Tag: main story - Page 7

Daily Update: BOLA finale, Sasha Banks has news, more on Paige & Del Rio

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Dave Meltzer

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

PWG BOLA Night 3 results: A winner is crowned; Young Bucks vs. Pentagon Jr & Fenix – Who emerged as the 2016 BOLA Tournament champion? A better question may be, who will be getting stretched in half by champion Zach Sabre Jr. next?

California Dreamin’: NXT heading west for five-date October run – Good news for west coast NXT fans. Mark your calendars! Maybe Tiffany and Sly will make a cameo appearance. That seems unlikely given the show ended in 1997.

CMLL Aniversario results: La Mascara & Dragon Lee put their masks on the line – I wonder if the loser had botox prior to the unveiling. I guess I’ll have to read to find out who it was.

PWG Battle of Los Angeles night one results: BOLA begins – Wouldn’t it make more sense to have night two results here instead? No. Night two was so awesome that it needs time to digest. Relive night one first.

WWE Superstars results: Rusev vs. Jack Swagger – Haven’t we seen this feud a zillion times? Yes, but you’ve never read it recapped by James Cox. He makes it far more palatable. Enjoy!

DragonKing Dark episode 31: Phantom memories 9/4 – Karl Stern gets weird. Actually, he holds it together pretty well, but he talks about some weird stuff.

AD: HUMAN HEAD TRANSPLANT 9/4 – Bryan Alvarez’s side project is After Dark radio. If you’re a fan of professional wrestling, you’re also probably a fan of the surreal world of conspiracy theories and ghost stories. So is Alvarez. You’ll fit right in.

Figure Four Weekly: 8/29/2016, NWA vs. Department of Justice – Recently, as an outgrowth of my interest in public records, court records, and so on, I started to get into the habit of filing Freedom of Information Act (or “FOIA”) requests with various United States government agencies. It was the same fascination that took me to the court records; There’s stuff out there, just waiting to be seen, that nobody was looking at… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

F4W YouTube Page: Tons of clips and full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

Wrestling Observer Newsletter: September 6, 2016: Kevin Owens wins WWE Universal Title, Joe Silva leaves UFC, tons more more – Kevin Owens captured the WWE Universal title in a four-way elimination match on 8/29 in Houston as part of the company’s latest reset.

HHH returned for the first time since WrestleMania, single-handedly winning the match by giving both Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins pedigrees and basically handing the championship to Owens in the latest version of The Authority handing out the championship instead of talent winning it… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

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If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

WON BACK ISSUE: August 2, 1999, Vince McMahon comments on Bret Hart, WWF Fully Loaded review, more – While nobody in their right mind believed that they’d heard the last of Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart, McMahon went out of his way to goad Hart into responding with blistering comments on TSN’s “Off the Record” talk show, which was taped on 7/22 and aired on 7/27… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

Sasha Banks sent out this tweet: “You shouldn’t settle for what’s expected. The Boss is gonna be on Raw tonight an I got some bad news. Legit boss always.” Hopefully the news isn’t too bad.

We’ll post info on how to get the BOLA DVD when it is released. Day two is a must see up and down the show but particularly for the Will Ospreay & Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. Young Bucks & Adam Cole match. It was amazing.

Minoru Suzuki has been added to the 10/6 WCPW iPPV “Refuse to Lose” from England that is the one that Jim Ross and Jim Cornette are announcing.

Coming off BOLA, what appears to be the first Jeff Cobb vs. Matt Riddle match will take place on 9/16 for AAW in Merrionette Park, IL. Matches announced or that show are a tag title match with Mat Fitchet & Davey Vega vs. Jake & Dave Crist, Abyss vs. Sami Callihan, Chris Hero vs. Fenix, Cobb vs. Riddle and Heidi Lovelace & Kimber Lee vs. Devin & Mason Cutter.

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw and other news. We should have time for questions so you can send them to: [email protected]

World Wrestling Entertainment

In the discussion on last night’s show regarding whether Paige was threatened with being fired by WWE exec Mark Carrano if she didn’t break up with Alberto De Rio, when MSL reported it, MSL never said directly that Paige had said that, although it was also obvious from how he talked that it was a source very close to the situation.
WWE returns to action with Raw tonight from the Sprint Center in Kansas City. The Raw crew will be flying out right after the show for the Wednesday house show in London.
Smackdown will be Tuesday night from Lincoln, NE.
The much talked about “Hidden Gems” including the October 23, 1983 Last Battle of Atlanta between Tommy Rich vs. Buzz Sawyer, a cage match blow-off of a long feud, go up on the WWE network tomorrow. Apparently the 28 minute segment was produced, but never aired on television. It was one of those old-time arena single camera shoots most likely they they’d use was filming angles at the Omni. Also going up was the 1980 WWF vs. NWA champion battle with Harley Race vs. Bob Backlund.
Tommaso Ciampa needed five stitches and a chunk of his lower lip removed. His mouth was busted up in one of his matches at PWG this past weekend.
John Cena cut a video for Jason Williams, the principal of Henry Hill School in Napier, New Zealand. Williams put Cena in a mural with other athletes trying to inspire kids to do anything they set their mind to. Well, Williams lived that. He’s been trying for a long time to meet Cena including attending two WWE events previously but couldn’t get through to him. Williams was in Los Angeles recently for a professional development trip, and flew to Chicago on his own one more time to try and meet Cena and have him cut a video for his students. He said that security pushed him through, had him shake hands and smile for a photo and he was being pushed on and said he only had a few seconds to convince Cena to make a video. But since the story of Cena on that mural had gotten publicity, Cena immediately figured out who the guy was, had agreed to do the video and said he was very grateful to be on the schools’ walls. The story is here. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)
A story on WWE wrestlers being injured is here. (thanks to Chris Cruise)

UFC

Abel Trujillo was injured and has pulled out of his 9/17 fight with Evan Dunham in Hidalgo, TX. UFC is looking for a replacement.
The final episode of “The Evolution of Punk” airs tonight at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on FS 1.

MISCELLANEOUS

Alex Marvez updates us on One Man Gang after his house was flooded.
Pro Wrestling Sheet released a video clip of Jeff Hardy fighting a kangaroo that will appear on Impact on Thursday night. The show is called Delete or Decay and the idea is that Matt is trying to teach Brother Nero to fight instead of be a spot monkey. He calls the kangaroo Smokin Joe, claiming it is the ghost of Joe Frazier.
Brooke Adams, the former TNA woman wrestler and WWE dancer in the ECW days, gave birth to her first child, Jace, yesterday. Congratulations to her.
Sandra Gray, who appeared on many episodes of Total Divas, the former WWE seamstress, has now opened up a fashion store in Winthrop, GA.
Hoosier Pro Wrestling from Saturday night in Columbus, IN: Bobby Black b Scarecrow Eddie Felson, Lightning Bolt b Drax O’Brien, Jonathan Wolfe won four-way over Kenny Cage, Kid Thunder and Tankman, Clint Poe b JKO, Mad Dog Jesse Sawyer b Cousin Cooter, Too Cool TJ & Shawn Kemp b TVZ-DQ. Next show is 10/1 with an appearance of Jimmy Valiant. (thanks to Jerry Wilson)
Dynamo Pro Wrestling on 9/17 in Glen Carbon, IL at the Sports Academy.
NWX on 9/18 in St Catharines, ONT at the CWF Wrestling School
Wrestling with ALS on 11/11 in Fort Erie, ONT at Canadian Hall.
NWA Mid South Wrestling on 9/3 in Dyresburg, TN at the Herb Welch Wrestle Plex: Jakbo Edwinn b Johnny Morton, Dos Amigos Locos b Paco & Jason Roberts, Matt Riviera b Bobby Fulton, Jeremy Moore b Colin Delaney, Greg Anthony d Michael Elgin over 30:00 with the NWA National title and IWGP and IC titles both on the line. Next show is 9/10 with The Iron Empire defending the NWA tag titles against The Heat Seekers.
CWF on 9/30 in St Catharines ONT at the CWF Studios.
Lucha Xtreme TV from Saturday night in Fresno: Skitzo b Hunter Freeman, Big Dogg b Dark Usagi, Manny Fernandez b Anthony Idol-DQ. TV tapings are 9/10 in Coalinga, CA at West Hills College at 4 p.m.
North Wrestling in Newcastle, England has a show on 11/5 at the Riverside with Mark Haskins.
Here is a story on former WCW wrestler and baseball player Dale Torborg.

EVENTS CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER

9 – Chaotic Wrestling & The Lowell Spinners present “A Night of Grand Slams,” Edward A. LeLacheur Park, 450 Aiken St. – Lowell, MA
10 – CZW in Voorhees, NJ at Flyers Skate Zone with a doubleheader with a WSU Women’s show at 4 p.m. that day and the men’s show at 8 p.m.
10 – Pure Wrestling Association: COWEX – Duncan, British Columbia
10 – New England Fights 25: HEROES & VILLAINS; Lewiston, MA. Tickets.
10 – Barrie Wrestling: Back to School 3; 49 Ferris Lane, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
10 – UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem; Cleveland, Ohio
10 – Evolve in Deer Park, NY has Gargano vs. Sabre Jr., Galloway vs. Gulak, Dustin vs. Tracy Williams, Jigsaw vs. Fred Yehi, Riddle vs. Tony Nese, Perkins vs. Allin and Page vs. Dan Barry.
11 – Evolve in Woodside, NY at La Boom has Johnny Gargano & Cody Rhodes vs. Drew Galloway & Chris Hero in Gargano’s last Evolve match, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet, Matt Riddle vs. TJ Perkins, Dustin vs. Drew Gulak, Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin and Ethan Page vs David Starr. Joey Styles will also be appearing.
15 – CCW Parkhill Fall Fair Pro Wrestling, 5:30pm doors, 6:30pm bell time. Cody Deaner vs. Jake O’Reilly for the CCW title.
16 – All Star Wrestling; Squamish, BC, Totem Hall, Stawamus Rd, Garibaldi Highlands, BC V0N 1T0, Canada, tickets.
16 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE, 7:30 pm. Tickets.
16 – AAW: 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL). Tickets.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Lake Cowichan, British Columbia
16 – Smash vs Progress: Uncensored; Oshawa Music Hall, Oshawa, Ontario. Must be 19+ to attend.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Private Event in Ontario
16 – SuperKickd’d Pro Wrestling at 7:30 PM – 10 PM, The Great Hall Toronto, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H3
16 – All Pro Wrestling on 9/16 in Daly City, CA at the Bayshore Community Center features Sabu vs. The Almighty Sheik, Willie Mack & B-Boy vs Reno Scrum, plus Jody Kristofferson, JR Kratos, Marcus Lewis and Dylan Drake in a four way for the Universal title.
17 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Lockport (Buffalo), NY, 7:00 pm. Tickets.
17 – NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Alpine Club, Kitchener, Ontario
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Courtenay, British Columbia
17 – UFC Fight Night, Poirier vs. Johnson: Hidalgo, Texas, State Farm Arena
17 & 18 – SMASH VS PROGRESS: Smash Wrestling welcomes our friends from Progress Wrestling. Mark Haskins and Jack Gallagher (Cruiserweight Classic), Zack Sabre Jr. Mark Andrews and more will be part of the Progress Wrestling team in a Smash vs. Progress Canada vs. UK show in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Center.
18 – Pure Wrestling Association: Gold River, British Columbia
18 – Alpha-1 Wrestling presents #‎Matrats2
22 – NXT; Toronto, Ontario at the Mattamy Athletic Center (the former Maple Leaf Gardens)
22 – All-Star Wrestling: 7:30 PM, Abbotsford Arts Center, 2329 Crescent Way, Abbotsford, BC V2S 3M2, Canada, tickets.
22- Big Time Wrestling in Morganton, NC at the Collette Rec Center features a meet & greet at 6 p.m. before the live show. Appearing are Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Cody Rhodes, Magnum T.A. and Trevor Lee.
23 – Big Time Wrestling in Raleigh, NC at Dorton Arena features Flair and Steamboat together at Dorton Arena for the first time in 28 years, plus Jeff & Matt Hardy, Cody Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ivan Koloff, Jimmy Valiant, Gangrel and Shane Helms with the meet & greet at 6 and show at 8.
23 – Invicta FC: Live from Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. Interim Flyweight Champion Jennifer Maia Defends Against Roxanne Modafferi
23 – NXT; St. Catherines, Ontario at The Meridian Centre
23 – Absolute Intense Wrestling: A Farewell to Johnny Gargano – 1355 West 70th St. Cleveland, OH – Tickets.
23 – Pure Wrestling Association: Parksville, British Columbia
23 – Pro Wrestling Eclipse takes a short trip to downtown Oshawa and visits the Oshawa Mason Temple. All tickets purchased on July 24 that list the venue as the Oshawa Legion will be honoured.
24 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Duluth (Atlanta), GA 7:00 pm, tickets.
24 – IWA Midsouth Wrestling presents the Hybrid Cup, at PRIDE Bar in New Albany, IN.
24 – Ignite Wrestling in Vero Beach, FL at the IG Center features Dave Crist.
24 – UCW, September 24th 7:30 PMBay City,MI UCW Champion Hakim Zane vs MVP, plus appearances by Ron Simmons and Fred Ottman
24 – Big Time Wrestling in Spartanburg, SC at the Memorial Auditorium with the meet and greet at 5:30 and show at 7:30 with Flair, Steamboat, Hardys, Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Gangrel and Trevor Lee.
24 – MCW Legends Convention at the MCW Arena in Joppa, MD at 10 a.m. featuring Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Howard Finkel, Honky Tonk Man, Hillbilly Jim, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Jim Ross, Bill Apter, Brutus Beefcake, Bob Orton, Tito Santana, Jim Neidhart, Tammy Sytch, Magnum T.A. and even Dennis Stamp.
24 – Rock Solid: Anarchy in Angus 14: A Nightmare on Mill Street, 7pm – 10pm, Angus Recreation Centre, 8527 County Rd. 10, Angus, Ontario. Tickets.
24 – Pure Wrestling Association: Campbell River, British Columbia
24 – NXT in Kitchener, Ontario at The Air
24 – Elite Canada Championship Wrestling: New Westminster, Sapperton Pensioners Hall
318 Keary St, New Westminster, BC, 7:30pm Bell Time, doors at 7pm. Tickets.
25 – Canadian Wrestling’s Elite: Nick “Magnus” Aldis defends the GFW title against Matt Hart of the Hart Family in Calgary.
25 – Rizin: Former K-1 kickboxer Minoru Kimura will make his MMA debut against former Pride fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (29-30-2)
25 – Pure Wrestling Association – TBA – British Columbia
30 – ROH: All-Star Extravaganza Weekend Day 1; Lowell (Boston), MA, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 9:00 pm (PPV)

Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/05): First WCCW Labor Day Star Wars

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Please send Wrestling Observer Radio questions to [email protected]

Daily Update: Kickboxer with Batista, BOLA finals, Elhassan apologizes

Posted on September 5, 2016 by F4W Staff

B.O.L.A. CONTINUES

A quiet weekend in pro wrestling continues outside the hotbed of Reseda, CA, for Pro Wrestling Guerilla’s Battle of Los Angeles. If you’ve been on Twitter lately, you’ve likely read about some of the action…and seen a few interesting pictures here and there.

Here’s what happened on night 2 with the night 3 finale happening Sunday. As you might expect, it’s safe to say that the DVD release might be worth the purchase alone given the night 2 six-man main event.

After making his PWG debut against Sami Callihan on last night’s show, Cody Rhodes tweeted video of Brandi Rhodes doing his ring introduction for the match.

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez will return with their weekend show tonight. Dave stayed for night three of BOLA so he’ll have a lot to talk about on the show. They will also return after Raw Monday. Bryan has an After Dark Radio up now, a Bryan & Vinny Show later tonight, and another Wrestling Observer Radio with Dave Monday. Mike Sempervive will be doing Observer Live Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Bryan will return with a vengeance — or, perhaps, A MASSACRE — on Wednesday.

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

WWE Main Event results: American Alpha vs. Breezango – An awesome tag match and an Ascension sighting, what could be better? Reading about it in another excellent show report by Kevin Timothy.

PWG Battle of Los Angeles night two results: A phenomenal night of action – Check out who advanced to the finals from Night 2 of BOLA.

UFC Fight Night 93 Hamburg live results: Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett – The War Master was in action against the Pitbull live on Saturday afternoon. If you missed the action, catch up! There’s only five more consecutive weeks of UFC!

‘Last Battle of Atlanta’ & more classic content coming Tuesday to WWE Network – Is there more to add to the WWE network? Oh ya. Tons. No WCW Thunder yet, so you’ll have to settle for the WWE “gems” collection, but don’t worry, soon we’ll get to live those epic Big Poppa Pump uncut promos.

UFC Fight Night 93 DFS Playbook: Who to target & who to avoid – See how RFred, Ace Fontaine, and PeachMachine did with their fantasy line-ups this week. They’re playing for posterity, but one of the three is leaving the other two in the dust.

Big Audio Nightmare: Adam & Mike are back talking NJPW, DDT, and much more 9/3 – You’d thought your nightmares were over, well think again. You can’t astral project your way out of this one. All the wrestling news and highlights from Japan, including NJPW, DDT, and probably some Big Japan talk.

CM Punk: Vince McMahon is bankrolling a lawsuit against me – Read as “bank trolling” and it’s even funnier. Vince McMahon is suing his former champion. Well, it’s not the first time.

PWG Battle of Los Angeles night one results: BOLA begins – It’s not the CWC, it’s not the Super J-Cup… it’s better. It’s BOLA BAY BAY!

F4W YouTube Page: Tons of clips and full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE

Amin Elhassan of ESPN finally apologized for a stupid tweet he sent out Tuesday targeting Kevin Owens’ son, after nearly a week. As bad as it was, when he was called on it by wrestling fans, instead of apologizing he attacked them on Twitter. Obviously, since he at first went to war and then waited almost a week to apologize, many feel that he was pressured into making this apology.

Our Dave Meltzer did a feature on Joe Silva for MMAFighting.com.

Fans who had purchased tickets for any of the three canceled NXT shows in Ontario (9/22 in Toronto; 9/23 in St. Catharines; 9/23 in Kitchener) will have access to a special pre-sale code for TakeOver at the Air Canada Centre, as was noted when November’s NXT TakeOver in Toronto was announced.

The trailer for KICKBOXER: VENGEANCE, was released this week. It is starring Dave Bautista as TONG PO, and Gina Carano. It was supposed to feature a role written for Paige Van Zant before she decided she wanted to fight instead. Check it out here.

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT

Bo Dallas is expected to return to WWE action this week. He’s been off TV and house shows since an arrest following an incident at an airport last week.
Luke Harper returns to the WWE Performance Center this week to prepare for his upcoming return after a torn ACL.
Our pal Patric Laprade, along with Western Canada wrestling historian Vern May (aka Vance Nevada), put together a piece of 15 big Kevin Owens accomplishments prior to his WWE Universal title win.
Kurt Angle is campaigning for Rhino.
Sheamus talked about why the Best of 7 series is so important to him, as well as an upcoming BBC doc, in this video.
Fans of classic wrestling may want to call in sick Tuesday as WWE Network is reportedly going to release a slew of classic matches including the “Last Battle of Atlanta” featuring Tommy Rich vs. Buzz Sawyer in a steel cage.
The Marvel Comics podcast got some audio from last week’s 2K17 event. Sasha Banks, Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar, Charlotte, and Goldberger can be heard on the latest episode.
Because of different contractual obligations, Eva Marie is filming Total Divas while on her WWE suspension.

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

“Filthy” Tom Lawlor participated in a pro wrestling-centric “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit.
As part of Lucha Xtreme’s TV taping in Fresno, CA, Manny Fernandez beat Anthony Idol by DQ, Big Dogg defeated Dark Usagi, and Skitzo beat Hunter Freeman. Next taping is set for 9/10 at West Hill College in Coalinga, CA.
Former TNA Knockout Brooke Adams gave birth to her first child this weekend. The little boy is named Jace.
Chavo Guerrero Jr. will be doing the training for the new GLOW series that is coming to Netflix.

EVENTS CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER

9 – Chaotic Wrestling & The Lowell Spinners present “A Night of Grand Slams,”
Edward A. LeLacheur Park, 450 Aiken St. – Lowell, MA
10 – CZW in Voorhees, NJ at Flyers Skate Zone with a doubleheader with a WSU Women’s show at 4 p.m. that day and the men’s show at 8 p.m.
10 – Pure Wrestling Association: COWEX – Duncan, British Columbia
10 – New England Fights 25: HEROES & VILLAINS; Lewiston, MA. Tickets.
10 – Barrie Wrestling: Back to School 3; 49 Ferris Lane, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
10 – UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem; Cleveland, Ohio
10 – Evolve in Deer Park, NY has Gargano vs. Sabre Jr., Galloway vs. Gulak, Dustin vs. Tracy Williams, Jigsaw vs. Fred Yehi, Riddle vs. Tony Nese, Perkins vs. Allin and Page vs. Dan Barry.
11 – Evolve in Woodside, NY at La Boom has Johnny Gargano & Cody Rhodes vs. Drew Galloway & Chris Hero in Gargano’s last Evolve match, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet, Matt Riddle vs. TJ Perkins, Dustin vs. Drew Gulak, Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin and Ethan Page vs David Starr. Joey Styles will also be appearing.
15 – CCW Parkhill Fall Fair Pro Wrestling, 5:30pm doors, 6:30pm bell time. Cody Deaner vs. Jake O’Reilly for the CCW title.
16 – All Star Wrestling; Squamish, BC, Totem Hall, Stawamus Rd, Garibaldi Highlands, BC V0N 1T0, Canada, tickets.
16 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE, 7:30 pm. Tickets.
16 – AAW: 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL). Tickets.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Lake Cowichan, British Columbia
16 – Smash vs Progress: Uncensored; Oshawa Music Hall, Oshawa, Ontario. Must be 19+ to attend.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Private Event in Ontario
16 – SuperKickd’d Pro Wrestling at 7:30 PM – 10 PM, The Great Hall Toronto, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H3
16 – All Pro Wrestling on 9/16 in Daly City, CA at the Bayshore Community Center features Sabu vs. The Almighty Sheik, Willie Mack & B-Boy vs Reno Scrum, plus Jody Kristofferson, JR Kratos, Marcus Lewis and Dylan Drake in a four way for the Universal title.
17 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Lockport (Buffalo), NY, 7:00 pm. Tickets.
17 – NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Alpine Club, Kitchener, Ontario
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Courtenay, British Columbia
17 – UFC Fight Night, Poirier vs. Johnson: Hidalgo, Texas, State Farm Arena
17 & 18 – SMASH VS PROGRESS: Smash Wrestling welcomes our friends from Progress Wrestling. Mark Haskins and Jack Gallagher (Cruiserweight Classic), Zack Sabre Jr. Mark Andrews and more will be part of the Progress Wrestling team in a Smash vs. Progress Canada vs. UK show in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Center.
18 – Pure Wrestling Association: Gold River, British Columbia
18 – Alpha-1 Wrestling presents #‎Matrats2
22 – All-Star Wrestling: 7:30 PM, Abbotsford Arts Center, 2329 Crescent Way, Abbotsford, BC V2S 3M2, Canada, tickets.
22- Big Time Wrestling in Morganton, NC at the Collette Rec Center features a meet & greet at 6 p.m. before the live show. Appearing are Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Cody Rhodes, Magnum T.A. and Trevor Lee.
23 – Big Time Wrestling in Raleigh, NC at Dorton Arena features Flair and Steamboat together at Dorton Arena for the first time in 28 years, plus Jeff & Matt Hardy, Cody Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ivan Koloff, Jimmy Valiant, Gangrel and Shane Helms with the meet & greet at 6 and show at 8.
23 – Invicta FC: Live from Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. Interim Flyweight Champion Jennifer Maia Defends Against Roxanne Modafferi
23 – Absolute Intense Wrestling: A Farewell to Johnny Gargano – 1355 West 70th St. Cleveland, OH – Tickets.
23 – Pure Wrestling Association: Parksville, British Columbia
23 – Pro Wrestling Eclipse takes a short trip to downtown Oshawa and visits the Oshawa Mason Temple. All tickets purchased on July 24 that list the venue as the Oshawa Legion will be honoured.
24 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Duluth (Atlanta), GA 7:00 pm, tickets.
24 – IWA Midsouth Wrestling presents the Hybrid Cup, at PRIDE Bar in New Albany, IN.
24 – Ignite Wrestling in Vero Beach, FL at the IG Center features Dave Crist.
24 – UCW, September 24th 7:30 PMBay City,MI UCW Champion Hakim Zane vs MVP, plus appearances by Ron Simmons and Fred Ottman
24 – Big Time Wrestling in Spartanburg, SC at the Memorial Auditorium with the meet and greet at 5:30 and show at 7:30 with Flair, Steamboat, Hardys, Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Gangrel and Trevor Lee.
24 – MCW Legends Convention at the MCW Arena in Joppa, MD at 10 a.m. featuring Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Howard Finkel, Honky Tonk Man, Hillbilly Jim, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Jim Ross, Bill Apter, Brutus Beefcake, Bob Orton, Tito Santana, Jim Neidhart, Tammy Sytch, Magnum T.A. and even Dennis Stamp.
24 – Rock Solid: Anarchy in Angus 14: A Nightmare on Mill Street, 7pm – 10pm, Angus Recreation Centre, 8527 County Rd. 10, Angus, Ontario. Tickets.
24 – Pure Wrestling Association: Campbell River, British Columbia
24 – Elite Canada Championship Wrestling: New Westminster, Sapperton Pensioners Hall
318 Keary St, New Westminster, BC, 7:30pm Bell Time, doors at 7pm. Tickets.
25 – Canadian Wrestling’s Elite: Nick “Magnus” Aldis defends the GFW title against Matt Hart of the Hart Family in Calgary.
25 – Rizin: Former K-1 kickboxer Minoru Kimura will make his MMA debut against former Pride fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (29-30-2)
25 – Pure Wrestling Association – TBA – British Columbia
30 – ROH: All-Star Extravaganza Weekend Day 1; Lowell (Boston), MA, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 9:00 pm (PPV)

Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/02): HHH is awarded the World Heavyweight Championship

Please send feedback to F [email protected]
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Please send Wrestling Observer Radio questions to [email protected]

Daily Update: BOLA night 2, UFC Hamburg results, CMLL

Posted on September 3, 2016 by F4W Staff

UFC Hamburg: Pointless

If you like no-name mostly European fighters having boring fights with almost no action and going to questionable decisions then today’s UFC show on Fight Pass from Hamburg is the show for you! Seriously if you are thinking of going back and watching the show, just read Ryan Frederick’s recap and then go watch last weekend’s UFC on FOX main card or UFC 199 or BOLA night 2.

