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  • NXT Largo, FL, live results: Revival vs. American Alpha in TakeOver preview

    NXT is in Largo tonight for a sold out show. Approximately 250 in attendance.

    Mojo Rawley beat Alexander Wolfe

    People were, in fact, hyped for Mojo. Everyone was cheering and encouraging his antics. Wolfe gets the “wienerschnitzel” chant to mock him, and allows Mojo to taunt him as well. Mojo hit his usual running spots and picked up the win.

    Emma beat Aliyah

    All Emma here, won it with the Emma Lock.

    Levis Valenzuela beat Alex Riley

    Levis hit the windup punch for the win.

    Sami Zayn beat Manny Andrade

    Excellent match that on par with their recent first encounter in Tampa. Everything these two do is crisp and smooth; just brilliant wrestling. This was all what you’d expect: teased dives, a moonsault from Manny into a standing moonsault when Sami rolled back. Zayn hits the Exploder and Helluva Kick for the win.

    The Vaudevillains beat Kenneth Crawford and Patrick Clark

    The Vaudevillains entered to their face music despite being the heels against the fresh new faces of Clark and Crawford. A few athletic hope spots yet it was mostly a showcase for the Vauds.

    Apollo Crews beat Angelo Dawkins

    This was an entertaining match. As per usual, Dawkins was jaw jacking with no one in particular. Apollo snatched his headband to taunt him. Some strong man slow lift spots by Crews, followed by his firy comeback to set up the win with his big slam.

    – Chris Girard in-ring promo. He says he’s been a professional wrestler for 8 years and now he’s an NXT Superstar. He let us know he is the best wrestler here and vows to be champion.

    NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Nia Jax

    Slow paced match with Nia methodically working over Bayley, save for the ocassional hope spots. Nia used the over the top shoulder breaker, The Rock’s old finisher. At one point, Bayley ended up on Nia’s shoulders in the doomsday position and was able to roll forward to the mat and win via roll up.

    NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival beat American Alpha

    This was a good tune up for the NXT Dallas show. They did all the expected spots and of course, they built to a Jason Jordan hot tag. He ran wild, dropped the straps, took care of both men, and set up the assisted German suplex on Dash. But, Dawson held Gable’s feet from the outside which allowed Dash to fall on Gable and steal the pin.

    Post-match, the entire locker room met The Revival in the entrance way, threw them back in the ring, surrounded the ring and pounded on the mat while the two teams had an intense staredown and brawl that finished with stereo ankle locks applied by Jordan and Gable. The locker room left as American Alpha celebrated.

  • Anderson Silva should still be too good for Michael Bisping

    Simply put, Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping is the biggest fight the UFC has promoted in Britain since 2008.

    In terms of fan anticipation, it may be even bigger than title fights involving BJ Penn or Quinton Jackson as it sees the sport’s greatest ever champion test its greatest British fighter’s record of never having been defeated in his home country. While there may be no gold on the line, the stakes are high. Either man will proceed to further lucrative headlining appearances if they win, while a loss may bring their career to an end.

    I consider myself second to nobody in my admiration for Bisping, but it’s hard to argue against the idea that at his best, Silva would have been too good for Britain’s finest. The former middleweight champion is such a nightmare matchup for “The Count” that predicting his route to victory in such a hypothetical fight becomes next to impossible due to the surplus of options.

    A prime Silva would have dominated the stand-up game due to having greater knockout power, superior striking technique, and more durability. But it’s not just the stand-game where we the Brazilian would have the edge over the Brit. As seen in his fights against Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen, Bisping has the defensive wrestling to stop a takedown but he’s poor at evading or escaping the clinch. And while it’s frustrating to be held upright by a former collegiate wrestler that becomes a lethal weakness against a Muay Thai master. It’s very easy seeing a fight between Silva and Bisping end in a similar fashion to the Brazilian’s second fight against Rich Franklin. And should the fight go to the ground, Silva has the superior grappling skills, and would be favoured to secure the submission.  

    Of course, Silva’s prime was a long time ago and it’s been almost three years since he was dethroned as middleweight champion. That fact has made some people overconfident about Bisping’s chances. The reality is that both men are approaching the end of their careers. Both men are not just older than either Luke Rockhold or Chris Weidman, but have significantly more fights than either man. (Bisping alone has more total fights than Rockhold and Weidman combined.) And both men have had to come back from significant health problems, whether it be Silva’s broken leg or Bisping’s detached retina.

    The question is whether Silva can regain something of the spark that was clearly absent in his fight against Nick Diaz. While the Brazilian won a convincing (and of course tainted) victory, it was a lifeless performance from a man who seemed to be going through the motions. That he couldn’t knock out or even significantly hurt an opponent who was giving up so much size raises questions about the remaining potency of his striking.

