Category: News

by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.com | Follow @davidbix

TV/major show notes:

The Tough Enough Competition Special premieres at 8:00 p.m. ET tonight on WWE Network showing the process of narrowing down the top 40 finalists to the actual reality show cast.

Fox Sports 2 has their block of the last three episodes of The Ultimate Fighter tonight starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.

WWE tapes SmackDown/Main Event tonight in Buffalo, New York. If you’re attending, please send a spoiler report to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

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The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with a detailed look at what made Dusty Rhodes such a uniquely gifted performer. Topics covered include:

* How his appeal differed from other superstar babyfaces.

* His underrated athleticism and in-ring working ability.

* His versatility on promos.

And much more. Plus, as always, we have  all of the usual reviews and international news.

Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the American, Canadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle. 

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Last week the big story was the tease of a Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania.  This week we have a double issue because of such a busy news week, with our lead story talks about the background of that promo and why the match isn’t happening.  We have the background of Austin, Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon, what led to the promo on the WWE Network, why Vince McMahon was unhappy about it, and what happened from there including Austin talking about the situation.

We also have the first look at the Wednesday night wrestling wars with ROH & TNA, an update on MMA in New York, coverage of one of UFC’s best shows in recent years, New Japan’s summer look at including the G-1 Climax and Super Juniors tournament along with a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, as well as full coverage of the Hall of Fame and the new season of Tough Enough.

The Latest Wrestling Observer: June 15, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Latest on Austin-Lesnar, Destination America, NY MMA

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!

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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.

Our lead story talks about Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar.  We look at Austin’s comments regarding what he said last week, we look at the background, we look at why Vince McMahon wasn’t happy about what happened, we look at what this seems to end speculation on, where the Texas death match comment came from and what we don’t know about the situation and why the book seems closed on the match.

We’ve got full details on the first week of both ROH & TNA together on Destination America.  We look at the audience for both groups, and what the quarter hours told about both groups.  We look at what the ratings seem to have indicated about both ROH and TNA and their audiences, as well as the next time this should be evaluated.

We also look at Money in the Bank, the WWE Network special on 7/4 from Japan with the lineup.  We also look at the rest of the tour, an idea floated for the Slammys, what Vince McMahon wants out of the live talk shows on the WWE network, update on Tyson Kidd, why the stock is rising, Dwayne Johnson entertainment news, how the Kevin Steen action figure triggered so many things, return of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, special guest on Raw next week, Austin signs a new deal, and lots of the recent WWE tryout camp.

We also look at the Jessicka Havok situation.

We also look at all the NXT and WWE house show notes and business notes from the past week.

We look at the new attempt to pass legislation in New York to legalize MMA, how this affects pro wrestling in the state as well as boxing, why MMA has to agree to certain things that are inherently unfair in a last ditch effort to get into the state.  We also look at a unique law regarding attendance at events in the bill, as well as what rules are in place to promote pro wrestling in New York.

We’ve got coverage of one of the year’s best events, Saturday’s UFC show in New Orleans.  We look at the record tied, the career of Dan Henderson, the career of Brian Ebersole, as well as business notes and full coverage of the show.

We also look at New Japan’s G-1 Climax tournament, who is in, who is out, what is says about current booking, the big shows on the tour, coverage of the show, prior winners, handicapping the tournament, why the winner is already planned out and how far in advance booking is, as well as the next few shows on New Japan World and the Dominion PPV show.

We also have coverage of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, why the interest level was down, business notes on the tournament, a look at the great finale match, as well as coverage of the final shows.  We also have a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, including the stars that build the division and the 1996 heyday period.

We’ve got full coverage of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremonies last month in Amsterdam, NY, with the awards, presentations, and a look at talent like Jumbo Tsuruta, Rick Martel, Vivian Vachon, Whipper Watson, Pedro Morales, The Freebirds and Curt Hennig.

We also look at the new season of Tough Enough, who was and wasn’t picked to be part of the show, notes on why the winners are going to have it tough and not winning may to advantageous, as well as notes and backgrounds of some of the people involved.

