Here’s a look at some viewership numbers from Wednesday, 9/2:
On Destination America:
– TNA at 9 p.m. 335,000 viewers
– ROH at 10 p.m. 144,000 viewers
– TNA replay at 12 AM: 85,000
On Fox Sports 1:
– Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga replay: 216,000 viewers at 10 p.m.
– Luke Rockhold vs. Lyoto Machida replay: 125,000 viewers at 9:30 p.m.
– UFC Tonight at 8 p.m. 139,000 viewers
By Dave Meltzer | dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com
We’re looking for reports on tonight’s NXT show in Orlando and tonight’s GFW show in Cedar Rapids, IA (Sonjay Dutt vs. DJ Zema Ion, Colt Cabana vs. Arya Daivari, ODB vs. Mickie James, Tommaso Ciampa vs. Kevin Matthews, New Heavenly Bodies vs. Zero Gravity and Chris Mordetzky vs. Nick Aldis).
GFW continues with weekend shows tomorrow night in Waterloo, IA and Saturday night in Clinton, IA.
Smackdown tonight on Syfy from Miami:
Dudleys vs. Prime Time Players
Cesaro vs. Sheamus
R-Truth vs. Bo Dallas
Charlotte vs. Tamina Snuka
Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Big E & Kofi Kingston
New Japan is back in action late tonight early tomorrow a 5:30 a.m. Eastern from Korakuen Hall live on New Japan World
David Finlay vs. Jay White
Yuji Nagata & Sho Tanaka vs. Yohei Komatsu & Manabu Nakanishi
Tomoaki Honma & Jushin Liger & Captain New Japan vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi & Kazushi Sakuraba
Togi Makabe & Katsuyori Shibata & Tiger Mask vs. Kota Ibushi & Tetsuya Naito & Juice Robinson (formerly C.J. Parker of NXT)
Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs. Tama Tonga & Cody Hall
Hirooki Goto & Ryusuke Taguchi & Mascara Dorada vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rocky Romero & Baretta
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Kushida vs. Bad Luck Fale & Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows & Kenny Omega
It’s a gigantic news week in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with the main feature story on everything that led to the indictment of Jimmy Snuka after 32 years, plus Irv Muchnick, who has reported on the story for years gives his views on the proceedings, and we also look at Hulk Hogan’s attempt at redemption of his character, the full story behind the shooting at the Performance Center, notes from Battle of Los Angeles, the retirement of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Hayabusa walks to the ring, Bram gets arrested, WWE fires Zahra Schreiber, UFC brings back Travis Browne, a rundown of the PPV business in WWE in 2015 and the latest monthly business report from WWE & TNA.
The issue is on the site right now at http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/110-wrestling-observer-newsletter/44362-september-7-2015-wrestling-observer-newsletter-snuka-indicted-shooting-at-wwe-performance-center-and-tons-more
Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show on the history of the site are at http://www.f4wonline.com/member/signup.php
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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.
Our lead story goes back to 1983 with an in-depth look at the death of Nancy Argentino, how the media caused the case to be reopened, a look at the charges against Jimmy Snuka, the different statements on the subject by Snuka, Snuka’s lawyer speaks, notes on documentation and testimony from the time, lots of notes regarding evidence, where Jimmy Snuka stood in the wrestling business in 1983, how Buddy Rogers fits into this story, what Snuka told police the morning after Argentino died as well as testimony from those who treated Argentino before her death.
We also look at the autopsy report, the police report from that time, the strange question that was never answered regarding the case being dropped, what Snuka has said to different people, the brawl in Syracuse before Argentino’s death, how the pro wrestling business in 1983 is so completely different from today and the previous legal action regarding this case.
Irv Muchnick also does a piece on the indictment talking about several points from the indictment.
We also look at Hulk Hogan appearing on Good Morning America and Nightline in a way to get his job back and repair his public image. We look at the WWE reaction, what Hogan said, what does and doesn’t hold up, the timeline issues with his various stories, neighbors of his growing up contradict his story and more.
We also look at the story of the man who was shot in front of the Performance Center, the circumstances of the shooting, and the different things he had done in recent months regarding his obsession with wrestling.
We also look at Battle of Los Angeles, how the tournament went, highlights from the weekend and celebrities at the shows.
We also look back at the career of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, including his new job with UFC, his becoming the top heavyweight in the sport at one time, his background, his debut in RINGS, his move to Pride, his fight with Bob Sapp, his three fight series with Fedor and his UFC run.
We look at the arrest of Thomas “Bram” Latimer of TNA, police details of what happened, TNA’s response and what is next for him.
We’ve got a story on Hayabusa, one of the best high flyers from 15-20 years ago and his attempted recovery from near paralysis.
We’ve got a look at Travis Browne and his reinstatement in UFC.
We look at the firing of Zahra Schreiber, the girlfriend of Seth Rollins, by WWE.
We also look at WWE & TNA business when it comes to house shows, merchandise, ratings and other categories for the past month.
We also have a PPV chart with how all the shows in the first seven months of the year have been, and compared them with the last few years.
We also look at WWE signing one of the major international women stars and why she’s not going to be wrestling in NXT, the return of Dr. Wagner Jr. & L.A. Park to Arena Mexico and how it got over, top pro wrestling star gets a reality show gig, and some major title changes.
We also look at maneuvering for the 2017 and 2018 WrestleMania, and the favorites, the 10/3 Madison Square Garden WWE live special, notes on lots of indie stars on WWE’s radar, ticket sales for NXT in the U.K., a new WWE movie, Update on Wade Barrett, action figure sales, announcing changes, SummerSlam edits, lots of notes on various WWE lawsuits, Dean Ambrose talks Renee Young, Fan tries to attack Ambrose, Sara Lee in NXT, plus notes on all the WWE & NXT house shows over the past week.
We also look at a number of top stars who worked recently in Bolivia, the last AAA TV taping and AAA wrestlers in a bodybuilding contest.
We update Wrestle-1 and the three generations of green mist stars trios match.
We also look at the Dragon Gate summer tag team tournament and its big show in Fukuoka and what came out of it.
We look at All Japan’s last major show and its current singles tournament.
We look at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s next major show, including a title match that was set up in the U.S., a well as the bracketing in the upcoming junior heavyweight tag team tournament.
We look at the weekend IGF show, a record that will be set at the next Tokyo Dome show, and the NWA title change.
We also look at U.S. stars who usually don’t tour Japan that are going shortly.
We’ve got more on the planned bio movie on Chris Benoit, Angelo Mosca getting his number retired, the weekend GFW shows and angles, Preston City Wrestling’s weekend show, former TNA star retires and a unique main event, plus early notes on this year’s WWC Anniversary show.
