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  • UFC TUF 22: McGregor vs. Faber episode 9 recap: Watermelon drops of doom

    The Notorious Quote of the Week: “As a warm up for the Aldo fight, I’d kill him! But they wouldn’t do it. They wouldn’t sacrifice your old ass for a fight.”

    Last week, Team McGregor took a 5-3 lead. The final first round fight tonight is Abner Lloveras from Team McGregor and Jason Gonzalez from Team Faber. Here we go!

    McGregor praises his team for being mentally strong. He notes that nobody has crumbled, or had an emotional breakdown, or begged to go home. “It’s a good experience to be here doing this show. We’re having a good time.” Abner Lloveras says (and I quote) “My game plan is to work on my well rounded.” McGregor says that he’s so experienced he doesn’t need to give Lloveras much advice. Lloveras: “You really need to trust in yourself and work out a lot in the gym to be a better fighter.”

    The focus shifts to Team Faber. Urijah: “Jason is 90% standup so Abner’s game plan will be to take this fight down and get a submission.” TJ Dillashaw: “Gonzalez picks up on it really quick. He’s got a good style and he stays striking long.” Gonzalez: “I’m just coming in there well prepared for whatever comes at me.”

    It’s time for the annual COACHES CHALLENGE. They drive out to a tent in the middle of the desert, while Dana White gets to cruise in via helicopter. The helicopter is actually key though – they have to fly over the top of a giant bullseye and drop five watermelons. The coach with the most points at the end wins $10,000 and $1,500 for each member of their team. Confidence is high for “Mystic Mac” as we go to break.

    Faber gets 25. McGregor gets 25. Faber gets 10. McGregor gets 10. Faber gets 50. McGregor gets 10. Faber gets 0. McGregor gets 25. Faber hits a bullseye on his very last shot for 100 to take 185-70 lead. McGregor can’t win now even if he hits the bullseye – it’s all over. McGregor: “F–k the challenge. I feel sick as a dog over that. I don’t like losing. Congratulations to that little buffet twerp.”

    Gonzalez talks about his family being from Nicaragua and living through the civil war there. Lloveras talks about his wife and baby daughter. “I have them on my mind always and I will for sure fight harder to give them a good life – hopefully.”

    Lloveras is my Fighter to Watch for this episode, and not just because he’s in the fight. He’s an Olympic level boxer, a black belt in muay thai, and a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. He’s the oldest guy on the show but at 19-7-1 he’s also among the most experienced. Gonzalez is also a Fighter to Watch, because he’s young and strong and anybody praised by Dillashaw for his striking is doing something right.

    No weigh-ins today – we’re going straight to the fight. Lloveras: “P–ies don’t come here to fight. We’re big boys and we need to show that.”

    Lightweight: Abner Lloveras (Europe) vs. Jason Gonzalez (USA)

    Lloveras is in the gray trunks and Gonzalez the blue. Lloveras is as predicted looking for takedowns and Gonzalez does a good job of stuffing the attempts, just missing with a high kick on the break that could have ended the fight. He pours it on as Lloveras backs away and lands a big knee to the body. He hits another jumping knee and Lloveras clinches up for a leg trip – he gets it at 2:55 and is quickly in full mount. He loses it and gets it back at 3:45. Big elbows and big rights from on top. Lloveras did more in those last two minutes than Gonzalez did the first three so I’d give him the round.

    If this is going three then Gonzalez is going to win this round, but for the first minute he’s getting beaten to the punch and is in danger of being single legged again. Lloveras gets his takedown at 1:10 but Gonzalez gets right back up and avoids a back mount. Lloveras gets a takedown again at 1:40 and another full mount. It’s not going well for Gonzalez. Gonzalez manages to push off the fence and roll to escape but Lloveras gets the mount again at 2:30. Gonzalez tries again to push off and gets up at 3:15. Lloveras goes right for a single leg but has to reset before he can get it at 3:42. That’s pretty much a wrap as Gonzalez is exhausted from fighting to get up and breathing hard. He pushes off at 4:20 and stands but is taken down with ease five seconds later. The judges should make this unanimous.

    20-18 X3 for Abner Lloveras. Not shocking at all. Team McGregor finishes the first round of fights with a 6-3 lead.

    The gimmick moment of the show has arrived as one winner has to be cut. It would be more fair to cut one of McGregor’s guys since he has more men in the hunt, but it’s Dana White’s call in the end as to who didn’t “perform.” He sits down with Faber and McGregor. Mystic Mac immediately calls for Gruetzemacher to be cut, and defends Svensson by saying it may have been boring but at least Svensson got a submission.

    White agrees. He says Lloveras has terrible ground and pound skills, but he got the submission and the win; meanwhile Gruetzemacher had points where he could have gone for broke and didn’t so he blew it. Now McGregor has to match up his own guys against each other, but before he can do that he and Faber get into a pissing war about who makes more money and who would win if the two of them got in a fight – which is where this week’s Notorious Quote of the Week comes from.

    Time for the announcement of the quarterfinals. Dana White informs Gruetzemacher that he’s cut, but tells him to stay ready in case anybody on either team gets injured – if they do he’s back in. The first fight is Artem Lobov vs. Martin Svensson. There’s little doubt in my mind Svensson wins that. The second fight is Saul Rogers vs. Ryan Hall. That’s more of a coin flip. The third fight is Marcin Wrzosek vs. David Teymur. I’ve got “The Polish Zombie” in that one. Last but not least it’s Julian Erosa vs. Abner Lloveras, and I heavily favor the latter in that bout. Ryan Hall is now the best hope of Team Faber winning at the end and he’s no better than a coin flip.

    We move on from this week to see if “Mystic Mac” can run the table and have an all Team McGregor finals. Join us next week!

  • WWE NXT TV tapings spoilers: Building toward TakeOver London (updated)

    Submitted by John Carey with additional notes from J.J. Williams from Winter Park, FL

    These are the tapings that will make up all the TVs leading up to NXT’s TakeOver London show in mid-December.

