Paypress testing

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  • TUES. UPDATE: Triple H conference call, Scotland establishes national concussion guidelines, and more

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

    TV/show notes:

    Fox Sports 1 has a block of UFC programming tonight designed to push this Saturday’s UFC 187 pay-per-view card:

    8:30 p.m. ET – UFC From All Angles: Daniel Cormier (sit-down interview from a year ago)

    9:00 p.m. ET: UFC Countdown: UFC 187 (The hype show for Saturday, which premiered Sunday night)

    10:00 p.m. ET: UFC Fight Flashback: Weidman vs. Machida (Documentary style look back at the fight)

    10:30 p.m. ET: UFC Fight Flashback: Silva vs. Weidman I

    Plus as always we need SmackDown/Main Event spoiler reports, which you should email to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

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    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) and being the first week of May, features an extensive article demystifying what Sweeps mean for ratings and how it affects the wrestling business in 2015:

    — What do Sweeps periods actually measure?

    — Do Sweeps matter for cable at all?

    — What wrestling companies are they relevant to these days?

    — What was their past significance?

    — And more.

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

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

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    The story behind the Elimination Chamber as a network special, why and how it came about, as well as a look at the next two WWE major shows, Payback and Elimination Chamber and NXT Takeover, is the lead story in this week’s Observer.  We also have a look at the injury situation with Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn and Hideo Itami.  We also look at the Mayweather-Pacquiao business, New Japan & ROH working together for big shows, a detailed story on Global Force Wrestling including talent and television outlets and the TV scene, a lawsuit that has nothing to do with WWE & UFC, but where the result will be very important to both, Tough Enough, has NOAH turned the corner, as well as the monthly business rundowns for WWE & TNA.

    The latest Wrestling Observer: May 18, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Last minute Elimination Chamber special, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao destroys PPV records

    Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show in the history of the site. Sign up now for as low as $9.99 per month!
    You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    You can also order at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

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

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

    The lead story looks at the addition of the Elimination Chamber show, why this is being done, plans for the future and how this relates to it, the Elimination Chamber card as well as notes on the Chamber matches.  We also look at Daniel Bryan and the poor job of pushing his appearance and how they are pushing the Payback main event.

    We also look at the Mayweather-Pacquiao business, and how it breaks down, live event business, Vegas closed circuit, bar business, how much Mayweather and Pacquiao figure to earn, Mayweather talks rematch, why the fight was so big, and the state of PPV in 2015. 

    We also look at a big question as to how this relates to UFC going forward.

    We look at the historical implications of Ronda Rousey on the Sports Illustrated cover.

    We also have a rundown of ROH and New Japan working together in Philadelphia.

    We’ve got a major piece on Global Force Wrestling.  We look at the talent list, notes on the schedule for different talent, notes on the taping schedule, different TV stations they are talking with, Spike talks about getting into wrestling, the business ideas behind all this, as well as thoughts on the talent and both who is surprisingly not listed.

    We also look at the new season of Tough Enough including the nature of the contract to the winner, Steve Austin talks WrestleMania 32, the Owen Hart DVD controversy, new movie projects with Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista, a night Raw is going to have to be special show next year, WWE injury notes, Fourth generation wrestler gets a WWE tryout, WWE angle news, When they had ideas for Justin Bieber at SummerSlam, Jerry Lawler day, Sheamus talks his career, WWE raising ticket prices for premium seats, WWE tryout notes, most popular shows on WWE Network, WWE Japan tour notes, why Jericho vs. Balor was put on the Japan show, Lesnar story involving the brother of a famous actor and notes and business of all the arena events from the past week.

    We look at last week’s UFC show in Australia, the heavyweight title picture, the Mark Hunt stoppage and match-by-match coverage.

    We also look at the latest Pro Wrestling NOAH major show, which included appearances by Kenta Kobashi and Yuji Nagata, as well as NOAH’s Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial tour coming up next month.

    We also have a business rundown for WWE & TNA and where things stand in the different categories.

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

    We also have our regular features such as the most complete look at ratings, plus results of the major house show events each week in pro wrestling and MMA, and complete inside rundowns of all the TV shows.

    Also in this week’s issue:

    –Wrestler fired once from major promotion, doesn’t last long on his return

    –The Santo Memorial tournament for 2015

    –Notes on the format of the AAA World Cup tournament

    –Who is now heading two promotions at the same time and why the move was made

    –Update on Dragon Gate’s King of Gate tournament

    –Minoru Suzuki promoting a show

    –New Japan lineups for all the big shows in June as well as the Dominion PPV in July

    –Notes on this year’s Best of the Super Junior tournament

    –Hall of Famer and health issues noted

    –Shinya Hashimoto Memorial show

    –Fujinami vs. Funaki Battle of Hall of Famers for the first time

    –Notes from the AGON promotions and main event pay

    –Notes on a promotion which claimed a TV deal and it falling apart

    –Details on all TNA television through mid-June, with matches, angles and destinations

    –A look at TNA’s Slammiversary show

    –Notes on TNA’s prospects on PPV

    –Update on Jeff Hardy

    –Notes on the best of five series between the Wolves vs. Aries & Roode

    –Update on TNA money issues

    –Update on TNA creative team

    –A look at those who returned to TV this past week and who is long and short-term

