Category: News

By Missy Hyatt

I was so glad that I saw Dusty Rhodes in October 2013 at Legends Of The Ring. It would be the last time I saw Dusty and my long time friend in Scott Epstein. It was the ten minutes that I spent with Dusty, which was a culmination of a life time of memories as a fan, wrestling talent, and a fan to this day that made the trip worth it for me. Dusty was a head line autograph guest. I went to say hi to Dusty. Keep in mind this is a man that that I watched as a fan off of Georgia Championship Wrestling and Championship Wrestling From Florida as a teenager. I was around him when I worked the gimmick table for Championship Wrestling From Florida when they ran shows in Tallahassee. Dusty always had something for me to do as on air talent when he was a booker in WCW from 1991-1993.

Dusty stopped the line for ten minutes to give me a hug and to talk to me. I thanked him for everything he did for my career. A young fan griped about Dusty stopping to sign autographs to speak to me. Dusty in the manor that only Dusty could talk would say something to the effect “If Missy wants to talk to me, than everybody can wait”.  I sent the photo of myself and Dusty to my good friend Rob Naylor. He emailed me that he loved the pic. I love how Dusty was very influential to my career and even mentored me. Fast forward twenty years later and he did the same for my friend, Rob Naylor.

Dusty touched people’s lives as talent. He made stars out of so many people. He influenced several generation of wrestlers. He still had an influence on the NXT crew. The wrestling business will forever be better off for having Dusty.

When I lived in Tampa, I was a few minutes from the old white painted Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. I always had a smile when I passed by, since Dusty used to pack the building and it will forever be known for it.

I will always love Dusty for allowing me to work for Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987 after my failed WWE stint. I had zero confidence. Dusty rebuilt my self esteem and allowed me to conduct interviews for the TBS World Championship Wrestling Sunday Night show. Those interviews at Techwood Studio was the same studio in which I attended Georgia Champiomship Wrestling TV tapings as a teenager on my wrestling road trips when I was in high school.

Dusty booked me against Paul Heyman for six months in 1991, probably more to amuse himself with Heyman verbally ripping me to shreds and my retaliation with potatoes during our matches. Regardless, he always had a segment, skit, booking idea for myself. Dusty had faith in me as talent and I will always love him for that.

I will take most of Dusty’s 1984-1988 booking run as some of the greatest wrestling television that I ever seen. Even to this day, I still love watching Dusty’s booking from that era in which it focused heavily around The Four Horsemen, Magnum TA, Rock N Roll Express, Nikita Koloff, Midnight Express, and so many others.

Thank you Dusty for being an influential person in my life, entertaining me as a fan, and always having a place in the wrestling business for myself. My sympathy goes to Shelly, Dustin, Cody, and anybody that loved Dusty.

Please pardon my grammar and typos. I wrote this from the heart.

Missy Hyatt

1st. Lady Of Wrestling

The Destination America numbers for last night were slightly up from week, with TNA up 9% mostly on the first show, and ROH up 10%, entirely due to the replay show.

8 p.m. ROH 161,000 viewers

9 p.m. TNA 330,000 viewers

11 p.m. ROH 138,000 viewers

Midnight TNA 74,000 viewers

The Destination America numbers for Wednesday were slightly up from week, with TNA up 9% mostly on the first show and ROH up 10% entirely due to the replay show.

– 8 p.m. ROH 161,000 viewers
– 11 p.m. ROH 138,000 viewers

Total: 299,000 viewers

– 9 p.m. TNA 330,000 viewers
– Midnight TNA 74,000 viewers

Total: 404,000 viewers 

By dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>Dave Meltzer

Smackdown tonight on Syfy:

Ryback vs. The Miz non-title
Jack Swagger vs. King Barrett
Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler non-title
Paige vs. Alicia Fox
Roman Reigns & Randy Orton & Neville vs. Sheamus & Kane & Kofi Kingston

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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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)

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*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)

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*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)

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*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

