UFC announced during UFC 199 that Don Frye has been named to the Pioneer division of the UFC 2016 Hall of Fame. The event will take place on Sunday, July 10, at 12 p.m. PT at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The ceremony will close out the UFC Fan Expo during the final day of the 5th Annual UFC International Fight Week. The event will also be streamed live and available on-demand exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.
“Don Frye is a legend in this sport and one of the toughest guys to ever compete,” UFC President Dana White said. “He was known for putting on incredible fights like his one with Takayama in PRIDE, which is still to this day one of the craziest fights I’ve ever seen. Congratulations to Don Frye for being selected to the 2016 Class of the UFC Hall of Fame!”
Frye notched a 10-1 record during four events over a span of 11 months in 1996. His mixed martial arts career began at UFC 8: DAVID vs. GOLIATH, where he defeated three opponents to capture the tournament title on February 16. He then competed at UFC 9: MOTOR CITY MADNESS on May 17, winning his fight on a non-tournament based card. Following his runner-up finish during UFC 10: THE TOURNAMENT on July 12, he secured his second tournament championship at UFC: THE ULTIMATE ULTIMATE 1996 on December 7.
During his tenure, Frye recorded a number of impressive firsts, becoming the first UFC athlete to finish three opponents in less than one minute, the first athlete to notch both a knockout and a submission in less than one minute, and the first to defeat five consecutive opponents by knockout. Over the course of his 15-year career, Frye also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, earning wins over UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock and Yoshihiro Takayama at PRIDE 19 and 21, respectively.
The final inductees of the Class of 2016 will be announced in the coming weeks leading to the landmark UFC 200: CORMIER vs. JONES 2, on Saturday, July 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
UFC FIGHT PASS’ original series Fightography: Don Frye can be viewed here.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
Saturday night is a busy night in the UFC world with UFC 199 going down in Los Angeles, but there are some huge fights in the works for July’s UFC 200 and August’s UFC 202 that has captured the attention of fans.
In something that will get everyone talking in both wrestling and MMA, former WWE champion and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is returning to the organization to fight on UFC 200 against an opponent that will be announced on ESPN Monday. The news was first broken by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.
During a UFC 200 promo during UFC 199, Lesnar was shown at the very end and Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan discussed it a bit afterward.
Lesnar is taking the fight with WWE approval. They will likely be promoting the fight during WWE broadcasts up to the event.
Lesnar’s opponent in his return will be announced Monday on ESPN.
Lesnar came close to returning to the UFC in early 2015, but ultimately decided to sign a new contract with the WWE. He hasn’t fought in the cage since losing to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in December 2011. He came close to returning in 2012 for a fight against Fedor Emelianenko, but the deal was unable to be put together by the UFC.
UFC 200 takes place on July 9 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by Daniel Cormier taking on Jon Jones to unify the light heavyweight title. Frankie Edgar vs. Jose Aldo for the interim featherweight title is also on the show as is former Lesnar foe Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne, and a host of other interesting fights.
UPDATE: WWE has confirmed the fight. They issued the following statement tonight: “Brock Lesnar remains under contract to WWE, however, he has been granted a one-off opportunity to compete at UFC 200. Following this milestone event on July 9, Brock will return to WWE for SummerSlam on Sunday, August 21 live on WWE Network.”
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, just outside of Los Angeles. The event is headlined by two title fights involving two heated rivalries. UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold makes his first title defense against Michael Bisping, who gets his first title shot after almost ten years of fighting for the UFC after he replaced Chris Weidman in the bout. In the co-main event, it is UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz making his first defense since regaining the championship when he defends against long-time rival Urijah Faber, who looks to finally capture UFC gold. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:15 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
This weekend we’ll be doing polls on this show, as well as Monday and Tuesday’s New Japan show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle and best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
LIGHTWEIGHTS- POLO REYES (5-2, 1-0 UFC) VS. DONG HYUN “MAESTRO” KIM (13-7-3, 0-1 UFC)
First round: The place is pretty empty starting out the show. I wonder what the odds are of having two Dong Hyun Kim’s in the same promotion. Both coming out swinging. Kim hurt him. Both landing big shots. Kim now working for a takedown. Torres powered Kim down and now punching on the ground. Hard knee by Torres and he’s landing big punches. Kim up and landed a left. Head kick by Reyes. Reyes dropped him with a left. Mexico chants. Knee by Reyes. Knee by Reyes. Trading punches some more. Knee by Kim. Another knee by Kim. Left by Reyes. Spin kick by Reyes. Kim got a takedown into side control. Reyes back up. Kim with punches and knees. Reyes back. 10-9 Reyes. This was a round of the year candidate. Just incedible.
Second round: Kim landing jabs. Reyes in with punches. Spin kick by Reyes missed. Both back swinging. Both are continuing to land solid shots. Head kick by Reyes. Kim hurt him with a left. Reyes with knees. Both landing big shots. Knee and left by Kim. Reyes landed solid shots. Defense does not exist in this world. Hard left by Kim. Reyes with a big right. Reyes now has him hurt. Kim trying for a takedown and got him down. Kim got his back. Reyes back up. Knee by Reyes. Kim bleeding from the nose and mouth. Reyes bleeding as well. Kim tried for a takedown and pretty much went down almost due to exhaustion and Reyes ended on top. Reyes 20-18.
Third round: The doctor is checking on Kim. Elbow by Reyes. Reyes dropped him and ref Mike Beltran stopped the fight. A right staggered him and a second right as Kim was falling finished it. Beltran jumped in after one more punch on the ground.
Joe Rogan just called this one of the most entertaining fights he’s ever seen in his life. It was incredible.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- KEVIN CASEY (9-4 2 NC, 1-1 2 NC UFC) VS. ELVIS MUTAPCIC (15-4, 0-1 UFC)
First round: Casey’s father-in-law was Muhammad Ali. Body kick by Casey. Mutapcic landing body kicks. Casey with an uppercut. Casey with a body kick. Casey took him down. Casey landing body shots from the top. Casey with more body punches from the top. Casey moved to side control. Casey got behind him in a scramble. Mutapcic back to his feet. Mutapcic with a flying knee. Casey 10-9
Second round: Casey winged a few punches. Hard body kick by Mutapcic. Casey with a takedown but Mutapcic right back up and landed punches and knees. Casey with another takedown into full mount. Elbows by Casey. Mutapcic rolled out of it and back to his feet. Mutapcic throwing elbows. Hard knees by Mutapcic. Mutapcic with a lot of knees. Mutapcic landing knees and threw an elbow late. Close round. 10-9 Casey
Third round: Head kick by Mutapcic and jumping knee and more elbows. Casey with a right. Casey poked him in the eye. Mutapcic kicked him in the jaw. Mutapcic kicked to the body. Knee by Mutapcic. Casey went for a takedown but Mutapcic landed on top in the mount. Mutapcic landing a lot of elbows at the end. Almost a 10-8 round but I’d go 10-9 Mutapcic so 29-28 Casey. But the second round could easily go to Mutapcic and he could take it, or you could go 10-8 and have it a draw.
Scores: 29-28 Mutapcic 29-28 Casey 28-28 draw. You can’t fault the judges on any of those scores.
Mutapcic said he wanted to dedicate the fight to Ali. Casey kind of said the same thing.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- JONATHAN WILSON (7-0, 1-0 UFC) VS. LUIS HENRIQUE DA SILVA (10-0, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Low kick by Da Silva. Wilson with uppercuts. Trading kicks. Hard body kick by Da Siva. Both landing. Hard knee by Da Silva. Da Silva with an uppercut and a knee. Another uppercut by Da Silva. Body shot by Wilson. Wilson with a left. Another body kick by Da Silva. Elbow by Wilson and a right . Wilson landing hard shots. Wilson now landing hard shots. Knees by Da Silva. Da Silva 10-9
Second round: Da Silva landing knees. Da Silva with knees and a lot punches. Takedown by Wilson. Wilson landing lard lefts and rights and dropped Da Silva with a left. Wilson is on top. Wilson with lefts on the ground. Da Silva reversed to the top into full mount. Da Silva landing hard punches and elbows. Da Silva with a lot of punches. He kept landing punches until ref Mike Beltran waved it off. This was a really good fight.
WELTERWEIGHTS- SEAN STRICKLAND (17-1, 4-1) VS. TOM BREESE (10-0)
First round: Hard body kick by Breese. Another body kick by Breese. They are trading low kicks. Some booing because it’s starting slow. Breese moving forward and landed a left. Body kick by Strickland. Breese with more body kicks. 10-9 Breese
Second round: Body kick by Strickland. Nice right by Strickland. Breese coming back. Low kick by Strickland. Crowd booing and restless. Strickland landing punches. Body kick by Strickland. Strickland’s round 19-19. Crowd booed both guys when the round was over
Third round: Nothing much to this fight. Fans booing loudly now. Takedown by Breese with one minute left but Strickland right back up. He tried another takedown but Strickland blocked it. Strickland got a takedown and landed punches when it was over. I Gave it to Strickland so he won 29-28. Crowd booed this finish heavily.