    –Who turned down an offer to come in

    –TNA announcing situation

    –Notes on TNA’s relationship with AAA

    –What happened with TNA and Wrestle-1

    –Can TNA talent work for GFW

    –Best stuff at the TNA tapings

    –Updates on UFC PPV numbers

    –Managers meeting and why

    –Dana White’s reaction regarding complaints about the Reebok deal

    –An interesting legal question stemming from the deal

    –UFC schedule notes

    –Anthony Pettis injury notes

    –Josh Barnett vs. Ryron Gracie

    –Metamoris news

    –Fight Pass promotion

    –New Fight Pass deals made

    –Rousey talks coaching vs. Cyborg

    –Lots of new UFC fights

    –Active UFC fighter sort of does a pro wrestling match

    –Huge Bellator signing of Olympian

    –This week’s Bellator show 

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

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

    Our most requested issues in our history are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    *January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    ****

    Tuesday Daily Update

    — The quarterly Triple H pre-NXT special conference call was ongoing as I wrote this (and we’ll have audio up for subscribers), and he mentioned a few newsworthy things:

    – Matt “Jason Albert” Bloom and Sara Amato have been promoted to Head Coach and Assistant Head Coach, respectively. at the WWE Performance Center. Bloom had been the Interim Head Coach since the departure of Bill DeMott.

    – Sami Zayn has been cleared to wrestle at tomorrow night’s NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable live special on WWE Network.  Hideo Itami isn’t, but that’s no surprise.

    – The official word on Samoa Joe for now: He was at the Performance Center a month ag, but”whether or not we do business together, I don’t know.”

    – There are plans to do what everyone expected with NXT house shows, which is the TV talent on tour and the greener talent on B-shows in Florida, but it’s probably not happening until 2016.

    — Per the BBC, Scotland has become the first country to introduce national guidelines for dealing with concussions in all sports. There’s no sport-specific guidance, but there are clear guidelines on how to recognize and deal with concussions. Should be interesting to see how much publicity this gets and what governments follow suit.

    — You may have seen this by now, but Kevin Owens’ wife posted an Instagram video of their son (Owen, who was named after Owen Hart, and in turn Kevin took “Owens” on as his WWE name) reacting to his dad’s Raw debut. It’s pretty much the most adorable thing you’ll see all day.

    — Also, RollingStone.com has an interview with Owens. Of note, he mentions that Terry Taylor is his main trainer, which, if the timing had been different, probably would have been a hint since Taylor is used to put the finishing touches on talent considered ready for the main roster. Anyway, interesting quote from Owens on adapting himself to WWE: “So there were little tweaks, maybe clean up the language a little, but besides that I think I’ve been pretty true to myself. And I think that’s a big part of what helps me be successful. I’m genuine, and I think people can see that when they watch. I’m just gonna keep going that way and see where that takes me.”

    — ROH issued a press release announcing that Quinn “Moose” Ojinnaka has signed a new contract, meaning that the former Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman won’t be going to WWE or Global Force Wrestling’s TV tapings any time soon. He’s still working the GFW baseball park house shows because those aren’t restricted by ROH contracts.

    — Global Force Wrestling removed Scott Hall from their website’s roster page after he was thrown out of a show this past weekend for showing up intoxicated and not even taking the time he was given to try to dry out.

    — Part 1 of the UFC Embedded documentary videos for this weekend’s UFC 187 PPV went up today. The highlight is absolutely Vitor Belfort going to a barber shop for maintenence on his mowhawk with the crosses on the sides of his head. He looks smaller than the last time he fought off testosterone replacement therapy (the Anderson Silva fight four years ago) but leaner and in better overall shape.

    — Really nice article about a boy from Princeton, Indiana whose love of WWE helps him cope with a number of serious medial problems stemming from a birth defect.

    — Under the Mat Radio talked to Jim Ross at his Baltimore one-man show.

     — Jim Ross will be doing a show on Aug. 19, the Wednesday before SummerSlam, at the DC Improv in Washington, DC. Tickets go on sale this Friday at the venue’s website.

    — AAA EVP Dorian Roldan and Court Bauer talk about the Lucha World Cup, AAA’s expansion, Lucha Underground’s future as well as Rey Mysterio and dealing with Japanese companies on today’s MLW Radio podcast at MLWRadio.com.

    — Dave has two articles at MMAFighting.com from the past few days:

    – A look at if Mayweather-Pacquiao will hurt UFC 187 PPV buys.

    – The usual Fortunes Changed for Five postmortem for this past weekend’s card.

    — This is not new, but I had never seen nor heard of it before that I can recall: In 2008, Thomas Golianopoulos wrote an article about Hardbody Harrison’s wrestling and criminal careers for KING Magazine, and he added it to his website last year. Fascinating stuff, well worth going out of your way to read. For those not aware of what exactly happened with him, he was a WCW Power Plant trainee turned WCW job guy who was one of the plaintiffs who got a big settlement in the racial discrimination lawsuit against the company. Meanwhile, he was running an elaborate pimping/sexual slavery operation, and eventually, in 2005, he got busted.

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

    Wednesday, May 20

    12:00 AM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG    In the premiere of Unfiltered, Renee Young hangs out with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins for a fun and revealing conversation!

    12:07 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR    In an era of shifting loyalties, WWE and WCW would each build a cornerstone in order to achieve stability.

    1:01 AM ET
    WWE NXT    The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!

    2:00 AM ET
    TUESDAY NIGHT TITANS    Vince McMahon hosts Tuesday Night Titans with Lord Alfred Hayes. Guests include Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine and Wendi Richter.

    4:00 AM ET
    PRIME TIME WRESTLING    On this Prime Time Wrestling, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan tries to find himself. Plus, Iron Mike Sharpe, Macho Man Randy Savage, and more!

    6:00 AM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH     Legendary WWE Superstar The Rock and ‘Psych’ star James Roday give the remaining five contestants a lesson in charisma.

