By [email protected]”>Dave Meltzer
For this weekend, we’ll be doing our poll on the New Japan Invasion Attack show so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]”>[email protected]
No WWE house shows this weekend but we’re looking for reports from NXT in Palatka, FL tonight and Orlando tomorrow night at [email protected]”>[email protected]
AGON ON iPPV tonight at 8:30 p.m. Eastern from the Cellular Arena in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Brent Metcalf vs. Aaron Pico – This is a pre-match of what will likely be the rivalry to determine who makes the 2016 Olympics at 143 pounds. Both are top 20 in the world. Pico is a high school junior right now who is already under contract to Bellator.
Henry Cejudo (2008 gold medalist) vs. Tony Ramos (2014 NCAA champion and world team member)
Matt McDonough (2010 NCAA champion) vs. Angel Escobedo (who beat McDonough two weeks before he won the NCAA title)
Derek St. John vs. Jason Welch
Phil Keddy vs. Deron Winn
Justin Mejia vs. Austin Gomez (this year’s California state champion vs. Illinois state champion)
Michael Kemerer vs. Fredy Stroke (this year’s Pennsylvania State champion vs. Iowa state champion)
Alex Marinelli vs. Josh Shields (Ohio State champion vs. Arizona State champion)
Shine on iPPV tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern from The Orpheum in Ybor City, FL
Mia Yim vs. Santana Garrett Shine title vs. NWA title
Kimber Lee & Cherry bomb vs. Kellie Skater & Tomoka Nakagawa in Shine title vs Shimmer title unification
Jessicka Havok & Leva Bates vs. Sweet Saraya Knight & Su Yung no DQ
Nikki Storm vs Andrea
Jayme Jameson & Marti Belle vs. Crazy Mary Dobson & Solo Darling
Allysin Kay vs. Kay Lee Ray
Madison Eagles vs. Rosa Negra
Evie vs. Tessa Blanchard
Shazza McKenzie vs. Miss Rachel
New Japan World Pro Wrestling at 9 p.m. on AXS
Kazuchika Okada vs. A.J. Styles for IWGP heavyweight title
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kota Ibushi for IWGP jr. title
Young Bucks vs. Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov for IWGP jr. tag title
TNA Impact tonight on Destination America at 9 p.m.
Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Lashley for TNA title
Eric Young vs. Bobby Roode submission match
Bram vs. Magnus falls count anywhere match
Glory kickboxing from Dubai airs tonight on Spike at 9 p.m. Eastern time
Robin Van Roosmalen vs. Andy Ristie for lightweight title
Mosab Amrani vs. Gabriel Varga for featherweight title
Alex Pereira, Wayne Barrett, Simon Marcus and Jason Wilnis in a four-man middleweight tournament for a title shot
Saulo Cavalari vs. Artem Vakhitov
Legacy Fighting Championships tonight on AXS at 10 p.m.
Kathina Catron vs. Amber Stautzenberger
Rodney Allison vs. Daniel Hauenstein
Zach Church vs. James Warren
Mike Budnik vs. Evan Cutts
Justin Rader vs. Ricardo Ramos
Jonny Carson vs. Daniel Pineda
UFC on FS 1 at 11 a.m. Eastern for a rare morning/afternoon show from Fairfax, VA
Justin Jones (185.5) vs. Ron Stallings (185)
Shmail Abdurahimov (255) vs. Timothy Johnson (263.6)
Gray Maynard (155) vs. Alexander Yakovlvev (155.75)
Liz Carmouche (134.5) vs. Lauren Murphy (135)
Diego Ferrerira (155.5) vs. Dustin Poirier (155.5)
Clay Guida (146) vs. Robbie Peralta (145)
Milana Dudieva (135.5) vs. Julianna Pena (136)
Michael Chiesa (155.5) vs. Mitch Clarke (155)
Al Iaquinta (155.5) vs. Jorge Masvidal (156)
Ricardo Lamas (145.5) vs. Chad Mendes (145.5)
Masvidal missed weight but came back and dropped 1/2 pound and made it later.
