Full entrance for R-Trizzle, who thankfully remembers that he is in fact in Washington D.C. tonight. Eden can be seen laughing in the background at 1993’s catchphrase-du-jour, “Whoomp, there it is!” People over there, what’s up, indeed.
Rich Brennan informs me that his opponent, Heath Slater, finished #8 in the Slammy voting for Superstar of the Year. Huh.
Brennan and Byron Saxton hilariously talk about the prospect of The Big Show winning this year’s Royal Rumble, as Truth gets the shine. Our forgetful hero taunts Slater with what Byron calls the “jiggy jiggy” off a failed Irish whip, before dodging Heath and sending him crashing to the outside leading into commercials.
Slater the works the left knee forever when we get back, before we get a quick Truth comeback and a Lie Detector out of nowhere for the pinfall victory. This went over nine minutes (not including the commercials) and I felt every minute of it.
Titus O’Neil def. Adam Rose by pinfall
Adam’s TitanTron reminds me that they’ve mercifully dropped the Rosebush segments on RAW. And by the look of his morose, disinterested demeanour, he ain’t too pleased about it either.
Announcers mention that Titus and Darren have been dipping their respective toes in the singles competition waters of late. At least Titus, a Main Event fixture, has had those exploits televised. Young was reduced to defeating Curtis Axel in a dark match at this particular taping.
Trademark overhand chop in the corner from Mr. O’Neil, followed by the ol’ rib-breaker toss that he’s equally fond of – which I’m reliably informed is called the Pay Check.
Short match here that went just over four minutes. Quick heat segment from Rose after he used a rope break to his advantage, only to get cocky and allow Titus to come back at him with impressive fire.
Big boot, The Meltzer Bark, a stinger splash and a Clash of the Titus wraps it up for the big man. He millions-of-dollarses with a frankly quite befuddled and bespectacled old man afterwards to celebrate.
– Recap of the Vince angle from RAW, entitled “Arrested Developments” by the Main Event producer, in what may or may not be a nod at the greatest sitcom of all time (season four notwithstanding).
Jack Swagger def. Stardust by submission
Swagger dominates leading into an early commercial break. He then takes an impressive bump to the outside when we return, slamming off the ring steps after a failed corner charge.
Work rate disproportionate to a show of Main Event’s standing continues, as Stardust hits a massive superplex off the top rope to highlight the heat portion of the match.
Swagger then starts his comeback by foiling a subsequent Figure Four attempt, before hitting a running clothesline on the outside to get the crowd going.
Back in and Stardust dodges the Swagger Bomb, before hitting a Side Effect for two. A nice series of reversals follows, as Swagger catches ‘Dust off a Disaster Kick attempt, only to find himself sunset flipped. Swagger then avoids the pinfall by countering into the Patriot Lock, which Stardust escapes.
Finishing sequence sees Stardust land on his feet off a Swagger back suplex attempt. He immediately lines up the Queen’s Crossbow, only for Swagger to roll him into another Patriot Lock, which this time gets the tap. Really good effort from these two.
Final Thoughts
A second featured contest in as many weeks for Swagger and he again turns in a surprisingly good bout by C-show standards. Watch that and ditch the rest.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of the UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit weigh-ins from the Marquee Ballroom at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fighters will hit the scale at 7 PM eastern time. The card airs on Saturday with the main card on PPV at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off at 6:30 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass before heading over to FOX Sports 1 at 8 PM eastern time with additional preliminary bouts. This event marks the first fight card for the UFC in 2016.
The event is headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship bout as current UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler makes his second title defense, this time defending against fourth-ranked welterweight and former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit. In the co-main event, it will be a potential title eliminator in the UFC’s heavyweight division as third-ranked Stipe Miocic takes on second-ranked former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski, winner of his last six fights. Also on the card, in a highly featured bout on UFC Fight Pass, will be lightweights Dustin Poirier and Joseph Duffy.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT): Robbie Lawler (170) vs. Carlos Condit (169) – UFC Welterweight Championship Stipe Miocic (241.5) vs. Andrei Arlovski (246.5) Lorenz Larkin (171) vs. Albert Tumenov (171) Diego Brandao (146) vs. Brian Ortega (145.5) Abel Trujillo (156) vs. Tony Sims (156)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT): Michael McDonald (136) vs. Masanori Kanehara (135) Kyle Noke (170.5) vs. Alex Morono (170) Justine Kish (116) vs. Nina Ansaroff (116) Scott Holtzman (155.5) vs. Drew Dober (155.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT): Dustin Poirier (155.5) vs. Joseph Duffy (155) Joe Soto (135.5) vs. Michinori Tanaka (135.5) Sheldon Westcott (170) vs. Edgar Garcia (170)
This Monday marks the second biggest wrestling show of the year, WrestleKingdom 10. It promises to be a huge show with plenty of awesome wrestling action. It will also attract a lot of people who haven’t watched that much Japanese wrestling, or those who only watch the biggest shows. For those people who are new to watching WrestleKingdom, here are five things that you need to know, or at the very least will help you out in maximizing your fun and decreasing the confusion you might have going into something completely new and different.