Scores: 29-28 Breese 29-28 Strickland 29-28 Strickland. Crowd heavily booed the decision but . Strickland apologized for the fight and said Breese kept backing up.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
FEATHERWEIGHTS- COLE MILLER (21-9 1 NC, 10-7 1 NC UFC) VS. ALEX CACERES (11-8 1 NC, 6-6 1 NC UFC)
First round: Caceres dropped him with a left right away. Miller right back up. Miller hip tossed him down. Miller dragged him down a second time. Caceres reversed to the top. Caceres let him back up. Body kick by Caceres. Head kick by Caceres. Caceres with punches. Spinning backfist by Caceres. Caceres landed a hard left. Caceres took him down. Caceres let him up. Body kick by Caceres. Punches and a head kick by Caceres. Miller tried a takedown, Caceres ended up on top and let him up. 10-9 Caceres.
Second round: Jumping kick by Caceres. Caceres landing several punches. Miller with a head kick. Caceres hurt him with a left and landed several more punches. Caceres threw him down. Caceres threw him down a second time. Miller back up. Body kick by Caceres. Caceres landing a lot of punches. Caceres threw him down a third time. Caceres continuing to land. He landed a left and a high kick and then a right. Good right by Miller. Caceres 20-18.
Third round: Caceres did a marital arts pose to stat the round which popped the crowd. Cesares back landing punches. Left and a takedown by Caceres. Head kick by Caceres. Miller with a takedown. Miller working for an armbar. Caceres out into side control. Great sequence. Crowd went bananas as he escaped. Leroy chants. Caceres threw him down again. Miller with a left. Knee by Miller. Caceres with punches and took him down again. Miller reversed to the top. Miller now working for a choke with 25 seconds left. Miller punching from back position but Miller needed a finish and didn’t get it. Miller’s round 29-28 Caceres overall.
Scores: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 Caceres. Not sure about that 30-27 because Miller won that third round.
First round: Andade came out strong landing a ton of punches. Andarde in with another flurry. Andrade firing away again. Andade in with another flurry. Adnrade landing a ton of punches and Penne is in a lot of trouble. Penne went down from punches just as the round ended. 10-8 Andrade for sure.
Second round: Andrade landed a ton of punches and Penne went down and Andrade let her back up. Andrade killing her with punches. It’s really time to stop this one. Jason Herzog stopped it.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- (#10) BENEIL DARIUSH (12-2, 6-2 UFC) VS. JAMES VICK (9-0, 5-0 UFC)
First round: Dariush got poked in the right eye. Vick poked him in the right eye again. Hard body kick by Dariush . Dariush decked him and his pounding him on the ground. Dariush with hard elbows on the ground. Dariush with hard punches but Vick up. Dariush with a right. Vick with a body kick. Dariush landed a right and Vick lost his legs. Dariush with punches and dropped him with a left and it’s over. The place came unglued with that finish.
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#12) BRIAN ORTEGA (10-0 1 NC, 2-0 1 NC UFC) VS. CLAY GUIDA (32-16, 12-10 UFC)
First round: Guida dropped him with a left. Guida chants even though Ortega is from Los Angeles. Guida connected with a right. Guida moving forward. Loud Guida chants. Guida landing lefts in a clinch. Both trading now. Guida landing a number of punches. Guida even tried a head kick. Body kick by Ortega. 10-9 Guida.
Second round: Guida went for a takedown but Ortega sprawled. Body kick by Ortega. Left by Ortega. Guida tried a takedown but Ortega blocked it again. Ortega with a right. Spin kick by Ortega. Ortega’s round so 19-19 after two.
Third round: Ortega with a jab. Guida with a right. Ortega landed some. Spin kick by Ortega. Guida can’t get inside to land. Knee by Ortega and another knee. Guida with left. Ortega dropped him with a knee and it’s over.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- (#11) DUSTIN POIRIER (19-4, 11-3 UFC) VS. (#13) BOBBY GREEN (23-6, 4-1 UFC)
First round: Poirier with some low kicks. Green landed some punches and Poirier came back and decked Green. Body kick by Poirier. Left by Poirier. Poirier landing big punches. Another left landed by Poirier. Poirier with another left. Poirier decked him again with a left and after a few punches on the ground referee Jason Herzog stopped it.
They just aired a wonderful tribute to Muhammad Ali narrated by Dana White. One of the best videos they’ve done, particuarly on such short notice.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#15) DAN HENDERSON (31-14, 8-8 UFC) VS. (#14 WW) HECTOR L
First round: This place will come unglued if Henderson wins. Super loud Hendo chants. Henderson clocked him and Lombard clocked him back and took Henderson down into side control. Lombard went for a straight armbar. Henderson out. Henderson back to his feet and the place exploded. They were trading big shots and Lombard decked him. Lombard is all over him and Henderson back up. This fight is insane. Lombard took him down again and held him there until the end of the round. Lombard 10-9.
Second round: Body kick by Lombard. Both landed big shots. Lombard landed a right after Henderson missed. Crowd chanting for Henderson. Henderson landed a head kick and a hard side elbow and Lombard went down hard. After two more elbows on the ground it was over. This place is going insane. This was one of the loudest pops you’ll ever hear. Lombard is still down. 1:27
Lombard is now sitting up. Henderson thanked the fans for their reaction. The place is going so nuts for Henderson it isn’t funny. All of his kids were at ringside for the first time. He said he’s not sure what’s going to happen but that may have been the last fight of his career.
Henderson’s kids were all in the ring with him after along with other family members.
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#4) MAX HOLLOWAY (15-3, 11-3 UFC) VS. (#5) RICARDO LAMAS (16-4, 7-2 UFC)
First round: Holloway landing some early. Spin kick by Lamas landed short. Holloway landed some punches. Hollloway all over him with punches and a knee. Lamas went for the takedown and Holloway blocked it. Lamas short on a spin kick. Body kick. Lamas fighting for the takedown and couldn’t get it. Holloway landed several punches and a spin kick. Holloway 10-9.
Second round: Lamas threw a kick that was blocked. Lamas with a low kick. Both landing a lot of punches but Holloway getting the better of it. Lamas now back with hard punches. Lamas went for a takedown. Holloway blocked and on top. Holloway for a split second had a dragon sleeper. Holloway with a body kick as Lamas got up. Lamas shot in and Holloway got a choke. He didn’t have it fully in and let go. Holloway threw punches from back position as the round ended. Holloway 20-18
Third round: Holloway landing punches. Lamas back with a kick. Head kick by Lamas. Holloway landing punches and kicks. Spinning elbow by Lamas. Both threw for all they were worth in the last ten seconds to elicit a standing ovation. 30-27 Holloway although the third round was closer than the first two.
Scores: All three had it 30-27 for Holloway.
Holloway asked for a $50,000 check for best fight. He’s not getting it. He also asked for a title shot.
First round: Cruz booed a lot. Analysts are not getting over with this audience. Faber chants. Faber threw a knee and Cruz took him down. Faber scrambled but Cruz up and got behind him. Cruz took him down and Faber scrambled. As he got up, Cruz hit him. Body kick by Cruz. Faber moved in and slammed Cruz but Cruz reversed to the top immediately. Faber out and landed a left. Faber landed a right. Cruz with a low kick. Cruz went for a takedown and didn’t get it. Cruz landed few shots Cruz 10-9.
Second round: Cruz dropped him with a left. Faber back up. Cruz missed a kick and Faber is in trouble. Knee by Cruz. Cruz landing jabs. The crowd is turning toward Cruz. Cruz with a low kick. Another low kick by Cruz. Back to chants for Faber. Cruz landed a left. Cruz with a left. Low kick by Cruz. Faber missed a big shot. Faber with a right. Head kick by Cruz. Cruz landed a body shot. Cruz 20-18.
Third round: Cruz with a low kick. Cruz slipped and Faber landed a punch but Cruz hurt him with a counter. Cruz landed a good left. Cruz landed more shots. Low kick by Cruz. Left by Cruz. Cruz went for a takedown and didn’t get it. Cruz went for another takedown and didn’t get it. Cruz missing a lot but Faber couldn’t land. Cruz said something to him after the round and Faber shoved him. Cruz 30-27.
Fourth round: Faber missed on punches. Cruz with a left. Faber clipped him with a punch. Cruz with a left. Both are missing a lot now. Cruz dropped him with a left and landed a head kick. Faber back up. Cruz with a right. Now crowd chanting for Cruz. Faber with a right. Both missing more. Cruz 40-36.
