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  • Bellator MMA 146 Live coverage and results: Melvin Manhoef vs Hisaki Kato

    Welcome to our live coverage of Bellator 146 : Manhoef vs Kato. Action gets underway with the Spike.com prelims, which can be  viewed here. The prelims feature familiar names such as former UFC fighters Josh Neer and Bubba McDaniel as well as former Strikeforce and Invicta fighter Julia Budd and top Women’s featherweight prospects Gabrielle Holloway and Arlene Blencowe facing off in an important bout. We’ll have results posted as the fights happen.

    The main card kicks off on Spike TV at 9 pm eastern and features 5 bouts. Knockouts artists Manhoef and Kato square off in the main event. UFC vet Houston Alexander returns to the Bellator cage. Prospects Bubba Jenkins and Chidi Njokuani hope  to make an impression and Brandon Girttz, fresh off the biggest win of his career over Melvin Guillard, returns to  face  Bellator vet Derek Campos in the co-main. We’ll have ongoing play by play all night. 

    Prelims results:

    Alonzo Menifield (1-0) TKO (punches) over Zach Rosol in 38 seconds

    Arlene Blencowe (7-5) SD over Gabrielle Holloway

    Luis Santos (38-10) UD over Josh Neer

    Julia Budd (8-2) UD over Roberta Paim

    Francisco France (13-3-1)  submission (rear naked choke) over Ben Reiter at 1:08 of Rd 2

    Stephen Banaszak (5-5) submission (guillotine choke) over George Pacurariu at 3:42

    We’re live with fights!

    Light Heavyweights Houston Alexander (16-12-1) vs Guilherme Viana (6-2)

    Big John McCarthy gets the reffing duties for this one. Alexander getting the better of the striking early. Viana staggers Alexander witha  hard left  2 minutes in and Alexander can barely stand. He eats a couple more hard shots but still standing. Viana being very patient and it seems like a matter of time. Both guys swinging away at 3:00. Alexander is recovering a bit. Alexander eats a couple hard straight punches and Alexander’s bleeding from the nose. Alexander hits a couple hard punches to the head in a row. Alexander eats a couple more hard head strakes. Alexander’s face is a bloody mess 10-9 Viana

    Viana rocks Alexander with a huge left. Alexander with a flash takedown but Viana sweeps and stands up. Viana picking him off again. Alexander is wobbling all over the place. Alexander down and Viana all over him but not punching, just smothering him. at 1:15. Viana outpunched Alexander 29-17 in round 1. Alexander to his feet at 1:30 but Viana still holding him and landing knees to the body. Viana with a takedown at 2:00. Viana takes his back and working for a choke. Viana landing light punches to the head from behind but Alexander is basically getting a chance to recover. Alexander to his feet at 3:30. Alexander swinging for the fences but missing badly. Alexander starting to control the pace in the last minute and Viana is tiring. 10-9 Viana

    The doctor stopped the fight due to a cut on Alexander’s eye between rounds.

    WINNER – GUILHERME VIANA (7-2) by TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2

    Viana got some interview time but didn’t have much to say and what he did say you couldn’t really understand. Something about American Top Team and drinking beers with his friends. And training with Glover Teixeira

    Welterweights Ricky Rainey (11-3) vs Chidi Njokuani (13-4)

    This is Njokuani’s Bellator debut but he’s a vet of the AXS TV shows and I’ve seen him many times. Very exciting striker. Big John is the ref again. Chidi is the younger brother of former UFC fighter Anthony. Njokuani initiates a cage clinch 1:00 in, which has been a theme tonight if you watched the prelims. Rainey gets control at 1:45. Both guys trading knees. Rainey gets separation and rocks Njokuani with a punch to the head but he clinches up again. Rainey gets control again at 2:30. Njokuani landing light punches to the body while Rainey with hard knees to the legs and body. Sean Grande channels JBL, getting in a Dick Van Dyke reference when talking about “Chidi“. McCarthy breaks it up at 4:30 but they go right back to a clinch and end the round there. 10-9 Rainey

    Rainey knocks down Njokuani 15 seconds in and follows hiim to the ground but Chidi uses a triangle attempt to get to his feet and they’re back in a cage  clinch. Rainey outstruck Njokuani 27-16 in Round 1. Rainey wtih a takedown at 1:30 but lets Njokuani right back up. Rainey chases him into the cage and they’re back in a cage clinch at 2:00. Neither guy doing much and McCarthy warns them to work. He breaks it up at 3:30. Rainey with a nice punch combo at 3:45 and Njokuani initiates another cage clinch. Rainey landing knees from the clinch. Separation at 4:15. Njokuani landed a shot in that clinch that cut Rainey over his right eye and it’s in bad shape. 10-9 Rainey

    Njokuani goes to the cage clinch again 30 seconds in. Rainey gets control at 1:30. Rainey’s eye is almost closed from the cut. Njokuani landing elbows to the back from teh clinch. Rainey with a takedown at 2:00 but Njokuani quickly up. Still in a clinch. Ref  breaks it up at 3:00. Njokuani controlling the cage and landing head strikes from distance. Njokuani with a head kick at 3:45. Njokuani is not fighting with enough urgency as he has to need a finish to win and he’s taking his time with 1:00 left. Rainey wtih a late takedown. 10-9 Njokuani but Rainey takes the fight

    WINNER – CHIDI NJOKUANI (14-4) by unanimous decision on scores of 29-28 x 3. That decision was a joke. 

    Featherweights Jordan Parsons (12-1) vs Bubba Jenkins (9-2)

    Jenkins is one of the young stars Scott Coker has been hoping to build around. He had a setback against former WSOF champion Georgi Karakhanyan earlier this year though. No glove touch from these guys as they had  a bit of a dustup at the weigh-ins. Jenkins with an early takedown but Parsons right up. Jenkins with a suplex takedown but Parson up again. Jenkins takes his back standing 45 seconds in. Parson shakes him off. Jenkins with another takedown at 2:00. Parsons to his feet but Jenkins on his back. Parson shakes him off again. Parson with a couple of kicks  landing to the body. Nice punch exchange at 3:30. Jenkins with a nice head kick at 3:45. Jenkins controlling the cage. Jenkins stuffs a takedown attempt at 4:00 and trying for a guillotine. Parsons lands some knees to the body, Jenkins answers with a kick to the head. 10-9 Jenkins but close as he gets a takedown right before the buzzer.

    Parsons defends an early takedown attempt. Parsons controlling the cage again. Neither guy doing much on the feet, just keeping their distance and circling. Jenkins drops Parson with a punch and follows him to the ground and 2:30. Jenkins almost out  but ref Jason Herzog letting him continue. Jenkins just holding him, allowing him to recover. Parson actually working for a Kimura. Jenkins lands hard hammer fits from the top and Parson to his feet at 3:30. Jenkins lands a head kick and then a takedown at 3:45. Parsons working for a Kimura from the bottom again. Jenkins landing punches the the body and head. Jenkins out of the Kimura and still holding him down as the round ends. 10-8 Jenkins

    Jimmy Smith has it even and that’s the problem with this scoring system because whether it was 10-8 or 10-9 last round, Jenkins is clearly winning the fight and almost finished  Parson in Round 2. Parson with cage control early. Jenkins looks fresh. Jenkins stuffs a takedown attempt at 1:30. Jenkins with a weak guillotine attempt but gives it up. Parsons landing knees to the body and Jenkins is on his knees with his back to the cage but works to his feet. Parsons in control of a cage clinch at 2:30. Jenkins with a takedown at 3:00. Parsons with a guillotine attempt from teh bottom. Jenkins doing nothing on top. Jenkins with some elbows to the head and body at 4:30. Jenkins trying to take his back but Parson landing elbows to the head. Parsons to his feet right as the round ends. Another very close round. 10-9 Parsons

    WINNER – BUBBA JENKINS (10-2) by split decision on scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 30-27. Nothing wrong with the 30-27 score since 1 and 3 were very close. 

    Jenkins got some mic time but had nothing at all to say. He thanked Jesus. Jimmy Smith interviewed Josh Thomson via Skype about his fight in two weeks. He’s been the  up and comer and now he’s the vet that everyone’s coming for. He’s even got the champion calling him out. He’s glad the fight is happening in his hometown.  They also announced to the public the Josh Koscheck fight that was signed earlier this week for January. Paul Daley is fighting on the undercard of that show so the the hope is they both win and get their grudge match. 

    Lightweights Brandon Girtz (13-4) vs Derek Campos (15-5)

    This is the 2nd fight between the two. Campos won the first one 2 1/2 years ago. Girtz dropped him with a punch and followed him to the ground but Campos was already out.

    WINNER – BRANDON GIRTZ (14-4) by KO (punches) at 37 seconds

    Girtz had another waste of time interview after the fight. These guys should try to have at least something worthwhile to say when they’ve got a national TV audience. 

    Main Event:

    Middleweights Melvin Manhoef (29-12-1) vs  Hisaki Kato (5-1)

    Manhoef had some unique entrance music. Classical at the start transitioning into  rap. Seemed to work for him. Kato out to a remixed version of the Imperial Death March from Star Wars. Kato with early cage control. Manhoef lands a grazing blow, the first of the fight, 45 seconds in. Kato still advancing but both guys keeping their distance. Both guys throwing bombs at 1:30. Manhoef was staggered a bit but kept throwing punches and eventually Kato backed off. Kato with a punch and follows up with a body kick that staggers Manhoef. Kato with a flurry of punches but Manhoef barely escapes. Manhoef puts everything he has into a left hook and drops Kato with one punch and walks off. Stunning knockout, one of the best you’ll ever see.

    WINNER – MELVIN MANHOEF (30-12-1) by KO (punch)

    Manhoef said after the fight that he’s there to give his all and either knock someone out or get knocked out. And that was it. Thanks for joining me tonight and Bellator will be back in two weeks with Josh Thomson, Georgi Karakhanyan and Patricky Pitbull all returning to the Bellator cage.

  • WWE RAW live results: Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro, Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler

    The Big Takeaway: 

    The meat of the show was a good, wrestling-oritented program with Roman Reigns, Alberto Del Rio, Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens advancing to the semifinals of the WWE World Heavyweight Tournament. Unfortunately, the bread that contained that meat was a bad segment with the Undertaker, Kane and the Wyatts combined with the most disgusting angle the WWE has done in years. It was a segment so putrid, it’s one of those times you wonder how the WWE won the Monday Night Wars, then remember it was more the stupidity of the opposition than the skill of the winners.  

    Show Recap: 

    They opened the show with a moment of silence to honor the victims in the terrorist attacks in France. In retrospect, this was mordibly ironic. 

    All four quarterfinal matches in the World Title tournament will air tonight. That includes Neville vs. Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto.

    A group of faceless druids in dark robes came out in advance of the Undertaker and Kane’s entrance. The preceding three sentences took ten minutes of air time.

    Kane said they reserved a special place for Bray Wyatt and his family in the darkest pits of hell. Apparently, they run constant reruns of 1999 Nitro there. 

    Undertaker said  Wyatt’s kind of evil is no match for theirs. He said the Brothers of Destruction have already decided their destiny, and they will never Rest in Peace. This led to the Wyatt Family coming out. 

    Bray said the Brothers of Destruction have reigned supreme for 25 years, and that is long enough. He said it’s time for a new Army of Darkness to emerge. Wyatt said he is the Face of Fear, and after the Survivor Series, they’ll just be remembered as the Brothers he destroyed. Wyatt added that as for the Undertaker’s Creatures of the Night, they are mine. The Wyatt flash went off, the lights went on, and the druids all emerged wearing goat face masks. Around 8 of them charged the ring, but Undertaker and Kane quickly disposed of them, choke slamming two of them. Luke Harper, Braun Strowman and Eric Rowan started to go after them, but Wyatt called them back. Wyatt told them to wait until the Survivor Series, but until then, Follow the Buzzards. Does Wyatt want to start using those magical powers he showed off two weeks ago? Or has that gone the way of those earrings that Dolph Ziggler gave Summer Rae in September? 

    Kevin Owens defeated Neville in the quarterfinals of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament (10:44) 

    Owens avoided a Red Arrow and got the pin with the Pop-Up Power Bomb. As good a match as you would expect. A great false finish where Neville went for the Red Arrow, but Owens grabbed the ropes, causing Neville to crash to the mat. Owens went for the Pop-Up Power Bomb, but Neville did a leap frog and pulled off a Reverse Frankensteiner that everybody bought as the finish. Owens kicked out. Neville teased the Red Arrow early, but Owens rolled out of the ring. So Neville responded with a Moonsault to the floor. 

    Out of nowhere, they showed flashback footage of Paige pinning A.J. Lee from April 2014 to win the Divas Championship in her first night on the main roster. This was done to play up a contract signing between Paige and Charlotte later tonight for Survivor Series. 

    HHH and Owens had a conversation backstage and the two shook hands.

