WWE announced Saturday that there will be an NXT TakeOver special on April 1st at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center* in Dallas, TX, with tickets going on-sale December 19th.
The show is the Friday night before WrestleMania, making it the fourth WWE event in the market announced for that week with the Hall of Fame on Saturday, Wrestlemania on Sunday, and RAW on Monday. It seems likely the show will sell out quickly with so many people coming into Dallas that weekend.
Plans for the show’s card are likely close to being finalized already, or will be in a few weeks as they are taping television well ahead of time. Most all the television leading to this show will have been taped by the end of January.
NXT is currently on a tour in the United Kingdom, headlined by NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. the returning Sami Zayn. The tour is building up to the next TakeOver special on the WWE Network, set for Wednesday night in London, England.
*We originally reported the American Airlines Arena, and apologize for the error.
– Josh Nason (88-64 | .579): JNPO host, Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter guy
*****
> UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo (25-1) vs. UFC Interim Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor (18-2)
During the first episode of UFC Embedded, there was something about McGregor that didn’t seem right, almost like he was too comfortable. As I was chatting with fellow New Englander J.B. on Twitter, he mentioned something similar without me even prompting it. Maybe we’re too tied up in David Price and thinking about the Red Sox season, but there’s talking about being hungry to get there and feeling like you’re already there.
I’m going with Aldo for a few reasons. One is that he hasn’t lost in 11 years and like champions before him (Anderson Silva, GSP, Jon Jones), long stretches of dominance and fending off challengers even when your body is screaming no. The other is he looks comfortable and ready. He’s laughing and joking. He looks like he’s ready to remind the world why so many have considered him the pound-for-pound best.
Of course, McGregor could starch him in three rounds. LET’S JUST DO THIS ALREADY.
> UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman (13-0) vs. Luke Rockhold (14-2)
A few weeks ago, I was trying to articulate to Ariel Helwani on Twitter how this fight felt like two NFL quarterbacks or two ace pitchers going head to head in their prime. Then, he nailed it: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. Now, while I don’t agree with Ariel that Weidman is in the conversation for the best middleweight champion of all time, this is, arguably, the best middleweight title fight of all time.
Weidman is undefeated, but Rockhold is pretty spot on when he says that all he’s beaten is a bunch of deflated Brazilians. The 31-year-old downed Silva twice to win the title, then Lyoto Machida in one of the best fights of 2014, and the deflated balloon that is Vitor Belfort.
After losing to the inflated version of Belfort, Rockhold has ripped off four straight with four finishes over Tim Boetsch, Costas Phillipou, Michael Bisping, and Machida. There’s some ‘eh’ in there as well, which is what makes this fight so damn compelling. Both can kick, both can punch, both are young, both can wrestle and grapple, and both are (hopefully) healthy. I could see this fight happening a few more times until it’s all said and done.
> Yoel Romero (10-1) vs. Jacare Souza (22-3-0-1) Middleweights
The awesomeness of the top two fights here has completely overshadowed what is essentially a bout for the no. 1 contendership to the winner of WIDE MAN VS. ROCK HOLD. Souza has won eight straight fights (5-0 UFC) including Chris Camozzi twice of all people. He just turned 36 and could have easily got the shot against Weidman tonight, but a win here makes him a no-doubter for that opportunity. Can he outstrike Romero and does he want this to go to the ground against the Olympic wrestling medalist?
Romero burst on the scene by busting up the consciousness of those who dare stepped in against him….except for Tim Kennedy and that whole sitting on the stool thing. Much like Souza, Romero came from Strikeforce and like Souza, is undefeated in the Octagon (6-0). He is coming off the June decimation of Lyoto Machida and has T/KO finishes in five of his six wins.
Souza has been knocked out in two of his three career defeats, but one was his first pro fight and the other was September 2008 against Gegard Mousasi. However, this is the biggest puncher he’s faced in the UFC to date. Keep that in mind if the “Soldier of God” can find his range.
> Demian Maia (21-6) vs. Gunnar Nelson (14-1-1) Welterweights
That collective satisfied moan you hear is from all of the world’s BJJ/grappling lovers who are getting to see this dream fight play out live. That being said, it will probably be 15 minutes of awkward stand-up.
The 38-year-old Maia is on a three-fight win streak and is coming off an August submission win over The World’s Most Active Fighter Neil Magny. After getting to a point in his career where he abandoned his tremendous BJJ game for the striking life with comme ci, comme ca results, Maia has found a groove again.
11 years Maia’s junior, the Icelandic Nelson has become a fan favorite in Ireland because of his association with Conor McGregor’s team. He’s 5-1 in the UFC and is coming a suffocating first round submission victory over Brandon Thatch in his first-ever fight on U.S. soil. His game plan is simple: survive and submit. I’m sure Maia sees a lot of his younger self in Nelson and the question is whether the future of BJJ aces in the welterweight division is now.
