UFC Welterweight Gunnar Nelson was a guest on Submission Radio yesterday. The subject of weight cutting came up. Nelson is a training partner of interim Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor and had this to say as it relates to McGregor’s tough cut:
“Yea, he does a big cut,” said Nelson. “He doesn’t like it and I don’t think he’s going to do it much longer. I think he’s going to move up. I think he wants to move up. I don’t blame it. I wouldn’t be able to this cut too many times. It definitely takes it out of you. There’s no doubt.
“He has a lot of energy and he’ll toughen through it and fight really well even though he does that cut. I just think, looking ahead, this isn’t good for your health. I don’t think he should do it many more times and I’ve told him that. That’s my opinion.”
McGregor himself has said that he would likely defend the belt one time after beating Aldo and then move up to 155 lbs, where he has already got ready made money fights with both current champion Rafael Dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone, who challenges Dos Anjos for the belt in December.
McGregor faces Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo in a unification bout on December 12th at UFC 194. Aldo has a tough weight cut as well and in fact has been outspoken in the past about new regulations regarding the ban of IV rehydration that went into effect in October of this year.
McGregor has actually fought 12 of his 20 career fights at Lightweight and only had two fights at 145 prior to making his UFC debut in 2013.
Nelson went on to say “It’s definitely not good for the athletes in this sport. It’s not good for your health. It’s not good for your brain. It’s just not good and I don’t see why we should be doing this. I think we should get rid of it quickly.”
Nelson will also compete at UFC 194 on the FS 1 prelim portion of the show against Demian Maia. Coincidentally, Maia also fought most of his career at a higher weight class before dropping to 170 lbs in 2012. Nelson has fought his entire career at Welterweight.
WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka was arraigned today on charges of third degree murder and involuntary manslaughter regarding the death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino in 1983.
During today’s proceedings, the judge issued a gag order against the press, meaning that while the case will be open to the public, prosecutors, Snuka’s family and legal team as well as Argentino’s will be banned from commenting on the case.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Charles Gallagher III requested the order following comments that he stated were “blasphemous” during last month’s hearing of the case on the steps of the courthouse. Gallager also mentioned that he was contacted by the NBC news show Dateline in relation to the case, which was another factor in requesting the order. Robert Kirwan, Snuka’s defense attorney, said that the Argentino family had also been working with Dateline, which caused the judge to add them to the gag order as well.
It was also stated during today’s hearing by his defense attorneys that Snuka may not be competent to stand trial, and that if he is found competent they would want an out of county jury to hear the case. Judge Kelly Banach asked Snuka a series of questions during the proceedings which are normally asked to confirm whether or not a defendant is fit to stand trial. It was shown that Snuka did not know today’s date or the day of the week, or even the city where the courthouse was located.
“He has good days. He has bad days. Today is actually a good day” Snuka defense attorney Robert Kirwan stated.
728 Days since Vitor Belfort’s last win, which came over Dan Henderson, his opponent on Saturday night, at UFC Fight Night 32 on November 9, 2013.
5 Number of wins by Belfort in his native Brazil. He is a perfect 5-0 in the country.
70.8% Percentage of Belfort’s wins that have come by knockout. He has scored 17 of his 24 wins by knockout.
10 Total number of knockdowns recorded by Belfort in UFC competition, 4 of which have come as a middleweight, which is tied for fourth most in UFC middleweight history (min. 5 fights)
3:40 Average fight time in UFC middleweight bouts for Belfort, the lowest in UFC middleweight division history (min. 5 fights)
28 Length of time, in seconds, of Dan Henderson’s last fight, a knockout win over Tim Boetsch at UFC Fight Night 68 in June
5 Number of UFC bonus awards won by Henderson
45 Age of Henderson, making him the oldest member of the UFC roster
6 Number of title fights in the career of Henderson, spanning roster stints in the UFC, PRIDE and Strikeforce
15 Number of knockout wins in the career of Henderson
4 Current ranking of Glover Teixeira in the UFC’s light heavyweight division
16 Number of first-round wins recorded by Teixeira in his career
11 Number of guard passes Teixeira recorded in his most recent bout, a win over Ovince Saint Preux in August
26 Takedowns landed by Patrick Cummins, third-most in UFC light heavyweight history (min. 5 fights)
4.37 Strikes landed per minute by Cummins in his UFC career
30 Age of Cummins when he made his professional MMA debut
20 Career wins and win streak by Thomas Almeida. He is a perfect 20-0 in his career.
95 Finishing rate percentage by Almeida earning 19 of his 20 wins by stoppage
175 Significant strikes landed in just 3 UFC bouts by Almeida
7.45 Significant strikes landed per minute by Anthony Birchak in UFC competition
91 Percentage of strikes defended by Birchak
83 Career finishing rate percentage by Birchak as he has earned 10 of his 12 wins by stoppage
4 Number of fights Alex Oliveira has competed in during the year 2015
3 Number of short notice fights taken by Oliveira, who will be fighting with a full camp for the first time during his UFC career on Saturday
8 Number of takedowns landed by Oliveira in his two UFC wins
2 Consecutive losses by Piotr Hallmann, who is 2-3 in his UFC career
93.3 Career finishing rate percentage by Hallmann, who has scored 14 of his 15 wins by stoppage
44 Takedown percentage rate by Hallmann, ninth-best in UFC lightweight history (min. 5 fights)
10 Straight wins to start his career by Gilbert Burns
4 Gold medals won by Burns in various jiu-jitsu competitions
2 Performance bonuses won by Burns in just three UFC bouts
11 Consecutive wins by Rashid Magomedov
0 Number of fights in 2015 by Magomedov, who fought 3 times in 2014
91 Percentage rate of takedowns defended by Magomedov
622 Significant strikes landed by Fabio Maldonado, most in UFC light heavyweight history (min. 5 fights)
62 Boxing wins, both professional and amateur, by Maldonado in his career
5.93 Significant strikes per minute landed by Maldonado, most in UFC light heavyweight history (min. 5 fights)
63 Days between fights for Corey Anderson, who has the quickest turnaround of every fighter on the UFC Fight Night 77 card
13 Takedowns landed by Anderson during his four UFC fights
264 Significant strikes landed by Anderson during his four UFC fights
25 Number of fights in the UFC by Gleison Tibau
82 Takedowns landed by Tibau, most in UFC history (min. 5 fights)
4:51:15 Total Octagon fight time by Tibau, third-most in UFC history (min. 5 fights)
21 Number of times Abel Trujillo was taken down by Khabib Nurmagomedov, the UFC record for one fight
66.6 Career finishing rate percentage by Trujillo, who has scored 8 of his 12 wins by finish
378 Days since Yan Cabral’s last fight, which came at UFC 179 in October 2014
91.6 Career finish by submission rate percentage for Cabral, who has won 11 of his 12 fights by submission
11 Straight wins by Johnny Case heading into UFC Fight Night 77
47 Number of professional fights for Clay Guida, most of the fighters on the UFC Fight Night 77 card
4:30:32 Total Octagon fight time by Guida, fifth-most in UFC history (min. 5 fights)
40 Takedowns landed by Thiago Tavares, tenth-most in UFC history (min. 5 fights)
10 Straight wins by Kevin Souza heading into UFC Fight Night 77
13 Number of days between wins for Chas Skelly when he fought Tom Niinimaki and Sean Soriano in UFC bouts in 2014
630 Days since Viscardi Andrade’s last fight, which came at UFC Fight Night 36 in February 2014
89.3 Takedowns defended percentage rate by Gasan Umalatov in his UFC career
75 Finishing rate percentage by Pedro Munhoz, who has scored nine of his 12 wins by stoppage (2 KO/TKO, 7 submissions)
16 Straight wins by Jimmie Rivera, the second-longest win streak of the fighters on the UFC Fight Night 77 card
4 Career bouts for Bruno Korea, who makes his UFC debut on Saturday
22 Age of Matheus Nicolau, making him the youngest fighter on the UFC Fight Night 77 card
Kota Ibushi, one of the top performers in the world over the past decade, will be out of action indefinitely due to a herniated disc.
