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  • Daily Update: UFC’s biggest weekend continues, WWE Network launch set for Japan

    UFC 194 is tomorrow night!  Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo, and Chris Weidman vs Luke Rockhold.  First we have a great fight tonight with Frankie Edgar vs. Chad Mendes.  The winner to most likely get a shot at the winner of McGregor vs Aldo.  

    UFC ON FRIDAY NIGHT FROM THE COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL IN LAS VEGAS ON FOX SPORTS 1 STARTING AT 8 P.M. EASTERN/5 P.M. PACIFIC

    Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Abner Lloveras

    Julian Erosa vs. Marcin Wrzossek

    Geane Herrera vs. Joby Sanchez

    Konstantin Kerokihn vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

    Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Jason Knight

    Ryan LaFlare vs. Mike Pierce

    Evan Dunham vs. Joe Lauzon

    Ryan Hall vs. Artem Lobov in the TUF lightweight tournament finals

    Edson Barboza vs. Tony Ferguson

    Frankie Edgar vs. Chad Mendes

    Saturday we’re looking for reports from the WWE show in Lewiston, ME and the NXT show in Seffield, England (headilned by Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin for the NXT title).

    UFC 194 FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS ON SATURDAY NIGHT

    Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time

    Marcio Alexandre Jr. vs. Court McGee

    Yancy Medeiros vs. John Makdessi

    Magomed Mustafaev vs. Joe Proctor

    FS 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern time

    Kevin Lee vs. Leonardo Santos

    Warlley Alves vs. Colby Covington

    Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger vs. Tecia Torres

    Urijah Faber vs. Frankie Saenz

    PPV AT 10 p.m. Eastern time

    Max Holloway vs. Jeremy Stephens

    Gunnar Nelson vs. Demian Maia

    Yoel Romero vs. Ronaldo Jacare Souza

    Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title

    Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor for the featherweight title

    WWE TLC PPV ON SUNDAY FROM THE TD GARDEN IN BOSTON

    Sheaumus vs. Roman Reignns for WWE title in a TLC match

    Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for IC title

    New Day vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Usos in a ladder match for tag tiltes

    Charlotte vs. Paige in a Divas title match

    Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger for the U.S. title in a chair match

    Bray Wyatt & Erick Rowan & Luke Harper & Braun Strowman vs. Dudleys & Tommy Dreamer & Rhyno in a tables match

    Sunday is almost NXT in Blackpool, England.

    Raw will be Monday night in Philadelphia while NXT runs Monday night in Nottingham, England.

    Smackdown will be taped Tuesday night in Newark, NJ while NXT runs Tueday night in Cardiff, Wale.

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 12/7/2015: McDevitt comments on concussion lawsuits
    Details on Jerry McDevitt’s comments on the ongoing concussion lawsuits against WWE, Alan discusses potential candidates for 2015’s best rookie.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    Coverage of the biggest weekend in UFC history, the stories behind the big matches, scouting the fighters, the business and handicapping the fights is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We look at the promotion of the show, how changes in the UFC can affect the major fights, little things in each fight that haven’t beentalked about, fugure for the winners and much more is looked at.

    We also look at the New Japan Tokyo Dome show, the New Japan tag team tournament, what’s new with A.J. Styles and his schedule, the controversy over the winners of the tournament and how it played out, New Japan business this past month and going forward, tournament standings and a rundown of the shows this past week.

    We also have an update on Sting and his condition coming off the match with Seth Rollins, something to watch for about a very significant WWE employee, WWE increasing security at leve events, WWE putting up lots of new content on the network, why the Stampede tapes were taken down, Alberto Del Rio blames AAA for his not coming back and losingg the title, why the time-line of what he says doesn’t add up, another new franchise movie idea for Dwayne Johnson, a new WWE movie annnounced, Mick Foley’s son with WWE, Sami Zayn’s return, Tommy Dreamer’s schedule, WWE surveys, John Cena media, WWE and ESPN update, NXT taping news, Brock Lesnar schedule news, WWE firing, Del Rio & Colter alliance, as well as notes on all the NXT house shows from the past week as well as all the WWE house shows of the past week and the business from the last week.   

    We’ve got a look at this year’s Tokyo Sports pro wrestling awards, all the winners, how the balloting went down, as well as a list of every MVP dating back to 1974, and why different people won the awards and the nature of the politicas behid the awards.

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

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 14, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Biggest weekend in UFC history, 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@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

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

    Rates are:

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    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. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

    This is totally nuts.  A JetBlue flight heading from New York to Las Vegas turned around in mid-flight after two “Irish lads”, one of whom had already created a disturbance and caused the flight to be delayed, got into a physical altercation apparently over Conor McGregor.  

    MMAFighting.com has a story up where you can read who various MMA stars are picking in the Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo Jr. fight tomorrow.  Virtually everyone picks Aldo.  A few years ago they polled the fighters for the first Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman fight.  At the time, virtually everyone on the outside thought Anderson Silva was winning that fight, but UFC sent out a press release where nearly every fighter picked Weidman.  It seemed like the usual UFC deal during Countdown specials where they try to build the best case possible for the underdog to drum up interest but, in fact, the fighters largely really did pick Weidman to win and Weidman won.  Obviously anything can happen in a fight, but it’s very interesting to read what fighters are thinking during a time that Aldo, the champion, is going in as an underdog as of a few days ago.  Filthy Tom Lawlor on Monday’s Figure Four Daily did change his mind this week and is now picking McGregor to win.  It’ll be interesting to see the odds after the weigh-in tonight given that both men for the first time ever had to make weight without the use of an IV, and that could change the game.

    WWE

    • WWE Network officially launches in Japan on January 5th, the day after the annual New Japan Tokyo Dome spectacular.
    • Someone asked Joey Styles on Twitter why it was taking so long to get new TV episodes online, and he noted: “Because ECW illegally used music we had no rights to, it takes a looooong time to edit the episodes.”
    • WWE has a sneak peak of the Stone Cold/Shawn Michaels podcast that airs after TLC Sunday up on their website.

    UFC/MMA

    • Ronda Rousey told TMZ today that she wants Holly Holm at UFC 200.  The article said she “came out of hiding today” and “looked fine”.  It also noted that, if you recall the story of the soldier inviting her to the Marine Corps Ball and her saying yes, even though she’s in a lot of pain and psychologically all beat up, the ball is tonight and she’s going.
    • Add Joe Rogan to the list of those who think Holly should fight Miesha Tate prior to the Ronda Rousey fight, which would also give Rousey more time to heal up and work on her game.  He said on his podcast that even if Miesha won you’d end up with a crazy “love triangle” where Ronda would have ready-made matches with both of them and they could rematch each other, plus if Holm beat Miesha she’d be building a legacy to make the Rousey fight even bigger when it happened.
    • I sure hope this story is true.  Sage Northcutt isn’t allowed to use the Internet.
    • UPDATE! It’s not true.  At the press conference last night, Sage joked that he was only allowed to use it for his school work, than admitted that whoever said it on Fight Pass (Jon Anik) was joking.
    • The press conference should be available on Fight Pass.  We’re told that live (and probably on tape as well), he captivates the room at these things and comes off as a “happy-go-lucky robot”.  
    • Shane writes: “The McGregor fight was featured on this evenings RTE News in Ireland which is the top news broadcast in the country. It was a piece ahead of the normal sports section which is rare for a sports story. It showed McGregor at his public workout and how it was the biggest fight of his career. It was mentioned a large number of Irish supporters coming to Vegas with bars stocking up on Guinness and a local band writing a song about McGregor.”

