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  • On this day in pro wrestling history (June 11): 1879 Boston title change, Styles wins NWA/TNA gold

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1879 – H.M. Dufur defeated James Owens in Boston, Massachusetts to win the American Collar-and-Elbow Title.

    1933 – In Waterloo, Iowa; Bronko Nagurski beat Frank Topaz

    1943 – In St. Joseph, Missouri; Ronnie Etchison beat Tom Zaharias, In a Boxing match, Lee Wyckoff beat Cowboy Luttrall via ko-3rd round, George Pavich beat Carlos Rodriquez and Gene Reardon drew Bill Dusen

    1955 – Doug Donovan & Ivan Kameroff defeated Luther Lindsay & George Dussette to win the Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title.

    1964 – In Kansas City, Kansas; Mongolian Stomper beat Moose Evans 2 to 1 falls, The Lawman beat Lee Henning … Larry (Rocky) Hamilton beat Baron Von Strauss and Steve Bolus and Tom Poulos beat Tokyo Tom and Bulldog Plechas

    1965 – Wilbur Snyder & Dick the Bruiser defeated The Assassins (Guy Mitchell & Joe Tomasso) to win the World Wrestling Association Tag Team Title

    1970 – In Winnipeg; Edouard Carpentier & Pepper Gomez beat AWA Tag Team Champions Mad Dog Vachon & Butcher Vachon via dq and Lars Anderson beat Bob Windham

    1970 – In Kansas City; Frank Hester defeated Scandor Akbar via DQ, Pat O’Connor defeated Tom Brandon, The Viking fought Roger Kirby to a draw, Danny Little Bear & The Viking & Pat O’Connor defeated Roger Kirby & Scandor Akbar & Don Drummer and Baron Von Raschke & Harley Race defeated Rufus R. Jones & Bob Ellis in three falls.

    1971 – In Winnipeg; AWA Tag Team Champions Red Bastien & Hercules Cortez beat Mad Dog Vachon & Butcher Vachon, In a Death match
    The Crusher beat Strong Kobayashi, Blackjack Lanza beat Dr. Big Bill Miller and Nick Bockwinkel beat Paul Diamond

    1971 – The Assassins, (Tom Renesto & Jody Hamilton) won the NWA Georgia Tag Team Title, defeating Ray Gunkel & El Mongol in Atlanta, Georgia

    1973 – El Marquez defeated Karloff Lagarde for the Mexico National Welterweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico; Masked Lee & Sandy Parker defeated Jumbo Miyamoto & Mariko Akagi for the WWWA World Tag Team Title in Sasebo, Japan

    1975 – Gene & Ole Anderson defeated Wahoo McDaniel & Paul Jones to win the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA World Tag Team Title in Raleigh, North Carolina

    1976 – Great Kusatsu & Mighty Inoue defeated Rip Tyler & Eddie Sullivan to win the IWA Japan World Tag Team Title in Furukawa, Japan; In Denver, Colorado; Larry Hennig & Jos Leduc no contest Mad Dog Vachon & Baron Von Raschke, Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Duncum, Russ Francis pinned Kim Duk and Buddy Wolff beat Billy Red Cloud

    1980 – Alan Dennison defeated Jim Breaks for the British Welterweight Title in London, England; In Ottawa, Ontario; Verne Gagne & Greg Gagne beat Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Heenan, Dino Bravo went to a double countout with Jerry Blackwell, Jesse Ventura beat Steve Olsonoski, Adrian Adonis beat Mad Dog Vachon and Jerry Blackwell beat Super Destroyer Mark III. Attendance was 4,000

    1981 – In Winnipeg; AWA Tag Team Champions Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura beat the Crusher & Baron Von Raschke. In a Non Title Match, Jim Brunzell beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel, Mike Graham beat Buck Zumhofe and Jerry Blackwell beat Mad Dog Vachon. Attendance was 3,000; Takashi Ishikawa & Akio Sato defeated Kevin & David Von Erich to win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Title in Tokyo, Japan.

    1983 – King Tonga & Gran Apolo defeated Buddy Landel & Terry Gibbs for the WWC North American Tag Team Title in San Juan, Puerto Rico; At the Cow Palace in San Francisco, Ken Patera & Jerry Blackwell beat Mad Dog Vachon & Baron Von Raschke, AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Wahoo McDaniel, Mike Graham beat Buck Zumhofe Rick Martel beat Blackjack Lanza dq and Greg Gagne beat John Tolos

    1984 – Rick Rude defeated Jerry Lawler to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee

    1989 – The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) defeated The Southern Force (Black Bart and Tony Anthony) in Orlando, Florida, to win the NWA Florida Tag Team Title.

    1993 – Tracy Smothers defeated Tony Anthony to win the held up SMW
    Heavyweight Title in Knoxville, Tennessee; Saemi Numata defeated Kumiko Maekawa for the AJW Junior Title.

    2003 – At a TNA weekly PPV taping in Nashville,Tennessee; AJ Styles won the TNA/NWA World Title by defeating Raven and Jeff Jarrett.

    2005 – In Brandon, Florida; Chris Sabin defeated Sonjay Dutt to win the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup.

  • UFC ‘Ultimate Fighter’ June 10 TV results & recap: Hayder Hassan vs. Felipe Portela

    By Steve Juon, Wrestling Observer

    Previously on TUF: The Blackzilians are now up 200-50 after Vicente Luque submitted Nathan Coy in the third round.

    The Blackzilians choose Felipe Portela for the eighth fight and final bout of the second round that’s worth 50 points. Glenn Robinson: “We wanted to finish with the guy with the biggest mustache.” Portela talks about how he left everything behind in Brazil, and how his wife has been supporting his dream, “but now it’s my time.”

    American Top Team’s Michael Graves believes they can still win. Nathan Coy thinks it’s in poor taste that the Blackzilians keep goofing off after their wins. Tyrone Spong comes to the house to give his ‘Zilians a pep talk. Luque: “It’s great that I could bring another win, and we gotta keep that up.”

