Two matches are set for this Friday’s Christmas Day edition of 205 Live.
WWE has announced that Mansoor vs. Raul Mendoza will air on 205 Live this Friday night. Ever-Rise’s Chase Parker vs. The Bollywood Boyz’s Samir Singh is also set for the show.
Mansoor is undefeated on 205 Live. Mendoza is part of Legado Del Fantasma with NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar and Joaquin Wilde.
Ever-Rise defeated The Bollywood Boyz in a tornado tag match on last week’s episode of 205 Live. That was billed as a rubber match between the teams after they had each gotten wins against the other in recent weeks.
205 Live airs on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Fridays.
Christmas Day will also feature SmackDown airing on Fox at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The episode was taped earlier this week and will include three title matches. Roman Reigns is defending his Universal Championship against Kevin Owens in a steel cage match, Sami Zayn is defending his Intercontinental title against Big E in a lumberjack match, and Asuka & Charlotte Flair are defending their Women’s Tag Team titles in a triple threat elimination match against Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair and Bayley & Carmella. Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso is also set for SmackDown.
A collar-and-elbow tie-up started the match and set the pace in the opening moments. Curt Stallion gained control of the match with a side headlock; Ariya Daivari pulled the hair of Stallion to stifle his offensive gains. Stallion resisted Daivari with passion and speed, but Daivari’s relative veteran status left him continually in the driver’s seat.
A moment of separation allowed Stallion to connect with a spree of offense. A spinning forearm yielded Stallion a near fall. Daivari rolled to the outside, and Stallion followed. Tony Nese, who was commentating the match, gained Stallion’s attention, which allowed Daivari to blindside Stallion. Back inside the ring, Daivari took Stallion to the mat. As Stallion showed hopes of regaining momentum, Daivari had an answer.
After smashing the face of Stallion into the announce table, Daivari locked in a camel clutch inside the ring. Daivari dropped the grip momentarily; Stallion landed a low blow to a prone Daivari, which prompted a burst of Stallion offense. Daivari regained control by sending Stallion crashing into the ropes during a dive attempt.
Daivari rolled outside of the ring to gain his composure. Stallion landed a dive on Daivari. Nese again gained the attention of Stallion, but this time a Stallion headbutt left Nese laying. Daivari tried to capitalize on Nese’s distraction, only for Stallion to duck the hammerlock lariat attempt. Amidst the chaos, Stallion rolled Daivari up and pinned him.
This was a simplistic showing, but not a bad one. Stallion is showing more and more promise each week.
Chase Parker and Matt Martel (Ever-Rise) defeated The Brian Kendrick and Mansoor
Matt Martel squared off against Mansoor following the opening bell. Martel, with verbal aid from Chase Parker, took control of Mansoor. Parker tagged in and was immediately cut off. Brian Kendrick and Mansoor traded tags as they worked to gain a foothold. Parker earned a sneaky tag, which allowed Martel to blindside Mansoor with a clothesline, putting them back in control.
Martel whipped Mansoor across the ring, causing him to crumble, but as soon as Parker tagged back in, Ever-Rise’s power slipped. Kendrick, now legal, landed some forearms before trading tags with Mansoor once more. Martel had to pull Parker out of harm’s way to stop the other team’s momentum. Martel tagged back into the match and again gained control for his team.
While double-teaming Kendrick, a miscommunication sent Martel crashing into Parker. Kendrick, after two tries, secured the hot tag. Mansoor unloaded on both Parker and Martel, but both proved to be too much. Kendrick entered the fray to reset the in-ring action to its natural state. Mansoor hit sliced bread on Parker and secured the pinfall victory.
This match was fun. The work was clean, and the homage to Kendrick in the finish was neat.
All in all, the show was entertaining, especially considering its limited ambition.
Brain Kendrick used a headlock following the opening bell to take Mansoor to the mat. After some groundwork and a quick standing sequence, Mansoor gained footing for the first time by pushing Kendrick to the mat. Now angered, Kendrick failed to regain his lost ground as Mansoor landed a few quick moves to further his new lead.
Following a Mansoor bulldog, Kendrick landed a kick to the spine to regain his control. Kendrick proceeded to dismantle Mansoor, turning his attention to his arm following a takedown. Kendrick toyed with Mansoor, kicking his head. Mansoor erupted into a rage and unleashed a flurry of strikes on an unsuspecting Kendrick. Mansoor landed a spinebuster, a pair of suplexes, and a falcon arrow all in quick succession.
