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  • ICYMI: Dragon Gate Tokyo results: Yoshino, Tozawa, Hayashi, Naruki Doi

    Submitted by Scott Winter

    – From Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan on 12/16

    CIMA has been removed from the card due to a minor illness. The rookie Yamamura has been moved into his spot, and now facing Mochizuki in his place will be the always vivacious Yosuke <3 Santa Maria.

    T-Hawk vs. Gamma

    A match randomly picked by children at the last show. Gamma gained control early and managed a trademark wipe-of-his-saliva all over T-Hawk, but was given a receipt in the form of a brainbuster. He regained the advantage but ate a splash mountain from T-Hawk. T-Hawk going for the Niteride early. An attempted spit in the face of T-Hawk was blocked, as Gamma was hit with a reverse powerslam, but managed to get a couple two counts off a roll up. Despite their efforts, the match reached it’s 5 minute time limit. They shook hands. A draw, then Gamma spit in his face and ran out of the ring. Gross.

    Jimmyz (Jimmy “Ryu” Saito & Genki Horiguchi H.A. Gee Mee) vs. VerserK (Mondai Ryu & Cyber Kong)

    Genki & Ryu started out trading headlocks. Genki got a dropkick and a kip up. They tagged out, where Kong quickly won a test of strength. Genki back in, but was dropped and nailed with a DiBiase-like falling fist. Jimmyz did manage to regain some momentum with some double teaming on Ryu until Kong interfered. Other members of VerserK smiled in approval from the outside. Ryu mounted Genki in the corner and rubbed his crotch in Genki’s face. Some double teaming from VerserK, but Genki out at two. He attempted a rana, which Kong blocked, but was successful hitting a DDT. Tag into Saito, both Ryu & Saito attempted Saito’s cycling yahoo with Saito finally getting it on a 3rd attempt. More VerserK double teaming left the Jimmyz down, but Saito broke up a two count off a big Kong Frog Splash. Combinations from the Jimmyz now, also ending in a two count being broken up off a Frog Splash. Finally, some VerserK miscommunication led to Saito getting the pin. There appeared to be dissension between the two VerserK members following the match.

    Over Generation came out for an in-ring promo after the match. They called a kid into the ring who was wearing their t-shirt.

    Big R Shimizu vs. Kaito Ishida

    The kid was supposed to ring the bell to start the match, but accidentally jumped the gun prematurely, in a funny bit. Shimizu displayed his power to start, tossing Ishida around the ring. There was a point this year where Big R Shimizu was having a better year than Big E Langston, though it is clear the latter has regained the lead. Ishida attempted chops but was no match for the big man. Ishida is mighty small at this point to come across as a threat. He did slap him in the face twice and nail a missile dropkick for a two however. He connected with kicks, extremely technically sound in doing so. Shimizu regained control and hit the big spinning slam, and a tree slam for two. Ishida managed a nice roll up for a fun two count, but was quickly put down with the Shot-put Chokeslam for a three.

    Yosuke <3 Santa Maria vs. Masaaki Mochizuki

    No idea why she wasn’t on the card in the first place, as entertaining as anyone on the roster. Yosuke cut a promo before the match, wishing everybody a Merry Christmas and welcomed her opponent to the ring. Mochizuki won in less time than Conor McGregor, and made a beeline for the locker room. Yosuke cut another promo, asking for an immediate rematch, this being a staple of Dragon Gate.

    Yosuke <3 Santa Maria vs. Masaaki Mochizuki

    Big chops from Yosuke, ducking Mochi’s offense and hitting a dropkick. Then no selling his stuff and showing some athleticism, and hit a gigantic dive to floor, placing her foot on his head in triumph. Awesome. Dragon screw from Yosuke as she is controlling the entire match. Mochi regained control and stiffed her with a gigantic boot in the corner. Two count, but Yosuke fighting back. Huge right hand from Mochi. Yosuke with a sweet spring board dropkick and leg lariat for two. Rather than rub her face in his crotch in a trademark spot, she hit the bonzai drop instead. She ate two boots in return, but showed fight and returned fire with a chop, but was nailed with two more kicks, however kicking out at two. Crowd behind her now, and she hits a suplex.

    To the top, but Mochi follows her up there. Superplex but she pops right up! Big kiss and crucifix for an absolutely great two count.  A couple kicks from Mochi and she gets another one.  Another couple nearfalls and the crowd is way into this. Mochi finally gets the three with the Sankakugeri. Mochi led the crowd in applause for Maria Chan after the match. She planted a kiss on him and he reciprocated. This was absolutely everything you want out of pro wrestling, mixing a great match with fun entertainment.

    Jimmyz (Jimmy Susumu & Jimmy K-Ness) vs. Dia.HEARTS (Dragon Kid & Kzy)

    Susumu was a reindeer here. Kzy & K-Ness started with a few minutes of comedy, well received by the crowd, not so much by their partners. A little bit of action, but the match morphed back into comedy shortly after. Finally something of a match broke out. Double teaming from the Jimmyz, as they maintained control of Kid. Susumu & Kid traded strikes, with Susumu coming out on top. Kid came back with a rana and made the tag to Kzy. Dia.HEARTS now taking it to the Jimmyz, as Kid hits an Ibushi-like moonsault from the second turnbuckle to the floor. Exploder from Susumu for two, on Kzy. Jimmyz lock in duel submissions, firmly in control now.

    Double gutbuster into a delayed double suplex combo. Huge Susumu lariat stops a Kzy comeback, for two. Kid to his partner’s aid, and he hits K-Ness with an assisted rana from the top rope. Big Kzy frog splash gets broken up at two by Susumu. Susumu and Kzy to the top now. Exploder from the top on Kzy. K-Ness with his series of spinning rollups on Kid, but broken up by Kzy. Finally, Kid gets the Bible (crucifix) for the win. Funny how your typical average DG midcard tag match is still worlds better than any other company’s standard average midcard tag match. While this was standard fare in DG terms, a forgettable match in reality, it would be the most athletic thing on the entire show of most other companies.

    VerserK (Shingo Takagi, Yamato & Kotoka) vs. Over Generation (Eita, Punch Tominaga & Takehiro Yamamura)

    Again, no Cima, instead the rookie Yamamura. They brawled into the crowd, while back in the ring Shingo took it to the rook, who was in attire similar to Cima. He tagged out to Punch, who locked up with Yamato. Hands in his pockets for power, Punchy hulked up and was impervious to pain. Kotoka in, and Over Generation put the boots to him. Eita went to work on his right leg, which was taped. We’ll see if that plays into their championship match at the big year-end PPV in a week and a half. Punch in. Big kick to the nuts from Kotoka, with the bad leg which he sold heavily. Yamato returned with a big dropkick, and a stroking of his bangs, as VerserK put a whopping on Punch in their corner. Literally beating on Punch for minutes at a time, double teaming and punking him out in general.

    VerserK miscommunication led to a tag Eita came in, a house of fire. Huge dive to the outside wiping out VerserK. Yamamura in, but Shingo manhandled the rookie. Yamamura was evasive however and eventually hit a fisherman suplex for a two. This was more competitive than when Punch was in there. Punch back in there with Yamato who he will be wrestling for the tag titles in a week and a half. Yamato remained in control, but finally Punch got an STO for a two count. Triple dropkick put Shingo on the floor and the faces turned their attention to Kotoka.

    Some pretty fantastic triple teaming ending with a PT BME. VerserK regained control shortly after though. Alabama Slam on Eita from the champ got two. The rook in there now, gets nailed from the outside with the suitcase, but it’s only a two. Ref distraction and the whole VerserK squad enters the ring to beat the shit out of Yamamura, but Kaito Ishida (dressed as Yamamura) pulls some twin magic behind the ref’s back, replacing his spent stablemate and Over Generation gets a clever upset. Good match, nice finish.

