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Daily Update: WWE schedule, AAA/MSG, Viceland documentaries

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News

Latest Audio

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Looking at the WWE HOF and the 2019 class

While interest has inevitably decreased over the years, the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony feels like less of an essential part of WrestleMania weekend than ever.

There are a few major reasons why the Hall of Fame ceremony has lost some of its luster. As WrestleMania week has become a destination for promotions from the United States and abroad, fans have to make difficult decisions on how they’re going to spend their time and money.

WON NEWSLETTER: April 1, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Women to main event Wrestlemania 35, Conor McGregor allegations, more

The Conor McGregor situation is the lead story in the current issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Look at the investigation into him, his retirement, the timing, and why the retirement and Dana White’s reactions are both a public bluffing game. 

Read the update on the WrestleMania card, both matches announced and those not yet announced, the Charlotte Flair title win and what it changes about the show, the multiple changes in the top part of the show, the women in the main event, the interest level in the different shows that week and more.

Also look at the New Japan Cup, with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results, on the entire last week of the tournament and the final show.

Look at Vince McMahon’s stock sale, how much he sold, how much he got and why, as well as the XFL launch and problems with the AAF. Look at the AAF’s new goal.

Look at the retirement of the Bella Twins and their careers, the value of Total Divas and their future plans.

Examine the lawsuit settlement with the wrestlers who have sued Lucha Underground, and the interesting note of the person who backed out of the suit.

Also look at Cain Velasquez’s crossing over into pro wrestling and his deal with AAA, including what they attempted to do with him, the storyline building him up and the wrestlers it looks like he’ll appear with.

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.

THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE court filings in a lawsuit listed a lot of the proposed schedule for the next 12 months. A few key notes:

  • The 5/3 Saudi Arabia show is not listed but the 11/1 show is.
  • The 6/8 Takeover show in San Jose is confirmed, as is Raw on 6/10, but in different arenas. Takeover will be at San Jose State and Raw at the SAP Center. WWE has shows in Stockton (not too far from San Jose) and Fresno (3 hours away) on 6/9 for those coming in.
  • WWE will tape 9/9 and 9/10 in Madison Square Garden.
  • WWE will open the new Chase Center in San Francisco with Raw and Smackdown on consecutive nights on 9/23 and 9/24.
  • The first FOX show will be 10/4 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
  • Some NXT dates at Full Sail in Winter Park, FL are 4/10, 5/1, 6/12, 6/13, 8/15, 9/11, 9/12, 10/24 and 12/4.

The Viceland documentaries on pro wrestling will be airing every Wednesday from 4/10 to 5/15 at 9 p.m. The schedule is:

  • 4/10: Randy Savage & Elizabeth
  • 4/17: Bret Hart and Montreal
  • 4/24: Bruiser Brody
  • 5/1: Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family
  • 5/8: Gino Hernandez
  • 5/15: Fabulous Moolah

There has been talk for years of AAA going to Madison Square Garden. There is a press conference on 4/4 at 11:30 a.m. in Madison Square Garden.

Here is the episode of Kenny Omega on The Social yesterday which we talked about on today’s show.

Stardom held its Dream Slam show earlier today at Korakuen Hall: Saya Iida won Battle Royal, Konami & Viper & Bea Priestley & AZM b Starlight Kid & Tam Nakano & Arisa Hoshiki & Saki Kashima, Utami Hayashishita b Rebel Kid to keep SWA title, Hazuki b Xia Brookside to keep High Speed title, Mayu Iwatani b Natsuko Tora to keep WOH title, Kagetsu b Goya Kong to keep World of Stardom title, Momo Watanabe b Andras Miyagi to keep Wonder of Stardom title. Watanabe vs. Hayashishita is coming soon. They ran Saturday in Niigata before coming to New York for a 4/5 at 4 p.m. show that will be an iPPV on FITE. Fumi Saito and Jim Valley from this site will be doing the announcing.