    They aired still photographs from WWE.com of Seth Rollins undergoing surgery for his torn ACL. He’s now getting a total babyface buildup for his return, including a viral campaign using the slogan “Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim.” That indicates some major heel turn has to be coming soon.

    Tyler Breeze defeated R. Truth (4:06)

    Tyler Breeze won with the Beauty Shot. Still can’t make sense of Breeze making his company debut with a job to Ambrose last week. 

    Dean Ambrose defeated Dolph Ziggler in the quarterfinals of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament (16:41) 

    Ambrose won after hitting Dirty Deeds following a scramble. Another very good match and this show is off to a solid start. Lots of good near falls, including Ziggler selling his knee, but still hitting a Superkick and a Famouser. They had a scientific match, similar to the old Ring of Honor Pure Championship matches. Unique spot where Ambrose and Ziggler were on the top rope together, where they did a double knockdown spot to the floor after landing simultaneous right hands. 

    Ambrose cut a promo afterwards saying if he became champion at Survivor Series, there would be less talking and more action. Well, he’s screwed. 

    The New Day defeated the Usos and Ryback by DQ (5:49) 

    Lame finish. Jey Uso got the heat for most of the match after a tope onto Big E. and Xavier Woods. Uso got the heat for most of the match until Ryback went into the ring illegally and shoved the referee for the DQ. Afterwards, Ryback threw Woods onto Big E. and Kofi Kingston. The Usos had their faces painted like the French flag. 

    HHH talked with Cesaro before his match with Roman Reigns. HHH told Cesaro he had everything it took to make it to the top, but he was lacking that extra something. He had the ability. HHH, using dialogue that sounds like it came straight from Vince McMahon’s mouth, told him to reach for the brass ring tonight, basically implying he could join the Authority if he beat Reigns. Cesaro looked at his hands after HHH left. 

    Reigns came out and talked about his fan section, dubbed “The Roman Empire.” Reigns said he knew the road was going to be tougher for him since he refused to join the Authority. But he’s gone too far to sell out now. After getting booed in Manchester, Reigns got a much better reception tonight. 

    Roman Reigns defeated Cesaro in the quarterfinals of the WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament (20:21)

    Reigns won after a series of counters ending with the Superman Punch and the Spear. Another solid match, but I didn’t think it was as good as Ambrose-Ziggler. Cesaro did a great job of carrying him. Cesaro went for the equalizer late, but Reigns escaped and got the finishing combination. Earlier, Cesaro twirled Reigns around for a 6-rep Giant Swing, which turned into a Sharpshooter, then a crossface before Reigns escaped with a Samoan Drop. Reigns backdropped Cesaro over the top rop, and Cesaro sold his right elbow. Reigns forgot which arm he was supposed to be selling midway through the match. 

    They did a tribute to Nick Bockwinkel, posting a graphic with JBL and Michael Cole putting him over as the greatest technical wrestler of all time. It was very nice and they invited viewers to go to WWE.com for more interviews regarding Bockwinkel. 

    The Dudley Boyz defeated the Ascension (3:12) 

    Bubba Ray Dudley pinned Viktor after the 3-D. It sure did fill 3 minutes. 

    Alberto Del Rio and Zeb Coulter were stopped backstage by Renee Young. HHH walked in and gave the same speech to Del Rio that he gave earlier to Cesaro about going from the Man of the People to being the Man. 

    Kalisto did an inset promo about people saying his win over Ryback was a fluke. He said his dreams are bigger than any man and he’s fighting for his life. 

    Alberto Del Rio defeated Kalisto in the quarterfinals of the WWE World Heavyweight Tournament (10:04) 

    Del Rio won with the Diving Double Foot Stome while Kalisto was tied to the tree of woe. This was Del Rio’s 4th Raw since his return, and this was the third crowd totally silent for him. He feels like a bigger deal on the underground circuit that he does in WWE because they don’t know how to book superstars that will get over to minorities. It doesn’t help the pairing with Coulter isn’t over a lick. Match was a Lucha-style, which the fans in South Carolina weren’t familiar with. 

    I guess sensing the attention Holly Holm’s upset of Ronda Rousey received over the last 48 hours, they put Paige’s contract signing with Charlotte in the main event segment. These people have no clue. They went five minutes reciting scripted dialogue, which didn’t have 2% of the impact Holm’s forearm shiver on Rosey did at the weigh-in. Charlotte brought up her late brother Reid, then started to cry, and it felt so forced. Charlotte said Paige was there for her when Reid died, and she thought they were family. Charlotte said it wasn’t about a championship, it was about who has your back at the end of the day. But Paige let her selfish ways get in the way. Charlotte said a champion is someone that little girls watch at home wanting to be like. Charlotte said she won’t be champion forever, but she won’t lose it on Sunday and when she does, it won’t be to someone like Paige. 

    Paige said no one will have Charlotte’s back on Sunday, not even Ric Flair. Charlotte shouted her down and she just. kept. talking. Then Paige said something about Reid not have much fight in him. God this was awful. They started brawling, but the fans weren’t that hot for it. Charlotte kept escaping from the refs in a pull-apart while the fans just watched without reacting. Charlotte never did sign the contract, which was stupid since that’s what the whole show was built around. A disgusting segment. 

    SUMMARY: 

    There are times after big UFC events where on the following Monday’s Raw, the WWE looks like a company that lost it’s relevance and doesn’t even know it. Tonight was largely a good show which also should have anyone who cares about the WWE’s future scared straight. The final segment wasn’t manipulative. It had the ambition to manipulate but failed. And it reeked, not just in terms of quality but of an antiquated mindset of what lures viewers to shows. Charlotte is not a talking personality, but the company put her in that role. In the main event, no less. And that speaks volumes to how out of touch Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn and other WWE power brokers have worn out their welcome. I have no idea how a company that loses 25% of its audience in three years doesn’t have mass turnover at the main creative end, and tonight was a desperate ploy that failed miserably. 

  • UFC 193 Melbourne live results: Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm from the Ethiad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. The event is headlined by UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey putting her championship, and status as the most dominant female fighter on the planet, on the line against undefeated challenger Holly Holm. In the co-main event, it is a second womens’ title fight as UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk defends against Valerie Letourneau. The action kicks off with preliminary card fights at 6:15 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass. The action moves over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time with additional preliminary fights before the main card kicks off at 10 PM eastern time on pay-per-view. We are looking for your thoughts on the show, so send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle as well as a best fight and worst fight to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

    UFC 193 Weigh-In Results
    UFC 193 5 Storylines To Watch
    UFC 193 DFS Playbook
    UFC 193 By The Numbers
    UFC 193 Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm: Our picks & preview

    Coverage provided by Dave Meltzer

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:15 PM ET/3:15 PM PT)

    FLYWEIGHTS- BEN NGUYEN (13-5, 1-0 UFC) VS. RYAN BENOIT (8-3, 1-1 UFC)

    First round: This isn’t an early arriving crowd at all.  Real noticeable in such a huge stadium.  Nguyen is from Australia so he’s the crowd favorite.  Nguyen hurt him with a left and right and took him down.  Now he’s in full mount.  Benoit gave up his back.  He’s got him flattened out near the cage.   He’s now working for a choke.  Benoit is protecting his neck.  Nguyen landing punches now.  He flattened him out again and working for a choke    Benoit tapped out. 

    WELTERWEIGHTS- JAMES MOONTASRI (8-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. ANTON ZAFIR (7-1, 0-0 UFC)

    First round: Hard body kick by Moontasri.  Good right by Zafir.  He went for a takedown but couldn’t get it.  Takedown by Zafir.  Zafir with punches and a knee to the body.  Moontasri back up.  Moontasri briefly tried a guillotine.  Moontasri moved away.  High kick by Moontasri.  Front kick by Zafir Spinning backfist by Moontasri put Zafir down and finished him with punches on the ground.  It was a spinning back kick to the ribs and then the spinning backfist.  Zafir said his ribs were broken. 

    WELTERWEIGHTS- RICHARD WALSH (8-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. STEVE KENNEDY (22-7, 0-1 UFC)

    First round: Walsh from Sydney is the big babyface here.  Walsh with low kicks.  Kennedy’s leg is about to give out.  Walsh landing a lot of punches.  Kennedy’s left leg is all bruised up.  Kennedy got a takedown and got his back.  Walsh back up.  Kennedy took him down again.  Kennedy is working for a choke.  Kennedy now working for a Kimura.  Hard round to score 10-9 Walsh.

    Second round: Crowd super hot at the start of round two.  Walsh landing punches.  Kennedy went for a takedown but Walsh landed on top after sprawling.  Walsh backed off and wanted him to stand.  Good right by Walsh.  Kennedy failed another takedown.  Kennedy tried a triangle but lost him.  Walsh blocked another takedown and Walsh on top landing punches.  Walsh landing a lot of punches from the top.   Walsh backed off and Kennedy had to get up.  Takedown by Kennedy.  He’s staying on top.  20-18 Walsh but first round could go the other way.

    Third round: Body kick by Kennedy.  Walsh with a left.  Walsh landing punches and on top.  Walsh has his back.  Walsh let him up and landed a punch.  Kennedy staying on his back.  The ref ordered Kennedy to stand.  Nice uppercut by Kennedy.  Kennedy laid on his back again.  Walsh punching and kicking the the left leg Walsh landing punches.  Walsh landed a right on the ground.  Walsh with a few more punches on the ground.  Walsh 30-27, although 29-28 would be okay, but Walsh easily took this

    Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Walsh.

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- DAN KELLY (9-1, 2-1 UFC) VS. STEVE MONTGOMERY (8-3, 0-1 UFC)

    First round:   Kelly the hometown hero but he’s 38 years old.  Nice left by Kelly.  Knee by Montgomery to the body.  Body kick by Montgomeruy.    Big left by Kelly.  Kelly landing a lot of punches from close range.  Judo takedown by Kelly and he’s landing elbows.  Kelly landing punches on the ground.  Montgomery back up.  Another judo hip toss by Kelly.  Kelly landing more punches on the ground.  Kelly thinkng a choke.  Elbow on the ground by Kelly.  Another takedown by Kelly.  Kelly 10-9.

    Second round:    Montgomery landing punches but Kelly got a clinch.  Kelly didn’t get the takedown and an elbow by Montgomery.  Good left by Montgomery.  Both trading punches.  Knees by Montgomery from close range.  Left by Montgomery.  Knee by Montgomery from the clinch.  Judo whip by Kelly.  Kelly working for a guillotine.  Now he’s looking for a D’arce choke.  Montgomery back up.  Left by Kelly.  Another left by Kelly.  High kick by Montgomery.  Knee by Montgomery.  Montgomery landing punches.  Uppercut by Montgomery.  Kelly is clearly tired.  Punches by Montgomery.  Knee by Montgomery.  Kelly missed a throw.  Another knee by Montgomery.  Montgomery’s round so 19-19 going into the thrid.

    Third round: Knee by Montgomery.  Accidental low knee by Montgomery.  Left by Montgomery.  Montgomery landing all kinds of jabs.  Kelly got a clinch.  Kelly went for a takedown but Montgomery blocked it.  Montgomery landing but Kelly with a good left.  Body kick by Montgomery.  Another left by Kelly.  Kelly got a clinch but Montgomery escaped.  Montgomery with jabs.  Kelly with a left.  Body kick by Montgomery and more punches.  Big left by Kelly, Good low kick by Montgomery.  Another left by Kelly.  Big left by Kelly.  Knees by Kelly.  Kelly threw him down  That may have won him the fight.  Kelly has his back.  Kelly working for a choke but doesn’t have it.  Kelly bleeding.  Kelly spun to side mount and into full mount.  Kelly landing punches from the top and Kennedy moved.  Kelly working for a head and arm choke.  He doesn’t have it.  Time is running out.  But that won him the fight.  Good fight.    Kelly 29-28.

    Scores: All three have it 29-28 Kelly

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

    FLYWEIGHTS- RICHIE VACULIK (10-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. DANNY MARTINEZ (16-7, 0-3 UFC)

    First round:   Martinez throwing punches.   Vaculik fought at 155 on TUF and is now fighting at 125.  Takedown by Martinez.  Elbow by Martinez.  Both swinging.  Martinez landing punches.  Vaculik with a takedown.  Martinez escaped.  Martinez 10-9.

    Second round:  Martinez landing punches early.  Takedown by Maritnez.  Martinez has him against the fence.  Martinez dropped him   He landed a knee and hard punches.  Hard left by Martinez.  Takedown by Vaculik and he’s got his back.  Martinez reversed to the top.  Takedown by Martinez.  Martinez landing some punches from the top.  20-18 Martinez.

    Third round:  Takedown by Vaculik.  Takedown by Martinez.  Knee by Martinez as Vaculik got up.  Vaculik started landking but Martinez took him out again.  Another takedown by Martinez.   Martinez with punches.  Martinez with punches on the ground.   Vaculik got up.

    Scores:  30-27 across the board for Martinez.

    LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- ANTHONY PEROSH (15-9, 5-6 UFC) VS. GIAN VILLANTE (13-6, 3-3 UFC)

    First round:  Villante hurt him with a right.  High kick by Villante.   Villante is a lot more patient than in the past after the Tom Lawlor fight.  Villante with right.  Good uppercut by Villante.  Perosh is wobbly.  Body kick by Villante.  Left by Villante.  Perosh with a right.  Villante knocked him out with a right to the jaw.

    WELTERWEIGHTS- KYLE NOKE (21-7-1, 5-3 UFC) VS. PETER SOBOTTA (15-4-1, 2-3 UFC)

    First round:  Noke is from Australia, one of their veteran stars.  Sobotta landing punches.  Noke landed a great kick to the body and  Sobotta collapsed.  That was a perfect sick kick.  Noke is landing punches on the ground.  And it’s over.  It was a front kick right to the ribs. 

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- JAKE MATTHEWS (8-1, 2-1 UFC) VS. AKBARH ARREOLA (23-9-1, 1-2 UFC)

    First round:  Left by Arreola.  Right by Arreola.  Left by Arreola.  Matthews with punches in the clinch.  Arreola tripped him up and landed a good left.  Arreola hurt him.  He dropped him with a head kick and now has his back   He’s working for a choke.  More punches by Arreola and he’s again working for a choke.  He’s again working for a choke.  Matthew escaped and got on top and Mathew pouding the hell out of him  Matthews with elbows.  Hard round to judge.  10-9 Arreola

    Second round:  Matthews with a body kick.  Takedown by Matthews.   Matthews with elbows from the top.  Matthews with more elbows and Arreola bleeding.  Matthew swith a hard punches and elbows.  Now body shots by Matthews.  10-8 round for Matthews so up 19-18.

    Third round:  The doctor stopped the fight because the cut so Matthews won.  The cut over the right eye was pretty deep and was swelling really badly.  Arreola was really upset by it.

    MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)

    HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#14) STEFAN STRUVE (26-7, 10-5 UFC) VS. JARED ROSHOLT (13-2, 5-1 UFC)

    First round:   Rosholt landed a right.  Rosholt with a low kick.  Fans booing the lack of action.   Rosholt got the takedown.  He’s in side control.  Fans booing.  Rosholt back on top.  He moved to side control.  Struve kicked him off but Rosholt back on top.  Rosholt 10-9.  Crowd booing.

    Second round:  Struve’s s left leg is all bruised up.  Rosholt landed a right.  Rosholt moved in to try and takedown.  Rosholt got the takedown.  He got up but Rosholt dragged him down.  Rosholt in side control.  Struve throwing nasty elbows late in the round with both on their back.  Rosholt 20-18.

    Third round:   Low kick by Struve.   Struve landed a left.  Right by Struve.  Another right by Struve.  Low kick by Struve.  Rosholt tried for a takedown but Struve blocked it.  Rosholt moved in for another takedown.  Head kick by Struve.  Front kick by Struve.  Right and left by Struve.  Struve landed a few punches but Rosholt took him down and moved into side control.  Struve up and  Rosholt shoved him into the fence.  Rosholt running away.  Struve took him down.  Struve landed elbows.  Crowd booing.  Struve won the round but Rosholt should have it 29-28.

    Scores:     All three have it 29-28 Rosholt

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#10) URIAH HALL (12-5, 5-3 UFC) VS. (#14) ROBERT WHITTAKER (14-4, 5-2 UFC)

    First round:   Whittaker came out aggressive.  Hard right by Whittaker.   High kick by Hall.  Body kick and left by Hall.  Low kick by Whittaker.  Hall went for some Ricochet double spin kick and Whittaker took him down.  Left and right from the top by  Whittaker.  Whittaker got mount but  Hall kicked him off.  Whittaker landing punches from the top.  Whittaker has his back.  Hall reversed to the top. 10-9 Whittaker.

    Second round:  Whittaker rocked him with a right.  Whittaker got behind him and stomped his foot.  Hall got lucky.  He got punched in the eye but the ref called it an eye poke so he got off the hook.  Right by Whtitaker.  Whittaker bleeding from the nose.  Whittaker landed a nice left.  Whittaker 20-18.

    Third round:    Hall out aggressively but Whittaker landing punches that hurt Hall.  Whittaker stomping his foot.  Hall landed a head kick.  Flying knee and another head kick by Hall.  Hall with knees the body.  Hall coming back.  Whittaker just trying to tie him up. Great front kick and head kick by Hall.  Whittaker landed a left.  Left by Whittaker.  Nice right by Whittaker.  Hall with a right.  Whttaker with a body kick and punch.  Whittaker got behind him.  Whattaker took him down.  Hall’s round so Whittaker 29-28.  Really fun fight.

    Scores:  30-27, 30-27, 29-28 Whittaker    

    HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#8) MARK HUNT (10-10-1, 5-4-1 UFC) VS. (#11) ANTONIO SILVA (19-7-1, 3-4-1 UFC)

    First round:  Low kick by Hunt.  They exchanged punches.  Hunt with a low kick.  Hard body kick by Hunt.  Knee by Silva.    Another low kick by Hunt.  Hunt dropped him and it’s over.    

    UFC WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK (10-0, 4-0 UFC) VS. (#8) VALERIE LETOURNEAU (8-3, 3-0 UFC)

    First round:  Letourneau punched her and got her down and punching on the ground.  Joanna back up.  Both throwing knees.   Great kick to the face by Joanna which turned Letourneau around.  Exchanging punches.  Letourneou with high kick.  Letourneau 10-9.

    Second round:  Both exchanging punches.  Low kick by Joanna.  Joanna threw a kick but  Letrouneau caught the leg.  Letourneau pushed her against the cage.  Elbows by Joanna.  Exchanges.  Letourneau landed the best shot.  Letourneua landed a few.  Joanna with a right. Joanna with a series of punches.  Joanna’s round close 19-19.

    Third round:  Nice front kick by Joanna.  Joanna with a low kick.  Joanna now landing a lot.  Letourneau looks tired now.  Joanna landing a lot now.  Letourneau’s face is all bruised up.  Joanna’s round she’s up 29-28.

    Fourth round:   Good right by Joanna.  Front kick by Joanna.  She went for another one but Letourneau caught the leg.  Both trading shots.  Joanna busting her up now.  Joanna landing kicks and punches.  The crowd is starting to boo now.  Letourneau landed some punches.  Front kick by Joanna.  Joanna landed a lot of punches late in the round.  39-37 Joanna.

    Fifth round:  Joanna has thrown more than 200 strikes.  Body kick by Letourneau.  Joanna is too quick at this point.  Low kicks by Joanna.  Letourneau’s left leg is all red.  Low kick and rihg by Joanna.  Joanna landing a lot of punches.  Letourneau back with a punch.  Joanna messed up her left eye and left leg.  Very good fight.  49-46 Joanna.  Joanna landed 258 total strikes in the fight.

    Scores:  49-46, 49-46 and 50-45 for Joanna.

    UFC WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) RONDA ROUSEY (12-0, 6-0 UFC) VS. (#7) HOLLY HOLM (9-0, 2-0 UFC)

    First round:  Ronda wouldn’t touch gloves.  Holm landed a left.  Left by Holm.  Right by Holm.  Ronda landed with a right.  Ronda locked up with her.  It’s turning into a kickboxing match.  Right by Holm.  Right by Holm.  Ronda locked her up.  Rousey  got her down.  Holm escaped the armbar.  Holm kicking the knee and dancing away.  Left by Holm.  Big left by Holm.  Hard left by Holm.  Anothrer left by Holm  Ronda with a left.  Holm took her down.  Crazy.  Back in a clich.  Holm 10-9.

    Second round:  Ronda is tired and her nose is all bloody.  More lefts by Holm.  Side kick by Holm.  Rousey missed a punch and fell down.  Left head kick by Holm knocked Rousey down and she’s in trouble.  Punches on the ground and it’s over.  Wow.  :59 

  • WWE RAW results and live coverage: WWE Heavyweight title tournament

    The Big Takeaway: HHH announced a 16-man tournament for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the wake of Seth Rollins’ injury that forced him to vacate the championship. HHH tried and failed to get Reigns to join the Authority, even offering him the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Kane and the Undertaker made their return for revenge against the Wyatt family, laying out Wyatt with a chokeslam to end the show. Only one good match on the three hour show. 

    Show recap: 

    HHH came out and put over Seth Rollins strong as a great WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but acknowledged his knee injury that will cause him to vacate the championship. The mention of Rollins’ name got a strong babyface reaction from the fans in England. HHH brought out the number one contender, Roman Reigns.

    HHH said the tournament that will determine the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion will start tonight, but it seems unfair that Reigns just earned the #1 contendership, but now has to start over again in a tournament. HHH said all the other guys in the tournament could step in the ring to fight Reigns at the Survivor Series for the title. HHH told Reigns before they picked Rollins as the chosen one, they scouted Reigns first. The only thing that Reigns lacks is the willingness to do anything to be the man, which is why Reigns hasn’t been the WWE champion. 

    HHH asked Reigns how it felt to watch Rollins walk out of WrestleMania as the WWE Champion, and that Reigns will never know if he could have defeated Brock Lesnar. He said Reigns has run into wall after wall, then asked him if he wanted to be the man. HHH offered Reigns the chance to join the Authority. Reigns asked if that meant he had to sell out. 

    HHH said Reigns will never be liked by everybody and he was offering Reigns everything he ever wanted. HHH talked about setting up Reigns’ grandchildren for life in exchange for Reigns being his man. Reigns said everything he’s ever done he’s earned, he didn’t need a handout. He told HHH to take his offer and to shove it. 

    HHH thanked Reigns for reminding him why he didn’t chose him in the first place and said Reigns’ first round tournament match would start immediately against the Big Show. It sounded like there was some crowd sweetning at work in this segment and Reigns got some boos when he spoke, which wasn’t much. 

    Roman Reigns defeated the Big Show in the first round of the WWE World Heavyweight Title tournament (14:32) 

    Reigns kicked out of a choke slam. Show teased the knockout punch, but Reigns blocked it with a punch of his own, followed with the Superman’s Punch and pinned the Big Show with a spear. Boring match where the crowd wasn’t behind Reigns’ comeback. He sold most of the way. 

    Reigns faces either Cesaro or Sheamus, who wrestle later tonight. It’s a 16-man tournament. 

    Michael Cole announced that Bray Wyatt will eulogize the Undertaker and Kane later tonight. 

    Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was showed at ringside.

    Kevin Owens did a prematch promo encouraging fans to buy his entrance music on iTunes. Owens ran down the fans for believing the Royal Family and said he was going to bring about the change the company needs, and said he was doing it for himself. Fans cheered him anyway. 

    Kevin Owens defeated Titus O’Neil in the first round of the WWE World Heavyweight Title tournament (6:52)

    Owens escaped the Clash of the Titus and pinned Titus O’Neil with the Pop-Up Powerbomb. Owens advances to face the winner of the Neville/King Barrett match, which takes place on Thursday’s Smackdown. 

    Paige did an interview with Renee Young. Paige is wrestling Becky Lynch tonight. Paige called Lynch a rat. What the hell does that imply?

    They showed highlights of the Undertaker’s WrestleMania 13 main event against Sid Vicious. Isn’t it amazing the Bret Hart-Steve Austin I Quit match wasn’t the main event of that show? Surprisingly, they didn’t mention the fact that WrestleMania drew about 70,000 fewer PPV buys than the WCW Uncensored show later that same month in 1997. If you recall, WCW Uncensored headlined with a horrendously booked Team NWO vs. Team Piper vs. Team WCW match. I guess that says all you need to know about how deep a hole the WWE was in at that point.   

    Becky Lynch defeated Paige (4:57)

    Paige hit the Rampage but Lynch grabbed the ropes. Paige tried the PTO, but Lynch again grabbed the ropes. So Paige tried a Rolling Reverse Cradle, but Lynch reversed it to get the pin. I guess it was Paige’s turn to job in her home country. Paige attacked Lynch afterwards and put her in the PTO on the table, to which Cole screamed “NOT ON THE TABLE!” What difference did doing the PTO on the table make? Is Paige the new Sabu or something? 

    Next week is the Undertaker week on the WWE Network, which will include a Legends Roundtable with JBL, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and HHH talking about their memories of the Undertaker. Wonder if Bryan Clark will be invited for memories of Kronik vs. the Brothers of Destruction? 

    There was a package highlighting the first day of ticket sales for WrestleMania in Texas last Friday. They claimed there was a record-breaking amount of tickets sold. There was also an NXT show where Samoa Joe walked out. Booker T. and Austin did brief interviews. 

    Dolph Ziggler pinned the Miz in the first round of the WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament (4:59)

    Dolph Ziggler pinned the Miz with a Superkick out of nowhere. Miz had just used the Figure Four leglock. Ziggler faces either Dean Ambrose or Tyler Breeze in the round of 8. Ziggler sold his leg great.  