    Monster Express (Masato Yoshino, Akira Tozawa, Shachihoko BOY), Naoki Tanizaki & Kenichiro Arai vs. “El Lindaman” Yuga Hayashi, Naruki Doi, Metal Warrior, Super Shisa & Jimmy Kanda

    This was a match, once again, randomly picked by young children on the last show, essentially drawing names out of a hat. The irony being Yoshino, Tozawa & Shach all ended up on the same team. Metal Warrior was beaten down by Gamma before the match and dragged to the locker room and replace by Karaoke Machine #1 (Don Fujii in a mask). The match is supposed to lead to odd pairings but the oddest thing here is VerserK members on opposite sides. We start with Yoshino & Doi, which the crowd pops big for. A very nice exchange of moves and countermoves leaves both at a stalemate, and they go at it again. More technical mastery between the two and the crowd pops again. They tag out. Shach & Machine in there now. But he comidically hurts his knee getting in there and tags out. Tozawa and Shisa going at it now, culminating with Tozawa faking a dive to the floor. Too Easy. Fujii in there now, and he takes on the entire opposition 5-on-1 in a chopfest. Now his own team is in there and it’s 9-on-1. Match settles back down into Tozawa & Lindaman, and Tozawa gets his chops in the corner, and proceeds to punch out all five opposing members, and teammate Tanizaki. Yoshino & Lindaman now trading chops. Yoshino killing him with those.

    We then get your standard 180 mile an hour rope running exhibition from Yoshino. Tag into Arai, who shushed the crowd, and hits a headbutt with a sickening thud that resonates throughout the building. So unnecessary, poor friggin’ Hayashi. Everybody going at it now with multiple highflying moves to the floor. Everybody gets in on the act. Tozawa, Shach, Yoshino. Finally Machine, but he throws up an airball. Yoshino & Arai with a nice exchange back in the ring leading to a two count off an Arai dicing headbutt, as this thing is all nonstop action. Tozawa senton on Kanda off the top gets two. He goes for the German but it;s reversed. Doi nails him with a cannonball in the corner. Machine with a chokeslam, broken up. Shisa with the code red but Tozawa escapes. Double teaming from Shach & Tanizaki gets two on Shisa. Lindaman wuith a judo throw. Shisa gets the code red but not a theree. Doi attempts a series of double teams with his squad but misses all four. He leaves. Hilarious. Five-on-four now. Tozawa up top. Brainbuster off the top and Lindaman is down.

    Quintuple team in the corner on Lindaman, who gets Germaned by Tozawa and tombstoned by Tanizaki. Machine in though, he breaks it up and now all nine men hit consecutive moves on each other in a frenzy you’ll only see in Dragion Gate. Lindaman with the Locomotion suplex series on Shach gets the win. Second year in a row he gets the big pinfall in the final Korakuen match of the year. Super fun match. After the main event, kids are once again brought in to throw darts at a board, selecting teams for a 10-man tag at the next Korakuen show.

    Very fun, well paced show. The three hours just flew by. It’s after 4:30 am and I’m late to work, but it was worth it, the mark of a good show.

  • UFC On FOX 17 Preview: 5 storylines to watch, betting odds & predictions

    The 41st and final UFC event of 2015 comes fight fans’ way on Saturday as the Octagon returns to Orlando, Florida and the FOX network with a title fight closing out a big year of fights. UFC On FOX 17 comes from the Amway Center in Orlando and airs on FOX with a main card start time of 8 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 3:30 PM eastern time before heading over to FS1 at 5 PM eastern time.

    New UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos makes his first title defense when he defends against one of the most popular fighters in the sport, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, in the headline bout as Cerrone looks to capture the championship gold on the heels of eight straight wins. Dos Anjos and Cerrone have fought before, in August 2013, a fight won by Dos Anjos. In the co-main event, it will be a heavyweight slugfest that has been years in the making as former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos takes on former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem. Also on the card is the return of former “TUF” winner Nathan Diaz as he takes on Michael Johnson. Let’s take a deeper look into the fight card and give you five storylines to keep an eye on at UFC On FOX 17 on Saturday.

    1. Can Donald Cerrone finally win that elusive UFC gold in his first chance?

    Donald Cerrone has been chomping at the bits for years in an attempt to get a chance to become the UFC Lightweight Champion. Every time he has come close to a title shot, a setback has come in the way. Finally, on Saturday night, he gets that elusive title fight in the main event on the heels of an eight fight win streak. He is 15-3 since moving over from the WEC to the UFC in 2011, and has made a name for himself for his fight anytime, anywhere, against anyone frame of mind. There have been times where he has only had two weeks between fights, but, uncharacteristically, it has been since May that Cerrone has fought. It’s not like he didn’t want, or tried, to fight, but he had the title shot sewn up and didn’t wanna lose it. Eight straight wins over the likes of Benson Henderson, Myles Jury, Eddie Alvarez, Jim Miller and Edson Barboza to name a few have led him to the man who last defeated him.

    That man is UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos. Dos Anjos defeated Cerrone in August 2013 by unanimous decision. Even though he is now the champion, Dos Anjos actually lost his next fight, to Khabib Nurmagomedov, but three straight impressive performances following that loss, coupled with injuries to key fighters, opened the door for Dos Anjos to earn a title shot. He fought Anthony Pettis for the title at UFC 185 in March, and thoroughly dominated Pettis to post a five-round shutout and win the championship. Dos Anjos underwent a skill and physical transformation after being a gatekeeper in the division, and there have been questions about his physique. There are many who say that Dos Anjos looks completely different in the new era of drug testing, way different than the man who is 9-1 in his last ten fights, different than the man that won the championship in March, and different than the man that defeated Cerrone over two years ago. Those questions certainly open the door for Cerrone, who has even questioned Dos Anjos himself.

    Dos Anjos and Cerrone both competed on the card the last time the UFC was in Orlando. That is when Dos Anjos lost his bout with Nurmagomedov that propelled him to the championship. Cerrone submitted Edson Barboza in the third of his eight straight wins. They descend back to Orlando with both looking to leave with championship gold around their waist. Cerrone has the excellent kickboxing with good takedowns and submissions. Dos Anjos has become a more well-rounded fighter over the last few years but it still remains to be seen what has changed for him. Cerrone will need to avoid being taken down, which likely cost them their first fight. Cerrone came on strong while Dos Anjos faded late in their bout, and a five-round bout last time may have seen a different outcome. They have five rounds this time. Interestingly, Dos Anjos is more than a two-to-one favorite, and that may be too long of odds. I see Cerrone finally reaching the top of the lightweight mountain.

    2. Who wins the long-awaited heavyweight battle between Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem?

    A heavyweight bout between Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem has been almost four years in the making. It was nearly four years ago that Overeem made his UFC debut at UFC 141 and defeated Brock Lesnar. After that, Overeem was scheduled to next fight for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, which was held at the time by Dos Santos, who had just come off of knocking out Cain Velasquez to win the title. They were set to meet at UFC 146 in May 2012, but issues with taking a drug test forced Overeem out of the bout. Dos Santos would eventually lose the championship in December 2012 back to Velasquez. Overeem didn’t fight again until February 2013, when he lost to Antonio Silva. They were again set to meet at UFC 160 in May 2013, but Overeem pulled out due to injury. After those false starts, they weren’t booked to fight again until they were scheduled to meet on Saturday. Since their initial booking in early 2012, Dos Santos has gone 3-2 and Overeem has gone 3-3.