We also update the TNA TV situation, the Lucha Underground TV situation, the next ROH PPV show, new roles for people in ROH and notes from the weekend show.
We also look at changes in UFC main events, can UFC sell 70,000 tickets to its November show with Ronda Rousey, Rousey talks when she expects to retire, Cyborg, the date with the marine and notes about live shows on Fight Pass this month. We also look at this week’s PPV show, talks about the Jan. 2 Las Vegas card, a star fighter retires, Chad Mendes wants a rematch with McGregor, what happened recently with Jose Aldo, Rousey T-shirt sales, plus lots of more fights.
We also have a look at Bellator’s next major show, including the updated card, as well as plans for the big November show. We look at the Fan Fest with Fedor and Sakuraba, as well as notes on last week’s show.
We also look at the arrest of Chris Leben, and new restrictions on weight cutting that is being tried out for in California.
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.
Our most requested issues in our history are:
*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)
*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)
*August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)
*March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a
*October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)
*July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)
*February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)
*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)
*January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)
*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)
*March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)
*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)
*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)
*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)
*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)
*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)
*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)
*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)
*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)
*January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)
*February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)
*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)
*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)
*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)
*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)
*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)
*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)
*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)
*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)
*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)
*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)
*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)
*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)
*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)
*July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)
*September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)
*October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)
*November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)
*January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)
*January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)
*April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)
*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)
*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)
*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)
*October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)
*November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)
*November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)
*November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)
*December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)
*January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)
*March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)
*March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)
*March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)
*April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)
*July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)
*October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)
*November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .
*December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)
*January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)
*March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)
*April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)
* September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)
* September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)
* September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)
You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.
We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..
To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.
THURSDAY’S NEWS UPDATE
–We have two very different new shows up on the site today, a show last night talking in detail on the Jimmy Snuka case, and a show today talking with the Young Bucks about their start, their future, the T-shirt, business, their ring psychology, Jim Cornette and the Meltzer driver.
–Former WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis got engaged last night to Kathy Colace, the mother of Nikki & Brie Bella. Laurinaitis and Colace have been a couple for some time. If you’re keeping track, that means Road Warrior Animal will shortly be related to Daniel Bryan.
–This is the weekend UFC TV schedule:
–The world wrestling championships take place 9/7 to 9/12 in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena.
–The Young Bucks vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe will headline the ROH show on 9/25 in California, PA.
–These are the brackets in the NXT Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament
–TNA announcer Josh Matthews on his podcast noted that he married Madison Rayne last month.
–Yujiro Takahashi of New Japan will be off the next tour due to a neck injury suffered during the G-1 tournament. That means cat woman won’t be on the next PPV.
–Nick Diaz had to turn himself in for a brief stay in jail (one day) for two DUI charges, although he is already out.
–WWE stock was up 58 cents per share today, closing at $19.44.
–Stephanie Levesque (McMahon) sold 140,000 shares of WWE stock on Tuesday and Wednesday for about $2.65 million.
–They look to be doing a Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte title match before Night of Champions, so the idea is she has to win one more match before she gets the record.
ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)
1966 – The Destroyer (John Hill) beat Bearcat Wright to win the IWA title
1974 – Jumbo Miyamoto & Mariko Akagi b Jackie West & Panama Franco in Hiroshima to win the WWWA tag titles
1984 – Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu beat Bruiser Brody & Jerry Blackwell to win the vacant International tag titles
1987 – Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara beat Stan Hansen & Austin Idol in Nagoya to win the International tag titles
1987 – Ray Richard beat Blackman in Mexico City to win the UWA welterweight title
1988 – Bestia Salvaje beat Aguila Solitaria in Mexico City to win the Mexican national welterweight title
1991 – Jimmy Ocean beat Steve Grey in Croydon to win the British lightweight title
1995 – Manami Toyota beat Yumiko Hotta to win the All Japan women Grand Prix tournament
2004 – Averno beat Zumbido in Mexico City to win the NWA middleweight title
2006 – Taiyo Kea beat Satoshi Kojima in Sapporo to win the Triple Crown
–WWE is looking for an Administrative Assistant for the Digital Content Vice Presidents.
–Kane is currently scheduled to return on Monday.
–Neil Seery vs. Jon Delos Reyes in a flyweight fight has been added to the 10/24 UFC show in Dublin.
–Luiz Fernandez-Gil, best known in wrestling as Dario Cueto,was on Jimmy Kimmel Tuesday night in a comedy skit. He played an Italian reporter. (thanks to Leonardo Mendez Toledo)
–Bob Backlund’s autography will be in stock at Amazon.com tomorrow.
–The movie “Spectre” with Dave Bautista opens in Australia on 11/12 (thanks to James Stanios)
–Just a note on a radio show question. Vince McMahon was backstage at the NXT show in Brooklyn.
–New match added today on NWAClassics.com features The Midnight Express vs. Mr. Wrestling II & Magnum T.A. from the Sam Houston Coliseum.
–Northeast Wrestling on 9/12 in Williamsport, PA at the Susquehanna Bank Park with Sgt. Slaughter, Monster BC (Tyrus), Matt Hardy, Ted DiBiase and Mickie James. They also run 9/13 with a free 5 p.m. event at the North Haven, CT Fair with Mickie James, Matt Taven and Donovan Dijiak and 10/2 in Danbury, CT at the PAL Building. Rey Mysterio Jr. headlines the 11/13 show in Waterbury, CT at Crosby High School.
–Blue Water Championship Wrestling from Saturday night in Port Huron, MI: Donovan Donhauser b Atlas Hytower, Matt Prada NC Buddy the Bulldog, Deuce Diamond & Rob Clooney b Diablo & The Grappler, James Alexander b Mr. Fitness, Ingrid Isley b Shayla Hyde, N8 Mattson d Justin Mane, Eric Smalls b Matt Prada and Buddy the Bulldog, Shane Douglas b Phil Monohan (thanks to Leonard Brand)
–Grand Slam Wrestling on 9/12 in Moosic, PA at the Youth Center.
–Roddy Piper’s new short film “Portal to Hell” has its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9/12 and 9/18 at the Scotiabank Theater. It will be part of the “Short Cuts Porgramme 4” with a number of other short films. (thanks to Tim Dudley)
–EWF on 9/4 in Covina, CA at 4315 N. Vincent Ave.
–Battle Arts Pro Wrestling on 9/19 in Mississauaga, ONT at the Don Kolov Arena
–Big Time Wrestling on 9/25 in Newark, CA at the Newark Pavilion headlined by Ethan Carter III defending the TNA heavyweight title.
