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  • Bellator 145 Vengeance live results: Patricio Freire vs. Daniel Straus

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of Bellator 145: Vengeance from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The event is highlighted by two title fights as Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire defends in a trilogy bout against former champion Daniel Straus, and Bellator Lightweight Champion Will Brooks defends his championship against lightweight tournament winner Marcin Held. The card airs on Spike TV at 9 PM eastern time. Preliminary card bouts will air for free on Spike.com with action kicking off at 7 PM eastern time.

    Prelim results:

    Chel Erwin-Davis (3-1) over Adam Cella (3rd round TKO/punches)

    Garrett Gross (7-4) over Jeff Crotty (unan. dec.)

    Kyle Kurtz (5-1) over Steven Mann (1st round sub/triangle)

    Adam Mereditch (5-1) over Jordan Dowdy (1st round sub/rear naked choke)

    Augusto Sakai (9-0) over Alex Huddleston (unan. dec.)

    Kain Royer (2-2) over Clay Mitchell (1st round sub/kneebar

    Fazlo Mulabitinovic (3-1) over Scott Ettling (1st round sub/armbar)

    Rashard Lovelace (2-0) over Brandon Lowe (1st round TKO/ground and pound)

    Bellator 145: Vengeance Preview

    Sean Grande channelling his inner Tony Schiavone 2 minutes into this show, claiming that it could be “the most important night in Bellator MMA history”. Despite this being an “A” show, from the opening it looks and feels like a normal show. In that vein, we get no walk-outs for the opening match and they’re in the cage waiting to fight after a commercial.

    FEATHERWEIGHTS- EMMANUEL SANCHEZ (11-2, 3-1 BMMA) VS. JUSTIN LAWRENCE (8-2, 1-0 BMMA)

    Big John is the ref for the opener. Sanchez pushing forward in the early-going but Lawrence landing a lot  of  shots while backing up. Lawrence barely taking any punishment through 3:45 and Sanchez’ face already starting to show damage. Cage clinch with a minute to go initiated by Sanchez. Lawrence breaks free wiht punches with 10 seconds left. 10-9 Lawrence

    More of the same in Round 2 although Sanchez goes for the clinch earlier, at about 1:30. Sanchez cut over his left eye, from a Lawrence punch according to John McCarthy. Sanchez does connect with some knees from the clinch. McCarthy broke it up at 4:00 and Lawrence started connecting with punches and kicks right away. Sanchez rocked Lawrence with a head kick with about 15 seconds left but probably not enough. 10-9 Lawrence

    Sanchez right to the clinch after eating a couple Lawrence punches. Sanchez has landed 18 kicks to 0 for Lawrence. Not sure about those stats as it sure looked like Lawrence has landed several. Sanchez gets a  takedown at 1:45 but loses position when he tries to take the back and Lawrence ends up on top. Sanchez more active from teh bottom but not really doing any damage and Lawrence just holding him down from the top, not advancing position. Sanchez trying for a kneebar and then a Kimura but loses both. Both to their feet at 4:30 and Sanchez is the agressor. Sanchez with a takedown attempt stuffed right before the closing bell. 10-9 Sanchez, but Lawrence should take it. Round 2 was close tho.

    WINNER – EMMANUEL SANCHEZ (12-2) by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x 2)

    Sanchez put over Lawrence in his post-fight promo but didn’t really have much else to say. In a pretaped sitdown interview with Jimmy Smith, Lashley promised to take the judges out of the equation tonight. Thompson said that he’s been Lashley’s toughest test and his six fight win streak has been against jobbers. Sean Grande promises a special guest after the break….IT’S TRUE….IT’S DAMNED TRUE

    HEAVYWEIGHTS- BOBBY LASHLEY (13-2, 3-0 BMMA) VS. JAMES THOMPSON (20-14 1 NC, 1-0 BMMA)

    They showed clips from the Bellator fanfest and Angle put it over as a lot of fun. Angle said that he would’ve gone into MMA in 1998 if it were as big as it is now. He has no regrets. Sean Grande asked him flat-out if he would fight in the Bellator cage. He said that it is a possibility. We do get the big walkouts for this fight. Thompson is like the male Eva….All Red Everything. Very very red. Except for his gloves, ironically enough. Lashley’s entrance is nothing special although the American flag does feature prominently in the display. Thompson’s notable wins include Don Frye and Dan Severn, in addition to Lashley. 

    Mike England is the ref and makes sure to pass on God’s blessings to both guys, as per usual. Lashley with a takedown right away. Lashley takes his back and landing punches from behind. Thompson’s done. 

    WINNER – BOBBY LASHLEY (14-2) by TKO at 54 seconds (ground and pound)

    On the replay it looks like Thompson may have torn his hamstring during the takedown. Lashley says he heard Thompson’s knee pop during the takedown. He didn’t have much to say in terms of future plans. He did come up and hug Angle after the fight.

    Josh Thomson was interviewed at cageside about his fight on December 4th. He is completely overlooking his next fight, saying that once he beats him, it’s all title shots from there on out. Sean Grande said “the fall of Bellator continues”. Yes, he said that. Another pretaped sitdown interview with both Rickells and Chandler previewed the next fight. Rickells says he was “an ape” that didn’t understand the fight game in their last fight (he was knocked out in the first round). Chandler says if he were Rickells’ manager he wouldn’t have allowed him anywhere near this fight. 

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- MICHAEL CHANDLER (13-3, 10-3 BMMA) VS. DAVID RICKELS (16-3 1 NC, 10-3 1 NC BMMA)

    David Rickels’ entrance was spectacular as usual. He wore a wolf’s head and carried a caveman club. Chandler is a local so over huge with the live crowd. He came out to “Comin’ Home” by P. Diddy, the song that the Rock used at the Miami Wrestlemania but it  quickly transitioned into something else. Mike England is the ref and passed on God’s blessing to both gentleman. They both hope for the same blessing that Lashley got and not James Thompson.

