The BIG News: Sami Zayn will face the debuting Shinsuke Nakamura at Takeover: Dallas
The Medium News: Bayley will defend her championship against Asuka at the afore-mentioned Takeover: Dallas show
The Little News: American Alpha became the new #1 Contender’s to the NXT Tag Team Title and will theoretically face The Revival at Takeover: Dallas
Sami Zayn is out to kick off the show. I wonder when they taped this segment since theoretically it was taped minutes after the last show ended, but Sami looked refreshed.
Zayn put Joe over, but said his focus is still the same and his goal is to still become a 2x NXT Champion. One thing does bother Zayn and that’s that he does not have a match at Takeover: Dallas.
This brought out Mr. William Regal, who agreed that Sami deserves something special at Takeover and he deserves to face one of the best in the world. Mr. Regal announced Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura for Takeover. Now I can officially say how much I am marking out.
They had a video with Nakamura saying he will see Zayn at Takeover. The fans chanted “Holy sh*t” as the announcers put over Nakamura huge.
The Hype Bros defeated Angelo Dawkins & Kevin Crawford
They announced American Alpha vs Vaudevillians for later. They did that last week and instead the opening match went 45 minutes. I will go out on a limb and say this match will not go that long.
Dawkins and Crawford looked good working with Ryder. Mojo still hasn’t improved to do more than just the basic Mojo spots. Mojo did break out a discus punch to the face and the Bros won with a Hype Ryder in decidedly less than 45 minutes.
-Dana Brooke and Emma were walking backstage when Deonna Purrazzo suddenly appeared. Emma told her the beating she’s going to get tonight is worst than the one Asuka gave her. Deonna said she would win and the heels laughed at her.
Emma submitted Deonna Purrazzo
Could they please change Deonna Purrazzo’s name? This match was not very good and downright clumsy at times. I know it’s important to get new girls on tv, but I feel bad if Purrazzo is the best of the next group of girls.
The entire match seemed to telegraph a flash pin for Purrazzo. Emma hit several big moves and wouldn’t go for falls and act so cocky. Plus the announcers were blatantly pointing this out. It was all set up for Purrazzo to pin Emma, but before that happened Emma submitted her with the Emma Lock.
Tommaso Ciampa defeated Jesse Sorensen
Ciampa stampeded to the ring and got there before the ring announcer even introduced him. Ciampa ran across the ring and hit move after move on Sorensen. Ciampa hit a running knee in the corner and a discus clothesline for a 2 count.
They went to the mandatory rest hold before Sorensen made his comeback. Sorensen went for the 10 punches of doom, but Ciampa tripped him up and kneed him in the head. On the mat Ciampa hit several knees to the head before submitting Jesse with a rolling armbar.
Bayley & Asuka defeated Eva Marie & Nia Jax
Izzy, the little girl who dresses like Bayley, was now moved to dead center in the front row, as opposed to by the ramp. I only noted that because Bayley didn’t go over near her and the announcers didn’t even bring it up. Nia started the match, Eva tagged in and quickly got caught in the ring with Asuka. I never felt so bad for Eva as Asuka beat the heck out of her.
Nia blind tagged herself in and they got the heat on the champ when Nia laid her out with a Samoan Drop. Eva did that wacky stretch where you pull your opponents arms behind her back with your knee pressed into the back, but Eva forgot the second part.
Eva slapped Asuka on the apron and then Nia accidentally legdropped Eva. This was not Eva’s night. Eva got a kick to the back of the head by Asuka before being pinned with a Belly to Bayley Suplex.
– After the match Mr. Regal walked out, congratulating both Bayley and Asuka on winning before booking them against each other for Takeover.
– We had a split screen interview where the announcers interviewed Austin Aries. Aries said he is happy to be here, but it’s too bad his debut got ruined by Baron Corbin. Aries said he told Mr. Regal, who apologized, that he should feel sorry for Baron. Aries said Baron will soon find out why Aries is the greatest man who ever lived.
In a NXT tag team #1 Contender’s Match, American Alpha defeated The Vaudevillians
Main event time! One of these two teams will become the #1 Contender’s to the NXT Tag Team Championship while the other team will move to the back of the line. Corey Graves alerted us to Dan Gable recently giving props to Chad Gable.
Gable and Gotch worked really well together and made me wish I could see a match just between the two of them. Coming back from commercial the heels had cut off Gable and were wearing him down. The crowd wasn’t dead for this match, but they weren’t as psyched as they have been for Gable in the past.
