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  • TNA house show report 9-17 York, PA

    By Joshua Sites

    I was at the TNA house show tonight at the York Fairgrounds in York, PA.

    Results:

    Tyrus b. DJZ by pinfall in a nothing match. Nobody knew Tyrus by his TNA name. Everyone was yelling Brodus and Funkasaurus.

    The Wolves b. Abyss/Manik by pinfall in a decent match. Wolves were kind of over.

    Gail Kim b. Awesome Kong by pinfall. Kong doesn’t look like she’s moving around too well. After the match, she went into the empty ringside seats and started throwing chairs like she was in Japan. Except there probably would have been people in the seats in Japan.

    Tommy Dreamer b. Eli Drake by pinfall. Dreamer came out to his old ECW music and he got the biggest pop of the night for anyone not named Hardy. Nobody knew who Drake was. They brawled in the crowd and Dreamer had little kids slap Drake and dump popcorn on him.

    Bobby Roode b. Mr. Anderson and Drew Galloway in a 3-way. I believe Roode pinned Anderson. This was the best match of the night. Roode and Galloway came across as big stars and deserve much more than this. Anderson held his own in the match too. This was the 4th match of the night that featured nut shots by the way. Gotta go for the easy heat.

    EC3 w/Tyrus & Jeff Hardy b. Matt Hardy by pinfall. EC3 and Jeff Hardy played up the personal assistant thing with EC3 telling Jeff not to do something and he did it anyway. Jeff started “EC3 sucks” chants, etc. EC3 pinned Matt via inside cradle after a Tyrus distraction and Jeff hitting Tyrus on the back with a chair. Then the Hardys put EC3 through a table via a Matt splash off the top rope to send the crowd home happy. The only thing physical Jeff did was the chairshot and a few punches.

    Thanks,

    Joshua Sites

    Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE Smartphone

  • WWE Total Divas TV report

    Season 4, Episode 11

    Recap by Ryan Pike (@RyanNPike)

    Bryan’s Still Injured: So Brie’s husband, Bryan Danielson, is still injured and vacates his Intercontinental Title in the ring to open the episode. He gets medically cleared later, leading to a series of circular discussions – doing their best not to use the word “concussion” – between Bryan and Brie about his future. He wants to wrestle so he can make them a nest-egg to retire on (and to help them with kids). She wants him to retire now so he doesn’t have health problems later on. In the end, WWE is nervous about him wrestling and it’s left up in the air, with very little resolved. And bear in mind, this was taped in the summer.

    Paige Gets Engaged: Paige and her boyfriend Kevin end up in a ring store and he asks her a million ring-related questions, while she is too dense to realize what they mean. Later on, Emma goes snooping (with Paige’s permission) and finds an engagement ring. Paige panics while everybody else presumes she’ll get engaged by the end of the episode – it’s like they’re aware of Chekov’s Gun or something. Anyway, after freaking out all episode about not being ready to get married, she says yes when he proposes (via a tattoo on his arm that says “Will you marry me.”) It’s cute, but you get the impression that there’s trouble coming.

    Jon Uso Does Stand-Up: Everyone keeps telling Jon Uso that he’s hilarious, so Dolph Ziggler sets up a set for him at a local comedy club. Jon tries out a set at home that’s basically him making fun of his wife. He comes up with a better set, which contains him making jokes about how handsome and ripped Ziggler is. Naomi is happy he was able to get out of his comfort zone a bit and have fun.

    I swear, I think Nikki might end up being the last unmarried, childless person on this show the way cast members keep getting married off.

  • WWE: 9-17 NXT house show in Houston

    by Scott Williams

     1. Enzo & Big Cass vs Chad Gable & Jordan. The ring isn’t lit for shit. Enzo pinned Gable after a rocket launcher.

    2. Bull Dempsey pinned Tye Dillinger with a flying teabag. Comedy match.

    3. Apollo Crews beat Solomon Crowe. Crews did some nice spots.

    4. Samoa Joe vs Baron Corbin. “Joe’s gonna kill you” chant to start. Lackluster offense by Corbin. Joe won by KO/submission with the clutch.

    Intermission

    5. Dana Brooke pinned Carmela. Not good. Was wishing the ring was even more poorly lit.

    6. Tag title: Vaudevillains beat Blake & Murphy. Best match so far. Vaudevillains are fantastic.

    7. NXT women’s: Bayley beat Emna. Bayley got THE pop of the night. Seeing her live, her charisma and ability to connect with fans is practically palpable.

    8. Main, NXT title: Finn Balor beat Tyler Breeze. Good back and forth, with NXT & the overused Awesome chants late in the bout. After, Balor took selfies with Breeze’s phone.

    Lighting got better later in the show. Overall, a fun event, definitely a thumbs up.

  • THURS EVE UPDATE: Fedor, Ratings destroyed by CNN, UFC early 2016 big shows, TNA title match, NXT

    By Dave Meltzer

    We’re looking for reports on tonight’s NXT show in Houston and TNA show in York, PA (Ethan Carter III with Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy, Bobby Roode vs. Drew Galloway vs. Ken Anderson for the King of the Mountain title, Tommy Dreamer vs. Eli Drake in a street fight, Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong, The Wolves vs. Abyss & Manik, DJ Zema Ion vs. Tyrus) at Dave Meltzerdave@wrestlingobserver.com”>

    Smackdown tonight from Little Rock

    Paige & Becky Lynch vs. Naomi & Sasha Banks

    Devon Dudley vs. Kofi Kingston

    Cesaro vs. Big Show

    Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens

    Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins & Sheamus 

    We’ve got a look at WWE right now with the issues that have led to ratings setting record lows as well as an update on TNA, New Japan, GFW, ROH and everyone else in the battle for No. 2, as the lead stories in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  This issue also has a detailed look at the Nick Diaz situation and why it is far more complicated than most are making it out to be, Atlantis vs. La Sombra in one of the year’s biggest matches, a history of the CMLL anniversary shows, a look at Thomas Hauser’s article on USADA, an update on Dr. Christopher Amann’s lawsuit against C.M. Punk and Colt Cabana, what led to the Mayweather flop on PPV and New Japan builds for two PPVs this month.

    The latest Wrestling Observer:September 21, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: State of WWE after lowest ratings in years

    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!

    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 Meltzer

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    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.

    The lead story looks at what is and isn’t misleading about the record low ratings for Raw and Smackdown over the past two weeks, the rate of decline, the future of Smackdown, and why wrestling even with lower ratings may be far more valuable to the USA Network when the current contract is over.  We look at the problems that are inherent, those that can be addressed and those that can’t.  We look at why this past week’s Raw rating was far more sobering than the week before as well as how wrestling and every combat sport is changing from an economic situation worldwide.  We look at interviews, finishes, making stars and dropping the ball on stars.  We also look at Night of Champions.

    We update the TNA television situation, what promotion had a strong growth year, and the future of No. 2, as well as an update on all of TNA’s TV deals.

    We go in depth on Nick Diaz, and what are the key elements of the story, why he got a five year suspension, how Diaz has blown his prime years in fighting, the commissioners discuss the suspension and the deliberations leading to it.  We talk about why comparisons to Anderson Silva and Jon Jones aren’t valid in this case, detail the controversies over the test results, the legal issues involved, and Diaz talks about what happened in childhood that led him to where he is.