–WCWF on 10/10 in Yuba City at the Yuba Sutter Fairgrounds
–Shawn Michaels will be coming to Newark CA at American High School for Big Time Wrestling’s 19th anniversary show on 10/27. Michaels will be signing from Noon to 3 p.m.
–In Your Face Wrestling on 1/10 in Albany, NY at the Polish Community Center
–NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling tapes TV on Sunday in Elizabethton, TN at the Evolution Sports Gym. If you buy a ticket for Saturday night’s event in Kingsport, TN in advance, you can get a free ticket for the Sunday show.
–Ringside Fest on 10/3 at Carolines on Broadway in Times Square features signigns of Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, Lana, Kevin Owens and Paige.
–Dragon Gate has a PPV from Korakuen Hall at http://live.nicovideo.jp/qwatch/lv232305328
Mondai Ryu & Punch Tominaga vs. Lindaman & Draztic Boy
Masaaki Mochizuki & Big R Shimizu & Yosuke Santa Maria vs. Genki Horiguchi & Jimmy Kanda & Naoki Tanizaki
Dragon Kid & Flamita vs. BxB Hulk & Kzy
T-Hawk vs. Eita
Cima & Gamma vs. Don Fujii & Ryo Saito
Shingo Takagi & Cyber Kong & Kotoka vs. Masato Yoshino & Akira Tozawa & Shachihoko Boy
Yamato & Naruki Doi vs. Jimmy Susumu & K-Ness
–One of the best wrestler battles in MMA in a long time is on the 9/25 Bellator show in Hidalgo, TX with former NCAA champion Darion Caldwell (7-0) against former Olympic hopeful Shawn Bunch (4-1). These were two of the country’s best wrestlers a couple of years ago.
–Former pro wrestler Dr. Michael Brannon (Dr. Red Roberts was his wrestling name) had his lawsuit against Howard Finkelstein thrown out. Brannon sued claiming his freedom of speech was violated when Finkelstein cut his consulting contract with Broward County in Florida. Brannon earned $608,758 in one year at his peak but by 2010 his earnings were cut to $12,500. Brannon said they cut him for testifying in support of Judge Cheryl Aleman in at judicial ethics trial. Finkelstein’s public defends office didn’t like Aleman’s rulings and assistant public defends had filed an ethics complaint against the judge. (thanks to Paul Kacprzak)
–Polish fighting drawing card Mariusz Pudzianowski, a former strongest man in the world, faces Peter Graham on 10/31 at the SSE Wembley Arena in London for KSW. Former UFC fighters Oli Thompson (who also works with Inoki in Japan) and James McSweeney are on the show.
–An interview with Gail Kim is at
–Preview of 12 Rounds starring Dean Ambrose at
–Dean Ambrose talks why he avoids social media at
–An article on what it says about police with the Jimmy Snuka case http://www.knoxnews.com/opinion/columnists/laurence-reisman-32yearold-superfly-case-shows-need-for-police-transparency_64232771
–Alexander Shlemenko is taking the California State Athletic Commission to court over his three-year suspension over a steroid test failure at http://www.mmafighting.com/2015/9/3/9257233/bellators-alexander-shlemenko-files-writ-against-csac-to-have-three
–Jimmy Snuka in an interview years ago talking about Nancy Argentino
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNlEYM7VLSI
–A story on Ashley Flair at
By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com
1944
Earl Wampler defeated Ken Fenelon in Waterloo, Iowa to win the Iowa Heavyweight Championship.
1948
Dave Levin defeated George Becker to win the California Heavyweight Title in Santa Monica, California.
1950
Sandor Szabo defeated Terry McGinnis for the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title in Honolulu, Hawaii
1953
Verne Gagne is awarded the first Chicago NWA United States Heavyweight Title in Chicago, Illinois.
1966
The Destroyer (Guy Mitchell) defeated Bearcat Wright to win the International Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title in Melbourne, Australia.
1969
Ciclón Negro and Sam Steamboat defeated The Missouri Mauler and Hiro Matsuda for the NWA Florida Tag Team Title in Miami, Florida. At the same show, Beautiful Brutus (Bugsy McGraw) defeated Boris Malenko to win the NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Title.
1970
In Kansas City; Harley Race defeated Steve Bolus, Baron Von Raschke defeated The Viking and Danny Little Bear defeated Roger Kirby by winning the first fall of a scheduled three falls match.
1973
In Waterloo, Iowa; in a Cage match, The Crusher & Wahoo McDaniel beat Superstar Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff, Billy Robinson beat Nick Bockwinkel, Ken Patera beat Larry Heiniemi, Geoff Portz drew Buddy Wolff and Reggie Parks beat Ric Flair
1974
Mariko Akagi and Jumbo Miyamoto won the WWWA World Tag Team Title in Hiroshima, Japan, defeating Panama Franco and Jackie West.
1976
Dory Funk, Jr. defeated Dennis Stamp for the Amarillo NWA Brass Knuckles Title in Lubbock, Texas.
The Black Bombers (Porkchop Cash and Tom Jones) defeated The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy and Johnny) to win the NWA Georgia Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Hangman defeated Chavo Guerrero for the NWA Americas Heavyweight Title
1979
Mr. Fuji defeated Peter Maivia to win the New Zealand NWA British Empire Heavyweight Title in Auckland, New Zealand.
Greenville, SC: In a Texas Death Match; Ric Flair beat Paul Jones, Wahoo McDaniel beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel dq, Pedro Morales & Tony Garea beat Brute Bernard & Jacques Goulet, Dewey Robertson beat Steve Muslin and Rick McGraw beat Charlie Fulton
1980
Barry Windham defeated The Super Destroyer for the NWA Florida Television Title in Miami, Florida.
Don Fargo and Robert Gibson defeated The Blond Bombers (Larry Latham and Wayne Ferris) for the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title in Nashville, Tennessee.
Stanley Lane defeated Kevin Sullivan for the NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Title in Columbus, Georgia.
1982
Bad News Allen defeated Bret Hart in Calgary, Alberta to win the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title
Tony Atlas defeated The Mongolian Stomper for the Southwest Championship Wrestling Southwest Brass Knuckles Title in Houston, Texas.
1984
Genichiro Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta defeated Crusher Blackwell and Bruiser Brody in Hiroshima, Japan to win the vacant NWA International Tag Team Title in Hiroshima, Japan.
In Fort Worth, Texas, Kerry and Kevin Von Erich defeated WCCW Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts) in a Handicap Elimination Loser Leaves Town match to win the title. Also, WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion Chris Adams defeated WCCW Television Champion Jake Roberts to win the title and WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion Gino Hernandez defeated WCCW American Heavyweight Champion Mike Von Erich to win the title.