Both New Japan and DDT, the two companies he’s under contract two, made the announcement today. Ibushi missed his weekend DDT shows and the rumor was that he had a serious health issue. At the press conference, it was announced that even though he won’t be wrestling for a while and his New Japan contract expires in January, that he will be renewed by the company even though he won’t be wrestling soon.
New Japan made the announcement that he would be out of Saturday’s Power Struggle show. DDT announced he would be out of action “a long time.”
Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi were scheduled to face Kazuchika Okada & Kazushi Sakuraba on Saturday’s show at the Edion Arena in Osaka. The match was to set up Sakuraba vs. Ibushi, although there were issues with that match taking place given Sakuraba’s MMA fight with Shinya Aoki on 12/27 for Rizin.
A replacement is expected to be announced shortly. Katsuyori Shibata is not booked on the card so he would make sense.
New Japan announced the complete card for Saturday’s show:
Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi & Mascara Dorada vs. Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka & David Finlay & Jay White Togi Makabe & Captain New Japan & Juice Robinson vs. Doc Gallows & Cody Hall & Tama Tonga Hirooki Goto vs. King of Darkness EVIL (Takaaki Watanabe) Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly & Alex Shelley & Kushida vs. Young Bucks & Chase Owens & Kenny Omega Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta in the Super Junior tag tournament finals Toru Yano & Yoshi-Hashi vs. A.J. Styles & Bad Luck Fale Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma for Never Open Weight title Hiroshi Tanahashi &? vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Kazuchika Okada Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karl Anderson for IWGP IC title
We’re looking for reports on these three weekend shows at Dave Meltzer
*NXT Friday night in Gainesville, FL
*WWE last night in Billings, MT
*WWE today in Casper, WY.
Ultimate Insider with Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Henry Cejudo and Luke Rockhold on Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern on FS 1
One on One with Joanna Jedrzejczyk Monday night at 7:30 p.m. on FS 1. Fox sent out a screener of this yesterday and it’s very good. UFC is doing an excellent job trying to push her as a star.
A best of middleweights edition of UFC Unleashed featuring Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero and Jacare Souza airs 9 p.m. Monday night on FS 1
UFC 187, with the Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson and Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort fights, will air on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on FS 1****
Raw is Monday in Denver. Nobody special is advertised, but as noted, Alberto Del Rio is scheduled for television both Monday and Tuesday for WWE.
Smackdown will be taped Tuesday in Colorado Springs.
The lead story is how the Alberto Del Rio deal went down, with full details, including financials that even blew away those in WWE and those who used to negotiate these deals. We look at how in demand he was, including by organizations you wouldn’t even know, an angle he shot for MMA that was kept secret and will never probably see the light of day on television, and how this affects AAA, where he is their world champion.
We look at the ramifications of this on WWE, AAA, how the deal was put together, how he positioned it to AAA, how AAA has taken a huge talent hit, when the deal was really put together, how Del Rio was scheduled to main event AAA’s next major show against what top U.S. star in a hair match, and his dates advertised in Mexico. We look at other promotions that wanted him, Konnan talking about how the Myzteziz and Del Rio situation affects AAA, the Zeb Colter deal, how Lucha Underground and Del Rio fell apart as well as his huge money MMA offer just recently.
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
Alberto Del Rio remains in the news as the big story today. Promociones Kdena had Alberto El Patron scheduled as the top star on a show at Arena Jose Suliaman today. This was not a AAA show, although they booked talent through AAA, and was considered a significant show. He pulled out of the show, and it was announced yesterday that the entire show is being postponed. What’s notable is that unlike tomorrow’s AAA show in Nuevo Laredo, which goes head-up with Raw in Denver, there doesn’t appear to have been any schedule conflict. WWE only has one show today, in Casper, WY, and Alberto is not scheduled, and he didn’t work last night’s show in Billings, MT, which was the same crew as Casper.
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are building their upcoming fight on Twitter.
Jones wrote: “Too pussy to fight at the Garden but flies all the way to Albuquerque to prove he’s a man. You on you way pussy?”
Cormier responded: “I’m gonna be there but I need you to make it to the Octagon. We don’t wanna violate parole now do we?”
UFC announced that its 11/28 show from Seoul, South Korea would be starting at 4:45 a.m. Eastern time and it expected to end at around 10 a.m. The show will air on Fight Pass and for those of us on the West Coast that’s 1:45 a.m. to 7 a.m. Benson Henderson vs. Thiago Alves and Mirko Cro Cop vs. Anthony Hamilton are the top two bouts.
Former UFC fighter Chris Horodecki will be appearing for Smash Wrestling on 11/22 at 5 p.m. in London, ONT, Horodecki’s home city, at Cowboy’s ranch. Johnny Gargano, Jennifer Blake and Candice LaRae are also on the show.
ROH announced January dates in Indianapolis, IN, for 1/15, Collinsville, IL, for 1/16, and Fletcher, NC, for 1/22 as part of their Winter Warriors tour.
Bushwhacker Luke takes on Preston Perry for Great North Wrestling in Rockland, Ontario, on 11/27.
Johnny Gargano vs. Sebastian Suave headlines Smash Wrestling’s London debut on 11/22.
Cody Deaner and Hayley Shadows will be on the 11/21 Magnificent Wrestling show in Brantford, ONT.
United States Championship Wrestling tv taping in Jacksonville, FL, Friday: Christian Walker b Big Bank Barfield, Mighty Heinrich b Chico Adams, Pain b Chico Adams, JD Amazing b Spirit Kid to retain Southern Heavyweight title.
Jerry Jarrett wrote on Facebook yesterday that he was getting back into wrestling. He wrote: “I once stated that I would get back into the wrestling business when hell froze over. I’m feeling a little chill in the air. it is a bit early to announce the plan, but the contracts are with the attorneys. If you wish for wrestling like it was, you will have a chance to tune in.”
Akebono beat Jun Akiyama to win the Triple Crown earlier today in Aomori.
In the Super Junior tag team tournament semifinals at Korakuen Hall today, Ricochet & Matt Sydal beat The Young Bucks and Rocky Romero & Baretta beat Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly (the tag champs in a non-title match). The finals on 11/7 in Osaka at the Edion Arena are Ricochet & Sydal vs. Romero & Baretta. The winners will get a jr. tag title match.
Preston City Wrestling from Preston, England drew 500 for the afternoon show:
Rampage Brown b Martin Kirby
Lionheart b Ashton Smith
Sha Samuels b Charlie Garrett
Naom Dar b T-Bone
Bubblegum b Trevor Lee
Gauntlet match:
Martin Kirby & Joey Hayes b Dave Rayne & ?
Lionheart & Noam Dar b Martin Kirby & Joey Hayes
Magnus & Bram b Lionheart & Noam Dar
Ashton Smith & Charlie Garrett b Magnus & Bram
Rhino b Rampage Brown
They drew 700 for the evening show:
Nigel McGuinness did commentary for Halloween dressed up as Tom Cruise in “Risky Business.”