    Kamaru Usman: “Coy is a seasoned veteran. Luque executed his strategy to a tee.” Carrington Banks: “They want to catch us with a match-up and we don’t care who we get.” Spong: “Keep snatching their souls one by one just like that.”

    Dan Lambert and American Top Team are trying to figure out how to get back on track. Dana White: “He has to pick the most f*cking ferocious animal he has in the gym.” White says they’re in danger of being mathematically eliminated before the show even ends. Therefore they’re going back to the well and using Hayder Hassan to get a second W for the team.

    Hassan: “I told them put me back in there for every single fight.” Lambert: “He walked the walk when he got his opportunity.” Hassan: “I’m too skilled to go out there and not represent my team. I don’t care if you think we’re broken. Put me in the cage and I’ll knock everyone out. I’ll knock the confidence out of your brains.” Commercial.

    Weigh ins: 170.25 for Hassan. Portela is 170 even. Here’s the interesting thing – these two have ALREADY fought. Hassan beat him back at Titan FC 31 with a first round TKO. Matt Mitrione gives the Blackzilians motivation and says if you stomp this one out, they can’t possibly come back from it. UFC pads the show with a bunch of filler so the fight doesn’t start until 10:35 ET.

    * Felipe Portela (Blackzilians) vs. Hayder Hassan (American Top Team)

    Hassan is in the blue trunks and Portela the back. Portela gets a takedown in the first five seconds but Hassan gets right up. Portela clings to his back and Hassan complains about a low blow knee. The ref gives Portela a warning but also tells Hassan to let go of the cage. Hassan finally pushes free at 1:05. He’s throwing lots of lefts. Portela gets a single leg but can’t keep Hassan down. Hassan is bobbing and weaving and firing combos with confidence.

    Portela is covering up a lot but some strikes are getting through. Hassan keeps backing him up. Portela tries to keep him at distance with kicks. Portela is begging Hassan to bring it with 55 seconds left. That’s a bad idea. Hassan unloads on him with 28 seconds left. Portela is backing up eating shots until the horn. 10-9 round for Hassan.

    Portela’s corner is pouring water over his head and telling him not to back up any more. “Mix it up!” Hassan’s corner is telling him it’s time to land a big combo and get the knockout. Portela didn’t take their advice – he’s still backing up. Hassan connects with three straight lefts. Portela finally throws a good right hook and a few kicks. Hassan is undeterred. Portela’s hands and arms have to be sore from all the strikes he’s tried to block.

    His left eye is getting swollen up. For every one shot Portela gets, Hassan gets three. Hassan lands a big combo at 3:27. ATT is chanting louder than the Blackzilians in their own gym. Hassan isn’t slowing down. 40 seconds left in R2 and he’s pouring it on. Portela gets a takedown with 10 seconds left but Hassan jumps up IMMEDIATELY. I suspect after the break Hassan gets a unanimous decision.

    With six minutes of TV time left there’s not going to be a third round. The judges have scored it 20-18, 19-19, 20-18 for Hassan by majority decision. American Top Team narrows the lead by 50 points and regains control of the home gym.

    It will be 200-100 next week and the final round of fights are worth 100 points each so it’s all new again. See you then!

  • Frankie Kazarian talks frustration from his days in TNA

    The following is from a third party:

    The latest Pro Wrestling Illustrated Podcast features a lengthy interview with ROH tag team champ Kazarian. In it, Kazarian talks about working an upcoming tag team match with all three of his groomsmen, whether WWE has a stigma toward ex-TNA talent, what modern wrestlers could learn from the Ultimate Warrior, and more.

    The PWI Podcast is available for download on iTunes or can be streamed at pwi-online.com.

    In this highlight, Kazarian recalls the time in 2009 when Dixie Carter held a meeting with the entire roster to tell them they needed to “step up,” then decided to air the meeting on television.

    “That was just one of many of those types of meetings we had. I remember them making decisions to show that on TV, to give fans a glimpse into the reality that goes on. And I remember everybody—just everybody—thinking that was a rotten idea, except the people who produce the television show . . . That wasn’t the first time we were told that. We were told that by her. We were told that by Vince Russo. We were told that the reason our house shows don’t draw is because none of us are names–that we’re not draws . . . Well, we’re not names because, a lot of times, you’re writing really, really terrible stuff.

    “And you’re doing really stupid things to guys like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, who have the potential to be huge names, but are a little bit handcuffed. So, yeah, a lot of the blame was always put on the wrestlers. And we were left shaking our heads, like, ‘Is it our fault?’ We didn’t think so. There was always that call to arms to step up. And, for the most part, it was never the wrestlers that needed to step up.’

  • Jeff Jarrett talks promoting GFW brand, TNA pulling talent and TV deal

    The following is from a third party:

    Wrestleview.com’s Adam Martin had the opportunity to sit down with Global Force Wrestling owner and founder Jeff Jarretton Wednesday evening to discuss the upcoming debut of GFW this weekend in Jackson, TN and Knoxville, TN. Jarrett also discussed his reaction to TNA pulling Tyrus from upcoming live events and the latest on the TV tapings in Las Vegas this July.

    On the use of social media to promote the GFW brand: 

    “I love it in a real positive way. Global Force Wrestling or Jeff Jarrett can touch the consumer, the viewer, the fan instantaneously and we don’t have to go through traditional channels. When I was growing up when I first broke in, you would have the local promoter come out. He’d write the story and it’d come out at the very best three or four days later. That is really best case scenario. Then as time went along you may get a live news hit, the sports guy come out and do a live news thing. Then you roll through time and you’ve got 500 digital channels and you’ve got streaming services – Netflix, Roku, Amazon, going on and on. YouTube. Social media. Instagram. Vine. Snapchat. That’s really where the fans are. You were on the field with us, tweeted the first pitch and the whole world saw it in 30 minutes? 15 minutes? I like that as a promoter. You can touch the fan base.”