In Memphis, Tennessee, Jimmy Valiant defeated King Kong Bundy to win a one night tournament and a new Cadillac.
1987
Ashura Hara and Genichiro Tenryu defeated Stan Hansen and Austin Idol to win AJPW’s PWF World Tag Team Title in Nagoya, Japan.
1988
The Beach Boys (Buddy Rose and Avalanche (PN News)) defeated The Southern Rockers (Steve Doll and Scott Peterson) for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title in Portland, Oregon
1989
The Great Muta defeated Sting to win the vacant NWA World Television Title in Atlanta, Georgia. Also on the card, NWA World Tag Team Champions The Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes) defeated The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) to retain the title, NWA United States Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger defeated Tommy Rich to retain the title and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defeated Terry Funk in a Texas Death match to retain the title.
1990
Jeff Gaylord and Jeff Jarrett defeated Chuck Casey (replacing Don Harris) and Brian Lee in Memphis, Tennessee for the vacant USWA Tag Team Title.
1993
Ted DiBiase and Stan Hansen defeated Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue in Tokyo, Japan to win the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Titles.
In Dallas, Texas; Steven Dane and Chaz Taylor defeated The Sicilian Stallions (Guido Falcone and Vito Mussolini) to win the GWF Tag Team Title and King Parsons defeated Chris Adams by disqualification for the vacant GWF North American Heavyweight Title.
1996
Bill and Jamie Dundee defeated The Moondogs (Rover and Spot) for the USWA Tag Team Titles in Louisville, Kentucky.
2001
On a WWE RAW from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, WCW Champion The Rock pinned Christian to retain the title, WWF Intercontinental Champion Edge pinned Lance Storm to retain the title and Jeff Hardy and Chris Jericho defeated Rhyno and Rob Van Dam.
By Ryan Frederick, WrestlingObserver.com
Labor Day Weekend is upon us, and the UFC returns to Las Vegas this weekend for their next pay-per-view offering as UFC 191 comes to us on Saturday from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. While the MGM Grand will be hosting what is being billed as Floyd Mayweather’s final fight next weekend, the September fight action gets started with a solid card featuring UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson defending the championship against his top rival and top contender, John Dodson, in a rematch of a January 2013 bout won by Johnson. The action takes place on pay-per-view with a main card start time of 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 7 PM eastern time before moving to FOX Sports 1 at 8 PM eastern time.
In addition to the headline bout between Johnson and Dodson, the UFC 191 card will feature a heavyweight co-main event that could have title shot ramifications as former UFC Heavyweight Champions Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir do battle in a fight that has been ten years in the making. Also on the card is the return of UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson, coming off of his title fight loss in May, and the pay-per-view debut of rising women’s strawweight star, Paige VanZant. Let’s dive deeper into the action and find five storylines to keep our eye on as we take a closer look at Saturday’s UFC 191 event.
1. Will the rematch between Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson go any differently?
UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson makes his seventh title defense in the main event of UFC 191, and this time it will be in another rematch, against the man he made his first title defense against, John Dodson. Johnson and Dodson fought at UFC On FOX 6 in January 2013, going the full 25-minute distance in the main event that night in Chicago. It was a hotly-contested battle, and a close fight at times, but Johnson won the fight by unanimous decision on scorecards of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47. It was Johnson’s toughest challenge since winning the championship in the inaugural title bout against Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 in September 2012, and Johnson has gone on to make tremendous strides in becoming arguably the best fighter in the world since then.
Johnson hasn’t lost a round since that fight, dominating his string of opponents. He has scored finishes of John Moraga, Benavidez in a rematch, Chris Cariaso and Kyoji Horiguchi, and a dominant decision win over Ali Bagautinov in his five fights since the first Dodson fight. Dodson has had injuries limit him to just three fights since then, but he has won all three, scoring knockout wins over Darrell Montague and Moraga, and a decision win over Zach Makovsky in his most recent bout, at UFC 187 in May. While Dodson’s win over Makovsky was uninspiring to some, it came after he was out of action for close to a year due to major knee surgery, and he still showcased the speed and power he has against a tough opponent.
Dodson has proved he is ready for a rematch with Johnson, and it is the best fight the division can make as young prospects like Henry Cejudo, Dustin Ortiz and Ray Borg get more experience in their climbs up the rankings. Both men are extremely fast fighters, but Johnson has stepped up his game since the first fight with Dodson. Both have shown power, and Johnson has excellent takedowns, but Dodson has good takedown defense and was able to get up every time he was taken down in their first bout. Johnson is more technical and versatile on the feet, but Dodson has more power. This will be two men showcasing their speed and technique at the highest level, but I see Johnson’s strides in his all-around game being the difference in this fight. It will likely go the distance again, but I don’t see it being as close as it was the last time. Johnson takes this by decision.
2. Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir are enjoying career resurgences. Who keeps it going on Saturday?
When you think of title contenders in the UFC’s heavyweight division in the year 2015, former UFC Heavyweight Champions Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir are the two names you would find to be most surprising. That is what makes the sport fun at times in that you can see fighters like Arlovski and Mir (and current champions Fabricio Werdum, Robbie Lawler and Rafael Dos Anjos) have early success, suffer through a down period, make a few adjustments, and then with a bit of skill and luck, they are right back in the hunt. It comes to a head on Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC 191 as Arlovski puts his five-fight win streak on the line against Mir’s two-fight win streak.
Many thought Arlovski was headed for the next title shot against Werdum, but when the UFC needed a co-main event for this card, he was called upon to fight Mir, who is coming off a first-round knockout win over Todd Duffee just over seven weeks ago. This is a fight that has been a long-time in the making as they were expected to fight in 2005 when Arlovski and Mir both held versions of the heavyweight crown, but Mir’s recovery from a motorcycle accident took longer than expected. Arlovski was king of the division for a short while, but his career eventually saw him leave the UFC and have mixed success, but he has had tremendous success in his return. His win over Travis Browne in May at UFC 187 could be the fight of the year for 2015, and it was one of the best one-round fights in UFC history. Mir’s two straight knockout wins have broken a stretch where he lost four straight fights, so he is enjoying the best success of his career in almost four years.
Both men have power and suspect chins. Arlovski survived some big punches from Browne, coming back from close to being finished, to finish Browne with punches. Mir survived big shots from Duffee to score the one-punch knockout. Arlovski’s footwork will make the difference on the feet, and he is still a good counterstriker. Mir may want to take this fight to the ground, but recent history has shown he wants to stand with his opponents. That will be a mistake here. Arlovski has good takedown defense if Mir tries to take this fight to the mat. I don’t expect the fight to go out of the first round, though, and it will come down to who lands the bigger punch. Arlovski mixes his striking attack better, and it will probably throw Mir for a loop, as Mir is just someone who looks for one big punch. That one big punch can finish Arlovski, but I don’t see it happening this time.
