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  • On this date in pro wrestling history (9/20): Flair defeats McDaniel, Gagne beats Von Raschke

    By: Brian Hoops WrestlingObserver.com

    1957

    Houston, Texas:

    – Ivan The Terrible & Nikita Zolotoff defeated Pepper Gomez & El Medico to win the NWA Texas Tag Team Title.

    1962

    Kansas City, Kansas:

    – Buddy Austin & Lee Henning defeated Sonny Myers & Bill Dromo in three falls

    – Pat O’Connor defeated Bob Geigel in three falls

    1968

    Atlanta, Georgia:

    – Ramon & Alberto Torres defeated Butcher Vachon & Stan Vachon for the NWA Georgia Tag Team Title

    1972

    Honolulu, Hawaii:

    – AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens ddq WWWF Champion Pedro Morales & Wahoo McDaniel

    – Cage match: Ed Francis beat Fred Blassie

    – Giant Baba ddq The Sheik

    1973

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:

    – Superstar Billy Graham beat Ken Patera

    – Billy Robinson & Geoff Portz beat Larry Hennig & Buddy Wolff in 2 out of 3 falls

    – Nick Bockwinkel beat Red Bastien dq

    – Ric Flair beat Billy Howard

    1975

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

    – WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated George Steele in a stretcher match. Andre The Giant was the special referee

    Chicago, Illinois:

    – Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Dusty Rhodes & Dr X

    – AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Baron Von Raschke

    – Ox Baker beat Jim Brunzell

    – Greg Gagne vs Jimmy Valiant

    – Kim Duk vs Khosrow Vaziri (Iron Sheik)

    – Pampero Firpo beat Joe Guzman

    1975

    Caguas, Puerto Rico:

    – Jose Miguel Perez defeated The Spoiler II to win the WWC Puerto Rican Heavyweight Title. On the same show, Carlos

    Colon defeated The Spoiler I in to win the WWC North American Heavyweight Title

    1975

    Hampton, Virginia:

    – Ric Flair defeated Wahoo McDaniel to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title

    Chatanooga, Tennessee:

    – The Mongolian Stomper & Ivan Koloff defeated Robert Fuller & Bob Armstrong

    – Jackie Fargo & Pepper Gomez defeated The Interns by DQ

    – Tommy Rich & TojoYamamoto fought to a draw against Phil Hickerson & Dennis Condrey

    1977

    Tampa, Florida:

    – Florida Title vs. $1,000 Silver Dollars; champion Lars Anderson beat Dusty Rhodes via DQ

    – Pedro Morales beat WWWF champion Billy Graham in a non-title bout

    – Ivan Koloff & Pat Patterson beat Rocky Johnson & Don Muraco

    – Mr. Saito beat Raul Mata

    – Mike Graham & Jerry Brisco beat Buddy Roberts & Keith Franks (Adrian Adonis)

    1978

    Honolulu, Hawaii:

    Steel Cage Match, Loser Leaves Town for Hawaiian Title:

    Don Muraco beat Tor Kamata

    AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Mr. Fuji & Karl Von Steiger

    Larry Sharpe beat John Tolos

    Missing Link Pampero Firpo drew John Studd

    Monroe, Louisiana:

    Jose Lothario defeated Assassin #1 to win the Mid-South Wrestling Association Heavyweight Title

    1981

    Toronto, Ontario, Canada:

    – Big John Studd defeated Angelo Mosca to win the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title

    1985

    St. Louis, Missouri:

    – Bulldog Bob Brown defeated Mark Batten.

    – The Ax Attack (Larry and Curt Hennig) defeated Mr. Pogo and Edgar Thomas

    – Crusher Blackwell fought Kamala to a double disqualification

    – AWA World Champion Rick Martel defeated Jimmy Garvin

    – Bruiser Brody defeated One Man Gang

    – NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Missouri champ Harley Race

    1985

    Fort Wayne, Indiana:

    – Brad Rheingans fought Steve Regal to a draw

    – Larry Zbyszko defeated Buck Zumhofe

    – Sgt. Slaughter defeated Boris Zhukov via disqualification

    – Magnum TA fought NWA US Champion Tully Blanchard to a draw

    – NWA TV Champion Dusty Rhodes defeated Ivan Koloff

    1987

    San Juan, Puerto Rico:

    – Hurricane Castillo Jr. defeated Gran Mendoza to win the WWC World Junior Heavyweight Title

    – Carlos Colon defeated Hercules Ayala to win the WWC Universal Heavyweight Title

    1992

    Atlanta, Georgia:

    – Sting & Nikita Koloff defeated Jake Roberts & Super Invader

    – Unified NWA/NWA World Tag Team Champions Steve Williams & Terry Gordy defeated Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton

    – WCW World Champion Ron Simmons defeated WCW U.S. Champion Rick Rude

    1993

    Nagoya, Japan:

    – Shinya Hashimoto defeated The Great Muta to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title

    1997

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

    – New Jack & John Kronus defeated The Dudley Boys to win the ECW World Tag Team Title

    Kawasaki, Japan:

    – Sugar Sato defeated Yoshiko Tamura to win the WCW Women’s World Cruiserweight Title in Kawasaki, Japan

    Birmingham, England:

    – Shawn Michaels defeated Davey Boy Smith to win the WWF European Title

    – The Legion of Doom defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn

    2008

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

    – Adam Pearce defeated Brent Albright to regain the NWA World Title

    – Bryan Danielson defeated Katsuhiko Nakajima to retain the GHC Junior Heavyweight Title

    2009

    – Sarita & Taylor Wilde defeated The Beautiful People to win the TNA Knockouts Tag team Title

    – AJ Styles won the TNA World Championship by defeating Matt Morgan, Sting and Kurt Angle in a 4 way match

    2013

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

    – Adam Cole defeated Michael Elgin to win the ROH World Title

    – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team champions The Forever Hooligans defeated The American Wolves

  • NJPW Road to Destruction results 9-20-15: Eight man tag action

    by Bryan Rose, WrestlingObserver.com

    Here are quick results from this morning’s Road to Destruction show in Toyohashi:

    Roppongi Vice defeated Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu. Beretta scored the pinfall after the Omori Driver/dropkick combo on Tanaka. Solid opener.

    Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger & Yuji Nagata defeated David Finlay, Jay White and Manabu Nakanishi when Tiger Mask pinned Finlay with a butterfly suplex off the top tope. Another solid match. Manabu Nakanishi moved like a somewhat agile 90 year old…in other words, not good. Tiger Mask cut a promo after the match saying that he will make the NWA Jr. title match on 9/23 a can’t miss bout.

    Tomoaki Honma and Mascara Dorada defeated Gedo and Tomohiro Ishii after Honma pinned Gedo with the top rope kokeshi headbutt. A lot of the match was between Ishii and Honma, which the crowd were totally into. The match itself was pretty good.

    Katsuyori Shibata & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Tetsuya Naito and Juice Robinson when Shibata tapped out Robinson in what looked like a variation of an abdominal stretch while Taguchi distracted Naito who was on the top rope. Not particularly interesting but heated up towards the end. People were very much into Shibata and Naito’s interactions. After the match Naito went ahead and dropkicked Shibata and acted like he was going to hit him with a chair but sat down instead. Taguchi warded off Shibata, then came back with a hip attack. Shibata beat up Naito after to send him packing.

    Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano defeated Cody Hall and Doc Gallows. Okada pinned Hall with the rainmaker. Not too much about this match, though it was fine. Yano did his comedy and was over with the crowd.

    Togi Makabe & Hirooki Goto defeated Shinsuke Nakamura & Yoshi-Hashi. Makabe pinned Yoshi-Hashi after the king kong knee drop. Pretty good towards the end. People were very much into Yoshi-Hashi’s comeback before the pin.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tenkoji and Kushida defeated The Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga & Bad Luck Fale). Tanahashi pinned Tama Tonga with the high fly flow. Atypical eight man match that they usually do, but it was full of action and the crowd was hot for everything which made it a good match.

    Tanahashi did some air guitar after the match. Really just a house show, nothing more, nothing less.

  • Hall of Fame: The role of historical influence with The Sharpe Brothers and C.M. Punk

    Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame 2015 – The Role of Historical Influence

    By Ryan Clingman

    Emphasised on Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame ballots are the notions of value to the industry, trend-setting, and positive historical significance. All of these criteria may lie within the broad domain of “influence”, however, much like the majority of the non-drawing related Hall of Fame criteria, a great deal is left to the voter’s interpretation. How did historical context affect the success of a performer’s run? Did the legacy the candidate leave result in further creative, artistic, and monetary victories in the business? Did the candidate define a role, and if so, would the niche have come about at all or been drastically different without them? These are all natural questions that arise from the fairly straightforward set of guidelines brought forth by the balloting guidelines, and are questions that we will be addressing below for specific candidates, the Sharpe Brothers and CM Punk.

    Of all the Japanese candidates, and perhaps most of the candidates across all regions, very few, if any,  were more instrumental in defining a specific niche in the industry than Mike & Ben Sharpe. There were interviewers before Mean Gene, announcers preceding Howard Finkel, and shoot wrestlers before Volk Han, but there simply weren’t gaijin wrestlers prior to the appearance of Mike and Ben Sharpe in Japan. On a superficial level, this should all but guarantee their induction, as gaijin formed the basis for Japanese professional wrestling for the better part of three decades following the first appearance of the Sharpes in the country on February 19th 1954. However, when considering the social climate of Japan following World War II, and the context in which the Sharpes appeared, we are all but forced to ask further questions.

    Could the gaijin role have been filled by any other team during the early days of the JWP? This is perhaps the first question that should be asked, as the Sharpe Brothers may have very well simply filled the basic criteria for Rikidozan at the time, that is, tall Americans (the Sharpes were actually Canadian, but then again, Rikidozan was Korean) who could serve as decent working competition, given the still developing style of the time, against Rikidozan and Masahiko Kimura, amongst others. Japan was highly nationalistic during the post-war period, and clung to the story of one of their own battling the American invaders. This was a story reflected in many forms of Japanese media at the time. But, if questions of this sort are to be asked, then what of almost any major wrestling draw in history? I cannot think of a major star in the history of the business not succeeding, at least to some extent, due to the social climate of the time. Bruno Sammartino, even with his physical features and natural charisma benefited from the support of minority groups in New York. Rikidozan was born from the aforementioned want from the culture for a Japanese hero, the same culture that spawned the likes of comic book icon, Astroboy. Inoki and Baba followed from what was built from Rikidozan, and Rock and Austin were born from a collection of circumstance and the entertainment edge of the 1990s.

    To say that the candidacy of any of these performers should be questioned, simply due to their births from circumstance, is not only laughable, but also shows that almost any major star in pro-wrestling must, at least to some extent, resonate with the culture of the time. Whilst the Sharpes are clearly not the icons that Inoki, Baba, Rikidozan, Hogan, Rock, or Austin were, they are still two of the most important names in the history of Japanese professional wrestling. It is doubtful that puroresu would have become nearly as big or successful than it did without the Sharpes, who were the necessary opposition for Rikidozan, Kimura, and the nation of Japan in a post-war climate.

    This argument is only further strengthened by the influence the Sharpes had on the working style in Japan, as they brought the initial American influence to early puroresu, as did Rikidozan to some extent following his excursions to the United States. And, of course, if the Sharpes hadn’t played the role they did, at the time that they did, it is doubtful that gaijin acts such as the Destroyer, Lou Thesz, Freddie Blassie, or even later stars such as Stan Hansen would have been as effective, had they appeared at all The Sharpes in matches opposite Rikidozan and Kimura, aided additionally in the formation of a TV culture in Japan, as large crowds gathered around public televisions, or the initial wave of household TVs to watch the matches.

    In my eyes it is quite apparent that of any of the current Hall of Fame candidates, specifically in the Modern US and Japan categories, which I follow, there is no set of candidates more instrumental in their niche than Mike and Ben Sharpe –  after all, they founded their role, a rare feat.

    For others in the Japanese category, lack of long term influence may act as a detraction. An example of this is Volk Han, who despite debuting a great worker, and perhaps being the greatest worker in the history of shoot-style wrestling, the widespread death of the style, leads to a position that is not uncommon, that the shoot-style of Volk Han and Tamura is but a relic of the late 80s and 90s –  although, Tamura was admittedly more varied than Volk Han, working more matches. This is most certainly an interesting argument for why Volk Han should not be inducted into the Hall of Fame, in addition to the relatively small number of career matches that he worked, as well  at the height of his powers only being the second biggest draw in a medium sized promotion.

    As much as Volk Han and Tamura are interesting cases, a candidate far more relevant to a discussion of influence, and the role that it plays in the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame voting criteria, comes from the Modern North American category. This candidate is CM Punk, who, unlike Volk Han, whilst still being an outstanding overall performer –  generating memorable programmes with the likes of Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, The Rock, John Cena, and Raven, and perhaps being the best promo of his generation – an argument for the inclusion of CM Punk in the Hall of Fame that is often times overlooked is his unique role of creating the foundations for independent talent in the WWE.

    When CM Punk debuted in 2006 for WWE’s  rebooted ECW brand there existed a very clear ceiling for independent talent who were lucky enough to be offered a contract. In 2006, the roster was far different than it is today, with very few independent talents, and with the few that were positioned far from the main event scene. But, Punk’s career is a story of opportunity, either capitalising on circumstance, or fighting to alter his environment in order to meet his seemingly immovable goals. Punk won his first WWE Championship/World Heavyweight Title in 2008, but was positioned at nearly every opportunity to fail. He had the star qualities, but failed to escape a seemingly perpetual cycle of momentum growth and destruction. Then in 2011  he delivered his famous Las Vegas promo in July that not only served as one of the more iconic pieces of mic work of his career, but also catapulted him into a babyface position second from the top for the rest of his WWE tenure.

    What followed was numerous cooling and warming periods, with the company’s then infatuation with Alberto Del Rio attempting to break into the Mexican market, infringing on Punk’s ability to garner a long-term championship reign –  this is, of course ignoring his rushed return following his superstar-making performance with John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011  in Chicago. Regardless, even when faced with seemingly doomed programmes with the likes of Triple H and Kevin Nash, Punk pulled through, which resulted in his highly touted year-plus-long championship reign, a run all but unfathomable but a couple of years prior.

