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  • On this day in pro wrestling history (June 2): Hogan beats Inoki to win 1st IWGP tourney, HTM’s Intercontinental title reign begins

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1949 – In Kansas City, Kansas; Joe Pazandak beat Roy Graham in 2 out of 3 falls to become the number one contender to the NWA World title. Also, Sonny Myers beat Abe Kashey

    1960 – Dan Miller and Frank Valois defeated Rikidozan and Michiaki Yoshimura to win the JWA All Asian Tag Team Title in Osaka, Japan; Bob Ellis defeated Dick the Bruiser in Windsor, Ontario to win the Detroit version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Title

    1962 – Dick the Bruiser defeated Wilbur Snyder in Detroit, Michigan to win the Detroit version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Title; At the Armory in St. Paul; Mr. M & Bob Geigel beat Joe Scarpello & Doug Gilbert and Larry Hennig beat Gene Anderson.

    1967 – In Chicago; The Devils Duo (Angelo Poffo & Chris Markoff) beat Dick the Bruiser & the Crusher, Wilbur Snyder drew Johnny Powers and Johnny Valentine no contest with Earl Maynard.

    1970 – In Chicago; Dick the Bruiser & the Crusher beat Chain Gang (Jim & Jack Dillinger), Baron Von Raschke beat Edouard Carpentier, Wilbur Snyder beat Dr X via dq and Dr Bill Miller beat Pepper Gomez. Attendance was 12,000.

    1978 – El Faraon defeated Alfonso Dantes for the NWA World Light Heavyweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico

    1979 – Dennis Condrey defeated Ron Garfield to win the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee; In Milwaukee, Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher beat Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Duncum, Super Destroyer Mark II beat Mad Dog Vachon via count out and Greg Gagne beat Pat Patterson. Attendance was 4,700; The Spoiler was awarded the WCCW American Heavyweight Title in Houston, Texas when champion Wahoo McDaniel was unable to compete due to injury.

    1980 – Matt Borne & Buzz Sawyer defeated Jimmy Snuka & The Iron Sheik in Greenville, South Carolina in a tournament final to win the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title; Dennis Condrey defeated Gorgeous George Jr. in Chattanooga, Tennessee to win the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title; Ken Lucas and Ricky Morton defeated Gypsy Joe and Skull Murphy for the AWA Southern Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee.

    1983 – At the finals of the first IWGP tournament, Hulk Hogan defeated Antonio Inoki by countout to win the tournament. At the same event, Tiger Mask won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title, defeating Kuniaki Kobayahi for the vacant title; Harley Race defeated Dewey Robertson in Kansas City, Missouri for the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title. The title would be vacated eight days later when Race won the NWA World Heavyweight Title in St. Louis, Missouri from Ric Flair.

    1987 – The Honky Tonk Man defeated Ricky Steamboat to win the WWF Intercontinental Title in Buffalo, New York.

    1990 – El Dandy defeated Angel Azteca to win the NWA World Middleweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico; Tony Anthony and Tom Burton defeated the Southern Rockers’ (Rex King and Steve Doll) for the USWA Tag Team Title by defeating King in a handicap match in Memphis, Tennessee.

    1993 – The Patriot (Del Wilkes) and The Eagle (George Hines) defeated Kenta Kobashi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi for the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Titles in Koyama, Japan.

    2004 – In Nashville, Tennessee Jeff Jarrett defeated champion Ron Killings, A.J. Styles, Raven and Chris Harris in the first-ever King of the Mountain match to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title

    2005 – In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Kenny Omega defeated Chris Sabin in the finals of Premier Championship Wrestling’s Premier Cup, to become the first NWA Canadian X Division Champion

  • WWE Network: Steve Austin & Paul Heyman live podcast recap

    By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com

    In late April, we got the Jericho and Stephanie McMahon podcast. Now, barely one month later, we get Steve Austin and Paul Heyman. While their on-air time has been fairly minimal given the length of each man’s careers, they did have an impact on one another. Austin being part of the Dangerous Alliance in WCW gave him a main event rub when he otherwise would’ve been mired in the mid-card, while Heyman’s hiring of Austin in ECW allowed him to unleash verbal tirades that would bear a striking resemblance to his Stone Cold promos.

    Steve starts the show sending some love to the people affected by the floods. Steve plugs the future PodcastOne release and Paul says that he’s humbled by being interviewed by Steve given all that he has accomplished and of the two, Heyman should probably be interviewing Steve. Steve puts him over for hustling his way into wrestling at 15 and he’ll ask questions, but isn’t sure if they’re going to be “hard questions”.

    Heyman asks him what the capital of Nebraska is and Steve says he can’t stand being asked questions like that, while Heyman asks who the 16th President was and Austin says it as Lincoln – giving Steve the answer to the earlier question. Steve asks when they first met and Heyman says it was at Center Stage and ad a giant knee brace on while sitting with Jeanie. Heyman asks if he shouldn’t have mentioned that and Steve says they’ll just edit that out.

    Heyman was struck by this long-haired blonde, and he wasn’t talking about Jeanie. Heyman does a hilarious Jim Ross impression as Ross put him over to Heyman instantly. We see some Dangerous Alliance shots in the background and Heyman talks about Steve hitting the ropes and him never seeing anyone hit them as hard as Steve did. Heyman said they knew they scored something special when they signed him to WCW and introduced himself to Steve as “Paul E. Dangerously”.

    Within five weeks, Steve was put in the Dangerous Alliance at Paul’s request, and Paul talks about the Alliance’s history. He was pulled back in a power move by Jim Crockett to just be Rude’s manager, and Steve says he was hot off of a “WWF” run, while Heyman wanted to make a new Horsmen around Rude with Arn Anderson, Eaton, and Larry Zybisko as the members. Madusa was going to be in as well, but Heyman wanted Steve in there badly.

    Heyman called Dusty and he’d already sued WCW at this point. Heyman knocks Jim Herd and he told Dusty that the Alliance would blow the Horsemen away and he wanted one member – Steve Austin. Dusty liked Steve, but was hesitant about putting “this kid” in the Alliance until Paul told him he was like Dusty – he was going to be a huge star, and he was from Texas. Of course, Dusty immediately agreed with Paul and knew that Steve was going to be the next big breakout star from Texas.

    Dusty, of course,  was overjoyed to have come up with this idea, and Heyman does a Rude impression while Steve asks if he had his stamp of approval. Heyman said Rude was on-board and Steve puts Rude over as a man’s man and a hell of a worker who had a physique and didn’t hold his opinions back. Steve respected Rude and Heyman says Steve already had a buzz out of Texas. He was intense and different than the guys just doing a smooth dance. Steve’s stuff looked like a fight, and Steve says that “intensity” brings Brock to mind for him.

