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  • WWE Tough Enough Week 7 TV Results and Recap

    By: Kenneth Nida wrestlingobserver.com

    Last week saw the shocking elimination of Mada after the Miz foolishly used his 1 save on Amanda. Cesaro made a brief guest appearance during the first challenge, and Team BAD appeared for Tamina Snuka to give each of the female competitors a Snuka Splash from the top rope.  

    We open the show and it’s revealed the Miz will be a judge once again this week. The judges speak to each of the competitors, offering words of advice. We go back to the barracks after last week’s elimination where ZZ is upset with all the other competitors saying he should go home.

    This week’s challenge theme is teamwork. To warm up, the competitors run the ropes, which ZZ has trouble with. The challenge involves the paired contestants working together to perform a minute of wrestling moves they planned out in advance. Amanda is completely thrown off by Chelsea’s selling, which she blames her mistakes on.

    Josh and Tanner are playing pool together. Josh offers Tanner some advice on talking to women by roleplaying. Gigi talks to Sara, telling her she dropped her on her head. They tease Sara and Gigi being in the bottom 3 tonight. ZZ is in the gym with Josh working out. Josh is impressed with ZZ doing what he said he’d do.

    The Prime Time Players are the Superstar guests for the week. The competitors are put into two teams, and have to work together to put out a building that’s on fire (in a controlled environment). ZZ reveals he was a volunteer firefighter so he knows what he’s doing. The first team completes the challenge in 12:02 after working together well. They oddly don’t reveal the second team’s time, but say they did okay. Team 1 ends up winning.

    The competitors talk to each other, Josh and Tanner offering ZZ advice. Amanda brings up how Chelsea’s selling threw her off during the challenge. This devolves into a shouting match. The judges comment on how the men are doing much better at displaying teamwork, while the women seemingly all attempt to sabotage each other. It’s revealed that John Cena will be the guest on next week’s episode. Grilling the contestants, the Miz starts by saying Amanda let his compliment go to her head and that he created a monster by saving her. Paige calls out Chelsea for throwing her partner off with her selling during the challenge. Daniel Bryan calls out Sara Lee for not apologizing to Gigi when one of her slams scared her.

    For the bottom 3 Daniel Bryan chooses Gigi, Paige chooses Sara Lee, and the Miz chooses Chelsea. Each competitor gets 30 seconds to plead their case. Paige uses her save on Gigi. Sara Lee gets 53% of the vote, Gigi gets 23% of the vote, and because Paige saved Gigi, Chelsea goes home with 25% of the vote.

    For the second week in a row the judges have ended up saving the person who the fans like the least. Chelsea was the only person left in the competition with any wrestling experience, and she was essentially punished for it because of her selling. I also find it odd that the Miz said he chose Amanda for the bottom 3 when they were grilling the contestants, but after a commercial break chooses Chelsea.

  • UFC: Why I Don’t Understand Nick & Nate Diaz

    By Steve Juon, WrestlingObserver.com

    Here’s what I DON’T get about the Diaz brothers. I know that their ascendance in popularity over the last decade is owed largely to them being surly malcontents who don’t say or do the right things when the spotlight is shone on them. I get why people who feel like outsiders themselves would embrace that, cling to that, and feel that the Diaz brothers are their champions and that everybody else “just doesn’t get it.” They are outsiders who refuse to play by mainstream rules who bow to no one.

    The problem for me is the same problem I have with Ric Flair “living the gimmick”. After years of failed relationships and unpaid bar tabs and a life of constant turbulence, wouldn’t you +WANT+ to stop being a rebel? What kind of effect does it have on your psyche to willingly choose a life where you live from one court date to the next and get banned from buildings and promotions everywhere you go? Why on earth would you crave such discord and disharmony for yourself?

    Everybody loves a trainwreck. They’ll happily proclaim themselves a “fan” and cheer you on as you descend slowly or quickly into the abyss, but they won’t be there to pull you up when you finally hit rock bottom. If I was as talented as Nick or Nate Diaz, and had the kind of opportunities that are literally handed to them on a silver platter, I wouldn’t keep pissing them away just to keep up the image of being a bad boy. It’s overrated, self-destructive, and it’s honestly disrespectful to everybody in the sport that they compete in to behave like goons at major events.

    You’d at least not want to make your friends and training partners not come off like lunatics, instead of them having to jump in and save you when you start a wild brawl at a show. That’s potentially ruining other people’s lives with fines, sanctions and suspension – not just your own.

    Maybe it’s a sign that I’m getting old, or maybe it’s a sign that I’m maturing as I age, but I don’t crave a wild life any more. An exciting day for me is trying to interview three fighters in 24 hours, or cover two shows in one night, or taking a road trip to a show where I’m credentialed to sit cageside and cover the fights. I’ve made my share of mistakes over the years, I’ve partied too hard and had to pay the price (I nearly got kicked out of college over it) but at some point you either look at the yawning abyss that looms ahead and turn away, or you hit the accelerator and drive toward it at top speed.