    Punk departed in memorable fashion, a story upon which Punk elaborated greatly in an interview with Colt Cabana in late 2014, but he surprisingly left a legacy of sorts with the company, as he opened the minds of some, as far as to what extent independent talent may be pushed. This is of course an outsider’s perspective, however, since the rise of Punk, the likes of Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins have taken off as stars, with the later specifically being pushed by the company, who didn’t need their hand forced as was the case with Daniel Bryan. The timing, however, of the WWE’s version of the Summer of Punk is unfortunate for this argument, as it coincides with Paul Levesque’s rise to prominence as Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative. This makes it fairly difficult to distinguish where Punk’s influence ends and where Hunter’s begins. And this is one of the stronger arguments that could be made against Punk as an influence on the future success of former-indie talent.

    Creatively and artistically speaking, CM Punk had a Hall of Fame worthy career, but of course this statement is highly subjective. The argument of drawing power isn’t as well defined as it once was, with the WWE brand drawing far more than any individual star for the most part. Drawing metrics will become even more difficult to analyse in future years with the distinct lack of pay-per-view buy-rates as the WWE Network continues to evolve. Even so, Punk’s main drawing run would have taken place from 2011-2013, which, even if he had been a definitively strong draw, wouldn’t have been a long enough period to secure him enough votes for induction. However, as more indie workers become WWE stars in the same vein as Seth Rollins, the argument for Punk will only grow stronger, given that he became, through tenacity and natural ability, a shining counter example to the negative stereotypes that WWE hold and held against independent talent.

  • ROH TV tapings report 9-19 San Antonio Next month of TV (updated)

    ROH TV taping spoilers from San Antonio (taped 9-19)

    By Chris Aiken

    There was a dark match beforehand with two local indie teams.

    Show #1

    Matt Sydal beat ACH. This was good of course. It took a little time to warm the crowd but once they did the crowd was popping for the highspots, and there were a lot of them. This was a great way to kick off the tapings.

    The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) came out to cut a promo about being upset they were “robbed” of the tag team titles the previous night. As they ranted and raved, All Night Express (Rhett Titus & Kenny King) came out to a great reaction to confront Addiction. This set up a match for later on in the show, which will be framed as “next week” when it airs.

    Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser beat The Boys. Silas got on the mic beforehand and insulted The Boys manner of dress before saying one of their first lessons would be to get beaten up by real men. Silas and the Bruiser then squashed The Boys. Bruiser may have a regular role in ROH as he appeared on two different episodes teaming with Silas.

    Jay Lethal (with Truth Martini) beat Takaaki Watanabe to retain the TV title. The crowd knew Lethal was the heel as they chanted his name during his entrance but still treated him like the heel in the match. Watanabe was more over than one would think, but judging by all the New Japan shirts in the crowd and the big pop when the lion mark logo popped up on the video screen, they really wanted to see someone from New Japan that wasn’t American.

    Show #2

    All Night Express beat The Addiction. Daniels & Kazarian were the most jeered act of the night as the crowd really took to booing and taunting them. Early on in the match, Chris Sabin was at ringside and caught Kazarian when he was thrown over the top rope to the floor. The referee ejected Sabin. For the finish, someone in a red mask ran in and caused a distraction that allowed the Addiction to lose. Was it Sabin or someone else? Time will tell.

    The Kingdom (Adam Cole, Matt Taven, Michael Bennett & Maria Kanellis) came out to the ring all dressed up. The men wore suits while Maria wore a dress and heels. They all cut a promo bragging about their recent accomplishments like winning the tag team titles and Cole playing a role in the finish of the ROH title match the night before on the PPV. Out comes reDragon to confront them as security holds them back from entering the ring. Michael Elgin also enters the scene to even the odds. A six-man tag match is made for later on in the show.

    Jay Briscoe beat Adam Page (with BJ Whitmer) in a no holds barred match. With his shoulder in a sling the night before on the PPV, Page had his shoulder taped up here. The match was a wild brawl with chair shots and a table was broken amongst all kinds of other crazy spots. BJ Whitmer provided guest commentary and he gave Page his crutch at one point to use on Jay. Mark Briscoe ran in to grab the crutch and take it to the back. Whitmer began arguing with Steve Corino as Page tried to get his attention. Distracted by trying to yell at Whitmer, Page fell prey to a Jay and was pinned.

    Following the match was arguably the best and most notable angle on the show. Whitmer got in the ring afterwards and he started beating Briscoe with his other crutch. Corino jumped in the ring to make the save. He took off his sport jacket and began a staredown with Whitmer. Then, Corino clocked Whitmer with a roll of quarters in his hand. Down goes Whitmer. Coins went flying everywhere and the crowd popped big. Corino got out of the ring and hugged Kevin Kelly. Corino left the scene with the story likely  being he can no longer be an announcer due to becoming physically involved in an angle after knocking out Whitmer. He would not be seen again in front of the live crowd as Nigel McGuinness replaced him on commentary for the rest of the night.

    Show #3

    Moose (with Stokely Hathaway) beat Donovan Dijack (with Truth Martini). Moose looked almost even better in the ring than he did the previous night and this was a straight match without all of the gimmicks used in his PPV match.

    Dalton Castle beat Cedric Alexander (with Veda Scott). Castle was without The Boys of course and he was also without his jumpsuit or winged cape. He loses a lot of his aura without the full gimmick but they may be trying to distance him from the comedy aspect of it in favor of a more serious tone. He strolled to the ring in a t-shirt and showed more fire and aggression than usual playing off the story of being upset about losing The Boys. Alexander had various parts of his body taped up selling the brutality of his PPV match with Moose. After the match, Veda Scott cut a promo threatening ROH with a lawsuit over being subjected to an unsafe work environment. That’ll show ‘em, Veda.

    Jay Lethal and Truth Martini cut a promo in the ring. They were bragging when Roderick Strong interrupts them. He wanted another title shot. Lethal said he already beat him in ROH title matches. Lethal tells Nigel to tell Strong the same thing. Nigel says it’s true. However, instead of a ROH title match, Nigel gives Roderick a match for Lethal’s TV title. No announcement was made as to when or where the match takes place.

    reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) & Michael Elgin beat The Kingdom (Cole & Taven & Bennett with Maria). The match was good and it culminated in an angle where an angry O’Reilly demanded a match with Cole on this very night in San Antonio. Nigel said Cole already had a match booked for later on (“next week”) with AJ Styles and, while he couldn’t cancel that match in favor of another, he could add O’Reilly to it making it a three-way match. Admittedly, I was barely paying attention to the angle itself as I was transfixed on Maria’s assets like I was a New Japan cameraman.

    In a match taped after intermission but before the open of the fourth episode, Chesseburger teamed with a masked man in patriotic red, white and blue gear (which was likely indie wrestler Andrew Lockhart who also worked as a ring attendant at the PPV the night before) calling themselves American Fighters as they beat a local team called The Dirty Outlaws. Mark Briscoe provided guest commentary on this match and the next episode being taped as well.

