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Tag: NXT

  • UFC on Fox 17 and late NXT feedback

    Dave,

    Great free UFC show. I ordered the PPV last weekend since I only pay for Weidman cards at home these days. The free show card overall was much better, but the top two fights last weekend were worth the purchase. It’s interesting to see that the next PPV is followed by a Fight Night and Fox show that both have way more depth and appeal. They should rethink how they book these shows.

    Anyway, thumbs up for the show. 
    Best fight: I would probably go Diaz vs Johnson followed by McCroy vs Samman.
    Worst Fight: Jury vs Olivera.

    Thanks,
    Matt Wright

    Gave the show a thumbs up.  Especially since it was free.

    Best Fight: Nate Diaz vs Michael Johnson

    Worst Fight: Alistair Overeem vs Junior Dos Santos on main card, Sarah Kaufman vs Valentina Shevchenko on undercard

    Best Performances; Rafael Dos Anjos, Nate Diaz, Charles Oliveira

    Really loved the first round of Nick Lentz vs Danny Castillo. Some great mat work by both.

    Thought Nate Marquardt KO’ing CB Dollaway was a huge upset. Nothing against Marquardt but I can’t see him hanging with the top middleweights at this point of his career.

    I really loved Karolina Kowalkiewicz in her fight vs Randa Markos. She had some great movement the whole fight and never tired. She could be someone to watch out for in the future if she keeps progressing. Markos was not a pushover opponent for her but I question her strategy of trying to stand with her and not trying to get her to the ground earlier.

    Nate Diaz vs Michael Johnson was a great fight. Nothing like those Diaz bad boys to keep your interest in a fight. Diaz looked great and his posturing during the fight was fun to watch. Too bad they bleeped out his whole promo. I would love to see the build up for a Diaz vs McGregor fight! Could you imagine the shenanigans that would ensure with that one! Make that fight happen!

    Dos Santos vs Overeem was a huge let down and didn’t really make either look great or want to make you see either in title contention. They were both fighting not to lose. Winning a boring fight doesn’t make you want to put money into a PPV buy to see you in a title fight. The heavyweight division is in trouble. After Velasquez vs Werdum who do you want to see fight?

    Disappointing that Cowboy couldn’t get out of the gates against Dos Anjos. Big fan of Cowboy. Dos Anjos looked great though.

    Everyone up and down the card wants the big payday against McGregor.

    Grant Zwarych

    Thumbs up. Good card to end the year. Some changing of the guard evident.

    Best fight: McCrory vs. Samman

    Worst fight: Miller vs. Alers (for a ‘contest’, Overeem vs. JDS until the KO)

    Best performance: RDA, Oliveira

    Worst performance: Johnson

    KO: Marquardt

    Sub: Oliveira

    Scary debut for 6’4″, 254, 83″ reach, action figure looking HW Francis Ngannou, outcardioing 23-y-o skilled wrestler Luiz Henrique and knocking him silly with a left shovel hook in the 2nd. Vincente Luque avenges a debatable SD loss from TUF, rocking Haydar Hassan and putting him out with a Rolling Anaconda that has him doing the chicken on the mat and with no clue what happened when he wakes up. Kamaru Usman survives some early headsup work from Leon Edwards and wears him out for a UD.

    Cole Miller vs. Jim Alers off to a decent start when Alers sinks a finger deep into Miller’s eye in the 2nd and it’s a NC. Nik Lentz coming up in weight takes a SD over Danny Castillo (3rd straight SD loss) in a fight that starts out great but both gas quickly. Lentz sounds seriously physically ill on his promo. Tamdan McCrory and Josh Samman stage a rare entertaining 99%-grappling match that’s back and forth for a round and a half then McCrory gets on top and stays there until Samman reverses him late in the 3rd which just allows McCrory to snag and constrict a triangle till Samman is forced to tap. McCrory then leaps the fence to high five Rogan. Muay Thai fighter Valentina Shevchenko comes in as a 1 week sub and completely dominates a much more MMA-experienced Sarah Kaufman at all ranges for 2 rounds until fading in the 3rd (with a 1 week camp this is not puzzling) and takes a ridiculously split decision. ‘Punchcount’, apparently based on Bizarro World planet along with the one judge, comes up with a 162-65 strike advantage for Kaufman. After a shaky 1st, Nate Marquardt saves his career catching CB Dollaway coming with a 1 punch right hand KO at the beginning of the 2nd. Note to Rogan and whoever else, it’s not a ‘counter’ unless the other guy punches first. Miles Jury drops a division (and looks emaciated) and changes camps but Charles Oliveira despite missing weight by 5lb manhandles him down, takes his back when Jury misses an arm bar, and sinks jumping standing Guillotine the instant Jury regains his feet, and it’s over.