ROH runs Saturday in San Antonio with Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish defending the tag titles against Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian, plus Alberto El Patron’s final ROH match, teaming ACH & Matt Sydal vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe & Roderick Strong, Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Raymond Rowe & Hanson, Dalton Castle vs. Donovan Dijak and Michael Elgin vs. Cedric Alexander.
New Japan Invasion Attack at 3 a.m. Eastern time/midnight Pacific on New Japan World live from Sumo Hall in Tokyo
Yohei Komatsu & Captain New Japan & Alex Shelley & Kushida & Yuji Nagata vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi & Sho Tanaka
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Tama Tonga & Cody Hall
Young Bucks vs. Trent Baretta & Rocky Romero for IWGP jr. tag titles
Kenny Omega vs. Mascara Dorada for IWGP jr. title
Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs. Michael Bennett & Matt Taven for IWGP tag titles
Togi Makabe & Hirooki Goto & Tetsuya Naito vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Toru Yano
Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale
A.J. Styles vs. Kota Ibushi for IWGP heavyweight title
Raw will be live Monday night from Austin, TX.
Smackdown will be taped on Tuesday night in Dallas.
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The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with an extensive Perro Aguayo Jr. bio by Dr. Lucha Steve Sims, a look at the economic impact of WrestleMania, and all of the usual reviews and international news.
Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the American, Canadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle.
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Our annual WrestleMania issue of the Observer is out right now. The new issue covers the entire show with exclusive backstage notes, full coverage of all the matches, injuries, and craziness of the week for not just WWE but all the promotions in town, the most detailed look at where the WWE Network stands, the aftermath of the death of Perro Aguayo Jr., the reaction to Roman Reigns not winning the title, full details on New Japan’s presence in the U.S. both on television and arena events and the best Raw ratings in a year.
The latest Observer: April 6, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Annual WrestleMania issue, Ronda Rousey, new WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar and more!
Website subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show in the history of the site as low as $9.99 per month!
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected]”>[email protected]
You can also order at www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected]
Rates are:
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to [email protected] For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.
Our lead story covers WrestleMania. We look at the title plans for the show, how they changed, who knew what and when, was Seth Rollins the guy for the spot and what the arguments were, next year’s WrestleMania, Vince McMahon putting over Ronda Rousey on his biggest platform, Rock & Rousey preparation for the angle, real attendance, gate claims and other records, merchandise sales, how much people paid in San Jose, why the attendance number was announced as large as it was, biggest real WWE crowds in history, who got the biggest reaction, UFC allowing its talent to do pro wrestling appearances, looking at the results of the show, arguments on HHH vs. Sting finish and the horrible commentary.
We look at who were the most popular and talked about characters on the show, booking changes, show changes and more.
We also have match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
We also look at the WWE Network number and what it means. We talk about why Wall Street was so negative on the stock, expanded costs and what that means to both break-even and to making the network financially viable. We look at what number of subscribers the network needs to bring the company back to where it was profitability wise and what it needs to make up for the losses of PPV and iPPV revenue.
We look at how many new subscribers the free February brought in, why WrestleMania taking in far less revenue than before is not alarming, how February free compared to November free, what the next big questions regarding the network are and when we will know the answers, the future of NXT, what Vince McMahon said about Sting, and details of lots of new WWE television shows and what it says about both the direction of the network and the relationship of the company with one of its all-time biggest stars.
We’ve also got more on Brock Lesnar’s new contract, updates on Dwayne Johnson, trouble after WrestleMania,, 2017 WrestleMania, Hall of Fame thoughts, story behind why Scott Steiner was banned from the Hall of Famer, Notes on Jimmy Jacobs to WWE, when Paul Heyman found out about Brock Lesnar signing, his thoughts on the negotiations, Daniel Bryan talks Roman Reigns, how he thinks the Reigns situation and Batista situation were different, Bryan talks Mania, Jim Ross on Bryan vs. Reigns, Bryan talks the details of his neck injury and the recovery from it.
