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  • ROH announces names in first action figure collection

    The following is a press release:

    (Baltimore, MD – May 26th, 2015) – Get ready for the best wrestling figures on the planet!  Ring of Honor Wrestling (ROH) and Figures Toy Company are proud to announce the official lineup for the debut series of ROH Wrestling action figures!  Series 1 will feature four of the top names in Ring of Honor history, and this series marks the first time that any of them have been released in action figure form!

    From “DemBoys” to a ruler of a Kingdom, ROH and Figures Toy Company will be releasing four major names to launch the line:

    Jay Briscoe: The current Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Champion, Jay Briscoe is an ROH Original in every sense, including being the very first ROH match ever. With his roughneck reputation and the in ring skills to back it up, Briscoe is one of ROH’s most recognizable stars.

    Mark Briscoe: Brother of Jay and another ROH Original.  Together, The Briscoes wreaked havoc on the ROH tag division, and have held the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship an unprecedented 8 times!  Now Mark and Jay Briscoe team up to make history once again as a part of the very first Ring of Honor action figure series.

    Adam Cole: The former Ring of Honor World Champion, and the leader of The Kingdom.  Cole’s brash attitude has not endeared him to the ROH fanbase, and now he has something new to brag about, as he’ll surely be flaunting his Ring of Honor action figure for all it’s worth.

    Kevin Steen: The “Throwback” star in Series 1, Kevin Steen has a long and storied history in Ring of Honor.  From his tag team with El Generico to wreaking havoc as the Ring of Honor World Champion, Steen has made a name for himself not only in ROH but throughout the wrestling world.  He may not be raising hell in ROH any longer, but he is still a force on the rise, and collectors everywhere will be clamoring for their very first Kevin Steen figure.

    The Ring of Honor action figures will be 6 inch tall figures with multiple points of articulation, and will be compatible with other wrestling figures on the market.  Each figure will come packaged with assorted accessories such as realistic cloth clothing, figure sized title belts, and weapons.  Each figure will be released in a resealable clamshell package.  Figures Toy Company will be releasing pre-order information for Ring of Honor Series 1 action figures in the near future, so make sure to follow them on social media for updates on upcoming Ring of Honor products!

    Follow on Twitter: @RingofHonor, @figurestoyco and @wres_superstore
    Instagram: RingofHonor, figurestoycompany and wrestlingsuperstore
    Facebook:  RingofHonor, Figures Toy Company and Wrestling Superstore

  • UFC: Suspended Hector Lombard wants Metamoris bout with Josh Barnett

    The following is from a third party:

    Hector Lombard and Josh Barnett were never able to get on the same page while they were training together. On Submission Radio, Lombard went into full detail about exactly what happened between him and Josh which included broken noses, blood everywhere and a moment where Hector Lombard had Josh on top of him pummeling him making him think he was finished. Read the full story about this historic battle below. Plus, Hector challenges Barnett to a fight at Metamoris. 

    Transcript:

    On the real story about what happened between him and Josh Barnet when they trained together

    “I’ve actually been calling Josh Barnett out so we can have a fight at Metamoris.”

    What happened was very simple I’ve been telling him and I told him that I’d call him out after the fight – after one of my Bellator fights – in front of everybody. And then he went backstage and he was like “oh why did you call me out? I call you outside and I call you now”. What happened is, I came to train with Erik Paulsen and a bunch of guys down there and he wanted me to suck up to him a bit. Which is something that I don’t do. He wanted me to be a ‘suck up’ and come to him, always come and be submissive to him and all that. I mean at the end of the day, he’s a man and I’m a man and he breaths and I breath, and you know.

    “For me, I don’t believe that anyone is better than anyone. For me, we are all the same. Whether you have more success at one thing or the other, at the end of the day we are people. So that was something that I didn’t do. So from that day on he didn’t like my approach to him because I wasn’t submissive enough and I was just kind of treating him normal. And we started sparring, and you know time started going by. 50 minutes, 55 minutes. We sparred for about almost an hour, and I was beating him up and he was bleeding all over the mat, and he saw me that I didn’t quit, and I started hitting hard and he kind of  like left. He left the gym.

    And it’s funny because Erik Paulson was cleaning, he was cleaning the whole gym. Blood everywhere, broken nose, whatever. After that he started hating me even more. One day I remember that he was training, and there was a bunch of guys. It was Jake, him, Babalu [Sobral]. It was so many of those guys, and you know all of them his friends obviously, and I start sparring all of them. And you know after I was doing about six changes, he jumps in. I was tired, he took me down without me knowing that it was a takedown, and he was pounding the hell out of me. I was at one point, you know through my mind went through like “Wow, I’m dead here”. ‘Cause he was pounding the hell out of me so bad.

    “For some reason, I don’t know what happened, it was a miracle from god or whatever, I escaped from it, I jumped on top and I start pounding him up. And he’s like “oh that’s it. That’s it. That’s it”. And he left again. So I mean, you know confrontation by confrontation. So it was kind of like he couldn’t bully me, and that was his biggest issue. And then after that I couldn’t even get to train ’cause he would call the guys at different time. So I would be at the gym by myself and I just decided to leave, man. I mean like it was pretty hard for me. I mean obviously he was the big dog in the gym, and he would call the guys, you know whatever time suits him – Jaime [Fletcher], Babalu [Sobral] and the rest of them. So they wouldn’t show all the time, sometimes they would train at different times. So I couldn’t get my training. So I just decided to leave. I came down to ATT and the rest is history.”

    “And that was exactly what happened there, and he knows it. He can go and say whatever he wants. Actually, you know I mean I gotta be fair. He’s been making good comments about me lately. I kind of like to squash the beef between us, but I just tell you what just happened. But I have nothing against him anymore. (I) kind of just let it flow. But I do, you know if the opportunity comes and we can compete in a grappling comp with Metamoris or any grappling comp, I would be more than happy to compete against Josh. That’s for sure.”

    On if Hector believes he’ll beat Josh Barnett in a grappling matchup:

    “You know there is a reason why I’m calling him out, right? I mean with all due respect, but I see myself winning. I don’t see him beating me, and I hope that one day Metamoris can make that fight happen.”

