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  • Report: Conor McGregor to challenge for UFC lightweight title in March

    Alluded to by UFC President Dana White on UFC Tonight Wednesday, Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter cited multiple sources in reporting Thursday night that UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will move up in weight to challenge UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in an effort to become the UFC’s first dual belt holder and their third fighter to win belts in two weight classes.

    If the report is accurate, the fight will happen at UFC 197 on March 5th in Las Vegas with a co-main event of women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate, a fight that became quite clear after White said that the 10-0 Holm’s next title defense would not be against Ronda Rousey as he had originally said. Holm dominated Rousey to win the title in a shocking upset via 2nd round knockout in November while the 29-year-old Tate (17-5) is riding a four-fight winning streak after downing Jessica Eye in a July unanimous decison win.

    White and other UFC officials had previously shot down any other previous champion who said they wanted to move up in weight, win another title, and defend both belts. The 19-2 McGregor, however, has a lot of bargaining power and a fight against the talented but promotionally flat dos Anjos (25-7) is the biggest draw of a fight the champion currently has. 

    Unfortunately, this also puts a McGregor/Frankie Edgar featherweight title on ice, as well as stunts the next steps for top lightweight contender Tony Ferguson and the winner of January 17th’s Anthony Pettis vs. Eddie Alvarez bout on Fox Sports One. 

    Regardless, putting these two huge fights on the same show assures the UFC of another big PPV buyrate for the first quarter of the year.

    Holm instantly became one of UFC’s biggest stars with a knockout win over Ronda Rousey, winning the bantamweight title. While UFC officials had stated many times that Holm’s first title defense would be a rematch, which would be the biggest money fight in UFC history, the decision was made to give Rousey more time and have Holm defend against Tate.  Tate was originally scheduled for the shot at Rousey that Holm got, but it was pulled because UFC officials decided that even though Tate was the top contender and had won a match over Jessica Eye to get the shot, that since Rousey had beaten her twice, they would put Rousey with a new opponent.

    It’s virtually a lock that the winner of this fight would face Rousey later in 2016.

  • Daily Update: John Cena out, Jeff Hardy at TNA tapings, Nakamura

    John Cena out with shoulder injury

    John Cena will be out at least 6-9 months as he needs another shoulder surgery which he had today in Birmingham.  In what has to be devastating news for WWE, apparently Cena suffered a torn labrum but did not mention when or where it occurred, just ominously noting on twitter that 2016 would be starting differently than he had hoped. Cena had been out since October filming a reality TV show, and had just returned to begin a program with the League of Nations and Alberto Del Rio over the U.S. title. At this point, Cena will be unable to wrestle at Wrestlemania 32, but will probably do some sort of appearance. 

    We’re looking for reports on tonight’s TNA tapings in Bethlehem, PA and NXT tapings in Orlando at Dave Meltzer

    SMACKDOWN DEBUTS TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ON THE USA NETWORK

    Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto non-title

    Dolph Ziggler & Goldust & R-Truth & Neville vs. New Day & The Miz

    Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch for Divas title

    Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens for IC title

    This is the debut show on the USA Network with the new announcing team of Mauro Ranallo, Jerry Lawler and Byron Saxton.  Ranallo got strong reviews of those who already saw the show since it aired last night in Canada.

    If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our new Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today! We have have clips of the post Summer Slam / Super China Buffet show featuring a lengthy Brent Kremen discussion, as well as clips from the X-Mas show. This is a soft launch but we will be releasing much more shortly.

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 1/4/2016: More on Gawker motioning to dismiss Hulk Hogan lawsuit

    More information on Gawker’s motion to dismiss Hulk Hogan’s sex tape lawsuit, tons more.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: January 11, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Cena out with shoulder injury, New Japan stars to WWE

    In the biggest news week in a long time, we’ve got a double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week, covering John Cena’s injury, New Japan stars headed to WWE, a major feature looking at the year that past in pro wrestling and MMA and the year coming up, WWE direction for WrestleMania season, Tokyo Dome coverage, Rizin debut coverage, TNA changes and UFC 195.

    Our lead story talks about John Cena’s injury and the injury issues in WWE with more notes on the training program being used. All the news regarding wrestlers leaving New Japan, who’s been contacted, different roles, the various schedules for different guys, other negotiations, what led to these moves, what New Japan needs to learn from this, affects on ROH, and other ideas for New Japan to break out of its standard mentality.

    UFC in 2016, the success of the women’s division, UFC business review, big fights on the horizon, the state of WWE in 2015 and 2016, different fan bases, rise of NXT, where New Japan has failed on the international scene, plus AAA, CMLL, Bellator, TNA and ROH prospects in 2016.

