On Thursday, the UFC announced that middleweight champion Chris Weidman will defend his title against Luke Rockhold as the co-main event of UFC 194 on Saturday, December 12th in Las Vegas, NV.
The highly-anticipated bout will be on the same card as another highly anticipated title fight: the featherweight title unification bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor.
That combo alone should push the show in the million PPV buy range.
The UFC released the following statement on Anderson Silva’s 1-year ban and fine by the Nevada Athletic Commission today:
“Following the Nevada Athletic Commission’s hearing today, Anderson Silva is required to serve a 12-month suspension from competition, retroactive from his last fight on January 31. At the conclusion of his suspension, Silva must present a clean test upon reapplication of a license before his next fight in Nevada.
“The UFC organization maintains a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents by its athletes, and fully supports the Commission’s ongoing efforts to ensure clean competition by all MMA athletes.
UFC recognizes Silva’s great career and looks forward to his return to the Octagon in 2016.”
In a podcast interview with FoxSports.com’s Jimmy Traina, Roman Reigns was asked about if The Rock would be at SummerSlam and gave an interesting remark:
“I wanna tell you, but I don’t want to give anything away.”
Later he said, “Let’s just put it this way: It’s The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, biggest superstar on Earth, possibly. If he wants to show up to Brooklyn, he’s going to show up to Brooklyn. It wouldn’t be the first time and it probably won’t be the last time. It’s WWE; anything can happen.”
The interview also features Reigns talking about Brock Lesnar, finding out that he wasn’t winning the title, and more. Nikki Bella is also on the podcast as well.
Side note: Rock’s HBO show ‘Ballers’ has its season finale on the same night as SummerSlam.
Ratings for the “Wednesday Night Wars: on Destination America:
– TNA at 9 p.m. 270,000 viewers (second lowest for a first-run show)
– ROH at 11 p.m. 148,000 viewers (slightly down from last week)
– TNA at midnight 60,000 viewers (third lowest replay number)
A look at the WWE shows next week in Brooklyn is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer. We also have full coverage of the G-1 Climax tournament and how it all builds for the Tokyo Dome and the fall season, as well as coverage of all the G-1 matches this past week. We also have a look at the Teamsters attempting to unionize UFC fighters, the UFC’s letter sent to fighters and morale issues. We also have a look at the AAA TripleMania PPV show, UFC ratings increases, the brawl at the WSOF show, UFC suing Wanderlei Silva and Layla retiring.
The issue is on the site right now at http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/110-wrestling-observer-newsletter/44056-august-17-2015-wrestling-observer-newsletter-summerslam-build-unions-courting-ufc-fighters-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
Rates are:
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.
We look at the WWE events in Brooklyn with three straight full houses and look historically at the only other promotion that has been able to do it historically and the record, as well as updates on the NXT and SummerSlam shows and more details on the NXT card as well as the probable main event stipulation and ticket demand.
We have a complete look at the G-1 Climax tournament, including updates on the last few days, the standings, the Sumo Hall preview and coverage of all the shows this past week with star ratings.
We’ve got a look at the attempts to unionize UFC fighters, the real story behind the attempt, the letter sent by UFC to all of its fighters and why they probably could have written it better, and a look at UFC business.
We also look at the wealth of Vince McMahon, Rosa Mendes being pregnant, WWE injury updates, lawsuits, weird match, Tough Enough, new names, insider trading, Raw advance, Diva search news plus notes on all the weekend WWE & NXT events.
We look at TripleMania, all the problems with the show, what happened with the Spanish language broadcast, mistakes made in booking, how the card had to change from its original plans, the letter AAA sent out after, the retirements and Hall of Fame ceremony, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.
We also have coverage of this past week’s UFC show, with business notes, the Johnson-Dariush scoring, and match by match coverage with bonuses.
We also look at the brawl at the WSOF show with The Diaz Brothers and Khabib Nurmagomedov, as well as the problems in the Jake Shields vs. Rousimar Palhares fight.
We’ve also got notes on the retirement of Layla from WWE and highlights of her career.
We also look at the lawsuit WWE has filed against Wanderlei Silva for alleging the company fixes fights.
We look at the CMLL Anniversary show, an injury to the best older wrestler in the business, a New Japan star comes to Mexico and a rundown on the main events the past two weeks at Arena Mexico.
We also look at another Rey Mysterio match, as well as the next major Dragon Gate show lineup and highlights from the past week.