Bill Goldberg talks about his relationship with WWE, we look at the Nikki Bella/A.J. Lee angle, Samoa Joe notes, changes on the 4/13 Raw show, Why Scotty 2 Hotty and Brian Christopher were not at the Hall of Fame with Rikishi, Phil Baroni and WWE, C.J. Parker giving notice, Ric Flair’s funny comments that made Michael Cole change the subject and two new WWE movies.
We’ve got an update on the medical examiner’s cause of death for Perro Aguayo Jr., how big the story was in Mexico, the plight this past week of Konnan and Rey Mysterio Jr., the funeral of Aguayo Jr., Dorian Roldan talks the Aguayo death, Santo talks the Aguayo death, and his doctors talk about whether he came in with a serious injury.
We also look at the NXT show in San Jose, business notes on the show, why Vince McMahon extended the time, reaction to HHH, and full coverage of the show. We also talk about what the NXT crowd showed about the plight of women performers in WWE. We also look at the NXT tournament, and future of the NXT brand.
We also have full coverage of the ROH show in Redwood City, with match-by-match coverage and star ratings.
We also look at other stars of the weekend, and the other shows, nostalgia, hot matches and new stars.
We also have an exclusive look at New Japan’s new U.S. TV deal, as well as what matches will be airing on what nights from when it starts.
The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.
We also have our regular features such as the most complete look at ratings, plus results of the major house show events each week in pro wrestling and MMA, and complete inside rundowns of all the TV shows.
Also in this week’s issue:
–Former fired main eventer brought back and what it says
–Full details on Pro Wrestling NOAH’s upcoming tag team tournament
–The latest on the NOAH vs. Suzuki-gun feud
–Major news on Invasion Attack
–Update on New Japan ticket sales
–Jim Ross talks Okada
–Notes on New Japan’s big show of he week
–More on the upcoming debut of Global Force Wrestling
–More on how the Tokyo Dome show did on PPV
–More on the death of Cincinnati Red
Click Here: cheap nsw blues jersey
–WWE star’s new comedy show
–Update on Mysterio and Lucha Underground
–Future of Lucha Underground
–Thoughts on the promotion touring
–End of the season notes
–More on Alberto El Patron and injuries and real fights
–More on the New Japan visit to ROH in May
–A look at other New Japan stars coming to ROH
–ROH star gives notice
–TNA inks Canadian English language TV deal
–More on thoughts regarding TNA embracing U.K. as a home promotion
–Notes on Destination America calling key shots with TNA
–Destination America changing programming
–TNA signing new overseas deals including getting a deal with a station that used to carny WWE
–Thoughts on McGregor vs. Aldo and featherweight records
–Amazing interest in the McGregor-Aldo press conference
–UFC first quarter and second quarter business notes
–UFC major executive gone
–Notes on Cris Cyborg’s deal with UFC
–This week’s UFC show
–Lots of new UFC matches
–More on commission overturning fight result
–Fourth Horsewoman signs contract
–Update on Nick Diaz
–Possible next fight for Josh Barnett
–Next Invicta show top fights
–Match of the year candidate in Bellator
–Bellator talking to a top ten ranked heavyweight boxer
–New Bellator fights
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
Our most requested issues in our history are:
*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)
*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)
*August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)
*March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a
*October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)
*July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)
*February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)
*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)
*January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)
*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)
*March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)
*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)
*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)
*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)
*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)
*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)
*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)
*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)
*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)
*January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)
*February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)
*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)
*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)
*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)
*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)
*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)
*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)
*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)
*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)
*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)
*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)
*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)
*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)
*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)
*July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)
*September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)
*October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)
*November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)
*January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)
*January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)
*April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)
*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)
*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)
*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)
*October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)
*November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)
*November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)
*November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)
*December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)
*January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)
*March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)
*March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)
*March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)
*April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)
*July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)
*October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)
*November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .
*December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)
*January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)
*March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)
*April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)
* September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)
* September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)
* September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)
You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.
We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..
To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.
