By dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>Dave Meltzer
We’re doing polls this weekend on tonight’s ROH and Bellator shows, , so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for both shows to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com
We’re also looking for reports on tonight’s WWE show in Saginaw, MI (John Cena vs. Kane, Dolph Ziggler vs. King Barrett, New Day vs. Prime Time Players) and NXT in Jacksonville.
ROH Best in the World from Terminal 5 in New York at 8 p.m. Eastern on PPV
Mark Briscoe vs. Donovan Dijak
ACH & Matt Sydal vs. Adam Page & B.J. Whitmer
Dalton Castle vs. Silas Young
Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander vs. Hanson & Ray Rowe
Michael Elgin vs. Moose vs. Roderick Strong for the No. 1 contender position for the ROH title
A.J. Styles & Young Bucks vs. Adam Cole & Michael Bennett & Matt Taven
Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish for the ROH tag titles
Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal for the ROH & ROH TV titles
BELLATOR from St. Louis tonight
Spike.com at 7:45 p.m. Eastern
Dan O’Connor (115.3) vs. Miles McDonald (115.3)
Eric Irvin (155.2) vs. Hugh Pulley (155.6)
Adam Cella (170.3) vs. Kyle Kurtz (171)
Garrett Gross (155.2) vs. Chris Heatherly (160)
Steve Mann (169.8) vs. Justin Guthrie (170.3)
Justin Lawrence (145.7) vs. Sean Wilson (145.8)
Rashard Lovelace (160.6) vs. Demagio Smith (164.8)
Kain Royer (184.6) vs. Enrique Watson (185.8)
A.J. Siscoe (135.5) vs. Garrett Mueller (135.6)
Spike TV at 9 p.m. Eastern
Michael Chandler (155.6) vs. Derek Campos (152.8)
Daniel Straus (144.4) vs. Henry Corrales (144.9)
Bobby Lashley (239) vs. Dan Charles (228)
Patricio Pitbull Freire (144.9) vs. Daniel Weichel (144.5) for the featherweight title
Kimbo Slice (232) vs. Ken Shamrock (204.4)
New Japan World Pro Wrestling is pre-empted tonight due to a music festival. It returns this coming Friday with the 2014 G-1 Climax tournament.
We’re looking for reports Saturday on ROH’s TV tapings in New York (Samoa Joe & A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian, Young Bucks vs. Hanson & Rowe, Dalton Castle vs. Takaaki Watanabe), as well as the WWE house shows in Grand Rapids, MI (John Cena, Kane, Dolph Ziggler, King Barrett, New Day, Prime Time Players), Las Vegas (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Big Show, Ryback), GFW in Jackson, MS and NXT in Lakeland, FL.
UFC from Berlin, Germany on Fightpass starting at Noon Eastern time Saturday
Taylor Lapilus (135) vs. Ulka Sasaki (135)
Piotr Hallman (154) vs. Magomed Mustafaev (155)
Scott Askham (185) vs. Antonio Dos Santos (185)
Nicklas Backstrom (146) vs. Noad Lahat (145)
Alan Omer (146) vs. Arnold Allen (144)
Mairbek Taisumov (155) vs. Alan Patrick (154)
Makwan Amirkhani (145) vs. Masio Fullen (145)
Nick Hein (155) vs. Lukasz Sajewski (155)
Peter Sobotta (171) vs. Steve Kennedy (170)
Dennis Siver (145) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (246)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (114) vs. Jessica Penne (114) for the women’s strawweight title
Sunday has WWE house shows in Kalamazoo, MI (John Cena, Kane, Dolph Ziggler, King Barrett, Prime Time Players, New Day) and Fort Wayne, IN (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Big Show, Ryback), plus GFW in Bowling Green, KY.
Raw will be live on Monday in Indianapolis. Brock Lesnar and John Cena will both be appearing on the show.
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Toledo.
Part one of the life and career of Dusty Rhodes is the feature in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer. We also look at WWE coming out of the Money in the Bank PPV and where things are going next, UFC in Mexico City and the Fabricio Werdum win over Cain Velasquez, more on how Mayweather & Pacquiao set PPV records and who was buying, the debut of Global Force Wrestling, Tough Enough and Verano de Escandalo are also covered.
