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  • Daily Update: Cena’s 4th of July, Hardy vs. Hardy, ROH new matches

    In celebration of yesterday’s Fourth of July holiday, John Cena posted a video on his Twitter account celebrating the diversity of America in conjunction with advocacy group Love Has No Labels. The full version of the PSA was later uploaded online.

    Cena also brought a pediatric cancer survivor into the ring to celebrate overcoming the disease after Raw went off the air last night.

    The Raw rating will be in later than normal due to the holiday weekend, but given the poor reception to the food fight and the lackluster booking, it is expected that it will be the lowest rated Raw program of all time. 

    Smackdown is tonight in Toledo. No John Cena or Seth Rollins advertised. Dean Ambrose, A.J. Styles and Kevin Owens are the top names advertised.

    THE ROUNDUP

    ​The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas takes place during UFC’s International Fight Week from July 7 – 11. Stay up to date on all the latest wackiness by following Ed in San Antonio on Facebook. Plus, follow us on @WONF4W or @BryanAlvarez. We will be live tweeting from all the events. Use #F4WVegas to get in on the fun. 

    ​If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

    Figure Four Weekly

    READ IT HERE: Figure Four Weekly 6/27/2016: WWE concussion lawsuit update, more – The latest information in WWE’s concussion lawsuit. 

    Subscribers click here to continue reading.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    READ IT HERE: July 4, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: NJPW G1 tournament preview, Ali vs. Inoki anniversary, more – A preview of NJPW’s G1 tournament, notes on the anniversary of Ali vs. Inoki, plus tons more.

    It’s a double issue week featuring a look back 40 years at what was the biggest undertaking up to that point in pro wrestling history, and Inoki vs. Ali match, how it came together, what happened that night, coverage of the upcoming G-1 Climax tournament, coverage of Ultima Lucha 3 and details on where the company stands, full coverage of the WWE cruiserweight classic, ROH Best in the World coverage as well as a look at those coming and going from the promotion, the death of Ryan Jimmo, the life and times of Gypsy Joe, and far more about the fallout of the Roman Reigns suspension.

    The lead story details this years G-1 tournament including what will air in English, newcomers to the tournament, some interesting political news regarding who is and isn’t in it, as well as a complete lineup for every show.

    This issue looks at the background of Ali vs. Inoki, the first time boxer vs. wrestler with major stars came close to happening, boxing champions who did wrestling and wrestlers who faced boxers including involving one of the all-time greats, Thesz vs. Marciano talk, and the two best known mixed matches prior to Ali vs. Inoki in the U.S.

    There is also a look at Japanese pro wrestling in the 70s and how that led to the match, the business of Billy Robinson involving Inoki vs. Baba, how Inoki was being marketed, and the attempts to put together Ali vs. Bruno Sammartino and how that led to this.

    The goals of Ali vs. Inoki for the New Japan side, the pro wrestling angles, just how big the match was why the match wasn’t a work, where Ali’s career stood at the time, media coverage, how the terrible rules were the reason the fight, Sammartino’s broken neck and return, Stan Hansen becoming a superstar in Japan, and why Ali vs. Inoki was not a success in much of the U.S, and much more in this issue of the Wrestling Observer. 

    Subscribers click here to continue reading.

    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 print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

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    Wrestling Observer Newsletter BACK ISSUE

    READ IT HERE: May 31, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Death of Owen Hart – The life and death of Owen Hart, details on WWF Over the Edge, plus tons of news.

    TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

    To promote Tuesday night’s Hardy vs. Hardy: The Final Deletion spectacle, TNA has uploaded video of several people in the wrestling and film industries reacting to the match.

    Ring of Honor announced IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Michael Elgin and Hiroshi Tanahashi for their August 19th Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view and August 20th TV taping in Las Vegas.

    Ring of Honor World Champion Jay Lethal will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Wednesday night’s Tampa Bay Rays game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

    Cody Rhodes will now face Zack Sabre Jr. in his first match since leaving the WWE on August 19th at Evolve 66 in Joppa, MD after Johnny Gargano was removed from the show because of another commitment. Also announced was Rhodes vs. Chris Hero at Evolve 67 in Brooklyn, NY the next night.

    Will Ospreay will face Mark Haskins in a number one contender’s match for the PROGRESS championship at the promotion’s July 31st show at the Electric Ballroom in London.

    WWE and Professional Wrestling

    UFC and other Mixed Martial Arts

    • Conor McGregor’s interview for ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue was one of the lead stories on ESPN’s website Tuesday. McGregor talks about dreaming of becoming a fighter, his fighting style and how he would have fared if he had chosen boxing as a career.
    • After an injury to Linton Vassell, Francis Carmont will now face Lukasz Klinger on the main card of Bellator 158 on July 16th at the O2 Arena in London. Bellator also announced that James Mulheron will face London native Neil Grove on the show’s prelims.
    • World Series of Fighting announced that they have signed bantamweight Jesse Brock to a multi-fight agreement.
    • Forrest Griffin and Dan Hardy will hold a party for UFC Fight Pass subscribers at The Pool at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa on July 6th at 6:30 p.m. PT.

    Miscellaneous (results, podcasts, amateur wrestling, plugs)

    • Cody Rhodes will be the first guest on Ric Flair’s new podcast this Wednesday. The show will be available on http://www.MLWRadio.com, iTunes, Stitcher and at RicFlairShow.com.
    • Prior to his appearance at this weekend’s Heroes & Villains fan fest, Rhodes did his first interview since leaving WWE with the Walker Nation podcast. Rhodes talks about preferring the developmental model of OVW to NXT, falling briefly out of love with wrestling after losing to the Big Show at WrestleMania 28, never winning the Money in the Bank briefcase despite being told twice that he was going to and working with WWE to write a book about his father.
    • Adam Cole was on the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show this week talking about joining the Bullet Club, being on Cody Rhodes’ list of desired opponents and the Will Ospreay vs. Vader controversy.
    • Former NWA World Champion Ronnie Garvin was interviewed by Great North Wrestling’s The Hannibal TV and detailed a real fight he once had with “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

    RESULTS

    • GOUGE Wrestling on July 4th in Raleigh, NC: Timmy Lou Retton b Zane Riley in a wave the flag match to retain the GOUGE Title, Roni Nicol b Maddi Max, Waylon Maze & Juan Jeremi b Mickey Gambino & Jimmy Jack Funk Jr. to win the GOUGE Tag Team Titles, Seymour Snott b Chet Snerling, Noise Pollution b Otto Schwanz & El Dinero Blanco, Livid the Clown b Mamma’s Boy, No Direction b Johnny Flawless & Victor Andrews, Old School b Ryker Flamingo

    SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR

    • July 7-11 The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas, EdinSanAntonio has information up on Facebook, or email him F4Wfan@hotmail.com. Keep up with all the action on Twitter by following @WONF4W, @BryanAlvarez, @DaveMeltzerWON, @FO_VVerhei, @EdinSanAntonio, @PaulAceFontaine, @FilthyTomLawlor or @PeachMachine. Use #F4WVegas or search for us on our group FaceBook page. You can also follow Granny‘s adventures on FaceBook. 
    • July 7 – Rock Solid Wrestling runs in Sudbury, ON.
    • July 7 – UFC Fight Night Las Vegas at MGM Grand. Rafael Dos Anjos vs Eddie Alvarez for the UFC lightweight title
    • July 8 – The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Claudia Gadelha for the UFC strawweight title
    • July 9 – UFC 200 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight title; Brock Lesnar vs Mark Hunt; Miesha Tate vs Amanda Nunes for the UFC women’s bantamweight title; Jose Aldo vs Frankie Edgar for the interim UFC featherweight title
    • July 9 – Pure Wrestling Association “Summer Assault” 11 Year Anniversary – Alpine Club, 464 Maple Avenue, Kitchener, Ontario
    • July 9 – All Pro Wrestling + Fit of Mind present: #MalaceInThePalace from the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, CA.
    • July 9 – Upstate Pro Wrestling in Rochester, NY, features Ethan Page, HC Loc, a triple threat match main event, and more.
    • July 9 – Acclaim Pro Wrestling presents: Star-Mageddon 6!
    • July 9 – Smash Wrestling in Fort Erie, ONT at the Native Friendship Center. Chris Hero will headline this fundraising event.
    • July 13 – UFC Fight Night in Sioux Falls, SD. Michael McDonald vs John Lineker
    • July 16 – In Your Face Wrestling Presents: “Malicious Intent” – Polish Community Center, 225 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, NYwww.iyfwrestling.com
    • July 16 – Bellator 158 : London featuring Paul Daley vs Douglas Lima, Michael Venom Page, Linton Vassell and Matt Mitrione
    • July 17 – Lucha by the Water ft Blue Demon Jr! – Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 231 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2G8, 3-6 pm. Tickets here.
    • July 17 – Premier Wrestling at the IFDES Lodge and Portuguese Hall in Gilroy, CA with Joe Graves vs. Gabriel Gallo for the Premier. Tickets at www.premierwrestle.com.
    • July 22 – Ignite Wrestling in Fort Pierce, FL at the National Guard Armory on a show with Lince Dorado, Mr. 450 Hammet, Lio Rush, Martin Stone, Los Ben Dejos, and more
    • July 22 – AIW runs on 7/22 in Cleveland, OH, with Ethan Page vs. Josh Prohibition vs. Josh Alexander, and Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae vs. Ethan Carter III & Karlee Perez
    • July 22 – The Lou Thesz Hall of Fame weekend show in Waterloo, IA, featuring Ricochet vs. Sami Callihan, Wes Brisco, B. Brian Blair, Jessika Havok, Tessa Blanchard, a steel cage match and more – This is the weekend Dave Meltzer will be honored.
    • July 22 – Bellator 159 from Mulvane, KS. Darrion Caldwell vs Joe Taimanglo. Melvin Guillard vs David “Caveman” Rickells
    • July 23 – Live Pro Wrestling, Glengarry Sports Palace, 170 McDonald Blvd. Alexandria, Ontario
    • July 23 – UFC on FOX from Chicago – Holly Holm vs Valentina Shevchenko.          
    • July 23 – Chikara Pro announced a doubleheader event at Toronto’s Franklin Horner Community Center.
    • July 23 – AAW  in Merrionnette Park, IL, with Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr., Zack Sabre Jr., Marty Scurll; Tommaso Ciampa; Fenix; Johnny Gargano, and plenty more. Here’s what you missed on their last show.  
    • July 23 – Masters of Ring Entertainment in Wilmington, NC, as part of Pro Wrestling Fan Expo 3 will feature Jeff Jarrett vs. ECIII vs. James Storm, announced by Jarrett in this video.
    • Merritton Community Centre 7 Park Ave St. Catharines, ON
    • July 24 – Crossfire Wrestling – Merritton Community Centre, 7 Park Avenue St. Catharines ON, for our 5 year Anniversary show “BRING THE HEAT V”
    • July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY
    • July 30 – WSOF 32: Moraes vs. Hill 2 – Live on NBCSN from Everett, Washington. Also featuring Ben “Phoenix Jones” Fodor vs Caros Fodor in a brother vs brother fight
    • July 30 – Smash Wrestling – Oshawa Music Hall, 39 King St E, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 1B2
    • July 31 – BATTLEWAR 36; Les Foufounes Électriques, 87 Sainte-Catherine Street East
    • Montreal, QC
    • Aug 21 – Chavo Guerrero Jr. will appear for Smash Wrestling on in Pickering, Ontario at Super Showdown lV.

    TODAY IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING HISTORY: Great American Bash 1986; Gordy/Williams win WCW World Tag Team Titles; Val Venis wins WWF IC Title

  • Daily Pro Wrestling History (07/05): Great American Bash 1986; Gordy/Williams win WCW World Tag Team Titles; Val Venis wins WWF IC Title

    1915

    Omaha, Nebraska:
    – Joe Stecher defeated Charlie Cutler for the World Heavyweight Title 

    1940

    Des Moines, Iowa:
    – World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown beat Karol Zbyszko

    1956

    Houston, Texas:
    – Kay Bell defeated Buddy Rogers to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title 

    1962

    – Buddy Rogers and Johnny Barend defeated Johnny Valentine and Bob Ellis for the Northeast version of the NWA United States Tag Team Titles

    Greensboro, North Carolina:
    – Hans Schmidt defeated Pat O’Connor to win the NWA United States Heavyweight Title

    1968

    Atlanta, Georgia:
    – Ramon and Alberto Torres defeated El Mongol and Tarzan Tyler in a one-night tournament final to become the first NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions

    1969

    Chicago, Illinois:
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher no contest Chain Gang Frank Dillinger & Jack Dillinger
    – Bill Watts beat Larry Hennig 
    – Wilbur Snyder beat Angelo Poffo

    Chattanooga, Tennessee:
    – Johnny Walker and Bearcat Brown defeated The Great Mephisto and Dante to become NWA World Tag Team Champions (Mid-America version) 

    1971

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:
    – Steven Little Bear and Dean Higuchi defeated The Skull Brothers to win the Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Titles

    Davenport, Iowa:
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Red Bastien & Hercules Cortez beat Larry Hennig & Lars Anderson
    – Bull Bullinski beat Joe Turco 
    – Billy Robinson beat Big K

    1972

    Miami, Florida:
    – Hiro Matsuda and Tim Woods defeated The Zodiac (Bob Orton) and Taurus (Dennis Hall) for the NWA Florida Tag Team Titles

    1973

    Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:
    – The Crusher & Wahoo McDaniel beat AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens for the belts (decision later overturned) 
    – Superstar Billy Graham beat Billy Robinson by disqualification
    – Larry Heiniemi beat Ken Patera

    1974

    Atlanta, Georgia:
    – Buddy Colt defeated Mr. Wrestling II to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title 

    1975

    Detroit, Michigan:
    – The Sheik defeated Bobo Brazil for the Detroit version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Title

    1982

    Fort Worth, Texas:
    – Kevin and Kerry Von Erich defeated King Kong Bundy and Bugsy McGraw to win the World Class American Tag Team Titles 

    Memphis, Tennessee: 
    – Stan Lane and Ron Bass defeated The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey and Norvell Austin) for the AWA Southern Tag Team Titles

    1985

    Dallas, Texas:
    – Iceman Parsons defeated Chris Adams for the World Class American Heavyweight Title 

    Montgomery, Alabama:
    – Scott Armstrong defeated Bill Ash to win the Southeast version of the NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Title

    San Antonio, Texas:
    – Al Madril and Chavo Guerrero defeated American Force (Paul Diamond and Nick Kiniski) for the Texas All-Star Wrestling Texas Tag
    Team Titles

    1986

    Great American Bash: Charlotte, North Carolina:
    – NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Denny Brown and Steve Regal fought to a time-limit draw
    – Robert Gibson pinned NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Black Bart
    – The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Ole and NWA World Television Champion Arn Anderson) defeated Sam Houston and Nelson Royal
    – Manny Fernandez pinned Baron Von Raschke in a Bunkhouse match
    – Wahoo McDaniel pinned Jimmy Garvin in an Indian Strap match
    – Ronnie Garvin defeated NWA National Heavyweight Champion Tully Blanchard by knockout in the fifth round of a Taped Fist match
    – NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) defeated Ivan and Nikita Koloff in a Russian Chain match
    – Jimmy Valiant pinned Shaska Whatley in a Hair vs. Hair match
    – NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A. and Baby Doll beat NWA World Tag Team Champions The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey) and Jim Cornette in a Steel Cage match
    – Ric Flair pinned Ricky Morton in a Steel Cage match to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Title

    1992

    Atlanta, Georgia:
    – Bobby Eaton pinned Larry Zbyzsko
    – Johnny B. Badd and Jushin Liger fought to a draw
    – Dustin Rhodes pinned Greg Valentine
    – Ron Simmons pinned The Super Invader
    – Barry Windham pinned WCW World Television Champion Steve Austin
    – Sting defeated Arn Anderson
    – Brad Armstrong pinned Scotty Flamingo (Raven) to win the WCW Light Heavyweight Title
    – Nikita Koloff and WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Rick Rude fought to a double disqualification
    – Terry Gordy and Steve Williams defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) to win the WCW World Tag Team Titles

    Naucalpan, Mexico:
    – Canek defeated Dos Caras for the UWA World Heavyweight Title 

    1993

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Jerry Lawler defeated Owen Hart to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Title 
    – CW Bergstrom & Melvin Penrod Jr. defeated USWA Tag Team Champions New Jack & Home Boy to win the titles

    1994

    Warrensville, North Carolina:
    – Chris Candido defeated Scott Studd to win the vacant SMW Television Title 

    1996

    Mexico City, Mexico:
    – Mexico National Middleweight Champion El Hijo del Santo defeated The Great Sasuke to win CMLL’s annual Gran Prix Tournament 

    1998

    Naucalpan, Mexico:
    – Magnum Tokyo defeated El Hijo del Gladiador to win the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Title

    2000

    Fort Lauderdale, Florida:
    – Val Venis defeated Rikishi to win the WWF Intercontinental Title

  • WWE RAW Hits & Misses: Food fighting, phoned-in writing, and a Boss defined

    The hits were thin on the ground on Monday night’s holiday edition of RAW, to say the least. Read on as I search for the positives in the carcass of a dead-as-a-doornail, completely phoned-in edition of the WWE’s flagship show.

    — The Hits —

    Food fight!

    Beginning a holiday edition of RAW with a comedy segment like this is tantamount to telling your audience not to bother, but I’m only mildly ashamed to admit that I loved it. While I understand that Bo Dallas inadvertently pouring punch over himself is change-the-channel heat for many, I firmly believe that wacky bits like this help to add color to the WWE’s cast of characters and get them over.

    Remember, it was a holiday edition of SmackDown on which John Cena began his transformation from a ruthlessly aggressive bore to the Vanilla Ice wannabe that ultimately broke the glass ceiling.

