Category: Post Type article

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (June 24): Rougeaus/Garvins famous angle kicks off, Fujinami wins IWGP title in Calgary, Wahoo McDaniel tops Steamboat, Fargo vs. Lawler

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1925 – Bobby Roscoe defeated Matty Matsuda in Columbus, Ohio for the World Welterweight Title.

    1936 – George McCloud defeated Frank Sexton to win the Ohio Heavyweight Title in Columbus, Ohio.

    1950 – Buddy Rogers defeated Bozo Brown for the World Heavyweight Title in Akron, Ohio

    1958 – Duke Keomuka and John Tolos defeated Larry Chene and Pepper Gomez to win the NWA Texas Tag Team Title in Dallas, Texas.

    1964 – Alan Colbeck defeated Jack Dempsey for the European Welterweight Title in Bradford, England: Tokyo Tom defeats Joe Blanchard to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title in Houston, Texas.

    1965 – At Memorial Hall in Kansas City; Bob Geigel and Dutch Savage beat Dick the Bruiser and Mongolian Stomper 2 falls to 1, Pat O’Connor beat Missouri Mauler by dq and Ronnie Etchison beat Ken Hollis

    1966 – Luis Hernandez and Pedro Morales defeated Buddy Austin and El Mongol for the World Wrestling Association World Tag Team Title in Los Angeles, California; In Chicago, Wilbur Snyder went to a 60:00 time limit draw with AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon, AWA Tag Team Champions Dick the Bruiser & the Crusher no contest The Assassins, Chris Markoff beat Doug Gilbert and Ernie Ladd beat the Alaskan

    1967 – In Minneapolis; In a Cage match, Johnny Powers beat The Crusher; AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat Rene Goulet & Lou Thesz dq and Johnny Valentine beat Billy Wicks

    1968 – In Davenport, Iowa; Dr X no contest AWA Champion Verne Gagne and Dutch Savage & Bill Watts beat Larry Hennig & Harley Race

    1970 – Ripper Collins defeated Sam Steamboat to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title in Honolulu, Hawaii

    1971 – In Kansas City, Kansas; North American Tag Team Champions Buddy Austin & Bob Orton defeated Rufus R. Jones & The Viking, The Stomper defeated Baron Von Raschke via DQ and Central States Heavyweight Champion Harley Race defeated Dick the Bruiser in three falls

    1972 – In Chicago, Illinois; Blackjack Lanza & Blackjack Mulligan no contest Dick the Bruiser & the Crusher, Baron Von Raschke beat Sailor Art Thomas, Ivan Koloff beat Don Muraco and Bobby Heenan beat Billy Red Cloud; NWA Big Time Wrestling held “Parade of Champions” at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. At the event, Billy Red Lyons defeated NWA American Heavyweight Champion The Spoiler to win the title and Stan Stasiak defeated NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion Red Bastien to win the title; Abdullah the Butcher defeated Ernie Ladd for the National Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Title in Akron, Ohio; Boris Malenko and Johnny Walker defeated The Professional (Doug Gilbert) and Mike Webster to win the NWA Florida Tag Team Title in Jacksonville, Florida.

    1974 – Jackie Fargo defeated Jerry Lawler for the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee

    1975 – In Omaha, Nebraska; AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Billy Robinson & Ivan Putski, Dusty Rhodes dcor Baron Von Raschke, Chris Taylor beat Sgt Jacques Goulet (sub Horst Hoffman) and Jim Brunzell drew Buddy Wolff

    1976 – El Halcón defeated El Gran Markus for the Mexican National Heavyweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico; In Kansas City; Omar Atlas defeated Dr. X, Jerry Kozak fought The Super Intern to a draw, Harley Race fought Abdullah the Butcher to a no contest and in a Fence Match; Mike George defeated Central States Heavyweight Champion Bob Brown via DQ in three falls

    1977 – In Minneapolis, MN; Verne Gagne & Ray Stevens beat AWA Tag Team Champions Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Duncum to win the title. (The decision was later reversed when it was pointed out that Gagne applied his sleeper on Lanza who was not the legal man in the ring). AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel went to a 60 minute draw with Billy Robinson, Super Destroyer beat Pedro Morales, Larry Hennig ddq Angelo Mosca, Greg Gagne beat Bulldog Bob Brown, Jim Brunzell drew Bob Backlund and Steve Olsonoski beat Roger Kirby dq. Attendance was 6,786.

    1978 – Roddy Piper defeated Moondog Mayne to win the San Francisco NWA United States Heavyweight Title.

    1979 – El Signo defeated Bobby Lee for the UWA World Welterweight Title in Tijuana, Mexico.