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:

–A look at this year’s Busca de un Idolo tournament’s first shows

–What happens in pro wrestling the night before UFC

–Problems between companies in Mexico regarding CMLL pulling talent

–Notes on Verano de Escandalo and U.S. iPPV and the card

–First notes on TripleMania

–What mach may be headlining this year’s TripleMania

–Upcoming AAA TV

–The debut of the three generations of green mist trio

–Dragon Gate two big shows coming this week

–All Japan’s big event for the week

–A tag team of stars from two different promotions has a long reign as tag champions gone

–More on the new Japan NOAH relationship and how this relates to the New Japan World service

–New Japan scouting talent in the U.S. this summer

–New Japan’s upcoming shows in Singapore

–Satoru Sayama health update

–Notes on the beginning shows of Global Force Wrestling

–Notes on the lineups and what is and isn’t important about these events

–Special celebrity guest added

–An unselfish act acts an aspiring pro wrestling career

–Another streaming service expected to start featuring 800 hours of a lost library

–Chris Hero’s three hour gauntlet match and full details

–Bill Goldberg talks about a potential pro wrestling farewell match and what could stand in the way

–Who Goldberg still keeps in touch with in wrestling

–Goldberg talks Brock Lesnar

–A look at the big show at Citifield in New York this past week

–A look at what TNA angle was revived on the show and how Goldberg fit in

–A.J. Styles vs. Lionheart match coverage, back story, and why the crowd was so hot

–Kris Travis talks return from cancer

–Tons of indie big show news

–A suspended senator in Canada participates in a pro wrestling show

–Early ROH champion moving into MMA

–Son of former Oregon star suspect in a beating death

–Wrestling star in talks for a national cable television show unique deal

–Update on the next ROH PPV

–A look at the weekend ROH events

–Why they did the Mickie James angle

–TNA gets another international deal

–UFC’s Labor Day weekend show announced

–Two new title fights announced

–Comparing Bader vs. Gustafsson as challengers for Cormier

–When Cormier is targeting his first title defense

–What Bader needs to do to get a title shot

–Update on Anderson Silva and his suspension hearing, as well as Nick Diaz

–Ben Rothwell accuses Cain Velasquez of PEDs and Velasquez responds

–Former UFC star gets TV major network announcing gig

–An interesting question that the courts may have to decide regarding UFC contract clause

–Lots of new UFC fights

–Notes on Shamrock vs. Kimbo

–The first head to be cut off in new stronger penalties for PED usage

–War Machine has court outburst

–TV martial arts star with pro wrestling ties in bad health

–Fighter comes back from nearly being stabbed to death to win a small promotion world title

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.

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Tuesday Daily Update

— TNA announced that after six years of dormancy, the King of the Mountain match will return at Slammiversary. For those who have forgotten all about King of the Mountain, it was TNA’s reverse aldder match gimmick with pnalty boxes and the winner being the wrestler who climbs the ladder and hangs the belt from a hook that’s dangling from the ceiling.

–– Dixie Carter also tweeted a photo of the new X Division title belt, which looks the old belt, just with diffrent coloring.

— Austin “Judas Devlin” Matelson has been announced as a cast member of the new season of Big Brother on CBS. His occupation is listed as “professional wrestler” and he’s probably best known as the former WWE developmental talent who published the letter that got the ball rolling on Bill DeMott’s demise in WWE. Speaking of which…

— Bill DeMott will be doing a seminar in Richmond, Virginia on August 8th and 9th with Mickie James and Magnus as his assistants. Yes, that Bill DeMott. It’ll be interesting to see how well this seminar does.

— Jerry Lawler gave an interview to Crave Online as part of the media tour for his DVD/Blu-Ray set. Much more detailed and hardcore fan friendly than you’d expect from a mainstream interview, with lots of discussion of ECW ripping off Memphis, Eddie Gilbert running him over on live TV in the WMC TV parking lot, the promotional war with the Poffo family’s ICW, and much more. Really good read for Memphis/Lawler fans.

— The Memphis Commrcial Appeal has an article about the interconnected goals of saving the Mid-South Coliseum and setting up some kind of Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame.

