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  • WWE RAW live results: Shane McMahon returns, Brock Lesnar/Dean Ambrose angle

    With the main event of WrestleMania official, Raw originates from Detroit tonight as the countdown to WrestleMania begins. Clearly, after the reception Roman Reigns received at Fast Lane, there’s still plenty of work to do to avoid him getting booed out of Texas next month. He and HHH will likely kick off a series of angles tonight. The recipient of the Vincent J. McMahon Legacy of Excellence Award will be announced, which could also be an angle leading up to WrestleMania. There will probably be new programs for Charlotte, Kevin Owens and the New Day for their respective championships.

    Plus, there’s the matter of which 90s starts will appear at WrestleMania? Who will they be facing? And when will the promotion for those matches begin? It’s the start of the most popular time of the year for wrestling in America tonight, and our coverage starts at 8 ET. 

    From Dave Meltzer:

    An angle was just shot before Raw to air on the show where Brock Lesnar destroyed Dean Ambrose and he was rushed to the hospital to help get the wheels in motion for their WrestleMania match and make Ambrose the babyface.

    It is expected this will be announced at the start of the show. The plans are for this to be a major show to set up WrestleMania’s top bouts.

    ###

    The Big Takeaway: 

    A wild night. Shane McMahon made his return to Raw after leaving the WWE six years ago. He will face the Undertaker at WrestleMania in a Hell in a Cell match with control of the company on the line. Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose is also set for WrestleMania after an angle where Lesnar jumped Ambrose and slammed him on a limo. Ryback appeared to turn heel and looks to be up for a program with Kane. Roman Reigns juiced in the main event after being jumped by HHH, ending with HHH giving him a Pedigree on the ring steps. 

    Show Recap: 

    The Vincent J. McMahon Legacy of Excellence Award was in the ring with a red carpet draped around it. 

    Michael Cole showed video of Dean Ambrose being driven in, where Brock Lesnar jumped him and drove him into the hood of a limo. Lesnar then slammed Ambrose onto the limo, and Ambrose was shown being stretchered out of the arena with a neckbrace on. Cole claimed Ambrose underwent medicat tests at a local hospital. Lesnar and Paul Heyman will make an appearance later. 

    Vincent Kennedy McMahon came out for the presentation of the Legacy of Excellence award. Vince said tonight would be a night the fans would never forget. Vince said for over 100 years, his family had been presenting sports entertainment. It started with his grandfather, then carried on to his father. He announced the winner as Stephanie McMahon. 

    Stephanie came out and started crying. She got a lot of heat as she accepted the award. She claimed she wasn’t expecting to win, but had some prepared remarks to make. She then pulled out a binder the size of a notebook ready to make her remarks. 

    Before she could talk, Shane McMahon came out to an incredibly huge pop. He was wearing old school Air Jordans straight from 1984 and looked a little emotional as he made his return to TV for the first time since 2009. The place went bonkers and Shane looked stunned to see how huge the response was. Fans chanted “Holy Shit” and “This is Awesome.” 

    Shane milked it in for a while. Vince went to hug him, but Shane stopped him. So Vince extended his hand, and Shane left him hanging. He looked like he’s lost 60 pounds, minimum, since he made those cameos at various PGA Tour events. Shane said the Legacy of Excellence Award should be bestowed on someone who deserves it, and it wasn’t Stephanie. 

    Vince asked his son to play nice and asked if he and Shane could talk in the back. Shane said his father always told him to do things out in the open face-to-face. Stephanie said this was her moment, getting booed worse than Mark Messier in Joe Louis Arena. Stephanie said her husband and her have been running a billion dollar business for seven years while Shane is away. 

    Shane told his father “She doesn’t know, does she?” Then Shane said Stephanie and her husband have been running the company into the ground based on talent injuries, stock, even TV ratings (Good lord. This was like Eric Bischoff admitting Nitro had fallen off the rails in 1999). Stephanie called Shane a quitter and told him to get out of her ring. Shane said it was her father’s ring. Shane said several years ago, Vince messed up huge. Big time. But Shane was there to save the day. 

    So Vince and Shane cut a deal. In that deal, Shane was able to take time off, build businesses. But he never lost his place in line. Shane said the reason why Stephanie was able to climb this far was because Shane allowed it to happen. Stephanie thought this was ridiculous and asked Vince to say this wasn’t true. Vince had a very guilty look on his face. Stephanie kept asking if this was true. Vince didn’t want to answer. Shane pressed for an answer, and Vince admitted there was some truth to it. 

    Shane said, at the time, the agreement he and Vince reached was “Best for business.” Stephanie started to leave, but said she would never forgive Shane for this. 

    Stephanie left. Vince wanted to know what this was about. He offered to give Shane any amount of money. Shane said it wasn’t about money. It was about getting out from under Vince’s thumb. It was all about legacy. Shane talked about Vince being the third generation, he was the fourth generation, and his three children would be the fifth generation. He started to tear up when he talked about that. 

    Shane said he wanted control over Monday Night Raw. Vince said if Shane controlled Raw, he would control the entire company, and Shane can’t just step right in and control the entire company. Vince offered a deal. He would give Shane Monday Night Raw as long as he has one match on one night. And if he wins, he gets his match. If he loses, Vince gets the key to Shane’s lockbox so Shane can’t hang anything over his head again. Crowd actually chanted “You still got it.” That Randy Orton angle was a million years ago at this moment. 

    Shane agreed to the deal. Vince said something that got bleeped out but left the crowd buzzing. Vince said Shane would wrestle at WrestleMania…against the Undertaker. Hell in a Cell. 

    The New Day defeated Lucha Dragons and Neville (15:27) 

    Good match where Kofi Kingston pinned Sin Cara with Trouble in Paradise after Kingston escaped the Dragon Bomb by pulling Sin Cara’s mask. Before the finish, Neville did a 450 splash onto Big E. off the apron. Kalisto then jumped off Neville’s back and did a 450 splash onto Xavier Woods. The New Day look to be turning face as they cut a promo on the League of Nations during an inset promo. They offered  them a box of Booto-Os cereal, which has it’s own box with the new day on the front. That was hilarious. 

    Reigns did a promo with Jojo upset over what happened with Ambrose. Crowd loudly booed Reigns and chanted for Ambrose as he did his promo. It was a badly scripted interview about how the match between him and HHH would be about heart. Reigns just doesn’t have the promo ability. 

    Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came out. Heyman said this was the main event of the evening, even tough he wasn’t wrestling. He said Lesnar was the single biggest attraction in sports entertainment or Mixed Martial Arts. That sound you hear in Connor McGregor laughing. Heyman said Lesnar took Ambrose and Reigns to Suplex City, and had Reigns on the verge of tapping out to Lesnar, just like the Undertaker was. Then Ambrose took a three-way fight and turned it into a street fight, and took Lesnar out of the equation and out of the main event of WrestleMania. 

    Heyman said Lesnar got his revenge earlier today, and claimed that Ambrose was out of WrestleMania altogether. Heyman said there was no shield that could protect Ambrose from the wrath of Lesnar. Heyman said Lesnar deserves to be in the main event of WrestleMania, and is the main event. Not HHH, not Reigns. Heyman ran down Ambrose as some kind of hardcore kid wannabe riding on a BMX bike that everyboyd thinks is cool. Until the reality of a Mack-Semi truck comes down and…Heyman then threw down the mic to symbolize what Lesnar does to people. He actually had to get another mic because he broke the old one. 

    Heyman said Lesnar needed another Lesnar WrestleMania opponent. Whoever wants to be that person, go visit Ambrose in the hospital room while he can barely breathe. So sayeth Brock Lesnar. 

    Heyman finsihed. At that point, the TitanTron turned to the back, where an ambulance came in from the back. The ambulance came out into the arena. Of course, Ambrose was behind  the wheel wearing a neckbrace. He staggered out to a pop. Ambrose crawled to the ring, more or less. The brace fell off his neck. Lesnar stood over Ambrose and walked over his chest. 

    Ambrose told Lesnar he was indestructable and he would find that otu the hard way. He challenged Lesnar to a match at WrestleMania in a No Holds Barred Street Fight. Lesnar went after Ambrose and gave him an F-5 on the floor. Fans didn’t chant for Ambrose. They chanted “One More Time.” Heyman got down on his knees and told Ambrose face-to-face that his client accepted Ambrose’s challenge. 