    UFC-debuting Karolina Kowalkiewicz is either better than she looks technically or Randa Markos has gone way backward training with Farah Salami. Close first, Markos edges the 2nd, and KK wins the 3rd way big, maybe 10-8. 29-28 either way, 28-28, or 29-27 Kowalkiewicz all possible decisions. But Markos’ worst performance IMO. 29-28 x 2, 30-27 Kowalkiewicz. We’re starting to see the level rise in the women’s divisions.

    Nate Diaz shows up in actually suspiciously muscular good shape and feeling like fighting for a change and paintjobs Michael Johnson, who fights an increasingly stupid fight, for a 29-28 UD. MJ was effective with low kicks in the 1st then abandoned them, and left his footwork in the dressing room.

    Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem stage an almost action-free display until Overeem, looking by far the smaller of the two, catches him with an awkward left hook in the 2nd that sends him crashing to mat and finishes with 3 hammerfists. Reem trained with some cold weather guru for his S&C. Junior went to ATT but apparently too late. He’s done. Really both looked awful till the KO but Reem is suddenly in pole position for first shot at the Werdum-Cain 2 winner.

    Rafael Dos Anjos wastes no time repeating his previous win over Donald (maybe his nickname should be ‘Chokeboy’ instesd of ‘Cowboy’) Cerrone, this time ripping into him with knees and kicks to the body from the bell, a barrage of punches, stuffing a desperation TD and pounding him out. Cerrone once again chokes in the big fight but it may not have mattered, as RDA has somewhat obscurely developed into a top 5 P4P fighter and him vs. Conor suddenly looks like a superfight.

    Crimson Mask

    Thumbs up show

    Best Fight: Rafael dos Anjos vs  Donald Cerrone

    Worst Fight: Alistair Overeem vs Junior dos Santos

    Even though everyone said dos Anjos looked smaller because he could be off the PEDs I think he probably came in lighter for camp due to the IV ban.

    I guess they could pair up Overeem vs Rothwell and maybe dos Santos vs Travis Browne. If they did dos Santos vs Gonzaga, then Dave is right, no one is doing him any favours.

    Thanks,

    Eric Poon

    Thumbs in the middle due to overall fight quality,

    The only moments that stand out are the Diaz promo, Overeem’s KO after a dull fight vs. JDS, and RDA thrashing Cerrone in record time for a 155 title fight. The prelims were dull with no stakes making them completely forgettable.

    Best fight: RDA over Cerrone as it created another very clear next potential opponent for McGregor who looked very strong while beating Cerrone.

    Worst fight: Markos/Kowalkiewicz, bad selection to open the FOX card after almost an hour break between fights. Not a fan of strawweight fights as openers as finish rates are low and an opener needs to be more action oriented.

    Thanks,

    Urooj Islam

    Good evening (early morning here in Ireland).

    Tonight’s UFC on Fox was an excellent end to an excellent year of fights, particularly the second half of the year which provided some incredible matchups including Lawler V McDonald 2, McGregor V Mendes, McGregor V Aldo and Weidman V Rockhold. From the fights tonight, it was amazing to see a motivated and prepared Nate Diaz. He was a 4/1 underdog due to one fight in two years (not to mention a stinking attitude at times) but he displayed everything that makes fans love the Diaz brothers. I, myself, am not a fan of his persona but his fighting abilities cannot be denied and he entertains like very few fighters.

    The co main event started out in the fashion of the Gonzaga fight from last weekend but once JDS and Overeem woke up, it improved immeasurably. JDS needs to retire. The damage he has taken from the fights with Cain and Stipe have left him very vulnerable and considering he is a very affable man, it would be really disappointing to see him continue and for his mental well being (as well as his physical) to diminish.

    It is very interesting to see how the UFC proceed with Overeem, however, given his big win and his contract being expired. For the first time, the UFC could potentially be on the back foot with some of their fighters. McGregor is negotiating ludicrous contracts and fighters like Overeem and Benson Henderson are surely too good and important to their respective divisions to allow them to fight elsewhere.

    The main event was a massive disappointment simply because, like most fans of MMA, I love Cowboy. To see him completely dominated and pummelled viciously was difficult to watch, although it is testament to the ever improving talents of RDA. His finish tonight could have potentially set up a monster fight with Conor with the angle available of RDA seeking vengeance for his fellow countryman. Whereas for Conor, it is an opportunity to solidify his belief that he is the greatest MMA fighter on the planet.