— Trevor Wittman, the coach/corner of Nate Marquardt who’s gotten a lot of praise for refusing to let him go out for a third round at UFC 188 on Saturday, was the subject of an interesting article by Steve Marocco at MMA Junkie. Apparently, he had tried to get the referee and commission inspectors’ attention for a corner stoppage with about a minute in the second round, but he was ordered off the cage apron by officials (unclear if they worked for the UFC or the commission) told him to go back to the floor because he was blocking fans’ view. Since some commissions frown on throwing in a towel, stepping onto the apron and/or trying to get an inpsector’s attention is the most commonly accepted way to get a corner stoppage called, but it didn’t work here. That’s not good.

— Jonathan Snowden has a great article at Bleacher Report about Ken Shamrock’s training camp for this Friday’s fight with Kimbo Slice. Even Shamrock’s old protege Petey Williams (not the Canadian Destroyer Petey Williams, the MMA Petey Williams) makes an appearanc after falling off the face of the planet for years.

— Spike.com has the entire “Finally: Kimbo vs. Shamrock” hype special for this Friday’s Bellator card.

— Dave has two new articles up at MMAFighting.com:

* His “Fortunes Changed for Five” postmortem running down what happened at UFC 188.

* An update on where the New York MMA legalization talks are going as we near the end of the legislative session.

— Rener and Ryron Gracie along with Brian Ortega did a Gracie Breakdown video of the three guillotine chokes at UFC 188 including Fabricio Werdum’s title win over Cain Velasquez. 

— Full schedule for the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame festivities in a few weeks:

Thursday, July 9 

5:30 p.m. – Reception at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum for inductees and all-access pass holders. Includes food, beverage, unveiling of original Rob Schamberger artwork, and unveiling of Jim Ross audio tour. (All-access pass holders and hall of fame inductees only).

Friday, July 10

9 a.m. – National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum opens to all-access pass holders.

11:30 a.m. – Impact Pro Wrestling evaluation with Gerald Brisco at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. (Free to all-access pass holders). Tickets available for $10 at the door.

2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – George Tragos and Lou Thesz scrapbooks available for viewing in the Dean Rockwell Library located inside the National Wrestling Hall Dan Gable Museum. First time ever on public display. (All-access pass holders only).

4 p.m. – Kurt Angle ring presentation and reception in the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. (All-access pass holders and banquet ticket holders only).

6 p.m. – Doors open to the Impact Pro Wrestling show at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

7 p.m. – Impact Pro Wrestling show starts at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. 

Saturday, July 10

9 a.m. to noon – Doors open at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum for all-access pass holders.

11:00 a.m. – Professional Wrestling team trivia contest hosted with special guest host for all-access pass holders. Team champion receives prize. (All-access pass holders only).

Noon – Doors open at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum to general public.

12:30 p.m. – Salute to the legacy of the Brisco brothers (includes panel discussion with professional wrestling legends) at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum.

1:30 p.m. – Autograph signing with professional wrestling legends at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. (All-access pass holders allowed to enter first).

5 p.m. – Hall of Fame reception at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

6 p.m. – Induction banquet at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

7 p.m. – Induction ceremony at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center with Jim Ross as master of ceremonies.

Sunday, July 20

9 a.m. – Special breakfast at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. (Lifetime members and Hall of Famers only).

12:00 AM ET
WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee sits down with Darren Young in this unfiltered and revealing conversation.

12:30 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!

1:00 AM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

2:00 AM ET
TUESDAY NIGHT TITANS Vince McMahon hosts Tuesday Night Titans with Lord Alfred Hayes. Guests include Captain Lou Albano, Barry Windham, and Mike Rotundo.

4:00 AM ET
PRIME TIME WRESTLING Join Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan for Prime Time Wrestling featuring King Kong Bundy, Davey Boy Smith, and many more!

6:00 AM ET
TOUGH ENOUGH 40 finalists face a 3-day tryout to determine which 13 will earn the right to prove they are TOUGH ENOUGH.

7:00 AM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

8:00 AM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Strangest Bedfellows of all time!