  • Ric Flair talks Randy Savage program, who he could never wrestle today, and thoughts on Undertaker

    The following is from a third party:

    Ric Flair was on the Inside The Ropes podcast talking about his upcoming UK tour. Here are the highlights:

    On recent comments about getting back in the ring:

    Physically I’m more than capable but it’s a cosmetic issue now so I’d need time to prepare. I’ve always wanted to manage Dolph Ziggler but ya know if they were to ask me to get back in the ring tomorrow my answer would be yes and I could work with anybody. I’ve actually worked with Ziggler before when he was in the group (Spirit Squad) I love all those kids. I think I’ve had enough of Brock Lesnar, I don’t think I could do that one again. I don’t think I could take 17 German suplexes. I could work with any of the kids but I don’t think that’s going to happen, I just meant I’m physically cleared to go out there and bounce earound or drop an elbow on a sports coat. I’d love to be a part of it again.

    On Undertaker’s legacy and Taker saluting him at Flair’s retirement:

    First of all, I think the world of him personally. He’s a wonderful person. On top of being one of the top ten performers of all time, he’s
    got the greatest gimmick in the history of the business. When I first started coming to Europe with him in the 90’s, I had no idea. There were ten thousand people dressed up like The Undertaker. I had no idea how much of an impact he made over here. I was very surprised he did that. Not because he doesn’t respect me but he just doesn’t come out in public. You know you’re never gonna see him at the front row at the Hall of Fame. He’s backstage listening to every work. It’s not that he’s not in attendance, he’s back there with Vince. He’s a wonderful guy.

    Memories of the Randy Savage match at WrestleMania 8:

    It’s funny because it was just an average match. There was so much tension at that time between Randy and Liz. As a matter of fact, that was the last time they were together, they spolit the next day. It was just very uncomfortable. Not working with Randy or Liz individually, they’re great people but there was just tension between them and that was the last time they worked together there. I thought the match was OK but it could’ve been better and it wasn’t out individual abilities there was just a lot going on behind the scenes that people weren’t aware of. I felt bad. I was honoured to be a part of it and be in a main event at WrestleMania but there was so much going on behind the scenes that I felt bad for everybody involved.Not for me, but they were going their seperate ways and it was difficult. He cared for her a great deal.

  • Samoa Joe’s first match back to ROH announced

    ROH this morning announced that Samoa Joe’s first match back in the company will be 6/20 in New York at the TV tapings at Terminal Five, will be a non-title match with ROH tag champs Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Samoa Joe & A.J. Styles.

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (May 26): Dick The Bruiser & Crusher beat Larry Hennig & Harley Race in nine fall death match, Tiger Mask wins WWF jr. heavyweight gold

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1932 – At Union Pacific Ball Park in Kansas City, Kansas; Wild Red Berry defeated Bobby Novakll, Promoters Charles and
    John Hatfield moved event outdoors from Memorial Hall.

    1941 – In Wichita, Kansas; NWA World Heavyweight Champion Roy Dunn defeated Rube Wright and Everette Marshall defeated John Pesek.

    1945 – In Wichita, Kansas; World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown beat Lord Albert Mills in 2 straight falls, Ray Eckert beat Jack Hader and Joe Szabo defeated Pat O’Dowdy.

    1950 – Gorgeous George defeated Don Eagle for the AWA (Boston) World Heavyweight Title in Chicago, Illinois.

    1959 – The Corsicans (Joe and Jean) defeated Angelo Martinelli and Luis Hernandez for the vacant NWA Texas Tag Team Title in Dallas, Texas.

    1961 – Duke Keomuka & Tony Martin defeated Rito Romero & Dory Dixon for the Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Title in Houston, Texas.

    1962 – At the Armory in St. Paul, Minnesota; AWA Champion Mr. M beat Tiny Mills and Pat O’Connor beat Bob Geigel in 2 out of 3 falls.

    1964 – Jackie & Don Fargo defeated Tojo Yamamoto & Alex Perez to win the Mid-America version of the NWA Southern Tag Team Title in Nashville, Tennessee

    1966 – In Kansas City, Kansas; Pat O’Connor & Richard Moody defeated The Butcher & Dandy Jack, Bob Ellis defeated Oki Shikina and The Mongolian Stomper defeated Bob Brown; Killer Karl Kox & Joe Carrolo defeated Michiaki Yoshimura & Giant Baba to win the vacant JWA All Asia Tag Team Title in Sendai, Japan.

    1967 – Michiaki Yoshimura & Antonio Inoki defeated Waldo Von Erich & Ike Eakins for the vacant JWA All Asia Tag Team Title in Sapporo, Japan.

    1967 – Al Costello & Karl Von Brauner defeated Bill Miller and Bobo Brazil to win the Detroit version of the NWA World Tag Team Title in Dayton, Ohio; In Milwaukee, Wisconsin; In a non Title Death Match; Dick the Bruiser & the Crusher beat AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race after 9th fall, also Chris Markoff beat Reggie Parks and Mitsu Arakawa drew with Jack Lanza. Attendance was 3,200.

    1968 – Tiger Jeet Singh & Bull Curry defeated Whipper Billy Watson & Bulldog Brower for the Toronto version of the NWA International Tag Team Title in Toronto, Ontario.

    1973 – Dory Funk, Jr. & Terry Funk defeated Killer Karl Krupp and Karl Von Steiger to win the NWA International Tag Team Title in Amarillo, Texas; Black Gordman and Goliath defeated Jose Lothario and Ivan Putski to win the NWA Texas Tag Team Title in Dallas, Texas

    1975 – Karl Von Steiger & Otto Von Heller defeated George Gulas & Jerry Jarrett for the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title.

    1976 – In Peoria, Illinois; Baron Von Raschke beat Larry Hennig

    1978 – Black Gordman & Hector Guerrero defeated Ron Bass & Roddy Piper to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Title; In Denver, Colorado; Verne Gagne (sub Jim Brunzell) & Greg Gagne beat Nick Bockwinkel & Angelo Mosca (sub Bob Orton Jr), Rufus R Jones beat Pat Patterson, Jim Brunzell beat Bob Orton Jr and Ray Stevens beat Steve Olsonoski.

    1982- Tiger Mask defeated the Black Tiger to win the WWF Jr. Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan

    1983 – Chavo Guerrero defeated Ultra Seven in a tournament final for the vacant NWA International Junior Heavyweight Title in Tenryu, Japan; Bob Brown & Buzz Tyler won a tournament final for the vacant NWA Central States Tag Team Title in Kansas City, Kansas.