    They continued the flashbacks of the Undertaker and Kane, which included Daniel Bryan and Kane winning the WWE World Tag Team championships over Kofi Kingston and R. Truth when Bryan threw Kane off the top rope, only to have him land on Kingston and score the pin. 

    Alberto Del Rio and Zeb Coulter came out. Coulter said MexAmerica believes Mexico and America should band together as two countries but band together as one. Coulter says Germany tells England what to do and even Scotland doesn’t want anything to do with England anymore. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if Vladimir Putin tells England what to do in the future. Del Rio said England is only populated by haters. Coulter said Del Rio was given an opportuniy by HHH to be in the WWE World Title Tournament and become the first MexAmerica world heavyweight champion. 

    Natalya defeated Naomi (2:06)

    Natalya threw Naomi into Tamina and scored the pin with a schoolgirl cradle. Naomi appeared to injure her leg while rolling out of the ring in the opening seconds. Fans chanted “We Want Sasha” to taunt Naomi. So they’re teasing dissension with Team BAD. That’s two Divas groups who will break up within three months of forming. What is this, TNA? 

    Postmatch, Banks jumped Natalya, which the crowd cheered. Natalya turned the tables and put Banks in the Sharpshooter. Fans booed the babyface. Tamina jumped Natalya and Banks put her in the Bank Statement. Natalya tapped repeatedly while Naomi put Tamina’s sunglasses on her face. 

    Cesaro defeated Sheamus in the first round of the WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament (15:28) 

    Easily the best thing on the show so far. Cesaro pinned Sheamus with the Inverted Chikara Special. Sheamus was distracted when Barrett got slapped by Rooney at ringside. Earlier, Cesaro hit Sheamus with a European Uppercut on the floor and high-fived Rooney. Best Sheamus match in a while. It’s Reigns vs. Cesaro next week so Cesaro fans can get back to reality. On the WWE website, under the caption of Sheamus winning the Money in the Bank briecase last June is the caption “Can we get a booking mulligan on this move?” 

    Barrett ran down Rooney during a prematch promo, challenging him to get in the ring. Barrett said he would hate to see Rooney’s son watch his father fail, but then again his son does that every Sunday on the football pitch. Rooney had a slight grin on his face, but this was the English equivalent of Lebron James shooting an angle. 

    They congraulated Sheamus for “Spectre” being the #1 movie in the world this weekend. 

    Breeze did a promo saying Prince Pretty would send Ambrose back to the trash heap he came from. Summer Rae said Breeze would be a blessing for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Breeze said he would be the new face of the WWE at Survivor Series. 

    Dean Ambrose defeated Tyler Breeze in the first round of the WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament (11:07) 

    Ambrose won with a small package in a pretty good match. Finish was abrupt. Ambrose sold his left arm after hitting a missile dropkick. Breeze promptly rammed Ambrose’s arm into the ringpost three times and clamped on a Fujiwara Armbar. Ambrose teased a tope but Breeze moved. Ambrose stopped before he hit Rae, who let out a scream worthy of the next Friday the 13th sequel. Rae and Breeze have the potential to be a great act. 

    It’s Ambrose vs. Ziggler next week. 

    The next Undertaker-Kane flashback was Undertaker winning over HHH in their final WrestleMania match. Kane’s highlight was the 2001 Royal Rumble, when he eliminated 11 men. It was the final Rumble won by Austin. 

    New Day came out to a good pop. Kingston was unhappy that the New Day was left out of the tournament. Xavier Woods bragged about New Day laying out John Cena and the Dudley Boyz. Woods dedicated tonight’s match to their fallen captain, Seth Rollins, who again got cheered. Woods said European magic is garbage, to which Kingston added “And so is Harry Potter.” 

    The New Day defeated Neville and the Usos (8:43)

    Woods pinned Neville with a cradle with his feet on the ropes after Big E. tripped Neville, who was going for the Red Arrow. How the ref missed Woods feet on the rope was unbelieveable. Big spot was Neville doing a twisting moonsault plancha onto all five other men. The spot where the New Day takes turns stomping on an opponent in the corner has now been renamed “The Unicorn Stampede.” JBL called them “The Gleebirds.” 

    Main Event segment was Wyatt coming out. Crowd in England was still singing “He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands.” Wyatt said change wasn’t easy, but it was inevitable. And how you deal with change is how you tell who you really are. He wanted to celebrate the spirit of Kane and the Undertaker tonight. They have been the benchmark of power for over two decades, and they reigned supreme. 

    He told everyone watching to bow their heads and pay respect to the legends of Kane and the Undertaker. After a moment of the fans chanting “Undertaker,” Wyatt laughed at them saying there will be no more respect paid for them. Wyatt said he owns the spirits of Undertaker and Kane, because their power is now running through his veins. 

    Wyatt says the apocalypse is here. He got down on his knees and said “Follow…” Before he could finish, a video of Kane and Undertaker played on the TitonTron, ending with the Undertaker saying “Rest in Peace.” Thunderbolts shot down into the ring and from the stage. Then the Undertaker’s music played as Wyatt looked confused and uncertain. Undertaker’s video played and the fans reacted like he was coming out. And he did come out with Kane. Wyatt was stunned. 

    Undertaker looked like he had spent too much time under a tanning bed. Wyatt’s flash music played, and Braun Strowman, Eric Rowan and Luke Harper appeared. Fans chanted “This is awesome.” Wyatt charged at Undertaker, who decked him. Rowan and Harper were quickly taken out. Strowman approached the Brothers of Destruction. Rowan and Harper ran in to get destroyed with chokeslams. Strowman clotheslined the Undertaker and Kane, but both rose up and clotheslined Strowman over the top. Strowman was thrown over the announcer’s table. Wyatt was left alone in the ring, and Undertaker and Kane gave him a double chokeslam, then stood over him. 

    SUMMARY: Considering how newsworthy the last week has been, this was a disappointing show. There isn’t anyone who stands out as a larger than life star ready to be the next superstar. The tournament just felt like a series of matches, with only Cesaro’s standing out as anything special. Giving Reigns a win over the Big Show is understandable since he’s now in the legends emeritus role, but it was hard to get a good match out of Show when he was in his 20s. Imagine what it was like tonight, going 14 mintues to boot. Crowd was dead most of the way.  

  • UFC Fight Night 77 Sao Paulo live results: Vitor Belfort vs. Dan Henderson 3

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 77: Belfort vs. Henderson 3 from the Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event is headlined by a trilogy bout as former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort takes on former PRIDE and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson. In the night’s co-main event, it will be a light heavyweight bout between Glover Teixeira and Patrick Cummins. The action kicks off with preliminary card fights at 6:30 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass. The action moves over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time with additional preliminary fights before the main card kicks off at 10 PM eastern time.

    UFC Fight Night 77 Weigh-In Results
    UFC Fight Night 77 5 Storylines To Watch
    UFC Fight Night 77 DFS Playbook
    UFC Fight Night 77 By The Numbers

    Coverage provided by Dave Meltzer

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT)

    BANTAMWEIGHTS- BRUNO KOREA (4-0, 0-0 UFC) VS. MATHEUS NICOLAU (10-1-1, 0-0 UFC)

    First round: These two came from the recent season of TUF Brazil.  The building is empty.  These two are friends.  Nicolau dropped him with a left.  Nicolau with ground and pound Korea back up.  Now they’re in a clinch.  Takedown by Nicolau, but Korea right back to his feet.  Nicolau with a spinning elbow.  Korea tried a spin kick but Nicolau caught him and took him down again.  10-9 Nicolau.

    Second round: Takedown by Nicolau timing the kick to get the takedown.  Korea used an illegal up kick.  It was a heel right to the face when Nicolau was down.  Korea was apologetic.  Korea back to his feet.  Nicolau landing left hooks. He landed again.  Spin kick by Korea.  Left by Nicolau.  Spin kick by Korea knocked Nicolau down.  Nicolau working for an ambar.  Korea escaped.  Now Korea on top.  Korea stayed on top the rest of the round.  Korea’s round so 19-19.

    Third round: Korea with a kick to the chest.  Knee by Korea.  Korea moved in and got nailed with a right by Nicolau that dropped him.  Korea was going for a flying knee when he got punched.   Nicolau moved to mount.  Korea is now bleeding from the left eye.  Nicolau has a reverse choke and Korea tapped.

    BANTAMWEIGHTS- PEDRO MUNHOZ (11-1 1 NC, 1-1 1 NC UFC) VS. JIMMIE RIVERA (17-1, 1-0 UFC)

    First round: Rivera got kicked low so they called for a time out.  Spin kick by Munhoz.  Rivera landing punches.   Rivera anding a flurry.  Munhoz hurt Rivera with an elbow.  Munhoz with a knee and tried a guillotine but Rivera got away.  10-9 Rivera.

    Second round: Rivera hurting him with punches and now now Rivera landing big punches. Munhoz landed a right that hurt him back.  Rivera having trouble with his right eye.  Munhoz tried a takedown but Rivera right back up.  Munhoz hurt him with a right and Munhoz with a guillotine but Rivera out and he went for a guillotine.  Great mound.   Spin kick by Munhoz missed.  Munhoz kicked the body.  Nice left by Munhoz.   20-18 Munhoz.

    Third round: Munhoz with a knee.  Munhoz took him down.  Rivera right back up.  Munhoz with a right.  Spin kick by Rivera.  Rivera now landing punches including two left hooks.  Another left hook hurt Munhoz.  Left by Munhoz.  Rivera shot in and landed a punch.  Both swinging in the closing seconds.  Rivera 29-28

    Scores: 29-28 Rivera 29-28 Munhoz.  29-28 Rivera Crowd booed but the decision was sound

    WELTERWEIGHTS- VISCARDI ANDRADE (17-6, 1-1 UFC) VS. GASAN UMALATOV (15-4-1, 1-2 UFC)

    First round: Knee by Andrade.  Boyd kick by Andrade.  Elbow by Andrade.  Andrade had most of the offense this round.  Body shot and a knee to the body.  Andrade 10-9.

    Second round: Andrade’s corner told him to stop playing to the crowd and stop brawling Low kick by Andrade.  Left by Andrade.  He landed more punches.  Andrade with more punches and a body kick.  Andrade landing another flurry.  Andrade with punches.  Andrade landing several knees to the body at the end of the round.  20-18 Andrade.

    Third round: Spin kick by Umalatov landed and hurt Andrade.  Nice punches by Andrade and a knee to the body and another knee to the body.  Knee and punches by Andrade.  Right, left and a high kick by Andrade.  Now a low kick by Andrade.  Spin kick by Umalatov.   Good body shot by Andrade.  Body kick by Andrade.  Hard right by Umalatov. Umalatov did a cartwheel guard pass.  Umalatov almost won the round with that late right, but I don’t think it was enough.  30-27 Andrade.

    Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 Andrade

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

    FEATHERWEIGHTS- KEVIN SOUZA (16-3, 3-0 UFC) VS. CHAS SKELLY (14-1, 3-1 UFC)

    First round:   Skelly working for a takedown.  Souza defending well.  Skelly  finally got him down.   Crowd booing for the first time.  The Brazilians aren’t  fans of Brazilians being outwrestled.  Skelly in side control.  He’s looking for a D’Arce choke.  Souza broke the choke to a big pop.  Souza bleeding from the left eye.  Souza then knocked him down with a left hook.  Fans chanting you’re gonna die at Skelly.  Skelly  back up with a knee.  Big right by Souza.  Close round 10-9 Souza.

    Second round:   Shelly went for a takedown but Souza wound up on top throwing punches.  Skelly got the takedown and has his back.  Skelly working for a choke.  Skelly won via submission with the choke. 

    FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#11) CLAY GUIDA (32-15, 12-9 UFC) VS. THIAGO TAVARES (19-6-1, 9-6-1 UFC)

    First round:  Takedown by Guida.  Tavares going for a guillotine.  Guida tapped out.  That took seconds.

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- YAN CABRAL (12-1, 2-1 UFC) VS. JOHNNY CASE (21-4, 3-0 UFC)

    First round:  Cabral went for a takedown but Case landed on top.  Case let him back up.  Cabral got the takedown.   Case reversed to the top.   Cabral reversed back to the top.  Cabral working for a Kimura.  Cabral 10-9.

    Second round:  Case with a spinning elbow.  Body kick by Case.  Case landing punches.  He hurt Cabral.  Case throwing kicks.  Kicks and punches by Case.  Another body kick by Case.  Cabral complained of being poked in the eye and Herb Dean told him to continue to fight.   Case’s round 19-19.

    Third round:  Cabral took him down and has his back.  Cabral with a body triangle.  Case reversed to the top.  Case blocked an armbar attempt.  Case got Cabral’s back and throwing punches late.  Case battered him bloody in the waning seconds.   Very close round but I think Case pulled it out in the waning seconds so 29-28 Case.

    Scores:  All three had it 29-28 for Case.