    Maybe the Diaz brothers wouldn’t be popular or successful if they weren’t such colossally self-destructive human beings, but is fame and popularity now worth it when you’re broke and in jail (or worse) in five years? I’d personally trade being a little less famous for sleeping in my own bed at night and not a cot in a 6×8.

    For all of the success they’ve each achieved in mixed martial arts, based on both natural talent and the hard work to cultivate it, it’s hard to believe they couldn’t have achieved so much more. Nick has been a WEC and a Strikeforce Welterweight Champion – maybe he could have been a UFC one too. Nate Diaz won season five of The Ultimate Fighter and has had multiple Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses since – as well as a wealth of inconsistency in his performances. Imagine a two year stretch of their career without suspensions, crowd brawls, DUI arrests or failed drug tests.

    Imagine what they could accomplish with two solid years of total dedication to their craft.

    Now resign yourself to the fact that’s never going to happen, because whatever “happy” is to a Diaz, they’re happier pissing it all away than actually living a drama-free life. It’s a shame to see so much potential wasted, but it’s also a shame they don’t just get on with the wasting instead of making us sit and watch the trainwreck month after month, year after year.

  • The history of Hulk Hogan’s troubles and the predicament he’s gotten himself into this time, Daniel Bryan’s injury situation and future, Decline of the G-1, Suspension of two major stars

    We have one of the biggest issues of the year with a look at Hulk Hogan’s rises and falls over the last 24 years and the trouble he’s gotten himself into, lots more on Daniel Bryan, his injury situation and his future, HBO Real Sports looks at domestic violence in MMA, the decline of G-1, UFC on FOX, GFW, ROH and PWG, and a riot involving some of the biggest names in the industry and resulted in a suspension are the major stories in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  The issue is on the site right now at http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/110-wrestling-observer-newsletter/43830-august-3-2015-wrestling-observer-newsletter-hulk-hogan-fired-by-wwe-over-leaked-hate-speech-daniel-bryan-update-and-much-more

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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.

    The ups and downs of Hulk Hogan is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We look at his rise to fame, steroids in pro wrestling, Hogan as a fan, the Zahorian trial and why Hogan wasn’t involved, the first time Vince McMahon sent Hulk Hogan away, the McMahon trial, and his career post-wrestling.  We look at Hogan Knows Best and how that plays into his latest problems, Bubba the Love Sponge, when Hogan’s racist rant was first reported and how three years ago, the story behind the tapes, what was said, , Hogan’s apology, the Gawker threat and how it plays into his lawsuit, WWE’s reaction and how this is different from his other historical issues.  We look at how fiction vs. reality is Hogan’s friend, fan reaction, and more.  This is the most detailed look at not just Hogan’s latest situation, but life after wrestling over 25 plus years.

    We also look at Daniel Bryan’s current situation, his concussion issues, his wanting to wrestle again and WWE not clearing him, his wife’s reaction to his wrestling again, how his neck is holding up, what could have gotten him to TNA and his different views of the 2014 and 2015 Royal Rumble.

    We also look at the HBO Real Sports story on domestic violence issues with fighters, including War Machine, Josh Grispi, Rumble Johnson and Chris Leben.

    We also look at the injuries to John Cena and Alicia  Fox, lots of notes on SummerSlam, updates on Sting, New WWF considerations for the network, Movie box office with WWE stars, the original gay wrestler idea from 2002 and who it was talked about for, Chael Sonnen and WWE, Celebrity in WWE programming going forward, WWE lawsuit news, Tough Enough notes, new WWE movie and a look at a new developmental star who just debuted.

    We also have notes on all the WWE & NXT live events over the weekend, business notes and highlights.

    We’ve got a detailed look at G-1 thus far with a tournament overview, problems involved, update on Nakamura, standings, results of all the matches and the next week schedule.

    We’ve also got full coverage of the UFC on FOX with T.J. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao, with match-by-match coverage, business notes and poll results.

    We also look in depth at Jeff Jarrett’s first TV taping for GFW in Las Vegas, including matches, direction and future.

    We also have full coverage of the ROH Death Before Dishonor show, with match-by-match rundown, star ratings and poll results.

    We’ve also got a look at PWG’s 12th anniversary show, the atmosphere, and notes on Battle of Los Angeles.

    The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.

    We also have our regular features such as the most complete look at ratings, plus results of the major house show events each week in pro wrestling and MMA, and complete inside rundowns of all the TV shows.

