Figure Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm is back today! Fitbits, the Slammy Awards and how to fix them, retro Raw and retro Nitro from this week, NXT Takeover and WWE Breaking Ground reviews, more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Tag: mainstory
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Daily Update: John Cena guest hosts Today Show, OneFC weight cutting reform
UFC Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 is their “Best of 2015” special. Hosts Kenny Florian and Daniel Cormier, along with Karyn Bryant and Ariel Helwani, take a look at the UFC’s best fights and fighters in 2015, and preview the biggest bouts coming up in 2016.
NXT at 8:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network consists of the non-TakeOver matches taped last week in London: The Hype Bros vs. The Vaudevillains vs. Chad Gable & Jason Jordan vs. Blake & Murphy, Elias Samson vs. Bull Dempsey, and Sami Zayn vs. Tye Dillinger.
WWE Tribute to the Troops.at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on USA Network is the show that was taped two weeks ago in Jacksonville.
ROH at midnight ET/PT on COMET has Caprice Coleman vs. Will Ferrara, The All Night Express vs. Donovan Dijak & Ken Phoenix, and a ten man tag with Mark Briscoe, Moose, Roderick Strong, Cedric Alexander, and Matt Jackson vs. Cliff Compton, Jay Briscoe, Adam Page, Cheeseburger, and Jay Lethal.
Figure Four Weekly
Figure Four Weekly (12/21/15): Hulk Hogan and Nelson Frazier Lawsuit Updates
Transcript gives new insight into the FBI/Gawker dispute, plus WWE gives us a peek at what their termination notices look like in the Nelson Frazier wrongful death lawsuit.Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Conor McGregor winning the UFC featherweight title, the story behind UFC 194 and the path of Roman Reigns to the WWE title are the lead stories in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with coverage of so many major shows over the past week.
We look at McGregor’s financial goals, the business of UFC 194 and the records set, early PPV projections, what is next for McGregor, TV viewership numbers in the U.S. and Brazil, , as well as the path of McGregor to being the No. 1 male star in the promotion. We look at Frankie Edgar as a contender, potential of UFC 200 if Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor are booked on the same show, the last two PPV shows, Rousey vs. McGregor as draws, Luke Rockhold’s middleweight title win, looking at the Yoel Romero vs. Chris Weidman judging and the future of the middleweight division.
We also look at the path of Roman Reigns to the WWE title, the increased viewership on Raw, where the new viewers came from and how viewership differed from recent weeks. We look at the reaction to Reigns, and the storylines that led to that reaction.
We’ve also got complete rundowns on WWE TLC, NXT Takeover, as well as all three UFC events, including match-by-match coverage, business notes, star ratings and more.
We also have a look at Mauro Ranallo’s signing with WWE, his background, how the deal came to fruition and the path from announcing pro wrestling on TV while a teenage on national television in Canada to the WWE 30 years ago, with stops in kickboxing, MMA and boxing in between.
PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW
The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 21, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Conor McGregor wins UFC Featherweight title, Roman Reigns WWE Champion
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 9, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Jesse Ventura wins Minnesota Governor election, WCW trailing WWF, more
Jesse Ventura becomes the Governor of Minnesota, WCW begins trailing WWF, ECW November to Remember recap, plus tons of news.TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE
WWE/Pro Wrestling
- John Cena, who returns on Raw Monday with a US Title match versus Alberto Del Rio, will guest-host the Today Show on Monday and Tuesday.
- In what has turned out to be news to several in TNA, last night’s show is up not only on demand but in HD on the POP TV website. POP is available in more of the country than Destination America, but if you don’t get the channel, last night’s show is up there and hopefully all future shows will be as well.
- We also got a lot of complaints about the picture quality of the TNA show last night. Because POP TV used to be the TV Guide channel, the channel guide is still up there and takes up the bottom ⅓ of the screen. We have gotten reports from people who did not see the channel guide, and we are told that there are two POP TV channels, one with the channel guide and one without. You can check to see if you have both on your cable system. Some people do, but most seem to have either one or the other.
- It also appears TNA will be airing a live PPV on January 8th at 8 PM. It’s titled TNA One Night Only LIVE from Bethlehem, PA.