    – Dark Match: Levis Valenzuela defeat Axel Tischer

    Another great showing by Levis who mixes his work with entertainment. A highlight being a cha cha cha salsa dance with the hips before dropping a big leg. The “Fiesta” gimmick is a favorite of the local Florida fans. 

    Wednesday, November 25:

    – Greg Hamilton introduces Michael Cole to a chorus of booos before the crowd lightens up a bit, Michael informs us that William Regal is recovering from a successful surgery and management has put him in charge for the time being. Cole then calls NXT Champion Finn Balor and Samoa Joe out for their contract signing. They have a seemingly calm and non confrontational signing. Joe leaves, Finn makes his way up the ramp where Joe returns to cheap shot Balor, they brawl for a while until the refs attempt a pull apart and as usual this gives Joe the advantage as while Finn is dealing with refs, Joe can lock in the choke and leave Finn laying yet again. 

    – NXT Tag Champions Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder beat The Vaudevillains in an okay match. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady returned to a big pop to attack and beat down Dash & Dawson.

    – Asuka vs. Dana Brooke never happened. Dana got to the apron when Emma in a black hoodie attacked Asuka from behind. Emma and Dana high five outside of the ring as Asuka is trying to get up in the ring yet stays down after her beatdown.

    – Apollo Crews beat Jesse Sorenson in a squash match. They were building Crews vs. Baron Corbin for 12/16 in London which is the next Takeover show. 

    – NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Eva Marie to retain the title. We are told that Charles Robinson was assigned to keep an eye on this match by management. Big fight feel early on, in ring introductions with the spotlight. This match had a different kind of heat than anything in recent memory, every nearfall was frightening as this wasn’t something the people would accept if Eva won, there aren’t many matches to compare this too because of it. Early on Bayley hit her finish on Eva yet Nia pulled the ref out and knocked him to the floor as well, this lead to Bayley turning towards her being distracted, Eva rolled her up, Charles Robinson dove in and the count seemed a little fast and we got a long two count. Everyone bit as this wasn’t blatantly dirty yet it scared the people that he might be. A few more nearfall spots before Bayley whips Eva and knocks Robinson down again, Nia tries to get involved when Bayley set Eva on the middle rope for the finish yet Bayley fought her off, hit the move, a third ref sprinted down and counted the three to a huge ovation. After being announced as the winner and celebrating a bit, Nia then left Bayley laying. Unbelievable match for the way it was all set up, they took everyone on a rollercoaster.

    – Baron Corbin beat Tye Dillinger in an okay match

    Wednesday, December 2nd:

    – Nia Jax destroyed Blue Pants in a squash.

    – James Storm beat Adam Rose in a squash. Rose was out in his glasses and heel persona that he’s been using lately on Main Event. The crowd kept singing his theme to taunt him as he had the music turned off when he reached the stage. Another one sided match to showcase Storm.

    – Jason Jordan & Chad Gable beat The Vaudevillains in a good match. It was a good match with Gable working some holds early, Jordan getting a hot tag and a firy comeback before the clean finish. Post match the Vaudevillains refused a handshake and walked away angrily.

    – Emma beat Liv Morgan (the former Gionna Daddio) via submission. Physical one sided match here as Emma womanhandled the energetic Morgan, finish came when Emma did her variant of a curb stomp before locking in her submission. After the match we see a heavy bag on the tron while hearing punching and kicking noises from the opposite side, Asuka peaks her head from behind and says “See you in London.” as Emma appears slightly intimidated in the ring. 

    – Samoa Joe beat Tommaso Ciampa in a physical match. This match was violent, it started slow and the crowd was unsure how to react since Joe is still a big star here, the match took off when Joe unleashed Japanese style strikes and slaps to Ciampa, loud smacks. At one point Joe backed Ciampa in to the corned and connected with a loud kick to the side of Tomaso’s head. Joe hit the muscle buster and choked him out for a strong, decisive win.

    Wednesday, December 9th:

    – Bull Dempsey beat Riddick Moss. Dempsey’s comedy is over with the live crowd. Mostly comedy spots as at one point Moss wanted a test of strength so Bull got his hands close to Riddick’s yet instead of locking up would slowly lower and raise them as if they were doing the mirror spot. Some wacky stuff before Bull got the win.

    – Enzo & Big Cass beat John Skyler & Corey Hollis in a squash. Enzo hit the big splash for the win. Post match Enzo began the promo on Dash & Dawson talking about how they are a family and taking out Big Cass was taking away from his family. Cass then did an excellent job closing the promo, strong words in challenging them for the tag titles. None of the usual routine or comedy here, intense and direct words.

    – Asuka beat Deonna Purrazzo with a spinning kick knockout and referee stoppage. Emma and Dana stood on the stage trying to distract Asuka yet it only made her mad and she wiped out Deonna with a kick. The heels looked on in fear before leaving, Asuka then checked on Purrazzo.

    – Mojo Rawley & Zack Ryder beat Blake & Murphy. Blake, Alexa, & Murphy wore Freddy Krueger inspired gear here and were quite entertaining playing the foils to the fired up Hype Bros. 

    – NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Peyton Royce in a non-title squash match. This was the debut of Peyton’s new gimmick off the live events, a Poison Ivy type persona, a lot of impressive flexibility worked in to her mannerisms, entering the ring, even turning almost completely upside down while her foot was on Bayley’s neck in the corner. Post match Nia Jax’s music hit, Eva Marie was with her and tried to speak first but was drowned out with booos, they’ll have to turn the mics up like they did on last week’s television, Nia was able to take the mic from Eva and speak over the booing to say she’ll take the title from Bayley in London. 

    – Samoa Joe & Baron Corbin beat NXT Champion Finn Balor and Apollo Crews when Joe choked out Finn yet again and the ref had to call for the bell. Crews and Corbin were fighting outside the ring during the finish. Good action, nothing we haven’t seen before as they’re all gearing up for their singles matches at Takeover. Joe stands tall holding the title up while standing over Balor to close the show.

    We’re told Linda and Stephanie McMahon came out in front of the fans, but it doesn’t appear like it was for anything on-air.

  • Wrestling Observer Preview: Holly Holm’s victory over Ronda Rousey, Nick Bockwinkel

    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.