    Other

    • Want to thank Dan Masters (@DanStraightEdge) for doing a great job co-hosting the Bryan & Vinny Show last night. I literally talked to Dan for about 5 seconds before he was thrust on the air and he did an awesome job. He was one of four who donated to the latest Whale Scout Indiegogo campaign and earned a guest hosting gig, so there are more on the way.  In the two years we’ve offered spots, every single guest host has done a great job (no pressure to those in the future!). The guest spots via Skype/phone are sold out, but we have ONE in-person spot available which includes airfare, hotel and a seat in the studio, plus tons of smaller perks at the Whale Scout Indiegogo site. This past weekend Whale Scout helped out at North Creek Forest, where they are converting a forest into a park, and helping to improve water quality and remove invasive species, so your donation, however big or small, helps with other habitat restoration projects as well.  Thank you so much to everyone who has donated, and thank you again to Dan!
    • The Rassle Rap charity festival tour continues tonight in Sauget Illinois at Pop’s.  Tickets : http://www.popsrocks.com.  Details at insaneclownposse.Com and details on charity packages including being a lumberjack at www.HatchetGear.Com.  Benefitting Saint Johns Children’s Hospital in Illinois.

    12-11 Sauget, Illinois – Pops!

    12/12 Kokomo, Indiana – The Stage

    12-13 Columbus, Ohio Newport Music Hall

    12/16 Glen Jean, West Virginia – Glen Jean Armory

    12/17 Cleveland, Ohio – Agora Theater

    Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (12/11): WWWF and AWA World Titles defended on same card

  • UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor weigh-in results and live video

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of the UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor weigh-ins from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fighters will hit the scale at 6 PM eastern time. The card airs on Saturday with the main card on pay-per-view at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off at 6:30 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass before heading over to FS1 on 8 PM eastern time with additional preliminary bouts. This event concludes the biggest week in UFC history.

    The event will be headlined by two title bouts, and two of the biggest fights of the year. UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo will finally step foot inside the Octagon across from Interim UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor in a bout that has been brewing for over a year. In the co-main event it will be UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman putting the title and his undefeated record on the line against the number one contender, Luke Rockhold. The main card also features a first in UFC history as every fighter on the main card has previously headlined a UFC event.

    MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT):
    Jose Aldo (145) vs. Conor McGregor (145) – UFC Featherweight Championship
    Chris Weidman (185) vs. Luke Rockhold (185) – UFC Middleweight Championship
    Ronaldo Souza (186) vs. Yoel Romero (185)
    Demian Maia (170) vs. Gunnar Nelson (170)
    Max Holloway (146) vs. Jeremy Stephens (145)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT):
    Urijah Faber (136) vs. Frankie Saenz (135)
    Tecia Torres (116) vs. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (116)
    Warlley Alves (171) vs. Colby Covington (170)
    Leonardo Santos (156) vs. Kevin Lee (156)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT):
    Joe Proctor (155.5) vs. Magomed Mustafaev (155)
    John Makdessi (156) vs. Yancy Medeiros (155.5)
    Court McGee (170) vs. Marcio Alexandre Jr. (171)

    *Over 9,000 in attendance at the MGM Grand for the weigh-ins.
    *Loud reaction for Conor McGregor and loud boos for Jose Aldo. Dana White had to keep them apart at the staredown.
    *Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold had quite a bit of trash talk during their staredown.
    *Urijah Faber got a huge reaction from the crowd based on coaching opposite of Conor McGregor on the most recent season of TUF.

  • WOL 12/11: McGregor fans turn flight around, One FC fighter dies, Dr. Lucha, more!

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA on a super huge weekend! All the news on McGregor vs. Aldo, including the story of a plane having to be turned around after two Irish fans got into it over the fight, One FC fighter tragically passes away after weight cutting, plus Dr. Lucha appears to talk Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio and more! Check it out~!

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  • Wrestling Weekly (12/11): Jim Cornette talks ‘Tuesday Night At The Gardens’

    A special show this week as Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa are joined by the one and only Jim Cornette to talk about his latest book,Tuesday Night at the Gardens – Pro Wrestling in Louisville!  Of course there are a number of other subjects tackled, including a lot regarding the state of the independent scene and some of the workers who are a part of it not taking their craft as seriously as they should. 

    Among the other topics discussed are:

    – The state of the indy wrestling scene and those not taking the craft seriously

    – The collectible and convention business today, including the one item Jim wishes he still had

    – A lot on the lack of emotional investment in the product today, why that is, and is there any way to change it at all, including whether or not you inform the audience that change is coming

    – How Jim came to get his hands on the material that comprise the Mid Atlantic DVD collection which is also still available at jimcornette.com

    – What it was that made two different versions of the Midnight Express such great teams

    – Why it was easier to become polished professional wrestlers back in the day as opposed to today

    – Jim’s favorite match in the Louisville Gardens as a fan, and his most memorable moment in that venue as someone involved in pro wrestling…and more!

    *****

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  • B&V&D Show 12/10: Vinny talks Raw, NXT, Granny, special guest host Dan!

    The Bryan & Vinny Show — WITH DAN! — is back today with special guest host Dan Masters who generously donated $250 to Whale Scout for the chance to, yes, TALK ABOUT MONDAY NIGHT RAW WITH VINNY. Hardcore fellow, and a classy fellow as he’s from the UK! We’ve also got our NXT review, Granny’s weekly appearance and so much more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • WWE Smackdown results: Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & The Usos vs. League of Nations

    Air Date: December 10, 2015 – Location: Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL

    The Big News:

    Roman Reigns and his friends beat the League of Nations. Also, Ryback vs. Rusev was made official for TLC.

    Show Recap:

    Non-Title: Roman Reigns (w/Dean Ambrose & The Usos) NC U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio (w/League of Nations)

    Del Rio and company came out to his music, which makes sense, but it was weird watching the WWE Champion come out to somebody else’s song. The match went about 11 minutes. Reigns eventually hit a superman punch but the League pulled Del Rio out of the ring and they were confronted by Ambrose and the Usos. Reigns jumped out and went after Sheamus. It broke down into a giant brawl so the referee called the match (no contest).