    7:00 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR   In an era of shifting loyalties, WWE and WCW would each build a cornerstone in order to achieve stability.

    8:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN    Counting down the top ten most stylish ring attire ever worn by a WWE Superstar.

    9:00 AM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH    Legendary WWE Superstar The Rock and ‘Psych’ star James Roday give the remaining five contestants a lesson in charisma.

    10:00 AM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR   In an era of shifting loyalties, WWE and WCW would each build a cornerstone in order to achieve stability.

    11:00 AM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN    Counting down the top ten most stylish ring attire ever worn by a WWE Superstar.

    12:00 PM ET
    TOUGH ENOUGH    Legendary WWE Superstar The Rock and ‘Psych’ star James Roday give the remaining five contestants a lesson in charisma.

    1:00 PM ET
    MONDAY NIGHT WAR    In an era of shifting loyalties, WWE and WCW would each build a cornerstone in order to achieve stability.

    2:00 PM ET
    WWE COUNTDOWN    Counting down the top ten most stylish ring attire ever worn by a WWE Superstar.

    3:00 PM ET
    WWE NXT    The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow — this is NXT!

    4:00 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS     Trinity’s inability to have sex frustrates Jon, and Bryan and Nikki shock Brie when they team up to stage an intervention.

    5:00 PM ET
    TOTAL DIVAS    Ariane’s mother calles with a desperate plea for help, and Eva is shocked when Jonathan makes a dangerous decision without her consent.

    6:00 PM ET
    WWE BEYOND THE RING    An in-depth look at some of the most well-known, colorful managers wrestling has ever seen including Bobby Heenan, Paul Bearer, and more.

    7:30 PM ET
    NXT TAKEOVER UNSTOPPABLE    The NXT TakeOver Unstoppable Pre-Show hosted by Renee Young, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

    8:00 PM ET
    NXT TAKEOVER UNSTOPPABLE    Sami Zayn looks to end the title reign of his former best friend, NXT Champion Kevin Owens at NXT TakeOver Unstoppable.

    10:00 PM ET
    CULTURE SHOCK WITH COREY GRAVES   Corey Graves heads down to one of his favorite tattoo shops in the heart of New York City!

    10:10 PM ET
    WWE UNFILTERED WITH RENEE YOUNG    In the premiere of Unfiltered, Renee Young hangs out with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins for a fun and revealing conversation!

    10:30 PM ET
    NXT TAKEOVER UNSTOPPABLE    The NXT TakeOver Unstoppable Pre-Show hosted by Renee Young, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

    11:00 PM ET
    NXT TAKEOVER UNSTOPPABLE   Sami Zayn looks to end the title reign of his former best friend, NXT Champion Kevin Owens at NXT TakeOver Unstoppable.

  • WWE NXT Press Release: Matt Bloom, Sara (Del Rey) Amato promoted

    STAMFORD, Conn., May 19, 2015 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that Matt Bloom has been promoted to Head Coach of WWE’s developmental system, NXT®and Sara Amato has been promoted to NXT’s Assistant Head Coach. Bloom previously held the position of Interim Head Coach and Amato was previously an Assistant Coach.

    Bloom, a former WWE Superstar and Intercontinental Champion, made his WWE debut in 1999 as Prince Albert. After an eight-year stint in Japan, Bloom returned to WWE in 2012 as WWE Superstar Tensai. Bloom retired from in-ring action in 2014 and was named an NXT Assistant Coach, working at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, where he also spent time as a color commentator for NXT programming on WWE Network. He was named NXT’s Interim Head Coach in March 2015.

    Amato joined WWE in 2012 as Sara Del Rey after spending more than a decade working on the independent circuit. Since then, she has been responsible for training, creating and developing some of the most athletic, charismatic and confident Divas, including current WWE Divas Paige, Summer Rae and Emma, as well as NXT Divas Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch and Carmella. In addition to coaching at the WWE Performance Center, Amato will also work with WWE Superstars and Divas on the main roster as both a producer and agent.

    “I have the utmost confidence in Matt and Sara’s ability to train and lead the next generation of Superstars and Divas at the WWE Performance Center,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “With each having more than 15 years of experience in the business, Matt and Sara will continue to be invaluable resources to our developmental system. The trust and respect that they have gained throughout the years by both our talent and training staff puts NXT in a great position for future success.”

    “It is truly an honor to be named the Head Coach of NXT and play a key role in creating and developing the WWE Superstars and Divas of the future,” said Bloom. “I look forward to continuing my role in training and coaching the incredibly talented roster we have at the WWE Performance Center.”

    “This is a dream come true for me,” said Amato. “I’m so proud to be given the opportunity to train and lead the aspiring talent at the WWE Performance Center as we continue to expand the NXT brand globally.”

    NXT Superstars and Divas train out of the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The 26,000 square-foot facility offers a full training experience with real time feedback from WWE coaches, trainers and doctors, giving performers the resources they need to develop their talent both athletically and creatively. 

  • WWE NXT News: Key notes from HHH conference call

    By Dave Meltzer, WrestlingObserver.com

    Here’s a few key notes from today’s NXT related conference call from Paul “HHH” Levesque.

    The basic gist when it comes to the long term plan for NXT seems to be a year of trial and error, experimenting with live shows in different types of venues and seeing what works best. The goal is to do three shows a week as a touring brand around the world, similar to the tours WWE already does, but with a goal for talent to get them to the main roster.

    Ultimately, and this may be down the line, the goal is for two NXT events per night on the weekend: one for the bigger stars and TV angles and the other working small venues in Florida with the younger talent that is less experienced.

