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  • UFC TUF 22: McGregor vs. Faber episode 9 recap: Watermelon drops of doom

    The Notorious Quote of the Week: “As a warm up for the Aldo fight, I’d kill him! But they wouldn’t do it. They wouldn’t sacrifice your old ass for a fight.”

    Last week, Team McGregor took a 5-3 lead. The final first round fight tonight is Abner Lloveras from Team McGregor and Jason Gonzalez from Team Faber. Here we go!

    McGregor praises his team for being mentally strong. He notes that nobody has crumbled, or had an emotional breakdown, or begged to go home. “It’s a good experience to be here doing this show. We’re having a good time.” Abner Lloveras says (and I quote) “My game plan is to work on my well rounded.” McGregor says that he’s so experienced he doesn’t need to give Lloveras much advice. Lloveras: “You really need to trust in yourself and work out a lot in the gym to be a better fighter.”

    The focus shifts to Team Faber. Urijah: “Jason is 90% standup so Abner’s game plan will be to take this fight down and get a submission.” TJ Dillashaw: “Gonzalez picks up on it really quick. He’s got a good style and he stays striking long.” Gonzalez: “I’m just coming in there well prepared for whatever comes at me.”

    It’s time for the annual COACHES CHALLENGE. They drive out to a tent in the middle of the desert, while Dana White gets to cruise in via helicopter. The helicopter is actually key though – they have to fly over the top of a giant bullseye and drop five watermelons. The coach with the most points at the end wins $10,000 and $1,500 for each member of their team. Confidence is high for “Mystic Mac” as we go to break.

    Faber gets 25. McGregor gets 25. Faber gets 10. McGregor gets 10. Faber gets 50. McGregor gets 10. Faber gets 0. McGregor gets 25. Faber hits a bullseye on his very last shot for 100 to take 185-70 lead. McGregor can’t win now even if he hits the bullseye – it’s all over. McGregor: “F–k the challenge. I feel sick as a dog over that. I don’t like losing. Congratulations to that little buffet twerp.”

    Gonzalez talks about his family being from Nicaragua and living through the civil war there. Lloveras talks about his wife and baby daughter. “I have them on my mind always and I will for sure fight harder to give them a good life – hopefully.”

    Lloveras is my Fighter to Watch for this episode, and not just because he’s in the fight. He’s an Olympic level boxer, a black belt in muay thai, and a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. He’s the oldest guy on the show but at 19-7-1 he’s also among the most experienced. Gonzalez is also a Fighter to Watch, because he’s young and strong and anybody praised by Dillashaw for his striking is doing something right.

    No weigh-ins today – we’re going straight to the fight. Lloveras: “P–ies don’t come here to fight. We’re big boys and we need to show that.”

    Lightweight: Abner Lloveras (Europe) vs. Jason Gonzalez (USA)

    Lloveras is in the gray trunks and Gonzalez the blue. Lloveras is as predicted looking for takedowns and Gonzalez does a good job of stuffing the attempts, just missing with a high kick on the break that could have ended the fight. He pours it on as Lloveras backs away and lands a big knee to the body. He hits another jumping knee and Lloveras clinches up for a leg trip – he gets it at 2:55 and is quickly in full mount. He loses it and gets it back at 3:45. Big elbows and big rights from on top. Lloveras did more in those last two minutes than Gonzalez did the first three so I’d give him the round.

    If this is going three then Gonzalez is going to win this round, but for the first minute he’s getting beaten to the punch and is in danger of being single legged again. Lloveras gets his takedown at 1:10 but Gonzalez gets right back up and avoids a back mount. Lloveras gets a takedown again at 1:40 and another full mount. It’s not going well for Gonzalez. Gonzalez manages to push off the fence and roll to escape but Lloveras gets the mount again at 2:30. Gonzalez tries again to push off and gets up at 3:15. Lloveras goes right for a single leg but has to reset before he can get it at 3:42. That’s pretty much a wrap as Gonzalez is exhausted from fighting to get up and breathing hard. He pushes off at 4:20 and stands but is taken down with ease five seconds later. The judges should make this unanimous.

    20-18 X3 for Abner Lloveras. Not shocking at all. Team McGregor finishes the first round of fights with a 6-3 lead.

    The gimmick moment of the show has arrived as one winner has to be cut. It would be more fair to cut one of McGregor’s guys since he has more men in the hunt, but it’s Dana White’s call in the end as to who didn’t “perform.” He sits down with Faber and McGregor. Mystic Mac immediately calls for Gruetzemacher to be cut, and defends Svensson by saying it may have been boring but at least Svensson got a submission.

    White agrees. He says Lloveras has terrible ground and pound skills, but he got the submission and the win; meanwhile Gruetzemacher had points where he could have gone for broke and didn’t so he blew it. Now McGregor has to match up his own guys against each other, but before he can do that he and Faber get into a pissing war about who makes more money and who would win if the two of them got in a fight – which is where this week’s Notorious Quote of the Week comes from.

    Time for the announcement of the quarterfinals. Dana White informs Gruetzemacher that he’s cut, but tells him to stay ready in case anybody on either team gets injured – if they do he’s back in. The first fight is Artem Lobov vs. Martin Svensson. There’s little doubt in my mind Svensson wins that. The second fight is Saul Rogers vs. Ryan Hall. That’s more of a coin flip. The third fight is Marcin Wrzosek vs. David Teymur. I’ve got “The Polish Zombie” in that one. Last but not least it’s Julian Erosa vs. Abner Lloveras, and I heavily favor the latter in that bout. Ryan Hall is now the best hope of Team Faber winning at the end and he’s no better than a coin flip.

    We move on from this week to see if “Mystic Mac” can run the table and have an all Team McGregor finals. Join us next week!

