Nick Bockwinkel, one of the greatest pro wrestlers of the last 50 years, passed away a few hours ago just shy of his 81st birthday.
Bockwinkel, whose father was noted pro wrestler Warren Bockwinkel, started pro wrestling in the mid-1950s after losing his football career at the University of Oklahoma ended due to a knee injury. He was a star on the West Coast first, and traveled all over the world for 32 years as a headliner.
He was most famous in the AWA. He arrived there around 1970 and quickly became the go-to heavyweight singles heavyweight main eventer, and the main rival of Verne Gagne, the owner and perennial champion, for a decade. He held the AWA title on four occasions, most notably from 1975 to 1980, and again from 1981 to 1984. He was also AWA tag team champion three times, with Ray Stevens, in what was generally considered the best tag team unit of the 70s.
Bockwinkel took the AWA title out of just the Midwest and wrestled all over the country as champion, including places like Houston, San Antonio, Stampede Wrestling and Memphis, where the title became as big or bigger than the NWA title.
Bockwinkel was a pro’s pro in every way, a masterful worker, great promo, who carried himself like a champion at all times, even well into his 50s. Bockwinkel was just of his 52nd birthday when he had his 60 minute draw with Curt Hennig on ESPN that was one of the best matches of the 80s.
On a personal level, Nick was one of the great teachers and philosophers in this business and the amount that I learned from him can never to put into words. It was very sad the past year when this brilliant performer was battling memory issues and hearing about his last public appearance at the Cauliflower Alley Club this past year. Bockwinkel was the longtime President of the Club before giving up his duties due to health issues over the past year.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez, Dave Meltzer and UFC star Filthy Tom Lawlor returns tonight to talk HISTORY — the doom of Ronda Rousey in the biggest upset in UFC history at the hands and feet of Holly Holm. Full results of the show, analysis of Rousey’s performance and future, plus pro-wrestling news on Lucha Underground’s tapings, Billy Gunn’s drug test failure, Raw Monday night and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
One of the UFC’s top stars and draws was a massive favorite going into her fight at UFC 193 Saturday night, but got outclassed and dominated. Ronda Rousey is no longer undefeated and is no longer the women’s bantamweight champion, beaten soundly by Holly Holm via 2nd round TKO in Australia.
The 28-year-old Rousey (12-1) didn’t look like the fighter that had become a mainstream media star over the past few years, chasing Holm, getting outstruck and bloodied in the first round by Holm who looked composed and in the moment. The end came in the second round when Holm further bloodied Rousey with punches, and landed a kick that landed on Rousey’s neck dropping the champion cold. Holm then landed a few ground and pound shots, Rousey was unconscious, and ref Herb Dean had no choice but to call the fight. Rousey didn’t speak to Joe Rogan after the fight.
The 34-year-old Holm (10-0) now finds herself on top of the mountain of MMA history as the first woman to beat Ronda Rousey. Forget Cyborg Santos: your UFC 200 main event or co-main event might have just been booked.
Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez will have more on this outcome and the entire UFC 193 show on tonight’s Wrestling Observer Radio.
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm from the Ethiad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. The event is headlined by UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey putting her championship, and status as the most dominant female fighter on the planet, on the line against undefeated challenger Holly Holm. In the co-main event, it is a second womens’ title fight as UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk defends against Valerie Letourneau. The action kicks off with preliminary card fights at 6:15 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass. The action moves over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time with additional preliminary fights before the main card kicks off at 10 PM eastern time on pay-per-view. We are looking for your thoughts on the show, so send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle as well as a best fight and worst fight to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.
FLYWEIGHTS- BEN NGUYEN (13-5, 1-0 UFC) VS. RYAN BENOIT (8-3, 1-1 UFC)
First round: This isn’t an early arriving crowd at all. Real noticeable in such a huge stadium. Nguyen is from Australia so he’s the crowd favorite. Nguyen hurt him with a left and right and took him down. Now he’s in full mount. Benoit gave up his back. He’s got him flattened out near the cage. He’s now working for a choke. Benoit is protecting his neck. Nguyen landing punches now. He flattened him out again and working for a choke Benoit tapped out.
WELTERWEIGHTS- JAMES MOONTASRI (8-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. ANTON ZAFIR (7-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Hard body kick by Moontasri. Good right by Zafir. He went for a takedown but couldn’t get it. Takedown by Zafir. Zafir with punches and a knee to the body. Moontasri back up. Moontasri briefly tried a guillotine. Moontasri moved away. High kick by Moontasri. Front kick by Zafir Spinning backfist by Moontasri put Zafir down and finished him with punches on the ground. It was a spinning back kick to the ribs and then the spinning backfist. Zafir said his ribs were broken.
WELTERWEIGHTS- RICHARD WALSH (8-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. STEVE KENNEDY (22-7, 0-1 UFC)
First round: Walsh from Sydney is the big babyface here. Walsh with low kicks. Kennedy’s leg is about to give out. Walsh landing a lot of punches. Kennedy’s left leg is all bruised up. Kennedy got a takedown and got his back. Walsh back up. Kennedy took him down again. Kennedy is working for a choke. Kennedy now working for a Kimura. Hard round to score 10-9 Walsh.
Second round: Crowd super hot at the start of round two. Walsh landing punches. Kennedy went for a takedown but Walsh landed on top after sprawling. Walsh backed off and wanted him to stand. Good right by Walsh. Kennedy failed another takedown. Kennedy tried a triangle but lost him. Walsh blocked another takedown and Walsh on top landing punches. Walsh landing a lot of punches from the top. Walsh backed off and Kennedy had to get up. Takedown by Kennedy. He’s staying on top. 20-18 Walsh but first round could go the other way.
Third round: Body kick by Kennedy. Walsh with a left. Walsh landing punches and on top. Walsh has his back. Walsh let him up and landed a punch. Kennedy staying on his back. The ref ordered Kennedy to stand. Nice uppercut by Kennedy. Kennedy laid on his back again. Walsh punching and kicking the the left leg Walsh landing punches. Walsh landed a right on the ground. Walsh with a few more punches on the ground. Walsh 30-27, although 29-28 would be okay, but Walsh easily took this
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Walsh.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- DAN KELLY (9-1, 2-1 UFC) VS. STEVE MONTGOMERY (8-3, 0-1 UFC)
First round: Kelly the hometown hero but he’s 38 years old. Nice left by Kelly. Knee by Montgomery to the body. Body kick by Montgomeruy. Big left by Kelly. Kelly landing a lot of punches from close range. Judo takedown by Kelly and he’s landing elbows. Kelly landing punches on the ground. Montgomery back up. Another judo hip toss by Kelly. Kelly landing more punches on the ground. Kelly thinkng a choke. Elbow on the ground by Kelly. Another takedown by Kelly. Kelly 10-9.