    Chandler all over Rickels early and Rickels gets a quick takedown but Chandler sweeps and ends up on top. Neither guy doing much on the ground although Chandler does land a few elbows to the head. Chandler to his feet at 3:00 and Rickels has to follow. Chandler with a takedown at 4:00 after dominating the standup. Chandler working for an armbar from the top but gives it up quickly. 10-9 Chandler

    Chandler outstruck Rickels 40-16 in Round 1. Chandler with a takedown 45 seconds in. Rickels up fairly quickly. Rickels coming on with punches but Chandler drops him with a punch and applies a guillotine on the way down. Rickels out but he’s bleeding from the nose and mouth. Chandler all over him with ground and pound. Rickels tries to get to his feet and Chandler with another guillotine. Rickels face is a bloody mess and Chandler all over him. Ref finally stops it, maybe a little late.

    WINNER – MICHAEL CHANDLER (14-3) by TKO (ground and pound)

    Chandler gave all the credit to his coaches after  the fight. He pleaded with Scott Coker to keep booking St. Louis. He wants the winner of the Brooks/Held fight and thinks that he’s the best lightweight in the world. Ken Shamrock, Kurt Angle and Scott Coker were shown talking at cageside and they promised a “major Bellator announcement” after the break.

    They announced two fights for Rizin on New Year’s Eve. Gaby Garcia and Le’D Tapa and King Mo in a Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. And it will air on New Year’s Day at 10 am eastern, not New Year’s Eve, as previously announced. 

    BELLATOR LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) WILL BROOKS (16-1, 8-1 BMMA) VS. MARCIN HELD (21-3, 10-2 BMMA)

    Marcin Held’s entrance started with clips of Jimmy Smith talking about how dangerous he is. Kind of cool. Brooks had a sampling of the Beastie Boys at the start of his entrance, winning my favor. He’s looked great in Bellator so far but this nonsense with the Pitbulls can’t be helping things. Big John gets the dukes here.

    Held with a takedown 30 seconds in an complete it 15 seconds later. Brooks sitting on the canvas with his back against the cage and landing punches. Held not doing much but is always seconds away from a sub when they’re on teh ground. Brooks to his feet at 3:00 but Held still in control of a clinch. Brooks with a takedown at 3:15 but Held with an armbar attempt from the bottom. Gives that up but working for a kneebar. Held has the kneebar and it looks pretty tight. Brooks escapes but still in trouble at 4:30. 10-9 Held

    Brooks with a takedown 15 seconds in. Quickly into side control. Held works him back to guard. Held working for a triangle but Brooks powers out. Held with an Oma Plata attempt but Brooks powers out of that. Held with a toe hold/knee bar combo but gives it up. Brooks manages to maintain top control the whole time. Brooks into mount at 2:30. Brooks landing punches to the body and head and gets a head triangle. Held works him back to half-guard but still in trouble. Brooks back into mount at 3:30 but gives up the choke. Brooks with a body triangle at 4:00 and landing elbows to the head. Held gives up his back with 15 seconds left. 10-9 Brooks

    Held shoots for a takedown at the start and just stays on the ground when he misses and Brooks follows into top position. Brooks up 35-5 in ground and pound strikes through 2 rounds. Not a lot happening on the ground through 2:30 and the crowd losing patience. Brooks landing elbows to the head and punches to the body while Held continuing to look for submissions from the bottom. Held with a kneebar attempt but Brooks powers out with punches to the head. Held with a heel hook attempt at 4:30. 10-9 Brooks

    Held to the ground right away and locks in an inverted heel hook. Brooks works out of it and ends up in top position by 1:30. Brooks continuing to do damage from the top and opens up a cut to the side of Held’s eye. Sean Grande promises a MAJOR announcement still to come. Brooks continuing to do damage from the top and Held has almost nothing left from the bottom. Held with a kneebar attempt and transitions to a toehold at 4:15. Brooks powers out but that was actually pretty close. Brooks with a head and arm choke with 15 seconds left and Held gets out. 10-9 Brooks

    Ground and pound strikes are 86-9 for Brooks through 4 and Brooks with a takedown 45 seconds in. McCarthy stands them up at 3:00 after nothing much happened. Brooks lands a few shots standing and goes right to a clinch. Held with a takedown attempt but Brooks ends up on top at 3:30. Brooks just holding him down, landing occasional shots and Held doing nothing from the bottom. 10-9 Brooks, almost a 10-8 really.

    Rumours are that the big announcement is Shamrock-Gracie 3 in February in Houston.

    WINNER – WILL BROOKS (17-1) by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46 x 2)

    Brooks popped his knee in the first round, which is why he kept going to the ground. That’s pretty amazing that he went 4 more rounds against a guy with the submission skills of Held. MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT……after the break.

    As rumoured, Shamrock-Gracie 3 will take place February 19th in Houston. Both were there for the announcement, which was made by Kurt Angle. Scott Coker also announced the return of Kimbo Slice on that show, to face Dada 5000. 

    BELLATOR FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) PATRICIO FREIRE (24-2, 12-2 BMMA) VS. DANIEL STRAUS (24-6, 10-3 BMMA)

    Big John’s the ref for this one. Tentative standup early and Pitbull initiated a cage clinch at 1:15. Quick separation. Pitbull back to the clinch but Strauss punches out of it. Straus with a takedown attempt but stuffed. Brooks gets a takedown at 3:45 but Friere right up. Brooks connects with a jumping knee that stuns him but he shakes it off. Close round, 10-9 Straus for the takedown and the knee. 