    Full coverage of New Japan’s Tokyo Dome show, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results, the big angles, Okada’s prospects as the top star, the next big programs on the horizon, big show plans for 2016, the Fanstastica Mania tour lineup and thoughts, New Year’s Dash coverage.

    The changes to this year’s Royal Rumble and scout the possibilities and big matches on the horizon for Mania, and the return of Chris Jericho.

    WWE Network, John Cena on Peyton Manning and HGH, football coach trying to recruit WWE for Mania, portrayal of Joseph Maroon in the “Concussion”, lots of details on new Dwayne Johnson projects, Lesnar’s schedule, a look at 50/50 booking, Reaction to HHH circumventing his own angle, February NXT, WrestleMania plans, Jericho talks current interview style, WWE looking for new stars around the world, Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament, WWE injury updates, Austin TV show.

    A complete look at the debut of the Rizin promotion, details on the ratings and how it compares to WWE & UFC, the Masato vs. Kid Yamamoto show in competition, boxing in competition, Spike TV numbers, Fedor’s return, the freak show fights and what did and didn’t work on the first two shows.

    UFC 195, with match-by-match coverage, poll results and business regarding the show, a look at all the close decisions and why they went the way they did.

    TNA’s debut on Pop TV, the ratings, the title tournament, who was watching, the PPV show this week, the Mike Bennett debut, the James Storm return, the departure of Taryn Terrell and the good and bad of the latest relaunch.

    PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

    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

    You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

    If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. 

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: November 23, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF Survivor Series review, Rock becomes Corporate Champion
    A full review of WWF Survivor Series with The Rock becoming the Corporate Champion, more WCW woes, plus tons of news.

    TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

    Jeff Hardy worked at last night’s TNA tapings in a match with Shynron that will air this coming Tuesday night on Impact.

    Shinsuke Nakamura will not be at the ROH Las Vegas shows in late February due to his expected signing with WWE. 

    The story going around that WWE has purchased the rights to Bullet Club from New Japan is a hoax.

    Lucha Underground has reached its first Canadian television deal. It will air on TLN (Telelatino Network) in Canada every Sunday start at 10 p.m. Eastern starting on 1/31, or a few days after the same episode airs in the U.S. on El Rey.  TLN will be taking the English language feed with Matt Striker and Vampiro as announcers. 

    Evolve and WWN have announced talent for its WrestleMania weekend shows on 4/1 and 4/2 in Dallas, including Timothy Thatcher, Drew Galloway, Zack Sabre Jr., Tommy End, TJ Perkins, Drew Gulak, Tracy Williams, Anthony Nese and Caleb Konley. Terry Funk will be at the Mercury Rising show that weekend being honored.

    WWE

    • Linda McMahon has announced a start up company called Women’s Leadership (WLL), geared toward promoting leadership opportunities for women. The company will be based in Texas and will sponsor and organize events with prominent women speakers, as well as panel discussions and workshops.
    • WWE sent out a survey yesterday asking fans what personalities they’d like to see in a reality show on the WWE Network. The names listed in the survey were Zack Ryder, Edge, Booker T, Chris Jericho, Paige, Paul Heyman, Big Show, Roman Reigns, Lita, The Miz, Mick Foley, The Usos, Kevin Nash, Ric Flair, Seth Rollins, Sheamus, Ryback, Big E, R-Truth. Dean Ambrose, Beth Phoenix, Charlotte, Trish Stratus, Dolph Ziggler, Lita and Xavier Woods.
    • Roman Reigns and the Bella Twins were on Good Morning America today. The Bellas were promoting the new season of Total Divas and Nikki talked about her relationship with John Cena.
    • Paul Heyman did an interview with Fox Sports promoting Brock Lesnar returning to Raw on Monday night in New Orleans.
    • Summer Rae wasn’t at Smackdown last night because she represented WWE at the People’s Choice awards in Los Angeles.
    • An interview with Dr. Julian Bailes about how he and Dr. Joseph Maroon were portrayed in Concussion as well as Merrill Hoge defending Maroon
    • WWE stock fell another 35 cents per share today to $16.32.

