Since 2005, Slammiversary has celebrated the company’s June debut and it has usually been one of its biggest events of the year. This year, we have a title-heavy show with the King of the Mountain, World Tag Team, and World Titles on the line.
Here’s the lineup:
TNA World Champion Drew Galloway vs Bobby Lashley in a submission or knockout only match
Lashley has cut the best promos of his career since turning heel and he is perfect in his role as an ass-kicking MMA world-beater who feels like he’s the best and just needs Drew’s gold to prove it to the world. Drew has been a fine white meat babyface champion, although his TNA matches haven’t given him as much of a chance to shine as they theoretically should. With this being his first PPV main event as a champion, we should get an outstanding match aided by the knockout or tapout stipulation.
Strangely, they haven’t really focused on that aspect in theh TV build. One would think that having Lashley, the badass MMA fighter, knock people out in squashes to hype him up would be done. Instead, they’ve tried to get over Drew’s crossface as his top finisher for submissions and the Sick Kick as his knockout shot. I guess since Lashley has the MMA credibility, they want to build Drew up as the badass since he’s facing a legit shooter – but it’s a bit odd.
Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy in a Full Metal Mayhem Match
The explosion of the former Hardy Boyz may not be the main event, but its build has certainly been the most interesting for every possible reason. They’ve had issues since Matt turned heel, and when Jeff broke Matt’s brain by swanton bombing him off of a balcony, we got the debut of Broken Matt Hardy – complete with a wacky accent and white streak in his hair. He plays piano, writes poetry, and despises Brother Nero. If you’ve missed their rivalry, you can get caught up on all the best (and worst) of it here.
Decay (Abyss/Crazzy Steve) vs The Bromans (Robbie E/Jesse Godderz) for the TNA Tag team titles
The Bromans and their new trainer Raquel just debuted and earned the number one contendership, so it would make sense to keep that momentum rolling by having them win. Decay hasn’t done a thing with the titles yet anyway, and this kind of match just shines a light on how minimal the tag division is in TNA right now.
The rest of the card:
Maria and Gail Kim have been feuding for months now, with their rivalry coming to a head in Maria’s first PPV match in the company. Her husband Michael Bennett’s issues with EC3 dominated television over the last few weeks and with Bennett being the first person to pin EC3, one would expect an EC3 win here.
Eli Drake cashed in his Feast or Fired briefcase to win the King of the Mountain Title and celebrated with some free champagne. With the title win just happening, it seems too early to take the title off of Eli Drake – but it’s the KOTM Title, so it doesn’t really matter who holds it. Former champion Bram will attempt to wrest the belt away from Drake.
Knockouts Champion Jade doesn’t have a match set for the card. The same goes for X Division Champion Trevor Lee – although they could do another Ultimate X match to further the issues between Lee and Andrew Everett. Any or all of these can probably be expected to be added to the PPV on the go-home show that airs this coming Tuesday.
The build-up for the show has been largely enjoyable even if it wasn’t always for good reasons. As hilarious as the Matt vs. Jeff build has been, Raquel’s acting is even worse. The Matt and Jeff stuff has gotten more eyeballs on the product via Youtube, so that’s a plus. It’s doubtful that it will translate to an increase in buys, but it should be a fun way to spend an evening. It should certainly be far better than their last live PPV, which was done with three days notice and full of last-second matches.
First reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Rusev and Lana have set a date! The couple known in their real lives as Catherine Jo Perry and Miroslav Barnyashev have announced that they will be married on September 2nd. With Perry joining the cast of Total Divas for the next season, it would have to be assumed that the wedding will be a big part of that show, as weddings generally are good for ratings to that audience.
Lana will be known as CJ on that show and will not use the accent that she floats in and out of on RAW and Smackdown. The couple announced their engagement earlier this year at the time that Rusev was injured and Lana was linked in storyline to Dolph Ziggler. The announcement forced plans to change and it was acknowledged on RAW that the two were engaged. The push of Lana seemed to stall after that point and it’s only been recently when she’s appeared with Rusev onscreen.
From this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“The Rusev and Lana wedding, actually Miroslav and Catherine, will be on 9/2. It would be almost a lock that their wedding would air on Total Divas since that show, aimed at the women’s audience, is all about engagements and marriages.”
The experiment with earlier weigh-ins went well from a fighter perspective today. Just about everyone weighed in before Noon so the weigh-ins at 7 p.m. Eastern time on television are just for show. The fighters were, as a rule, far happier, to the point almost everyone wants the early weigh-in rule to stay in place going forward.
The odds tumbled down for Luke Rockhold when word got out he suffered a torn MCL early in camp and has done no grappling training.
These are the odds from 5Dimes
Luke Rockhold -660
Michael Bisping +540
Dominick Cruz -430
Urijah Faber +380
Max Holloway -310
Ricardo Lamas +280
Hector Lombard -400
Dan Henderson +355
Dustin Poirier -192
Bobby Green +177
Rockhold was a pretty consistent -1100 favorite two days ago. Cruz was -500 to -600, so his odds have closed slightly as well.
*WWE in Odessa, TX (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto De Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, Baron Corbin)
*NXT in Nashville
*NXT in Crystal River, FL
*ROH in Collinsville, IL (Jay Briscoe & War Machine vs. Jay Lethal & Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian, Adam Cole vs. Kamaitachi, Roderick Strong vs. Silas Young vs. Stevie Richards vs. Moose)
NEW JAPAN WORLD FRIDAY NIGHT ON AXS TV AT 8 P.M. FOR A TWO HOUR G-1 SPECIAL
Rey Cometa & Stuka Jr. & Titan vs. Cavernario & Felino & Mr Niebla
La Mascara vs. Pierroth
Atlantis & Marco Corleone & Valiente vs. Negro Casas & Shocker & Ultimo Guerrero
RESURRECTION FIGHTING ALLIANCE TONIGHT FROM COSTA MESA, CA AT 10 P.M. EASTERN ON AXS
Jason Gonzalez (155.8) vs. Chris Padilla (154)
Mario Israel (135.8) vs. Albert Morales (134.6)
Nick Barnes (169.4) vs. Jose Diaz (169.4)
Karen Darabedyan (155.2) vs. Christos Giagos (154.8)
Vinicius Zani (135.4) vs. Joe Murphy (137.2)
Jamall Emmers (154.8) vs. Thiago Moises (155) for the lightweight title
Saturday night we’re looking for reports from:
*WWE in Lubbock, TX (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Tulsa (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*NXT in Atlanta at Center Stage
*NXT in Fort Pierce, FL.
*ROH in Indianapolis at the Harvest Pavilion (Adam Cole & Adam Page vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe non-title, Moose vs. Jay Briscoe, Roderick Strong vs. Kamaitachi vs. Jason Kincaid vs. ACH vs. Lio Rush vs. Will Ferrara)
UFC 199 SATURDAY FROM THE FORUM IN LOS ANGELES
Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m.
Maestro Dong Hyun Kim vs. Polo Reyes
Kevin Casey vs. Elvis Mutapcic
Luiz Henrique da Silva vs. Jonathan Wilson
Tom Breese vs. Sean Strickland
FS 1 at 8 p.m.
Jessica Andrade vs. Jessica Penne
Beneil Dariush vs. James Vick
Clay Guida vs. Brian Ortega
Alex Caceres vs Cole Miller
PPV at 10 p.m.
Dustin Poirier vs. Bobby Green
Dan Henderson vs. Hector Lombard
Max Holloway vs. Ricardo Lamas
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber for bantamweight title
Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping for middleweight title
NEW JAPAN WORLD SUNDAY AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM GUNMA
Ryusuke Taguchi & Jay White vs. Yoshi-Hashi & Rocky Romero
Yuji Nagata & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Manabu Nakanishi & David Finlay & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Kushida & Juice Robinson & Captain New Japan & Matt Sydal
Tiger Mask vs. Trent Baretta
Will Ospreay vs. Jushin Liger
Bobby Fish vs. Chase Owens
Ricochet vs. Volador Jr.