  • WWE NXT TV tapings spoilers: Building toward TakeOver London (updated)

    Submitted by John Carey with additional notes from J.J. Williams from Winter Park, FL

    These are the tapings that will make up all the TVs leading up to NXT’s TakeOver London show in mid-December.

    – Dark Match: Levis Valenzuela defeat Axel Tischer

    Another great showing by Levis who mixes his work with entertainment. A highlight being a cha cha cha salsa dance with the hips before dropping a big leg. The “Fiesta” gimmick is a favorite of the local Florida fans. 

    Wednesday, November 25:

    – Greg Hamilton introduces Michael Cole to a chorus of booos before the crowd lightens up a bit, Michael informs us that William Regal is recovering from a successful surgery and management has put him in charge for the time being. Cole then calls NXT Champion Finn Balor and Samoa Joe out for their contract signing. They have a seemingly calm and non confrontational signing. Joe leaves, Finn makes his way up the ramp where Joe returns to cheap shot Balor, they brawl for a while until the refs attempt a pull apart and as usual this gives Joe the advantage as while Finn is dealing with refs, Joe can lock in the choke and leave Finn laying yet again. 

    – NXT Tag Champions Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder beat The Vaudevillains in an okay match. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady returned to a big pop to attack and beat down Dash & Dawson.

    – Asuka vs. Dana Brooke never happened. Dana got to the apron when Emma in a black hoodie attacked Asuka from behind. Emma and Dana high five outside of the ring as Asuka is trying to get up in the ring yet stays down after her beatdown.

    – Apollo Crews beat Jesse Sorenson in a squash match. They were building Crews vs. Baron Corbin for 12/16 in London which is the next Takeover show. 

    – NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Eva Marie to retain the title. We are told that Charles Robinson was assigned to keep an eye on this match by management. Big fight feel early on, in ring introductions with the spotlight. This match had a different kind of heat than anything in recent memory, every nearfall was frightening as this wasn’t something the people would accept if Eva won, there aren’t many matches to compare this too because of it. Early on Bayley hit her finish on Eva yet Nia pulled the ref out and knocked him to the floor as well, this lead to Bayley turning towards her being distracted, Eva rolled her up, Charles Robinson dove in and the count seemed a little fast and we got a long two count. Everyone bit as this wasn’t blatantly dirty yet it scared the people that he might be. A few more nearfall spots before Bayley whips Eva and knocks Robinson down again, Nia tries to get involved when Bayley set Eva on the middle rope for the finish yet Bayley fought her off, hit the move, a third ref sprinted down and counted the three to a huge ovation. After being announced as the winner and celebrating a bit, Nia then left Bayley laying. Unbelievable match for the way it was all set up, they took everyone on a rollercoaster.

    – Baron Corbin beat Tye Dillinger in an okay match

    Wednesday, December 2nd:

    – Nia Jax destroyed Blue Pants in a squash.

    – James Storm beat Adam Rose in a squash. Rose was out in his glasses and heel persona that he’s been using lately on Main Event. The crowd kept singing his theme to taunt him as he had the music turned off when he reached the stage. Another one sided match to showcase Storm.

    – Jason Jordan & Chad Gable beat The Vaudevillains in a good match. It was a good match with Gable working some holds early, Jordan getting a hot tag and a firy comeback before the clean finish. Post match the Vaudevillains refused a handshake and walked away angrily.

    – Emma beat Liv Morgan (the former Gionna Daddio) via submission. Physical one sided match here as Emma womanhandled the energetic Morgan, finish came when Emma did her variant of a curb stomp before locking in her submission. After the match we see a heavy bag on the tron while hearing punching and kicking noises from the opposite side, Asuka peaks her head from behind and says “See you in London.” as Emma appears slightly intimidated in the ring. 

    – Samoa Joe beat Tommaso Ciampa in a physical match. This match was violent, it started slow and the crowd was unsure how to react since Joe is still a big star here, the match took off when Joe unleashed Japanese style strikes and slaps to Ciampa, loud smacks. At one point Joe backed Ciampa in to the corned and connected with a loud kick to the side of Tomaso’s head. Joe hit the muscle buster and choked him out for a strong, decisive win.

    Wednesday, December 9th:

    – Bull Dempsey beat Riddick Moss. Dempsey’s comedy is over with the live crowd. Mostly comedy spots as at one point Moss wanted a test of strength so Bull got his hands close to Riddick’s yet instead of locking up would slowly lower and raise them as if they were doing the mirror spot. Some wacky stuff before Bull got the win.

    – Enzo & Big Cass beat John Skyler & Corey Hollis in a squash. Enzo hit the big splash for the win. Post match Enzo began the promo on Dash & Dawson talking about how they are a family and taking out Big Cass was taking away from his family. Cass then did an excellent job closing the promo, strong words in challenging them for the tag titles. None of the usual routine or comedy here, intense and direct words.

    – Asuka beat Deonna Purrazzo with a spinning kick knockout and referee stoppage. Emma and Dana stood on the stage trying to distract Asuka yet it only made her mad and she wiped out Deonna with a kick. The heels looked on in fear before leaving, Asuka then checked on Purrazzo.

    – Mojo Rawley & Zack Ryder beat Blake & Murphy. Blake, Alexa, & Murphy wore Freddy Krueger inspired gear here and were quite entertaining playing the foils to the fired up Hype Bros. 

    – NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Peyton Royce in a non-title squash match. This was the debut of Peyton’s new gimmick off the live events, a Poison Ivy type persona, a lot of impressive flexibility worked in to her mannerisms, entering the ring, even turning almost completely upside down while her foot was on Bayley’s neck in the corner. Post match Nia Jax’s music hit, Eva Marie was with her and tried to speak first but was drowned out with booos, they’ll have to turn the mics up like they did on last week’s television, Nia was able to take the mic from Eva and speak over the booing to say she’ll take the title from Bayley in London. 