> Max Holloway (14-3) vs. Jeremy Stephens (24-11) Featherweights
Just over a week removed his 24th birthday, we’ve seen Holloway grow up before our eyes. He’s nearing the completion of his fourth year of UFC competition and in that time, he’s fought 13 times (10-3). He rides a seven-fight win streak into the PPV opener and tonight’s fight will mark the second straight calendar year in which Holloway has fought four times.
Stephens has found a nice home at 145 with a 4-2 record there since May 2013. After back-to-back losses to Cub Swanson and Charles Oliveira in 2014, the 29-year-old surprised many by beating Dennis Bermudez by 3rd round TKO in July. He’s a big underdog going into this one, but that won’t stop him from trying to take Holloway’s head off his shoulders.
UFC 194 ends the biggest week in UFC history on Saturday night and is another chance for fantasy players to win money on this big weekend. Below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid along with our personal line-ups for UFC 194 on Saturday night.
STUDS
Urijah Faber ($11,000)
Urijah Faber is the biggest favorite on the card and has the highest salary of the UFC 194 participants. He fights an unknown fighter in Frankie Saenz, who is facing the toughest opponent of his young career. Faber has been to the dance many times, and this harkens back to two fights in 2014 against Alex Caceres and Francisco Rivera, perfect fights made for Faber to bounce back in. With a title shot possibly looming for him, he is going to want to win in impressive fashion. Saenz will be a tough fight, but Faber should easily dispatch him within the distance.
Kevin Lee ($10,800)
Kevin Lee is a bright prospect in the lightweight division, with an 11-1 record and four straight wins. He is coming off an impressive first-round submission win over James Moontasri and is a big favorite in his bout against Leonardo Santos at UFC 194. Lee is more well-rounded than Santos and is a rising prospect. Santos probably won’t do much in the division but he will be a consistent roster member. Lee is primed for big things and this is another showcase for him.
VALUE PLAYS
Gunnar Nelson ($9,300)
Gunnar Nelson meets Demian Maia in one of the more intriguing bouts on the UFC 194 card. Nelson is the underdog, and I’m not really sure he should be. He has the grappling to match Maia, and he is a better striker at this stage. Maia is a solid wrestler and has been around for a long time, but this feels like a passing of the torch moment at 170 pounds. Nelson at his price point is worth a look for value and I think he gets the win.
Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger ($8,700)
Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger makes her UFC debut on short notice against Tecia Torres, thus meaning she is a big underdog. She maybe shouldn’t be such a big one. She is going to have a huge height and reach advantage over Torres and she will be able to exploit that well. Torres is a solid fighter, and is undefeated, but we saw her slow down in a tough environment against Angela Hill. Lybarger will pressure Torres and use her size to land. She is worth taking at her price though it is a tough match-up.
AVOID
John Makdessi ($10,300)
John Makdessi is coming into UFC 194 off a bad loss to Donald Cerrone in May that left him with a badly broken jaw. Makdessi talked about retirement after that injury, and any time that happens, you have to question the mentality of a fighter. He is a favorite over Yancy Medeiros, but Medeiros is solid competition. Makdessi has vicious power, but I don’t see him finishing Medeiros. He is one to avoid at his salary.
Ronaldo Souza ($10,200)
This is a risky one because Ronaldo Souza is such a great fighter. He has a great opponent in Yoel Romero. Both are looking for a title shot. The match-up has the chance to disappoint with a boring fight. Both are strong grapplers and Romero’s wrestling will likely negate Souza’s jiu-jitsu. So, there goes Souza’s big key to winning. They are equal on the feet though Romero is more flashy and may have the power edge. It doesn’t look like a finish is on the docket for Jacare, so we regrettably suggest to avoid.
OUR LINE-UPS
RYAN FREDERICK: Urijah Faber ($11,000), Kevin Lee ($10,800), Conor McGregor ($9,900) Gunnar Nelson ($9,300), Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger ($8,700)
I like Faber and Lee to score finish wins in their bouts. I picked Nelson to win and I think there is a decent chance he finishes Demian Maia. I like Lybarger to score a decent amount of points as a fighter to fill out my line-up. And I’m going with Conor McGregor. He lands a lot of strikes and I see Jose Aldo leaving himself open to getting hit. I admit it being a risky pick, but sometimes to win money, you have to risk, and I’m doing exactly that.
