Paypress testing

Category: News

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (July 10): Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger blood stoppage match, Jeff Hardy vs. Mike Awesome

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1941 – In Kansas City, Kansas; Dorv Roche beat Jack Kennedy in two straight falls to become #1 contender to the MWA World Title. Also, Benny Rosen beat Rudy Strongberg, Steve Brody defeated Earl Wampler and Jack Hader beat Dobie Osborne. Promoter was George Simpson

    1947 – At Memorial Hall in Kansas City; Orville Brown beat Wally Dusek to retain the MWA Title, Tug Carlson drew Sockeye Jack McDonald, Sailor Fred Blassie beat Rudy Strongberg and Marshall Esteppe drew Jack Hader.

    1962 – In Minneapolis, MN before 3,280 fans; AWA Champion Mr. M beat Joe Scarpello by countout, Verne Gagne beat Bob Geigel, Ilio Dipaolo beat Blackjack Daniels and Doug Gilbert beat Thor Hagan.

    1964 – In Denver, Colorado; Mad Dog Vachon & Fritz von Erich beat Verne Gagne & Art Thomas, Mitsu Arakawa beat Wilbur Snyder by dq and Jack Lanza beat Larry Hennig

    1965 – In Minneapolis before 5,710 fans; AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon beat The Crusher dq, AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat Rene Goulet & Eddie Sharkey, Tex McKenzie beat Pampero Firpo and Chris Markoff beat Bill Green

    1967 – Lou Albano & Tony Altimore defeated Arnold Skaaland & Chuck Richards (subbing for Spiros Arion) for the United States Tag Team Title in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

    1968 – In Duluth, Minnesota; Dr. X beat Wilbur Snyder, Bill Watts beat Harley Race, The Crusher beat Mad Dog Vachon and Man Mountain Mike beat Blackjack Daniels. Attendance was 3,300.

    1970 – In Denver; AWA Tag Team Champions Mad Dog Vachon & Butcher Vachon beat The Crusher & Verne Gagne in 2 out of 3 falls, Paul Diamond beat Double X in 2 out of 3 falls and Red Bastien beat Blackjack Lanza by dq.

    1971 – AWA ran a double shot with AWA Tag Team Champions Red Bastien & Hercules Cortez beat Larry Hennig & Lars Anderson to retain the titles in St. Paul, Minnesota. Also on the card, Billy Robinson beat Big K, Vivian Vachon beat Mars Monroe and Don Muraco beat Aldo Bogni; in Milwaukee, Wisconsin before a sellout of 6,112 fans; AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Edouard Carpentier, Nick Bockwinkel beat Dick The Bruiser by countout, Wilbur Snyder and Baron Von Raschke went to a double countout, Bull Bullinski beat Joe Turco and Angelo Poffo drew Bill Howard

    1974 – At John O’Donnell Stadium in Davenport, Iowa; AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Billy Robinson & Geoff Portz, Ivan Putski beat Baron Von Raschke, Chris Taylor beat Larry Heiniemi and Larry Hennig beat Bull Bullinski

    1975 – Greg Gagne beat Nick Bockwinkel in Duluth, Minnesota.

    1978 – In Wichita, Kansas; Gene Stevens (Frank Dalton) vs. Pat O’Conner, Tank Patton vs. Gary Young, The Blue Yankee (former Inferno Curtis Smith) & Bob Sweetan vs. Ron Starr & Tom Andrews and in a Texas Death Match; Bulldog Bob Brown vs. Col. Buck Robley

    1982 – In Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Hulk Hogan beat Ken Patera, Greg Gagne no contest Sheik Adnan, Rick Martel beat Bobby Heenan and Buck Zumhofe beat Sgt. Goulet

    1985 – In Las Vegas, Nevada at the Showboat Sports Pavilion; Sgt. Slaughter won battle royal, Sgt. Slaughter beat Larry Zbyszko dq, Fabulous Freebirds beat Curt Hennig & Greg Gagne, Nick Bockwinkel beat Baron Von Raschke, Billy Robinson beat Bob Backlund and Brad Rheingans drew Ray Stevens. Attendance was 1,500.

    1988 – In Baltimore, Maryland at the Great American Bash PPV, The Midnight Express (Stan Lane & Bobby Eaton) defeated The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) to win the NWA United States Tag Team Title. Also on the card, NWA United States Champion Barry Windham defeated Dusty Rhodes and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defeated Lex Luger when the match was stopped by the Maryland State Athletic Commission due to Luger bleeding.

    1992 – In Whitesville, Virginia; SMW Heavyweight Champion Brian Lee pinned the Dirty White Boy and SMW Tag Team Champions The Heavenly Bodies, Stan Lane & Tom Prichard defeated The Fantastics, Bobby & Jackie Fulton via disqualification.

