The move comes at a bad time for TNA after this Tuesday’s episode, anchored by the spectactle that was the Final Deletion, led to Impact’s highest rating in over a year.
The company is all too familiar with the loss in viewers that changing time slots can bring. Impact’s time slot has been in seemingly constant flux since being canceled by Spike TV in 2014, but WWE’s decision to air SmackDown live on Tuesday put TNA in a tough spot, and they were forced to either stay on Tuesday against tough wrestling competition or change nights.
Pop TV released a video promoting the show’s Thursday night debut on Twitter.
Dana White said this afternoon that Daniel Cormier will be fighting at UFC 200, and in speaking off the cuff, seemed to intimate Jon Jones may be in even more trouble than previously thought.
“There are tons of guys that are interested. We’ll get a fight done,” White said to Colin Cowherd on FS 1 today.
Later, White said Cormier would fight this weekend, would get the same money* as he would have against Jones, and that they hope to have the fight finalized and announced by the end of the day today.
*Cormier’s money is based on a percentage, but the amount is expected to be lower since the number of buys will likely be lower.
Cormier had said he was willing to fight anyone up to 220 pounds, saying that because he’s dropped so much weight he wasn’t willing to fight a big heavyweight.
White nixed the talk of Michael Bisping, which would be the most marketable potential fight for storyline reasons.
“Bisping just won the 185 pound title,” he said. “Let me tell you what Bisping does in his off season. When Bisping’s not training, he goes on a bender. He’s in no condition to fight Daniel Cormier. I promise you that. I don’t even have to ask him.”
Bisping was the third name after Gegard Mousasi and Tom Lawlor who publicly asked for the fight when word got out that Jones was off. He would make the most sense given it would create an historical champion vs. champion fight, and there is a storyline situation with Bisping having just beaten Luke Rockhold on June 4 to win the middleweight title.
Even if odds would be against it, it would make for a remarkable story if Bisping could win two titles on short notice. In fact, if such a thing would happen, it would probably go down as something that would be a huge part of the history of the sport that would be talked about for decades as the perhaps the most remarkable feat in UFC history.
Mousasi was already scheduled to fight Thiago Santos on Saturday. For fighters who have trained and are in top condition, Mousasi is really the only choice, but there is no story built around that fight. Mousasi was to fight at middleweight, but has fought at heavyweight in the past and fought for years at light heavyweight.
Glover Teixeira said today it would be impossible for him to make weight to fight Cormier, but Alexander Gustafsson said he could make it and do the fight. In the case of the former, Teixeira is set to face Anthony Johnson later this summer in essentially a #1 contender’s fight while Gustafsson and Cormier had a Fight of the Year candidate in 2015.
Onto the Jones story, White confirmed that Jones did not test positive for a recreational drug.
Also, when saying how it’s virtually impossible the B sample will come back clean, White mentioned two different agents in the A sample test failure. It is possible testing positive for two agents could lead to a suspension longer than two years.
Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor won’t be headlining UFC 200, but the two are still part of International Fight Week.
McGregor and Diaz will appear at a press conference on Thursday afternoon promoting that tickets are now on sale for UFC 202. And with two of the UFC’s most outspoken stars involved there are sure to be fireworks.
The two previously faced off at UFC 196 in March with Diaz tapping out McGregor with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
The rematch was once scheduled to headline Saturday’s UFC 200 pay-per-view, but McGregor briefly delayed that after failing to fulfill promotional obligations.
UFC 202 will take place on August 20th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira, Demian Maia vs. Carlos Condit, Donald Cerrone vs. Rick Story, Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Sultan Aliev, Alberto Uda vs. Marvin Vettori, Neil Magny vs. Dong Hyun Kim and Cody Garbrandt vs. Takeya Mizugaki are also scheduled for the show.
A visibly distraught Jon Jones denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs at a press conference Thursday morning after being flagged by USADA for a potential out of competition drug test failure on Wednesday night.
The emotional Jones had to leave the press conference to gather himself briefly before coming back. He apologized for the fans, the UFC, and Daniel Cormier for being removed from the fight.