    The Usos were about to face the Ascension when the Dudley Boyz came out. Bubbay Ray Dudley said the Usos shouldn’t take the beating the Dudleys handed them two weeks ago personally. They did it to remind people they were the most decorated tag team in the history of WWE. Their legacy won’t be defined by a piece of furniture, but by the accomplishments. Bubba claimed the fans would never see the tables again. Devon Dudley told the Usos maybe their father shouldn’t have been running around in oversized thongs, but should have taught his sons respect. Fans didn’t seem to know Devon was talking about Rikishi, which Cole and Byron Saxton filled in the blanks. 

    The Usos defeated the Ascension (1:58) 

    Jey Uso pinned Viktor after a double superkick and a splash. Dudleys came down to tease a fight with the Usos. Looks like that’s another match for WrestleMania. 

    Jim Harbaugh was at ringside in time for tonight’s tweets from angry SEC fans about unfair recruiting practices.  

    Chris Jericho came out for more talking. He said for years, he heard about the legacy of A.J. Styles. He saw Styles in the Royal Rumble and he didn’t like him because Styles called himself “Phenomenal” without having one match in the WWE. Then he wrestled Styles three times, with last night’s match being one of the best he’s had in years. Jericho said Styles beat him. 24 hours later, Jericho said he had some words for Styles, and wanted to say them face-to-face. 

    Styles came out and the fans instantly started dueling chants. Jericho said Styles that going into their match last night, the pressure was all on Styles. But Styles won, and Jericho admitted it. Jericho congratulated Styles because he proved to the WWE Universe that he belongs in the WWE. He has what it takes to become a WWE champion. Styles proved he was phenomenal. They shook hands. 

    Social Outcasts came out. Heath Slater made fun of them. Bo Dallas said his heart was warm seeing how much love was in the ring right now. Slater told Dallas he was being sarcastic. Dallas pretended he knew. Curtis Axel accused Jericho of playing nice to Styles, but in his heart he knew Styles made him tap out. Slater asked Styles if he was a man. Slater said where he comes from, they call people like Styles a coward. Adam Rose said no one was buying Y2AJ. Slater ordered them to get out of the ring. 

    Jericho called Slater “Ginger Jackass.” Jericho said he and Styles weren’t planning on being a team, but they could become one to face Social Outcasts immediately in a tag match. It was Y2Aj vs. Slater and Axel. 

    Chris Jericho and A.J. Styles defeated Curtis Axel and Heath Slater via submission (3:55)

    Jericho made Axel submit to the Walls of Jericho while Styles did a springboard plancha onto Dallas, Rose and Slater. Slater is now being referred to as the Red Dragon in a moniker that Sinclair Broadcasting executives should just love.  

    Stephanie and HHH were backstage. Stephanie was furious at Shane. HHH said Shane was always a failure and always will be. HHH said tonight will end the way they want it to, so he asked if she wanted to tell Roman, or should he? She volunteered. 

    Stephanie found Reigns backstage and said Reigns would be facing Sheamus tonight. She said League of Nations was a brotherhood, unlike the fake one Reigns had with Ambrose. She urged him to watch out for League of Natons causing him to miss WrestleMania because of injury. 

    R-Truth and Goldust had another skit. Goldust apologized for costing Truth his match against Axel last night. He offered a cake which said “I’m Sorry” as a makeup present. Goldsut said it was chocolate cake with golden frosting, just like a potential tag team with him. R-Truth tried to tell him off, but Goldust said he could predict Truth’s every move before he does it. Truth said he guessed Goldust would predict he was going to take the cake a smash it in his face. But he wouldn’t do that to Goldust because he was better than that, and walked off. Then he stormed back, said “Psych” and smashed it in Goldust’s face. 

    Luke Harper, Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan defeated Ryback, The Big Show and Kane (12:29)

    Finish saw Kane about to deliver the choke slam on Luke Harper, but Ryback walked out on Kane. For some reason, this distracted Kane, which allowed Harper to tag Bray Wyatt. Then Wyatt pinned Kane with Sister Abigail. Big Show was laid out earlier by Braun Strowman. Fans did’t care for Ryback and chanted “Goldberg” at him. Then a few started chanting “Gillberg” and the Big Show started laughing. Wyatts sure ended up on the short end of the WrestleMania stick. They went from potential opponents to the Undertaker to potential opponets for Lesnar to status unknown. Who would have thought last month that the Dudleys would have had a clearer direction for WrestleMania than the Wyatts? 

    Ryabck did an interview saying he walked out on Big Show and Kane because he was done being in tag teams. It was his time to be in the spotlight. He said “That glass ceiling. That brass ring. Break it. Take it.” 

    Sasha Banks defeated Naomi via submission (6:47)

    Tamina interfered several times on Sasha Banks. That brought down Becky Lynch to jump Tamina. Banks won with the Bank Statement. 

    Postmatch, Charlotte and Ric Flair came out. She was dressed like Nikki and Brie Bella, which Cole pointed out. They’re teasing Nikki Bella showing up at WrestleMania. Charlotte said the Authority had told her Lynch would be facing Banks in the coming weeks, and the winner would face Charlotte at WrestleMania. Charlotte told Lynch to watch out, like Banks was about to jump her. Of course, Banks hadn’t made a move toward Lynch. But Lynch reacted like she had. Charlotte laughed about how they really don’t trust each other after all. 

    Stephanie wanted to know what Shane held over Vince’s head. Vince said the odds of Shane beating the Undertaker were astronomical. Vince explained he was taking a calculated risk. Stephanie seemed to understand. 

    So in the final week of Black History Month, they announced the Godfather was the latest inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. JBL announced the APA was reuniting to induct the Godfather because they rode miles and miles with the Godfather. 

    There was a sign on the screen shown repeatedly in the final hour that said “Raw is Stale as Cole Slaw.” How that made the airwaves without being confiscated is beyond me. This show had more signs than any Raw is a while, so maybe restrictions are being curtailed. 

    Roman Reigns and Sheamus went to a no contest (10:51)

    This was one strange scene. Sheamus, the top regular performing heel in the company, came out to complete silence. Reigns, the chosen one, got mostly booed. A reminder that we are six weeks away from WrestleMania. Alberto Del Rio, Rusev and King “Catch Him While You Can” Barrett were at ringside. Rusev gave Reigns a uranage on the floor to a round of cheers. During the break, referee Chad Patton (his name was announced on TV, breaking previous company protocol), ordered the League of Nations to the back. They went two more minutes past the commercial when Reigns hit a Superman Punch on Sheamus. HHH came out ready to fight, and he and Reigns started brawling. As for where Sheamus went? Your guess is as good as mine. How’s that for top heel treatment? 

    So HHH and Reigns brawled, with Reigns delivering a Superman Punch to HHH. And HHH responded by selling it somewhat, then hit Reigns with a ring bell. HHH was ruthless, slamming Reigns head into the table again and again so much, it got a “Yes” chant going. HHH put punches to Reigns head, and he started juicing. This led to several referees coming down trying to pull HHH off. Instead, HHH pulled down the ring steps and gave Reigns a pedigree on the steps to mostly cheers. HHH actually did a crotch chop to Reigns and got cheered louder. Then he posed with the belt and the show went off the air with HHH like a rogue babyface, which is pretty much how he’s been booked when he’s a heel for the past decade. 

    Summary: 

    This was some surreal booking for WrestleMania. Shane McMahon got a great one-time reaction tonight. So how does that carry over for six more weeks? They couldn’t get Alberto Del Rio over long enough for two weeks after his return. When did the Undertaker turn heel and join the Authority? Did I miss this angle? What is it that Shane holds over Vince’s head? There have been plenty of times over the past 15 years that a McMahon-driven storyline has gaping holes in the plotlines that the audience is supposed to have cleared up before the end. Except it almost never does, and I wouldn’t bet on it here. Plus, the company just did the storyline of Stephanie and HHH potentially being out of power only 18 months ago at Survivor Series. They returned a month later. And so what if Shane wins? Does that mean Raw will be a different show? Judging from the past, it makes the likelihood of guys from Jackass sequels showing up as guests, which isn’t how you build top heels. 

    The segment alone where Shane actually acknowledged the WWE’s falling rating was straight out of 1999 WCW. And I mean, like, taken word for word from an Eric Bischoff interview during Nitro in March of that year.  

    Then there’s the main event segment. The idea on paper was: with John Cena out of the equation,  who do fans hate more than Reigns? HHH. Thus, Reigns can be cheered at the biggest show of the year. That idea isn’t working in practice. Reigns is the new John Cena. Females and kids cheer him. Everyone else boos him. That’s fine for the short-term. But in terms of getting fans emotionally invested in a character like they did Daniel Bryan, it’s not happening. HHH didn’t exactly help matters tonight, in that regard. 

