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  • John Cena’s return helps Raw ratings hold steady against strong NBA competition

    John Cena wasn’t quite the miracle worker, but his return was enough to keep the Memorial Day Raw viewership numbers above the all-time seasonal low — even with the show going against the single most-watched NBA game in the history of cable television.

    Raw did 3.22 million viewers, the second lowest non-football total other than a major holiday* where people don’t watch television since 1997, beating only the 4/25 show that did 3.16 million viewers.

    The surprise is that the third hour stayed above 3 million viewers.

    Without the advertising of Cena, it was very unlikely the show would have beaten the 4/25 record low. His return was promoted for weeks and he did media like NBC’s Today show that morning.

    The seventh game of the Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Western Conference semifinal did 15,996,000 viewers. The opening game of the Stanley Cup playoffs with the San Jose Sharks losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins did 4,081,000 viewers.

    Raw was third for the night on cable. 

    The three hours were:

    • 8 p.m. 3.28 million viewers
    • 9 p.m. 3.32 million viewers
    • 10 p.m 3.08 million viewers

    *A note on the definition of Memorial Day not being considered a “major holiday”: Holidays that kill ratings are July 4th, Thanksgiving night, New Year’s Eve and Christmas Eve. Memorial Day and Labor Day ratings are usually similar to usual levels. This past Monday, far more people were watching TV than usual, actually.

  • Daily Update: WCCW building honored, Ospreay vs. Richochet, Matt Hardy “Broken”

    The site of many major wrestling cards in Fort Worth recently received a historic designation. The Will Rogers Memorial Center was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The complex includes the coliseum which housed wrestling cards over the years including many for World Class Championship Wrestling. Built in 1936, the coliseum was the first performance hall in Fort Worth and is still in use today, mainly for equestrian events and the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. The recent designation allows for more available funding for the venue and a level of protection from it being torn down. A new arena facility is planned for construction near the old complex, though the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum will continue to remain in use.

    THE ROUND-UP

    If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

    Figure Four Weekly 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    READ IT HERE: May 30, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Return of Seth Rollins and the WWE brand split, plus tons of news

    With two of the biggest news stories of the year, the WWE brand split and the UFC sale both in play, we’ve got a new issue of the Observer packed with news.

    Our lead story looks at the brand split, with what we do know, what has and hasn’t been decided and the background of how it went down. There’s also more info on the UFC sale talks.  Plus there is coverage of the return of Seth Rollins, the build to Money in the Bank and have coverage of Extreme Rules, the negotiations for a Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight and look more at the Floyd Mayweather vs. McGregor rumors. Take an in-depth look at the departure of Cody Runnels (Rhodes) from WWE and his future prospects, plus look at his complaints regarding people in the company. All this plus a look at the New Japan Super Juniors tournament, the funding of the Hulk Hogan lawsuit, the World Cup trios tournament coming up and a feature on the last PWG show.

    The lead story looks at every aspect of the brand split.  It looks at the original goals and reasons for it and what did and didn’t work, plus how it’ll be different this time, how the touring will work, and an examination of what talent knows and tentative plans in place.  Vince McMahon’ reaction is a big part of this, and this issue explains how the deal went down, the story behind the story and other aspects to be considered. There’s also a look at Smackdown going live, the affect on the fan base, the affect on TNA and why it was important to get Smackdown away from Thursday.

    Another big story in this issues is Extreme Rules, the decision to make Seth Rollins a heel and current plans for Money in the Bank, and also match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

    Details about what’s going on with Conor McGregor, including Colin Cowherd’s claim that Mayweather vs. McGregor is happening, as well as a look at the Nate Diaz negotiations last week and what McGregor has said publicly.

    Finally, this issue looks at Cody Runnels leaving WWE, what he said was the reason why, and a look into those reasons, and a look at the realities of WWE business decisions and his background.

    CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PREVIEW.

    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

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    Check out the latest online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: April 26, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Davy Boy Smith recovering in the hospital, UFC to be sanctioned by Nevada State Athletic Commission, more. This past week has seen Davey Boy Smith, going stir crazy in a Calgary Hospital, attempt to start battling back after the worst year in his life.

    WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE

    In light of the Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay kerfluflle, Fighting Spirit Magazine posted an interview by our own David Bix titled, “Training Ground” an interview with Ricky Steamboat. It’s available for free on their site. It’s basically Steamboat giving amazingly detailed answers about pro wrestling psychology/storytelling in a very progressive, non-judgmental way, and while it’s fascinating reading anyway, it’s especially interesting to read with the Ricochet-Osprey stuff in mind.

    Speaking of, here’s a column our Kyle Johnson wrote today on the whole situation.

    For those Swerved fans, the show returns after RAW this Monday.Here’s a preview and an episode breakdown. This is the second season of the show, and will premiere all nine half hour long episodes on-demand on the WWE Network on June 6. This is the first time WWE Network will do a binge release for a show on-demand.

    UFC Sunday on FS 1 was way down from their prime time average with the main card doing 757,000 viewers and the prelims, also on FS 1, doing 469,000.

    University of Minnesota wrestling coach J Robinson has been placed on paid administrative leave,new athletic director Mark Coyle announced today, stemming from a controversy involving his athletes’ alleged abuse and selling of a prescription drug. 

    Pro Wrestling

    ​MMA & Combat Sports

    EVENTS

    • June 1 – PWP runs tonight, at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha, NE
    • June 4 – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
    • June 4 – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
    • June 5 – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
    • June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
    • June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
    • June 11 – NECW presents the 2016 IRON 8 Championship, Saturday Night, June 11 in Wakefield, MA
    • June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
    • June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
    • June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
    • June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
    • June 18 – New England Fights (NEF) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine with “NEF 24: PROMISED LAND.” Tickets for “NEF 24” are on sale now.
    • June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
    • June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas 
    • June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title 
    • June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
    • June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple   
    • July 7-11 The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas, EdinSanAntonio has all the information up on Facebook, or email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com.