3. Can Anthony Johnson overcome the outside of the Octagon controversy to get back into the win column?
Anthony Johnson has been in the news leading up to UFC 191, but for all of the wrong reasons. He recently got into a heated confrontation with a woman at his gym, detailing all of it via social media. For a man with a history of domestic abuse allegations, it came at a bad time and caused the UFC to investigate. There was the possibility that Johnson could have been pulled from the card, but after agreeing to some conditions, Johnson remains on the card in a fight against Jimi Manuwa. It will be interesting to see if Johnson lost some focus due to the incident, and he has always had some issues with the mental side of fighting, but he is coming into Saturday night a big favorite against Manuwa, who will be fighting for the first time in the United States, and for the first time on pay-per-view.
Johnson is looking to bounce back from a loss to Daniel Cormier in his chance to become the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and Manuwa is a perfect opponent for a bounce back fight. Manuwa is a very good striker and is dangerous on his feet, much like Johnson is. Johnson has been very aggressive in the past, but over recent bouts has shown some good counter striking. Manuwa likes to mix his combinations and has good movement, but he will need to be careful for counters from Johnson. Johnson has gigantic power and could probably knockout anyone if the right punch lands, but if you can get him out of sync, his mind begins to wander around. Manuwa should remain calm, but doing that will leave him open. This will probably end up being short with a lot of punches getting thrown, and one strike landing to end it all. I like Johnson being the one to end it all, but Manuwa will put up a great fight.
4. Will Paige VanZant continue to impress in her pay-per-view debut?
Paige VanZant makes her pay-per-view debut on Saturday night in the main card opener, and a lot of eyes will be on her. She is being groomed to be the next big star in the sport, and she is being brought a long slowly. She just turned 21 and still has only just six fights in her career. She steps inside the Octagon for the third time, and has been impressive in each of her two prior showings. While her rise and push towards the fanbase has been met with some backlash by some, she is very talented and has a lot of skills. Being that she is just 21, and with the level of talent she has shown, it is easy to see why she could be a future champion. She is pretty and marketable, and her fights have shown she is capable of dealing with pressure. She scored a solid win over Kailin Curran in her debut and followed it up with a dominant win over Felice Herrig in a showcase on FOX in front of a large audience.
She gets the pay-per-view treatment on Saturday night when she takes on Alex Chambers. Chambers is much older but has only fought one more time than VanZant has in her career. When it comes to experience, this is the perfect match-up for VanZant. Chambers is coming off a come-from-behind win over Curran in May. Chambers trained for this fight with American Top Team, which has produced a lot of recent success. Chambers struggled with the pressure of Curran, and pressure is what VanZant brings. VanZant comes forward, walking through strikes, and likes to clinch and take the fight to the mat. She is excellent at scrambles and good at establishing top position and keeping it. VanZant is the biggest favorite on the card, and for good reason. This is the continuation of her coming out party, and she will get the job done on Saturday night.
5. There are two solid fights highlighting the preliminary card. Who wins each?
While not a major card on star power, the UFC 191 card has a lot of solid fights, including two preliminary bouts that could have easily been main card bouts on a lot of fight cards. Headlining the preliminary action is a lightweight bout between Ross Pearson and Paul Felder. Both men are making quick turnarounds coming off losses. Pearson dropped a decision to Evan Dunham on July 18 in Scotland, and Felder lost a decision to Edson Barboza on July 25 in Chicago. It was the first career loss for Felder and he is looking to get back in the win column in a big way. He is very talented, and Pearson will be a tough foe, though Pearson’s best days are likely behind him. Both men are very good strikers, but Felder is quicker and more versatile on the feet. He should take the win in what should be an action-packed bout.
In another featured prelim bout, John Lineker makes his bantamweight debut when he takes on slugger Francisco Rivera. It will be interesting to see how Lineker fares in the move up in weight as he will no longer be draining himself attempting to make 125 pounds, which he missed making more often than making it. He has won six of his last seven fights, and with a win over Rivera, he could become an instant contender at 135 pounds. Rivera is a tough test for Lineker’s bantamweight debut as he is a more well-rounded striker with his attacks. Lineker punishes the body, though, and a boxing match would likely go Lineker’s way while an overall striking fight likely goes to Rivera. It will probably remain on the feet and be an exciting slugfest. I do like Lineker to get an impressive win in his bantamweight debut.
Full UFC 191 Fight Card, Betting Odds and Predictions
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
UFC Flyweight Championship: (C) Demetrious Johnson vs. (#1) John Dodson)
Betting Odds: Johnson (-550), Dodson (+425)
Prediction: Johnson by decision
Heavyweights: (#4) Andrei Arlovski vs. (#10) Frank Mir
Betting Odds: Arlovski (-155), Mir (+135)
Prediction: Arlovski by knockout in round 1
Light Heavyweights: (#1) Anthony Johnson vs. (#7) Jimi Manuwa
Betting Odds: Johnson (-650), Manuwa (+475)
Prediction: Johnson by knockout in round 1
Light Heavyweights: (#12) Jan Blachowicz vs. Corey Anderson
Betting Odds: Blachowicz (-150), Anderson (+130)
Prediction: Anderson by decision
Women’s Strawweights: (#7) Paige VanZant vs. Alex Chambers
Betting Odds: VanZant (-1450), Chambers (+950)
Prediction: VanZant by knockout in round 3
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
Lightweights: Ross Pearson vs. Paul Felder
Betting Odds: Pearson (+350), Felder (-440)
Prediction: Felder by knockout in round 2
Bantamweights: (#12) Francisco Rivera vs. (#8 FLY) John Lineker
Betting Odds: Rivera (+115), Lineker (-135)
Prediction: Lineker by decision
Women’s Bantamweights: (#13) Jessica Andrade vs. Raquel Pennington
Betting Odds: Andrade (-210), Pennington (+175)
Prediction: Andrade by decision
Featherweights: Clay Collard vs. Tiago Trator
Betting Odds: Collard (-135), Trator (+115)
Prediction: Trator by decision
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT)
Middleweights: Joe Riggs vs. Ron Stallings
Betting Odds: Riggs (+140), Stallings (-160)
Prediction: Stallings by decision
Lightweights: Joaquim Silva vs. Nazareno Malegarie
Betting Odds: Silva (+120), Malegarie (-140)
Prediction: Malegarie by submission in round 2
Season 4, Episode 9
Recap by Ryan Pike (@RyanNPike)
What a strange episode.