Kendrick followed a Mansoor powerbomb with a quick single-leg facebuster. After scaling to the top rope, Kendrick landed a butterfly suplex. Kendrick tried to pin Mansoor following the move; Mansoor rolled out of the pin into a pin of his own. Kendrick, in a state of shock, was unable to kick out.
Kendrick and Mansoor completed the post match handshake ceremony that follows every Kendrick match.
The simplistic nature of this match allowed Mansoor to shine in one of his best showings to date. Kendrick’s role as a reliable veteran suits him.
A fantastic Jordan Devlin promo played. Devlin delivered a concise promo. Parallel to his transcendent work in OTT, Devlin’s promo was accompanied by slick edits and a dramatic score.
The Bollywood Boyz hit the ring with two microphones and cut a quick promo declaring their return to 205 Live.
A Curt Stallion Twitter promo played where he called out Tony Nese. He claimed that Nese’s interference in his match last week is the only reason he did not win the $10,000 prize.
Tony Nese defeated Curt Stallion
Before the match could even begin, Ariya Daivari walked to the ring and gained the attention of Curt Stallion. Nese took full advantage and flattened Stallion just as the bell was sounding. Stallion tried to fight back, but Nese’s striking prevented any hope of a Stallion lead.
Stallion caught Nese with a quick suplex, which he followed with an air raid crash. Nese sent Stallion into the ropes to end Stallion’s offense. Nese then continued to brutalize Stallion as if he never stopped. A springboard moonsault gave Nese a near fall.
Stallion slipped free from a torture rack from Nese and landed a German suplex. Stallion landed a few moves on Nese in the corner and scored a near fall with a DDT. Nese rolled to the outside only to be hit by a beautiful moonsault. Daivari gained the attention of Stallion again. Stallion laid out Davari but met the knee of Nese as he reentered the ring. Nese then pinned Stallion for the win.
Nese kept Davari away from Stallion following the match’s end.
Another solid match to close the show. It seems as if Stallion might be playing a more significant role than one would imagine.
Ashante Adonis started the match by taunting Mansoor. Instead of responding to the taunts with jest of his own, Mansoor responded with action. He maintained momentum in the early going and gained a near fall following an inverted DDT.
Adonis was able to secure some offensive footing of his own following Mansoor spilling to the outside. Plenty of big moves followed from Adonis, two of which resulted in near falls. Adonis once again took to slowing the pace, a move that Mansoor took full advantage of. A splash from the top rope and a bulldog from the second left Adonis in position for Mansoor’s one-handed electric chair driver, but Adonis escaped before he met his doom. Adonis’s escape from his fate also allowed him to secure a crossface, which Mansoor escaped from. Mansoor then hoisted Adonis up for the one-handed electric chair driver which yielded him the pinfall victory.
The contents of this match were slow and uninteresting. The rebranding of Adonis at this point is borderline comical; he’s the same guy, a cocksure loser, but with a new name. He is not a lost cause by any means but he’s definitely on a bad path.
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott defeated Ariya Daivari
Ariya Daivari and Isaiah Scott found themselves on equal footing in the early going. Daivari’s groundwork was thwarted by Scott. Daivari was able to connect with a brief set of strikes before Scott returned the favor, pulling and prodding at the joints of Daivari at every opening.
The two soon fought to the outside. It was during Scott’s return to the ring, however, that Daivari landed a DDT. Daivari took Scott to the mat once again. Scott tried and succeeded in fighting back to his feet. A strike exchange ensued in which Scott was the victor. Scott used the provided space to deliver a diving elbow. Scott followed up with a flat liner which nearly resulted in a pin.
Scott was growing desperate as Daivari continued to show signs of life. Daivari fought free by driving Scott into the turnbuckles but Scott maintained his pursuit. Scott landed a huge suplex and nearly pinned Daivari again. Scott grew even more disgruntled. Scott slowly clubbed Daivari before trying for a big boot which Daivari sidestepped and turned into a uranage. A top rope splash from Daivari and a pin attempt followed. Daivari, with victory in sight, tried for a hammerlock lariat, which yielded him three pins on last week’s 205 Live. However,Scott slipped free.
Daivari and Scott then struggled in what would be the last moments of the match for any advantage whatsoever, but it was Scott who caught Daivari with the house call following a failed sunset flip. Scott then pinned Daivari for the victory.
