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  • WWE Raw 8/31 live TV results: Sting returns, Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev

    courtesy WWE.com

    By Jeff Hamlin, WrestlingObserver.com  

    The Big Takeaway: 

    Seth Rollins will wrestle twice at Night of Champions. He will face Sting for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and also take on John Cena for the U.S. Championship. Funny how a champion with two title matches on the next PPV really spent most of the show building up a match with HHH, who didn’t even appear. 

    Show Recap: 

    Sting came out wigh JBL calling him “The man who put Starcade on the map.” That’s as bad as Charlotte calling the Four Horseman one of the greatest factions in WWE history. Sting said he would always have respect for HHH, but Seth Rollins was no HHH. He said it’s an injustice to think that Rollins thinks he can compare himself to legends like Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino and the Ultimate Warrior. Sting said the last chapter of his career would be written at Night of Champions when he wins the WWE World Heavyweight Title. Sting put over HHH more than himself, making Sting seem like a set up guy towards the inevitable HHH-Rollins program. 

    As if that point couldn’t be hammered home more, Rollins and Stephanie McMahon watched the promo from the back. Rollins called Sting a relic, but Stephanie said a victory over Sting would further cement Rollins’ legacy. Rollins said when he was in the ring, he was better than anyone. Stephanie said Sting said Rollins wasn’t half the man that HHH is, and Stephanie agreed with him. Stephanie said legends are built over time, not over a week or a month. Rollins said, with all due respect, they build statues for legends, then asked where was his statue? Stephanie told him to go ask Sting.   

    Dolph Ziggler defeated Rusev by DQ (14:16) 

    Rusev hit a thrust kick and went for the Accolade, but Dolph Ziggler escaped and caught the Zig Zag. As he covered Rusev, Summer Rae ran in. Lana, showing off an outfit that should get her a feature apperance in the next Slaughter video, started fighting with Rae. Ziggler pulled Lana off of her, but Rae charged at Lana again. Lana rose up to kick her. It was a big man vs. smaller man match with Ziggler doing his Ricky Morton babyface selling routine. Crowd was in it in doses. Ziggler and Lana kissed again while Rusev screamed in rage.   

    Renee Young talked with Ziggler. Lana left during the interview. Ziggler left to take a shower. As Young ran down the lineup for tonight, Rae snuck into Ziggler’s locker room. 

    The Beat the Clock gimmick is back tonight in the Divas division. The winner of the Beat the Clock challenge tonight gets a title shot at Nikki Bella at Night of Champions. 

    Nikki Bella was in the ring with the rest of the Bella Army.There’s now a countdown running backwards counting down the moments until Nikki becomes the longest reigning Divas champion in history. Usually in that regard, it would lead to Bella falling a day short since she’s a heel. Well, I think she is. She did a heel promo here, but got cheered. 

    Becky Lynch did your typical awful scripted inset promo saying “The B in Team PCB can be a real B when she has to.” She also said she and Alicia Fox would tear the house down tonight. No. 

    Becky Lynch defeated Alicia Fox via submission in a Beat the Clock match (3:21)

    Lynch made Fox tap out with Disarm-Her. Crowd was dead. You can see from Charlotte’s face how far the Divas division has fallen in terms of fan reactiion compared to NXT. 

    Ryback did a promo about his match against the Big Show saying it would be his biggest obstacle. In the middle of the interview, Rae was shown running out of Ziggler’s dressing room screaming. They cut back to Ziggler, wearing only a towel around his waist as he slammed the door looking flustered. 

    Ryback (C) defeated The Big Show (7:17) to retain the Intercontiental Championship. 

    The Miz was on commentary wearing, as Michael Cole described, an outfit similar to Miley Cyrus at the MTV Video Music Awards. I was stunned. Not that the Miz was wearing something outrageous. That MTV was still showing videos. Ryback got the pin after Miz distracted Big Show, allowing Ryback to hit the Shell Shock. As fans chanted for Big Show to retire, he cut a promo on them over the PA. Ryback kicked out of a choke slam and the Final Cut. 

    Charlotte defeated Brie Bella (1:40) in a Beat the Clock match

    Brie Bella ran around the ring tying to stall and keep Charlotte from beating Lynch’s time, which sort of buried Lynch. Charlotte beat Brie with a rolling neck snap. Lynch had a look of resignation on her face after Charlotte won. 

    The Dudley Boyz did a promo with Bubba Ray saying they were Straight Outta Dudleyville to put everyboy through a table. Bubba said they want to be the WWE Tag Team Champions for the 10th time and vowed to put the New Day through tables. 

    Kevin Owens defeated Cesaro (16:05)

    Very good match where Kevin Owens got the pin after a pop-up power bomb. Cesaro teased a suplex off the apron to the floor, but Owens escaped and knocked Cesaro into the announcer’s table. Cesaro started selling his ribs. Owens got as many cheers as Cesaro, partly because Owens was in NXT, which made him more over to the Florida fans. Plus, the fans seemed to realize that Cesaro isn’t getting the push they’ve begged for. 

    Ziggler tried to explain to an upset Lana what happened earlier. Ziggler said he was taking a shower when Rae stood outside with a smile on her face. He went to chase her out, put a towel around his waist and she ran out. He swore Rae saw him naked for two seconds maximum. Lana looked upset and asked how that was supposed to make her feel and walked off. 

    Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Braun Stowman came out. Bray thanked Sister Abigail (there’s that name again) for Stowman, who he called the Black Sheep. Wyatt told Stowman to show the face of destruction, and Stowman took off his black sheep mask and said this wasn’t the beginning, but the end. 

    Braun Stowman defeated Dean Ambrose by DQ (3:09) 

    This was an attempt to create a new monster heel. Stowman sold nothing for Dean Ambrose, who was thrown everywhere. Roman Reigns came down to watch from ringside. Stowman slapped Reigns, leading to Reigns going after Stowman outside the ring. Again, Stowman no sold a chair shot and clamped on the head-and-arm choke finisher on Ambrose and Reigns. Announcers had tomake Stowman out to be the next Undertaker or heel Andre the Giant, talking in hushed tones. 