• We’ve got a ton of stuff up on the front page on Dusty Rhodes.  Rob Naylor and I spent nearly an hour reminiscing about Dusty Rhodes with all kinds of stories from all through his career, from his turn in Florida, the heyday is Georgia, JCP and his recent work at the Performance Center with WWE talent.  Dusty was a captivating larger than life individual.  He had a hand in so many lives whether they were people he worked with or fans from the 70s and 80s when he was one of the top stars in the business.  He was an amazing character and there’s a lot of good, and some bad, that can be said, but we all owe so much to him and in big ways and little ways, it is amazing how much we were all influenced by him, right down to my son and his best friend who are named Cody and Dusty.
• Dusty Rhodes is the No. 2 most searched term in the U.S. today with 200,000, behind only Christopher Lee.  On Twitter, the only trends at this writing from pro wrestling and MMA were Dusty Rhodes (174,000), and Invicta (274).
• The big event with a reunion of the stars of Florida wrestling, as well as people like Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns and Kofi Kingston from WWE, was to take place tonight at the Jewish Community Center in Tampa, the former Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, which housed some of Rhodes’ most famous matches.  The event starts at 6:30 p.m. tonight.   
• Chip Caray and Joe Simpson on today’s Atlanta Braves baseball game mentioned the death of Dusty Rhodes and were very positive about he and wrestling.  The Braves and Georgia Championship Wrestling, with Rhodes as the top star, really built TBS as a national station.
• Ric Flair’s statement on Rhodes’ death:
• “Today I lost one of my greatest opponents and greatest friends.  He was the definition of heart and soul and I’m honored to have shared the ring with him countless times.  He became the American Dream because wrestling needed a hero they could respect, and he was the man for the job.  Dusty Rhodes, I will miss you my mentor and friend.”
• A big story from Mexico was that Cain Velasquez refused to shake Fabricio Werdum’s hand yesterday at breakfast for Werdum calling him a fake Mexican.  Werdum later said that Velasquez was a great representative of Mexican fans, but that he just meant he was American, not Mexican, and I think blamed it all on Luke Rockhold for whatever reason.
• TNA Slammiversary will be carried on the Fliipps app live on 6/28 for $39.95.  As noted earlier this week, the ROH show on 6/19 will also be on the Flipps app.
• Names cut as of yesterday from Tough Enough were:

Carly Marshall due to a knee injury

Kevin Penczek

Jason Vazquez

Ava Knight-Salicka

Lorenzo Davis II

Adam Ohriner

Krishany San Jorge

Philip Guilford

• Ohringer was the Big O from Zack Ryder’s old show, who was once on TNA Gut Check.  He was, along with Mike Hayes, one of the two most recognizable names of the 40 because he had experience in and around wrestling for years.
• In regards to the story in the new issue of the Observer on why WWE is looking at getting word out to prospective wrestlers that they aren’t going to be interested in talent that appears going forward in TNA and ROH, that also includes WWE at least talking about a deal with WWNLive (Evolve).  As noted on last night’s radio show, the deal was not signed, at least as of yesterday afternoon and could easily fall through.  Until the deal is completed, it’s not fully known what the deal would entail past obviously some form of a working relationship.
• Here are notes for weekend UFC television.
• UFC 188 weigh-ins are at 7 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow on FS 2.  Karyn Bryant, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping and Ariel Helwani are hosts.
• Prelims are on FX, not FS 1, at 8 p.m. Saturday night.
• On the version of Impact that aired in Canada last night on The Fight Network, they forgot to send the commentary track.  It was described as like watching a spot show on New Japan World. (thanks to Paul Fontaine)
• WWE stock fell 60 cents a share today to $15.37 after a lot of growth the past two weeks.
• NBC Sports Network will be airing the U.S. trials in wrestling for the world championships on Sunday at 7 p.m.
• Lana from WWE appeared as a celebrity guest at the CMT Awards.
• Jessica Aguilar, the WSOF strawweight champion who many considered the best in the world at that weight, debuts on the 8/1 UFC show in Rio de Janeiro against Claudio Gadelha.  Most likely the winner will get a title shot coming out of this match.
• Another new UFC fight announced is Marcio Alexandre Jr. vs. George Sullivan, this taking place on 7/12 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, the day after a big PPV show.
• Absolution X on 7/10 in Cleveland at the Ohio City Masonic Arts Center with Young Bucks & Johnny Gargano & Josh Prohibition & Alex Daniels vs Samoa Joe & Ethan Carter III & DJ Zema Ion & Raymond Rowe & Matt Cross in a street fight, Josh Alexander vs. Rickey Shane Page, Tim Donst vs. Nick Gage, Eddie Kingston vs. Ethan Page I Quit match, Davey Vega vs B.J. Whitmer for Intense title, Veda Scott vs. Athena plus Chris Sabin, Cedric Alexander, Louis Lyndon, Flip Kendrick and Candice LaRae wrestle, and an appearance of Vader.
• Lance Archer & Chris Masters headline on 6/28 for Future Stars of Wrestling at the Silverton Casino in Las Vegas.
• All Pro Wrestling at the Bayshore Community Center (across from the Cow Palace) in San Francisco tomorrow night headlined by MVP vs. Willie Mack, Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Marcus Lewis, JR Kratos vs. Jeff Cobb, plus Candice LaRae, Timothy Thatcher, Joey Ryan, Dylan Drake, Jody Kristofferson and more.  I was thinking of going to this show but the Dusty thing throws a monkey wrench in that plan.
• In what is notable years later, Australian historian Graeme Cameron noted to us that on June 10, 1966, at Sydney Stadium, Harley Race beat Nick Bockwinkel in a match which was actually to set up a tag match with Larry Hennig & Race vs. Bockwinkel & Bill Dromo.  A decade later, Race and Bockwinkel were NWA and AWA champions, each with multi-year runs.
• Smash Wrestling on 7/19 in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Centre with Matt Cross vs. Tarik in an I Quit match and Chris Hero vs. Rich Swann.
• Rock Solid Wrestling on 8/15 in MacTier, ONT at the MacTier Memorial Arena with Cody Deaner headlining.
• Squared Circle Live on 7/12 in Etobicoke, ONT at the Royal Canadian Legion
• The Crash promotion on 7/3 in Tijuana has La Parka & Psycho Clown vs. Parka Negra & Zorro
• CMLL from Monday night in Puebla:  Demus 3:16 & Mini Jocker & Sauron b Astro & Mini Fantasy & Shockercito, Asturiano & Magnus & Rey Samuray b Disturbio & Fuerza Chicana & Policeman, Fuego & Titan & Triton b Cancerbero & King Jaguar & Raziel, Euforia & Gran Guerrero & Ultimo Guerrero b Atlantis & Marco Corleone & Maximo, Dragon Rojo Jr. & Polvora & Rey Escorpion b Mistico & Valiente & Volador Jr. (thanks to Kris Zellner)
• Orlando Pro Wrestling from Tuesday night in Orlando:  Lince Dorado b Slade Porter, Chico Adams b Joey Mayberry, Chasyn Rance b Li Bryan, Santana Garrett b Shaniah to keep NWA womens’ title, Aaron Epic b Ace Andrews, Tyranus & Night Stalker & Dalton Murphy & Rex Bacchus b Gabriel Black & Bobby Fonta & Josh Parker & Russell Payne, Rhett Giddins b Mark Silva.  Next show is Saturday night at 8 p.m. at the Team Vision Dojo in Orlando. (thanks to Al Haft)
• Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 6/27 at 6:30 p.m. in Columbus, IN at JD Byrider’s lot is a canned food drive for the loacal food banks.  Admission is six cans of food.  Be sure to bring your own lawn chair.
• Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore on 7/18 in Toronto at the Ted Reeve Arena with Young Bucks, Team 3-D, Johnny Mundo, Rhino, Tommy Dreamer, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian, Tony Nese, Eddie Kingston, Thea Trinidad, Matt Taven, Michael Bennett, Maria Kanellis, Tomasso Ciampa and the return as a farewell to wrestling of Traci Brooks.
• World Pro Wrestling on AXS has announced its TV coverage of the greatest tournament in pro wrestling history, the 2014 G-1 Climax:

June 26 – Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Katsuyori Shibata plus highlights of Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomoaki Honma and A.J. Styles vs. Kazuchika Okada

July 3 – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata plus highlights of Yuji Nagata vs Shinsuke Nakamura, Tetsuya Naito vs. A.J. Styles and Kazuchika Okada vs. Karl Anderson

July 10 – Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada plus highlights of Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale and Tomoaki Honma vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

July 17 – Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tomohiro Ishii plus highlights of Minoru Suzuki vs. A.J. Styles and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Hirooki Goto

July 24 – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura plus highlights of Tomoaki Honma vs. Katsuyori Shibata and Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi

July 31 – Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki plus highlights of Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bad Luck Fale, A.J. Styles vs. Togi Makabe and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

August 7 – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. A.J. Styles

August 14 – Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kazuchika Okada

All of these shows are great.  July 17 has two match of the year candidates and the other shows almost all have at least one.

• Pro Wrestling Eclipse on Friday in Oshawa, ONT at the Legion 471 at 2 p.m.
• Pure Wrestling Association on 7/5 in Dundas, ONT at the Hamilton Air Force Association Hall.
• The BBC talks Lucha Libre

ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)

1973 – Masked Lee & Sandy Parker beat Jumbo Miyamoto & Mariko Akagi in Sasebo to win the WWWA tag titles

1976 – Umanosuke Ueda beat Rusher Kimura in Ibaragi to win the IWE title

1977 – Rollerball Mark Rocco beat Bert Royal in Manchester to win the British heavy middleweight title

1980 – Alan Dennison beat Jim Breaks in London to win the British welterweight title

1981 – Takashi Ishikawa & Akio Sato beat David & Kevin Von Erich in Tokyo to win the All-Asia tag titles

TODAY’S PRO WRESTLING VIDEOS

WWE

6/8/15 WWE RAW “Fallout”:  The Big Dog Owns The Yard

6/8/15 Top Ten WWE RAW Moments

WWE Canvas 2 Canvas-Rhyno Gores Through The Canvas

6/10/15 Emotional Rusev Crashes Lana’s Interview

MISC. STUFF

Top 5 Moves Of Oleg The Usurper

Bobby Roode On “The Apter Chat”

Dean Malenko On “The Apter Chat”

Jake “The Snake” Roberts On “The Apter Chat”

CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go (Episode 419)

Dad You Don’t Work, You Wrestle (Episode 123)

AnarchyPro “Internet Beatdown” (Webisode 12)

FULL WRESTLING SHOWS

5/16/15 APW Live

4/18/15 CWF Mid-Atlantic Wrestling’s “High Tension” Live

TNA

The Question Mark (Episode 11)

What Does Rockstar Spud Think His Chances Are Of Winning The World Title?

Kenny King And MVP Talk About Bringing the X Division Title Back To The BDC

Brooke Comments On Being First To Defeat A Dollhouse Member

A Look At The X Division Qualifying Matches At #DestinationX

LUCHA UNDERGROUND

Outside With Vampiro:  Linda Vista Community Hospital

INDY TV SHOWS

West Virginia Championship Wrestling TV (Episode 231)

Premiere Wrestling Experience TV (Episode 1)

Premiere Wrestling Experience TV (Episode 2)

Premiere Wrestling Experience TV (Episode 3)

Covey Pro Wrestling TV (Episode 209)

West Coast Wrestling Connection TV (Episode 54)

Pro Wrestling Syndicate TV (Episode 23)

5/22/15 Future Stars Of Wrestling “High Octane” TV

Anarchy Wrestling TV (Episode 487)

America’s Most Liked Wrestling TV (Season 1, Episode 8)

GLOBAL FORCE WRESTLING

#GFWGRANDSLAM Tour Recap From Waterloo, Iowa

TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE (thanks to Bert Duckwall)   12:00 AM ET
RAW FLASHBACK The Undertaker is set to face Kama but Ted Dibiase may have a change of plans. WWE Champion Bret Hart joins The Brother Love Show.

1:00 AM 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 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!