Second round: Montgomery landing punches but Kelly got a clinch. Kelly didn’t get the takedown and an elbow by Montgomery. Good left by Montgomery. Both trading punches. Knees by Montgomery from close range. Left by Montgomery. Knee by Montgomery from the clinch. Judo whip by Kelly. Kelly working for a guillotine. Now he’s looking for a D’arce choke. Montgomery back up. Left by Kelly. Another left by Kelly. High kick by Montgomery. Knee by Montgomery. Montgomery landing punches. Uppercut by Montgomery. Kelly is clearly tired. Punches by Montgomery. Knee by Montgomery. Kelly missed a throw. Another knee by Montgomery. Montgomery’s round so 19-19 going into the thrid.
Third round: Knee by Montgomery. Accidental low knee by Montgomery. Left by Montgomery. Montgomery landing all kinds of jabs. Kelly got a clinch. Kelly went for a takedown but Montgomery blocked it. Montgomery landing but Kelly with a good left. Body kick by Montgomery. Another left by Kelly. Kelly got a clinch but Montgomery escaped. Montgomery with jabs. Kelly with a left. Body kick by Montgomery and more punches. Big left by Kelly, Good low kick by Montgomery. Another left by Kelly. Big left by Kelly. Knees by Kelly. Kelly threw him down That may have won him the fight. Kelly has his back. Kelly working for a choke but doesn’t have it. Kelly bleeding. Kelly spun to side mount and into full mount. Kelly landing punches from the top and Kennedy moved. Kelly working for a head and arm choke. He doesn’t have it. Time is running out. But that won him the fight. Good fight. Kelly 29-28.
Scores: All three have it 29-28 Kelly
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
FLYWEIGHTS- RICHIE VACULIK (10-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. DANNY MARTINEZ (16-7, 0-3 UFC)
First round: Martinez throwing punches. Vaculik fought at 155 on TUF and is now fighting at 125. Takedown by Martinez. Elbow by Martinez. Both swinging. Martinez landing punches. Vaculik with a takedown. Martinez escaped. Martinez 10-9.
Second round: Martinez landing punches early. Takedown by Maritnez. Martinez has him against the fence. Martinez dropped him He landed a knee and hard punches. Hard left by Martinez. Takedown by Vaculik and he’s got his back. Martinez reversed to the top. Takedown by Martinez. Martinez landing some punches from the top. 20-18 Martinez.
Third round: Takedown by Vaculik. Takedown by Martinez. Knee by Martinez as Vaculik got up. Vaculik started landking but Martinez took him out again. Another takedown by Martinez. Martinez with punches. Martinez with punches on the ground. Vaculik got up.
Scores: 30-27 across the board for Martinez.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- ANTHONY PEROSH (15-9, 5-6 UFC) VS. GIAN VILLANTE (13-6, 3-3 UFC)
First round: Villante hurt him with a right. High kick by Villante. Villante is a lot more patient than in the past after the Tom Lawlor fight. Villante with right. Good uppercut by Villante. Perosh is wobbly. Body kick by Villante. Left by Villante. Perosh with a right. Villante knocked him out with a right to the jaw.
WELTERWEIGHTS- KYLE NOKE (21-7-1, 5-3 UFC) VS. PETER SOBOTTA (15-4-1, 2-3 UFC)
First round: Noke is from Australia, one of their veteran stars. Sobotta landing punches. Noke landed a great kick to the body and Sobotta collapsed. That was a perfect sick kick. Noke is landing punches on the ground. And it’s over. It was a front kick right to the ribs.
First round: Left by Arreola. Right by Arreola. Left by Arreola. Matthews with punches in the clinch. Arreola tripped him up and landed a good left. Arreola hurt him. He dropped him with a head kick and now has his back He’s working for a choke. More punches by Arreola and he’s again working for a choke. He’s again working for a choke. Matthew escaped and got on top and Mathew pouding the hell out of him Matthews with elbows. Hard round to judge. 10-9 Arreola
Second round: Matthews with a body kick. Takedown by Matthews. Matthews with elbows from the top. Matthews with more elbows and Arreola bleeding. Matthew swith a hard punches and elbows. Now body shots by Matthews. 10-8 round for Matthews so up 19-18.
Third round: The doctor stopped the fight because the cut so Matthews won. The cut over the right eye was pretty deep and was swelling really badly. Arreola was really upset by it.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#14) STEFAN STRUVE (26-7, 10-5 UFC) VS. JARED ROSHOLT (13-2, 5-1 UFC)
First round: Rosholt landed a right. Rosholt with a low kick. Fans booing the lack of action. Rosholt got the takedown. He’s in side control. Fans booing. Rosholt back on top. He moved to side control. Struve kicked him off but Rosholt back on top. Rosholt 10-9. Crowd booing.
Second round: Struve’s s left leg is all bruised up. Rosholt landed a right. Rosholt moved in to try and takedown. Rosholt got the takedown. He got up but Rosholt dragged him down. Rosholt in side control. Struve throwing nasty elbows late in the round with both on their back. Rosholt 20-18.
Third round: Low kick by Struve. Struve landed a left. Right by Struve. Another right by Struve. Low kick by Struve. Rosholt tried for a takedown but Struve blocked it. Rosholt moved in for another takedown. Head kick by Struve. Front kick by Struve. Right and left by Struve. Struve landed a few punches but Rosholt took him down and moved into side control. Struve up and Rosholt shoved him into the fence. Rosholt running away. Struve took him down. Struve landed elbows. Crowd booing. Struve won the round but Rosholt should have it 29-28.
Scores: All three have it 29-28 Rosholt
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#10) URIAH HALL (12-5, 5-3 UFC) VS. (#14) ROBERT WHITTAKER (14-4, 5-2 UFC)
First round: Whittaker came out aggressive. Hard right by Whittaker. High kick by Hall. Body kick and left by Hall. Low kick by Whittaker. Hall went for some Ricochet double spin kick and Whittaker took him down. Left and right from the top by Whittaker. Whittaker got mount but Hall kicked him off. Whittaker landing punches from the top. Whittaker has his back. Hall reversed to the top. 10-9 Whittaker.
Second round: Whittaker rocked him with a right. Whittaker got behind him and stomped his foot. Hall got lucky. He got punched in the eye but the ref called it an eye poke so he got off the hook. Right by Whtitaker. Whittaker bleeding from the nose. Whittaker landed a nice left. Whittaker 20-18.