    – Samoa Joe & Baron Corbin beat NXT Champion Finn Balor and Apollo Crews when Joe choked out Finn yet again and the ref had to call for the bell. Crews and Corbin were fighting outside the ring during the finish. Good action, nothing we haven’t seen before as they’re all gearing up for their singles matches at Takeover. Joe stands tall holding the title up while standing over Balor to close the show.

    We’re told Linda and Stephanie McMahon came out in front of the fans, but it doesn’t appear like it was for anything on-air.

  • TNA Impact results: Bobby Roode vs. Abyss headlines week 7 of the World title tourney

    Last week, Madison Rayne debuted wacky ninja training and used it against Gail Kim. Sadly, it didn’t do her much good as she still lost. Eli Drake cheated to beat Jessie Godderz, and Matt used a top rope Twist of Fate to beat Eddie Edwards. DJZ beat Mandrews with a cradle, while EC3 beat Anderson in the main event. A video package recaps the wins for last week’s matches, and tonight’s matches include Kong vs. Brooke and Roode vs. Abyss. There will also be a face off between Matt Hardy and EC3. Pope and Josh recap the events of the video package before we get another video package recapping the opening video. We’re two minutes into the show and they’re already loading the show with filler. Brooke, who just left the company, comes out to face Kong. Kong comes out and they recap her beating Rayne, but losing to Gail in the series.

    Brooke vs. Awesome Kong

    Pope talks about how the knockouts main event the show here in the opener, and then Josh says the main event will be Abyss vs. Roode. No part of that match screams “main event” at all. Kong gets a big Biel throw and Brooke responds with flying forearm shots. Kong takes her down and works on the fingers a bit. Kong stomps on the hand for a bit and they talk about having a target on her hand with the split. Brooke rolls to the floor and then rolls back in and gives her the double bird! Well, that was unexpected and hilarious. Kong whoops her ass for doing that and slams her down for a cocky two count with her foot on her chest. Brooke gets a drop toehold and gets a bizarre variant of the Cattle Mutilation that Kong counters. Josh plugs Dixie’s Twitter and Kong hits a modified AA on Brooke, but misses a corner splash. Turnbuckle X factor hits for 2. Kong counters a back suplex and hits the chokeslam for the win. Brooke is now out of the series as a contender, while Kong and Gail have advanced. This was pretty good. EC3 and Matt Hardy meet next. 

    We get a recap of Brooke vs. Kong while Josh asks just how for the knockouts can go in this tournament facing men. They throw to Matt Hardy on a very jumpy Skype video call where he says he’ll use the Matt Hardy Formula to win the series. EC3 says that Matt’s not in the champions group because he wasn’t a true champion. Matt rambles on about things and says “it’s gonna be YOU VERSUS I!” while EC3 says he wants to take him out in the series whenever he gets the chance. EC3 ends the promo mercifully while Josh threatens that it will continue later. EY talks about being a dangerous man and now isn’t a good night for Storm to face him and that Storm’s a has-been.

    After a break, we get a recap of EC3’s send-off on the promo. Josh says that EC3 has refused to be on-screen with Hardy, so we’ll get separate Matt Hardy and EC3 promos. Well, that will get the show closer to the grave, I suppose. Tigre Uno is out to face Manik, and he has to win to stay in the series. Pope calls Manik a maniac while Josh buries him for calling everyone a maniac and promises to buy him a thesaurus. Pope welcomes that as long as it has the word “maniac” in it.

    Tigre Uno vs. Manik

    They fly to the floor to start and Manik suplexes him on the ramp. Josh plugs their Youtube channel and says that in a couple of weeks, they’ll have a very interesting announcement with it. Well, that seems to indicate that they’ll be leaving DA and then publishing the show straight to their Youtube channel until they find a new TV deal. Something called Bracket Brawl is coming soon – I guess it’s a fan voting context, and the winner gets a free trip to an Impact taping. Josh plugs more things and says he’ll give Don West a run for his money. Manik gets a kneeling surfboard on Uno and turns it into an armbar. Uno kind of hits a weird springboard DDT. Uno gets a shotgun dropkick, but eats the double chickenwing lungblower for 2! Uno sends him down with a wacky inverted Samoan drop and wins with a split-legged corkscrew moonsault. 

    Recap of the TNA Originals’ finishes in the series so far. Josh says that EY vs. Storm is up next and one of the most important matches in the careers of either of these men. They recap Uno vs. Manik and Josh says that it will be a three way match between DJZ, Uno, and Manik next week to determine who goes on in the series. Basically, everyone moves on except for the guy who gets pinned. Josh brags about #bubbleburst trending since last week and then buries Storm for being done. A video of Abyss highlights airs while Roode puts him over as a monster. Storm comes down while Josh runs down a recap of how he got here, and then EY comes out and they do the same for him.

    Eric Young vs. James Storm

    EY jumps Storm and they cut to a break mid-mudhole stomp in the ropes. EY beats him up on the floor. Josh says there’s no honor among thieves while Pope says that EY just did it to Storm before he could have it done to him. So if cheating is okay for literally everyone to do, why should fans ever be angered by it? Storm fires back on EY with some elbows to the gut, but a hairpull sends him down for 2. Josh ponders that perhaps Storm will get fired up thinking about Eric Young being a trending topic in the series. Storm runs a bit wild and gets the corner hopping kick before landing a sloppy Codebreaker. EY goes for the piledriver, but eats a backdrop. Whirly Bird gets 2 for Storm and he’s cheered on by the fans. EY takes him down and grabs the legs for an ’80s cradle on the ropes for 2. Backstabber hits, but Storm gets lightly tapped off a forearm and EY low blows Storm and hits a piledriver for the win. Storm is out of the series. This was a basic match, but not bad outside of the commentary.