“I want to apologize to Daniel Cormier. I know that this fight means a lot to him. The fight means a lot to me and the fight is not happening. So I just want to apologize to everyone sincerely.”
The interim light heavyweight champion and top pound-for-pound fighter in the world was joined by agent Malki Kawa and said that he had never even heard of the substance that led to him being removed from the main event of UFC 200 against Cormier. Kawa said that it is possible that the failure could’ve come from a tainted supplement.
“I’ve been taking the same supplements for the majority of my career and I’ve been so outspoken about being against any type of performance enhancers,” Jones said. “The whole thing sucks because being labeled someone who would ever cheat just really hurts more than anything else I’ve been through in my whole career.”
Both Yoel Romero and Tim Means were able to prove to the satisfaction of USADA officials that it was a supplement they had taken which caused a positive test. In those situations, the fighters were suspended for six months, rather than the usual two years for a first offense.
If such a thing happens here Jones would be eligible to fight on the New Year’s show, but would miss the Madison Square Garden show that he was expected to be part of, whether he won or lost against Cormier.
Kawa said that Jones’ B sample will be tested tonight in Salt Late City, Utah, but that chances the test would come back negative weren’t good.
The big question coming out of this is why it took until July 6 to get the result from the A sample for a test on June 16, and yet a B sample test could come back immediately. And if that is the case, if the B sample comes back clean (unlikely but it is possible), what that would mean, because in that theory the fight should still be on.
If Jones is unable to prove that the positive test came from a contaminated supplement, that would mean a two-year suspension from the sport. Jones vowed to continue fighting even if given the lengthy suspension.
While the Smackdown show airing tonight in Canada made no mention of Brock Lesnar at all (after Raw had advertised Lesnar’s opponent being announced on the show) Randy Orton was finally announced as Lesnar’s SummerSlam opponent during the Aftermath show that airs on Canada’s Sportsnet channel.
It is not clear if WWE failed to put the Lesnar announcement on the Canadian version of Smackdown show in fear it would break before airing in the U.S., or there was a change in plans.
The two started together in OVW, but have never had a major program in WWE.
Of course, this is all dependent on Lesnar’s health coming out of UFC 200 where he and Mark Hunt have been moved to the main event as Jon Jones was pulled from the show due to an potential USADA anti-doping violation. You can get more on that breaking news story here.
We’ll have more on this very busy newsday in combat sports on tonight’s Wrestling Observer Radio for subscribers.
During an impromptu press conference Wednesday night, UFC president Dana White announced that Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt is the new main event for UFC 200.
The reason? Interim light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been flagged by USADA for a potential anti-doping violation. Because the procedure part of this review cannot be completed by Saturday, Jones’ fight with light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has been taken off the show.
Lesnar vs. Hunt will remain a three round fight.
White said he was informed by USADA that Jones was tested on June 16, but was unclear what the violation was for. He hasn’t spoken to Jones or his agent Malki Kawa as of this point. He also didn’t know why the test results took nearly a month to get back.’
“This is devastating to Daniel Cormier mentally, physically and financially,” White said.
Cormier was going to get a percentage of the PPV revenue which, for a show that may do record numbers, would be several million dollars. White said he was unclear how Cormier would be compensated considering the amount of money that he makes. Cormier was in attendance at the presser, but the press conference feed was cut off after White spoke.
UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitsky made a brief statement, saying noted that USADA will handle results management, potential hearings and due process on the matter, and whatever legal review process is necessary before any sanctions are imposed.
White said they found out just a short time ago and wanted to alert the media to the annoucement as soon as possible. Matchmaker Joe Silva isn’t even aware of the situation as he’s on a flight. White’s hope would be that someone would step up to fight Cormier on super short notice, but isn’t sure what’s about to happen.
There were no other light heavyweight fighters booked on the show, and the closest thing to a possibility would be Gegard Mousasi, a middleweight contender who is fighting Thiago Santos. However, Mousasi is getting ready for a fight in a 20 pound lighter weight class. Our Tom Lawlor, a Las Vegas resident who fights at 205, has begun petitioning for the fight on Twitter.
