*Vince McMahon talks about returning and we talk about the prospects of that, including from those close to him *The Rita Chatterton story resurfaces, and we go back to look at the original story and current legal status as well as a new allegation against Vince McMahon that came up this week *What can’t happen to WWE as long a McMahon wants back in *What would have to take place before McMahon to return to power *What risks are there for the company *The Vice special on Vince McMahon and those who would and wouldn’t talk *Mandy Rose gets fired and details of why it happened and what the original plans were regarding the women’s title *ROH PPV coverage, Honor Club, PPV buys, ROH title change *Sasha Banks and Japan WWE, AEW prospects, a return t WWE and more *Notes on Wrestle Kingdom, the card,te story behind the card *Updates on Matt Riddle *Full coverage of UFC 282, hat happens next, business notes, what’s next for the fighters *ROH Deadline and the debut of Iron Survivor *Just how rapidly is cable losing homes, a list for the stations that air wrestling and MMA and what the numbers are now *Tokyo Sports awards and story behind it *PWG Battle of Los Angels *The most detailed look at the ratings for all wrestling shows on national TV including how each segment did, *Streaming numbers *Advance ticket sales for the major WWE & AEW events *Government works with Arena Mexico for a special event *CMLL’s next tournament *Konnan talks his health *Rules in place for independent promoters and usage of El Hijo del Vikingo *A look at a Mexico match of the year candidate *A look at another match of the year candidate *Finances of major wrestling conglomerate *Future of Kota Ibushi *Why the economics are going to be tougher for New Japan *Coverage of the New Japan tag tournament finals *Update on the MLW lawsuit against WWE *Huge match in London this week *AEW announces new television deal *Behind the Jericho loss to Action Andretti *What famous feud started in a similar fashion *People who have been world champion in the U.S., Japan and Mexico *UFC takes action regarding a suspicious fight *World MMA Awards *William Regal news *WrestleMania news
Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
Tuesday Update
WWE
The Rock on Twitter announced that he and James Gunn, the new head of upcoming DC Comics movies, have connected and Black Adam “will not be in their first chapter of storytelling”. He also said that DC and his production company Seven Bucks “have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”
Gunn wrote in response: “Love @TheRock & I’m always excited to see what he & Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to collaborate soon.”
In addition to Andre Chase, who appeared on Monday’s Raw, Axiom from NXT also worked this week’s Main Event tapings.
Tribute to the Troops, which aired on Fox Saturday, scored 612,000 viewers, with a 0.17 in the 18-49 demo.
The Christmas episode of Young Rock that aired on December 15 scored 1,528,000 viewers, the best audience since the season 3 premiere last month.
This week’s AEW Road to Holiday Bash, focusing on the latest between The Elite and Death Triangle, Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida, and FTR vs. The Gunns.
Some wrestling stars shared their own struggles with ADHD after WWE’s Lacey Evans trended on Twitter after sharing conspiratorial videos regarding ADD and autism. Nick Comoroto wrote on Twitter: “I was diagnosed with ADHD at 6 years old and it still affects me today. A diet won’t fix it, you don’t outgrow it but its never stopped me from chasing my dreams. This is not something new and we’ve always been here. They just called us that “weird” kid.”
Mikey Ruckus, who produces music tracks for AEW, wrote: “I live with ADHD. Some days are good, others are not so good. How about a round table discussion. Maybe we can talk about living with ADHD, how some of us developed self coping mechanisms, and how we turned what some see as a hindrance into a tool that drives us.”
Athena on social media demonstrated how she made her ring jacket she wore at Final Battle.
2022 Hall of Fame ballot, rules, everyone eligible, thoughts on this year’s election and the strongest candidates.What candidates on this year’s ballot did the best in last year’s ballot
TripleMania, the story behind the show, business of the show, , news notes, poll results and star ratings
WWE PPV changes, Crown Jewel notes and updates on upcoming PPV shows
Dana White starting new promotion with Lorenzo Fertitta and two new combat ideas he’s working on
The life of Humberto Garza, the grandfather of two WWE stars and father of Hector Garza. Garza, who passed away this past week, was a very significant star in Mexico and a look at his career
Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show,and the ramifications of the show.