9:00 AM ET
TOUGH ENOUGH 40 finalists face a 3-day tryout to determine which 13 will earn the right to prove they are TOUGH ENOUGH.

10:00 AM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

11:00 AM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Strangest Bedfellows of all time!

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
MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

2:00 PM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Strangest Bedfellows of all time!

3:00 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.

4:00 PM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves hits up Austin, Texas for this year’s X Games!

4:15 PM ET
TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

5:00 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.

6:00 PM ET
WWE BEYOND THE RING Rey Mysterio: Life of a Masked Man features exclusive and candid comments from the Ultimate Underdog on his sports entertainment path!

7:30 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!

8:00 PM ET
WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!

9:00 PM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves hits up Austin, Texas for this year’s X Games!

9:15 PM ET
TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

10:00 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.

11:00 PM ET
WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!

By dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>Dave Meltzer

We’re looking for your thoughts on last night’s WWE Money in the Bank, AAA Verano de Escandalo and UFC 188, thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

We’re looking for reports no Raw tonight in Cleveland, which means lots of easy heat for Cavaliers mentions.  The show features the return of Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar, which means we’ll probably have an idea of where Lesnar is going for Battleground.

Smackdown and Main Event will be taped tomorrow night in Buffalo.

Last week the big story was the tease of a Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania.  This week we have a double issue because of such a busy news week, with our lead story talks about the background of that promo and why the match isn’t happening.  We have the background of Austin, Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon, what led to the promo on the WWE Network, why Vince McMahon was unhappy about it, and what happened from there including Austin talking about the situation.

We also have the first look at the Wednesday night wrestling wars with ROH & TNA, an update on MMA in New York, coverage of one of UFC’s best shows in recent years, New Japan’s summer look at including the G-1 Climax and Super Juniors tournament along with a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, as well as full coverage of the Hall of Fame and the new season of Tough Enough.

The Latest Wrestling Observer: June 15, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Latest on Austin-Lesnar, Destination America, NY MMA

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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.

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.

Our lead story talks about Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar.  We look at Austin’s comments regarding what he said last week, we look at the background, we look at why Vince McMahon wasn’t happy about what happened, we look at what this seems to end speculation on, where the Texas death match comment came from and what we don’t know about the situation and why the book seems closed on the match.

We’ve got full details on the first week of both ROH & TNA together on Destination America.  We look at the audience for both groups, and what the quarter hours told about both groups.  We look at what the ratings seem to have indicated about both ROH and TNA and their audiences, as well as the next time this should be evaluated.

We also look at Money in the Bank, the WWE Network special on 7/4 from Japan with the lineup.  We also look at the rest of the tour, an idea floated for the Slammys, what Vince McMahon wants out of the live talk shows on the WWE network, update on Tyson Kidd, why the stock is rising, Dwayne Johnson entertainment news, how the Kevin Steen action figure triggered so many things, return of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, special guest on Raw next week, Austin signs a new deal, and lots of the recent WWE tryout camp.

We also look at the Jessicka Havok situation.

We also look at all the NXT and WWE house show notes and business notes from the past week.

We look at the new attempt to pass legislation in New York to legalize MMA, how this affects pro wrestling in the state as well as boxing, why MMA has to agree to certain things that are inherently unfair in a last ditch effort to get into the state.  We also look at a unique law regarding attendance at events in the bill, as well as what rules are in place to promote pro wrestling in New York.

We’ve got coverage of one of the year’s best events, Saturday’s UFC show in New Orleans.  We look at the record tied, the career of Dan Henderson, the career of Brian Ebersole, as well as business notes and full coverage of the show.

We also look at New Japan’s G-1 Climax tournament, who is in, who is out, what is says about current booking, the big shows on the tour, coverage of the show, prior winners, handicapping the tournament, why the winner is already planned out and how far in advance booking is, as well as the next few shows on New Japan World and the Dominion PPV show.

We also have coverage of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, why the interest level was down, business notes on the tournament, a look at the great finale match, as well as coverage of the final shows.  We also have a history of the New Japan junior heavyweight division, including the stars that build the division and the 1996 heyday period.