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- GLEISON TIBAU (33-11, 16-9 UFC) VS. ABEL TRUJILLO (12-6 1 NC, 3-2 1 NC UFC)

    First round:  Tibau took him right down.  Trujillo right back up.  Trujillo has a guillotine but Tibau out and on top.  Tibau has his back.  Tibau working for a choke.  Trujillo went out and ref Keith Peterson stopped the fight.  Trujillo wasn’t happy about that stoppage.  Brian Stann said it was a bad stoppage, he should have checked his arms.   

    MAIN CARD (FS1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)

    LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#12) FABIO MALDONADO (22-8, 5-5 UFC) VS. (#14) COREY ANDERSON (6-1, 3-1 UFC)

    First round:  Anderson took him down.  Fans booing with the Brazilian on his back right away.  Anderson with some elbows.  Maldonado back up.  Anderson landed a lot of punches, a  knee and more punches.  Another takedown by Anderson.   10-9 Anderson.

    Second round:  Anderson landing punches. Maldonado started landing punches.  Anderson working for a takedown.  Anderson took him down again.  Another takedown by Anderson.  Anderson landed an elbow from the top.  Maldonado got back up.  Knee by Anderson.  Anderson 20-18.

    Third round:  High kick by Anderson missed.  Another takedown by Anderson into side control.  Anderson got his back.  Maldonado back up.  Knee and a lot of punches by Anderson.  Knee by Anderson.  Punches by Anderson.  Maldonado landed a nice punch.  Anderson landing several more punches.  Another takedown by Anderson.  Anderson easy 30-27 win, any other score is a travesty.

    Scores:  All three have it 30-27 for Anderson.

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- GILBERT BURNS (10-0, 3-0 UFC) VS. RASHID MAGOMEDOV (19-1, 3-0 UFC)

    First round:  Right by Magomedov.  Takedown by Burns.   Great uranage like slam by Burns.  Magomedov landing kicks to the body.   Body kick by Magomedov.  Punch and body kick by Magomedov.  Magomedov landing punches and a body kick.  Magomedov 10-9.

    Second round:  Burns landed a few punches.  The crowd is super loud.  Burns in for a takedown but Magomedov stopped it.  In a clinch.  Magomedov with an elbow.  Magomedov took him down and let him up.  Magomedov landed a right.  Punches and a head kick, Burns is in trouble.  Hard body kick by Magomedov and dropped him with a right.  Magomedov with punches on te ground.  Magomedov let him up.  Head kick and more punches by Magomedov.  Big right sent Burns flying.  Burns’ legs  are shot.  Head kick by Magomedov.  Spin kick by Magomedov.  Magomedov’s round easy 20-18.

    Third round:  Burns grabbed him and trying for a takedown.  Magomedov blocking it.  Magomedov took him down and then backed off and let him up.  Hard body kick by Burns.  Close round, little happened.  Magomedov 30-27.

    Scores:  30-27 across the board for Magomedov

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- ALEX OLIVEIRA (13-2-1 1 NC, 2-1 UFC) VS. PIOTR HALLMANN (15-4, 2-3 UFC)

    First round:   Oliveira landed punches.  Oliveira landing more punches.  Hallman bleeding badly already.   Oliveira had him against the fence.  Oliveira with low kicks and an uppercut.  Oliveira’s round easily 10-9.

    Second round:   Oliveira landing more punches from close range.  Hallman caught a kick and took him down.  Hallman landing punches from the top.  Ref Mario Yamasaki ordered a standup.  Bad call as Hallman was landing.  Oliveira landed a low kick that put Hallman down.  Hallman reversed to the top on the ground.  Hallman landing punches and elbows.  Hallman’s round so 19-19.

    Third round:  Oliveira with a knee to the head.   Oliveira knocked him out with a right to the jaw.  Oliveira struggled in the second round but he’s got those quick reflexes and some star power.

    BANTAMWEIGHTS- (#8) THOMAS ALMEIDA (20-0, 3-0 UFC) VS. ANTHONY BIRCHAK (12-2, 1-1 UFC)

    First round:  Almeida landed some nice punches. Bichak landed  a lot punches back.  Elbow by Almeida.  Almeida hurt him with a right.  Birchak tried a takedown, Almeida landed on top but Birchak reversed to the top.  Almeida back up.  Almeida hurt him with punches.  Almeida landed a series of punches, finishing with a right to the jaw and Birchak was knocked silly.

    LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#4) GLOVER TEIXEIRA (23-4, 6-2 UFC) VS. (#9) PATRICK CUMMINS (8-2, 4-2 UFC)

    First round:  Cummins took him down.  Teixeira back up.  Second takedown  by Cummins.  Teixeira back up.  Knee by Cummins.  Teixeira land a right.  Cummins with some uppercus.  Nice left hook by Teixeira.  Nice slam by Cummins and he‘s got his back but Teixeira out of trouble.  Teixeira hurt him with punches.  Knee by Cummins.  Hard lefts by Teixeira.  Another takedown by Cummins.  A lot of uppercuts by Cummins.  Knee by  Cummins.  Head kick by Teixeira.  Teixeira unloaded with killer punches as the round ended.  Cummins was just about done.  10-9 Teixeira.

    Second round:  Cummins is rocked.  Head kick by Teixeira.  Cummins tried for a takedown but couldn’t complete it.  Big left and right and more punches by  Teixeira.  Teixeira was landing hard punches and Herb Dean stopped it.    

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#4) VITOR BELFORT (24-11, 13-6 UFC) VS. (#12) DAN HENDERSON (31-13, 8-7 UFC)

    First round:  Nothing happened for 90 seconds,  Belfort landed a head kick and Henderson went down and it was stopped.  Henderson wasn’t happy about the stoppage.  Head kick, two lefts and Henderson went down and it was stopped after a few punches on the ground.

    Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez have a full recap of this show plus all of the weekend news up in the newest Wrestling Observer Radio available now for subscribers!

  • Bellator 145 Vengeance live results: Patricio Freire vs. Daniel Straus

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of Bellator 145: Vengeance from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The event is highlighted by two title fights as Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire defends in a trilogy bout against former champion Daniel Straus, and Bellator Lightweight Champion Will Brooks defends his championship against lightweight tournament winner Marcin Held. The card airs on Spike TV at 9 PM eastern time. Preliminary card bouts will air for free on Spike.com with action kicking off at 7 PM eastern time.

    Prelim results:

    Chel Erwin-Davis (3-1) over Adam Cella (3rd round TKO/punches)

    Garrett Gross (7-4) over Jeff Crotty (unan. dec.)

    Kyle Kurtz (5-1) over Steven Mann (1st round sub/triangle)

    Adam Mereditch (5-1) over Jordan Dowdy (1st round sub/rear naked choke)

    Augusto Sakai (9-0) over Alex Huddleston (unan. dec.)

    Kain Royer (2-2) over Clay Mitchell (1st round sub/kneebar

    Fazlo Mulabitinovic (3-1) over Scott Ettling (1st round sub/armbar)

    Rashard Lovelace (2-0) over Brandon Lowe (1st round TKO/ground and pound)

    Bellator 145: Vengeance Preview

    Sean Grande channelling his inner Tony Schiavone 2 minutes into this show, claiming that it could be “the most important night in Bellator MMA history”. Despite this being an “A” show, from the opening it looks and feels like a normal show. In that vein, we get no walk-outs for the opening match and they’re in the cage waiting to fight after a commercial.

    FEATHERWEIGHTS- EMMANUEL SANCHEZ (11-2, 3-1 BMMA) VS. JUSTIN LAWRENCE (8-2, 1-0 BMMA)

    Big John is the ref for the opener. Sanchez pushing forward in the early-going but Lawrence landing a lot  of  shots while backing up. Lawrence barely taking any punishment through 3:45 and Sanchez’ face already starting to show damage. Cage clinch with a minute to go initiated by Sanchez. Lawrence breaks free wiht punches with 10 seconds left. 10-9 Lawrence

    More of the same in Round 2 although Sanchez goes for the clinch earlier, at about 1:30. Sanchez cut over his left eye, from a Lawrence punch according to John McCarthy. Sanchez does connect with some knees from the clinch. McCarthy broke it up at 4:00 and Lawrence started connecting with punches and kicks right away. Sanchez rocked Lawrence with a head kick with about 15 seconds left but probably not enough. 10-9 Lawrence

    Sanchez right to the clinch after eating a couple Lawrence punches. Sanchez has landed 18 kicks to 0 for Lawrence. Not sure about those stats as it sure looked like Lawrence has landed several. Sanchez gets a  takedown at 1:45 but loses position when he tries to take the back and Lawrence ends up on top. Sanchez more active from teh bottom but not really doing any damage and Lawrence just holding him down from the top, not advancing position. Sanchez trying for a kneebar and then a Kimura but loses both. Both to their feet at 4:30 and Sanchez is the agressor. Sanchez with a takedown attempt stuffed right before the closing bell. 10-9 Sanchez, but Lawrence should take it. Round 2 was close tho.

    WINNER – EMMANUEL SANCHEZ (12-2) by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x 2)

    Sanchez put over Lawrence in his post-fight promo but didn’t really have much else to say. In a pretaped sitdown interview with Jimmy Smith, Lashley promised to take the judges out of the equation tonight. Thompson said that he’s been Lashley’s toughest test and his six fight win streak has been against jobbers. Sean Grande promises a special guest after the break….IT’S TRUE….IT’S DAMNED TRUE

    HEAVYWEIGHTS- BOBBY LASHLEY (13-2, 3-0 BMMA) VS. JAMES THOMPSON (20-14 1 NC, 1-0 BMMA)

    They showed clips from the Bellator fanfest and Angle put it over as a lot of fun. Angle said that he would’ve gone into MMA in 1998 if it were as big as it is now. He has no regrets. Sean Grande asked him flat-out if he would fight in the Bellator cage. He said that it is a possibility. We do get the big walkouts for this fight. Thompson is like the male Eva….All Red Everything. Very very red. Except for his gloves, ironically enough. Lashley’s entrance is nothing special although the American flag does feature prominently in the display. Thompson’s notable wins include Don Frye and Dan Severn, in addition to Lashley. 

    Mike England is the ref and makes sure to pass on God’s blessings to both guys, as per usual. Lashley with a takedown right away. Lashley takes his back and landing punches from behind. Thompson’s done. 

    WINNER – BOBBY LASHLEY (14-2) by TKO at 54 seconds (ground and pound)

    On the replay it looks like Thompson may have torn his hamstring during the takedown. Lashley says he heard Thompson’s knee pop during the takedown. He didn’t have much to say in terms of future plans. He did come up and hug Angle after the fight.

    Josh Thomson was interviewed at cageside about his fight on December 4th. He is completely overlooking his next fight, saying that once he beats him, it’s all title shots from there on out. Sean Grande said “the fall of Bellator continues”. Yes, he said that. Another pretaped sitdown interview with both Rickells and Chandler previewed the next fight. Rickells says he was “an ape” that didn’t understand the fight game in their last fight (he was knocked out in the first round). Chandler says if he were Rickells’ manager he wouldn’t have allowed him anywhere near this fight. 

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- MICHAEL CHANDLER (13-3, 10-3 BMMA) VS. DAVID RICKELS (16-3 1 NC, 10-3 1 NC BMMA)

    David Rickels’ entrance was spectacular as usual. He wore a wolf’s head and carried a caveman club. Chandler is a local so over huge with the live crowd. He came out to “Comin’ Home” by P. Diddy, the song that the Rock used at the Miami Wrestlemania but it  quickly transitioned into something else. Mike England is the ref and passed on God’s blessing to both gentleman. They both hope for the same blessing that Lashley got and not James Thompson.

    Chandler all over Rickels early and Rickels gets a quick takedown but Chandler sweeps and ends up on top. Neither guy doing much on the ground although Chandler does land a few elbows to the head. Chandler to his feet at 3:00 and Rickels has to follow. Chandler with a takedown at 4:00 after dominating the standup. Chandler working for an armbar from the top but gives it up quickly. 10-9 Chandler

    Chandler outstruck Rickels 40-16 in Round 1. Chandler with a takedown 45 seconds in. Rickels up fairly quickly. Rickels coming on with punches but Chandler drops him with a punch and applies a guillotine on the way down. Rickels out but he’s bleeding from the nose and mouth. Chandler all over him with ground and pound. Rickels tries to get to his feet and Chandler with another guillotine. Rickels face is a bloody mess and Chandler all over him. Ref finally stops it, maybe a little late.

    WINNER – MICHAEL CHANDLER (14-3) by TKO (ground and pound)

    Chandler gave all the credit to his coaches after  the fight. He pleaded with Scott Coker to keep booking St. Louis. He wants the winner of the Brooks/Held fight and thinks that he’s the best lightweight in the world. Ken Shamrock, Kurt Angle and Scott Coker were shown talking at cageside and they promised a “major Bellator announcement” after the break.

    They announced two fights for Rizin on New Year’s Eve. Gaby Garcia and Le’D Tapa and King Mo in a Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. And it will air on New Year’s Day at 10 am eastern, not New Year’s Eve, as previously announced. 