Fifth round: Cruz landed two head kicks. Cruz landed punches as Faber moved in. Cruz with lefts. Cruz took him down as Faber went for a big shot. Body kick by Cruz as Faber got up. Cruz with another takedown. He moved into side control. Faber back up. Faber tried the guillotine but he’s not getting that tonight. Cruz 50-45.
They did have a short sorta hug after.
Scores: 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 Cruz
Cruz again said ring rust wasn’t real.
Faber was booed after and said he can’t say anything other then pushing that Cruz had power but nothing like Cody Garbrandt. He priased Cruz’s wrestling. By the time Faber was done fans wer cheering him. He said he wants to be at the top, he wasn’t at the top tonight and talked about supporting Gardbrandt and his guys.
WWE has already starting promoting Lesnar at UFC 200.
UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) LUKE ROCKHOLD (15-2, 5-1 UFC) VS. (#4) MICHAEL BISPING (28-7, 18-7 UFC)
First round: Bisping got a mixed reaction. He doesn’t have that veteran sympathy thing going for him. Rockhold also got a mixed reaction. And he’s from California. Both were mouthing off before it started. Rockhold with a push kick. Bisping landed a punch to the face. Bisping with a low kick. USA chant. Rockhold with a left and Bisping back. Body kick by Rockhold. Bisping with a body kick. Bisping landing more. Low kick by Roickhold. Rockhold landing body kicks now. Bisping dropped him with a left and dropped him a second time with a left and landed two punches on the ground and it was stopped. This was very much like the GSP vs. Serra fight. 3:36
Bisping’s family is in the ring celebrating with him. Bisping said I have to be humble, thanked everyone for being here. I stated fighting when I came out of my mother. Priased his wife and parents. I’m an average guy this is my dream, two weeks notice, two hours two minutes I’ll fight anyone. Thanked people in the UK.
Rockhold was booed. Congratulations to Michael, he caught me. I took it for granted. Admitted he was overconfident. I didn’t fight my fight. He’s a tough guy and he’s a warrior.
Muhammad Ali is very likely the most well known and important figure in the history of sports. Besides Jackie Robinson, no other athlete may have had as great an impact on society, as Ali’s refusal to participate in the Vietnam War stands out as a seminal moment in American history. That’s to say nothing of his public conversion to Islam and his steadfast refusal to play down his faith. Those two acts alone helped to define a generation.
Of course, his fame was international as well, and that same influence was felt throughout the globe. From Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), site of the famous Rumble in the Jungle, to the Philippines, home to the Thrilla in Manila, Ali truly was a World Champion.
His connections to pro wrestling are thoroughly documented, with Ali crediting pro wrestling for influencing his bombastic public persona. And in a funny twist, Ali’s fight with Antonio Inoki ended up essentially being the birth of mixed martial arts.
Ali’s legacy is one that would fill several books and will safely live on for decades. There was never a man like him before and there will never be one like him again.
Tons more on Muhammad Ali:
New Zealand Herald looks at his famous fight with Antonio Inoki. The article includes a video with Gene LeBell talking about the damage Inoki’s leg kicks had on Ali.
Miami Herald has a story about Dusty Rhodes saying he almost had a match with Ali in Florida. The article includes a link to a video of Dusty telling the story (the Ali part starts at 3:35).
Yahoo! Sports describes how Ali not only influenced pro wrestling and MMA but how wrestling promos also influenced him.
Forbes looks back to 1995 when Ali attended the festival in North Korea that featured a Ric Flair vs. Antonio Inoki pro wrestling match as the main event. A few weeks back on Chris Jericho’s podcast, Flair talked about that trip and told stories about flying to North Korea with Ali and his entourage.
A Calgary Herald an article mentions that Ali was once given a photograph of himself posing with Stu Hart. The person that gave the photo to Ali said he was speechless. The photo and him being unable to speak at the time were both rare.
Here is a classic Muhammad Ali promo featuring some often quotes lines: “I have wrestled with an alligator… tussled with a whale… handcuffed lightning… thrown thunder in jail…”
Here is a collection of clips featuring some of his best promos (starts at :37). Besides his promos, highlights include a pull-apart brawl with Joe Frazier in a studio with Howard Cosell doing play-by-play.
Here is Freddie Blassie doing a run-in during an Ali appearance on The Tonight Show with guest host McLean Stevenson (of M*A*S*H fame). It was part of the promotion leading into the Inoki fight.
Here is Ali jumping in the ring to confront and throw hands with Gorilla Monsoon on a WWWF show in 1976. After Ali starts jabbing him, Monsoon picks Ali up in an airplane spin with Vince McMahon calling the action on commentary. The angle was part of the build towards Ali vs. Inoki.
Here is Ali vs. Buddy Wolfe in boxer vs. wrestler exhibition match on an AWA card from Chicago in 1976. It was also part of the buildup to Ali vs. Inoki. That match aired on ABC during a “Wide World of Sports” broadcast and features an intro by Howard Cosell. Verge Gagne is the referee. Freddie Blassie is a cornerman.
Here is Ali vs “Sodbuster” Kenny Jay in another boxer vs. wrestler exhibition on an AWA card in the Midwest. Gagne was also the referee in this match.
Here is Ali cutting promos on Inoki at a press conference in Japan promoting their fight. Inoki was mostly laughing at his insults.
Here is an extended trailer for a promising new documentary on the Inoki vs. Ali fight.
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber for bantamweight title
Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping for middleweight title
NEW JAPAN WORLD SUNDAY AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM GUNMA
Ryusuke Taguchi & Jay White vs. Yoshi-Hashi & Rocky Romero
Yuji Nagata & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Manabu Nakanishi & David Finlay & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Kushida & Juice Robinson & Captain New Japan & Matt Sydal
Tiger Mask vs. Trent Baretta
Will Ospreay vs. Jushin Liger
Bobby Fish vs. Chase Owens
Ricochet vs. Volador Jr.
Satoshi Kojima & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi
*WWE in Amarillo (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Lawton, OK (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo, Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*ROH in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Expo Building (Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian defend the tag title against War Machine, Adam Cole vs. Lio Rush, Dalton Castle vs. Kamaitachi)
NEW JAPAN WORLD MONDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil
Volador Jr. vs. Will Ospreay
Ricochet vs. Chase Owens
Bobby Fish vs. Tiger Mask
Jushin Liger vs. Trent Baretta
Matt Sydal vs. David Finlay
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Gedo
Kushida vs. Bushi
Raw will be Monday in Oklahoma City. John Cena, Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are all booked on the show along with the usual regulars.
NEW JAPAN WORLD TUESDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Best of the Super Juniors championship match
NXT TAKEOVER THE END ON WEDNESDAY AT 8 P.M. FROM FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY IN WINTER PARK, FL
Andrade Cien Almas vs. Tye Dillinger
Asuka vs. Nia Jax for women’s title
Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder for tag titles
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor cage match for the NXT title
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Wichita. John Cena is not scheduled but Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are scheduled.
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
Figure Four Weekly 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.
A huge double issue of the Observer is out this week, including the real catalyst behind the WWE brand split, a breakdown of the roster, justice denied again in the Jimmy Snuka case, Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay and the Super Juniors tournament plus a full rundown, the story behind Bill Goldberg and the WWE video game and the Brock Lesnar tease, famous boxer vs. pro wrestler fights, WWE schedule and injury rates, business rundowns from the past two months for WWE & TNA, updates on cable stations that carry wrestling and MMA, and one of the greatest territorial business runs in history in the life and career of Cowboy Frankie Laine.
Our lead story looks at the WWE brand split, why it happened, what is known that isn’t a secret, ads out post brand split, plans for the split two months ago and what the ad department was told then, what different arenas have been told this week, thoughts behind decisions having too be made, plus a roster rundown on what positions WWE is strong and weak in, and where NXT talent should fit in and who is ready, or who can fill a slot.
There is also an update on the Jimmy Snuka situation, with a realistic view if there will be a trial and what the time frame is and what happens next.
This issue also looks at the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match, Vader’s reaction, Super Juniors standings and rundowns of the shows plus looking at where things are going.
Updates on Money in the Bank, stars returning to television soon, how the NBA & NHL playoffs coincide with wrestling the next two weeks, an update on NXT, lots of WWE performers off TV for the next several weeks, notes from lawsuit depositions that are eye opening, Cena getting a gigantic endorsement deal, Rollins return news, injury updates, lots of Dwayne Johnson news, WrestleMania in the future notes, notes on how little talent gets told in advance about things, who watches what on WWE network, plus we’ve got rundowns of every WWE & NXT events over the past week and business notes on the shows, all included in in this issue.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
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No surprise, but John Cena vs. AJ Styles is official for Money in the Bank.