  • Jan 18, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Giant Baba retires, ECW Guilty as Charged review

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  • WWE/Nakamura press conference; Ibushi announcement; NJPW Cup Tournament

    There is quite a bit of news related to Japan today.

    WWE held a press conference on Monday in Tokyo to announce Shinsuke Nakamura has signed with the company, a formality since that’s been known since 1/4 and he was already announced at the NXT tapings for a match with Sami Zayn on 4/1 in Dallas.

    WWE ran a story with video on the Nakamura signing

    The other big news is that Kota Ibushi will be returning on 3/21 at DDT’s Tokyo Sumo Hall show, but will no longer be under contract to either DDT or New Japan.  Ibushi said that while he was injured, he realized he was keeping a ridiculous pace working for both groups.

    He announced he was forming the Kota Ibushi Pro Wrestling Kenkyujo (which means Ibushi Pro Wrestling Research Institute.  Not a lot is known about what that all means, but Ibushi was very important to New Japan with Shinsuke Nakamura gone, as he could have been elevated to big four status easily, and a feud with Kenny Omega would have been a natural.

    His first match back with be a falls count anywhere weapons three-team match with Jun Kasai & Sanshiro Takagi, Ibushi & Gota Ihashi and Kenso & Michael Nakazawa.

    Also announced today by New Japan is the first round matches in the New Japan Cup tournament, which take place on 3/3 at the company’s anniversary show at the Ota Ward Gym in Tokyo.

    The single elimination tournament will decide Kazuchika Okada’s opponent at Invasion Attack on 4/10 at Sumo Hall.

    • Yujiro Takahashi vs. Toru Yano
    • Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Michael Elgin
    • Togi Makabe vs. Tama Tonga
    • Tomoaki Honma vs Satoshi Kojima
    • Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto
    • Yoshi-Hashi vs Tetsuya Naito
    • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Evil
    • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale

  • WWE Fastlane 2016 live results: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose

    Welcome to the F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of WWE FastLane! Tonight’s show takes place at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Ohio, which traditionally means bad news for The Miz.  The last stop before WWE Wrestlemania is here with the winner of tonight’s triple threat main event going to the big show to face WWE World Champion Triple H.   

    We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show as well as Friday’s Bellator show, so you can leave a thumbs up thumbs down or thumbs in the middle plus a best and worst match to Dave Meltzer.

    Your main card:

    • Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose
    • WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler
    • WWE Divas Champion Charlotte vs. Brie Bella
    • Sasha Banks/Becky Lynch vs Tamina Snuka/Naomi
    • Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles
    • Big Show/Ryback/Kane vs. The Wyatts (Braun Strowman/Erick Rowan/Luke Harper)
    • WWE U.S. Champion Kalisto vs. Alberto del Rio (2/3 falls, kickoff show)

    Also, Edge and Christian will interview WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day to help promo the debut of their new show after Fastlane.

    This is just the second ever Fastlane after last year’s debut show at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN. On that show, Reigns took on the recently retired Daniel Bryan in a no. 1 contender’s match. Also on that show. then-U.S. Champion Rusev downed John Cena by DQ, and Sting had a confrontation with HHH.

    KALISTO VS. ALBERTO DEL RIO FOR THE U.S. TITLE 2/3 FALLS

    Del Rio was disqualified in the first fall for hitting Kalisto with a chair as Kalisto went for a springboard move.  Del Rio won the second fall with a double foot stomp.  The third fall saw Del Rio miss the double foot stomp after doing it outside the ring.  Kalisto flipped Del Rio into the corner and schoolboyed him to take the third fall and retain.  This was a good match.

    SASHA BANKS & BECKY LYNCH VS. NAOMI & TAMINA

    Banks & Lynch won with a double submission with Banks with the bank statement on Tamina while Lynch used the disarmer on Naomi.  The first part of the match was pretty sloppy with Lynch getting beaten on but it got good when Banks was in.  Banks kicked out of the rear view and was also saved by Lynch when Tamina used a superkick.  The impression with the double win to me would be a three-way at Mania, but we’ll see.

    KEVIN OWENS VS. DOLPH ZIGGLER FOR THE IC TITLE

    Good match.  The crowd was pretty hot with it being in Cleveland which is Ziggler’s home town.  Owens retained and they said they were on the road to KO Mania.  There was some commentary talking about how Owens never beat Ambrose to win the title.  The finish was clean with Ziggler missing  a superkick and Owens using the pop up power bomb.

    BIG SHOW & KANE & RYBACK VS.  BRAUN STROWMAN & ERICK ROWAN & LUKE HARPER

    Show & Kane & Ryback won when Ryback pinned Harper clean with the shellshock.  The match was better than it sounds as it was solid even when Strowman and Rowan were in.  Show pressed Harper overhead and three him out of the ring on Rowan & Strowman.  It wasn’t a complete press.  Show then gave Strowman a great looking spear on the floor.

    Roman Reigns did a promo with JoJo.  The fans booed him a lot.  He vowed to win and said a lot of things will change with he and Ambrose.  Ambrose showed up and was cheered heavily.  Ambrose said one of them will be on the road to WrestleMania and the other will have to hitchhike.  Amborse said he’s already booked his travel on Priceline.  Amborse said that Lesnar won’t win but one of us will.  

    CHARLOTTE VS. BRIE BELLA FOR THE DIVAS TITLE

    The crowd was super behind Brie because of the Daniel Bryan sympathy.  In fact, they were super into this late, more than anything on the show so far when she got a near fall with the X-factor, as well as near submissions with the Yes lock and a half crab.  The story is that Brie hurt her left leg doing a missile dropkick, and she couldn’t continue the half crab and Charlotte powered out and Brie caught her neck on the roipes.  Charlotte then won with the figure eight.   Again, better than you’d think.  Rough early but the last few minutes were quite good.

    Chris Jericho did an interview and said Styles’ future rides in his hands because if he loses review to him it’ll be his second straight loss and it could derail him.   He made the wins and losses aspect of this match feel important.  

    A.J. STYLES VS. CHRIS JERICHO

    As far as the layout and intensith at the finish, this was great.  The crowd was super into it with dueling chants early as well as into it big the last few minutes.  Some spots were scary, some in a good way and just being off on a couple of spots inlcuding a Jericho power bomb spot where he dropped Styles in a scary way.  Some good innovative spots including a Styles plancha into a dropkick by Jericho on the floor.  The finish saw Jericho kick out of the Styles clash, which was weird doing it this early, and then Styles put him in the calf crusher and Jericho.  Jericho did a tremendous job selling the submission before he tapped.

    After the match Jericho stared him down and teased attacking him.  Jericho pulled back his fist and AJ respohnded but then Jericho offered his hand. 

    Edge & Christian were out with The New Day.  Edge & Christian plugged their TV show and Edge said he wanted to get serious for a minute and referenced Lance Storm.  The crowd chanted “JNew Day Rocks.”  Edge said when you showed up at first I’ve never seem so much chocolate sound so vanilla.  Said they copied every Edge & Christian segment, replacing awesomeness with booty, sunglasses with unicorn horns.  Said we don’t rip on sports teams and then said LeBooty James will never win a title in this city.  They made fun of Kingston dropping his Jamaican accent.  Who is better than the New Day.  Made fun of Ascension, Usos, Dudleys and the League of Booty.  Seemed to push League of Nations vs. New Day.  Woods said say they’re trying to stir the pot but we already cooked the meal  Woods called the League of Nations are hot garbage.  Woods said we’ll say it to their face if they were here.  Then all four of them came out and we’ve got a new program.  The New Day left.  King Barrett then threatened Edge & Christian.  Sheamus called them hip replacement candidates and Justin Beiber candidates.  Del Rio said I kicked your ass an forced you to retire.  Edge joked he did more  in the last five years than Del Rio.  Edge & Christian left the ring and called them the International House of Dumbassees.  They plugged their show right after Fast Lane.  Edge & Christian had some great lines in this, but it went way too long.

    R-TRUTH VS. CURTIS AXEL

    The other three Outcasts were running around the ring.  Goldust came out.  Goldust threw Slater into the barricade and threw Adam Rose into the ring.  Rose being in the ring distracted R-Truth and Axel pinned him with a schoolboy with tights.  R-Truth was mad at Goldust when it was over.  It was over in 2:00.