WWE

  • The Extreme Rules presale for 7/14 in Philadelphia ends at 11 p.m. tonight. You can use the code: EXTREMERULES
  • Kambi has updated the betting odds for star ratings for WrestleMania. This is the over and under you can bet on:
    Styles vs. Orton ****
    Rousey vs. Flair vs. Lynch ****1/4
    Miz vs. Shane McMahon ***1/4
    HHH vs. Batista ***3/4
    Lesnar vs. Rollins ****1/4
    Angle vs. Corbin **
    Joe vs. Mysterio ***1/2
    Murphy vs. Nese ***1/2
    Reigns vs. McIntyre ****
    Balor vs. Lashley **3/4 (thanks to David Taylor)
  • Fan Axxess schedule for next week
    4/4 6-10 p.m.: Ember Moon, Ali, Samoa Joe, Lucha House Party, Mandy Rose, Baron Corbin, Alexa Bliss, Aleister Black, Jinder Mahal, Shelton Benjamin,
    4/5 1-5 p.m.: AOP, Beth Phoenix, Drew McIntyre, Zelina Vega, Rusev, Ruby Riott, Sting, Shinsuke Nakamura, Mandy Rose, Lacey Evans,
    4/5 6-10 p.m: Rey Mysterio, Sonya Deville, Trish Stratus, Usos, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Samoa Joe, Ember Moon, Apollo Crews, Elias, Kurt Angle
    4/6 8 a.m. to Noon: Titus O’Neil, Alexa Bliss, Andrade, Kevin Owens, Alicia Fox, R-Truth, Sami Zayn, The Revival, Rowan, Mark Henry
    4/6 1-5 p.m: Lacey Evans, Kurt Angle, Aleister Black, Lana, Velveteen Dream, Beth Phoenix, Shinsuke Nakamura, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet
    4/6 6-10 p.m: Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Adam Cole, Sheamus, Cesaro, Toni Storm, Lio Rush, Velveteen Dream, Bianca Belair, Nikki Cross, Luke Harper
    4/7 8 a.m. to Noon: Sting, Kevin Nash, Ruby Riott, Ivory, Pete Dunne, Sami Zayn, Zack Ryder, Sin Cara, Cedric Alexander, Lana
    4/8 Noon to 4 p.m: Carmella, R-Truth, Shinsuke Nakamura, Harlem Heat, Lita, Samoa Joe, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Mandy Rose, Naomi
  • The latest weather prediction for WrestleMania Sunday is 44 degrees but no rain.
  • The New York Post on Colin Jost and Michael Che in the Battle Royal at WrestleMania. (thanks to Barry Werner)