    UFC/MMA

    • A settlement agreement between Nick Diaz and the Nevada commission is on the docket for a commission meeting on Tuesday. The commission had suspended Diaz for five years and fined him $165,000 for his third marijuana violation in the state, not to mention other issues in different states. Diaz filed suit and the sides have been working on an out-of-court settlement. A hearing regarding voiding Wanderlei Silva’s lifetime ban that the commission imposed when he ran away from a drug test will also be on theTuesday agenda. 
    • Joanna Jedrzejczyk was nominated for Poland’s Athlete of the Year for 2015.
    • Joseph Benavidez vs. Zach Makovsky has been added to the 2/6 UFC show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the show headlined by Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
    • Another new fight announced is Dennis Bermudez vs Tatsuya Kawajiri on 2/21 in Pittsburgh, as reported by Ariel Helwani.
    • Bellator announced Dave “Caveman” Rickels will face Bobby Cooper on its 2/26 show in Mulvane, KS, which is headlined by Marcos Galvao defending the bantamweight title against Eduardo Dantas and Cheick Kongo vs. Augusto Sakai.

    MISCELLANEOUS

    • Today is the 50th anniversary of Gene Kiniski beating Lou Thesz in St. Louis to win the NWA world title. It was the end of Thesz’s last NWA title run.
    • A story on TNA’s restart in Bethlehem, PA
    • GFW has announced Nick Aldis vs. Bobby Roode for the GFW title as the main event for 1/22 in Poughkeepsie. That’s an awfully quick comeback for Aldis, who recently had biceps surgery. They also announced Aldis defending against Pro Wrestling Syndicate champion Matt MacIntosh on the GFW vs. PWS joint show on 1/13 in Rahway, NJ at the Rec Center.
    • Jason Kincaid was the latest person announced for the ROH Top Prospect tournament which starts Saturday night in Concord, NC.
    • DJ Zema Ion interivew
    • Time Warner Cable in Queens, NY had an outage problem during Impact just as the Beautiful People came to the ring (thanks to Dominick Valenti and others).
    • A story on Tiger Jeet Singh promoting sports to keep youth in Punjab and Haryana, India away from drug addiction
    • Evolve on 1/23 in Orlando at the Downtown Recreation Complex on Royal Rumble weekend as well as a 2 p.m. Sunday show before the Royal Rumble in the same city.
    • Smoky Mountain Wrestling on 1/16 in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium.
    • Rockstar Pro Wrestling on 1/8 in Dayton at the Rockstar Pro Arena headlined by Matt Tremont.
    • All Pro Wrestling on 1/9 in Shelbyville, IN at the West Street United Methodist Church.
    • Capital City Championship Combat on 1/23 in Ottawa, ONT at the Vanier Columbus Club with Mathieu St. Jacques vs. Speedball Mike Bailey and 2 Cold Scorpio vs Stu Grayson.
    • CZW on 1/16 in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Centre with Johnny Gargano vs. Sami Callihan, Drew Gulak vs Tarik, and Tyson Dux vs. Jonathan Gresham.
    • CZW also runs 2/13 with both a CZW show and a WSU womens’ show on the same day at Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ with Matt Tremont vs. Devon Moore in a ladder match.
    • Pro Wrestling Eclipse on 2/27 in Oshawa, ONT at the Oshawa Legion with Cody Deaner, Ethan Page, Tyler Tirva and Buxx Belmar.
    • Infinity Pro on 1/30 in Bloomington, IN at the National Guard Armory headlined by G.T. Vega vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Shane Mercer.

    Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history.

  • FREE! WOL 1/7: John Cena hurt, WrestleMania possibilities with Dave Meltzer, more!

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today with a packed show! John Cena is out of WrestleMania, what changes are coming to the card, TNA on POP TV numbers, plus Dave Meltzer joins us to talk the biggest stories in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • January 11, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Cena out with shoulder injury, New Japan stars to WWE

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  • WOR 1/7: Tons of major news stories including John Cena undergoing surgery

    Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA, and there is tons of it, including John Cena’s latest injury, WWE’s training system at the Performance Center and whether it needs to be re-evaluated, Raw and Impact ratings plus Dave’s Impact thoughts, Shinsuke Nakamura talks going to WWE, New Japan Dash, Dana White talks potential fights, questions including more on the status of Daniel Bryan, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • WWE Smackdown results: two title matches highlight USA Network, Mauro Ranallo debut

    – Air Date: January 7, 2015 (Jan 6 in Canada)
    – Location: Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, TX

    The Big News:

    Charlotte and Dean Ambrose are still champions and Smackdown is the same as it ever was.

    Show Recap:

    The show started with a recap from Raw, including a zoom-in on Sad Roman. Smackdown has the same crappy theme music as before and the intro, for now, includes John Cena. Byron Saxton welcomed everyone to Smackdown and Jerry Lawler plugged the two title matches. Lawler introduced the TV audience to Mauro Ranallo who called this a dream come true.

    John Cena came out and welcomed everyone to the first Smackdown of 2016. Cena also plugged the two title matches but said we were missing our “U.S.A” champion. He said it was a new year and new network, so he thought Alberto Del Rio deserved a fresh start. Cena called out Del Rio, giving him out hell of an introduction.