    We also look at the situation with Jake Shields and the commission ruling on his post-match punch to Rousimar Palhares, as well as his comments on what happened.

    We also look at what contracted talent was told about Hulk Hogan, as well as a double standard that is too obvious, the next Takeover special, Update on Lana, Dwayne Johnson makes former WWE writer a major executive in his company, what happened at the recent NXT talent meeting, Daniel Bryan talks about creating new stars, and his health situation as well as PPV matches he wants.

    We look at plans for the November European tour, WWE performers and Twitter, Paige talks in detail about her incident with Alicia Fox that turned into a fight of sorts with two other women and how it all went down.  Jimmy Noonan talks issues with WWE security including a story when a fan kicked the ass of a main event wrestler inside the ring one night and how that fan ended up as a wrestler.

    We look at another sports star that WWE is bringing in for a tryout, four cast members from Tough Enough who have now signed contracts, this week’s NXT shows, and the father of a WWE wrestler who is an all-time legend in slow-pitch softball.

    We’ve got notes on the WWE TV shows as well as the next month of NXT shows, as well as reports on WWE business over the past week, and highlights from all the house shows.

    We look at the Atlantis vs La Sombra match, the build to the match, why the match is so big, the last angle and what happened with Dr. Wagner Jr. an L.A. Park.  We also look at a history of the CMLL Anniversary shows, with the big names that have appeared on them and the most famous matches over the years.

    We look at Thomas Hauser’s article on USADA and how it related to Floyd Mayweather, what about the article had validity and what was a stretch.  We look at USADA’s drug testing in UFC and what the results so far say, the concept of retroactive TUE’s, a scary aspect of a contract Manny Pacquiao was given and wouldn’t sign, rumors of Mayweather positive tests, and the story behind Erik Morales failing four tests before a fight for Clenbuterol and still fighting.

    We update the situation with Dr. Christopher Amann’s lawsuit against C.M. Punk.  We look at the response to the suit filed by Punk and Colt Cabana, WWE’s response and what the key issues in the suit are.

    We also update on the last two AAA TV tapings, Genichiro Tenryu’s last match at Korakuen Hall, the Dragon Gate Summer Adventure tag team tournament, the All Japan Open singles tournament, the NOAH jr. heavyweight tournament, New Japan talks about their relationship with WWE and more.

    We also look at some significant negotiations going on with ROH and a look at the weekend events.

    We also look at the Jarrett/Dixie Carter deal, Earl Hebner into the TNA Hall of Fame and his background, an update on Bram and Kurt Angle and Angle’s wrestling schedule.

    We look at ticket sales for UFC 194 and how early sales have been, more big fights announced, a UFC signee who will start after competing in the 2016 Olympics, Ronda Rousey in the ESPN poll of the greatest female athlete of all-time, as well as lots of new UFC fights.

    We also look at a new Bellator deal, and Scott Coker’s hopes for this week’s show.

    We also look at a proposed Chael Sonnen vs. Josh Barnett grappling match, and the return of Ben Askren.

    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.

    THURSDAY’S NEWS UPDATE

    • Fedor Emelianenko is here in San Jose for the weekend for the Bellator show.  He said that his announcement, that he originally said would be at the end of the month, regarding his comeback, may be delayed.  He said the deal is not completed right now.  He said he’s enjoying training and his injuries have healed, and estimates being four months from his first fight back.
    • The ring, cage and stage set up for Saturday’s show takes up almost the entire floor.  They were setting the arena up this morning.  The show has already destroyed every Bellator gate record in its history.  Based on local reaction, Tito Ortiz is still a draw and this is a good MMA city when they are given what the people consider a marquee show.
    • The debate last night destroyed everyone’s ratings.  Ultimate Fighter was down to 463,000 viewers for the first episode.  TNA did 258,000 viewers at 9 p.m., its lowest to date, on the show where the future of the company was at stake.  ROH did 89,000 viewers, which is by far its low since being down to one airing.  The TNA replay did 62,000 viewers, which is not its all-time low, but well below average.  The Republic debate drew 23.06 million viewers on CNN and went head-to-head with both TNA and Ultimate Fighter, and the debate and post-debate coverage went against ROH.
    • Dana White said today that if Conor McGregor beats Jose Aldo, that they have promised him that his first title defense will be at Croke Park in Dublin.  White actually said this back in July after McGregor beat Chad Mendes, that they had made that deal with him.  That will mean for the first time in years, UFC will do a PPV out of its regular time slot, and it will be an afternoon show instead of a prime time show in the U.S.
    • A more detailed version of USADA corrections to the Thomas Hauser article
    • A major discussion on concussions at the start of hour two of this show, a lot of which relates to  Daniel Bryan
    • EPIX TV is doing a documentary called “DOPED,” a one hour show covering USADA.  Thomas Hauser will be the guest, as will reps from USADA, WADA and Victor  Conte.  It should be interesting given the Hauser article and USADA response today.  The show will air on 9/30.
    • Expect a TNA departure in 24 hours and counting.
    • Gail Kim defends the Knockouts title against Awesome Kong at Bound for Glory on 10/4.
    • UFC has announced a 2/6 show in Las Vegas on PPV as well as a 1/30 show on FOX.  There will also be another PPV on 3/5.  Also announced are FS 1 dates on 2/21, 2/27 (from the O2 Arena in London) and 3/19.
    • Paige VanZant has signed to face Joanne Calderwood on the 12/10 UFC show in Las Vegas on Fight Pass.  VanZant has also signed a new UFC contract.
    • For Saturday night’s Minoru Suzuki vs. Takashi Sugiura GHC title match in Osaka, it was announced today that New Japan’s Tiger Hattori will be the guest referee.  The match is billed as having an absolute conclusion, meaning no time limit, and can only end by pin, submission or knockout.  Nobody is allowed at ringside from either NOAH or Suzuki-gun.  But there will be back-up referees at ringside.  The show also has Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer defending the tag titles against War Machine, Taichi vs. Daisuke Harada for the GHC jr. title and Maybach Taniguchi vs. Takashi Iizuka no DQ and no count out.
    • UFC’s Leslie Smith has said she will no longer fight in Las Vegas, protesting the five year suspension of Nick Diaz. 
    • NXT tonight in Houston has Finn Balor vs. Tyler Breeze for the NXT title, Bayley vs. Emma for the women’s title and Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin.
    • Tomorrow’s NXT in Austin, going head-to-head with ROH’s PPV show in nearby San Antonio, has Bayley vs. Dana Brooke for the women’s title and Joe vs. Breeze.  The Sunday show in San Antonio, against the ROH tapings, has Balor vs. Breeze again and Vaudevillains vs. Blake & Murphy as part of the Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament.
    • WWE stock ended up unchanged today, closing at $19.05 per share.
    • Here is a link of pics including Edge as the character Atom Smasher on the TV Series The Flash.  Of the 28 pics, you can see him at pics 25 and 26.
    • CWE on 10/3 in Morden,, Manitoba with an eight woman Battle Royal.
    • World Series of Fighting airs at 10 p.m. tomorrow night on NBC Sports with Justin Gaethje vs. Luis Palomino for the lightweight title and David Branch vs. Teddy Holder to decide the first WSOF light heavyweight title.  Former Seattle crime fighter Phoenix Jones, real name Ben Fodor, returns on the show.
    • WWE’s Matt Bloom, who stars in the movie “The Dog Wedding,” will be appearing at a red carpet premiere on 9/21 in Boston,  The plot of the movie is that a German businesswoman (Rosalie Thomass) falls for an American pro wrestler (Bloom) while planning a wedding for her British Bulldog.  The premiere will be at the AMC Loews Boston Common at 7:30 p.m.
    • Honky Tonk Man and Bushwhacker Luke Williams will headline for the IWF in Nutley, NJ on 10/10 at the IWF Centre.  They will also do a meet and greet.
    • Story on Dwayne Johnson’s girlfriend expecting a baby
    • A story on the Jake Roberts documentary and its Atlanta premiere
    • Alberto Del Rio, whose MMA announcing debut is tonight at 11 p.m. Eastern, talks C.M. Punk
      “It’s going to be difficult, but I know he’s been busting his ass for months and months,” Patron told Sporting News. “I know he’s going to be ready. He’s an athlete. He has the passion. He’s hungry for that and I know a lot of people want him to not do well.”
      “I’m 100 percent sure he’s going to do just fine,” Patron said of Punk. “I’m going to be there that day to support him and I just wish him success. Not luck because he doesn’t need luck. He’s going to succeed in this venture.”
      Patron also discusses why people want to see pro wrestlers fail when they transition to MMA.
      Here is the link to the article
    • A 1989 Bruno Sammartino interview
    • Frenchy Martin talks the murder of Dino Bravo

  • THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE: TNA has first U.S. house show of year, Del Rio debut, USADA responds to Hauser, TNA loses German TV

    By Dave Meltzer

    dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    We’re looking for reports on tonight’s NXT show in Houston and TNA show in York, PA (Ethan Carter III with Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy, Bobby Roode vs. Drew Galloway vs. Ken Anderson for the King of the Mountain title, Tommy Dreamer vs. Eli Drake in a street fight, Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong, The Wolves vs. Abyss & Manik, DJ Zema Ion vs. Tyrus) at dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Smackdown tonight from Little Rock

    Paige & Becky Lynch vs. Naomi & Sasha Banks

    Devon Dudley vs. Kofi Kingston

    Cesaro vs. Big Show

    Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens

    Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins & Sheamus

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter 

    A look at this 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 Wrestling Observer:September 21, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: State of WWE after lowest ratings in years

    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!

    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 Meltzer

    You can also order at via PayPal by sending a payment 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 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 look at Saturday’s UFC show, the business notes on the show, where the top guys go next along with match-by-match coverage, how much everyone earned, and poll results on the show.

    We also have rundowns of the major TV shows of the past week.

    We also go in depth on the Battle of Los Angeles tournament with match-by-match coverage for all three nights, what is PWG, the atmosphere and more.

    We also have notes on the ratings of all the major television shows, including just how badly the main shows fared, and results of the major league arena events over the past week.

    We also look at the affect that Dr. Wagner Jr. and L.A. Park have on business in Mexico, what dream of L.A. Park fell through, Rey Mysterio in AAA and notes on several big shows plus names they are talking about bringing in.

    We also update the Dragon Gate tag team tournament and the NOAH Jr. tag team tournament.  We also look at New Japan’s next international tour, why Tenryu vs. Okada is taking place in November, what foreign stars are being discussed for New Japan, and Hiroshi Tanahashi doing the DDT show and the future of Yohei Komatsu and Sho Tanaka.

    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.

    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.

    THURSDAY’S NEWS UPDATE

    • This is up early and we will likely have another update up tonight.
    • USADA filed a response to Thomas Hauser’s article
    • Congrats to Dwayne Johnson and girlfriend Lauren Hashian, who are expecting their first child together
    • Combate Americas, an MMA promotion aimed at the Hispanic market, debuts tonight on NBC Universo at 11 p.m. Eastern time, with Alberto Del Rio as announcer.  Both Konnan and Rey Mysterio are also supposed to be part of the show.  
    • This past weekend was the single most watched opening weekend in NFL history.
    • Vitor Belfort accused Chris Weidman of stopping cycling because his testosterone level was somewhat low in their fight in May in an MMA Fighting article by Guilherme Cruz.  This was in response to Belfort’s test levels being right at the top level of acceptable even though he had a history of TRT use which would be because his body wasn’t producing enough testosterone in theory.  Belfort said that everyone was cycling testosterone but he was the only one honest about it, and even with the high reading, he has a deficiency and doesn’t have a normal social life.  As far as why he still had such a high level with this deficiency, he said, “I won’t reveal my secret, and my doctor’s secret, but we have been using natural things to meet this demand.”
    • TNA was just canceled today by DMAX which covers Germany and Austria.
    • Tommy Dreamer was at WWE Studios this past week, likely filming interviews.  Amy Dumas was back at the Performance Center.
    • There will be a South Jersey Wrestle Fest on 10/11 in Woodbury Heights, NJ at the Community Center at 3 p.m. with a live show at 6 p.m.  Among those appearing are The Sandman, Justin Credible, Raven and New Jack.
    • New England Championship Wrestling from Saturday night in Everett, MA:  Mike Garcia b Kris Pyro, Jacob b Foxx Vinyer, The Glamour Express b Heavy Hitters, Juvenile X b Fahrenheit, Mistress Belmont NC Alexxis Nevaeah, Beau Crockett b Dan Terry, Todeo Loco b Scott Levesque, Jack Maverick & Chris Escobar b Genesis & Damien Wayne, Mike McCarthy b Slyck Wagner Brown to win the NECW title.  Next show is 10/10 in Hampstead, NH at the Phan Zone with McCarthy vs. Escobar.
    • New England Championship Wrestling will return to broadcast TV on COZI-TV in Boston and MeTV in New York.  There will also be an all woman’s show on 11/22 in Beverly, MA at the Cove Community Center.
    • CWE on 9/30 in Virden, Manitoba at the Royal Canadian Legion.
    • ECWA on 9/19 in Woodbury Heights, NJ at the Community Center.
    • Ultra Wrestle from Saturday night in Laurens, SC:  Joe Harrison b Caleb Crocker, Mason Mayles b Erik Thompson, Myles b Noah Young, Anthony Jannazzo b Jeff Connelly, Brice Anthony & Boomer Payne b TK Stark & Jett Black, Deon Johnson & Cruizer Lewis b Laurens County Sheriff Ricky Chastain & Josh Powers-DQ (thanks to Thomas Simpson)’
    • Maryland Championship Wrestling Saturday night in Hollywood, MD at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department has Mickie James and Jake Roberts appearing.  They will be at a Meet and Greet at 6:30 p.m.  James will also wrestle Kimber Lee on the card.
    • Pro Wrestling Eclipse on 10/4 in Oshawa, ONT at the Oshawa Legion with The Flatliners and Ethan Page.
    • Future Stars of Wrestling on 9/25 at the Silverton Casino in Las Vegas with Brian Cage defending the FSW title against Kevin Kross.  Paul London and Willie Mack also appear.
    • There is a Fight Night card tomorrow night at Center Stage in Atlanta at 8 p.m.
    • Mecca Pro Wrestling on 9/26 in Kingston, ONT at Legion 560.
    • Live Pro Wrestling on 10/24 in Renfrew, ONT at RCAF 433 Wing.
    • North Shore Wrestling on 9/12 in Quebec City:  Tony Tremblay b Super Astro, Giovanni b Domino Jonathan, Alextreme & James Stone b Marty Boston & Mike Bedrich, Surfer Mitch won over Brad Alekxis, Branden O’Connor, Leon Saver, Liam Letto and Matt Novak, Scott Parker & Shane Matthews b Idriss & Oliver Strange, Midianne & Stafeny Sinclair b Angie Skye & Jessika Black, Shayne Hawke b Michael Style, Johnny Gargano b Excess, Dru Onyx & Judas & Pee We & Travis Toxic b Alex Price & Ivan Sullivan & Marko Estrada & Razen. (thanks to Steven Ashe)
    • Classic Championship Wrestling on 10/24 in Chatham, ONT at the WISH Centre headlined by Cody Deaner vs. Derek Wylde.
    • Ricky Steamboat will be appearing on the NWA Smoky Mountain show on 10/17 in Elizabethton, TN at the High School, which will have two Hall of Famers with Ricky Morton also appearing.  Steamboat will be in Morton’s corner as he faces former protege Kid Kash.
    • Marvelous Puroresu USA at the BPO Elks Lodge in Queensboro #878 in Elmhurst, NY with Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Sumie Sakai vs. Patrick Clark (Tough Enough) & Kimber Lee, Amazing Red vs. Lio Rush plus Chigusa Nagayo will be singing songs from the 80s, as well as Veda Scott, Cheeseburger and D.J. Hyde.  While Nagoya did have some major hits, she really isn’t that good of a singer.
    • Premier Wrestling Federation’s 7th annual Legacy Cup which includes Steve Corino and C.W. Anderson tapes place at Hubert, NC at the Hashimoto Hall, which is named after Shinya Hashimoto.
    • Premier Wrestling presents Premier X on Saturday at Del Mar High School in San Jose at 6 p.m. headlined by JR Kratos vs. Jeff Cobb for the championship plus Timothy Thatcher, Dylan Drake and others appear.