    1984 – In Chicago, Illinois; Road Warriors beat AWA Tag Team Champions The Crusher & Baron Von Raschke via dq; Dick The Bruiser beat Jerry Blackwell via dq; Fabulous Ones beat Steve Regal & Steve O and Nick Bockwinkel no contest with Blackjack Lanza. Attendance was estimated at 10,000.

    1989 – Eric Embry defeated Super Zodiac (Gary Young) to win the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Title in Dallas, Texas

    1997 – Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin defeated Owen Hart and The British Bulldog to win the WWF Tag Team Titles in Evansville, Indiana.

    2000 – The Necro Butcher defeated Canyon for the vacant NWA Texas Hardcore Title in North Richland Hills, Texas. Also, at the same show, Rodney Begnaud (Rodney Mack) defeated Mike Fox to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title.

    2011 – Eric Young defeated Gunner to win the TNA TV Title.

  • WWE RAW 5-25-15 TV Report: Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins & Kane, John Cena vs. Zack Ryder

    Photo: WWE.com

    by Jeff Hamlin, WrestlingObserver.com 

    The Big News:

    The entire show was built around a storyline where Dean Ambrose had to sign a contract in order to receive his title shot against Seth Rollins. Ambrose got arrested on trumped up charges in the first hour. If you bet on Ambrose returning in the final segment in a police van to beat up the heels, give yourself a gold star. Kevin Owens showed up again, which was the only thing of value tonight. 

    The Show:

    HHH, Stephanie McMahon, Seth Rollins and J&J Security opened the show. Rollins said Dean Ambrose made the decision to give Ambrose the shot at the WWE Heavyweight title shot under duress and the Authority could take away that title shot from Ambrose, or even fire him. However, Rollins said he asked them not to fire him because Ambrose isn’t a threat to him. Who talked Rollins into burying an opponent before a title mat…oh, yeah… 

    HHH said if Ambrose wanted the title shot against Rollins, he would have to come out and sign a contract. Ambrose came out and delivered some Cena-like line about going to sleep by counting how many times he gets to punch Rollins in the face. Ambrose joked when he wins the title, J&J Security can walk around barefoot like any other hobbits, Kane could wear a collar like a good lapdog and Rollins could drunk dial Selena Gomez because he’ll always be “our Justin Beiber.” 

    Rollins started comparing himself to Beiber, saying Beiber is the most successful artist of his generation, rich, famous, and has to beat girls off of him with a stick and everyone wishes they could be like him. Rollins called Ambrose a cockroach and said he would merely survive but never thrive. Again, Rollins dared Ambrose to come down to the ring and sign the contract. Ambrose made mention of rather being a cockroach that being on the wrong end of the Authority’s Human Centipede. Somebody on the writing staff likes morbid cinema.

    Ambrose got to ringside when Roman Reigns came out of the crowd to join him. Stephanie said Ambrose had until the end of the night to sign the contract and arranged a match with Reigns and Ambrose vs. Rollins and Kane immediately. 

    Michael Cole made mention of the Nassau Coliseum being one of the buildings that hosted WrestleMania 2. Booker T. chimed in that was one of his favorite WrestleManias. That’s like someone naming their favorite Metallica albums and they start with “St. Anger.” 

    Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns defeated Seth Rollins and Kane (12:52)

    Ambrose pinned Rollins after a backslide. It was supposed to be a big deal that the champion got pinned, but Rollins does a job on Raw and Smackdown every few weeks, so it’s hard for it to feel special. Plus, it all but gives away the finish to Sunday’s match. Solid match overall with a good near fall where Ambrose gave Kane a Superman’s punch into the flying elbow from Ambrose, leading to a Rollins’ save. 

    Renee Young interviewed Ambrose and told him that he still needed to sign the contact tonight to face Rollins. J&J Security walked in. It bears mentioning that Jamie Noble took a Superman punch from Reigns just moments before and he wasn’t even selling it. Ambrose and J&J Security started brawling with Ambrose getting the best of it. Then Ambrose felt someone coming up behind him and punched him, but it was the cameraman. J&J bolted while Ambrose checked on the camera guy.

    Cole explained that Rusev has now moved back to Bulgaria so his Russian gimmick is dead. He’s also officially dumped Lana. That’s going to be a tough road for Lana now as a babyface. Is she going to wrestle? Sasha Banks and Charlotte are already light years ahead of her as a worker. Is she going to be a babyface manager? How many successful female babyface managers can you name? The list is: 1. Elizabeth. There is no #2.

    The cast of “Entourage” pulled up in a limo. 

    Rusev defeated R-Truth via tapout (1:00)

    Rusev won with the Accolade. 1 minute submission job for R-Truth and he’s one of the six men in the Intercontinental Elimination Chamber match. 

    Postmatch, Rusev called down Lana saying he owed it to her after they came from Mother Russia. What the hell? Lana came out to new music. Rusev said he understood why Lana kissed Dolph Ziggler, caught him his match against John Cena, because she’s like any other woman, trying to get him to pay attention. That actually got some cheers. Rusev said they can still accomplish the dreams they had together. He asked her to take his hand and all will be forgotten. Lana took Rusev’s hand and they hugged and smiled.

    Then Rusev asked her to say three magical words: “I was wrong.” Lana wasn’t smiling anymore. She left. Rusev objected, but Lana said she wasn’t wrong because he quit. Rusev said he never quit and she needs to know her place. He said he owns her and ordered her to get back in the ring. Lana got back in but called him a liar and a quitter. She said she belongs to no one and she is no longer a victim and would never listen to his thickheaded, moronic, cruel mouth again. She left to a good but not great pop. As she walked own the ramp, Ziggler came out and they kissed again while Rusev raged in the ring.

    HHH and Rollins approached Ambrose in the locker room to sign the contract. The cameraman that Ambrose hit earlier came in with two policeman. The story was HHH and Ambrose forced the cameraman to press charges against Ambrose and he was arrested by the police for simple assault and lead away. So we’re back to 1998 where the babyfaces have to get over by getting arrested. 

    Ambrose was taken away into a police van while HHH, Noble, Joey Mercury and Kane all taunted him. 

    Ryback defeated King Barrett (3:53)

    King Barrett hit Wasteland and tried the Bullhammer Elbow, but Ryback stayed down. Ryback got up and hit the Shellshock. Booker said Ryback was playing possum. 