    Booker asked, “What did you think was going to happen?” and Brennan responded, “I suppose we should’ve expected it.” Yeah, no kidding. The good guys sent the bad guys packing, finished off by Reigns hitting Rusev with a superman punch. The match was alright while it lasted, except for Reigns getting distracted twice by the League. Reigns couldn’t beat the U.S. Champion, but the announcers said he looked ready for Sheamus. After a break, they announced that the two teams would face in an 8-man tag match.

    Dolph Ziggler beat Tyler Breeze (w/Summer Rae) via pinfall

    Breeze didn’t get a full entrance. They showed Summer in the VIP section trying to will the crowd into caring about this match. Booker and Lawler said Breeze takes after Gorgeous George. Breeze worked over Ziggler’s leg, including the use of a half crab. Breeze went out to presumably try wrapping Ziggler’s legs around the post, but Ziggler posted him. Breeze jumped back in the ring, but Ziggler caught him with a superkick out of nowhere for the abrupt win. This was under 5 minutes.

    Non-Title: Lucha Dragons beat WWE Tag-Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (w/Big E) via pinfall

    The New Day came out and the crowd all got to their feet. Kofi Kingston announced LeBron James’ lifetime deal with Nike. New Day wanted their own endorsement deal and they showed off Kingston’s wacky shoes, which now have lights. They said their ladder match was unfair but Big E said the Lucha Booties and The Us-ows would be sent back to the kids table.

    There was an amusing spot where Sin Cara was sent to the outside and Big E tried to play the trombone in his face, but he didn’t know how. After a break, Kingston swivelled his hips on the apron and again Big E failed to make a sound on the trombone.

    Sin Cara made the hot tag after using the same one arm deadlift powerbomb spot that Reigns does. Sin Cara hit a suicide dive on Big E and Kingston and Kalisto hit Xavier Woods with a spinning kick and Salida Del Sol for the win.

    Michael Cole hosted a contract signing for the Intercontinental Championship match. Dean Ambrose came out first. There was an attorney already in the ring to represent Kevin Owens. Cole read a prepared statement where Owens’ attorney claimed Smackdown was an unsafe work environment. The attorney signed the contract and Ambrose banged his head on the table. Ambrose said he was expecting to trash talk, flip the table over and get into a brawl with Owens.

    Ambrose figured he can still do all of that stuff to the attorney, but before he could sign, Owens jumped him. Owens ripped his shirt off and launched him into the barricade. Ambrose tossed Owens into the steps and Owens jumped back into the ring. Ambrose went after him, but Owens tossed the attorney into Ambrose and ran away. As Owens backed off, Ambrose gave the attorney Dirty Deeds and signed the contract. Owens called Ambrose a bully. This was fine. Ambrose’s lip was busted open which made this better.

    2-on-1 Handicap Match: Ryback beat The Ascension via pinfall

    Ryback won in 88 seconds with Shellshock on Viktor. Rusev and Lana were on commentary. Rusev called him “the Ryback” at some point. After the match, Ryback confronted Rusev, but Rusev hugged Lana knowing Ryback couldn’t touch him with her in the way and they walked off.

    Becky Lynch beat Paige via submission

    After a double clothesline spot, Charlotte came out to her music. Paige kicked Lynch and went for the Ram-Paige, but Lynch countered into the Disarmer for the tap-out win. Lame.

    The announcers plugged the network and made sure everyone who buys on pay per view feels really stupid. They also showed a video package for Sheamus vs. Reigns at TLC.

    Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & The Usos beat League of Nations via pinfall

    LON came out together. Ambrose and the Usos didn’t get an entrance (Reigns came out alone). Booker revealed the secret of knowing which Uso is which. Jimmy wears his face paint on the right, Jey on the left. Lawler said Del Rio might end up looking like Ronda Rousey after the number of times he’s been punched in the jaw tonight.

    As the heels worked over Ambrose, Brennan asked if the deck is stacked against Reigns at TLC. It’s a one-on-one match, so no, it isn’t. Reigns made the hot tag, hit a Samoan drop and ten clotheslines in the corner to Rusev, the same sequence we saw earlier against Del Rio. Reigns hit one of his other movies, the superman punch, but Sheamus and Del Rio broke up the cover. The Usos took them out with superkicks and dives over the top rope. Reigns hit Rusev with a spear for the win. Ambrose got absolutely nothing in this match.

    Lawler made sure to mention that the Usos, Ambrose and Reigns could all be champions after TLC. That seems unlikely.

    Final Thoughts:

    Of all the Smackdown shows that have ever aired, this one ranks somewhere in the middle.

  • WWE NXT results (Newcastle, England): Sami Zayn returns to challenge Finn Balor

    Submitted by Jason Lithgo from Newcastle, England

    Enzo and Big Cass vs. Blake and Murphy 

    Nice opening match to kick the night off, not too long. Enzo and Big Cass are really over and the crowd were into it from the start. Enzo and Big Cass got the win with he big splash from the top rope by Enzo. 

    Bull Dempsey vs. Tye Dillinger 

    Tye Dillinger’s ‘perfect 10’ gimmick is more over than I would have imagined, but that might be the graces of a crowd who are just happy to be here. Nothing much to see here. Bull Dempsey won with a sit down splash form the middle rope. 

    Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss

    This was a Asuka showcase match and she was very popular with the crowd. Alexa looked pretty good as well and definitely worked well with Asuka. Asuka won with the Asuka lock. 

    Samoa Joe vs. Apollo Crews

    Pretty standard match. Joe seemed to be the favourite here. Both got their signature moves in and then Joe won with the Muscle Buster into the Coquina clutch. 

    – After the intermission, they introduced William Regal to a huge pop and he thanked everyone for coming and that without the fans they wouldn’t be able to do this tour. 

    NXT Tag Team Champions Dash and Dawson v Chad Gable and Jason Jordan

    This was a really good match (Jordan and Gable seem to be incapable of having a bad match recently), Gable isolated for the most part with Jordan getting the hot tag. Both Gable and Jordan looked really impressive and the crowd loved them. Dash and Dawson won after a distraction and roll up on Gable.  

    NXT Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Emma

    Another standard match as far as in ring work goes. Dana Brooke came to the ring with Emma and was ejected around halfway through for interfering. Bayley won with the Bayley to Bayley. After the match Nia Jax came to the ring and looked as if she was going to get in before smiling at Bayley and leaving. 

    Neville vs. Baron Corbin

    This was Neville’s hometown show so he got the pop of the night. Baron Corbin impressed here, against someone of Neville’s size, he certainly has a presence. Neville hit an Asai moonsault after Corbin ran to the outside. Corbin hit a huge spinning side slam but Neville managed to keep him down long enough to beat him with the Red Arrow, which probably got the second biggest pop of the night.

    WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn

    Balor came out first which meant that a retuning Zayn got the biggest reaction of the night for someone not called Neville. We were told this was the first time ever that Balor and Zayn were facing off. They shook hands after the bell rung. Pretty good match with some mat wrestling to start followed by some running chops to the corner by Balor. There a was a pretty good spot in which Balor was trying to keep Zayn down to hit the coup de grace but Zayn would make it to his feet before Balor could reach the top rope, getting up a little bit quicker after each blow. Zayn hit a huge tope con hilo to the outside on Balor. Balor won with the coup de grace, he lifted Zayn’s hand after the match and made a quick exit to give Sami the ring. This was a good taste of what a feud between them could bring. 

    The crowd were hot for most of the show and it was a better show all round than the WWE show they ran here in November. 

  • UFC Fight Night 80 Las Vegas live results: Rose Namajunas vs. Paige VanZant

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 80: Namajunas vs. VanZant from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a five-round women’s strawweight bout as former title challenger Rose Namajunas steps in on short notice to take on rising star Paige VanZant in the first-ever womens’ non-title bout to headline a UFC event. In the co-main event, it will be a lightweight contest as 14th-ranked UFC veteran Jim Miller takes on former “TUF” winner Michael Chiesa. Also on the card is the next UFC appearance of 19-year-old budding star Sage Northcutt as he takes on Cody Pfister. The entire event airs on the UFC’s digital network, UFC Fight Pass, with preliminary card action kicking off at 6:45 PM eastern time before heading into the main card at 10 PM eastern time.

    UFC Fight Night 80 Weigh-In Results
    UFC Fight Night 80 5 Storylines To Watch
    UFC Fight Night 80 DFS Playbook
    UFC Fight Night 80 Observer Picks

    Coverage provided by Ryan Frederick

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:45 PM ET/3:45 PM PT)

    WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS- KAILIN CURRAN (3-2, 0-2 UFC) VS. EMILY KAGAN (3-2, 0-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Both ladies throwing lots of punches right at the start. Kagan has underhooks against the fence but Curran scrambles out. Kagan clinches but Curran with a judo throw but they get right back up as Curran went for mount. Kagan with a knee against the fence. Kagan gets the back on a brief takedown. Kagan unable to get Curran down to the mat. Kagan with a brief takedown but they get right back up. Kagan trying real hard for the takedown but Curran lands knees to the body and a head kick followed by some punches. Kagan clinches back up against the fence. Kagan gets a takedown with just seconds left and ends the round in the guard as Curran went for a triangle. 10-9 Kagan.

    ROUND 2- Curran tries to land a knee as Kagan punches her way back to the clinch. They separate and Curran lands a jab. Kagan with a left hand and a head kick. Curran with a knee in the clinch. Curran with a knee to the head in the clinch and they break. Kagan with a combo but not much lands. Kagan lands a left hand. Curran lands a right hand but Kagan counters with a left. Kagan is breathing heavily. They clinch and Curran lands a knee. Kagan gets the fight down but Curran reverses into half-guard. Curran switches to the back and has a hook in. Curran looking for a choke and she submits Kagan! Curran gets her first UFC win with a submission.

    Official Result- Kailin Curran def. Emily Kagan by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:13 of Round 2

    FEATHERWEIGHTS- ZUBAIRA TUKHUGOV (17-3, 2-0 UFC) VS. PHILLIPE NOVER (11-5-1, 1-3 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Nover starts off with a high kick. Nover with another head kick. Tukhugov just misses a big right hand, and then misses another. Nover has a head kick checked. Both men missing on kicks. Tukhugov lands a head kick. Nover with a body kick. Tukhogov lands a right hand. Tukhogov with a spinning back kick. Nover with a head kick but Tukhugov grabs it and kicks the leg out from Nover to the mat. They scramble back to their feet. Tukhugov misses a spinning back fist but lands a left hook. Tukhugov with a right hand. 10-9 Tukhugov.

    ROUND 2- Tukhugov starts with some kicks. Nover has a head kick checked. Tukhugov clips Nover with a left hook as he rushed in. Nover circles away. Tukhugov with a right hand. Nover with a leg kick and misses a takedown attempt. Tukhugov lands a left hand. Tukhugov with a head kick. Nover with a body kick but Tukhugov comes back with a combo. Tukhugov with a spin kick that barely lands. Tukhugov lands a big right hand and has Nover in trouble. Nover on the mat and eats a right hand but gets back to his feet. Nover with a body kick. Nover with another body kick and Tukhugov rushes in with a combo. Nover with another body kick. Tukhugov lands a left hand and stuffs a takedown. 10-9 Tukhugov, 20-18 Tukhugov.

    ROUND 3- Tukhugov with some kicks and punches to start. Nover lands a body kick. Tukhugov lands a right hand. Tukhugov with a head kick. Nover lands a head kick and Tukhugov shakes it off and takes the fight down. Tukhugov in the guard and looking to pass. Nover with another high kick. Tukhugov breathing a little heavy. Nover with another head kick but Tukhugov fires back with a combo. Nover with a deep shot and misses but has the clinch against the fence. They break and Nover lands a left hand. Nover with a body kick. Tukhugov with a nice combo and Nover misses a takedown. Tukhugov with another kick. 10-9 Tukhugov, 30-27 Tukhugov.

    Official Result- Zubaira Tukhugov def. Phillipe Nover by split decision (28-29, 30-27 , 30-27)

    WELTERWEIGHTS- DANNY ROBERTS (11-1, 0-0 UFC) VS. NATHAN COY (14-5, 0-0 UFC)

    ROUND 1- This is the UFC debut for both men and Roberts is a solid prospect. They trade leg kicks. They trade and Roberts lands a big left hand. Roberts with a head kick. Roberts with a leg kick. They trade punches. Roberts with a head kick attempt and Coy eats it and takes Roberts down and is in the guard. Roberts with strikes from the bottom and looking for a triangle. Roberts with the armbar and Coy taps out! Roberts gets the submission win in his UFC debut.

    Official Result- Danny Roberts def. Nathan Coy by technical submission (triangle choke) at 2:46 of Round 1

    WELTERWEIGHTS- SANTIAGO PONZINIBBIO (20-3, 2-2 UFC) VS. ANDREAS STAHL (9-1, 0-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Stahl with a leg kick. Stahl with a combo and gets a big takedown and they scramble to their feet. Ponzinibbio with a leg kick and then a body kick. He lands a big combo against the fence and Stahl is covering up. Stahl with another takedown but Ponzinibbio back to his feet. Ponzinibbio with a leg kick and then a combo. Stahl lands a right hand. Ponzinibbio lands a nice combo. Ponzinibbio with another big combo against the fence. Stahl with a head kick but eats some punches from Ponzinibbio. Ponzinibbio drops Stahl with a big right hand and one more punch and this fight is over. Herb Dean stops the fight and Ponzinibbio gets the win by knockout.