    1983 – At a big card in Houston, Texas; King Kong Bundy & Kamala beat Junk Yard Dog & Hacksaw Duggan dq, In a Non Title Texas Bullrope match, Dusty Rhodes beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel, Chavo Guerrero beat Mr Olympia, Ted Dibiase beat Tito Santana, Mil Mascaras beat Super Destroyer, Butch Reed beat Tim Horner, Mr Wrestling II beat Art Crews, Magnum TA beat Rip Rogers and Johnny Rich drew Boris Zurkov.

    1984 – Wahoo McDaniel defeated Ricky Steamboat to win the NWA United States Heavyweight Title in Greensboro, North Carolina; Canek won the UWA World Heavyweight Title from Dos Caras in Mexico City, Mexico.

    1985 – In Montreal; Dino Bravo & King Tonga beat AWA Tag Team Champions Road Warriors in a non title match, Raymond Rougeau & Jacques Rougeau Jr no contest Jimmy & Ronnie Garvin (famous Saint-Jean-Baptiste Massacre, as the Rougeaus get beat up as well as their father). Also, Tony Parisi beat Abdullah the Butcher via forfeit, Abby no showed and Gino Brito Jr drew Leo Burke; Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez defeated The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers) in Fort Worth, Texas to win the NWA American Tag Team Title; Bota the Witch Doctor defeated Jerry Lawler for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee

    1987 – Cien Caras defeats MS-1 for the NWA World Light Heavyweight Title in Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico

    1988 – Johnny Smith defeated Chris Benoit to win the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta; Shiro Koshinaka defeated Owen Hart to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title in Osaka, Japan. Also at that event, Tatsumi Fujinami won the IWGP Heavyweight Title by defeating Riki Choshu; Fabuloso Blondie defeated Lizmark for the NWA World Light Heavyweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico; In New Haven, CT; AWA Tag Team Champions Badd Company Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond dcor Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson, AWA Champion Jerry Lawler beat Curt Hennig, Wahoo McDaniel dcor Manny Fernandez and Madusa Macelli beat Heidi Lee Morgan

    1989 – Chicky Starr defeated Super Medico I to win the WWC World Junior Heavyweight Title in Caguas, Puerto Rico

    1990 – Los Villanos (I, IV and V) defeated Khaos, Rambo and Zandokhan to win the UWA World Trios Title in Mexico City, Mexico.

    1992 – The Southern Rockers (Rex King and Steve Doll) defeated Doug Masters and Ron Starr for the WWC World Tag Team Title in Dorado, Puerto Rico

    1993 – Brian Lee defeated SMW Heavyweight Champion Tracy Smothers to win the King of Kentucky Tournament in Hazard, Kentucky.

    1995 – Tommy Cairo defeated Devon Storm in a tournament final for the vacant NWA North American Heavyweight Title in Williamstown, New Jersey.

    1996 – Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions Lex Luger & Sting and The Steiner Brothers in a three-way match to win the title in Charlotte, North Carolina.

    2001 – Edge pinned Kurt Angle to win the King of the Ring tournament in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

    2007 – Johnny Nitro pinned CM Punk to win the vacant ECW World Title and Candice Michelle defeated WWE Women’s Champion Melina to win the title in Houston, Texas.

    2012 – All Night Express defeated World’s Greatest Tag Team to win the ROH World Tag Team Titles in New York City.

  • WWE Smackdown & Main Event TV taping results & spoilers: Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

    Dark Match:

    – Fandango over Brad Maddox
    – Jack Swagger submitted King Barrett

    Main Event:

    -Neville defeats Heath Slater with the Red Arrow
    -Ascension over Meta Powers (Sandow/Axel) with the Fall of Man
    -R Truth beats Adam Rose with King Barrett on commentary. After the match, King Barrett storms the ring and gets laid out by R-Truth.
    -Luke Harper beats Cesaro

    For the show that airs Wednesday in Canada and on Thursday in the U.S.:

    Jimmy Uso was on commentary with Tom Phillips and Jerry Lawler.

    Seth Rollins, Kane and Joey Mercury came out to start the show. Rollins said that he would dedicate his match to Jamie Noble.  Ryback was called to the ring.  Ryback and Rollins went back-and-forth on the mic, setting up a Ryback vs. Kane match. Rollins then challenged Dean Ambrose for later in the show.

    – Sheamus b Dolph Ziggler: Rusev came out with a mic and wanted Lana back. He said he would kiss her the right way. She blew him off and he was so mad he he went to the back. Sheamus won clean with the Brogue kick, but there was no distraction finish.

    Rusev was backstage and Summer Rae came up to him again.

    – Alicia Fox (with the Bella Twints) b Naomi. Tamina Snuka superkicked both Bellas, but Fox won with a roll-up as Naomi was taunting them.