PAUL FONTAINE: Max Holloway ($10,900), Tecia Torres ($10,700), Chris Weidman ($10,000), Yancy Medeiros ($9,100), Marcio Alexandre Jr. ($9,000)
Chris Weidman is an unbeaten champion who’s finished 2/3 of his fights in UFC. He’s also a prolific striker so if the fight goes five rounds, he should rack up a lot of point. Holloway is a lock to win and likely via early stoppage as he’s got the longest winning streak in his division, besides Jose Aldo. Tecia Torres is another unbeaten fighter who’s facing someone making her UFC debut on short notice. She’s looked better and better each time out and I really like her here. My pick for Medeiros is more a bet against his opponent John Makdessi. Makdessi suffered a brutal KO in his last fight against Donald Cerrone and it’s the kind of fight guys often have a hard time coming back from, especially just over six months later. Alexandre may be 0-2 in UFC but he’s looked good in both fights, battling Tim Means to a split decision last time out. His opponent Court McGee is coming back from a long layoff, which could hurt him.
PEACH MACHINE: John Makdessi ($10,300), Ronaldo Souza ($10,200), Chris Weidman ($10,000), Conor McGregor ($9,900), Gunnar Nelson ($9,300)
The fact that I can easily get both McGregor and Weidman AND Souza is awesome. I like this hand. I’m taking Conor, obviously because I think he will win. I really do think that Conor has already beaten Aldo mentally. Or he’s over hyped this thing and will crack under the pressure he created. I find that to be unlikely, however, I’ll wait until after weigh-ins to make my actual bet. Weidman over Rockhold. I like Rockhold, but I think Weidman is the superior athlete and will make this a wrestling match, where he is easily one of the best. I think Maia is done. Sure he can beat guys like Magny on short notice, but Nelson is a far superior test than Magny and I expect him to beat Maia in every area. Souza is awesome. If he can get this to the ground, and drag Romero to the deep waters, it’s very likely he’ll get the submission. John Makdessi is going to have to rebound after his KO loss to Cerrone, and Medeiros isn’t that tough, so I expect Makdessi to win.
Kansas City, Kansas: – Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch defeated Bob Geigel & Bob Brown via DQ in three falls to retain Central States Tag Team Title
1969
Denver, Colorado: – AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Luke Graham – AWA Tag Team Champions Mad Dog Vachon & Butcher Vachon beat Flying Redheads Red Bastien & Billy Red Lyons 2/3 falls – Bill Watts beat Bob Geigel – Pepper Gomez beat Larry Hennig dq
1970
Tokyo, Japan: – Thunder Sugiyama & The Great Kusatsu defeated Larry Hennig & Bob Windham (Blackjack Mulligan) to win the IWE tag team title
1980
Richmond, Virginia: – Dewey Robertson (The Missing Link) & George Wells defeated The Sheepherders to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title
St. Paul, Minnesota: – AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Jerry Blackwell – Greg Gagne & Buck Zumhofe & The Crusher beat Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura & Bobby Heenan – John Studd beat Mad Dog Vachon – Dino Bravo beat Steve Regal – Tito Santana beat Ben Deleon
1981
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura – Hulk Hogan beat Jerry Blackwell – Ken Patera beat Billy Robinson – Bobby Duncum drew Tito Santana
Tokyo, Japan: – Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka beat Dory Jr & Terry Funk
1982
Tokyo, Japan: Dory Jr & Terry Funk defeated Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody
1983
Tokyo, Japan: – Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody defeated Giant Baba & Dory Funk Jr
1984
Tokyo, Japan: – Jumbo Tsuruta & Genchiro Tenryu beat Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody
1985
Tokyo, Japan: – Stan Hansen & Ted DiBiase defeated Jumbo Tsuruta & Genchiro Tenryo – Tatsumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura defeated Antonio Inoki & Seji Sakaguchi in the finals of the IWGP Tag Team League, becoming the first IWGP Tag Team Champions
1986
Tokyo, Japan: – Jumbo Tsuruta & Genchiro Tenryu defeated Stan Hansen & Ted DiBiase
– Steve “Dr. Death” Williams won the first (and only) Pro Wrestling Illustrated Cup tournament in the UWF by defeating UWF Champion One Man Gang in the finals
1987
Bayamon, Puerto Rico: – Mark & Chris Youngblood defeated The Samoans (Fatu & Samu) to win the WWC Caribbean Tag Team Title
Auckland, New Zealand: – Bruno Bekkar defeated Johnny Garcia (Tony Garea’s older brother) to win the British Commonwealth title
1988
San Juan, Puerto Rico: – Carlos Colon defeated Ron Garvin for the WWC Universal Heavyweight Title
Memphis, Tennessee: – AWA Champion Jerry Lawler beat Kamala dq – Bill Dundee & Wendell Cooley beat Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden – Beauty & The Beast beat Jeff Jarrett & Scott Steiner – Brian Lee beat CWA Champion Sid Vicious dq – Tatsumi Fujinami beat Tommy Lane – Tracy Smothers beat Mike Davis