    Josh and Pope talk about Lashley vs. Austin Aries next week – well, that should be fantastic. Matt Hardy’s second promo of the evening is up next after a break. Matt says this could get anymore personal, and he loves taking haters and jamming their hate down their throats. He talks for 500 miles a minute and says that he is the guy. He’s confident and feels he’s as good as he’s ever been. No one can stop the Matt Hardy Train and he’s picking Roode to win the main event. Aiden ‘O Shea comes out in black slacks and a green shirt, looking like an angry Amish golfer to face Mahabali Shera.

    Aiden ‘O Shea vs. Mahabali Shera

    Shera does his dance in the corner before doing it in front of the corner and dodging a punch to send Aiden into the buckle. Shera takes him down with a headlock takeover before doing it again. Pope talks about chatting with ‘O Shea and realizing that this isn’t his first time being in TNA before just moving off of that point right away. Aiden lands his slick left handed jab before nailing him with a few elbow strikes. Aiden puts him over the apron and clubs away while Josh talks about how you’re seeing a lot of World Title Series copycats out there now. Aiden stands on the hand and slaps him in the face before going up top for some reason. Shera slams him off the top, but eats an eye rake. Aiden goes for a punch, Shera ducks and gets the Sky High for the win. EY cuts a backstage promo about how he’ll always win as long as he’s drawing a breath. Eli Drake still comes out with a goofy Aquaman vest and trunks with “ED” all over them. Eli is facing Crimson in what might be the only match in Group Future 4 to be aired in full.

    Eli Drake vs. Crimson

    Crimson tackles him down and takes him down with a big suplex. Crimson’s gear consists of small MMA-style shorts and MMA gloves – it’s a fairly unique look right now and works for him. Plus, it plays off of his debut in the company in the Double J-MMA angle. Eli drags him down and drops a knee on the arm for 1. EC3 interrupts and says he’s ready for his interview while Josh says he’ll have to wait – we have a match. Why would this match be more important than the other Future 4 matches we’ve seen the closing moments of? Crimson hits a lariat mid-ring and another in the corner. Eli gets a standing Kimura and wins. EC3 comes back and says that the TNA World title is his possession and he’ll take it back. He’ll prove that he is the rightful champion and then gives the show permission to move forward. They rundown the matches tonight and pick who will progress next week. Abyss comes down and they air clips of his matches in this series.

    Abyss vs. Bobby Roode

    Abyss shoves him into the corner before posing a couple of times. Abyss does the “Beer!” part of the Beer Money bit and eats a few punches. Roode avoids a chokeslam with a kick to the leg, but is sent down for an ad break. We come back to some floor brawling and Roode is flung into the steps knees-first ala Mick Foley. Abyss grabs a chair and brings it in and places it in the corner. Earl tries to move it, but Roode gets a schoolboy so he counts 2 for that. Abyss clotheslines him down. A nerve pinch/head twister is locked on, but Roode punches free and we get a five minute countdown clock.

    Three lariats take Abyss down. Blockbuster hits for 2. Abyss misses a corner charge and hits his own chair, but he counters Roode’s attempt at a chokeslam. Roode takes him down and gets a crossface locked on, but Abyss goes to the corner to break it up. Roode goes for the Roode Bomb, but he can’t hold him up and Abyss gets 2 off a chokeslam. Abyss leaves the ring to grab his implement of death, which isn’t a DQ here in this sporting tournament. Janice gets wedged into the buckle, but falls and luckily Roode spinebusters him away from it and wins. EY and Roode move on in the series, so we’ll probably get at least one more “final battle” between them this year. Pretty nothing happening show overall. To see every screenshot for it, just click here.

  • WWE NXT results: Women’s Champion Bayley battles Alexa Bliss

    The Big News: NXT had a bad show. The matches were mostly bad, the audience was mostly dead. I couldn’t even get entertainment from Corey Graves’ obnoxious commentary

    The Medium Sized News: Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe was made official for Takeover.

    The Little Beaver Sized News: In news almost as tragic as “NXT had a bad show”, Eva Marie will be challenging for the Women’s Championship next week.

    *****

    Nia Jax pinned Carmella

    This is Carmella’s first appearance since her boys Colin and Enzo were taken out two weeks ago. After 14 months of being aligned with the most charismatic man on NXT no one cares about Carmella at all.

    Carmella looked bad in this match, seemingly unable to take a bump as even when Nia ran her over, she just fell into the ropes. Nia used that jumping bear hug that is so much cooler than her actual finish, but Carmella turned it into a front chinlock. That lasted 10 seconds. Nia did miss a jumping sitting splash, but she caught Carmella on a move, used her standing uranage and legdrop for the win.

    That wasn’t Eva Marie bad, but bad nonetheless.

    – Alexa Bliss is tired of hearing about the Iron Man Match at Takeover and now tonight she is going to take Bayley’s championship. Alexa said she wasn’t on NXT to make people smile or have a good time (ignore baby face run). As she was finishing up a referee came in and told her that Mr. Regal banned Blake & Murphy from ringside. Blake and Murphy were upset, but Alexa didn’t get angry.

    Chad Gable & Jason Jordan defeated The Ascension

    The Ascension were the longest NXT Tag Team Champions in history. Not mentioned is they held the belts forever because there were literally no other teams on NXT. When I say there were no teams I don’t mean there were 2 or 3 times. I mean there was 1 team and that was The Ascension.

    The NXT fans were really into Ascension, like they always were. They were so into Konnor and Viktor they didn’t reply much to Jordan & Gable, who are normally the crowd favorites. In addition they chanted “Ya ya!” to the tune of Kurt Angle’s WWE theme, as opposed to “Gable” like they normally do.

    Ascension looked better here than they have possibly ever on the main roster. Has WWE effectively used anyone from NXT since The Shield? Better yet, have they used anyone effectively in their NXT gimmick? The fans kinda got behind Gable, but only enough to do a dueling chant while the heels got the heat on him. Jordan got the hot tag and even then the fans didn’t really care until he dropped his straps like Angle.