    And yet, I still believe that Anderson Silva will win Saturday given that Bisping has stylistic similarities with Diaz. While Bisping is a more traditional kickboxer, he shares with the American the ability to grind down his opponents through volume striking due to superior conditioning. The key difference is that whereas Diaz is always looking to come forward, Bisping often falls back against opponents with significant striking power. Remember that Bisping let a much diminished Wanderlei Silva escape with a victory due to refusing to engage in the pocket. Providing Silva can intimidate Bisping early on, the fight could quickly descend into a long-distance war of attrition that would play to the more precise and illusive Silva’s strengths.

    It’s for that reason that Bisping’s best hope for a victory is that in his time away, Silva has further deteriorated from the diminished fighter we saw at UFC 183. It’s possible, but just as plausible, that Silva took the Diaz fight too soon after his leg surgery and that the past year has given his body and mind chance to fully heal from what he went through.

    Should Silva show up in anything approaching good condition, he will likely end not just Bisping’s undefeated home record but his outstanding hopes of finally receiving a UFC title shot.

    Will Cooling is a freelance writer who writes on combat sports for Fighting Spirit Magazine, pop culture for Geeky Monkey and politics at It Could Be Said! He’ll be covering UFC Fight Night London for Wrestling Observer live from cageside.

  • Daily pro wrestling history (2/26): Verne Gagne wins AWA gold; Memphis throwback night

    1939 

    – Jim Londos is awarded the Maryland version of the World Heavyweight Title by the Maryland State Commission

    1944 

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Rollend Kirchmeyer to win the Florida Heavyweight Title 

    1951 

    Edmonton, Alberta, Canada:
    – Sky Hi Lee defeated Al Mills to win the Calgary NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title 

    1952 

    Dallas, Texas:
    – Duke Keomuka and Mr. Moto defeated Ray Gunkel and Miguel Guzman for the NWA Texas Tag Team Title 

    1957 

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:
    – Guy and Joe Brunetti defeated Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff for the Minneapolis NWA World Tag Team Titles

    1958 

    Mobile, Alabama:
    – Don and Jackie Fargo defeated Lee Fields and Lester Welch to win the Mid-America NWA World Tag Team Title 

    1959

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – Edouard Carpentier beat Bob Geigel 
    – Dino Bravo and Bob Ellis beat Lee Henning and The Mighty Atlas 
    – Sonny Myers beat Rip Hawk 

    1963

    Minneapolis, Minnesota:
    – Crusher beat Hercules Cortez dq
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Ivan Kalmikoff & Karol Kalmikoff beat Moose Evans & Dick Steinborn in 2 out of 3 falls
    – Rocky Hamilton beat Duke Hoffman
    – Jack Pesek beat Stan Kowalski

    1966

    Chicago, Illinois:
    – AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon beat WWA Champion Dick the Bruiser by countout
    – Verne Gagne & Wilbur Snyder beat AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race dq
    – Chris Markoff beat Guy Mitchell
    – Moose Cholak beat Huey Long
    – The Assassin beat Jose Betancourt
    – Santiago Acosta drew Angelo Poffo

    1967 

    St. Paul, Minnesota:
    – Verne Gagne won the AWA World Heavyweight Title (on his birthday) by defeating Mad Dog Vachon
    – Ernie Ladd & Earl Maynard beat AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race dq
    – Killer Kowalski beat The Crusher dq
    – Doug Gilbert drew The Alaskan
    – Eddie Sharkey beat George Gadaski
    – Bob Boyer beat Jose Quintero

    1969 

    Mobile, Alabama:
    – Bob Kelly and Ramon Perez defeated Mitsu and Sugi Sito to win the  NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Titles

    1971

    Los Angeles, California:
    – Vivian Vachon defeated Betty Nicoli for the NWA California Women’s Title 

    1973

    Madison Square Garden:
    – AWA World Heavyweight Champion Verne Gagne defeated Eddie Graham (subbing for Ray Stevens)
    – WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Pedro Morales defeated King Curtis Iaukea

    1975

    Miami, Florida:
    – Bob Roop & Mongolian Stomper defeated Dick Slater & Johnny Weaver (sub for Bill Watts) 
    – Harley Race defeated Bob Armstrong 
    – Tony Parisi & Dominic DeNucci & “Irish” Pat Barrett defeated The Patriots & The Red Menace 
    – Mike Graham defeated Jim Dillon by dq
    – Johnny Weaver defeated Randy Tyler by dq
    – Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Jay Clay 

    1976

    Fort Myers, Florida:
    – Florida Tag Titles: Bob Roop & Bob Orton, Jr. defeated Steve Keirn & Mike Graham 
    – Andre The Giant defeated King Curtis 
    – Ft. Myers Championship: Tom Jones (sub for Cyclon Negro) defeated Roger Kirby 
    – Mike Graham & Steve Keirn defeated George McCreary & Rock Hunter 
    – Jerry Brisco defeated Karl Von Steiger 