    The Vince face on the award makes it seem like it’s an angle to show up Vince.

    BROCK LESNAR VS. ROMAN REIGNS VS. DEAN AMBROSE

    Crazy great match.  Lesnar destroyed both of them with German suplexes early until he made a mistake and then The Shield power bombed Lesnar through a table.  When Lesnar started to recover they put him through a second table.   The crowd was super into Ambrose vs. Reigns and they were great working together.  The crowd was completely behind Ambrose of course.  Reigns was booed heavily here and Lesnar was cheered the most of the three.  Reigns kicked out of Dirty Deeds.  Reigns had Ambrose up for the Samoan drop when Lesnar German suplexed both.  Ambrose landed right on Reigns’ head.  The finish saw Reigns hit the spear on Lesnar, but Lesnar, who was booked as a Super monster, grabbed a Kimura.  Reigns was about to tap but powered Lesnar up. Ambrose came in and nailed both guys with about five chair shots each.  Lesnar rolled out of the ring.  Reigns then hit the spear on Ambrose for the pin.

    The show ended with Reigns and HHH in the ring doing a staredown with the Mania sign in the background.

  • UFC Fight Night 83 Pittsburgh live results: Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Oliveira

    Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 83: Cowboy vs. Cowboy from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the UFC’s welterweight division as former lightweight title challenger Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone moves up to 170 pounds to take on Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira in a battle of fighters sharing the same nickname. Oliveira is a late replacement for Cerrone’s original opponent, Tim Means, who was pulled from the bout due to a potential violation of the UFC’s anti-doping policy. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 5:30 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.

    UFC Fight Night 83 DFS Playbook

    Coverage provided by Ryan Frederick

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 5:30 PM ET/2:15 PM PT)

    HEAVYWEIGHTS- ANTHONY HAMILTON (14-4, 2-2 UFC) VS. SHAMIL ABDURAKHIMOV (15-3, 0-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Abdurakhimov lands an uppercut. Aburdakhimov throws Hamilton to the ground and lands some punches but Hamilton gets up. Uppercuts from Abdurakhimov in the clinch. They trade punches and Abdurakhimov lands a spin kick. More uppercuts from Abdurakhimov and then lands a left hand. They clinch for a moment with nothing happening. Abdurakhimov lands two right hands and they clinch. Hamilton is able to land a big right hand. They clinch and both land knees. Hamilton with a right hand before the break. 10-9 Abdurakhimov.

    ROUND 2- Both men land some punches and Hamilton lands some good ones. Abdurakhimov lands a nice combo and an uppercut. Abdurakhimov ducks a punch but misses a takedown attempt but is able to land some uppercuts. They clinch and both land short knees. They break and Abdurakhimov lands a short left hook. Hamilton with a leg kick then a side kick to the body. Hamilton misses some punches and they clinch against the fence. Abdurakhimov with some uppercuts and escapes the clinch. 10-9 Abdurakhimov, 20-18 Abdurakhimov.

    ROUND 3- Hamilton misses some punches and they clinch. Abdurakhimov is cut on the head, possibly from a headbutt. They break the clinch. Abdurakhimov lands a big jab. Hamilton goes for some punches but Abdurakhimov ducks and they clinch. Nothing happens before the break. Hamilton lands a right hand. Abdurakhimov lands a big right hand and Hamilton counters with body punches. They clinch and Abdurakhimov with a big knee followed by uppercuts. They clinch again as both men are tired. Body punches from both men. Uppercuts from Abdurakhimov and they break. Abdurakhimov lands a spinning back fist and a solid jab. Hamilton lands a right hand. Better round from Hamilton but this fight belongs to Abdurakhimov. 10-9 Abdurakhimov, 30-27 Abdurakhimov.

    Official Result- Shamil Abdurakhimov def. Anthony Hamilton by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

    WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS- LAUREN MURPHY (8-2, 0-2 UFC) VS. KELLY FASZHOLZ (3-0, 0-0 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Faszholz took this fight earlier this week as an injury replacement. Faszholz lands a right hand early on. Faszholz landing early. They clinch against the fence. Faszholz lands a Superwoman punch that knocks Murphy to the mat. Murphy gets up and lands a leg kick but Faszholz is able to continue landing punches on Murphy. More right hands from Faszholz. Murphy comes back and lands a big right hand and lands some more. She has Faszholz in trouble. Faszholz bleeding out of her nose as they clinch against the fence. Murphy with knees to the legs of Faszholz. Great round. Murphy made a rally but still belongs to the short-notice fighter. 10-9 Faszholz.

    ROUND 2- Faszholz lands an overhand right and they clinch against the fence. Murphy reverses position and both landing knees. Both ladies land a bunch of punches as they trade. Faszholz is bleeding quite a bit. Faszholz with a high kick. Faszholz lands some nice punches. Faszholz lands a big right hand. Murphy lands two big right hands. They trade punches. Murphy with a leg kick and right hand and then another. They clinch. Murphy with knees and short uppercuts against the fence. Faszholz lands some body punches. Murphy with a front kick and Faszholz catches the leg and gets a brief takedown just before the round ends. 10-9 Murphy, 19-19.

    ROUND 3- Both ladies come out quick with strikes as this round could decide it. Murphy with a right hand and ducks and scores a takedown and is in the guard of Faszholz. Murphy with some body punches from the top position. Murphy with more short punches from the top as she is suffocating from the top position. Faszholz bleeding heavily on the bottom. Murphy pushes the fight against the fence and lands more heavy punches from the top. Murphy looks to pass guard as she continues with punches from the top. Murphy switches to landing elbows to the head and body. Murphy passes and takes the back and has mount and is landing big from the top. Murphy laying on a beating this round. Murphy with elbows from the top and looking to finish with seconds left in the fight. More big punches from the top by Murphy. She finishes it with just seconds left! Big TKO win for Murphy in a dominant round.

    Official Result- Lauren Murphy def. Kelly Faszholz by TKO (strikes) at 4:55 of Round 3

    WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS- (#12) MARION RENEAU (6-2, 2-1 UFC) VS. ASHLEE EVANS-SMITH (3-1, 0-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Reneau with a front kick to start. Evans-Smith with a body kick. Reneau with a straight left. Evans-Smith with a body kick and Reneau counters with a combo. They trade punches and Evans-Smith with a nice combo and body kick. Reneau with a big right hand that hurts Evans-Smith and she starts teeing off for a finish. Evans-Smith survives and escapes. Evans-Smith with a body kick. Reneau with a head kick. Reneau with a leg kick. Evans-Smith with a body kick and then another. Evans-Smith with a front kick and then another but Reneau catches it and takes her down. Reneau grabs a guillotine choke and looks for the finish but the bell sounds and saves Evans-Smith. 10-9 Reneau.

    ROUND 2- They trade punches. Reneau with a leg kick and Evans-Smith counters with a body kick. They trade punches. Reneau with a body kick. They trade punches as the pace has slowed a little. Reneau with a big right hand. Reneau with a leg kick and Evans-Smith lands one in a counter. Reneau with more body kicks as this has turned into a sparring fight. Evans-Smith with a body kick. Evans-Smith with a combo. Reneau with a left hook. Close round. 10-9 Reneau, 20-18 Reneau.

    ROUND 3- Reneau with a leg kick and Evans-Smith counters with a body kick. They trade kicks. Reneau with a right hand. Reneau with a big leg kick. Reneau with a left hook and a front kick but Evans-Smith catches the leg and throws Reneau to the mat. Evans-Smith looking to go in the guard and kicks the legs of the downed Reneau. Quick stand-up of Reneau by the referee. That was a terrible call. Reneau with a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Evans-Smith with a body kick and catches a kick attempt from Reneau. They trade kicks and Reneau attacks the legs. They trade punches. Evans-Smith starts a clinch against the fence and lands a big elbow. Evans-Smith with some knees and an elbow and both land on the break. Close final round. 10-9 Evans-Smith, 29-28 Reneau.

    Official Result- Ashlee Evans-Smith def. Marion Reneau by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-27)

    OK, that is a bad, bad decision. There was no way Evans-Smith won all three rounds. She was nearly finished in the first. Rounds 2 and 3 were close. What round was a 10-8 for Evans-Smith? That doesn’t make any sense.