The crowd even booed local fighters after they won. If you’re looking for something of redemption on the card, the women’s bantamweight fight between Ashlee Evans-Smith and Veronica Macedo was fun. Macedo is green as hell but has star potential. At just 20 years old, hopefully they match her up with the right fights to bring her back up. Ryan Bader had an impressive KO win in his fight.

And then the main event was an excellent, workmanlike performance by Josh Barnett. Arlovski had his moments and the first 30 seconds of the fight was something else. They shared a great moment in the Octagon after the fight. Barnett did what Barnett does and cut a great promo after the fight. We have results of the entire card below.

Next week’s UFC 203 show can’t help but be better than this and you know that this site, with it’s pro wrestling connections and CM Punk fighting third from the top in the most-pushed fight on the show will be all over that bad boy.

[Ace Fontaine]

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

PWG Battle of Los Angeles night one results: BOLA begins – Find out who advanced to Sunday’s final and has taken step one to becoming the 2016 BOLA tournament champion.

CM Punk: Vince McMahon is bankrolling a lawsuit against me – CM Punk doesn’t bite his tongue much. Hear what else the former WWE superstar had to say about his past employer.

UFC Fight Night 93 Hamburg live results: Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett – Did Josh Barnett get it done or get it done to him? Find out what you missed from the octagon this Saturday afternoon.

JNPO: UFC.com’s Spencer Kyte on UFC Hamburg, CM Punk & more 9/2 – Get punched out early today, as Josh Nason brings you an in-depth preview of UFC Hamburg when Andrei Arlovski takes on Josh Barnett. Plus, more analysis on the debut of Phil Brooks inside the octagon.

ROH TV results: The Young Bucks vs. The Addiction – It’s professional wrestling at its finest when the Bucks of Youth take on the Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian.

WOL: Dr. Lucha talks Aniversario and TripleMania, tons of news, more! 9/2 – Tons of details and insight from AAA’s TripleMania show as brought to you by the one and only doctor of lucha libre.

Wrestling Weekly: Kevin Owens & HHH; Andre the Giant stories 9/2 – The fellas talk all the hot angles, the newest merger of K.O. and HHH, plus some stories from back in the day.

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling: A long-form history of pro wrestling pt. 1 9/2 – Karl Stern brings you even more audio, and gives you a unique look at pro wrestling from a historical stand point.

Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/02): HHH is awarded the World Heavyweight Championship – Yesterday in 2002, Eric Bischoff handed HHH the WCW World title. Whatever happened to that brand? I forget… 14 years later, nearly to the day, HHH hands the WWE Universal title to KO.

F4W YouTube Page: Tons of clips and full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE

With it being Labor Day here in the U.S., it’s a relatively quiet weekend in the the ring for the major promotions while the UFC was in Hamburg, Germany, for a Saturday afternoon show available on Fight Pass.

This weekend is all about Pro Wrestling Guerrilla who is hosting their yearly Battle of Los Angeles tournament in Reseda, CA, Unfortunately not available via iPPV, a small and loud group attended night 1 Saturday including our Dave Meltzer. Here’s results of a night that featured Chris Hero vs. Jushin Liger, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tommy End, Will Ospreay, Ricochet, and more.

Other than night 2 and 3 of BOLA, all is quiet on the Western front until WWE returns Monday for Raw and the beginning of the Kevin Owens Universal championship era.

BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES CONTINUES

B.O.L.A. Night One: Results

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Battle of Los Angeles continues tonight in Reseda, CA, with the winner being crowned on Sunday.

Marty Scurll over Pentagón, Jr. by submission with the crossface chicken wing
Ricochet over Jeff Cobb by pinfall with a small package reversal of Tour of the Islands
John Hennigan over Matt Sydal by pinfall with Starship Pain
Will Ospreay over Fénix by pinfall with OsCutter
Zack Sabre, Jr. over Tommy End by submission
Chris Hero over Jushin Liger by pinfall with a series of elbow strikes

B.O.L.A. Night Two: Line-Up

2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Sami Callihan vs. Cody Rhodes
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Matthew Riddle
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Cedric Alexander vs. Mark Haskins
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Kamaitachi vs. Trevor Lee
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Mark Andrews vs. Pete Dunne
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Dalton Castle vs. Jack Gallagher
Non-Tournament Tag Team Match: Fénix & Pentagón Jr. vs. Tommy End & Chris Hero
Non-Tournament Six-Man Tag Team Match: Will Ospreay, Matt Sydal, & Ricochet vs. Adam Cole & The Young Bucks

Sunday’s card will be determined by the results of the first two nights.

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

The noteworthy event from the weekend was in Mexico for the CMLL 83rd anniversary show.
Andrade Cien Almas (the former La Sombra) was backstage at Arena Mexico for the event, appearing with La Máscara and Rush as they cut a short promo in Spanish after the show in a cell phone video. In another longer selfie video, they continue cutting promos about being part of Los Ingobernables and talk about the unmasked face of La Máscara. While still known as La Sombra, Almas was unmasked last year at the CMLL anniversary show.
The CMLL show was scheduled to be available on YouTube for $3.99 US. As of press time the video was still unavailable in the United States and other countries. The official CMLL website has photo galleries of every match on the card.
The CMLL YouTube page does have highlights of the semi-main event trios match, the hair match with Super Crazy vs. Rey Bucanero, an undercard trios match, and the women’s trios match that that opened the show.
Raw General Manager Mick Foley accidentally tweeted an advertisement for next week’s edition of Impact, featuring “Delete or Decay” from the Hardy compound. In another tweet, Foley provided an explanation for the error.

Penn State University student and Ring of Honor announcer Ian Riccaboni vowed to leave his school if they go through with a planned ceremony honoring former football coach Joe Paterno. He at first tweeted he would likely transfer from the university. Philadelphia Magazine picked up on the story and ran an article with quotes from Riccaboni himself. Riccaboni does commentary for Women of Honor matches along with doing backstage interviews in ROH. He also sometimes does ring announcing, is an author, and an adjunct instructor at Holy Family University. Joe Paterno was a very controversial figure from an infamous sexual abuse scandal that basically tarnished the reputation of a storied football program and the university itself. Riccaboni is upset the Penn State athletic department plans to honor Paterno in a pre-game ceremony before a football game this season.
Good news for the One Man Gang: the GoFundMe flood relief fund has raised nearly $12,000 of the $20,000 goal. If you’re not familiar, here’s the story.
Bill Goldberg was promoting WWE 2K17 at Toronto’s FanExpo this weekend, but got in a workout with GLORY kickboxing middleweight champion Simon Marcus at Santino Marella’s BattleArts gym this morning. Here’s a pic, another pic, and another.
Hulk Hogan praises Kevin Owens in an article from ESPN.
Toronto Sun has an article plugging a weekend of WWE shows in November with three straight nights running in Toronto including Takeover, Survivor Series, and Raw.
WWE Network put together one of their “Collections” of Mr. Fuji, available now.
Did you know Gorgeous George had a turkey ranch?

UFC

In case you missed the season premiere of The Ultimate Fighter, this season is a 16-man tournament of regional flyweight champions, designed to find a top contender for Demetrious Johnson in December. Former Johnson conquests Henry Cejudo and Joe Benavidez are the coaches
In the two-hour debut, #1 seed Alexandre Pantoja (Cejudo) downed #16 Brandon Moreno (Benavidez) while #9 Kai Kara-France (Cejudo) defeated #8 Terrence Mitchell (Benavidez) in impressive fashion. #5 faces #12 next week.

QUICK RESULTS: UFC FROM HAMBURG, GERMANY

Rustam Khabilov vs. Leandro Silva
Scott Askham vs. Jack Hermansson
Jarjis Danho vs. Christian Colombo – MAJORITY DRAW
Taylor Lapilus vs. Leandro Silva
Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Veronica Macedo
Peter Sobotta vs. Nicolas Dalby
Jessin Ayari vs. Jim Wallhead
Nick Hein vs. Tae Hyun Bang
Ryan Bader vs. Ilif Latifi
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jan Blachowicz
Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett

VARIETY

Kyle O’Reilly talks about the crossover between MMA and pro wrestling in an interview with MMA Weekly.
ROH is currently having a VOD Labor Day sale. All VOD’s are 25% off, and 50% off if you are a ringside member. The sale applies to all the latest ROH PPV’s like Death Before Dishonor, Best in the World, and Women of Honor.
This piece from Chris Featherstone is on the problem with scripted promos in the WWE, and a few wrestlers who have expressed their dissatisfaction.
Total Combat Wrestling is having an event to help aid the earthquake victims. On September 17th at Rapallo, Genova there is a benefic event call “Cuore Ribelle” for help the victims of the earthquake in center Italy. The tickets are 5 euros.
RESULTS: MOONSHINE BRANDED WRESTLING, September 2nd, 2016 – Alpha-1 Zero Gravity Champion Alessandro Del Bruno pinned El Bigote, Jonathan Rukin pinned Jesse Bieber, Steel City Tag Team Champions Mattick and Taylor Kay Deen defeated Holden Albright and Nick Watts, El Hijo Del Bamboo pinned Deeno Benjamin, Evil Uno pinned Rip Impact, The Lab Rats (Scotty O’Shea and Jim Nye The Science Guy) defeated CJ Felony and Catalyst, Rex Atkins pinned Ethan Page to become the Moonshine Branded Number One Contender. Steve Brown defeated Moonshine Branded Wrestling Champion Marc Hauss by DQ (Hauss keeps the championship)
RESULTS: Canadian Wrestling’s Elite – The returning “First All Star” Brian Rich was victorious against the debut “Modern Throwback” Logan Lynch, “The Rebel” Bobby Collins w/”The Mastermind” Kevin Cannon scored a win over Tyler James, A bloodied “Hotshot” Danny Duggan got the “W” in a very hard hitting contest with Wisconsin’s TW3, “Outlaw” Adam Knight put the big man “Killa” Kaz Karter down with a lariat, Midwest wrestling legend “The Dream Assassin” Darkchild was victorious in his debut against DRAGNEEL, “Jiggity” Jeremy Joseph danced himself to a victory over the 2016 Super Jobber “Tasty” Travis Cole. Wildman Firpo scored a major upset over “The Mastermind” Kevin Cannon w/Bobby Collins, Tyler Colton was unable to appear as advertised so Kevy Chevy issued an open challenge which was shockingly answered by Shadow Xtreme! The battled an extremely close contest before Shadow was put away by Chevy with the Chevy Impala running piledriver. CWE returns to Rookie’s Sports Bar on Friday, October 28th and the show will be headlined by WWE Legends Demolition!