- Jeff Hardy was on Ric Flair’s podcast and said there was a “huge possibility” that he might return to WWE down the road. He said he and Matt would love to end their careers in WWE and have one more series of matches with the Dudley Boys.
- Blog on the Forbes site says Brock Lesnar is the Superstar of the Year.
- Mike Tenay talks breaking into pro-wrestling plus his Las Vegas gambling podcast.
- LA Weekly has a story on WWE wrestlers on the comedy scene, including Dolph Ziggler.
- Although it’s a holiday week, the only changes to the programming schedule are as follows:
* The Christmas Eve Bryan and Vinny Show will be our annual CHRISTMAS SHOW, two hour of drunken revelry and special guests
* Christmas Day’s Wrestling Observer Live will be a replay
* After Dark Radio Sunday will be a replay
All other shows will be on as scheduled.
- Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle and NFL Players Association President Eric Winston has joined Chicago Bears legend and 1985 Super Bowl champion Gary Fencik in pledging his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation for research as part of ‘My Legacy‘. The campaign was launched to recognize individuals who have made a lasting contribution to research and awareness of concussions and CTE, and to encourage others to participate and create their own legacies.
UFC/MMA
- ONE Championship has banned weight cutting by dehydration stemming from the death of flyweight Yang Jian Bing before their last event. If they can make this work, then it will become the model for all other promotions and regulatory bodies. UFC fighter Joe Lauzon commented on YouTube, but didn’t seem to understand that ONE is trying to get fighters at their walking weights and not keep fighting at their current divisional weight. That said, he made some good point about whether ONE will be able to effectively police this.
- From our own site, here’s are more in-depth look at the specifics of the new regulations.
Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (12/21): Jeff Jarrett wins USWA Southern Title
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WOL 12/23: TNA on POP, Super Smackdown, news and more!
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today with tons to talk about including notes on Super Smackdown and TNA on POP TV, Bryan battles his printer — UPDATE: BRYAN WINS — plus calls, text messages and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
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The Week In British Wrestling: IPW UK survives Vince Russo, ATTACK!, ICW
By Alan Boon for WrestlingObserver.com
1) We’re under ATTACK!
Of all the promotions in the UK, the ones that pique my interest the most are those that carve out their own little niche, do something different, and offer something you won’t find anywhere else. With ongoing storylines enhanced — rather than interrupted — by the combatants appearing as video game, Halloween, super hero and other characters, ATTACK! Pro-Wrestling are certainly a different beast in that regard. Formed in 2011 by the Dunne brothers in Birmingham, the company now runs Cardiff and Bristol with a solid roster that includes many of the UK’s top talents. The fact that these talents were part of ATTACK!’s roster before they broke out onto the wider scene is a testament to their position as more than just a comedy promotion.
To close out a 2015 that began with one of their principals (Mark Andrews) leaving for TNA and included hosting Chikara-Pro on their UK tour, ATTACK! promoted the Under The Misteltour double-shot this weekend with two sold-out shows in Bristol and Cardiff. They brought in Zack Sabre Jr for the first show as a mystery partner for Nixon Newell against her former tag team partner Chris Brookes (who tagged with the underrated Martin Kirby), featured two title changes for their main title (the ATTACK! 24/7 title, which is now back to being defended 24/7 after the villainous Pete Dunne suspended that particularly quirk), and had their main heels – the Anti-Fun Police – do the most heelish thing ever and give away spoilers to the new Star Wars film. They’ve already announced their February dates (which already have sold out) but they’ll be back on Wrestlemania weekend with another double-shot. You could do much, much worse than head west, like the elves to the Undying Lands, and check out a little slice of unique.
2) It is possible to survive Vince Russo.
Not many companies survive having Vince Russo as a booker, but for IPW:UK, it was just another bump in the road. Okay, so it was a storyline appointment, and he only appeared on a couple of shows so his wrecks-appeal was limited. His stench lives on, though, with his aide The Puppet (played by scene veteran Sam Gardiner) still trying to exert influence despite Russo losing a multi-man contest against IPW:UK owner Dan Edler two months ago. On the second part of a double-shot (very much en vogue this weekend, it seems), The Puppet tried to ruin Christmas by appearing as Santa Claus but was put down in a very violent match by Jimmy Havoc, and thus the man usually most greeted with the most horrible of swear words saved Christmas. It was all part of a wider angle that saw the return of heel referee Artemis on a very storyline-heavy card, and the show set up many of the plots that will take IPW:UK into 2016.
