From Winnipeg, Canda:
– Prime Time Players b The Asension to keep the tag titles
– Fandango b Adam Rose
– Macho Mandow & Axel Mania b Heath Slater & Brad Maddox
– Roman Reigns b Bray Wyatt
– Natlaya & Alicia Fox b Summer Rae & Cameron when Natalya made Summer submit to the sharpshooter
– I-C Champion Ryback over The Miz and Big Show to retain the title
– WWE Champion Seth Rollins b Dean Ambrose in a street fight to keep the world title due to interference from Bray Wyatt
By Bryan Alvarez | bryan@wrestlingobserver.com | @bryanalvarez
For this weekend, we’ll be doing polls on the WWE show in Tokyo and the New Japan Dominion show late tonight in Osaka at dave@wrestlingobserver.com
NEW JAPAN DOMINION AT 3 A.M. EARLY SUNDAY MORNING FROM OSAKA JO HALL
Yohei Komatsu & Tiger Mask & Jushin Liger & Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi & Mascara Dorada & Sho Tanaka
Young Bucks vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta for the IWGP jr. tag titles
Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Kenny Omega vs. Kushida for IWGP jr. title
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii for Never Open weight title
Michael Bennett & Matt Taven vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows for IWGP tag title
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano
Hirooki Goto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for IC title
A.J. Styles vs. Kazuchika Okada for IWGP heavyweight title
Saturday also has a WWE show in Winnipeg (Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns, Ryback vs. Big Show)
Sunday has a WWE show in Rockford.
Raw will be Monday in Chicago. Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Randy Orton, HHH & Stephanie McMahon are all scheduled to return on Monday. Guess which two were pushed on USA network ads last night?
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Milwaukee. No John Cena advertised, so the top stars advertised are Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Randy Orton.
The story behind UFC losing perhaps its biggest fight of the year with Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor, update on WrestleMania and the match that isn’t in the plans right now, the TNA-GFW situation and how it happened, and how many expect big changes in UFC very soon, multiple WWE related lawsuits, Tough Enough and the WWE & TNA monthly business rundowns are the lead stories in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The new issue is up on the site at July 6, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Jose Aldo injury fallout, TNA/GFW mystery
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.
Today’s News, Notes and Links
— Hope everyone had a fun and safe July 4th!
— Dave and Mike have a show up right now talking the WWE Beast in the East show from Japan and will be doing another Sunday morning talking the New Japan Dominion Show. I’ll be back with Wrestling Observer Live, a Bryan & Vinny Show and After Dark Radio also on Sunday.
— After Dark live at 9 PT/12 ET Sunday night will be largely news and open lines with no guests, so if you’ve got good stories or anything you’ve wanted to call about for awhile, this will be your chance.
— Brock Lesnar is scheduled to be on Raw Monday. Ric Flair will be there but there’s no guarantee he’ll be on television. They may use him to promote the Dusty Rhodes special that airs on the WWE Network after Raw goes off the air. Flair on his podcast said he underwent WWE’s medical testing and had no issues whatsoever. He would do probably anything to wrestle again but Vince isn’t going to allow it.
— Triple H on Finn Balor’s NXT Title win: A prince returned home and became a champion. Congratulations to @wwebalor on winning the @WWENXT title. #WWETokyo
— Chicago has slapped a 9% amusement tax on streaming/cloud services, meaning if you are in Chicago and subscribe to Netflix, you will soon be paying 9% more since Netflix will be passing the charge on to consumers. This will probably end up applying to the WWE Network and a number of other services as well.
— Dave has a story on Ronda Rousey’s Jimmy Kimmel appearance here, which includes some video from the show.
— Travis Tygart noted that UFC’s ban on IVs will not going into effect until October, so anyone who has a fight scheduled will still be able to use them to make weight. After that, 50ml is the most anyone will be allowed to rehydrate, so the expectation is that a lot of guys are going to be moving up a weight class.
— Kurt Angle’s update on the tumor in his neck: To update all of you that have asked and commented about my neck: The tumor is benign and my surgery is next week. I will be out of action for about a month and I’ll be coming back better than ever! Thank you all for your incredible support. Your comments have kept my spirits high throughout this trying time. Much Love, Kurt.
— Chris Guinty of Drug Free Sport issued the following statement regarding the Jose Aldo urine test debacle from a few weeks ago: In early June 2015, Drug Free Sport was engaged by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (“NSAC”) to conduct a single urine test for an athlete in Brazil. Drug Free Sport’s preparation and execution of the testing event in Brazil complied with ethical best practices in anti-doping collections. Proper work visa applications detailing Drug Free Sport’s job functions were submitted to the Brazilian Consulate in Chicago, Illinois on June 18, 2012, and a ten year work visa was issued by the Consulate and relied upon by the Drug Free Sport collector in subsequent testing events. Drug Free Sport does not comment on client program specifics related to any collection event, but the NSAC, the UFC and Drug Free Sport were diligent in their effort to ensure a fair and ethical collection event in Brazil.Aldo’s sample was thrown out after the individual who showed up to take the sample was determined to now have a work visa. Another tester then showed up the next day and took another sample. There was a great deal of debate about how all of this went down, plus the fact that Aldo wasn’t asked to take a blood test.
— A link to the Off the Record interview with Ronda Rousey is up here.
— Some cool pics from Kane’s Hawaiian vacation are up here.
— It’s DAMN hard being Ron Simmons.
— Seth Rollins is the special guest on Tough Enough this week.
— BCW MEDIA UPDATE! Tomorrow at 5pm on the Milwaukee Summerfest SportsZone, history will be made as 8 of the top wrestlers in Brew City Wrestling enter into a tournament to become the 1st ever Brew City Wrestling Summerfest Champion. Plus, Insane Evil defend their BCW Tag Team Championship against the Moretti Agency, Jarrod “8 Pack” Jaxx and “A List” Justin Dredd. And for the Brew City Wrestling Ladies Championship, Stacy Shadows defends her title against newcomer, Sierra. There will 8 FAN-demonium matches in all so come on down and BE A PART OF HISTORY! The show is FREE with paid admission into Summerfest.
— For the second time in less than eight months, Russian striker Sergei “Paratrooper” Kharitonov defeated former M-1 Challenge champion Kenny Garnerin a Heavyweight SuperFight, stopping the dangerous American in the opening round this past Friday night in M-1 Challenge 59: Battle of Nomads 5 main event in Astana, Kazakhstan. Kharitonov (23-5-0, 13 KO/TKO, 9 SUB) defeated Garner at the 4:11 mark of the first round via punches, setting the stage for a potential showdown with M-1 Challenge heavyweight Marcin Tybura.
— Today in History with Brian Hoops:
1922 – In Wichita, Kansas; World Heavyweight Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis beat Alan Eustace in 2 out of 3 falls.
1963 – In Kansas City; In a Hair vs Masks match, Pat O’Connor and Tiny Mills beat Masked Medic #1 (Pedro Godoy) and Masked Medic #2 (Sir Nelson Royal). Also, Rock Hunter beat Steve Kovacs 2 falls to 1.
1964 – In St Paul, Minnesota at Met Stadium (where the Minnesota Twins and Vikings played in 1964 and now the home of the Mall of America); AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Dick the Bruiser (sub Crusher) in 2 out of 3 falls. Also, Mad Dog Vachon beat Doug Gilbert, Wilbur Snyder & Sailor Art Thomas & Dale Lewis beat Larry Hennig & Hans Schmidt & Mitsu Arakawa and Bob Geigel beat Rene Goulet
1966 – Don Leo Jonathan & Haystacks Calhoun defeated John Tolos & Tony Borne to win the NWA Canadian Tag Team Title.
1971 – In Robbinsdale, Minnesota; Larry Hennig & Lars Anderson beat Hercules Cortez & Bull Bullinski dq, Big K beat Bill Christy and Billy Robinson beat Dave Cox
1972 – In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Billy Robinson & George Gordienko beat Ivan Koloff & Big K (Stan Kowalski), Wahoo McDaniel beat Dusty Rhodes dq and Don Muraco beat Larry Hennig
1974 – Ric Flair & Rip Hawk defeated Paul Jones & Bob Bruggers in Greensboro, North Carolina to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title.
1974 – In Winnipeg; AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Verne Gagne & Billy Robinson, Ivan Putski beat Baron Von Raschke dq and Billy Graham beat Wahoo McDaniel.
1981 – In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel wrestled Bret Hart, Dynamite Kid vs Bruce Hart, David Shultz vs Randy Tyler and Duke Myers & Kerry Brown vs Bill Irwin & Duffy O’Rourke.
1982 – In San Antonio, Texas at HemisFair Arena; Bruiser Brody won a two ring, 22 man Battle Royal, Scott Casey beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel via dq, Southwest Champion Dick Slater beat Alexis Smirnoff and Tully Blanchard & Gino Hernandez beat Terry Funk & Tito Santana
1982 – In the Atlanta Omni WWF champion Bob Backlund went to a double countout against NWA World champion Ric Flair.
1983 – David Von Erich defeated Jimmy Garvin to win the vacant World Class Texas Heavyweight Title. Also, The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & David) defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) in a three falls match in Fort Worth, Texas.
1984 – in Fort Worth, Texas The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) defeated The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & Mike) to win the World Class Six-Man Tag Team Title when Hayes pinned Kevin. Also, Iceman King Parsons defeated Bill Irwin in a singles match to win the World Class American Tag Team Title. Parsons chose Buck Zumhoffe as his partner.
1986 – In Fort Worth, Texas Buzz Sawyer defeated Brian Adidas to win the World Class Texas Heavyweight Title.
1987 – The War Games match debuted in Atlanta’s Omni. The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger) & manager JJ Dillon lost to the team of Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, The Road Warriors & manager Paul Ellering.
1990 – John Tatum defeated Bill Dundee in Dallas, Texas to win the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title
1993 – In an angle to make Lex Luger an All American babyface, Lex Luger arrived via helicopter on the deck of the U.S.S Intrepid in New York City and bodyslammed WWF champion Yokozuna.
2013 – Chris Sabin defeated Manic and Austin Aires to win the TNA X Division Title.
2015 – Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens to win the NXT Title.
Thumbs Up
It kind of bums me out to think that all wrestling crowds will one day react the same way due to the internet. I really like how Japanese crowds are quiet and respectful, but this crowd seemed determined to act like western crowds with chants like “this is awesome”.
Cole did a pretty poor job of announcing, mispronouncing the names of both Bull Nakano and Tatsumi Fujinami. Saxton is starting to feel like a lost cause. Everything he says is witless and comes off phony.
The opener was really good. Poor Neville is as good as anyone could be at certain things, but it just feels like there’s no real spot for him in the big picture as anything substantial.
Finn vs. Owens was very good. The announcers seemed quite disoriented by the massive pile of streamers. It was odd to see Owens engaging the crowd so much. From what I understand, the WWE doesn’t want that kind of pandering on their shows. Maybe he did it because this was more of a house show? Don’t get me wrong, I thought he was fantastic, I just was kind of taken aback.
I didn’t care at all about the main event. It was quite odd to see the fans doing the dual Cena chants without any fervor behind it. Cena was the most over guy on the show by far, though. Much more than Balor.
Overall, a very fun show. I hope the WWE does more of this kind of thing.
Sean
Thumbs Up
Best Match: Balor v Owens
Worst Match: Divas
An entertaining event with a different feel. Still dont get the tag match going last over the NXT title match (or Lesnar) as it was a little tough to get through after the big matches. Hoping Owens beats Cena at Battleground because now he has two high profile losses in proximity to each other. Kofi was great as a bump machine for Brock. Atmosphere for Balor Owens was electric in terms of the pagentry and traditions of Japanese wrestling and Balors past. Great heeling by Owens w the bouquet. Was so odd to hear the announcers talking about Dragon Gate, IWGP etc but lets get more of it! Happy fourth!
Michael O’Brien
I tried staying up all the way to 5:30am, but fell aleep by 3am, luckoly my alarm got me up at 5:20am, so I could catch the show live.
I had not been to a house show since the late 80s, so I liked the look and feel of the atmosphere, not the polished RAW or any other tv show set up. Reminded me of days gone by.
One major thing I noticed, someone kidnapped Michael Cole and replaced him with a look a like that could actually announce a match correctly, not the RAW or Smackdown BS. Guess Vince did not make the trip.
The opening match was great, Neville and Jericho did a great job warming up the “tv” audience (finding out later there were mstches before they went on air), they worked great together, and got the crowd into it.
The Divas 3-way I dozed on and off through, just not the NXT style women’s match that is exciting, send the Divas down to train for 3 months, take them in shifts if need be.
Kofi was the sheep being led to slaughter, and Brock delivered. He was not selling the knee or leg injury from the RAW beatdown they replayed. Poor Kofi that one suplexed looked like it hurt like hell, landing on the back of his head and neck, the guy is tough, he came back to keep getting thrown around, after he finally defeated Kofi he dispensed the rest of New Day with ease when they arrived, they kept him as an unstoppable monster, that was good.
Owens vs Balor, loved that the crowd reacted to the entrance just like they do at Full Sail, even had NXT chants break out. They put on a good, not great, match I do not know if it was time of day here, or just knowing their spots, really did not get into it til towards the end, loved that Finn won the title, it was a huge deal to win his first (of many) WWE championship back where he became a huge star and really honed his craft, and the WWE Hall of Famer coming out to congratulate him. O thought it was cool that Owens did not shake Fin’s hand, looked so much like he wanted go, but he knew it would make him look like a hypocrit after blasting Cena about doing it.
And in a main event anywhere in the world, Cena and Ziggler vs Kane and Wade Barret, brother had 2 observations (1) Ziggler is looking a lot like Pillman dress wise and (b) he wondered if they pulled names out of a hat to make this match. It was an ok match, an ok house show main event, Cena got a lot of action early instead of being a “star” and letting Ziggler take the bulk of the match. Cena team wins sending the live audience home happy.
BEST MATCH: Owens vs Balor
BEST SQUASH: Brock vs Kofi
WORST MATCH: Diva 3way
OVERALL ALL give the show a B- on house show scale
Daniel Beling
From Baltimore
By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com
1922 – In Wichita, Kansas; World Heavyweight Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis beat Alan Eustace in 2 out of 3 falls.
1963 – In Kansas City; In a Hair vs Masks match, Pat O’Connor and Tiny Mills beat Masked Medic #1 (Pedro Godoy) and Masked Medic #2 (Sir Nelson Royal). Also, Rock Hunter beat Steve Kovacs 2 falls to 1.
1964 – In St Paul, Minnesota at Met Stadium (where the Minnesota Twins and Vikings played in 1964 and now the home of the Mall of America); AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Dick the Bruiser (sub Crusher) in 2 out of 3 falls. Also, Mad Dog Vachon beat Doug Gilbert, Wilbur Snyder & Sailor Art Thomas & Dale Lewis beat Larry Hennig & Hans Schmidt & Mitsu Arakawa and Bob Geigel beat Rene Goulet
1966 – Don Leo Jonathan & Haystacks Calhoun defeated John Tolos & Tony Borne to win the NWA Canadian Tag Team Title.
1971 – In Robbinsdale, Minnesota; Larry Hennig & Lars Anderson beat Hercules Cortez & Bull Bullinski dq, Big K beat Bill Christy and Billy Robinson beat Dave Cox
1972 – In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Billy Robinson & George Gordienko beat Ivan Koloff & Big K (Stan Kowalski), Wahoo McDaniel beat Dusty Rhodes dq and Don Muraco beat Larry Hennig
1974 – Ric Flair & Rip Hawk defeated Paul Jones & Bob Bruggers in Greensboro, North Carolina to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title; In Winnipeg, AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Verne Gagne & Billy Robinson, Ivan Putski beat Baron Von Raschke dq and Billy Graham beat Wahoo McDaniel.
1981 – In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel wrestled Bret Hart, Dynamite Kid vs Bruce Hart, David Shultz vs Randy Tyler and Duke Myers & Kerry Brown vs Bill Irwin & Duffy O’Rourke.
1982 – In San Antonio, Texas at HemisFair Arena; Bruiser Brody won a two ring, 22 man Battle Royal, Scott Casey beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel via dq, Southwest Champion Dick Slater beat Alexis Smirnoff and Tully Blanchard & Gino Hernandez beat Terry Funk & Tito Santana; In the Atlanta Omni, WWF champion Bob Backlund went to a double countout against NWA World champion Ric Flair.
1983 – David Von Erich defeated Jimmy Garvin to win the vacant World Class Texas Heavyweight Title. Also, The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & David) defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) in a three falls match in Fort Worth, Texas.
1984 – in Fort Worth, Texas The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) defeated The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & Mike) to win the World Class Six-Man Tag Team Title when Hayes pinned Kevin. Also, Iceman King Parsons defeated Bill Irwin in a singles match to win the World Class American Tag Team Title. Parsons chose Buck Zumhoffe as his partner.
1986 – In Fort Worth, Texas Buzz Sawyer defeated Brian Adidas to win the World Class Texas Heavyweight Title.
1987 – The War Games match debuted in Atlanta’s Omni. The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger) & manager JJ Dillon lost to the team of Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, The Road Warriors & manager Paul Ellering.
1990 – John Tatum defeated Bill Dundee in Dallas, Texas to win the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title
1993 – In an angle to make Lex Luger an All American babyface, Lex Luger arrived via helicopter on the deck of the U.S.S Intrepid in New York City and bodyslammed WWF champion Yokozuna.
2013 – Chris Sabin defeated Manic and Austin Aires to win the TNA X Division Title.
2015 – Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens to win the NXT Title.
Mike Sempervive and I will be doing a new Wrestling Observer Sin Limite tomorrow morning along with coverage of the Dominion show.
Any questions for the show can be sent to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
By Josh Nason, WrestlingObserver.com
The Big News:
Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens for the NXT title, Brock Lesnar successfully made his house show return, and Chris Jericho and Neville had a great show opener.
Show Recap:
– A short video package starts us out highlighting that this is Brock Lesnar’s first match since Wrestlemania and the Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor NXT title match later on.
– Michael Cole and Byron Saxton are the announce team. Show is airing live from Sumo Hall in Tokyo with a typical house show set with no ramp.
Chris Jericho def. Neville by submission
Cole and Saxton talk a little about the history of the building with combat sports and Jericho’s past in Japan where he got the name ‘Lionheart’. Saxton even talks about Neville’s history with Dragon Gate which helped bring him to this point. The match was fairly even early until Jericho got the advantage off a back and forth exchange with both guys teasing and preventing jumps to the inside. Jericho eventually hit the second rope dropkick to Neville on the apron. He had a few heel mannerisms, but both guys were loved by the crowd.
Jericho went for a top rope superplex which Neville blocked for a flapjack. Neville stayed on the top and went for the Red Arrow, but Jericho moved so Neville landed on his feet. He went for a hunacarana which was blocked for the Walls of Jericho. Neville fought and fought and made it to the ropes for the clean break.
Neville with a jumping, twisting dive over the top to Jericho on the outside. Neville tossed him back in and hit a top rope clothesline and a standing shooting star press for a near fall. Jericho nailed Neville with a uppercut and hit the Lionsault for two. Neville got the advantage back and launched himself into a Codebreaker.
Neville hit two superkicks and went for the Red Arrow, but Jericho put his knees up. He applied the Liontamer for the tap. The match went nearly twenty minutes and was fantastic. I really enjoyed it.
– Brock “Tucked In T-Shirt” Lesnar is shown walking into the building, making his first appearance in Japan for WWE in more than 12 years. We st
– I gotta say that this whole house show on TV feel is very refreshing outside the constant reminders that #BeastInTheEast is trending no. 1 in the world on Twitter. I watch to get away from the real world, but I get it.
– After RAW this Monday, we get a live ‘The Legendary Stories Of Dusty Rhodes’. Sounds good to me.
WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella defeated Paige & Tamina in a triple threat for the title.
Cole references a past women’s title change in Japan by Bull “Nakona” before Saxton corrects him. Tamina and Page went at it for a bit until Bella got back in the fray and the two teamed up to get Tamina out of there. They were certainly trying to up the aggression level with lots of women’s tennis-esque grunting.
The big spot of the match was a Tamnia powerbomb of Bella as she was superplexing Paige off the top rope. As Paige and Bella were setting it up, you could hear them talking. Ugh. Paige applied the PTO but Tamina superkicked her and hit a Samoan drop on Bella to break it up. She missed a Superfly splash attempt and Bella hit a running forearm for the pin and win.
I don’t watch a ton of, ahem, Divas matches but this wasn’t that bad. Not much of a story, but it was fun for what it was.
Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston
It took them 36 minutes to mention Lesnar’s opponent for tonight. As Lesnar was walking out, they showed Seth Rollins and The Authority’s attack on him from several weeks ago, but his knee isn’t wrapped. Kingston was trying to avoid Lesnar, but once “The Beast” got his hands on him, it was bad news. Kingston got a lot of offense on Lesnar, but none of it worked. He avoided one belly-to-back suplex (flipped out of it), but was unsuccessful in avoiding three others. Lots of stalking around led to an F5 and the pin and win.
As Lesnar was leaving the ring, he looked at Kingston and came back in the ring for another belly-to-back and F5. This brought out Xavier Woods and Big E from the back and they both got F-5’ed for their trouble.
As a youngster, I used to faithfully watch WWF Superstars of Wrestling Saturdays at noon on WPXT Fox 51 and saw a lot of squashes just like this. I was more than happy to watch another one today.
Kevin Owens was seen in the back prepping for his match with Finn Balor. That match is next, preceded by a good video package highlighting the backstory.
Finn Balor pinned NXT Champion Kevin Owens to win the title
As expected, Balor is in full warpaint, complete with Japanese writing on the back. Hideo Itami is shown sitting in the crowd as Owens enters in full heel mode. Tons of treamers come into the ring as we get the announcements of both guys as do two ladies who hand giant bouquets to both guys. Owens tosses the flowers in the aisle. Streamers (and tradition!) on WWE TV? This is something else. Cole even talked about how Balor lives in a dojo, that Balor used to go by the name Prince Devitt, and the IWGP titles he won.
Balor started out the match quick, teasing the Coup De Grace in the first 10 seconds. Action spilled to the outside where Balor hit a running dropkick to Owens who was sitting in a chair by the barricade. As Owens reclaimed the advantage later on, he played to the crowd big-time and they gave him what he was looking for: boos. The champion dominated most of the action midway through the match, teasing a running knee into a bracing Balor and locking on a rear chinlock instead. He said, “I hate this country and everyone in it.” Heel!
As Balor was rallying, Owens stopped him and hit the Five Moves Of Doom, but fell short of hitting the Attitude Adjustment. Both guys hit all of their signature moves late in the match including Owens’ cannonball flip in the corner and package powerbomb. Balor hit the Sling Blade adn went to the top to finish Owens, but the champ made it to his feet to prevent it. Owens got kicked and laid out which led to the Coup De Grace….but we only got two. This match must continue!
Balor attempted a top rope superplex which Owens blocked, eventually hitting a second rope rolling senton which got two. Owens went for the senton bomb, but Balor got the knees up and got Owens in a Dragon suplex for two. Owens with a straight jacket suplex for two. Balor hit a big clothesline and dropkick into the corner to Owens, setting up again for the Coup De Grace. He hit it and this time, Owens didn’t kick out. Balor with the pin and win and is your new NXT Champion.
Cole put over Balor’s history in Japan huge post-match. This was a really fun match with great sequences that you would expect from these two, especially the near falls. Tatsumi Fujinami walked out from the back and attacked Balor post-match, demanding a title match at SummerSlam. Alright, that didn’t happen but Fujinami did come out and raise Balor’s hand. Owens was still in the ring looking pissed and refused to shake Balor’s hand.
My apologies if I erred in correctly naming the moves above, by the way. Just go watch the match already!
And with 37 minutes to go, I fear we are now in the sports entertainment portion of the show.
– We get footage of Friday’s Fujinami ceremony on Tokyo with Itami.
U.S. Champion John Cena & Dolph Ziggler def. King Barrett & Kane
Despite my apathy, the fans were into everything. You know, I got into it too. This was typical house show fare with all the guys playing to the crowd and not having to rush through things. When Cena was in there with Kane, it was power vs. power and Cena was actually psyching himself up to go in there and face him.
Cena was in there most of the match, getting abused by Kane and Barrett. Cena hit an A.A. on Barrett after powering out of a side chinlock, but Barrett tagged Kane. However, Cena got blocked by Kane on hitting an A.A. on him, building to what would eventully happen later in the match. Kane hit his top rope clothesline which led to another rear chinlock on Cena. Lots of rest holds in this one.
Ziggler finally got the hot tag and ran wild on Barrett, but a big boot from Barrett stopped that cold. Barrett and Kane worked over Ziggler for a bit until Ziggler eventually got the hot tag. Until we got to that point, there was a lot of good stuff including a big Kane powerbomb. I guess it was the jaded, worn out WWE fan in me, but I was amazed at how much the fans were into this match. I also haven’t been to a house show event in nearly four years, so perhaps I shouldn’t be that surprised. I also liked the subtleties of Barrett holding Ziggler’s arm after tagging Kane so Ziggler couldn’t get away. Tag team wrestling!
Ziggler got out of a Kane chokeslam attempt and hit a jumping DDT to get the hot tag to Cena while Kane tagged Barrett. Five Moves of Doom on Kane, Ziggler superkick to A.A. on the legal man Barrett for the pin and win for Team Good Guys. Fun match!
****
As a fan of watching the old NESN Boston Garden and MSG Network house shows, I loved this show. Two hours on a Saturday morning full of fun matches and mostly devoid of bad promos and typical RAW b.s.? I’ll take it. Even Cole and Saxton were good and were supposedly trending on Twitter at one point. Cole had his ‘working shoes’, getting in references to WrestleFest during the show’s final tag match.
Final recommendation: watch the entire show. I guarantee you’ll have fun in doing so. And in the end, isn’t that what this is all supposed to be about?
By Bryan Rose, WrestlingObserver.com
Last week, we saw Katsuyori Shibata defeat Shinsuke Nakamura in a great bout. But if you think we’ve seen the last of Shibata for a while, you are quite mistaken as he’ll be headlining this episode of New Japan on AXS. His opponent? None other than Hiroshi Tanahashi. Shibata and Tanahashi had not crossed paths much during Shibata’s most recent run with the company, though they have a history regardless. How will they fare when they finally square off against one another?
Tonight’s card is from July 26, 2014 at Akita Prefectural Gymnasium.
First up is Shinsuke Nakamura taking on Yuji Nagata. They only showed highlights here, but it was a good, stiff match. They had a match earlier this year at New Beginning at Sendai, but this one looks a lot better. Nakamura cut a backstage promo after the match. Well done, job well done. Yuji’s condition was awesome, and this stadium in Akita is where the party’s at. He won against Yuji, and there’s nothing better.
We follow that with AJ Styles taking on Tetsuya Naito. Naito’s head, explains Ranallo, was busted open by a steel chair shot by Yano on an earlier show. It got bloody again pretty quickly, at least from what these clips show, and soon Naito was busted open again. They had a good. competitive match, and I think this was just below or slightly better than the previous match. Naito really stepped it up in this tournament and we’ve already discussed how awesome Styles was. Naito gets the win clean with a stardust press, setting up a rematch for a future date.
A Tetsuya Naito promo follows backstage. He had a lot of respect for AJ Styles. and happy to have faced him, but facing him wasn’t enough. This summer is going to be all about him.
The next match that follows is Karl Anderson taking on Kazuchika Okada. Really good back and forth match. These two have had a history over the IWGP Heavyweight championship and have terrific chemistry, and it showed here. The end saw several counters between the two, each trying to go for their own finish, but finally Anderson finishes off Okada with another gun stun and pins him.
Following that match, Anderson says the people love Okada, but he’s just been beaten, lying on the floor. When Okada made his way backstage, Gedo declined an interview.
Shibata says he knows that Tanahashi was an important match. Everyone watches the G1 matches more closely – there is a meaning for everything. Personally, he thought he made the match feel more special since they headlined Akita. He knew there was sense of rivalry and he totally felt it. He talks about a situation where he and Tanahashi exchanged words. He wants to prove all the haters wrong.
The main event aired. There are two notable matches between these two last year – this one, and their rematch in September that was given five stars by the Wrestling Observer. Both were fantastic matches, but if I had to choose which one I liked more, it was this one. You could just see the intensity and rivalry from the two before the match even started. The two had a tremendous back and forth contest, with Shibata getting the win after the GTS and the Penalty Kick. Ranallo and Barnett were excellent in calling this match, making it feel even more important, going over how Tanahashi’s ego was getting the best of him throughout the match when he wasn’t going for immediate pinfalls, as well as documenting the rise of the New Three Musketeers (Nakamura, Tanahashi, Shibata) and how Shibata left New Japan on multiple occasions, causing rifts between him and Tanahashi. This made the match even better than it was when it first aired last year. Everything about this match is tremendous and highly recommended.
Tanahashi after the match says he’s spent ten years doing this. After this loss…were those ten years a waste? He sacrificed many things during that time, but it’s pointless if he can’t get the win. He won’t forget about this, because during the last ten years he’s learned to get right back up. This was actually quite the tremendous promo.
Shibata says 10 years? The ten years that I wasn’t here, he took every bit of it. There’s nothing more, nothing less to it.
Upon reflection, he says that the matches are what matters the most. You can say what you want, but Tanahashi faced him with his all, and he felt that passion. That match at Kobe he felt like he had to shake his hand. When asked about teaming with Tanahashi, he never thought it would happen, and finishes by saying that wrestling is unpredictable.
A fantastic show this week, with the highlights being just that, and a main event you have to see and it’s everything that pro wrestling needs in 2015. Next week, we’ll continue looking at the G1 Climax tournament with Tetsuya Naito taking on Shinsuke Nakamura as the main event.
By dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>Dave Meltzer
For this weekend, we’ll be doing polls on the WWE show late tonight in Tokyo and the New Japan Dominion show late tomorrow night in Osaka at dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com
NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. ON AXS
Kazuchika Okada vs. Karl Anderson
A.J. Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito
Yuji Nagata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata
RESURRECTION FIGHTING ALLIANCE FROM BOISE, IDAHO AT 10 P.M. TONIGHT ON AXS
Miles Hunsinger (171) vs. Austin Miller (170)
Stephen Martinez (155.5) vs. Darrell Flores (154.5)
Daniel Swain (145.5) vs. Scott Thometz (146)
Jan Jorgensen (250) vs. Josue Lugo (266)
Czar Sklavos (124.5) vs. Nick Burgos (123.5)
Joe Murphy (136) vs. Jesse Brock (135.5)
WWE IN TOKYO SUMO HALL AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN ON THE WWE NETWORK
John Cena & Dolph Ziggler vs.. Kane & King Barrett
Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston
Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor for the NXT title
Neville vs. Chris Jericho
Nikki Bella vs. Paige vs. Tamina Snuka for the Divas title
Prime Time Players vs. Lucha Dragons for tag titles
*Not all of these matches may be airing on the network as they only have a two-hour window. The Lesnar and Owens matches are the only sure things.
NEW JAPAN DOMINION AT 3 A.M. EARLY SUNDAY MORNING FROM OSAKA JO HALL
Yohei Komatsu & Tiger Mask & Jushin Liger & Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi & Mascara Dorada & Sho Tanaka
Young Bucks vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta for the IWGP jr. tag titles
Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Kenny Omega vs. Kushida for IWGP jr. title
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii for Never Open weight title
Michael Bennett & Matt Taven vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows for IWGP tag title
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano
Hirooki Goto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for IC title
A.J. Styles vs. Kazuchika Okada for IWGP heavyweight title
Saturday also has a WWE show in Winnipeg (Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns, Ryback vs. Big Show)
Sunday has a WWE show in Rockford.
Raw will be Monday in Chicago. Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Randy Orton, HHH & Stephanie McMahon are all scheduled to return on Monday. Guess which two were pushed on USA network ads last night?
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Milwaukee. No John Cena advertised, so the top stars advertised are Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Randy Orton.
The story behind UFC losing perhaps its biggest fight of the year with Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor, update on WrestleMania and the match that isn’t in the plans right now, the TNA-GFW situation and how it happened, and how many expect big changes in UFC very soon, multiple WWE related lawsuits, Tough Enough and the WWE & TNA monthly business rundowns are the lead stories in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The new issue is up on the site at July 6, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Jose Aldo injury fallout, TNA/GFW mystery
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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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 looks at the injury to Conor McGregor, what UFC attempted to do to save the fight, why the fight didn’t happen, McGregor building up a later fight, how much does this change hurt, the positives of Mendes in the spot and the mentality of the PPV buyer. We look at the key issues involved in the fight not happening.
We also look at why the TNA/GFW alliance took place, why TNA made the call to Jeff Jarrett, plans or non-plans going on, why this is beneficial to both, departures from TNA, where that talent would go next and more.
We look at why Saturday’s UFC show in Hollywood, FL was the end of an era on several accounts, both from the uniform standpoint, as well as drug detection and weight cutting standpoints. We also make a suggestion of something that is already done in other sports that UFC should implement, although it will never happen, as well as an example of why weight-cutting is done the way it is.
We also look at a lawsuit against WWE for making allegedly misleading claims that led to the stock price going way up, and then falling. We look at a unique thing that came up regarding the key witness, stories changing, and if stories were legit to begin with.
We also look at the death of the bill to legalize MMA in New York, and how it went down.
We also have early notes on next year’s WrestleMania, an update on Sting, how the main event planned is unique because it’s out of WWE’s control if it happens, more on Reign vs. Wyatt, the Japanese tour, ideas for the network in 2016, Japanese pro wrestler tryouts, Dolph Ziggler on his contractual situation, The Rock at the house show in Boston, Rock movie news, update on Tyson Kidd, update on WWE network, update on lawsuits against WWE, and notes on the new season of Total Divas.
We also look at awards WWE is nominated for, Randy Orton, WWE announcing, and notes on the weekend NXT and WWE house shows and business notes and highlights from all of the shows.
We’ve got coverage of the UFC show in Hollywood, FL, how the card fell apart beforehand, business notes on the show, and what should happen next for Yoel Romero. We also look at TNA Slammiversary.
We’ve got a story on the new season of Tough Enough, what has and hasn’t worked so far, notes on the ratings, notes on the competitors, who are said to be the favorites, what on the show is misleading and more on what is involved.
We also have our monthly business review for WWE & TNA, looking at monthly business in a number of categories. We look at what categories are up, how far down are the ones down, and what one category with WWE that is significantly up and one that is collapsing.
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:
–New promotion that has had success dumps its two biggest stars
–A look at the All Elite show in Mexico City with several American stars brought in and others scheduled who had to pull out
–CMLL announces its next major big show main event
–Updates on reaction to the Busca de un Idolo tournament
–Notes on the last shows at Arena Mexico
–Notes on this year’s TripleMania and why it is taking place so late in the year
–Some major injuries to Lucha Underground stars
–AAA signs a longtime CMLL star
–Rey Mysterio Jr. headlines for AAA’s last TV tapings
–Why the Great Muta U.S. tour fell through
–An international promotion having money problems and having to cut back and losing wrestles in the process
–Notes on Dragon Gate’s next major show including some U.S. tours appearing
–Notes on the NOAH upcoming junior heavyweight tournament
–Updates on New Japan business
–New Japan World G-1 notes
–Notes on New Japan’s biggest main event of the week
–Notes on the New Japan U.S. television show
–Update on the original tiger Mask
–Genichiro Tenryu’s final match
–Hiroshi Tanahashi appears on DDT major show
–Update on Bruno Sammartino
–Dave Bautista likely to land another major movie role
–Notes on this past week’s PWG show including celebrities and four-star matches
–Notes on the next two PWG shows
–Young Bucks face Mysterio for the first time and notes no the show
–More talent appearing for Jarrett on shows
–Lots of news regarding the new NWA streaming service and Houston wrestling tape collection
–Another major streaming service announced
–Former WWE star set for a new E! reality show
–Another former WWE performer gets into legal trouble
–Notes on pro wrestling books
–Update on former WWE star Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore
–Update on the WWC’s last major show
–Former pro wrestler competing in high level bodybuilding contest
–One of the most reviled men of the last 50 years in wrestling is coming out of retirement once again
–Latest on Lucha Underground
–Notes on the ROH stadium show in Brooklyn
–Complete lineup for ROH’s next iPPV show
–Notes on the next ROH show in Las Vegas
–Updates on TNA titles after this set of tapings
–Everything on TNA television through mid-August
–Update on problems with production people
–Update on health of Kurt Angle
–Update on Jeff hardy
–Former WWE star working for TNA behind the scenes
–Controversy over Anderson Silva drug test result
–Ronda Rousey ESPY award nominations
–Crazy UFC schedule over an eight day period
–Official UFC 187 numbers
–Update on C.M. Punk training
–UFC’s return to Ireland announced
–Update Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson
–Lots of new UFC fights
–Aftermath of Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice
–Ken Shamrock talks about a fight with Frank shamrock
–More on Alexander Shlemenko suspension
–Foamer Pride star sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison
–An August battle of MMA legends falls through.
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.
FRIDAY’S NEWS UPDATE
Ri Ra
Double Barrel
Legasse’s Stadium
Palace Station
Sunset Station
Green Valley Ranch
Red Rock
Santa Fe
TODAY’S VIDEOS
WWE/NXT
7/1/15 Kevin Owens Is Furious After Being Pinned By Finn Balor
7/1/15-Finn Balor Celebrates After Pinning Kevin Owens
6/30/15 WWE Tough Enough Digital Extra: Reigns Talks “Tough”
6/30/15 WWE Tough Enough Digital Extra: Emma Gives Her Thoughts On The Competitors
7/1/15 WWE Tough Enough Digital Extra: Lita Imparts Wisdom Upon The Hopefuls
7/1/15 WWE Tough Enough Digital Extra: Alex Confides In His Girlfriend That He Can’t Swim
7/1/15 WWE Tough Enough Digital Extra: The Coaches Break Down Week 2
7/2/15 WWE Tough Enough Digital Extra: The Coaches React To This Week’s Elimination
7/2/15 WWE Smackdown “Fallout”: Kiss Time
7/2/15 WWE Smackdown “Fallout”: King Wassup Proclaims
7/2/15 WWE Smackdown “Fallout”: Lana Ready For Change
7/2/15 WWE Smackdown “Fallout”” A Humbled Big Guy
5 Things: Superstars With The Same Entrance Themes
MISC. STUFF
Ringside Collectibles’ “Ringside Or Riot” (season 4, Episode 32)
Dad You Don’t Work, You Wrestle (Episode 126)
Larry Zbyszko on “The Apter Chat”
POWW “Inside The Ropes” (Episode 17)
7/2/15 CHIKARA “Thursdays On The Throne”
The Candice & Joey Show (Episode 121)
Smash Wrestling: Top 5 Moves-Chris Hero
Pro Wrestling Blitz “Mid-Week Mayhem (Episode 9)
Warriors Of Wrestling “Wrestling Wire (Episode 50)
INDY TV SHOWS
Smash Wrestling TV (Episode 58)
Pro Wrestling Syndicate TV (Episode 26)
CWF Mid-Atlantic Wrestling “Worldwide” TV (Episode 7)
LUCHA UNDERGROUND
The Vampiro Monologues: My Big Break
TNA
7/1/15 IMPACT In 60: Three Title For The Ages, Which Faction Disbands? More!
Comments From EC3 After Becoming World Champion…He Doesn’t Hold Back…
The Wolves After The 30-Minute Iron Man Match Against The Dirty Heels
7/1/15-Jeff Jarrett Speaks About The Future Of TNA Wrestling And Global Force Wrestling
WWE Network Schedule For Saturday, July 4,2015
12:00 AM ET
WWE BEYOND THE RING Witness some of the rarest matches from Hulk Hogan’s 30-year career. This special is an absolute must-watch for all Hulkamaniacs!
2:00 AM ET
WWE NXT NXT Champion Kevin Owens teams with Rhyno to take on Finn Balor and Samoa Joe in tag team action!
3:00 AM ET
WWE SUPERSTARS WWE Superstars features the best of the best, in matches you’ll have to see to believe. You never know what to expect, so expect everything.
4:00 AM ET
TOTAL DIVAS Nikki plans a future without boyfriend John Cena. Eva’s life is turned upside down when she must decide between family and her husband.
5:00 AM ET
FINN BALOR: THE DEMON REVEALED An in depth look inside the life, career and future of NXT Superstar Finn Balor.
5:30 AM ET
THE BEAST: LIVE FROM TOKYO Live from Tokyo, Japan, Brock Lesnar returns to the ring against Kofi Kingston. Finn Balor challenges Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship!
7:30 AM ET
SWERVED R-Truth gets a lesson in gym safety, a frisky granny invades Axxess and Kofi locks the champ out of Extreme Rules.
8:00 AM ET
THE WWE LIST Whether it’s winning the Diva’s Championship, or posting a very flattering photos on Twitter… These Divas do it all to stay trending.
8:30 AM ET
WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee’s back! Join the Unfiltered host for an exclusive interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the cast of Terminator Genisys!
8:45 AM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves hits up Austin, Texas for this year’s X Games!
9:00 AM ET
WWE BEYOND THE RING Witness some of the rarest matches from Hulk Hogan’s 30-year career. This special is an absolute must-watch for all Hulkamaniacs!
11:00 AM ET
CELEBRATING THE DREAM A celebration of the life and career of the late, great WWE Hall of Famer, ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes.
12:00 PM ET
WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee’s back! Join the Unfiltered host for an exclusive interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the cast of Terminator Genisys!
12:15 PM ET
CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves hits up Austin, Texas for this year’s X Games!
12:30 PM ET
SWERVED R-Truth gets a lesson in gym safety, a frisky granny invades Axxess and Kofi locks the champ out of Extreme Rules.
1:00 PM ET
THE WWE LIST Whether it’s winning the Diva’s Championship, or posting a very flattering photos on Twitter… These Divas do it all to stay trending.
1:30 PM ET
THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.
2:00 PM ET
THE BEAST: LIVE FROM TOKYO Live from Tokyo, Japan, Brock Lesnar returns to the ring against Kofi Kingston. Finn Balor challenges Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship!
4:00 PM ET
SWERVED R-Truth gets a lesson in gym safety, a frisky granny invades Axxess and Kofi locks the champ out of Extreme Rules.
4:30 PM ET
LEGENDS HOUSE The legends play a polo match…WWE style! Back at the Legends House, Tony Atlas and ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan attempt to co-exist.
5:30 PM ET
THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.
6:00 PM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Epic Smackdown Moments of all time!
7:00 PM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR Media mogul Ted Turner launches WCW Monday Nitro in direct competition against Vince McMahon and WWE
8:00 PM ET
THE BEAST: LIVE FROM TOKYO Live from Tokyo, Japan, Brock Lesnar returns to the ring against Kofi Kingston. Finn Balor challenges Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship!
10:00 PM ET
SWERVED R-Truth gets a lesson in gym safety, a frisky granny invades Axxess and Kofi locks the champ out of Extreme Rules.
10:30 PM ET
THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and SmackDown with This Week in WWE.
11:00 PM ET
THE BEAST: LIVE FROM TOKYO Live from Tokyo, Japan, Brock Lesnar returns to the ring against Kofi Kingston. Finn Balor challenges Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship!