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  • Daily Update: Smackdown to Tuesdays live, brand split

    The big news of today, and really for the week, month and maybe the year, is that WWE and USA Network is moving Smackdown to Tuesdays and running it as a live show. Additionally, they are going to attempt to relaunch the brand split and according to our Dave Meltzer, they are going to be aggressive in signing talent outside the company to help restock the cupboards.

    As history has told us, WWE’s first brand split eventually failed due to the crossover of the big stars on their two shows — especially guys like John Cena. If they want to truly create two brands, they need to be two distinct brands with different aesthetics that may have WWE DNS but not the same look, feel, and even sound. Unfortunately, that also might mean a return to the dual champion era with one distinctively being pushed far heavier than the other. (Basically, the WWE title defended on RAW and especially when Cena wore the strap.)

    There are still questions to be answered (dual tours? Dual monthly Network events? What about NXT?), but this is the company’s latest attempt to do something different with the 5+ live hours they have on USA every week. NXT showed that when done organically, uniquely, and firmly using wrestling’s roots as the foundation, having two promotions under one banner can work if you put them in two different parts of the wrestling universe and believe in both succeeding equally.

    But if WWE doesn’t learn from history, they are doomed to repeat it….with just as much McMahon on our TV screens as ever.

    [Josh Nason]

      THE ROUND-UP

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

      Figure Four Weekly 5/23/2016: More strange developments in WWE’s concussion lawsuit deposition – Last week we talked a bit about both Evan Singleton’s deposition in the WWE concussion lawsuit as well as a video of a concussion presentation held in developmental during Singleton’s time under contact. Among other topics, there’s been a bit more movement on that front.

      Wrestling Observer Newsletter

      READ IT HERE: May 23, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWE Extreme Rules preview, Vince McMahon sells portion of WWE stock, tons more

      A look at what’s next for WWE after Extreme Rules, the UFC sale with lots of exclusive info, Vince & Linda McMahon selling their stock, Chris Weidman’s injury and how that changes plans, the staggering drop in kids viewing for WWE and exactly who watches the TV today, plus UFC 198 coverage and Best of The Super Juniors tournament news are among the stories covered in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

      More on the injury returns and summer ideas and why WWE could have its deepest talent roster in a long time in very short order. Plus, talk about the NXT/WWE balance and why talent is actually more important for arena business if in NXT.

      There is also an extensive look at the Extreme Rules show.

      In addition, updates on the UFC sale, including news about who is in, who is not in, what it all means, what is being sold, where Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta fit in and UFC fixture who indicates he’s likely gone if the sale goes through, all in covered in this issue.

      A glimpse into Vince McMahon’s stock sale, what it means, how much money did he get, and how his stock sale only increased the difference in the value of UFC vs. WWE, and for how much Vince McMahon bought the company.

      More on the injury to Chris Weidman, how it happened, his future, Michael Bisping’s title shot and more on UFC 1999.

      Also in this issue, find out who watches WWE on television and how many in each different age group.

      Find out how WWE has changed the schedule of the Cruiserweight tournament and why, more on the arrest of Adam Rose, more on Stephanie McMahon’s book, how Stephanie will be pushed on television going forward, how Stephanie will be marketed as the face of the company, and another WWE firing.

      Finally, there’s full coverage of UFC 198, including business notes including early estimates on success, ramifications of the show, match-by-match coverage, looking at the judging of close fights and poll results.

      CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PREVIEW

      Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

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

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

      Rates are:

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

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

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

      Check out the latest online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: April 19, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Davey Boy Smith hospitalized with spinal infection, WCW Spring Stampede. The health situations involving both Davey Boy Smith and Japanese woman wrestler Emiko Kado took turns for the worst this past week.

      WEDNESDAY NEWS

      Diego Brandao was given a nine month suspension from the NSAC for his marijuana test failure following his fight with Brian Ortega. Brandao was subsequently released from UFC but will be eligible to fight again on October.

      The probability of Hulk Hogan getting $140 million increased as Gawker’s attempt to get a retrial was tossed out of court today. Gawker wanted a new trial because, well, the first one didn’t go their way, but they still have the right to appeal. This case is still far from over.

      There’s much more on the story of the secret backer of Hogan lawsuit via Huffington post and Forbes Tech. Here’s a piece from the Washington Examiner, another piece from Forbes, and finally a third piece from the NY Times. This trial gets more Hollywood everyday. 

      WRESTLING

      ​MMA

      • TUF 22 winner Ryan Hall will face Alex White at the UFC Fight Night show in South Dakota on July 13th. This will be his first fight since dominating Artem Lobov in the tournament final last December
      • ONE Championships has an event Friday morning at 6 am eastern from Bangkok, Thailand with a strawweight title fight between Dejdamrong Sor Anyuaysirchoke defending against Yoshitaka Naito. Featherweight champion Murat Gafurov takes on challenger Kazunori Yokota in the co-main. Teen sensation Christian Lee is on the undercard with his 5th fight in less than a year and he’s won the previous four via early stoppage.
      • Dan Severn talks about MMA, Ken Shamrock, and some pro wrestling on this podcast.
      • Scottish fan favorite Robert Whiteford has been cut from UFC after two straight losses. The 33-year-old featherweight had a 2-3 record in UFC, fighting mostly on European shows.
      • Shane Carwin is teasing a comeback at the age of 41. He wants to capture the UFC heavyweight title or just “beat up Brock Lesnar again”.
      • Here’s a funny video showing a Roberto Duran inside fighting clinic with a random Shane Mosley appearance in the background. (Thanks to John Ringo)

      EVENTS

      • TONIGHT – Canadian Wrestling’s Elite, Souris & Glenwood Memorial Complex (32 – 3rd Ave West)
      • May 28 – Mayhem in the Magnolia State, Louisville Coliseum. This show is a benefit for Kamala.
      • May 27 & 28 – Absolute Intense Wrestling “2016 JT Lightning Invitational Tournament,” Our Lady Of Mount Carmel, 1355 West 70th Street, Cleveland, Ohio
      • May 30 – Jake Roberts will be appearing in Burbank next monday at 8pm at Flappers Comedy.
      • June 4 – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
      • June 4 – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
      • June 5 – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
      • June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
      • June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
      • June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
      • June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
      • June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
      • June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
      • June 18 – New England Fights (NEF) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine with “NEF 24: PROMISED LAND.” Tickets for “NEF 24” are on sale now.
      • June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
      • June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas 
      • June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title 
      • June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
      • June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple   
      • July 7-11 The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas, EdinSanAntonio has all the information up on Facebook, or email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com.

      Today in Professional Wrestling History: 5/25 Shawn Michaels & Steve Austin win WWF World Tag TeamTitles

    • New Japan BOSJ results night 4: Will Ospreay vs. Trent Baretta; Ricochet vs. Bobby Fish

      Day 4 results of the Best of the Super Junior tournament are in. Here’s what went down this morning in Yamagata, which featured B Block action:

      Tiger Mask vs. Volador Jr.

      Pretty solid match. Both guys looked very good. Volador’s thing is he’ll wrestle for half the match with the mask on, then take off the mask for his comeback. Tiger Mask came back and laid him out with a Tiger bomb and tried to submit him with a seated armbar but Volador got to the ropes. He came back with a backstabber then submitted him with him standing over Tiger Mask and having him submit to an armbar while kneeling.

      Chase Owens vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

      Solid match. Yujiro was at ringside. Owens has improved a lot in between tours, though he was never bad . Good back and forth match. Owens was going for the package piledriver, but Liger escaped and pinned Owens with the crucifix for the out of nowhere win.

      Yujiro jumped Liger immediately after the match, allowing Owens to lay out Liger with a package piledriver. Not sure what exactly this is over, but I believe it’s something storyline wise since he got legit injured during the recent ROH tour. They stretched him out. Kind of a bit too much when you do two stretcher jobs on the same tour, no?