    Steve asks when he’ll back and Heyman says it’s pretty much public knowledge that he’ll be back soon. He’s been on his farm and loves being a farmer and a hunter. Brock owns property in both America and Canada, and boy does Destination America ever need some Brock Lesnar shows. Brock Lesnar Conquers the Ghost Asylum. Brock Lesnar Hunts Bigfoot. Ring of Hunting Starring Brock Lesnar. Heyman loves that with Brock, what you see is what you get. He’s the son of a dairy farmer, he grew up on a dairy farm, and with all of the money he’s made in WWE, UFC, and WWE, he just goes and buys more farmland.

    No matter how famous he is, how much money he has, or how many shows he main events – he’s a farmer through and through. It’s who he is at his core. He’s also a hunter, and Steve wants to go on a hunting trip with him. Steve says that they need to do that on the Network, and Heyman says that he can make it happen, but won’t accompany them since “my people aren’t hunters.”

    Heyman says he can’t kill it, but he can make a fine lapel out of it. They go on a what bit and Heyman says his people own the media and screwed up in the Middle East. They bought the only land in the Middle East without any oil – all they have is sand and a sea, and they wind up with folks just trying to shove them into the river anyway. Jewish History As Told By Paul Heyman should be on the Network.

    Steve asks if Brock was really going to come back to the UFC, and Steve hoped that he would stay in WWE. Heyman says that he opened a mini training camp in January preparing to not strike the right deal with WWE. If the deal wasn’t made, he would go right into UFC ASAP. Brock didn’t care who he fought, he just wanted a fight. Heyman says Brock has had a lot of fun in WWE during this run. Ending the streak and destroying Cena over the past year gave Brock something he didn’t have in a prior run.

    Brock views himself as the baddest man on the planet and in the fourth fight, he took on Randy Couture and destroyed him in the second round. He did that with diverticulitis and actually had the disease his whole life. In looking at blood screenings, they apparently came to the conclusion that he’s always had it, but never realized it. Now that Brock’s healthy, the thought was he could do even more in UFC.

    Heyman says that for the first time, Brock has really enjoyed being in WWE. Steve says that the limited date deal makes people question his passion, but he knows he loves the business. Heyman says he loves the business, but his kids need a father more than WWE needs Brock Lesnar. Heyman talks about every Brock appearance being special now and how his matches are now can’t miss. Heyman says that the greatest night of the year is Christmas Eve, and it’s only because how unique the day is – you couldn’t do it 365 times a year. When you say Brock is appearing, “DON’T YA DARE MISS IT, BE THERE!”

    Steve says that Heyman’s wanted more as well, and asks if he’d take on more clients. Well, they’ve already done that several times. Heyman says it’s interesting because they have such a defined relationship on TV that mirrors their real-life relationship. Putting him with anyone else makes it “Brock Lesnar’s guy is with this guy”. He says the Punk role works and he played a different character with Punk than he did with Brock. They were like Morris Day and Jerome.

    Heyman says that he texts with Punk every day, and they have a friendship outside of the business. Austin asks how he thinks Punk will do in UFC and says that Punk was burned out here and just moved on down the road. Heyman says Punk isn’t motivated by money, he wants the challenge. He might regret not doing it seven years ago, but he wants to see how he can do it and he’ll either shock the world by kicking as or even having his ass kicked. He’s man enough to take his chances on it.

    Steve talks about selling and how Jake made the DDT and now it’s just a transition spot. He wonders if it’s just selling poorly and the guys today are better athletes than he ever was, but they need to work smart as well. “If nothing hurts, who gives a damn?” Harley’s finish was a suplex – not off the top, not a brainbuster, but a basic suplex. Steve asks if guys are outworking themselves and Steve says that at least in ECW, guys sold the crazy things they did.

    Steve says that back in the day, you’d drink in the car while booking in your head. Heyman says that with Henry, you look at him and give him a headlock because he’s so massive. You give this move to Henry, make it his, and make sure no one else uses a headlock. If you do – you answer to Henry and then Vince. Henry comes out for 30 weeks and taps guys out with it, and you get the move over – it’s about how you educate the fans to what move is, and not what the move is – so when someone powers out of it at WrestleMania, it will get a big pop. If you treat a move like it’s devastating, then it becomes that. If everyone protects it, you’ll be fine.

    Steve praises Raw for the Cena-Owens exchange, and he puts over Harley and Jake for never raising their voices and just using their tone to scare people. Austin says that Heyman was cutting great promos even in Continental, and he’s now mastered the art of promos. Steve wants promos to be more spontaneous, so he is theoretically not a fan of Everyone Talks for 20 Minutes. Heyman says that he was taught to know where the money was in a promo.

    Heyman thought he was going to do a promo before Cornette, and he wind up closing the show on a taping. He didn’t know how long the promo would be – it could be 30 seconds or four minutes. He did impressions, ran around, and did everything but speak in tongues so people couldn’t turn away. He thought he was amazing, and Dusty says he was entertaining, but asked “where’s the money?”

    Steve says all the blah blah was entertaining, but it didn’t draw money. Heyman says that you need to ask “where’s the money?” in every promo and for him, that can just be “BROCK LESSSSSNNNARR!”. It’s not just “Brock Lesnar” – it’s gutteral and terrifying. If he’s selling Brock, he does that. If he’s selling a Summerslam main event, what else is he selling?

    Steve talks about the importance of cadence in promos and how many parts there are to a promo. Many didn’t like the Ultimate Warrior’s promo, but Steve did because it fit his character. The content isn’t just what matters, but how you say it matters as well. Sometimes, you have to layer a promo and just because someone can talk for five minutes, doesn’t mean you should. Heyman agrees and Steve asks how you can change promos. Steve tells Paul that he made Steve a laser beam with promos.

    Paul says that he makes himself available to talent who asks, but he doesn’t actively force his opinions on others. Paul feels that too many people start a promo pontificating and recapping everything in great detail that wouldn’t be logical. He starts with “ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman” so people know who he is, and “I’m here to advocate for my client Brock Lesnar” lets you know his role. Everything after that is the money, and within three sentences, he can tell you who he is, his role, and what he’s here to do. The art of engaging the audience is lost and now they’re just talking at them.

    Steve says if the message is just a bunch of words, then it doesn’t connect. Maybe WWE will change up “This is _____ and My Guest at This Time is _____” in some new and radical way. They can have an app vote on changing word order with A being My Guest, B being I am With and C being The Superstar Speaking with me or somesuch. Steve says that logically, it looks weird to have people have a mic by their hip and reciting the script to know when to respond.