    Show #4

    The Young Bucks vs. Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser (with The Boys) ended in a no contest. The Bucks were super over. They were probably more over with the crowd than anyone else. After admonishing The Boys earlier in the night about their choice of gear, The Boys came out wearing blue jeans and wifebeaters. The Boys would cower down from Silas and the Bruiser. When Bruiser and Silas weren’t looking they would fan The Bucks. After the Bucks began to run wild, Silas grabbed the house mic and said the match was originally scheduled as The Boys vs. The Bucks so he ordered The Boys to finish the match in the place of himself and the Bruiser.

    The Young Bucks beat The Boys. The crowd as still super hot for this like they were for the previous match. Lots of superkicks as it was a superkick party after all. After The Boys were beaten, Silas and Bruiser went to beat them up some more. The Bucks made the save then helped The Boys to their feet and raised their hands. Despite the show of sportsmanship, the crowd wanted more superkicks and The Bucks obliged by giving The Boys a dual superkicks to leave them laying.

    Roderick Strong beat Will Ferrara. While the crowd was into Strong during his angle with Lethal earlier on, they were mixed on Strong during this match (at least that’s the perspective from my section). He got cheered some, but not as much as in other markets. Nevertheless, it was a strong (pun intended) performance as Roddy showcased his great in-ring skills before making Ferrara tap out to the Stronghold.

    Adam Cole beat Kyle O’Reilly & AJ Styles in a three-way match when Cole pinned O’Reilly. They had a barnburner of a match. Beforehand, Nigel ejected everybody that was in the three corners, which was the other Kingdom members, the Young Bucks, Bobby Fish and Michael Elgin. After the match, they all ran back in for a big brawl that saw the Bullet Club members dispatch the Kingdom. Styles and Lethal had a staredown building to their future title match.

    It should be noted that besides the Young Bucks, the person most over with the crowd at times seemed to be referee Todd Sinclair. Yep, you read that right. On both nights in San Antonio, some fans passed out “Sinclair Section” signs and many people chanted for Sinclair throughout the night. It sounds odd but Todd Sinclair is hugely popular in the market for some reason. It’s like an inside joke though some people seem rather genuinely passionate about their support of ROH’s senior referee.

    By Travis Banks

     Local indie wrestlers working as ROH staff included Thomas Munoz, VG Allin, Bolt Brady, Barrett Brown, and Gregory James. – Dark Match: Keith Lee and Shane Taylor def. The Washington Bullets. Finish was botched as Lee tried to throw one of the bullets up for a powerbomb but couldn’t catch him. Taylor got the pin with a splash. Bobby Cruise comes out with a hot girl, followed by Kevin Kelly, then Steve Corino. Cruise goes through the usual opening spiel and introduces Nigel McGuinness, who recaps All Star Extravaganza and announces the main event of the evening: AJ Styles vs. Adam Cole. Taping 1:- Matt Sydal def. ACH in a Best of 5 Series match to tie the series at 2-2. Sydal won with the Shooting Star Press.- After the match, the KRD attacked both men and complained about being screwed out of the tag titles by some guy stealing their red mask shtick. The All Night Express comes out and says they never lost the tag titles, and declare their intention to get the titles back.- Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser def. The Boys. Before the match, Silas yells at The Boys for still wearing their usual outfits, and has Bruiser squash the two. The Boys actually hold their own until Silas puts them away. A sad Dalton Castle watches from a balcony.- ROH TV Title: Jay Lethal (w/ Truth Martini) def. Watanabe with a low blow and Lethal Injection. Taping 2:- All Night Express def. The Addiction after a distraction from the Mystery Man.- The Kingdom cuts a promo about how they fooled us. reDRagon comes out and wants a 3 on 2 match but Michael Elgin comes out to back them up. A brawl occurs with reDRagon and Elgin getting the upper hand.- No Holds Barred: Jay Briscoe def. Adam Page with a Jay Driller through a table. BJ Whitmer does commentary at ringside. After the match starts, Mark Briscoe comes out and steals one of BJ’s crutches. After the match, BJ beats Jay down with another crutch, but Steve Corino comes in for the save. BJ demands Corino hit him, so Corino knocks BJ out with a roll of quarters. Corino hugs Kevin Kelly and leaves up the ramp. Taping 3:- Nigel McGuinness has replaced Steve Corino on commentary.- Moose (w/ Stokely Hathaway) def. Donovan Dijak (w/ Truth Martini)- Dalton Castle def. Cedric Alexander (w/ Veda Scott). Castle came out in just his gear and a t-shirt. After the match, Veda complains about ROH’s lack of care for their employees, and says she and Cedric are filing a lawsuit.- Jay Lethal and Truth Martini are out for a promo but are interrupted by Roderick Strong, who wants a title shot. Nigel says AJ is the #1 contender for the World title, but there is no #1 contender for the TV title since Lethal beat Watanabe. No date is given for this match.- reDRagon and Michael Elgin def. The Kingdom (w/ Maria) when O’Reily pinned Bennett following Chasing the Dragon. A brawl erupts after the match, and O’Reily demands a match against Cole. Nigel says he has AJ Styles vs. Adam Cole booked for “next week” but adds Kyle, making the main event a triple threat. Intermission – Dark Match: Cheeseburger and Americos def. Andy Dalton and ??? Taping 4:- Mark Briscoe is on commentary.- The Young Bucks def. The Boys. The Boys are now dressed in wifebeater tank tops and baggy jeans. Originally supposed to be the Bucks vs. Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser, but after a few minutes of getting their butts kicked, Silas announces that The Boys will take their place. Chants of “Fan Up” and “Boys to Men” for The Boys, who hold their own against the Bucks in a fine comedy match.-  BJ Whitmer comes out and gets into an argument with Mark Briscoe- Roderick Strong def. Will Ferrara- Adam Cole def. Kyle O’Reily and AJ Styles. Jay Lethal is on commentary. Before the match, Nigel bans The Kingdom, Bobby Fish, Michael Elgin, and The Young Bucks from ringside. After the match, all three stables get into a brawl with The Kingdom being beat down. It eventually leads to Bullet Club hosting a Superkick Party on The Kingdom. As Bullet Club poses, Jay Lethal comes up behind Styles and taunts him with the World title. AJ grabs the mic and thanks San Antonio, and has two words for us if we aren’t down with Bullet Club. Overall a long but fun show. Only negative part was a small group of fans acting like jerks and trying to bring attention to themselves with stupid chants. 

  • MMA News – Return of MMA legend on New Year’s Eve

    Details still coming in on all of this but here’s what we have so far. 

    Spike TV signed a one show deal with Sakakibara’s new Pride-style promotion for the North American rights to air their New Year’s Eve show. Fedor Emelianenko has signed with the group and will fight in the main event.

    It will air on Spike TV on tape delay, so Prime Time on New Year’s Eve. The show will feature fighters from Bellator but they won’t exclusively be Bellator Fighters.

    At this point, this is a one show deal.  

    More to come on this, I’m sure.  

