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  • UFC 198 Curitiba live results: Fabricio Werdum vs. Stipe Miocic

    Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic from the Arena de Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. The UFC brings their biggest event to Brazil as they visit a soccer stadium, the fourth stadium show in company history, with a headline bout featuring UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum defending against Stipe Miocic. The co-main event is a pivotal bout in the middleweight division as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza takes on Vitor Belfort. Also on the card is the UFC debut of Cris Cyborg as she takes on Leslie Smith. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:15 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:15 PM ET/3:15 PM PT)

    FEATHERWEIGHTS- RENATO MOICANA (9-0-1, 1-0 UFC) VS. ZUBAIRA TUKHUGOV (18-3, 3-0 UFC)

    ROUND 1- This is an interesting battle of young prospects. The huge crowd is already very loud. They trade punches and Moicana comes back with some leg kicks. Tukhugov complains about a low blow but there is no break. They trade again and Moicano lands a nice left hand. Tukhugov misses a head kick and Moicana lands a couple of leg kicks. Tukhugov lands a left hand. Tukhugov lands a left and Moicano stumbles to the mat and Tukhugov goes into his guard. Moicano goes to rubber guard. Moicano is looking to go for a triangle choke. Not a lot happening as Moicano abandons the triangle attempt. Tukhugov with some strikes and eats an upkick from Moicano. They scramble and Moicano has a brief look at a choke from the back but they get to their feet. Crazy end to the first. Close round. 10-9 Moicano.

    ROUND 2- Moicano with a right hand early. Tukhugov looking for a head kick but eating the jab from Moicano. Moicano with some leg kicks and then a stiff jab. Tukhugov misses a big left hand. They trade punches. Moicano lands a low blow but the referee doesn’t see it. Moicano looks to pressure but Tukhugov fires back with punches. They each land in a wild exchange. Tukhugov shoots for a takedown but Moicano stuffs it and looks for a choke but Tukhugov scrambles out. Each man landing but Moicano controlling the center with leg kicks. Moicano lands a nice right hand. Tukhugov with a left hand and misses a spinning attack. Moicano with some leg kicks and goes high. Moicano with an uppercut and a high kick. 10-9 Moicano, 20-18 Moicano.

    ROUND 3- They trade as this fight is close and could come down to this round. Tukhugov has a cut under his left eye. Moicano lands a big punch on Tukhugov. Tukhugov goes for a takedown but Moicano scrambles out of the position and they are on their feet. Moicano with a jab. They call timeout to check the cut but fight continues. They trade punches as Tukhugov lands a nice left hand. Tukhugov with a quick takedown but they get up to their feet. Moicano with a big knee to the body. Tukhugov lands a punch but Moicano comes back with a series of punches. Moicano with a spinning head kick and then a quick left hand. Tukhugov shoots for a takedown but it is stuffed. They scramble to their feet. 10-9 Moicano, 30-27 Moicano.

    Official Result- Renato Moicano def. Zubaira Tukhugov by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

    WELTERWEIGHTS- SERGIO MORAES (10-2, 4-1 UFC) VS. LUAN CHAGAS (14-1, 0-0 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Chagas makes his UFC debut on short notice. Chagas looking to land early and Moraes goes for a takedown but the fence gets in the way. Chagas with a combo and a series of leg kicks. Chagas misses a spinning head kick. Chagas with a head kick that was blocked. Chagas with a leg kick and one to the body. Moraes with a leg kick. Moraes with a nice uppercut. They scramble. Chagas with a hard inside leg kick. Moraes with a big right hand. They trade leg kicks. Chagas drops Moraes with a head kick but lets Moraes back up. Moraes is still stunned after the head kick with under a minute left in the round. Chagas with a front kick to the body and then drops him with a left hand. Moraes inviting him down but Chagas gets away and they are on their feet. Chagas with a head kick and some punches to end the round. 10-9 Chagas.

    ROUND 2- Chagas lands a combo to start the second. Moraes with a big right hand and then misses a big swing. Left hook from Moraes. Chagas with a right hand and then two leg kicks. Chagas with another leg kick. Chagas with a combo and Moraes counters with a big right hand. They clinch and Chagas with a knee. Chagas misses a spinning wheel kick. Moraes with a kick and Chagas goes to the mat for a moment as he may be tired. Moraes with a right hand against the fence. They trade punches. Moraes grabs the neck and drops down for the guillotine and looking for the submission. Moraes has it tight but Chagas somehow gets free and is in the guard. Moraes landing some punches from the bottom as Chagas doing nothing from the top. They are stood up from the referee. Moraes goes for the takedown and they scramble to the mat. Chagas looks for mount but they scramble with Moraes on top and he lands an elbow and some punches from the top. 10-9 Moraes, 19-19.

    ROUND 3- Chagas misses two left hands and eats a right hand from Moraes. Moraes gets a takedown and is in the half-guard of Chagas. He looks to go to full mount but gets back into full guard. Moraes with an elbow from the top. Moraes gets to his feet and lands a big right hand and Moraes goes back into the guard. Chagas is exhausted on the mat. Moraes looking to pass guard. Moraes looking for mount from the half-guard. Moraes gets into side control. Chagas looks to spin out and gives up his back. Chagas attempts to roll out but eats punches from Moraes. Chagas looks for a leg lock. Moraes keeps the back. Moraes has the back but Chagas is defending. They get to their feet but Moraes still has the back. Slow end to the fight. 10-9 Moraes, 29-28 Moraes.

    Official Result- Sergio Moraes vs. Luan Chagas scored a split draw (28-29, 29-28, 28-28)

    LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#10) ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA (21-7, 4-4 UFC) VS. (#11) PATRICK CUMMINS (8-3, 4-3 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Cummins with a leg kick. Nogueira misses a left hand but defends a takedown attempt from Cummins. Cummins with a leg kick. Nogueira with a left hand. Cummins with a head kick that is blocked but he lands a leg kick and one to the body. Cummins with a leg kick. They trade punches. Nogueira with a big left hand and then another and Cummins is in trouble. Cummins grabs the leg and pushes the fight against the fence. They break. Cummins with two kicks, one high and one to the leg. They trade punches. Nogueira with a big right hook and Cummins is hurt. Nogueira looking for the finish as he lands more punches. Big left hands from Nogueira and he drops Cummins. Nogueira with punches from the top looking for the finish. Cummins gets up and Nogueira lands some more left hands and the fight is stopped! The crowd erupts as Nogueira gets the standing knockout win.

    Official Result- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Patrick Cummins by TKO (punches) at 4:52 of Round 1

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

    BANTAMWEIGHTS- (#12) JOHN LINEKER (26-7, 7-2 UFC) VS. ROB FONT (12-1, 2-0 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Lineker is one of the more exciting fighters in the UFC. Font missing some kicks to start. Lineker lands a right hand and then a left hook. They trade punches as Font is just staying out of range. Font with a front kick. Lineker just misses an overhand right. Lineker lands a left hook. Lineker lands a combo. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a combo to the body. Lineker with some body shots and leg kicks Font who goes to the mat for a moment. They trade punches and Lineker lands good to the body. Font circling against the cage and they go to the mat and Lineker is in the side position on top. Lineker with punches from the top and they get to their feet. Lineker with more body punches. Font misses a head kick. 10-9 Lineker.