    His reaction to TNA pulling Tyrus (former WWE star Brodus Clay) from live events:

    “Am I disappointed that George Murdoch can’t be part of it? Absolutely, but life happens. TNA, it’s very obvious that they don’t have the vision and don’t have the mindset that I do. That it was without question, you know, George, yep you’re going to be on our non-televised events. And that’s where we stand. He agreed to it. He was legally available for us and then whatever happened – I don’t want to speak for George. I don’t want to speak for TNA. I don’t know. He told me, “I can’t make it.” I’ll sort of leave it at that. When one door closes on a situation, that’s opportunity and the door is opened for other talents to come on. In the month of July we got a couple different announcements coming up. Some former World Heavyweight Champions (will) be part of the Global Force Wrestling roster.”

    When more details about GFW and a television deal is expected:

    “I release information when I feel the time is right. I think you guys have accepted that fact. I think it helps everybody, the anticipation. Professional wrestling is no different than the music business or other forms of entertainment. 15, 13 years ago, the CD is how the music business made its money. Then you went to .99 downloads or $1.29 downloads. Now it’s streaming. It’s a different form of how the consumer consumes content. My goal, Global Force Wrestling, I’m standing on global. We got alliances with 13 promotions on 5 continents and we are on a much smaller world than we used to be. My goal is to make sure that the content we produce is going to be able to be consumed on a global basis. The ‘TV deal’ – those details will be released at the appropriate time. Traditional forms of cable network television, they are definitely in the rear view mirror.”

  • Lucha Underground June 10 TV results & report: Cage vs. Hernandez vs. Drago vs. King Cuerno

    By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com

    Last week, Jack Evans had a really fun match with Argenis and gained his first win in the company. He also won an ancient medallion from Dario Cueto. Chavo Guerrero turned heel after a couple of weeks as a babyface by luring Black Lotus into an attack by Cueto’s crew and they’re threatening her with Cueto’s brother – Motunza, who killed Bael a few weeks back. The Trios champions retained against Daivari, Ryck, and Cage thanks to Texano. Pentagon Jr. beat Sexy Star in a submission match using a modified surfboard and not his usual arm snapper. Vampiro left the table and went to save Sexy Star from being a victim, and then smashed his head into a mirror while we heard him talk about the darkness via commentary clips. He’s found his personal dark side, and he’s set to unleash Hell soon enough.

    The show begins with a recap of Chavo’s saga in the company and the end of Drago. Drago is shown above the Temple with wings in a really badass shot diving down. Los Rayobacks sing us in while Vamp apologizes for getting in the ring last week. Striker says that Sexy will only be out a couple of weeks. Dario Cueto says that in ten weeks, we’ll have Ultima Lucha! It will be a yearly event with the biggest fights and tonight, we’ll determine who fights for the title at Ultima Lucha. He has invited all of Prince Puma’s past opponents – but Fenix can’t compete because Mil Muertes killed him. Of course, since he left out Drago and we just saw Drago, we know he’ll be in this. Sometimes, predictable is very good. Blue Demon Jr. will be at Ultima Lucha and he comes down to the ring in a suit. Dario says that he’s made a match tonight to prevent ring rust – a match with Chavo and The Crew, sans Bael due to the monster Motunza. 

    Blue Demon Jr. vs. Chavo Guerrero – Anything Goes

    Demon is working in a suit and eats a kick to the face from Chavo. Striker talks about the Guerrero dynasty including Shaul. They fight on the floor and Demon gets some forearm strikes. The Crew jumps Demon and Vamp says he hates Demon. Chavo canes the daylights out of him. The Crew beats him up and Chavo wins with a frog splash. We get another badass shot of Drago flapping his wings and looking cool. Chavo talks to Black Lotus in her cell as they pan over to Motunza, who we just hear growl.

    Dario is threatened by Drago, who logically points out that he’s faced Prince Puma. Cueto says that he’s been banished, but he’s found a loophole. He’s in the match, but he must win to stay in the company and he’ll lose his mask as well. Drago accepts the terms – this was excellent!

    Catrina and her catsuit bring The Disciples of Death down to the ring. They have white, purple, and gold trim. The faces come down as Vamp talks about them being silly and Striker says that they’re livers of a free life. This is an odd matchup, but could be really good – sometimes clashes in styles work out.

    The Disciples of Death vs. Pimpinella Escarlata, Mascarita Sagrada, and Bengala

    The Disciples are gobsmacked by Pimpi, who dances around and eats chops. Chop exchange between Gold and Pimpi. Pimpi doesn’t call it the rear view, but does prevent a corner charge with his ass. Pimpi dives into the crowd and kisses a fan. Ground tag to Bengala. Bengala’s gear is like a zebra version of Ultimo Dragon’s. The Disciples team up on Bengala, who gets a big chant already. Double-jump Lionsault to a disciple, but Gold attacks with a kick to the jaw.

    Iffy swinging rana off the top to Gold leads to a triangle jumping corkscrew dive to the floor! Sagrada comes in and is beaten up by White and tossed around. All three buzzsaw kick Sagrada! Pimpi gets tossed around and Bengala eats more kicks. Wacky lucha things send Sagrada into the corner and then into the other corner via flips. The Disciples get a double wheelbarrow doomsday device missile dropkick. They dump Sagrada over the top onto Bengala. Pimpi dropkicks two of them to the floor, but eats a boot. Catrina does the lick of death and they hit a triple dominator for the win. This was an interesting match to watch, and got over The Disciples as a serious threat.