    Del Rio told Cena to save it because he knew that “Juan” was trying to weasel his way into a title shot that he doesn’t deserve. Cena tried to get the Laredo crowd to goad Del Rio into defending the title but he told Cena to shut up in Spanish and said he would not defend the title. Del Rio challenged anyone besides Cena to a non-title match.

    Cena said someone in particular deserved a chance, and he called out Kalisto. Kalisto grabbed the mic from Del Rio and said he would beat him right now. Kalisto sent him out of the ring and a referee jumped in to start the match.

    Non-Title: Kalisto (w/John Cena) beat U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio via pinfall

    Lawler made sure to point out that Del Rio had to bend over to hit a clothesline on Kalisto. After Kalisto spilled to the outside, Del Rio went after him and did the “you can’t see me” gesture to Cena. Cena was offended and took off his shirt. This resulted in dueling Cena chants.

    Del Rio got ready for the armbar but distracted himself by taunting Cena. Del Rio eventually went for the armbar but Kalisto reversed into a hurricanrana for the sudden pinfall win. Considering the location, I don’t think this got the reaction they wanted. Although, the crowd was quiet most of the show. John Cena’s last appearance on WWE TV for a long while will be as a cheerleader for Kalisto.

    Backstage, Becky Lynch told Jo-Jo that Charlotte was not her best friend anymore. She doesn’t want an explanation for what Charlotte did, she just wants vindication and will take the title from her.

    Up next was an awful segment. The Miz hosted MizTV and reminded everyone that the WWE Title will be defended in the Royal Rumble match. New Day interrupted. People usually pop when Big E does the introduction but they didn’t here. Xavier Woods accused Chris Jericho of stealing his light-up jacket idea and said The New Day party like it’s 2016, not 1999.

    Dolph Ziggler, with straight hair, came out next. Before he could really say anything, he was interrupted by Goldust, who threatened to give them all golden globes. Neville came out next and said Miz could borrow his accent or Slammy if he wants, as long as he promises to cancel MizTV and never talk again.

    R-Truth came out and said if anyone was going to accept Del Rio’s open challenge it would be him. Miz corrected him and Truth said “my bad.” Miz made a bad joke and New Day laughed. Truth punched Miz with the mic and the other good guys sent Kingston and Big E out of the ring. Woods was left alone so Neville kicked him out of the ring too. It’s hard to describe just how bad this segment was. Even worse, it was designed to push the Rumble, which has its highest stakes in years, but was just a joke.

    8-Man Tag Match: Dolph Ziggler, Neville, Goldust & R-Truth beat The Miz & New Day via pinfall

    The heels worked over Neville until he tagged in Ziggler, who ran wild on Miz and hit a Fameasser. Kingston broke up the cover, so Goldust gave him a powerslam, Truth sent Big E out of the ring, and Neville took out the entire New Day with a dive. This left Miz alone, so Goldust and Truth tossed him into Ziggler who hit a superkick for the win. Nothing match.  

    Immediately afterwards, Ziggler superkicked Truth and tossed Goldust over the top. This wasn’t a heel turn. Ziggler told Goldust “sorry,” it’s every man for himself at the Rumble. As this was all happening, Neville just sorta slunk away. This was all bad.

    Backstage, Ric Flair told Jo-Jo that Lynch was leeching off Charlotte. Charlotte said her and her father act like champions, and Lynch has never been champion. Flair said woo.

    Lawler told Ranallo that he name was hard to pronounce and asked if he could call him “M.R.” like he did with J.R. Ranallo seemed fine with this. Lawler then cackled when he realized that Byron Saxton was “B.S.” That part was pretty funny.

    WWE Divas Championship: Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) beat Becky Lynch via pinfall

    Ranallo said he has called big fights and this one has a big fight feel. He also mentioned calling Lynch’s matches in British Columbia when she was 18 years old. Lawler dismissed her pre-WWE experience. Lynch had control early on and went after Charlotte outside the ring. However, Flair got in her way to act as a shield, allowing Charlotte to nail her with a sloppy big boot. The referee watched this all happen and didn’t do anything about it.

    The crowd rallied behind Lynch as Charlotte took control. Lynch came back with a clothesline, leg lariat, forearm and Exploder suplex for two. Charlotte responded with a neckbreaker and chops but Lynch ducked a big boot and hit another Exploder. Charlotte hit a spear and went for a Figure Eight, but Lynch countered into a small package for a near fall.

