CM Punk (real name Phil Brooks) will undergo back surgery on Wednesday in Chicago, delaying his UFC debut indefinitely.
According to what Brooks told MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani, the injury is a lingering issue from his pro wrestling days that has worsened in recent months. The recovery time will be 4-6 weeks, and he’s still planning on debuting at some point in 2016.
The timing couldn’t be worse as his opponent was just confirmed last Saturday at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas after Mickey Gall took less than a minute to defeat Mike Jackson to earn the shot. An exact date was not announced at the time, but he was to face Gall at an undetermined UFC PPV, assumed to be in June or July. Unfortunately, he found out about needing surgery just hours before Gall fought Jackson.
Punk has already had one injury setback when a shoulder injury last August delayed his training.
There was a skeleton crew because much of the crew left after Raw for shows this week in Germany which start tomorrow with a show in Bremen.
Chris Jericho opened the show doing a semi-heel promo on A.J. Styles. He said Styles can’t match his career in WWE. Styles confronted him. The Social Outcasts came out and this led to a tag team match.
Jericho & Styles beat Adam Rose & Curtis Axel. Styles got the pin but Jericho attacked him after the match.
The Dudleys cut a promo saying they were sick of Daniel Bryan and were not a nostalgia act but were here to add to their legacy. They also said they are refusing to use anymore tables.
Goldust was choking on food and R-Truth saved him. Goldust again wanted to be his partner and again got turned down.
Sasha Banks beat Naomi with the Bank statement. Tamina attacked Becky Lynch, who was on commentary.
The Wyatt Family did a promo, saying they were going to rid the WWE of Titans and Gods, specifically mentioning Kane, Big Show & Ryback.
Sin Cara & Kalisto & Neville beat The Ascension & Stardust.
Chris Jericho beat A.J. Styles clean with the codebreaker Fans chanted for both men. Better match than the last time. Really quite good.
The Wyatt Family attacked Jericho after, although this was probably off the air. Styles, Neville and the Lucha Dragons all made the save.
TNA Impact emanates from the United Kingdom tonight. The Kurt Angle Farewell Tour hits Manchester when Kurt Angle battles it out with Drew Galloway. Also, The Destroyer Lashley faces off with Bram. TNA World Champion Matt Hardy is expected to make an appearance tonight. Additionally, Ethan Carter III has vowed to make his return in Manchester.
Show Recap
-Josh Matthews and The Pope welcome us to this week’s show in the U.K. TNA World Champion Matt Hardy, his wife Reby, bodyguard Tyrus and son Maxell come to the ring. Matt talked about his accomplishments in the last few weeks. Tyrus took the mic from Matt and made a Winston Churchill joke. Reby took the mic and got some intense heat from the crowd. Matt said if Dixie Carter wants to keep him happy she has to fire EC3 later tonight.
-Backstage, TNA President Dixie Carter is shown arriving in the building.
Lashley vs. Bram w/Eric Young
Earlier in the day, EY and Bram were backstage and bragging about ending the career of Jeff Hardy. Lashley and Bram used a lot of power moves to start. EY interfered which gave Bram the advantage. Lashley made his own comeback, but Bram was able to cut off his momentum. EY came in the ring, but his interference backfired and Lashley hit the spear to win the match.
-Backstage, Reby was assuring Matt that Dixie would fire EC3 to keep Matt happy. Matt’s also worried about the return of EC3 tonight. Tyrus promises to have it under control and introduced Matt’s security team in case EC3 shows up.
-Kurt Angle comes down to the ring to a huge pop. Kurt said the crowd was making it hard for him to say farewell and they booed him. “Thank You Angle” chants fill the arena as Kurt talks about his time in TNA. Kurt talks about The Kurt Angle Farewell Tour, but he’s interrupted by “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis. She introduces “The Miracle” Michael Bennett. Bennett insults Kurt and his legacy. The Miracle wants to face Kurt and promises to beat him. Kurt told Maria she’s a very pretty girl but has bad taste in men. Kurt hit The Miracle with one shot and then bailed from the ring. Drew Galloway came out on the stage and had a stare down with Kurt who was still in the ring. Kurt and Drew face off later tonight in the Kurt Angle Farewell Tour.
-Backstage, Beer Money was walking down the hall. Beer Money was once again great in their segment. Bobby Roode wouldn’t let James Storm into their locker room because he got him a surprise. Storm tried to guess and asked if it was Pyro or a stripper. Roode gave Storm The Boozier Cruiser.