Third round: Hall out aggressively but Whittaker landing punches that hurt Hall. Whittaker stomping his foot. Hall landed a head kick. Flying knee and another head kick by Hall. Hall with knees the body. Hall coming back. Whittaker just trying to tie him up. Great front kick and head kick by Hall. Whittaker landed a left. Left by Whittaker. Nice right by Whittaker. Hall with a right. Whttaker with a body kick and punch. Whittaker got behind him. Whattaker took him down. Hall’s round so Whittaker 29-28. Really fun fight.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 Whittaker
HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#8) MARK HUNT (10-10-1, 5-4-1 UFC) VS. (#11) ANTONIO SILVA (19-7-1, 3-4-1 UFC)
First round: Low kick by Hunt. They exchanged punches. Hunt with a low kick. Hard body kick by Hunt. Knee by Silva. Another low kick by Hunt. Hunt dropped him and it’s over.
First round: Letourneau punched her and got her down and punching on the ground. Joanna back up. Both throwing knees. Great kick to the face by Joanna which turned Letourneau around. Exchanging punches. Letourneou with high kick. Letourneau 10-9.
Second round: Both exchanging punches. Low kick by Joanna. Joanna threw a kick but Letrouneau caught the leg. Letourneau pushed her against the cage. Elbows by Joanna. Exchanges. Letourneau landed the best shot. Letourneua landed a few. Joanna with a right. Joanna with a series of punches. Joanna’s round close 19-19.
Third round: Nice front kick by Joanna. Joanna with a low kick. Joanna now landing a lot. Letourneau looks tired now. Joanna landing a lot now. Letourneau’s face is all bruised up. Joanna’s round she’s up 29-28.
Fourth round: Good right by Joanna. Front kick by Joanna. She went for another one but Letourneau caught the leg. Both trading shots. Joanna busting her up now. Joanna landing kicks and punches. The crowd is starting to boo now. Letourneau landed some punches. Front kick by Joanna. Joanna landed a lot of punches late in the round. 39-37 Joanna.
Fifth round: Joanna has thrown more than 200 strikes. Body kick by Letourneau. Joanna is too quick at this point. Low kicks by Joanna. Letourneau’s left leg is all red. Low kick and rihg by Joanna. Joanna landing a lot of punches. Letourneau back with a punch. Joanna messed up her left eye and left leg. Very good fight. 49-46 Joanna. Joanna landed 258 total strikes in the fight.
First round: Ronda wouldn’t touch gloves. Holm landed a left. Left by Holm. Right by Holm. Ronda landed with a right. Ronda locked up with her. It’s turning into a kickboxing match. Right by Holm. Right by Holm. Ronda locked her up. Rousey got her down. Holm escaped the armbar. Holm kicking the knee and dancing away. Left by Holm. Big left by Holm. Hard left by Holm. Anothrer left by Holm Ronda with a left. Holm took her down. Crazy. Back in a clich. Holm 10-9.
Second round: Ronda is tired and her nose is all bloody. More lefts by Holm. Side kick by Holm. Rousey missed a punch and fell down. Left head kick by Holm knocked Rousey down and she’s in trouble. Punches on the ground and it’s over. Wow. :59
On a day like this it is difficult to find the words, so I will keep this short. A lot of innocent people in Paris lost their lives to senseless acts of violence. They didn’t deserve it. It is hard to fathom why this happened.
All of us at F4WOnline.com send our condolences, prayers and positive thoughts to those who were effected by this tragedy in Paris.
Joint statement from UFC and Etihad Stadium, the location of tonight’s UFC Rousey vs. Holm event tonight:
Etihad Stadium and UFC jointly send their thoughts and sympathy to those impacted by the terrible incidents which occurred in France.
Regarding tomorrow’s scheduled UFC 193 card at Etihad Stadium, officials from Etihad Stadium, UFC, and Victoria Police have come together to review all major safety protocols and procedures prior to this major event. This risk assessment and planning process takes place before all events held at Etihad Stadium, and the venue, promoter and police will remain diligent in this process in light of today’s tragedies in France.
We have been advised by Victoria Police there is nothing to suggest that tomorrow’s event will in any way be impacted by the events in France, it is important to note that precautions are being taken to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all in attendance.
We’re looking for reports on today’s WWE show in Nottingham, England, NXT in Orlando, ROH in Milwaukee (A.J. Styles & Young Bucks vs. Jay Lethal & Donovan Dijak & Joey Daddiego, Michael Bennett & Matt Taven vs. Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly for tag titles plus Survivor of the Fittest matches with Mark Briscoe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Hanson vs. Kenny King, Jay Briscoe vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Ray Rowe vs. Rhett Titus, Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin vs. Moose, Dalton Castle vs. Silas Young vs. Adam Page and Roderick Strong vs. Cedric Alexander), NXT in Orlando and House of Hardcore in Philadelphia shows.
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We’re also looking for reports on yesterday’s WWE shows in Newcastle, England and Bologna, Italy, yesterday’s NXT in Winter Haven, FL and Wednesday’s show in Rome at Dave Meltzer
We’ll be doing polls this weekend on both UFC 194 and the Tenryu retirement show.
UFC SATURDAY NIGHT FROM ETIHAD STADIUM IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRAILA
Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m. Eastern time
Ryan Benoit vs. Ben Nguyen
Steven Kennedy vs. Richard Walsh
Steve Montgomery vs. Daniel Kelly
James Moontasri vs. Brendan O’Reilly
FS 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern
Richie Vacuik vs. Danny Martinez
Anthony Perosh vs. Gian Villante
Kyle Noke vs. Pete Sobotta
Jake Matthews vs.
PPV AT 10 p.m. Eastern
Jared Rosholt vs. Stefan Struve
Uriah Hall vs. Robert Whittaker
Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Bigfoot Silva
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau for strawweight title
Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm for bantamweight title
TENRYU RETIREMENT SHOW FROM SUMO HALL IN TOKYO AT 1 A.M. EASTERN LATE SATURDAY/10 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
Suwama & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazuyuki Fujita
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Kazuchika Okada
This show features world champions from three different offices, Big Japan (Okabayashi), NOAH (Suzuki) and New Japan (Okada).
Sunday has Insane Championship Wrestling in Glasgow, Scotland with Drew Galloway vs. Grado in what will be the most attended show from a UK based promotion in 33 years, as well as the second day of the Lucha Underground tapings in Boyle Heights, CA.
