Paypress testing

Category: Post Type article

  • Daily pro wrestling history (12/23): Briscoes win ROH World Tag Team Titles

    1949 

    Atlanta, Georgia:
    – Ray Villmer defeated George Flynn for the NWA (Georgia) Southern Heavyweight Title

    1952

    Los Angeles, California
    – George Bollas defeated Sandor Szabo for the NWA Beat the Champ International Television Title 

    1953

    – Doc and George Gallagher defeated Johnny Demchuck and Pepper Gomez to win the Big Time Wrestling Northwest Tag Team Title

    1955

    Atlanta, Georgia:
    – Bill and Fred Blassie defeated Jerry Graham and Don McIntyre to win the NWA (Georgia) World Tag Team Title

    1957

    Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:
    – Stan Mykietowich and Ted Stefanyk defeated Frenchy Champagne and Ed Tardi for the Madison Wrestling Club Tag Team Title

    1958

    Portland, Oregon:
    – Kurt Von Himmler and Kurt Von Poppenheim defeated Herb and Seymour Freeman to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles

    1960

    Long Beach, California:
    – Lord James Blears and Nick Bockwinkel defeated Stan Holek and The Preacher for the NWA (Hollywood Wrestling) International Television Tag Team Title 

    1965

    Chattanooga, Tennessee:
    – Rocky Smith won the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title by defeating Hiro Matsuda in a rematch to win the vacant title 

    1970 

    Mobile, Alabama:
    – Mike Boyette won a battle royal to win the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title and City of Mobile Heavyweight Title

    1971

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Bob Roop defeated Ole Anderson to win the NWA Florida Television Title

    1972

    Calgary, Alberta, Canada:
    – Geoff Portz defeated Kendo Nagasaki to win the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title

    Detroit, Michigan:
    – Bobo Brazil defeated Pampero Firpo to win the NWA (Detroit) United States Heavyweight Title 

    Chattanooga, Tennessee:
    – Bearcat Brown and Johnny Walker defeated The Bounty Hunters (David and Jerry Novak) for the NWA (Mid-America) Southern Tag Team Title 

    Calgary, Alberta, Canada:
    – Danny Babich and Michel Martel defeated George Gordienko and Super Hawk to win the Stampede International Tag Team Title

    1975 

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Rocky Johnson defeated King Curtis Iaukea to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title

    1983

    Eugene, Oregon:
    – Curt Hennig and Pat (Scott) McGhee defeated The Assassin and The Dynamite for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title 

    Calgary, Alberta, Canada:
    – Archie Gouldie won the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title by defeating Bad News Allen

    1984

    Montreal, Quebec, Canada:
    – King Tonga beat Dino Bravo dq
    – AWA Champion Rick Martel beat Nick Bockwinkel
    – Jos Leduc beat The Superstar
    – Rick Valentine & Sailor White beat Raymond Rougeau & Jacques Rougeau Jr dq
    – Little Beaver & Tiger Jackson beat Pancho Boy & Sonny Boy

    1985

    Fort Worth, Texas:
    – Mark Youngblood defeated Jack Victory for the WCCW Television Title 

    Birmingham, Alabama:
    – Robert Fuller defeated Roberto Soto to win the NWA Continental Heavyweight Title 

    1986

    Tokyo, Japan:
    – Shinobu Kandori defeated Lola Gonzales to win the UWA Women’s World Title

    1999 

    White Plains, New York:
    – Mike Awesome defeated Masato Tanaka to win the ECW World Heavyweight Title

    2006

    New York City, New York:
    – Homicide defeated Bryan Danielson to win the ROH World Title 
    – The Briscoes (Jay and Mark Briscoe) defeated The Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero)
    – Jimmy Rave defeated Nigel McGuinness

    Tokyo, Japan:
    – Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeated Takashi Sugiura to win the NOAH GHC Junior Heavyweight Title 

    2009

    Tokyo, Japan:
    – Naomichi Marafuji defeated Prince Devitt to win the Super J Cup

    2010

    – Angelina Love & Winter defeated Madison Rayne & Tara to win the tournament finals of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Tournament and become tag team Champions

    2011

    New York, New York:
    – TV Title Match: Jay Lethal defeated El Generico and Mike Bennett to retain the title
    – No DQ Match: Kevin Steen defeated Steve Corino
    – ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Jay & Mark Briscoe defeated Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin to win the titles
    – ROH World Title Match: Davey Richards defeated Eddie Edwards to retain the title

    2012

    Tokyo, Japan:
    – Kenny Omega defeated El Generico (Sami Zeyn) to win the openweight title

  • Daily Update: Smackdown live tonight, Dean Ambrose injury

    WWE Smackdown is live tonight on USA Network, and features Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler and Tag Champions The New Day vs. The Lucha Dragons. Our Steve Khan will have your live coverage starting at 8 PM EST. 