    The only major news related to tomorrow’s Takeover show is the acknolwedgment that Hideo Itami is injured. Paul Levesque said he would be represented on tomorrow’s show, but the indication was he wouldn’t wrestle. Sami Zayn has been medically cleared and will perform in the main event against NXT Champion Kevin Owens in the main event.

  • WWE notes: Zayn injury update, coaching update

    HHH noted on today’s conference call that Sami Zayn has been cleared and will face Kevin Owens tomorrow night at the NXT Takeover show.

    Matt Bloom has been promoted to be the official head coach (which had been known in the sense  he was already working in that role) and Sara Amato will be the No. 2 trainer as assistant coach, as well as working as an agent and producer.

  • Moose signs new ROH deal

    Quinn “Moose” Ojinnaka was announced today as having signed a new deal with Ring of Honor.  His contract expired next month and he was in high demand from almost every direction.  ROH reported that he signed his new contract in Toronto.    

  • A Look Back at UFC History on Memorial Day Weekend

    By Ryan Frederick, WrestlingObserver.com

    For an organization that has barely over just 20 years of existence, there aren’t many time honored traditions that are kept. The UFC does have one that comes this weekend, as they return to Las Vegas for their annual Memorial Day Weekend card on Saturday from the MGM Grand Garden Arena for UFC 187.

    The UFC 187 card is among the more loaded events of recent years, with two big title fights and lots of fights with title implications in all of them. Over half of the fighters competing on the card are ranked in the UFC’s official rankings. Despite the card being loaded as is, it has suffered from two major changes, as Jon Jones was pulled out of the main event and subsequently suspended after a myriad of personal issues, and a new champion at 205 pounds will be created when Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier meet in the main event. Khabib Nurmagomedov was also looking for a title shot when he was supposed to meet Donald Cerrone, but a knee injury forced him from the card. Despite those changes, the card remains one of the most anticipated fight cards of the year.

    This will be the tenth straight year the UFC has put on a fight card on Memorial Day Weekend, and with the exception of the first one in 2006 taking place in Los Angeles, this will be the ninth straight event in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. The annual Memorial Day Weekend card has produced major events, with seven title fights and several title changes, and shows that have brought a lot of UFC history with them. Let’s take a look back at the UFC’s history on Memorial Day Weekend.

    2006

    This was the UFC’s first event on Memorial Day Weekend, and it took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. At the time, the UFC was building to the biggest fight in company history as UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes, dominant at 170 pounds, was fighting the UFC legend from the early days, Royce Gracie. Many thought Gracie may have a chance against Hughes, but that was more of backwards thinking that the Gracie techniques could still hold true in 2006. It ended with Hughes displaying more of his dominance as he dominated Gracie en route to a first-round TKO win. The event was a huge success, garnering 620,000 PPV buys, a record at the time (which would be broken shortly there after), and was the first UFC event to break $20 million in gross PPV sales.

    UFC 60 also featured Ultimate Fighter 1 winner Diego Sanchez defeating John Alessio by unanimous decision, Brandon Vera submitting Assuerio Silva in the first round, Mike Swick submitting Joe Riggs in the opening round, Spencer Fisher finishing Matt Wiman with a flying knee in the second round, Melvin Guillard scoring a first-round knockout of Rick Davis, and Jeremy Horn submitting Chael Sonnen in Sonnen’s last UFC bout for nearly three years before he came back and took the middleweight division by storm.

    2007

    For as big as UFC 60 was in 2006, UFC 71 was even bigger as the Octagon headed to its’ now Memorial Day Weekend home at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was the most popular star in UFC history, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell, looking to avenge the only loss in his career he had yet to avenge when he welcomed the challenge of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. This fight had a lot of hype, and was really the first time mainstream media paid close attention to the UFC, as ESPN provided coverage for the first time, doing a live broadcast of the weigh-ins and post-fight coverage.

    The fight came at a time when Liddell was his most dominant, but Jackson was thought to be the man to give Liddell his toughest test. Many were still expecting Liddell to win because of how dominant he had been. It didn’t quite play out that way. Jackson landed a big right hook, sending Liddell down to the canvas, and after a few more punches, there was a new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion as “Rampage” won the title in under two minutes and he himself went on to become a big superstar. It was the beginning of the end for the career of Liddell, as he went 1-4 for the rest of his career before retiring in 2010.

    Other fight action saw Karo Parisyan defeat Josh Burkman by unanimous decision, Houston Alexander finished Keith Jardine in just 48 seconds, Thiago Silva defeated James Irvin by TKO, and Alan Belcher submitted Sean Salmon in 53 seconds. Seven of the nine fights saw finishes, with six of those coming in the first round, and five in 2:04 or less. The event garnered 675,000 PPV buys and a gate of over $4.3 million.

    2008

    2008 saw UFC 84 back at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for an event that was named Sherdog.com’s Event Of The Year. It was the return of former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk, who was coming back off a suspension for failing a drug test and subsequent stripping of the championship, as he challenged the new champion at 155 pounds, B.J. Penn. In what was one of Penn’s most dominant performances of his career, he controlled the fight throughout, finishing Sherk with a flying knee and punches as the horn sounded at the end of round three. Penn established himself as the true champion at lightweight, and went on to challenge UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, setting up a true superfight that took place at UFC 94 in January 2009.

    The show was also notable as it featured what was thought to be the final UFC appearance of former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz. It was the last fight on the contract of Ortiz, who had a tumultuous relationship with the UFC, to say the least. Ortiz fought future champion Lyoto Machida, and while Ortiz had a triangle choke nearly locked in, it was a dominant showing for Machida, who won the fight by unanimous decision. Ortiz left the UFC, but after negotiations with other organizations didn’t materialize, he eventually re-signed with the UFC and returned in November 2009.