A look at the career of Jose Rivera, one of the key building blocks of the Puerto Rico wrestling boom, including a look back at the growth of WWC and its biggest feud ever
Ratings for every show including how every segment did and details of AEW vs. NXT head-to-head on Tuesday
First all-women’s show in the history of a major promotion
First women’s main event on a Middle Eastern show
CMLL star gives unique reason why he’s been gone for so long
The business of TripleMania
More details on a wrestling show coming to Disney +
Two starts of the same promotion were on the national team in the same competition
The top matches from Royal Quest
Update on the New Japan TV title tournament
More details on the arrest of Shocker
Who are the wrestlers who generate the most money on Cameo
Jim Lyman tournament news
Two stars going after fourth NCAA title
WWE & Impact PPV Numbers from last week
Adam Page update
Update on ramifications of the brawl after All Out and where things stand regarding who stays and who goes
More details on Chris Jericho’s contract
Tony Khan, Dana White and Vince McMahon all scheduling major events on the same day
More on AEW new reality show
More on AEW in Toronto
AEW star announcing on the Mayweather show
Upcoming ticket sales to AEW & WWE events
DAZN back in the MMA business
Dwayne Johnson and possible WWE sale
UFC owners talk possible WWE sale
Notes on Bray Wyatt return
International TV ratings
DVR viewership numbers for all shows so far this year
Royal Rumble update
Lots of injury updates
The real story on why Billy Gunn wasn’t at the DX Reunion on Raw
Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
Sunday News Update
Bryan and I did our weekend show last night talking all the major news, and there was a ton of it. Garrett and I will be back next week and weekly almost every week after that. We weren’t able to tape this weekend due to working on things here that hopefully lead to better shows for everyone going forward. Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night after Raw.
Shawn Michaels all but confirmed last night the video of T-Bar burning his mask means that the former Donovan Dijak, who was Dominik Dijakovic in NXT before, would be returning to NXT. He didn’t do much on the main roster and it’s better to make use of his talents where he’ll get more opportunities.
“Black Adam,” starring Dwayne Johnson, which I’m sure you’ve seen a ton of commercials on for weeks, opened this weekend. It is estimated to do $67 million at the box office this weekend in the U.S. and another $73 million overseas. To show how impressive that is, the entire movie box office in the U.S. for the weekend was $113 million. It’s the biggest movie open since July (Thor: Love & Thunder). But it also had a $195 million budget.
A few notes on last night’s show and Friday’s Rampage. I noted that they didn’t open the show saying anything about Adam Page’s condition, although they did mention it later in the show. Also, after the show ended, there was a photo of Brian Muster and his fiance with Excalibur doing narration. We noted that AEW mentioned Muster’s death during the show which was very nice the way they did that, but didn’t know they also did the video package after the show was over. I’m guessing a lot of people tuned out and missed it, but it was also a nice gesture.
For the matches to look out for this weekend, high recommendations to the NXT main event of Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh. We’ve also been told the Mayu Iwatani vs. Utami Hayashishita match from today’s Stardom PPV was great. Iwatani won her semifinal and Kairi (Sane) beat Alpha Female in the other, setting up the first IWGP women’s title going to the winner of Iwatani vs. Kairi on 11/20’s joint New Japan/Stardom show.
We’re looking for your thoughts from these three shows:
UFC 280 yesterday
NXT Halloween Havoc last night
Stardom PPV today
If you saw any of those shows, you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Yesterday’s UFC show saw TJ Dillashaw go in injured with a shoulder that he after the fight revealed had had been popping out since April and had done so at least 20 times. It happened seconds into the fight, but it was clear he was hurt previously because he never warmed up and he didn’t do a public workout before the fight but his camp evidently kept it a secret from everyone until the told the referee before the fight that it may go out and if it does, please don’t stop it because his corner can put it in between rounds if he can survive the round. He was taking a bad beating in round two for too long before it was finally stopped. Dana White claimed he had no idea about this going in. People do go in injured but one would think something like this should be found out in a pre-fight physical. The fight had no business happening as Dillashaw was basically going into the fight with one arm. He had virtually no chance to win, but evidently just wanted to get the payday. He apologized for holding up the division but he said he didn’t want to have to wait another year for a title shot. Something like this should not happen again, as it was pretty much a fraud on the public that you’d be having a bantamweight title fight between two of the top guys when one of them couldn’t really fight. The snap judgment would be to blame the doctors but fighters fool commission doctors all the time, given Michael Bisping fought for years with one eye.