Satoshi Kojima & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi
*WWE in Amarillo (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Lawton, OK (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo, Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*ROH in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Expo Building (Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian defend the tag title against War Machine, Adam Cole vs. Lio Rush, Dalton Castle vs. Kamaitachi)
NEW JAPAN WORLD MONDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil
Volador Jr. vs. Will Ospreay
Ricochet vs. Chase Owens
Bobby Fish vs. Tiger Mask
Jushin Liger vs. Trent Baretta
Matt Sydal vs. David Finlay
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Gedo
Kushida vs. Bushi
Raw will be Monday in Oklahoma City. John Cena, Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are all booked on the show along with the usual regulars.
NEW JAPAN WORLD TUESDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Best of the Super Juniors championship match
NXT TAKEOVER THE END ON WEDNESDAY AT 8 P.M. FROM FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY IN WINTER PARK, FL
Andrade Cien Almas vs. Tye Dillinger
Asuka vs. Nia Jax for women’s title
Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder for tag titles
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor cage match for the NXT title
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Wichita. John Cena is not scheduled but Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are scheduled.
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Figure Four Weekly 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.
A huge double issue of the Observer is out this week, including the real catalyst behind the WWE brand split, a breakdown of the roster, justice denied again in the Jimmy Snuka case, Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay and the Super Juniors tournament plus a full rundown, the story behind Bill Goldberg and the WWE video game and the Brock Lesnar tease, famous boxer vs. pro wrestler fights, WWE schedule and injury rates, business rundowns from the past two months for WWE & TNA, updates on cable stations that carry wrestling and MMA, and one of the greatest territorial business runs in history in the life and career of Cowboy Frankie Laine.
Our lead story looks at the WWE brand split, why it happened, what is known that isn’t a secret, ads out post brand split, plans for the split two months ago and what the ad department was told then, what different arenas have been told this week, thoughts behind decisions having too be made, plus a roster rundown on what positions WWE is strong and weak in, and where NXT talent should fit in and who is ready, or who can fill a slot.
There is also an update on the Jimmy Snuka situation, with a realistic view if there will be a trial and what the time frame is and what happens next.
This issue also looks at the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match, Vader’s reaction, Super Juniors standings and rundowns of the shows plus looking at where things are going.
Updates on Money in the Bank, stars returning to television soon, how the NBA & NHL playoffs coincide with wrestling the next two weeks, an update on NXT, lots of WWE performers off TV for the next several weeks, notes from lawsuit depositions that are eye opening, Cena getting a gigantic endorsement deal, Rollins return news, injury updates, lots of Dwayne Johnson news, WrestleMania in the future notes, notes on how little talent gets told in advance about things, who watches what on WWE network, plus we’ve got rundowns of every WWE & NXT events over the past week and business notes on the shows, all included in in this issue.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40-issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues.
The first round matches are tonight and the semifinals and finals of the men’s division are Sunday and finals of the women’s divsion are Sunday.
Men’s teams:
Team NOAH: Taiji Ishimori & Naomichi Marufuji & Maybach Taniguchi
Team Ouduo/Zero One: Akebono & Masato Tanaka & Ikuto Hidaka
Team AAA: Pentagon Jr. & El Texano Jr. & Psycho Clown
Team Lucha Underground Mexico: Rey Mysterio Jr. & Dragon Azteca Jr. & Dr. Wagner Jr.
Team Lucha Underground U.S: Johnny Mundo & Brian Cage & Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Team TNA: Ethan Carter III & Tyrus & Eli Drake
Team International: Mil Muertes & Apolo & Rockstar Spud
Women’s teams:
Team Japan Wave & Oz Academy: Aja Kong & Yuki Miyazaki & Natsu Sumire
Team Mexico: Lady Apache & Fabi Apache & Mari Apache
Team U.S: Santana Garrett & Cheerleader Melissa & Sienna
Team Canada: Taya & Allie & K.C. Spinelli
Josh Matthews is in Puebla right now so he will be the lead announcer on the English broadcast. Weird when they already have Chris Cruise as the English language voice of AAA, not to mention Mike Tenay available.
So here’ the crazy thing about the show. I have received all kinds of promotional material and nowhere does it say the starting time. We were told it starts at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time tonight.
A funny part of the promotion is how little the competitors were briefed. Rey Mysterio Jr. didn’t do the media day yesterday and the media was most interested in him. Tyrus was said to have hid in he back. Psycho Clown talked about looking forward to facing Takayama, except Takayama (who was in the World Cup last year) isn’t even in the tournament. The Team Mexico women said that the three Japanese women were real fighters while saying that the U.S. and Canadian teams were pretty girls.
WWE
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, which features Sheamus, as well as Stephen Amell, debuts at the theaters tonight.
Scott Garland (Scotty 2 Hotty) was helping train the wrestlers this week at the Performance Center.
Brian Fritz talks to Dolph Ziggler about Swerved Season 2 which premieres Monday after Raw on the WWE Network, who is the worst WWE talent at taking a joke, the upcoming brand split and how the current era compares to others in WWE history.
The Fight Pass schedule for the next few weeks for live events:
6/4 EFN headlined by Ilja Skondric vs. Alexey Stoyan from Russia
6/4 Prelims before UFC 1999
6/4 Cage Warriors from England with Jack Marshman vs. Ali Arish
6/10 Titan Fighting Championships headlined by J.Z. Cavalcante vs. Pat Healy
6/11 Pancrase from Japan headlined by Hatsu Hioki vs. Yojiro Uchimura
6/17 Brace MMA with Kieran Joblin vs Greg Atzori
6/19 Vale Tudo Japan
6/24 Victory FC with two title fights
6/24 Glory 31 with Zack Mwekassa vs. Mourad Bouzidi
MISCELLANEOUS
Jim Ross will be broadcasting boxing on Saturday night on CBS Sports Network from Cancun, Mexico.
The German Wrestling League debuts on TV at 10 p.m. tonight on Fightbox HD. The GWL is Alex Wright’s promotion. The show will replay at 6:10 p.m. on Sunday.
NWAOnDemand.com has unearthed a match from the 60s with Johnny Valentine vs. Wild Bull Curry. I have a copy of this match and I’ll just say it is fascinating to watch. You’ll see very quickly why the top wrestlers of that era like The Funks and Jack Brisco all listed Valentine as one of the five best.
There is a match from Progress Wrestling with Hero vs. Tommy End that people are raving about.
TONIGHT – There is a big show at the Auditorio in Tijuana tonight with L.A. Park vs. Rush vs. Cibernetico and Extreme Tiger & Mistico & Rey Hours (Dragon Azteca Jr.) vs. Mr. Aguila & El Hijo del L.A. Park & Mephisto plus a TLC match with Mortiz vs. Aero Boy.
TONIGHT – Rockstar Pro Wrestling has an iPPV tonight at 7 p.m. from the Rockstar Pro Arena in Dayton, OH with Sami Callihan vs. Aaron Williams vs. Ethan Page plus Gregory Iron & Zach Gowen as a tag team and Jessicka Havok vs. Samantha Heights.
TOMORROW – ECWA on Saturday night in Woodbury Heights, NJ at the Community Center with Sean Carr vs. Papadon
TOMORROW – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
TOMORROW – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
TOMORROW – Aerostar vs. Flamita vs. Laredo Kid vs. Septimo Dragon headline tonight in Benbrook, TX at the Camp Bowie Bingo Hall. The same promotion has a tag match tomorrow night in Houston at the Atlantico Hall with Aerostar & Laredo Kid vs. Flamita & Ultimo Ninja.
TOMORROW – CWE in Morden, Manitoba at the Morden Block Party Street Festival has a free show with a 1 p.m. start time.
SUNDAY – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
SUNDAY – Silver Star Promotions at the 4 Ever Arena in Fort Worth has Caristico & El Hijo del Fishman vs. Silver Star & Psicosis Jr.