    The New Day were doing a backstage interview.  The Prime Time Players came out.  Titus O’Neil was making fun of Big E.  Bo Dallas came out and said he wanted to join The New Day in a match. He tried to calp with them, but had no rhythm.

    Ryback was coming to the ring when Big Show attacked him.  Ryback was left laying.

    – Ryback b Kane via DQ.  Kane tried to beat Ryback right away, but Ryback kicked out.  Ryback came back and went for shell shock, but Show attacked Ryback for the DQ.  Show and Kane each gave Ryback choke slams and he was left laying.

    – Prime Time Players & Lucha Dragons b New Day & Bo Dallas.  Kalisto pinned Xavier Woods with a 450.

    Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose were backstage. Ambrose said they should go after Bray Wyatt together, but Reigns told Ambrose he wants to do this one himself. Reigns then found a picture of himself in a bag with the wording “Anyone but you.”  Reigns ran around backstage looking for Wyatt, but Kane stopped him and kicked him out of the building for being a liability.

    – WWE Champion Seth Rollins b Dean Ambrose.  Lots of near falls but Rollins won clean with a pedigree. Mercury and Kane were at ringside distracting Ambrose. The ending was weird as Ambrose goes out of his way during his comeback to pull Mercury into the ring to hit Dirty Deeds, but Rollins hits the pedigree for the win. Not sure if Mercury was supposed to be in the ring on his own by that time, but Ambrose had no reason to pull him in during his comeback. I’m sure it will make sense on tv. After the match Kane, Mercury and Rollins stand tall.

    After Smackdown, Big Show comes down to attack Ambrose. Ryback ran out to help but got beat down as well. Finally Roman Reigns came out and all the faces hit their finishers and sent everyone home happy.

    (Thanks to Aaron Fisch) 

  • UFC News: update on Jose Aldo injury situation

    By Dave Meltzer, WrestlingObserver.com

    Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting tweeted Tuesday that Jair Lourenco, Jose Aldo’s coach at Nova Uniao, was on the television show Revista Combate in Brazil. Laurenco said that the rib injury Aldo suffered was “complicated,” and that under normal circumstances, he would need one month to heal, but he wants to go through with his featherweight title fight with Conor McGregor in less than three weeks on Saturday, July 11th.

    Rather than putting the champion in when he shouldn’t be fighting, they should move the fight, which is really easy for me to say when the promotion has a U.S. record gate and record setting expenses in building their current date.

  • WWE News: June 22nd Raw ratings drop back down

    By Dave Meltzer, WrestlingObserver.com

    The Monday, June 22nd, WWE Raw did 3.68 million viewers, back to being among the lowest of the last 17 years.

    The show went head-to-head with the U.S. women’s World Cup soccer game against Colombia, which did 4.72 million viewers, and was third for the night on cable, also trailing Major Crimes on TNT, which did 4.24 million viewers.

    The good news is that the show gained in viewers with a strong third hour, so the show long storyline with Seth Rollins, Kane, and J&J Security worked.

    For the three hours:

    – 8 p.m. 3.59 million viewers

    – 9 p.m. 3.61 million viewers

    – 10 p.m. 3.81 million viewers

  • TUES. UPDATE: Jose Aldo injury, best-selling WWE DVDs, “Ballers” rating, and more

    by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.comFollow @davidbix

    The new season of Tough Enough premieres tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. It’ll be replayed throughout the week on various NBC Universal/Comcast networks. 

    WWE is taping SmackDown and Main Event tonight in Toledo, Ohio. If you’re attending it, please send a spoiler report to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com

    **** 

    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with a detailed look at what made Dusty Rhodes such a uniquely gifted performer. Topics covered include:

    * How his appeal differed from other superstar babyfaces.

    * His underrated athleticism and in-ring working ability.

    * His versatility on promos.

    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 AmericanCanadian, 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. 

    **** 

    Part one of the life and career of Dusty Rhodes is the feature in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer.  We also look at WWE coming out of the Money in the Bank PPV and where things are going next, UFC in Mexico City and the Fabricio Werdum win over Cain Velasquez, more on how Mayweather & Pacquiao set PPV records and who was buying, the debut of Global Force Wrestling, Tough Enough and Verano de Escandalo are also covered.  

    The Latest Wrestling Observer: June 22, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Part 1 of giant Dusty Rhodes obituary, GFW’s 1st shows

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    The lead story covers the life and early career of Dusty Rhodes.  We have a lot of his career records.  We look at fact vs. fiction about his life before wrestling, and his road to the top in wrestling.  We have an overview of the key points of his career, as well as rundown his early territories and the build to his babyface persona.  We’ve got comments by many people most associated with him during his career.  We look at health issues, the outpouring of emotion, an eerie thing written by Rhodes just ten day before his death where exactly what he didn’t want to be most remembered for was brought up.  We look at the WWF character and the real reasons behind it. 