    The event also saw MMA legend Wanderlei Silva scoring his first UFC win in nine years as he knocked Keith Jardine out in 36 seconds. Thiago Silva made Antonio Mendes due to punches, Rousimar Palhares submitted Ivan Salaverry in the first round, and the event also saw the debut of future Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin, who knocked out Christian Wellich in just 44 seconds in the opening bout of the 11-fight card. The event registered 475,000 PPV buys and a gate just above $3.7 million.

    2009

    UFC 98 took place on May 23, 2009, and it saw the second title change on Memorial Day Weekend. This card was originally scheduled to be headlined by Brock Lesnar against Frank Mir, but a Mir knee injury forced the postponement of that bout to UFC 100 in July 2009. In its place, Rashad Evans was selected to make the first title defense of his newly-won UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. It was thought he would defend against former champion Quinton Jackson, but Jackson was unable to fight due to surgery. Evans instead defended against Lyoto Machida. It ended up being a bad night for Evans, who was unable to do much to Machida, and the fight resulted in Machida winning the championship after he scored a second-round knockout of Evans.

    The co-main event saw the long-awaited fight between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra finally happen as they looked to settle their grudge. Both men coached season six of The Ultimate Fighter, which ended in December 2007. Injuries to Serra saw the anticipated bout delayed for almost 18 months, but when they finally squared off, it was Hughes getting the win by unanimous decision. Both men are former UFC Welterweight Champions, and both are now retired from competition, although both have indicated a willingness to return to fighting if they were able to meet in a rematch.

    The event also saw Chael Sonnen begin his march towards earning a middleweight title shot as he defeated Dan Miller. Future UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar defeated former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk by unanimous decision. Preliminary card action saw five-first round finishes, including Tim Hague submitting Pat Barry, and Krzysztof Soszynski knocking out Andre Gusmao. UFC 98 received 635,000 PPV buys and had a gate of just over $3.25 million.

    2010

    2010 saw UFC 114 and one of the most-anticipated, most-hyped, and probably the best build to a UFC fight when former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson finally met in the Octagon to settle their grudge. Fans had been clamoring for the bout for a long time, which saw Evans and Jackson trash talk following UFC 96 in March 2009, and the two went back-and-forth as coaches on season ten of The Ultimate Fighter. They were slated to fight at UFC 107 in December 2009, but Jackson took a role in The A-Team movie and it was delayed.

    It ended up being the perfect storm on Memorial Day Weekend of 2010. The UFC was able to build the fight even bigger by featuring it on UFC Primetime, and they built the weekend around a UFC Fan Expo. The event ended up being a massive success, scoring over 1 million PPV buys, a number not reached many times in the UFC, and almost unheard of for a non-title bout. That is a credit to how well built the fight was, and people wanted to see Evans and Jackson finally get their hands on each other. It ended up being a disappointing fight as the two didn’t engage much on the feet as Evans used his wrestling to score numerous takedowns, winning the bout by unanimous decision.

    In the co-main event, Michael Bisping scored a unanimous decision win over Dan Miller. Other fights saw Mike Russow score a comeback knockout win over Todd Duffee, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira scoring a controversial decision win over Jason Brilz, John Hathaway defeating Diego Sanchez by decision, Melvin Guillard scoring a knockout win over Waylon Lowe, and Dong Hyun Kim defeating Amir Sadollah by decision.

    2011

    2011 was UFC 130, and it was the second straight year that the event was headlined by a non-title light heavyweight bout featuring Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. He took on Matt Hamill in the main event, which replaced the original headline bout, which was supposed to be Frankie Edgar defending the UFC Lightweight Championship against Gray Maynard in the finale of their trilogy. Both men were injured shortly before the event was scheduled to take place, and with so little time until the card, it was left with a weak headliner in Jackson against Hamill. That showed on pay-per-view and at the gate, with just 325,000 PPV buys and a $2.58 million gate.

    Jackson defeated Hamill by unanimous decision in a lackluster fight with not a lot of action to cap off what was a mostly underwhelming card. Frank Mir scored a decision win over Roy Nelson in the co-main event in another lackluster bout. Other action on the card saw Travis Browne knock Stefan Struve out with a Superman punch, Rick Story defeating Thiago Alves by decision, Brian Stann knocking out Jorge Santiago, and future UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson scoring a decision win over former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres.

    2012

    2012 saw UFC 146 take place on May 26, and it was a unique event in that the main card featured all heavyweight bouts. It was dubbed UFC 146: The Heavyweights, and they delivered with finishes in all five fights. The card was originally scheduled to be headlined by UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos defending against Alistair Overeem, who was coming off a UFC debut win over Brock Lesnar. However, Overeem failed a pre-fight drug test and was removed from the bout, and Frank Mir was selected as his replacement. It may have hurt at the box office, but the event still drew 560,000 PPV buys and a gate over $3.4 million.

    Dos Santos scored a second-round TKO win over Mir in the main event in a fight he completely dominated. It was the only time Dos Santos would defend the UFC Heavyweight Championship, as he lost it back to Cain Velasquez in December 2012. Velasquez got the title shot after scoring a vicious first-round TKO win over Antonio Silva at this event, leaving Silva bloodied and battered inside the Octagon. Also on the heavyweight main card, Roy Nelson scored a 51-second knockout win over Dave Herman, Stefan Struve submitted Lavar Johnson, and Stipe Miocic scored a TKO win over the late Shane Del Rosario.