    They will finally step inside the Octagon on Saturday across from each other. Dos Santos hasn’t fought in over a year since earning a hard-fought decision win over Stipe Miocic. In fact, that is Dos Santos’ only fight in the last two years as injuries and beatings at the hands of both Velasquez and Miocic have taken their toll on him. Meanwhile, Overeem is riding a two-fight win streak that has him talking again of title shot aspirations. A win over a former champion in Dos Santos could put him just one fight away, but defeating Dos Santos, one of the hardest hitters in the sport, will be a tough task. Dos Santos has moved his training to American Top Team while Overeem continues to work on his skills with Greg Jackson. It will be interesting to see how each man fights the other as both have strong knockout power. Overeem showed a different approach in his last two fights, and has slimmed down a little. It is tough to say how much fight Dos Santos has left after his tough fights. It may be four years after they were first set to fight, and the championship gold may not be at stake, but it is still an interesting heavyweight bout between two big men, and it will finally go down on Saturday night.

    3. Is Nate Diaz ready to make another run at 155 pounds?

    One of the Stockton bad boys makes his long-awaited return on Saturday when Nate Diaz fights for the first time in over a year. After talk of moving, again, to 170 pounds, Diaz will come back at 155 pounds, and he looks to be in the best shape of his career. He will need to be as he takes on a tough opponent in Michael Johnson, a top-six ranked lightweight. Johnson should be on a five-fight win streak, but he lost a split decision to Beneil Dariush in August in a big controversial decision. Every media outlet scored the fight for Johnson, as did most observers, including UFC brass. They even paid Johnson his win bonus because they thought he won. Regardless of that, it still remains a loss on Johnson’s record, and he will be looking for a more impactful win when he takes on Diaz.

    Diaz is coming off a loss to Rafael Dos Anjos last December, a bout he missed weight for, blaming it on a training injury. That is the only time Diaz has fought in the last two years, but when he is at his best, he remains one of the most complete boxers in the division, and a dangerous submission artist. Johnson is a solid striker who mixes everything well, uses a lot of volume, and has good takedowns. Diaz could suck Johnson into a striking battle, and if Diaz starts landing the punches, they may not do a ton of damage, but they will be very effective. The biggest question is whether the time away benefits Diaz, and if the last we saw of him is a true representation of where he is today, or if he is still the guy who blasted Gray Maynard in his bout prior to Dos Anjos. If Johnson lets Diaz hit him, it could be a field day for Diaz. Johnson is ever improving, but it is still hard to count out a Diaz brother. If he wants to make another run at a title shot, he has to get by a very tough Johnson.

    4. Will Randa Markos keep making her climb up the 115-pound division ladder?

    Randa Markos ended up being one of the big surprises during the strawweight season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. She came into the show with a 4-1 record, a solid record, but unlike the rest of the competitors, hadn’t had the exposure from fighting for Invicta, and she was one of the unknowns. She showed strong skills in making it all the way to the semifinals after defeating Tecia Torres and Felice Herrig as the 14-seed before losing to Rose Namajunas. Markos hasn’t had an easy road post-TUF as she has gotten tough opponents in Jessica Penne and Aisling Daly. She lost a close split decision to Penne before scoring a unanimous decision over Daly in convincing fashion at UFC 186 in April. Since then, she has quit working her full-time job and moved to Montreal to train at the Tristar camp, and Saturday represents her first time fighting since the move.

    She gets the main card treatment as she takes on Karolina Kowalkiewicz, who makes her UFC debut sporting a solid, and perfect, 7-0 record. Both women are skilled and will get attention due to looks, but they can fight. They are very similar, with good skills on their feet, but neither are overwhelming with power, and both are patient fighters. Both tend to have close fights when they go to the judges, but Markos has the better finishing ability. She is also a better wrestler, and that was before going to Tristar, one of the best camps in the world. That is going to be a key factor, and also having one of the best coaches in the sport in Firas Zahabi in her corner will as well. Markos has a very solid shot at becoming a real title challenger as her skills evolve, and much like her nickname, she is looking at making a quiet storm brew in the strawweight division.

    5. What is there to watch for on a solid preliminary card?

    The preliminary card on Saturday features a lot of solid fights that could easily be main card bouts on a lot of fight cards. In the featured prelim bout, Myles Jury makes the move down to featherweight to take on Charles Oliveira. Jury started his career a perfect 15-0 before losing his last fight to Donald Cerrone. He made the switch to the Power MMA team in Arizona and decided to try his hand at 145 pounds. He gets a tough first test in Oliveira, a very skilled submission specialist looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss in August. Another Power MMA fighter, C.B. Dollaway, will be taking on Nate Marquardt in a pivotal bout that could determine the UFC future for both. Dollaway is looking to rebound from two straight losses while Marquardt has also lost two straight, but, more importantly, has lost five of his last six fights.

    Also on the prelims, Sarah Kaufman welcomes Valentina Shevchenko to the UFC. Shevchenko makes her debut on short notice, but she is a seriously skilled kickboxer with a 9-1 MMA record to go along with her 60-2 kickboxing record. Middleweight Josh Samman looks to remain perfect in the UFC as he welcomes Tamdan McCrory back to the UFC. Samman has four straight wins and has won all three of his UFC fights by stoppage. McCrory went 3-3 during a UFC stint from 2007 to 2009, but after being cut after a boring decision loss, he retired from the sport for four years. He made his comeback in Bellator in 2014, scoring two wins in a combined 1:27, and was then re-signed by the UFC. Another bout is a lightweight contest between Nik Lentz and Danny Castillo. Lentz is moving back up to 155 pounds following a loss to Charles Oliveira while Castillo is looking to avoid the chopping block as he has lost three straight and four of his last five.

    Full UFC On FOX 17 Fight Card, Betting Odds and Predictions

    MAIN CARD (FOX- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

    UFC Lightweight Championship: (C) Rafael Dos Anjos vs. (#2) Donald Cerrone
    Betting Odds:     Dos Anjos (-200), Cerrone (+170)
    Prediction: Cerrone by decision

    Heavyweights: (#2) Junior Dos Santos vs. (#9) Alistair Overeem
    Betting Odds:     Dos Santos (-350), Overeem (+290)
    Prediction: Dos Santos by knockout in round 2

    Lightweights: (#6) Michael Johnson vs. (#15) Nate Diaz
    Betting Odds:     Johnson (-500), Diaz (+400)
    Prediction: Diaz by submission in round 2

    Women’s Strawweights: (#7) Randa Markos vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
    Betting Odds:     Markos (-185), Kowalkiewicz (+160)
    Prediction: Markos by decision

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 5 PM ET/2 PM PT)

    Featherweights: (#7) Charles Oliveira vs. (#9 LW) Myles Jury
    Betting Odds:     Oliveira (+130), Jury (-150)
    Prediction: Jury by decision

    Middleweights: (#12) C.B. Dollaway vs. Nate Marquardt
    Betting Odds:     Dollaway (-400), Marquardt (+325)
    Prediction: Dollaway by knockout in round 2

    Women’s Bantamweights: (#5) Sarah Kaufman vs. Valentina Shevchenko
    Betting Odds:     Kaufman (-225), Shevchenko (+185)
    Prediction: Shevchenko by decision

    Middleweights: Josh Samman vs. Tamdan McCrory
    Betting Odds:     Samman (-175), McCrory (+155)
    Prediction: Samman by knockout in round 2

    Lightweights: (#10 FW) Nik Lentz vs. Danny Castillo
    Betting Odds:     Lentz (-105), Castillo (-115)
    Prediction: Castillo by decision

    Featherweights: Cole Miller vs. Jim Alers
    Betting Odds:     Miller (+105), Alers (-125)
    Prediction: Miller by submission in round 3

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT)

    Welterweights: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards
    Betting Odds:     Usman (-250), Edwards (+210)
    Prediction: Usman by submission in round 1

    Welterweights: Hayder Hassan vs. Vicente Luque
    Betting Odds:     Hassan (-120), Luque (+100)
    Prediction: Luque by decision

    Heavyweights: Francis Ngannou vs. Luiz Henrique
    Betting Odds:     Ngannou (-110), Henrique (-110)
    Prediction: Ngannou by knockout in round 1

  • Hall of Famer Juan “Lizmark” Banos passes away at 66

    Juan Banos, a Hall of Famer who was one of the major forerunners of the high flying style of Lucha Libre as the blue masked Lizmark, passed away earlier today from a heart attack.