EVENTS CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER

3 – I Believe in Wrestling returns to the Team Vision Dojo in Orlando, FL.
3 – UIPW: Los Angels at the Clela Arena at 826 Clela Ave. in East Los Angeles with Teddy Hart & Coa Azul vs. Psicosis & Mariachi Loco
3 – ACE Collision Course: Morgan Jr. Arena, Wallington, NJ, MAIN EVENT: ACE Heavyweight Championship: TJ Marconi (c) vs Archadia
3 – Hoosier Pro Wrestling in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Arena
3 – CWF presents Live Pro Wrestling at the CWF Wrestling School on 20 Hartzel Rd in St Catharines, ON.
Tickets
6 – SMASH-WRESTLING, Oshawa Music Hall, 39 King St E, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 1B2. Tickets.
9 – Chaotic Wrestling & The Lowell Spinners present “A Night of Grand Slams,”
Edward A. LeLacheur Park, 450 Aiken St. – Lowell, MA
10 – CZW in Voorhees, NJ at Flyers Skate Zone with a doubleheader with a WSU Women’s show at 4 p.m. that day and the men’s show at 8 p.m.
10 – Pure Wrestling Association: COWEX – Duncan, British Columbia
10 – New England Fights 25: HEROES & VILLAINS; Lewiston, MA. Tickets.
10 – Barrie Wrestling: Back to School 3; 49 Ferris Lane, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
10 – UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem; Cleveland, Ohio
10 – Evolve in Deer Park, NY has Gargano vs. Sabre Jr., Galloway vs. Gulak, Dustin vs. Tracy Williams, Jigsaw vs. Fred Yehi, Riddle vs. Tony Nese, Perkins vs. Allin and Page vs. Dan Barry.
11 – Evolve in Woodside, NY at La Boom has Johnny Gargano & Cody Rhodes vs. Drew Galloway & Chris Hero in Gargano’s last Evolve match, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet, Matt Riddle vs. TJ Perkins, Dustin vs. Drew Gulak, Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin and Ethan Page vs David Starr. Joey Styles will also be appearing.
15 – CCW Parkhill Fall Fair Pro Wrestling, 5:30pm doors, 6:30pm bell time. Cody Deaner vs. Jake O’Reilly for the CCW title.
16 – All Star Wrestling; Squamish, BC, Totem Hall, Stawamus Rd, Garibaldi Highlands, BC V0N 1T0, Canada, tickets.
16 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE, 7:30 pm. Tickets.
16 – AAW: 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL). Tickets.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Lake Cowichan, British Columbia
16 – Smash vs Progress: Uncensored; Oshawa Music Hall, Oshawa, Ontario. Must be 19+ to attend.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Private Event in Ontario
16 – SuperKickd’d Pro Wrestling at 7:30 PM – 10 PM, The Great Hall Toronto, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H3
16 – All Pro Wrestling on 9/16 in Daly City, CA at the Bayshore Community Center features Sabu vs. The Almighty Sheik, Willie Mack & B-Boy vs Reno Scrum, plus Jody Kristofferson, JR Kratos, Marcus Lewis and Dylan Drake in a four way for the Universal title.
17 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Lockport (Buffalo), NY, 7:00 pm. Tickets.
17 – NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Alpine Club, Kitchener, Ontario
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Courtenay, British Columbia
17 – UFC Fight Night, Poirier vs. Johnson: Hidalgo, Texas, State Farm Arena
17 & 18 – SMASH VS PROGRESS: Smash Wrestling welcomes our friends from Progress Wrestling. Mark Haskins and Jack Gallagher (Cruiserweight Classic), Zack Sabre Jr. Mark Andrews and more will be part of the Progress Wrestling team in a Smash vs. Progress Canada vs. UK show in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Center.
18 – Pure Wrestling Association: Gold River, British Columbia
18 – Alpha-1 Wrestling presents #‎Matrats2
22 – NXT; Toronto, Ontario at the Mattamy Athletic Center (the former Maple Leaf Gardens)
22 – All-Star Wrestling: 7:30 PM, Abbotsford Arts Center, 2329 Crescent Way, Abbotsford, BC V2S 3M2, Canada, tickets.
22- Big Time Wrestling in Morganton, NC at the Collette Rec Center features a meet & greet at 6 p.m. before the live show. Appearing are Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Cody Rhodes, Magnum T.A. and Trevor Lee.
23 – Big Time Wrestling in Raleigh, NC at Dorton Arena features Flair and Steamboat together at Dorton Arena for the first time in 28 years, plus Jeff & Matt Hardy, Cody Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ivan Koloff, Jimmy Valiant, Gangrel and Shane Helms with the meet & greet at 6 and show at 8.
23 – Invicta FC: Live from Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. Interim Flyweight Champion Jennifer Maia Defends Against Roxanne Modafferi
23 – NXT; St. Catherines, Ontario at The Meridian Centre
23 – Absolute Intense Wrestling: A Farewell to Johnny Gargano – 1355 West 70th St. Cleveland, OH – Tickets.
23 – Pure Wrestling Association: Parksville, British Columbia
23 – Pro Wrestling Eclipse takes a short trip to downtown Oshawa and visits the Oshawa Mason Temple. All tickets purchased on July 24 that list the venue as the Oshawa Legion will be honoured.
24 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Duluth (Atlanta), GA 7:00 pm, tickets.
24 – IWA Midsouth Wrestling presents the Hybrid Cup, at PRIDE Bar in New Albany, IN.
24 – Ignite Wrestling in Vero Beach, FL at the IG Center features Dave Crist.
24 – UCW, September 24th 7:30 PMBay City,MI UCW Champion Hakim Zane vs MVP, plus appearances by Ron Simmons and Fred Ottman
24 – Big Time Wrestling in Spartanburg, SC at the Memorial Auditorium with the meet and greet at 5:30 and show at 7:30 with Flair, Steamboat, Hardys, Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Gangrel and Trevor Lee.
24 – MCW Legends Convention at the MCW Arena in Joppa, MD at 10 a.m. featuring Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Howard Finkel, Honky Tonk Man, Hillbilly Jim, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Jim Ross, Bill Apter, Brutus Beefcake, Bob Orton, Tito Santana, Jim Neidhart, Tammy Sytch, Magnum T.A. and even Dennis Stamp.
24 – Rock Solid: Anarchy in Angus 14: A Nightmare on Mill Street, 7pm – 10pm, Angus Recreation Centre, 8527 County Rd. 10, Angus, Ontario. Tickets.
24 – Pure Wrestling Association: Campbell River, British Columbia
24 – NXT in Kitchener, Ontario at The Air
24 – Elite Canada Championship Wrestling: New Westminster, Sapperton Pensioners Hall
318 Keary St, New Westminster, BC, 7:30pm Bell Time, doors at 7pm. Tickets.
25 – Canadian Wrestling’s Elite: Nick “Magnus” Aldis defends the GFW title against Matt Hart of the Hart Family in Calgary.
25 – Rizin: Former K-1 kickboxer Minoru Kimura will make his MMA debut against former Pride fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (29-30-2)
25 – Pure Wrestling Association – TBA – British Columbia
30 – ROH: All-Star Extravaganza Weekend Day 1; Lowell (Boston), MA, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 9:00 pm (PPV)

Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/03): WCCW Labor Day Star Wars starring the Von Erichs

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PWG Battle of Los Angeles night one results: BOLA begins

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Dave Meltzer

The show started at about 9:25 p.m local time. I don’t want to overuse the superlatives but with the exception of Matt Sydal vs. John Hennigan (Mundo), every match was either really good, to great, to fantastic. And Sydal vs. Hennigan was a good match as well.

There was a weird sense of disappointment because the losers don’t advance. The crowd for the most part wanted both guys to win in almost every match.

– Marty Scurll defeated Pentagon Jr. by reversing out of the package piledriver into a chicken wing via submission.

The bottom rope broke during this match but it didn’t play a part in anything. It did slow the show down because it took a while to fix it. Very good.

– Ricochet defeated Jeff Cobb in a fantastic match.

Both brought out the best in each other with flying vs. power. The difference in Cobb from even a few months ago is very noticeable. Ricochet won with the Tour of the Islands into an inside cradle.

– John Hennigan defeated Matt Sydal with a standing shooting star press and the End of the World.

Hennigan was one of the guys who really badly wanted to work PWG.

– Will Ospreay defeated Fenix with the spinning kick and Oscutter.

Fantastic match with things probably never done before inside a pro wrestling ring. Ospreay did his space flying tiger drop and Fenix did a crazy spinning dive. The highlight was a Spanish fly off the top rope where both landed on their feet. Pretty much everyone was blown away by this match.

– Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tommy End with the octopus submission.

Excellent match. Very different from most Sabre matches as it was more a fight than technical wrestling. Lots of “Thank you Tommy” chants since everyone knows he’s leaving for WWE and this was his last PWG show.

– Chris Hero defeated Jushin Liger with a series of spinning elbows.

Also very good, excellent by the end. They played up the size difference. Liger was the most over wrestler by far on the show and Hero had to play heel because there was no other way. This was the best Liger singles match I can recall in a long time. Perfect timing.

– The Young Bucks & Adam Cole defeated Dalton Castle & The Boys (ReDragon)

The Boys ended up being Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly. For about 15 minutes, they played like they were The Boys, hitting like wimps and just getting beaten up with Castle doing the offense. Then they took off their Boys’ masks and made comebacks, although Fish lost the mask several times before that spot.

It was largely comedy but very good. The crowd was very into it. The finish saw a double Meltzer Driver on Fish & Castle and Matt pinned Fish.

Daily Update: BOLA match ups, UFC Barnett vs. Arlovski, NXT to Canada

Posted on September 3, 2016 by F4W Staff

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NXT TakeOver headed to Toronto in November – Good news for the WWE fans in the great white north, NXT is headed to WWE “bizarro-land,” a.k.a. Toronto.

The Week In British Wrestling: PROGRESS & ICW build to big shows – It’s the calm before the storm across the Atlantic in Great Britain as PROGRESS and ICW prepare to blow off some steam.

WOR: Joe Silva leaving UFC, Smackdown, Del Rio, Daniel Bryan, huge news show 9/1 – Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez bring you all the latest news in the world of combat entertainment.

TNA Impact Wrestling results: Bobby Lashley vs. The Miracle – Can Bobby Lashley pull of a “Miracle”? Find out by reading the results from TNA Impact.

Daily Update: Daniel Bryan shoots, CWC highlights, Silva’s departure – If yesterday was the day you dropped your iPhone in the sink, then catch up on what you missed while you were off line.

UFC 203: CM Punk & Mickey Gall conference call audio – CM Punk and Mickey Gall hype the fight of the… month, maybe. Find out if it will be the humble Phil Brooks or the confident CM Punk who enters the cage.

CM Punk: ‘I’m not trying to talk anybody into the building on this one’ – How did CM Punk predict his fight would go?

Weekend Poll: [email protected]

CMLL Anniversary show

There are no WWE house shows this weekend, nor NXT shows.

CMLL 83RD ANNIVERSARY SHOW FROM ARENA MEXICO ON TONIGHT AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN TIME

Lluvia & Marcela & Princesa Sugei vs. Amapola & Dallys & Zeuxis
Marco Corleone & Maximo Sexy & Stuka Jr. vs. Mephisto & Ephesto & Shocker
Super Crazy vs. Rey Bucanero hair vs. hair
Atlantis & Caristico & Mascara Dorada vs. Negro Casas & Felino & Cavernario
Mistico & Valiente & Volador Jr. vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Euforia for CMLL trios titles
La Mascara vs. Dragon Lee mask vs. mask

UFC ON FIGHT PASS FROM HAMBURG, GERMANY SATURDAY AT 11:45 A.M. EASTERN TIME

Rustam Khabilov vs. Leandro Silva
Scott Askham vs. Jack Hermansson
Jarjis Danho vs. Christian Colombo
Taylor Lapilus vs. Leandro Silva
Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Veronica Macedo
Peter Sobotta vs. Nicolas Dalby
Jessin Ayari vs. Jim Wallhead
Nick Hein vs. Tae Hyun Bang
Ryan Bader vs. Ilif Latifi
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jan Blachowicz
Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett

WWE returns to action with Raw on Monday from the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

Smackdown will be Tuesday night from Lincoln, NE.

F4W YouTube Page: Tons of clips and full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Battle of Los Angeles kicks off tonight in Reseda, CA. The second night of the tournament will take place on Saturday, with the winner being crowned on Sunday. The full list of participants in the loaded field can be seen here.

The card for tonight:

2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Chris Hero vs. Jushin Thunder Liger
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Tommy End vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Fénix vs. Will Ospreay
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Jeff Cobb vs. Ricochet
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: John Hennigan vs. Matt Sydal
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Pentagón Jr. vs. Marty Scurll
Non-Tournament Six-Man Tag Team Match: Dalton Castle & The Boys vs. Adam Cole & The Young Bucks

The card for Saturday:

2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Sami Callihan vs. Cody Rhodes
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Matthew Riddle
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Cedric Alexander vs. Mark Haskins
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Kamaitachi vs. Trevor Lee
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Mark Andrews vs. Pete Dunne
2016 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match: Dalton Castle vs. Jack Gallagher
Non-Tournament Tag Team Match: Fénix & Pentagón Jr. vs. Tommy End & Chris Hero
Non-Tournament Six-Man Tag Team Match: Will Ospreay, Matt Sydal, & Ricochet vs. Adam Cole & The Young Bucks

Sunday’s card will be determined by the results of the first two nights.