We also look at New Japan stars heading to NOAH.
We also look at the beginning of talks for an international group to return to PPV, as well as a look at the Fire Festival, one of Genichiro Tenryu’s last matches and a set up for an angle with one of the biggest stars of the 80s vs. one of the biggest stars of the 90s.
We’ve got notes on the funeral of Roddy Piper, more on the Hulk Hogan tapes story, Hogan’s first public appearance, two Roddy Piper moves that haven’t come out, one of the biggest stars of the last ten years suffering a major health issue, a former star gets his number retired, a U.K. star returns after cancer, a retirement that probably isn’t a retirement, a Japanese promotion running in October in California, a wrestler having his first match in 20 years, the second oldest living wrestler and his background, big shows in Puerto Rico and news no two different wrestling Halls of Fame.
We also have an update on the status of Lucha Underground, what changes have to be made, the audience watching the show, what to look out for, notes on the contracts the performers have, update on Vampiro and coverage of both weeks of Ultima Lucha.
We also look at the ROH show in Brooklyn, TNA Hall of fame ceremony, and upcoming TNA house shows.
We also look at McGregor vs. Aldo, a big show vs. normal show, Las Vegas vs. Cowboys Stadium, Rousey vs. Cyborg update, Lawler vs. McGregor, UFC financials, how much it costs them every year just in interest on their bond, what kind of profits they are making, lots of ratings into, Rousey business notes, the Aldo drug testing fiasco, Overeem vs. Dos Santos, Punk vs. Pendred, fighter already talking about coming out of retirement, and lots of new UFC fights.
We also have notes on Josh Thomson and Bellator, Bellator’s next major show, Josh Koscheck blasts UFC and more Bellator fights.
We have an update on Chris Leben after his arrest, new WSOF shows, a crime fighter returns to MMA and notes on weight cutting.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
Our most requested issues in our history are:
*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)
*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)
*August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)
*March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a
*October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)
*July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)
*February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)
*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)
*January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)
*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)
*March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)
*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)
*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)
*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)
*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)
*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)
*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)
*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)
*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)
*January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)
*February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)
*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)
*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)
*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)
*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)
*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)
*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)
*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)
*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)
*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)
*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)
*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)
*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)
*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)
*July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)
*September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)
*October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)
*November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)
*January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)
*January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)
*April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)
*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)
*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)
*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)
*October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)
*November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)
*November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)
*November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)
*December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)
*January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)
*March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)
*March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)
*March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)
*April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)
*July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)
*October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)
*November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .
*December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)
*January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)
*March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)
*April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)
* September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)
* September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)
* September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)
You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.
We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..
To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.
By Dave Meltzer
We’re looking for reports on tonight’s NXT tapings from Full Sail University in Orlando at Dave Meltzerdave@wrestlingobserver.com”>
We’re also going to be doing polls on all three shows from Sumo Hall this weekend with shows on Friday morning, Saturday morning and Saturday night/Sunday morning.
Smackdown tonight
Charlotte vs. Naomi
Roman Reigns vs. Luke Harper
Prime Time Players vs. New Day
Neville & Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens
Tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern on New Japan World from G-1 Climax tournament A block matches from Tokyo Sumo Hall
Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma & Mascara Dorada vs. Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi & Tama Tonga
Michael Elgin & Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Young Bucks & Cody Hall
Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi & Kushida vs. Hirooki Goto & Ricochet & Captain New Japan
Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii & Kazushi Sakuraba & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo & Michael Bennett & Matt Taven
Toru Yano vs. Bad Luck Fale
Doc Gallows vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tetsuya Naito
Togi Makabe vs. Kota Ibushi
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. A.J. Styles for the A block championship – winner goes to the finals on Sunday
A look at the WWE shows next week in Brooklyn is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer. We also have full coverage of the G-1 Climax tournament and how it all builds for the Tokyo Dome and the fall season, as well as coverage of all the G-1 matches this past week. We also have a look at the Teamsters attempting to unionize UFC fighters, the UFC’s letter sent to fighters and morale issues. We also have a look at the AAA TripleMania PPV show, UFC ratings increases, the brawl at the WSOF show, UFC suing Wanderlei Silva and Layla retiring.
The issue is on the site right now at August 17, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Summerslam build, Unions courting UFC fighters
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For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.