Dana White said, “I had no idea, so that’s a problem. How could the athletic commission know if he doesn’t tell us? You’ve got to tell us. He looked good. It’s not like he came in out of shape, or looked like he was injured, but yeah, that’s something he should have told us.”
Islam Makhachev won the vacant lightweight title beating Charles Oliveira by submission. There was a face-to-face with Alexander Volkanovski, the featherweight champion, about doing a battle of champions in March in Australia. Both agreed to it.
There was another skirmish involving Khamzat Chimaev, which makes his third in the last couple of months. This time it was with Abubaker Nurmagomedov, who had won a prelim fight and was in the corner is Makhachev. As Makhachev was doing his interview inside the cage and Nurmagomedov was at cageside with the team, Chimaev got in there and it looked like he and Nurmagomedov were whispering back-and-forth cordially when Chimaev shoved him hard then people jumped in and broke them up both were about to start swinging. “What do I even say about that?” White said when asked about it after the event. “It happens, especially with [Khamzat]. It happens.” “He was sitting on our side,” White explained. “I didn’t even know Khamzat was coming tonight. He was invited here by Abu Dhabi. So the seats behind me here in Abu Dhabi are owned by Abu Dhabi.” The show have had issues on social media. Makhachev said he had no idea that an incident happened even though it was his teammates who were among those jumping in to break it up.
In the Sean O’Malley win over Petr Yan, which 100 percent of media scores went to Yan but two of the three judges went for O’Malley, I saw it 29-28 for Yan. The first round was competitive but I think Yan won it. Yan won round two solid. The third round could have gone either way. The two judges who gave the fight to O’Malley gave him rounds one and three, Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby. It was a bad decision, not a robbery even though virtually everyone saw it for Yan. A robbery means there’s no way you could judge it like this. I’d call it a bad call. O’Malley did land more strikes but Yan had six takedowns. But round three could go either way and all three judges gave that round to O’Malley as did the majority of media. Found one was competitive although it would be hard to give that one to O’Malley, but it wasn’t like it was horrible to do so. It was clear O’Malley himself didn’t think he won and he said it was toughest fight ever. Dana White had said the winner would get the next bantamweight title shot, but there are a lot of ways it can go now. O’Malley didn’t go off on wanting a title shot but did say if the fans wanted it he’d do it.
For Google searches, the only thing that cracked the top 20 among combat sports this week was the UFC show at 1.6 million, which is low for a PPV. Even though on paper it looked like a strong card for insiders, the Dillashaw situation soured it and perhaps because of the early start time, interest was down. Sean O’Malley was No. 3 in searches yesterday with 500,000, which is a huge number for a non-main eventer. Dillashaw was No. 11 with 100,000.
WWE in Dayton last night: There was a video package of a local news story about a little boy named Keegan, who has survived multiple bouts of pediatric cancer and is now in remission. WWE invited his entire fourth grade class to the show. Later in the show, Keegan came to the ring with The Brawling Brutes. Butch & Ridge Holland wore T-shirts to the ring that read “Keegan Strong.” After their match, the Brutes put Keegan on their shoulders. Bianca Belair & Alexa Bliss b Dakota Kai & Bayley, Omos b R-Truth (lots of comedy before the match where R-Truth told Omos he was his father and that Lil Jimmy was Omos’ older brother), Raquel Rodriguez b Shayna Baszler, Usos b Kevin Owens & Johnny Gargano to keep the tag titles (said to be the best match), Ronda Rousey b Liv Morgan in a no DQ Smackdown women’s title match, Sheamus & Ridge Holland & Butch b Gunther & Giovanni Vinci & Ludvig Kaiser, Drew McIntyre b Karrion Kross, Seth Rollins kept the U.S. title in a four-way over Matt Riddle, Bobby Lashley and The Miz when Rollins curb stomped Riddle. Riddle gave Rollins an RKO after the match to end the show. (thanks to Caleb Collins)
We’re looking for reports from tonight’s WWE house show in Pikeville, KY, looking for results, finishes, and highlights to [email protected]
Thanks to JJ Williams, Gerard DiTrolio, Jeremy Plotkin and Thomas Brunette for reports on other weekend events.