Nattie’s Sister Moves Out
Remember how Nattie’s sister moved in to help them out with their new house? And how it was Nattie’s idea? Well, now Nattie’s regretting the decision and wants her to move out so she and TJ can have space. She tries to set her up with Mark From Talent Relations, which doesn’t work – Mark just no-sells her. But her sister hits it off with Big E, so there’s something. Eventually TJ just asks when she’s leaving, leading to hurt feelings and sulking, leading to Nattie’s sister deciding (on her own) to move in with her parents rather than stay there. Nattie ponders joyfully how nicely things worked out. It’s because TJ took care of the dirty work, Nattie.
Brie Dresses Too Sexy
Bryan’s concerned that Brie’s dressing too sexy, so he goes out and gets a composting toilet and installs it in their shed. And turns off the water to the indoor toilets. The ultimatum is made: he’ll turn the water back on if she agrees to dress less sexy. Brie’s mom agrees with him that she dresses too sexy and she relents. Everyone is happy not to have to use the composting toilet.
Paige Is Young And Impulsive
Paige has a rough episode. She tries out motorcycles with Alicia and Rosa and crashes, leading to Mark from Talent Relations scolding her. She gets asked to coach Ariane, but Ariane works stiff as heck. So Paige gets mad (rather than trying to coach Ariane into working softer) and gets stiff back at her, leading to a big argument at the Performance Center – complete with a Sara Del Rey cameo. Mark From Talent Relations calls and scolds her again.
She gets to the building for a show and discovers she’s not booked on the show. She asks Road Dogg if it’s about the Ariane altercation, which leads to him scolding her too. At the end of the episode she drinks and vents to Nattie and Nikki, who tell her to chill out and pick her battles. Life’s sure tough when you’re young and impulsive.
No John Cena, Eva Marie or Naomi this week.
By Steve Khan, WrestlingObserver.com
– Air Date: September 3, 2015 (Sept 2 in Canada)
– Location: AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, FL
The Big News:
Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte might be happening before Night Of Champions, and Cesaro lost again.
Show Recap:
The New Day came out to start the show holding up protest signs reading “Booty!”, “#SaveTheTables”, “#GivesTablesAChance”, and “Breaking Wood is No Good”. They said the pilgrims sat around a table and the Declaration of Independence was signed at at table. New Day even signed their contracts at a table, which gave everyone their current Tag Team Champions.
Big E implored the crowd to chant “Save The Tables” to the tune of “New Day sucks” and it seemed like they did. The Dudleys interrupted. D-Von reminded them of another great tables moment, when they put Xavier Woods through a table last week. Bubba said history repeats itself and they would beat the New Day and become 10-time tag team champions.
Prime Time Players came out. Titus O’Neil said you have to earn a title shot. Titus said PTP earned their shot and told the Dudleys to go to the back of the line. Bubba said they’re the Dudleys, they win championships and put people through tables.
Titus and Darren threatened to send the Bubba and D-Von to Dudleyville. And then a match started.
Dudley Boyz beat Prime Time Players via pinfall
New Day joined commentary and Woods complained about Titus screaming for no reason when he’s on commentary. New Day took over commentary completely and Big E spoke like a generic sports play-by-play guy/Tom Phillips/Rich Brennen.
The Dudleys used a back suplex/neckbreaker combo and Brennan called it a German into a neckbreaker. Woods immediately corrected him, screaming “That’s not a German suplex, that’s a back suplex!”
Dudleys had the heat on Darren until he made the hot tag to Titus, who hit a big boot and scoop slam. Dudleys cut him off and hit a 3D pretty easily for the win. Different finish you’re used to see with two babyface teams. Dudleys basically outclassed PTP here.
After the match, Kingston ran in the ring, slapped D-Von in the back of the head, and ran out with New Day as they carried away their bubble-wrapped table.
They pushed that The Rock would be on Total Divas. I mean, there are clips of him with Eva Marie, so I guess that counts.
Backstage, Renee Young caught up with New Day as they celebrated with their trombone. Renee told them they had a match, but they didn’t think so. She told them it was against Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose and they stopped celebrating, and Woods did the sad trombone.
Stardust vs. Neville
The match never happened. Stardust came out first, but as Neville made his entrance, The Ascension attacked him from behind. They tossed Neville into the ring, Stardust told him he’s flying too close to the sun, and Ascension finished him off with Fall of Man. “Welcome to the Cosmic Wasteland.” So this team is a thing now.
Backstage, Cesaro told Jo-Jo he would bounce back from his loss to Kevin Owens but he was interrupted by Sheamus. Sheamus said Cesaro was good, just not good enough. He said all the fans want to see Cesaro reach the next level but he keeps letting them. Cesaro told Sheamus he looks stupid.
Sheamus beat Cesaro via pinfall
Sheamus grabbed the mic to tell the crowd they look stupid. Cesaro’s ribs were taped after slamming into the announce table on Raw. As Sheamus worked over Cesaro, the commentators discussed Night Of Champions as a good opportunity to cash in MITB since Seth Rollins has matches against both John Cena and Sting.
Cesaro came back with uppercuts, alternating between both arms. He used a jumping uppercut with Sheamus sitting on the ropes and then dropkicked him out of the ring. Cesaro followed that with a running uppercut on the outside into the barricade.
Sheamus came back with a shoulder thrust to the mid-section and a backbreaker. Sheamus used a cloverleaf but Cesaro rolled him up for a nearfall. Cesaro followed with a crossface and double foot stomp. He beat up Sheamus in the corner and the ref kept backing him off. Sheamus then popped out of the corner with a Brogue kick for the win.
Good match. Cesaro looked good despite the loss, but he shouldn’t be losing, and this is three in a row in singles matches.
Miz was out for MizTV and compared the situation with Dolph Ziggler, Lana, Summer Rae and Rusev to Days of Our Lives. Ugh. He showed a replay of what happened on Raw and brought out Summer who he called the real victim. Summer had a bruise the left side of her face, which Miz (eventually) attributed to the brawl on Monday.
Summer said more happened in Ziggler’s locker room than she originally let on — that Ziggler kissed her. The crowd chanted “We want Lana.” Summer said it went from passion to guilt and she started crying. She called Rusev the most amazing man in the world but Ziggler seduced her and that’s why she ran.
Ziggler and Lana came out. The graphic read “Dolph Ziggler with Lana” (instead of Dolph Ziggler and Lana) even though they were both guests on the show and Ziggler wasn’t coming out for a match.
Anyway, Ziggler said he and Lana trust each other. Before Lana could say anything, Summer said herself and Dolph have been into each other for a while and showed a clip from June 2014 of Summer and Dolph making out after Summer ditched Fandango.