    Little touches like Cesaro dispassionately arm-wrestling Apollo Crews through the chaos, or Kevin Owens eating chips under the table to avoid the melee, make me laugh and more inclined to watch those involved again in the future. Even Fandango sensually spraying whipped cream on himself raised a chuckle as did the ultra-wacky first-person pie-facing that Owens sustained at the segment’s conclusion. This would never happen on Canada Day, indeed.

    Xavier’s apprehension about a trip to the woods

    I enjoyed the contrast between Big E and Kofi Kingston’s naivete and Xavier Woods’ apprehension in the face of the Wyatt’s invitation. Woods, who has looked far more uncertain than his wisecracking buddies in recent weeks, did a great job of angrily warning against the dangers of complacency ahead of their impending trip to the Wyatt compound.

    One can only assume that the WWE are looking to outdo the viral buzz garnered by the Hardy’s recent exploits in TNA with this New Day excursion. Let’s hope it doesn’t turn out as poorly as things usually do when this company tries to piggyback on a trend.

    — The Misses —

    Team USA vs. The Multi-National Alliance

    Look, there were positives to this 16-man omnishambles, namely the Pop-Up Powerbomb delivered by Owens to Mark Henry, and the heartstring-tugging Real Americans callback. Those aside, I find it difficult to care about a match that involves a large part of one’s roster getting pinned in short order with recent US champion Kalisto getting squashed by Henry like a bug being a particular lowlight.

    Not that I was very keen on the lesser-spotted, retirement-verging Big Show quickly pinning Chris Jericho and Alberto Del Rio, especially given the fact that his mobility appeared even more limited than the last time we saw Mr. Wight. Cesaro and Sheamus were also both sacrificed at the altar of giving Zack Ryder his biannual moment in the sun with the former’s elimination generating strong boos from a bemused crowd.

    Protecting Owens by having him disqualify himself for using a chair on Sami Zayn was fine, but it was hilarious to see Kane be given the same treatment. God forbid Kane is pinned.

    Cena/Club rehash

    Once again, AJ Styles and John Cena had impeccable delivery, but the material they had to work with again left much to be desired. An unnecessarily long talkfest saw both men rehash prior arguments, including Styles breaking out the “shovel” references again.

    Credit goes to Cena for trying manfully to rouse a crowd that had sat through an appalling first two hours of RAW. “You’re not as fired up as you normally are!” complained the weary 15-time champ. And hey, at least Karl Anderson got to brag about his “hot Asian wife” again.

    On a positive note, the Enzo & Cass rescue of Cena, paired with the later announcement of a 6-man tag for Battleground is good news. The prospect of another Cena vs. Styles singles match so soon after the first was not an enticing one if you recall how much the quick turnaround hurt Owens last year after his debut victory over the unseeable one.

    Throwaway matches befitting of a throwaway show

    Main event aside, this show featured six matches, four of which – including the Rusev U.S. title defense against Titus O’Neil – were total squashes. The other two, featuring the remaining unsuspended participants in the Battleground triple threat, were unnecessarily long 10 minute-plus affairs given their totally predictable outcomes.

    Both Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose surprised no one by emerging victorious from competitive back-and-forth matches against Dolph Ziggler and The Miz respectively. Ambrose then predictably equalized Rollins’ beatdown from last week by giving him a Dirty Deeds on the Spanish announce table. Boring.

    Vickie Guerrero’s appearance goes nowhere

    In a further sign that the writing staff were phoning it in, Vickie Guerrero’s appearance on Monday’s show was easily the weakest of the recent ex-SmackDown general manager cameos.

    She basically said her “Excuse Me!” catchphrase several times and screeched for a bit about running SmackDown before being carted off by security. Even Ziggler’s St. Peter-esque denial of his former squeeze couldn’t save this. Although I did enjoy that Dolph’s phone conversation featured an admission of another defeat: “I tried very hard…I was close!”

    The definition of a Boss

    While Charlotte’s whiny heel delivery was again effective, I was not a fan of the confrontation the Women’s champion had with Sasha Banks. Banks’ scripted promo, in which she rapped on the definition of a Boss was the definition of cringe for me, only matched by the awful Dana Brooke’s inability to get removed from the ring competently.

    Banks’ air kick to a prone Brooke whiffed just as much as the material the writing staff stuck her with. Keep this up and they won’t be able to manufacture those “We Want Sasha” chants for much longer.

  • Off-air notes from WWE Raw plus Superstars spoilers

    Submitted by Jeff Caldwell and Chris Featherstone from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

    – Shining Stars d. Breezango

    The Stars cut a heel promo on the city before the match, and won with a dropkick/leg sweep combination on Fandango.

    – Usos d. The Ascension 

    Usos come out to a chorus of boos. Crowd becomes split after their chant, and even more in favor of them when the Ascension comes out. “Let’s go Usos!” chant during the match. Usos win after the top rope splash from Jimmy to Konnor.

    **********

    Crowd was moderately into the show with the biggest pops (in descending order) going to New Day, Enzo/Cass and John Cena.

    It may just be me but I didn’t remember there being so many commercials on the TitanTron during the show. Basically any time a commercial break was made and wasn’t during a match, there was a commercial break on the TitanTron. It seemed a lot more than usual, but it never killed the crowd.

    The only thing that may be of note that may or may not have made the show was during the 16-man tag. What I think happened was during a commercial break, the guys really were just supposed to entirely stop what they were doing and essentially stand around doing nothing after some integral spots were blown. I can’t remember ever seeing a match look more like it went to commercial than this one. Half the guys standing outside the ring looked dazed while the other half stood in the ring looking dazed. It was like one of those typical spots where you expect a dive to take place but it never did.  

    Enzo and Cass & John Cena vs. The Club

    Dark match after the show wasn’t promoted, so I think it caught much of the crowd off guard and many left during it. It was a good match although a bit sloppy, and the crowd was awkwardly quiet during much of it to the point Anderson was taunting the crowd by putting one finger to his mouth to signal for them to hush to which there was little reaction. 

    I think this feud will be a fun one because much of the crowd actually boos The Club, and Enzo and Cass are actual babyfaces people cheer. Cena got the pin and won the match, then proceeded to celebrate with a kid from Make a Wish.

  • WWE RAW live results: USA vs. The World; Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz

    The Big Takeaway: Two more matches announced for Battleground. They aren’t rushing the John Cena-A.J. Styles singles rematch. Instead, it will be a trios match with Enzo Amore, Big Cass and Cena vs. The Club. Also announced for the show was Natalya vs. Becky Lynch.

    It was a holiday-themed Raw where the company knew beforehand it would get a low rating, perhaps the lowest in show history. So they handled it like a throwaway show. No Shane or Stephanie McMahon. Names like Mark Henry, Jack Swagger and Zack Ryder were in the main event. And the zany opening would have fit right in during a 1985 Saturday Night’s Main Event episode. 

    Show Recap: 

    They signed on with a scene straight from Tuesday Night Titans. Almost the entire roster was sitting around eating a Fourth of July meal together. R-Truth led the group in singing Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray.” Then the Vaudevillains asked them to leave the stage and Aiden English started singing the Declaration of Independence. Bubba Ray Dudley threw guacamole on him, but before a food fight could start, The Miz and Maryse got up to plug the July 19th draft live on SmackDown. 

    Miz said that tonight was not about food fights, which led to Dolph Ziggler spraying chocolate syrup on him. Someone threw macaroni onto Maryse, and the food started flying everywhere while the “War of 1812” played. While everyone was pelting each other with anything you can think of, Apollo Crews and Cesaro were oblivious to it all, focusing solely on their arm wrestling match. Bo Dallas was about to dump the punch bowl over Enzo Amore, but Big Cass stopped him and Dallas got the punch dumped on his head instead. Kevin Owens hid under a table in an attempt to escape the madness.

    The Big Show was enjoying chicken wings when Kalisto doused him with cake. Show threw a chicken wing at Kalisto, but he ducked and it hit Kane instead. Kane and Show teased choke slamming each other when they saw Heath Slater laughing at them. So Kane and Show gave Slater a double chokeslam through a table. Everyone laughed as Slater was down and out, and then the room cleared. Owens got up from under the table unscathed and said, “This would never happen on Canada Day.” Then a cake wound up in his face. Owens screamed, stopped to lick the icing, then screamed some more. 

    Lillian Garcia performed the National Anthem. 

    United States Champion Rusev defeated Titus O’Neal via submission to retain the U.S. Championship (5:42) 

    Rusev got the clean submission with the Accolade after two roundhouse kicks. Titus O’Neal stayed in it for about 35 seconds before he tapped. O’Neal hit Clash of the Titus but Rusev kicked out. It appeared Rusev was supposed to get his hands on the ropes to force a break, but he was too far away. After he won, Rusev denounced America as Lana smiled. Lana was an afterthought here, she didn’t come out with Rusev during his ring entrance and only stood in front of the hard camera when the match went to the floor. 

    The Bella Twins were pictured on the cover of the new Latina Magazine. 