    WWE is aware that last night’s Slammy Awards weren’t the most exciting of all time, made worse by the fact that several winners weren’t in the building.  There are discussions today about tweaking the format, including the idea of doing voting in advance so if someone wins and won’t be there, they can air a pre-tape.  Bryan and Mike talk a lot about this and other potential options on today’s new Wrestling Observer Live radio show and also Jeff Hamlin’s live coverage from last night.

    And no, the Slammys are not rigged.  Poor Joey Styles, wasting two days of his life arguing about this with people on Twitter.  Actually, that’s his fault.  Check out full results from last night.

    Impact has a soft debut on POP TV tonight with a best-of show that was originally going to air on Destination America before DA pulled the plug.  Next week will be a look at the TNA World Title tournament.  The actual launch that they will be plugging and promoting takes place in two weeks.

    PRO WRESTLING NOAH’S FINAL BIG SHOW OF THE YEAR IS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE TOKYO OTA WARD GYM

    Yoshinari Ogawa & Hitoshi Kumano vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kaito Kiyomiya

    Mohammed Yone & Mitsuhiro Kitamiya & Akitoshi Saito vs. Quiet Storm & Genba Hirayanagi & Captain NOAH

    Kenou vs. Hajime Ohara

    Maybach Taniguchi vs. Go Shiozaki

    Takashi Sugiura vs. Takashi Iizuka no DQ

    Shelton Benjamin vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima

    Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Desperado & Taka Michinoku for GHC jr. tag titles

    Taichi vs. Taiji Ishimori for GHC jr. title – Ishimori puts up his hair and name against the belt

    Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Colt Cabana & Chris Hero for GHC tag titles

    Minoru Suzuki vs. Naomichi Marufuji for GHC title

    The USA Network will air Tribute to the Troops on Wednesday night at 8 p.m., a taped show from Jacksonville.

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly (12/21/15): Hulk Hogan and Nelson Frazier Lawsuit Updates
    Transcript gives new insight into the FBI/Gawker dispute, plus WWE gives us a peek at what their termination notices look like in the Nelson Frazier wrongful death lawsuit.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    Conor McGregor winning the UFC featherweight title, the story behind UFC 194 and the path of Roman Reigns to the WWE title are the lead stories in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with coverage of so many major shows over the past week.

    We look at McGregor’s financial  goals, the business of UFC 194 and the records set, early PPV projections, what is next for McGregor, TV viewership numbers in the U.S. and Brazil, , as well as the path of McGregor to being the No. 1 male star in the promotion.  We look at Frankie Edgar as a contender, potential of UFC 200 if Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor are booked on the same show, the last two PPV shows, Rousey vs. McGregor as draws, Luke Rockhold’s middleweight title win, looking at the Yoel Romero vs. Chris Weidman judging and the future of the middleweight division.

    We also look at the path of Roman Reigns to the WWE title, the increased viewership on Raw, where the new viewers came from and how viewership differed from recent weeks.  We look at the reaction to Reigns, and the storylines that led to that reaction.

    We’ve also got complete rundowns on WWE TLC, NXT Takeover, as well as all three UFC events, including match-by-match coverage, business notes, star ratings and more.

    We also have a look at Mauro Ranallo’s signing with WWE, his background, how the deal came to fruition and the path from announcing pro wrestling on TV while a teenage on national television in  Canada to the WWE 30 years ago, with stops in kickboxing, MMA and boxing in between.

    PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 21, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Conor McGregor wins UFC Featherweight title, Roman Reigns WWE Champion

    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

    You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Rates are:

    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. 

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: November 9, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Jesse Ventura wins Minnesota Governor election, WCW trailing WWF, more
    Jesse Ventura becomes the Governor of Minnesota, WCW begins trailing WWF, ECW November to Remember recap, plus tons of news.

    TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

    • If you are a producer at radio station and are interested in airing Wrestling Observer Live, either the 12 PT/3 ET live show or the replay edition at 5 PT/8 ET, email bryan@wrestlingobserver.com and he can put you in touch with Darren Peck at Sports Byline USA.  Obviously, if you run a wrestling website you can “syndicate” the show yourself using the TuneIn Radio link available here and on the front page of this website.
    • Dean Ambrose needed six staples in his head following his cage match with Sheamus on Raw Monday night.

    WWE/Pro Wrestling

    • NXT tomorrow has the return of Sami Zayn vs. Tye Dillinger, THE DRIFTER Elias Samson vs. Bull Dempsey, plus Chad Gable & Jason Jordan vs. Blake & Murphy vs. Vaudevillains vs. Hype Bros.
    • 2K Sports released a new DLC pack for WWE 2K16 today in the form of the Legends Pack. It includes The Big Boss Man, Trish Stratus, Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, Lita, and Mr. Perfect. You can purchase it for $7.99 or as part of the DLC season pass, which is $24.99 and gets you just everything 2K will release. There’s a trailer for the DLC pack on WWE’s YouTube channel. They also released a new update for the WWE Supercard mobile game focusing on older wrestlers.
    • Maryland Championship Wrestling runs this Saturday in Joppa, MD with Ethan Carter III, Ashley Massaro, Chyna, the debut of Sean Studd (Big John Studd’s son), and more.
    • Wrestle Kingdom 10 Preview Series: The Cleaner vs. The Time Splitter
    • Jacques Rougeau joins the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast. On not being able to use the Mountie gimmick in Canada: “I was doing such a great job of making The Mounties look bad in Canada that they suspended me on TV and I wasn’t allowed to be used on TV anymore. So the only way I was allowed to wrestle was if I took off the sleeves, the shirt and kept the black pants and they would announce me as Jacques Rougeau. Everyone knew me as Jacques Rougeau anyway so that was fun. I think [the RCMP] took it all a little too serious. Like in movies and everywhere else there is always dirty Cops or bad Cops but they don’t ban the movie because the Cop is crooked. But I think that my character was becoming so strong that eventually they decided and voted on it and sent a letter to Vince saying that I wasn’t allowed to wrestle on TV in Canada anymore. Eventually and after that they let that character go because it wasn’t helping me at all so I took a year off and came back a year and a half later with Carl Ouellet as The Quebecers ithe the same suit and our music was ‘We’re not the Mounties.’ So I think Vince wanted to get back at them in a way.“

    UFC/MMA

    Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (12/21): Jeff Jarrett wins USWA Southern Title

  • WWE RAW ratings down 13% from last week

    The Monday, December 21st edition of WWE RAW featuring the Slammy Awards show maintained its audience better than most weeks, and did better than most weeks this past Fall.

    The three-hour show did 3.37 million viewers, down 13 percent from last week’s unusually large number. However, it was still above the levels of most of the Fall season. Just two weeks ago, the show had fallen to 3.16 million viewers.

    Raw probably benefited from a low-rated NFL game on ESPN as competition as the Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints game did 10.90 million viewers.

    The first hour started at normal Fall levels, but the second and third hour decline wasn’t there at the rate it usually is.

    The three hours were:

    • 8 p.m. 3.44 million viewers
    • 9 p.m. 3.37 million viewers
    • 10 p.m. 3.32 million viewers

    The show’s main event was WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Sheamus in a cage match. The other big item of note is that John Cena returns next week, so it will be interesting to see how that affects viewership.

  • November 9, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Jesse Ventura wins Minnesota Governor election, WCW trailing WWF, more

    undefined

    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • Figure Four Weekly (12/21/15): Hulk Hogan and Nelson Frazier Lawsuit Updates

    undefined

    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • Daily pro wrestling history (12/22): Wladek Zbysko defeats Strangler Lewis for World Title

    1917

    New York City, New York:
    – Wladek Zbyszko defeated Ed “Strangler” Lewis in a tournament final to stake his unrightful claim as the World Heavyweight Champion

    1941

    Hollywood, California:
    – Wild Red Berry defeated Billy Varga to win the NWA World Light Heavyweight Title

    1945

    Wichita, Kansas:
    – MWA Title match: Orville Brown beat Cowboy Roy Graham to retain the title 
    – Vic Holbrook beat Jerry Meeker 
    – Bobby Bruns beat Jack Hader 
    – Jay Steele beat Elmer (Zeke) Estep

    1950

    Tacoma, Washington:
    – Frank Stojack defeated Leo Wallick to win the Pacific Northwest Junior Heavyweight Title