    Hopefully some of these musings help.

    Kind Regards,

    David.Walker

    UFC on FOX
    Thumbs up
    Best: Diaz vs Thompson
    Worst: Overeem vs Dos Santos

    NXT Takeover London
    Thumbs up
    Best: Emma vs Asuka
    Worst: Corbin vs Crews

    I think Asuka could have a match of the year level match with Seth Rollins.  She’s unbelievable.  Tough to not give Balor/Joe the nod for match of the night, but I was more entertained by the opener so that was the tiebreaker for me.  Plus the main event is always expected to reach a certain level, so when an unexpected match delivers so well, I feel it gets the benefit of the doubt.  Corbin has become a better worker, but I’m just not into his matches.  Same problem now with Crews.  He needs to take the next step before he can be in the main event picture.  I was surprised Dawson and Wilder retained the tag belts, but it may just be so they can drop it to the white hot Jordan/Gable combo. It still boggles my mind that WWE needed 3 hours of gimmicks on Sunday to have great matches, while NXT continues to do it in a normal, one on one match all the time.  And when there are stips in NXT, it means something — in WWE, it’s just December so that’s what they do.

    – Chris

  • NXT on fire with multiple sellouts

    The April 1st NXT Takeover show in Dallas is now officially sold out.

    Pre-sale tickets went quickly on Friday and the held back tickets for the public sale went in 15 minutes when they were put on sale this morning for the show at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

    At this point every NXT show outside of Florida that had tickets put on sale for early next year but one has sold out.

    Tickets for Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Royal Oak, MI are limited even on the secondary market.  In Chicago, the bottom price right is $165, which is the most expensive bottom price.

    There are less than 125 tickets on Stubhub for Dallas, with a low price of $50 but very few at that price and almost but a handful at $80 or more, and most closer to $150 and up.

    The Dallas show will be run in association with WrestleMania 32 weekend.  WWE’s biggest show of the year, which airs on April 3rd from the AT&T Arena, will likely be the biggest WrestleMania of all time based on the size of the building, ticket and merchandise sales, pay-per-view revenue, Network buys, etc.

  • Late news updates from Friday 12/18: Taven injury, weight issues, Tokyo-Dome, NXT

    Some evening news notes:

    *We don’t have an update on Matt Taven past the injury to his right knee was legit.  Taven came off the middle rope to do a spike piledriver on Ray Rowe before the tag team title match on tonight’s ROH show started. Taven started limping badly.  They only did a three minute match with War Machine winning the titles.  Bennett & Taven are no longer under contract to ROH and it is possible this was their last match with the promotion.

    *Charles Oliveira failed to make weight and was fined 20 percent of his purse for his fight with Myles Jury.  He looked confused as to why he didn’t make weight even though he was 4.5 pounds over. 

    *Danny Castillo, who was two pounds over, came back about 20 minutes later and made weight. 

    *C.B. Dollaway somehow lost 1.5 pounds just by taking off his underwear and he also made weight.

    *Yoshitatsu was announced as part of the English language broadcast team for the 1/4 Tokyo Dome show.  He will be working with Kevin Kelly and Matt Striker filling in the holes needed to translate Japanese.  He’s very excited for getting this shot.  This was a decision made some time back but New Japan just announced it tonight.

    *Every NXT non-Florida house show in the month of January is sold out except for the 1/15 show in Green Bay, and that has a strong advance.

    *There are tickets remaining for the 4/1 NXT show in Dallas before WrestleMania which is the next Takeover special.  They’ll be available to the public at 10 a.m. Central time tomorrow.  They’ll be gone very quickly so if you have interest in tickets I suggest logging in right away.

  • WWE NXT tickets remain white-hot with multiple pre-sale sellouts

    1500 tickets for a 1/16 NXT house show in Chicago at the Portage Theater, the group’s debut in the market, sold out in one minute today.

    At this writing, there are 48 tickets left on Stubhub with a cheapest ticket price at $145.  There are also tickets available in other secondary market sites and through area ticket brokers, but are for well above face value and there are not a great deal of them available.

    Tickets for a 1/30 NXT show in Royal Oak, MI, just outside of Detroit, sold out their pre-sale allotment on the first day as well.