This match was mediocre. Nothing from either guy stood out. It is hard to find anything meaningful to say in regards to something so forgettable.
As the bell sounded, Tehuti Miles threw his jacket in the face of Mansoor, which diverted the attention of Mansoor and allowed Miles to connect with multiple strikes. Miles stepped away momentarily after Mansoor crumbled in the corner. Mansoor took this as an opportunity as he attacked Miles on his way back but his offense was cut short by a Miles knee strike.
Miles whipped Mansoor into the corner, Mansoor crumbled. Miles hunched over his fallen opponent in jest. Monsoon took advantage once more by grabbing the leg of Miles and securing a headlock. Miles after receiving a few strikes to the head rose back to a standing position from where he grabbed Mansoor.
Miles connected with enough strikes to force a referee break. Mansoor used the time provided to recoup partially. Mansoor stuffed a head smash and began to strike Miles. Mansoor’s striking moved the two across the ring. Mansoor attempted to punctuate his attack with a backdrop and a pin, but Miles kicked out. Mansoor used a standing suplex, Miles kicked from the pin that followed.
Mansoor grabbed Miles in a chinlock. Miles fought to free himself from said hold, which he eventually did by rolling Mansoor to the outside. Mansoor tried to return to the ring quickly, but was met with a dropkick while standing on the apron. Miles took his offense to the outside.
Miles drove the body of Mansoor into the barricade and plexiglass shield. Miles returned to the ring as did Mansoor at the count of nine. Miles connected with a neckbreaker followed by an extended period on the mat. He connected with a facebuster followed by a failed pin attempt.
Miles tried to send Mansoor to the outside again. Mansoor landed on the apron and ducked the followup attack from Miles, who was left in a flummox. He was then hit with a neckbreaker. Mansoor entered a fury from where he unloaded on Miles. An inverted atomic drop set Mansoor in position. He lifted Miles onto his shoulders, pulled in his head, and connected with what appeared to be the one-winged angel for the win.
This match worked fine in validating Mansoor’s win from last week (in a much better match) as well as further establishing his new finish. It played off of a simple story of overconfidence meeting persistence and done so adequately. Not fantastic but it served its purpose.
A look in at an El Legado del Fantasma meeting followed. The meeting basically glossed over recent events in a vague way before Santos Escobar made some ominous statements in regard to the future.
Tony Nese defeated Chase Parker (with Matt Martel)
Tony Nese quickly tossed Chase Parker to the mat as the match got underway. Nese allowed Parker to return to his feet, but took him down with a single leg in the moments that followed. Neese attacked the ankle of Parker with a pair of holds. Parker tried to fight to his feet, but was flattened with a shoulder tackle. Nese then locked on, what was described by commentary as a leg-based abdominal stretch. Nese transitioned to the arm of Parker from where Parker was able to try for and succeed in forcing a referee break.
Matt Martel grabbed the leg of Nese as he attempted to follow up. Nese was not caught off guard, however, as he connected with a back elbow on Parker who was trying to run at his seemingly distracted opponent. Nese then performed a fantastically athletic offensive sequence. Parker kicked out from the pin attempt that followed early. Nese then temporarily turned his attention back to the arm of Parker.
Nese then ran Parker across the ring for a leaping rope cutter. Once on the floor following the cutter, Nese was confronted by Martel. This allowed for Parker to connect with a dropkick on the distracted Nese. Parker turned his attention to the left arm of Nese. A bulldog sent Nese to the mat from where Parker continued the attack on the arm.
Nese finally produced some separation by driving Parker into the turnbuckle. Nese furthered the separation and a subsequent momentum shift with a kick to a midsection. This led perfectly into a high-speed sequence which was culminated with a spinning heel kick. Nese followed up with a moonsault and a pin attempt from which Parker kicked out.
Nese lifted Parker for a driver, but was interrupted by Martel. Nese then drove the body of Parker into Martel, effectively stifling his interference. Nese tried for the driver again, but Parker rolled through. Nese responded to Parker with a spinning kick and a successful pin.
Martel blindsided Nese following the match, but before Parker could aid in the delivery of their team finish, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott hit the ring for the save.
This was a fine match with entertaining athleticism. Seeing follow up with the budding Nese/Scott alliance is an interest builder. Really there is nothing about this match to complain about.
All in all this show was a solid and easy watch. The narrative elements aided in the show’s digestibility as did the short match times. A fine episode that seemingly will be built upon.
