In what will likely prove to be the biggest revenue grossing pro wrestling event in history, Steve Austin regained the WWF title at Wrestlemania XV, a show far more notable for production and booking than for any of the wrestling.
The basic consensus seemed to be a mild thumbs up for the show, although the reaction to this one was all across the board as there were people who thought it was the best show in years and many who thought it was terrible. If a wrestling show is constituted by the quality of the matches from start-to-finish than this was a thumbs down show with only two good matches tops out of ten. If it’s based on surprises, booking and angles, it’s a thumbs up. If it’s based on crowd reaction to either and both, it wouldn’t be a thumbs up since only the main event had good heat and that’s with a super hype job going in. If it’s based on presenting well produced television, it would be the best wrestling PPV of the year.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back tonight with tons to discuss: ROH Global Wars, WWE cuts, Kato Kung Lee and Billy Wicks pass away, EVOLVE angle with EC3 and Johnny Gargano among others, Bobby Roode and Eric Young, New Japan line-ups, UFC from Sunday morning plus upcoming fights, as well as the mailbag! A fun show as always so check it out~!
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back today with tons to discuss including full reviews of both the ROH New Japan Global Wars PPV and NWA World Championship Wrestling from 30 years ago this week which was, quite frankly, pretty amazing. A fun show as always so check it out~!
On Sunday night in Chicago Ridge, IL, the stars of Ring of Honor will battle the stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling at Global Wars, part of a unique series of early-spring events between the promotions that have been running for the past few years here in the U.S. and Canada.
Tonight’s PPV lineup is a strong one, headlined by a title match with the longtime champion Jay Lethal defending against a returning and popular challenger in Colt Cabana. You can email feedback to the show (positive/negative/neutral) to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
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RODERICK STRONG VS. ADAM PAGE VS. ACH VS. DALTON CASTLE – WINNER GETS A TV TITLE SHOT
Crowd was weak early, but picked up when ACH did a flip dive. The match kept moving with a lot of good moves. The finish saw Strong use a superplex, gutbuster and sick kick on Page, but then Castle used the bang a rang, dropping Strong onto Page and Castle pinned Page.
After the match, Strong got mad saying that he’s the best wrestler in the company and had the TV title shot.
JUSHIN LIGER & CHEESEBURGER VS. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS & FRANKIE KAZARIAN
They did the big upset finish as Daniels was being cocky and doing finishers on Cheeseburger when Cheeseburger pinned Daniels with a front rolling cradle. Right before the finish, Daniel & Kazairan laid out Liger with Celebrity Rehab and Liger landed on his head. He was selling the neck but it was clearly a sell spot but he was out for the rest of the match.
Daniels and Kazarian laid out Cheesebuger as Daniels gave him a low blow. They used the Best Meltzer Ever after the match, which is a combination tombstone piledriver and Daniels coming off the top rope onto him.
ROH TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS WAR MACHINE VS. MARK & JAY BRISCOE
War Machine retained when Hanson gave Jay a spin kick and then they used the Fallout on Mark — a move where Hanson came off the top rope while Rowe held Mark up. Hanson pinned Mark. This was a wild match. The crowd miking on this show is weak or the crowd is real quiet. The match wasn’t smooth at all, but there were a lot of big moves and the crowd did give them a “This is awesome” chant. Jay put Hanson through a table with a double foot stomp. There were several dives and they did a lot of big stuff. Hanson also kicked out of both Froggy Bow (elbow off the top) by Mark and the Jay driller by Jay. Fans chanted “Thank you” when it was over.
IWGP CHAMPION TETSUYA NAITO VS. KYLE O’REILLY (NON-TITLE)
This was the best actual wrestling so far on the show, very good and Naito came across like a superstar but the crowd miking issue took this match down. O’Reilly did all of his stuff with the various submissions and Naito did his usual spots and mannerisms. The crowd at points lightly booed O’Reilly, but mostly were into the match. O’Reilly got a near fall with a bridging back suplex but Naito used a spinebuster and Destino for the pin. After the match, Naito used a low blow on O’Reilly and then threw the belt in the air. Before the match, Naito also dropped the belt down and showed no respect for it.
HIROSHI TANAHASHI & MICHAEL ELGIN VS. KAZUCHIKA OKADA & MOOSE
This was a significant result because Tanahashi & Elgin are a regualr New Japan tag team and they lost this match. Moose speared Elgin and Okada then hit Elgin with the Rainmaker to win. The fans were really into Tanahashi vs. Okada when they were in together. A lot of good stuff here including Okada and Moose both doing the dropkick with Tanahashi and Elgin sitting on the middle rope. Moose did a dive off the top rope to the floor on both Tanahashi and Elgin. Elgin did a delayed vertical suplex on Moose. The crowd knew most of the spots, even chanting “Ace” when Tanahashi did the Moose arm deal. People were on their feet a lot and did another “This is awesome” chant but it still felt quiet a lot. Good match.
TV CHAMPION TOMOHIRO ISHII VS. BOBBY FISH
They put over that Fish is 39 years old and this may be his last big chance. This was weird because Ishii worked the same kind of match he’d work if it was a Japanese big show and Fish was right with him but the crowd was so quiet. Fish won the title clean in the middle by choking Ishii all the way out. Ishii never tapped but went out. The crowd was shocked tHat was the ending. You can tell the place is porly miked beause everyone is standing, you can see people chanting but can barely hear it. This was the best match so far. Really hard hitting from start to finish, hard chops & hard kicks by Fish, Ishii did his headbutt spots and a delayed superplex spot.
YOUNG BUCKS & TAMA TONGA & TANGA LOA VS. KUSHIDA & MATT SYDAL & CHRIS SABIN & ALEX SHELLEY
This was a fast paced match with all kinds of big moves. The match was built around the Bucks setting a record for the world’s largest superkick party for a superkick record. Mr. Wrestling III had a superkick counter, but it totaled zero superkicks. This had the most reaction of anything on the show. Kushida and Sydal are two of the best wrestlers in the world, and Shelley did a lot of unique moves. The Bucks mostly were selling stuff while Tonga & Loa played monsters no selling stuff. After Kushida did a flip dive over the post onto Tonga & Loa, the Bucks used the Meltzer Driver on Shelley for the pin.
They had a confrontation at the desk with Mr. Wrestling III and B.J. Whitmer, who came out wearing a Masked Superstar mask since Superstar was a big rival of Wrestling II. Whitmer handed him a flash drive and told him to go to his hotel room and watch what’s on it after the show — clearly the next stage in the Corino vs. Whitmer feud.
They noted that they didn’t introduce the new Bullet Club member. That is still to come.
ROH CHAMPION JAY LETHAL VS. COLT CABANA
They were out there having a good match. Cabana was really over with the crowd, being it was in Chicago. Taeler Hendrix interfered and Nigel McGuinness and ref Todd Sinclair ejected her, McGuiness dragging her to the back. Cabana had Lethal in the Billy Goat’s Curse when Hendrix came back out and dragged Sinclair out of the ring. The Bucks came out, seemingly to superkick Hendrix for interfering, but she moved and they nailed Sinclair. But then they nailed Hendrix anyway.
The Bucks had two Bullet Club shirts and gave them to Lethal and Cabana. Then the lights went out. Adam Cole was in the ring with a Bullet Club shirt when they came on and they all superkicked Lethal and Cabana and a million security guards. Everyone was superkicking everyone, including Kevin Kelly, Mr. Wrestling III, a camera man and even Mr. Massie (the Bucks’ father). He jumped in the ring and they stopped Cole from superkicking him, but then they superkicked him.
Tonga & Loa spray painted BC on a table and Loa powerbombed a security guard through the table. This was all very reminiscent of an NWO-era Nitro show. The crowd kind of booed them as it was designed as a heel turn. They put zip ties on Lethal, and Cole kept superkicking him. Cole grabbed the belt, clearly teasing the idea that Cole was going after the title next.
At another point, after they took out the announcers, Matt got on the headset and pretended to be Jim Ross doing “This man has a family” and “stomping a mudhole” and called Nick “King.” So, the show ended with a ring and floor with more than a dozen people laid out and the Bucks, Cole, Tonga, and Loa left standing.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns with our weekend edition talking all the news in wrestling and MMA, from UFC and ROH big weekend shows to EC3 invading an EVOLVE show to attack an NXT star and cut a promo on HHH. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC FIght Night 87: Overeem vs. Arlovski from the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. This marks the first time the UFC has held an event in The Netherlands. The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the UFC heavyweight division as Alistair Overeem looks to secure the next title shot when he puts his three-fight win streak on the line against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 10:30 AM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
Gates out to “Purple Rain” by Prince so he wins some points from me right away. And Ulka Sasaki counters that with Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s “Ode to Joy”. Advantage Gates.
Sasaki looks like a rail at this weight. He shoots for a takedown right away but Gates defends against the cage. Sasaki completes it 45 seconds in. Gates working for a triangle but Sasaki fights him off. Gates to his feet at 1:45 but Sasaki takes his back standing. Gates landing punches to Sasaki’s head but Sasaki won’t let go of his back. Sasaki with another takedown at 2:45. Gates up at 3:15 and they’re in a cage clinch with Gates in control. Sasaki stuffed on a takedown attempt and eats a hard punch from Gates that stuns him. Gates with a hard knee to the head and follows up with a punch combo. 10-9 Sasaki but close
Sasaki with a takedown 30 seconds in after eating some punches standing. Gates with a guillotine from a sitting position but gives up on it quickly. Gates to his feet at 1:15 and has Sasaki pinned against the cage. Sasaki gets control but Gates landing elbows to the head. Sasaki with another takedown at 1:45. Gates gives up his back at 2:00 and Sasaki with a full body lock. Sasaki landing elbows and punches to the head to set up a rear naked choke. Sasakigets the choke at 3:30 and Gates taps quickly.
WINNER – ULKA SASAKI (19-3-2) by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:30 of the 2nd rd
WELTERWEIGHTS- LEON EDWARDS (10-3, 2-2 UFC) VS. DOMINIC WATERS (9-4, 0-2 UFC) (Lukasz Bosacki – ref)
Waters out to “Run this Town” by Rhianna and Jay Z. Good tunes so far today. Edwards counters with “Mo Money, Mo Problems” by Notorious B.I.G. Dead heat right there. Lot of heat between these guys and this one should be fun.
Waters gets a takedown 30 seconds in. Edwards up right away and takes Waters down. Waters working for an armlock and Edwards stands up to escape. Waters shoots for a takedown and eats a hard shot to the head from Edwards at 2:00. Edwards uses a front headlock to keep Waters down after defending the takedown. Edwards takes his back at 3:00 and then gets mount at 3:15. Edwards not doing anything from mount as Waters is holding him close. Edwards finally landing some punches and elbows at 4:30 and then working for a shoulder lock. 10-9 Edwards
Waters shoots for a takedown right away, eats a knee and then gets taken down by Edwards. Edwards actually landing more punches from guard than he did from mount. Edwards into side control at 1:30. Ref stands them up at 2:15 though. Waters rocks Edwards with a punch after the standup but Edwards goes to a cage clinch right away. Quick separation. Edwards knocks Waters down with a jab at 3:30 but lets him up. Waters initiates a cage clinch at 3:45 and takes Edwards’ back standing. Waters with a takedown off a suplex at 4:30 and Edwards landed hard. Might be enough to steal him the round. Waters lands a few light punches before the buzzer. Very close. 10-9 Waters, 19-19
Waters eats a hard high kick to the head early. Both corners though Edwards won both rounds, which could be right. Waters with a takedown at 1:00. Waters landing light punches to the body but not even trying to advance and Edwards to his feet at 1:45. Edwards lands a front kick to the face and Waters shoots for a takedown but stuffed easily by Edwards. Edwards with a flying knee followed by a punch combo. Waters shoots for a takedown and they end up in a cage clinch. Waters completes at 3:15 but Edwards right up. Waters still in control of a cage clinch. Edwards lands a knee to the body on another takedown attempt by Waters and ends up on top of him. Edwards landing punches to the body and head. Edwards landing elbows as well as the round ends. 10-9 Edwards, 29-28 overall
WINNER – LEON EDWARDS (11-3) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
FLYWEIGHTS- (#5) KYOJI HORIGUCHI (16-2, 5-1 UFC) VS. NEIL SEERY (16-11, 3-2 UFC) (Marc Goddard – ref)
The string of awesome walkout songs came to a crashing halt here. No idea what song either guy used. Seery’s still pic looks like he’s 36 going on 100. Horiguchi cornered by Sami Zayn…no wait, that’s former WEC Champion Mike Brown.
Horiguchi knocks down Seery with a punch combo 30 seconds in and all over him but Seery weathers it. Seery sweeps and almost ends up on top but does get to his feet. Horiguchi with a takedown at 1:15. Seery working for an armlock but gives it up quickly. Seery to his feet and in control of a cage clinch. Quick separation. Crowd is loving this. Both guys throwing bombs at 2:00. Horiguchi knocks Seery down with a punch at 2:15. Seery to his feet quickly. Seery bleeding under his left eye. Horiguchi with a takedown at 3:15. Seery landing some elbows to the head from the bottom. Horiguchi postures up and drops a hammer fist. Horiguchi into side control at 3:45 and working for a head and arm choke. Seery to his feet at 4:30. Horiguchi with a hard body kick. Almost a 10-8 but definitely Horiguchi’s round, 10-9
Horiguchi backs up Seery with a punch combo early. Seery now cut under his right eye and bleeding heavily. Horiguchi takes him down at 45 seconds. Seery to his feet at 1:15. Horiguchi covered in Seery’s blood as well. Seery advancing for the first time in the fight. Seery with a takedown attempt but Horiguchi ends up taking his back standing. Seery escapes fairly quickly. Seery continuing to advance but Horiguchi landing punches while retreating and moving out of the way of Seery’s punches for the most part. Horiguchi with a nice punch combo at 4:00. Horiguchi with a takedown at 4:30. Closer round but still clearly to Horiguchi and he’s now up 20-18
Seery advancing to start again. His corner seems to have closed the cut but there’s still a lot of swelling around that eye. Horiguchi initiates a cage clinch at 1:30 and gets a takedown off a trip. Horiguchi stands up and Seery follows. Horiguchi rocks Seery with a punch but he stays on his feet. Another hard shot from Horiguchi sends Seery reeling into the cage but again he stays up. Seery still advancing and shoots for a takedown at 2:30 which ends up in a cage clinch. Horiguchi gets control. Cut around Seery’s right eye has opened up again and bleeding heavily. Seery breaks free from the clinch but Horiguchi takes him down off a single leg. Seery up quickly. Horiguchi landing knees to the body while maintaining control of a clinch. Separation at 4:15. Seery stuns Horiguchi with a body shot but he recovers quickly. Seery gets a takedown at 4:45 but Horiguchi sweeps into top position. 10-9 Horiguchi, 30-27 overall
WINNER – KYOJI HORIGUCHI (17-2) by unanimous decision (30-26; 30-27 x 2)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 12 PM ET/9 AM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- YAN CABRAL (12-2, 2-2 UFC) VS. REZA MADADI (13-4, 2-2 UFC) (Leon Roberts – ref)
Madadi with a takedown attempt early but stuffed by Cabral. Cabral stuffed on a takedown attempt of his own at 1:00. These guys look like middleweights after seeing two flyweight fights on the prelims. They are big lightweights. Madadi in control of a cage clinch at 2:00. They trade light knees but nothing much happening. Separation at 3:00. Cabral lands a knee to the body and then shoots for a takedown but stuffed by Madadi. They’re in another cage clinch and crowd getting restless. Cabral finally gets a takedown out of the clinch at 4:00. Cabral working for a Kimura and uses it to advance into mount. Cabral takes his back and working for a rear naked choke while securing a body lock. Madadi to his feet and escapes right before the round ends. 10-9 Cabral
Crowd boos heavily when they didn’t touch gloves to start the round. Then they exploded with cheers when they did. Then they did it again to an even louder pop. That was great. Madadi advancing and lands a punch combo at 1:15. Cabral with a takedown attempt. Madadi ends up in a cradle position with control of Cabral but Cabral escapes and gets up. Back to a cage clinch at 1:45 with Cabral in control. Ref warns them at 2:30 with not much happening. They separate on their own at 2:45. Back to a cage clinch with Madadi in control at 3:30. Madadi landing knees to the body but the ref’s had enough and breaks them. Both swinging wild punches but missing and then Madadi gets a takedown. Cabral landing punches from the bottom and Madadi stands up, making Cabral follow him. Madadi with a nice punch combo and then clinches up on the cage again as the round ends. 10-9 Madadi, 19-19
Madadi rocks Cabral with a hard right early and Cabral shoots for a takedown. They end up in another cage clinch. Separation at 1:00. Madadi lands a spinning back fist and Cabral shoots for another takedown. Madadi with a front headlock choke but gives it up quickly. Madadi rocks Cabral with punches and the ref steps in to stop him as Cabral was out on his feet.
WINNER – REZA MADADI (14-4) by TKO at 1:56 of the 3rd round
LIGHTWEIGHTS- JON TUCK (9-2, 3-2 UFC) VS. JOSH EMMETT (9-0, 0-0 UFC) (Rich Mitchell – ref)
Tuck gets the party going around with “Jump Around” by House of Pain. Emmett seems very relaxed and confident for a guy making his UFC debut on less than one week’s notice. Tuck opens up with a nice punch combo. Emmett landing punches of his own and mixes in a hard body kick at 1:45. Emmett falls after missing a head kick and Tuck follows him to the ground, briefly taking his back but Emmett up quickly. Emmett stalking him now and picking him off with punches. Emmett shoots for a takedown right before the round ends but stuffed. 10-9 Emmett
Tuck rocks Emmett with a knee to the head early but doesn’t follow up and Emmett recovers. Emmett with a nice kick/punch combo at 2:45 but really not much happening other than both guys trading single shots. Crowd whistling/booing at 4:30 as nothing is happening. Emmett rocks Tuck with a hard left at 4:45. I almost never do this but that was a 10-10 round, 20-19 Emmett
Emmett opens with a punch combo. Round is going the same as Round 2 for the most part although Emmett is definitely more active. Crowd is very quiet. Emmett with some bleeding on his nose from a Tuck punch. Tuck advancing at 2:45 and the crowd is really starting to turn on the fight. Jon Anik says it’s the first time tonight but it’s definitely not. Emmett acting like he may have broken a finger and Tuck is picking up the pace at 3:45. Tuck chasing him down but not really throwing much of anything. Tuck finally hits him with a punch combo and follows up with a knee. Emmett literally running away at 4:30. Tuck stuns him with a combo at the end. 10-9 Tuck, 29-29 overall. Apparently, Emmett’s bone was sticking out of his finger at the end of the round.
WINNER – JOSH EMMETT (10-0) by split decision (29-28 x 2; 28-29)
Emmett’s finger was mangled as they did a close-up of it in his post fight interview.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- MAGNUS CEDENBLAD (13-4, 3-1 UFC) VS. GARRETH MCLELLAN (13-3, 1-1 UFC) (Lukasz Bosacki – ref)
McLellan looks like a long-lost member of the Wyatt family and comes out to 80’s classic “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. Cedenblad couldn’t look more different. Like a really tall accountant.
Cedenblad with early cage control but it’s McLellan landing more shots, mostly kicks to the body and legs. Cedenblad knocks McLellan down with what might’ve been his first landed punch at 2:30 but McLellan right up. Cedenblad lands another hard right at 4:15. McLellan misses a spinning back fist right before the buzzer. 10-9 Cedenblad
Cedenblad rocks McLellan with a kick to the body and then finishes him off with punches.
WINNER – MAGNUS CEDENBLAD (14-4) by TKO at 47 seconds of the 2nd round
LIGHTWEIGHTS- RUSTAM KHABILOV (19-3, 4-2 UFC) VS. CHRIS WADE (11-1, 4-0 UFC) (Leon Roberts – ref)
Khabilov gets the first takedown off a clinch at 1:15 but Wade right up. Both guys mostly trading leg kicks for the first two minutes. Crowd solidly behind Khabilov with RUSTAM chants. Wade with the first punch combo after a front kick to the body of Khabilov at 3:00. Wade initiates a cage clinch. Khabilov takes control, takes the back of Wade and gets a takedown. Wade up at 4:15 but Khabilov takes him down again and nails him with hammerfists to the head. Khabilov still on his back in a front headlock position. 10-9 Khabilov
Khabilov controlling the pace early. Wade knocks Khabilov down with a head kick and follows him to the ground but Khabilov recovers quickly and ends up on top. Khabilov takes his back. Wade escapes into top position but gets caught in a triangle at 1:45. Wade escapes and still in top position but Khabilov has him tied up in the guard pretty well. Khabilov bleeding from the mouth, probably from the kick. Wade not able to do anything from the guard, despite his corner telling him to strike. Wade stands up at 4:00 and Khabilov follows him. Khabilov with a punch combo backs Wade up. Khabilov with a takedown at 4:30. Khabilov working for a head and arm choke and lands some elbows to the head. 10-9 Wade, 19-19 overall
Wade advancing to start the round. Nice punch exchange 45 seconds in. Khabilov takes Wade’s back standing at 1:15 and gets a takedown. Khabilov with a full body lock on the ground. Wade landing light punches to the head while Khabilov working for a choke. Khabilov landing hard punches to the head and gives up the body lock to improve position. Khabilov takes the back again and landing a ton of punches to the head and body. Wade desparately trying to get to his feet and does at 3:30 but Khabilov takes him right back down, landing in his guard. Khabilov into side control at 4:15 and continuing to land punches. Wade briefly up at 4:45 but Khabilov takes him right back down again. 10-8 Khabilov. 29-27 overall
WINNER – RUSTAM KHABILOV (20-3) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 2 PM ET/11 AM PT)
WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS- (#10) KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ (8-0, 1-0 UFC) VS. HEATHER JO CLARK (7-4, 1-0 UFC) (Marc Goddard – ref)
Clark is fighting for the first time since the TUF 20 finale in December 2014. They pretty much trade single shots for the first 90 seconds. Clark with a punch combo and initiates a cage clinch at 2:00. Quick separation. Clark with another punch combo and back to the cage clinch at 2:45. Quick separation. KK slips off a high kick attempt but Clark lets her up. Clark initiates another cage clinch. Separation at 4:00 as KK punches out of it. Nice punch exchange at 4:15. KK stuns Clark with a spinning back kick. Clark initiates another cage clinch and landing punches to the body as the round ends. 10-9 Clark
Kowalkiewicz more aggressive to start the 2nd. Nice punch combo from KK 45 seconds in. Clark initiates a cage clinch and gets a flash takedown but KK right up. Nice punch combo at 2:15 from KK. Clark with a cut on the side of her nose and she initiates another cage clinch at 2:45. KK gets separation after a series of knees to the body but Clark clinches up again the first chance she gets. KK lands elbows to the head and breaks out of the clinch, chasing Clark across the cage. KK with a Muay Thai clinch in the centre and lands knees to the body. KK with a takedown and takes Clark’s back, working for an armbar. She loses position but holds on to the armbar right before the round ends. 19-19, rd 2 for KK
Kowalkiewicz advancing again to start. Clark pushes her against the cage and clinches at 1:30. KK landing body punches and gets separation fairly quickly. KK rocks Clark with a punch combo and tries for a takedown but they end up in a cage clinch. Clark ends up in control. Quick separation and KK with another punch combo. Clark goes for the takedown but KK lands some knees to the body. Clark clinches on the cage but KK separates quickly. Clark now advancing. KK lands a hard knee to the body and follows up with a punch combo. Clark clinches up on the cage again at 4:15. KK separates and just peppering Clark with punches and elbows. KK landing a ton of punches right before the bell, almost finishing Clark. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz, 29-28 overall
WINNER – KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ (9-0) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28
KK gets a post-fight interview and thanks all the fans from Poland and asks for a top 5 fighter next time out. Best use of mic time so far tonight.
Krylov was called “The Miner” in the pre-fight video package but was back to “Al Capone” by the time Buffer did the ring intros. Krylov rocks Barroso early with punches but the Brazilian clinches up on the cage to stop his momentum. Krylov landing knees to the legs from the clinch. Crowd booing 1:45 in as not much happening, unusual for a Krylov fight. He’s only been out of the first round once according to the announcers. Separation at 2:15 and both guys landing punches. Barroso lands an uppercut and shoots for a takedown at 2:45 and they end up in a cage clinch. Barroso completes the takedown at 3:15 but Krylov up quickly. Krylov advancing. Krylov with a punch combo backs Barroso up and they clinch again. Krylov landing knees to the legs and body. Separation at 4:15. Another cage clinch at 4:30 initiated by Krylov and then Krylov separates with a punch combo to close the round. 10-9 Krylov
Krylov all over Barroso with punches and kicks to start the round and they end up in another cage clinch. After Krylov tries to separate, Barroso gets a takedown. Krylov sweeps to top position. As Krylov tries to posture up, he’s nailed by an upkick. Krylov warned for a headbutt to the chest but gets to keep his position. They bring Marc Rattner in and he questions that decision as well. Krylov in his guard and landing punches to the head. Krylov postures up to improve position and ends up in a triangle but he quickly escapes. Krylov takes his back at 3:00 and secures a rear naked choke and gets the quick tap.
WINNER – NIKITA KRYLOV (20-4) by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:11 of the 2nd round
And he changed his nickname again, as Buffer refers to him as “The Miner” in the winner’s announcement.
WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS- (#14) GERMAINE DE RANDAMIE (5-3, 2-1 UFC) VS. ANNA ELMOSE (3-0, 0-0 UFC) (Rich Mitchell – ref)
de Randamie is from the Netherlands and gets a superstar reaction coming out. Elmose looks so happy. Crowd exploding with every shot that de Randamie lands early but Elmose pushes her into a cage clinch. early. Crowd going nuts with chants I can’t make out. Elmore landing just enough punches to avoid a separation . de Randamie lands knees to the body to break free and the crowd explodes with each one. Elmose with a takedown attempt but de Randamie defends and ends up on top. Crowd is so loud with each punch landed, it can’t help but influence the judging. de Randamie landing hard knees to the body against the cage and Elmose down. One more shot and the ref steps in to stop it and the place comes unglued. Can’t imagine what it will be like if Overeem knocks out Arlovski.
WINNER – GERMAINE DE RANDAMIE (6-3) by KO at 3:46
In her post-fight promo, Jon Anik brought up that she was offered the Cyborg fight next week in Brazil but turned it down to be on this card in her home country. That fight would make sense to do next if Cyborg beats Leslie Smith.
WELTERWEIGHTS- (#13) ALBERT TUMENOV (17-2, 5-1 UFC) VS. GUNNAR NELSON (14-2-1, 5-2 UFC) (Marc Goddard – ref)
Nelson opens up with a punch combo. Nelson standing there with his chin out, daring Tumenov to hit him. Tumenov advancing. Nelson with a side kick that pushes Tumenov back into the cage. Nelson with a takedown at 2:00 and moves quickly into mount. Nelson not doing a lot from the position but does land a couple hard elbows. Tumenov escapes at 4:30. Tumenov with a nice punch combo and a side kick before the buzzer. 10-9 Nelson
Tumenov advancing to start. Tumenov with swelling on his forehead from those elbows from mount in Round 1. Nelson shoots for a takedown and they’re in a cage clinch 45 seconds in. Tumenov has a big cut on his back, not sure where it happened. Nelson with a takedown at 1:30 and right into side control. Nelson into mount at 2:15. Tumenov tries to escape and gives up his back. Nelson with a full body triangle and landing punches to the head from behind. Nelson working for a choke and he gets it and the quick tap.
WINNER – GUNNAR NELSON (15-2-1) by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:15 of the 2nd round
HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#12) ANTONIO SILVA (20-7-1, 3-5-1 UFC) VS. STEFAN STRUVE (26-8, 10-6 UFC) (Leon Roberts – ref)
Crowd is so loud you can barely hear Buffer’s intro. Struve drops Silva with a knee early and finishes him with elbows on the ground. Crowd is going nuts. Silva is completely done as a fighter.
WINNER – STEFAN STRUVE (27-8) by TKO at 16 seconds
That was the third fastest finish in UFC HW history. He dedicated the fight and performance to Jordan Parsons, who passed away earliest this week. He did a promo in Dutch with no translater that the crowd seemed to like.
Place came unglued for Overeem’s entrance, as expected. Arlovski advancing to start and opens up with a punch combo that seems to hurt Overeem but he weathers it. Arluvski backs him up to the cage at 1:00 and they’re in a cage clinch. Crowd chanting for Overeem and the ref warns them to work as they’re stalled against the cage. Overeem escapes after a knee to the body but Arlovski still advancing. Overeem clinches in the centre and lands some knees to the body but Arlovski separates. Arlovski lands a hard body kick followed by a leg kick and the crowd explodes for each one. Overeem gets a trip takedown after a couple more leg kicks at 4:00. Overeem landing punches to the head and body from guard. Overeem postures up and gets nailed by an Arlovski upkick so he backs off a bit. 10-9 Overeem but close
Arlovksi advancing to start again. Overeem rocks Arlovski with a punch to the face but Arlovski fires back with a crisp cobo. Overeem drops Arlovski with a front kick and then finishes him off with punches on the ground. Arlovski actually looked really good up until that kick. Overeem is a serious contender.
WINNER – ALISTAIR OVEREEM (41-14) by TKO at 1:12 of the 2nd round.
Overeem dislocated his toe after the head kick and the doctor put it back into place after the fight.
Overeem had his goals set out before the promo. He challenged the winner of Miocic/Werdum to a title fight at MSG in November and then promised to defend the title next year in The Netherlands.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today with tons to talk about including eight WWE releases, some notes on each of them and their non-WWE prospects, why wrestlers are scared to speak up for this very reason, and Adam Rose update, Bobby Roode and Eric Young likely full-time in NXT, Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather rumors, calls, texts and more! A packed and fun show as always so check it out~!
The Octagon makes a stop for the first time in The Netherlands for a fight card on Mothers’ Day as UFC Fight Night 87 rolls into Rotterdam, airing on FOX Sports 1 as an afternoon event in the United States. Headlining the event is a heavyweight bout as Alistair Overeem puts his three-fight win streak on the line against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. Below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when setting your line-ups for Sunday’s event.
STUDS
Magnus Cedenblad ($10,600)
Magnus Cedenblad hasn’t fought since October 2014 yet he remains one of our top plays on this slate of fighters for UFC Fight Night 87 on Sunday. He has won three straight fights, and eleven of his thirteen professional wins have come by stoppage. He is a huge middleweight and has some real good talent. He is a solid grappler, and that is the area his opponent, Garreth McLellan, has some trouble. McLellan has a tendency of getting taken down, and with a bigger opponent in Cedenblad who has excellent grappling, it is going to be hard for McLellan to avoid getting taken down. Cedenblad should be looking to utilize his size and grappling advantages, and a finish early should be in line. He has good hands, but a submission early seems more likely. Cedenblad is an excellent pick to start your roster off with.
Alistair Overeem ($10,300)
I am honestly surprised that Alistair Overeem is coming as cheap as he is for his main event bout against Andrei Arlovski. Overeem has won three straight and has looked excellent in doing so, and his last win over Junior Dos Santos was arguably his most impressive inside the Octagon, making Dos Santos look like a finished fighter, which is amazing considering how impressive Dos Santos looked in his last fight a month ago. He also faces an opponent known for a glass jaw in Arlovski, who is coming off being knocked out in 54 seconds in his last fight against Stipe Miocic. Yes, Overeem has suffered nine knockout losses of his own, but his style should be able to keep Arlovski from getting on the inside. Arlovski did look like a rejuvenated fighter up until his smashing at the hands of Miocic, and I expect to see more of that Arlovski than the one who had an impressive win streak leading into the Miocic bout. Overeem’s salary makes him an easy play for your roster, and I expect him to be widely owned.
VALUE PLAYS
Chris Wade ($9,000)
Chris Wade is an interesting play for a $9,000 salary. He is undefeated inside the Octagon, but he takes on his stiffest test to date when he meets Rustam Khabliov on Saturday night. Khabilov is an injury replacement, but he had a good amount of notice for the bout and likely got as close to a full training camp as you can get. Khabilov hasn’t looked the same in his most recent fights, and while he got the win over Norman Parke in his last fight, he didn’t look overly impressive, and Wade is a sneaky rising prospect. Wade has good wrestling and some solid submissions, and he may overpower Khabilov to the mat. Khabliov had shown some great throws and takedowns, but that has seemingly gone out the window lately. I’m not sure if he regressed or if the having to stay overseas to train due to visa issues have hurt him, but he just hasn’t looked the same. Wade is a sneaky play to score a lot of takedowns and grind out a decision win.
Gunnar Nelson ($8,900)
Gunnar Nelson is going to be the most debated fighter on the card at his $8,900 salary. It’s hard to predict what is going to happen when he takes on Albert Tumenov on Sunday. Tumenov has shown to be an explosive striker so Nelson will be looking to take it to the mat. If Nelson can get the fight down, Tumenov is going to be in a lot of trouble on the ground. Nelson is still world class on the mat, but he did get embarassed by Demian Maia in his last fight. He needs a big rebound if he is ever going to be in the title picture at 170 pounds, and Tumenov is a beast with a five-fight win streak and has explosive finishes. Nelson has yet to be finished, and he could grind the fight out for three rounds and find a submission on the mat. He has good value if he can turn the fight with Tumenov into his kind of fight. It may be a challenge, but I see Nelson having some very good value.
FIGHTERS TO AVOID
Yan Cabral ($10,200)
Yan Cabral has a decently high salary on Sunday’s event, but he is an easy pass for me. He is just 2-2 in his UFC career and hasn’t been overly impressive in his bouts. He has one finish in the two wins, but that was over Naoyuki Kotani, who was 0-5 inside the Octagon. He has a tough match-up against Reza Madadi, a fighter who is very tough to finish, and one that has a good shot at scoring an upset win. Madadi lost his last bout to Norman Parke, but it was his first fight in two-and-a-half years, and the ring rust was certainly evident. Madadi has a very good chance in finishing Cabral, but this looks to be a fight that will go the distance. I don’t expect much from either man, and I actually think Madadi picks up the victory. It makes Cabral an easy fighter for me to avoid.
Ulka Sasaki ($9,100)
Ulka Sasaki is the other fighter on my avoid list. He is coming into his bout against Willie Gates as a late replacement for the now-retired Paddy Holohan and enters the fight on a two-fight losing skid. He is in a must-win situation if he intends on having a UFC future, but Gates is a tough foe to go against, especially when he has a full camp. Gates is just 1-2 in his UFC tenure, like Sasaki, but both of his losses came in short-notice situations. When he had a full camp, he won in 96 seconds. Sasaki’s last two losses have come by finish, and Gates is a finisher himself. Sasaki is an easy fighter to avoid, even though his low salary is tempting if you are looking for cheap options.
OUR LINE-UPS
RYAN FREDERICK- Magnus Cedenblad ($10,600), Alistair Overeem ($10,300), Nikita Krylov ($10,100), Willie Gates ($9,600), Chris Wade ($9,000)
I have Magnus Cedenblad and Alistair Overeem as my top plays for this week, and thus they will be on my roster this week. I love Cedenblad’s chances against an overmatched Garreth McLellan and Cedenblad’s grappling will be the big difference. Overeem is on a roll and has looked good-to-great in his three-fight win streak. Andrei Arlovski has a real suspect chin, and against a heavy kickboxer like Overeem, it is looking good for Overeem to get an early win. I like Nikita Krylov against Francimar Barroso. Barroso does just enough to win fights by decision, but he hasn’t been overly impressive, and Krylov has against lesser competition. I like Krylov to win by submission. Willie Gates gets a short-notice opponent who has been finished in his last two, and Gates is impressive with a full camp. I’m taking a chance on him. I’m also taking a chance on Chris Wade. I think he wins and he is cheap and of great value. Takedowns and significant strikes will lead him to the win.
“Reem” is fighting in his home country and is on the verge of a title shot. He’s my lock of the week. A must for any DK team and at a reasonable salary. Nikita Krylov has the best nickname in MMA, “Al Capone” and his last 5 wins have been first round finishes. KK is unbeaten and that shouldn’t change against TUF 20 alumnus Heather Clark. The women on that show have not faired well in UFC competition for the most part against fighters that weren’t on the show. I expect KK to get her UFC finish here as the biggest favorite on the card. Garreth McLellan is a darkhorse for sure but when he wins, he finishes. Magnus Cedenblad was finished by Francis Carmont. ’nuff said. I’m going with Willie Gates for my last pick. KO power in the flyweight division is rare but Gates has it. Yuta Sasaki has been finished in two straight fights and Willie is going to make it three on Sunday morning.
PEACH MACHINE- Kyoji Horiguchi ($10,700), Albert Tumenov ($10,500), Yan Cabral ($10,200), Anna Elmose ($9,400), Chris Wade ($9,000)
I will always take Kyoji. He will be a champion someday and I’ll always put him on my team. He’ll get the finish, or a ton of points. Tumenov has a really tough opponent across the cage but he’s game as hell and maybe he saw the blueprint for beating Nelson. Wade is as tough as Khabilov. I’m sure Wade is there to lose, but I don’t think he cares what UFC has planned. Nor should he. Yan Cabral is going against Madadi who I’ve never liked. Elmose is a newcomer but looks tough and de Randamie has been out of action for a while. I like the upset here. I’m not as confident in these picks as I’ve been in the last couple but as usual, my advice is to never play it safe.
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back today with tons to talk about! We’ve got NXT from Full Sail, Lucha Underground with the NO MAS match main event, Granny’s weekly segment including her WRESTLING REPORT, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
– Air Date: May 5, 2016 – Location: Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO
– The Big News:
Roman Reigns and the Usos got some revenge over AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Also, The Vaudevillains vs. The New Day was made official for Extreme Rules.
– Show Recap:
Chris Jericho came out for the Highlight Reel. He said Dean Ambrose thought he could be funny and zany when tangling with him, but it got serious when Jericho smashed the 20-pound pot over Ambrose. Jericho claimed that Ambrose spent the night in a St. Louis hospital with contusions, whiplash and bulging discs.
Jericho said Ambrose wasn’t here tonight, wasn’t going to run out to make a surprise appearance, and he should stay home for good. Jericho said it is a new era in WWE – his era. The crowd chanted “You suck” at Jericho, who introduced his guest Sami Zayn.
Jericho said his good friend Kevin Owens beat Zayn fair and square but Zayn continues to attack him, which makes him a sore loser. He also called Zayn a thief for posing with The Miz’s Intercontinental title. Jericho asked Zayn what kind of human being he is, and Zayn responded, “Actually, I think I’m a pretty good human being, honestly.” Zayn thought people would agree, just like they would agree that Jericho’s scarf makes him look stupid.
Zayn said he didn’t have a problem with Owens beating him, he had a problem with Owens slapping him in the face after the match and tossing him out of the ring like garbage. He also wasn’t trying to steal the IC Title. Miz interrupted.
Miz said he’s the only one who’s earned the right to hold the IC title belt and called Zayn a serial coattail rider. Miz warned Zayn not to lay a finger on the title again, so Zayn repeatedly touched the title with his finger, which was funny. The crowd chanted for Zayn. Jericho said if someone laid a hand on his $15,000 jacket, he would do something about it, and told Miz he should do something about it.
Zayn couldn’t believe Jericho spent $15,000 on his jacket. Jericho started raging, tossed his stools down and left. Zayn called them jackasses. Miz said Zayn has no respect and called himself the biggest, baddest shark in WWE. Zayn touched the title again and challenged Miz to a fight, but Maryse got in his face. Zayn challenged him to a fight again but Miz bailed.
This segment was good enough. The biggest positive was that Sami Zayn, surprise surprise, came off very likable.
Non-title: Sami Zayn beat IC Champion The Miz (w/Maryse) via DQ
Miz tried tossing Zayn into the barricade, but Zayn leapt onto the barricade and nailed a moonsault. The highlight of that spot was the reaction of a girl in the front row. Kevin Owens came out (to his music) and joined commentary after a break.
Mauro Ranallo asked Owens what brought him to ringside and Jerry Lawler responded, “Obviously his legs brought him down here Mauro, don’t be an idiot!” Owens enjoyed that. Owens then mocked Miz for hitting an axe-handle off the top, calling him a great “athlete.” Zayn hit a dive to Miz on the outside, then got in Owens’ face.
Zayn went back after Miz, but Owens jumped Zayn from behind for the DQ. Miz and Owens double teamed him but Cesaro made the save (he stripped off his suit as he ran to the ring). Cesaro did the uppercut parade to both Miz and Owens, while still wearing sunglasses. Cesaro also caught Zayn with one by accident, which knocked him out of the ring. Cesaro tried to swing Miz but both Maryse and Owens got in the way and all the heels bailed. Cesaro posed with the title.
They showed a replay of the main event angle from Raw. Backstage, AJ Styles asked Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson if they were ready for round two. Anderson said Styles would have broken the chair over Roman Reigns if this was back in the day. Styles said it wasn’t, and reminded them he beat Reigns twice at Payback before Reigns beat him.
Styles said he would become champion, but would do it his way. Gallows and Anderson said Reigns may not see it that way after he put Styles through a table. Styles decided to go have a chat with Reigns. Anderson and Gallows were happy to hear it.
Promo for Primo and Epico. They also replayed the footage of Enzo Amore being knocked out, and announced The Vaudevillains vs. The New Day at Extreme Rules for the Tag-Team titles.
The Vaudevillains beat Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas via pinfall
The Vaudevillains did an inset promo, calling the New Day clowns and called themselves real men. They won in under two minutes with the Whirling Dervish.
Afterwards, Big Cass came out to tell the Vaudevillains they look like they came off the set of Sherlock Holmes. He said he was going to give them a whooping and called them soft. He knocked both guys out of the ring, when Axel jumped in and called them soft too. He tried to buddy up to Cass, but Cass hit him with the swinging side slam. Axel was pretty amusing here.
Natalya & Becky Lynch beat Emma & Women’s Champion Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) via submission
They worked over Natalya until she made the hot tag to Lynch, who ran wild on Emma until she was pulled out of the ring by Charlotte. They double teamed Lynch to gain control and worked her over until she made the hot tag to Natalya, who hit Charlotte with clotheslines, a low dropkick, and discus clothesline.
Natalya applied the Sharpshooter but Charlotte crawled to her corner and Emma tagged in. Emma knocked down Natalya and hit a running crossbody. Lynch broke up the cover and knocked Charlotte off the ring. Natalya applied the Sharpshooter to Emma who tapped. Average match that went about 10 minutes. Emma didn’t need to be in this match.
Backstage, Reigns and the Usos were chatting when they were interrupted by AJ Styles. Reigns told Styles he had guts coming in there. Styles told Reigns he had him dead to rights on Raw. He took the high road, but he won’t next time. Styles asked if Reigns was going to be in the Usos’ corner in the main event. Reigns called himself the champ, called the Usos family, and he would be wherever he wanted to be. Styles said he would see them out there.
There was a really bizarre vignette with Darren Young. Young spoke about searching for a life coach. He said the answer was right in front of him, when the screen split and Bob Backlund appeared. Young asked Backlund if he would be his life coach.
Backlund said yes, he would be his “wrestling coach.” Young was glad, but he wanted a life coach, not a wrestling coach. Backlund screamed that the first lesson was “wrestling is life.” The segment ended with the words “Make Darren Young Great Again” on the screen. No idea what to make of this.
Rusev (w/Lana) beat Zack Ryder via submission
Ryder didn’t get an entrance. Also, Charles Robinson was the referee. Ranallo said Rusev claimed he would eat Kalisto’s big heart, and Rusev beat Ryder in just over a minute with the Accolade. The only thing to note was Rusev developed a hematoma after being sent face-first into the steel post. Lana wasn’t happy about that.
Afterwards, Kalisto ran in and attacked Rusev for basically no reason. They claimed it was because Lana was mocking the Lucha chants. He hit Rusev with a few kicks, springboard corkscrew crossbody, and then he left to pose with his title on the stage. Rusev vs. Kalisto should be pretty great.
The announcers plugged Camp WWE by reading the same script the announcers did on Raw.
Backstage, Fandango taught Goldust some new dance moves. After some “comedy,” Fandango challenged Truth and Tyler Breeze to a tag match next week. This is so dumb.
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (w/AJ Styles) beat The Usos (w/Roman Reigns) via DQ
As Gallows and Anderson made their entrance, Ranallo put them over as one of the best teams in Japan and Lawler responded, “Who cares about Japanese wrestling?” After Jey Uso was sent outside a couple minutes into the match, Reigns went to check on him, at which point Anderson used his boot to face-wash Reigns. Reigns jumped in the ring and attacked Anderson for the DQ, which led to a big brawl.
A bunch of officials ran down to break it up. Styles grabbed a mic and said, “I thought this was a new era – or his that just for Raw? This is Smackdown, and we’re going to finish what we started, now!” Normally these setups to turn a singles match into a tag match (or a tag match into a six-man in this case) feels really phony, but this was done well and the crowd was into it. It was chaotic and the fans just wanted to see them fight.
WWE Champion Roman Reigns & The Usos beat AJ Styles, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson via pinfall
Reigns and Styles started as they did on Raw, and there were dueling chants from the crowd. Reigns seemed to be getting the better of it until Styles backed him into the corner for Anderson to make a tag. Reigns and the Usos triple-teamed Anderson but he eventually backed Jey Uso into the corner for Gallows to make a tag. The Usos double teamed him, but Gallows gained control with a big boot on Jimmy Uso.
Reigns made a hot tag and hit Anderson with a jumping clothesline and clotheslines in the corner. He knocked Styles off the apron with a right hand as well. Reigns superman punched Gallows off the apron. He tried to hit Styles with one as well, but Styles hung him over the top rope, and Anderson followed with a school boy for a near fall.
An Uso hit Gallows with a suicide dive and Reigns hit Anderson with a superman punch. Reigns went for a spear but Styles cut him off with forearm. An Uso dragged Styles out of the ring and Anderson made a cover on Reigns for a close near fall. Anderson followed with a spinebuster for another near fall, but Reigns popped back with a spear for the pinfall win.
Styles tried to make the save before the pinfall, but was held back by an Uso. As soon as Reigns got the 3 count, he and Styles stared at each other, perhaps acknowledging how close this was. After they showed a replay of the finish, Styles and Reigns were still in a staredown. Styles pointed at the title saying “That’s mine” and Reigns held it up to end the show.
– Final Thoughts:
This was a mostly mundane show again until the main event stuff, which I thought was really good. Not a fan of Gallows/Anderson losing already, but at least it was to the champ.