  • SAT UPDATE: Bellator Dynamite tonight, CMLL IPPV becomes free, & more

    by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.com | Follow @davidbix

    Tonight’s major show is Bellator Dynamite live on Spike TV at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT (for once, Spike is airing it live on the west coast):

    Liam McGeary (c) vs. Tito Ortiz in a five round fight for the Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship
    Light Heavyweight Tournament Final
    Saulo Cavalari vs. Zack Mwekassa in a five round kickboxing match for the Glory Light Heavyweight Championship
    Josh Thomson vs. Mike Bronzoulis
    Paul Daley vs. Fernando Gonzalez in a kickboxing match
    Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez vs. Hadley Griffith in a kickboxing match
    Emanuel Newton vs. Phil Davis in a two round light heavyweight tournament semifinal fight
    King Mo Lawal vs. Linton Vassell  in a two round light heavyweight tournament semifinal fight
    Francis Carmont vs. Anthony Ruiz in the two round light heavyweight tournament alternate fight will be on the prelims due to time constraints.

    In the event of a draw, all first round tournament fights will go to a secondary scorecard asking the judges who won the fight overall to determine which fighter advances. However, they would officially be draws on the fighters’ records. The winner of Carmont vs. Ruiz will only get added to the finals if both men in a main bracket fight can’t continue.

    Scott Coker has a lot of high hopes for this card ratings-wise, aiming for a peak at or near the level of the Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice fight. With Tito Ortiz in the main event, that’s not a compltely ridiculous notion. While the kickboxing lineup is not as strong as originally hoped for due to injuries among other things, the fights should still be fun, and the MMA lineup is really strong. The tournament is a bit strange in that it’s a cool concept and a nice mix of talented fighters, but the stylistic likelihood of boring fights is not low at all. McGeary-Ortiz is intriguing: By all rights, McGeary should finish Ortiz, but it’s winnable on paper for Ortiz if he can take McGeary down and defend submissions. All in all, it’s a fun card on paper and the promise of a Pride-style production, including Lenne Hardt doing ring announcing and Mauro Ranallo calling the kickboxing fights, should amplify that.

    Titan Fighting Championships from Ridgefield, WA on UFC Fight Pass  tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET:
    Pat Healy vs Rick Hawn for lightweight title
    Andre Harrison vs. Desmond Green for featherweight title
    Tim Elliott vs Felipe Efran
    Steven Siler vs. Austin Springer
    Zane Kamaka vs. Belel Muhammed
    Ricky Simon vs. Alex Soto

    Tomorrow night:

    WWE Night of Champions PPV at 8:00 p.m. ET (pre-show an hour earlier) on WWE Network/PPV:
    Seth Rollins vs. Sting for th WWE Championship
    Seth Rollins vs. John Cena for the WWE U.S. Championship
    Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose & ??? vs. Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper & Braun Strowman
    Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte for the WWE Divas’ Championship, title can change hands via DQ or count out
    Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev
    New Day vs. Dudleys for the WWE Tag Team Championship
    Neville & The Lucha Dragons vs. Stardust & The Ascension preshow match

    Raw will be Monday night in Laredo, TX.

    Smackdown will be taped Tuesday in Corpus Christi with Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Sheamus as the top advertised stars.

    New Japan Destruction in Okayama PPV on Tuesday night at 2:00 a.m. ET on New Japan World:
    Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu & Yuji Nagata & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Jay White & David Finlay & Manabu Nakanishi & Tetsuya Naito
    Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Jushin Liger & Mascara Dorada in a non-title match
    Steve Anthony vs. Tiger Mask for NWA Junior Heavyweight Title
    Hiroshi Tanahashi & Matt Sydal vs. Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga
    Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan for IWGP tag titles
    Hirooki Goto & Tomoaki Honma & Captain New Japan & Ryusuke Taguchi & Alex Shelley vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi & Rocky Romero & Baretta
    Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs. A.J. Styles & Cody Hall
    Kushida vs. Kenny Omega for IWGP jr. title
    Togi Makabe vs. Kota Ibushi for Never Open weight title

    Please send reports from major shows, recommended links, etc. to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com:

    ****

    Figure Four Weekly:

    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is now up for subscribers (subscribe to the site here and get access to Figure Four, the Observer, tons of audio, and more) featuring a look at the latest in the concussion lawsuits filed against WWE on behalf of various wrestlers by Konstantine Kyros. On top of that, we have all the usual stuff like Vinny’s reviews and international news from Dr. Lucha Steve Sims and and Alan”4L” Counihan.

    The recnt FREE Figure Four Weekly is still up with a look at the crazy story of why Gawker thinks the FBI may have helped Hulk Hogan cover up his racist and homophobic comments. A judge has ordered the FBI to turn over the records of their investigation, and what Gawker is saying in court about what has and hasn’t been turned over paints a very interesting picture.

    Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the American, Canadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle.

    ****

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

    A look at next weekend, which is one of the biggest weekends of the year with Bellator and CMLL having their biggest shows, plus a WWE PPV show and an ROH PPV, is one of the lead stories in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We also have a look at the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot, tons more on the Jimmy Snuka case, An update on TNA and the future of Kurt Angle, a letter UFC sent to all its fighters about unionization, plus full coverage of UFC 191 and Battle of Los Angeles, and thoughts behind Raw & Smackdown doing record low numbers.

    The latest issue of the Wrestling Observer: September 14, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Huge Weekend Preview, WWE/CMLL/ROH/Bellator

    Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show in the history of the site.  Sign up here for as low as $9.99 per month!

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    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 look at next week’s big shows, including a preview of  CMLL’s main event, why L.A. Park is already gone from the promotion, and a preview of  both Raw and Night of Champions.

    We’ve got more on the Jimmy Snuka case, with a background of WWE in 1983, Vince McMahon purchasing the company from his father, what was and wasn’t known in wrestling at the time, the first Snuka arrest, the decision made on Hulk Hogan being the face of the company’s expansion, the role Snuka’s autobiography played in his indictment, the corner saying why he felt there was no indictment and his quotes on the subject, new evidence, Buddy Rogers before his death talks about the subject, another coroner weighs in, a lawyer who investigated the case in 1983 weighs in, how Snuka handled his finances fro that point on, Snuka’s run in New Japan, the famous Brody & Snuka walking out on the tag tournament finals, what Vince McMahon was doing to protect Snuka, key Allentown officials talk cover-up rumors, WWE talks those rumors and more.

    We also update the Kurt Angle TNA situation and why Angle said he was leaving the company when his contract expires in January.  We look at the situation with Destination America, what talent knows and how WWE fits into all this right now.

    We look at the letter sent by UFC to all of its fighters regarding unionization and our thoughts on the subject.

    We’ve got a look at the 2005 Hall of Fame ballot, a look at the new candidates and their credentials, candidates for the future, understanding of the process, as well as how everyone on this year’s ballot fared last year.

    We also look back at research into the biggest draws of all-time on the ballot, as well how the candidates have done in various awards, in drawing power for their era, as well as match quality, how difficult it is to be voted in, and notes on a lot of this year’s modern candidates.

    We have an update on Ronda Rousey and WrestleMania, an upcoming WWE wedding, John Cena injury notes, WWE asks fans about PPV start times and thoughts, update on Amanda from Tough Enough and what appears to be her new deal, WWE pulling out all stops for next months tour of Mexico and why, Dean Ambrose talks acting, Nikki Bella as Divas champion, Eric Bischoff appearing on WWE Network, Undertaker’s future, the signing of Kana and she talks coming to WWE, Zahra Schreiber talks her firing, some NXT matches, a WWE wrestler on a sabbatical, as well as the WWE business notes from the past week and highlights from all the house hows.