Following the night’s initial bell, Tehuti Miles and Mansoor did a stare down. Miles landed two leg kicks, each of which caused Mansoor to pull back. Mansoor, instead of keeping his distance, shot in for a takedown, which he succeeded in getting before being kicked off immediately after. Mansoor tried for a move, but seemed to be stuck in his movement. Miles hoisted Mansoor over his shoulder before synching a headlock.
Miles and Mansoor traded the headlock back and forth. After escaping a prolonged headlock, Mansoor connected with two arm drags but Miles avoided the third. Miles tried to take advantage but Mansoor was able to land the third arm drag before Miles could capitalize. Mansoor sent Miles to the outside with a clothesline. Miles came back in by grabbing the legs of Mansoor moments later. Mansoor, who was now on the mat, was dragged under the bottom rope before being catapulted into it. Miles struck Mansoor, who sold the throat.
Mansoor soon found himself hung over the middle rope. From this position, Miles applied his weight to the damaged body part. Mansoor fell to the mat from where Miles tried for a pin; Mansoor kicked out. Miles lifted Mansoor with a neckbreaker. Miles lifted Mansoor again, landed a second neckbreaker, and tried for the pin once more. Mansoor kicked again. Miles synched in a rear chinlock.
Mansoor sold the rear chinlock as if his lights were going out. Right before the fade to black Mansoor fought to a standing position from where he fell, sending Miles to the outside. Miles grabbed the leg of Mansoor again but Mansoor rolled through, creating a plausible near fall in the process. Mansoor struck Miles before landing an atomic drop into a spinebuster. Mansoor waited for Miles to rise to his feet but Miles sidestepped the attack sending Mansoor over the top rope and onto the apron. From the apron, Mansoor and Miles entered a brief struggle which ultimately saw Mansoor connect with a slingshot neckbreaker. Miles kicked out from the pin attempt that followed.
Mansoor, now in a state of desperation, climbed to the top rope. From the top, Mansoor dove only for Miles to evade his attack. Miles lifted Mansoor, who landed on his feet, for a facebuster. Miles then lifted Mansoor onto his shoulder. Mansoor wiggled free and landed an enziguri. Mansoor then lifted Miles onto his shoulders, pulled in his head, and landed what was essentially the one winged angel at an angle. Miles was then pinned making Mansoor the victor.
This match was dodgy. Miles and Mansoor struggled to get on the same page early on and the match’s layout was lackluster. Things in the opening minutes just happened, the finish just happened – the match just sort of happened. I am still not sure what the narrative to this match was.
Prior to and immediately following the bell’s sounding, Oney Lorcan dawned a serious game face. He really looked as if he had something to prove. Santos Escobar and Lorcan entered a tie-up that broke almost as soon as it started. Lorcan was forced to pull away – his arm was still damaged from his encounter with Timothy Thatcher at NXT’s Great American Bash. Lorcan tried to tie-up once more but Escobar, like a shark to blood, grabbed the arm. Escobar took Lorcan to the mat with an arm drag and applied pressure to the arm once grounded. Lorcan fought to a standing position and into the ropes to force a break.
Lorcan chopped the chest of Escobar with his injured arm. Escobar not only did not flinch from the strike he also poked at Lorcan who was pulling back due to self-inflicted pain. Escobar took Lorcan to the mat and continued to put pressure on the arm. Escobar used his chin as a point of pressure in a truly unique form of torture. Lorcan was eventually able to free himself by rolling Escobar onto his back and into a pin. The two men rose to their feet.
Escobar secured another takedown. This time Escobar used the position to lift Lorcan by his arm. Escobar used his shoulder and the ropes to attack the injury of Lorcan. Escobar, in a haze of confidence, stepped back and played to the crowd. Lorcan took advantage of this by trying for a pin. After the subsequent kick-out, Lorcan secured control of Escobar. Escobar was able to escape by grabbing the leg of Lorcan. Escobar stepped over Lorcan, leg still in hand, and into a single leg crab. From the crab, Escobar was sure to tie the arm of Lorcan into the move. Escobar soon let go of the leg and turned his attention solely to the arm. Lorcan crawled to the ropes in order to secure the break.