    Rollins did an interview with Young. Rollins said he would call out Sting later in the show and demand answers about his statue. He also said no offense to HHH, but he never held the WWE World Heavyweight and U.S. Championship at the same time. He said, during his time, HHH was the King of Kings, but he’s the man now. 

    Sasha Banks and Paige went to a draw in 1:40 as time ran out in the Beat the Clock challenge, so Charlotte earned the title match against Nikki Bella at Night of Champions. 

    Paige hit the Rampage, but Tamina and Naomi pulled Banks out of the ring. Paige tried to clamp on the PTO, but time ran out. Paige didn’t look happy, but Charlotte couldn’t contain her happiness. Paige and Charlotte had a brief hug afterwards. 

    Rae did a taped interview with Ziggler, claiming he went into Ziggler’s locker room trying to smooth things over between those two, Lana and Rusev. She basically said Ziggler tried to seduce her, and she would never forget the image of Ziggler trying to seduce her. Lana saw the tape of this interview and walked away from Young with a tear in her eye. Rae’s acting wasn’t very good. 

    The New Day came out. Xavier Woods said the Dudleys were a menace to society and a menance to furniture across the world. Kofi Kingston said supporting the New Day could help save a table’s life. Big E. brought up various uses of the table, periodic tables, Thanksgiving tables, multiplication tables, etc. This was a rare New Day skit that died. 

    Woods brought out a table that he claimed was the last table in the company and they would do everything they could to protect it. They got the fans to chant “Save the tabes.” 

    The Dudley Boyz defeated The New Day (C) in a nontitle match (12:36)

    Devon Dudley pinned Kingston after a 3-D. Crowd wasn’t into it. The Prime Time Players were on commentary talking about a potential program with the Dudleys. Postmatch, Team 3-D teased putting Big E. through the final table in the WWE, but Big E. was pulled to safety. 

    Rollins came out and demanded that Sting come out, saying he once had respect for Sting. But now, he can understand that Sting was the reason why WCW folded. Did Sting book the One-Finger title change? Or Goldberg jobbing to Nash at Starcade? Rollins said he wanted Sting to come out and do two things. The first was to apologize for saying HHH was better than him. Rollins said he was just as good as HHH, and someday may be better. The second was he wanted his statue. 

    Stephanie came out and told Rollins she strongly advised him to stop talking about HHH. Rollins reasoned that HHH was the man in Evolution, if anyone compared him to Ric Flair, HHH would have flipped a lid because he was the leader of Evolution. That time has passed and Rollins said he was the man. Stephanie interrupted him and turned his attention back to Sting. Rollins called out Sting. 

    This time, John Cena came out. Cena said Rollins was the biggest idiot he’s ever met because Rollins thinks the Authority actually likes him. Cena said the Authority chose Rollins because he was the only one who would stab his friends in the back and do what’s best for business. Cena said the Authority always does what’s best for business just looking for the next flavor of the month, take everything they can from them and send them to the garbage heap. 

    Cena reminded Rollins that the Authority dictated that every championship would be on the line at Night of Champions. So Cena was going to cash in his rematch clause and get a rematch for the U.S. Championship at Night of Champions. Cena asked Stephanie for the rematch and she reluctantly agreed. So Rollins is now Jay Lethal in the latest idea WWE has ripped off from Ring of Honor. 

    As Cena left, Sting came out and stood beside Cena as they stared at Rollins. 

    SUMMARY: 

    Take away those Cena U.S. Challenge matches that usually did 4-stars on an average week and these Raws become quite labrious. Second straight week where there was only one good match on a 3-hour show. As for Rollins, he really won’t branch out and get truly over by being someone subservient  to the Authority. At this point, there’s no good thing that can come from a match with HHH for his character. It’s yet another Attitude-era star that will come in and remind everyone that the company was at its zenith 15 years ago at the expense of a young star. Sting came off like a complete afterthought on this show. 

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (August 31): Jerry Lawler vs. Don Bass hair vs. title cage match, lots of Memphis history

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1944 – Kansas City, Kansas; MWA World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown defeated Les Wolfe in 2 of 3 falls and Jack Hader beat Jack Suzek

    1945 – Ted Cox defeated Buddy Rogers for the Texas Heavyweight Title in Houston, Texas.

    1950 – Don Eagle defeated Gorgeous George in Columbus, Ohio to win the  Ohio AWA World Heavyweight Title

    1951 – Art Neilson and Jack Steel defeated Farmer Jones and Al Massey to win the Georgia NWA Southern Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia.

    1954 – Al and Tiny Mills defeated George and Sandy Scott for the Calgary NWA Canadian Tag Team Title in Edmonton, Alberta

    1965 – Don Carson defeated Ken Lucas to win the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title in Pensacola, Florida

    1967 – Len Rossi defeated The Great Yamaha (Kantaro Hoshino) for the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee

    1968 – Verne Gagne defeated Dr. X (Dick Beyer) to win the AWA World Heavyweight Title in Bloomington, Minnesota on a 3rd fall count out. Also on the card, Harley Race beat the Crusher, The Crusher & Bill Watts beat Larry Hennig & Harley Race by dq, Billy Red Lyons beat Big K and Kenny Jay beat Bob Sabre. Attendance was 6,450; José Lothario and Joe Scarpa (Chief Jay Strongbow) defeated Boris Malenko and Johnny Valentine to win the Florida NWA Southern Tag Team Title in Tampa, Florida.

    1972 – Art Neilson and Johnny Weaver defeated Brute Bernard and Larry Hamilton for the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Title in Greensboro, North Carolina; Gorgeous George, Jr. won a battle royal in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to win the vacant NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Title.

    1973 – Mr. Wrestling II defeated Bill Watts for the vacant NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia.