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT

In an interview on AXS TV, CM Punk said Vince McMahon hasn’t contacted him about his debut at UFC 203 and claimed that McMahon is “currently bankrolling a lawsuit” against him. The comment is in reference to a defamation suit filed against Punk and Colt Cabana in 2015 by WWE doctor Chris Amann in response to comments Punk made about Amann on an episode of Cabana’s podcast.
After creating controversy on Twitter earlier this week, ESPN’s Amin Elhassan issued an apology to Kevin Owens and his family. Elhassan had originally tweeted “Until someone told him it was scripted,” in response to a video of Owens’ son reaction to his father’s Universal title win. Elhassan went on to engage with wrestling fans on Twitter after making the comments.
On today’s edition of the MSL & Sullivan show on MLW Radio, host Mister Saint Laurent alleged that Alberto Del Rio and Paige getting drafted to separate brands was an attempt to separate them, and MSL claimed that WWE threatened to fire Paige if she didn’t break up with Del Rio.
America Alpha were featured as the guests on this week’s edition of Michael Cole’s regular interview series on WWE.com.
Rusev and Lana’s second wedding, held in Bulgaria, took place today.
In a video on their YouTube account, WWE names The Rock, The Undertaker, Luke Harper, and Emma as the four hottest available free agents.
WWE.com has an interview with Ember Moon about her journey to NXT.

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

Headlined by La Mascara vs. Dragon Lee in a mask vs. mask match, CMLL’s annual anniversary show takes place tonight at Arena Mexico. The show won’t air live, but will be available as an iPPV on YouTube on Saturday.
CHIKARA’s King of Trios will take place this weekend as well, and the promotion tweeted that Hornswoggle is out of the tournament due to an injury.
TNA released a trailer for “Delete or Decay,” a Final Deletion-esque battle between The Hardy Boys and The Decay at the Hardy compound that will air on next week’s Impact.
Before he joins the NXT roster on a full-time basis, Tommaso Ciampa bid farewell to Chicago’s AAW Wrestling on Thursday night with what was said to be an emotional farewell speech. Video of fans and colleagues sending him off by singing his “Psycho Killer” theme song can be seen here.
As was noted in today’s WWN Alerts, Ricochet has agreed to “several more EVOLVE bookings” after his match against Zack Sabre Jr. at EVOLVE 69 in Queens, NY on September 11th.
Tomohiro Ishii will appear at November’s Revolution Pro and New Japan Pro Wrestling co-branded Global Wars shows.

UFC

UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett Hamburg, Germany

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto tweeted that he’s hearing things are quickly moving in the direction of Robbie Lawler vs. Donald Cerrone at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden on November 12th.
In what was a formality, the UFC’s parent company has officially been granted a promoter’s license by the New York State Athletic Commission ahead of their MSG show.
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Gunnar Nelson will headline UFC Fight Night in Belfast on November 19th at the SSE Arena.

EVENTS CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER

2 – MOONSHINE BRANDED WRESTLING: Italo-Canadian Hall, 1101 DiPietro Street, Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. Doors at 6:00pm bell time 7:00pm. Tickets.
2 – 559 Fights has its 50th show in Visalia, CA at the Convention Center.
2 – Rockstar Pro Wrestling iPPV from Dayton, OH at the Rockstar Pro Arena with Sami Callihan vs. Dave Crist, Dezmond Xavier vs. Zachary Wentz vs. Matt Cross and more.
3 – I Believe in Wrestling returns to the Team Vision Dojo in Orlando, FL.
3 – UIPW: Los Angels at the Clela Arena at 826 Clela Ave. in East Los Angeles with Teddy Hart & Coa Azul vs. Psicosis & Mariachi Loco
3 – ACE Collision Course: Morgan Jr. Arena, Wallington, NJ, MAIN EVENT: ACE Heavyweight Championship: TJ Marconi (c) vs Archadia
3 – Hoosier Pro Wrestling in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Arena
3 – CWF presents Live Pro Wrestling at the CWF Wrestling School on 20 Hartzel Rd in St Catharines, ON.
Tickets
6 – SMASH-WRESTLING, Oshawa Music Hall, 39 King St E, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 1B2. Tickets.
9 – Chaotic Wrestling & The Lowell Spinners present “A Night of Grand Slams,”
Edward A. LeLacheur Park, 450 Aiken St. – Lowell, MA
10 – CZW in Voorhees, NJ at Flyers Skate Zone with a doubleheader with a WSU Women’s show at 4 p.m. that day and the men’s show at 8 p.m.
10 – Pure Wrestling Association: COWEX – Duncan, British Columbia
10 – New England Fights 25: HEROES & VILLAINS; Lewiston, MA. Tickets.
10 – Barrie Wrestling: Back to School 3; 49 Ferris Lane, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
10 – UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem; Cleveland, Ohio
10 – Evolve in Deer Park, NY has Gargano vs. Sabre Jr., Galloway vs. Gulak, Dustin vs. Tracy Williams, Jigsaw vs. Fred Yehi, Riddle vs. Tony Nese, Perkins vs. Allin and Page vs. Dan Barry.
11 – Evolve in Woodside, NY at La Boom has Johnny Gargano & Cody Rhodes vs. Drew Galloway & Chris Hero in Gargano’s last Evolve match, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet, Matt Riddle vs. TJ Perkins, Dustin vs. Drew Gulak, Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin and Ethan Page vs David Starr. Joey Styles will also be appearing.
15 – CCW Parkhill Fall Fair Pro Wrestling, 5:30pm doors, 6:30pm bell time. Cody Deaner vs. Jake O’Reilly for the CCW title.
16 – All Star Wrestling; Squamish, BC, Totem Hall, Stawamus Rd, Garibaldi Highlands, BC V0N 1T0, Canada, tickets.
16 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE, 7:30 pm. Tickets.
16 – AAW: 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL). Tickets.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Lake Cowichan, British Columbia
16 – Smash vs Progress: Uncensored; Oshawa Music Hall, Oshawa, Ontario. Must be 19+ to attend.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Private Event in Ontario
16 – SuperKickd’d Pro Wrestling at 7:30 PM – 10 PM, The Great Hall Toronto, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H3
16 – All Pro Wrestling on 9/16 in Daly City, CA at the Bayshore Community Center features Sabu vs. The Almighty Sheik, Willie Mack & B-Boy vs Reno Scrum, plus Jody Kristofferson, JR Kratos, Marcus Lewis and Dylan Drake in a four way for the Universal title.
17 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Lockport (Buffalo), NY, 7:00 pm. Tickets.
17 – NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Alpine Club, Kitchener, Ontario
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Courtenay, British Columbia
17 – UFC Fight Night, Poirier vs. Johnson: Hidalgo, Texas, State Farm Arena
17 & 18 – SMASH VS PROGRESS: Smash Wrestling welcomes our friends from Progress Wrestling. Mark Haskins and Jack Gallagher (Cruiserweight Classic), Zack Sabre Jr. Mark Andrews and more will be part of the Progress Wrestling team in a Smash vs. Progress Canada vs. UK show in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Center.
18 – Pure Wrestling Association: Gold River, British Columbia
18 – Alpha-1 Wrestling presents #‎Matrats2
22 – NXT; Toronto, Ontario at the Mattamy Athletic Center (the former Maple Leaf Gardens)
22 – All-Star Wrestling: 7:30 PM, Abbotsford Arts Center, 2329 Crescent Way, Abbotsford, BC V2S 3M2, Canada, tickets.
22- Big Time Wrestling in Morganton, NC at the Collette Rec Center features a meet & greet at 6 p.m. before the live show. Appearing are Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Cody Rhodes, Magnum T.A. and Trevor Lee.
23 – Big Time Wrestling in Raleigh, NC at Dorton Arena features Flair and Steamboat together at Dorton Arena for the first time in 28 years, plus Jeff & Matt Hardy, Cody Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ivan Koloff, Jimmy Valiant, Gangrel and Shane Helms with the meet & greet at 6 and show at 8.
23 – Invicta FC: Live from Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. Interim Flyweight Champion Jennifer Maia Defends Against Roxanne Modafferi
23 – NXT; St. Catherines, Ontario at The Meridian Centre
23 – Absolute Intense Wrestling: A Farewell to Johnny Gargano – 1355 West 70th St. Cleveland, OH – Tickets.
23 – Pure Wrestling Association: Parksville, British Columbia
23 – Pro Wrestling Eclipse takes a short trip to downtown Oshawa and visits the Oshawa Mason Temple. All tickets purchased on July 24 that list the venue as the Oshawa Legion will be honoured.
24 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Duluth (Atlanta), GA 7:00 pm, tickets.
24 – IWA Midsouth Wrestling presents the Hybrid Cup, at PRIDE Bar in New Albany, IN.
24 – Ignite Wrestling in Vero Beach, FL at the IG Center features Dave Crist.
24 – UCW, September 24th 7:30 PMBay City,MI UCW Champion Hakim Zane vs MVP, plus appearances by Ron Simmons and Fred Ottman
24 – Big Time Wrestling in Spartanburg, SC at the Memorial Auditorium with the meet and greet at 5:30 and show at 7:30 with Flair, Steamboat, Hardys, Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Gangrel and Trevor Lee.
24 – MCW Legends Convention at the MCW Arena in Joppa, MD at 10 a.m. featuring Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Howard Finkel, Honky Tonk Man, Hillbilly Jim, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Jim Ross, Bill Apter, Brutus Beefcake, Bob Orton, Tito Santana, Jim Neidhart, Tammy Sytch, Magnum T.A. and even Dennis Stamp.
24 – Rock Solid: Anarchy in Angus 14: A Nightmare on Mill Street, 7pm – 10pm, Angus Recreation Centre, 8527 County Rd. 10, Angus, Ontario. Tickets.
24 – Pure Wrestling Association: Campbell River, British Columbia
24 – NXT in Kitchener, Ontario at The Air
24 – Elite Canada Championship Wrestling: New Westminster, Sapperton Pensioners Hall
318 Keary St, New Westminster, BC, 7:30pm Bell Time, doors at 7pm. Tickets.
25 – Canadian Wrestling’s Elite: Nick “Magnus” Aldis defends the GFW title against Matt Hart of the Hart Family in Calgary.
25 – Rizin: Former K-1 kickboxer Minoru Kimura will make his MMA debut against former Pride fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (29-30-2)
25 – Pure Wrestling Association – TBA – British Columbia
30 – ROH: All-Star Extravaganza Weekend Day 1; Lowell (Boston), MA, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 9:00 pm (PPV)

Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/02): HHH is awarded the World Heavyweight Championship

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Daily Update: Daniel Bryan shoots, CWC highlights, Silva’s departure

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Dave Meltzer

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NXT & CWC Video Highlights: Kendrick & Bryan share an emotional moment – Enjoy all the amazing highlights from the latest NXT and CWC shows including long time friends Bryan Danielson and “Spanky” Brian Kendrick sharing a touching spontaneous hug that would make Bayley proud.

Lion’s Gate Project 3 results: NOAH and New Japan battle in 10-man tag madness – Bryan Rose brings you all the insider information you need to enjoy NOAH’s newest foray.

Daniel Bryan: ‘Very little’ of Miz confrontation was scripted – Daniel Bryan tells us what we already knew, that the best parts of wrestling come from real life emotions.

WWE CWC quarterfinal results: Kota Ibushi vs. Brian Kendrick; Gran Metalik vs. Akira Tozawa – Which two men will make the semifinals, and which two will fade into obscurity.

WWE NXT results: The Nakamura era begins – Shinsuke Nakamura is the NXT champion after defeating Samoa Joe. Check out what’s next for the “King of Strong Style.”

UFC matchmaker Joe Silva reportedly leaving, but not for why you may think – Match maker for UFC, Joe Silva, has ended his tenure with the company. Josh Nason tells you about why Silva made this choice, and what it means for UFC in the future.

Being The Booker: Randy Orton + Bray Wyatt = ‘God vs. Man’ – Breaking down the booking of Randy Orton with John LaRocca is what’s in store for you this week. LaRocca tells you why he is really looking forward to this feud, and why you should be too.

WOL: Adam Cole interview, Kevin Owens Title win, Smackdown rules, more! 8/31 – ROH Champion Adam Cole joins Bryan Alvarez and Mike Semperive on the Wrestling Observer Live radio show to talk about his most recent title win, subsequent defenses, and up coming matches. Cole also shares his nutritional strategy for getting shredded.

F4D: Tom Lawlor on Joe Silva departure, Smackdown Live, TNA Impact, more! 8/31 – This week on the filthiest podcast in the Empire, Tom Lawlor and Bryan Alvarez discuss all the ins-and-outs on from the world of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts including what Joe Silva’s exit means for the filthy one.