Escobar landed a suplex but only after placing the arm of Lorcan under his weight. Lorcan tried to retaliate after being hoisted to his feet, but was dropped almost immediately after. Escobar then grabbed the arm of Lorcan and slammed it into the ring post. A slow climb to the top rope from Escobar then ensued. Lorcan took this as an opportunity as he met Escobar with an uppercut. The two then entered a struggle atop the ropes. Escobar jumped to the apron, slamming the arm of Lorcan into the turnbuckle in the process. As Lorcan lay in agony, Escobar grabbed his arm again. This time he slammed it back into the post. Lorcan’s arm was continually attacked in the minutes that followed. Strong strikes, extended holds, the whole works.
Escobar at this point was toying with his prey. Only after a missed enziguri from Escobar did Lorcan show signs of life. A barrage of strikes that was punctuated with an impassioned uppercut left Lorcan in the driver’s seat for the first time, at least he would be in the driver’s seat if he were able to follow up. Lorcan sold his injury as if his arm was broken. After trying to approach after prolonged selling, Lorcan had his arm attacked once more. Escobar lifted him up and planted him with the phantom driver which resulted in a pinfall victory.
This match was excellent. From the opening moments to the match’s conclusion it was clear that these men had a powerful and concise story to tell. Escobar’s brutal display of malice was matched in theatrics only by Lorcan’s consistent showing of agony. When a meeting of seemingly unrelated storylines results in such an excellent integration it is worth celebrating.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar is making his 205 Live in-ring debut on tonight’s episode of the show.
WWE has announced that Escobar vs. Oney Lorcan in a non-title match is set for tonight’s 205 Live. Escobar made his first appearance on 205 Live last week when he accompanied his Legado del Fantasma stablemates Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde for their win against Leon Ruff & Liam Gray.
On night two of NXT’s Great American Bash this Wednesday, Legado del Fantasma defeated Drake Maverick & Breezango in a six-man tag match. Escobar got the win by pinning Maverick after hitting the Phantom Driver.
Lorcan lost to Timothy Thatcher on Great American Bash night one last week. After the match, Thatcher refused to immediately let go of the Fujiwara armbar that he submitted Lorcan with.
Mansoor will also be in action as he faces Tehuti Miles on tonight’s 205 Live. This will be the first time Mansoor has wrestled since March. He’s wrestled on 205 Live once before, defeating Brian Kendrick in November 2019.
Two of the newly announced matches will take place on the main card, while the other is set for the Super ShowDown pre-show. Mansoor vs. Dolph Ziggler and Angel Garza vs. Humberto Carrillo are set for the main card. The Viking Raiders will face Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson on the pre-show.
NXT’s Mansoor has been pushed as a hometown hero at WWE’s events in Saudi Arabia, winning the 50-man battle royal at last year’s Super ShowDown and defeating Cesaro at Crown Jewel in October.
Garza defeated Carrillo in their match on this week’s Raw. They’ll face off again in a tag team match next Monday, with Garza teaming with Andrade against Carrillo & Rey Mysterio.
At October’s Crown Jewel event, Gallows & Anderson last eliminated The Viking Raiders to win the World Cup tag team turmoil match.
The Super ShowDown pre-show will begin on the WWE Network at 11 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow, with the main card starting an hour later. The show is taking place at Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh.
Here’s the updated lineup:
Universal Champion “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt defending against Goldberg
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Ricochet
Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin in a steel cage match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defending against Naomi
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) defending against The Miz & John Morrison
Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Murphy defending against The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
Tuwaiq Trophy gauntlet match (AJ Styles, Andrade, Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan, and R-Truth)
Mansoor vs. Dolph Ziggler
Angel Garza vs. Humberto Carrillo
The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. The O.C. (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson)
A look at next year’s WrestleMania in Los Angeles is the lead story in the new issue of the Observer. We look at the back story, regarding why the city wanted it in 2021 and WWE wanted it in 2022 and how the compromise was made. We note deals of the new stadium, attendance, the legit all-time company attendance record, , notes from the press conference and a look back at the previous WrestleMania in Los Angeles.
Also covered in the new issue:
2019 WWE business rundown in every category, what was up, what was down, how much the new television deals added in this year’s fourth quarter, why there is uncertainty about stock analysts about the company, and TV deals late in renewing,. We look at how badly the value of the company has dropped of late, what analysts are saying right now and what they are has to be done to get the company value back up.
Roster expansion, why production costs are so much higher, the decline over the past year in both network and PPV revenue, the arena business, the NXT house show business, merchandise, licensing, as well as a look at the company’s revenue and profits annually dating back to 1994.