The UFC released the following statement:
The UFC organization was notified tonight that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Jon Jones of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 16, 2016.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.
However, because Jones was scheduled to compete against Daniel Cormier this coming Saturday, July 9 in Las Vegas, there is insufficient time for a full review before the scheduled bout and therefore the fight has been removed from the fight card. As a result, the three-round heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will become the UFC 200 main event.
Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.
Ticket refunds available upon request at primary point of purchase.
The Big News: The Revival defeated American Alpha in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.
The Medium News: Rhyno returned and seemed to be really angry that Blake and Murphy tried to team again.
The Little Beaver Sized News: Bayley and Nia Jax agreed to one more match.
Bayley pinned Alexa Bliss
This match was set up last week when Alexa beat Carmella and made a challenge to Bayley, who is fully recovered following her match with Nia Jax.
Bayley gave Alexa a lot, establishing her as more than just another girl on the roster. Alexa used a really nice punch to the face to take over, with Bayley selling it as possible death. Alexa went for Twisted Bliss, but Bayley cut her off and Alexa actually came back with a Code Red for a near fall.
The finish saw Alexa go for the Vader Bomb, but Bayley got her knees up and won with the Belly to Bayley.
After the match, Bayley said she was ready to take her title back. Nia Jax came out in “normal clothes” to confront her. They stood face to face and Bayley challenged her to one more match. Nia agreed and it is on.
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We had a TM61 video package.
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Dash & Dawson said they will beat American Alpha tonight and have no fear in losing their belts so soon after regaining them.
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The Hype Bros vs. Blake & Murphy ended in a No Contest
Blake and Murphy are teaming again. Remember when I said like two months ago that they would break up at least five times before it counted?
Blake and Murphy literally couldn’t even agree on who would start the match. They argued mid-ring as Mojo Rawley tried to get them to wrestle. However, before we saw any wrestling, Rhyno appeared out of nowhere to Gore Blake, Rawley and Ryder. Murphy got away scot-free.
Yes, this really happened.
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We got the video package for next week’s Finn Balor-Shinsuke Nakamura match. I got half a second of screen time when they showed Nakamura’s entrance in Dallas. Tye Dillinger, Neville and American Alpha talked about what a dream match it would be.
This was the first thing they have done to make me excited for the match since the original angle announcing it.
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American Alpha said they will execute their game plan to win the belts back.
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Samoa Joe will be on NXT next week, apparently for the first time since Takeover. Is it sad that I didn’t notice?
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Rhyno was walking around Full Sail University (literally) and a cameraman ran up to ask why he was back. Rhyno snorted at him and walked away.
I have a theory that Rhyno has no clothes. All that he owns are his wrestling singlets, a few hoodies and Rhyno t-shirts that companies have been nice enough to give him.
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NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival took 2 out of 3 falls from American Alpha
This is the third time these two teams have wrestled. American Alpha won the first at NXT Takeover: Dallas, while The Revival evened the score at Takeover: The End. With a win, Alpha would become the second team to win the NXT Tag Team Titles twice.
The start of the first fall saw the champs work over the knee of Jordan, which is backwards because normally they get the heat on Gable. Jordan’s knee slammed off the ring post and both members of the Revival took turns using leg and knee holds.
Gable was able to get the hot tag and suplexed Dash and Dawson all over the place. Everything was going great for him until Dash pulled down the top rope, causing Gable to go flying over it and crashing on the ground outside.
Despite beating on him for close to 10 minutes, the Revival just could not put Gable down for the first fall. Gable showed resilience as Jordan managed to recover from the earlier attack on his knee.
Jordan got the second hot tag of the first fall and went all suplex crazy on both men again. Jordan got a near fall on Dash with a spear. The first fall finally ended with Dash tapping to Jordan’s ankle lock.
The second fall saw Dawson and Jordan reverse roll-ups on each other until Dawson got on a reverse figure four for the tapout, showing that Jordan’s knee didn’t fully recover from the beginning of the match.
The third fall started with more roll-ups. Alpha went for Grand Amplitude, but it got broken up. Revival went for Shatter Machine, and that got broken up too.