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

    1987 – Kendo Nagasaki beat Wayne Bridges in Bradford to win the ASP heavyweight title and Fit Finlay beat Chic Cullen to win the British heavy middleweight title

    2000 – Kaoru beat Manami Toyota to win the WWWA title and Miho Wakizawa beat Nanae Takahashi to win the Japanese title

    2000 – Gedo & Jado & Kaori Nakayama (woman wrestler) beat Kodo Fuyuki & Mr Gannosuke & Shinsuku-zame in Tokyo to win the WEW six-man titles

    2006 – Averno beat Negro Casas in Mexico City to win the CMLL welterweight title

    2009- -Shingo Takagi & Yamato beat Genki Horiguchi & Ryo Saito in Tokyo to win the Open the Twin Gate titles

  • On this date in pro wrestling history (9/17): Flair wins 1st World Title, Cena defeats Edge in TLC

    1958

    Lafayette, Louisiana:

    – Billy Wicks defeated Buddy Fuller for the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title

    1966

    Seattle, Washington:

    – Betty Boucher defeated The Fabulous Moolah for the NWA World Women’s Championship

    1970

    Jacksonville, Florida:

    – The Texas Outlaws, Dick Murdoch & Dusty Rhodes, defeated Jose Lothario & Argentina Apollo to win the NWA

    Florida Tag Team Title

    1974

    Macon, Georgia:

    – Bill Dromo and Mike McCord defeated Ole & Gene Anderson to win the Southeastern Tag Team Titles in a No DQ Match.

    1977

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin:

    – 90 minute time limit match, AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel went to a double countout with Billy Robinson

    – Super Destroyer & Angelo Mosca beat Dr X & the Crusher

    – In a Lumberjack Match, Greg Gagne beat Bobby Heenan

    – Blackjack Lanza beat Jim Brunzell dq

    – Bob Backlund drew Bobby Duncum

    – Roger Kirby beat Steve Olsonoski

    1981

    Kansas City, Missouri:

    – Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Lou Thesz was special guest referee (This was Ric Flair’s first World

    Heavyweight title)

    – Michael Hayes,Bob Brown and Rufus R. Jones defeated Gene Lewis, The Monk and Oliver Humperdink

    – Harley Race defeated Sgt. Slaughter

    – Bob Sweetan defeated Bobby Jaggers to retain the Central States TV Title

    – Buzz Tyler & James J. Dillon defeated Ron Sexton & Terry Gibbs

    1982

    St. Louis, Missouri:

    – Harley Race defeated Dick The Bruiser to win the Missouri State Heavyweight Title

    1987

    Kansas City, Missouri:

    – WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Harley Race in a steel cage match

    1988

    Bayamon, Puerto Rico:

    – TNT (Savio Vega) defeated Buddy Landel to win the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Title

    Nashville, Tennessee:

    – Ron Garvin defeated Greg Gagne to win the AWA International Television Title

    – AWA Champion Jerry Lawler went to a no contest with Kerry Von Erich

    – Sgt. Slaughter beat Soldat Ustinov dq

    – Jeff Jarrett & Bill Dundee & Jimmy Valiant beat Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden & Tommy Rich dq

    1995

    Asheville, North Carolina:

    – Diamond Dallas Page defeated The Renegade to win the WCW Television Title

    – Harlem Heat defeated Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater to win the WCW World Tag Team Title at the Fall Brawl PPV

    – Hulk Hogan, Sting, Randy Savage & Lex Luger defeated Kamala, Zodiac (Brutus Beefcake), Shark (John Tenta) & Meng in a War Games match

    2000

    Buffalo, New York:

    – Booker T defeated Kevin Nash in a cage match to win the WCW World Championship at the Fall Brawl PPV

    – Scott Steiner defeated Bill Goldberg in a no DQ match

    – Lance Storm defeated General Reaction to retain the US title

    2002

    Cincinnati, Ohio:

    – Matt Stryker defeated Cody Hawk for the HWA Heavyweight Title

    2005

    Long Island, New York:

    – Bryan Danielson defeated James Gibson to win the ROH championship at Glory by Honor IV

    – ROH Pure champion Nigel McGinnis defeated Roderick Strong to retain the title

    2006

    – At the Unforgiven PPV, John Cena defeated Edge to win the WWE Championship in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match

    – Trish Stratus defeated Lita to win the WWE Diva’s Championship.

  • WWE NXT: 5 things you might not know about Asuka/Kana

    By Bryan Rose, WrestlingObserver.com

    One of the most interesting names signed by WWE this year is Asuka, the new name of top joshi wrestler Kana who was signed recently to a WWE developmental deal. At 33, it’s a surprising signing as WWE usually signs women about ten years younger, but during these last ten years, Kana has made herself into one of the top women’s wrestlers in Japan, despite the fact that joshi wrestling is nowhere near the popularity of its heyday 20 years ago.