More on the firing of Michelle Wilson and George Barrios from WWE, return of John Cena, Three more new members of WWE Hall of Fame, Becky Lynch talks pay, what wrestler looks to be leaving, future of MVP in WWE, UK ratings, most-watched shows on WWE Network and details of the weekend main roster and NXT arena events with business notes, results and highlights.
New Japan’s next show in Madison Square Garden, who are the key players and more dates for this year’s G-1 tournament.
Full coverage of New Beginning in Osaka, with business and creative notes, notes on all the upcoming title matches around the world, the latest angles, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
XFL’s first week of television, the good, the bad, the TV deals and what it needs to stay at to be successful, plus live attendance and why the chances of survival are very different from the first time.
WWE Super Showdown, and Elimination Chamber shows.
Full coverage of UFC 247, with the background on the show, business notes, match-by-match coverage and poll results.
Regarding the Wednesday numbers, we’ve got full details, demos that each side won, how every segment did and what match ended up as the difference maker.
Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW 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.
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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
In an interview with Arab News, Mansoor said that he will be competing at Super ShowDown next week, though he doesn’t know who his opponent is.
PWInsider reports that WWE has contacted Brodus Clay and Ariane Andrew (formerly known as Cameron) for WrestleMania weekend.
Sky Germany announced today that they will no longer air WWE pay-per-view events after April. They will instead air AEW events.
The Bump announced that they would be broadcasting live for five shows in Tampa during WrestleMania weekend.
Yahoo Sports has an article on WWE sending sports teams replica WWE titles for big events such as the Superbowl and the World Series.
The WWE PC YouTube page uploaded a profile on Bianca Belair.
Kyle O’Reilly congratulated Tiger Hattori on his retirement on Instagram. Hattori refereed his final two matches today at Korakuen Hall.
Deadline reported that USA’s new series Briarpatch is moving to the timeslot following Raw.
Other Wrestling
There is a pre-sale for the Dynamite event following Double or Nothing tomorrow at noon eastern on aewtix.com. The pre-sale code is FLEETLV.
Last night’s episode of black-ish on ABC referenced New Japan Pro Wrestling, specifically a Wrestle Kingdom match between Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The AEW on TNT team will be launching a new podcast titled AEW Unrestricted. It will feature Aubrey Edwards and Tony Schiavone and will air each Thursday starting tomorrow.
AEW posted a video showing off the steel cage that will be used in tonight’s Cody/Wardlow match.
PROGRESS announced that they have moved their April 26 show to April 20 due to NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin taking place on the 26th.
MMA
Zhang Weili has obtained her US visa ahead of next month’s straweight title fight against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in Paradise, Nevada.
Pedro Munhoz isn’t happy the likes of Uriah Faber and Frankie Edgar have turned down fights against him.
Evan Dunham is coming out of retirement to face Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night in Lincoln, Nebraska on April 25.
Cowboy Cerrone is already interested in fighting again as soon as March or April.
From the Citrus Springs Community Center in front of an estimated 150, the show was called “Unleash the Universe” as there was a one-night eight-man tournament of Performance Center talents who want to prove their worth.
Round 1: Stacey Ervin Jr. defeated Denzel Dejournette
Ervin hit a beautiful moonsault to win. Post-match, Dejournette attacked Ervin before leaving.
Round 1: Saurav Gurjar (w/ Rinku Singh) defeated Daniel Vidot
Saurav hit a big kick for win the pin. The crowd gave he and Rinku the business with loud “You suck” chants as they tried to cut a post-match promo.
Sane hit a spear on Baszler that cleared the path for a spear by Belair on Shafir to score the win. The crowd loved this and the winners celebrated dancing to Belair’s music.
Mansoor hit a neck snap off the ropes and a rolling pinning combo to advance.
Velveteen Dream defeated Marcel Barthel
This was a back-and-forth match. The crowd loved Dream and loved giving Barthel everything they had to heckle. Barthel tried to sneak a chair in the ring but was caught with the Dream Valley Driver and the Purple Rainmaker.
Tournament finals: Stacey Ervin Jr. defeated Mansoor Al-Shehail
This was a good match-up between two of the PC’s top prospects. Ervin went for his moonsault that had won the previous two matches, but Mansoor got his knees up. Mansoor tried the rolling pin combo that had won him his matches, but Ervin kicked out.
It took Ervin using Mansoor’s rolling pin to score the victory.