Joey Hayes & Martin Kirby b Dave Rayne & Scotty 2 Hotty. Hayes, who was injured, was replaced by a guy in a clown suit who after the match was revealed as Bram, but was announced as Hayes)
Rhino b Iestyn Rees (Rees dressed as a Freddy Mercury and/or Rick Rude. Well, he was supposed to be Rude but the crowd thought he was Mercury and for several minutes started singing Bohemian Rhapsody)
Viper & Ken Anderson b Magnus & Mickie James (Anderson & Viper dressed up as Mario & Princess Peach from Super Mario)
T-Bone & Rampage Brown b Charlie Garrett & Ashton Smith to retain the tag titles
El Ligero b Noam Dar and Bubblegum to win the cruiserweight title
Sha Samuels b Lionheart in an I Quit match
Jeff Jarrett b Dave Rayne. Jeff was managed by Karen. Rayne was managed by Ricky Steamboat
(thanks to Jan Buxton and Stephen Lyon)
After the match, Steamboat started throwing chops and clotheslined Jarrett, which would be the first time he did anything physical since 2010 when he had bleeding on the brain.
Preston City Wrestling and ROH are doing combination shows from 11/27 to 11/29.
All Pro Wrestling Holiday Hell from Friday night in Daly City, CA: Julio Pedroza & Matt Carlos co-won Battle Royal, Classic Connection b Julio Pedroza & Matt Carlos to retain APW tag title, Ryan McQueen b Mr. Prime Time, Jody Kristofferson b Almighty Sheik, Jeff Cobb b Gangrel, Thunder Rosa b Nicole Savoy to keep Lady Luck title, Will Cuevas b Boyce LeGrande to retain Internet Boot Camp title, JR Kratos b Jeckles-DQ to retain APW title, MVP b Timothy Thatcher via submission to the crossface. MVP put Thatcher over after the match (thanks to Matt Mann)
IWF Thanksgiving Thunder on 11/6, 11/14 and 11/21 at the IWF Centre in Nutley, NJ.
United States Championship Wrestling from Friday night in Jacksonville, FL: Christian Walker b Big Bank Barfield, Mighty Heinreich b Chico Adams, Pain b Chico Adams, JD Amazing b Spirit Kid. (thanks to Al Haft)
Lucha Extreme TV results from last night in Fresno: Big Dogg b Prince Nagi, Jake O’Brian b Danny Fernandez, Manny Fernandez (the 80s tar) b Brandon Pinion. They have a 3 p.m. show today at the Rainbow Ballroom in Fresno. (thanks to Jon Southerland)
Update on Toys for Tots holiday shows and thanks to Bob Magee
Here is the list of holiday wrestling shows benefiting Toys for Tots, food pantries, and other causes, with shows being added to the list all the time. (Special thanks to 2300 Arena.com for the plugs).
November
* Hoosier Pro Wrestling will hold the annual Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund Toy Drive show at the HPW Arena/ 4-H Fairgrounds on November 7, featuring Wildfire Tommy Rich. Toys can be donated beginning at the October 3 HPW show.
* Ring Wars Carolina presents “Homecoming 2015” on November 7 at the Priscilla King Arena, 612 2nd Street, Lumberton, NC. Doors open 6:00 pm/7:30 pm bell time. Featured matches: (C) Kris Nemesis defends his RWC World Heavyweight Championship against Hangtyme; and (C) Chance Lebeau defends his belt in a RWC No Limitz Challenge. Bring 2 canned goods and get $2 off the price of an adult ticket!
* Chaotic Wrestling will do one of its two annual Toys for Tots shows, first on November 13 in Woburn, MA at the Elks Lodge, 295 Washington Street, Woburn, MA.
* Ring Wars Carolina presents “Homecoming 2015” on November 7 (7:30 pm belltime) at the Priscilla King Arena, 612 2nd street, Lumberton, NC. Bring 2 canned goods and get $2 off the price of an adult ticket.
* Atomic Championship Wrestling returns to Stevens Fire Hall (91 Stevens Road, Stevens, PA) on November 7 with a food and clothing drive, with donations going to Ephrata (PA) Area Social Services.
* Primal Conflict Wrestling presents “A Night To Remember IX” on November 13 (VIP Meet & Greet 6:00 pm/6:30 doors open/7:30 belltime at Harpers Ferry KOA, 343 Campground Road , Harpers Ferry, WV. A holiday food drive will take place at the show.
* World League Wrestling is hosting the last live event for 2015 at the Race Wrestling Arena on November 14th in Troy! This will be another great event that will have top-notch professional wrestling action. The main event will feature WLW Champion Leland Race defending his championship against an unknown challenger. In addition to this, there will be a HUGE blockbuster announcement that night! You won’t want to miss this event as it will bring a lot of new things to this company.
Also on tap for November 14th, WLW Ladies Champion Miss Natural will defend her title against Stacey O’Brien in a special stipulation match-up. Other wrestlers scheduled to appear are WLW Tag-Team Champions Elite Aggression, Kyle Roberts, Dustin Bozworth, Justin D’Air, and more!
Another huge reason to attend this event is the fact that you can win a FREE 32″ TV! WLW is helping out the Bread For Life Food Pantry in Troy that evening. Here are the details on how to win, for every 5 canned food items that you bring, you will get 1 raffle ticket. You can bring more items and get more chances to win! Items that the food pantry are needing include (but not limited to) pork and beans, ramen noodles, canned vegetables, cereals, and pasta. You can also purchase raffle tickets at $5 per ticket. Doors will open at 6pm and the event will kick off promptly at 7pm. Tickets are $10 per person.
* Wrestling for a Cause will run The Fight for Matthew on November 14 at the Owasso Sertoma Club, Owasso, OK (7:00 pm belltime) . 100% of the show’s proceeds go to the family of a child with cancer.
* Mecca Pro Wrestling comes to Cornwall, ON on November 24 in a benefit for Open Hands, a local residential centre designed specifically to help fulfill the needs of developmentally disabled adults and children. 100% of all ticket sales will benefit Open Hands. The show features Tommy Dreamer and Al Snow and the regulars of Mecca Pro Wrestling.
* Ultimate Championship Wrestling holds a benefit show on November 27 at the Prime Event Center in Bay City, MI to benefit the daughter of local wrestler Pete Christie. Cassidy is fighting cancer and they are doing what we can to help the family. Many of the Michigan independent wrestlers from many promotions have agreed to donate their time for this special event. Former WWE stars Brian Christopher and Scotty Too Hotty team for the first time in Bay City. Also signed to appear is ECW legend Sabu.
* TRUE Wrestling Presents: ‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas on Saturday November 28th, 2015 at the Salvation Army, 320 West Second Street, Berwick, PA. Doors open 6:00 pm (7:00 pmbelltime).
Scheduled to appear: Kras Van Tassel, Mark Maverick, Aaron Anthony, The Cash Masters, Tony Deppen, Aaron Arbo, and more. General Admission $10 advance/$12. Fans can save $5 off and receive a door price when you donate an unopened toy valued at $5 or more.
December
* The originator of Toys for Toys events in the Philadelphia/South Jersey region, United Wrestling Coalition, will be doing the same on December 5 at Kelly’s Bar/Banquet Hall, 14 Railroad Avenue, Wrightstown, NJ
* 2300 (ECW) Arena presents a Toys for Tots collection at the CHIKARA Pro Wrestling season finale at the 2300 (ECW) Arena on December 5 with a 7:30 pm belltime.