    We also look at the rise and fall of Jim Crockett Promotions, the fall of the UWF, the last year of JCP, the TBS purchase, why Rhodes was fired from the company and how Rhodes ended up back in WCW.  We also look at why he retired from the ring, and the irony of what he said about who could and couldn’t book wrestling in the late 90s. 

    We look at Rhodes mentions on spots shows this past week,  and his role in helping talent currently on the main roster. 

    We look at the original Dusty Rhodes, his doing backyard wrestling, his college days going to matches, West Texas State football and how he got into pro wrestling.  We look at his early territorial work, his first pushes and his rise to prominence.

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    We also look at the direction for Battleground and full coverage of Money in the Bank.

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    We look at why bought Mayweather-Pacquiao and what can be learned from it.

    We look at the debut of Global Force Wrestling and the problems facing the promotion, its first weekend of shows, second weekend and first television tapings.

    We also look at AAA’s Verano de Escandalo show.

    We look at the finalists for this season of Tough Enough, who they were and where they came from.

    We also have an interesting look at DVR usage during pro wrestling shows and what it says about the various products.

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

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    Also in this week’s issue:

    –First notes on the annual Universal champion of champions tournament

    –An interesting result where a major promotion’s top star put over an indie wrestler clean

    –The Busca en un Idolo tournament

    –What CMLL show drew the biggest crowd of the week and it was outside of Mexico City

    –Update on Negro Casas concussion

    –Latest from Arena Mexico

    –Former world champion boxer marries pro wrestling star

    –International stars coming to PWG

    –Wrestle-One comes to the U.S. and Philadelphia show notes

    –Dragon Gate changes several championships and a look at the next two big shows

    –What U.S. stars are headed to Dragon Gate shortly

    –Mitsuharu Misawa Tribute week in NOAH and what legends attended the big show

    –GHC title match with neither wrestler being associated with the NOAH brand

    –Update on Takeshi Morishima retirement match

    –Notes on G-1 Climax ticket sales

    –Update on Yoshitatsu

    –Shinya Hashimoto Memorial show lineup

    –A note on the Hashimoto legacy

    –Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong rematch and how it came to be

    –New Japan stars headed back to England and a look at their most recent England appearance

    –New Japan stars headed back to ROH soon

    –Current MMA world champion headlines IGF pro wrestling event

    –King of DDT tournament notes

    –Notes from the Championship Wrestling from Florida tribute event this past week

    –Update on Blackjack Mulligan

    –Details on Josh Alexander and his upcoming neck surgery

    –Former WWE developmental talent on a CBS reality show

    –Former wrestlers drop lawsuit against WWE

    –How rules in New York affect indie groups and what rule in the books isn’t enforced at all

    –What are the biggest expenses

    –Major movie with Kevin Nash coming out soon

    –New promotion debuts on national TV in July

    –80s star writing an autobiography

    –Notes on some stadium shows coming this summer

    –Case reopened on the murder of an 80s pro wrestler

    –Notes on Ultima Lucha

    –Two wrestlers under consideration for season two of Lucha Underground

    –Notes on the New York ROH shows and complete lineup

    –Notes on ROH on Destination America

    –TNA makes big play for former WWE major star

    –Changes in the TNA PPV show

    –Return of King of the Mountain

    –Update on Jeff Hardy

    –More on Slammiversary

    –Problems with weight cutting

    –Details behind drug test controversy with Jose Aldo in Brazil

    –This week’s UFC show

    –More on UFC deal with Titan Fighting Championships

    –UFC debuts in Saskatchewan with action main event

    –Future of Johny Hendricks

    –Update on C.M. Punk and his UFC debut

    –Lots of new UFC fights

    –Kimbo/Shamrock notes

    –Kimbo and Shamrock favor allowing PEDs in MMA

    –Looking at the Bellator show

    –Retirement of Peter Aerts and his legacy

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    *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.

    ****

    Wednesday Daily Update

    — Very little in the way of details on the Jose Aldo injury past what we already had earlier, which is that he fractured a rib in training today and thus his UFC 189 main event defending the featherweight title against Conor McGregor is obviously in jeopardy. It’s a bit out of the ordinary for news of an injury like this to break so quickly, but that’s about it.

