Teddy Hart’s long history of personal and legal troubles continued with him again being arrested last week.
TMZ Sports reports that the 43-year-old Hart (real name Edward Annis) was arrested in Titusville, Florida last week. Police allege that they found MDMA and steroids in Hart’s vehicle following a traffic stop. Hart was released from custody on Saturday. He’s facing two felony charges: possession of MDMA and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
The traffic stop happened after police allege that Hart ran a red light and was traveling at a high rate of speed around midnight. TMZ writes that police said they smelled an “overbearing odor of burnt marijuana emanating” during the stop and noticed “an unsealed medical marijuana container with a faded label inside of the glove compartment.” There were also “several pieces of loose leaf marijuana shake” found on a seat of the car.
The police stated that they found a baggie of red pills, a baggie of red powder, and a baggie that contained a blue powdery substance in the car. All three substances tested positive for the presence of MDMA.
Two small vials labeled Masteron and Testosterone Cypionate were also found. Both of those are steroids.
Hart returned to the ring at a show for Team Vision Dojo in Azalea Park, Florida on Friday (July 14).
A three-episode docuseries on Hart premiered on Peacock last November. In the series, “a filmmaker spends years documenting controversial wrestler and cat breeder Teddy Hart, but the project is thrown into chaos when Teddy is accused of wrongdoing; as Teddy defends himself, his protege and ex-girlfriend Samantha Fiddler disappears.”
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including AEW Dynamite tonight, your full NXT TV report, Cain Velasquez, Teddy Hart, RAW ratings, USING AN ACT THE RIGHT WAY, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
An investigative docuseries on the life and accusations against former pro wrestler Teddy Hart now has a trailer and a debut date.
“Dangerous Breed: Crime. Cons. Cats.” will bow on Peacock on Tuesday, November 22nd and will be a look into the accusations surrounding the Hart family member. It’s unknown how many episodes it will be.
Born out of footage from Canadian filmmaker Frederick Kroetsch, it was initially set to be a reality show about Hart which Kroetsch has been working on for ten years. Then, things changed.
From the synopsis:
“After accumulating years of footage, Frederick is shocked when multiple women whom he has been filming alongside Teddy, describe disturbing accusations of sexual misconduct behind the scenes. As Teddy defends himself against growing allegations, his protege and ex-girlfriend Samantha Fiddler, goes missing. With Samantha’s family desperate for answers, Frederick reexamines the footage and seeks out the people closest to Samantha, leading to a dramatic current day confrontation with Teddy Hart.”
The project was initially reported by Dave Meltzer in February and that both WWE and Blumhouse Media were involved. Neither are mentioned or referenced in the trailer.
Hart (Edward Annis) wrestled just twice for WWE and hasn’t been in the ring since December 2020. He wrestled for MLW, GCW, Impact and countless indies during his long career.
The 42-year-old has had legal issues dating back to 2014 when he was wanted on sexual assault charges brought up by two women that were later dropped.
He was arrested four times 2020 (three times in the first three months alone), the third coming after he was arrested in Virginia for strangulation resulting in bodily harm. In February that year, he was arrested for possession of a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to distribute and was arrested several weeks later for violation of his house arrest.
In October 2020, he was arrested in Texas and charged with injuring a disabled person, evading arrest, and possession of a controlled substance. He was then arrested in February 2021 on the same charges, but in Virginia.
WWE and Blumhouse Media are working on a documentary about controversial wrestler Teddy Hart.
Dave Meltzer reported the news in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, originally reporting that Peacock was producing it without WWE’s cooperation which he later corrected.
The documentary is tentatively scheduled for release this December.
“One person who was interviewed said they were going in depth into Hart’s past and there was a lot of questions about bad ex-relationships,” he wrote.
Hart wrestled two matches in WWE, one in October 2002 and another in May 2005.
The 42-year-old born Edward Annis has had legal issues going back as far as 2014 when he was wanted on sexual assault charges brought up by two women that were later dropped.
He was arrested four times 2020 (three times in the first three months alone), the third coming after he was arrested in Virginia for strangulation resulting in bodily harm. In February that year, he was arrested for possession of a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to distribute and then was arrested several weeks later for violation of his house arrest.
In October 2020, he was arrested in Texas and charged with injuring a disabled person, evading arrest, and being in possession of a controlled substance. He was then arrested in February 2021 on the same charges, but in Virginia.
Hart hasn’t wrestled since a December 2020 indie show in Michigan.
The WWE’s latest two autobiographical releases have been the book by Amy Dumas (Lita) and the heavily pushed “The Stone Cold Truth,” by Steve Austin.