1:45 AM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves experiences a culture shock at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, getting caught up in the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

2:00 AM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Infamous Intercontinental Champions of all time!

3:00 AM ET
WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2013 Can John Cena overcome the brute strength of Mark Henry or will the world’s strongest man finally capture the WWE Championship?

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 What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

8:00 AM 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.

8:30 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!

8:45 AM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves experiences a culture shock at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, getting caught up in the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

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 What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

11:00 AM 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.

11:30 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!

11:45 AM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves experiences a culture shock at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, getting caught up in the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

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 What starts as a couples road trip for Eva and Ariane ends in an all out blowout, and Bryan is keeping tabs on Brie.

2:00 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.

2:30 PM 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!

2:45 PM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves experiences a culture shock at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, getting caught up in the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

3:00 PM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR The strategies that helped Eric Bischoff build WCW would hasten the decline of both he and his company.

4:00 PM ET
WWE BEYOND THE RING Straight to the Top: The Money in the Bank Anthology presents the lineage of this epic match!

6:00 PM ET
TOTAL DIVAS Nikki is devastated when she discovers John’s kept a secret from her. Rosa’s unaware she’s competing in her pursuits of an NFL player.

7:00 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!

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 Straight to the Top: The Money in the Bank Anthology presents the lineage of this epic match!

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.

Paul Levesque on Twitter just announced the passing of Dusty Rhodes.

Dusty Rhodes was one of the most charismatic pro wrestlers in history and among the most popular wrestlers and biggest drawing cards of the 70s and 80s.

The only details we’ve heard is that he had a fall at his house earlier today and his kidneys were shutting down and he started to get dehydrated.

Rhodes is generally considered the biggest star in the history of the Florida regional territory and booked Jim Crockett Promotions in the 80s and WCW in the 90s.  He’s been working in WWE developmental for years.

We will update shortly.

Show: Interactive Wrestling Radio courtesy of http://www.WrestlingEpicenter.com

Guest: Lance Hoyt AKA Vance Archer
Date: 07/11/15
Your Hosts: Patrick Kelley & James Walsh

Global Force Wrestling announced their roster recently and one name that jumped out amongst the highly esteemed roster was Lance Hoyt who was Vance Archer in the WWE. The former TNA star and current co-holder of the GHC and NWA World Tag Team Titles in New Japan Pro Wrestling . We have interviewed Hoyt twice prior to this and always thought that with his size, talent, and professional approach to the media, he’d be a great name to draw to in the United States. With Global Force Wrestling, he seems to be realizing that opinion recently appearing on Fox Sports along with WWE Legend “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and GFW founder and legend in his own right, Jeff Jarrett. This time, it is one on one time with Lance Hoyt for an excellent interview that really shows his passion for the industry. A great read. But, a better listen.

You can listen to the MP3 and stream the YouTube video for free right now at http://www.WrestlingEpicenter.com. There is NO subscriptions… We do this free of charge. So, come on by, check out our past interviews, our store, and give us a “Like” on Facebook!

Here is a text overview of some of the key points discussed:

On ROH, TNA, Lucha Underground, & NXT all airing on a packed Wednesday night:
“It definitely is an interesting time for wrestling. I think it is a great time for wrestling! WCW was always Women’s Crush Wednesday. I’m calling it “Wrestling Crush Wednesday. You have a chance to watch 4 different products with 4 different styles. If you’re a fan, this is a great time!”

On the inception of Global Force Wrestling:
“I think the good thing and is his (Jeff Jarrett) willingness and want to use different talents from different places at different times which is maybe not what people are used to. People are used to a crew of guys that they see on a consistent basis. That’s good, but what this (GFW) is going to provide is a new flavor all the time. I think that is sometimes what is missing… Not that the guys and girls are stale but sometimes the product, with the turnaround, makes it feel stale.” He remarks on the fact that some of the upcoming Grand Slam tour shows prior to the Vegas TV tapings will also see a mix of talent, some main-stay GFW guys while there will also be a local talent feel as well. He goes on to say, “The mix of talent that you’re going to see is what is going to make Global Force Wrestling different and exciting because you don’t know what you’re going to get.”