    — WWE updated their Key Performance Indicators charts today with DVD sales information on the top five titles of the last nine months or so. Slam City tops the list in a surprise with 119,000 units, followed by WrestleMania 31 at 92,000, The Best of Sting at 88,000, Attitude Era Vol. 2 at 83,000, and John Cena’s Greatest Rivalries at 62,000. So you can see why they’re high on more Slam City-esque content when not only is it among the most-watched programming on the network, but it moved DVDs as well.

    –The initial showing of the first episode of Dwayne Johnson’s new show “Ballers” on HBO was watched by 2.16 million viewers on Sunday night, retaning a decent amount of viewers from its lead-in, “True Detective,” which was watched by 3.2 million viewers. Reviews for “Ballers” have been mixed so far, something that can also be said for the new season of True Detective.

    Lana was not happy with a female fan who blamed WWE for turning her character into “a starry-eyed love struck dope,” saying that “What’s more insulting is that you think that strong women can not experience love. 1st & foremost I am a human being.” Not necessarily the best way to word the criticism, but the sentiment was not that different from what everybody has been saying since this storyline started.

    — At MMAFighting.com, Dave has three new articles up: A “Fortunes Changed fr Five” postmortem on the weekend’s UFC and Bellator cards as well as two articles on the Bellator ratings/viewership, one from last night and an updated, more detailed one that just went up today.

    — “Meet Me There,” a horror movie with Dustin Runnels/Goldust in a featured role, is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

    Johnny Mundo talks to PWMania about life after WWE and more. Nice quote on the artistic freedom of working as an independent: “On the weekend of June 6/7th, I was in Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) wrestling in the Maritimes two great matches Markus Burke and one against Titus. This weekend I’m going to Mexico to wrestle Rey Mysterio and Mistico and the styles couldn’t be more different. I’m imagining the crowds are going to be completely different and I like that. It’s cool, it’s never boring. Sometimes with the WWE you can get a little bit stale. Your travelling is usually with the same group and your generally working with the same person and the same type of match and it’s the same environment backstage. So professionally to go and get back out there I have control of my destiny and I have control of where I want to work, who I want to work with. There’s a lot more freedom for sure in my hands now on the independent scene and working with Lucha Underground.”

    The Movie Fighters podcast has a review of “Russel Madness” with Johnny Mundo. 

    — Pure Wrestling Association on July 19th has their 10 Year Anniversary Tour’s “Summer Assault – Day 3″at the Royal Canadian Legion on 95 Kirk Street in Clinton, Ontario. VIP Doors open at 1pm, Doors Open at 2pm, and Bell Time is at 2:30pm.  the card features Bushwhacker Luke vs. HardKore Hick in a no DQ match, Kc Spinelli vs. Beautiful Beaa, Sid Summers vs. Ruffy Silverstein, Sports Generation vs. Modern Day Warriors, “Reckless” Ryan Swift vs. Gangrel, and Eric Cairnie vs. Eddie Osbourne.

    — NWA Mid South’s St. Jude Slamathon results from 6/20 in Dyersburg, TN at the Herb Welch Wrestle Plex before a sellout 350 fans: Chris O’Neal b AJ Williams, NWA World Jr. Title: Sanada b Steve Anthony-DQ, Savio Vega & Americos b Greg Anthony & Matt Riviera, NWA Mid South Unified Title: Rob Conway b Alan Steele & Tim Storm (champion) to win the title, The Posse & Jason Funderburk b Jeremy Moore & Dale Wylde & Van Van Horn.  Jim Cornette & Chris Cruise did commentary on the DVD that will be released in July.  Cornette also was inducted in the Hall of Champions and knocked out manager Boyd Bradford during the induction.  8/1 super card has Conway defending title against Jeremy Moore, and Riviera defending NWA Western States Heritage Title against Americos.  $1,100 dollars was raised for St. Jude. 

    — Pure Wrestling Association results from the Welland Rose Festival/Days in the Park on June 20th, 2015 in Welland, Ontario: “Reckless” Ryan Swift defeated Derek Platinum. “EZE” Eric Cairnie defeated Shadow Xtreme to remain Ontario Champion, Jimmy King defeated Troy Buchannan, Rex Atkins defeated Jesse Bieber, Beautiful Beaa defeated Skylar Rose to remain Elite Womens Champion, “The Thrillbillies” HardKore Hick and Eddie Osbourne defeated “EZE” Eric Cairnie and “Reckless Ryan Swift & “Modern Day Warriors” Derek Platinum and Jimmy King to win the Vacant Tagteam Championships.

    — Pure Wrestling Association results for June 21st, 2015 at the Open Streets Festival in Waterloo, Ontario: Jesse Bieber defeated Mr. Atlantis, Jimmy King defeated Shadow Xtreme, Big Al defeated Derek Platinum to remain Pure Wrestling Champion, “Thrillbillies” HardKore Hick/Eddie Osbourne defeated Reggie Marley/Venom to remain Tag team Champions, Beautiful Beaa defeated Ryan Swift and EZE Eric Cairnie in a triple threat match.