      Bobby Fish vs. Ricochet

      I know this is a shock but Ricochet is amazing. He hopped over Fish’s kicks on the apron early, ran towards the turnbuckle and laid him out with a moonsault. It really has to be seen just how great he’s able to execute stuff like that so flawlessly.  This was really good, one of the best matches from this fixed camera shows so far. Ricochet looked awesome and Fish did his part well in being the guy that killed Ricochet’s momentum to get the heat. He worked over his legs and had him in some leg locks near the end but Ricochet was either able to escape or counter them. Ricochet drilled him with two knee strikes then finished him off with the Benadryller for the win.

      Trent Baretta vs. Will Ospreay

      Good back and forth early, crowd totally into Ospreay. Baretta gave him a German suplex on the apron and I’m pretty sure Ospreay landed on his head. Don’t take bumps like this, kids. Some great action towards the end. Baretta cut Ospreay off on the top rope and laid him out with a back to belly suplex off the top rope,, then followed that with a knee strike for a great near fall. Ospreay tried for a pin but Baretta kicked out and countered Ospreay with a Dudebuster for the win.

      Current tallies:

      Block A:

      • Rocky Romero – 4
      • Ryusuke Taguchi – 4
      • Kyle O’Reilly – 4
      • Gedo – 2
      • Matt Sydal – 2
      • David Finlay – 0
      • Kushida – 0
      • Bushi – 0

      Block B:

      • Baretta – 4
      • Jushin Thunder Liger – 4
      • Ricochet – 4
      • Chase Owens – 2
      • Volador Jr. – 2
      • Tiger Mask – 0
      • Bobby Fish – 0
      • Will Ospreay – 0

    • Daily Update: Raw after Extreme Rules, Seth Rollins, McGregor vs. Mayweather

      According to some fans, WWE had a “thumbs in the middle” night on Sunday with Extreme Rules. The show was basically nothing, but it did have two excellent matches. The first excellent was the four way for the Intercontinental Championship featuring Miz vs. Cesar007 vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens. This match was incredibly paced and well worked with a lot of innovative maneuvers, and more importantly, the crowd was into it. I’d put it up there with the best matches of WWE so far in 2016.

      However, the main event Extreme Rules match for the WWE title between Roman Reigns and AJ Styles was “phenomenal.” Styles proved why he is the man in a career making performance. It was awesome to see this “outsider” get a chance to showcase his abilities. However, in the end, it was all about the return of Seth Rollins who ran in after the match to lay out Reigns. Rollins received an enormous babyface reaction upon doing so, and it was a tremendous way to go off the air on Sunday night. 

      However, more important than what happened on Sunday was the follow up on Monday Night Raw. There was a lot of positive speculation from fans on social medial all day, but the final rating was up very slightly. Nonetheless, many were not happy after watching Raw. Our own Alan O’Brien has an excellent piece on how WWE immediately screwed it up. He points out the comparison of bringing Alberto Del Rio back as a face only to turn him heel immediately, which is exactly what they did with Rollins. In the case of Del Rio, it was a bad decision. As of right now, it sure seems like a bad decision to turn Rollins. 

      Only time will tell if the “New Era” of WWE will yield positive returns. However, if making AJ Styles into a bonafide star is the only thing that happens, that may be enough to consider it successful. 

      [Dan Velten]

      NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS ON TUESDAY FROM YAMAGATA (this won’t air live but should be up sometime Tuesday on New Japan World)

      • Tiger Mask vs. Volador jr.
      • Jushin Liger vs. Chase Owens
      • Bobby Fish vs. Ricochet
      • Will Ospreay vs. Trent Baretta

      Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Norfolk, VA. Roman Reigns & Usos vs. A.J. Styles & Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson is the advertised main event. 

        THE ROUND-UP

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

        Figure Four Weekly 5/23/2016: More strange developments in WWE’s concussion lawsuit deposition – Last week we talked a bit about both Evan Singleton’s deposition in the WWE concussion lawsuit as well as a video of a concussion presentation held in developmental during Singleton’s time under contact. Among other topics, there’s been a bit more movement on that front.

        Wrestling Observer Newsletter

        READ IT HERE: May 23, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWE Extreme Rules preview, Vince McMahon sells portion of WWE stock, tons more

        A look at what’s next for WWE after Extreme Rules, the UFC sale with lots of exclusive info, Vince & Linda McMahon selling their stock, Chris Weidman’s injury and how that changes plans, the staggering drop in kids viewing for WWE and exactly who watches the TV today, plus UFC 198 coverage and Best of The Super Juniors tournament news are among the stories covered in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

        More on the injury returns and summer ideas and why WWE could have its deepest talent roster in a long time in very short order. Plus, talk about the NXT/WWE balance and why talent is actually more important for arena business if in NXT.

        There is also an extensive look at the Extreme Rules show.

        In addition, updates on the UFC sale, including news about who is in, who is not in, what it all means, what is being sold, where Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta fit in and UFC fixture who indicates he’s likely gone if the sale goes through, all in covered in this issue.

        A glimpse into Vince McMahon’s stock sale, what it means, how much money did he get, and how his stock sale only increased the difference in the value of UFC vs. WWE, and for how much Vince McMahon bought the company.

        More on the injury to Chris Weidman, how it happened, his future, Michael Bisping’s title shot and more on UFC 1999.

        Also in this issue, find out who watches WWE on television and how many in each different age group.

        Find out how WWE has changed the schedule of the Cruiserweight tournament and why, more on the arrest of Adam Rose, more on Stephanie McMahon’s book, how Stephanie will be pushed on television going forward, how Stephanie will be marketed as the face of the company, and another WWE firing.

        Finally, there’s full coverage of UFC 198, including business notes including early estimates on success, ramifications of the show, match-by-match coverage, looking at the judging of close fights and poll results.

        CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PREVIEW

        Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

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

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

        Rates are:

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

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

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

        Check out the latest online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: April 19, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Davey Boy Smith hospitalized with spinal infection, WCW Spring Stampede. The health situations involving both Davey Boy Smith and Japanese woman wrestler Emiko Kado took turns for the worst this past week.

        TUESDAY NEWS

        Even with UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor under contract to UFC, the story about him boxing Floyd Mayweather is still getting a lot of play in the sports media with mid-September Las Vegas dates being speculated on. This was discussed at length on many daily sports shows including FS1’s Colin Cowherd and Prime Time Sports in Canada.

        Former WWE security director Jimmy Noonan was on Fox News talking about what some of the talents are “really like” and what his duties were. He talked about where fans are the craziest and some stories on Brock Lesnar. It’s a short clip, but an interesting one.

        Last Friday’s Bellator 155 on Spike did 653,000 viewers, right around their year to date average. It was down about 8% from last Saturday’s show (Phil Davis vs. King Mo), but up from the May 2015 show on the same weekend. The show was headlined by the lackluster Rafael Carvalho vs. Melvin Manhoef middleweight title bout.

        WRESTLING

        MMA

        • In the sweet irony department, Rousimar Palhares is complaining about illegal blows in his quick KO loss on Saturday’s Venator show in Italy.
        • AKA head Javier Mendez came on Submission Radio to discuss why his charge Luke Rockhold’s upcoming UFC 199 title fight with Michael Bisping is going to be taken very seriously even though Rockhold has already beaten him. You can listen to the interview here.
        • Here’s a Bleacher Report feature on the conflict of interest between MMA managers representing fighters and also running smaller organizations.

        EVENTS

        • TONIGHT – Frankie Kazarian and Silas Young team up and Lio Rush takes on Jason Kincaid for CWE in Regina, Saskatchewan at The Exchange (2431 8th Ave) – Purchase tickets online.
        • May 27 & 28 – Absolute Intense Wrestling “2016 JT Lightning Invitational Tournament,” Our Lady Of Mount Carmel, 1355 West 70th Street, Cleveland,Ohio
        • June 4 – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
        • June 4 – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
        • June 5 – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
        • June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
        • June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
        • June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
        • June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
        • June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
        • June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
        • June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
        • June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas 
        • June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title 
        • June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
        • June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple   
        • July 7-11 The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas, EdinSanAntonio has all the information up on Facebook, or email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com.

        Today in Professional Wrestling History: 5/24 Harley Race defeats Dory Funk for NWA World Title; Flair regains NWA World Title over Von Erich

      • Figure Four Weekly 5/23/2016: More strange developments in WWE’s concussion lawsuit deposition

        Last week we talked a bit about both Evan Singleton’s deposition in the WWE concussion lawsuit as well as a video of a concussion presentation held in developmental during Singleton’s time under contact. Among other topics, there’s been a bit more movement on that front.

        Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

      • WWE RAW live results: Seth Rollins returns; Extreme Rules fallout

        The Big Takeaway: It was a night of Money in the Bank qualfiers, returns and breakups. Of course, the big news was the return of Seth Rollins. Despite the wishes of the fans, he’s going to be a heel in his program with Roman Reigns. Those two will be facing each other in the main event of the Money in the Bank PPV for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Enzo Amore also returned. Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, and Sami Zayn all qualified for the Money in the Bank match at MITB. Charlotte broke up with Ric Flair, saying that he had been living in her spotlight for months. It was an angle that hit on various points very close to home, but Flair’s performance was fantastic. A.J. Styles also split up with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Shane and Stephanie McMahon were limited to cameos, which was a welcome change. 

        Show Recap: 

        Seth Rollins started the show getting a huge ovation, though there were some scattered boos. He was playing up to the crowd as a babyface and got “Welcome back” chants. Rollins said he’s waited 200 days to step inside his ring once again and he’s back. He’s waited for seven months to take back the title he never lost and he fired the first shot last night when he gave Roman Reigns the Pedigree. Crowd chanted “Thank you, Rollins.” Rollins asked if the fans missed him? That got “Yes” chants. Rollins said that was interesting because when he put a chair against Reigns’ back, the fans booed him. Then when he captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, fans said he was the weakest champion in history. 

        Then something profound happened: his knee buckled from carrying the company for so long. That was supposed to get boos. It got cheers instead. Rollins said he got so much fan mail he didn’t know what to do with it, so he put it all in the garbage can and lit it on fire. So Rollins went heel in the interview, saying he never needed the fans when he was going after the World Championship, and he doesn’t need them now. He said there was only room on the Seth Rollins bandwagon for one dude, and it was him. Rollins claimed the fans were never with him during the process to rehab his knee for seven months, which was harder work than the fans have ever put in in their entire lives. 

        Rollins said he, and he alone, would take back the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. That got a mixed response. Reigns’ music hit. Suddenly Rollins’ response seemed like Ric Flair in Charlotte by comparison. Booed beyond belief. 

        Rollins acted like he wanted to fight, but when Reigns got in the ring, Rollins left, saying he was going to fight on his time. Shane McMahon showed up. Rollins reluctantly got back in the ring and Shane’s request so they could have a conversation. Shane brought up Rollins has had several defining moments, including breaking up the Shield and winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 32. Shane said Reigns would defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Rollins at Money in the Bank. Both men were content with that announcement. Reigns held up his title to get booed some more. 

        Later tonight, a series of Money in the Bank qualifying matches:  The Miz vs. Cesaro; Chris Jericho vs. Apollo Crews; A.J. Styles vs. Kevin Owens along with Sheamus vs. Sami Zayn. 

        Renee Young did an interview with Sheamus, who denounced the “new era” in the WWE. He made fun of Zayn’s name and the fact he was form Canada. That was a weird thing to say since Canadians have been carrying a good portion of the company’s workrate lately. Young started to mention she was from Canada before Sheamus interupted her and instructed parents to get their children out of the room because what he would do to Zayne wouldn’t be suitable for all ages. They brought up Sheamus winning Money in the Bank last year, then cashed it in at the Survivor Series and defeated Reigns for the title after Reigns had just defeated Dean Ambrose in a tournament final. 

        Sami Zayn defeated Sheamus in a Money in the Bank Qualifying match (10:02)

        Zayn won with the Helluva Kick, moments after attempting a tope which Sheamus blocked with a right hand. Lots of selling by Zayn, but the two didn’t click as well as you would think. The announcers played the result up like an upset, explaining Sheamus didn’t even qualify for Money in the Bank one year after winning it. I credit it to lousy booking last June. Sheamus was furious after the match. At one point, Zayn did satellite head scissors, which Michael Cole called a huracanrana. 

        Crews did an interview with Young. She asked him if he felt like he had an advantage after the damage Jericho suffered against Ambrose last night. For some reason, Sheamus jumped Crews from behind. Sheamus screamed about the new era as he rammed Crews’ head into a truck case. 

        The New Day came out. They’re up to 274 days as tag team champions. There was a Happy Birthday cake in the ring. Kofi Kingston said the cake was there to celebrate Raw’s 1,200th episode. Xavier Woods said Raw is over 23 years old. Big E. said a WWE ring is never safe from a cake, so they decided to take the cake out of the ring. Woods said they would never want the cake to wind up in anyone’s face. Big E. teased throwing it in someone’s face at ringside, then JBL, then Byron Saxton. Then Social Outcasts (sans Adam Rose, of course) jumped Woods and Kingston.  The Vaudevillains are out of a tag team title program after one PPV. 

        The New Day defeated Social Outcasts (1:50)

        Kingston pinned Heath Slater after the Midnight Hour. Highlight was Slater taking the Unicorn Stampede. He rolled out of the ring barely able to stand, so Bo Dallas called for a Bo Train. Slater made it about three steps before collapsing. Of course, the cake had to end up in somebody’s face before the segment could end. So Kingston and Woods threw Slater into the cake, which splattered everywhere. They showed three highlights of the cake spot. 

        Miz and Maryse came out. Miz said he was still the Intercontinential Champion and a future Money in the Bank winner. He compared himself to the movie “Rudy” by overcoming overwhelming odds to retain the championship at Extreme Rules against Zayne, Owens and Cesaro. He wondered who could play him in an underdog movie, and brought up Brad Pitt and Dwayne Johnson. Maryse pulled in for a kiss, but Cesaro came out before they could get it on. Saxton said Cesaro looked like someone from “The Professional,” a weird reference to a 1994 film featuring a 12-year-old Natalie Portman. JBL then compared Cesaro to Roger Federer because they both have genetic superiority. Roger Federer pulled out of the French Open last week because of injuries. 

        Cesaro defeated the Miz (C) in a Money in the Bank Qualifying match, as well as a nontitle match (11:16) 

        Another solid match with these two, ending when Miz jumped off the top rope into a Cesaro uppercut, leading to the Gotch Neutralizer. Miz did the usual spots working over Cesaro’s injured left shoulder. Cesaro tried the Giant Swing, but couldn’t complete it because of the shoulder. Maryse has totally revitalized Miz’s career. He’s working better than he has in years, his promos are entertaining, and it has even helped the Intercontinental Championship, which really seemed on the backburner again after WrestleMania. 

        Rollins did an interview with Young. He said it would be fitting if he defeated Reigns for the Money in the Bank championship since he won it 2 years ago, leading to him cashing it in. Rollins walked up to Stephanie McMahon. Rollins wanted to hug her, but she said things have changed around here. She just wanted a handshake, and a confused Rollins complied. 

        Chris Jericho defeated Apollo Crews in a Money in the Bank Qualifying match (7:37)

        There was a mixup near the finish. Jericho went for the Lionsault. Crews did a nip-up while Jericho was in midair, but didn’t get out of the way. Jericho’s knees hit Crews on the head and they both fell to the mat. Looked like the rest of the match had to be ad-libbed from that point. Jericho won with a codebreaker. Finish kind of buried Crews since Jericho was supposed to be less than 100% after the Ambrose match last night. Jericho was all taped up from last night’s thumbtacks bump. Crews came out without selling anything from the Sheamus beating. Crews didn’t get much of a reaction and looked disappointed.  

        The latest from Darren Young and Bob Backlund, who chastized Young for taking notes. Then Backlund ordered him to recite all the presidents in honor. Young said he couldn’t do that. Backlund started to do it, and Young said “Damn, coach!” in a way to put Backlund over. Backlund got mad at him for swearing and ordered him to do 100 jumping jacks. 

        Baron Corbin did an interview with JoJo. They showed Corbin delivering a Draymond Green-caliber low blow to beat Dolph Ziggler last night. Ziggler walked in and said Corbin couldn’t beat him in a technical wrestling match. Corbin said he wasn’t worried about technical wrestling, he was worried about handing out beatings. You haven’t heard mechanical delivery of promos until you’ve heard Corbin. Ziggler said he was going to face Ambrose tonight and do something Corbin could never do: steal the show. 