* ECWA Pro Wrestling will hold its annual Toys for Tots show on December 5 at the Woodbury Heights Community Center, Woodbury, NJ
* Right Coast Pro returns to Newark, DE, at the Life Community Church, Otts Chapel Road, on December 5 show and will hold a food collection for the “Feed the Need Ministry” in Newark, DE at their monthly show.
* Atomic Championship Wrestling returns to Stevens Fire Hall (91 Stevens Road, Stevens, PA) on December 5 with a Toys for Tots collection.
* Crossfire Wrestling presents Jingle Bell Brawl IV on December 5th at The Merritton Community Centre 7 Park Avenue, St.Catharines, ON, benefiting The Niagara Children’s Centre Foundation with Former TNA Superstar Cody Deaner vs Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion “Showtime” Eric Young! General Admission tickets are available. Call the hotline at 905-329-2693 or go to http:// www.crossfirewrestling.com
* Combat Zone Wrestling presents its annual Toys for Tots collection (in conjunction with the Marine Corps Reserve) to take place for the eleventh year in a row with Combat Zone Wrestling’s 17th annual Cage of Death on December 12 at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ.
* 2300 (ECW) Arena and Ring of Honor present a Toys for Tots collection at Ring of Honor’s Final Battle PPV on December 18 at the 2300 (ECW) Arena on December 18 with an 8:30 pmbelltime.
* 2300 (ECW) Arena and Ring of Honor present a Toys for Tots collection at Ring of Honor’s TV taping on December 19 at the 2300 (ECW) Arena on December 18 with an 6:00 pm belltime.
* Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling will hold Wrestling With Hunger in at the Elks Hall #49 ,2272 Leigh Square, Port Coquitlam, BC on December 19 (8:00 pm belltime/ 7:30 doors open) to support Share Family Services Food Bank. All seats ONLY $16
* Wrestling for a Cause will run The Fight for Haylie on December 12 in Pryor, OK (7:00 pm belltime) . 100% of the show’s go to the family of a child with cancer.
* Brew City Wrestling will run its annual Headlock for Hunger on December 11 at the Knight of Columbus Hall in West Allis, WI. The show features a food drive for the Hunger Task Force of Greater Milwaukee. Fans are asked to bring two non-perishable food items.
* Chaotic Wrestling will do its second Toys for Tots show of the year on December 11th at the Woburn, MA at the Elks Lodge, 295 Washington St, Woburn, MA.
* Keystone Championship Wrestling will hold its yearly Toys for Tots show, tentatively scheduled for December 19.
* Great Canadian Wrestling presents Season’s Beatings ’15 on December 27 at Harmony Creek Community Hall, 15 Harmony Rd. N, Oshawa Ontario. This is the annual Christmas show for local food bank. Fans are asked to bring donations for Harmony Creek food bank. No matches yet announced.
Between all of these over the years, thousands of children have been able to have a Christmas or Hanukkah. Please help your local independent promotion do the same, or encourage them to schedule an event soon for the Holidays if they haven’t already.
ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)
1968 – Great Kusatsu & Thunder Sugiyama beat Emile & Sheik Elmanso in Sapporo to win the TWWA European tag team title
1974 – George Guliovas won the Austra Asian heavyweight title in a tag team match where he and Mario Milano beat champion Cyclone Negro & Lorenzo Parente with the singles title at stake, while Ken Medlin beat Alan Pinfold on the show to win the WCW Australian light heavyweight title
1981 – Dory Funk Jr. beat Bruiser Brody to win the International title in Tokyo
1984 – Danny Collins beat Steve Grey in Croydon to win the British welterweight title
1992 – El Texano (father of the current AAA star) beat Villano V in Naucalpan to win the UWA light heavyweight title
1996 – Shinya Hashimoto & Scott Norton beat Keiji Muto & Rick Steiner in Hiroshima to win the Super Grade tag team tournament
2009 – Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson beat Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi to win the G-1 tag team tournament
This weekly column is going to be a retrospective look at the December “classic” which began in 2009. For each of the next 6 weeks, I will watch and review one TLC PPV chronologically and report on it with 2015 eyes, leading up to this year’s PPV / Special Event on December 13, 2015 at the TD Garden in Boston, MA.
TLC 1 – December 13, 2009 – San Antonio, Texas – AT&T Center
This was the first TLC PPV and it was in the three-brand era. With seven matches on the card and plenty of them for titles, it had the potential to be a great show.
Dark Match – R-Truth defeated CM Punk (with Luke Gallows)
This match was not on the network, but it’s fun to think that of these three talents, only R-Truth is still on the roster, I guess.
Christian (c) defeated Shelton Benjamin in a ladder match for the ECW Championship:
Styker, Cole, and Lawler on commentary. Stryker was bad, but not as bad as he would get.
Christian came up bloody and they sent in a doctor, which is one of the first times I can recall this happening. It did not look like a blade job.
Never catch Shelton’s kick; it always backfires. Didn’t Christian learn anything from watching RVD?
Pretty tame ladder match, but solid nonetheless.
When making a title belt, don’t make it silver. The ECW belt looked like a second place medal, which in this case is a step up, but still.
If you’re in a ladder match, climb the ladder as fast as possible. Anything else is agonizing for the viewer.
I’m not sure Christian’s status with the company, but he’s not on the active roster. We’ll keep a running tally of those still on the active roster. This match has zero, the previous had one, so we’re at 1 yes and 4 no.
This match used the WWE gimmicked “steel” (but actually wood) ladder that broke in half. The first time I remember seeing a gimmicked ladder was a match between Jarrett and Benoit, and the rungs were supposed to break as Benoit stepped on them, but they didn’t so Benoit was stomping on them trying to break them and it looked ridiculous.
Drew McIntyre defeated John Morrison (c) for the WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Nobody on the current roster here, so we’re at 1-6.
Fun fact: Morrison always went tanning with his pants on. That’s true.
Decent match that absolutely no one cared about in the building, or in my living room.
Michelle McCool (with Layla) (c) defeated Mickie James
Zero current roster members here, for a total of 1-6, and that one was on the dark match and hasn’t been on WWE TV in forever.
Mickie James wrestling in bedazzled jeans and McCool in bedazzled everything. When did we sign off on bedazzling being ok for anyone other than 4th grade girls?
The “Piggie James” shirt that was clearly made with iron on letters the night before was awesome.
Do you think Lou Thesz felt honored by Mickie James doing his move?
Red hat “Sign Guy” is in the crowd behind the announcers.
Stryker really sucks in this match.
Sheamus defeated John Cena (c) in a tables match for the WWE Championship
Two active guys here, but Cena is on a break and Sheamus was just paired up with Wade Barrett. Still, we’re up to 3-6.
Mark Cuban was somehow involved with this angle. What? Here’s how you get into WWE: Be 6’2 and 265, or be a whacky billionaire.
In his promo, Sheamus kept saying that all he has to do is put him trough a table, not really beat him. Awesome.
“We Hate Cena” T-Shirt guy in the front row. I love him.
This is the “Sheamus ended Jamie Noble’s career” push that went so well.
I wonder what types of tables would be accepted to be put through for the win? What if Cena came to the ring with a poster rolled up and unfurled a periodic table and somehow made Sheamus rip through it? I think that would count, right? That would prove you’re a better wrestler just as well as breaking a piece of plywood with your opponent’s carcass.
I miss Cena’s jorts.
The weakest ending ever, with Sheamus pushing Cena off the top as he was going for a superplex, and Cena took this baby looking bump. That’s how we settle a score here in WWE.