1989
Dallas, Texas: – Jerry Lawler defeated Kerry Von Erich for the World Class/USWA Texas Heavyweight Title
1992
Morristown, Tennessee – Tracey Smothers defeated Tony Anthony in a tournament final to become the first Smoky Mountain Wrestling “Beat The Champ” Television Champion
1997
Netzahualcoyotl, Mexico: – Pirata Morgan defeated Mascara Sagrada to win the AAA title
1999
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: – Miss Kitty wona Evening Gown Pool match to win the WWF Women’s Title over champion Ivory, B.B., and Jacquelyn – Val Venis defeated Davey Boy Smith and D’Lo Brown in a Triple Threat match to win the WWF European Title
2001
Jeffersonville, Indiana: – Rob Conway & Nick Dinsmore (Eugene) defeated Jason Lee & Derrick King to win the OVW Tag Team Title
2002
Mexico City, Mexico: – Ultimo Guerrero defeated Shocker to win the CMLL Light Heavyweight title
2003
Chilpanincu, Mexico: – Mascara Sagrada & Mascarita Sagrada defeated Abismo Negro & Mini Abismo Negro to win the first AAA Mascota title
2004
Nagoya, Japan: – Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Kensuke Sasaki to win the IWGP title
Friday’s matches took place February 14, 2015 in Sendai, continuing our New Beginnings coverage.
First up is an NWA Jr. title match between Jushin Thunder Liger, reigning champion, against challenger and former champion Chase Owens.
This was only about five or so minutes overall and was cut for time. Just a match. Liger is good, but can only do so much at this point. He’s good at what he can do. Owens is okay but nothing he does stands out, at least not in this match. He fits in well in New Japan but only just fits in, nothing more. Liger scores a phantom clutch hold for the win.
Owens says he might have gotten the 123, but this isn’t the last time you’ve seen this face, or the last time he’ll get a shot at the Junior heavyweight title.
It was shown in between commercials that AXS TV will air the five WrestleKingdom 9 shows on New Year’s Day.
We follow that up with a NWA World Heavyweight title match between NWA Champion Rob Conway and Hiroyoshi Tenzan
I remember this match live, and it was awesome. Not because of the work in the match itself – while it was fine, it wasn’t the highlight of the match. It was the crowd. Even in 2015 where the NWA title doesn’t mean a whole lot, people wanted Tenzan to win the NWA title that night, and they let themselves be heard. They were super into the match, and freaked out when he finally won the title. He headbutted NWA manager/President Bruce Tharpe three times, busting him open and sending him to the outside. He followed with the moonsault and pinned Conway to win the NWA title.
Tenzan thanks the fans for supporting him during the match and asks for their support in the future.Conway says he was cheated. He is the NWA He will be back for what is his.
Time for the main event, and thus we get an interview with one of the challengers. This week, it’s Yuji Nagata. He talks about how he and other wrestlers back in his day set the standard by having everyone wanting to compete for the title, including those outside of wrestling. Nakamura has done similar things with the Intercontinental title, and Nagata is amazed how he wrestles in his own world. His match with Ibushi intrigued him, and now wants to prove he can still bring his own form of wrestling to the table.
Shinsuke Nakamura defending the Intercontinental title against Yuji Nagata was next.
This was pushed like the old veteran getting the title shot as the rest of his colleagues from his era (Tenzan, Kojima, Nakanishi) were all in his corner. Overall, it was a nice back and forth match, but something just felt missing that didn’t make it stand out from normal New Japan main events.. I think it’s more of the style than anything. In the great Yuji Nagata matches I’ve seen in the last few years, they were awesome, stiff back and forth matches with some of the top talent in New Japan like Tomohiro Ishii and Katsuyori Shibata. This wasn’t it. Everything they did looked good, and the crowd was into it for the most part, but this was just a back and forth match. It seemed like they were starting to do the hot nearfalls that you’d usually see in a New Japan main event after Nagata kicked out of one boma ye, but then Nakamura laid out Nagata with another and pinned him out of nowhere. No one felt ready for the finish, it was pretty weird.
Nakamura says he wants to show respect by saying welcome to the world where everything is accepted. Okay. It was a whole new Nagata that made him boil over. Nagata says backstage that Nakamura was stronger than him. It would have been cool if he won, but today, Nakamura was stronger. He asks Nogami. He says he has a big dream now, and he is glad people backed him up. He’ll keep on fighting.
In his reflective interview, he says he should have fought him on the ground a little longer. He felt the audience still felt he had it. He wanted to pull Nakamura into his own wrestling style, but he couldn’t\, so that’s why he lost. He says his son told him good luck next time. All this was only possible by his fans supporting him.
Overall a fine show, but there have been better. The Jr. title match was okay, the NWA title match was cool, and so was the main event, but there have been better main events.
– Brian Cage & Michael Elgin beat Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards
– Sami Callihan beat Drew Gulak
– Trevor Lee beat Will Ospreay
– Kenny Omega beat Speedball Mike Bailey. This one tore the house down.
– PWG Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks retained over Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa
– PWG Champion Roderick Strong beat Matt Sydal to retain
– Adam Cole returned on the show, part of the agreement made a few months ago where ROH contracted talent besides Strong and the Bucks (the Bucks had it as part of their deal) will be back allowed to work for PWG.
Huge reaction for Enzo and Cass – their shtick is very over. Enzo does most of the work in this one, with all 5 people playing to the crowd frequently. Blake and Murphy get their rest spots in, and regularly cut Enzo off as he inches towards a hot tag. Once Cass eventually gets in, he clears house, before tagging Enzo in for the rocket launcher splash for a clean pinball victory.
Tye Dillinger v Bull Dempsey
Dillinger’s ’10’ chant is over for the rest of the night. It’s made clear from the offset that this is strictly a comedy match. Bull does jumping jacks for a good few minutes, and gets Tye to join in against his will. Tye gets defensive over his laminated ’10’ sign, and flips out once Bull accidentally makes him stand on it. Then a match breaks out, with Tye getting most of the offence in before Bull hulks up and hits a flying headbutt for the pin.
Alexa Bliss v Asuka
Asuka is super over with the crowd. After the early flurry from Asuka, Bliss targets the arm and gets in some moves before getting in some rest spots. Asuka then turns the tables, and makes Bliss submit to the Asuka lock. A basic match, but the crowd enjoyed it.
Some promos for TLC aired in the arena, which the crowd didn’t really appreciate, and they amped up the NXT chants.
Baron Corbin v Neville
The crowd were surprised and happy to see Neville on the tour. This was possibly the longest match of the night, in a show that ran about 45 minutes longer than advertised. Corbin grounds Neville for large chunks of this with the usual big man v little man dynamic. Neville got some hope spots in, but Corbin would hit some big moves to ground Neville. After a few 2 counts, Neville comes back into it with some strikes that send Corbin outside, allowing for an asai moonsault to the floor. Back in the ring, Neville reverses an End Of Days, and after a couple of teases and attempted reversals, Neville hits the Red Arrow for the very popular win.
Jordan and Gable v Dash & Dawson for the NXT Tag Titles
Huge ovation for Jordan and Gable, with a lot of creative chants for them. A chant set to 1993 dance hit ‘No Limit’ by 2 Unlimited was the highlight, as was ‘Save the Gable’ to the New Day chant. Gable starts this one, but unlike Enzo earlier, gets mostly offence in against the champs. Jordan gets a couple of spots before Dawson manages to ground Gable. Quick tags between the champs weaken Gable, before he is able to turn the tide and eventually tag in Jordan. Jordan gets some drop kicks and a belly-to-belly in, and makes the tag to Gable to set up for the Grand Amplitude before Dawson sweeps Jordan out the ring, and Dash rolls up Gable, holding the tights to get the 3 count. Great match, and the crowd showed their appreciation for the challengers post match.
Emma v Bayley for the NXT Woman’s Title
Dana Brooke accompanies Emma. Bayley gets the biggest reaction of the night so far, and there was enough in the budget to bring the whacky inflatable arm-flailing tube men. Many creative chants for Bayley, set to soccer songs and Christmas songs (eg 12 days of Bayley). Bayley plays to the crowd a lot before Emma starts getting in some offence. After a rest spot and an Emmamite sandwich to the corner, Bayley starts to make a comeback, but Brooke grabs her foot from the outside, to which the referee ejects her. Bayley then hits the Bayley-to-belly for the very popular 3 count. Nia Jax makes a brief appearance, but instead of entering the ring, just gives her a warning ahead of their Takeover London match.
Apollo Crews v Samoa Joe
Decent reaction for Crews, but Joe is the over one in this match. I think he has too much respect to be treated as the heel here. A very fun back and forth match, with Joe playing to the crowd throughout. A lot of families left around us, with tired and cranky kids, obviously realising the show was overrunning. Joe the takes control and hits a Muscle Buster for a surprisingly clean 3 count.