The only poll for this weekend will be for tomorrow night’s CMLL Anniversary show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

There are no WWE house shows this weekend, nor NXT shows.

TNA IMPACT TONIGHT ON POP TV AT 8 P.M.

Ultimate X match to determine the vacant X Division title

Ethan Carter III vs. Eli Drake

Bobby Lashley vs. Mike Bennett for TNA title

New Japan World Pro Wrestling returns airs tomorrow night at 8 p.m. It’ll be a replay of last week’s show with the great Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma match.

CMLL 83RD ANNIVERSARY SHOW FROM ARENA MEXICO ON FRIDAY NIGHT AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN TIME

Lluvia & Marcela & Princesa Sugei vs. Amapola & Dallys & Zeuxis

Marco Corleone & Maximo Sexy & Stuka Jr. vs. Mephisto & Ephesto & Shocker

Super Crazy vs. Rey Bucanero hair vs. hair

Atlantis & Caristico & Mascara Dorada vs. Negro Casas & Felino & Cavernario

Mistico & Valiente & Volador Jr. vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Euforia for CMLL trios titles

La Mascara vs. Dragon Lee mask vs. mask

SHINE IPPV AT 9 P.M. ON FRIDAY NIGHT FROM YBOR CITY, FL AT THE ORPHEUM at www.wwnlive.com

Ivelisse vs. Allysin Kay (Sienna) for Shine title

Thunderkitty vs. Malia Hosaka

Mercedes Martinez vs. Andrea

Su Yung vs. Vanessa Kraven

Santana vs. Raquel

Amber Gallows vs. Leva Bates vs. Tracy Taylor vs. Kennadi Brink

SHINE

UFC ON FIGHT PASS FROM HAMBURG, GERMANY SATURDAY AT 11:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME

Christian Colombo vs. Jarjis Danho

Nick Hein vs. Tae Hyun Bang

Nicolas Dalby vs. Peter Sobotta

Jessin Ayari vs. Jim Wallhead

Leandro Issa vs. Taylor Lapilus

Germaine de Randamie vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith

Scott Askham vs. Jack Hermanson

Rustam Khabilov vs. Leandro Silva

Ryan Bader vs. Ilif Latifi

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jan Blachowicz

Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett

WWE returns to action with Raw on Monday from the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

Smackdown will be Tuesday night from Lincoln, NE.

F4W YouTube Page: Tons of clips and full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE

If you haven’t seen it, go out of your way to see last night’s episode of the Cruiserweight Classic. It was a two match show with Gran Metalik vs. Akira Tozawa and Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi. Both matches were outstanding in very different ways. That makes two straight weeks of excellent shows.

The CMLL Anniversary show, which is one of my favorite shows of the year, will not be streaming live tomorrow night. There will be an iPPV through YouTube that will air starting Saturday morning.

Northeast Wrestling has announced an On Demand streaming service for $9.99 per month. For more info

Chael Sonnentalks the retirement of Joe Silva.

WWE

While the NFL doesn’t start on Mondays until 9/5, Raw is hardly unopposed this week, as there will be a major college game with Mississippi (No. 11) vs. Florida State (No. 4).
Roman Reigns was picked as No. 1 this year in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated top 500.
The WWE will be doing fund raising al month for pediatric cancer research. They will be selling bracelets and bandanas starting on Monday and through the end of the month with 100 percent of net proceeds benefiting Connor’s Cure.
The WWE Network will be adding an Eddy Guerrero collection called “Eddie Guerrero: Viva La Raza.”
WWE is advertising for a Smackdown taping on 11/1 in Newark, NJ, a main event of Randy Orton & Dean Ambrose vs. A.J. Styles & Bray Wyatt.
A two part series of articles on current fandom: Part 1 and Part 2
Jim Ross talks on a number of WWE subjects on Live Audio Wrestling.

UFC

Alex Nicholson got in hot water for remarks that were racial in nature about Hyun Gyu Lim at UFC 202 on 8/20 while he cornered Mike Perry, who faces Lim. UFC announced that the company has talked with Nicholson and Perry and told Nicholson that any future incident of this nature could result in a suspension or termination of his contract.
Jorge Masvidal vs. Kelvin Gastelum and Marcin Held vs. Diego Sanchez have been added to the 11/5 show in Mexico City.
Michael McBride will replace Mairbek Taisumov on 9/10 in a fight with Nik Lentz on the Cleveland show that features C.M. Punk’s debut.

MISCELLANEOUS

Tickets go on sale tomorow for a Bellator show on 11/19 at the SAP Center in San Jose headlined by Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson for the lightweight title plus Michael Venom Page vs. Fernando Gonzalez.
Alex Marvez did a story on One Man Gang George Gray after his home was destroyed in a flood
Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that Chavo Guerrero Jr. has been hired as a trainer for the new Netflix GLOW comedy show which will have some pro wrestling scenes.
A story on Jake Roberts
Chaotic Wrestling on 9/9 presents a Night of Grand Slams at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA featuring Chase Del Monte & The Logan Brothers vs. Rob Van Dam & Tommy Dreamer & Little Guido, Cody Rhodes vs. Brian Fury and Tommaso Ciampa vs. Hanson, plus Johnny Gargano vs. Austin Aries vs. JT Dunn. Also appearing include Ron Simmons, and Donovan Dijak.
NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on 9/17 in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium.
Capital City Championship Combat on 9/24 in Ottawa, ONT at the Vanier Columbus Club.
Upstate Pro Wrestling on 9/10 in Rochester, NY at the Eagles Club with Josh Alexander and Cody Deaner.
Smash vs. Progress Uncensored on 9/16 in Oshawa, ONT at the Music Hall has Brent Banks vs. Mark Andrews, Maybach Beta vs. Mark Haskins, Jack Gallagher vs. Evil Uno and Facade & Space Monkey vs. London Riots. 9/17 in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Centre has Tarik vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Brent Banks vs. Mark Haskins, Scotty O’Shea vs. Mark Andrews, Mike Rollins vs Jack Gallagher, Ligero vs. Evil Uno and Overdogs vs. London Riots. 9/18 also in Toronto has Tyson Dux vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Mike Bailey vs. Mask Haskins, Sebastian Suave vs. Jack Gallagher, Kevin Bennett vs. Mark Andrews and more.
AIW on 9/9 in Cleveland at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel with Dan Severn vs. Eddie Kingston, Grado vs. Colt Cabana plus Shayna Baszler.
Beer City Bruiser vs. Tommy Lee Curtis headlines for Canadian Wrestling Elite on 9/25 in Calgary.
New England Championship Wrestling on 9/10 in Wakefield, MA at the Americal Civic Center with Todo Loco vs. Paul London, plus JTG appears.
Tracey Keluski, who has appeared on TNA television in the past as Bobby Roode’s best friend, as the two grew up together, was recently inducted into the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.
All Star Wrestling on Friday night in Castlewood, VA at the Russell County Fair.
Mountain Championship Wrestling runs every Saturday in Pikeville, TN at 97 Tom Pope Road.
Evolve 69 on 9/11 in Queens, NY at La Boom with Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin, Ethan Page vs. David Starr, Tracy Williams vs. Chuck O’Neil (former UFC fighter), Fred Yehi vs. Travis Gordon, TJ Perkins vs. Matt Riddle, Drew Gulak vs. DUSTIN, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet and Johnny Gargano & Cody Rhodes vs. Drew Galloway & Chris Hero.
Resurrection Fighting Alliance on 10/28 Prior Lake, MN at the Mystic Lake Casino for AXS TV with Raoni Barcelos defending the featherweight title against Dan Moret and Chase Waldon vs. Gerald Meerschaert for the vacant middleweight title. Four-time NCAA All-American Logan Storley from the University of Minnesota will also be fighting.
House of Hardcore on 9/16 in St. James, NY at the Sports Arena with Rhino vs. Tommy Dreamer in a street fight, Matt Hardy vs. Aaron Stevens, Tony Nese vs. Ricochet, Torito vs. Swoggle, Pat Buck vs. Brian Myers (Curt Hawkins), Team Tremendous & ? vs. Vik Dalishus & Hale Collins& Ben Ortiz plus Terry Funk, Matt Striker, Alex Reynolds, Sami Callihan and Bull James. 9/17 at the Arena in Philadelphia has Dreamer (managed by Funk) vs. Matt Hardy (managed by Senor Benjamin), Ricochet vs. Callihan, Chris Hero vs. Nese and Myers.
WCWF on 9/10 in Yuba City, CA at the Fairgrounds has a Tag Team Battle Royal.
Jason Kincaid & Shane Sabre vs. Beer City Bruiser & Chase Owens on 9/28 in Brandon, Manitoba.
El Rey Network will be carried by Verizon FIOS starting 9/7 which includes the new season of Lucha Underground.
I Believe in Wrestling on 9/3 in Orlando at the Team Vision Dojo has Santana Garrett and Raquel.
Pro Wrestling 2.0 from Tuesday night in Winter Park, FL: Sami Callihan b Jason Cade to win the title, Chico Adams won elimination match, Matt Knotts b Leo Brien, Chelsea Diamond won Battle Royal to become women’s champion, Snoop Strikes b Ace Radic, Lince Dorado b Aaron Epic, Koko Harris won three-way over Omar Amir and Chuckles Lacey Lane b Jon Cruz, Mr. 450 b Martin Stone.
Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard will be coming to the Legends of Wrestling convention on 2/18 in Winnipeg at the Holy Cross Gym for photos and autographs.
Grand Slam Wrestling on 9/10 in Moosic, PA at the Youth Center with a 21 man Battle Royal.
CMLL on Monday night in Puebla: Artillero & Espiritu Negro & Mayalo b Arkalis & Meyer & Robin, Black Tiger & Espiritu Maligno & Hombre Bala Jr. b Ares & King Jaguar & Policeman, Astral b Demus 3:16 in a CMLL minis title match, Kraneo & Olimpico & Ripper b Ephesto & Luciferno & Mephisto (sets of a match for the Mephisto team’s Mexican national trios titles), Pierroth & Rush & Rey Escorpion b El Terrible & Rey Bucanero & shocker, Dragon Lee & Volador Jr. b Mascara Dorada & La Mascara-DQ
IWF celebrates Fan Appreciation month with live shows on 9/3, 9/10 and 9/24 at the IWF Centre in Nutley, NJ.

Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/01): Pat Patterson allegedly wins I-C title in Rio tournament

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CM Punk: ‘I’m not trying to talk anybody into the building on this one’

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Joseph Currier

Ahead of his first mixed martial arts fight against Mickey Gall at UFC 203 on September 10th, CM Punk spoke with the MMA media on a conference call on Thursday afternoon.

Punk has been more subdued than in his professional wrestling career when building the fight, and our Josh Nason asked him if the wrestling promos that he was famous for are something that he has left in his past.

“I don’t see the need for it, you know? People either love me or hate me already. I’m not trying to talk anybody into the building on this one. I think the allure is just the fact that it’s happening, you know what I mean? And the story writes itself, so it’s not a fabricated thing where I need to, kind of create some drama between me and Mickey.” Punk said.

“We’re going to fight. That’s the beauty of it, you know? It doesn’t need to be a weird verbal p*ssing contest. I think some of these guys, while it is entertainment and it’s the sh*t talk business, I just don’t see it, I don’t see it happening this time.”

Punk later said that it was nice not having to carry a company on his shoulders and claimed he wasn’t worried about how many pay-per-view buys the show would do.

And when asked by Nason who was going to be in his corner for the fight, Punk jokingly said they wouldn’t allow Bret Hart to accompany him.

The full conference call is available to listen to here.

UFC 203: CM Punk & Mickey Gall conference call audio

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Josh Nason

The promotional hype for CM Punk’s Octagon debut at UFC 203 is now in full swing with his documentary series airing on FS1 and his first media day in Milwaukee now a wrap.

Mr. Brooks and opponent Mickey Gall will chat with the national media on a conference call Thursday afternoon which you can listen to live below starting at 4 PM EST.

Punk is making his long-awaited MMA debut at the Cleveland, OH, show against the 24-year-old Gall, a 2-0 fighter who made his UFC debut by running through Mike Jackson in February.

The 37-year-old Punk announced his new career intentions in December 2014 without a weight class or training school picked out. Settling on Milwaukee-based RoufuSport, Punk began his journey which has had stops and restarts due to injury.

The show is headlined by heavyweight champion and Cleveland native Stipe Miocic defending his title for the first time against Alistair Overeem with former champion Fabricio Werdum taking on injury replacement Travis Browne.

We’ll have full coverage of Punk’s fight week in the week ahead.

NXT & CWC Video Highlights: Kendrick & Bryan share an emotional moment

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Joseph Currier

NXT Video Highlights —

Samoa Joe still isn’t cleared to compete

A WWE doctor told Samoa Joe and William Regal that Joe still isn’t cleared to compete in storyline after he suffered undisclosed injuries in his TakeOver match against Shinsuke Nakamura.