    BELLATOR LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) WILL BROOKS (16-1, 8-1 BMMA) VS. MARCIN HELD (21-3, 10-2 BMMA)

    Marcin Held’s entrance started with clips of Jimmy Smith talking about how dangerous he is. Kind of cool. Brooks had a sampling of the Beastie Boys at the start of his entrance, winning my favor. He’s looked great in Bellator so far but this nonsense with the Pitbulls can’t be helping things. Big John gets the dukes here.

    Held with a takedown 30 seconds in an complete it 15 seconds later. Brooks sitting on the canvas with his back against the cage and landing punches. Held not doing much but is always seconds away from a sub when they’re on teh ground. Brooks to his feet at 3:00 but Held still in control of a clinch. Brooks with a takedown at 3:15 but Held with an armbar attempt from the bottom. Gives that up but working for a kneebar. Held has the kneebar and it looks pretty tight. Brooks escapes but still in trouble at 4:30. 10-9 Held

    Brooks with a takedown 15 seconds in. Quickly into side control. Held works him back to guard. Held working for a triangle but Brooks powers out. Held with an Oma Plata attempt but Brooks powers out of that. Held with a toe hold/knee bar combo but gives it up. Brooks manages to maintain top control the whole time. Brooks into mount at 2:30. Brooks landing punches to the body and head and gets a head triangle. Held works him back to half-guard but still in trouble. Brooks back into mount at 3:30 but gives up the choke. Brooks with a body triangle at 4:00 and landing elbows to the head. Held gives up his back with 15 seconds left. 10-9 Brooks

    Held shoots for a takedown at the start and just stays on the ground when he misses and Brooks follows into top position. Brooks up 35-5 in ground and pound strikes through 2 rounds. Not a lot happening on the ground through 2:30 and the crowd losing patience. Brooks landing elbows to the head and punches to the body while Held continuing to look for submissions from the bottom. Held with a kneebar attempt but Brooks powers out with punches to the head. Held with a heel hook attempt at 4:30. 10-9 Brooks

    Held to the ground right away and locks in an inverted heel hook. Brooks works out of it and ends up in top position by 1:30. Brooks continuing to do damage from the top and opens up a cut to the side of Held’s eye. Sean Grande promises a MAJOR announcement still to come. Brooks continuing to do damage from the top and Held has almost nothing left from the bottom. Held with a kneebar attempt and transitions to a toehold at 4:15. Brooks powers out but that was actually pretty close. Brooks with a head and arm choke with 15 seconds left and Held gets out. 10-9 Brooks

    Ground and pound strikes are 86-9 for Brooks through 4 and Brooks with a takedown 45 seconds in. McCarthy stands them up at 3:00 after nothing much happened. Brooks lands a few shots standing and goes right to a clinch. Held with a takedown attempt but Brooks ends up on top at 3:30. Brooks just holding him down, landing occasional shots and Held doing nothing from the bottom. 10-9 Brooks, almost a 10-8 really.

    Rumours are that the big announcement is Shamrock-Gracie 3 in February in Houston.

    WINNER – WILL BROOKS (17-1) by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46 x 2)

    Brooks popped his knee in the first round, which is why he kept going to the ground. That’s pretty amazing that he went 4 more rounds against a guy with the submission skills of Held. MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT……after the break.

    As rumoured, Shamrock-Gracie 3 will take place February 19th in Houston. Both were there for the announcement, which was made by Kurt Angle. Scott Coker also announced the return of Kimbo Slice on that show, to face Dada 5000. 

    BELLATOR FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) PATRICIO FREIRE (24-2, 12-2 BMMA) VS. DANIEL STRAUS (24-6, 10-3 BMMA)

    Big John’s the ref for this one. Tentative standup early and Pitbull initiated a cage clinch at 1:15. Quick separation. Pitbull back to the clinch but Strauss punches out of it. Straus with a takedown attempt but stuffed. Brooks gets a takedown at 3:45 but Friere right up. Brooks connects with a jumping knee that stuns him but he shakes it off. Close round, 10-9 Straus for the takedown and the knee. 

    Pitbull with a cage clinch and lands some knees at 1:00. Separation at 1:45. Straus knocked Pitbull down with a punch and follows him to the ground. Friere grabs an armbar and almost gets a sub but Straus powers out and laying in elbows and punches from the top. Pitbull weathers it and working for a Kimura but his eyes are glazed. Straus working for a guillotine but gives it up quickly. Straus with light punches to the body and going for the guillotine again. Friere just covering up at 4:00 and trying to last out the round. Pitbull back to his feet and landing elbows and punches. Straus firing back. Incredible action for a few  seconds there. Straus stalking him as the round closes. 10-8 Straus

    Pitbull’s corner between rounds – “You’re aware you got knocked out, right?”. Straus stalking him to start again and stuns him with a hard left. Pitbull still standing. He’s eating hard shots and not even close to defending them. Straus went for a takedown but stuffed and ate a couple hard punches at 1:15. Straus continually landing hard straight lefts. Pitbull with a nice right hook that lands hard at 3:00. Straus with a takedown attempt but stuffed at 3:45. Pitbull drives him into the cage but backs off. Pitbull poked in the eye at 4:15. He only takes about 30 seconds of his allotted 5 minutes. Pitbull starting to dodge some of the punches now. Nice punch exchange to close the round. 10-9 Straus

    Straus with a takedown attempt 30 seconds in but stuffed by Pitbull. Straus seems to be slowing down a bit. Accidental headbutt causes a break but McCarthy didn’t see it at first and Straus almost got a free shot in when Pitbull backed off. Nice punch combo by Straus at 2:15. Pitbull backs up Straus with a punch combo at 3:30. Straus with a takedown attempt and Pitbull stuffs it. Straus may have hurt his left hand as he’s not throwing it anymore. Pitbull backs up Straus with a punch combo at 4:15. Straus with a nice punch/kick combo at 4:30. Pitbull with a punch combo at 4:45, backing Straus up to the cage. 10-9 Friere

    Nice punch exchange at 45 seconds. Pitbull with a takedown attempt at 1:00 but stuffed by Straus. Pitbull with a takedown at 2:15 and takes his back. Pitbull with a body triangle and Straus turtling up a bit. Pitbull landing punches from behind. Pitbull loses the body triangle at 3:15. Straus to his feet at 3:30 but Pitbull with a neck crank. Gives it up quickly. Both guys firing at each other at 3:45. Pitbull with a nice combo at 4:15. Pitbull just peppering him with punches with 30 seconds left. Straus almost down at the end. 10-9 Pitbull. Straus should take it but it all depends on how Round 1 was scored.

    WINNER AND NEW FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION – DANIEL STRAUS (25-6) by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47 x 2)

  • NJPW Power Struggle live results 2015: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karl Anderson for IC title

    We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Power Struggle from November 7 in Osaka:

    JUSHIN LIGER & TIGER MASK & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & MASCARA DORADA VS. YOHEI KOMATSU & SHO TANAKA & JAY WHITE & DAVID FINLAY

    The match was pretty much what you’d expect it to be  Great timing.  Everyone looked good.  Too short.  Nobody had time to stand out or show their best.  Finlay got to do the most among the Young Lions since he was losing.  Several dives and Tiger pinned Finlay after a double arm suplex off the top rope.

    Liger challenged Tiger Mask for the NWA jr. title after.  He agreed to it.  First of what are likely to be several square-offs and challenges tonight

    TOGI MAKABE & CAPTAIN NEW JAPAN & JUICE ROBINSON VS. DOC GALLOWS & TAMA TONGA & CODY HALL

    Crowd was into this one more than you’d think.  Robinson hurt his right knee doing a dive.  He was hurting pretty bad when he went to the back.  Tonga pinned Captain after a Superman punch and a double arm DDT.   Glad to see Tonga get a win.

    HIROOKI GOTO VS. EVIL TAKAAKI WATANABE

    Match wasn’t much but the post-match angle got over really good.  Goto had him in a shoudlerlock when Tetsuya Naito walked slowly to the ring.  The crowd picked up big for him.  He kicked Goto low right in front of the ref for the DQ and was beating on him and beat down Jay White, Yohei Komatsu and Sho Tanaka until Katsuyori Shibata made the save.  The crowd popped big for Shibata’s save.  Shibata sat in the ring and dared Watanabe & Naito to come in.  As Naito was leaving, he knoked down the camera man shooting him visually it was like he was about to attack you through the computer screen.

    KENNY OMEGA & CHASE OWENS & YOUNG BUCKS VS. ALEX SHELLEY & KUSHIDA & BOBBY FISH & KYLE O’REILLY

    Real good. Lots of cool moves, fast paced and well timed.  Kushida got the submission on Owens with the hoverboard lock while O’Reilly had Omega in an armbar over the ropes.  Kushida should have beaten Omega since Kushida squared off with Omega after with the belt there.  Felt too short as it was just getting going when they went to the finish.

    RICOCHET & MATT SYDAL VS. ROCKY ROMERO & BARETTA FOR THE SUPER JUNIOR TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP

    Super match.  Romero is one of the most unheralded guys in the business.  Ricochet & Sydal were great here.  The finsh was a double shooting star press, Sydal pinning Baretta while Ricochet hit a benadrylller and a shooting star press at the same time to Romero.  Ricochet did a springboard shooting star press to the floor on Baretta as a highlight but the match was filled with highlight moves.  Crowd was really into it, particularly down the stretch.

    Ricochet & Sydal challenged Fish & O’Reilly for the titles.  Romero grabbed the mic.  Romero said they just beat the champions at Korakuen Hall so deserve the shot.  The Bucks came out and Nick said they were the former champions they wanted a rematch.  Fish showed the belt and said we’ve beaten all of you except New Kids on the Block.  Fish said we can do it tonight  Nick Jackson started quoting Billy Gunn if you’re not down with that.  They are setting up a four-way at the Tokyo Dome. 

    A.J. STYLES & BAD LUCK FALE VS. TORU YANO & YOSHI-HASHI

    Predictable finish with Styles pinning Yoshi-Hashi with the Styles clash after a Pele kick and bloody sunday DDT.  Good match.  Styles looked great but was holding his back when it was over.  But he was flying all over the place.  Yano did his usual undoing the turnbuckle stuff and kept his program with Fale going.  Good match.

    TOMOHIRO ISHII VS. TOMOAKI HONMA FOR NEVER OPEN WEIGHT TITLE

    A match of the year candidate.  These two just killed it, almost as good as their Feburary match.  Honma was just incredible with all these spear head-butts and even doing a diving head-butt off the top rope to the floor which is really the worst idea for a guy his age to be doing.  Ishii was at his best here.  Crowd heat was super.  They so badly wanted Honma to take the title.  I wish he had but they obviously have long-term plans.  The finish saw  Honma go for a spear head-butt but Ishii elbowed him in the face as he was coming in, then lariated him and Honma took a spin bump, before hitting the brainbuster for the pin.  Some of the match was sick, like the ram head-butts.

    HIROSHI TANAHASHI & KATSUYORI SHIBATA VS. KAZUSHI SAKURABA & KAZUCHIKA OKADA

    Super match.  Tanahashi and Okada worked it to get you to want to see the Tokyo Dome match.  Shibata’s selling was out of this world and he worked great with Sakruaba, although it was mostly Okada in for his team.   The finish saw Shibata & Tanahashi hit a double dropkick on Okada, Shibata did a low dropkick to Sakuraba, Tanahashi hit Sakruaba with the high fly flow, Tanahashi used a plancha on Okada and Shibata hit the GTS on Sakuraba for the pin.

    Big angle after the match

    Tanahashi did a promo after the match on Okada.  Okada was leaving but came back.  They went face-to-face.  Okada taunted him and Tanahashi went nuts and had to be held back.  He broke free  and they had a pull-apart brawl.  Juice Robinson was out so his knee wasn’t that bad.  The brawled outside the ring.  Okada got the briefcase and hit Tanahashi in the head and shoulder.  Now Okada is all over him.  Tanahashi broke free and went after Okada.  Tanahashi ran after him and dropkicked him on the floor.  Tanahashi broke free again.  Okada tried to tombstone him on the floor but everyone broke hat up  About a minute after it was over, Tanahashi suddenly broke free and ran to the back after Okada.

    SHINSUKE NAKAMURA VS. KARL ANDERSON FOR THE IC TITLE

    Good luck to these two trying to follow the past two matches.

    Long well worked match.  Nakamura’s selling was tremendous and Anderson domianted hitting everything under the sun including a gunstun off the middle rope and a Bernard driver.  The finish saw them exchange moves until Nakamura nailed a high kick for the pin.  Great counters in the last few minutes.  

    The surprise guy is A.J. Styles.  So that’s the Tokyo Dome No. 2 match.  They went head to head.  Styles grabbed the belt and handed it to him.  Styles told him he was taking the belt from him.   The announcers were screaming about the Tokyo Dome.  It’ll be a great match but it’s time for some outsiders to be fitted in.  Nakamura then talked about facing Styles at the Tokyo Dome. 

