Decent showcase of Klein’s strength. James had a nice Black Widow on Klein. Klein wins via tapout choke. Post match, BJ Whitmer berates Scarlett to do a proper winner announcement. Issues open challenge for any woman to face Kelly.
Show Results
– Dalton Castle vs Stevie Richards turns into ANX vs. Dalton Castle & Stevie Richards
ANX (w) come out for a segment called what’s wrong with wrestling. Stevie was blasted for lengthy career and Dalton Castle, Human Trafficker. Castle changes the match to tag match vs the “fatbags”. (Lights keep going out in building during this segment). Kenny King delivers a chairshot to a spinning Richards and capitalized for the pinfall.
– Caprice Coleman def. Cheeseburger
Coleman comes out bearing gifts (protein powder, peanuts) to make Cheeseburger bigger. Caprice wins in a solid match by submission. Cheeseburger over with the crowd.
– Christopher Daniels def. Ray Rowe
Rowe surprisedly booed. Towards end, Kaz comes out followed by Hanson just enough to cause a distraction. Daniels hits BME for the 3 count. Daniels helps Kaz continue the beatdown on Hanson which turns into…
– Warbeard Hanson def. Kazarian
Kaz is over with the crowd and so is Hanson. Very good match. Hanson wins with swinging leg kick. Post match, Kaz comes out followed by Rowe. A brawl ensues and War Machine stands tall with the tag belts. War Machine leaves then Addiction stands up with their belts.
– Kamaitachi vs. Jason Kincaid vs Lio Rush vs Will Ferrara vs ACH vs Roderick Strong
Roddy clears the ring to start and stares at Rush. Match breaks down and Roddy does a sick spot outside the ring where he flings each opponent into the metal barricade. Then begins in the ring with Kamaitachi. ACH and Lio do some cool floppy counter stuff. Kincaid came in with a sick off the ropes bulldog/STO spot. Very fast paced, hard to keep up. Lot of Roddy dominance. Kincaid hits the sunset flip power bomb on Lio Rush to the guys on the floor. Kamaitachi then hits a spinning modification of air raid crash for the 3 on Kincaid in the ring. Great match.
Intermission
– BJ Whitmer tries to get on mic and is booed at every opportunity. He graces us with his presence in a practice match against a guy who may have been announced as Mark Sales, dressed in Corino trunks. Whitmer squashed him quickly.
– Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser vs Shane Taylor and Keith Lee
Taylor hits 2nd rope splash on Beer City Bruiser for the pin.
– Jay Briscoe vs. Moose w/ Stokely Hathaway
Both these guys chants to start. Stiff contest. Nice tope con Hilo by Moose. Briscoe hits a Death Valley Driver on the ring apron to Moose. Jay Driller to Moose for a near fall. Crowd goes nuts thinking it was 3. Moose powerbombs Jay through ringside timekeeper table. Jay gets back in the ring at the count of 19. Jay counters the powerbomb into another Jay Driller for the win. Match of the night!
– ROH Champion Jay Lethal (w/Taeler Hendrix) vs. Mark Briscoe
Back and forth match. Mark kicked out of the second diving forearm from Lethal. Jay hit a top rope elbow drop for a near fall, later locking on a figure four. Lethal blocked a Briscoe Elbow from top, kicks him in the face and dazes him, nailing Lethal Injection for the 3. Solid match.
– Bullet Club (Adam Page & Adam Cole) (w/Young Bucks) vs. Motor City Machine Guns
Match started out of the ring with barricade throws on MCMG. Bucks superkick Sabin before heading to the back. A lot of Too Sweet eye pokes by Cole. Page connects on the shooting star to the outside. MCMG hit tag team combination from the top rope to near fall because Todd Sinclair pulled out of ring. Upon getting back in the ring, MCMG superkicks him.
Bucks return and Superkick Sabin. Cole holds Shelley and Bucks inadvertently hit Cole with superkicks and get superkicked by MCM. Page gets back in the ring, MCMG hit their finish for the 3 count on Page.
