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  • NJPW Alive 2015 house show report: Taguchi and Goto vs. Nakamura and Okada

    by Bryan Rose, WrestlingObserver.com

    The following are quick results from today’s New Japan World house show entitled “New Japan Alive 2015”. It was held in Fukushima as Big Palette Fukushima arena. Overall a very run of the mill house show, but the crowd was hot and the action was generally fine, nothing worth going out of your way to see however.

    Yohei Komatsu defeated Sho Tanaka with a half boston crab. Good, solid back and forth opening match.

    Tiger Mask and Jushin Thunder Liger defeated David Finlay and Jay White when Tiger Mask defeated David Finlay after a butterfly suplex from the top rope. This got a lot of time and turned out to be a basic, but really good match.

    Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Kushida defeated Captain New Japan, Mascara Dorada and Manabu Nakanishi when Kojima pinned Captain New Japan after a lariat. Good, typical six man New Japan tag bout. Kushida and Dorada in particular had a hot start, these two should really have a program somewhere down the line.

    Yuji Nagata and Tetsuya Naito defeated Cody Hall and Yujiro Takahashi when Nagata pinned Hall after a back suplex. Felt really long, though nothing totally wrong with it. Naito continued his quasi-heel gimmick, coming in late, only caring when doing a comeback and left immediately after Nagata got the win.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe defeated Yoshi Hashi, Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii after a top rope Kokeshi by Honma and a high fly flow from Tanahashi. It was every New Japan six man you’ve ever seen. With that said, it was fine and the crowd was into it.

    Kazuchika Okada and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Hirooki Goto and Ryusuke Taguchi after Okada pins Taguchi with the rainmaker. Another solid match, but nothing to write home about. Originally this was to be a six man with Gedo and Shibata involved, but it was announced earlier in the show that Shibata was removed from the match without a reason given. Okada and Gedo cut promos after the match concerning the upcoming G1 Climax tournament.

  • UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor live results and coverage: The Irishman walks the walk

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event, headlined by an Interim UFC Featherweight Championship bout between Chad Mendes and Conor McGregor, airs on pay-per-view at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off at 7 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass before moving over to FOX Sports 1 at 8 PM eastern time. We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst fight to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT):

    LIGHTWEIGHTS: YOSDENIS CEDENO VS. CODY PFISTER

    First round: Hard low and high kick by Cedeno. Cedeno with a low kick.  Pfister landed some punches.  Another hard low kick by Cedeno.  Nice counter right by Cedeno but he couldn’t take him down.  Scramble, but nobody got the edge and they were back to their feet.  Body shot by Cedeno.  Pfister landing some punches.  Cedeno landing kicks.  Low kick by Cedeno.  Cedeno with cool kicks.  Cedeno is killing Pfister’s left leg.  Cedeno 10-9

    Second round: Low kick by Cedeno and overhand right.  Pfister missing punches. Pfister took him down.  Pfister’s left leg was all red.  Pfister has his back now.  Cedeno reversed to the top.  Fans are screaming to stand them up right away.  The ref listened.  Nothing was happenig at the time.  Pfister with an ankle pick takedown.  Pfister landed a few puches.  Pfister got his back again.  Now he’s on top throwing short punches.  Knee by Pfister and another as Cedeno got up.  Pfister’s round so 19-19 after two.

    Third round: Pfister with a takedown.  The ref stood them up quickly.  Pfister with a second takedown.  Pfister punching the body on the ground.  Pfister has his back again.  Cedeno out of trouble.   Pfister took him down again.  He’s just holding him down now.  Cedeno revered tothe top and threw two punches.  Pfister’s round so he should win 29-28.

    Scores: All three had it 29-28 Pfister.

    FLYWEIGHTS: NEIL SEERY VS. LOUIS SMOLKA

    First round: Smolka poked him in the eye. Seery dropped him with two punches and is pounding on him.  Smolka reversed to the top.  Seery again working for a guillotine.  Seery bleeding badly from the left eye.  Smolka trying a guillotine.  Smolka trying for other submissions.  Smolka is in full mount.  Smolka working for a sub. He gave it up and Smolka pounding on him from back position.  10-9 Smolka

    Second round: Smolka working for a takedown.  Smolka took him down with a bodylock.  Fans chanting USA and Irish fans booing the chant.  Seery tried an armbar from the bottom.  Smolka has his back.  Smolka working for a choke.  Seery is in trouble this time.  But he couldn’t lock it in.  Smolka continues to work for a choke.  Smolka’s round 20-18

    Third round: Takedown by Smolka.  Seery used an uma plata to get to his feet.  Seery landed punches and Smolka back.  Seery with a knee.  Smolka with a fireman’s carry takedown.  Seery went for a guillotine.  The place is going insane but Smolka escaped.  Smolka is in side control.  Smolka going for a head and arm choke.  Seery escaped but Smolka has his back and working for another choke.  Smokla with atkedown.  Seery back up and grabbed a guillotine and took hidown almost like a DDT.  If you’re into all kinds of near submissions, this is the match for you.  Smolka escaped and back to the top.  Takedown by Smolka.  Another takedown by Smolka and he’s working for another head and arm choke.  Smolka 30-27

    Scores: All have it 30-27 for Smolka.   

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT):

    BANTAMWEIGHTS: CODY GARBRANDT VS. HENRY BRIONES

    First round:   Garbrandt landed more and go a few takedowns to win the first round.  Not too exciting.  Garbrandt 10-9

    Second round: Garbrandt with a high kick.  Briones with a body kick.  Body kick and punch by Garbrandt.  Garbrandt dropped him with a right, landed hard punches on the ground but Briones back up.  Left by Briones.  Briones hurt him with a left and tried a jumping kick but missed.  Briones bleeding from the nose. .  Head kick by Garbrandt.  Garbrandt went for the takedown but didn’t get it.  Hard left by Briones.  Left by Garbrandt.  Another combo by Garbrandt.  Briones landed a right.  Gardbrant’s round 20-18.

    Third round: Slow open to the round.  Garbrandt swinging and landing.  Jumping knee by Garbrandt.  Left by Garbrandt.  Briones moving forward.  Takedown by Garbrandt with 1:00 left.  Jumping knee by Garbrandt.  Right by Briones and left by Garbrandt.  Both trading hard punches  Great slugfest at the end.  Garbrandt 30-27.