Jordan hot tagged in and suplexed everyone on their heads. Gable tagged himself in and had English pinned with Chaos Theory, but Gable broke it up. Jordan gave Gable a belly to belly overhead suplex on the floor and American Alpha won with Grand Amplitude.
That does it for this week! Takeover is now 16 days away and the card is fricking amazing. Until next week when Asuka faces Emma, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers.
On last week’s Impact, “The Destroyer” Lashley defeated Kurt Angle in Angle’s final match in TNA. After the match, Lashley continued to beat down the Olympic Gold Medalist until Ethan Carter III made the save and Lashley backed off.
Tonight:
TNA returns to Orlando for a semi-live edition of Impact. Impact airs on a two-hour tape delay, which is the closest to live that TNA gets. In the main event, TNA World Champion Matt Hardy will defend his title against Ethan Carter III. Finally, coming back to the action, Jeff Hardy makes his return to TNA and will take on Eric Young. Additionally, “Miracle” Mike Bennett and “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis face off against the team of Drew Galloway and Knockouts Champion, Gail Kim in an exciting mixed tag team match.
Show Recap:
-Josh Matthews and The Pope welcome us to the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida. We kick the night off with Jeff Hardy making his return to TNA.
-Backstage, Eric Young is going nuts and is looking for TNA President Dixie Carter. He finds her at the Gorilla Position and he promises to hurt Jeff Hardy. EY tells Dixie that what he does to Jeff is on her.
Eric Young vs. Jeff Hardy
Jeff and EY brawl around ringside with Jeff dominating the early moments. Jeff is seeking revenge after EY piledrove Jeff on the steel steps prior to the tour in the U.K. Dixie comes out and announces that the winner of this match will be added to the TNA World title main event later.
Jeff goes for a springboard splash to the outside, but EY gets his knees up to gain the advantage. Jeff is over huge with the live crowd. They trade shots in the middle of the ring and Jeff gets the better of EY. Jeff hits the classic swanton bomb and scores the pin fall. Jeff is added to tonight’s main event making it TNA World Champion Matt Hardy defending against both EC3 and Jeff Hardy in a triple threat.
TNA World Champion Matt Hardy, his wife Reby and son Maxell make their way to the ring without bodyguard Tyrus.
-Back from commercial, we’re in the ring with the Hardy family. Matt congratulates Jeff for his victory and apologies for not saving him when Eric Young piledrove him on the steel steps. Reby tells Jeff that Jeff is Maxell’s second favorite wrestler. Jeff holds Maxell and the crowd chants “Uncle Jeff”. Suddenly, the tables turn when Matt asks Jeff to bow out of the main event tonight. Matt promises to give Jeff a title shot down the line, maybe at Bound for Glory 2017 or 2018. Jeff doesn’t agree to the deal and ends up hitting Matt Hardy with the Twist of Fate.
-Backstage, Eddie Edwards address Davey’s injury and title loss last week. A commotion sturs as Decay jumps Eddie, beating him into the ground.
-Still in the back, “Miracle” Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis promise to beat Drew Galloway and Gail Kim next.
-Back from commercial, Beer Money approaches Eddie Edwards and wants to help him gain revenge on The Decay.
-In the arena, Maria Kanellis introduces “Miracle” Mike Bennett. Both come out wearing hot pink, and to be honest both look pretty hot.
“Miracle” Mike Bennett & “The First Lady of Professional Wrestling” Maria Kanellis vs. Drew Galloway & Knockouts Champion Gail Kim
Gail wants to start the match with Maria, but Maria tags out quickly. Drew and Mike start off the match, but Drew tags in Gail. They double-team The Miracle, and not in a fun way. Gail ends up taking out Bennett and sends him to the outside. Maria takes the chance to gain the advantage on Gail. Gail makes a comeback, but Maria quickly tags out again.
Maria slaps Drew in the face and Drew does the gentlemanly thing and chopped the hell out of Mike instead of hitting Maria. Drew went to the top, and then Mike pulled him off. Maria tried to prevent Drew from tagging Gail; instead Gail furiously came into the ring and ran wild. She hit eat defeat on Bennett, but then got rolled up from behind by Maria for the three count. The Miracle and The First Lady of Pro Wrestling get the victory.
-Next we get a video package on the Kurt Angle vs. Lashley main event last week. Josh tells us that he’s going to interview the man the ruined Angle’s retirement last week next in the ring.