        Big Cass came out. Then he waved toward the entrance and Enzo Amore made his return to a huge pop. They did the usual routine with the fans singing along. Amore had Michael Jackson’s jacket from the Thriller video on. Amore claimed he forgot to pay his electric bill and they cut his lights out. The doctors diagnosed him with a concussion, which he calls a hard sneeze. Amore said if he had a dime for every time he got knocked down and didn’t get back up, he would have ZERO DIMES! Amore said as for Bubba Ray and Devon Dudley, “do us a favor and don’t do us no favors.” Cass said throwing his size-17 boot was going to be like throwing a basketball into a swimming pool, because he wasn’t going to miss. If 10% of Amore’s interview ability could somehow transform over to Crews, he’d headline WrestleMania before 2020. 

        Big Cass defeated Bubba Ray Dudley (2:46) 

        Devon hit Amore from behind at ringside. This led to Cass’ comeback, which spilled out on the floor. Cass threw Amore into Devon. In the ring, Bubba Ray took the Ric Flair slam off the top rope, and Cass pinned him after the Empire Elbow.

        Charlotte, Dana Brooke and Ric Flair came out for a “State of the WWE Women’s Championship Address.” JBL talked about how the Fabulous Moolah started her championship reign in 1956 in Baltimore. Flair took the mic and how proud he was of her. Flair looked emotional, which signaled something was up since this was suppsed to be a heel promo. Some fans started to chant boring. Flair compared Brooke to “Charlotte’s Uncle Arn.” Charlotte said she wanted to thank one person, “and it was obviously me.” She also thanked Brooke, who thanked Charlotte and put over Flair as the “dirtiest player in the game.” Charlotte brought up what she remembered growing up. She remembered various holidays and birthdays where her father wasn’t around for her. She had to watch him on television. Fans chanted “What” at Charlotte and she was getting really mad and appeared to lose her train of thought. Charlotte said she understood why her father missed those holidays because she was the champion. She then turned to her father and ordered him to get out of her ring. Flair didn’t understand what she was talking about. Charlotte said everyone from Flair’s generation was the same because they never wanted to leave the spotlight. Charlotte said Flair never understood how it felt to walk into a room and hear people say “There’s Ric Flair’s daughter.” She said now Flair was Charlotte’s father. Flair started to cry. Charlotte said Flair was “the 2nd dirtiest player in the game” and she doesn’t have time for people who come in 2nd place. She said she doesn’t need him anymore. 

        Charlotte accused Flair of neglecting her. Flair was in tears. Charlotte said Flair was an immortal to everyone in Baltimore, but to her he was dead. Now, Flair can watch Charlotte on TV just like she watched him through her childhood. She ordered him to leave the ring, which Flair did with remorse. Flair walked to the back and Charlotte crowed about how she was the champ. Flair’s facials were excellent. Charlotte had to work hard to get through this despite al the hecklers, but she’s very skilled on the microphone and did a good job getting this breakup over. JBL, Cole and Saxton sold this heavy, speaking in hushed tones wearing long faces like they had just seen a career-threatening injury angle. 

        For those who complain that this angle hit too close to home and was uncomfortable to watch, this isn’t the first time Flair’s parenting skills have been used in an angle. One of the few good segments of WCW Thunder in 2000 featured Flair and Arn Anderson in a microphone dual that centered around their personal lives and children. Not to mention Flair wrestling his son David in 1999 & 2000. Granted, that was among the worst booked programs in history, but it was still a subject.  Flair himself, as a shoot, called that program “a nightmare.” 

        Dean Ambrose defeated Dolph Ziggler in a Money in the Bank Qualifying match (12:10)

        Ambrose won with Dirty Deeds after blocking the Zig Zag. It was a scientific match to get over Ziggler facing Corbin in a “scientific match” next week. During an Ambrose comeback, JBL said “Can you imagine what it would be like to have two former members of the Shield fight for the championship?” How many times did we see that last year? Then Ambrose did his ricochet off the ropes into the clothesline spot and Cole belted out “How in the world did he do that?” We see that spot every week. 

        A distraught Flair walked back stage where he came across Arn Anderson, who consoled him and said he was sorry. Young walked up and asked if he had anything he wanted to say. Flair, who tried to smile, declined and left the building. 

        The Shining Stars put over their debut last week and invited everyone to Puerto Rico, “The Shining Star of the Carribbean.” 

        Styles came out and said you never know how good someone is until you get in the ring with them. Styles said Reigns is every bit the man he says he is, which got him roundly booed. Styles said Reigns was one of the best he ever got in the ring with, but he still wasn’t phenomenal. Then Styles did another subtle heel dig, saying if it wasn’t for the Usos, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, you would be looking at the new WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This brought out Anderson and Gallows. Anderson was upset that Styles would say they cost him a chance to beat Reigns. Anderson accused Styles of changing since their days in Japan. Gallows said if he and Anderson hadn’t dropped every person that wanted to fight Styles, there would be a lot of bars that Styles would have never made it out of. Styles tried to be amicable and said they needed to seperate. Styles said, for now, they were done as a team. But nothing can seperate them from being brothers. Gallows wasn’t going for it, saying they weren’t brothers anymore. Anderson said they weren’t friends anymore. Styles said if that’s the case, they don’t need to be in the ring together anymore. He said, as of right now, this was his ring. Anderson and Gallows took the cue to leave and did without shaking hands. Another breakup angle. 

        Kevin Owens defeated A.J. Styles in a Money in the Bank Qualifying match (16:30)

        Owens won with the Pop-Up Power Bomb after Styles attempted a springboard move, but Owens kicked Styles’ legs out from under him. Styles hit the Pele Kick after escaping an attempt at the Pop-Up Power Bomb. Earlier, Owens missed a moonsault and Styles nailed a springboard 450 splash for a near fall. One night after bumping all over the place for Reigns, Styles wasn’t having an off night. Biggest spot came outside the ring when Styles ran up the steps, but Owens caught him over his shoulders and slammed him across the top of the steps. Later, Styles ran towards Owens, who power bombed Styles on the steps, leading to a countout tease. It was like Styles was 30 again and was in TNA putting over Kevin Nash. And yes, that really happened. Clean. Crowd seemed to be waiting for the near falls, but got more involved towards the end. Finish seemed to catch them by surprise. 

        SUMMARY: Very solid wrestling show. Frankly, this should be a pattern for the summer because the roster is going to be as deep as ever once John Cena, Randy Orton and Neville return. It’s just a question of which programs are made and how to gain the most from them. The Reigns-Rollins program isn’t really unique. Fans have booed Cena for years and cheered various heels against him. Rather than make a new superstar out of Reigns, the WWE has just made him a Cena clone. And the fans will treat him as such, as well as whoever is in a program with him. the good news is there’s plenty of guys he can have quality matches with that won’t expose him.  

      • The next Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, WWE’s Kane?

        Glenn Jacobs, who wrestles as Kane in WWE, said he was seriously considering running for Mayor of Knox County, as a Republican.

        He said he would make his decision after the presidential election.

        He said he’s talked with current mayor Tim Burchett about it.

        Knox County covers the city of Knoxville, the area that Jacobs lives in.

        Jacobs did an interview with WBIR television saying he’s looking at doing so because he cares so much about the community.

        “That’s the only reason I would consider getting into any sort of government because I do care very deeply.  and I think it’s incumbent upon people who care about the communities to try and make a difference.

        Jacobs noted that for work, he could live anywhere in the U.S., but settled in Knoxville because he love East Tennessee.

        Jacobs first lived in Knoxville when he worked under the name Unabom for Jim Cornette’s Smoky Mountain Wrestling promotion,. as a tag team partner of Al snow.