    Official Result- Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Andreas Stahl by TKO (punches) at 4:25 of Round 1

    BANTAMWEIGHTS- (#5) ALJAMAIN STERLING (11-0, 3-0 UFC) VS. (#10) JOHNNY EDUARDO (27-9, 2-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Sterling is a big-time prospect at 135 pounds, but is in the last fight of his contract. They trade kicks. Sterling with a high kick but the leg is grabbed by Eduardo. Eduardo with a big leg kick. Both missing high kicks but Sterling gets the takedown and pushes Eduardo against the fence. Sterling in the half-guard of Eduardo. Sterling landing some punches from the top as Eduardo is unable to escape from the bottom. Left hands from the top by Sterling. More punches from Sterling as the round ends. 10-9 Sterling.

    ROUND 2- Eduardo misses a leg kick. Sterling with a leg kick and follows with a right hand. Eduardo with a body kick. They trade kicks. Sterling misses a spinning back fist. Eduardo with a body kick and Sterling misses a head kick. Sterling with a leg kick. Eduardo with a head kick that is checked. They start trading punches and kicks. Sterling with a high kick. Sterling gets a takedown and some big punches from the top. Dominant from the top with elbows and punches. More big punches and Sterling goes for a choke. He’s got it! Sterling submits Eduardo with a guillotine choke and gets the big win.

    Official Result- Aljamain Sterling def. Johnny Eduardo by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:18 of Round 2

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- ANTONIO CARLOS JUNIOR (5-1, 2-1 UFC) VS. KEVIN CASEY (9-3 1 NC, 1-1 1 NC UFC)

    ROUND 1- Casey poked right in the eye as this fight begins. And it is stopped. That was weird. Fight stopped due to the eye poke. 11 seconds into the fight.

    Official Result- Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Kevin Casey declared a no contest due to an eye poke at 0:11 of Round 1

    WELTERWEIGHTS- OMARI AKHMEDOV (15-2, 3-1 UFC) VS. SERGIO MORAES (9-2, 3-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Both men missing on kicks but Akhmedov lands a spinning back fist. Moraes misses a high kick. Akhmedov with a big head kick but Moraes shakes it off. Moraes just misses a flying knee. Big left hook from Moraes stuns Akhmedov. Akhmedov with an uppercut. Akhmedov lands an overhand right and then lands a body kick. Akhmedov drops Moraes with a right hand and lands a big punch from the top and a couple of leg kicks. Akhmedov wants him up. Moraes goes for a takedown but it is defended. They trade right hands. 10-9 Akhmedov.

    ROUND 2- Akhmedov misses a leg kick and a right hand. Body kick from Akhmedov. Big right hand from Moraes lands. Akhmedov misses some body kicks. Left hook by Akhmedov. Moraes misses a flying knee and may have a hand injury. Pace has slowed in this round. Akhmedov with a body kick. Moraes misses a big right hand. Leg kick by Akhmedov and Moraes counters with his own. Moraes misses a right hand and Akhmedov counters with some punches. Akhmedov with a takedown but Moraes grabs the neck and has a guillotine locked in but the clock runs out. Close round. 10-9 Akhmedov, 20-18 Akhmedov.

    ROUND 3- This fight is close and up for grabs. They trade punches and Akhmedov taunts Moraes to come on. Moraes goes for a takedown but it is defended. They are each missing punches. Out of nowhere Moraes lands a big right hand and stuns Akhmedov and after a bunch of punches Akhmedov crumbles to the ground and the fight is stopped. Moraes with the comeback TKO win.

    Official Result- Sergio Moraes def. Omari Akhmedov by TKO (punches) at 2:18 of Round 3

    WELTERWEIGHTS- TIM MEANS (24-7-1, 6-4 UFC) VS. JOHN HOWARD (23-11, 7-6 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Means lands a big left hand and rocks Howard. Howard grabs the fence and takes Means down. They get back up. They trade and Howard lands a big overhand right. They are throwing punches. Each man landing punches. Both men land combos. Howard with a nice combo. They are both still landing hard punches and Howard explodes with a takedown. Howard pulls Means away from the fence but Means gets to his feet. Howard gets another takedown but Means right back up and they break. Means with a knee to the body. Head kick misses from Means. Howard’s right eye is closed a little. Means lands a head kick. Close round. 10-9 Means.

    ROUND 2- Means comes out and lands a big left hook and Howard goes out cold. Massive left hand and Means gets the knockout win.

    Official Result- Tim Means def. John Howard by knockout (punch) at 0:21 of Round 2

    MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- ELIAS THEODOROU (11-0, 3-0 UFC) VS. THIAGO SANTOS (11-3, 3-2 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Theodorou is a solid middleweight prospect with an undefeated record. Theodorou with a nice head kick but Santos fires back a leg kick. Theodorou looking for that head kick. Theodorou with a combo and high kick. Santos with a leg kick. Theodorou with a leg kick. Santos with a front kick. Theodorou with a big leg kick and a body kick. Theodorou with another series of body kicks. More body kicks from Theodorou. He just misses a head kick. Spinning heel kick from Santos lands. Front kick from Theodorou trips up Santos. They trade kicks again. They clinch against the fence for a moment. Strong round from Theodorou. 10-9 Theodorou.

    ROUND 2- They trade kicks. Lots of punches thrown. Santos with a big elbow. Theodorou goes for a takedown but Santos blatantly grabs the fence. Theodorou gets him down. Big knee from Theodorou as they get to their feet. Theodorou working for the takedown but Santos lands a series of elbows. Theodorou still working to take Santos to the mat. Santos landing lots of elbows. They are broken from their clinch. Theodorou goes for another takedown but Santos lands some knees and elbows and landing a lot of strikes. They are clinched against the fence. Santos reverses and gets a takedown and takes the back and lands a knee and some punches. Theodorou ends the round with a takedown. Close round. 10-9 Santos, 19-19.

    ROUND 3- They clinch as Theodorou looks for a high-crotch takedown. Theodorou working hard for the takedown. They are broken up by referee Marc Goddard. Santos lands a knee as Theodorou goes for a shot. Theodorou pushes Santos up against the fence. Timeout as Theodorou has a massive cut over his eye. The doctor lets it go. Theodorou goes for the takedown again but Santos making him eat knees. Santos has Theodorou in trouble and lands a big kick and a big knee. Santos looking for the finish but Theodorou surviving and goes back for the takedown. Santos with some elbows. More big shots from Santos but Theodorou is surviving. Timeout as we have an eye poke. Back to action and Santos lands some big shots as the fight ends. Big round for Santos. Good fight. 10-9 Santos, 29-28 Santos.

    Official Result- Thiago Santos def. Elias Theodorou by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- SAGE NORTHCUTT (6-0, 1-0 UFC) VS. CODY PFISTER (12-4-1, 1-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Northcutt is one of the future stars UFC is banking on. Pfister gets an early takedown. Pfister in the guard of Northcutt. Pfister with some elbows and punches from the top. Northcutt having trouble getting out from the bottom. They are stood up by the referee. The crowd boos as that was bad. Northcutt immediately gets the takedown. Northcutt working in the half-guard. Northcutt with some elbows and is looking for a choke. Pfister survives with punches from the bottom. We are going to the second after Northcutt lands elbows to end the round. 10-9 Northcutt.

    ROUND 2- Northcutt with a takedown and he grabs the neck. Guillotine choke locked in and Pfister taps! Northcutt gets the win by submission.

    Official Result- Sage Northcutt def. Cody Pfister by submission (guillotine choke) at 0:41 of Round 2

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- (#14) JIM MILLER (25-6 1 NC, 14-5 1 NC UFC) VS. MICHAEL CHIESA (12-2, 5-2 UFC)

    ROUND 1- High-level lightweight fight here. They trade combinations. Miller with a big left hand. Miller with a body kick. They clinch and Chiesa gets a takedown. Chiesa in the half-guard. Chiesa with some elbows from the top. Chiesa with top control as Miller looks to grab the leg. Miller reverses to the top. Chiesa looking for the triangle. Miller transitions to the back of Chiesa. Miller looking for a choke and has the body locked. Miller with punches from the back. Miller has the body locked still as he maintains position. Punches from the back as he can’t find the choke. Good round. 10-9 Miller.

    ROUND 2- Miller with a leg kick. Miller with a nice left hand. They both land punches and Chiesa ducks under and scores a takedown. Chiesa with punches from the top as Miller looks to roll out from the bottom. Miller is cut open but he looks for a leg lock. Nice defense from Chiesa as he lands punches. Chiesa gets into the mount and is landing a lot of punches. Chiesa has the rear-naked choke locked in. Miller taps! Chiesa with the big win in impressive fashion.

    Official Result- Michael Chiesa def. Jim Miller by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:57 of Round 2

    WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS- (#3) ROSE NAMAJUNAS (3-2, 1-1 UFC) VS. (#7) PAIGE VANZANT (6-0, 3-0 UFC)

    ROUND 1- VanZant is the other future young fighter they are banking on to be a star. VanZant with a leg kick and Namajunas with some quick combos. Namajunas gets a takedown and is in half-guard. Big elbows from Namajunas and VanZant is cut on her cheek. VanZant rolls out to her feet. Namajunas with a nice right hand. They clinch and VanZant goes for a takedown but Namajunas takes the back and looks for a choke. Namjunas gets in the mount and lands some elbows and goes to the back and looks for a choke again. VanZant is bleeding badly. VanZant gets to her feet. Namajunas gets the fight back down and is in the guard. Namajunas with more big shots from the top. VanZant somehow survives the round. Big round for Rose. 10-8 Namajunas.

    ROUND 2- Namajunas with a nice combination. Namajunas grabs the back of VanZant. Namajunas takes her down and is in side control. Namajunas gets the back and is looking for the choke. VanZant escapes and Namajunas back in side control. Namajunas into the half-guard. They get to their feet. Namajunas with a knee. VanZant gets a brief takedown but Namajunas is able to get to side control. Namajunas has the back of VanZant. They get to their feet and break. VanZant still bleeding badly. VanZant pulls guard and Namajunas in the half-guard. Namajunas with more short elbows from the top. 10-9 Namajunas, 20-17 Namajunas.

    ROUND 3- They got back to the mat and Namajunas in the half-guard. They scramble and get to their feet. VanZant with a knee. They both land punches. VanZant misses a spinning back fist and Namajunas grabs the back. They break. They trade kicks. Namajunas with a left hand and then a head kick. They clinch and VanZant lands some knees. Namajunas with a takedown and looking for the back. VanZant rolls and has Namajunas in her half-guard. Namajunas takes the back and locks in a rear-naked choke. She has it in deep but VanZant isn’t tapping. VanZant escapes. VanZant survives the round. 10-9 Namajunas, 30-26 Namajunas.

    ROUND 4- VanZant with a kick and they clinch. Namajunas with another takedown, her sixth of the fight. Namajunas in the full guard and postures up. Namajunas grabs the arm and goes for the armbar. VanZant escapes. Namajunas with some elbows and moves to the back. Namajunas locks in another armbar. This one is in deeper. VanZant manages to escape again. No idea how she got out of that one as her arm was all twisted. They get to their feet and Namajunas has VanZant against the fence. Namajunas with a front kick. Namajunas with a takedown. 10-8 Namajunas, 40-34 Namajunas.

    ROUND 5- VanZant hanging in there. They trade punches. Namajunas with another takedown and into the half-guard. Namajunas in side control. Namajunas gets the back of VanZant and locks in the rear-naked choke. VanZant taps! Namajunas gets the submission win in a dominant performance and a gutsy performance by VanZant.

    Official Result- Rose Namajunas def. Paige VanZant by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:25 of Round 5

  • TNA ratings up for final tournament action on Destination America

    The Wednesday, December 9th edition of TNA Impact Wrestling that featured the quarterfinals of the TNA title tournament saw the ratings rise from recent weeks with 269,000 viewers tuning in for the 9 p.m. show and 68,000 tuning in for the midnight show for a grand total of 337,000 viewers.

    That 9 p.m number was up from usual but the midnight number fell right in line with the norm.

    Given that the entire tournament of taped matches is now complete (the previously taped semifinals and finals are being scrapped and redone) the last few weeks on Destination America will be time fills of two hours with old taped matches before the company’s January 5th live show launch on Pop TV.

    The semifinals will feature Matt Hardy vs. Eric Young and Bobby Lashley vs. Ethan Carter III. The winner will move onto the finals which will be the main event of the January 5th debut.

  • Daily Update: Big UFC Weekend, NXT Announcement

    We’re looking for your thoughts on yesterday’s New Japan tag team tournament finals so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to Dave Meltzer We’ll also be doing polls over the next week for the Saturday night UFC show, WWE on Sunday and NXT on Wednesday.

    We’re also looking for reports on today’s NXT show in Newcastle, England to Dave Meltzer

    UFC ON FIGHT PASS TODAY STARTING AT 6:45 P.M. EASTERN AND 3:45 P.M. PACIFIC TIME FROM THE COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL IN LAS VEGAS

    Kailin Curran (115) vs. Emily Kagan (115)

    Phillipe Nover (145) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (145)

    Nathan Coy (170) vs. Danny Roberts (169.5)

    Santiago Ponzinibbio (170) vs. Andreas Stahl (171)

    Johnnu Eduardo (135) vs. Aljamain Sterling (135.5)

    Kevin Casey (185) vs. Antonio Carlos Jr. (185)

    Omari Akhmedov (170) vs. Sergio Moraes (171)

    John Howard (170) vs. Tim Means (170)

    Thiago Santos (185) vs. Elias Theodorou (185)

    Serge Northcutt (155.5) vs. Cody Pfiter (156)

    Michael Chiesa (156) vs. Jim Miller (155.5)

    Rose Namajunas (115.5) vs. Paige VanZant (115.5)

    Friday has an NXT house show in Glasgow, Scotland and we’ll be looking for reports on that show.

    UFC ON FRIDAY NIGHT FROM THE COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL IN LAS VEGAS ON FOX SPORTS 1 STARTING AT 8 P.M. EASTERN/5 P.M. PACIFIC

    Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Abner Lloveras

    Julian Erosa vs. Marcin Wrzossek

    Geane Herrera vs. Joby Sanchez

    Konstantin Kerokihn vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

    Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Jason Knight

    Ryan LaFlare vs. Mike Pierce

    Evan Dunham vs. Joe Lauzon

    Ryan Hall vs. Artem Lobov in the TUF lightweight tournament finals

    Edson Barboza vs. Tony Ferguson

    Frankie Edgar vs. Chad Mendes

    Saturday we’re looking for reports from the WWE show in Lewiston, ME and the NXT show in Seffield, England (headilned by Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin for the NXT title).

    UFC 194 FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS ON SATURDAY NIGHT

    Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time

    Marcio Alexandre Jr. vs. Court McGee

    Yancy Medeiros vs. John Makdessi

    Magomed Mustafaev vs. Joe Proctor

    FS 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern time

    Kevin Lee vs. Leonardo Santos

    Warlley Alves vs. Colby Covington

    Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger vs. Tecia Torres

    Urijah Faber vs. Frankie Saenz

    PPV AT 10 p.m. Eastern time

    Max Holloway vs. Jeremy Stephens

    Gunnar Nelson vs. Demian Maia

    Yoel Romero vs. Ronaldo Jacare Souza

    Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title

    Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor for the featherweight title

    WWE TLC PPV ON SUNDAY FROM THE TD GARDEN IN BOSTON

    Sheaumus vs. Roman Reignns for WWE title in a TLC match

    Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for IC title

    New Day vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Usos in a ladder match for tag tiltes

    Charlotte vs. Paige in a Divas title match

    Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger for the U.S. title in a chair match

    Bray Wyatt & Erick Rowan & Luke Harper & Braun Strowman vs. Dudleys & Tommy Dreamer & Rhyno in a tables match

    Sunday is almost NXT in Blackpool, England.

    Raw will be Monday night in Philadelphia while NXT runs Monday night in Nottingham, England.

    Smackdown will be taped Tuesday night in Newark, NJ while NXT runs Tueday night in Cardiff, Wale.

    NXT TAKEOVER FROM SSE WEMBLEY IN LONDON ON WEDNESDAY

    Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe for NXT title

    Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin

    Bayley vs. Nia Jax for women’s title

    Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady for tag titles

    Emma vs. Asuka

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 12/7/2015: McDevitt comments on concussion lawsuits
    Details on Jerry McDevitt’s comments on the ongoing concussion lawsuits against WWE, Alan discusses potential candidates for 2015’s best rookie.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    Coverage of the biggest weekend in UFC history, the stories behind the big matches, scouting the fighters, the business and handicapping the fights is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We look at the promotion of the show, how changes in the UFC can affect the major fights, little things in each fight that haven’t beentalked about, fugure for the winners and much more is looked at.

    We also look at the New Japan Tokyo Dome show, the New Japan tag team tournament, what’s new with A.J. Styles and his schedule, the controversy over the winners of the tournament and how it played out, New Japan business this past month and going forward, tournament standings and a rundown of the shows this past week.

    We also have an update on Sting and his condition coming off the match with Seth Rollins, something to watch for about a very significant WWE employee, WWE increasing security at leve events, WWE putting up lots of new content on the network, why the Stampede tapes were taken down, Alberto Del Rio blames AAA for his not coming back and losnig the title, why the time-line of what he says doesn’t add up, another new franchise movie idea for Dwayne Johnson, a new WWE movie annnounced, Mick Foley’s son with WWE, Sami Zayn’s return, Tommy Dreamer’s schedule, WWE surveys, John Cena media, WWE and ESPN update, NXT taping news, Brock Lesnar schedule news, WWE firing, Del Rio & Colter alliance, as well as notes on all the NXT house shows from the past week as well as all the WWE house shows of the past week and the business from the last week.   

    We also look at the life and career of Hack Myers.

    We’ve got a look at this year’s Tokyo Sports pro wrestling awards, all the winners, how the balloting went down, as well as a list of every MVP dating back to 1974, and why different people won the awards and the nature of the politicas behid the awards.

    We’ve also got a huge “back of the book” feature on Don Fargo, one of the most colorful pro wrestlers in history.  This is an outlandish story that sounds unbelievable, but most of his legacy is true, and we separate what is and isn’t.  We rundown his career, his roles as part of the Stevens Brothers, The Fargos, The Daltons, The Chain Gang and many other characters that he played.  We look at the creation of the first world tag team champions to be recognized in Madison Square Garden, an absolutely amazing tite history, his different aliases and how he changed with each one, crazy stories, bloodbaths, Jackie Fargo, Greg Valentine, Fonzo Fargo, and one of the greatest runs in Memphis wrestling history.

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

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 14, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Biggest weekend in UFC history, 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@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    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. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

    The schedule for me on audio this week will be shows on Friday night after UFC, Saturday night after UFC, Sunday night after TLC and Monday after Raw.  This is one of the bigger weekends of the year.  You can always send questions for the radio show to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

    Paul Levesque announced that on Wednesday, they will not only do a two hour NXT Takeover show but also tape the NXT television show for 12/23.  One of the matches on that show will be a No. 1 contenders four-way tag match with the Vaudevillains, Hype Bros, Blake & Murphy and Jason Jordan & Chad Gable.  On the current tour, the shows in London on Wednesday, as well as Blackpool and Cardiff are sold out.  Sami Zayn works every night of the tour.  The re-debut of Elias Sampson will be on Wednesday on the TV part of the show.

    On Impact last night it was announced that both the semifinals (Bobby Lashley vs. Ethan Carter III, Matt Hardy vs. Eric Young) and finals of the world title tournament will be airing on the first show on Pop TV on 1/5.

    The Ultimate Fighter final tomorrow was supposed to be Saul Rogers vs. Artem Lobov, both off Conor McGregor’s team.  But Rogers allegedly lied on his visa and was not allowed into the U.S. so Ryan Hall faces Lobov tomorrow night.

    Sports Illustrated listed Kevin Owens and Ronda Rousey as among the 100 best twitter follows in sports.  Owens I can see for his wit, but I have no idea why Rousey.  Bill Barnwell, who is one of our readers, also cracked the list.  Georges St-Pierre was listed as No. 10 in best Facebook follows and Dwayne Johnson was listed as No. 4.  His sport was listed as wrestling.

