A whole generation has grown up since wrestling was last on nationwide TV in the United Kingdom, and yet when people think of the term “British wrestling” they imagine the athletes of those glory years and the style of wrestling they purveyed.
But, while the sport entered a lull for the first decade and a half after Greg Dyke decided to cancel the weekly showcase on ITV’s World Of Sport, it has been on the rise again for the last fifteen years, resulting in a current scene that can see a score of shows every weekend, some playing to four figure crowds. What’s more, Britain’s wrestlers have been able to parlay it into a full-time job, and made waves overseas, with British and Irish talent flooding into WWE, and becoming star attractions on America’s independent scene.
So, with that in mind, here are 5 things you need to know about British wrestling this week:
1) It’s been quiet, show-wise, in the UK this week, because WWE – and the huge, money-hoovering juggernaut – are in town.
While the lack of Adam Rose’s Rosebuds didn’t give us the opportunity to see the likes of Dave Mastiff, Zack Gibson, and Nina Samuels dancing on the entrance ramp, those who attended WWE’s London house show may have seen PROGRESS co-owner Glen Joseph flash up on the screen in a selfie taken with Finn Balor. Balor had his last non-WWE match for PROGRESS – against Jimmy Havoc – and stays tight with the promotion.
2) Speaking of PROGRESS, they announced the first match for their inaugural trip to Manchester next month – a mouth-watering contest between Zack Sabre Jr and Tommaso Ciampa.
PROGRESS are a little over three years old, and have made enormous strides in that time, becoming one of the major promotions in a market stuffed with choices. They’ve previously only run in London (and will present their twenty-third “chapter” show there a week before Manchester) but this is their first foray into new territory and is, of course, sold out. Sabre Jr and Ciampa have almost traded places of late, with Zack basing himself in Japan for Pro-Wrestling NOAH and becoming a feature attraction for British promotions, and Ciampa making appearances all over the UK on regular tours. That this is possible is a marker for how far the British scene has, erm, PROGRESSed.
3) Another promotion to have announced a Zack Sabre Jr match is New Generation Wrestling, based in Hull, who have booked him for their end-of-year blowout, Eternal Glory.
Sabre Jr will face Zack Gibson, this year’s winner of NGW’s annual Davey Boy Smith Cup. NGW are the only promotion currently enjoying anything near national TV, with a monthly showcase on satellite and cable channel Challenge, and a weekly show syndicated to various lowly-viewed local cable channels across the UK. One of the men behind NGW is Alex Shane, the doyen of trying to get British wrestling back on TV, and he’s still working extremely hard towards that goal. How valuable it is now, with so many other options available – PROGRESS and ICW have well-subscribed on-demand channels, and Revolution-Pro makes great use of YouTube, is debatable, but the chase is still very much on.
4) While WWE took most of the money and attention from British fans this weekend, there were some shows out there delivering the usual mix of local talent, British stars, and the odd import.
Ultimo Dragon, enjoying an Indian summer in Europe of late, appeared for 4Front Wrestling in Bristol, a week after tearing the house down against Juventud Guerrera for the same promotion. 4FW have used John Morrison recently, and are also bringing in Pentagon Jr and Drago for a show early next year, giving a small part of the UK a taste of Lucha Underground. Guerrera also made a stop with IPW:UK at their Supershow in Rochester, although the big draws there were a three-way between Will Ospreay, Blackbelt Dawson, and Paul Robinson, and Jimmy Havoc putting his All-England title on the line against sometime TNA confuser Grado.
5) Grado is also the big draw for the biggest UK show in quite some time next weekend, when Insane Championship Wrestling host their sold-out Fear & Loathing show at the SECC in Glasgow.
Grado versus Drew Galloway, for the ICW Heavyweight title, is the main event on a show which has relied on consistent quality, local stars, and word-of-mouth to sell four thousand tickets, with only Rhyno – a regular import and involved in a storyline – flown in from the US. ICW have been featured in two documentary films on BBC3, a satellite and cable channel aimed at teenagers and twenty-somethings, and have reaped the reward, although their own efforts in building something quite spectacular – and certainly unique – have played as much a part as any televisual deus ex machina. Where they go next – and where British wrestling as a whole goes next – is a fascinating prospect worthy of its own documentary series.
That ICW show will be the main discussion point of the British wrestling scene next week but there’s sure to be five more things you need to know, with announcements promised by Revolution Pro-Wrestling and PROGRESS, and much much more!