Stardom results from today at Arena Tachikawa: Momo Kohgo won three=-way over Rina and Waka Tsukiyama, Saya Kamitani & Hina b Hazuki & Fuwa-chan (a comedian making her debut), Saki Kashima & Fukigen Death b Mai Sakurai & Lady C in the tag tournament, Mina Shirakawa & Saki b Natsuko Tora & Ruaka in the tag tourney, AZM & Miyu Yamasaki b Hanan & Saya Iida, in the tournament, Syuri & Tomoko Inaba d Momo Watanabe & Starlight Kid over 15:00 i the tournament, Maika & Himeka b Mirai & Ami Sohrei in the tournament, Giulia & Thekla b Tam Nakano & Natsupoi in the tournament, Nanae Takahashi & Yuu b Hazuki & Koguma in the tournament, Kairi b Alpha Female in the IWGP women’s title tournament semifinal, Mayu Iwatani b Utami Hayashishita in the other semifinal (thanks to David Popper)
Rhys Hoskins and Brandon March scissored each other in the Phillies dugout today.
Other Notes
The NWA announced Kamille vs. KiLynn King vs. Chelsea Green for the 11/12 PPV show in Chalmette, LA.
Pat Laprade reported that PCO has signed a new one-year contract with Impact Wrestling that will end on October 31, 2023. PCO told Laprade that he was very happy to sign a new deal.
Pro Wrestling Australia from Friday night in Sydney before 550 fans: Velocities b MK Plus Ultra to win the PWA tag titles, Carter Deems won Battle Royal, Cherry Stephens b Jimmy Townsend to keep the Soul of PWA title, Robbie Eagles & PPK b SMS, Shingo Takagi b Jack Bonza-DQ due to interference from Bad Luck Fale and Bonza was announced as the newest member of Bullet Club, Jessica Troy b Lyrebird Luchi, Team Fudge b Team Kiedes in an elimination match Ricky South b Mick Moretti to become PWA champion in a cage match. New Japan Tamashii takes place on 11/13 in Sydney at Liberty Hall and PWA Black Label returns on 12/10 to the Factory Theater (thanks to Paul Robinson)
XPW did a show last night in Pomona, CA: Ludark Shalton b Mickie Knuckles in a death match, Drake Younger b Hardbody, Dirty Ron McDonald b Pagano with an elbow drop with his elbow pa on fire, Kat Martini won the XPW Fite TV title in a Rumble style elimination match over Willie Mack, Joe Dred, Human Tornado and Bo Cooper, Necro Butcher b Terex via heel ref stoppage, Sage Sin Supreme b Sawyer Wreck in a Pumpking patch death match, Masada b Vampiro to keep the XPW title, Shlak b Angel in a ladder match (thanks to No Prima Donna)
We’re looking for reports from tonight’s WWE Raw show in Rochester, NY and NXT show in Kelowna, BC to [email protected]
We’re also looking for your thoughts on Impact Bound for Glory, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
IMPACT BOUND FOR GLORY TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. IN VILLA PARK, IL AT THE ODEUM
Call Your Shot Gauntlet (Rumble style) match with Eddie Edward, Mahabali Shera, Rosemary, Johnny Swinger, Jessicka Havok, Jordynne Grace, Kiera Hogan, Cousin Jake Deaner, Cody Deaner, Raj Singh, Adam Thornstowe, Luster the Legend and many others
Zachary Wentz & Dezmond Xavier & Trey Miguel vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. & Aerostar & Black Taurus
Naomichi Marufuji vs. Michael Elgin
Ken Shamrock vs. Moose
Josh Alexander & Ethan Page vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. Rob Van Dam & Rhino for the tag titles
Taya vs. Tenille Dashwood for the Knockouts title
Jake Crist vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Daga vs. Sabu vs. Ace Romero in a ladder match for the X title
Brian Cage vs. Sami Callihan for the Impact title
NEW JAPAN JUNIOR TAG TOURNAMENT MONDAY IN AKITO ON NEW JAPAN WORLD (taped)
Sho & Yoh vs. TJP & Clark Connors
Raw will be live on Monday from Cleveland. A.J. Styles & Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Street Profits & ? will be on the show, plus Ric Flair, Rey Mysterio and Cain Velasquez, plus Sin Cara vs. Andrade.
The Smackdown crew runs Monday in Sydney, Australia and Tuesday in Brisbane, Australia.