    We update pro wrestling stars in France during the terrorist attack, update on John Cena, next NXT Takeover show, NXT taping the week of Royal Rumble, WWE starting to recruit talent from other promotions, difference between main roster recruiting and NXT recruiting, WWE network update, WWE 2K 16 video game update, WWE considers overseas stadium show and interesting coincidences, update on Lana, plus notes on all the house shows from WWE and NXT over the past week, highlights and business notes.

    We also look at ROH’s new television deal, why Destination America gave up on wrestling and how far back it went, what is COMET TV and more.

    We also look back at the match that made pro wrestling a major spectator sport and one of the biggest sports events of its time, the second Frank Gotch vs. George Hackenschmidt match.  We also look at the show which broke the Gotch-Hackenshcmidt record this week and what led to the new record.

    We also look at Billy Gunn, his firing by WWE, how it happened, why it happened, back story of other firings and suspensions for talent that didn’t fail a company drug test, as well as a look back at the career of Gunn in WWE and TNA.

    We also look at AAA’s final major show of the year, Guerra de Titanes and how they are handling the world title situation formerly held by Alberto Del Rio.

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: November 23, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Holm defeats Rousey, Nick Bockwinkel passes away, more

    You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

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

    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

    If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

    The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

    We’ve also got the weekly coverage of all the ratings of the major shows, results from the major league events held around the world, and the major TV show rundowns.

    Also in this issue:

    –La Sombra and Rush joke about leaving CMLL and facing John Cena

    –The Rush vs. La Sombra feud and it’s fast ending

    –Cibernetico jumps from AAA

    –Konnan talks raiding from Lucha Libre Elite

    –Konnan talks the Alberto Del Rio situation

    –Differences in stories about Alberto Del Rio

    –Differences in stories about Cibernetico

    –AAA New York live show notes

    –A look at this week’s AAA TV taping

    –A look at the ZZ Inc. shows the next two weeks

    –Update on Go Shiozaki

    –NOAH cutbacks

    –Fantastica Mania notes for 2016 including who is in the tour

    –A.J. Styles New Japan deal update

    –Latest on media coverage of Jimmy Snuka case

    –A look at the next round of PWG shows

    –Insane Championship Wrestling draws its biggest crowd

    –Notes on some of the wrestlers in the group

    –A look at the U.K. wrestling scene

    –TV show known for WWE stars doing interviews on gets canceled

    –A look at Northeast Wrestling’ anniversary show

    –Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame news

    –More on how the Hogan sex tape went public

    –Notes on Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore show

    –Lifestyles of former WWE woman star who became a celebrity

    –Legends in tribute show

    –Former Tough Enough star captures MMA title

    –Notes on the first two weeks of the new Lucha Underground season

    –Updated lineup for Final Battle PPV show

    –Notes on ROH’s first PPV show of 2016

    –ROH title match at the Tokyo Dome

    –Complete rundown of the Survival of the Fittest tournament in ROH

    –Update on TNA title tournament an changes

    –Bill Goldberg talks TNA

    –Kurt Angle talks 2016 plans

    –Latest TNA departure

    –Mirko Cro Cop fails drug test and gives explanation

    –Nielsen researches the popularity of Ronda Rousey and where she draws from

    –Comparisons with Danica Patrick and Serena Williams

    –UFC talks adding a new weight class

    –Dana White talks Miesha Tate

    –Dana White talks new shows

    –This week’s UFC show

    –UFC star talks pro wrestling random

    –UFC star looking at letting his contract expire

    –The story behind the original plans for an AT&T Stadium show by UFC before WWE

    –Lots of injury updates

    –Ref criticizes another ref’s performance

    –Fighter talks about problems making money with the sponsor situation

    –New UFC fights

    –Bellator going overseas in 2016

    –Lots of new Bellator bouts

    –Why Cotto vs. Alvarez is such an important benchmark for boxing going forward

    –Promoters predict the Cotto-Alvarez PPV numbers

    –Notes on recent boxing PPV numbers

    –Notes on Japanese New Year’s Eve events including a confirmed pro wrestling match

    –Weird story involving Ben Askren vs. Luis Santos and why the fight never took place

    –Notes on this weekend’s World Series of Fighting tournament

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic

    issues sent to you today.

    New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

  • Daily update: WWE issues statement on Paige-Flair, Jon Jones

    We’re looking for reports from tonight’s NXT tapings in Winter Park, FL at Dave Meltzer  Austin Aries, Chad Lail (Gunner) and James Storm have all been backstage at the event.

    Smackdown tonight on Syfy:

    • Cesaro vs. The Miz
    • Dudleys & Neville vs. The Ascension & Stardust
    • Zack Ryder vs. Tyler Breeze
    • Charlotte vs. Brie Bella non-title
    • Kalisto vs. Big E
    • Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens & Alberto Del Rio

    Figure Four Weekly:

    Figure Four Weekly (11/16/15): Rey Mysterio vs. Low-Ki and The Anatomy of a Dream Match
    A road report for Jersey All-Pro Wrestling’s 19th Anniversary show takes a deep look at the latest match in Rey Mysterio’s dream match tour vs. Low-Ki.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

    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.

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

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: November 23, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Holm defeats Rousey, Nick Bockwinkel passes away, more

    You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

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

    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

    If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

    • This is the WWE statement regarding the Paige-Charlotte angle from Raw on Monday:

    “Subject matter this personal is only approved as a result of the strong advocacy of the talent themselves.  Notwithstanding that, WWE is ultimately responsible for what airs in its programming.”

    • On tonight’s Smackdown show, they will announce the Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze match added to Sunday’s Survivor Series show.
    • Jon Jones on Instagram strongly suggested his return date would be 4/23, which is the day UFC has Madison Square Garden booked.
    • Ratings on Destination America last night weren’t good. 

    Impact at 9 p.m. did 202,000, the all-time low in the time slot. 

    ROH at 11 p.m. did 114,000 viewers, the second lowest since ROH was cut to one airing

    Impact at midnight did 78,000 viewers, on the low side but not near record lows.