      • Daily Update: Raw, Money in the Bank, Seth Rolins returns

        Raw is at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore tonight. They’ll be starting work on the Money in the Bank show and the big thing will presumably Seth Rollins’ return interview as the show last night seemed to indicate a Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins title program. They’ll also be pushing John Cena’s return next Monday and we’ll get new directions for a lot of the key talent. They are advertising Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose & AJ Styles vs. Sheamus & Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens, but that means nothing as they just announce matches locally and don’t deliver them most of the time. We’re looking for live reports with Superstars matches, dark matches or anything else that isn’t part of the live show at newstips@wrestlingobserver.com

        We’re looking for your thoughts on last night’s Extreme Rules show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

        NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS ON MONDAY FROM NIIGATA (this won’t air live but should be up sometimeMonday on New Japan World)

        • Matt Sydal vs. Bushi
        • Kyle O’Reilly vs. Gedo
        • Ryusuke Taguchi vs. David Finlay
        • Kushida vs. Rocky Romero

        NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS ON TUESDAY FROM YAMAGATA (this won’t air live but should be up sometimeTuesday on New Japan World)

        • Tiger Mask vs. Volador jr.
        • Jushin Liger vs. Chase Owens
        • Bobby Fish vs. Ricochet
        • Will Ospreay vs. Trent Baretta

        Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Norfolk  Roman Reigns & Usos vs. A.J. Styles & Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson is the advertised main event. We’re looking for reports on that at newstips@wrestlingobserver.com

          THE ROUND-UP

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

          Figure Four Weekly 5/16/2016: WWE concussion lawsuit deposition takes a strange turn – Details on the developments in WWE’s concussion lawsuit, and more. Find out all the details in this weeks issue of Figure Four Weekly.

          Wrestling Observer Newsletter

          READ IT HERE: May 23, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWE Extreme Rules preview, Vince McMahon sells portion of WWE stock, tons more

          A look at what’s next for WWE after Extreme Rules, the UFC sale with lots of exclusive info, Vince & Linda McMahon selling their stock, Chris Weidman’s injury and how that changes plans, the staggering drop in kids viewing for WWE and exactly who watches the TV today, plus UFC 198 coverage and Best of The Super Juniors tournament news are among the stories covered in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

          More on the injury returns and summer ideas and why WWE could have its deepest talent roster in a long time in very short order. Plus, talk about the NXT/WWE balance and why talent is actually more important for arena business if in NXT.

          There is also an extenisve look at the Extreme Rules show.

          In addition, updates on the UFC sale, including news about who is in, who is not in, what it all means, what is being sold, where Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta fit in and UFC fixture who indicates he’s likely gone if the sale goes through, all in covered in this issue.

          A glimpse into Vince McMahon’s stock sale, what it means, how much money did he get, and how his stock sale only increased the difference in the value of UFC vs. WWE, and for how much Vince McMahon bought the company.

          More on the injury to Chris Weidman, how it happened, his future, Michael Bisping’s title shot and more on UFC 1999.

          Also in this issue, find out who watches WWE on television and how many in each different age group.

          Find out how WWE has changed the schedule of the Cruiserweight tournament and why, more on the arrest of Adam Rose, more on Stephanie McMahon’s book, how Stephanie will be pushed on television going forward, how Stephanie will be marketed as the face of the company, and another WWE firing.

          Finally, there’s full coverage of UFC 198, including business notes including early estimates on success, ramifications of the show, match-by-match coverage, looking at the judging of close fights and poll results.

          CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PREVIEW

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          Check out the latest online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: April 19, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Davey Boy Smith hospitalized with spinal infection, WCW Spring Stampede. The health situations involving both Davey Boy Smith and Japanese woman wrestler Emiko Kado took turns for the worst this past week.

          MONDAY NEWS

          Bryan and I will be back tonight to talk Raw, the Shane McMahon interview, and more on Cody Rhodes as well as take your e-mail questions to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com.

          Pop TV President Brad Schwartz did an interview with PW Insider giving TNA a vote of confidence, saying what station would cancel its second highest rated show. Well, that’s actually happened quite a number of times to wrestling shows including TNA last year. Schwartz did the interview no doubt because of all the stuff about canceling the replay on Saturday after just four weeks and no mentions at all in the upfronts in March about TNA when plugging shows. Schwartz claimed when they started on the station they wanted to give as many people as possible a chance to find it, so they premiered it and repeated it, but now repeats don’t make sense with VOD and DVR’s and people watching when they want to anyway. The problem is Pop is not a staggered network like most entertainment networks so prime time means 6 p.m. on the West Coast, which is why Destination America would do the midnight replay, so they have a prime time showing. He tried to give the idea that it was the plan to do so for a few months and then cut down to one airing, which makes zero sense because why do the time slot change just a month ago if the plan was to dump it? He did explain about growing up watching wrestling on Saturday mornings, but again, if that’s the case you don’t dump it in four weeks. He noted they never marketed the Saturday show and the plan was always to have one two hour broadcast. He claimed repeats don’t work, although that’s notable because Pop’s highest rated show is a repeat.

          The ESPN 30 for 30 piece of Ric Flair was written about in Sports Illustrated this week. Rory Karpf is the director. The piece will be 90 to 120 minutes. The WWE has been fully cooperative as far as allowing them to use footage because of the WWE/ESPN relationship. 

          Sports Illustrated today made a list of the 50 fittest female athletes in the world. They have an explanation of how they do the lists, but it appears to me they’re looking for women who are athletes and also ripped. But from combat sports and wrestling these were the names on the list:

          • 31 – Kayla Harrison – U.S. women’s judo star who is likely to go into MMA after the Olympics
          • 30 – Miesha Tate
          • 26 – Michelle Waterson
          • 24 – Ashley “Charlotte” Fliehr
          • 19 – Ronda Rousey (you knew she’d be on the list)
          • 9 – Holly Holm
          • 7 – Claressa Shields – U.S. women’s boxing Olympic gold medalist

                  No. 1 was listed as Jessica Ennis-Hill, a women heptathlete.

          Results in the best of the Super Juniors earlier today from Niigata:

          • Matt Sydal (1-1) beat Bushi (0-2)
          • Kyle O’Reilly (2-0) beat Gedo (1-1)
          • Ryusuke Taguchi (2-0) beat David Finlay (0-2)
          • Rocky Romero (2-0) beat Kushida (0-2)

                  So a tournament story is the champ and top Japan current junior heavyweight has to play catchup.

          WWE

          • The Shane McMahon interview with Mick Foley on his return will air for one hour after Raw ends on the WWE network. 
          • For the weekend, WWE was the No. 5 most searched term yesterday with 200,000 for the PPV. That’s normal range for a WWE PPV show, but down from Payback which was 500,000. The Billboard Music Awards had 2 million and the Golden State Warriors had 1 million. But they beat the Penguins and the French Open. 
          • Ted DiBiase on Twitter mentioned to say prayers for George Steele who was going through some health issues. Best of luck to him in his current situation. He’s beaten some major health issues in the past.
          • Enzo Amore has been back traveling and will be at TV tonight. That doesn’t mean he’ll be used but it does mean he’s doing better, which is a good sign.  
          • Big E has been announced as attending the Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame ceremony in Waterloo, IA. He played football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and prior to that, was state heavyweight champion in high school in Florida. Dan Gable said, “I’m excited to have WWE Superstar Big E at one of our biggest events of the year. Working together always yields the best results. We appreciate the support of WWE.” Gerald Brisco is a huge supporter of the Dan Gable Museum and the Tragos/Thesz Hall of fame. He’ll be doing an autograph session on 7/23 at 2 p.m. and will attend the induction banquet which includes myself, Bob Backlund, Chael Sonnen, Joe Blanchard, Lex Luger, and JJ Dillon being honored.
          • For those traveling to Las Vegas for Money in the Bank, the Electric Daily Carnival will be in town all weekend and that will bring 100,000 tourists into town. Hotel in Las Vegas are now charging for parking for the new arena, but if you’re an MLife member, parking is free.
          • The company this past week taped Ride Along shows with the announcers, Michael Cole, JBL and Byron Saxton, and another with The Dudleys.
          • After the show last night they announced a return to the Prudential Center on 11/1, which will be a Smackdown taping.
          • Finn Balor is headed to the HMV Super Store at 333 Yonge St. in Toronto tomorrow at 5 p.m. for an autograph session.
          • WWE stock was down 39 cents per share to $16.64.  The decline is likely due to the news Vince McMahon sold so many shares at $16.50 last week.