Raw will be live Monday night from Greenville, SC. The show will feature the quarterfinals of the WWE championship tournament. The quarterfinals have Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto, Kevin Owens vs. Neville and Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler. It’s possible all of these matches will be on Raw, or that some may be taped for Smackdown.
Exclusive news on WrestleMania, how SummerSlam has changed due to the Seth Rollins injury, updates on Rollins, notes on the WWE title tournament and what key stars besides Rollins and Randy Orton are now unlikely to wrestle at WrestleMania is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We also look at the different potential finishes of the WWE title tournament, how it looks to be progressing, a look at the Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock fight and look back 20 years to their two previous fights, lots of notes on the fight, and the back story.
We also look at WrestleMania tickets, the Wayne Rooney angle, Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista update, More on Alberto Del Rio’s outside business and his angle in Puerto Rico, Undertaker week, WWE make more network predictions, notes from the next Madison Square Garden show, notes on Raw this week, Ronda Rousey talks WWE Divas division, what WWE star is ready to return from surgery, plus notes on all the WWE & NXT arena events of the past week and business note.
We also have our monthly business rundown of WWE and TNA, to see how both groups are doing as compared to the same period last year, as well as a breakdown on how every different WWE main event is drawing over the past month.
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
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The Bellas were in Paris yesterday. The were within 6km of some of the attacks. They posted on their twitter and instagram.
Fusion has an article blaming WWE for the political rise of Donald Trump. Trump hosted two different WrestleMania events in the 1980s and also appeared as a cornerman for a Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga match which, at the time, was the biggest-money WrestleMania event in history. Trump had his hair on the line against the hair of Vince McMahon, which, of course, led to Vince being shaved bald.
Danny in the UK wrote in to talk about the “WHO ARE YOU?” chants at the Raw and Smackdown shows for guys like Braun Strowman and Tyler Breeze. “We do not use this chant because we don’t actually know who he is, it’s more of an insult for someone who is new or rather insignificant. It has been popularised at football matches here for example if a big club such as Manchester United played a smaller club such as Doncaster Rovers, everyone here knows who Doncaster are and where they are located but they would use the chant as an insult towards the smaller club. The NXT show will be awesome when it comes to the UK and the crowd will be on fire.”
Information on the next WWE Performance Center All Access weekend in January is up on the WWE.com website.
Here’s a column on Hulk Hogan speaking about the potential of John Cena someday turning heel.
Steve Austin got a mention in this WSJ article about podcasting. (Thanks to Nick DeLeon)
Smackdown was up slightly this week to 2.3 million viewers from the 2.1 million last week.
UFC/MMA
Dana White tweeted the reverse angle of the Ronda Rousey-Holly Holm weigh-in staredown/confrontation.
Here’s the entire thing complete with Ronda’s fiery promo after their altercation at the weigh-ins.
Ronda Rousey was announced as the cover athlete for EA Sports UFC 2 in an extensive trailer talking about how she grew up loving EA Sports games and now gets to be on the cover of one. EA Sports’ site has a list of the new features in the game, while Shaun Al-Shatti at MMAFighting has an interview with game director Brian Hayes.
Ronda on Thursday said that Miesha Tate’s best bet for a title shot was to just wait around for her to retire. She’s been talking retirement a lot lately, and she claimed she had more miles on her body than Miesha did with all of the surgeries and arthritis she said she was battling. She said if Miesha just waited around, she probably could face Holly at some point in a title match. As far as Holm getting the title shot and not Miesha, she noted she’d already beaten Miesha’s ass twice.
A couple of fights recently announced for upcoming UFC cards – For UFC 195 in Vegas on January 2nd, unbeaten Brian Ortega takes on Diego Brandao in a Featherweight bout. For Fight Night 81 in Boston, the loaded FS 1 show headlined by the Dillashaw/Cruz Bantamweight title fight, Lightweight prospects Beneil Dariush and Mairbek Taisumov square off.
Ray Sefo of the World Series of Fighting announced Jake Shields vs. Jon Fitch for the vacant WSOF Welterweight Title on April 1st. The last champion, Rousimar Palhares, was stripped of the title following the fight with Shields earlier this year where he held onto a Kimura too long and allegedly raked Shields’ eyes. Shields was so upset after the fight that he punched Palhares, which ended up with him being disciplined as well.
Other Wrestling
Rey Mysterio called into Busted Open Radio Friday on the anniversary of Eddie Guerrero’s death. On being ready to be World Champion at the time he got the title, Mysterio said, “No, especially not under those circumstances. I guess my career was heading in a different direction. We had just finished our feud with my son, Dominic, and the great story that Eddie put together and how much passion he threw behind that, that character that he was. He was ready to move on with Batista and I really don’t know where I was going, but that changed direction completely for, I believe, for everyone. So I really wasn’t ready at the time, but of course you’ve got to make the best out of it. This was a big opportunity for me and the people knew. The people knew that it was going down for Eddie. I was put on the spot, but I was there representing Eddie.”
Remember Glacier? He did an interview talking about Dusty Rhodes, Lou Thesz, his WCW run, and more.
Pete Gas joins the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast. On Shane McMahon returning to WWE: “I think it’s one of those things where you don’t want to live in your Dad’s shadow. To be honest with you the only person who can truly answer that is Shane. It will always be in his blood to be in the business, whether or not he ever comes back. I don’t know, I couldn’t tell you. But he’s one of those guys that truly loves the business, he loved everything about it but maybe it was something he had to prove to himself.”
The ESPN 30-for-30 documentary Prince Of Pennsylvania that focuses on the Schultz brothers is now available on Netflix.
Maryland Championship Wrestling results (11/13) in Waldorf, MD: G-Fed and The Hell Cats defeated The Kings, Oakley Woods w/Colonel Calihan defeated Rayo, Tessa Blanchard defeated Renee Michelle, MCW Rage TV Champion Brandon Scott defeated Money Green, The Bruiser defeated Paul Jordane, Kimber Lee w/ The Dixon Line defeated Mickie James for the MCW Woman’s Championship after Amber Rodriquez interfered, Lio Rush defeated Eric Chapel w/ Kevin Eck in a no DQ, falls count anywhere match, MCW Champion King McBride defeated Sonjay Dutt to retain. Ric Flair appeared on the show as well. MCW runs Saturday with Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, JJ Dillon, Baby Doll & Tessa Blanchard on the show.
SDW returns to the Richfield American Legion with a Holiday Spectacular on Saturday, December 19.
In case you missed it, UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa dropped by the set of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out this week to help analyze UFC 193, talk about his December fight against Jim Miller, and shoot the breeze in general. It’s free for everyone, so give it a listen here and tell your damn friends.