WWE books have run the gamut, from the classic Mick Foley books and the entertaining Freddie Blassie release to the weak Rock, Fabulous Moolah and Chyna books. Like with much of wrestling, and that is the lesson in both of these books, timing is everything. When WWE first got its book deal, Austin was the biggest star and was asked to do a book, which was announced years ago. He didn’t want to at the time, and by delaying, he lost his shot at what would have been a sure national bestseller.
Now, with his career as an active wrestler basically over, he committed not only to the book, but to a national touring schedule to promote it.
I’d say both books are probably in the Kurt Angle category, in that they are good reads, but fall short of being must-reads.
Teddy Hart has been arrested for the third time this year.
Hart, real name Edward Annis, was arraigned this morning in Richmond, Virginia on charges of strangulation resulting in bodily harm following his arrest yesterday. Under Virginia law, strangulation is considered a class six felony and could lead to 1-5 years of imprisonment and a $2,500 fine. He is currently held without bail at the Richmond County Jail and is scheduled for a April 24 hearing.
This comes following a video posted on independent wrestler Ace Montana’s Facebook page where he accused Hart of physically assaulting ROH star Maria Manic.
“Literally had to pull my gun on Teddy Hart and throw him out of my friends house,” Montana wrote. “This piece of **** literally choked out and physically assaulted Maria Manic and would not let her get help. she texted me I’m in danger never ever did I think I would meet a piece of **** like this guy who has now been arrested with a felony against him. I don’t think this guy knew how close to death he was. This video is me kick him out before the cops came and arrested him.”
Hart continually denied the allegations in the video.
This is the third arrest for Hart this year. He was first arrested on February 12 for possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and possession with the intent to distribute. He was then arrested on March 4 due to a violation of his house arrest. He is scheduled for a April 23 court date for the February arrest.
Hart had most recently been appearing for Major League Wrestling, but was released from his contract in December.
Teddy Hart, former MLW roster member, frequent indie wrestler, and New Hart Foundation member, was arrested Tuesday in Richmond, Virginia, on drug related charges.
The 40-year-old born Edward Annis was charged with possession of a Schedule III narcotic (a Class 1 misdemeanor) and possession with intent to sell or distribute. According to PW Insider, Hart was incarcerated at the Richmond County Jail after being booked at midnight. It’s unknown if he has been released on bail, but he does have an April 23rd court date.
Schedule III drugs include codeine, anabolic steroids, hydrocodone, and others in that family.
Hart faces up to a year in jail and up to a $2500 fine for the misdemeanor while the possession with intent charge also carries jail time of between 1-10 years in prison or up to a year in jail with a fine to not exceed $2500.
Hart had really made a name for himself on the indie scene the past few years and was a big part of MLW’s relaunch from 2017 through 2019. The company released him in early-December, a month after he came under question due to a Facebook post accusing he and another wrestler with the disappearance of Hart’s ex-girlfriend, something he denied.
Without any other details or information, Major League Wrestling announced Friday they have “come to terms on the release of Teddy Hart.”
After being part of the company in its first iteration, the 39-year-old returned to MLW as part of their relaunch in 2017 alongside Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Brian Pillman Jr.. He held their tag team titles once and was also their middleweight champion for nearly a year before losing the title to Myron Reed in November.
Hart came under scrutiny in November after he and wrestler Chasyn Rance were mentioned in a now deleted but widely circulated Facebook post regarding the disappearance of Hart’s ex-girlfriend Samantha Fiddler. The former wrestling trainee has been missing since the fall of 2016. Hart denied the allegations on Twitter, saying he and Fiddler had gone their separate ways before she moved to Florida where she was last seen.
A Maine indie promotion severed ties with Hart shortly after the allegations were raised. While MLW kept him on the roster, the middleweight title loss to Reed came less than a week after the Facebook post went viral. He did not appear at MLW’s Opera Cup TV taping Thursday night.
Myron Reed is your new MLW Middleweight Champion after defeating Teddy Hart with a little help from his Injustice friends Jordan Oliver and Kotto Brazil — and also a fireball from CONTRA Unit’s Josef Samael.
Low Ki choked out Timothy Thatcher in a hard-hitting, excellent technical matchup.
CONTRA Unit vs. The Hart Foundation seems to be the new direction, with some clear intentions being put down tonight.
The full episode is available to watch below:
Full Recap —
AJ Kirsch and Rich Bocchini welcomed us to Orlando, Florida for the first MLW Fusion after last week’s Saturday Night SuperFight pay-per-view. They hyped up this week’s main event title match between MLW Middleweight Champion Teddy Hart and Myron Reed.
– Josef Samael celebrated Jacob Fatu’s successful World Heavyweight Championship defense against LA Park at SuperFight as the rest of CONTRA marched around the ring. He said CONTRA want to tighten their grip on MLW, said gold is power, and that they want all the gold.