We’ve got full coverage of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremonies last month in Amsterdam, NY, with the awards, presentations, and a look at talent like Jumbo Tsuruta, Rick Martel, Vivian Vachon, Whipper Watson, Pedro Morales, The Freebirds and Curt Hennig.

We also look at the new season of Tough Enough, who was and wasn’t picked to be part of the show, notes on why the winners are going to have it tough and not winning may to advantageous, as well as notes and backgrounds of some of the people involved.

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:

–A look at this year’s Busca de un Idolo tournament’s first shows

–What happens in pro wrestling the night before UFC

–Problems between companies in Mexico regarding CMLL pulling talent

–Notes on Verano de Escandalo and U.S. iPPV and the card

–First notes on TripleMania

–What mach may be headlining this year’s TripleMania

–Upcoming AAA TV

–The debut of the three generations of green mist trio

–Dragon Gate two big shows coming this week

–All Japan’s big event for the week

–A tag team of stars from two different promotions has a long reign as tag champions gone

–More on the new Japan NOAH relationship and how this relates to the New Japan World service

–New Japan scouting talent in the U.S. this summer

–New Japan’s upcoming shows in Singapore

–Satoru Sayama health update

–Notes on the beginning shows of Global Force Wrestling

–Notes on the lineups and what is and isn’t important about these events

–Special celebrity guest added

–An unselfish act acts an aspiring pro wrestling career

–Another streaming service expected to start featuring 800 hours of a lost library

–Chris Hero’s three hour gauntlet match and full details

–Bill Goldberg talks about a potential pro wrestling farewell match and what could stand in the way

–Who Goldberg still keeps in touch with in wrestling

–Goldberg talks Brock Lesnar

–A look at the big show at Citifield in New York this past week

–A look at what TNA angle was revived on the show and how Goldberg fit in

–A.J. Styles vs. Lionheart match coverage, back story, and why the crowd was so hot

–Kris Travis talks return from cancer

–Tons of indie big show news

–A suspended senator in Canada participates in a pro wrestling show

–Early ROH champion moving into MMA

–Son of former Oregon star suspect in a beating death

–Wrestling star in talks for a national cable television show unique deal

–Update on the next ROH PPV

–A look at the weekend ROH events

–Why they did the Mickie James angle

–TNA gets another international deal

–UFC’s Labor Day weekend show announced

–Two new title fights announced

–Comparing Bader vs. Gustafsson as challengers for Cormier

–When Cormier is targeting his first title defense

–What Bader needs to do to get a title shot

–Update on Anderson Silva and his suspension hearing, as well as Nick Diaz

–Ben Rothwell accuses Cain Velasquez of PEDs and Velasquez responds

–Former UFC star gets TV major network announcing gig

–An interesting question that the courts may have to decide regarding UFC contract clause

–Lots of new UFC fights

–Notes on Shamrock vs. Kimbo

–The first head to be cut off in new stronger penalties for PED usage

–War Machine has court outburst

–TV martial arts star with pro wrestling ties in bad health

–Fighter comes back from nearly being stabbed to death to win a small promotion world title

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.