    Right now, despite some satellite TV play, it’s pretty much under the radar in Japan, and even more so in the United States, to the point that when she was signed, not a lot of people had heard about her.

    What’s funny about that is that despite all of the above, she’s carved herself quite a formidable career as a joshi wrestler in a unpopular era, and even just as an individual she is very unique.

    Here are five things about Asuka/Kana that you might not know:

    1) Her favoritest wrestler of all time is Triple H…but she’s had other inspirations growing up.

    Sure, it’s a mandatory requirement whenever a indy name signs with WWE, they say that Triple H is awesome, he’s so great, etc. But in other interviews not mandated by WWE, Kana has stated her inspirations include Keiji Muto, Akira Maeda, Volk Han, and Minoru Suzuki. Even though their rise was during a period where women’s promotions such as AJW were building momentum, she was never a fan of women’s wrestling growing up.

    2) She is a product of a post AJW world.

    Well, many women wrestlers in Japan are. But she broke into the business in 2004, right as AJW was on its last legs. Whereas in the early to mid 90s, All Japan Women’s wrestling was at its peak, by the late 1990s, financial issues and talent defections took their toll, and once their television was taken away from them in 2002, it was only a matter of time before the promotion closed down. Joshi wrestling obviously still exists in Japan as there were a number of promotions to come out in the wake of AJW’s downfall, but none are more than a blip on the radar when it comes to the wrestling scene in Japan.

    One of the promotions that would rise under AJW’s downfall would be AtoZ, founded by former AJW star Mariko Yoshida. Although they had a mix of both new talent and known AJW talent, they didn’t last long, with Yoshida leaving a couple of years after its inception. However, this is where Kana would break into the business, wrestling there until 2006, when she had to retire. The promotion folded shortly after.

    3) She’s had to retire before.

    Kana might not even have been close on WWE’s radar if she had decided to continue her retirement. She announced her retirement way back in 2006 due to recurring bouts of nephritis, which inflames the kidney area. This didn’t last long, however, as she came back as a free agent in 2007 and has worked for various promotions include Pro Wrestling Wave, Shimmer, Reina, SMASH (where she had a memorable feud with former WWE star Serena), and it’s successor promotion New Wrestling Classic.

    4) This isn’t her first time working in North America.

    Although joining NXT means she’ll be leaving Japan for a long period of time, this isn’t the first time Kana will be wrestling outside of Japan. Before signing with WWE, she was a regular with Shimmer, working as a heel against the likes of now WWE trainer Sara Del Rey, Cheerleader Melissa, Lufisto and more. She’s also worked a bit in Chikara, defeating people just as Jessie McKay, who is also in NXT as Billie Kay. Her most recent match in the United States was against Kay Lee Ray and Courtney Rush at a Shimmer taping last October.

    5) She’s really into video games.

    Interestingly enough, Kana has been a freelance video game writer when not wrestling. Favoring western developers such as Ubisoft and EA, she has previously written for Xbox Magazine in Japan and has even been sponsored by Microsoft in the past, sporting the logo on her gear for matches. She’s also been a graphic designer, working games for both the Nintendo DS as well as mobile titles.

    ***** 

    It’s very interesting to see how Kana will do in the WWE. It’s a completely new style she’ll have to get used to, and she’ll also have to learn English. I keep thinking about Hideo Itami’s run so far, and although he’s not a failure by any means, he’s had his struggles. Kana might have these same struggles when she reports to the Performance Center later this month, but with the experiences she has been through, it might be an easier transition.

  • WWE Smackdown 9/17 TV results & recap: Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins & Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens, Bellabration

    By Steve Khan, WrestlingObserver.com

    – Air Date: September 17, 2015 (Sept 16 in Canada)
    – Location: Verizon Arena in Little Rock, AR

    The Big News:

    Big Show beat Cesaro clean, and they teased big dissension between Seth Rollins and Sheamus.

    Show Recap:

    Smackdown started with a video package of Sting’s first Raw match(es). They also announced Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins & Sheamus for tonight.

    Seth Rollins came out and said he would make history at Night of Champions when he successfully defends both of his titles against two legends. Crowd chanted “We want Sting.” Rollins said he would crush John Cena’s spirit and show why Sting is the past.

    Rollins moved onto tonight’s tag match. He’s fine with teaming with Sheamus because he’s the man and isn’t that worried. Rollins said he keeps his friends close and his enemies closer (zzz), which brought out Sheamus. Sheamus said Rollins doesn’t want him as an enemy.

    Sheamus claimed Rollins won’t see it coming when he cashes in. Rollins laughed and said it would hard not to see him coming. The crowd chanted “You look stupid,” and Sheamus yelled “R.T.H.!” — Respect the Hawk.

    Sheamus said he just wants them to be friends and would love a fight with Reigns and Ambrose. Immediately after saying he wanted to be friends, Sheamus said he would be scouting Rollins and would be the next WWE Champion whether Seth sees it coming or not.

    If this sounded like every opening segment ever, that’s because it was.

    Naomi & Sasha Banks (w/Tamina) beat Paige & Becky Lynch (w/Charlotte) via pinfall

    Team BAD came out to Naomi’s music. Rich Brennan plugged the upcoming NXT Iron Man match with Banks and Bayley. After a break, Team BAD had the heat on Lynch. Naomi and Banks did the Benjamin and Haas leapfrog guillotine spot, except they used the bottom rope.

    Lynch kicked away both heels and made the hot tag to Paige. Paige used knees and a superkick but was momentarily distracted by Banks on the outside allowing Naomi to roll her up for the win. Paige was pissed and the commentators discussed how poorly things are going for Paige lately.

    Backstage, Stardust said he and The Ascension would defeat Neville and the Lucha Dragons. He didn’t quite phrase it that way.

    The New Day came out with their usual protest signs. Big E had a sign that said “Wait for it…” on one side and “Booty!” on the other. Jerry Lawler seemed concerned by the “Broken Wood is No Good” sign.

    Xavier Woods said a table is a terrible thing to waste. He emphasized that the Dudleys were “boys” and they were disrespecting every man and wo-man. Woods said they were disrespecting one wo-man in particular — Mother Nature.

    Big E wanted to help the Dudleys by having them sign a petition to save the tables. The petition was on a wooden clipboard, which Kingston said was like a mini table. They chanted “Save the tables” but the Dudleys interrupted.

    Kofi Kingston (w/New Day) beat D-Von Dudley (w/Bubba Ray Dudley) via pinfall

    D-Von broke the clipboard over his knee and hit a flapjack on Kingston. Big E pulled out a table but Bubba tossed him down. Woods distracted D-Von so D-Von went after him. Kingston used the distraction to apply a school boy for the win. (Yes, this was basically the finish of the previous match.) New Day ran off with a table. New Day were entertaining as usual but the match was just an angle and it didn’t really get over.