    Vampiro hypes up the return of Drago tonight. Johnny Mundo goes into Dario’s office and asks why he isn’t in the title match qualifier tonight since he faced Puma. Cueto says that he wants him to be champion by the time Ultima Lucha starts. Sure, Mundo gave him a black eye – but he looks great in sunglasses. He loved seeing Johnny put Alberto through a window and views him as the future of Lucha Underground. Mundo says he knows that he’s better than Puma, and Cueto says that he has a new concept – Prince Puma vs. Mundo in an iron man match. This eight month old company has managed to reinvent the Royal Rumble and make stipulation matches seem like a big deal, so the idea of a Mundo vs. Puma iron man match should turn out to be excellent in execution.

    Melissa Santos is mid-ring and announces tonight’s four way main event. Cage comes out first, followed by King Cuerno. Hernandez and his new black and white gear are out, while Drago rounds out the field to a huge pop. Drago comes down with his wings while the announcers act shocked – that’s a bit odd. Drago has new shiny black gear and Hernandez looks scared shitless. Drago also has a new, scarier mask while Santos says that a loss here banishes Drago and he’ll have to unmask.

    Cage vs. Hernandez vs. Drago vs. King Cuerno – Ultima Lucha Title Match 4-Way

    Cage and Hernandez start it off, but are then followed by Drago and Cuerno. Flipping headscissors by Drago and a lucha drop-down exchange gets 2 for Drago. Drago gets a pop-up facebuster, but eats a Very Mexican uppercut from Cuerno. Hernandez gorilla presses Hernandez, but Cage prevents a Border Toss. Cage kicks away at him and takes him down with a dropkick. Striker talks about Cage wanting to be a pro skateboarder, but he couldn’t beat anyone up there.

    Drago hops off of Cage for a rana to Cuerno. Cage tosses Drago to the floor before Cuerno and Cage team up to kick Hernandez and then double suplex him. Cage hits an Okada flying elbow before a Cuerno dive, but Drago prevents a pin. Drago low-bridges Cage and ranas Cuerno. Cuerno and Cage are hit with a double lariat, but the impact sends Drago down instead. Powerbomb and lungblower combo by Cage and Cuerno. Cage catches Drago and tosses him while glaring at Cuerno. Hernandez clubs Cuerno down, but he comes back with strikes and chops him hard in the ropes. Hernandez pounces him and sends him flying.

    Hernandez and Drago square off, and Drago trips him up. A Superfly dive gets 2 for Drago. Killshot is standing high on the perch above the commentators. Cage tries to attack Cuerno from behind, but he senses him, ducks a lariat, then a discus and catches Drago for a Finlay roll. Cage moonsaults him and Cuerno hits a flying knee to the gut. Hernandez gets the inverted torture rack gutbuster to Cuerno, but eats a double jump moonsault from Cage.

    Vamp asks why no one is going for a cover and Striker says they’ll give up their backs in the process. Running rana to Cuerno from Drago leads to a corkscrew dive from Cuerno to him on the floor. Hernandez turns into a dive attempt, but eats a big forearm before faking Cage out and Taker diving the pile.

    Cage moonsaults on the pile on the floor and lands right on his knees. Cuerno is mid-ring for the Arrow of Death, and sends it to Killshot. Cuerno dives onto Cage and Drago since Hernandez left the scene immediately and tosses Cuerno into the ring to kick his ass. He comes in, but eats a flip powerbomb by Drago to the floor! Drago uses mist on Cuerno and wins with his wacky lucha cradle! Drago is the new number one contender and will face whoever the champion is at Ultima Lucha! 

    The crowd goes crazy for Drago. He gets a series of chants and stares down Puma mid-ring. Cueto looks out of his office and Catrina says that he should have put Muertes in the match. Catrina says that every man immortal or mortal craves power, and Muertes kills everything in his way. Cueto says that he’ll face Drago in two weeks and the winner faces the champion at Ultima Lucha. She tells him that Motunza is no match for Mil Muertes as Cueto just looks shocked. This was a super-fun episode of the show and well worth going out of your way to see. It would be nice if they hadn’t deflated Drago’s big win here by ending the show with him, like Hernandez, having to defend his contendership.

    To see every screen taken for the show, just click here.

  • TNA Impact Wrestling June 10 TV results & report: Destination X, Kurt Angle vs. Austin Aries

    By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com

    Last week, EC3’s barbershop quintet sang his theme, while the Dirty Heels beat The Wolves. Spud cashed in the X Title to get a title shot, and D’Angelo Dinero returned to do commentary with Josh, who despite being a fashion podcaster, didn’t tell him to wear something other than a blinding black and white shirt. Also, James Storm pushed Mickie James onto train tracks to possibly set up a PPV match between Storm and Magnus.

    The X division gets a highlight video to start the show. Nine of the top X Division stars will fight for the title – including, yes, Crazzy Steve. Christy intros Spud vs. Kurt, but EC3 comes down while Josh runs everything as fast as humanly possible and sides with EC3. EC3 complains about not being in one of tonight’s two title matches. EC3 stages a sit-in and cancels Destination X. He dares someone to stop him, so Kurt comes down and Josh goes on some more about how great EC3 is. Angle tells him that the fans don’t want to see a bitch, while EC3 tells him he’ll knock his something bleeped into the dirt. EC3 and Tyrus leave. Spud comes down and walks right past EC3 and Tyrus. Josh says this match is just a publicity stunt by TNA. Well, that failed. JB gives this the big match intro and we’ll get the match after a break.

    Kurt Angle vs. Rockstar Spud – TNA World Title Match

    We start with a collar and elbow and takedown by Kurt. Kurt rides the challenger, who slides underneath him to the ropes. Hard headlock throw by Kurt leads to Josh talking about Spud being in way over his league. Spud gets a drop toehold, a missile dropkick, and spinning headscissors sending the champ to the floor. He dives to Kurt, but eats a belly to belly on the floor. God do I want a Brock vs. Rockstar Spud match now. Kurt busts out a tilt a whirl backbreaker, which I don’t recall seeing him do before.