Our panel:
– Jack Encarnacao (95-37 | .719): Sherdog Rewind host, The Lapsed Fan podcast co-chair
Lots of alliteration going on for this main event, eh? Assuming Rousey decimates Holm, the only fight that makes sense is Lady Cyborg. That’s it, that’s all. No other women in the division is going to test Rousey like Cyborg could in July, and ultimately, that’s what we need. She’s the equivalent of Anthony Davis sent back to the 1945 version of the NBA — so far ahead of her time that no one can stop her.
How the public will take to this fight is interesting. Holm has done nothing to promote other than get a fist up in Rousey’s face during Friday’s weigh-ins that Rousey sold like she was training for another WWE appearance. Legit or showmanship? Given the buzz this week, you can figure that out just as well as I can.
Will the mainstream/casual Rousey fan plunk down the money to watch or will they just wait to hopefully see the fight on Instagram like many got conditioned to do this year? The UFC is worried about that, proactively sending out a notice to media members about not sharing any GIFs or videos of the event, missing that it’s the general social media loving DGAF public that should be the focus of their proactive approach.
I’m more excited for what happens after the fight than the battle itself which I think will wrap up in less than a round. Holm is unbeaten and a former boxing champion in an era long ago, but she’s getting the shot due to a lack of options rather than a truly earned opportunity.
To say the weigh-ins for these two was awkward to watch Friday is an understatement. Seeing nearly emaciated 115-pound women step on the scales isn’t my idea of a fun time.
To the fight itself, Letourneau represents a speed bump on the way to Double J’s eventual title defense with Claudia Gadelha. After two straight decision to open her UFC ledger, Jędrzejczyk has two straight wins by T/KO, two straight bonuses, and a piece of shiny metal and leather around her waist. How the 28-year-old resonates with the mainstream Rousey crowd will be something to watch in the months ahead.
The 32-year-old Letourneau has won all three of her UFC fights by decision, and with all three of her career losses comes against more well-known fighters (Sarah Kaufman, Gadelha, Alexis Davis). She can’t see the image of Jessica Penne’s bloodied face before she steps in the cage, even though the oddsmakers seem to think a similar fate awaits the Canadian.
> Mark Hunt (10-10-1) vs. Bigfoot Silva (19-7-1) II Heavyweights
Rematches of classics rarely, if ever, live up to the hype of the predecessor. With heavyweights, there’s a little more of a chance because if someone gets knocked out, you at least have that to point to. Can Hunt and Silva give us anything close to what they had on that night 2 years and one month ago? Doubtful.
The 41-year-old Hunt is just 1-3-1 since a four-fight win streak brought him to Junior dos Santos’ violent doorstep in 2013. In all three losses, he’s been knocked out by JDS, now-heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, and Stipe Miocic. Any fight could be his last and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Hunt hangs them up after tonight.
Strangely, Silva is also 1-3-1 in his last four after a two-fight win streak brought him to a title shot against then-champion Cain Velasquez. We all know what happened there. In his losses, he was also knocked out all three times (Velasquez, Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski). He could also retire at any time. What time to be a UFC heavyweight!
> Robert Whittaker (14-4) vs. Uriah Hall (12-5) Middleweights
The fight that Mike Chiesa is looking forward to this most is an interesting scrap between two middleweight prospects. Hall is fresh off his short-notice fill-in fight against Gegard Mousasi, one he won in, ahem, SPECTACULAR FASHION. We all still want to understand what Hall we have now (vicious striker vs. passive decision-maker), and if he wins via a T/KO finish for the third straight time, we might have our answer.
This is already the eighth UFC fight for the 24-year-old Whittaker and since he decided to stop cutting to 170, he’s won two in a row by T/KO and three straight overall. Brad Tavares was his last victim, knocked out in just 44 seconds earlier this year.
> Stefan Struve (26-7) vs. Jared Rosholt (13-2) Heavyweights
Struve kept his UFC career alive with a decision win over the now-retired Rodrigo Nogueira in August. Before a heart issue and a two-fight losing streak (Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem) derailed Struve, Double-S had won four straight in 2011-12 and was moving into title contender category. He’s still just 27 which is truly insane.
This is the biggest fight of the 29-year-old Rosholt’s career. A winner in five of his six Octagon tilts, his biggest enemy has been apathy over those wins due to bland, wrestling-filled decisions. This is an interesting fight for both guys as Struve hasn’t fought a wrestler like Rosholt in years, if ever.
Ronda Rousey did a last minute PPV sell job by getting in Holly Holm’s face and saying that she sees through her fake nice girl persona.
While I’m sure they will announce 70,000 as the attendance, the real number will not be close. But Etihad Stadium will be full or very close to it. There were thousands of lower priced tickets left as of yesterday. The gate right now is $8.5 million in Australian dollars which is $6 million plus in U.S. dollars, so it’ll be among the biggest gates in UFC history but not close to the Toronto record or that of the recent WrestleManias.
If you go back five years, it is completely ridiculous that a show headlined by two women’s fights will legit draw more than 45,000 fans live and whether it does or doesn’t, it is entirely possible can do 1 million buys on PPV. The very concept of that would have been unheard of to the point it would be ridiculous.
I guess because of the Rousey vs. Correia numbers, this is the first time for a Rousey headlined show that I haven’t seen tons of stuff about how the show will bomb and how the UFC blew it with putting her on top because nobody is going to buy it. Remember all those WNBA analogies on why this was going to flop?
Joanna Jedrzejczyk whispered to Valerie Letourneau at a media event that she was going to end her career. Most figure that the fighters who have the biggest chances to make themselves stars are Joanna, Holm (if she wins, however great the odds are) and perhaps Robert Whittaker for the Australian market.
There were about 9,000 fans at today’s weigh-in, the second largest number in UFC history.
Nothing from the show is trending on Google, unlike Rousey’s last fight where she started trending days before the fight and did totally ridiculous numbers.
UFC has brought Julianna Pena to Australia, which seems to indicate they may want to have something set up with her and Rousey if Rousey wins. Right now the plan is for Rousey, if she wins, to headline UFC 200 in July next, as she’ll take time off for movie commitments.
We’re looking for reports on today’s WWE show in Nottingham, England, NXT in Orlando, ROH in Milwaukee (A.J. Styles & Young Bucks vs. Jay Lethal & Donovan Dijak & Joey Daddiego, Michael Bennett & Matt Taven vs. Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly for tag titles plus Survivor of the Fittest matches with Mark Briscoe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Hanson vs. Kenny King, Jay Briscoe vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Ray Rowe vs. Rhett Titus, Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin vs. Moose, Dalton Castle vs. Silas Young vs. Adam Page and Roderick Strong vs. Cedric Alexander), NXT in Orlando and House of Hardcore in Philadelphia shows.