    Also, it appears as if the entire pre-sale allotment for the NXT event on April 1st in Dallas, TX, is also sold out. The show, set for the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, seats about 7,000. A public on-sale is scheduled for Saturday, but it’s likely only a small amount of tickets will be made available which is usually the case in these situations.

  • B&V 12/17: Post Christmas Show hangover edition, NXT and Raw, Granny!

    The Bryan & Vinny Show is back tonight with our POST-CHRISTMAS SHOW EDITION. Yes, the show was taped tonight, it’ll air next week, but for now you’ll get the hangover special with our usual Granny Q&A plus full reviews of NXT Takeover and Monday Night’s Raw with the Roman Reigns title change. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • WOL 12/17: NXT Takeover, Dave Meltzer and Jay Briscoe guest star, more!

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez returns today with a packed show! Notes from WWE Takeover on Wednesday night, tons of MMA and wrestling news notes with Dave Meltzer, then Jay Briscoe joins us to talk ROH FINAL BATTLE on PPV this coming Friday night! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • WOR 12/17: NXT Takeover, death of Lizmark, UFC and WWE ratings, tons more!

    Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA including the death of Lizmark, WWE’s NXT special from London, Smackdown tapings, Raw ratings from Monday night, ROH’s PPV this weekend, Conor McGregor and his huge UFC numbers, questions and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • NXT TakeOver London TV taping results: Sami Zayn, Chad Gable & Jason Jordan

    Submitted by Seb Major

    These matches were taped for next week’s NXT TV show.

    Jason Jordan and Chad Gable vs The Hype Bros vs. The Vaudevillians vs Blake and Murphy (w/ Alexa Bliss) 

    Jordan and Gable might be more over than anyone in the entire company right now, at least in the UK. They came out to a humongous pop with chants from the crowd the whole way through the match. Typical overbooked opener, everyone got their spots in. Jordan was incredibly pumped up from the crowd reaction and played to the crowd alot. The other teams were booed incessantly. Vaudevillians worked over Gable for most of the match. The hot tag to Jordan got another crazy pop and he hit a number of incredible suplexes, getting a suplex city chant at one point. The finish came after Jordan his an absolutely ridiculous belly to belly over the top rope onto the other teams on the outside, spot of the match, if not the night. Jordan and Gable hit their double finisher for the win. Really really good.

    Elias Sampson vs Bull Dempsey

    A pretty nothing match. No one really cared about Sampson. Not much happened. This was basically a comedy match. Bull did jumping jacks which Sampson watched from the corner. A fairly botchy match at times. Sampson got “You’re just a poo poo Seth Rollins” and “You’re a hipster” chants. Sampson wins out of basically nowhere after a few minutes. Basically nothing. 

    After the match, “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and now we have for you a special BONUS MATCH!” which led to immediate Ole chants.

    Sami Zayn vs. Tye Dillinger

    Tye Dillinger comes out first, and was very over with his 10 gimmick (10 signs were probably the most common ones I saw; there weren’t that many overall). He would’ve been a face except out comes his opponent. The crowd goes insane for Sami. He goes up the stairs and does his arm-ruining waves. Sami was incredibly over, but they’re going to have to cut this down if they show it because about half the match was them reacting to the chants, all the usual stuff you’d expect, “Welcome Back” and Oles and everything. Tye gets “poo poo Hair, No Fans” and “Topknot Wanker” chants. A good match. Sami teases his arm injury and Tye works that arm a bit, but nothing to make you worried. Great Blue Thunder Bomb out of nowhere gets a 2, and a Helluva Kick for the win.

    Sami stays in the ring with a mic. Huge amount of chants; he gives up speaking a couple of times because it’s so loud. Basically just imagine every line here interspersed with one chant or another for him. He says it’s great to be back, that every time he’s on a high, like winning the title or going on Raw to fight John Cena (boos), it seems like things take a nosedive for him, but today, that trend is reversed. He talks about the tour up until this point and is hilariously dumbfounded that we boo the hell out of all the other towns he brings up, “is this some British heat thing?”. Big things are coming for NXT in 2016, and for him, he says, and makes to leave – but then comes back into the ring, because ever since Triple H got to say it, he’s wanted to. “We are NXT!” Super babyface stuff, basically, but he was beloved for it. 

  • Daily Update: NXT TakeOver London, New Day unicorn horns

    NXT TakeOver London happened in the middle of the day today!  Check out Dave Meltzer’s coverage.  From what is being seen on social media and other feedback it is a good show, so you should check it out!  NXT TakeOver: London has a prime time replay at 8:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network, but it will already be available on demand by that point.