X Division Champion Trevor Lee w/ Gregory Shane Helms vs. Tigre Uno
Tigre has the early advantage in the match using lots of high-risk moves. Trevor dominates Tigre with power moves. Tigre makes a short comeback and hits a hurricanrana off the steal steps on the outside. Back in the ring, Helms interferes and Lee hits the fishermen buster to win the match and retain the X Division title.
-Beer Money entered the ring and wanting to cash in their Feast or Fired title shot. They call out the TNA World Tag Teams Champions, The Wolves. Instead, Decay comes out, which leads to our next match
Beer Money (James Storm & Bobby Roode) vs. Decay (Crazy Steve & Abyss w/Rosemary)
All four guys brawl around ringside. Beer Money use double team moves on Crazy Steve until Abyss gets in the ring. Decay use great teamwork to isolate and beat down Roode. Roode makes the hot tag to Storm who runs wild. Beer Money hit the DWI on Crazy Steve but Abyss causes the DQ. After the match, Roode launches Storm onto Abyss from the ring to the outside. Rosemary distracts Roode who is attacked by Crazy Steve from behind. Abyss pulls out Janice from underneath the ring but before they could use it The Wolves hit the ring for the save. Decay challenges The Wolves to a Monster’s Ball match next week. The Wolves accept.
-Backstage, Reby Sky approaches Dixie Carter. Reby claims she is talking to Dixie without Matt knowing. Reby is very sincere and genuine when talking to Dixie. She tells Dixie that she just wants what’s best for her family. However, as Reby walked away she rolled her eyes.
-Back from commercial, the recently fired Grado comes through the crowd and jumps the guardrail. Josh points out that Grado doesn’t work in TNA. Grado gets a great reaction from the crowd. Grado is claiming that he was “screwed” by TNA in the Feast or Fired match. He was going to show us proof when Eli Drake with security interrupted him. Eli tried to get the proof, but Grado got away.
Madison Rayne vs. Jade w/ The Dollhouse (Marti Belle and Rebel)
Good match between these two. Madison hit a cross body off the apron onto all members of The Dollhouse. Madison hit Jade with some serious chops that would have made any man cry. Jade hit the package piledriver to win the match. After the match, The Dollhouse continued to beat down Madison until Gail Kim made the save and cleared the ring.
-Backstage, Billy Corgan is being interviewed about being back in the U.K. Billy Corgan is best known as the Senior Producer of Creative and Talent Development. Oh yeah, he’s also lead singer of The Smashing Pumpkins. Grado runs up and asked for his help. Eli and the security guards beat up Grado.
The Kurt Angle Farewell Tour: Kurt Angle vs. Drew Galloway
Kurt and Drew have a tremendous match. Kurt is the regular amazing wrestler that he is, but Drew Galloway is showing that he is a lot better then people realize. There were several intense and great near falls. The crowd is solidly behind Kurt. Drew had the early advantage, but it didn’t last long and the veteran Kurt made a comeback.
Back from commercial, Drew is in control of the match and is dominating Kurt. Kurt got the ankle lock secure, but Drew fought him off. On the outside, Drew continued to beat down Kurt until Kurt hit the Angle slam onto the steal steps. This got a “TNA” chant from the crowd. Drew hit a very unique move that Pope described as being “a reverse Alabama Slam.” Drew hit two Claymore kicks, but only got a two and half. Drew locks on a unique submission and Kurt’s bleeding from the mouth, which makes the spot look amazing. Kurt countered into the Ankle lock, but Drew fought out. Drew locked on the submission a second time and shockingly Kurt tapped! Drew Galloway is victorious over Kurt Angle.
-Earlier, Josh interviewed Tyrus about turning on EC3. Tyrus was really good here as he talked about all the reasons for turning on EC3. He explained that it was for money and because EC3 never gave him a title shot despite being number one contender. During the interview, at two separate points, Tyrus insulted The Pope.
-Matt Hardy, Reby and Tyrus are in the ring. TNA President Dixie Carter comes to the ring. Matt is demanding that Dixie fire EC3. Matt’s loosing his mind insisting she fire EC3. Rockstar Spud’s comes out to defend Dixie. Matt says he wants Spud to make Dixie fire EC3. Spud thinks about if for a moment, teasing that he’s going to do it but instead stands up to Matt. Tyrus attacks Spud and beats him down. Matt and Tyrus back Dixie into the corner. EC3’s music hit to a big pop and he comes out for the save. He walks into beating Matt’s security team along the way. EC3 and Tyrus brawled around ringside. Spud and Dixie are holding each other in the corner. EC3 and Matt had a stare down, but when he got in the ring Matt bailed. To end the show EC3 posed on the stage.