Gable got a tag, but was hit with a knee to the face as he tried getting into the ring. Gable and Dawson fought on the apron until somehow the Revival hit the Shatter Machine on it.
By the way, shouldn’t it have hurt the Revival just as much since they bumped on the apron? Anyway, they rolled Gable in, pinned him and retained the titles.
So that does it for this week. Next week it is the much anticipated showdown between Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura. Until then, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers.
Last year, Ultima Lucha was a three hour event spread over two shows. This year, it’s a three hour show spread over three weeks – so they’re not sacrificing any content time and hopefully spreading the rating out over three weeks instead of two.
The show begins with a recap of Dario Cueto announcing the Unique Opportunity Tournament for a unique opportunity.
A new Ultima Lucha Dos graphic adorns the lower left-hand side of the screen and we see poster banners running down the card. They should really sell shirts of those, or replicas, via their official storefronts on either the official site or ProWrestlingTees.
Striker and Vamp run down the tournament for a unique opportunity – which will have its semi-finals tonight. The Mack vs. Cage is set up, and Dario says that they started last year’s show off with a falls count anywhere match. Tonight, he wants last year’s success to be replicated, so this is now a falls count anywhere match too.
The Mack vs. Cage – Falls Count Anywhere
Cage hits a McGillicutter for a 2 count off a standing moonsault. Mack hits a Rainmaker elbow smash, but eats a back elbow. He recovers with a superkick leading to Cage being draped in the rope and hit with a body block to the floor.
Mack gets hip tossed into the bleachers. Jeez. A minute in and they’re already taking bumps that make the Final Deletion look a bit tame. Cage gets a trash can, but Mack powerslams Cage on it for 2.
They fight in Dario’s office while Dario and Black Lotus look on. Cage grabs a framed poster of the LU logo and smashes it over Mack’s head for 2. Vamp says the boss looks dope in a tux and says he’s got a big key.
The fans beat on the barricades like a war drum while Cage sets up a steel chair bridge and powerbombs Mack through it for 2. Mack hits a running Samoan drop on a stop sign for 2. Mack has a Mexican flag guitar and smashes it on Cage’s head for 2, since this isn’t a Jeff Jarrett match. Mack grabs pinatas, which Striker says are for the show’s after party.
A “pinata” chant breaks out. Mack’s pinata has a wrench, while Cage’s has candy. Vamp mocks a guy for knocking kids over to grab the candy.
Mack gets some beers from another pinata and drinks them, but the stunner is blocked and he’s tossed into the apron where he eats a shot to the head.
Cage sets up a table, but Mack hits him in the balls and then with a toolbox to the head. Chain to the head of Cage leads to more beers, some stunners, and Striker doing a Steve Austin impression.
Between this and the Final Deletion, pro wrestling is clearly a bit weird.
Mack climbs up top after putting Cage on a table and hits a frog splash off the balcony through the table. And it gets a 2 count. That justifiably gets a holy shit chant.
Cage goes for his cement block curb stomp ala last year, but he slips on the beer and Mack gets the schoolboy for the win.
This was weird, but a lot of fun and well worth watching.
Texano and Son of Havoc are mid-ring for their match. Dario says that the fans must wonder why we’ve got a bar set up outside the ring – but when he sees a cowboy and a biker, he thinks of bars – so he’s making this a Boyle Heights Bar Fight.
Texano vs. Son of Havoc – Bar Fight
This bar fight begins like many others – with a tie-up and then a side headlock toss-off into the ropes before a dropdown into a leapfrog exchange.
Havoc side-steps him and Texano flies over the top. Havoc hits an Asai moonsault on the floor, but misses a Muta handspring elbow against the barricade. Havoc recovers and hits a moonsault off the announce table and tosses him through a door, drawing yet another holy shit chant.
Havoc has a helmet and fire extinguisher – leading to Striker mentioning Firebreaker Chip and then a blast to the face by Havoc. Havoc eats a headshot, but the helmet absorbs the blow – so Texano hits him more before tossing bar stools into the ring.
