Mike Hayes, the OVW star and war veteran who was in the Tough Enough tryouts but didn’t make the final cut, is going to be hired by WWE after all.
The WWE released a video Thursday of WWE Senior Director of Talent Development Canyon Ceman telling Hayes that he will have an opportunity in WWE when he feels he’s ready and that the company always honors its word.
PWG has made these talent announcements for upcoming shows:
– 7/24 show: Akira Tozawa, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Jack Evans and Angelico
– For their annual Battle of Los Angeles: Mike Bailey, Chris Hero, Biff Busick, Mark Andrews, Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll and Timothy Thatcher.
Dana White on Twitter’s Periscope talked about the following Thursday:
– He predicted 1 million buys for the 7/11 PPV headlined by Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor.
– He said that he, Nick “The Tooth” Gallo, and Matt Serra will be going to Atlanta to film a reality TV show next week.
– He said the first heavyweight title contender for Fabricio Werdum would be either Andrei Arlovski or Stipe Miocic. He said that decision hasn’t been made yet, and that Junior Dos Santos is still injured from his previous fight with Miocic or he would have gotten the shot.
– He said Joe Rogan would be underdoing shoulder surgery shortly.
Ratings for last night’s shows:
– ROH at 8 p.m. 172,000 viewers
– TNA at 9 p.m. 347,000 viewers
– ROH at 10 p.m. 100,000 viewers
– TNA at 11 p.m. 102,000 viewers
Combined: 272,000 ROH | 449,000 TNA
By dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>Dave Meltzer
We’re looking for reports from tonight’s NXT tapings at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL at dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com
Smackdown tonight on Syfy at 8 p.m.
Dean Ambrose vs. Sheamus & Kane handicap match
Paige vs Brie Bella
Dolph Ziggler vs. Bo Dallas
Neville vs. Xavier Woods
Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro in a non-title match
Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus & Kane
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
Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show in the history of the site are at Sign up here for as low as $9.99 per month!
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com
You can also order at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
Rates are:
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.
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.
THURSDAY’S NEWS UPDATE
Johnny Gargano made a surprise appearance losing a great match to Uhaa Nation with a shooting star press. Not sure if this relates to an Evolve deal since Gargano is a regular.
There was a Dusty Rhodes tribute.
Hideo Itami said he’d be out 3-4 more months and challenged the winner of Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens in Tokyo on 7/4. Kevin Owens came out and Itami said Owens was a good champion but a terrible human being. Owens threatened Itami and Balor made the save and they brawled. Balor dove off the stage onto Balor. Rhino then laid out Balor and Owens escaped. (thanks to Devin Chen)
He rips on Hulk Hogan for being a fake hockey fan
Punk also apparently asked WWE to send the Blackhawks a belt after winning the Cup in 2013, but they said no because “no one watches hockey”
Mad Man Pondo vs. Yasufumi Nakanoue
Jason Kincaid vs. Kazma Sakamoto
Ray Lyn vs. Amber Lea vs. Crazy Mary Dobson (managed by Sonny Onoo)
AJ Istria & Rionne Fujiwara vs. Silencer & Deget Bundlez vs. Solo & Drolix (managed by Kevin Sullivan and Don West)
Masakatsu Funaki (with Onoo) vs. Rob Terry
Dylan Bostic vs. Shuji Kondo
Wes Brisco vs. Kai
Great Muta & ? vs. Moose & Onyx
Drew Galloway & Roderick Strong vs. Anthony Nese & Caleb Konley
Davey Richards vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Chris Hero vs. Trevor Lee
Rich Swann vs. Timothy Thatcher
Biff Busick vs. Andrew Everett
ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)
1990 – Suzuka Minami beat Aja Kong via DQ to win the All Pacific title, but Minami refused the belt because she didn’t win via pin or submission, plus Manami Toyota beat Yumiko Hotta to win the Grand Prix tournament.
