Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA, and there’s tons of it from WWE, TNA, CMLL and more, plus phone calls, emails, text messages and assorted fun!
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We’re looking for your thoughts on Wednesday night’s NXT show and tonight’s New Japan King of Pro Wrestling show. We’re looking for your thoughts on both shows with a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to Dave Meltzer
We’re looking for reports on all three WWE shows in Saudi Arabia, NXT from last night in Winter Haven, FL and WWE tonight in Bloomington, IL (Roman Reigns & Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman).
New Japan King of Pro Wrestling at 3 a.m. Eastern and Midnight Pacific late Sunday night on New Japan World – Kevin Kelly & Matt Striker will be doing the announcing in English for the first time on the service
Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi & Kushida & Mascara Dorada vs. Juice Robinson & Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka & David Finlay & Jay White
Tomoaki Honma vs. Yoshi-Hashi
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata & Kota Ibushi & Captain New Japan
Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta for the IWGP jr. tag titles
Kenny Omega vs. Matt Sydal for IWGP jr. title
Shinsuke Nakamura & Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows & Bad Luck Fale
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii for Never Open Weight title
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tetsuya Naito for the Tokyo Dome title shot
Kazuchika Okada vs. A.J. Styles for IWGP heavyweight title
This is the last really big card before the Tokyo Dome. The winners of the top two matches are expected to face off in the Tokyo Dome main event. With the Tokyo Dome card being announced on Tuesday, expect angles to be set up for more Dome matches. Lineup looks good. Nakamura’s match should set up Nakamura vs. Anderson for the IC title, which I’m expecting next month at the Power Struggle card as the main event.
Since most of the top matches at the Tokyo Dome will be announced on Tuesday, the winners of the last two matches are almost certain to be the main event, and this show will probably set up the other key matches with different angles.
Raw will be live from Chicago, generally one of the hottest WWE crowds anywhere, on Monday night. So we’ll see if Chicago can stay up through a three hour show. No Brock Lesnar or Paul Heyman advertised.
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped in Cincinnati on Tuesday. No John Cena on the show, so Roman Reigns and Randy Orton are the advertised headliners.
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Figure Four Weekly:
The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is now up for subscribers (subscribe to the site here and get access to Figure Four, the Observer, tons of audio, and more) featuring details on all facets of Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker, including a better understanding of Gawker’s defense, what else the judge has sealed to protect Hogan, and more. On top of that, we have all the usual stuff like Vinny’s reviews and international news.
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Wrestling Observer Newsletter
An update on the status of Daniel Bryan is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter which is on the site right now and also can be subscribed to for home delivery. We update his situation and how the decision on his future will be made shortly. We also look at Daniel Cormier and the light heavyweight division and what the business notes say, the WWE’s Madison Square Garden event with Brock Lesnar, TNA’s Bound for Glory and world title tournament, Conor McGregor predicts the future once again, a pro wrestler is in the Japanese cabinet as well as our monthly look at the WWE and TNA’s business indicators.
We look at what Daniel Bryan said this past week regarding his future and how the decision will be made for him soon, and what he’d like to do if he wasn’t working for WWE.
We look at Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson and the shadow over the light heavyweight division, the news coming out of UFC 192, and full coverage of the event with business notes, early PPV indicators and poll results.
We look at the WWE Network special from Madison Square Garden, Brock Lesnar’s return, how the show was promoted, Chris Jericho’s 25th anniversary as a pro wrestler and match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
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.
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.
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Well, sort of in English. Kevin Kelly and Matt Striker were there talking on the English version, but New Japan dropped the ball by not giving them a translator to work with, so there are all kinds of long interviews here in Japanese, and neither knows what they are saying. This isn’t their fault at all. The only guy speaking English was A.J. Styles. Both Styles and Okada talked heavily about wanting to get a win over Tanahashi at the Tokyo Dome.
Juice Robinson (who was C.J. Parker in NXT) was announced as being a full-time member of the New Japan roster last night. Really, that deal was pretty much known a few months ago.
Tyler Breeze from NXT is on the road with WWE on the U.S. tour, last night working with R-Truth.
Adrienne Reese, better known as Athena, debuted last night at the NXT show in Winter Haven, FL.
Today would have been Dusty Rhodes’ 70th birthday.
Elliott Russell & Sigmon, known as The Heat Seekers, beat Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. to win the NWA tag team titles last night in Dyresburg, TN.
The Heat Seekers make their first title defense on 10/17 in Dyresburg, TN against Matt Riviera & Greg Anthony on a show that also includes Michael Elgin vs. Steve Anthony and Tim Storm vs. Rob Conway.
SHIMMER RESULTS OF DVD TAPINGS YESTERDAY IN Berwyn, IL
SHIMMER VOLUME 76
Candice LaRae won 20 woman Rumble to earn a Shimmer title shot
Legacy Fighting Championships on 12/4 in Shreveport at the DiamondJacks Casino features welterweight champion Derrick Krantz (17-8) defending against Alex Morono (11-3) in the main event. The show will air live at 10 p.m. Eastern on AXS TV.
Kane and Lana are replacing Ric Flair and Charlotte on 10/30 at the Wizard World Convention in Austin, TX. (thanks to Pete Schirmacher)
Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling on 10/17 in Vancouver, BC at the Russian Community Centre.
American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, is putting on a 10/30 pro wrestling show at their gym with Stevie Richards vs. King Mo as the main event. ATT owner Dan Lambert is a huge fan, and King Mo has headlined by pro wrestling shows at the gym before.
Smash Wrestling on 10/16 in Toronto at 432 Horner Ave with Sonjay Dutt vs. Speedball Mike Bailey, Matt Taven & Michael Bennett (with Maria Kanellis) vs. The Overdogs, Dalton Castle vs. Brent Banks, Chuck Taylor vs. Scotty O’Shea and more.
Ultimo Guerrero vs. Shocker headlines for FMLL in El Monte, CA at the Florentine Gardens. Guerrero defends his FMLL light heavyweight title.
Fenix vs. Laredo Kid vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Martinez Entertainment on 10/18 in Benbrook TX at the Camp Bowie Bingo Hall.
