Fight Card, Betting Odds & Predictions

    MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)

    UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. (#5) Bethe Correia
    Betting Odds: Rousey (-1700), Correia (+1100)
    Prediction: Rousey by submission in round 1

    Light Heavyweights: (#8) Mauricio Rua vs. (#11) Antonio Rogeiro Nogueira
    Betting Odds: Rua (-200), Nogueira (+170)
    Prediction: Rua by knockout in round 2

    TUF Brazil 4 Lightweight Finals: Glacio Franca vs. Fernando Bruno
    Betting Odds: Franca (-170), Bruno (+150)
    Prediction: Franca by decision

    TUF Brazil 4 Bantamweight Finals: Reginaldo Vieira vs. Dileno Lopes
    Betting Odds: Vieira (+260), Lopes (-320)
    Prediction: Lopes by submission in round 3

    Heavyweights: (#15) Stefan Struve vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
    Betting Odds: Struve (-170), Nogueira (+150)
    Prediction: Nogueira by submission in round 2

    Heavyweights: (#12) Antonio Silva vs. Soa Palelei
    Betting Odds: Silva (+170), Palelei (-200)
    Prediction: Palelei by knockout in round 1

    Women’s Strawweights: (#1) Claudia Gadelha vs. (#15) Jessica Aguilar
    Betting Odds: Gadelha (-450), Aguilar (+360)
    Prediction: Gadelha by decision

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

    Welterweights: (#6) Demian Maia vs. (#13) Neil Magny
    Betting Odds: Maia (-165), Magny (+145)
    Prediction: Maia by decision

    Light Heavyweights: (#10) Rafael Cavalcante vs. (#14) Patrick Cummins
    Betting Odds: Cavalcante (+140), Cummins (-160)
    Prediction: Cummins by decision

    Welterweights: Warlley Alves vs. Nordine Taleb
    Betting Odds: Alves (-225), Taleb (+185)
    Prediction: Alves by decision

    Bantamweights: (#13) Iuri Alcantara vs. Leandro Issa
    Betting Odds: Alcantara (-250), Issa (+210)
    Prediction: Alcantara by submission in round 3

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT)

    Middleweights: Vitor Miranda vs. Clint Hester
    Betting Odds: Miranda (+135), Hester (-155)
    Prediction: Hester by knockout in round 2

    Bantamweights: Hugo Viana vs. Guido Cannetti
    Betting Odds: Viana (-310), Cannetti (+255)
    Prediction: Viana by submission in round 1

  • WWE ticket passwords from major New York events

    The password for the 10/3 tickets in Madison Square Garden, which will include an appearance by Brock Lesnar, is GARDENWWE

    The SummerSlam superstar panel presale password is SLAM15.

    Tickets are available at ticketmaster.

  • WWE News: Layla El retires from wrestling

    On Wednesday, WWE.com announced that Layla El is retiring from wrestling after nine years with the company.

    She said that it was time to start the next chapter in her life, and had gotten tired of the travel. She noted that she is now engaged and would be looking to start a family, as well as do other television work in the U.S. or the U.K.

    El came to WWE after winning the 2006 Divas Search, and was best known for her tenure as part of LayCool, a tag team with Michelle McCool, who retired after getting married to Mark “Undertaker” Calaway.

  • TNA Impact July 29 TV Report – Jeff Jarrett Hall of Fame Induction

    By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com

    Last week, we found out that Jeff Jarrett would be going into the hall of fame tonight. His induction video showcased his career from Memphis through now and put him over slightly more than even his ’02-’06 title runs did in TNA. Magnus faced Bram in a street fight for reasons that were never explained, let alone adequately explained.  Bram won this all-weapons match with a schoolboy cradle of course. Eli Drake cut a great promo on Drew Galloway, and we got a horrible and annoying exchange between Taryn and Brooke that was almost saved thanks to Gail coming in and cleaning house. Due to TNA not checking on Hernandez’s legal status with Lucha Underground, we got a re-airing of the Slammiversary main event. The King of the Mountain match aired without any explanation of the rules, so the reverse ladder penalty box title match might’ve been a bit confusing for some. Tigre Uno challenged Donald Trump to come to the Impact Zone tonight, and while I’m not a betting man, I would bet a healthy sum that he doesn’t show up on this pre-taped show from weeks ago.