    Pitbull with a cage clinch and lands some knees at 1:00. Separation at 1:45. Straus knocked Pitbull down with a punch and follows him to the ground. Friere grabs an armbar and almost gets a sub but Straus powers out and laying in elbows and punches from the top. Pitbull weathers it and working for a Kimura but his eyes are glazed. Straus working for a guillotine but gives it up quickly. Straus with light punches to the body and going for the guillotine again. Friere just covering up at 4:00 and trying to last out the round. Pitbull back to his feet and landing elbows and punches. Straus firing back. Incredible action for a few  seconds there. Straus stalking him as the round closes. 10-8 Straus

    Pitbull’s corner between rounds – “You’re aware you got knocked out, right?”. Straus stalking him to start again and stuns him with a hard left. Pitbull still standing. He’s eating hard shots and not even close to defending them. Straus went for a takedown but stuffed and ate a couple hard punches at 1:15. Straus continually landing hard straight lefts. Pitbull with a nice right hook that lands hard at 3:00. Straus with a takedown attempt but stuffed at 3:45. Pitbull drives him into the cage but backs off. Pitbull poked in the eye at 4:15. He only takes about 30 seconds of his allotted 5 minutes. Pitbull starting to dodge some of the punches now. Nice punch exchange to close the round. 10-9 Straus

    Straus with a takedown attempt 30 seconds in but stuffed by Pitbull. Straus seems to be slowing down a bit. Accidental headbutt causes a break but McCarthy didn’t see it at first and Straus almost got a free shot in when Pitbull backed off. Nice punch combo by Straus at 2:15. Pitbull backs up Straus with a punch combo at 3:30. Straus with a takedown attempt and Pitbull stuffs it. Straus may have hurt his left hand as he’s not throwing it anymore. Pitbull backs up Straus with a punch combo at 4:15. Straus with a nice punch/kick combo at 4:30. Pitbull with a punch combo at 4:45, backing Straus up to the cage. 10-9 Friere

    Nice punch exchange at 45 seconds. Pitbull with a takedown attempt at 1:00 but stuffed by Straus. Pitbull with a takedown at 2:15 and takes his back. Pitbull with a body triangle and Straus turtling up a bit. Pitbull landing punches from behind. Pitbull loses the body triangle at 3:15. Straus to his feet at 3:30 but Pitbull with a neck crank. Gives it up quickly. Both guys firing at each other at 3:45. Pitbull with a nice combo at 4:15. Pitbull just peppering him with punches with 30 seconds left. Straus almost down at the end. 10-9 Pitbull. Straus should take it but it all depends on how Round 1 was scored.

    WINNER AND NEW FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION – DANIEL STRAUS (25-6) by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47 x 2)

  • Point/Counterpoint: Are there too many Bellator MMA shows?

    Photo: Sherdog.com

    Even with today’s online attack culture environment turning debate into a terrible, overproduced thing, there is still a place for two people to organically disagree on a topic and let the world decide who they think is right: ESPN First Take! (Just kidding.)

    Paul Fontaine and I found we disagreed on the topic of whether there are too many Bellator shows, so I suggested we do a Point/Counterpoint on it. Let us know what you think on Twitter who you agree with. 

    You can catch Paul’s coverage of Bellator Vengeance Friday night, and listen to a preview of the entire weekend with myself and MMA Fighting’s Shaheen Al-Shatti on the latest JNPO.

    Enjoy!

    *****

    Josh’s Take —

    On a recent JNPO with MMA Weekly’s Erik Fontanez, we talked about Bellator 144 and noted that other than Michael “Venom” Page, there wasn’t a ton on the show to get psyched about. Fans seemed to agree as the show drew just 555,000 viewers — the lowest numbers of any show of the Scott Coker era.

    In looking ahead, that number might get worse and the reason for that — wait for it — is too many shows! Granted, I understand that there may be contractual obligations to casinos left over by the Bjorn Rebney era, but the amount of B shows are hurting their ability to put on meaningful and fun five fight shows.

    Here’s what I’m talking about:

    From tonight’s Bellator 145 event through December 4, Bellator has three shows: one major “tentpole” show and two B shows. The St. Louis A show has a good TV lineup other than Justin Lawrence vs. Emmanuel Sanchez which doesn’t need to be on the main card.

    In two weeks, they return with a Oklahoma B show that only has three main card fights announced thus far with Melvin Manhoef vs. Hisaki Kato as a main event, followed by a Bubba Jenkins fight and a Ricky Rainey fight, all of which should be on the undercard of the St. Louis show. However, Manheof/Kato in place of Lawrence/Sanchez tonight would be great.

    Two weeks after that, the promotion returns to San Jose for another B show headlined by Josh Thomson against a guy who doesn’t even have a headshot on the Bellator website. Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Daniel Weichel is the only other main card fight announced and we’re now less than a month away from the show.

    Why do all these shows need to exist? Bellator should be focused on maximum impact anytime they hit the TV screen and instead, they are doing just what the UFC frequently does: fill airtime with a mid-level product that doesn’t leave us wanting more.

    Scott Coker is a smart guy and he’s got to know Bellator has to be better than this. I hope for his sake that Spike TV agrees and believes that with combat sports, less is truly more.

    *****

    Paul’s Take —

    After listening to JNPO (great show by the way, strongly recommended), I emailed Josh about this as I have a different opinion. In this case, I think that Bellator’s problems this year have actually been not enough shows.

    When Bellator started on Spike TV before the Scott Coker era, they would run weekly in “seasons”, using a tournament format. They took periodic breaks where they would run one show a month. During that time, they had a fairly steady fanbase that would generally fluctuate between 600,000 and 800,000 viewers. I feel that the reason for this is that when they were running weekly, there is a segment of the audience that knew that if they wanted to watch MMA, they could tune into Spike TV and Bellator would be on.