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT)

    WELTERWEIGHTS- JONAVIN WEBB (8-1 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) VS. NATHAN COY (14-6, 0-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- They trade punches to start off the fight. Webb misses a big overhand right. Webb with a straight right hand and a head kick. Webb with some more right hands as he ducks under a head kick from Coy. Head kick from Webb. Webb with a right hand. Webb just misses a head kick. Coy keeps missing with his strikes but is able to land a right hand and then a left. Coy looks for a combo and Webb goes for a takedown but it is defended and Coy has a front headlock on. COy with a knee and some uppercuts. They break the clinch. Webb with a front kick and both miss body kicks. 10-9 Webb.

    ROUND 2- Webb goes to the mat and is looking for an armbar on Coy but Coy manages to escape. They scramble and Coy grabs the neck and looks to set up a D’Arce choke. They get to their feet and each land knees in the tie-up. They break. Webb with a head kick. Coy lands a nice combo. They clinch and Webb with some knees. Webb grabs the neck and Coy goes to the mat to play defense. Coy is able to score a takedown and takes the back of Webb. They get to their feet. Webb looking for a kimura attempt. Coy escapes and takes the back again. Coy is able to get the mount and is looking for a choke but the fence is in the way. Coy still going for it. Coy with punches from the mount. Coy abandons and Webb claims Coy bit him. Webb escapes and the round ends. 10-9 Coy, 19-19.

    ROUND 3- This round could decide it. Both men trading punches and Coy lands a nice left hand. Webb gets a takedown and has the back and is looking for the armbar. Coy scrambles out and Webb takes the neck as they get to their feet. Coy scores a takedown but Webb still has the neck. Coy is on top and applying pressure from the position. Coy with some punches from the top. Coy is able to transition to the back. Coy still has the back and is looking for an opening for a choke but landing punches. Webb able to get to his feet but Coy takes the fight back down. Coy with punches from the top as Webb looks exhausted. Webb looks for a knee bar but Coy able to free his leg from danger. Webb grabs the neck but Coy in side control and lands elbows to end. 10-9 Coy, 29-28 Coy.

    Official Result- Nathan Coy def. Jonavin Webb by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    SCORING UPDATE- We have the scorecards for the Reneau vs. Evans-Smith fight. The 29-27 scorecard for Evans-Smith was a mistake as there was an addition error. It was actually a 29-28 scorecard for Evans-Smith. Two judges gave Evans-Smith the first round, which makes absolutely zero sense since she was nearly finished at the end of the round, and would likely have been if not for being saved by the bell. Still a bad decision.

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- ANTHONY SMITH (24-11, 0-1 UFC) VS. LEONARDO AUGUSTO LELECO (11-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Smith is another fighter who took this fight just this week. Smith with a leg kick and then a body kick. Leleco with a big right hand. Smith with a combo and a knee against the fence and then a leg kick. Head kick from Smith. Smith with a leg kick and then a combo and lands a big elbow. Combo from Smith ends with a knee to the body. Smith with some leg kicks. Leleco with a leg kick. Smith with a flying knee and then a high kick. Another high kick from Smith. Leleco with a right hand. Smith lands a nice right hand and then another. Smith with a nice combo and then trade punches. Leleco is cut open. Leleco with a combo to end the round. 10-9 Smith.

    ROUND 2- They trade punches and Smith hurts Leleco. Leleco comes back and rocks Smith with a right hand and Smith counters with a takedown. Smith takes the back of Leleco and looks for a choke. He swweps and tries to find mount. Leleco scrambles and lets Smith into his half-guard. Smith takes the back again and lands punches that are hurting Leleco. Smith looking for a choke from the back. Smith postures and lands a knee to the body. Not much going on but Smith still looking to find the choke. They get to their feet and Smith with a big suplex on Leleco. Both men looking tired. Smith landing big punches as Leleco turtles up. For some reason they are stood up, another bad call. That could cost Smith the fight as he had Leleco in trouble. They trade punches and Leleco gets the advantage on the ground and is landing punches as the round ends. 10-9 Smith, 20-18 Smith.

    ROUND 3- Leleco hurts Smith with some punches as Smith looks tired. Leleco takes the fight to the mat and has Smith in trouble. Leleco with punches but Smith scrambles out and looks to grab the legs of Leleco. Leleco looks to take the back and lands some punches. Leleco looks for the arm. Leleco landing big punches on Smith as Smith looks to survive. Leleco looking for the choke as he lands more punches. They are stood up again, another bad stand-up. Leleco with a right hand and Smith comes back with a body kick. Leleco with a nice combo on Smith, who is clearly gassed out. Leleco with right hands against the fence. Smith goes for a desperation takedown but Leleco stuffs it and takes the back. Leleco with some punches. Leleco goes to side control looking for a choke but the round ends. Leleco rallied in that round and we’ll see if it was enough. 10-9 Leleco, 29-28 Smith.

    Official Result- Anthony Smith def. Leonardo Augusto Leleco by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- DANIEL SARAFIAN (9-5, 2-3 UFC) VS. OLUWALE BAMGBOSE (5-1, 0-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Bamgbose with a leg kick to start. Bamgbose drops Sarafian with a head kick and then knocks Sarafian out with a couple of punches on the ground. Huge stoppage for Bamgbose and that might get him a bonus tonight.

    Official Result- Oluwale Bamgbose def. Daniel Sarafian by knockout (head kick & punches) at 1:00 of Round 1

    WELTERWEIGHTS- ALEX GARCIA (13-2, 3-1 UFC) VS. SEAN STRICKLAND (16-1, 3-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Garcia gets a quick takedown but Strickland scrambles and reverses and takes the back. Strickland with some knees as they get to their feet. Strickland throws Garcia to the mat. Garcia lands an upkick. Strickland is able to get on top and is in the half-guard of Garcia. Strickland stands and eats another upkick from Garcia. Strickland goes back into half-guard. Strickland with some elbows from the top and Garcia is bleeding from the mouth. Strickland with some punches from the top and Garcia is in trouble. It was almost stopped there. Strickland gets to his feet and Garcia is able to reverse and takes Strickland down. Garcia with punches from the top. Garcia with some more punches from the top as the round ends he lands a big right hand. 10-9 Strickland.

    ROUND 2- Strickland with a high kick then a low kick. Garcia with a right hand and then a left jab. Strickland with a high kick and a right hand. Garcia’s nose is bleeding. Strickland with a right hand. Garcia with a nice combination. Strickland with a left hand. They trade punches. Garcia lands a left hand. Strickland with a nice jab. Garcia misses some punches and Strickland is able to land a right hand. The pace has definitely slowed this round. Garcia scores a takedown with less than a minute to go in the round. Both land soft punches on the mat. Strickland has control of the wrists and the posture on the ground. Garcia unable to land but got one punch in to end the round. 10-9 Strickland, 20-18 Strickland.

    ROUND 3- Strickland with an inside leg kick. Strickland lands a left hand. Garcia just misses a right hand. Garcia goes for a takedown and gets it against the fence. Strickland scrambles to the feet and lands a jab and right hand. Strickland with another jab. Strickland landing some more jabs as Garcia is unable to land anything. Now he lands two left hands and shoots and doesn’t get the takedown. Strickland lands a left hand and Garcia lands one as well. Strickland defends a takedown attempt from Garcia. Strickland lands a big right hand and has Garcia in trouble. Strickland looking for the finish and drops Garcia with a right hand and it is over! Strickland with the knockout win in the last minute of the fight.

    Official Result- Sean Strickland def. Alex Garcia by TKO (punches) at 4:25 of Round 3

    MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 9 PM ET/6 PM PT)

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- JAMES KRAUSE (22-7, 3-3 UFC) VS. SHANE CAMPBELL (12-3, 1-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Campbell lands a solid right hand to start. Krause clinches with Campbell against the fence. Campbell with a knee and Krause pulls guard. They scramble to their feet. Krause misses a takedown. Krause lands a right hand. Krause working hard for a takedown. Krause with a nice combo. Krause lands a nice right hand. Both men trade heavy right hands and they clinch against the fence. Krause with a nice combo. Krause with a big body kick. Campbell with a head kick and lands a huge right hand. Krause ducks down and scores a takedown and grabs the back. Not a lot of time to work. Campbell tries to roll out but Krause has the choke locked in. Campbell is saved by the bell! That was in deep but the round ends. Second time tonight a fighter has been saved by the bell to end a round. 10-9 Krause.