    1998 – In Inglewood, California; WCW World Champion Bill Goldberg pinned Curt Hennig and Sting defeated Hulk Hogan in a steel cage match via submission.

    2001 – Jeff Hardy defeated Mike Awesome for the WWF Hardcore Title in Birmingham, Alabama.

    2011 – At Destination X PPV; Brian Kendrick defeated Abyss to win the X Division Championship.

    2014 – Austin Aries defeated Sanada to win the TNA X Division Title.

  • WWE NXT July 9 Largo, FL, house show results: Tag team title three-way, Sasha Banks vs. Carmella

    Submitted by Chris

    – Dasha and Zahra Schriber split ring announcing duties.

    – Uhaa Nation def. Elias Sampson with a standing moonsault.  Nation’s physique blew away everyone else on this show and his athleticism was very impressive.

    – Gionna Daddio and Lina def. KC and Jessie.  Daddio has a Jersey gimmick.  She sold most of the way until Lina came in, cleaned house and got the pin with a spinebuster. KC looked pretty good here.

    – Sasha Banks came out for a promo and was bragging about being the queen of the divas division when Carmella came out to set up a title match for later.

    – Mike Rawlis def. Angelo Dawkins with a razors edge.  Not much to this one.

    – Jason Jordan and Chad Gable def. The Mechanics (Dash and Dawson).

    – Bull Dempsey def. Tyler Breeze with the top rope sit-down splash.  Tons of comedy here as Dempsey got a burger from the concession stand before the show started.  In the match, they did a criss-cross spot until Bull got blown up.  Then a bag of Doritos was thrown in the ring and they did some spots around that for minute.  Crowd was into Bull’s antics.

    – Baron Corbin def. Solomon Crowe with the end of days.  Standard fare.

    – Preston Cunningham Junior the first (that’s not a typo) came out and cut a promo on how his dad funded the show for us fans.  This was dying when Sabby Piscatelli came out. He’s a former Buccaneer player so he got a reaction. He turned heel by insulting the town.  The two eventually got into a brief brawl before Sabby ran off.

    – Women’s Champion Sasha Banks def. Carmella to retain the women’s title with the bank statement submission. Pretty good match here with some chain moves and reversals.

    – Tag Champions Blake and Murphy won a three-way over Enzo & Cass and the Vaudevillains with the superplex/frog splash combo on Enzo.  Enzo and Cass got the biggest reaction of the night by far.  Vaudevillains were over as well.

    Notes:

    The advertising and Twitter is very weird regarding these shows.  First off, WWE rarely delivers on who they advertise.  This listing had Balor, Charlotte, Banks, Bayley, Tyler Breeze, Enzo & Cass.  Balor, Charlotte and Bayley all weren’t here.  Secondly, on Twitter, Braun Stroman, Bayley and Becky Lynch all tweeted today about the show but didn’t appear.

  • Invicta FC live results: Cyborg vs. Van Duin headlines 3 title fight show

    By Dave Meltzer, WrestlingObserver.com

    Welcome to our live coverage of Invicta from the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas with three title fights, headlined by Cris Cyborg Justino.

    Marina Shafir (1-1) vs. Amber Leibrock (0-0), featherweights

    First round: Both trading punches.  Leibrock decked her and pounded her out on the gorund in less than a minute.  This MMA thing isn’t going well for Marina.  She was probably the second biggest name in the company except for Cyborg. :37

    Jamie Moyle (2-0) vs. Amy Montengero (6-1), strawweights

    First round:   Moyle pushed her against the fence.  Both throwing knee in the clinch.  Moyle landed punches and a front kick.  Now both throwing knees.  Moyle took her down and has her  back.  She’s working for a choke.  Montenegro got to the top when Moyle failed opusn a submission attempt.  Moyle went for an armbar and Montenegro with a short power bomb to get out of it.  Montenegro with some elbows.  Takedown by Moyle and she got back to the top with an ankle pick.  Moyle with punches.  Knee by Moyle.  Moyle 10-9.  Good round.       

    Second round: Moyle landed a right.  Both throwing.  Motegegro landing more.  Montenegro keeps landing.  Moyle with low kicks.  Nice right by Moyle.  Body kick by Moyle.  In a clinch.  Knee by Moyle.  Knees by Montenegro from the clinch.  Takedown by Moyle.  Moyle with good punches on the ground but Montenegro up.  Hard elbows by Montenegro.  Montenegro’s round so 19-19.

    Third round: Montenegro pushed her against the fence.  Ref Kim Winslow broke the clinch.  Lots of knees by Montengero.  They are back in a clinch and more knees.  Moyle now coming back but Montenegro grabbed a clinch and pushed her against the fence.  Montengro with punches.  Montenegro 29-28.