    HHH said Ambrose was being taken to central booking and he wouldn’t be back in time to get the contract signed. The stars of Entourage came in and greeted Stephanie McMahon and HHH. Kevin Dillion made a crack about Jeremy Piven getting ready for Summer Fest. Jerry Ferrara started talking about doing a scene where Ronda Rousey put him in an armbar and asked Stephanie if she knew what that was like. HHH and Stephanie seethed and told the guys where their dressing room was. Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly and Dillion all scolded Ferrara about saying that. 

    Stephen Ammell from “The Arrow” was at ringside where Stardust taunted him. Oddly, nothing ever came of this. 

    Neville defeated Stardust (3:16)

    Neville won with the Red Arrow. Bo Dallas came out during the bout. Crowd chanted “NXT” early, which was a crowd response that any other match has received so far. 

    Postmatch, Neville sold his injured knee. Dallas taunted him about being able to Bolieve, then drop kicked Neville on his bad knee. 

    The Entourage guys ran into Summer Rae, Alicia Fox, and Eva Marie. Ferrara talked with Zack Ryder and said there was something that Ryder had to do tonight since it was going to be their last time in the Nassau Coliseum. They talked behind closed doors.

    Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler (10:21)

    Sheamus won after a Brogue Kick when Rusev distracted Ziggler. Lana came out midway through the match. Ziggler got a near fall when Rusev came down. Sheamus spent most of the match on offense.

    Afterwards, Rusev put Ziggler in the Accolade while Lana looked right at him. Rusev screamed at Lana as he held Ziggler in the Accolade, basically telling her it was her fault Ziggler was suffering. 

    Cena came out to mostly boos. He based his entire promo based on the divided fan base regarding him over the last ten years. He acknowledged the fans that supported him over the last ten years. Then he turned his attention to the fans who chanted “Cena Sucks” at him, who have watched one hopeful and another lose to him over the past decade. Last week, their newest hopeful arrived in Kevin Owens, who broke the internet with his Raw debut. Cena said when he wrestled Owens on Sunday, the fans chanted against him wouldn’t be saying “Cena Sucks.” They would be saying “Fight, Owens, Fight.” But that doesn’t mean “Win, Owens, Win.” 

    Cena brought up the U.S. Open Challenge. The cast of Entourage came out like one of them was going to wrestle Cena. Instead, Ferrara introduced Ryder as the challenger.

    John Cena defeated Zack Ryder to retain the U.S. Championship (4:05)

    Ryder actually got the biggest babyface pop on the show. Cena was about to hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle when Dillon ran in for a distraction. Cena was about to deck him when Grenier pulled Dillon away. Ryder hit the Killswitch, Broski Boot and Rough Ryder, all for two counts. Ryder missed the 450 splash and Cena won with the AA. Cena raised Ryder’s arm after the match and the rest of the Entourage guys joined them. The Entourage crew was actually very good. 

    After everyone left, Owens ran out of the crowd and gave Cena a Pop-Up Power Bomb to a big pop. Owens stomped on the U.S. Title again and raised the NXT championship.  

    Stephanie talked about how impressive Owens looked and complimented her husband about choosing prospects. Rollins mentioned knowing Owens for years. Young came in and asked about the status of Ambrose. Stephanie said they would abide by their rules if Ambrose showed up to the building tonight and sign the contract, then he would wrestle Rollins on Sunday. Otherwise, Rollins would get a night off at Elimination Chamber.

    Tamina defeated Paige (3:37)

    Nikki and Brie Bella were out on commentary. Brie was asked about going to therapy after the injury to Daniel Bryan. She said it was very enlightening, whatever that meant. Paige tried a series of clotheslines on Tamina and it looked awful. Naomi interferred. Tamina got the pin with a Samoan Drop. Bad match. 

    The Rock was shown on the opening of “San Andreas” where the announcers put it over as his next blockbuster. 

    The New Day came to the ring and complained about defending the tag team titles against five other teams at Elimination Chamber. Big E. took the obligatory shots at the New York Islanders when Kane came out and said New Day would face Los Matadores, Lucha Dragons, the Ascension, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd and the Prime Time Players in a 10-on-3 handicap match. 

    WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day defeated The Ascension, Lucha Dragons, Los Matadores, Tyson Kidd & Cesaro, The Prime Time Players by DQ (:56 aired)

    Xavier Woods taunted the opposing corner. Everybody ran in and did their finishers on each other. Sin Cara and  Kalisto did dives from oppsite corners on everyone. After New Day was announced as the winners, Cesaro gave Woods an eight-revolution Giant Swing into a Kidd dropkick. A waste of time. 

    The main event segment started with another angle of the Ambrose angle from earlier, where it was shown that Rollins pushed the cameraman from behind into Ambrose. The Authroity, Rollins, Kane, Mercury and Noble came out again. Stephanie said the cameraman was the father of newborn triplets. 

    HHH was about to announce that Ambrose would miss the Elimination Chamber match when Reigns came out. The four heels beat down Reigns, who tried to make a comeback until Kane chokeslammed him. Then the police van was shown driving through backstage. It was Ambrose driving the van carrying two knifesticks, which he used to clean house. Reigns and Ambrose teamed to clear the ring, including a Superman Punch to Kane, followed by Dirty Deeds. Ambrose finally signed the contract to set up the main event.  

    SUMMARY:

    The show didn’t make me interested in seeing Elimination Chamber. The only thing of interest to me is the Cena-Owens match. For years, a program with John Cena is a path that leads potential stars straight to the midcard. Ask Wade Barrett, R-Truth, Bray Wyatt, The Miz and Mark Henry. Right now, this company needs a strong new heel face. Owens fills that role and it’s time for Cena to do the job of a true Champion Emeritus and make a new star.  

  • WWE RAW 5-25-15 non-TV notes: Superstars, Orton vs. Wyatt, Vince makes an appearance

    Submitted by Mike Omansky

    SUPERSTARS (before RAW)

    – Heath Slater W Adam Rose (with Rosa), pin. Decent match.

    – Luke Harper & Erick Rowan W Macho Mandow & Axelmania (Harper pins Axel)

    – Vince McMahon came out on stage to a big pop. He noted that it was the last WWE event ever at Nassau Coliseum. He thanked all of the superstars who have appeared in the past; the fans that have come in the past; and especially the fans that came to the last show.