    TODAY’S PRO WRESTLING VIDEOS (thanks to Thomas Rude)

    LIVE SHOWS



    Old Time Wrestling 500th Show Spectacular

    6/13/15 Atlantic Pro Wrestling Live

    MISC. STUFF


    Lodi’s Licks (Episode 56)

    Flatline Pro Wrestling “The Pulse” (Episode 8)

    Chikara “Podcast-A-Go-Go” (Episode 421)

    INDY TV SHOWS


    Anarchy Wrestling (Episode 489)

    AIWF Mid-Atlantic TV (Episode 219)

    West Coast Wrestling Connection TV (Episode 56)

    Reality Of Wrestling TV (Episode 61)

    6/20/15 Pro Wrestling Syndicate TV

    6/22/15 Snakepit Adelaide Pro Wrestling “Powerslam” TV

    WWE


    WWE Canvas 2 Canvas-The Diva Of Tomorrow Hits The Canvas

    WWE Fury:  38 DDTs That Will Drill You Into The Canvas

    Hank Avery Looks Ahead To The Competition- WWE #toughenough

    Is Maria Menounos Golden Terror “Tough Enough”-WWE #toughenough

    Tour The Tough Enough Set-WWE #toughenough

    LUCHA UNDERGROUND


    Outside WIth  Vampiro:  Evergreen Cemetery

    TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE (thanks to Bert Duckwall)

    12:00 AM ET
    WWE TOUGH TALK Join The Miz as he recaps all of the TOUGH ENOUGH highlights and sits down with the eliminated competitor whose WWE journey came to an end. 

    12:30 AM ET
    THE WWE LIST Cheaters never win…unless you get creative. We list some of the most Unforgiving Foreign Objects in WWE History!

    1:00 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR The war comes to a shocking conclusion, upstaged only by the talents that cross enemy lines in the years that follow.

    2:00 AM ET
    TUESDAY NIGHT TITANS Vince McMahon hosts Tuesday Night Titans with Lord Alfred Hayes. Guests include Rowdy Roddy Piper, Andre The Giant, and Cowboy Bob Orton.

    4:00 AM ET
    PRIME TIME WRESTLING Gorilla Monsoon toys with Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan by giving him a mysterious gift as they host an exciting edition of Prime Time Wrestling!

    6:00 AM ET
    LEGENDS HOUSE Eight WWE Legends reunite and get acquainted with their new neighbors. Back at the Legends’ House, tempers flare.

    7:00 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR The war comes to a shocking conclusion, upstaged only by the talents that cross enemy lines in the years that follow.

    8:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Memorable International Sensations of all time!

    9:00 AM ET
    LEGENDS HOUSE Eight WWE Legends reunite and get acquainted with their new neighbors. Back at the Legends’ House, tempers flare.

    10:00 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR The war comes to a shocking conclusion, upstaged only by the talents that cross enemy lines in the years that follow.

    11:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Memorable International Sensations of all time!

    12:00 PM ET
    LEGENDS HOUSE Eight WWE Legends reunite and get acquainted with their new neighbors. Back at the Legends’ House, tempers flare.

    1:00 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR The war comes to a shocking conclusion, upstaged only by the talents that cross enemy lines in the years that follow.

    2:00 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Memorable International Sensations of all time!

    3:00 PM ET
    WWE TOUGH TALK Join The Miz as he recaps all of the TOUGH ENOUGH highlights and sits down with the eliminated competitor whose WWE journey came to an end. 

    3:30 PM ET
    THE WWE LIST Cheaters never win…unless you get creative. We list some of the most Unforgiving Foreign Objects in WWE History!

    4:00 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young sits down with the cast of Magic Mike XXL, including star Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, and WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash.

    4:15 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Ariane’s plan to hire Nikki as her real estate agent backfires, and Nattie and TJ face the harsh realities of getting a divorce.

    5:00 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Amidst SummerSlam and Eva’s wedding day, Brie confronts John behind Nikki’s back leading to explosive consequences.

    6:00 PM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING Bret ‘Hit Man’ Hart and Shawn Michaels engaged in one of the most bitter rivalries ever. Now, they sit down and rehash their storied past.

    8:00 PM ET
    WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!

    9:00 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young sits down with the cast of Magic Mike XXL, including star Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, and WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash.

    9:15 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Ariane’s plan to hire Nikki as her real estate agent backfires, and Nattie and TJ face the harsh realities of getting a divorce.