    Scores:   29-28 Moyle 29-28 Montenegro 29-28 Moyle.  Second and third rounds were close.

    Amber Brown (4-1) vs. Catherine Costigan (5-0), atomweights

    First round: Brown took her down into mount. Brown with punches and elbows. Brown landing more punches and elbows.  Now Brown has her back.  Brown throwing a lot of punches from the back position.  She locked in the choke and it was over.  Total one-sided fight.  3:34

    Jessica-Rose Clark (5-1) vs Pannie Kianzad (7-0), bantamweights

    First round: Kianzad got behind her.  Now they are clinched.  Kianzad landing well.  Takedown by Kianzad.  Kianzad 10-9.

    Second round: Both throwing but Kianzad is crisper and landing strong.  Body shot and a knee by Kianzad.  Now Kianzad has her pushed against the fence and took her down.  Kianzad now in side control.  Kianzad tried a triangle, lost it and Clark got on top.  Kianzad reversed back to the top immediately.  Now Clark working for a triangle.  Clark working for an armbar but Kianzad out.  Kianzad sat on her and threw punches.  Kianzad 20-18.

    Third round: Kianzad landing strong punches early.  Kianzad landing solid punches.  Nice body shot by Kianzad.  Hard right by Kianzad.  Kianzad landing good punches.  Clark wth a knee tot he body but keeps getting tagged coming in.  Kianzad 30-27.

    Scores: 30-27 across the board for Kianzad

    Herica Tiburcio (9-2) vs. Ayaka Hamasaki (11-1) for the atomweight title

    First round: Hamasaki much bigger.  She moved in with punches.  Tiburcio hurt her with punches and grabbed a guillotine from the top.  She’s now in full mount.  Tiburcio 10-9

    Second round: Takedown by Hamasaki.  Nothing much happening and Kim Winslow ordered a standup.  Right by Hamasaki.  Tiburcio went for a takedown but Hamasaki ended up on top. Winslow ordered another standup.  Tiburcio grabbed a guillotine just as the round ended. Hamasaki’s round so 19-19.

    Third round:   Hamasaki with a takedown to start the round.  Tiburcio working for a gogoplata from the bottom but not close.  Hamasaki got another takedown.  But Tiburcio turned Hamasaki over and had her back, with a body triangle.  Hamasaki’s round 29-28.

    Fourth round: Hamasaki with a takedown.  Hamasaki throwing elbows to the ribs.  Tiburcio working for a triangle from the bottom.  Kim Winslow ordered another standup.  Another takedown by Hamasaki.  Hamasaki’s round 39-37.

    Fifth round: Another takedown by Hamasaki.  This is quite the boring fight.  Hamasaki has her back.  Hamasaki is more active throwing punches.  Tiburcio up as Hamasaki slipped off.  Hamasaki with a few punches and another takedown.  Hamasaki 49-46, should win the title

    Scores: 48-47 Tiburcio, 48-47 Hamasaki 49-46 Hamasaki to win the title

    Irene Aldana (5-1) vs. Tonya Evinger (15-5) for the vacant bantamweight title

    First round: Evinger with takedown.  She threw some elbows to the face.  Evinger has full mount.  She’s throwing punches. Elbow by Evinger.  Evinger has an armbar.  Aldana squirming like a Japanese pro wrestling spot.  The place went nuts when she escaped.  Elbow by Evinger.  Mexico chants for Aldana.  Evinger pounding on her.   Aldana reversed to the top in the closing seconds.  Aldana bleeding. Crowd went pretty wild at the end of the round.  10-8 Evinger.

    Second round: Right by Evinger.  Evinger pushed her against the fence.  Takedown by Evinger.  Evinger just holding her down.  Evinger’s round should be up 20-17.

    Third round: Evinger slowing down.  Evinger tried a hiptoss but didn’t get it.  Takedown by Evinger.  Evinger moved to full mount.  Evinger with punches and elbows,  More punches and elbows.  Evinger went for an armbar as time ran out.  Almost a 10-8 but not quite 30-26 for Evinger.  Evinger threw up in her corner after the round.

    Fourth round: Aldana with low kicks.  Body kick by Aldana.  Right by Evinger.  Evinger tried a takedown and got behind Aldana on the ground dragging her down.  Evinger now in full mount.  Evinger landing punches.  More punches and elbows from the mount.  The ref stopped the first chance he really had to do so as it was a constant one-sided beating but never enough for a stoppage until that point.   4:38

    Cris Cyborg Justino (13-1) vs. Faith Van Duin (5-1) for the featherweight title

    First round: Cyborg clocked her off a clinch.  She’s lighting her up, took her down, was pounding her on the ground and it was stopped.  This was a slaughter. :45

  • WWE Smackdown July 9 TV results & recap: Seth Rollins vs. Ryback, Big Show vs. Roman Reigns

    By Steve Khan, WrestlingObserver.com

    – Air Date: July 9, 2015 (July 8 in Canada)

    – Location: Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI

    The Big News:

    Dean Ambrose had a difficult time with Bo Dallas, Roman Reigns got outsmarted again by Bray Wyatt, and Seth Rollins couldn’t beat Ryback.