    The prelims also had a solid card and saw Darren Elkins score a decision win over Diego Brandao, Jamie Varner scoring a big upset win over Edson Barboza in his UFC comeback, C.B. Dollaway scoring a decision win over Jason Miller, Dan Hardy scoring a first-round knockout win over Duane Ludwig, and Glover Teixeira making his UFC debut and submitting Kyle Kingsbury.

    2013

    2013 saw UFC 160 take place on May 25, and again the event was headlined by the UFC Heavyweight Championship being defended. This time it was new champion Cain Velasquez making his first defense since regaining the title as he defended it against the man he destroyed just one year prior, Antonio Silva, who was coming off two big knockout wins since his loss to Velasquez. The co-main event was scheduled to be Junior Dos Santos finally facing Alistair Overeem, but for the second straight year, that bout was cancelled, this time due to an Overeem injury. Dos Santos instead took on Mark Hunt, who was on an underdog quest for a title shot. The event drew 380,000 PPV buys and a $2.9 million gate.

    Velasquez again showed his dominance of the UFC heavyweight division, and again he made quick work of Silva. It wasn’t the exact massacre it was the year before, but it went quicker as Velasquez scored a TKO win over Silva in 81 seconds to retain the championship. Silva has yet to score a win since that loss. The co-main event saw Dos Santos score a spectacular third-round knockout win over Hunt as he finished him with a spinning head kick.

    In other action on the card, T.J. Grant secured a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship when he defeated Gray Maynard. However, Grant has yet to fight since that win as he is recovering from a serious concussion. Glover Teixeira scored a submission win over James Te Huna, Donald Cerrone scored a decision win over K.J. Noons, Mike Pyle scored a decison win over Rick Story, and Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Abel Trujillo by decision after setting a UFC record with 21 takedowns in their fight. 
    2014

    The most recent Memorial Day Weekend event was UFC 173 on May 24, 2014. It was supposed to be headlined by Chris Weidman taking on Vitor Belfort, but Belfort was forced to withdraw from the fight after Nevada banned the usage of Testosterone Replacement Therapy, and Belfort was a user of the treatment, and needed time to adjust. Lyoto Machida was to take his place, but a knee injury to Weidman forced the postponement of that bout. The UFC then came up with three new fights to replace the lost headliner, and the event, while it underwhelmed with just 215,000 PPV buys and a $1.7 million gate, ended up being one of the more notable UFC events of 2014.

    The main event ended up being one of the biggest upsets in UFC history as it saw the UFC Bantamweight Championship change hands. Renan Barao had just one loss in his career and a 33-fight unbeaten streak, and he was an overwhelming favorite over the challenger, T.J. Dillashaw. However, as dominant as a champion that Barao was, he found himself on the other end of the spectrum, as he was dominated by Dillashaw, who finished Barao in the final round to become the new UFC Bantamweight Champion. Dillashaw and Barao will meet this summer in a long-awaited rematch for the championship.

    The rest of the card saw Daniel Cormier secure a title shot when he submitted Dan Henderson in the co-main event, Robbie Lawler started his march towards winning the UFC Welterweight Championship when he scored a TKO win over Jake Ellenberger, Takeya Mizugaki scored a decision win over Francisco Rivera, James Krause defeated Jamie Varner after Varner suffered an ankle injury, and TUF winners Michael Chiesa, Tony Ferguson and Chris Holdsworth all scoring wins in preliminary action.

  • WWE Elimination Chamber lineup: four title matches set

    Here’s your lineup for the WWE Elimination Chamber event set for Sunday, May 31st in Corpus Christi, TX:

    – WWE Champion Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

    – WWE US Champion John Cena vs. NXT Champion Kevin Owens

    – Chamber match for the WWE Intercontinental title: Dolph Ziggler, Rusev, Ryback, Sheamus, King Barrett, R-Truth

    – Chamber match for the WWE Tag Team titles: New Day (c), Kidd & Cesaro, Lucha Dragons, Los Matadores, The Ascension, Prime Time Players

  • WWE RAW: Superstars matches, what happened when RAW went off air

    For Superstars:

    – Alicia fox d. Summer Rae
    – Damien Sandow/Curtis Axel def. Heath Slater/Adam Rose

    – After RAW went off the air, U.S. Champion John Cena and Roman Reigns def. WWE Champion Seth Rollins & Rusev when Reigns pinned Rollins with a spear in 6 minutes. Rollins worked in dress pants.  Reigns was cheered heavily.

    Thanks to Michael Yoen

  • WWE Raw TV Report 5-18-15: John Cena/Kevin Owens confrontation, Seth Rollins Appreciation Night

    by Jeff Hamlin, WrestlingObserver.com

    The Big Takeaway: With another Special Event coming up and little time to build up for it, they rushed Seth Rollins vs. Dean Amrbose onto the main event spot for the Elimination Chamber show. Kevin Owens made his Raw debut where he jumped John Cena after tons of talk building up Wednesday’s NXT Takeover show. Cena and Owens will tangle at Elimination Chamber, as well. Owens was treated like a big deal and the fans were familiar with him. 

    HHH and Stephanie McMahon came out together for the first time since the night after WrestleMania. Stephanie put over Seth Rollins after his win at Payback as the future of the company and announced his three opponents from last night would go to the back of the line for title contendership.

    Then they turned their attention to the Intercontiental championship, with Stephanie saying Daniel Bryan was watching at home on television, then corrected herself and said he was probably picking berries. HHH announced they would crown a new I-C champion inside the Elimination Chamber.

    Sheamus came out and said they didn’t need an Elimination Chamber match to crown a new I-C champion because he was the one who took Bryan out of action, so he should be rewarded. Rewarded for giving someone a legit concussion?