UFC

MISCELLANEOUS

  • A correction from the Observer that came out today. Ace Austin isn’t signed with AEW. He’s with Impact. Ace Romero is with AEW.
  • A very nice segment on the statue being made for The Crusher which includes two of Crusher’s daughters.
  • Steve “Sting” Borden will be doing the intros and voice over work for a documentary series called “Forgiven Felons.” This documentary series is being produced by the Communication/Media Arts department of Southwestern Assemblies of God University. This is the trailer.
  • Weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s Bellator show from Temecula, CA on Paramount and DAZN at 9 p.m. Eastern:
    Joe Schilling (186) vs. Keith Berry (186)
    Andrey Koreshkov (170.6) vs. Mike Jasper (171)
    Daniel Strauss (155.6) vs. Shane Kruchten (155.8)
    Saad Awad (156) vs. Brandon Girtz (155.6)
  • WWN supershow on 4/5 at 3 p.m. has announced Shane Strickland & Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy vs. Lucky Kid & Marius Al-Ani & Bobby Gunns from wXw and AR Fox & Leon Ruff & Adrian Alanis vs. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo & Soma Takao of DDT.
  • The Bugsy McGraw bio that we’ve talked about a few times called “Brute Power” is available on Amazon.com or WOHW.com.
  • Corey Graves and Renee Young will be at MCW on Sunday for a show in Joppa, MD at the MCW Arena.
  • House of Glory has a WrestleMania show on 4/6 in Jamaica, NY at the NYC Arena at 2 p.m. headlined by Great Muta (as in the original) & Tajiri & Pentagon Jr. vs. Low Ki & LAX, Fenix vs Amazing Red plus David Starr. There will be a Muta meet and greet at WrestleCon on 4/5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Wrestling Revolver on 4/6 at 11 a.m. at the New York Hilton Midtown with Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs. LAX vs. Aussie Open vs. Besties in the World, Sami Callihan & Jake & Dave Crist vs. Shane Strickland & Joe Gacy & Eddie Kingston, Fatu vs. Dan Maff vs Ace Romero vs Larry D vs. Madman Fulton vs. Fallah Bahh, Matt Cross vs. Adam Brooks Moose vs. David Starr vs. Brian Cage, AR Fox vs. JT Gunn vs. Ace Austin vs. Sammy Guevara.
  • Wrestling Revolver on 5/10 in West Des Moines, IA at the Val Air Ballroom with Matthew Palmer vs. Larry D, Hornswoggle vs. Sami Callihan, Billy Gunn vs. Moose, TJ Perkins vs. Ace Austin vs. Rich Swann, Joey Ryan vs. Neveah, Tessa Blanchard vs. Jessicka Havok plus Eddie Edwards, Team Tremendous and Trey Miguel.
  • Pro Wrestling Phoenix tonight in Omaha, NE a the Waiting Room Lounge.
  • Legacy Fighting Alliance on 5/3 in Vail, CO at the Dobson Arena on AXS TV headlined by Brandon Royval (8-4) vs. Joby Sanchez (12-4) at flyweight and Jose Mariscal (9-3) vs. Fernando Padilla (13-3) at featherweight.
  • Shazza McKenzie is booked for Freelance Wrestling on 4/19 in Chicago.
  • Mad Dog vs. Mil Muertes in a Hardcore match is booked for BCW on 4/26 in Melbourne, Australia. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
  • Joey Janela will be on the next World Series Wrestling tour.
  • Defy Wrestling on 4/13 in Portland, OR at the Hawthorne Theater with Jimmy Havoc on the card, plus The Amerikan Gunz face Reno Scum.
  • CWE on 4/7 in Prince George, BC at the Connaught Youth Centre with Psicosis.
  • SKM Promotions tomorow night in Hagersville, ONT at the Community Centre.
  • Mad Dog vs. PJ Black on 4/28 in Sydney, Australia for BCW.
  • Low Ki vs. Daga has been added to the 4/5 MLW show at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY. 
  • KSW returns to the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland on 5/18. The main event is Scott Askham (17-4) vs. Michal Materla (27-6). 
  • The Wrestling Agency will be handling bookings for a lot of the WOS wrestlers including Justin Sysum, Rampage Brown, Joe Hendry, Adam Maxted, SoCal Val, Nathan Cruz, Iestyn Rees, Crater, Robbie X, Chardonnay, Ayesha Ray and Lucas Steel.
  • Combate Americas tomorrow night runs on DAZN at 10 p.m. Eastern and on Univision Deportes at 1 a.m. Eastern. Main event is a bantamweight title fight with Jose Alday (12-3-1) defending against Gustavo Lopez (9-4).
  • United Wrestling Revolution on 4/12 in Gadsden, AL at the Tabernacle Event Center with Bob Evans, Inzanely Rude and more.
  • VideosfromWarriorWrestling, based on what happened at Warrior 4 and leading up to Warrior 5.
  • Nick Aldisvideos by Dave Lagana promoting the Marty Scurll match on 4/27 in Concord, NC.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Steve Austin vs. The Rock at Wrestlemania XV

Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIAWeekend Event:

  • Saturday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm: Lunch (all you can eat) at Churrascaria Plataforma ($90 per person), located at 316 W. 49th street in Manhattan. Purchase tickets here~!

CONTACT INFORMATION

NJPW notes: Jr. title match set for MSG, G1 schedule announced

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW is planning out its next few months as a Jr. title match has been set for the MSG show while releasing their schedule for this summer’s G1 Climax 29 tournament.

After retaining the IWGP Jr. title at last night’s anniversary show, Taiji Ishimori called out anyone from ROH for a match at the G1 Supercard. Dragon Lee, who appeared earlier in the show as part of a undercard tag match, came out and accepted the challenge, saying that while he is not part of New Japan or Ring of Honor, he will represent CMLL at Madison Square Garden. The match hasn’t been made official by New Japan, but that will likely change in the next few days.

The anniversary show also had a segment showing dates for this summer’s G1 Climax. The tour will start on July 6 in Dallas, Texas with the last three nights taking place at Budokan Hall. Here is the complete list:

  • July 6: American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
  • July 13, 14: Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo
  • July 15: Hokkai Kitayell in Hokkaido
  • July 18, 19, 20: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
  • July 24: Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall in Hiroshima
  • July 27, 28: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Aichi
  • July 30: Takamatsu City General Gymnasium in Kagawa
  • August 1: Fukuoka Citizen Gymnasium in Fukuoka
  • August 3, 4: Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Osaka
  • August 7: Hamamatsu Arena in Shizuoka
  • August 8: Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa
  • August 10, 11, 12: Budokan Hall in Tokyo

Daily Update: Georges St-Pierre, Amanda Nunes, WWE notes

Posted on by F4W Staff

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News

Latest Audio

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: WWE takes first steps toward WrestleMania 35 triple threat

It appears that WWE has officially taken the first steps towards Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair all being involved in the main event of WrestleMania 35.