Final Thoughts
Another really good Impact this week. Impact continues to deliver really good matches and interesting characters. However, the show can be predictable at times. The Kurt Angle-Drew Galloway match was fantastic and topped their match from a few weeks ago. The show closing angle was energetic and entertaining.
Next Week:
We’re still in the U.K. for Impact. The Wolves face off with Decay in a Monster’s Ball Match. Also, more on the Matt Hardy-EC3 feud, and The Kurt Angle Farewell Tour continues.
DON’T FORGET: Daniel Bryan, aka Bryan Danielson, will be on ESPN’s SportsCenter with Jonathan Coachman tonight at 9 EST. It will be his first interview since his incredible retirement speech Monday night to close out RAW.
Just a bit ago we posted Daniel Bryan’s appearance from 2007 on Figure Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez.
On the heels of the retirement, a new study is all over the place today, claiming that concussions “may also be associated with an increase in the long term risk of suicide.” For anyone in combat/collision sports, this is a terrifying time, indeed.
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Portland, OR. Chris Jericho vs. A.J. Styles is on the show.
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our new Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
The new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter looks at Bret Hart’s battle with cancer, his discussions about it, and updates on the situation. The most detailed coverage of the last month of Lucha Underground’s second season, backstage news, season three, lots of business notes. Full coverage of all the Ultima Lucha 2 matches and direction. Nakamura’s final day with NJPW, where Nakamura and New Japan go now, his background and building the IC title, the next two New Japan PPV shows to this weekend’s biggest event.
Fast Lane and WrestleMania, what’s up with Undertaker, WWE injury updates, the next WWE Network special, Licensing issue with new WWE signees, notes on the next NXT Takeover show, a look at all the TV building the next Takeover show, who led to a huge increase in demand for WWE tickets, next WWE show in Madison Square Garden update, Nakamura updates, WWE performer wants to compete in the Olympics and what former pro wrestler went back to the Olympics to medal, Lesnar’s schedule, Tough Enough winner starts out, Other Tough Enough competitors start out, change in Rumble plans, New WWE Network series based on wrestling matches, new WWE movie, WWE’s tour of Germany this coming week, more on The Rock’s segment on Raw.
A detailed look at the Awesome Kong-Reby Hardy situation in Manchester, England. Benson Henderson’s decision to leave UFC for Bellator and take a championship fight, why he made the decision, what both Dana White and Henderson said. We look at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s last major event and where it’s storylines are going.
A huge look at the life and career of Archie “The Stomper” Gouldie, one of the most memorable wrestling characters of his generation, stories about him, his gimmick, how big a star he was in his heyday, his incredibly long career title history, how he was two very different successful characters, and his most famous angles and biggest bouts. We also have a lot of comments from people who knew him, including how he changed the life and career of J.J. Dillon. The life and career of the original Espectrito, the best heel mini of his generation including when he main evented the Los Angeles Sports Arena, a rarity for a mini.
We also look at Saturday’s UFC , what’s next for the winners, thoughts on Sage Northcutt, as well as business notes on the show and match-by-match coverage.
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
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.
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After Raw last night, WWE FastLane has Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose for a shot at the WWE Title at WrestleMania, Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio for the US Title, Charlotte vs. Brie Bella (interesting timing) for the Diva’s Title, and Becky & Sasha vs. Naomi & Tamina. Looks like probably a Big Show & Kane & Ryback vs. Wyatts match as well.
For those who have been following Bryan and Vinny on Retro Raw and Retro Nitro, the plan tonight is Nitro and Thursday Raw Thursday, which is the show where Shawn Michaels lost his smile. Bryan on Observer Live today noted how amazing it was to watch that right after watching Daniel Bryan’s retirement speech. Thursday Raw Thursday is not available on the WWE Network but it can be found online.
In case you hadn’t heard, WWE talent will be flying with you on American Airlines for the month of February as the official in-flight periodical of the airline, American Way, will feature a cover photo of both Bellas, Mark Henry, and John Cena of course. Give it a look the next time you use the seat back to stuff empty peanut bags and napkins in.