-Back from commercial, Josh Matthews is in the ring. He briefly discusses Kurt Angle’s retirement from TNA from last week before introducing “The Destroyer” Lashley. Basically, Lashley is a fighter and is not looking for friends. Josh asks Lashley why he would attack his friend and mentor Kurt after the match. Lashley says he has no friends. Crowd chants “Lashley Sucks”. Lashley gets mad at Josh and ends up throwing Josh around the ring. Lashley sets up for the spear, but The Pope leaves the announce booth and stops Lashley from spearing Josh. Pope gets Josh out of the ring, but then Lashley hits the spear on The Pope. This got a ton of heat from the crowd.
-In the back, Decay cut a promo on Beer Money and The Wolves.
-Back from commercial, Jeremy Borash replaces The Pope and joins Josh on commentary.
-Backstage, EC3 approaches Jeff Hardy and mentions that Matt has pulled a surprise on him in each of their previous encounters. He’s implies that he doesn’t trust Jeff. Jeff is out to win the TNA world title.
TNA Tag Champions Beer Money (Bobby Roode & James Storm) and Eddie Edwards vs. Decay (Abyss, Crazy Steve & Rosemary)
Rosemary is going to be Abyss and Crazy Steve’s partner in this match. The babyfaces get the early advantage until the heels are able to isolate Roode in their corner. Rosemary comes in and hits Roode with some shots before tagging back out. Roode makes the hot tag to James Storm. Storm runs wild on Crazy Steve and tags in Eddie who also goes nuts in the ring. Eddie hits a dive to the outside on Abyss. Roode and Storm went to hit the double suplex on Rosemary, but Crazy Steve pulls her out of the ring. The crowd booed this, as they really wanted to see her get the double suplex. Rosemary spits the mist into Roode’s eyes and Steve rolls up Eddie for the win.
-Backstage, Grado is seen talking to Billy Corgan. Billy tells him that they’re going to settle this issue with Eli Drake, in the ring.
-Back from commercial, Matt Hardy and Reby approach Dixie. They argue back and forth about tonight’s main event. Basically, Matt and Reby are mad that Jeff is in the match and Dixie does everything for the fans. Like an idiot, Matt reveals his plan to Dixie that he’s just going to punch the referee in the face and get disqualified. Predictably, Dixie makes the triple threat a no dq and no count out match.
-We get a video package recapping the Feast or Fired briefcase situation between Eli Drake and Grado. Eli Drake makes his way down to the ring. He demands Billy Corgan brings out his Feast or Fired Briefcase which Grado stole. Eli brings up Donald Trump to get some cheap heat.
We see a video of Eli Drake switching the Feast or Fired Briefcase. Billy Corgan and Grado come down to the ring and Billy claims that the evidence isn’t clear of what Eli is doing. So Billy announces that Grado will face Eli in a ladder match with Grado’s new contract hanging from the ceiling. If Eli gets to it first he can tear the contract up.
Ladder Match for Grado’s Contract: Grado vs. Eli Drake
With zero promotion, we get a ladder match for Grado’s contract. Eli dominates Grado in the early moments of the match. Grado sends Eli into the ladder and starts to climb up. Jesse Godderz comes out and push’s the ladder over sending Grado crashing to the mat. Mahabali Shera makes the save and sends Godderz to the outside. Inside the ring, Grado dives off the ladder onto Eli, Shera and Jesse on the outside. This gets a “This Is awesome” chant from the crowd. Grado hits the electric chair on Eli off the ladder. The crowd was a bit dead at the start of the match, but now they’re going crazy and chanting for Grado. Grado and Eli are at the top of the ladder battling for the contract. Grado knocks Eli off and pulls down the contract.
Surprisingly, this short match ended up being pretty good and the ending got a great reaction from the crowd.
-Back from commercial and in the back, Eric Young is mad at Bram for not helping him earlier in the night. Suddenly in the background Willow (who is Jeff Hardy’s alter ego) made an appearance and disappeared. EY freaked out and pointed him out to Bram.
TNA World Champion Matt Hardy vs. Ethan Carter III vs. Jeff Hardy
As Jeff made his way down to the ring, Josh made absolutely no mention of Jeff’s alter ego Willow appearing in the back. EC3 gets a decent reaction from the crowd as he comes down to the ring. Matt comes out alone. Match starts off with EC3 and Jeff taking turns stomping Matt in the corner. Matt jumps EC3 and sends him in the other direction. Matt wants to do the old Hardy Boys double team move in the corner, but Jeff refuses. He does it with EC3 instead. Matt and Jeff briefly work together to take out EC3, but soon turn on each other, just like old times. EC3 hits a powerslam on Jeff off the top, and then a beautiful looking drop kick on Matt.