    We also look at Hulk Hogan’s overseas talk shows, the death of Tommy Rogers of The Fantastics, Dave Brown retires from WMC TV and how it was celebrated locally, Axl Rotten’s future goals, CHIKARA King of Trios, Jeff Jarrett TV talks and the final GFW ballpark shows of the year and what is left on the schedule, Bob Backlund’s autobiography, update on Batista, the death of Jerry Prater, an instrumental figure in Florida wrestling in the 70s and the heyday of wrestling programs and magazines, the Carlos Maynez tribute show this past week featuring legends from the past, a Roddy Piper movie not released and the Darrell Dawkins connection with pro wrestling.

    We also update things on Lucha Underground.

    We look at next week’s ROH matches.

    We look at a TNA wedding, lineups for the upcoming TNA shows, U.K. TNA ratings and updating Impact.

    We also have Conor McGregor talking his future, McGregor vs. Faber and why it didn’t happen, key UFC announcements over the pat week including new shows, new main events and new title matches, the retirement of Sam Stout, Rousey doing “Road House,” next UFC TV events, update on Charles Oliveira, UFC’s most popular markets, how much Rousey and McGregor are carrying things right now and former UFC star buys $2.75 million mansion from a rock star.

    We also look at Alexander Shlemenko’s attempt to get his steroid punishment over turned and his arguments, plus a new Bellator show was announced.

    We also update Fedor Emelianenko and his situation, as well as a former WWE star debuts this week as an MMA announcer and top pro wrestling stars attending.  We also look at the results of the latest medical study on injuries suffered in boxing vs. MMA and where each is more and less dangerous than the other.  

    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.

    ***

    Saturday Daily Update

    — The internet pay-per-view of the CMLL 82nd Anniversary Show ended up being a disaster, but not in the way you might expect from an IPPV. The page for buying the show on Cleeng.com was actually just embedding an unlisted YouTube live stream, and the YouTube link could be spread around freely. They went from about 700 viewers at the start of the show to about 1,000 during the first match and eventually 10,000+ during the main event. To make matters worse, the YouTube page showed up first for people who were searching Google to find the official page for the stream. Being that this was the first CMLL stream that wasn’t (officially) free, you can see why fans wouldn’t have had any idea that something was amiss. I heard from people who had n idea until I tweeted about it.

    — Virgil told TMZ that he taught Donald Trump about showmanship when his casino hosted WrestleMania IV and V. Really.

    — TBS jobber turned southern indie promoter Paul Lee may be disqualified from the mayoral election he’s tried to run in. As somene who’s made a lot of enemies in the southeast, there are probably a bunch of wrestlers and promoters amused by this.

    — CantonRep.com talks to Jessicka Havok about returning home to Canton. One guess what’s not talked about.

    — The Houston Chronicle’s La Voz covers the launch of the new Combate Americas promotion and Alberto El Patron’s role as color commentator.

    — The accused killer of indie wrestler  Ivan “The Croation Giant” Radocaj was cnvicted of first degree murder yesterday.

    — WWE’s “Owen: Hart of Gold” Owen Hart DVD set is now available for pre-order on Amazon, though the Blu-Ray version isn’t listed yet. WWE’s next release is SummerSlam 2015, which is out this Tuesday on DVD and Blu-Ray. The next archival/specialized release is Sting: Into the Light, which comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 13th. They also have a special collectible “coffin edition” of “Undertaker: The Streak” coming out on November 17th.

  • On this date in pro wrestling history (9/19): Rude defeats Flair; Grappler defeats DiBiase

    1956

    Mobile, Alabama:

    – The Great Malenko defeated Herb Welch to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title

    1969

    Atlanta, Georgia:

    – Joe Scarpa (aka Chief Jay Strongbow) defeated Paul DeMarco to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title

    1980

    Shreveport, Louisiana:

    – The Grappler defeated Ted DiBiase to win the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Title

    1981

    Landover, Maryland:

    – WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated George Steele in a Texas Death Match at the Capital Center

    1982

    Charlotte, North Carolina:

    – Jos LeDuc defeated Jimmy Valiant to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title

    1985

    Baltimore, Maryland:

    – NWA Champion Ric Flair beat Magnum TA

    – Rock & Roll Express beat Ivan Koloff & Krusher Khrushchev dq

    – Dusty Rhodes drew Nikita Koloff

    – Larry Zbyszko & Nick Bockwinkel beat Sgt. Slaughter & Greg Gagne dq

    – Ronnie Garvin no contest Black Bart

    – Brad Rheingans beat Kevin Kelly

    Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:

    Wally Karbo Tribute Card:

    – AWA Champion Rick Martel beat Boris Zhukov dq

    – Jerry Blackwell beat Michael Hayes

    – Tom Zenk & Curt Hennig beat Bill Irwin & Scott Irwin

    – Jim Garvin beat Buck Zumhofe

    – Baron Von Raschke beat Buddy Roberts

    1986

    Fukuoka, Japan:

    – Shiro Koshinaka defeated Nobuhiko Takada for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title

    1986

    Ponce, Puerto Rico:

    – Ron Starr defeated Invader I to win the WWC Television champion

    1988

    Memphis, Tennessee:

    – AWA Champion Jerry Lawler ddq Kerry Von Erich

    – Samoan Swat Team beat Michael Hayes & Steve Cox to regain Texas Tag title

    – Brickhouse Brown & Jeff Jarrett & Bill Dundee beat Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden & Phil Hickerson

    – AWA TV Champion Ronnie Garvin drew Robert Gibson

    – AWA Tag Team Champions Badd Company Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond beat RPMs

    – Rock & Roll Express & Sgt. Slaughter beat Soldat Ustinov & Teijo Kahn & Colonel DeBeers

    – Tommy Rich ddq Jimmy Valiant

    – AWA Women’s Champion Madusa Meceli beat Magnificent Mimi dq

    1992

    Yokohama, Japan:

    – Atsushi Onita defeated Tiger Jeet Singh for the WWA World Martial Arts Heavyweight Title

    1993

    Houston, Texas:

    – At the WCW Fall Brawl PPV; Rick Rude defeated Ric Flair to win the WCW International World Heavyweight Title

    – Steven Regal defeated Ricky Steamboat to win the WCW TV Title

    – Sting, Davey Boy Smith, Dustin Rhodes & The Shockmaster defeated Sid Vicious, Vader & Harlem Heat in a WarGames match

    1999

    Villa Park, Illinois:

    – ECW held their Anarchy Rulz Pay-per-view; Mike Awesome won the ECW World Title from Taz and Masato Tanaka

    – Lance Storm defeated Jerry Lynn

    2008

    Boston, Massachusetts:

    – Nigel McGuiness defeated Roderick Strong to retain the ROH World Title

    – Kevin Steen & El Generico defeated Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black to win the ROH World Tag Team Title

    2010

    – Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre won the WWE Tag Team Titles

    – Daniel Bryan defeated the Miz to win the US Title.