Saturday’s UFC, headlined by Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson knocking out Johny Hendricks, did an average of 1,317,000 viewers for the 3 hour broadcast on FS 1. Even more impressive were the two hour prelims, which did 1,093,000 viewers for the 2 hours preceding the main card, also airing on FS 1. Both numbers are well above 2015 averages, which were also way up from the previous year.
With the dominant win, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson jumped up 5 spots from 8 to 3 in the welterweight rankings, while Hendricks fell to 4.
Mickey Gall, who submitted Mike Jackson in 45 seconds Saturday night to set up a fight this summer with CM Punk, opened as a -300 favorite for the fight against the former WWE Champion according to BestFightOdds.com
Jason “Mayhem” Miller is back! Sort of…..The former UFC, EliteXC and Dream fighter will face former UFC Middleweight Luke Barnatt in May for a promotion in Italy. Bellator is running in Italy as well this year so hopefully he doesn’t show up on their radar.
New fight announced for UFC 197 is a couple of Middleweights with 3 and 4 fight winning streaks respectively. Robert Whitaker (15-4) takes on Rafael Natal (21-6-1) on the show headlined by Daniel Cormier’s Light Heavyweight title defence against the returning Jon Jones.
Cleveland, Ohio’s, AIW returns this Friday with a fun show featuring Missy Hyatt, Alex Shelley, Colt Cabana, Col.Robert Parker, Veda Scott, and all the regulars.
Florida indie promotion Real Pro Wrestling has changed its name to Ignite Pro Wrestling.
Fire Pro Wrestling this week looks at football players who successfully transitioned into pro wrestling (such as Ron Simmons, Bronco Nagurski, Steve Williams, Stan Hansen, Goldberg, and many more here.
Robbie E has been added to this year’s ECWA Super 8 on 4/23.
It was very clear that Raw was not going to do well last night until the interest generated when mainstream media picked up on the Daniel Bryan retirement story.
The show’s audience increased greatly, but ironically, likely due to the show not ending until 11:26 p.m., the third hour with the Bryan farewell speech fell greatly.
Raw did 3.68 million viewers, up nine percent from the nearly 18-year-low set the previous week.
The three hours were:
8 p.m. 3.91 million viewers 9 p.m. 3.91 million viewers 10 p.m. 3.37 million viewers
The show was second for the night on cable, trailing the O’Reilly Factor by 2,000 viewers.
On Tuesday, Flipps Media of San Mateo, CA, announced the development of an online service called FITE TV, and that Jim Ross has signed on as the public face of the product, strongly suggesting he would be doing more commentary.
FITE TV will give viewers worldwide access to PPV and iPPV events from pro wrestling, boxing, and MMA. There will be both a free and a PPV component to the service, which in many ways, is reminiscent of Go Fight Live, a similar service.
The key is this service will also offer streaming PPV events from TNA and ROH for those who either a) don’t have access to them or b) want the convenience of streaming rather than buying on TV. FITE TV will be available on smart TVs as well as most streaming devices. The app is available free on iTunes and Google Play now.
Besides TNA and ROH, the entire WWN Live family of Evolve, Shine and FIP, as well as Future Stars of Wrestling have signed on with FITE. If you remember, Jeff Jarrett used Flipps Media for the iPPV broadcast of Wrestle Kingdom 9 when he had the international rights to the show.
Ross’ involvement was due to a connection with Mike Weber, the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Flipps Media. Weber had a long history in pro wrestling, serving as a marketing head for WCW, WWE and TNA.
“Getting invovled with FITE is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” said Ross. “It is the future of televised fighting sports. There is no easier way to stream wrestling, MMA and other fighting sports content including special commentaries on those sports by me.”
Other organizations involved will include the Las Vegas based Tuff-N-Uff amateur MMA promotion, Legacy Fighting Championships, USA Sumo and the World Arm Wrestling championships.