    Backstage, Alicia Fox, Brie and Nikki Bella prepared for their “Bellabration.” Brie went over the checklist and Alicia said they got 298 champagne bottles shipped from France. That’s a lot of bottles. Brie said they would end up in Brie Mode. Nikki exclaimed “I’m such a queen!”

    Nikki had a few crazy demands, including the attendance of “Kim and Kanye.” Brie tried to tell her they weren’t coming but Nikki wouldn’t hear it. Nikki said they should be able to handle any issues and left. Brie and Alicia looked on concerned. All three were good in their roles as vacuous ninnies that nobody could possibly like. So this was… good, I guess?

    As Big Show walked backstage, The Miz handed him a confidential document. Miz politely asked him to looked at it and walked away. Show looked at the document, rolled his eyes, groaned, and tossed it away. Show’s total disgust towards Miz was amusing.

    Big Show beat Cesaro via pinfall

    Cesaro immediately hit a dropkick and proceeded to work over the arm. Show was able to overpower Cesaro and tossed him aside. Booker called Show “a giant guy” and Lawler said Show used Google Earth to take a selfie. Booker added something a bit more insightful when he said he’s known Show since he started and hasn’t lost a beat.

    Cesaro came back with uppercuts, a running knee and flying crossbody for two. Show went for a chokeslam but Cesaro countered and tried a Neutralizer, but Show used a back body drop and a KO punch for the win.

    As painful as it sounds, I can see why they protect Big Show, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of Cesaro. We know this already, and they obviously don’t care.

    Reigns and Ambrose were backstage and were interrupted by Renee Young, which seemed to annoy Ambrose. Renee said she was just doing her job and asked who their partner would be. Reigns wasn’t going to tell her but did say it was Ambrose who made the call. Ambrose said she would find out when the Wyatts do and they won’t be outgunned anymore. Reigns said they would beat Rollins and Sheamus tonight to prepare for war on Sunday.

    Kevin Owens beat Dolph Ziggler via DQ

    Rusev did an inset promo, calling Ziggler a sissy. He said Summer wasn’t impressed by skinny abs or gift bags but she would be impressed when he crushes Ziggler in half. Speaking of getting crushed, Owens gained control after hitting a senton to Ziggler’s back. Owens taunted Ziggler who tried to make a comeback, but Owens cut him off with a DDT.

    After a break, Ziggler fought out of a headlock and used a backslide for two and a Fameasser for two. Ziggler blocked a superkick and hit a jumping DDT for a near fall. Outside the ring, Owens used a fallaway slam, sending Ziggler into the barricade. Ziggler beat the 10-count so Owens tossed him into the post and over the barricade into the timekeeper area. Ziggler again beat the 10-count.

    Owens followed with a superkick and went for a powerbomb on the apron but Ryback ran out for the save. Ryback tried to get him with shell shocked but Owens bailed. They announced Owens as the winner by DQ and he seemed content.

    Brie and Alicia went over the guestlist for the Bellabration but realized that nobody was showing up. They blamed it on traffic.

    They plugged Connor’s Cure and played a video package.

    Outside of an arena boardroom, Nikki showed up for her Bellabration. Brie and Alicia tried to stop Nikki from going in, but she went in the room, opened her champagne and realized nobody was there. She freaked out and Brie/Alicia said they tried to warn her. They said they would try to fix it and left.

    Charlotte, Paige and Becky showed up (the latter two in party hats). Charlotte said Nikki wouldn’t be able to pull any crap at NOC and Paige told her not to eat too much cake. Team PCB left and Adam Rose showed up to tell Nikki that her party sucked. He left and Nikki tossed away her cake, which landed on Brie and Alicia.

    Elsewhere, Summer Rae asked if Ziggler was okay and asked about the expensive earrings he got her. Ziggler said he was done with the drama and wanted to let bygones be bygones. He said sometimes a rose is just a rose, but added, “sometimes it’s more.” So he’s not done with the drama.

    Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose beat WWE & US Champion Seth Rollins & Sheamus via pinfall

    Rollins was sent to the outside and Ambrose was about to go for a drive, but Rollins comically ducked. Ambrose just stopped at the ropes and Reigns clotheslined Rollins instead. That was funny. Ambrose then hit a dive on Sheamus and they went to commercial.

    Sheamus and Rollins argued during the break but were able to gain control after each tossed Ambrose into the barricade. As they worked over Ambrose, Booker said he would not be their mystery partner at NOC and wouldn’t answer the phone if they called.

    Ambrose came back with a swinging neckbreaker and made the hot tag to Reigns, who hit Rollins with a clothesline, shoulder block, Samoan drop and ten clotheslines in the corner. Rollins tried a school boy but Reigns countered into a one-armed powerbomb.

    Rollins used a chop block and superkick and tried to tag out, but Sheamus jumped off the apron. Rollins grabbed his briefcase so Sheamus went after it, allowing Rollins to tag him. Sheamus stalked Rollins on the outside, so Ambrose hit a suicide dive. Reigns hit Sheamus with a superman punch and Ambrose followed with Dirty Deeds for the win.

    The lights went out and they showed a Wyatt video package that emphasized on Strowman. Bray said it doesn’t matter who was foolish enough to join Ambrose and Reigns because they all fall down. This bit was good.

    Final Thoughts:

    This show was perfectly fine even if nothing terribly newsworthy happened. Paige turning seems like a lock unless they decide to swerve us.

  • UFC TUF 22: McGregor vs. Faber results & recap for episode 2

    By Steve Juon, WrestlingObserver.com

    It’s a whole new season and Conor McGregor is the reason, as he and Urijah Faber go toe to toe as coaching foes on The Ultimate Fighter. They won’t duke it out after the season is done, but there’s still pride on the line, not to mention Conor’s reputation as the newest badass on the block.

    Join us each episode for “The Notorious Quote of the Week” as Conor puts his mouth where UFC’s money is! We’ll also spice things up with some predictions for week two about who could go all the way this season – two “Fighters to Watch” for each recap.

    The Notorious Quote of the Week this time shows Conor’s disdain for Urijah’s casual attire. “Flip flops and jeans? You need to dress your age, honestly.”

    The teams as determined last week:

    Team McGregor (Europe): Abner Lloveras, David Teymur, Marcin Wrzosek, Frantz Siloa, Martin Svensson, Mehdi Baghdad, Sascha Sharma, Saul Rogers

    Team Faber (United States): Brandon Ricetti, Chris Gruetzemacher, James Jenkins, Jason Gonzalez, Julian Erosa, Ryan Hall, Thanh Le, Tom Gallicchio

    Conor McGregor summons Team Europe to the changing room for a chat. He says they’ll get to work with the same coaches he does for his own fights. Then he gets down to brass tacks and says that the Europeans have had a much tougher road to get into MMA, so they’ll have more heart than the US team already, but at the end of the day there’s no such thing as a team because everybody has to individually try to win their shot to be in the UFC.

    There’s the usual amount of smack talk at the TUF house on both sides, so I’m not going to waste your time with that. Instead let’s go right to Conor McGregor’s first session. He wants them to have sparring without taking damage, to give them the feel of what a real fight situation will be like. “That’s upgrading your software without damaging your hardware.” Commercial.

    BEHOLD THE DANA WHITE SWERVE~!