Back from commercial, Matt Hardy takes out EC3 and he rolls out of the ring. In the ring, Jeff and Matt exchange shots in the center. Jeff gets the better of Matt until EY and Bram interfere. They throw Jeff to the outside where EY hits another piledriver on Jeff. Jeff is apparently out of the match as officials take him to the back. EC3 gets back to his feet and attacks Matt. EC3 is beating Matt all over the ring when Rockstar Spud and Tyrus run down. EC3 gives Tyrus a huge Samoan drop, which sends Tyrus to the outside. EC3 press slams Spud onto Tyrus on the outside. EC3 hits the one percenter, but “Miracle” Mike Bennett interferes breaking up the pin. Bennett and EC3 brawl into the crowd. Bennett beats EC3 down with violent chair shots. EC3 is apparently out of the match as well as officials are helping EC3 to the back. The match is over.
Matt takes the mic and said that he told everyone that he was going to leave as the TNA World Champion. Suddenly, Drew Galloway comes out and he cashes in his Feast or Fired Briefcase and World Title shot.
TNA World Champion Matt Hardy vs. Drew Galloway
The match is official and underway. They trade shots briefly, until Drew hits the claymore and then hits the Futureshock DDT for the pin! Drew Galloway is the NEW TNA World Champion! The crowd actually went nuts for Drew coming out and popped huge for the title change. Drew celebrates his win in the crowd. The show ends with Drew Galloway celebrating his title win
Final Thoughts:
Ratings for TNA on POP TV have been down and declining for the most part. However, TNA has attempted to put on a fun and exciting show since coming to POP TV. This week’s show was a good effort by the company. The show featured a good triple threat main event and then a thrilling surprise with Drew winning the World title. The title change came across good on TV and felt like somewhat of a big deal.
Next Week on TNA Impact:
On next week’s show, Beer Money has issued an open challenge to any TNA tag team for a shot at their belts. Also, the aftermath of Drew Galloway’s title win.
– Enzo Amore & Big Cass w/Carmella def. NXT Tag Champions The Revival Dawson & Wilder in a non-title match
Their act wasn’t as over as in some U.S cities, but the S-A-W-F-T had a decent reaction and they got a “How you doin?” chant at the beginning of the match. Good opener. Enzo and Big Cass won with the Rocket Launcher.
– Jack Swagger b Stardust
Dead spot, but it was what it was. Swagger won with the Patriot Lock.
– Goldust b Viktor
Okay match. Viktor rolled up Goldust while holding the ropes. The referee caught him, Goldust reversed him for the pin. After the match, Ascension beat up Goldust until R-Truth did the save.
– Brock Lesnar b Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper in a handicap match
Bray did a promo saying that Brock would have to face both Bray and Luke Harper. Heyman cut a short promo and announced Brock from Saskatchewan, Canada. He sure doesn’t know much about Canadian politics!
Brock beat Harper with the F-5 in a short match, something like five minutes. Brock got a great reaction from the crowd as did Heyman especially when he took the mic from Jojo, who’s the ring announcer tonight. Crowd chanted “na na na hey hey good bye” to Harper.
– Divas Champion Charlotte w/Ric Flair b Natalya
Charlotte won with her feet on the ropes. Good match. Flair got a good pop. Crowd was into it.
– WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) w/Xavier Woods b League of Nations (Sheamus & Wade Barrett) by DQ
Good match. The finish saw Kofi pinning Sheamus, but Barrett broke the pin with the trombone. After the match, Xavier and Big E hit the Midnight Hour on Barrett.
– Pat Patterson came to the ring and thanked the crowd for the homage he got the last time. He said that Montreal was the best wrestling town. He thanked Jojo and said she was beautiful and good!!
– Sami Zayn vs. I-C Champion Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose
Zayn got a huge “ole ole” chant when he revealed his Montreal Canadiens jersey. He was at the hockey game last night, got a 30 seconds interview on the giant screen and got a jersey from the team with his name on the back. Kevin Owens got a bigger pop than Zayn which is normal since he’s been on Raw and SmackDown for a longer time. Owens refused to shake hands with Patterson.