    Show Recap:

    Seth Rollins, who else, came out to start the show without his security. Rollins called himself more of a man than anyone in the crowd, which is technically true of roughly half the crowd. Rollins said he called out Brock Lesnar to face him man-to-man but Lesnar is a coward who took out his frustrations on his new Cadillac CTS, while also snapping Jamie Noble’s arm and suplexing Joey Mercury through the windshield.

    Rollins said the $56,000 is pocket change to him, but the car was gift was for his family and Lesnar messed with his family. As Rollins went on about slaying the beast, a rollback tow truck backed in with the destroyed Cadillac and Tom Phillips fake-laughed.

    Paul Heyman came out and said Rollins would be alone at Battleground, insinuated that J&J won’t be there. Heyman said the damage to the car pales in comparison to what Lesnar would do to Rollins for violating the 11th commandment and Lesnar would drag him down to the pits of Suplex City.

    Rollins said he would be the one to leave Lesnar looking like the car, leaving Heyman all alone with no client. Rollins repeated all of his accomplishments and Heyman said Lesnar would be standing tall with the title.

    Before Heyman could finish yelling Brock Lesnar’s name, Rollins told him to shut up and announced that he would be leaving as champion. (It doesn’t matter, but if you listen closely, you can tell Seth had to redub a few words at the end of his promo.)

    They announced Rollins vs. Ryback and Roman Reigns vs. Big Show for tonight.

    Dean Ambrose beat Bo Dallas via pinfall

    Bo cut a dumb promo before the match, taking credit for The Rock’s success and saying Ambrose needed to shower. Bo tossed Ambrose shoulder first into the ring post four times and then into the barricade. Bo hit a suplex and applied a headlock, which went all the way through a commercial break.

    Ambrose fought out and popped up like a movie monster, stopping Bo in his tracks. That was funny. Ambrose hit a suicide dive, tossed Bo back in the ring and went to the top, but Bo ran up the middle rope and suplexed Ambrose, followed by a downward spiral for a two count. Ambrose came back with a bulldog and Dirty Deeds for the win. Bo got way too much offense and I have no idea why they did this match again.

    Backstage, Show asked Rollins if he was overwhelmed. Rollins said no, but would appreciate any help in taking down Lesnar. Show said this was Rollins’ mission and asked if he could handle Ryback tonight. Rollins said he would make an example of Ryback because brains always beats brawn. Show told Rollins he had the right attitude and would take out Reigns tonight.

    They recapped the Rusev-Ziggler segment from Raw. Phillips said Ziggler suffered a severely bruised trachea.

    Rusev (w/Summer Rae) beat Fandango via submission

    Rusev is now wearing boots, which the commentators acknowledged. Fandango tried flirting with Summer. And by flirting I mean thrusting in her direction. Fandango got some offense but Rusev won after a superkick and Accolade.

    Rusev wouldn’t break the hold after the match and Summer didn’t stop him. He eventually did stop and posed with Summer. Quick win but he took too many bumps considering his opponent. Rusev did appear to be moving around fine.

    Roman Reigns beat Big Show via DQ

    Show wore a sleeveless compression shirt under his singlet for some reason. The match essentially started with the finishing sequence. Reigns sized up Show for the superman punch and Bray Wyatt’s music hit. Someone started down the aisle but Reigns knew it wasn’t Wyatt.

    Wyatt appeared from behind and Reigns turned around and hit him with a superman punch. The lights came back on and Reigns hit Show with two superman punches and got ready for the spear, but Wyatt crotched him on the steel post for a DQ. Show immediately hit a chokeslam and Wyatt followed with a Sister Abigail. Wyatt posed and got decent heat.

    Both heels basically no-sold the superman punch and Reigns was again thwarted easily. Also, Jimmy Uso—who spoke about how well he knew Reigns during this match—just sat there and watched.

    Titus O’Neil (w/Darren Young) beat Big E (w/Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) via pinfall

    With both men down, Kingston and Woods jumped on the apron so the referee tossed them. O’Neil hit his sitout spinebuster for the win.

    Randy Orton came out for a promo. Orton said he’s been in WWE for 13 and has made plenty of enemies but nobody has gotten under his skin more than Sheamus. Oh, really? He asked the Milwaukee crowd if they thought Sheamus was entertaining and they booed. Orton said he would try to make Sheamus entertaining by ripping off his stupid mohawk and shoving it up his white arse.