7 Number of title defenses made by Ronda Rousey since becoming women’s bantamweight champion, which includes one in Strikeforce and six in the UFC
8 Number of wins in less than a minute for Rousey in her professional career, she also had three wins in under a minute in her amateur career
9 Number of wins by armbar scored by Rousey in her career
25:46 Total fight time for Rousey in her 12 career fights
100 Finishing rate percentage for Rousey, who has never gone the distance in a fight
44 Number of professional wins, between boxing, kickboxing and MMA, for Holly Holm in her fighting career
100 Takedown defense percentage rate for Holm in her MMA career
19 Number of title reigns in Holm’s boxing career
7 Current ranking in the women’s bantamweight division for Holm
28 Significant striking accuracy percentage rate for Holm, among the lowest in the division
10 Straight wins to start the MMA career for UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk
126 Significant strikes landed in Jedrzejczyk’s successful title defense against Jessica Penne in June
4.9 Significant strikes landed per minute by Jedrzejczyk
9 Current ranking of Valerie Letourneau in the women’s strawweight division
3.73 Significant strikes absorbed per minute for Letourneau as she heads into the fight against one of the best strikers in the sport in Jedrzejczyk
3 Inches of reach advantage that Letourneau will have over Jedrzejczyk
10 Number of wins and losses in the career of Mark Hunt, and also the number of stoppage losses in Hunt’s career
529 Total number of strikes landed in Hunt’s UFC career
1:54:11 Total Octagon fight time for Hunt, seventh-most in UFC heavyweight history
6:46 Average fight time for Antonio Silva, seventh-lowest in UFC heavyweight history
8 Inches of reach advantage that Silva will have over Hunt
6 Losses by knockout for Silva, whose last five losses have come by knockout
200 Combined number of significant strikes landed by Hunt and Silva in their first bout in December 2013
49 Days between fights, the quickest turnaround of anyone on the card, for Uriah Hall, who scored a knockout win over Gegard Mousasi on September 26
75 Win percentage rate by knockout for Hall, who has scored nine of his 12 wins by knockout
10 Current ranking for Hall in the middleweight rankings after winning five of his last six fights
14 Current ranking for Robert Whittaker in the middleweight rankings after just two fights in the division
4.83 Significant strikes landed per minute by Whittaker in UFC competition
4.29 Significant strikes absorbed per minute by Whittaker as he heads into a fight against a versatile striker in Hall
84 Inches in height and reach of Stefan Struve, the tallest fighter on the UFC roster
19 Submission attempts by Struve in, second-most in UFC heavyweight competition
2.86 Submission attempts per 15 minutes by Struve, most in UFC heavyweight competition (min. 5 fights)
12:46 Average fight time for Jared Rosholt in the UFC, highest in the UFC heavyweight division
9 Number of takedowns landed by Rosholt during his UFC career
125 Wins in NCAA college wrestling competition by Rosholt, which makes him the winningest heavyweight in the history of the Oklahoma State wrestling program
19 Age at which Jake Matthews made his UFC debut in June 2014
87.5 Career finishing rate percentage for Matthews, who has scored seven of his eight wins by stoppage
33 Career fights for Akbarh Arreola, making him the most experienced fighter on the card alongside Stefan Struve
95.6 Career finishing rate percentage for Arreola, who has scored 22 of his 23 wins by stoppage
16 Number of wins by Kyle Noke in his native Australia
3.14 Significant strikes landed per minute by Noke
93.3 Career finishing rate percentage for Peter Sobotta, who has scored 14 of his 15 wins by stoppage
83.3 Percentage of takedowns defended by Sobotta during his UFC career
43 Age of Anthony Perosh, making him the oldest fighter on the UFC 193 card
100 Career finishing rate percentage for Perosh, who has scored all of his 15 wins by stoppage
298 Significant strikes landed by Gian Villante in UFC competition
5.81 Significant strikes absorbed per minute by Villante, among the highest in the UFC light heavyweight division
90 Career finishing rate percentage for Richie Vaculik, who has scored nine of his ten wins by stoppage
5 Wins by rear-naked choke for Vaculik, who has six submission wins in his career
3 Consecutive losses for Danny Martinez, who finds himself in a must-win situation
0 Number of times Martinez has been finished in his career as his seven losses have all been by decision
4 Number of times Dan Kelly competed in the Olympics, representing Australia in judo
5 Inches of reach advantage Steve Montgomery will have over Dan Kelly
2 Consecutive losses for Richard Walsh, who likely finds himself in a win-or-be-cut fight
22 Professional wins for Steve Kennedy, who seeks his first UFC win
80 Takedowns defended percentage rate for James Moontasri during his UFC tenure
8 Days notice for Anton Zafir in making his UFC debut as an injury replacement
7 Consecutive wins for Ben Nguyen, who won his UFC debut in May
100 Career finishing percentage rate for Ryan Benoit, who has scored his eight wins by stoppage (7 by KO/TKO, 1 by submission)
You knew I had to score this show, as my main man, my numero uno favorite fighter, Dan “Hendo” Henderson was on the card. For the record, I’m picking the H-Bomb to drop tonight. Granted, you’ll read this after the show, but my money is literally on Hendo.
We are down to the final scoring report and after this I will put together a whole article on the numbers and statistics from the experiment. We are not changing anything tonight. As always, I will score all the fights and report on the ones that go the distance. I will compare my “True Ten” scoring system, to the current “Ten Point Must” scoring system. In quick summary, they are the same, except I use more of the 10 points. A 10-8 in TT is equivalent to a 10-9 in TPM, and a 10-6 TT score is the same as a 10-8 in TPM. I also use way more 10-10 scores especially for pick ‘em rounds. (I may go one more week with this article and cover the Ronda match next week.)
Analysis: Well, this was great a call. I figured it was going to be a unanimous decision for Till and I’d write my usual rant about not giving 10-8s, but two of these judges showed some guts because clearly the last round was a 10-8 for Dalby. It could have been stopped at least one time. Till got very lucky here.
Further Analysis: This was a great call. Neither man deserved the duke here, but both fought hard, so why not let them do it again? Having more draws would result in more rematches, which would result in having to step guys up or down in talent level unnecessarily. If a fighter has a draw, then don’t push him or her to the top yet.
On with the show…
LIGHTWEIGHTS – YAN CABRAL VS. JOHNNY CASE
True Ten Rd1) 10-9 Cabral, Rd 2) 10-8 Case, Rd 3) 10-9 Case
Result: Johnny Case 29-27
Official Result: Johnny Case by Unanimous decision (3 x 29-28)
Analysis: This was a pretty easy decision, except of course my score is different, and I’d argue, more accurate, than the typical 29-28 that probably everyone scored. My 29-27 score is more nuanced. Cabral won the first, but not by much, and really only because he had an opportunity at a Kimura. Case decidedly won the second so I gave him the 10-8, and he won the third, but barely by turning that back control into the ground and pound.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS – FABIO MALDONADO VS. COREY ANDERSON
True Ten Rd1) 10-8 Anderson, Rd2) 10-8 Anderson, Rd3) 10-8 Anderson
Result: Anderson 30-24
Official Result: Corey Anderson by Unanimous Decision (3 x 30-27)
Analysis: You’d think Maldonado would have come out to fight, but I guess he’s done. An easy pick here as Anderson easily won all three rounds.