Owens and Zayn got a lot of time only the two of them in the ring. This is awesome chants early in the match. Package piledriver into a side suplex. Blue Thunder Bomb by Zayn for a two count. Crowd was really into it. Owens super kicked both Zayn and Ambrose before Ambrose got Owens with the Lunatic Lariat. Another this is awesome chant. Zayn got a close pin too. Dirty Deeds on Zayn. Owens broke the pin with a Senton Bomb and pinned Zayn for the win. Very good match. Best match on the card. By far.
Ambrose and Zayn stayed in the ring after the show. He said that everyone should be inspired by Zayn. Zayn was a bigger local star by the end of the match. Sami chants. He said that him and Kevin started from the bottom here in Montreal and now they are main-eventing the Bell Centre and he thanked the fans. He said that sooner or later he would beat Owens for the IC title, maybe at WrestleMania. Good babyface promo. He was just missing some French to get the crowd even more behind him.
Another match has been added to Saturday’s WWE Roadblock Network special with Charlotte defending the Divas title against Natalya.
The two reportedly had a strong match in Montreal last night.
The two turned a lot of people around on the prospect of women’s wrestling on the main roster with their May 2014 match at TakeOver in Orlando. However, the two have not been put together for a high profile long match since Charlotte won the championship.
Nattie posted the following on her Instagram page: “As I make my way to Toronto for #WWERoadBlock, I’m dedicating my match to Bret Hart. His fight against cancer has inspired me to fight even harder in my own life. @Charlottewwe is going to have her hands full AND I can’t wait.#RoadtoWrestleMania#WWENetwork“.
Here’s the full card for tonight’s show (at least everything that’s been announced for TV):
WWE Champion HHH vs. Dean Ambrose
Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt
Divas Champion Charlotte vs. Natalya
WWE Tag Team Champions New Day vs Sheamus & King Barrett
NXT Champions Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady
Also scheduled for the show are Sheamus, Chris Jericho and Sami Zayn. The show will air at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST. Our Bryan Rose will have your coverage tonight.
As if their presence atop an MMA card in 2016 wasn’t bizarre enough, another footnote will be added onto the Bellator legacy of both Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice: busted for a positive drug test.
MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi broke the news Friday afternoon that the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has “adminstratively suspended” both guys pending a full adjudication process due to a non-specified banned substance found in their pre-fight urine tests prior to Bellator 149.
Raimondi added that typical maximum suspension in Texas for this type of failure go up to 90 days with a $5000 fine. Bellator has yet to make a public comment.
The 52-year-old Shamrock lost to Royce Gracie in the main event via first round TKO after the referee missed Gracie kneeing Shamrock low, leading to strikes for the win. The 42-year-old Slice downed DADA 5000 in the night’s co-main event by TKO in the third round. It was later learned that 5000 nearly died in the cage after suffering renal failure due to bad weight cutting.
Tonight, The Mack battles Marty The Moth while Marty’s sister makes her debut. Famous B returns with more advice on how to be famous, and a new partnership is formed inside the Temple as rivals of Drago come together. Cage battles Taya, while Mil Muertes, Pentagon Jr., and Prince Puma battle in the main event for the Lucha Underground Title.
Show Recap:
The show begins with a recap of the Moth vs. Sexy Star feud and Cage and Johnny Mundo’s issues, including the debut of Taya. The Jack Evans vs. Drago rivalry is run down, as are Pentagon Jr. and Cuerno’s issues with Catrina. Backstage, Sexy Star is in the back being sad, while The Mack comes in and attempts to act. He says it’s time to squash the bug and make Sexy the Sexy he knows. God bless The Mack, but acting is not his thing.
In the ring, Marty the Moth stands over Melissa Santos and sniffs her hair creepily. The crowd chants “no means no!” and The Mack runs down to attack.
Marty The Moth vs. The Mack
Striker says that it’s time for a garden of empowerment to grow. Mack runs Marty down with big punches and lariats. Mack gets backdropped to the apron and he eats a big kick. Marty hits a dive and Striker says the Math had to fly. Marty plays the bongos on the apron before chopping Mack’s chest and getting 1. Marty goes for a bulldog into the buckle for some reason, and gets crotched.
Marty elbows Mack down, but he misses a diving splash and eats a big German and T-Bone suplex. Mack goes up, but the lights go out and Marty’s sister comes down to distract while Marty gets a big slam off the top and a stomp to win. Mariposa is his sister and Sexy freaks out on the floor. She tells Sexy to get up and knocks her back down.
Fenix walks around Mexico in a suit, in his mask saying he grew up with nothing to call his own. He had fantasy though, and heard about Lucha Underground and was told he wouldn’t survive. He proved them wrong doing that and even became champion. They think he won’t become LU Champion – but he will, and it’s no fantasy. Backstage, Jack Evans pees, but is attacked by Drago afterwards.