    Viktor used a beautiful flying knee from the middle rope on Jordan, but Gable broke it up and hit a flip dive onto Konnor on the outside. Finally Jordan and Gable picked up the win with their move where Jordan throws Viktor into the air and Gable catches him and hits a side suplex for the win.

    – On WWE.com, they announced a Survivor Series elimination match, but literally did not list a single person in the match. So with that taken care of, I want to squash a rumor right away: I will NOT be a team captain or even a member of either team. Sorry to let everyone down.

    – They aired a really good video package for Bayley vs Alexa. Too bad the match is happening tonight and not at Takeover.

    – Speaking of Bayley, she cut a promo stating that becoming champion was not easy and retaining the title is just as hard. Alexa Bliss will learn that it is not easy to take the championship from her and will get the wrestling lesson of a lifetime.

    Emma submitted Mary Kay

    Emma is here going one on one with a pretty girl with dark hair. If you have no idea why I said that, consider yourself lucky. Anyway they didn’t bother to name Mary Kay until the match had long since begun.

    This match was better than the opener, but not by a whole lot. The announcers spent the whole time building up Emma’s future match with Asuka and all I could think was I don’t want to see Emma wrestle anyone. Are my standards just too high or was Emma just never any good? Anyhoo Emma used a version of the Curb Stomp before winning with the Emma Lock.

    – Last week Baron Corbin cut a promo stating he didn’t like Apollo Crews before challenging him to a match at Takeover: London.

    – Next week: Dash & Dawson vs The Vaudevillians for the tag team titles

    NXT Tag Team Champions Dash & Dawson defeated Corey Hollis & John Skylar

    Much to my surprise Hollis and Skylar were introduced on tv. Anyway the story of this match is these four men faced off years ago, before any of them were in WWE. Dawson used a really nice Dragon Screw Leg Whip and single legged crap on Hollis as the champs got the heat on their foe. This match was longer than the other squashes on the show. I guess someone realized they needed to fill time. Anyway they destroyed Hollis’ knee until Hollis tagged in Skylar. Skylar was so fricking excited, he ran into the ring…and immediately got hit with the Toss in the air/Codebreaker combo to give the champs the win.

    – Tom Phillips asked Asuka about her masks. Before she could say anything, Dana Brooke walked up and she is still offended that Asuka patted her on the head. Next week it will be a rematch. Dana patted Tom on the head and it was not nearly as great as with Devin. Emma skipped in after and they secretly spoke of their plan for Asuka.

    – Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe for the NXT Championship was made official for Takeover in December, plus next week they will sign the contract for their match.

    -Samoa Joe put a pre-taped promo from his home. Joe said Mr. Regal ordered him to stay home just in case Finn tried to retaliate. Joe said this was to protect Finn and next week when the match is set in stone he will hurt Finn and take his championship at London.

    NXT Women’s Champion Bayley pinned Alexa Bliss

    Bayley got, by far, the biggest reaction of the show so far. Like it was an entirely different crowd that came out for the main event.

    Bayley blitzed Alexa at the bell, just destroying her challenger, putting her in different inopportune situations. Alexa rolled outside to breathe when Bayley followed out and got slammed into the ring apron, finally giving Alexa the chance to take over.

    The fans literally got so bored during the heat they did the “Boo!” “Yay!” cheer spot even though Alexa had Bayley in a rear chinlock. This was twice as long as any Alexa singles match ever and it seemed she was not ready for a match that long as it looked like she ran out of things to do. Alexa got a near fall with a sunset flip, which turned out to be the closest she ever got. The match built and ended out of nowhere. Bayley won with a Belly to Bayley Suplex out of nowhere. I am sure the fans were a-ok with the match being over, but sure seemed like Alexa never did anything that made you think she was about to win.

    Just when this week’s episode couldn’t get worse…Eva Marie came out. The fans barely had the energy to boo and chant no at her entrance. However the did not want her to talk, as soon as she opened up her yap they summoned up the energy to boo the heck out of her. Eva eventually challenged Bayley to a title match next week. May God have mercy on our soul. On Thanksgiving Eve Eva Marie may become champion.

    *****

    Well, that does it for another week. Until that absolutely dreadful moment, I encourage you all to say your vitamins and take your prayers!

  • WWE Smackdown spoilers: Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens & Alberto del Rio

    WWE Main Event —

    – Usos over Alex Rose and Brad Maddox after Jimmy pinned Rose with a splash
    – Naomi over Alicia Fox with a submission
    – Titus O’Neil over Heath Slater after the pop up power bomb.

    WWE Smackdown — 

    – Miz TV segment with I-C Champion Kevin Owens, U.S. Champion Del Rio, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns coming out one-by-one to discuss the WWE title tournament, disagree with each other, and the usual. R-Truth came out to make his claim for the title, and was told he was not in the tourney. He then apologized to the faces and left. Pretty funny. The segment ended with Reigns and Ambrose standing tall after a clear out of the heels.

    – Cesaro submitted Miz after Miz complained about what happened the segment before.

    – Dudleys and Neville def. Stardust and Ascension after a 3D on Viktor

    – Tyler Breeze def. Zack Ryder after a promo with Summer Rae. Dolph Ziggler, who was at ringside, superkicked Breeze afterward.

    – Druids out, and then all four Wyatts. Bray & Strowman talk for a bit until the Undertaker’s dong hits. He appears on the screen to cut a promo with Kane, burning a sheep mask. Kane hits the pyro spot.

    – Divas Champion Charlotte submitted Brie Bella (w/Alicia Fox) in a non-title match with the Figure 8. Paige did a backstage interview afterward.

    – Big E over Kalisto after a big splash. The New Day attacks he and Sin Cara. That leads to Ryback running in for the save, and gives Big E a splash.