FRIDAY’S NEWS UPDATE
In one fight, Floyd Mayweather is expected to surpass the all-time annual earnings record of any athlete in history, which would be about $115 million for Tiger Woods in 2008 and $110 million in 2009.
WWE Battleground PPV takes place on 7/19 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. That building already just hosted Survivor Series in November and the NCAA tournament two weeks ago.
Sami Zayn returned to action after his shoulder injury at last night’s NXT show in Tampa. He beat Baron Corbin and then did an angle with Kevin Owens.
WWE has a poll right now on its web site on who most deserves a title shot. At last word, Roman Reigns was winning.
Shinsuke Nakamura, in response to the suggestion by Daniel Bryan that they have a match that airs both on the WWE Network and New Japan World: “Anytime, anywhere I saw yes.” Isn’t he supposed to say Yeaoh?
This is an update for the European tour which starts Wednesday.
One tour will have John Cena vs. Rusev for the U.S. title, Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton for the WWE title and Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper as the top matches.. The other tour has Roman Reigns vs. Big Show in a street fight, Daniel Bryan vs. Bad News Barrett for the IC title and Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler. The reason this seems unbalanced with Cena and the WWE title on the same tour is because when the lineups were put together, Reigns was going to be champion, not Rollins.
As noted in this week’s Observer, Steve Austin was never scheduled for any events this past weekend in San Jose. He had never agreed to do anything. Whether some people thought he was going to be there, that I don’t know but I was told consistently leading up to the event and it’s been confirmed that was never scheduled for anything and he’s not the type who comes just to hang out.
Dwayne Johnson got the nod over Jimmy Fallon last night on Spike on the debut of Lip Sync Battle hosted by LL Cool J. Johnson sang “Shake It off” and “Stayin Alive”. The show drew 2.21 million viewers on the first airing and 2.47 million on the replay. Smackdown was the most watched show on cable last night with 2.74 million viewers. Here is video.
Furious 7, which opened last night and did $15.8 million, is expected to hit $120 million to $130 million this weekend and break the all-time record for the month of April. Dwayne Johnson and Ronda Rousey are both in the movie. Fast 6 opened at $97 million.
Justin Roberts on WWE’s creating a story regarding both Ultimate Warrior and Conor Michalek
Jake Crist may be having to retire due to compressed vertebrae and severe lower back spasms caused by herniated discs. He’s wrestling his childhood idol, Shane Douglas, in what may be his final match tonight in Dayton for Rockstar Pro Wrestling at the Rockstar Pro Arena.
Ultimate Fighter Brazil debuts on Fight Pass on Monday night and on Globo in Brazil on Sunday.
Chris Weidman, Cain Velasquez and Luke Rockhold will be guests on Inside MMA tonight at about 12:30 a.m. (after the fights)
Speaking of Rockhold, he got pranked on Wednesday for April Fool’s when he was told Lyoto Machida was injured and his fight was off. It’s not of course.
UFC Fight Pass has added a new Fightography special with Dan Severn. and talked about his fight with Royce Gracie in 1994.
Jeff Monson headlines MMA Kings tonight in Fort Lauderdale, taped for airing on 4/16 on CBS Sports network at 10 p.m. Here is a story on the show.
Daniel Bryan’s autobiography is scheduled to be released on 7/21.
WWE Studios is working with Richwater Films to produce two action movies, “Eliminators” and “Rampage.” Eliminators will star Scot Adkins and features Wade Barrett, about a former U.S. federal agent in the witness protection program who has to come out of hiding after his home is invaded and trying to save his daughter. Rampage will is about an American counter terrorism operative who has to work with the British to take down a dangerous terrorist.
If you hadn’t heard, Michael Cole will be back announcing on Raw Monday. That’s insane after claiming he broke his neck, but after Byron Saxton’s performance, I kind of figured that would happen.
Jerry Lawler will wrestle Bill Dundee on 5/23 in Memphis as a fund raiser trying to raise money to save the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis.