    ROUND 2- Lineker with a leg kick and then a huge left hook. Lineker with a series of leg kicks. Font lands some jabs. Lineker with a solid combo. Lineker with a left hook and then lands a combo as Font misses the jab. Lineker with a leg kick. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a left uppercut and right hand. Font with a leg kick and Lineker fires back with some big punches to the body. Font lands a couple of good punches. Lineker really controlling the center of the Octagon. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a combo to the body. Font with the jab. Lineker looks for a takedown but Font defends. Font ducks under a punch and goes for a takedown but Lineker defends it as well. Font with an uppercut. Lineker with a high kick but then lands a leg kick. 10-9 Lineker, 20-18 Lineker.

    ROUND 3- Lineker with some leg kicks. Font lands a left hand. Font with a leg kick but Lineker counters with some right hands. Lineker with a body kick. They trade punches in close range. Lineker with some good left hands against the fence. Font falls to the mat in an exchange and Lineker is on top next to the fence. Lineker with some big punches from the top. Lineker with some knees to the body on the mat. Font gets to his feet and they are back up. Font just misses a head kick. Font with a leg kick and Lineker catches it and counters with a right hand and they go to the mat. Lineker in the guard of Font and landing punches and elbows from the top. Lineker moves to half-guard and goes into side control. Lineker with some knees. They scramble to their feet. Lineker urging Font to attack. They go to the mat and Lineker is landing big punches as the crowd goes wild to end the fight. 10-9 Lineker, 30-27 Lineker.

    Official Result- John Lineker def. Rob Font by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- FRANCISCO TRINALDO (19-4, 9-3 UFC) VS. YANCY MEDEIROS (12-3 1 NC, 3-3 1 NC UFC)

    ROUND 1- Medeiros with a body kick. Trinaldo with a brief takedown but they end clinching against the fence. Trinaldo with double underhooks looking for a takedown. Medeiros reverses and looks for his own takedown but Trinaldo reverses again. They trade knees to the body. Both men battling in the clinch. They break. Trinaldo with a leg kick. Trinaldo with a big left hand and they clinch again. They trade punches as they break. They trade body kicks. Trinaldo with a big left hand. A nice combo from Trinaldo and he lands another big left hand and then a right hand. Another left hand from Trinaldo. He rocks Medeiros with another left hand. Trinaldo with more left hands and Medeiros is in trouble. Medeiros is eating the punches and he will survive the round on wobbly legs. He was close to being done there. 10-8 Trinaldo.

    ROUND 2- Trinaldo with a body kick. Medeiros with a body punch and then a body kick. They trade strikes. Trinaldo lands a right hand and then the left hand. More big punches from Trinaldo land. Medeiros lands a right hand and then another. Medeiros with a front kick to the body. Trinaldo takes a deep breath and lands a leg kick. Trinaldo with a body kick and then two left hands. Trinaldo with another left hand. They clinch and Trinaldo with a knee to the body as he sprawls. They get up and Medeiros eats a head kick on the way up. Trinaldo with another series of left hands. Medeiros in trouble again. Trinaldo with a hard body kick. Trinaldo with a nice combo. Medeiros with a right hand to the body and then another. Trinaldo counters with a left hand. Trinaldo with a body kick. Medeiros with a big right hand that drops Trinaldo. Medeiros with punches from the top but the round ends. 10-9 Trinaldo, 20-17 Trinaldo.

    ROUND 3- Medeiros might need a finish here and he was close. They trade punches. Trinaldo with a leg kick. Trinaldo lands a counter left hand. Medeiros with a spin kick to the body following a body punch. Trinaldo with a left hand to the body. Trinaldo with a left hand. Trinaldo with a hard body kick. Trinaldo rocks Medeiros with a left hand and then a flying knee. Trinaldo with a left hand and he is looking for a finish. Trinaldo with a combo and a body and then a head kick and a left hand against the fence. More punches from Trinaldo. He drops Medeiros with a left hand and more punches from the top by Trinaldo. Trinaldo in side control with hammerfists. Medeiros not defending much. They scramble to their feet. Medeiros is out on his feet and this should be stopped. More left hands from Trinaldo. Knees to the body and they go to the mat. Hammerfists from Trinaldo. This fight should be stopped. More punches from the top by Trinaldo. Medeiros gets to this feet. Takedown by Trinaldo and more punches from the top. Medeiros scrambles to the half-guard. Medeiros with punches to the body from the top. He somehow survived the fight. 10-9 Trinaldo, 30-26 Trinaldo.

    Official Result- Francisco Trinaldo def. Yancy Medeiros by unanimous decision (29-26, 30-27, 30-26)

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- THIAGO SANTOS (12-3, 4-2 UFC) VS. NATE MARQUARDT (34-15-2, 12-8 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Marquardt with a leg kick. Santos with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Santos with a leg kick and then a head kick. Marquardt with a leg kick. Santos with a leg kick and Marquardt comes back with his own. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a left hand that drops Marquardt. They get to their feet. Santos with a left kick and then a combo from Santos finishes Marquardt. Santos with the knockout win!

    Official Result- Thiago Santos def. Nate Marquardt by knockout (punches) at 3:39 of Round 1

    WELTERWEIGHTS- (#6) DEMIAN MAIA (22-6, 16-6 UFC) VS. (#8) MATT BROWN (20-13, 13-7 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Brown got hit by some fans during his walkout and actually threw a punch back at one. Brown with a right hand. Maia shoots for the takedown and gets it and this is his world. Maia moves to the back. They are standing and Maia has the back and putting pressure on Brown’s knees. They go to the mat and Maia still has the back of Brown. Maia looking for the choke but Brown defending. Maia with punches from the back. Maia looking for the choke yet again. Maia with more punches from the back as he looks to get his arm under the neck. Brown looks to reverse and now has the top as Maia looked for an arm. 10-9 Maia.

    ROUND 2- Maia goes right back for a takedown but Brown defends. Maia goes right back for another and drives Brown to the fence and has a single leg. Maia gets the fight to the mat. Maia has the back again. They get to their feet but Maia trips them back to the mat and still has the back of Brown and is looking for the choke. Maia with punches from the back. Brown is looking for a stand-up but isn’t going to get it. Maia with more punches from the back. Brown is able to get on top and land punches as the round ends. 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia.

    ROUND 3- Maia goes for a takedown but it is defended. Maia with a left hand and misses another takedown attempt. Maia with a right hand and goes for a takedown. Brown lands some punches and they get to their feet. Maia looking for a takedown again. They go to the mat and Brown is on top. Maia ends up on top in a scramble. Maia flattens Brown out on the mat and is in the guard. They get to their feet and Maia takes the back of Brown. They go back to the mat and Maia is looking for a choke yet again. Maia still looking for the choke. Brown has defended the choke well all fight. Maia with more punches from the back. Maia has the arm under the chin and the choke is tight. Brown submits! Maia gets the win by rear-naked choke and the crowd goes wild.

    Official Result- Demian Maia def. Matt Brown by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:31 of Round 3

    MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)

    WELTERWEIGHTS- WARLLEY ALVES (10-0, 4-0 UFC) VS. BRYAN BARBERENA (11-3, 2-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Alves with a body kick and takes the fight down and has the neck looking for a guillotine choke. Barberena gives a thumbs up that he is good but Alves still has the neck. Barberena escapes and lands a couple punches from the top. They scramble to their feet. They break and Alves misses a spinning wheel kick. They trade against the fence. Alves with a head kick and then a right hand and combo. They clinch and Barberena with an elbow. They break and Alves with a hard punch to the body. Barberena with a right hook. Alves with a combo. Alves with a big body kick and then a big combo against the fence. Alves with a straight right hand. Barberena with an inside leg kick. Alves with an uppercut against the fence. Barberena with some low kicks and a knee in the clinch. Close round. 10-9 Alves.