June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
June 11 – ECCW Port Coquitlam, BC at the Elks Hall #49.
June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 24 – Isao Kobayashi vs. Justin Lawrence will appear on Spike.com as the top prelim fight Bellator Dynamite show in St. Louis. This will be a combination MMA and kickboxing show.
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
July 2 – Stars of Wrestling from Alameda, CA at the Alameda Point Gym has Bobby Lashley, Carlito and The Boogeyman appearing.
July 2 – NWA Cajun Heat in Morgan City, LA at the Municipal Auditorium with Jax Dane vs. Mustang Mike for the NWA title, Rob Conway vs. Rodney Mack and an appearance by Kevin Nash.
July 9 – Smash Wrestling in Fort Erie, ONT at the Native Friendship Center. Chris Hero will headline this fund raising event to raise money for the Godson of Jeremy Elliott, who Hero will wrestle. Elliott’s Godson is a patient at the CPRI Treatment Center.
July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY.
August 13 – Rey Mysterio Jr. will headline a show at Montgomery High School in San Diego, his alma mater, for Viva La Lucha promotions. Also appearing are Konnan, Psicosis, Johnny Mundo, Teddy Hart and TJ Perkins.
A huge double issue of the Observer is out this week, including the real catalyst behind the WWE brand split, a breakdown of the roster, justice denied again in the Jimmy Snuka case, Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay and the Super Juniors tournament plus a full rundown, the story behind Bill Goldberg and the WWE video game and the Brock Lesnar tease, famous boxer vs. pro wrestler fights, WWE schedule and injury rates, business rundowns from the past two months for WWE & TNA, updates on cable stations that carry wrestling and MMA, and one of the greatest territorial business runs in history in the life and career of Cowboy Frankie Laine.
Our lead story looks at the WWE brand split, why it happened, what is known that isn’t a secret, ads out post brand split, plans for the split two months ago and what the ad department was told then, what different arenas have been told this week, thoughts behind decisions having too be made, plus a roster rundown on what positions WWE is strong and weak in, and where NXT talent should fit in and who is ready, or who can fill a slot.
There is also an update on the Jimmy Snuka situation, with a realistic view if there will be a trial and what the time frame is and what happens next.
This issue also looks at the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match, Vader’s reaction, Super Juniors standings and rundowns of the shows plus looking at where things are going.
Updates on Money in the Bank, stars returning to television soon, how the NBA & NHL playoffs coincide with wrestling the next two weeks, an update on NXT, lots of WWE performers off TV for the next several weeks, notes from lawsuit depositions that are eye opening, Cena getting a gigantic endorsement deal, Rollins return news, injury updates, lots of Dwayne Johnson news, WrestleMania in the future notes, notes on how little talent gets told in advance about things, who watches what on WWE network, plus we’ve got rundowns of every WWE & NXT events over the past week and business notes on the shows, all included in in this issue.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.
Also in this issue:
Dragon Lee injured again
Angle shot off his legit injury
Latest from the different major shows at Arena Mexico
More changes with Elite
Japanese legend debuts at Arena Mexico this past week
Notes of the 2016 wrestling World Cup in Mexico
Notes on the 2016 World Grand Prix tournament in Mexico
Konnan continues to go after AAA after the fallout
Notes from the last AAA TV tapings
Update on the King of Gate tournament
Next major All Japan show
Pro Wrestling NOAH major show and next major show
NOAH announces how it will determine who from company goes into the J Cup
Note on Adam Cole with New Japan
One of the greatest stars of all-time announced for DDT big show
Inoki show draws big crowd with Kota Ibushi
More on the Hogan lawsuit with Gawker
Lots more on Cody Rhodes leaving WWE and is bucket list and what it means, plus what is being talked about
Story behind one of the most famous angles in Memphis history
A look at Tony Schiavone today
Big main event program in Puerto Rico involving ex-WWE star
Surprise doing vignettes for Lucha Underground this past week
Update on ROH contracts
Tons of new plans for ROH including for international stars coming in
Interesting new ideas in ROH
Notes on upcoming ROH shows
Notes from TNA Slammiversary
Dixie Carter talks state of TNA
Complete UFC business rundown for the past two years
More on UFC Hall of Fame
Notes on this weekend’s show
Paige VanZant update
Lots of new UFC fights
Notes on TUF Latin America
Notes on C.M. Punk
UFC fighter in Guinness World Records
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
There was a pretty wild press conference today for UFC 199. It was all about the two title fights and a continuation over what started the night before on UFC Tonight. It was noted that this show in Los Angeles has four California based fighter in two title matches now with Luke Rockhold (Santa Cruz/San Jose), Michael Bisping (Los Angeles), Cruz (San Diego) and Urijah Faber (Sacramento). It is possible after next week that Northern California would have three different world champions, as well as the NBA & NHL champion. Granted, I expect of the five, two of them are unlikely right now with the Sharks down 2-0 and Faber against Cruz.
The big news at the press conference was Luke Rockhold, after Bisping used lady body parts to describe him and claiming over and over that he turned down fighting Jacare Souza (not exactly accurate but it was a weird storyline for Bisping to take because it made him come across a lesser contender than Souza) where Rockhold admitted that he has a torn MCL. That rumor has been going around and Bisping said he knew Rockhold had a weak knee. Rockhold also admitted that he had done no grappling training in camp but still was taking the fight.
We’re looking for reports tonight from the NXT shows in Evansville, IN and Tampa to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.
SMACKDOWN TONIGHT ON USA
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch non-title
R-Truth & Goldust vs. Dudleys
Dean Ambrose & Sami Zayn vs. Alberto Del Rio & Kevin Owens
Rusev vs. Jack Swagger non-title
Kofi Kingston vs. A.J. Styles
NEW JAPAN LIVE FROM TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL FRIDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
Volador Jr. & Ricochet & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Trent Baretta & Will Ospreay
Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Juice Robinson & Jay White & Bobby Fish
David Finlay vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Rocky Romero vs. Gedo
Satoshi Kojima & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Bushi
Kushida vs. Matt Sydal
Friday night has these shows we’re looking for reports from:
*ROH in Collinsville, IL (Jay Briscoe & War Machine vs. Jay Lethal & Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian, Adam Cole vs. Kamaitachi, Roderick Strong vs. Silas Young vs. Stevie Richards vs. Moose)
NEW JAPAN WORLD FRIDAY NIGHT ON AXS TV AT 8 P.M. FOR A TWO HOUR SPECIAL
Rey Cometa & Stuka Jr. & Titan vs. Cavernario & Felino & Mr Niebla
La Mascara vs. Pierroth
Atlantis & Marco Corleone & Valiente vs. Negro Casas & Shocker & Ultimo Guerrero
Saturday night we’re looking for reports from:
*WWE in Lubbock, TX (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Tulsa (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*NXT in Atlanta at Center Stage
*NXT in Fort Pierce, FL.
*ROH in Indianapolis at the Harvest Pavilion (Adam Cole & Adam Page vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe non-title, Moose vs. Jay Briscoe, Roderick Strong vs. Kamaitachi vs. Jason Kincaid vs. ACH vs. Lio Rush vs. Will Ferrara)
UFC 199 FROM THE FORUM IN LOS ANGELES
Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m.
Maestro Dong Hyun Kim vs. Polo Reyes
Kevin Casey vs. Elvis Mutapcic
Luiz Henrique da Silv vs. Jonathan Wilson
Tom Breese vs. Sean Strickland
FS 1 at 8 p.m.
Jessica Andrade vs. Jessica Penne
Beneil Dariush vs. James Vick
Clay Guida vs. Brian Ortega
Alex Caceres vs Cole Miller
PPV at 10 p.m.
Dustin Poirier vs. Bobby Green
Dan Henderson vs. Hector Lombard
Max Holloway vs. Ricardo Lamas
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber for bantamweight title
Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping for middleweight title
NEW JAPAN WORLD SUNDAY AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM GUNMA
Ryusuke Taguchi & Jay White vs. Yoshi-Hashi & Rocky Romero
Yuji Nagata & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Manabu Nakanishi & David Finlay & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Kushida & Juice Robinson & Captain New Japan & Matt Sydal
Tiger Mask vs. Trent Baretta
Will Ospreay vs. Jushin Liger
Bobby Fish vs. Chase Owens
Ricochet vs. Volador Jr.
Satoshi Kojima & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi
*WWE in Amarillo (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Lawton, OK (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo, Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*ROH in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Expo Building (Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian defend the tag title against War Machine, Adam Cole vs. Lio Rush, Dalton Castle vs. Kamaitachi)
NEW JAPAN WORLD MONDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil
Volador Jr. vs. Will Ospreay
Ricochet vs. Chase Owens
Bobby Fish vs. Tiger Mask
Jushin Liger vs. Trent Baretta
Matt Sydal vs. David Finlay
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Gedo
Kushida vs. Bushi
Raw will be Monday in Oklahoma City. John Cena, Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are all booked on the show along with the usual regulars.
NEW JAPAN WORLD TUESDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Best of the Super Juniors championship match
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Wichita. John Cena is not scheduled but Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are scheduled.
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
Figure Four Weekly 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.
A huge double issue of the Observer is out this week, including the real catalyst behind the WWE brand split, a breakdown of the roster, justice denied again in the Jimmy Snuka case, Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay and the Super Juniors tournament plus a full rundown, the story behind Bill Goldberg and the WWE video game and the Brock Lesnar tease, famous boxer vs. pro wrestler fights, WWE schedule and injury rates, business rundowns from the past two months for WWE & TNA, updates on cable stations that carry wrestling and MMA, and one of the greatest territorial business runs in history in the life and career of Cowboy Frankie Laine.
Our lead story looks at the WWE brand split, why it happened, what is known that isn’t a secret, ads out post brand split, plans for the split two months ago and what the ad department was told then, what different arenas have been told this week, thoughts behind decisions having too be made, plus a roster rundown on what positions WWE is strong and weak in, and where NXT talent should fit in and who is ready, or who can fill a slot.
There is also an update on the Jimmy Snuka situation, with a realistic view if there will be a trial and what the time frame is and what happens next.
This issue also looks at the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match, Vader’s reaction, Super Juniors standings and rundowns of the shows plus looking at where things are going.
Updates on Money in the Bank, stars returning to television soon, how the NBA & NHL playoffs coincide with wrestling the next two weeks, an update on NXT, lots of WWE performers off TV for the next several weeks, notes from lawsuit depositions that are eye opening, Cena getting a gigantic endorsement deal, Rollins return news, injury updates, lots of Dwayne Johnson news, WrestleMania in the future notes, notes on how little talent gets told in advance about things, who watches what on WWE network, plus we’ve got rundowns of every WWE & NXT events over the past week and business notes on the shows, all included in in this issue.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40-issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues.
One thing I want to mention about the Jimmy Snuka case ruling is that the judge changed the date of the ruling without letting anyone know, most notably the two sisters of Nancy Argentino who have pushed for investigation and prosecution of this case for 33 years. This enabled the judge to announce the ruling without them in the court room.
In the Best of the Super Junior tournament from earlier today in Nagoya
Volador Jr. (3-2) beat Chase Owens (2-3)
Jushin Liger (3-2) beat Tiger Mask (2-3)
Will Ospreay (2-3) beat Bobby Fish (2-3)
Ricochet (4-1) beat Trent Baretta (2-3)
Our annual web site convention takes place 7/7 to 7/10 in Las Vegas. Among the activities is all you can eat steak at Texas de Brazil, $72 per person on Thursday night and a $39 lunch at 2 p.m. on Friday at Buca de Beppo at the Excalibur. Payments can be sent for reserving those two events via paypal by 7/1 to SRJAIALAIOT@yahoo.com. Mention what you are ordering. Details of other weekend activity in conjunction with UFC 200 is on the Facebook page searching for 10th annual F4W convention and on the message board in the Empire Get Together section.
David Schultz, the subject of three movies and documentaries over the past year regarding his murder, as well as coach Bill Farrell, referee Rick Tucci and administrator Joe Scalzo are to be inducted into the World Wrestling Hall of fame in a ceremony on 8/12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before the start of the Olympic wrestling competition.
TNA Impact on Tuesday night did 346,000 viewers. It was down from last week, but well up from what the show had been doing when it aired twice instead of once.
WWE
The second Smackdown taping after the brand split will be 7/26 from Buffalo. There is a presale going on right now with the code word: SMACKDOWN
For the first time, UFC will be doing early weigh-ins. The actual weigh-ins will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow. There will be a public weigh-in where the fighters will appear and their weigh-in weights announced that will be televised at 7 p.m. Eastern time. Fighters will pose and square off and do interviews, but the weights that will be read will be from earlier in the day. It will air on FS 1. The idea is this allows fighters several more hours to rehydrate. Of course it also allows them several more hours to get to a weight far beyond the actual fighting weight. Most fighters are happy about it because once they get to weight, they can weigh in, rather than wait for the weigh-ins without being able to eat or drink.
Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes will lead more than 100 motorcycles riding from the Los Angeles Harley Davidson dealership to UFC Fan Village on Saturday before the show. Fan Village will be at the Forum at West Manchester Blvd.
The WWN pro wrestling group is looking for MMA fighters of Chinese, South Korean or other Asian American fighters for work at help@WWNLive.com.
Cody Rhodes gets another one off his bucket list as he’s facing Mike Bennett on the 8/26 Northeast Wrestling show outdoors at Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, MA.
NWA Classics has changed its name to NWAOnDemand.com and is offering one week free. The web site is mostly old Houston matches from the Paul Boesch tape library. Among the matches they have include Harley Race defending the NWA title against Rick Martel, Jumbo Tsuruta, El Halcon and Gino Hernandez, AWA champion Nick Bockwinkel against Bruiser Brody, Dusty Rhodes and Ricky Morton, Midnight Express vs Rock & Roll Express, Andre the Giant, David Von Erich vs. The Spoiler, Dick Slater vs. Mongolian Stomper, Gino Hernandez & Tully Blanchard as a tag, Von Erichs, Magnum T.A., Mr. Wrestling II, Ken Patera, Jose Lothario, Superstar Billy Graham and much more.
Here is an ACH interview with The Sporting News talking his sometimes mistaken personality, growing up in the ROH locker room, his recent matches against New Japan stars and his hope of working for the promotion, possibly going to WWE and who he would like to face at theJune 24 Best in the World ’16 PPV.
Chase Owens has pulled out of his 6/24 date in Elizabethton, TN for NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling due to international commitments. Toby Farley will take his place and team with Buff Bagwell against Jordan Kage & Chris Richards. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall will make appearances on the show.
Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion has shows on 6/24 in East Burnwood, Victoria, Australia at the Whitehorse Club with Dreamer, Mickie James, Carlito, MVP and Lisa Marie Varon; 8/6 in Pasadena, TX at the Convention Center with an afternoon convention; and 9/17 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia with an afternoon convention and a show at night. They will also run 9/16 in St. James, NY at the Sports Arena.
Fusion Wrestling from Saturday night in Warsaw, VA: Dirty Money b Jefferson Early, Aden Chambers & Brandon Day b Brutal Bob Evans & Tim Hughes, Jimmy Valiant & Ricky Morton & Preston Quinn b Christian Tarr & Outlaw Ink, Victor Griff b Memphis Mofo, Lee Valiant b Arik Royal, MVP b Kongo. Ricky Steamboat also appeared on the show. Next show is 8/6 in Warsaw, VA.
Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling on 6/25 in Vancouver at the Russian Community Centre as well as 7/16 in Vancouver at the Commodore Ballroom.
Destiny Wrestling with Jeff Jarrett, Kongo Kong, Jennifer Blake, Moose and Santino Marella (as referee) has a TV taping for Fibe TV1 at Marella’s Don Kolov Arena at his gym in Mississauga, ONT.
Pure Wrestling Association on 7/9 in Kitchener, ONT at the Alpine Club.
Northeast Wrestling on 6/4 in Hickory, NC at the LP Frans Stadium with appearances by Ric Flair and Magnum T.A. plus The Hardys will be wrestling on the show.
Legacy Fighting Championship on 7/22 from Lake Charles, LA at the Golden Nugget headlined by Robert Drysdale (6-0), the BJJ expert against Ryan Spann (9-2) for the light heavyweight title. The show will air live on AXS that night at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
All Star Wrestling on 6/17 in Garibaldi Highlands, BC at the Totem Hall.
Al Snow vs. Hannibal for the Canadian title plus a women’s match and a Battle Royal on Saturday night in Smiths Falls, ONT for Great North Wrestling.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix from last night in Omaha: Paul Daniels b Mad Dog McDowell, Joey Daniels b Ajax Adams, Cuco Santiago b Zac James, Dalton Lee Roth b Purple, Con Artiest b Robert Storm, Branden Juarez b Pat Powers. Next show is 7/29 in Omaha at the Waiting Room Lounge with Sonjay Dutt.
An Al Snow interview can be seen here.
EVENTS
June 4 – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
June 4 – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
June 5 – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
The site of many major wrestling cards in Fort Worth recently received a historic designation. The Will Rogers Memorial Center was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The complex includes the coliseum which housed wrestling cards over the years including many for World Class Championship Wrestling. Built in 1936, the coliseum was the first performance hall in Fort Worth and is still in use today, mainly for equestrian events and the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. The recent designation allows for more available funding for the venue and a level of protection from it being torn down. A new arena facility is planned for construction near the old complex, though the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum will continue to remain in use.
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
Figure Four Weekly 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.
With two of the biggest news stories of the year, the WWE brand split and the UFC sale both in play, we’ve got a new issue of the Observer packed with news.
Our lead story looks at the brand split, with what we do know, what has and hasn’t been decided and the background of how it went down. There’s also more info on the UFC sale talks. Plus there is coverage of the return of Seth Rollins, the build to Money in the Bank and have coverage of Extreme Rules, the negotiations for a Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight and look more at the Floyd Mayweather vs. McGregor rumors. Take an in-depth look at the departure of Cody Runnels (Rhodes) from WWE and his future prospects, plus look at his complaints regarding people in the company. All this plus a look at the New Japan Super Juniors tournament, the funding of the Hulk Hogan lawsuit, the World Cup trios tournament coming up and a feature on the last PWG show.
The lead story looks at every aspect of the brand split. It looks at the original goals and reasons for it and what did and didn’t work, plus how it’ll be different this time, how the touring will work, and an examination of what talent knows and tentative plans in place. Vince McMahon’ reaction is a big part of this, and this issue explains how the deal went down, the story behind the story and other aspects to be considered. There’s also a look at Smackdown going live, the affect on the fan base, the affect on TNA and why it was important to get Smackdown away from Thursday.
Another big story in this issues is Extreme Rules, the decision to make Seth Rollins a heel and current plans for Money in the Bank, and also match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
Details about what’s going on with Conor McGregor, including Colin Cowherd’s claim that Mayweather vs. McGregor is happening, as well as a look at the Nate Diaz negotiations last week and what McGregor has said publicly.
Finally, this issue looks at Cody Runnels leaving WWE, what he said was the reason why, and a look into those reasons, and a look at the realities of WWE business decisions and his background.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40-issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues.
In light of the Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay kerfluflle, Fighting Spirit Magazine posted an interview by our own David Bix titled, “Training Ground” an interview with Ricky Steamboat. It’s available for free on their site. It’s basically Steamboat giving amazingly detailed answers about pro wrestling psychology/storytelling in a very progressive, non-judgmental way, and while it’s fascinating reading anyway, it’s especially interesting to read with the Ricochet-Osprey stuff in mind.
Speaking of, here’s a column our Kyle Johnson wrote today on the whole situation.
For those Swerved fans, the show returns after RAW this Monday.Here’s a preview and an episode breakdown. This is the second season of the show, and will premiere all nine half hour long episodes on-demand on the WWE Network on June 6. This is the first time WWE Network will do a binge release for a show on-demand.
UFC Sunday on FS 1 was way down from their prime time average with the main card doing 757,000 viewers and the prelims, also on FS 1, doing 469,000.
University of Minnesota wrestling coach J Robinson has been placed on paid administrative leave,new athletic director Mark Coyle announced today, stemming from a controversy involving his athletes’ alleged abuse and selling of a prescription drug.
Congrats to Pro Wrestling Tees who announced Wednesday they have crossed the $2 million mark in royalties paid out in just three years. Our subscribers can listen to a podcast about the history of the company from late last year.
Wrestledelphia Radio launches tonight at 9 p.m. EST on Yahoo! Sports Radio Philly AM 1360 WNJC. The station reaches Philadelphia through Atlantic City. People can listen around the world on WNJC Radio.com. The first guest is DDP.
Coming off an impressive win over Albert Tumenov, Gunnar Nelson returned to Submission Radio to discuss the Welterweight division, McGregor vs. Mayweather and the new weight cut changes in the UFC.
June 1 – PWP runs tonight, at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha, NE
June 4 – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
June 4 – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
June 5 – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
While nothing is even close to happening with bringing in Bill Goldberg to WWE in a wrestling capacity, 2K officially announced his inclusion as a character in the WWE 2K17 video game, made public last night in an ad that aired on RAW. As discussed on Observer Radio, this opens up intriguing possibilities for a return match based on past history with Ultimate Warrior, Brock Lesnar, and Sting appearing in 2K ads. He did an interview with IGN you can see here. WWE definitely wants you to think that Goldberg returning is a possibility.
NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS FROM HIROSHIMA ON TUESDAY (taped for New Japan World available later in the day)
Bushi vs. David Finlay
Matt Sydal vs. Rocky Romero
Kushida vs. Gedo
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on today in Rockford, IL We’re also looking for reports on this show.
NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS FROM NAGOYA ON THURSDAY (taped for New Japan World, available later in the day)
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
Figure Four Weekly 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.
With two of the biggest news stories of the year, the WWE brand split and the UFC sale both in play, we’ve got a new issue of the Observer packed with news.
Our lead story looks at the brand split, with what we do know, what has and hasn’t been decided and the background of how it went down. There’s also more info on the UFC sale talks. Plus there is coverage of the return of Seth Rollins, the build to Money in the Bank and have coverage of Extreme Rules, the negotiations for a Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight and look more at the Floyd Mayweather vs. McGregor rumors. Take an in-depth look at the departure of Cody Runnels (Rhodes) from WWE and his future prospects, plus look at his complaints regarding people in the company. All this plus a look at the New Japan Super Juniors tournament, the funding of the Hulk Hogan lawsuit, the World Cup trios tournament coming up and a feature on the last PWG show.
The lead story looks at every aspect of the brand split. It looks at the original goals and reasons for it and what did and didn’t work, plus how it’ll be different this time, how the touring will work, and an examination of what talent knows and tentative plans in place. Vince McMahon’ reaction is a big part of this, and this issue explains how the deal went down, the story behind the story and other aspects to be considered. There’s also a look at Smackdown going live, the affect on the fan base, the affect on TNA and why it was important to get Smackdown away from Thursday.
Another big story in this issues is Extreme Rules, the decision to make Seth Rollins a heel and current plans for Money in the Bank, and also match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
Details about what’s going on with Conor McGregor, including Colin Cowherd’s claim that Mayweather vs. McGregor is happening, as well as a look at the Nate Diaz negotiations last week and what McGregor has said publicly.
Finally, this issue looks at Cody Runnels leaving WWE, what he said was the reason why, and a look into those reasons, and a look at the realities of WWE business decisions and his background.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40-issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues.
Earlier today, John Ourand of Sports Business Journal tweeted that Monday’s Game 7 betwen Golden State & Oklahoma City did around an 11.2 rating — a record for any NBA game on cable. The first game of the Stanley Cup Finals between San Jose and Pittburgh did around a 2.8. We’re still awaiting RAW ratings, but expect them to be affected by the big competition.
Enzo and Cass are guests on SportsCenter tonight. Will ESPN let them call Coachman SAWFT?
Goldberg appeared on the latest Ringer Wrestling podcast with David Shoemaker Tuesday as well. He is asked about returning to action and while he didn’t say no, he didn’t say yes either. He had spoken about wanting to wrestle one last time so his child could see him, but he has yet to find the perfect scenario to do so. Can WWE create one he would approve?
If you have not seen the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match from the Best of the Super Juniors tournament that everyone has been raving about of late, New Japan has put it up absolutely free on Youtube. You’ll have to rewind about a dozen times to catch all the incredible action. It’s far more entertaining than “just another indy spot fest.” It’s phenomenal storytelling AND incredible athletics.
Pro Wrestling
Paige beat Summer Rae and Jack Swagger beat Viktor of the Ascension at the Superstars tapings before Raw went on the air last night. Viktor of the Ascension is currently being rebranded as “The Demonic” Victor, with different face paint. His tag team partner, Konnor, is currently serving a wellness policy suspension.
The 2 hour RAW replay Friday night on SyFy did 403,000 viewers and was the top rated show of the night for that network. This would be a replay of the May 23rd show. It was down from last week, which did 467,000 viewers.
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch is advertised for Smackdown tonight, as is Styles & Gallows & Anderson vs. Roman Reigns & Usos, although the latter is a dark match and may very well not take place.
The creators of Netflix hit Orange is The New Black got another Netflix show greenlit: a comedy series based on the 80s female wrestling organization GLOW. No, seriously. It’s happening. It will be a half-hour comedy with 10 episodes.
ECWA returns to action this Saturday in Woodbury Heights, NJ.
For those with San Francisco Chronicle online access, there’s a story about Nick Reckas from 1975 and his association with the city’s mayor.
In an interview with Submission Radio, Max Holloway talked about his fight with Ricardo Lamas, why he’s in his head, what he wants next and his prediction on how he wins at UFC 199.
Also in an interview with Submission Radio, Conor McGregor’s boxing sparring partner and former IBO welterweight champion Chris Van Heerden discussed boxing Conor, what would happen in a boxing match with Mayweather, how McGregor would do as a boxer and if he thinks Conor will outbox Nate Diaz in a MMA rematch.
For those into the bizarre, here’s a clip of BJJ match that ended via submission due to someone farting in their competitor’s face which caused vomiting. Yes, we just wrote that sentence.
UFC announced they are launching their first podcast UFC Unfiltered with comedian Jim Norton and fomer UFC welterweight champ Matt Serra that will air twice a week. The show kicks off on June 21st. Essentially, it’s another version of The Fighter & The Kid.
June 1 – PWP runs tomorrow night, at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha, NE
June 4 – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
June 4 – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
June 5 – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
While there is a lot of talk about Raw ratings, which, unless John Cena’s drawing power is really strong for his return, they would hit seasonal record lows going against both the Warriors vs. Thunder game seven and the Sharks vs. Penguins game one in the NHL finals, another story has started to surface: TicketMaster and the WWE’s web site have pulled the planned SummerSlam weekend NXT show off their schedule.
Decisions and schedule changes happen all the time though. If you remember, last year’s show in Brooklyn was NXT’s biggest success in history, drawing a legit sellout with the Bayley vs. Sasha Banks match that may have been the best women’s match in company history. Even internally, people have been asking questions and right now there are no answers other than the show is no longer on the schedule. At least some in NXT are very concerned about that and the billing of the 6/8 show as “The End.”
We’re looking for live reports from Raw tonight in Green Bay, featuring the return of John Cena to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.
NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS FROM HIROSHIMA ON TUESDAY (taped for New Japan World available later in the day)
Bushi vs. David Finlay
Matt Sydal vs. Rocky Romero
Kushida vs. Gedo
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Rockford, IL We’re also looking for reports on this show.
NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS FROM NAGOYA ON THURSDAY (taped for New Japan World, available later in the day)
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With two of the biggest news stories of the year, the WWE brand split and the UFC sale both in play, we’ve got a new issue of the Observer packed with news.
Our lead story looks at the brand split, with what we do know, what has and hasn’t been decided and the background of how it went down. There’s also more info on the UFC sale talks. Plus there is coverage of the return of Seth Rollins, the build to Money in the Bank and have coverage of Extreme Rules, the negotiations for a Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight and look more at the Floyd Mayweather vs. McGregor rumors. Take an in-depth look at the departure of Cody Runnels (Rhodes) from WWE and his future prospects, plus look at his complaints regarding people in the company. All this plus a look at the New Japan Super Juniors tournament, the funding of the Hulk Hogan lawsuit, the World Cup trios tournament coming up and a feature on the last PWG show.
The lead story looks at every aspect of the brand split. It looks at the original goals and reasons for it and what did and didn’t work, plus how it’ll be different this time, how the touring will work, and an examination of what talent knows and tentative plans in place. Vince McMahon’ reaction is a big part of this, and this issue explains how the deal went down, the story behind the story and other aspects to be considered. There’s also a look at Smackdown going live, the affect on the fan base, the affect on TNA and why it was important to get Smackdown away from Thursday.
Another big story in this issues is Extreme Rules, the decision to make Seth Rollins a heel and current plans for Money in the Bank, and also match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
Details about what’s going on with Conor McGregor, including Colin Cowherd’s claim that Mayweather vs. McGregor is happening, as well as a look at the Nate Diaz negotiations last week and what McGregor has said publicly.
Finally, this issue looks at Cody Runnels leaving WWE, what he said was the reason why, and a look into those reasons, and a look at the realities of WWE business decisions and his background.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40-issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues.
Before starting, I just want everyone to spend a moment thinking of & honoring those who Memorial Day was named for: people who lost their lives in service to this country. That is the supreme sacrifice, and hopefully we all recognize that because of their efforts, we are able to live the type of lives we are able to right now.
NXT is booking shows outside Florida going forward. In fact, they just announced a tour in July with shows on 7/14 in Indianapolis, 7/15 in Cincinnati and 7/16 in Louisville.
The record low Raw number for non-football season would be 3,116,000 viewers on April 25. Without Cena’s return, I don’t think there’s a chance they get that number.
Tonight’s Raw show should not only introduce the seventh person in the Money in the Bank match but also start some build for the key matches on the undercard. Enzo & Cass vs. The Dudleys and a technical match with Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin were scheduled as of earlier today. Another tease is The Hatch happens tonight and lots more social media activity from Bray Wyatt, who should be back any week now if not tonight.
Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer radio covering all the news on the brand split, Raw and take email questions that can be sent to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com.
Today’s Super Juniors results from Yonago:
Chase Owens (2-2) beat Trent Baretta (2-2)
Tiger Mask (2-2) beat Will Ospreay (1-3)
Bobby Fish (2-2) beat Volador Jr. (2-2)
Ricochet (3-1) beat Jushin Liger (2-2)
WWE
John Cena said he would be wearing shorts that were given to him by Ellen Degeneres.
Seth Rollins will be headlining “the Reigns tour” this coming weekend with multiple person title matches, usually with A.J. Styles, on dates in Odessa, Lubbock and Amarillo.
The Marine 5 starts production tomorrow in Vancouver and will include The Miz, Maryse, Naomi, Heath Slater, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. In theory, some or all of those names should be out for several weeks. If Miz loses the title tonight, that would be why. If he doesn’t, the title may be on ice for a little while.
Dwayne Johnson officially announced he was going to star in the Sony Pictures adaption of “Doc Savage” as well as produce the movie through his Seven Bucks Entertainment company. Savage is a DC superhero comic book character with super strength and intelligence.
The Seth Rollins documentary starts right after Raw on the WWE Network.
The TakeOver go-home show featuring the contract signing for Asuka vs. Nia Jax will be on NXT on Wednesday night. The big show featuring Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe in a cage match and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries will be a week from Wednesday from Full Sail University.
Summer Rae threw out the first pitch at the Chicago Cubs game on Friday.
UFC
Lots of surprises last night so this is how the picks went
3-2 – Mike Sawyer, John Pollock, Paul Fontaine
2-3 – Josh Nason, David Bixenspan, Front Row Brian
1-4 – Steve Juon, me, Ryan Frederick
0-5 – Mike Sempervive
UFC Bad Blood TV special at 9 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night on FS 1 runs down the nine year long feud between Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz which comes to a head on Saturday night.
MISCELLANEOUS
Lineup for tomorrow night’s Impact is:
Mike Bennett vs. James Storm
Gail Kim & Jade vs. Sienna & Allie
Robbie E & Jessie Godderz vs. Rockstar Spud & Tyrus with Mike Bennett as referee
Bram vs. Bobby Lashley for the King of the Mountain title
Drew Galloway vs. Abyss & Crazzy Steve in a handicap match.
This is also the next to last episode of Impact before the 6/12 Slammiversary PPV show.
TNA announced a VIP experience for Slammiversary for $129 with priority seating at the show and the tapings over the next few days, as well as a post-show party with the wrestlers a poster, and nighty meet and greets and autograph sessions.
A.J. Brooks, the former A.J. Lee, on Twitter wrote, “Just finished my book. No co-writer. No ghost writer. Just me, lots of carbs and an adorably evil mind.”
Progress Wrestling from yesterday in London, England at the Electric Ballroom for the Strong Style 16 tournament: Mark Haskins b Pete Dunne, Mikey Whiplash b Damon Moser, Zack Gibson b Kenny Williams, Jack Gallagher b TK Cooper, Big Daddy Walter b Dave Mastiff, Chris Hero b Mark Andrews, Sami Callihan b Matt Cross (Son of Havoc in Lucha Underground), Tommy End b Rampage Brown, James Davis & Rob Lynch b Nathan Cruz & El Ligero
Smash Wrestling vs. Progress Wrestling takes place in Toronto on 9/17 and 9/18 at the Franklin Horner Community Centre. Nothing has been announced but the push is the stars of Progress like Zack Sabre Jr., Will Ospreay, Mark Andrews, Jimmy Havoc and Marty Scurll and the stars of Smash like Courtney Rush (Rosemary in TNA), Pepper Parks (TNA), Cherry Bomb (TNA), Matt Cross and Johnny Gargano.
A story on Cowboy Frankie Laine, who passed way last week, can be read here, from his hometown newspaper.
World Series of Fighting on NBC Sports has this show scheduled for 7/30 in Everett, WA at the Xfinity Arena:
Marlon Morales vs. Josh Hill for the bantamweight title
Alexandre Almeida vs. Lance Palmer for the featherweight title
Phoenix Jones vs. Caros Fodor in the battle of adopted brothers from Seattle
In Your Face Wrestling on 6/11 in Delanson, NY at the Duanesburg YMCA features Brutal Bob Evans and HC Loc.
I Believe in Wrestling from Saturday night in Orlando for the Florida J Cup: Jonny Vandal b Jay Rios, Kota Sekifuda b CT Brown, Aaron Epic b Slade Porter, Jon Cruz b Xander Vargas, JD Amazing & Brandon Scherer & Chico Adams b Braydon Knight & Tyranus & Josh Parker, Jonny Vandal b Kota Sekifuda, Aaron Epic b Jon Cruz, Santana Garrett & MJ Knight & Nova Girl b Queen Raquel (TNA) & Dominique Fabiano & Jenson Fratelli, Jonny Vandal b Aaron Epic to win tournament. Next show is 6/18 with Rhett Giddins vs. JD Amazing and Santana Garrett vs. Thea Trinidad (Rosita in TNA).
CWF presents a free wrestling show at Tim Horton’s on 145 Hazel Rd. in St. Catherines, ONT on Wednesday at 6 p.m. to support Tim Horton’s Camp Day 2016.
Another free event takes place tonight in the parking lot of Tim Horton’s at 1495 Regent Ave. in Winnipeg with donations accepted for Tim Horton’s Children Foundation to send underprivileged children to camp put on by Canadian Wrestling Elite..
Conflict Wrestling on 6/12 in Kitchener, ONT features a tribute show for Edith Marie Marsh, headlined by Will White vs. John Atlas and Kaitlin Diemond vs. Jennifer Blake.
CZW Tournament of Death on 6/11 in Townsend, DE at 2 p.m. at 179 Ebenzer Church Rd. features these tournament matches
Alex Colon vs. Danny Havoc in a light tube death match
Masada vs. Conor Claxton in a barbed wire madness match
Tim Donst vs. Rickey Shane Page in a stipulation of Donst’s choice match
Jeff Cannonball vs. Matt Tremont in a Home Run Derby match.
There will also be non-tournament matches including:
Devon Moore vs. Dale Patricks in a scaffold match
DJ Hyde vs. Josh Crane in a panes of glass match
Maryland Championship Wrestling on 6/10 in Joppa, MD at the MCW Arena feature Jimmy’s Seafood Slamboree with Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Damien Sandow appearing at 6 p.m. for a meet and greet. Sandow will also wrestle on the show.
CWE from last night in Fort William, ONT: Jason Kincaid b Joe Keys, Silas Young b Robby Royce, Anderson Tyson Moore b Travis Cole to keep the CWE title, Lio Rush b Tyler Colton-DQ so Colton keeps the TV title, Danny Duggan b Wildman Firpo, Lio Rush & Jason Kincaid & Anderson Tyson Moore b Silas Young & Tyler Colton & Travis Cole. Next tour is 9/22 to 10/2 featuring Ethan Carter III.
Unless John Cena’s drawing power makes a huge difference in ratings for his return, Raw on Monday will be doing an all-time seasonal low number given the competition of game seven of the Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game and the San Jose Sharks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins game one of the Stanley Cup finals. The Warriors game won’t start until 9 p.m. but traditionally over Memorial Day weekend, because of the holiday, the audience comes late and a lot miss the first hour of Raw. Also, because of the holiday, the ratings will likely be delayed. They should set up the final man in Money in the Bank and start working on the undercard, plus they’ll probably hype to death Smackdown going live and the brand split.
We’re looking for reports on WWE shows in Madison, WI (Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Kevin Owens, Dudleys, Enzo, Cass, Sami Zayn, Charlotte, Natalya) and LaCrosse, WI (Big Show, Kane, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman, Dean Ambrose, New Day, Rusev, Kalisto, Alberto Del Rio, Paige, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks). newstips@wrestlingobserver.com
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
With two of the biggest news stories of the year, the WWE brand split and the UFC sale both in play, we’ve got a new issue of the Observer packed with news.
Our lead story looks at the brand split, with what we do know, what has and hasn’t been decided and the background of how it went down. There’s also more info on the UFC sale talks. Plus there is coverage of the return of Seth Rollins, the build to Money in the Bank and have coverage of Extreme Rules, the negotiations for a Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight and look more at the Floyd Mayweather vs. McGregor rumors. Take an in-depth look at the departure of Cody Runnels (Rhodes) from WWE and his future prospects, plus look at his complaints regarding people in the company. All this plus a look at the New Japan Super Juniors tournament, the funding of the Hulk Hogan lawsuit, the World Cup trios tournament coming up and a feature on the last PWG show.
The lead story looks at every aspect of the brand split. It looks at the original goals and reasons for it and what did and didn’t work, plus how it’ll be different this time, how the touring will work, and an examination of what talent knows and tentative plans in place. Vince McMahon’ reaction is a big part of this, and this issue explains how the deal went down, the story behind the story and other aspects to be considered. There’s also a look at Smackdown going live, the affect on the fan base, the affect on TNA and why it was important to get Smackdown away from Thursday.
Another big story in this issues is Extreme Rules, the decision to make Seth Rollins a heel and current plans for Money in the Bank, and also match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
Details about what’s going on with Conor McGregor, including Colin Cowherd’s claim that Mayweather vs. McGregor is happening, as well as a look at the Nate Diaz negotiations last week and what McGregor has said publicly.
Finally, this issue looks at Cody Runnels leaving WWE, what he said was the reason why, and a look into those reasons, and a look at the realities of WWE business decisions and his background.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40-issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues.
Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer radio covering the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, today’s UFC, the brand split and taking your questions that you can send to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque will all be deposed in the Evan Singleton and Vito LaGrasso concussion lawsuit. Vince was deposed on Friday actually and Levesque on Tuesday. Dr. Joseph Maroon was deposed as well, and the plaintiffs want him deposed again.
There have been teases of a “Hatch” on Raw tomorrow night. I don’t know if that has to do with the impending return to television of the Wyatt family (aside from Luke Harper, who still has several months before he’ll be able to wrestle).
Sasha Banks returned to action last night in Winnipeg after her head injury suffered two weeks ago. They had a unique deal last night as Chris Jericho worked as the face and Dean Ambrose as the heel in the main event since Jericho grew up in Winnipeg.
Eric Bischoff is now looking for indie books for appearances, seminars, conventions and Q&A’s through Bill Behrens at showbis@aol.com. WWE will be releasing an Eric Bischoff DVD a week from Tuesday and the WWE Network will air a special on that at 5 p.m. on Thursday so his name will be back in the news. Other names available for bookings include Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, Drew Galloway, Matt Sydal, Al Snow, Tommy Dreamer, Mike Posey, Jimmy Rave, Diamond Dallas Page, Moose, Nunzio, Tony Mamaluke, Kenn Doane, Blue Meanie, Stevie Richards, Shane Helms and more. He is also booking a number of ROH’s top stars including champions Jay Lethal, Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian for dates only outside the U.S. and Ontario.
WWE & Pro Wrestling
Thanks to Alex Yohkna, Josh Anderson, Allan Albert, Rohan Unrao, Geoff Melnechuk, and Josh Hammerstein for the reports from the WWE shows last night.
After Raw tomorrow, they are airing a special called “Seth Rollins: Redesign, Rebuild, Reclaim” about his training to return. Yes, they produced a sympathetic show for a guy who turned back heel last week. I’d have expected that from WCW in 1998 or 1999.
Corey Graves has been teasing a move to Smackdown, which would be a good decision. If that’s the case, he’d take the slot held by Byron Saxton, who would be exclusive to Raw.
Tons of discussion going around about Friday’s Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match. We’ll talk more about it tonight. There is a story from Australia on the match.
Today’s New Japan show in Osaka was one of the better shows of the year. No matches of the year, but so much good wrestling up and down the show.
The Lucha Libre World Cup on Friday and Sunday will officially be on iPPV for $19 combined. There is no separate show ordering.
A note on the Mike Johnson interview with Pop TV’s Brad Schwartz earlier in the week. The interview was set up with Johnson and Pop TV and not through TNA. According to Johnson, TNA was not even aware of the interview being done until after it was completed.
UFC
UFC Fight Pass this past week debuted a “Where Are They Now?” series looking at memorable cast members of the early seasons of The Ultimate Fighter including Bobby Southworth, Luke Cummo, Noah Inhofer, Tait Fletcher, Shonie Carter and Din Thomas. I hope to god that Noah at least is still with that girl he walked off the show for because he missed her so much.
UFC Bad Blood airs on Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern on FS 1 as a build up for this coming Saturday’s Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber bantamweight title match.
So on Friday my daughter asked me how come she sees her friends at school every day but all my friends live so far away. And I asked her what does she mean, and she goes, your friends in the Pink video. That’s when I discovered this.
Resurrection Fighting Alliance runs 6/3 at The Hangar at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, Ca with Thiago Moise vs. Jamall Emmers for the lightweight title as the main event. The show will air at 10 p.m. on Friday night after the two hours of New Japan on AXS.
It should be noted that this past week’s New Japan show was only one hour because the kickboxing show started at 9 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. There will be both one hour shows and two hour shows depending on the week through 7/10.
The death of Tacoma, WA sports personality Stan Naccataro, who passed away at 88 on Wednesday, is notable because he lost his broadcasting job eight years ago for comments made on MMA. While primarily a baseball guy in town, he was also a well-known boxing announcer. “They put on two ounce gloves and exchange punches for a few seconds, then fall onto the mat while one guy tries to put a strangle-hold on the other guy. There’s no art to it, no strategy. Somebody’s gonna get killed one of these days. It ought to be banned. The kids love it through. There’s nothing like a good fight. I love the sport (boxing). It just breaks my heart that the next generation of boxing fans would rather watch this martial arts garbage.”
The Venator Fighting championships show from Milan, Italy, that features Mayhem Miller and Rousimar Palhares last week did 105,000 streaming viewers on MMA.TV according to the promotion. It was also on Fox Sports Italy and did 110,000 viewers, which is less than ICW does in the same market.
Insane Championship Wrestling has added a Canadian television deal on The Fight Network. It will air on late Thursday nights at 1 a.m.after the CMLL & AAA shows on Thursday nights.
NWA Cajun Heat on 7/2 in Morgan City, LA with two cage matches plus an appearance by Kevin Nash.
Netflix will be airing “The Resurrection of Jake Roberts” starting on Wednesday. (thanks to Michael Bargas)
ROH tickets went on sale on Friday for a 10/22 show in Lakeland, FL.
Evolve on 6/10 in Ybor City, FL on iPPV that night:
Timothy Thatcher vs. Chris Hero for the Evolve title
Drew Gulak & Tracy Williams vs. Bravado Brothers for the tag titles
Johnny Gargano & TJP vs. Drew Galloway & Ethan Carter III
Matt Riddle vs. Cedric Alexander
Anthony Nese vs Fred Yehi
Ethan Page vs. Darby Allin
Dynamo Pro Wrestling from last night in St. Louis: Makaze b Ozzie Gallagher-DQ, Keon Option & Justin D’Air won three-way over Rocket Mapache & Jackal and Danny Adams and Paco Gonzalez, Brandon Aarons won three-way over Kevin Lee Davidson and Evan Morris, Brandon Espinosa b CJ Shine, Outtkast b Ricky Cruz, Jake Dirden b Brandon Aarons (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
Wildkat Sports, which is Luke Hawx’s promotion in Louisiana, starts on the New Orleans affiliate Ch. 54 in September. Teddy Long will be working with the group as the TV General Manager.
Victory Commonwealth Wrestling on 6/30 in Toronto at the Super Wonder Gallery
Cody Runnels has sent a tease that he will be available to work in just under three months. On Twitter, with him using the name Cody Rhodes, a point of contention since he started using that name in WWE, but it had been the family wrestling name for almost 50 years, he sent out a tweet earlier today listing the 8/19 date with the words “After 8/19.”
Runnels also listed almost a bucket list of opponents he was interested in working with. The names on the list were Adam Cole, Dalton Castle, Kurt Angle, Chris Hero, The Miracle (Mike Bennett), Moose, Pat Buck, Young Bucks, Trevor Lee, Katsuyori Shibata and Roderick Strong.
Also listed on his list of things to check off were BOLA (the PWG Battle of Los Angeles tournament in late August), “the streamers thing” which likely means ROH (or some minor Japanese groups) and “Personal ring announcer,” which could be construed as travelling with his wife, who is a ring announcer.