Earlier in the show, Tennessee Honey became the first IPW:UK women’s champion in a match which saw the return of Jetta (as special referee), the reunited Swords of Essex (Paul Robinson and Will Ospreay, who is uniquely playing heel here) beat the team of “Blackbelt” Tom Dawkins and Scott Starr, and Sammy Smooth defended his IPW:UK All-England title against Jon Ryan. That title can trace its lineage back to 2000 and the FWA, and was actually named by this writer! The main event was a wrestling clinic between Sabre Jr and respected veteran Johnny Kidd, held over traditional British rules, and with Steve Grey as special referee. Kidd came out on top, beating his younger opponent by two falls to one.
The night before at their adults-only Hardcore Lottery show, Sabre Jr had competed in the titular tournament, overcoming London Riot James Davis in a “Submission Match” to meet Jimmy Havoc (who’d beaten Clint Margera in a “No F’n Rules Match”) and Jon Ryan (who’d downed Snare in a “Dual Chairs Match”) in the three-way main event. Again held under “No F’n Rules”, the veteran Ryan surprisingly overcame the king of British hardcore and the submission specialist to take the honours. 2016 will see the promotion venture outside their Kent base for the first time in an age and, while IPW:UK don’t make the headlines that PROGRESS or ICW do, it’s worth keeping an eye on what’s going on in the Garden of England.
3) The first rule of Friday Night Fight Club is…
Talking of Insane Championship Wrestling, they held their final show of 2015 on Friday night, a “TV taping” for their weekly on-demand show, Friday Night Fight Club. While ICW’s core business is their well-attended live shows, the ICW On-Demand service brings in a chunk of their income and – more importantly – new fans outside their Glasgow base. While some promotions are content (and perhaps only able) to merely upload recordings of their live shows on their on-demand channels, ICW offers a little bit more for your money which sees few complaints about the monthly fee of just $6.99 (£4.69). Chief amongst these is FNFC nd the upcoming episodes will see the biggest stars of ICW – and the GZRS – up on your big/little screen.
This week’s tapings, on the heels of the last set two weeks ago, saw all four ICW titles on the line with ICW Heavyweight champion Grado taking on “The Bastard” Dave Mastiff and “The Scouser” Zack Gibson in a three-way defence. New women’s champion Viper defended against Kay Lee Ray, Zero-G champion Davey “Boy” Blaze fought Liam Thomson, and the tag-team champions The Polo Club took on The 55’s Sha Samuels & Kid Fite in a re-match from their cracker at the massive Fear & Loathing show. Also appearing at the tapings were Big Damo, Jack Jester, Mikey Whiplash, and Joe Coffey. The episodes will go live over the Christmas weekend.
4) The people of Nottingham are confused.
Nottingham, a city in the East Midlands with a 300,000 people and a huge student population, is an ideal place for a wrestling promotion. So it’s no surprise that it has at least three with ICW also making regular stops at the Rock City venue in the city centre. While Southside Wrestling Entertainment is developing its own brand, the other two promotions must cause a little confusion. House Of Pain (HOP) wrestling are an extension of the wrestling school run by scene veteran Stixx, and functions largely as a place for his students to develop their talents. They did a triple shot over the weekend at venues across the city, while at the same time, House Of Pain: Evolution (or HOP:E) also ran a show there. HOP:E were the original extension of the wrestling school but a falling out between promoter Harvey Dale and Stixx resulted in the current situation. While HOP are content to run local shows for their trainees, HOP:E have bigger plans, and also run nearby Mansfield and Derby, as well as a show in Milton Keynes last month. The history of professional wrestling is a story of splits and schisms and it’s somehow reassuring to know it’s still happening, somewhere.
5) You can’t stop the shows!