    Other TV Tonight:

    UFC Tonight airs tonight at a special broadcast time of 6 PM EST.

    Impact Wrestling airs at 11:00 p.m. ET (no replay or west coast prime time showing) on Destination America continues the TNA World Title series in the last episode on the network.

    ROH at midnight ET/PT on COMET is headlined by Roppongi Vice vs. ACH & Matt Sydal..

    Figure Four Weekly

    Figure Four Weekly 12/7/2015: McDevitt comments on concussion lawsuits
    Details on Jerry McDevitt’s comments on the ongoing concussion lawsuits against WWE, Alan discusses potential candidates for 2015’s best rookie.

    Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    Coverage of the biggest weekend in UFC history, the stories behind the big matches, scouting the fighters, the business and handicapping the fights is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We look at the promotion of the show, how changes in the UFC can affect the major fights, little things in each fight that haven’t beentalked about, fugure for the winners and much more is looked at.

    We also look at the New Japan Tokyo Dome show, the New Japan tag team tournament, what’s new with A.J. Styles and his schedule, the controversy over the winners of the tournament and how it played out, New Japan business this past month and going forward, tournament standings and a rundown of the shows this past week.

    We also have an update on Sting and his condition coming off the match with Seth Rollins, something to watch for about a very significant WWE employee, WWE increasing security at leve events, WWE putting up lots of new content on the network, why the Stampede tapes were taken down, Alberto Del Rio blames AAA for his not coming back and losingg the title, why the time-line of what he says doesn’t add up, another new franchise movie idea for Dwayne Johnson, NXT house shows from the past week as well as all the WWE house shows of the past week and the business from the last week.   

    We’ve got a look at this year’s Tokyo Sports pro wrestling awards, all the winners, how the balloting went down, as well as a list of every MVP dating back to 1974, and why different people won the awards and the nature of the politicas behid the awards.

    PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

    The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: December 14, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Biggest weekend in UFC history, tons more

    You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

    If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

    Pro Wrestling

    • Regarding the story of Rock filming the new Baywatch movie in Georgia in March and April and how it will affect WrestleMania, it has been known for some time that there was almost no chance he was actually wrestling a match on the show.  As with most years, they will probably try to figure out a way to have him make a non-wrestling appearance, but an actual match is pretty much out the window.  Hunter vs. Rock was the original plan, and Hunter vs. Seth Rollins was the back-up plan, and both are obviously out.
    • Smackdown is live this coming Tuesday night and the company has announced New Day vs. Lucha Dragons for the show.  
    • Speaking of New Day, you couldn’t buy any of the unicorn horns last night at Smackdown.  If you go to the WWE Shop site, they’re backordered.  Not sure how many they originally produced but they have apparently sold like crazy.
    • Finn Balor talked with Kevin Gill about transitioning from NJPW to NXT, the demon makeup, and more.
    • Kurt Angle talked his TNA retirement, the possibility of working a Wrestlemania one day, and the move to POP TV.
    • Mike Quackenbush spoke about his philosophy on booking Chikara.
    • Real Pro Wrestling debuts on 1/15 in Port St. Lucie, FL, at the Community Center.
    • Vanguard Championship Wrestling is trying to help stop homelessness.
    • If you haven’t checked it out, we have had some great Ring of Honor guests on Wrestling Observer Live the last three days, Raymond Rowe of War Machine on Monday (challenging for the Tag Titles on Friday’s Final Battle PPV), Michael Elgin on Tuesday (challenging Moose, and also facing Jay Lethal likely for the ROH World Title at the New Japan Tokyo Dome on July 4th), Lethal today, and we’ve got Jay Briscoe and Adam Cole scheduled for the next two days.
    • Lethal in the interview today noted that ROH is trying to rebrand the title as the “ROH World Title” and not the “ROH World Heavyweight Title” since the feeling is that most of the wrestlers in the company are not heavyweights.  What’s funny is Lethal is almost 220 and didn’t consider himself a heavyweight, however in UFC if you are over 205 pounds, you are a heavyweight.  Heavyweight is not 265, that’s the upper limit — 266 is superheavyweight and heavyweight is 206-265 pounds.