    Scores: All have it 30-27 for Garbrandt

    WELTERWEIGHTS: CATHAL PENDRED VS. JOHN HOWARD

    First round: Pendred got a main eventer reaction from the Irish contingent.  Pendred has him against the fence and throwing knees.  Knee by Pendred.  Howard wth a left.  They were trading punches until Pendred pushed him into the fence.  Pendred 10-9.  Really this was a 10-10 by all rights because nobody ever had an advantage.

    Second round: Howard landed an off balance left.  The crowd is making a lot of noise.  Howard landing a number of punches. Now the audience is turning on the fight.  Actually they’re turning on the USA chant.  Howard with more close range punches.  Pedred throwing knees from close range.  Howard with more short range punches.  Howard landed a good flurry late.  Howard’s round so 19-19 after two.

    Third round: They tied up.  Pendred landed some knees.  Howard took him down and Pendred holding a guillotine.  Howard escaped and on top.  Pendred up. Howard with a right. Howard landed punches right at the end and probably stole the round.  29-28 Howard, but all three rounds were close.

    Scores: 29-28 Howard 29-28 Pendred 29-28 Howard

    WELTERWEIGHTS: MIKE SWICK VS. ALEX GARCIA

    First round: Garcia took him down.  Swick back up.  Hard low kick by Swick.  Garcia landed a nice right.  Crowd dead here.  Garcia 10-9.

    Second round:   Takedown by Garcia.  Swick up.  Garcia landed.   Garcia throwing and landing some.  Fans turning on the right.  They were patient about it.  Garcia took Swick down again.  Garcia’s round 20-18.

    Third round: Garcia with a right.  Garcia took him down with a slam even though Swick momentarily grabbed the cage.  Garcia in full mount.  He tried an armbar at the finish but didn’t come close.  But it was his round and should be an easy 30-27 score for Garcia.

    Scores: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 Garcia

    WELTERWEIGHTS: MATT BROWN VS. TIM MEANS

    First round: Means landed two lefts and another left.  Brown tried a takedown but didn’t get it.  Right by Brown.  Eye poke by Brown.  Brown dropped him with a right but Means back up.  Brown with a left.  Brown pushed him into the fence.  Brown landed a few punches. Head kick by Brown.  Brown landing more punches.  Means went for a takedown and got stuffed. Brown took him down.  Hard knee to the back by Brown.  Means back up.  Hard right by Brown.  Means with punches and a high kick.  Means nailed him with a left.  Brown bleeding.  Brown with two elbows.  Means went for a takedown and Brown got the submission with a guillotine. Best action of the night.

    MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT):

    BANTAMWEIGHTS: BRAD PICKETT VS. THOMAS ALMEIDA

    First round: Pickett landed some shots.  Fans are singing.  Nice body shot by Almeida but Pickett decked him on the counter.  Pickett took him down.  Pickett hurt him wiht a knee.  Almeida tried an ankle lock.  Pickett with a hard right.  Almeida bleeding from the nose.  This would be a huge upset (9-to1) if Pickett wins. Pickett landing some more.  Almeida dropped Pickett and Pickett scrambled for a takedown.  Almeida back up.  Crowd going crazy here.  Spinning elbow by Almeida.  Pickett landed the left.  Fans were chanting “Where the fuck is Aldo” really loud.  Almeida has several cuts all over his face  Almeida landed some shots as the round ended.  Standing ovation, huge reaction as the round ended.  Pickett 10-9.

    Second round: Pickett short on a jumping knee.  Almeida knocked him cold with a flying left knee to the face.   That one is getting him $50,000 because it was a sick knockout.

    WELTERWEIGHTS: GUNNAR NELSON VS. BRANDON THATCH

    First round: Nelson landed several shots.  Knees back and forth from close range.  Low kick by Thatch.  Nelson tried a takedown but was thrown off.  Nelson clocked him with a left and right combination, the left was about to knock him down and the right caught him on the way down, got the mount and Thatch is in a world of trouble on the ground with this guy.  Nelson in side control.  Nelson back to full mount.  He’s got 2:50 left.  The crowd is singing as Nelson has his back.  Nelson punching from that position.  Nelson got the choke and Thatch had to tap out. 2:54

    FEATHERWEIGHTS: DENNIS BERMUDEZ VS. JEREMY STEPHENS

    First round: Stephens landed an uppercut and some follow ups that stumbled Bermudez.  Bermudez back with a front kick.  Bermudez landing punches Bermudez with a takedown.  Blood is just streaming out of Stephens’ forehead like a faucet.  Stephens escaped and got Bermudez’s back.  Bermudez with a low kick and front kick.  Both trading punches.  Stephens bad cut is over the right eye.  Stephens is a 7 on the Muta scale.  Bermudez 10-9.

    Second round: Trading punches and Stephens dropped him. Stephens with a knee and Bermudez back up. Stephens swinging hard.  Bermduez landed a left to the jaw.  Stephens took him off his feet with a low kick.  Bermudez landed a wild right.  Stephens dropped him with a left.  Bermudez dropped him with a front kick.  Bermudez in with puches.  Left and knee by Stephens.  Bermudez dropped him with a right but Stephens back up.  This is the fight of the night.  Knee by Stephens.  They are just swinging away.  Fantastic round.  Everyone is standing.  Hard round to score.  Stephens 19-19

    Third round: They showed Mike Tyson and the place went bananas.   Traded kicks.  Jumping right knee to the jaw by Stephens knocked him out.  This was a match of the year caliber fight, great finish and can’t ask for a move dynamc finish.

    They just did a new graphic before the two main events.  It was a really cool deal.  A lot of changes tonight, new style video and a remix of the UFC music.  There are a few Canadian flags for MacDonald but maybe ten in all. Nothing like GSP, but MacDonald did get a real big reaction.

    UFC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: ROBBIE LAWLER(C) VS. RORY MACDONALD

    First round:   MacDonald with front kicks and a punch.  USA chant.  Lawler with a left and right.  Body kick by MacDonald.  Rory chant.  Right by Rory.  Another right by Rory.  Body kick by MacDonakd.  Head kick by Rory.  Right by Rory.  Body kick by Rory and right.  Lawler threw but didn’t land.  Slow round.  Crowd starting to boo.  Rory went for a takedown.  Lawler sprawled and threw a knee.  Body kick by Rory.  Lawler threw a right that barely grazed him.  Left by Lawler.  MacDonald 10-9.  Crowd booing the round.