MONDAY’S NEWS UPDATE

• Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw as well as the latest news and taking e-mail questions that you can send to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
• Really sad story from Josh Alexander about having to retire and needing neck fusion surgery.  I just saw Josh Alexander & Ethan Page wrestle the Young Bucks in February at PWG and they had a hell of a match.  He’s going to do a final match on 7/12 in Hamilton,ONT teaming with Ethan Page against Scotty O’Shea & Alessandro Del Bruno for Alpha 1 Wrestling.
• There are expected to be more references to Dusty Rhodes on the show tonight and they’ll be pushing a documentary on Rhodes that will air on the WWE Network tonight.
• WWE announced a date in Toronto on 9/25.
• NXT will be doing shows a the Louder than Life Festival in Louisville on 10/3 and 10/4.
• UFC has announced an 8/23 show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira in the main event.  It will be the UFC debut in Saskatoon, a city that was, per capita, among their best on PPV a few years back.
• WWE was the fourth most searched for topic yesterday on Google at 200,000 searches, which is the usual level for a B PPV show.  It was behind Game of Thrones (2 million) and E 3 (1.2 million) and Oak Island, NC (200,000).
• On Twitter, the lists relating to wrestling and MMA were Money in the Bank at 309,000, Fabricio Werdum at 12,200 and Sheamus at 30,500.
• There were a lot of problems with the AAA iPPV feed last night, even after the show.  It kept me from watching the show.  I did start to watch some this morning and the problems had cleared up.  Because of interviewing people on Dusty Rhodes, I didn’t really have time to get through the show.
• Tickets for the 8/8 UFC show in Nashville headlined by Ovince Saint Preux vs. Glover Teixeira go on sale Wednesday to Fight Club members, Thursday will be the Internet password ticket sales and they go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time to the public.  The other top fights are Michael Johnson vs,. Beneil Dariush and Sara McMann vs. Amanda Nunes.
• Nate Marquardt said he is not retiring after his loss to Kelvin Gastelum Saturday night in Mexico City. 
• There will be another PBC show on NBC on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. with Adrien Broner (30-1, 22 knockouts) vs. Shawn Porter (25-1-1, 16 knockouts) and Errol Spence Jr. (16-0, 13 knockouts) vs. Robert Garcia (37-3, 23 knockouts).  Broner is coming off a win on the 3/7 NBC show.  NBC Sports Network will air the pregame show at 1 a.m. tonight and again at midnight on Wednesday.
• Spike will air two different Countdown to Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock shows in prime time on Wednesday, a first-run show at 8 p.m. as well as a replay of their face-to-face show taped in St. Louis at 9 p.m.
• UFC has just announced a deal with Titan Fighting Championships with every Titan Fighting Championships show airing live on Fight Pass with a debut on 7/18 with a 12 fight show headlined by former UFC fighters Mike Ricci vs. Pat Healy and Kurt Holobaugh vs. Andre Harrison.  The entire Titan library of 33 shows will also be uploaded on Fight Pass in upcoming months..
• WWE stock rose slightly today, going up seven cents per share to $15.63.
• The back issue of the Observer today covers Buff Bagwell breaking his neck on live TV and the now famous DX invades Nitro episode of Raw with a funny story about what happened after.
• WWN has put a 2005 DVD release called “Dream” hosted by Dusty Rhodes up on their Free Preview Channel on the WWN Roku Channel.
• Paragon Pro Wrestling announced it would debut on POP TV, which is the former TV Guide Channel, on 7/4, every Saturday morning at 6 a.m.  PPW will include Gangrel, Tyshaun Prince, Wes Brisco and Jessy Sorensen.
• Elite British Wrestling from Friday night in Sheffield, England before 200 fans:  Mark Sanders b Antonio Thomas, Sam Goodison NC El Ligero, Caleb Crow & Joey D won four-way tag, John Green b King Dangerous, Kris Travis also worked on the show in the opener.
• Ranarchyon 6/20 for ECCW in Port Coquitlam, BC at the Leigh Square Elks Hall #49.
• PWA on 7/18 at the Alpine Club in Kitchener, ONT with Bushwhacker Luke Williams, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Carlito.
• PWA on 6/20 in Welland , ONT at the Rose Festival.
• CHIKARA from yesterday in Indianapolis:  Ultramantis Black & Obariyon& Kodama b Jervis Cottonberry & Los Ice Creams, Heidi Lovelace b Argus, Max Smashmaster & Flex Rumblecrunch & Jaka b Silver Ant & Frightmare & Blind Rage, Eddie Kingston b Drew Gulak, Icarus & Dasher Hatfield & Mark Angelosetti b Amasis & Worker Ant II & Ashley Remington, Ophidian & Shynron b Jakob Hammermeier & Soldier Ant, Hallowcked b Oleg the Usurper, Fire Ant & Race Jaxon & Hype Rockwell b Juan Francisco de Coronado & Boar of Moldova & Prakish Sabar (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
• Vendetta Pro Wrestling from Friday night in Santa Maria, CA:  Sunami won over Vintage Dragon and Ricky Ruffin, Shane & Shannon Ballard b Mike Rayne & Mike Menace, Matt Riviera b Brian Kendrick to keep the Western States Heritage title, Lil Cholo b Rik Luxury.  Next show has them back on 8/8 in a hair vs. hair match with special ringside enforcer King Mo Lawal.
• Court Bauer talks Dusty Rhodes at www.MLWradio.com from his start in the 60s until the present time.
• Pro Wrestling All-Stars from Saturday night in Roseville, MI:  Necro Butcher b N8 Mattson, Chuck Stein & Atlas Hytower b Darrell Jackson & Jamal King, Rod Street won three-way over Owen Travers and Whip O’Doyle, Zach Gowen on Battle Royal (thanks to Leonard Brand)
• Entourage was No. 1 at the box office in Australia for the second straight weekend.  In that country, San Andreas was No. 4.
• Premier Wrestling returns on 9/19 to San Jose, CA at Del Mar High school.
• Daniel Bryan interview, done before the death of Dusty Rhodes, talking about Dusty Rhodes
• Dusty Rhodes’ final interview, done Monday night for the Two Man Power Trip podcast
• A look at the Hulk Hogan movie Suburban Commando

TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE

12:06 AM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR The strategies that helped Eric Bischoff build WCW would hasten the decline of both he and his company.

1:06 AM ET
FIRST LOOK A First Look to watch exclusive content from WWE Home Video’s latest release, Daniel Bryan – Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!

1:36 AM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves jumps into horse racing, gambling, the legendary infield, and much more at The Preakness on this episode of Culture Shock!

1:51 AM ET
WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young chats with the King of the Ring Bad News Barrett, discussing everything from music, marine biology and everything in between!

2:06 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!

3:06 AM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR The strategies that helped Eric Bischoff build WCW would hasten the decline of both he and his company.

4:06 AM ET
FIRST LOOK A First Look to watch exclusive content from WWE Home Video’s latest release, Daniel Bryan – Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!

4:36 AM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves jumps into horse racing, gambling, the legendary infield, and much more at The Preakness on this episode of Culture Shock!

4:51 AM ET
WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young chats with the King of the Ring Bad News Barrett, discussing everything from music, marine biology and everything in between!

5:06 AM ET
TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

6:00 AM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

7:00 AM ET
TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

8:00 AM ET
TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

9:00 AM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

10:00 AM ET
TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

11:00 AM ET
TOTAL DIVAS What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

12:00 PM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

1:00 PM ET
THE WWE LIST Whether it’s winning the Diva’s Championship, or posting a very flattering photos on Twitter… These Divas do it all to stay trending.

1:30 PM ET
WWE BEYOND THE RING Rey Mysterio: Life of a Masked Man features exclusive and candid comments from the Ultimate Underdog on his sports entertainment path!

3:00 PM ET
TOUGH ENOUGH In the pursuit to become a WWE Superstar, eight hopeful athletes compete for a million dollar WWE Contract and find out who is Tough Enough!

4:00 PM ET
WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee sits down with Darren Young in this unfiltered and revealing conversation.

4:30 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!

5:00 PM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

6:00 PM ET
WWE BEYOND THE RING Straight to the Top: The Money in the Bank Anthology presents the lineage of this epic match!

8:00 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.

9:00 PM ET
WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee sits down with Darren Young in this unfiltered and revealing conversation.

9:30 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!

10:00 PM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR Backstage politics, corporate mergers, and questionable decisions would doom sports entertainment’s former powerhouse.

11:00 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.

The following is from a third party:

Former multi-time TNA X-Division and Tag Team Champion and one half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions “The Addiction” Christopher Daniels joined “Multi-time Award Winning” the Rack Thursday Night. In a nearly 20 minute interview, he discussed his upcoming dream match with Frankie Kazarian versus AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, if there is pressure on them to make this dream match great, if he’s happy for Samoa Joe and his recent signing with WWE, if we can ever expect to see himself in the WWE, does he feel it’s more fun in Ring of Honor this time around and if they have more freedom within Ring of Honor than they did in TNA, ROH’s deal with Destination America and if it’s weird to be the lead in for TNA Impact Wrestling, who he’d like to face within Ring of Honor, his thoughts on Spider-Man making it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe plus his views on Avengers: Age of Ultron and so much more.