The Revival attack Tommaso Ciampa

Tommaso Ciampa was being interviewed by Charly Caruso about Johnny Gargano’s injuries when he was ambushed by The Revival. Ciampa tried to take on the tag champs on his own, but The Revival got the better of him as they spilled out into the ring.

And Gargano was nowhere to be found as his partner got beat up.

Liv Morgan vs. Aliyah

With so many members of NXT’s women’s division being called up to the main roster, Liv Morgan and Aliyah got a chance to fill their spots in a match on last night’s episode of NXT TV. And it was Morgan who got her first singles win on television in the match.

The Era of Strong Style

Nakamura appeared at Full Sail University for the first time since winning the NXT Championship. The fans gave the new champion a huge reaction, and he proclaimed this the era of Strong Style.

Liv Morgan is ready to take advantage of her opportunity

Morgan said her win earlier in the night represented an opportunity for both herself and her family.

CWC Video Highlights —

Gran Metalik vs. Akira Tozawa

The quarterfinals of the Cruiserweight Classic kicked off on the WWE Network last night. And Gran Metalik was the first competitor to advance to the semifinals after defeating Akira Tozawa in a match where the conflicting styles of both men meshed well.

Metalik will face either Zack Sabre Jr. or Noam Dar in the next round.

Kota Ibushi vs. Brian Kendrick

And in the show’s main event, the fairytale story of Brian Kendrick’s CWC journey came to an end after losing to tournament favorite Kota Ibushi. Kendrick looked impressive in the match, even hitting a Burning Hammer.

Ibushi will face either Rich Swann or TJ Perkins in the next round.

After it was over, Kendrick’s friend Daniel Bryan came down to the ring and the two embraced as the show went off the air.

Gran Metalik reacts to his win

Speaking in Spanish with interviewer Andrea D’Marco, Metalik reacted to his win.

Akira Tozawa wants to compete for WWE — and become best friends with Sasha Banks

Tozawa said he was disappointed by his loss, but his biggest dream is still competing in a WWE ring. And in response to a question about former WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, Tozawa said he wants to be best friends with her.

Brian Kendrick & Daniel Bryan share an emotional moment

The moment inside of the ring wasn’t the end for Kendrick and Bryan, as Bryan joined Kendrick in an interview after the match.

With tears in their eyes, the two discussed their friendship. Bryan congratulated Kendrick for doing a great job and said he wouldn’t be the wrestler he is without Kendrick because he never would’ve pushed himself in the way that he did without Kendrick pushing him.

After Bryan left, Kendrick said a big part of him died when Bryan was forced to retire and he sometimes wakes up crying after dreams where him and Bryan are wrestling. He hoped Ibushi would go on to win it all because Ibushi is the best wrestler in the world now that Bryan is retired.

Kota Ibushi feels the effects of his match with Brian Kendrick

Despite advancing to the semifinals, Ibushi wasn’t happy that his win wasn’t convincing and was still feeling the effects of the match.

Kota Ibushi undergoes medical testing

After his hard-hitting match with Kendrick, Ibushi was checked out by doctors for possible injuries.

Daniel Bryan: ‘Very little’ of Miz confrontation was scripted

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Joseph Currier

On WWE’s weekly SportsCenter segment with Jonathan Coachman, Daniel Bryan again addressed his heated exchange with The Miz from last week’s Talking Smack.

The confrontation between the two generated significant buzz online with many questioning how much of it was scripted. And in response to Coachman, Bryan finally answered the question.

“Very little, so I just knew that Miz was going to come up, we were just going to banter back and forth. But Miz and I have known each other for a long time, and we really know how to get like at each other’s nerves. I brought up the idea that he wrestled like a coward, and he knows I don’t like the way he wrestles, right? I just don’t like it; it’s not my thing. And I called him out on that. And then he called me out on something that’s very personal to me.”

Bryan said Miz knows he’s constantly having feelings of wanting to get back into the ring because he loves wrestling so much. But, Bryan says he knows it’s not a smart idea and his wife keeps him in check. Bryan reiterated his words from this week’s edition of Talking Smack, saying he sometimes thinks Miz is right and he thinks of himself as a coward for not returning to wrestling.

Bryan noted that part of him wanted to punch Miz in the face during the segment, but he figured it wasn’t such a smart idea on live TV.

Coachman asked how the two move forward, and Bryan said it would be interesting to see. He said he thinks WWE will keep them away from each other for a little bit because they know how intense it can get between the two of them, especially now that SmackDown is live.

The segment from SportsCenter is available to watch below:

WWE CWC quarterfinal results: Kota Ibushi vs. Brian Kendrick; Gran Metalik vs. Akira Tozawa

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Bryan Rose

After the intros, it’s on to promos and action.

Gran Metallk says it’s a pleasure to represent Mexico in this tournament. He prides in trying to be as different as possible. His message to all of his fans is that he appreciates their support as they are his motivation. Tozawa says his biggest dream is to be in the WWE. He is the best in this tournament, and winning will be his first step in taking WWE by storm.

All quarterfinal matches have a 30 minute time limit.

CWC Quarterfinal: Gran Metalik def. Akira Tozawa

The last few minutes were pretty fun with the rest being good action. Tozawa has the charisma and ability to be here. I didn’t think Metallk looked as dynamic has he had in New Japan or CMLL, but he worked will with Tozawa here.

Metallk got the advantage early, working on Tozawa’s arm before wiping him out with a suicide dive on the outside. Metallik went for a handspring but Tozawa nailed him in the back with a dropkick and gave him a big boot to the floor. He had control for a while until Metallik started making a comeback which led to a back and forth affair. Metallk did a great step over senton dive to the floor, later crotching Tozawa on the ropes and hitting a hurricanrana from the middle rope.

Metalik floated over one German suplex, but Tozawa hit another and then went for a deadlift. It connected…but Metalik still kicked out! Tozawa went for another, but Metallik powered out and countered with the Metalik driver for the win.

**********

They replayed Brian Kendrick’s video, saying if he doesn’t win his dream is over. Ibushi says wrestling is not a job, it is something more important to him. In the first two rounds, he had showed the audience something he’d never seen before. He is going to win this tournament because he loves pro wrestling more than anyone else.

**********

CWC Quarterfinal: Kota Ibushi def. Brian Kendrick

Ibushi got the advantage early with a flurry of offense, sending Kendrick to the outside where he hit a giant Asai moonsault to the floor. Kendrick hit a neckbreaker on an exposed turnbuckle which was pretty unique and cool. Kendrick jumped him as he was getting into the ring. Ibushi made a brief comeback, but Kendrick wiped him out with a superkick. Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan kept putting over that Ibushi has a surgically repaired neck.

Kendrick hit the sliced bread, but Ibushi kicked out. An Ibushi kick sent Brian to the apron. He then grabbed him, deadlifted him through the ropes and hit a German suplex in a great move sequence. Kendrick came back and after a few counters, he hit the bully choke but Ibushi escaped, only to walk into a BURNING HAMMER. Ibushi landed right on his neck on impact.

Kendrick hit the ropes but Ibushi cut him off, slamming him on his back. Ibushi went for the phoenix splash but Kendrick dodged and hit the bully choke. Ibushi countered with a roll up, kicked him in the head and hit the press powerbomb for the win.

This was a great match. Ibushi continues to be one of the most outstanding performers pretty much anywhere, and Kendrick didn’t look lost being in there with him. He looked to be in equal footing in some parts of this match with lots of great nearfalls and some pretty cool submissions to boot. The two shook hands and hugged after the match.

Fans chant “Thank you Brian” as he is visibly moved by their reaction. Bryan enters the ring and they both hug to close out the show.

**********

Next week, we’ll see who faces Ibushi and Metalik in the semifinals as Zack Sabre Jr. takes on Noam Dar and Rich Swann battles TJ Perkins.

WWE SmackDown video highlights: Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Joseph Currier

WWE SmackDown Video Highlights —

Dolph Ziggler interrupts The Miz

Though Tuesday’s SmackDown didn’t feature Daniel Bryan and The Miz interacting directly, Miz defended himself against Bryan’s critical comments from last week’s Talking Smack.

But he was interrupted by Dolph Ziggler, which led to a match between the two for Miz’s Intercontinental title at Backlash being announced later on this week’s post-show.

The Hype Bros vs. The Vaudevillains

The tournament to crown the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions of the new era continued with The Hype Bros facing The Vaudevillains. And it was Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley who advanced after hitting the HypeRyder on Aiden English.

Apollo Crews vs. AJ Styles

Ahead of his championship match against Dean Ambrose at Backlash, AJ Styles got a win over Apollo Crews with the Phenomenal Forearm.

Renee Young visits Heath Slater

In an absurd segment, Renee Young visited Heath Slater and his “wife” at their trailer. Rhyno was there as well, and Young asked them about their quest to win the tag titles as Rhyno snacked on crackers and spray cheese.

More Curt Hawkins facts

Another video hyping Curt Hawkins’ impending SmackDown debut aired, citing more facts about Hawkins.

Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Natalya & Alexa Bliss

Four of the competitors in the Backlash six-pack challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship faced off in a tag team match.

Carmella once again attacked Nikki Bella as she was doing commentary for the match, and Alexa Bliss capitalized on that by pinning Becky Lynch as she was distracted.

Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton is set for Backlash

After interrupting Randy Orton last week, Bray Wyatt targeted Orton in a promo of his own on Tuesday. Wyatt said Orton was only a mortal, and Brock Lesnar exploited all of his flaws at SummerSlam. He claimed that Orton had all of his fears exposed in that match.

Orton came out to the ring, saying that he has been damaged for some time. Orton accepted Wyatt’s challenge for a match at Backlash, but said he’s not afraid of him.

Kane returns

Kane made his return to SmackDown and destroyed Gary “The Milkman” Millman in the process.

Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. The Headbangers

The Headbangers returned to WWE for the first time in over 15 years, but were defeated by Slater and Rhyno. Slater’s hopes of joining the SmackDown roster and winning the tag titles were kept alive as they advanced in the tournament.

Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin

SmackDown’s main event ended in a disqualification when AJ Styles accidentally hit Baron Corbin instead of Ambrose. Styles and Ambrose didn’t wait for their match at Backlash to get physical, with Ambrose crotching Styles over the ropes as the show went off the air.

SmackDown fallout: Is this it for The Headbangers?

The Headbangers were asked if their time back in WWE was over after being knocked out of the tag team tournament, but they didn’t seem to know the answer either.

SmackDown fallout: Kane denies an interview

Kane refused to comment on his demolition of The Milkman.

SmackDown fallout: Heath Slater is one step closer to a SmackDown contract

Slater and Rhyno were interviewed in the ring about their win, and Slater vowed to upgrade his trailer to a double-wide if he wins the titles and joins the SmackDown roster.

WWE SmackDown live results: The build to Backlash continues

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Steve Khan

Date: August 30, 2016
Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

The Big Takeaway —

Despite what was advertised for the show, Daniel Bryan only barely addressed the situation with Miz. On Talking Smack, Bryan made an IC Title match for Backlash, with Miz defending against Dolph Ziggler.

The Headbangers did return, but promptly lost to Heath Slater and Rhyno.

Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt was made official for Backlash.

John Cena was once again absent from SmackDown.

Show Recap —

They showed what happened on Talking Smack last week right off the bat. The clip started with Daniel Bryan calling Miz a coward in the ring followed by Miz’s response. They seemed to play it in full after that, including Miz telling Bryan to go back to the indies and Bryan saying he would return if “they” would let him.

They cut to Shane McMahon and Bryan standing backstage. Shane told Bryan he owed Miz an apology because he can’t provoke talent like that, even if he agreed with Bryan, and told him not to get so involved with the talent. Bryan said maybe he won’t be so honest next time, but called this advice ironic considering Shane’s involvement with Brock Lesnar.

After the SmackDown intro, Miz marched to the ring (before he music even started) with Maryse. The crowd booed him heavily. Miz yelled at the fans for booing him. He said there’s nothing wrong with his style, that he’s smarter and better than the guys getting hurt, that he deserves respect for being IC champion and for all the appearances he does for the company. He added that it wasn’t right that the fans didn’t like him just because he didn’t spend years on the indies.

He called the fans cowards until he was interrupted by Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler said the crowd sees right through Miz, because the rest of them love this business, but Miz just wants to be famous. Ziggler said Miz had the opportunity to prove them wrong every night, then challenged Miz to a fight – no title on the line, no referees, no ring bell. The crowd chanted Yes.

Miz teased that he would accept the fight, but left instead. Ziggler said Bryan was right to call him a soft coward. Miz began marching back down the apron but Maryse stopped him as the crowd chanted “coward.”