    Dallas, Curtis Axel and Slater came out dressed as minutemen. Slater had the complete Spirit of ’76 gear on, and was selling the chokeslam from earlier with his arm in a sling and his head bandaged. Enzo and Cass interrupted Dallas for their routine. Amore said it was the Fourth of July so it was only right to give the fans some Star Spangled Banter. Amore actually reeled off all the presidents of the United States in order, which had to take his entire Independence Day to memorize, and said they would all be insulted if they saw the Social Outcasts dressed like they were. 

    Enzo & Cass defeated Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel (2:04) 

    Enzo pinned Dallas after the Bada Boom Shaka Laka. Axel and Dallas wrestled with blue robes and British court dress wigs on. Enzo posed in the wig after the win. 

    Charlotte and Dana Brooke came out. Charlotte said Sasha Banks gets a lot of people to chant “We Want Sasha,” but chants don’t pay the bills. Charlotte said Banks was all hype. Banks came out to interrupt the two and said Charlotte would never be her. Charlotte said she didn’t want to be Banks, but Banks said that Charlotte has done almost everything she can do over the past year except beat her. Banks said Charlotte would have never won at WrestleMania if it wasn’t for her father and said she would dominate Charlotte when they meet. 

    Charlotte said next week would be the one year anniversary of their debut on the Raw roster and she’s held the WWE Women’s Championship almost that entire time, so that makes her the boss. Banks started saying all the things that make her a true boss. Brooke tried to give Banks a forearm, but Banks easily ducked that and sent Brooke out of the ring. Charlotte kicked Banks in the head and said her reign had only begun. Charlotte tried to lift Banks up, but Banks escaped and hit the Back Stabber, followed by the Bank Statement. Brooke pulled Charlotte out of the ring for the save. 

    WWE Champion Dean Ambrose defeated I-C Champion The Miz in a nontitle match (9:35)

    Ambrose won with Dirty Deeds after a series of near falls following a small package, a victory roll and a schoolboy cradle. Miz clamped on the Figure Four, which they’re still trying to get over as a submission finisher. Ambrose sold the leg effectively for the rest of the match as Miz attempted the Skull Crushing Finale but failed, leading to the finish. Miz was down for a long time after the match and the referee checked on him outside the ring. 

    Post-match, Seth Rollins came out for his match with Ziggler. Rollins and Ambrose had a face off as Rollins passed by him on the ramp. Ambrose ran back to the ring like he was going to attack Rollins, but instead went to the commentator’s table, where he started doing analysis at the Spanish table. 

    Brock Lesnar’s opponent for SummerSlam will be announced on this week’s SmackDown. If you’re wondering how much Saturday’s UFC fight was mentioned, the answer is zero.

    Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler (11:15)  

    Rollins won with the Pedigree. Ziggler hit his jumping DDT, but Rollins was up within five seconds of taking it. Immediately, Ziggler tried for the Zig Zag, but Rollins blocked it and hit the finish. Solid match. 

    Post-match, Rollins stood on the announcer’s table and cut a promo on Roman Reigns, saying that Reigns needs to take shortcuts in order to achieve anything in life, just like all of the fans. Rollins said Reigns should be ineligible for the main event of Battleground, which got cheered.

    Rollins walked past Ambrose at the commentator’s table dismissively, then started talking about how he was going to take his championship back from Ambrose at Battleground. Ambrose stood on the Spanish announce table and said that Rollins could have it, he threw the belt at Rollins, then jumped him. It ended with Ambrose giving Rollins Dirty Deeds onto the Spanish announce table. 

    The Wyatt Family have a new vignette look. Bray Wyatt said New Day comes from a world that doesn’t exist because the power of positivity doesn’t actually exist. In the world he comes from, the pains of the real world are apparent. Wyatt invited them into their world where he would deliver them the truth, because the power of positivity is nothing but a fairy tale. 

    They aired another Baron Corbin video where JBL called him a future world champion. 

    Vickie Guerrero came out for the first time in two years as the latest authority figure. She was a total heel, still using her “Excuse Me” catchphrase. She reminded the fans she was the former general manager of SmackDown and Raw. She said that while Shane and Stephanie McMahon are handling Raw, SmackDown can’t be left in the hands of Teddy Long or Kane, but it should be left for her to run. She submitted her name for the job of SmackDown COO and dropped in her famous cackle. Security had to force her out. 

    Big Show lined up members of his American team for the 16-man elimination tag like he was General Patton addressing his troops. His team consists of the Dudley Boyz, Kane, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger, Crews and Mark Henry. He gave them a rah-rah speech about how this would not be a walk in the park, but they wouldn’t be afraid, they would never back down, this was the Fourth of July and they were Americans. They were going to show the same fight against the International Alliance that soldiers showed 240 years ago to win America’s freedom. 

    Vickie was being hauled out when she ran into Ziggler. She claimed that she was invited by Shane and Stephanie. Ziggler said he had never seen that woman before in his life, then hopped back on the phone with someone to say, “Yeah, I lost but I tried really hard.” 

    The Golden Truth defeated The Vaudevillains (1:25)

    R-Truth pinned English with Solid Gold, which is a Powerbomb/Final Cut combination. R-Truth now has the lyrics to his rap song on the screen so fans can try to follow along. Fandango and Tyler Breeze watched from ringside. 

    Life Lessons with Bob Backlund is next. Backlund wanted to know what Darren Young’s finisher was. He said the Gut Check. Backlund wanted to know what his submission finisher was, but Young said he didn’t have one. Backlund gave him permission to use the crossface chicken wing, which was the last move Randy Savage sold before he left the WWE. Young was thrilled that Backlund would give him his finisher.

    John Cena came out and actually chided the fans for lack of crowd heat. Fans started the usual dueling chants, and Cena started in on A.J. Styles. Cena said he knew Styles would bring out the best in him. But he was disappointed when Styles couldn’t stand on his own two feet and leaned on the shoulders of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to defeat Cena at Money in the Bank. Now he has to worry about The Club every time he steps into the ring. Cena said he was sick of looking over his shoulder and challenged them to come out. 

    Styles, Anderson and Gallows came out. Styles said Cena was pathetic for crying about a personal setback. If he wanted to talk about something being unfair, Styles said they arrived in Japan this past weekend for a heroic return. Instead, all they saw was Cena’s face all over posters and walls. But The Club proved they ran Tokyo this weekend and soon they would run the WWE.

    Styles said the reason why The Club always stays by his side is because Cena could bury him at any point, just as he’s done many times before. Styles also mentioned how no WWE superstar is coming out to help Cena because Cena has put himself on an island. No other WWE superstar can relate to Cena, but they can relate to The Club. He said most superstars would love to beat up Cena, but they were the only ones who had the balls to get it done.

    Styles said they would continue to beat up Cena because there was nothing more fun to do. They vowed to do it week after week after week for the rest of the year. When Labor Day rolls around, Styles asked Anderson what he was going to do? He said beat up Cena. Styles asked Gallows what he was going to do for Halloween. Gallows said he was going to dress up as Bushwhacker Luke and beat up John Cena. Styles said he was thinking about dressing up as Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, do some strutting and cutting, and beat up John Cena. Anderson said for Christmas, he would hang out with his hot Asian wife and beat up John Cena. Then they said for the Fourth of July, they were going to beat up John Cena. 

    The Club surrounded the ring and immediately put the boots to Cena. Styles laid in the punches, as did Gallows. Enzo and Cass came out for the save. Cass gave Gallows a big boot while Cena threw Styles out of the ring and Enzo disposed of Anderson. 

    The Shining Stars said Puerto Rico wasn’t over-commercialized like the United States. 

    Becky Lynch defeated Summer Rae via submission (2:58) 

    Becky Lynch won with Dis-arm-her. They botched a vertical suplex spot where Lynch fell right on top of her head. She looked shaken up but finished the match. Natalya watched the match from backstage. 

    The multinational team of Chris Jericho, Sin Cara, Sami Zayn, Kalisto, Cesaro, Owens, Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus were backstage. Jericho was the captain. Del Rio wanted to know who made him the captain of the team. Jericho started speaking Spanish to Del Rio. Everyone started talking until Owens, deadly serious, said he was ready to beat some American ass after what happened to him earlier tonight in the food fight. Jericho told the rest of the team to “watch out for it.” Zayn asked, “What is it?” Jericho said “It” and walked off. Zayn, Cara, Cesaro and Kalisto vowed to stay together in unison because the rest of the team made them look bad. 

    Enzo and Cass did a product placement for Sonic restaurants. There’s now a “How You Doin?” lunchbox. They’re naturals as product guys. 

    New Day came out. Kofi Kingston said a lot of people think the Wyatt Family are weird looking hillbillies. Big E said rumor has it the Wyatt’s don’t stray far from the family tree, they keep it Archie Bunker, as in “All in the Family.” Kingston said they like the Wyatts and the Wyatts like them because why else would they invite them to their world. 

    Erick Rowan popped up on the TitanTron. He said the sound of laughter is a precious thing. Braun Strowman said the sound of a scream is music to his ears. Wyatt said the New Day should come to his world and seek the truth like men. Wyatt said it’s a challenge to see if they’re men or cowards. He wanted to know how far they would go to fight for what they believe in. Wyatt said the New Day started this, and he must end it. 