Finn Bálor v Sami Zayn for the NXT Title
Huge reaction for both stars. Bálor comes out first, and there was a very brief delay for the ‘ole’ chants – the crowd knows who the challenger is. Zayn is very over with the Glasgow crowd, and is met with huge ‘Welcome Back’ chants. This match was very equal throughout, with Bálor appearing to take the roll as the more heelish of the two. The match kicked into high gear with an insane tope to the outside by Zayn. Zayn then got a close 2-count from a sit-out power bomb. Bálor then got a 2 from a Pele kick. Zayn set up for a Helluva Kick in the corner, but this was reversed before Bálor hit the kick into the corner before hitting the Coup de Grace for the big 3 in an excellent match.
UFC 194 is tomorrow night! Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo, and Chris Weidman vs Luke Rockhold. First we have a great fight tonight with Frankie Edgar vs. Chad Mendes. The winner to most likely get a shot at the winner of McGregor vs Aldo.
UFC ON FRIDAY NIGHT FROM THE COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL IN LAS VEGAS ON FOX SPORTS 1 STARTING AT 8 P.M. EASTERN/5 P.M. PACIFIC
Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Abner Lloveras
Julian Erosa vs. Marcin Wrzossek
Geane Herrera vs. Joby Sanchez
Konstantin Kerokihn vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Jason Knight
Ryan LaFlare vs. Mike Pierce
Evan Dunham vs. Joe Lauzon
Ryan Hall vs. Artem Lobov in the TUF lightweight tournament finals
Edson Barboza vs. Tony Ferguson
Frankie Edgar vs. Chad Mendes
Saturday we’re looking for reports from the WWE show in Lewiston, ME and the NXT show in Seffield, England (headilned by Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin for the NXT title).
UFC 194 FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS ON SATURDAY NIGHT
Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time
Marcio Alexandre Jr. vs. Court McGee
Yancy Medeiros vs. John Makdessi
Magomed Mustafaev vs. Joe Proctor
FS 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern time
Kevin Lee vs. Leonardo Santos
Warlley Alves vs. Colby Covington
Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger vs. Tecia Torres
Urijah Faber vs. Frankie Saenz
PPV AT 10 p.m. Eastern time
Max Holloway vs. Jeremy Stephens
Gunnar Nelson vs. Demian Maia
Yoel Romero vs. Ronaldo Jacare Souza
Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title
Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor for the featherweight title
WWE TLC PPV ON SUNDAY FROM THE TD GARDEN IN BOSTON
Sheaumus vs. Roman Reignns for WWE title in a TLC match
Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for IC title
New Day vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Usos in a ladder match for tag tiltes
Charlotte vs. Paige in a Divas title match
Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger for the U.S. title in a chair match
Bray Wyatt & Erick Rowan & Luke Harper & Braun Strowman vs. Dudleys & Tommy Dreamer & Rhyno in a tables match
Sunday is almost NXT in Blackpool, England.
Raw will be Monday night in Philadelphia while NXT runs Monday night in Nottingham, England.
Smackdown will be taped Tuesday night in Newark, NJ while NXT runs Tueday night in Cardiff, Wale.
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, a new WWE movie annnounced, Mick Foley’s son with WWE, Sami Zayn’s return, Tommy Dreamer’s schedule, WWE surveys, John Cena media, WWE and ESPN update, NXT taping news, Brock Lesnar schedule news, WWE firing, Del Rio & Colter alliance, as well as notes on all the 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.
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
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This is totally nuts. A JetBlue flight heading from New York to Las Vegas turned around in mid-flight after two “Irish lads”, one of whom had already created a disturbance and caused the flight to be delayed, got into a physical altercation apparently over Conor McGregor.
MMAFighting.com has a story up where you can read who various MMA stars are picking in the Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo Jr. fight tomorrow. Virtually everyone picks Aldo. A few years ago they polled the fighters for the first Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman fight. At the time, virtually everyone on the outside thought Anderson Silva was winning that fight, but UFC sent out a press release where nearly every fighter picked Weidman. It seemed like the usual UFC deal during Countdown specials where they try to build the best case possible for the underdog to drum up interest but, in fact, the fighters largely really did pick Weidman to win and Weidman won. Obviously anything can happen in a fight, but it’s very interesting to read what fighters are thinking during a time that Aldo, the champion, is going in as an underdog as of a few days ago. Filthy Tom Lawlor on Monday’s Figure Four Daily did change his mind this week and is now picking McGregor to win. It’ll be interesting to see the odds after the weigh-in tonight given that both men for the first time ever had to make weight without the use of an IV, and that could change the game.
WWE
WWE Network officially launches in Japan on January 5th, the day after the annual New Japan Tokyo Dome spectacular.
Someone asked Joey Styles on Twitter why it was taking so long to get new TV episodes online, and he noted: “Because ECW illegally used music we had no rights to, it takes a looooong time to edit the episodes.”