  • WWE Raw live results 11-2: The Wyatt Family vs. Undertaker & Kane

    The Big Takeaway: 

    Another step forward in getting Roman Reigns over as the company’s next big star. This time, it was a Survivor Series main event where Reigns was the captain of a team that included Dean Ambrose, Ryback and the returning Usos. Fans supported Reigns as a top guy. Also, Bray Wyatt did an interview where he claimed to have inherited the magical powers of the Undertaker and Kane. 

    Show Recap: 

    Roman Reigns came out to another good reaction and said Seth Rollins was good at kissing the Authority’s ass. He said there was no one that could stop him from beating Rollins and becoming the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion. 

    Rollins walked out and said he didn’t believe Reigns. He admitted Reigns was very good, otherwise he wouldn’t have recruited him to join the Shield. He credited Reigns with standing toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar, but that night ended with him winning the World Heavyweight Champion when he pinned Reigns. Rollins said Reigns would always be second-best to him and the guy who used to carry Rollins bags. 

    Reigns challenged him to carry himself to the ring and see who the real man is. Rollins walked down, but Stephanie McMahon and HHH came out. Stephanie asked the fans if they wanted to see Rollins vs. Reigns. See said they weren’t going to get it tonight and laughed at them. HHH asked how high were they? Instead, she said the match would be at the 29th annual Survivor Series. Why did they take out counting the number of WrestleManias but announce the 29th annual Survivor Series? 

    Instead, HHH announced a five-on-five Survivor Series match where a team chosen and captained by Rollins would face a team chosen and captained by Reigns.

    Kevin Owens (C) defeated Dolph Ziggler in a nontitle match (10:59) 

    Midway through, Tyler Breeze and Summer Rae came out and took a seat at their new VIP spot by the announcer’s table. Breeze distracted Ziggler by taking a Selfie at ringside, which led to Owens hitting the Pop-Up Power Bomb in another distraction finish. Breeze went into the ring to take a Selfie over Ziggler’s prone body, but Ziggler kicked him. Breeze responded with a spin kick, otherwise known as the Beauty Shot. Breeze and Summer took the Selfie over Ziggler. Weird to see Rae hanging out with Breeze and taunting Ziggler when she was pretending to shack up with him six weeks ago. 

    They showed footage from the very first Survivor Series match. Talk about a hot crowd in Cleveland. It was the babyface team captained by Randy Savage (which included Ricky Steamboat, Jake Roberts, Brutus Beefcake and Jim Duggan) beating a team captained by the Honky Tonk Man (comprised of Danny Davis, Ron Bass, Hercurlez and Harley Race). Since Hogan is in the doghouse, this was presented as the main event of the show, and the crowd was in such a fervor, you would think it was. 

    Rollins approached Owens about joining his team. Owens looked wary of Rollins, who wanted Owens on his Survivor Series tonight. Rollins teased giving him a title shot at WrestleMania. Owens agreed to join his team, but said Rollins owed him one. 

    Becky Lynch did a promo about Paige. Brie Bella walked in and said Lynch was nothing more than Charlotte’s sidekic. Lynch shot back that Brie was nothing but Nikki Bella’s little sister. One of those terribly scripted interviews that does no one any good. 

    Cesaro defeated the Miz by submission (4:49) 

    Cesaro won after a 25-rep Giant Swing and a Sharpshooter, which forced the Miz to tap out. Fans haven’t given up on pushing Cesaro even if creative has him headed straight for an undercard program. Stardust and the Ascension were planted in the crowd holding up signs saying “Stardust Section.” 

    The Wyatt Family did another promo in the ring. Bray Wyatt said he was going to give the people something they would never forget tonight. Wyatt said he and his brothers have carted out the rotting carcasses of the Undertaker and Kane. He said they didn’t want the body, because after a while it’s useless. But a soul lives forever, unless the soul is consumed by a higher power. Bray has become that higher power. He said his family has harvested the souls of Undertaker and Kane. 

    To prove it, Wyatt said he summons the thunder. Flashing lights and thunder went out. Wyatt summoned the lighting, and Kane’s pyro went off along with cheesy looking lightning bolts. Wyatt said he is the eater of worlds, and it is well within his power to take your world and burn it straight to hell. He laughed as lighgtning and thunder went off in the arena. 

    Then a video of Kane and Undertaker highlights from when they were a tag team played on the TitanTron. It went off and Bray shouted “Follow the Buzzards.” I take it that Bray now has the magical powers the 1990s Undertaker had. 

    Lucha Dragons defeated King Barrett and Sheamus (13:17)

    Very good match where Kalisto pinned King Barrett with Solina del Sol. Barrett and Sheamus were great as the oversized heels beating up on the smaller babyfaces. Sin Cara took out Sheamus with a crossbody to the floor. Strong match and there was also a prematch package putting over the Dragons like they’re in line for a push. Good heat segments by the heels and the crowd responded. Michael Cole dropped Rey Mysterio’s name during the match. 

    Jack Swagger met with Zeb Coulter backstage. Swagger wanted to know what was the deal with Coulter joining up with Alberto Del Rio. Coulter said it was time for two great countries to unite. Del Rio walked in and told Swagger to back off. 

    Alberto Del Rio defeated R. Truth (3:22) 

    Del Rio got the pin with the stomp off the top rope while R. Truth was tied to the tree of woe. The Del Rio-Coulter pairing has zero chemistry. 

    The latest flashback to the Survivor Series was the Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown match. It included a very young looking Randy Orton and Mysterio pinning the Big Show. Shawn Michaels got to work with Mysterio and it ended with Orton being the Sole Survivor for Smackdown. Imagine if they had actually done something with that Brand Split. 

    Big E. and Kofi Kingston walked up to Rollins and volunteered to be on Team Rollins. Seth wondered who would be the fifth person on the team. Big E. and Kingston threw up their unicorn horns, and Xavier Woods popped up fresh from his honeymoon (which they didn’t acknowledge). Rollins grimaced but agreed to let Woods join the team This led to this week’s New Day Moment of the Week where they chanted Team Rollins in the same cadence as “New Day Rocks.” Even Seth started to dance. 

    Jo Jo asked Sasha Banks if there was any pressure on her in the four-way match tonight. Banks said she always delivers and Charlotte was going to learn that she was the boss. Banks said the boss was takingover. 

    Paige defeated Becky Lynch to become the number one contender to the Divas Championship in a four-way that also included Sasha Banks and Brie Bella (13:15)

    Paige won by pinning Lynch after the Rampage. Moments earlier, Banks had delivered a Bank Statement on Lynch, but Paige threw Lynch into the post. Crowd came alive following a stacked up Superplex spot, which I think every four-way is obligated to have now. It was Banks who took the big bump, and the crowd chanted “This is Awesome.” Well, it was pretty good. Paige did a total heel interview afterwards saying anyone who pulled for Banks, Brie or Lynch is a loser, just like they are. With Paige and Banks doing heel interviews, it was tough for the fans to rally behind Lynch because she was in such a lame segment earlier. 

    They showed highlights from last year’s Survivor Series, where the Authority was out of power if their team lost. A lot of good that did. They showed Ziggler pinning three men to give the babyfaces the win and send HHH and Stephanie out of the company for four whole weeks. 

    Charlotte did a promo saying Paige would learn she earn the Divas Championship not by being Ric Flair’s daughter, but because she worked hard to reach the top. 

    It’s funny to watch the fans chant New Day Rocks and have the New Day pretend they’re chanting New Day Sucks. Kofi claimed that the New Day’s favorite band is Survivor, their favorite reality show is Survivor, their Destiny Child’s song is Survivor, their favority book is “Lone Survivor,” and their favorite movie was also “Lone Survivor.” Woods then admitted it was really the Last Unicorn. The unicorn horns are already getting over, as well. 

    Roman Reigns, The Usos, Dean Ambrose and Ryback defeated Seth Rollins, The New Day and Kevin Owens in a Survivor Series match in 30:07. 

    The Usos made their return to a big pop. Jimmy Uso pinned Woods in :33 with a splash off the top rope to give them momentum right away.

    Jay Uso eliminated Kingston with a big splash at 7:10 to make it 5-on-3,

     Big E. pinned Jay Uso with the Big Ending at 8:32 to make it 4-on-3. 

    Owens pinned Jimmy Uso after a Pop Up Power Bomb at 9:00 to make it even. 

    Great action between falls where Reigns got the heat, then started a comeback after Rollins got backdropped over the top rope to the floor. Ryback escaped a Big Ending from Big E. and pinned Big E with the Shellshock at 21:33.  

    Immediately, Rollins hit the Pedigree on Ryback and pinned him at 21:49 to even the match again.

    Dean Ambrose eliminated Owens after Dirty Deeds at 27:36. Rollins and Owens double teamed Ambrose until Ambrose accidentally kneed Owens off the top rope. 

    Rollins tried to run away from being on the wrong end of a 2-on-1 situation. Reigns and Ambrose stopped him. Rollins and Ambrose tried to give Rollins the Doomsday Device, but Rollins ran out of the ring and hit Ambrose with a chair, leading to a DQ and the end of the match at 30:07. 

    Postmatch, Rollins laid out Ambrose with chair shots across the back. Rollins rolled Reigns back in the ring and teased laying him out with the chiar, but Reigns gave him a Superman’s Punch and Rollins ran off. It was the second straight week where the fans rallied behind Reigns as a top guy. Ambrose got a good response, as well. 

    SUMMARY: The shows without Cena and Orton have been a positive so far, ratings be damned. The match quality has been good, even with the depths of the roster tested. Del Rio can be a main event player if given the right partner, which isn’t the case right now. The Divas Division booking is still the biggest disappointment in the company, with Paige playing the rogue heel who some fans like anyway. Another good show. 

  • WWE RAW live results (10/26): Hell In A Call fallout

    The Big Takeaway: 

    It was an important night for the company without John Cena and Randy Orton, and it went very well. The fans in San Diego were staunchly behind Roman Reigns, and since the show was built around him, that made it all the better. Reigns defeated Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler in a four-way to become the new number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The Wyatt Family beat up Kane and carried him off into oblivion, just like they did with the Undertaker at Hell in a Cell. This was the best Raw since the Montreal show last spring. 

    Show Recap: 

    HHH and Stephanie McMahon started the show. Stephanie introduced Seth Rollins. HHH and Stephanie put him over as the man who lead the WWE into the future. Stephanie said Rollins stepped up to every challenge put in front of him and triumphed every time, just like her husband HHH did during his career. HHH told Rollins that he was proud of him. Rollins thanked the Authority and ordered the crowd to cheer them. 

    Stephanie said Rollins has left them in an unusual situation because Rollins has beaten all the worthy challengers for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. So all the winners from last night’s Hell in a Cell PPV will compete tonight. The four winners will meet in a four-way match in tonight’s main event, with the winner being the new number one contender. 

    Roman Reigns came out to a very positive response. Reigns said he was going to be the number one contender after tonight and would beat Rollins for the championship. 

    Kofi Kingston came out to challenge Reigns. Kofi and Big E. said the biggest difference between the New Day and Reigns was they were champions and he wasn’t. The new wrinkle for New Day is throwing up a unicorn horn, which means placing a finger on the top of their head in salute to Xavier Woods. They even wore “XW” armbands. 

    Roman Reigns defeated Kofi Kingston to advance to the Fatal Fourway (12:44) 

    This was the most over Reigns has been in a long time. Crowd saw him as a star and chanted “Let’s Go Reigns.” On top of that, Reigns had a really good match with Kingston. The finish came when Reigns hit Big E. with the Superman’s Punch, Kingston missed the Trouble in Paradise and Reigns caught the spear for the pin. 

    The Miz got a product placement for the new WWE 2K16 video game, where he was shown playing with the Stone Cold Steve Austin character. 

    Kevin Owens defeated Cesaro to advance to the Fatal Fourway (10:22)

    The usual good match between these two with the usual result. Crowd was hot for Cesaro. The Cesaro Section signs were back, and they popped for the Uppercut Express spot. Then Cesaro hit a springboard uppercut, which elicited “This is awesome” chants. Owens did the rope-and-dope to force Cesaro off, then kicked Cesaro when he wasn’t looking at got the pin with the Pop-Up Power Bomb. 

    Paige was on the cell phone talking to someone when Charlotte and Becky Lynch. Paige bragged about being on Conan O’Brien last week. Lynch and Charlotte were about to leave, but Paige stopped them. Paige said Charlotte deserved the Divas Championship and extended her hand. Charlotte shook her hand, but told Paige that if she finds out it was her that attacked Natalya, it was going to be dire consequences. Paige promised it wasn’t her, then said she wanted to reform Team PCB to face Team Bella tonight. Lynch and Charlotte reluctantly agreed. 

    Team Bella defeated Team PCB (5:22) 

    Nikki Bella pinned Lynch with the Rack Attack in a fair match. Postmatch, Paige turned on Charlotte and Lynch, giving them both the Rampage. She put Charlotte in the PTO and left both laying. Paige got a heavy amount of cheers, as well. 