    10:00 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Amidst SummerSlam and Eva’s wedding day, Brie confronts John behind Nikki’s back leading to explosive consequences.

    11:00 PM ET
    WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!

  • UFC News: Jose Aldo reportedly suffers rib injury, fight with Conor McGregor up in the air?

    Brazilian reporter Anna Hissa reported Tuesday that UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo was injured this morning in sparring and an exam revealed a fractured rib:

    At this point, UFC hasn’t commented on this story. Aldo is scheduled to face Conor McGregor for the featherweight title on 7/11 in Las Vegas — the most heavily promoted fight in company history.

  • TNA Wrestling News: update to Davey Richards’ status for Sunday’s Slammiversary XIII

    By Dave Meltzer, WrestlingObserver.com

    In an update to an earlier story, Davey Richards will be indeed be working this Sunday’s TNA Slammiversary XIII PPV and will not be working for the All Elite promotion at Arena Mexico where he was advertised as working with Volador Jr. against Rush & Bobby Lashley.

    Richard and Eddie Edwards will face the Dirty Heels in the tag team title match finals, the fifth match of the best-of-five series.

    As of yet, there’s no update on Lashley’s status for Sunday.

  • Update on Sunday’s TNA PPV show

    We’re told now that Davey Richards will be working the TNA PPV show on Sunday and will not be working as advertised on Sunday for the All Elite promotion at Arena Mexico, where he was part of a Rush & Bobby Lashley vs. Richards & Volador Jr. match.

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (June 23): Steve Austin era begins, Nagurski beats Thesz for NWA title, Gino Hernandez downs Ric Flair, WCW title unification bout, Brock Lesnar

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1939 – Bronko Nagurski defeated Lou Thesz to win the National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title in Houston, Texas.

    1944 – Firpo Segra defeated Doc Macias to win the Mexican National Heavyweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico.

    1945 – In Wichita, KS; World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown beat Ray Eckert in a 2 out of 3 falls match and Don McIntyre beat Jerry Meeker via dq.

    1949 – In Kansas City, KS; World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown defeated Joe Pazandak in 2 out of 3 falls, Tarzan Kowalski beat Lou Newman in 2 out of 3 falls and Herman Von Doyle defeated Fred Blassie

    1959 – Bobby Jones defeated George Eakin for the Madison Wrestling Club Heavyweight Title in Winnipeg, Manitoba

    1960 – In Kansas City, KS; Central States Heavyweight Champion Thor Hagen beat Rocky Lee in 2 out of 3 falls and Bob Orton beat Joe Costello.

    1961 – For promoter Gust Karras in St. Joseph, Missouri; Bobby Graham and Sonny Myers defeated The Bat and Ernie Dusek in 2 out of 3 falls, Buddy Austin beat The Alaskan in 2 out of 3 falls, Ronnie Etchison defeated Don McClarity and Thor Hagen and Don Miller went to a time limit draw; Waldo Von Erich defeated Pepper Gomez to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title

    1964 – Eddie Graham and Sam Steamboat defeated Chris and John Tolos for the Florida NWA World Tag Team Title in Tampa, Florida; Pampero Firpo defeated Nick Bockwinkel to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title in Eugene, Oregon

    1965 – Ken Lucas is awarded the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title

    1966 – In Kansas City, In a Texas Death Lumberjack Match; The Mongolian Stomper defeated The Viking; In Eau Claire, Wisconsin; The Crusher beat Stan Kowalski, The Alaskan beat Eddie Sharkey (sub Billy Red Cloud) and Doug Gilbert drew Chris Markoff; In Sioux City, Iowa; Big Luke Brown beat AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon dq, Dale Lewis beat Billy Red Cloud, Mr Wrestling Tim Woods beat Bulldog Danny Plechas and Jack Pesek drew Haru Sasaki

    1967 – Butcher and Stan (Stan Pulaski) Vachon defeated Enrique and Ramon Torres to win the Georgia NWA Southern Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia; In Chicago, Illinois; AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Mitsu Arakawa dq, Devils Duo (Angelo Poffo & Chris Markoff) beat Ernie Ladd & Earl Maynard, Johnny Powers no contest Wilbur Snyder and Lou Thesz beat Moose Cholak

    1970 – Nick Bockwinkel defeated Joe Scarpa to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title in Macon, Georgia; Moondog Mayne defeated The Claw for the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title

    1973 – In Milwaukee before 6,078 fans; The Crusher & Wahoo McDaniel & Billy Robinson beat Nick Bockwinkel & Superstar Billy Graham & Ivan Koloff in 2 out of 3 falls, Reggie Parks drew Geoff Portz and Sailor Art Thomas beat Rene Goulet

    1974 – The Crusaders (Billy Red Lyons and Dewey Robertson) defeated The Love Brothers (Hartford and Reginald) for the Toronto NWA International Tag Team Title in Toronto, Ontario.