1. The show will be pretty darn long if you’re watching live.
With this year’s WrestleKingdom show no longer airing at PPV, New Japan will be less stingy with time this year. Not only will the show more than likely be over four hours (most of New Japan’s big shows are near the five hour mark) there will also be a 90 minute pre-show before the main card. This will feature the New Japan Rumble, which is basically a Royal Rumble featuring all the New Japan guys who are not on the card plus a few legends (last year included the likes of Hiro Saito and The Great Kabuki).
While watching a show that might go over seven hours sounds daunting, most New Japan shows are so well paced the time will fly by pretty fast. Just be prepared to clear your schedule if you’re planning to watch the whole show, including the rumble, live. If not, most PPVs are usually on New Japan World later that day anyway, so you can still watch the show in a timely manner.
For the record, if you are looking to sign up for New Japan World for the first time, you can do so here. There is “select language” feature at the top of the page, and once selecting that you’ll see the sign up button at the top of the page, where English directions to sign up are provided.
2. There will be English commentary.
The big difference between this year’s show and last year’s show, as previously mentioned, is that WrestleKingdom 10 won’t be on PPV. Last year’s show is a joint venture between New Japan and Global Force Wrestling. This year there is no GFW involvement, so the only way to see the show live will be via New Japan World. The good news is that New Japan has brought in ROH announcer Kevin Kelly and widely known color commentator Matt Striker to call the action in English, with inactive NJPW wrestler Yoshi Tatsu being brought back to translate whatever promos and storylines happen on the show. It might not be the best commentary team of all time, but I found their work to be solid at King of Pro Wrestling and I expect there to be improvements for the second biggest wrestling event of the year.
Keep in mind for the future that all big New Japan shows will probably have English commentary. The trend started at King of Pro Wrestling, and it will continue at WrestleKingdom and most likely Invasion Attack and G1 Finals later this year.
3. There will be shows before and after WrestleKingdom.
If you thought 7 hours of New Japan on a Monday morning was just not enough to saite your needs, good news! There will be shows on 1/2 as well as on 1/5 featuring matches between all of your favorite New Japan guys. The ⅓ card will feature the debut of two new rookies making their professional wrestling debut as Kanemitsu Taruaki and Kawato Hirai will compete in singles matches against Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu, respectively. It will be interesting to see if this is the swan song for both Tanaka and Komatsu as the rumor is they are soon to be setting out on their excursions. Beyond the rookies making their debut, the ⅓ show will also feature a six man with Jay White, Tiger Mask and Jushin Liger taking on David Finlay, Mascara Dorada and Ryusuke Taguchi.
New Year’s Dash, the show taking place after the Tokyo Dome event on ⅕, currently has no card. Like other years, most likely the card will be announced the day of the show, probably with many tag team matches since everyone will have had their working boots on the day before.
Both shows are scheduled to be broadcast on New Japan World, with the 1/3 show airing at 7 pm PT on 1/2 (I know, time is weird), with the 1/5 show airing at 1:30 am PT.
4. With the exception of one match, every match on the WrestleKingdom card will be for a championship.
You don’t absolutely NEED to know this if this is your first time tuning in, but it’s an interesting fact nonetheless. This year’s show is interesting in that every title in New Japan will be defended. This isn’t a big shock, as most shows in previous years have had many title matches. But this factoid is amazing in that every match on the show, with the exception of the New Japan Rumble and a grudge match between Tetsuya Naito and Hirooki Goto, will be for a championship.
We have the major titles on the line, with Tanahashi/Okada and Nakamura/Styles for the Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles respectively. The NEVER title will be defended with Tomohiro Ishii defending against Katsuyori Shibata. It’s weird that the NEVER concept died so quickly, as originally it was supposed to be a title for younger contenders from both weight classes to compete for, which isn’t the case at all now. So it’s even weirder that a new set of six man tag belts are being made, complete with the NEVER name, with The Briscoes and Yano facing off against Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi to determine the first champions.
Even with all of that, there are still four other titles being defended. You have both tag team titles being defended as Bullet Club (Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows) defends against Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma). The Ring of Honor title will be defended for the first time in New Japan Pro Wrestling as champion Jay Lethal defends against Michael Elgin. And finally, both Junior titles are on the line as Kenny Omega defends against Kushida and reDragon defends in a fourway against the Young Bucks, Roppongi Vice and Matt Sydal/Ricochet.
In other words…if you love title matches, this is the show for you. New Japan title matches are always special, so expect everyone to have their working boots on. You can also take bets on how many titles change hands and how many don’t with your friends!
5. This isn’t Okada and Tanahashi’s first match, and if history proves right it won’t be their last.
One of the best feuds of this decade has been between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada. Still considered the true ace of the promotion, Tanahashi has had problems with Okada dating back to Okada’s re-emergence from his TNA excursion in 2012. Ever since then, they’ve faced off seven times, six since Okada’s return, with Okada in the lead with 4 wins over Tanahashi’s 3.
The biggest factor in this match however isn’t the overall number of wins, but the wins in the Tokyo Dome. Okada has been unable to defeat Tanahashi in Tokyo Dome matches twice now, and considering he left their match last year in tears, he is sure to want to gain a measure of revenge by beating Tanahashi where it counts the most, at WrestleKingdom. While this all feels like a culmination of a feud that has now lasted four years, it might not be their last as they’ll more than likely face each other again down the road. It’s just that more than likely, it won’t have the same ramifications as this match does.
Blue Panther Jr. & Esfinge & The Panther vs. Cancerbero & Raziel & Virus
Atlantis & Marco Corleone & Valiente vs. Dragon Rojo & Polvora & Thunder
Maximo Sexy vs. Kamaitachi hair vs. hair
Mistico & Caristico & Rusher vs. Volador Jr. & Ultimo Guerrero & Cibernetico
Negro Casas vs. Super Parka hair vs. hair
UFC 195 AT THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS SATURDAY
FIGHT PASS AT 6:30 P.M. EASTERN
Edgar Garcia vs. Sheldon Wescott
Joe Soto vs. Michinori Tanaka
Joe Duffy vs. Dustin Poirier
FS 1 AT 8 P.M. EASTERN
Alex Morono vs. Kyle Noke
Drew Dober vs. Scott Holtzman
Nina Ansaroff vs. Justine Kish
Michael McDonald vs. Masanori Kanehara
PPV AT 10 P.M. EASTERN
Tony Sims vs. Abel Trujillo
Diego Brandao vs. Brian Ortega
Lorenz Larkin vs. Albert Tumenov
Andrei Arlovski vs. Stipe Miocic
Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit for the welterweight title
PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA ON SATURDAY NIGHT IN RESEDA, CA (Sorry no way to watch it unless you are one of the 400 with tickets)
Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Gulak
Sami Callihan vs. Trevor Lee
Chris Dickinson vs. Brian Cage
Jack Evans vs. Drew Galloway
Adam Cole vs. Speedball Mike Bailey
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Akira Tozawa
Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero for PWG title
NEW JAPAN FAN FEST LIVE ON NEW JAPAN WORLD 10 P.M. SATURDAY NIGHT FROM DIFFER ARIAKE
Kawato Hirai (pro debut) vs. Yohei Komatsu
Kanemitsu Teruaki (pro debut) vs. Sho Tanaka
Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Jay White vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Mascara Dorada & David Finlay
Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi & Captain New Japan vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Juice Robinson
Sunday WWE returns to touring with shows in Hidalgo, TX (Roman Reigns vs Sheamus for WWE title) and Corpus Christi (Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens for IC title; Kane vs. Bray Wyatt).
NEW JAPAN WRESTLE KINGDOM AT 2:15 A.M. LATE SUNDAY/EARLY MONDAY ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
There will be both a English and Japanese language feed for the show
New Japan Rumble
Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Young Bucks vs. Ricochet & Matt Sydal vs. Rocky Romero & Trent Baretta for IWGP jr. tag titles
Mark & Jay Briscoe & Toru Yano vs. Tama Tonga & Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale for Never trios championships
Jay Lethal vs. Michael Elgin for ROH championship
Kenny Omega vs. Kushida for IWGP jr. title
Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows & Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma for IWGP tag team titles
Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Katsuyori Shibata for Never Open weight championship
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. A.J. Styles for IC title
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada for IWGP heavyweight title
Raw will be Monday night from San Antonio with Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus for the WWE title with Vince McMahon as referee.
NEW JAPAN NEW YEAR’S DASH AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TUESDAY MORNING ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
No matches have been announced for the “Raw after Mania” show, but Kevin Kelly and Matt Striker will be calling the show in English and there will also be the Japanese feed..
The first Smackdown on the USA Network will be taped on Tuesday night in Laredo. Mauro Ranallo debuts as announcer and John Cena will be on the show.
TNA ON POP TV AT 9 P.M. FROM BETHLEHEM, PA
Matt Hardy vs. Ethan Carter III
Bobby Lashley vs Eric Young
Winners of these two matches meet for the vacant TNA title
We have our annual business year in review as the lead of the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week. We cover our awards balloting year from 12/1/14 to 11/30/15 looking at the biggest events and biggest draws, with the year’s biggest crowds, records set in several different companies, Cena compared to those in similar positions on the all-time list, the year’s PPV buys for every wrestling, MMA and boxing show, how this year compared with other years.
Dwayne Johnson returning for WrestleMania, different ideas of where he may fit in, and his recent track record of WrestleMania matches.
The history of New Japan on January 4th at the Tokyo Dome. The first New Japan Tokyo Dome show and its main event, what drew the first house, what Lou Thesz said to Antonio Inoki after the show and why Thesz thought the result was a good thing and why it ended up being a waste. We look at how this year’s show will differ from last year as well as a match-by-match rundown and a look at the history of the New Japan big four, Tanahashi, Okada, A.J. Styles and Nakamura, with all of their previous Tokyo Dome matches.
Jonathan Coachman on HGH usage in WWE, why usage is so prevalent in certain types of sports and entertainment.
WWE injury coverage, why WWE stars are doing more NBC media, how movies with Sting are doing at the box office, how the WWE’s head of medical came across in the movie “Concussion” plus a concussion expert on Daniel Bryan situation. Update on Nikki Bella, NXT sellouts, Brock Lesnar’s next match, Cena facing a surprise opponent, Chris Jericho on future, Royal Rumble, Sin Cara injury update, NXT in Dallas, the go-home show for WrestleMania, two international stars about to start with WWE and the Bayley character on the main roster.
The holiday show in Madison Square Garden coverage, Ben Askren talks about One’s possibly revolutionary weight cutting regulations that could be the catalyst for changing MMA. We look at the first Rizin show, the sad spectacle of Sakuraba, the pro wrestlers on the show, the mentality behind why certain people were on the show and match-by-match coverage.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
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 Japan has one minute promotional videos for all the top matches for the Tokyo Dome up for free right now Video 1, Video 2, Video 3 and Video 4.
After the Tokyo Dome and the Fantastica Mania tourNew Japan PPV shows will be splitting up the title matches with the New Beginnings in Osaka on 2/11 and the new Beginnings in Niigata on 2/14.
The big news in sports today, even though people are trying to spin it differently, is how the College Football playoff semifinals on New Year’s Eve tanked in the ratings. The evening game was down 35 percent from last year and the afternoon game was down 37 percent. There were people who thought New Year’s Eve wouldn’t hurt the ratings all that much because major sports events have been strong this year on television. But this isn’t a New Year’s Eve TV watching culture like Japan is.
From the family, Buddy Wayne, who passed away two days ago was born John Dwayne Peal, not Peale as we reported. This has been a very rough year for the Peal family as Buddy and two of his sisters both passed away.
A story on the person the character in the movie “The Masked Saint” was based upon, that stars Roddy Piper.
WWE
NXT for the first time made the list as one of the most pirated television shows.
I’m told that people who signed up the first day Fight Pass was offered are getting a 50 percent discount on UFC 195.
The second episode of Dana White: Lookin For a Fight will be released on YouTube on 1/11. The first episode was where Dana White, Matt Serra and Nick the Tooth discovered Sage Northcutt working small shows. This time they head to Philadelphia and Atlantic City looking for fighters, eating Cheesesteak and going to the beach.
MISCELLANEOUS
Roderick Strong vs. Masada for the ROH TV title was announced for 1/9 in Concord, NC. This is Masada’s first ROH match in quite some time.
Comcast in South Jersey has picked up COMET TV on Ch. 253, which airs ROH on Wednesday nights. (thanks to Bob Magee)
John Skyler was the latest entrant announced for the ECWA Super 8 tournament on 4/23 in Woodbury Heights, NJ.
Too Cold Scorpio on why he hates Buff Bagwell, what he thinks of Paul Heyman and Bill Watts and saving Arn Anderson’s life
Dolph Ziggler def. Tyler Breeze. Great match to start the show.
Lucha Dragons, Damien Sandow, Fandango, R-Truth and Curtis Axel def. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E), Los Matadores, Heath Slater and Adam Rose. Sin Cara chased Xavier Woods to the back with his trombone.
Jack Swagger def. Bo Dallas. Bo came out and criticized the crowd and called them a bunch of idiots.
Kane def. Bray Wyatt. Bray was by himself and had a pretty good reaction.
Brie Bella & Alicia Fox def. Naomi and Tamina. The crowd chanted “We want Sasha” and Naomi said “You want Sasha? Well you aren’t going to get Sasha.”
Ryback def. Rusev. The match was a snore fest. I even heard a little kid tell his mom that it was boring.
WWE Champion Roman Reigns def. Sheamus in a street fight. Good use of tables, kendo sticks, and chairs. Roman won with a spear thru the table, and got a great reaction with not a boo in the arena for him. He stayed a little bit after to take selfies and sign autographs.
Byron Saxton and Eden hosted the whole night. Did a great job.
After a big 2015, the UFC kicks off 2016 with three events in the month of January. As the Octagon made more international appearances over the years, this month is special in the sense that all three events will take place on American soil. Kicking things off on January 2 will be UFC 195 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Following that will be UFC Fight Night 81 on January 17 in Boston, Massachusetts, and UFC On FOX 18 wraps things up for the month on January 30 in Newark, New Jersey. At this point, there are 37 bouts on the fight schedule for the month, so we are going to take a look at ten fights UFC fans should be on the look out for during a fun month of January.
Honorable Mentions: Michael McDonald vs. Masanori Kanehara- UFC 195 Ben Saunders vs. Patrick Cote- UFC Fight Night 81 Tarec Saffiedine vs. Jake Ellenberger- UFC On FOX 18
10. Sage Northcutt vs. Andrew Holbrook- UFC On FOX 18- January 30
19-year-old rising prospect Sage Northcutt is taking the UFC by storm, garnering a lot of attention and being promoted heavily by the promotion. It may be unjust to some due to his age and inexperience, but there is a lot of marketability to the kid. He will be fighting for the second straight month, and the third time since making his UFC debut in October. This time he will be featured in primetime on the FOX network. He is being slowly built facing opponents near the bottom of the division, but he gets an undefeated opponent in his next fight in Andrew Holbrook. Holbrook is 11-0 and is coming off a win in his UFC debut, a split decision over Ramsey Nijem in July. This will be a test for Northcutt and also will show if coming back seven weeks after his last fight is too quick of a UFC turnaround.
9. Albert Tumenov vs. Lorenz Larkin- UFC 195- January 2
These men throw down with exciting fights and look to finish with every punch and kick they throw, and that is why the fight between Albert Tumenov and Lorenz Larkin is featured prominently on the main card of UFC 195, the first event of the month on Saturday. They are both finishers and both are strong on their feet. They have a chance to provide a lot of excitement and fireworks when they step inside the Octagon across from each other. Tumenov has won four straight fights while Larkin has won his past two since making the move down to welterweight. Unfortunately for them, they may not have the most exciting welterweight bout of the month, but the odds are pretty good they have a good shot at winning “Fight Of The Month”. This should be a barnburner.
8. Travis Browne vs. Matt Mitrione- UFC Fight Night 81- January 17
Travis Browne and Matt Mitrione are both at interesting points in their careers. Browne was thought to be a future title challenger in the heavyweight division, but has always seemed to take a step back when facing a top-five opponent. Mitrione was climbing up the rankings, but made a mental mistake that cost him his last fight against Ben Rothwell. Mitrione now comes into his fight against Browne on January 17 as an impending free agent, and he has been outspoken about a lot of issues in recent months. How will that affect him? Browne has also been in the news a lot, between charges of domestic abuse from his estranged wife and his new relationship with Ronda Rousey. How that all affects him remains to be seen as well. Inside the Octagon, both men throw heavy hands and in a heavyweight bout, a finish seems likely. Both men are at pivotal crossroads in their careers, and both have a lot to prove.
7. Dustin Poirier vs. Joseph Duffy- UFC 195- January 2
Originally scheduled to headline the UFC’s event in Dublin in October, a fight week injury to Joseph Duffy caused cancellation of his bout against Dustin Poirier. They were rebooked to fight at UFC 195 on Saturday, and they will be headlining the UFC Fight Pass preliminary card as the UFC makes a big push for their digital network in 2016. Duffy has gotten a lot of attention being the last man to defeat Conor McGregor, and he has scored two impressive UFC wins in his first two UFC bouts. A fight against Poirier is a big step up for Duffy, who fought Ivan Jorge and Jake Lindsey in his first two UFC bouts. Poirier was close to a title shot at 145 pounds, and he has two straight first-round finishes since moving up to lightweight. Both men are trying to break into the top ten in a crowded 155-pound division, and the winner will rocket up the rankings.
6. Josh Barnett vs. Ben Rothwell- UFC On FOX 18- January 30
Ben Rothwell has been looking for a fight for a long time, and it looks like he finally will get one at the end of January. He was supposed to fight Stipe Miocic in October, but Miocic pulled out due to injury. Rothwell tried to get many fights in the meantime, but nothing was materializing. He became even more upset when Miocic was quickly rebooked against Andrei Arlovski, who Rothwell tried to get booked with. In steps Josh Barnett, who will be looking to capitalize following a dominant win over Roy Nelson in September. It is interesting that Barnett took the fight as he talked about taking time away from the sport, again, following the Nelson win. He looked really good in that win, and Rothwell has looked sharp during his three-fight win streak. The winner will move one step closer towards a title shot.
5. Stipe Miocic vs. Andrei Arlovski- UFC 195- January 2
Speaking of title shots in the heavyweight division, the aforementioned Stipe Miocic and Andrei Arlovski square off in the first co-main event of 2016 with a title shot hanging in the balance. Miocic is coming off a dominant win over Mark Hunt and is 4-1 in his last five fights. Arlovski has enjoyed a career resurgence, winning his last six fights, including four straight since returning to the UFC. He was in one of 2015’s most exciting bouts against Travis Browne, but his last win, over Frank Mir, was a disappointment. It set him up for a title eliminator against Miocic, who looks to make a statement and earn that title shot that has loomed him. With many big heavyweight bouts in January, this one will have the most importance on future title challengers.
4. Anthony Johnson vs. Ryan Bader- UFC On FOX 18- January 30
Light heavyweights will close out the month of January as Anthony Johnson and Ryan Bader will meet in the main event of the FOX event on January 30 in Newark. Johnson is looking to get back into a title fight after a second-round knockout win over Jimi Manuwa at UFC 191 in January. Bader can make a strong argument that he deserves a title shot as he has won five straight fights, something that has been very hard to do in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. He is coming off a convincing win over Johnson’s teammate, Rashad Evans, at UFC 192 in October. Unfortunately for both men, current champion Daniel Cormier is going to be occupied by former champion Jon Jones for a while as Jones makes his return. The winner of this bout is almost guaranteed to be next in line, so this is a pivotal bout for both.
3. Anthony Pettis vs. Eddie Alvarez- UFC Fight Night 81- January 17
Former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon for the first time since losing the title to Rafael Dos Anjos, and his road back to a title shot begins with a bout against former Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez. Alvarez is looking for his second straight win over a former champion after defeating Gilbert Melendez in June and will be looking to make his case for a title shot. This fight has the potential to be a great clash as we have two top-five lightweights going at it with a potential title shot on the line. Pettis has long been one of the most exciting fighters in the sport and Alvarez is no slouch himself. In a month crowded with potential title eliminator bouts, this one has the best shot at being the best fight of the bunch.
2. Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit- UFC 195- January 2
The first main event of 2016 has excitement written all over it. UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler is coming off his first title defense over Rory MacDonald in 2015’s “Fight Of The Year”. It is the second straight year that Lawler has been involved in the “Fight Of The Year”, and him and former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit are looking to get a jump start on potentially winning that honor for 2016. It is one of the most interesting and compelling match-ups on the horizon for the UFC as it features two welterweights involved in some of the best fights in 170-pound division history. Both men are strong finishers, and both are equally as tough to finish. This one could be an all-time classic.
1. T.J. Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz- UFC Fight Night 81- January 17
The man who never lost the UFC Bantamweight Championship inside the Octagon will finally get his chance to get that championship back in our top fight to watch for the month. Dominick Cruz was forced to relinquish the championship after knee injuries kept him out of action for nearly two years. He returned in September 2014 and quickly finished Takeya Mizugaki, showing he hadn’t lost a step. However, another knee injury forced him out of action for all of 2015, but he finally comes back with a chance to win the belt he never lost. That championship is now held by T.J. Dillashaw, who is coming off his second title defense after a dominant win over the man he beat for the championship, Renan Barao, in July. Dillashaw has been in the news more recently for his ugly split with teammate Urijah Faber, who happens to be a big rival of Cruz. Faber is waiting in the wings for the winner, but Dillashaw and Cruz have their work ahead of them first. Their match-up on January 17 in Boston has the chance to be one of the best fights in the history of the bantamweight division, and the winner will be the rightful champion.
Columbus, Ohio: – Joe Banaski defeated Nick Bozinis to become the first Midwest Wrestling Association World Light Heavyweight Champion
1936
Detroit, Michigan: – The Great Mephisto defeated Walter Roxey to win the MWA World Light Heavyweight Title
1940
Eugene, Oregon: – Pete Belcastro defeated Ernie Piluso for the Pacific Coast Light Heavyweight Title
1941
St. Joseph, Kansas: – Orville Brown beat Tom Zaharias – Ronnie Etchison beat Bad Boy Brown – Ras Samara beat Jay Steele – Mel Peters drew Frank Frogge
1943
Columbus, Ohio: – Billy Thom defeated Martino Angelo for the MWA World Junior Heavyweight Title
1949
Waco, Texas: – Dizzy Davis defeated Antonino Rocca for the Texas Heavyweight Title
1950
Portland, Oregon: – Jack O’Reilly defeated Buck Weaver to win the Pacific Coast Light Heavyweight Title
1954
Mexico City, Mexico: – El Santo defeated Sugi Sito for the NWA World Middleweight Title
1959
Mobile, Alabama: – Billy Wicks defeated Lee Fields to win the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title
Kansas City, Kansas: – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dick Hutton beat Bob Ellis 2 out of 3 falls – The Dusek Brothers (Emil and Ernie Dusek) beat The Hamilton Brothers (Joe and Larry Hamilton) – Bobby Bruns and Lee Henning wrestled to a time limit draw – Rip Hawk beat Joe Scarpa
1961
Fort Worth, Texas: – Rocket and Sputnik Monroe defeated Duke Keomuka and Mad Dog Vachon to win the NWA Texas Tag Team Title
1963
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff defeated Mr. High (Doug Gilbert) and Mr. Low (Dick Steinborn) for the AWA World Tag Team Title – Larry Hennig beat Karl Von Shoberg
– Art and Stan Neilson defeated Karl and Kurt Von Brauner to win the American Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Titles
1970
Amarillo, Texas: – Dick Murdoch defeated The Lawman (Don Slatton) for the Amarillo NWA Brass Knuckles Title
Omaha, Nebraska: – Stan Pulaski defeated Tarzan Tyler for the AWA Midwest Heavyweight Title
Cleveland, Ohio: – Bulldog Brower defeated Johnny Powers to win the NWF North American Heavyweight Title
Kansas City, Kansas: – The Stomper & Bob Geigel defeated Tor Kamata & Masao Komura – Ernie Ladd defeated Bob Brown – Ernie Ladd won a 14-man Battle Royal
1971
St. Joseph, Missouri: – Bob Geigel won the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title by defeating Roger Kirby
1975
Nashville, Tennessee:
– Rocket Monroe and Randy Tyler defeated Jackie Fargo and George Gulas to win the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title
1978
Greensboro, North Carolina: – Blackjack Mulligan defeated Ricky Steamboat to win the NWA United States Heavyweight Title
1979
Atlanta, Georgia: – Jack and Jerry Brisco defeated Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk for the NWA Georgia Tag Team Titles
1980
Memphis, Tennessee: – Ricky and Robert Gibson won the AWA Southern Tag Team Title from The Assassins
1982
Tokyo, Japan: – Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) defeated The Dynamite Kid to win the vacant WWF Junior Heavyweight Title
St. Louis, Missouri: – Dick the Bruiser defeated NWA Missouri Heavyweight Champion Ken Patera to win the title
1983
San Antonio, Texas: – Tully Blanchard defeated Bob Sweetan to win the vacant SCW Southwest Heavyweight Title
San Francisco, California: – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Pat Patterson – Hulk Hogan beat Ken Patera
Portland, Oregon: – The Assassin and Rip Oliver defeated Billy Jack (Haynes) and Stan Stasiak for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles
1984
Memphis, Tennessee: – Jerry Lawler beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel dq – Southern Tag Team Champions Fabulous Ones ddq Moondogs – Sabu (sub Jos Leduc) beat Austin Idol – Bruise Brothers beat Terry Taylor & Stagger Lee – Stretcher match: Rock and Roll Express beat A Team – Dutch Mantell & Stagger Lee beat Giant Frazier & Terry Gibbs
1985
Tampa, Florida: – Jay and Mark Youngblood defeated Krusher Khrushchev and Jim Neidhart to win the Florida NWA United States Tag Team Titles
1986
Tulsa, Oklahoma: – Dick Slater defeated Butch Reed for the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Title – Jake Roberts won the Mid-South Television Title, defeating Dick Slater in the finals of a month-long tournament
1988
Des Moines, Iowa: – Masahiro Chono defeated Mike George to become the last NWA Central States Television Champion
1990
Tokyo, Japan: – Bull Nakano defeated Mitsuko Nishiwaki in a tournament final to win the vacant AJW title
2014
Tokyo, Japan: – Shinjiro Otani & Kamikaze beat Masato Tanaka & Yusaku Obata to win the NWA Z-1 Intercontinental tag team titles
This match! This rivalry! Where do I even begin? How about with a fun fact, and we’ll see what happens from there? Wrestle Kingdom 10 marks the 7th time Okada and Tanahashi will have faced each other for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. They are currently tied with three wins a piece. Tanahashi got the last, tear inducing win over Okada earlier this year at Wrestle Kingdom 9. In a way, you can think of their next match as the final in a very long “Best of Seven Series” which started in 2012 and ends, assumedly, in 2016. Another fun fact is that Wrestle Kingdom 10 will be Tanahashi’s 6th straight Tokyo Dome main event (3rd against Okada). What’s even more impressive is that he’s 5 for 5! If this were NBA Jam, he’d be “on fire.”