    Orton was about to leave, but The Ascension came out, angry at him for taking away from their match time. They told Orton to leave but he didn’t. Orton gave Konnor an RKO and Viktor an elevated DDT. Orton finished off Viktor with an RKO and Phillips yelled “RKO outta nowhere!” even though he was standing right in front of the guy. This segment was fine.

    They recapped the Cena-Cesaro match from Raw.

    Alicia Fox & Brie Bella (w/Nikki Bella) beat Tamina & Naomi via pinfall

    Naomi and Tamina worked over Brie who eventually tagged in Fox for the quietest hot tag ever. Tamina blind tagged in but Nikki distracted the referee, Brie attacked Tamina from behind and Fox finished her with an ugly scissors kick. Tamina actually kicked out right after the three count, probably because Fox doesn’t know how to cover her opponent. This sucked.

    Backstage, Ryback told a male interviewer that Rollins is a pathetic, gutless child, and that champions don’t run and hide. He said Rollins couldn’t run tonight and Ryback would show him what it’s like to be a real champion. This was… pretty good.

    They announced Brock Lesnar would be on Raw this Monday.

    Non-Title: IC Champion Ryback beat WWE Champion Seth Rollins via countout

    Jerry Lawler reiterated that Rollins is the champion so the money lost on the car is no big deal to him. I’m glad they mentioned this again. Ryback did a delayed vertical suplex which Phillips said went close to a minute. It was actually 28 seconds. Uso said his nose bled the last time he took this move.

    After a break, Rollins knocked Ryback out of the ring with a superkick, hit a suicide dive and launched him into the barricade. Rollins tossed Ryback in the ring before mimicking Lesnar by leaping onto the apron.

    Ryback came back with a shoulder block, back body drop, running powerslam and spinebuster. Ryback countered a superkick into a powerbomb and followed with a meat hook clothesline. Rollins slipped out of a shellshock and hit an enziguri. Rollins grabbed his belt and began leaving but Ryback went after him.

    Rollins again slipped out of a shellshock and sprinted through the crowd. Ryback won via countout as Rollins posed on the stage with the WWE title.

    Big Show came out and went after Ryback with Rollins. They beat on him briefly until Reigns came out for the save. Reigns nailed Show with a spear and Ryback finally caught Rollins with a shellshock. Ryback’s music played as he and Reigns posed to end the show.

    Final Thoughts:

    This show sucked. No good wrestling and the two advertised main events ended in a DQ and countout. Also, Tom Phillips is awful.

  • Wednesday Night Wars: TNA, ROH viewership numbers

    By Dave Meltzer, WrestlingObserver.com

    Both TNA and ROH on Destination America were up significantly from last week, returning to their usual levels. The TNA combined audience was their best (by 2,000 viewers) since moving to Wednesday, while ROH did better for its show that aired after TNA than for the original airing.

    – 8 p.m. ROH 128,000 viewers

    – 9 p.m. TNA 353,000 viewers

    – 11 p.m. ROH 134,000 viewers

    – Midnight TNA 100,000 viewers

    Combined:

    TNA: 453,000 viewers
    ROH: 262,000 viewers 

  • WWE News: Main event for next NXT Takeover show announced

    It was announced Thursday at San Diego Comic Con that a Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens rematch for the NXT title will headline their 8/22 show in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center.

    The show will go head-to-head with the ROH show at MCU Stadium the night before SummerSlam.

  • UFC TUF 21 Finale Preview: 5 storylines to watch, betting odds & predictions

    By Ryan Frederick for WrestlingObserver.com

    The most-recent edition of The Ultimate Fighter wraps up this weekend with the finale live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, capping off International Fight Week. The 21st edition saw a change in format to a team-versus-team format with Florida bragging rights on the line as American Top Team and the Blackzilians squared off. We will see the finals close out this season on Sunday night as FOX Sports 1 airs the main card at 9 PM eastern time. Preliminary action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 PM eastern time before moving over to FOX Sports 1 at 7 PM eastern time.

    The main event of the card will be a five-round welterweight bout between long-time contender Jake Ellenberger and rising contender Stephen Thompson, who will be looking to notch the biggest win of his career. In the finals of TUF 21, it will be Hayder Hassan representing American Top Team against Kamaru Usman, representing the Blackzilians. Also on the card is the UFC debut of “The Karate Hottie”, Michelle Waterson. Let’s dive deeper into the fight card and look at five storylines to watch for at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale.

    1. Can Stephen Thompson score the biggest win of his career?

    The headline bout for The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale will be a welterweight contest between perennial top-ten ranked 170-pounder Jake Ellenberger and rising contender Stephen Thompson, who will be looking to break into the rankings with a big win in the main event. Thompson is the winner of four straight bouts, and he has won ten of eleven fights in his career. His only career loss came to another perennial top-ten ranked welterweight in Matt Brown back at UFC 145 in April 2012. Thompson has been limited to just four fights in the three-plus years since then, but he has been impressive in those four wins.