The Undertaker (c) defeated Batista in a chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Only one current guy here, and it’s the freaking Undertaker, a guy who averages 1.2 matches per year! Now 4-7.
The heat for this match is Big Dave killing Rey. What?
A zombie wearing the Pope’s garb sporting MMA gloves is just confusing.
No “gun show” for Big Dave. That sucks. That was the best part of his entrance.
Since all chairs are legal, I would like to see some more variety, and have someone use a high chair, or a beanbag chair. Hey WWE, would it kill you to get the stipulation over first by having someone DQ’d for using an ottoman?
All wrestlers please choose to either stomp or kick. Lift your foot high and stomp it down, or bring it back and kick it forward. Doing some combo looks awful. It looks like my mom trying to pass a soccer ball in the font yard.
Winner out of nowhere with Big Dave winning after a low blow. Uh oh, Teddy Long is out to keep the match alive. Let’s see if they follow the typical WWE script of going only 90 more seconds on the restart… Nope, way less.
One problem with the chairs match was that they weren’t allowed to hit the guy in the head. If you can’t do that, then don’t do a chairs match because it’s stupid to believe that the most effective way to use a chair will never happen. If you were swinging a chair to hurt someone, first, you’d probably swing it sideways like an axe, and second, you’d definitely be aiming for the skull.
Randy Orton defeated Kofi Kingston in a singles match
Two for Two here, but Orton is out for a stretch currently, and Kofi has been rebranded as a unicorn. Now 6-7.
If you want to see some remarkable body transformations, look at Randy Orton just once a year at the Royal Rumble. Get a still shot from each Rumble and see.
Oh wait, Ted and Cody were sent to intimidate Kofi, so we have to add to our tally. Now we’re at 7 still on the roster and 8 gone.
Interesting that they put this match on second to last instead a title match, or the girls match. They must have considered this feud either hot, or dead.
Well Kofi, you shouldn’t have trashed a NASCAR that Randy Orton didn’t even buy, and really only owned for like 90 minutes.
Nothing match.
DX defeated Jeri-Show in a TLC match for the Unified Tag Team Championship
Unbelievably, all four of these men have been in a WWE ring in the past month. I guess Shawn isn’t on the active roster, but what a rib. Way to build for the future WWE. So 3-1 in this match, giving us a total of 10 still sort of on the roster, and 9 definitely not on the roster. Bravo WWE. You’ve made zero new stars in the 6 years since this match.
Was DX ever really neon or was that just this new super lame reincarnation?
Dueling chairs with HBK and Jericho was pretty good.
Do you think they’d allow you to use any type of ladder? Yah, same joke a third time… Could you wheel out one of those ladders that rich people had in their study? What about driving a scissor lift? Could you pull out a DVD copy of Jacob’s Ladder and throw it? Too soon?
I hope they’re using a Werner ladder, the official ladder of the NCAA March madness net cutting down ceremony. I wish I was making that up. Why do I know that! I don’t even know my shoe size.
The Code Breaker and the Backstabber look good about 10% of the time.
The Big Show’s big bump was literally off the third rung, which was maybe as high as the second rope, maybe.
Well, Jericho is dead. That final bump off the Big Show’s shoulders was a bad idea.
A thumbs up show if you like TLC style matches, but not spectacular by any means.
Want to mention for those who are fans of Wrestling Observer Live (FREE Monday through Friday from 12-1 Pacific/3-4 Eastern and Sunday from 3-5 Pacific/6-8 ET on all sorts of affiliates worldwide, info on how to listen is always posted at showtime on the front page), the new call-in numbers are 425-488-0525 (studio line), 844-411-5411 (toll-free line) and 425-780-7566 (text message line). Those numbers work for After Dark Radio as well, so put them in your phones! We’ll take a bunch of calls on Sunday’s show. Don’t forget Observer Live replays daily at 5 PT/8 ET, including on Saturdays, so spread the word about the show!UFC Programming over the next few days:
Ultimate Insider with Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Henry Cejudo and Luke Rockhold on Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern on FS 1
One on One with Joanna Jedrzejczyk Monday night at 7:30 p.m. on FS 1. Fox sent out a screener of this yesterday and it’s very good. UFC is doing an excellent job trying to push her as a star.
A best of middleweights edition of UFC Unleashed featuring Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero and Jacare Souza airs 9 p.m. Monday night on FS 1
UFC 187, with the Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson and Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort fights, will air on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on FS 1****
Dragon Gate Gate of Destiny at 3:30 a.m. late Saturday/early Sunday, one of the biggest company shows of the year from the Edion Arena in Osaka at http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv238824025
Super Shisa & Shachihoko Boy vs. Yosuke Santa Maria & U-T
Kzy & Big R Shimizu & Draztick Boy vs. Eita & Lindaman & Kaito Ishida
Cyber Kong & Mondai Ryu vs. Punch Tominaga & Takehiro Yamamaura
Dragon Kid & Flamita vs. Genki Horiguchi & Jimmy Kanda
Akira Tozawa vs. Kotoka vs.. Naoki Tanizaki for the Open the Brave Gate title
Cima & Don Fujii & Gamma vs. Jimmy Susumu & Jimmy K-Ness & Ryo Saito for the Open the Triangle Gate title
Yamato & Naruki Doi vs. Masato Yoshino & T-Hawk for the Open the Twin Gate title
Shingo Takagi vs. Masaaki Mochizuki for the Open the Dream Gate title
Raw is Monday in Denver. Nobody special is advertised, but as noted, Alberto Del Rio is scheduled for television both Monday and Tuesday for WWE.
Smackdown will be taped Tuesday in Colorado Springs.
The lead story is how the Alberto Del Rio deal went down, with full details, including financials that even blew away those in WWE and those who used to negotiate these deals. We look at how in demand he was, including by organizations you wouldn’t even know, an angle he shot for MMA that was kept secret and will never probably see the light of day on television, and how this affects AAA, where he is their world champion.
We look at the ramifications of this on WWE, AAA, how the deal was put together, how he positioned it to AAA, how AAA has taken a huge talent hit, when the deal was really put together, how Del Rio was scheduled to main event AAA’s next major show against what top U.S. star in a hair match, and his dates advertised in Mexico. We look at other promotions that wanted him, Konnan talking about how the Myzteziz and Del Rio situation affects AAA, the Zeb Colter deal, how Lucha Underground and Del Rio fell apart as well as his huge money MMA offer just recently.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com
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. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.
On Friday night’s FOX Broadcast of Game 3 of the MLB World Series, they showed celebrities in attendance. Kevin James and Chris Weidman were shown on screen and only James was identified with a graphic or by the announcers. Keep in mind that FOX is the UFC’s broadcast partner.
UFC Fight Pass has Pancrase 271 airing on Sunday morning starting at 1 am eastern. Main event is Saturo Kitaoka vs UFC vet Kazuki Tokudome for the vacant Lightweight Title. Other fighters on the show you may recognize are Luis Nogueira, Yuki Kondo and Maskatatsu Ueda.
Edson Barboza is in as Tony Ferguson’s opponent on Dec 11 at the TUF 22 Finale in Las Vegas. He replaces Khabib Nurmagomedov, who pulled out earlier this week due to injury.
Former UFC fighter Houston Alexander has been added to the Bellator 146 card on November 20th, facing Guilherme Viana in a Light Heavyweight Bout.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father/coach gave his thoughts on his son’s injury on Facebook. Bloody Elbow has a translation.
The Big Takeaway – A unique main event with 3 of the top singles wrestlers in the World caps off this show. And if you like the Young Bucks, this is probably the show for you.