Kansas City, Kansas: – Richard Brown beat Ike Eakins – June Byers and Carol Cook beat Penny Banner and Mary Jane Mull – Guy Brunetti beat Bob Corby (dq) – Joe Tangaro drew Danny Plechas (20:00)
1957
Kansas City, Kansas: – Wild Red Berry and Richard Brown beat Babe Zaharias and Lou Plummer 2 falls to 0 – Bob Geigel beat Tommy O’Toole – Ramon Cernadas beat Frank Hurley – Richard Brown beat Babe Zaharias
1961
Rochester, Minnesota: – Hard Boiled Haggerty beat AWA Champion Verne Gagne dq – Jim Hady beat Len Montana – Gene Kiniski beat Joe Scarpello – Wilbur Snyder beat George Drake
1964
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Moose Evans & Verne Gagne beat Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher to win the AWA Tag Team Title – Mitsu Arakawa beat Doug Gilbert – Rene Goulet beat Marquis de Paree – Princess Little Cloud beat Bette Boucher – Bob Geigel beat Maurice Lapointe
1969
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: – The Mighty Igor beat Ivan Koloff – Bulldog Brower and Whipper Billy Watson beat The Assassin and Al Costello Watson – Edouard Carpentier beat The Mighy Ursus – Rocky Johnson and Ivan Kalmikoff went to a 15:00 draw – Dewey Robertson beat Eric the Red – The Sheik beat Bill Palmer – Paul DeMarco beat Fred Atkins
1973
Chicago, Illinois: – AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Blackjack Mulligan 2 out of 3 falls – Superstar Billy Graham beat Wahoo McDaniel dq – Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch beat Billy Robinson & Wilbur Snyder – Ernie Ladd beat Lord James Blears – Rene Goulet drew Reggie Parks – Blackjack Lanza beat Jim Brunzell
1977
Denver, Colorado: – Andre the Giant & Ray Stevens & Larry Hennig beat Nick Bockwinkel & Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Duncum – Pedro Morales beat Pierre Poisson – Angelo Mosca beat Bill Francis – Super Destroyer beat Peter Maivia dq
1982
Tampa, Florida: – The Midnight Rider (the suspended Dusty Rhodes under a mask) defeated Ric Flair to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (After the match, NWA President Bob Geigel demanded that the Midnight Rider unmask. If Rhodes revealed it was him under the mask, he would have been banned for life, so he refused and gave up the NWA Championship, which was returned to Flair)
Omaha, Nebraska: – Ken Patera beat Hulk Hogan dq – Tito Santana & Buck Zumhofe beat Bobby Duncum & Bobby Heenan – Greg Gagne beat Rene Goulet – Brad Rheingans drew Jerry Blackwell
1986
St. Paul, Minnesota: – Road Warriors & Paul Ellering beat Mongolian Stomper & Boris Zhukov & Barbarian dq – No dq match: AWA Champion Stan Hansen beat Sgt. Slaughter by countout – AWA Tag Team Champions Scott Hall & Curt Hennig beat Bill Irwin & Scott Irwin dq – Jerry Blackwell beat Earthquake Ferris (sub King Kong Brody) dq – Marty Jannetty beat Doug Somers – Brad Rheingans beat Earthquake Ferris
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: – The British Bulldog, Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid defeated the WWF tag team champions Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine via disqualification – Intercontinental champion Tito Santana pinned Jesse Ventura to retain title – Paul Orndorff defeated Cowboy Bob Orton – Corporal Kirchner defeated The Iron Sheik – George(The Animal) Steele beat Barry O – Adrian Adonis defeated Special Delivery Jones
1998
El Paso, Texas: – Rick & Scott Steiner defeated The Outsiders (Scott Hall & Kevin Nash) to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship
2003
Guadalajara, Mexico: – Vampiro defeated Shocker to win the NWA light heavyweight title
2009
Tokyo, Japan: – Kaz Hayashi defeated Naomichi Marafuji to win the All Japan title
I wish the best of luck to Bryan Danielson tonight in his retirement speech hope everyone wishes the best for him in his post-wrestling career. To me, Bryan Danielson was both a model pro wrestler and far more than that, a very intelligent and very honest human being.
He reached the highest rung in this profession in 2014 even when his look and size based on previously established standards of the business would have said it was impossible. Unlike many, his rise to the top was entirely fan-driven, and I hope all those fans understand that whatever decision he has made is based on what he believes is the best for him in the long run.
It will be a long time before people fully understand the contributions he made to this industry, which is a far better place because of his involvement. There were things dating back to 2001 that he was involved with that changed the underground foundation of the industry, and over the past few years, significantly changed talent evaluation at the highest level of the industry.
Change is slow, to be sure, but this is a different industry and he played a huge part in it. When you really look back, from an influence standpoint, he triggered a number of changes and his contributions are actually enormous.
On a side note: I was told that word spread today within WWE about Danielson. As of a few hours ago, the description was the mood was very somber backstage.
Also, Danielson will be on ESPN with Jonathan Coachman tomorrow night talking about his retirement.