LIGHTWEIGHTS – GILBERT BURNS VS. RASHID MAGOMEDOV
True Ten Rd1) 10-10 Rd2) 10-8 Magomedov, Rd3) 10-8 Magomedov
Result: Rashid Magomedov 30-26
Official Result: Rashid Magomedov by Unanimous Decision (3 x 30-27)
Analysis: I guess Burns got hurt early, and just decided to not fight for 13 minutes. Another easy call here.
Overall Analysis: A pretty easy show to pick with nothing crazy. A bad showing by my boy Hendo. Is he done? I’m sad to say so, but yes.
By: PeachMachine (@hendosfoodblog and @parkingcone)
This week…
TLC 2 – December 19,2010 – Houston Texas – Toyota Center
Dark Match – Daniel Bryan (c) defeated Ted DiBiase (with Maryse) for the WWE United States Championship
Not on the network, but let’s start our tally of current WWE employees versus goners – D. Bryan still with the company (barely), but DiBiase and Maryse are gone, so it’s 1-2.
U.S. Champion D. Bryan in the dark slot. Ya.
Dolph Ziggler (c) defeated Kofi Kingston and Jack Swagger in a triple threat ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Stryker, Cole and Lawler again. Cole has his Slammies. Remember when the Slammies were real, or something like that?
Of the four performers involved in the first match, yes for Kofi, yes for Dolph, yes-ish for Swagger, and no for Vicki, so it’s 4-3.
A pretty average three way and a pretty average ladder match with a super flat finish of Dolph picking the title up off the ground that was dropped by Kofi and Swagger.
Natalya and Beth Phoenix defeated LayCool (Layla and Michelle McCool) in a tag team tables match
Natalya is the only one still remaining, so we’re at 5 in and 6 out.
I’ve haven’t heard as many hi-yas in one place since my 6 year old birthday party where we all were dressed as ninjas.
Stryker just sounds like a complete dork.
I enjoyed the painted table because I have no idea if it was supposed to be flattering or insulting to LayCool.
I see why they haven’t done another one of these since.
The double Sharpshooter by Natalya actually looked pretty good.
Natalya having to do the cross body off the top because the table didn’t break made the ending at least enjoyable.
Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov (c) defeated The Nexus (Justin Gabriel and Health Slater) (with Husky Harris and whatever Curtis Axel was before, something McGuillicutty?) by DQ for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Santino is not wrestling anymore, Kozlov is gone, Gabriel quit, Slater is a jobber, Harris is now Bray Wyatt, and Axelmania is, well, unclear at best. That puts us at 8 on the roster and 9 not, and the biggest current player of this match is Husky Harris.
Remember Kozlov?
John Morrison defeated King Sheamus in a ladder match to determine the number one contender to the WWE Championship
Wow, Michael Cole really stepping up his annoyingness putting himself over in this one. Nothing I like more than hearing the announcers talk about how great they are personally.
Sheamus is still around, and Morrison is doing stand up comedy. Who came out better? 9 still here, 10 gone.
Let’s toss the announce team into our tally, so we have Cole and King still around and Stryker gone. Now we’re even at 11.
Pretty wild ladder match. I like when they build stuff out of the ladders.
Do you think Morrison really did Parkour? Like in his free time, would he go run in the park and jump off of picnic tables? Or did he just go to the gym like a normal person.
I like to think that all contract disputes are settled this way. “Alright, we’ve acquired the Donaldson contract. Let’s all thank Gary for winning that ladder match.”
Michael Cole, “That steel ladder bent in half!” WWE Director, “And now lets got a shot of those wood shards from where the wooden section of the ladder broke.”
This is actually a dang good match. Really fun stuff here.
The Miz (c) (with Alex Riley) defeated Randy Orton in a tables match for the WWE Championship
Miz is still around and now wearing a cape, Orton is around but injured, and A-Ry? MIA. I can’t count him as a current roster member… Well I just checked the WWE Superstars page, and he’s there, so I have to count him. 14 yes – 11 no. Oh wait, I forgot to add Josh Matthews to the no list. 14-12.
I once pitched a tag team idea for Zach Ryder and Alex Riley. They would have been called A Ri to Z Ry… And by pitched I mean, said to myself alone in the car and giggled.
Did you do your Randy Orton body research from last week? One day when I figure out how to screen shot something I’ll do it myself. Nah, I won’t. Regardless, he looks better in 2010 than 2009. Bigger for sure. And it looks like he finally got those wonderful tattoo sleeves completed.
A Ry took the table bump and Miz put a lifeless Randy Orton through the remains, and Mike Chioda didn’t see it because he had been bumped.
Chioda saw the replay on the big screen and restarted the match. Let’s start the 90-second timer… Way less.
So now Orton falls off the apron and into a table and the match is over.
So the ref can use replay but only if they happen to notice it. It can’t be done officially, I guess. Cole was yelling about how instant replay is illegal.
They showed a replay of Chioda watching the replay. Whoa! Trippy.
Edge defeated Kane (c), Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) in a Fatal-4-Way TLC match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Rosa Mendes and Del Rio chatted it up before the match. Strangely, they are both still on the roster.
Edge is gone, Rey is gone, Ricardo is gone, Kane is now two people, but he’s fired. Whatever. 17 yes and 15 no.
This is just after the “Edge is a psychopath father torture” angle.
Edge took a ladder and threw it near the announcers and you could see Stryker do the “stop short” arm move for the King. That was nice.
Then Stryker says that Edge chose the biggest ladder because of his experience. Ok?
Some pretty inventive stuff here. Rey jumped off one of the prop tables that were hung over the stage.
Ricardo took a big bump from Kane.
This was a heck of a TLC match. Just sort of brutal and realistic. When the spots get too inventive, it takes me out of it.
It also takes me out of it when at the start of every ladder match the guys have to stare at the title longingly.
Hellacious bump by Del Rio coming off the big ladder through a table out of the ring.