    Lynch applied the Disarmer but Flair put Charlotte’s feet on the rope. Charlotte tapped but it didn’t matter. As Lynch complained to the ref, Charlotte rolled her up with her feet on the rope for the win. Lynch was livid afterwards and the referee looked like an idiot. This match was alright. Went about 11-12 minutes. The crowd was quiet all show but they liked Becky Lynch.

    Backstage, Renee Young asked Kevin Owens for a minute of his time. Owens said she had a minute and made her hold up her watch so he could keep an eye on the time during the entire interview. Owens said Ambrose might be a cockroach, but he’s had to kill a lot of cockroaches in a lot of the terrible places he’s stayed at on his road to the top. Owens said he would take his title back tonight.

    They plugged that a Raw replay would air after a commercial break. Yes, Smackdown is still the B-show. The replay was 4 minutes long.

    They showed an interview with Roman Reigns from after Raw, where he said the McMahons were trying to burn him down, but they were just firing him up, and at the Rumble he would be the last man standing.

    Backstage, Dean Ambrose told Renee that Owens has put him through tables and into steel, but he’s adjusted just fine and was ready for fight.

    Intercontinental Championship: Dean Ambrose DCO Kevin Owens

    They went to commercial a minute into the match as Owens called Ranallo a moron. They fought to the outside and Ambrose tossed Owens into the barricade twice and did a Russian leg sweep into the barricade. Owens responded with a draping DDT back in the ring and they went to commercial again. During the break, Owens nailed a running cannonball into the barricade.

    Owens missed a senton and yelled “Shut up, new guy!” at Ranallo as he slowly got up. Ambrose made his comeback but Owens kicked out after a bulldog. Owens hit a German suplex but Ambrose responded with a tornado DDT off the ropes. Owens knocked Ambrose off the top and hit another cannonball for two. Ambrose countered a pop-up powerbomb into a hurricanrana, and hit a rebound clothesline after an Owens superkick for two. Ambrose hit a suicide dive and Owens went flying over the announce table.  

    They did a spot where Ambrose was supposed to back body drop Owens into the crowd, but Owens recognized that fans were standing way too close, so he countered and they tried again – this time Ambrose just whipped Owens over the barricade. Ambrose went after him in the crowd and the referee called for a double countout.

    They fought all the way to the stage and Ambrose sent Owens face-first into the giant WWE logo. Owens attacked Ambrose with a laptop and tried for a powerbomb but Ambrose did a back body drop on top some equipment boxes. They kept brawling, ending with Ambrose sending both men through a table. The referees checked on them as the show went off the air. I enjoyed the match but the finish was obviously a let down. The brawl was… fine.

    Final Thoughts:

    I wouldn’t call this show a disappointment because I wasn’t expecting much. It became clear leading up to this show that they’d already given up on trying to push Smackdown much more than usual. John Cena’s appearance was relatively insignificant and they announced two title matches knowing neither belt would change hands.

    Also, I don’t think Lawler is turning heel, but he was sort of in the JBL role tonight. He called Kalisto lucky for beating Del Rio, dismissed Lynch’s previous wrestling experience outside of WWE, and sided with McMahon in the Reigns storyline. If they want him to say stuff like that then go ahead and make him a full-fledged heel.

    Mauro Ranallo was good but he might suffocate in this environment.

  • John Cena likely out for Wrestlemania due to shoulder injury

    Former WWE Champion John Cena will have shoulder surgery and will miss this year’s Wrestlemania according to a members-only report by PWInsider’s Mike Johnson. Via Twitter, Cena confirmed he’ll be having the surgery in Birmingham, AL, assumed to be with the famed Dr. James Andrews.

    The injury is believed to be a torn labrum, putting Cena out of action for 6-9 months. Cena didn’t add any details other than “shoulder surgery”.

    The 38-year-old Cena’s injury is just the latest in a string of injuries to top WWE stars (Seth Rollins, Randy Orton) and mid-level talents like Cesaro in recent months, thinning out the roster and leaving WWE to focus on talents like WWE Champion Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Dean Ambrose, The New Day, and Kevin Owens to help carry things. Brock Lesnar returns this Monday on RAW and Chris Jericho just returned Monday to help add some part-time depth.

    Cena just returned from a short absence off TV as he was filming a reality series for FOX. He was expected to continue his feud with U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio, but didn’t appear on this week’s RAW.

    We’ll add more details on this story as we get it and will discuss it more on tonight’s Wrestling Observer Radio with Dave and Bryan.

  • Daily Update: RAW Ratings, CM Punk’s possible opponent, Vince McMahon’s workout

    TV Tonight:

    UFC Tonight airs at 6:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, much earlier than usual, and it will be replayed at 10:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 2.

    NXT at 8:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network is part two of the best of 2015.