The Hulk Hogan Micro Championship Wrestilng shows scheduled for tonight in Philadelphia and tomorrow night in Allentown, PA have both been canceled because the promotion did not file the required paperwork with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. Ticketholders can get a refund at the point of order, PhillyEventsTix.com
River City Wrestling tonight in Kirby, TX at the Turner Club with Sean Waltman and Hernandez.
Bobby Lashley has signed to be the spokesperson for Nutrabolics, a Canadian supplement company.
WWE has successfully moved to get the lawsuits filed by Evan Singleton and Vito LoGrasso moved from Pennsylvania to Connecticut. They are also attempting to get the Nelson Frazier and Billy Jack Haynes suits moved to Connecticut. All WWE contracts specially state that any legal action is agreed to be in Connecticut.
C4 Capital City Championship Combat on 4/18 in Ottawa at the Vanier Columbus Club with Buxx Belmar vs. Josh Alexander as the main event.
CMLL on Tuesday night in Guadalajara: Bengala & Robin b Furia Roja & Mr. Trueno, Cancerbero & Raziel & Virus b Omar Brunetti & Esfinge & Gallo, Sagrado b Blue Panther Jr., Blue Panther & Marco Corleone & Maximo b El Terrible & Rey Bucanero & Shocker-DQ, Mistico & Valiente & Volador Jr. b Ephesto & Lucifereno & Mephisto-DQ
Renegades of Wrestling on 4/11 in Laredo, TX at the ROW Headquarters.
Wrestle Force on 4/8 in Crawley, West Sussex, England at the Maidenblower Community Centre.
All Star Wrestling on 4/11 in Lebanon VA at the Lebanon Middle School featuring Jimmy Valiant
Velocity Championship Wrestling on 4/5 in Memphis at 3035 Directors Row headlined by DJ Zema Ion.
New England Championship Wrestling on 4/11 in Everett, MA at the Rec Centre with Slyck Wagner Brown vs. Mike McCarthy.
Total Action Wrestling on 4/12 in Leighton Buzzard, England at the Brooklands Club.
LDN Wrestling on 4/9 in Deal, Kent, England at the Astor Theatre,.
4FW on 4/11 in Thatcham, Berkshire, England at the Thatcham Catholic Hall.
Pro Wrestling South on 4/10 in Bristol, TN at the National Guard Armory featuring Ricky Morton.
Pro Wrestling Ulster on 4/6 in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland at the Seagoe Hotel.
IWF Slam on 4/11 in Tupelo, MS at Goodtime Charlie’s.
ECCW on 4/11 in Cloverdale, BC has a fans bring the weapons War Gems Chamber of Extreme match. Jeff Jarrett appears on the show.
Premier Boxing Championships on 4/11 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on NBC with Danny Garcia vs. Lamont Peterson.
Reborn Wrestling on 4/11 in Johnson City, TN at the Trinity Assembly of God
A story on a woman who went on Tinder to get a date for WrestleMania
Story on the set of Lucha Underground
Match of the month balloting
Maria Menounos cuts a Dusty Rhodes promo on Ric Flair
Ch. 2 in Baltimore on the death of Perro Aguayo Jr.
ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)
1949 – Tarzan Lopez beat Bobby Bonales to win the Mexican national middleweight title
1980 – Antonio Inoki beat Stan Hansen in Tokyo to win the NWF title
1983 – Riki Choshu beat Tatsumi Fujinami in Tokyo to win the WWF Int. title
1992 – El Satanico beat Lizmark in Mexico City to win the NWA light heavyweight title
1993 – Yukihiro Kanemura & Mitsuhiro Matsunaga beat Freddy Kruger (Doug Gilbert) & Leatherface (Mike Kirchner) to win the WING tag title
2005 – Aja Kong beat Meiko Satomura in Yokohama to win the AAAW title
TODAY’S PRO WRESTLING VIDEOS (thanks to Thomas Rude)
INDY TV SHOWS
America’s Most Liked Wrestling TV (Episode 4)
Smash Wrestling TV (Episode 45)
Reality Of Wrestling TV (Episode 45)
WWE
Wrestling With Rosenberg: NXT’s Charlotte Flair
Wrestling With Rosenberg: Paige
Wrestling WIth Rosenberg: Stardust
Wrestling WIth Rosenberg: Bray Wyatt
Wrestling WIth Rosenberg: Eva Marie
Wrestling WIth Rosenberg: Finn Balor
Wrestling With Rosenberg: Dean Ambrose
Wrestling With Rosenberg: Paul Heyman
What’s Wrong WIth This John Cena vs. Randy Orton Match?