No update this morning on the status of The Drifter, who appeared to have injured his ankle at the house show last night and left the building on crutches. He was in a lot of pain, and it was definitely not a worked angle despite the fact that NXT has been doing the fake injury finish for a little while now.
WWE announced a new episode of Breaking Ground immediately following NXT Takeover on Wednesday. It appears to be a reunion show where we take a look at what everyone is up to since the series ended. I hope they focus on Tyler Breeze and his main roster success.
WWE has also been adding AWA Supershows to their Vault area on the WWE Network.
Nick Denton, Gawker owner, is confident that they will do much better when they appeal the Hulk Hogan lawsuit which ordered Denton to pay the Hulkster 140 ga-zillion dollars.
An Orlando paper has a feature on local indie wrestling going from the ring to the stage.
The next Superkick’d show is scheduled for July 8th in Toronto and is promising ‘eight matches, live music, alcohol, and hot girls!’ We’re awaiting confirmation on whether John Pollock is defending his hardcore title on the show.
VCW returns to Toronto’s Super Wonder Gallery with SuperSlam 4 on June 30th. We’re awaiting confirmation on whether Wai Ting will finally challenge for the TV title on that show.
This week on 6:05 Superpodcast, Brian Last and David Bixenspan talk to Bob Barnett about his decades of fandom including meeting Vince McMahon when they were kids, chat with Jammie Ward about tape trading and ’80s wrestling hardcore fandom in general, learn more about “Rasslin’” singer/songwriter Glen Goza, and much more.
MMA
Jon Jones has been tweeting a lot about Muhammad Ali.
“Rest in peace to my greatest inspiration”
“A few things I’ll cherish forever” (accompanied by above pic)
Nikita Krylov and Ed Herman have been signed to fight at UFC 201 in Atlanta in a light heavyweight bout.
MISC.
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) has a feature on a beach wrestling competition. The article describes the new take on an old sport as “expanding the traditional gymnasium sport to America’s sandy beaches.” Kind of like Bash at the Beach in 1995 but no ring or spandex.
The Daily Star (UK) features arguably the most intense arm wrestler ever displaying his intensity and it is indeed intense. Warning: Language is NSFW (and the video player opens automatically so be prepared for intensity)
James Renner will be our guest on After Dark Radio Sunday night, 9 PT/12 ET on the Dark Matter Digital Network, live and free. Details and a link are always available on the front page.
EVENTS
TONIGHT – ECWA on Saturday night in Woodbury Heights, NJ at the Community Center with Sean Carr vs. Papadon
TONIGHT – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
TONIGHT – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
TONIGHT – Aerostar vs. Flamita vs. Laredo Kid vs. Septimo Dragon headline tonight in Benbrook, TX at the Camp Bowie Bingo Hall. The same promotion has a tag match tomorrow night in Houston at the Atlantico Hall with Aerostar & Laredo Kid vs. Flamita & Ultimo Ninja.
TONIGHT – CWE in Morden, Manitoba at the Morden Block Party Street Festival has a free show with a 1 p.m. start time.
TOMORROW – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
TOMORROW – Silver Star Promotions at the 4 Ever Arena in Fort Worth has Caristico & El Hijo del Fishman vs. Silver Star & Psicosis Jr.
June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
June 11 – ECCW Port Coquitlam, BC at the Elks Hall #49.
June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 24 – Isao Kobayashi vs. Justin Lawrence will appear on Spike.com as the top prelim fight Bellator Dynamite show in St. Louis. This will be a combination MMA and kickboxing show.
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
July 2 – Stars of Wrestling from Alameda, CA at the Alameda Point Gym has Bobby Lashley, Carlito and The Boogeyman appearing.
July 2 – NWA Cajun Heat in Morgan City, LA at the Municipal Auditorium with Jax Dane vs. Mustang Mike for the NWA title, Rob Conway vs. Rodney Mack and an appearance by Kevin Nash.
July 9 – Smash Wrestling in Fort Erie, ONT at the Native Friendship Center. Chris Hero will headline this fund raising event to raise money for the Godson of Jeremy Elliott, who Hero will wrestle. Elliott’s Godson is a patient at the CPRI Treatment Center.
July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY.
August 13 – Rey Mysterio Jr. will headline a show at Montgomery High School in San Diego, his alma mater, for Viva La Lucha promotions. Also appearing are Konnan, Psicosis, Johnny Mundo, Teddy Hart and TJ Perkins.
Since 2005, Slammiversary has celebrated the company’s June debut and it has usually been one of its biggest events of the year. This year, we have a title-heavy show with the King of the Mountain, World Tag Team, and World Titles on the line.
Here’s the lineup:
TNA World Champion Drew Galloway vs Bobby Lashley in a submission or knockout only match
Lashley has cut the best promos of his career since turning heel and he is perfect in his role as an ass-kicking MMA world-beater who feels like he’s the best and just needs Drew’s gold to prove it to the world. Drew has been a fine white meat babyface champion, although his TNA matches haven’t given him as much of a chance to shine as they theoretically should. With this being his first PPV main event as a champion, we should get an outstanding match aided by the knockout or tapout stipulation.
Strangely, they haven’t really focused on that aspect in theh TV build. One would think that having Lashley, the badass MMA fighter, knock people out in squashes to hype him up would be done. Instead, they’ve tried to get over Drew’s crossface as his top finisher for submissions and the Sick Kick as his knockout shot. I guess since Lashley has the MMA credibility, they want to build Drew up as the badass since he’s facing a legit shooter – but it’s a bit odd.
Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy in a Full Metal Mayhem Match
The explosion of the former Hardy Boyz may not be the main event, but its build has certainly been the most interesting for every possible reason. They’ve had issues since Matt turned heel, and when Jeff broke Matt’s brain by swanton bombing him off of a balcony, we got the debut of Broken Matt Hardy – complete with a wacky accent and white streak in his hair. He plays piano, writes poetry, and despises Brother Nero. If you’ve missed their rivalry, you can get caught up on all the best (and worst) of it here.
Decay (Abyss/Crazzy Steve) vs The Bromans (Robbie E/Jesse Godderz) for the TNA Tag team titles
The Bromans and their new trainer Raquel just debuted and earned the number one contendership, so it would make sense to keep that momentum rolling by having them win. Decay hasn’t done a thing with the titles yet anyway, and this kind of match just shines a light on how minimal the tag division is in TNA right now.
The rest of the card:
Maria and Gail Kim have been feuding for months now, with their rivalry coming to a head in Maria’s first PPV match in the company. Her husband Michael Bennett’s issues with EC3 dominated television over the last few weeks and with Bennett being the first person to pin EC3, one would expect an EC3 win here.
Eli Drake cashed in his Feast or Fired briefcase to win the King of the Mountain Title and celebrated with some free champagne. With the title win just happening, it seems too early to take the title off of Eli Drake – but it’s the KOTM Title, so it doesn’t really matter who holds it. Former champion Bram will attempt to wrest the belt away from Drake.
Knockouts Champion Jade doesn’t have a match set for the card. The same goes for X Division Champion Trevor Lee – although they could do another Ultimate X match to further the issues between Lee and Andrew Everett. Any or all of these can probably be expected to be added to the PPV on the go-home show that airs this coming Tuesday.
The build-up for the show has been largely enjoyable even if it wasn’t always for good reasons. As hilarious as the Matt vs. Jeff build has been, Raquel’s acting is even worse. The Matt and Jeff stuff has gotten more eyeballs on the product via Youtube, so that’s a plus. It’s doubtful that it will translate to an increase in buys, but it should be a fun way to spend an evening. It should certainly be far better than their last live PPV, which was done with three days notice and full of last-second matches.
First reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Rusev and Lana have set a date! The couple known in their real lives as Catherine Jo Perry and Miroslav Barnyashev have announced that they will be married on September 2nd. With Perry joining the cast of Total Divas for the next season, it would have to be assumed that the wedding will be a big part of that show, as weddings generally are good for ratings to that audience.
Lana will be known as CJ on that show and will not use the accent that she floats in and out of on RAW and Smackdown. The couple announced their engagement earlier this year at the time that Rusev was injured and Lana was linked in storyline to Dolph Ziggler. The announcement forced plans to change and it was acknowledged on RAW that the two were engaged. The push of Lana seemed to stall after that point and it’s only been recently when she’s appeared with Rusev onscreen.
From this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“The Rusev and Lana wedding, actually Miroslav and Catherine, will be on 9/2. It would be almost a lock that their wedding would air on Total Divas since that show, aimed at the women’s audience, is all about engagements and marriages.”
The experiment with earlier weigh-ins went well from a fighter perspective today. Just about everyone weighed in before Noon so the weigh-ins at 7 p.m. Eastern time on television are just for show. The fighters were, as a rule, far happier, to the point almost everyone wants the early weigh-in rule to stay in place going forward.