Mid Missouri Wrestling Alliance from last night in St. Louis: Brandon Espinosa b Prince Moses, Brian James b LaMarcus Clinton, J-Mal Swagg b Johnathan Zulu, Billy Diamond b Andrew Wilder, Brandon Espinosa & Ace Hawkins b Varik Morgan in handicap bout, Da’Marius Jones b Barackus, Moondog Rover b Jimmy D-DQ, Gary Jackson b Kevin Lee Davidson-COR (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
Charlie Haas debuts and Silas Young also headlines for CWE for shows on 12/2 in Yorkton, Manitoba, 12/3 in Brandon, Manitoba and 12/4 in Winnipeg.
Here is a listing of holiday benefit shows:
11/7: Hoosier Pro Wrestling has a show at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Columbus, IN for the Columbus Fireman’s Cheer Fund
11/7: Ring Wars Carolinas in Lumberton, NC at the Priscilla King Arena, with two cans of canned goods get $2 off any adult ticket
11/7: Atomic Championship Wrestling in Stevens, PA at the Stevens Fire Hall with a food and clothing drive for the local area social services
11/13: Chaotic Wrestling has a Toys for Tots show in Woburn, MA at the Elks Lodge
11/13: Primal Conflict Wrestling on 11/13 in Harpers Ferry WV at 343 Campground Rd. has a good drive
12/5: United Wrestling Coalition at Kelly’s Bar and Banquet Hall has a Toys for Tots drive in Wrightstown, NJ
12/5: CHIKARA has a Toys for Tots collection at its 12/5 show at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia
12/5: ECWA has a Toys for Tots show in Woodbury, NJ at the Woodbury Heights Community Center
12/5: Atomic Championship Wrestling in Stevens, PA at Stevens Fire Hall for a Toys for Tots collection
12/5: Crossfire Wrestling on 12/5 in St. Catherines, ONT at the Merritton Community Center with a show benefiting the Niagara Children’s Centre Foundation with Cody Deaner vs. Eric Young.
12/11: Brew City Wrestling has a good drive for Headlock for Hunger in West Allis, WI at the Knights of Columbus Hall
12/11 Chaotic Wrestling in Woburn, MA at the Elks Lodge has a second Toys for Tots benefit show
12/12: CZW has a Toys for Tots collection at the Cage of Death show at Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ
12./18 ROH Final Battle at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia has a Toys for Tots collection.
12/19 ROH TV taping at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia has a Toys for Tots collection
12/19 ECCW in Port Coquitlam, BC at the Elks Hall #49 has a show to benefit the Share Family Services Food Bank.
12/27 Great Canadian Wrestling on 12/27 in Oshawa, ONT at the Harmony Creek Community Hall has a benefit for the local food bank.
Stardom results from earlier today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo: Kris Wolf b Hiromi Mimura, Haruka Kato b Saori Anou, Kaori Yoneyama won three-way over Starlight Kid and Momo Watanabe, Kairi Hojo b Act Yasukawa, Mayu Iwatani b Rosa Negra to win the High Speed title, Io Shirai b Dark Angel to retain the Wonder of Stardom title. Melina Perez was special guest at the show. A.J. Styles was also at the show to see Dark Angel (Sarita), who he hasn’t seen since she was released by TNA.
Stardom runs shows on 10/16 on Covina, CA and 10/18 in Baldwin Park, CA with Cheerleader Melissa, Shayna Baszler, Santana Garrett, Mia Yim, Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo, Mayu Iwatani, Act Yasukawa, Kyoko Kimura, Chelsea, Kris Wolf, Hudson Envy, Nicole Savoy, Thunder Rosa, and Brittany Wonder.
Capital City Championship Combat on 11/28 in Ottawa, ONT at the Vanier Columbus Club.
Global Force Wrestling has posted its first trailer for the company’s Amped television show. The company was founded by Jeff and Karen Jarrett two years ago, and has gained traction over the past year. In January, they brokered a deal to broadcast New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestling Kingdom 9 event live. They also brought Jim Ross back to the commentary table, with Matt Striker as the color analyst and thanks to extensive social media work and promoting Jim Ross’s return hard, the event drew surprisingly well on PPV.
Earlier this year, the company announced its roster full of free agents and New Japan talent working their house shows, and they embarked on a series of house shows at minor league ballparks. In July, they held their first TV tapings with Chael Sonnen acting as a color commentator and Cyrus Fees as the play by play man. GFW promised to do something new that hadn’t been done before, and this trailer indicates that they’re going for a behind the scenes documentary-style format for things that happen outside the ring.
In an interview with Marc Madison of thenewshub.com Jarrett explains why GFW’s vision is unique:
“The vision is fundamentally, very different. It’s also because of the timing of things. I named the company April 7th, 2014 and went directly and worked to form alliances with major promotions in Japan, Mexico and independent promotions in South Africa, Europe and Australia and really dialed in and the NEX GEN title was about giving guys opportunity which quite frankly are too many to name.”
The Big Takeaway: Cesaro was extremely entertaining in a 3-minute squash against Adam Rose. The Prime Time players beat The Ascension in a decidedly average main event.
Cesaro beat Adam Rose (3:30)
I mean it really shouldn’t be baffling in this company, but it really is – why is Cesaro on this show working with Adam Rose? The klaxon sound that they use at the Royal Rumble goes off, Cesaro’s music stops and Adam Rose appears on the ramp with a mic. He claims that Cesaro can’t “string a sentence together” and completely buried them both by asking “how does it feel to be here competing against Adam Rose” while the likes of Rollins, Kevin Owens are “megastars”?
Cesaro’s response to all this is to wait for the bell and then absolutely annihilate Rose with a running European uppercut to the corner. He follows this up with a press slam a la the Ultimate Warrior, where Rose just lands on his face, and then another uppercut. Rose dodges a third and then comes off the second rope with a missile drop kick into a cover for two. He begins to work over Cesaro’s neck and back with clubs and blows and then locks on a rear chin lock. Cesaro throws him off but charges into an elbow.
Rose is now doing the stomps that Shawn Michaels used to do before a super kick. He hits Cesaro with one and then goes for an airplane spin to mock Cesaro’s giant swing. Cesaro scoffs at it, no selling it and does a 36 rep giant swing which he slows down as if he’s going to stop at about 30 reps and then just picks him up and carries on. Cesaro is such a great entertainer; the crowd is just eating out of the palm of his hand. He then puts on the Sharpshooter for the win. To his credit, Adam Rose was good here too.