After the match, the Addiction comes out to attack MCMG. MCMG clears them to the outside where the Bucks hit Addiction w/superkicks. Sabin gets on the mic and asks the crowd if they want to see Addiction as champs. Boos. They ask if the people want to see MCMG vs YB. They says if they win the YB will be first competitors.
Bucks gets on the mic and say that MCMG is their biggest rivalry. Shelley then puts over the ROH tag division and the fans. Shelley says MCMG + YB equal profits & 5 star classics. They call the Bucks back in the ring for handshakes. Surprisingly, no Superkicks and clean handshakes.
UFC announced during UFC 199 that Don Frye has been named to the Pioneer division of the UFC 2016 Hall of Fame. The event will take place on Sunday, July 10, at 12 p.m. PT at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The ceremony will close out the UFC Fan Expo during the final day of the 5th Annual UFC International Fight Week. The event will also be streamed live and available on-demand exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.
“Don Frye is a legend in this sport and one of the toughest guys to ever compete,” UFC President Dana White said. “He was known for putting on incredible fights like his one with Takayama in PRIDE, which is still to this day one of the craziest fights I’ve ever seen. Congratulations to Don Frye for being selected to the 2016 Class of the UFC Hall of Fame!”
Frye notched a 10-1 record during four events over a span of 11 months in 1996. His mixed martial arts career began at UFC 8: DAVID vs. GOLIATH, where he defeated three opponents to capture the tournament title on February 16. He then competed at UFC 9: MOTOR CITY MADNESS on May 17, winning his fight on a non-tournament based card. Following his runner-up finish during UFC 10: THE TOURNAMENT on July 12, he secured his second tournament championship at UFC: THE ULTIMATE ULTIMATE 1996 on December 7.
During his tenure, Frye recorded a number of impressive firsts, becoming the first UFC athlete to finish three opponents in less than one minute, the first athlete to notch both a knockout and a submission in less than one minute, and the first to defeat five consecutive opponents by knockout. Over the course of his 15-year career, Frye also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, earning wins over UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock and Yoshihiro Takayama at PRIDE 19 and 21, respectively.
The final inductees of the Class of 2016 will be announced in the coming weeks leading to the landmark UFC 200: CORMIER vs. JONES 2, on Saturday, July 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
UFC FIGHT PASS’ original series Fightography: Don Frye can be viewed here.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
Saturday night is a busy night in the UFC world with UFC 199 going down in Los Angeles, but there are some huge fights in the works for July’s UFC 200 and August’s UFC 202 that has captured the attention of fans.
In something that will get everyone talking in both wrestling and MMA, former WWE champion and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is returning to the organization to fight on UFC 200 against an opponent that will be announced on ESPN Monday. The news was first broken by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.
During a UFC 200 promo during UFC 199, Lesnar was shown at the very end and Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan discussed it a bit afterward.
Lesnar is taking the fight with WWE approval. They will likely be promoting the fight during WWE broadcasts up to the event.
Lesnar’s opponent in his return will be announced Monday on ESPN.
Lesnar came close to returning to the UFC in early 2015, but ultimately decided to sign a new contract with the WWE. He hasn’t fought in the cage since losing to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in December 2011. He came close to returning in 2012 for a fight against Fedor Emelianenko, but the deal was unable to be put together by the UFC.
UFC 200 takes place on July 9 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by Daniel Cormier taking on Jon Jones to unify the light heavyweight title. Frankie Edgar vs. Jose Aldo for the interim featherweight title is also on the show as is former Lesnar foe Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne, and a host of other interesting fights.
UPDATE: WWE has confirmed the fight. They issued the following statement tonight: “Brock Lesnar remains under contract to WWE, however, he has been granted a one-off opportunity to compete at UFC 200. Following this milestone event on July 9, Brock will return to WWE for SummerSlam on Sunday, August 21 live on WWE Network.”
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
So much for Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II fading into the ethos.
UFC aired a promo spot Saturday during UFC 199 that the fight that headlined one of the most purchased UFC PPVs of all time will headline UFC 202 on Saturday, August 20th in Las Vegas, NV.
After they aired the promo, Diaz was shown at cageside next to Dana White, flexing his biceps and getting a hero’s welcome.
The road to the rematch is longform story worthy with the fight originally scheduled to headline UFC 200 only to fall apart supposedly because McGregor didn’t want to come to a press conference as he was training in Iceland. What followed was a classic “he said, they said, he said again” situation that saw UFC cancel the fight and eventually put a light heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier in its place.
After Diaz said he wouldn’t fight anyone else but McGregor, the Stockton, CA, native then decided to play some financial hardball about what it would take to get him to do the rematch: McGregor money. After a meeting between White, Diaz, and Lorenzo Fertitta reportedly went astray, White said this week that it didn’t look like the fight would happen and alternatives for McGregor were being explored.
Well, there was no alternative. Diaz will get a chance to beat McGregor again, and the featherweight champion gets to prove that he can fight — and win — at 170 pounds on a full camp.
So yeah, this is a high stakes fight.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
Muhammad Ali is very likely the most well known and important figure in the history of sports. Besides Jackie Robinson, no other athlete may have had as great an impact on society, as Ali’s refusal to participate in the Vietnam War stands out as a seminal moment in American history. That’s to say nothing of his public conversion to Islam and his steadfast refusal to play down his faith. Those two acts alone helped to define a generation.
Of course, his fame was international as well, and that same influence was felt throughout the globe. From Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), site of the famous Rumble in the Jungle, to the Philippines, home to the Thrilla in Manila, Ali truly was a World Champion.
His connections to pro wrestling are thoroughly documented, with Ali crediting pro wrestling for influencing his bombastic public persona. And in a funny twist, Ali’s fight with Antonio Inoki ended up essentially being the birth of mixed martial arts.
Ali’s legacy is one that would fill several books and will safely live on for decades. There was never a man like him before and there will never be one like him again.
Tons more on Muhammad Ali:
New Zealand Herald looks at his famous fight with Antonio Inoki. The article includes a video with Gene LeBell talking about the damage Inoki’s leg kicks had on Ali.
Miami Herald has a story about Dusty Rhodes saying he almost had a match with Ali in Florida. The article includes a link to a video of Dusty telling the story (the Ali part starts at 3:35).
Yahoo! Sports describes how Ali not only influenced pro wrestling and MMA but how wrestling promos also influenced him.
Forbes looks back to 1995 when Ali attended the festival in North Korea that featured a Ric Flair vs. Antonio Inoki pro wrestling match as the main event. A few weeks back on Chris Jericho’s podcast, Flair talked about that trip and told stories about flying to North Korea with Ali and his entourage.
A Calgary Herald an article mentions that Ali was once given a photograph of himself posing with Stu Hart. The person that gave the photo to Ali said he was speechless. The photo and him being unable to speak at the time were both rare.
Here is a classic Muhammad Ali promo featuring some often quotes lines: “I have wrestled with an alligator… tussled with a whale… handcuffed lightning… thrown thunder in jail…”
Here is a collection of clips featuring some of his best promos (starts at :37). Besides his promos, highlights include a pull-apart brawl with Joe Frazier in a studio with Howard Cosell doing play-by-play.
Here is Freddie Blassie doing a run-in during an Ali appearance on The Tonight Show with guest host McLean Stevenson (of M*A*S*H fame). It was part of the promotion leading into the Inoki fight.
Here is Ali jumping in the ring to confront and throw hands with Gorilla Monsoon on a WWWF show in 1976. After Ali starts jabbing him, Monsoon picks Ali up in an airplane spin with Vince McMahon calling the action on commentary. The angle was part of the build towards Ali vs. Inoki.
Here is Ali vs. Buddy Wolfe in boxer vs. wrestler exhibition match on an AWA card from Chicago in 1976. It was also part of the buildup to Ali vs. Inoki. That match aired on ABC during a “Wide World of Sports” broadcast and features an intro by Howard Cosell. Verge Gagne is the referee. Freddie Blassie is a cornerman.
Here is Ali vs “Sodbuster” Kenny Jay in another boxer vs. wrestler exhibition on an AWA card in the Midwest. Gagne was also the referee in this match.
Here is Ali cutting promos on Inoki at a press conference in Japan promoting their fight. Inoki was mostly laughing at his insults.
Here is an extended trailer for a promising new documentary on the Inoki vs. Ali fight.
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber for bantamweight title
Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping for middleweight title
NEW JAPAN WORLD SUNDAY AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM GUNMA
Ryusuke Taguchi & Jay White vs. Yoshi-Hashi & Rocky Romero
Yuji Nagata & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Manabu Nakanishi & David Finlay & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Kushida & Juice Robinson & Captain New Japan & Matt Sydal
Tiger Mask vs. Trent Baretta
Will Ospreay vs. Jushin Liger
Bobby Fish vs. Chase Owens
Ricochet vs. Volador Jr.
Satoshi Kojima & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi
*WWE in Amarillo (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Lawton, OK (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo, Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*ROH in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Expo Building (Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian defend the tag title against War Machine, Adam Cole vs. Lio Rush, Dalton Castle vs. Kamaitachi)
NEW JAPAN WORLD MONDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil
Volador Jr. vs. Will Ospreay
Ricochet vs. Chase Owens
Bobby Fish vs. Tiger Mask
Jushin Liger vs. Trent Baretta
Matt Sydal vs. David Finlay
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Gedo
Kushida vs. Bushi
Raw will be Monday in Oklahoma City. John Cena, Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are all booked on the show along with the usual regulars.
NEW JAPAN WORLD TUESDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Best of the Super Juniors championship match
NXT TAKEOVER THE END ON WEDNESDAY AT 8 P.M. FROM FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY IN WINTER PARK, FL
Andrade Cien Almas vs. Tye Dillinger
Asuka vs. Nia Jax for women’s title
Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder for tag titles
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor cage match for the NXT title
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Wichita. John Cena is not scheduled but Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are scheduled.
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
Figure Four Weekly 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.
A huge double issue of the Observer is out this week, including the real catalyst behind the WWE brand split, a breakdown of the roster, justice denied again in the Jimmy Snuka case, Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay and the Super Juniors tournament plus a full rundown, the story behind Bill Goldberg and the WWE video game and the Brock Lesnar tease, famous boxer vs. pro wrestler fights, WWE schedule and injury rates, business rundowns from the past two months for WWE & TNA, updates on cable stations that carry wrestling and MMA, and one of the greatest territorial business runs in history in the life and career of Cowboy Frankie Laine.
Our lead story looks at the WWE brand split, why it happened, what is known that isn’t a secret, ads out post brand split, plans for the split two months ago and what the ad department was told then, what different arenas have been told this week, thoughts behind decisions having too be made, plus a roster rundown on what positions WWE is strong and weak in, and where NXT talent should fit in and who is ready, or who can fill a slot.
There is also an update on the Jimmy Snuka situation, with a realistic view if there will be a trial and what the time frame is and what happens next.
This issue also looks at the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match, Vader’s reaction, Super Juniors standings and rundowns of the shows plus looking at where things are going.
Updates on Money in the Bank, stars returning to television soon, how the NBA & NHL playoffs coincide with wrestling the next two weeks, an update on NXT, lots of WWE performers off TV for the next several weeks, notes from lawsuit depositions that are eye opening, Cena getting a gigantic endorsement deal, Rollins return news, injury updates, lots of Dwayne Johnson news, WrestleMania in the future notes, notes on how little talent gets told in advance about things, who watches what on WWE network, plus we’ve got rundowns of every WWE & NXT events over the past week and business notes on the shows, all included in in this issue.
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.
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40-issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues.
No surprise, but John Cena vs. AJ Styles is official for Money in the Bank.
No update this morning on the status of The Drifter, who appeared to have injured his ankle at the house show last night and left the building on crutches. He was in a lot of pain, and it was definitely not a worked angle despite the fact that NXT has been doing the fake injury finish for a little while now.
WWE announced a new episode of Breaking Ground immediately following NXT Takeover on Wednesday. It appears to be a reunion show where we take a look at what everyone is up to since the series ended. I hope they focus on Tyler Breeze and his main roster success.
WWE has also been adding AWA Supershows to their Vault area on the WWE Network.
Nick Denton, Gawker owner, is confident that they will do much better when they appeal the Hulk Hogan lawsuit which ordered Denton to pay the Hulkster 140 ga-zillion dollars.
An Orlando paper has a feature on local indie wrestling going from the ring to the stage.
The next Superkick’d show is scheduled for July 8th in Toronto and is promising ‘eight matches, live music, alcohol, and hot girls!’ We’re awaiting confirmation on whether John Pollock is defending his hardcore title on the show.
VCW returns to Toronto’s Super Wonder Gallery with SuperSlam 4 on June 30th. We’re awaiting confirmation on whether Wai Ting will finally challenge for the TV title on that show.
This week on 6:05 Superpodcast, Brian Last and David Bixenspan talk to Bob Barnett about his decades of fandom including meeting Vince McMahon when they were kids, chat with Jammie Ward about tape trading and ’80s wrestling hardcore fandom in general, learn more about “Rasslin’” singer/songwriter Glen Goza, and much more.
MMA
Jon Jones has been tweeting a lot about Muhammad Ali.
“Rest in peace to my greatest inspiration”
“A few things I’ll cherish forever” (accompanied by above pic)
Nikita Krylov and Ed Herman have been signed to fight at UFC 201 in Atlanta in a light heavyweight bout.
MISC.
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) has a feature on a beach wrestling competition. The article describes the new take on an old sport as “expanding the traditional gymnasium sport to America’s sandy beaches.” Kind of like Bash at the Beach in 1995 but no ring or spandex.
The Daily Star (UK) features arguably the most intense arm wrestler ever displaying his intensity and it is indeed intense. Warning: Language is NSFW (and the video player opens automatically so be prepared for intensity)
James Renner will be our guest on After Dark Radio Sunday night, 9 PT/12 ET on the Dark Matter Digital Network, live and free. Details and a link are always available on the front page.
EVENTS
TONIGHT – ECWA on Saturday night in Woodbury Heights, NJ at the Community Center with Sean Carr vs. Papadon
TONIGHT – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
TONIGHT – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
TONIGHT – Aerostar vs. Flamita vs. Laredo Kid vs. Septimo Dragon headline tonight in Benbrook, TX at the Camp Bowie Bingo Hall. The same promotion has a tag match tomorrow night in Houston at the Atlantico Hall with Aerostar & Laredo Kid vs. Flamita & Ultimo Ninja.
TONIGHT – CWE in Morden, Manitoba at the Morden Block Party Street Festival has a free show with a 1 p.m. start time.
TOMORROW – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
TOMORROW – Silver Star Promotions at the 4 Ever Arena in Fort Worth has Caristico & El Hijo del Fishman vs. Silver Star & Psicosis Jr.
June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
June 11 – ECCW Port Coquitlam, BC at the Elks Hall #49.
June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 24 – Isao Kobayashi vs. Justin Lawrence will appear on Spike.com as the top prelim fight Bellator Dynamite show in St. Louis. This will be a combination MMA and kickboxing show.
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
July 2 – Stars of Wrestling from Alameda, CA at the Alameda Point Gym has Bobby Lashley, Carlito and The Boogeyman appearing.
July 2 – NWA Cajun Heat in Morgan City, LA at the Municipal Auditorium with Jax Dane vs. Mustang Mike for the NWA title, Rob Conway vs. Rodney Mack and an appearance by Kevin Nash.
July 9 – Smash Wrestling in Fort Erie, ONT at the Native Friendship Center. Chris Hero will headline this fund raising event to raise money for the Godson of Jeremy Elliott, who Hero will wrestle. Elliott’s Godson is a patient at the CPRI Treatment Center.
July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY.
August 13 – Rey Mysterio Jr. will headline a show at Montgomery High School in San Diego, his alma mater, for Viva La Lucha promotions. Also appearing are Konnan, Psicosis, Johnny Mundo, Teddy Hart and TJ Perkins.
Truth came out first and got a loud pop. Breeze had little reaction. Started out as comedy match, then Breeze took control until run-ins by Fandango and Goldust. Truth won with a roll up after about 8 minutes.
– Cesaro vs Primo
Cesaro came out first to a really loud pop. Primo had no reaction until he cut a local promo. Epico wasn’t there. Back and forth match, Cesaro hit all his spots, and won with the Sharpshooter after about 10 minutes.
– AJ Styles did a local backstage video promo. Hard to understand, but the crowd was heavily booing throughout.
– Karl Anderson vs. an Uso (not sure which)
Anderson and Gallows came out first to medium boos then one of the Usos came out to a huge pop. The other Uso wasn’t there. Anderson won with a roll up after Gallows distracted Uso.
– Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler
Corbin came out first to little reaction. Dolph has one of the biggest pops of the night. Crowd wasn’t really into except six little kids relentlessly chanting for Ziggler, Baron eventually zeroed in on them and started saying each punch was for them and the like. This got the crowd more into it. Ziggler won by DQ after about 14 minutes when Corbin used a chair. Ziggler then came back in and kicked Corbin in the nuts, and hit the Zig Zag.
– WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte vs Natalya
Natalya entered first to a pretty good reaction. Charlotte got a really loud reaction, probably 70% negative. They worked the crowd before the match and got the crowd all on Natalya’s side. Crowd was probably most engaged in the near falls of this match than any other, besides the main event. Good match, eventually Charlotte started working the leg. Ended when Charlotte pinned Natalya, but ref missed Charlotte’s feet on the ropes.
– US Champion Rusev vs Sin Cara
Rusev got a lot of boos. Sin Cara got an ok reaction, but it was obvious that crowd was wanting Kalisto, who wasn’t there. Crowd couldn’t decide between chanting “USA”, “We want Lana” (who wasn’t there), or “lucha.” Rusev wins with the Accolade after about 9 mins. After the match, Rusev cut a promo until Titus O’Neil entered the ring and eventually hit a spinebuster.
– WWE World Champion Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins vs AJ Styles
AJ came out first to almost entirely boos, even though I saw quite a few people with his t-shirt on. His reaction was definitely not as strong as the other two guys. Rollins out next, and his reaction was about 70% boos. Finally, Reigns came out to by far the loudest reaction of the night. I would guess 80 to 90% cheers. Rollins started as cowardly heel, sitting out until he found a spot.
Really fun match, eventually Seth and AJ teamed up, and Seth teased tapping “too sweet” hand signal with AJ, but eventually turned on him. They kinda went back and forth working with Reigns, until everybody hit their signature moves (forearm, Superman punch, and Pedigree). Roman eventually won with a spear on AJ after about 17 minutes.
Kansas City, Kansas: – Ali Baba beat Nanjo Singh by dq – Bill Lee beat Chris Zaharias – Lou Thesz beat Gene Bowman – Walter Podolak beat Eddie Newman – Beppo Vitale beat Steve Nenoff
1964
Kansas City, Kansas: – Steve Bolus and Richard Moody beat Bob Geigel and Charlie Triggs – Pat O’Connor beat Mongolian Stomper via dq – Moose Evans beat Tokyo Tom – The Lawman beat Harley Race
1966
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – In a No Time Limit Match with Special Referee, Joe Blanchard; AWA Tag Team Champions Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher beat Larry Hennig & Harley Race in 2 out of 3 fall – The Alaskan beat Billy Red Cloud – Wilbur Snyder beat Moose Cholak – Chris Markoff beat Juan Zendajas – Eddie Sharkey won an 8 man battle royal
1970
Kansas City, Kansas: – Roger Kirby defeated Frank Hester – Pat O’Connor defeated Scandor Akbar – Bob Geigel defeated Baron Von Raschke via DQ – Indian Strap Match: Danny Little Bear defeated Harley Race
1971
Chicago, Illinois: – In a Loser Leaves USA match, Dick the Bruiser beat Strong Kobayashi – Hans Schmidt & Baron Von Raschke beat Moose Cholak & Wilbur Snyder – Nick Bockwinkel beat Bull Bullinski by count out
1977
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – Billy Robinson beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel in a non Title Match – Super Destroyer & Angelo Mosca beat Ray Stevens & Pedro Morales – Jim Brunzell & Billy Francis & Bob Backlund drew Black Jack Lanza & Mad Dog Vachon & Bobby Duncum
1979
Memphis, Tennessee: – Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee beat Mr. Fuji & Toru Tanaka to win the Southern Tag Title – Robert Fuller defeated The Mongolian Stomper in a “loser leaves town vs. title” match to win the Southern Title
1984
Memphis, Tennessee: – Phil Hickerson & The Spoiler beat Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert via DQ – Jim Neidhart beat Austin Idol via DQ – Southern Champ Jerry Lawler beat Kimala via countout
1992
Tazwell, Virginia: – Dixie Dynamite pinned Killer Kyle – Hector Guerrero defeated Buddy Landel via disqualification – SMW Heavyweight Champion Brian Lee defeated the Dirty White Boy – Brad & Bart Batten defeated Jimmy Golden & Dutch Mantell – Robert Gibson & Tim Horner defeated The Heavenly Bodies – Stan Lane & Tom Pritchard and Robert Gibson won a battle royal
1993
Cleveland, Ohio: – Erik Watts defeated TJ Arion – Maxx Payne defeated Kensuke Sasaki – Ron Simmons defeated WCW World TV Champion Paul Orndorff – Arn Anderson (substituting for 2 Cold Scorpio) & Marcus Alexander Bagwell defeated Lord Steven Regal (substituting for injured WCW/NWA World Tag Team Champion Brian Pillman) & WCW/NWA World Tag Team Champion Steve Austin – Dustin Rhodes defeated Rick Rude – Davey Boy Smith defeated WCW World Champion Big Van Vader via disqualification
2002
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: – Billy Gunn & Chuck Palumbo defeated Rico & Rikishi for the WWE World Tag Team Titles
They’re showing videos before the show starts. Every time time Roman Reigns is show, he got booed.
– No Way Jose beat Angelo Dawkins in a fun opener
– Elias Samson vs. Andrade Cien Almas ended when Samson legit hurt his ankle. The ref stopped the match, but Almas refused to have his arm raised. Samson got a supportive “Drifter” chant from the fans as he was being led out.
– Tye Dillinger beat Tino Sabatelli in a decent match. Tino seemed nervous, but looked okay.
– NXT Tag Champions American Alpha beat The Revival to retain. Great, great match, and exactly what you’d expect from these guys. Gable and Jordan got huge pops for everything they did.
– Nakamura vs. Buddy Murphy was after intermission. Nakamura got an absolutely deafening reaction when he came out. The match was good as Murphy is underrated. Nakamura won with the Kinshasa.
– Carmella and Bayley beat Peyton Royce & Darla. Fun match, but not much to it. Bayley was very over.
– NXT Champion Samoa joe beat Finn Balor. Good match, ended with Joe pinning Balor with his feet on the ropes. Balor sent Joe packing afterward to send the crowd home happy.