We’re also looking for reports on yesterday’s WWE shows in Newcastle, England and Bologna, Italy, yesterday’s NXT in Winter Haven, FL and Wednesday’s show in Rome at Dave Meltzer
We’ll be doing polls this weekend on both UFC 194 and the Tenryu retirement show.
WORLD PRO WRESTLING RETURNS ON AXS TV at 9 p.m.
Kenny Omega vs. Ryusuke Taguchi for IWGP jr. title
Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs. Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata for IWGP tag titles
These matches are from the 1/4 show at the Tokyo Dome.
Tajiri & Tommy Dreamer vs. Ethan Carter III & Eric Young
LEGACY FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS TONIGHT AT 10 P.M. ON AXS TV
Brian Collete (206.6) vs. Manny Mancha (207) in a Legacy light heavyweight kickboxing tournament semifinal
Myron Dennis (208) vs. Andres Van Elgelen (206.7) in a Legacy light heavyweight kickboxing tournament semifinal
Trent Meaux (135) vs. Joel Scott (136)
Kolton Englund (159) vs. Gabe Duhon (163)
Sean Soriano (155) vs. Josh Quayhagen (156)
Ryan Spann (184.1) vs. Leonardo Cruz (184.6) for middleweight title
Winners of the light heavyweight tournament semifinals meet for championship in the main event
WWE finishes out the European tour on Saturday with shows in Minehead, England (Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt) and Stuttgart, Germany (Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for the IC title). We’re looking for reports on those shows, as well as the Lucha Underground tapings which begin tomorrow night in Boyle Heights, CA, ROH in Hopkins, MN featuring the finals of the Survival of the Fittest tournament with the six winners from Friday night’s qualifying matches doing a six-way match, as well as NXT in Sebring, FL and the House of Hardcore show in Queens, NY at the Elmcor Center.
UFC SATURDAY NIGHT FROM ETIHAD STADIUM IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRAILA
Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m. Eastern time
Ryan Benoit vs. Ben Nguyen
Steven Kennedy vs. Richard Walsh
Steve Montgomery vs. Daniel Kelly
James Moontasri vs. Brendan O’Reilly
FS 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern
Richie Vacuik vs. Danny Martinez
Anthony Perosh vs. Gian Villante
Kyle Noke vs. Pete Sobotta
Jake Matthews vs.
PPV AT 10 p.m. Eastern
Jared Rosholt vs. Stefan Struve
Uriah Hall vs. Robert Whittaker
Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Bigfoot Silva
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau for strawweight title
Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm for bantamweight title
TENRYU RETIREMENT SHOW FROM SUMO HALL IN TOKYO AT 1 A.M. EASTERN LATE SATURDAY/10 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
Suwama & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazuyuki Fujita
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Kazuchika Okada
This show features world champions from three different offices, Big Japan (Okabayashi), NOAH (Suzuki) and New Japan (Okada).
Sunday has Insane Championship Wrestling in Glasgow, Scotland with Drew Galloway vs. Grado in what will be the most attended show from a UK based promotion in 33 years, as well as the second day of the Lucha Underground tapings in Boyle Heights, CA.
Raw will be live Monday night from Greenville, SC. The show will feature the quarterfinals of the WWE championship tournament. The quarterfinals have Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto, Kevin Owens vs. Neville and Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler. It’s possible all of these matches will be on Raw, or that some may be taped for Smackdown.
Exclusive news on WrestleMania, how SummerSlam has changed due to the Seth Rollins injury, updates on Rollins, notes on the WWE title tournament and what key stars besides Rollins and Randy Orton are now unlikely to wrestle at WrestleMania is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We also look at the different potential finishes of the WWE title tournament, how it looks to be progressing, a look at the Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock fight and look back 20 years to their two previous fights, lots of notes on the fight, and the back story.
We also look at WrestleMania tickets, the Wayne Rooney angle, Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista update, More on Alberto Del Rio’s outside business and his angle in Puerto Rico, Undertaker week, WWE make more network predictions, notes from the next Madison Square Garden show, notes on Raw this week, Ronda Rousey talks WWE Divas division, what WWE star is ready to return from surgery, plus notes on all the WWE & NXT arena events of the past week and business note.
We also have our monthly business rundown of WWE and TNA, to see how both groups are doing as compared to the same period last year, as well as a breakdown on how every different WWE main event is drawing over the past month.
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
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.
Today is the 10th anniversary of the death of Eddie Guerrero.
As noted earlier today, the Royal Rumble is sold out. Tickets went on sale to the public today although there have been a couple of pre-sales dating back to August.
The largest crowd ever in the U.S. for a legitimate wrestling match will be tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, IA for the Iowa vs. Oklahoma State dual meet. There were 34,000 tickets sold to the event as of Wednesday afternoon, doubling the all-time collegiate dual meet record. With good weather and tons of people expected coming to town for the Iowa vs. Minnesota football game tomorrow night, they are hopeful of a good walkup with talks of 37,000 to 40,000. The show will air on tape delay on the Big 10 Network (DirecTV 610, Dish 405) ion Sunday at about 6:15 p.m. The previous dual meet record was 15,996 fans for the Penn State vs. Pitt meet on December 8, 2013.
Today’s Ben Askren vs. Luis Santos ONE welterweight title fight never happened because Santos weighed in at 172 pounds. Askren then told Santos he would fight him in a non-title match as long as Santos agreed to be weighed in going into the cage at less than 190 pounds. Santos showed up gigantic to Singapore. Santos refused. Victor Cui, the president of ONE, was furious at Santos for turning down the fight. Santos then called Askren a pussy for not accepting the fight under any weight, since the title wasn’t going to be at stake. “If the fight is not for the belt, why does it matter? At this point he’s just scared. I’m ready to fight him, but it looks like he’s not.” Way to dig the hole deeper, buddy
After being fired by WWE today, Billy Gunn was announced as appearing on 2/5 and 2/6 for Preston City Wrestling in the U.K.
There will be a web site get together on Friday, 4/1, for WrestleMania weekend, at the Texas de Brazil Steak house in Dallas at 5 p.m. We’ll have more on that as time approaches
WWE
Brad Maddox was identified on the Tonight Show on Wednesday night. It was at the very end of the show, long after the skit, when everyone on the show was being thanked, they used the name Brad Maddox, even though that’s not his real name.