    Ellenberger rebounded from a tough stretch of three straight losses with a second-round submission win over Josh Koscheck at UFC 184 in February. Ellenberger was close to title contention before a July 2013 loss to Rory MacDonald, and back-to-back stoppage losses to Robbie Lawler and Kelvin Gastelum put him in a position to possibly be fighting for his Octagon future. Ellenberger has to beat Thompson if he has any hopes of getting back into that title picture.

    Thompson is a gifted striker on his feet with excellent kickboxing skills. He has solid power and showing a good skillset in his win over Patrick Cote at UFC 178 in September, his highest-profile victory to date. He trains alongside Chris Weidman, so he will be at the top of his game. Ellenberger has strong hands and power, and he showed good submission skills to go with his stout wrestling. He is a tough match-up for Thompson and this has the potential to be a fireworks-filled fight, and is a solid five-round headliner. I like Thompson to take the victory in this fight.

    2. Which team wins the finals of The Ultimate Fighter? 

    This 21st season of The Ultimate Fighter brought a new concept in that as opposed to coaches squaring off and up-and-coming fighters competing for a six-figure contract, it was a team against team battle as the Blackzilians and American Top Team squared off for bragging rights. It offered TUF something new and fresh, and there was a different quality to the show with the new format. It may have not garnered the highest ratings to date for the show, but it was something new-and-different that had some decent execution. Many of the fights may have left much to be desired, but it all comes to a head on Sunday night in the Octagon.

    The finals will be contested between Kamaru Usman, representing the Blackzilians, and Hayder Hassan, representing American Top Team. Usman fought twice on the show, scoring two decision wins. Hassan fought three times, scoring one knockout win and two decision wins, and he got the win in the final episode to get ATT the $200,000 top prize as they had the most points. These two will be battling for a $300,000 prize, a Harley Davidson motorcycle and the TUF trophy. I like Usman in this fight as he has solid wrestling and good conditioning, and Hassan is someone who can take a beating but wears down easily.

    3. Speaking of Blackzilians vs. American Top Team, who wins between Jorge Masvidal and Cezar Ferreira?

    Jorge Masvidal represents American Top Team and Cezar Ferreira represents the Blackzilians, and they will give a little prelude to the ultimate team battle beforehand when they square off. This is an interesting match-up as Masvidal is moving up from the lightweight division and Ferreira is moving down from the middleweight division as they meet at 170 pounds. It is an interesting move for both as Masvidal was wearing himself down in trying to make 155 pounds, even coming close to missing weight in his last fight. Ferreira was huge at 185 pounds, and it will be interesting to see if he can even make weight on Saturday for Sunday’s bout.

    Masvidal is coming off a closely contested split decision loss to Al Iaquinta in April that is more remembered now for Iaquinta’s post-fight tirade. Masvidal was unhappy about the loss, and it ended his three-fight win streak and his quest for title contention. Ferreira won the first TUF: Brazil, but has gone just 3-2 in his five fights since then, including losing two of his last three by first-round knockouts. Perhaps the change in divisions will benefit both men, but Masvidal should have the speed edge being the lighter fighter. Ferreira will have the power edge. I like Masvidal in this bout.

    4. Can Michelle Waterson establish herself as a contender at 115 pounds?

    “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson is making her UFC debut on the main card as the former Invicta Atomweight Champion transitions over to the UFC and moves up to 115 pounds in the process. She won the Invicta Atomweight Championship when she defeated Jessica Penne, the most recent challenger for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship, at Invicta FC 5 in April 2013, and she made one successful title defense before losing the title in December to Herica Tiburcio. That ended Waterson’s six-fight win streak and opened the door for her to move over to compete in the Octagon.

    She gets a fight designed to build her up as she takes on Angela Magana. Magana has lost three straight fights and many thought she wouldn’t get another UFC fight after her loss to Tecia Torres in December, especially considering her brash Twitter personality. She seemingly was kept around to give Waterson a showcase win. Waterson might be a little undersized to compete at 115 pounds, but she should be able to make that up with her excellent skills. She trains at one of the best gyms in the world, the Greg Jackson team, and she is well-rounded and has scored ten of her twelve wins by stoppage. She should take care of Magana impressively.