He wants Evans to prove he’s the Dragon Slayer, but PJ Black attacks with nunchucks. Then everyone gets a set and spins them around before Drago hits them with a shot, but eats several more. They threaten him, but Aerostar the Time-Traveling Spaceman returns from the future to save his rival. This was hilarious. Cage is mid-ring for his match with Mundo. Taya comes down with Johnny’s slow-mo fan intro and says it’s time for her to kick his ass since Johnny already did.
Cage vs. Taya Valkyrie – No Disqualification
Striker says she was trained by Lance Storm while Vampiro says she’s been adopted by lucha fans. Tays starts by slapping the shit out of him and he responds by shoving her down. Cage does lifts in a backbreaker position before putting her in a gorilla press and then powerslamming her down . Taya punches him in the balls before landing a kneeling dropkick. Shotgun knees in the corner hit the chest hard and get 2. Striker says that Lance is one of the greatest wrestlers in the world, while Vamp says Lance had nothing to do with her success.
Cage powerbombs her on the railing, then on the post before saying “WHO’S THE F***ING MACHINE”, which went unbleeped. Big powerbomb in the ring leads to a buckle bomb before he sets up two tables on the floor. He gets the deadlift superplex from the apron to the floor on her through the tables. Mundo has seen JUST ABOUT ENOUGH and hits Cage with the pipe to get a 2 count. Mundo brings in another cinder block and beers.
Striker was okay with the man on woman stuff, but THIS is too much. Cage avoids a powerbomb onto this stuff, but he Alabama slams him and goes for a curb stomp. Taya saves Johnny, and he hits Cage with two beer bottles – but he gets his ass kicked and Taya eats Weapon X on the broken glass leading to a pinfall.
Famous B says he’s famous, and a retired underground fighter. He also has a wizard hat and meets Brenda, who has no job and car – she’s tore up from the floor up, but Famous B’s magic touch makes her beautiful. They flash some cash around and do the classic local ad bit of holding the camera on folks way too long.
Ivelisse comes out of Catrina’s office and says she got them a trios title shot, but they have to leave LU if they lose. The guys argue and she tells them to argue and man up. Angelico has a new grey and black Lucha Underground shirt on while Striker hypes up Aztec Warfare. Main event time.
Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes vs. Pentagon Jr – Lucha Underground Title
Striker says each man brings something special, and Vamp says yes – and one guy is dressed like a Puma. Pentagon and Puma attack Muertes in the corner. Puma and Pentagon stare at one another, but resuming beating Mil in the corner. Mil recovers and powerbombs Puma to death. Tilt a whirl backbreaker to Pentagon. Corner lariats to Pentagon lead to Puma intervening and being thrown into the corner to eat them too! Pentagon gets tossed to the floor, but he lands on the floor perfectly and Vamp says that’s an old Jerry Estrada move.
Puma high kicks Mil, but punched out on the apron. Mil hits a dead man dive over the top to the floor! They fight in the crowd and Puma hits a flying lariat off the steps. Mil goes to toss him in the ring, but Puma does some ninja stuff and runs up the apron before Pentagon superkicks Mil. Mil tosses Pentagon into the post and powerbombs him in the ring for 2. Mil spikes him with a DDT for 2.
Pentagon lands 2 Slingblades sending Mil to the floor, where he eats a flip dive. Puma responds with a more beautiful flip dive of his own, then a second, and a third! Puma and Pentagon fight on the railing area with some punches amongst the fan. Pentagon lifts him up and hits an FU on the platform before diving onto Mil. Mil runs his spine into the apron five times and he tackles him into the chairs.
Pentagon stops short of a barricade toss and Puma hits an SSP off the barricade onto the pile! That gets a “holy sh*t!” chant, which Vamp says in Spanish is still “holy sh*t!”.
Pentagon goes down and Puma hits the 630, but Mil makes the save! Puma lands a chain of uppercuts, but eats a powerslam for 2. Mil sets up a Flatliner, but Pentagon superkicks him before they each land a ton of superkicks leading to Striker saying it’s time to RSVP for the superkick party.
Pumphandle powerbomb gets 2 for Pentagon! Package piledriver to Puma leads to an arm snapper, but Mil spears Pentagon to end that and hopefully take Pentagon out. Mil double flatliners both for the win! This ruled!