Kane’s back up and looks to have a trickle of blood on his head. Better go to that wide shot.
Edge spanked Kane with a chair.
Remember the Con-Chair-To?
Kane took a pretty solid bump to the floor through a table after a spear by Edge.
Really excellent TLC match.
An unbelievably embarrassingly bad comedy Santa skit…
Dashing Cody Rhodes came out to speak. He’s still on the roster, sort of. 18 and 15.
Fat material. Jowl puns. Wow.
Michael Cole’s fake laugh is sickening. “Irritable Jowl Syndrome.” Haha! Good stuff Cody.
I enjoy the old school heel running down the audience, but this material is “Boy Meets World” level bad.
Then the Bellas came out as elves and Big Show as Santa.
Big Show is out to plug Knucklehead. I hope that ends up in my stocking this year.
The Bellas and Show are still on the roster. 21-15
Big Show’s finish is a punch. How is he not the Champion on an amazing undefeated streak if all he has to do is punch?
John Cena defeated Wade Barrett in a chairs match
CM Punk comes to the ring to announce. He’s out.
Cena is still the man even though he’s off TV for a bit, and Barrett probably wishes he were fired a long time ago. 23 yes, and 16 no.
There are literally dozens of chairs at ringside and Cena can’t seem to pick one up.
“We Hate Cena” T-Shirt guy in the front row. Speak for yourself!
This match is just silly.
Chair use in this match is idiotic. Wade continually tries to decapitate him but keeps missing, and then gently swipes him on the side later when he had him dead to rights.
Red Hat guy in the crowd
This PPV is dragging.
Cena “knocked out” Barrett, then poured cold water on his face to wake him up, just so he could zoom him down the ramp on a rolling chair into the propped up ring steps. That’s really what happened.
Now I’m supposed to take this match seriously.
Oh, remember earlier when Cena knocked out all five other Nexus guys earlier in the night? He’s concussed a half a dozen men this evening.
Cena wins by giving Barrett an Attitude Adjustment onto 8 chairs.
That match was pretty stupid. It had a zany finish of Cena putting Barrett under a protective table, and then pulling down the prop chairs and they all fell on Barrett.
Summary: This was a much better show than the year before. Actually, I just went through the card again, and I’m wrong. It’s not as good. The terrible stuff was just the dirt worst, and there were some cringe worthy matches. The TLC match was really good. Go watch that.
Even with today’s online attack culture environment turning debate into a terrible, overproduced thing, there is still a place for two people to organically disagree on a topic and let the world decide who they think is right: ESPN First Take! (Just kidding.)
Paul Fontaine and I found we disagreed on the topic of whether there are too many Bellator shows, so I suggested we do a Point/Counterpoint on it. Let us know what you think on Twitter who you agree with.
On a recent JNPO with MMA Weekly’s Erik Fontanez, we talked about Bellator 144 and noted that other than Michael “Venom” Page, there wasn’t a ton on the show to get psyched about. Fans seemed to agree as the show drew just 555,000 viewers — the lowest numbers of any show of the Scott Coker era.
In looking ahead, that number might get worse and the reason for that — wait for it — is too many shows! Granted, I understand that there may be contractual obligations to casinos left over by the Bjorn Rebney era, but the amount of B shows are hurting their ability to put on meaningful and fun five fight shows.
Here’s what I’m talking about:
From tonight’s Bellator 145 event through December 4, Bellator has three shows: one major “tentpole” show and two B shows. The St. Louis A show has a good TV lineup other than Justin Lawrence vs. Emmanuel Sanchez which doesn’t need to be on the main card.
In two weeks, they return with a Oklahoma B show that only has three main card fights announced thus far with Melvin Manhoef vs. Hisaki Kato as a main event, followed by a Bubba Jenkins fight and a Ricky Rainey fight, all of which should be on the undercard of the St. Louis show. However, Manheof/Kato in place of Lawrence/Sanchez tonight would be great.
Two weeks after that, the promotion returns to San Jose for another B show headlined by Josh Thomson against a guy who doesn’t even have a headshot on the Bellator website. Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Daniel Weichel is the only other main card fight announced and we’re now less than a month away from the show.
Why do all these shows need to exist? Bellator should be focused on maximum impact anytime they hit the TV screen and instead, they are doing just what the UFC frequently does: fill airtime with a mid-level product that doesn’t leave us wanting more.
Scott Coker is a smart guy and he’s got to know Bellator has to be better than this. I hope for his sake that Spike TV agrees and believes that with combat sports, less is truly more.
*****
Paul’s Take —
After listening to JNPO (great show by the way, strongly recommended), I emailed Josh about this as I have a different opinion. In this case, I think that Bellator’s problems this year have actually been not enough shows.
When Bellator started on Spike TV before the Scott Coker era, they would run weekly in “seasons”, using a tournament format. They took periodic breaks where they would run one show a month. During that time, they had a fairly steady fanbase that would generally fluctuate between 600,000 and 800,000 viewers. I feel that the reason for this is that when they were running weekly, there is a segment of the audience that knew that if they wanted to watch MMA, they could tune into Spike TV and Bellator would be on.
MMA, and especially pro wrestling fans, are creatures of habit. Having a show every week on the same station in the same time slot is generally going to keep a fairly consistent audience. If the shows are good, the audience will trend upward. But when they’re running an erratic schedule, sometimes on Saturdays, sometimes taking a month off, you get what you’ve gotten this year. Over the next little while, and actually dating back to the last Bellator show, they are running bi-weekly from mid-October until early December.
Friday’s “A” show is fairly stacked by Bellator standards. Yes, the Justin Lawrence-Emmanuel Sanchez fight would be better served on the prelims, but Bellator has an excuse here as Pat Curran was originally scheduled to fight former UFC fighter Lawrence. Sanchez stepped up as a late replacement and this should be a fun fight.