    Eric Young faced Rockstar Spud in a chain match for some reason. Since TNA has all of this extra time to fill due to Hernandez, why can’t they fill that up with storyline explanations? They’ve already got supplemental content like this shot in HD for Youtube, why not put it on the show so things make sense? Speaking of which, Matt was somehow named the number one man in the TNA Top 5 and beat Bobby Roode in a nothing tables match to earn a World Title shot. Don’t let all of the words fool you though – there’s very little exciting actually going on in TNA outside of Gail Kim being a ninja and destroying Taryn’s faction.

    The show starts with a recap of the Storm and Mickie issues alongside the rise of Matt Hardy as a World title-level guy and we’ll see Mickie’s final match in TNA, and Jeff Hardy returns too. Austin Aries comes down while Josh says that Aries will probably go into the TNA Hall of Fame one day. Aries says he’s not in a good mood and mocks Bully for not making him a top contender. Bully comes out in jeans, a shirt, and a pleather jacket and praises the fans. Bully says that Aries lost to Kurt, but he will give him a shot at the X Title – which Aries literally laughs off as a title for guys who aren’t main eventers. Josh says that Spud main evented and only got that due to the X Title. No, actually he opened the show while cashing in that title and main evented before ever winning this title against EC3.

    Spud puts over Aries as possibly the best TNA World Champion in history, and he’s very upset to hear him bury the X Title. Aries says Spud isn’t a rockstar, and that if he can’t beat Spud, he doesn’t even belong in this ring. Bully talks about how great “the kid” is, despite Spud being 32. Bully makes Spud vs. Aries, and if Aries loses, he’s done. But if he wins, he gets to be called “Rockstar” Austin Aries. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse than Austin Starr, probably worse.

    We get a quick rundown of next week’s show’s events – it’s being called No Surrender. Kurt Angle talks to Chris Melendez about “that kid” Eric Young is 35, and they’re coming to the ring to call out EY next. Chris Melendez comes down with Kurt Angle for a match with Eric Young, but he calls him out like he wants a match despite Christy announcing this like it’s a match. It is, but first, EY talks to him about piledriving him. He’s also got the chain still, but I can’t see if he still has the Hammer Jammer on.

    Eric Young vs. Chris Melendez

    Chris shoves EY down while Josh talks about Austin Aries vs. Rockstar Spud for the rights to the name “Rockstar” being made official for next week’s show. EY stomps a mudhole into him while Josh says that sure, EY lives in America now, but he’s really a Canadian who doesn’t respect America. EY drapes him over the apron and drives his elbow into the neck while Pope calls him the Bearded Terror a bunch. EY rakes the eye and gets a piledriver for the win. Josh hypes up Brooke vs. Marti Belle for the title next.

    JB meets with Matt to ask about what match type he’ll pick tonight. Matt says “we” have picked the match, but we won’t know tonight. JB asks who “we” is – so is Jeff Hardy’s return supposed to be a surprise or something? The generic knockouts video brings us to Marti’s intro while Josh says he won’t talk during the intro, but does. Instead of showing Brooke bending over, they cut to a shot of Billy Corgan’s tour poster.

    Brooke vs. Marti Belle – Knockouts Title Match

    Taryn distracts Brooke, resulting in a rabbit lariat for 2. Brooke gets a flying lariat off the second rope and a series of clotheslines. Dollhouse gets involved to attack Brooke, but Gail’s tron hits and the distraction leads to the X-factor/butterface maker/butterface makeover. This wasn’t all that good or noteworthy in any way. Tigre Uno calls out Donald Trump next.

    We see more of Tigre in Mexico with his kids and we go to the Impact Zone where Christy says that Donald isn’t here, and so he’s a coward. EC3 says he doesn’t care about Matt Hardy’s stipulation and we go to another break. Former country music sensation J-E-Double F J-A-Double R-E-Double-T meets with former pop music sensation Billy Corgan. EC3 comes down with Tyrus while Josh talks about how he has been victimized for supporting EC3.