    AFTER RAW

    – Advertised main event was John Cena, Randy Orton & Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, Big Show and Rusev. Instead, it was Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt. Crowd was not burned out, and popped for both men’s entrances.  This was thus the last wrestling match ever at Nassau Coliseum. Orton won in a good match via RKO.

  • WWE 5-23-15 Worcester, MA, house show report: John Cena vs. Rusev cage match, Dean Ambrose vs. Kane

    Submitted By Elliott Marquis

    – Neville beat King Barrett with the Red Arrow. Barrett worked the crowd up for a few minutes beforehand – the “peasants” routine mostly. I was surprised how well the kids seemed to know & like Neville. Good match.

    – Erick Rowan beat Zack Ryder. It wasn’t a squash match; they gave them time and it was what it was. Harper was out with Rowan & that was his only involvement of the night. I think they’re trying a new thing where Rowan raises his sheep mask mid-match to try and get people in the audience to raise theirs with him.

    – Primetime Players beat Bo Dallas & Heath Slater. Slater & Dallas comedy infighting led to Darren Young rolling up Dallas for the win. Slater, wanting a do-over, challenged any team from the back.

    – The New Mega Powers beat Bo Dallas & Heath Slater. Dallas immediately left so this was just a beat down on Slater. I think Sandow had family in the front row. He usually does in Worcester.

    – They played the full Warrior/Connor video and announced bracelets available in the lobby.

    – Dean Ambrose beat Kane with Dirty Deeds. Crowd was super into Ambrose.

    Intermission

    – Nikki Bella beat Tamina. No Brie or Naomi.

    – WWE Tag Team Champions New Day (Kofi & Xavier) beat Cesaro & Kidd after interference from Big E. I thought New Day was great with lots of mic time beforehand. You can tell they’re having fun. Kofi’s mom was in the front row and they mentioned it, telling people not to dare boo Kofi while his mom was there. This was probably the best match, though shorter than I expected.

    – WWE US Champion John Cena beat Rusev in a steel cage match after Lana slammed the door on Rusev’s head. That’s all Lana did – after two ref bumps, she walked down, slammed the door on him, and left. Very pro-Cena crowd. Guy’s a megastar.

    Notes:

    I would call it a mid-sized crowd for the DCU Center. I don’t know that the arena is in its best days right now as our AHL team just left town, not a lot usually going on, and it’s been years since I’ve been to anything here when the top section wasn’t completely covered off. Even with the tarps, there were noticeably empty sections, but the lower seats were all filled. Lots of kids. 

    Biggest reactions:

    1. Cena
    2. Ambrose
    3. Neville

  • MON. UPDATE: Preview of Raw, Final show in arena, Memorial Day ratings, Cena honors, Rock promoting, Bellator signs new deal, ROH action figures

    By Dave Meltzer
    dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    We’re looking for your thoughts on Saturday night’s UFC 187 and Wednesday night’s NXT Takeover Unstoppable show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    We’re looking for live reports from tonight’s Raw show at the Nassau Coliseum.  Several of the stars of Entourage will appear.  John Cena will issue his open challenge.  Kevin Owens will be there as it’s the go-home show for Elimination Chamber.  We’re looking for Superstars matches, dark matches and anything else that wouldn’t be evident from watching the TV show.

    We’re also looking for reports on these weekend shows:

    *WWE Saturday night in Worcester, MA
    *WWE Sunday in White Plains, NY (John Cena, Rusev, Dean Ambrose, Kane, Luke Harper, Neville)
    *WWE Sunday in Binghamton (Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, Bray Wyatt, Sheamus).

    Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

    The new issue of the Wrestling Observer is among the most talked about of the year, with a detailed lead story on the plight of every key non-WWE promotion, as well as details of TNA’s future with Destination America, ROH viewership and more, a detailed look at how MMA is going to be changing with far more serious repercussions for drug test failures and the story behind the changes, a look at Elimination Chamber, a rundown of Payback, a detailed update NXT with coverage of its northeast tour, and of the ROH/New Japan tour.  We also look at the Urijah Faber vs. Frankie Edgar show and the death of Corey Hill.

    The new issue is up on the site at http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/110-wrestling-observer-newsletter/42649-may-25-2015-wrestling-observer-newsletter-state-of-tna-nsacs-new-doping-penalties-and-more

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    The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

    The lead story looks at the battle for the No. 2 spot in American pro wrestling.  We look at ROH, TNA, GFW and Lucha Underground, as well as how WWE may have created the real No. 2.  We look at where things stand with all the groups, both in going forward, if they even can go forward, the TV situation with everyone, tons of changes in TNA television with the move to Wednesday. 

    We also look at the background of the changes in drug testing penalties in Nevada, what it means for the sport, how the business will change for many, the realities of drug testing with these penalties, injury rates, careers ending earlier, the Wanderlei Silva case, the marijuana threshold and far more.

    We also have coverage of the Elimination Chamber lineup, questions regarding the show, business for Payback and match-by-match coverage of the show with star ratings and poll results.

    We also look at the attempt to make NXT a third WWE touring brand.  We look at the plans for the next few years for the brand, ideas Paul Levesque talked about, long-term plans for shows in and out of Florida, business notes from the Philadelphia and Albany shows and full coverage of all three nights.

    We also look at the last three nights of the ROH/New Japan tour with shows in Philadelphia and Toronto, with notes on the business and iPPV, as well as when ROH is trying to cut a deal to bring New Japan talent back. 

    We also look at the update on the Steve Austin/WWE relationship and some podcast notes, Update on injuries to key talent and how some of them happened, promotions, Ronda Rousey talks a WWE return, Vince McMahon on WrestleMania, What WWE performer has ESPN and FOX wanting them, Notes on how this season’s Tough Enough will work, view on women in WWE going forward, Samoa Joe in WWE, WWE Studios looking to make major moves, what WWE star is in the biggest grossing movie of the weekend, more on the box office for Dwayne Johnson’s latest movie, ABC airing a piece on WWE and Finn Balor talks NXT.

    We also look at the next group of wrestlers getting WWE tryouts, what group in WWE is history, what person from another sport was a guest trainer last week, and a former MMA fighter signs with WWE.  We’ve also got business notes for all the weekend WWE shows and highlights of the events.

    We’ve also got full coverage of UFC’s morning show from The Philippines, including the retirement of Mark Munoz, Urijah Faber vs. Frankie Edgar and business notes from the show.