    ROUND 2- Campbell attacks the body to start the round. Campbell foot sweeps Krause to the mat and it ends with Campbell in the guard of Krause. Krause looks for an armbar and rolls over and they get to their feet. Krause lands a big right hand and they clinch. They each land knees against the fence. Krause gets the back of Campbell and takes the fight to the mat and switches to side control on the top. Krause looks for another choke. Krause transitions to the back and looks for the choke. Krause with punches from the back. Krause has the choke in and its in deep but Campbell somehow escapes. They scramble and Campbell lands a knee to the chest. They get to their feet. Krause gets another takedown but Campbell scrambles up. Krause with a big knee. Campbell sweeps Krause to the mat but Krause ends up on top in the guard. Fun round there. 10-9 Krause, 20-18 Krause.

    ROUND 3- They trade kicks to the body. They clinch against the fence. Campbell misses a spinning kick. They trade leg kicks. They trade kicks again. Krause looks for the takedown and gets to the back of Campbell. They break and trade strikes. Campbell stuffs a takedown attempt from Krause. They scramble and Campbell gets the back and is looking for the choke. Great pace from both men. Krause spins and Campbell ends up on top. Campbell with shoulder strikes from the top and finishes the round with many punches from the top. Good fight. 10-9 Campbell, 29-28 Krause.

    Official Result- James Krause def. Shane Campbell by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- CHRIS CAMOZZI (22-10, 7-7 UFC) VS. JOE RIGGS (41-16 1 NC, 5-6 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Camozzi with a leg kick to start. Camozzi stuns Riggs with a jab and then a barrage of knees and he finishes Riggs quickly! Big, violent finish from Chris Camozzi as he gets his second straight win and a possible performance bonus there.

    Official Result- Chris Camozzi def. Joe Riggs by TKO (knees) at :26 of Round 1

    FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#8) DENNIS BERMUDEZ (14-5, 7-3 UFC) VS. (#12) TATSUYA KAWAJIRI (35-8-2, 3-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Bermudez with a leg kick. Kawajiri with a spinning back fist. Kawajiri with a left hook but Bermudez grabs his back and looks for a choke in a standing position. They go to the mat and Bermudez is looking for a kimura. Kawajiri looks to get his arm free. Not much happening and the crowd is booing. Bermudez lets go and Kawajiri takes the back and lands some knees to the body. They get to their feet and Kawajiri goes for the takedown. Kawajiri is able to finish it and looks to flatten Bermudez out on the mat. They get to their feet and Kawajiri gets another takedown. He hasn’t done much with them yet. They get to their feet again. Kawajiri gets another takedown but they get right back up. Not much of a round. 10-9 Kawajiri.

    ROUND 2- Bermudez looks to land punches and they clinch up. They get to the mat and Bermudez is on top and landing some punches. They get back to their feet. They break the clinch. Bermudez with a body kick. Kawajiri going back for a takedown but Bermudez defends. Kawajiri drives him towards the fence. Bermudez with punches from the top but Kawajiri continues to go for the takedown. Bermudez with punches and elbows as Kawajiri keeps going for a takedown. More punches from Bermudez. They scramble and Bermudez takes the back but moves to a front headlock. Bermudez moves to the back and lands more punches. Bermudez looking to set up a submission but the round will end. 10-9 Bermudez, 19-19.

    ROUND 3- This round could decide it on the scorecards. Bermudez throws a Superman punch and a right hand which pushes Kawajiri against the fence. Bermudez gets the takedown. They scramble and Kawajiri has a takedown attempt stuffed. They get back to their feet. Bermudez with body punches against the fence. They break. Bermudez slips as he lands a body kick. Kawajiri goes for a guillotine but Bermudez slips out. They get to their feet and Bermudez lands a leg kick. Kawajiri misses a spinning back fist and eats a leg kick and right hand from Bermudez. Bermudez gets another takedown. They get back to their feet. Bermudez with a knee and some right hands. Bermudez gets another takedown. Bermudez with some punches from the guard. Not an exciting fight. 10-9 Bermudez, 29-28 Bermudez.

    Official Result- Dennis Bermudez def. Tatsuya Kawajiri by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    142-POUND CATCHWEIGHT- CODY GARBRANDT (7-0, 2-0 UFC) VS. AUGUSTO MENDES (5-0, 0-0 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Mendes is a third fighter who took a fight on this card this week. Garbrandt with a leg kick and he lands a left hook. Mendes with a leg kick but eats a right hand from Garbrandt. They go to the mat for a moment but Garbrandt gets to his feet quickly and Mendes is ordered to his feet. Garbrandt with a leg kick. Mendes with a leg kick and Garbrandt counters with a nice combo. Garbrandt with another nice combo that lands. Garbrandt with a quick combo but Mendes is able to land an uppercut. Garbrandt drops Mendes with a big right hand and it is over. Garbrandt gets the knockout win!

    Official Result- Cody Garbrandt def. Augusto Mendes by TKO (punches) at 4:18 of Round 1

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#13) DEREK BRUNSON (14-3, 5-1 UFC) VS. (#15) ROAN CARNEIRO (20-9, 3-3 UFC)

    ROUND 1- Brunson with a left hand. Carneiro slips to the ground and Brunson ends up on top and starts throwing a ton of punches and is looking for a finish. He lands a barrage of punches but this fight keeps going on. Brunson lays back and then more big punches and it is over. Brunson with the quick first-round finish of Carneiro. That should have been stopped sooner as there were a ton of unanswered punches.

    Official Result- Derek Brunson def. Roan Carneiro by TKO (punches) at 2:38 of Round 1

    WELTERWEIGHTS- (#5 LW) DONALD CERRONE (28-7 1 NC, 15-4 UFC) VS. ALEX OLIVEIRA (14-2-1 1 NC, 3-1 UFC)

    ROUND 1- They clinch and Oliveira lands some knees and Cerrone fires back some knees. Oliveira with a spinning back kick. Cerrone with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Oliveira lands a right hand. Cerrone gets a takedown and is in half-guard. Cerrone gets mount and he has a triangle choke locked in and Oliveira taps out! Cerrone with the submission win as he had Oliveira in all kinds of trouble on the mat.

    Official Result- Donald Cerrone def. Alex Oliveira by submission (triangle choke) at 2:33 of Round 1

  • Joey Ryan proposes for real in the middle of wrestling match

    There have been a number of wrestlers over the years who have gotten married in a wrestling ring, most notably Uncle Elmer (Stan Frazier) on NBC in the 80s and the iconic Hawaiian cultural moment involving Johnny Barend in Hawaii in the 60s.

    But Joey Ryan of Lucha Underground, coming off pioneering using his penis as an offensive wrestling attacking move, may have done another first last night.

    Ryan was wrestling Laura James in a singles match  last night in San Diego, and in the middle of a match, after a ref bump, Ryan went to a bag for a presumed foreign object, but instead pulled out a ring and got on his knees and asked James to marry him.  She said yes.  They hugged, everyone clapped and cheered, and then Ryan surprised her again, with a small package to pin her.  He explained on the mic after the match that they were married now and he needed “the winner’s half of the purse.”  They are still getting married.

    Congratulations to the happy couple.

    Video of the proposal and the end of the match is here.

  • Dada 5000 in stable condition after serious hospitalization

    Dhafir Harris, who fought Kimbo Slice (Kevin Ferguson) as Dada 5000, is now in stable condition after a scary night last night.

    Harris had to be rushed to the hospital last night after collapsing, more out of exhaustion than punishment, in last nigtht’s fight that was stopped in the third round.

    The Harris family released this statement:

    The Harris Family would like to inform Dada’s friends and fans that Dada is ok and resting comfortably in a Houston area Hospital under the care of an incredible staff of doctors and nurses.

    The doctors have now informed us that Dada had accumulated extremely high levels of potassium in his blood which led to severe dehydration, fatigue and renal failure. The high potassium levels were likely caused by his 40lbs weight loss in preparation for the fight.

    Thanks to the EMTs and doctors, Dada is now recovering nicely.

    Dada showed the heart of a lion in the cage- not backing down throughout. He worked extremely hard preparing for the fight and stepped forward for 3 rounds against a tough veteran. He kept digging through the adversity- leaving it all in the cage for his fans and supporters. You can never take that away from him.

    We’d like to thank all those who have supported Dada as well as express our sincere appreciation to Scott Coker, and the good people at BELLATOR and Spike who have been on-site to visit Dada and support the family.

    We ask for the public and media to respect Dada’s privacy as he recovers.