Down in That London, the Resistance Gallery opened its doors to Lucha Britannia once again for a Christmas-themed show and burlesque spectacular. Alongside turns from Lilly Snatch-Dragon (a striptease dressed as an Ewok), the Virgin Xtravaganzah! (a sacreligious rap), and Snake Fervour (sultry sword-swallowing), there was some actual wrestling, main evented by champion Fug being dethroned by a newly-rudo Cassius. Also on the show was an amazing bout between Neo Britannico and Pure Britannico, who may or may not resemble Will Ospreay and Blackbelt Dawkins when they’re not in the RetroFutureVerse. Up in the Midlands, Alternative Wrestling World ran the Brierley Hill Civic Hall, and featured former FWA stars Kevin O’Neill and Brandon Thomas, as well as the products of its academy.
Given O’Neill is at least partially responsible for Rockstar Spud and Dave Mastiff, it’s safe to say that there should be some good stuff coming out that school and onto those shows. Out east, Falling Starr Wrestling ran in King’s Lynn (scene of a recent Global Force Wrestling show), and headlined with a main event won by “Santa” Bulk (formerly of the UK Pitbulls), a man who definitely doesn’t need to stuff his costume to play the fat man of the North Pole. Finally, in Liverpool, TNT Wrestling presented Cold Day In Hell, which saw Bubblegum pick up the TNT Heavyweight championship in a triple-threat match against Mark Haskins & Rampage Brown. The show also featured Sweet Saraya, Viper, the UK Hooligans, Dave Mastiff & Big Damo.
It’s Christmas this weekend, but the shows don’t stop — they just slow down. I’ll be at a Southside show Sunday featuring Joey Ryan’s penis, and there’ll be other shows to report on, so join me again next week!
(Thanks to John Lister for help with this week’s column!)
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B&V&C 12/22: Retro Raw and Nitro, Karate Fighters Round Two, best song ever, more!
It’s the Bryan & Vinny & Craig Show RETRO TUESDAY SPECTACULAR! What a show we have tonight: Full reviews of Raw and Nitro from 19 years ago this week, Round Two of the F4W Karate Fighters Holiday Tournament with Bryan vs. Vinny, plus the greatest song all time all my life. A fun show as always so check it out~!
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Daily Update: Smackdown live tonight, Dean Ambrose injury
WWE Smackdown is live tonight on USA Network, and features Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler and Tag Champions The New Day vs. The Lucha Dragons. Our Steve Khan will have your live coverage starting at 8 PM EST.
WWE is aware that last night’s Slammy Awards weren’t the most exciting of all time, made worse by the fact that several winners weren’t in the building. There are discussions today about tweaking the format, including the idea of doing voting in advance so if someone wins and won’t be there, they can air a pre-tape. Bryan and Mike talk a lot about this and other potential options on today’s new Wrestling Observer Live radio show and also Jeff Hamlin’s live coverage from last night.
And no, the Slammys are not rigged. Poor Joey Styles, wasting two days of his life arguing about this with people on Twitter. Actually, that’s his fault. Check out full results from last night.
Impact has a soft debut on POP TV tonight with a best-of show that was originally going to air on Destination America before DA pulled the plug. Next week will be a look at the TNA World Title tournament. The actual launch that they will be plugging and promoting takes place in two weeks.
PRO WRESTLING NOAH’S FINAL BIG SHOW OF THE YEAR IS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE TOKYO OTA WARD GYM
Yoshinari Ogawa & Hitoshi Kumano vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kaito Kiyomiya
Mohammed Yone & Mitsuhiro Kitamiya & Akitoshi Saito vs. Quiet Storm & Genba Hirayanagi & Captain NOAH
Kenou vs. Hajime Ohara
Maybach Taniguchi vs. Go Shiozaki
Takashi Sugiura vs. Takashi Iizuka no DQ
Shelton Benjamin vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima
Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Desperado & Taka Michinoku for GHC jr. tag titles
Taichi vs. Taiji Ishimori for GHC jr. title – Ishimori puts up his hair and name against the belt
Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Colt Cabana & Chris Hero for GHC tag titles
Minoru Suzuki vs. Naomichi Marufuji for GHC title
The USA Network will air Tribute to the Troops on Wednesday night at 8 p.m., a taped show from Jacksonville.