He called out the Von Erichs for their Tag Team titles, but also said he had an offer they couldn’t refuse. Same with The Hart Foundation, Teddy Hart, and the Middleweight title. Samael said he would personally rip Hart’s sparkly pajamas off his body and shove them up his ass.
Teddy Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Brian Pillman Jr. came out and answered his challenge and sent CONTRA Unit packing. Officials and referees then came ringside and separated the two factions.
– Mance Warner had a recorded message for Jimmy Havoc. He challenged him to a falls count anywhere match in Orlando, then called him a piece of sh*t.
Low Ki defeated Timothy Thatcher (16:31)
An excellent but grueling hard-hitting match here to kick things off. Thatcher dominated — but it was Low Ki who found a way to choke out his larger opponent and pick up a very hard-fought win.
They went nose-to-nose before the bell — revealing Thatcher’s height advantage over Ki. They then had a feeling out process early on where they both gave clean breaks, but Low Ki took advantage of the slower tempo by snapping on a cross armbreaker in the ropes at lightning quick speed.
Thatcher’s strength advantage eventually came into effect as he forced Ki to the mat on a test of strength, but another rope break stopped any submission attempt Thatcher had in mind.
Back from the break, Thatcher had Ki locked in a half crab and transitioned into a bow-and-arrow stretch. A CONTRA video interrupted, with Samael warning us that next week he will have an offer for someone that they will not be able to refuse.
Thatcher and Ki exchanged chops and European uppercuts, then Thatcher slammed Ki and dropped an elbow. The former champion got sent to the floor with another uppercut, but Ki fired back once he was back in the ring.
Ki ducked another strike, hit the ropes, and then went for a springboard, but he turned and was met with yet another uppercut to the jaw. Ki wisely rolled to the outside to avoid the pinfall. He stumbled and staggered and just got back in at the 19 count.
Ki fired up and fought back again. Thatcher went for a slingshot into the corner, but Ki landed on the middle ropes, immediately leapt off, and planted his double foot stomp Ki Crusher out of nowhere. Ki then landed some stiff kicks to the chest, but Thatcher roared up and hit a belly-to-belly suplex. A double underhook suplex followed as Ki kicked out once again at the 15-minute mark.
Ki rallied and locked in a dragon sleeper but couldn’t hold it for long. Thatcher powered up to his feet with Ki on his shoulders, but Ki transitioned into a choke. Thatcher fell to the mat — and the referee called for the bell.
– The Von Erichs had a recorded response for CONTRA Unit. They said they were ready to take on all comers. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor was with them and was asked about the rumors regarding his future. He had no comment and acted “uncharacteristically” according to Bocchini and Kirsch on commentary.
– Bocchini and Kirsch then hyped up the signing of King Mo and footage from his press conference later tonight.
– Myron Reed, Jordan Oliver and Kotto Brazil then had a recorded video for us saying they were not sorry for anything, and tonight there will be a trade: Gold for Justice.
– King Mo’s press conference was next. He said he is here to wreck shop and will fight in the moneyweight division. Mo mentioned LA Park and Jacob Fatu by name as potential opponents, and he’s open to tag team wrestling too.
Myron Reed defeated Teddy Hart to win the MLW Middleweight Championship (10:37)
This was a Teddy Hart and Myron Reed highlight reel as both pulled out all of their high-flying and jaw-dropping moves. As Hart was eyeing up the victory, his earlier scrap with CONTRA came back to haunt him as Samael’s fireball stopped him in his tracks and handed the victory and the title to Reed.
As he entered, Hart was announced as a participant in the upcoming Opera Cup tournament. He also told the camera he is coming after Jacob Fatu and the MLW World Heavyweight title.
Injustice got involved almost immediately, but Hart knocked them off the apron. The distraction was enough for Reed to take over and hit a big slingshot leg drop from the apron back inside.
Hart had gone after Brazil and Oliver on the outside again, so Reed launched himself from the ring twice — first with a suicide dive through the ropes, then with a huge no-touch plancha that turned into a splash as Hart was still getting to his feet after the first dive.
Inside, Reed Matrix avoided a right hand and sprung up with a kick to the head, a springboard Ace Crusher, and a big sit-down curtain call neckbreaker. Out of nowhere, Hart hit a Canadian Destroyer but didn’t follow up with a pin.
After jaw-jacking with Injustice, Hart hit Reed with a backstabber and a middle rope springboard corkscrew senton. He went up to the top this time and hit a massive moonsault, but Reed kicked out at the last minute. Hart followed up with his powerbomb backstabber, but Reed kicked out again.
Hart then hit two DDTs and looked like he had the match won. His first was his hammerlock DDT. For his second, he came off the top rope and caught the challenger and planted him in the center of the ring. As the ref was counting the pin, Oliver and Brazil got on the apron, but once again Hart knocked them off. When Reed then came charging, Hart sidestepped and tossed him out onto his friends too.
