As word of a possible target from ISIS started circulating Saturday morning, WWE is undeterred about putting on Survivor Series Sunday in Atlanta, GA.
A publication called the International Business Times cited the online group known as Anonymous as discovering the Philips Arena and Sunday’s Survivor Series as one of several possible worldwide ISIS threats that day.
PW Insider posted a short statement WWE made to them regarding the possiblity of postponing the event: “WWE Survivor Series is currently scheduled as planned while we investigate the matter with federal, state and local authorities.”
Local FBI authorities told an Atlanta TV station that they are taking the threat seriously, but do not have “specific or credible information of an attack at this time.” Local reporter Mark Winne has been tweeting updates today.
As of now, the event is scheduled as planned with the finals of the WWE World title tournament featuring Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio and Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens in the semifinals.
After the events of last week’s UFC 193, it’s hard to think anything on this show will top what we saw in the main event. The TUF Latin America finals show does feature some interesting names and, on paper at least, has “fun card!’ potential, especially the top three fights.
Our panel:
– Jack Encarnacao (98-39 | .715): Sherdog Rewind host, The Lapsed Fan podcast co-chair
– Josh Nason (81-56 | .591): Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter enabler
*****
> Neil Magny (16-4) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (11-1) Welterweights
This is a much-different fight than the one we originally had with Gastelum and Matt Brown, out to due to an injury. However, while Magny doesn’t have marquee value, he is a surprise story at 170 pounds, having won eight of his last nine. After a Demien Maia loss derailed a seven-fight win streak, he looked great in beating Erick Silva via decision earlier this year. He’s a solid fighter and a live dog in this one.
The big story here is Gastelum who did make weight (hooray!) and could be the next big force at welterweight if he can keep making weight and keep winning. The good news is the 24-year-old has youth on his side, and has plenty of time to work things out. This is his first true fight at 170 in a year as he missed weight against Tyron Woodley (loss) and fought at 185 against Nate Marquardt (win).
> Ricardo Lamas (15-4) vs. Diego Sanchez (25-7) Featherweights
The 33-year-old Lamas is coming off a first-round TKO defeat at the hands of Chad Mendes, snapping a two-fight win streak. He’s caught in a tough position — not good enough to beat the top stars but good enough to beat the rest of the top 10. A winner of six of his last eight, he is a big favorite going into this interesting co-main event.
Also 33, Sanchez’s fight mileage has taken more of a toll on his body than it has for Lamas. About to fight in his fourth weight class in a UFC career that started more than 10 years ago, he’s fought sparingly in the last five years with just six fights. This is the first time we’ve seen him this year due to recovery from a broken collarbone. Every fight could be his last, so enjoy him while you can.
> Jussier Formiga (18-3) vs. Henry Cejudo (9-0) Flyweights
Many people, including Caplan, believe this is THE fight to see on this show and it’s hard to disagree. Cejudo is the anointed next great challenger for Demetrious Johnson which, unfortunately, should be something we see in 2017 as opposed to 2016 as Cejudo is still baking as a UFC fighter. The undefeated double-Olympic gold medalist is 3-0 in the Octagon with three decision wins, but hasn’t had that singular UFC standout moment…yet.
The 30-year-old Formiga is a formidable test, a battle-tested veteran who has found his footing with three straight wins after a 1-2 start. Those three wins: Scott Jorgenson, Zach Makovsky, and Wilson Reis. If there’s anyone that can derail Cejudo on his way to the title, it’s Formiga, and it’s hard not to imagine him getting a title shot if he does.
> Efrain Escudero (24-9) vs. Leandro Silva (18-2-1-1) Lightweights
Now in his third Octagon stint, the past TUF winner has picked up two straight wins in 2015 and was last seen submitting Drew Dober in just 54 seconds. The 30-year-old Silva is in his second UFC stint is 2-1-1 in his last four — one of those who controversially “submitted” Dober earlier this year.
> Erik Perez (14-6) vs. Taylor Lapilus (10-1) Bantamweights
After three straight wins, Perez was once the rising prospect UFC was trying to push as a Mexican star. A loser of two of his last three, he finds himself in the middle of the division trying to find his place. The 23-year-old French Lapilus has won five straight, and will likely have emotion on his side as a Paris native. He’s 2-0 in the Octagon after making his UFC debut this year.
Mascara Dorada and David Finlay defeat Yohei Komatsu and Sho Tanaka. The usual solid match these four have against one another. Not much to write home about but well worked. Dorada wins with the Dorada Screwdriver, pinning Komatsu.
The Addiction (Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels) defeated Juice Robinson and Tiger Mask IV. Robinson is steadily improving, adapting well to the New Japan style and has shown great strides since starting out. Daniels and Kazarian were in control until Robinson started a comeback. Daniels cut off Robinson with a boot and was pinned after Rehab (belly to back suplex into a facebuster). Was fine for what it was.
The Kingdom and Gedo defeated Captain New Japan, Ryusuke Taguchi and Kushida. Captain New Japan was fixated on Maria throughout the entire match. Well, actually, most of the opposition was. Fine six man tag, the usual fare. Captain New Japan was gaining momentum when, of course, Maria went to the top rope and acted interested in CNJ. He went over and took off his belt because…uhh….I don’t know, which led to the Kingdom cutting him off and pinning him with a spike tombstone.
AJ Styles, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Cody Hall and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Jay White, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan. I would say Yujiro Takahashi is unrecognizable without his blond hair, but I can recognize that sloppy work anywhere. Pretty good match as everyone worked hard and the crowd got into it. Nagata worked a big part of the match and did great. Manabu Nakanishi and Fale traded big guy moves, culminating with a big suplex by Nakanishi. White was tagged in and made a hot comeback, including taking out Tama Tonga but Yujiro came back and planted him with the Miami Shine, pinning him.