Figure Four Weekly
Figure Four Weekly (12/21/15): Hulk Hogan and Nelson Frazier Lawsuit Updates
Transcript gives new insight into the FBI/Gawker dispute, plus WWE gives us a peek at what their termination notices look like in the Nelson Frazier wrongful death lawsuit.Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Conor McGregor winning the UFC featherweight title, the story behind UFC 194 and the path of Roman Reigns to the WWE title are the lead stories in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter with coverage of so many major shows over the past week.
We look at McGregor’s financial goals, the business of UFC 194 and the records set, early PPV projections, what is next for McGregor, TV viewership numbers in the U.S. and Brazil, , as well as the path of McGregor to being the No. 1 male star in the promotion. We look at Frankie Edgar as a contender, potential of UFC 200 if Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor are booked on the same show, the last two PPV shows, Rousey vs. McGregor as draws, Luke Rockhold’s middleweight title win, looking at the Yoel Romero vs. Chris Weidman judging and the future of the middleweight division.
We also look at the path of Roman Reigns to the WWE title, the increased viewership on Raw, where the new viewers came from and how viewership differed from recent weeks. We look at the reaction to Reigns, and the storylines that led to that reaction.
We’ve also got complete rundowns on WWE TLC, NXT Takeover, as well as all three UFC events, including match-by-match coverage, business notes, star ratings and more.
We also have a look at Mauro Ranallo’s signing with WWE, his background, how the deal came to fruition and the path from announcing pro wrestling on TV while a teenage on national television in Canada to the WWE 30 years ago, with stops in kickboxing, MMA and boxing in between.
PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW
The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 21, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Conor McGregor wins UFC Featherweight title, Roman Reigns WWE Champion
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 9, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Jesse Ventura wins Minnesota Governor election, WCW trailing WWF, more
Jesse Ventura becomes the Governor of Minnesota, WCW begins trailing WWF, ECW November to Remember recap, plus tons of news.TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE
- If you are a producer at radio station and are interested in airing Wrestling Observer Live, either the 12 PT/3 ET live show or the replay edition at 5 PT/8 ET, email bryan@wrestlingobserver.com and he can put you in touch with Darren Peck at Sports Byline USA. Obviously, if you run a wrestling website you can “syndicate” the show yourself using the TuneIn Radio link available here and on the front page of this website.
- Dean Ambrose needed six staples in his head following his cage match with Sheamus on Raw Monday night.
WWE/Pro Wrestling
- NXT tomorrow has the return of Sami Zayn vs. Tye Dillinger, THE DRIFTER Elias Samson vs. Bull Dempsey, plus Chad Gable & Jason Jordan vs. Blake & Murphy vs. Vaudevillains vs. Hype Bros.
- 2K Sports released a new DLC pack for WWE 2K16 today in the form of the Legends Pack. It includes The Big Boss Man, Trish Stratus, Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, Lita, and Mr. Perfect. You can purchase it for $7.99 or as part of the DLC season pass, which is $24.99 and gets you just everything 2K will release. There’s a trailer for the DLC pack on WWE’s YouTube channel. They also released a new update for the WWE Supercard mobile game focusing on older wrestlers.
- Maryland Championship Wrestling runs this Saturday in Joppa, MD with Ethan Carter III, Ashley Massaro, Chyna, the debut of Sean Studd (Big John Studd’s son), and more.
- Wrestle Kingdom 10 Preview Series: The Cleaner vs. The Time Splitter
- Jacques Rougeau joins the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast. On not being able to use the Mountie gimmick in Canada: “I was doing such a great job of making The Mounties look bad in Canada that they suspended me on TV and I wasn’t allowed to be used on TV anymore. So the only way I was allowed to wrestle was if I took off the sleeves, the shirt and kept the black pants and they would announce me as Jacques Rougeau. Everyone knew me as Jacques Rougeau anyway so that was fun. I think [the RCMP] took it all a little too serious. Like in movies and everywhere else there is always dirty Cops or bad Cops but they don’t ban the movie because the Cop is crooked. But I think that my character was becoming so strong that eventually they decided and voted on it and sent a letter to Vince saying that I wasn’t allowed to wrestle on TV in Canada anymore. Eventually and after that they let that character go because it wasn’t helping me at all so I took a year off and came back a year and a half later with Carl Ouellet as The Quebecers ithe the same suit and our music was ‘We’re not the Mounties.’ So I think Vince wanted to get back at them in a way.“
UFC/MMA
- Dave’s UFC on Fox postmortem is up at MMAFighting.com.