    • The USA Network announced the annual WWE week which will start on 12/20 with airing the movie “Santa’s Little Helper,” followed on 12/21 with Raw, which will be the Slammy Awards show, a live Smackdown on 12/22, and the two-hour version of the Tribute to the Troops special on 12/23.
    • Sorry to report the death yesterday of Todd “Oly” Olsen, a regular for All-Star Wrestling out of Vancouver, who actually gave Bryan Alvarez his first pro wrestling lessons in 1995.
    • The Fight Network in Canada announced they are going to be moving TNA to Tuesday night, so it will air in Canada the same day as in the U.S.
    • POP TV, which is the new home of Impact starting on 1/5 only broadcasts in SD on DirecTV.
    • Our Gary Juster interview talking Nick Bockwinkel and ROH will be up on the site later this afternoon.
    • A nice Nick Bockwinkel story
    • A story on the damage the loss on Saturday did to the Ronda Rousey brand
    • And The Economist weighs in on Ronda Rousey
    • Conor McGregor and Urijah Faber from last night’s Ultimate Fighter.  This was pretty much must-see
    • T.J. Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz go back and forth here.  Very entertaining.  Cruz is awesome here
    • ROH announced shows for 2/19 and 2/20 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 
    • On tomorrow night’s World Series of Fighting show in Phoenix, with a tournament for a lightweight title shot, the first round of the tournament will take place before the TV on NBC Sports Network start sat 11 p.m.  The tournament matches ill be available starting at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific on WSOF.com.  The semifinals and finals will air on NBC Sports.  First round has Islam Mamedov vs. Jorge Patino, Brian Cobb vs. Mike Ricci, Brian Foster vs. Zoao Zeferino, Luis Palomino vs. Rich Patishnock.
    • The New Japan tag team tournament begins Saturday at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time at Korakuen Hall.
    • With TNA moving to Pop TV, Paragon Pro, which had been on the channel, will start airing on 11/19 on Tuff TV at midnight Eastern time, as well as on Fight Net, Yoo Too America Dish Network and WADL in Detroit.

    WWE

    • WWE stock today lost 32 cents per share after a big day yesterday, closing at $17.12 per share.
    • The Paterson Armory in Paterson, NJ, which was a regular stop during the territorial days, was taken down this past Friday.  It hasn’t been used for wrestling in forever.  Mike Omansky noted to us he was there for a sold out show with hundreds turned away, and loads of police having to be used to clear out people without tickets demanding to get in, for a show headlined by Bruno Sammartino vs. Dr. Jerry Graham and The Tolos Brothers vs. Gorilla Monsoon & Killer Kowalski in a battle of heels back in 1964.
    • Lana is back training for a return. 
    • Here’s a nice story on the making of The Wrestling Album 30 years ago in Rolling Stone this week (thanks to Henry Kassabian)

    UFC

    • Holly Holm appear on Inside MMA tomorrow night at 11:30 p.m., one hour eariler than usual.  She’ll be joined by coaches Mike Winklejon and Greg Jackson,  The show will feature a report from Albuquerque and also talk to Dave Oancea, who bet $20,000 on Holm and won $240,000.
    • Michael Bisping started a new weekly Thursday talk show from 6-8 p.m. with comedian Luis J. Gomez called The Countdown today on Sirius XM Ch. 93.
    • Good story by Shayna Baszler on Rousey, with a lot of pro wrestling references
    • Here is the weekend UFC TV schedule:

    Weigh-ins are tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. on FS 1

    Prefight show is Saturday at 7 p.m. on FS 1

    Live show is 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on FS 1

    Post fight show is at 1 a.m  on FS 1

    Ultimate Insiders with Daniel Cormier, Paige VanZant and Frankie Edgar on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

    There will be a special on the Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum fight that Werdum won the title i airing on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on FS 1

    Dennis Bermudez vs. Maximo Blanco was added to the 1/17 show in Boston on FS 1.

    • UFC Fight Pass today announced a new deal with the Omaha based Victory Fighting Championship promotion.  They will have their entire tape library dating back to 2002 up in early January, and will run all VFC shows live, with the first on 1/29 headlined by Elvis Mutapcic vs. Anthony Smith for the middleweight title.