Block A: Toru Yano and Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe
Good for what it was, but pretty short. Honma went for a kokeshi but Sakuraba grabbed him and put him in a submission in a good spot. He and Sakuraba have pretty good chemistry. Yano shoved Honma into the ref, nearly missed, but Yano low blowed him. Sakuraba followed with a kick and Yano rolled him up for the win.
There was an angle before the next match. Tetsuya Naito’s music played as who we thought was Naito came out, complete in the suit and mask we’ve seen him in before. But when the person took off his mask, it wasn’t Naito but none other than the returning Bushi, who was removed from this card a few days ago due to another injury…or so we thought. He stood on the outside, stoic as the next match began.
Block B: Evil and Tetsuya Natio vs. Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows
They brawled around the ring and into the stands. Anderson teased a powerbomb in the stands but Naito escaped, only to be thrown through the arena exit. Evil grabbed a chair, put it through Anderson’s head and posted his throat into the turnbuckle. That used to put people out for months back in the day. Turned into a long match. Wasn’t bad, just solid work, nothing more. Evil distracted the referee which allowed Bushi to go to the apron. Doc went after him and Bushi sprayed him with what looked like purple mist. Naito followed that with Destino for the win.
Block B: Katsuyori Shibata and Hirooki Goto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Tomohiro Ishii
Very good match, the best up to this point thanks to the hot crowd. Both Shibata and Goto battled it out against Ishii, doing their usual super stiff back and forth, the crowd eating it all up as Ishii stood tall over his opponents. Goto and Shibata had both of their opponents in double abdominal stretches at one point. Both teams acted like they were, well, regular teams and did some cool tandem offense in places. Crowd ate it up like you wouldn’t believe near the end when Ishii and Shibata were trading offense. Goto came in and took down Ishii, allowing Shibata to hit the penalty kick, scoring the win for his team.
A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi and Michael Elgin vs. Yoshi Hashi and Kazuchika Okada
Okada and Tanahashi shoved each other before the match. The buildup towards their Tokyo Dome match is that this is more personal than their previous battles, so this is a nice touch. #BigMike is just as over as he was during the G1 as the crowd was very much into his offense, doing all of the stuff that got him over on the last tour, including the falcon arrow from the top rope and the double fallaway slam.If he does that delayed suplex spot on every show he’s going to be over no matter what. Okada and Tanahashi had some good back and forth towards the end. Yoshi Hashi avoided the buckle bomb and at one point laid out Elgin with a reverse DDT. Elgin dodged the swanton bomb. He took Tanahashi and gorilla press slammed him to the floor, wiping out Okada in the process. He grabbed Yoshi-Hashi and gave him the buckle bomb, then pinned him after a spiral bomb. Very good back and forth main event. Overall a strong show, highlighted by two pretty great matches towards the end. Nothing here’s going to resonate as far as year end awards go but it was a fun few hours.
Its been a few weeks since we’ve had Divas action on Superstars. The Divas revolution has meant that, much to many a dismay, they’ve front-loaded Raw with this sort of stuff. And actually, this wasn’t half bad. They start off with a wristlock exchange. Naomi athletically reverses and takes Brie to her knees. Brie flips out of the hold and uses a fireman’s carry into a wristlock on the mat. She then uses her Daniel Bryan tribute kicks, but finally gets caught by Naomi and is single-legged to the mat.
Naomi runs into an elbow and then Brie goes up top. Naomi pulls her off and covers her for two. Naomi then takes over with stomps on Brie and uses a guillotine slingshot on the bottom rope into a cover for two. Naomi puts on a rear chin lock and keeps her down with knees to the back. Keeping the lock on, she uses a running bulldog into the turnbuckle but Naomi then misses the split-leg moonsault.
Brie gets the heat with forearms and clotheslines and goes up to the second rope and hits a missile drop kick. She fights off Tamina, but runs into an enzugiri. Brie uses those Daniel Bryans kicks again but runs into a high knee and gets covered for two. Naomi then misses the Rear View and Brie is able to use the Bella Buster for the win.
Titus O’Neil (w/Darren Young) beat Bo Dallas (6:05)
Dallas comes out for a promo. He tells Titus not to be so depressed for being eliminated from the WWE World Championship tournament. Dallas says the WWE Universe thinks he wasted his opportunity and that they think he should have had his spot, telling him to Bo-lieve.
They lock up and Dallas is thrown off. Then Dallas goes for a headlock, but is again thrown off. Dallas gets in a kick to the gut and capitalizes with clubbing blows and punches to the corner. Titus gets angry and turns things around with huge open palm chops. Dallas goes for a walk, which turns into a victory lap. He runs into Young on the outside and Dallas tells him to move. Young ducks a clothesline and O’Neil rolls out to clobber him with a clothesline of his own. We head to a break.
O’Neil scoop slams Dallas as we return and then applies a chin lock. Dallas works out but is scoop slammed again. Dallas hits a neckbreaker and then clubs O’Neil to the back of the neck with a running forearm. He clotheslines Titus for two and then puts the rear chin lock back on. O’Neil works his way out and slings Dallas hard into the turnbuckle. O’Neil gets the heat with clotheslines and a big boot. He throws Dallas across the ring and whips up some support from a very receptive and willing crowd and then hits a Stinger Splash. With Dallas in the middle of the ring, O’Neil hits the Clash of the Titus for the win.
When I was granted the opportunity to review some Evolve shows from the last year or so, I jumped at the opportunity. I’m always looking to review wrestling from all promotions around the world, especially from ones I haven’t seen. While I have usually read the results from each Evolve show, I haven’t actually seen one live. What I do know about the promotion is that it’s been the stomping ground for many wrestlers that have made their way to other promotions, most notably WWE, as you’ll see in these results. These shows that I’ll be reviewing for the next few weeks are far enough in the past that it’ll be interesting to see who competed on these shows and where they are now.