    Kurt punches Spud down and eats a snap suplex while Josh talks about Spud showing his impact. He talks about that for seemingly ages, and is beyond annoying. Yet another tilt a whirl backbreaker by Kurt when Spud rushes in. Angle slam countered into an armdrag and enzuiguri. Spud kicks the leg and punches away before taking Kurt down with a bolo punch. Kurt rushes Spud, who sidesteps him to send the champ to the floor. Baseball slide sends Kurt down, so he climbs up top and gets a flip dive to the neck and shoulder.

    Josh says Spud now has a slim chance, and Spud goes up top only to eat a super belly to belly for 2. Spud counters an Angle slam and dropkicks the knee to set up the running forearms, but he gets the ankle lock out of a shining wizard. Spud rolls the champ into the buckle, gets the Underdog on his second try, but only gets 2.5! Kurt pops up and gets a grapevine ankle lock for the win. Now Josh is rooting for Spud and Spud taps. Kurt says under his breathe that the son of a bitch is very good. Kurt shakes Spud’s hand while Pope says he’s taking his shades off for the kid. Then Aries comes out and points at him – they should have let this breathe a bit more.

    The Dollhouse comes out while their theme drowns out Taryn’s promo. Taryn says that if Kong wants to fight her, they’ll bare all to get the better of her. Taryn challenges Kong to a lingerie pillow fight and if she doesn’t wear the lingerie Taryn’s picked for her, Kong doesn’t get a shot. And then they just go to a Kurt-Spud video because the X Title has been vacated. Everyone going for the X Title gets some weird title, including “and um…GRADO!” which was pretty funny. Generic X division hype vid brings Low-Ki down to the ring, but doesn’t have the BDC mask. Josh says that we’ll have 3-ways tonight to determine seeds for a future match. Okay then. Graphics would be helpful here. Manik’s out, followed by “The Insane Clown” Crazzy Steve.

    Manik vs. Low-Ki vs. Crazzy Steve

    Pope says this match is filled with craziness while Manik and Ki punch it out (not unlike Josh Nason’s new podcast). Steve holds onto the ropes and gets kicked down. Ki European uppercuts Steve and Josh says that Steve communicates via horn. Manik gets Gail’s headscissor/Octopus hold while Josh says that Spud is trending worldwide. Manik gets 2 on Ki because Steve breaks up the cover. Steve shoves Manik off the top, but he misses a crossbody off the top. Ki hits his running dropkick to Steve, which sends Manik into the buckle. Warrior’s Way hits Manik and Ki advances to the title match.

    Grado tries to lose some weight by running. Twitter thinks he’s X division, so does his mum, but he needs to cut some weight. Grado goes through some parkour. First, he wants to hop over a small box and then a bigger one. He gets over the bigger one, but falls over and then runs to the bathroom. Recap of James Storm shoving Mickie off the train platform. Josh updates us to Mickie not being physically harmed – so apparently, her possible concussion symptoms have subsided completely. X Title qualifers continue on with the second airing of this generic X division video in about 15 minutes.

    Tigre Uno vs. Mandrews vs. DJZ

     None of these guys get an intro. Z gets a headlock on Mandrews, while Uno headlocks Z. Z cradles Uno for 2. Uno gets a wheelbarrow armdrag to Z, who dropkicks Uno down. Josh talks about Mandrews moving to America, who then eats a pop-up dropkick while Z is on his back. That silly thing gets 2. Uno hits a missile dropkick to both men and sliding dropkicks Z in the corner. Josh says that if Uno wins, he’ll buy a Tigre Uno mask. Pope says that will keep Josh from talking, so he’s all for it. Can we get a Kickstarter going for that? I’ll kick in $5 for the “watch Impact for one show without Josh on commentary”.

    Uno avoids a Mandrews suplex, but eats a springboard tornado DDT from him. Inside-out rana to the floor to Uno from Mandrews! DJZ is all alone and flip dives onto the pile. Apron-to-ring DDT from DJZ to Mandrews leads to Uno landing with his knees to Mandrews’ face off a Phoenix Splash for the win. Well, the replay showed that the move completely missed all of Mandrews’ body – so that’s good for Mandrews. Jessie comes down and beats up DJZ. Nice mounted forearm rakes by Jessie and he tossed DJZ down. Josh is against this heelish action, by the way, and is very much against the press slam to the floor. Pope calls him the modern-day Adonis, while they plug Angle-Aries. Taryn walks backstage for the lingerie pillow fight challenge.

    Grado is in a trash bag and tells Tigre that he’s a good wrestler and that he needs some training tips. Grado has his name taped on the trash bag and is so goofy. Uno calls him a jackass. The Dollhouse comes down with an actual dollhouse while Pope asks for silence. The crowd is happy to oblige here, as Josh says he didn’t know Pope was such a huge Courtney Love fan.

    The Dollhouse gets on a twin bed as Josh runs down the trope of Kong not accepting this match and just destroying the Dollhouse here. Taryn tells “Konk” to come out while making hilarious faces. Kong comes out and looks ready to kick some ass. Taryn is very angry at Konk for ruining fight time. Marti talks Spanish and says Kong’s a big dummy. This doesn’t go well for her, as she and Jade feel Kong’s wrath. Kong slaps and chops the goons away. Kong tosses Jade onto Marti while Taryn says she’s a tease and that Christy can go announce her as the winner of the match.

    Brooke (who does in fact still have a booty) comes down and says that having this title in a lingerie pillow fight is a disgrace to the title. Taryn lets Christy know she can call her the winner now. Brooke tells Taryn that she promised to defend the title and to show some skin. Brooke has no problem fighting Taryn, but Taryn didn’t challenge her – she challenged Konk! Brooke forearms her down and strips her down a bit before they do a bullfighting bit with Taryn’s robe. This was hilarious. Brooke says that she took her robe and she’ll take her title next. So is she getting a shot at the PPV? Josh was a face here and supports Brooke. Roode tells Aries that things are lining up now for them. It’s time for them to regain the tag titles and for Aries to get the World title – if he wins, Roode gets the first shot. These two have wonderful chemistry.