    Second round: Crowd booed Johny Hendricks on the screen.  Both trading.  No advantage.  Body kick by Rory.  Body shot by Rory.  Good head kick by Rory.  Best blow of the fight so far. Lawler landed a left which was his best blow.  Right by Rory.  Left and right by Lawler and Rory is bleeding Left and right by Lawler. Rory back.  Rory with a right and left.  Left by Lawler.  This is getting good now.  Rory’s face is a crimson mask.  Both landing big shots.  Lawler’s round 19-19.  Crowd giving hem a big hand now.

    Third round: Rory kick blocked by Lawler.  USA chant.  Both throwing, Lawler got the best shot  Both trading again.  Body kick by Lawler.  Blood coming out of Rory’s mouth.  He went for a takedown, almost had it but Lawler blocked and throwing punches and Lawler landed a punch as he got up.  Head kick by Rory and body kick.  Another head kick by Rory.  Lawler short on his punches.  Right by Rory.  Another head kick by Rory.  Lawler is hurt. Both throwing. Another head kick by Rory.  Flying knee by Rory.  Rory taking him apart with 15 seconds left.  Uppercut by Rory.  Rory’s round.  The bell may have saved Lawler 29-28 Rory.

    Fourth round:  Crowd going nuts now.  Head kick and punches by Rory.  Body kick.  Head kicks and elbows by Rory.  More head kicks and elbows by Rory.  Slowing down now.  Another head kick by Rory.  These blows were partially blocked.  Right by Lawler.  Body kick by Lawler and he threw a right.  Lawler bleeding from the mouth.  Head kick.  Traded big punches.  Rory with two punches,  Rory went for a takedown, couldn’t get it and Lawler blasted him.  Both guys are covered in blood now.  Rory with a right.  Blood is flying everywhere.  This is a killer fight for drama at this point.  Head kick by Rory.  Rory’s round 39-37.

    Fifth round: Lawler landed a few shots.  Trading punches.  Rory with a head kick and body kick.  Lalwer hurt him with a punch.  Lawler landed a left to the nose and Rory couldn’t see and he went down.  Lawler landed punches on the ground and it was stopped.  Fantastic fight.  Match of the year candidate.    1:00

    Lawler did an interview, it wasn’t smooth but he showed a ton of passion and heart and the place went nuts for him.  An incredible performance by Lawler coming back from near defeat in the third.

    INTERIM UFC FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: CHAD MENDES VS. CONOR MCGREGOR

    First round: Jeez, I’m nervous for these guys that’s how much pressure there is in this place.  This is one of the biggest pops in UFC history.  Mendes booed out of the place.  The Americas can’t compete with the Irish tonight.  There is intensity in the crowd like few fights in history.  McGregor threw a knee and was taken down.  Mendes blasted him but couldn’t get the second takedown. Mendes mssed on a wild punch.  Spin kick to the body by Conor.  Left by Conor.  Right by Chad.  Left by Conor.  Spin kick by Conor.  Traded punches.  Head kick by Conor. Head kick by Conor.  Head kick by Mendes and a right and a left.  Conor took his best shots.  Spin kick by Conor but Mendes back with punches.  Takedown by Mendes.  Hard punches by Mendes and Conor is bleeding.  Conor up.  Mendes with a right.  Body kick by Conor.  Body shot by Conor.  Hard left by Conor and a right by Chad.  Uppercut by Chad.  Body kick by Conor and a right.  Another takedown by Chad. .He moved to side control as the round ended.  Mendes 10-9

    Second round; Loud Conor chant.  They traded punches.  Body kick by Conor.  Takedown by Mendes.  Mendes on top.  Hard elbow by Chad.  Punch by Chad.  Crowd still going crazy for Conor.  Another elbow.  Another elbow.  Crowd starting to boo as Conor is being held down.  .  Conor throwing hard elbows from the bottom.  Another punch by Chad.  Another punch by Chad.  More punches by Chad.  Hard punches by Chad.  Crowd booing at this point because Conor isn’t getting up.  Chad went for a guillotine and Conor scrambled and got to his feet.  Conor up and landing punches and kicks.  Chad fired back with hard shots but Conor took all of them.  Conor started hurting Mendes with punches and Mendes is in trouble.  A left put Mendes down and and finished him right before the end of the round it was over.  4:57

    The scene was amazing.  In more ways than one this was a landmark night in UFC history.  It was an incredible last six fights and the production of the show was at a level they’ve never approached before.  And they may have the biggest star in their history and you can no longer argue that he’s not the real deal. 

  • SAT. UPDATE: UFC 189 tonight, CM Punk debut ETA, Big Show on concussion lawsuits, more

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

    TV/major show notes notes for this weekend:

    UFC 189 is tonight from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada:

    Prelims on UFC Fight Pass at 7:00 p.m. ET:

    Yosdenis Cedeno vs. Cody Pfister

    Neil Seery vs. Louis Smolka

    Prelims on Fox Sports 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET:

    Henry Briones vs. Cody Garbrandt

    Alex Garcia vs. Mike Swick

    John Howard vs. Cathal Pendred

    Matt Brown vs. Tim Means

    Main Card on Pay-Per-View at 10:00 p.m. ET:

    Thomas Almeida vs. Brad Pickett

    Gunnar Nelson vs. Brandon Thatch

    Dennis Bermudez vs. Jeremy Stephens

    Robbie Lawler (c) vs. Rory MacDonald for the welterweight title

    Chad Mendes (#1 contender) vs. Conor McGregor (#3 contender)  for the interim featherweight title

    This is an excellent top to bottom card. Not heavy on name value outside of the title fights, but lots of well-matched fights on paper. Lawler-MacDonald is a fantastic welterweight title fight and it’s a shame that it’s barely been promoted, while the main event is one of the most fascinating fights the UFC could make right now.

    Evolve has an internt PPV is tonight on WWNLive.com at 7:00 p.m. Eastern tonight (last night’s show got a ton of rave reviews):

    Drew Galloway vs. Trent Baretta for th Evolve title

    Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher

    TJ Perkins vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

    Anthony Nese vs. Trevor Lee

    Caleb Konley vs. Andrew Everett

    On Sunday, we’re looking for reports on WWE in Macon, GA (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Ryback, Big Show, Kevin Owens, Prime Time Players) and Knoxville (Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Kane, Cesaro, Dean Ambrose).