Some notes on the blu ray itself before I start on the show. I can say that the blu ray I was given for review was very well produced. The disc and art cover looks great, and the show looked excellent in high definition. I wish the audio was a bit better, but it wasn’t bad. Very well produced blu ray in terms of presentation and production.
This is Evolve 34, which took place on September 13, 2014 in Elmhurst, New York.
Johnny Gargano comes out to start Evolve 34. Apparently, Caleb Konley beat him and told him that he wasn’t that man that he used to be. He also mentioned that he doesn’t like Rich Swann due to their past, but when Konley and Nese jumped Swann he knew that he had to prove to himself that he was still the man around here, so he wanted to wrestle tonight in order to prove to himself that he’s the Johnny Gargano of old. He finishes off by saying the road to the Evolve title begins now.
Johnny Gargano vs. Anthony Nese
Su Yung, Trent Baretta and Mr. A accompanied Nese, as they’re all a part ofa group along with Caleb Konley called the Premiere Athlete Brand. Mr. A looks like a bigger Big Bubba, if you can imagine that. At one point Nese had Gargano on the ropes and Baretta took the opportunity to take a selfie for all his Snapchat buddies. This is a very 2015 show here. These two had good chemistry, with some great back and forth towards the end. Nese dodged a swipe off the apron by doing a cartwheel. That’s new! Nese went for a one arm powerbomb but Gargano countered with a roll up for the win. Good opener.
Mr. A laid out Gargano after the match, but Rich Swann ran in and laid him out with a lariat. He also took out Beretta, who was injured with his knee in a cast, and then went for Su Yung but Nese recovered and laid him out, posting him. Gargano took care of the heels with a suicide dive off the top rope, but the damage was done. This would play into Swann’s title match against Drew Galloway later in the night.
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Timothy Thatcher
This is my first time seeing Zack Sabre Jr. after hearing a ton of good things about him. These two had a really cool technical style match. Just a ton of mat work throughout, including working on body parts, which was really well done by both men. Bending the fingers always gets a pop out of me as well. Wonder if they saw the AJ/Suzuki match from a few months before this. Thatcher eventually got tired of mat work and laid out Sabre with a trio of gutwrench suplexes. Sabre countered back, applied an armbar/hammerlock combo and started stomping on his head for the submission. Very good, unique match and the best of the entire show.
Uhaa Nation vs. Roderick Strong
The future Apollo Crews really stands out as a very unique wrestler. He is not only physically opposing, but the finesse he has in the ring is extraordinary given his frame. Guys his size could probably do what he does, but he makes it look effortless which isn’t always easy to pull off. Uhaa got the control until Roderick Strong used the referee to push him out to the floor. Strong tied for his boston crab submission after Uhaa tried for his gorilla press/standing shooting star press combo but Uhaa escaped then hit the combo for the win. A good, solid match.
Ricochet vs. Caleb Konley
Ricochet’s Open the Freedom Gate title was not on the line here. In fact, Ricochet made sure to have the announcer repeat this before the match started, which Konley did not like at all. Konley has a weird highlight pattern in his hair. It’s distracting, but hey, he’s a heel. Ricochet is so beyond the talent level of anyone on the indy scene it’s really amazing WWE passed on him. It’s not only he does high flying stuff, he has the charisma to boot and has an amazing confidence level not many people in the industry have. Again, he’s such a special talent. Konley looked good here, even hitting a Regalplex at one point. Ricochet was going for a springboard hurricanrana, but Konley cut him off and countered with a falcon arrow off the top rope for the surprise win. Hey, after all that talk about a non title match, maybe he’s in line for one now! Good stuff here as well. Konley looked good and I’ve already said my thing on Ricochet.
AR Fox comes out for an interview. He says he wants an Open the Freedom Gate title match. This brings out the Bravado Brothers, whose gimmick is that they are Grandma’s boys while wearing nice sweaters. They say they take offense to him saying that he and Cima were the greatest tag team in the company, because they are. Fox disagrees, saying that they’re the most boring. They don’t like that, saying that they have a surprise for Fox, and it’s none other than Moose.
AR Fox vs. Moose
I liked this match. It wasn’t a great back and forth match like others on this show, but it told a good, solid story. AR Fox used his high flying abilities to take out Moose, but when Moose countered he’d use nothing but big power moves. Fox went for a senton at one point but Moose grabbed him and powerbombed him into the ropes. Ouch! Fox also hit what I think was a springboard inverted moonsault. I’d never really seen a move like that before, but it worked. All of this was good stuff until the Bravado Brothers ran in for the DQ. This protects both guys, but the finish was still kinda lame.
The Colony, consisting of Fire Ant and Silver Ant, ran in, leading to the next match…
Open the United Gate tag champions The Bravado Brothers vs. The Colony
This was ok. Nothing wrong with it, but never really got going. They worked on Fire Ant for the heat. Silver Ant got the hot tag, and from there it devolved into a four way. Silver Ant had Harlem Bravado in the Chikara Special, but Harlem grabbed his mask. Lance came in and grabbed it as well, distracting Silver Ant long enough for Harlem to low blow him and pin him.
Evolve Champion Drew Galloway vs. Rich Swann
The injured Swann, who came out here not in the best condition due to the attack early in the show, jumped Galloway at the bell. Galloway countered, and they ended up having a fine back and forth match. Not awesome, but very competent and both guys looked good. Galloway tried for the Future Shock DDT at one point but as they fell Swann countered into a pin for a nearfall. That was cool. The Premiere Athlete Brand all came out again to interfere, but Galloway wiped them out with a senton. Swann went for a springboard off the ropes but Galloway grabbed him and put him in a sleeper choke. Swann tried valiantly to escape, but Drew got him to the floor and Swann submitted. Nice match that told a good story.