    We also have a story on the death of former UFC fighter Corey Hill, as well as one of the worst injuries in UFC history, why people thought he had championship potential and what happened.

    We’ve also got notes on AAA’s big show of he weekend, Verano de Escandalo, with many of the stars of Lucha Underground, as well as Rey Mysterio Jr.

    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:

    –One of biggest stars in Mexico under a police investigation and has been pulled from bookings

    –Full details on how this went down

    –Octagon first Arena Mexico appearance

    –Big tournament coming up

    –New Japan star headed to CMLL

    –Huge head-to-head battle on Sunday with loaded shows a few miles from each other

    –Lineup for the AAA World Cup tournament

    –Notes on this week’s iPPV of World Cup

    –King of Gate tournament coming up to this finals this week

    –One of the greatest pro wrestling stars of the 70s returns to Japan at the end of the month

    –A look at all the New Japan Super Juniors shows of the week and complete New Japan World lineup of multiple shows

    –Update on health of one of 80s biggest names

    –More details on Global Force Wrestling including lineups for the first four shows

    –Who are newcomers that they have added

    –Who was pulled from the promotion

    –An update on Scott Hall

    –Update on Bill Goldberg and his appearance on a pro wrestling event

    –Huge fund raiser to commemorate regional wrestling from the 70s with tons of area stars involved

    –Notes on ROH Final Battle

    –More on ROH signing of Moose

    –Who else had made a play for him

    –Main events for the next few ROH shows

    –A look at ROH television over the next month

    –Why this week’s first-run Impact show didn’t air in the U.S.

    –A look at the Impact schedule and more on the time slot change

    –TNA’s U.K. tour notes

    –More on Billy Corgan in TNA

    –Dixie Carter talks to Steve Austin, fact vs. fiction

    –TNA loses anther time slot

    –A look at this coming week’s UFC show

    –Lots of UFC card changes and why

    –UFC debuts in South Korea in the fall

    –Who are the biggest stars from there

    –Will UFC’s books be made public due to lawsuit

    –UFC expected to sign WSOF champion

    –A look at all the activities in July in conjunction with UFC in Las Vegas and Fight Week

    –Lots of new UFC fights

    –A look at Bellator’s last show and next show

    –Former Pride star put in jail

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.

    New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Our most requested issues in our history are:

    *November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)

    *December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)

    *August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)

    *March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a

    *October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)

    *July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)

    *February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)

    *May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)

    *January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)

    *February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)

    *March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)

    *April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)

    *May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)

    *June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)

    *June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)

    *July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)

    *August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)

    *September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)

    *October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)

    *January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

    *February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)

    *February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)

    *March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)

    *March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)

    *July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)

    *July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)

    *August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)

    *August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)

    *October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)

    *November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)

    *January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)

    *March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)

    *May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)

    *June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)

    *July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)

    *September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)

    *October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)

    *November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)

    *January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)

    *January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)

    *April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)

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

    *July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)

    *September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)

    *October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)

    *November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)

    *November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)

    *November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)

    *December 6, 2006 (Details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)

    *January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)

    *March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)

    *March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)

    *March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)

    *April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)

    *July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)

    *October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)

    *November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .

    *December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)

    *January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)

    *March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)

    *April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)

    * September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)

    * September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)

    * September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)

    You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.

    We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..

    To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.

    MONDAY’S NEWS UPDATE

    –Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer Live, covering Raw, and also taking your e-mail questions to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

    –WWE released its App for the new Tough Enough season, which debuts on 6/23.  The app will be used for the fan voting to eliminate people.

    –Tonight will be the final WWE event at the Nassau Coliseum in this form, since the arena is being closed up.

    –The big thing regarding ratings tonight is they are going head-to-head with the Warriors vs. Rockets game. 

    –For comparisons, the Memorial Day ratings for the past few years were:
    2010 did a 3.22 rating
    2011 did a 3.07 rating
    2012 did a 2.72 rating
    2013 did a 2.80 rating
    2014 did a 2.62 rating

    –Tonight’s Raw open is at
    https://youtu.be/N5lEmkY0kA4

    –John Cena spoke at the graduation of Cushing Academy, which was the private school he went to high school at.  It was the 20th anniversary of his own graduation and the 150th graduating class at the school.

     –Another trivia note regarding Cena related to the Jeff Blatnick UFC Hall of Fame story is that the three most famous sports stars to graduate from Springfield College were Dr. James Naismith (inventor of the sport of basketball), Blatnick (Wrestling & UFC Hall of Famer) and Cena, who was a first team Division III All-American center there.

    –Dwayne Johnson has been all over everywhere promoting San Andreas, his latest movie, nearly every big talk show and tons of major media outlets.

    –Bellator announced a new deal appearing on the American Forces TV Network, meaning the Bellator shows will air all over the world to American servicemen and women as well as on U.S. Navy ships at sea.

    –Ring of Honor and Figures Toy Company will have an announcement later this week regarding the first set of Ring of Honor action figures.  This line will feature the current roster and throwback figures of top names from the past.  There are two other toy lines, a Legend line featuring stars of the past and a new line featuring top free agents today.  There are about a dozen major names who have signed on and some names will be out in upcoming days.  Cliff Compton will be one of the modern indie stars featured.

    –Jim Ross will be the host of the Mid Atlantic Wrestling Legends Fan Fest weekend in Charlotte.  They will be debuting a documentary called “Mid Atlantic Memories” at the event, and Ross will be the narrator.  Ross will also do a two hour speaking show at the convention.