    Hilarious stuff with JB and Grado backstage. He’s in his trash bag and strips down and asks JB “how’s it looking?” before JB asks him to be specific and tells him the X division has no limits, so this whole thing was pointless. Grado is overjoyed and goes to the ring. Kenny King comes out to face Cruz, who I honest to God don’t recall seeing before today. Grado’s out with dance music while Pope says he’s glad he’s covering up.

    Grado vs. Cruz vs. Kenny King

    Grado catches the foot and King kicks his head off. An ROH plug is on as former ROH tag champ Kenny King chops Grado in the corner. King gets a chinlock on Grado while a few fans do a Kenny King/sucks chant. Josh puts out Grado beating Al Snow “a legend in our sport”. Grado gets 2 off some comedy spots with Cruz. Kenny hits the Royal Flush on Cruz, who is in a bootleg Kalisto costume. Grado punches away at King, but eats an overhead chop to the chest. Grado hits bionic forearms and gets King down and he backdrops him over the top. Cannonball to Cruz gets the win – Grado goes on to the future X Title match. Bram stands over a fallen camera man and he hates Destination X.  He’s going to come to the ring and make history.

    Bram vs. Crimson

    Bram is in the ring as they plug his “Dark Grid” shirt. Bram talks about the X division building TNA and how Slammiversary is a celebration of TNA’s history – and he hates history and the past. Bram wants to fight any TNA stars of the past, of which there are many backstage, and man is his delivery great. The words aren’t amazing, but his delivery is perfect – he’s so arrogant. Crimson came out to about the level of reaction you would expect for someone who came back out of nowhere. Josh says he had the look. Crimson appears to have Hall’s black and blood red gear in shorts form.

    Backdrop by Crimson and Pope says that Crimson hasn’t aged a day. Well, he’s in his early ’30s, so that’s good. Crimson catches the foot and shoves Bram back to the ropes. Josh talks about Bram being a loose cannon and maniac. The crowd begins chanting for Crimson, who eats some shots on the floor. Bram talks smack to Crimson while beating him up with mounted punches and doing Bray’s back bridge – which one of the fans yells at him. T-bone suplex by Crimson looks sharp and he follows it up with a Fujiwara armbar and the Rings of Saturn – the actual one, not the crossface variant Batista did. Bram bites Crimson’s hand and hits the impaler DDT for the win. This was a shockingly good match and well worth going out of your way to see as a whole for Bram’s pre-match mic work and Crimson’s work in the ring.

    Kurt tells a camera guy that tonight is special – he’ll have two matches tonight. Spud took him to his limit and was the ultimate underdog – but he beat him. Now, he has to fight the guy who created Option C and guarantees a match of the year. Slammiverary is 13 years in the making and has no matches penciled in for its card with less than three weeks to go. EC3 says that he’s pissed Spud and Aries got shots before him, and his EC3 2015 merch is plugged. The main event is up at 10:37, so it should be getting plenty of time. We see Kurt beating Spud and then Josh goes back and forth between whether Spud should or shouldn’t have gotten the shot. JB gives us the big match intro.

    Main Event – Kurt Angle vs. Austin Aries – TNA World Title

    A collar and elbow tie-up mid-ring starts us off. Kurt takes him down and Aries floats over. Aries gets a side headlock takedown while a We Want Ethan/No We Don’t chant. Kurt avoids a dropkick and eats corner punches. Aries clotheslines him down and gets 1. Back and forth punches from each man in the corner. Aries flips out of a German for an ad break. EC3 hype video by DA airs and really makes him look great.

     Outside-in tope con hilo gets 2 for Aries. Corner charge hits as Aries gets a diving back elbow to the back and a chinlock. Kurt elbows out of it and avoids a brainbuster with a back suplex after a suplex counter. Overhead belly to belly sets up the rolling Germans. Aries DDTs his way out of an Angle slam for 2. Last Chancery is locked on, but Aries moves around to get a better position and is ankle locked for it. Given that this move beat Spud, it’s got that much more meaning.

     Corner rollthrough leads to an eye rake on the ropes from Aries. Missile dropkick lands for Aries and sets up the corner dropkick, which is countered by an ankle lock! Aries gets the ropes and is waistlocked, which he tries to counter with a discus elbow, but it’s seamlessly turned into an Angle slam for 2! Kurt goes for a moonsault and misses – landing right on his braced knee. Last Chancery is on again, but Aries turns it into a front facelock and Kurt gets to the ropes.

    Aries goes up for the 450, but Kurt runs up for the belly to belly. An Aries eye rake and boxing of the ears ends that – the 450 hits and gets 2.9! Josh talks about Aries being in yet another match of the year candidate and he may be the best man who ever lived. Would Josh mind stating that on the record as a reference for Aries if his TNA deal isn’t renewed? Discus elbow out of the Angle slam leads to another elbow and the corner dropkick! Brainbuster hits hard and gets 2.9 thanks to his foot being on the rope.

    Aries gets an ankle lock on, which Pope says is a slap to the face. Kurt rolls through and the master of the move gets it on once again. Aries rolls through and Kurt goes to the floor, likely before a suicide dive. Bingo – but it misses! Kurt rolls him in and pulls down the straps before an Angle slam that is countered into a sunset flip for 2. Ankle lock is on with the grapevine, which gets yet another win for Kurt tonight. Josh says that there’s no better wrestling on Earth than TNA, and EC3 jumps Kurt. Pope says Kurt should have his moment and Josh agrees. Can he be consistent for at least one show? EC3 raises his hand high while holding the title belt high. Next week, Magnus does something with Storm, Melendez gets a match with EY, and we’ll get more with EC3 and Kurt.

    To see every screen taken for the show, just click here.