An angle where Vince McMahon suspended Lynch for 60 days and announced that Charlotte would be taking her place at WrestleMania closed last Monday’s episode of Raw. Charlotte aligned with Vince and fully turned heel, with Vince calling her someone with charisma, someone with charm, and someone who knows their lane and stays in it.

WON NEWSLETTER: February 25, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Elimination Chamber review

The show didn’t sell out, even in one of WWE’s best markets. The show had more good than bad, with the highlight being the main event, the men’s Chamber match where Daniel Bryan retained and the crowd got so strong behind Kofi Kingston in the Mustafa Ali slot that Vince McMahon changed plans for Fast Lane to put Bryan vs. Kingston on top.

The show was the brainchild of Motoko Baba, to run a big Baba celebration show in 2019, 20 years after his early 1999 death. With her passing away last year, it was her nieces and nephews who put the show together.

All but one count of Mark Hunt’s lawsuit against the UFC, Dana White and Brock Lesnar on the grounds they conspired against him to allow a juiced up Lesnar to fight him at UFC 200 was thrown out of court.

The 2020 Royal Rumble will take place on 1/26 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Most likely that would also mean Takeover on 1/25 at the Toyota Center, Raw on 1/27 and Smackdown on 1/28.

FOX this weekend started advertising 10/4 as the debut of the new Friday Night Smackdown show.

“Fighting with My Family,” the Dwayne Johnson Seven Bucks Entertainment movie about Growing Up as Paige, which has its big national release on 2/22, has gotten great word-of-mouth so far.

Chris Jericho noted that while he and Gedo are on the same page, that New Japan management hasn’t talked with him about a new deal.

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.

THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE

by Joseph Currier and Bryan Rose

WWE

  • WWE uploaded a video that has interviews with new behind-the-scenes employees Jeff Jarrett, Chris Parks (Abyss), Sonjay Dutt, Shawn Daivari, and Shane Helms.
  • Triple H responded to the announcement that Roman Reigns will appear on Monday’s Raw to address the status of his battle with leukemia: “No one fights harder and is tougher than @WWERomanReigns. Can’t wait to see him back in his yard this Monday on #Raw and hear how his battle is going.”
  • Xavier Woods tweeted about New Day’s goal of Kofi Kingston becoming WWE Champion: “If you’re late to the party, #NewDay has been repping that @TrueKofi will become the WWE world champion since our inception. It will soon become a reality. There is no bandwagon. There is no alternate truth. We are here for him and always will be. #KofiVsBryan”
  • Pep Hamilton was officially introduced as the head coach/general manager of the XFL’s Washington DC team today. Hamilton was formerly the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts and Stanford University.
  • Oliver Luck said the XFL is very close to announcing a “very strong broadcast package” for the league.
  • This week’s WWE Network Hidden Gems additions were:
    Sputnik Monroe vs. Jack Pesek (Championship Wrestling from Florida, 1966)
    Bobo Brazil & Dick the Bruiser vs. The Sheik & Bobby Heenan (AWA, 1974)
    Rocky Johnson & Pedro Morales vs. Ivan Koloff & Mr. Saito (Championship Wrestling from Florida, 1978)
    Junkyard Dog vs. Buzz Sawyer (Houston Wrestling, 1983)
  • The Charlotte Observer has a feature story on Charlotte Flair.
  • WWE posted full video of the sit-down interview Matt Riddle did with Jeremy Borash that aired on this week’s NXT TV.
  • People has an interview with Paige about “Fighting with My Family.”
  • Billy Gunn appeared on Busted Open Radio to discuss D-Generation X being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Gunn said he thinks Chyna going into the Hall of Fame is the most exciting thing about it.