WWE stock didn’t move today, staying even and closing the weekend at $16.38 per share.
UFC
The Fight Network will be airing UFC 157 (Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche), UFC 175 (Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida; Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis) and UFC 190 (Ronda Rousey vs Bethe Correia) starting at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning until 7 p.m. to build to the Rousey vs. Holm fight.
UFC announced the launch of the UFC app on Amazon’s Appstore, available on all Amazon Fire streaming devices like Amazon Fire TV and the Fire TV Stick. It will have streaming access to all PPVs as well as Fight Pass.
Josh Nason talked with Michael Chiesa on this week’s PunchOut on the web site right now. They talked about his upcoming fight with Jim Miller.
The ESPN 30 for 30 special “The Prince of Pennsylvania,” which was great, is not airing on the U.S. version of Netflix (thanks to Shane Browne)
In the new episode of the Winter Palace podcast, Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated talks about the sports media, including his podcast with Paul Heyman, wrestling podcasts and the Observer column in the National and Frank Deford’s appreciation of it. Deitsch and second guest Leonard F Chikarason each also talk about old school Howard Stern show memories.
Northeast Wrestling tonight in Waterbury, CT at Wilby High School featuring Bret Hart, Velvet Sky, Rey Mysterio, and the Hardys.
There is a Go Fund Me campaign I want to mention for longtime subscriber Patrick Jones. Last May, his body shut down including his arms, and his arms up to his elbows and legs below his knees needed to be amputated. He was just released from the hospital two weeks ago, and still has many more procedures in front of him. There will also be a nine pin bowling tournament to benefit him in Moline, IL at Highland Park Bowl on 12/5 with prizes awarded as a fund raiser. https://www.gofundme.com/patrick_davis
Maryland Championship Wrestling was announced a streaming service called MCWRageTV.com for $4.99 per month to watch footage of all the latest events and new original content.
Lots of people noted that there was a Bullet Club shirt shown at the Jets-Bills game last night.
La Sombra vs. Rush headlines Arena Mexico tonight. It may or may not air at www.ClaroSports.com You never know until showtime whether it’ll air won’t air, or will air and be blocked in the U.S.
CMLL results from Tuesday night in Guadalajara: Nube Roja & Yaqui b Mr. Apolo & Chakal, Espanto Negro & Metalico & Sangre Azteca b Oro Jr. & Soberano & Stigma, Kraneo & Olimpico & Ripper b Angel de Oro & Diamante Azul & Maximo Sexy-DQ, Rey Bucanero b La Mascara to retain the NWA historic light heavyweight title, Euforia & Negro Casas & Mr. Niebla b Atlantis & Mistico & Volador Jr. They set up a main event for this coming Tuesday in the same building with Volador Jr. defending the NWA historic welterweight title against Casas. (thanks to Kris Zellner)
Sunday will be the first time the NWA women’s championship was defended in Japan since the last time Moolah defended there (around 1969). Santana Garrett defends the title at Korakuen Hall against Holidead. (thanks to Al Haft)
Tanner Saraceno from Tough Enough will be fighting tomorrow against Tommy Metzger in a amateur middleweight title fight for UWFFC that will be streaming at GFL.TV
Mecca Pro Wrestling on 11/21 in Cornwall, ONT at the Agora Center featuring Al Snow and Tommy Dreamer.
Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 12/5 in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Fairgrounds featuring Tommy Rich.
Vince Brent vs. Jordan Kage headlines Smoky Mountain Wrestling on 11/27 in Elziabethton, TN at the Evolution Sports Gym.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix tomorrow night in Council Bluffs, IA at the National Guard Armory.
ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)
1967 – Mick McManus beat Clayton Thompson in London to win the British middleweight title
1976 – Jan Wilkens beat Seiji Sakaguchi in Johannesburg to win the EWU Super heavyweight title
1979 – Verne Gagne beat Rusher Kimura in Niigata to win the IWE title
1984 – Marty Jones beat Fit Finlay in Dartford to win the World mid-heavyweight title
1994 – Perro Aguayo Sr. beat Konnan in Ciudad Juarez to win the AAA heavyweight title
1995 – Karula (Harley Saito under a mask) beat Eagle Sawai in Tokyo to win the LLPW title
1995 – Kensuke Sasaki beat Sting in Tokyo to win the U.S. title
1998 – Bestia Salvaje & Scorpio Jr. beat Dr. Wagner Jr. & El Satanico in Mexico City to win the vacant CMLL tag titles
2004 – Alex Shane beat Doug Williams in Coventry to win the British heavyweight title
2005 – Dragon Kid beat Naruki Doi in Nagoya to win the Open the Brave Gate title
2006 – Jeff Hardy beat Johnny Nitro (Johnny Mundo) in Manchester to win the WWE IC title
2010 – Tama Tonga & El Terrible beat Atlantis & Diamante Azul in Mexico City to win the CMLL tag titles
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today with tons of news including the latest on Billy Gunn’s drug test failure and release from WWE with additional details, Royal Rumble tickets gone already, the newest UFC video game and a preview of this weekend, plus Dr. Lucha joins us to talk Alberto Del Rio, the original Mistico getting pinned already, the status of Cibernetico and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Monty “Kip” Sopp, better known as Billy Gunn, was fired today as a trainer by WWE due to testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone in a powerlifting meet from July 25.
Gunn’s drug test at the meet came up with a 37-1 testosterone/epitestosterone ratio, well over the 4-1 limit, and he was suspended from powerlifting for four years.
Billy Gunn, 52, had returned to WWE as a trainer in 2012 after several years away from the organization. He worked as an agent and a trainer, and had a New Age Outlaws nostalgia run in recent years, winning the tag team titles with Road Dogg in early 2014.
He had done occasional run-ins at the end of some NXT shows with he and the babyface wrestlers ending shows doing DX crotch chops. Most recently, he had appeared on television as one of the trainers on Tough Enough and Breaking Ground.
WWE officials were not aware of him competing as a powerlifter until a few weeks ago or his suspension from that sport.
The future of a WWE Superstar, or any pro wrestler for that matter, is no certain thing. So many factors, some controllable, some not, can determine the fate of a wrestler’s career. Only the smallest percent of WWE talents make it to the absolute top: the Shawn Michaels, The Rocks, the Austins, The Undertakers, the John Cenas. In the current era, the majority float around the middle. Some get close to breaking through the glass ceiling and separating themselves from the mid-card pack, while others spiral down into obscurity.