    Also in this week’s issue:

    –Full details behind the riot involving two of the top stars in wrestling and their suspensions

    –Robbery at the home of a major wrestling star

    –Busca de un Idolo tournament update

    –Huge match being streamed free from Mexico this week

    –The story behind the heat between Alberto El Patron and Myzteziz

    –Lots of notes on TripleMania

    –AAA sending a tour to Colombia

    –Update on Flamita

    –Dragon Gate belt disappears

    –Cima looks at life after wrestling

    –Akebono 10th anniversary match

    –Update on the Global jr. tag tournament in NOAH

    –A look at the New Japan November PPV

    –A 24 hour pro wrestling show

    –Final word on the Snuka/Nancy Argentino case expected

    –More on the NWA Classics streaming service with the Houston wrestling library

    –A look at the biggest indie shows of the year this week

    –The story of Don Leo Jonathan wrestling a bear

    –WrestleMania weekend news

    –Pro wrestling star with a fitness book

    –Former pro wrestling TV announcer gets a nightly sports talk television show

    –Woman wrestling star announces retirement at the end of this year

    –Biggest woman’s wrestling star in history comes to U.S. soon

    –Two wrestlers to have an MMA fight and pro wrestling grudge match in the same week

    –Pro wrestling to compete at nationals in another sport later this year

    –Update on ROH on Destination America

    –Notes on Roderick Strong signing ROH contract

    –Notes on the next several weeks of ROH television

    –A look at the TNA TV tapings from Orlando

    –Why MVP is no longer in TNA

    –A look at TNA title changes

    –A look at months worth of TNA angles

    –UFC PPV numbers

    –Main event for UFC on Fight Pass from Dublin

    –Stitch Duran/Dana White story and why it’s so sad

    –UFC talks AT&T Stadium show

    –New UFC hire

    –This week’s UFC show

    –Rousey’s odds

    –UFC PPV adds new penetration

    –Faber vs. McGregor note

    –Duane Ludwig and Team Alpha Male issues

    –Tom Lawlor on his plans for weigh-ins that didn’t happen

    –UFC star doing pro wrestling match recently

    –Notes on UFC stars doing pro wrestling

    –C.M. Punk talks his future and the confrontation with a fan at the Q&A

    –Lots of new UFC fights

    –Another former wrestling newsletter writer debuts as MMA announcer and a look at former wrestling newsletter writers and TV work

    –Thiago Silva’s fight falls apart

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  • TUES. UPDATE: Brooke Hogan & Gawker President speak out, Chyna update, MMA champion stripped, & more

    by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.com | Follow @davidbix

    Major event and TV notes for tonight:

    Tough Enough airs at 8:00 p.m. ET on USA Network with a new episode titled “Spinning a Yarn.” It sems likely that the episode will be built around footage of ZZ ducking out of training and an overall push to get ZZ eliminated. Also: Things heat up on WWE Tough Enough tonight on USA Network when WWE Tag Team The Prime Time Players visit the competitors to set up this week’s challenge.

    Total Divas airs at 9:00 p.m. ET on E! with a new episode titled “Tea Mode.”Alicia wants to confess her love to her ex-boyfriend when she suspects he may be single again soon, Paige is offended by Nikki’s classy take on her home turf, and Eva Marie continues to train with Brian Kendrick.

    NJPW G1 Climax Day 11 airs live from Iwate at 5:30 a.m. ET tonight/tomorrow morning on NJPW World:

    Non-Tournament Matches:
    1. Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask IV & Yohei Komatsu vs. Hirooki Goto, Michael Elgin, Mascara Dorada & David Finlay Jr.
    2. Tomoaki Honma & Jay White vs. Karl Anderson & Cody Hall
    3. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Tama Tonga
    4. KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi & Captain New Japan vs. Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo
    G1 Climax A Block Matches:
    5. Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Bad Luck Fale
    6. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Toru Yano
    7. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Doc Gallows
    8. AJ Styles vs. Togi Makabe
    9. Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito

    SmackDown and Main Event are being taped tonight in Sacramento, California. We welcome any and all spoiler reports at newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

    **** 

    FREE THIS WEEK: The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly (subscribe to th site here and get access to Figure Four, the Observer, tons of audio, and our) is up with a look at the crazy story of why Gawker thinks the FBI may have helped Hulk Hogan cover up his racist and homophobic comments. A judge has ordered the FBI to turn over the records of their investigation, and what Gawker is saying in court about what has and hasn’t been turned over paints a very interesting picture. Plus, as always, we have  all of the usual reviews and international news.

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    **** 

    The Latest Wrestling Observer: August 3, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Hulk Hogan fired by WWE over leaked hate speech, Daniel Bryan update

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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.

    The ups and downs of Hulk Hogan is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We look at his rise to fame, steroids in pro wrestling, Hogan as a fan, the Zahorian trial and why Hogan wasn’t involved, the first time Vince McMahon sent Hulk Hogan away, the McMahon trial, and his career post-wrestling.  We look at Hogan Knows Best and how that plays into his latest problems, Bubba the Love Sponge, when Hogan’s racist rant was first reported and how three years ago, the story behind the tapes, what was said, , Hogan’s apology, the Gawker threat and how it plays into his lawsuit, WWE’s reaction and how this is different from his other historical issues.  We look at how fiction vs. reality is Hogan’s friend, fan reaction, and more.  This is the most detailed look at not just Hogan’s latest situation, but life after wrestling over 25 plus years.