    – Randy Orton won the WWE World Title in a six pack challenge match

  • Ring of Honor TV 9/19 results and recap: Briscoes/Goto vs CHAOS (Roppongi Vice/Okada)

    The Big Takeaway – Nothing spectacular but an entertaining hour of canned matches that mean next to nothing in the overall direction for ROH. The US debut of IWGP IC Champion Hirooki Goto was probably the most notable thing on the show.

    It’s New Japan vs ROH tonight with a show taped from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia just after the G1 tournament ended but obviously before the All-Star Extravaganza PPV.

    “The Last Real Man” Silas Young vs “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin

    Kevin Kelly claims that Elgin may have been the MVP of the G1 tournament. That’s a big of a stretch but he did very well and really turned a corner with me. Kelly now calling Elgin “Big Mike” as well.

    They do adhere to the Code of Honor before the match. Elgin did the stalling vertical suplex that the fans counted along with. They got to 30 and Elgin was motioning to continue. Fans chanting BIG MIKE as well so I guess that’s a thing. I can’t help but think of Big Johnny when I hear that but I guess he was big in Japan as well.

    Young hit the headstand moonsault but only got a 2. Elgin hit a couple Enziguris and then a lariat clothesline that he’d been teasing the whole match. He then did the dealift vertical suplex from the top turnbuckle into a Falcon Arrow that he did on the PPV but only got a two. Kelly called it a Super Falcon Arrow,so that’s what I’ll go with.

    Young connected with his Misery finisher but Elgin rolled out of the ring. Young followed him out and pulled back the mats but Elgin powerbombed him into a barricade. Back in the ring and Elgin hit an Elgin bomb for the win

    WINNER – MICHAEL ELGIN by pinfall

    Young refused Elgin’s offer of a handshake after the match. Cole did a backstage taped promo hyping up his main event next week with Nakamura. In nice continuity, he was wearing a Kingdom shirt, given the events at the PPV.

    Caprice Coleman vs ACH

    They replayed the angle from a couple of weeks ago where Prince Nana handed Coleman an envelope during a match. That never went anywhere and wasn’t elaborated on here. Crowd was really behind ACH during the intros but died right out once the match started.

    Lots of flips and jumps and dives but neither guy having any kind of sustained advantage. Coleman hit the Trinity to no reaction but ACH kicked out of the pin attempt. Coleman hit the one inch punch, which of course ACH waited about 30 second to sell, when he was about to hit a dive. Coleman hit the Sky Splitter but only got two.

    Coleman nailed a top rope Rana but ACH rolled through the pin attempt. He then hit a brainbuster followed by the Midnight Star for the pin.

    WINNER – ACH by pinfall

    ACH was still selling the punch after the match and Corino called him his third favorite Hardy brother. They shook hands after the match and Corino interviewed Coleman about the note he got from Nana. Coleman said there was money and a letter in the envelope. He took the money and then read the letter several times. He says he gets it now and that Nana is right and then walked away.

    “The Exotic Goddess” Mandy Leon was next with Inside ROH. She talked about the new working relationship with ROH and New Japan, showing clips of ROH and New Japan officials announcing the show in Japan in February. A 2 day show in Japan and then New Japan stars coming back stateside for the Anniversary show in Vegas and more shows for the New Japan tour in May. Leon was wearing a New Japan shirt and wearing it very well. Delirious interrupted her at the end and said a bunch of stuff that only he could understand and then hid in a locker behind her.

    Roppongi Vice (Barretta/Romero) and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Okada vs The Briscoes (Mark and Jay Briscoe) and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hirooki Goto

    Crowd reacted the second Okada’s much started, chanting OKADA and he got the mega-streamer treatment. Goto got a nice reaction as well for his first US appearance. Goto refused to adhere to the code of Honor.

    Somewhat of a dream matchup to start as long-time ROH World champion Jay Briscoe opened against multi-time and current IWGP champ Okada. Fans firmly behind Okada when they squared off. Goto was tagged in quickly and held his own against both members of the Roppongi Vice. Corino talked about how Goto wants to unify the World and IC belts in Japan.

    Mark did some comedy involving Baretta’s headband. Eventually that led to some double and triple teaming from the Chaos members and Mark was trapped in their corner for several minutes. Corino also mentioned the Okada/Tenryu New Japan match coming in November.

    All three Chaos members did the Rainmaker pose, after Okada did the fake dive and then facewash spot with the foot, looking to the Vice for approval. Goto eventually got the hot tag and cleaned house, eventually ending up against Okada, getting a nearfall off a Saito suplex.

    Okada recovered and got a two count off a running uppercut  and then hit a flying elbow and did the Rainmaker pose. Goto blocked the Rainmaker and hit a backbreaker as we went to a break.

    Some stuff was cut out as Jay Briscoe is getting double-teamed by the Vice when we come back. He gets the hot tag to Mark. Romero goes for his three running clotheslines but Mark ducks out and hits some redneck kung fu. Jay and Goto are in and they took turns taking runs at Romero. Mark got a nearfall off an assisted backbreaker but Baretta broke it up.

    Eventually all six guys were in and took turns hitting moves on each other. Mark Briscoe blocked a rainmaker attempt but got hit from behind by Barretta. All six guys down in the ring and the fans chanting THIS IS AWESOME.

    The Briscoes nailed Baretta with a Doomsday outside the ring and then Mark hit the Froggie-Bo inside the ring on Barretta but he kicked out at two. Mark hit a Fisherman’s buster on Romero but Okada grabbed him and hit a Tombstone. Goto in to help  but Okada hit a perfect dropkick and then had a rainmaker blocked by a headbutt from Goto. Jay and Barretta ended up in the ring isolated and Jay hit the Jay Driller for the pin.

    WINNERS – THE BRISCOES AND HIROOKI GOTO by pinfall

  • UFC News: Dana White talks Nick Diaz and Fedor

    From our friends at Submssion Radio in Australia:

     Fielding questions from fans and media at the UFC 193 Q&A in Sydney, Australia, Dana White spoke about Nick Diaz’s 5-year suspension and what his initial thoughts were.

    Submission Radio was on hand for the event and have the clip for you below!

    VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/SPYJLjMkdLI
    Quote:

    “We’ve been here (Australia). When this thing went down, we’ve been here. And many people who know me and know the sport, I’ve been a very reactionary person in the past. I’m a little older and a little wiser now. I don’t just react, I have to know all the facts. I don’t know all the facts, you know. When you hear this – because it’s so jarring when you hear this. It’s like, wait a minute, this guy was suspended for five years and got a 150,000 dollar fine for marijuana? So you can completely take that out of context too, but that’s his third offense. It’s his third offense, and let’s all be honest here, Nick Diaz doesn’t exactly play by the rules. You know, listen, everybody would love to hang out and smoke weed all day and not play by the rules. It sounds awesome. It’s sounds like, you know, it sounds like the great thing to do (laughs). But in reality, you can’t do that, and especially when you’re dealing with the government. Nick was also in a situation where Nick hadn’t paid his taxes in a long time, you know. You can’t do that either. So it has to be more than ‘hey the guy smoked weed and…’ – I don’t know all the facts yet. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. When I get home, I will hear all the facts. I promise you, you will hear from me soon on the Nick Diaz situation. I have to figure out all the facts first.”