    Steve says Heyman hustled Vince Sr. and we see a photo of him that Heyman himself took. It’s a photo with Tony Atlas, so they cropped him out and he wasn’t going to say a Tony Atlas story on-air.  Heyman says that he found out where Vince would take the inner circle to dinner and we see a photo of Vince Sr. and Andre that he took and earned his first $50 in wrestling. We hear about Heyman lying to get his press pass and going to the worst part of NYC and seeing Gorilla and Skaaland playing pinochle and
    snapping photos from below, making Andre looks huge.

    The next month, he had an 8×10 printed of it and made a beeline to give it to Vince Sr. as soon as he could before Eamo got him. Paul says Vince Jr. probably has a tear going down his face now, and hopes he didn’t misremember him or he’ll never hear the end of it. They shoved him against the wall and he told them he had a press pass and he talked to Howard Finkel and gave Vince the rights to the photo and Finkel gives him $50. They offered to cover his trans and pay him for his photos, and he never got his $50 from Vince Sr.

    Steve asks about the differences between Vince Sr. and Vince Jr. Paul says Sr. did what he did for his times and used his bicycled tapes as best he could and if anyone tried to come into his territory, he’d fight you for it. Heyman goes through the territory system a bit and when times changed, Joe Blanchard had USA – and I believe that’s the first time that’s been mentioned on WWE TV in any form. Ole Anderson expanded Georgia with TBS and while Vince gets the credit for the expansion, he really didn’t do it first.

    What Vince did was make “the territory” the entire country. Paul says that then, no one was willing to ask if Vince Sr. was five years younger, would he have honored his prior deals or just done it anyway? Everyone else had their finger on some kind of pulse and even Verne would’ve gotten a deal – and that was proven by getting ESPN later. Paul says that Vince Sr. would’ve done it, but may not have been ambitious enough, but he didn’t know him well enough to say one way or another.

    Heyman talks about Captain Lou Albano being fired more times than anyone in WWWF, WWF, and WWE history. I can’t predict lotto winners, but I can predict that this is going to be great. If anyone hasn’t heard his classic Wrestling Observer Radio appearance talking about Lou, do so as soon as possible. If you got to the Garden early, he’d be there with a huge bottle of Tropicana Grapefruit juice “with about a drop of grapefruit juice in it” and we see a photo of Lou, Freddie Blassie, The Grand Wizard, and a young Paul Heyman. This is a photo I don’t recall seeing before – even on Heyman’s documentary.

    Lou was hammered and no matter what, he’d just call Vince Jr. “the kid” and would get fired and go to Charlie O’s. Vince Sr. would send someone there, bring him back, load him up with coffee, and give him job back every week. Steve compares that to Paul’s relationship with Vince Jr. and Paul says they get along great now that he isn’t telling Vince how to save the industry.

    He says that Letterman wanted to “fix TV” when he came to CBS, and that’s what he wanted to do in 2001 and he was hired to give a contrarian opinion and that led to them fighting. He thought Vince would fight ideas through and Vince got tired of it. Heyman says that he has changed how he talks to a lot of people, and fatherhood has mellowed him out. He enjoyed five iced coffees before the show, while the host enjoys Stone Cold beers.

    Paul says he’s never done cocaine and if he snorted a line back in his prime, his heart couldn’t have taken it. He always feared that his father would stand over his grave and his father standing over his grave and saying “I could understand you throwing you life away for this and this, but FOR THIS you make me stand over your grave?” Everyone thinks he was wired on drugs, but he was just high strung. Now, he’s far more subdued. He used to fight Vince and Stephanie to his own death, and Austin talks about Heyman’s run as SmackDown writer.

    Austin says he got heat for succeeding and Heyman got heat for calling Raw the B show. Steve asks about an ’06 plane ride from Hell between Heyman and Vince. Heyman says that in a nutshell, it was time for him to go. He lost his passion, his purpose in wrestling, and resurrected ECW’s name. It was personal to him and he didn’t like how it was being used. It became a personal issue between he and Vince – he wanted to just take over SD and maybe ECW wouldn’t suffer because of Vince holding ECW against him. Heyman says in a showdown between anyone and Vince, Vince isn’t leaving WWE.

    Heyman says he lost his way, couldn’t find it at the time, and Vince was angry at him while Heyman was angry at Vince. They had an ungodly bad show and were busy cursing each other out. Vince wanted him to go home and Paul was happy to go home – it took five 1/2 year for each man to see the benefits of that.

    Steve talks about being in a car with Rude and Heyman and Rude blowing up at him. Steve loves saying “goshdarn” a lot, and Steve says he’s just vents. Rude loves his “goshdarn” chicken, and Steve loves his “goshdarn” Sonic, and Rude demands that Heyman pull the car over and says “Steve, must you take the fudging Lord’s name in vein!?” while Steve just sits there and Paul says Rude wasn’t a saint and viewed the commandments as a suggestion. Steve apologized for offending him and promises he’ll never say the Lord’s name in vein, Rude thanks him, and Steve says “you’re goshdarned welcome!” so Rude exploded again.

    Steve said he couldn’t have predicted that would send him over the edge. Heyman talks about traveling with the Samoans while Steve says his wife is going to kill him for this. Heyman says that it was before cameras being everywhere and drones. Sting drove the Steiners around, with Scott in the front and Rick in the back. They’d speed to 85 miles per hour and Scott would hold Rick so he could grab you by your legs and luckily, no one died. Heyman was riding with Fatu and Samu and while Sting and the Steiners are coming, they lock the doors. Rick comes to get him and knocks on Paul’s window while Heyman cackles at him.

    Sting switches places with Scot and then they throw food at them – including a watermelon. They stop at a convenience store so they can turn it into Mad Max Part Two. They cut into their hands and write SST on their car in blood where the Samoans throw bottles, food, and baseballs at them. Heyman says Dollar Rent a Car declared the car as totaled and they wouldn’t rent to “Paul E. Dangerously” and he’s still blacklisted from renting a car in Charlotte, NC.

    Heyman asks Austin about Cena using the springboard stunner. Austin says it’s wasted because everyone kicks out of it – so now the move isn’t worth anything. Austin loves Cena and thinks he works his ass off, and the move is high risk given how slick the ropes are. Heyman asks if he wants to fight Brock at WrestleMania XXXII. Steve says he’d whoop his ass, while Heyman hypes up the baddest SOB in WWE history against the baddest man on the planet. In Texas, you could have the Rattlesnake against the Beast. Austin says he’ll think about it, but Brock really has to think about going into 105,000 people and getting his ass kicked. Heyman says they should really negotiate this – and since Paul’s phone dings, he has to buy everyone beers. Steve says if the stars aligned in Texas, where he’d watch the Von Erichs battle as Paul gets a text from a WWE writer about ” fire all the writers” while Austin wants a Texas death match with Brock.