    Dana gives the coaches an opportunity to bring back one eliminated fighter on each team. McGregor picked Artem Lobov and Faber picked Johnny Nunez. On top of that now that there is one extra fighter for each team, Dana White will pick one guy from each to NOT go to the quarterfinals. It’s not enough to win – he wants everybody to PERFORM.

    Thanh Le says this won’t hurt him one bit – he delivers excitement in his performances. In fact based on last week’s show he’s on my “Fighters to Watch” list. I can’t say that he’s my FINAL pick though because flashy spinning kicks and big knockouts are important, but we need to see what happens to Le when those things DON’T work out.

    McGregor and Faber talk s–t to each other as both teams are waiting in the hallway to go in and film the first fight pick announcement. Since Faber won the coin toss last week he announces the fight: Ryan Hall (USA) vs. Frantz Siloa (Europe).

    Reminder – Hall tapped out Johnny Nunez via heel hook, while Siloa got a technical submission via rear naked choke on Martin Delaney. If this one goes to the ground it could be a WILD scramble. Ryan Hall is my other pick for “Fighters to Watch” this week, especially after hearing his explanation of mastering the 50/50 position and how he’s so comfortable in it he can disarm his opponents (“taking the knife out of their hand”) on the ground, leaving him an easier path to victory. Urijah Faber refers to him “The Wizard.”

    Siloa talks about how he’s actually Iraqi by heritage, but was born in Sweden when his parents fled during a war (he doesn’t specify which one). He vows to finish the fight whether standing or on the ground. McGregor says they picked Hall to face Siloa because “they fear the exchange” and want to go to the ground, and believes Siloa can break Hall down with shots to the body and the head.

    At the weigh-ins Siloa steps on the scale first. 155 pounds even. Ryan Hall takes the scale and he’s also 155 even. Hall’s decades of jiu-jitsu competition experience are praised as we go to a commercial break, but the show is padded out with more tough talk on both sides when we come back, followed by ANOTHER commercial break. With less than ten minutes of TV time remaining you know it’ll be a one round fight.

    * Lightweight: Ryan Hall (USA) vs. Frantz Siloa (Europe)

    Hall’s in the blue trunks and Siloa the gray. Neither man is afraid to stand and trade in the first minute. Hall dives for a leg and Siloa tries to roll out of trouble but he can’t roll through the fence so he’s in trouble once he hits the chain link. Siloa taps at 1:53. Faber: “THE WIZARD!” And that’s all she wrote. Hall is making a statement with two great performances two weeks in a row.

    Meanwhile Siloa is getting iced down backstage and gets a pep talk from McGregor, saying it was just a bad break. “There’s a different between being caught and losing.” Faber and McGregor continue to talk smack. McGregor: “Flip flops and jeans? You need to dress your age, honestly.” Faber: “When I can grow a beard I’ll dress my age.” Faber announces  Chris Gruetzemacher (USA) vs. Sascha Sharma (Europe). Join us next week!

  • TNA Impact Wrestling 9/16 live TV results: GFW vs. TNA Lethal Lockdown for control of the company

    By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com

    Last week, the world’s fastest invasion angle continued when the Wolves regained the tag team titles from Trevor Lee and Bryan Myers. Former TNA World Champion Eric Young came out with Chris Melendez’s artificial leg and shoved him down, while also defacing the leg with by putting athletic tape over it with “My Leg” and EY all over it. In the main event, Chris Mordetsky beat Drew Galloway to get the man advantage in tonight’s Winner Takes All Lethal Lockdown match to blow off the GFW vs. TNA invasion. Oh, and TNA’s “biggest show of the year” is in two weeks and has had literally zero build for it.

    Yet another really green video package hyped up Lethal Lockdown, with clips of prior matches. The announcer guy says the taglines while Dixie recites them from a promo. Josh hypes up gladiators stepping inside six sides of steel as Dixie Carter faces Jeff Jarrett…a  match that isn’t happening here. JB is mid-ring saying that he has been in TNA for 13 years and two names are what you think of with TNA – Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett.  Now, on the night of the show, it’s time to make Lethal Lockdown official. Karen is out in a slick leather shirt and black leather pants, while Jeff is in jeans and a baby blue button-down shirt. Has he ever dressed nicely in a wrestling ring?

    Dixie comes down while Josh says that she has made some mistakes with TNA, a company that was once on Spike TV. Josh assures Dixie that he and Pope are behind her – I’m sure that’s a real help to her confidence. JB explains. The stipulation. In a very. Stilted manner. JB says that each has agreed to say a few words, oh thank God. Dixie says that Jeff’s action removed him from power and that even a few weeks ago, she was hopeful that she and Jeff could rewrite the ending to TNA’s story. Karen calls her delusional while Jeff says that EY is nuts, he’s at least on his side.

    Jeff says that he invested the first dollar in TNA and after tonight, he’ll be standing on top of two world-class wrestling companies. He hypes up the Global Force Wrestling Amped Army, which I guess is the roster, and tells Dixie that she should’ve always been on the outside of the business looking in. Jeff takes out JB. After 12 minutes, this ended. Josh, in a blinding checkered shirt and Pope are in their booth. Josh hypes up the TNA roster while we get a rundown of tonight’s four way Knockouts title match.

    In a great bit, we see Jeff driving EC3 around. EC3 asks that he open his door, but he’s fine just staying in and appreciates Jeff at least knowing he took a couple of turns too quickly. EC3 asks for Jeff’s phone to watch cat videos and says his taste in music sucks. This was fantastic, and then Josh threatens us with a history lesson in Dixie Carter vs. Jeff Jarrett. We get a quick video telling us that TNA used to be a global powerhouse with huge starts, but with Jarrett gone, it fell. Well, this is bizarre to say the least.

    Ad for Bound For Glory airs – the show is still two weeks away with zero matches announced. Abyss faces Shera next, and we get a Shera-Revolution recap. They actually made this seem fairly epic, and used some of the footage they shot during the final Spike shows that never aired otherwise. Abyss hobbled down and really doesn’t move like he should be working in this gimmick anymore. Shera came out doing “the Shera” dance, which the front row actually got behind a bit here. Shera teaches Bigfoot how to dance. He tries to show Abyss how to do it, but Abyss isn’t amused and attacks.

    Shera vs. Abyss

    Josh calls this the most important night of the year in TNA. I thought that was Bound For Glory? Pope calls Lethal Lockdown a battle to “keep TNA afloat”. Josh hypes up that if you use the promo code TeamTNA, you can save 20% on your order on ShopTNA. Abyss clotheslines him down. Abyss gets a neck crank on the mat. Abyss rakes the eyes to avoid the Sky High and grabs Janice. He threatens the referee with this implement of death, which isn’t a DQ. Shera gets a chokeslam for 2, but Storm comes down with a cowbell. He accidentally hits Abyss, who then accidentally hits Storm, and Shera hits the Sky High for the win. This was a fine match to use to take 20% off an order of some classic TNA PPV DVDs. Definitely get the Cross the Line triple pack and you can’t go wrong with any BFG except for 2014.