More of F4WOnline.com’s Coverage of the Daniel Bryan story:
Bryan on Twitter posted “Due to medical reasons, effective immediately, I am announcing my retirement. Tonight on Raw, I’ll have a chance to elaborate.” So, now we wait for his speech tonight on RAW. To many this retirement is not coming as a surprise but to many others this will be a hard pill to swallow. There are those who held out hope that a guy like Daniel Bryan who defied the odds of making it into the WWE, would once again return. A guy who was small and didn’t have the prototypical WWE body, not only made it to the WWE but won the WWE title at WrestleMania 30. In what many saw as one of the great celebrations and they got to share it with him. This is pro wrestling and few truly retire from this business, so fans will still hold out hope he will eventually make his return however unlikely.
They will be back later tonight with another Wrestling Observer Radio talking the fallout of RAW and the retirement speech. They will also talk about the death of Axl Rotten and the latest news. If you’ve got any questions Bryan Danielson related, particularly from the report we did or anything he may say on Raw tonight, you can send them to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com We will try and answer all Danielson questions tonight. Questions on other subjects we’ll go into on Wednesday.
Raw will be Monday in Seattle. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman are scheduled on the show and of course the Daniel Bryan retirement announcement.
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Portland, OR. Chris Jericho vs. A.J. Styles is on the show.
Thanks to everyone who did a great job of correspondent work at the shows this weekend including Adam Kirby, Alex Keeling, Jai, Thomas Green, Lee Thomas, Kody Ludwig, Tyler Kemmerer, Ross Hart, Craig Freeman, Todd Bergman, Lou Pickney, Josh Baker, Sean Moore, Dan Thompson and everyone else.
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our new Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
The new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter looks at Bret Hart’s battle with cancer, his discussions about it, and updates on the situation. The most detailed coverage of the last month of Lucha Underground’s second season, backstage news, season three, lots of business notes. Full coverage of all the Ultima Lucha 2 matches and direction. Nakamura’s final day with NJPW, where Nakamura and New Japan go now, his background and building the IC title, the next two New Japan PPV shows to this weekend’s biggest event.
Fast Lane and WrestleMania, what’s up with Undertaker, WWE injury updates, the next WWE Network special, Licensing issue with new WWE signees, notes on the next NXT Takeover show, a look at all the TV building the next Takeover show, who led to a huge increase in demand for WWE tickets, next WWE show in Madison Square Garden update, Nakamura updates, WWE performer wants to compete in the Olympics and what former pro wrestler went back to the Olympics to medal, Lesnar’s schedule, Tough Enough winner starts out, Other Tough Enough competitors start out, change in Rumble plans, New WWE Network series based on wrestling matches, new WWE movie, WWE’s tour of Germany this coming week, more on The Rock’s segment on Raw.
A detailed look at the Awesome Kong-Reby Hardy situation in Manchester, England. Benson Henderson’s decision to leave UFC for Bellator and take a championship fight, why he made the decision, what both Dana White and Henderson said. We look at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s last major event and where it’s storylines are going.
A huge look at the life and career of Archie “The Stomper” Gouldie, one of the most memorable wrestling characters of his generation, stories about him, his gimmick, how big a star he was in his heyday, his incredibly long career title history, how he was two very different successful characters, and his most famous angles and biggest bouts. We also have a lot of comments from people who knew him, including how he changed the life and career of J.J. Dillon. The life and career of the original Espectrito, the best heel mini of his generation including when he main evented the Los Angeles Sports Arena, a rarity for a mini.
We also look at Saturday’s UFC , what’s next for the winners, thoughts on Sage Northcutt, as well as business notes on the show and match-by-match coverage.
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
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.
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.
Jon Jones was cited on 1/31 for driving without a license, without registration and without insurance by a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Deputy. That could have been trouble given Jones currently being on probation, but Bernalillo County District Attorney spokesperson Kayla Anderson said they will not be filing a probation violation against Jones for the incident according to Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting. Jones is serving 18 months of probation from his felony hit-and-run charge from last year.
B.J. Penn on his web site announced today that his return would be on 4/23 in Las Vegas at UFC 197. Originally he was expected to fight on 3/5 against Dennis Siver, although UFC never officially announced the fight. Ariel Helwani had reported the 3/5 date as what they were looking for and we’d also gotten internal confirmation that was the plan as of last week.
The Super Bowl, for those asking did a 49.0 rating based on the metered markets last night. It looks like the show did 111.9 million viewers, making it the third most watched television show in U.S. history. The numbers are based on the fast nationals. The peak was 115.5 million between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. The show also averaged 1.4 million streaming viewers. The two most watched shows were the 2014 and 2015 Super Bowls, with last year setting the record of 114.4 million viewers. Advertisers were paying as much as $5 million for a 30 second spot.