    1974 – Manny Soto defeated Mr. California (Salvador Lothario) for the NWA Beat the Champ Television Title in Hollywood, California. At the same event, Butcher Brannigan and Man Mountain Mike defeated Angel Blanco and Dr. Wagner to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Title; Chris Gallagher and Don Kent defeated Ricky Gibson and Steve Kovacs to win the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee; In St. Paul, Minnesota, The Crusher beat Superstar Billy Graham, Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Larry Hennig & Verne Gagne, Horst Hoffman beat Ivan Putski dq, Baron Von Raschke beat Khosrow Vaziri (Iron Sheik) and Jim Brunzell beat Paul Perschmann (Buddy Rose).

    1977 – Jane O’Brien defeated Maki Ueda to become the first Hawaiian Pacific Champion. This title later became known as the All Pacific Title.

    1978 – Doug Gilbert defeated Bob Sweetan for the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title in Kansas City, Kansas

    1979 – Ole Anderson and Ivan Koloff won the NWA Georgia Tag Team Title in Atlanta, Georgia, by defeating Stan Hansen and Tommy Rich; in Houston, Texas; NWA Champion Harley Race beat El Halcon, Bruiser Brody beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel dq, Mark Lewin beat Tor Kamata, The Spoiler drew Tiger Conway Jr and Dale Valentine (Buddy Roberts) drew David Von Erich

    1981 – Eddie Gilbert and Ricky Morton defeated Mr. (Masa) Fuchi and Mr. (Atsushi) Onita in Memphis, Tennessee to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Title

    1983 – Junbo Tsuruta defeated Bruiser Brody for the NWA International Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan

    1985 – Tiger Mask (Mistuharu Misawa) defeated NWA International Junior Heavyweight Champion Kuniaki Kobayashi to win the title in Tokyo, Japan. Also on the card, PWF World Tag Team Champions Ted DiBiase and PWF Heavyweight Champion Stan Hansen defeated NWA International Tag Team Champions, NWA United National Heavyweight Champion Genichiro Tenryu and NWA International Heavyweight Champion Jumbo Tsuruta to retain the title.

    1986 – Eddie Gilbert and Sting defeated The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers) for the UWF World Tag Team Title in Tulsa, Oklahoma

    1987 – In Tokyo, Japan; Nick Bockwinkel, Austin Idol and Dick Slater defeated Masanobu Fuchi, Samson Fuyuki and Akio Sato; PWF Heavyweight Champion Stan Hansen defeated Yoshiaki Yatsu by disqualification to retain the title and NWA United National Heavyweight Champion Genichiro Tenryu defeated NWA International Heavyweight Champion Jumbo Tsuruta by countout; Jerry Lawler defeated Don Bass in a Hair vs. Title Steel Cage match for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee. At the same show, Bill Dundee defeated George Barnes to win the CWA International Heavyweight Title.

    1990 – Steve Gatorwolf defeated The Japan Bomber (Riki Ataki) to win the American Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Title in Holbrook, Arizona.

    1992 – In Memphis, Tennessee; The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton) defeated Doug Gilbert and USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Gilbert, USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Gilbert defeated The Dirty White Boy to retain the title, USWA Tag Team Champions Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Lawler defeated The Orient Express (Kato and Tanaka) to retain the title and Bill Dundee defeated Tommy Rich by disqualification in a Steel Cage match.

    1993 – Crypt Keeper (José Estrada, Jr.) defeated Crash the Terminator (Bill DeMott) in Akita, Japan for the W*ING World Heavyweight Title.

    1996 – Jamie Dundee defeated Wolfie D to win the USWA Television Title in Memphis, Tennessee

    1997 – Kensuke Sasaki defeated Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP Heavyweight Title in Yokohama, Japan; PG-13 (JC Ice and Wolfie D) defeated Steven Dunn and Flash Flanagan for the USWA Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee.

    2003 – Shinjiro Otani and Masato Tanaka defeated C.W. Anderson and Steve Corino for the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Title in Gifu, Japan.

    2004 – Takao Omori and Shinjiro Otani defeat Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Shinya Hashimoto for the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Title in Morioka, Japan.

  • WWE News: Zahra Schreiber released

    The WWE announced Monday that it has released Zahra Schreiber, who is the girifriend of WWE champion Seth Rollins.

    Schreiber had a swastika in the background during a 2012 social media post, which came out this past week. She defended it by noting it was not Nazi related.

    “WWE released Zahra Schreiber due to inapproporiate and offensive remarks she made that were recently brought to out attention,” said the company in a statement.

  • Hulk Hogan asks for forgiveness on Good Morning America

    By Dave Meltzer, WrestlingObserver.com

    Hulk Hogan appeared on a taped segment of ABC’s Good Morning America today, and will also appear on Nightline, in an attempt to clean up his image a up his image after the reports of him making racial remarks in his 2006 sex tape were reported.

    Hogan claimed he was at the lowest point of his life in 2006 when the tape was recorded, and was suicidal, that he had no idea he was being taped and was mat at his daughter over a situation involving her and her boyfriend at the time.

    He claimed it was not a racist, that he was wrong to say it and is embarrassed by it, and claimed he used the n word based on the environment he grew up in in South Tampa and that he and his friends greeted people that way like it was nothing.  He did say he belives he inherited a racial basis based on that envronment and begged fans to forgive him.

    They presented it like WWE had erased his entire career, which is not the case, and claimed he was removed from the WWE Hall of Fame.  While he was removed from the WWE web site, including his Hall of Fame profile, at last word WWE had not removed him from the Hall of Fame.

    He was breaking down when he talked about how his daughter could have disowned him and didn’t, and said she showed him moore love than anyone.  He said he was mad at Brooke when he made the recording but she told him she’s not mad at him.

    He said that just because someone makes a mistake, you don’t throw them away and again said it was at the lowest point of his life and it was years ago.

    He wants to raise awareness of the impat that hate language can have and said he’s give his right arm to be back in pro wrestling.