The next “B” show is now finalized, and looks not so bad. Melvin Manhoef and Houston Alexander are the most familiar names on the show and it also features prospects Bubba Jenkins and Chidi Njokuani. I think that the stronger than usual B show lineup, combined with a more regular schedule, will result in a better viewership number for Bellator. The last show in December will feature Josh Thomson and former WSOF Featherweight champion Georgi Karakhanyan and Josh Koscheck is rumoured to be making his promotional debut on that show as well, so it should do fairly well.
Time will tell, but I think that Bellator might feel similar to the way I do as plans for next year are for a more regular schedule with an increase in the number of both A and B shows and also running a wider variety of markets and venues.
After a two-week break from UFC action, business picks up with the beginning of four straight weekends of fighting inside the Octagon. It kicks off on Saturday night in Sao Paulo, Brazil with UFC Fight Night 77. That also means it is time for fans who play in Draft Kings MMA to get really involved for the next few months with a strong amount of events. Let’s get this party started with this weekend’s event and take a look at some studs, some value fighters, and some fighters to avoid when setting your line-ups for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 77 event.
STUDS
Glover Teixeira ($11,000)
Glover Teixeira will have the second-highest salary of any fighter on the UFC Fight Night 77 card, and with good reason as he comes into the event as a huge favorite according to the bettors. At 36, time is running out for Teixeira to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, but he is still a strong contender with big finishing power. 20 of his 23 wins have come by knockout or submission, and he is coming off a strong third-round submission over Ovince Saint-Preux in August. He fights an opponent in Patrick Cummins who has been finished in both of his losses, and both have come due to first-round knockouts. Teixeira packs the power to finish Cummins, and he has solid enough takedown defense that he should be able to negate Cummins’ strength in the wrestling department. I like Teixeira to score a finish and net you a lot of points.
Thomas Almeida ($10,900)
Thomas Almeida is the definition of stud, and he is one of the brightest prospects in the sport, and this is another big chance for him to shine in the spotlight. He is a violent fighter and a nasty finisher. He has scored 19 of his 20 wins in his perfect career by stoppage, a whopping 95% finishing rate. He lands a high amount of strikes as well, and he has averaged 95.2 points in his two fights that have come during the Draft Kings era. Both of those fights were finishes, and Almeida lands over seven significant strikes per minute. Face it, he scores a lot of points. He has an opponent in Anthony Birchak who will stand-and-trade with him, but Birchak has been finished in the first round in both of his losses. Almeida poses the all-around skillset to give Birchak a lot of trouble, and I sense a big finish in this bout by Almeida.
VALUE PICKS
Jimmie Rivera ($9,000)
Jimmie Rivera enters UFC Fight Night 77 riding an impressive 16-fight win streak and is coming off of two straight first-round finishes, including in his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage in July. He has a tough fight against Pedro Munhoz, but Munhoz is coming off a year-long suspension for a questionable drug test in his last bout. Rivera likely has the striking edge between the two, but Munhoz is tough to finish and has a durable chin. Rivera will want to keep this fight on the feet but keeping it upright against Munhoz will be tough. Luckily, Rivera has good takedown defense. Rivera is a solid play at the price tag he has, and he does have a chance for the upset win.
Fabio Maldonado ($8,300)
I’m going to start this off by saying I don’t think Fabio Maldonado will win against Corey Anderson. Anderson has been knocked out in his career and Maldonado is a very hard hitter, so there is always the chance of a finish, and Maldonado has a great price tag. Maldonado connects on a lot of his strikes. He has landed the most significant strikes in light heavyweight history, and by a wide margin. You will get a lot of points from him if the fight stays on the feet. Anderson connects with a lot of strikes as well, and Anderson can take the fight down at will. Maldonado is going to connect a lot, and who knows, maybe one will sneak in and really hurt Anderson, who took the fight on short notice. His price tag is one worth exploring using.
AVOID
Clay Guida ($10,200)
I’m staying away from Clay Guida on this fight card. He has a tough opponent in Thiago Tavares, and Guida is not much of a finisher these days. Yes, he generally puts on entertaining fights, but entertaining fights do not get you any extra points. Guida may score on some takedowns and grind the fight out, but not a lot of significant strikes will be landed. With this fight likely going the distance, there are some better options if you are looking to maximize your points potential. Even though I see Guida winning, it’ll only be by decision, and I’m taking my risk on fighters I think will win by finish.
Abel Trujillo ($9,600)
Abel Trujillo fights Gleison Tibau in the featured preliminary bout, and Tibau holds the record for most takedowns in UFC history. Trujillo holds the distinction of being the fighter who was taken down the most in a UFC fight. Trujillo is a very hard striker, but he fades fast, and if he can’t get the finish in the first round, the second and third rounds become trouble for him. Tibau is a very durable opponent and is a big grinder. He will probably grind Trujillo to defeat. Trujillo may get lucky with an early knockdown, and he could potentially finish Tibau, but I am avoiding putting Trujillo on my team.
OUR LINEUPS
RYAN FREDERICK- Glover Teixeira ($11,000), Thomas Almeida ($10,900), Johnny Case ($10,600), Dan Henderson ($8,600), Fabio Maldonado ($8,300)
I like Glover Teixeira and Thomas Almeida to score big finish wins in their fights for the reasons stated above. I’m taking the chance with Fabio Maldonado based on his price tag, striking output, and the chance he could find an opening and score a finish on Corey Anderson. I like Johnny Case as well as he has shown solid finishing ability. His opponent, Yan Cabral, is coming off a long layoff and is a very tough opponent, but Case is a finisher. The biggest test for Case will be avoiding being on his back as Cabral has very good takedowns. The last fighter on my team is Dan Henderson. He still has that power in his right hand as he showed off against Tim Boetsch. He has a solid underdog price tag which allows for some bigger salaries. If the Vitor Belfort who fought Chris Weidman shows up against Henderson, I predict a tough night for Belfort. I’m going with Henderson to land that big right hand and finish Belfort.