What is it that creates the divide and that differentiates a major star from an enhancement talent? Is it one’s work rate? Look? Mic skills? Charisma? Who one is or is not in a relationship with behind the scenes? That elusive and abstract “it” factor? Plain old dumb luck? Some wrestlers come along who seem to be the complete package, but wind up floundering, while another guy who throws the worst punches known to man and can’t take a bump to save his life gets pushed to the moon and becomes the face of the company for an entire generation. Sometimes, it almost feels like the decision to push or not push a performer is made completely at random.
This unpredictability is especially relevant for the “rookies” of WWE’s NXT for whom the future holds many different paths. Some will never make it past the developmental phase. Some will be promoted to the main roster only to be sent back after failing to get over like they had in NXT. The fortunate will go on to have a successful WWE career. One NXT wrestler who looks destined for big things in the WWE is Chad Gable.
Gable is at an exciting point in his pro wrestling career. He’s currently one of NXT’s most over talents, and has (almost) all the tools needed to become major star. While getting over with the fastidious NXT audience is a worthy accomplishment, they are a comparatively small sample size compared with the larger WWE fanbase. We’ve already seen acts that have gone over like gangbusters in NXT, but fall flat with the larger audience when brought up to the main roster.
To Gable’s credit, he has got over in NXT with his charisma and ability alone, as opposed to some outlandish gimmick, that, while initially entertaining, comes with a limited shelf life. This is a positive sign that Gable will be (G)able to connect with the wider WWE fanbase when he’s brought up to the main roster.
With that said, getting over with the audience is only part of the battle. Fortunately, Gable is a natural when it comes to actual wrestling. Before his arrival at NXT, Gable had trained and competed in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling. He particularly excelled in the latter, winning a number of national championships, and placing ninth at the 2012 London Olympics. Gable has impressively transitioned from amateur to professional wrestling, creating a beautiful blend of sports entertainment and amateur wrestling styles in the process.
He has also shown himself to be very competent on the microphone. Mic work is often the downfall of even the most skilled wrestlers, and the saving grace of some of the less naturally gifted athletes. Do you think the Miz would have ever won the WWE Championship if he wasn’t such a good talker? Gable’s charisma and comedic timing come through not only in his wrestling, but more importantly (in sports entertainment) on the microphone. He’s a naturally gifted wrestler, he can talk, he’s charismatic, and he connects with audience. Gable has just about everything one needs to be top star in the WWE. Well, almost everything.
The only thing, at this point, that might stop Gable from making it to the tippy top is the dreaded size aspect. Gable is billed at 5’8” (173cm). In most professions, that would be irrelevant, but in WWE, admitted or not, size matters. The number of WWE champions under six feet tall can be counted on one hand (with a few extra fingers left over). Guys like Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio have proven that smaller wrestlers can reach the top, but in both cases, they were never really considered the top guys of the company like Cena has been.
With any luck, and if there’s any justice in the world, Chad Gable’s aforementioned attributes will be enough to overcome his sole drawback.
Only the most pessimistic of pessimists would doubt that Gable will make something of himself in the WWE. The real argument is to what extent will he make it. Will he become a top guy, a mid carder, a comedy act, a tag team lifer? Gable draws comparisons to a range of WWE wrestlers, past and present, who fill(ed) those various roles. Gable’s destiny might be to emerge as the second coming, but of who?
The Next Kurt Angle?
Like Angle, Gable is a champion amateur wrestler. Like Angle, Gable represented his country in the Olympic Games, admittedly not faring quite as well despite not even having a broken frickin’ neck. Still, he wrestled in the Olympics. That’s probably, like, super hard to do. Like Angle, Gable transitioned into professional wrestling seemingly effortlessly. Like Angle, Gable’s a good talker with a knack for humour. It’s hard not to argue that Gable is Kurt Angle 2.0. The only real difference is height, and even there, the disparity is minor with Angle billed at 6-0”, four inches taller than Gable. Besides, don’t even try to tell me Gable couldn’t pull off an adorable little cowboy hat. Don’t. Even. Try.
The Next Daniel Bryan?
In case you haven’t been paying attention, Gable is a fan favourite at Full Sail Arena. Gable and tag partner Jason Jordan were the highlight of the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, getting some of the best reactions at NXT TakeOver: Respect despite failing to make the finals. Someone else who is (was?) good at getting the crowd behind him is Daniel Bryan. An argument could also be made for Gable becoming Bryan’s successor. They both have the distinction of being ”smaller guys” in the pro wrestling sense. Yet, it’s that smaller stature among the sea of ex-football playing, bodybuilding gladiators that helps make them such endearing underdogs. It might be the rabid support of the fans that ends up pushing Gable to that next level.
The Next Cesaro?
Of all Cesaro’s skills and attributes one could wish to share, like his amazing work in the ring and charming Swissness, Gable could end up sharing Cesaro’s one main undesirable attribute: being a super talented wrestler whom the fans clearly want to see succeed, but is never given any serious push because of the decision of one man based on vague, shaky reasons. Lamentably, that man is the one who decides who gets pushed and who gets to join the mid-card club. (Side note: nobody steal my Bullet Club Parody shirt #436: Mid Card Club.) Of course, if Chad Gable does become the next Cesaro, his first name will have to join Antonio, Adrian, and Wade up in first name heaven. First name heaven is, by the way, is conveniently located next to last name heaven, where Langston is currently residing.
The Next Santino Marella?
Here’s where that gift for great comedic timing and mic work might come back to bite Chad Gable in the behind. There’s nothing wrong with being the comedy guy. I love the comedy guy. Some of my best friends are comedy guys (I mean, they would be if I had friends). Sometimes you just want more for some wrestlers, especially one this early into his career. Having said that, WWE is missing that reliable comedy guy right now, and nobody, besides perhaps Damien Sandow, has really embraced that role since Santino’s departure from our TV screens. Gable does have a bit of a Les Kellett vibe about him in the ring. There are worse things than being the comedy guy; just ask Curtis Axel. Wait, on second thought…
If anything has been made clear from this exercise in comparisons, it’s that Chad Gable is a talented, well-rounded professional wrestler with the tools to make a name for himself in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. But wrestling is wrestling and nothing is guaranteed.
Gable could blow out his knee like Seth Rollins before getting called up to the main roster. He could get a concussion that puts him on the shelf indefinitely like Daniel Bryan. Or, he could go on to become the next Kurt Angle and have a HOF worthy career. As flattering as it may be to be compared to such talented peers like Bryan and Cesaro, I don’t really want Gable to become the somebody.
Instead, what I truly hope is Chad Gable becomes the first Chad Gable, and that he makes his own mark on the wrestling world. And there’s no better time than now. He’s ready, willing, and Gable, after all.