    Austin doesn’t want a scientific match, he wants a fight. He respects Brock, his accomplishments, his life, but if he stands across from Steve Austin, and you mess with him, you’re not going to like what you get. Heyman says he’s an advocate while Steve says he’s about to advocate an ass-whooping. Paul says he can leave and Steve says that might be the right move. Well, this was fantastic. You got an hour of two old friends shooting the breeze and sharing stories and “the money” at the end of a promo that happened to be an hour long and compelled you to watch every second.

  • WWE Network Stone Cold Podcast With Paul Heyman Coverage

    By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com

    In late April, we got the Jericho and Stephanie McMahon podcast. Now, barely one month later, we get Steve Austin and Paul Heyman. While their on-air time has been fairly minimal given the length of each man’s careers, they did have an impact on one another. Austin being part of the Dangerous Alliance in WCW gave him a main event rub when he otherwise would’ve been mired in the mid-card, while Heyman’s hiring of Austin in ECW allowed him to unleash verbal tirades that would bear a striking resemblance to his Stone Cold promos.

    Steve starts the show

  • Report: Samoa Joe signs full time WWE contract

    By Kenneth Nida

    According to Sean Radican at PW Torch, Samoa Joe (aka Nuufolau Joel Seanoa) has signed a full time deal with WWE. It was reported by a source that after being very impressed with Joe’s performance at the NXT tapings, as well as merchandise sales that surpassed expectations, Vince McMahon and Paul “HHH” Levesque decided to offer him a full time deal.

    Joe will finish up his commitments with indies, and then report to either NXT or the main roster immediately.

    Joe ended his 10 year tenure with TNA Wrestling on February 17, 2015, and after appearing at various independent promotions, he returned to Ring of Honor on March 1. However, on May 20, Joe appeared at the NXT event ‘Unstoppable’ in a show-closing staredown with NXT Champion Kevin Owens. Joe had signed a unique contract that allowed him to work for independent promotions, while also appearing on NXT TV.

    That deal included Ring of Honor because their television didn’t air nationally, which changed last Wednesday when it was announced Ring of Honor would begin airing on Destination America prior to TNA.

    More on this story tonight on Wrestling Observer Radio. 

  • WWE RAW 6-1-15 TV Report: Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt, great John Cena promo

    By Jeff Hamlin, Wrestlingobserver.com

    The Big Takeaway:

    Roman Reigns will be in the Money in the Bank match after surviving three singles matches set up for him by the authority. The best thing on the show was John Cena’s showdown with Kevin Owens, which has to go down as among the best promos of Cena’s career.

    Show Recap:

    Stephanie McMahon, HHH, Seth Rollins, Kane and J&J Security came out with Stephanie saying Rollins is the World Heavyweight Champion and called Dean Ambrose a thief for stealing the World Heavyweight Championship.

    HHH ordered Ambrose to come to the ring and return the championship, with everyone careful not to call it a belt or a strap. HHH screamed at Amrbose, but Roman Reigns showed up to a few boos. Reigns said Ambrose wasn’t in San Antonio and said that Ambrose wants a rematch at Money in the Bank, and a ladder match at that. Stephanie McMahon said they weren’t negotiating. Reigns said they should since Ambrose beat him last night. Reigns mentioned he beat him, Ambrose beat him and Rollins may be the worst WWE Champion of all time.

    That set Rollins off, saying Ambrose could have his rematch at Money in the Bank. He said he didn’t need the Authority, didn’t need a “7-foot piece of crap,” didn’t need J&J Security to beat Ambrose and stormed off.

    Stephanie started to do her monthly dressing down of talent which always helps them get over so much. This time, she started to scold Reigns but HHH calmed her down. HHH said if Reigns lost tonight, he would be out of the Money in the Bank match. HHH said he would choose Reigns opponent.  

    Roman Reigns defeated King Barrett to remain in the Money in the Bank match (14:06)

    Pretty good stiff match where Reigns ducked King Barrett’s Bullhammer Elbow attempt and hit a spear. To do his dirty work, HHH sent in a guy who jobbed to R-Truth last night. Great job. Booker T. called this a “championship match anywhere in the world.” Well, maybe the Greensboro house show they had over the weekend where John Cena vs. Kane headlined because of Rusev’s injury. 

    Reigns ran into HHH and Stephanie backstage. They informed him that Reigns would have another match tonight against Mark Henry that would determine if he would remain in the Money in the Bank match.

    Nikki Bella did an interview about being Divas champion for over 5 months when Paige walked up. Paige issued a challenge. Nikki said they should wrestle tonight. They stared at each other forever before they cut to the ring. I’d like to apologize to Sable to ripping her dialogue skills in 1998. She’s head and breasts above these divas today.

    Ryback came out as the new Intercontiential Champion and thanked the fans in San Antonio for giving him a strong reaction when he returned from injury last October. He was supposed to face the Miz in his first title defense, but the Big Show made his return. The Big Show walked into the ring, knocked out the Miz and told Ryback if anyone was going to beat him for that title, it was going to be him. They had a staredown before Show left. Miz was a complete afterthought here. My brother and I touched on the Jordan-LeBron “best ever” debate last night. In the future, I bet wrestling fans will have a similar debate over which WrestleMania main eventer had a bigger career decline: Bobby Lashley or Miz. 

    Kevin Owens came out to a underwhelming reaction. This was his first long scripted interview and it really didn’t capture what the fans want a Cena conquerer to be. He talked about beating Cena was the biggest win of his career. When he called home last night, his wife told him how proud he was of him. Then his son asked if Cena was OK. He said his son grew up a Cena fan because of blind worship manipulated by a marketing machine. While Owens traveled the world for over ten years, Cena became his son’s hero because he was on Raw every week. Interview got better when Owens ran down Cena as a broken, empty shell of a man. 

    Cena came out and put over Owens saying he may have made the most unbelievable debut in history. Cena said before Owens promo, he was going to hand him the U.S. Championship. But Owens wasn’t a real man because he couldn’t cast his jealously aside. Cena said if his son was so influenced by the WWE marketing machine, he would be wearing an Adam Rose t-shirt, still love the Funkasauras and want to grow up playing in the XFL. Damn, Rose needs to give notice pronto. Cena said the slogans he’s uttered matches the way he’s lived his life in and out of the ring for over 10 years. He highlighted a girl in the crowd that held up a “I’m beating cancer” sign. She received a strong reaction. 