    EC3 Talks About Matt Hardy

    EC3 buries Jeff for having nothing but rednecks as fans, and while he might be afraid of Jeff, he isn’t afraid of Matt. He talks about Jeff falling off of everything in wrestling, but getting hurt on his little moped and calls Matt Khloe to his Kim. Jeff saunters out while Josh tries to get “Humanomoly” over as his new nickname. Jeff and EC3 blather on for a bit while Jeff says he’ll be back wrestling soon. Matt comes out and says it’s not a competition between he and Jeff – they have one another’s backs at all times. Jeff has Matt grab some objects from under the ring. We get a table, chair, and a ladder. After a while, we get a Full Metal Mayhem match announced. Storm and Serena face Magnus and Mickie next.

    We get Team 3D’s induction video alongside earlier clips of the Angle and Sting inductions to hype up Jeff Jarrett’s induction later. Magnus says that the the world has been waiting for he and Mickie to team for two years, but tonight, it’ll be a fight. Storm and Serena come out, with Storm in ridiculous orange and green camo gear.

    Mickie James and Magnus vs. James Storm and Serena

    Magnus and Storm start this with a brawl while Pope talks about Storm vs. Magnus at the PPV being one of the best matches in the history of the Impact Zone. Serena cheapshots Magnus and Storm attacks, but avoids Mickie and chinlocks Magnus for an ad break. We return to see Mickie chase Serena, but Storm backstabs Magnus. He gets another chinlock and a lungblower. Mickie gets the tag and runs wild on Serena, but Storm grabs Mickie and she slaps him. Gutbuster to Mickie from Serena, but Magnus spears Storm. Serena calls for Khoya to come down, and whips Mickie into the steps. Magnus sidesteps Khoya and the stick hits Storm, leading to a Magnus powerbomb. Mickie gets the jumping DDT on Serena for the win. Mickie’s portions of the match were exciting, but the Magnus-Storm stuff didn’t click.

    Jeff Jarrett’s hall of fame induction is next. But first, we get Ken Anderson talking to Mike Tenay about his future in wrestling. Ken says that Bram is dark, but he can get dark too. Bram tells Ken to kiss his kids goodbye, because it’s personal. Why is it personal? What is their grudge? Gail Kim faces the Dollhouse next week, which is the only new match added to No Surrender right now. Jeff Jarrett’s hall of fame induction video from last week is aired again.

    Jeff Jarrett Hall of Fame Induction

    Mike Tenay is in the middle of the ring to introduce Dixie Carter. She talks about Jeff having the industry in his blood and how she met him when they happened to live next door to each other in an apartment complex. Thanks to Jeff, TNA exists and without him, they wouldn’t be here. Jeff thanks everyone who has ever bought a ticket or a piece of merchandise. He thanks everyone who has received a check from TNA, and thanks Bob and Janice Carter for believing in him. He tears up with this and says that he always got to the office first to make the first pot of coffee. He thanks the Ring Ka King crew for sacrificing their time around the holidays.

    He thanks anyone who worked in the X division, anyone who was in the tag division, and thanks Team 3D for coming from WWE to TNA. He thanks Nash, Foley, Steiner, and Booker T for coming to TNA. He tells Dixie that they’d have some ups and downs, but without her making the decision to bring him into the Hall of Fame, he wouldn’t be here. He talks about the importance of family and how he and his father had a falling out seven years ago. They were estranged for many years, but six weeks ago, they reconciled. He thanks Jerry and says that Jerry should be here before he is, but he loves him and thanks him. He thanks his daughters and Kurt’s kids for loving and supporting him. He thanks Karen for being his rock over the past many months and their love conquered their obstacles. Mike Tenay is holding back tears, Karen is crying, Jeff is weeping, and the crowd is chanting “thank you, Jeff”. TNA could end right here and it would feel pretty much perfect. The roster greets Jeff on the ramp and we get a rundown of No Surrender.

    To see every screenshot taken for the show, just click here.