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

    1962 – Rikidozan beat Lou Thesz in Tokyo to win the World League tournament
    1975 – Larry O’Dea & Bobby Hart beat Missouri Mauler & Steve Rackman in Melbourne to win the Austra Asian tag titles
    1980 – Irma Gonzalez beat Vickie Williams to win the UWA women’s title
    1982 – Steve Grey beat Jim Breaks in Bradford to win the British lightweight title
    1982 – Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) beat Les Thornton in Shizuoka to win the NWA jr. title.  This title change wasn’t accepted by the NWA in the U.S., as Thornton was shortly back to being billed as champion in the U.S.
    1987 – Solar beat Blue Panther to win the UWA jr. light heavyweight title
    1989 – Salman Hashimikov beat Vader to win the IWGP title and Jushin Liger beat Hiroshi Hase to win the IWGP jr. title for the first time
    1992 – Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi beat Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas in Miyagi to win the All Asia tag titles
    1994 – El Hijo del Santo beat Karloff Lagarde Jr. in Tlanepantla to win the UWA welterweight title
    2003 – Jeff Jarrett beat Sting in Auckland, New Zealand to unify the NWA & WWAS titles and Chris Sabin beat Jerry Lynn, Johnny Swinger and Frankie Kazarian to unify the TNA X title and the WWAS cruiserweight title
    2011 – KENTA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru beat Kotaro Suzuki & Atsushi Aoki in Tokyo to win the GHC jr. title
    2013 – Ricochet beat Shingo Takagi in Tokyo to win the King of Gate tournament 

    –Progress Wrestling Strong Style 16 tournament from Camden, London, before 700 fans:  Will Ospreay b El Ligero, Mark Haskins b Jack Gallagher, Rampage Brown b Big Daddy Walter, Roderick Strong b Tommy End, Marty Scurll b Eddie Dennis, Dave Mastiff b Noam Dar, Tommaso Ciampa b Damo O’Connor, Zack Sabre Jr. b Zack Gibson, James Davis & Rob Lynch b Jimmy Havoc & Paul Robinson.
    Quarterfinals today are Ospreay vs. Haskins, Brown vs. Strong, Scurll vs Mastiff and Sabre Jr. vs. Ciampa, plus Liger & Nathan Cruz defend the tag titles against Michael Dante & Tommy End (thanks to Martin Bentley)

    –High Risk Wrestling from Sunday in Cahokia, IL:  Takaaki Watanabe b Mike Outlaw, Jake Dirden b Keon Option, Dale Patricks won three-way over Tripp Cassidy and Jack Verville, Davey Richards b Tony Kozina, Blake Edward Belakus b Takaaki Watanabe, Bolt Brady won three-way  over Ace Perry and Josh Crane, Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful b Great Akuma & Jun Hado Blake Edward Belakis b Louis Lyndon to win heavyweight title.

    –The Los Angeles Times ran a big obit on Eric Caidin, the owner of the Hollywood Book and Posters store, who died on 5/18.  Caidin was well known around the Southern California scene as a promoter, fan and collector and ran a store from 1977 to 2015. 

    –Infinity Pro Wrestling on 5/30 in Bloomington, IN at the National Guard Armory with GT Vega against a “former ECW, WWE and TNA superstar.”

    –Legacy Pro Wrestling on 6/6 in Palmyra, PA featuring PJ Black, AR Fox, and Shane Strickland (Killshot)

    –Rockstar Wrestling on 6/5 in Dayton at 1106 E. Third St. with Abyss vs. Ron Mathis and Davey Richards vs. Dave Crist 

    –The marriage equality issue (allowing gay marriage), a huge story in Ireland over the past week, had stickers all over town of pro wrestling babyface tag teams like The Rockers and Owen Hart & Koko B. Ware in stickers promoting marriage equality,. (thanks to Lee Daly)

    –Anarchy Wrestling TV tapings from Saturday night in Cornelia, GA:  Azrael & Supernatural b Wade Adams & Chris Spectra, Michael Judas b BJ Hancock, Slim J & Fed Yehi b Corey Hollis & John Skyler, Calista NC Aja Perera, Jacob Ashworth & Shadow Jackson & Jeremy Foster b Kevin Blue & Trever Aeon & Brian Blaze, P Dog b Todd Sexton, BJ Hancock & Lars Manderson NC Billy Buck & Bobby Moore.  Next show is the 10th anniversary card on 5/30 with the Washington Bullets vs. Azrael & Supernatural. (thanks to Bill Behrens)

    –Aberdeen Anarchy on Saturday night in Aberdeen, Scotland before 1,312 fans:  Kenny Williams won three-way over Shawn Johnson and Bingo Ballance, Len Ironside & Bob Holly b Aspen Faith & Johnny Lions, Jack Jester b Bryan Tucker, Chris Archer & Mikey Vega & Lou King Sharp b Devon Dudley & Thunder  Buddies, Crusher Craib b Damien, Chris Masters & Grado & Mr. P b Alan Sterling & Mr. Malice & Jeeves Winchester, Scotty Swift b Jon Coffey to win title

    –A story on ROH/New Japan  in Toronto is at

    https://808sandtheheartbreakkid.wordpress.com/2015/05/21/global-wars/

    TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE (thanks to Bert Duckwall)

    12:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the top ten most stylish ring attire ever worn by a WWE Superstar.

    1:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Ariane’s mother calls with a desperate plea for help, and Eva is shocked when Jonathan makes a dangerous decision without her consent.

    2:06 AM ET
    WWE NETWORK EXCLUSIVE The action continues live after Raw!

    2:11 AM ET
    FIRST LOOK A First Look to watch exclusive content from WWE Home Video’s latest release, Daniel Bryan – Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!

    2:41 AM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves gets a culture shock immersing himself within the fascinating world of Marvel Comics, from their headquarters in New York City!

    3:00 AM ET
    WCW WRESTLEWAR 1990 Ric Flair defends the NWA World Title against Lex Luger. Arn and Ole Anderson face The Steiner Brothers for the NWA Tag Team Titles.

    6:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the top ten most stylish ring attire ever worn by a WWE Superstar.

    7:00 AM ET
    FIRST LOOK A First Look to watch exclusive content from WWE Home Video’s latest release, Daniel Bryan – Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!

    7:27 AM ET
    WWE 24 In this edition of WWE 24, we reveal the personal story of this rising star, his family and his memorable experience at Wrestlemania 31.

    8:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Ariane’s mother calls with a desperate plea for help, and Eva is shocked when Jonathan makes a dangerous decision without her consent.

    9:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the top ten most stylish ring attire ever worn by a WWE Superstar.

    10:00 AM ET
    FIRST LOOK A First Look to watch exclusive content from WWE Home Video’s latest release, Daniel Bryan – Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!

    10:27 AM ET
    WWE 24 In this edition of WWE 24, we reveal the personal story of this rising star, his family and his memorable experience at Wrestlemania 31.

    11:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Ariane’s mother calls with a desperate plea for help, and Eva is shocked when Jonathan makes a dangerous decision without her consent.

    12:00 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the top ten most stylish ring attire ever worn by a WWE Superstar.