  • TNA News: Thomas “Bram” Latimer arrested and suspended

    By Dave Meltzer, WrestlingObserver.com

    TNA wrestler Thomas Latimer, better known as Bram, was arrested and charged with two counts of domestic battery and false imprisonment by the Gulfport, FL, Police Department.

    He was immediately suspended by the promotion, which wrote that they are working to get facts and additional information regarding the arrest. The incident occured Sunday at just before 6 a.m.  He is currently in Pinellas County jail.

    “The charges against Thomas Latimer are serious, and he is immediately and indefinitely suspended from any future TNA-sanctioned events awaiting the outcome of the case,” said TNA Executive Vice President of Television and Talent John Gaburick.

    Latimer is no longer married to Ashley Fliehr, aka Charlotte in WWE.  According to both WWE and family members, the incident did not involve her.

    When police investigated the incident after responding to a call, Latimer was there with a woman who identified herself as his girlfriend.

    The police report listed that the couple was arguing and the woman seeked refuse in her bedroom.  The report alleged that Latimer followed her in, closed the door and refused to allow her to leave, pushed the woman onto the bed and held her down by her throat.

  • WWE: Why Bayley is (or should be) the future female face of WWE

    By Kyle S. Johnson for WrestlingObserver.com

    In the premiere of Total Divas’ fourth season, Nikki Bella makes the somewhat audacious claim that she is (or at least has the potential to be) the female version of John Cena. Because she has been the WWE Divas Champion for so long, and because she and her sister are the most merchandised Divas (and, consequently, the biggest female merch-movers in the company), she probably feels as if she has a legitimate claim to that title.

    But Cena is more than just WWE’s most protected performer and biggest money-maker. One could argue that his biggest value, at least to WWE’s mind, is in his unyielding dedication to charity. Among the focal points of WWE’s three-day run in Brooklyn was Cena granting his record 500th Make-A-Wish request for 8-year-old Rocco Lanzer, an effort that was played up to the hilt both on WWE programming and in the mainstream media.

    As far as the mainstream is largely concerned, John Cena is a man who works tirelessly to bring happiness to terminally ill children who also just so happens to be WWE’s biggest star since The Rock. He is a beacon of hope that brings warmth to cold hospitals and lights the eyes of boys and girls who need someone to spur them on in their darkest hours. This strikes directly at the heart of another audacious statement tweeted by Stephanie McMahon: “philanthropy is the future of marketing, it’s the way brands r going 2 win”.

    With Cena, it doesn’t feel like something tawdry and exploitive for the sake of a marketing ideology. It doesn’t seem like a performance forced for the ever-present camera eye. Cena comes across as having a very genuine enthusiasm for empowering children and instilling in them a sense of hope. His actions are such that you can almost sense that he would prefer that the camera weren’t there at all.

    This aspect of Cena’s nature informs his in-ring persona. This is why for 10 years, Cena’s promos have extolled the virtues of working hard and being persistent in the face of adversity. This is why for the better part of a decade, he has donned colorful t-shirts branded with inspirational slogans—“Hustle, Loyalty, Respect”; “Rise Above Hate”; “Never Give Up”. This is why, despite the growing disdain voiced in booming chants of “Cena Sucks,” there will always be a chorus of high-pitched voices to retort “Let’s Go Cena.”

    Cena is the face of WWE today not because he’s a great performer both in-ring and on the microphone (he is). He is not the face of WWE today because he exudes a natural charisma that befits a superstar (he does). He is not even the face of WWE today because he fits perfectly into Vince McMahon’s archetype of what a superstar should look like (he epitomizes it). He is the face of WWE because he is its one true goodwill ambassador. He connects not only with the mainstream of which WWE so desperately wants to be a part, but with the WWE’s most coveted demographic: children.

    This connection is unquestionably the most important to WWE, because it results both in more money in the short-term and, if you can create long-time fans from youth, the long term. People have been begging for a Cena heel turn for 10 years, but because of his role as the company’s top good guy both on-screen and off, that has not (and probably never will) come to pass. If capturing the attention of children and creating life-long fans is WWE’s primary long-term business objective, then there is no better choice for the company’s female face than the new NXT Women’s Champion, Bayley. 

    Bayley as Brand Ambassador

    In order for WWE to create a Cena-adjacent female face for its brand, that woman will likely have to live up to his same standard of connecting with young fans and performing acts of charity (preferably in a visible fashion). Nikki Bella and Eva Marie have an incredibly difficult time coming across as authentic in any respect on television (a fact easily gleaned from spending any length of time watching Total Divas, which is an unenviable task that I cannot recommend against strongly enough), making it hard to conceive of any scenario where they would seem genuine interacting with children in real-world situations.

    But that is not the case with Bayley. Bayley has “it.” In this case, “it” is that same thing that John Cena has. It’s an effortless charm that appeals to the everyman and everywoman. It’s a natural human agency to do good, and an aspiration to put smiles on the faces of children. Bayley is the perfect, perpetually-smiling face of WWE because you don’t believe for one second that her smile is a put-on. One need only see the way Bayley interacts with Izzy, her superfan who can seemingly always be found in the crowd at Full Sail.

    This characteristic of genuineness is perfectly malleable to WWE’s craving for good brand publicity through altruism. According to an email received by Bryan Alvarez on Thursday night, a long-time WWE employee believes that Bayley is “so ungodly over, especially with little girls,” that if she were to start granting wishes through Make-A-Wish, “she will destroy John Cena.” That would make her an invaluable asset to the company in a manner not terribly dissimilar to that of Cena, but only if WWE has the aptitude to harness it.

    For the last year, there has been a concerted effort on the part of WWE to position Roman Reigns as the next face of the company. This is evident in a number of ways, not the least of which being his sudden ascent to the main event of WrestleMania. Given the WWE mantra of philanthropy being tantamount to good marketing, one need only look at the list of “Athletes Gone Good” for 2015 to see just how deep WWE’s desire to make Reigns the next top guy runs. It should come as little surprise that, as the face of WWE, Cena ranks second only to Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of most charitable athletes. WWE’s second-most-charitable star? Reigns. While it’s difficult to speculate that an individual’s charitable acts are the result of anything but benevolence, it’s also hard to imagine that Reigns’ place on this list is not the result of some calculated efforts behind the scenes.