  • WWE Smackdown June 11 TV results & recap: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler, MITB go-home show

    By Steve Khan, WrestlingObserver.com 

    – Airdate: June 11, 2015 (June 10 in Canada)
    – Location: Canjundome in Lafayette, LA

    News: Neville was the lone man standing tall at the end of the show. 

    Show Recap: 

    Dean Ambrose, still wearing beads, entered through the crowd to start the show. He said it’s been a crazy week in New Orleans and tried to repeat the famous Louisiana saying, “Laissez les bons temps rouler,” but couldn’t remember it, so he just yelled it in English. (“Let the good times roll!”)

    Ambrose had a blast partying with the fans on Monday, including with the guy who “unfortunately” looked like Bray Wyatt. He mentioned buying what might have been a fake ticket and his boy Roman Reigns saved him a seat. (Why did Ambrose need a ticket anyway?) 

    Ambrose then fired up and said he hopes Seth Rollins remembers the feeling of being beaten and left alone. Rollins came out and demanded Ambrose give the title back, or else he would take it. Ambrose told Rollins to calm down, it’s just a gag. He left the title in the ring but after Rollins grabbed it, Ambrose admitted it’s just a replica. Isn’t it sad nobody would have known the difference? 

    Ambrose doesn’t know where he left the belt after Monday, and it still felt like Tuesday to him. Ambrose said he would find it between now and Sunday and he left. Rollins was furious, and Kane came out and put him in a match with Dolph Ziggler. This was fine. Ambrose is at his best when he’s talking about beating up Seth Rollins. 

    IC Champion Ryback beat The Miz via pinfall (Non-Title) 

    Ryback did a delayed vertical suplex that lasted about 25 seconds. Miz gained control after pushing Ryback into the table. Miz got a lot of offense, including a Skull Crushing Finale for a near fall, but Ryback won with a clothesline and Shell Shocked. 

    After the match, Big Show came out and said he has 20 years of experience and a lifetime of being a giant. He gets what he wants and said the big guy is no match for the Big Show. Ryback challenged Show to get in the ring now, saying “Don’t sing it, bring it, little man!” Show pulled a Kevin Owens, backing off because he doesn’t give fights away for free. Meh.

    King Barrett beat Jack Swagger via pinfall 

    R-Truth did commentary and thought Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton were JBL and Ron Simmons, respectively. Truth claimed he was accurate on Raw when he said he was in Money in the Bank because he does, in fact, have a match at Money in the Bank. 

    Truth put on Barrett’s cape and crown. This distracted Barrett who ate a clothesline from Swagger. Swagger got a near fall but Barrett won abruptly with a Bullhammer. This was bad, unless you like R-Truth. This was Swagger’s first match on Raw or SmackDown since WrestleMania. Welcome back. 

    Backstage, Alicia Fox told Paige that Paige doesn’t speak for her. Fox speaks for herself and what she wanted was Paige out of the division. 

    They showed Lana’s sit-down interview with Michael Cole. Lana said her intentions might have changed since she first came in because she has an open mind. She thinks Ziggler is nice. They read books together and talk about them. 

    Rusev barged in. He told her that Ziggler is washed up and has been with so many women, but Rusev has only been with Lana. Lana told him it’s over and she left. Rusev flipped out on Cole, who ran away, and yelled and broke stuff. 

    WWE Champion Seth Rollins beat Dolph Ziggler via pinfall (Non-Title)

    Good match with a pedestrian finish. Rollins won after reversing a high cross into a small package while holding the tights. I guess the story is that Rollins won on his own, but cheated. 

    Paige beat Alicia Fox via submission 

    Paige did a somersault senton to the outside, and won after a side kick and PTO. Basic match. 

    They aired a good video package for Kevin Owens vs. John Cena. 

    Backstage, Titus O’Neil told Renee Young that the Prime Time Players have had a coming out party the past few weeks. Darren Young reminded him that their coming out party was last summer. O’Neil said that was Darren’s coming out party, and he should be proud, just like they will be proud after they win the tag titles. Titus, Darren and Renee did the New Day clap while chanting “Prime-Time Players.” 

    Roman Reigns, Neville & Randy Orton beat Kane, Kofi Kingston & Sheamus via DQ

    The New Day and Kane came out during commercial and after the break, New Day did their clap standing right next to Kane, which was a great visual. Phillips wondered if Orton would use RKOs from his arsenal tonight, or if he would save them for MITB. I guess RKOs are like bullets and he might run out. 

    As Orton beat up Sheamus, Xavier Woods yelled at Sheamus to “do better” and Big E said he better start clapping. They worked over Neville who made a hot tag to Reigns. Reigns killed Kingston with a clothesline and knocked down Woods and Big E. 

    Kane chokeslammed Reigns, Orton RKO’d Kane, Sheamus gave Orton a Brogue kick, Neville hit a missile dropkick on Sheamus, Kingston hit Trouble in Paradise to Neville, and Reigns came back with a superman punch on Kingston. 

    After all those moves by guys who never tagged in, New Day broke up the cover and that was a DQ. Stupid. They couldn’t do a finish in a meaningless six-man match on SmackDown? 

    New Day hit Reigns with Midnight Hour. They set up a ladder for Kingston to climb, but Ziggler ran down to take them out. 

    Everyone brawled on the outside while Neville set up the ladder in the ring. Neville then knocked everyone down with a dive off the top of the ladder to the outside. Great spot. Neville jumped back in the ring, climbed the ladder and grabbed the briefcase, posing to end the show. 

    Final Thoughts: 

    Basically a nothing show until the last 5 minutes. 