With assistance from the referee, Hart climbed the ropes again and hit a huge moonsault onto the three of them on the floor. He suplexed Oliver on top of Brazil to add insult to injury.
Back inside and up the top rope, Hart hit a Canadian Destroyer — but Brazil pulled the referee out before he could count to three. As the referee was trying to throw Brazil out of the arena, Oliver got into the ring and distracted Hart. From out of nowhere, Josef Samael came into the picture and threw a fireball into Hart’s face.
Reed then saw his opportunity and grabbed it with both hands. He leapt to the top rope and launched himself halfway across the ring and landed a picture-perfect 450 splash to pick up the shock win — and the MLW Middleweight title.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Brian Pillman Jr. came running to Hart’s aid and kicked Injustice out of the ring as Fusion went off the air.
Teddy Hart and Austin Aries are officially set to face off at MLW’s first pay-per-view.
MLW announced today that Hart will defend his Middleweight Championship against Aries at Saturday Night SuperFight. The PPV is taking place at Cicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois on Saturday, November 2.
The build to Aries challenging for the Middleweight title began when he returned to MLW in June.
At last month’s War Chamber television tapings, there was an angle where Aries attacked Hart while The Hart Foundation (Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) were challenging for the MLW Tag Team titles in a two-out-of-three falls match. The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) retained their titles when Hart got counted out in the third fall due to Aries’ attack.
Aries defeated The Hart Foundation’s Brian Pillman Jr. in the main event of last weekend’s MLW Fusion episode. Aries called out Hart after the match and they brawled to close the episode.
Saturday Night SuperFight will be available via traditional PPV and Fite TV. Here’s the updated card for the show:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu defending against LA Park in a no DQ match
MLW Middleweight Champion Teddy Hart defending against Austin Aries
Tom Lawlor vs. Timothy Thatcher
MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone defending against Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Teddy Hart retained the MLW Middleweight title against MJF in a good action-packed main event.
El Hijo de LA Park lost out to Zenshi in a middleweight division match.
Mance Warner was arrested by NYC police and Salina de la Renta was behind it.
The war of words continued between Contra Unit and Tom Lawlor and the Von Erichs ahead of their War Chamber match in two weeks.
Full Recap —
We opened with commentator Rich Bocchini letting us know that Mance Warner was arrested earlier in the day and that more information about the arrest would be available later in the broadcast.
Zenshi defeated El Hijo de LA Park (5:57)
Salina de la Renta was not with Hijo as she was on her way back from giving her statement against Warner at the police station, the latter in custody for his chainsaw intimidation antics last week.
Hijo hit an early suicide dive after a smooth lucha opening sequence. He continued his assault on the outside with a powerbomb on the apron but back inside he could only get a two count. A backbreaker German suplex combo followed as Bocchini and Tony Schiavone talked about Hijo’s father and the MLW World title shot he holds.
Zenshi hit a slightly botched springboard hurricanrana off the top rope but was able to mask it with a quick standing shooting star press. He then wiped the error from everyone’s minds when he hit a corner to corner, coast to coast basement dropkick to the amazement of the NYC crowd.
Hijo rallied and countered an Alabama slam with a Mexican Destroyer but only got a two count. They traded back-and-forth for a while until Zenshi finally hit a twisting cutter to pick up the victory. Hijo smacked Zenshi with a chair after the bell and posed to the jeers from the crowd.
— Ricky Martinez will be the first MLW wrestler to compete in The Crash promotion in Mexico this September.
— Kaci Lennox interviewed Low Ki where he brought up Contra Unit, letting them know he will be making them aware of his professional presence.
— Contra Unit had their message for ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor and the Von Erich brothers. Fatu warned Lawlor while Gotch warned the Von Erichs that they will destroy them at War Chamber on September 7.
— Minoru Tanaka will return to MLW on October 5.
— Bocchini then interviewed de la Renta and Jimmy Havoc backstage. Salina said she was behind Warner getting arrested. Havoc warned him that then when he got out, Promociones Dorado will still be there to ruin his life.
— Bocchini then interviewed Lawlor and Marshall/Ross Von Erich and asked them who they had to team with them in the War Chamber against Contra Unit. They kept their cards close to their chest and did not disclose their fourth member. However, they did say their skulls will be crushed when they go to war in two weeks.
— We had an update about Alexander Hammerstone currently competing in Pro Wrestling NOAH’s N1 tournament as the MLW National Openweight Champion defeated Go Shiozaki in his debut match.
— Lifestyles of the Rich and Dynastic was next where Holliday bragged that they all currently held MLW gold. MJF bad mouthed Teddy Hart, adding that he never lost the Middleweight title that Teddy currently holds. Filmed before he left for Japan, Hammerstone said that because they had won all the gold in MLW, he was going to win some in Japan.