    MMA, and especially pro wrestling fans, are creatures of habit. Having a show every week on the same station in the same time slot is generally going to keep a fairly consistent audience. If the shows are good, the audience will trend upward. But when they’re running an erratic schedule, sometimes on Saturdays, sometimes taking a month off, you get what you’ve gotten this year. Over the next little while, and actually dating back to the last Bellator show, they are running bi-weekly from mid-October until early December.

    Friday’s “A” show is fairly stacked by Bellator standards. Yes, the Justin Lawrence-Emmanuel Sanchez fight would be better served on the prelims, but Bellator has an excuse here as Pat Curran was originally scheduled to fight former UFC fighter Lawrence. Sanchez stepped up as a late replacement and this should be a fun fight.

    The next “B” show is now finalized, and looks not so bad. Melvin Manhoef and Houston Alexander are the most familiar names on the show and it also features prospects Bubba Jenkins and Chidi Njokuani. I think that the stronger than usual B show lineup, combined with a more regular schedule, will result in a better viewership number for Bellator. The last show in December will feature Josh Thomson and former WSOF Featherweight champion Georgi Karakhanyan and Josh Koscheck is rumoured to be making his promotional debut on that show as well, so it should do fairly well.

    Time will tell, but I think that Bellator might feel similar to the way I do as plans for next year are for a more regular schedule with an increase in the number of both A and B shows and also running a wider variety of markets and venues.

  • Daily update: WWE Shuffles their lineup, Bobby Lashley fights James Thompson

    We’re looking for reports on today’s WWE shows in London, England (Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for IC title, Kane vs. Big Show, Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze), Barcelona, Spain (Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt, Usos & Ryback vs. Braun Strowman & Luke Harper & Erick Rowan; Alberto Del Rio vs. Neville vs. King Barrett for U.S. title) and NXT in Jacksonville, FL.  Please email NEWSTIPS@WRESTLINGOBSERVER.COM

    BELLATOR TONIGHT FROM THE SCOTTRADE CENTER IN ST. LOUIS AT 9 P.M. ON SPIKE

    Justin Lawrence (146) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (145.6)

    Bobby Lashley (239.5) vs. James Thompson (264)

    Michael Chandler (155.75) vs. David Rickels (155.75)

    Will Brooks (154.8) vs. Marcin Held (154.8) for the lightweight title

    Patricio Pitbull Freire (144.4) vs. Daniel Straus (144.4) for the featherweight title

    NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING RETURNS AT 9 P.M. EASTERN/6 PACIFIC ON AXS TV

    Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP heavyweight title from the 1/4 show at the Tokyo Dome

    It should be noted the Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi match from the same show will air at 8 p.m.

    EVOLVE IPPV TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. EASTERN AT WWW.WWNLIVE.COM

    Timothy Thatcher vs. Johnny Gargano for Evolve title

    Drew Galloway vs. Caleb Konley

    Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle

    TJ Perkins vs. Anthony Nese

    Ethan Page vs. Peter Kaasa

    RESURRECTION FIGHTING ALLIANCE TONIGHT AT 10 P.M. ON AXS TV FROM THE MYSTIC SHOWROOM IN PRIOR LAKE, MN

    Marc Hummel (170.4) vs. Logan Storley (170.4)

    Clay Wimer (145.2) vs. Sean Richman (145.2)

    Dakota Cochrane (170.4) vs. Ben Neumann (170.4)

    Craig Eckelberg (170.5) vs. Ben Smith (170.5)

    Landon Vannata (155.4) vs. Chad Cherry (155.4)

    Leandro Higo (135.2) vs. Melvin Blumer (135.2)

    NEW JAPAN POWER STRUGGLE AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME/MIDNIGHT PACIFIC ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

    Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi & Mascara Dorada vs. Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka & David Finlay & Jay White

    Togi Makabe & Captain New Japan & Juice Robinson vs. Doc Gallows & Tama Tonga & Cody Hall

    Hirooki Goto vs. Evil (Takaaki Watanabe)

    Alex Shelley & Kushida & Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. Young Bucks & Kenny Omega & Chase Owens

    Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. Rocky Romero & Trent Baretta for Super Junior tag team tournament finals

    Toru Yano & Yoshi-Hashi vs. A.J. Styles & Bad Luck Fale

    Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma for Never Open weight title

    Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazuchika Okada & Kazushi Sakuraba

    Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karl Anderson for IC title

    A few notes for the show.  The big tease has been a mystery guy showing up after the main event who will challenge for the IC title at the Tokyo Dome.  This is the next to last PPV before the Dome, so expect some angles on this show to build to Dome matches.  They will either announce the tag team tournament lineup tonight, or in a day or two at the press conference, as well as announce a lot of the Tokyo Dome card.  The winner of the Super Junior tournament will challenge Fish & O’Reilly at the Tokyo Dome, but that could be a multiple team match.  In the eight-man juniors match, good booking would have it that Omega gets pinned and whoever does that becomes his top contender at the Dome.  Goto vs. Watanabe is the biggest match of Watanabe’s career. 

    WWE runs Saturday in Leeds, England (Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for IC title, Kane vs. Big Show, Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze), Madrid, Spain (Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt; Usos & Ryback vs. Braun Strowman & Luke Harper & Erick Rowan, Alberto Del Rio vs. Neville & King Barrett for U.S. title) and NXT is in Largo,FL.

    UFC ON FIGHT/PASS FS1 FROM SAO PAULO, BRAZIL SATURDAY NIGHT

    Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern

    Matheus Nicolas vs. Bruno Korea

    Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera

    Viscardi Andrade vs. Gasan Umalatov

    FS 1 at 8 p.m.