          UFC

          • Paige VanZant has been inked and a role was especially created for her in the movie “Kickboxer:  Retaliation” after producers saw her on Dancing With the Stars.  Dave Bautista, Jean Claude Van Damme and Gina Carano are the three leads in the movie.
          • Joe Rogan is in Rolling Stone talking about UFC and Conor McGregor and even stronger about leaving. 

          MISCELLANEOUS

          • A note regarding last night’s show when we were talking about the six-man opener on Saturday’s New Japan show and how well Will Ospreay worked with Volador Jr., while Ospreay doesn’t have experience in Mexico, he actually trained at a Lucha Libre school in London for some time so knows the style.
          • Wrestling Revolver on 6/10 in Cliva, IA at the Seven Flags Event Center features John Hennigan (Johnny Mundo) vs. Billy Gunn, Rhino vs. Trevor Lee, Tommy Dreamer vs. Bull James in a Hardcore match, Bob Holly vs. Sami Callihan, Su Yung vs. Jessicka Havok, Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Jack Evans, AR Fox vs. Michael Elgin plus PJ Black and Jody Kristofferson appear.
          • The Pentagon Black appearing this coming weekend in Shawnee, KS, is not Pentagon Dark or Pentagon Jr. from Lucha Underground, but the second Pentagon that worked in AAA.  He hasn’t lived in Mexico in many years.
          • Wrestling Invades America from yesterday in Swansea, IL:  Da’Marius Jones won over Paco Gonzalez and Mike Outlaw, Justin D’Air b Rosko, Barackus & Tyler Copeland b Kevin Lee Davidson & Brandon Aarons, Billy McNeil b Ace Hawkins, Jim Hoffarth b Jimmy D & Bobby D in a handicap match, Brandon Espinosa b Blake Belakis (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
          • Pro Wrestling Eclipse from last night in Oshawa, ONT:  Kobe Durst b Jake Parnell, Jim Nye & Buck Gunderson won over Jason Roberts & Mikey Finnegan and Vaughn Vertigo & Gabriel Fuerza, Michael Elgin NC Tyler Tirva, Ethan Page b Everett Connors, Jewells Malone won four-way over K.C Spinelli, Kaitlin Diamond and Xandra Bale, Phil Atlas d Space Monkey, Cody Deaner & Michael Elgin & Josh Alexander b Tyler Tirva & Tyson Dux & Joshua James.  Next show is 7/1, a free show as part of the Canada Day celebrations.
          • In the Marvel Agents of Shield show, there was a line where a military guy was yelling at the leader of Shield (a comic organization dealing with superhero threats and issues) and said, “That was stupid.  Really stupid.  Like betting on WrestleMania stupid.” (thanks to Mike DeGeorge)
          • Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. takes place for Lucha Libre New York on 7/24 in Woodside, NY at  Club LaBoom.
          • Volador Jr. defends his UIPW title against both Caristico and Misterioso on 6/11 in Montebello, CA at the Grace Baptist Academy.
          • There is a Rayo de Jalisco Jr. 40th anniversary show on 6/18 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico with Ray & Lover Boy & Silver King vs. Capitan Furia & L.A. Park & El Hijo de L.A. Park as the main event.
          • Ignite Wrestling from Friday night in Fort Pierce, FL:  Klassic Brothers b Jude Jean & Josh Parker, Angel Rose b Red Velvett, Martin Stone & Aaron Epic b Rex Bacchus & Slade Porter, Kota Sekifuda b Jester Yorick, Jon Cruz & Jay Rios b Dirty Blondes, JB Cool b Mark Silva, Kahagas b Damian James, TNT b Braydon Knight & Chico Adams, Mr. 450 Hammet b CJ O’Doyle, Lince Dorado b Rhett Giddins (thanks to Kim Artlip)
          • Absolute Intense Wrestling’s 24-man JT Lightning Invitational tournament takes place on 5/27 and 5/28 in  Cleveland at Our Lady of Mt Carmel, with Homicide, Dan Severn, Tim Donst, Ray Rowe, Louis Lyndon, Tyson Dux, Tracy Williams, DJ Zema Ion, Colin Delaney, Cheech, Big Damo from the U.K,. Laredo Kid, Alex Daniels, B.J. Whitmer, Britt Baker, Brian Myers, Colt Cabana, Billy Gunn, Cedric Alexander, Veda Scott, Little Guido, Johnny Gargano, Candice LaRae and Josh Alexander.  Opening round matches are Severn vs. Delaney, Myers vs. Gunn, Alexander vs. Gargano, Rowe vs. Damo, Guido vs.  Donst, Dux vs. Williams, Alexander vs. Veda Scott, DJZ vs Laredo Kid, Daniels vs Baker, Lyndon vs. Cheech and Whitmer vs. LaRae.
          • TCW from yesterday in Rozano, Milan, Italy:  Antoninio Bellavita b Kombat Komedian to win Revolution title, Antonio Bellavita & Rocco Gioiello & Domenico Dinamite b Martini & Claudio Campari & Ciro Friariello, Saetta Nera b Fenice Rossa, Marchese b Darkness II, Marchese b Death Mask, Marchese b Break Bonsai, Pain b Marchese-DQ, Backslash & Oxlade Black b Sami Grayson & Violent Joe Turbo b Paziente Zero, Scandalo b Darkness II (thanks to Alessio Garbini)
          • CHIKARA’s U.K. tour is 5/27 to 5/30 with shows in Birmingham, Manchester, North Shields and Glasgow.  In Glasgow, the main event is Princess Kimber Lee vs. Hallowicked for the Grand Championship of Chikara.
          • Dynamo Pro Wrestling on 5/28 in St. Louis at the Ready Room.
          • Here is a David Crockett interview preview.

          EVENTS

          • June 4 – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
          • June 5 – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
          • June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
          • June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
          • June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
          • June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
          • June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
          • June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
          • June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas 
          • June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title 
          • June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
          • June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple   
          • July 7-11 The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas, EdinSanAntonio has all the information up on Facebook, or email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com.

        • April 19, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Davey Boy Smith hospitalized with spinal infection, WCW Spring Stampede

          The health situations involving both Davey Boy Smith and Japanese woman wrestler Emiko Kado took turns for the worst this past week.

          Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

        • Daily Update: WWE Extreme Rules preview, Conor McGregor speaks

          WWE EXTREME RULES TODAY AT 7:30 P.M. EASTERN FROM THE PRUDENTIAL CENTER IN NEWARK, NJ ON THE WWE NETWORK AND PPV

          Looking at this show on paper, it should be really strong.  This also feels more about blow-offs where as last month was more about doing finishes that built to rematches three weeks later.  With Money in the Bank, it’s more about a strong WWE title match and then the right people underneath in the Money in the Bank match.  With John Cena and Seth Rollins likely back for that show and Money in the Bank having more interest than most shows, it should be the biggest one since Mania.  Follow along live with Dave Meltzer.

          Bryan and I will be back tonight with a huge Wrestling Obsever radio, covering Extreme Rules, more on Cody Runnels, Sasha Banks, PWG, New Japan Super Juniors, Tanahashi, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz and more.  You can send questions to the show to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

          We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s Extreme Rules show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

          Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin preshow match – This match has happened several times already.  We know it’s a decent match.  If we’re judging this on 50/50 booking rules, Corbin won the last TV match, but Ziggler won the last PPV match.  Corbin at this stage should win, but he should have last month as well.

          Kalisto vs. Rusev for U.S. title – I’d go with a title change here.  The belt will mean more with Rusev defending against the new group of top faces.  Rusev & Lana are a strong act and for a lot of reasons, they’ve been downplayed.  

          Usos vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson tornado match – The Usos won the last TV match, and Anderson & Gallows should be put over to build for a title feud, so that should make them the favorites.  Should be a good match.  

          Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho asylum cage match – Ambrose did win the first match, but Jericho’s role in this program is to make Ambrose stronger.  The rules here are no escapes from the cage and only a pin or submission can win.  There will be all kinds of weapons used.  This should also be a good match.