    UFC/MMA

    • Bovada already has odds up for a Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo rematch and Conor is only a slight favorite, -160 vs. +130. It’s still to be determined what happens to Mr. McGregor, but we should get some clues after this Saturday’s UFC on FOX show headlined by lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone.
    • Combate Americas is running their second MMA show tonight on NBC Universo starting at 11 pm eastern. Lucha Underground/AAA star Konnan will be doing commentary, presumably for the Spanish broadcast. The card is mostly unknown fighters, with Liz McCarthy likely being the most familiar name to casual fans as she’s fought a couple of times for Invicta. There is no advertised main event for the show, which will also air on the Fight Network in Canada. Rey Misterio is a brand ambassador for the group but it hasn’t been announced if he’ll appear on the show.
    • WSOF will follow-up the spectacle that was WSOF 25 with another show Friday night on NBC Sports Network. The show takes place at the Chelsea in the Cosmo in Las Vegas, the same venue that hosted UFC shows last Thursday and Friday night. Team Alpha Male fighter Lance Palmer defends the Featherweight title in the main event against Brazilian Alexandre de Almeida. “Gentleman” Josh Hill of TUF fame (nephew of “Gentleman” Jerry Valiant/”Stomper” Guy Mitchell) and recent UFC cut Robbie Peralta will also fight on the show, which returns to it’s regular 9 pm eastern time slot after being bumped back to 11 o’clock for their last outing. The Fight Network will also be broadcasting this show with the prelims streaming at WSOF.com

    Here is today’s FULL Daily Pro Wrestling History including International history: Daily pro wrestling history (12/16): Lex Luger wins WCW US Title

  • WWE Breaking Ground episode 7 recap: Of pumpkins, eating dinner, and being human

    Photo: Bayley’s Instagram

    By Ryan Pike for WrestlingObserver.com

    Key Takeaway:

    The focus shifts somewhat from the established NXT stars towards the newcomers in an episode that suffers due to being a bit all over the place narratively, in the sense that nothing really happens.

    Show Recap:

    As mentioned, this week was a bit all over the place narratively, so let’s break it down.

    Carmella got kicked in the head last week by Eva Marie and got a stinger. She manages to avoid a concussion and basically frets about not being to wrestle for a week. She and Big Cass, her boyfriend, carve pumpkins and are generally adorable. After her week is up, she goes through the in-ring workout for NXT’s trainer, Tina, and gets the all-clear. Eva Marie is seen once but never mentioned, so presumably they don’t want to bury the poor girl. The most entertaining part of the episode in in this storyline, where Enzo Amore and Carmella bond (at a dinner after a show with Bayley and Cass) about how loud Cass is at night – he wakes them up at home or on the road by snoring or making too much noise in the bathroom.

    Bayley, Carmella’s best friend, has a performance evaluation with Sara Amato. It goes really well and Amato praises her mentorship abilities, which Bayley says are a product of having Charlotte and Paige mentor her when she was coming in. She and Carmella take Sara Lee, from Tough Enough, on the road with them and begin to mentor her. The big cliffhanger of this episode is Triple H calling a meeting with Bayley and Sasha Banks and teasing a big announcement, which is presumably the Iron Man Match from Takeover (because this show plays fast and loose with timelines).

    ZZ complains about a knee injury but notes he’s down in weight because he’s eating broccoli now. Matt Bloom jokingly praises him for “learning what vegetables are.” Later, ZZ goes to an alligator camp and helps move an alligator.

    The new wrestler from India, Lovepreet Singh, has some growing pains in training because he’s bringing some bad habits – like using punches below the belt to get guys over the top rope in practices – that he needs to unlearn. But he seems coachable and performances well enough in the “internal matches” that they have at the Performance Center to get a spot in a battle royal on a house show. He also has Robbie Brookside over for a traditional Indian dinner and seems eager to pick his brain about the business.

    Tino Sabbatelli also performs well in the internal matches, with Tye Dillinger praising his ability to be a natural heel because he’s so physically gifted. Dillinger gives him some advice about his in-ring persona and playing up his physique a bit. Nhooph continues to develop her in-ring persona for her Aliyah character, working a bit with William Regal on her entrance. Regal notes: “I think the audience has made their mind up by about a third of the way down the ramp whether they’re going to care.” However, Nhooph bombs with her entrance and promo at the internal matches, with Regal criticizing her lack of urgency and the crowd (made up of wrestlers from the Performance Center) jeering her throughout. She’s got some work to do.

    Final Thoughts:

    There were some interesting moments in the show, but nothing really happened. Bayley watched a wrestling match with her boyfriend. Lovepreet ate dinner. Carmella carved pumpkins. But nothing noteworthy really occurred and the show continued jumping around too much for us as an audience to really build a relationship with any of the wrestlers in this episode. This was a pretty flat episode of Breaking Ground overall.