We look at the WWE events in Brooklyn with three straight full houses and look historically at the only other promotion that has been able to do it historically and the record, as well as updates on the NXT and SummerSlam shows and more details on the NXT card as well as the probable main event stipulation and ticket demand.
We have a complete look at the G-1 Climax tournament, including updates on the last few days, the standings, the Sumo Hall preview and coverage of all the shows this past week with star ratings.
We’ve got a look at the attempts to unionize UFC fighters, the real story behind the attempt, the letter sent by UFC to all of its fighters and why they probably could have written it better, and a look at UFC business.
We also look at the wealth of Vince McMahon, Rosa Mendes being pregnant, WWE injury updates, lawsuits, weird match, Tough Enough, new names, insider trading, Raw advance, Diva search news plus notes on all the weekend WWE & NXT events.
We look at TripleMania, all the problems with the show, what happened with the Spanish language broadcast, mistakes made in booking, how the card had to change from its original plans, the letter AAA sent out after, the retirements and Hall of Fame ceremony, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.
We also have coverage of this past week’s UFC show, with business notes, the Johnson-Dariush scoring, and match by match coverage with bonuses.
We also look at the brawl at the WSOF show with The Diaz Brothers and Khabib Nurmagomedov, as well as the problems in the Jake Shields vs. Rousimar Palhares fight.
We’ve also got notes on the retirement of Layla from WWE and highlights of her career.
We also look at the lawsuit WWE has filed against Wanderlei Silva for alleging the company fixes fights.
We look at the CMLL Anniversary show, an injury to the best older wrestler in the business, a New Japan star comes to Mexico and a rundown on the main events the past two weeks at Arena Mexico.
We also look at another Rey Mysterio match, as well as the next major Dragon Gate show lineup and highlights from the past week.
We also look at New Japan stars heading to NOAH.
We also look at the beginning of talks for an international group to return to PPV, as well as a look at the Fire Festival, one of Genichiro Tenryu’s last matches and a set up for an angle with one of the biggest stars of the 80s vs. one of the biggest stars of the 90s.
We’ve got notes on the funeral of Roddy Piper, more on the Hulk Hogan tapes story, Hogan’s first public appearance, two Roddy Piper moves that haven’t come out, one of the biggest stars of the last ten years suffering a major health issue, a former star gets his number retired, a U.K. star returns after cancer, a retirement that probably isn’t a retirement, a Japanese promotion running in October in California, a wrestler having his first match in 20 years, the second oldest living wrestler and his background, big shows in Puerto Rico and news no two different wrestling Halls of Fame.
We also have an update on the status of Lucha Underground, what changes have to be made, the audience watching the show, what to look out for, notes on the contracts the performers have, update on Vampiro and coverage of both weeks of Ultima Lucha.
We also look at the ROH show in Brooklyn, TNA Hall of fame ceremony, and upcoming TNA house shows.
We also look at McGregor vs. Aldo, a big show vs. normal show, Las Vegas vs. Cowboys Stadium, Rousey vs. Cyborg update, Lawler vs. McGregor, UFC financials, how much it costs them every year just in interest on their bond, what kind of profits they are making, lots of ratings into, Rousey business notes, the Aldo drug testing fiasco, Overeem vs. Dos Santos, Punk vs. Pendred, fighter already talking about coming out of retirement, and lots of new UFC fights.
We also have notes on Josh Thomson and Bellator, Bellator’s next major show, Josh Koscheck blasts UFC and more Bellator fights.
We have an update on Chris Leben after his arrest, new WSOF shows, a crime fighter returns to MMA and notes on weight cutting.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.
THURSDAY’S NEWS UPDATE
ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)
1966 – Mark Lewin & Bearcat Wright beat Brute Bernard & Skull Murphy in Melbourne to win the IWA tag titles
1969 – Giant Baba & Antonio Inoki beat Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher in Osaka to win the Int. tag titles
1978 – Tony Salazar beat Ringo Mendoza in Mexico City to win the NWA middleweight title
1993 – El Hijo del Santo beat Heavy Metal in Tonala to win the WWA welterweight title
1994 – Tony St. Clair beat David Finlay in Graz to win the British Commonwealth title
1996 – Brazo de Plata & El Brazo & Super Brazo beat Fuerza Guerrera & Blue Panther & El Signo to win the Mexican national trios titles
2006 – Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Satoshi Kojima in the finals of the G-1 Climax tournament
2006 – Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Takashi Sugiura beat Ikuto Hidaka & Minoru Fujita to win the GHC jr. tag titles
2007 – La Sombra & Sagrado & Volador Jr. beat Damian 666 & Halloween & Mr. Aguila in Puebla to win the Mexican national trios title
2010 – Jushin Liger beat La Mascara in Mexico City to win the Champion of Champions tournament
2013 – Mephisto beat La Mascara in Guadalajara to win the Mexican national light heavyweight title
Anderson Silva was given a one year suspension and fined $380,000 today at the Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing for testing positive for anabolic steroids and anti-anxiety medications in January.
Silva failed a test for two steroids on 1/9, and then, the night of his fight with Nick Diaz, failed a test for one steroid (Drastanolone) and anti-anxiety meidcations.
Silva was lucky that the failure took place before both the UFC and Nevada had increased its punishment time frame for drug failures.
Silva’s won over Diaz was also overturned and ruled a no contest.
The fine consisted of his $200,000 win bonus, along with $180,000, which was $600,000 of his guaranteed purse for the fight.
An almost comical at times hearing, saw Silva claim the Drostanolone came from a tainted supplement for sexual performance that a friend of his had gotten in Thailand, because it wasn’t available in the U.S. or Brazil, which is why he never went to a doctor and got a prescription for it.
UFC announced Thursday that lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone would headline their Saturday, 12/19 show in Orlando, FL, on ‘big’ Fox.
Dos Anjos won the title from Anthony Pettis in March, and came in with a knee injury that delayed his first title defense. Cerrone comes into the title match with eight consecutive wins.
By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com
1944 – Lou Thesz defeated Ernie Dusek to win the Texas Heavyweight Champion in Houston, Texas.
1949 – Dave Levin defeated George Bollas in Toledo, Ohio for the Jack Pfeffer-promoted World Heavyweight Title
1951 – Frenchy Roy defeated Dale Haddock in Oregon to win the Pacific Coast Junior Heavyweight Title.
1960 – Ilio DiPaolo and Whipper Billy Watson defeated Doc and Mike Gallagher in Toronto, Ontario to win the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Title
1970 – Bill Dromo and Alberto Torres defeated Buddy Colt and Karl Von Stroheim in Macon, Georgia for the NWA Macon Tag Team Title; In Kansas City; in an Elimination Match; The Viking & Steve Bolus & Dale Mann defeated Roger Kirby & Boris Kosloff & Oki Shikina and Danny Little Bear & Rufus R. Jones defeated Baron Von Raschke & Harley Race via DQ in three falls
1971 – Rip Tyler defeated Ken Lucas in the finals of a 17-man tag team match in Mobile, Alabama to win the vacant City of Mobile Heavyweight Title.
1973 – In Davenport, Iowa at John O’Donnell Stadium; AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Nick Bockwinkel, Superstar Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff beat Wahoo McDaniel & Billy Red Cloud, Billy Robinson beat Ray Stevens, Reggie Parks drew Geoff Portz and Greg Gagne beat Vic Rossitani
1976 – Dick Slater defeated the Spoiler in Atlanta, Georgia to win the Georgia Heavyweight Title.
1977 – In Omaha, Nebraska; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel went to a time limit, 60 minute draw with Billy Robinson, Greg Gagne beat Bobby Heenan, The Crusher ddq Super Destroyer, Angelo Mosca beat Pedro Morales and Bob Backlund drew Roger Kirby. Attendance 5,683
1978 – In Toronto, Ontario, Canada at Maple Leaf Gardens; in a Cage match; WWWF Champion Bob Backlund beat Superstar Billy Graham, AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens by countout, Gorilla Monsoon beat Dominic Denucci, Waldo Von Erich beat Steve Bolus, Super Destroyer beat Verne Gagne, The Wildman drew Nick DeCarlo and Billy Red Lyons & Dewey Robertson beat Mad Dog Vachon & Chris Tolos by dq; Mil Máscaras defeated The Destroyer in Kagoshima, Japan to win the AJPW PWF United States Heavyweight Title; The Mongolian Stomper defeated Robert Fuller to win the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Title in Knoxville, Tennessee
1981 – In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura, Brad Rheingans beat Jerry Blackwell, Sheik Adnan beat Tito Santana, Billy Robinson beat Ray Stevens, Handicap Match, Hulk Hogan beat Dave Muir & Dave Kochen & Fred Peloquin and Evan Johnson drew Ed Boulder. Attendance was 3,700
1982 – Mike Sharpe defeated Killer Khan for the Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Title in Shreveport, Louisiana
1984 – Tom Prichard and Brett Sawyer won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title in Portland, Oregon, by defeating Mr. Ebony (Tom Jones) and Mike Miller.
1988 – Leo Burke defeated Rip Rogers for the Grand Prix Wrestling International Heavyweight Title in Halifax, Nova Scotia
1989 – Sumo Hara (Tatsumi Kitahara) and Benkei (Kensuke) Sasaki defeatedBob and Kerry Brown for the Stampede International Tag Team Title in Calgary, Alberta; Eric Embry defeated P.Y. Chu-Hi in Dallas, Texas to win the USWA Texas Heavyweight Title.
1993 – Arn Anderson and Paul Roma defeated NWA and WCW World Tag Team Champions Steve Austin and Lord Steven Regal (subbing for the injured Brian Pillman), with Sir William (Bill Dundee) to win the titles in Daytona Beach,
Florida. Also, Ricky Steamboat pinned WCW World Television Champion Paul Orndorff to win the title and Big Van Vader pinned Davey Boy Smith to retain the WCW World Title.
1994 – Super Vader defeated Nobuhiko Takada by knockout in the finals of the Best of the World Tournament in Tokyo, Japan to win the UWFI Heavyweight Title.
1998 – The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher) defeat Jimmy Cicero and Julio Sanchez in a tournament final in Baltimore, Maryland to become the first Maryland Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champions.
2011 – Mexican America defeated Beer Money to win the TNA World Tag Team Title, and AJ Styles defeated Rob Van Dam by dq during an edition of Impact in Orlando, FL
By Steve Khan, WrestlingObserver.com
– Air Date: August 13, 2015 (Aug 12 in Canada)
– Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR
The Big News:
Seth Rollins vs. John Cena was made official for SummerSlam, as well as Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens.
Show Recap:
[Ctrl+v] Seth Rollins came out to start the show. He said we need to slow down and stop taking life for granted because Rollins is at the top of his game and this would be like if Babe Ruth hit 1,000 more home runs or if Michael Jordan won 20 MVP awards.
Rollins said he tamed Randy Orton, thwarted Sheamus, brought Neville down to earth and shattered John Cena’s nose. He said everyone in the crowd would tell their grandchildren that their greatest accomplishment would be that they saw Seth Rollins live.
Rollins showed a clip of Cena accepting his challenge on Tough Enough with help from Daniel Bryan. Rollins called him a coward for doing it this way and challenged Cena to accept the match face-to-face on Raw. Rollins said when you face greatness like him, you will fail.
Neville interrupted. He mentioned that Cena still beat Rollins despite his broken nose and, if it weren’t for Orton, Sheamus would be champion. (I guess now that Cena is cleared to wrestle, they focused more on Sheamus getting screwed rather than Orton.) Neville also said Rollins couldn’t kick out of his Red Arrow.
Rollins said Neville failed to beat him, and Neville used Cesaro’s line about Seth going “on and on and on and on…” Sure enough, that brought out Cesaro, who repeated the line and gave a shout out to the Cesaro Section. Kevin Owens attacked Cesaro from behind and Rollins attacked Neville in the ring. Owens walked away and Rollins stood tall. Not much of a segment really.
Charlotte (w/Becky Lynch) beat Naomi (w/Sasha Banks & Tamina) via submission
They did entrances after a commercial, but they went to another break one minute into the match. After the break, Naomi beat down Charlotte with forearms. Jimmy Uso said it’s a good day for him when Team B.A.D. win, but not so much when they don’t.
The crowd chanted “Let’s go Charlotte” during the heat. Charlotte came back with chops, a swinging neck breaker and spear for two. Charlotte back dropped Naomi over the top rope onto Banks and Tamina, which was scary. Charlotte then applied the Figure Eight for the win. This was ok. They got about 8 minutes.
They recapped the Stephen Amell/Stardust angle from Raw and pushed the tag match for SummerSlam.
Ryback came out for a promo and said he feels better than ever. He called winning the Intercontinental Title the proudest moment of his career, and it made all the sacrifices worth it. But after all that, he got a staph infection, and he showed a picture of it on the big screen.
Ryback said he meat-hooked and shell shocked the staph infection, and the crowd chanted “Feed me more.” He said people were calling the IC Title cursed, but he was inspired by all of the fan support on social media and would defend his title at SummerSlam. This was a fine segment and Ryback should really retain the title.
Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt came out for a promo. Harper said he was born holding the devil’s hand. Bray began rambling but Dean Ambrose interrupted. Ambrose admitted he had nothing to say, he just wanted to watch Reigns do what they do best — talk using their fists.
Roman Reigns (w/Dean Ambrose) beat Luke Harper (w/Bray Wyatt) via DQ
Again, they went to commercial about a minute into the match. At least time it was preceded by a talking segment. After the break, Harper had the heat and used a Michinoku Driver for two. Reigns came back with a few clotheslines but Harper drop kicked him out of the ring.
Reigns caught him with a back suplex onto the ring apron, followed by an apron dropkick. Bray got in Reigns’ face, so Ambrose backed him off. Bray again tried to distract Reigns so Ambrose wildly attacked him, but Bray gave him a uranage onto the barricade.
Reigns tried to attack Harper in the ropes but the referee held him back, allowing Harper to hit a superkick for a nearfall. Reigns countered a powerbomb and hit a superman punch, but Bray interfered for the DQ.
Ambrose immediately jumped in and sent both Wyatt and Harper out of the ring, followed by a suicide dive. Wyatt and Harper basically no sold this and attacked Ambrose, but Reigns made the save. Ambrose and Reigns sent the heels over the barricade. The heels bailed and the faces posed for the crowd.
This was a fun segment but the constant disqualifications are tiresome to say the least. The crowd liked Roman Reigns.
Backstage, Sheamus told an interviewer that the audience is sick of Rollins rambling on and Orton hitting RKOs out of nowhere. Sheamus said he was about to give the crowd what they wanted on Raw — a real man as champion — but Orton ruined it. Sheamus threatened to Brogue kick Orton over and over until he’s finished, leaving Rollins to himself. This was a much better promo than the one from Raw, because he was intense and not doing dumb comedy. He also hugged the briefcase.
Non-Title: Tag-Team Champion Prime Time Players beat The New Day (w/Kofi Kingston) via pinfall
They might have been chanting “New Day Rocks” on Raw, but they were chanting “New Day Sucks” tonight. New Day had the heat on O’Neil through a break until he made a hot tag to Darren Young.
Young hit a Northern Lights suplex on Woods and tried to follow with a Gut Check, but New Day yanked Woods out of the ring. New Day tried to leave, but Los Matadores and Lucha Dragons came out separately to their music in the middle of this wrestling match.
New Day had no where to go, so PTP knocked down Big E and Kingston. This left Woods on his own. O’Neil tossed Woods back in the ring and Young hit him with a Gut Check for the win. This was kind of dumb.
They aired the Undertaker/Brock Lesnar video package and plugged that these two would both be on Raw.
WWE Champion Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens beat Cesaro & Neville via pinfall
Cesaro had Rollins up for a delayed vertical suplex. Owens tried to interfere but Neville kicked him out of the ring. They also tossed Rollins out and, again, the match went to commercial about one minute in.
Owens gave Neville a fallaway slam into the barricade and they had the heat over him after the break. Neville tried to make a tag but Rollins pulled Cesaro off the apron. Neville eventually made the tag and Cesaro ran wild, hitting Rollins with a suplex and uppercut parade.
Cesaro tried to press slam Rollins onto Owens but Owens moved and Rollins splattered on the floor. Cesaro then went for a suicide dive into both men but Owens moved again and Cesaro took out Rollins. Neville took out Owens and Cesaro hit a running uppercut to Rollins.
Back in the ring, Cesaro hit Rollins with a flying cross body for two. Rollins came back with an enziguri and turnbuckle bomb. Cesaro countered a pedigree into a sharpshooter but Owens interfered, allowing Rollins to use a school boy holding the tights for the win.
Owens attacked Cesaro immediately after the match, but Cesaro hit him with a Swissblade and Neville nailed him with a Red Arrow. The show ended with Cesaro and Neville celebrating even though they lost.
Final Thoughts:
This show was easy enough to watch I guess, especially after the last couple of weeks. I didn’t like the finish in either main event. I’m not sure what I would’ve done in the tag match, but having Cesaro lose a lot doesn’t seem like the best idea. And Neville losing in a tag match is dumb too considering his upcoming match at SummerSlam.
Also, if you ran a wrestling show, why would you start a match knowing you had to go to commercial a minute later? That happened in every match on this show.