  • NJPW/ROH Honor Rising: Jay Lethal defends ROH title against Honma

    On last night’s Honor Rising event, Tomohiro Ishii shocked everyone by beating Roderick Strong for the ROH Television championship. It’s one thing for a title to switch hands, but is it possible for both ROH singles titles to change hands on the same tour two nights in a row? It’s entirely possible as this morning, ROH World champion Jay Lethal faces off against perrenial underdog Tomoaki Honma. While Honma is known for getting the occasional big win when it matters, Lethal not only has been very strong as champion, but his manager Truth Martini is known for getting involved in matches. Will the same happen here tonight, or will Honma reign supreme as a double champion?

    David Finlay vs. Jay White

    Really nice back and forth match. These two will probably be facing off in singles bouts just like Komatsu and Tanaka, and those two always had nice, solid matches. Lots of back and forth with some nice uppercuts by Finlay. White continues to look very good as well. He gets the submission with the Boston crab.

    Jushin Thunder Liger and Matt Sydal vs. Gedo and Delirious

    Not really much of a match but there were some funny antics by the heels. There was a funny moment before the bell where everyone was wondering why Delirious turtled up in the corner. The bell rang, he went crazy…then promptly tagged in Gedo. Gedo was all nice and wanted to shake Liger’s hand twice. Everything was cool the first time, then he jumped him after the second. Babyfaces always seem to fall for that in New Japan. Delirious took a lady’s purse from the front row and used it as a weapon. That’s a new one. Matt Sydal won with the shooting star press on Gedo.

    Delirious mentioned Stokely Hathaway and Cheeseburger (who should have totally been on these cards) after the match.

    Frankie Kazarian vs. Dalton Castle

    Nice match. It was a slow build kind of match, given a lot of time, but things got going pretty well towards the end. People liked Castle but there wasn’t a ton of heat for this which hurt it. There was some comedy to be had here as Castle did a lot of antics to start off the match, including posing with the boys as well as doing a bit with Tiger Hattori where he leaned all the way down to the floor and Hattori counted his shoulders. Fans tried to start some American chants, rooting for Castle, but they never lasted really long. Castle unleashed some great offense towards the end and pinned Kazarian after a tilt a whirl reverse facebuster.

    Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. reDragon, Katsuyori Shibata & Hirooki Goto

    Bullet Club were all wearing new shirts. They had their usual eight man tag. They continued teasing something with Goto as he argued with Shibata at one point in the match. He’s had offers from Okada to join Chaos since losing the IWGP title match. Gallows and Anderson teased the Magic Killer but Goto came back and he and Anderson had some good comebacks. Gallows gave Shibata the Gallows Poll for a great near fall. Shibata came back, put him to sleep and hit the penalty kick for the win. Last few minutes were really good.

    Bullet Club all got together and hugged after the match as it’s Anderson and Gallows last match with the company (I’m pretty sure, anyway). Tonga and Fale bowed to them and made their exit. Gallows and Anderson then bowed to all four corners of the ring, then knelt down at the last one. Fans were emotional and so were they. Anderson’s music then hit as they made their exit.

    Moose and Kushida vs. Tetsuya Naito and Bushi

    Fine tag team match. Again, this was to showcase Moose, who is very much over with the crowd in doing his chant. Evil accompanied Naito and Bushi on the outside and aided them in beating up the faces whenever possible. Moose looked really great on offense, especially when having to do the hot top. He even did the Okada dropkick to Naito, who tumbled out of the ring. He pinned Bushi with the spear.

    Michael Elgin, Roderick Strong and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Yoshi-Hashi and Kazuchika Okada

    Pretty good six man bout. It was shaped like a lot of New Japan tags as everyone worked with their rival (Tanahashi/Okada, Strong/Ishii, etc.). A lot of the focus was on Ishii and Strong. Everyone looked pretty good and worked well with one another. Crowd was here and there, but were really into the last few minutes of the match where Yoshi-Hashi got some near falls on Elgin. He overcame them and got the win for his team, pinning Yoshi-Hashi with the buckle bomb and spinning power bomb.

    Ishii and Strong got pulled apart several times after the bell rang, making it clear that there’s probably going to be a rematch down the line for the title. Maybe at the TV tapings at the end of the month?

    NEVER Six Man Tag Team titles: Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs. The Briscoes and Toru Yano (c)

    Good match. Omega and the Bucks gel really well togther and helped make the match stand out. Kenny Omega came out wearing a New Day t-shirt saying he’s going to get Austin Creed (Xavier Woods). They have a rivalry going on for the Up Up Down Down show.Cody Hall accompanied the heels and freely interfere in the match, giving the Bullet Club the advantage. Lots of cool tandem work. Yano at one point undid the turnbuckle and laid out Omega with it. It played a part later in the match as all the heels ended up taking the turnbuckle spot.

    Omega went for the hairspray but Yano rolled him up for a very close two count. Eventually the Bucks came back and laid out the Briscoes with a double Indytaker. They laid out Yano and gave him an extra More Bang for Your Buck (with Omega also hitting a swanton bomb) to win the titles. Makes sense as they’ve been building them as The Elite as of late.

    These NEVER titles seem to be like the Hardcore title of New Japan at this point – we’re already on the fourth champions and the belt’s only existed for over a month!

    ROH World Champion Jay Lethal vs. Tomoaki Honma

    Good main event. Not great. Honma looked really good. Lethal looked good in places but the finish was kind of lame considering it happens in every Lethal match in Japan. Started off kinda slow. Good action, but nothing extraordinary. Lethal had him laid out and went for the Lethal Injection but Honma countered with a kokeshi. He took him to the floor and hit another one off the top rope. Honma hit all kinds of kokeshis but missed one off the top rope. Ref bump. In a surprise, suddenly Evil and Bushi came out and helped Martini lay him out with the Book of Truth…only to no sell it! He took out Martini but the distraction was enough as Lethal came back and laid him out with the Lethal Injection to retain the title.

    Lethal wanted to shake Honma’s hand. There seems to be a theme to never trust the heels when it comes to shaking hands, but the babyfaces fall for it every time anyway. Of course, Honma obliged, and immediately Bushi sprayed him with the mist, leaving him a mess on the outside. Seems obvious the next tag title program is GBH and Naito/Evil.

    Truth has the mic and says that Los Ingobernables and Lethal together are unstoppable. Naito then cuts a promo putting over Lethal, calling him his amigo, to end the show.

    Pretty good show. There’s nothing absolutely you need to see, but for a live show this was pretty fun to watch. Hope ROH and New Japan do more shows together in the future as they both have some great talent that really shone on these last two shows.

  • UFC Fight Night 83 DFS Playbook: value picks, who to avoid

    The Octagon returns this weekend with an event on Sunday night, as UFC Fight Night 83 culminates from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The card is headlined by a welterweight bout as Donald Cerrone takes on Alex Oliveira. Below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when setting your fantasy line-ups for this weekend’s event.

    STUDS

    Derek Brunson ($11,100)

    Derek Brunson has the highest salary of the 26 fighters on the card and for good reason. He is a rising contender in the middleweight division, has won three straight fights and five of six in the UFC, with his lone loss coming to Yoel Romero. He has won his last two fights by first-round knockout, and he just keeps getting better each time he steps inside the Octagon. When he steps inside that Octagon on Sunday night in the co-main event, it will be opposite of Roan Carneiro, who hasn’t fought in nearly a year. Carneiro has won six straight fights and is in the midst of a career resurgence, but he sported a 12-8 record at one point before his recent 9-1 run. Brunson is a tough opponent for someone returning from a year-long layoff, and Carneiro has been finished in six of his nine losses. Brunson is the top play of the weekend.

    Donald Cerrone ($10,600)

    Donald Cerrone headlines this event against the other fighter known as “Cowboy” in Alex Oliveira, and he is making his debut at 170 pounds to top it off. Gone are the big weight cuts that Cerrone makes, though he never has really shown any ill-effects from them. Oliveira is a replacement for the pulled Tim Means, taking the fight on short notice. Oliveira has taken most of his UFC bouts on short notice, and he has looked good during his UFC tenure. Cerrone is the best fighter he has ever fought, though, and Cerrone eats opponents like Oliveira up. He seems to falter against the best, and Oliveira is yet to be anywhere near that class. Cerrone is a violent finisher, and he has an excellent chance of finishing a short-notice opponent. Cerrone will be an excellent play this weekend.

    VALUE PLAYS

    Leonardo Augusto ($9,200)

    Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes is making his UFC debut on Sunday, having scored 11 wins in 13 professional fights. He has nine wins by stoppage, and he gets a short-notice replacement in Anthony Smith, who took the fight just this week after Trevor Smith pulled out due to a hand injury. Smith has won seven straight fights outside of the UFC, but last fought less than a month ago and is taking the fight the week of the event. He likely kept himself in shape but fighting on just a few days’ notice can be a tough challenge. That makes Augusto a solid play at his salary if you are looking to spend up for your roster.