Texano puts a keg in the corner while a “we want beer” chant breaks out. Rope-assisted punch gets 2 for Texano. Havoc punches him and dropkicks his back into the keg. Havoc sets up a pile of wood from the bar stools before hitting a rana off the top onto the pile for 2.
Vamp says that Dario spent all his money on his tux and none on the furniture since the stools broke so easily.
Havoc is set up in the corner and hits a chair into Havoc’s balls. Havoc recovers and backdrops him onto a row of bar glasses. Havoc sets up glass in the ring and double stomps his chest into it before pump kicking him into it for the win.
Well, that was full of nasty bumps for a match that had no real grudge – but it was fun.
The Voodoo Glow Skulls play us in after those two wars while Striker runs down the next two weeks of matches.
It’s now time for the finals of the Unique Opportunity tournament as The Mack battles Son of Havoc. Striker talks about how exhausted each guy has to be. Dario says he is surprised that they won, so he is impressed – but he wants this to be a falls count anywhere match as well.
Son of Havoc vs. Mack – Unique Opportunity Falls Count Anywhere Match
They go back and forth with headlocks and Mack tosses him into the ropes for a Pounce. Huge splash gets 2 for Mack. Mack takes him to the floor and punches him before tossing him into the barricade.
Havoc chops him before hip tossing him into the bleachers. Mack avoids a corner charge and hits a sitting European uppercut, then hits an Irish Curse and a twisting flatliner off the ropes for 2.
Havoc low bridges him and hits a twisting moonsault to the floor. He tosses him in for an SSP, but Mack gets hid knees up and gets 2 off a cradle. Mack avoids a corner elbow and hits a corner charge.
Mack misses a charge, eats a Muta elbow and a SSP gets the win for Havoc. That was quite subdued compared to the craziness earlier – so it was good in that sense, but also a bit hard to care about since so much came before.
Dario congratulates Son of Havoc and shows off a briefcase with $250,000 of Dario Cueto-faced money.
If he wants the cash, it’s his – but there’s a twist. He can turn in the case for a contract giving him a Lucha Underground Title match at Ultima Lucha Tres. Havoc tells him he doesn’t care about the money – he wants the title. Dario says he’ll be in the main event of Ultima Lucha Tres – if he wins one more match.
The next match determines Havoc’s fate. His opponent here can win the money, while Havoc gets the title shot if he wins. Famous B comes down and says he has a new client – and his client is already famous. He says Havoc feels sick – so it’s a good thing there’s a doctor in the house. Dr. Wagner Jr. comes down to face Son of Havoc and gets a huge “ole” chant as he walks down the steps.
Son of Havoc vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. – Title Shot vs. $250,000
Wagner hits a snap Samoan drop and forearms Havoc in the corner. Wagner hits a corner charge lariat and hits a super RKO before posing arrogantly.
Vamp says that Dr. Wagner Jr. drop kicked his busted leg to hurt him when he came back in Mexico. Havoc lands a series of lariats before a pump kick sends him down. The SSP misses and the Doctor Driver wins it – so Havoc now gets neither the money or title shot.
Dr. Wagner Jr. takes down the straps and poses, while Famous B and Brenda celebrate with the money. Famous B puts on a stethoscope and checks Havoc’s chest for a heartbeat.
Well, this was a stellar show overall. In terms of match style, Havoc vs. Mack should have opened the show – but that wouldn’t have worked for the story being told.
Havoc really shined throughout the night and for the first time, they really did put you on a journey with his character. Dr. Wagner Jr. was given almost no time to get over – with his match starting 55 minutes into the hour-long broadcast and yet still managed to do so.
With a handful of moves and even fewer mannerisms, you got that he was a cocky veteran who was exactly as good as he thinks he is, and now the 30-year veteran can lay claim to winning a main event on Ultima Lucha throughout season three.
On Wednesday, the road to the WWE Cruiserweight Classic gets a little closer with Bracketology, a one-hour WWE Network special akin to the NCAA tournament selection show, featuring bracketing and officially putting all 32 competitors in their slots for this summer-long tournament.