The odds tumbled down for Luke Rockhold when word got out he suffered a torn MCL early in camp and has done no grappling training.
These are the odds from 5Dimes
Luke Rockhold -660
Michael Bisping +540
Dominick Cruz -430
Urijah Faber +380
Max Holloway -310
Ricardo Lamas +280
Hector Lombard -400
Dan Henderson +355
Dustin Poirier -192
Bobby Green +177
Rockhold was a pretty consistent -1100 favorite two days ago. Cruz was -500 to -600, so his odds have closed slightly as well.
*WWE in Odessa, TX (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto De Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, Baron Corbin)
*NXT in Nashville
*NXT in Crystal River, FL
*ROH in Collinsville, IL (Jay Briscoe & War Machine vs. Jay Lethal & Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian, Adam Cole vs. Kamaitachi, Roderick Strong vs. Silas Young vs. Stevie Richards vs. Moose)
NEW JAPAN WORLD FRIDAY NIGHT ON AXS TV AT 8 P.M. FOR A TWO HOUR G-1 SPECIAL
Rey Cometa & Stuka Jr. & Titan vs. Cavernario & Felino & Mr Niebla
La Mascara vs. Pierroth
Atlantis & Marco Corleone & Valiente vs. Negro Casas & Shocker & Ultimo Guerrero
RESURRECTION FIGHTING ALLIANCE TONIGHT FROM COSTA MESA, CA AT 10 P.M. EASTERN ON AXS
Jason Gonzalez (155.8) vs. Chris Padilla (154)
Mario Israel (135.8) vs. Albert Morales (134.6)
Nick Barnes (169.4) vs. Jose Diaz (169.4)
Karen Darabedyan (155.2) vs. Christos Giagos (154.8)
Vinicius Zani (135.4) vs. Joe Murphy (137.2)
Jamall Emmers (154.8) vs. Thiago Moises (155) for the lightweight title
Saturday night we’re looking for reports from:
*WWE in Lubbock, TX (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Tulsa (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*NXT in Atlanta at Center Stage
*NXT in Fort Pierce, FL.
*ROH in Indianapolis at the Harvest Pavilion (Adam Cole & Adam Page vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe non-title, Moose vs. Jay Briscoe, Roderick Strong vs. Kamaitachi vs. Jason Kincaid vs. ACH vs. Lio Rush vs. Will Ferrara)
UFC 199 SATURDAY FROM THE FORUM IN LOS ANGELES
Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m.
Maestro Dong Hyun Kim vs. Polo Reyes
Kevin Casey vs. Elvis Mutapcic
Luiz Henrique da Silva vs. Jonathan Wilson
Tom Breese vs. Sean Strickland
FS 1 at 8 p.m.
Jessica Andrade vs. Jessica Penne
Beneil Dariush vs. James Vick
Clay Guida vs. Brian Ortega
Alex Caceres vs Cole Miller
PPV at 10 p.m.
Dustin Poirier vs. Bobby Green
Dan Henderson vs. Hector Lombard
Max Holloway vs. Ricardo Lamas
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber for bantamweight title
Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping for middleweight title
NEW JAPAN WORLD SUNDAY AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM GUNMA
Ryusuke Taguchi & Jay White vs. Yoshi-Hashi & Rocky Romero
Yuji Nagata & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Manabu Nakanishi & David Finlay & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Kushida & Juice Robinson & Captain New Japan & Matt Sydal
Tiger Mask vs. Trent Baretta
Will Ospreay vs. Jushin Liger
Bobby Fish vs. Chase Owens
Ricochet vs. Volador Jr.
Satoshi Kojima & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi
*WWE in Amarillo (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Lawton, OK (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo, Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*ROH in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Expo Building (Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian defend the tag title against War Machine, Adam Cole vs. Lio Rush, Dalton Castle vs. Kamaitachi)
NEW JAPAN WORLD MONDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil
Volador Jr. vs. Will Ospreay
Ricochet vs. Chase Owens
Bobby Fish vs. Tiger Mask
Jushin Liger vs. Trent Baretta
Matt Sydal vs. David Finlay
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Gedo
Kushida vs. Bushi
Raw will be Monday in Oklahoma City. John Cena, Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are all booked on the show along with the usual regulars.
NEW JAPAN WORLD TUESDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Best of the Super Juniors championship match
NXT TAKEOVER THE END ON WEDNESDAY AT 8 P.M. FROM FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY IN WINTER PARK, FL
Andrade Cien Almas vs. Tye Dillinger
Asuka vs. Nia Jax for women’s title
Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder for tag titles
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor cage match for the NXT title
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Wichita. John Cena is not scheduled but Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are scheduled.
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
Figure Four Weekly 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.
A huge double issue of the Observer is out this week, including the real catalyst behind the WWE brand split, a breakdown of the roster, justice denied again in the Jimmy Snuka case, Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay and the Super Juniors tournament plus a full rundown, the story behind Bill Goldberg and the WWE video game and the Brock Lesnar tease, famous boxer vs. pro wrestler fights, WWE schedule and injury rates, business rundowns from the past two months for WWE & TNA, updates on cable stations that carry wrestling and MMA, and one of the greatest territorial business runs in history in the life and career of Cowboy Frankie Laine.
Our lead story looks at the WWE brand split, why it happened, what is known that isn’t a secret, ads out post brand split, plans for the split two months ago and what the ad department was told then, what different arenas have been told this week, thoughts behind decisions having too be made, plus a roster rundown on what positions WWE is strong and weak in, and where NXT talent should fit in and who is ready, or who can fill a slot.
There is also an update on the Jimmy Snuka situation, with a realistic view if there will be a trial and what the time frame is and what happens next.
This issue also looks at the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match, Vader’s reaction, Super Juniors standings and rundowns of the shows plus looking at where things are going.
Updates on Money in the Bank, stars returning to television soon, how the NBA & NHL playoffs coincide with wrestling the next two weeks, an update on NXT, lots of WWE performers off TV for the next several weeks, notes from lawsuit depositions that are eye opening, Cena getting a gigantic endorsement deal, Rollins return news, injury updates, lots of Dwayne Johnson news, WrestleMania in the future notes, notes on how little talent gets told in advance about things, who watches what on WWE network, plus we’ve got rundowns of every WWE & NXT events over the past week and business notes on the shows, all included in in this issue.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
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.
The first round matches are tonight and the semifinals and finals of the men’s division are Sunday and finals of the women’s divsion are Sunday.
Men’s teams:
Team NOAH: Taiji Ishimori & Naomichi Marufuji & Maybach Taniguchi
Team Ouduo/Zero One: Akebono & Masato Tanaka & Ikuto Hidaka
Team AAA: Pentagon Jr. & El Texano Jr. & Psycho Clown
Team Lucha Underground Mexico: Rey Mysterio Jr. & Dragon Azteca Jr. & Dr. Wagner Jr.
Team Lucha Underground U.S: Johnny Mundo & Brian Cage & Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Team TNA: Ethan Carter III & Tyrus & Eli Drake
Team International: Mil Muertes & Apolo & Rockstar Spud
Women’s teams:
Team Japan Wave & Oz Academy: Aja Kong & Yuki Miyazaki & Natsu Sumire
Team Mexico: Lady Apache & Fabi Apache & Mari Apache
Team U.S: Santana Garrett & Cheerleader Melissa & Sienna
Team Canada: Taya & Allie & K.C. Spinelli
Josh Matthews is in Puebla right now so he will be the lead announcer on the English broadcast. Weird when they already have Chris Cruise as the English language voice of AAA, not to mention Mike Tenay available.
So here’ the crazy thing about the show. I have received all kinds of promotional material and nowhere does it say the starting time. We were told it starts at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time tonight.
A funny part of the promotion is how little the competitors were briefed. Rey Mysterio Jr. didn’t do the media day yesterday and the media was most interested in him. Tyrus was said to have hid in he back. Psycho Clown talked about looking forward to facing Takayama, except Takayama (who was in the World Cup last year) isn’t even in the tournament. The Team Mexico women said that the three Japanese women were real fighters while saying that the U.S. and Canadian teams were pretty girls.
WWE
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, which features Sheamus, as well as Stephen Amell, debuts at the theaters tonight.
Scott Garland (Scotty 2 Hotty) was helping train the wrestlers this week at the Performance Center.
Brian Fritz talks to Dolph Ziggler about Swerved Season 2 which premieres Monday after Raw on the WWE Network, who is the worst WWE talent at taking a joke, the upcoming brand split and how the current era compares to others in WWE history.