    In order for WWE to create a top female face who is on the level of John Cena, they will need to appear on these lists. They will need to be a visible role model to children, that same warming light in the darkness. For better or worse, this is how the WWE will market its top babyfaces from here on in, and it is for this reason that Bayley is their most logical next big thing.  

    Targeting the Right Audience

    One of the biggest complaints about women’s wrestling in WWE for, oh, the last decade or two has been its overreliance on sexuality. Since the days of Sunny and Sable, the role of women in the WWE has largely been to serve as eye candy for the male audience. From the late ’90s and into the early-2000s, WWE made no bones about its intentions with its female talent—they were there to participate in bawdy storylines and be ogled by men.

    Once the company opted to move toward more family-friendly programming, it made a withering attempt to mask the state of things. Gone were Playboy photospreads, replaced with considerably more tasteful Maxim photospreads. The women became “Divas,” and despite the fact that the denotation of the word is not particularly flattering, it was intended to provide the connotation of the women being powerful and, more importantly, sexy. Still, despite tidying up appearances, this left little in the way of true role models for young girls to get behind.

    Even as great wrestlers have come and gone—Trish Stratus, Victoria, Gail Kim, Natalya, and AJ Lee are among their number—the singular focus has always been sex appeal. That focus on sex remains to this day, which is the only explanation why amidst a (hashtag) “revolution,” WWE’s current choice for the top female talent in the company is Eva Marie.

    Eva Marie cannot, under any circumstances, be considered a good professional wrestler, which used to be a pretty sizeable chunk of what made someone a star in professional wrestling (or so I’ve been told). She has no discernable charisma to speak of, and she has absolutely no connection with the audience—especially not young girls. She can, however, be considered “hot.” In this, Vince McMahon presumably sees an untapped goldmine, which explains why her face has probably appeared on production trucks and in promo material more times than she’s actually wrestled in the past two years.

    The last perceived “new face” of WWE was Lana, which would have been at least an improvement over Eva. But her push suddenly sputtered and halted, and in the span of a few short months, she went from jousting with the likes of Cena and The Rock on the microphone (and handling herself quite skillfully in the process) to being the denim-wearing girlfriend/valet of Dolph Ziggler. While Lana was substantially more entertaining as a heel manager than Eva Marie has ever proven to be at anything, they have no fewer than two things in common: Lana was almost certainly pushed entirely because she was “hot,” and she’s not what you could reasonably call a wrestler.  

    In the world of sports entertainment, being even a competent wrestler is ancillary to being a character. Certainly, if history reveals anything, WWE’s style of promoting suggests that it is only comfortable offering female characters in one of few stock archetypes. That spectrum runs something like: evil, catty, crazy, conniving, jealous, ditzy, self-effacing, and hot. There may be a few wrinkles in the formula here and there, but the song largely remains the same. Whether Charlotte, Sasha, and Becky are given the opportunity to break from this interminable mold and strike out on their own in some meaningful way remains to be seen.

    It’s increasingly difficult to have any level of confidence with the way women are booked on WWE’s main roster, but it’s easy to see where they could theoretically get it right with Bayley. As a character and a personality, she’s got everything necessary to become a transcendent star and a vital component in WWE’s quest to claim newer and younger fans. As a wrestler, she’s shown that she can be compelling and, when matched up with someone of commensurate talents like one of the other three Horsewomen, outstanding.

    According to Scott Keith, Bayley’s “I’m a Hugger” shirt was, at least for a time this month, the top-selling Divas item in WWE Shop despite Bayley having less than .05 percent the merchandise options that the Bellas have. Keith’s salient analysis of this fact: “The girl is going to rival Cena in merch sales one day, especially in the youth area.”

    WWE has shown that it cannot properly execute a “revolution,” but perhaps it’s not too late to change the way it views and treats women. A major (and necessary) alteration would be to reevaluate just to whom they are trying to appeal. If the answer is young girls, then having Bayley at the forefront of the division is as good a place to start as any. With the right approach, she can and will sell t-shirts and wristbands by the truckload.   

    Bayley, with her goofy mannerisms and her vibrant outfits and her grandiose entrance accompanied by giant waving tube men, stands in such stark contrast to the typical WWE character template for women. She connects with kids and, thanks to her considerable in-ring talent, with hardcore wrestling fans as well, all without having to be objectified. She is, in so many ways, the polar opposite of an Eva Marie or a Nikki Bella.

    She’s a classic white-meat babyface, a plucky underdog who never gives up and who the fans want to overcome the odds stacked against her. She may be the closest thing they’ve got to a female John Cena, and in some ways, she might even have the potential to be more important over time.

  • PWG Battle of Los Angeles day three notes

    Among those in attendance at tonight’s show:

    Konnan, Rey Mysterio, Dominick Gutierrez (Rey’s son), Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke (three of the Four Horsewomen)

    Jack Evans b Brian Cage

    Chris Hero b Biff Busick with a middle rope piledriver

    Marty Scurll b Trevor Lee with a Kimura

    Zack Sabre Jr. b Pentagon Jr.

    Mike Bailey b Tommy End

    Will Ospreay b Matt Sydal

    Young Bucks & Roderick Strong & Super Dragon b Angelico & Fenix & Rich Swann & Ricochet

    Chris Hero b Jack Evans

    Speedball Mike Bailey b Will Ospreay

    Zack Sabre Jr. b Marty Scurll

    Chuck Taylor & Trent Baretta & Aero Star & Drew Galloway & Drew Gulak b

    Tomasso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher & Drago & Mark Andrews & Andrew Everett.  Mostly comedy

    The finals were Sabre vs. Hero vs. Bailey.  Hero pinned Bailey with a Gotch style piledriver.  Sabre then made Hero submit.  Strong then said he would destroy Sabre in their upcoming tilte match.  The show ended with the Europeans celebreating with Sabre on their shoulders.