    – More ‘Santa’s Little Helper’ movie promo magic with Miz and Paige.

    – Dean and Roman talked backstage.

    – Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns def. I-C Champion Kevin Owens and U.S. Champion Alberto del Rio by DQ when Del Rio threw Reigns…into steel steps. The faces stood tall as the show ended. 

    Other Notes:

    – Fandango won in a dark match versus a local opponent.
    – Reigns vs. Wyatt in a street fight was advertised for the dark match main event, but did not happen.  

  • WWE Superstars results: Fandango comes ‘home’, Dudleys team with Ryback

    The Big Takeaway:

    The Manchester crowd made this show infinitely better. Fandango was like a hometown hero in his win over Bo Dallas and The Dudley Boyz and Ryback were hugely entertaining in their win against The Ascension and Stardust.

    Show recap:

    Fandango beat Bo Dallas (3:48)

    Fandango comes out to a huge pop with literally everyone doing the Fandango; to the untrained eye, you’d think he was one of biggest stars in this company. It must have been a gigantic ego boost for him. They lock up and Dallas locks in a headlock. They chain until Dallas runs into a drop kick. They lock up again and this time Dallas slips round and uses an O’Connor roll for a two count and this means its victory lap time. Of course, it is scouted by Fandango who clotheslines Dallas out of his boots.

    Back in the ring, Dallas uses the top rope to choke Fandango, hits a big clothesline for two and then starts working him over with knees to the back. Dallas puts on a rear chin lock and Fandango is able to get out with a side suplex. Fandango then gets the heat with clotheslines and uses his newly acquired Randy Orton scoop slam. Fandango then goes up top and they tease the superplex but Dallas is fought off and Fandango hits The Last Dance for the win. The finish was kind of out of nowhere, but the match was never going to live up to that stellar reaction.

    The Dudley Boyz & Ryback beat The Ascension & Stardust Neville (7:43)

    This is all very whacky, but it sort of works and this is the ideal show for it. In the markets that this still gets TV airtime, this is very much aimed at the younger demos and so, no, we didn’t get tables. Konnor and D-Von lock up, “we want tables” chants immediately echo around the arena. Bubba Ray then tags in and runs right into a big boot. Konnor tags in Stardust, who ceremoniously strips off his glove and uses it to slap Bubba Ray round the face. This act of heinous disrespect makes Bubba Ray so mad that he hip tosses Stardust and then does the Dusty elbow on him, complete with Dusty moves and gyrations. This was great. Then the ring fills, and The Dudleys hit the 3D on Viktor and the babyfaces stand tall as we go to a break.

    When we get back, D-Von and Stardust are in and D-Von now plays babyface in peril for some time. Viktor blind tags in to take out D-Von and stomps away on him. Konnor comes in and they double team on D-Von. Konnor then works over D-Von in their corner until Stardust comes in to take over with kicks and stomps on him. Stardust leaps outside and teases going for a table, mockingly whipping the apron up and miming looking for one. He then comes off the top rope with a double axe handle. Then he knocks Bubba Ray off the apron but then runs into D-Von who uses a backbreaker and is finally able to give the hot tag to Ryback.

    Ryback takes out everyone, Viktor and stardust take press slams and Konnor takes a huge powerbomb. All three do the “feed me more” together while the numbskull heels get to their feet and stagger into triple meat hook clothes. Then they do the Whassup on Viktor followed by a crowd lead “D-Von, get the tables!” They hit the 3D on Viktor for the win. This was goofy, house show fun in front of a great crowd. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

  • UFC 193 results: Holly Holm downs Ronda Rousey in major upset

    One of the UFC’s top stars and draws was a massive favorite going into her fight at UFC 193 Saturday night, but got outclassed and dominated. Ronda Rousey is no longer undefeated and is no longer the women’s bantamweight champion, beaten soundly by Holly Holm via 2nd round TKO in Australia.

    The 28-year-old Rousey (12-1) didn’t look like the fighter that had become a mainstream media star over the past few years, chasing Holm, getting outstruck and bloodied in the first round by Holm who looked composed and in the moment. The end came in the second round when Holm further bloodied Rousey with punches, and landed a kick that landed on Rousey’s neck dropping the champion cold. Holm then landed a few ground and pound shots, Rousey was unconscious, and ref Herb Dean had no choice but to call the fight. Rousey didn’t speak to Joe Rogan after the fight.

    The 34-year-old Holm (10-0) now finds herself on top of the mountain of MMA history as the first woman to beat Ronda Rousey. Forget Cyborg Santos: your UFC 200 main event or co-main event might have just been booked. 

    Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez will have more on this outcome and the entire UFC 193 show on tonight’s Wrestling Observer Radio.

  • WWE Smackdown spoilers (11/10): Title tournament, change in expected Undertaker match

    Submitted by Stephen Lyon

    Dark Match —

    Finn Balor beat Viktor of the Ascension. Good match. Balor also cleaned house on Conor at ringside. Fans knew who Balor was and popped big for him. They also loudly chanted NXT.

    WWE Main Event — 

    – Jack Swagger beat Adam Rose with the ankle lock. Before the match, Rose cut a promo blaming all the fans for nearly killing his career, by making him believe the Exotic Express gimmick was a good idea.

    – Damian Sandow beat Heath Slater

    – Sasha Banks beat Becky Lynch with the Banks Statement. Okay match.

    WWE Smackdown — 

    — It opened with a Wyatt Family promo. Bray challenged the Undertaker & Kane to a 2-on-2 match at the Survivor Series, with Bray’s two being any of his choosing. He demanded an answer by the end of the night.

    — Braun Strowman squashed Fandango, defeating him with his sleeper finisher in 90 seconds.

    — Neville beat King Barrett in a WWE title tournament match. Good match. Neville had some great spots, including walking the ringside barricade and doing a somersault senton on to Barrett. Neville win with the Red Arrow.