Teddy Hart defeated MJF (w/Aria Blake) to retain the MLW Middleweight title (12:01)
MJF took the mic before the match but New York told him to shut the f*ck up. He called himself the fastest rising star in professional wrestling, reminded us he never lost the MLW Middleweight title and called Teddy Hart “a bum, just like Bret.”
MJF tried to cheap shot Hart after distracting him with a handshake, but the veteran saw it coming and reversed a kick to the gut with a lungblower powerbomb as you do. A hanging hammerlock DDT (Dungeon DDT) followed which got a two count from the ref and an over the top reaction from Blake at ringside.
Hart went for an Asai moonsault to MJF on the floor but the AEW star grabbed his girlfriend and used her as a human shield which distracted Hart so MJF could take the advantage. He dropped Hart on the guardrail throat first and then lawn darted him headfirst into the ring post.
MJF wore Hart down, focusing on the throat and chest after the guardrail attack, but Hart recovered and hit a Code Red out of the corner, a Canadian destroyer, and a split-leg moonsault to the floor.
Hart then came off the top with a DDT then followed up with a top rope shooting star corkscrew elbow drop for a two count. He went for another split-leg moonsault but MJF got his knees up. MJF drilled him with a DDT and a pendulum piledriver for a two count of his own.
Aria hit Teddy Hart with a low blow behind the official’s back but was then ejected from ringside for her persistent interference. This gave Hart the time to recover and hit a Canadian Destroyer which won him the match and kept him his title.
Next Week —
‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor will cash in his rematch clause to challenge Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Heavyweight title.
The Dynasty vs. Hart Foundation feud will continue as Richard Holliday takes on Brian Pillman Jr.
The Hart Foundation are getting a Tag Team title rematch at next month’s MLW television tapings.
The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) will defend their titles against The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) in a two-out-of-three falls match at MLW’s War Chamber event next month. The tapings are taking place at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas on Saturday, September 7.
MJF & Holliday won the MLW Tag Team titles from The Hart Foundation at July’s Kings of Colosseum tapings. Teddy Hart & Brian Pillman Jr. were representing The Hart Foundation in that match. Smith Jr. and The Dynasty’s Alexander Hammerstone and Aria Blake also got involved.
Next month’s tapings in Texas will be headlined by a War Chamber match, which is a War Games-style match that can be won by pinfall, submission, or surrender once all participants have entered. Tom Lawlor, Marshall Von Erich, Ross Von Erich, and a partner will face Contra Unit (Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael, Simon Gotch & Ikuro Kwon).
The late Gary Hart will also be honored at the tapings.
The Middleweight title will be on the line at MLW’s television tapings in New York City later this month.
MLW has announced that Middleweight Champion Teddy Hart will defend his title against MJF at Never Say Never. The tapings are taking place at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York on Thursday, July 25.
MJF was the inaugural MLW Middleweight Champion but had to relinquish the title in December 2018 due to an injury. Hart then won the vacant title in a ladder match.
The Hart Foundation (Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Brian Pillman Jr.) have been involved in an ongoing program with The Dynasty (MJF, Richard Holliday & Alexander Hammerstone). MJF & Holliday won the Tag Team titles from Hart & Pillman in a ladder match that aired on last weekend’s episode of MLW Fusion.
Here’s the updated card for Never Say Never:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu defending against Tom Lawlor
LA Park vs. Jimmy Havoc
Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Timothy Thatcher
MLW Middleweight Champion Teddy Hart defending against MJF
We’re doing three polls this weekend, for the UFC 239 show in Las Vegas, NJPW G-1 opener in Dallas and the Impact PPV on Sunday in Dallas, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]” target=”_blank”>[email protected]
APW/Rev Pro King of Indies Friday in Daly City, CA
WWE Raw house show last night in Washington, DC
MLW from last night in Chicago
WWE Raw tonight in Wilkes-Barre, PA
WWE Smackdown tonight in Binghamton, NY
IMPACT SLAMMIVERSARY ON SUNDAY AT 8 P.M. EASTERN FROM GILLEY’S IN DALLAS ON PPV
TJP open challenge
Rob Van Dam vs. Moose
Eddie Edwards vs. Killer Kross first blood match
Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard
Taya Valkyrie defends the Knockouts title against Rosemary, Su Yung and Jessicka Havok in a Monster’s Ball match
The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) defend the tag titles against LAX and Dezmond Xavier & Trey Miguel
Rich Swann vs. Johnny Impact for X title
Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin for Impact title
Monday has Raw TV from Newark, NJ at the Prudential Center. Rey Mysterio returns Monday. There is also a Smackdown brand house show on Monday in Glens Falls, NY.