The Fight Pass schedule for the next few weeks for live events:
6/4 EFN headlined by Ilja Skondric vs. Alexey Stoyan from Russia
6/4 Prelims before UFC 1999
6/4 Cage Warriors from England with Jack Marshman vs. Ali Arish
6/10 Titan Fighting Championships headlined by J.Z. Cavalcante vs. Pat Healy
6/11 Pancrase from Japan headlined by Hatsu Hioki vs. Yojiro Uchimura
6/17 Brace MMA with Kieran Joblin vs Greg Atzori
6/19 Vale Tudo Japan
6/24 Victory FC with two title fights
6/24 Glory 31 with Zack Mwekassa vs. Mourad Bouzidi
MISCELLANEOUS
Jim Ross will be broadcasting boxing on Saturday night on CBS Sports Network from Cancun, Mexico.
The German Wrestling League debuts on TV at 10 p.m. tonight on Fightbox HD. The GWL is Alex Wright’s promotion. The show will replay at 6:10 p.m. on Sunday.
NWAOnDemand.com has unearthed a match from the 60s with Johnny Valentine vs. Wild Bull Curry. I have a copy of this match and I’ll just say it is fascinating to watch. You’ll see very quickly why the top wrestlers of that era like The Funks and Jack Brisco all listed Valentine as one of the five best.
There is a match from Progress Wrestling with Hero vs. Tommy End that people are raving about.
TONIGHT – There is a big show at the Auditorio in Tijuana tonight with L.A. Park vs. Rush vs. Cibernetico and Extreme Tiger & Mistico & Rey Hours (Dragon Azteca Jr.) vs. Mr. Aguila & El Hijo del L.A. Park & Mephisto plus a TLC match with Mortiz vs. Aero Boy.
TONIGHT – Rockstar Pro Wrestling has an iPPV tonight at 7 p.m. from the Rockstar Pro Arena in Dayton, OH with Sami Callihan vs. Aaron Williams vs. Ethan Page plus Gregory Iron & Zach Gowen as a tag team and Jessicka Havok vs. Samantha Heights.
TOMORROW – ECWA on Saturday night in Woodbury Heights, NJ at the Community Center with Sean Carr vs. Papadon
TOMORROW – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
TOMORROW – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
TOMORROW – Aerostar vs. Flamita vs. Laredo Kid vs. Septimo Dragon headline tonight in Benbrook, TX at the Camp Bowie Bingo Hall. The same promotion has a tag match tomorrow night in Houston at the Atlantico Hall with Aerostar & Laredo Kid vs. Flamita & Ultimo Ninja.
TOMORROW – CWE in Morden, Manitoba at the Morden Block Party Street Festival has a free show with a 1 p.m. start time.
SUNDAY – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
SUNDAY – Silver Star Promotions at the 4 Ever Arena in Fort Worth has Caristico & El Hijo del Fishman vs. Silver Star & Psicosis Jr.
June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
June 11 – ECCW Port Coquitlam, BC at the Elks Hall #49.
June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 24 – Isao Kobayashi vs. Justin Lawrence will appear on Spike.com as the top prelim fight Bellator Dynamite show in St. Louis. This will be a combination MMA and kickboxing show.
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
July 2 – Stars of Wrestling from Alameda, CA at the Alameda Point Gym has Bobby Lashley, Carlito and The Boogeyman appearing.
July 2 – NWA Cajun Heat in Morgan City, LA at the Municipal Auditorium with Jax Dane vs. Mustang Mike for the NWA title, Rob Conway vs. Rodney Mack and an appearance by Kevin Nash.
July 9 – Smash Wrestling in Fort Erie, ONT at the Native Friendship Center. Chris Hero will headline this fund raising event to raise money for the Godson of Jeremy Elliott, who Hero will wrestle. Elliott’s Godson is a patient at the CPRI Treatment Center.
July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY.
August 13 – Rey Mysterio Jr. will headline a show at Montgomery High School in San Diego, his alma mater, for Viva La Lucha promotions. Also appearing are Konnan, Psicosis, Johnny Mundo, Teddy Hart and TJ Perkins.
– Air Date: June 2, 2016 – Location: BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford, IL
– The Big News:
AJ Styles is a full-fledged heel and won a match with the Styles Clash. Also, it appears the MITB ladder match will just involve the six guys already announced.
– Show Recap:
AJ Styles & The Club confront The New Day
The New Day came out to a big reaction. They mentioned the Vaudevillains robbing everyone of the opportunity to see Stephanie McMahon dance. Xavier Woods seemed particularly bummed about this.
What was more notable to New Day though was the attack by Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. New Day were about to remind us that they are our WWE Tag Team champions, but Anderson and Gallows interrupted. The Club said the New Day didn’t exactly look like champions on Raw, and the Club would be the champs soon.
Woods wondered what kind of “club” they actually were, and figured they meet in a treehouse. Big E said they definitely weren’t the hair club for men. New Day challenged them to a fight but figured they wouldn’t accept without their papi AJ Styles with them. That brought out Styles.
Styles was a full-fledged heel. He said this wasn’t a new day, it’s “our day,” and the WWE belonged to the Club. New Day reminded them who the tag champs were. Styles called Kingston a joke for being in an act like New Day after all these years. Kingston reminded Styles that he was a multiple time IC, U.S. and Tag Team champion, and what was really funny was how long it took AJ just to get to WWE.
Styles reminded them what happened on Raw and challenged Kingston to a match, which he accepted. Good segment. Styles and Kingston both came off well.
They announced a tag match between Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn vs. Alberto Del Rio and Kevin Owens.
Non-Title: Becky Lynch beat Women’s Champion Charlotte (w/Dana Brooke) via DQ
Like JBL, Lawler is not a fan of what Charlotte did to Ric Flair, although he doesn’t seem as disgusted by it. Brooke provided a distraction two minutes into the match allowing Charlotte to take over going to commercial.
They went back and forth after the break leading to Lynch trying an armbar as Mauro Ranallo let us know she trains in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Charlotte powered out, though, and hit a powerbomb. Charlotte went for a moonsault but landed on her feet as Lynch rolled out of the way. Lynch applied the Disarmer but Brooke tried pulling Charlotte out of it so the referee called for a DQ.
Brooke finally pulled Charlotte out of the ring, but Natalya cut them off on the ramp. Natalya and Lynch tried to apply their submission moves on the heels but they escaped through the crowd. The action was fine but the finish was crap. The crowd liked Becky.
MITB Interview Segment
Backstage, Renee Young interviewed Zayn and Ambrose. With Ambrose standing right there, Zayn tipped his hat at Renee. Zayn said he and Ambrose have a good track record as a team despite Ambrose’s comments on Monday.
Ambrose was skeptical of Canadians because of Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho and the border patrol guy. Zayn told Ambrose he shouldn’t have tried to bring nunchucks into the country. Owens and Del Rio interrupted. Owens tried to convince Ambrose that Zayn was manipulating him. After Del Rio added some insults of his own, Ambrose said they should just fight right now but the heels left.
The Dudley Boyz beat Golden Truth via pinfall
Tyler Breeze and Fandango sat in Breeze’s lounge at ringside. Truth rapped a new song on the way out, and they had the lyrics on the screen. Lawler called it terrible, and he’s right. During the match, Breeze jumped on the apron to take a selfie, so Truth knocked him off. Goldust was distracted, so D-Von pushed him into Truth and used a school boy for the win. Breeze and Fandango made bad jokes afterwards. This was not good.
They ran a video package for, of all things, Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler. Outside of the arena, Renee said Corbin requested for interview time. She asked why they were doing it outside, and Corbin said the crowd doesn’t deserve his presence after they cheered what Ziggler did on Raw. Corbin said the next time he enters an arena it would be to end Ziggler.
Sami Zayn & Dean Ambrose beat Alberto Del Rio & Kevin Owens via pinfall
Ranallo plugged Raw in Oklahoma City and Lawler namedropped “J.R.” They showed a graphic for the MITB ladder match and there was no seventh mystery guy, just the six guys who already qualified.
There were some “Ole” and “Let’s go Ambrose” chants early on. There was a dumb spot during the heat where Del Rio hit a version of his double foot stomp finisher and never went for the cover. They double-teamed Ambrose on the outside so Zayn hit a flip dive to take out the heels.
Ambrose hit the rebound clothesline and went for the hot tag, but Del Rio knocked Zayn off the apron. Ambrose used a neckbreaker and went for the tag again but Zayn was still down. Del Rio tried a running enziguri on Ambrose, but he ducked and Del Rio nailed Owens instead. Zayn made the hot tag and immediately hit Del Rio with the Helluva kick for the win. Really good finish.
An enraged Owens grabbed Saxton’s headset and said he was sick of his partners costing him matches and he would show them what will happen at MITB. Owens grabbed a ladder to go after the briefcase, but Cesaro ran out and gave him a springboard uppercut – while wearing in his suit. Cesaro climbed the ladder and grabbed the briefcase, sealing his fate. Ambrose and Zayn appeared nonplussed.