Pro Wrestling

UFC/MMA

  • At his retirement press conference today, Georges St-Pierre spoke about why a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov didn’t happen: “My agent was talking to the UFC, we tried to organize the fight with Khabib. I know Khabib wants it and I want it, but the UFC had other plans. To the point where I am in my career, for me it’s more at this time taking one fight at a time instead of being there for several fights. The way the business works in UFC, if they promote someone they want to keep him there to have a guarantee that the guy is there. It’s like an investment.”
  • Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram: “Now look at this video and you’ll understand why I wanted to fight with him, simply he’s one of the best оf all times. I just wanted to share cage with him while he’s active, that’s the history and people be watching it again and again, I want to fight with the best. Anyway, good luck to you Legend @georgesstpierre time is merciless, and your decision is right.”
  • ESPN2 will be airing three GSP fights starting tomorrow morning at 2:30 eastern. First will be the fight against Johny Hendricks, then the second fight against Matt Hughes followed by his fight against Carlos Condit.
  • With a message on their marquee, Madison Square Garden thanked GSP and congratulated him on his career.
  • Scott Coker also wished GSP the best in his retirement.
  • GSP was honored at tonight’s Canadiens/Flyers game.
  • Amanda Nunes doesn’t feel she will be ready to fight by May for UFC 237. Her goal is to fight in November or December against Holly Holm, then rematch against Cyborg next year before retiring.
  • ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong posted a picture with himself and Vitor Belfort, saying that he will be at ringside tomorrow as his guest, and to “stay tuned for some big news!”
  • The ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix tournament brackets have been revealed.
  • Jose Aldo is looking at fighting Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 237.
  • Rose Namajunas announced a partnership deal between her and Reebok.
  • Bethe Correia vs. Irena Aldana has been booked for UFC 237.
  • Marcin Tybura will fight Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC St. Petersburg on 4/20.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Vader vs. Sting at WCW SuperBrawl III

Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIAWeekend Events (more to be added):

  • Sunday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm: Lunch (all you can eat) at Churrascaria Plataforma ($90 per person), located at 316 W. 49th street in Manhattan. Purchase tickets here~!
  • Luxury Bus to MetLife Stadium for Wrestlemania: We will depart from the Hilton Midtown (site of Wrestlecon) located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas. Departure time is 4:00 pm and will return from MetLife approximately 30 mins after the event. Times are subject to change, and cost $67.00 per person for the round trip. Purchase tickets here~!

CONTACT INFORMATION

WWE MSG live results: Cena returns, Rousey vs. Jax, NXT tag match

Posted on by F4W Staff

WWE held their annual post-Christmas house show at Madison Square Garden last night.

– Finn Balor defeated Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre in a triple threat match

Balor hit a dropkick and the Coup de Grace before pinning Ziggler.

McIntyre started to lay out both after the match and cut a promo about how he’s not excited to be in Madison Square Garden like everyone else. He said Ziggler and Balor were in the way of hin getting a shot at the Universal Championship. Ziggler attacked McIntyre and Balor hit McIntyre with the Coup de Grace.

– Apollo Crews won a 10-man battle royal for a future Intercontinental title shot

Crews last eliminated Jinder Mahal to win.

– Elias defeated Bobby Lashley in a guitar-on-a-pole match

There was an Elias performance before the match. He hit an elbow drop off the top rope on Lashley and then got the guitar to win.

After the match, Lashley accidentally took out Lio Rush with a spear and Elias gave Lashley a guitar shot.

– Natalya & Ember Moon defeated Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan

Natalya submitted Morgan with the Sharpshooter.

– Aleister Black, Ricochet, Pete Dunne, Velveteen Dream & Matt Riddle defeated Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong

Gargano was originally on the face side when this match was announced, but he turned heel and was replaced by Riddle. Going into the show, it had been advertised as the faces vs. Ciampa & The Undisputed Era.

Ricochet pinned Cole after hitting the 630.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated Seth Rollins in a steel cage match to retain his title

At one point, Rollins gave Ambrose a superplex off the top of the cage and then hit a Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Rollins tried to escape through the door, but Baron Corbin got involved and slammed the door on his head. Ambrose then won by leaving through the door.

– Raw Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode & Chad Gable defeated The Revival and AOP in a triple threat match to retain their titles

Drake Maverick interfered a few times during the match. Roode and Gable retained with their double-team moonsault/neckbreaker finisher.

– Sasha Banks & Bayley defeated Mickie James & Alicia Fox

Banks hit a backstabber on Fox, with Bayley then hitting the Bayley-to-Belly for the win.

– John Cena defeated Baron Corbin

Corbin said he had a match with Braun Strowman. Strowman never came out and they did a 10 count and announced Corbin as the winner, but Vince McMahon then made an appearance at the show. He said this was Madison Square Garden and Corbin would have to wrestle — then revealed Cena as Corbin’s opponent.

Vince said Cena is someone who has had more Madison Square Garden moments than Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino, and Steve Austin combined.