    We also look at Daniel Bryan’s current situation, his concussion issues, his wanting to wrestle again and WWE not clearing him, his wife’s reaction to his wrestling again, how his neck is holding up, what could have gotten him to TNA and his different views of the 2014 and 2015 Royal Rumble.

    We also look at the HBO Real Sports story on domestic violence issues with fighters, including War Machine, Josh Grispi, Rumble Johnson and Chris Leben.

    We also look at the injuries to John Cena and Alicia  Fox, lots of notes on SummerSlam, updates on Sting, New WWF considerations for the network, Movie box office with WWE stars, the original gay wrestler idea from 2002 and who it was talked about for, Chael Sonnen and WWE, Celebrity in WWE programming going forward, WWE lawsuit news, Tough Enough notes, new WWE movie and a look at a new developmental star who just debuted.

    We also have notes on all the WWE & NXT live events over the weekend, business notes and highlights.

    We’ve got a detailed look at G-1 thus far with a tournament overview, problems involved, update on Nakamura, standings, results of all the matches and the next week schedule.

    We’ve also got full coverage of the UFC on FOX with T.J. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao, with match-by-match coverage, business notes and poll results.

    We also look in depth at Jeff Jarrett’s first TV taping for GFW in Las Vegas, including matches, direction and future.

    We also have full coverage of the ROH Death Before Dishonor show, with match-by-match rundown, star ratings and poll results.

    We’ve also got a look at PWG’s 12th anniversary show, the atmosphere, and notes on Battle of Los Angeles.

    The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.
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    ****

    Tuesday Daily Update

    • Reminder: The new Figure Four Weekly is FREE for everyone this week with a huge, detailed cover feature on the crazy story of why Gawker thinks the FBI has tried to help Hulk hogan cover up the racist and homophoic comments he made that ended up being leaked a week ago. This is some weird, fascinating stuff.
    • Brooke Hogan talked to Entertainment Tonight and defended her dad; not defending the comments, but more showing sympathy for the situation with the comments (well, his initial comments; the ones to Nick in jail were public record where he knew he was being recorded) being made in private. She makes a reference to the tape being shot at “the lowest point in his life,” which is how Hulk described getting roped into sleeping with his friend’s wife, but it’s not clear why. Yes, his marriage was falling apart and as good as over, but that’s the type of language he previously used to describe the period after the divorce and the car accident that put John Graziano in a vegetative state. He said this before all of that happened. 
    • Gawker President and General Counsel Heather Dietrick talked to Fortune about the Hogan lawsuit. Interesting excerpt (they didn’t directly quote her in this part) about why Gawker had to publsh clips of the video itself: Dietrick’s answer is that the video serves to prove Gawker’s source material. Without it, Hogan could have continued to refute the tape’s very existence. Indeed, that’s what occurred when Gawker, in another of its major exposés, revealed that the former mayor of Toronto liked to smoke crack; the mayor denied the charge, and threatened to sue Gawker until the police confirmed existence of the tape.
    • WSOF President Ray Sefo announced on the MMA Hour that he’s stripping Rousimar Palhares of their welterweight title as well as suspending him from the promotion after he not only did his usual thing and didn’t release a submisssion hold immediately when the referee stepped in, but also repeatedly raked and gouged Jake Shields’ eyes during the fight. If you didn’t see the fight, this wasn’t your usual MMA eye poke that happns standing; he was very clearly, purposefully thumbing Shields’ eyes on the ground while referee Steve Mazzagatti never went past a warning. The Nevada State Athletic Commission is witholding Palhares’ win bonus for the time being.
    • Meanwhile, Joe Lauzon has an excellent YouTube video comparing the reaction time of Palhares letting go of submissions to how he’s reacted in his own fights. A lot of people have defended Palhares by saying that he rarely cranks the hold for more than about a second extra, but as Lauzon explains, that’s the problem.
    • Chyna’s manager, Anthony Anzaldo, posted a video of him calling what sounds like the main WWE switchboard to ask who he can talk to to make sure her royalty checks were properly dealt with while she was living in Japan, as none were forwarded to her. After he’s put on hold, the operator tells him she was told not to forward any calls from/about Chyna. While there’s probably someone they should have tried to call directly and Chyna does clearly have some issues, if she really wasn’t sent the checks she was owed or they were sent to an old address and she never deposited them, calling WWE to get them reiussed is absolutely the right thing to do. You can see why WWE would refuse to talk to her, but she’s not necessarily in the wrong in this situation unless it’s a made-up story.
    • Mike Tenay announced on Taz’s Human Podcast Machine show that he’s starting a new podcast on CBS’s Play.it network called “Professor Vegas” about sports betting.
    • The new English AAA YouTube channel has a 15 minute countdown special for this Sunday’s TripleMania XXIII pay-per-view card.
    • Rey Mysterio is doing the media rounds to promote TripleMania. Rolling Stone has an interview up with him, and I did one that’s up at WrestlingInc: Part 1, Part 2.
    • Triple H tweeted a video of WWE honoring a young fan last night in San Jose because he had sent in a Tough Enough audition reel.
    • Dave has two UFC 189 stories up at MMAFighting:
      One is about early PPV buy indicators.
      The other is his “Fortunes Changed for Five” postmortem.
    • For episode #2 of Between The Sheets, Kris Zellner and I are joined by Joe Gagne to talk about all of the wrestling news that happened between July 27 and August 3, 1990.
    • — WWE officially announced the book launch event featuring Dana Warrior for “Ultimate Warrior; A Life Lived Forever,” which will take place on Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. It will be open to the first 300 fans (well, it reads like the first 300 fans to show up and buy the book, but the press release is a little confusing) at The POWERHOUSE Arena (a popular location in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn for book signing events) at 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11210.

  • Raw ratings from last night

    Raw did 3.70 million viewers last night, virtually identical to last week’s 3.68 million, so the expected bump of a Roddy Piper tribute show probably meant little outside of a slight bump to the first hour as compared to the summer average.

    8 p.m. 3.74 million viewers

    9 p.m. 3.70 million viewers

    10 p.m. 3.67 million viewers

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (August 4): Lex Luger beats Huk Hogan for WCW title

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1966 – Fritz Von Erich defeated Johnny Valentine in Fort Worth, Texas to win the NWA American Heavyweight Title

    1973 – In Minneapolis, Minnesota; The Crusher beat Superstar Billy Graham by dq, AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Wahoo McDaniel & Ken Patera in 2 out of 3 falls; Ivan Koloff beat Billy Red Cloud and Bob Bruggers beat Larry Heiniemi by dq

    1976 – Seji Sakaguchi & Strong Kobayashi defeated Tiger Jeet & Gama Singh to win the National Wrestling Federation Asian Tag Team Title in Tokyo, Japan.

    1979 – In Milwaukee, Wisconsin; AWA Tag Team Champions Verne Gagne & Mad Dog Vachon beat Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens,  AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Greg Gagne, Billy Robinson beat Super Destroyer Mark II by countout and Steve Olsonoski beat Bobby Duncum

    1983 – Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Riki Choshu via countout to win the WWF International Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan at Sumo Hall.

    1984 – Super Medics I & III defeated Invaders I & III in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the WWC World Tag Team Title.

    1987 – Shane Douglas defeated Eddie Gilbert to win the UWF Television Title in Morgan City, Louisiana.

    1989 – Cactus Jack & Scott Braddock defeated Jeff Jarrett & Matt Borne for the World Class Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship in Dallas, Texas.

    1990 – Lance Idol & Rick Valentine defeated Super Medics I & III in Caguas, Puerto Rico to win the WWC World Tag Team Title.

    1997 – During a live Monday Nitro event, Lex Luger defeated Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Title.

  • ROH News: Hirooki Goto added to Philly event

    ROH just announced the addition of Intercontinental Champion Hirooki Goto of New Japan to its 8/21 show in Philadelphia. Goto will team with Mark & Jay Briscoe against Roppongi Vice (Rocky romero & Baretta) & Kazuchika Okada at the 2300 Arena.

  • WWE News: Note on Cesaro section signs last night

    The obviously printed and handed out Cesaro sections all over the lower bowl of the SAP Center were not produced by WWE to promote him, but it was actually a fan who printed out a ton of Cesaro section signs and passed them out to fans himself at the show.

  • NJPW G1 Climax Tournament 8-4 live results: Goto vs. Nakamura, Anderson vs. Okada

    by Bryan Rose, WrestlingObserver.com

    Welcome to today’s coverage of the G1 tournament as New Japan is live this morning in Sendai. Tonight’s show is a multi camera setup with no commentary, which seems to be the usual show going forward.

    Tiger Mask is again out due to injury, so the tag team match that was meant to start the show has been turned into a singles match.

    Ryusuke Taguchi vs. David Finlay

    Taguchi had him for most of the match but made a comeback with a european uppercut and at one point had a stretch muffler locked in. Taguchi reversed it into an ankle lock but Finlay escaped. Finlay grabbed him in mid air like he was going to plant him with a German suplex but Taguchi transitioned into the ankle lock and Finlay tapped. Pretty fun little match.

    Yohei Komatsu and Katsyuori Shibata vs. Yoshi-Hashi and Toru Yano

    Standard match. Komatsu was worked on forever and ever by Chaos, who were playing the heels. Shibata made a brief hot tag and destroyed the two before leaving it to Komatsu, who got several nearfalls and submissions. Yoshi Hashi cut him off and pinned him with the swanton. **1/4

    Kushida and Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi and Mascara Dorada

    It’s weird in that these matches are designed to get you excited for the upcoming singles bout between two of these people on the next show. And while Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito did some great back and forth work, Dorada & Kushida stole the show here. These guys have terrific chemistry and it’s sad they didn’t get to go out there and have a great match in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Their closing stretch was awesome, with Dorada somehow springboarding off the top rope into an inside cradle for a fantastic nearfall. Kushida caught him in the hoverboard lock and he tapped out. Great stuff. 

    Togi Makabe & Hiroshi Tanahashi & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Captain New Japan vs. A.J. Styles & Doc Gallows & Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga

    This was an action-packed match as Bullet Club jumped them right at the bell. Regardless, it was kinda formulaic. Lots of brawling. Both Tanahashi and Makabe got worked on, as well as Tenzan early on with all of Bullet Club getting Mongolian chopped. As usual, it boiled down to Captain New Japan and Tama Tonga, and Tonga won with the waistlock DDT.

    Styles and Makabe got into it after the match. 

    Michael Elgin vs. Yujiro Takahashi

    Good match. Elgin was the star here again as he carried Yujiro to a really good back and forth match. Yujiro’s heat segment again was less than interesting, but when Elgin made his comeback, people were into it. Yujiro suplexed him on the outside and was going for the Miami Shine but Elgin blocked it, gave him the buckle bomb then followed with the spinning powerbomb for the win. 

    Satoshi Kojima vs. Tomoaki Honma

    Very good match. Most of it was good back and forth between the two. Crowd was into it, but not at the level I thought it would be. Finishing sequence was pretty hot, though. Honma ate a lariat but got up very quickly and was making a comeback. He tried for a kokeshi, but between the kokeshi and a lariat, Kojima’s lariat won, then followed with another for the win.

    Yuji Nagata vs. Tomohiro Ishii

    Ishii dealt out chops while Nagata kicked him in the chest as hard as he could. Nagata controlled a lot of the match, including giving him an exploder suplex into the turnbuckle and even dealt out an ego trip. They had a slap contest that ended when Ishii headbutted Nagata hard in the face and hit a sliding D for a nearfall, then pinned him with the brainbuster. Great match, these two have always had great chemistry. Not as good as their match from last year, but still great.  

    Karl Anderson vs. Kazuchika Okada

    This was good, but not great. The crowd were interested at times, and disinterested in others. It created the type of match where everything technically was good, but at the same time felt just kind of there with an uninterested crowd. There did some nice reversals near the end with Okada reversing a gun stun and laying Anderson out with the tombstone, then pinning him with the rainmaker. Finish felt rather anticlimactic as it seemed like no one thought the finish was coming yet. 

    Hirooki Goto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

    Crowd finally started to pick up for this one in the middle of the match. Really picked up once they were going for near falls. Nakamura went for the boma ye but Goto blocked him and hit the reverse neckbreaker. They were exchanging back and forth maneuvers when Nakamura trapped Goto in the spinning armbreaker and actually submitted him in a big surprise. They’ve had better matches, but this was a perfectly acceptable main event.

    Current Standings

    Block A

    Katsuyori Shibata- 8

    Bad Luck Fale- 6

    Tetsuya Natio- 6

    AJ Styles- 6

    Hiroshi Tanhashi- 6

    Kota Ibushi- 6

    Togi Makabe- 4

    Hiroyoshi Tenzan- 2

    Toru Yano- 2
    Doc Gallows- 2

    Block B

    Tomohiro Ishii- 8

    Kazuchika Okada- 8

    Karl Anderson- 6

    Hirooki Goto- 6

    Shinsuke Nakamura- 6

    Michael Elgin- 6

    Yujiro Takahashi- 4

    Satoshi Kojima- 4

    Yuji Nagata- 2

    Tomoaki Honma- 0  

  • Mayweather to face Berto in September

    FLOYD MAYWEATHER TO FACE ANDRE BERTO

    SATURDAY, SEPT. 12 AT MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA LIVE ON SHOWTIME PPV®

    TWO ADDITIONAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS HIGHLIGHT ACTION-PACKED PPV QUADRUPLEHEADER

    ALL ACCESS: MAYWEATHER VS. BERTO

    PREMIERES AUGUST 28 ON SHOWTIME®

    LAS VEGAS (Aug. 4, 2015) – In what is expected to be the final fight of his illustrious 19-year career, boxing superstar and pound-for-pound king Floyd “Money” Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) will put his undefeated record and WBC and WBA Welterweight World Championships on the line against power-punching, two-time welterweight world champion Andre Berto (30-3, 23 KOs) Saturday, Sept. 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME PPV (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).

    Coming off of the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao event, in which Mayweather remained undefeated by taking a unanimous decision victory, Mayweather will test himself against a hard-hitting fighter hungry for his chance to score a historic upset. Mayweather could also make history. If triumphant, he would match the record of the late heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, who retired in April 1956 with a record of 49-0. Equaling Marciano’s record, one of the most hallowed in all of sports, would reaffirm Mayweather’s legendary status in the sport and buttress Mayweather’s claim as “The Best Ever.”

    Two stellar world championship fights will also be included on the pay-per-view telecast.

    Roman “Rocky” Martinez (29-2-2, 17 KOs) will risk his WBO Junior Lightweight title in a rematch against the boxer he dethroned, four-time world champion Orlando “Siri” Salido (42-13-2, 29 KOs). Their first fight, in April of this year, is considered by many to be a leading candidate for Fight of the Year. In addition, Badou Jack “The Ripper” (19-1-1, 12 KOs) will make the first defense of his WBC Super Middleweight World title against mandatory challenger “Saint” George Groves (21-2, 16 KOs). A fourth fight on the pay-per-view telecast will be announced soon.

    Promoted by Mayweather Promotions, the four-fight pay-per-view telecast will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV and is the sixth and final fight of a record-breaking deal between Mayweather and Showtime Networks Inc. SHOWTIME Sports® will support the event with the Sports Emmy® Award-winning series ALL ACCESS.

    Ticket pricing and on sale information is forthcoming later this week.

    “I’m ready to get back in the ring on September 12 and prove again to the whole world why I’m ‘The Best Ever,’” said Mayweather. “I always bring my A-game and this fight against Andre Berto is no exception. He’s a young, strong fighter who is hungry to take down the best. Forty-eight have tried before and on September 12, I’m going to make it 49.”

    “I’m coming to kick Floyd’s ass on September 12,” said Berto. “Best believe that I plan to bring it to Floyd and I’m not concerned about what 48 other fighters have been unable to do. Somebody is getting knocked out and it won’t be me. You don’t want to miss this.” 

    “‘Money’ Mayweather is back and the whole Mayweather Promotions team is ready to build off of the incredible record-breaking May 2 event,” said CEO of Mayweather Promotions Leonard Ellerbe. “It’s a pleasure to bring this great fight, plus the incredible undercard of action, to the fans in Las Vegas at MGM Grand. Andre Berto is a powerful fighter who presents a real danger to Floyd.  He will have to use all of his skills to slow Berto down.”

    “I want to thank Showtime for this opportunity to fight in this great event,” said Martinez. “We are ready and working hard to make sure this title remains in Puerto Rico. Everyone saw the first fight against Orlando Salido and I know that this second bout will also be a war. Once again we have the rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico, which guarantees plenty of action. Training is going very well and we are 100 percent sure that on September 12 it will be another great victory to Puerto Rico.”

    “I’m excited for the rematch with Rocky Martinez,” said Salido.  “The first fight in Puerto Rico did not go my way. I got off to a slow start and had to fight two fights – one against the referee and one against Rocky Martinez. On September 12, I am going to take matters into my own hands and look to knock out Rocky to get my world title belt back.  Mexico and Puerto Rico have had a great rivalry over the years and this September you will see me bring the belt home to Mexico where it belongs.” 

    “I’m very excited and I’m preparing for the toughest fight of my career against George Groves,” said Jack. “I always go into a fight with an underdog mentality, even as champion. It feels great to be defending in my adopted hometown of Las Vegas. My promoter, Floyd Mayweather, has had my back during the ups and downs of my career and I want to make him and the whole Mayweather Promotions team proud on September 12.”

    “I have been fortunate enough to experience some of the greatest feelings the sport can give,” said Groves. “I have challenged for world titles and I have sold out stadiums, but my true childhood dream of winning a world title is yet to be fulfilled. I get that chance on the Las Vegas Strip – the crème de la crème for any fighter on the planet. I cannot wait to achieve my goal and become world champion. Badou Jack isn’t ‘Bad’ enough to halt my dream. His WBC belt is all that is on my mind each and every waking moment. We have studied Jack – we are prepared for his strengths and ready to expose his weaknesses. Vegas is my second home and I can’t wait to come back with a bang.”

    “When Showtime Networks and Floyd Mayweather teamed up for the first time in 2013, it was called a record-breaking deal – and that’s exactly what it has been,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports®.  “Through five fights of the six-fight term, the results have exceeded our grandest expectations.  Floyd has never hesitated to take on the best of the best in his division.  In Andre Berto, Floyd has chosen an opponent who always comes to fight and always entertains.  Berto’s power and athleticism make him a legitimate threat against any opponent, and against Floyd, we expect Berto to be as aggressive as ever.  We’re also assembling an action-packed undercard, highlighted by a rematch of one of the best fights of 2015, Rocky Martinez vs. Orlando Salido.”

    “We are thrilled with the opportunity to host what is expected to be Floyd’s final fight in his storied career,” said Richard Sturm, president of Entertainment and Sports for MGM Resorts International. “Floyd is a tremendous champion and we look forward to witnessing this historical event against Andre Berto at MGM Grand.”

    One of the most decorated fighters in the history of the sport, Mayweather, of Grand Rapids, Mich., fighting out of Las Vegas, is a 12-time world champion in five weight divisions. With his trademark speed, defensive prowess and ring generalship, Mayweather has now defeated 22 world champions. 

    In addition to his in-ring accomplishments, Forbes, Fortune and Sports Illustrated have named Mayweather the world’s highest-paid athlete multiple times. His events amass record-breaking numbers; he has headlined four of the six highest-grossing pay-per-view events of all time and holds the all-time record in gross pay-per-view receipts.

    Mayweather, the only fighter to have headlined three events that generated more than two million pay-per-view buys each, has garnered numerous “Fighter of the Year” awards over his storied career, including five ESPY Awards and two Boxing Writers Association of America awards.

    Long considered as a possible foe for Mayweather, Berto, 31, of Winter Haven, Fla. is a former amateur standout and 2004 Olympian for Haiti. A veteran of eight world title fights, all at 147 pounds, he won the WBC Welterweight World Title in June 2008 and made five successful title defenses over the next two and a half years before losing the title in April 2011. Berto won the IBF Welterweight World Title in September 2011.

    The offensive-minded Berto always makes for sensational scraps – his 2012 slugfest with Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero was a Fight of the Year candidate. In his most recent outing, he scored two knockdowns en route to a sixth-round TKO over Josesito Lopez last March 13.

    Style-wise, the 5-foot-7 Berto is expected to adopt an aggressive approach with a high punch output, similar to the strategy employed by Marcos “El Chino” Maidana in his first fight against Mayweather. If Mayweather fails to display his trademark speed and defense, Berto could use his power and hand speed to make Mayweather uncomfortable and force him into a brawl. 

    Martinez, 32, of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, will make the first defense in his third stint as WBO Junior Lightweight World Champion. He won the WBO 130-pound crown the second time with a 12-round split decision over MiguelBeltran Jr. in September 2012. The ultra-tough Martinez made two successful defenses, including a close points’ triumph over previously undefeated DiegoMagdaleno, before losing by eighth-round knockout to unbeaten Mikey Garcia in November 2013.

    The 5-foot-8 Martinez won his first fight following the Garcia bout and then, in his most recent outing, he survived a desperate late rush to unanimously outpoint Salido across 12 hard-fought, action-packed rounds last April 11.

    Billed as “The War,” the slugfest may have exceeded its billing as both fighters expended an inordinate amount of energy over the course of 36 minutes. Utilizing his advantages in height and reach, Martinez sent Salido to the canvas in the third and fifth and won by the scores of 116-109, 115-110 and 114-111.  Salido was docked a point in the 11th round for a low blow, but never quit fighting and was in it to the end.

    Tough and determined with a straight-forward style that makes for crowd-pleasing affairs, Martinez captured the WBO Title the first time in March 2009 and successfully defended it twice.

    Salido, 34, of Sonora, Mexico, is a relentless hard-nosed boxer-puncher who is willing to take on anyone and is no stranger to the boxing rivalry that is Mexico vs. Puerto Rico.

    The 5-foot-6 Salido captured the interim WBO Junior Lightweight World Championship in his outing before last in a back-and-forth 11th-round knockout over Thailand’s Terdsak Kokietgym on September 1, 2014. The brutal battle that featured seven knockdowns (Salido went down three times, Kokietgym four) was the 2014 Yahoo! Sports Fight of the Year.

    Salido is also a two-time featherweight world champion. He fought some of the best of his generation at 126, including Mikey Garcia, Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez twice, and current WBO 126-pound champion Vasyl Lomachenko who Salido beat three fights ago on a 12-round split decision in March 2014.

    Jack, 31, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, who fights out of Mayweather’s Las Vegas gym, captured the WBC 168-pound belt with a 12-round majority decision over defending champion and previously unbeaten Anthony Dirrell last April 24 by the scores of 116-114, 115-113 and 114-114.

    A former European amateur standout – he’s the only boxer ever to represent Gambia in any Olympic Games (2008) – the 6-foot-1 Jack turned pro in June 2009 and won his initial 16 bouts before suffering a shocking first-round knockout loss to Derek Edwards in February 2014.

    A boxer with good speed and movement, Jack has since won three in a row, including the major victory over Dirrell.

    The battled-tested Groves, 27, of Hammersmith, London, England, will get his third crack at a 168-pound world title. The only blemishes on his record came in back-to-back fights against then-IBF/WBA champion and countryman Carl Froch at Wembley Stadium in London. After losing by controversial ninth-round TKO in November 2013, Groves was stopped by his fierce rival in the eighth round of a May 2014 grudge rematch that attracted 80,000 fans.

    Groves has rebounded since falling to Froch, winning his last pair. Groves captured the vacant WBC Silver Super Middleweight title and European Championship in Sept. 2014 against Christophe Rebrasse and scored a seventh-round TKO over Dennis Douglin last Nov. 22.

    —

    About Mayweather vs. Berto:

    Mayweather vs. Berto, a 12-round welterweight world championship bout for Mayweather’s WBC and WBA 147-pound titles, is promoted by Mayweather Promotions LLC.  The event will take place Saturday, September 12 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be televised by SHOWTIME PPV.  The undercard features a WBO Junior Lightweight World Championship fight, which is a rematch between Roman Martinez and Orlando Salido.  Also featured on the PPV telecast will be a WBC Super Middleweight title bout between Badou Jack and George Groves, which is promoted in association with Team Sauerland.