- Gina Carano, who trained with Holly Holm in the past, told FoxSports.com she warned Dana White that Holm was legit before the UFC signed her.
- Someone stole Nick Diaz’s $50,000 triathlon bicycle. He posits that he may “need to start buying guns like my brother[.]”
- World Series of Fighting is running a ‘Best Of 2015’ show on NBC this Sunday, 12/27 at 2 PM EST.
- Here’s a compilation of UFC hat thieves from The Chive.
- Speaking of The Chive, they also have a video of a 62-year-old in an MMA fight.
Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (12/21): Jeff Jarrett wins USWA Southern Title
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WWE Smackdown live results: Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler
Air Date: December 22, 2015 – Location: Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA
The Big News:
The New Day and Dean Ambrose successfully defended their respective titles on a live Smackdown show. Ambrose took a nasty bump on his head but appears to be fine.
Show Recap:
WWE Tag-Team Championships: Kofi Kingston & Big E (w/Xavier Woods) beat Lucha Dragons via pinfall
There’s a full Christmas setup on the stage. Big E said they deserved the Slammy for best tag-team more than any team in history. Xavier Woods said they would send the Lucha Booties home with coal in their stockings. Kofi Kingston said they have a Christmas album to promote and they rhymed off some awful song titles to no reaction. They wished everyone a Booty Christmas and Happy New Day. Kalisto came out with a his Slammy award and they replayed the highlight from TLC.
New Day got the heat on Sin Cara after Woods distracted him with the trombone. Kalisto made the hot tag but spilled to the outside after Woods pulled down the middle rope, and Big E followed by slamming him into the barricade. Eventually, Kalisto rolled out of a belly-to-belly suplex and tagged in Sin Cara.
The Dragons each hit suicide dives but Sin Cara totally missed and Kingston had to sell it anyway. Kalisto hit Big E with Salida Del Sol but Woods distracted Sin Cara, who kicked Woods off the apron. Sin Cara tried a springboard moonsault but Big E caught him and hit the Big Ending for the win. Not much of a match.
They announced The Usos vs. Alberto Del Rio and Rusev for tonight. Backstage, Santino put on the cobra sleeve and put a star on a Christmas tree. After Santino left, someone who they didn’t show took the star off the tree. (It’s Stardust… probably.)
Dolph Ziggler, Charlotte, Tyler Breeze and Roman Reigns wished everyone a Merry Christmas in separate pre-taped skits. Ziggler and Reigns were completely sincere. Breeze called everyone uggos. Charlotte was disappointed she didn’t get a Range Rover for Christmas.
Backstage, Dean Ambrose told Renee Young he has six staples in his head, and his jaw is still clicking after Ziggler superkicked him last week. Ambrose said he would burst Owens’ head like a tomato and would throw everything at Owens and Ziggler to would retain his title. He also called Owens a crybaby.
8-Man Tag Match: The Wyatt Family beat Dudley Boyz, Ryback & Kane via pinfall
The crowd buzzed when Braun Strowman and Kane faced off, but they quieted down as soon as they started wrestling. Strowman got the better of him but Kane eventually made a tag to Ryback. Harper caught him with a Michinoku driver and they got the heat again. Ryback made a hot tag to D-von who ran wild on Bray Wyatt.
D-Von hit a diving headbutt but Strowman broke up the cover, so Kane knocked him out of the ring. Strowman posted Kane though, and Rowan knocked Ryback over the barricade into the crowd. Harper superkicked D-Von on the outside and Bray hit Bubba with Sister Abigail for the win. The faces made brief comebacks but this was a pretty one-sided win.
Backstage, Santino saw that his tree was knocked over and Stardust entered with the Ascension to mock him. Neville jumped in wearing an elf hat, with elf ears. Ascension threatened the little elf, so Titus O’Neil joined the party to even the odds. Stardust said Christmas was cancelled but they could save it if they beat the Ascension.
U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio & Rusev (w/Sheamus & King Barrett) beat The Usos via pinfall
The crowd is dead, and the Usos each hitting dives to the outside didn’t wake them up. Del Rio won after hitting the double foot stomp on Jey Uso. The setup for this was worse than usual. Not much of a match.