The Latest Wrestling Observer: June 22, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Part 1 of giant Dusty Rhodes obituary, GFW’s 1st shows
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The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.
The lead story covers the life and early career of Dusty Rhodes. We have a lot of his career records. We look at fact vs. fiction about his life before wrestling, and his road to the top in wrestling. We have an overview of the key points of his career, as well as rundown his early territories and the build to his babyface persona. We’ve got comments by many people most associated with him during his career. We look at health issues, the outpouring of emotion, an eerie thing written by Rhodes just ten day before his death where exactly what he didn’t want to be most remembered for was brought up. We look at the WWF character and the real reasons behind it.
We also look at the rise and fall of Jim Crockett Promotions, the fall of the UWF, the last year of JCP, the TBS purchase, why Rhodes was fired from the company and how Rhodes ended up back in WCW. We also look at why he retired from the ring, and the irony of what he said about who could and couldn’t book wrestling in the late 90s.
We look at Rhodes mentions on spots shows this past week, and his role in helping talent currently on the main roster.
We look at the original Dusty Rhodes, his doing backyard wrestling, his college days going to matches, West Texas State football and how he got into pro wrestling. We look at his early territorial work, his first pushes and his rise to prominence.
We look back at the Texas Outlaws tag team with Dick Murdoch, how they got publicity as the top tag team of 1970 with two world tag team titles at the same time, his first run in Florida and how big he was put over on the first TV show there, his brief time in Australia as world tag team champion and who his manager was. We look at why the run was so short, his working for Bill Watts as a single star, the Crusher vs. Dusty Rhodes dynamic, the first taste of Rhodes as a babyface, who Dusty pitched to Eddie Graham about bringing in as his younger brother, why Dusty was able to be a much better promo in Florida than he could in the AWA, Rhodes vs. Lou Thesz, Rhodes vs. Jack Brisco, the American Dream turns babyface and the quest for the NWA title achieved.
We also look at the direction for Battleground and full coverage of Money in the Bank.
We also look at the stories behind UFC 188 and have full coverage of the show.
We also look at the upcoming Hogan lawsuit, more dates booked for Brock Lesnar, wrestler who was on Raw last year trying out for Tough Enough, Kevin Owens talks John Cena, Dwayne Johnson movie notes, more notes from the WWE camp, More NXT road dates, WWE stock notes and network predictions, Chyna at WWE headquarters, plus more notes on the last NXT tour and a rundown of the business and weekend house shows and an interesting note about that business.
We look at why bought Mayweather-Pacquiao and what can be learned from it.
We look at the debut of Global Force Wrestling and the problems facing the promotion, its first weekend of shows, second weekend and first television tapings.
We also look at AAA’s Verano de Escandalo show.
We look at the finalists for this season of Tough Enough, who they were and where they came from.
We also have an interesting look at DVR usage during pro wrestling shows and what it says about the various products.
The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.
We also have our regular features such as the most complete look at ratings, plus results of the major house show events each week in pro wrestling and MMA, and complete inside rundowns of all the TV shows.