    EC3 recaps a cat video with a ball of yarn and having fun at a Hardy party. After a break, Jeff Jarrett is in his ring gear and hypes up Team GFW – which apparently now includes Eric Young. Or maybe not, as Josh and Pope have no idea why he’s there despite Jeff saying that EY has sided with him. EC3 comes out without Jeff while Pope says that if that’s what EC3 does to Jeff when cameras are on, imagine what he does when they’re not on. No thanks. EC3 scolds them for playing Jeff’s theme. Jeff comes out in a suit with EC3 faces on it while EC3 tells Jeff he may come now and talks about how shaking his tush on the catwalk. Well, maybe Pope’s homoerotic subtext is now text.

    EC3 tells Jeff that he needs this job to provide for his family and pay his medical bills. Jeff Hardy, the former top draw in pro wrestling, playing second fiddle to EC3 in this suit really does make it seem like his career has hit the skids. HBK lost his money giving it to friends, Big Show invested in a strip mall, and I guess Jeff Hardy lost all of his signing a TNA Wrestling contract.

    Rockstar Spud came down to draw the parallels between Jeff Hardy being EC3’s assistant in a wacky suit and himself formerly having that role. Spud calls him garbage, while EC3 say that garbage couldn’t beat Sting, Bully, and Angle. EC3 cheapshots Spud, who recovers and attacks EC3, but is attacked by Tyrus. EC3 tells Jeff to “hit him”. Better be specific there EC3…and he actually hits Spud instead of hitting Tyrus despite having plausible deniability. Knockouts title is up next, giving us our second match in the first hour of this show.

    Recap video of Jeff Jarrett’s return to TNA where he won the KOTM Title, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, took over for Bully Ray after he was inducted as the authority figure and then beaten up before Jeff was revealed as behind it. Jeff meets with Drew and talks about how he has his shares on the line and that Dixie has lost EY. Drew looks gigantic next to Jeff here. Jeff says it’s now 5-on-4 for the heel team and then Josh and Pope repeat this exact same point a few times and Pope says that they should erase Jeff Jarrett from TNA and the Hall of Fame. Earl Hebner’s Hall of Fame induction will be in his home state, and he’ll be inducted by William Corgan.

    Brooke vs. Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong vs. Lei’D Tapa – Knockouts Title 4-Way

    The challengers are mid-ring while Brooke gets a full intro. Kong and Tapa get alternating tree slams on the babyfaces. Tapa and Kong get into a monster clubbering exchange before Gail and Brooke double team Tapa. Kong attacks and TNA takes her out for a bit. After a break, a 619 by Gail is avoided by Tapa and she hits her with a snake eyes on the railing. Kong runs through Brooke before Kong gingerly dives onto Tapa off the apron.

    Josh talks about how Brooke has broken fingers, but she’s still competing. Brooke gets 2 off a Russian legsweep. Gail gets the corner crossbody, but Brooke avoids the ringpost figure four. Tapa avoids Kong, who plows into Brooke. Tapa grabs Gail off the corner crossbody and slams her down. Tapa hits a terrifying superplex to Gail, leading to a Kong dive onto Tapa, allowing Brooke to flying elbow drop Kong. Kong gets Samoan dropped on the apron over the top rope by Kong and with Gail and Brooke alone, Gail reverses a sunset flip ala Bulldog against Bret and wins the title. Gail and Brooke adhere to the Code of Honor.

    Josh hypes up the main event next while Team TNA ponders what will happen and Drew is quite upset that the terms “failure” and “mistakes” are being used to describe TNA. EC3 is offended by Jeff Hardy pulling some “backdoor action” on him since Spud now has a TNA World Title match with EC3 next week. Did Jeff Hardy empty his savings account to bribe Dixie for that? Why would that happen logically? Pope shows off the key on his action figure because it symbolizes success and that’s what TNA is all about. We get a recap of the rivalry as JB describes Lethal Lockdown.

    Team TNA vs. Team GFW – Lethal Lockdown for Control of TNA

    Sonjay Dutt starts the match off for GFW while Davey is starting it for Team TNA. Josh corrects himself saying that the Wolves are now five-time TNA Tag Team Champions – which is amazing since they’ve only been in the company for about a year and a half now. After the break, Davey and Sonjday Dutt brawl in “the most important main event in TNA history”. Sonjay bites the hand of Davey to avoid a suplex and then Josh thanks the fans for making #winnertakesall trend. Davey gets a cloverleaf, but EY comes down. I wonder if the artificial leg he won in a wrestling match will be one of the weapons in this match.

    EY and Sonjay double team him for a bit while “you sold out” chants rain down on EY. Drew runs down and attacks. Pope makes Drew seem quite lame by using his full legal name to describe him before a break. After the break, we’ve missed a lot of in-ring action because they picked this break to do things in real-time. Bryan Myers is mid-ring and Sonjay has Drew in a camel clutch. Lashley comes down and hits Sonjay with a flipping German suplex and spears EY and Sonjay. Lashley is such a fun video game character in a wrestling match.

    Mordetsky comes down and chokes Drew in the corner while Myers punches away at Davey in another corner. Eddie comes in and runs wild while the Wolves get some double teams. Jeff Jarrett is the final member of his own team, and Josh isn’t at all shocked by this. Well, given that Jeff was in his full gear right after the opening segment, he shouldn’t be. Josh prays that TNA has a fifth guy, and Pope says that he’s just signed to be a commentator or else he’d be in there. Well, that’s pretty cowardly of him. Bram comes down as the fifth man while everyone stands around so the weapons can fall for the Lethal Lockdown portion of the match after an ad break.

    This time, the ad break wasn’t in real-time as they’ve all patiently waited until after the break to begin this portion of the match. Jeff beats up guys with a trash can after Pope scolds the GFW guys for using weapons, but then says the TNA guys need to use them because that’s what they’re for. Pope says he isn’t biased, but he’s fully behind TNA. So he’s biased then, and Josh says that this match is a monitor sellout in the back. Sonjay superkicks Eddie, but eats an Alarm Clock.

    Team TNA immediately surrounds Jeff, and in a hilarious bit, he immediately scrambles to the camera opening and clutches his wife while begging her to not let them take him. EY piledrives Drew, but Lashley eats a Stroke after hitting the spear. Trash can to the head of Jeff leads to a double Van Terminator from the Wolves. Bram and Mordetsky hit each other with trash can lids. Drew boots Myers and hits the Future Shock on Myers to win the match. Why not have Jeff eat the fall? They set up a spot with him nearly eating all the finishers of the faces, and it would’ve been a fitting end. Instead, Drew Galloway saved TNA by beating Curt Hawkins – it’s like Hogan winning War Games by beating Zodiac.

    Jeff crawls out of the ring and is surrounded by his crew. Drew grabs the case, so maybe he can cash it in for a shot at the KOTM Title or something. Dixie comes down and hugs Drew, who presents her with the case in a heroic pose. Drew was so great here. They grab a fan’s “We are TNA” sign and hold it up. They gave this match nearly the entire second hour of the show and gave the celebration plenty of time too. They didn’t hype up anything for next week’s show, so this really could’ve just been a finale for TNA as a whole and felt like a somewhat fitting ending.

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