WWE
Tonight’s Raw in Seattle was expected to come close to selling out even before the Danielson announcement.
HHH sent a WWE title belt to the Denver Broncos for winning the Super Bowl.
Sheamus was shown in a Super Bowl commercial as he’s in the trailer of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie. It aired during the second quarter.
Sisters was No. 10 at the box office in Australia this past weekend and Daddy’s Home was No. 13. Both were out of the top ten in the U.S., with Daddy’s Home No. 15 and Sisters No. 25. (thanks to James Stanois)
Cricket Wireless and WWE and launching a sweepstakes to send one fan and a guest to WrestleMania. Between today and 3/20, fans can enter the sweepstakes visiting their local Cricket Wireless store or go to www.Cricketsweepsakes.com/wwe32 for a chance to win. The winner gets round trip airfare and lodging in Dallas for two, $500 in spending money a new ZTE Grand X 3 with one year of Crocket Wireless service, as well as tickets to the pre-party and Fan Axxess.
Stock closed down eight cents today at $16.49.
Two new trailers been put online for the Nine Legends film profiling Bret Hart and Dynamite Kid The film also profiles Bill Goldberg, Lita, Mike Tyson, Chris Jericho, RVD, Randy Couture and Ted DiBiase. The film was covered this past week upon release by mainstream publications such as Fox Sports, Yahoo News, Nerdist, Deadline and Digital Trends.
MISCELLANEOUS
The first of six episodes of Impact from the U.K., this being the first show taped in Manchester with Kurt Angle vs. Drew Galloway as the main event, will air tomorrow night on Pop TV.
Jerry Lynn was backstage working as an agent at the ROH tapings in Nashville on Saturday night.
Future Stars of Wrestling on 2/28 in Las Vegas at the Silverton Casino with Kevin Kross vs. Eli Drake vs. Kenny King vs. Willie Mack in a four-way that involves a star of TNA, ROH and Lucha Underground. Also on the show are Rocky Romero, TJ Perkins, Silas Young and Colby Corino.
Revolution Pro Wrestling from yesterday in London at the Cockpit Theater before a sellout of 180 fans: Bob Lyons b Matt Nathan, Pete Dunne b Sonjay Dutt to keep the British cruiserweight title, Josh Bodom b Donovan Dijak, Marty Scurll b Timothy Thatcher, Flash Morgan Webster b James Castle, Big Damo b Mark Haskins, Colt Cabana b Lord Gideon Gray, Zack Sabre Jr. b Will Ospreay. The show was taped for the Revolution Pro YouTube channel. Told Bodom vs. Dijak was a great short match, Dunne vs. Dutt and Thatcher vs. Scurll were very good and the main event was exactly what you’d expect from those two. (thanks to Jan Buxton)
Acclaim Pro Wrestling on 3/5 in Ottawa and the Dom Polski Combatants Centre.
Real Pro Wrestling of Port St. Lucie, FL has announced a name change to Ignite Wrestling. The first show with the new name will be 2/27.
Here is a story on Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews and the Super Bowl being in the city yesterday. In the background of the main picture is a WrestleMania poster from WWE’s visit to the city for WrestleMania last year. Matthews created a near incident when he publicly stated about how they are going to meet with WWE officials over WrestleMania, and WWE rules are you are supposed to keep it quiet. Despite his breaking of the rules, WWE still went with Levi’s Stadium for the show, for a number of reasons including that the Super Bowl was coming to the building and WWE could announce a larger number than the Super Bowl. In actuality, the Super Bowl had more people in the stadium yesterday than WrestleMania did.
A heavyweight match-up between Junior Dos Santos and Ben Rothwell headlines UFC’s first event in Croatia on April 10 at the Zagreb Arena.
The company announced the fight on Twitter early Monday morning. Dos Santos (17-4), is a former heavyweight champion and No. 6 ranked contender. Rothwell (36-9), is now ranked No. 5, and after a submission win over Josh Barnett on Jan. 30, his fourth straight finish, had a viable argument for a title shot.
One of those wins by Rothwell was over Alistair Overeem via first round knockout on September 5, 2014, in Manshantucket, Conn. Overeem knocked Dos Santos out of title contention on Dec. 19 in Orlando on FOX. Prior to that loss, Dos Santos had lost only to Cain Velasquez over the prior eight years. In late 2014, Dos Santos scored a close decision win over Stipe Miocic, who is expected to get the next heavyweight title shot.