    Kingston said they accept and they would spray positivity all over the place. Big E started to quote Lil’ John and said they would spray positivity “to the windows to the wall,” but Xavier Woods screamed at his cohorts and said Wyatt is a true threat. He couldn’t understand why Kingston would fight them on their grounds. Woods said everything up to now has been fun and games, but if they don’t see the threat that Wyatt poses to them, he doesn’t think the New Day will survive. Woods walked off while Big E and Kofi watched on.  

    Team USA (The Big Show, Zack Ryder, The Dudley Boyz, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Kane and Apollo Crews) defeated the International Alliance (Chris Jericho, Lucha Dragons, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio) in a 16-man elimination tag team match in 22:14. 

    Bubba Ray eliminated Cara after a 3-D in 1:05. In an instant, Sheamus gave Bubba Ray a Brogue Kick, and Kalisto pinned Bubba at 1:16. Cesaro eliminated Devon Dudley via submission with a Sharpshooter after a 10-rep Giant Swing at 5:34. Jericho (who was born in New York while his father played for the Rangers) pinned Jack Swagger with a Codebreaker after he broke up a Swagger Bomb at 7:44, which made it 7-on-5 in favor of the Internationals.

    The 12 remaining men filled the ring for a brawl to go into a commercial. Mark Henry eliminated Kalisto after the World’s Strongest Slam at 13:18. There was another instant elimination when Owens got Henry up for the Pop-Up Power Bomb at 13:34. Owens threw Ryder into Zayn, and then Zayn ran in to start brawling with Owens. Kane was about to give Zayn a choke slam, but Owens ran in with a chair and popped Zayn in the back. That got Owens disqualified at 14:46, even though he did it to his own partner. Then Kane grabbed the chair and hit Owens with it. That got Kane disqualified at 15:13. Kane choke slammed Zayn anyway. Crews ran in and gave Zayn a splash for the pin at 15:45. Then Sheamus gave Owens a Brogue kick and pinned him at 15:56.

    At this point, the Internationals began arguing with each other and Cesaro started throwing forearms against his heel partners. Cesaro went for the Neutralizer on Ryder, but Ryder turned it into a jackknife cradle for the surprise pin at 18:31. So it was 3-on-2 for the Internationals, with Jericho, Del Rio and Sheamus vs. Show and Ryder. Show eliminated Jericho with the Knockout punch at 20:05. Show pinned Del Rio with a choke slam at 20:26. Suddenly it was 2-on-1 for the Americans. Sheamus gave Ryder a powerslam, but Ryder kicked out. Show grabbed Sheamus by the throat and threw him into the Rough Ryder, and Ryder got the pin on Sheamus for the American victory. Show and Ryder did the woo-woo-woo chant as a giant American flag came down above the ring. 

  • Daily Update: Raw on the 4th ratings, Brisoces to NJPW, Scott Hall DVD

    The rating for tonight’s WWE Raw show is not likely to be good, as in the past when Raw has fallen on July 4th, the drop has been huge from the week before. Everyone knows that going in so whatever the number is, when it comes to talking about patterns and such, you can really throw it away. Next week will bounce back, but should still be below normal levels due to Home Run Derby. Everything really changes with the draft on the 19th and there should be strong motivation early on when it comes to both shows. I expect hotter shows as far as angles and pushing of new talent, but there is also a question of whether the casual audience will be into watching so much wrestling every week so closely bunched together.

    The two big things to look for on Raw is if there is any mention at all of Brock Lesnar or his fight during the body of the show (given that WWE hasn’t mentioned it yet, it looks like they aren’t going to) and if UFC purchases ads or the cable companies place ads during Raw, since one would think that’s the prime audience to try and push UFC 200 in front of.  If I’m UFC I’d be advertising heavily this week on Raw and Smackdown with Brock Lesnar emphasized ads.

    We’re also looking for reports from Raw tonight with the non-Raw stuff such as Superstars, dark matches or any observations that wouldn’t be evident from watching the live show to NewsTips@WrestlingObserver.com. The show is from Columbus, OH. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz in a rematch from Smackdown, Rusev vs. Titus O’Neil for the U.S. title and a Team USA vs. Team International 16 man elimination match have all been announced. Shane McMahon is scheduled to return and there will be a former General Manager appearing which is believed to be Vickie Guerrero.

    Smackdown is Tuesday night in Toledo. No John Cena or Seth Rollins advertised. Dean Ambrose, A.J. Styles and Kevin Owens are the top names advertised.

    We’re also looking for your thoughts on yesterday’s New Japan Kizuna Road show, thumbs up, down or in the middle, best and worst match to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.

    THE ROUNDUP

    ​The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas takes place during UFC’s International Fight Week from July 7 – 11. Stay up to date on all the lastest whackiness by following Ed in San Antonio on Facebook. Plus, follow us on Twitter as we (Bryan), will be live tweeting from all the events. Use #F4WVegas to get in on the fun. 

    ​If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

    Figure Four Weekly

    READ IT HERE: Figure Four Weekly 6/27/2016: WWE concussion lawsuit update, more – The latest information in WWE’s concussion lawsuit. 

    Subscribers click here to continue reading.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    READ IT HERE: July 4, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: NJPW G1 tournament preview, Ali vs. Inoki anniversary, more – A preview of NJPW’s G1 tournament, notes on the anniversary of Ali vs. Inoki, plus tons more.

    It’s a double issue week featuring a look back 40 years at what was the biggest undertaking up to that point in pro wrestling history, and Inoki vs. Ali match, how it came together, what happened that night, coverage of the upcoming G-1 Climax tournament, coverage of Ultima Lucha 3 and details on where the company stands, full coverage of the WWE cruiserweight classic, ROH Best in the World coverage as well as a look at those coming and going from the promotion, the death of Ryan Jimmo, the life and times of Gypsy Joe, and far more about the fallout of the Roman Reigns suspension.

    The lead story details this years G-1 tournament including what will air in English, newcomers to the tournament, some interesting political news regarding who is and isn’t in it, as well as a complete lineup for every show.

    This issue looks at the background of Ali vs. Inoki, the first time boxer vs. wrestler with major stars came close to happening, boxing champions who did wrestling and wrestlers who faced boxers including involving one of the all-time greats, Thesz vs. Marciano talk, and the two best known mixed matches prior to Ali vs. Inoki in the U.S.

    There is also a look at Japanese pro wrestling in the 70s and how that led to the match, the business of Billy Robinson involving Inoki vs. Baba, how Inoki was being marketed, and the attempts to put together Ali vs. Bruno Sammartino and how that led to this.

    The goals of Ali vs. Inoki for the New Japan side, the pro wrestling angles, just how big the match was why the match wasn’t a work, where Ali’s career stood at the time, media coverage, how the terrible rules were the reason the fight, Sammartino’s broken neck and return, Stan Hansen becoming a superstar in Japan, and why Ali vs. Inoki was not a success in much of the U.S, and much more in this issue of the Wrestling Observer. 

    Subscribers click here to continue reading.

    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.

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    Wrestling Observer Newsletter BACK ISSUE

    READ IT HERE: May 24, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: ECW Hardcore Heaven/WWF No Mercy – Amidst rumors flying everywhere of the possible demise of the company and others who are talking that the company is a short period away from growing bigger than ever, the ECW Hardcore Heaven PPV came off like a show that was a bridge for the company to something new, but when it was over, there were still no answers over whether what is new is good news or bad news… Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

    MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

    I want to wish everyone a happy Fourth of July to everyone reading and their families. 

    Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw, more WWE news and taking questions you can send to MailBag@WrestlingObserver.com.

    One of the saddest issues in Observer history is up today, looking at the death of Owen Hart. Owen Hart was an inspiration to a generation of Canadian wrestlers in particular and one of the most well-respected performers and people of his era. Deaths in wrestling are all tragic in some form and it’s tasteless to rank them, but because of the nature of how this happened, it was different than most of the rest.   

    New Japan announced that Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Adam Page & Yujiro Takahashi for the IWGP tag title will be on the 8/14 Tokyo Sumo Hall show which is the same night as the G-1 finals. Jay Lethal will also be appearing at the end of the current tour. It’s also official that Hiroyoshi Tenzan is replacing Satoshi Kojima in the G-1.

    If you are coming to Las Vegas for our convention, our friend Scott Stern at the Las Vegas Fight Shop has signings on Friday from 6-8 p.m. with Randy Couture and Saturday from Noon to 2 p.m. with Nate Diaz. Signings require purchase of an Affliction T-shirt but if you are a member of the web site you can get a 20 percent discount on the shirt and a VIP line pass to save time. Also, if you are a web site member you can get 20 percent off all merchandise the entire weekend.

    The UFC 200 press conference will be Wednesday at Noon at the KA Theater at the MGM Grand with Dana White, Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar, Mark Hunt, Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo, Cain Velasquez and Travis Browne. It is free and open to the public. 