          Charlotte vs. Natalya submissions match for women’s title – Natalya’s role here was always to eventually put Charlotte over and to have good matches in the process.  The last PPV match was hurt by the finish.  This is more difficult as you can’t do near falls.  Still, Natalya has studied submissions with Josh Barnett to expand her game so this may be the match for her too really shine in. 

          New Day vs Vaudevillains for tag team title – The crowd will go crazy for the ring entrance.  The match should be good, and we’ll probably see the best of the Vaudevillains because those two have never been in a match anywhere near this level of importance.  I think there are better heel teams on the roster and no reason for this program to be lengthy.  The only reason I could see a Vaudevillains win is to do a long program.

          The Miz vs. Cesaro vs Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens for IC title – For the title right now, Owens would be the best champion.  This kind of match is designed for a heel to get a fluke win and Miz has gotten beaten at every turn in the build up, and in WWE, that usually makes them the favorite in the match.  This does have a shot with the talent involved to be the best match on the show.  Plus, with Money in the Bank coming, Cesaro, Zayn and Owens all fit good into that match and Miz can always get a new title program.   

          Roman Reigns vs. A.J. Styles in an extreme rules match for the WWE title – We’ve almost been promised a ton of outside interference.  I don’t think anyone expects Styles is going to win.  Styles is an incredible big match wrestler and Reigns has been strong in his PPV singles matches.

          The smart money doesn’t appear to be in yet but here were tonight’s odds

          • Roman Reigns -1050
          • A.J. Styles +550
          • New Day -720
          • Vaudevillains +440
          • Charlotte -840
          • Natalya +480
          • Rusev -900
          • Kalisto +500
          • The Miz -600
          • Cesaro +725
          • Kevin Owens +1100
          • Sami Zayn +1400
          • Dean Ambrose -1200
          • Chris Jericho +600
          • Baron Corbin -900
          • Dolph Ziggler +500  

          NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS ON MONDAY FROM NIIGATA (this won’t air live but should be up sometime Monday on New Japan World)

          • Satoshi Kojima & Jay White & Ricochet vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi & Will Ospreay
          • Yuji Nagata & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Juice Robinson & Volador Jr.
          • Matt Sydal vs. Bushi
          • Kyle O’Reilly vs. Gedo
          • Ryusuke Taguchi vs. David Finlay
          • Kushida vs. Rocky Romero
          • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan & Bobby Fish vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
          • Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Trent Baretta vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil

          Raw will be Monday night in Baltimore at the Royal Farms Arena.

          NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS ON TUESDAY FROM YAMAGATA (this won’t air live but should be up sometimeTuesday on New Japan World)

          • David Finlay & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Gedo & Yoshi-Hashi
          • Yuji Nagata & Satoshi Kojima & Kyle O’Reilly & Matt Sydal vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Kushida & Juice Robinson & Jay White
          • Tiger Mask vs. Volador jr.
          • Jushin Liger vs. Chase Owens
          • Bobby Fish vs. Ricochet
          • Will Ospreay vs. Trent Baretta
          • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
          • Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Rocky Romero vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil & Bush

          Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Norfolk.  

            THE ROUND-UP

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

            Figure Four Weekly 5/16/2016: WWE concussion lawsuit deposition takes a strange turn – Details on the developments in WWE’s concussion lawsuit, and more. Find out all the details in this weeks issue of Figure Four Weekly.

            Wrestling Observer Newsletter

            READ IT HERE: May 23, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWE Extreme Rules preview, Vince McMahon sells portion of WWE stock, tons more

            A look at what’s next for WWE after Extreme Rules, the UFC sale with lots of exclusive info, Vince & Linda McMahon selling their stock, Chris Weidman’s injury and how that changes plans, the staggering drop in kids viewing for WWE and exactly who watches the TV today, plus UFC 198 coverage and Best of The Super Juniors tournament news are among the stories covered in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

            More on the injury returns and summer ideas and why WWE could have its deepest talent roster in a long time in very short order. Plus, talk about the NXT/WWE balance and why talent is actually more important for arena business if in NXT.

            There is also an extenisve look at the Extreme Rules show.

            In addition, updates on the UFC sale, including news about who is in, who is not in, what it all means, what is being sold, where Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta fit in and UFC fixture who indicates he’s likely gone if the sale goes through, all in covered in this issue.

            A glimpse into Vince McMahon’s stock sale, what it means, how much money did he get, and how his stock sale only increased the difference in the value of UFC vs. WWE, and for how much Vince McMahon bought the company.

            More on the injury to Chris Weidman, how it happened, his future, Michael Bisping’s title shot and more on UFC 1999.

            Also in this issue, find out who watches WWE on television and how many in each different age group.

            Find out how WWE has changed the schedule of the Cruiserweight tournament and why, more on the arrest of Adam Rose, more on Stephanie McMahon’s book, how Stephanie will be pushed on television going forward, how Stephanie will be marketed as the face of the company, and another WWE firing.

            Finally, there’s full coverage of UFC 198, including business notes including early estimates on success, ramifications of the show, match-by-match coverage, looking at the judging of close fights and poll results.

            CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PREVIEW

            Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

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            All the news from WrestleMania 15, the All Japan Tokyo Done show, and more will be in the latest back issue. Check out the latest online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: April 12, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Wrestlemania 15 business numbers, details on All Japan’s Tokyo Dome show, plus tons more. Both Davey Boy Smith and Japanese rookie woman wrestler Emiko Kado were both remaining in bad condition after an illness and in-ring injury respectively. 

            SUNDAY NEWS

            Cody Runnels has left WWE as noted yesterday.As best we can tell it’s not an angle and he has said he will explain his reasons soon.  Wife Brandi wrote on Twitter that she’s getting ready to work tonight’s show and talked about false rumors being spread.  His brother Dustin (aka Goldust) worked a WWE house show last night.  

            Conor McGregor was on ESPN this morning for an interview with Kenny Mayne, his first TV interview in the U.S. since the UFC 200 debacle went down. He called his issues with Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta a “publicized civil war” and didn’t say really anything new other than he was thinking of going to the press conference in Las Vegas and never imagined things would turn out like they did.  Well, had he done that, everything would have ended up better off. He was throwing around fake numbers like he was Hulk Hogan, clamming that he made UFC $400 million from him last week. He talked about all the attention he got on Twitter, about the discussed Floyd Mayweather fight with his version of the story that Mayweather was supposed to get $100 million and he was to get $7 million, and he’s not taking a pay cut to fight him. He said Mayweather needs him because he’s got nobody else he can make money with in boxing. 

            Some additions to the Victoria World Trios Cup tournament which takes place 6/3 in Puebla and 6/5 in Mexico City:

            • Team Mexico Internacional:  Dr. Wagner Jr. & Dragon Azteca Jr. & Rey Mysterio Jr.
            • Team Lucha Underground:  Johnny Mundo & Brian Cage & Chavo Guerrero Jr.
            • On the women’s side: Team USA: Cheerleader Melissa (not under a mask like in Lucha Underground) & Santana Garrett & Sienna (Allysin Kay).

            As of this writing, day two of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament isn’t up on New Japan World, but should be up some time later in the day.

            WWE

            • Regarding Seth Rollins questions, he is ready to return now, but it’s a question of the exact time and situation. There are all kinds of rumors and the only thing we just heard from someone backstage at Extreme Rules is that they haven’t seen him but have heard the talk.  With John Cena as an advertised return, he’s more likely to be a surprise at some point.
            • The Shane McMahon podcast with Mick Foley will air after Raw tomorrow night. 
            • The aforementioned Cena will appear Wednesday night on the Late Late Show with James Cordon on CBS. (thanks to Jon Southerland)
            • WWE hired a new announcer named Austin Romero, who started on Friday working the NXT tour using the name Mike Rome.
            • A new Camp WWE will be out this week on the Network.

            UFC

            • UFC is releasing a new Fight Pass series called “Where Are They Now?”  The first season will start airing shortly and will be six episodes long, covering Din Thomas, Tait Fletcher, Shonie Carter, Bobby Southworth, Noah Inhofer and Luke Cummo, who were all past fighters on The Ultimate Fighter when the show was doing big ratings.