Drew grabs a mic after the bout and gave Swann props, saying that he fought like a man and he’ll get his rematch. He put over Evolve, saying that he’ll defend the title anywhere, anytime. He won’t lead you, but he asks to walk by his side for this revolution.
Final Thoughts:
Not a knockdown, drag out awesome show, but a good show highlighted by some great athleticism and good storytelling. I like the concept of having two shows per weekend as you use one show to build to the other, and that’s what this was here while also having some good wrestling on the card as well. This was my first Evolve show, and I’m looking forward to watching more, as I’ll review Evolve 35 in the near future. Stay tuned!
Submitted by Josh Baker with additional commentary from Jason Finley from Nashville, TN
Taping One
– Veda Scott beat Heidi Lovelace in a dark match
Scott pulled off a barricade-walking spot and a rolling Low Ki-style kick. She won with a Saito suplex on Heidi that looked like it killed both girls.
– reDRagon defeated Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser (w/The Boys)
Adam Cole came out for commentary during this. Good match, I was more impressed with Bruiser than I have been in the past. ReDRagon won with a Chasing The Dragon on Bruiser that Kyle O’Reilly couldn’t quite keep Bruiser up long enough for. After the match, RedDragon chased off Adam Cole, and Silas argued with the ref, which led to The Boys attacking the ref with a DDT. Dalton Castle hit the ring from the crowd to a big reaction, sending everybody to the outside. Castle told Silas he wants his boys back, then clocked Bruiser with the mic. The Boys teased getting into the ring to rejoin Castle, then left voluntarily with Silas.
– Chris Sabin came out for a promo. He wants to know who the mystery man is in the KRD mask that keeps interfering in Addiction matches. He says he’s hijacking the show until the KRD wannabe comes out and Sabin lays down in the ring. Eventually, a masked man comes out and faces off with Sabin, then removes the mask to reveal Alex Shelley. I popped big for this. Crowd chants for Shelley but Sabin just backs off shocked and leaves.
– ROH TV Champion Roderick Strong beat Samson Walker
Sampson looked like Taz coming to the ring. He also used an inhaler during the match, that was kind of funny. Bobby Fish came down for commentary on this match, which Roddy won with a somewhat botched lungblower, Sampson didn’t quite take it right. After the match Fish gets in the ring and gets all up in Roddy’s business. Much holding up of titles ensues.
– Young Bucks beat The Briscoes
Both teams got a huge reaction, and a THIS IS AWESOME chant erupted before the match even started. Great match as you could imagine, highlighted by Matt Jackson landing on his feet after a Briscoe Doomsday Device and hitting a superkick. The Bucks win with an Indytaker and More Bang For Your Buck on Mark. After the match, ANX gets in the ring and everybody starts brawling and several security guards get beat up to end the first taping.
Brutal Bob Evans comes out with Justin Hughes and Dylan Bostick. Bob says Hughes is the love of his life (?) and says both guys are the Future Of Honor, but then takes Bostick out of the upcoming tag match and attacks him.
– FUTURE OF HONOR MATCH: Brutal Bob Evans & Justin Hughes vs. The PBK (Pretty Boy Killers)
The PBK are two big guys named Keith Lee and Shane Taylor. Hughes was pretty entertaining trying vainly to execute power moves on the PBK, who weren’t going anywhere. Lee in particular looked good with a somersault dive to the floor that got the first HOLY SH*T chant of the night. Lee hit the Last Ride powerbomb on Hughes followed by a second rope splash from Taylor to win. Afterwards, Brutal Bob brought Bostick back in and beat him up some more. Cheeseburger ran in for the save with a big reaction and ran off the heels.
Taping Two
– Adam Cole pinned Corey Hollis
Cole won with a neckbreaker-to-the-knee. He grabs a mic and says it’s storytime, then vows to end Kyle O’Reilly at Final Battle.
– War Machine vs. The Washington Bullets
The Bullets are John and Tray, and they did a great job heeling on the crowd and being crash-test-dummies for War Machine, who won in a squash with their back suplex/leg drop finisher.
– Dalton Castle pinned Mike Posey
Castle fends off stable attacks during the match which somehow don’t result in a DQ, eventually T-bone-suplexing his opponent over the top rope onto his stablemates in an impressive spot. Castle is way over with this crowd. He hits the Bang-A-Rang facebuster to win the match. Afterwards, Castle grabs a mic and says he’s the Aurora Borealis of pro wrestling and calls out Silas Young. The Boys come out instead, and distract Castle while Silas runs in from the crowd and lays Castle out with a TKO.
– Kevin Kelly introduces Jerry Lynn, who comes out unrecognizable with a short haircut. Lynn thanks everyone everywhere for their support after his recent surgery, then Kelly prods him to talk about the upcoming Jay Lethal VS AJ Styles World Title match. Kelly wants Lynn to pick a winner, but before Lynn can answer Lethal comes out with Truth Martini and Taeler Hendrix. Lethal wants to know what Lynn’s pick is, then bullies him and tells him to turn up his hearing aid. Lynn calls Lethal an overconfident prick and picks AJ to win. Lethal threatens Lynn, who then brings up that he knows Lethal’s parents and they would be very disappointed in him if he beats Lynn up. Lethal cuts a heated promo on Lynn then angrily leaves. Lethal was great here, while Lynn was never much of a talker but did okay.
Alex Shelley is out for commentary.