    WWE

    • WWE will be releasing the Scott Hall “Living on a Razor’s Edge” DVD tomorrow talking about his famous ups, downs and more recent ups in his life. The DVD includes Scott Hall & Dan Spivey as the American Starship tag team form 1984, his move to the AWA with Curt Hennig, his run as the Diamond Studd, Razor Ramon and the big run as part of the NWO.
    • Advertised for the WWE house shows this coming weekend on 7/8 in Oshawa, ONT, 7/9 in Toronto at the Ricoh Coliseum (where they will likely announce Survivor Series information) and 7/10 in London, ONT is Dean Ambrose vs. A.J. Styles vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE title, Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn, Charlotte vs. Paige vs. Natalya for the women’s title, New Day vs. Braun Strowman & Erick Rowan for the tag titles plus The Usos, Sheamus, Cesaro, Apollo Crews, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
    • There was a WWE reference on Match Game on ABC last night. Alec Baldwin said that Justin Bieber and Dwayne Johnson would have a match at WrestleMania and it would be billed as The Rock vs. ?. The contestant said “the Pillow,” but none of the celebrities matched the answer. They noted that Bieber considered appearing at the 2014 SummerSlam show. (thanks to Brian Henke)

    UFC

    MISCELLANEOUS

    • Cody Rhodes and Chavo Guerrero Jr will be appearing for Smash Wrestling on 10/23 in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Centre. Smash has a charity fund raiser show on Saturday night in Fort Erie, ONT headlined by Chris Hero.
    • TV Azteca America in the U.S. now has a two-hour CMLL block. What they are airing is a replay show from 4-5 p.m. and a first run show from 5-6 p.m. The first run show is the top matches from Arena Mexico’s Friday night shows from a few weeks ago. 
    • Hoosier Pro Wrestling in Columbus, IN raised more than 1,000 cans of food for the Roby & America Anderson Eastside Community Center to feed those in need with a show on Saturday night: Cousin Cooter b Wicked Clown in a cowbell on a pole match, Dynamite Dillen b Drax O’Brien, Scarecrow Eddie Felson b Bobby Black-DQ, Big Country & Clint Poe b Bobby Black & Troy Van Zant, Vic the Bruiser b Lightning Bolt Johnson, Dynamite Dillen won 12 man Battle Royal. Next show is 8/5 in Nashville, IN at the Brown County Fair and 8/6 in Columbus, IN at the HPW Arena.
    • New England Championship Wrestling from Saturday night in Brockton, MA: Mike Graca b Jacob, Vampire Sethoran b Ty Shine, Dan Terry & Vern Vicallo b Kool People, Brute Van Slyke DCOR Giant Pharaoh, Heavy Hitter b Minute Men, Brad Hollister b Slyck Wagner Brown, Nikki Valentine & Vanity Vixsin b Mistress Belmont & Davienne, Kris Pyro b Scott Levesque, Tod Loco b Mike McCarthy. Next show is an all-women’s show on 7/9 at the Brockton Fair. The show is free with a fair admission.
    • Crossfire Wrestling on 7/24 in St. Catharines, ONT  with Cody Deaner vs. Jeremy Elliott as the main event.
    • Combat Zone Wrestling on Friday night in Chicago at the Bottom Lounge with Matt Tremont vs. Isaias Velasquez for the CZW title and Prince Mustafa Ali vs Jonathan Gresham for the Freelance title, plus Robert Anthony vs. Ethan Page in a 2/3 falls ladder match. They also runSaturday night in Dayton at the Rockstar Arena with Tremont vs Rickey Shane Page for the CZW title, Lio Rush vs. AR Fox for the wired title, David Crist vs. David Starr 2/3 falls and DJ Hyde vs. Jake Crist in a no rope barbed wire death match.
    • Grand Slam Wrestling on 7/9 in Moosic, PA at the Moosic Youth Center.
    • UPW on 7/9 in Rochester, NY at the Eagles Club.
    • Alpha 1 Wrestling from yesterday in Hamilton, ONT: Alessandro del Bruno b Speedball Mike Bailey, Ethan Page b  Cheeseburger, Theory of Evolution b Tarbernak De Team, Dick Justice b Danny Orlando, Cheech & Justin Sane & Gavin Quiinn b Rickey Shane Page & Brent Banks & Alex Daniels, Kobe Durst b David Starr, Josh Alexander & Kobe Durst b Scotty O’Shea & Ethan Page in a crazy match. Next show is 8/21 with Josh Alexander vs. Matt Riddle and Joey Kings vs Ethan Page.
    • Pure Wrestling Association has its 11th anniversary show on 7/23 in Kitchener, ONT and also runs 7/31 in Thedford, ONT.
    • Tammy Sytch will appear for NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on 8/6 in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Center.
    • NWA Mid South from Saturday night in Morgan City, LA before 780 fans: John Saxon & Barrett Brown b Dark Circle, Psycho Mike b Stan Sweetan, Rob Conway b Rodney Mack-DQ, Matt Riviera b Jeremy Moore in a cage match to win the Mid South title, Mustang Mike b Greg Anthony to win the National title. Kevin Nash also made a guest appearance at the show.
    • Sting and Lex Luger will be making appearances on the MCW Pro show on 7/26 at the MCW Arena for the company’s 16th annual Shane Shamrock Cup. The first round matches in the Shamrock Cup are Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jason Kincaid, Sonjay Dutt vs. Chuck Lennox, Travis Gordon vs. LSG vs. Facade, Brandon Scott & Sean Carr vs Robert Locke & Joe Keys (winner of the fall advances). The losers advance to a last chance Battle royal for a spot in the finale and Lio Rush, last year’s winner, gets a bye into the finale. 

    TODAY IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING HISTORY: WCCW Star Wars Cards; WWF vs. NWA Champions clash; Finn Balor wins NXT Title

  • Daily Pro Wrestling History (07/04): WCCW Star Wars Cards; WWF vs. NWA Champions clash; Finn Balor wins NXT Title

    1922 

    Wichita, Kansas:
    – World Heavyweight Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis beat Alan Eustace in 2 out of 3 falls

    1963 

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – In a Hair vs Masks match; Pat O’Connor and Tiny Mills beat Masked Medic #1 (Pedro Godoy) and Masked Medic #2 (Sir Nelson Royal)
    – Rock Hunter beat Steve Kovacs 2 falls to 1

    1964 

    St Paul, Minnesota at Met Stadium (where the Minnesota Twins and Vikings played in 1964 and now the home of the Mall of America): AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Dick the Bruiser (sub Crusher) in 2 out of 3 falls
    – Mad Dog Vachon beat Doug Gilbert
    – Wilbur Snyder & Sailor Art Thomas & Dale Lewis beat Larry Hennig & Hans Schmidt & Mitsu Arakawa 
    – Bob Geigel beat Rene Goulet

    1966 

    – Don Leo Jonathan & Haystacks Calhoun defeated John Tolos & Tony Borne to win the NWA Canadian Tag Team Titles

    1969

    Atchison, Kansas:
    – Ronnie Etchison vs. Dick Murdoch
    – K.O. Cox vs. Alex Medina
    – Lord Littlebrook vs. Benny Zeh 
    – Dick Murdoch & K.O. Cox vs. Ronnie Etchison & Alex Medina

    1971 

    Robbinsdale, Minnesota:
    – Larry Hennig & Lars Anderson beat Hercules Cortez & Bull Bullinski dq
    – Big K beat Bill Christy 
    – Billy Robinson beat Dave Cox

    1972 

    Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:
    – Billy Robinson & George Gordienko beat Ivan Koloff & Big K (Stan Kowalski)
    – Wahoo McDaniel beat Dusty Rhodes dq 
    – Don Muraco beat Larry Hennig

    1974 

    Greensboro, North Carolina:
    – Ric Flair & Rip Hawk defeated Paul Jones & Bob Bruggers in to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles

    Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Verne Gagne & Billy Robinson
    – Ivan Putski beat Baron Von Raschke dq 
    – Billy Graham beat Wahoo McDaniel

    1982

    San Antonio, Texas:
    – Bruiser Brody won a two ring, 22 man Battle Royal
    – Scott Casey beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel via dq
    – Southwest Champion Dick Slater beat Alexis Smirnoff 
    – Tully Blanchard & Gino Hernandez beat Terry Funk & Tito Santana

    Atlanta, Georgia:
    -Ivan Putski & Tom Prichard (sub. for Tommy Rich) defeated NWA Tag Team Champions Stan Hansen & Ole Anderson via disqualification 
    -Kevin Sullivan defeated Mr. Saito 
    -The Masked Superstar pinned Mr. Wrestling II
    -Don Muraco (w/ Roddy Piper) pinned Dusty Rhodes 
    -Super Destroyer defeated Tom Pritchard 
    -Leroy Brown defeated Big John Studd in a Texas Death Match
    -Paul Orndorff defeated Jimmy Snuka via disqualification
     WWF champion Bob Backlund went to a double countout against NWA World champion Ric Flair

    1983

    WCCW Independence Day Star Wars: Fort Worth, Texas:
    – Michael Hayes defeated Iceman King Parsons in a Lights Out match
    – Bruiser Brody vs. Kamala ended in a double disqualification
    – David Von Erich defeated Jimmy Garvin to win the vacant World Class Texas Heavyweight Title
    – The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & David) defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) in a three falls match