NEW JAPAN JUNIOR TAG TOURNAMENT TUESDAY IN IWATE ON NEW JAPAN WORLD (taped)
Rocky Romero & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
F4W NEWSLETTER: WWE’s draft missed opportunity Joseph Currier looks at how the draft failed to establish a unique identity for SmackDown on FOX.
With a chance to establish a unique identity on FOX, this year’s draft was a missed opportunity for WWE.
The draft was an early indication of what WWE will look like on FOX. Following up on a loaded premiere episode, it gave SmackDown an opportunity to define itself as a FOX property. WWE had the full weight of the network behind them, complete with pre-taped appearances by FOX’s biggest sports personalities. But instead of leaning in to that identity, WWE gave mixed messages.
Ever since WWE struck their deal with FOX, there’s been some question about how SmackDown would fit into the network’s portfolio. It’s categorized as part of FOX Sports, with WWE Backstage even airing weekly on FS1. SmackDown gives FOX the benefit of having live programming on Fridays for 52 weeks out of the year, but it’s really more of a hybrid between sports and a weekly television show. WWE is never going to be — and shouldn’t be — a promotion that presents itself as a pure sport. The beauty of pro wrestling is that you can create the over-the-top spectacle that sports can only wish to achieve. With appearances by Cain Velasquez and Tyson Fury on the FOX premiere, it seemed like WWE was going to be taking SmackDown in that direction.
In a huge week of news,we’ve got all the details in the new issue. Our lead story looks at the firing of Eric Bischoff. We look at his hiring, why it was largely not expected to work out by those who had worked with him in recent years and why people from the past rarely work when brought back into wrestling.
This week’s Observer also covers:
Bruce Prichard and the problems with both Raw and Smackdown.
WWE draft, why the moves were made, how the draft shows were put together and have a depth chart of where all the talent looks to be positioned, who got broken up and who haven’t had a brand chosen for them yet.
Signing of Tyson Fury and Cain Velasquez by WWE. We look at WWE’s place in Riyadh season, the kind of money being thrown around, why Anthony Joshua is facing heat while WWE really isn’t, the set up for Velasquez vs. Lesnar and questions about Velasquez and his WWE career going forward, the background of how Fury and Velasquez got to WWE, the challenges Velasquez faces in WWE and the Crown Jewel show.
WWE’s plans for NXT Japan, what major star has been signed and others who have been talked with, DVR viewership of Smackdown, updated WWE PPV numbers, Hulu numbers, Mike Bennett on why he wants to leave, Maria Kanellis responds. Hardy family drama, WWE gets award nominations, Injury updates, Evolve shows, most-watched shows on the WWE Network, plus a look at every arena event from WWE & NXT over the past week.
Coverage of King of Pro Wrestling with the background, the destination, the Tokyo Dome plans, Power Struggle, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
Extensive coverage of Bushiroad’s purchase of Stardom, how this happened, why Rossy Ogawa sold to Bushiroad and not WWE, what WWE was offering, Stardom’s new TV deal, why this doesn’t mean New Japan and Stardom are affiliated, Stardom coming to the U.S. in December and political implications of all this, as well a plans for the biggest Stardom show ever.
UFC in Tampa this past week with Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Michelle Waterson and Jedrzejczyk’s quest for the strawweight title.
Full coverage of all the WWE television shows from the past week.
In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight and we have a ton of stuff to talk about, including UFC and Smackdown on Friday, Wednesday ratings, Jake Atlas, Marko Stunt, Heroes Inmoratles, Bound for Glory, Conor McGregor and more.
Joel Jones (Outlaw Joel Deaton) suffered a massive stroke on Friday and is currently in the Emory University Hospital in ICU. He was awake and talking, and can move his affected side. His prognosis is excellent but does have a long road ahead of him. His sister relayed the news on Facebook.
There are no dates finalized for Kenny Omega to return to Mexico and defend his AAA title, but the company’s last major show of the year will be on 12/14.
For the weekend, the only combat sports stuff that made Google trends were UFC stuff on Friday, with the show itself doing 200,000 searches, which is high for an ESPN 2 show, and Greg Hardy did 100,000 searches. Nothing from Smackdown or boxing made the list.
Dwayne Johnson noted that production will begin in July for him to play Black Adam based on the DC Comic character. Johnson, on Twitter, noted that he’s been wanting to do this for ten years.