    1978

    St. Louis, Missouri:
    – Dick Murdoch defeated Ted DiBiase for the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title 

    1979

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Bill Dundee and Robert Gibson defeated Don Carson and Dennis Condrey to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Titles

    Wichita, Kansas:
    – Bryan St. John and Randy Alls (Randy Rose) win a tournament for the NWA Central States Tag Team Titles

    1980

    Tampa, Florida:
    – Florida Title: Super Destroyer defeated Manny Fernandez by dq
    – Special Challenge Match: Jack Brisco & Jim Garvin defeated Nikolai Volkoff & Bugsy McGraw 
    – Leroy Brown defeated Jerry Brisco 
    – Twin Devils defeated Hector Guerrero & Terry Taylor 
    – Bryan St. John defeated Bubba Douglas 
    – Geoff Portz & Frank Monte drew Gordon Nelson & Barry Windham

    1981

    Kingston, Ontario, Canada:
    – Angelo (King Kong) Mosca pinned Hossien Arab
    – Mad Dog Vachon and Dewey Robertson beat Bob Duncum and Kurt Von Hess
    – Sweet Ebony Diamond over Swede Hanson on a count out
    – Frankie Maine and Billy Red Lyons went to a draw
    – Tony Parisi pinned Ron Ritchie

    1985

    Tampa, Florida:
    – The PYT Express (Norvell Austin and Koko Ware) defeated Jay and Mark Youngblood for the Florida NWA United States Tag Team Titles

    1988

    Dallas, Texas:
    – Terry Taylor defeated Matt Borne for the World Class Texas Heavyweight Title

    St. Joseph, Missouri
    – Masahiro Chono defeated Mike George to win the World Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title 

    1990

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Jimmy Valiant defeated Jerry Lawler to win the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Title 

    1993

    Mexico City, Mexico:
    – Heavy Metal defeated Rey Misterio, Jr. for the Mexican National Welterweight Title

    Dallas, Texas:
    – The Ebony Experience (Stevie Ray and Booker T) defeated The Bad Breed (Axl and Ian Rotten) to win the Global Wrestling Federation Tag 
    Team Titles
    – Calvin Knapp defeated Alex Porteau for the GWF Light Heavyweight Title

    1994

    Portland, Oregon:
    – Colonel DeBeers defeated Bruiser Brian for the Championship Wrestling USA Television Title

    Morristown, Tennessee:
    – Mike Samson defeated Wayne Rogers for the Southern States Wrestling Heavyweight Title 

    1995 

    Knoxville, Tennessee:
    – Bobby Blaze defeated Jerry Lawler to win the SMW Heavyweight Title 

    1997

    Berlin, Germany:
    – Davey Boy Smith pinned Owen Hart to become the first WWF European Champion in a tournament final
    – WWF Intercontinental Champion Rocky Maivia defeated Vader (with Paul Bearer) by disqualification 
    – Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Bret Hart by disqualification
    – WWF Champion Sycho Sid pinned Mankind (with Paul Bearer)

    1999

    Mexico City, Mexico:
    – Bestia Salvaje and Scorpio, Jr. defeated Negro Casas and El Hijo del Santo to win the CMLL World Tag Team Titles

    2000

    Cincinnati, Ohio:
    – Tommy Dreamer and Masato Tanaka defeated ECW World Tag Team Champions The Impact Players (Justin Credible and Lance Storm) to win the titles
    – Sabu defeated Scott D’Amore
    – ECW World Heavyweight Champion Mike Awesome defeated Rhino to retain the title

    Newark, Delaware:
    – Christopher Daniels defeated Scoot Andrews to win the Super 8 Tournament 

    Los Angeles, California:
    – Chris Candido defeated XPW World Heavyweight Champion Damien Steele in a Falls Count Anywhere match to win the title 

    2002

    Boston, Massachusetts:
    – Goldust defeated Maven for the WWF Hardcore Title 

    2005

    Throwback Night: Memphis, Tennessee:
    – In a 14-man tag team match, Bill Dundee, King Mabel, Cory Macklin, Chris Michaels, MW Southern Tag Team Champions Too Cool II (Tim Grind and Flex) and Kevin White defeated Masked Doom, Nicholas Doom, Jamie Dundee, Reggie B. Fine, Jimmy Hart, Jerry Lawler and Mordecai
    – Too Cool II (Tim Grind and Flex) defeated Team Canada (Johnny Devine and Eric Young), when Grind pinned Devine, to win the MW Southern Tag Team Titles
    – Brian Christopher and Shock defeated Kid Kash and Koko B. Ware
    – Kevin White defeated Jamie Dundee by disqualification
    – Bill Dundee pinned Simon Dean
    – Derrick King pinned Johnny Dotson in a loser-leaves-town match
    – Jimmy Hart and Jerry Lawler fought Memphis Wrestling promoter Cory Macklin and King Mabel to a no contest