    ROUND 2- Alves with a right hand and a body kick. Alves with two right hands and another big body kick. Alves is cut under his left eye. Alves with a leg kick and a right hand. Alves with a right hand and then a body kick. Alves with a right hand to the body. Both men trading jabs against the fence and they clinch. They break and Alves takes a deep breath. Both men trading punches and Alves lands a big body kick. They clinch and Barberena lands an elbow on the break. Trading punches again. Barberena with a leg kick and another. Alves is starting to slow down. Barberena lands a solid combination and then another. They trade and Barberena gets the better of it. Barberena with a body kick. Close round again. 10-9 Barberena, 19-19.

    ROUND 3- Alves comes out quick with a combo and a body kick. Alves misses a big head kick. Barberena with a leg kick. Alves with the double jab. Barberena slips to the mat and Alves quickly grabs the neck but they get to their feet and clinch against the fence. They trade punches after a break. Both men looking tired, Alves moreso. Both men with front kicks to the body. Alves with a nice combo. Alves with a flying knee. Barberena lands some elbows. They clinch and Alves with some knees to the body. Barberena with a right hand and lands a left hand. Barberena with a good combination but Alves counters with his own. Both men are throwing for the fences. Alves with a left hand. Barberena with a combo. Alves with a body kick. They trade in the clinch. Both men landing and Alves misses a wheel kick. Barberena lands a good combo and is looking to make a closing impression. Alves with a right hand. Both men trade to end the fight. Very close fight. 10-9 Barberena, 29-28 Barberena.

    Official Result- Bryan Barberena def. Warlley Alves by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#8) MAURICIO RUA (23-10, 7-8 UFC) VS. (#12) COREY ANDERSON (8-1, 5-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Rua with an early leg kick. He lands another after both feint punches. Rua with another leg kick. Rua with another followed by an uppercut. They trade punches. Rua with an overhand right. Rua with an uppercut followed with a leg kick. Rua with another big leg kick. Anderson goes for a leg kick and Rua goes for a takedown but it is defended. Anderson goes for a flying knee but Rua lands a right hand. They clinch and the crowd starts to boo. They break and Anderson with a nice right hand. They trade and Rua with a leg kick. They trade in a wild exchange. Anderson with a head kick. Anderson lands a left hook. Anderson with a leg kick. Anderson with a combo. Anderson with a double jab. Rua with a big left hand that drops Anderson and he goes for a finish but the round ends before he can get it. That was close. 10-9 Rua.

    ROUND 2- Rua with a leg kick. They trade wild exchanges. Rua with a leg kick and Anderson counters with a combo that was mostly blocked. Anderson scores a takedown and is in the half-guard. They scramble to their feet and are clinched against the fence. Rua with a knee to the body and Anderson lands his own and they break. Anderson with a jab and he shoots for another takedown but Rua defends it. They tie up against the fence. Anderson with short punches. They break and Rua circles away. Rua with an uppercut as he blocks a takedown attempt. Anderson with another takedown but Rua right back up. They trade punches. Rua with a leg kick and he drops Anderson again with a right hand at the end of the round. He lands two punches but again the round ends before he can get a finish. 10-9 Anderson, 19-19.

    ROUND 3- Rua with a leg kick. They trade punches. Anderson goes for a takedown and gets it against the fence. Anderson with some punches and elbows from the top. Anderson smothering Rua on the mat. Rua gives up his back as he tries to scramble to his feet. They are up and they break. Rua with a leg kick. Anderson goes for another takedown and Rua defends it. Anderson grabs the leg and finishes the takedown but they get right back up. Anderson with a knee. They scramble to the mat and right back up. Anderson still looking for the takedown but Rua defending and landing some small punches. Anderson digging for the takedown still. They break and Anderson with a flying knee and another takedown attempt as the fight ends. Boring last round. 10-9 Anderson, 29-28 Anderson.

    Official Result- Mauricio Rua def. Corey Anderson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

    140-POUND CATCHWEIGHT- CRIS CYBORG (15-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) VS. LESLIE SMITH (8-6-1, 2-2 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Cyborg is making her long-awaited UFC debut. Cyborg with a right hand to start. A big combo from Cyborg lands. Cyborg with a head kick. Big combo from Cyborg drops Smith and Cyborg looking to finish. Smith is hurt and Cyborg with some punches from the top and this fight is stopped. Cyborg with the knockout win in her UFC debut. Fight was stopped early looking at replays and Smith is not happy about it.

    Official Result- Cris Cyborg def. Leslie Smith by TKO (punches) at 1:21 of Round 1

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#2) RONALDO SOUZA (22-4 1 NC, 5-1 UFC) VS. (#3) VITOR BELFORT (25-11, 14-7 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Big fight that could determine next middleweight title challenger. Souza with a body kick. Belfort fakes a flying knee and stuffs a takedown attempt. They clinch against the fence and Belfort lands a knee. Souza gets a takedown and is on top against the fence. Souza with short elbows from the top. Belfort is cut open and bleeding pretty badly right now. They call timeout at a wrong time for the cut to be checked. The doctor clears Belfort and they continue in the position they were in. Souza passes guard and Belfort ends on top and they scramble to the feet. They are clinched against the fence. Belfort pulls guard and Souza lands from the top. Belfort with a couple of upkicks but Souza is landing a lot from the top. Souza in mount and landing big elbows and punches with less than a minute left. Belfort in a lot of trouble. Souza with more punches from the top and the fight is stopped. Souza gets the TKO win in a dominant showing.

    Official Result- Ronaldo Souza def. Vitor Belfort by TKO (strikes) at 4:38 of Round 1

    UFC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) FABRICIO WERDUM (20-5-1, 8-2 UFC) VS. (#3) STIPE MIOCIC (14-2, 8-2 UFC)

    ROUND 1- They trade kicks to start. They trade leg kicks. Werdum with a body kick and then one to the leg. Werdum with a right hand. Miocic with a combo. Werdum lands a right hand. Miocic with a leg kick. Werdum looks to grab a leg but Miocic shakes it off. Miocic lands a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Miocic lands a left hand. They trade right hands. Miocic then lands a big right hand and Werdum is out cold! A one-punch knockout and Miocic has won the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

    Official Result- Stipe Miocic def. Fabricio Werdum by knockout (punch) at 2:47 of Round 1

  • Daily Update: UFC 198 weigh ins, ROH card changes, and more

    UFC 198 Weigh-In Results

    Everyone made weight and Cris Cyborg did so with two pounds to spare at 139. She obviously looked smaller at that weight. Vitor Belfort looked like a different person, like an early 40s tennis player while Jacare Souza looked the same as he always does. The weigh-ins took place at the soccer stadium. It wasn’t full. They were talking about 20,000 people beforehand but on television were saying 15,000. Given the set up the 15,000 number looked legit, as there were a lot of people in the upper deck and the bottom section looked full. The only real note was Matt Brown decided to play American heel and Stone Cold, flipping the audience off on at least two occasions, leading chants of “You’re gonna die” that were directed at him from the Brazilians, and turning his back on the crowd while weighing in.