    The show was scheduled for a 5 p.m. start.  It started about 6:15 p.m. and ended at 11:30 p.m.

    More to come

  • SUN UPDATE: WWE Network edits, PWG, TNA, Surprise at ROH, Fan tried to attack Ambrose, Developmental talent media controversy

    By Dave Meltzer

    We’re looking for reports on these weekend shows at Dave Meltzerdave@wrestlingobserver.com”>

    Sunday has WWE in Daytona Beach (John Cena, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Prime Time Players, Dolph Ziggler) and Tallahassee (Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, Big Show, Ryback)

    *Battle of Los Angeles today in Reseda, CA

    *Ring of Honor last night in Atlanta

    *Global Force Wrestling last night in Richmond, VA

    *NXT last night in Fort Pierce, FL

    *NXT Thursday night in Tampa.

    Raw will be Monday in Tampa.  Announced so far is that Sting will be opening the show and appearing live, that there will be a Beat the Clock challenge with Paige, Sasha Banks and Charlotte with the winner getting Nikki Bella at Night of Champions for the Divas title plus Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev

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

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

    A complete rundown of the WWE’s weekend in Brooklyn, with all the business notes, surprises and what is known about the future direction is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We also cover the decision to have Holly Holm replace Miesha Tate as Ronda Rousey’s opponent next, a UFC business year-in-review story, ROH big weekend, New Japan next tour, 2017 Mania and Daniel Bryan future note. 

    The latest Wrestling Observer: Wrestling Observer Newsletter August 31, 2015: SummerSlam weekend wrap-up, UFC business

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    We have rundowns of NXT Takeover, SummerSlam and Raw from Brooklyn.  We look at the Night of Champions card and what is and isn’t confirmed, the unique aspect of that weekend no PPV, the returns of Sting and the Dudleys, Dudleys tag title reigns, Jushin Liger’s WWE future, New Japan stars at SummerSlam, Bray Wyatt’s new Wyatt family member and his booking, Jon Stewart, Lesnar and Undertaker’s finish, business notes, NXT in the U.K., Wrestlers complaining about fans at Raw, as well as more on the problems in the WWE Diva Division and what isn’t working. 

    We look at UFC’s 2015 business numbers and what they show about the UFC audience, the appeal of the audience to advertisers, how it compares with the audience at other sports, how much of this year’s increases have to do with Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey and what their effects are on business as a whole.  We also look at who the new fans UFC has brought in this year are.

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    We look at two major stars returning to a major promotion after seven years and their first programs, the CMLL Anniversary show main event, notes from the Arena Mexico shows from the past weekend Ultimo Dragon taping TV in Mexico City.

    We also have notes on a top woman star being injured, a booker getting bad pub from television, a promotion so hot that their sold out events are going to be broadcast in movie theaters as well as upcoming tournaments in Japan.

    We also have a look at the New Japan business and how it has increased over recent years, More on A.J. Styles challenging for the IWGP title, New wrestlers debuting in Japan including names not announced yet, lineups for the New Japan World shows in September, Hiroshi Tanahashi talks neck problem, Tanahashi talks theories of wrestling and Ricochet in New Japan.

    We also look at WrestleMania in 2017, the Madison Square Garden network special the 2K 16 launch party, the next Stone Cold podcast, an update on Daniel Bryan and well as some of his own philosophies of wrestling, Dolph Ziggler talks contract, the end of Tough Enough, more on NXT talent and pay, stars with new deals, the WWE Divas title, HHH talks NXT, other stars talk who they’d like to see in WWE, Jericho talks Hogan and more.

    We also note an indie show in Japan that outdrew Brock Lesnar and WWE at Sumo Hall, as well as the 40th anniversary of the pro debut of one of this era’s biggest stars.

    We note the death of Duke Myers, his career highlights, GFW’s latest TV taping and everything that happened, Taz getting a new gig, Wale and pro wrestling, Terry Funk wrestling again in a few months, Jim Ross talk show, Leroy McGuirk into NWA Hall of Fame, Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Red, Alberto El Patron in Europe, promoter critical of Sabu and an update on Len Rossi.

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    We also look at a major wrestler signing, Alberto Del Rio in negotiations to be an announcer, early UFC promoter back running live shows and huge One championship bout.