Roman Reigns Reacts To His Wrestlemania Defeat
5 Things-5 Live WWE TV Fails
TNA
I’m With Spud Wednesday (Episode 23)
Between 3 Screens: EC3 And Mr. Anderson Talk About…
MISC. STUFF
Dad You Don’t Work, You Wrestle (Episode 115)
4/2/15 CHIKARA Event Center
The Candice & Joey Show (Episode 102)
TOMORROW’S WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE
12:00 AM ET
WWE BEYOND THE RING The Best of Saturday Night’s Main Event revisits some of greatest matches and moments from SNME!
1:30 AM ET
FIRST LOOK THE ROAD IS JERICHO A first look at Jericho’s new home video! Jump in a limo and ride with Chris as he shares his favorite stories while traveling the country.
2:00 AM ET
WWE NXT The future is here. Witness the entertainers, the leading men and women, the Superstars of tomorrow – this is NXT!
3:00 AM ET
WWE SUPERSTARS WWE Superstars features the best of the best in matches you’ll have to see to believe. You never know what to expect – so expect everything.
4:00 AM ET
TOTAL DIVAS While at Brie’s bachelorette party in Mexico, Eva Marie struggles with her sobriety, and Nikki reveals a secret from her past!
5:00 AM ET
WCW MONDAY NITRO On this episode of WCW Monday Nitro the fallout from World War 3! Sting teams with Lex Luger to take on Brain Pillman and Arn Anderson.
6:00 AM ET
TOTAL DIVAS While at Brie’s bachelorette party in Mexico, Eva Marie struggles with her sobriety, and Nikki reveals a secret from her past!
7:00 AM ET
TOUGH ENOUGH Stone Cold Steve Austin tests the commitment of 14 men and women as they compete to become the next WWE superstar.
8:00 AM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR The war comes to a shocking conclusion, upstaged only by the talents that cross enemy lines in the years that follow.
9:00 AM ET
WRESTLEMANIA 31 At WrestleMania 31, Brock Lesnar defends his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns and Sting takes on Triple H.
1:00 PM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Greatest Tag Teams ever to form in WWE History, as voted by the WWE Universe.
2:00 PM ET
THIS WEEK IN WWE Get caught up on all the highlights from Raw and Smackdown with This Week in WWE.
2:30 PM ET
WWE QUICK HITS WWE Quick Hits brings you some of the most unique, entertaining, and sometimes outrageous clips, unearthed from the depths of WWE Network.
3:00 PM ET
SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Kamala battles Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. The Hart Foundation defend the WWE Tag Title against The British Bulldogs. Randy Savage and more.
4:30 PM ET
SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Randy Savage faces The Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship. King Kong Bundy battles Paul Orndorff. Hulk Hogan and more.
6:00 PM ET
WWE COUNTDOWN Counting down the Top Ten Greatest Tag Teams ever to form in WWE History, as voted by the WWE Universe.
7:00 PM ET
MONDAY NIGHT WAR The war comes to a shocking conclusion, upstaged only by the talents that cross enemy lines in the years that follow.
8:00 PM ET
SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Kamala battles Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. The Hart Foundation defend the WWE Tag Title against The British Bulldogs. Randy Savage and more.
9:30 PM ET
SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Randy Savage faces The Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship. King Kong Bundy battles Paul Orndorff. Hulk Hogan and more.
11:00 PM ET
SATURDAY NIGHTS MAIN EVENT Kamala battles Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. The Hart Foundation defend the WWE Tag Title against The British Bulldogs. Randy Savage and more.