– ACH & Matt Sydal def. Roppongi Vice
Good match, Sydal in particular looks better than he ever has lately. Sydal attempted a shooting star press onto Baretta, but Baretta got his knees up then hit a flying knee for a two count that I totally bought as the finish. The actual finish was fantastic, Baretta had Sydal over his back holding him for a Romero springboard attack, but ACH intercepted Romero in midair and Sydal flipped Baretta into a Last Call bomb for the win. Shelley came in after the match to congratulate Sydal and ACH and they celebrated to end the second taping.
– WOMEN OF HONOR MATCH: OBD def. Taeler Hendrix (w/Truth Martini)
ODB got a great reaction coming out. Lots of boob spots to start this match, including ODB motorboating Taeler and then Truth, who of course liked it. I’m fairly sure this match will not be on TV. Taeler kissed ODB to try and distract her for her kick finisher, but ODB kissed her back then hit a TKO for the pin. Fun little match, Taeler was a great sultry heel and showed a lot more charisma than I ever saw from her in TNA.
Taping Three
– Will Ferrara and Caprice Coleman went to a no contest when they attempted to use chairs on each other.
– Donovan Dijak and Ken Phoenix def. Truth Martini vs. All Night Express
Gimmick is Truth bummed a cigarette off Phoenix this morning so he’s giving him a tryout here. ANX mistimed their finish, which led to Rhett Titus powerbombing Phoenix while Kenny King was late jumping to the top rope. They quickly improvised into a King spinning plancha onto Phoenix laid out on Titus’s knees for the win. After the match, Truth informs Phoenix that he did not impress, and Dijak hits Phoenix with the Feast Your Eyes. On their way out, Prince Nana gives Dijak one of his cards behind Truth’s back.
– Kevin Kelly introduces Steve Corino, who comes out in a neck brace to a great reaction. Corino says some day the neck brace will be off, and BJ Whitmer will pay for his sins. I was sure this was all leading to some angle, but Corino just cut his promo then left.
– ROH TV Champion Roderick Strong, Cedric Alexander, Moose, Mark Briscoe and Matt Jackson def. ROH Champion Jay Lethal, Cheeseburger, Jay Briscoe, Adam Page and Cliff Compton
First thing referee Todd Sinclair did was send all the seconds to the back which was needed because It looked like a lumberjack match with everyone out there. With a bizarre mixed heel/face team dynamic here, you would think the psychology in this match would be real messed up, but it was fantastic. Too much went on to recap, but it involved some great double-teaming by Roddy and Matt Jackson, a chance for Cheeseburger to shine, Briscoe VS Briscoe, Compton going through a table, and much more. Well worked by everyone involved, the guys seemed to be having a great time, and the crowd was SUPER HOT for the match. After a parade of finishers, Roddy hit his suplex backbreaker on Adam Page then Mark Briscoe dropped the Froggy-Bow on Page for the pin. I was all set to give The Briscoes VS The Bucks the Match Of The Night, but this match stole the show and is well worth going out of your way to see. Great fun match. Afterwards all the faces gathered in the ring and Jay Briscoe thanked the crowd.
Notes:
– Not as big of a crowd as in the past for ROH at the Nashville Fairgrounds, but the crowd was lively enough to make a TV taping worthwhile.
– They announced a return to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium in February.
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of the UFC Fight Night 78: Magny vs. Gastelum weigh-ins from Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico kicking off at 6 PM eastern time. The event airs on Saturday on FS1 at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 PM eastern time before moving over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time. This will be the UFC’s debut in Monterrey, and the Octagon’s third overall trip to Mexico.
The event will be headlined by a five-round welterweight bout as Neil Magny fights for the fifth time in 2015, taking a short-notice bout as an injury replacement for Matt Brown, to take on Kelvin Gastelum, who makes his return to the welterweight division. Both men are competing in their first headline bout as UFC competitors. In the co-main event, it will be former featherweight title challenger Ricardo Lamas taking on the last man standing from the original “Ultimate Fighter”, Diego Sanchez, who moves down to 145 pounds, the fourth weight class he has competed in during his UFC career. Also on the card is a flyweight title eliminator as Jussier Formiga takes on Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo, as well as the finals of this season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2”.
MAIN CARD (FS1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT): Neil Magny (171) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (171) Ricardo Lamas (146) vs. Diego Sanchez (145) Jussier Formiga (126) vs. Henry Cejudo (126) Erick Montano (169) vs. Enrique Marin (170) – TUF: Latin America 2 Welterweight Finals Horacio Gutierrez (154) vs. Enrique Barzola (155) – TUF: Latin America 2 Lightweight Finals Efrain Escudero (156) vs. Leandro Silva (155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT): Erik Perez (136) vs. Taylor Lapilus (136) Hector Urbina (171) vs. Bartosz Fabinski (170) Scott Jorgensen (135.5) vs. Alejandro Perez (135.5) Gabriel Benitez (145) vs. Andre Fili (145)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT): Vernon Ramos (170) vs. Alvaro Herrera (171) Cesar Arzamendia (155) vs. Polo Reyes (155) Valmir Lazaro (156) vs. Michel Prazeres (155)
*Everyone made weight with no issues, including Gastelum and Cejudo, who have had previous issues, and Sanchez, who was moving down to featherweight for the first time.
We’re looking for reports tonight on the ROH television tapings in Nashville (Young Bucks vs. Briscoes, Veda Scott vs. Heidi Lovelace, ODB vs. Taeler Hendrix plus Matt Sydal, Rocky Romero, Trent Baretta, Chris Sabin, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Michael Elgin, Jay Lethal, Moose, ACH, Adam Page, Kenny King, Rhett Titus, Dalton Castle, Donovan Dijak, Silas Young, Ray Rowe, Hanson and more) and the NXT house show in Venice, FL at Dave Meltzer
We’ll be doing polls this weekend on only the Survivor Series.