Ken Marquez (Jake Atlas), who came out of Battle of Los Angeles as the basic first choice in the draft after his incredible matches with Jungle Boy and Dragon Lee, has informed promoters he’s not taking any dates after the end of the year. He reports to WWE in January. He had turned down Impact and ROH and we don’t know if AEW made an offer, but it was known WWE was his choice. Hopefully it works out for him because he’s more talented than all but a few people on WWE’s main roster, but his style is so unlike WWE that it’s a risk. But he’s a guaranteed instant hit in NXT. Marquez was on the TV show Undercover Boss with Stephanie McMahon a few years back.
WWE
Jinder Mahal appeared at a political rally for NDL leader Jagmeet Singh for Monday’s Prime Minister election. (thanks to Kevin Rusan)
Canyon Ceman of WWE was at the PWA Colosseum shows in Australia scouting talent.
Oddsmakers at Kambi are not expecting a blockbuster Crown Jewel show. Here are the over/under numbers you can set on:
Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury *1/2
Mansoor vs. Cesaro **1/2
Tag Team turmoil **3/4
Team Hogan vs. Team Flair **1/2
Seth Rollins vs,. Bray Wyatt **1/2
Brock Lesnar vs.Cain Velasquez **1/2
Northeast Wrestling from last night in Bethany,CT: Buddy Costa b Bret Gosselin, Cody Vance b DL Hurst, JT Dunn d Chuck O’Neil (MMA fighter), Wrecking Ball Legursky b Sledge, Keith Youngblood b Christian Casanova, Hale Collins b Chris Battle, Mike Gamble & Dexter Loux & Mike Verna b The ICW, RJ Rude & Zane Benardo b Ron Zombie & Jimmy Preston, Darby Allin b Brian Anthony (thanks to Nick Mahmood)
There are tickets available at Eventbrite for the Rick Titan (Rick Bogner) Memorial Celebration of Life which takes place on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Calgary. We were told there were 17 tickets left. Rick Titan was a big star as Big Tytan in FMW, and also wrestled in New Japan, WAR and ECW, and was the fake Razor Ramon in WWF. He started his career in Calgary with Lance Storm & Chris Jericho among others.
Pro Wrestling Eclipse on 12/27 in Oshawa, ONT with the Eclipse Cup tournament.
Great North Wrestling from last night in Rockland,ONT before 350 fans: Davey Boy Smith Jr. b Nathan Banner to win the Hannibal TV title, Blood Hunter b Haku, Jessicka Black b Lady Yasmine, Jeremy Prophet b Wes Brisco for the Canadian title, Savio Vega b Paul Rosenburg, Bruiser b Mathis Myre in a tables mach, Harley Davidson & Colin Oliver b Steve McDaniel & :, Marc Burell b David Juno in a kickboxing match. They announced for a show next year that Haku & Barbarian would face Hannibal & Savio Vega after Vega attacked Haku and cost him his match on the show. (thanks to Anthony Ambros)
Stardom from earlier today in Okayama: Session Moth Martina won three-way over Saya Kamitani and Saya Iida, Hana Kimura & Death Yama-san b Andras Miyagi & Natsuko Tora, Bea Priestley & Jamie Hayter b Riho & Starlight Kid in the tag tournament, Tam Nakano & Arisa Hoshiki b Zoe Lucas & Bobbi Tyler in the tournament, Jungle Kyona & Konami b Mayu Iwatani & Saki Kashima in the tournament, Kagetsu & Hazuki & Natsu Sumire b Momo Watanabe & AZM & Leo Onozaki (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
All Star Wrestling November to Remember on 11/2 in Tzeachten Hall in Chilliwack, BC.
Canadian Wrestling Elite’s 50 man Rumble to Remember is 11/29 in Winnipeg. The winner will get a title match on the company’s 11th anniversary show on 5/22.
Defy from last night in Seattle. Report was the show was fine but not at the normal Defy levels: Douglas James b Jet Knight, Rebel Kel b Kikyo, Jacob Fatu b Amazing Red (very good), Randy Myers b Drexel, Cima & Cody Chunn & Guillermo Rosas b Matt Sydal & Cook Brothers, Josef Samael b Mike Santiago in a street fight (said to be terrible), Schaff b Tom Lawlor to retain the 8xGP title. Alexander Hammerstone attacked Schaff after the match (thanks to Scott Janicek)