    Tatsuya Kawajiri ($8,600)

    Tatsuya Kawajiri is an interesting play at his salary. Only three fighters have a lower salary than him, and it’s interesting that he’s a big underdog to Dennis Bermudez, who has lost two straight fights by finish. Bermudez was on the cusp of a title shot but now has his back against the wall, while Kawajiri is rising as he gets more adjusted to fighting inside the Octagon. He is 3-1 in the UFC, and he is primed for an upset win. He might not be able to finish Bermudez, but is a good candidate to score a decision win. Having him on your roster also allows for more spending on higher-end fighters. Kawajiri is an excellent value play at his salary.

    FIGHTERS TO AVOID

    Daniel Sarafian ($10,400)

    Daniel Sarafian has been a big disappointment during his UFC tenure. He is just 2-3 inside the Octagon, and both wins have come to opponents who are no longer on the UFC roster. He hasn’t fought since a win in December 2014, which came due to a finger injury to his opponent. He has bounced between weight classes and gyms, and it will be interesting to see how all of this, and being out of action for 14 months, affects him. He has a tough match-up against Oluwale Bamgbose, who is a knockout artist getting a full training camp. I recommend avoiding Sarafian on this card as his salary doesn’t justify his performances, and Bamgbose is a solid bet to score an upset victory.

    Joe Riggs ($8,900)

    Joe Riggs has been around a long time and has a lot of mileage under him. Sunday will mark his 59th career fight. He is coming off a win in his last bout, which was his first UFC win since August 2006. However, the win came due to disqualification from an illegal upkick by Ron Stallings in a fight Riggs was losing. He hasn’t looked too good during this UFC run, one that could come to an end on Sunday night. He takes on Chris Camozzi, who is in his own third stint with the UFC. Camozzi is coming off a solid win and should be in line to get another win over Riggs. I don’t see Riggs being able to top Camozzi, so I would be avoiding him on Sunday.

    OUR LINE-UPS

    RYAN FREDERICK- Derek Brunson ($11,100), Donald Cerrone ($10,600), Marion Reneau ($10,300), Oluwale Bamgbose ($9,000), Tatsuya Kawajiri ($8,600)

    I have Derek Brunson and Donald Cerrone as my top two plays, thus I will be having them on my roster. Brunson has been super impressive in recent bouts, with two straight first-round knockout wins. He has a favorable fight against Roan Carneiro and I expect another quick finish. Donald Cerrone has a short-notice opponent in Alex Oliveira and he finishes fights where he’s the big favorite. I like him finishing Oliveira. Marion Reneau is looking to rebound from a loss to Holly Holm, and she has a good match-up with Ashlee Evans-Smith, who was choked unconscious in her last fight. I see that happening again. Oluwale Bamgbose is an underdog with a solid chance at winning by finish with his knockout power, and Daniel Sarafian has been disappointing. My last fighter on my roster is Tatsuya Kawajiri. He has good value and is a good pick for an upset win over Dennis Bermudez. I like his chances.

    PAUL FONTAINE- Derek Brunson ($11,100), Jonavin Webb ($10,700), James Krause ($10,100), Leonardo Augusto ($9,200), Alex Oliveira ($8,800)

    Both Cowboys are moving up a weight class for their main event 5 round fight and I think the difference could be that Alex Oliveira has fought most of his career at 170 and should be much more comfortable with the extra weight. He’s looked great since losing his UFC debut and even looked good in that fight before succumbing to a late submission. Cerrone also had a brutal KO loss in his last fight and that can be hard to come back from. Derek Brunson is a powerhouse at 185 and I look for him to finish Carneiro quickly and get me those first round stoppage bonus points. James Krause has the experience edge over his opponent Campbell and he looked awesome in his first round finish of Daron Cruickshank last time out. He hasn’t had a win that went to the judges in UFC and Sunday will be no different, in my opinion. Augusto is a bit of an unknown but his opponent is taking the fight on less than a week’s notice and just fought 3 weeks ago against a tough veteran in Josh Neer. I like him to continue his impressive non-UFC run with an early finish. Last for me is Jonavin Webb, who was robbed of a win in his UFC debut against Kyle Noke. That’s the only loss of his career and I look for him to rebound in a big way against journeyman Nathan Coy.

    PEACH MACHINE- Donald Cerrone ($10,600), James Krause ($10,100), Sean Strickland ($9,900), Oluwale Bamgbose ($9,000), Augusto Mendes ($8,400)

    I LOVE Mendes, aka Tanquinho, in this fight. He will submit Garbrandt… Bamgbose is scary and is going to be a player someday and I expect him to easily handle Sarafian… Cerrone needs to rebound and look good here. He will… Krause is a savage. He’s 29 and has already had 29 fights (22-7)… I like Strickland. He’s lanky and tough and 13-1, and 4-1 in UFC. I don’t think Garcia will be able to stop him… My picks have been pretty solid so far this year, and I like my picks this card. If I didn’t live in America’s urethra, aka Tennessee, I’d probably play this line-up, but you know, I can’t because jesus hates gambling, I guess. Not the lottery though, he’s cool with that.

  • New Japan on AXS: Makabe tries to get NEVER title back from Ishii

    Tonight’s episode are matches from NJPW Wrestling Hinokuni, which took place on April 29, 2015 at Grandmesse Kumamoto

    First up is a NWA title defense as new champion Hiroyoshi Tenzan defends against Big Daddy Yum Yum. The challenger is former WWE developmental wrestler Byron Wilcott who has been here a few times in the past, most famous for selling Kojima’s chops in the most bizarre manner possible. He has good presence but everything else just feels off, from his offense to his selling to his ring gear. Even the announcers were saying this wasn’t good, and it really wasn’t. Tenzan should be the one carried at this point, not the other way around. Tenzan eventually got the win with a second anaconda vise. Pretty bad.

    Makabe talks about how he had to vacate the NEVER title due to the flu. He mentions how Ishii said he’d have to win the title from Ishii for it to really mean something. He thinks wrestling is all about your heart, and this upcoming match shows this.

    The match aired. I’m torn when it comes to these matches. They’ve never been terrible. Both guys are great brawlers and know their style very well. Ishii has always been consistently great. Some people want to rip on Makabe because he’s one of the more protected guys (he has mainstream popularity due to his love for sweets, among other things) even though he’s not as dynamic as others on the roster, but he can still put up a tremendous performance. Problem is, in 2015 they faced off for the NEVER title at least four times. It was overkill by the third defense, and the fourth was just kind of unnecessary.

    But in terms of how the match was…it was every match they’ve had. Which means, in other words, it was quite the spectacle. People were into it from the start, as Ishii has this kind of vibe and style where you can get into his work pretty much immediately. Lots of stiff shots, kicks, lariats and all the like. Ishii took very hard suplexes to the back of his head. He can’t be doing this style forever. After 25 minutes of intense back and forth brawling, Makabe won the NEVER title back after pinning Ishii with the King Kong knee drop.

    There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the match, and if you’ve never seen it before, it’s worth your while to check it out. For me, personally, I’ve seen these guys have plenty of great matches, and I just kind of want to move on from watching them. They spent too much of last year feuding, is what I’m getting at here. I think we’re only halfway done with this feud as well as far as this timeline goes, so that’s kind of a bummer for me personally.

    Ishii didn’t have anything to say after the match.

    Makabe takes a microphone after the match and says that no matter how many times we’ve been beat, we come back up because we have guts. Makabe says he and Ishii might look dirty, but we are talented. He gave away this belt once, but it came back to me. That’s what a true wrestler does.

    Makabe backstage says he’ll disprove andy prejudices with this belt. He then says anyone else watching this that has championships, he’ll overthrow them.

    In his reflective interview, he says that he knew he had to get the belt back. It was an obstacle, for sure. But he knew that’s the match the people wanted, which is why it was so intense. It’s nice to see different kinds of matches. To him, it’s all about the heart of the match.

    And that’ll do it for this season of New Japan on AXS! We’ll return March 4 with Jim Ross replacing Maruo Ranallo. Much thanks to Mauro as he really helped these initial seasons of New Japan on AXS feel really special, and his knowledge of the product felt really refreshing compared to virtually everyone else who does English language broadcasting.