Lana attacked Summer but Ziggler pulled her off and Lana left. Summer yelled “You bitch!” twice at Lana. It wasn’t on the mic but it definitely made TV. Summer and threw her shoe at Lana. This is all pretty dumb, but Summer has been pretty good this week. And I’m glad Rusev wasn’t really involved in any of this. Hopefully there’s a good pay off.
Bo Dallas beat R-Truth via pinfall
They showed a replay of Brock Lesnar tossing Bo around two weeks ago and the crowd chanted “Suplex City” at him. Bo eventually won with a rolling cutter variation with Truth hanging off the ropes. Meh. Bo Dallas beating anybody is hard to believe.
They did a video package recapping the Beat the Clock stuff from Raw.
Backstage, Renee introduced Charlotte and Team PCB to which Charlotte responded, “Thanks, woman.” Charlotte said that she couldn’t have gotten this shot without Paige and Becky Lynch. Paige said even though herself or Becky couldn’t get the shot, they were happy for Charlotte. Becky said they all won when Charlotte did. Charlotte said she would beat Nikki and do it with style and flair.
Team Bella interrupted. Nikki said something. Charlotte said she asked The Authority to move their match to before Nikki is set to break the record. Nikki freaked. I’m glad they did this.
Charlotte (w/Paige & Becky Lynch) beat Tamina (w/Naomi & Sasha Banks) via pinfall
Tamina had control using power moves and the worst chop ever. Charlotte came back with a big boot, chops, neckbreaker, spear and Natural Selection for the win. Brennan made sure to call her finisher by name. After the match, Team Bella came out on the stage so Nikki could pose in front of the Bellatron 5000.
They recapped the Sting/Seth Rollins/John Cena angle from Raw.
Backstage, Kevin Owens said he silenced the Cesaro Section by beating him at SummerSlam and on Raw. Owen said he now wants to silence all of the wrestlers, fans and commentators who make fun of him for the way he looks. He’s been looked down on for 15 years but he still made it there on talent. Owens finished by saying “Feed me more,” and winked at Renee.
Non-Title: Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns beat WWE Tag-Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Big E (w/Xavier Woods) via DQ
Reigns tagged himself and and they hit Big E with a double vertical suplex. Big E came back with a belly-to-belly. Big E and Kofi tagged in and out while stomping on Reigns in the corner and Woods played the trombone in unison.
Reigns hit a flying clothesline and tagged in Ambrose who used a bulldog on Big E. Ambrose nailed all three New Day members with a flying clothesline to the outside.
During a commercial, they plugged the final 10 episodes of Monday Night War on the Network including a new interview with Eric Bischoff.
After a break, New Day worked over Ambrose, but he came back with headbutts and a missile dropkick. Reigns made the hot tag and hit Kingston with a Samoan drop, clotheslines in the corner and side slam.
Reigns used a one-armed powerbomb but Big E broke it up. Ambrose took out big E with a rebound clothesline and suicide dive. Reigns had the match won with a superman punch on Kingston but Woods broke up the cover for the DQ. Ambrose and Reigns took out the New Day, finishing it off with the assisted powerbomb spot on Woods.
Ambrose grabbed the mic and said they’re not done yet and wanted another shot at Wyatt’s black sheep. Reigns asked the Miami crowd if they want to see more and called out the Wyatts.
The Wyatts appeared on the screen. Bray said this was his game and he makes the moves. He said Reigns and Ambrose were outnumbered and wanted to have a match at Night of Champions. Bray said it would be their doomsday. The camera zoomed in on Braun Strowman’s face and he told them to run.
Final Thoughts:
This show was perfectly fine save for the DQ in the main event, which assured us that the match had no bearing on anything whatsoever.
On Wednesday, WWE suspended the Legends contract of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and began removing him from WWE.com. The process included removing his profile from the Hall of Fame section.
On Tuesday, the 72-year-old Snuka, one of the most popular pro wrestlers of the 1980s, was charged with third degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the 1983 death of Nancy Argentino, someone he traveled the Northeast with during the last year of WWF as a Northeast territory.
He posted $100,000 bail. One of his lawyers said Wednesday that Snuka isn’t fit to stand trial due to years of abuse in the ring.
Removing Snuka falls in line with a precedent WWE set recently when Hulk Hogan’s racist comments on the infamous sex tape were released. Hogan’s WWE contract was terminated, and he was removed from WWE.com.
by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.com | Follow @davidbix
Show notes for tonight:
NXT at 8:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network features has the start of the Dusty Rhodes memorial tag team tournament, with Baron Corbin and Rhyno vs. The Ascension on the show.
UFC Tonight airs at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
Impact Wrestling at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Destination America features P.J. Black (c) vs. Bobby Roode in a King of the Mountain Title match
UFC Ultimate Insider airs at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports with the episode that debuted over the weekend profiling Yair Rodriguez, Andrei Arlovski, and Conor McGregor.
UFC Main Event at 9:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 has a new episode of UFC Main Event about the Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold fight from April in Newark, New Jersey.
UFC Main Event at 10:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 is a rerun of the Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga episode to hype Johnson vs. Dodson this Saturday at UFC 191.
ROH at 11:00 p.m. ET on Destination America has Jay Briscoe vs. Adam Page, Cedric Alexander vs. Caprice Coleman, Cheeseburger vs. Brutal Bob Evans, and Jay Lethal (c) vs. Hanson for the ROH Televisiion Title.
Please send reports from major shows, recommended links, etc. to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com:
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Figure Four Weekly:
The new 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 hands-on look at WWE 2K16 from the 2K/WWE media event last week. There are also notes on WWE’s lawsuit against their Thai TV partner, including how this type of litigation is familiar territory for WWE and one past suit is exceptionally bizaree. 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.
Last week’s 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.
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Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
A complete rundown of the WWE’s weekend in Brooklyn, with all the business notes, surprises and what is known about the future direction is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We also cover the decision to have Holly Holm replace Miesha Tate as Ronda Rousey’s opponent next, a UFC business year-in-review story, ROH big weekend, New Japan next tour, 2017 Mania and Daniel Bryan future note.
The latest Wrestling Observer: Wrestling Observer Newsletter August 31, 2015: SummerSlam weekend wrap-up, UFC business
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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 have rundowns of NXT Takeover, SummerSlam and Raw from Brooklyn. We look at the Night of Champions card and what is and isn’t confirmed, the unique aspect of that weekend no PPV, the returns of Sting and the Dudleys, Dudleys tag title reigns, Jushin Liger’s WWE future, New Japan stars at SummerSlam, Bray Wyatt’s new Wyatt family member and his booking, Jon Stewart, Lesnar and Undertaker’s finish, business notes, NXT in the U.K., Wrestlers complaining about fans at Raw, as well as more on the problems in the WWE Diva Division and what isn’t working.
We look at UFC’s 2015 business numbers and what they show about the UFC audience, the appeal of the audience to advertisers, how it compares with the audience at other sports, how much of this year’s increases have to do with Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey and what their effects are on business as a whole. We also look at who the new fans UFC has brought in this year are.
We also have full coverage of UFC from Saskatoon, with match-by-match coverage and business notes on the show.
We look at two major stars returning to a major promotion after seven years and their first programs, the CMLL Anniversary show main event, notes from the Arena Mexico shows from the past weekend Ultimo Dragon taping TV in Mexico City.
We also have notes on a top woman star being injured, a booker getting bad pub from television, a promotion so hot that their sold out events are going to be broadcast in movie theaters as well as upcoming tournaments in Japan.
We also have a look at the New Japan business and how it has increased over recent years, More on A.J. Styles challenging for the IWGP title, New wrestlers debuting in Japan including names not announced yet, lineups for the New Japan World shows in September, Hiroshi Tanahashi talks neck problem, Tanahashi talks theories of wrestling and Ricochet in New Japan.
We also look at WrestleMania in 2017, the Madison Square Garden network special the 2K 16 launch party, the next Stone Cold podcast, an update on Daniel Bryan and well as some of his own philosophies of wrestling, Dolph Ziggler talks contract, the end of Tough Enough, more on NXT talent and pay, stars with new deals, the WWE Divas title, HHH talks NXT, other stars talk who they’d like to see in WWE, Jericho talks Hogan and more.
We also note an indie show in Japan that outdrew Brock Lesnar and WWE at Sumo Hall, as well as the 40th anniversary of the pro debut of one of this era’s biggest stars.
We note the death of Duke Myers, his career highlights, GFW’s latest TV taping and everything that happened, Taz getting a new gig, Wale and pro wrestling, Terry Funk wrestling again in a few months, Jim Ross talk show, Leroy McGuirk into NWA Hall of Fame, Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Red, Alberto El Patron in Europe, promoter critical of Sabu and an update on Len Rossi.
We also look at the future of Lucha Underground, ROH/New Japan relationship update, next ROH PPV show, ROH weekend shows in Philadelphia and Brooklyn notes as well as the upcoming show.
We also update TNA.
We look at UFC’s marketing its fall and winter shows, what main events all UFC ‘s upcoming dates, Plans for the debut in Melbourne, Australia, and more notes on drug testing UFC athletes.
We also look at the next FOX show, lots of new fights, Ronda Rousey T-shirt sales, Anthony Johnson situation, Two UFC women fighters pregnant and new Fight Pass series.
We also look at a major wrestler signing, Alberto Del Rio in negotiations to be an announcer, early UFC promoter back running live shows and huge One championship bout.
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Wednesday Daily Update
— William E. Moore, the lawyer who represented Jimmy Snuka at his arraignment yesterday, told the Allentown Morning Call that not only was Snuka arrianged while wheelchair-bound and hooked to a feeding tube, but that he’s suffering from dementia stemming from decades of concussions. Due to a prior commitment, Moore will not be representing Snuka at trial if there is one. He characterized Snuka as unintelligible and lacking any kind of recall, and is skeptical of the extent of Snuka’s involvement in his autobiography, but it was released three years ago and he was relatively coherent when he did his book tour. Interestingly, the article notes that Sharon Georgi, Snuka’s first wife who testified against him during the grand jury proceedings, was with him and his family when he surrendered to the police, and was also the one to post bail for him ($10,000 bond on $100,000 bail).
— Adam Clark, who wrote the article that triggered the case getting a fresh look, did a video interview that’s available at LehighValleyLive.com.
— Snuka’s WWE.com page was pulled after LehighValleyLive.com pointed out that it was still up, though he’s still listed on the Hall of Fame page.
— LehighValleyLive.com and WABC-TV in New York both talked to members of Nancy Argentino’s immediate family about Snuka being charged.
— The Allentown Mprning Call has a good timeline for the case that lays out the essential information.
— USA Today’s “The Big Lead” blog is the first mainstream outlet to focus on Vince McMahon and his role in the case.
— Irv Muchnick’s original article about the case is availablee on his website.
— Dave has an article about Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera’s career and retirement at MMAFIghting.com.
— News from Kris Zellner’s Lucha Report (full, illustrated version here):
L.A. Park told Medio Tiempo yesterday that he isn’t in EMLL for a long run and he only wants Rush’s hair that’s it. Park thinks that their apuestas match should be main eventing the Anniversario not Atlantis & Sombra because it’s a bigger match. Park said that he & Dr. Wagner Jr. are now the biggest stars there since they have come back although he thinks Wagner is a sellout for pandering to the fans and being friendly with the Ingobernales.
Mistico II will be a cast member on the TV Azteca/Telemundo reality variety show Si Se Puede where the cast of stars will try and do various forms of entertainment throughout the run such as dancing, magic, even beat boxing. I’m not sure if this is a show where they get voted off or what.
Volador Jr. vs. Johnny Mundo vs. Mephisto actually did happen in Los Angeles on August 30th and my dear friend Alfredo Esparza was there with this report
— From Bellator: Not one, but two must-see bouts have been added to the preliminary portion of “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis” on September 25 at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, with the addition of undefeated Darrion “The Wolf” Caldwell (7-0) versus Shawn Bunch (4-1) and heavyweight action seeing Chase Gormley (12-4, 1 NC) against Dan “The Man” Charles (9-3). The contests will take place during the prelims of “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis,” which airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while the opening portion of the event will stream on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
— The Pancakes and Powerslams podcast interviewed Dave Penzer this week. On the death of WCW: The way I learned about the end of the company is that somebody called me at home and said turn on the (WWE) website. I turned it on, and it was the [WWE] logo, right in the middle was “Purchases”, and on the bottom right-hand corner, it had the WCW logo. My heart sank, and I had tears in my eyes, I ain’t gonna lie to you. When you get to live your dream and possibly get it taken away, it’s not a fun thing. I went to Nitro in Panama City, and I decided to do the best that I could do. We didn’t know at the time that Shane McMahon was going to be there, we found out at the production meeting. I decided that I was gonna lay it all out on the table and let the WWE guys that were there see what I could do, and hope for the best. If it was the swansong, I was gonna enjoy it, and I did that.
— From Emerson Witner: The Wrestling Outsiders Podcast is now on TalkShoe.com! Tune in at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/139049 on Wednesday night at 10pm EST for our review of the infamous Bash at the Beach 2000 show and then again on Thursday night at 10pm EST when we are joined by Tough Enough contestant (and Lance Storm trainee) Chelsea Green!