They announced Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin for the first time ever for tonight.

Tag Team Tournament Match: Hype Bros defeated The Vaudevillains

Hype Bros won in just under 3 minutes with the Hype Ryder. After the match, Ryder and Mojo told Charly Caruso that they would win the tag titles because they stay hype.

They showed tournament brackets with the Headbangers listed, which is the first time they were referenced on the show.

A very cheerful AJ Styles walked around backstage, wearing John Cena’s headband. He ran into Apollo Crews, but didn’t appear to know his name. Crews spelled it out for him. AJ mocked him for doing that and walked away as Crews just stood there.

Styles came to the ring as the ring announcer let us know that he wants to be referred to as “the face that runs the place.” The crowd chanted for Styles, who said he was going to beat up Dean Ambrose and become champion. He was interrupted by Crews.

Styles was annoyed, and asked if he was out there for another spelling B. Crews said he went to Bryan and got a match with Styles right now.

AJ Styles defeated Apollo Crews

There was a “Beat up Crews” chant as the match started. Crews got a couple of moments to shine, but Styles won in about 7-8 minutes with the Phenomenal forearm.

They aired a pre-taped video of Renee Young visiting Heath Slater’s home over the weekend. Slater introduced her to Rhyno, who was just standing there. He also introduced her to the love of his life – Beulah. (The joke, of course, is that she isn’t particularly attractive. She even burped at one point.) She served them crackers with spray cheese.

Slater told Renee that not getting drafted was just an oversight. As Renee continued the interview, they showed Rhyno drawing a sad face on a cracker. Renee asked Rhyno why he’s teaming with Slater and he just shrugged. Slater said they would upgrade to a double-wide if they win the tournament. They also said his kids were in the backyard picking up cans. Anyway, this was pretty dumb.

They announced Rhyno & Slater against the returning Headbangers for later tonight. (So far, they’re acting as though we already knew about the Headbangers’ return.)

Bray Wyatt promo

Bray said he doesn’t fear snakes or monsters, because he is fear. Orton is just a man who believes he has venom in his veins. Bray went on about Orton getting beat by Brock Lesnar as the crowd chanted “what” at him.

Orton interrupted and got some “Randy” chants. Orton said the voices in his head were wondering who Bray thinks he is. Orton said he wasn’t damaged because of the staples in his head, he’s been damaged a long time and it’s part of his charm.

Bray said he, not Orton, was the predator and would cut the head off the snake at Backlash. Orton said Bray couldn’t play games with him, and mentioned being dropped on thumbtacks by Cactus Jack and his battles with Undertaker.

Orton said the worst scars were internal and accepted the match at Backlash. Orton said he wasn’t afraid of kicking his ass and jumped in the ring, but Bray’s creepy video went off and the segment ended.

They announced Daniel Bryan would be on SportsCenter tomorrow at 9 PM.

Nikki Bella was on commentary and called herself the “living Wonder Woman.” They showed Carmella attacking her last week on SmackDown and Talking Smack. Nikki said, “Ugh, hard to watch,” so Otunga had to follow up to get more out of her. Nikki said Carmella is trying to make a name for herself.

Natalya & Alexa Bliss defeated Naomi & Becky Lynch

They went to commercial almost immediately after entrances, but not before they had Nikki plugging Total Bellas.

They got the heat on Naomi as Lynch led the crowd in a “Naomi” chant. Lynch came in on the hot tag and ran wild on Bliss, although the two of them did not work well together. Carmella suddenly appeared (through the crowd) to attack Nikki, and Bliss used the distraction to roll up Lynch for the win. Lynch and Naomi checked on Nikki after the match.

They aired a video package for the Headbangers. There was also another one for Curt Hawkins.

Tag Team Tournament Match: Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated The Headbangers

Otunga said the Headbangers must have ring rust because they haven’t been in WWE in 16 years. The crowd didn’t seem to care about them, but they did like Slater and Rhyno. The Headbangers got the heat on Slater and knocked Rhyno off the apron. They hit a powerbomb/leg drop combo on Slater, but Rhyno broke up the cover. Rhyno was bleeding from a cut above the eye. He dragged Slater to their corner, made the tag, and hit a Gore for the win.

The next round of the Tag Team Tournament will feature American Alpha vs. The Usos, and Hype Bros vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno.

AJ Styles was on commentary for the main event, but there was a random man in a suit in the ring who introduced himself as Gary “The Milkman” Millman. He cut a purposely bad promo saying he’s been granted a chance to compete tonight and demanded an opponent. He disrobed down to his underwear when Kane came out to give him a chokeslam. As Kane left, Baron Corbin made his entrance, and the two men crossed paths.

Non-Title Match: WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose defeated Baron Corbin via DQ

Near the end of the match, Corbin tossed Ambrose into the barricade. Styles got up from commentary and told Corbin to stay on Ambrose. Corbin confronted Styles, but Styles responded, “You better get out of my face.” Ambrose pushed Corbin into Styles.

Back in the ring, Corbin countered a Dirty Deeds and tossed Ambrose toward the ropes. Styles tried to kick him, but Ambrose ducked and he caught Corbin instead for the DQ. Ambrose immediately attacked Styles and they brawled.

Corbin got involved so Ambrose gave him a Dirty Deeds. Styles was about to attempt a Phenomenal forearm, but Ambrose crotched him, and bounced him up and down on the rope. Ambrose gave him a little slap on the face and walked off with his belt. Weird ending.

Final Thoughts —

There were some bright spots, but I didn’t think this show was particularly good.

WWE Raw video highlights: The coronation of Kevin Owens

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Joseph Currier

WWE Raw Video Highlights —

Raw pre-show: Sasha Banks gives an injury update

On Monday night’s Raw pre-show, former WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks gave an update on her condition. She confirmed her real life back injury, but said that it was suffered in storyline during her match with Charlotte at SummerSlam.

Booker T asked her if she was worried about being labeled as injury prone, but Banks said that injuries happen in this industry. She said she doesn’t need back surgery and won’t be out as long as Finn Balor will be with his torn labrum.

She vowed to come back and win the championship.

The main event participants sound off

Ahead of Raw’s fatal four-way main event for the vacant WWE Universal Championship, the four competitors in the match opened Monday’s show with some verbal sparring.

It was announced earlier on Monday that the match would be contested under elimination rules. And they didn’t wait until later in the night to get physical, with Roman Reigns coming out on top of a brawl to close the segment.

Bayley meets The New Day

After being added to the Raw brand last Monday, Bayley met The New Day during her second week on the main roster. But they were interrupted by Dana Brooke, leading to a six-person tag match later in the night.

Neville vs. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho earned a victory over Neville after tapping him out with the Walls of Jericho.

Nia Jax vs. Hyan

Nia Jax once again made quick work of an enhancement talent, defeating Hyan in this week’s squash match.

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows tell The New Day to plan for retirement

The Club continued taunting The New Day, dropping their former doctor moniker and claiming to now be in the retirement home business. Anderson and Gallows bragged about retiring The Dudley Boyz last week, and said they would retire The New Day’s WWE Tag Team Championship reign.

Sami Zayn vs. Jinder Mahal

Sami Zayn may still be without much direction in the post-draft era of WWE, but he recovered from last week’s storyline ankle injury to defeat Jinder Mahal on Monday’s Raw.

The New Day & Bayley vs. The Club & Dana Brooke

Teaming with The New Day’s Big E and Kofi Kingston, Bayley picked up the win for her team by pinning Brooke for the second week in a row.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro in the second match of their best-of-seven series

Sheamus took a 2-0 advantage in his best-of-seven series with Cesaro after tapping him out with a cloverleaf. Cesaro was still selling the damage from a backdrop into the ring post earlier in the match as he was forced to submit.

WWE pays tribute to Mr. Fuji

WWE paid tribute to Mr. Fuji (real name Harry Fujiwara) after news of his death broke on Sunday.

The cruiserweight division is coming to Raw in three weeks

WWE again hyped Raw’s upcoming cruiserweight division, this time featuring videos on Tommaso Ciampa, Cedric Alexander and Johnny Gargano.

Braun Strowman vs. Americo

In the second squash match of the night, Braun Strowman added Americo to his ever-expanding list of victims.

Paul Heyman returns to Raw to discuss Brock Lesnar’s sanctions

To the ire of Stephanie McMahon, Paul Heyman tried to pay Brock Lesnar’s storyline $500 fine with one-dollar bills. But the two ended things on seemingly decent terms as Heyman apologized for putting her in a bad situation with the WWE Board of Directors. Heyman smiled as the segment closed.

Darren Young vs. Titus O’Neil

The former Primetime Players continued their seemingly never-ending feud. Darren Young came out on top this week after trapping Titus O’Neil in a pin, but O’Neil again laid out Young and Bob Backlund after the match.

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. Big Cass in a fatal four-way elimination match for the WWE Universal Championship

With some help from Triple H, Kevin Owens became the second ever WWE Universal Champion.

Big Cass was the first participant eliminated after Owens pinned him with a frog splash. And Triple H made his return to WWE television for the first time since WrestleMania 32 to attack Reigns, allowing Seth Rollins to eliminate him.

It seemed that Triple H was helping his former Authority protege win the championship, but he laid out Rollins with a Pedigree. Owens got the win and celebrated with Triple H as the show went off the air.

Raw fallout: Seth Rollins confronts Stephanie McMahon

After Raw concluded, Rollins confronted Stephanie about Triple H turning on him. But she claimed to have no idea it was going to happen.

Raw fallout: The New Day and Bayley celebrate their win

Still celebrating their win from earlier in the night, Bayley and The New Day were interviewed about their partnership.

Raw fallout: Enzo Amore watches his partner try to capture the Universal title

Enzo Amore watched on as his partner failed to capture the Universal Championship.

Raw fallout: Kevin Owens gets photographed with his new title

Owens was photographed with his new title, then noted that he had to go call his wife.

Kevin Owens wins the WWE Universal Championship

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Joseph Currier

Despite being told repeatedly that he would never reach the peak of the professional wrestling world, Kevin Owens again proved all doubters wrong on Monday night.

Owens defeated Big Cass, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in a fatal four-way match to become the second ever WWE Universal Champion.

He received help along the way, with Triple H returning to television and interfering in the match. Triple H originally took out Roman Reigns in the first meeting of the two since their WrestleMania 32 main event earlier this year. It seemed that he was intent on helping Rollins win the championship, but Triple H then laid out his former Authority protege with a Pedigree.

Owens got the pin and he celebrated with Triple H as the show went off the air. The crowd reacted big to Owens’ win, telling him that he deserved it.

Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley looked on in confusion at the finish to the match.

The fatal four-way was announced on last week’s Raw after inaugural Universal Champion Finn Balor was forced to vacate the title due to the torn labrum he suffered in his match against Rollins at SummerSlam.

WWE announced earlier on Monday that it would be an elimination match. Cass was the first participant eliminated after Owens hit him with a frog splash. Rollins eliminated Reigns with help from Triple H, and Owens finally got the win when Triple H turned on Rollins.

Despite conventional wisdom being that his body type and size would keep him from reaching WWE stardom, Owens signed with the company in 2014. He quickly became one of the biggest stars in NXT and won the brand’s title before being called up to the main roster. Owens has won the Intercontinental title twice, but this is his first time holding one of WWE’s top championships.

Video of Owens’ win is available to watch below:

THE ROUND-UP

MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

World Wrestling Entertainment

UFC

MISCELLANEOUS

EVENTS CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER

Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/05): First WCCW Labor Day Star Wars

B.O.L.A. CONTINUES

THE ROUND-UP

SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

EVENTS CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER

UFC Hamburg: Pointless

THE ROUND-UP

SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE

BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES CONTINUES

B.O.L.A. Night One: Results

B.O.L.A. Night Two: Line-Up​

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

UFC

VARIETY

EVENTS CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER

Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/03): WCCW Labor Day Star Wars starring the Von Erichs

THE ROUND-UP

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

UFC

EVENTS CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER

Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/02): HHH is awarded the World Heavyweight Championship

THE ROUND-UP

THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE

NXT Video Highlights —

CWC Video Highlights —

CWC Quarterfinal: Gran Metalik def. Akira Tozawa

CWC Quarterfinal: Kota Ibushi def. Brian Kendrick

WWE SmackDown Video Highlights —

The Big Takeaway —

Show Recap —

Tag Team Tournament Match: Hype Bros defeated The Vaudevillains

AJ Styles defeated Apollo Crews

Bray Wyatt promo

Natalya & Alexa Bliss defeated Naomi & Becky Lynch

Tag Team Tournament Match: Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated The Headbangers

Non-Title Match: WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose defeated Baron Corbin via DQ

Final Thoughts —

WWE Raw Video Highlights —

B.O.L.A. Night Two: Line-Up