    Banos was 66.

    Banos was a cliff diver out of Acapulco who was training to be a boxer and didn’t debut as a wrestler until 1976.  He quickly became a star, capturing the Mexican national welterweight title just two years after starting his career.  He was primarily known for his plancha outside the ring, a move he popularized, but he was a great all-around wrestler.

    He is one of only two men in history to capture the NWA world championship in three different weight classes, welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight, the other being Gori Guerrero.

    During the 1980s he was one of the biggest stars in Mexico, and regularly teamed with Atlantis, who was the next generation top high flyer, as well as with Rayo de Jalisco Jr. during a boom period in CMLL, facing Los Hermanos Dinamita, but his biggest feud was with El Satanico. He was still considered one of the top stars when he jumped to AAA in 1992.  He had a major feud in the early days of that promotion with the original La Parka, now L.A. Park, which was the program that really got Parka over as a superstar.

    He ended up returning to CMLL in 1995, to rekindle his feud with Satanico.

    His son, who wrestled as Lizmark Jr. and El Hijo de Lizmark, started in CMLL and came to AAA with his father, and they often did a father-and-son team.  Lizmark Jr. later wrestled for WCW.

    He first suffered from heart problems back in 1999, which threatened to end his career, but he returned to the ring after six months and was still working occasional dates as late as last year.

    Lizmark was voted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 2001

  • Figure Four Weekly 12/14/2015: Hogan sex tape police report released

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

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  • WWE Smackdown results: Roman Reigns Speaks, Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler

    WWE Smackdown results (12/17): Roman Reigns Speaks, Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler

    Air Date: December 17, 2015 – Location: Prudential Center in Newark, NJ

    The Big News:

    Watch Raw next Monday if you would like a follow-up to Raw last Monday.

    Show Recap:

    Smackdown opened with a recap of the Roman Reigns story from Raw, including Stephanie McMahon slapping the crap out of him. They also included a shot of The Usos and Dean Ambrose jumping in to celebrate after Reigns won.

    Reigns came out through the crowd, WWE title belt on his shoulder. He said winning the championship felt good, but doing it on his daughter’s birthday was so much better. Reigns figured he doesn’t have much time left in the company after spearing Triple H and punching Vince McMahon. The line about punching Vince got a big reaction.

    He advised the people at home not to punch their bosses. Reigns said he’d face his repercussions on Monday, but tonight isn’t Raw, it’s Smackdown (and no one is in charge I guess). Reigns added that we haven’t seen Triple H since TLC. I guess they forgot Smackdown airs after NXT Takeover.

    Sheamus came out and said he wants Reigns to enjoy every moment with the title because it won’t be long before he has it again. Reigns was ready to fight now, but of course Sheamus wasn’t going to. Sheamus said the Authority has launched an investigation against Reigns, which means he can’t be on Smackdown tonight.

    Reigns told Sheamus he could make him leave. Sheamus put over Reigns’ fighting spirit, but Stephanie told him if Reigns didn’t leave voluntarily they’d take alternative measures, and about 10 security guards came out on stage. Reigns didn’t budge so security went after him. Most of them were tiny, so Reigns took them out easily. The best spot was after one security guard couldn’t get over the top rope, Reigns shoved him out violently and the guy splatted on the mats.

    There was one larger security guard left and Reigns took him out with a superman punch. Reigns posed with the title and Sheamus frowned. Reigns was universally cheered in this segment but I wouldn’t call it a huge reaction. Of course, that could have something to do with the number of people in attendance. Nobody was booing, anyway.

    Non-Title: U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio beat Ryback via submission

    They explained that Ryback requested this match. Before it started, Ryback said Del Rio is going to wish he never came back, and he’s going to eat the League of Nations (or something). Somebody in the crowd had a Mexican flag and Del Rio held it up for a moment during his entrance.

    They messed up a spot where Ryback went for the Lou Thesz press but Del Rio didn’t go down, so Ryback just punched him until he did. Ryback made his comeback which actually included a missile dropkick. Ryback hit a meat-hook clothesline and went for Shellshocked but Sheamus, Rusev and Wade Barrett all ran out to the League of Nations music.

    Ryback shoved Del Rio away for some reason, and the distraction allowed Del Rio to lock in the armbar. Ryback tried to fight out but eventually tapped. Afterwards, the League beat up Ryback, and Rusev applied the Accolade. The match was no good and I have no idea why Roman Reigns didn’t come out here.

    Backstage, Tyler Breeze told Summer Rae that Titus O’Neil was an uggo. Goldust randomly appeared behind them and made weird noises. Summer sprayed hairspray in his face and he eventually left. Okay then.

    They plugged a WWE house show at The Forum in Los Angeles on Saturday featuring Brock Lesnar. It was just a quick plug by the announcers, not a commercial.

    Titus O’Neil beat Tyler Breeze (w/Summer Rae) via pinfall

    No Darren Young at ringside. Goldust came out in the middle of the match and sat next to Summer in the VIP section. O’Neil made his comeback as this was happening. Goldust grabbed the selfie stick and took a selfie with Jerry Lawler. He also tried taking one with Breeze as Breeze yelled at him. The distraction allowed Titus to hit a sitout powerbomb for the win. Two straight distraction finishes.

    Backstage, Dean Ambrose told Renee Young that Kevin Owens’ mind games won’t work. Ambrose said he won’t go away, and if Owens wants him all he has to do is ask. Ambrose said he puts it all on the line every night and that’s how he won the title. Ambrose wished Owens luck if his plan is to drive him crazy.

    In his dark room backstage, Bray Wyatt said being extreme wasn’t enough. Each member of the Wyatt family added a stupid line. Strowman said he enjoys the feeling of someone taking their last breath in his arms. Ok.

    Non-Title: Lucha Dragons beat WWE Tag-Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (w/Big E) via pinfall

    Xavier Woods said the Lucha Dragons and Usos didn’t accept their gratitude on Monday because they’re jealous, just like everyone else. Kofi Kingston plugged their unicorn horns, which light up. Woods said when they dance, it’s not for the fans, but for themselves. They chanted New Day rocks. This was not good.

    The announcers put over how great the ladder match was at TLC. (They also did this for the tables match earlier.) Like last week, Big E tried and failed to play the trombone. They had the heat on Kalisto forever. He tried to make a tag but Big E yanked Sin Cara off the apron and Kingston clotheslined Kalisto from behind.

    New Day danced, very proud of themselves. As they danced, Sin Cara jumped in the ring and did a crazy dive which knocked Woods off the apron and took out Big E at the same time. With Kingston standing on the middle rope, Kalisto did a powerbomb into a pin for the victory. Crowd did the Lucha dance after the win. Not much of a match but I liked the finish.

    Backstage, Renee asked Dolph Ziggler what it was like being collateral damage. Ziggler was tired of being called collateral damage and said the Intercontinental Title means more to him than anyone. He admitted that maybe he has become an afterthought and that was his own fault for not winning the big one [after just saying he was a former IC champion (also, he was World Champion twice)]. Ziggler said he worked hard and never calls in sick and never lost his smile. He dared Owens to top him tonight. Maybe this read well on the script, but this was stupid and Ziggler comes off so insincere.