    2006 

    Dundalk, Maryland:
    – The James Gang (B.G. James & Kip James) defeated MCW Tag Team Champions The Slackers (Chad Austin & Dino Divine) and The Holy Rollers (Earl The Pearl & Rich Myers) in a three-way match to win the titles

    2011

    ROH 9th Anniversary Show: Chicago, Illinois:
    – El Generico defeated Michael Elgin
    – ROH World Title Match/Barrio Streetfight: Roderick Strong defeated Homicide to retain the title
    – ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Kings Of Wrestling defeated All Night Express to retain the titles
    – World TV Title Match, 2/3 Falls with a 30 Minute Time Limit: Christopher Daniels and Eddie Edwards wrestled to a draw
    – Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe

  • UFC Fight Night 84: Silva vs. Bisping weigh-in results and live video

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jQyCP_R398

    Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of the UFC Fight Night 84: Silva vs. Bisping weigh-ins from the indigo at The O2 Arena in London, England. The fighters will hit the scale at 11 AM eastern time. The entire card airs on Saturday on UFC Fight Pass. Preliminary card action kicks off at 12:45 PM eastern time leading into the main card, which kicks off at 4 PM eastern time. This will be the Octagon’s first trip to London since UFC Fight Night 38 in March 2013.

    The event is headlined by the biggest fight in the history of UFC Fight Pass as former long-time UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva makes his long-awaited return in his quest to regain the championship when he takes on former TUF winner and long-time contending superstar Michael Bisping in a much-anticipated and heated battle that could determine a potential next challenger at 185 pounds. Also on the card, in the co-main event slot, it will be another middleweight bout between top-ten ranked contenders as Gegard Mousasi takes on Thales Leites, and additional bouts will feature rising prospects that include welterweight Tom Breese and featherweight Makwan Amirkhani, known to fight fans as “Mr. Finland”.

    MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 4 PM ET/1 PM PT):
    Anderson Silva (186) vs. Michael Bisping (185)
    Gegard Mousasi (185) vs. Thales Leites (186)
    Tom Breese (171) vs. Keita Nakamura (170)
    Francisco Rivera (136) vs. Brad Pickett (136)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 12:45 PM ET/9:45 AM PT):
    Mike Wilkinson (145) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (145)
    Davey Grant (136) vs. Marlon Vera (135)
    Scott Askham (185) vs. Chris Dempsey (185)
    Arnold Allen (145) vs. Yaotzin Meza (144)
    Brad Scott (186) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (184)
    Norman Parke (155) vs. Rustam Khabilov (155)
    Daniel Omielanczuk (254) vs. Jarjis Danho (261)
    Teemu Packalen (156) vs. Thibault Gouti (155)
    David Teymur (155) vs. Martin Svensson (154)

  • Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles advertised for WWE MSG event

    Don’t hold your breath given changes are made weekly, but I-C champion Kevin Owens vs. A.J. Styles’ first singles match in WWE (at least the first one being advertised) is on the docket for the March 25th MSG house show in NYC, also billed as Daniel Bryan Appreciation Night.

    We incorrectly noted Thursday that the Styles/Owens match would be their first ever. They actually wrestled a singles match in upstate New York a few years ago for the 2CW promotion as well as for the House of Hardcore promotion.

    A new lineup was released Thursday for the show with a number of changes from the original lineup. The new main event has Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. WWE Champion HHH & Sheamus. Originally, HHH was going to be in Sheamus’ corner for a singles match with Reigns.

    Additionally, two other announced matches are U.S. Champion Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio, and Big Show vs. Bray Wyatt. Additionally, Bryan will be there to address the crowd for his Appreciation Night.

  • NXT Orlando, FL, live results: Finn Balor & Bayley vs. Samoa Joe & Nia Jax

    NXT is at the Orlando National Guard Armory tonight in front of a sell out crowd of approximately 400.

    Apollo Crews beat Manny Andrade

    Good match, Manny was the heel tonight and tried to work holds. Traded some athletic rope running and Apollo hit a big dropkick. Manny appeared at Apollo’s level even in defeat. Apollo hit the big spinning slam for the win.

    Liv Morgan and Aliyah beat Peyton Royce and Billie Kay

    The heels got the heat on Aliyah to build the Liv hot tag. She was fired up, hit a lot of running offense of her own, got Aliyah involved and suplexed Aliyah on to the fallen opponent before positioning herself for a standing moonsault for the win. Good showing for Liv Morgan tonight.

    Levis Valenzuela beat Chris Girard

    Girard wore down Levis with his intense and aggressive style. Plenty of holds and growls. Levis wound up and nailed Chris with a Fiesta Fireball punch.