    Cena said the three words that defined Owens is “Never give up.” But Cena told Owens to think before he speaks because in two weeks he will have to explain how a great wrestler got beat by a real man. Cena acted like he was going to square off but Owens walked off. Great promo by Cena and this was a good segment overall. 

    The New Day with Xavier Woods saying Tim Duncan needs to retire. Kofi Kingston put himself over about how he’s going to win the Money in the Bank match.

    Dolph Ziggler defeated Kofi Kingston (3:14)

    Lana came out with Dolph Ziggler and watched from the ramp. Ziggler pinned Kingston when he reversed a schoolboy cradle. Big E. and Woods jumped Ziggler postmatch but the Prime Time Players ran down for the save. 

    This led to a six-man match immediately afterwards. 

    Prime Time Players and Dolph Ziggler defeated the New Day (5:32)

    Titus O’Neal pinned Woods after a pump handle slam. Crowd got into O’Neal’s hot tag comeback. Lana just watched on. 

    Roman Reigns defeated Mark Henry by countout to retain his spot in the Money in the Bank match (3:45)

    Reigns hit a Superman Punch outside the ring. TGhey teased a double countout before Reigns got back in the ring before ten. Afterwards, Henry gave Reigns the World’s Strongest Slam. Reigns can’t even pin a guy whose career is winding down?  

    Of course, HHH and Stephanie met Reigns backstage and told him he would get another match tonight with Bray Wyatt.  

    They aired Axelmania and Macho Mandow sipping Sonic Shakes. They were supposed to do the Mega Powers handshake but the shakes were so good they forgot. When they finished the shakes Axelmania did the Hulk Hogan catchphrase. Big Show and New Day also taped spots. 

    Nikki Bella defeated Paige to retain the Divas Championship (5:42)

    Finish came when Paige delivered a brainbuster off the second rope. Nikki, who looked like she landed on her head, rolled out of the ring, where Brie Bella was hiding under the ring. The twins switched places and Brie, with the referee thinking it was Nikki, small packaged Paige to win. So the Bellas with a heel turn, their latest turn without turning. 

    Randy Orton defeated Sheamus by DQ (12:57)

    Crowd was mildly interested but they couldn’t get anything going and it had a lousy finish. Orton set up for the RKO but Sheamus escaped and hit a flying knee. They wound up outside the ring where Sheamus hit Orton with a chair for the DQ. Sheamus hit two Brogue kicks on Orton and had to be separated by various officials. 

    Rusev did an interview on crutches with a blank look on his face. Byron Saxton asked him for his current state of mind. He said he had no career, no woman, no championship. He said he was a broken man and he was the one crushed this time. But he sees what he wants, what he desires and he will get it back. 

    They announced the six-man field for Money in the Bank match would include Reigns (if he wins), Ziggler, Kingston, Orton, Sheamus and Neville, with more participants to be added. Seems to hint at the finish of the main event will be designed to add Wyatt somehow. 

    Neville defeated Bo Dallas (3:06)

    Neville won with the Red Arrow. Crowd was dead when Bo Dallas was on offense. 

    Roman Reigns defeated Bray Wyatt to keep his spot in the Money in the Bank match (again) (12:12)

    Crowd was tired of Reigns by this point and really just tired period. The Authority watched from the ramp. Reigns is now smiling while he’s selling to tease his comeback. This was the best match on the show. Finish came when Reigns hit a Superman’s Punch. J&J Security and Kane surrounded the ring. Kane jumped on the apron. Reigns sent Wyatt into Kane then hit a spear to pin Wyatt. 

    Postmatch, the Authority tried to jump on Reigns and surrounded him. Then Ambrose’s music hit. Rollins tried to meet him on the entrance ramp, but Ambrose showed up on the announcer’s table. Ambrose threw the belt to Rollins, who caught it. But Ambrose kicked Rollins in the gut and hit Dirty Deeds, then took the belt back. Reigns gave Joey Mercury a spear and Ambrose clotheslined Jamie Noble over the top rope. Ambrose and Reigns escaped through the crowd. 

    SUMMARY: The Reigns storyline was a long way to reach an obvious conclusion. Looking at that Money in the Bank match lineup, it again exposes the lack of depth in the company, so how could Reigns be left out? It’s tough to watch a Orton-Sheamus match without thinking of the crowd that crapped on it in 2012 in Brooklyn. Tonight’s wasn’t much better. It still feels like Ambrose is more over than Reigns, but he’s not the chosen one. 

  • WWE News: Samoa Joe in San Antonio

    Before RAW tonight, Samoa Joe worked what was likely a dark match against Tyson Kidd.  We’re looking for reports on the early matches on tonight’s show.

  • 10 UFC Fights To Watch in June

    By Ryan Frederick, WrestlingObserver.com

    June is shaping up to be another big month in the UFC with events on all four Saturdays of the month as the Octagon will be in three different countries during the month. Up first will be UFC Fight Night 68 on June 6 in New Orleans, followed by UFC 188 on June 13 in Mexico City, then a trek overseas for UFC Fight Night 69 in Berlin on June 20, and ending the month in Hollywood, Florida for the The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 Finale on June 27. With a full slate of fights coming our way this month, it is time to take a look at ten fights to keep an eye on during the month of June.

    Honorable Mentions:
    Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill-UFC 188-June 13
    Dennis Siver vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri-UFC Fight Night 69-June 20
    Lorenz Larkin vs. Santigao Ponzinibbio-TUF Brazil 4 Finale-June 27

    10. Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt-UFC 188-June 13

    Gastelum is a former TUF winner who had some success competing in the welterweight division. However, he also had trouble making weight, missing weight in two of his last three fights, and having trouble making weight for other fights. He missed weight by ten pounds for his last bout, prompting UFC President Dana Whtie to force him to move up to middleweight. Marquardt is another fighter moving to middleweight from the welterweight division, though he fought at middleweight for the majority of his career. The move down to 170 pounds didn’t pan out for Marquardt, and it took a toll on him physically, so he moved back up. He is 1-1 since going back to 185 pounds, while Gastelum will be coming into this fight off of his first career loss. Gastelum scored the biggest win of his career the last time the UFC was in Mexico City, a first-round submission of Jake Ellenberger, and he is hoping that history will repear itself.

    9. Tim Boetsch vs. Dan Henderson-UFC Fight Night 68-June 6

    Tim Boetsch and Dan Henderson will headline UFC Fight Night 68 in New Orleans after the original main event, Daniel Cormier against Ryan Bader, was changed when Cormier was moved to a title fight, which he won last month at UFC 187. Boetsch and Henderson were tapped as the new main event despite the fact both men are coming in off of losses, and have only won a combined three fights in their last twelve combined fights. Henderson still has that vicious right hand power, but he has faded as he has entered the twilight of his career. He is better fit at 185 pounds, but Boetsch is a powerful middleweight fighter. Boetsch has had some knockout victories, and he gets the chance to compete in his first main event UFC bout. This fight probably isn’t even the best fight on the June 6 card, but it gets the chance to shine in the showcase spot.