    MISCELLANEOUS

    • There is a ZZ Inc. show tonight in Leon with Fireball & Rey Hours vs. Speedball Miike Bailey & Willie Mack, Mr. 450 Hammet & Mickie James & Dinastia vs. Bestia 666 & Taya & Mini Charly Manson, Australian Suicide & Jack Evans & Angelico vs. Daga & Sonjay Dutt & Seiya Sanada, Fenix & Garza Jr. & El Hijo del Dos Caras vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Magnus (Nick Aldis, the GFW champion) & Psicosis, and Blue Demon Jr. & Dr. Wagner Jr. & Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Brodus Clay & Drew Galloway & Johnny Mundo. (thanks to Kris Zellner)
    • Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Scotty 2 Hotty Garland, Gangrel and others will be appearing for Big Time Wrestling on 11/20 in Norfolk at the Scope Events Center and 11/21 in Powhatan, VA at the High School.  Promoter Tony Hunter noted strong advances for both shows and that he’s expecting 2,000 fans in Powhatan.  Photos and autographs are 6-8 p.m. on Friday and 5-7 p.m. on Saturday prior to the start of both shows.   
    • Wrestledelphia with a three part interview with Bob Backlund
    • AAW has an already sold out show on 11/28 in Chicago at the Logan Square Auditorium although there may be additional tickets at the door.  Check www.twitter.com/aawprothe day of the show. Ethan Page vs Eddie Kingston vs. Trevor Lee for the AAW title headlines, plus Devin & Mason Cutter vs. Dave & Jake Crist (Jake’s final AAW match) for the tag title, Chris Hero vs. Pentagon Jr., Christian Faith vs. Gregory Iron, Fenix vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Louis Lyndon vs. Alex Shelley, ACH vs. Davey Vega and Tyson Dux & Matt Cage vs. Shane Hollister & Markus Crane.
    • A story on mixed gender wrestling
    • CZW and WSU run Saturday in Voorhees, NJ at Flyers Skate Zone.  There will be a 4 p.m. show headlined by Jessicka Havok & Matt Tremont vs. Pepper Parks & Allysin Kay and Leva Bates vs. Solo Darling, as well as Marti Belle & Mia Yim (Jade) vs. Bill Carr & Dan Barry and other men vs. woman matches.  The 8 p.m. show has Tremont vs DJ Hyde for the CZW title and Team Tremendous vs. The Hooligans, Joey Janela vs. Lio Rush, Danny Havoc vs. AR Fox, Drew Gulak vs. Masada and more.
    • The Pac 12 Network announced it will be airing wrestling starting with Penn State vs Stanford on Sunday at 1 p.m. Pacific time.  They will be airing seven meets this season culminating with the Pac 12 conference championship meet live from Arizona State on 2/27.  The second show will be Stanford vs. Cal State Bakersfield on 12/17.
    • Absolute Intense Wrestling on 11/27 in Cleveland at Our Lady of Mount Carmel with Rickey Shane Page vs. Ethan Page, Alex Shelley vs. Louis Lyndon, Chris Hero vs. Tim Donst, Johnny Gargano vs. Candice LaRae vs. DJ Zema Ion vs Alex Daniels and more.  They also run 12/5 in Cleveland at the Martin Luther Church with Tracy Smothers vs. Grado, Cliff Compton vs. Frankie Flynn and more.
    • There will be a major judo tournament, the Qingdao Grand Prix at www.ippon.tv on Sunday featuring eight time world champion Teddy Riner of France returning to international competition. 
    • Pro Wrestling Eclipse on 11/28 in Oshawa, ONT at the Oshawa Legion 43 with Xandra Bale vs. Jewels Malone in a falls count anywhere match.
    • UWC on 12/5 in Wrightstown, NJ at Kelly’s Banquet Hall.  Admission is free if you donate an unwrapped toy with a suggested minimum value of $10 at the door.  There will be free door prizes.
    • RFA on 12/11 with Andy Townsend vs. E.J. Chavez from the Orange County Fair and Event Center on Costa Mesa, CA, which also airs live on AXS.
    • Tier 1 Wrestling on 12/4 in Deer Park, NY at the NYWC Sportatorium.
    • NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on Saturday in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium with Jax Dane defending the NWA title against national champion Arrick Andrews, plus Jason Kincaid defends the Southeastern title against ROH’s Ray Rowe.  
    • Big West Wrestling on 12/11 in Kelowna, BC at Lake City Bowling & Billiards.  They also have dates there on 1/22, 2/19 and 3/18.
    • Northern Championship Wrestling on 11/28 in Montreal at Centre Brussels.
    • Alpha-1 Wrestling on 12/13 in Hamilton, ONT at 166 Greenmountain Road with Eric Young vs. Scotty O’Shea and Amazing Red vs. Alessandro del Bruno.

    ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)

    1906 – Clarence Weber beat Buttan Singh in Melbourne to become the first Australian born Australian heavyweight champion

    1966 – Ray Stevens & Art Nelson beat George & Sandy Scott in Melbourne to win the IWA tag titles

    1970 – Larry Hennig & Bob Windham (Blackjack Mulligan) beat Thunder Sugiyama & Great Kusatsu in Ashikaga to win the IWE tag titles

    1974 – Alfonso Dantes beat El Halcon in Mexico City to win the Mexican national light heavyweight title

    2004 – Hector Garza & Tarzan Boy & El Terrible beat Canek & Black Warrior & Rayo de Jalisco Jr. in Mexico City to win the CMLL trios titles

    2006 – Mistico beat Black Warrior in the tournament final to win the IWRG super welterweight title

    2011 – Takeshi Morishima beat KENTA in Tokyo to win the Global tournament

    2011 – Ricochet beat Pac (Neville) in Osaka to win the Open the Brave Gate title  

  • WWE to release statement regarding Charlotte/Paige Raw angle (UPDATED)

    WWE’s official statement:  “Subject matter this personal is only approved as a result of the strong advocacy of the talent themselves.  Notwithstanding that, WWE is ultimately responsible for what airs in its programming.”

    WWE will be releasing a statement shortly regarding Monday night’s show-closing angle involving Paige and Charlotte (Ashley Fliehr).

    The gist of the statement will be that the idea of the angle came from Ashley Fliehr, that it was taken out of the show, she was insistent that it be put in, and it was.  However, the company did take responsibility for the angle since it was ultimately their decision to put it on the show.

    The angle involved Paige referencing the death of Charlotte’s brother Reid, who passed away from an overdose on March 29, 2013, and saying clearly Reid didn’t have a lot of fight in him.  The angle has been the most-talked about story in pro-wrestling since it happened, virtually universally negative towards the company.  It was done to set up a Divas Title match on Sunday between champion Charlotte and challenger Paige at the Survivor Series PPV.

    Neither Ric Flair nor Ashley’s mother Elizabeth were alerted in advance about the angle.  Elizabeth was furious and posted publicly on Twitter.  Ric Flair on his Woo Nation podcast noted he was very upset when watching it, and indicated that Ashley didn’t have the tenure to say no to any angles or storylines presented to her.  Flair’s co-host Conrad stated publicly that the rumors it was Ashley’s idea were 100% false.  

    We will update this story with the statement as soon as it is released.

    Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discuss the angle and fallout in detail on last night’s Wrestling Observer Radio.

  • Daily pro wrestling history (11/19): Curt Hennig wins WWF Intercontinental Title

    1906 

    Melbourne, Australia:
    – Clarence Weber defeated Buttan Singh for the Australian Heavyweight Title 

    1951

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Danny McShain defeated Verne Gagne to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title

    1954 

    Houston, Texas:
    – Polo Torres defeated The Sheik for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title 

    1956 

    Phoenix, Arizona:
    – Otto Lenz and Jack O’Reilly defeated Enrique Romero and Black Hawk to win the Western States Tag Team Title 

    1958 

    Mobile, Alabama:
    – Billy Wicks defeated Gorgeous George to win the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title

    1960 

    St. Paul, Minnesota:
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Hard Boiled Haggerty & Len Montana beat Roy McClarty & Joe Scarpello
    – Gene Kiniski beat Nick Roberts
    – US Champion Wilbur Snyder beat Cowboy Rocky Lee
    – Bob Rasmussen beat Bill Green

    – Johnny Valentine & Buddy Rogers defeated The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello & Roy Heffernan) for the United States Tag Team Title 

    1964 

    Kalamazoo, Michigan:
    – Martino Angelo defeated Danny Ferraza to win the Wolverine Wrestling Midwest Heavyweight Title 

    1966 

    Omaha, Nebraska:
    – Mad Dog Vachon defeated Dick the Bruiser for the AWA World Heavyweight Title (title change only recognized in Omaha)
    – Ron Reed & Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Dale Lewis & Haru Sasaki
    – Jake Smith beat Mad Russian Stan Pulaski dq
    – Luke Brown beat Luke Graham

    Melbourne, Australia:
    – Ray Stevens and Art Nelson defeated George and Sandy Scott to win the International Wrestling Alliance (Australia) Tag Team Titles

    1970 

    Amarillo, Texas:
    – Dory Funk, Sr. defeated Thunderbolt Patterson for the Southwest Brass Knuckles Title 

    Ashikaga, Japan:
    – Larry Hennig and Bob Windham (Blackjack Mulligan) defeated Thunder Sugiyama and Great Kusatsu for the International Wrestling Alliance (Japan) Tag Team Titles

    1971 

    – Kinji Shibuya and Masa Saito won the NWA Americas Tag Team Title, defeating Pantera Negra and Salvador Lothario

    1974
    Mobile, Alabama:
    – Jack Donovan defeated Ken Lucas to win the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title 

    1975 

    Nashville, Tennessee:
    – Jackie Fargo and Jerry Lawler defeated Phil Hickerson and Dennis Condrey for the Mid-America version of the NWA United States Tag Team Titles

    1976 

    – Chavo Guerrero, Sr. defeated Ken Mantell to win the NWA Americas Heavyweight Title

    Toronto, Ontario, Canada:
    – Thunderbolt Patterson defeated The Sheik for the Toronto version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Title

    Dothan, Alabama:
    – Bob Kelly defeated The Wrestling Pro (Doug Gilbert) for the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Title 

    1977

    Mexico City, Mexico:
    – Sangre Chicana defeated Jose Luis Mendieta to win the Mexican National Middleweight Title 

    1978

    Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Attendance was 9,000
    – US Champion Ric Flair beat Ricky Steamboat
    – Tony Atlas beat Ken Patera
    – Bob Backlund & Dino Bravo beat AWA Tag Team Champions Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens dq
    – Jay Youngblood beat Geoff Portz
    – Johnny Weaver beat Steve Muslin
    – Steve Bolus beat Joe Marcus
    – Dewey Robertson (Missing Link) beat Kim Chang

    1979 

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Billy Graham beat CWA Champion Jerry Lawler dq
    – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Sonny King
    – Ricky Morton beat Tojo Yamamoto dq
    – Hector Guerrero & Steve Regal beat The Blond Bombers (Wayne Ferris & Larry Latham) to win the Southern Tag Title
    – The Assassins beat Jerry Bryant & Jerry Barber
    – Koko Ware beat Steve Kyle

    1981 

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – Tommy Martin defeated Bob Sweetan to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title 

    1982 

    Calgary, Alberta, Canada:
    – Leo Burke and Bret Hart defeated Duke Myers and The Dynamite Kid for the Stampede International Tag Team Title 

    1984 

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Jacques Rougeau, Jr. won the vacant NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title 

    Salt Lake City, Utah: Attendance was 3,002
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Road Warriors beat Fabulous Ones
    – Jimmy Garvin beat Jim Brunzell
    – Curt Hennig & Larry Hennig beat Nick Bockwinkel & Mr Saito dq
    – Jim Brunzell drew Billy Robinson
    – Blackjack Lanza beat Steve Regal

    1985 

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Lex Luger defeated Wahoo McDaniel to win the Florida version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title

    1988 

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Brian Lee defeated Mike Miller in a tournament final for the Championship Wrestling Association Heavyweight Title 

    Carolina, Puerto Rico:
    – Jason the Terrible defeated TNT (Juan Rivera) for the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Title 

    1989 

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Bill Dundee defeated Tony Anthony for the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title 

    1990 

    Rochester, New York:
    – Curt Hennig defeated Kerry Von Erich for the WWF Intercontinental title 

    1991 

    Savannah, Georgia:
    – Dustin Rhodes & mystery partner Ricky Steamboat defeated The Enforcers, Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko to win the WCW World Tag 
      Team Titles 
    – Rick Rude defeated Sting to win the WCW United States Title

    1994

    Cherry Hill, New York:
    – Chris Candido defeated Tracey Smothers to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title in a tournament final 

    1995

    Landover, Maryland:
    – Bret Hart defeated Diesel to win the WWF World Title
    – Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson, Sid, & Davey Boy Smith defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon, Owen Hart, Dean 
      Douglas, & Yokozuna

    2004 
    Columbus, Nebraska:
    – Trevor Rhodes defeated Rick Steiner for the World League Wrestling Heavyweight Title 

    2005 

    Wayne, New Jersey:
    – Chris Harris defeated Jeff Jarrett for the NWA Cyberspace title
    – Abyss defeated Chris Harris to win the NWA Cyberspace title

    2006 

    Orlando, Florida:
    – Abyss defeated Sting by DQ to win the NWA World Title
    – Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe
    – TNA X Division Champion Christopher Daniels defeated Chris Sabin to retain the title
    – Christian Cage defeated AJ Styles

    2011

    Chicago Ridge, Illinois:
    – Eddie Edwards defeated Kyle O’Reilly
    – The Briscoes defeated The Young Bucks
    – ROH Tag Team Champions, Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin defeated The All Night Express to retain the titles
    – ROH Champion Davey Richards defeated El Genericho to retain the title

    2014

    – Taryn Terrell defeated Havok & Gail Kim to win the TNA Knockouts Title
    – Low Ki defeated Tigre Uno, Manik and DJ Z to win the TNA X Division Title

  • November 23, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Holm defeats Rousey, Nick Bockwinkel passes away, more

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    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • WWE announces signing of CMLL star La Sombra

    As reported in yesterday’s new edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for subscribers, the WWE Performance Center announced that Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza, the former La Sombra, started in developmental today.