    Ryback came out and put over Bryan, even talking back to Steph at one point. He challenged Sheamus to a match saying Sheamus would get to fight someone his own size. HHH agreed to let them fight. I hated how Bryan is portrayed as this underdog, Spike Dudley-like character. Still it was good to see the top heel in the company in the ring….with her husband. 

    Sheamus defeated Ryback in 10:03

    Match ended when Sheamus sold his eye for some reason. Referee forced Ryback to back off, giving Sheamus enough time to recover and deliver a Brogue kick for the pin. Ryback pressed slammed Sheamus onto the announcers table which had to be a rib on CM Punk. 

    Stephanie and HHH were sipping champagne backstage when Kane walked in. Stephanie talked how HHH should host the “Architect of a Champion” tribute segment for Rollins tonight. Kane mentioned how he felt Rollins was finally starting to grow up. Rollins then walked in laughing offering everyone toasts of champagne and mentioned how no one deserved a toast more than Kane. He then threw in the jab that Kane would have lost his job if he hadn’t won last night.

    Dean Ambrose suddenly popped in and challenged Rollins for a rematch at Elimination Chamber since he needed four guys to help him win last night, while Ambrose beat Rollins in their last 1-on-1 match. HHH and Stephanie left while Rollins laughed off Ambrose’s challenge, saying he doesn’t know what going to the back of the line meant. Rollins left.

    Ambrose told Kane he was nothing more than a glorified butler now and wondered what Paul Bearer and the Undertaker would say if they could see him now. Kane got mad and told Ambrose he would be facing Bray Wyatt later tonight. Ambrose stole a sip of Kane’s champagne and told him he shouldn’t be drinking on the clock. 

    Neville came out for an interview with Renee Young, who brought up how he was the longest reigning NXT Champion ever. Bo Dallas came out and said he was once the longest reigning NXT champion. That sure put over the belt. Neville said he won the championship from Dallas. This led to Dallas attacking Neville’s bad left knee from his match last night with Bad News Barrett. 

    Bad News Barrett defeated Neville in 7:04

    Dallas was on commentary. Almost a squash match where Neville sold his knee the whole way. Barrett won with the Bullhammer Elbow. Nothing like Neville elevating himself last week only to get pinned clean tonight. Even worse, Dallas attacked Neville’s bad leg afterwards. So Dallas finally has a program again. At least Neville can go over a few times, but the nature of Neville’s interview with Renee made it clear he’s viewed as another undersized high-flyer who will join the company’s legion of midcarders.

    Rusev came out. The announcers got into an argument over whether Rusev said he quit against Cena last night. Rusev said there would be no Lana tonight, said he knows how to speak English and denied ever saying “I quit.” Rusev had his Russian star.

    He said he made John Cena pass out last night, but then Lana quit because she’s weak. He challenged Cena to come out to restart the match. Lana came out instead to explain herself. She called him the Bulgarian Brute. Wasn’t that gimmick 14 months ago? She said she had walked with Rusev every step of the way and said she was trying to protect him last night because she cared for him. Rusev called her pathetic and disgusting. She said she did the right thing for him and for them. She said she heard Rusev scream in Bulgarian “I quit” over and over. Rusev called her a liar, saying he didn’t need her or anyone and ordered her to go back to wherever she came from. Lana took a long walk to the back while Rusev posed. So Rusev is Bulgarian again, I guess. But he was still out there with the Russian flag.   

    Bray Wyatt defeated Dean Ambrose in 13:26

    J&J Security interfered at the end when Ambrose went for a move to the top rope, but Joey Mercury distracted the referee and Jamie Noble pushed Ambrose off the top into Wyatt’s Sister Abigail.  They’re trying to get over Wyatt using a senton off the second rope as a new setup move. Good match, though at one point Ambrose did a tope that Wyatt largely blocked, sending Ambrose into the barricade, though Ambrose didn’t sell it. Rollins came out with champagne and toasted J&J Security over Ambrose’s loss. 

    Another batch of Tough Enough tryout vidoes. One person had a truck run over their foot while two contestants had the same gimmick of doing promos inside their parent’s house. Remember when superstars were supposed to be larger than life?  

    The New Day went to a no contest with Tyson Kidd and Cesaro in a match for the WWE Tag Team Titles in 5:51. 

    Big E. and Kofi Kingston did prematch micwork upset over defending their tag belts against five over tag teams in the Elimination Chamber. Michael Cole kept saying superstars would be released from their Elimination Chamber pods at “regularly scheduled interviews.” Or intervals. Hey, I’m a play-by-play guy so who am I to talk about speaking mistakes? Terrible finish. Kidd had the sharpshooter on Kingston when Big E. broke it up. Big E and Kofi started putting the boots to Kidd…and the bell just sounded.

    Xavier Woods ran down to help the New Day. It led to the Lucha Dragons coming down and flying onto Kingston and Woods. Los Matadores came in and did a tope onto Big E.. Then the Ascenion ran in and gave Kidd the Fall of Man. Next in was the Prime Time Players, with Titus O’Neal giving Kingston a backbreaker and slung him down. Lucha Dragons did stereo somersault topes onto the entire crew at ringside. Darren Young hit the Gut Check on Woods. All of these teams will be in the tag match at Elimination Chamber. 