    – In-ring promo with Hugo Knox who was heelish tonight in a stylish suit. Was not dancing tonight.

    American Alpha beat BAMF, The Vaudevillains, and Enzo & Cass

    This was a fatal four way elimination match for the right to face The Revival tomorrow night in Largo. Simon Gotch got the pin Enzo Amore for fall one. Fall two saw Jason Jordan run wild after a hot tag and defeated Alden English to eliminate The Vaudevillains. About a minute later, American Alpha hit the assisted German Suplex on Murphy for the win and the right to face the champions tomorrow night.

    Emma beat Daria

    A couple MMA style comebacks with Daria shooting the legs for takedowns yet this was mostly Emma. She won it with the Emma Lock. After the win re-applied the hold until Asuka made the save. Asuka took care of Emma then checked on Daria.

    Sami Zayn beat Elias Samson

    Crowd was vicious towards The Drifter tonight. Causing him to think on the fly being heckled during his song. Sami got the reaction of the night. Long match, a lot of Drifter rest holds until Sami’s big comeback and win via exploder suplex and jellies kick.

    NXT Champion Finn Balor and NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Samoa Joe and Nia Jax

    Some crisp action from Joe and Finn in spurts to tune up for Dallas. These two are great together, Nia tries to wear down Bayley yet could never quite keep her grounded. At one point in a brilliant spot Nia Jax set up for the People’s Elbow then stopped short and just pulled Bayley up by her hair. Finn got the hot tag and nailed the Bloody Sunday on Joe for the win.

    During the post match celebration Bayley took the mic and asked what “Finn 3:16” means? Finn responded by talking in a shy child voice with “… Finn 3:16 means… May I have this dance?” the lights went low, and Time Of Our Lives started playing, they slow danced at a distance like a middle school prom. Then Bayley went in to the corner, ran towards Finn who lifted her up in the air then back down in to a hug. Everyone was going wild.

  • Feb 29, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Shane McMahon to face Undertaker at Wrestlemania

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    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • WON Preview: The return of Shane McMahon

    The return to WWE of Shane McMahon, his history, and how the deal to bring him back was put together and why it happened now, is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

    Feb 29, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Shane McMahon to face Undertaker at Wrestlemania
    Details on Shane McMahon’s return to WWE and how it could affect the future of the company, Dos Anjos/McGregor off due to injury, plus tons more.

    McMahon’s background, what about the TV angle is based on real life and what is based on fiction, where the idea for this year’s WrestleMania first came from and what year it was first planned for, the story on Roman Reigns, the blood, and why that angle took  place.  We also look at what the current deal is for McMahon, various possible scenarios and the situation with Roman Reigns.  Shane McMahon’s career in WWE, his attempts to run businesses in the past, high profile deals he attempted to put together that his father shot down, deals he tried to put together away from his father, and his latest venture and how changes in that company have changed his power.

    A look at the deal for Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz on 3/5, including who was called, who was available, why Diaz got the shot and what his chances are.

    Updated WrestleMania plans, where the Roman Reigns angle is headed, current card, scheduled guests and what key role is really not determined.

    FastLane, with business notes, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

    The ramifications and lessons of Bellator’s last big show, what it says about what the public interest in the Kimbo vs. Dada and Shamrock vs. Gracie fights, what led to Dada’s hospitalization, ratings and business notes on the show and coverage of the event.

    More WWE business, where the network stands, why a lot of the analysis of the network is shallow and missing key points, how much people really watch of the network, what can be learned from the success of it, how the company is doing in every division, the value of house show, how this affects UFC, aall the other revenue streams and an update on PPV numbers and the company’s profits and losses for the last 21 year.

    Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE, reason he came to WWE that isn’t going to happen, John Cena update, 2017 WrestleMania news, new major shows, and how much new stock do the key power brokers in the company have.

    Update injuries, what city do more WWE stars live in than any other, more on the next WWE network special, injury updates, how “This is awesome” got started, WWE TV in Japan, next week’s Raw notes, notes, plus a rundown of all the arena events over the past week.

    Kota Ibushi leaving New Japan, including an update on his plans, will he work for New Japan again, as well as WWE.

    ROH/New Japan joint shows over the weekend,the booking of the shows, the next major New Japan shows including the 2016 New Japan Cup, and match-by-match rundowns with star ratings.

    Update on B.J. Penn after UFC has decided to temporarily not use him.

    UFC Fight Night in Pittsburgh with business notes and match-by-match coverage.

    A lengthy piece on The Godfather, looking at his wrestling career, his pre-wrestling days, how he got into wrestling, why he was so popular with wrestlers, his different gimmicks and what he’s doing now.