    La Sombra, who just turned 26, was one of the top stars in CMLL, and would have remained one of the company’s biggest stars for the remainder of his career there.  He just came off losing his mask to Atlantis at the Anniversary show.

    Andrade, who used to date WWE trainer Sarah Stock years ago, was originally expected to be in the New Japan tag team tournament that starts on Saturday, but when the teams were announced, Tetsuya Naito’s partner was listed as Evil (Takaaki Watanabe). Recently, Andrade did a rushed program with longtime partner Rush, that climaxed after one singles match on Friday night when Sombra lost clean in the middle in the third fall.

    He’s a super talent with a good look, but he will have to learn a completely different style and will also be able to master English well enough to do a strong promo to reach anywhere near his potential. But he was a success working with the Japanese and Americans in New Japan, and even held the Intercontinental title there at one point, so it’s not all new to him and he has the basics for being able to adapt to a different style.

    While he’s good looking, there is actually more potential for him in the U.S. as a modern day Mil Mascaras type masked character aimed at the Hispanic audience.

  • TNA moves to POP TV in January

    TNA announced Thursday morning that it has signed a deal with POP TV for Impact, which will start on the station on January 5th, 2016, in a Tuesday from 9-11 p.m. time slot. Dixie Carter announced the news on Twitter stating that they are now on a station that reaches 85 million homes.

    The Wrestling Observer Newsletter had reported that POP TV, which has been airing Paragon Pro Wrestling weekly as a time buy, along with WGN America, were in negotiations for TNA. Of the two, the POP TV deal was considered the weaker station overall even though both stations were in similar amounts of homes.

    It is an upgrade as far as reach is concerned, although POP TV is in closer to 75 million homes right now as compared to 57 million for Destination America. Finances were not disclosed which is the key when it comes to TNA, because there is little revenue coming in with the exception of selling the television show, since they almost never do live events that tickets are sold to, and PPV numbers are weak. TNA wil remain on Destination America through the end of 2015.

    In a related note, Paragon announced today that their final date on POP TV will be November 21st. They are moving their programming to various platforms including Tuff-TV, Fight Net, You Too America and WADL-TV in Detroit, MI.

  • WWE Smackdown results 11/19: Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens & Alberto Del Rio

    – Air Date: November 19, 2015 (Nov 18 in Canada)
    – Location: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN

    The Big News:

    November 19, 2015. Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose are still the best of friends.

    Show Recap:

    R.I.P. Nick Bockwinkel.

    After airing a graphic for Bockwinkel, they plugged the WWE Title tournament semi-final matches for Survivor Series and pushed the tag team main event for tonight.

    The Miz welcomed everyone to MizTV, and he did that thing where he waits for the crowd to say “MizTV” but only five people do. He was about to introduce his guests but Kevin Owens’ music hit before he could finish.

    Miz said he’s supposed to introduce the guests, but Owens said he’s turning this into the Kevin Owens Show. Owens said he would win the WWE Title and would become, as Triple H puts it, the man. Miz was about to say something but Alberto Del Rio and Zeb Colter interrupted.

    Colter called Miz a hater and isn’t going to fall for his “gotcha” questioning. Colter said it doesn’t matter what you call MizTV, it’s still crap. Owens thought that was funny, but Colter called Owens a hater too and, “Worse than that, you’re from Canada.” Crowd popped. Colter wondered if Owens snuck across the border by ice skating across Lake Michigan.

    Very Tanned Alberto Del Rio told Owens that there would be a place in MexAmerica for people like him, because they need people to clean their pools. Owens responded, “You know who missed you while you were gone, by the way? Nobody.”

    Dean Ambrose came out next. Miz was upset, but Ambrose said he was there to help him and told him to sit down. Ambrose (who campaigned against all the talking on Raw) said this was a talk show so he was going to talk. He called Del Rio one tough hombre but will go through him for the title if he has to. He said Owens can give out a beating unlike anyone else, but Ambrose can take a beating unlike anyone else and would win the title.

    Miz said there’s someone who might disagree, and smiley-faced Roman Reigns came down through the crowd. Miz was still upset that he kept getting interrupted. Reigns told him we know what happens on MizTV – Miz talks until someone shuts him up.

    R-Truth came out next and everyone appeared nonplussed. Truth called himself the underdog and a survivor and would win the title at Survivor Series. Miz told him the tournament has been going on for two weeks and Truth was never in it. Truth apologized, wished luck to the babyfaces and left.

    Miz complained about his segment going off the rails. Reigns told him to act like a director and started directing. Miz yelled “Action!” like he was on a film set, and Ambrose punched him out. Del Rio and Owens bailed. This segment started well but completely fell apart once Reigns and Truth came out.

    After a break, Miz was still in the ring, scheduled for a match. He said he shouldn’t have to compete after being disrespected and wanted his match cancelled. He was interrupted again, this time by Cesaro.

    Cesaro beat The Miz via submission

    Miz got some offense briefly but Cesaro quickly cut him off and did a tilt-a-whirl into a crossface and Miz tapped. It was short. After the match, Stardust and the Ascension came out as Cesaro walked up the ramp. Stardust and Cesaro faced off before Stardust continued on his way. Rich Brennan was excited about this face off, and he’s the only one.

    Neville & The Dudley Boyz beat Stardust & The Ascension via pinfall

    Neville ran towards the ropes but Konnor held the ropes open as Viktor distracted the referee, resulting in Neville crashing to the outside. Stardust rammed his head against the table and Bubba encouraged Neville to get up. Then, Konnor gave Neville a big boot. Presumably the referee was distracted again, but he wasn’t in the frame.

    Bubba yelled at the referee because of how stupid all of this was. The referee looked like an imbecile here and so did the Dudleys frankly. They just stood there as their partner got double teamed illegally.