    ROH at midnight ET on COMET features Roderick Strong (c) vs. Stevie Richards for the ROH Television Championship.

    It’s a soft launch, but if you’ve ever wanted to WATCH a radio show here on the site, check out our new Youtube page!  No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come!  Make sure you subscribe today!

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 1/4/2016: More on Gawker motioning to dismiss Hulk Hogan lawsuit

    More information on Gawker’s motion to dismiss Hulk Hogan’s sex tape lawsuit, tons more.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    We have our annual business year in review as the lead of the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week. We cover our awards balloting year from 12/1/14 to 11/30/15 looking at the biggest events and biggest draws, with the year’s biggest crowds, records set in several different companies, Cena compared to those in similar positions on the all-time list, the year’s PPV buys for every wrestling, MMA and boxing show, how this year compared with other years.

    Dwayne Johnson returning for WrestleMania, different ideas of where he may fit in, and his recent track record of WrestleMania matches.

    The history of New Japan on January 4th at the Tokyo Dome. The first New Japan Tokyo Dome show and its main event, what drew the first house, what Lou Thesz said to Antonio Inoki after the show and why Thesz thought the result was a good thing and why it ended up being a waste. We look at how this year’s show will differ from last year as well as a match-by-match rundown and a look at the history of the New Japan big four, Tanahashi, Okada, A.J. Styles and Nakamura, with all of their previous Tokyo Dome matches.

    Jonathan Coachman on HGH usage in WWE, why usage is so prevalent in certain types of sports and entertainment.

    WWE injury coverage, why WWE stars are doing more NBC media, how movies with Sting are doing at the box office, how the WWE’s head of medical came across in the movie “Concussion” plus a concussion expert on Daniel Bryan situation. Update on Nikki Bella, NXT sellouts, Brock Lesnar’s next match, Cena facing a surprise opponent, Chris Jericho on future, Royal Rumble, Sin Cara injury update, NXT in Dallas, the go-home show for WrestleMania, two international stars about to start with WWE and the Bayley character on the main roster.

    The holiday show in Madison Square Garden coverage, Ben Askren talks about One’s possibly revolutionary weight cutting regulations that could be the catalyst for changing MMA.  We look at the first Rizin show, the sad spectacle of Sakuraba, the pro wrestlers on the show, the mentality behind why certain people were on the show and match-by-match coverage.

    PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: January 4, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Business year in review, Rock at Wrestlemania 32, tons more.

    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

    You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

    If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. 

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: November 23, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF Survivor Series review, Rock becomes Corporate Champion
    A full review of WWF Survivor Series with The Rock becoming the Corporate Champion, more WCW woes, plus tons of news.

    TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

    Monday’s RAW ratings continue their disappointing trend.  Details here.Some additional RAW ratings notes from our Paul Fontaine:  “January 2015 was down 10% overall from January 2014. December 2015 was the 13th consecutive month that RAW ratings were down from the same month the previous year and they are well on their way to making it 14 months in a row. This is the longest streak like this since October 2006-June 2008, when they dropped 21 consecutive months. For the record, they were averaging between 3.15 and 3.95 ratings points at that time, about 35% higher than the current rating average.”

    MMA Fighting has a big article about Mickey Gall, the man who may end up fighting CM Punk in his UFC debut.  This guy has got a lot to say, which means he’s a perfect opponent (1-0 as a pro with 2 amateur wins). Gall will be on the latest UFC/Dana White Looking For A Fight reality show that debuts on YouTube on January 11th.

    In its latest effort to push the painted swimsuit bit, SI has a pic of Ronda Rousey’s naked butt. Kind of… and if you want to see the less censored version.

    WWE

    • Muscle and Fitness has an article about Vince McMahon’s workout, complete with photographic proof of how jacked he is at 70. If you saw Raw, no more proof is necessary.
    • The show will be hammered on Monday, particularly since they did absolutely nothing to promote anything on the show other than announcing that Brock Lesnar was going to show up.
    • For those of you who vividly remember the “Finger Poke of Doom” that had its yearly anniversary on Monday, you are now so old that the clip is an ancient mystery unable to be comprehended by younger writers.