PAUL FONTAINE- Thomas Almeida ($10,900), Johnny Case ($10,600), Alex Oliveira ($10,500), Gilbert Burns ($9,400), Dan Henderson ($8,600)
I’m taking Dan Henderson for value. I really think that the Hendo/Belfort matchup is a tossup but it’s going to be quick regardless. Henderson retains more of his power at 185 and I’m hoping for another quick KO from him. Gilbert Burns is unbeaten in his pro career and has submitted each of his last two UFC opponents. This fight is likely to go the ground at some point with Magomedov having a solid wrestling base and that’s where Burns should take over and secure a sub. Thomas Almeida is also unbeaten, at 20-0, and has finished all but one of his pro opponents including early knockouts in each of his last two UFC fights. Both of Birchak’s career losses have been by submission, making him a prime candidate to be finished here. Johnny Case is on an 11 fight win streak in which he’s finished 8 of his opponents. Despite being 6 years younger, he’s also got a significant experience edge over his opponent Yan Cabral. My last pick is the Brazilian Cowboy Alex Oliveira. His fight with Piotr Hallman should be an exciting slugfest with a lot of strikes thrown. All but 2 of his career wins have been finishes, including a first round submission of KJ Noons. In his lone UFC loss he was dominating Gilbert Burns before being caught in a 3rd round submission.
PEACH MACHINE- Glover Teixeira ($11,000), Thomas Almeida ($10,900), Viscardi Andrade ($9,500), Gilbert Burns ($9,400), Dan Henderson ($8,600)
I’m taking Hendo because I think Vitor has lost his chin and confidence since being humbled by Weidman, and Hendo just needs to connect once. Dan has been off TRT longer than Vitor so he’s used to fighting without the sauce. Hendo isn’t going to let Belfort repeat what happened in their last match. I really like Teixeira, as he handled OSP really well last time out, and I’m expecting much the same fight against Cummins. Plus, Teixeira’s entrance music is terrifying. Almeida is someone to keep an eye on in the bantamweight division, and I expect him to have a dominating performance. He’s a big favorite and fighting in his home country. I expect a submission from Burns, and I’m not expecting many finishes on this card. Andrade is my sleeper pick. He hasn’t fought in 20 months but I think he’ll be motivated to come out and have a strong showing against the Russian in his home country.
LAST EVENT’S RESULTS
For our teams at the last event, UFC Fight Night 76, none of the three of us had much success, and none of us cashed in the basic $3 entry fee game on Draft Kings. Ryan had the most points for the second straight time, scoring 217.50 points with his line-up. Paul scored 163.50 points and Peach scored 153 points with their line-ups. We are all hoping for much better success this weekend.
A trilogy going back to the days of PRIDE in 2006 comes to a conclusion Saturday night as the Octagon returns to Brazil for the first time since August for UFC Fight Night 77 from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event kicks off four straight Saturdays of UFC action in November, and is the first of eight fight cards between November 7 and December 19. The action kicks off with preliminary card action on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 PM eastern time before moving over to FS1 for more preliminary fights at 8 PM eastern time, all leading into the main card on FS1 at 10 PM eastern time.
The headline bout is the third fight between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort and former PRIDE and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson as each man looks to be the one with two wins against the other. The UFC brings a very solid card down to Brazil as the co-main event is a light heavyweight bout between contenders Glover Teixeira and Patrick Cummins. Also on the card is fast-rising bantamweight prospect Thomas Almeida and UFC veterans including Clay Guida, Gleison Tibau, Fabio Maldonado and Thiago Tavares. Let’s dive deeper into the fight card and give you five storylines to keep an eye on Saturday night during UFC Fight Night 77.
1. Who wins the rubber match between Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson?
Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson will meet in a trilogy bout in the headliner of UFC Fight Night 77, and if they were ever going to fight for a third time, now seems to be the best time for both men as they continue to enter the twilight of their careers. Both of their prior bouts came when they competed as light heavyweights. Henderson won a decision over Belfort in PRIDE in October 2006, but Belfort avenged that defeat when he knocked out Henderson in the Octagon in November 2013. Belfort’s knockout win over Henderson came in Brazil, where they will compete on Saturday night, but also came at the height of Belfort being under the suspension of bending the rules while competing with an exemption for using testosterone replacement therapy. Henderson also used TRT, but he didn’t have the obvious transformation or killing instinct that Belfort seemed to gain from it.
Belfort looked completely different when he took on Chris Weidman at UFC 187 in May, which was the first time he fought since the November 2013 win over Henderson. He was much smaller and didn’t have the same explosiveness and ended up losing by TKO in the first round. Meanwhile, Henderson is coming off a 28-second knockout win over Tim Boetsch in June, showing he still has some fight left. Prior to that win, Henderson had lost five of his last six fights, and many were wondering if it was time for Henderson to hang up the gloves. Henderson still has the big power in his right hand, and he has gone to strictly relying on that in fights, going away from the power wrestling game. It makes sense as he has gotten older, but trading fists in a fight these days aren’t as easy as they used to be as Henderson’s chin has faded.
If the Belfort that showed up against Weidman shows up once again, he might not be around much longer. That version of Belfort is going to have a tough time competing in the middleweight division. Henderson still has the big right hand that can end a fight at any moment, but his chin is no longer what it once was. He has slowed down as well. Belfort is looking better visually than he did leading up to the Weidman fight, and he still has the better overall striking. Henderson would be wise to use his wrestling, but that probably won’t happen as his gameplans have become very specific in the latter days of his career. Belfort is going to strike and has a full arsenal at his disposal. It remains to be seen if he still has his knockout power from a few years ago, and he will certainly have confidence after knocking out Henderson in their last bout. It’s a rubber match and one that is tough to call. I like Henderson to score a knockout win.