The competitors are a wide array of talent from all over the world.
Some of the faces and names involved are already familiar to the WWE audience like veteran cruiserweights Brian Kendrick and Tajiri. Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa and Rich Swann have also already competed in front of the crowd at Full Sail University as members of the NXT roster.
Most of the talent in the tournament has never before competed in a WWE ring. Independent stars from the United States like Drew Gulak, T.J. Perkins and Cedric Alexander that are looking to make a good first impression to the WWE and its audience.
It also includes international stars like Kota Ibushi, Gran Metalik and Zack Sabre Jr. that are looking to further establish themselves in the United States.
With such a diverse group of both known and unknown talent, the first 16 matches could lead to some real gems.
Tonight’s bracketing show will be hosted by Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan, and with the show purportedly going for a more sports like atmosphere, it will be interesting to see what they say about the competitors.
Join us at 9 PM EST as the brackets get revealed!
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The show starts with Triple H cutting a speech at the performance center, basically a pep-talk to those competing in the tournament.
Mauro welcomes us to the show and asks Daniel how he feels being back after his retirement in February. When he heard about the Cruiserweight Classic, he felt he had to be a part of it as there are tons of people coming in from all around the world competing in one tournament. Mauro says it reminds him of the birth in MMA.
They go over the story of Alejandro Saez and how he was 25 pounds overweight before the tournament, but managed to make weight before deadline. Daniel Bryan questioned if he’ll gain that weight back before the tournament starts.
Zack Sabre. Jr profile video. He says he grew up watching guys like Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko who were well known for their technical skill. “Harry Potter isn’t the only wizard in this tournament” he notes.
WWE Senior Director of Talent Relations Canyon Ceman is interviewed, saying how he traveled around the world in search for competitors. The goal is to bring someone for everyone.
Jack Gallagher is interviewed, putting over the British style. He has to use his mind and his techniques to beat his opponents. He’ll keep it gentlemanly as long as his opponents keep it gentlemanly. He considers himself a classic English gentleman.
Harv and Gurv Sihra are profiled next. They are from Vancouver, but their parents are from India. They call themselves the Bollywood Boys, as Bollywood creates this idea of fantasy. To be in the biggest wrestling company in the world, that is a great accomplishment within itself. They both have what it takes to be here, but what it comes down to is who is the better man.
Rich Swann is profiled next. He mentions pro wrestling saved his life. His father passed away when he was 12, his mother at 16. He went down a dark path, but wrestling changed him. He never thought he’d make it, but he did. The perfect ending for him would be him winning the first ever Cruiserweight Classic.
Daniel Bryan likes Rich Swann because of his story – he’s used wrestling to be successful in life. He’s a small guy, but he has done things a lot of people haven’t.
They switch it to Corey Graves at the control center, where he goes over the left side of the bracket:
Kenneth Johnson vs. Akira Tozawa
Jack Gallagher vs. Fabian Richner
Tajiri vs. Damian Slater
Alejandro Saez vs. Gran Metallik (aka Masacara Dorada)
Harv Sihra vs. Drew Gulak
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tyson Dux
Noam Dar vs .Gurv Sihra
Arya Davari vs. Hoho Lun
Next up is a look at Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, and how they are a tag team but going into this tournament as opponents in the opening round.
Gargano says they clicked instantly. Gargano says he might even talk to Ciampa more than his fiance. But when it comes down to them facing off, Gargano will shake his hand and will see who comes out on top. Ciampa says he always goes in there with the intent to hurt, not injure. Says he doesn’t want to see Gargano get hurt, but he doesn’t want to lose.
TJ Perkins is profiled next. He’s the one that likes to make it look good. He started wrestling when he was 13, and lucha libre was a big influence on his style, growing up in LA.
He mentions how he was homeless for a while, mentioning it was tough and that wrestling was the only way to get out of that and it creates a lot of mental toughness. He feels like he’s representing the Philippines and he’s out to inspire others.
Mauro and Daniel are joined by Perkins, and ask him about his story. He brings up mental toughness again and Murphy’s law, and those experiences changed him as a man. Daniel Bryan mentions he was the youngest trained wrestler to ever compete in New Japan.