    UFC/MMA

    • The UFC 195 prelims did 1,023,000 viewers Saturday on FS 1 — a much higher number than would’ve been expected given interest in the PPV and the marquee value (or lack thereof) of fighters on that portion of the show. No show that did 1 million viewers plus for the prelims has done less than 325,000 buys in the FS 1 era. That would be a higher than expected buyrate for this show.
    • Martin Kampmann, a UFC welterweight who has headlined five smaller shows for UFC in the past, announced his retirement today at the age of 33. In an interview with UFC.com, he stated that he will probably remain around the sport in a coaching or advisory capacity, but won’t fight again. He last fought in August 2013, losing via 4th round KO to Carlos Condit.
    • UFC announced two fights today for cards in February. At UFC 196, Misha Cirkunov (10-2), who had an impressive debut at UFC Saskatoon, will take on the debuting Alex Nicholson (6-1) in a Light Heavyweight bout. Sam Alvey is injured and had to pull out of his middleweight fight against Daniel Sarafian (9-5). Replacing him will be Oluwale Bamgbose (5-1), who lost to Uriah Hall in his UFC debut last August.
    • Josh Koscheck is out of Bellator 148 due to injury, originally slated to be his promotional debut. The Paul Daley vs. Andy Uhrich fight has been moved to the main event slot of that show. With no other even moderate stars on the undercard, this show is going to struggle to do any kind of rating. This also might put off the eventual Koscheck/Daley fight, but Bellator might just do it anyway assuming Daley wins.
    • Bloody Elbow has a detailed article about legal and other issues plaguing Titan FC.
    • Here’s the MMA Hour 2015 Awards with Ariel Helwani. Helwani is also a guest on Jim Ross’ podcast this week too.

    MISC

    • Interestingly, not only is TNA doing a LIVE PPV on Friday night, which seems like madness since they had exactly one TV show with which to promote it, but they are also apparently only charging $14.95 for it.  At least, that’s the price on the Flipps app.  You can buy it on traditional PPV as well.
    • New Japan announced last night that Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka will be finishing up at the end of the month to go to CMLL for their learning excursion, with the Fantasticamania tours serving as their farwell. Like with most young lion excursions, they will most likely remain in CMLL for the next couple of years before being brought back to NJPW. They start in CMLL on 1/31 as Fujin (Komatsu) and Rajin (Tanaka) which are names based on wind and thunder gods, respectively.
    • Kurt Angle said that his matches at Sands Bethlehem Event Center will be among his last and best.
    • Here’s an interview with Jim Brunzell on Steel Domain Radio.
    • Full NJPW/CMLL Fantasticamania lineups can be found here.
    • PWEclipse runs its next show on February 27 at the Oshawa Legion Hall in Oshawa, Ontario, with Cody Deaner and Ethan Page.
    • Here’s Live Audio Wrestling’s yearly ‘Best Of’ show, taking a look back at 2015. As always, Dave Meltzer makes a weekly appearance.

    Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (1/5): Kerry Von Erich beats Jerry Lawler for World Class title

  • WOL 1/6: New Japan Four, TNA on POP, Smackdown on USA, more!

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today with tons to talk about including TNA’s debut on POP TV, Smackdown tapings for the supposed new A-show on USA Network, The New Japan Four, your calls, texts, emails and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

    Right click save

  • The Week In British Wrestling: RevPro & ICW Tape TV; PROGRESS go large

    1) The Revolution will be televised!

    With access to traditional television shows thin on the ground for UK promotions, they’ve had to think outside the box for solutions. In last week’s column, I gave a rundown of the different options available if you want to watch British wrestling (apart from the always-preferable live option), and this week Revolution-Pro held another of their popular “TV” tapings at the Cockpit Theatre in Marylebone, London. The Cockpit is more used to hosting fringe theatre but is a perfect venue for a television taping, harking back to the studio shows of old with its tight seating arrangement perfectly fitting around the squared circle in the centre. RevPro held three tapings at the Cockpit last year, for their YouTube TV show, and on Sunday they came back with a stacked card for a new run of shows for 2016.

    Despite ENDVR taking place at the same time just 3 miles across London (more of which later), the show still attracted a good crowd, and they were treated to a mini-tournament for the Undisputed British Cruiserweight title, with Pete Dunne overcoming “Flash” Morgan Webster in the final – el Ligero & Josh Bodom being eliminated in the semi-finals. Jimmy Havoc continued his feud with the Revolutionists, bringing a mystery partner to face the Undisputed British Tag-Team champions, Sha Samuels & James Castle, and it turned out to be T-Bone.

    Thanks to shenanigans, the champions kept their titles but Havoc has promised to bring back T-Bone and a third man to take on the tag champs and Bodom at High Stakes on January 16th. Main-eventing a card that also featured Big Damo, Mark Haskins, Marty Scurll, and Martin Kirby, was a bout between Will Ospreay and ACH, who made his return to RevPro after October’s Uprising. The two tore the house down and the match will be available to watch – for free – on RevPro’s YouTube channel very soon.

    2) PROGRESS take their big guns to Brixton.