    8. Rick Story vs. Erick Silva-TUF Brazil 4 Finale-June 27

    Story and Silva were originally supposed to headline the TUF Brazil 4 Finale when it was scheduled for Sao Paulo, but with the event moving to Florida, they were bumped down to the semi-main event in favor of a more marketable main event. That isn’t to say this won’t be a fun fight. Silva is known for exciting fights as he comes out quick and looking to finish. Story is a more methodical fighter, and he can be in some boring fights, but he has been in some exciting fights as well. Story is currently ranked at number eleven in the UFC’s welterweight rankings following a split decision win over Gunnar Nelson in October. Silva is looking to crack into the top 15 of the rankings after two straight wins, but he will need to get out of that first round as all of his UFC wins have come in the first round, having yet to win a fight that has gone past five minutes in the Octagon. This is a pretty underrated fight this month, and one to definitely keep an eye on.

    7. Henry Cejudo vs. Chico Camus-UFC 188-June 13

    This is a fight that could have title shot ramifications, and is the only fight currently scheduled for the preliminary card to make this list. Cejudo is being built as a flyweight contender as long as he can show he can continually make weight. After winning in his flyweight debut over Chris Cariaso at UFC 185 in March, Cejudo was open about wanting to fight on the UFC 188 card in Mexico City as he has a Hispanic heritage. It took some time to announce this bout as Cejudo was rumored to be dealing with an injury, but the fight with Camus that was in the works was finally announced in late April. Camus had a successful flyweight debut win over Brad Pickett in November, and he will be looking to score the upset and make it two straight wins. Cejudo is the guy buing built for Demetrious Johnson, and this is a fight made for him to use his wrestling to domiante in, but he shouldn’t take Camus lightly. This will be another interesting test for Cejudo.

    6. Ben Rothwell vs. Matt Mitrione-UFC Fight Night 68-June 6
    Honestly, this bout probably should have been named the main event of UFC Fight Night 68 when the original headliner was cancelled. Rothwell has won two straight, and three of his last four overall, and is coming off a big first-round knockout win over Alistair Overeem in September. He has been out of action for nine months and makes his return against Mitrione. Mitrione is coming in as perhaps the hottest fighter in the heavyweight division, having won three straight fights, all by knockout in the first round, and four of his last five overall. He has improved dramatically, and eight of his nine career wins have come by a finish. More importantly, this fight will have some title contention meaning as the UFC’s heavyweight division is open to all contenders at the moment. This is a big fight to watch, and one that probably will see a finish.

    5. Dustin Poirier vs. Yancy Medeiros-UFC Fight Night 68-June 6
    This fight has the chance to be the best fight on the UFC Fight Night 68 card on June 6 in New Orleans. Poirier gets what he wants, a chance to fight in New Orleans just two months after his last bout, and this will be his second fight since returning to the lightweight division. He scored a first-round knockout over Carlos Diego Ferreira in April, and he has looked strong with wins in four of his last five fights, the only loss coming to Conor McGregor. Medeiros will be coming into the bout with Poirier having won two straight fights by submission, scoring wins over Damon Jackson and Joe Proctor, and he has been honored with “Performance Of The Night” in both fights. Both men come out swinging in their fights, and both have solid submission skills. This has the makings of being the best fight in the month of June.

    4. Lyoto Machida vs. Yoel Romero-TUF Brazil 4 Finale-June 27

    This fight was announced kinda out of nowhere in the middle of May as the new headliner for the TUF Brazil 4 Finale on June 27. That event was originally scheduled to be in Sao Paulo, Brazil and to be headlined by Rick Story against Erick Silva, but the event was moved to Florida and needed a bigger main event, and this bout was made. It is a very interesting fight and a chance for Romero to prove if he can be a contender at 185 pounds. Romero was supposed to fight Ronaldo Souza in April but was forced out due to a ligament and meniscus tear in his knee. He may be coming back too soon from that injury, especially against an opponent like Machida. Machida is coming off a disappointing submission loss to Luke Rockhold in April, and it was the worst loss of his career. He will be looking to bounce back, and a second straight loss would likely end any chance Machida would have of fighting for the championship again. Romero winning would put him in the same group as Rockhold and Souza looking for the next crack at Chris Weidman.

    3. Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Penne-UFC Fight Night 69-June 20 
    For the first time in the history of the UFC’s digital network, UFC Fight Pass, a championship will be on the line when the Octagon returns to Germany on June 20 for UFC Fight Night 69. UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrezjczyk will make her first title defense against the challenger, Jessica Penne, in the headliner in Berlin. Jedrezjczyk won the championship at UFC 185 in March in a dominant win over former title holder Carla Esparza, finishing her with punches in the second round. Penne was selected as the challenger when the original main event for this card was cancelled and they needed a fill-in, and she was probably the best available opponent for Jedrzejczyk. Penne is a former Invicta Atomweight Champion, but she is probably still a little undersized for the strawweight division. She defeated Randa Markos in a close fight in her UFC debut, and has won five of her last six fights.

    2. Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez-UFC 188-June 13

    This is a fight that has been years in the making since when Melendez was the Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and Alvarez was the Bellator Lightweight Champion. There was talk of an inter-promotional bout between the two six years ago, but it went nowhere as their was little chance of it even happening. Now, both are in the UFC, both are no longer champions, and both are looking to get to the title fight. Melendez has surprisingly had two title shots in three UFC bouts, but has come up on the short end to Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis. Alvarez has only fought in the Octagon once so far, losing a decision to the red-hot Donald Cerrone. Both men have Hispanic heritage, and they get the semi-main event slot on UFC 188 in Mexico City on June 13. This has the makings of a great fight, and Melendez and Alvarez are both known for putting on great fights. This is another potential fight of the month.

    1. Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum-UFC 188-June 13

    It looks like we will finally get the long-awaited heavyweight championship battle between current UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum as we will finally get an undisputed champion. They will headline when the Octagon returns to Mexico City on June 13, just like they were scheduled to in November when the UFC went to the city for the first time for UFC 180. Velasquez was forced out due to injury, and Werdum went on to defeat Mark Hunt for the interim belt. Velasquez hasn’t fought since defending the title against Junior Dos Santos at UFC 166 in October 2013, and he has a bad history of injuries. He has seen his teammates do well in his absence, with Daniel Cormier becoming a champion and Luke Rockhold becoming the top contender. Velasquez wants to return with a statement and make himself the undisputed champion. With this being the biggest fight of the month, it rightfully takes our top spot as the fight to watch in June.