Tons of events this weekend:
NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING RETURNS AT 8 P.M. EASTERN (one hour early) ON AXS TV
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. A.J. Styles for IWGP heavyweight title
BELLATOR TONIGHT ON SPIKE TV AT 9 P.M. EASTERN AND PACIFIC
Houston Alexander (202) vs. Guilhereme Viana (204.8)
Chidi Njokuani (170) vs. Ricky Rainey (170.8)
Bubba Jenkins (146) vs. Jordan Parsons (145.8)
Derek Campos (153.6) vs. Brandon Girtz (155.8)
Hisako Kato (185.8) vs. Melvin Manhoef (185)
LION FIGHTS (MUAY THAI) ON AXS TV AT 9 P.M. EASTERN
WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING TONIGHT ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK
Prelims at 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific as WSOF.com
LaRue Burley (155.5) vs. Ramil Mustapayev (155.3) in the tournament reserve fight. Burley was supposed to face Joe Condon, who was moved into the tournament. Mustapayev was to face Benny Madrid, who fainted while cutting weight and was hospitalized.
Islam Mamedov (155.6) vs. Jorge Patino (154.9) in first round of lightweight tournament
Joe Condon (155.8) vs. Mike Ricci (155.9) in first round of lightweight tournament. Condon replaced Brian Cobb, who didn’t make weight, was announced as being ill, and has been cut by the promotion
Brian Foster (155.8) vs. Joao Zeferino (156) in first round of lightweight tournament
Luis Palomino (155.7) vs. Rich Patishnock (155.7) in first round of lightweight tournament
Jimmy Scully (165.4) vs. Roberto Yong (161.7)
Joseph Barajas (135.7) vs. Erik Villalobos (136)
Live on NBC Sports Network at 11 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Pacific
Tournament semifinals
Jason High (155.78) vs. Estevan Payan (155.2)
Tournament finals
NEW JAPAN TAG LEAGUE 2015 OPENING NIGHT AT 4:30 A.M. EASTERN AND 1:30 A.M. PACIFIC TONIGHT/TOMORROW MORNING FROM KORAKUEN HALL IN TOKYO ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
David Finlay & Mascara Dorada vs. Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
Tiger Mask & Juice Robinson vs. Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian
Captain New Japan & Kushida & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Matt Taven & Michael Bennett & Gedo
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi & Jay White vs. A.J. Styles & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Tama Tonga & Cody Hall
Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba in tournament
Tetsuya Naito & Evil vs. Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson in tournament
Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii in tournament
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchika Okada & Yoshi-Hashi in tournament
We’ll be looking for reports on Saturday’s NXT show in Fort Pierce, FL.
UFC FROM MONTERREY MEXICO
Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. EASTERN
Valmir Lazaro vs. Michel Prazeres
Cesar Arzamendia vs. Polo Reyes
Alvaro Herrera vs. Vernon Ramos
FS 1 at 8 p.m.
Gabriel Benitez vs. Andre Fili
Scott Jorgensen vs. Alejandro Perez
Bartosz Fabiniski vs. Hector Urbina
Erik Perez vs. Taylor Lapilus
Efrain Escudero vs. Leandro Silva
Enrique Barzola vs. Horacio Gutierrez in TUF Latin America lightweight final
Enrique Marin vs. Erick Montano in TUF Latin America welterweight final
Henry Cejudo vs. Jussier Formiga da Silva
Ricardo Lamas vs. Diego Sanchez
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Neil Magny
NEW JAPAN TAG LEAGUE 2015 FROM TOYOHASHI AT 3 A.M. EASTERN AND MIDNIGHT PACIFIC LATE SATURDAY NIGHT ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
We have one of the biggest issues of the year, with such a huge news week this past week. We look at exactly what went into Holly Holm’s victory over Ronda Rousey, a story on the life and times of Nick Bockwinkel, the Reid Flair angle and build to Survivor Series, Destination America dropping wrestling, and the 104-year-old attendance record being broken, as well as the story behind the firing of Billy Gunn, an update on The Rock at WrestleMania, La Sombra to WWE, the AAA world title gets decided and a lot more are headline stories in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter which is on the site right now.
If you have an interest in history, this is a huge issue, as well as a perspective on what happened in the most talked about UFC fight in history.
We look at the fight, the background of Holly Holm, what is going on in Rousey’s life, what led to the upset, thoughts on a rematch, what it means for business, the early business notes on the fight including where PPV may come in, previous fights like this, and what happened after the fight. We look at UFC’s biggest upsets, the gambling perspective, rematch odds, business notes and match-by-match coverage with poll results.
The life and times of Nick Bockwinkel is one of the best bios we’ve done, with comments from people whose careers he has touched, my own personal thoughts on Bockwinkel, what current WWE superstar had his career path changed greatly because of a suggestion by Bockwinkel to an independent promoter, a look at his life, his career, some of his most famous matches, his career title history, the controversy over Hulk Hogan not getting the AWA title, his place in the business when it changed and life after wrestling.
We also look at the Reid Fliehr angle, how it was set up, comments by Ric Flair, how ESPN got exposed in its wrestling coverage, the Owen Hart DVD and 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
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.
We will have radio shows tomorrow night covering the UFC show, Sunday night covering Survivor Series and Monday night covering Raw. I’ll be talking a lot more about the Raw angle tomorrow.
Jerry McDevitt has filed two major motions this past week. On Monday he failed a 49-page motion attempting to get the concussion lawsuit filed by Russ McCullough, Ryan Sakoda (Kejii Sakoda) and Matt Wiese (Luther Reigns) dropped due to the claim it is time barred by Connecticut law that states a plaintiff has two yeas from the date he or she has sustained an injury to bring a negligence claim.. None of the three have performed in a WWE ring since 2005.
McDevitt also filed a 51-page motion to oppose Konstantine Kyros’ attempt to get the lawsuit filed by WWE against Bob Windham (Blackjack Mulligan) dismissed
A.J. Brooks, married to CM Punk, known as A.J. Lee during her time with WWE, has signed a deal to write an autobiography for Penguin Random House books for publication in the spring of 2017.
Barring a last minute change, the originally planned Sasha Banks vs. Natalya match that was going to be the preshow match on Sunday is off. The match was never advertised and no angles were shot to promote it this week and it’s been confirmed it’s off the current lineup for the show.
The stock up was 13 cents per share today to $17.25.
Tickets for the next NXT tapings, on 1/22 (the Friday night before Royal Rumble) at the University of Central Florida Gym, are on sale now with the code NXTLive
In Canada, The Fight Network will be airing WSOF at 11 p.m. Eastern, followed by boxing from the Hard Rock, and then at 6 a.m. will air the ONE show from China, Enfusion at 3:30 p.m. Eastern tomorrow from Holland and the prelims of the UFC show at 8 p.m.
Bellator has finalized its 12/4 show in San Jose:
Josh Thompson (21-8, 1 no contest) vs. Pablo Villaseca (10-1)
Georgi Karakhanyan (24-4-1) vs. Daniel Weichel (35-9)
Patricky Pitbull Freire (14-6) vs. Derek Anderson (12-2, 1 no contest)
Former K-1 star Narantungalag Jadambaa (imagine having to announce that name) faces Marat Gafurov for the One featherweight title in Beijing China tomorrow. Both weighed in today at 145 pounds. The co-main event has Adriano Mores vs. Kairat Akhmetov for the flyweight title.
NWA Mid South on 12/4 in Tunica, MS at the Resorts Casino with Matt Sydal vs. Kincaid plus Rob Conway, Matt Riviera, Jim Cornette and Moose.
Metro Pro Wrestling on 12/5 in Kansas City at the Turner Rec Center with Jeremy Wyatt vs. Mark Sterling in a 60 minute Iron man match, plus Ace Steel vs. Ricky Morton.
Premier Wrestling Experience on 12/19 in Charlotte at the Hickory National Guard Armory has a Toys for Tots drive show.
ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)
1970 – John Tolos beat La Pantera Negra in Los Angeles to win the United National title
1972 – Jim Breaks beat Bill Ross in Nottingham to unify the British and European lightweight titles
1985 – Solar beat Cachorro Mendoza in Mexico City to win the UWA welterweight title
1992 – Super Deflin beat Pantera II in Tokyo to win the UWA super welterweight title
1995 – Shark Tsuchiya beat Megumi Kudo in Sendai to win the WWA independent women’s title
1998 – Hiromichi Fuyuki beat Hayabusa in Yokohama to win the FMW World Brass Knux title
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Reggie Parks drew AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon – Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat Mighty Igor Vodik & Ivan Kalmikoff – Eddie Sharkey drew Bob Boyer – Jack Lanza beat George Drake
1966
Melbourne, Australia; – Ray Stevens and Art Nelson defeated George & Sandy Scott for the IWA Tag Team Titles
1970
Amarillo, Texas: – Dory Funk Jr. defeated Thunderbolt Patterson for the Southwest Brass Knux Title
1974
Tokyo, Japan: – AWA Champion Verne Gagne double countout Billy Robinson – Great Kusatsu & Kimura beat Ray Stevens & Buddy Wolff – Mighty Inoue beat Nick Bockwinkel in 2 out of 3 falls
1977
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: – WWWF Champion Billy Graham beat Stan Stasiak – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Edouard Carpentier – Black Jack Lanza & Bobby Duncum beat AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell dq – Verne Gagne beat El Santos
1988
Memphis, Tennessee: – AWA Champion Jerry Lawler beat Pit Viper – Loser Leaves Town, Jimmy Golden & Robert Fuller beat Cactus Jack & Gary Young – Sid Vicious beat Bill Dundee dq – Jeff Jarrett beat Buddy Landell – CWA Champion Brian Lee beat Mike Miller – RPMs beat Scott Steiner & Brickhouse Brown
1990
Rochester, New York: – Curt Hennig defeated Kerry Von Erich to win the WWF Intercontinental title
Jacksonville, Florida: – Ric Flair defeated Butch Reed – The Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin) defeated The Southern Boys (Tracey Smothers & Steve Armstrong
2000
Augusta, Georgia: – Chuck Palumbo & Sean Stasiak defeated Elix Skipper (subbing for an injured General Rection) & Alex Wright for the WCW World Tag Team Title
2002
Nashville, Tennessee: – Jeff Jarrett defeated Ron Killings for the NWA World Heavyweight Title
2011
New York City: – WWE Champion CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio to retain the title – The Rock and John Cena defeated Miz and R Truth
The Octagon travels to Monterrey, Mexico for UFC Fight Night 78 on Saturday night, the third straight weekend of UFC action, with a main event of welterweight action as Neil Magny takes on Kelvin Gastelum. Below are our studs of the night, our value picks of the night, and fighters you should avoid on the night to help fill out your DraftKings lineups.
STUDS
Kelvin Gastelum ($10,900)
Kelvin Gastelum is coming into his headline bout against Neil Magny with a lot of expectations on his shoulders, and he is hoping to live up to them. He is a good play against Magny, who comes into the fight on short notice as an injury replacement. Magny is solid competition, but one who has faltered when faced with the high-level competition. Magny is ranked based on the fact he has gone 8-1 in his last nine fights, but that has been against unranked competition, aside from the loss to Demian Maia. In that loss to Maia, Magny was finished, like he has in three of his four losses. Gastelum is a pressure fighter who will land a lot of punches, as long as he can get inside Magny’s reach, and he has solid submission skills. On a card where there might be a lot of decisions, Gastelum is a good bet to score a finish.