    1984 

    WCCW Independence Day Star Wars: Fort Worth, Texas:
    – Killer Khan defeated Mike Reed
    – Scott Irwin & The Missing Link defeated Jose Lothario & Buck Zum hoffe
    – World Class American Heavyweight Champion Gino Hernandez defeated Jules Strongbow
    – Kelly Kiniski defeated George Weingroff
    – The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) defeated The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & Mike) to win the World Class Six-Man Tag Team Title 
    – Iceman King Parsons defeated Bill Irwin in a singles match to win the World Class American Tag Team Titles (Parsons chose Buck Zum Hofe as his partner)
    – Gino Hernandez won a Pole Battle Royal (a check was affixed to the top of a pole in the corner of the ring and the wrestlers had to try and climb the pole to be the first to get it)
    – Chris Adams & Stella Mae French defeated Jimmy Garvin & Precious in a Loser Leaves Town steel cage match

    1985

    WCCW Independence Day Star Wars: Fort Worth, Texas:
    – Steve Casey defeated Jack Victory
    – Brian Adidas vs. Jim Powers ended in a no-contest
    – The Fantastics defeated Rip Oliver & Kelly Kiniski in a three falls match in two straight falls
    – Iceman King Parsons defeated Tim Brooks
    – Kerry Von Erich defeated The One Man Gang in a Chicago Death Match
    – The Great Kabuki defeated Chris Adams
    – Sunshine defeated Jim Cornette (Cornette had to wrestle with one arm tied behind his back and a blindfold on)
    – Chris Adams & Gino Hernandez defeated Kerry & Kevin Von Erich

    1986 

    WCCW Independence Day Star Wars: Fort Worth, Texas:
    – The Grapplers defeated Brad & Bart Batten
    – Buzz Sawyer defeated Brian Adidas to win the World Class Texas Heavyweight Title
    – Abdullah the Butcher defeated The Great Kabuki to win the World Class Brass Knuckles Title
    – Sunshine defeated The Raven
    – Steve Simpson defeated Tim Brooks
    – Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah The Butcher ended in a double disqualification
    – Chris Adams defeated Rick Rude to win the World Class World Heavyweight Title
    – World Class Six-Man Tag Champions The Von Erichs (Kevin, Mike & Lance) defeated Butch Reed, Buzz Sawyer, & Matt Borne

    1987 

    Atlanta, Georgia:
    – In the debut War Games match; The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger) & manager JJ
    Dillon lost to the team of Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, The Road Warriors & manager Paul Ellering

    1990

    Dallas, Texas:
    – John Tatum defeated Bill Dundee to win the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title

    1993 

    New York City 
    Lex Luger bodyslammed WWF champion Yokozuna in an angle to make Lex Luger an All American babyface

    2013

    – Chris Sabin defeated Manic and Austin Aires to win the TNA X Division Title

    2015

    WWE Beast in the East: Tokyo, Japan:
    – Cesaro defeated Diego 
    – The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) defeated The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods)    
    – Chris Jericho defeated Neville 
    – Nikki Bella defeated Tamina and Paige    Triple threat match to retain the WWE Divas Championship
    – Brock Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston
    – Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens to win the NXT Title
    – John Cena and Dolph Ziggler defeated Kane and King Barrett

  • WWE Huntington, WV, live results (Sun): Rusev defends U.S. title in a 5-way

    From the Big Sandy Superstore Arena courtesy of reader Lou Pickney

    – Golden Truth over Breezango

    – Apollo Crews over Heath Slater (w/ Bo Dallas)

    Slater got a local guy pop which Crews seemed confused by.

    – Darren Young (w/Bob Backlund) def. I-C Champion The Miz (w/ Maryse) by DQ when Maryse interfered.

    – Enzo and Cass def. Dudley Boyz

    – Sasha Banks def. Summer Rae

    Pretty much a squash.

    – United States Champion Rusev (w/ Lana) retained in a five-way match with Kalisto, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Sheamus when Rusev forced Kalisto to submit.

    Everybody hit a finisher except Cesaro who was the only off the mat to the outside move all night.

    – Kane and Big Show def. Wyatt Family (Bray/Erick Rowan/Braun Strowman)

    Notes:

    – The 6000 seat arena was about 1/3 full, probably due to the holiday weekend, lack of big names, and the other West Virginia house show the night before.

  • Joe Jares, “Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George?” author, passes away at 78

    Joe Jares, a longtime sportswriter whose father was a well-known pro wrestler and whose early 70s book on pro wrestling was a rarity in that era, passed away on Saturday at the age of 78.

    The Los Angeles Times wrote a story about Jares, leading his obit talking about his book, “Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George?“, which was released in 1974.

    Jares was a well-known sportswriter at the time whose father, who used the name Brother Frank Jares, and on occasion, The Thing, was a journeyman pro wrestler when he was growing up.  Jares’ book, which Scott Teal just reprinted with Crowbar Press, was just about the only book of that era which wrote about pro wrestling seriously, but was in no ways knocked the profession.

    The book was derived from a 1966 article he wrote called “My Father, The Thing” in Sports Illustrated. 

    Jares’ book covered pro wrestling as best as it was remembered before historians in the last few decades separated a lot of the fiction from histories due to more extensive research.  Jares spoke to the leaders in pro wrestling telling stories about famous matches, biggest gates (most real, a few that didn’t happen) and weaving it in with how the business was and his fathers’ stories to him.

    Jares spent 15 years with Sports Illustrated and also worked for a number of Los Angeles newspapers including the Herald-Express, the LA Times, and The Daily News where he was sports editor. He wrote books on other sports as well, including basketball and tennis, and later taught sports reporting at his alma mater of USC. He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2015.

  • Daily Update: UFC International Fight Week, CMLL, NJPW, CIA

    This is the biggest week in UFC history coming up, with shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and championship matches all three nights. There’s been lots of promotion. An interesting note is if the Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt fight will be mentioned on Raw, as this would be the last Raw episode leading to the fight. Probably not, since aside from a web site article when it was announced, WWE has done nothing to promote it. It’s pretty clear whatever WWE is getting out of the deal wasn’t contingent on the buy rate or else they’d have pushed it. Although she has to take it and can’t respond, you can just imagine Stephanie McMahon seething about what Lesnar said at the UFC media call this past week about how he doesn’t give a shit about what she thinks.

    The UFC preview show airs tonight at 10:30 p.m. Eastern and 7:30 p.m. Pacific on FS 1. It’s a one hour show on the big four fights on PPV: Lesnar vs. Hunt, Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones, Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes and Frankie Edgar vs. Jose Aldo. FOX will be airing the show on 7/9 at 2 p.m., or a few hours before the card starts.

    We’re looking for reports on today’s WWE show in Huntington, WV to NewsTips@WrestlingObserver.com.

    We’re also looking for your thoughts on today’s New Japan Kizuna Road show, thumbs up, down or in the middle, best and worst match to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.

    Raw will be Monday night from Columbus, OH. Given that Raw is on July 4th, it is likely to be the lowest rating for a Raw show in the history of the show. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz in a rematch from Smackdown, Rusev vs. Titus O’Neil for the U.S. title and a Team USA vs. Team International 16 man elimination match have all been announced. Shane McMahon is scheduled to return.

    Smackdown is Tuesday night in Toledo. No John Cena or Seth Rollins advertised. Dean Ambrose, A.J. Styles and Kevin Owens are the top names advertised.

    THE ROUNDUP

    ​The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas takes place during UFC’s International Fight Week from July 7 – 11. Stay up to date on all the lastest whackiness by following Ed in San Antonio on Facebook. Plus, follow us on Twitter as we (Bryan), will be live tweeting from all the events. Use #F4WVegas to get in on the fun. 

    ​If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

    Figure Four Weekly

    READ IT HERE: Figure Four Weekly 6/27/2016: WWE concussion lawsuit update, more – The latest information in WWE’s concussion lawsuit. 

    Subscribers click here to continue reading.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    READ IT HERE: July 4, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: NJPW G1 tournament preview, Ali vs. Inoki anniversary, more – A preview of NJPW’s G1 tournament, notes on the anniversary of Ali vs. Inoki, plus tons more.

    It’s a double issue week featuring a look back 40 years at what was the biggest undertaking up to that point in pro wrestling history, and Inoki vs. Ali match, how it came together, what happened that night, coverage of the upcoming G-1 Climax tournament, coverage of Ultima Lucha 3 and details on where the company stands, full coverage of the WWE cruiserweight classic, ROH Best in the World coverage as well as a look at those coming and going from the promotion, the death of Ryan Jimmo, the life and times of Gypsy Joe, and far more about the fallout of the Roman Reigns suspension.

    The lead story details this years G-1 tournament including what will air in English, newcomers to the tournament, some interesting political news regarding who is and isn’t in it, as well as a complete lineup for every show.

    This issue looks at the background of Ali vs. Inoki, the first time boxer vs. wrestler with major stars came close to happening, boxing champions who did wrestling and wrestlers who faced boxers including involving one of the all-time greats, Thesz vs. Marciano talk, and the two best known mixed matches prior to Ali vs. Inoki in the U.S.