    5. What is there to keep an eye on in the preliminary card?

    This is a short slate of preliminary action as the main card has six fights but the prelims feature just five fights. Darrell Montague and Willie Gates meet in a flyweight bout where both men could be fighting for their spot on the UFC roster. Montague has lost two straight and Gates is coming off a loss in his UFC debut. Maximo Blanco and Mike De La Torre meet in a featherweight bout as both look to keep win streaks alive. Trevor Smith looks to end a losing skid when he takes on Dan Miller, who returns to the Octagon after being out of action since March 2013. George Sullivan takes on the debuting Dominic Waters, who comes in on short notice for his UFC debut.

    The highest-profile preliminary bout is a middleweight bout between Caio Magalhaes and Josh Samman. It is really surprising that this fight didn’t get put on the main card as both men are on win streaks heading into this fight. Magalhaes has won four straight fights, three of them by stoppage. Samman has won three straight, all by stoppage, and is coming in off an incredible head kick knockout of Eddie Gordon at UFC 181 in December that nabbed him a post-fight bonus. These two were scheduled to meet once before, and now they finally will and one man’s win streak will come to an end.

    Full The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale Fight Card, Betting Odds and Predictions

    MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 9 PM ET/6 PM PT)

    Welterweights: Jake Ellenberger vs. Stephen Thompson
    Betting Odds: Ellenberger (+180), Thompson (-220)
    Prediction: Thompson by knockout in round 3

    Welterweights: Hayder Hassan vs. Kamaru Usman
    Betting Odds: Hassan (+145), Usman (-185)
    Prediction: Usman by decision

    Welterweights: Michael Graves vs. Vicente Luque
    Betting Odds: Graves (-105), Luque (-135)
    Prediction: Graves by decision

    Welterweights: Jorge Masvidal vs. Cezar Ferreira
    Betting Odds: Masvidal (-260), Ferreira (+220)
    Prediction: Masvidal by decision

    Women’s Strawweights: Michelle Waterson vs. Angela Magana
    Betting Odds: Waterson (-600), Magana (+450)
    Prediction: Waterson by submission in round 2

    Bantamweights: Russell Doane vs. Jerrod Sanders
    Betting Odds: Doane (-380), Sanders (+315)
    Prediction: Doane by knockout in round 1

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT)

    Flyweights: Darrell Montague vs. Willie Gates
    Betting Odds: Montague (-130), Gates (+110)
    Prediction: Montague by decision

    Featherweights: Maximo Blanco vs. Mike De La Torre
    Betting Odds: Blanco (-145), De La Torre (+125)
    Prediction: Blanco by knockout in round 2

    Middleweights: Caio Magalhaes vs. Josh Samman
    Betting Odds: Magalhaes (-145), Samman (+125)
    Prediction: Samman by knockout in round 2

    Middleweights: Trevor Smith vs. Dan Miller
    Betting Odds: Smith (+110), Miller (-130)
    Prediction: Miller by submission in round 3

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT)

    Welterweights: George Sullivan vs. Dominic Waters
    Betting Odds: Sullivan (-175), Waters (+155)
    Prediction: Sullivan by decision

  • ROH News: Austin Aries replaces Roderick Strong at Vegas Wild Card event

    By Josh Nason, WrestlingObserver.com

    On Thursday, Ring Of Honor announced that former ROH Champion Austin Aries’ return to the promotion will be on Friday, July 17th as part of a six-man Vegas Wild Card main event. He replaces Roderick Strong who had to pull out due to a prior scheduling commitment.

    Aries will team with ROH Champion/TV Champion Jay Lethal and Moose to face former ROH Champion Jay Briscoe, Dalton Castle, and Kyle O’Relly. The show will be at Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall in Las Vegas.

    The rest of the card:

    – Roppongi Vice (Ricky Romero & Berretta) vs. Young Bucks

    – ROH TV Title #1 contender’s tourney opening round (winners to compete in three-way later in the night for #1 contendership):
      – Chris Daniels vs. Mark Briscoe
      – Matt Taven vs. Bobby Fish
      – Frankie Kazarian vs. ACH

    – Adam Cole, Michael Bennett, Silas Young, Maria, and War Machine will also be in action. 

    If you missed our recap on this week’s ROH TV show on Destination America, here you go. 

  • UFC ‘Ultimate Fighter’ season finale recap: one fight decides the season with a surprise twist

    By Steve Juon, Wrestling Observer

    Quick summary — 

    It’s all tied up 300-300 after Michael Graves from American Top Team came back last week to tap Jason Jackson out. The final fight tonight will determine who wins the entire season. We’re going right to the weigh in just five minutes into the show! Vicente Luque is 170.25. Hayder Hassan is 171.

    * Hayder Hassan (ATT) vs. Vicente Luque (Blackzilians)

    Round 1

    This fight is underway at 16 minutes into the show. Hassan is in the blue trunks and Luque the black. Hassan lands a good overhand right a half minute in and a left jab to the face 10 seconds later. Luque hits a strong right hook at 50 seconds. So far both men just want to stand and bang. Hassan ducks a big overhand. Luque keeps pushing forward. He’s landing a lot but taking a lot too. Big swing and a miss from Hassan. Luque with a really nice hook at 1:55. Leg kick by Luque. Luque’s nose is bleeding.