Non-Title: U.S. Champion Rusev (w/Lana) beat Jack Swagger via submission
Lana introduced Rusev, and her accent was about 20% as strong as usual. As Swagger made his entrance, Rusev attacked him and tossed him into the steps. The referee asked Swagger if he was ok to start the match and he said yes. I feel like they’ve done this exact angle with these two before.
Rusev tried a superkick immediately but Swagger caught him for the ankle lock. Rusev escaped to the outside and cut off Swagger with a clothesline and took control. Swagger did get some offense but Rusev won with the Accolade. He refused to break the hold, so Titus O’Neil made the save, and Rusev bailed.
They actually plugged that after a break they would show the crap angle with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. And then they did. Also, there was another dumb segment with Darren Young and Bob Backlund. Basically, Backlund wants Darren to walk, not run. Literally.
AJ Styles (w/The Club) beat Kofi Kingston (w/New Day) via pinfall
They had a quick back and forth exchange and they both did a kip-up at the same time to face off, because wrestling is fake and choreographed. Just kidding. It’s fine. Styles got the better of Kingston with a couple of arm drags and posed with the Club.
Kingston got the better of the next exchange, which led to a corner dropkick accompanied by Woods playing the trombone. The Club and New Day all jumped in the ring but they were held back from fighting. This led to a commercial break, which was only two minutes into the match. Keep in mind they had already gone to commercial break after the entrances.
Anyway, after a while, Woods, Big E, Gallows and Anderson all got in each others faces outside the ring. Kingston was distracted so Styles ran him face first into the steel post. Crowd chanted for Kofi as Styles had control. As the announcers discussed Styles’ attitude, Saxton asked why AJ didn’t just show his hand in the first place, to which Lawler replied, “You’ve obviously never played poker.”
Kingston came back with a monkey flip, dropkick, clothesline and leg drop. Styles ducked the Trouble in Paradise and hit a fireman’s carry into a neckbreaker. Styles went for the Styles Clash but Kingston (sort of) countered and eventually hit a double knee attack for two. Styles set up for the Phenomenal forearm but Woods distracted him with the trombone, allowing Kingston to use an S.O.S. for a near fall.
Anderson attacked Woods on the outside, so Big E tossed Gallows into the barricade. Anderson lept at Big E, but Big E caught him and hit a belly-to-belly onto the announce table, which was cool. Gallows booted Big E, so Kingston took out Gallows with a crazy flip dive. As Kingston stepped back into the ring through the ropes, Styles caught him with a Pele kick and nailed the Styles Clash for the win. Fun stuff.
– Final Thoughts:
AJ Styles as a heel with The Club is cool and freshens things up. Tonight’s main event was pretty good but this was an otherwise normal Smackdown show.
There was a pretty wild press conference today for UFC 199. It was all about the two title fights and a continuation over what started the night before on UFC Tonight. It was noted that this show in Los Angeles has four California based fighter in two title matches now with Luke Rockhold (Santa Cruz/San Jose), Michael Bisping (Los Angeles), Cruz (San Diego) and Urijah Faber (Sacramento). It is possible after next week that Northern California would have three different world champions, as well as the NBA & NHL champion. Granted, I expect of the five, two of them are unlikely right now with the Sharks down 2-0 and Faber against Cruz.
The big news at the press conference was Luke Rockhold, after Bisping used lady body parts to describe him and claiming over and over that he turned down fighting Jacare Souza (not exactly accurate but it was a weird storyline for Bisping to take because it made him come across a lesser contender than Souza) where Rockhold admitted that he has a torn MCL. That rumor has been going around and Bisping said he knew Rockhold had a weak knee. Rockhold also admitted that he had done no grappling training in camp but still was taking the fight.
We’re looking for reports tonight from the NXT shows in Evansville, IN and Tampa to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.
SMACKDOWN TONIGHT ON USA
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch non-title
R-Truth & Goldust vs. Dudleys
Dean Ambrose & Sami Zayn vs. Alberto Del Rio & Kevin Owens
Rusev vs. Jack Swagger non-title
Kofi Kingston vs. A.J. Styles
NEW JAPAN LIVE FROM TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL FRIDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
Volador Jr. & Ricochet & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Trent Baretta & Will Ospreay
Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Juice Robinson & Jay White & Bobby Fish
David Finlay vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Rocky Romero vs. Gedo
Satoshi Kojima & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Bushi
Kushida vs. Matt Sydal
Friday night has these shows we’re looking for reports from:
*ROH in Collinsville, IL (Jay Briscoe & War Machine vs. Jay Lethal & Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian, Adam Cole vs. Kamaitachi, Roderick Strong vs. Silas Young vs. Stevie Richards vs. Moose)
NEW JAPAN WORLD FRIDAY NIGHT ON AXS TV AT 8 P.M. FOR A TWO HOUR SPECIAL
Rey Cometa & Stuka Jr. & Titan vs. Cavernario & Felino & Mr Niebla
La Mascara vs. Pierroth
Atlantis & Marco Corleone & Valiente vs. Negro Casas & Shocker & Ultimo Guerrero
Saturday night we’re looking for reports from:
*WWE in Lubbock, TX (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Tulsa (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*NXT in Atlanta at Center Stage
*NXT in Fort Pierce, FL.
*ROH in Indianapolis at the Harvest Pavilion (Adam Cole & Adam Page vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe non-title, Moose vs. Jay Briscoe, Roderick Strong vs. Kamaitachi vs. Jason Kincaid vs. ACH vs. Lio Rush vs. Will Ferrara)
UFC 199 FROM THE FORUM IN LOS ANGELES
Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m.
Maestro Dong Hyun Kim vs. Polo Reyes
Kevin Casey vs. Elvis Mutapcic
Luiz Henrique da Silv vs. Jonathan Wilson
Tom Breese vs. Sean Strickland
FS 1 at 8 p.m.
Jessica Andrade vs. Jessica Penne
Beneil Dariush vs. James Vick
Clay Guida vs. Brian Ortega
Alex Caceres vs Cole Miller
PPV at 10 p.m.
Dustin Poirier vs. Bobby Green
Dan Henderson vs. Hector Lombard
Max Holloway vs. Ricardo Lamas
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber for bantamweight title
Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping for middleweight title
NEW JAPAN WORLD SUNDAY AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM GUNMA
Ryusuke Taguchi & Jay White vs. Yoshi-Hashi & Rocky Romero
Yuji Nagata & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Manabu Nakanishi & David Finlay & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Kushida & Juice Robinson & Captain New Japan & Matt Sydal
Tiger Mask vs. Trent Baretta
Will Ospreay vs. Jushin Liger
Bobby Fish vs. Chase Owens
Ricochet vs. Volador Jr.
Satoshi Kojima & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi
*WWE in Amarillo (Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Rusev, Usos, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Cesaro)
*WWE in Lawton, OK (Kane, Big Show, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Paige, Enzo, Cass, Dudleys, Apollo, Crews, Sheamus, New Day, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman)
*ROH in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Expo Building (Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian defend the tag title against War Machine, Adam Cole vs. Lio Rush, Dalton Castle vs. Kamaitachi)
NEW JAPAN WORLD MONDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil
Volador Jr. vs. Will Ospreay
Ricochet vs. Chase Owens
Bobby Fish vs. Tiger Mask
Jushin Liger vs. Trent Baretta
Matt Sydal vs. David Finlay
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Gedo
Kushida vs. Bushi
Raw will be Monday in Oklahoma City. John Cena, Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are all booked on the show along with the usual regulars.
NEW JAPAN WORLD TUESDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME FROM SENDAI (English language commentary)
Best of the Super Juniors championship match
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Wichita. John Cena is not scheduled but Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho are scheduled.
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Figure Four Weekly 5/30/2016: Big Vito’s deposition – If you thought Evan Singleton’s deposition went badly for the plaintiffs in the WWE concussion lawsuit, then that appears to be nothing compared to what happened a week later during Vito LoGrasso’s deposition on May 18th. Given the back and forth over LoGrasso claiming that head injuries caused partial deafness when, in the past, he had spoken of having a hearing impairment since birth, the deposition promised to be interesting. It over-delivered.
A huge double issue of the Observer is out this week, including the real catalyst behind the WWE brand split, a breakdown of the roster, justice denied again in the Jimmy Snuka case, Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay and the Super Juniors tournament plus a full rundown, the story behind Bill Goldberg and the WWE video game and the Brock Lesnar tease, famous boxer vs. pro wrestler fights, WWE schedule and injury rates, business rundowns from the past two months for WWE & TNA, updates on cable stations that carry wrestling and MMA, and one of the greatest territorial business runs in history in the life and career of Cowboy Frankie Laine.