    Today in Professional Wrestling History: Edge wins vacant World Title; Shield defeats Evolution in no holds barred Elimination match

  • Daily Pro Wrestling History (06/01): Edge wins vacant World Title; Shield defeats Evolution in no holds barred Elimination match

    1939 

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – Prospector Pete beat Steve Brody 2 out of 3 falls
    – Walter Sirois beat Stanley Buresch
    – Ede Edner (Ebner) beat Don George 
    – Mike Chacoma beat Dale Wayne

    1945

    – Bobby Bonales defeated El Santo to win the Mexican National Middleweight Title

    Wichita, Kansas:
    – Lord Albert Mills defeated Ray Eckert in 2 out of 3 falls to earn a match next week with Orville Brow
    – Lee Wykoff beat Jim Parker
    – Jack Hader beat Bob Hayford 
    – Gene Blakely defeated Pat O’Dowdy

    1948

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:
    – Sandor Szabo wins the Minneapolis World Heavyweight Title defeating Bronko Nagurski 

    Nashville, Tennessee:
    – The Green Shadow defeated Herb Welch for the Tennessee World Junior Heavyweight Title 

    1950 

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz defeated Bill Longson 2 falls to 0
    – Sonny Myers beat Lee Henning 2 out of 3 falls
    – Dutch Hefner beat Pete Peterson

    1956 

    Houston, Texas:
    – Buddy Rogers defeated Pepper Gomez for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title 

    1957

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – for the Central States Title, Bobby Bruns went to a time limit draw with Richard Brown 
    – Mike Clancy beat Angelo Savoldi 
    – Wild Red Berry beat Joe Costello

    1960 

    Los Angeles, California:
    – Édouard Carpentier and Sandor Szabo defeated Art Michalik and Legs Wilson to win the NWA International TV Tag Team Titles

    1962

    Dothan, Alabama:
    – Jack Donovan and Jackie Fargo defeated The Mysterious Medics for the Gulf Coast NWA Southern Tag Team Titles

    1966

    Portland, Oregon:
    – René Goulet and Pepper Martin defeated Tony Borne and Prof. Hiro to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles

    1968 

    Chicago, Illinois:
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Mitsu Arakawa & Dr Moto beat Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher
    – Dr X beat Mighty Igor Vodik via dq
    – Bill Watts drew Larry Hennig 
    – Rene Goulet beat Harley Race

    1971

    Croydon, England:
    – Brian Maxine defeated Clayton Thomson to win the British Middleweight Title

    1972 

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – Omar Atlas fought Roger Kirby to a draw
    – Black Angus (w/ Percival A. Friend) defeated The Viking 
    – Harley Race defeated Rufus R. Jones

    1973 

    St. Petersburg, Florida:
    – The Samoans (Tio Tio and Reno Tufuuli) defeated Mike Graham and Kevin Sullivan to win the NWA Florida Tag Team Titles

    Portland, Oregon:
    – Bull Ramos and Clay Spencer (Ken Mantell) defeated Steven Little Bear and Dutch Savage for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles

    – Black Gordman and Goliath defeated Rey Mendoza and Raul Reyes to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Titles

    1974

    Caguas, Puerto Rico:
    – Jim Dalton and Bruce Swayze defeated Carlos Colón and José Manuel Pérez for the WWC North American Tag Team Titles 

    1975

    Sydney, Australia:
    – Bobby Hart and Larry O’Day defeated The Missouri Mauler and Steve Rackman to win the NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Titles 

    Mexico City, Mexico:
    – Tauro defeated Dardo Aguilar for the Mexican National Lightweight Title 

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin:
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Verne Gagne & Billy Robinson via dq
    – Dusty Rhodes beat Baron Von Raschke dq
    – Ivan Putski beat Boris Breznikoff 
    – Greg Gagne beat Rene Goulet

    1976

    Wolverhampton, England:
    – Jim Breaks defeated Bobby Ryan to win the British Lightweight Title 

    1978 

    Akita, Japan:
    – Tor Kamata defeated Giant Baba for the AJPW PWF Heavyweight Title 

    1979

    Knoxville, Tennessee:
    – Ron Garvin won the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Title from Alex Smirnoff

    Houston, Texas:
    – El Halcón defeated José Lothario defeated Mark Lewin and The Spoiler to win the NWA American Tag Team Titles

    Omaha, Nebraska:
    – Greg Gagne (sub Verne Gagne) & Mad Dog Vachon beat Pat Patterson & Nick Bockwinkel
    – Bobby Duncum beat Doug Gilbert
    – in a Posedown, Paul Ellering beat Jesse Ventura 
    – Super Destroyer Mark II (Sgt. Slaughter) beat Joe Scarpello

    1981

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Bill Dundee defeated Stan Lane for the Mid-America NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Title 

    Birmingham, Alabama:
    – Jimmy Golden defeated Ken Lucas to win the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Title 

    1983 

    Omiya, Japan:
    – Lioness Asuka won the AJW Singles Title from Kaoru Matsumoto 
    – Jaguar Yokota defeated La Galactica for the WWWA World Singles Title

    Sunrise, Florida:
    – Terry Allen (Magnum T.A.) defeated Tommy Wright
    – Brad Armstrong and The Professional (Doug Gilbert) fought to a draw
    – NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion Scott McGhee defeated The Purple Haze by disqualification to retain the title
    – NWA Global Tag Team Champions, NWA Bahamas Heavyweight CHampion Angelo Mosca and Bobby Duncum defeated Barry Windham and NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Champion Ron Bass to retain the title
    – Mike Graham defeated Kevin Sullivan
    – Dusty Rhodes defeated Adrian Street

    1984 

    St. Louis, Missouri:
    – NWA Champion Ric Flair went to a time limit draw with Kerry Von Erich
    – Blackjack Lanza & Blackjack Mulligan beat Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan
    – Wahoo McDaniel beat Kamala via dq 
    – Jim Duggan beat Luke Graham

    1985

    Atlanta, Geogia:
    – Black Bart defeated Ron Garvin to win the NWA National Heavyweight Title 

    – Invader III defeated Denny Brown for the vacant WWC World Junior Heavyweight Title

    1986 

    Marshalltown, Iowa:
    – Marty Jannetty defeated The Shadow (Jaymie Knight) to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title 

    1987

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Jeff Jarrett won the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title from Moondog Spot 

    1990

    Dallas, Texas:
    – Kerry Von Erich defeated Matt Borne to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title

    1990

    Mexico City, Mexico:
    – El Dandy defeated Angel Azteca to win the NWA World Middleweight Title

    1991

    Bayamon, Puerto Rico:
    – TNT (Savio Vega) defeated King Kong to win the WWC Television Title 

    Wolfeboro, New Hampshire:
    – The Billion Dollar Babies (Mike Samson and G.Q. Stratus) defeated G.Q. and T.D. Madison (Tommy Dreamer) for the IWCCW Tag Team Titles

    1995

    Texcoco, Mexico:
    – Latin Lover and Panterita del Ring defeated Fuerza and Juventud Guerrera to win the Mexican National Tag Team Titles 

    1996 

    Philadelphia, Pennslyvania
    – Pitbull #2 defeated ECW World Television Champion Shane Douglas to win the title

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Brian Christopher defeated Jerry Lawler to win the USWA Heavyweight Title

    World Wrestling Peace Festival: Los Angeles, California:
    – Craig Pittman defeated KGB 
    – Jim Neidhart defeated Bobby Bradley, Jr
    – Lady Apache and Akira Hokuto defeated Bull Nakano and Neftali 
    – Chris Benoit defeated Alex Wright
    – NWA World Middleweight Champion Ultimo Dragon and Rey Misterio, Jr. defeated Heavy Metal and Mexican National Welterweight Champion Psicosis
    – Lex Luger defeated Masa Saito
    – NWA World Welterweight Champion Negro Casas defeated Mexican National Middleweight Champion El Hijo del Santo
    – CMLL World Tag Team Champion Atlantis, Dos Caras and Héctor Garza defeated Gran Markus, Jr., Silver King and CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion Dr. Wagner, Jr
    – Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Black Cat
    – Perro Aguayo and La Parka defeated Cibernético and Mexican National Heavyweight Champion Pierroth, Jr
    – AAA Americas, IWAS World and WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Konnan defeated Bam Bam Bigelow and Chris Jericho  in a triangle match
    – Jushin Liger defeated The Great Sasuke 
    – WCW World Heavyweight Champion The Giant defeated WCW World Tag Team Champion Sting
    – Antonio Inoki and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dan Severn defeated Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Oleg Taktarov

    2007 

    OVW Summer Sizzler Series: Louisville, Kentucky:
    – ODB defeated OVW Women’s Champion Katie Lea to win the title
    – Jay Bradley defeated Paul Birchill and Idol Stevens in a three-way match to win the vacant OVW Heavyweight Title

    2008

    WWE One Night Stand: San Diego, California:
    – Matt Hardy defeated Shelton Benjamin    
    – Jeff Hardy defeated Umaga in a Falls Count Anywhere match
    – Big Show defeated CM Punk, John Morrison, Tommy Dreamer, and Chavo Guerrero
    – John Cena defeated John “Bradshaw” Layfield in a First Blood match
    – Beth Phoenix defeated Melina in an I Quit match    
    – Batista defeated Shawn Michaels in a Stretcher match    
    – Triple H defeated Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match to retain the WWE Championship    
    – Edge defeated the Undertaker in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship

    2014 

    WWE Payback: Chicago, Illinois
    – El Torito (with Diego and Fernando) defeated Hornswoggle (with Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal) in a Mask vs. Hair match
    – Sheamus defeated Cesaro to retain the WWE United States Championship
    – RybAxel (Ryback and Curtis Axel) defeated Cody Rhodes and Goldust    
    – Rusev (with Lana) defeated Big E 
    – Kofi Kingston vs. Bo Dallas ended in a no contest    
    – Bad News Barrett defeated Rob Van Dam to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
    – John Cena (with Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) defeated Bray Wyatt (with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan) in a Last Man Standing match
    – Paige defeated Alicia Fox to retain the WWE Divas Championship
    – The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose) defeated Evolution (Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista) in a No Holds Barred Elimination match

  • NJPW Best of the Super Juniors results: Taguchi vs. Kyle O’Reilly

    We roll on to day nine of New Japan’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, as the morning of 5/31 brought us more action, this time from the A Block. Matches held on this day were in Hiroshima:

    Bushi vs. David Finlay

    Nothing wrong with this, but felt like every young lion match you’ve seen. Makes sense as Finlay is a young lion. This was solid, but patterned in other words. Finlay made a comeback, Bushi cut him off and pinned him with the codebreaker off the top rope.

    Rocky Romero vs. Matt Sydal

    Good match. Solid work here as well. Romero got the heat at one point by dousing Sydal with what looked like a water bottle and gave him a sliced bread on the floor. They went back to the ring exchange some strikes .Sydal took Romero out with a powerbomb and went for the shooting star press but Romero blocked it, throwing him off. Sydal came back with a rana to the floor and pinned Romero with a shooting star press.

    Gedo vs. Kushida

    Really good match, best out of all four here. Kushida worked on Gedo’s arm throughout the entire match and came back to it whenever he had the chance. Gedo had a lot of offense and looked tremendous. I think he’s secretly the MVP of this tournament even though there has been a lot great matches without him. Kushida went for the armbar but Gedo countered with a roll up and did some great near falls. Crowd was really into this too. Gedo went for the Gedo Clutch but Kushida kicked out. Kushida sinked in the hoverboard lock again and after rolling around to the middle of the ring Gedo submitted.

    Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kyle O’Reilly

    Another good match! There were some pre match shenanigans as Taguchi wanted the ref to pat his crotch area. When he refused, Taguchi took out a banana, because he’s wacky, you see. It’s kind of funny as Taguchi can be a pretty great worker at times, but the comedy stuff is total prelim level. There was a cool spot early where O’Reilly went for the leg sweep but Taguchi jumped, then dropkicked O’Reilly in one swift motion. They exchange leg submissions and went back and forth on another another. Taguchi grabbed the leg again and dropped in elbow, and that caused O’Reilly to eventually submit.

    Current tallies:

    Block A:

    • Ryusuke Taguchi – 8
    • Matt Sydal – 8
    • Kyle O’Reilly – 6
    • Kushida – 6
    • Rocky Romero – 4
    • Bushi – 4
    • Gedo – 2
    • David Finlay – 2

    Block B:

    • Ricochet – 6
    • Jushin Thunder Liger – 4
    • Baretta – 4
    • Volador Jr. – 4
    • Tiger Mask – 4
    • Bobby Fish – 4
    • Will Ospreay – 2
    • Chase Owens – 2

  • TNA Impact Wrestling results: Unique Hardy Boys contract signing

    Previously on Impact:

    Last week on Impact, key matches for Slammiversary were made official. They announced the main event, which will be TNA World Champion Drew Galloway defending against Lashley in a match that can only end by submission or knockout. Also, Jeff Hardy defeated Rockstar Spud and Tyrus in a ladder match to ensure he’ll face Matt Hardy at Slammiversary. However, Ethan Carter III doesn’t get his Slammiversary match with The Miracle. EC3 failed on his Road to Redemption when The Miracle caused a disqualification in the EC3 vs. Matt Hardy match.

    Tonight on Impact:

    On tonight’s Impact, Galloway and Lashley will participate in “Pick Your Poison”, which means they get to choose each other’s opponents. Furthermore, after losing last week, one could presume that EC3 will attempt to find another way to get his match with The Miracle at Slammiversary.

    Show Recap:

    -We kick the night off backstage. TNA President Dixie Carter is talking to someone, but we don’t see their face. She recaps the chaos in the last several weeks. She’s desperate to regain control so she is allowing the mystery individual to run Impact tonight.

    -In the arena, Mike Bennett and Maria enter the ring. Josh Matthews and The Pope welcome us to Impact and they wonder whom Dixie’s talking to. The Miracle wants to know who is in charge of Impact tonight and calls out the individual. Cue the catchiest music in wrestling and EC3 hits the ring. As EC3 makes his way to the ring Josh informs us that Dixie sent out a tweet just now that EC3 is in charge.

    After failing on his Road to Redemption, EC3 simply made his match with The Miracle for Slammiversary. EC3 is giving The Miracle the night off from wrestling, but he’s going to be the custodian. Also, Maria is going to have a job evaluation and EC3 wil mediate the situation between Gail and Maria. EC3 sends The Miracle and Maria away.

    Next, Bobby Lashley came out and said that since EC3 had stuck his nose in his business now Lashley is going to get in EC3’s business. EC3 let Lashley know that he had “regulated” his power to Drew Galloway in regards to Lashley. This of course brought out the TNA world champion.

    It feels too easy that EC3 was simply put in charge for the night and he can make his match with The Miracle. Also, it seems way to easy for people to in TNA to give other people power.

    -Back from commercial in the back. EC3 and The Miracle are in the washroom. The Miracle has to be the custodian and clean the toilets. EC3 had a funny line when he went into one of the stalls and pointed out that somebody had gone “number 4”. TNA is literally doing toilet humor.​

    King of the Mountain Champion Bram vs. “The Destroyer” Bobby Lashley

    TNA World Champion Drew announces KOTM Champ Bram as Lashley’s opponent. This is the first Pick Your Poison match of the night. This was a really good and very physical fight. Bram runs wild on Lashley and sends him to the outside. Lashley takes over on Bram and uses his headband to choke Bram. Lashley uses the chair for the DQ and used two spears after the match. He set up for a third but Drew ran out with a chair for the save. Drew then chased Lashley through the crowd.

    Bram’s laying on his back motionless when Eli Drake comes out and cashes in his Feast or Fired KOTM title shot.

    King of the Mountain Champion Bram vs. Eli Drake

    Eli covers Bram who kicked out at two and a half. Eli tried to take back his briefcase, but Earl wouldn’t let him. Eli and Bram had a short match that ended with Eli scoring the pin and winning the match. Eli is the new KOTM champ.

    -Earlier today, The BroMans were hanging out by the pool and recapping Raquel training them. Raquel shows up and lets them know if they want to win the gold they have to learn to focus. The music then became all adult film like and the screen became purple. She wore a bikini and told them to focus on her. Jesse got it but Robbie E. was confused. He wasn’t the only one.

    -Back in the washrooms, The Miracle and EC3 are continuing the whole cleaning the toilets thing. Earl Hebner comes out of one of the stalls. Earl said The Miracle isn’t a star and called him a bad word. EC3 informed The Miracle that his next task is going to be as a referee.

    -Next, we go to Matt Hardy’s home and property in North Carolina. Josh tells us that Matt is going to sign the contract for his match with Jeff at Slammiversary at his home and has invited Jeff.

    -Backstage, Eli is celebrating his title win and is offering people champagne, but knocks it out of their hand each time.

    -At Matt Hardy’s home, Matt walks out of the house and tells us he’s invited us and Brother Nero (Jeff Hardy) into his house for the contract signing. This was a cool little video and is very intriguing.

    The BroMans (Robbie E. & Jesse Godderz w/ Raquel) vs. Rockstar Spud and Tyrus w/ guest referee Mike Bennett

    Josh informs us that the winners of this match will receive a shot at the tag titles at Slammiversary. The story of this match was that The Miracle seemed uninterested and he let the heels cheat. The heels were about to put The BroMans away when Raquel distracted Tyrus by showing him some “stretches”. The BroMans mans took out Tyrus on the outside. Jesse got Spud in the Boston Crab and he tapped immediately but The Miracle didn’t call for the bell. He tried to give Spud a chance, but realized there was no point. The BroMans win the match and get a shot at the tag champions Decay at Slammiversary.

    -In the back, Maria is on the phone with Bill Corgan when EC3 approaches. He lets her know that the job evaluation is next.

    -Next we get shots of Jeff on his bike and on his way to see Matt at his house.

    -In the ring, EC3 orders Allie and Sienna out of the ring. EC3 doesn’t think Maria is doing a very good job as the leader of the Knockouts. EC3 calls out Gail to see what she thinks. EC3 points out that because Maria put her hands on Gail it’s grounds for dismissal. Gail wants a match with Maria but she refuses because she is the leader of the Knockouts. EC3 informs her that she isn’t right now because she’s in a job evaluation. EC3 makes Gail vs. Maria official for Slammiversary. They go face to face and EC3 separates them. Everyone was really good here in particular EC3 who is having a pretty good night. 

    TNA Knockouts Champion Jade and Gail Kim vs. Sienna and Allie

    EC3 made this match right before the commercial break. EC3 and Maria are seated at ringside. Allie was really funny here when she was screeching at EC3. Gail is in control of Allie who is still screeching. The faces use several double team moves on Sienna. Sienna uses several power moves to gain the advantage. Jade got the hot tag and ran wild on Sienna. Jade used the package piledriver on Allie to win the match.

    -Back at Matt’s house, Jeff pulls up on his bike as Reby is leaving with Maxell strapped to her chest. She tells him she can’t talk to Matt and wants nothing to do with this. She leaves and Jeff enters the house.

    In the house, Matt is playing the piano and Jeff enters. Jeff demands he signs the contract but Matt says they must end this where it began.

    -In the ring, The Miracle was mad about the way EC3 has treated him and his wife. The Miracle says he’s not a janitor or referee, he’s a wrestler. EC3 says he lied and The Miracle in fact has a match tonight. EC3 says it’ll be a “miracle” if Bennett’s opponent showed up sober. This obviously brings out James Storm for a match with Bennett.

    “The Miracle” Mike Bennett w/ “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis vs. James Storm

    Back from commercial and the match is in progress. The Miracle is wearing jeans and not his regular gear. Storm dominates the early moments but The Miracle soon takes over. Storm makes a comeback and hits almost all of his key moves. Storm sets for the Last Call when Maria hands him a beer. Storm teases spiting the beer in her face, but she slaps him which leads to The Miracle scoring the win.

    Post match, EC3 confirms their match for Slammiversary. EC3 pointed out that Miracle likes to call himself God but if he’s God then EC3 is his devil. The segment ended with Storm giving The Miracle The Last call.

    -In the ring, Al Snow introduced The Tribunal (Basille Baraca and Baron Dax). They cut a promo in French and English. The crowd chanted “boring” and “what” throughout the segment. Al said he beat Grado last week with a wrestling move not using weapons. They showed footage of Al using the Snow Plow to win the match. Grado and Mahabali Shera come out and tried to do comedy that bombed horribly. Grado showed the rest of the footage, which shows Al using weapons. They did some more bad comedy and Al insulted their mother. A brawl broke out with The Tribunal getting the better of the faces.

    -We get a recap of the Ultimate X match from last week won by Trevor Lee.

    -Next we get an interview with Braxton Sutter, formerly Pepper Parks, who discuss his journey to making it in TNA and his imminent debut.

    -Back at Matt’s house, Matt takes Jeff to a room on his property. In the room is a ring, which presumably is the ring the Hardy’s used to train on.

    -Drew Galloway is in the ring when Bobby Lashley comes out. Lashley announces Drew’s opponents who are TNA Tag team champs Decay. Josh and The Pope wonder who of Decay is Drew’s opponent.

    TNA Champ Drew Galloway vs. Decay (Abyss, Crazy Steve & Rosemary)

    Turns out Drew will be taking on all three memebers of Decay. Drew and Decay brawl around ringside to start the match. Rosemary jumps on Drew’s back which distracts him long enough for the heels to take over. Decay tried to double team Drew but he made a comeback and took them out. Drew set up for the claymore, but Rosemary got in his way. Drew teased the Future Shock DDT on Rosemary, but turned his attention to Steve. Abyss scored a near fall with a choke slam. Rosemary pulled out Janice from underneath the ring, which distracted the ref. Lashley snuck in and tried to spear Drew but he moved and Lashley speared Abyss instead. Drew hit the Future Shock DDT on Steve to win the match.

    Post match, Drew flipped the bird at Lashley causing the two to have a stare down.

    -Back at Matt’s house, they finally sign the contract on a circular table. Matt and Jeff face off in the ring at which point Reby enters with Maxell still strapped to her chest. She yells at Jeff and throws Maxell at him! It’s not actually Maxell it’s actually a doll. Matt hits Jeff with a glass bottle to the back of the head. Matt then gives Jeff the side effect of the apron through the circular table. The table didn’t break and they did this in slow motion. Jeff is left lying on the ground as we fade to black.

    Next Time on Impact:

    Next week’s Impact is the go-home show for the Slammiversary PPV.

  • WWE Smackdown spoilers: AJ Styles vs. Kofi Kingston

    From tonight’s Smackdown tapings in Rockford, IL, for the show airing Wednesday in Canada and Thursday in the U.S.:

    – The New Day opened the show with an interview. The Club then came out. The segment set up an A.J. Styles vs. Kofi Kingston main event for the show.

    – Becky Lynch beat WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte via DQ in a non-title match. Dana Brooke interfered. They double-teamed Lynch and Natalya made the save. The faces cleaned house on Charlotte and Brooke.

    – Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn did a backstage interview. Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio came out to interrupt to set up a tag match for later in the show.

    – The Dudleys beat R-Truth & Goldust when Tyler Breeze & Fandango distracted them. This set up another R-Truth & Goldust vs. Breeze & Fandango match.

    – Sami Zayn & Dean Ambrose beat Kevin Owens & Alberto Del Rio. They all brawled after the match. A ladder got in the ring. Owens went to climb up when Cesaro ran in and pulled Owens down and he grabbed the MiTB briefcase.

    – U.S. Champion Rusev beat Jack Swagger via DQ on a reversed decision when Rusev wouldn’t break the Accolade. Titus O’Neil made the save.

    – A.J. Styles pinned Kofi Kingston using the Styles Clash. Anderson, Gallows, Big E and Xavier Woods all brawled at ringside. Roman Reigns got involved (not sure if this was dark or not) and Reigns was strongly cheered when he confronted Styles.

  • NJPW Best of the Super Juniors results: Ricochet vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

    More Super Junior action took place on 5/30 in Tottori as B Block matches commenced:

    Will Ospreay vs. Tiger Mask

    This was really good. Ospreay moved around great and Tiger Mask was the good grumpy veteran who kept things grounded. At one point, Ospreay hit what looked like an inverted phoenix splash but Tiger Mask got the knees up, took him to the corner and hit a butterfly suplex from the top rope. Ospreay kicked out of that, but eventually submitted to Tiger Mask’s scissors armbar.

    Volador Jr. vs. Bobby Fish

    Fish controlled a lot of the match and worked on Volador’s leg near the end. Volador went to do something on the top rope, flipped over to the floor but his leg buckled. That allowed Fish to come in and hit a falcon arrow, but Volador kicked out. Fish followed with an ankle lock and submitted him. Good match.

    Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Ricochet

    Pretty good back and forth match. Liger was very competitive and did all of his big moves, including the shotei and the running senton to the floor. Ricochet made a comeback, hit a big time brainbuster but Liger kicked out. Ricochet followed that with his cobra twist submission for the win.

    Current tallies:

    Block A:

    • Ryusuke Taguchi – 6
    • Kyle O’Reilly – 6
    • Matt Sydal – 6
    • Rocky Romero – 4
    • Kushida – 4
    • Gedo – 2
    • Bushi – 2
    • David Finlay – 2

    Block B:

    • Ricochet – 6
    • Jushin Thunder Liger – 4
    • Baretta – 4
    • Volador Jr. – 4
    • Tiger Mask – 4
    • Bobby Fish – 4
    • Will Ospreay – 2
    • Chase Owens – 2

  • WWE RAW Hits & Misses: Cena gets Clubbed, Rollins mimes, Golden Truth shines

    Monday night’s edition of RAW had its moments without exactly firing on all cylinders. Here’s where it went right…and where it went very, very wrong.

    — The Hits —

    Trios pow-wows

    Tag team main events are usually throwaway affairs in the WWE universe. As such, those backstage huddles featuring all six Money in the Bank ladder match entrants were very welcome. Recycling the “Sami is Canadian too” joke from last week worked well, as did Jericho’s continued brilliant use of the word “idiot”. That, of course, led to a wonderful “stupid idiot” chant during the main event, directed at the Fozzy frontman. The match itself was merely fine, but featured a hot finish and a much-needed attempt to rehab a cooled-off Dean Ambrose.

    Cena’s return and AJ’s turn

    While I’m not entirely sold on AJ’s full-fledged heel turn, it must be acknowledged that its execution was excellent here. Further, the company is quite light on the heel side at the moment. While I could have done without the cringeworthy, jingoistic intro, John Cena’s comeback promo was one of his strongest in some time. Delivered with fantastic fire, it underlined the veteran’s new role as the gatekeeper of the WWE: “The future must go through me”.

    The Golden Truth shine

    I’m as surprised as you are, believe me, but Monday night’s first hour segment involving the Golden Truth actually worked. Key to its success was allowing two of the most naturally amusing men on the roster to be themselves, free from the writers’ awful input. Truth and Goldust’s contributions on commentary during The Usos’ quick win over Breezango were often hilarious with Truth reprising his inability to distinguish Byron Saxton from Jonathan Coachman – despite the fact that “Coach has talent” as JBL helpfully pointed out.

    I must admit I’m also a big fan of Truth’s remixed rap, heard in its full form on Smackdown, but sadly cut off here by a commercial break. Credit also to Tyler Breeze for his inset promo (“The Ewww-sos”) for showing how his mastery over his character has been shamefully wasted on the main roster.

    Enzo & Cass

    They seem to be featured here every week but even though their promo ostensibly just listed cheeses at one point, everything this team touches turns to gold at the moment. Although, I could do without that double team Rocket Launcher finish as they never seem to execute it convincingly.

    –The Misses–

    Using The New Day to distract from the brand split fiasco

    Last week’s news that the debut of live Tuesday night Smackdown would usher in another brand split conjured up many appalling vistas. Chief among them was the prospect of having to watch nine hours of WWE programming in three days on PPV weeks, closely followed by the harebrained possible reintroduction of two world titles. Worries about the potential for tag teams to be forcibly separated weren’t exactly high on folks’ lists of concerns.

    But that’s the draft-related horror that New Day asked us to consider in RAW’s overlong opening segment in which their comedy was used to distract from the fact that company is figuring the detail of this guaranteed failure out as it goes. The idea that the Vaudevillains denying us the “pleasure” of Stephanie’s dancing is supposed to generate heel heat was where the real humour lay, however, as was that team’s failure to upbraid The Club for getting them disqualified from what was effectively a number one contendership opportunity.

    Rollins The Mute

    Following on from the abrupt ending to his in-ring promo on Smackdown, the returning Seth Rollins went one better on Monday night by saying absolutely nothing – for a very, very long time. I’d love to tell you what Rollins’ fakeouts were supposed to achieve, but sadly I’m not one of the 28 typewriter-armed monkeys that this company employs. On that note, every time I hear Roman’s “I’m not a good guy….” catchphrase or JBL parroting Vince’s “polarising figure” nonsense, I want to scream. Nails on a chalkboard, every time.

    Dolph and Baron play Roshambo

    Dolph Ziggler baiting Baron Corbin into a “technical wrestling match” (translation: a match) only to kick him in the cojones was extremely dumb. Not only did Dolph cost himself a third loss to Corbin, he also made himself look like a coward. Wouldn’t a real babyface pour everything he had into besting the balding one in a fair fight?

    Titus confronts the “Bulgarian Blowhard”

    Speaking of poor writing, is anyone getting tired of Zack Ryder cutting pre-match promos about overcoming the odds only to lose comprehensively? What is the point of that exactly? US Champion Rusev crushed Ryder in short order before being confronted by proud American Titus O’Neil. O’Neil nervously delivered his scripted verbiage, including the embarrassing insult transcribed above, to a relatively underwhelming response. Still, at least this means the Bulgarian won’t be dropping the strap to the returning Cena any time soon as many predicted. Finally, what was up with Lana’s accent in her pre-match introduction?

    The Charlotte follow-up

    Where do I start with this one? I could talk about how Stephanie felt it necessarily to once again verbally tear strips off one of her major champions. I could talk about the lameness of the talking heads’ contribution in the preceding video package. I could discuss how little sense it makes that Charlotte throwing off the yolk of her cheating father is being portrayed as a heelish progression for her character.

    Whichever way you look at it, Monday’s follow-up to what was a disastrous promo from the Women’s champion last week was just as crummy as the distraction finish she caused in Dana Brooke’s match against Natalya. Apparently it’s important that all these women are made to look dumb, face or heel. Dreadful.

  • Daily Update: Goldberg to WWE, Enzo & Cass on ESPN, Ricochet vs. Ospreay

    While nothing is even close to happening with bringing in Bill Goldberg to WWE in a wrestling capacity, 2K officially announced his inclusion as a character in the WWE 2K17 video game, made public last night in an ad that aired on RAW. As discussed on Observer Radio, this opens up intriguing possibilities for a return match based on past history with Ultimate Warrior, Brock Lesnar, and Sting appearing in 2K ads. He did an interview with IGN you can see here. WWE definitely wants you to think that Goldberg returning is a possibility. 

    NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS FROM HIROSHIMA ON TUESDAY (taped for New Japan World available later in the day)

    • Bushi vs. David Finlay
    • Matt Sydal vs. Rocky Romero
    • Kushida vs. Gedo
    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kyle O’Reilly

    Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on today in Rockford, IL  We’re also looking for reports on this show.

    NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS FROM NAGOYA ON THURSDAY (taped for New Japan World, available later in the day)

    • Volador Jr. vs. Chase Owens
    • Jushin Liger vs. Tiger Mask
    • Bobby Fish vs. Will Ospreay
    • Ricochet vs. Trent Baretta

    THE ROUND-UP

    If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

    Figure Four Weekly 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    READ IT HERE: May 30, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Return of Seth Rollins and the WWE brand split, plus tons of news

    With two of the biggest news stories of the year, the WWE brand split and the UFC sale both in play, we’ve got a new issue of the Observer packed with news.

    Our lead story looks at the brand split, with what we do know, what has and hasn’t been decided and the background of how it went down. There’s also more info on the UFC sale talks.  Plus there is coverage of the return of Seth Rollins, the build to Money in the Bank and have coverage of Extreme Rules, the negotiations for a Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight and look more at the Floyd Mayweather vs. McGregor rumors. Take an in-depth look at the departure of Cody Runnels (Rhodes) from WWE and his future prospects, plus look at his complaints regarding people in the company. All this plus a look at the New Japan Super Juniors tournament, the funding of the Hulk Hogan lawsuit, the World Cup trios tournament coming up and a feature on the last PWG show.

    The lead story looks at every aspect of the brand split.  It looks at the original goals and reasons for it and what did and didn’t work, plus how it’ll be different this time, how the touring will work, and an examination of what talent knows and tentative plans in place.  Vince McMahon’ reaction is a big part of this, and this issue explains how the deal went down, the story behind the story and other aspects to be considered. There’s also a look at Smackdown going live, the affect on the fan base, the affect on TNA and why it was important to get Smackdown away from Thursday.

    Another big story in this issues is Extreme Rules, the decision to make Seth Rollins a heel and current plans for Money in the Bank, and also match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

    Details about what’s going on with Conor McGregor, including Colin Cowherd’s claim that Mayweather vs. McGregor is happening, as well as a look at the Nate Diaz negotiations last week and what McGregor has said publicly.

    Finally, this issue looks at Cody Runnels leaving WWE, what he said was the reason why, and a look into those reasons, and a look at the realities of WWE business decisions and his background.

    CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PREVIEW.

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    Check out the latest online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: April 26, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Davy Boy Smith recovering in the hospital, UFC to be sanctioned by Nevada State Athletic Commission, more. This past week has seen Davey Boy Smith, going stir crazy in a Calgary Hospital, attempt to start battling back after the worst year in his life.

    TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

    Earlier today, John Ourand of Sports Business Journal tweeted that Monday’s Game 7 betwen Golden State & Oklahoma City did around an 11.2 rating — a record for any NBA game on cable. The first game of the Stanley Cup Finals between San Jose and Pittburgh did around a 2.8. We’re still awaiting RAW ratings, but expect them to be affected by the big competition.

    Enzo and Cass are guests on SportsCenter tonight. Will ESPN let them call Coachman SAWFT?

    Goldberg appeared on the latest Ringer Wrestling podcast with David Shoemaker Tuesday as well. He is asked about returning to action and while he didn’t say no, he didn’t say yes either. He had spoken about wanting to wrestle one last time so his child could see him, but he has yet to find the perfect scenario to do so. Can WWE create one he would approve?

    If you have not seen the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match from the Best of the Super Juniors tournament that everyone has been raving about of late, New Japan has put it up absolutely free on Youtube. You’ll have to rewind about a dozen times to catch all the incredible action. It’s far more entertaining than “just another indy spot fest.” It’s phenomenal storytelling AND incredible athletics. 

    Pro Wrestling

    • Paige beat Summer Rae and Jack Swagger beat Viktor of the Ascension at the Superstars tapings before Raw went on the air last night. Viktor of the Ascension is currently being rebranded as “The Demonic” Victor, with different face paint. His tag team partner, Konnor, is currently serving a wellness policy suspension. 
    • The 2 hour RAW replay Friday night on SyFy did 403,000 viewers and was the top rated show of the night for that network. This would be a replay of the May 23rd show. It was down from last week, which did 467,000 viewers.
    • Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch is advertised for Smackdown tonight, as is Styles & Gallows & Anderson vs. Roman Reigns & Usos, although the latter is a dark match and may very well not take place.
    • This post-Raw video with Mick Foley and Becky Lynch is notable mostly for how much weight Foley has lost of late.
    • The NWA is re-launching their NWA Classics service at NWA On Demand, complete with a new website and the first week free for subscribers.
    • SI’s Extra Mustard chatted with Velvet Sky on Bubba Dudley, WWE, and TNA.
    • Kamaitachi will be facing Chris Dickinson on 6/17 in NYC at the House of Glory / Beyond Wrestling joint show in Queens, NY.
    • The two-day JT Lightning 2016 Invitational Tournament is available to purchase and stream right now.
    • The creators of Netflix hit Orange is The New Black got another Netflix show greenlit: a comedy series based on the 80s female wrestling organization GLOW. No, seriously. It’s happening. It will be a half-hour comedy with 10 episodes.
    • ECWA returns to action this Saturday in Woodbury Heights, NJ.
    • For those with San Francisco Chronicle online access, there’s a story about Nick Reckas from 1975 and his association with the city’s mayor.
    • Not everyone is standing with Hulk Hogan and the anti-Gawker group. Here’s an NYT op-ed from someone that is with Gawker.

    MMA

    • In an interview with Submission Radio, Max Holloway talked about his fight with Ricardo Lamas, why he’s in his head, what he wants next and his prediction on how he wins at UFC 199.
    • Also in an interview with Submission Radio, Conor McGregor’s boxing sparring partner and former IBO welterweight champion Chris Van Heerden discussed boxing Conor, what would happen in a boxing match with Mayweather, how McGregor would do as a boxer and if he thinks Conor will outbox Nate Diaz in a MMA rematch.
    • For those into the bizarre, here’s a clip of BJJ match that ended via submission due to someone farting in their competitor’s face which caused vomiting. Yes, we just wrote that sentence.
    • UFC announced they are launching their first podcast UFC Unfiltered with comedian Jim Norton and fomer UFC welterweight champ Matt Serra that will air twice a week. The show kicks off on June 21st. Essentially, it’s another version of The Fighter & The Kid.
    • In case you missed it, our own Paul “Ace” Fontaine has an article here ranking the top UFC PPV draws of all time from McGregor to Mighty Mouse. It’s a really good read for those into the drawing aspect of stardom.

    EVENTS

    • June 1 – PWP runs tomorrow night, at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha, NE
    • June 4 – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
    • June 4 – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
    • June 5 – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
    • June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
    • June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
    • June 11 – NECW presents the 2016 IRON 8 Championship, Saturday Night, June 11 in Wakefield, MA
    • June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
    • June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
    • June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
    • June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
    • June 18 – New England Fights (NEF) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine with “NEF 24: PROMISED LAND.” Tickets for “NEF 24” are on sale now.
    • June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
    • June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas 
    • June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title 
    • June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
    • June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple   
    • July 7-11 The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas, EdinSanAntonio has all the information up on Facebook, or email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com.

    Today in Professional Wrestling History: Kowalski vs. Bruno Death Match; Andersons win Georgia Tag Titles; Ryback wins IC Title

  • Cody Rhodes return features a match against Kurt Angle

    One of Cody Rhodes’ first matches on the independent scene will be on what is traditionally the biggest independent show of the year in the U.S.

    Rhodes will be facing Kurt Angle, one of the names on his bucket list, on 8/27 in Wappingers Falls, NY, at Dutchess Stadium for Northeast Wrestling’s annual “Wrestling Under the Stars” event. The stadium show has featured over the years the biggest independent stars available, including names like Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan, and usually draws in excess of 3000 fans.

    Rhodes, by the terms of his WWE contract release, will be allowed to start working under his name on 8/19, and earlier this week, he posted a bucket list of what his goals were. Another of his bucket list items, the Battle of Los Angeles put on by PWG, is usually held at about that same time each year.

    Also announced for the show will be Jeff Hardy vs. Jushin Liger in what is believed to be the first time the two have faced off in a singles match. They join Matt Hardy, Jerry Lawler, Booker T, Pentagon Jr., Sami Callihan, Kamaitachi along with local wrestlers and the wrestler formerly known as Hornswoggle.

    Stemming from the success of its Wappingers Falls shows, Northeast Wrestling will be doing a series of Wrestling Under the Stars events this summer, including in Hickory, NC; Niles, OH; Pomona, NY; and Pittsfield, MA.