Ronda Rousey told TMZ today that she wants Holly Holm at UFC 200. The article said she “came out of hiding today” and “looked fine”. It also noted that, if you recall the story of the soldier inviting her to the Marine Corps Ball and her saying yes, even though she’s in a lot of pain and psychologically all beat up, the ball is tonight and she’s going.
Add Joe Rogan to the list of those who think Holly should fight Miesha Tate prior to the Ronda Rousey fight, which would also give Rousey more time to heal up and work on her game. He said on his podcast that even if Miesha won you’d end up with a crazy “love triangle” where Ronda would have ready-made matches with both of them and they could rematch each other, plus if Holm beat Miesha she’d be building a legacy to make the Rousey fight even bigger when it happened.
UPDATE! It’s not true. At the press conference last night, Sage joked that he was only allowed to use it for his school work, than admitted that whoever said it on Fight Pass (Jon Anik) was joking.
The press conference should be available on Fight Pass. We’re told that live (and probably on tape as well), he captivates the room at these things and comes off as a “happy-go-lucky robot”.
Shane writes: “The McGregor fight was featured on this evenings RTE News in Ireland which is the top news broadcast in the country. It was a piece ahead of the normal sports section which is rare for a sports story. It showed McGregor at his public workout and how it was the biggest fight of his career. It was mentioned a large number of Irish supporters coming to Vegas with bars stocking up on Guinness and a local band writing a song about McGregor.”
Other
Want to thank Dan Masters (@DanStraightEdge) for doing a great job co-hosting the Bryan & Vinny Show last night. I literally talked to Dan for about 5 seconds before he was thrust on the air and he did an awesome job. He was one of four who donated to the latest Whale Scout Indiegogo campaign and earned a guest hosting gig, so there are more on the way. In the two years we’ve offered spots, every single guest host has done a great job (no pressure to those in the future!). The guest spots via Skype/phone are sold out, but we have ONE in-person spot available which includes airfare, hotel and a seat in the studio, plus tons of smaller perks at the Whale Scout Indiegogo site. This past weekend Whale Scout helped out at North Creek Forest, where they are converting a forest into a park, and helping to improve water quality and remove invasive species, so your donation, however big or small, helps with other habitat restoration projects as well. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated, and thank you again to Dan!
The Rassle Rap charity festival tour continues tonight in Sauget Illinois at Pop’s. Tickets : http://www.popsrocks.com. Details at insaneclownposse.Com and details on charity packages including being a lumberjack at www.HatchetGear.Com. Benefitting Saint Johns Children’s Hospital in Illinois.
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of the UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor weigh-ins from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fighters will hit the scale at 6 PM eastern time. The card airs on Saturday with the main card on pay-per-view at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off at 6:30 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass before heading over to FS1 on 8 PM eastern time with additional preliminary bouts. This event concludes the biggest week in UFC history.
The event will be headlined by two title bouts, and two of the biggest fights of the year. UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo will finally step foot inside the Octagon across from Interim UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor in a bout that has been brewing for over a year. In the co-main event it will be UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman putting the title and his undefeated record on the line against the number one contender, Luke Rockhold. The main card also features a first in UFC history as every fighter on the main card has previously headlined a UFC event.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT): Jose Aldo (145) vs. Conor McGregor (145) – UFC Featherweight Championship Chris Weidman (185) vs. Luke Rockhold (185) – UFC Middleweight Championship Ronaldo Souza (186) vs. Yoel Romero (185) Demian Maia (170) vs. Gunnar Nelson (170) Max Holloway (146) vs. Jeremy Stephens (145)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT): Urijah Faber (136) vs. Frankie Saenz (135) Tecia Torres (116) vs. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (116) Warlley Alves (171) vs. Colby Covington (170) Leonardo Santos (156) vs. Kevin Lee (156)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT): Joe Proctor (155.5) vs. Magomed Mustafaev (155) John Makdessi (156) vs. Yancy Medeiros (155.5) Court McGee (170) vs. Marcio Alexandre Jr. (171)
*Over 9,000 in attendance at the MGM Grand for the weigh-ins. *Loud reaction for Conor McGregor and loud boos for Jose Aldo. Dana White had to keep them apart at the staredown. *Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold had quite a bit of trash talk during their staredown. *Urijah Faber got a huge reaction from the crowd based on coaching opposite of Conor McGregor on the most recent season of TUF.
Night 1 of our three day UFC orgy was full of plenty of great moments. From Rose Namajunas’ star-making performance to Michael Chiesa busting down the lightweight gate to plenty of finishes, Thursday’s show was a lot of fun. The stakes escalate a bit tonight for the TUF 22 finale show, headlined by an incredible featherweight fight that could determine the next contender for either Conor McGregor or Jose Aldo.