    He’s covering up to avoid more shots to the face but some are getting through. Body kicks by Luque. Luque gets a takedown at 3:14. Hassan is back up at 3:27. Luque picks the ankle and gets him down to one knee but he gets right up. Luque’s corner is screaming STAY HEAVY. Hassan punches his way out. Big right hand by Hassan. Hassan stumbles avoiding a shot but Luque doesn’t pounce. Very competitive first round. Hassan’s corner tells him to “double the jab.” Luque’s corner yells “five more minutes!”

    Round 2

    Hassan nearly falls down when he tries to rebound off the fence. The Blackzilians think he’s gasses. Luque misses with a knee. Hassan is still jabbing and striking and a lot of the lefts are flush. Luque looks like he’s slowing down too – he’s not avoiding as much as he did in R1. He’s also not pressing forward as effectively.

    Hassan complains that one of Luque’s kicks went low and they tap gloves. Very flush left hand by Hassan at 2:54. Power right follows. Luque throws kicks to back him away. Hassan returns them in kind. Hassan is now wearing the fight on his face as much as Luque. Luque tries to push forward for the final minute. Based on when the show started this is clearly going to a third round. Luque fails to get a takedown late and the horn makes them break.

    Round 3

    Our third round starts 35 minutes in. Hassan is throwing leg kicks and jabs. Luque goes for a takedown but Hassan rolls away from it back to his feet. He gets away clean at 54 seconds. The left side of Hassan’s face (camera right) is very swollen. Luque throws a high kick that’s checked. Hassan keeps popping Luque. A big right hook backs him up. And another. He throws a kick. They throw clashing leg kicks. Hassan eats a knee but avoids another. Hassan eats a left jab. Luque tries a flying knee and misses. Hassan is winging shots. Luque goes for the takedown at 3:20 but doesn’t get Hassan down clean until 3:28. He can’t keep him down as Hassan stands at 3:40 and immediately starts popping him again. Both of these guys seems to be carrying the whole season on their shoulders in the last minute. Hassan unloads with combos but Luque doesn’t fall. He goes for one last single leg and can’t get it before the horn. ATT puts Hassan on their shoulders for a victory lap, but we’ll wait and see after commercial.

    Split decision. 29-28 blue corner. 29-28 red corner. 29-28 for the winner HAYDER HASSAN. ATT WINS THE SEASON!!

    Dana White: “Holy shit. Now that’s a fight! That’s the fight we’ve been waiting for the whole season! Glenn has to be wondering how he let this happen. It couldn’t have gone any better. ATT pulls it out at the last minute. But it’s not over.” Now they have to pick their fighters for the TUF finale – where the winner gets a trophy and $300,000 – and only somebody who fought twice can qualify. Sabah Homasi: “Told you we were coming back! You didn’t believe me!” Hassan: “There was no way I was going to lose. I was ready to die tonight. This is something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”

    Rashad Evans gives the Blackzilians a pep talk. “You have to be able to see the win even in a loss.” Robinson says they’ll get the TUF Finale fight worth $300,000 and “the last word.” Lambert: “I’ll put Hayder up against Godzilla right now.” Kamaru Usman seems to be the favorite. Lambert donates their ENTIRE $200,000 to the Wounded Warriors foundation at the behest of his team. White is blown away. Glenn picks Usman and Lambert picks Hassan as expected. That fight’s Sunday night! Enjoy the TUF 21 Finale!

  • UFC: heavyweight Travis Browne removed from Fight Week activities due to domestic violence investigation

    The UFC announced Thursday that heavyweight Travis Browne had been pulled from all activities with the promotion this weekend after his ex-girlfriend posted photos last night on Instagram alleging domestic abuse.

    At the press conference for UFC 189, UFC VP of Public Relations Dave Sholler read a statement that said Browne had been pulled from all International Fight Week activities while an investigation by the company is ongonig.

    “UFC is aware of the social media allegations made against Travis Browne.  The organization requires all athletes to act in an ethical and responsible manner, as mandated by the UFC fighter code of conduct policy.  The UFC will not tolerate domestic violence or any other violation of the policy.  However, every athlete is deserving of due process, and this situation, as with any official allegations, will be thoroughly reviewed and thoroughly investigated by an independent party.  As a results, Travis Brown will not be particiapting in International Fight Week activities.”

    Jenna Renee Webb posted photos last night on Instagram showing bruises on her arms, face and legs.  She did not specify who did it to her, but later, when someone asked her a question to clarify, she said, “Yes, it was Travis.”