    Feb 29, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Shane McMahon to face Undertaker at Wrestlemania
    Details on Shane McMahon’s return to WWE and how it could affect the future of the company, Dos Anjos/McGregor off due to injury, plus tons more.

    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 Meltzer

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

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    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: February 15, 1988 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: A Tale of Two Hebners
    All the details on Hulk Hogan losing the WWF title to Andre the Giant in a historic angle, plus tons of news and notes.

    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.

    We’ve also got the weekly coverage of all the ratings of the major shows, results from the major league events held around the world, and the major TV show rundowns.

    Also in this issue:

    –Split up of Los Ingobernables in Mexico

    –A look at one of the best Arena Mexico shows in a while

    –Change in the Elite plans

    –Elite’s first big stipulation match coming

    –Likely main event for CMLL’s first major show of 2016

    –Elite finally brings in the biggest living Lucha Libre star on an international basis of the last 50 years

    –Update on AAA plans

    –AAA star no-shows title match

    –Great Muta returns

    –All Japan Champion Carnival plans

    –Upcoming All Japan title matches

    –Wrestlers headed to WWE finishing up in Japan this week

    –A look at the NOAH big shows

    –Shakeup in the Presidents position in one of the world’s biggest promotions

    –Match-up of legends set for late March

    –70-year-old former gimmick wrestler returns

    –Hulk Hogan/Gawker update

    –Evolve’s WrestleMania weekend plans

    –More on Jim Ross’ boxing deal

    –AAA stars coming for WrestleMania weekend

    –House of Hardcore notes for the next three shows

    –Update on Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling

    –Return of Kiyoshi Tamura on a big show

    –Update on Thesz Hall of fame

    –Former NFL player make pro wrestling debut

    –More on the Mongolian Stomper

    –Preston City Wrestling update

    –Southern California wrestling Half of Fame update

    –Legendary wrestling building torn down

    –Lucha Underground first house show

    –Joey Ryan engagement notes

    –Update on ROH anniversary show and TV the next night

    –Update on Davey Richards ad his injury

    –UFC and BBC 3 deal

    –Business notes on the last UFC Las Vegas show

    –Lots of new UFC fights that have been made

    –Notes on this coming week’s UFC show

    –New companies on UFC Fight Pass

    –UFC star gets same testing as Daniel Bryan

    –Scott Coker adds kickboxing promotion and more details

    –Bellator star unhappy with Coker and his bookings

    –Bellator star cites on misdemeanor battery charge

    –Herschel Walker talks whether he’ll fight again or not

    –More on weight cutting

    –New MMA promotion looking at a weekly prime time television format

    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.

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

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  • Daily pro wrestling history (02/25): Benoit & Malenko win ECW World Tag Team Titles

    1960

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – Joe Hamilton fought Nick Roberts to a draw 
    – Lee Henning & Taro Myaki defeated Pancho Villa Lopez & Rocky Lee 
    – Bob Geigel defeated Gory Guerrero via DQ in three falls
    – World Heavyweight Champion Pat O’Connor defeated Bill Longson in two straight falls

    1968

    Toronto, Ontario, Canada:
    – Professor Toru Tanaka beat Whipper Billy Watson 
    – Edouard Carpentier beat United States heavyweight Tiger Jeet Singh on a disqualification (No title change)
    – The Assassin and Dan Miller wrestled Chief White Owl and The Mighty Ursud to a 1 fall to 1 fall 30:00 draw
    – The Oklahoma Kid beat Mike Loren 
    – Ivan Kalmikoff beat Man Mountain Cannon 

    1983

    Houston, Texas:
    – Junkyard Dog & Mr Wrestling II no contest Ted Dibiase & Matt Borne
    – Kamala beat Tony Atlas
    – Non title: Chavo Guerrero beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel
    – Tiger Conway Jr & Tom Prichard beat Moondogs
    – Hacksaw Duggan beat Mike Sharpe
    – Art Crews beat Marty Lunde (Arn Anderson)

    1984

    San Francisco, California:
    – Jesse Ventura & Mr. Saito beat Baron Von Raschke & The Crusher
    – Blackjack Mulligan beat Jerry Blackwell
    – Bunkhouse Match: Blackjack Lanza beat Bobby Heenan
    – AWA Light Heavyweight Champion Buck Zumhofe beat Steve Regal

    1986

    JCP/AWA Star Wars: East Rutherford, New Jersey:
    – AWA Champion Stan Hansen dcor Sgt. Slaughter
    – Rock & Roll Express beat Midnight Express dq
    – NWA Champion Ric Flair beat Magnum TA
    – Road Warriors & Dusty Rhodes beat Ivan Koloff & Nikita Koloff & Baron Von Raschke
    – Larry Zbyszko beat Nick Bockwinkel dq
    – AWA Tag Team Champions Scott Hall & Curt Hennig beat Bill Irwin & Scott Irwin
    – Jimmy Valiant beat Tully Blanchard dq
    – Nord The Barbarian & Mongolian Stomper beat Marty Jannetty & Buck Zumhofe