    UFC 198 FROM THE ARENA DA BAIXADA IN CURITIBA, BRAZIL – WEIGH-IN RESULTS

    FIGHT PASS AT 6:30 P.M. EASTERN TIME

    • Renato Moicano (9-0-1, 146) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (18-3, 146)
    • Luan Chagas (14-1, 169) vs. Sergio Moraes (8-2, 171)
    • Patrick Cummins (8-3, 206) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (21-7, 205)

    FS 1 AT 8 P.M. EASTERN

    • Rob Font (13-1, 135) vs. John Lineker (26-7, 135)
    • Yancy Medeiros (12-3, 156) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (19-4, 156)
    • Nate Marquardt (34-15-2, 186) vs. Thiago Santos (12-3, 185)
    • Matt Brown (20-13, 171) vs. Demian Maia (22-6, 171)

    PPV AT 10 P.M. EASTERN

    • Warlley Alves (10-0, 170) vs. Bryan Barbarena (11-3, 170)
    • Corey Anderson (8-1, 204) vs. Mauricio Shogun Rua (23-10, 205)
    • Cris Cyborg Justino (15-1, 139) vs. Leslie Smith (8-6-1, 139)
    • Vitor Belfort (25-11) vs. Renato Jacare Souza (22-4, 186)
    • Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1, 240) vs. Stipe Miocic (14-2, 241)    

    This is a big weekend of events with a full WWE lineup of shows including four events tomorrow night, one of UFC’s deepest PPV shows in a long time going head-to-head with Bellator and ROH in New York.

    We’re looking for reports on tonight’s WWE show in Greenville, NC (Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Miz, Zayn, Owens, Cesaro, Dudleys, Ziggler, Usos, Cass, Charlotte, Natalya) as well as tonight’s NXT shows in Spokane and Largo, FL to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Our only weekend poll will be for UFC 198.

    One of the best one-hour wrestling television shows you’ll ever see, the English language version of the Kushida vs. Kyle O’Reilly Best of the Super Juniors final from 2015, will be replayed tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern on AXS.

    LEGACY FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS TONIGHT ON AXS TV FROM HOUSTON AT 10 P.M. EASTERN

    • Humberto DeLeon (132.5) vs. David Acosta (135.1)
    • Jeremiah Jones (171.3) vs. Jason Langellier (172.1)
    • David Waters (124.4) vs. Roberto Sanchez (125.5)
    • Edgar Juarez (150.9) vs. Alex Black (149.8)
    • Bilal Williams (184) vs. Artenas Young (185)
    • Brandon Farran (186.7) vs. Ike Villanueva (186.6)
    • Brice Ritani-Coe vs. Justin Ledet (231.6)

    CMLL LIVE FROM ARENA MEXICO TONIGHT AT 7:30 P.M. 

    • Ultimo Dragoncito & Electrico vs. Mercurio & Nitrito
    • Estrellita & Lluvia & Princesa Sugei vs. Amapola & Tiffany & Zeuxis
    • Blue Panther & Guerrero Maya Jr. & Titan vs. Dragon Rojo & Polvora & Bobby Z
    • Stuka Jr. vs. Cavernario
    • Mistico & Valiente & Volador Jr. vs. Euforia & Gran Guerrero & Ultimo Guerrero
    • La Mascara & Pierroth & Rush vs. El Terrible & Rey Bucanero & Shocker

    Saturday we’re looking for reports from WWE in Raleigh (Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Chris Jericho, Miz, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Ziggler, Usos, Cass, Charlotte, Natalya), WWE in Roanoke (Dean Ambrose, Rusev, Big Show, Kane, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman, New Day, Paige, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Kalisto), NXT in Portland and Jacksonville, the Lucha Libre show in San Jose at the Civic Auditorium headlined by Mil Mascaras and ROH in New York.

    BELLATOR LIVE ON SPIKE TV AT 8 P.M. (ONE HOUR EARLIER THAN USUAL) FROM THE SAP CENTER IN SAN JOSE

    • Saad Awad vs Evangelista Cyborg Santos
    • Andre Fialho vs. Rick Reger
    • Adam Piccolotti vs. Ray Wood
    • Phil Davis vs. King Mo Lawal

    Sunday has WWE house shows in Columbia, SC (Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Chris Jericho, Miz, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, Usos, Cass, Charlotte, Natalya) and Charlottesville, VA (Dean Ambrose, Rusev, Big Show, Kane, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman, New Day, Paige, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Kalisto.  We’re looking for reports on those shows as well.  

    Raw will be Monday in Greensboro. The only thing announced for Raw is that The Shining Stars will debut as a tag team.

    Smackdown will be Tuesday night in Greenville, SC.

    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 5/9/2016: Hogan and Gawker fight over verdict – Hulk Hogan is suing Gawker a second time, this time for leaking the contents of sealed documents to the tabloids. Now we have the verdict. Find out all the details in this weeks issue of Figure Four Weekly.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    READ IT HERE: May 16, 2016 Wrestling Observer newsletter: Potential UFC sale, WWE releases, plus tons of news

    Our lead story updates the talks of a UFC sale, plus an updated look at how the WWE is doing as a business, a look at WWE cuts, the booking behind the ROH Global Wars PPV and how New Japan and ROH are working together even more closely than on the surface, Global Wars coverage, a look at the status of a lot of ROH talent, coverage of the UFC debut in Holland, the hidden story of just how much of the male audience has been lost by WWE, as well as what WWE can learn from the NBA, and historical bios on Billy Wicks and Kato Kung Lee.

    There is also a look at the ESPN story on the potential sale of the UFC, what we know is legit, numbers being thrown around, who actually owns UFC, Dana White’s reaction to the story, moves UFC has made, Dana White’s long-term future if there is a sale, timing of the sale and sustaining the brand popularity.  Plus there’s also a look at the various companies listed that are in talks of buying.

    An update on WWE financials is in this issue, plus a look at the WWE Network numbers, what last year’s patterns tell us about the numbers, the company’s profits and losses, how well every division does for WWE and what is the most important for the bottom line, how well the company is doing financially compared to last year, what is projected by WWE this year for the WrestleMania quarter, update on injured wrestlers and their returns, Vince McMahon talks WWE injuries, and how much cash on hand the company has right now.

    There is also a look at how WWE is going to be changing how it reports information and what information they are going to be keeping secret as compared to the past. Also, there is a look at the dichotomy between social media numbers and WWE network subscribers and what it says.

    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. 

    All the news from the ESPN coverage of the drug deaths in professional wrestling, and more will be in the latest back issue. Check out the latest online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: March 29, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: ESPN program on drug deaths in the pro wrestling industry, ECW Living Dangerously review, more. There is also a full break down of ECW’s Living Dangerously PPV, plus tons of news and notes.

    FRIDAY UPDATE

    Happy birthday today to Danny Hodge, who was one of the greatest amateur wrestlers in U.S. history and the best junior heavyweight in U.S. history who turned 84 today.