Cena won with the Attitude Adjustment and his new lightning fist finisher. He cut a promo after the match and thanked the fans for allowing him to be part of the show. 

– Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey defeated Nia Jax to retain her title

Jax started by hitting power moves, but Rousey came back and used an armbar to retain.

There was a brawl after the match where the faces in the women’s division stood tall over the heels, with Rousey hitting a crossbody off the top to the floor.

Matt Riddle added to NXT tag match at WWE MSG house show

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It appears that Matt Riddle will be making his Madison Square Garden debut next week.

The updated lineup for WWE’s house show at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, December 26 lists that Riddle will team with Aleister Black, Ricochet, Pete Dunne & Velveteen Dream in an NXT 10-man tag match against Tommaso Ciampa & The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish). The match had originally been advertised as Black, Ricochet, Dunne, Velveteen Dream & Johnny Gargano teaming together before Gargano’s heel turn.

Riddle had tweeted this week: “It’s only Tuesday and I already have the itch to get back in the ring. Maybe my year isn’t over yet and I can get one more match before the end of the year”

Next Wednesday’s house show at Madison Square Garden will also feature John Cena’s return to WWE. Here’s the current advertised card:

  • Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defending against Seth Rollins in a steel cage match
  • John Cena returns
  • Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey defending against Nia Jax
  • Finn Balor vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Drew McIntyre
  • Elias vs. Bobby Lashley
  • Aleister Black, Ricochet, Pete Dunne, Velveteen Dream & Matt Riddle vs. Tommaso Ciampa & The Undisputed Era
  • Raw Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode & Chad Gable defending against AOP
  • Natalya, Sasha Banks, Bayley & Ember Moon vs. The Riott Squad & Mickie James

Daniel Cormier-Derrick Lewis official for UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden

Posted on by Josh Nason

After trying and failing with several different combinations of fighters and titles/interim titles and getting panned for a potential women’s flyweight title fight as the main event, the UFC is going with a short-notice heavyweight title fight to headline its return to Madison Square Garden.

The Saturday, November 3rd UFC 230 pay-per-view will feature heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis in the main event, first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, confirmed to him via text from Dana White and Cormier himself.

Cormier had been recovering from a broken finger suffered in his title-winning performance over Stipe Miocic this July. It was expected that his next fight would be against Brock Lesnar in early-2019, but the UFC’s desperation in making a big fight for MSG took precedence.

Lewis (seen above) is coming off a Hail Mary knockout of Alexander Volkov at this past Saturday’s UFC 229 event and a star-making performance on the microphone in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. Lewis has won nine of his last 10 and has a penchant for taking short-notice fights. He joked after the fight that he wasn’t ready for a title shot because he needed to work on his cardio.

The MSG show also features Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirier and Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold II, but will not feature the much-discussed Valentina Shevchenko vs. Sijara Eubanks fight for the vacant women’s flyweight title. White told Okamoto via text that the plan will now be to move back to a December fight between Shevchenko vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Eubanks had said she signed the contract to fight while Shevchenko never responded publicly. Meanwhile, Jedrzejczyk publicly aired her issues with how things went down which may not make that as smooth a process as White might hope.

Figure Four Weekly: ROH and NJPW sell out Madison Square Garden

Posted on by F4W Staff

For the PDF click here.

For the Epub click here..

With All In still a few weeks away, the second pro wrestling show in the United States to sell over 10,000 tickets since the death of WCW is already official.

Tickets for Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling’s G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden went on sale last week, with the April 6, 2019 event selling out in just a few days. Approximately 9,000 of the 15,000 tickets were sold after the first day of the HonorClub pre-sale, they were up over 12,000 after a second day of pre-sales, and they sold out shortly after being made available to the general public last Friday.

While both were gambles on some level, the G1 Supercard was a more calculated risk than All In. ROH and NJPW are running the show during WrestleMania weekend, with tens of thousands of fans from around the world being added to one of the strongest markets for pro wrestling in the country.

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Undertaker advertised for six-man tag at WWE MSG house show

Posted on by Joseph Currier

While the card is always subject to change, it looks like The Undertaker’s match has been revealed for next month’s house show at Madison Square Garden.

Undertaker, Roman Reigns & Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin & Elias in a six-man tag is advertised to headline the July 7 event. Undertaker and Reigns are teaming together after their WrestleMania 33 main event, where Undertaker indicated that he was retiring before returning this year.

Undertaker last wrestled this past April, defeating John Cena at WrestleMania 34 and Rusev at the Greatest Royal Rumble. He’s also scheduled for a match against Triple H at WWE Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia this October, which is being billed as the final time they’ll face each other.

Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax for the Raw Women’s Championship had originally been announced for the Madison Square Garden house show. She’ll still be facing Jax, but now it’s a non-title match with champion Alexa Bliss as the special guest referee.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor for the Intercontinental Championship is also listed for Madison Square Garden, and Bobby Lashley, Jinder Mahal, Bobby Roode, Natalya, Bayley, Matt Hardy, and Bray Wyatt are advertised.

ROH planning to run Madison Square Garden in 2019

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: MSG.com

If they get their way, Ring of Honor is planning to run their first show in a WWE stronghold next year.

Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley told the Baltimore Biz Journal Tuesday that ROH will run a show at NYC’s Madison Square Garden in 2019. The interview was done in relation to WWE’s recent TV deals and the company’s own prospects for the future.

There wasn’t any additional detail or a time of year mentioned. Of note, WrestleMania is returning to the New York area next spring with the arena events running out of Brooklyn’s Barclays Center due to the costs of running MSG.

ROH has run shows in New York City and the region since their inception, mainly focusing on smaller venues like the Manhattan Center and Terminal 5. This would obviously be a massive step in terms of size, scope, and costs.

However, the recent success The Young Bucks and Cody Runnels had in quickly selling out a 10,000 seat venue in the Chicago region without a card could be bolstering the company’s hopes to sell out MSG with the right mix of talent (i.e. Bucks, Cody, Kenny Omega, etc).

Ripley said they have been scaling their production quality, but that “it’s not quite there yet” to more aggressively bring their TV product off Sinclair stations.

In last week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that AAA holds a September date for MSG. 

“If this show does happen, it would be the first time since the early 60s when someone other than Vince McMahon or his father would have promoted a pro wrestling event in the world’s most famous arena. It’s also notable that this past week, as there were insiders who found out about this booking, that WWE added Undertaker to its 7/7 show in Madison Square Garden, which seemed unusual given tickets were selling well for the date.”

WWE Madison Square Garden live results: AJ Styles wins US title

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: @TheGarden. Report submitted by reader Mike Omansky.

– Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler got some near falls, but Nakamura followed with a Kinshasa to the chest and pinned him. This was a very good match and Nakamura was over with the crowd.

– R-Truth defeated Goldust

R-Truth won with his finisher.

– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Cedric Alexander to retain his title

The crowd got into this after a while and both wrestlers worked hard. Neville pinned Alexander with his feet on the ropes to retain.

– Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defeated Intercontinental Champion The Miz (w/ Maryse) & Samoa Joe

The Miz cut a promo before the match saying that he refused to defend the IC title at MSG because this is where the New York Knicks play.

They had an excellent tag match, with Ambrose pinning Miz with Dirty Deeds while Rollins held Joe’s leg to keep him from interfering. The match had non-stop action and both teams used double-teams well.

– AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens to win the United States Championship

Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm to get the pin and win the US title. They had a very solid match, with it being the match of the night. Styles got a big ovation for winning the title.

– Sasha Banks, Bayley & Mickie James defeated Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Emma & Nia Jax

This didn’t last very long but had good action. Banks submitted Emma with the Banks Statement.

– Finn Balor defeated Karl Anderson (w/ Luke Gallows)

Balor hit the Coup de Grace to get the win in about a minute. There was good action from Balor in the match despite it being brief.

– Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus defeated The Hardys to retain their titles

The Hardys didn’t see the champions make a tag and double teamed Sheamus (who wasn’t the legal man). Cesaro then ran in and pinned Jeff.

– Roman Reigns defeated Bray Wyatt

Reigns won with a spear. Wyatt dominated the match and was often cheered. Reigns got heavily booed.

After it was over, Braun Strowman ran in to attack Reigns. Cedric Alexander and R-Truth came in and got tossed out. Seth Rollins then came down and was fighting off Strowman until Wyatt popped up and stopped him. Reigns recovered, knocked Wyatt down, and then speared Strowman to end the show.

How WWE helped a big boxing fight get booked at MSG

Posted on by Mike Sempervive

At the first official press conference to hype the upcoming “Triple G” Gennady Golovkin-Daniel Jacobs boxing fight at Madison Square Garden, both the Garden and HBO thanked World Wrestling Entertainment for their flexibility in moving an event already scheduled on March 18.