    1990 

    Wrestle War: Greensboro, North Carolina:
    – US Tag Team Champions, Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk defeated The Freebirds to retain the titles
    – NWA World Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Ole & Arn Anderson to retain the titles
    – NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Lex Luger to retain the title
    – The Rock N’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) defeated The Midnight Express (Stan Lane & Bobby Eaton) 
    – United States Tag Team Champions Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk defeated The Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin & Michael Hayes)
    – The Road Warriors defeated The Skyscrapers (Mark Callous & Mike Enos, who was wearing a mask, subbing for Dan Spivey) in a Chicago Streetfight 

    1995 

    ECW Return of the Funker: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
    – Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko defeated Taz & Sabu to win the ECW World Tag Team Titles
    – ECW World Champion Shane Douglas defeated Marty Jannetty
    – 2 Cold Scorpio defeated Hector Guerrero 

    2001

    WWF No Way Out: Las Vegas, Nevada:
    – Big Show defeated Raven to win the WWF Hardcore Title
    – Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho defeated Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and X-Pac in a four way match
    – Triple H defeated Steve Austin in a three fall match in which each fall had a different stipulation
    – The Rock defeated Kurt Angle to win the WWF World Heavyweight Title
    – WWF World Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boyz defeated Edge & Christian and Undertaker & Kane in a Three Way Tables match

  • UFC Fight Night 84 DFS Playbook: value picks, who to avoid

    It’s another fight week for the UFC as the Octagon heads over to London, England on Saturday for UFC Fight Night 84, headlined by a five-round middleweight bout as former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva takes on long-time contender Michael Bisping. It is another chance to earn some money playing fantasy MMA, and below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when making your daily fantasy line-up for Saturday’s event.

    STUDS

    Tom Breese ($11,400)

    Tom Breese has the highest salary of all 26 fighters on the UFC Fight Night 84 card, making him the top play for this event, and for a real good reason. Breese is a perfect 9-0 in his career, with all nine wins coming by stoppage. He has six first-round finishes, and both of his UFC wins have come by TKO in the first round. He is a rising prospect in the welterweight division who comes from a top camp, the Tristar Gym in Montreal, and he has heavy hands and good submissions. He also has an opponent he is expected to run through in Keita Nakamura. Nakamura is riding a five-fight win streak and is coming off his first UFC win in September, but he is just 1-3 inside the Octagon. Nakamura was actually losing his last fight until pulling out a late submission. This is a fight to build up Breese even further, and I fully expect another first-round stoppage win for him. Play him as your top play.

    Makwan Amirkhani ($10,200)

    Makwan Amirkhani made a big splash in his first year in the UFC in 2015. He fought just twice, but won both fights in the first round, and has spent less than two minutes inside the Octagon over those two fights. His UFC debut was a seven-second knockout win, and he followed that up with a submission win in 1:41. The man dubbed “Mr.Finland” is a fighter to keep an eye on, and he has a solid track record. He is 12-2 in his career, so he has proven to be beatable, but ten of his 12 wins have come by stoppage. He has also moved to the SBG Ireland camp in preparation for this fight, training alongside the likes of Conor McGregor. He will have the best coaching he has experienced thus far, and he’s fighting an opponent he doesn’t seem to particularly like in Mike Wilkinson. That will add fuel to the fire. Wilkinson is 9-1 in his career, but hasn’t fought since October 2014. This one is made for Amirkhani to get another finish win.

    VALUE PLAYS

    Michael Bisping ($8,600)

    I’m going to start off by saying, as you will see below, I have his opponent, Anderson Silva, on my roster, which says how I think the fight will go. However, at his salary, in a five-round fight, Bisping is a very interesting play. Silva hasn’t fought since January 2015, and is coming off a suspension following his horrific leg break in December 2013. He is getting older, and there are questions as to whether Silva has any left. Having Bisping on your team is banking on the fact you, as a fight fan, think Silva is a shot fighter. Many feel this way. Bisping may not finish Silva with one punch, but what he has is volume. He lands a lot, and this fight could drag on for five rounds, giving him more opportunities to add on to your point total. I’m not playing him on my roster, but his salary is excellent value, and would allow you to spend up on some higher-priced fighters.

    Thales Leites ($8,400)

    Thales Leites is an interesting play as I see his salary just too low. He is very undervalued in his fight against Gegard Mousasi, and I see Mousasi at $11,000 being too high. This is why Leites makes my value play list. Leites is 5-1 since returning to the UFC, and his lone loss came to Michael Bisping in a very close fight in July. He also has the fight style that has given Mousasi a lot of trouble in the past- a solid striker with an excellent submission game. He could give Mousasi fits, and Mousasi is coming off the first knockout loss of his career in his last fight. Leites has just too low of a salary to not consider him being on your roster. He will be on mine, and he is a solid value play.