            MISCELLANEOUS

            • Raven is doing a DVD on ring psychology and building matches and working matches.
            • Preston City Wrestling from last night in Liverpool before a sellout of 500 fans.  The show was sold out in advance in a new market.  They announced a return to Liverpool of 11/18 and put tickets on sale last night.  They ran on 6/4 back in Preston with Drew Galloway as the headliner. Scott Hall was there and got great reports on how nice he was and how much he was popping watching the John Morrison vs. Noam Dar match. Hall worked in Grado’s corner for the main event where he lost his PCW title bid to champion Sha Samuels.  Lionheart b Dave Rayne, Sammy Ward b Jimmy Jay (making his pro debut), Viper b Session Moth Martina, Noam Dar b John Morrison, Iestyn Rees b Bram, Dave Mastiff b Joe Hendry, Bubblegum b Dean Allmark (easily a ****+ match I’m told) Sha Samuels b Grado to win PCW title. (thanks to Stephen Lyon)
            • NSPW drew a record sellout crowd of 631 in Quebec City last night:  Team Montreal b Team Quebec City in a War Games cage match, Shayne Hawke b Alex Price in a hair color vs. hair color match, Heavy Metal Chaos & Vanessa Kraven b 3.0 & Coach Enzo, The Foundation b StrangeBulls, Matt Angel b Cedric Alexander to keep the NSPW jr. title, Dru Onyx & Surfer Mitch b Kickin n Stompin-DQ, Marko Estrada b Travis Toxic.  With the win, and no title defense scheduled until 9/10, Estrada will break Edouard Carpentier’s record for the longest champion in Quebec history.  Carpentier held the Montreal Athletic Commission title, sometimes called world and sometimes called International title, from January 30, 1963 to September 30, 1965. (thanks to Pat Laprade)
            • Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling did a 57th anniversary of Wrestling at the Chase show last night and set its all-time record crowd in East Carondelet, IL of 375 fans.  Barbara Goodish, the wife of Bruiser Brody, as the special guest at the show.  Chris Harges & Brandon Espinosa b Ken Kasa in a handicap match when Kasa filed to win over them in 15 minutes (that was an old Sam Muchnick style handicap match that dates back to the Frank Gotch days), Moondog Rover b Jimmy D, Sean Vincent b Dave Vaughn-DQ, Cooter & Daniel Gunner b Brandon Tucker & Jason Chaos, Johnny Blade b Flaming Fury Ax & Troll b Big Jim Hoffarth & Jason Vaughn, Gary Jackson b Curtis Wylde, Attila Kahn b Ron Powers-DQ, Big Jim Hoffarth won Bruiser Brody Memorial Battle Royal (thanks to Larry Matysik).
            • Freedom Pro Wrestling from last night at the Nashville Fairgrounds before 325 fans:  Among those at the meet and greet were Kevin Nash, Eric Young, Tatanka, MVP and Rockstar Spud.  Nash was the guest General Manger and said he was supposed to wrestle but he’s too old.  They made fun of C.M. Punk at the show.  Robbie E came out and cut down Nashville (even though he’s a face in TNA) and Punk’s music came out.  They had a guy in a La Parka mask wearing a C.M. Punk T-shirt as “La Marka” doing a C.M. Punk routine.  The idea is that he’s a “Mark,” and was so enamored seeing Kevin Nash that Robbie E then threw him out of the ring:  Ethan Carter III b Robbie E, The Mest Brothers b Motley Two, Samuel Shaw b Shawn Schultz, MVP b Teddy Fine, Arams b D3 and Action Ortiz in a three-way, James Storm b Crimson, C.J. O’Doyle b Tatanka, Eric Young b Rockstar Spud.  Crimson cut a promo on Nash, who was likely gone by this time, and then challenged two members of the Tennessee Titans at ringside (Dorial Green-Beckham was one of them) and then Chase Stevens and then said he wanted a former world champion, and that’s when Storm’s music played.  Young worked as a face in the main event.  They announced 7/2 as a return date with Tommy Dreamer, Stevie Richards and Blue Meanie announced (thanks to Lee Thomas).
            • Smash Infinity on 6/11 in Oshawa, ONT at the Harmony Creek Community and Events Centre.
            • Conflict Wrestling on 6/12 in Kitchener, ONT at 3 p.m. with Will White vs. John Atlas as the main event.
            • Lucha Libre Mexicana on 5/28 in Shawnee, KS at Soccer Nation features Tinieblas Jr.
            • St. Louis Anarchy from Friday night in Alton, IL:  Jojo Bravo b Sammy Guevara, Kevin Lee Davidson b Ken Phoenix, Paco Gonzalez & Mike Outlaw & Nick Cutler & Jason Roberts b Evan Gelistico & Danny Adams & Everett Connors & Austin Blackburn, Zakk Sawyers & Mikey McFinnegan b Alexandre Rudolph & Jake Parnell, Stephen Wolf b Curt Stallion, Gerald James b Jonathan Gresham, Ricky Stars b Alex Castle, Devin & Mason Cutter b Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful, Mat Fitchett b Evan Gelistico, TJ Perkins b Davey Vega (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer) 
            • St. Louis Anarchy from last night in Alton, IL:  Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful b Nick Cutler & Ken Phoenix, Jake Parnell b Danny Adams in a Hardcore match, Zakk Sawyers & Mikey McFinnegan b Devin & Mason Cutter, Everett Connors b Angelus Layne-DQ, Jonathan Gresham b Davey Vega, Mike Outlaw won four-way over Ricky Stars, Curt Stallion and Jason Roberts, Gerald James b Alexandre Rudolph, Evan Gelistico & Austin Blackburn b Jojo Bravo & Paco Gonzalez, Mat Fitchett b TJ Perkins (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
            • IWA Mid South on 5/26 in Clarksville, IN  at Jammerz with Reed Bentley defending the title against Joseph Schwartz in the main event.
            • ECCW 20th anniversary show from last night in New Westminster, BC before 250 fans:  Buddy Wayne b Alex Plexis, Dynamite Dan & Pete Powers b Jamie Diaz & Air Adonis, Shreddz b Bishop, Moondog Manson won Battle Royal, The Cunninghams & Ray Brooks b Ladies Choice & Skag Rollins & Wrathchild, Phantasmo b Moondog Manson in a Hardcore match for the title.  Original owner Dave Republic came out and cut a promo about the history of the group and brought out early stars Abbadon and Dr. Luther. (thanks to Travis Woloshyn)   
            • Pure Wrestling Association on 5/28 in Campbell River, BC at the Navy League Hall.
            • Ring Wars Carolinas on 6/18 in Lumberton, NC at the Priscilla King Arena.
            • Steel City Wrestling on 6/19 in Hamilton, ONT at the Knights of Columbus.
            • Lucha Xtreme TV from last night in Fresno:  Manny Fernandez b Anthony Idol-COR, Homicide DDQ Brandon Groom.  Next show is 7/5 in Hanford, CA at The Longfield Center with Manny Fernandez and Homicide. (thanks to Jon Southerland) 
            • Article on a minis show in Atlantic City (thanks to John Adams Jr.)

            EVENTS

            • June 4 – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
            • June 5 – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
            • June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
            • June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
            • June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
            • June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
            • June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
            • June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
            • June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas 
            • June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title 
            • June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
            • June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple   
            • July 7-11 The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas, EdinSanAntonio has all the information up on Facebook, or email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com.

          • Hiroshi Tanahashi off of Best of Super Juniors with injury

            New Japan’s top star Hiroshi Tanahashi has joined The Young Bucks on the injury list for the current Best of the Super Juniors tour due to a broken left shoulder.

            As noted in the current issue of the Observer, Tanahashi was hurting badly during the ROH tour last week. At yesterday’s tour opening show at Korakuen Hall, Tanahashi was destroyed by the Bullet Club in an angle, most notably by Kenny Omega. The angle was a storyline to explain his absence.

            New Japan announced the injury and said he will be out the rest of the tour. They want him to heal up for one of the company’s signature events of the year like the June 19th Dominion show at Osaka Jo Hall where he is set to face Omega in a ladder match.

            All of Tanahashi’s bookings for the rest of the tour will be filled by Satoshi Kojima, who will begin a new program against The Bullet Club.