    There is also a look at Japanese pro wrestling in the 70s and how that led to the match, the business of Billy Robinson involving Inoki vs. Baba, how Inoki was being marketed, and the attempts to put together Ali vs. Bruno Sammartino and how that led to this.

    The goals of Ali vs. Inoki for the New Japan side, the pro wrestling angles, just how big the match was why the match wasn’t a work, where Ali’s career stood at the time, media coverage, how the terrible rules were the reason the fight, Sammartino’s broken neck and return, Stan Hansen becoming a superstar in Japan, and why Ali vs. Inoki was not a success in much of the U.S, and much more in this issue of the Wrestling Observer. 

    Subscribers click here to continue reading.

    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 print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

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    If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

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

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter BACK ISSUE

    READ IT HERE: May 24, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: ECW Hardcore Heaven/WWF No Mercy – Amidst rumors flying everywhere of the possible demise of the company and others who are talking that the company is a short period away from growing bigger than ever, the ECW Hardcore Heaven PPV came off like a show that was a bridge for the company to something new, but when it was over, there were still no answers over whether what is new is good news or bad news… Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

    SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE

    Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw preview, New Japan Kizuna Road, CMLL Anniversary show and taking questions you can send to MailBag@WrestlingObserver.com.

    Both the New Japan show today and the CMLL iPPV on Friday night were really good.Matt Sydal & Satoshi Kojima& Ricochet (pictured above) beat The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega to win the trios titles. The Young Bucks & Omega all came out wearing WWE New Day T-shirts. Proof that New Japan is very different from WWE where such a thing could never happen. 

    Central Intelligence featuring Dwayne Johnson is estimated at No. 6 at the box office this weekend at $12.33 million in week three. I just saw that movie last night and it was hilarious.

    Pro Wrestling NOAH will decide its reps in the upcoming Super J Cup tournament on Tuesday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo with the winners of Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Taiji Ishimori, Kenou vs. Genba Hirayanagi and Hajime Ohara vs. Daisuke Harada winners going to the tournament which starts on 7/20 at Korakuen Hall. The Tuesday show also features Naomichi Marufuji & Toru Yano (Yano will be on the next ROH PPV show in Las Vegas) defending the GHC tag titles against Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka.

    The movie “Marauders” with Dave Bautista had a limited release this weekend. It can also be purchased via digital download and on iTunes. Bautista plays an FBI agent investigating a series of bank heists. Bruce Willis also stars.

    Sexy Star unmasked at a boxing show last night in Mexico City and said she was going into that sport. She hasn’t been wrestling anywhere but Lucha Underground for a while having quit AAA. She’s talked about going into boxing for some time and her husband, Jhonny Gonzalez, is a well-known boxer, and before that she dated the even bigger name boxer Erik Morales.

    WWE

    • The WWE crew flew home yesterday from Japan. They have the traveling day off and start back at Raw tomorrow.
    • There will be a former General Manager on Raw on Monday. It’s not Paul Heyman, as we’ve noted, as he’s involved in marketing a bikini contest being held at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas starting today and will be there all week.
    • Steve Austin getting mainstream pub here.
    • Bret Hart talks current WWE here.
    • This isn’t a story about Undertaker, but a Deadspin story about a party house in Florida that used to be owned by Undertaker is here.  (thanks to Alex Marvez)

    UFC

    UFC odds for this week’s fights from 5 Dimes:

    • Eddie Alvarez +275
    • Rafael dos Anjos -335
    • Alan Jouban -125
    • Balal Muhammad +105
    • Derrick Lewis +115
    • Roy Nelson -135
    • Claudia Gadelha +105
    • Joanna Jedrzejczyk =-125
    • Ross Pearson +315
    • Will Brooks -380
    • Daniel Cormier +245
    • Jon Jones -290
    • Frankie Edgar -115
    • Jose Aldo -105
    • Johny Hendricks -120
    • Kelvin Gastelum +100
    • Amanda Nunes +210
    • Miesha Tate -250
    • Cain Velasquez -275
    • Travis Browne +235
    • Brock Lesnar +150
    • Mark Hunt -170
    • Diego Sanchez -105
    • Joe Lauzon -115
    • Jim Miller -245
    • Takanori Gomi +205
    • Gegard Mousasi -275
    • Thiago Santos +235
    • Cat Zingano -185
    • Julianna Pena +160
    • Raphael Assuncao +350
    • TJ Dillashaw -440 

    MISCELLANEOUS

    • An Olympic wrestling preview is here.
    • Cody Runnels will be appearing as a guest star in an upcoming episode on the fall season of “Arrow,” the show with Stephan Amell. He feuded with Amell in WWE last year building up a match at SummerSlam. Both were at a pro wrestling convention in New Jersey making the announcement, saying that the two of them have become friends.
    • Sorry to hear about the death of Bonnie Gomez, the wife of the late Pepper Gomez. She passed away on Friday. There will be a service next week in Alameda, where she has lived most of her life.
    • The fake Bobby Heenan and Cyndi Heenan twitter accounts were both taken down today. 
    • Preston City Wrestling from yesterday in Blackpool, UK before 200 fans for a packed house: Iestyn Rees b El Ligero, Martin Kirby & Joey Hayes b Chris Masters & Dave Rayne, Team Single DCOR London Riots (to set up a street fight match on 8/6), Billy Gunn b Bob Holly (crowd loved them both, fans were chanting “1998” at both of them), Viper b Sammy Stoker, Sha Samuels & Lionheart b Noam Dar & Grado, Zack Sabre Jr. b Bubblegum in a very good match. Sabre said he wanted to face Bubblegum again on 9/24. (thanks to Steve Magnnis)
    • Here is an update on all the issues with the University of Minnesota wrestling program, and the alleged drug issues and J Robinson (the coach who has been very successful in building the program to one of the strongest in the country and a former college roommate of Gerald Brisco).
    • A story on Kurt Angle is here.
    • A story on the increase in U.S. interest in New Japan Pro Wrestling here. (thanks to Adam Abdalla and Chris Cruise) 
    • Michael Beadle beat Greg Anthony last night in Morgan City, LA to win the NWA National championship during a show called Cajun Heat that drew more than 1,000 fans.   
    • Lucha Xtreme TV results from last night in Fresno: Manny Fernandez b Dark Usagi, Big Dogg b Donny Suarez, Anthony Idol b Chris Nar, Homicide b Anthony Idol.
    • A new company called Best in the West says they will be running monthly in the Fresno area and opening up a wrestling school. They are going head-to-head with Lance Cardoza & Manny Fernandez’s Lucha Xtreme on 7/16. Best in the West will be in Madera at the Elks Lodge #1918 with at 6 p.m. Wiseguy vs. Chupacabra. Lucha Xtreme will be in Fresno at the Tioga Sequoia Beer Garden as part of a wrestling and stand up comedy TV tapings with Fernandez and Homicide as the top names. (thanks to Jon Southerland)
    • CMLL from Tuesday night in Guadalajara: Magnum & Vaquero Jr. b Diplomatico & Carlo Roggi, Escandalo & Fujin & Raijin b Pegasso & Starman & Triton, Esfinge b Furia Roja in a mask vs. mask match (Roja unmasked as Ivan Alejandro Lemus Perez, 20 years old from Guadalajara, 6 years experience), Diamante Azul & Michael Elgin & Maximo Sexy b El Terrible & Rey Bucanero & Vangellys, Atlantis & Kushida & Volador Jr. b Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa & Mr. Niebla-DQ. 
    • PMLL from Friday night in Tijuana: Exodo & Galaxy b Alastor & Thunder Kid, Cheyenne & Martinete b Efekto & Pitbull, Dinastia & Octagoncito b Mini Abismo Negro & Mini Psycho Clown, Amnesia & Extassis b Argenis & Elegido, Super Rhino b Drakma in a loser loses his mask match that also included Luminoso, Shamu, Zaeta, Romeo, Dick Angelo Jr., and Scream (Drakma unmasked as Eduardo Gonzalez, 35, from Toluca, with 17 years experience), Bestia 666 was the last guy left in a cage with Pentagon Jr., Damian 666 and Nicho, The Psycho Circus b Averno & Chessman & Villano IV to win the Frontera Cup). (thanks to Kris Zellner)
    • Caristico and La Mascara appear on 7/23 in Pacoma, CA at the San Fernando Valley Boys & Girls Club.
    • Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. takes place on 7/24 in Woodside, NY at Club LaBoom.
    • Laredo Kid vs. Brian Cage headlines on 7/13 in Benbrook TX a the Camp Bowie Bingo Hall.
    • Michael Elgin & Kushida & Mascara Dorada vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa & Mr. Niebla headlines tomorrow night in Puebla for CMLL.
    • Caristico & Mascara Aerea & Mascara Dorada vs. Mr. Elektro (Electroshock) & Rey Escorpion & Rush headlines on 7/15 in Tijuana at Auditorio Municipal.
    • A trailer for a new interview with Lanny Poffo is here.

    TODAY IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING HISTORY: AJ Styles & Jerry Lynn win NWA Tag Team Titles