According to MSG Executive Vice President of Marquee Events and Operations Joe Fisher, to make the fight happen, WWE needed to move a show they already had booked that night in the building.

“A lot of you don’t know this, but I really need to thank the WWE. Everybody says ‘why the WWE?’ Well, we had an event booked on March 18, with the WWE, and they are just tremendous partners. They realized the magnitude of this event. And the fact that we needed to have it here. It had to be at Madison Square Garden. So with their cooperation, and partnership, they were willing to move off the date, and made this date possible. So I really, really want to thank all the great people at WWE.” 

Later, Peter Nelson, EVP of HBO Sports, also showed his appreciation, adding, “I want to echo Joel’s moments about the WWE, and the spirit of partnership that they shared in moving an event so that this event could take place in its natural habitat.”

The fight was announced on December 17, and features two guys known for their power. Featuring Golovkin, one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters, the bout could become boxing’s Fight of the Year, as well as its best selling pay-per-view.

Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez, Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero confirmed for UFC 205

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Late Monday night, UFC officially announced Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor for the UFC lightweight title as the main event of UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden on November 12th.

Early Tuesday morning, UFC president Dana White confirmed on the Boomer & Carton radio show that Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero has also been signed for the show which should complete the entire card. This is Weidman’s first fight since losing the middleweight title to Luke Rockhold earlier this year.

This will be the most loaded show that McGregor has ever headlined with the story that he will attempt to become the first fighter to win UFC championships in two weight classes at the same time.

Just last week, Alvarez turned down a match with Khabib Nurmagomedov. UFC announced that McGregor was injured and wouldn’t be able to return in time for an MSG fight. Shortly after that announcement, however, McGregor said he would be available and wanted the Alvarez fight.

UFC is holding a press conference in Madison Square Garden Tuesday at 6 PM EST where McGregor, Alvarez, Weidman, and more are expected. We’ll have that for you here on the site. 

The entire card as it stands now:

– UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez vs. UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor

– UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson

– UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

– Donald Cerrone vs. Kelvin Gastelum

– Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington

Predicted Prelims:

– Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens

– Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy

– Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian

– Tim Boetsch vs. Rafael Natal

Predicted Fight Pass:

– Jim Miller vs. Thiago Alves

– Gian Villante vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

– Belal Muhammad vs. Lyman Good

UFC announces November 12 Madison Square Garden debut date

Posted on by Josh Nason

Famous for plenty of combat sports & pro wrestling moments, NYC’s Madison Square Garden will have another monumental event to add to its lists: the debut of the UFC.

After NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo officially signed the bill to legalize MMA in the state Thursday, UFC announced their first show in MSG will be a PPV event on Saturday, November 12th. They also said another live event will be coming to upstate New York by the end of 2016, assumed to be Buffalo due to the proximity to Toronto which features a significant MMA fanbase.

UFC reiterated in a press release that they will run four shows a year in New York State for the first three years post-bill passage. With MSG, Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Buffalo, Albany, and even Syracuse’s Carrier Dome as a longshot, there’s no shortage of venues available. UFC mentioned those venues as well as Utica and Rochester in the release.

Given the amount of time it took to pass the bill, expect a pretty stacked card — the likes of which people expected with UFC 200. If the cards fall right — always a big ‘if’ with MMA — a Jon Jones/Daniel Cormier rematch or a Conor McGregor/Frankie Edgar featherweight title fight paired with Ronda Rousey’s return to action would be a pretty great start, wouldn’t it? Expect Chris Weidman to also be part of the card depending on his title situation.

Daniel Bryan will not be appearing at MSG, ceremony postponed

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daniel Bryan will not be appearing on Friday for what was scheduled as Daniel Bryan night in Madison Square Garden and there are reports we are awaiting confirmation on that indicate this is not limited to just the Madison Square Garden.

Several ticket holders for Friday night’s show were contacted today with a letter from Madison Square Garden stating:

“Due to a scheduling conflict, the ceremony to honor former WWE world heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan on March 25, 2016 has been postponed.

While this honoring may occur at a later date, WWE Live–Road to WrestleMania this Friday at Madison Square Garden will still take place as scheduled.  The event will feature many of your favorite WWE Superstars.  After nearly 5 years, Triple H return to action in the ring in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.  Also see Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Ric Flair, Sheamus, A.J. Styles, Bray Wyatt, Kevin Owens and many more!

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and look forward to your continued support of the WWE and Madison Square Garden.”

UPDATE: WWE officials have said that Danielson has requested time off and it was granted.