Andre Fili ($10,700)
Andre Fili makes his return to the Octagon after being out of action for eight months when he takes on Gabriel Benitez. Fili has been up-and-down during his UFC tenure but he has the chance to make a run as a legitmate 145-pound prospect. He has been submitted in both of his UFC losses, but he has looked good in his UFC wins, landing a lot of punches and getting one finish. He has an opponent in Gabriel Benitez who has won both of his UFC bouts, but hasn’t looked too great against the lower competition. Fili is a big step up in competition. Fili has a good chance to get a lot of points and score a finish.
VALUE PICKS
Taylor Lapilus ($9,400)
Taylor Lapilus is a fast-rising bantamweight prospect who will get the toughest test of his career when he takes on Erik Perez. Perez is coming off a 17-month layoff when he makes his return, and he is coming off of being submitted by Bryan Caraway. There are some holes in the skills of Perez, and Lapilus is someone who can exploit them. Lapilus has good power and a very solid submission game, and he is good value as his price. He has the tools to give Perez some fits during the fight, and the chance to rack up some points.
Hector Urbina ($8,900)
Hector Urbina is coming into his fight against Bartosz Fabinski as a big underdog despite having won his last two fights by stoppage. Fabinski has won five straight fights and has eight knockout wins in his career, but he didn’t look like someone who was looking to finish when he got his decision win over Garreth McLellan in his UFC debut. He is also going into enemy territory taking on Urbina in Mexico. Urbina comes from a good camp in American Top Team, and he has scored 15 of his 17 wins by stoppage. Urbina, at his salary, is a very solid play that gives you good opportunity to spend up on higher-priced fighters.
AVOID
Ricardo Lamas ($11,200)
Ricardo Lamas is the biggest favorite on this card and thus has the highest salary on the card. That makes it seem like he is a sure bet to win. However, he is fighting Diego Sanchez. Sanchez initiates brawls that make the job of the judges hard. He wins fights he probably should lose on the scorecards, and they are always too close for comfort. Sanchez is also extremely tough to finish, as only B.J. Penn has been able to do so, and that was due to a huge cut. Sanchez is coming off a long layoff and is making the move down to featherweight, and Lamas is a tough opponent for his first time out. Sanchez’ style and relentless aggression make it hard for me to suggest using Lamas, so I am avoiding him and spending my money elsewhere.
Jussier Formiga ($8,300)
Jussier Formiga has the second-cheapest salary for all of the fighters on the card when he takes on Henry Cejudo. For being ranked third in his division, not many are giving him much of a chance against Cejudo on Saturday night. There is good reason for that as Formiga has faltered against top-level competition, and he doesn’t score a lot of points in fantasy games as it is. He will likely be taken down a lot and probably will eat a lot of punches, and probably won’t be able to land a lot of punches either. He probably won’t be able to finish Cejudo either, much less defeat him. Only use Formiga if you are in a must-need situation as I will avoid him.
OUR LINE-UPS
RYAN FREDERICK- Henry Cejudo ($11,100), Kelvin Gastelum ($10,900), Vernon Ramos ($10,300), Hector Urbina ($8,900), Erick Montano ($8,800)
I like Kelvin Gastelum and Hector Urbina for the reasons I stated above. I see them as having good chances at scoring finish wins in the early rounds, primarily by submission. I like Henry Cejudo to get a win, and he wants that title shot. He has an opponent in Jussier Formiga who can be finished, and Cejudo will be looking to score takedowns and finish it with ground-and-pound. Vernon Ramos is coming off of “TUF: Latin America 2” and has just three professional fights, but all three have been submission wins, and he gets an opponent who hasn’t fought since 2012. Erick Montano is a finalist of “TUF: Latin America 2”, and while he is the underdog against Enrique Marin, he has scored all six of his wins by stoppage, with five in the first round, and both of his wins on the show came by first-round stoppage. I like him at his cheap salary.
PAUL FONTAINE- Ricardo Lamas ($11,200), Henry Cejudo ($11,100), Efrain Escudero ($9,500), Alejandro Perez ($9,200), Gabriel Benitez ($8,700)
Lamas is about as close to a lock as there is on this card. Sanchez is WAY beyond his prime and would have losses in 4 of his last 5 fights if any of the judges had actually watched his fight with Ross Pearson. Lamas has only lost to the champion Jose Aldo and #2 contender Chad Mendes in the last 4 1/2 years. He should make quick work of Sanchez here. Henry Cejudo has a tough test in Jussier Formiga who will be in a title eliminator for the third time. But Cejudo is trying to earn a title shot so expect him to win and in impressive fashion. He should land a lot of strikes in a 3 round war and score the win. Alejandro Perez is one of the top Mexican prospects and looks to be in somewhat of a showcase fight against Scott Jorgensen, who has lost 5 of his last 6 fights and may not be long for this sport. I’m taking a bit of a chance on Gabriel Benitez but he is on a 2 fight win streak and is used to fighting in Mexico (which could be a big factor here). His opponent, Andre Fili, has a mediocre UFC record although he is the more expensive fighter for your roster. My last pick is veteran Efrain Escudero who has won two straight since losing in his UFC return last year. He has looked great, even in that loss, and will be cheered on by the Mexican crowd and should be able to score a win over the Brazilian Leandro Silva.
I like Gastelum. I think he’s going to dominate Magny, but it could take all five rounds, so I’m predicting big points from Gastelum. I don’t like Escudero. He’s really inconsistent and disappointing. I’m taking Silva to beat him. Ricardo Lamas and Sanchez are going to have a war. I think Sanchez is done but will be a hard out. I’m making the same argument against Jorgensen. He’s done but will be a tough out for Perez. Benitez over Fili. I’m not convinced Fili is any good.