  • WWE NXT June 10 TV results and recap: Samoa Joe’s in-ring debut

    Photo: WWE.com

    By Emerson Witner, WrestlingObserver.com & Wrestling Outsiders Podcast

    The Big News: Bull Dempsey is being buried. Oh that’s not enough for you? Okay, Samoa Joe made his in-ring debut. What’s that? That news isn’t enough? Fine, Joe is wrestling Kevin Owens next week on NXT

    Show recap: 

    Mojo Rawley & Zack Ryder defeated Mike Rollis and Elias Sampson

    Useless trivia of the night: Zack Ryder was the pro for Titus O’Neil in Season 2 of NXT and actually came back to beat Titus during NXT: Redemption. I remember both of those things off the top of my head, but couldn’t tell you half of what happened on Raw this week.

    Corey Graves noted that Riddick Bowe follows him on Twitter. Well, note to Corey, Riddick also follows me. Go figure. Mojo is officially back from injury. Obviously. Speaking of obvious, the most absurd team in WWE history got the win over the faceless, almost nameless, jobbers. Rollis and Sampson got just enough heat on Ryder so it wasn’t a total squash.

    Mojo used the Pounce and they won with a double team spine buster/Rough Ryder combo. After the match, the winners went into the audience and celebrated with a bunch of people in Stay Hyped shirts.

    – A really awesome Finn Balor promo video aired, hyping up his NXT Championship match July 4, live from Tokyo on the Network.

    – A Dana Brooke video aired. I still hate watching her wrestle, but I swear, she really is a nice person. She returns next week.

    Emma submitted Blue Pants

    Ed Laredo is jumping up and down, Ol Blue Pants is back. The former joke NXT Diva vs the current NXT joke Diva. The fans chanted Happy Birthday at Blue Pants.

    Emma destroyed Pants from the start. Pants tried to get Emma to dance again, so Emma stole the spotlight from her and attacked her at the bell. The fans were so into Emma’s offense that they chanted “New Day Sucks”.  Pants made a comeback and hit literally many kicks to the head, but Emma won with the Emma Lock.

    – Enzo, Colin and Carmella were talking all over each other backstage when Devin told them that next week it’s a 6-person tag against Blake, Murphy & Alexa. They vowed to win.

    Tyler Breeze pinned Bull Dempsey

    Bull Dempsey is back. Breeze is doing a lot of these heel vs heel matches lately, which is kinda weird, but his new cape is anything but weird. A couple fans tried to get a “Baby Rhyno” chant started, but no one picked up. They had slightly more luck with the “Bull is gorgeous/No he’s not” chant. No, that is not a typo.

    Bull beat on Breeze and was ready to finish it off with the diving headbutt, but Breeze rolled outside and they started the chase. Bull made it almost an entire lap before running out of breath. No, seriously. He was winded. They tried a second time and Bull made it almost entirely around the ring, but Breeze dashed around, rolled him in and immediately won with the Beauty Shot.

    What the hell was that?

    Becky Lynch submitted Jesse Kay

    Becky is now officially a baby face. I am happy to see her wrestling after weeks of seeing the same video over and over. Her opponent is Jesse Kay. I have no idea who she is, but I am you do! So tweet it to me. Jesse looked good and got a lot of offense in. Becky made her comeback, putting on an arm lock and dropping her with a suplex. She then hit a bunch of legdrops, used a wacky slam and won with the armbar.

    – William Regal announced that Kevin Owens is allowed to do commentary during the main event. Bull Dempsey walked in eating Dorito’s (PRODUCT PLACEMENT!) and said he was tired because he was up all night training and it will never happen again. 

    Mr. Regal took his chips, so Bull started eating a candy bar. So William’s big announcement is he is allowing Owens to do commentary? That’s not exactly Earth shattering. Also, who’s Cheerio’s did Bull piss in?

    – Greg Hamilton is with Jason Jordan. Jordan said his last partner didn’t work out, but his next one will. Chad Gable walked up and said that when Jordan finally comes to his senses, Chad will be ready, willing and Gable. Chad also wrote his name on Jordan’s locker space.

    Baron Corbin pinned Angelo Dawkins

    The fans turned on Baron when they realized he dropped the 30 second victory gimmick. There was seriously nothing wrong with this match, just that it went longer than a minute and this didn’t sit well with the guys on the hard camera. Dawkins’ offense consisted of two punches to the face and Baron won with the End of Days.

    Samoa Joe pinned Scott Dawson

    We returned from commercial with the hilarious site of Kevin Owens with his arm around Byron Saxton at the announce table, while the entire announce team looked uncomfortable. Joe’s first televised WWE match in 14 years comes against Scott Dawson, who was once the partner of Rusev.

    Owens mockingly marked out when the announcers got so excited for Joe’s moves. While Dawson got slightly more offense than you would expect, this match was Samoa Joe’s greatest hits, complete with winning with a Muscle Buster.

    – After the match Owens went to leave when Joe took the mic and reminded Kevin of his threat to drop Joe. Joe challenged him to get into the ring and give everyone the fight they want to see. 

    Owens said he is a good man by not dropping Joe after his very first match. Since Joe is an NXT rookie, as Owens is a veteran he pointed out that you can’t just get an NXT Title shot after one match. Of course the humour was Owens did the same exact thing.

    Mr. Regal came out and announced that next week it will be Kevin Owens vs Samoa Joe in a non title match. With that, the show comes to an end. What will happen next week when Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens do battle in an NXT ring? Until then, make sure to say your vitamins and take your prayers.

  • How UFC will be changing, Samoa Joe deal, Lesnar vs. Austin, Wrestling on Wednesdays, life and times of Tommy Rogers

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    *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.

  • Bellator MMA News: Bobby Lashley gets a new opponent for 6/19 event

    James Thompson, scheduled to face TNA’s (and Bellator’s) Bobby Lashey at the next big Bellator show on June 19th in St. Louis, has pulled out due to injury.

    The fight was a rematch of their 2012 bout in India, which Thompson won via decision.

    Lashley will now face Dan Charles, a 9-2 heavyweight who has won his last two Bellator fights. The new matchup will be part of the same event headlined by Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock.