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  • Bellator weigh-ins for tomorrow night:

    TEMECULA, Calif. (August 27, 2015) – All of the competitors involved in tomorrow night’s “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz” eventtook to the scales this afternoon from theCabaret Theater inside the beautiful Pechanga Resort and Casino, and successfully hit their required marks.

    The preliminary card for “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz” will stream on Spike.com at 7:45 p.m. ET, which is followed by the main card on Spike airing live and free at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

    In the evening’s main event, Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard (32-14-2, 2 NC) will make his promotional debut against Brandon “Cold Roll” Girtz (11-4). The co-headliner will feature lightweight action that pits Saad Awad (18-6) against Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (13-6). After nearly five years away from action, Justin Wren (10-2) will face Josh Burns (8-8) in heavyweight action and opening the main card, Lorenzo Hood (9-2) will make his Bellator MMA debut against Raphael Butler (9-1-1).

    Lightweight Bout:Melvin Guillard (155.4) vs. Brandon Girtz (155.8)

    Lightweight Bout:Patricky Pitbull (156) vs. Saad Awad (155.8)

    Heavyweight Bout:Justin Wren (246) vs. Josh Burns (262.8)

    :Raphael Butler (260.2) vs. Lorenzo Hood (256.2)

    Middleweight Bout:AJ Matthews (184.8) vs. Emiliano Sordi (185.6)

    Lightweight Bout:Brent Primus (155.4) vs. Derek Anderson (155.8)

    Featherweight Bout: Marloes Coenen (145.6) vs. Arlene Blencowe (145.8)

    Strawweight Bout:Ilima Macfarlane (125.2) vs. Maria Rios (125.4)


    Featherweight Bout:A.J. McKee (145.8) vs. James Barnes (145)

    Welterweight Bout:Curtis Millender (170.6) vs. Steven Ciaccio (170.4)

    Featherweight Bout:Adrienna Jenkins (144.4) vs. Lissette Neri (143.2)

    Light Heavyweight Bout:Ray Sloan (202) vs. Luc Bondole (203.4)

    Welterweight Bout:Johnny Cisneros (170.8) vs. Gabriel Miglioli (170.2) 

  • WWE Smackdown 8/27 TV results & recap: Dudley Boyz return, Dean Ambrose vs. Sheamus

    By Steve Khan, WrestlingObserver.com

    – Air Date: August 27, 2015 (Aug 26 in Canada)

    – Location: Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, RI

    The Big News:

    The Dudley Boyz returned to the ring and the new Wyatt guy laid out Roman Reigns again.

    Show Recap:

    Smackdown opened with a replay of the Dudley Boyz return on Raw and a plug for their return match later tonight. Then the Wyatts came out.

    They showed a replay Braun Stowman destroying Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose on Raw. Luke Harper said the fans were already dead but don’t know it yet, and Bray Wyatt’s truth will give them new life.

    Bray said he doesn’t throw the word “brother” around like Roman Reigns. Bray said Sister Abigail has given him everything, and just when he thought he was down and out, she gave him Stowman.

    Bray said Abigail’s eyes light up when she talks about her black sheep. Bray called himself the new face of fear, Luke Harper the new face of desolation, and Braun Stowman the new face of destruction.

    Reigns and Ambrose interrupted. They came out together through the crowd to Reigns’ music, which might be the first time they’ve done that since The Shield broke up.

    Reigns said Stowman whipped their asses on Monday, but if they’re going down, they’re going down swinging. Ambrose said he would take the ugly one and they jumped in the ring. The two teams had a brief staredown, but Bray backed off his group and they left. Not sure why Reigns and Ambrose didn’t just attack them.

    Jerry Lawler introduced us to Rich Brennen, who was on commentary in place of Tom Phillips.

    The Dudley Boyz beat The Ascension via pinfall

    Bubba and D-Von were billed from Dudleyville. Jimmy Uso was very excited for this and the crowd immediately chanted “We want tables.” The Dudleys were in total control, using frequent tags and double team moves.

    After D-Von hit a diving headbutt to the groin, Bubba called for tables. D-Von went looking but was knocked down by Konnor. Ascension briefly had the heat, but D-Von got the hot tag and hit a flapjack and neckbreaker. Bubba tagged himself in and they hit 3D on Konnor for the win.

    They set up a table in the ring but The New Day came out. Each guy held up a sign in protest, reading “Save a table, break a Dudley”, “Booty!” and “#GiveTablesAChance”. Bubba put Viktor through a table with an assisted powerbomb off the ropes.

    This was a fine return, though D-Von definitely looked slow during his comeback.

    Kevin Owens beat Neville via pinfall

    Neville tried a baseball slide but Owens dodged and hit a clothesline, followed by a swinging neckbreaker for two. After a break, Owens hit a clothesline and senton. Neville fought out of a chin lock, hitting kicks and a springboard dropkick.

    Neville hit a German suplex and superkick. Owens got up before Neville could go for Red Arrow and hit Neville with a superkick of his own, followed by a pop-up powerbomb for the win. This was alright.

    Backstage, Charlotte and Becky Lynch were confronted by Nikki and Brie Bella. The Bellas tried to drive a wedge between Team PCB by pointing out that their leader, Paige, was not there tonight because she had more important responsibilities. They also referenced Paige calling it “her” team.

    Charlotte basically didn’t care about anything they said and asked if they were still in high school. Brie responded by saying she graduated 13 years ago. Ok? Charlotte said they’re all leaders in their team, and reminded the Bellas that Nikki turned on Brie last year and wished her dead.

    Lynch said they have integrity and loyalty, unlike the Bellas, and pointed out that Alicia Fox wasn’t there tonight either. The women tried their best I guess but the writing was dumb again. Not nearly as bad as Raw, though.

    Charlotte & Becky Lynch beat Brie & Nikki Bella via pinfall

    Team B.A.D. were on commentary. Because of Naomi’s inclusion, Jimmy Uso actually recused himself from the table, which is funny. Naomi said she isn’t sure what the Bellas are good at, because they certainly aren’t good in the ring. Brennan reminded her that Nikki is the champion. Banks wanted to know where her title shot was after she made Nikki tapout.

    The Bellas double teamed Lynch who came back with leg drops on Brie. Charlotte tagged in but missed a knee drop, so Brie kicked her leg out of her leg and applied an ugly… Haas of Pain, I guess.

    Charlotte knocked Brie out of the ring and very, very, very slowly crawled towards Lynch, but Nikki knocked Lynch off the apron. Brie jumped back in the ring but Charlotte used a rollup for the win. Less than average match to put it nicely, and Team B.A.D. provided nothing on commentary.

    Seth Rollins, wearing all black, came out for the top of the hour segment. They recapped what happened with Jon Stewart at SummerSlam and announced Seth Rollins vs. Sting at Night of Champions.

    Rollins said Monday was supposed to be the greatest moment of his life with the unveiling of his statue, which would have immortalized him. Rollins said he was the first man to cash in his MITB briefcase during the WrestleMania main event and is the first man to be U.S. and WWE champion in WWE history.

    He said Hollywood should make a movie about his life and August 23rd, the night he beat John Cena, should be a national holiday. Monday was supposed to be the greatest day of his life, but Sting ruined it.  

    Rollins said he has already accomplished more than Sting and added that Sting was toiling away in the minor leagues. Rollins said he was not afraid of Sting, Sting should be afraid of him. Rollins said Triple H told him that his biggest regret was not putting Sting away at WrestleMania. Rollins called Sting an artifact and would crush his old bones to dust.

    Backstage, Sheamus did a nothing interview with Jo-Jo about Dean Ambrose and reminded us what it means to be Mr. Money in the Bank.

    Ryback & Dolph Ziggler (w/Lana) beat Big Show & Rusev (w/Summer Rae) via pinfall

    Ryback knocked down Show with a running shoulder block and got ready for the meat hook clothesline, but Rusev distracted him and Show knocked him down. Rusev tagged himself in and Show looked displeased.

    After a break, Rusev hit a dropkick and elbow drops, all while telling Show he wasn’t tagging out. Ryback hit a spinebuster and tagged in Dolph who ran wild on Show (who got the tag from Rusev finally), hitting a DDT and superkick. Ziggler went for a Fameasser but Show picked him up and hit a giant electric chair drop.

    Show hit the knockout punch on Ziggler but Rusev tagged himself in. Rusev applied the Accolade, so Show knocked out Rusev and walked out. Ziggler woke up and covered Rusev for the win. Nothing match and stupid finish.

    They recapped the end of the Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker match from SummerSlam, showed Paul Heyman’s promo from Raw, as well as Lesnar killing Bo Dallas. They also did a video package for the Jon Stewart/John Cena angle from Raw.

    Backstage, Ambrose told Reigns he doesn’t know what “Respect the ‘hawk” means, but tonight Sheamus would respect his fist and elbow and knee and boot. Ambrose began ranting about the Wyatts but Reigns told him to stay focused on Sheamus. Reigns said he would make a couple of rounds (around the building) to make sure the Wyatts were gone.

    Jerry Lawler showed us how to order pizza in his tablet.

    Sheamus beat Dean Ambrose via pinfall

    Ambrose took the fight to the outside, ramming Sheamus into the announce table and jumping off the table to hit a flying forearm. Sheamus tossed Ambrose into the barricade however, and scoop slammed him on the table (which didn’t break). None of this was a DQ.

    After a break, Sheamus used a stretch muffler. Ambrose tried to counter but Sheamus hit a sit-out powerbomb. Sheamus tried his clubbing forearms spot but Ambrose countered and did the spot himself. Sheamus brushed him off, but Ambrose did his comeback, using a bulldog and Oklahoma roll for two.

    Amrbose hit a suicide dive and diving elbow drop for two. Ambrose countered a Brogue kick into a school boy for two, followed by a rebound clothesline. Ambrose ripped off his shirt, the lights went out and the Wyatts appeared, surrounding the ring.

    This distracted Ambrose and Sheamus hit a Brogue kick for the win. The Wyatts jumped in the ring but Reigns’ music hit and he ran out from the stage, immediately taking out Harper with a superman punch.

    Reigns had a staredown with Stowman as Wyatt looked on. Reigns threw a punch but Stowman no-sold it. Reigns hit a few more punches but Stowman choked him out easily and left him laying. Wyatts stood tall to end the show.

    Final Thoughts:

    Besides the return of the Dudleys this show wasn’t particularly interesting or noteworthy and just felt like an extension of Raw. Even more than usual.

  • TNA & ROH Wednesday night ratings (August 26)

    Ratings from Destination America last night:

    – TNA at 9 p.m. 279,000 viewers

    – ROH at 11 p.m. 149,000 viewers

    – TNA at midnight 83,000 viewers

  • THURS. UPDATE: Battle of Los Angeles, CMLL longtime star leaves, WWE signs Japanese star, Cena bio, Sonnen success, Mein retires, WWE 2K party videos

    By Dave Meltzerdave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com We’re looking for reports on tonight’s NXT show in Tampa at dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.comSmackdown tonight on Syfy Dudleys vs. The AscensionNeville vs. Kevin OwensCharlotte & Becky Lynch vs. Bella TwinsDolph Ziggler & Ryback vs. Rusev & Big ShowSheamus vs. Dean Ambrose For the weekend, the Cena tour runs Friday in Fort Myers, Saturday in Orlando and Sunday in Daytona Beach.  The Reigns tour runs Saturday in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Sunday in Tallahassee.  NXT runs Friday in Cocoa Beach and Saturday in Fort Pierce. 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-reivew story, ROH big weekend, New Japan next tour, 2017 Mania and Daniel Bryan future note. The issue is on the site right now at http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/110-wrestling-observer-newsletter/44262-wrestling-observer-newsletter-august-31-2015-summerslam-weekend-wrap-up-ufc-business-and-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

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

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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. 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.

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    *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)

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    *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)

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    *February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)

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    *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)

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    *January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

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    *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)

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    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 –Bryan and I have a new interview with Chris Hero talking Battle of Los Angeles, psychology of working small buildings vs. big buildings, NOAH and a lot more up on the site today.  We also have an interview from Monday with A.J. Styles talking the G-1 Climax tournament. –Here is the PWG Battle of Los Angeles lineups for this weekend: Friday night

    • Aero Star vs. Brian Cage
    • Biff Busick vs. Andrew Everett
    • Will Ospreay vs. Mark Andrews
    • Trent Baretta vs. Trevor Lee
    • Drago vs. Pentagon Jr.
    • Fenix vs. Matt Sydal
    • Jack Evans & Angelico vs. Ricochet & Rich Swann
    • Tommy End & Marty Scurll & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Young Bucks & Roderick Strong

    Saturday night

    • Rich Swann vs. Marty Scurll
    • Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher
    • Drew Gulak vs. Tommy End
    • Jack Evans vs. Angelico
    • Drew Galloway vs. Mike Bailey
    • Ricochet vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
    • Fenix & Aero Star vs. Pentagon Jr. & Drago
    • Young Bucks & Super Dragon vs. Biff Busick & Andrew Everett & Trevor Lee

    –Sarah Stock (Dark Angel/Sarita) announced she was leaving CMLL after roughly a decade in the promotion and as one of the key figures in elevating women wrestling in that group.  She made that announcement yesterday. –Kanna, who was shown on Saturday’s NXT TakeOver show, was actually signed by WWE several weeks ago. –Today is the 44th anniversary of the Fred Blassie vs. John Tolos match at the Los Angeles Coliseum which held the state’s attendance record until WrestleMania this year just beat it. –A John Cena biography called “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect:  The World of John Cena,” will be released in March of 2016. –The Dish Network and Sinclair Broadcasting reached a transmission deal earlier today.  The old deal was up a few weeks ago and the stations were pulled for a day or two before this long-term deal was finalized. –Taz announced that Jim Ross will be a regular weekly guest on his new radio show. –WWE Studios will be producing a movie called “Long Shot:  The Kevin Laue Story,” about a man with one arm playing Division I basketball. –‘Ballers’ featuring The Rock ended up as the third most watched comedy in HBO history behind Sex and the City and Hung. –Podcast One announced that Chael Sonnen’s “You’re Welcome” show is pulling in more than 1 million downloads per month, joining Shaq, Dan Patrick and Adam Corolla as the most listened to sports shows on the network.  In specific, the shows from 4/15 to 5/13 topped 1 million combined, which were shows with guests Douglas Crosby, Wayne McCullough, Wes Sims, Frontrow Brian, Luke Rockhold, Daniel Cormier, Anthony Johnson, John Piermarini and Paige VanZant.  His newest episode features Phil Baroni.

    – WXW Shotgun episode #222 featuring our Alan Counihan is up on YouTube now.  –It was reported last night on UFC Tonight that Jordan Mein was retiring from MMA at the age of 25.  He’s already had 39 pro fights. –Bob Backlund’s autobiography, “Backlund:  From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling’s World champion” will be out next month through Skyhorse Publishing. –The Dudleys have been added to the 10/3 show in Madison Square Garden. –WWE stock closed up 13 cents today to $20 per share.    — WWE 2K16’ favorite Dolph Ziggler to show off in Miami with SmackDown at AmericanAirlines Arena  –Sting talks his upcoming Q&A shows in the U.K. athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt0IykGuCV8 –A story on the WWE 2k 16 video game with quotes from Steve Austin, Seth Rollins and Sheamus athttp://www.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2015-08-26/wwe-2k16-game-details-features-review-kickoff-party-summerslam-weekend-steve-austin–Some more stuff from the WWE 2K 16 party at http://www.metalinjection.net/video/wwe-superstars-on-who-is-the-most-metal-in-wwehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jt_0tCJWhohttp://www.metalinjection.net/video/wwes-dolph-ziggler-addresses-megadeth-patch-errorhttps://youtu.be/S1Fsg-hfXLQ –Montreal’s IWS has a show on 9/5 and  Vampiro will do his first match in Montreal since 1987, when he debuted as Bill Fury.  Drago and Fenix are now off the show but will be replaced by Jack Evans and Cortez Castro. (thanks to Patric Laprade). –Josh, Sara Lee, Amanda and ZZ talk the Tough Enough season at http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2015/08/26/josh-sara-lee-amanda-and-zz-reflect-on-their-time-on-wwe-tough-enough/
     –Another story on Sara Lee is athttp://www.mlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/08/tough_talk_with_michigans_sara.html

    –WWE is looking for a General Manager for an office in India athttps://wwecorp.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/wwecorp/job/Mumbai-India/General-Manager–India_R0000286
     –Lance Storm has a new Q&A up on his web site athttp://www.stormwrestling.com/082715.html
     –They had a big event in Hamilton, ONT last night for Angelo Mosca, both to honor him and as a fund raiser.  Here are some stories on the event:http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2015/08/27/22545442.htmlhttps://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/the-angelo-mosca-fund/http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/5816025-lots-of-love-for-roughest-toughest-mosca/http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/5815988-milton-angelo-mosca-will-always-be-the-face-of-hamilton/
     –Interview with Jeff Jarrett for RVA Magazine before their ballpark show on Saturday in Richmond, VA. Talked about GFW’s TV deal, filming without locking down a deal, streaming services, working with TNA, his father, the roster, and the next boom period. http://rvamag.com/articles/full/25041/maximum-brand-awareness-a-chat-with-global-force-wrestlings-jeff-jarrett-ahead –A note on Dory Funk Jr’s next show and two of his students who are getting looks by WWE this week: http://www.ocala.com/article/2015150829802

    ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron) 1958 – Rikidozan beat Lou Thesz to win the International title, which for the next 15 years was the leading singles title in Japan.1978 – Canek beat Lou Thesz in Mexico City to become the UWA heavyweight champion1985 – Mayumi Ozaki beat Yu Yamazaki in Tokyo to win the UWA women’s jr. title1992 – Irma Gonzalez beat Lola Gonzalez to win the UWA women’s title –Lucha Toronto on 9/27 in Whitby, ONT headlined by Ricky Reyes vs. Rey Hours. –Absolute Intense Wrestling on 9/11 in Cleveland at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School headlined by Bob Holly vs. Nick Gage, plus Colt Cabana, Cliff Compton, Candice LaRae, Athena, and more. –IWF on Saturday night in Nutley, NJ at the IWF Centre. –ECCW on 10/17 in Vancouver, BC at the Russian Community Centre. –All Star Wrestling on 9/12 in Squamish, BC at Totem Hall featuring Chelsea Green from Tough Enough. –CHIKARA King of Trios featuring A.J. Styles & Young Bucks from 9/4 to 9/6 in Easton, PA at the Palmer Center. –One Championships on 9/27 in Jakarta, Indonesia headlined by featherweight champion Narantungalag Jadambaa of Mongolia defending against Mrat Gafuorv of Russia.  The show ill air live on one of the biggest TV channels in the country. –Real Canadian Wrestling runs a tour on 9/17 in Red Deer, Alberta at Festival Hall, 9/18 in Calgary at the Royal Canadian Legion 275 and 9/19 in Edmonton at Evansdale Community Hall. –A new comic called “Ringside” is described as pro wrestling meets Walking Dead meets The Wire will be launched in November. (thanks to Michael O’Brien) –WWE has a show set for 11/28 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. –Pro Wrestling Phoenix on Saturday night in Council Bluffs, IA at the National Guard Armory. –Stephen Amell stated that sales of the special T-shirt he commissioned and wore at SummerSlam raised $228,867.60 for Emily’s Care, a children’s hospice in Canada, in just six days. –XCW on Saturday night in El Paso:  Nicktendo b Adrian Hawkins, El Illeal b Hurricane Hector (who was Eddy Guerrero’s best friend growing up), Lucha Star & Shadow Fox b Dean of Chaos, Danny Gee b El Dragon, Dom Vitalli b Aydan Colt. (thanks to Albert Cerda)\ 

  • WWE announces a new NXT Network special

    On Thursday, WWE announced that their Wednesday, December 16 NXT show at London’s SSE Wembley Arena will be a live WWE Network special — a Wednesday afternoon show here in the U.S.

    The show is part of a seven-date United Kingdom tour the NXT brand is running, their first foray overseas. 

    NXT Champion Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Tyler Breeze, and Women’s Champion Bayley have been announced for the show thus far. 

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (August 27): Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon ladder match, ECW is born, lots of WWF title changes

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1930 – St. Louis, Missouri; Dick Shikat beat Rudy Dusek, Ghafoor Khan beat John Spellman, Jim Clinstock drew Hans Steinke, Lloyd Burdick beat Firpo Wilcox

    1959 – St. Louis, Missouri at Kiel Auditorium; NWA World Heavyweight Champion Pat O’Connor beat Rip Hawk, Lou Thesz beat Kinji Shibuya dq, Bob Ellis and Thor Hagen defeated Rock Hunter and Otto Von Krupp in 2 out of 3 falls and Ray Gordon and Tommy O’Toole went to a time limit draw. Promoter was Sam Muchnick. 

    1964 – Kansas City, Kansas; The Lawman won an 8-man Battle Royal (other participants: Pat O’Connor, Bulldog Plechas, Moose Evans, Mark Starr, Don Jardine, Sonny Myers, The Krusher), Bob Geigel fought Rocky Hamilton to a double-DQ and Mike DiBiase defeated Sailor Art Thomas

    1965 – Nick Kozak & Dick Steinborn defeated Billy Hines & Bad Boy Hines to win the Southern Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia. 

    1966 – Minneapolis, Minnesota; AWA Tag Team Champions Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher beat Larry Hennig & Mad Dog Vachon, Verne Gagne & Wilbur Snyder beat Alaskan & Big K and Killer Kowalski beat Moose Cholak

    1970 – Kansas City, Kansas; Roger Kirby fought The Viking to a draw and Rufus R. Jones & Danny Little Bear defeated Harley Race & Baron Von Raschke in three falls

    1972 – St Paul, MN at Midway Stadium; Red Bastien & Wahoo McDaniel & Billy Robinson beat Dusty Rhodes & Larry Hennig & Nick Bockwinkel, Ray Stevens beat Dr X dq, Ivan Koloff beat Don Muraco and Hans Hermann beat Bull Bullinski

    1974 – Ernie Baker defeated Ox Baker to win the Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia. 

    1976 – Chicago, Illinois at Comiskey Park; In a Cage match; AWA Tag Team Champions Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Duncum beat Dick the Bruiser & the Crusher, AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel no contest Andre the Giant, Wilbur Snyder & Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Baron Von Raschke & Mad Dog Vachon & Ox Baker, Moose Cholak beat Buddy Wolff, Peter Maivia beat Kim Duk, Art Thomas beat Bounty Hunter I by dq and Pepper Gomez beat Johnny Starr

    1979 – Memphis, Tennessee; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel went to a 60 minute draw with Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee beat Ron Bass to win Southern Title, Tommy Gilbert & Terry The Hulk Boulder beat Southern Tag Team Champions Wayne Farris & Larry Latham dq, Terry Gordy & Michael Hayes beat Steve Regal & Ricky Morton and Ken Wayne & Buddy Wayne drew Eddie Gilbert & Dallas Montgomery

    1982 – Denver, Colorado; AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Tito Santana & Rick Martel, Ken Patera & Bobby Duncum beat Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens, Nick Bockwinkel & Jesse Ventura beat Otto Wanz & Baron Von Raschke and Brad Rheingans & Buck Zumhofe beat Bobby Heenan & Jacques Goulet

    1983 – Chicago, Illinois; Hulk Hogan beat Mr Saito dq, AWA Tag Team Champions Jerry Blackwell & Ken Patera beat Mad Dog Vachon & Steve Olsonoski (sub Baron Von Raschke), Wahoo McDaniel beat Blackjack Lanza, Non title match, Bobby Heenan beat AWA Light Heavyweight champion Buck Zumhofe, Jim Brunzell no contest David Shults and Greg Gagne beat Bill White

    1990 – The Hart Foundation defeated Demolition (Smash & Crush) in a two out of three falls match to win the WWF World Tag Team Title. Also, WWF World Champion The Ultimate Warrior defeated Rick Rude in a steel cage match and Kerry Von Erich defeated Mr. Perfect to win the WWF Intercontinental Title in Philadelphia, PA; The Snowman is stripped of the USWA Unified Heavyweight Title after no-showing a title defense.

    1994 – In Philadelphia, PA; Shane Douglas defeated 2 Cold Scorpio to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title in a tournament final, but threw it down and proclaimed himself the first ECW World Heavyweight Champion.  Cactus Jack & Mikey Whipwreck (subbing for Terry Funk) defeated The Public Enemy to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship.

    1995 – At SummerSlam, Bertha Faye defeated Alundra Blayze to win the WWF Women’s Title in Pittsburgh, PA. Also, WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Razor Ramon in a ladder match and WWF World Champion Diesel defeated Mabel.

    2000 – At SummerSlam in Raleigh, NC; Chris Benoit beat Chris Jericho in a two out of three falls match, WWF World Tag Team Champions Edge & Christian defeated The Dudley Boyz and Matt & Jeff Hardy in a Tables, Ladders, And Chairs Match and WWF World Heavyweight Champion The Rock defeated Kurt Angle and Triple H in a Triple Threat match.

    2001 – The Hurricane defeats Matt Hardy for the WWF European Title in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  • WWE Total Divas TV report: the Bellas sing, Nattie feels old

    Submitted by Ryan Pike

    — Season 4, Episode 8

    The Bellas Sing Badly

    Brie gets asked to record a remix of her entrance music and is just awful at singing. Nikki jokingly trash-talks her a bit and decides she can do better than Brie did at singing. She is also pretty bad. Jim Johnston appears (as does Renee Young) and he basically needs to coach Nikki through it line by line and constantly remarks at how bad she is. He’s great. Brie gets a bit grumpy that Nikki always makes things a competition, so Brie ropes Nikki into singing the national anthem before a hockey game, but apparently it doesn’t happen as Nikki admits to Brie that she’s bad at singing and the girls have a laugh about it.

    Nattie’s Feeling Old

    Nattie’s contract is almost up and Mark From Talent Relations talks to her about a new deal, focusing on “diversifying” her more than having Nattie as a wrestler. That leads her to get weird about her age – she turned 33 after the events of the episode – and try to act young, leading to Alicia and Emma teasing her and her getting drunk and emotional on a night out. Naomi and Tamina talk her down and cheer her up, then Tamina almost gets in a fist-fight with a guy outside a bar – in the best moment in the show’s history. Like, a tiny bald Asian man threatens to roundhouse kick her, and she goes after him and is held back by the other girls (and a producer). Nikki also gives her a pep talk backstage and Nattie feels better about things.

    Paige Has Trust Issues

    Paige is in Vancouver shooting a (terrible WWE) movie and her boyfriend (who is in a band) visits. He is friendly with some of his fans in front of Paige, leading her to get a bit jealous and talk to Rosa about it and they come up with a (terrible) plan to test his loyalty. Paige gives a random girl at a bar $50 to go flirt with her man, even though she admits that the plan is stupid and terrible. He’s (understandably) mad when she tells him about her (terrible) plan and hurt that she didn’t trust him. She explains her past relationship issues and they talk it out.

    Absolutely no Eva Marie on this episode.

  • TNA Impact 8/26 live TV results & recap: four way no. 1 contender’s match for KOTM title

    By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com

    Last week, TNA delivered a pretty good show overall.Ken Anderson beat Bram in one of each man’s best matches in the company. Anderson has been so hot and cold in his career that it felt good to see him not only put forth a lot of effort, but have that effort result in something that felt like it gave him some momentum. The Sheera vs. Storm issues continued with Sheera trying to get the goons to do “the Sheera” by moving their shoulders around, and this pissing off Storm. Gail Kim beat the Dolls inside a cage, while Drew Galloway and Eli Drake had a pretty good no DQ match and hopefully ended their feud so each guy can move on to something else.

    Eli needs to lose all of the ED markings on his gear and ditch the silly vest – none of that helps him. Matt Hardy squashed Tyrus, and PJ Black had a very impressive TNA singles debut against EC3. He lost to the champion, but shined brighter than any of the GFW guys so far. The show closed with Jeff asking Dixie to make him the man in charge permanently, and we’ll find out the end result of that tonight. There will also be a four-way match to determine a challenger for PJ Black’s King of the Mountain Title.

    The show begins with a recap of Bully being attacked, PJ Black winning the KOTM Title, Eli Drake’s issues with him, and this week’s card is run down. We get a three way for the X Title, Brooke vs. Velvet for the Knockouts Title, and The Revolution facing The Wolves. The Hardys come down in their street clothes. Matt’s blue jean and pink shirt combo are about on par with some of Jeff Jarrett’s worst outfits. Jeff cuts a promo about how they came from the bottom and got to the top – which is pretty amazing. Jeff says that Matt needs one more shot and Matt thanks TNA for giving him another shot, and gives shoutouts to his wife and son. Matt then says that the man to carry TNA here in 2015 is Matt Hardy, and he proved this by saying YES. In an amusing bit, a fan in the front row shakes his head “no” at that one.

    EC3 comes down and says that he was a fan in ’99 when he saw the Hardys in a ladder match and can’t wait to face a legend once again. EC3 says the stood over Matt like he was Zeus at Mt. Olympus and was immortal – YEAH! EC3 was great here. EC3 and Tyrus, with a new Planet Tyrus singlet leave, but get insulted by Jeff. EC3 insults Jeff, who responds by threatening him with a chair. EC3 says that if the fans chant for Matt, he’ll get another match – which happens, and EC3 says it comes with a catch. If EC3 wins, Jeff is his assistant. Hopefully he makes him do more than Nikki make her sister do when she was her assistant for a month. I think her only punishment was having to fake watching TV backstage.

    Josh and Pope give us their thoughts on the KOTM Title number one contender’s match, and we get a hilarious graphic with Anderson making a very pained face. EY vs. Melendez recap focuses on Eric Young being the most dangerous man in TNA. As expected, it’s hilarious and it ends with EY wanting to beat a one legged man in an ass-kicking contest and then winning his leg by winning the match. Eric Young yells at the camera and with the dark green vest and beard, he actually looks older here than Bushwacker Luke did at the HOF.

    Backstage before the show, the Jarretts arrive and answer questions from a cameraman that had to be subtitled. Jeff calls it a big night while Josh corrects him and says that it’s a pivotal night. EY comes down while Josh ponders that soon, they could have to start plugging the social media accounts of the Jarrett like they do for Dixie. Yup – that’s the extent of his concern for the big invasion. Not the future of the company – plugging Twitter.

    Eric Young vs. Chris Melenndez – Winner Gets Melendez’s Leg

    EY sends him down and Melendez gets a USA chant while Pope talks about Chris having a son at home watching. EY goes for the leg, but the referee scolds him because he can’t legally take this man’s leg unless he wins this wrestling match. Melendez gets a jaw jacker and a neckbreaker. Bubba/Bully bomb hits, but EY rakes the eyes. Melendez avoids a corner charge and does a hop-up schoolboy for 2. Melendez doing that on only one leg is impressive, and EY beats him with a cradle while holding the ropes. The video package might’ve lasted longer than the match itself.

    Well, it’s hard to believe they could make a battle for a man’s leg worse, but they did. Then EY, the former World Heavyweight Champion, ranted about wanting his leg. Melendez takes the leg off, hops around and gives it to EY, who moves way so he has to hop more and then Chris just tosses it at him while EY brags about it. Pope sums this up nicely – “at times like this, there’s nothing to say”.

    After a break, Josh comes up with half a dozen words to describe Eric Young’s actions and we get the X division video – so it’s time for the title match. Those little vignettes don’t mean much, but they do let you know about something in advance, so it is nice if you’re a fan of whichever division they’re used for. Ion is out first while Dutt, who worked for years here, has a generic Indian theme and no entrance video. Tigre comes out and Josh puts him over while he gets streamers and is called captivating. Well, he isn’t quite living up to the hype – but at least he’s getting hyped instead of buried on commentary.

    Tigre Uno vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. DJZ

    Uno eats a double hiptoss after a double leapfrog. Go-behind by Dutt is countered by Z with an armdrag, and Dutt gets a big rana on Z. Sonjay sends Z out and dives onto both men on the floor with an apron somersault senton. Uno chops Z and takes forever to pose for the people, and then sort of hits a springboard moonsault on DJZ for 2. Pope talks about DJZ and Uno having a history in Mexico. I have no idea if that’s true, but I like a little thread like that being added to the story – it makes the random three-way seem a bit less random and more like each guy secretly going to someone in power to want the match. Tornado DDT to Uno by Dutt gets 2. Uno gets a shining black, but eats a Dutt superkick. DJZ climbs up Uno for a dropkick, but it’s all for naught as a springboard frog splash takes him out and Uno retains.

    Storm tells the Revolution that Sheera is OFFICIALLY out of the Revolution. Well, you beat his ass weeks ago and it seems pretty clear that you’re not allies. He scolds Manik for dancing and tells them to win some gold for the Revolution. After a break, we get a recap of the EC3-Matt stipulation being made. Christy introduces the Revolution’s team of Abyss and Manik for the match. Their beating of Sheera last week is recapped, which is I guess what gets them a title match beyond the company having no teams left. The Wolves come down while Josh says that The Wolves prove that TNA has the best tag team division in the world. They don’t even have the best tag team division on Destination America.

    Manik and Abyss vs. The Wolves – TNA World Tag Team Title Match

    Eddie and Abyss wrestle for a bit while Josh says that Bully Ray is officially gone. Double Japanese armdrag by the Wolves to Manik while Josh Pope for being a follower and only having a job in TNA by sucking up to Dixie. Josh then buries Pope for only doing his job when he’s flustered before Pope makes a valid point about Jeff only being in TNA to make GFW better. Abyss punches Davey in the corner, and Manik tags in for a suplex into a back suplex while Pope says that it’s shades of Elijah Burke while Josh says he has no idea who that guy is.

    Manik dropkicks Davey and Abyss tags in, but misses a corner charge. Davey gets a tag to Eddie, who runs wild with elbows and chops. Kobashi machine gun chops in the corner to Manik. Eddie gets a backpack stunner while Eddie covers and Abyss saunters over to break it up. Abyss is down in one corner and eats a Double Van Terminator. Manik is about to eat the powerbomb/backcracker, but Storm comes down before Sheera attacks him with awful punches. Double team alarm clock to Manik leads to the powerbomb/backcracker for the win. Manik was so great here – it’s a shame TNA isn’t in a better state because he really deserves better.

    Brooke vs. Velvet is apparently next, then Jeff Hardy walks backstage while an “Up Next” graphic appears. I’m reasonably sure that one of those two things will be next. Or maybe it will be some mystery third thing – like a skit with EY and his new leg.

    Shockingly, neither thing was next. Instead, we got a cheesecake video of the knockouts calendar shoot. The knockouts roster posed in bikinis and talked about being strong, sexy, and powerful. Jeff confirms that Matt faces EC3 next week for the title, and he’ll work for EC3 if Matt loses. Then, Pope and Josh chime in for several seconds of surface-level analysis before throwing to a video of Jeff Jarrett’s return to TNA and the GFW-TNA relationship. We see Jeff’s return to the ring, his title win, his HOF induction, and the GFW-TNA interpromotional show. Backstage, Dixie is standing around on her phone staring at her watch. Hopefully she isn’t wondering why she’s just now starting work on this issue at 10:03 PM on the night of the show. The knockouts hype video airs and then Velvet comes down. We get a recap of Velvet assisting Gail in breaking Taryn’s finger before Brooke comes out and we hear Josh read a statement from Taryn.

    Velvet Sky vs. Brooke’s (got a booty and a belt) – Knockouts Title

    Velvet andBrooke abide by the code of honor before Velvet tackles her down. Velvet tosses Brooke into the corner, who treats it like a rope and just bounces off into a lariat for 2. They go back and forth with forearm shots while Josh plugs the Knockouts Workout and the other TNA programming on Youtube. Josh plugs Bound For Glory and we see that it will be on Flipps as well as on PPV. Double-down on one of those goofy double mid-air hair mare facebuster spots. Velvet lands some forearms, but gets sent back-first into the steps.

    The Dolls come down to attack Brooke and Velvet. Jade is in her usual gear while Marti is in some bizarre swimsuit getup. Rebel returns and turns on Velvet, while Taryn says that it’s time for her to pay and that Rebel is a new member of the Dollhouse. Jade and Marti hit Total Elimination while Rebel hits Christy’s finisher, the FFG. Josh says that with Rebel, the Dollhouse is stronger than ever. How? She’s had maybe five matches on TNA TV and hasn’t worked regularly in a year. Just why is she an asset to this group beyond her looks? Roode cuts a promo and it appears the KOTM Title No. 1 Contender’s match is next.

    Ken talks about winning this match and backstage, someone is on the phone. It’s Drew, and he’s pissed off for some reason. Mr. Anderson comes down and does his usual deal. Storm comes down before Roode does and Josh says Roode’s pissed while Lashley is smart to avoid politics.

    Lashley vs. Roode vs. Anderson vs. James Storm

    Storm and Anderson brawl on the floor. Lashley suplexes Roode on the ramp. Roode gets ping ponged between Anderson and Lashley while Pope talks about “teamships” being formed here. Josh, who always buries Pope, didn’t say a word for this and we go to a break with Anderson and Lashley teasing issues. Storm and Roode attack other guys while a handful of fans go “Beer/Money” and do the wave/ Storm and Roode exchange blows, but Roode gets 2 off a blockbuster.

    Roode, Lashley, and Roode do a tower of doom spot while Pope says that has to hurt. Shouldn’t everything in wrestling hurt? Why would this be the exception? Swanton from Anderson misses. Lashley clotheslines Roode and tackles him in the corner. Roode knees out of a delayed suplex and they tease redoing the Roode Bomb over the top from their NYC match last year, but Storm hits a lung blower. Shouldermount powerslam leads to a neckbreaker and Ken gets 2 off a mic check. Anderson gets the Finlay Roll, but eats a Lashley spear. Storm saves Roode from a spear by superkicking Lashley for 2.

    The same fans do the Beer/Money chant and we get a double team suplex and one more Beer/Money bit from Roode and Storm before Roode hits the Roode Bomb on Storm to win. This would’ve been a nice finale for the team in some form or fashion – hopefully they wind up teaming again down the line, because that wouldn’t be the worst act for either GFW or TNA now. Josh and Pope chat for a bit while Josh shuffles his script around and they announce that the cover girl is…all three people teased for it. Riveting. Backstage, Dixie walks around while Jeff and Karen stand around looking concerned.

    An ad for the Knockouts calendar airs and we get a recap of the Hardy promo earlier that is basically the whole promo since it was so short. Backstage, EC3 does a “moments ago” promo while the crowd is heard in the background and he talks about Jeff joining Team EC3. Dixie Carter comes out to a new theme song, which seems pretty low on the list of priorities for TNA.

    Main Event Talking Segment – Jeff Jarrett and Dixie Carter

    Dixie talks about what it takes to lead a successful company and sums up this information in about a minute. Dixie praises Jeff for coming back and asks him to come down. Jeff comes down and thanks Dixie for bringing him back. Kudos to Jeff for being able to have Destination America pay Dixie, who then pays him and his roster, to put over his roster of talent and his company. Jeff says that he founded TNA, and that hard work made it special – not what makes it special mind you, what made it special.

    Jeff says that the GFW-TNA situation is a win-win-win – a win for each company and the fans. It’s also a big win for PJ Black, who went from being an underused WWE guy to a perfectly-pushed guy on TNA TV where he’s given several chances to shine. Dixie says that the Jeff-Dixie team is unstoppable, and TNA Impact needs a leader. Drew tells Dixie to stop and he says he has something she needs to know right now…so they go to a break.

    Drew is presumably still talking during this – hopefully ranting about how he can’t properly watch Nitro on the WWE Network due to buffering. Drew says he wouldn’t interrupt if it wasn’t absolutely needed, and the GFW-TNA partnership has been awesome. The roster is excited and competition is healthy, and Jeff Jarrett is back. Jeff is a legend and the father of TNA. But there has been a dark cloud in TNA – Bully was attacked and he was a bully, so there could be a lot of attackers. With Drew, he had no clues – but he found something out 20 minutes ago. Drew says that someone must’ve seen something and he used his criminology degree to good use and he saw a getaway car. Two attacks, two weeks, two rental cars – registered to one Mr. Jeff Jarrett!

    Drew says that Bully being taken out gives him the chance to get power, while Drew being out gave him the chance to have a GFW guy win a TNA title. Jeff swears on his own life, the life of his wife, and the life of his kids that it wasn’t him. Drew threatens him and Jeff tells him that there’s nothing but air between them. Karen says that it was her – Jeff had no idea. Karen tells Jeff that he deserves to run TNA again since he started it, and that a little spark can cause an inferno. Jeff kicks Drew from behind right in the balls and then the GFW roster beats up Drew.

    Well, given that the idea here is that Jeff Jarrett was screwed over by TNA despite him starting the company, doesn’t that make the GFW side the babyfaces? The gaggle of mid-carders in TNA and GFW have another wacky brawl with random guys hitting random guys. Trevor Lee hits a standing double stomp move to one of the Wolves while Karen and Jeff beat up Drew Galloway. The GFW roster stands tall while Josh says they invited the snakes into their home. Well, this wasn’t as good as last week, but the GFW-TNA stuff got more interesting. It’s quite odd that they started doing the invasion angle after doing the invasion angle’s matches, but hey, that’s TNA tradition. The only thing that could’ve made the “invasion” funnier was a pro-GFW commentator saying “THIS INVASION JUST GOT CORDIALLY INVITED TO JOIN THE FORCE.”

    To see every screen taken for the show, just click here.

  • WWE NXT Live Recap: Women’s 4-way, 8-Man Tag

    by Emerson Witner, WrestlingObserver.com, Wrestling Outsiders Podcast

    Join me tonight at 8 for a live recap of a taped show! 90 minutes taped before NXT Takeover Brooklyn!

  • WWE NXT 8/26 live results & recap: Charlotte vs. Emma vs. Becky Lynch vs. Dana Brooke

    by Emerson Witner, WrestlingObserver.com, Wrestling Outsiders Podcast

    The Big News:

    This show did not need to be 90 minutes. At least half of it was video packages and recaps. Plus Emma won a Fatal 4-way match to the surprise of everyone, including Emma.

    Show Recap:

    -The show began with a recap of Takeover.

    Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady & The Hype Bros defeated Jason Jordan, Chad Gable, Dash & Dawson

    The fans went nuts for the babyfaces, chanting along to Enzo and Colin’s entire schtick. Plus there was a number of people in the front row wearing Mojo shirts, helping Rawley freak out. The fans chanted for Enzo while Ryder was in the ring, so Enzo tagged in, but it quickly broke down into an 8-way brawl.

    The babyfaces cleared the ring, then Enzo took a running start and Colin lifted him and threw him over the top rope on their opponents. Back in the ring the heels got the heat on Enzo, with Jordan being the one to cut him off. Nothing exceptional happened during the heat. Jordan, Gable, Dash & Dawson work really good as a 4-man team. Dash put Enzo on the middle rope, but Enzo dove off with a springboard DDT to him and eventually crawled over and made the hot tag.

    Cass got the hot tag and almost head the ring post when he gave Gable a Stinger Splash. The match broke down again, with everyone hitting everyone with their moves. The finish saw Colin heave Enzo off the top rope with a Rocket Launcher on Gable for the win.

    -William Regal was backstage talking about the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic when Neville walked up and wanted to take part. Mr. Regal put him in the tournament. Who’s his partner? Well I guess we’ll find out next week, as the tournament begins on September 2.

    -After Takeover, Finn Balor cut a promo stating that beating Owens in a ladder match proved that Tokyo wasn’t a fluke and now he is on to bigger and better things.

    -An Emma video package aired. It started with her debut on NXT as the perky, bubbly blonde and how it transformed into her serious character now.

    -Charlotte and Becky Lynch cut a promo on their other two foes in the 4-way main event.

    -A slightly different Becky Lynch video package aired from the one they used to air non-stop. This one now references her current storyline.

    This show really doesn’t need to be 90 minutes this week.

    Eva Marie pinned Carmella

    Someone on Facebook made a picture a few weeks ago and titled it “ROH’s new logo”. It was Eva Marie standing there in her gear with the letter’s R and H on either side. Now that’s all I can think when I see her staring at the hard camera when she removes her robe.

    The fans booed the heck out of Eva Marie. It sounded like they were trying to start like 5 different chants, but they finally decided on “You can’t wrestle”. This was a better Eva match than when she was the worst wrestler ever a few years back, but not as good as her match a few weeks ago.

    I can’t even describe half of what they tried to do to each other, but Eva won with The Kendrick.

    -Tyler Breeze said that things aren’t over between him and Liger. He also had a much bigger idea for Mr. Regal.

    -Emma and Dana Brooke cut a promo on their other opponents. Dana looked positively weird with bright pink lipstick.

    -A Dana Brooke video package aired. Again, this show is 90 minutes for some reason.

    -Bayley cut a promo after her match on Saturday. She’s in tears and can barely get through her promo. Her Mom came up and gave her a kiss. Her Mom cut a promo while her entire family made their way into the promo.

    -William Regal was about to announce the first match of the tournament when Baron Corbin walked up and demanded to be in the tournament. William agreed and next week the first match is Baron & Rhyno vs The Ascension. Well Ascension was the longest reigning champions in NXT history.

    -Last Saturday Kevin Owens was trying to avoid talking about the match with Balor, but the cameraman wouldn’t leave him alone. Finally Owens gave him The Look and walked off.

    Bull Dempsey pinned Elias Sampson

    Bull was wearing a robe that made me think of Michael Elgin. Bull is a hometown babyface and literally no one reacted. Sampson came out with a guitar and he is now a drifter. It’d be better if he were a grifter, but this is why I don’t book the show.

    Elias looks like the love child of Damien Sandow and Adam Rose and because this show is 90 minutes, for some reason, he got extra offense. The fans got behind Bull’s comeback, but he has had the worst reaction of anything on the show this week. The finish saw Bull hit the sit down splash he threatened to do to the Tough Enough contestants for the win.

    -Samoa Joe put over the fans and said he wants to be NXT Champion, coming off his win over Baron Corbin.

    -A video package for Nia Jax aired. She’s coming soon.

    -You know this show is on too long when they are now airing the “Coming This Fall to WWE Network” video for the second time.

    -Apollo Crews is happy to have won his debut match, especially on his 20th birthday..

    -Blake, Murphy & Alexa were not as happy, now that they are no longer tag team champions. Alexa mocked Devin Taylor for asking stupid questions. Plus Alexa is going to sports entertain against Blue Pants next week.

    -Since 5 recap videos in a row weren’t enough, we not only got a recap of the SummerSlam Diva’s match, but an entire video package for Charlotte.

    Emma shockingly won a Fatal 4-way over Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Dana Brooke

    Anyone else find it weird they are doing a 4-way with nothing at stake instead of just a tag match?

    These four tried very hard, that goes without saying. With that out of the way, there seemed to be something missing with this match. The four of them seemed to take a little longer to do anything. I don’t know if it was nerves or just one of those nights.

    Dana and Emma teamed up to send Charlotte crashing into the dasher boards early in the match, so the heels teamed up on Becky for a while. Occasionally Dana and Emma would give each other the eye, like they aren’t trusting each other. Finally they exploded, which included Dana bragging that she broke up a pin when Becky rolled Emma up.

    Charlotte finally got back in and went crazy on both ladies. Charlotte got a series of near falls on both Dana and Emma after a double DDT, reminiscent of Miz trying to pin Big Show and The Ryback. Becky accidentally gave Charlotte a Missile Dropkick.

    Emma came flying into my living room with a corner sandwich on both Charlotte and Becky…and then Becky forgot to kick out I think? Emma looked so shocked to win and the entire audience seemed just as shocked.

    Becky had that look like “Oh I just messed up.” After the match Charlotte speared Emma and hit her with Natural Selection before covering her for an invisible three count. So at least we know the real finish. Dana attacked Charlotte, so the show ended with Charlotte using to Figure Eight on Dana and Becky using the Disarm-Her on Emma.

    That is it for this week. Thankfully we return to 60 minutes next week and until then remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!