Dos Santos’ title reign started with a 64 second knockout of Velasquez on November 12, 2011, which was, by a great margin, the single-most watched televised MMA fight ever in the U.S., viewed by 9.5 million viewers between live airings on Fox and Fox Deportes.
He lost the title to Velasquez won December 29, 2012, and lost a third fight in 2013. He took terrible beatings in both losses, particularly the latter, and didn’t look like the same fighter against Miocic, but had enough to win. With Overeem, his performance raised questions about how much he had left.
Rothwell is a veteran who was the heavyweight star of the International Fight League in 2006 and 2007, and debuted in UFC in 2009 with a loss to Velasquez. He lost three of his first five UFC fights, but rebounded with wins over Brandon Vera, Overeem, Matt Mitrione and Barnett.
Des Moines, Iowa: – World Heavyweight Champion Earl Caddock defeated Wladek Zbyszko
1954
Birmingham, Alabama: – Fred Blassie defeated Don McIntyre to win the Florida NWA Southern Heavyweight Title
1957
Atlanta, Georgia: – Don and Mark Lewin defeated Chief Big Heart and Red McIntyre for the Georgia NWA International Tag Team Title
1962
Rochester, Minnesota: – Death Match: Verne Gagne beat Bob Geigel – AWA Champion Mr. M beat Tiny Mills dq – Joe Scarpello drew Nikita Kalmikoff
1963
Atlanta, Georgia: – Eddie Graham defeated Fred Blassie to win the Georgia version of the NWA World Heavyweight Title
1966
Dallas, Texas: – The Destroyer (Dick Beyer) and The Golden Terror defeated Kanji (Antonio) Inoki and Duke Keomuka to win the Texas NWA World Tag Team Title
1967
Mobile, Alabama:
– Dennis Hall and Roger Kirby defeated Frank and Jack Dalton for the Gulf Coast NWA United States Tag Team Title
1971
Madison Square Garden, New York: – WWWF United States Heavyweight Champion Pedro Morales pinned WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff to win the title
1973
Hattiesburg, Mississippi – Bob Kelly defeated The Mysterious Medic for the NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Title
1975
Winston-Salem, North Carolina: – Ric Flair defeated Paul Jones for the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title (Flair’s first pro wrestling title)
Detroit, Michigan: – Abdullah the Butcher defeated Bobo Brazil to win the Detroit NWA United States Heavyweight Title
1978
Honolulu, Hawaii: – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat John Tolos – North American Champion Rick Martel beat Tor Kamata dq – Hawaiian Tag Team Champions Steve Strong & Chris Markoff beat Russ & Bill Francis – Rocky Tomayo beat Tosh Togo by countout – Billy Whitewolf beat Duke Savage – Sam Steamboat beat Bruce Brown
1980
Tokyo, Japan: – Stan Hansen defeated Antonio Inoki for the National Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Title
1985
Dallas, Texas: – Chris Adams defeated Kerry Von Erich to win the World Class American Heavyweight Title
1986
Boston, Massachusetts: -Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) pinned WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana to win the title
1987
Shawano, Wisconsin: – AWA Tag Team Champions Midnight Rockers beat Buddy Rose & Doug Somers – Non Title: AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Larry Zbyszko dq – Mr. Saito beat Buck Zumhofe – Super Ninja beat Earthquake Ferris – Colonel DeBeers beat Steve Olsonoski
1988
Memphis, Tennessee: – Max Pain (Daryl Peterson) defeated Jerry Lawler for the Continental Wrestling Association Heavyweight Title
1992
Sapporo, Japan: – Jushin Liger won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title from Norio Honaga
Memphis, Tennessee: – Tom Prichard defeated Eric Embry for the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title
1999
Buffalo, New York: – Roddy Piper pinned WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart to win the title
2000
Austin, Texas: – Kurt Angle pinned WWF European Champion Val Venis to win the title
2002
Indianapolis, Indiana: – Ace Steel defeated Kurt Krueger for the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Title
2004
Falls River, Massachusetts: – Low Ki defeated Justin Credible to win the Premier Wrestling Federation Universal Heavyweight Title
2009
Against All Odds: Orlando, Florida: – TNA Tag Team Champions Beer Money Inc. defeated Jay Lethal & Consequences Creed – TNA World Champion Sting defeated Kurt Angle, Brother Ray and Brother Devon to retain the title