    Becky Lynch beat Brie Bella via submission

    Before Lynch came out, Team B.A.D. were in the first row and their music played as Brie waited in the ring. Why was their music playing if they’re just spectating? And why do they have tickets if they work there?

    The crowd chanted “We want Sasha” as soon as the match started. If Team B.A.D. being in the crowd wasn’t enough, Charlotte came out during the match to her music. The distraction allowed Lynch to make a comeback. Brie countered with a missile dropkick and running knee. Lynch followed with an Exploder suplex.

    Lynch pushed Brie into the ropes and the referee was somehow distracted, allowing Charlotte to trip Brie. Lynch saw what happened, but applied the Disarmer anyway for the win. I didn’t mind Charlotte interfering since it plays into the story, but it would be nice if they eliminate the number of crappy finishes elsewhere on the show.

    Backstage, Charlotte and Lynch argued. Lynch said they won on Raw because Ric Flair interfered, and she won tonight because Charlotte interfered. Charlotte said she just wanted Lynch to win. Lynch said she wants to do it on her own, which is why she accepted Brie’s challenge. Charlotte said she didn’t want Lynch to lose. Lynch was offended that Charlotte thought she couldn’t win on their own and she stormed off.

    Elsewhere, Kevin Owens told Jo-Jo that it doesn’t matter what Dolph Ziggler wants, this was about Owens getting his IC title back from the cockroach Dean Ambrose. Jo-Jo again asked Owens about Ziggler. Owen gets that Ziggler wants revenge, but now he’s going to end up in a hospital.

    They announced New Day will defend their tag titles against the Lucha Dragons on the live Smackdown on Tuesday.

    Dolph Ziggler beat Kevin Owens via DQ

    Ziggler tuned up the band and went for a superkick but Owens caught him and hit a belly-to-belly suplex. Owens also used a German suplex. Ziggler countered a pop-up powerbomb into a superkick for a nearfall.

    Owens back body dropped Ziggler to the outside and they tried to sell it like he hurt his neck or shoulder. Owens went after him and clubbed away. The referee warned Owens to get back in the ring, but Owens tossed Ziggler over the announce table for a lame DQ. Ziggler miraculously recovered and jumped off the table onto Owens, but Owens just pushed him into the steel steps like he was nothing.

    Dean Ambrose ran out to make the save. He went for Dirty Deeds but Owens bailed. Owens superkicked Ziggler as he was being helped out by referees, so Ambrose chased him off. Ambrose went to check on Ziggler but Ziggler superkicked him. The announcers debated whether Ziggler thought Ambrose was actually Owens.

    Final Thoughts:

    They basically told you in the opening segment that this show would be a placeholder since the main story won’t be followed up until Monday, and that was definitely the case. Besides Reigns beating up ten security guards, the opening segment was basically pointless. The Authority wanted him banned from the building, but he refused. After refusing to leave, he never showed up again anyway – even after the League of Nations attacked Ryback in the very next segment.

    Also, this show featured two distraction finishes, a win by interference, and a DQ in the main event.

  • NXT TakeOver London feedback, updated

    MORE NXT TAKEOVER FEEDBACK

    Thumbs way up
    Best Match: Balor vs Joe
    Worst Match: None

    Was finally able to watch the event On Demand tonight after avoiding spoilers (is this Star Wars?). Wish I left work to watch live. TakeOvers continue to just hit it out of the park and really renew being a wrestling FAN for me.  A much better show than TLC. Asuka vs. Emma could have been my pick for best match.  It was close. Though Asuka is always amazing, I was very impressed by Emma. 

    Wish they could bottle up crowds like this and uncork them at every arena as it added just that much more to a great show. I think the roof would have blown off if Enzo and Cassady won the belts. I like that we can have real winners here and know that a guy like Crews isn’t damaged by losing a close tough battle. Just good stuff all around!

    Michael O’Brien

    Hey Dave,

    Overall: The consistent NXT vibe was alive and well, tinged with an evident London flavor. I can’t express how nice it is to see classic time tested wrestling fixtures play out in front of a receptive crowd in the 21st century. Every match contained a clearly defined villain and a crowd supported hero. The heels were dastardly and the baby faces were heroic. The contrast between the protagonist and the antagonist created the needed atmosphere for the fans to not just applaud the action, but to cheer for the competitor they wanted to be victorious and boo the competitor they wished would fall. The finishes were not over complicated, and they were all effective. Each match was unique and the main event was a fitting capstone to another NXT homerun.

    Best Match: Everything was good, Joe vs. Balor was great.

    Worst Match: Nothing

    1. Asuka vs. Emma. Takeover started with a women’s match and it was a hot and fitting opener. Good technical wrestling and a physical contest from start to finish. Emma was up to the task and Asuka continued to display her unique style. They did not succumb to the cheap tainted finish and instead provided a climatic, clean and satisfying victory for Asuka. ***

    2. NXT Tag Title Match: Enzo and Cassidy vs. Dash and Dawson. Enzo and Cassidy have found a way to maintain their act and add some needed seriousness. Their aggressive style is not limited to a promo, it translates to their ring work. Very solid old school tag match aided by a white hot crowd.  Perfect finish for a heel tag team on the rise. ***1/2

    3. Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin. A singles match that meant something. In fact, it felt like it meant a lot. The fact that Corbin can wrestle a competitive match with Crews and not look outclassed says a lot about his development. The match itself was not spectacular, but it was perfectly acceptable. **1/2

    4. NXT Women’s Title Match: Nia Jax vs. Bailey. The classic David vs. Goliath story told at an Ernest Hemingway level. Jax channeled a Vader like level of dominance. Bailey’s presentation was heroic to say the least. From an athletic standpoint, it was not what other NXT women’s title matches have been. However, from a story telling perspective it was on par with all of the TakeOver standout matches involving women wrestlers. ***

    5. NXT Title Match: Samoa Joe vs. Fin Balor. A more than fitting capstone to another NXT homerun. Joe was at his most vicious. The Demon act is not just a paint job, it is a transformation in Balor’s character. The match was an outstanding hybrid of NJPW style and WWE main event style. A few of the sequences were not perfect, but in the grand scale, it did not halt or slow the momentum or the drama of the contest. Great match. ****

    Thanks, Derrick Hubbard

    Thumbs up– Possibly my favorite WWE show of 2015.

    Best match- Asuka v. Emma

    I don’t know what my “wow” count was, but this match made me amazed by little moves and the progression to the finish.  I think Asuka can elevate any match that she’s put in.  But when she’s paired with an already talented Emma, things really shine.  NXT did a masterful job of teasing interference, foreign object use, and ref bump finishes without telegraphing the ending into a stale finish.  I do not trust RAW to pull this off. When done right, this is a thing of beauty.

    Worst match- Crews v. Corbin

    Good match.  This would be a #1 match on a typical NXT show.  But it had the misfortune of following matches that were doing something really ambitious. I’m glad this wasn’t an instance of kicking out of finishers. Pushing that End of Days finisher from Corbin keeps him a threat to anyone he’s paired with.

    Other notes-

    -Great to see Bayley’s move set incorporate submissions. Bayley is a very effective face, but arm drags and shoulder blocks made me doubt whether things would get stale in the ring for her.  Adding the threat of a submission will open up a whole new world of options for her matches.

    -Lots of old school match flourishes that were being done right.  Foreign objects?  Ref bumps?  Using a valet as a shield?  I’m watching WWE Network Vault content now and this show tapped into a lot of those lost arts.

    -Even more great video packages out of NXT.  I have no idea why the main roster can’t produce something that looks like the Bayley package.