His upcoming dream tag team match with Kazarian vs AJ Styles and Samoa Joe:

“Absolutely. We’ve traveled together; myself, Frankie, Joe and AJ, in one way, shape or form, the four of us have traveled and shared locker rooms for more than a decade but this will be the first time, and now the only time, all four of us will have ever been in the same match. So, I know I’m looking forward to it, Frankie is looking forward to it and I know that, more importantly, the Ring of Honor fan base is looking forward to it.”

Is there any pressure on them to make this a good match:

“Yeah, definitely that; I think the pressure that is there is self-inflicted. We know what we are capable of, Frankie and I know how good of a tag team we are and we know that despite that Joe and AJ don’t really tag much together or aren’t considered a full time tandem, we know how good they are as well, so I know how good we can make this match. So, any pressure we have is completely self-inflicted and self-imposed by us. We want to go out there and make a match that people are going to remember for years and I think there’s definitely, now that Joe’s future is more concrete, it’s good to know that this will be the last Ring of Honor match that he’ll have and it’s a way for the three of us to send him off.”

Is he happy for Samoa Joe signing with the WWE:

“I’m thrilled for him, I’m happy for him and I’m glad that he’s sort of paving a way for a lot of different people, I think; in the next year or so, there’s going to be a lot of people that are modeling that same leap and, truthfully, Joe wasn’t the first one. When Kevin Owens went to the WWE, or when Finn Balor went to the WWE, I feel like there’s a lot more guys that will be brought to the WWE, either through NXT or directly to the main roster. I think there’s going to be a lot of guys who’ve been on the independents that have been honing their craft for a while and will finally get that opportunity to be there. So, I’m thrilled for him, Joe’s been one of my best friends for a long time and you can’t help but to be happy and be proud of someone who has worked as hard as he has to finally get that opportunity to show the world, on the main stage, what kind of professional wrestler he is.”

Will we ever see The Fallen Angel in the WWE:

“I’ve never said never; right now I’m full-time committed to Ring of Honor but I don’t know what the future holds in terms of that. All I can say is wait and see.”

His thought of Kevin Owens and his transition to the WWE:

“I think he’s doing just fine. I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who debuted on the WWE main roster as successfully as he had in the past 10 years I think. I mean, name anyone whose first WWE match, main roster match, was a pinball victory over John Cena; I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone, other than Kevin, who does that.”

Does he feel he had more freedom in the ring with Ring of Honor over TNA:

“I think so. I think both Frankie and I, both of us, have been given the freedom to do what we do best and especially in the past few months with the angle with the KRD and what’s happened with us and the World Tag Team Championships, I feel like we’re finally able to show what we do best and with such a deep tag team roster like ReDRagon and the Young Bucks and Roppongi Vica and The Decade, there’s a lot of fresh matches for us as the Tag Team Champions and us as heels again. I feel that there are a lot of possibilities for great match-ups and I’m looking forward to all of them.

For the Best in the World Pay Per View, (we have) a No-Disqualification Match; we’ve had a lot of matches with ReDRagon already, but I feel like that the story has turned with us as the Champions, I feel that there’s a whole new chapter we can write and those guys are one of the best tag teams in the world and I feel like we are a great antagonist for those guys, so no matter what happens on June 19th, I feel like there’s a lot more we can do with the with story as well between The Addiction and ReDRagon.”

His thought on ROH’s deal with Destination America and if he is excited with the news: “Absolutely, I feel that one of the things that I wanted to see happen in coming back to Ring of Honor was, as strong as the syndication with Sinclair has been, I felt that one of the difficulties was trying to tell people a set uniform time and date that Ring of Honor could be on. Usually, you’d say ‘check your local listings’ but now we can tell people, if you want to watch Ring of Honor, go to Destination America on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm. So, I feel like we’ve opened up a lot of new eyes to our product in addition to the amount of eyes we had through syndication, I just feel like this opened up more doors for us and gets a lot more people aware of us and that’s definitely a great thing for Ring of Honor.”