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    SUNDAY’S NEWS UPDATE

    • Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Battle of Los Angeles, Rousey in Australia, Raw tomorrow and the rest of the latest news with Wrestling Observer Radio.  You can ask questions for tonight’s show to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com
    • Want to mention all the nice people I was able to meet the last two nights at the PWG show in Reseda.  As mentioned in the report, last night’s show was one of the best live events I’ve ever seen.  It’s just amazing the talent level at both shows, from all around the world.
    • The Discovery Network station Discovery en Espanol and well as the Discovery Network station in Romania and Eurosport in Finland are all listed as dropping Impact.
    • Zahra Schreiber, the girlfriend of Seth Rollins and a WWE developmental talent was covered as showing an Instagram photo from 2012 which showed a medal with the swastika on it in the background.  She defended it saying the swastika meant prosperity and meant that long before Hitler.  She worked last night’s house show in Fort Pierce as the manager with Solomon Crowe.  
    • Stevie Richards made a surprise appearance at last night’s ROH show in Atlanta and did a pull-apart angle with Jay Lethal.  Taelor Hendrix was in the corner of Christopher Daniels  & Frankie Kazarian & Lethal.
    • Cliff Compton was scheduled to wrestle Mark Briscoe but couldn’t appear as he was hospitalized with a seizure.  He was in the building and rushed via ambulance to the hospital.  He was released from the hospital late last night.
    • Kevin Iole reported that UFC was trying to book Joanna Jedrzejczyk against Valerie Letourneau as the No. 2 fight for the 11/15 show in Melbourne, Australia at Etihad Stadium.  However that isn’t likely since Letourneau was injured in her win last week over Maryna Morosz in Saskatoon.  Claudia Galdelha, who is also injured, wasn’t happy to hear that there could be a title fight before her,  Gadelha said she’d be ready to fight in December or January.  It makes sense to put Jedrezjczyk on the same show as Ronda Rousey, who now headlines that show.
    • In a post on Friday night, it was written that the stadium holds 90,000.  It will actually be set up for 70,000.  It’s never held that many in the past.
    • A fan tried to jump Dean Ambrose on Tuesday night at the Smackdown tapings in Providence.  There was footage on the www.tmz.com . site showing a guy who had gotten over the barricade and was running toward Ambrose from behind but security, right before he got to Ambrose, tackled him.  The report stated that the fan was holding a sharp object.
    • Bellator announced Phil Davis vs. Emanuel Newton and Linton Vassel vs. King Mo Lawal will be the first round pairings at the lightheayvweight tournament on 9/19 in San Jose.  Both will be two round fights, and the winners come back for three-round fights later in the show.
    • A first-ever Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Low Ki match is scheduled for Jersey All Pro Wrestling on 11/14 in Rahway, NJ.  At one time these two were scheduled to feud in WWE in a major program, but plans changed long before it ever came close to happening .  Also announced for that show are The Hardys, Konnan & Homicide & Hernandez at LAX,. MVP, Jack Evans and Candice LaRae.
    • I believe there is a pre-sale for the Royal Rumble on 1/24 in Orlando at Amway Arena with the code rumble16.  The pre-sale definitely started at about 10:15 p.m. last night.  Tickets go on sale to the public on 11/20.
    • Rich Brennan was announced as the new full-time lead announcer on Smackdown.
    • The WWE Network’s airing of SummerSlam that is up right now has edited out The New Day’s song parody of “Empire State of Mind.”  They also edited out Brock Lesnar flipping off Undertaker right before the finish of that match.  That’s weird because there are tons of episodes of Steve Austin flipping people up in the archives (thanks to Leon Peters).
    • Hulk Hogan talked about wanting to run for Vice President on the ticket with Donald Trump.  Note that as another thing that isn’t about to happen.
    • In Google searches for yesterday, Shane Moseley was No. 12 with 50,000 and Leo Santa Cruz was No. 14 also with 50,000. 
    • UIPW has a show today in East Los Angeles at the UIPW Auditorium featuring a three-way for their title with Volador Jr.. defending against Mephisto and Johnny Mundo.  That’s an interesting political match since Volador and Mephisto are headliners for CMLL and Mundo headlines for AAA and Lucha Underground.
    • United Wrestling Coalition on 9/5 in Wrightstown, NJ at Kelly’s Banquet Hall.
    • The funeral for Professor Elliot Maron will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Old Montifiore Cemetery at 121-83 Springfield Blvd., in Queens, NY, which will be a grave side service (thanks to Mike Lano).
    • World League Wrestling from last night in Troy, MO:  Justin D’Air won Battle Royal, Brandon Espinosa & Kyle Roberts b Kevin Lee Davidson & Hannibal, Trevor Murdoch & Brian Breaker b Moonshine Mantell & Josef Von Schmidt, Jon Webb b Ace Hawkins, Heather Patera b Stacy O’Brien 2/3 falls to win the women’s title, Superstar Steve Fender & Derek McQuinn b Dave DeLorean & Jayden Fenix-DQ, Leland Race d Steve Anthony.  Anthony is the NWA jr. champion who is headed to New Japan this month to defend the title against Tiger Mask.
    • Ric Flair was in the area in Missouri working with Harley Race in a training camp.
    • Dan Lennaard is looking for contact information on Outback Jack.  Lennard is at danhelen@idx.com.au
    • Gold Rush Wrestling from last night in Pacifica, CA with the one-night Lady Luck tournament:  Boyce LeGrande b Shawn Gunn, Boyce LeGrande b Corey Kresse, Brittany Wonder b Shotzi Blackheart, Kikyo Nakamura b Lisa Lace,Thunder  Rosa b Luchadora Dutra, Cheerleader Melissa b Nicole Savoy, Thunder Rosa b Kikyo Nakamura-DQ, Cheerleader Melissa b Brittany Wonder, Jeff Cobb & Sione Finau b Suburban Commandos, Cheerleader Melissa b Thunder Rosa to win the Lady Luck tournament (thanks to Matt)
    • Smash Wrestling on 9/13 in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Center with a women’s tournament with Team USA or Jessica Havok, Allysin Kay, Sassytephanie, Cherry Bomb, Kimber Lee, Candice LaRae, Heidi Lovelace and Veda Scott.  Team Canada will be Nicolie Matthews, Portia Perez, Vanessa Kraven, Courtney Rush, Jennifer Blake, Jewels Malone, Xandra Bala and KC Spinelli.
    • Championship Wrestling Entertainment from Friday night in Vero Beach, FL for a TV taping:  Johann Remsez & Ace Slater b Ace Andrews & Rex Bacchus, Santana Garrett b Grace Storm, Chico Adams b Aryeh Amor, Lince Dorado & Eddie Cruz b Barrio Brothers, Rex Bacchus b PRS, MJ Knight b Ashley Mayberry, Zack Monster b Heroe Byronico, JB Cool b Michael  Kai Rayne, Zack Monster won three-way over Damien James and Donnie Able, Chico Adams b Romero-COR, Shaniah Aariyanna won four-way over Ashley Mayberry, Grace Storm and MJ Knight, Rhett Giddins b Big English, Tyranus b Josh Parker, Jesus DeLeon b JB Cool.
    • Shine Wrestling will have an iPPV this coming weekend from Ybor City, FL with Santana Garrett vs Allysin Kay, Athena vs. Vanessa Karaven, and Jessicka Havok vs. LuFisto.
    • This is really sad, from Billy Jack Haynes
    • The video of a wedding at the Team Vision Dojo in Orlando
    • A story on former wrestler Pat O’Hara in the Tampa Tribune
    • Drew Galloway talks the U.K. wrestling scene
    • ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)