    Chas Skelly vs. Kevin Souza

    Clay Guida vs. Thiago Tavares

    Yan Cabral vs. Johnny Case

    Gleison Tibau vs. Abel Trujillo

    Corey Anderson vs. Fabio Maldonado

    Gilbert Burns vs. Rashid Magomedov

    Piotr Hallman vs. Alex Oliveira

    Thomas Almeida vs. Anthony Birchak

    Glover Teixeira vs. Patrick Cummins

    Vitor Belfort vs. Dan Henderson

    WWE runs Sunday in Birmingham, England (Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for IC title; Kane vs. Big Show; Dolph Ziggler vs Tyler Breeze) and Liverpool, England (Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt, Usos & Ryback vs Braun Strowman & Luke Harper & Erick Rowan, Alberto Del Rio vs. Neville vs. King Barrett for U.S. title).

    EVOLVE IPPV SATURDAY NIGHT AT 7 P.M. AT www.WWNLive.com

    Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Galloway

    Johnny Gargano vs. Drew Gulak

    Caleb Konley vs. TJ Perkins

    Tracy Williams vs. Matt Riddle

    Anthony Nese vs. Peter Kaasa

    Ethan Page vs. Lio Rush

    Raw is Monday in Manchester, England.  Right now nothing is announced for the show.  The show will be airing on a few hour tape delay, not live.

    Smackdown is Tuesday in Manchester, England.  Undertaker is being advertised for this show.

    Figure Four Weekly:

    Figure Four Weekly (10/2/15): WWE 2K16 Review
    2K Sports and Yuke’s turn around WWE video game series with a reinvigorated title boasting huge roster.

    ****

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    Here is the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer: November 9, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2015 Hall of Fame Issue

    Our most talked about issue of the year, the 2015 Hall of Fame issue is up on the site right now.  This is a double-issue featuring notes on the seven new inductees, the complete balloting results for the year along with last year, plus how the top candidates did with reporters, historians, and those who are currently and formerly in the business.  You’ll see how the different groups voted, as well as notes on everyone who went in, what kept those who came close from getting in, thoughts on next year’s ballot, and a look at the careers of the inductees.  There is also a super history of Montreal wrestling in the new issue, as well as a story on the modern Mexican scene.

    The issue features a ton of old Southern history, coverage of one of the top heels of the 70s, the biggest matches ever held in Puerto Rico, a complete WWE business rundown with reactions from Vince McMahon and George Barrios, what the numbers say, profits in every category, the Wall Street reaction to the numbers, lots of network information broken down including who watches what, the current WWE profitability level vs. historical levels, as well as where the money comes from, and the last three years of PPV business being charted and the surprising staying power of PPV.  We also look at every other aspect of WWE business.

    We also have an in-depth update on the situation with Alberto Del Rio, WWE, AAA, TNA, Lucha Underground, Rizin and everyone else that had interest in him.  We look at how things changed in the last week, have comments from WWE regarding what he can and can’t do, both sides of contradictory stories, the big move AAA made this past week due to his leaving, what the situation is with the AAA Mega heavyweight title, the good and bad of working with WWE vs. indies from a short and long-term financial situation, what Mexican star did WWE show interest in, and how this affects AAA and Lucha Underground.

    CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

    You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@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.

    CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

    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.

    FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

    • WWE shuffles injury-plagued lineup for overseas tour”>As noted earlier today, Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for the IC title was being moved to the “Rollins” tour to replace the injured Seth Rollins starting with today’s show in London at the O2 Arena.
    • WWE has to make a key decision this week regarding who will be the top heel.  Alberto Del Rio is already earmarked for John Cena, but Roman Reigns is slotted as the top babyface and Brock Lesnar as the top attraction.  With Bray Wyatt having just had a Hell in a Cell match with Reigns, he’s not the right guy for right now.  The heel is either going to have to win the tournament, or be the key opponent for whoever wins the tournament.  So the choices are Kevin Owens, Big Show, Braun Strowman, or turning a face like Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler or Dean Ambrose.
    • Kurt Angle announcing tonight’s Bellator, Lashley fights Thompson”>Besides Kurt Angle doing some announcing and Bobby Lashley fighting, Ken Shamrock has claimed he will be making a big announcement at tonight’s Bellator show. 
    • Former UFC fighter Alan Belcher announced his retirement.  He said he’s doing it with no regrets.
    • Regarding the Jerry Jarrett and Shane Douglas promotion, these are two different promotions both looking at starting up and are not affiliated.  The Douglas group, Classic Wrestling Revolution, put out a trailer video.  
    • For tonight’s CMLL show at Arena Mexico, there is a rare last minute change in the card.  La Mascara is off the card so Rush will team with Mistico against La Sombra & Volador Jr.  This has Rush & Sombra, usual tag partners, each teaming with babyfaces.  La Mascara is a regular partner of Rush.  The idea that the match would be everyone turning on Volador is less likely with Mistico as his partner.  Rush & Mistico are actually brothers, and haven’t teamed up in three years.  

    WWE

    • WrestleMania tickets went on sale today at Ticketmaster.  There must be a high demand because the last time I checked for options the wait time was nine minutes.  Aside from ringside, the best tickets available as of a few hours ago were in the 200s section priced at $207.   
    • Eva Marie and Linda McMahon represented WWE last night in accepting the Corporate Leadership Award from Soldier Strong. 
    • The Boogeyman announced that he’s signed a WWE Legends deal.  The Young Bucks then posted that they would be signing one next, but that was a spoof. 
    • Video review of WWE 2K16 in the New York Daily News

    UFC

    • For those coming to Las Vegas for the three big shows next month, here are some events taking place:

    Tuesday 12/8

    Open workouts at 12:30 p.m. at the MGM Grand Casino floor with Rose Namajunas, Paige VanZant, Jim Miller, Michael Chiesa, Sage Northcutt and Cody Pfister

    Wednesday 12/9

    Media day at 10:30 a.m. (closed to the public) featuring 18 fighters that weekend at the MGM Grand.

    Press conference open to the public at 1 p.m. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena with Dana White, Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor, Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes.