    After a break, Bubba made a hot tag and took out Viktor and Stardust. They did the diving headbutt spot to Konnor and called for tables. Stardust jumped back in and gave Bubba a disaster kick, but Neville took him out with a missile dropkick. Viktor tossed Neville to the outside, sending him into Konnor. Bubba and D-Von gave Viktor 3D for the win. This was not good, and this was a poor follow-up for Neville after his great match with Owens on Raw.

    They aired a video package for Undertaker & Kane vs. the Wyatts. Jerry Lawler hopes Bray Wyatt is in the match. This is not how you promote a PPV match.

    Tyler Breeze (w/Summer Rae) beat Zack Ryder via pinfall

    Before the match, Breeze said Ryder’s fashion sense reminded him of another uggo, Dolph Ziggler. He said Summer dumped Ziggler because she wanted an upgrade. Breeze said he’s what everyone wanted and he never goes out of style. Breeze said Ziggler would do what he’s done his entire career, and Summer finished his sentence by saying Ziggler would come up short. She motioned with her fingers, intimating that Ziggler has a small penis.

    During the match, Ziggler came to ringside. He dumped one of their drinks on the floor. The distraction allowed Ryder to get a nearfall on a school boy, but Breeze won shortly after with the Beauty Shot. After the match, Ziggler superkicked Breeze and left.

    The lights went out and the Undertaker’s druids came out in sheep masks. Bray’s music hit and the Wyatts came out. (They promoted this ahead of time so the crowd knew it wasn’t going to be Undertaker.) Bray rambled. He said the demon and the deadman would fail, it was just a question of how.

    He said Erick Rowan was cast aside by society and is fueled by vengeance. He said Luke Harper shows no remorse. Strowman spoke for himself, saying he’s dreamt of making great men fall and would shatter their bones to dust. Crowd chanted “What” at Strowman.

    Undertaker’s music and pyro went off and he eventually appeared on the big screen. Taker cut a usual Taker promo and said the Brothers of Destruction will reclaim what’s theirs. Kane held up a white sheep mask, which was on fire, and Taker said the Wyatts would rest in peace. Kane did that thing with his arms and his fire explosion went off in the ring and, suddenly, all of the druids were on the floor like corpses. This was wacky.

    They showed a replay of Paige’s controversial line on Raw. They referred to this segment as the “Diva Revulsion.”

    Non-Title: WWE Divas Champion Charlotte beat Brie Bella (w/Alicia Fox) via submission

    Short, back-and-forth match that ended with Charlotte reversing an X-Factor into a spear and Figure Eight for the win. The crowd wasn’t dead, but I’m not sure how much they cared about Charlotte. They sure yelled “woo” a lot.

    Backstage, Paige told Renee Young that Charlotte can turn into the Incredible Hulk if she wants but it won’t help her retain the title. Paige called Charlotte immature for the way she acted on Monday, which is pretty funny. Paige said she would cross the line if that’s what it took to regain the title, because that’s what champions do.

    Big E (w/Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) beat Kalisto (w/Sin Cara) via pinfall

    Xavier Woods said there was a conspiracy against them because they weren’t in the tournament. They buried Ryback and Kalisto, making short jokes about the latter. Woods put on a mask and Kofi Kingston exclaimed, “He’s a luchadore! Because he’s wearing a mask!” Big E said he would show Kalisto that size does matter and began swivelling his hips.

    Once the match started, Sin Cara took out Woods outside the ring, and Kingston took out Sin Cara. Kalisto hit a dive on Kingston, but was distracted by Woods as he re-entered the ring, allowing Big E to hit a running body block and running splash for an extremely quick win. Terrible follow-up for Kalisto after his big win last week.

    After the match, Woods and Kingston held down Kalisto allowing Big E to hit another splash. Ryback ran out to make the save, taking out all three New Day members by himself, including hitting a splash of his own on Big E. He helped Sin Cara and Kalisto to their feet.

    They showed a pre-taped video interview Maria Menounos did with Paige and The Miz about their upcoming movie. This was basically a commercial, but it was the highlight of the show to this point. They were all in character. Miz tried plugging the movie, but Paige interrupted to bury Menounos, bringing up her failed attempt to become a [wrestler]. Menounos asked her what it was like working with an accomplished actor like The Miz. Paige laughed and eventually blew off the interview because she has more important things to worry about.

    They announced Ziggler vs. Breeze for Survivor Series.

    Ambrose and Reigns had a meeting backstage. Ambrose expected them both to win their semi-final matches at Survivor Series and Reigns acknowledged that this would put them against each other in the finals. Reigns patted Ambrose on the shoulder, saying he’s come too far and would have to treat Ambrose like everyone else. Ambrose expected nothing less. Basically, they agreed to give it their all and they bumped fists.

    Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose DCO I.C. Champion Kevin Owens & US Champion Alberto Del Rio (w/Zeb Colter)

    After a break, the heels took control on Ambrose after Del Rio launched him into the barricade. As Owens beat down on Ambrose, he pointed at Brennan and yelled, “You watching this Rich you idiot?” Del Rio hit an enziguri and back cracker for a two count. Ambrose blocked a superkick, hit a rebound clothesline and made the hot tag to Reigns.

    Reigns used a clothesline and apron dropkick on Owens, followed by clotheslines in the corner. Reigns hit a tilt-a-whirl slam on Owens, but Del Rio broke up the cover. Reigns sent Del Rio to the outside, and Owens hit Reigns with a superkick. Ambrose hit a suicide dive on Del Rio and clotheslined him over the announce table.

    Owens tried a powerbomb on Ambrose outside the ring, but Reigns hit him with a superman punch. Del Rio tossed Reigns into the steps and gave him a superkick. Around this point, the referee called for a double count out. Lame.

    Del Rio tossed Ambrose in the ring but Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds. Ambrose slipped out of a pop-up powerbomb and Reigns hit Owens with a spear. Afterwards, Ambrose and Reigns both went out to look at the WWE Title at ringside and eventually bumped fists again.

    Final Thoughts:

    This show sucked. Four of the matches were under five minutes, and the main event, which was promoted all night, ended in a double count out. Nothing on this show mattered.

    Enjoy Survivor Series.