Cold open has Kyle O’Reilly going over his feud with Adam Cole with sombre music playing in the background over video highlights of the angle every step of the way. He closes off by saying that if he has to go through AJ Styles to get to Adam Cole then so be it.
Still no Steve Corino this week so Nigel McGuiness and MARK BRISCOE!!~~!! join Kevin Kelly at commentary.
Silas Young/The Beer City Bruiser w/the boys vs The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)
The boys are dressed in jeans, wife beaters and black sunglasses. Commentators explain that this is how Silas Young thinks men are supposed to dress. Fans are chanting SUPERKICK before the match starts. Mark Briscoe claims he may go for Halloween as the Beer City Bruiser and Nigel tells him “you’ll have to eat a few more chickens, mate”.
Bucks dominate early, picking apart Young and then dropicking Bruiser out of the ring when he tries to interfere, which draws a TOO SWEET chant. Young and Bruiser eventually take over when Matt tries to do one too many crotch chops. The boys accidentally start “fanning up” before catching themselves.
Nick gets a hot tag and runs wild on Young and Bruiser and then Nick does an Asai moonsault off the ropes onto the boys outside the ring. They then “Fan him up” to the crowd’s delight. Back in the ring, Superkick #1 is Nick on Silas Young, who was upside on the turnbuckle about to do his headstand splash, knocking him out of the ring. Superkick #2 is Matt on Bruiser, knocking him out of the ring.
Silas Young grabs a mic and says that the match was originally supposed to be The Boys vs “these two punks in the ring right here”. We go to break and apparently will have a new match afterward.
WINNER – NO CONTEST?
The Boys w/Silas Young and the Beer City Bruiser vs The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)
Superkick #1 is Matt on one on of the Boys. The other Boy pulls him to the corner and tags in. This boy impresses himself and the crowd by getting a headlock on Matt, while the crowd chants PLEASE DON’T TAP. Matt powers out and then does an eyepoke off the Wolfpac sign. Superkicks #3 and #4 are Nick on both Young and the Bruiser outside the ring.
The Boys are really tiny as the Bucks look like giants in there against them. They take turns clotheslining one of the boys in the corner but get crossed up, allowing the boy to make a hot tag. He runs wild on the Bucks for a bit before Superkicks #5 and #6 are both Bucks on him. Then we get Superkicks #7 and #8 from both Bucks on the other Boy when he tries to run in.
Bucklebomb by Matt into a thrust kick by Nick takes out one of the boys and then Nick does a swanton dive to the outside to take out Young and Bruiser. Matt picks up both boys on his shoulders and connects with forward Samoan drops on both. A double Bang for Your Bucks finishes it as Matt covers both Boys.
WINNERS – THE YOUNG BUCKS by pinfall
Bruiser and Young are in the ring berating the Boys after the match as the Bucks look on. They come into the ring and hit a double superkick on the Bruiser. They tease doing the same to Young but he rolls out of the ring.
After a break, BJ Whitmer is at the commentary table, berating Nigel, telling him to fire Corino. Whitmer then gets into it with Mark Briscoe and we go to highlights of the angle where Corino laid out Whitmer from a couple weeks ago. Kevin Kelly explains that Nigel McGuiness was served with papers from Veda Scott, who’s suing ROH over unsafe working conditions. Nigel is asked about it by Kevin Kelly and he says he can’t legally comment on the situation.
Will Ferrara vs Roderick Strong
Strong is the #1 contender for the TV title after last week’s show-closing angle. They adhere to the Code of Honor. Announcers are not even pretending that this is anything but a showcase match for Strong, although Ferrara does get a brief bit of offence in. During this match, they announce that Jay Lethal will replace Mark Briscoe on commentary for the main event, which features the #1 contender for his World title, AJ Styles.
Ferrara actually gets a two count off a Tornado DDT and Strong takes a power to the outside. Ferrara gets another tornado DDT on the floor and rolls him back in the ring for another 2 count. Strong turns it around with a gutbuster and a jumping knee. The Stronghold follows and gets the quick submission.
WINNER – RODERICK STRONG by submission
Kevin Kelly points out that Strong never used the Stronghold in either of his two matches with Lethal so perhaps it’s part of a new game plan that he’ll use when they fight for the TV title.
Inside ROH with Mandy Leon is next. We look at the feud of the year in 2015 in ROH between Roderick Strong and Jay Lethal, including last week’s in-ring angle where the TV title match between the two was signed. Jay Lethal puts over Roderick Strong’s guts and determination in a taped promo. He hopes that when he has a kid with the hottest woman in the world that the child will have Strong’s determination but makes sure to point out that he won’t be a loser like Roderick Strong. He also mentions that Truth Martini taught Strong everything he knows and now he’s working with Lethal. He then focuses on Nigel McGuiness, basically saying that there’s a conspiracy against him but he’s still succeeded because he’s the greatest wrestler in the world. The match will take place on a future episode of ROH TV (no date announced).
Adam Cole (w/Michael Bennett, Matt Taven and Maria Kanellis-Bennett) vs Kyle O’Reilly (w/Bobby Fish and Michael Elgin) vs AJ Styles (w/The Young Bucks)
Styles stops to banter with Jay Lethal on his way to the ring. Lethal points out that he’s “really tough when he’s got his friends out here”. Nigel McGuiness grabs a mic and he sends all of the seconds to the back because this is supposed to be a Triple Threat match and there are just too many people out there right now. Fans are actually okay with this. We go to break as they all clear the ring.
O’Reilly gets an early armbar on AJ that’s broken up by Cole, who then gets caught in an anke lock, which is broken up by AJ. They eventually all end out outside the ring, where Cole does his ADAM COLE BABY spot to almost no reaction. Cole back in the ring and O’Reilly follows him and they do some grappling, while AJ recovers on the outside. Cole deliberately working over O’Reilly’s leg and then they do the YAY/BOO spot, before Cole takes O’Reilly down with a leg kick.
Strong gets a standing Guillotine but AJ comes in with a Superman punch off the ropes to break it up. With all 3 men down, crowd does a dual AJ STYLES/ADAM COLE chant. Cole first off and AJ follows and quickly puts the Calf Slicer on him. O’Reilly then puts an armbar on AJ. Cole escapes the Calf Slicer and gets the figure four on AJ. O’Reilly lets go of the armbar and goes after Cole with ground and pound and then puts the armbar on him again. Great sequence.
AJ breaks that up and is the only person on his feet as we go to break. After the break, Cole lays out both O’Reilly and AJ with superkicks but O’Reilly recovers and hits a brainbuster on Cole but AJ breaks up the pinfall attempt. O’Reilly and AJ to their feet first and trade forearms. O’Reilly gets the better of it, with a triangle choke on AJ. Styles tries to get out of it with a Styles clash but Cole breaks it up with a superkick to the back of O’Reilly’s head. He throws Styles out of the ring and hits O’Reilly with a Brainbuster for the pin.
WINNER – ADAM COLE by pinfall
Finish was kind of flat but this was a really good and very unique match. After the match, the Kingdom do a 3 on 1 beatdown on O’Reilly. This brings out all of the seconds that had been thrown out earlier. The Bucks ends up in the ring by themselves and take out everyone outside the ring with dives, drawing a TOO SWEET chant. The Bucks and AJ then hit a double Indie Taker on Taven and Bennett. Jay Lethal gets in the ring and gets into a staredown with Styles, holding up the World title as the shows ends. They don’t get physical though. The last thing we hear is Lethal saying “I’m the greatest wrestler in the World” as the show closes to credits.