2. Will Glover Teixeira continue his climb back into the 205-pound title picture?
Glover Teixeira has fought once for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, coming up short against Jon Jones at UFC 172 in April 2014 after scoring 20 consecutive wins to earn his title opportunity. While Jones simply outclassed Teixeira, with his impressive record before the title shot, and the depth of the light heavyweight title picture being shallow, a few rebound wins could’ve landed Teixeira another opportunity at winning the title. However, Teixeira dropped his next fight when he was dominated by Phil Davis at UFC 179 in October 2014. With two straight losses and Jones dominating the competition, it was looking like Teixeira was out of the title picture all together.
Flash forward to today where Daniel Cormier is the current champion at 205 pounds, and Teixeira is coming off an impressive submission win over Ovince Saint Preux in August. There is new life in the division, though Jones has recently been reinstated from suspension, but Teixeira is back up to fourth in the light heavyweight rankings, and knocking on the door of getting back into title contention. He fights Patrick Cummins in the co-main event on Saturday night, and it is a big opportunity for Cummins to establish himself as a threat in the division. It is a dangerous fight for Teixeira against a strong wrestler, but Teixeira has the big experience edge and will have the crowd behind him. Teixeira has some of the best striking in the division, and if he can block the takedown attempts from Cummins, this fight is set up for him to take the win.
3. Will Thomas Almeida extend his perfect record to 21-0?
Thomas Almeida is one of the brightest prospects in the UFC, and perhaps the top prospect in the tough bantamweight division, one that also includes skilled prospects in Aljamain Sterling and Cody Garbrandt. His record currently stands at a perfect 20-0, and he just turned 24-years-old. Not only has he won all 20 of his professional bouts, an astonishing 19 of those wins have come by stoppage, with 15 coming by knockout and four coming by submission. His lone decision win came over Tim Gorman in his UFC debut, and he has backed that up with knockout wins over Yves Jabouin and Brad Pickett. The Pickett win was impressive as Almeida came close to being on the brink of defeat in the first round, only to come back and knockout Pickett out with a spectacular flying knee. Also, he has earned performance bonuses in all three of his UFC bouts.
Needless to say, Almeida has proven himself to be a legitmate threat and prospect at 135 pounds. It has been said that even Urijah Faber has once turned down a fight against Almeida. He has yet to fight a true top-flight bantamweight contender, but he does get a tough opponent on Saturday night in Anthony Birchak. Birchak is just 1-1 in his short UFC career, but he is coming off an impressive knockout win over Joe Soto in June. Birchak is 12-2 in his career and a promising prospect in the bantamweight division, and he is a heavy-handed striker. While Birchak doesn’t have the experience that Almeida’s last two opponents had, at this point, Birchak is the toughest test to date for Almeida. It is an interesting battle between two bright prospects, and one is going to prove they belong in the upper-tier of the division. I see Almeida expanding his record to 21-0 in impressive fashion.
4. With a fairly stacked card, what fight is flying under the radar?
The UFC Fight Night 77 card is a fairly stacked card, especially for a free-televised event taking place in Brazil. All six of the main card fights are solid bouts with promising fighters working their way up their respective divisions, and the preliminary card has a solid mix of UFC veterans and more promising prospects, with some on very solid win streaks. One fight on the main card I wanna keep an eye on is the lightweight bout between Gilbert Burns and Rashid Magomedov. Burns is a perfect 10-0 in his MMA career and is one of the most decorated jiu-jitsu fighters in the sport, and has won nine of his ten fights by stoppage. Magomedov will be appearing in his 21st career fight and is looking to extend an 11-fight win streak. He has yet to fight in 2015 after making his first three appearances inside the Octagon in 2014.
The big fight to watch in the preliminary card, and really the one flying under the radar, is the featherweight bout between long-time UFC veterans Clay Guida and Thiago Tavares. Guida made his UFC debut in 2006, and Tavares made his in 2007, and both have been in the promotion since then. This will be Guida’s 22nd UFC appearance while it will be the 17th UFC fight for Tavares. Both men fought for a long time as lightweights, and despite both being around for so long, they surprisingly have never been booked for a fight against each other. Both have been the recepients of numerous post-fight bonus awards- Guida has won nine and Tavares has won six. And, both have dropped to 145 pounds looking for a new start at title contention. Both have had mixed success as Guida is 3-2 at featherweight, and Tavares is 1-1. A bout between these two could have easily been a co-main event of a fight night card in the Spike TV days, but is buried down on the prelims on this fight card. It definitely is a fight that needs to be watched as it has the makings of some fun action.
5. What else is there to look for on the card?
Other solid action on the card includes two other main card bouts- a lightweight bout between Alex Oliveira and Piotr Hallmann, and a light heavyweight bout between Fabio Maldonado and former “TUF” winner Corey Anderson. Oliveira fights for the fourth time in the UFC in 2015, but will be fighting for the first time with a full training camp. Hallmann is looking to end a two-fight losing skid. Maldonado is looking to rebound from a loss to Quinton Jackson at UFC 186 in April, and at the same time, is looking to add to his UFC light heavyweight record for most significant strikes landed. Anderson replaced our own MMA contributor to the site, Tom Lawlor, who was forced out due to a concussion, and he is looking to score a second straight win after defeating Jan Blachowicz at UFC 191 in September.
In other preliminary card action, Gleison Tibau will fight for the 26th time inside the Octagon, tying Matt Hughes and Frank Mir for second-most all time. He takes on Abel Trujillo, who looks to get back into the win column. Both men lost to Tony Ferguson in their last bouts. Yan Cabral looks to improve on his 12-1 record when he takes on Johnny Case, who has won eleven straight fights. Kevin Souza looks to remain undefeated in the UFC when he puts his ten-fight win streak on the line against Chas Skelly, who has a 14-1 career record and the distinction of having the record of fewest days between UFC wins, as he won two fights in 13 days in 2014. In a solid match-up during the UFC Fight Pass portion of the preliminary card, Pedro Munhoz, who has one career loss, will take on Jimmie Rivera, who comes into Saturday night on a 16-fight win streak. Both men are other solid prospects in the bantamweight division.