Our panel:
– Jack Encarnacao (105-42 | .714): Sherdog Rewind host, The Lapsed Fan podcast co-chair
– Josh Nason (86-61 | .585): JNPO host, Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter guy
*****
Frankie Edgar (19-4-1) vs. Chad Mendes (17-3) Featherweights
The second best featherweight fight of the weekend is essentially for the #1 contendership, but you have to think that if Jose Aldo loses Saturday night, he’s going to get a rematch. After all, it’s been, what, a decade-plus since an ‘L’ went in his ledger? The 30-year-old Mendes has fought three times in the last two years with two title shots and lost them both, the most recent to Conor McGregor this summer. His fight against Aldo last year was incredible and he’s shown a propensity in recent years of dropping suckas cold.
Edgar basically earned the right to fight for the title Saturday night, but he’s not as brash as McGregor and doesn’t compel people to click ‘buy’ enough to warrant getting another opportunity without dispatching everyone in his path. Thus, we have this 25 minutes of awesomeness in front of us Friday. The 34-year-old Frank James Edgar has won four in a row, beating Charles Oliveira, BJ Penn, Cub Swanson, and Urijah Faber along the way. If he can top “Money”, there’s no one left for him other than the champion, is there?
This fight should be hot fire and a half. I don’t know what that means, but it will be that.
Edson Barboza (16-3) vs. Tony Ferguson (19-3) Lightweights
Ferguson went from a guy that won TUF in 2011 to a force at 155 four years later. He’s 9-1 in the UFC and is riding a six-fight win streak, escalating the level of veteran he’s faced every time out. Thus far in 2015, he submitted Gleison Tibau and outclassed Josh Thomson via unanimous decision. Originally slated to battle Khabib Nurmagomedov in a battle of pure fire, Nurmy got hurt again but Barboza is no slouch.
Now in his sixth year of UFC competition, he’s 3-2 since 2014 and was last seen downing Paul Felder this summer. Every time he gets close to grabbing the brass ring, fighters like Donald Cerrone and Michael Johnson reach a bit further to snatch it first. Insanely talented, I wonder if he’s destined to be another one of those guys who never gets the opportunity compete for a title despite fighting nearly everyone in the division on their way to the gold.
Joe Lauzon (25-10) vs. Evan Dunham (16-6) Lightweights
It’s crazy to think Lauzon is just 31 years old as we’ve been watching him compete in the UFC since 2006. After fighting just once in 2014, this is Lauzon’s third bout of 2015 and he’s coming off a summertime win over Takanori Gomi. He’s still a fan favorite, but he’s also unranked. Where does he fit in the UFC 155-pound landscape these days anyway?
The 33-year-old Dunham is riding a two-fight win streak, his first since way back in 2011-12. A three-fight losing streak against the upper echelon of the division (current champ Rafael dos Anjos, #1 contender Donald Cerrone, Edson Barboza) put him in his place, and at 33 years old, we ask the same question as we do with Lauzon: where does he fit in the division? Of note, he hasn’t finished anyone since January 2012, a span of three wins over seven fights.
TUF Finals: Artem Lobov (11-10-1-1) vs. Ryan Hall (4-1) Lightweights
I stopped watching this season of TUF around episode four or so, and after 20+ seasons, I might be finally out altogether. There’s so much quality (and non-quality) MMA on TV that I’m not sure what the draw is anymore. Even the prospect of seeing Conor McGregor every week wasn’t enough to keep me interested. Anyhoo, Lobov is McGregor’s boy and took advantage of getting a second chance to come back on the show after losing on the fight-in show. He doesn’t bring much of a record into the UFC while the 30-year-old Hall gets the opportunity that Saul Rogers gave up due to lying to the UFC about his visa…or something like that. Ugh.
Ryan LaFlare (11-1) vs. Mike Pierce (17-6) Welterweights
File this under ‘Interesting’. LaFlare took the first loss of his career against BJJ ace Demian Maia earlier this year and steps into the Octagon looking to improve on his 4-1 UFC record. The 32-year-old has gone the distance in all five of them, and I wouldn’t expect much different here from the man with the wrestling background.
You might remember Pierce from such hits as “I Almost Beat Josh Koscheck!” and “Rousimar Palhares Nearly Ruined My Career!” Yep, Mike Pierce is back! Out of action since Palhares jacked up his knee and ankle by (surprise) holding onto a submission too long in October 2013, Pierce is back two years later. To be fair, he was supposed to return in 2014 against Demian Maia but got derailed due to a broken hand. He’s 35 so there’s not much of a threat of a title run, but it’s good to see him back regardless.