    Speaking at the UFC 193 fan Q&A in Sydney, Australia, Dana White squashed the latest rumors about the UFC planning Fedor Emelianenko vs. Anderson Silva at light heavyweight, which were started by Chael Sonnen. Submission Radio was on hand for the event and have the clip for you below! VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/G1ruu2aRBtM
    Quote:

    “That’s completely false (laughs). You know, the Fedor thing has been this weird deal for a long time. We’ve obviously talked to Fedor many times and tried to get it done, and we’ll see how this thing plays out. But no, there’s absolutely no truth to that whatsoever. Sorry Chael.”

  • Feedback to ROH & CMLL shows

     Thumbs up

    Worst: women’s match…not terrible, but the other matches were better.

    Best: Atlantis vs sombra…f’ing phenomenal match…I watch very little cmll, like just the anniversaries & fantasticamania stuff, but this was the most dramatic match I think I’ve ever seen…more dramatic than last year’s due to the far superior match quality & family involvement.

    Ross Blair

    ROH ASE 7

    Thumbs Up.

    Best Match: Tag Title Match
    Worst Match: Silas vs. Dalton (by default, I still enjoyed it).

    Enjoyable show as always. I enjoyed the booking of the main event. It’s not something ROH does constantly and the way it played out makes sense.  Looking forward to Final Battle.

    Mark Doyle
    Saratoga Springs, NY

    Heya Dave!

    Thumbs way up for the CMLL Show!!! First iPPV this antiquated fan has ever bought, and the best $10.00 I have spent toward any PPV. No glitches, no complaints, no way! After having feed issues from the Terra.com days, I am pleasantly shocked!

    Best Match: ATLANTIS vs SOMBRA – Somebody should compile a DVD charting the feud from beginning to tonight for students entering the biz… THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE! Atlantis, Sombra AND Rush all delivered in making this a match that set me on the edge of my seat like I was a kid again. And Sombra and Rush — these cats put over Atlantis like he’s on the level of El Santo, and in polished fashion! La Sombra was already a great rudo, he has now become a super heel.

    Worst Match: There was no worst match, though Ultimo Guerrero should score an award for working best he could with Thunder.

    Best yet— this show was so bitchin’ that the L.A. Park & Wagner situation became a complete non-issue after tonight.

    Oh— I am just a tad disappointed the mascots didn’t scrap it out a bit more. C’mon, I gotta bitch & moan about something!

    —Kurt Brown

    Thumbs middle

    Best match: Sombra vs Atlantis

    Worst match: Dark Angel vs Princess Sugehit

    There’s a reason CMLL is in the place they are right now – draw big houses two times a year for big shows, and occasionally do well with an older, established star. Meanwhile, there’s a sea of mid-carders whose legs have been cut out from underneath them or have never been pushed.

    Booking of Rush/Volador was great. Match wasn’t that good. I guess that is the 83rd Aniversario main event, with the hair on-the-line? 

    Long-term, Sombra should have won. He’s their most promising young wrestler and by far the most-charismatic guy they have. I look at Universo 2000 as an example of putting over a guy and making him into a draw. They could have done that with Sombra – except instead of being 35 with Universo 2000, Sombra is 25. But, it’s CMLL. 

    Marcus Origer

    It’s gonna be tough for WWE to surpass the number of fuck finishes on
    the show tonight.

    Thumbs down show
    Best match: ROH Tag Title – Young Bucks/Kingdom/Addiction
    Worst Match: World Title match  – Jay Lethal vs. Kyle O’Reilly.

    Half the card ended with interference or fuck finishes. It was totally
    fucked over Lethal (and what the hell did he do with his tights) who
    should have gotten an actual win on his first night defending both
    titles. Not the rollup with the tights or the fuck finish that was the
    main match

    TV Title – Lethal/Fish was good, but the finish was bad.

    Castle/Young was not as good as their Best of Both Worlds match, and any
    time a wrestler decides to get DQ’d in front of a ref when they have a
    stip for losing totally loses me.

    Briscos/ANX was good, but Cole/Detmer on commentary really were
    distracting for me. Great to see they didn’t bury King on his return
    from TNA, but it felt like they were trying to promote too many feuds at
    once.

    Moose/Alexander – Moose needs to stop doing anything that takes him
    above the middle rope. Ending was good, rest of the match sucked. Lot of
    cringeworthy unprotected headshots with a chair as well.

    ACH/Sydal – Pretty Good match, shouldn’t have been on PPV. It was a 3rd
    match in a best of 5, with them tied at 1-1. Corino tried playing up the
    2-1 advantage, but it really didn’t matter. Matches 4 and 5 should be on
    PPV as potential feud ending ones….not a non deciding match.

    Tag Title Match: Addiction/Young Bucks/Kingdom Great match. Even if
    ended on interference, it brought good closure on the KDR angle that
    gave Addiction the title win in Austin to begin with. Interesting to see
    where this goes, especially after the ME. Great action, everyone did
    well, and I didn’t mind that it was the 4th fuck finish on a 7 match card.

    #1 Contenders Match – Styles/Elgin/Cole/Strong
    Kind of shocked that Nigel made no mention of the interference in the
    previous match, given that was his reasoning for making it a 3 way to
    begin with on the TV tapings. It was a good match, but honestly, Elgin
    and Strong should not have been in this position. Elgin was in a much
    better position after his G-1 performance, but not close for a world
    title shot. Strong already had 2 shots against Lethal and couldn’t win.
    Cole was my favorite to win, and I didn’t think AJ would win as a part
    time guy. Glad to see we’re getting AJ/Lethal or Fish/Lethal soon, but I
    was more happy that this match didn’t end in a fuck finish after we’ve
    had 3 or 4 already.

    World Title match:
    WWE is going to have a hard time fucking it up more than ROH. You eject
    the interference and start a conga line of interference instead. Match
    never really got going before the fuck finish. Lethal needed to be
    booked stronger than he was. Two fuck finish victories for your True ROH
    Champion on a PPV? Fuck. I at least expect that WWE is going to drop a
    title off of Rollins, which is the right call.

    – Greg Valko

    Thumbs up.

    Best match: Atlantis vs Sombra
    Worst: Maximo/et al vs Polvora/Dragon Rojo/Rey Escorpion

    Almost all matches had good moments, even the mostly inconsequential ones. Good showing by Disturbio in opener. Young guys good, but Virus is great as cagey veteran. Second match was fine; told Maximo had great heat live. women’s match was okay, but too slow paced and lost the crowd. May have better to have Dark Angel wrestle a ruda like Amapola or Zeuxis. Dragon Lee could’ve stole the show if the main event was not so good. Shame Niebla got a spot that could have gone to Cavernario or Hechicero. semi-main had good action, but a horrible finish. Main was great even if my prediction was wrong. Not quite the twilight of the 80s Luchadors, as Dr. lucha wrote in the lucha issue of our new magazine.  Were they already setting up hair vs Mask with Rush and Atlantis for next year?

    Almost no problems with the stream. Lost audio a couple times, but no video issues or buffering. Over 10,000 viewers on youtube, thought 9,000 or more likely did not pay. Certainly worth $10.

    Mark Coale
    Odessa Steps Magazine