    — Next came a dark segment, just for the fans in arena. This was the highlight of the show. Barrett remained in the ring and said the last 48 hours had not gone to plan. He said he normally would’ve beat Neville without breaking a sweat but had Wayne Rooney on his mind. He said he will go to Stamford to see Vince at the end of the week and implore him never to return to Manchester ever again. Undertaker came out to a huge reaction. He did his big entrance and entered the ring. Barrett was hilarious here. He said, to much crowd laughter, “Can I help you mate? Are you lost? You’re not in Death Valley now you know, you’re in the mean streets of north west England. You’re on the wrong side of the tracks mate. They don’t call me the Preston Panther for nothing! I’m sick of outsiders coming into my yard. You’re not even worth my time!” Barrett went up walk out, then attacked Taker. Taker then laid him out with a choke slam & two Tombstones. This was all great. 

    — Kalisto beat Ryback in an upset in the WWE title tournament. Surprisingly decent match. Kalisto used Ryback as a base to do all his flying around. Crowd popped big for the upset.

    — Alberto Del Rio & Zeb Colter did a promo. Usual stuff about the English being hated and how Manchester had two soccer teams that divided the city, and it would be better if we were all ‘united in humanity’.

    – WWE U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio beat Stardust in the WWE title tournament. Not much heat, given it was heel vs heel. Del Rio won after a double foot stomp on Stardust in the corner.

    — Roman Reigns did a backstage promo, vowing to beat Cesaro in the quarter finals next week on Raw and then win the title at Survivor Series. He once again said he wasn’t interested in shortcuts or selling out.

    — In the main event, the Usos beat Luke Harper & Erick Rowan via DQ, when Bray Wyatt & Strowman interfered.

    — The Undertaker’s music played, and then audio of Taker’s voice played over the PA system, accepting Wyatt’s challenge for the Survivor Series.

    Post-Show — 

    – After the show, in a dark main event, Roman Reigns beat Bray Wyatt in a short match. This was an abridged version of their Liverpool house show match a few days ago. They exchanged Kendo stick shots and Reigns won with a spear.

    – Overall, a fun show. Nothing outstanding or spectacular but everyone went home happy. The Barrett/Undertaker exchange was the highlight of the show. I think with Reigns continually vowing not to sellout or take a shortcut, I really think a swerve, with him winning the title with the Authority’s help and turning heel (on Ambrose) would be for the best. That would set up a years worth of programmes – first with Ambrose, then maybe Lesnar at WM32, and perhaps Rollins as a babyface next summer. Throw in a programme with Cena too at some point. Seems the best direction to me. 

  • UFC Fight Night 77 Henderson vs. Belfort 3: Our Picks & Preview

    I try not to swear in posts, because I was once taught that if you can’t say something without swearing, you probably shouldn’t be saying it. However, there are plenty of times to break that rule so I’ll say this now: stop trying to start shit on the Internet!

    I’m not talking about you Twitter trolls out there, but I’m mainly talking about those that try to make stories out of something that’s not there just so they can say “Gotcha!” in today’s look-at-me social media environment. This week’s case in point was the UFC stick figure t-shirts that emerged outta nowhere this week, featuring a slew of different stick figures engaged in jiujitsu, judo, kickboxing, and other martial arts.

    Yes, the shirts look stupid, and don’t make any sense, but that’s a lot of sports merchandise today. My main issue was that everyone tried to blame Reebok for the shirts, tossing more logs onto the narrative fire that is Reebok and UFC’s relationship is a disaster. It hasn’t been good, we all know that, but here’s the thing: they weren’t Reebok t-shirts.

    And here’s the other thing: it took less than five minutes for yours truly to figure it out. I went to UFC.com, went to the shop area, searched around on shirts, saw a slew with Reebok logos on them, and then found the offending Terrance and Philip esque shirts sans Reebok logos. I put 2 and 2 together and voila: I debunked the myth.

    I understand everyone wants to be Internet famous and be the next person who is the go-to for blistering #hottakes, but let’s not forget that just a little bit of research is the key for rounding out the most important part of the equation: being right.

    Hear that and more on this week’s Punch-Out featuring MMA Fighting’s Shaheen Al-Shatti right now. Because there’s a lot of interesting fights on this show, I picked six for this week. Honestly, I could have added a few more. 

    *****

    Our panel:

    – Jack Encarnacao (90-36 | .714): Sherdog Rewind host, The Lapsed Fan podcast co-chair

    – Steve Juon (85-41 | .674): AngryMarks founder, MMA Mania writer

    – Mike Sempervive (82-44 | .650): Wrestling Observer Live & Big Audio Nightmare co-host

    – John Pollock (81-45 | .642): Fight Network personality, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, The MMA Report host

    – Front Row Brian (79-47 | .626): MMA newsbreaker, Twitter personality, podcast host

    – David Bixenspan (79-47 | .626): Figure Four Weekly writer, Observer Daily Update writer, podcast host

    – Dave Meltzer (77-49 | .611): Wrestling Observer founder & writer

    – Mike Sawyer (74-52 | .587): Tough Talk MMA, 2014 picks panel champion

    – Josh Nason (74-52 | .587): Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter enabler

    *****

    – Vitor Belfort (24-11) vs. Dan Henderson (31-13) III
    Light Heavyweights

    Hey, it’s the fight you never asked to see for a third time, but you’re getting anyway! In the unofficial UFC Legends division, these two are top contenders. Belfort was last seen getting crushed by Chris Weidman in a middleweight title fight he never should have been involved in in the first place. His last fight before then? A 2013 first round head kick knockout of Henderson when his body looked…a bit different.

    The 45-year-old Hendo showed us in June that he can still bang, flooring Tim Boetsch in just 28 seconds, snapping a two-fight losing streak. He’s 2-5 in his last seven, but is still a name you can main event a late-night Fox Sports One card with. At this stage of the game, that’s saying something.