  • WWE Raw 6-1-15 Live Coverage: Gearing Up for Money in the Bank

    by Jeff Hamlin, Wrestlingobserver.com

    Tonight’s Raw from San Antonio will serve as a bridge between last night’s Elimination Chamber show and Money in the Bank, which is only two weeks away. Last night, after Road Warrior Hawk appeared to win the NWA Heavyweight title from Ric Flair after a Sonny Fargo ref bump, Hawk took the belt anyw…whoops, wrong era. It’s Dean Ambrose carrying the WWE Heavyweight Title even though he didn’t technically pin Seth Rollins last night. That situation will likely open the show tonight. Kevin Owens, following his win over John Cena, will make the next step in his push. Also, the new Intercontinental Champion Ryback is set to appear. 

    Live blog starts here at 8 EST. Please join us.  

  • MON. UPDATE: Raw, Steve Austin, ROH TV, Story on SF bar brawl, Hogan on ESPN

    By dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>Dave Meltzer

    We’re looking for your thoughts on last night’s Elimination Chamber show, so you can send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    We’re also looking for reports on Raw tonight from San Antonio (Superstars matches, dark matches, anything not evident from watching the TV show) as well as the WWE Saturday night house show and last night’s Evolve show at dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Houston.

    **** 

    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with a detailed look at the history of popular music being used in pro wrestling, including:

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    The breakdown of the ROH deal on Destination America, how this affects TNA, the time frame of both company’s deals with the station and why this went down is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We also look at Daniel Cormier winning the world championship and questions arising, full coverage of UFC 187, Full coverage of Samoa Joe to NXT and the last special, the AAA World Cup coverage, Bischoff sues TNA and the UFC hall of Fame.

    The new issue is up on the site at June 1, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: ROH to Destination America, Bischoff sues TNA, UFC Hall of Fame

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    –Hector Lombard talks Josh Barnett

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    *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)

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    *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.

    MONDAY’S NEWS UPDATE

    • Bryan and I will be back late tonight covering Raw, the death of Tommy Rogers and taking e-mail questions that can be sent to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
    • With only two weeks before Money in the Bank, tonight’s show is going to have to heavily push the top matches.  As noted yesterday, both Big Show and Randy Orton were already in San Antonio last night.  Daniel Bryan is also there, although just being there doesn’t necessarily mean on TV given all the changes that get made.
    • After Raw tonight will be the Stone Cold podcast with Paul Heyman as guest, which should be entertaining.
    • WWE was the second biggest searched topic yesterday on Google with 200,000, which is along the lines of what a fairly good performing B show would do.  Kim Kardashian was the only thing above WWE.  While most of the searches were for Elimination Chamber, the most searched for wrestler yesterday was Kevin Owens.
    • There were technical problems with the show in Germany.  The show was interrupted several times on the German PPV broadcast of the show, even during the replay, which included missing the finish of the women’s match, part of the IC title chamber match and the beginning of the main event.  The announcers claimed it was due to a thunder storm in New York, saying that’s where they were getting the signal from.  Because Elimination Chamber has a negative connotation in Germany, it was called “No Escape,” in Germany.  We got some, but not a lot of people noting streaming problems on the network for the show. (thanks to Sebastian essner)
    • Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart were in Bristol, CT, today doing some ESPN shows.  The video is here.  He was there to promote WWE’s involvement in the Special Olympics.  He said he wanted to wrestle at WrestleMania next year. 
    • Stephen Amell on Twitter is pushing his program with “Cody”
    • Wednesday is a big day for UFC holding a presentation about its Athlete Health and Performance program, which is expected to include extensive talk on a new drug testing program and will be the introduction of new hire Jeff Novitzky as the UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance.  They will also be unveiling their new Athlete Marketing and Development Program.
    • TNA today announced a new television deal with Nuvolari TV in Italy.  Impact will air Thursdays at 9 p.m. and repeated Sundays at 11 p.m..  They will also air 2014 shows every weeknight at 6 p.m., as well as PPV events.
    • Dave & Mark Schultz head the 2015 class for the Peninsula (San Francisco Bay Area) Sports Hall of Fame.  The Hall of Fame is located at the San Mateo County History museum in Redwood City.  Dave & Mark, whose lives were featured in the movie “Foxcatcher,” went to Palo Alto High School where both were state champions, NCAA champions and Olympic gold medalists in wrestling.
    • The Wednesday debut of ROH on Destination America will be the same show that aired this past weekend in syndication.  Hopefully they added at least an introductory package and some new interviews to explain the product itself at the start of the show.  
    • The story I told last night on Observer radio about Leslie Smith at the bar in San Francisco when a guy grabbed one of her friends butts and then spit and punched her is here.
    • Figures Toy Company, which has the ROH action figures deal, has reached agreements not only with the Young Bucks for action figures but also will New Jack, Cliff Compton, Brian Myers (Curt Hawkins) and Joey Ryan.
    • WWE stock had a bad day, dropping 44 cents to $13.86 per share.
    • XCite Wrestling and ECPW have a fund raiser on 6/19 in Binghamton, NY at the American Legion Post 80 as a tribute to Brendan Fields, who wrestled for both promotions under the name Spike Norton, and passed away on 4/6 in an auto accident.  Matt Cross of Lucha Underground (Son of Havoc) will be on the show facing Joe Gacy.
    • New Japan has Super Juniors matches tomorrow with Rocky Romero vs. David Finlay III, Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yohei Komatsu, Barbaro Cavernario vs. Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish vs. Mascara Dorada. 
    • WIA from last night in Swansea, IL:  Brandon Espinosa won three-way over Kevin Lee Davidson and Da’Marius Jones, Clownman Jacko won Battle Royal, Brandon Aarons won three-way over Leone Mephisto and LaMarcus Clinton, Chase King b Tyler Copeland, Jimmy D b Darkside-DQ, Gavin Alexander & Jayson Virtue b Jonathan Napier & Jason Allen (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
    • Like in the U.S., “San Andreas” opened No. 1 this weekend in Australia doing $3.22 million.  Three of the top four movies of the weekend in Australia featured wrestlers with Mad Max:  Fury Road (Nathan Jones) at No. 2 and Pitch Perfect 2 (Lana) at No. 4. (thanks to James Stanios)
    • Premier Wrestling on Sunday at the IFDES Lodge-Portuguese Hall in Gilroy, CA at 250 Old Gilroy St at 5 p.m. with JR Kratos (7-2) vs. Dylan Drake (4-3) for the Premier title, Timothy Thatcher (2-2-1) vs. Marcus Lewis (4-3), Jeff Cobb (5-2-1) vs. Kaimana (1-2), Gabriel Gallo (2-0) vs. Sledge (4-4), Joe Graves (1-0-1) vs. Buddy Royal (2-3) and Will Cuevas (1-2) vs. Dom Vitalli (0-3).  Tickets are at www.premierwrestle.com
    • Ronda Rousey is selling her 2005 Honda Accord on eBay.  At one point after the 2008 Olympics, she was living in the car.  She had still kept the car until now.  The car has 156,000 miles and needs a new transmission. 
    • Diana Hart, the sister of Bret Hart and mother of Davey Boy Smith Jr., has a book called “A Cauliflower Heart” coming out on 7/1.
    • IWA Mid South Wrestling from last night in New Albany, IN:  Dale Patricks b Dewey Barnes, Zodiak b Dustin Levay, Kathy Owens b Adam Bueller, Hy-Zaya b JC Rotten, Corporal Robinson, American Viking, Mikey McFinnegan and Sugar Dunkerton, Try Out Show Rejects b Viking War Party, Joseph Schwartz b Mitch Page, Kongo Kong b Shane Mercer to retain the IWA Mid South title, Kongo Kong b Dewey Barnes to retain the title, Hy-Zaya b Kongo Kong to win the title (Thanks to Nick Maniwa)
    • Stone Cutter Wrestling is presenting a taped Wrestling’s Bloodiest Wars PPV in inDemand and DirecTV in the U.S. and Shaw in Canada.
    • World Series of Fighting has a show on NBC Sports Network on Friday night from Edmonton headlined by Lance Palmer (9-1) defending the featherweight title against Chris Horodecki (21-5-1), Smeanlinho Rama (9-1) defending the heavyweight title against Blagio Ivanov (11-1), Mark Drummond (7-2) vs. Michael Hill (7-3) and Hakeem Dawadu (4-0) vs. Chuka Willis (4-0).
    • Premier Championship Wrestling from Saturday night in Winnipeg:  Jacob Creed b Kraven Sicario, Moses Luke & Steven Styles b Kado & Jack Spade, Jackie Lee won over Scott Justice and Shao Ming, Jeremy James Sanchez b Antonio Scorpio, Mentallo won three-way over Alexander Prime and Mike McSugar, Kenny Omega & Chris Stevens b London Dynasty & Michael Clark, Chad Tatum b Shaun Moore, Shao Ming won Rumble.  Next show is 7/11 featuring Omega vs. Mentallo (thanks to Andrew Shallcross)
    • Sabu headlines on 6/12 in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium for NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling, plus Sigmon & Elliott Russell vs. Chase Owns & Chris Richards. 
    • An interview with Ethan Carter III
    • Los Angeles comedian Dan Black does a joke Tough Enough audition tape