Part IV of our look at WrestleKingdom 9 takes place tonight as we have an eight man tag team match featuring competitors from the NOAH promotion, as well as Shinsuke Nakamura taking on Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Intercontinental championship.
First up we have Suzuki-gun members Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Takashi Iizuka and Shelton X Benjamin take on Toru Yano, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls and Naomichi Marufuji. This was the culmination of a months long feud between Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano. And when I mean months, I mean at least six. What is most interesting about this match isn’t so match the match itself, which was fine, just short and kind of an afterthought on this card. Rather, it’s more about the culmination of one feud and the start of another as not too long after this, the Suzuki-gun stable invaded NOAH and is now a dominant part of their storylines. It’s a mixed bag because while I am fine never having to see Takashi Iizuka in a New Japan ring anytime soon, New Japan does seem to be missing something without the likes of Minoru Suzuki and even the Killer Elite Squad. Marufuji got the win for his team with a knee to the face of Iizuka.
KES were not happy during the post match interview with Archer destroying everything in sight and calling TMDK SOBs. Davey Boy Smith Jr says that next time they met they’ll send them a free trip to the hospital. TMDK say that they’re happy they made them mad, and they’d like to face other New Japan tag teams in the future. More NOAH representation in New Japan didn’t happen at all after this, but like I mentioned this was all the backdrop to the NOAH invasion a short time later.
Time for the pre-main event interview. Nakamura says he had grudges and gripes of his own when it came to Kota Ibushi, so he let it out in that match. He said he wanted a joker in that match, and then Ibushi came out and have him a snap German suplex. He felt a divine connection during their first match in the G1 tournament (another great match). He was confident that something new would begin, and for the rematch the expectations for himself and Ibushi were bigger.
The match aired. It was fantastic, just as good as I remember it being eleven months ago. It was built up very much like any New Japan match – they started off slow, with everything looking good but nothing tremendous or out of the ordinary. Kota Ibushi finally missed a phoenix splash and Nakamura countered with the boma ye and that’s where the match got awesome.
There’s something about Kota Ibushi that makes him a top tier worker, but I don’t know what it is exactly. The way he presents himself is the best way I can describe it. He was acting so cocky towards the end of this match, just that smug look he had on his face when mocking Nakamura was tremendous. The transition from junior heavyweight to heavyweight was the best thing that’s ever happened to him as he’s gone from a great high flyer to one of the best overall workers in Japan right now. He also delivered a hell of a boma ye that looked just as good as Nakamuras, maybe even better. The deadlift half german suplex from the top rope has to be one of the top moves of the year, just incredible. Nakamura won after hitting the land slide and the boma ye. Not only was the work here top notch, but the crowd was super into this match plus the great commentary made it one hell of a match. If you haven’t watched this match yet, do so as it’s still being talked about as one of the best matches of 2015.
Kota Ibushi in the post match conference says he’s very disappointed, as he was sure he was going to win. By losing today, however, he knows he has potential as a heavyweight and is willing to fight Nakamura again and wants to fight many heavyweight wrestlers. Nakamura says he was overwhelmed after the match. He can praise Ibushi in so many ways but can call him out on stuff as well. This feeling of him being able to match with him, that’s an exhilarating thought, and the only person in wrestling that he’s ever said that about. We’re rivals with many kinds of different aspects – he feels familiar. He can’t explain it well but that’s how he sees it.
In the final reflective interview, Nakamura said it was hard for him to look back at this particular match. He thought that was a perfect match, and this is what his idea of a perfect match should be. They’re not related, but he felt a divine connection towards him. He has other things to look forward to now that he’s defeated Ibushi.
A fantastic show this week. It’ll be interesting to see the main event of WrestleKingdom 9, which we’ll see next week, because they’re both such incredible matches it’s hard to pick which one is better.
It’s actually a pretty quiet weekend. WWE is running one tour since virtually the entire roster leaves either Monday night for a Dublin show on Wednesday or Tuesday night after Smackdown for aThursday show in Cardiff, Wales. Nothing from UFC until 11/7. Nothing from ROH until 11/13 in Milwaukee.
We’re looking for reports on tonight’s NXT show in Gainesville, FL and last night’s show in Citrus Springs, FL at Dave Meltzer We’re also looking for reports on tomorrow night’s NXT show in Gainesville, FL.
CMLL has an iPPV at 9:30 p.m. tonight with a Halloween theme for $6 at http://cmll.cleeng.com
Acero & Ultimo Dragoncito vs. Mercurio & Universito 2000
Esfinge & Oro Jr. & The Panther vs. Escandalo & Raziel & Super Comando
Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Euforia vs. Dragon Rojo & Thunder & Bobby Z
Super Parka & Maximo sxy & Valiente vs. Rush & La Mascara & Marco Corleone
Volador Jr. vs. La Sombra for NWA Historic welterweight title
New Japan World Pro Wrestling Returns at 8 p.m. tonight (one hour earlier than usual)
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi for the IC title from last year’s Tokyo Dome. This was one of the best matches of this year.
WWE has house shows on Saturday in Billings, Montana and Sunday in Casper, Wyoming. The crew will be Roman Reigns, Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze, Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Dean Ambrose, New Day and Prime Time Players.
AXS Fights at 9 p.m. tonight from Lincoln, RI
The jr. tag team tournament continues on late Saturday night/early Sunday on New Japan World from Korakuen Hall. The live show starts at 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning Eastern time
Jushin Liger & Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka vs. Tiger Mask & David Finlay & Jay White
Togi Makabe & Captain New Japan & Juice Robinson vs. Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata & Mascara Dorada
Alex Shelley & Kushida vs. Chase Owens & Kenny Omega
Shinsuke Nakamura & Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows & Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga
Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta in the semifinals of the jr. tag tourney
Young Bucks vs. Ricochet & Matt Sydal in the semifinals of the jr. tag tourney
Dragon Gate Gate of Destiny at 3:30 a.m. late Saturday/early Sunday, one of the biggest company shows of the year from the Edion Arena in Osaka at http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv238824025
Super Shisa & Shachihoko Boy vs. Yosuke Santa Maria & U-T
Kzy & Big R Shimizu & Draztick Boy vs. Eita & Lindaman & Kaito Ishida
Cyber Kong & Mondai Ryu vs. Punch Tominaga & Takehiro Yamamaura
Dragon Kid & Flamita vs. Genki Horiguchi & Jimmy Kanda
Akira Tozawa vs. Kotoka vs.. Naoki Tanizaki for the Open the Brave Gate title
Cima & Don Fujii & Gamma vs. Jimmy Susumu & Jimmy K-Ness & Ryo Saito for the Open the Triangle Gate title
Yamato & Naruki Doi vs. Masato Yoshino & T-Hawk for the Open the Twin Gate title
Shingo Takagi vs. Masaaki Mochizuki for the Open the Dream Gate title
Raw is Monday in Denver. Nobody special is advertised, but as noted, Alberto Del Rio is scheduled for television both Monday and Tuesday for WWE.
Smackdown will be taped Tuesday in Colorado Springs.
The lead story is how the Alberto Del Rio deal went down, with full details, including financials that even blew away those in WWE and those who used to negotiate these deals. We look at how in demand he was, including by organizations you wouldn’t even know, an angle he shot for MMA that was kept secret and will never probably see the light of day on television, and how this affects AAA, where he is their world champion.