    Lots of people banged up on the ROH tour. The card in New York at Terminal Five has changed somewhat. As noted yesterday, Nick Jackson is injured and won’t be wrestling tomorrow. He has what is believed to be a rib injury and will be getting it checked on Sunday. Matt Jackson is wrestling tomorrow but he injured his hand taking a super power falcon arrow from Michael Elgin on Wednesday, just seconds after Nick was injured. The hand is swollen and bruised.  here are others banged up as well but as of right now, only Nick Jackson is off the show. This is the new lineup:

    • Adam Cole & Matt Jackson vs. Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay Lethal & Roderick Strong
    • Tetsuya Naito vs. ACH in a non-title match (this may be questionable)
    • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Matt Sydal
    • Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Ray Rowe & Hanson for the ROH tag titles
    • Cedric Alexander vs Donovan Dijak
    • Jushin Liger & Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa & Adam Page
    • Trent Baretta & Gedo vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley
    • Kushida vs. Silas Young non-title
    • Michael Elgin vs. Moose vs Dalton Castle vs.. Lio Rush
    • Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rhett Titus & Kenny King

    New Japan made an announcement today regarding the Super J Cup, which is not the same as the Super Juniors tournament. The Super Juniors starts 5/21 and is a round-robin tournament.  The Super J Cup will be a 16-man multi-promotional single elimination tournament.  The first round matches will be 7/18 at Korakuen Hall, which will be eight bouts.  The final eight move into a one-night tournament, similar to the old K-1 Grand Prix, on 8/21 at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo.  They announced there would be four wrestlers from New Japan, (three regulars and one from Chaos, likely Will Ospreay), five from NOAH (three from NOAH and two from the Suzuki-gun side), plus one wrestler each from All Japan, Okinawa Pro, CMLL, ROH, K-Dojo, Dragon Gate and one more participant.

    In a major mainstream news story in Japan, the Japanese Sports Agency has requested the national Olympic Committee and Tokyo government to investigate allegations of payoffs that may have been used to get Tokyo the 2020 Summer Olympics. Hiroshi Hase, a pro wrestling Hall of Famer who is the Sports Minister in the government held a press conference today saying that they would cooperate and want a thorough examination. Hase said their intent was to submit a bid that would have no wrongdoing associated with it, but he has doubts that happened. The prosecutors have found a check of $2 million from a Japanese bank to a Singapore bank related to Papa Massata Diack, the son of IAAF President Lamine Diack in July and October listed as “Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games bid.” A good rule of thumb for all prospective bribers going forward is not to write what you are bribing on the check itself. 

    A clarification from this week’s Observer regarding Court Bauer and his leaving AAA/Lucha Underground. While it was true that Lucha Underground attempted to get him to sign an addendum to where he’d have no affiliation with Konnan, he said that he was able to negotiate around it and that was not a major part of the reason he left working for the promotions.  He said he just felt it was time to move on and he’s spending more and more time working for Combate Americas.

    WWE & Pro Wrestling

    • Lana will be wrestling on tonight’s NXT show in Largo, FL.
    • Chris Harrington talks WWE financials and changes in reporting.
    • Rolling Stone talks to Damien Sandow about his release, saying he wasn’t surprised,. had nothing bad to say about WWE and talked about studying Shakespearean acting now
    • WWE’s Gerrit Meier talks company business. 
    • Zack Sabre Jr. talks joining the WWE cruiserweight tournament.
    • WWE stock was up 14 cents per share today to $17.93. 
    • Jimmy Snuka was to be in court today for a hearing to see if he is mentally competent enough to stand trial in the case involving the death of Nancy Argentino in 1983. 
    • Pop TV has, effective immediately, dropped the Saturday replay of Impact, so Impact now only airs at 9 p.m. on Thursday night. This is the same pattern that Destination America did with the cutting of shows. 

    UFC & MMA

    • UFC announced today that USADA had contacted them regarding a potential Anti-Doping policy violation by Carlos Diego Ferriera from an out of competition test. Because of this, Ferreira is provisionally suspended and is off his scheduled fight with Abel Trujillo on 5/29 in Las Vegas. UFC is looking for a new opponent for Trujillo.
    • Paul Fontaine predicts 325,000 to 360,000 buys for tomorrow’s show.
    • EA Sports announced the launch of live event competitions, a brand new competitive experience in the EA Sports UFC 2 live event mode in the game. Starting tomorrow, fans can play the qualifiers in the live event competition to compete for a chance to earn Ultimate Team rewards and a trip to the live finals coinciding with the UFC Fan Expo in July. The winner of the grand slam final match on 7/8 at Fan Expo will win $10,000 and a belt signifying them as the EA Sports UFC 2 world champion.

    MISCELLANEOUS

    • Our British wrestling columnist Alan Boon was a guest on the Indy Darlings podcast.
    • Some of you may be able to watch Lucha Underground here.
    • Here is a story on the closing of the Los Angeles Sports Arena, which housed a ton of wrestling events over the years, including WrestleMania, AAA’s When Worlds Collide and tons of big shows in the 60s. 
    • Monster Energy drink has signed a renewal of its sponsorship death with Bellator. Tomorrow night’s show will be the first of the new deal.
    • Chris Hero vs. Big Damo headlines for Discovery Wrestling on 7/16 in Edinburgh, Scotland at the Portobello Town Hall.
    • Jimmy Hart will be signing tomorrow night at the Rochester Red Swings game at Frontier Field from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and at the Webster Columbus Center on Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
    • The next Evolve seminar an training session will be 6/10 in Ybor City, FL, with WWE coach Norman Smiley giving a lecture on what WWE is looking for and helping evaluate talent. For more info go to go DGUSA.tv and look for the WWN Seminar/Tryout section.
    • Fight Club OC on 6/9 at the Hanger in Orange County features both boxing and MMA fights. Former UFC and Strikeforce fighter Mike Kyle will be boxing on the show. They are 180 tickets shy of capacity and are working on their ninth straight sellout.
    • Tetsuya Naito will be in Singapore at a press conference for Bushiroad’s Chara Expo on 7/9 and 7/10 at the Sony PlayStation Stage.
    • River City Wrestling on 6/3 at Retama Park in San Antonio features Warlord, Barbarian, Hernandez and Lance Hoyt (Archer).
    • There was a Lucha Libre show on Sunday in Raleigh as part of a Mothers Day Festival which drew 1,500 to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds: Canek Jr won Battle Royal, Seiya b Beau James, Cristal b Misty James, Tzuki b Papa Smurf, Canek Jr. b Huracan Ramirez Jr. (thanks to Todd Goss). This was only part of the festival, which included big name singers and bands from Mexican television, rodeo, and games for kids. There will be another event like this in June in Winston-Salem.
    • National Fighting Championships on 6/11 at Center Stage in Atlanta for a show headlined by Jared Gooden vs. Amir Dadovic. They are also running 7/22 in Kennesaw, GA at Electric Cowboy with Chazz Walton vs. Warren Smith for the Georgia lightweight title. 
    • Johnny Devine will headline for CWE in Calgary on 5/21 teaming with Danny Duggan against Frankie Kazarian and Silas Young. Kazarian will be in Canada for CWE touring from 5/19 to 5/28.
    • Maryland Championship Wrestling and GFW have a doing show tomorrow night in Joppa, MD with Sonjay Dutt vs. Lio Rush vs. DJ Zema Ion for the Gen X title plus Jeff Jarrett & Punk Rock All-Stars vs. Eric Chapel & Dirty Money & Ken Dixon, Kevin Matthews vs. Brandon Scott, Pat Sick vs Drolix plus GFW champion Nick Aldis defends against Brian Meyers.