    John Cena meets Kevin Owens

    Cena came out with JBL comparing him to Lionel Messi winning another La Liga championship. That’s the most current sports reference he’s made in years. Largely cheers for Cena. Of all people, Kevin Owens came out with the NXT Championship. Cole built up the NXT Takeover show where Owens defends against Sami Zayn. Crowd was familiar with Owens. Cena had to tell the crowd who Owens was. Owens took credit for injuring Zayn before Zayn wrestled Cena in Montreal, and Owens vowed to finish what he started against Zayn on Wednesday. They engaged in micwork that was focused on building up NXT Takeover on Wednesday but teased a match between the two down the line. Owens kicked Cena and delivered the pop-up power bomb on Cena. There were “Fight, Owens, Fight” chants after that. Owens stomped on the U.S. title on Cena and gave him the “You can’t see me” sign. Excellent segment to make Owens seem like someone. Now can they sustain it? 

    Three other men werre announced for the I-C Elimination Chamber match: Barrett, Rusev and R-Truth. 

    Dolph Ziggler defeated Stardust in 1:26

    Dolph Ziggler’s stitches were shown after his head butt on Sheamus last night.  Ziggler won quickly with the Zig Zag. Cole did an in-ring interview with Ziggler, where it was announced that Ziggler will be the final man in the I-C Chamber match. 

    Lana came down in the middle of the interview staring at Ziggler and then kissed him.  Crowd chanted “Yes.” They had this awkward hesitation and then kissed again. Ziggler looked around for Rusev, who finally ran down and beat up Ziggler easily. Rusev acted upset with Lana, who slapped Rusev to a big pop. Rusev started screaming, but Ziggler gave Rusev the Zig Zag. Some fans at ringside started doing the Florida State Seminoles warchant, clearly familar with Lana’s background. Lana left with Ziggler.

    The soap opera didn’t end there as Kane walked backstage past Adam Rose and  Rosa Mendes kissing. 

    Luke Harper and Erick Rowan defeated Zack Ryder and Fandango in 3:26

    Crowd still chanted for Zack Ryder after all this time. Erick Rowan pinned Ryder with a full nelson slam after a kick from Luke Harper. 

    Stephanie met Nikki and Brie Bella backstage. She half heartedly told Brie she was sorry about the injury to Bryan. In fact, Steph was so worried about Brie that she scheduled therapy sessions for her. Some bad segments on the herizon. Stephanie also told Brie that she didn’t want Brie accompanying Nikki to the ring tonight. 

    Nikki Bella defeated Naomi by DQ to retain the Divas Title in 6:29

    Naomi did an inset promo and you have to hear her try to do an evil cackle. Great unintentional comedy. Nikki did a tope on Naomi and Tamina Snuka early. Finish was Nikki going for the rack attack but Tamina ran in and superkicked Nikki for the DQ. Paige made her return to make the save and clear the ring. Paige gave Nikki the Rampage and posed with the title.   

    They replayed Owens’ attack on Cena from earlier. They cut backstage to Owens shaking hands with HHH. Renee talked with Owens, who announced he would face Cena at Elimination Chamber. 

    The cast of Entourage will be on Raw next Monday. 

    HHH, Stephanie and Kane came out for the main event segment for the Architecht of a Dream tribute for Rollins. HHH said Rollins reminded him of the Cerebral Assassan when he won with the pedrigree last night. HHH asked kane to say some words in tribute.

    Kane said there were so many things he would like to say to him right now, but finally said Rollins was best for business. Rollins asked Kane if there was something else he would like to say. Through clinched teeth, Kane thanked Rollins for saving his job, then showed a video package that Kane supposedly had put together for him.

    The package showed Rollins with the Shield, breaking up with the Shield, winning the Money in the Bank and the WWE Heavyweight title. Noble spoke up and said it was an honor to be back in the ring to protect Rollins. Mercury looked at Rollins like Norm MacDonald looked at David Letterman on Friday night, tearing up.

    Then Ambrose came out, got in the ring with the entire Authority still in there. Ambrose said he was looking for the perfect Justin Beiber album for Rollins. He asked for another opportunity against Rollins for the WWE Heavyweight title at Elimination Chamber. Rollins said he was at the back of the line again. Rollins said he was a line jumper or else. Stephanie spoke up and told Rollins to get Ambrose.

    It led to Ambrose putting the punches to Rollins, laying out J&J Security and sending Rollins over the barricade. Ambrose backdropped Rollins over the announcer’s table, then unveiled a stack of cinderblocks. He threatened to hit Ambrose over the head with a chair. Stephanie said if Ambrose let him go, he wold get the WWE Championship match. Ambrose didn’t listen, but Mercury grabbed the chair. Kane got involved, but Rollins threw Noble into him. Kane came in and tried to choke slam Ambrose, but Ambrose broke free and clotheslined Kane. Rollins attacked Ambrose from behind and gave him the Pedigree.  The match with Ambrose and Rollins is on for Elimination Chamber. 

    SUMMARY: I can’t come up with one reason why Ambrose had to be laid out at the end of the show. In fact, why should the fans care about him getting the title shot when he jobbed to Wyatt tonight? They’ve already gone to the Ambrose-Rollins well too often. Suddenly the WWE feels like UFC in 2014 where they don’t have enough big stars to headline an excess amount of shows. The Owens segment was the highlight of the night, hands down. First hour was forgettable. 

  • WWE RAW note: three title matches scheduled, big return

    Besides the return of Stephanie McMahon, tonight’s WWE RAW is being advertised by WWE to have three title matches: a U.S. title defense by John Cena, a Divas title defense by Nikki Bella and a tag team title defense by The New Day. Dean Ambrose will also face Bray Wyatt.

    With two weeks until the next major show, they likely have to jumpstart all the angles for the 5/31 show and announce most of the participants in the Elimination Chamber matches as well as the title matches scheduled for that event.