Also in this week’s issue:
–First notes on the annual Universal champion of champions tournament
–An interesting result where a major promotion’s top star put over an indie wrestler clean
–The Busca en un Idolo tournament
–What CMLL show drew the biggest crowd of the week and it was outside of Mexico City
–Update on Negro Casas concussion
–Latest from Arena Mexico
–Former world champion boxer marries pro wrestling star
–International stars coming to PWG
–Wrestle-One comes to the U.S. and Philadelphia show notes
–Dragon Gate changes several championships and a look at the next two big shows
–What U.S. stars are headed to Dragon Gate shortly
–Mitsuharu Misawa Tribute week in NOAH and what legends attended the big show
–GHC title match with neither wrestler being associated with the NOAH brand
–Update on Takeshi Morishima retirement match
–Notes on G-1 Climax ticket sales
–Update on Yoshitatsu
–Shinya Hashimoto Memorial show lineup
–A note on the Hashimoto legacy
–Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong rematch and how it came to be
–New Japan stars headed back to England and a look at their most recent England appearance
–New Japan stars headed back to ROH soon
–Current MMA world champion headlines IGF pro wrestling event
–King of DDT tournament notes
–Notes from the Championship Wrestling from Florida tribute event this past week
–Update on Blackjack Mulligan
–Details on Josh Alexander and his upcoming neck surgery
–Former WWE developmental talent on a CBS reality show
–Former wrestlers drop lawsuit against WWE
–How rules in New York affect indie groups and what rule in the books isn’t enforced at all
–What are the biggest expenses
–Major movie with Kevin Nash coming out soon
–New promotion debuts on national TV in July
–80s star writing an autobiography
–Notes on some stadium shows coming this summer
–Case reopened on the murder of an 80s pro wrestler
–Notes on Ultima Lucha
–Two wrestlers under consideration for season two of Lucha Underground
–Notes on the New York ROH shows and complete lineup
–Notes on ROH on Destination America
–TNA makes big play for former WWE major star
–Changes in the TNA PPV show
–Return of King of the Mountain
–Update on Jeff Hardy
–More on Slammiversary
–Problems with weight cutting
–Details behind drug test controversy with Jose Aldo in Brazil
–This week’s UFC show
–More on UFC deal with Titan Fighting Championships
–UFC debuts in Saskatchewan with action main event
–Future of Johny Hendricks
–Update on C.M. Punk and his UFC debut
–Lots of new UFC fights
–Kimbo/Shamrock notes
–Kimbo and Shamrock favor allowing PEDs in MMA
–Looking at the Bellator show
–Retirement of Peter Aerts and his legacy
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
Our most requested issues in our history are:
*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)
*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)
*August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)
*March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a
*October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)
*July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)
*February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)
*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)
*January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)
*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)
*March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)
*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)
*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)
*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)
*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)
*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)
*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)
*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)
*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)
*January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)
*February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)
*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)
*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)
*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)
*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)
*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)
*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)
*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)
*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)
*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)
*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)
*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)
*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)
*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)
*July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)
*September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)
*October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)
*November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)
*January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)
*January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)
*April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)
*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)
*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)
*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)
*October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)
*November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)
*November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)
*November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)
*December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)
*January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)
*March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)
*March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)
*March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)
*April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)
*July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)
*October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)
*November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .
*December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)
*January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)
*March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)
*April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)
* September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)
* September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)
* September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)
You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.
We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..
To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.
FRIDAY’S NEWS UPDATE
- Bryan and I will be back late tonight talking Bellator and ROH, and also have a show on Saturday talking UFC. You can send questions to both shows to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
- Blackjack Mulligan (Robert Windham) was back home as of yesterday after suffering a serious heart attack earlier in the week. As of last night, he needed several issues to be taken care of but the fear was if they put him under given his condition, it was too risky. A video with Mulligan was posted of the Championship Wrestling from Florida Archives Facebook page yesterday.
- On tonight’s Bellator show, if you live on the West Coast, the show will air at 9 p.m. on the usual staggered feed, not live. Spike is looking to maximize ratings.
- TNA has lost its TV in Australia. The deal with the station Main Event expires on 6/30 so they will all Impact next week and Slamboree.
- According to a report to Guilherme Cruz at MMAFighting.com, due to visa issues, there are a lot of changes to the 6/27 UFC show in Hollywood, FL. There were issues at the U.S. visa office that held up issuance of visas. The finals of TUF Brazil, scheduled for 6/27, have been moved to 8/1 in Rio de Janeiro. Right now it’s down to Dileno Lopez against either Reginaldo Vieira or Bruno Rodrigues at bantamweight and Glaico Franca vs. either Nazareno Melagarie or Fernando Bruno at lightweight. Also, the Erick Silva vs. Rick Story fight, scheduled as the co-main event, has been moved as well. Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Nikita Krylov may also be off the show. Two new fights have been added, with Alex Oliveira vs. Joe Merritt (debuting in UFC) and Leandro Silva vs. Lewis Gonzalez. The main event of Lyoto Machida vs. Yoel Romero is basically a one-match show.