    Today in professional wrestling history: Race wins Missouri Title; Martel wins AWA World Title; Angle wins TNA World Title

  • UFC 198: Werdum vs Miocic weigh-in results and live video

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ8wUA7VdKA

    MAIN CARD (PPV, 10 p.m. ET)

    • Champ Fabricio Werdum (240) vs. Stipe Miocic (241) – for heavyweight title
    • Vitor Belfort (185) vs. Ronaldo Souza (186)
    • Cristiane Justino (139) vs. Leslie Smith (139)
    • Corey Anderson (204) vs. Mauricio Rua (205)
    • Warlley Alves (170) vs. Bryan Barberena (170)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)

    • Matt Brown (171) vs. Demian Maia (171)
    • Nate Marquardt (186) vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos (185)
    • Yancy Medeiros (156) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (156)
    • Rob Font (135) vs. John Lineker (135)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET)

    • Patrick Cummins (206) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205)
    • Luan Chagas (169) vs. Sergio Moraes (171)
    • Renato Moicano (146) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (146)

  • WWE Smackdown results: Cesaro & Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens & The Miz

    – Air Date: May 12, 2016
    – Location: Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA

    – The Big News:

    Chris Jericho laid out Dean Ambrose, Rusev laid out the Lucha Dragons, Gallows and Anderson laid out The Usos, and Fandango and Tyler Breeze laid out Goldust and R-Truth. Also, the main event ended with some guys getting laid out.

    – Show Recap:

    They announced The Usos vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson for tonight, with Roman Reigns and AJ Styles banned from ringside.

    Dean Ambrose came out to start the show.

    Ambrose said he has owed a lot people money before, but Jericho wanted $15,000 for his jacket and he’s not getting it. They’re even as far as Ambrose is concerned after Jericho destroyed his plant.

    More importantly, Ambrose was pissed about Jericho trying to take his career away. Ambrose’s wrestling career is all he has because he won’t be interviewing Carrot Top on some podcast. Ambrose wondered if he should destroy more of Jericho’s clothes or shave his hair, but instead would destroy his ego. When Ambrose is done with him, Jericho is going to wonder if wrestling is even for him anymore.

    Jericho’s music hit and the lights went out for his entrance, but when they came back on, Ambrose was laid out as Jericho stood over him. Jericho pulled a straight jacket out of a bag and strapped on Ambrose. Ambrose tried struggling out of it as Jericho mocked him for being “crazy.”

    Jericho then beat down a helpless Ambrose as the crowd booed. Ambrose tried fighting back, but Jericho resorted to an eye poke and hit a Codebreaker. Officials finally ran down to assist, but as Ambrose slowly got to his feet, Jericho gave him another Codebreaker.

    Jericho stood on the announce table and gave the crowd the gift of Jericho. Really good angle. My only nitpick was that Ambrose suddenly being laid out when the lights turned on felt pretty fake.

    Backstage, Rusev yelled and pushed stuff over, and Lana yelled too while following behind.

    Rusev (w/Lana) beat Sin Cara via submission

    Lana did Rusev’s introduction, and Kalisto was on commentary. As they showed a replay of Sin Cara defeating Rusev on Raw, Kalisto said Rusev is always relying on Lana and he’s tired of it. Oh really? Kalisto continued about Rusev’s anger and was just awful. It was beyond stupid putting him back on commentary.

    As Sin Cara made his comeback, Lana chucked water in Kalisto’s face, so Kalisto got up to confront her. Rusev (the hero) left the ring, ran up behind Kalisto and kicked him, jumped back in the ring, hit a side kick on Sin Cara, and applied the Accolade for the win. Rusev single-handedly picked apart the Lucha Dragons. The match itself was over in about 2 minutes. Rusev stood over Kalisto with the US title.

    Backstage, Renee Young asked Emma about Dana Brooke, who suddenly showed up. Brooke said Renee obviously doesn’t watch the Network and called herself a bodybuilding champion. Renee wanted to know why she attacked Becky Lynch. Brooke basically said the fans don’t appreciate Emma even though they adore Lynch. Brooke told Renee that after tonight, she wouldn’t be asking who Dana Brooke was, but would be asking “Whatever happened to Becky Lynch?” This was fine.

    Dana Brooke (w/Emma) beat Becky Lynch via pinfall

    Jerry Lawler was happy to hear that Brooke is from Cleveland. With Lynch draped over the bottom rope, Brooke distracted the referee, allowing Emma to poke Lynch right in the eye. Brooke followed with a jackknife cover for the win after about 3-4 minutes. This wasn’t good, and the finish was weak even with Lynch’s eye injury. Still, Emma deliberately poking Lynch in her bad eye was pretty damn funny.

    Backstage, Styles told Gallows and Anderson that he’ll be out there if Reigns decided to show up at ringside. He told them to take care of club business.

    New Day came out for a promo. Kofi Kingston said the Vaudevillains put their noses where they didn’t belong on Monday. Big E was about to say they put their noses up their asses, but Kingston and Woods stopped him from swearing. He tried to swear later and they stopped him again.

    New Day tried to make jokes about Kanye West and the crowd was dead silent. They were interrupted by the Vaudevillains who said they would outsmart their loudmouth opponents, and Aiden English sang that they would be the new champions. This came off really poorly for New Day, and this has to be the least a crowd was into them in a long time.

    Aiden English (w/Simon Gotch) beat Kofi Kingston (w/Big E & Xavier Woods) via pinfall

    As Kingston made a comeback, there were some light “New Day rocks” chants. Big E and Woods stopped Gotch from interfering, so the referee tossed them all out. Moments later, Kingston tried a sunset flip, but English dropped down for the cover while grabbing the rope for the pinfall win. Lame.

    Backstage, Roman Reigns told the Usos to represent the “bloodline” and said he would be there if Styles showed up.

    The Usos beat Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson via DQ

    As they worked over Jimmy Uso, Mauro Ranallo did a terrific job putting over Gallows and Anderson and their accolades. Jey made a hot tag and ran wild, but was cut off by a Gallows big boot outside the ring as Anderson distracted the referee.

    After a break, the Club worked over Jey as some young fans chanted “Let’s go Usos,” which was met with an “Usos suck” chant by a different segment of the audience. Jey caught Gallows with a superkick and made the hot tag.

    Jimmy ran wild on Anderson and hit a superkick and splash. He had the match won but Gallows pulled him out of the ring (just barely on time). Gallows tossed him over the announce table for the DQ, so the Jey hit him with a dive.

    Anderson tossed Jey into the steps and followed with a rocket kick. Jimmy jumped him from behind, but Gallows nailed him with a chair. Anderson followed by hitting Jey with the chair. With both Usos down, the Club posed and Gallows yelled, “This is what the club is all about!”

    There was no explanation for Reigns not coming out here to save his family. It didn’t matter that he was banned because the the match was over. Otherwise, this was good for Gallows and Anderson.

    There was a new vignette with Darren Young and Bob Backlund.

    Backlund asked Young what time it says on his watch. Young pulled out his smartphone to get the time, which Backlund couldn’t comprehend.

    Young said he has everything on his phone (email, alerts, calendar) and nobody wears watches anymore. Oh, come on. Backlund said Young should put his mail in the mailbox and his calendar on the wall. Young reiterated he has it all on his phone, so Backlund made him do squats. This is still really bizarre, but Backlund yelling about the mail was amusing.

    Tyler Breeze & R-Truth beat Goldust & Fandango via pinfall

    A few sad fans still do the Fandango dance during his entrance. Truth tagged in immediately, so Fandango tagged in Goldust. Goldust reluctantly got in the ring as the crowd chanted “Golden Truth.” They faced off but didn’t touch, as Tyler Breeze yelled at Truth to hit Goldust.

    Truth tagged in Breeze, who pushed Truth out of the ring. Breeze was about to go after Goldust, who had his back turned, but Fandango saved him. It was a swerve though, as Fandango blindsided Goldust with a clothesline. Breeze seemed surprised, but smiled and covered Goldust for the pinfall win.