Catrina gives both Puma and Pentagon the lick of death before Fenix stands atop the temple. He tells them to celebrate now, because he’s handing in the Gift of the Gods Title to get his LU Title shot. Fenix was so passionate here that it made up for his iffy English, and when combined with the prior video package, made Fenix seem like a big star.
To see all of the screens taken for the show, just click here.
Also from sources at the park, the location would replace NBA City at the Universal City Walk, adjacent to the theme park — the same location reported on more than a year ago in the Wrestling Observer newsletter.
It’s said that the restaurant will be similar to “The World” — the WWE’s failed attempt at a Times Square restaurant years ago that was closed after bleeding tens of millions of dollars. The new place will feature a merchandise store and screens that would constantly air WWE action.
UFC fighter Paige VanZant was announced Tuesday as one of the participants of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” the popular TV show that airs on Monday nights opposite Raw, the first active UFC fighter to appear on the show.
On previous seasons, retired UFC fighters Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture competed on the show. WWE performers Chris Jericho and Stacy Keibler have also been on the show, with Jericho writing extensively about it in his book, “The Best in the World.” Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is also a past competitor.
VanZant, a fighter from the Team Alpha Male camp in Sacramento, CA, and a former dancer, has a 6-2 pro record and is known for conditioning, heart, and looks — not necessarily in that order. She’s 3-1 in the UFC but had a tough one-sided loss to Rose Namajunas in a December Fight Pass main event that level-set where she was at in her career. There are no immediate fights in her future.
Other cast members include Doug Flutie, Mischa Barton, Marla Maples (ex-wife of Donald Trump), Jodie Sweetin of Fuller House and NFL stars Von Miller and Antonio Brown. The new season debuts on March 21st and runs through May.
The first big show of the year is upon us as Ireland has taken over Las Vegas and Stockton is there to fight. Since this fight was signed last week, Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz have managed to cram three months of trash talk into 11 days and captured the imagination of fight fans everywhere.
Lost in the shuffle is a highly anticipated title fight in the marquee division in women’s MMA. Our very own Tom Lawlor is also on the main card along with the guy he knocked out in his last fight. And in the Fight Pass main event, two battle-tested UFC veterans will throw down as Diego Sanchez moves back to 155 to take on Jim Miller.
Our panel is here to weigh in on their opinions on the top fights on the card and as you can see from the results below, our panel (for the most part) picks at a higher clip than the people who set the betting odds.
Here’s our panel with the 2016 records in parenthesis with a running tally of the records of the favorites going into the fights and the panel consensus picks
John Pollock (18-7; .720) – Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Mike Sawyer (17-8; .680) – Tough Talk MMA
Josh Nason (17-8; .680) – Host of Josh Nason’s Punch Out; Assistant Web Editor of WrestlingObserver.com; WON Twitter guy
Mike Sempervive (17-8; .680) – Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Ryan Frederick (16-9; .640) – WrestlingObserver.com UFC reporter, WON Twitter guy
Consensus picks (14-9; .609)
Dave Meltzer (15-10; .600)– Wrestling Observer founder
Steve Juon (14-11; .560) – MMA Mania/Wrestling Observer writer. Angry Marks founder
Favorites (14-11; .560)
David Bixenspan (14-11; .560) – Figure Four Weekly writer, podcast host
Front Row Brian (13-12; .520) – MMA newsbreaker, Beloved internet personality, Podcast host
Paul Fontaine (10-15; .400) – MMADraws.com founder, WrestlingObserver.com writer
Conor McGregor (19-2) vs Nate Diaz (18-10) Welterweights
The World Featherweight Champion takes on the #5 ranked Lightweight contender in a Welterweight fight. Despite how ridiculous that sounds, this show is going to do huge business and it’s because of this fight. And it should be a great one. McGregor has outstanding power and with the extra weight could be even more powerful. If it goes to the ground, Diaz should have the huge advantage. The odds are heavily in Conor’s favor and the fight seems a lot closer than they would suggest but our panel is picking straight up and without having to think about the odds, it’s a clear consensus.
Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm (10-0) vs Miesha Tate (17-5)
Holm makes her first title defence after the biggest upset in UFC history when she knocked out Ronda Rousey. Rousey’s previous biggest rival Tate gets the title shot she’s been working toward for two years. This should be a very different fight for Holm but so far she’s passed every test in the UFC even if it was with a solid C in her first two fights. Again the panel seems pretty unified on this one and the odds, while not quite as lopsided as the main event, favor the champion. The winner will likely get the biggest money fight of her career against Ronda later on this year.