The Prime Time Players beat The Ascension (8:47)
Viktor and Darren Young lock up and test each other’s strength back and forth until a headlock takedown by Viktor breaks things up. Young slaps a headlock on and an arm ring by Viktor is reversed into a hammerlock by Young. Viktor runs into an elbow and tags in Konnor, who comes in to no sell everything and then shoulders Young to the mat. A blind tag from O’Neil brings him in to match up to Konnor’s brawn – he shoulder barges Konnor and scoop slams him and then hits him with a leg drop. Konnor rolls outside and Viktor comes in to start on O’Neil. He gets belly-to-back suplexed on the ring apron by Young, which looks like it really sucked, and we head to a break.
Viktor and Young are in together as we return. Young gets whipped into the corner and does a flip bump over the top rope. Outside, Konnor launches Young into the barricade and the ring apron. They come back in and he covers him for two. Young plays the babyface in peril as they double team him. Young is bleeding from his right shoulder. He goes for a victory roll up, but as he is doing it Konnor blind tags in on the way through. Konnor comes back in and leg drops Young and stomps on his face. Konnor puts on a chin lock and Viktor comes in. They use the ropes to slingshot Young and then go back to the chin lock.
O’Neil eventually gets the heat on Konnor. He steams in and shoulders barges Konnor to the mat and then clotheslines him, following it up with a big boot. He does his triple backbreakers on Viktor and then slings him aside. He charges at Konnor in the corner with a splash and then powerslams him. The pin broken up by Viktor, who is sent outside. As Titus turns round, he eats a big boot from Konnor and then his pin attempt is broken up by Young. Young and Viktor send each other over the top and when Konnor misses a charge to the corner, O’Neil capitalizes with the Clash of the Titus. A nothing match, it was what it was.
– Air Date: October 8, 2015 (Oct 7 in Canada) – Location: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA
The Big News:
The Smackdown main event ended with a non-finish. Also, they let us know what happened on Raw.
Show Recap:
They announced Roman Reigns and Randy Orton against Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman.
The New Day came out and they recapped the big angle from Raw. Kofi Kingston said John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and The Dudleys could not stop the power of positivity. They claimed to be more dominant than The Shield, Wyatts, Nexus, The Corre, Los Boricuas, Legion of Doom and nWo.
Woods said Philly knows nothing about being champions. He said Eagles head coach Chip Kelly called them asking for advice after losing to the Washington [football team]. They called the Eagles booty.
Kingston said the Dudleys conned their way into another title shot. Big E said they would defeat the disgusting and dirty Dudleys and they changed New Day rocks. Dolph Ziggler interrupted, calling them the three stooges. Ziggler said they cost him a chance at the U.S. title against his “good friend” John Cena.
Ziggler said he asked the Authority for a match with Big E, and he referenced their past together. Woods wished him luck and insincerely said it would be a fair fight. Ziggler said “you’re damn right it will be” and the Dudleys came out. Good opening segment.
Big E (w/New Day) beat Dolph Ziggler (w/Dudley Boyz) via pinfall
Ziggler immediately hit a dropkick and jumping DDT, but Big E escaped the ring and they went to commercial. Big E had the heat after the break as Kingston and Woods yelled and did mock commentary. Big E went shoulder-first into the post and Ziggler hit (missed) a fameasser for two.
Big E came back with a belly-to-belly and a jumping splash. Ziggler hit a superkick, but everything came apart after that. New Day sent Bubba into the steel steps, distracting D-Von. Kingston bounced Ziggler off the rope and D-Von took out Woods. Big E covered Ziggler and Kingston held Ziggler’s foot down, allowing Big E to pick up the pinfall win.
Big E winning makes sense to keep their momentum going from Raw, but Ziggler might be getting the next U.S. title shot and looked really weak here. Worse than that, as New Day posed on the ramp, the Dudleys and Ziggler just stood there watching after getting their asses beat on Raw.
They recapped Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar at MSG. They followed by letting us know a Raw recap would air after commercial. After the break, they replayed the Lesnar/Show stuff from Raw and also the Summer Rae/Rusev angle.
Backstage, Summer talked about her future wedding plans with the makeup women. Rusev joined and told them to leave. He asked Summer why she’s telling everyone about their engagement when they had a plan for Rusev to win gold first. Summer said she got Rusev a match with Ryback, presuming that if he wins he’ll be first in line for the Intercontinental title. Rusev liked this and hugged her. As Summer left, he smacked her ass. Rusev seemed pleased.
Charlotte, Becky Lynch & Natalya beat Team Bella via submission
They said that Charlotte and Lynch would get to pick their partner, and the announcers had to act like they didn’t know who it would be, as if there’s anyone else it could have been. Jerry Lawler said no woman has ever had a friend that she didn’t dislike a little. Ok.
The heels worked over Lynch forever until she made the hot tag to Charlotte, who was quickly cut off with a kick off the middle rope by Nikki. Charlotte came back with a spear and applied the Figure Four but was kicked by Brie, allowing Nikki to reverse the hold. Natalya clotheslined Fox on the outside and Brie clotheslined Natalya. With the referee distracted, Lynch kicked Nikki, allowing Charlotte to apply the Figure Eight for the tap-out win.
Total nothing match but at least Charlotte won over Nikki. This was the fourth straight 6-woman tag match they’ve done on Raw/Smackdown in the last two weeks, all involving the Bellas. Maybe do something else next week?
Backstage, Renee Young caught up to Paige who was shown watching the match. Renee wanted to know her thoughts on “Team NBC.” Paige said it’s Team PCB and Nattie is horning in on her girls. Paige doesn’t like it and she doesn’t like Nattie.
Ryback beat Rusev (w/Summer Rae) via pinfall
Kevin Owens joined commentary and they announced that he would defend the IC title at Hell in a Cell against Ryback. Lawler asked Owens if he would run again and Owens asked Lawler if it looks like he runs anywhere.
Brennan asked Owens about an interview he did with Renee who accused him of not being a proper Canadian. Owens asked Brennan if he gets tired of people telling him that he looks like Milhouse from The Simpsons. Owens said Rusev was motivated because the IC title brings money and prestige, not because he wants to marry Summer.
The match was slow, but they did trade some impressive power moves. After going back and forth near the end, Rusev hit a superkick and went for the cover. Ryback’s foot was on the rope so Summer knocked it off. This didn’t matter, because not only did the referee not see any of it, but Ryback kicked out anyway.
Rusev went for the Accolade but Ryback grabbed his leg and easily hoisted him up to hit shell shocked for the win. Unfortunately for Rusev, the finish made sense. Summer was upset that Rusev didn’t get the win.