    Belfort (big favorite): Sempervive, Bix, Encarnacao, Juon, Pollock, Meltzer
    Hendo: Nason, Sawyer, FRB

    – Glover Teixeira (23-4) vs. Patrick Cummins (8-2)
    Light Heavyweights

    Assumingly not a relative of New York Yankees’ first baseman Mark Teixeira, past title challenger Glover snapped a two-fight losing streak by submitting Ovince Saint Preux in the third round of their August tilt. At 36, he may have one last run left in him but he’s running out of time to do so.

    Give it to the 34-year-old Cummins who went from obscure last minute fill-in to current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier to current light heavyweight prospect. Since the Cormier fight in February 2014, Cummings has fought five times with a record of 4-1. He last was seen decimating former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante at August’s UFC 190, but Teixeira is his toughest test since D.C.

    Teixeira (big favorite): Nason, Sempervive, Bix, Encarnacao, Sawyer, FRB, Juon, Pollock, Meltzer

    – Fabio Maldonado (22-8) vs. Corey Anderson (6-1)
    Light Heavyweights

    Originally slated to be Maldonado vs. this very site’s Tom Lawlor, Anderson steps in for the biggest test of his developing career. The 35-year-old Maldonado may evoke memories of Candy Maldonado for some still-recovering Toronto Blue Jays fans, but this guy is a fighter who was last seen in a blah decision loss to “Rampage” Jackson earlier this year.

    It’s a quick turnaround for TUF 19 winner Anderson, looking for his fourth UFC win and second in a row. We last saw him win a lopsided decision against Jan Blachowicz in September. Technically, he’s a prospect but hasn’t done anything yet to garner buzz among the casual fan.

    Anderson (big favorite): Nason, Sempervive, Bix, Encarnacao, Sawyer, FRB, Juon, Pollock, Meltzer

    – Gilbert Burns (10-0) vs. Rashid Magomedov (19-1)
    Lightweights

    The undefeated 29-year-old Burns has acclimated himself to Octagon life quite nicely with three wins, the last two by armbar submission. The Brazilian jiujitsu ace has two straight Performance Of The Night bonuses, and is looking for three straight Saturday night.

    The 31-year-old Dagestan native has also been running wild and free in the UFC with three victories over the shallow end of the lightweight pool. He rides an 11-fight win streak into Saturday night, making this an exciting battle of 155-pound prospects that will help determine two distinctive paths in 2016.

    Magomedov (favorite): Nason, Sempervive, Bix, Encarnacao, Sawyer, FRB, Juon, Pollock, Meltzer

    – Gleison Tibau (33-11) vs. Abel Trujillo (12-6-0-1)
    Lightweights

    Did you know Tibau’s middle name was Herculano? The name of my first-born is now carved in stone. Tibau just keeps plugging away, fighting his three fights a year and maintaining his corner in the UFC’s lightweight division. He last was seen getting submitted by Tony Ferguson, snapping a three-fight win streak. However, he hasn’t lost two in a row since 2008 (Tyson Griffin, Joe Stevenson).

    The 32-year-old Trujillo hasn’t been in the cage since December 2014, a victim of injuries and inactivity. All of his three Octagon wins have come over guys who are no longer in the UFC with both losses coming against guys who most definitely are (Ferguson, Khabib Nurmagomedov). Both guys physically look great, so will this be a 15-minute exercise in exhaustion?

    Tibau (favorite): Nason, Bix, Encarnacao, Sawyer, Juon, Meltzer
    Trujillo: Sempervive, FRB, Pollock

    – Clay Guida (32-15) vs. Thiago Tavares (19-6-1)
    Featherweights

    Two longtime UFC vets (Guida since 2006 and Tavares since 2007) finally hook it up.

    The 33-year-old Guida has turned into a .500 fighter before our eyes, and he’s looking for his first two fight win streak since 2011. Since dropping to 145, he’s 3-2 with wins over the dregs of the division and losses to Chad Mendes and Dennis Bermudez. He battles Tavares who is coming off a loss to super prospect Brian Ortega. The longtime lightweight is 1-1 since dropping to 145, but has only fought twice in the last two years.

    Guida (favorite): Nason, Sempervive, Encarnacao, FRB, Juon, Meltzer
    Tavares: Bix, Sawyer, Pollock

  • WWE Wrestlemania party news & notes including NXT mini-show

    Submitted by Cory Van Kleeck

    At Thursday’s Wrestlemania 32 on-sale party at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, there was a free NXT show:

    – Samoa Joe b Baron Corbin (Billy Gunn joined in for the surprise pop to save Joe from a post match beat down)

    – Apollo Crews b Tye Dillinger

    – Asuka b Peyton Royce

    – Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley b Blake & Murphy

    – Carmella b Alexa Bliss

    Notes:

    – Announced attendance was 7137 which they touted strongly as a record for the onsale event.

    – The ring was on the 50-yard line midfield with almost everyone standing on the field around the ring, while a few sat in the stands.

    – The evening featured numerous q&a’s with Steve Austin, Booker T, Mark Henry and Lita.  Lana was also in attendance (showing no injury signs) but got no mic time. Austin was in tremendous shape and form and was clearly having a great time before and during the event. He mentioned twice that he would not be coming back to wrestle, but if he did he’d prefer Brock or Cena.

    – Booker T brought the Spinaroonie out of retirement when three Dallas Cowboys called him out.

    – Contests were held with trivia and impressions for t-shirt giveaways, and there was face painting along with autographs with Cowboys, cheerleaders, WWE and NXT stars.

    – Ticket sales started at 4 PM, doors opened at 5 PM, the event started at 6 PM, and ended at 9 PM.  I heard of people there at 4 AM, so it was a LONG day for some folks standing almost the entire way.