Ilir Latifi (11-4) vs Gian Villante (14-6) Light Heavyweights
Latifi has stormed the UFC with 4 first round stoppages in his first 6 fights. He has had a few stumbles with 2 losses and while one was against someone who now fights at Middlweight in Gegard Mousasi, he was knocked out in the first round by non-contender Jan Blachowicz. Villante is also susceptible to the KO but has managed to win 3 of the last 4. This and the next fight is almost a mini-tournament of sorts to get into that next level of contenders once Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier settle their differences. It would seem natural to have the winners of these two fights face off down the road.
Tom Lawlor (10-5) vs Corey Anderson (7-1) Light Heavyweights
The co-host of Filthy Four Daily on this very website steps back into the Octagon in an attempt to finally break into that elusive top 15. He really should be there already considering he’s coming off of a KO win of Villante, who already is. He’s got a tough opponent in former TUF Champion Anderson. Anderson has won 4 of 5 in the UFC with the last 3 coming by decision. The two most likely outcomes seem to be a finish for Lawlor or a grinding decision for Anderson. With the way my selections have been going so far, you can look at my pick in this fight as support for a fellow website contributor….
Diego Sanchez (25-8) vs Jim Miller (25-7) Lightweights
Another TUF winner on the card here as Diego Sanchez is back in the Octagon. If not for a gift win against Ross Pearson that only the two judges who voted for him think he won, Sanchez would be on a four fight win streak. After dropping to 145 for a fight with Ricardo Lamas, he’s back at his familiar 155 for this one. Jim Miller is a perennial contender who almost always has exciting fights and this one could steal the show. Miller has also lost 3 of his last 4 with two of those uncharacteristically coming by stoppage. It seems unlikely that either of these two would ever be cut by UFC but it’s tough to stick around in UFC with a 1-4 record in your last 5 fights so this is important for both of them.
I’m here at the Arnold Classic for the NXT show in Columbus, Ohio tonight in front of a sold-out house.
Asuka beat Alexa Bliss
Big reaction for Asuka and also a good one for the hometown girl Bliss. This was all Asuka, nailing the Yes Kicks and finally applying the Asuka Lock for the submission.
Johnny Gargano and Tomaso Ciampa beat The Vaudevillains
The Vaudevillains were obviously the heels tonight. There was a lot of ‘Johnny Wrestling’ chants and the match built to a hot tag. The big finish saw Johnny as the legal man get the pin after double low angle superkicks on Gotch.
Apollo Crews beat Tye Dillinger
Dillinger’s first match back from injury got a great reaction then he did some heel mic work pre match to give Apollo a big entrance. Very good match including NXT chants from the crowd. Big Apollo Slam for the win.
Eva Marie and Nia Jax beat Billie Kay and Peyton Royce
Major heat on Eva. Nia hit a big Samoan Drop and allowed Eva to get the pin.
Sami Zayn beat Baron Corbin
Great reactions for both in their own ways as Baron soaks in the booos and Sami is beloved. Slow start to the match with Baron winning a test of strength, then hitting some great looking punches with Sami just making the count of ten. Big fired up comeback by Zayn including a dive off the entrance way a blue thunder bomb and after nearly connecting once before, hits the Helluva Kick for the win.
GM William Regal welcomes us back from intermission and speaks highly of the roster. An NXT chant leads to him giving us what we want, more NXT action.
NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival beat American Alpha
Excellent match. The heels used the ring and worked the ref to keep Gable isolated until the big hot tag to Jordan. As per usual, Jason Jordan has the best hot tag in wrestling. The straps came down, then went back up, then back down. That’s how wild he ran. Suplexes, dropkicks, backdrops. Alpha had Revival set up for the German yet Dash held Jordan’s feet, then pulled Jordan out of the ring and held Gable’s feet during a sit out pin by Dawson to steal the win. Post match, we had “Yay – Booo” spots when the champs and challengers lifted their arms.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Emma
Superstar reaction for Bayley. Emma got a lot of punishment in early and the crowd just chanted and sang for Bayley. Good action here with Bayley firing up after refusing to feel the pain of being rammed in to the turn buckle padding. Belly To Bayley for the win.
NXT Champion Finn Balor beat Samoa Joe
Huge reactions for both men, dueling chants at times. Finn took a lot of punishment from the big man. These two always work great together. Finn hit the running dropkick and the Bloody Sunday ddt for the win. No top rope stomp tonight. Post match, Finn celebrated with the crowd and put up the gun sign.