Perkins mentioned that this is akin to the Super J-Cup in that 10 years from now people will be looking at this tournament. He’s proud to represent the Philippines, mentioning that they don’t have a lot of heroes there so he wants to represent them.
Graves is back and goes over the right side of the bracket:
Raul Mendoza vs. Brian Kendrick
Anthony Bennett vs. Tony Nese
Kota Ibushi vs. Sean Maluta
Cedric Alexander vs. Clement Petiot
TJ Perkins vs. Da Mack
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Mustafa Ali vs. Lince Dorado
Rich Swann vs. Jason Lee
They go over the two veterans in the tournament, Tajiri and The Brian Kendrick. Kendrick says wrestling is what he loves and what he is passionate about. When he has the world in his hands, he let it go. He mentions he was released because “he was an animal” and deserved to be released. He’s been wrestling consistently since 1999 for his moment, and if he falls short…then it’s his life that will fall short.
Kendrick joins Daniel and Mauro. Daniel brings up his first match ever was against Kendrick, and how Kendrick came out to “Genie in a Bottle” and how Bryan came out to “Born in the USA”.
Daniel asks him what he wants from this tournament. Kendrick says he wants to win because he’s never won a tournament before. In terms of the age factor, he says that is a downside, but he is smarter now and is used to this environment.
Mauro asked about both Daniel and Brian Kendrick were trained by Shawn Michaels and what that was like. Daniel Bryan talks about his passion and brings up a story about how Kendrick’s mom came in during a training session and let Shawn have it. Kendrick says he wants to beat them all when it comes down to who he wants to face the most.
Mauro brings up how Daniel Bryan has faced Kota Ibushi in the past and they go to a profile on him. Kota says he doesn’t need to represent Japan, but wants to show how good Japanese wrestlers are. He mentions his experiences with Finn Balor, Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura and he has an advantage over others in this tournament because he’s faced them all.
He will win the tournament because he loves pro wrestling the most above other wrestlers. Bryan brings up that Kota Ibushi has just come back from a herniated disc and questions if he’ll be the same.
Strong style is brought up, and Mauro asks what that is. Bryan says its an ideology about striking and hitting hard, and contrasts it to Zack Sabre Jr.’s ideology of escaping and outmaneuvering his opponents.
Triple H is brought in. Mauro says he’d never thought he’d see something like this under the WWE umbrella. Triple H mentions there are so many out there, but there was no platform for them to come into the WWE and this is the platform.
Mauro asks if this is where the future lies. Triple H mentions Daniel Bryan and how he was part of the paradigm shift and how you don’t have to be a 300 pound guy to be successful in this industry. Triple H says he doesn’t want this to be about flips and high flyers and wants to show diverse styles – mat based, striking, flyer, whatever.
Mauro asks if this is one and done and if there are futures for the athletes involved. Triple H says no, this isn’t one and done and the opportunity for the cruiserweights will be there after the tournament.
They show footage of guys training at the Performance Center and Hunter says he’s really excited. Mauro thanks Triple H for this Cruiserweight Classic and is excited to see it. Hunter mentions he wanted them both to commentate for this tournament, day one.
And that’ll do it! The first matches will air next week at this time.
While WWE set an all-time record low for Raw on Monday, the rating can’t be viewed negatively given the number and the night.
The show averaged 2.66 million viewers, down only 14 percent from the near record low from the prior week. The past two times Raw has aired on July 4th (2011 and 2005), the ratings fell 23 percent and 41 percent respectively from the prior week.
Raw was far and away the most watched show on cable, since all the shows on cable that usually provide competition took the night off. It also beat the FOX network programming head-to-head. Only four other shows on cable hit 1.5 million viewers.
From the hourly breakdown, it appeared to be the most loyal/hardcore audience since there were no upswings or downswings from start-to-finish:
8 p.m. 2.66 million viewers
9 p.m. 2.67 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.64 million viewers
The show featured Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz, another John Cena/Club confrontation, and a 16-man elimination match to close the show.