    Afterwards, Fandango and Breeze beat down Goldust. Truth tried to make a save, but they cut him off immediately and beat him down too. Goldust tried to cover Truth to take the brunt of the beating. Fandango and Breeze stood tall as the crowd booed. This was a perfectly acceptable low-card angle.

    They announced “The Shining Stars,” Primo and Epico, would debut on Raw.

    Backstage, Charlotte told Renee that what they did to her father (Ric Flair) on Raw was a travesty. Flair said he’s taught Charlotte everything she knows, that he would be there in spirit (at Extreme Rules), and she would go on to another Flair victory. Flair was perfect here, reminding us this match is to be taken seriously.

    Kevin Owens & IC Champion The Miz (w/Maryse) beat Cesaro & Sami Zayn

    The Miz came out last. Lawler really hates Zayn’s hat. Also, Lawler quipped that Owens hates to lose so much that he doesn’t even want to lose weight. As Miz made his entrance, Owens grabbed Byron Saxton’s headset and said he was giving Miz one last chance to be a good tag partner, but at Extreme Rules, he was taking his title back. He then demanded Saxton talk good about him.

    Cesaro and Zayn both wanted to start the match. Cesaro got his wish and immediately used some impressive offense on Miz. Owens told Miz he could do better, so he tagged in, but Cesaro tagged in Zayn. Owens tried to tag out but Miz jumped down and told him to do better.

    Zayn hit punches in the corner but Miz tagged himself in. Zayn got the better of him too so Miz escaped the ring. Owens and Miz argued, so Cesaro hit Owens with a cannonball off the apron and Zayn nailed Miz with a dive.

    After a break, Zayn went after Miz on the outside but Maryse got in his way, allowing Owens to knock him down from behind. They worked over Zayn until he came back with a big clothesline and blue thunder bomb on Miz.

    Cesaro made the hot tag and hit Owens with uppercuts, uppercuts, a dropkick and crossbody for two. Miz jumped in to attack Cesaro. Zayn tried to hit Miz with the Helluva kick, but Miz moved and Zayn caught Cesaro instead. Miz pulled Zayn out of the ring, and Owens hit Cesaro with a Frog Splash for the win. Good match and I liked the finish.

    Afterwards, Owens gave Zayn the pop-up powerbomb and Miz gave Owens the skull crushing finale. Miz stood tall with the Intercontinental title to end the show.

    – Final Thoughts:

    Not a bad show. It reminded me a bit of Raw in that there was good action but the angles were repetitive, just in a different way.

  • WWE announces sold-out shows in Tokyo; Nakamura & Asuka booked

    On Thursday, WWE announced its two annual shows in Japan at Sumo Hall in Tokyo which have already sold out with Shinsuke Nakamura as the primary reason. 

    The most notable aspect of the announcement is that WWE did not at all cater the shows for the Japanese audience, but instead just did a regular show with Nakamura and fellow NXT star — women’s champion Asuka — working down on the card instead.

    In particular, Asuka is not working at all with WWE women’s champ Charlotte on the tour even though Asuka would be the lead babyface to the audience in the women’s division. Instead, both women will be defending their respective belts.

    July 1st lineup

    • WWE Champion Roman Reigns vs. A.J. Styles vs. Kevin Owens
    • John Cena vs. Chris Jericho
    • WWE Tag Team Champions New Day vs. Usos vs. Vaudevillains vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
    • Nakamura vs. Bray Wyatt
    • WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte vs. Natalya
    • Titus O’Neil vs. Baron Corbin
    • NXT Champion Asuka vs. Becky Lynch

    July 2nd lineup:

    • WWE Champ Reigns vs. Styles vs. Jericho
    • Cena vs. Owens
    • WWE Tag Team Champs New Day vs. Vaudevillains
    • Nakamura vs. Wyatt
    • Usos vs. Gallows & Anderson
    • WWE Women’s Champ Charlotte vs. Lynch
    • Ziggler vs. Corbin
    • NXT Women’s Champ Asuka vs. Natalya

  • WON Preview: May 16, 2016 Wrestling Observer newsletter: Potential UFC sale, WWE releases, plus tons of news

    READ IT HERE: May 16, 2016 Wrestling Observer newsletter: Potential UFC sale, WWE releases, plus tons of news

    Our lead story updates the talks of a UFC sale, plus an updated look at how the WWE is doing as a business, a look at WWE cuts, the booking behind the ROH Global Wars PPV and how New Japan and ROH are working together even more closely than on the surface, Global Wars coverage, a look at the status of a lot of ROH talent, coverage of the UFC debut in Holland, the hidden story of just how much of the male audience has been lost by WWE, as well as what WWE can learn from the NBA, and historical bios on Billy Wicks and Kato Kung Lee.

    There is also a look at the ESPN story on the potential sale of the UFC, what we know is legit, numbers being thrown around, who actually owns UFC, Dana White’s reaction to the story, moves UFC has made, Dana White’s long-term future if there is a sale, timing of the sale and sustaining the brand popularity.  Plus there’s also a look at the various companies listed that are in talks of buying.

    An update on WWE financials is in this issue, plus a look at the WWE Network numbers, what last year’s patterns tell us about the numbers, the company’s profits and losses, how well every division does for WWE and what is the most important for the bottom line, how well the company is doing financially compared to last year, what is projected by WWE this year for the WrestleMania quarter, update on injured wrestlers and their returns, Vince McMahon talks WWE injuries, and how much cash on hand the company has right now.

    There is also a look at how WWE is going to be changing how it reports information and what information they are going to be keeping secret as compared to the past. Also, there is a look at the dichotomy between social media numbers and WWE network subscribers and what it says.

    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 sent to you today. 

    Also in this issue:

    • Update on Dragon Lee
    • CMLL gets TV in Canada
    • Notes from this week’s Elite show with the Atlantis vs. park main event
    • Wrestler coming off WWE tryout debuts in Elite
    • Update on the Lucha Libre World Cup and what looks like its new means of broadcasting into the U.S.
    • Konnan goes off on AAA
    • A look at the AAA/Lucha Underground partnership
    • A lineup of stars coming for the World Cup
    • King of Gate tournament opens
    • Pro Wrestling NOAH’s next big show
    • A look at New Japan’s big matches over the next five weeks including the Super Juniors tournament open
    • We also look at the major lineups for the Super Juniors tournament
    • More on the first Keiji Muto vs. Jun Akiyama match
    • Kenta Kobashi promoting a show
    • A look at the career of former AWA and WWF promoter Dennis Hilgart and the heyday of Milwaukee wrestling
    • A look at plans for an Andre the Giant feature film
    • A look back at the Andre vs. Chuck Wepner boxer vs. wrestler match
    • Notes on a new book about pro wrestling’s first major national closed circuit show, headlined by Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki
    • House of Hardcore notes
    • Major indie show this weekend expected to draw big crowd
    • Former WWF star coming out of retirement
    • Radio announcer for pro wrestling who went on to be a major player in television passes away
    • Plans for Ultima Lucha 3
    • Lots more season three notes from tapings this past week including many newcomers, new characters and what looks like the situation with one of its biggest stars
    • Notes on ROH’s house show with New Japan in Dearborn, MI
    • Notes on Anderson Silva’s gall bladder surgery
    • Lots of notes on the UFC show this week in Brazil
    • Dana White updates on Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
    • Update on C.M. Punk in UFC
    • Vitor Belfort speaks out against UFC
    • Lots of new major UFC fights for the summer
    • Update on Paige VanZant in Dancing With The Stars
    • More on the encounter between VanZant and Ronda Rousey

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: April 5, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Wrestlemania 15 review, ESPN Outside the Lines recap, tons more. Full review of WrestleMania 15, plus tons of news.