    1954 

    Tokyo, Japan:
    – Rikidozan becomes the first and only Japanese Heavyweight Champion by defeating Masahiko Kimura

    1956 

    Fresno, Calfornia:
    – Enrique Torres and Ronnie Etchison defeated Ben and Mike Sharpe for the San Francisco version of the NWA World Tag Team Title 

    1960

    Chattanooga, Tennessee:
    – Bill Monroe defeated Mike Clancy for the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee

    1969

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Mr. Saito defeated Dale Lewis to win the Florida Heavyweight Title

    1970

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Tarzan Tyler defeated Dusty Rhodes for the Florida Brass Knuckles Title 

    1971

    Miami, Florida:
    – The Australians (Larry O’Day and Ron Miller) defeated The Alaskans (Mike York and Frank Monte) to win the Florida Tag Team Titles

    1972

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Tarzan Tyler won a tournament to win the vacant Florida Brass Knuckles Title 

    1979

    Bayaman, Puerto Rico:
    – Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk defeated Invaders I and II for the WWC Tag Team Titles

    Mexico City, Mexico:
    – El Halcon defeated El Gran Markus to win the National Heavyweight title

    1980

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Bill Dundee and Tommy Rich defeated Guy Mitchell and Roger Kirby for the AWA Southern Tag Team Title 

    1984

    Bremen, Germany:
    – Tony St. Clair won a tournament to become the first Catch Wrestling Association World Middleweight Title

    1990

    Bremen, Germany:
    – Bull Power (Leon White) defeated Otto Wanz to win the Catch Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title

    1991

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:
    – Ricky Rice defeated The Lightning Kid (Sean Waltman) for the Pro Wrestling America Light Heavyweight Title 

    1996

    Vancouver, Washington:
    – Buddy Wayne defeated Bart Sawyer to win the Championship Wrestling USA Television Title 

    1997

    – Triple H pinned Shawn Michaels when Michaels laid down for Triple H to win the WWF Eurpoean Title

    2000

    Puebla, Mexico:
    – Ultimo Guerrero defeated Dos Caras Jr (Alberto Del Rio) to win the CMLL title

    2001

    Cornelia, Georgia:
    – A.J. Styles defeated Rick Michaels for the NWA Wildside Heavyweight Title 

    2001

    Tokyo, Japan:
    – Sasuke and Sasuke the Great defeated Dick Togo and Gedo to win the Universal Wrestling Association/Universal Wrestling Federation
    Intercontinental Tag Team Titles

  • Wrestle Kingdom 10 Preview Series: The Cleaner vs. The Time Splitter

    At Wrestle Kingdom 10, the two men who’ve dominated New Japan’s Junior division in 2015 will face off once again for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. KUSHIDA and Kenny Omega have been the only two to hold the title in 2015. Well, technically Ryusuke Taguchi did hold the it for the first four days of the year until he was defeated by Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 9. But since then, it’s been all Omega and KUSHIDA (mostly Omega).

    As mentioned literally one second ago, Kenny “The Cleaner” Omega started 2015 in style by winning the IWGP Jr. Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 9. He then went on a rampage through the Junior division, taking on all comers from all* nations (all of the ones that are Japan, Mexico, and the U.S.). With each successful defence, Omega took one step closer to going off the deep end. He became more egotistical, more maniacal, more eccentric 80’s action movie villain, to the point where he now comes to the ring beating a trash can and singing along to his own theme music. For some, it’s overkill. For me, it’s the perfect storm of questionable acting and complete absurdity. Omega provides the enjoyment similar to what one gets from watching a good bad movie. But behind all the wackiness and overacting, there’s an amazingly talented wrestler

    While Omega was running roughshod through the Juniors, KUSHIDA was upping his game, with his sights set on Omega and the Jr. title. He finally got his chance for a shot at the title when he won the 2015 Super Junior tournament. KUSHIDA defeated Kyle O’Reilly in the finals of the tournament in what was one of the best matches of 2015. He has been very good for long time now, but for me, that match elevated him to another level. Tanahashi may be the ace of New Japan, but KUSHIDA is the ace of the Juniors.

    Kushida made sure not to waste his opportunity and ended Omega’s 182 day run as champion at NJPW Dominion in Osaka. After capturing the title, KUSHIDA looked set for an impressive run as champion. A run that would establish himself as the huge star he has shown he can be. Boy was I wrong. After a one successful defence against Ricochet, KUSHIDA would lose the title back to Kenny Omega at New Japan Destruction in Okayama, a mere 80 days after capturing the belt. All of KUSHIDA’s momentum was stopped dead in its tracks, like a DeLorean with a busted flux capacitor.  

    After regaining his title, Omega would continue his maniacal domination of the Junior division like he’d never missed a beat, while KUSHIDA, fire unequivocally extinguished, would flounder in the Jr. Tag division with Alex Shelley as the Time Splitters. Heads were left scratching, and it wasn’t due to an outbreak in lice, which took the lives of thousands.

    The booking seemed baffling at the time, until it was clear KUSHIDA was going to challenge for the title at Wrestle Kingdom 10. Surely there was a better way to get to KUSHIDA vs. Omega at the Tokyo Dome without cutting KUSHIDA’s momentum off at the knees. It seems like NJPW simply wants to repeat KUSHIDA’s big moment from Dominion when he captured the title on a bigger, grander stage.

    And so, “The Cleaner” and “The Time Splitter” will meet for the third (and final?) time on January 4th at the Tokyo Dome. Their previous two matches have been subjectively very good. Some can’t get past Omega’s eccentricities and the usual Bullet Club antics. Personally, I could do without the Bullet Club stuff, but I enjoy the Omega’s rapscallion ways, and don’t allow them to take away from his matches.

    As with a good portion of the Wrestle Kingdom 10 card, the journey to get there has been questionable, but the match itself should be solid.

  • Full list of 2015 WWE Slammy Award Winners

    Superstar of the Year: Seth Rollins

    Diva of the Year: Nikki Bella

    Rivalry of the Year: The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

    WWE Tag Team of the Year: The Usos

    Breakout Star of the Year: Neville

    Match of the Year: The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar at Hell in a Cell

    Double-Cross of the Year: Damien Mizdow eliminates The Miz from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania

    “This is Awesome!” Moment of the Year: The Rock and Ronda Rousey confront The Authority at WrestleMania 31

    LOL! Moment of the Year: R-Truth misunderstands his status (Raw, June 8; SmackDown, Nov. 19)

    The “OMG!” Shocking Moment of the Year: Kalisto’s Salida del Sol through a ladder at WWE TLC

    Extreme Moment of the Year: Roman Reigns levels The League of Nations and Triple H at WWE TLC

    Surprise Return of the Year: Sting returns, posing as Seth Rollins’ statue, and attacks The Architect (Raw, Aug. 24)

    Best John Cena U.S. Open Challenge: John Cena vs. Cesaro (Raw, July 6)

    The Hero in All of Us Award: John Cena

    Hashtag of the Year: #SuplexCity

    Celebrity Moment of the Year: Stephen Amell dives onto Stardust at SummerSlam

    “Tell Me You Didn’t Just Say That” Moment of the Year: Brock Lesnar coins “Suplex City” at WrestleMania

    Best Original WWE Network Show: Stone Cold Podcast

  • Paul Heyman backstage at WWE RAW

    Paul Heyman is backstage at Raw right now in Minneapolis.

    We don’t have it confirmed that Brock Lesnar is there, but it would makesense with it being the Slammy Awards show and this being in Minneapolis, where he lived for years.

    Tonight’s show should also get the ball rolling for this year’s Royal Rumble.

    Lesnar would be one of the leading candidates for the Superstar of the Year award.  Lesnar was not advertised as appearing on Raw until 1/11 in New Orleans, at which point he and Heyman would be appearing fairly regularly through WrestleMania.

    Check out our live coverage of WWE RAW.

    Sign up now to listen to Wrestling Observer Radio tonight with Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discuss the fallout of WWE RAW tonight.

  • Daily Update: Slammy Awards, WrestleMania 2017

    We’re looking for reports from Minneapolis and Raw tonight with dark matches, Superstars matches and anything else not evident from the live show.

    We’re looking for your thoughts on Saturday night’s UFC show, Friday night’s ROH Final Battle and Wednesday night’s NXT Takeover, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to Dave Meltzer

    Smackdown will air live on the USA Network at 8 p.m. on Tuesday from Des Moines.  The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons for the tag team titles has been announced.

    PRO WRESTLING NOAH’S FINAL BIG SHOW OF THE YEAR IS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE TOKYO OTA WARD GYM

    Yoshinari Ogawa & Hitoshi Kumano vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kaito Kiyomiya

    Mohammed Yone & Mitsuhiro Kitamiya & Akitoshi Saito vs. Quiet Storm & Genba Hirayanagi & Captain NOAH

    Kenou vs. Hajime Ohara

    Maybach Taniguchi vs. Go Shiozaki

    Takashi Sugiura vs. Takashi Iizuka no DQ

    Shelton Benjamin vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima

    Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Desperado & Taka Michinoku for GHC jr. tag titles

    Taichi vs. Taiji Ishimori for GHC jr. title – Ishimori puts up his hair and name against the belt

    Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Colt Cabana & Chris Hero for GHC tag titles

    Minoru Suzuki vs. Naomichi Marufuji for GHC title

    Smackdown will air live on the USA Network at 8 p.m. on Tuesday from Des Moines.  The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons for the tag team titles has been announced.

    The USA Network will air Tribute to the Troops on Wednesday night at 8 p.m., a taped show from Jacksonville.

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 12/14/2015: Hogan sex tape police report released
    Gawker releases the police report in the Hulk Hogan sex tape investigation.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    Conor McGregor winning the UFC featherweight title, the story behind UFC 194 and the path of Roman Reigns to the WWE title are the lead stories in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with coverage of so many major shows over the past week.

    We look at McGregor’s financial  goals, the business of UFC 194 and the records set, early PPV projections, what is next for McGregor, TV viewership numbers in the U.S. and Brazil, , as well as the path of McGregor to being the No. 1 male star in the promotion.  We look at Frankie Edgar as a contender, potential of UFC 200 if Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor are booked on the same show, the last two PPV shows, Rousey vs. McGregor as draws, Luke Rockhold’s middleweight title win, looking at the Yoel Romero vs. Chris Weidman judging and the future of the middleweight division.

    We also look at the path of Roman Reigns to the WWE title, the increased viewership on Raw, where the new viewers came from and how viewership differed from recent weeks.  We look at the reaction to Reigns, and the storylines that led to that reaction.

    We’ve also got complete rundowns on WWE TLC, NXT Takeover, as well as all three UFC events, including match-by-match coverage, business notes, star ratings and more.

    We also have a look at Mauro Ranallo’s signing with WWE, his background, how the deal came to fruition and the path from announcing pro wrestling on TV while a teenage on national television in  Canada to the WWE 30 years ago, with stops in kickboxing, MMA and boxing in between.

    PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 21, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Conor McGregor wins UFC Featherweight title, Roman Reigns WWE Champion

    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

    You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Rates are:

    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. 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.

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

    Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer radio covering tonight’s Slammy Awards and Raw, as well as the rest of the latest news.  We will also be answering e-mail questions that you can send to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

    It will be interesting to see if Minneapolis, where Raw is coming from tonight, is announced as the host city of the 2017 WrestleMania.  There were people in the company expecting that would happen tonight months ago, but I’ve heard nothing in that direction in recent weeks.

    No word on any surprise people but with Superstar of the Year, a legit voting contest, there are candidates like John Cena and Brock Lesnar who haven’t been on Raw lately.  WWE 2015 Slammy Awards winners & nominees

    Wrestling Observer Back Issue:17 years ago in the Observer headlined by Jesse Ventura winning the election for Governor of Minnesota, which led to some embarrassing storylines with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, who didn’t like him.

    Greg Gilleland has been promoted from Business Manager of ROH to General Manager.

    New Japan has added a new championship, called the Never six man tag team titles.  The match at the 1/4 Tokyo Dome with Toru Yano & Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga & Yujiro Takahashi will determine the first champions.

    WWE

    • Sisters, where John Cena has a role, opened at $13,922,855, in the No. 3 spot this weekend.  Everyone went to Star Wars, which set the all-time opening weekend records at $248 million domestic and $525 including worldwide.  The old U.S. record was Jurassic World at $209 million.  Spectre, with Dave Bautista, was No. 11 in week seven.  It was No. 4 in Australia as well (thanks to James Stanios)
    • Wale has released a new song about Sasha Banks
    • Smackdown will be airing live not just on the USA Network tomorrow but also on Sportsnet 360 in Canada at 8 p.m. Eastern time.  We’ll have live coverage on the front page.
    • Sportsnet 360 will be doing a free WWE Network marathon from 7 p.m.on 12/24 through 8 p.m. on 12/25.  It will air whatever is on the main feed of the network.
    • Sportsnet also has more WWE programming than usual this week with Raw tonight, Smackdown at 8 p.m. Tuesday live, Smackdown replayed at 8 p.m. Wednesday in its usual time slot, and Smackdown again at 8 p.m. Friday (thanks to Steve Khan)
    • Daniel Bryan’s very good autobiography will be released in July on paperback.
    • WWE announced a 3/13 house show in Hershey, PA.
    • Tommy Dreamer and Blue Meanie are appearing at a winter coat drive at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis, which is across the street from the Target Center, where Raw takes place.
    • Laura Martin of Needham & Company, a stock analyst who has been super bullish on the WWE Network from the start, claiming that their three to four million subscriber goals were low, published a note about content creators cutting their own throats.  She wrote about how WWE in 2013 got $6.37 per viewer per hour on PPV and after moving to OTT, they are now getting 67 cents per view per hour.  She warned Viacom and  Time Warner could follow suit if they pursue recently announced lower ad rate strategies.  Here is the story.
    • Stock closed today up six cents to $17.26 per share. 

    UFC/MMA

    • Valentina Shevchenko, who debuted on Saturday’s UFC show, is on a Dancing with the Stars type show in Peru at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UaJt3ar
    • Cheick Kongo vs. Augusto Sakai was announced for the 2/26 Bellator show in Mulvane, KS as a main card fight.  That’s the show headlined by Marcos Galvao defending the bantamweight title against Eduardo Dantas.
    • The World Series of Fighting has announced a 1/23 show at the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis with Mike Ricci vs. Caros Fodor as the main event and Teddy Holder vs. Shamil Gamzatov.  Those matches sound really tough to sell tickets in such a large arena as that.
    • Emerson Witner looks at UFC 3

    OTHER PRO WRESTLING

    • Pro Wrestling NOAH has its final major show of the year on Wednesday night at the Ota Ward Gym in Tokyo.  They’ve had Suzuki-gun run through NOAH all year and claim they will finish it off.  Suzuki claimed after he beats Naomichi Marufuji in the main event, he’s going to attack Kenta Kobashi, who will be at the show as an announcer.  Taiji Ishimori will also shave his head and change his name if he fails to win the jr. title from Taichi.
    • AAW on Saturday night in Merrionette Park, IL at 115 Bourbon Street has Eddie Kingston vs. Ethan Page in a cage match, AR Fox vs. Sami Callihan, Kongo Kong vs. Russ Jones, Chris Hero vs. Davey Richards, Davey Vega vs. Louis Lyndon and Tommaso Ciampa, Michael Elgin, Colt Cabana, Silas Young, Zero Gravity and more.
    • Davey Richards was announced as the second man in the 1026 ECWA Super 8 tournament on 4/23 in Woodbury Heights, NJ.  He follows Jason Kincaid.
    • Supreme Pro Wrestling from Sunday in Sacramento:  Dan Reynoso & Brittni Barger b Sir Samurai & Christina Von Eerie (this match was taped for the PBS TV show Beyond Geek), J.J. King b Jean Erick, JR Kratos b T-Lo & Jonnny Yen in a handicap match, Ethan White b Joe DeSoul-DQ, Big Ugly JD Bishop won four-way, Virgil Flynn b Daniel Torch-COR, Michael Hayashi b Airon Skye, Rik Luxury & Corvus & Sir Samurai & Drake Frost, Brian Tannen b Scoot Robertson to keep the SPW title.  Next show is 1/17 with Hayashi vs. Bishop for the Extreme title and Samurai & Frost challenge Luxury & Corvus & Truex for the tag titles, but in a trios match.  (thanks to Mike Millerick)
    • GSW on 1/2 in Moosic, PA at the Youth Center.
    • Maryland Championship Wrestling on 12/26 in Joppa, MD at the MCW Arena with Chyna, Ashley Massaro, Ethan Carter III and the debut of Sean Studd, the son of John Studd.
    • Rockstar Pro Wrestling on Wednesday night at the Rockstar Pro Arena in Dayton with all tickets $6.
    • The kids of former ECW wrestler Danny Doring were in a scared by Santa contest.
    • Josh Olsen has released a new wrestling book called “Working Stiff:  The Anthology of Professional Wrestling Literature and Art.”  Longtime reader Lavie Margolan has a short piece on attending a Herb Abrams UWF taping with his father in 1991.

    Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (12/21): Jeff Jarrett wins USWA Southern Title