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

    12:06 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Biggest Crybabies of all time!

    1:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Eva’s sexy bachelorette in Curacao gets heated when TJ destroy’s Nattie’s hopes of rekindling their marriage.

    2:06 AM ET
    STONE COLD PODCAST WWE Hall of Famer and Icon Stone Cold Steve Austin will have a no holds barred LIVE interview with Paul Heyman!

    3:06 AM ET
    WCW SOULED OUT 1997 Hollywood Hogan defends WCW Title vs The Giant. Hall and Nash defend the Tag Team Titles vs The Steiners.

    6:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Biggest Crybabies of all time!

    7:00 AM ET
    STONE COLD PODCAST WWE Hall of Famer and Icon Stone Cold Steve Austin will have a no holds barred LIVE interview with Paul Heyman!

    8:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Eva’s sexy bachelorette in Curacao gets heated when TJ destroy’s Nattie’s hopes of rekindling their marriage.

    9:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Biggest Crybabies of all time!

    10:00 AM ET
    FIRST LOOK A First Look to watch exclusive content from WWE Home Video’s latest release, Daniel Bryan – Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes!

    10:30 AM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES Corey Graves gets a culture shock immersing himself within the fascinating world of Marvel Comics, from their headquarters in New York City!

    11:00 AM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS Eva’s sexy bachelorette in Curacao gets heated when TJ destroy’s Nattie’s hopes of rekindling their marriage.

    12:00 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Biggest Crybabies of all time!

    1:00 PM ET
    STONE COLD PODCAST WWE Hall of Famer and Icon Stone Cold Steve Austin will have a no holds barred LIVE interview with Paul Heyman!

    2:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH The Miz gives the contestants a taste of what life as a WWE Superstar means outside the ring. Back in the gym, the competition heats up.

    3:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH The last two contestants standing prepare for a final match at the WWE training facility. Stone Cold announces the winner live at RAW!

    4:00 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young hangs out with the cast of Entourage to discuss their behind-the-scenes experience of the movie in theaters June 3rd!

    4:06 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR A controversial group of superstars set out to better sports entertainment and would rely on one another to do so.

    5:04 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Unique Matches of all time!

    6:00 PM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING A look inside the life and career of CM Punk from his early success in ECW to the top of the WWE.

    8:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH The last two contestants standing prepare for a final match at the WWE training facility. Stone Cold announces the winner live at RAW!

    9:00 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG Renee Young hangs out with the cast of Entourage to discuss their behind-the-scenes experience of the movie in theaters June 3rd!

    9:06 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR A controversial group of superstars set out to better sports entertainment and would rely on one another to do so.

    10:04 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Most Unique Matches of all time!

    11:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH The last two contestants standing prepare for a final match at the WWE training facility. Stone Cold announces the winner live at RAW!

  • “Fantastic” Tommy Rogers passes away

    By Dave Meltzer

    Thomas Couch, best known as Tommy Rogers from the 80s and 80s tag team of The Fantastics, passed away this morning in Honolulu, where he has been living since 2006.

    Couch, who just turned 54, had been having legal troubles in recent years stemming from fighting.  He was scheduled for a court date tomorrow over a fight with police officers and feared a long prison stay. 

    At this moment, the cause of his death is pending.  He had been in good spirits in recent days.  He was found at about 3 a.m. by his roommate in a chair in front of a computer, gurgling.  The roommate called 911, but he was unable to be revived.

    Tommy Rogers always finished high in lists of the most underrated pro wrestler of the 80s and 90s.  He was small, but was as solid a worker as there was in wrestling, with a great physique.  He and tag team partner Bobby Fulton were best known for their matches with The Midnight Express and The Sheepherders that were among the best matches of the late 80s.  

    The team held the UWF and World Class world tag team titles as well as the NWA U.S. tag team titles.