    -Very hopeful about the tag team division.  Dawson and Dash are a real talent. HHH’s conference call this week described them as spearheading a revolution in the tag division.  They’re really building matches that highlight the importance of having a dedicated tag partner. Hopefully NXT can build from this so we don’t hear chants from fans to get their favorite member of each team in the ring.  

    Nick Garcia @foothands

    Columbus, OH

    Thumbs Up
    Best Match – Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe
    Worst Match – Baron Corbin vs Apollo Crews

    This was definitely worth leaving work early to catch. An unbelievable show. From the amazing crowd all night long (especially the innovative chants during the Bayley vs Nia Jax match), to the great main event. Nia Jax, even in her infancy, showed that she could hang with the best given the right circumstances. Multiple times during their match I literally thought it was over and jumped from my couch like I was there live at the show. Not sure why Baron and Apollo didn’t connect, but something was just missing from their match. That main event was just quality and made me happy to be a fan of this business. And of course, the opener was hot and Emma has come a long way from being clumsy and unwatchable to being able to have a good match with the right opponent. Asuka is light years ahead of 98% of everything else on both rosters, both male and female, and I look forward to a program with her and Bayley in 2016

    Roy Lucier

    How you doin’ Dave,

    Thumbs Up

    Asuka vs. Emma ***1/2

    Thought it was a good solid match that was well-paced and built well. Not quite as fluid as some of Asuka’s other matches, and their chemistry was a little off with some of the counter/chain stuff and Emma had issues feeding Asuka, also Asuka’s method of firing up didn’t really translate, but none the less good stuff with lots of nice spots at the back end.

    Enzo & Cass vs. Dash & Dawson **3/4

    Felt it was a solid match that was well-paced, although I would’ve liked a little more sizzle and a little less steak – i.e. thought they stayed in the heat too long and then Cass’ comeback was short-lived with the chop block transition move coming fairly quickly, also the leg submission wasn’t taken seriously as a potential finish which detracted a little. Big fan of Dash & Dawson, very deliberate, aggressive and solid, Cass still looks very green and Enzo although not a great worker or anything, I feel has improved a great deal this year. Would’ve liked it to be a little more spotty, but hey, they were out there to have a solid match and that’s what they did.

    Worst Match: Corbin vs. Crews **3/4

    Thought it was another solid match for the most part, although a little fragmented at times, really good transition move going into the heat, perhaps would’ve liked a few hope spots, Crews’ fire could’ve been better on the comeback but his fluidity and athleticism in the match was fantastic, counter-spot out of the end of days was really good, Corbin seems much more at home as a heel and carries himself really well as one, he’s not too adventurous with his spots but his solidity is improving, really benefitted from working with Balor and Joe, I feel. Nothing too spectacular but a decent match. Very surprised by the finish.

    Nia Jax vs. Bayley ***

    The crowd meant well, but I thought the nature of the chants detracted from the match a little as they didn’t really embrace the drama within the match. I thought Bayley worked ever so hard making Jax look good and her selling was at a high level, Jax was fine technically, I felt, but she lacked aggression and didn’t really carry herself like a monster nor was she was particulary expressive, most of which is down to her experience and level of confidence. I thought the timing, drama and emphasis could’ve been better with some little gestures and bigger gaps between certain things, but I thought it was a good effort.

    Best Match: Joe vs. Balor ****

    Thought technically, timing wise, emphasis and spots wise it was great, pace was wonderful early on, would’ve liked them to pick it up a tiny bit at times, and also would’ve liked a little more aggresssion and wildness for lack of a better word, but felt it was really, really good and a great effort.

    Thanks Dave,

    Tom Griffiths

    Hey Dave, 

    Overall: Double Thumbs up

    Best match: Asuka vs Emma due to the heat and the teased finishes. Crowd were on the edge of their seat. (close second; the main event and the tag team match)

    Worst match: Corbin vs Crews (wasn’t a bad match, but we weren’t into it as much as the others)

    MOST OVER: JASON JORDAN AND GABLE – The crowd loved them so much, especially Gable. First time i’ve ever seen Jordan – he’s a great wrestler/ he received a huge pop when he suplexed everyone – massive suplex city chant broke out

    Cheers,

    Saul Hill

    Hi Dave

    Thumbs way up for this show

    Asuka Vs Emma: Great match, they worked really hard and it showed.  Along with everyone else in the crowd I was dreading the idea of the match being possibly ruined by a ref bump and was incredibly thankful when it didn’t happen.

    Tag Title match: Another great match, crowd really were convinced that Enzo & Cass would win and despised Dash & Dawson all through the match.

    Crews Vs Corbin: Fairly disappointing match, crowd didn’t seem that into it and only wanted to hurl insults at Corbin.
    Definitely the weakest match of the Takeover portion of the show.

    Bayley Vs Nia Jax: Really good match, the crowd adored Bayley throughout. My only issue is the crowd singing through half the match, it felt a little disrespectful and they could’ve toned it down a bit.

    Balór Vs Joe: Fantastic match from a live perspective, crowd was split throughout and most people (including myself) were thinking/hoping for Joe to win so we can see a big title change for once. They worked really hard and it showed, one of the best matches I’ve ever seen in person.

    Overall it was a fantastic show with an incredible atmosphere, great wrestling and some really ridiculous chants that you can only expect from a UK crowd.

  • NXT TakeOver London TV taping results: Sami Zayn, Chad Gable & Jason Jordan

    Submitted by Seb Major

    These matches were taped for next week’s NXT TV show.

    Jason Jordan and Chad Gable vs The Hype Bros vs. The Vaudevillians vs Blake and Murphy (w/ Alexa Bliss) 

    Jordan and Gable might be more over than anyone in the entire company right now, at least in the UK. They came out to a humongous pop with chants from the crowd the whole way through the match. Typical overbooked opener, everyone got their spots in. Jordan was incredibly pumped up from the crowd reaction and played to the crowd alot. The other teams were booed incessantly. Vaudevillians worked over Gable for most of the match. The hot tag to Jordan got another crazy pop and he hit a number of incredible suplexes, getting a suplex city chant at one point. The finish came after Jordan his an absolutely ridiculous belly to belly over the top rope onto the other teams on the outside, spot of the match, if not the night. Jordan and Gable hit their double finisher for the win. Really really good.

    Elias Sampson vs Bull Dempsey

    A pretty nothing match. No one really cared about Sampson. Not much happened. This was basically a comedy match. Bull did jumping jacks which Sampson watched from the corner. A fairly botchy match at times. Sampson got “You’re just a poo poo Seth Rollins” and “You’re a hipster” chants. Sampson wins out of basically nowhere after a few minutes. Basically nothing. 

    After the match, “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and now we have for you a special BONUS MATCH!” which led to immediate Ole chants.

    Sami Zayn vs. Tye Dillinger

    Tye Dillinger comes out first, and was very over with his 10 gimmick (10 signs were probably the most common ones I saw; there weren’t that many overall). He would’ve been a face except out comes his opponent. The crowd goes insane for Sami. He goes up the stairs and does his arm-ruining waves. Sami was incredibly over, but they’re going to have to cut this down if they show it because about half the match was them reacting to the chants, all the usual stuff you’d expect, “Welcome Back” and Oles and everything. Tye gets “poo poo Hair, No Fans” and “Topknot Wanker” chants. A good match. Sami teases his arm injury and Tye works that arm a bit, but nothing to make you worried. Great Blue Thunder Bomb out of nowhere gets a 2, and a Helluva Kick for the win.

    Sami stays in the ring with a mic. Huge amount of chants; he gives up speaking a couple of times because it’s so loud. Basically just imagine every line here interspersed with one chant or another for him. He says it’s great to be back, that every time he’s on a high, like winning the title or going on Raw to fight John Cena (boos), it seems like things take a nosedive for him, but today, that trend is reversed. He talks about the tour up until this point and is hilariously dumbfounded that we boo the hell out of all the other towns he brings up, “is this some British heat thing?”. Big things are coming for NXT in 2016, and for him, he says, and makes to leave – but then comes back into the ring, because ever since Triple H got to say it, he’s wanted to. “We are NXT!” Super babyface stuff, basically, but he was beloved for it. 

  • Weight cutting in MMA: A scientific approach to fixing the problem

    Weight cutting in MMA is a problem. Actually, It’s a problem in any sport that puts fighters into weight classes. The problems range from the health and safety concerns of the fighters, as we saw recently with the death of a fighter in the Philippines, to fighters attempting to gain a competitive advantage. 

    But ultimately, it’s bigger than that. It’s a cultural problem. Weight cutting is generally accepted, even though EVERYONE knows it’s dangerous and stupid. The problem is that everyone is doing it, so everyone must continue to do it. After watching a glut of weigh-ins due to UFC running three shows in three days last week, I’ve given the matter a lot of thought. 

    First, let me support what I’m about to say by giving you some background about me personally.

    As a former MMA fighter and high school wrestler, and current BJJ competitor, I’ve spent a lot of my life cutting weight.  Heck, I even did two bodybuilding shows where I actually cut more weight than any of those previous endeavors. Over the last two decades, I’ve been a wrestling coach, personal trainer, and nutritionist. I’ve helped many normal people lose weight safely, and also helped many high level athletes take their bodies to the extreme. I’ve experienced enough weight cutting to have learned some tricks of the trade, and also learned what’s not going to work. 

    I also spent a few years working at an eating disorder facility where I saw firsthand just what awful effects both short and long-term “weight cutting” can have. It was an incredibly eye opening experience. One of the myths about weight cutting is that there is a healthy way to do it, but there is no perfectly healthy way to cut weight. Some ways are safer than others, but whichever method a fighter chooses, it will have consequences. 

    I don’t want to bore people with a biology lesson, but to put it simply, weight cutting has two phases; body weight loss and dehydration. Note I said body weight, and not exclusively fat. The goal is to lose as much body fat as possible while sparing muscle, but it’s next to impossible to do one with out the other, naturally.  Phase one of losing bodyweight usually starts about 12 weeks out from a fight and comes in the form of changing nutritional habits and exercising more.  The fighter simply cleans up their diet and reduces calories, and the weight comes off. 

    The second phase, dehydration, is the dangerous part.  A fighter will most commonly use water manipulation to suck every ounce of both interstitial and intracellular fluid out of their bodies. This can be done through use of the sauna, steam room, exercise, diuretics, and a few other sneaky things like mineral manipulation. Here’s the problem; you’re not only dehydrating your muscles, but you’re also dehydrating your heart (since it’s a muscle) as well as your brain. This is incredibly dangerous. 

    Why? Fluid acts as a padding for your brain. If you’re lacking that padding, head impact can have a much more detrimental effect. Fighters sacrifice literal brain size by cutting fat (the brain is almost entirely fat), and now they are depleting the cranial fluid.  Since fighters eat and rehydrate before fighting, this is generally mitigated, but it’s impossible to fully rehydrate in 24 hours, so without a doubt, most fighters are going into the cage with their brain less than 100% re-padded. For most fighters, they believe this is an appropriate risk level for their sport.  I recall cutting weight for fights that final week and feeling like I was in a fog. It was noticeable too as people around me kept asking me why I was spacing out. My brain was starving!

    Also, your heart can’t beat properly if dehydrated. This is how people die: your heart goes into arrhythmia or stops all together due to the lack of minerals, which were flushed out during the dehydration. Basically, you’ve reduced your intravascular blood volume. Most people have around 6-7 liters of blood circulating at all times, and since blood is mostly water, this is a big problem. The heart tries to compensate for the lack of blood by pumping more, which causes irregular blood pressure as it beats faster and faster, and eventually fails. This is most likely what occurs when people die in a sauna. 

    So now we know why weight cutting is dangerous, but what do we do? 

    There have been a lot of options floated around, but none have come to fruition, such as same day weigh-ins and creating more weight classes. The UFC, more specifically WADA and USADA, have outlawed the use of IV rehydration in an attempt to keep guys from risking the huge weight cut.  The idea is obviously that if rehydration is more difficult, then perhaps the massive weight cut won’t be attempted. This may work, but ultimately, it doesn’t change the problem that guys are still going to cut a dangerous amount of weight and just try and rehydrate orally. Personally, I’ve rehydrated both with IVs and without, and never noticed any difference, other than I had to have my EMT buddy steal me saline and hook me up, which was unpleasant. At fight time, physically, I felt the same.

    There’s actually data that supports the claim that oral rehydration is superior. In fact, the quickest most effective way to get lost electrolytes and other minerals back in to the blood is by rinsing the mouth with a solution and spitting it out. There’s a bunch of info you don’t need to know about gastric emptying involved. If someone wants to make a million dollars, go invent the perfect mouth rinse for fighters to use between rounds. 

    It’s often suggested that more weight classes be used, but I don’t like this idea at all. For one, it waters down the championships but that’s not nearly as important as the safety of the fighters.  The real reasons why more weight classes is a bad idea is because it will actually encourage more weight cutting. I’ve seen it happen. 

    Each year, the people in charge of collegiate wrestling regulations adjust the weight classes. They do this for various reasons, but basically it’s done to better facilitate the current population. For example, suppose last year there were more wrestlers registered at 180 pounds than ever before. That would indicate that perhaps the sport needs a weight class adjustment, and maybe the addition of a 187 pound class instead of jumping from 180 to 195. This makes sense, but what usually happens is that athletes get greedy. Now, a wrestler that used to make 195 starts to think that maybe he or she could stretch it even further and make that new 187 pound class. So the athlete that was cutting from 205 to 195 is now going to cut an extra 7 pounds.  Good coaching can offset some of this, but it doesn’t always happen. 

    At the lower classes, it happens even more as there is often only three or four pounds between a weight class. That seems like nothing to these competitors. When an athlete that walks around at 125 who cuts to 117 only has to drop three more to make 114, and only 4 more beyond that to make 110, for a total of only 15 pounds total, that’s incredibly enticing. People think, “Well, that’s only 15 pounds. Some of these big boys cut 30!”  Right, they do, but 30 off a 235 pound person is actually cutting nearly the same percentage of total body weight as the 125 pound person cutting 15 pounds. 

    In this example, the smaller person lost 12% of their body weight while the bigger guy lost about 13%.  Take into account the fact that the big guy has a lot more muscle and fat to drain water from, and you realize that the little guy’s brain is probably in way worse shape than the big guy’s.  Amateur wrestling implemented the hydration testing before the season to determine the lowest weight class in which a wrestler can compete to keep things like the above example from happening, but MMA is a different beast.

    I’d like to point out quickly that this past weekend, we saw two main events end the exact same way: flash KO.  This is not to diminsh the punching power of Frankie Edgar or Conor McGregor, but Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo looked smaller and more depleted than usual IN THE CAGE than in the past. This was the first time either man has attempted to rehydrate without IVs, and both suffered KOs from punches that each has eaten dozens of times in the past. It’s purely speculation, but was that a pair of coincidences…or perhaps each was suffering from a dehydrated brain and could not withstand the impact?

    Since more weight classes does not seem to work (at least in amateur wrestling where weigh-ins occur sometimes just an hour prior to competition), I’d like to propose something different: fewer weight classes.

    Simply put, if the weight class gap widens, less people will attempt the cut. Of course, there are masochists out there who would go for it, but my guess is that it would stem the tide of dangerous weight cuts.

    So now, where do we make the classes? How do we decide where to put the markers? It’s simple: use science. There would have to be a study of the human population to see where they are needed. (It may already exist.) First, determine the average size of the population and chart it out from there.  It would be a bell curve. 

    I’m just guessing, but most adult men are probably somewhere around 150-160 pounds (at least in developed countries), with fewer at 200, and even fewer at 300 pounds, just as fewer are at 125 and still fewer are 100 pounds. Obviously, as a species, we are evolving to be larger, but we can determine the current bell curve for today. Put more weight classes in the middle and fewer towards the ends of the charts. 

    There are of course other factors to examine. For instance, we don’t need to know the average of the entire population, just those involved in fighting. Eight-year-olds and 80-year-olds can be left out. Just look at men and women (separately) likely to be involved, so from ages 18-50 (since Bellator still exists). Also, look at people most likely to fight. There aren’t many African pygmies in the UFC, so we can ignore that population. 

    Once we determine the bell curve, we then make the weight classes which doesn’t have to be every ten pounds. Since as we discovered above, percentage of body weight is also important thus the gaps should be larger toward the heavy end and smaller toward the light end. I have not done the studies or even tried to find the data, but as a jumping off point for discussion, here is my best guess at the new weight classes.

    – Men: 125, 132, 142, 155, 175, 205, 265
    – Women: 115, 125, 140, 160

    This would create ten total champions: six for men and four for women.

    Each year, the weight classes could swing a pound or two in any direction. They don’t have to be set in stone. The names of the divisions and champions would stay the same. There would have to be some fine-tuning of this method, but it could be implemented, and it would make a difference. 

    The other option, of course, would be for fighters to just stop doing it, but we all know that’s not happening.

  • Daily Update: NXT TakeOver London, New Day unicorn horns

    NXT TakeOver London happened in the middle of the day today!  Check out Dave Meltzer’s coverage.  From what is being seen on social media and other feedback it is a good show, so you should check it out!  NXT TakeOver: London has a prime time replay at 8:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network, but it will already be available on demand by that point.

    Other TV Tonight:

    UFC Tonight airs tonight at a special broadcast time of 6 PM EST.

    Impact Wrestling airs at 11:00 p.m. ET (no replay or west coast prime time showing) on Destination America continues the TNA World Title series in the last episode on the network.

    ROH at midnight ET/PT on COMET is headlined by Roppongi Vice vs. ACH & Matt Sydal..

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 12/7/2015: McDevitt comments on concussion lawsuits
    Details on Jerry McDevitt’s comments on the ongoing concussion lawsuits against WWE, Alan discusses potential candidates for 2015’s best rookie.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    Coverage of the biggest weekend in UFC history, the stories behind the big matches, scouting the fighters, the business and handicapping the fights is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We look at the promotion of the show, how changes in the UFC can affect the major fights, little things in each fight that haven’t beentalked about, fugure for the winners and much more is looked at.

    We also look at the New Japan Tokyo Dome show, the New Japan tag team tournament, what’s new with A.J. Styles and his schedule, the controversy over the winners of the tournament and how it played out, New Japan business this past month and going forward, tournament standings and a rundown of the shows this past week.

    We also have an update on Sting and his condition coming off the match with Seth Rollins, something to watch for about a very significant WWE employee, WWE increasing security at leve events, WWE putting up lots of new content on the network, why the Stampede tapes were taken down, Alberto Del Rio blames AAA for his not coming back and losingg the title, why the time-line of what he says doesn’t add up, another new franchise movie idea for Dwayne Johnson, NXT house shows from the past week as well as all the WWE house shows of the past week and the business from the last week.   

    We’ve got a look at this year’s Tokyo Sports pro wrestling awards, all the winners, how the balloting went down, as well as a list of every MVP dating back to 1974, and why different people won the awards and the nature of the politicas behid the awards.

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

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 14, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Biggest weekend in UFC history, tons more

    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@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    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

    Pro Wrestling

    • Regarding the story of Rock filming the new Baywatch movie in Georgia in March and April and how it will affect WrestleMania, it has been known for some time that there was almost no chance he was actually wrestling a match on the show.  As with most years, they will probably try to figure out a way to have him make a non-wrestling appearance, but an actual match is pretty much out the window.  Hunter vs. Rock was the original plan, and Hunter vs. Seth Rollins was the back-up plan, and both are obviously out.
    • Smackdown is live this coming Tuesday night and the company has announced New Day vs. Lucha Dragons for the show.  
    • Speaking of New Day, you couldn’t buy any of the unicorn horns last night at Smackdown.  If you go to the WWE Shop site, they’re backordered.  Not sure how many they originally produced but they have apparently sold like crazy.
    • Finn Balor talked with Kevin Gill about transitioning from NJPW to NXT, the demon makeup, and more.
    • Kurt Angle talked his TNA retirement, the possibility of working a Wrestlemania one day, and the move to POP TV.
    • Mike Quackenbush spoke about his philosophy on booking Chikara.
    • Real Pro Wrestling debuts on 1/15 in Port St. Lucie, FL, at the Community Center.
    • Vanguard Championship Wrestling is trying to help stop homelessness.
    • If you haven’t checked it out, we have had some great Ring of Honor guests on Wrestling Observer Live the last three days, Raymond Rowe of War Machine on Monday (challenging for the Tag Titles on Friday’s Final Battle PPV), Michael Elgin on Tuesday (challenging Moose, and also facing Jay Lethal likely for the ROH World Title at the New Japan Tokyo Dome on July 4th), Lethal today, and we’ve got Jay Briscoe and Adam Cole scheduled for the next two days.
    • Lethal in the interview today noted that ROH is trying to rebrand the title as the “ROH World Title” and not the “ROH World Heavyweight Title” since the feeling is that most of the wrestlers in the company are not heavyweights.  What’s funny is Lethal is almost 220 and didn’t consider himself a heavyweight, however in UFC if you are over 205 pounds, you are a heavyweight.  Heavyweight is not 265, that’s the upper limit — 266 is superheavyweight and heavyweight is 206-265 pounds.

    UFC/MMA

    • Bovada already has odds up for a Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo rematch and Conor is only a slight favorite, -160 vs. +130. It’s still to be determined what happens to Mr. McGregor, but we should get some clues after this Saturday’s UFC on FOX show headlined by lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone.
    • Combate Americas is running their second MMA show tonight on NBC Universo starting at 11 pm eastern. Lucha Underground/AAA star Konnan will be doing commentary, presumably for the Spanish broadcast. The card is mostly unknown fighters, with Liz McCarthy likely being the most familiar name to casual fans as she’s fought a couple of times for Invicta. There is no advertised main event for the show, which will also air on the Fight Network in Canada. Rey Misterio is a brand ambassador for the group but it hasn’t been announced if he’ll appear on the show.
    • WSOF will follow-up the spectacle that was WSOF 25 with another show Friday night on NBC Sports Network. The show takes place at the Chelsea in the Cosmo in Las Vegas, the same venue that hosted UFC shows last Thursday and Friday night. Team Alpha Male fighter Lance Palmer defends the Featherweight title in the main event against Brazilian Alexandre de Almeida. “Gentleman” Josh Hill of TUF fame (nephew of “Gentleman” Jerry Valiant/”Stomper” Guy Mitchell) and recent UFC cut Robbie Peralta will also fight on the show, which returns to it’s regular 9 pm eastern time slot after being bumped back to 11 o’clock for their last outing. The Fight Network will also be broadcasting this show with the prelims streaming at WSOF.com

    Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (12/16): Lex Luger wins WCW US Title