    1:00 PM ET
    FIRST LOOK A First Look to watch exclusive content from WWE Home Video’s latest release, Daniel Bryan – Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!

    1:27 PM ET
    WWE 24 In this edition of WWE 24, we reveal the personal story of this rising star, his family and his memorable experience at Wrestlemania 31.

    2:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH Legendary WWE Superstar The Rock and ‘Psych’ star James Roday give the remaining five contestants a lesson in charisma.

    3:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH The Miz gives the contestants a taste of what life as a WWE Superstar means outside the ring. Back in the gym, the competition heats up.

    4:00 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!

    4:06 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR It takes an army to win a war, and both WCW and WWE were developing a deep roster in order to emerge victorious.

    5:06 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Biggest Crybabies of all time!

    6:00 PM ET
    FIRST LOOK A First Look to watch exclusive content from WWE Home Video’s latest release, Daniel Bryan – Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!

    6:30 PM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Learn about The Viper in and out of the ring as he reflects on his career to date. Hear about the past, present, and future of Randy Orton.

    8:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH The Miz gives the contestants a taste of what life as a WWE Superstar means outside the ring. Back in the gym, the competition heats up.

    9:00 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!

    9:06 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR It takes an army to win a war, and both WCW and WWE were developing a deep roster in order to emerge victorious.

    10:06 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Biggest Crybabies of all time!

    11:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH The Miz gives the contestants a taste of what life as a WWE Superstar means outside the ring. Back in the gym, the competition heats up.

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (May 25): Rockers last match in AWA, Tiger Mask wins NWA Jr. Heavyweight gold, Russian amateur wrestler beats Vader

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1957 – Verne Gagne and Edouard Carpentier defeated Nikolai and Boris Volkoff for the Chicago version of the NWA World Tag Team Title in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; At the National Guard Armory in Kansas City, KS; Bobby Bruns beat Wild Red Berry, Richard Brown (son of Orville Brown) beat Joe Costello and Curtis Reed went to a no contest with Black Panther. Orville Brown was the promoter of record.

    1959 – Kurt Von Poppenheim and Dan Manoukian defeated Nick Kozak and Al Kashey to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title.

    1962 – In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; AWA Champion Mr. M beat Verne Gagne and Doug Gilbert & Pat O’Connor beat Bob Geigel & Don Leo Jonathan

    1963 – In St. Paul, Minnesota; Crusher beat Rocky Hamilton in a Missouri Rules Match (Tiny Mills was referee) and Verne Gagne & Doug Gilbert & Don McClarty beat Ivan Kalmikoff & Karol Kalmikoff & Waldo Von Erich. Rocky Hamilton was also known as the Missouri Mauler and Larry Hamilton.

    1973 – At the International Amphitheater in Chicago, Illinois; Dick the Bruiser & Wahoo McDaniel beat Ernie Ladd & Superstar Billy Graham, Cowboy Bob Ellis beat Blackjack Lanza and Baron Von Raschke beat Sailor Art Thomas.

    1976 – Bob Orton, Jr. defeated Jack Brisco to win the Florida Heavyweight Title; at the Civic Center in Omaha, Nebraska; Larry Hennig & Jos Leduc ddq Mad Dog Vachon & Baron Von Raschke in 3rd fall; Jim Brunzell went to a draw with Blackjack Lanza and Bobby Duncum beat Bull Bullinski.

    1978 – At the St. Paul Auditorium; Greg Gagne & Verne Gagne & Jim Brunzell went to a no contest with Nick Bockwinkel & Blackjack Lanza & Bob Orton Jr, Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens beat Steve Olsonoski & Evan Johnson and Rufus R Jones beat Angela Mosca.

    1979 – In Denver, Colorado; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Greg Gagne, Super Destroyer Mark II (Sgt. Slaughter) beat The Crusher dq when Crusher removed Mark II’s mask, Mad Dog Vachon beat Bobby Duncum and Jesse Ventura went to a double countout with Paul Ellering.

    1980 – Skull Murphy and Gypsy Joe defeated Rocky Johnson and Jimmy Valiant for the AWA Southern Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee; Mark Lewin defeated Gino Hernandez for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title in Dallas; Perro Aguayo defeated Gran Hamada in Naucalpan, Mexico to win the UWA World Light Heavyweight Title; The Great Hussan Arab (Iron Sheik) defeated Dewey Robertson (Missing Link) to win the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

    1981 – Kevin Sullivan and Wayne Farris (The Honky Tonk Man) won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship by defeating Bill Dundee and Dream Machine in Memphis, Tennessee.

    1982 – Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) defeated Les Thornton to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title in Shizuoka, Japan; Steve Grey defeated Jim Breaks for the British Welterweight Title in Croydon, England,

    1985 – In Chicago, Illinois; Jerry Blackwell & Sgt. Slaughter beat Road Warrior Animal & Paul Ellering, AWA Champion Rick Martel beat Buddy Roberts (sub King Tonga), Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Fabulous Freebirds Michael Hayes & Buddy Roberts via dq, Butch Reed no contest The Crusher, Nick Bockwinkel beat Brad Rheingans, Larry Zbyszko (sub Jim Garvin) beat Baron Von Raschke, Ray Stevens beat Buck Zumhofe and Steve Regal went to a draw with Steve O. Attendance was 5,000.

    1987 – Soldat Ustinov & Boris Zukhov defeated Marty Jannetty & Shawn Michaels for the AWA World Tag Team Title in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. This was the Rockers last AWA match before leaving for the WWF.

    1989 – Russian amateur wrestling great Salman Hashimikov defeated Big Van Vader for the IWGP Heavyweight Title in Osaka, Japan. On the same show, Jushin Liger defeated Shiro Koshinaka to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title.

    1990 – Matt Borne defeated Kerry Von Erich to win the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Title in Dallas, Texas

    1992 – Kenta Kobashi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi defeated The Can-Am Express (Dan Kroffat and Doug Furnas) to win the AJPW All-Asia Tag Team Title in Miyaga, Japan

    1997 – Shawn Michaels & Steve Austin defeated Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith for the WWF World Tag Team Title in Evansville, Indiana.

    1999 – In Moline, Illinois; Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra) pinned WWF IC Champion the Godfather to win the title

    2002 – Steve Corino defeated Danny Doring in a tournament final for the vacant NWA Florida Heavyweight Title in St. Petersburg, Florida.