    1977 – Kurt Von Hess defeated the Wrestling Pro to win the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title in Panama City, Florida.

    1978 – Ringo Mendoza defeated Perro Aguayo to win the NWA World Middleweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico; The Mongolian Stomper won a tournament final in Knoxville, Tennessee to win the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Title; Tony Atlas and Thunderbolt Patterson defeated Ole Anderson and Ivan Koloff for the NWA Georgia Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia; Pak Choo (Kengo Kimura) and Mr. Ito defeated Black Gordman and Hector Guerrero to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Title.

    1979 – In Milwaukee before 4,876 fans; The Crusher & Verne Gagne & Mad Dog Vachon beat Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Duncum & Super Destroyer Mark II, Greg Gagne beat Ray Stevens dq, Billy Robinson beat Pat Patterson and Paul Ellering beat Doug Gilbert; In Des Moines, Iowa; Bob Brown defeated Jerry Brown in a Texas Death Match and for the Central States Heavyweight Title, Champion Bob Sweetan defeated Frank Hill.

    1980 – Mr. Hito and Mr. Sakurada defeated Tiger Conway, Jr. and José Lothario to win the NWA American Tag Team Title in Amarillo, Texas

    1982 – Ted DiBiase defeated The Junkyard Dog for the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Title in Shreveport, Louisiana

    1984 – WCCW American Heavyweight Champion Gino Hernandez defeated NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair to win the vacant WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title in San Antonio, Texas.

    1986 – Giant Hillbilly Elmer (Stan Frazier) and Jerry Lawler defeated The MOD Squad (Basher and Spike) in Memphis, Tennessee to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Titles; Robert Fuller and Jimmy Golden defeated Steve Armstrong and Tommy Rich to win the NWA Southeastern Tag Team Title in Dothan, Alabama; Brad Armstrong won the NWA Southeast Continental Heavyweight Title from Jerry Stubbs in Birmingham, Alabama. At the same show, Adrian Street defeated Wendell Cooley to capture the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Title.

    1987 – The Sheepherders (Luke Williams and Butch Miller) defeated Mike Graham and Steve Keirn for the NWA Florida Tag Team Title in Tampa, Florida.

    1989 – In Villa Park, Illinois; AWA Champion Larry Zbyszko drew Greg Gagne, Colonel DeBeers beat Derrick Dukes, Chavo Guerrero & Mando Guerrero & Hector Guerrero beat Texas Hangmen & The Executioner (Tom Stone), Wendi Richter beat Candi Divine and Ken Patera & Scott Norton beat Destruction Crew Mike Enos & Wayne Bloom dq; Robert Fuller and Brian Lee defeated Jeff Jarrett and Mil Máscaras to win the WCWA World Tag Team Title in Dallas, Texas; Tom Prichard defeated Wendell Cooley for the Continental Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Title in Knoxville, Tennessee

    1990 – Dave Finlay and Marty Jones defeated Tony St. Clair and Miles Zrno to win the Catch Wrestling Association World Tag Team Title in Graz, Austria; Rex King and Joey Maggs defeated Tony Anthony and Tom Burton for the USWA Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee; The Juice Patrol (Beetlejuice (Art Barr) and Big Juice (Jeff Warner)) defeated U.S. Male (Ricky Santana and Curtis Thompson) to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title in Portland, Oregon.

    1992 – The Super Destroyers (#1 and #2) defeated Glenn Osbourne and Max Thrasher to become the first-ever ECW Tag Team Champions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

    1994 – WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair pinned WCW International World Heavyweight Champion Sting to unify the titles and Lord Steven Regal (with Sir William) pinned WCW World Television Champion Larry Zbyszko to win the title in Charleston, South Carolina.

    1995 – Scott D’Amore defeated Bruiser Bedlam for the Border City Wrestling Can-Am Heavyweight Title in LaSalle, Ontario,

    1996- Ahmed Johnson pinned WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust (with Marlena) to win the title and Steve Austin pinned Jake Roberts to win the King of the Ring tournament in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

    2000 – In Louisville, Kentucky; The Disciples of Synn (Damian and Slash) defeated OVW Southern Tag Team Champions B.J. Payne and Scotty Sabre to win the title.

    2002 – Molly Holly defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus to win the title and Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated WWE
    Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam to win the King of the Ring tournament in Columbus, Ohio.

  • WWE Notes: Update on Jamie Noble

    Jamie Noble is believed to have suffered a rib injury during the angle at the end of the show on Raw tonight, which led to him being hospitalized.