    In last week’s column I trailed HUGE news from PROGRESS, and speculated what it could be. Well, speculate no more, because on January 1st they announced that September’s show – chapter 36 – will be held at the legendary Brixton Academy, in south London. It won’t be the company’s first trip south of the river – their ProJo wrestling school is situated round the corner from the Academy, and they’ve held trainee shows at the Bedford, in nearby Balham, before – but it will be the first time they’ve played a hall bigger than their usual 700 seats at the Electric Ballroom. The Academy will be set up for 2000 seats, and while that is dwarfed by ICW’s planned show at the Hydro in Glasgow, it will be the biggest crowd to see a British wrestling show in London for a good thirty years.

    PROGRESS have always resisted temptation to move to a bigger building before, simply stating that the Electric Ballroom treat them very well and they would be afraid to lose that special atmosphere created at the sold-out shows, so this is a step into the unknown for the company. However, they’re doing it in conjunction with LiveNation, the company that handled NXT’s UK tour, and the logistics shouldn’t be too high a hurdle. Whether they can sell almost 3 times the amount of tickets they usually do in London is another thing, but UK wrestling is VERY hot right now, and with a 9-month lead they have every chance. Progress indeed!

    3) A Sex Pest won a rap battle.

    It’s impossible to sum up an entire show, especially one featuring so many different characters as an ENDVR show, in one pithy line, but – yes – a sex pest did win a rap battle at ENDVR’s first show of the year on Sunday. Anyone who follows ENDVR (and the PROGRESS shows as of the last London chapter) will know that the sex pest is Jack Sexsmith, and the rap battle was a precursor to his showdown with “Body Guy” Roy Johnson on Sunday’s show at the Garage in Islington. You’ll be reassured to know that “Mr Cocko” made his customary appearance, and those of you who don’t know anything about Jack Sexsmith will no doubt be very confused by now.

    Also on the show, Pollyanna and Livvi won women’s matches, Damon Moser (a favourite for this year’s Natural Progression tournament) won a four-way over Pastor Bill Eaver, Earl Black Jr, and TK Cooper, and ProJo head trainer Darrell Allen beat Chuck Mambo in a “traditional British rules” match (which, unusually for such contests, didn’t suck). Some of the more established PROGRESS stars made an appearance (and a whole load of them were across London at the RevPro TV taping!), with Wild Boar teaming with PROGRESS-debutant Mike Bird (a mainstay of the south-west scene, and Mark Andrews’s trainer) taking a DQ win over Paul Robinson & trainee Shen Woo, and Eddie Dennis and Dave Mastiff colliding in a hard-hitting main event. The consequences of that fight will be felt long after the conclusion of Sunday’s show, with Dennis earning a tag-team title shot for himself and Mark Andrews, and Mastiff earning the ire of PROGRESS management with a sustained beating on a prone Dennis after the match.

    4) Big shows aren’t just channel changers on the USA Network.

    As well as PROGRESS planning their big outing to Brixton in September, several other promotions have already announced big shows of their own for 2016. New Generation Wrestling have already announced their mid-year spectacular, Ultimate Showdown, in Hull in late May, Southside have their annual Speed King tournament inked in for April, and – of course – everything that Insane Championship Wrestling does this year is leading up to their bigger-than-big-it’s-huge show at the 11,000-capacity Hydro in October.

    But even bigger than that show, in relative terms, is Pro-Wrestling Chaos’s April 8th show in Bristol, with The Young Bucks flown in as a special attraction. Why is that so big? Because Chaos, a Bristol-based promotion formed in 2013 for former grappler Dave Mercy, usually run a 200-seater hall and they’ve booked a 3000-seater for this show, which they’ve promised to stack. As gambles go it’s a pretty big one, but with the Bucks only doing one other UK show (in faraway Edinburgh) it’s a risk that could pay off.

    5) Friday Night’s Alright For Fight Club

    In order to bring fresh and exclusive footage to their ICW OnDemand service, the promotion held another Friday Night Fight Club taping at the Garage nightclub, in Glasgow, last weekend. Like RevPro’s taping, they stacked the card with all their usual regulars, plus semi-regular import Tommy End, for a show which saw a title change, an ICW Heavyweight title defence, and a huge 8-man main event, featuring Grado, Davey Blaze, Noam Dar, and Kenny Williams against the New Age Kliq. They have another taping scheduled for this coming Sunday – the only show anywhere in the UK, as far as I can work out – with everything leading up to their big Square Go! show on January 24th.

    Other than a few holiday camp shows (including one where the ATTACK! boys played to over 1000 people), the only other show over the last week was WrestleForce’s return to Rayleigh, in Essex, which featured their usual cast of characters.