Smackdown and 205 take place Tuesday from Manchester, NH.
After a lack of interest heading into the pay-per-view, Stomping Grounds was a show that exceeded expectations.
Given that there weren’t really any surprises at the PPV, that’s probably mostly due to expectations being set too low. Nothing on the show was dramatically better than it should have been. The PPV succeeded where most good WWE shows do. Even if the build was underwhelming, a talented roster was able to go out to the ring and have good matches throughout much of the card.
With a gigantic week of news, we’ve got a double issue of the Observer this week, leading off with a look at the career of Perro Aguayo, one of the biggest drawing cards in pro wrestling history.
We look at his career highlights, the feud that made him a superstar, the big rivalries and big business booms he was part of, his most famous matches, the formation of AAA and his biggest career wins.
We also have more on Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman leading brands going forward. We look at the angles on Raw and whose fingerprints were on what, the level of power they look to have, why this move was made, Wall Street’s reaction to the move, how AEW fits into the picture, the audience they are trying to get back the Raw ratings increase that didn’t hold for Smackdown, Heyman and Bischoff talk about their new positions, when Bischoff starts and an analysis of Heyman’s first moves.
We also look at AEW’s Fyter Fest, the chair shot, the preshow, the business numbers, comparisons with WWE and UFC programming, match by match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
We also look at why the U.K. November tour is being rapidly changed, the Evolve special on WWE Network, Stomping Grounds business update, the story behind David Starr stomping on WWE tile belt and WWE reaction, Performance Center news, most-watched shows on the WWE Network and a rundown with business notes on all the WWE arena events this past week.
We also look at the career of Jacques Rougeau Sr, one of the biggest stars in Montreal wrestling history. We look at the history of the Rougeau family, how Jacques got into wrestling, why he quit at first, what brought him back, how role in making the career of Ivan Koloff, his sons getting into wrestling, his biggest matches, his Jarry Stadium main event, the first $100,000 gate in Canada, and the Rougeaus feud with the Garvins.
We also look at WWE’s tour of Japan this past week, with notes on both shows and business notes as well.
We run through New Japan’s tour of Australia, with business notes , Southern Showdown match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results and the Ospreay-Eagles match.
We also update Extreme Rules with matches announced and others that could be added.
We’ve also got full coverage of UFC in Minneapolis including detailed business notes.
We’ve got a rundown on ROH Bet in the World from Baltimore, with business notes, match-by-match coverage and star ratings.
We also look at the changing television situation in the U.K. with the WWE’s new deal with BT Sports and AEW’s new deal.
We look at the TripleMania card and the unique team of Cody & Psycho Clown & Cain Velasquez. There’s also notes from Killer Kross, who is training Velasquez.
We also look at the wrestling career of Yoshiaki Yatsu, who had his leg amputated over the past week. We look at his 1980s heyday when he was one of the best in the world, why he was important in history, his amateur background and his famous Pride match with Gary Goodridge.
We also look at the death of Jerry Seltzer, the famed Roller Derby promoter, how that game worked, how it exploded in popularity, why it died off, and Seltzer’s later role in the ticketing business.
We also run down the ratings of all the major TV shows, along with detailed demo info for the WWE shows.
We also have the 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].
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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
Garrett Gonzalez and I will be back tonight after Impact’s Slammiversary show talking the latest news. You can send questions to the show to [email protected]. We also have a new show up for the weekend covering the G-1 and UFC 239, and have new interview shows up with both Jushin Liger and Kota Ibushi.
Luke Rockhold suffered a broken jaw in his fight with Jan Blachowicz.
All of Ben Askren’s tests reportedly came back negative so he’s okay according to Dana White after the show. He was obviously hospitalized after a brutal knockout.
No update on Jon Jones, who was helped out. Thiago Santos had minor surgery on his right knee a few months ago and blew out his left knee in the first round of the fight. Media scores were 78-22% in favor of Jones, although I felt the fight could have gone either way. Story on the surgery from MMA Fighting.
The judges scores were:
Michael Bell gave Jones rounds 2, 3 and 4
Derek Cleary gave Jones 2, 3 and 5
Junichiro Kamijo gave Jones 3 and 5. If Clearly had given Santos 5, a round many thought he won clearly, Santos would be champion. Dana White said Jones won and has no interest in making a rematch
Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who were seated not far from each other, nearly got into it last night. Security broke it up before anything serious happened and they moved Diaz to a different seat. Diaz ended up leaving the show after the Gilbert Melendez fight.