    Weigh-ins for the Thursday show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 4 p.m.

    Thursday 12/10

    Open workouts at 10 a.m. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena with Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor, Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold open to the public and free

    Weigh-ins at 2 p.m. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena

    Live show at 3:45 p.m. at The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan Hotel

    Friday 12/11

    UFC 194 weigh-ins at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 3 p.m. (one hour earlier than usual)

    Live show headlined by Frankie Edgar vs Chad Mendes at 4:30 p.m. at The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan

    Saturday 12/12

    UFC 194 at 3:30 p.m. from the MGM Grand Garden Arena

    • UFC Fight Pass is “Powered by Miesha” in November with new features including her going into depth of her two Ronda Rousey fights and analyze what Holly Holm can expect next week, as well as preview the Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau fight.  There will also be a Fightography with Tate talking about her career starting as the only girl doing high school wrestling at her school to holding the Strikeforce bantamweight title.  She also has another feature talking about the best fights of her career.
    • Monster Energy announced a marketing deal with Ronda Rousey.

    MISCELLANEOUS

    • Dr. Wagner Jr. is replacing Alberto Del Rio on the first ZZ Inc. pro wrestling show tomorrow night in Veracruz, teaming with Blue Demon Jr. & Rey Mysterio Jr. against Low Ki & Johnny Mundo & Roderick Strong.  Garza Jr. (the nephew of Hector Garza) will team with El Hijo del Dos Caras (the brother of Alberto Del Rio) & The Original Psicosis vs. Brodus (Clay) & Mesias & Pentagon.  Among the guys working the undercard are Speedball Mike Bailey, Willie Mack, Mr. 450 from Puerto Rico and Seiya Sanada from Japan.
    • Flamita, wrestling as Fireball, is also on the Veracruz show.  He was also booked for CaraLucha on Saturday night in a four-way.  Angel de Oro replaces him in the main event, against Caristico (ex-Myzteziz), Herichero and Cavernario.    
    • AAA is taping television tonight in Xalapa headlined by Rey Mysterio Jr. & Fenix & Psycho Clown vs. Low Ki & Johnny Mundo & Pentagon Jr.
    • Maryland Championship Wrestling on 11/13 in Waldorf, MD at the Unique Sports Academy and 11/14 in Joppa, MD at the MCW Arena.  Appearing in Waldorf are Ric Flair, Baby Doll and Mickie James.  Mickie James faces Kimber Lee and Renee Michelle faces Tessa Blanchard.  Appearing in Joppa are Flair, Tully Blanchard and JJ Dillon.
    • As noted yesterday, Glory debuts on ESPN today.  The live show from Milan, Italy, featuring Robin Van Roosmalen (34-6, 19 KOs) vs. Sitthicha Sitsongpeenong (103-28-5, 28 KOs) for the lightweight title and legendary Giorgio Petrosyan (81-2-1, 36 KOs) vs. Josh Jauncey (23-5, 12 KOs) airs live at 4 p.m. Eastern on ESPN 3, the company’s streaming service.  A taped version of the show airs at 1:30 a.m. tonight on ESPN 2.
    • Ethan Carter III vs. Shane Sabre headlines for Superkick’d tomorrow night in Toronto at The Great Hall. 
    • CMLL from Tuesday night in Guadalajara:  Mr. Trueno & Rey Trueno b Explosivo & Star Black, Hombre Bala Jr. & Magnum & Super Halcon Jr. b Artillero & Metalico & Rafaga Delta & Esfinge & Guerrero Maya Jr. b Disturbio & Virus & Bobby Z, Brazo de Plata & La Mascara & Maximo Sexy  b Olimpico & Rey Bucanero & Ripper, Atlantis & Mistico & Volador Jr. b Euforia & Negro Casas & Mr. Niebla-DQ.  La Mascara made Bucanero submit to set up Bucanero defending the NWA Historic light heavyweight title against La Mascara this coming Tuesday in the same arena.
    • Promociones Salinas runs on 11/14 at Salon los Portales in Mission, TX headlined by Temblor & Valiente & Volador Jr. vs. La Mascara & La Sombra & Virus.
    • My Life My Power Entertainment has a live show at 11/14 at 5 p.m. at Jackson High School in Miami.  Step into my Sole will be donating $200,000 worth of Saucony shoes for every student and teacher who attends. 
    • Regarding the nickname The Bash Brothers for Melvin & Marvin Blumer that we noted earlier in the week previewing tonight’s RFA show and that it came from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, it should be noted that Kyle Shiely, a longtime reader and correspondent for this site was the one who came up with it, taken of course from Mark McGwire & Jose Canseco when they played for the Oakland A’s.
    • A tribute video to Mitsuharu Misawa
    • And 41 years ago today, check out this show in Miami Beach during the heyday, what a great talent lineup:

    Frank Monte b Gene Lewis

    Bruce Swayze d Frank Hester

    Tony Parisi b Greg Valentine

    Danny Hodge b Bobby Duncum

    Dick Slater b Bob Backlund

    Don Muraco b Mongolian Stomper

    Dusty Rhodes & Jerry Brisco b Cowboy Bill Watts & Terry Funk

    Bob Armstrong b Dory Funk Jr. via DQ to retain the North American title  

    ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)

    1967 – Jim Breaks beat Alan Sargent in Leeds to win the British middleweight title

    1977 – Mighty Inoue & Animal Hamaguchi (father of the Olympic woman wrestler) beat Great Kojika & Motoshi Okuma to win the All-Asia tag team title

    1992 – Mr. Pogo & Crash the Terminator (Bill DeMott) beat The Head Hunters in Sapporo to win the WING tag title

    2006 – Masahiro Chono & Shinsuke Nakamura beat Koji Kanemoto & Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the G-1 tag team tournament in Tokyo

    2008 – Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Togi Makabe & Toru Yano in Tokyo to win the G-1 tag team tournament in Tokyo

    2011 – Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki beat Giant Bernard (Matt Bloom) & Karl Anderson in Tokyo to win the G-1 tag team tournament in Tokyo

    2013 – The Young Bucks beat Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov in Tokyo to win the Super Junior tag team tournament in Tokyo  

  • FREE TODAY! WOL 11/6: Seth Rollins injury, Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame discussion

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with a FREE show today talking all the news in WWE regarding Seth Rollins and where they go from here, the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame issue available now for subscribers and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

    Information on how to read the new Wrestling Observer Newsletter 2015 Hall of Fame issue is here!