- Robbie E vs. Jessie Godderz has been added to the Slamboree PPV on 6/28.
- The WWE Network will be airing Tough Talk (Sawyer, didn’t you register that name?) every Tuesday at 9 p.m., right after each episode of Tough Enough. The 30 minute show will feature The Miz interviewing the eliminated competitors and the judges and coaches.
- ESPN anchors talk Dusty Rhodes
- Scott Coker talks Bellator and its future
- For Twitter tweets as of this writing for today, the top MMA or pro wrestling ones were:
Jessica Penne 3,465
Bellator 3,249
Dana White 1,179
NXT Jacksonville 157
Google searches for today:
UFC is the No. 2 searched for item today
Bellator is No. 9
Ken Shamrock +245
Kimbo Slice -265
Daniel Weichel +255
Patricio Pitbull Freire -280
Bobby Lashley -600
Dan Charles +450
Daniel Straus -430
Henry Corrales +380
Derek Campos +485
Michael Chandler -575
For tomorrow
Jessica Penne +550
Joanna Jedrzejczyk -800
Denis Siver -175
Tatsuya Kawajiri +150
- Former Pride star Sergei Kharitonov vs. Kenny Garner will headline the M-1 Challenge show on 7/3 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Kharitonov beat Garner on 11/25 in a show in Beijing, China and this is the rematch. The show is available on iPPV at www.M1Global.tv
- Bibiano Fernandes defends his One bantamweight Championship against Toni Tauru of Finland on 7/18 in Yangno, Myanmar at Thuwunna Stadium. Fernandes is unbeaten since he signed with One in 2012, while Tauru is the Cage Warrior champion in that division with a ten fight winning streak.
- Raymond Rowe of ROH will be working for Chilanga Mask on 7/19 in Coacalco, Mexico.
- David Bautista, The Bella Twins and Eva Marie are scheduled for today at 3 p.m. at the Sacramento Comic Con and Eva Marie will also be there tomorrow at 10 a.m. (thanks to Neil Hager)
- The Fight Network will be airing tomorrow’s UFC from 3-5 p.m. Eastern. In the U.S.,this show is a Fight Pass Exclusive. They will air a pregame show at 2 p.m. and replays tomorrow at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. The Fight Network also airs the legendary Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche UFC 157 show on Sunday at 9 p.m.
- The Young Bucks appear at the Headlocked Booth on 7/9 at the San Diego Comic Con from Noon to 4 p.m.
- Samantha Sage, who was the last person cut from Tough Enough, is going to be auditioned for a spot on the Diva Search that starts filming in the fall.
- Johnny Gargano is still under contract to WWN, so his appearing on the NXT tapings in a dark match is part of a working agreement between the companies. He hasn’t been signed by WWE.
- Evolve has an iPPV on 7/11 at 7 p.m. from Orlando’s Barnett Park Gym
Drew Galloway vs. Trent Baretta for the Evolve title
Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher
Davey Richards vs. Biff Busick
TJ Perkins vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Anthony Nese vs. Trevor Lee
Caleb Konley vs. Andrew Everett
- Smash Wrestling on 7/29 in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Centre has Matt Cross vs. Tarik in an I Quit match, Chris Hero vs. Rich Swann, Johnny Gargano vs. Scotty O’Shea and the Overdogs vs. Drew Gulak & Biff Busick.
- House of Hardcore on 7/18 in Toronto has announced Team 3-D vs. Young Bucks and Matt Taven & Michael Bennett vs. Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian (IWGP tag champs vs. ROH champs) plus Johnny Mundo, Rhino, Chris Hero, Tommy Dreamer, Tony Nese, Eddie Kingston, Thea Trinidad, Tomasso Ciampa and Traci Brooks.
- Pro Wrestling Phoenix tomorrow in Council Bluffs, IA at the National Guard Armory.
- A Dusty Rhodes sketch
ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)
1970 – Kurt & Karl Von Steiger beat Mark Lewin & Antonio Pugliese in Sydney to win the IWA tag titles
1986 – Antonio Inoki beat Dick Murdoch in Tokyo to win the IWGP heavyweight tournament
1994 – Combat Toyoda beat Megumi Kudo in Tokyo to win the WWA Independent womens’ title
2005 – Shuji Kondo & Yasshi beat Tomoaki Honma & Katsuhiko Nakajima to win the vacant All-Asia tag title in a tournament final
2005 – Tiger Mask beat Gedo in Tokyo to win the New Japan Super Juniors tournament
2009 – Atlantis beat El Texano Jr. in a tournament final to become the CMLL Universal Champion of Champions
2010 – Giant Bernard (Matt Bloom) & Karl Anderson won a three-way over Wataru Inoue & Yuji Nagata and Tetsuya Naito & Yujiro Takahashi in Osaka to win the IWGP tag titles, and Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) beat Naomichi Marufuji to win the IWGP jr. title
2011 – Keiji Muto & Kenso beat Akebono & Taiyo Kea in Tokyo to win the All Japan tag title and Manabu Soya & Seiya Sanada beat Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi to win the All-Asia tag title, and Kai beat Shuji Kondo to win the jr. title.
2011 – Dragon Kid & Pac (Neville) beat Genki Horiguchi & Ryo Saito in Fukuoka to win the Open the Twin Gate tag titles
TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE (thanks to Bert Duckwall)
12:00 AM ET
WWE BEYOND THE RING Packed with never before seen footage, this program profiles Triple H’s entire career as well as his current executive role with the WWE.
2:00 AM ET
WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!
3:00 AM ET
WWE SUPERSTARS WWE Superstars features the best of the best, in matches you’ll have to see to believe. You never know what to expect, so expect everything.
4:00 AM ET
TOTAL DIVAS Ariane’s plan to hire Nikki as her real estate agent backfires, and Nattie and TJ face the harsh realities of getting a divorce.
5:00 AM ET
WCW MONDAY NITRO ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage puts the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Lex Luger. Sting and many more are featured.
6:00 AM ET
WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2015 A WWE Championship opportunity hangs in the balance as WWE Superstars try to climb the ladder of success at Money in the Bank.
9:00 AM ET
TOTAL DIVAS Ariane’s plan to hire Nikki as her real estate agent backfires, and Nattie and TJ face the harsh realities of getting a divorce.
10:00 AM ET
WWE BEYOND THE RING Packed with never before seen footage, this program profiles Triple H’s entire career as well as his current executive role with the WWE.
12:00 PM ET
TOUGH ENOUGH 40 finalists face a 3-day tryout to determine which 13 will earn the right to prove they are TOUGH ENOUGH.
1:00 PM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Strangest Bedfellows of all time!
2:00 PM ET
THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.
2:30 PM ET
WWE QUICK HITS WWE Quick Hits brings you some of the most unique, entertaining, and sometimes outrageous clips, unearthed from the depths of WWE Network.
3:00 PM ET
SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Edge Defends the WWE Championship against John Cena. Batista, Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley battle Mark Henry, Finlay, and King Booker.
4:30 PM ET
WARRIOR: THE ULTIMATE LEGEND Examine the most outspoken and intense superstar of all time in this revealing look about the career and final days of The Ultimate Warrior.
5:30 PM ET
THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.
6:00 PM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Strangest Bedfellows of all time!
7:00 PM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.
8:00 PM ET
SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Edge Defends the WWE Championship against John Cena. Batista, Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley battle Mark Henry, Finlay, and King Booker.
9:30 PM ET
WARRIOR: THE ULTIMATE LEGEND Examine the most outspoken and intense superstar of all time in this revealing look about the career and final days of The Ultimate Warrior.
10:30 PM ET
THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.
11:00 PM ET
SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Edge Defends the WWE Championship against John Cena. Batista, Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley battle Mark Henry, Finlay, and King Booker.