    1978 – Talisman beat Mario Valenzuela to win the Mexican national lightweight title

    1987 – Pirata Morgan & Jerry Estrada & Hombre Bala beat Ringo Mendoza & Kiss & Rayo de Jalisco Jr. in Mexico City to win the Mexican national trios titles

    1997 – Julie Starr beat Sweet Saraya (Paige’s mother) in Norwich to win the British women’s title

    1983 – Jumbo Tsuruta beat Bruiser Brody in Tokyo to win the International title

    1989 – Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu beat Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara in Osaka to win the All Japan tag titles

    1995 – Masayoshi Motego beat El Hijo del Santo in Tokyo in a tournament final for the NWA jr. title

    2003 – Milano Collection A.T. & Yossino & Condotti Shuji beat Masaaki Mochizuki & Kennichiro Arai & Dragon Kid, Cima & Suwa & Don Fujii and Tokyo Magnum & Susumu Yokosuka & Genki Horiguchi in a four-way to win the UWA trios titles

    2009 – Naoki Tanizaki beat Kategora in the finals of a tournament for the Dragon Gate Open the Brave Gate title

    2013 – Dragon Kid & K-Ness beat Naruki Doi & Ricochet in Kobe to win the Open the Twin Gate titles

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (August 30): Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna, HHH vs. Rock I-C ladder match, big Hawaii show

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1960 – Minneapolis, Minnesota; Verne Gagne & Joe Scarpello beat AWA Tag Team Champions Tiny Mills & Stan Kowalski and Gene Kiniski beat Bob Rasmussen

    1969 – Mad Dog & Butcher Vachon defeated Crusher & Dick the Bruiser for the AWA World Tag Team Title in Chicago, Illinois in a 2 of 3 falls match. Also, Blackjack Lanza went to a no contest with Wilbur Snyder, Edouard Carpentier beat Big K, Pat O’Connor beat Angelo Poffo, Baron Von Raschke beat Rene Goulet, Luis Martinez beat Kenny Jay. Attendance was 10,000.

    1972 – Honolulu, Hawaii; Johnny Barend drew NWA Champion Dory Funk Jr, AWA Tag Team Champions Ray Stevens & Nick Bockwinkel beat Wahoo McDaniel & Fred Curry, Lonnie Mayne beat Jimmy Snuka, Sam Steamboat beat Al Costello and Ed Francis drew Fred Blassie

    1981 – St. Paul, Minnesota; AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Sheik Adnan El Kassey by dq. (After the AWA awarded the title to Bockwinkel when Gagne retired, the AWA feuded Bockwinkel with the hated Kassey to keep the “heat” off Bockwinkel for being given the belt). AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura, Hulk Hogan & Brad Rheingans beat Ray Stevens & Jerry Blackwell, Billy Robinson drew Tito Santana, Baron Von Raschke beat Eddie Boulder (Brutus Beefcake/Ed Leslie) and Buck Zumhofe beat Kenny Jay

    1983 – In Louisville, Kentucky; NWA Mid America champion Buddy Landel defeated Terry Taylor, AWA Southern tag champs the Grapplers defeated Spike Huber and Steve Regal, The Fabulous Ones defeated CWA tag champs the Assassins via DQ and Austin Idol wrestled CWA International champ Ken Patera to a draw.

    1984 – In Birmingham, Alabama; Ted DiBiase defeated Brad Armstrong and Austin Idol defeated Rip Rogers in a cage match.

    1987 – Minneapolis, Minnesota; AWA Champion Curt Hennig beat Greg Gagne dq, AWA Tag Team Champions Boris Zhukov & Soldat Ustinov beat Wahoo McDaniel & DJ Peterson, In a Taped Fist Match; Scott LeDoux beat Larry Zbyszko by countout and Tommy Rich beat Kevin Kelly

    1993 – At SummerSlam in Auburn Hills, Michigan; Lex Luger defeated WWF World Heavyweight Champion Yokozuna via countout, WWF Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner defeated The Heavenly Bodies (Jimmy Del Ray & Tom Pritchard) and Jerry Lawler defeated Bret Hart via disqualification.

    1993 – Dustin Rhodes defeated Rick Rude to reclaim the WCW United States Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia.

    1996 – Sid Vicious defeated Jerry Lawler for the USWA Unified Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee.

    1998 – At the SummerSlam PPV in Madison Square Garden, The New Age Outlaws defeated Mankind and Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere match to win the WWF World Tag Team Titles, Triple H defeated Rocky Maivia in a Ladder match for the WWF Intercontinental Title

    2011 – During an edition of Impact Wrestling, James Storm defeated Rob Van Dam, Samoa Joe defeated AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy defeated Kurt Angle.

  • PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night 2 (8/29) results:

    By Dave Meltzer, WrestlingObserver.com

    From Resesda, CA, Saturday night:

    In tournament first round matches:

    • Marty Scurll b Rich Swann
    • Jack Evans b Angelico
    • Chris Hero b Timothy Thatcher
    • Aero Star & Fenix b Drago & Pentagon Jr.
    • Tommy End b Drew Gulak
    • Speedball Mike Bailey b Drew Galloway
    • Zack Sabre Jr. b Ricochet

    Young Bucks & Super Dragon b Andrew Everett & Trevor Lee & Biff Busick in a hardcore match. The Bucks & Dragon also destroyed a couple of referees, Excalibur (who cut a promo on them after the match) and Chris Hero.

    This was among the best live shows I’ve seen.  From a wrestling standpoint, this was better than even this year’s WrestleMania, actaully by a pretty significant margin. Hero vs. Thatcher, the AAA tag match, Galloway vs. Bailey, Sabre vs. Ricochet and the main event were all tremendous, and also all completely different.

    The finals of the tournament Sunday will have Brian Cage, Busick, Will Ospreay, Trevor Lee, Pentagon Jr., Matt Sydal, Scurll, Evans, Hero, End, Bailey and Sabre Jr.