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  • Wrestling Observer Preview: 2015 Hall of Fame Issue

    Our most talked about issue of the year, the 2015 Hall of Fame issue is up on the site right now.  This is a double-issue featuring notes on the seven new inductees, the complete balloting results for the year along with last year, plus how the top candidates did with reporters, historians, and those who are currently and formerly in the business.  You’ll see how the different groups voted, as well as notes on everyone who went in, what kept those who came close from getting in, thoughts on next year’s ballot, and a look at the careers of the inductees.  There is also a super history of Montreal wrestling in the new issue, as well as a story on the modern Mexican scene.

    The issue features a ton of old Southern history, coverage of one of the top heels of the 70s, the biggest matches ever held in Puerto Rico, a complete WWE business rundown with reactions from Vince McMahon and George Barrios, what the numbers say, profits in every category, the Wall Street reaction to the numbers, lots of network information broken down including who watches what, the current WWE profitability level vs. historical levels, as well as where the money comes from, and the last three years of PPV business being charted and the surprising staying power of PPV.  We also look at every other aspect of WWE business.

    We also have an in-depth update on the situation with Alberto Del Rio, WWE, AAA, TNA, Lucha Underground, Rizin and everyone else that had interest in him.  We look at how things changed in the last week, have comments from WWE regarding what he can and can’t do, both sides of contradictory stories, the big move AAA made this past week due to his leaving, what the situation is with the AAA Mega heavyweight title, the good and bad of working with WWE vs. indies from a short and long-term financial situation, what Mexican star did WWE show interest in, and how this affects AAA and Lucha Underground.

    We also have more on Smackdown to the USA Network, how that affects USA from a business standpoint, NBC’s attempt to sell wrestling to advertisers, the value of Raw to USA even with lower ratings.  We have notes on the ESPN deal, actual Hell in a Cell numbers and what they say, notes on Brock Lesnar’s next WWE appearance scheduled as well as an update on John Cena’s return, more on how Randy Orton got hurt and his prognosis, notes on WWE’s deal wit Tapout, Dave Bautista talks a potential return, the value of WrestleMania, notes about who attended WrestleMania last year, how much they spent, how long they stayed, and how many locals bought tickets to the show the past two years.  We have more notes on the bleeding in Lesnar vs. Undertaker Hell in a Cell, WWE to India, Steve Austin’ new business venture and he talks his Raw appearance and updates doing another match.  We’ve got more on Nikki Bella’s time off, William Regal’s surgery, original plans for Europe, Rusev’s injury, Jerry Lawler’s auto accident as well as notes from all the WWE & NXT arena events over the past week.

    We also have notes on The Young Bucks deal with ROH, how the contracts differ from others in ROH, who has exclusive deals and what are the terms, why ROH is no longer allowing talent to work for another major promotion after this month, what ROH star just became a free agent as well as next week’s Survival of the Fittest update.

    We also look at the two big shows from Japan this past week, Dragon Gate’s Gate of Destiny and New Japan’s Junior heavyweight tag team tournament semifinals from Korakuen Hall.

    Here is the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer: November 9, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2015 Hall of Fame Issue

    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 todave@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.

    The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

    We’ve also got the weekly coverage of all the ratings of the major shows and the major TV show rundowns.

    Also in this issue:

    –Major Arena Mexico angle at the Volador Jr. vs. La Sombra match

    –Notes on Mistico angle for Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton

    –This week’s Lucha Libre Elite big show

    –Notes from AAA’s TV tapings and well as two big AAA shows coming up

    –Why the Triple Crown title changed hands this past week

    –Update on Pro Wrestling NOAH tournament and the matches this past week

    –New Japan’s international goals

    –First two names announced for Fantastica Mania

    –What New Japan regular looks to be leaving

    –More on a new promotion that is planning on starting up soon and its chances

    –Updates on the Jimmy Snuka case as well as media interest

    –More notes from Lucha Underground including another main character not returning

    –TNA loses front office employee

    –Funny story on tweets read on Impact

    –Tons of UFC business news regarding loans the company has taken out, the Pride purchase, the Strikeforce purchase and interest in loans

    –A look at this weeks’ UFC show

    –Why Miesha Tate is so unhappy and considering retirement

    –The injury Conor McGregor suffered before the Chad Mendes fight

    –UFC card changes and new fights

    –More drama in the Ronda Rousey world

    –Bellator’s last big show of the year

    –Return of Kimbo Slice

    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.

    New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. 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.

     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.

  • UFC Fight Night 77: Belfort vs. Henderson 3 weigh-in results and live video

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of the UFC Fight Night 77: Belfort vs. Henderson weigh-ins from the Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil kicking off at 4 PM eastern time. The event airs on Saturday on FS1 at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 PM eastern time before moving over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time. This is the UFC’s fourth overall trip to Sao Paulo, and first since May 2014.

    The event will be headlined by a trilogy bout as former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort takes on former PRIDE and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson in the five-round affair. Henderson defeated Belfort by decision in PRIDE in October 2006, while Belfort scored a knockout win over Henderson in UFC competition in November 2013, which was Belfort’s most recent win. The co-main event is a light heavyweight bout between former title challenger Glover Teixeira and Patrick Cummins. Also on the card is fast-rising bantamweight prospect Thomas Almeida, who puts his perfect 20-0 record on the line against Anthony Birchak.