Okada is coming into the match as champion, defeating A.J. Styles for the title at Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall in July. Tanahashi earned his right to challenge Okada for the title by winning the 2015 G1 Climax. However, before getting to Wrestle Kingdom, Tanahashi had to defend his title match contract in matches against Bad Luck Fale and Tetsuya Naito, who both defeated Tanahashi during the G1 tournament. Meanwhile, Okada successfully defended his title against Styles in a rematch at King of Pro Wrestling in October.
Being the 7th time the two men will have met for the title, and their 9th singles match together (the first was when Okada was a Young Lion, but it still counts), there is a bit of a feeling of “not this again” coming into the match. But that’s the general complaint with New Japan in 2015. With the exclusion of an incredible character transformation here or there (Ingobernable Naito), New Japan’s booking has played things very safe for the most part, with very little changing since Wrestle Kingdom 9.
The Bullet Club is still…being the Bullet Club. With each passing day, they become more and more like the original NWO as they continue to spawn new members like Mogwai exposed to water (See Chase Owens). Nakamura is still the IC Champ, though he did part with the title throughout the year. Ishii is the NEVER Openweight Champion, just like he was going into Wrestle Kingdom 9. Gallows & Anderson are the IWGP Tag Team Champs, just like they were at Wrestle Kingdom 9. And you guessed it, reDRagon are the IWGP Jr. Tag Champs going into Wrestle Kingdom 10, just like they were going into Wrestling Kingdom 9. Even Kenny Omega, who won the IWGP Jr. title at Wrestle Kingdom 9, is the champ going into Wrestle Kingdom 10.
In a sense, we’re pretty much getting the same show as last year, though without the time restriction due to Global Force Wrestling’s broadcast in the U.S., and, sadly, also without Minoru Suzuki (Rambo entrant?). So the blame can’t be put solely on the main event for not feeling fresh. It’s a whole group effort. It’s like New Japan saw the Obama “Change” poster and said, “Nope, let’s not do that.” At least without the U.S. PPV time restriction, we’ll hopefully get the big, elaborate entrances of Wrestle Kingdoms past. DeLoreans and pole dancing routines, please!
While I may sound a little unenthused by yet another Tanahashi/Okada match, there are some upsides to Tanahashi vs. Okada VII. The most important being that they’ve never had a bad match together, and I don’t think they’re going to start at Wrestle Kingdom 10. Anything under 4.5 stars by these two on this stage would be considered a disappointment, which probably adds a bit of pressure. Another is the fact that while this match was only officially announced in October, it was more or less made the moment Okada lost to Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 9. After the match, Okada was completely devastated, and left the ring in tears.
It was clear that match last January was not going to be the end of their long and storied rivalry, and another Wrestle Kingdom main event was looming. It was more just a question of if it was going to be at the following Wrestle Kingdom, or saved for further down the line. Thus, while it’s not the freshest match up, it does have a long, solid, emotional backstory and we can expect a fitting conclusion, i.e. Okada redeems himself for being a crybaby and finally defeats Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome, the figurative torch is passed, the student becomes the master, and so forth.
Okada vs. Tanahashi: The Champion vs. The Ace. I know I should be more excited for this than I am, and I am excited. It’s just not off the charts levels. I think what I’m most looking forward to is this match possibly capping off what has been one of the highest profile rivalries in Japan in the current decade, and possibly the best in terms of match quality. If nothing else, it’s all but guaranteed to be a hell of a match.
Miz did the old Rick Rude “What I’d like to have right now is for all you, fat, something, out of shape Toronto sweat hogs… keep the noise down…yadda yadda… while I take off my glasses”. Neville won with the red arrow. Actually a pretty fun match.
The Ascension and Stardust vs the Hype Bros and Titus O’Neil
Titus pinned Viktor with the Clash of the Titus. A few scattered NXT chants.
Big Show vs Mark Henry
Big Show won with a KO punch and Henry had to be helped to the back. Show stalled a lot at the start of the match.
WWE I-C Champion Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens
Kids all cheered Ambrose but a lot of cheers from the adults for Owens. Owens got some cheap heat for saying Quebec is better than Ontario. Ambrose won with the Dirty Deeds.
Intermission
Divas Champion Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch
Charlotte played it up like she was doing a “Divas Open Challenge” then she couldn’t understand why Becky came out. They had a match, and Charlotte won clean with the Natural Selection.