    FIGHTERS TO AVOID

    Krzysztof Jotko ($10,100)

    Krzysztof Jotko is an impressive 16-1 in his career, and 3-1 inside the Octagon. However, of those 16 wins, only six have come by stoppage, and he hasn’t finished an opponent since September 2012. He doesn’t rack up a lot of points either, outside of his dominant win over Tor Troeng, and he tends to have close fights. He has a solid opponent in Bradley Scott, who is tough to finish and has been a finisher himself in his career, as all of his wins have come by finish. Scott is actually a solid play for the event himself. Jotko just doesn’t strike me as a fighter looking to finish, just one who wants a win. There are a lot of finishers on this event, thus making Jotko an easy fighter to avoid.

    Norman Parke ($8,700)

    Norman Parke has been in way too many close fights to my liking, and is an easy fighter to pass up on this event. His salary is tempting since it gives you some space to spend up on your roster, and let’s face it, you have to have a lower salary fighter on your team. However, he has a tough match-up against Rustam Khabilov, a strong takedown artist, and this is the type of fight Parke comes up short in. Parke has just one finish win in the UFC, which came against an opponent who is 0-5 in the UFC in his career. He isn’t going to finish Khabilov, and I don’t even see him getting the win. He is an easy one to pass on, and don’t get tempted by his low salary. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

    OUR LINEUPS:

    RYAN FREDERICK- Tom Breese ($11,400), Anderson Silva ($10,800), Makwan Amirkhani ($10,200), Marlon Vera ($8,900), Thales Leites ($8,400)

    Tom Breese is the big play of the event and I’m having him on my roster. He is an excellent prospect, and you can’t go against someone who has won by finish in every one of his fights. He has an excellent match-up to get another finish. Next I have Anderson Silva. It does feel like a risky play at his salary, but if he hasn’t lost a step, I think he finishes Michael Bisping. The big question is making sure he isn’t a shot fighter at his age and after the rough past few years. Makwan Amirkhani is also on my team, and his UFC track record with two wins in a less than two combined minutes is hard to overlook. He also has an opponent he is motivated to put away quickly, and he is an excellent prospect. I’m rounding out my team with Marlon Vera and Thales Leites. Vera got a finish in his last fight, and he’s fighting Davey Grant, who hasn’t fought since November 2013 and is coming off being stopped in his lone UFC fight. Vera has a solid shot at the upset. Thales Leites’ salary is just too low, and he has a style to defeat Gegard Mousasi. I’m picking Mousasi to win the fight, but Leites has the ability to get the upset.

    PAUL FONTAINE- Gegard Mousasi ($11,000), Anderson Silva ($10,800), Makwan Amirkhani ($10,200), Brad Pickett ($9,000), Marlon Vera ($8,900)

    If my picks in recent weeks are any indication, your best bet is probably to pick the exact opposite of my team! But I will try and make a case here for why I’m going with these five. Silva is a points fighter who does have deceptive power. I don’t see any way that Bisping knocks out Silva. So this fight is either going to go the full five rounds, meaning Silva gets a lot of points for striking, or Silva finishes him at some point. Either way, he should rack up some point. Mousasi is a front runner who always looks great in fights against guys ranked below him as is the case her. He should dominate Leites on the way to an early finish. I’m taking a bit of a chance with Brad Pickett, who’s on a 3 fight losing streak but his opponent Rivera has been finished in each of his last two losses and Pickett does have finishing ability at 135. I’m really surprised Marlon Viera is an underdog against Davey Grant, who hasn’t found in 2 1/2 years. Vera is coming off a 2nd round submission win and the group of fighters that he came in with from the first season of TUF Latin America has done very well in UFC. I like him to score another stoppage win here. My last pick is Mr Finland, who I think is a lock to score an early finish. He could be the future of the Featherweight division as the man is extremely popular, oozes charisma and has scary finishing ability…the Finnish Conor if you will. 

    PEACH MACHINE- Anderson Silva ($10,800), Davey Grant ($10,500), Francisco Rivera ($10,400), Bradley Scott ($9,300), Thales Leites ($8,400)

    I like Anderson Silva. Bisping will be able to hang for a while and he’ll engage Silva and get knocked out late… I like Leites. Mousasi is coming off a bad KO, and hasn’t looked good… Rivera will KO Pickett but this should be a fun one round fight… I’m taking Scott more as a pick against Jotko who was not impressive last time I saw him… I’m taking Grant more as a pick against Vera, but I don’t know anything about either guy, I just hate Brandon Vera so much it extends to anyone with that last name. I went 4-1 last week but I’m not as confident this week.