    The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale is tomorrow night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada:

    Prelim at 6:30 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass:

    Willie Gates vs. Darrell Montague

    Prelims at 7:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1

    George Sullivan vs. Dominic Waters

    Dan Miller vs. Trevor Smith

    Russell Doane vs. Jarrod Sanders

    Caio Magalhaes vs. Josh Samman

    Main Card at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1:

    Mike De La Torre vs. Maximo Blanco

    Angela Magana vs. Michelle Waterson in Waterson’s UFC debut

    Cezar Mutante Ferreira vs. Jorge Masvidal in both men’s UFC welterweight debut

    Michael Graves vs. Vicente Luque in a match with two TUF 21 cast members

    Hayden Hassan vs. Kamaru Usman in the TUF 21 finals

    Jake Ellenberger vs. Stephen  “Wonderboy” Thompson in the five round main event

    Not a lot of names here, but an interesting card. Ellenberger-Thompson is by far Thompson’s toughest test to date, but if Ellenberger freezes and doesn’t try to wrestle, something that happens regularly to him now, he’ll get sniped. Waterson is a much better fighter than Magana and has a shot at being a big star, but the size difference is pretty big so it’s not outside of the realm of possibility that Magana could win somehow. Like Mike Swick tonight, Dan Miller returns after a very long layoff on the prelims, so that’s worth a watch.

    Raw is live on Monday from Atlanta with Brock Lesnar booked on the show, while SmackDown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Birmingham.

    **** 

    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with an extensive look at the ongoing legal battle between Hulk Hogan and Gawker over their publication of a “highlight reel” of the sex tape with Heather Cole that was shot without his knowledge. Among the topics covered are:

    * The origins of the video, including who was shopping it around.

    * The schism between Hogan and Todd “Bubba the Love Sponge” Clem.

    * Why Gawker sued he FBI and where that case is going.

    And much more. Plus, as always, we have  all of the usual reviews and international news.

    Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the American, Canadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle. 

    **** 

    We’ve got a double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week, highlighted by part two of our look at the career and life of Dusty Rhodes.  This focuses on his babyface turn in Florida, his quest for the title, his rise to national prominence, and his feuds with Terry Funk, Superstar Billy Graham and Ole Anderson.  Plus, we look at this year’s G-1 Climax tournament, New Japan Dominion, lots of injury notes regarding some of WWE and TNA’s biggest stars, WWE lawsuit, Beast in the East and much more.

    The Latest Wrestling Observer:  July 13, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Dusty Rhodes bio part 2, back to back major shows in Japan

    Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show in the history of the site are at  Sign up here for as low as $9.99 per month!

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    If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

    The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

    Our lead story this week looks at the babyface heyday of Dusty Rhodes as a touring attraction.  We look at how the business was in the 70s, the changes in the business in the Southeast and why, the rise of pro wrestling on cable television, his departure from World Championship Wrestling, and his first babyface run that people have forgotten.

    We look at the heyday of Championship Wrestling from Florida, the work of Gordon Solie, Eddie Graham, and Rhodes arrival in Florida in 1973.  We look at the angle that changed Rhodes’ career, the transition from Jack Brisco to Dusty Rhodes as the big star in Florida and how that changed the business, the Dusty Rhodes vs. Terry Funk I Quit match, the relationship between Rhodes and Funk, Dusty Rhodes’ first two NWA title runs, how the NWA title changed during the 70s and why and Rhodes’ quest for the title.  We also look at who Rhodes worked with, and his travels around the globe during his heyday, including some unique matches and opponents that most Americans don’t realize ever took place.

    We look at his Madison Square Garden feud with Superstar Billy Graham, pro wrestling at the Omni in Atlanta, Dusty Rhodes on TBS and the role pro wrestling made in the early history of cable television, as well as the famous angle where Ole Anderson & Ivan Koloff kicked off their feud with Rhodes that set cable records.

    We look at the famous Ole Anderson interview after turning on Dusty Rhodes and why their angle is so fondly remembered, The last Tangle in Tampa, the night that cable television changed the history of pro wrestling, the end of Roy Shire’s promotion, and the second world title run.

    We also have a look at the G-1 Climax tournament for this year, including the favorites, all the matches, as well as full coverage of the Dominion show from Osaka with Kazuchika Okada beating A.J. Styles for the IWGP title.

    We’ve got a look at WWE’s latest legal action, including filing suit against four wrestlers in Connecticut.  We also look at the cases of wrestlers who are suing WWE.

    We’ve also got complete coverage of Beast from the East, how the show came together, why Brock Lesnar was on the show, and match-by-match rundowns with star ratings and poll results.

    We also have more on the NXT show in Brooklyn before SummerSlam, how it will be promoted, a scary note on how bad the Tyson Kidd injury could have been, Battleground update, Dolph Ziggler storyline notes, more WWE injury notes, thoughts on Cesaro, Big Show talks about his demotion to OVW, Thoughts on the memo from five years ago with the notes for WWE announcers and how things have changed since then, Brie Bella talks NXT women coming up as well as vague notes on Daniel Bryan’s injury, thoughts on Bryan’s future as well as an update on Bruno Sammartino after back surgery.

    We also look at the Sports Illustrated article on pro wrestling this week, social media numbers, Ambrose movie release, why Regal was in Japan, WWE’s Japan tryouts, Piper leaving Podcast One, Austin talking Piper leaving Podcast One, longtime WWE writer takes new job, notes on Randy Orton, USA Network take on Tough Enough, Jamie Noble and Becky Lynch injury updates, WWE stock, movies with WWE talent, lots of Tough Enough news, as well as notes from all the weekend live events, business notes and highlights from all the shows.

    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:

    –CMLL running a free live stream this week

    –Notes from the latest shows at Arena Mexico

    –Controversy coming from a womens’ hair vs. hair match

    –Notes from this past week’s AAA TV taping

    –A look at the monthly Dragon Gate show at Korakuen Hall

    –A look at the next two Dragon Gate iPPV shows

    –A look at the last Pro Wrestling NOAH show at Korakuen Hall

    –Notes on Tetsuya Naito’s apparent heel turn

    –New Japan’s last Korakuen Hall show

    –Zero-One Fire Festival notes

    –Notes on the heyday of OVW

    –A look at the upcoming GFW shows

    –Hulk Hogan lawsuit news

    –A look at the careers and lives of who are believed to be the two oldest living pro wrestlers

    –A look at a former WWE star who will star in a reality show piggy backing off Total Divas

    –Former AAA star has a major accident

    –Notes on the next PWG show

    –Wrestling returns to Royal Albert Hall in London

    –Update on Lucha Underground

    –NXT and ROH go head-to-head in Brooklyn and what ROH is running

    –Notes on return of Austin Aries to ROH nest week

    –Notes on Andy Barton leaving TNA

    –Update on Kurt Angle

    –Thoughts on the GFW deal

    –Notes on Gilbert Melendez failing his drug test

    –Dana White talks about how much Aldo would have made if he had fought McGregor

    –Update on Jon Jones

    –Notes on all the UFC shows this week

    –Notes on the IV ban

    –UFC fighter retires

    –Crazy street fight story involving a former UFC fighter and a current one

    –Notes on charges against the husband of Britney Palmer

    –Notes on fighters cut from UFC

    –Jose Aldo drug test note

    –Sonnen pranks Mendes just before the fight

    –Notes on Jacare Souza

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.

    New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Our most requested issues in our history are:

    *November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)

    *December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)

    *August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)

    *March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a

    *October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)

    *July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)

    *February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)

    *May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)

    *January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)

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

    *March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)

    *April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)

    *May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)

    *June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)

    *June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)

    *July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)

    *August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)

    *September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)

    *October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)

    *January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

    *February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)

    *February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)

    *March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)

    *March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)

    *July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)

    *July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)

    *August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)

    *August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)

    *October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)

    *November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)

    *January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)

    *March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)

    *May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)

    *June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)

    *July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)

    *September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)

    *October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)

    *November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)

    *January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)

    *January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)

    *April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)

    *April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)

    *July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)

    *September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)

    *October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)

    *November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)

    *November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)

    *November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)

    *December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)

    *January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)

    *March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)

    *March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)

    *March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)

    *April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)

    *July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)

    *October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)

    *November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .

    *December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)

    *January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)

    *March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)

    *April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)

    * September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)

    * September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)

    * September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)

    You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.

    We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..

    To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.

    ****

    Saturday Daily Update

    — CM Punk did a media session yesterday. He’s still aiming for December for his UFC/MMA debut, but it could be January. He’s 190 pounds right now, so he could make 185 easily but is looking at 170 so as not to have a big size disadvantage. 

    — The New York Post has an article about John Cena’s work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Pretty standard stuff but still nice to read about.

    — TMZ asked Big Show about the concussion lawsuit mess with WWE. Basic “everyone knew they were risking their health” type of stuff.

    — The EA Sports simulation of the UFC main event picked Conor McGregor my wacky spin kick knockout, after which he teleports to the top of the cage to celebrate.

    — The last episode of UFC 189 Embedded focuses on the UFC pool party and the weigh-ins.

    — Bruce Mitchell has a fantastic article about the famous Ric Flair-Buddy Landel match in Raleigh at the Mid-Atlantic Gateway site.

    — Vice Sports has an article about the 21st anniversary of Vince McMahon’s steroid distribution trial. Very basic, surface level stuff, but it was getting a bit of attention yesterday. No real explanation of why some of the charges wer dropped, or examination of why Kevin “Nailz” Wacholz’s testimony had no credibility, or anything about the completely insane story of McMahon’s defense attorney Laura Brevetti’s secret husband. Dave’s detailed coverage of the trial is available t subscribers in our Wrestling Observer Newsletter archives.

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (July 11): Ric Flair vs. Jimmy Garvin steel cage match involving Precious, Gene Kiniski wins AWA world title

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1933 – In Marshalltown, Iowa; Joe Stecher beat Bruce Noland 

    1935 – At St. Louis Arena in St. Louis, Missouri: Danno O’Mahoney beat Ray Steele, Joe Dusek and George Zaharias went to a draw,  Orville Brown defeated Charley Strack, Pat McGill beat George Tragos and Carl Hansen defeated Pat Murphy. Promoter was Tom Packs and attendance was 7,443. 

    1940 – In Kansas City; Orville Brown beat Juan Humberto 2 falls to 0, Steve Brody defeated Al Lovelock in 2 out of 3 falls and Jack Hader beat Cal Rees.

    1958 – Angelo Savoldi defeated Dory Funk Sr. in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title

    1961 – Gene Kiniski defeated Verne Gagne in Minneapolis, Minnesota to win the AWA World Heavyweight Title. Also on the card, AWA Tag Team Champions Leo Nomeilini & Wilbur Snyder beat Stan Kowalski & Bob Geigel in 2 of 3 falls, Hard Boiled Haggerty beat Roy McClarty and Tony Baillargeon beat Aldo Bogni. Attendance was 6,057.

    1963 – In Kansas City; Pat O’Connor beat Rock Hunter to retain the Central States Title, for the US Title, Sonny Myers beat Bob Geigel, Harley Race (sub for Tiny Mills) beat Pedro Godoy by dq and Bob Orton beat Roy Collins.

    1967 – In Duluth, MN; The Crusher beat Harley Race, Rene Goulet beat Chris Markoff (sub Johnny Valentine), Johnny Powers beat Reggie Parks and Larry Hennig beat Doug Gilbert. Attendance was 3,850.

    1968 – In Kansas City, Kansas; The Spoiler fought The Viking to a draw, Kay Noble defeated Jean Antone, Bob Ellis defeated Roger Kirby and Sonny Myers & Ronnie Etchison defeated Bob Brown & Bob Geigel via DQ in three falls. 

    1972 – In Davenport, Iowa John O’Donnell Stadium; with Special Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Billy Robinson & Wahoo McDaniel. Also, Ivan Koloff beat Ramon Torres, Larry Hennig drew Don Muraco and Bull Bullinski beat Angelo Poffo

    1974 – In Kansas City; The Viking & Bobby Bold Eagle defeated Bob Orton & Bobby Garcia, Omar Atlas defeated Roger Kirby, Jim Brunzell defeated Don Fargo via DQ, The Interns defeated Bob Geigel & Pat O’Connor and Harley Race defeated Bob Brown

    1975 – In Tonganoxie, Kansas; Central States Heavyweight Champion Ed Wiskoski defeated Ted Oates.

    1985 – In Salt Lake City, Utah; Sgt. Slaughter & Greg Gagne drew Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens, Fabulous Freebirds Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts beat Larry Hennig & Curt Hennig, Bob Backlund beat Larry Zbyszko, Brad Rheingans beat Buddy Roberts and Boris Zhukov beat Baron Von Raschke. Attendance was 1,400. 

    1987 – At the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina, Lex Luger defeated Nikita Koloff for the United States Title.  In the main event of that show, NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Jimmy Garvin in a steel cage match when Garvin passed out while trapped in the figure four leglock. As a result, Flair won a date with Garvin’s valet, Precious. When the date occurred, Ronnie Garvin went instead (dressed as a woman), and beat up Flair; At a show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Steve Williams defeated Big Bubba Rogers to win the UWF Heavyweight Title.

    1989 – Stan Hansen & Genichiro Tenryu defeated Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu in Hokkaido, Japan to win the All Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag Team Title.

    2010 – At Victory Road PPV in Orlando, Florida, The Motor City Machine Guns defeated Beer Money to win the TNA World Tag Team Title. Also, Angelina Love won the Knockouts Title over Madison Rayne.

  • TUF 21 Finale: Ellenberger vs. Thompson weigh-in results and live video

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale: Ellenberger vs. Thompson weigh-ins from the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada kicking off at 4 PM eastern time. The event airs on Saturday on FOX Sports 1 at 9 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 PM eastern time before moving over to FOX Sports 1 at 7 PM eastern time. This marks the conclusion of the 21st American edition of The Ultimate Fighter and the end of International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

    The event will be headlined by a five-round welterweight bout as #9 ranked fighter Jake Ellenberger looks for his second straight win when he takes on Stephen Thompson, who puts his four-fight win streak on the line in the biggest test of his career in his first main event. The finals of TUF 21, which featured American Top Team against the Blackzilians, is in the co-main event of the night as American Top Team representative Hayder Hassan takes on Blackzilian representative Kamaru Usman. Also on the card is a welterweight contest between Jorge Masvidal and Cezar Ferreira, and the UFC debut of Michelle Waterson.

    Jorge Masvidal missed weight, coming in at 172.5, 1.5 pounds over the welterweight limit. That was interesting as Masvidal was moving up to the welterweight division after years of competing as a lightweight, and he openly talked about how he had to cut such little weight to make 171 pounds, even being at just 173 pounds over a week ago. Maximo Blanco also missed weight, weighing in at 148.5, 2.5 pounds over the featherweight limit.

    MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 9 PM ET/6 PM PT):

    Jake Ellenberger (170.5) vs. Stephen Thompson (170.5)
    Kamaru Usman (170.5) vs. Hayder Hassan (170.5)
    Michael Graves (170.5) vs. Vicente Luque (171)
    Jorge Masvidal (172.5) vs. Cezar Ferreira (171)
    Angela Magana (115.5) vs. Michelle Waterson (115)
    Maximo Blanco (148.5) vs. Mike De La Torre (145.5)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT):

    Josh Samman (186) vs. Caio Maglahaes (185)
    Russell Doane (135.5) vs. Jerrod Sanders (136)
    Dan Miller (184) vs. Trevor Smith (185.5)
    George Sullivan (170.5) vs. Dominic Waters (171)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT):

    Darrell Montague (125.5) vs. Willie Gates (125.5) 

  • WWE NXT house show report 7-10 Orlando

    By Wayne Mason

     

    It was a sweltering night in Orlando, but fans fought the heat to pile into the National Guard Armory for a night of NXT wrestling action. Even the contestants of Tough Enough were in attendance for a night of action that featured top notch wrestling, WWE legends, and the homecoming of a new champion.

     

    The familiar music of DX hits and out comes Billy Gunn to a huge pop. He speaks for a moment before introducing Lita, who is met with a very enthusiastic crowd. The two introduce the hopefuls of Tough Enough who make their way around the ring greeting the fans. Afterwards the contestants would watch the show from ringside. Even if just plugging a television show, Billy Gunn and Lita are a great way to start the evening.

     

    Our first match of the evening is Uhaa Nation taking on Axel Tischer. The two start off with some impressive grappling before the incredibly agile Uhaa takes control and takes his bigger opponent down with a beautiful dropkick. Moments later Tischer would level Uhaa with a big boot and commence a beatdown. Axel wisely slows the pace, grounding Uhaa and working the arm. Later though Uhaa Nation would mount a comeback culminating in a huge military press followed by a standing moonsault for the victory. This is yet another good match that emphatically states that Uhaa Nation is going to be a very big deal in NXT. Ty Dillinger must agree, because afterwards he scored the match a 9.

     

    Next up, Cassie McIntosh takes on Dana Brooke. Early in the match Cassie takes control with an onslaught of offense culminating in a nice headscissors. Eventually, Brooke takes control mostly brawling and using her power to her advantage. Dana traps Cassie in a grounded abdominal stretch until she manages to break free. Cassie comes back with a series of high kicks and a crossbody off the turnbuckles. She attempts to climb the ropes again but Brooke hoists Cassie onto her shoulders and slams her to the mat with a Samoan Driver to gain the pin. There were some rough spots for Dana but overall she is showing a lot of improvement. Cassie McIntosh continues to impress and is proving to be a valuable addition to the NXT roster.

     

    Next, the ring is set up with leopard skin furniture and Cass and Enzo come out to a huge pop. They announce the inaugural addition of their new show, Sawft Talk. They introduce their first guest, Preston Cunningham Jr the 1st aka Josh Woods. Enzo comments that with his tattoos and attire Preston looks like the love child of Baron Corbin and Tiger Woods. Later in the segment Preston explains that his father earned their money the old fashioned way, by inheritance. He also tells us that his father bought him the best MMA training money could buy. Enzo and Cass don’t seem impressed and things start to unravel. Cunningham snatches the microphone from Enzo and says his “daddy” paid good money for him to be here and he would not be disrespected. Amore ended up smacking the spoiled rich kid several times with a leopard skin pillow before Cass dropped him with a big boot. This was a goofy segment, but it did explain a little more about Preston Cunningham.

    The action continues with Bull Dempsey taking on the tortured Marcus Louis. In the opening moments Bull is obviously apprehensive to lock up with the maniacal Frenchman. Bull backs up out of the ring and Marcus gives chase. The two run around the ring until a visibly winded Dempsey rolls back into the ring and asks for a time-out to catch his breath. Marcus will not relent and the two end up running the ropes for an absurd amount of time. Dempsey takes down Marcus with a shoulder tackle, but exhausted collapses onto him. The two eventually make it back up and Louis attacks violently first with a series of knees and continues to decimate his opponent. Bull comes back with a flurry of punches and lays out Marcus. Dempsey climbs the ropes and crashes onto Louis with a seated senton for the victory. Ty Dillinger gave the match of 3 but Marcus began to flip out, so he gave it a 5 instead. This was a fun match, Bull is starting to connect with crowds more than ever while Marcus Louis is still very underrated in my estimation.

     

    Tag team action is next as “The Hype Bros” Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley take on Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. The Hype Bros start off strong keeping one step ahead of their opponents. Mojo goes into his shtick informing the crowd that Dawson isn’t hyped and can’t get chicks. Dawson and Wilder manage to take control of the match and isolate Ryder. Employing frequent tags and great tandem wrestling Dawson and Wilder take apart Ryder culminating in a nice guillotine. Eventually though Ryder would find an opening and make the hot tag to Mojo who would take out Dawson and Wilder with a series of splashes and shoulder tackles. Rawley picks up Wilder and Ryder comes off the ropes with a Rough Ryder for the win. Tag teaming is doing Mojo well and he is showing some improvement in the ring, though I still don’t get the character at all. House show faithful will attest to the fact that Dawson and Wilder steal house shows on a regular basis, I just wish they were challenging for gold, rather than losing the majority of their matches.

     

    The night continues with Ty Dillinger taking on Tyler Breeze. The two are so evenly matched and it shows for much of the back and forth contest. Eventually Dillinger takes over working the arm of Breeze before mocking him atop the turnbuckles. Breeze makes a very aggressive comeback and drops Ty with a superkick. Ty fights back, showing a very aggressive mean streak of his own. With Breeze grounded, Ty hikes down his kneepad to go for his knee smash. With the refs attention elsewhere Breeze takes advantage poking Dillinger in the eye and following with a Beauty Shot for the victory.

     

    Triple threat tag action is up next with The Vaudevillians vs Blake and Murphy vs Jordan and Gable. Much of the early goings of the match saw the champs Blake and Murphy getting owned by both team. The match was fast paced with lots of blind tags and too much back and forth to call. Eventually it is English that finds himself isolated and being picked apart by both teams until he makes the hot tag to a very fired up Simon Gotch. In the fray all competitors end up in the ring as Gotch nails them all with forearms in each corner. Ultimately, everybody starts nailing everybody left and right until a confident Blake lays out Gable with a cutter. Unfortunately for him he was left in the ring with both Vaudevillians. Gotch nails him with an uppercut to the back of the head and English follows with a swinging neckbreaker for the victory. This was a great match and likely the best of the night. All six men looked great in this contest, but Chad Gable is definitely the standout for me. Pound for pound he is easily one of the best wrestlers in NXT, with a chance and proper booking he’ll end up at the top.

     

    Sasha Banks is out next for a promo. She lets us know that her title signifies that she is better than all of us and better than all of the women in the back. She reminds us that she has beaten Charlotte, Bayley, and Becky. But then she is interrupted by Carmella who tells her that she didn’t hear her name on that list. Carmella issues a challenge but Sasha declines and begins to leave. Carmella calls her Sawft and tells her “Bye Felicia”. An irate Sasha Banks charges back to the ring and a match is on. Both women are fired up and the match goes back and forth until Sasha nails Carmella with double knees in the corner. Banks slows the pace contorting Carmella into an abdominal stretch. Carmella gets free and comes back with a beautiful head scissors followed by three Lou Thez Presses. Moments later she attempts to set up her headscissor submission but Banks wisely evades. Carmella gives chase but Banks pulls her into the ropes and follows with a backstabber and a Bank Statement for a submission victory. Carmella has so much potential, it’s nice to see her going toe-to-toe with the champ rather than accompanying her “boys” to the ring.

     

    In our main event Baron Corbin challenges new NXT champion Finn Balor in a title match. Before introductions are even done Corbin jumps Finn, drops him with a big boot and continues to beat him down. Balor mounts a brief comeback but Baron drops him with a jaw shattering punch. Corbin slows down the pace picking apart the champ methodically. Finn comes back with a few chops and a pele kick. Balor takes down Corbin with a slingblade. Finn attempts to dropkick Corbin into the corner but gets caught and laid out with a huge swinging side slam. Frustrated Corbin grabs a chair but the referee wrests it from his hands. Corbin lays out Balor with another big boot. Baron climbs the turnbuckle but Finn drops him with a kick to the head. Finn follows dropkicking Corbin into the turnbuckles and follows with a Coup De Grace for the win.

     

    From top to bottom it was a fun night and no doubt the standing room only crowd went home happy. Hopefully the cast of Tough Enough were paying close attention, they have big boots to fill.

     

     

     

     

  • NJPW on AXS TV report 7-10-15: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito from the 2014 G1 Tournament

    By Bryan Rose, WrestlingObserver.com

    Last week on this program, we saw Katsuyori Shibata defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi in a epic battle, stemming from resentment that’s been building between the two over the last decade. This week’s program won’t feature something as heated as that rivalry, but we’re still in for a potentially awesome match as Kazuchika Okada, winner of the 2012 G1 tournament, takes on Tetsuya Naito, the winner of last year’s tournament.

    Tonight’s event took place on July 28, 2014 in Sendai Sunplaza Hall.

    First matchup is Bad Luck Fale taking on Hiroshi Tanahashi. This wasn’t bad, though clearly there are better matches in the tournament. Fale can be perfectly fine with the right guy, and Tanahashi was the right guy to put him with. They put over Fale strong, having him win with the Bad Luck Fall in 12 minutes. 2014 was a strong year for Fale, and his dominance over former champions helped build his credibility a lot. We’ll see how he fares in this year’s tournament.

    After the match, Tanahashi in a post match interview simply states that his luck has changed.

    We follow that with Shinsuke Nakamura against Tomoaki Honma. This match I remember clearly, though for bittersweet reasons. On one hand, they had a hell of a match, way above the four star range for me, and it easily established Honma as a guy that can get over anywhere no matter how many times you beat the guy. On the other hand, there has a huge botch towards the end where Nakamura went for a backslide but the move fell apart in execution, and they kind of seemed lost in transitioning towards the ending. I think this was even edited from the live version as they shot to the crowd at one point towards the ending. Nakamura won after two boma yes. Still a hell of a match to check out on New Japan World, just a shame it ended the way it did.

    Nakamura states in a post match interview that he’s on a roll. Meanwhile, Honma seems disappointed in himself, asking why he can’t win. He especially wanted to win in the Sendai region. He saw that Nakamura changed the belt strap on the Intercontinental title to white; he wants to change it to yellow because it’s the color of happiness.

    Tetsuya Naito is interviewed before the match. He noticed that everyone was picking Kazuchika Okada and AJ Styles as potential winners of the block they were all in, and that irritated him, so he wanted to make sure he beat them all. When asked about the Sendai Sunplaza Hall, he remembers a match in 2012 where CMLL luchador Rush tore a ligament in his knee, sending him out of commission for months. Not pleasant memories of the arena, in other words. He says despite that, it’s one of the more memorable areas.

    Should note here that since Josh Barnett is out due to scheduling conflicts, MMA legend Frank Shamrock is filling in for him for shows going forward. I didn’t feel like he added much, and was usually quiet, but I didn’t feel he was terrible or detracted for the matches. Perhaps in due time we’ll see an improvement, but right now I wasn’t blown away.

    The main event aired, with Tetsuya Naito taking on Kazuchika Okada. They had a great match, worthy of airing last on a show like this. I think the previous match, despite it’s botched finish was better, but this was a case of two guys showcasing why they get the hype they get. Finish of the match was really hot, with Naito getting the win after a uranage suplex followed by a stardust press. I liked how they aired the interview package before this, as it added context to the match: Naito wanted to upset the two guys who proved to be the biggest challenge for him, and he succeeded by taking out both Styles and Okada in their respective G1 matches. Great stuff.

    Okada says in a post fight interview that he said he would win all of his matches, and even though he’s a loser tonight he’ll win his remaining matches. Gedo says after G1 he’ll slowly take care of Naito, that bastard. Back in the ring, Naito says that he’s had some bad memories here in the past, but he is glad to have the support of Sendai tonight. He says that although the G1 isn’t over yet, this is his tournament and summer. In a backstage interview, he says that he got his revenge for the WrestleKingdom main event. He’s sure no one expected this ,but he will be the main wrestler this summer and win all his matches.

    We look at a reflective piece from Naito. He says that it was an important match, since it was in Sendai. He showed those who wanted AJ or Okada to win that he was still there. He fights in the G1 to win, so while he had a good run, he faces many challenges since he didn’t win. He’s certain he’ll win this year’s G1.

    Next week, we’ll see highlights of the Wrestling Observer’s 2014 match of the year between AJ Styles and Minoru Suzuki, highlights of Hirooki Goto taking on Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and we’ll see the full match between Tomohiro Ishii and Shinsuke Nakamura.

  • UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor weigh-in results and live video

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of the UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor weigh-ins from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada kicking off at 7 PM eastern time. The event airs on Saturday on pay-per-view at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 7 PM eastern time before moving over to FOX Sports 1 at 8 PM eastern time. International Fight Week is upon us with the biggest UFC event of the year and first of two events this weekend.

    The event will be headlined by two title fights. The Interim UFC Featherweight Championship is up for grabs in the main event as longtime contender Chad Mendes steps in for the injured champion, Jose Aldo, to take on Irish superstar Conor McGregor, who is looking to grab the gold and the fight against Aldo in front of a record-setting crowd for an event in Las Vegas. The co-main event features the UFC Welterweight Championship on the line as Robbie Lawler makes his first title defense against Rory MacDonald in a rematch from UFC 167 in November 2013, a bout won by Lawler.

    MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT):

    Chad Mendes (144.5) vs. Conor McGregor (145)
    Robbie Lawler (169.5) vs. Rory MacDonald (170)
    Dennis Bermudez (146) vs. Jeremy Stephens (149.5)
    Gunnar Nelson (169.5) vs. Brandon Thatch (170.5)
    Brad Pickett (136) vs. Thomas Almeida (136 with sunglasses)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT):

    Matt Brown (171) vs. Tim Means (171)
    Mike Swick (170.5) vs. Alex Garcia (171)
    Cathal Pendred (171) vs. John Howard (170.5)
    Cody Garbrandt (136) vs. Henry Briones (136)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT):

    Neil Seery (125.5) vs. Louis Smolka (126)
    Yosdenis Cedeno (155) vs. Cody Pfister (156) 

    NOTES FROM BRYAN:

    They had a legit turnaway crowd of 10,000. People were being turned away at least 20 minutes before the weigh-ins began. Dave Meltzer said he’s never seen anything at a weigh-in like the atmosphere this evening.

    Great moment where the biggest weigh-ins of all time for UFC began and nobody was there to weigh the guys in. Took him a good 60 seconds to be found.

    Pfister looked 16 years old or so.

    Seery, an Irishman, was super over. Rogan said it felt more like we were in Dublin than Las Vegas.

    The weigh-in guy was loudly yelling at everyone to keep their arms down, no posing, nothing. I guess when you lift your arms, you weigh less.

    The new video wall is pretty awesome.

    Mike Swick is, in fact, back in the UFC.

    Conor was super over since everyone in Ireland flew over for this show. Mendes was booed a lot.
    Rogan pushed Tim Means vs. Matt Brown as potentially Fight of the Night. It’s the FS1 main event.

    Gunnar Nelson stood on the scale looking like he was on his way to a funeral. Then he made weight with plenty to spare.

    Stephens also looked like he was heading to a funeral and then he missed weight by 3.5 pounds. OOPS.

    Kind of amazing to think that Rory MacDonald, GSP’s protege, is once again attempting to win the UFC Welterweight Title, and there was hardly a peep about it going into this show because it was all Conor all the time. I suppose after his last performance against Robbie it’s hard to get that excited.

    Rory did a promo and said he really felt like this would be his moment. Lawler said was the man, he was gonna knock his ass out, and thanks for coming.

    Conor called him an “overblown midget” and said tomorrow he was going to raise gold for his country. Mendes was in quite the jovial mood. “THIS IS FUCKING AWESOME MAN, LOOK AT THIS SHIT, WHOO! IT’S TIME TO TAKE WHAT’S MINE, BABY!”

    We will have two shows coming for subscribers in the next 12 hours — a Wrestling Observer Radio live from our website convention party, and a Dave Meltzer Q&A from after our banquet. Sign up now, and then join us later for two huge shows, and then for UFC 189 tomorrow!

  • UFC 200 announced and will be in conjunction with 2016 convention

    Dana White announced today at the UFC Fan Expo that UFC 200 will take place on July 2, 2016 at the new 20,000-seat MGM Arena that will be located across the street from the current MGM Grand Garden Arena.  It will be the first UFC show at the new arena.

    So for those making plans the 2016 web site convention will be from June 30, 2016 to July 3, 2016,

  • Update on Davey Richards

    The preliminary indications we were given is that Davey Richards suffered a stinger last night in a match last night in West Virginia, which is resulting in his having to miss his weekend Evolve bookings.