Before going to commercial, they again plugged that a Raw replay would air after the break. They always do this on Smackdown but they don’t usually do it more than once. The video package was for Seth Rollins/Kane.
In his dark room backstage, Bray Wyatt said he and Roman would be trapped inside Hell in a Cell and Bray would put him down. Tonight, Roman and Orton would face the wrath of he and the black sheep. Strowman told a story about making rabbits run as a kid.
King Barrett beat Neville via pinfall
Barrett came out holding his crown and wasn’t wearing the goofy outfit. They did a quick video package for Barrett with clips of him laying people out with the Bull Hammer. Barrett got the heat almost immediately and Neville eventually came back with a top rope moonsault to the outside.
Barrett tried Wasteland but Neville reversed into a DDT. Neville went up for Red Arrow but Barrett got up and got in between the ropes for safety. Neville went after him but the referee backed him off. This allowed Barrett to hit the Bull Hammer elbow for the win. If Barrett isn’t supposed to be in the ropes, why didn’t the referee get him out before he could hit his move? (I know, wrestling is fake.) Crowd was dead for this.
In his dark room backstage, Stardust played Pick A Card by himself. The card he picked is presumably a reference to his next opponent (or partner, I couldn’t tell), but we didn’t see the card so who cares.
Randy Orton & Roman Reigns beat Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman via DQ
Reigns did an inset promo before the match saying they’d be going to Hell in a few weeks so they can call tonight Purgatory. I think what he meant to say is that this match doesn’t matter because we just saw Team Reigns beat Team Wyatt on Raw, and Reigns is getting what he really wants at the pay per view. I could be wrong.
They went to break after entrances, which is better than doing it a minute into the match. Orton and Bray started. Orton had his way with him so Bray tagged Strowman who got no reaction. Strowman knocked down Orton with a shoulder block so he tagged in Reigns who ate a shoulder block as well.
Orton tagged himself in and they tried a double team move but Strowman knocked them both down with a double shoulder block. Strowman and Bray worked over Orton for a bit until he made the hot tag to Reigns. Reigns hit a flying clothesline but couldn’t get Strowman up for the Samoan drop. With Strowman on the apron, Reigns clubbed away at him and knocked him off the apron with a superman punch. Reigns then went after Bray and tossed him into the time keeper area.
Reigns followed with an apron dropkick on Strowman but Bray hit him in the gut with a steel chair for a disqualification (this wasn’t actually announced). Bray hit him again with a chair and tossed him in the ring.
Orton made the save but Strowman caught him with the hugging submission move. Reigns saved Orton and tossed Strowman to the outside. Bray tried Sister Abigail on Reigns but Orton saved him again, hitting an RKO. Reigns finished off Bray with a spear to send the fans home somewhat content.
Final Thoughts:
The opening segment was good and it’s a positive that they’re keeping the momentum going for New Day, who were the highlight of this show as usual. Unfortunately, that was it for them and the rest of the show was no good. Reigns speared Bray Wyatt through a table last week on Raw, defeated the Wyatt family this week on Raw, and laid out Bray again here tonight. Why are they having a Hell in a Cell match, exactly?
Show notes for the weekend: Tonight, we’re looking for reports on:
* WWE in St. Louis (Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, New Day, Team BAD, Rusev, Ryback, Kevin Owens and Dudleys)
* NXT in Winter Haven, FL.
Tomorrow, we’ll be looking for reports from:
* WWE in Bloomington, IL (Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, New Day, Team BAD, Rusev, Ryback, Kevin Owens and Dudleys).
New Japan King of Pro Wrestling airs tomorrow night (Sunday night/Monday morning) at 3:00 a.m. ET a New Japan World with the debuts of Kevin Kelly and Matt Striker as the English announcing team:
Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA, & Mascara Dorada vs. Juice Robinson, Yohei Komatsu, Sho Tanaka, David Finlay & Jay White Tomoaki Honma vs. Yoshi-Hashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata, Kota Ibushi, & Captain New Japan reDRagon vs. Roppongi Vice for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Kenny Omega vs. Matt Sydal for th IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Shinsuke Nakamura, Toru Yano, & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, & Bad Luck Fale Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii for NEVER Openweight Championship Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tetsuya Naito for the Wrestle Kingdom IWGP HeavyweightChampionship match briefcase Kazuchika Okada vs. A.J. Styles for IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Raw on Monday will be live from Chicago, so expect a show that, regardless of quality, is elevated by a hot crowd.
SmackDown and Main Event will be taped in Cincinnati on Tuesday. Roman Reigns and Randy Orton are the advertised headliners.
The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is now up for subscribers (subscribe to the site here and get access to Figure Four, the Observer, tons of audio, and more) featuring details on all facets of Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker, including a better understanding of Gawker’s defense, what else the judge has sealed to protect Hogan, and more. On top of that, we have all the usual stuff like Vinny’s reviews and international news.
The recent FREEFigure Four Weekly is still up with a look at the crazy story of why Gawker thinks the FBI may have helped Hulk Hogan cover up his racist and homophobic comments. A judge has ordered the FBI to turn over the records of their investigation, and what Gawker is saying in court about what has and hasn’t been turned over paints a very interesting picture.
Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the American, Canadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle.
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Wrestling Observer Newsletter
An update on the status of Daniel Bryan is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter which is on the site right now and also can be subscribed to for home delivery. We update his situation and how the decision on his future will be made shortly. We also look at Daniel Cormier and the light heavyweight division and what the business notes say, the WWE’s Madison Square Garden event with Brock Lesnar, TNA’s Bound for Glory and world title tournament, Conor McGregor predicts the future once again, a pro wrestler is in the Japanese cabinet as well as our monthly look at the WWE and TNA’s business indicators.
We look at what Daniel Bryan said this past week regarding his future and how the decision will be made for him soon, and what he’d like to do if he wasn’t working for WWE.
We look at Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson and the shadow over the light heavyweight division, the news coming out of UFC 192, and full coverage of the event with business notes, early PPV indicators and poll results.
We look at the WWE Network special from Madison Square Garden, Brock Lesnar’s return, how the show was promoted, Chris Jericho’s 25th anniversary as a pro wrestler and match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
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.
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.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.
You can see Myzteziz’s Arena Mexico return on The Cubs Fan’s YouTube channel. He’ll be fulfilling his remaining AAA dates before presumably returning to CMLL proper and not just working on the outside Lucha Libre Elite shows at Arena Mexico.
Also announced for the next Lucha Libre Elite show is Negro Casas & Blue Panther vs. Solar & Negro Navarro, which is about as good a legends match as could happen anywhere in wrestling right now.
The intro of the documentary that serves as the centerpiece of WWE’s new Sting: Into the Light home video release is now on YouTube as a teaser. The set will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray this coming Tuesday and is available for pre-order now.
SHIMMER’s 10th Anniversary events begin tonight and will continue into tomorrow at the Berwyn Eagles Club (6309 26th Street) in Berwyn, IL. Bell time on Saturday, October 10th is 10:00am (doors at 9:30am). Bell time on Sunday, October 11th is 12:00pm (doors at 11:30am). Volumes 76-79 of the SHIMMER series will be filmed during the course of the weekend, with two full DVDs worth of live matches each day. Among those appearing on the events this weekend: SHIMMER Champion Nicole Matthews, SHIMMER Tag Team Champions Kimber Lee & Cherry Bomb (though injured, Cherry Bomb will still appear), Madison Eagles, Cheerleader Melissa, Kellie Skater, Portia Perez, Evie, Saraya Knight, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Heidi Lovelace, Rhia O’Reilly, Crazy Mary Dobson, Jessicka Havok, Vanessa Kraven, Tessa Blanchard, Courtney Rush, Yumi Ohka, Allysin Kay, Taylor Made, Thunderkitty, Makoto, Shazza McKenzie, LuFisto, Sonoko Kato, Liberty, Sammi Baynz, Veda Scott, Kellyanne, Marti Belle, Xandra Bale, and more!
General admission seating is still available for both days of events, at a cost of $30 for each full day of taping (essentially $15 per full DVD worth of live matches). If you plan to attend, we strongly encourage the purchase of tickets in advance to guarantee admission on the chance of a sellout. Once we do, we cannot sell any additional tickets at the door on the day of the event.
Steel City Pro Wrestling : SHOCK VALUE 2
Sunday, October 18 at 4:00pm – 7:00pm; Knights of Columbus 222 Queenston Road, Hamilton, Ontario. The Canadian Hybrid Championship controversy will be resolved, as challenger and former champion Beautiful BeaA will get her rematch with Champion Lionel Knight, with the title on the line. The Steel City Pro wrestling Tag team titles will be defended by the Choir of Chaos… vs…. The Gym Rats!!!! Steel City Pro Wrestling is developing a woman’s title for next season. We’ve been showcasing woman’s matches since last year at this time, and we’ve been keeping track in a tournament elimination style. This next bracket will feature two of the most respected women’s competitors in all of Ontario: Xandra Bale & KC Spinelli.
AAW Pro Results from last Night 400 fans at the Sold Out Berwyn Eagles Club in Berwyn Illinois from Keith Lipinski: Allysin Kay defeated Mia Yim with a discus forearm (7:11), AAW Heritage Championship – Six Way Mayhem Match: Louis Lyndon submitted Greg Iron with the dragon sleeper to retain. Shane Sabre, Markus Crane, Brett Gakiya, CJ Esparza (10:18), Heidi Loveless & Candice LaRae defeated Tessa Blanchard & Jessicka Havok when LaRae pinned Blanchard after a Loveless frog splash (8:55). Afterward Blanchard got into Havok’s face blaming her for the loss, Havok clokeslammed Blanchard twice; Oi4K (Dave & Jake Crist) defeated ACH & Ricochet in a fantastic tag team match after a tandem tombstone piledriver on Ricochet, Last Man Standing Match: Eddie Kingston defeated Tyson Dux after multiple backfists and a superplex onto a guardrail that was in the center of the ring propped up by four chairs. Thumbtacks, chairs and a kendo stick were also used (19:04). Afterwards Kingston motioned he wanted his AAW Heavyweight Championship back. The impressive Kongo Kong defeated Christian Faith with Greg Iron (4:49) after a big splash. Afterward Iron berated Faith again on the mic, only to get pie faced by Faith who walked out on Iron afterwards, AAW Tag Team Championship Match: The Hooligans (with Bucky Collins) retained over Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett after interference from Hooligans manager Bucky “Overalls” Collins and a spike piledriver on Mat Fitchett (11:04), Trevor Lee defeated Silas Young with a small package (15:01), AAW Heavyweight Championship Two out of Three Falls Match: Ethan Page defeated Johnny Gargano to retain the championship (25:15). Gargano tapped Page with the GargaNO escape for the first fall. Page kicked the middle rope while Gargano was reentering the ring and then pinned him for the second fall. Page retained after hitting two consecutive Spinning Dwaynes in the third and final fall. As Voices of Wrestling put it “Incredible main event – legitimately great match that had the crowd going nuts throughout”
After the match, Gargano got a standing ovation from the crowd, only for Page to come back in the ring and beat him down again. Candice LaRae ran in to stop Page, but as Page was about to get his hands on Candice, Trevor Lee and Louis Lyndon ran in to stop him. Abyss and Team Tremendous make their AAW debuts on November 6 at 115 Bourbon Street. More information on that show and a full recap coming later this week.
Jim Cornette will be appearing for Metro Pro Wrestling in Kansas City at the Turner Rec Center. A Q & A with Cornette will be from 4:30-6:00 and the live wrestling event starts at 7:30 pm.
Ronda Rousey will be appearing Monday morning on Live with Kelly and Michael on ABC at 9 am Eastern and Pacific.
In MMA news, Joe Warren of Bellator tested positive for marijuana after his decision win over LC Davis at Bellator 143. According to MMAWeekly, he is likely to receive a 90 day suspension. It’s not likely he would’ve fought in 90 days anyways. Emanuel Newton had a similar test failure in February and was back fighting at Bellator’s last tentpole show in September.
MMA Fighting is reporting that the Nevada State Athletic Commission will revisit the lifetime ban of Wanderlei Silva following his evasion of a May 2014 drug test at their hearing later this month. The outcome of this hearing will likely have some bearing on what happens with Nate Diaz’ appeal of his five year ban by the same Commission.
Former UFC and Strikeforce fighter Bristol Marunde fought on AXS TV Friday night, losing a Welterweight title fight in the main event of RFA 31 to Gilbert Smith, who appeared on TUF 17. One of the top non-UFC women’s strawweight prospects in the world, Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger, beat former Bellator and Invicta fighter Zoila Frausto in the co-main to win the group’s 115 lb title.
Another former UFC star, Kalib Starnes fought last night on a GFL.TV show, submitting Craig Hudson in the main event of XCessive Force FC 7, to win that group’s Heavyweight title. The show was fairly deep by regional MMA standards and is available on demand for $14.95
Fedor Emilianenko took to Facebook to deny that Jaideep Sing is his opponent for his return.
As reported earlier today, Urive, was announced as wrestling on a 10/25 show at the arena, promoted by Lucha Libre Elite.
He came to the ring and cut an interview right before the Universal title block B tournament matches were to start.
Although he pretty well turned heel, but was more a tweener in AAA, he acted like a babyface here.
This is a very interesting move because Lucha Libre Elite only runs scattered shows, while AAA is the biggest television wrestling promotion in Mexico right now, and he was in the middle of a program with Rey Mysterio Jr.
In what was essentially Mexico’s version of Lex Luger showing up on the first Nitro, Luis Urive did an interview at last night’s Arena Mexico show, after having worked the night before on a AAA show in Xalapa. He was not booked for AAA last night, but is scheduled for a show tonight in Veracruz.
Urive, who was a huge drawing card in Mexico as Mistico, then signed with WWE as the first Sin Cara, and after that went to AAA, where he was known as Myzteziz. Originally he was brought in as the top star in AAA, but with he signing of Alberto El Patron and Rey Mysterio Jr., he had fallen to No. 3, and then turned heel, then tweener, with his role to feud with Mysterio Jr.
Urive came out, never said his name, and the announcers never acknowledged his appearance in later commentary in the Universal title match that followed. He came out with his ring music, and talked about how he was born at Arena Mexico and that since he left, nobody has been able to get to his level. AAA owns the name Myzteziz, and he did acknowledge that once he left AAA, he would no longer use that name. CMLL owns the name Mistico, but has another wrestler using that name.
It was announced that he would be appearing for Elite Lucha Libre on 10/25 at Arena Mexico, a promotion that runs occasional big shows in the building and advertises with CMLL. But it makes no sense for him to walk about of AAA, where he was in a key feud with Rey Mysterio Jr., which was planned to build to next year’s TripleMania main event, just to do one match. The impression is that he’ll eventually be back with CMLL.
Urive, under his mask, talked with the press after and said he would work the rest of his AAA dates announced, but was leaving the promotion after that. It’s unclear if AAA would even want him on those shows given they were blind sided by this move. He was booked on an AAA show on 10/25 in Durango.
AAA, which taped television last night, hasn’t made any comments at this point.
Earlier this week, I outlined the mistakes the WWE made when bringing Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch up to the main roster. These mistakes mean that the WWE is still just throwing out random women’s matches, hoping that fans will care because they’re slightly better than the dross that went before. Depressingly, it’s remarkable easy to imagine a better product. To successfully create a stronger women’s division, the WWE needed to approach the introduction of the NXT women as a months-long project that needed to be carefully planned in advance.
Thought 1: Build Around A Superstar…But Be Patient!
As explained in the previous column, the new women’s division needed to be built around a single superstar. Like most, I see that person as being Sasha Banks. Not only is she the best women’s wrestler in the company, she has an image that is unusually current for a pro wrestler. On a not entirely unrelated note, she also has the potential to tap into the black market that the promotion has ignored ever since The Rock went into semi-retirement.
However despite this greater potential, she needs Charlotte to pave the way for her. Due to being Ric Flair’s daughter, she has the instant credibility with fans that Banks needs to earn in the ring, something she can’t do until fans have been educated to care about the division. The sensible play, as in NXT, is to use Charlotte to build the platform that eventually launches Banks into superstardom.
Thought 2: Start With A Strong Storyline
First impressions are crucial when debuting new acts and the introductory storyline of the Divas Revolution gave nobody reason to take a fresh look at the division. The individual matches were inconsequential and the overall storyline had no emotional hook.
Now imagine this as an alternative. Having just dropped her NXT Women’s Title, Charlotte debuts on RAW in the run-up to Wrestlemania 31. She challenges Nikki Bella due to Bella being the type of ‘diva’ that gives female athletes a bad name. With both ‘The Nature Boy’ and Brie Bella promising to be patrolling ringside the promotion hires the baddest women on the planet, Ronda Rousey, to be the trouble-shooting outside referee. At the big show, Charlotte squashes Nikki, and then receives the post-match endorsement from Rousey herself in scenes that evoke Mike Tyson raising the hand of Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Such an introduction of Charlotte would immediately raise the profile and prestige of the division by making its title match one of the centrepieces of Wrestlemania through the involvement of Flair and Rousey. The storyline of Charlotte challenging for the title due to disgust at Nikki Bella gives fan a clear reason to care in a way that the three-way trios feud could never do. Having Charlotte squash Nikki Bella confirms that she really is better than the existing women performers, and the entire storyline put Charlotte in control rather than make her subservient to Stephanie McMahon.
Thought 3: Book Charlotte Strong!
After introducing Charlotte so strongly, it would be important to build on that foundation with her championship reign. As a general principle, her in-ring appearances should be limited to pay per views and the occasional television show. This would give her time to properly prepare for her matches, but also ensures that fans see women’s matches as special events and stops the promotion from burning through challengers too quickly.
In terms of initial opponents, you don’t have to look beyond A.J. Lee, then the most popular and respected woman on the main roster. In return for her release, the WWE could surely ask for her to put the new champion over on her way out. Another credible challenger from the existing roster would be Natalie Neidhart, repeating the ‘Hall of Famer In Each Corner’ gimmick that successfully used Ric Flair and Bret Hart to add legitimacy to the NXT Women’s Championship.
After those two, you run into a problem that the division lacks both marquee names that fans would care about and capable workers that could match the high standard set by the NXT women. Luckily, you can reach into the past to bring back women from the division’s previous golden era who can be both. Charlotte’s reign could easily consist of a series of one-off matches against the likes of Trish Stratus, Victoria, Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Lita. The novelty of the returning superstars would add interest to the division and having Charlotte decisively go over them would establish her as the greatest champion in the division’s history.
The use of these veterans would also allow the promotion to keep Charlotte away from the pre-existing roster. This is important because all of the ‘divas’ are thoroughly discredited in the eyes of fans due to years of poor presentation. If Charlotte spent months defending against women who fans had long given up on, then much like Paige before, her reign would not be accepted as a fresh start.
Thought 4: Refresh the Presentation
It’s important to remember that in pro wrestling, the sizzle is just as important as the steak; no matter how good the pro wrestlers or matches are, if there are problems with the presentation, then fans won’t care. When relaunching the women’s division, the WWE really needed to pivot away from the ‘divas’ branding as it’s too associated with past failures and is a derogative term for women in the real world. Have Charlotte throw down the championship at Wrestlemania 31, denounce the branding as stupid and demand a new title belt.
This should be more than a superficial change with the presentation of Charlotte and her matches dedicated to proving that she is anything but a ‘diva’ by educating viewers that she and other female pro-wrestlers are serious, credible athletes. Frustratingly, WWE pretty much nailed the correct tone to use back in April with the training footage of Charlotte they used to promote their new TapOut gear.
A key point is that just like in NXT, the booking should avoid doing elaborate storylines with the women as endless scenes of women arguing with each other just makes all involved look catty, something that would prove a turnoff to the predominately male audience. Remember that the one setback to Ronda Rousey’s popularity was when she spent a season of The Ultimate Fighter screaming at Miesha Tate. Equally, performers’ ring gear should be somewhat tasteful. While there’s nothing wrong with presenting women as sex symbols (look at Paige VanZant and Tate), it’s important not to dress them in outfits that wouldn’t look out of place in a stripclub.
Thought 5: Rebuild The Division Away From The Main Stage
Charlotte defending against returning mid-90s superstars should be enough to keep her occupied from Wrestlemania to Summerslam. The future of the division rests on the promotion using that time to address the weak roster depth that has always held the women back.
Obviously at some point, you would bring Banks, Becky Lynch and Bayley up, but by themselves, they’re not enough. Whereas NXT could survive with a division that was effectively just four people due to producing so little television, WWE needs a fresh championship programme every month. Equally, the emergence of NXT as a touring brand means you can’t entirely gut that division.
Two things therefore would need to happen away from RAW and Smackdown during Charlotte’s reign. Firstly, those pre-existing divas that can be effective pro wrestlers (rather than hosts or valets) need to be sent down to NXT. There, the skills of raw athletes such as Naomi could be developed to unlock her hitherto untapped in-ring potential, whilst talented workers such as Paige can work on refreshing their characters and practicing matches with the likes of Banks and Lynch. At the very least time away from the main roster would help fans forget about how they had previously been booked into the ground.
Secondly, the WWE needs to be more aggressive with their recruitment of new, talented women pro-wrestlers from the independent scene and overseas. These women would both stabilise the NXT division when the ‘Four Horsewomen’ start to leave Florida, but also provide the next phase of performers to be promoted to the main roster.
Thought 6: Make The First Title Change Important
Having successfully got Charlotte over to the fans as a credible champion and therefore educating them to take the division as a whole seriously, you can then move to the second phase – bringing in Banks. It’s a story that writes itself; whilst Charlotte is winning plaudits on the main roster, the woman who beat her for the NXT Women’s Championship is defeating all comers in Florida. Eventually, Banks snaps at missing out on all the attention, comes up to the main roster to demand a champion vs champion match.
With the benefit of hindsight, the ideal timeline for this would be for Banks to make the challenge on the RAW after SummerSlam and then for the match to be booked for the recent WWE Network special from Madison Square Garden to capitalise on her popularity in the New York market. Placing it on a Network special rather than a PPV would also allow for the match to be given greater prominence than usual – potentially even headlining the show.
In that match, Banks would defeat Charlotte to begin her reign as the WWE Women’s Champion. This title change would need to mark an important shift in the division as the promotion refreshes its roster by bringing up the new and repackaged women wrestlers from NXT. This would ensure that Banks had challengers who she knows how to work with and that have not already lost to Charlotte on television.
Thought 7: Have A Clear Plan
With the title on Sasha and the women’s roster thoroughly refreshed, it’s important that WWE be patient and think carefully about not only Banks but each of her future challengers. As part of this, they must remember to book for the vast majority of the audience that hasn’t been following NXT. For instance rather than rush into Lynch challenging for the title, it may make more sense to go back to her acting as Banks’ henchwoman so you can build a relationship between the two women that makes the eventual match between them mean more
While establishing Banks as the dominant champion, they would also need to protect Charlotte by keeping her in meaningful matches away from the title picture. Eventually, you book the rematch between the two at Wrestlemania 32 in what would be the ‘most eagerly anticipated women’s match in WWE history’. Whoever had been the more successful as champion should then win to establish them as the female face of the company, with the loser settling for being Randy Orton to the winner’s John Cena.
This week’s polls are for Wednesday’s NXT show and Monday’s New Japan King of Pro Wrestling show. We’re looking for your thoughts on both shows with a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to Dave Meltzer
We’re looking for reports on all three WWE shows in Saudi Arabia. There was a show last night, another one tonight and the final show tomorrow.
New Japan World Pro Wrestling Returns at 9 p.m. Eastern on AXS TV
Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. Alex Shelley & Kushida vs. Young Bucks vs. Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov for IWGP jr. tag titles
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kenny Omega for the IWGP jr. title
This is the first of five straight weeks of matches from Wrestle Kingdom 9 at the Tokyo Dome
CMLL has the B block of the Universal Champion of Champions tournament tonight, starting at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time on www.ClaroSports.com
It’s a one-night tournament with Atlantis, Mistico, Volador Jr., Mephisto, Negro Casas, Maximo, Valiente and Ephesto. The winner meets Ultimo Guerrero (last week’s winner) for the championship next week. The show will be airing on Claro Sports but it may be geo blocked for the United States. I’ve seen all kinds of Twitter stuff listing it but last week’s show wasn’t available.
Resurrection Fighting Alliance tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern on AXS TV
Shai Lindsey (133.6) vs. Zach Riley (135.4)
Vardan Sholinian (174.2) vs. Bojan Velickovic (174.4)
Justin Linn (134) vs. Matt Lopez (138.8)
Mike Jasper (183) vs. Gabriel Checco (184.6)
Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (115) vs. Zoila Frausto (116.6) for the first women’s strawweight title. Because Frausto failed to make weight, Jones-Lybarger will win the title with a victory, but Frausto can not win the title if she wins.
Gilbert Smith (170) vs. Bristol Marunde (169.8) for welterweight title
Spike has Glory Kickboxing tonight at 11 p.m. Eastern
WWE has only the show in Saudi Arabia tonight.
Saturday we’re looking for reports on WWE in St. Louis (Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, New Day, Team BAD, Rusev, Ryback, Kevin Owens and Dudleys) and NXT in Winter Haven, FL.
Sunday has WWE in Bloomington, IL (Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, New Day, Team BAD, Rusev, Ryback, Kevin Owens and Dudleys).
New Japan King of Pro Wrestling at 3 a.m. Eastern and Midnight Pacific late Sunday night on New Japan World – Kevin Kelly & Matt Striker will be doing the announcing in English for the first time on the service
Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi & Kushida & Mascara Dorada vs. Juice Robinson & Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka & David Finlay & Jay White
Tomoaki Honma vs. Yoshi-Hashi
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata & Kota Ibushi & Captain New Japan
Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta for the IWGP jr. tag titles
Kenny Omega vs. Matt Sydal for IWGP jr. title
Shinsuke Nakamura & Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows & Bad Luck Fale
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii for Never Open Weight title
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tetsuya Naito for the Tokyo Dome title shot
Kazuchika Okada vs. A.J. Styles for IWGP heavyweight title
Since most of the top matches at the Tokyo Dome will be announced on Tuesday, the winners of the last two matches are almost certain to be the main event, and this show will probably set up the other key matches with different angles.
Raw will be live from Chicago, generally one of the hottest WWE crowds anywhere, on Monday night. So we’ll see if Chicago can stay up through a three hour show. No Brock Lesnar or Paul Heyman advertised.
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped in Cincinnati on Tuesday. No John Cena on the show, so Roman Reigns and Randy Orton are the advertised headliners.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
An update on the status of Daniel Bryan is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter which is on the site right now and also can be subscribed to for home delivery. We update his situation and how the decision on his future will be made shortly. We also look at Daniel Cormier and the light heavyweight division and what the business notes say, the WWE’s Madison Square Garden event with Brock Lesnar, TNA’s Bound for Glory and world title tournament, Conor McGregor predicts the future once again, a pro wrestler is in the Japanese cabinet as well as our monthly look at the WWE and TNA’s business indicators.
We look at what Daniel Bryan said this past week regarding his future and how the decision will be made for him soon, and what he’d like to do if he wasn’t working for WWE.
We look at Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson and the shadow over the light heavyweight division, the news coming out of UFC 192, and full coverage of the event with business notes, early PPV indicators and poll results.
We look at the WWE Network special from Madison Square Garden, Brock Lesnar’s return, how the show was promoted, Chris Jericho’s 25th anniversary as a pro wrestler and match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
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.
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.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
TNA wrestlers were just informed today that the late October house show tour has been canceled. Those were shows on 10/29 in Thiobodaux, 10/30 in New Orleans, 10/31 in Baton Rouge and 11/1 in Biloxi, MS. The New Orleans show was billed as “The Battle of New Orleans” and was to be a PPV taping.
Regarding the women from Shine at the NXT show last night, they were not signed by WWE but WWE had them on the radar and since they were in the area brought them in as extras.
The fourth annual Grapple at the Garden show will be on 11/29 in Madison Square Garden. 22 colleges including Cornell (No. 5), Nebraska (No. 9), Illinois (No. 12) and Northwestern (No. 15) will compete. In the past they’ve also had singles matches involving MMA stars who want to compete at MSG. This will be the prelude of the first time ever that the NCAA tournament comes to MSG from 3/17 to 3/19.
Congratulations to Nick Massie (Nick Jackson) of the Young Bucks and his wife on the birth of his daughter early this morning.
A preview of the Sting: Into the Light DVD, that is being released this week, will air on the WWE Network after Raw this week.
There will also be a new Table for 3 show on Tuesday at 4 p.m. with Sting, DDP and Vader, followed by a WWE Rivalries show on the Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat feud.
For a clarification, Matt Riddle did an interview saying that WWE sent him to Evolve, which isn’t exactly the case but not untrue either. WWE did recommend to Evolve to use him as noted in Observer stories in the past, but sent is too strong in the sense Evolve made the decision to use him on their own because they think he has potential. While the nice comments HHH made about Gabe Sapolsky clearly indicate they are on really good terms and WWE is probably looking at some form of a deal, right now the deal would still be in the talking stages.
The 12/19 UFC on FOX main card will be Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone, Alistair Overeem vs. Junior Dos Santos, Nate Diaz vs. Michael Johnson and Randa Markos vs. Karllina Kowalkiewicz. Jay Reddick has the story
Hulk Hogan is hosting a pool party at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City on Saturday night at 10 p.m. Cost is $20.
CWE has a 50 man Rumble to Remember on 12/4 in Winnipeg at the Holy Cross Gym.
Fight Night on 10/16 at Center Stage in Atlanta headlined by Clay Harvison vs. Jordan Rinaldi which will air live on AXS that night at 9 p.m.
Russia’s Vitaly Bigdash beat Igor Svirid at :36 of round via strikes to win the One middleweight championship Championship at the show earlier toady in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Moose and Seiya Sanada appear on 10/10 for Superkick’d Pro Wrestling in Toronto at The Great Hall.
A new match released today at NWAClassics.com is Magnum T.A. & Mr. Wrestling II vs. Midnight Express where the losing team gets five lashes with a belt.
The ECWA women’s Super 8 tournament on 10/17 in Woodbury Heights, NJ at the Community Center has added Deonna Purrazzo, Terra Calaway, Xandra Bale and Kennadi Brink (formerly Jessie Kaye) to the field.
ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)
1968 – George & Sandy Scott beat The Assassins in Brisbane to win the IWA tag titles
1988 – Charles Lucero beat Yoshihiro Asai (Ultimo Dragon) in Monterrey to win the UWA welterweight title
1992 – Tomoko Watanabe beat Sakie Hasegawa in Tokyo to win the Japanese women’s title
1993 – Sangre Chicana beat Fishman in Naucalpan to win the UWA light heavyweight title
1994 – Takako Inoue & Kyoko Inoue beat Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada in Kawasaki to win the WWWA tag titles
2006 – Team 3-D won a three-way over Erica & Margaret (Aja Kong & Awesome) and Sodom & Gamorrah to win the Hustle tag team title
2011 – Abyss & Chessman beat Extreme Tiger & Jack Evans in Monterrey to win the AAA tag team tiles and Electroshock won the Antonio Pena Cup
2014 – Cima & Don Fujii & Gamma beat Naruki Doi & Cyber Kong & Kzy in Tokyo to win the Open the Triangle Gate titles
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns for OPEN LINE FRIDAYS talking tons of topics, WWE, NXT Takeover, the Divas, TNA and their title tournament, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