The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper, Braun Strowman, Erick Rowan) vs the Usos and Goldust
Crowd chanted “Take a shower” at Harper, and he played that up pretty nice. This was a very PG show, which was fun to take little kids to. One of the Usos pinned Harper.
John Cena beat U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio by DQ
Del Rio wore long silvery pants. Lots of near-falls, a ref bump, Del Rio using a chair, etc. ADR got DQ’d for a low blod. Cena got the last laugh, the kids all cheered, I spent $60 on Cena t-shirts and for the first time in over a decade actually cheered for the guy. Kids really LOVE Cena.
It was actually pretty fun. I hadn’t gone to a house show since I was a teenager, but it was fun to go with kids.
We have our annual business year in review as the lead of the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week. We cover our awards balloting year from 12/1/14 to 11/30/15 looking at the biggest events and biggest draws, with the year’s biggest crowds, records set in several different companies, every show that did more than 15,000 fans, who headlined the most big shows, where John Cena ranks among all-time draws in a number of categories, a look at Cena compared to those in similar positions on the all-time list, the PPV buys for every show of the past year in wrestling, MMA and boxing, which companies did the last when it comes to live events and how this year compared with other years, UFC PPV business for the year and UFC big show business, as well as a look at every show that topped $2 million and a number of gate records set in different categories this year.
We also look at Dwayne Johnson returning for WrestleMania, different ideas of where he may fit in, and his recent track record of WrestleMania matches.
We also look at the history of New Japan on January 4th at the Tokyo Dome. We look at the first New Japan Tokyo Dome show and its main event, what drew the first house, what Lou Thesz said to Antonio Inoki after the show and why Thesz thought the result was a good thing and why it ended up being a waste. We also look at a number of major characters who debuted on the show including one of the most enduring stars in history, as well as a character in a famous video game. We look at records set the first time New Japan ran on January 4th, which was also a PPV in the U.S., some of the biggest matches during New Japan’s heyday, how things look for this year, the fall of New Japan and how the Dome tradition almost ended, as well as the comeback in recent years. We look at how this year’s show will differ from last year as well as a match-by-match rundown and a look at the history of the New Japan big four, Tanahashi, Okada, A.J. Styles and Nakamura, with all of their previous Tokyo Dome matches.
We also look at what Jonathan Coachman said about HGH usage in WWE, why HGH usage is so prevalent in certain types of sports and entertainment, what it really does and doesn’t do, and why nobody ever seems to get caught.
We also look at WWE injury coverage for talent, why WWE stars are doing more NBC media, notes on how movies with Sting are doing at the box office, thoughts on how the WWE’s head of medical came across in the movie “Concussion” plus a concussion expert talks the Daniel Bryan situation. We also update on Nikki Bella, NXT sellouts, Brock Lesnar’s next match, Cena facing a surprise opponent in two weeks, Chris Jericho talks his future, Royal Rumble notes, Sin Cara injury update, NXT in Dallas for Mania, WWE injuries, the go-home show for WrestleMania, two international stars about to start with WWE and the Bayley character on the main roster.
We’ve got a rundown on the holiday show in Madison Square Garden, Ben Askren talks about One’s new weight cutting regulations that will completely change the promotion and why this could be a prototype for a massive change in MMA. We’ve got a look at the first Rizin show, the sad spectacle of Sakuraba, the pro wrestlers on the show, the mentality behind why certain people were on the show and match-by-match coverage.
We also look at how the WWE ratings have fared in its No. 2 market, te U.K., and how declines and gains compare to what happened in the U.S.
We also look at the Dragon Gate Final Gate show, the last major event of the year.
We also have our 2015 awards ballot as well as our monthly business review of WWE & TNA.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer
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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.
We’ve also got the weekly coverage of all the ratings of the major shows, results from the major league events held around the world, and the major TV show rundowns.
Also in this issue:
–Christmas cards are almost all forgotten, but the one place they are still around does big business
–More on CMLL’s iPPV problems
–Last Lucha Libre Elite show of the year
–More on Rey Mysterio Jr. in Mexico
–Great mainstream article on AAA with more info on the death of Perro Aguayo Jr.
–Keiji Muto returns to the ring
–Talk of an angle hinted about to save a promotion in rough shape
–More on NOAH’s year-end show
–Another former star comes back to NOAH
–Early year big NOAH shows
–Notes on New Japan’s show before the Tokyo Dome
–Hiroshi Tanahashi talks about being a star in Japanese wrestling
–Mainstream star coming to the Tokyo Dome
–Female star retires
–Major woman’s tilte changes hands
–Huge European tour includes a first-time ever dream match of two of the best American wrestlers of the past 15 years
–Former WCW announcer now working as national news anchor
–Roddy Piper’s last movie
–Honoring a woman’ wrestling great
–Lucha Underground and house shows
–More on ROH contract talks
–Japanese stars coming to the next ROH PPV show
–ROH Top Prospect tournament
–More on TNA’s PPV show next week
–Future of Kurt Angle
–What match does Kurt Angle really want
–Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping notes
–Dana White goes off on reporters
–More on decision to put a PPV main event on Fight Pass
–More on Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate
–UFC income in 2015
–Complete gate info from the December shows in Las Vegas
–Why there are problems regarding a stadium show in Dublin
–Daniel Cormier talks about a date he’d like to face Jon Jones