    MAIN CARD (FS1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT):
    Vitor Belfort (185) vs. Dan Henderson (186)
    Glover Teixeira (206) vs. Patrick Cummins (206)
    Thomas Almeida (135) vs. Anthony Birchak (136)
    Alex Oliveira (156) vs. Piotr Hallmann (155)
    Gilbert Burns (156) vs. Rashid Magomedov (155)
    Fabio Maldonado (205) vs. Corey Anderson (205)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT):
    Gleison Tibau (155) vs. Abel Trujillo (156)
    Yan Cabral (156) vs. Johnny Case (156)
    Clay Guida (146) vs. Thiago Tavares (146)
    Kevin Souza (146) vs. Chas Skelly (146)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT):
    Viscardi Andrade (170) vs. Gasan Umalatov (170)
    Pedro Munhoz (135) vs. Jimmie Rivera (136)
    Bruno Korea (134) vs. Matheus Nicolau (135)

  • Kurt Angle broadcasting at tonight’s Bellator MMA show

    Former WWE & TNA Champion Kurt Angle, who was at Bellator’s FanFest Thursday as part of his new arrangement with the promotion, was announced Friday morning as being part of the broadcast crew for tonight’s “tentpole” show on Spike TV.

    Lead announcer Sean Grande tweeted that there would be “a very special guest tonight” in the booth, adding #ItsTrueItsDamnTrue and #MilkOManiaIsRunningWild.

    Editor’s Note: If you’re reading this post-show, Angle did some color commentating with Grande and Jimmy Smith during the Bobby Lashley/James Thompson fight with a quick hit interview before. They asked him a few questions with one of them being if he was going to fight. He definitely didn’t say no, but there was no immediate, “Yes, I’m planning on it.” Post-fight, Lashley came over and hugged Angle at cageside.

    *****

    The main events have an interesting twist as police were called earlier this week due to an altercation between featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and lightweight champion Will Brooks at the fighters’ hotel. However, the two are not fighting each other.  Brooks claimed he was sucker-punched while on the phone and attacked by Freire and his brother, Patricky, also an MMA fighter with Bellator. Freire claimed he decked Brooks. Police made no arrests and filed no charges.  The two were moved to separate hotels.

    Brooks first missed weight yesterday by .8 of a pound, for his title fight with Marcin Held. He was able to make weight within two hours.

    Tonight’s main card lineup:

    • Justin Lawrence (146) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (145.6)
    • Bobby Lashley (239.5) vs. James Thompson (264)
    • Michael Chandler (155.75) vs. Dave Rickels (155.75)
    • Will Brooks (154.8) vs. Marcin Held (154.8) for the lightweight title
    • Patricio Pitbull Freire (144.4) vs. Daniel Straus (144.4) for the featherweight title

    More details on the history of Lashley vs. Thompson are available in this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

  • WWE shuffles injury-plagued lineup for overseas tour

    Due to the knee injury suffered by now-former WWE Champion Seth Rollins on the first night of their tour, the WWE has made immediate changes to balance out the star power of the two touring groups, sending Dean Ambrose and WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens to the “Rollins tour”.

    Starting tonight at London’s O2 Arena and for the rest of the tour, Owens vs. Ambrose will be moved from the Roman Reigns led-tour to the former Rollins tour, main eventing those shows in IC title matches. The Genting Arena in Birmingham, UK, where Sunday’s show was to be headlined by Rollins vs. Kane, is already now listing the new main event. Ambrose and Owens were originally scheduled for Barcelona, Spain, with the Reigns tour.

    Kane vs. Big Show (the main event for Thursday’s Cardiff, Wales, event), is now billed as the No. 2 match on the show, while WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. Dudleys is also advertised. 

    The Reigns tour top three matches going forward, and as scheduled for tonight are:

    – Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt street fight

    – Ryback & The Usos vs. Braun Strowman & Erick Rowan & Luke Harper

    – U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. King Barrett vs. Neville

  • B&V 11/5: NXT and RAW TV reports, Granny turns 86 years old

    It’s the Thursday edition of the Bryan & Vinny Show, Contemporary Thursdays, which we celebrate, in part, by celebrating Granny’s EIGHT-SIXTH BIRTHDAY. Also, Raw from Monday night, NXT with Samoa Joe’s heel turn on Finn Balor, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • Josh Nason’s Punch-Out: MMA Fighting’s Shaheen Al-Shatti previews UFC & Bellator’s weekend events

    Rejoice, MMA fans! With Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Will Brooks, and more burning up our TV screens this weekend, #JNPO 19 needed a full hour plus to contain all of that and some of the news of the week. Helping host Josh Nason navigate the fightin’ seas this week is MMA Fighting rising star Shaheen Al-Shatti!

    Here’s a look at what Josh and Shaheen delved into:

    – How Shaheen found his way to MMA Fighting and his abrupt first interaction with Luke Thomas

    – How the Real Pro Wrestling feature came together

    – Whether the guys want to see Georges St. Pierre come back and if so, who against

    – A look at Bellator’s Friday night main card

    – Why Josh likes Will Brooks despite him hating on pro wrestling

    – Josh lamenting about the amount of Bellator shows and the “B” show Bjorn Rebney feel

    – A look at UFC’s Saturday night card in Brazil

    – Shaheen’s dark horse pick for the fight he’s most excited for

    – Some Clay Guida conversation and a look back at the infamous Revel fight against Gray Maynard

    – What Josh and Shaheen want Vitor Belfort to just go away

    – Josh’s Opening Round chiding the Internet masses…and more!

    Observer subscribers can stream or download via the link below:

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