Afterwards, the League of Nations continued the attack but Roman Reigns ran out to make the save. Reigns tossed Sheamus over the announce table and hit Del Rio with a superman punch. An Uso superkicked Rusev, and Reigns followed with a superman punch. Reigns and the Usos stood tall as the League yelled at them from the ramp.
Dean Ambrose, Santino, Becky Lynch, and New Day wished everyone happy holidays.
Neville & Titus O’Neil (w/Santino) beat The Ascension (w/Stardust) via pinfall
Santino did the introductions for his team and they came out to Christmas music. Santino called O’Neil as his favourite Irishman and Neville “the man gravity seems to consistency overlook.” The Ascension and Stardust backed Santino into a corner but Neville made the save, knocking out all three with a corkscrew dive. Neville hit Red Arrow on Viktor for the win.
Backstage, Dolph Ziggler told Renee that the Intercontinental Title was special to him because it’s the first title he won on his own. Ziggler said he would win the title and 2016 would be his year. That seems unlikely.
They aired a clip from Tribute to the Troops. They really focused on Roman Reigns.
Non-Title: WWE Diva’s Champion Charlotte beat Brie Bella via submission
On commentary, Becky Lynch said she was very proud of Charlotte for getting on the cover of Muscle & Fitness Hers. Michael Cole pressured her into telling us what’s more important to her – Charlotte’s friendship or the [women’s] title. She hesitated, but eventually said winning the title is her ultimate goal.
Team B.A.D. came out during the match (to Sasha Banks’ music). They wore stupid Christmas outfits, including Banks as a snowman. They went straight to Lynch, poured eggnog on her head and attacked her. The story was that Charlotte saw it happening but didn’t help, applying the Figure Eight instead for the tap-out win. Cole in particular freaked out because it wasn’t even a title match, suggesting she should’ve helped.
Backstage, Kevin Owens told Renee that he’s the real I.C. champion just like he’s the real Breakout Star of the Year. He said Smackdown was the Kevin Owens Show and he would walk out as champion. He left, not before telling Renee that she looks ridiculous (in her white Christmas dress/attire).
Intercontinental Championship: Dean Ambrose beat Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens via pinfall
After a break, Cole said Owens threw a Christmas hat at them on commentary. Jerry Lawler and Booker T made sure to clarify that Owens threw it specifically at Cole. Owens tossed Ziggler into the gifts and trees on the stage, and attacked Ambrose with gift boxes. Ambrose and Ziggler fought back and launched Owens off the stage on to some more Christmas stuff. Ambrose and Ziggler fought down to the ring and the crowd chanted for Ambrose.
Owens popped back in the ring and held up Ziggler for an electric chair drop but Ziggler slipped out, superkicked Ambrose, Owens superkicked Ziggler and Ambrose clotheslined Owens. Ziggler hit an X-Factor off the top but Owens pulled him out of the ring and threw him into the steel steps.
Ziggler applied a sleeper on Owens, so Owens did his running senton onto Ambrose with Ziggler still on his back. Owens posted Ziggler and hit a nasty suplex on Ambrose. Ambrose landed right on his head and they replayed it repeatedly. As the referee checked on Ambrose, Owens went outside and sent Ziggler into the barricade with a fallaway slam.
Ambrose recovered somehow and hooked Owens in for Dirty Deeds, but Ziggler jumped them from behind to hit a Zig Zag as Ambrose hit Owens with Dirty Deeds all at once. Cool spot. Ziggler superkicked Owens out of the ring and Ambrose hit Ziggler with Dirty Deeds for the win.
Fun match and the crowd popped big for Ambrose. Ambrose swung the title around and posed on the steel steps as the show ended. Cole said Owens was destroying a tree as this happened.
Final Thoughts:
This was a very normal Smackdown show, despite being live and having two title matches. The main event was worth watching. Hopefully Dean Ambrose is fine.
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WOL 12/22: Post-Slammy edition, Super Smackdown, more!
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with out post-Slammy edition of the show! A look at Raw, all the winners and losers including the fans, Super Smackdown and TNA getting ready to kick off tonight, text messages, calls and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!