WWE
Sheamus and Natalya are both appearing at the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame induction ceremony on 7/25 to 7/27 in Waterloo, IA. Gerald Brisco is doing a talent evaluation for WWE. Among others appearing for the weekend are Beth Phoenix, Ultimo Dragon, Gerald Brisco, Sgt. Slaughter, Thunderbolt Patterson, Nick Dinsmore, Lisa Marie Varon, Jim Ross, J.J.Dillon, Tony Garea, Brian Shields, Wes Brisco, James Beard, Brian Blair, Baron Von Raschke, Ric McCord,, Bob Roop and Brian Pillman Jr. There will also be a pro wrestlnig with an eight-man tournament and what is being billed as Blair’s retirement match.
Dolph Ziggler is doing comedy shows on Wednesday and Thursday night in Appleton, WI at Skyline Comedy. The former Hornswoggle will be on the bill with him.
UFC
Interest in last night’s show was high, as there were 2.5 million Google searches making UFC 239 the most searched for topic in the U.S. Ben Askren, at 500,000, after his spectacular knockout loss, was the third most searched term yesterday. The New Japan G-1 show did not crack the top 20, although that is not unexpected as previous show haven’t either. When it comes to big events, it’s pretty clear the UFC big events have the most mainstream interest, followed by WWE and Bellator. AEW Double or Nothing did crack the list as has Bare Knuckle Boxing, and NXT has twice at a low level.
A story in the Buffalo News on Rashad Evans going into the UFC Hall of Fame (thanks to Tom Mehs)
MISCELLANEOUS
Former pro wrestler Don Wright, and wife Sandy, lost her home and their car due to a home fire. They are raising five grandchildren who start school soon. Jon Moxley found out about a Go Fund Me set up by a coworker of Sandy and donated $5,000 enabling them to reach their goal.
Sporting News talked to Sami Callihan regarding tonight’s match with Tessa Blanchard.
In an update of something talked about on the show last night, Teddy Hart didn’t go through a door, but crashed into a ladder and seemed to hurt his back but Court Bauer said that Hart is fine today. MLW sold out Cicero for the third time in a row last night.
Dolph Ziggler will be participating in the panel “Happy Birthday Troma” for the 45th anniversary of Troma Entertainment and for Lloyd Kaufman’s 50 years as a filmmaker on 7/20 at the San Diego Comic Con in Room 25ABC at 9 p.m. Former wrestler Scott Lost, now a comic book artist, will be part of a panels on 7/18 called “Not So Strange Bedfellows: The Relationship between comics and pro wrestling in Room 29AB at 1 p.m. Rob Van Dam will appear in a panel on Independent Filmmaking for Low Budget Film, TV and web series on 7/18 in Room 25ABC at 9 p.m. Women of Wrestling at Headlocked Comics in booth #1901 on 7/20 from 1-3 p.m. has David McLane, Jeanie Buss and The Beast and 7/21 from Moon to 2 p.m. has Tessa Blanchard and McLane.
Former pro wrestler Anthony Carelli (Santino Marella) joined Neil Adams (former Olympic medalist and the brother of former pro wrestler Chris Adams) as announcers this weekend for judo’s Montreal Grand Prix. Today is the final day and it’s streams at live.ijf.org I’ve seen photos of pro wrestling legend Volk Han there.
The AAW Jim Lyman Memorial tournament takes place on 8/29 and 8/30 at the Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago.
Phil DeFries (17-6) defends the KSW heavyweight title against Damian Grabowski (22-5) in the main event of the KSW show on 9/14 at SSE Wembley in London. Tomasz Narkun (16-3) will also defend the light heavyweight title and Norman Parke (27-6-1) vs. Marian Ziolowski (21-7-1) are also announced.
AAW on 7/12 in Milwaukee at Turners Hall Ballroom has Sami Callihan vs. Fatu for the heavyweight title, Jessicka Havok vs. Taya Valkyrie for the women’s title, John Morrison vs Juventud Guerrera, Rey Fenix & Penta 0M vs. Myron Reed & A.R. Fox and Josh Briggs vs. Josh Alexander.
Warrior Wrestling 6 on 9/1 in Chicago (the day after All Out) at the Marian Catholic High School at 7 p.m. Announced as appearing are Mick Foley, Brian Cage, Tessa Blanchard, Pentagon Jr., Fenix, Dragon Lee, Ultimo Guerrero, Atlantis, Caristico, Michael Elgin, Austin Aries Tom Lawlor, Daga, Sam Adonis, Brian Pillman Jr., Wardlow, Andrew Everett, Templario, Soberano Jr. and more.
Progress from yesterday in Newcastle, U.K.: Fraser Thomas & HT Drake & Screwface Ahmed b Benji & Conor Renshaw & Zeo Knox, Darren Kearney & LJ Clearly & Natthan Martin b Chuck Mambo & Spike Trivet & William Eaver-DQ, Jurn Simmons b Connor Mills, Holidead b Candy Floss, Ilja Dragunov b Jordan Devlin to become top contender for the Progress title, Paul Robinson b Primate, David Starr b Brent Banks, Walter b Eddie Kingston to keep Progress title (thanks to Paul Sosnowski)
Progress from today in Manchester, U.K.: Soner Dursun b Luke Jacobs, LJ Clearly b Chuck Mambo, Holidead b Lana Austin, Jordan Devil b Conor Mills, Jonathan Gresham b Eddie Kingston-COR, Trent Seven b Paul Robinson, Spike Trivet & William Eaver b Darren Kearney & Nathan Martin, Walter b Ilja Dragunov to keep the Progress title
Future Stars of Wrestling from Friday night in Las Vegas in a UWFI style show: Ryan Couture b Dave Mazany, Stephan Bonnar b Sinn Bohdi, Gina Mazany b Kyra Batara, Tom Lawlor b Douglas James (said to be best bout of the show), Frank Mir b Simon Grimm, Killer Kross b Dan Severn, Killer Kross NC Jon Moxley with a double knockout finish. Moxley wasn’t advertised but just showed up. (thanks to Armando Aguilar)
IWF on 10/11 in Wayne, NJ at the Wayne PAL Building with Tony Atlas, Tito Santana and Bull James Dempsey.
Impact from last night in Texas City, TX in a joint show with Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling: Jordynne Grace b Alex Gracia, Jonathan Vega & Diego De La Cruz b Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz, Moose b Mysterious Q, Brenden Steen won scramble over Ayden Cristiano, Cameron Cole, Bryan Keith, Will Allday, Isaiah, Josh Alexander, Jake Crist, Dave Crist, Ethan Page, Mad Man Fulton and Willie Mack, Brenden Steen b Josh Alexander, Sami Callihan DCOR Terrell Tempo, Michael Elgin b Moonshine Mantell (ROW champion) due to distraction from The North, Gino b Eddie Edwards, Tessa Blanchard won four-way over AQA, Hyan and Su Yung, Zack Zilla & Warren J b LAX, (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
MWE on 7/12 in St. Louis Park, MN at the Rec Center with Flash Gordon vs Kongo Kong. Nikita Koloff will appear on the show.
I Believe in Wrestling from Friday night in Orlando: Carlos Gabriel b Jay Sky, JD Amazing b Caius Wolfe, Mike Reed b Danny Malo, Deon James b Antony Catena, Ali Mohammed b Reni Danilo, Chasyn Rance & Amber Nova & Lexi Gomez & Gia Roman b Blake Burke & Ahmed Ayuooti & Kaci Lennox & Dank the Clown, Josh Dawkins b Johnny Zekie, Aaron Epic d Andrew Marlin. Next show is 8/2 with Epic vs. Merlin 2/3 falls and Amber Nova vs. Blake Banks.
Tickets for Defy’s Defyane Forever show are on sale for 8/23 in Tacoma, WA at the Temple Theater which will include New Japan talent.
Innovate Wrestling on 8/10 in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium for Fire in the Mountain 2019.
Tickets for the 9/18 and 9/19 WOW TV tapings in Los Angeles at the Belasco Theater are on sale. Both nights are AXS tapings for the new season and start at 6:30 p.m.
RevPro today in London at the Cockpit: James Mason b Kenneth Halfpeny, Dan Moloney & MK McKinnan b Dan Magee & Kurtis Chapman, Gabriel Kidd b Jaxton Stone, Kyle Fletcher b Josh Bodom, Seleziya Sparks b Shazza McKenzie, Mark Davis NC Sha Samuels, El Phantasmo & Hikuleo b A-Kid & Carlos Romo, Pac b David Starr
The MLW Tag Team titles will be on the line in a ladder match at Kings of Colosseum.
MLW has announced that The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Brian Pillman Jr.) will defend their Tag Team titles against The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) in a ladder match at the promotion’s television tapings at Cicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois on Saturday, July 6.
In another Hart Foundation vs. Dynasty match, Davey Boy Smith Jr. is challenging for Alexander Hammerstone’s National Openweight Championship at the Kings of Colosseum tapings. Smith & Hart were the Hart Foundation team that won the Tag Team titles, but Hart & Pillman are defending the titles in the ladder match.
MJF and Holliday attacked Hart on the most recent episode of MLW Fusion and took his Tag Team title belt.
Hart also holds the MLW Middleweight Championship.
Here’s the updated lineup for Kings of Colosseum:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Tom Lawlor defending against Jacob Fatu
LA Park & El Hijo de LA Park vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. & El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.
MLW Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Brian Pillman Jr.) defending against The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) in a ladder match
MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone defending against Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Ross & Marshall Von Erich vs. Contra Unit (Josef Samael & Simon Gotch)