Full UFC Fight Night 77 Fight Card, Betting Odds & Predictions
MAIN CARD (FS1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
Middleweights: (#4) Vitor Belfort vs. (#12) Dan Henderson Betting Odds: Belfort (-360), Henderson (+300) Prediction: Henderson by knockout in round 2
Light Heavyweights: (#4) Glover Teixeira vs. (#9) Patrick Cummins Betting Odds: Teixeira (-440), Cummins (+350) Prediction: Teixeira by knockout in round 2
Bantamweights: (#8) Thomas Almeida vs. Anthony Birchak Betting Odds: Almeida (-440), Birchak (+350) Prediction: Almeida by knockout in round 1
Lightweights: Alex Oliveira vs. Piotr Hallmann Betting Odds: Oliveira (-200), Hallmann (+170) Prediction: Oliveira by decision
Lightweights: Gilbert Burns vs. Rashid Magomedov Betting Odds: Burns (+140), Magomedov (-160) Prediction: Burns by submission in round 2
Light Heavyweights: (#12) Fabio Maldonado vs. (#14) Corey Anderson Betting Odds: Maldonado (+400), Anderson (-500) Prediction: Anderson by decision
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
Lightweights: Gleison Tibau vs. Abel Trujillo Betting Odds: Tibau (-125), Trujillo (+105) Prediction: Tibau by decision
Lightweights: Yan Cabral vs. Johnny Case Betting Odds: Cabral (+205), Case (-245) Prediction: Case by knockout in round 3
Featherweights: (#11) Clay Guida vs. Thiago Tavares Betting Odds: Guida (-165), Tavares (+145) Prediction: Guida by decision
Featherweights: Kevin Souza vs. Chas Skelly Betting Odds: Souza (+140), Skelly (-160) Prediction: Skelly by decision
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
There’s always something slightly sanitized about WWE documentary DVD releases — pretty much par for the course. When they finally got Warrior back, watching his sitdown after he became re-ffiliated with the company, we saw a far less angry and confrontational persona than we had seen online in the years prior. What’s obvious from Sting: Into The Light is that Steve Borden is clearly a very nice guy. But for one of the most iconic and important wrestlers of our time, there’s something really muted about the whole experience of this release.
When the documentary piece starts, it actually feels quite eerie. He’s settled in the back seat of a black SUV being taken to WWE HQ and is talking about the nerves and excitement he has for going in for the first time. He’s essentially just going through the exact same motions and emotions that Warrior was doing all of 6 months before.
Over the course of his interview, we’re shown him going from room to room, from department to department, meeting executives who tell him about what they plan to do with him now that he’s with WWE. It would seem that a performer coming in who is in the position that Sting or Warrior is in gets the same programme and agenda for the day, culminating in a meeting with Triple H. It is almost a propaganda movie for WWE, how professional they are and how they are completely unrivaled in a business sense in this industry today. It’s almost identical to the Warrior film. And, frankly, it couldn’t be more dull. Even Sting looks a little bored.
Equally lacking in excitement is footage of Sting going through boxes of old posters, ring gear, boots and other merchandise in his enormous garage. If you’re a fan of Sting, seeing him on his ranch, building a fire and mooching around on a golf kart might interest you. Certainly, seeing his parents, who talk about his athletic prowess as a college student, is the kind of colour one would normally look for in these sorts of documentaries.
Essentially, the narrative follows his return to the ring against Triple H at WrestleMania in San Jose, but in doing so, sees us do a whistle-stop tour of his break into the business, his work with WCW, his subsequent character change and his path to finding faith in real life. We see Sting watching the WWE Network in his home, watching matches that he’s not seen in full since he wrestled them. We follow him to his church where his brother, Jeff, is a senior pastor. Most entertaining is seeing him snuck in, hauled up backstage before his debut at Survivor Series in St Louis in November 2014 where you can tangibly sense his nervousness.
Talking heads from the likes of his father, Jim Ross, Lex Luger, and Ric Flair provide some insight, but a lucid performance from Scott Steiner, who shows great humility, is the most worthy of note. Everyone says, Sting included, that he was a locker room leader and a professional who got along with everyone. All note, and its entirely evident, that Steve Borden is very different to Sting. In fact, watching his WWE Table for 3 with Vader and DDP will tell that much.
Sting is humble and evidently very much at peace. You feel that there’s little to be cynical about with him. He talks openly, yet protectively, about how he was acting in the late 90s before he stopped doing so and found solace in religion. Just as honest, though, is his assessment of his character and gimmick change during the NWO-era WCW days. Some of the vignettes that the company produced for him were remarkable, but none are quite as awesome as that wonderfully cinematic, orchestral WWE 2K15 advert.
To see a full match list, you can do so here, but the stand-out matches are certainly the Ric Flair at Clash of the Champions battle from 1988 (a remarkable 45-minute commercial-free match at the time), as well as a very good match against DDP from Nitro in 1999 that Page himself is a huge fan of. Fans of Sting are never going to be disappointed by the wrestling on show in this collection.
75 minutes to tell the story of Sting is too little. But with a career that was at its peak with WCW and with a 7-8 year gap while he was with TNA (which he mentions by name), there’s little that WWE wants to tell other than the here and now. If you want to learn about his route in to the industry from Red Bastien to teaming with the Ultimate Warrior under Jerry Jarrett to Jim Crocket via Dusty Rhodes and Eric Bischoff and eventually to Vince, you’ll see an enjoyable story.
But, if you want to learn about what he really thinks about Hogan, or what he really thinks about the current product, you’re not going to get much more than a polite answer. Because, that’s really who Steve Borden is. And for all that this documentary doesn’t shine like his career in the ring has done, there’s something effortlessly charismatic and honest about the man that just makes you want to watch him.
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.