On if there is any reservations about holding the tour in baseballs tadiums after TNA’s shockingly low turn-out for baseball stadium shows in later 2013:
“I think it is always a cocnerning factor. The one thing it does have in its corner is got that buzz going around it and it has had that buzz for a while now. There is a curiosity factor of “Well, lets see what this is all about” ” Hoyt says that there is getting to be a buzz around all wrestling at the moment citing ROH, TNA, and of course, WWE, but also with New Japan having their show on AXXSTV. He cites that he worked a Main Event Wrestling independent event in Carthage, Texas that drew over 1,000 fans. He says, “I think that is what is going to be on GFW’s side. Because it is an outside venue, It is a starting off process, it is a growing process. People are excited about GFW and they should be! On June 12th and June 13th, you’ve got the “Bullet Club” Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows who are one of the longest reigning IWGP Tag Team Champions for one of the most respected companies in wrestling, NJPW. You’re going to get to see PJ Black, formerly Justin Gabriel. You’re going to get to see Chris Adonnis, formerly Chris Masters and I think he’s underrated . I’ve had some amazing matches with that dude. People don’t understand how good he actually is!” Hoyt goes on to say that they don’t expect to sell out the stadiums and that it will be difficult because the stadiums are so big that even a thousand or two thousand fans might look like a smaller crowd, they’d be very happy with a thousand fans at each show. He also says Jeff Jarrett is working tirelessly to get the word out about the shows.

On the state of TNA, a place he worked from 2004-2009:
“I really hope they (TNA) work out whatever situation they have going with Destination America and keep going because they have a lot of great talent there.” He hypes the Dirty Heels and the Wolves’ matches, “And I’m a tag team guy and I’m putting this over.” He goes on to say that if or when the company does disapear from American TV and if and when it disapears from international TV, there would be a lot of very talented guys trying to find a new place to work.

On where TNA took a “wrong turn”:
“I don’t know where they took a wrong turn. They’ve been trying a lot of things that they were told they had to do… You know, “You’ve got to get out of Orlando. You’ve got to get out of Orlando!” Well, they attempted that. Whether they attempted it the right way, I don’t know. I wasn’t there and I wasn’t a part of the company. But, they DID try it. I don’t think the Monday Night Wars scenario was a good one. This is a DVR age – They don’t have to choose to watch one or the other. It is a very different era in that sense. I think it was a combination of different things. Whether it was that or that they got away from being what it was supposed to be, Total Nonstop Action, I think it is all hearsay. I think if you watch the product now, it is very strong with a lot of great talent. But, they’re fighting an uphill battle to maintain their spot in the business and I think that is kind of sad because they’ve been around for so long. I get mad sometimes when the fans get real negative about the wrestling and things that are happening. I’ve gotten into Twitter arguments saying that if something bad were to happen (to TNA), in a sense, it is their fault for not choosing to support it.”

On WWE developmental from when he was there (FCW) to the current NXT product:
“It is a VERY different process”, Hoyt says. He goes on to say that FCW was a trud developmental territory while NXT is a very polished show that is pushing the main WWE show to be better to compete with their “developmental” product. He praises NXT and says, “I personally think Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) has the best entrance in professional wrestling right now.” He also praises Triple H for finding talent and providing a platform for the talent to show what they may not have known they had before. Hoyt thinks NXT is a great thing for the WWE and the wrestling business.

On teaming with Davey Boy Smith Jr in the “Killer Elite Squad”:
“We work very hard to make sure that KES is what they see, notice, and want to see more of every time we step in the ring.” He jokes that usually in tag teams, he plays the Diesel role to a Shawn Michaels type guy but in this case, he’s only a few inches taller than Davey. He also jokes that Davey is only in his late 20’s, adding, “Damn it!” He says they are capable of singles success but are working hard to keep the KES as strong as possible. They are, at the time of this interview, the GHC and NWA World Tag Team Champions. They defend the tag belts at an upcoming NJPW event, “We are Suziki Gun” available on NJPW World.