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

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  • Four weeks of ROH TV tapings from Toronto, ONT: June PPV main event announced

    By Jeff Lam

    Here are the results from the ROH TV tapings in Toronto, Ontario.  They shot 4 episodes all together.  Good crowd, really hot for any Bullet Club appearances.  However, not the hottest for anything else on the show.  As the show was for TV tapings, the matches were shorter.

    Prior to the tapings, Nigel McGuinness announced that at the next PPV, it would be Jay Lethal v Jay Briscoe II.  McGuinness then joined Kevin Kelly on commentary for the TV tapings (no Mr. Wrestling III tonight).

    1st Taping:

    ACH d. Lio Rush
    Fun Match.  Post Match had a run in attack by Silas Young on ACH.

    Motorcity Machine Guns d. The Addicition and RPG Vice

    Addiction came out and cut a heel promo on the Toronto crowd.  The MCMG came out to make a challenge, followed by RPG Vice, and started a 3-way tag match.  Match ended with Alex Shelley getting the pin on Christopher Daniels.

    The Elite (Kenny Omega, Young Bucks) d. Michael Elgin, Yoshitatsu and Tanahashi
    Kenny Omega getting the pin on Yoshitatsu after hitting the One Winged Angel.  Loudest pop so far, with the Bullet Club appearance.

    2nd Taping:

    Okada (w/ Gedo) d. Matt Sydal

    Okada with the win after hitting the Rainmaker.  Big pop for Okada’s appearance (much louder than the other NJPW talent so far, apart from Bullet Club).  Really great competitive match between the two.

    Colt Cabana d. Adam Page (of the Bullet Club)

    Big pop for Cabana’s appearance.  Chants of CM Punk and Art of Wrestling during match.  Post-match saw Bullet Club (represented by Tama Tanga and Tanga Roa) hit the ring with a beat down on Colt.  Adam Page now carries around a hangman’s noose.   Choked out Colt with the rope during beat down. 

    BJ Whitmer Promo
    Had the most heat on the show so far, but not the good kind of heat though.  Crowd just didn’t like him or cared what he had to say.  Chants of boring.  Segment was at least saved by a Steve Corino run-in.  But Whitmer got away before Corino could lay hands on him.

    Jay Lethal d. Donovan Dijak
    Finish saw The Elite run in and super kick Dijak while the ref’s back was turned.  Lethal pushed the Bullet Club members out and took advantage of the downed Dijak and got the pin after hitting the Lethal Injection.  Other Bullet Club members ran in after the match to beat down on Lethal, however, the Briscoes make the save.

    3rd Taping:

    Dalton Castle d. Gedo

    Tetsuya Naito d. Moose
    Really good match.  Naito sold a lot for Moose.  Naito mocked Moose throughout the match with his fist pump taunt.  Naito’s character was amazing and over with the crowd.  Really contrasts his appearance last year, when the crowd had a more tepid reaction to him.  Amazing to see what a year can do.

    ANX d. Cheeseburger and Jushin Thunder Liger
    Liger with maybe as big a pop as Okada in terms of NJPW talent.  Rhett Titus with the pin on Cheeseburger.  Big chants for Liger post match.

    Silas Young with promo on ACH
    After cutting a promo on ACH, Young gets down and into the crowds face.  While being held back by officials on the outside, ACH sneaks to the ring makes a running top rope dive, taking out Young.  ACH with the escape into the crowd.

    Kyle O’Reilly d. Kushida
    Best match of the night so far.  Great technical bout with the two exchanging holds throughout.  Great back and forth match.  It’s too bad that they couldn’t go longer, but it was a TV taping match, so it’s understandable.  O’Reilly with the upset victory over Kushida after a quick roll up.  

    4th Taping:

    Dalton Castle d. Kamaitachi, Cedric Alexander, Caprice Coleman

    Four-way match, and again, Dalton is the crowd favourite.  Kamaitachi got a nice pop when he entered.  His entrance didn’t have a video package though.  Dalton picked up the win after landing the pin on Kamaitachi.  Lots of fun high flying action and comedy spots.  Another win for Dalton to build up to his eventual TV title match.  Post-match saw Veda Scott with heat on Cedric Alexander, unimpressed with his losing.  Scott about to fire Cedric, but before she can, he quits on her.

    Tomohiro Ishii d. Will Ferrara
    Maybe weakest match of the evening.  Crowd wasn’t buying into Ferrara, but they loved Ishii.  I think by this time, the crowd was getting tired as well.

    Team ROH (Briscoes, Roderick Strong, Jay Lethal) d. Bullet Club (Tama Tanga, Tanga Roa, Matt Jackson, Kenny Omega)

    Finish saw Jay Briscoe hitting the Jay Driller on Tanga Roa.   Fun TV main event, although not as exciting as last year’s Team ROH vs Bullet Club matches.  It was interesting having Jay Lethal fight alongside Jay Briscoe since they’re fighting on the next PPV.  I don’t recall them butting heads during the match.  However, post-match, a confrontation ensued between the two. 

    After Lethal leaves, the Briscoes make an announcement that they’re coming to NJPW to take the IWGP tag titles off of Tama Tanga and Tanga Roa.

  • May 16, 2016 Wrestling Observer newsletter: Potential UFC sale, WWE releases, plus tons of news

    ESPN on 5/10 broke a story that UFC is in advanced talks to sell the company, noting at least four major bidders.

    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • Andre The Giant film in development

    Variety is reporting that Stone Village Productions and Lion Forge Comics are developing an Andre The Giant film based on the 2015 Graphic novel biography, Andre The Giant: Closer to Heaven.

    The biography covers his early farm life in France and his rise to celebrity status through pro wrestling. Andre’s daughter, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, will be involved with the production as a consultant.

    Andre is widely regarded as one of the biggest stars in the wrestling business, and eventually became a household name. He was successful in crossing over into Hollywood and had a major role in the 1987 Rob Reiner film he Princess Bride. In the late 80s, Andre had a memorable feud with Hulk Hogan and they headlined Wrestlemania III in front of one of the largest wrestling audiences of all time.

    Andre died on January 27, 1993, after his health had worsened due to issues related to his gigantism. He was the first person inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, created shortly after his death in 1993. He was the solo inductee that year.

  • Title change at ROH show in Dearborn, MI tonight

    Chhristopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian (aka The Addiction) captured the ROH tag team titles Monday night in Dearborn, MI in an impromptu match with War Machine. The match was part of their latest set of TV tapings.

    The night stared with Machine defending the titles against Kazuchika Okada & Gedo in what was originally a non-title match. They agreed to put the belts on the line, and won when Hanson pinned Gedo, although Okada used the Rainmaker on Rowe at the same time as the finish.

    The Addiction then came out and said that War Machine were fraudulent champions because they were actually the best team in ROH. Daniels claimed they never got a rematch when they lost the titles and were undefeated in ROH — easy heat since they lost Sunday night on PPV. They demanded a title shot on the May 14th show in New York.

    Hanson then said that The Addiction hadn’t won a match in months, and they’ve hurt Lio Rush, Jushin Liger and Cheeseburger. They said The Addiction can get a title shot, but it’s tonight, take it or leave it. Then, they lost the belts.