We look at the ramifications of this on WWE, AAA, how the deal was put together, how he positioned it to AAA, how AAA has taken a huge talent hit, when the deal was really put together, how Del Rio was scheduled to main event AAA’s next major show against what top U.S. star in a hair match, and his dates advertised in Mexico. We look at other promotions that wanted him, Konnan talking about how the Myzteziz and Del Rio situation affects AAA, the Zeb Colter deal, how Lucha Underground and Del Rio fell apart as well as his huge money MMA offer just recently.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com
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. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
A note on the report in this week’s Observer regarding different sources listing a $1.45 million downside guarantee for Alberto Del Rio in returning to WWE. According to other sources with knowledge of exactly what his contract entails, while he may very well make that much over the next year in WWE, he was not given a guarantee close to that. It appears from here that when the Lucha Underground deal fell apart, that he wanted to go back to WWE and that’s really it. As noted before, he will be at TV Monday and Tuesday and then he’ll be leaving after Tuesday night for the entire European tour, so AAA being told he was going to work their TV’s on 11/7 and 11/15 isn’t happening and one questions if they’ll even get him back for a date.
The Pontiac Silverdome — home of Wrestlemania III — is coming crashing down and it hurts inside.
Paul Heyman will be on the FS 1 pre-game show for the World Series shortly after 7 p.m. tonight. No word on his role.
While there will be a full crew for Raw on Monday, Smackdown will be a skeleton crew. Those leaving for Dublin after Raw, thus not scheduled for Smackdown, are right now listed as Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Big Show, Kane, Cesaro, New Day, Dudleys, Bella Twins, Alicia Fox, Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Paige. All of this is always subject to last minute change.
WWE stock started bouncing back, up 44 cents per saher today to $17.83
Alexa Bliss, Blake & Murphy have been added to the WrestleMania party in Dallas.
Friend of the site and Fight Network/LAW Radio star John Pollock recently interviewed Bubba Ray Dudley. Bubba said he’d be up for reviving his TNA heel character in WWE if asked, and would be interested in having an arrangement with the 3D Wrestling and WWE NXT/, given they are 20 minutes apart.
The Bellas talk about Dr. Tom Prichard’s reaction to them watching the Jumping Bomb Angels.
Here’s a retro look by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on WWE Hall-of-Famer Bruno Sammartino following his broken neck suffered at the hands of Stan Hansen. There’s some cool pictures in here.
As alluded in today’s post on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s injury, Edson Barboza is taking the Russian’s place to fight Tony Ferguson at the 12/11 UFC Fight Night show in Las Vegas, NV.
The New Jersey Athletic Control Board will be hosting a Combat Sports Medicine Symposium on 11/17 on the topic of concussions and head injuries, standard of care and clearance for both combat sport and contact sports athletes. The symposium will give findings for the past 18 months of work of Dr. Sheryl Wulkan and medical colleagues in sports medicine. It will free of charge and open to the combat and contact sports communities but registration is required at 609-341-5038 or sacbwebinfo@lps.state.nj.us and takes place at 10 a.m. at the Richard Hughes Justice Complex 4th floor in Trenton, NJ.
Midwest All Pro Wrestling has an event on November 7 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota featuring “Eugene” Nick Dinsmore, “Kizarny” Sinn Bodhi and a meet and greet with UFC fighter Shayna Baszler (who is from Sioux Falls).
Steel Domain Wrestling presents the “Portland Avenue Brawl” on November 7 in Richfield, Minnesota featuring Ryan Slade, Danny Duggan, AJ Smooth and Aryia Davari.
David Angle, the 62-year-old brother of Kurt will be standing trial on charges of criminal homicide in regard to the death of wife Donna on 9/20. David is accused of arguing with his wife about not wanting to drink Vodka, and when she tried to kick him in their home, he allegedly dragged her off the couch, stepped on her chest and pulled her arms at the same time. she went unconscious and David called 911 when he couldn’t revive her.
ROH announced A.J. Styles & Young Bucks vs. Jay Lethal & Donovan Dijak & Joey Daddiego (formerly J Diesel) plus, Michael Bennett & Matt Taven vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish for the tag titles, ACH vs. Matt Sydal in the final of the best-of-five series, and Mark Briscoe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Hanson vs. Kenny King, Jay Briscoe vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Ray Rowe vs. Rhett Titus, Michael Elgin vs. Adam Cole vs. Moose, Dalton Castle vs. Silas Young vs. Adam Page and Roderick Strong vs. Cedric Alexander for 11/13 at the Turner Half Ballroom in Milwaukee. The winners of the Multiple Person matches, all part of the Survival of the Fittest weekend, go to the Survival of the Fittest match the next night in Hopkins, MN.
Tyler Colton defends the CWE title against Charlie Haas on 12/4 in Winnipeg.
Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 11/7 in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Fairgrounds has its 17th anniversary show and a fund raiser for the Fireman’s Cheer Fund with $1 of every ticket going to the fund. Tommy Rich headlines plus Flash Flanagan vs. TJ Kemp for the HPW title and Crazy Mary Dobson vs. Amazing Maria.
Brandon Girtz vs. Derek Campos has been added to the 11/20 Bellator show in Thackerville, OK at the WinStar World Casino, a show headlined by Melvin Manhoef vs. Hisaki Kato.
The newest edition of the book “1001 Movies You Must See Before you Die” is out. Movies on the list that include pro wrestlers:
“Murder My Sweet” (Mike Mazurki)
“On the Waterfront” (Tony Galento, Tiger Joe Marsh)
“The Ten Commandments (Woody Strode)
“Some Luke It” (Mike Mazurki)
“Ben Hur (Lord Athol Layton)
“Spartacus” (Woody Strode)
“The Man Who Short Liberty Valance” (Woody Strode)
“Goldfinger” (Harold Sakata)
“Once Upon a Time in the West (Woody Strode)
“Kes” (Brian Glover)
“The Godfather” (Len Montana)
“Blazing Saddles” (Alex Karras)
“Jaws” (Joe LaCreta0
“Raging Bull” (Count Billy Varga, Gene LeBell, Jimmy Lennon Sr.)
“An American Werewolf in London” (Brian Glover)
“The Princess Bride” (Andre the Giant)
“Scream” (David Arquette)
“Buffalo 66” (Alex Karras)
“The Dark Knight” (Tiny Lister)
“Guardians of the Galaxy” (Dave Bautista)
Also, while he was not a pro wrestler, Jason Hervey was in “Back to the Future,” which made the list
ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)
1967 – Ripper Collins beat Mark Lewin in Newcastle to win the IWA heavyweight title
1971 – Jumbo Miyamoto & Myoko Hoshino beat Maria Vagnone & Jane Sherrill in Okayama to win the WWWA tag title
1985 – Chic Cullen beat Rollerball Mark Rocco in Leicester to win the world mid heavyweight title
1986 – Ashura Hara & Super Strong Machine beat Takashi Ishikawa & Mighty Inoue to win the All Asia tag title
1994 – Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase beat Masahiro Chono & Super Strong Machine in Tokyo to win the MSG Super Grade tag team tournament
1999 – Vader beat Mitsuharu Misawa to win the Triple Crown
2004 – Dru Onyx beat Fergal Devitt (Finn Balor) in Nashville to win the NWA Hammerlock British Commonwealth title
2005 – Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Hiroshi Tanahashi in Kobe to win the IWGP tag team titles
2010 – Sabu beat Damian 666 in Tlanepantla to win the X-Law Int. heavyweight title
2012 – Atlantis & Delta & Guerrero Maya Jr. beat Black Warrior & Mr. Aguila & Volador Jr. in Mexico City to win the Mexican national trios titles.