    They ran a statistic from Forbes Magazine that named the top sports events brands in the world. WrestleMania was rated #5 behind 1. Super Bowl. 2. Summer Olympics. 3. Winter Olympics and 4. the FIFA World Cup. I’d love to see the ad rates to those top four compared to WrestleMania. 

    They promoted an interview with Bray Wyatt for later in the show. 

    Alberto Del Rio and Zeb Coulter did a promo. Coulter cited John Lennon’s “Imagine” and the lyric “Imagine there’s no country.” Coulter said he wanted to start a new country called MexAmerica. And with that, Del Rio has no chance to become the over Mexican star the company badly needs. Del Rio said he wasn’t going to let Neville stop him from becoming the WWE World Champion. This Coulter-Del Rio combination might have worse chemistry than Rob Van Dam and Ricardo Rodriguez. 

    Coulter rides to the ring with a motorized cart with an part American-part Mexican flag, similar to what Tito Ortiz used to wave. 

    Alberto Del Rio defeated Neville to qualify for the Fatal Fourway (12:02) 

    Good match that the crowd was worn down by. Neville climbed the ropes to go for a plancha, but Del Rio grabbed the ropes and Neville wound up upside-down against the turnbuckles. Del Rio followed by coming off the top rope and stomping down on Neville’s chest for the pin. Del Rio was over by the end, but not as much as someone who has been absent from the company for 14 months.

    King Barrett, Rusev and Sheamus defeated The Dudley Boyz and Ryback (6:12)

    King Barrett pinned Bubba Ray Dudley with a schoolboy cradle after Devon Dudley and Ryback went for the tables. Earlier in the show, Kingston talked like the New Day’s program with the Dudleyz was in the past, and this result seemed to back that up. Rusev was a total afterthought. The lesson here is you can marry someone in real life. Just don’t expect it to help you professionally, unless it’s the boss’ daughter. 

    Bray Wyatt was in the ring and did a promo. He said for 25 years, the Undertaker had no equal. But last night, the apocalypse showed it’s face. Destruction and desolation rolled in and carried out the soul of the Undertaker. Wyatt told Reigns that one day, they would dance again. But not until Wyatt was properly revitalized. That’s why the demise of the Undertaker has become his resurrection. Wyatt said he’s feasting on the soul of the Undertaker and he wants more. He won’t stop until the Undertaker is just a memory and Wyatt ascends to his throne. 

    Wyatt said, right now, the Undertaker’s soul is being ripped to shreds piece-by-piece. So Wyatt asked everyone to bow their heads, place their hands on their television set and share a moment of silence to the Undertaker, who has lost his soul to Wyatt. He finished by saying “Rest in Peace, Phenom.” 

    As Wyatt laughed, Kane came out. Just as Kane entered the ring, Luke Harper, Braun Strowman and Eric Rowan magically appeared. Rowan and Harper were cast aside quickly, but Strowman stood face-to-face. Kane threw punches on Strowman before Harper came back. Kane threw Harper over the top rope, and Strowman fell over the top rope after running at Kane. Eventually, Rowan and Harper ganged up on Kane, giving him a double choke slam. The Wyatt’s beat down Kane until he was lifeless. Then the Wyatts carried off Kane to the back the same way they carried off the Undertaker last night. 

    Dolph Ziggler defeated Big E. to advance to the Fatal Fourway (13:52)                                                                                                                                             Another good match that Dolph Ziggler won with the Zig Zag. After Ziggler made his entrance, Tyler Breeze made his Raw debut, coming out with Summer Rae, who was acknowledged as his girlfriend. So three weeks ago, Summer proposed to Rusev. Breeze and Ray got their own VIP section and ringside with velvet ropes around them as they ate popcorn accompanied by a bodyguard.. The week after that, she broke up with him. Now, she’s with Breeze. Now that’s a rebound. Big E. got near fall after near fall with power moves like a power slam. Big E. catapulted Ziggler into a ringpost, then took a sip of champagne  from Breeze’s VIP section. 

    Dean Ambrose gave Reigns a pep talk before the main event. Reigns said he’s got this.                                                                                                            

    Most of the company’s roster joined Titus O’Neal and a group of breast cancer survivors in the ring for the latest Susan G. Komen Foundation presentation. O’Neal really is a good singles babyface the company hasn’t taken full advantage of. O’Neal did the Millions of Dollars dance with the ladies.           

    In a segment that was taped last week but presented as if it was live tonight, Miz won a match on the WWE 2K16 video game, playing as Steve Austin and pinning the Rock with a stunner. Next thing you know, the real Austin showed up. The pop was so huge from the crowd it almost drowned out the dialogue between Austin and Miz, but nothing physical happened. Austin just quizzed the Miz about the game. 

    Roman Reigns pinned Kevin Owens to become the new number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a match that also included Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler (15:00) 

    Another excellent match. Reigns pinned Owens after Owens attempted the Pop-Up Power Bomb, but Reigns hit him with a Superman punch and followed with the spear. Great near falls with so many kicks being thrown, you would think it was a rib being played on the Young Bucks. Crowd was solidly behind Reigns, with no jeers at all. Del Rio looked great, and Ziggler held up his end, as well. Rollins was on commentary. From his facial expressions, it was clear that Rollins didn’t want Reigns to win, but he didn’t outright say it. Instead, he tried to be diplomatic and congratulated Regins on his win. Reigns and Rollins had a long staredown afterwards with the fans chaning heavy for Reigns. 

    SUMMARY: 

    Maybe it was just one show, but Reigns could have turned a corner tonight. It was the first time where he came off like a potential top star in the company. The crowd reacted to him in that matter and it was vital that happened in the postmatch staredown with Rollins. Otherwise, it would have felt flat and that’s the last thing they need going into this stretch without Cena. This was the start of making Regins the chosen one, and it was a great beginning. On the flip side, the Del Rio-Zeb Coulter pairing seems forced. They have no chemistry. Del Rio in WWE reminds me of Public Enemy in ECW. Neither was a corporate act. Del Rio could get over stronger in Mexico because the WWE doesn’t have the mentality to develop a minority superstar. They can’t even make a female superstar. 

    Superstars results:

    – Bo Dallas beat Fandango

    – Kalisto beat Viktor

  • WWE Hell in a Cell live results: Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker, John Cena defends US Title (with updates on Alberto Del Rio)

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of WWE Hell in a Cell from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California. As the days get shorter and the air turns chilly, autumn brings with it one of WWE’s most destructive and chaotic events. On this night, the ominous steel structure known as Hell in a Cell will encapsulate the ring on two separate occasions as we bid farewell to a number of long-running feuds.

    18 months in the making, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar will write the final chapter in their storied rivalry when they step into the cell, as will both Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt. In addition, all

    We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    five championships will be defended including John Cena’s US Title as he faces a mystery partner in perhaps his last appearance until December.

    WWE Hell in a Cell Preview and Predictions and here are Dave’s thoughts on the mystery opponent for John Cena.

    Don’t miss the Wrestling Observer Live Preshow that begins at 6PM ET – 3PM PST.  LISTEN HERE

    Bryan and Vinny will be back with a new Bryan and Vinny Show shortly after Hell in a Cell ends. And if that wasn’t enough! Dave and Bryan will return with a Wrestling Observer Radio WWE Hell in a Cell post show.

    Join us at 8PM ET for our live coverage of WWE Hell in a Cell.

    SHEAMUS & RUSEV & KING BARRETT VS. DOLPH ZIGGLER & NEVILLE & CESARO

    Stardust and The Ascension were at ringside but played no part in this.  Good match, particularly the last few minteus.  Neville did an assisted Fosbury Flop dive on Rusev and Sheamus.  Ziggler superkicked Barrett and then Cesaro did a 16 rep giant swing and Neville pinned Barrett using the red arrow.

    JOHN CENA VS. ALBERTO DEL RIO WITH ZEB COLTER AS MANAGER FOR THE U.S. TITLE

    Coulter came out in a motorized wheelchair as he’s still not recovered from surgery, and said that he’s bridging things and said Del Rio was his new guy.  Del Rio was a lot bigger and more muscular than before.   They had an average match, short, with Del Rio getting out of the Attitude Adjustment and Del Rio used a backstabber and superkick and got the pin.  Nobody was ready for that to be the pin. 

    Backstage, HHH & Stephanie and Seth Rollins were backstage.  Kane came in smiling and Rollins said tomorrow he’d be out of a job.  Kane smiled and said, “Good luck,” but then turned mad face and said, “You’re gonna need it.”

    Alberto is still AAA champion and was booked on all their big shows going forward.  Alberto just told AAA about this over the weekend so they got their second big blow in a short period of time.  They irony is a major reason Myzteziz left was Alberto, and now Alberto is gone as well.  This was really a huge blow to them.  Alberto had pretty much decided when he had it with Lucha Underground to go to WWE.  Combate Americas was also left in the lurch by this one as there were big plans for him there.  I believe they also just found out about this.  We’ll have a lot more on this later tonight.

    ROMAN REIGNS VS. BRAY WYATT IN A HELL IN A CELL MATCH

    Very good long match.  This was a long slow match, 70s pacing where Rerigns sold a ton and for a long period of time, would make some comebacks.  Very deliberate and well worked.  Wyatt used a uranage off the apron through a table.   Reigns speared  Wyatt off the apron though a table.  Reigns kicked out of Sister Abigail.  The finish saw Wyatt set up two kendo sticks in the corner with the idea he was going to throw Reigns’ face into the sticks.  Reigns, who was selling like he was dead, blocked it, pulled one of the sticks out and hit Wyatt.  He then threw Wyatt eye first into the kendo stick and followed with a spear for the pin.  Crowd really got into it late.

    BIG E & KOFI KINGSTON VS. DUDLEYS FOR TAG TITLE

    Xavier Woods isn’t here.  He was getting married this weekend so they did an injury angle to take him out for the weekend.

    The New Day retained.  The Dudleys had the 3-D set up on Kingston but E hit Bubba with part of the trombone that Bubba broke over his knee during the match, and Kingston pinned Bubba with Trouble in Paradise.   Match was okay.  They did a total  Arena Mexico spot a moment earlier where Kingston threw the trombone to Bubba and the ref turned around, Kingston fell to the ground selling like he’d been hit with Bubba holding the trombone.  They teased a DQ, the ref went to signal for the bell, and then decided against it.  They went right to the finish from there.

    CHARLOTTE VS. NIKKI BELLA FOR THE DIVAS TITLE

    Everyone is banned from cheerleading at ringside.

    Really good match.  Probably the best women’s match on a WWE PPV in a while.  Charlotte retained the title by reversing out of the rack attack into a cradle and the figure eight.  Charlotte was bleeding from the bridge of the nose after a hard elbow early.  Most of the match was Nikki working over Charlotte’s back and the story was that Charlotte couldn’t bridge for the figure eight, but she “gutted it out” for the finish.  

    After the match Paige and Becky Lynch ran in to congratulate them.  The idea is Paige was disingenuous. 

    They are pushing that  Survivor Series next month will be the 25th anniverary of The Undertaker.  So something should happen today or tomorrow to set him up for a match there.

    SETH ROLLINS VS. DEMON KANE FOR WWE TITLE VS. KANE’S JOB

    Good match.  Rollins won clean with the pedigree after a kick to the chest when Kane went for a choke slam.  Rollins kicked out of a choke slam.  Rollins did a series of springboard knees and two superkicks, followed by a frog splash but Kane kicked out of that.   So Corporate Kane lost his job.   A big spot also saw Rollins power bomb Kane onto the Spanish announcers table, which didn’t break.  They teased a count out spot but Kane got in at nine.  

    KEVIN OWENS VS. RYBACK FOR IC TITLE

    A 5:00 match with Owens winning with a power bomb after Owens kicked him in the chest, although Ryback sold it like his eye was poked.  It was fine for what it was.  The crowd was heavily for Owens.  Ryback did have chants, but he was also booed.

    BROCK LESNAR VS. UNDERTAKER IN A HELL IN A CELL MATCH

    Great match.  Lesnar won with his third F-5 on the exposed boards after Lesnar had tore the canvas open and pulled the mats away.  The story of the match is that Lesnar as learned form Undertaker to make him the perfect fighting machine.   Both guys were bleeding.  Lesnar was thrown into the post and threw his head in hardway.  Lesnar punched Underaker in the head or threw him into cage and he bled.  The doctor twice tried to wipe the blood off Lesnar.  During the match Undertaker kicked out of the first two F-5s while Lesnar kicked out a tombstone piledriver.  Loud “Thank you Taker” chants when it was over.  The crowd heat was way higher for this than anything else onthe show.  Undertaker got a standing ovation when it was over. 

    The Wyatts came out for Undertaker.  Harper, Strowman, Wyatt and Rowan surrounded the ring.  They all attacked him.  Strowman throwing knees.  They held him while Wyatt attacked him.  They carried him on their shoulders to the back to end the show.  One would think Undertaker will form a team against the Wyatts.  Real strong presentation, espeically the set up for the final angle.