1996 – Jushin Liger beat Dick Togo in Tokyo to win the British jr title
2004 – Shinya Hashimoto & Yoshiaki Fuijiwara beat Shiro Koshinaka & Takao Omori in Sendai to win the Zero-One IC tag titles
2006 – Erica (Aja Kong) & Margaret (Awesome Kong) beat Wataru Sakata & Ryoji Sai in Saitama to win the Hustle tag titles
2007 – Milano Collection A.T. beat Wataru Inoue in Tokyo to win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament
2012 – Takao Omori & Manabu Soya beat Joe Doering & Seiya Sanada in Tokyo to win the All Japan tag titles
2012 – Jimmy Susumu & Jimmy Kagetora beat BxB Hulk & Naoki Tanizaki and Kennichiro Arai & K-Ness to win the Open the Twin Gate tag titles
TODAY’S VIDEOS
WWE/NXT
Top 45 Moves Of Charlotte Flair
5/14/15 The Miz Schools The WWE Universe
6/15/15 Top 10 WWE RAW Moments
Triple H Gives Gabi a Reprieve-WWE #toughenough
Zamariah Loupe Gets A Second Chance During The Tryout-WWE #toughenough
6/15/15 WWE RAW “Fallout”-Michael cole Speaks On His Lawsuit Against Brock Lesnar
6/15/15 WWE RAW “Fallout”-Kevin Owens Explains His Attack On Machine Gun Kelly
6/15/15 WWE RAW “Fallout”-Every Rose Has Its Rosa
6/15/16 WWE RAW “Fallout”-Johnny Maziel Visits RAW In Cleveland
WWE Network: John Cena Discusses His Connection to Dusty Rhodes
Who Is Finn Balor?-Part One: WWE NXT 6/17/14
WWE Unfiltered With Renee Young Featuring Darren Young
Samoa Joe Wants More Of Kevin Owens: WWE.com Exclusive, 6/17/15
Kevin Owens Sets His Sights On John Cena’s Most Prized Possession: 6/17/15
MISC. STUFF
CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go (Episode 42)
Top Five Moves Of UltraMantis Black
Wrestleforce “Full Throttle” 2015 Control Center
Dad You Don’t Work, You Wrestle (Episode 124)
The Candice & Joey Show (Episode 119)
INDY TV SHOWS
Canadian Wrestling’s Elite T (Episode 122)
Imperial Wrestling Entertainment “Battlezone” TV (Episode 9)
West Virginia Championship Wrestling “Spotlight” TV (Episode 120)
West Coast Wrestling Connection TV (Episode 55)
6/13/15 NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling TV
Metro Pro Wrestling TV (Episode 139)
America’s Most Like Wrestling TV (Season 1, Episode 9)
Anarchy Wrestling TV (Episode 488)
3XWrestling “All-Stars Of The Midwest” TV (Episode 21)
Pro Wrestling Syndicate TV (Episode 24)
CWF Mid-Atlantic Wrestling “Worldwide” TV (Episode 5)
6/15/15 Snakepit Adelaide Pro Wrestling “Powerslam” TV
TNA
The Question Mark (Episode 13)
IMPACT Breakdown: Contract Singing For A #bell2bell World Title Contract Match
Tribute TO Dusty Rhodes-The American Dream Lives Forever
TODAY’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE (thanks to Bert Duckwall)
5:00 PM ET
WCW BEACH BLAST 1993 Sting and Dave Boy Smith face Big Van Vader and Sid Vicious. Ric Flair takes on Barry Windham. Dustin Rhodes faces Rick Rude.
8:00 PM 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.
9:00 PM ET
RAW FLASHBACK Dean Douglas challenges Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Title. King Mabel joins The Brother Love Show. Plus, Fatu, Sycho Sid, and more.
10:00 PM ET
CELEBRATING THE DREAM In honor of one of the most iconic and legendary figures in Sports Entertainment, WWE Network celebrates the life and times of Dusty Rhodes!
11:00 PM 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.
TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE 12:00 AM ET
RAW FLASHBACK Dean Douglas challenges Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Title. King Mabel joins The Brother Love Show. Plus, Fatu, Sycho Sid, and more.
1:00 AM ET
CELEBRATING THE DREAM In honor of one of the most iconic and legendary figures in Sports Entertainment, WWE Network celebrates the life and times of Dusty Rhodes!
2:00 AM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Strangest Bedfellows of all time!
3:00 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.
6:00 AM ET
WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!
7:00 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.
8:00 AM ET
THE WWE LIST Not everything can be found on Google. Shocking Title Changes gives rank to some of the most OMG Title Matches of all time!
8:30 AM ET
WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee sits down with Darren Young in this unfiltered and revealing conversation.
8:45 AM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES6/19/15Corey Graves hits up Austin, Texas for this year’s X Games!
9:00 AM ET
WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!
10:00 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.
11:00 AM ET
THE WWE LIST Not everything can be found on Google. Shocking Title Changes gives rank to some of the most OMG Title Matches of all time!
11:30 AM ET
WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee sits down with Darren Young in this unfiltered and revealing conversation.
11:45 AM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves hits up Austin, Texas for this year’s X Games!
12:00 PM ET
WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!
1:00 PM 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.
2:00 PM ET
THE WWE LIST Not everything can be found on Google. Shocking Title Changes gives rank to some of the most OMG Title Matches of all time!
2:30 PM ET
WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee sits down with Darren Young in this unfiltered and revealing conversation.
2:45 PM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves hits up Austin, Texas for this year’s X Games!
3:00 PM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.
4:00 PM 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.
6:00 PM 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.
7:00 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.
8:00 PM 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.
9:00 PM 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.
11:00 PM 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.
By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com
1933 – In Waterloo, Iowa; Joe Stecher beat George Vassell and Abe Kashey drew Bob Jessen.
1937 – In Kansas City; Everett Marshall beat Nanjo Singh to retain the World Title, Lou Thesz beat Warren Bockwinkel and Dan O’Connor drew Walter Podolak.
1943 – In St. Joseph, Missouri; Jim Londos beat Ronnie Etchison to retain World Title and Orville Brown beat Joe Dusek by dq.
1948 – At Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri; Bill Longson defeated Billy Watson by countout, Lou Thesz beat Frederick Von Schacht by dq,Sky-Hi Lee defeated Don McIntyre and Warren Bockwinkel beat Fritz Schnabel
1950 – Arjan Singh defeated Sandor Szabo to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1951 – Miguel Guzman defeated Wayne Martin for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title in Fort Worth, Texas
1964 – In Kansas City; Moose Evans beat Mongolian Stomper to retain the US Title by dq, Sonny Myers beat Harley Race 2 falls to 0 (first fall by dq), The Lawman drew Bob Geigel and Steve Bolus and Rocky Hamilton beat Bulldog Plechas and Baron Von Strauss
1966 – In a cage match, Dale Lewis beat Luke Brown and Reggie Parks & Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Mad Dog Vachon & Butcher Vachon in Omaha, Nebraska.
1968 – Dory Funk, Jr. & Terry Funk defeated Kurt & Karl Von Brauner to win the Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Title in San Angelo, Texas
1971 – Bruno Sammartino and Dominic DeNucci defeated The Mongols (Geeto and Bepo) for the WWF International Tag Team Title in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Colstello & Don Kent) won the WWA World Tag Team Title from Wilbur Snyder and Moose Cholak in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1972 – Enrique Vera defeated Raul Mata for the Mexico National Light Heavyweight Title.
1977 – Jimmy & Johnny Valiant defeated Moose Cholak & Paul Christy for the WWA World Tag Team Title in Indianapolis, Indiana; Hercules Ayala defeated Huracan Castillo to win the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title in Caguas, Puerto Rico
1978 – Dusty Rhodes defeated Dick Slater to win the NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Title in Miami, Florida
1980 – Bob Brown & Pat O’Connor defeated Takachiho (The Great Kabuki) & Pak Song for the NWA Central States Tag Team Title in Des Moines, Iowa.
1981 – Bob Sweetan & Terry Gibbs defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy & Michael Hayes) to win the vacant NWA Central States Tag Team Title in Kansas City, Kansas.
1982 – Ringo Mendoza & Cachorro Mendoza defeated Satanico & Espectro, Jr. for the Mexico National Tag Team Titlel In Denver, Colorado; AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan, In a non-title match; Rick Martel beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel, Tito Santana beat Ken Patera on a reverse decision dq and Pat Patterson beat Dennis Stamp
1983 – In Chicago, Illinois; Mad Dog Vachon beat Jerry Blackwell, Wahoo McDaniel & Jerry Lawler & Dick The Bruiser beat Nick Bockwinkel & Jesse Ventura & Blackjack Lanza, Greg Gagne beat Bobby Heenan and Ken Patera beat Jim Brunzelll; Jack and Jerry Brisco defeated Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood to win the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA World Tag Team Title in Greenville, South Carolina
1984 – Davey Boy Smith defeated Bad News Allen in Vancouver, British Columbia for the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title; Phil Hickerson & The Spoiler (Frank Morrell) defeated Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee.
1989 – The Marine Wolves (Suzuka Minami & Akira Hokuto) defeated Grizzly Iwamoto & Bison Kimura for the vacant WWWA World Tag Team Title in Tokyo, Japan.
1995 – Sting defeated Meng to win the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Title and The Renegade defeated Arn Anderson to win the WCW World Television Title at the Great American Bash in Dayton, Ohio.
1997 – Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita defeated Tomoko Watanabe & Kumiko Maekawa in Sapporo, Japan to win the WWWA World Tag Team Title.
2002 – Doug Williams defeated Justin Starr for the British Heavyweight Title in Southampton, England
2004 – Dr. Wagner, Jr. defeated Canek to win the UWA World Heavyweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico
2005 – CM Punk defeated Austin Aries to win the ROH Heavyweight Title in Morristown, New Jersey.
2006 – A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels defeated America’s Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) to win the NWA World Tag Team Title and Jeff Jarrett defeated champion Christian Cage, Abyss, Ron Killings and Sting in a King of the Mountain match to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title in Orlando, Florida.
ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe and ROH TV Champion Jay Lethal will be hyping Friday’s ROH ‘Best in the World’ PPV main event in separate interviews Thursday. The two face each other in a title vs. title match at New York City’s Terminal 5 with the show set to kick off at 8 PM EST.
Briscoe will do a live interview Thursday at 6 PM EST from Sandy Fork, Delaware, while Lethal will do his interview at 2:15 PM EST on Friday as part of his appearance on Sirius XM’s Busted Open show. Both can be seen for free on UStream or ROHWrestling.com.
Here’s the BITW promo video.
Photo: WWE.com
By Steve Khan, WrestlingObserver.com
– Air Date: June 18, 2015 (June 17 in Canada)
– Location: First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY
The Big News:
Sheamus pinned Roman Reigns in a tag-team main event.
Show Recap:
They aired the Dusty Rhodes graphic to applause from the crowd.
Sheamus came out, held up the Money in the Bank briefcase and asked, “How stupid do I look now?” Sheamus said he would be the next World Champion and no one could stand in his way. He replayed video of himself beating up Randy Orton last week on Raw. Sheamus said he would be champion, and acknowledged the possibility of going through Seth Rollins or Brock Lesnar.
Dean Ambrose came out to remind Sheamus that Ambrose beat him on Raw and that Roman Reigns would have the briefcase if not for Bray Wyatt. Ambrose said he could beat Sheamus again and give the contract to its rightful owner. Sheamus mocked Ambrose for not being able to win the big one, which is why he’s always stealing.
Sheamus put the briefcase down and challenged Ambrose to get it, but Kane interrupted. Kane was tired of Ambrose causing trouble so he made a 2-on-1 handicap match so they could take him out like they did Orton. Shouldn’t Kane, the director of operations, at least pretend to be playing fair?
Sheamus & Kane beat Dean Ambrose via DQ
Ambrose was all over them for about a minute but was knocked off the top rope by Kane and they double teamed him. Reigns’ music hit and they awaited his arrival, but Reigns came out through a different part of the crowd, jumped Kane from behind and ran off both guys.
Ambrose and Reigns stood together in the ring. Ambrose wasn’t selling his leg at all. Later, they announced a tag match for the main event.
Backstage, Renee Young asked Reigns and Ambrose about their upcoming match. Reigns ignored the question to threaten Bray Wyatt. Reigns said he doesn’t run, and Wyatt better find Reigns before Reigns finds him. Reigns walked away, so Renee tried to ask Dean a question but he blew her off and followed Reigns. This little bit by Reigns is exactly how he should be presented.
Brie Bella beat Paige via pinfall
The announcers explained that Nikki Bella isn’t at ringside because the Bellas wanted to prove that they don’t need help. With the referee distracted, Alicia Fox pushed Paige off the top rope, and Brie won with an X-Factor. Afterwards, Fox posed with both Bellas on the stage. Nothing match.
They replayed Kevin Owens powerbombing Machine Gun Kelly. They also showed Owens’ Twitter apology, explaining that The Authority made him apologize. Backstage, Renee asked Owens to explain why he powerbombed MGK. Owens said he already apologized, but acknowledged that it never would have happened if John Cena’s buddy MGK didn’t touch him first.
Renee asked why Owens didn’t defend his title against Dolph Ziggler. Owens said it didn’t matter, because he won anyway. Owens then made Renee repeat the fact that he beat Ziggler. Owens said he doesn’t need to pander like Cena, and likes it when guys earn a title shot.
Cesaro interrupted and said all he doesn’t see Kill Owens Kill, he hears Talk Owens Talk. He challenged Owens to a match and touched his chest, making it clear he touched Owens first, like MGK. Owens smirked. This was good.
Dolph Ziggler (w/ Lana) beat Bo Dallas via pinfall
They replayed Lana twisting her ankle, but of course she was walking around fine here. Bo told Lana that if he saw Ziggler’s dating profile pop-up, he’d swipe left and keep looking for a real man. He said somebody better would come along if she bo-lieves. Ziggler won quickly with a Zig-Zag. Lana kissed him and Rusev freaked out backstage.
Neville beat Xavier Woods (w/New Day) via pinfall
Woods immediately knocked Neville down with a forearm and stomped him at least 20 times in a row. Neville came back with a corkscrew plancha to the outside. Big E and Kofi Kingston were about to go after him, but the Prime Time Player ran out. After a quick brawl outside, Neville won with Red Arrow. This segment was a waste of time.
Seth Rollins came out and called himself the biggest star in the company, the champion and the future of the industry. Rollins said he’s always under intense scrutiny and everything he does gets magnified for the world to see. Indeed.
Rollins said he never gets thanked and all anyone wanted to know were his thoughts on Brock Lesnar. Rollins was shocked to see Lesnar, but he realized that this is what he needs. After beating Orton, Reigns and Ambrose, he needs to beat Lesnar to cement his legacy.
Rollins said Lesnar stepped into the ring on Raw but did nothing, because he remembers WrestleMania, and Rollins would’ve knocked Lesnar’s teeth down his throat if he tried something. Rollins ended by saying he’s looking forward to facing Lesnar at Battleground.
Backstage, Ambrose told Reigns he can’t wait to rip Sheamus’ stupid braids out of his face. Reigns wasn’t paying attention. Ambrose got his attention and told him not to worry about Bray. Reigns told Ambrose not to mention Bray. Reigns said they would take care of business tonight, and then Reigns needed to get home.
NXT Champion Kevin Owens beat Cesaro via pinfall – Non-Title
Cesaro hit a suicide dive and almost landed on his head. That was scary. He followed with a running uppercut. After a break, Cesaro battled out of a chinlock and hit a beautiful springboard uppercut. Owens came back with a tornado DDT, but Cesaro followed with a side Death Valley driver.
Owens used a release German and cannonball for two. Cesaro used uppercuts and a high dropkick, but Owens crotched him on the ropes and hit the pop-up powerbomb for the win. Good match.
They aired a segment called “Miz at the Movies” which consisted of Miz burying Big Show and his new movie. I was ready to hate this, but Miz was really good.
They announced that the Dusty Rhodes special will air again following SmackDown. Jerry Lawler said it was an honour to host it. Byron Saxton said Dusty had the ability to make everyone feel like they were the most important person in the room. They aired the tribute video.
Sheamus & Kane beat Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose via pinfall
The heels beat up Ambrose forever until Reigns made the hot tag. Ambrose took out Kane with a rebound clothesline, but was knocked out by Sheamus. Reigns hit Sheamus with a superman punch.
Bray Wyatt appeared on the screen singing “I’m a little teapot,” holding a picture of Reigns and his daughter. This distracted Reigns so Sheamus got him with a Brogue kick for the win.
After the match, Bray was on the screen laughing. He wished Reigns a happy Father’s Day and told him to run. The lights went out, and when they came back on, the picture of Reigns and his daughter was in the ring next to Roman. Reigns looked worried and the show ended.
Final Thoughts:
Owens and Cesaro was worth watching, but this was otherwise every SmackDown we’re used to seeing, and the quiet Buffalo crowd didn’t help.
RIP Dusty.
Just days after a tough luck split decision loss to Eddie Alvarez at this past Saturday’s UFC 188, former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will return to action in rapid fashion, signing ont o battle “Ragin’” Al Iaquinta at UFC Fight Night: San Diego on July 15th. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani broke the news Wednesday night.
Melendez (22-5) replaces Bobby Green who pulled out Wednesday due to an injury. He is just 1-3 in the UFC with losses to Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis in championship fights, and Alvarez on Saturday. His sole victory was a fight of the year candidate against Diego Sanchez last October.
The 28-year-old Iaquinta (12-3-1) has won four straight with three TKOs, and seven of his last eight overall. He got a lot of attention for his recent post-fight comments to the Virginia faithful after a tight split decision win over Jorge Masvidal.
The San Diego/Fox Sports One card features Frank Mir vs. Todd Duffee in the main event, Melendez vs. Iaquinta in the co-main event, Josh Thomson vs. Tony Ferguson, and Holly Holm vs. Marion Reneau.