    Today is the 40th anniversary of Terry Funk winning the NWA title from Jack Brisco in Miami Beach.  The storyline is that Jack vs. Dory Funk Jr. was advertised because Jack vs. Dory was always a big draw, and they sold out.  Dory was actually in Japan at the time.  So Terry was the replacement.  It was an Eddie Graham storyline with the idea Jack was training for Dory, who had a totally different style, but Terry was training for Jack, and reversed the figure four into an inside cradle for the pin.  They actually showed that match on TV in San Francisco about two weeks later and for the standards of the time, it was an incredible match.  A lot of wrestlers copied the flow and the finish and in Mexico a lot of the superstars copied that figure four reversed into an inside cradle as a finish.

    WWE

    • John Cena was on with Jimmy Fallon Tuesday night to promote appearing in “Sisters.”  Fallon put over his comedy talent several times.  The only mention of wrestling was that he was taking time off to film American Grit.  He did a comedy skit where he sang “Hello” by Adele joined by someone who was supposed to be John Cena as a child.  The segment didn’t go over well until the kid showed up.
    • Give the slow advance for the 12/19 show at the Forum in Los Angeles, WWE sent out a mailer announcing that anyone who buys a ticket gets a free hot dog, or a free popcorn and soda.  They announced three title matches with Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE title, Alberto Del Rio vs. Brock Lesnar for the U.S. title and Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for the IC title.
    • Stock closed down 55 cents a share today to close at $16.16,
    • A story on Shawn Michaels and his hunting show
    • Devon Dudley plugs Raw in Philadelphia and talks about his WWE return 

    UFC

    • ESPN will be airing the weigh-ins live tomorrow from Las Vegas at 6 p.m. Eastern.  The Fight Network in Canada will also be airing the weigh-nis.
    • There has been a ton yesterday and today already on ESPN covering Saturday’s show, so there is a really strong buzz.
    • In Canada for tomorrow, the 8-10 p.m. portion of the show airs on The Fight Network and the main card airs on TSN 1 and TSN 5.
    • If you are in Las Vegas for the UFC this weekend, go to UFCRegister.com and register for a Fan Access pass.  If you then go to http://www.ufc.om/ufcvegas you can get discounts on monorail tickets, at the ice rink at the Cosmopolitan (free skate rental for the viewing party with Demetrious Johnson, Frank Mir and Kendra Perez for tomorrow night’s Fight Night show), as well as comp admission to the Marquee Night Club at the Cosmopolitan on Friday & Saturday night, and other specials at the Hyde Bellgaio (complimentary admission Friday and Saturday) and a lot more clubs in Las Vegas including Ri Ra at Mandalay Bay, McFadden’s at Town Square and the Foxtail Night Club a SLS Vegas.
    • The 12/18 Titan FC show in Kansas City that was scheduled for UFC Fight Pass has been canceled.  The story is that the show was canceled due to health complications related to an expected surgery of CEO Jeff Aronson.
    • There is a Fight Pass show from Moscow featuring Bellator heavyweight champion Vitali Minakov vs. Josh Copeland this weekend.
    • Holly Holm on ESPN here and here

    MISCELLANEOUS

    • There is a big indie show on Sunday in Santiago, Chile, which will include Matt Hardy, Savio Vega, MVP, Robbie E, Scotty 2 Hotty, Santana Garrett, Carlito, Shane Helms and Brian Christopher.
    • Brennan Ward vs. Ken Hasegawa was announced for the 12/29 Rizin show at the Saitama Super Arena, plus Hinata Watanabe vs. Kazuyuki Miyata in a match where they will alternate rounds of MMA and kickboxing rules. 
    • Shine on iPPV at www.wwnlive.com tomorrow night from The Orpheum in Ybor City has a fatal four way with Allysin Kay vs. Jessicka Havok vs. Amber Gallows vs. Taylor Made with the winner facing Santana Garrett for the title later that night, plus a four-team tag team tournament for the titles with first round matches of Solo Darling & Heidi Lovelace vs. Jayme Jameson & Marti Belle and Mia Yim & Leva Bates  (Blue Pants) vs. Malia Hosaka & Brandi Wine.  Leilani Kai also faces Leah Von Dutch. 
    • There is a live PBC show on NBC in prime time Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. from San Antonio headlined by Omar Figueroa (25-0-1, 18 KOs) vs. Antonio DeMarco (31-5-1, 23 KOs) in a super lightweight fight and Chris Arreola (36-4-1, 31 KOs) vs. Travis Kauffman (30-1, 22 KOs).  
    • JR Kratos raising money for a four-year-old to beat leukemia
    • The last Premier Wrestling show with a grappling based style in a three-man tournament with JR Kratos, Joe Graves and Timothy Thatcher
    • Juggalo Championship Wrestling and ICP have shows on 12/10 in Valpraiso, IN at Big Shots, 12/11 in Sauget, IL at Pop’s, 12/12 in Kokomo, IN at The Stage, 12/13 in Columbus, OH at  The Newport, 12/16 in Glean Jean, WV at the Glen Jean Armory and 12/17 in Cleveland at the Agora Ballroom.  Among those appearing are 2 Tuff Tony, Crazy Mary Dobson, Madman Pondo, Ring Rydas, Kongo Kong and more.  All proceeds g to St. John’s Childrens Hospital.
    • Santana Garrett vs. Shaniah Arlyana for the NWA womens’ title and Queen of Stardom title headlines 12/19 in Orlando at the Team Vision Dojo.
    • IWA Mid South presents the Ted Petty Invitational on Friday night in Clarksville, IN at the Colgate Gym with first round matches of Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher, Matt Cage vs. Slade Sludge, Kongo Kong vs. Masada, Shane Mercer vs Sugar D, Hy Zaya vs. Jonathan Gresham.
    • Absolute Intense Wrestling on 12/18 in Cleveland at Our Lady of Mt Carmel with Scott Hall, Bunkhouse Buck, Amazing Red, Robert Fuller, EC 3 and more.
    • Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 1/9 in Columbus, IN.
    • Legends of Wrestling on 1/23 at the Miccosukee Resort and Gaming Entertainment Dome features appearances by Bill Goldberg, Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash, Ricky Steamboat, Jim Duggan, Scott Steiner, Jimmy Hart, Koko B. Ware, Luke Williams, Lanny Poffo, Tommy Dreamer, Chavo Guerrero Jr. The Nasty Boys, Greg Valentine, Ken Anderson, and Gangrel.
    • MMA World Expo on Saturday night at the Jacob Javits Center in New York features Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Eddie Alvarez appearing.      
    • Scott Bowden talks Tommy Gilbert, Eddie Gilbert Nick Bockwinkel and more
    • In today’s Gasoline Alley comic strip, a school class was discussing scrapbooking becoming the fastest growing hobby in the U.S. and one of the characters asked “What about the NFL, WFW and NASCAR?”  The teacher said, “They’re sports, not hobbies.”  The belief was WFW was supposed to be WWE. (thanks to Brian Henke)

    Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (12/10): Terry Funk wins the NWA World Title