Our lead story looks at the WWE brand split, why it happened, what is known that isn’t a secret, ads out post brand split, plans for the split two months ago and what the ad department was told then, what different arenas have been told this week, thoughts behind decisions having too be made, plus a roster rundown on what positions WWE is strong and weak in, and where NXT talent should fit in and who is ready, or who can fill a slot.
There is also an update on the Jimmy Snuka situation, with a realistic view if there will be a trial and what the time frame is and what happens next.
This issue also looks at the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match, Vader’s reaction, Super Juniors standings and rundowns of the shows plus looking at where things are going.
Updates on Money in the Bank, stars returning to television soon, how the NBA & NHL playoffs coincide with wrestling the next two weeks, an update on NXT, lots of WWE performers off TV for the next several weeks, notes from lawsuit depositions that are eye opening, Cena getting a gigantic endorsement deal, Rollins return news, injury updates, lots of Dwayne Johnson news, WrestleMania in the future notes, notes on how little talent gets told in advance about things, who watches what on WWE network, plus we’ve got rundowns of every WWE & NXT events over the past week and business notes on the shows, all included in in this issue.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer.
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.
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One thing I want to mention about the Jimmy Snuka case ruling is that the judge changed the date of the ruling without letting anyone know, most notably the two sisters of Nancy Argentino who have pushed for investigation and prosecution of this case for 33 years. This enabled the judge to announce the ruling without them in the court room.
In the Best of the Super Junior tournament from earlier today in Nagoya
Volador Jr. (3-2) beat Chase Owens (2-3)
Jushin Liger (3-2) beat Tiger Mask (2-3)
Will Ospreay (2-3) beat Bobby Fish (2-3)
Ricochet (4-1) beat Trent Baretta (2-3)
Our annual web site convention takes place 7/7 to 7/10 in Las Vegas. Among the activities is all you can eat steak at Texas de Brazil, $72 per person on Thursday night and a $39 lunch at 2 p.m. on Friday at Buca de Beppo at the Excalibur. Payments can be sent for reserving those two events via paypal by 7/1 to SRJAIALAIOT@yahoo.com. Mention what you are ordering. Details of other weekend activity in conjunction with UFC 200 is on the Facebook page searching for 10th annual F4W convention and on the message board in the Empire Get Together section.
David Schultz, the subject of three movies and documentaries over the past year regarding his murder, as well as coach Bill Farrell, referee Rick Tucci and administrator Joe Scalzo are to be inducted into the World Wrestling Hall of fame in a ceremony on 8/12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before the start of the Olympic wrestling competition.
TNA Impact on Tuesday night did 346,000 viewers. It was down from last week, but well up from what the show had been doing when it aired twice instead of once.
WWE
The second Smackdown taping after the brand split will be 7/26 from Buffalo. There is a presale going on right now with the code word: SMACKDOWN
For the first time, UFC will be doing early weigh-ins. The actual weigh-ins will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow. There will be a public weigh-in where the fighters will appear and their weigh-in weights announced that will be televised at 7 p.m. Eastern time. Fighters will pose and square off and do interviews, but the weights that will be read will be from earlier in the day. It will air on FS 1. The idea is this allows fighters several more hours to rehydrate. Of course it also allows them several more hours to get to a weight far beyond the actual fighting weight. Most fighters are happy about it because once they get to weight, they can weigh in, rather than wait for the weigh-ins without being able to eat or drink.
Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes will lead more than 100 motorcycles riding from the Los Angeles Harley Davidson dealership to UFC Fan Village on Saturday before the show. Fan Village will be at the Forum at West Manchester Blvd.
The WWN pro wrestling group is looking for MMA fighters of Chinese, South Korean or other Asian American fighters for work at help@WWNLive.com.
Cody Rhodes gets another one off his bucket list as he’s facing Mike Bennett on the 8/26 Northeast Wrestling show outdoors at Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, MA.
NWA Classics has changed its name to NWAOnDemand.com and is offering one week free. The web site is mostly old Houston matches from the Paul Boesch tape library. Among the matches they have include Harley Race defending the NWA title against Rick Martel, Jumbo Tsuruta, El Halcon and Gino Hernandez, AWA champion Nick Bockwinkel against Bruiser Brody, Dusty Rhodes and Ricky Morton, Midnight Express vs Rock & Roll Express, Andre the Giant, David Von Erich vs. The Spoiler, Dick Slater vs. Mongolian Stomper, Gino Hernandez & Tully Blanchard as a tag, Von Erichs, Magnum T.A., Mr. Wrestling II, Ken Patera, Jose Lothario, Superstar Billy Graham and much more.
Here is an ACH interview with The Sporting News talking his sometimes mistaken personality, growing up in the ROH locker room, his recent matches against New Japan stars and his hope of working for the promotion, possibly going to WWE and who he would like to face at theJune 24 Best in the World ’16 PPV.
Chase Owens has pulled out of his 6/24 date in Elizabethton, TN for NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling due to international commitments. Toby Farley will take his place and team with Buff Bagwell against Jordan Kage & Chris Richards. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall will make appearances on the show.
Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion has shows on 6/24 in East Burnwood, Victoria, Australia at the Whitehorse Club with Dreamer, Mickie James, Carlito, MVP and Lisa Marie Varon; 8/6 in Pasadena, TX at the Convention Center with an afternoon convention; and 9/17 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia with an afternoon convention and a show at night. They will also run 9/16 in St. James, NY at the Sports Arena.
Fusion Wrestling from Saturday night in Warsaw, VA: Dirty Money b Jefferson Early, Aden Chambers & Brandon Day b Brutal Bob Evans & Tim Hughes, Jimmy Valiant & Ricky Morton & Preston Quinn b Christian Tarr & Outlaw Ink, Victor Griff b Memphis Mofo, Lee Valiant b Arik Royal, MVP b Kongo. Ricky Steamboat also appeared on the show. Next show is 8/6 in Warsaw, VA.
Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling on 6/25 in Vancouver at the Russian Community Centre as well as 7/16 in Vancouver at the Commodore Ballroom.
Destiny Wrestling with Jeff Jarrett, Kongo Kong, Jennifer Blake, Moose and Santino Marella (as referee) has a TV taping for Fibe TV1 at Marella’s Don Kolov Arena at his gym in Mississauga, ONT.
Pure Wrestling Association on 7/9 in Kitchener, ONT at the Alpine Club.
Northeast Wrestling on 6/4 in Hickory, NC at the LP Frans Stadium with appearances by Ric Flair and Magnum T.A. plus The Hardys will be wrestling on the show.
Legacy Fighting Championship on 7/22 from Lake Charles, LA at the Golden Nugget headlined by Robert Drysdale (6-0), the BJJ expert against Ryan Spann (9-2) for the light heavyweight title. The show will air live on AXS that night at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
All Star Wrestling on 6/17 in Garibaldi Highlands, BC at the Totem Hall.
Al Snow vs. Hannibal for the Canadian title plus a women’s match and a Battle Royal on Saturday night in Smiths Falls, ONT for Great North Wrestling.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix from last night in Omaha: Paul Daniels b Mad Dog McDowell, Joey Daniels b Ajax Adams, Cuco Santiago b Zac James, Dalton Lee Roth b Purple, Con Artiest b Robert Storm, Branden Juarez b Pat Powers. Next show is 7/29 in Omaha at the Waiting Room Lounge with Sonjay Dutt.
An Al Snow interview can be seen here.
EVENTS
June 4 – UFC 199 from the Forum in Los Angeles with Michael Bisping getting his first title opportunity of his career battling Luke Rockhold for the middleweight belt
June 4 – In celebration of Metro Pro’s Sixth Anniversary, Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in action on Saturday, Turner Recreation Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The event address is: 831 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS 66106 – Tickets can be bought in advance.
June 5 – AAA’s Victoria World Cup men and women’s trio tournament finals at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City which will be a live iPPV show
June 7 – New Japan Best of the Super Juniors finals from Sendai live on New Japan World
June 8 – NXT Takeover from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL featuring Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a cage match plus a loaded lineup that includes American Alpha vs. The Revival and probably Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries, which could be WWE’s match of the month.
June 12 – TNA Slammiversary headlined by Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA title from Orlando
June 12 – Revolution Pro Wrestling in London, England headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
June 17 – AAW “Killers Among Us” features Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, Drago vs. Chris Hero, and more at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) All Ages Event – Tickets available.
June 18 – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
June 19 – New Japan Dominion, one of the company’s biggest events of the year, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a ladder match for the IC title
June 19 – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
It is still largely secretive, if things have even been figured out past the top guys, regarding what will happen with WWE talent when they do the brand split in July.
